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Chapter 4: Building Castles

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Sasuke woke up and silently cursed as the glaring sunlight strikes at his eyes. He blinked a few times before going out of the bed and after making sure that he has already finished making his homework and assignments, he went out of his room and was surprised to see the house quiet.

Shrugging, he made his way to the kitchen and nearly stumbled when he tried to avoid stepping on a flower on the entrance. He managed to regain his balance quick enough to be noticed by an untrained eye. Questions were running on his head now, as curiosity strikes at him.

He walked along the spacey corridors that's present in their rather big house, and was surprised to find rose petals littering the floor.

"Oi, Naruto! Didn't I told you to clean every morning? I don't want to see any form of imperfection within the house!"

True enough, their house is beyond perfect. It looks small on the outside, like a typical household. But theirs was different. As they say, looks can be deceiving.

When you pass through the entrance, you're actually in the "main gateway". This main gateway is simply, a tiny two-story building. Sasuke is the one who organized everything. And at such a young age, just before their new house was erected, that is, when Naruto rose to fame and decided that a tiny house is not enough for Sasuke, his son slipped into his room unnoticed and placed his own designs, that is far more complex than Naruto's engineer.

Of course, they had no problem with the money, back then, because the house was funded by a very rich millionaire who is an avid fan and collected all of Naruto's works.

Anyway, the main house is very far from the gateway. But Sasuke insisted to live in the gateway, no matter how small the space is, because he can't stand to live the same building as his father. So Naruto could do nothing but to add a few extras to make the gateway as pleasant as possible. Added living rooms, dining rooms, bathrooms, and even a kitchen going as far as to increase the space. And eventually, it became a house of its own that connects to the rest of their property.

Sasuke hummed to himself as he found the kitchen, empty, silent and still littered with rose petals. In annoyance, he opened the door that leads outside the kitchen. This place is a sanctuary to both of them. There is a huge pond in the middle, fountains of various sizes, and even a few statues of himself. He sighed, remembering the times Naruto insisted on erecting this statues. It has been a waste of money. But he can't forget how his adoptive father's eyes shone with eagerness as he directed the construction of the said statues.

His eyes fell on the middle of the pond. Amidst the rising and falling fountains, there's a floating boat, big enough to include a dining table, a mini-bar, only it's filled with milk bottle. Sasuke smirked. His "father" had been so jealous of his height that the writer always drinks milk whenever he had the chance. But that's not what caught his attention.

His gaze focused on the lone figure which happily gulps down milk and ramen. The said figure is wrapped in a white yukata with orange foxes on it. Not only that, but he was wet all over, except his clothing. It appears that his father swam in the pond, and forgot to dry off when he changed. What an idiot!

But of course, his idiocy is compensated by his totally dashing looks. His blue eyes shine with great happiness, for reasons unknown to Sasuke. His bright golden hair dropped around his face, framing his face and accenting his whisker marks more. And the over-all cheery aura that emits from the figure caught Sasuke's attention.

Curious, he came closer and was about to step on the bridge that connects the pond when he heard a singing voice. Yup! That's right, the voice came from Naruto. He can't make out the lyrics but it appears that it is one of Naruto's new compositions, a sort of music themes for his work. Fragments of it reached his ears and although the music is not that audible, the voice behind it is alluring. This made Sasuke want to come closer and this, he did.

He's close enough, and still, the blond man didn't notice his son coming closer. He had expected his son to be doing his homework, or reading, as his daily routines during Saturdays and Sundays. What's more, his son always like to be alone in these days, so he didn't bothered looking it up.

Anyway, as Sasuke approached his father, he can't help but smile as he heard the lyrics.

"Good job Naru-chan!

Kyuubi be so grand

and the foxes run around!

A father has come around.

And that's me!"

Naruto jumped and sung some more, pouring more milk in his glass, celebrating the fact that his son accepted him. Of course it's not official. But he know his son. He would gladly accept that sign even though Sasuke has not yet told him.

But of course, he had led himself to believe that his son is finally starting to loosen up around him. This soared up his spirits. And thus, started the celebration.

Sasuke smirked at this. He cough and in a joking yet guarded voice, he let out a soft "idiot!".

This is enough to inform Naruto about the presence of his son. He stopped his celebration and mumbled a soft "Good morning" before going into the bar and returned with a bowl of ramen.

"Hey Sas! It's rare to see you out in the morning. By the way, have you eaten anything yet?"

Sasuke was about to say yes, but his senses betrayed him as the scent of ramen ghosted over his nose and pulled him in. Naruto's cooking always does this to him.

Shaking his head, as if to say no, he gladly grabbed a chair and grabbed the bowl, stealing glances at the blond, who, in his opinion, is starting to get uncomfortable. He can't help it, because he's not that good at starting conversations, so he just concentrated on the ramen bowl.

A pregnant silent followed and both were struggling to let out words that will break the ice. But of course, there's none to be said.

But after a few minutes, both boys could no longer bear it and decided to start talking. Of course, it came out awkwardly, as they decided to speak at the same time.

"Naruto!"

"Sasuke!"

"Err... you go first Sasuke, I'm sure you have important things to say." Naruto grinned, only to be replied with a nod.

"Naruto... I... There's a small party this coming Monday at school. Don't worry, it's a small enough party intended to celebrate the arrival of the new set of officers for the freshman council. I would be glad for you to come. That is, if it's not any trouble."

At this, Naruto grinned widely. He would not let this opportunity go to waste.

"Of course Sasuke! I would love to!" Naruto jumped out of his chair and danced happily, forgetting that Sasuke is still in his room.

While doing this, he seemed to be so carefree as he chanted, "I'm going to Sasuke's party" over and over again.

Though this amused Sasuke, it also irritated him. Why would his father be so happy over such a small thing? So, he held up his hand and made an irritated face, but of course a small smile that crept up betrayed him.

"Hn. Now sit down and stop dancing like an idiot." Naruto immediately sat down at this and calmed himself down.

"Anyway, what do you want to say to me earlier, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, curious as to what Naruto wanted with him.

The shorter man happily replied.

"Well, Sasuke, can I ask something of you?"

"What is it?"

"I'd like you to visit your grandfather and great grandfather's grave today. There's something I need to tell them. And of course, I'd like you to meet them and show you to them as well."

While speaking this, Naruto's voice softened, and he had this distant look in his eyes. The look is enough to crumble Sasuke's resolve to refuse.

So he muttered a simple "hn" before being tackled down by a smiling and overly happy Naruto.

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End Chapter

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This story is still Work In Progress. If you like this chapter, please add this to your story alert list. Anyway, we have an exam next week, so you'll have to wait for two weeks before the next update. But if you're interested, tune in for the next update.

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