Hey guys, took some time to get this chapter done. I am rushing the plot a bit in this chapter, so spare with me.

I honestly did not expect so many reviews for the previous chapter that it's making me feel regret for not updating sooner *sighs*. Anyways, I already have the next chapter almost done, so no worries about the next update.

As always thanks to ZebraUchiha, nsymina, Deandy, Strife00, dianadevungding, Aloxamax, ROXAS, grither55, sandwich master, Darkzero698, Devil's Darklight, orebekao, Infinite_zero9, Dark Jutten, Rain-XIX, Keampo, cristifilip372 and guest(x5) for your reviews. I felt a lot of inspiration from one particular guest review and Keampo's one. So, thanks for that and to those who put up with me and read up until this point.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Fairy tail. They belong to their respective owners. I apologize in advance for any typos or grammatical errors.

Continuing on;

Chapter 8: Party at the mansion

Orochimaru Lair(One of his Hide Out);

The group that had arrived from the Earth Land stopped in front of Orochimaru's lair. They didn't find the need to go inside as another group of four stood blocking their path.

The person who stood at the front was none other than Orochimaru, one of the three Legendary Sannin. To his right was Suigetsu and his left was Juugo. Karin stood at the back.

The other group had Irene Belserion standing at the front with Heine taking her right and Juliet taking her left. August stood at the back. Both the groups stood at some distance neither speaking a word to the other group. Wind swayed in between them as both groups carefully observed their enemies, either of them refusing to make the first move.

"So, that long haired dude is supposed to be the hebi we were searching for?" Juliet asked.

"Seems that way... his eyes suggest the same thing." Heine answered, setting Yamato on the ground beside her.

"What are we waiting for then... they are just some low level ninjas, right? We've dealt with those sort in our home before," Juliet said, taking a battle stance.

"Enough," August commanded them in a stern voice. "Do not make light of this mission and never underestimate your opponent. We have to first examine our enemy before making a move." he said. "Seems like that girl on the back is a sensory type. They must already be making some sort of strategy."

Juliet sighed. "It's going to be a long day then."

"Stop complaining about everything, will ya!" Heine said as those two got into an argument.

"Listen up... they have something called chakra in them unlike the ninjas in our world who use magic." Irene spoke up, explaining to her impatient subordinates. "They can be very sneaky and persistent. And that guy in front is no ordinary ninja. He is a crafty one. So, if you are not careful..." she turned round having a serious expression. "... you might wind up dead." she finished as the bickering duo gulped.

..

On the other side,

"Karin, what do you make of them?" Orochimaru asked without turning back, his eyes gazing curiously at the red haired witch.

The sensory ninja shifted her glasses as she focused, "It's... so strange."

"What's strange?" Suigetsu asked, his sword ready in his hand. It wasn't the Executioner's blade as he had already lost it in the five kage meet back when Taka infiltrated the summit to kill Danzo.

"Those two on the left and right... I am not sure if they are human at all."

"What do you mean?"

"It seems like some kind energy is wrapped against some sort of weapon. Whatever that energy is, it definitely isn't chakra." Karin said.

She was in a no better state than the rest at trying to figure this out. She was actually a highly intellectual ninja but her obsession with Sasuke always seemed to hide that fact. She had analyzed Danzo's jutsu all by herself during the Sasuke-Danzo fight. Though that days was probably the worst day in her life as Sasuke eventually drowned in darkness and ended up almost killing her.

"But they seem to be arguing about something like normal people. How can that be possible?" Suigetsu said.

A little bird flew towards Juugo at that moment and landed on his shoulder. It chirped as Juugo listened to it, his calmer self which was always one with the nature. He could somehow understand the language of the animals, just like a hermit. It was quite a contrast if it was compared with his other self, the ragging demon which strived only one violence.

"Orochimaru-sama, the scroll that the young lady has belongs to a shinobi named Fuushin." Juugo informed the sannin about the information he learnt from the bird.

"Fuushin?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, recalling the incident at Coliseum. "It seems like they made it to him earlier than Sasuke-kun."

"Ehh!" Suigetsu gasped. "Doesn't that mean that is the scroll that Sasuke has been searching for?"

"Looks that way." Juugo answered.

"Any whereabouts of Fuushin, Juugo?" Orochimaru asked.

"It seems he was left to die in the hell valley."

"Karin, what about the rest?" Orochimaru asked, his sharp gaze going to the old man and the redhead beside him.

'How is this possible?' Karin gulped as she gauged their power. 'It definitely isn't chakra but what is it? That woman has something up her sleeve, something inhuman and her energy signature is a-almost same as...-'

"Karin!" Suigetsu called out, dragging Karin out of her deep thought. "What happened?"

Karin pointed her finger to the woman in front, "That woman's energy signature is similar to that of the girl that is travelling with Sasuke."

"FuFu... Seems like they too aren't from around here." Orochimaru said, obviously hinting that he knew of Erza's origin. "Everyone, be careful. They are from another world where they wield some sort of energy which isn't chakra."

"Eh, another world!? You mean the scroll actually works!" Suigetsu exclaimed at the revelation.

"Seems that way. Our top priority now is retrieving the scroll and sending it to Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru spoke calmly, as others nodded and took a defensive battle stance. "Karin, stay at the back and keep an eye on the enemy's movements. Our objective is the scroll. We do not want to indulge ourselves more than required in this stupid battle." he said.

In the next instance, Suigetsu and Juugo who unleashed his curse mark pattern, rushed at them as Juliet and Heine did the same and countered them. Thus, the battle between them began.

..

Naruto walked down the bustling streets of Konoha to buy some stuff for the event that he planned to co-host along with Sasuke. He could have chosen any other place for this little event, but the main reason he decided on Sasuke's house was because he wanted to liven the atmosphere he found there.

He had never visited the outskirts of the village, specifically to the Uchiha district before today. He did know that Uchiha clan existed on the far outskirts but during the academy days, there were many other things that were happening in his life that he didn't go out of his way to throw some pranks on them. Plus, the bastard used to live there so he was bound to come up with some snide remark if he would have seen him.

"Is this everything we were supposed to get?"

Naruto looked at the redhead, her hands carrying a few bags. "Not everything. There is still an important item remaining."

The blonde spoke, smiling with a knowing look.

"But this is the list Hinata-san gave us-"

"Come on, Erza-chan. There's no way we can forget sake!"

"O-Oh," The red head offered an apologetic smile. "It is a party among adults after all."

"Of course! There is no need to hold back today!"

Naruto declared, startling Erza as he looked to his front, a hand forming a fist in front of his chest. His other hand held the remaining bags. They took a turn at an alleyway before coming across a certain ramen shop.

"One meal probably won't hurt…" Naruto mumbled, rather his stomach mumbled. He had a conflicted look before turning his attention at the redhead as she started giggling. "E-Erza-chan? What's wrong?"

Erza chuckled, wiping a tear away. "It's actually nothing. I was just thinking you really like ramen. A 'ramen loving freak' as Sasuke mentioned."

Naruto gained a tick mark at the nickname Sasuke used for him, "That bastard... He could have introduced me a lot better!"

"Actually, he did," Erza said quickly as Naruto turned to look at her with a surprised expression. "He used to constantly tell me about how you were during your academy days and how he is indebted to you."

Naruto scratched his cheek with some embarrassment, his mind trying to picture Sasuke saying those nice things about him. "Hehe, well, if he said all that good stuff about me, I suppose I could forgive him for giving me that nickname."

"You really are his best friend," Erza muttered shaking her head.

Naruto continued to smile before looking at the ramen shop. "So Erza-chan, have you ever tried ramen before?"

"Uh, yeah but I don't think I tried from this shop." Erza looked at the plier in front of the shop that read 'Ichiraku Ramen.'

"What? You mean to say Sasuke didn't bring you to this shop even once!?" Naruto blinked incredulously. According to what he had gathered, it had been more than a few days since Sasuke returned and that was more than enough time to explore the village. The fact that he didn't bring his wife to the best spot in the town… it was just… "That bastard!"

"Is it really that great?" Erza continued to look at the small shop, trying to figure out what got the blonde so riled up.

"Of course it is! Come on!"

"But I just had lunch and- hey!" Erza was cut off abruptly as Naruto dragged her to the Ichiraku stand.

"It's fine, it's fine. One small snack wouldn't hurt." Naruto grinned as Erza couldn't help but follow the blonde to the shop, since he looked so earnest.

"Fine. But after this, we need to get some dessert as well." Erza spoke, taking a seat beside the blonde as Naruto already went ahead and ordered two special ramen.

"Deal!"

..

Back in the Uchiha manor, compared to how Sasuke initially thought, the relative silence wasn't as bad. Hinata was mostly quiet on her part, going through some ingredients to get the sauté ready for the dish she was preparing for tonight's party. Erza volunteered to accompany Naruto since she probably realized that cooking wasn't really her forte. At least compared to Naruto's fiancée.

Sasuke for his part was currently busy scrutinizing the dish that his wife had so affectionately made for lunch. His face twitched as he took a bite and swallowed.

"…I am amazed she was able to completely kill the food's flavor."

At least the flavor of tomatoes was still intact so he guessed it was still passable. Hinata quietly chuckled as despite what the Uchiha said, he still finished the meal.

Just as he was about to clear the dishes, Naruto's loud voice was heard through the front door and the pair returned with the relevant items. Erza and Naruto settled at the table in the hall as Sasuke returned to the kitchen to cook some of his own dishes.

"Heh, so Sasuke can cook as well." Naruto spoke, amazed as he sat down on one of the tatami mats.

Erza simply looked at the silhouette of the Uchiha. The fact that Sasuke could cook wasn't a surprise to her as they had taken turns when it came to cooking. But, what surprised her was that Naruto wasn't aware of this fact. Someone who Sasuke considered as his closest friend.

Perhaps the Uchiha was a loner even during his academy days.

Seeing as Sasuke was now out of hearing now, Erza motioned for the blonde to come closer. "Say Naruto. How was Sasuke during his younger days?"

Naruto hummed. "You wish to know more about him, huh?"

Erza's cheeks flushed a little. "I-I suppose. It's only natural that his wife would want to know more about her husband."

"You didn't ask him, did you?" Naruto deadpanned.

Erza stared at him in shock before nodding slowly. "Do you really think he would answer even if I asked?"

Naruto looked at her for a moment before sighing. What she told was true after all. Until a few years ago, the best way he could understand Sasuke was through the exchange of fists.

But, he supposed it wouldn't hurt to share a few details about his rival since she was making a sincere effort to learn more about Sasuke. He could tell the main reason she had accompanied him earlier was also to ask about the Uchiha, but she probably couldn't as they had just met and were mostly bouncing off each other.

He was genuinely happy for Sasuke despite what he might have initially felt about Sasuke marrying off on his own. The main reason he was angry before was because of Sakura, who had stood by him and supported him to get together with Hinata. He felt bad for his female teammate but after meeting the red head, he realized it probably couldn't have been helped.

"Hm, let's see… well, he was always popular with all the kunoichi from our class. Even though he never did anything," Erza could hear Naruto grumble the last part before he turned towards her with a smile and a thumbs up. "Just like me, I suppose."

Naruto was the hero and a key figure who played a central role in the last great ninja war in ending it. So, it was no exaggeration to say that Naruto had a ton of fans ever since the war ended, many kunoichi going so far as to just observe him as he trained by himself.

So, Erza had no reason to doubt that Naruto was popular even during his academy days but she didn't know how far off the truth she was. At least her assessment of Sasuke was right. During their travels, she couldn't help but feel at times that the Uchiha used her as a repellant to keep girls off his back.

"And he was really good looking and cool too... just like me..." Naruto's tone was so natural that one couldn't tell he was bluffing about himself unless one knew him personally during the academy days.

The blonde shamelessly continued. "And in academy, his ninjutsu grades were top of the class, exactly like me."

Now, Erza was beginning to doubt the tale that Naruto was weaving as he spoke about being top of the class, same as his rival but in reality, there could only be one person on top.

Naruto continued, oblivious to the doubtful look on the redhead's face. "However, he was a total loner with bad attitude who talked shit to other people and was an absolute smart ass!" Naruto shouted, immediately rejecting that image. "Totally unlike me!"

Erza recalled the conversations the last Uchiha had with other people and could not help but agree with Naruto on this. But, he wasn't as bad now. He did have his moments and he was kind in his own way.

"In other words, he was my rival!" Naruto declared. "Even now, that hasn't changed!"

As she listened to Naruto speak about the adventures they had as team seven, a wave of nostalgia hit her. Images of a pink haired teen filled her mind, reminding her of this figure as Naruto continued with a bright smile. The atmosphere shifted as she felt something warm fill inside her chest. It felt… nice to hear about the life that Sasuke used to lead once before he started off on his journey.

But it also weighed on her heart a little knowing that the Uchiha could never have the old adventures of team seven that Naruto spoke with so much fondness. That was the part that sucked the most.

"Hn, I hope you aren't troubling her too much, loser."

"Look who's talking, bastard."

Sasuke entered after sometime, looking slightly tired from all the cooking he did. Probably why he never went out of his way to cook something for himself. Hinata remained in the kitchen, preparing the delicacies for the night.

He glanced at the clock before looking at the redhead, "It's best if you freshen up now. I have already arranged a kimono for you in your room."

"Your room…?" Naruto tilted his head, finding the way Sasuke worded that sentence strange.

"…!"

"He meant to say our room, Naruto. Jeez, shouldn't you also freshen up?" Erza quickly covered as Sasuke realized his mistake. The Uchiha distracted the blonde as she got up immediately and head to her room. Correction. Their room. A purple kimono was laid out neatly on her bed. She picked it up, feeling the fabric of the cloth before she noticed the Uchiha clan crest at the back of the kimono.

This was probably his mother's…

She held the piece close to her chest, her expression growing sullen as she wondered what Sasuke might have felt when he looked through his late mother's belongings. Was he doing all of this just for the mission? She hoped to think that there was something far more to it.

..

"So folks, I thank you all for attending this humble party hosted by Sasuke and none other than this-"

"Knucklehead."

"Knucklehead- that's not what I meant! Don't interrupt me, Sasuke!"

"Hn."

The group of rookie eleven laughed at the duo's antics as they skipped past Naruto's invitation and went inside the Uchiha manor. All of the girls had worn Yukata whereas the boys were in their regular outfits. The biggest room in the manor consisted of bunch of tables that were all placed to form a huge circle on the tatami mats.

Sasuke assumed a position between Erza and Naruto. Hinata sat to the other side of Naruto as Sakura took her place beside Hinata.

Ino and Sai sat together whereas Shikamaru, Choji sat on either side of them. Tenten sat beside Rock Lee whereas Kiba and Shino filled the remaining spaces.

Sasuke sat in a black kimono since he was technically one of the hosts whereas Naruto was dressed in an orange kimono. The girls, compared to the males in the room had prepared and dressed considerably well. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say most of them resembled dolls from the old folktales.

Erza was completely dressed in the purple kimono that Sasuke had arranged for her. The bright purple color in contrast with her scarlet hair and pale smooth skin made her standout even more. Her appearance was nothing short compared to the Hyuga princess' own beauty. For most of the group, one look at Erza was enough to guess why the Uchiha had returned a married man from his journeys. Most of them wanted to compliment on her looks but with Sasuke beside her, none really found the courage to do it. None in the sense, none of the males except Naruto.

At first, formal introductions were exchanged between Erza and the rest. As expected from Sasuke, he killed any excitement that others might have held in meeting Erza as he kept the introductions as short as possible. The dishes were served as Naruto kicked off the proceedings, talking about how he fell for Hinata in his recent adventure on the moon. More like him mostly throwing all the sentences so cringe that they would have been better read that said out loud.

Hinata was beet red and it was a wonder that she didn't faint yet. Naruto being Naruto didn't stop there and continued with what happened on the moon mission.

Sasuke sat with a bored expression as he rested his chin against the palm of his hand, his interest waned off as Naruto only mentioned Otsusuki Toneri in passing. Erza's gaze darted from person to person, nervous to be around so many people all of a sudden and her first impression with Naruto, the one who Sasuke considered his closest friend, wasn't really a good one.

The blonde had walked in when she was trying to pin Sasuke down. It took a lot of explaining from her afterwards but Naruto didn't seem that convinced. But she was glad as he did not speak anything about that.

Erza realized something as Naruto spoke, so she pulled Sasuke's sleeve. He turned towards her,

"What is it?" he asked in a bored manner. Maybe he also felt a bit out of place even as he sat among his friends. She had never heard him speak of his friends other than Naruto after all.

"Listening to Naruto… Don't you think they would ask us on how we met as well?" she whispered as Sasuke nodded after thinking for a bit.

"Hm, you are right."

"What should we say then?" she whispered. He could see that she was completely freaking out under the fake shell which she had created at the moment.

He opened his mouth to say something but stopped as his eyes caught Sakura's gaze for a moment before she subtly averted her eyes. It was now really getting on his nerves at having constant stares sent to the back of his head. Thankfully, Erza didn't know that his former teammate was in reality carefully observing and scrutinizing them.

On the surface, it was just regular hangout. A small party thrown among friends. But to Sasuke, there was another goal. Convincing others that Erza was his wife and that she was a regular kunoichi, especially Sakura since Naruto seemed a lot convinced the moment he barged in on them.

The lesser people who knew about Erza's origin, the better.

"Hey, what are you two whispering about?" Kiba asked, interrupting Naruto as a finger was jabbed in the Uchiha's direction. The rest of them turned their attention to Sasuke and Erza as the place got silent.

Sasuke could observe the slight trembling of the redhead's hands from the corner of his eyes. It was clear that she was becoming anxious under everyone's stare. Silently placing a hand on top of hers, he gave a reassuring squeeze to remind her that she wasn't alone in this.

It did indeed calm her as she was now focusing her attention on his hand which he placed on top of hers. For some reason, she felt at ease. Of course, others couldn't see the whole holding hands as their hands were underneath the table.

Now that she had calmed down, Sasuke turned his attention to Kiba. "Is something wrong if I talk to my wife, Kiba?"

Kiba just jabbed his finger at him. "There is nothing wrong with that but we are trying to listen to Naruto's tale here. You both can gossip as much as you want after we leave." he said, a smug smile on his face clearly implying something else.

At this Erza was blushing madly, which was expected but Sasuke was calm. The rest of them found it odd that steam was erupting from Naruto's head. Naruto's head was now filled with the image of Sasuke and Erza that he had walked in. And Sasuke giving him a dark warning on not to spit it out to anyone was not helping his case.

"Sasuke! I would love to hear your tale of how you met Erza-san," Rock Lee yelled, his obsession of youth clear in his eyes. "The romance between two youths is always bright as a sun and beautiful as the season of spring. I would like to learn the lessons of love life from you as you are the only one among us who is married."

The rest of the gang agreed with Lee while Erza giggled a little at Sasuke's expression.

"Yes, that's right. Erza-san. We would really like to hear your story of how you met Sasuke-kun too. We have been following Sasuke-kun around since academy days and he never responded to any of our confessions." Ino said, but quickly gave an answer to reassure Erza. "Don't worry. I am not going to snatch your husband from you. I am happy with Sai," she said as she hugged Sai's arm who had his 'smile'. Sasuke smirked a bit at the expression Erza gave.

The conversation had changed from Naruto and Hinata to Sasuke's marriage just like that. Naruto though, continued speaking about the mission for nth time as he tried to steer the subject, afraid of the warning Sasuke left him with.

"Guys, as I was saying, I had this weird dream last night. I was high in the sky—"

"What is that you found attractive about Sasuke?"

Tenten was the first to ask a question. Erza sputtered at the direct approach.

"—I was about to kiss the most beautiful woman I ever saw—"

"Um…"

"—It was Toneri! Weird, huh!"

"Enough, Naruto!" Ino interrupted the blonde's speech. "Aren't you curious about your best friend?"

Naruto looked torn in between wanting to know the details and the simple words Sasuke tenderly left him with. The struggle didn't last long though as the former won quite easily, "Tell us, Erza-chan! What was it that you found attractive about the bastard?"

Erza's cheeks were flushed as the group ganged up on her. She looked over to Sasuke who had the 'you are all on your own' look on his face as if he couldn't do anything about the situation. She muttered a silent jerk before she forced a smile and looked over at the group.

"He is… always nice to me and cares about me even though he doesn't show much in his expressions and acts like a jerk at times." she grumbled the last part, sending a glare towards Sasuke.

Naruto laughed. "Haha, you are right about the jerk part, I totally agree on that," he said before silencing himself under Sasuke's annoyed gaze.

"Oi Naruto, where is the sake... everyone here is of legal age and it is an occasion. How can you both plan something so dry?" Kiba chastised them as Shikamaru uttered 'Troublesome' under his breath.

"Being a disciple of Ero-sennin, there's no way I can forget about sake, Kiba. Hold on!"

Naruto shouted as he got up and sprinted to get the sake which was in the other room. Sasuke sighed before following after the blonde.

Seeing a chance as the Uchiha left Erza's side, the girls had ganged up on her. "Come on, Erza-san. You know we didn't ask about that. What is it you found attractive about him, if you know what I mean?" Ino wiggled her eyebrows as all the girls shifted to one side whereas the guys were forced to move to the other side.

"His... smile." Erza answered, her left eyebrow twitching. She was being honest. His smiles were kind of nice but his smirks were a bit cocky according to her. But she immediately became nervous at the expression the girls gave.

"That was not at all creative, Erza-tan." Tenten said as Erza rubbed the back of her head.

Sakura took this chance, "So, Erza-san..." she started as Erza looked at her. The others were slightly worried knowing about the pink head's love for Sasuke and hoped she wouldn't ask something that would end up dangering their relationship.

"Have you ever kissed Sasuke-kun?" the others let out a sigh of relief when she finished her question.

"O-of course!" Erza said it a bit loud to her liking. She looked to her side, a smile on her face. "That's a dumb question, haha. Why wouldn't I kiss my own husband?"

'I knew it. Something does seem fishy...' Sakura thought as she observed the redhead's expression.

As if on cue for that, Sasuke stood behind them at the exact moment. He signalled Erza to get up and come towards him.

"Here," he handed her a bag containing bottles of sake as she stood in front of him. "This sake is for you girls." he spoke as Erza took the bag in her own hand. But what happened next, it took her some time to comprehend. Cool as ever, Sasuke casually leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

He then placed his right hand on top of her head, patting her. "Don't drink too much. You tend to lose control sometimes, so be careful on how much you drink." he said softly, in a gentle tone that made her heart skip a beat for a moment. Even most of the girls' who had been listening on him. All of their cheeks went red on discovering this unexpected, welcome side of Sasuke which they never saw before; a totally caring one. This totally changed their image of him.

If it was this bad for the girls who had only watched, it was a far lot worse for Erza. Her cheeks were still flushed as she nodded silently allowing him to pat her. Holding her cheek, she walked speedily over and sat beside Ino who was the closest at the moment to catch her breath.

Sakura became jealous as were most of them at the moment and it was like a dagger to her heart. Now, part of her thought maybe she was wrong about suspecting their marriage but part of her still seemed suspicious of the perfect timing of Sasuke and him kissing his wife exactly when she asked about it only a few moments ago.

Sasuke headed over to the boys side seeing that they had already began to drink. Choji was already at his limit as he was constantly burping.

"Smooth, Sasuke." Naruto said, punching his best friend lightly on his arm. His cheeks were a bit flushed as he drank.

"So, Toneri huh."

"Shut up!"

Rock Lee was given no sake as everyone remembered what happened the last time he was given one. Shino drank in silence not opening his mouth even once to say anything. Sai just had his smile going on and he pestered Naruto by calling him 'dickless' and Sasuke 'traitor-kun.' Shikamaru drank only a little as he still had to carry Choji home.

With the girls, Hinata was next as the others drank the sake, even Hinata taking a few sips. Everyone save for Erza as she was not handed any at the moment. Her interview was going on after all.

"Where are you from, Erza-san?"

Erza thought about it for a moment, "Hidden Cloud Village." She did arrive in this world somewhere in the Hidden cloud village as Sasuke had told her. So, she was being honest in her own right.

Ino was next, "Oo~. Do you guys have a ring?"

Erza showed her a silver ring on her ring finger. Sasuke cared too much about the appearances and he did not miss even little things. Ino wasn't that impressed with the ring though. This made Erza feel a bit small even though the whole thing was a fake one. Before others went for another round on Erza, Sasuke caught their attention.

"Leave her alone. If you remember, this party has another woman who is next in line to get married. So, pester her a little about how she fell for an idiot," he said, spreading his arms behind him. Naruto glared at him for the last comment and said some petty counter to which Sasuke coolly retorted. They both looked drunk as the flurry of comebacks didn't stop there.

He seemed ticked off to the point that, Erza wasn't sure whether Sasuke was acting or not. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips as the questions were now shot at Hinata. She took a bottle of sake in her hand and drank a sip before Lee moved towards her.

"Yes?"

Lee had the puppy eyes going on. "The guys over there wouldn't give me sake. I said I wanted to try it and they refused me flat out."

"Why?"

"I don't know... they said I already tasted it before. But I don't remember when I had tasted it."

Erza, who now drank almost half the bottle waved her hand in denial, her cheeks already flushed from sake, "Nonsense! Those fools are just kidding with you. Here, drink it Lee-san." she handed it to him while others were busy arguing among themselves.

It was too late by the time others noticed it. The last time Lee got drunk, it took both Might Guy and Hyuga Neji to restrain him. The whole night afterwards was hell and chaos, half blacked out and half completely stoned.

Sasuke managed to crawl out of the room barely conscious. He had predicted something like this would happen. It was always an uncertainty whenever alcohol was involved. Though he didn't predict Rock Lee to go berserk first though. The taijutsu specialist clearly couldn't handle his sake.

Naruto was no better though.

But, despite whatever was happening in the living room, things hadn't been this lively in this house for over a decade. Maybe it wasn't really a bad thing having people over at times…

He looked back at the shut door as he heard yelling.

"Konoha—"

"Oi, Rock Lee! Somebody stop him! He is going to destroy the place!"

"I'll take care of it, Kiba."

"That's Shino for you- Oi, why are you feeling all woozy now!?"

"…Alcohol is affecting my parasites as well… I am sorry everyone."

"Tch, I guess I'll have to take care of this, 'ttebayo!"

"N-Naruto-kun!"

…Or so he thought.

The Uchiha sighed deeply, giving up on trying to resolve the current situation. Or even trying to make sense of it. Despite not having much alcohol, he still felt light headed and just wanted to retreat to his room and have a nice long nap and forget all about today.

"…"

"If it isn't my husband.~ Took you some time to find your way back to your wife's arms."

The Uchiha took a double take at the room he entered. And, then back at his supposed wife who spread herself on his bed in an alluring manner. Despite the dim lighting, he was able to tell how drunk she was from her flushed appearance. Perhaps he was imagining things.

"…I was pretty sure I entered my room. I think I drank too much."

The redhead looked upset as the Uchiha shook his head. Then, as if realization hit her, she smiled slyly at him.

"Ah, you are upset about afternoon, aren't you? About Naruto barging in on us," She said, a teasing smile present on her face as the Uchiha's face twitched. Her eyes drooped and her purple belt was unfurled. The kimono slowly slid off until her shoulders were bare. The skin of her neck and shoulders were spotlessly soft and the dim lights only seemed to further highlight them.

She looked away with an uncharacteristically shy expression. "…I hope this is enough to satisfy you."

"…"

"It's still not enough, huh?" She was about to further slide her dress down but the Uchiha was able to act in this instance. He managed to grab her hands from doing so, but she put on a struggle so he had to pin her down to the bed.

"Cut it out, will you?" Sasuke said, finding the alcohol effect slowly subside away as he found himself in a tug of war against a dangerous woman. She had summoned a sword out of all things as she tried to switch the positions.

"What's that? You are saying you have no interest in seeing me?"

Sasuke had a strained expression on his face as he didn't know what to reply to that for a moment. His lips tightened into a thin smile, "You are pretty smashed right now. I don't want you to feel embarrassed later, Erza."

"Oh my! So you want to see me, then.~"

Sasuke's right brow twitched. 'What a troublesome woman.'

She let the sword in her hand dematerialize before she used her long legs to trap the Uchiha by wrapping them around his waist, surprising him and threw him off balance making him land beside her. He was about to get up but she wrapped her arms around his neck in an unexpected move, pulling his head close to her chest.

"Heh, your hair's surprisingly soft… I thought it would be more spiky."

Her tone was soothing. Under any other circumstance, Sasuke probably wouldn't have complained about the warmth and softness that spread across his chest. Despite the lingering effects of alcohol in him to pass off to sleep as an excuse, he felt guilt that somehow he was taking advantage of her in her state.

"Erza."

"…Sasuke, do you think things will be different once I remember my past…?"

Sasuke considered her tone for a moment before quietly sighing, "You are who you are. Fundamentally, there won't be much change. Stop worrying about little things and go to sleep."

..

Silence spread across the room for a good few minutes as all he could hear at the moment were gentle breaths being taken from the woman who held him in her arms. His eyes darted towards the redhead, finding that she had gone to sleep, a still smile present on her lips. Perhaps she found his answer satisfactory.

She looked at peace. Sasuke looked at her sleeping face for a few moments before closing his eyes and muttering silently, "…This goes far beyond being open, Erza."

..

Sasuke was the one to first wake up as his eyes were usually the most sensitive to light. He squinted a little as he opened his eyes. He caught his head which was in a little pain.

He felt an arm over his waist as he turned his head to look at the sleeping face of the redhead. The previous night's details flashed across his eyes. He placed an arm over his eyes as he let the details sink before slowly removing her arm off him and got up.

Quietly walking out of his room, he limped over to the living room where he left the rest of them last night. True to his guess, he found multiple people sprawled across the complete room. The door leading to the backyard was open though, so he guessed someone had already woken up before him.

He quietly moved across the unconscious bodies which lay motionless on the ground before walking out to the background to observe Shikamaru sit right outside with a cigarette in his mouth.

Sasuke wondered if Shikamaru used to always smoke or was it a recent habit.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?"

The shadow user greeted him, causing him to examine the living room to look at everyone's positions.

His eyes trailed to Naruto, finding him in center of the room, his arms and legs wide open. Lee and Kiba's form were surrounded by a swarm of still insects as Shino slept nearby. Sakura and Hinata were cuddled up nearby. Maybe Hinata was comforting her. Ino was lying on the back of Sai who had his face down and Choji slept at a corner with his finger in his mouth like a new born baby. Tenten slept in another corner cuddling Akamaru and had many bottles around her.

"Yeah... Hard to believe everyone has changed so much."

Shikamaru closed his eyes, a small smirk on his lips, "Yeah that happens when you are away from the village for a good amount of years." He said, showing a bit of humor.

"Your doing?" Sasuke asked pointing to Choji.

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head. "I did warn him not to get too drunk."

Sasuke stood beside the Nara, looking ahead as a cool breeze flew in his backyard. Birds were chirping as things went silent between them for some time.

"Thanks, for what happened yesterday," he spoke after a few seconds.

Shikamaru observed the former avenger. "No problem. I figured out the situation and did what was best at the moment."

"So, you knew about her?"

"As soon as I noticed a spike in her energy. I confirmed it with Lord Sixth as well. He also informed me of your mission," Shikamaru said as Sasuke tightened his lips. "Don't worry. I won't spill anything about your marriage and the scroll. Though I don't think people will even believe me if I tell them. After all, you and Erza were the only ones who weren't present in the room yesterday."

Sasuke clenched his hand slightly, "You don't have to worry about hiding it forever. This arrangement is only temporary. Once the scroll is found, she will immediately go to her world."

Shikamaru let out a puff as he stared at the clouds. "Weren't you supposed to get information from her? Did you have some sort of deal with her?"

That deal that Sasuke made with Erza felt like a life time ago. "I did not specify everything when I made a deal with her. I just needed the coordinates to her world and in return I was supposed to help her return. But..."

"But…?"

Sasuke stayed silent as he didn't have the right words to express himself at the moment. The Nara studied him before letting out another puff, respecting his silence and not urging him to explain any further.

"Well, regardless of what may have happened since then, it doesn't change the fact that she became closely attached to you. From what I had seen so far, Erza-san is a good and kind person. She must have a lot of people who depend on her in her world. She is a lot like Naruto in that department where you feel like you can depend on them when it counts."

"Hn, I know that." Sasuke replied, glancing at the Nara as he tried to figure out where he was getting at. "You don't have to worry. When the time comes, I will not hesitate to help her back to her world."

The Nara glanced at him as he put out the cigarette in his portable ash tray, "Even if you are prepared to send her, she must be willing to go too, right?"

"…What do you mean?"

Shikamaru let out a sigh, "You are as dense as Naruto sometimes, you know that?"

Sasuke shot a glare at him.

"All I am saying is, are you willing to sacrifice for the happiness of those you care?"

"Of course." Sasuke said, his mind thinking of his late older brother for a moment.

"Then do what is right for them." Shikamaru finished as Sasuke looked a bit confused. Shikamaru had a way with words. Now that he had talked with the matured Shikamaru, he couldn't help but feel a bit of relief when his thoughts turn to how Naruto would handle everything in the future when he becomes the Hokage.

The future of Konoha was secured even if he wasn't always there to protect it from the shadows. Naruto would shine brightly even without him to take the darkness.

Sai, who had woken up in the meantime pushed Ino's form aside gently and walked to the duo that were in the backyard. "Traitor-kun."

Sasuke's face scowled in annoyance. "I told you to stop calling me that."

"So, traitor-kun..." he ignored Sasuke much to his annoyance. "I am worried about the damages that were done last night. I am ashamed to admit that I wasn't in control to stop it from happening."

"Damages?"

"Yeah, damages. Like this big hole in the roof for example," Sai said, pointing his finger upwards. There was a huge spiraling hole in the roof of the living room and Sasuke immediately recognized what caused it.

Rasengan.

'That loser... what was he thinking using a Rasengan in my home?' Sasuke thought as his visible eye constantly twitched.

"The pillars are damaged too... Must be Lee-san." Sai motioned Sasuke's gaze to the beaten and broken pillars and doors.

"…"

Sasuke had a dry expression as he wondered if he should have just remained in the bed which was perfectly warm and cozy. It was still too early to deal with this.

..

A few normal days passed by. Erza had no recollection about the talk she had with Sasuke on his bed. And, the Uchiha didn't say anything about it either.

Naruto often came to his house and hung out with Sasuke and Erza. They even went to eat at Ichiraku Ramen sometimes after which they would usually end up at a bakery for desserts. Whenever this happened, it was a win-win for both Naruto and Erza with Sasuke being ultimately dragged alongside them.

His other friends also would visit her and him during this time. It was mostly the girls that came to hang out with Erza except Sakura but that was reasonable considering the feelings the medic held for Sasuke. Though Sasuke still stuck by Erza's side, she could tell that the Uchiha was sort of being cautious around her, being too aloof to her liking. But she didn't say anything regarding that.

Nothing was out of ordinary until Sasuke suddenly received summons from Kakashi one day, asking him to come alone. He turned the door knob and entered to see Kakashi sitting behind his desk busy on a 'laptop.' Since he always used to travel to underdeveloped areas, he never really was introduced to the modern technology. He always used analog methods to communicate with the Konoha and they had to rely on Sai each time to contact him.

"You asked for me?"

Kakashi looked from his desk and gave Sasuke an eye smile. "We've got some good news."

"Good news? Did you find Fuushin's location?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi replied. "We got something even better."

The hokage made a simple seal as a small box appeared out of nowhere on his desk. A snake crawled out of the box and slid along Sasuke's leg. It moved its way up and whirled itself around Sasuke's right arm. The snake disappeared after it delivered a scroll in a puff of smoke.

"Is this the forbidden scroll?"

"Yes," Kakashi replied, confirming Sasuke's suspicions. "Apparently Orochimaru found it and sent it specifically for you. You were searching for it, weren't you?"

"But why would he send it to Konoha? He isn't that kind of guy." Sasuke said as he found it hard to believe.

Kakashi's expression became serious. "Apparently Sasuke, he also sent a message. Yamato is seriously injured and Orochimaru had to move to his other hide out... or rather he was forced to after a battle." Kakashi said, handing him another scroll.

Sasuke opened and started reading it. His eye brows raised slightly, "This is..."

"'Send Erza-chan back to her world' is what he wanted to say. Apparently some strange people appeared from her world and attacked Fuushin. They were the ones that took the scroll from him."

Sasuke frowned. "Are these people searching for Erza?"

"It might be a possibility but I don't think they are her allies. Erza-san is actually kind and no unusual movements were detected from her. Let her remember her memories or not, I don't think a person can be so different due to that. These people are bad news. They tortured their assailants to extract information and even killed them."

"So, you are implying that we send her back to her world immediately before Konoha gets dragged into this mess?" Sasuke said as Kakashi stayed silent. "Don't worry. I'll send her back to her world and give her the good news personally." Sasuke said walking away.

"Wait Sasuke! How are going you to send her without the other time-space scroll being open?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke turned back as he opened the door. "I'll force open the portal on the other side with the help of my Rinnegan." he finished as his bangs covered his eyes. "That will give me the coordinates to her world as well. Then, I want the location and identity of these assailants. I will go and confront them myself."

"Got it. I will send Naruto with you as your back-up if needed," Kakashi said as Sasuke shut the door behind him.

The former avenger walked outside the cabin and saw Naruto lean against a wall, his hands folded and eyes closed.

"You heard everything?"

The blonde opened his eyes, an uncertain emotion present in his blue orbs, "Yeah... Sasuke. So my guess about Erza-chan was right after all. I did witness a unique energy signature from her during the spar between you two. That energy definitely wasn't chakra."

"No, it isn't," Sasuke said as he started walking.

Naruto unfolded his arms and walked beside him. He was seriously worried for his friend right now. He knew Sasuke was faking his marriage but during these past few days, Sasuke looked… content. He wanted Erza to stay here somehow, but as Shikamaru had said it, her friends might be waiting for her and he knew the importance of protecting those bonds.

They walked in silence for the rest of the walk. "Sasuke... are you going to be alright?"

Sasuke looked at the blonde as Naruto gasped a little. "Why do you ask…?"

'Sasuke, your eyes… you…' Naruto thought as he observed the visible charcoal eye that was slightly glazed.

The blonde clenched his hands a little before relaxing his hands. "What are you planning to do now, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke stopped as he stood quiet for a few moments. Turning towards Naruto, he asked, "What do you suggest?"

"I already have my clone searching for them using Sage mode," Naruto said. "I want us both to confront them before you take any decision. There is a chance that they aren't Erza-chan's comrades. In that case, there won't be any reason to be hasty."

Sasuke just stared evasively at his friend. "You want me to hold off on sending her back?"

"Only temporarily. Chaos may spread as more people come to learn of them. We must deal with them quickly before more people are involved." Naruto said, waiting for an answer. "So, what do you say?"

Sasuke's cloak fluttered in wind as he was drowned in thought. What Naruto said did seem logical and may be the right thing to do. After weighing the pros and cons, he opened his mouth. "Alright. Let's go after heading to my home. I still have some of my things back there."

Naruto smiled, relieved. "Let's head to your house immediately."

They leaped through the roofs of the buildings and very soon, they were in front of Sasuke's house. They stepped in as they heard chopping voice coming from the kitchen. Sasuke wanted to avoid facing Erza right now but as luck would have it, his katana and other stuff lay in the kitchen. He didn't want her to fight these new assailants as her safety was at risk here in case what Kakashi said was true. If the enemies really were her comrades, well... he didn't want to jump to any conclusions until he confronted them.

The Uchiha proceeded without any noise to retrieve his weapon but fate wasn't on his side. Naruto who stayed at the front sneezed at the right moment. Erza seemed to have picked up that someone else was there as she immediately turned back to see Sasuke leaning forward, his posture extremely awkward.

"What are you doing?"

Sasuke sighed as he straightened. He wasn't a good liar and he knew that wouldn't work on Erza. "An urgent mission has come up and I have to head out immediately with Naruto."

"With Naruto?" Erza said as she brought the spoon she was holding near her chin. "Aren't you two like the strongest around here?"

"Yes... sort of. Anyway, I am heading out and I don't know how long the mission will take. So, don't wait for me." he said as he picked up his katana and strapped it to the back of his belt. He proceeded to walk to the front, taking quick steps before Erza stopped him again.

"Wait... you are forgetting something!"

Stopping, Sasuke checked his weapon pouch and held the hilt of his katana. Everything was present, so what else could he be missing. Turning around, "Are you sure I am missing-"

His eyes softened momentarily when he saw her holding out a bento packed in a cloth having the Uchiha crest on it. He looked at her to see her with a small smile.

"This is..."

"At least this will keep your stomach occupied for today. This Bento has rice onigiri in it... I learnt it from Hinata-san. It's your favorite, isn't it?"

Sasuke wore a grim smile as he looked at her but it disappeared just as quickly. He took it in his right hand. "Thanks." He was genuine about it and this red head was making it difficult for him to send her back to her world.

"It's been awhile since we went outside the village… What if, I mean do you think I can tag along as well?" Erza asked, not daring to look hopeful as she clasped her hands behind her back.

Sasuke motioned her to come near him with his hand. As soon as she was near, she staggered back a bit as Sasuke poked her forehead with his middle and index finger. "Sorry, Erza. Maybe next time."

She pouted as Sasuke's lips curled up at the corner of his mouth. It was hard not to tease her whenever she pouted. It was too- he had to stop his train of thoughts forcefully as he reminded himself of what he had just discussed with Kakashi. His expression became aloof as he nodded once more and headed out to see Naruto kicking a stone, waiting impatiently for him.

"Took you long enough- is that a bento?"

Sasuke glanced at the lunch box. "Yeah." he murmured in a low voice before looking at the blonde. "You don't need to glare at me. I'll share some of it with you," he said, noticing the jealous look on Naruto's face which he desperately tried to hide but failed.

"I wasn't- anyway, let's get going now." Naruto said, orange slits forming around his eyes.

"Found them?"

"Way ahead of you."

..

AN: In the latest chapter, we learn origins behind Irene. Erza's father was some random dude... disappointed with that. But, I am going to exploit that fact as you'll see in the next chapter.

Keep reviewing and following.

Until then, Later!