A/N: Sorry about the long wait. My job has been sucking up all my time and phew, is it hard to get this done in time. There's a couple mistakes I fixed now, since I was in a hurry to get it published before I left for work. This chapter's dedicated to Joz yyh, my wonderful friend in school that I miss already --;; This is the chapter she didn't get to read! Thank you all for the supporting comments and your patience. Now, let's begin!

Deep Blue Sunshine

"And under this sky, our legend is made,

Our story shall be told,

Our myth will notfade."

Chapter Five: Underneath the Crystal Clarity

"It's a bit surprising, but it won't change anything." A warm smile. Feather-light touches on his cheek…

Iruka shifted his legs underneath the soft covers, turning away from the bright windows. His mind still groped for that cozy feeling called sleep. Light, coldness, and the world outside the bed most certainly needed not to exist right now.

"You…you mean it?" His voice laced with doubt and hope—apprehension. The fears he held so close to him all melted away with a husky voice.

"Yes."

Settling into a comfortable position on his back, he pulled the blankets closer in an attempt to resume his warm sleep. For some reason, the silk sheets reminded him of home.

A small pause where actions spoke louder than words. A soft kiss that told him everything in one breath. Their hands linked together, never wanting to let go.

"After this war…" He started as their lips broke apart, "Will we see each other again?"

The thought brought up a sense of sadness they couldn't comprehend at the time.

"Iruka…"

"Iruka."

"We'll think of something." An amused look. "After all, now that you're a prince-"

"Iruka. Wake up."

Awake with the realization that the voice calling him was not from his realm of sleep, Iruka jerked his eyelids open and fended off the discomfort of light coming into his eyes.

Kakashi's face filled his vision.

"Yo."

He pushed back into the bed in surprise and the fact that Kakashi was invading something he liked to call personal space. Didn't he learn any manners when they were apart!

"Kakashi," Iruka started, glaring evenly at the man on top of him, "What are you doing?"

"Waking you up, of course!" He replied cheerfully, as if Iruka had asked about the weather.

Kakashi made no attempt to get off.

Pinned to the bed, Iruka held back a growl as he thought of a logical way to pry Kakashi off him. Although when it came to the silver-haired man, logical wasn't really a proper word.

"I'm up now." Iruka replied in a dry voice, giving the amused teacher a stern look, "Please get off of me. I have to meet the prince for breakfast."

Kakashi complied, although he took his sweet time doing so.

"The prince will not be attending, I'm afraid." Kakashi mocked stated. His voice had that teasing quality to it, but his eyes held something quite different. Iruka frowned.

"May I ask why not?" Usually princes, sick or not, attended to breakfast for their company as a sort of etiquette. Otherwise shows his apathy towards Iruka or people in general. It could mean overthrow in an instant.

It was like playing with matches in a minefield full of gunpowder.

He sat up and threw his legs over the bed, hoping that the numbness in his legs would lessen. How long had Kakashi sat on him?

"The prince is a bit out of commission for the day. Several days of sleep deprivation took it's toll." Kakashi replied, looking out the balcony window. He had a strange look on his partially covered face.

Tired and irritated, the brown haired prince had enough vague answers. He glared at the man and disregarded any sort of politeness he had left to spare.

"What exactly has been going on in Konoha since we left from the war?"

Waiting and waiting, it seemed like her favorite hobby nowadays. Waiting for the maid to clean her room, waiting for the teacher to start their private lessons, waiting for Sasuke to acknowledge her, the list went on and on. This situation proved to be no different.

She gracefully pulled the chair from the desk and placed it near Sasuke's bedside, gratefully taking in the splendid view of the prince, still and fast asleep underneath the silken sheets and the softest covers. His dark hair spilled out on the pillow, like threaded waterfalls. His navy blue sheets contrasted his pale skin and made it glow in the muted sunlight. He appeared so vulnerable like that; more human. Something Sasuke managed to hide from anyone and everyone who crossed his path. Someday she wished that he would break that ice around his heart a little, just for her.

She tried her best—honestly, she did! Out of the entire class of nobles, she had the most knowledge of anything. Reading, writing, arithmetic, the history of Konoha, even facts of other cultures was not far out of her reach and easily understood. She knew proper etiquette, the correct way to eat, walk, and dress. She even had been told that her beauty surpassed even her name—Sakura. She would be the perfect queen.

All this for the sleeping prince, yet nothing. He still shrugged her off and ignored her, addressed her only when she was considered an annoyance. It had been like that since they were seven—ever since the royal family had passed away. She noticed how perfect Sasuke was, but Sasuke had turned his focus on his kingdom instead of his toys; forsaking his friends for revenge. It had truly been a sad sight.

Sakura wanted to help him. Sakura also believed she loved him.

She swept the long folds of her red dress to the side, brushing them off the plush chair in one fell swoop. The prince remained unfazed, still locked in his dream world. Silence reigned over the room.

She would give anything to be in that bed right now, being held in Sasuke's arms…

"Sakura," A deep voice called, and she turned her attention to her teacher. Kakashi stood in the doorway with that same neutral expression taken when instructing. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"I was just serving His Highness breakfast." She replied softly, with a blush dusting her pale cheeks. Kakashi always asked such embarrassing questions! It never ceased to amaze her that any of them managed to be properly tutored.

Kakashi gave a casual nod.

"You may leave." He replied mutely. Sakura pasued to gaze at the prince one more time, and slowly stood from her chair. She turned and curtseyed to her teacher.

"Good day, teacher." She spoke, and left the room, Kakashi strode over to the bedside, taking Sakura's place.

He'd have to play better than that to fool Kakashi.

"Get up."

Sasuke's eyes shot open immediately and glared at his tutor.

"What do you want?"

"That's a rather unprincley reply," He mused. This was his form of affection towards the prince. Too bad Sasuke thought it was his way of torture.

Well, maybe it was, a little.

Sasuke mumbled his trademark "tch" and sat up. His night robes appeared undisturbed.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Kakashi stated, "Blowing off an important breakfast with the prince of Naida is rather reckless of you."

A mild fraction of surprise flashed onto Sasuke's face.

"How late is it, exactly?"

"Almost noon. I suggest you have your breakfast before it becomes lunch."

As a teacher, he had mixed feelings about Sasuke's thought processes. He taught Sasuke to remain on constant guard. The duty of a king required a steady, unwavering rule. However, as a person…

Sasuke was the perfect student in combat and diplomatic matters. He was also the most lacking in manners of the self. Something Kakashi also lacked the skilled to teach.

The prince mechanically reached for his tray and set it on his lap with practiced grace. He dillegently warped his fingers around the teacup and sipped the liquid soundlessly.

"Send my apologies to the prince. Retreive a suitable gift from the treasury as well."

Kakashi bowed his head. He knew when Sasuke was Sasuke, and when Sasuke was the prince.

"Will you be attending lunch?"

A pause filtered between them as he waited for the prince's response. He scrunched his nose a little and glared at the sheets.

"I was asleep, befroe Sakura barged into my room. I dislike sleeping in front of an audience." At this, the prince gave him a pointed glare.

"Understood," He bowed again, and turned to leave. Halfway to the door, he paused.

"Although, it would be in your best interest to sleep, prince."

He heard the prince scoff again, and his lips twitched upward as he left.

Naruto yawned pitifully and struggled to keep his half-lidded eyes open. Geez, waiting for Sasuke was such a pain in the tail. Of course it was like that bastard not to show up like that, not giving any sort of notification beforehand. Were humans always like this? He's had a pretty poor example so far. Mmm, sleepy…

He wondered what a human's bed felt like. Sasuke said that sometimes they slept on fluffy cushions of material filled with bird feathers or straw, and other times they just slept on wooden boards or flimsy mats. He doubted it was like the soft beds of moss merpeople had. When he asked Sasuke which one he slept on, the guy just scoffed and changed the subject. Maybe it was a culture thing humans had about asking about their sleeping habits…?

He put his head down against his crossed arms, feeling the damp stones beneath him. Where was Sasuke? He waited all night and all this morning and now it was at least noon. Naruto hadn't had an ounce of sleep because of him! And he couldn't fall alseep above the surface, or the air could kill him.

Loosing sleep over this bastard, what has gotten into him?

The rocks felt nice and smooth, a little warm due to his body heat. Sleep kept pulling him into it's realm, but he fought against it. He didn't wanna miss Sasuke, or his lessons! When Sasuke got here, he was sooo going to chew him out. Who knows, maybe it would irritate the human enough to show some real emotion.

Yeah, Sasuke would look so much better with emotion than just cold-hearted all the time.

Just when he thought that a little sleep wouldn't kill him, the fast footsteps of Hellfire reached his ears. He pulled his head up just in time to see the stallion roughly halt near the usual spot near the tree. Sasuke clambered down, still with that indifferent look on his face.

"Where were you?" He demanded half-heartedly, "You're late!"

"I was sleeping, you idiot. Humans need sleep, you know." He retorted, taking his spot near the merman.

"You could've told me that! I wasted all that time doing nothing last night. And don't call me an idiot, you bastard!" He fought back a yawn and glared. Sasuke smirked.

"You spent the entire night waiting up for me? I didn't know you cared."

"Of course I care—err, I mean, who else would give me my lessons?"

A moment of surprise flashed on Sasuke's face and Naruto almost flinched as his stone mask fell back into place.

"If you're so eager then, I'll start." He replied blankly. Inside, Naruto felt like grimacing. He didn't mean for it to sound so harsh…

Sasuke started explaining the different legends in human mythology, and slowly Naruto drooped his head and fell asleep.

Sasuke paused as he glanced at the sleeping merman, and smirked…this time with kinder eyes. He really had stayed up all night, the idiot. And he even fell asleep above water!

He shifted the drying merman deeper into the water, not really caring about his soaking pants and boots. They could survive some water. Naruto mumbled something random, but didn't stir.

"Naruto," Sasuke mumbled as he gazed at the submerged merman on the smooth bed of rocks, " I care too. About these lessons."

But somewhere they both knew that there was something so much more than that understanding.