"Let me in the walls you've built around; and we can light a match and burn them down. And let me hold your hand and dance around and 'round the flames in front of us—dust to dust." —The Civil Wars.

Dust to Dust

Feeling rejuvenated from the phone call, Naruto began to help Sasuke starting the next day. Taking heed from the last time they'd trained too fast when Sasuke was sick, they started with smaller tasks that normally were simple for a shinobi.

"Try jumping on top of the porch," Naruto recommended, pointing upwards. The front of the porch had a roof that was about ten feet high. Most shinobi were able to jump twice that height or more.

"Consider it done," Sasuke bragged, taking a step back and bending his knees, ready to spring into the air.

Instantly though, Naruto knew something was wrong. Sasuke didn't need to get a running head start to make the jump. He knew Sasuke's movements and knew he could easily just jump straight into the air. His fear was confirmed when Sasuke didn't move past that position, staring both fiercely and fearfully at the top of the roof.

His posture dropped, and he turned away with the shake of his head. "It's a damn mental block," he snorted, kicking the dirt and walking in a circle. "I know I can make that jump. I've jumped way higher. But the moment I go to do it, I can't. Pretty stupid, right?"

"You're overthinking it," Naruto said in what he hoped was a helpful way. "Just let your body do its thing, no need to analyze it." He made his own body jump up to the roof, a gesture by this point that was as natural as breathing. He backed away from the edge though to give Sasuke some room to land.

However, Sasuke again began to back up for a running jump. Naruto decided not to comment on it, letting Sasuke take whatever approach he felt comfortable with right now. It didn't matter though; after running a few steps, he froze again, his legs locking.

"It shouldn't be this damn hard!" Sasuke screamed, taking advantage of their isolated location. "What's going on with me? Why can't I just do this?"

Slipping off the roof, Naruto advanced to give him a hug, but Sasuke's closed stance made it clear that he didn't want to be physically comforted right now. Walking up to the porch, Sasuke sat down on a step in the shade. "This is all due to that time in that place. I know it is. But knowing that doesn't make it any easier to move past whatever's going on up here," he tapped his head.

For a moment, the thought almost crossed Naruto's mind that this wasn't the Sasuke that he knew. Sasuke's name had become synonymous with strength for him, but with a sinking feeling, he remembered Sasuke admitting to his own vulnerabilities. Naruto knew a lot of people always saw him as bright and cheerful, always ready to go, go, go! But he knew that there were certain topics that when discussed could take a lot of coaxing to bring him back to himself. His parents. Jiraiya. The entire war. No person was without their weaknesses.

While he'd become better at verbally expressing himself and helping others out by talking to them, he honestly didn't feel like doing that right now. Sometimes, the best course for healing was action. Standing up, he told Sasuke, "Let's play tag. We'll just start with the bare basics and work our way up."

Sasuke thought about how he'd nearly collapsed during just their walk to the castle and wanted to protest, but refused to allow those words to leave his mouth. Pulling himself up, he watched as Naruto took off his black forehead protector and held it up in the sun.

"The rules are extremely simple. Take this from me within ten minutes and you win. If you can't, I win. Any questions?"

Sasuke smirked. "All clear."

Naruto lightly tied the corners of the protector to his belt loop, similar to what he'd seen Kakashi do during the infamous bell test. "Alright then, ready…get set…go!" He instantly formed a shadow clone with one breaking left and himself going right.

Sasuke was much too smart to fall for that though and it took nothing for him to go after the real version. The small cottage where they lived was surrounded by a large field of grass that was only disturbed by the road that passed through. As they ran, he felt his body both protesting at the strenuous effort and welcoming it. It was something old and familiar and without needing to think about it, he allowed his arms to trail behind him, streamlining his body.

He saw when Naruto ran for a tree, only to again split in two. One weaved around the trunk while another dashed into a branch. Even without the Sharingan activated, he could still easily tell which was the fake. He ignored the one on the ground and bounded after the one in the tree, leaping onto a branch like a cat. For a moment, Naruto's face betrayed a look of joy before replacing it with an expression that read he knew he was trapped.

However, he allowed himself to fall backwards with no attempt to break his fall. Sasuke was about to dash to the ground to catch him, until he noticed that Naruto was still using his chakra to stay rooted, hanging from the branch upside down. Damnit, that split second was all that Naruto had needed! Kicking off, the blonde was on the run again and Sasuke snarled to himself that he'd hesitated, letting him get away.

This time, Naruto made a mad dash for the house and swiftly touched off the roof of the porch onto the roof of the house, and then teetered on the edge of the chimney. Tch, and Naruto thought that was going to stop him? It was on instinct that he jumped, ignoring the roof of the porch entirely to join Naruto on the thin ledge of the closed chimney. "I'll be taking this," Sasuke said, actually grinning as he snatched away the headband.

Naruto played nonchalant with a shrug. "That's fine. My work here is done." He hopped down but said, "Take a look around you, Sasuke. You did it."

And indeed, as Sasuke looked around him, noticing that they'd gone above and beyond their goal for the day, he felt better than he had in weeks. "You know what, Naruto? You're actually pretty amazing," he couldn't help but to admit.

Jumping back down to the ground, Naruto gave a casual wave and replied, "Tell me something I don't know!" Inside, his heart was soaring.

~.~.~

By the end of their intended week, Sasuke was nearly back to normal. To celebrate, Naruto had cooked—genuinely cooked, refusing to use anything that even remotely resembled ramen. He'd copied the recipes from a cookbook at the store when no one was looking, too cheap to just buy it. As such, he knew he'd missed an ingredient or two but as Sasuke didn't bring it up, he didn't either.

Once finished, they cleaned up and ensured one more time that they had everything packed. Nothing extra would be going with them aside from some food, with everything else going to a local place that took public donations. They went to bed early so that they'd be ready to head out at daybreak, having already made plans to board along with another cargo ship back to the mainland, albeit legally this time.

And yet, as Naruto lay there, he couldn't sleep. For a while, he watched Sasuke as he closed his eyes and laid still. He'd come to find that Sasuke lacked any presence when he slept; he was always so still and quiet, it was almost as though he wasn't there. He waited for the telltale sign that he'd slipped into sleep—only noticeable by the change in breathing—but it never came.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, his eyes still closed. "I can't sleep with you staring at me like that."

"I'm kinda anxious," Naruto confessed. "It feels like a lifetime ago that I was in the village. I can't even imagine what it must feel like for you. Are you…going to be okay? The situation there might not have changed."

Sasuke rolled over to where his arms were folded under his head, his dark pupils now only barely visible. "I'll be fine. My leaving won't change anyone's opinion about me so it's rather pointless. Out of sight is out of mind, so if I want to be remembered positively, then they're just going to have to put up with me."

"If Granny Tsunade tries to make you leave, I'll tell her I'll leave with you again. She still wants to keep me close and she won't risk me running away—"

"You're doing it again," Sasuke quietly pointed out, using his nose to nudge Naruto with their faces being close. "In the time that I was back in the village, Sakura told me Tsunade has a soft spot for you. Something about you reminding her of her little brother. She even gave you a special necklace as well. If she did that, then she holds you in high regard and won't want to hurt you."

Naruto scoffed, his darker emotions welling up again. "If that's the case, then why'd she make you leave after everything everyone did to bring you back? Why just kick you out again? I don't care what you say, that was wrong!"

"And you've never been wrong?" Sasuke asked plaintively, not raising his voice to match Naruto's. "You've never made a decision you regretted, or hurt someone with something you said? I'm sure if we talk to her, we can convince her of a better decision. But you've got to stop it with the emotional blackmail. That's…just not like you, Naruto."

Hearing that hurt in his voice made Naruto feel ashamed. Once again he was see-sawing on his resolution; one moment, he wanted to stay where they were at forever and the next, he missed Konoha terribly. Just as quickly, he would start to seethe about Sasuke ever having to leave again and would swear to following Sasuke to the ends of the earth, no matter the repercussions. Indeed, this wasn't like him and the ferocity of these emotional changes scared him.

Did everyone that was in love go through this?

"I'm sorry. I just want to protect you," he whispered, hiding his face under an arm. "I'm just scared of anything that would cause you to have to go away."

Sasuke peeled Naruto's arm away from his face, giving a slow kiss that he hoped calmed him. "And I appreciate the sentiment. I've heard it said though that a couple that spends every waking moment together drives each other crazy. Besides, I thought distance makes the heart grow fonder," he said thoughtfully.

Naruto playfully pushed on his face, leaning forward to take off the only necklace he now had, which was for Sasuke's ring. He set it on the bedside table but stared at it a moment longer before turning to lie back down. "Speaking of necklaces, you promised to tell me what that ring says."

For a moment, Sasuke fell silent and Naruto wondered if he was going to say anything at all about it. At last he murmured, "It's…nothing. It's kinda cheesy. I thought at the time I gave it to you, it was brilliant, but now…" he shrugged. "It's dumb."

"Well, maybe I might think differently," Naruto huffed, certain that Sasuke would feel the puff of air. "Why don't you let me be the judge of that? I mean, the ring is mine now…right?" That was a worry of his, that one day Sasuke would want the family heirloom back.

But surprisingly, Sasuke shook his head. "No, it's yours. Its purpose is to be passed along to someone you care about. Itachi got one from our father, but I never knew what his said since I didn't have my Sharingan at the time. A lot of members of the Uchiha have something similar and it's not uncommon for one branch in the family to end up with the item from another branch."

Naruto gave him a nod, feeling warm at the thought of such a tradition. "Alright then, but what does your ring say? I'm not letting you get out of this."

"If you're that curious, it translates to 'forged of iron, strengthened by love'. Told you it was dumb," Sasuke added petulantly.

But Naruto certainly didn't think so. "It's actually very beautiful," he said honestly, reaching out to cup Sasuke's face to show his sincerity. "Yeah, it's simple but that makes it versatile to give it to others. It's still a deep sign of showing that you care for someone. I feel honored to be the one to have it now. Almost like…I have the blessings of the rest of your family."

"The blessings of my…" Never would Sasuke have thought of that, but once said, he knew it was right. This time when he kissed Naruto, he pulled him in, feeling the familiar sensation of completely relaxing when it came to the other. Even after they broke off, he couldn't resist a second and third one, each leaving him a little more breathless.

For Naruto, he'd felt these hungry kisses multiple times over the last few days and knew it wasn't fair to keep playing hard to get, especially at this point in their relationship. He opened his mouth to let Sasuke in and the Uchiha wasted no time in thoroughly tasting him, sucking on his tongue in a way that left him dizzy. When he decided to experimentally push back, he wasn't surprised when Sasuke completely relented, allowing him to take over. As he rolled them over with himself on top, he was reminded with a bit of joy that Sasuke liked being the submissive in bed.

However, it was on the trail of that thought that he also realized that they'd never gone all the way. The couple of times they'd been intimate probably couldn't be classified as intercourse. Now that he'd focused on it, he began to feel nervous, their kisses becoming less intense.

"Please don't tell me you're going to push me away again," Sasuke asked with a hint of aggravation when they stopped altogether. "Not after you've got me ready."

Naruto blushed at his openness. "Well, no, but…this'll be our first time going that far. I just want it to go right." He wasn't even sure what that meant but it was all he could think about right now. He half wished it were him on the bottom instead so that he'd have an excuse to hide his face away.

Pulling him in closer again, Sasuke threaded the fine hairs at the nape of Naruto's neck. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to make sure I enjoy this," he assured, giving a small lick to the skin in the crook of his neck, feeling it completely when Naruto thrummed at the gesture. He did it a few more times until he'd licked the small patch of salty skin clean, nibbling a time or two to ensure Naruto was completely dedicated to the moment. It was also just as much for his benefit and to calm his nerves for what he did next.

While they still slept shirtless, he began to tug down on Naruto's bottoms, gradually revealing new skin like a curtain being lifted. When the pants became caught on the bent knees, Naruto himself tugged them off completely, discarding them somewhere at the foot of the bed. He then reached back and did the same for Sasuke and while it was what Sasuke wanted, for a moment he had to repress the instant reaction to stop him. The impulse passed and with it, he too was completely exposed.

In curiosity, Naruto decided to help himself to a look at what lay before him. His eyes raked down from the sharp eyes that were also studying him to the soft throat that he knew could make Sasuke entirely weak when given attention. He let his eyes roam down past his chest, the hardened stomach from years of fighting, and over the defined hip bones to an area that he'd never seen before. He unwittingly smiled lightly at the small cluster of masculine black hair that grew around Sasuke's base, again put at ease by their similarities. That is, until he noticed one small difference.

"I'm bigger than you," he noted, actually picking up Sasuke's cock with no apparent bashfulness in his surprise. He slid closer on his knees until the two of them touched, to which both trembled for a second. "See?" he breathed, holding them both up for Sasuke to also see the measurements.

Something so childish usually would've received a scathing remark from him but Sasuke found that instead the words touched upon a deep, masculine fear. "I-I'm only halfway up, idiot! You've not even seen the whole thing!" To himself he wondered, is this honestly even important?

Naruto gave an agreeable nod, but his next words contradicted him. "I've not seen but I've felt and I still say I'm slightly bigger than you." He looked down into that adorable flustered face and decided to add the icing: "No wonder you prefer me on top."

Except it didn't work. Naruto figured that Sasuke might've tried flipping them but the Uchiha continued to lie on his back, looking up at him in mild annoyance. "Are you done with this literal dick measuring contest? Cause if so, I'd like to get laid, thank you," Sasuke informed him.

"Hmph." Naruto decided not to comment, quietly taking what he viewed as a victory. He let go of himself as he slid back on the bed, continuing to hold Sasuke in his hand until he was in front of his open legs. He began a slow stroking rhythm, applying only a light pressure to prolong the buildup, inspired by his own lonely nighttime touching.

Sasuke knew what Naruto was doing and he appreciated it. The feel of someone else's hand on him was still a new and amazing thing and he felt himself harden instantly. Closing his eyes, he spread his hips more as he got comfortable, enjoying the warmth the touch created. Already he could feel his body becoming wet and when a thumb was passed over his head to stimulate the slit, he shuddered helplessly as his nerves were set on end. "Naruto…!" he whispered, trying not to writhe as he felt the fire building.

Without increasing his speed, Naruto continued at his pace, occasionally swiping at a bubble of precum for lubrication. Sadistically, he wondered what it'd be like to continue that way for the entire night, but he knew Sasuke wouldn't allow for that. Instead, he decided to tease him another way by stopping entirely. He didn't hide his enjoyment at seeing the brief startled look on Sasuke's face but Naruto enjoyed it even more when he saw those dark eyes light with desire as he began to suck on his own fingers.

It was empowering to know he could have this much of an effect and Naruto found he wanted to give a good show, taking his fingers in deeply and giving exaggerated flicks of the tongue to the padding on his fingers. When Sasuke's hand reached out, he thought he was going to start pleasuring himself as he watched but instead, he sat up to take his arm, pulling it from his mouth. Naruto followed his lead as he instead guided his fingers down to his entrance, spreading his legs further by way of invitation. "Touch inside of me," Sasuke asked with a tremble with as well a look of apprehension.

There was a split second in which Naruto hesitated and he saw the anxious look on Sasuke's face increase, but he quickly came back to himself and obeyed. He'd already mentally prepared himself for this in the two months they'd been apart, but he was surprised that Sasuke would so frankly request it.

Reading his expression, Sasuke admitted, "I took some creative liberties while I was away. I figured it'd make it easier for you." At that last part, his face reddened and he averted his eyes.

As he slowly advanced inside with one and then two fingers, Naruto envisioned Sasuke exploring himself, the faces he made and the sounds he created. It probably wasn't too much different from what he was witnessing now, though that alone was rather beautiful. Every now and then when he struck a particularly sensitive spot, Sasuke's hand would reach for his, as though wanting to ask him to stop while the rest of his body begged for more.

After several intense minutes, Sasuke succeeded in grabbing the hand inside him, his body bowed backwards as he shuddered and moaned. There was a brief flash of red from the Sharingan and Naruto knew it'd taken a lot for him not to completely orgasm. "Do you want me to continue?" he teased, resuming a soft motion against his prostate.

"Mnn, ahhhh! Don't ask stupid questions," Sasuke panted, barely getting the words out before shaking as another wave of pleasure hit him. "That spot, Naruto," he encouraged, hating how vocal he'd become but found that to be the lesser of his problems. All he wanted to do was prolong this feeling, even if it meant degrading himself.

"Keep calling my name; it always sounds beautiful when you say it," Naruto confessed, swallowing his own moans as he watched. He glanced down at himself and wanted so badly to touch but he was scared he wouldn't last long at this point if he did. Making an executive decision, he pulled his fingers out of the warmth.

Sasuke reached again for Naruto's hand, but Naruto put them on either side of his head as he leaned forward to kiss his lips. It was far from what Sasuke wanted though and when he attempted to force Naruto to continue what he'd been doing, it resulted in the blonde laughing lightly at his efforts. "I can't let you have all the fun, you know. I'm already close to my limit just watching you." He kissed him again, longer this time with the inclusion of his tongue taking ownership of his mouth.

Resigning himself, Sasuke couldn't help feeling a little disappointed even if he knew sharing the foreplay was the right thing. It was the selfish reason behind why he didn't mind being the bottom, though he also loved watched the usually spastic blonde as he became determined with making him happy. Even now was no exception, with the kisses becoming more powerful, and Naruto's tongue plunging deeper inside him as though trying to see how much of him he could taste. As an additional consolation, Sasuke made a noise of content when he felt Naruto begin to rub against him.

Encouraged, Naruto pushed his hips down harder, trying to create friction between their wet skin. When Sasuke joined him in pushing back, he was unable to hold in his voice, feeling his cock give a dangerous pulse. He pulled back just enough to grab both of their cocks and started to pump them roughly but Sasuke instantly put a stop to it, pulling away to instead flip his body over.

In an almost dream-like sequence, he watched as the Uchiha knelt facing away with a pillow underneath to support him. When Naruto didn't move fast enough for his liking, Sasuke actually gave a wag of his butt. "This ass isn't going to fuck itself, you know. Well…I could, but that wouldn't be much fun considering the alternative. Besides, doesn't your inner fox or whatever prefer this anyways?"

Naruto finally snapped out of his transfixed staring, giving a playful slap to Sasuke's ass that actually made him yip. "Just because I embody an animal doesn't mean I go in heat. I'm still human, you know." He paused though and Sasuke looked curiously over his shoulder as Naruto lowered his head, his fringe hiding his eyes. "Well okay, so Kurama just told me I can go in heat but he promised he'd spare me from that."

"No, no, I'd actually like to see that," Sasuke smirked, turning away again and settling himself down, waiting. "Sounds like good times." At his wink, Naruto gave a gasp and promptly shoved his face down into the pillow to silence him.

He let go though to concentrate on his positioning. He cautiously slipped a finger inside again to ensure Sasuke was ready before placing himself at the opening. He gave a tentative push before halting; he wasn't sure what he was waiting for, perhaps figuring there'd be some sign of pain. However, Sasuke only let out an impatient breath. Naruto began his advancement again, still waiting for an inevitable flinch or something to show discomfort. The only reaction he received was the quiver of muscle around him once he was fully inside. He took the time to give a mental pat on the back for not hurting Sasuke before gently pulling out to push back in.

Instantly upon the first thrust, Sasuke bowed. Something euphoric began to build up inside and in his craving, he pushed his back down while raising his rear higher. He actually felt the moment when Naruto uncapped his excitement, laying aside his worries in favor of satisfying his desires. The shallow movements became more exaggerated and dragged out, and Sasuke didn't bother to quiet himself as he moaned once more, feeling the specifics of Naruto's head and ridges as they stroked inside.

Naruto looked down at their bodies, mesmerized by their movements. Even though his nerves thrummed with pleasure, it still almost felt unreal, similar to the out of body experience he'd had with Sasuke during their touching at his apartment. He was already beginning to feel the heavenly flashes behind his eyes as he teetered on the edge and he couldn't stop himself as he whimpered Sasuke's name repeatedly.

As though in response, the raven again reached for his hand, this time guiding him to stroke him off. Feeling Sasuke's rigid wetness aroused him that much more and Naruto didn't hold back as he moved his palm up and down, twisting on the upstroke in a way that he knew would drive Sasuke to the brink. He knew he was right when Sasuke responded by completely relenting, his body nearly still save for the uncontrollable spasms that held him captive. "Just like that, Naruto, exactly like that…!"

"That's fine, Sasuke. Let it out for me," Naruto encouraged, flicking Sasuke's tip to add more stimulation. Sasuke completely tightened around him while casting a meaningful look back over his shoulder. Red irises met his and he welcomed the Sharingan as it brought him to the sightless void once more. Except this time, it wasn't sightless. He saw both of them from Sasuke's point of view and could easily see himself as he rode his lover, feeling as though it were him that was being filled. The stroking he was giving to Sasuke was now as though it was being performed on him and he felt the intense arousal as he saw his own heat blazing in his blue eyes.

When Sasuke finally came, it was with a choked sound that resonated nothing but satisfaction. Feeling his climax, the genjutsu snapped and Naruto was brought back to himself, still holding Sasuke as he gushed over his fingers. His own orgasm claimed him and he was helpless to stop himself from pouring inside the tightness surrounding him. Only after he'd been wrung out thoroughly did he finally pull out, collapsing in gasps on the blankets.

It took several minutes before either of them were able to speak, but it was Sasuke who finally spoke first. "Definitely worth the wait," he declared, using his arms to feebly shift closer, clearly no strength left in his legs.

Naruto hid a smile as he thought about Sasuke needing the crutches again after their round of lovemaking. "Yeah, I'll second that," he agreed with him. Relying on the reserves of his own strength, he managed to roll out of bed to grab some washcloths and towels from the bathroom. His own legs felt like they wanted to fold, but he figured this was the least he could do for his boyfriend after fucking him senseless.

After cleaning themselves off, they laid close together, though not cuddling as they were still too hot for that. Sleep was nipping at his heels, but Naruto didn't want to be the kind that callously fell right asleep after a romp, so he forced himself to stay awake in case Sasuke wanted to talk.

But Sasuke had never been a talker and after sex was definitely no exception. After an appreciative kiss and a thank you, he was asleep in minutes and Naruto could only give a sigh that lacked any resentment. As for himself, it took longer than usual for him to shut down as his mind returned to his earlier worries. However, it became harder to focus on those concerns as each fear steadily grew quieter. In time, he too joined Sasuke in slumber.