Zomg this chappie took forever. Well I hope you guys like it! I struggled a little with it to be honest, but I think it turned out pretty decent, it's a little short tho i think--ah just read it.

by the way. THANKS FOR AMAZING REVIEWS!! I Luv Youuuu (hands out cookies)

...that roman numeral down there does say 31, right?

"What is it Sasuke? And this better not be about going after Orochimaru." Kakashi said dryly. Sasuke closed Kakashi's door behind him.

"It's not…" Sasuke murmured. He began to feel his face blushing.

"Or your sex life." Kakashi added just as dryly. Sasuke sighed.

"It's not. But…Kakashi.."

"Yes.." Kakashi answered warily, raising an eyebrow. Sasuke crossed his arms, then fidgeted some more and jammed his hands into his pockets.

"Do you think…that…it's a bad idea to…propose to Naruto…"

Chapter XXXI

Ask Me

"Propose."

"Yes."

"Propose what?" Kakashi said as he rose his eyebrow. Sasuke rolled his eyes at Kakashi's attempt at humor.

"This is serious." He said simply. He kept his hands in his pockets and leaned just inside the doorway against the wall, closing the door behind himself.

"I only came to ask your opinion, I'll do what I really want to do regardless." Sasuke snapped. Kakashi held up his hands in mock defense.

"Okay, okay! I think I pretty much got that. Take it easy." Kakashi said. Sasuke still looked a bit uncomfortable, but managed to relax a little more.

"Sensei I think I need to." Sasuke said after taking a deep breath.

"Hm. You need to marry Naruto? Sasuke you're sixteen years old." Kakashi said, turning in his seat to better face Sasuke. Sasuke averted his eyes and stared at the wall to his left. "If…the rest of my clan were alive…I'd have been officially old enough to choose a partner for a year now." Sasuke said quietly. Kakashi nodded.

"Ah. I see. But you've been a little controlling recently. Are you sure this whole proposal idea isn't just you reaching a whole new level of possessiveness…?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke appeared to think about it, and Kakashi patiently waited while Sasuke appeared to be struggling. He began to speak slowly, still sorting out his thoughts.

"I…know I try to control him…and it's hard for me to not feel possessive. He's…my family now." Sasuke said more quietly than ever. Kakashi nodded.

"I see. So. Marrying Naruto is just going to make it official for you. I'm not going to stop you. I won't say you're too young. But what I will say…is you have to think ahead." Kakashi warned. Sasuke scoffed.

"Don't you think I've already thought ahead? There's nothing I could want more than this." Sasuke murmured. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Well. What about all that business you have with Orochimaru and Itachi?" Kakashi asked next. Sasuke grew tired of standing and found the seat farthest across the room, not particularly feeling like being more social than necessary at the moment. He sighed heavily once he'd sat down.

"None of that should matter to me anymore." He said bluntly. Kakashi sighed and shook his head.

"You're making this too easy for me Sasuke. You know what I'll say next, don't you? You said the word "should". None of it should matter. Does that one word imply that it does matter still, Sasuke?" Sasuke stared at him indignantly, but couldn't escape the reasoning.

"It doesn't matter enough to make me put Naruto in danger. He can't know where I last saw Orochimaru. If he finds out he'll insist on going there and tracking him." Sasuke said quietly. "So I can't tell him."

"So you actually do remember where you were." Kakashi immediately pointed out. "Caught you. Sasuke if you're so distracted that you can't even remember that you feigned ignorance of the entire meeting…how will you have enough presence of mind to properly maintain a complicated marriage to your teammate? You've let me run intellectual circles around you the entire night." Sasuke was busy pretending that Kakashi's discovery hadn't fazed him, until he seemed to reach a realization and his entire demeanor changed.

"Yeah…I do remember. I remembered this entire time." Sasuke decided to say. Kakashi nodded.

"So. Naruto doesn't have to know. Just yet. But could you tell me now? This is important info." Kakashi prodded. Sasuke agreed quietly and crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.

"It…it's not like I…was thinking clearly…" Sasuke began slowly. "It's more like…I remember the entire thing in…emotions. Anger, lack of control…helplessness." Sasuke said next. Kakashi peered at him intently.

"Because…you weren't consciously performing your actions? Is that it?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke shook his head.

"No…no. I knew what I was doing…it's only…It was my actions intensified…and with no motive or morale. Things I might think about doing, but that I'd never do." Sasuke explained. Kakashi silently watched as Sasuke's face read deep regret. "And sometimes things that never entered my head. Like…when I actually…hurt…" Sasuke's voice faltered, and he didn't finish the sentence.

"That wasn't you Sasuke. That hurt Naruto. That was Orochimaru's curse, fully controlling your mind on a level it never has before." Kakashi said. Sasuke looked back up and he almost appeared to be in pain.

"He told me I'd never gain control of that!" Sasuke exclaimed then. "Orochimaru told me that everything I worked for was nothing because I wasn't even worth his time yet! That's the only reason I'm still here!" Sasuke shouted. Kakashi was silent as his mind raced as to what to tell Sasuke. The tension in the room was uncomfortable and guilt-ridden.

"Sasuke-kun. You're still here because Orochimaru doesn't own you yet. He probably saw you as being out of his own control. He didn't want you close enough to overthrow him. And that's why he evaded you and you ended up coming back to us." Kakashi said. Sasuke stood up abruptly.

"Well what he's waiting for is a breakdown, so he can fully control me…If that happens I'll destroy myself before anything can happen." Sasuke took a deep breath and pushed his hand through his hair in frustration.

"I tracked Orochimaru blindly for weeks and ended up at an experimentation site somewhere on the northwest border of the Water Country. That's what I know." Sasuke went for the door to leave, but paused in the doorway as he leaned against it with his hand. He turned his head to look at Kakashi.

"Sensei…thanks." He left. As Kakashi went back to his desk, he thought thinks over in depth.

"Experimentation in the water country, eh? That's where we'll find our information regarding the DNA samplers that they had hiding out inside them."

----------

The next morning was warm and sunny, and smelled of fresh rains. Naruto was outside channeling chakra by standing upside-down on a thick tree-branch, and Sasuke, watching from near a wall of the house while he ate his breakfast, observed that it was Kyuubi chakra. Naruto's face looked pretty peaceful, but the chakra around him was fiery, both in appearance and temperature.

"Hmph…Kyuubi…inside Naru-chan…" Sasuke scoffed lightly in his mind. He then had to shake his head at himself for still dwelling on the silly issue. "But it's okay now…Naruto made it okay." Sasuke went back inside, and immediately heard a knock at the front door.

"Hm…" Sasuke checked the time. Ten in the morning. "Who…visits here in the morning? Other teams have training themselves…" When Sasuke indignantly made no move to answer the door, Kakashi opened it after the third persistent knock.

"Eh? Sakura?" Kakashi opened the door fully upon seeing his former student.

"Hi, Sensei…" she said quietly. Kakashi let her inside, and she walked in, her arms crossed uncomfortably as she looked around.

"Have you decided what you want to do just yet?" Kakashi asked casually as Sakura paused in the center of the room upon hearing sounds in the kitchen.

"Not…not quite. I've talked to Naruto…I guess you've heard. It didn't turn out too well. But since I did talk to him…I guess I should…talk to Sasuke-kun too…" Her voice grew quiet, and by her expression, Kakashi could tell that she was extremely nervous about even seeing Sasuke again.

"Well…he's in the other room. Chose your words carefully Sakura." Kakashi said as he left the room.

----------

Sasuke, sitting at the kitchen table alone, looked up when he heard light footsteps coming from the other room. He'd been deep in thought still about both engagement and Orochimaru's experimentation site, but every thought scattered once he saw who it was. He refused to appear unnerved.

"Sakura…what are you doing here?" he asked, managing not to sound angry. He truly didn't feel angry; the stress of his situations with Orochimaru and Naruto was what made Sakura's appearance nothing but an added burden. Sakura sat down slowly across from Sasuke, and looked around as she finally uncrossed her arms.

"Is…Naruto around?" she asked. Sasuke nodded his head toward the door.

"He's out there, working with his chakra." Sasuke said tersely, getting a little more uncomfortably by the minute. "You should be talking to Naruto." Sasuke said, folding his hands in front of him and closing his eyes, taking a deep breath. Sakura shook her head. "No…no I just came to talk to you…" Sakura said up front.

----------

Kakashi went about his business after letting Sakura inside, then went to find Naruto in the yard.

"I'd suggest you stay out here for a little bit, Naruto." Kakashi called up into the tree where Naruto was still hanging. Opening his eyes and looking down, Naruto jumped from the tree and landed by Kakashi.

"Huh? Why?" he asked, scratching his head. Kakashi sighed.

"Well it seems Sakura showed up specifically to talk to your boyfriend.." Kakashi said hesitantly. Naruto stood up a little straighter.

"What?? After fighting with me when I try to talk, she comes to talk to Sasuke??" Naruto exclaimed. He made for the door immediately.

"I'm going in there! She has to make peace with both of us together—" Naruto paused when Kakashi reappeared directly in front of him.

"No, no…let's leave this to Sasuke, alright Naruto?" Kakashi requested. Crossing his arms, Naruto grumbled a bit before reluctantly agreeing.

"Alright…but…you have to talk to me then about something. Since Sasuke isn't around, I mean. You know?" Naruto said next. Kakashi rose an eyebrow.

"No I don't know."

"Well…Face it it's really rare lately to find me not around Sasuke. So I have to ask you this now because he can't find out. Promise not to tell him?" Naruto asked, shaking Kakashi by the shoulders.

"Hmmm…" Kakashi scratched his chin in thought. "Depends. Shoot." He decided to answer. Naruto's expression grew more serious.

"Well…I feel like I have to find where Orochimaru is. If I don't, we'll never get to it because Sasuke won't let me near him, and I won't let him go without me." Naruto reasoned. Kakashi nodded, unconvinced.

"Uh-huh. And what you want is my permission to research Orochimaru's whereabouts on your own." Naruto nodded his head vigorously.

"Yeah, yes! Please? If I go, Sasuke will have to go after me, and then we'll have to do it together."

----------

Inside, Sakura had managed to make awkward small talk with Sasuke for a few minutes, before Sasuke got impatient.

"Sakura—if you're not here to resolve things with Naruto as well as me then this is a waste of time." He said quickly. Sakura took a deep breath, and ran her hands through her pink hair, trying to calm her nerves.

"You know that I care…right, Sasuke-kun? I mean…It's been so hard to try to swallow away feelings I've had for you for years…I'm…not really doing too well with that…" she said, and then paused, waiting for a reaction. Sasuke remained silent until she continued.

"That being said…I just really have to know. How…how is being with Naruto going to help you? How are you going to do all the things you said you would do if you are together with…Naruto?" Sakura asked hesitantly. Sasuke remained relatively cool, so she continued even still.

"I mean, I can't make sense of this in my head! It's…What about Itachi?" Sakura blurted. Sasuke looked up sharply and glared a little, but still didn't speak.

"What about…what about dealing with Orochimaru?" Sakura said next. Sasuke glanced away.

"We're already dealing with that. If you were still a part of our team you'd know what's happening." Sasuke said in reply. Sakura stood up then.

"Fine, Sasuke-kun, but what about your future? What about your family? I'm just curious, how in the world can you stand letting your clan die with you??" She exclaimed. Sasuke uncrossed his arms and stood up sharply.

"Sakura! I'm doing what I'm doing because I want to! I know what I'm giving up, alright?? Naruto already feels guilty enough…" Sasuke paused and took a deep breath so he could lower his voice. "It's not his fault or mine…It's not a fault, actually. So nothing's changing. Come back when you're ready to join the team again. Since that's what Naruto wants." Sasuke said, and then walked away.

---------

Sasuke left the house, straining to keep his thoughts positive and his mind clear. He walked out of the back door, bypassing Kakashi and Naruto about 30 feet away. He kept walking, unsure about how he'd react if he had to explain what was wrong to the both of them.

"As much as I hate it…It really is a lot to think about…I can't shield Naruto from Orochimaru or Itachi if I still have to kill them both…he won't let me go take care of that alone. And once that bastard Itachi is dead then I really will be the only Uchiha left." Sasuke stopped when he got a good distance away from home and sat down in the grass, fisting his hands in his hair in frustration.

"And here I am trying to get engaged…" That brought a slight smile to Sasuke face even through all of his building stress.

"At least if we get married…Uzumaki Naruto will become Uchiha Naruto…Two Uchihas, not one." Sasuke sighed and squeezed his eyes shut, fisting his hands in the grass on either side of himself.

"So how am I suppose to propose…Hm…because I'm going to do it, whether Kakashi thinks I should or not." Sasuke suddenly opened his eyes, coming to a realization. Standing up, he began to short-cut through the woods back toward the village—toward a certain part of town seldom visited.

----------

Naruto hadn't gotten anywhere with trying to drag information out of Kakashi, and seeing Sasuke leave the house had him distracted.

"What's going on? He didn't look too happy…" Naruto said to Kakashi. Kakashi sensed that Sakura had already left the area, so it was no use to go inside and ask her what she'd said to Sasuke.

"Don't go after him. He'll probably need a while to sort things out in his head." Kakashi decided to tell Naruto. Naruto tugged off his jacket and left it on the ground; the sun was getting too hot.

"Well.. I hope he doesn't stay out too long…on the other hand…I had something else really important to ask you Sensei." Naruto said. Kakashi felt himself get a little uneasy; Naruto's voice had softened a great deal. When he looked to see what kind of expression Naruto was wearing, Naruto's cheeks had turned a slight red color and he'd sat down cross-legged in the grass. He was avoiding eye-contact. Kakashi stared intently as Naruto began to stammer.

"W-well it's not really too serious a thing!" Naruto forced out a stiff laugh, then smiled brightly. "I um…what would you think if me and Sasuke were to…maybe get married?" Naruto nearly flinched as he said it, seemingly expecting something similar to a reprimand from his sensei. He waited uncomfortably for a few seconds while Kakashi stared down at him blankly.

"Uh—sensei—" Naruto was cut off when Kakashi spontaneously began to snicker, then to outright laugh. Naruto stood up and stared.

"Hey! What? Am I too immature or something what's so hilarious??" Naruto ranted. Kakashi shook his head and merely walked away, ignoring the hot-headed blonde for the moment.

"Ah that's amusing…" Naruto heard him mutter as he went inside.

---------

Sasuke stood alone in a dark room, in a dark dwelling place, in a still empty part of town. There was an empty dresser in the corner, a stripped bed in the center of the room, and a part of the wall that had a lock on it; there was a hollow space behind it, where Sasuke had locked up some things. His emotions remained locked at the moment as well; it was the only way he was ever able to stand being inside his deceased family's home. The still abandoned part of town was never disturbed, which made it easy for him to slip in an out, if need-be. Inside the locked space in the wall, Sasuke found where he'd placed a cloth bag. Inside the cloth bag was something perfect for his purpose.

"Naruto will have my mother's ring. That's what I want. And that way, it won't remain here collecting dust…It'll be on the finger of someone I love again…" Sasuke closed his hand around the platinum banded, yellow diamond ring tightly and turned around, leaning against the wall and sliding against it to the floor.

"So much pressure…so much I still have to do…I don't even think I'm mentally fit enough to be engaged, and then married…"

---------

Later in the night, Kakashi received a notice. "Hm. So it seems we can't avoid it anymore…Anbu has assigned Sasuke to investigate exactly where he told me he had gone to confront Orochimaru." Kakashi folded the note and put it away. "Naruto will be anxious and excited, and Sasuke will be stressed. Maybe even angry."

---------

"So you seemed stressed out earlier…and I heard Sakura was here…what happened?" Naruto asked right in the middle of making out. Sasuke paused and stared at Naruto quizzically.

"Naru-chan. I have you pinned against the wall in a dark room and you're asking about what Sakura said." Sasuke murmured, hooking a few fingers behind Naruto's waistband. Naruto's hold around Sasuke's waist tightened.

"Well I'm just saying….you seem a little out of it. Like your mind's on something else." Naruto said as he played with Sasuke's collar. Sasuke was silent for a little while longer, staring dazedly at Naruto's messy hair and moistened lips—the disheveled clothes and lightly sun-bronzed skin; altogether a very sexy look for Naruto. He gazed for awhile longer, finding the avant-garde simplicity of Naruto's sex appeal amusing. After thinking for just a few seconds more, he then grabbed Naruto's wrist and pulled him out of the room.

"I'll show you what's on my mind. I'm not waiting anymore." Sasuke said calmly. Sasuke glanced back, and saw that Naruto's blue eyes read complete cluelessness. He let a smirk show through. "Good. He doesn't suspect a thing. If I take him somewhere special now and just ask him…it couldn't happen any better…any simpler…it's just how I want it. Out of nowhere and without much fuss." Sasuke had dragged Naruto down the hall and almost reached the door before suddenly Kakashi came out of nowhere.

"Ah-ah-ah, hold on. I've got something to tell you both." He said. Sasuke spun around. "Kakashi, this really isn't a good time—"

"Sorry, but it has to be." Kakashi noticed that Sasuke was beginning to look a little pissed off, but whatever it was that the two had been about to do, Kakashi knew it would have to wait, and most likely wouldn't happen just yet once they found out the news.

"Sasuke…you've been assigned Anbu investigation of a location that Orochimaru may or may not still inhabit. It's in the southern border of the Grass Country."

Hehehe you thought the proposal was in this chapter didn't you...hah I'm evil.

!CLIFFY! (sort of)

oOKitsuneOo