Author's Note: Damn! I had wanted to keep my update to within two weeks, but I'm late by a few days. Won't keep you hanging, so just read away.

Warning: YAOI (Content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing.

Disclaimer: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

Bold and Italics flashbacks

The Art of Fabrication (cont.)

(now also known as 'Taof' – brilliant idea of JD01)

By: Nine1991

Chapter 8: Letting Go of One's Inhibitions

A bold stroke here. A thin stroke there. Everything precise and accurate, written in the neat, elegant print that was Sasuke's handwriting. His mother had been the one to teach him, had been the one to painstakingly sit through every evening with him for an hour, running through his kanji and making sure he could scribe out every character flawlessly. He remembered asking her when he was little why he had to strive for such impeccable handwriting when the other kids at his school were able to get along with just chicken scratch. She had then told him, with a patient smile on her face, that age was not an excuse for possessing illiterate lettering, at least not for any of her children. Handwriting was a judge of character, and character was something that one could never develop too early.

He placed the finishing touches on his work before setting the brush down, sitting back in his seat and allowing the ink to seep in and dry. He glanced up at the clock on the wall beside him. It was 9:26, and he straightened up, promptly rolling up the finished scroll and tying it up with a piece of string. Naruto never failed to wake up at 9:30 sharp, unless it was over thirty degrees outside where he would then wake up ten minutes earlier, or raining, at which the snooze button would be pressed at least four more times meaning the blond would grace the world with his presence at around 9:50. And true enough, just as he pulled the knot tight, Naruto stumbled out of his bedroom, a fist rubbing at his eyes in a gesture that was more suitable to a child of six than a teenager of sixteen.

He shuffled over to where Sasuke was sitting, leaning one hand on the table and muffling a giant yawn with the other. "What are you doing, teme?" he asked, looking at the scroll with apparent interest.

Sasuke shrugged, slipping the scroll into the pack hanging on the back of his seat before the blond would start getting grabby. "None of your concern."

Naruto pouted. When he realized that Sasuke wasn't going to give, he let out a loud huff, turning around and muttering darkly under his breath. "Stingy bastard." He marched over to the sofa, where he stretched widely before collapsing onto the soft cushions.

Sasuke watched as the blond proceeded to get comfortable, still in his bright orange pajamas. Well, this was different. "Shouldn't you be getting dressed, dobe?"

Naruto gave Sasuke a sideward glance, eyebrows raised. "I should, shouldn't I?"

"Hn."

Naruto's lips tilted into a smirk before giving way to a small yawn. He buried his face in one of the sofa cushions, blond locks contrasting against the dark colour of the fabric. "Well, I don't wanna," came the blonde's muffled remark. Just as Sasuke was about to ask what the hell that actually meant, Naruto lifted his head from the cushion, grinning lazily. "'Cause it's my day off today!"

Sasuke raised a single, elegant brow – his version of 'please explain more'.

Naruto sighed, resting his chin on the armrest and allowing his arm to dangle over the edge of the couch. "It's my birthday today," he said matter of factly, "Baa-chan let me off."

There was a pause, then –

"Happy birthday," Sasuke grunted.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Please, don't choke yourself with your overwhelming enthusiasm."

"Hn."

"I know! How about you buy me ramen tomorrow!"

Quiet.

"Heh. I'll take that as a yes."

There was the loud scraping of a chair and Naruto's gaze raised a fraction as Sasuke stood up. The dark-haired shinobi picked up his vest, which was folded over the back of the chair beside his, and proceeded to slide his arms into it. "Since you have the day off, I guess this means that you will be joining me for a spar?" Sasuke asked, his voice carefully schooled into a casual tone as he fiddled with the zipper of his Jounin vest. Naruto cocked his head to the side. Why wasn't Sasuke looking at him?

"Nup, not interested."

"Fine," came Sasuke's cool, clipped remark, and Naruto was surprised at the abrupt change in tone. Before Naruto could even comprehend what the hell he did wrong, Sasuke was already at the door and about to leave. The blond hurriedly sat himself up from his laying position and, catching sight of Sasuke's weapons pouch on the small coffee table beside him, grabbed it.

"Sasuke!" he hollered, and threw the small leather bag in the direction of its owner. Sasuke twirled around just in time to catch the strap in one outstretched hand. "Look, bastard, how about tomorrow?"

When Sasuke's face remained blank, Naruto huffed loudly, shoving the beginnings of a fringe away from his face. "The spar! How about tomorrow?" Sasuke hesitated, and Naruto saw it fit a time to elaborate. "Look, it's not that I don't wanna spar with you, but I'm just really, really lazy today, okay?"

"Moron," Sasuke muttered, and Naruto didn't know if he should feel relieved or irritated that that goddamn you-are-inferior smirk was back on his bodyguard's face, "What makes you think I want you to spar with me, anyway?"

Naruto gaped. "Er…maybe because you just asked me?!"

"Hn. Whatever. Just sit on your fat ass all day."

Naruto's face coloured a blotchy red. "Teme! You wish you had my ass!"

-LineBreak-

Sasuke forced down a smile as he closed the door, muffling Naruto's screeches in the process. Really, he needed to practice better self control over his emotions. It just never used to feel as difficult as it did now. He frowned at the door he had just closed, through which he could still vaguely hear the loud, incessant ramblings of the blond he was assigned to guard. Naruto really was dangerous, in a silent, roundabout way that would creep up on you when you were least aware. Lately, he had caught his control slipping. The emotionless mask that he had prided himself in – cracking, fracturing. Delicate chips in the porcelain. And to think that throughout his whole life he had thought that danger was defined by a well-aimed kunai or a powerful jutsu.

'You're a threat, and you don't even know it,' Sasuke thought, as he placed a hand on the surface of the door. He could practically feel Naruto's bursting personality through the timber. Pulsing. Sasuke sighed, his hand sliding down the wooden surface of the door and falling at his side. He grimaced. 'God, get a grip of yourself.'

He started walking – down the hallway, down the steps – lest he lose himself in his thoughts again. Through the sixth floor. Fifth. Fourth. Third. As a light coloured double-door with a dark frame came into sight, he stuck his arm out slightly, allowing the fingers of his left hand to flutter over its smooth surface as he passed it. His nerves tingled as the slight chakra backlash sizzled through his fingers, along his hand and up his arm. This time, he allowed the small smile to grace his lips. 'Tonight…will be a big step.'

He continued to walk, through the second floor (where the snores of Tsunade could be heard from in the Hokage's office), through the first and, inwardly flinching as his eyes were suddenly blinded by sunlight, through the entrance. He made his way down the steps that lead to the village, taking two at a time, allowing his legs to stretch and muscles to warm up and enjoying the slight tingling feeling it left behind. So when he did reach ground level and was barreled into by an old man carrying a heavy sac of goods, he felt generous enough to bend down and help pick up the various fruits and vegetables scattered across the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" the old man started, getting down on his hands and knees and hurriedly gathering the apples and oranges that were rolling left and right. "That was completely my fault!"

"It's fine," Sasuke grunted, collecting the cucumbers that had landed near him. He got up and handed them over to the man, who was busy putting everything back into his sac and dusting himself off. The old man smiled and took the vegetables, depositing them into the sac before hoisting it onto his back once more.

He bowed. "Thank you, sir." And when he looked up, there was a thoughtful expression on his face as he looked Sasuke up and down. "Ah, you must be a shinobi."

Sasuke remained silent, not knowing exactly where this was going, but gave a curt nod all the same. The old man beamed, swinging the sac he had just finished repacking around so that he could ruffle through its contents. A few seconds later, he pulled out a large, red apple, polishing it on his shirt then grabbing one of Sasuke's hands and pushing it into his open palm. The man smiled, closing Sasuke's pale fingers over the ruby-red skin of the apple. "Here, take this as a gift for doing such a wonderful job." Sasuke looked wary, but accepted the apple all the same. The old man chuckled cheerfully, giving Sasuke a gentle pat on the shoulder. "It's because of shinobi like you that the village was able to hold back the demon all those years ago." He glanced up at the clear, blue sky, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "It is as good a day as any for the annual Kyuubi festival. The gods share our celebrations. Don't you think so, sir?"

Sasuke nodded warily, and the man gave one last cheerful smile before walking away in the direction of the market square, whistling a happy tune.

There was the sound of loud, childish laughter and Sasuke stepped aside just as a group of young kids scrabbled past. One little boy stumbled and fell, his limbs sprawled on the floor and something wooden clackled as it skidded across the dirt. The little boy hurriedly got up, scuttling over to pick up the fallen object and placing it over his face. A mask, Sasuke realized. And when the little boy looked discreetly left and right to see if anyone had caught his clumsy blunder, Sasuke could see the simple, colourful design etched into the face – pointed ears and slanted, red, sinister eyes with broad whisker marks. A fox.

The little boy hastily patted the dirt off of his pants and took off, running after his group of friends.

Sasuke looked on as the boy disappeared into the busy crowd of people, a curious expression on his face.

-LineBreak-

"…really…not gonna work…"

"…quickly…he's going to…back soon…"

"…troublesome…"

Sasuke sighed as he opened the door, the sight that greeted him causing his brows to rise into his hairline.

"Aww shit!" Kiba cursed from his crouched position beside Sasuke's bed, quickly flinging the blankets back over the mattress. Sasuke felt his eye twitch as he glared at Kiba's guilty expression, his gaze switching to the lumps covered by his blankets and – What the hell! Was his mattress squirming?!

The sound of light footsteps drew nearer and Naruto's voice rang through the room. "Are you ready, Kiba!? Take your sweet time! You know, he could be back any min…uh…" Naruto slowed down to a stop, his mouth frozen mid-syllable as his eyes went wide at seeing Sasuke standing by the open doorway.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked crisply, tone even. For the moment, at least.

Naruto seemed to snap out of his daze, his jaw snapping shut into a sheepish smile as his hands, which were holding a peculiar jar of some kind, slipped behind his back. "Heh, didn't know you'd be back so early! Good workout?"

"What are you hiding behind your back?"

Naruto flushed. "Jeez, Sasuke, what are you talking abou-"

"What is that in my bed?" Sasuke growled, and Naruto winced. The blond shot a nervous glance at Kiba, who shot back an equally expressive look that seemed to scream 'we are so screwed'.

Sasuke strode over to his bed, ignoring Naruto's choked protests, and flung open the covers. The twitch in his eye seemed to speed up a mile a minute as he registered the solid, black objects scattered and moving on his sheets. Sasuke's voice came out a low and threatening, "You put scorpions in my bed?!" He flashed a piercing glare in Naruto's direction, before turning to Kiba.

"Woah, dude!" Kiba yelped, raising his hands defensively before pointing at his blond friend, "Totally Naruto's idea."

Naruto shot Kiba a withering look. He laughed awkwardly when he faced Sasuke again. "Look, man, lighten up. It was just a joke."

When Sasuke's glare didn't seem to decrease in intensity in the slightest, Naruto gulped. "We'll pack everything up."

"We?" Kiba protested, looking skeptical.

"Yes, 'we'," Naruto snarled, "It was your idea to use the spiders as well!" He brought out the jar he was hiding from behind his back, allowing Sasuke a clear view of the half a dozen or so large, hairy spiders crawling inside.

At seeing Sasuke's dangerously narrowing eyes, Kiba piped up, "Yep! We'll pack everything up!"

"Tsk, idiots. I told you your troublesome prank wasn't going to work," drawled the figure laying splayed out on the couch, hands folded lazily behind his head. Shikamaru gave Sasuke a small nod in greeting. Sasuke nodded back.

"Jeez, Shika, such a party pooper!" came Kiba's boisterous comment.

Shikamaru sighed, bringing up a hand to rub his temples. "Your stupid ideas make me tired."

Naruto snorted as he scooped up another scorpion. "Getting up from your bed in the morning makes you tired."

"That too," Shikamaru muttered, as he placed an arm over his eyes.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and saw it fit to drag himself away from the pointless chatter, walking over to the dining table where a solemn, long-haired male sat drinking tea, observing the chaos from the sidelines. Hyuuga Neji gave Sasuke the smallest of nods before holding his teacup up slightly. "I hope you don't mind that I fix myself some of your tea. I find Naruto's usual form of beverages quite unpalatable."

"That's fine," was Sasuke's curt reply as he fixed himself a cup, sitting down and taking slow, delicate sips of the steaming liquid.

"Well, lookie here! We've got a sophisticated corner," Naruto muttered as he glanced in the direction of Sasuke and Neji. Kiba snorted loudly, shoveling the last of the scorpions into their appropriate jar and sealing the lid.

"Finish!" the canine ninja cheered, dramatically collapsing on the floor, limbs sprawled.

Naruto sighed, bringing the jar of scorpions up to his face and looking at the small, crawling figures almost wistfully. "Shame, it would've been an awesome prank too."

"I double that," Kiba agreed.

There was a shuffling at the door and no sooner had all the occupants of the room turned to look at it that three girls entered, each holding onto the side of a large, orange cake, a chubby boy following behind them. Chouji stomped over to the couch, sitting himself down on the floor and leaning against the armrest as he plunged his hand into the bag of sweet buns that he had picked from the bakery. Ino grinned and Sakura smiled, Hinata blushing demurely as they all presented the cake to a pleasantly surprised Naruto.

"We can't have a birthday party without a cake, now can we?" Ino remarked cattily.

"Al-although it's a s-shame that half the group are o-on missions," Hinata whispered.

Naruto gave the pale-eyed girl a grateful grin, patting her arm gently (which almost cost the kunoichi to drop her side of the cake). "Nah, they'll just have to treat me to ramen when they get back!"

Sakura chuckled, shaking her head slightly as she gave him a warm smile. "Happy birthday, Naruto."

"Thanks, guys."

And even though the gentle, ethereal glow of the flickering candles in the darkened room did look very pretty, Sasuke was quite sure that, at that moment, there was nothing prettier than Naruto's happy smile as he took in a deep breath to blow out the seventeen tiny, dancing flames.

-LineBreak-

"Thanks for everything, guys!"

Sakura pulled Naruto into a hug. "Iruka-sensei told me to tell you that he's really sorry that he couldn't make it, but that he'll take you out for ramen as soon as he's finished helping out the academy." She pulled back, surveying him at arm's length. "Is there anything you want me to get you from the festival?"

Naruto shook his head, a genuine smile on his face. "Naw, it's fine. But thanks anyway, Sakura-chan."

Chouji piped up from his place next to the door, "Hey, Naruto! I heard that there'll be a limited edition special-flavoured ramen stand. I'll bring some back for you."

"I'll bring it, since you holding it runs the risk of it disappearing before even reaching Naruto," Ino snapped.

"Aaww, Ino-chan!"

Naruto laughed at his friends' antics, waving goodbye as they left one by one.

"Ano…Naruto-kun…"

Naruto turned around to face a fiercely blushing Hinata, who was busy trying to avoid meeting his eyes and tapping her pointer fingers together shyly.

"F-for the fireworks display t-tonight…if you're l-lonely…I mean…I could come back a-and watch it w-with y-"

But she was cut off by Neji's smooth voice. "Hinata-sama, you should be returning home. Your father will be wondering where you are."

Hinata shot a helpless glance at Neji, squeaking out a "H-hai, Neji-niisan." before giving Naruto a shaky smile and hurrying out the door.

Naruto gave Neji an exasperated look. "You're still so harsh on her."

"She is to be clan leader one day. She needs to be able to handle harshness in her stride," was Neji's cool reply.

Naruto sighed.

Neji placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, surveying Naruto through milky-white eyes, giving the blond a small nod before letting his hand fall back at his side and walking towards the door. Before Neji could place his hand on the doorknob, Naruto called out behind him. "Hey, Neji!" Naruto shouted, a grin on his face, "Do me a favour and actually have some fun tonight, will ya?"

The edges of Neji's lips quirked into a small smile before he exited the room quietly.

Naruto stood there for a while, staring thoughtfully at the door through which all his friends had just left. He let out a small, contented sigh, swiveled on his heel and cheerfully bounded towards the dining table where a third of the large, ridiculously orange cake remained. The girls had cleaned up all the dishes, but left the storing of the cake up to him since they didn't really know where to put it. Naruto carried the cake to the kitchen, where he sliced it into smaller, more storable portions, taking out a couple of boxes with which to store them in. "Hey, bastard, you sure you don't want any cake?" Naruto hollered, placing one of the slices neatly into a box.

"I don't like sweets," Sasuke replied from his spot on the couch as he watched Naruto seal up all the boxes and place them one by one in strategic spots in the fridge.

"Tsk. Your loss," Naruto said airily, wiping his hands and throwing the empty cake box into the rubbish bin. He walked over to the couch, plonking himself down next to Sasuke, who gave him a small glare as the seats bounced slightly. "You know, I feel kind of guilty that you're stuck here with me and can't go to festival."

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't like crowds."

"Keh, what do you like?" Naruto muttered to himself quietly, even though Sasuke caught it anyway. The dark-haired shinobi chose not to reply.

They remained in comfortable silence for a while, watching the small, slightly blurry television set report something that might have been the weather, neither of them really paying any actual attention as they chose to just soak in the calm, peaceful atmosphere. That was, until Sasuke surprisingly spoke up. "Why…aren't you going to the festival?" he asked, turning around to look at Naruto, underlying curiosity in his tone.

Naruto looked mildly surprised as he glanced at Sasuke, his mouth parted slightly and his brow gently furrowed. Sasuke blinked, before turning away, muttering, "It's nothing. I was just wondering."

Naruto shook his head a little. "Nah, it's fine. The villagers don't like me much, that's all. Especially today. They may get a little…nasty…and I'd be pushing my luck if I start strutting out there into the crowds."

"Why don't they like you?" Sasuke was starting to look interested.

Naruto shrugged, leaning back in his seat. "Heh, they think I kinda bring bad luck or something. You know how the Kyuubi no Youko attacked Konoha seventeen years ago?" He glanced at Sasuke and Sasuke nodded. "Well, a couple of villagers found me abandoned by the gates early that day, just before the Kyuubi attacked. So everyone kind of believed that I was the cause of the Kyuubi attacking the village. The older generation don't like me very much." Naruto looked thoughtful. "That, or maybe they just don't like my pranks."

Sasuke raised a single, thin brow. "Troublemaker?"

Naruto grinned. "You bet! Got kicked from orphanage to orphanage!" Naruto boasted, as if it was something to be extremely proud of. His grin simmered down to a gentle smile. "But then baa-chan got me into the academy and Iruka-sensei took care of me." He ran a hand through his unruly blond hair. "Don't know where I'd be without them."

Sasuke was quiet and Naruto snuck a peek at his bodyguard's stoic face. "So what about you, bastard? What's your life like? You pansy-assed bastard, I bet you came from some rich, prestigious clan."

"My clan was wiped out by a rogue nin when I was ten."

For a moment, there was a stunned silence as no one spoke. Then –

"I'm sorry to hear that," Naruto whispered.

"Whatever." Sasuke shrugged, as if it wasn't that big a deal.

Naruto fidgeted a little, bit his lip lightly before asking, "So, did someone take you in or something?"

Sasuke shook his head. "My clan was located on the outskirts of the country. We didn't belong to any particular village. So I wandered around for a couple of years until I came across…Sunagakure."

"Oh," Naruto murmured, "Must have sucked not having a home to belong to, huh?"

"Something like that."

It was quiet once more, and both occupants of the room seemed occupied with their own thoughts. Naruto sat, staring unseeingly at the television screen while Sasuke idly observed the sky outside the open window.

"Say, Sasuke. What are your friends like back in Suna?"

A cool breeze entered the room and gently swept Sasuke's dark bangs. He allowed them to fall across the left of his cheek. "I don't enjoy socializing."

Naruto scrambled up from his slouched position, mouth agape. "You don't have any friends?!"

Sasuke would have grunted had Naruto given him the chance.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be the leader of a youth group or something, but you should at least have some friends." Naruto tapped his own chin thoughtfully. "Hey, maybe you can have my friends!"

Sasuke groaned, wishing he hadn't answered in the first place.

"Obviously you can't have have them, but since you've already met them and that makes you acquaintances, we can share! I think you and Neji would get along well since you're both cold bastards, but -"

"Naruto…" Sasuke muttered, trying to get a word in edgewise. No, he was not going to cover his ears with a couch cushion. He was not.

"-on second thought maybe you shouldn't since you'd probably undo all the hard work I put into making Neji remotely sociable. And knowing you, you'd probably just sip tea all day or something. But Shika's pretty cool, even though he's sometimes-"

Sasuke brought up a hand to massage his temple. "Naruto…"

"-as lazy as fuck, but he's a genius, you know? I bet he'd whoop your ass in shougi even with your creepy red eye thingy. And Shino's pretty awesome too, though you're gonna have to take my word for it since he's currently on a mission. He has this crazy as technique where he can control-"

"Naruto…" Could the idiot's mouth move any faster?

"-bugs and everything and he actually lets them feed off of – mmph!!" Naruto eyes widened as he suddenly found his lips sealed. By another pair of lips no less. His body froze, remained stock-still as his mind tried to comprehend what exactly was happening. Sasuke was…Sasuke was kissing him?

The quiet that followed was a relief to Sasuke's ears, but only fueled the burning feeling in his chest. He didn't know what made him move those twelve inches, apart from the sudden need to close those ever-moving lips. But right now, he couldn't care less. All he could see were those pretty, pretty blue eyes, opened so wide that he could see every hue, every shade, the periwinkle blue progressively intensifying to a deep azure as it got closer to the pupil.

He shifted slightly and all of sudden was completely, utterly aware of their connected lips. 'Soft,' was the first thought that came to Sasuke's mind. Indeed, Naruto's lips were soft, though slightly chapped, and yes, they did feel pleasant against his own. Those blue (cobalt, sapphire, azure, Sasuke's mind seemed to whisper, because, really, there were so many shades that the word 'blue' couldn't possibly do it justice) eyes, laced with surprise and curiosity, widened before slowly sliding shut, and Sasuke followed soon afterwards. Was there any point in keeping them open if there was no longer anything important to see?

He pressed his lips a little harder into Naruto's own, enjoying how the soft skin seemed to give and cushion his lips. And yet there was this annoying dry spot, which always managed to grate across his bottom lip in the most annoying fashion. So Sasuke slipped his tongue out to gently swipe across the spot, with intentions of allowing his own moisture to seep into the flesh and smoothen out the skin. Naruto made a soft sound high in his throat that could have been a suppressed moan, but Sasuke didn't care, too preoccupied with the fact that Naruto's lips had parted and how inviting it seemed. He slipped his tongue inside, and was immediately assaulted with the taste of the cake that Naruto had eaten earlier – vanilla and orange and sweet, sweet icing – and thought that maybe, just maybe, sweets weren't so bad and that he wouldn't mind having this kind of dessert every day.

He dazedly explored the warm orifice, subconsciously mapping out every ridge, every dip, every contour. He gently nudged the still organ in the blonde's mouth, coaxing it to join him, to move with him. And Naruto responded, timidly at first, but surely. Sasuke groaned into the kiss. Kami-sama! It felt so much better with cooperation.

And it seemed Naruto was getting bolder and bolder, if the warm hand on the hem of his shirt was any indication. The hand slipped underneath his shirt, and Sasuke shivered slightly, his senses suddenly working overtime so that he could feel every single shift in the skin-on-skin contact. He could feel the hand as it moved slowly up the flat planes of his stomach, could almost see it in his mind's eye, the tan against pale-white, as it ghosted over his skin, creating goosebumps in its wake. The fingers slid smoothly over the unyielding abdominal muscles, up to the firmness of his chest and gently, inquisitively, brushed over a nipple. Sasuke let out a low moan against Naruto lips and brought up his own hand to curl itself in those bright, golden locks, yanking the blond forward and mashing their lips together with even more force. Naruto responded in kind.

The hand under Sasuke's shirt was still in motion, a thumb swirling lazily over the rim of the nub – playfully, teasingly – before the whole hand splayed, palm flat, over the left side of Sasuke's chest, as if wanting to feel and count every pulsing heartbeat. It wouldn't be hard either, Sasuke vaguely thought to himself. He could practically hear his own heartbeat considering how fast his heart was going.

Sasuke tilted Naruto's head slightly for better access as he plundered the blonde's mouth, using the fingers of the hand that was buried in Naruto's hair to soothingly massage the boy's scalp. Naruto groaned loudly and Sasuke saw this as encouragement. He slid a hand down to the hem of the boy's shirt, just as Naruto had done a few minutes before, slipping under the fabric to rub the pad of his thumb over the slightly protruding hip bone.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto brought a hand up to Sasuke's shoulder, holding him firmly back, sliding his hand out from underneath Sasuke's shirt. The blond was panting heavily and, to his credit, Sasuke actually looked dazed, not to mention confused at the sudden loss of sensation. Naruto licked his lips before letting out a shaky breath. "I…uh…that was…" he started, but tapered off, not meeting Sasuke's gaze.

When Sasuke's heartbeat had slowed down to a more or less normal rate and the curling heat in his stomach had lessened exponentially, he sighed, subconsciously straightening his crumpled shirt. He glanced at Naruto, his voice awkward as he began, "I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have-"

"Nah, it's fine," Naruto cut in, the lingering red on is cheeks and a weird smile on his face as he looked at Sasuke before turning away once again.

There was quiet again and, strangely enough, Sasuke was getting sick of it. Could they even go through a day without awkward silences?

"I think," Naruto started, gnawing nervously on his bottom lip, "I think I'll go to sleep early today." He didn't wait for an answer as he got up and strode to his bedroom, closing the door gently behind him.

Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to suppress the incoming headache. Why the hell was he screwing everything up lately?

He glanced over at the clock and read 7:49. It was time to get ready.

As he got up to prepare, he licked his suddenly too-dry lips and all he tasted was vanilla and orange and sweet, sweet icing.

-LineBreak-

The full moon high in the sky casted its luminescent glow on the Hokage Tower, but it didn't retract in the slightest from the dark figure's expert maneuvers. The figure crept through the halls and down the stairs, aided by the darkness provided by the night as he made his way down the tower and to the third floor. He halted, all limbs still, before abruptly bringing his hands up to blur through a set of hands seals. His hands fell back to his sides and he froze, just as a Jounin appeared, climbing up the steps at the opposite end. The figure seemed to stop breathing all together, and the Jounin continued to walk, closer and closer until-

-he completely walked past, seemingly completely unaware of the figure standing frozen not two metres away from him. The figure turned to look at the retreating back of the Jounin guard as the shinobi continued to walk away, turning a corner and out of sight.

Sasuke glanced up at the moon's position in the sky, calculating that he had about 25 minutes before the ninja on guard duty would finish a full patrol circle and return to this exact same spot. He sent out another wisp of chakra, scouting for any more nearby chakra signatures, encountering only a slight fluctuation which he ignored before continuing down the hallway. When the light door with its noticeable dark, wooden frame came into sight, Sasuke slowed down. He stopped in front of it, running his gaze up and down its innocently plain surface before bringing his left thumb up to his mouth and biting. Blood started to seep from the resulting cut and Sasuke brought his hand up to the door, pressing his wounded thumb against the pale wood and leaving one long, bloody stroke as he dragged it all the way down.

The mark remained there, a stark red against the light brown of the door, that is, until the door started to glow, and the stain started to fade, or rather, sink into the timber. The door was once again clean, if only for a moment, until symbols started to materialize, written in the same dark crimson that had just recently smeared its surface. The symbols then seemed to move, seemed to dance as they arranged themselves in a complex circular pattern, glowing dully before halting and turning an inky, black. The glow receded and the symbols remained, as if they had been painted there and not just recently appeared out of the wood.

Sasuke shrugged the sac he was carrying off his shoulders and undid the knot tying it closed, reaching inside and withdrawing a plain-looking scroll. He dropped the sac onto the floor, using both hands to unravel the scroll as he made sure it was the right way up. He placed it, face up, over the symbols on the surface of the door, adjusting and tilting it slightly so that what was written on the scroll more or less formed a template over the design. Heat surged through his hands as he applied chakra into the paper, the complex design painted on it turning a light blue as the paper started to brown, singeing at the edges. When the whole paper had burned away to nothing, the design that was previously on the scroll was now etched into the door, a stenciling of blue over the original black.

Sasuke smirked as he flashed his sharingan up at the moon.

18 more minutes to go.

…

Naruto glanced at the clock on his bedside table and jumped out of bed, fully dressed in a casual top and his shinobi pants. He quickly put on his shoes before making his way to the window, casting one last lingering look at the bedroom door before pulling himself up onto the sill and slipping out. Unknown to the blond, the unseen chakra barrier rippled slightly as it was breeched by the familiar chakra signature. And perhaps Sasuke would have registered the slight disturbance in the barrier he had constructed, but frankly-

-Sasuke wasn't there.

Naruto applied chakra to the soles of his feet, scaling swiftly down the side of the Hokage tower and avoiding any other windows illuminated by the light of the moon. When he was near ground level, he leaped, flipping through the air and landing lightly on all fours. He pulled himself up and started to run, in the direction of the forest and, in the distance, the mountain engraved with the faces of the previous Hokages.

…

Tsunade sighed as she glanced at the huge crowd of villagers that she was to speak before in a few minutes time. She rubbed her temples tiredly, feeling more than ever the migraine that had stemmed from the meeting she had just left from. "Goddamn elders," she grumbled to herself, and Shizune shot her a worried look, at which she waved her hands dismissively in reply. Shizune nodded and stepped back, allowing the Hokage to step up onto the raised platform. Loud cheers sounded from the audience.

She walked straight into the middle, where she was able to survey all corners of the assembled crowd. Tsunade raised a hand into the air, a signal for the villagers to quiet down as she prepared to speak. She scanned the crowds, taking in every set of eyes – elderly, mature or young – and smiled.

"Citizens of Konoha-"

…

Sasuke brought up his hands to perform the set of hand seals that he had remembered off by heart, each one corresponding to the symbols written on the blue seal of his own design. He took a deep breath and started, his hands swiftly and precisely going through each of the positions. There were 109 he had to go through and it would suck if he messed one up and had to start all over again.

…

Naruto hoisted himself up, finally on level ground as he collapsed, exhausted, on the Yondaime's head. It would have been easier and a lot faster to just take the roundabout path through the forest rather than scaling the face of the mountain outright, but it was practically tradition and he did enjoy the warm, tingling aftermath of a good workout.

He splayed himself out on the Yondaime's head, cushioning his own with his folded arms as he gazed up at the dark, inky sky. The view from the Hokage Tower was not even nearly as good as it was here. Soon, baa-chan would finish her speech and the fireworks would start.

Yeah. And Naruto smiled. The pretty, pretty fireworks.

…

"-Seventeen years ago, the Kyuubi no Youko attacked this very village. Homes were destroyed, lives were lost, families torn apart and Konoha herself was mortally wounded, in great disarray." Tsunade's eyes swept the crowd, lingering on a few of the older generation who were nodding their heads in agreement.

"The Fourth sacrificed his life to defeat the wretched demon," she continued, sweeping her hand in the direction of the Hokage mountain, where indeed the Yondaime's stern face watched from afar, "Giving Konoha a new life, a new chance to start over and prosper." Her lips pulled into a smile. "And now here we are, seventeen years later-"

…

'58…57…56…' Sasuke counted absently, as his hands carried out the needed hand seals. Everything had to be perfect, precise, or otherwise it wouldn't work. He didn't have the time for a second try. The crimson of his bloodline technique was clearly evident as he watched the complex seal placed on the door slowly unravel, observed as every time he performed a hand seal, its counterpart that he had transferred from the scroll onto the timber glowed from blue to a blinding white, enveloping the black markings of the original seal until none of the symbol remained.

'51…50…49…48…'

…

Naruto let out a satisfied sigh as he adjusted his arms, putting it into a better position to support his head. Any minute now, the fireworks would start. Any minute-

"…re you sure it'll be there?"

"Positive. I heard it from a reliable source."

Naruto pulled his upper body up onto his elbows, looking curiously in the direction of the voices that seemed to be steadily approaching. No one ever came to the Hokage mountain on the night of the Kyuubi festival. So who…?

"Do you think this is such a wise idea? What if it attacks us?" The voice sounded neither young nor old, but if not a little panicky.

"Don't worry. I know how to control it." A gruff, scratchy voice replied. A man, definitely.

Naruto moved to stand up. He could hear the crunching of footsteps now. There seemed to be more than two people. Perhaps a small group of six or seven.

"Can you really, Hiro? Where did you learn to do that?" A younger voice this time, eager and excited. The footsteps seemed to be around the corner, and Naruto took a wary step back.

"Let's call it a lucky opportunity."

And Naruto gave a suspicious look as a group of seven men appeared on the landing. His eyes lingered on their hands, which were holding a variety of metal tools and pipes, some even carrying knives. The man furthest in front, who Naruto assumed was the leader, looked to be about in his mid-thirties, and a Chuunin it seemed, judging from the old, tattered shinobi vest he was wearing.

The man smiled widely as his eyes locked on Naruto. "Lookie here, boys! I told you it'd be here." He grinned, an ugly grin showing yellow, crooked teeth. "Well well well. Long time no see, demon. Do you remember me?"

…

"-We have healed and repaired. We have developed and prospered." Tsunade gestured a hand towards the wide-eyed children standing in the front row. "We have thrived and grown." She paused for effect, boring her amber eyes into those of the crowd. "We have proven once again, that Konoha will always manage to pick itself up, will always manage to rise from the ashes, will always be a force to be reckoned with."

A couple of people cheered, and Tsunade smiled, raising her hands to restore the quiet. "And now-"

…

'29…28…27…'

Almost there, Sasuke thought. Only a small portion of the circular seal remained to be unlocked. He slowed down slightly. It wouldn't do to mess up when he was so close to the end.

'24…23…22…'

…

Naruto dodged as one of the men clumsily swung at him with a steel pipe, narrowly veering out of the way as another lashed out at him from the side with a butcher knife. His hands groped at his side for a kunai or even a shuriken would do, only to discover that he hadn't brought his weapons pouch with him. After all, he had only wanted to watch the fireworks.

As a hammer was flung his way, he flipped, somersaulting through the air and landing eight or so metres away from the unruly group of men. He mentally ran through his options. Getting away wasn't one of them, since the only way out was via the forest path and that was only accessible through the group of men. Behind him, a sheer drop from the forehead of the First as the mountain ended and the sky began. He was pulled out of his frantic thoughts as a barrage of small needles were shot his way, narrowly missing the assault as he rolled to the side. The leader grinned, flashing his ugly yellow teeth as he brought his hands up to perform another jutsu.

Naruto's hands also flew up, almost reflexively, to perform the hand seal for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. But before he could manage to completely focus his chakra to perform the technique, his thoughts were jarred by the man's voice.

"Ah ah ah," the man taunted, waggling a finger from side to side, "Rule number two, demon. Have you forgotten?"

And for the first time since the fight had started, Naruto's body completely froze.

…

"-through our dedication and unity, through our bond as the citizens of one village, we have shown just how powerful Konoha truly is. That even against a demon, we have faced and won." The audience was rapt, and not a single voice disturbed the Hokage's speech. Tsunade continued, "So today, as we hold the annual festival that symbolizes the defeat of the Kyuubi no Youko, I would just like to say-"

…

'14…13…12…'

Almost finished. So close.

'11…10…9…'

…

The man stepped calmly up to Naruto, who's expression was blank as he remained standing in the exact same spot.

One of the younger men from the group reached out a hand, as if to stop their leader from stepping any closer. "Hiro-san! It's not safe!"

The man only grinned, not even hesitating in the slightest. He shot over his shoulder, "It's okay, men. He's as harmless as a kitten, now." He sneered as he stopped directly in front of Naruto, looking directly into those blank blue eyes. "Aren't you?"

There was no response from the blond, who only remained still, like a mannequin.

"So tell me, demon. Do you still eat off the floor or have you learnt how to use a plate?"

Then there was a loud 'thwack' sound and Naruto slumped to the ground as he was harshly backhanded. He lay on the floor, unmoving, though still completely conscious and aware of the goings on around him. The man smugly adjusted the metal fitted around his knuckles as he watched the crimson blood slowly seep from the edge of the blonde's lips.

…

"-that as the leader of this village, and having seen the unity, and the love that every citizen has shared," she smiled warmly, "Of this village, of this community, I am proud to call myself your Hokage-"

…

'7…6…'

Nearly finished.

'5…4…'

…

He was aware of the painful throbbing of his cheek, aware of the shadows falling upon him as the group of men gathered around his fallen form. But still he couldn't move. Wouldn't. Couldn't. Wouldn't, couldn't, wouldn't, couldn't –

-Can't.

There was another flash of pain and he could feel a rib crack as someone kicked him in the side. And again…again…again. From all sides. So much pain. And he could vaguely hear their snarls –

"…fucking demon…"

"…you deserve the pain…"

"…this is nothing to all the suffering you caused…"

A searing pain shot through his shoulder and down his arm as a knife pierced the flesh. And all he could do was stare up, not at the faces of his attackers, but at the sky.

The inky black sky. Waiting…waiting…waiting…

…

"-So noting that, I, your Hokage, am happy to declare-"

…

'3…2…1…'

…

If he could just hold out a minute. Just a minute. Ignore the pain for just a minute. And look at the sky. But it could look so much prettier…

…

"-Let the celebrations begin!"

And then there was cheering, the signal for the shop venders to light their fireworks.

…

Sasuke smiled as the last symbol dissipated, and the doors flung open without even a single creak. He stepped through it without even a backwards glance.

…

And then there was light and sound as the sky erupted into a myriad of colours. Pretty. Beautiful. Breathtakingly enchanting.

And even through the excruciating pain rippling through his entire body, Naruto managed to smile a small smile, the kaleidoscope of colour against the backdrop of black reflected clearly in his eyes.

Then…

…everything went dark.

-TBC-

-LineBreak-

So, how'd you guys like this chapter? I'm really sorry if I confused anyone during the last portion of it. I had it going really awesomely and dramatically in my head, but I don't know if I conveyed it very well in words and story format. – hangs head – If only I was talented enough to be able to give you guys a video clip or something. Anyway, if you're confused by any part of what happened, feel free to leave a question and I will surely get back to you on it. And I'm sorry that it took so long (you guys must be getting really sick of my apologies), and halfway through the chapter I had figured that I would just paste the half and give you the other half later, but changed my mind since that would kind of ruin the rhythm of the story that I'd planned.

Oh, and do tell me how the make-out scene went. This is my first time ever writing anything remotely steamy (you have no idea how long it took for me to spit out that part of the chapter), and I'd really like to know your thoughts on it. Feel free to hit me with it if you thought it was completely horrible and that I should never stick my experienceless self into writing anything remotely sexual ever again.

Thank you for waiting patiently. And please, please pretty please review!!! Any feedback is welcome, especially constructive criticism.

And thank you to the 13 people who replied to my petulant whining in the last chapter. I'm quite ashamed of the childish way I acted. Anyway, here are the replies to the wonderful people who reviewed who I couldn't reply directly to:

justanotherfan: Don't worry, I have absolutely no intentions of leaving this story unfinished, since I hate it myself when a story I'm reading suddenly ends up on hiatus and then deserted and never finished. Unfortunately, it might be a while before this story is complete (considering my snail-pace update rate), but never fear, it definitely won't be left behind. Heh, and I'd feel guilty if you start biting people.

ddd: I'm really grateful that you've managed to review every single chapter of mine since I've started this story. Many thanks and hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

Murasaki: Aaww, your review made me feel all warm and bubbly inside. Unfortunately, it isn't directly due to the lack of reviews that's stopping me from updating (but by all means, don't stop reviewing!!!), more to do with school work being a pain. But I will try my best to deliver! Thank you!

To everyone, hope you're all having a great holiday. And Merry Christmas for tomorrow!!!

- Nine1991 -