Misery Loves Company

Author: Ladelle

Rating: M

Comments: I'm baaaaaaaack! Yeesh! I swear I thought my last quarter of college would be a breeze but no, it definitely wasn't. I graduate this Friday and then taking a mini trip to Vegas and Anime Expo, but after that it's to the books for me. I need to finish these fanfics!

Thank you for all of the reviews, and again, I'm sorry for the super long wait. I had to do what I needed to do for school and it was painful to put writing on the back burner.

'Tis good to be back.

Chapter 24

"I've been waiting for you to cough up the gall to tell me this," Suigetsu was seated quite liberally on the bed he and Sasuke were meant to share, but where only he had slept. There was no sign of hurt or anger on his features, only irritation. Sasuke's expression looked similar after the club owner's comment.

"I haven't been afraid to tell you." He stated. He knew he was at fault however, at least partially, for continuing his romances with Suigetsu despite his remaining attraction to Naruto. He even felt fidgety, despite feeling resolved.

The bed creaked as Suigetsu stood from it and after a minute of staring dully towards the window he pulled his hair into a ponytail. "We had a lot of fun, you and me."

Sasuke nodded despite himself. He had never cared for Suigetsu the way he should have; the way he felt about Naruto was vastly different. He didn't believe in love necessarily, but Sasuke did believe in needing someone beyond material aspects. While Suigetsu had given him what he needed in order to continue his business and uphold his name, Naruto seemed to light a fire inside of himself that made him feel as though he was needed in return.

And being needed filled him.

"How on earth did you fall for a brat like him?" Suigetsu finally asked, and his eyes met Sasuke's with a vague sort of curiosity. As if he was completely confused by Sasuke's choice, even if he was choosing to accept it. And in all honesty, Sasuke didn't know how to answer.

There was a pause before he felt able to speak; for once his words dangling from the tip of his tongue. He didn't like talking about things like this. They were too personal. But somehow, he felt a little like he owed it to Suigetsu for everything the other man had done for him.

"When I first met him I thought he was an escort," Sasuke explained and he stared off, letting the memory reply itself in his mind. "When I saw him I immediately thought, 'how on earth did Sakura find a blond'? And then, when I went towards him, do you know what he said?" Sasuke now looked at Suigetsu, an awkward smile on his face. "He said he wasn't gay."

Suigetsu, who looked a bit baffled as to where this story was going, laughed out loud. "So, what, you're goal was to change him?"

Sasuke shook his head and frowned. "No. I wanted to tease him since I found out he was from the past. Sakura used to talk about this man she had dated; she said he was everything a decent person could be. I figured out she was talking about him long before he realized anything himself, and I guess…I wanted to know what made him so great."

Suigetsu slouched back onto the bed, eyebrow raised. "And what did it turn out being?"

After a long second of thought, Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know. He's just…him. He makes you want to be more like him. He also makes you want to believe in him."

Nodding as if he was still confused, Suigetsu let out a deep breath. There was a stale moment between the two before Suigetsu licked his lips. "I'm not at all happy about this."

He said it firmly enough that Sasuke felt defensive. "Well, you're going to have to find a way to deal with it."

Suigetsu stared at him for a moment before grinning and shaking his head. He stood up and paced towards Sasuke, placing his hand on his now ex-boyfriend's shoulder. "I'll still support Uchiha Industries," he promised.

Sasuke nodded, not quite feeling comfortable with that but lacking the energy to argue.

Before Suigetsu left the room he turned to face Sasuke, and his words sounded a bit like it was taking everything he had to say them.

"You know, Uzumaki…he's not a bad guy."

Seeing as much approval as he was going to get from Suigetsu, Sasuke nodded.

He couldn't explain his feelings to himself, and it was hard to admit that he was intimidated by how much he was willing to sacrifice for one person. But when Suigetsu finally left and Sasuke was alone, he felt comforted in the fact he wasn't alone at all.

"You look happy," Haku looked pleasantly surprised when Naruto almost twirled into a storage room the other officer had confiscated. He was raiding some old boxes, and Naruto had a feeling they were some of Jiraiya's old notes.

"I am," Naruto answered honestly, even though he suddenly felt guilty. While he had spent the entire night making out with Sasuke in the backyard, Haku and Kotetsu had been diligently making plans. Or so it seemed.

"So…what's our plan?" Naruto asked, although he never thought that plan would hold. Haku smiled kindly but his eyes were slightly sad. He stood up from his crouched position by some blueprints and stretched. He eyed Naruto for a moment and he looked as though he didn't want to have this conversation.

"Our plan is to rescue Neji and Morino…but when I say 'our'…I mean Kotetsu and I."

Naruto's face fell and his mood fell to the floor. "What? Why?"

Haku pursed his lips and shook his head. "Not because you're incapable. More because…we can't let the Akatsuki get ahold of you, or Danzo. It's too much of a risk."

Kotetsu came into the room suddenly, carrying a handful of snacks for lunch. He hadn't noticed the serious tone of the conversation until he offered Naruto a delicious looking pastry and the blond turned it down.

"Oh, you told him," was all the brunet could manage. Haku looked pained, but not half as hurt as Naruto felt. It disappeared momentarily however, when a new surge of conviction raced through his veins.

"As much as I appreciate and understand what you two are saying, it's a lost cause. Danzo tried to send me back in time and I found a way to get back here. Leave me here in Nivae and I promise it's only a matter of hitch-hiking until I show up to kick both of your butts."

Haku was surprised at Naruto's seriousness, and Kotetsu looked a little badgered. "You're a good officer, but unless you want to get sent back again—I mean, come on—"

"It's my fault Neji and Morino are in this situation to begin with," Naruto's tone got louder. "It has nothing to do with—"

"What about Sasuke?" Haku's voice was quiet, but the comment was enough to stunt Naruto's voice. He frowned. "What about him?"

Haku stared at him, his doe eyes looking intrusively guilty, and not being an idiot, Naruto understood. Haku had seen them last night.

Kotetsu looked back and forth between them before setting down his armful of foods and stepping back towards the door. "I'm going to go get some juice," he dismissed himself, and Haku looked away.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything," he said and Naruto let out a long sigh.

"Do you not want me to come because you're afraid the Akatsuki will get ahold of me, or because you're happy that I'm happy?"

He hit the target on the dot because Haku's brown eyes were wider than they had ever been.

"I've never seen you so happy. This is what you've wanted! If you go back to Denver—there's no telling what will happen. There's no promises you and Sasuke will—"

Naruto raised his hand, a motion that made Haku become silent, even though his eyes finished his sentence for him.

There's no promising you and Sasuke will be together.

He had known it, even if he had been trying to avoid that truth for the day.

"I know." Naruto said, his voice solemn. "I know that."

Haku looked completely shattered from having said anything at all, and Naruto shook his head and smiled, all before ruffling Haku's hair.

"Look. I'm not going to die, I'm not going to get sent back. We'll find a way to make things work." It was a loose promise, but one that Naruto meant to keep.

"Now what's our plan?" he asked, and Haku stared at him before turning away, knowing this was an argument he wouldn't win.

"Tomorrow morning, before everyone's up…we're going to head back. We got into contact with Zabusa and he and the others are working out a plan to get one of us into Danzo's station."

Naruto nodded before examining all of the blueprints and things scattered on the floor. "What's all of this then?"

Haku smiled a little before folding up a blueprint and handing it to Naruto so that he could see. They were blueprints for a time machine.

"Jiraiya's…" Naruto said.

Haku nodded. "He may have disappeared, but he left all of his things behind. Not that anyone could really make much of them…"

Naruto laughed and agreed. Jiraiya's chicken scratch only made sense to him because he had experience in building time machines.

"We're going to destroy all of it," Haku said, earning a wide-eye look of surprise from Naruto. This time, Haku laughed a little. "Something else I didn't want to tell you."

The blueprint was soft in his palm, like a canvas, and Naruto suddenly understood. "It needs to be done." He said, and he handed the papers back to Haku. "All of it needs to go. And when we get back in town…I have an errand I need to run, too. Alone."

This comment brought a disturbingly curious look from Haku, but Naruto waved it off. "Don't worry. It's important though." To his knowledge only Morino knew he had built a time machine to come back, and he knew he had to destroy it. He was positive it was stills safely hidden since he had never really been bothered to lend out it's location. He didn't want anyone else to know about it though.

That just meant more people could get hurt.

"Naruto," Haku said, his voice suddenly grim again.

Naruto turned to him before walking out of the room. "Yeah?"

Haku's lips hardly moved. "It's just you, Kotetsu, and I that are leaving tomorrow."

Without saying it, Naruto knew what he meant.

He was going to have to tell Sasuke goodbye.

"Of course I prefer not to blackmail colleagues, but in times of emergency, what was that saying…ah yes, desperate times call for desperate measures." Danzo's voice was perfectly succinct as he spoke, like a man with an education spouting truths that were subjective. Morino looked bored, Neji noticed, but the words made Neji's tongue catch fire.

"Any officer that blackmails or threatens one of his own isn't fit for the title," he said scathingly. It was a childish thing to say, apparently, because Danzo laughed pleasantly. He didn't look concerned that he was alone in a room with the Neji and Morino, but the fact they were both cuffed to metal chairs probably helped him feel at ease. Neji and Morino both looked exhausted as well, a technique Neji sorely recognized from old war films. The trick was to get your captive as tired as possible in order to leak important information out of them.

"What you're doing is unnecessary," Morino said over the fading chuckle, not looking amused himself. "After all, you know as well as I do that it doesn't matter where Naruto is now. We both know where he's going to be."

Neji was confused for a moment, but Danzo merely smirked and nodded. "That's true. He's naïve. He'll come raging in here to save you with the 21st century hero antics he was raised with. But that's not the point. The point is that wherever he's at now is most likely where his time machine is. I'd rather not play this whole game over again once I get Naruto back where I want him."

Something simmered inside Neji at the thought of Danzo torturing Naruto for information. And for a time machine!

Morino looked as though he was debating on revealing Naruto's potential location all of the sudden when Danzo began to pace the room, looking like he had won some sort of mental lottery. He stopped and smiled, an eerie smile that took up to much of his face and left the remainder in drooping wrinkles.

"You know, it's pretty funny," he said, and Neji considered nothing from Danzo's mouth 'funny'. "I knew you'd tell me where he was, or should I say, I know you will. Hinata's here, after all, and I'm sure neither of you want that much guilt on your hands."

Neji stiffened at the realization that Hinata was in the same building as him. Was Danzo lying? It was possible. But he was too tired to think up something logical to retort back, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to risk Hinata getting hurt if she really was there by denying it.

"Naruto probably disappeared to someplace no one would find him. Sover street maybe, or Nivae. There's no need to bring innocent people into something as menial as a dirty search party."

Neji thought that Morino's guesses sounded about right. In fact, he hadn't even considered Nivae. Naruto had a history there and it made sense that the people would protect him. His lips twitched and he felt strangely satisfied, content that Nivae was a legal-free zone area. Cops weren't allowed there because of the environment friendly government restrictions. Amazingly enough, it was one of the most crime-free places in the states.

Morino seemed to digest this information very slowly. He stared at the ceiling in thought and tickled his chin with his forefinger, looking a bit like a crazed statue of Aristotle. "I do think those are two very logical guesses," he said finally. "I'll trust you're not making fools of yourselves by lying and will send some officers to investigate. If I don't find him…I'll hold you to personally accountable."

Neji snorted and Morino continued to stare at the older man, looking unaffected by the threat. Danzo continued. "In the meantime, have fun. Your reunion won't be for long."

Before Neji had a chance to decipher what Danzo meant the old man was leaving, and entering was a familiar face. A face so familiar Neji wished he wasn't seeing it.

"Neji!" Hinata didn't look back when Danzo locked the door behind her. She only rushed forward and took his face into her hands, searching his eyes as though she was trying to judge for herself whether or not he was in good condition. "Oh my God, are you alright?"

Her fingers were warm on his face and he closed his eyes out of instinct, feeling a mixture of emotions course through him. A small moment of comfort at having his cousin by his side was flooded with an instinctual panic. When he opened his eyes he growled at her. "Why the hell did you come here?"

Hinata looked at him cautiously, understanding what he meant. Of course she knew not to trust Danzo—how many times had Neji told her? The worry in her eyes didn't go away.

"You think I'd just ignore the fact you were here?" her tone was oddly scrutinizing. "You disappear for days and the only phone call I get is from Danzo. You thought I wouldn't put two and two together?" she continued to run her fingers down the length of his face, rubbing at what Neji assumed was caked blood. He felt irritated.

"Hinata," he started, but she interrupted.

"You wouldn't have done the same for me?"

Neji quieted, knowing she had a point. She drew away from him, the panic in her expression fading, her attention diverting to Morino. She was quiet for a long moment before her eyes narrowed and rested her hand on her hip. "I'm not completely useless, you know," she frowned. "I got a few letters out before I left Boushi."

Neji glanced up to her, surprised to see her smiling down at him. Morino looked as though he felt a strange wave of relief at the comment as well.

"That-a-girl," he said, much like a father to a daughter. Hinata looked down to an icon still on her wrist. It appeared Danzo didn't think enough of her to take it away. A big mistake.

"Tonight," she said softly, and Neji tilted his head back against the cold and ruthless backing of his chair.

Tonight they made their escape.

"Please tell me you're not trying to hide," Sasuke's voice had a swell of sarcasm in it as he spoke. He was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and eyes narrowed, probably wondering why Naruto was drowning in blueprints on the floor of the storage room. Haku had abandoned him some time ago for dinner, a meal he had decided to skip. His appetite had vanished without a trace and it was easier to bury himself in busywork rather than think of the day to come.

In an attempt to hide his insecurities, he tried a smirk. "I'm not doing a very good job if you found me."

Sasuke's nose crinkled a bit and his eyes stayed alert. Reading Naruto like a book, even after all of the time they had been apart. "What's the matter?" he asked. Naruto was caught off guard; he hadn't expected Sasuke to be so upfront.

"Nothing," Naruto said, shuffling some papers together. "Just tired. And thinking."

"You think too much," Sasuke said. "You always have."

There was a moment of silence between them where Naruto silently agreed. He was beginning to feel exhausted, but his mind wouldn't stop working. His eyelids felt heavy and his body ached for a comfortable place to lie down. Sasuke must have seen it in his expression.

"Come on. You can pillage some more tomorrow."

Naruto laughed and wondered what Sasuke would think when he realized there wasn't a tomorrow for them, at least for now. He debated on saying something, telling Sasuke—but when he felt the courage brew inside of him, his tongue went numb and his lips stayed closed.

If he told Sasuke…who was he kidding. Sasuke wouldn't let him leave. Or worse, he'd want to tag along. Naruto didn't know what he would do if he lost Sasuke a second time, and as painful as it was to keep the truth away, in this moment, it seemed worth it.

"We can go to bed," Sasuke said liberally, and it was only when Naruto's attention snapped up to meet his that the corporate mogul's eyes narrowed, realizing the context of what he said and how it could be misinterpreted. "Or we can sleep."

Naruto laughed, this time for real. "You think I'd be able to sleep, laying next to you?" His chuckles came out nonchalantly, and he organized a small pile of papers before him and then pulled himself to his feet. Sasuke looked as though he didn't quite understand.

"Is that an invitation or are you just being flirtatious?" he asked, and Naruto turned to him, surprised. Sasuke was very serious.

"Um…" he wasn't sure how to reply. Sasuke noted the hesitation in his voice and stepped backwards from the doorway, a gesture that told Naruto he hadn't meant any harm by the comment. "I'll be down the hall."

Naruto stood in silence for a moment, feeling awkward. It was the rush of emotions that told him to shed his inhibitions fighting the practicalities of reality. He and Sasuke shared such a strong bond that he had almost forgotten they hadn't had sex, and that realization suddenly sent a panic racing through him.

He distracted himself by dumping the remainder of papers into a tub meant for destruction. Haku had promised to burn it in the decomposer before dawn, and Naruto felt pretty confident that everything that needed to be destroyed was inside. It took him about ten minutes, and when he was done, the anxious feeling returned.

He closed the storage door behind him and stared down the hall, eyeing the door to his bedroom. Sasuke had pretty much declared he would be there, waiting for whenever Naruto was ready to do whatever. His stomach felt full and ready to burst with nerves and anticipation, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when a cool hand grabbed his wrist from behind and pulled him forward.

"Come on already," it was Sasuke, who had been down the other end of the hall, apparently. He smelled like cinnamon and bread, so Naruto assumed he was coming from the kitchen. He didn't argue as Sasuke pulled him into his room, far from where Sasuke and Suigetsu's room had been, and closed the door behind him. Naruto felt his heart rate increase enough to cause alarm, especially when Sasuke yanked off his shirt, revealing a pale expanse of beautiful skin.

Naruto stared ceremoniously before Sasuke tossed the shirt at his face, and Naruto jostled to catch it. "Hey—what was that—" this time a sock hit him in the chest, and Naruto's jaw dropped.

"What is this? A cheap pillow fight?" He bundled Sasuke's shirt in his hand and threw it back, though Sasuke caught it perfectly.

"I'll have you know I was a star athlete!" Naruto declared, and Sasuke raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "There's a sport where you toss clothes at each other?"

Naruto frowned, not sure if Sasuke was serious or being cynical. He decided to answer neutrally. "There's dodgeball. Well, I mean, your clothes stay on but you do throw balls at other guys and—"

"Where's the fun in keeping your clothes on?" Sasuke said but Naruto continued over him, feigning ignorance.

"—you can get a guy back in by catching one. I loved dodgeball."

"I thought you loved me," Sasuke said slyly, and Naruto tilted his head to the side.

"What's with you tonight?" Sasuke was being oddly playful and Naruto couldn't peg why.

Sasuke weaved around Naruto and plopped down onto the bed, wearing a nice pair of sleep shorts. He tapped the bedding beside him after he scooted over and his expression faded back to something that looked more normal.

"Come on," he said seriously. "I was just joking. When you look at me like I'm going to rape you, it makes me nervous."

Naruto realized in one moment that Sasuke had been trying to make him feel more comfortable. He smiled a bit before pulling off his own shirt and working his way down to his boxers. He wasn't sure what would happen between them, but he felt calm suddenly, and aware. Aware of Sasuke's eyes on him, aware of the cool air nipping at his skin, and aware of the small piece of conscience that was slowly fading away.

"Suigetsu's down the hall," he said absently, and Sasuke frowned.

"So what?"

"So…I feel like you're cheating?" Naruto tried. Sasuke snorted.

"You can't cheat on someone you're not dating."

Naruto felt his eyes grow wide. "You…!?"

Sasuke stared at him, looking bored. Naruto felt himself grinning like an idiot, even if a small part of himself wanted to go and beg Suigetsu's forgiveness. But he was allowed to be selfish every once in a while.

Naruto blew out the lantern candle by the bedside and sat down next to Sasuke, admiring the way the moon outside seemed a better light than the lantern had been. It was hard to take in the moment, to realize that Sasuke and him were now an item of sorts, to imagine that they had come this far. Sasuke's hand was on his leg and Naruto leaned down to kiss Sasuke's lips.

It was a light kiss, but one that made him twist onto his stomach, laying side by side with Sasuke, watching as shadowy eyes weighed him in the darkness. He was ready to give in, to give everything up, when Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and pushed him down a bit, so that Naruto's cheek landed softly on a pillow.

"Go to sleep," Sasuke said, curving his body against Naruto's, his slender fingers curled over Naruto's back, his cool breath over Naruto's ear.

Naruto wanted to argue, but Sasuke spoke again. "We have plenty of time."

Words that worked like magic lulled Naruto to sleep, his eyelids heavy and his body content, his mind completely at peace as Sasuke lay next to him, much like a protector.

He didn't want morning to come, but sleep found him before he could escape.

a/n: Woo!

I seriously have so much to a/n about that I don't even know where to start. I guess I'll just spoil for this evening.

Here beith the...SPOILERS!

I am so ready to see Naruto and Sasuke kick some Danzo-booty. Anyone want to get excited with me? Anyone? No? :goes crazy: