Chapter 4:

When Sasuke woke up Naruto was gone. A moment of panic gripped Sasuke, who had no clue where he was and how he was to get back without the blond. Looking outside he heaved a sigh of relief. The blond was sitting on a rock outside the cottage, the rising sun making him glow ever so slightly.

Sasuke straightened his kimono, making sure that it hadn't opened up during the night. Checking his make up, just to see that it didn't show what he truly was, and that the stubble hadn't formed yet, Sasuke walked out to join the blond as he watched the sunset.

Naruto glanced at him and then made some room for him. They watched the beautiful sunrise in silence, neither knowing what to say. Then Naruto sighed. "I met a man yesterday…his words still wander the paths of my mind. He said 'You are one of the few lucky one's who have the time to experience this peace, before it sweeps you along in its tide' and he was right. We have been swept along neatly haven't we?"

Sasuke eye's widened at his own words coming from the blond's mouth. Naruto continued. "I had a dream last night…of someone…I don't know who. An aura came from the person, like a dark secret being kept. It seemed vital that I find it out, but it ended soon. If I was not forsaken, then I would believe that it was some Kami's warning…an omen from the gods. But no god will side with me."

Sasuke felt fear grip him slight. If he could he would have told Naruto that he was a man and that it was a Kami's omen…but he held his tongue. The blond blinked. "We will leave today, we are a few hours from Kyoto, but I will have to take a longer path. I cannot return to Kyoto, and I have no one to send you with. So I will have to ask you to accompany me to our meeting place and then I will procure a carriage for you."

Sasuke nodded. "Thank you. Would you like to have some breakfast, Naruto-sama? There seems to be a few supplies…"

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Sasuke sat in front of Naruto again as thy trotted down the forest path. The blond was keeping an eyes on their surroundings…it was a time when bandits and robbers were likely to attack. The civil war had been the worst on the poor people, who had formed bands out of desperation and attacked passerbies for food. Sasuke was sleepy, and he leaned back against the blond's broad chest, closing his eyes and inhaling Naruto's scent.

Naruto looked down at the sleeping geisha and smiled a small smile. He bent low enough so his head was a little buried in the dark hair. He wondered what this sensation he was feeling to protect this woman he felt was? She had just entered his life with so much force. From the moment he had seen her, he had felt that tug. He tightened his hold around her with his uninjured arm.

The ride was fairly quiet; Sasuke had woken up in time for a short lunch. He reached to clear up, just as Naruto did so. The moment their hands met, they looked into one another's eyes. Sasuke looked away from that gaze, his stomach jumping with weird feelings. Naruto just gave him a small smile. Sasuke felt guilt well up in him…he shouldn't be doing this…what if Naruto found out?

The blond readied the horse and they journeyed once more. It was nightfall by the time they halted. They were on a cliff, Naruto's eyes desperately looking for at least one of his comrades. The moon light showered them in silver Sasuke watched the creases in Naruto's face when they did not meet anyone else travelling in the same direction as he had hoped they would. The blond smiled again, startling Sasuke. The dark haired man frowned.

"You need not smile for me, Naruto-sama. Would it hurt to show me your feelings?" he asked the blond.

Naruto's smile slipped away and he stared at Sasuke, calculatingly. "Maybe it would not? I do not know. We should stop here, for the night. You may take one blanket and I the other."

Sasuke nodded and looked up to see what Naruto thinking. His eyes focused on the soft pair of lips and he seized the opportunity by kissing them. After a moment the blond kissed back. Sasuke broke away and looked into the blue eyes. "You can be yourself with me..." he said a tad aggressively.

Naruto laughed softly, before giving him another kiss. Then he slid off and went to set up camp. Sasuke helped, berating himself for letting go like that. Naruto was an enemy, but Sasuke couldn't help rejecting that thought.

The rest of the night was spent in silence, though Sasuke lay awake listening to the blond's breathing. He told himself that he should just grab the knife and kill the idiot, but he knew he couldn't do it. What would Itachi say if he knew of this? Sasuke tossed and turned a bit, he wanted his brother's approval…but he was torn. At last an hour or two past midnight, Sasuke slipped into a fitful sleep.

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Sasuke woke up earlier than Naruto, and was able to watch him practice. His hands itched to pick up a sword, but he stilled them, trying to find satisfaction in watching. They would reach the meeting place by nightfall. Sasuke hadn't washed for a long time, afraid of removing his makeup.

When he came out of his reverie, he realized that Naruto was watching him. He smiled at the blond and helped him clear up. This time the ride wasn't peaceful, they saw some burning villages on the way. Sasuke tried not to show his disgust. He had always wanted to go to war…fall into his brother's footsteps, but he had not once thought of the horror and violence of it all. The burning villages made him think of the number of innocent people who would have died, even if it wasn't their fight. He turned to see Naruto, frowning angrily…a tear in his eyes, which he was trying to blink back.

"Bastards! What do they think they are doing? I should have known this would happen if Orochimaru was opposing us! I should have proposed an evacuation!" Sasuke saw his eyes glow and eerie red. He turned to look back at the villages when he heard a quiet chilling whisper in his ear. "Orochimaru's blood…I need it…"

Sasuke whirled around to look at Naruto, but saw only sad blue eyes. He could have sworn they had turned red before! Could the legends have been right about him?

Naruto said nothing as they rode on. They had a bit of lunch on horseback and rode without stopping. When they were four more miles away from the meeting place, Naruto stopped looking around. Sasuke felt it too, the feeling of being watched.

"Give me a sword if you have one." He whispered to the blond. Naruto looked a little surprised, but handed the shorter dagger to him. Sasuke slid off the horse, his eyes automatically scanning the place.

There was a sudden yell and a horse charge out of the under growth. Naruto swiftly blocked the horseman and reversed his sword resulting in it plunging into him. As the man dropped Naruto slid off to face some of the men pouring in. there were about ten. He risked a glance at Kikumi, and saw that she was standing alert…more like a warrior. Naruto kept the puzzlement off his face. He lunged quickly at one man and then blocked at another, kicking the third out of the way.

Sasuke in the meanwhile, was holding up quite well, but he was finding it hard to move in his kimono. Luckily there were only four men, since he was a 'woman'. He killed one quickly, with maximum efficiency and managed to punch another before cutting his throat. The kimono didn't allow any kicks, so he had to depend on his dagger and his hands. He punched another man, enough to stun him, realizing that Naruto was almost done. The last man locked weapons with him. Almost forcing him to the ground. Sasuke held out stubbornly, wishing he could rip the bloody kimono off himself.

Pin suddenly blossomed in his waist. His opponent had pulled out the shorter dagger and stabbed him in the side. Sasuke grunted a bit, but used his free hand to stop it from cutting further, finally head butting the man. As they're heads came into contact the man, moaned and broke away, falling prey to Sasuke lunge. The man fell dead.

"Kikumi!" Naruto hurried to him and caught him. "It'll be fine; you have to let me see the wound!"

Sasuke shook his head and looked up to see the man he had knocked out, running towards them. He pushed Naruto out of the way, and moved the dagger he still clutched in and arc slashing threw the man's jugular vein. The dying man clutched the collar of his kimono as he fell. Sasuke gasped with surprise and pain as the kimono slid of his right arm, exposing his smooth, pale chest.

He forced himself to look up at Naruto, who was staring at him in surprise and horror. He tried to pull it up, but for some reason his hand wasn't moving. Naruto blurred and he fell to the ground as blackness swept him up.

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Sasuke opened his bleary eyes, wondering what the pain was. Slowly his brain prodded him into recollecting the events that had occurred. His disguise was gone. He tried to quell the slight fear welling up in his stomach and opened his eyes, which he had closed once more.

They focused on hard, blue ones like chips of ice. Sasuke realized his face felt lighter, reaching a hand up, he also realized that the make-up had been washed off. He looked back up at the blond, who was string into the fire, his mouth set in a hard line.

"Naruto…" Sasuke rasped, before clearing his throat. He tried again. "Naruto-sama…"

"Don't." came the clipped reply. "Who are you?" Naruto had stopped gazing at the fire.

"Listen, Naruto…I…" the blue eyes focused on him again. Sasuke got the feeling he better answer. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

The blond was silent and then. "Uchiha Sasuke…General Uchiha Itachi's relative…"

"Brother actually."

This time Naruto smiled…a bitter smile. "Ah. Nice to meet you, Sasuke-san. Or have I met you before? The wise peasant?" he waited, but Sasuke kept silent. "Are you going to tell me? Or maybe I'll say it for you…your brother sent you to Kyoto as a spy…TenTen is against us I gather. So you came to our meetings and spied on us. Then you met me…an easier target since I was interested in you. You feigned curiosity, heard all our plans and then tried to befriend me…I made it more easy didn't I? No wonder Itachi knew where to attack…Sakura died…did you report the place to him too?" the last sentence was said loudly.

Naruto stopped, laughing wildly. Then he smiled. "But I take responsibility for her death. If I hadn't insisted on inviting you, Itachi wouldn't have attacked."

"No." Sasuke said a little forcefully. "I did not report that to Itachi. Her death is my responsibility, because she died trying to save me. I will not let you shoulder that death!"

"You shouldn't care. What I do, is my problem. You were an imposter…you have nothing to do with me! You are on Orochimaru's side. And I will not let you keep me from him." Naruto's eyes glinted red again.

"I will not keep you from him. I do care. And you care too; you could have let me die!" Sasuke sat up, trying not to wince at the pain that shot through him. "I understand why you want to kill him! I am not the way you think I am…if I was I could have killed you anytime I was I with you!"

Naruto growled slightly. "You didn't kill me, because you got your information out of me! Care? You care? Do not make me laugh, Sasuke-san…you're a spy."

Sasuke lurched forward, pinning the blond to the ground. "When I say something, dobe…I mean it!" he said, in his deep voice. Then he kissed the blond, who after a moment or two of refusing, gave in.

When they broke away, Naruto pushed him off. "This has to stop. You're my enemy! A spy! Orochimaru's filth! I should have let you die!"

Sasuke frowned, snaking an arm around Naruto. "I will not stop! Maybe you should have let me die…but you didn't, I want to know why?"

"I…get away from me!" Naruto struggled, but for some reason Sasuke was holding fast. "I cannot…whoever you are and however you deceived me, you've seen me as I am…I find it odd to find solace with an enemy. But I cannot kill you."

Sasuke let him go, but turned him around to face him. He had made a decision. "I promise you, that I will not spy on you…only you. My job is to spy…you can stop me from doing so however you can, but I will not spy on any of your meetings." It was a compromise…he would leave off, spying on Naruto, but attend other parties…that is…if Naruto didn't give him away first.

Naruto stared at him. "I have to turn you in. I cannot allow that…I have to turn you in!" He looked away.

Sasuke's expression was blank. He looked at the blond, wondering what was going to happen. Naruto had a haunted look on his face. Sasuke cringed inwardly, knowing he'd made the Captain's already complicated life…even more complicated.

Then Naruto turned. "You will leave, Uchiha-san. I will give you my protection until we reach the road, I will get you transport and you will leave. Go back to Itachi."

Sasuke suddenly held a knife to Naruto's throat. "You know I cannot do that! Do not force me to kill you." In a lightening swift moment, Naruto had changed position, trying to force the knife towards Sasuke. They rolled on the floor trying to gain the upper hand. Sasuke grunted as his wound opened up and blood began to flow. The makeshift bandage Naruto had tied around him was thick with the red liquid.

Naruto stopped and broke away. Sasuke looked up a little woozy with pain. Naruto shook his head. "You're injured. This is not fair."

Incredulity painted Sasuke's face. "You have an advantage! Use it! You cannot fight a war this way!" Sasuke began to breathe harder, clutching at his wound, willing it to stop.

Naruto hardened his face and moved closer. Then he began rummaging around in one of the saddle bags lying close and brought out fresh strips of cloth. "We will need to bind that up again. Let go so I can do it."

Sasuke obediently let go and watched as Naruto cleaned and bound his wound up again. When the blond looked up, Sasuke caught his lips in a kiss once more. Naruto responded, both kissing a little frantically, until Sasuke was almost on top of the blond. At last they broke apart panting hard. Sasuke trailed his finger down the blond's cheek.

Naruto laid out the two blankets side by side. And Sasuke curled up on his uninjured side, laying his forehead against Naruto's back. Both confused, wondering where this was going.

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Morning held a heavy silence. It was like a fog, stretching between them, and the inevitable. Both having reached an unspoken agreement that the matter would not be disclosed until they met again. Naruto felt like a traitor, but he wouldn't give Sasuke away until he saw 'Kikumi' again.

Sasuke knew the time would come when he would have to protect his disguise, but for now, it was not a great problem. Naruto silently led the bandit's horse to him. Sasuke pulled on a broad brimmed hat that Naruto had salvaged for him from one of the ruined villages. They rode together until they almost reached the edge of the forest where the road went by.

Sasuke looked into those blue eyes, which were a little wide and sad now. Sasuke rode closer, kissing him once more. Naruto held on for a moment and then backed his horse away.

"Take care, Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked. "You too, dobe. See you soon." Then the blond turned and rode off, leaving Sasuke to watch him for a while, before riding away in the opposite direction.

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A/N: That's it. Gosh I haven't been able to type a lot, due to college. Don't even know when I'll put this up. Neways I know it's a little weird, but I want it that way. And you must understand that Naru-chan and Sasu-chan aren't very normal people here. It's only with each other that they have found the slightest bit of solace. Ja ne! Oh by the way are any of you having trouble with They aren't sending me my alerts for some reason and refuse to send e-mail verification to any other e-mail I try to change it to. Please help.

Taka