I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.

Freedom

Ryuu sighed as the cast finally fell off, landing on the bed and allowing him to gingerly stretch and twist his torso, careful not to break his ribs again but enough to enjoy the freedom of being able to move. It was late in the day, almost sunset, but he was finally out of his cast.

"Alright," the nurse smiled. "Now, you'll still be staying here for about another week, but by the end of that, you should be back to normal."

Ryuu nodded, smiling and sitting on the bed, rolling his shoulder and enjoying being able to move his arms properly again.

"So, what's the first thing you're going to do?" Fu asked as the nurse left with the remains of the cast.

"I'm going to take a proper shower," Ryuu said, standing and picking up the hospital pants and his underwear, which Sasuke had gotten from the house for him. "I'll be out in a couple of minutes."

Fu nodded and Ryuu walked into the bathroom, turning the water on and taking his hospital gown off, stepping in and thoroughly scrubbing himself. After two weeks in a cast, he felt filthy, even after scrubbing himself a third time. Finally, he shut the water off, stepping out and toweling himself off, pulling his underwear and pants on and opening the door, walking back out to where Fu was patiently waiting on his bed. She smiled as he stepped out and he smiled back, glancing outside.

"I hate being stuck in here when it's so beautiful out," Ryuu said, a grin growing on his face. "Can we go for a flight?"

"As long as it's slow," Fu smiled, holding his shirt out.

He grimaced, pulling it on and glaring down at the blindingly white scrubs they had given him. He hated hospital clothes. He sighed, slipping his white hospital shoes on and walked to the window, sitting on the ledge and smiling, holding his hand out to Fu. Fu smiled, walking over and taking his hand, extending her wings and floating out the window, taking him with her and carefully shifting him to have his back pressed against her, her arms wrapped securely around him, green chakra glowing under her hands, Naruto sighing lightly as he felt the dull ache in his ribs disappearing.

"Let's head up to the Hokage Monument," Ryuu said, Fu nodding.

After a couple minutes of drifting through the air, Fu finally landed on top of the Hokage Monument, she and Ryuu both sitting on the edge, watching as the sun set, Fu resting her head on his shoulder. Slowly, the sun began to sink, the sky being painted a beautiful pink. After a couple minutes, Ryuu placed a temperature regulation seal on Fu's shoulder and stood, holding his hand out. She stood, taking it and he smiled.

"Let's watch from above the clouds," Ryuu suggested.

Fu smiled, nodding and picking him up, flying up to the clouds, Ryuu clearing them a path with a Gale Palm. After another moment, Fu rose above the cloud, rising a bit more before stopping. Below them, they stared at the curved surface of the Earth, and then out at the sunset. From this high up, the light of the sun spread out across the planet's atmosphere in multi-colored tendrils that wound and waved across the sky above them as the sun slowly sank. The tendrils waved and felt around the sky like a hundred octopus tentacles made of color, the tendrils going from blue to greens, to rainbow, to yellow. Then, after they had all turned yellow, the yellow began to darken into an orange, then to red. Then, it brightened into a hot pink before finally beginning to fade to black, looking like the most beautiful, yet oddest shaped, flower either had ever seen. Ryuu stared at it, Fu and Kabuto's words both playing through his mind.

He turned, looking back at Fu's face, so filled with wonder and awe as she watched the sunset. He turned his body, Fu loosening her grip to let him, her eyes not leaving the sunset. He smiled as he watched the awe in her expression. "Fu."

She blinked, looking away from the sun and at him, just in time for his lips to meet hers. She sighed, kissing him back and Ryuu felt every nerve in his body explode with a warm, tickling sensation as his stomach both flipped for joy and twisted into knots. His arms wrapped more securely around her, holding her close to himself as they kissed, neither breaking the kiss, even to breathe. Finally, Ryuu pulled away as the burning in his lungs became too much, breathing hard. However, he only stayed away long enough to give his body the air it needed before rejoining with Fu, who accepted him readily. Finally, after what felt like forever, and yet wasn't nearly long enough, the two separated, both gasping for breath and smiling.

"I..." Fu trailed off, placing her forehead against his, eyes closed and a tear sliding down her cheek.

"I know," Ryuu smiled, wiping her tear away. "I love you Fu. I'm sorry it took me as long as it did to stop being stubborn."

"It was worth it," Fu smiled. "We should get back. They're probably worried sick about you."

"You're probably right," Ryuu smiled.

Fu slowly descended back to the hospital, floating back in through Ryuu's window and landing on the floor, letting her wings fade just before Kakashi walked in with Ryuu's nurse.

"You see?" Kakashi said as Ryuu and Fu stepped away from each other, turning to them. "I told you he'd be back. They just needed some privacy for a minute."

"He's too young and injured for those kinds of things!" the nurse snapped.

"We were just watching the sunset," Ryuu said. "Jeez, you're both too perverted."

The nurse's face turned crimson and Kakashi chuckled.

"I never actually said why you needed privacy," Kakashi pointed out.

The nurse blushed even more and stormed out of the room, Kakashi chuckling again.

"Next time you two leave the room, leave a not explaining that you'll be back, alright?"

"We well," Ryuu promised.

Kakashi nodded and left the room as well, Ryuu walking back to his bed and slipping his shoes off, lying down and making room for Fu, who lay down beside him a moment later, wrapping her arms around him and snuggling into his side. He smiled, kissing her lightly before rolling onto his side, curling his body around hers as his arms encircled her, Fu snuggling deeper into his embrace. Then, they both drifted off to sleep.

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