OMG. This has been, officially, the WORST two weeks of my life. First, I come to the realization that school is coming, and then my computer literally blows up in my face and my dad has to work on it forever. It's fixed though, hence the update, and thank you all for my reviews! I loved it so much!!!

Luv ya

Nicola

Heaving another long slab of wood over her head and into the waiting hands of the man on the roof of his shop, Kaede let out a heavy sigh. It was a week after they had taken back Konoha, and the reconstruction of the village had begun. Today was Sunday, and there wasn't a single person, man, woman, or child, who was not working. Kaede was assisting an older man and his son fix up their trinket shop a few buildings down from the ramen place that Naruto was enthusiastically helping with.

She wiped her brow and tightened her brown ponytail, jumping onto the roof with a hammer and nails. She tossed a few of the nails to the man's son and began hammering the wood slab in on one side while he did the other. As soon as it was in place, she jumped down again and passed up another board. She'd been doing this all morning, and the place was looking pretty good. The elderly man was watching, supervising, really, and nodded his approval when she leapt down for another board.

A smile was on her face, the product of hours and hours of hard work that she truly felt good about doing. For the past few days she'd helped out wherever it was needed, clearing trash and broken wood from the streets, repairing bashed in roofs, replacing front doors and windows, building new walls for the stores, fixing the damage done to the Hokage temple.

Kaede shook both of the men's hands and bid them goodbye, planning on going to her house and doing a little bit of damage control. She strolled down the streets, joy filling her heart at the sight of everyone working together to rebuild the village. They were all ecstatic at being home again, and Kaede understood just how they felt: elation, but somber elation, because they had still lost loved ones.

As she walked down the street towards the Uchiha district, she saw Shikamaru helping rebuild the Yamanaka's flower shop. She knew he was doing so in honor of his old teammate, Yamanaka Ino, who had died during the first battle. A few days ago, he'd explained this to her, and assured her that "the man who killed her had been done justice to." She grinned even wider, laughing inside as she imagined Shikamaru slaughtering a Sound ninja for revenge.

"Hey, Kaede!" Kaede turned at the sound of her name and laughed as Konohamaru came bounding up to greet her. She hadn't seen much of the exuberant young man while they were underground, and it was good to see him dashing about like he'd used to. He was a strong nineteen, almost twenty, and he loved to strut around because of it; like Naruto, he dreamed of being Hokage some day. Kaede encouraged him whenever she could to pursue it. She knew he could do it.

"Hey, Konohamaru," she said, pulling him into a quick hug. "How have you been this past week?"
Konohamaru grinned widely. "Great! Everything's going to smoothly since we've been back, and everyone's settling in just as easily as if they'd all been on vacation, except for the whole reconstruction thing." Kaede laughed, and Konohamaru's face turned thoughtful. "You know, I was wondering about something." He caught her gaze and held it. "What ever happened to you and Sasuke? I know he helped out in the war, but he did betray us and all, so I still don't see how Naruto could take him back like that."
Kaede bit her lip and tried to think of the right thing to say. She juggled with a few things before answering, "Well, Sasuke really did help out a lot with planning this battle. Without him, we'd probably still be underground." She sighed. "As for me and him, it's pretty much over. It has been for a few years now, and don't think we'll ever get back together." She smiled a little sadly at him. "Of course, that doesn't stop me from hoping."

Appearing as if he were thinking seriously about something, Konohamaru waved a quick goodbye to her and set off the way he'd came, probably going to help Naruto at the ramen shop or something. Kaede watched him go, wondering where the questions about Sasuke had come from. Oh, well, he was probably just being inquisitive.

She continued to walk down the street, able to see the gates leading into the Uchiha district already. Konoha hadn't really changed that much, and she hadn't known she'd walked so far in such a short amount of time, and could barely remember taking the turn down this street. She chuckled at her distracted state, amazed at how she still knew the village like the back of her hand and barely noticed it.

Her hand rested on the gates of the Uchiha district, staring down at a handprint in the rust that she hadn't made. It wasn't hers, or anyone's that she could think of that she remembered. There actually wasn't anyone that she figured would go into the Uchiha district other than herself and Sasuke, and he most definitely wouldn't. He had no reason to.

Curious, she pushed open the gates and began to walk slowly down the dusty street, peering at each of the houses in turn, checking for signs of forced entry. She couldn't come up with one reason to break into a house in the Uchiha district, but maybe it was because she remained loyal to the clan even if she never knew any of them outside of Sasuke.

She made it to her house, and saw that the front door was slightly ajar. She bristled, thinking that whoever was inside would be getting one hell of an ass beating. This was her home, and it had been taken away once before. She'd be damned if she'd let someone rob it blind, too.

Not even caring to kick her shoes off, she silently stalked into the house, moving through the front room into the living room, where she could see that the dust was stirred up more than it had been this morning when she'd left. She walked into the kitchen, looked around for a moment, and headed back to the bedrooms. She glanced into Itachi's old room—which was normally closed off to everyone—and in Sasuke's parents' old bedroom. No one there.

The only rooms left were the bathroom and her room. She didn't think anyone would be in the bathroom, so she headed for the door on the end on the right. She saw it was open, and she knew she'd closed it. Pulling a kunai from the pouch at her waist, she pressed her back against the wall and moved inside the room.

She dropped the kunai.

Kneeling in front of the box she'd stupidly left out, picking through the photographs she hadn't burned and the few items she had felt close enough to that she never wanted to look at again was Sasuke, and he was holding her favorite picture of him.

After returning to her home, Kaede had placed the photograph back in the box on top of a bouquet of dead roses Sasuke had once given her for her birthday. She'd hoped it would stay there, never to be looked at by anyone but her self again. And now here was Sasuke, looking tenderly at the photo and shaking his head, a small smile on his face.

The kunai clattered onto the floor, and Sasuke looked up, throwing the picture back into the box. For a moment they stared at each other, and then Sasuke stood, shoving his hand in his pocket in a very Sasuke-ish manner. She couldn't help but smile at the gesture, and leaned against the doorframe, feigning comfort.

"What're you doing here?" she asked casually, adding a touch of unpleasant welcome in her tone.

"My house," he answered, taking a step towards her and pushing the box aside with his foot.

She shook her head. "As I recall, you handed ownership of this house to me when you left for Orochimaru. And, since I haven't given it back, it's still my house."

Sasuke visibly winced at her snide comment and walked until they were only two feet apart. She stared up into his black eyes stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest and holding his gaze. He didn't stop looking at her, seeming to not blink at all. Kaede felt her heart beat speed up, and her mind whirr with the possibilities. Their relationship couldn't be over for good, it just couldn't. They could start over together, begin a new life in the restored village and live happily together until they became wrinkled and spend their older years together and play with little grandchildren on their laps and tell them stories of the Great Battle for Konoha and…

She felt the tears spring to her eyes as these thoughts ran through her mind and sniffed, not embarrassed to cry in front of him anymore. She reached a hand up and brushed away the tear that had begun to trickle down her face, and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to at least stem the flow a little bit before it became flat-out water works that just wouldn't stop. She sniffed again and felt more tears slide down her face, but her eyes never unlocked their gaze from Sasuke's.

He took another step forward, they were a foot apart. He reached out and placed his warm hand on her shaking shoulder. She flinched at his touch, not expecting the shock that went through her body when their skin made contact. He held his hand there, acting as though he had not felt her movement away from his touch. She took a shaky breath and pinched her nose again; why wouldn't she stop crying?

Flashes of their breakup screamed through her head, him telling her that he wanted her to stay, her telling him she couldn't and they couldn't be together as long as their loyalties lie on two different sides. Handing him the necklace, kissing him for the last time as a couple, jumping away. Having to face him at least once a week, unable to meet his eyes every time he came into a room, kissing him and then regretting it, hearing his jealousy of Gaara even though there was nothing to be jealous of…

Sasuke almost seemed to hear her thoughts and came closer, so that their chests were almost touching, and she was looking up at him, he down at her. It seemed like just yesterday they'd been two pieces of a whole person, everything had felt so right, like nothing could go wrong in the world.

Through her tears, she managed to speak. "Well, here I am, Sasuke," she gasped out, forcing herself to control her rapid breathing. "What now?"

"This."

He leaned his head down towards her and kissed her.

A vicious but welcome shock shot through her whole body and she grabbed onto his shirt, gripping the fabric in her fists and kissing him back with all she had. He wrapped one arm around her waist, the other holding the back of her head. His lips were so soft and warm, so loving, so needing. She felt every emotion from the past two and a half years in his kiss, the pain it caused him to stay away from her for so long, the love he felt for her, the longing to pull her into his arms and hold her the way Gaara did, but as more than just a friend.

They pulled apart, reluctantly, and Kaede buried her head into his chest. He pulled her closer to him, if that was possible, and held her there. She found that she was no longer crying, but smiling into Sasuke's black t-shirt. He was slowly rocking her back and forth, and to her surprise, he swept her up in to his arms, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her face still buried in his shoulder. He held her under her hips and around her back, carrying her over to the bed where he laid them both down. She curled up against his chest and sighed, feeling as if she were finally at home.

He rubbed her back gently, kissing her on the forehead and breathing in the scent of her hair. She pressed her hands to his chest and kissed his collarbone, relishing the feel of him next to her, holding her. How long she'd waited for this to happen, how long she'd waited to be in his arms again. She sighed against his shirt and closed her eyes, finally at peace.



When she woke up again, it was early evening. She recalled coming home around noon and finding Sasuke. They had kissed, embraced, laid together. But…she didn't feel his warmth next to her!

She shot up like she was on a springboard and saw that the window was open, the curtains drawn back, a slight breeze blowing in. As she sat up, she realized she was in one of Sasuke's shirts, a pair of sleep shorts, and under the covers. Her heart warmed, thinking that he must have done that for her. She stretched, and looked around the room again, expecting to see two-inch layers of dust everywhere. But there was none. And the room was absolutely spotless.

A smile creased her face as she came to the conclusion that Sasuke must have cleaned up for her. She swung her legs out of the bed and padded to the door, barefoot and happy. The door was open a crack, and she peered out into a sparkling wood hallway. She murmured her "aww" of appreciation and walked down the hallway, hearing someone in the kitchen. The living room, too, was spotlessly clean, she noticed as she passed through it to get to her destination.

Sasuke was in the kitchen, lighting up the two candles on the table, the lights dimmed down low and two plates complete with silverware set on the two sides of the table. She smiled even more and walked over to Sasuke, rubbing his shoulder. He took her hand in his and kissed it, leading her over to her chair and pulling it out for her. She sat down as he pushed the chair in and walked over to the plate of chicken on the counter. He placed a leg and a breast on her plate, the same for him along plus a wing, and scooped potatoes onto both.

As soon as he'd sat down, she picked up her fork and set to taking off a piece of her chicken. Sasuke worked on his potatoes, and they ate in comfortable, happy silence.

After a moment, Kaede looked up to see Sasuke staring at her. She looked down and blushed

."I don't know how I ever left you," he said quietly, "or let you go. You're so beautiful."

Feeling a lump rising in her throat, and not knowing what to say, Kaede shoved another mouthful of potatoes into her mouth. She stared down at her plate, slightly ashamed of herself, and heard Sasuke chuckle. Her cheeks began to color as she picked at her food with her fork.

"What're you laughing at?" she muttered, moving her fork around in swirls in her potatoes.

"You," he answered nonchalantly, and Kaede heard him set down his fork and spoon. She felt his eyes boring into the top of her head. "You don't need to act embarrassed or anything. You know how I feel about you."

"Yeah, but you've never said it," Kaede grumbled, her tone only slightly hinting. Sasuke sighed and scooted his chair back, getting up. Kaede licked her lips and stole a glance to see what he was doing. He had moved to the counter and was leaning against it, watching her with those black eyes of his. She couldn't tear her eyes away, though, and continued to stare at him.

"Kaede," he said finally, softly. "I'd hoped you would understand how hard it is for me to…admit to caring about someone so much. It sort of…gives me another reason to want to protect you by forgetting about you." Kaede's eyes widened, but she didn't say a thing. "My brother took everything away from me, you know that. And I can't help but stray away from anything he could banish from my life forever. Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi…they're all I have left. But you…I couldn't imagine living without you again."

Kaede did understand, and she knew how much it hurt for Sasuke to get close to another person. But that wouldn't change how she felt about him. She loved him with all her heart, she would throw herself in front of a torrent of kunai if it would keep him alive. She gave up on him before because of the village. Now, though, that would all change. He was her Sasuke, and hers alone.

Slowly, she nodded and stood up, taking the few steps to the counter to stand in front of him. "I understand, Sasuke. Don't worry, I was just being stupid."

He smirked and pulled her to him in a firm hug. "You're never stupid. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, you know that? It would be hard to survive without you by my side."

A little bit startled from the abrupt proclamation of his feelings, Kaede hugged him back and murmured into his shirt, "So we're starting over again?"

A laugh rumbled through Sasuke's chest. "Yes, we are."



Two days later, Kaede and Sasuke were at the Hokage temple, assisting on the reconstruction of the walls, roof, and gates. Sakura and Tsunade had done some pretty good damage busting through the walls into the main hall. And yes, they bragged about it. At least, Tsunade did.

Kaede was at the gates, hammering the hinges into place, when Miki strode up, looking way too happy for a girl that had just finished working nine hours fixing the tea shop. Suspicious, Kaede greeted her friend with a half-hearted wave and watched her with wary eyes.

"What're you all smiles about?" she asked, twirling the hammer in her hand and placing it back in her belt, having a feeling that this was going to take a while.

Miki merely trilled happily, spun around, and leaned against the repaired part of the gate. Kaede winced, hoping the hinges weren't too loose. Otherwise, she'd have to go back and fix them again.

"So? Why are you dancing around and singing? You know how you can't sing," Kaede said seriously, and Miki replied with another bout of humming. Kaede growled under her breath and said, in her most authoritative voice, "Damn it, Miki, you tell me right now what is going on or I swear I'll chase you all over with my hammer and pound you until you do."

Miki blinked in surprise at the threat, and shrugged half-heartedly. "Alright." But she was silent after that.

It was a moment before Kaede noticed her friend was brandishing her left hand, twirling it around so that the sunlight glinted off of something on her ring finger. Irritated that Miki wouldn't stop moving around, Kaede grabbed her wrist and held it still. She gasped and dropped the hand, staring at Miki in shock.

There was a ring on her finger. A ring, with a diamond, a real ring!

At the same time, Kaede and Miki erupted into squeals and yells of excitement, grabbed each other's hands, and jumped up and down, crying, "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!"

They screamed again before one of the men working on the other side of the gate glared at them. Settling down, Kaede looked at the ring again. It was a simple silver band with a medium-sized diamond set on it, flanked on either side with a smaller rock. Kaede loved it, its simplicity, its beauty, its meaning. And she knew just who had given it to her.

"Neji proposed, oh my God," Kaede said softly, unable to tear her eyes away from the ring. "When?"

"This morning," Miki answered. "I woke up, and there was this note on his pillow, and it said, like, 'Meet me in the veranda,' so I got dressed and fixed my hair—cause I like to look cute when I'm around him—and he was there, in his official Hyuga robes, waiting. And then, we sat for a few minutes, just kind of sitting there, and he pulled this box out of his pocket and he got down on one knee, and said, 'Marry me, Hyuga Miki. Marry me.'"

"Awww!" Kaede squealed, and hugged her best friend. "That's so sweet!"

"Isn't it?" Miki looked fondly down at the ring, then back up with a new, mischievous glint to her eyes. "Guess what I heard?"

"What?"

"I heard that Naruto was down at the local jewelry store a few days ago, looking at rings, and yesterday he came out with a tiny little bag with something that looked like the shape of the box rings come in!"

Kaede shook her head. "Whatever Naruto was doing isn't your business, and besides, I know that Sakura isn't ready to get married. She heard about him going down there, too, and was telling me how she didn't want to seal their commitment right now."

Miki's face fell. "Oh. Poor Naruto. I hope he doesn't crack the question anytime soon, because he'll get turned down."

Once again, Kaede shook her head no. "No, that's not what I said. I said Sakura isn't ready to get married right now, but that doesn't mean she won't get engaged. Just because someone asks you to marry them doesn't mean that you have to have the wedding as soon as possible. She'll probably put it off until Konoha is really back into shape again. She knows how important the village is to Naruto, and she doesn't want him to rush things because of her."

"Hmm, good point. Wow, I wish I thought things through as much as Sakura," Miki said thoughtfully. "Oh, well. I'm going to go tell her, and then Tsunade, and then everyone else! I'm so excited!"
And she was off.

Kaede went back to making sure the hinges were in place, and her mind began whirring again. Miki was getting married to Neji. Wow, hadn't that been quick? They'd only been together for a few years, not nearly as long as Sakura and Naruto, or herself and Sasuke. It seemed to be rushing it a little bit, but as long as they were happy, she didn't care; she'd go to the wedding and support them as much as she could.

She wondered what would happen after her two friends married. They would probably want to have children, she guessed, and more than one. They'd want to live in a quiet little home around the other Hyuga's and raise their kids and spend the rest of their lives together, as traditional. Kaede smiled at the thought, and couldn't help but picture Naruto and Sakura as married. She could just see tiny little Naruto minis running around and getting into all sorts of trouble, and tiny little Sakura minis attempting to control them with whacks on the head. Naruto would take his kids to the ramen shop and have them addicted on the stuff, too, and Sakura would make sure the children were raised properly and trained under a careful, watching eye. Kaede laughed at the image of a small blonde boy with green eyes grinning sheepishly up at his gray-haired sensei.

Of course, she and Sasuke could be in that position, too, in a few years. Not any time soon, though, because she knew they weren't quite put back together like they had been. Still, it was nice to picture little Sasuke's running around the house. She shook her head fervently. No, she shouldn't think like that. Her and Sasuke's relationship was still a bit rocky, and pushing towards something like marriage and children would only topple them over and cause another crash-and-burn episode.

That didn't mean it couldn't happen in the future, but right now, it would only be an unsettling, useless experience.

After she was positive the gates were secure, Kaede headed off to talk to Naruto for a little while. It would make her feel better if she could see the Hokage and speak to him about all of her worries. He would understand. And she hoped that he would still be all for Sasuke's remaining in the village. Orochimaru had to know that his apprentice had left him for good, seeing as he'd assisted in the attack. Somewhat.

The main hall was almost completely fixed, and the stairs were no longer smeared with dirt, blood, and a menagerie of other things. The gaping holes in the walls had been filled, the scratches had been painted over, and all the weaponry sticking out from the plaster had been removed. Kaede trailed her hand along the side of the wall as she padded down the hallway towards the Hokage's office. Naruto was most likely in there, working on some paper or another, and would eagerly accept her interruption. He was not one for liking paperwork.

The door was already ajar when she turned the corner, and she walked in, knocking once on the wood to make sure Naruto expected her approach. The blonde was, of course, debating over if his hand was too sore to sign this particular document, and his whole face lit up at the momentary distraction. He waved eagerly at the chair in front of his desk, and Kaede sat down, grinning.

"So, what's up?" the Hokage asked, stretching back and putting his hands behind his head. "Anything new?" He reached for his cup of hot tea.
"Well…Neji proposed to Miki this morning," Kaede began, but had to duck, as Naruto had spurted his mouthful of tea everywhere. He cursed under his breath as he took in the soiled papers, then shrugged as if he didn't really care at the moment. Kaede surfaced again. "And she said yes."

"Whoa, that's major," Naruto said in amazement. "But they are kind of suited to each other—one quiet and serious, the other one loud, obnoxious, and annoying."

Kaede kept her mouth shut as several snippy comments came to mind. Naruto had exactly described himself—loud, obnoxious, and annoying. But he wasn't so bad anymore, and had grown up a lot over the years in the war. Shoot, if Kaede wasn't already taken, and Sakura hadn't already had her claws on the Hokage, she would have probably asked him out for ramen sometime, as more than just friends.

But she loved Sasuke, loved him more than life itself. She didn't need anyone but him, and him alone.

"Yes," she finally said, brushing back her hair. "They're getting married, and Miki is really excited about it. I swear, she's never hummed so much in her life, much less danced."

Naruto chuckled. "That's Miki for you. Little miss exuberant."

"Always."

They sat in silence for a moment, Naruto surveying the tea-covered papers on his desk with a wary eye. Kaede fiddled her thumbs absently, her mind completely blank, oddly enough, except for the idea that her curse seal hadn't bothered her in a while. Hell, it hadn't hurt since the attack. She smiled, thinking of the Great Battle for Konoha.

With a heavy sigh, she looked up at Naruto to find him already observing her with those clear blue eyes. He looked a little worried, maybe apprehensive, and she wanted to know why.

"What's with the look, Naruto?" she queried after clearing her throat.

Naruto shrugged. "Nothing really. I'm just a little…concerned about you."

Kaede had a bad feeling where this was going, but she asked anyway, "Why would you be concerned about me? You know I can take care of myself."
"Well, yeah," he said hesitantly, "but when it comes to certain things, you don't really have the best judgment. I mean, I trust you completely with your own life, but you can sometimes get a little…oblivious. Well, maybe that wasn't the right word…"

"Naruto, spill it!" she exclaimed, becoming apprehensive herself. "What's up?"
"I'm worried about you and Sasuke," he finally blurted, and for a moment, he looked relieved that he'd finally said it. That is, until he caught sight of her murderous expression, and then he looked stricken. "No, no, don't get mad, Kaede. It's just that you guys broke up and now you're back together again and I don't want you to rush it." She relaxed a bit, but her gaze was still hard. Naruto fidgeted, and continued, "You were so close before, and you probably still are, but there are a lot of things you've still got to work out with him. Like, why he left without telling you, and the reasons behind you becoming Hokage, and why you broke up, among other things."

"But we've already discussed most of that!" Kaede said, her voice becoming a little hysteric. "There's nothing to talk about, Naruto. We've gotten through most of the bumps in the road."

"Bumps in the road aren't what I'm worried about," Naruto said sternly, suddenly becoming extremely Hokage-ish. "I'm worried about holes in the road, big, gaping holes that you're bound to fall into. I just don't want you to get hurt again. Last time, it was terrible. Just don't to it again."



That night, Kaede sat in the living room of her and Sasuke's house, her knees pulled up to her chest, thinking over what Naruto had said. He was right, in some ways. She and Sasuke still hadn't gotten over everything. She still wondered vaguely why he wouldn't give up on killing his brother, why he wouldn't admit he loved her, why it had been so hard to look each other in the eyes during the two and a half years they'd been apart. She couldn't get past other things, either, like his insistence on never holding her hand in public unless he had a good reason to, or why all those nice little things he did for her he denied. He should stand up and take credit for them, not claim he hadn't done them and shy away from any conversation involving them.

She heard the shower turn off down the hallway, and tried to relax her expression, not wanting him to see how upset she was by this. It would be a few minutes before he came out anyway, so she had a little while to prepare herself.

Forcing her eyes to be bright and satisfied, and her smile warm, Kaede waited for him to pad down the hallway in his bare feet and settle on the couch next to her. He came a few moments later, dressed loosely in a pair of old sweatpants and a white shirt, his black hair wet and plastered to his forehead and neck. She smiled her warm, fake smile at him as he sat down next to her; she leaned against his shoulder, enjoying the smell of his soap and shampoo.

She'd already taken her shower, leaving the rest of the night to her and Sasuke, just the two of them. He draped his arm over her shoulders, holding her against him, and sighed, content. She shifted until she was comfortable and closed her eyes for a moment, just counting her blessings again.

But despite all her best efforts, the terrible thoughts that Naruto's words had spurred crept back into her mind and her body tensed. Sasuke's arm flexed around her shoulders and he looked down at her. She forced herself to look up, and saw that his black eyes were hard, but lined with worry.

"What's the matter, Kaede?" he asked, his velvety voice cutting a gaping hole in her resisting thoughts. "Is something wrong?"
Knowing that she couldn't put any this off any longer, she sighed and nodded. "Yes, Sasuke, something is wrong." She scooted over so they could look at each other easier, face to face. "There's a lot of 'something's' wrong."

"Tell me," he said gently, tugging lightly on a lock of her brown hair. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Alright." She looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "I want to know why you refuse to give up killing your brother, even for me." His eyes flashed dangerously for a moment, but Kaede stood strong, knowing she needed to address the hardest, yet most important, issue first. "If you can't answer that right now, or you don't want to, then here's another one: Why won't you admit you love me, or at least take credit for all those nice little things you do for me?"

Sasuke cleared his throat and let go of the lock of hair he'd still been holding. His breaths came in ragged blows, his eyes glaring at the wall over her head. She didn't try to meet his gaze, but instead watched his hands, which were wringing nervously in his lap.

He finally looked back at her, but his expression made her want to flinch. "You know why I can't say that to you, Kaede," he said darkly, looking almost venomous. "And why I don't take credit for all those things. I don't want to get too close to you."

"Then why are we even together?!" she said, not realizing she'd yelled until she noticed she was on her feet, her fists clenched at her sides. "You don't want to get close to me, but you obviously love me enough to stick around and play all these dumb little mind games that just drive me insane! You're going to make your decision, Sasuke, and you're going to make it now." The last bit she'd managed to say evenly, but it seemed to be worse in Sasuke's eyes. He looked absolutely horrified.

She cried out and turned away from him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I know how hard it is for you to get close to anyone. I just…didn't think straight. Sorry."

When she glanced back towards him, she saw he was shaking his head. "No, Kaede, I'm sorry." He stood up and took her hands in his. Still a little miffed, she left her hands limp in his, refusing to return to pressure. "I don't think about how you feel most of the time. It's always…I don't know, it's like…" He shook his head again, looking down at their hands. "Look, I'm just wary about your safety, because if you got hurt, I don't know what I'd do, okay? I'm sorry." He sighed. "I do…Kaede, I…er…Kaede, I really do…love you."

A sharp intake of breath was all he got from Kaede for a moment, and she stared at him blankly for a moment. Then, her senses came back to her, and she realized that he'd said he loved her. He'd said he loved her. "Sasuke!" she whispered, and flung herself at him. He pulled her into a tight hug, and she pressed her face against his chest, letting only a few tears leak out of the corners of her eyes. "I love you, too. I love you, too."

Whoo. Thank goodness THAT'S over. I wrote ALL day long as soon as I got home--except for when I went to work my horse, he was SOOOO good today!!!--and now it's done. Yay! I had to have some angst and doubt in this chapter, it just makes the next one even better

OKay, here are the story names:

Unwritten Me

Because He Was Here

Listen to My Heart

Is Forever Enough

Have fun voting for it, and I can't wait to see what you say about this chapter! So...review, por favor!

Luv ya

Nicola