I'm starting to see what authors mean when they say reality's a pain. It's been chasing me for the past few days, had to take care of it, sorry. So, second to last chapter of this fic (unless you count the epilogue ^^ ), and our little lovebirds have finally reached France! Yipee, Winter's almost over. Few notes:

Kai, thanks for all your reviews, I'm glad to see that despite you stubborn refusal to create an account (or log in), you still take time to tell me how you liked each chapter . I hope you like this one.

I have to thank Calamus for introducing me to Y!Gal; you have no idea how happy I am about this. Thanks onee-chan!

Still don't own Naruto.

Like the French weather

"Teme! When are we going to see the Eiffel Tower?"

Sasuke gave me a look that clearly stated he'd strangle me if I asked again. We had just walked out of Luxembourg station, from where we could see both the Pantheon and the black-and-gold gates of the Luxembourg gardens, and there was absolutely no sign of the metallic tower.

He led me through the gates, across a wide, sandy alley bordered by trees, to the huge open space situated several hundred meters away. There, I saw grass, a large fountain -no, scratch that, a 60-feet-in-diameter-very-large-fountain- and loads and loads of metallic chairs surrounding it. With only slightly less people.

I swore. "What are they doing here?"

Sasuke let out an audible sigh. "Tourists are, just as we are, visiting," he began, speaking in an exaggeratedly slow voice. "Parisians are enjoying the peace. Or trying to."

It was true you could barely tell we were in the middle of the French capital. The surrounding trees hid all buildings from view, except one. "What's that tower over there?" I asked, pointing towards the imposing black edifice that poked out -quite visibly- from behind the trees.

"Montparnasse Tower," the teme answered. Drawing my attention to my right, he pointed at a building whose cream colored stone walls and architecture reminded me of the Pantheon. "Guess what that is," he asked me with a smirk.

I glared at him. It was obvious the gardens had been built around this building, and also obvious that there had been clues to Sasuke's question if I had paid attention. As it was, I could only stare at the stone walls, hoping the name would somehow be carved upon their surface.

The teme let me ponder for an additional ten seconds before I sighed and turned towards him in defeat.

"The Senate," he answered. "It was written below the name of the station, dobe."

"And why should I bother to know where the Senate is in France?" I growled. Sasuke didn't reply, and I glared back at the building. "Some people have a good life," was my next comment, imagining from the outside what the inside might look like. Sasuke nodded silently and advanced towards the pond.

Kids stood on its edge, holding long sticks that pushed or pulled the wooden sailboats floating on the water's surface. Each boat was roughly two feet long, with real sails, and moved mostly thanks to the wind (the children helped from time to time). I smiled, wishing I was small enough to ask one without getting stared at.

*

We'd arrived in Paris a week ago. Four hours to Washington, two hours to change flights, eight hours to cross the Atlantic ocean, two hours to get out of the airport and to our hotel (traffic in Paris was harsh in the morning), and had taken the rest of that Tuesday to catch up on the local clock.

Wednesday we had started working again, although in a much less organized fashion than before. We were forced to travel from one side of the capital to another, since Kakashi had accepted to lend us to small companies and rich individuals -mostly amateur photographers, though there were a few professionals- and the themed picturing would be starting next week. Right now, the teme and I were enjoying a well-deserved day off. God bless Sundays.

The first thing Sasuke had done once we had recovered from the lost sleep was to initiate me to French food, assuring me with an unusual good mood that I would like it. By Thursday, I was certain I had seen everything. There was the saucisson (salty dry sausages), the traditional baguettes and everything you could find in a French bakery (we'd stayed half an hour in there), the wines (though those I had only seen, not tasted), the cheese, of course, and something I had actually discovered when he'd taken me -don't ask me why- to the supermarket.

"Holy Mother of Christ!" Don't look at me, there was matter to gape at. Two aisles. Two entire aisles, filled on both sides to the very limit, with nothing but yoghurts. There were hundreds of varieties; chocolate, with or without some kind of whipped cream, dark, milk or white. Coffee, caramel, vanilla, mixes, nut, brownie were also possible flavors. Then you had the fruit yoghurts, which also managed to come in various aspects. Some were meant for kids (taking up a quarter-aisle), some with actual fruit bits inside, many without. And finally nature yoghurts, which somehow weren't single typed either -whether you liked it creamy or whipped-like- and something called fromage blanc, which Sasuke translated as white cheese, and was supposedly thicker than its neighbors.

The teme had let me stay inside one of the aisles, and had gone to buy stuff he'd refused to show me on our way out. I could tell it was food, but it had been wrapped inside brown paper, and the shapes were too basic to let me figure what they were.

*

"Sasuke?" I had only stopped next to the pond for a few seconds and already the teme was out of sight. Knowing he couldn't be too far, I glanced around. There.

Vaguely wondering why he had gone back, I raced towards the raven-haired figure. But as he reached the top of the stone stairs separating the pond area from the tree alley, he seemed to notice something in front of him and darted off without looking back.

Knowing he'd murder me if I called after him, I accelerated, and only caught up once he'd passed the golden gates. Just in time to see a young woman throw herself into his arms. It wasn't him.

Biting my lip, I turned around, doing my best to keep my increasing panic away from my mind. I went back towards the courtyard, only to realize the stairs were blocked by a large group of German tourists. Realizing there was no way I'd get through the group, I swore, and looked around, immediately spotting another staircase on my right, right next to the stone building -the Senate, part of me supplied dryly- and raced towards it. Skipping two out of three steps, I rushed back to the pond, stopping to get a better view.

As my eyes scanned the crowd, I did my best to remember what the teme had been wearing. A dark blue shirt -instead of black- because it had been bright and sunny this morning. Although I found this entire country freezing. Dark pants, a sling back, containing a map of Paris (good idea), a water bottle (better idea) and an umbrella (what the hell?). Naturally I had asked him why, and he'd only answered, "Don't judge the day's weather by looking at the sky. We're in France, and it's spring." The last part of the sentence had seemed meaningful, but Sasuke hadn't bothered to develop.

And he was nowhere in sight. Swearing angrily, I crossed the courtyard, going to the opposite staircase, certain the teme simply hadn't bothered to wait for me. And then I stopped. There wasn't a main path like before. And this side seemed a lot bigger than the other one; I could see weird swings in the distance, on my right. A puppet house was close by, and on my left was a group of men and women practicing tai chi chuan. Ponies walked placidly along one of the smaller web-like alleys, and there was still no sign of the teme.

I wandered, following my instinct, eyes snapping from one human to the other. There were tennis courts, grass areas you could sit on, multiple fountains and candy shop, and absolutely no Sasuke. Ten minutes later, I finally stopped in front of an impressive game area, filled with laughing kids -and a miniature rope version of the Eiffel Tower they were climbing on- and decided to make things clear. I had lost the teme. I had only a vague idea of where I was, and how to get back to where we had been separated. Worse, there was no way I'd ever find my way back to our hotel. And the bastard had my cellphone in his bag.

I felt my heartbeat accelerate. Any second I would start panicking, and that was definitely not a good thing.

Think! I ordered myself. What would he do?

Hopefully, Sasuke would go looking for me, aware of how nervous I became when I was alone. And if he didn't find me, what would he do? Try to figure where I'd go next. And knowing me, he knew I'd go-

My eyes rose up again, fixing the thick, blue rope that formed the tower in front of me. I'd go find the real thing. I turned brusquely. I needed to find American tourists. Fast. This time opening my ears wide, I quickly found what I was looking for; a family with two kids, speaking my native tongue with an ease that couldn't be faked.

I approached them cautiously. "Excuse me..."

The father turned, and immediately grinned. "You don't know how nice it feels to hear this," he said. " Haven't heard any stranger speak correct English to me in weeks. Can we help you?"

I nodded. "Would you know how I could go to the Eiffel Tower without getting lost?"

He seemed thoughtful. "You don't plan on using the metro, do you?"

I shook my head vigorously. No way I was going down there alone. That maze-like underground was good for the natives.

"Then I advise you to follow the Seine. Not the shortest way, but it'll be easier." He took out a map and showed me the river that split the capital in two. "We're on the southern bank," he said, pointing at the green patch that were the Luxembourg gardens. "The Tower's here" -he pointed to the left side of the map- "right on the river's edge. You don't need to cross, and you won't miss it." He then explained how to get to the river itself, and then folded his map. "You want this?" he asked.

I shook my head, thanking him for his time. And then I trotted off. His directions proved to be fairly simple to follow; I exited the gardens without a problem, crossed several streets and soon reached the Seine. As soon as the water was in sight, I turned left and ran.

Circulation rules abruptly vanished from my mind as I raced down the river's side. I couldn't tell when I left the sidewalk to cross a street, although it might have been good to count the bridges. The only thing I was focused on was the Tower. It soon appeared, although at a respectable distance, and I accelerated, at least reassured by the fact that I knew I was going the right way.

I ran like the devil was chasing me, ignoring the numerous honking cars and gaping people. Nothing, not even the densest crowds were an obstacle anymore, and the fire slowly growing in my legs was thoroughly ignored. I ran and ran, and could almost hear the teme's voice inside my head. "Paris isn't like London or New York, dobe. Everything's in walking distance. It's only a matter of time."

With my mind so occupied, I barely noticed the light dim. But the change was so sudden, so unexpected -it was still the early afternoon- that I did glance up. And hardly had time to stare at the pitch black clouds hanging ominously above me that the first beads of hail slammed upon my face.

Yes, hail. I heard surprised yelps and shouts as people rushed to get undercover. The hail stones weren't that impressive in size; what amazed me was that it had been bright and sunny not five minutes ago. I half-smiled when I noticed it had become very easy to distinguish surprised tourists from the more annoyed, less impressed Parisians. The hail stopped almost as quickly as it had started, and I kept running, feeling my shoes squeak slightly against the ice.

The trip took me half an hour. Being on my school's track team, and competing with the teme had gotten me used to harsh running conditions. But I had never done anything like this.

First, I was not running at my normal speed. Usually I was careful not to waste too much energy, so I could put it all in the end; not here. I had been nearly sprinting since the beginning, and barely slowed. My legs had complained, been ruthlessly ignored, and I knew my determination was enough to keep me going.

Secondly, there was the weather. Not to mention the terrain, because seriously, paved streets are pretty and all, but they're goddamn fucking impossible to walk on, much less run. Thankfully I didn't come across too much of those. No, the weather was something I knew I wouldn't forget. It had hailed and rained all along my journey. I was either soaked and freezing or too hot, as soon as the sun decided to show its face. The water and ice made everything slippery, and it was a constant battle not to lose my footing.

But my efforts eventually paid, and the Eiffel Tower finally stood before me. I didn't stop, feeling slightly oppressed by the immensity of the thing. Sure, we had bigger towers back home. But the were all surrounded by tall buildings, which didn't make them stand out as much. Here, the metallic construction had been given space to breathe; surrounded by rectangular patches of grass and a few young trees, it towered over its surroundings like nothing I had ever seen.

Sadly, the circumstances didn't allow me to examine it much further. I raced to one of its feet, and swore for what seemed like the tenth time in the past hour. You had to pay to get access to the elevators. And the line -all four lines, in fact- were several hundred feet long. But I found my solution before slowing down. Nothing had been mentioned about the stairs.

I found them easily, and rushed onto the metallic steps. I didn't count, despite the fact that I had sworn Sasuke I would do so. It was just impossible to keep the count and force my legs to move at the same time.

I sighed softly as I reached the first floor, but hardly slowed; this floor was a square with an open space in the middle -Sasuke had mentioned a guy doing bungee-jumping from there and getting arrested- and several gift shops. Knowing the teme wouldn't wait for me in the latter, I did two complete loops, assuring myself he wasn't there, before heading back to the next staircase.

I grinned weakly as my legs throbbed, warning me they wouldn't hold much longer. The scene in which I had been chased be the teme because of that single phone call that had started everything was back in my mind, or, more precisely, the bit containing the stairs. The teme hated stairs. I wondered how he would have fared in those.

I reached the second floor with shaking legs. Still I trotted down the smaller square in a determined fashion. But found nothing. This time, panic threatened to break out.

There were no accessible stairs to the last floor, and the elevator was reserved to people who had already reserved a ticket at ground level. Slowly, I headed toward the edge of the square, and looked down. Someone had made sure no one would commit suicide from here, linking the floor and ceiling with a thin but solid grid.

I wasn't intending to do anything, though. I just wanted to see if the teme was down there. Why hadn't I looked? Being the lazy asshole he was, he had probable waited for the elevator, and was still waiting in line- Or maybe he hadn't decided to come up here at all-

Growing more and more certain that I had climbed all this for nothing, I barely felt the slight tapping on my shoulder. "Excuse me...Mr. Uzumaki?"

It was a female voice. I turned to face a young woman dressed in what I suspected was a waitress' attire. Slowly I nodded. She smiled, and continued in perfect English, "I was sent here to get you. Mr. Uchiha is waiting for you at the restaurant."

Part of me refused to be relieved just yet. I nodded stiffly, and followed the girl to the elevator. Pacing impatiently during our ascension, I barely heard either my protesting legs or her comments.

"He asked for someone who was fluent in English," she explained. "He sent several of us down to wait. But you didn't stop for the others."

"I was in a hurry," I mumbled in apology.

"He warned us you might be panicked," she replied with a small smile. "He seemed truly worried..."

I gave her a dubious look. Sasuke Uchiha was never worried. In or out of act. I was going to get my ass kicked as soon as he saw me, have him scold me the entire way home, maybe get ignored for the reminder of the day, and that would be the end of the story. Why would worry have anything to do with it?

The elevator doors opened, and I spotted him immediately, seated at the table directly facing us. My shoulders dropped. He was there. I had found him. He got to his feet as soon as he saw me, and stepped swiftly towards us. Thanking the girl politely, he grabbed my wrist, and tugged me all the way to the men's bathroom. There, he closed the door and locked it.

I said nothing, fearing the fulminating look on his face. He hadn't let go of my wrist, and his grip was so tight I had trouble keeping my face impassive.

"You idiot," he finally growled. "You complete fool, you could have-" He didn't finish his sentence, refusing to let me know what he had imagined. I felt my eyes humidify.

"I'm sorry," I articulated weakly.

It was obvious that Sasuke was having trouble keeping his temper under control. "The most logical thing to do once you didn't find me was to go back to the pond and wait there," he said through gritted teeth. "Not go someplace we hadn't visited yet."

I fought to keep my lower lip from trembling. It had to be easier than for my legs. "I thought you hadn't waited for me."

Shock was plain on his face. Then his expression hardened, just like it always did when the teme wanted to keep his emotions at bay. Biting his lip, he jerked his head away. "Did you honestly think" -he spoke slowly, making sure he had complete control over his voice- "that I would willingly leave you out of my sight in a city you've only been living in for a week?" So it wasn't anger he'd been trying to hide. It was pain.

My lower lip was definitely trembling now. "I was scared..." My voice choked, and the first tear made it's way down my cheek. Closing my eyes in shame, I didn't notice him reach out. I did feel his cool fingers press against my chin, however, catching the transparent drop of liquid before it crashed to the floor. His grip on my wrist had changed; it seemed more like he was hanging on to me than keeping me captive. I heard him take a step forward, looking at me darkly as I opened my eyes again. "Dobe."

It was all it took. Waves of panic that should have washed over me an hour ago finally spread inside my mind, and I welcomed the teme's arms as the safest sanctuary I could hope to find. Here, at least, I was safe. Soft fingers pulled my chin up, and it didn't take me long to figure what the teme wanted. I didn't need to think, and hardly did as his lips crashed against mine.

His tongue tore through the entrance of my mouth, exploring its interior as though to make sure nothing had changed. Somewhere in my mind, part of me realized Sasuke was shaking.

Almost reflexively I pulled him against me, and as our bodies pressed against each other, something inside me snapped. I clutched him desperately, breaking our kiss in order to attack his neck, seeking bare skin. I needed him. I needed-

He followed my initiative, slipping his hands under my shirt, reaching up to press against my thundering heart.

And then my body gave in. My ears roared, and exhaustion washed over me, causing my legs to buckle. Strong arms caught me but they weren't enough to hold me away from oblivion. The last thing I heard was a panicked articulation of my name, and then everything went black.

* * *

I woke up in a comfortable bed, which I soon recognized as the one I had been sharing with the teme -the pervert manager had decided to save money by grouping all the models into their usual pairs and have them share a room. Most had two beds. Ours did not.

"Dobe." The comment came from the end of the mattress. I glanced up, and saw the teme wasn't even looking at me. His eyes were focused on his hands, which in turn were busy massaging my stiff legs.

"You don't need to do that," I mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

Sasuke snorted. "If I don't, you won't be in any state to walk tomorrow," he remarked dryly. "Or do I need to remind you how you get cramps?" I didn't answer, and he sighed. "I'm sure the coach would have gotten a heart attack if he had seen you run back there," he remarked.

I winced. Knowing how Coach Gai was, the teme was probably right. "You saw me?" I asked timidly.

"No," he snapped. "But the results are right under my nose. You fainted, you idiot. Didn't anyone tell you not to run under the rain? And spare energy? You barely ran an hour, dobe, how do you explain the fact you've been out for three hours?"

"The stairs," I said quietly. "I didn't-" And closed my mouth as he handed me a warning glare. I really needed to watch my mouth from now on. Angrily, the teme looked down again, and didn't add a word.

"You knew where I'd go," was my next remark.

His hands slowed. "You wanted to go there," he replied. "And it was the only place you'd find easily, given you can see the tower from a distance if you need."

It was a logical answer. I remained thoughtful, but hesitant to voice my thoughts. "What happened?" I finally asked.

This time, his eyes darkened. "In the gardens?" I nodded again, and he sighed. "It was a complete fiasco." Wordlessly, I waited for him to explain. "I was waiting for you on the opposite staircase," he admitted. "But you darted off back to where we'd been before, and I thought you sense of direction had gone haywire-"

"Teme! I thought I had seen you!"

"Well you obviously didn't," he grumbled. "I followed you, and didn't hurry, since to me it was clear you'd come back once you realized your mistake."

"I did! But there were these tourists..."

"I suppose they blocked you as well," he supplied. I confirmed with a nod. "And my guess is that you took the staircase located on your right." Another nod. "So did I."

"You mean...Your right? My left?"

Grimly, he nodded. "When I didn't see you I thought you had gone back to the metro station. And once I saw you weren't there, I went back to the gardens, but you were definitely gone by then." He shook his head angrily.

I startled the two of us by laughing. Wiping my eyes, I grinned at the teme. "That was a fiasco alright," I told him. He didn't answer, and I became serious again. "Did I scare you?"

"You were under my responsibility," he replied curtly. "I had no right to let you wander off on your own. This should never have happened."

"This isn't only your fault," I protested. "I should've-" His hand suddenly snaked up to cover my mouth, and he stared at me gravely.

"I don't want to hear it. I thought I had the situation under control and decided I could scare you a little. I completely misjudged your reaction, and had you cross Paris and faint on the finish line because of it. Don't blame anyone else but me."

Well, that was quite an apology. Especially from the teme. I stared at him for several seconds, seriously doubting my ears were functioning correctly. But when Sasuke looked away, I realized just how guilty he was feeling.

Lifting my right leg, I hooked him at the waist, and pulled him towards me. Ignoring the suggestive position, I caught his chin and forced him to meet my eyes. "You found me, teme," I stated, my voice dead serious. "You found me and that's all that matters."

He didn't answer, and I pulled him in a tight hug. A friendly gesture. Right now, he needed to know he hadn't lost that.

So, I guess we can almost (amost) kiss Naru's denial goodbye...Sigh. I have to warn you, the last chapter will take some time to type (since I'll be doing it from scratch), so please be patient.

Also, if you're interested in reading other fics from me, please PM me or review or whatever to tell me what you like (genres, secondary couples and such...) to see which of my plot bunnies I should take out of my brain first. Don't worry, onee-chan, I haven't forgotten my obligatory-smut-epilogue for Welcome to my World, it's on top of the list.

Reviews are, as usual, very much appreciated.