A/N: Ahem Terribly sorry for the slow update. I wasn't around my computer at ALL during the Christmas week, and getting back to school after winter break isn't a picnic.

I keep thinking that I should have made this chapter a lot Limey-er…. But hell! It's only day six… I still got that many to work with! WOO! cheers

Short… again… but bear with me. Day Seven will also be short, but the days after that should be… very eventful. And the longer the chapter, the more time it takes to type/write/plan/whatever the story. Slower updates? Yeah. But That's not TOO bad, seeing as I updated every other day with the first five chapters. Does a chapter a week sound bad? I didn't think so. 3 Enjoy (Quick note… This chapter is actually three pages. Crazy, huh?)

Day Six--

It was midnight before Naruto and Sasuke stopped to rest. They had found a small village at the base of the nearby mountain range they were traveling beside, and decided to spend the night at a local Inn. But in the Snow Country, staying at an Inn was more like having an all expense-paid pass to a hot-spring resort, this inn, not being an exception, was very well equipped in that regard.

"Sugoi!" Naruto whispered in awe through a giant grin. He was standing in the doorway of the men's hot spring, clad only in a small white towel. He drank in the steamy sight - a wonderful reprieve from the cold, dry outdoors that he was tiring of.

The room was large, made of stone with a high wooden dome for a ceiling that did a wonderful job of trapping in the heat. There were stools and buckets sitting next to the showering hoses, and a large variety of soaps, oils, salts, and other such scented items lining the walls. The spring itself was set in the center of the room with large boulders jutting out here and there at odd angles, and steam was pouring out of it like a freshly cast jutsu.

Behind Naruto, Sasuke was also admiring the sight -- though it wasn't exactly the same one.

"Oi... dobe..." Naruto jumped at the sound of his voice. A quick blush came about when he realized who was behind him.

"Ahhh... Sasuke, I thought you were going to sleep?"

"It was cold. I decided to warm up first." The Uchiha's voice was a little deeper than usual, and they were soaked with a sensual glaze. Naruto felt more blood fill his cheeks and he made a b-line for the spring, hoping that he could blame the redness on the heat of the water. Sasuke watched him cannonball into the water, not missing the slight lift in the towel when he jumped, and licked his lips.

"Dobe, you're supposed to wash first." Naruto waved a dismissive hand at his partner.

"Bah! It's after midnight, Sasuke. No one'll be here 'til they change the water. It's fine." Sasuke turned his back to Naruto, smirking.

"Whatever…" He said, sitting down on one of the stools. His eyes scanned the shelves in front of him, finally resting on a bottle of clear bath gel. He plunked the bottle off the shelf, and set it down next to him.

Now is when the fun begins… Sasuke thought to himself with a quick lick of the lips. He picked up the shower hose and began to work.

In the hot springs, Naruto was having a very hard time trying not to look. Over on the patio, Sasuke, his crush, was soaking himself thoroughly with nothing but a towel on, and looking like a goddamn porn-star while he was at it. He swallowed roughly, biting on his lower lip in an attempt to dispel his ever apparent blush.

Look away, Naruto, that's it, Naruto cooed to himself, you can do it. Just don't think about how sexy he looks when his hair's all wet… or the fact that he's smothering himself with gel… or that he just licked his lips… or…OH HELL!

Naruto dived under the water, breaking the surface with bubbles. Sasuke peered over his shoulder, aware of the dobe's desired actions.

Is that enough for now? Yeah. Enough showering. I better go get him before he drowns himself. Sasuke strolled over to the water and eased himself in, entirely aware that from under water Naruto could see his towel ride up just a little bit. He walked over to where the bubble broke the water's surface, grasped one of Naruto's limbs and hoisted him out of the water.

It was dully noted, that Sasuke was surprised, embarrassed, and well turned-on, when he found himself holding a flailing Naruto by his foot, towel, long-since left in the water.

"BAKA TEME! PUT. ME. DOWN!" Sasuke obeyed without thought or witty retort. It was going to be difficult to go much farther with Naruto tonight.

"Geez, teme! You didn't have to do that! I can get air myself!"

"Hn… what were you doing under water, dobe?" Naruto fumed at the sound of his nickname, but answered anyway.

"I was… looking at the fish. And don't call me that, teme."

"Fish?"

"Yeah. Fish. There's really big carp or somethin' down there." Though you couldn't tell because of the ample amount of water all over his body, Naruto was breaking down in a cold sweat. He was lying through his teeth, and he was pretty sure Sasuke wouldn't believe him.

"Hn." Sasuke made sure his voice was expressionless, but inside he was thrilled. Such an excuse… maybe he could go farther tonight after all.

"Sure, dobe. Fish." Sasuke sat on the underwater bench-like stone that lined the spring, quickly formulating a plan. For the first time that night, he was very glad that the steam rolled off of the water in such thick layers he couldn't see to the bottom. Naruto, too, sat down, making sure to keep just a little distance between the two bodies, but not wanting to miss out on contact either.

Slowly, so the movement wouldn't be detected by Naruto's keen eyes, Sasuke slid his foot across his partner's leg and watched their eyes grow big.

"Heeeehhh! A fish just rubbed me!"

"What did you expect? We're in their spring."

"Bu-..it just-… I-…" Naruto sighed, thoroughly convinced that Sasuke didn't believe him. Naruto had just finished calming down when he felt something else brush against a private area.

"YIIIIEEEEEEE!" He yelped, jumping to his feet. Sasuke fought hard for a straight face.

"What now?"

"THEREWASAFISHANDITBRUSHEDAGAINSTAPLACEWHEREFISHREALLYDON'TNORMALLYGOANDIT—" Naruto stopped, realizing by the expression on Sasuke's face, that he was making no sense what-so-ever.

"I WAS MOLESTED BY A FISH!" Sasuke's cheek muscles ached from being so tensed. He was determined not to laugh. He couldn't. Naruto would figure everything out. He didn't even trust himself to speak.

"Hn." Naruto snapped.

"Baka teme!" He stood up and stormed out of the hot spring completely towel-free, and Sasuke didn't miss a minute of nude hip-rolling action.

------------

The rest of the day was rather un-eventful. There were very few bandits, Naruto had a death grip on the scroll, and Sasuke was unnaturally cheerful.

Vocab:

Sugoi suu-goh-ee Cool, awesome, wow... you get the idea.

Oi oh-ee Hey, as in "Hey you."

Note: In a Japanese bath house, you're supposed to wash yourself before you enter the bathing area. Since lots of people bathe in the same area, it's a gesture of respect to be clean. This is why Sasuke is using one of those little stools and a bucket with the shower hose, before he joins Naruto in the spring. The bath water is changed every couple of days, and no chemicals are used.