You know, I always hate when I end a story. I always think, "Wait! Isn't there something else I could say? Is there anything more to write?" But for here and for now, I think this is good. This is the last chapter, and I tried my damnedest to make sure it was the best. That explains the long time between updates. Enjoy!

"I had a feeling the two of you would show up here sooner or later," Kakashi murmured cooly as Naruto and Sasuke slipped through the door of the blonde boy's house. The silver jonin was seated on a chair in the kitchen, reading what Sasuke assumed was one of his Icha Icha books. "Well, take a seat, boys. We've got a bit of a talk ahead of us, and you may want to sit down for it."

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged confused glances before sitting down in two nearby chairs. They waited in silence for Kakashi to speak again. Sasuke felt terrible, like a dog that had messed on the carpet and was awaiting a well-deserved smack with a newspaper. How could something that seemed so right make you feel so wrong? He couldn't bring himself to look at Naruto now. He felt so ashamed, but the blonde boy was not the cause of his shame. How could he have lost his temper so quickly with Kiba? The minutes stretched on in silence. Naruto gave an impatient growl. "Any time you'd like to break yourself away from your little Paradise, Kakashi-sensei," he began menacingly. Kakashi started, jerking his head up from the book.

"Oh...you're there," he muttered. Clearing his throat, he began again, "Well, what I'm doing here isn't important. What is important, however, is what you're doing here. You should be back at school, shouldn't you?" Kakashi smiled with his eye as the two boys opened their mouths in defense. "You don't have to say a word. I know all about it."

"How?" Sasuke whispered. Kakashi shook his head.

"Some day, Sasuke, you'll learn how I know what I know. But this is neither the time nor the place for that. Now"—he looked at each of them seriously—"it's none of my business if the two of you are attracted to each other. If that's how you truly want to live your lives, then so be it, but"—here, he raised a finger—"if that's how you feel, then you must be a little more considerate of others. Not everyone will accept the fact that two young boys have developed feelings for each other. You shouldn't flaunt your affection in front of the whole world."

At this, both boys leapt to their feet, sending the chairs crashing loudly to the floor. Naruto started stomping agitatedly up and down, shouting and accusing Kiba at the top of his lungs, and gesturing furiously. Sasuke took a more reasonable approach, speaking in a dangerously calm voice and annunciating each word for emphasis. Both of them told the same story: Kiba had witnessed an event which he did not fully understand, and spread rumors that were a little too harsh. Kakashi raised a hand to silence them, and out of habit, the two youth fell silent and sat down again. Really, Sasuke sat down after retrieving his chair from the floor. Naruto forgot he had thrown it back, and fell gracelessly to the ground.

"Kiba isn't here to testify to what he said this morning," the jonin told them calmly, "and as far as I've heard, no one here has accused the two of you of anything. You have no reason to be defensive."

Sasuke sighed. "It's going to take forever to get our reputations back," he mumbled. "...If we ever do, that is. And I don't think we can do it through honesty."

Naruto looked up at him from his position on the floor. "I don't want to lie about us, though," he said softly. "Why can't they just accept it for what it is and leave it alone?" He scowled and banged a tight fist on the floor. "I'd do anything to make them accept us!"

"It's up to the two of you to decide what to do," Kakashi told them in conclusion, getting to his feet. "I won't tell you what's right or wrong, but if you need anyone to talk to, I'm always there for you." He made his way to the door. Before he opened it, he turned back. "Oh, and Naruto, before I forget...Your milk is nearing the expiration date, so you may want to look into buying some more." With that, he left.

"Stop coming over here and eating my food, you old pervert!!" Naruto shouted, stomping a foot on the floor. Sasuke laughed.

"I think that's the least of your worries, Naruto-kun," he murmured. Naruto smiled sheepishly up at him. Sighing, Sasuke slumped down in his chair and stroked behind Hikitsuko's ears as the young tod hopped into his lap. "What are we going to do? I don't want to lie about it either. I finally found what I wanted in life, and I don't want to give it up."

"Plus, it's not like Kiba's lying," Naruto pointed out dejectedly. "No one will talk to us, much less listen to us. Hell, no one's willing to come within ten feet of us!"

"You know, if you think about Sakura-chan and Ino-chan...that's not half bad," Sasuke murmured thoughtfully. Naruto laughed. He knew just how much Sasuke hated the two girls that so avidly stalked him.

Sasuke sighed and propped his elbows against the table. What were they going to do? He had never felt so close to anyone in his life as he did Naruto. He wouldn't give the goofy blonde prankster up just because people didn't like two boys loving each other. That was a stupid reason to do anything! Who cared what anyone else thought? He slammed a fist down on the table angrily. "I wish there was an easy way to fix this!" he snarled. Naruto sighed.

"I hear you there," he muttered. "But what can we do? It's not like we'd stage some kind of public breakup, right? I mean, two people that love each other don't just randomly end relationships in a huge screaming match, right?"

Sasuke's eyes flew wide open and a slow smile started across his face. He looked down at his clenched fist, then over to Naruto. "That's it! Naruto-kun, you're a genius," he sang softly. Naruto looked blankly up at him. "That's just it!" Sasuke told him triumphantly. "What if we did stage a breakup, with lots of angry words and fighting? What would people think then?"

"I'd think they'd think we were through."

"Exactly. If we started with a vicious argument, then went into a big fistfight, people wouldn't know what hit them! They'd think we broke up, and they'd have to stop hating us!" Sasuke leapt into the air with a wild burst of energy. "And we wouldn't have to break up, too! We could keep seeing each other in private, and no one would be the wiser."

Naruto did a smooth kick-up and wrapped his arms around Sasuke happily. "Perfect," he whispered, and Sasuke quivered at his closeness. He never imagined it would feel so good to have the boy so close to him. "We'll hide out here until school's over and plan." Sasuke nodded. "You're brilliant, Sasuke-kun."

;-:-;-:-;

After the school day ended, and especially if something worth gossiping about had happened earlier, most of the students stayed around the academy to talk before heading home. The stage was set, and the actors were almost ready to make their entrance. The air was humid, and the sun was dropping steadily lower into the sky. Whispers passed through groups of students who sat in the schoolyard.

"Huge! Easily ten feet tall, maybe bigger! Kiba would've been toast—literally!"

"I heard it was Sasuke who did it! You think he'll be expelled?"

"I'm serious, he kissed Naruto!...At least, that's what people have been telling me..."

"Wonder what Sakura-chan thinks of her precious Sasuke-kun now, huh?"

"WHADDAYA MEAN?! OH, JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE STARTED BLABBERING, NOW YOU WANT TO END IT?!"

Heads jerked around at the last voice. It was unmistakably Naruto's, raised in anger at some unseen person. People stopped murmuring their juicy stories to watch and wait. Silence fell. It was a tense, strained silence.

"Look, I just don't think it would work out. I mean...people will never treat us the same. We have so many friends, and now they won't even look at us. Do you really want that?"

It was Sasuke. He was speaking loudly, annunciating his own anger, but he was not flying completely off the handle—typical. All present backed off to the edges of the schoolyard as the two boys made their way, scrapping and arguing back and forth, to the middle.

"Naruto-kun, I just don't think it's going to work out how we want it to," Sasuke reasoned. "Word got out, and now I'm starting to have second thoughts...It's nothing personal, it's just..."

"...It's just that it's one kiss, and then 'Oh, sorry, I'm not gay. I only pretended to like you, Naruto-kun'!!" Naruto shot back furiously, holding two fists under his chin and simpering sarcastically. He spat on the ground. "You're such a coward, Sasuke. You're so afraid of what everyone else thinks of you that you can't commit to a relationship!"

"Oh?! So it's automatically my fault we're breaking up?" Sasuke hissed. "If I recall correctly, you were defending the one who started this whole thing! If you had just let me give that Inuzuka jerk what he had coming to him, we wouldn't be like this!!"

"I wasn't defending Kiba, I was trying to defend you!" Naruto shouted. "If I'd let you have at him, you'd have your ass expelled so fast you wouldn't know what hit you!"

They had been circling each other the whole time, prowling like wolves preparing for a deathmatch. And now, at Naruto's final verbal blow, they sprang, colliding in a vicious whirl of angry boys. They sparred ferociously. Naruto shoved Sasuke down and prepared a kick to his head. Sasuke grabbed his foot and flung him down hard, then leapt at him with an outstretched fist. Naruto grabbed the fist and flipped the Uchiha youth over his head. Sasuke snarled, grasping for Naruto's neck.

Those left in the schoolyard watched in mixed shock and amazement as the two boys tussled. No one made a move to tell an instructor. They were too caught up in watching Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto go all out in a fistfight. Kiba watched, openmouthed in horror. Hinata whimpered softly and hid her eyes. Shino rested a hand comfortingly on her shoulder. Neji followed the fight with cool interest, seeing all and saying less. TenTen gaped. Lee's head whipped from side to side as he tried to follow Sasuke, then Naruto, then Sasuke. He was frozen with one foot forward, as though he had intended to stop them but had become too caught up in his classmates' excitement. Sakura and Ino clung to each other with tear-streaked faces and wide eyes. Shikamaru snorted, but his eyes betrayed his keen interest.

No one was willing to get close enough to see what the fighting boys' eyes held. No one, except perhaps Neji, was really watching them carefully enough. "Now," Sasuke mouthed, and Naruto nodded imperceptibly. They sprang back, then lunged ahead. Both of them loosed explosive punches that landed in the same spot on both bodies. They were flung backwards and knocked out simultaneously by the blows.

For the longest time, no one moved. Then, as they realized that the two combatants were wiped out, the groups separated: boys and girls. Lee, Neji, Shikamaru, and Shino surrounded the fallen Naruto. Hinata, Sakura, and Ino clustered around Sasuke. Silence hung heavily in the air as Kiba and Akamaru slipped away unnoticed.

Lee put a hand on Naruto's chest. "He is still breathing," he murmured. "And I do not think his heartbeat is irregular."

Neji leaned closer, the veins around his eyes standing out as he activated his Byakugan. He scanned Naruto quickly, nodding. "I don't see any broken bones or internal injuries," he reported. "He's fine, just unconscious."

Sakura ran her hands gently over Sasuke's chest, face, and neck. "I can't feel anything broken," she whispered. "And he looks like he's not having any trouble breathing. I think he's okay."

"He's not bleeding, either," Ino added softly. She looked to Hinata, who was also using Byakugan. "How does he look, Hinata-chan?"

"He's not hurt too badly," the Hyuuga girl said quietly. "I think he'll escape from this fight with nothing but a few bruises and soreness." She sighed, adding under her breath, "I just hope he and Naruto-kun can forgive each other for this. They're very good friends."

The groups divided looked up from their patients, glaring at each other. Their message was clear: This is your fault! Without a word, Lee and Shikamaru lifted Naruto up and left. Sakura and Ino did the same for Sasuke. The two groups headed for the boys' own houses in silence.

Hikitsuko had watched the whole match with a calm grace about him. Now that it was over, he rose languidly to his paws and stretched, yawning. The evening air was warm with old sunlight, and a tempting mouse trail beckoned him into the bushes. With a final glance in the direction Sasuke was taken in, the golden-orange tod fox trotted off in search of prey. He knew Sasuke would be all right. He didn't see anything to worry about. Before the night darkened the village and the moon turned its face on the sleeping world, he would be in bed with Sasuke, curled up beside the boy who he had grown to love. But for here and for now, the hunt was more important. He swiped his tongue around his black, stiff whiskers and slipped off, following the scent of mouse.

;-:-;-:-;

Donk-donk!

Sasuke looked up from the pages of the book he was reading. A smile spread across his face as he recognized Naruto perched outside his window. The sound had been the blonde boy's fist tapping on the windowpane. He got out of bed, much to the dozing Hikitsuko's annoyance, crossed to the window, and opened it. "Naruto, Naruto, wherefore art thou, Naruto?" he asked sarcastically. Naruto laughed as he invited himself into Sasuke's bedroom.

"Here I art," he replied cheekily. He crouched beside the bed, ruffling the sleepy fox's ears. "Anyways, I just dropped by to say that that was a great fight today."

"I thought we did a pretty good job, too," Sasuke murmured, returning to his bed. "Congratulations, Naruto-kun. Not only are you the Number One Loudest, Unpredictable, Hyperactive Knuckleheaded Ninja, but you are also one of the best actors I know."

Naruto scuffed a foot on the floor, pretending to be embarrassed. "Aw, c'mon, Sasuke-kun, you did great too," he said. "We pulled 'em in, hook, line, and sinker!"

Sasuke nodded, settling back against his pillow. "I'm glad we can still be together, Naruto-kun," he whispered. Naruto lifted his head up and smiled. He got up and sat on the bed beside Sasuke. The two of them leaned closer before kissing again. This time, Sasuke reached out and draped his arm over Naruto's shoulder, pulling them even closer. Naruto responded by reaching around and stroking Sasuke's upper arm. They stayed together, locked in an embrace no one else in Konoha could possibly understand, for a few minutes before Naruto broke away.

"Oh, hey, I almost forgot!" he began excitedly. "I had a visitor not too long ago—Kiba-kun!" He used the affectionate name for the boy, and Sasuke was sure he would taste the bitter sarcasm on Naruto's lips if he kissed the blonde boy again. "Anyway, he told me he felt kinda bad for getting me involved in all this, so he said he made me an offer I couldn't refuse—at least, not until after I talked to you about it."

He seemed so excited, Sasuke had to ask. "What?"

"All right, you know how Sakura-chan and Ino-chan have been hanging all over each other today?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded. "Well, Kiba said he could start up another rumor. Are you ready? Now, since you seem to be 'off the market' to both of them right now, who else could they turn to but each other?"

Sasuke laughed aloud; just one laugh, and then he controlled himself. It felt good to laugh, but he wanted to be sure Naruto was really telling him what he had just heard before he really started laughing. "Are you saying...Kiba could start a rumor that...that Sakura-chan and Ino-chan are...?" He trailed off, and Naruto nodded. Sasuke let himself go and lost himself in a fit of giggles. "Oh, tell him to do it, Naruto-kun! Tell him, tell him!"

Naruto laughed. "I'll tell him tomorrow. How's that?"

Sasuke couldn't find the words to describe his feelings, so he let his body do the talking. He scooted to the side and patted the bed for Naruto to lie down. The blonde boy obeyed, and Sasuke drew a small spiral on his belly with a finger. He snuggled closer to Naruto, wrapping his arms around the other boy's neck. The two kissed once more, leaving Sasuke feeling fuller than he had all day. He accepted himself for who he was now. He loved Naruto. No one else had to know. It was his choice, and his alone, who he would love.

They stayed together in bed for a while longer before Naruto sat up. "I have to go, Sasuke-kun," he said softly. "I think...I think Lee said he'd swing by my house later to see how I was feeling. I don't want him to get there when I'm over here. But..." He swooped down and kissed Sasuke's cheek. "...I'm glad we pulled it off so well. I'll see you tomorrow, probably. Maybe we can go out for ramen or something, just you and me." Hikitsuko lifted his head, and Naruto laughed before scratching him under the chin. "Hikitsuko-kun, too, of course. He's part of both of us now."

Sasuke watched the blonde boy slip out the open window easily before turning his attention back to the drowsy fox curled up beside him. Naruto's words had struck a chord in his heart. He's part of both of us now. Now that he thought about it, Sasuke realized Naruto was right.

He thought back to the day when he had first trained with Hikitsuko. Naruto had dropped in on the training session, and stayed to translate the fox kit's words. It had started so simply, but now he saw that it had meant everything. Sasuke had needed Naruto more than he had ever needed anyone, just so that he could understand Hikitsuko's fox speech. And it wasn't just in training, he knew. He needed Naruto with him constantly to be able to translate the growing tod's moods, feelings, emotions, needs, wants. He couldn't have afforded rivalry without losing his fox partner, a partner who had proved himself to be one of great worth. It had started with dependance, then gone into friendship, and finally where it was now, love.

The one fox had brought together two boys who had once been rivals and made them the closest of friends, lovers, even. Without Hikitsuko, Sasuke would have spent the rest of his life working hard to surpass Naruto and never once giving thought to befriending the boy. He realized now that the golden young fox lying beside him had filled his life up more than anything he had ever known. Hikitsuko had given him reason to laugh, to smile, to forgive, to live. Hikitsuko was more than just a fighting partner to him now, he was a friend—he was family. Sasuke smiled. He never thought he'd call a furry animal friend, much less family. But Hikitsuko had proved him wrong on a lot of things before. Why should the young tod stop now?

"You really are quite wonderful," Sasuke murmured, fondling the fox's narrow, pointed muzzle. Hikitsuko gave him a gentle lick. "Thank you for all you've done for me, and I mean that sincerely. You've given me reason to step out of my comfort zone, and you showed me just how great it was out there." He scratched behind the black ears.

Hikitsuko smiled. Sasuke often saw that smirk on his white muzzle, but now he really looked at it. Foxes in the wild never showed such human expressions as smiling, unless it was a grimace of anger or fear. It was something only he would do, something he had picked up from his human companion, Uchiha Sasuke. It was a smile filled with determination, and love, and acceptance, and joy. Sasuke couldn't help but smile back as he lifted Hikitsuko into his lap. There were some things in this world he would never understand, and some of those he wasn't sure he even wanted to understand.

And one of those was the mysterious charm, beauty, and grace of the grinning fox.

Well, there you have it! Thank you to all my reviewers: Five Little Voices, EmeraldWolfChild, shay072002, naruto360, Mystic-Neko85, Hikory, angel61991, sasukelover1609, jinsane226, Cassidy, Mizuki Hikari, iloveme5895, OokamiAya, Guennol, eureka7gal, Shrimps of Mass Destruction, Devil-Speaker, Roxtrox7, Hoshithehorse, shadowofhope666, Philidora, Biolightning, DarkRavie, marufu-chan, A Robbed Heart, Kuroi Neko Kami, UchihaUzumaki Baby, zohaku, fire-ember-leigh, -w- easy enough, Crimson Aries, Chainedcherryblossom, InvaderCorren, platinum-OneWingedAngel, Shadow Kitsune67, Jadej.j, Nadramon, Miharu Susuki, music-is-luv, darky, algid, darksone, vixenia, Anime Ruby Girl, and Maci May!!!!!!!!!! (Wow! I think that's the longest list I've ever had to type up:D)

Naruto: You know what that means, right?

Sasuke: That our love is popular with the fangirls?

Well...That, but there's something else he's getting at.

Hikitusko: (bark bark yip sniff)

Exactly.

Sasuke: Am I the only one here who doesn't speak Fox?!

Naruto: Calm down, Sasuke-kun. He just said it's time for the End of Fanfic Party!

You got it! (turns to readers) C'mon! Join the party!!