Uchiha Sasuke sat about a large round table, four other's joining him. Usually these meeting only took place once a year, Konoha would send some representatives to Suna as a sign of good faith, and vice versa, but with the sudden flux in demon's suddenly appearing, they have been meeting more like every month.

This was usually Hyuuga Neji's duty, to go for the Konoha ANBU, along with Haruno Sakura who acted for the Hokage, to attend these visits. But the white-eyed man was currently on a mission, cleaning up after the latest demon sealed, so Sasuke got roped into going.

"How are the efforts in River country coming?" Sakura asked. These meeting were boring, and Suna was hot, which led to an all around miserable Uchiha. He'd put on a professional face during these meetings with the Kazekage, Temari and Kankuro, but let Sakura do the talking.

"Good. We've nearly finished cleaning up all of Houkou's illusions. Reports tell us that they should be finished within the next few days." Temari answered.

"How's the child?"

"He's being cared for down in the nursery. The ninjustu holding perfectly; the five-tailed dog demon is well sealed away." Kankuro replied.

Sakura nodded, then started other small talk about Suna that Sasuke really couldn't have cared less about. He couldn't keep his mind on the topic at hand, he really just didn't care about the short rain season that Suna had, which the citizens had no troubles dealing with. He listened past all that, to the whistling winds just outside the window, to the commotion on the market place, to the laughter and yells of the children playing about the sandy village.

"—three headed dragon that spits flowers and eats cat dander."

This caught the raven's attention, just by the sheer randomness of it. He looked to the speaker to see the blonde wind Jounin smirking at him.

"Well, since we seem to be loosing Sasuke-san's attention, why don't we adjourn for now." She spoke, standing up from her seat. Sasuke let his head fall slightly, ashamed at being caught at such a rude act as ignoring the meeting completely.

"It's alright Sasuke," Sakura whispered to him as they both stood up to leave as well, "Kankuro's fallen asleep before during one of the Konoha meetings, you're doing fine."

Sasuke glanced up at the pink haired girl and nodded, but he didn't feel any better.

''

Sasuke sat out on the balcony of his room. The sand ninja's were extremely generous to their Konoha ambassadors. Both he and Sakura were each given enormous rooms, which gave a breath taking view of the village of Sunagakura, especially at sunset, when the hughs of the sky reflected off of the sand covered land, causing a beautiful vivid display of the village disappearing into the horizon. That beautiful sunset, that Sasuke now watched.

It was almost painful… the sun was a constant reminder of his hair, the blue skies that matched his eyes fading to red, like the demon that was sealed within him. Soon, even those had disappeared, the golden sun beyond the sane dunes and with it the red sky, until it left nothing but blackness, which was the color of Sasuke's soul. Blackness… emptiness… loneliness… as it has been for the past six years, ever since he left.

"Naruto…" the name left his lips like a painful whisper. The memory of his lover hurt more than that of his family's massacre. His brother had killed everyone in his family, but at least they had fought to stay alive. Naruto… his Dobe… had just… left. Left the village, left their friends, left their lives, left him. All alone… once again, all alone.

The scroll he had stolen was still a mystery. It had been in a hidden archive buried and sealed within the Hokage Mountain. No one had gone into those chambers in centuries; all records of it had been erased, so how the blond Jounin had known about their existence was still unknown. There was no list of what scrolls it held, in fear that if anyone ever got a hold of it, they could easy get a hold of some of the most devastating ninjustu's ever created; ninjustus said to have been created by demons themselves.

They searched for over a year for the missing-nin, but he seemed to have disappeared off the face of the planet. The ANBU soon lost any sign of him after he escaped from the bedroom, and their was never a trace of him found again. Sasuke joined every mission to find his blond lover, but ever mission had been a failure. Naruto was long gone.

Stars began twinkling joyfully in the blackness of the sky, and Sasuke looked away. The stars were far too playful for the mood he was in. Turning back to the large room, he collapsed onto the colossal bed, red silk sheets rumpling under his weight.

Naruto…

He laid there for maybe minutes, maybe hours, he couldn't tell, before a tentative knock came on his door, and a servant made her appearance.

"Uchiha-sama," came her soft submissive voice, "I've come to collect you for dinner."

Sasuke nodded as he removed himself from the bed, following behind the meek girl. As they entered the dining hall, Sasuke caught himself off guard.

Sakura had never said anything about a banquet.

A long table was set up, with placements for a dozen people. Sasuke had been led to believe this would just be a meal between the Konoha ambassadors and the three heads of Suna.

And, apparently… his original idea was correct… almost. Cause through the door suddenly blasted four children, between the ages of 4 and 8.

And his heart stopped for a moment.

All he saw as the child rushed in were two wide eyes of sparkling blue and a giant toothy grin. But as his stare kept up, he realized that he was just getting his hopes up, once again. The small boy, probably no older than five, wore a black poncho much like that of Kankuro's.

He's Kankuro's kid…

Each of the children took a seat at the table, as if they've done it a million times, all chatting away and/or complaining that they were all starving to death. Kankuro walked in moments after, a beautiful desert bloom of a women beside him, in her arms a tiny girl that was no older than 2.

It seems that this was going to be a family affair.

Sakura had entered the room just after Sasuke, and as soon as she was spotted, was mauled by two of the children.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Seiichi-kun! Toshi-san!" the pink haired women called back, bending down to give the two boys a hug. Toshi was Gaara's son, and obviously too, as he was the spitting image of his father, black banded eyes and all, except for the brows, big puffy hair, and the lack of the 'love' kanji. It had been world news when the Kazekage became a father, borning his first son, and heir to the ruler of Sunagakura. He'd grown immensely since the last time he's seen the child, now over four years old, he was barely a year old the last he saw him.

Toshi's mother was a mystery though. He was told that she was a commoner of Suna who had manage to woo the static redhead, and died during the birth of his son. But there was never a name attached to her, never a description, or family, so many people were still wary about the child's heritage.

The other child, who was currently pressing his lips to Sakura's cheek in a wet sloppy kiss, still had Sasuke's heart in a knot. His hair and most of his body was covered in the same dark costume that his father wore, ears and all, the only difference being the symbol on his chest and back was a large orange swirl. His giant blue eyes, which were a shade lighter than his mother's, glistened as he hung around the rosette's neck.

"You can sit next to me, Sakura-chan!" the 5 year old in the poncho squeaked, dragging the women by the hand over to the table.

Everyone took their seats, Sasuke taking the empty spot between Kankuro and Sakura, and soon Temari and Gaara joined them. Food was served soon after, a horde of different Suna dishes that Sasuke couldn't pronounce if he tried, but each were delicious nonetheless.

He got a good look at the children at the table, each stuffing their faces full with a separate meal. Uma, Kankuro's wife of nearly 10 years now, was spooning some green mush onto the plate of the two-year old beside her. Yukata, as he had learned, looked just like her mother, tan skin, dark blue eyes, and pretty smile, but possessed her father's ruffled brown hair. She was a very happy child, who smiled back at her mother as the women made amusing faces at the toddler.

Akio, Kankuro and Uma's eldest at eight, sat next to his sister, quietly eating his brown liquid of a soup. He looked more like his father, same hair, face shape, etc., but had his mother's eyes. He was a very reserved-mature child, quiet and determined, only wishing to make his father proud. But, if you looked closely and watched him long enough, he had his moments of being an eight-year-old.

Next was Temari's daughter, Hachi. Despite all the elder blonde's attempts to keep the father of her darling child hidden, anyone who spent any time with the child could instantly tell she was Shikamaru's. The little spit fire had her mother's blonde hair, but it was as course as her father's spiky head. Her mother's large dark eyes behind her father's long narrow face. Her mother's outgoing, cocky attitude, with her father's stubborn laziness. That six-year-old could be hell on earth if she tried hard enough.

Temari sat next to her daughter, with Gaara on her other side, who sat at the head of the table, across from Kankuro. Toshi sat to Gaara's left and in-between the small redhead and the loud blue-eyed 5 year old, who kept on trying to feed Sakura, laid an untouched plate and empty chair.

"We're missing Seiichi's mother." Gaara announced suddenly, spotting the raven's curiosity at the empty seat.

"Mother? I thought he was Kankuro and Uma's." Sasuke questioned. Surly Kankuro didn't cheat on his wife…

The elder man almost laughed, placing his pork leg, (yes, there WAS something Sasuke recognized!) back down on his plate, "No, he's not ours. You think I could produce a kid as troublesome as that?"

Sasuke looked back over to the child, who was completely oblivious he was being talked about, as he tried to feed some purple vegetable to the pink ninja.

"Who's his mother?"

"An assistant of mine."

"What about his father?"

The three sand ninja remained quiet for a moment, before Temari spoke up, "We don't know where his father is. Seiichi's mother refuses to tell us."

"Huh?" The boy squeaked, hearing his name. Sakura gave a sigh of relief as the horde of vegetables stopped their plunder on her mouth.

"Nothing sweetie. Just go back to feeding Sakura-chan." Temari smiled at the boy. The 5 year old gave a toothy grin. The pink ninja glared as the sweetly smiling blonde as she received another mouthful of vegetables.

"So where is she?" Sasuke asked, almost laughing at the display of Sakura and the preschooler next to her. His attention was diverted however, when he heard Kankuro laugh to himself for a moment, before Gaara answered.

"His mother is down in the nursery taking care of the child with the demon seal." Came the toneless reply.

"You know…" Sakura spoke up, finally pushing the small boy off her, "Through all the years I've been coming here, I've never met his mother. Every time I've tried to meet her, I always just miss her."

"Well she's a busy women." Temari said, her lips perched, almost as if she was trying not to smile. Kankuro let out a snort and covered his mouth, his wife punching him lightly in the arm and shooting the man a look that screamed "Shut up!"

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged looks.

They were defiantly out of the loop on this one.

"Ignore them. They're being stupid." Gaara interrupted, never looking up from his meal.

Sasuke looked back to see the little blue eyed boy stuffing his face with noodles. He almost smiled at the sight the five year old made… almost. Maybe it was the bright blue eyes, maybe it was the slurping sound or the way he seemed to overly enjoy his noodles, but the child reminded him of…

… No… Best not think of him now.

The rest of the meal was pretty much uneventful, except for a small food fight that started between Seiichi and Toshi, but Gaara but a quick end to that.

After dinner, everyone adjourned to their quarters. Sasuke soaked in the bath for the best part of an hour. The tub was huge; it would easily accompany over a dozen people, with room to spare. Cleaning himself with the bubbles that rose another few inches off the service of the water, he wondered briefly where they found this much water in the middle of a desert. But then again… Gaara was the Kazekage.

A knock sounded on his door just as he dried off. Rapping himself in the black robe that was provided to him, he opened the door to be met with a mass of pink.

"Oh… hello, Sakura."

"Ohayo, Sasuke-kun… mind if I come in?"

The raven nodded, and turned to let the rosette in, closing the door behind her. She had let go of her school girl crush on Sasuke a long time ago, realizing the hopelessness of her chances when the raven had come out of the closet for Naruto.

She sat herself on Sasuke's bed; her power pink pajama's clashing horridly with Sasuke's blood red sheets. "So… what did you think of Seiichi?"

The raven paused; he took a seat next to the women on his bed. There was a sad silence for a moment, before the rosette spoke again. "He's a lot like him, isn't he?"

Sasuke nodded; so he wasn't the only one who thought that.

"The first time I saw him I nearly collapsed," she blushed slightly, "He came up from behind me, and told me he thought I was pretty. Then he started calling me Sakura-chan…"

"My heart stopped when I saw him…" Sakura leaned her head against his head, looking interested, it was rare, even more so since Naruto left, that the static boy would open up to anyone. "I thought I'd finally found him… even if it was just a piece of him. But then I thought about it, and it wasn't possible. He was gay; he'd never be able to be with a women like that."

"Hey!" Sakura huffed.

Sasuke smirked, "Except for you. But that was before he figured out he was gay. He didn't figure it out till he went on that 2 year training with Jariya, when he found no interest in his Icha Icha Paradise books." Sasuke smiled, actually smiled, as sad as a smile as it was, it was still a smile, "And that's a dead give away, because no straight man can find those books boring." His smile broke for a second, a sound that couldn't be distinguished from a cry or a laugh escaping his lips.

"Sasuke… he's been gone for over six years; he's not coming back. And even if he did, you'd never have a chance to be with him. He's wanted; as soon as he's caught he'll be thrown in prison. You need to get over him."

He sat in silence for a moment. He knew the pink girl was right, he's told himself the same thing over and over again. But he couldn't convince himself. There was always that one little spot of hope, that one star in the sky that shown through all the blackness, and he couldn't get himself to let that go.

"I know…" were his final words.

Sakura watched her teammate, depression slowly creeping over his face. If Naruto had ever come back, she would personally kill him for making his lover go through this torment. Sasuke had lost so much in his life, and when he felt he finally found his feet again, Naruto vanishes.

She crawled over across the bed, wrapping motherly arms around the mourning man. Sasuke made no movement towards the warmth, but he hadn't pulled away, so she knew it was comforting. They stayed like that for several long minutes, Sasuke taking in the warmth of someone else's love for him, and Sakura pouring out as much as she could. But it wasn't the love he needed, the love he wanted…

He pulled away, showing Sakura that same sad smile he wore before, "Thank you, Sakura… but I'm tired."

The pink ninja nodded, pulling away and moving from the bed. She let herself out, turning back to the lamenting man. "Good night, Sasuke-kun."

"Chiao, Sakura."

''

It was this dream again… lips pressed to his, slowly and barely touching. Hands whispering at the edges of his hair. The shadowing weight of a body leaning above his. It was a horrible dream that his mind played on him. To make him think that his Dobe had returned to him, and was kissing him awake, just like he use to. Sometimes, he would even hear things…

"Sasuke…"

…Like now.

"Naruto…"

He slowly leaned up to kiss those imaginary lips, just like he's done every time he's woken up to this dream. Warm lips above his, moving against his in love and need, a tongue slipping out of the lips slowly, playing along his bottom lip, asking for entrance, which Sasuke gladly compli—

--Wait… what!?

Faster than he knew what hit him, he pulled the kunai out from under his pillow, flipping his assailant over and pinning him to the bed, knife dangerously pressed to his neck.

"Who…" His breath caught.

Looking up at him, with a pair of blue eyes lit up from the moonlight outside, surrounded by a shock of blond hair, and a loving toothy grin, was Naruto.

"Hi, Sasuke."

'' '' '' ''

Sasuke slammed his chopsticks down. He couldn't take it anymore! It was too damn quiet! He turned to the blond sitting next to him, who didn't seem to hear the sudden outburst, and continued to pick gingerly at his ramen.

"That's it, Dobe. What's wrong?"

Naruto turned to look up at the raven boy and spread a huge toothy grin across his face. "Nothing's wrong, Sasuke! What makes you say that?" He then began his normal routine of inhaling his noodles.

"Cause we've already been here for 5 minutes and your only on your second bowl. What's wrong?"

"Whaa… I'm not allowed to savor my Miso Ramen?"

"You don't savor, Dobe, you consume. Now out with it."

"It's nothing, really! I don't know what you're talking about!" He then took a huge stick-full (AN: Well I can't say fork-full…) of the noodles and grinned back at Sasuke, as if that solved everything.

Sasuke wasn't convinced.

Slamming his money down on the table he grabbed the blond's arm and tore him away from the Ramen stand, half dragging half pulling the whining ninja along behind him.

The raven led the two of them out into the forest, neutral ground. He pushed the orange ninja against a tree, pinning him there.

"What's wrong, Dobe." It wasn't a question it was a command.

"Nothing's wrong, Teme! Jeeze..." Naruto pushed Sasuke off him, stepping away from the tree, walking away towards the direction on the village.

The raven grabbed his retreating arm. "Naruto…"

The blond stopped, not looking back at the other, but not pulling his hand away. There was a tense silence between the two, Sasuke watching Naruto intently, Naruto lost in his own thoughts.

"Sasuke…" his voice was quiet and timid, almost… fearful. Sasuke loosened his grip a bit, but not letting go. This wasn't like the blond.

"Have you…" he continued, never turning to look at the raven, "have you ever thought about… boys?"

Sasuke watched the other, confused. Naruto began shifting back and forth, shuffling his feet, nervous or embarrassed… maybe both.

"What are you talking about, Dobe."

His shuffling stopped for a moment, "like… kissing boys…" Sasuke had to strain to hear the last part.

This caught the older boy off guard, not being what he was expecting. The dobe was, coming out to him!? When had this happened? What about Sakura? Wasn't he still head over heels in love with the pink girl?

Naruto began pulling out of Sasuke's grasp, the other's silence at his confession tearing at him. His grip tightened, not letting the smaller teen escape.

"Do you have a crush on a boy, Dobe?" He teased.

Naruto jerked his head around to the raven, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "N-no! Bakayaro Teme!" He tore his hand out of the other's hold, "Just cause I'm gay doesn't mean I have a crush on someone!" His cheeks became brighter and his face fell blank for a moment. Apparently… that was the first time the dobe had ever said those words.

Sasuke smirked, "Come on, Dobe. You can tell me. Who is he?"

"Since when have you been so fond of gossip?" The tomato red blond shot back.

"Since I found out my best friend was gay."

Naruto's anger faltered, his eyes wide as he stared back at the other. A slow smile made its way up on his face, a real smile.

Sasuke had accepted him… and nothing was going to change.

TBC

Well… since the Prologue was such a hit, I figured I'd work a little bit faster on this one. So what do you think? Is it going to fast? To slow? Just right? Confused about anything? Tell me!!

And thanks for reading!