Chapter 7

Sasuke awoke to feeling warm, cuddled, and very loved. It was like the time when he was six years old and had woken up between his parents after coming to their bedroom in the middle of a stormy night. They had cuddled him between their bodies, shielding him from the horrors of the Storm Gods that was raging outside their home. He felt safe.

The problem was – he was not at his home. He was not in what he considers his own bed and the arms that were encasing him in a warm cocoon did not belong to his parents.

He could feel a soft and warm breath against his neck and it made his soul shiver and the hairs on his body stand on end. He tried to remember what had happened before he fell asleep and the images his memory fed him made Sasuke's face burn bright red.

'Dear Gods, noooo, let it not be so…. I did not break down in front of Naruto!!!' his mind screamed as the memory of the night that gone by was displayed inside his head.

But no matter how he wished that it not had happened, it had indeed happened. And now the blonde idiot was hugging him, warming him.

He, the Great Uchiha, Sasuke was cuddled. The proud member of the Uchiha Clan was being cuddled. CUDDLED!! It was bad. It was unheard of, no Uchiha outside the Uchiha walls ever consented to be CUDDLED!!

Sasuke began to feel panic rise inside his belly and he tried to pry those warm and cuddling limbs off his body only to be hugged even tighter.

His head, his pride was screaming bloody murder as the body behind him was rubbing up against his back.

'Be still you brat and enjoy the love he can give you,' the dark voice inside his head growled. Sasuke wanted to cry again. He didn't enjoy this at all.

Sasuke was an avenger. He was the one that had turned his back against love and devotion. He was a loner and a very strong loner. He didn't need anyone! Not even the dobe that rubbed his morning wood against Sasuke's bum.

'Remember what I told you last night Uchiha! We will make you so strong that nobody can deny your strength no matter what happens!'

The promise echoed inside Sasuke's head and he stilled his motions. He stopped moving all together and let it sunk back into his soul.

'How?' He asked more to himself rather than asking the voice he heard in his head.

'Let him care for you, his love and care will be able to grant you the strength you need to see what is hiding underneath the surface.' The dark voice answered. 'And remember what he told you, if you get together, if you marry, you can adopt. Infuse the child with your blood and the gaki's blood and you can create a new little legion of Sharingan warriors.'

Sasuke snorted as he relaxed more in Naruto's possessive embrace. He didn't need a legion of warriors that carried the Sharingan. He just wanted…

His heart almost came to a stop as the thought ended with… some children with the person he loved the most.

'And we all know who that person is… come on you damn proud Uchiha, give in. Marry the gaki, train, get strong, avenge your family and set things right. Then when the gaki is the Hokage of Konoha, adopt a few brats, and live happily ever after… why is that so wrong?'

"If you ever get out of the prison inside my body I will kill you!!"

Naruto's thick and threatening voice broke the silence in the bedroom and Sasuke flipped his head around just as the arms around his body was loosened and released the grip around his body.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked as he turned around completely and saw Naruto slip out of the bed and moved quickly out of the bedroom door.

"NARUTO!!" Sasuke called out.

'Fuck this!' Sasuke snarled as he rose from the bed as well and ran after the blonde youth. He would not let Naruto get away with this. He was going to explain a thing or twenty about what had happened.

And Sasuke found Naruto at the doorstep to the kitchen. The whiskered young man was leaning against the doorway, his hands running through his blonde hair. Sasuke could hear Naruto cursing the Kyuubi that was sharing the space with Naruto's soul.

"Naruto!??!" Sasuke called out as he came closer.

"I… I'm so s-sorry Sasuke," Naruto almost choked on his own voice.

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks and looked at the tensed backside of his dobe.

"I never wanted this to happen," Naruto whispered knowing that Sasuke could hear him clear as day.

"What are you talking about dobe?" Sasuske asked.

"I wanted you…. On your own… I n-never wanted you to f-feel forced…"

Sasuke saw how Naruto's fists were balled and the tension in the blonde's back told Sasuke that Naruto was in a lot of pain. Mental pain. And that hurt Sasuke too. He never wanted Naruto to go through this. So for the first time after his parent's death, Sasuke followed his emotions. And he had been a very emotional child. He did the only thing he knew of that could help Naruto at this moment.

Sasuke stepped up behind Naruto and encircled the blonde's chest and pressed his body against Naruto's back.

"Stop this Naruto. Don't blame yourself. So just stop it!" Sasuke whispered into Naruto's broad back. "I don't want to hear it, ok?!"

Naruto turned his head a bit and saw the black hair over his shoulder.

"S-Sasuke?"

"Shut up and make some breakfast!" Sasuke snarled against Naruto's back before he quickly turned around and stormed off towards the bathroom. He had cried last night and he would not let the dobe see him cry again!

"S-Sasuke?" Naruto mumbled as he turned around and saw the back of the last Uchiha disappear into his bathroom, the bathroom door slamming into the frame.

'Don't worry about it – just make some pancakes for the bitch and you'll be alright,' the voice of the Kyuubi echoed inside Naruto's head.

"Don't call him that to his face," Naruto smiled softly and felt the tension leave his body as he walked over to the cabinet to find the things to make pancakes with. But he couldn't help but chuckle softly as the warmth from Sasuke's hug came back to him. Gods, it had felt so good to be hugged by Sasuke and just moments ago he had Sasuke in his arms too.

He had awakened just moments before the furball had started to mess with the Uchiha. But Naruto had loved embracing Sasuke. The feeling of not waking up cold and alone. It was probably the best feeling he ever had. And Naruto hoped to have more mornings like this, minus the angst of course.

'Don't worry gaki, you will. Love the stuck up Uchiha, have little brats and live happily ever after. I'm sure you'll be cursing the life out of me after a few years with little brats running around your feet. They will be driving you mad.' The demon fox laughed evilly inside Naruto's head but Naruto just smiled even wider as his parasite supplied his brain with an image of Sasuke in a dress and five little kids hanging from the dress and in Sasuke's arms there were two infants. 'See, he looks so good being a little wife doesn't he?'

Inside Naruto's bathroom Sasuke was having angsting of epic proportions. He sat down on the edge of the bath tub, his hands buried in his black hair as he ranted No No No No No, over and over inside his head. It hurt so damn much that he couldn't help the tears from falling. He wanted it all to just Stop.

But the words of the famous Kyuubi came back to him and he blushed darkly. The feeling he had awakened to was enough to break down his defenses.

He drove his fingers through his black locks and looked up the sealing of the bathroom. The memory of his breakdown from yesterday came back and he sighed heavily. Why was he fighting anyway?

Sasuke turned and began to fill the tub with hot water. He found a bath soap and put some of it in the water. The smell reminded him of Naruto and a small smile made it to his lips. He had breathed in some of that wonderful smell when he had hugged Naruto in the doorway. He liked it.

'We always had a special connection and he is the only constant thing in my life. I can always count of him being there for me even when I'm not wanting him to be there.' Sasuke's smile broadened a bit as he stood up and removed his clothes. He slipped into the hot water and sighed in relief.

'This is not so bad.'

Then he heard Naruto from the other side of the door.

"Get your prissy ass out of the water, the pancakes are soon ready!!"

'Not so bad unless you count for that of course,' Sasuke chuckled as the relief washed over him.

He would take the advice and let the dobe love and take care of him. It was rather nice to wake up with someone in the morning even if it meant he had to be cuddled and rubbed up against. The last part made Sasuke blush again and he growled. He didn't want to admit it but the way that Naruto had rubbed against Sasuke's bum had really felt good.

He shook his black head before dipping it under the water and made quick business with washing himself off and rinse before stepping out of the tub. He found a large towel and dried off and frowned when he saw his clothes. He had slept in those clothes and wished he had brought something with him as he stormed off to hide.

It couldn't be helped; he had to call Naruto to give him some new and fresh clothes.

But he didn't need to yell because through the door a new change of clothes came flying.

"I don't think they'll fit properly, but they will have to do for now until we can go shopping later." Naruto called through the door.

Sasuke looked at the clothes in his hands and he smiled. 'Well, they are not orange, they will have to do for now.' He put them on and took a deep breath.

'I can do this. I can let it all go and let the dobe care for me. I don't have to be strong all the time. I can just be Sasuke for once.' He sighed again and nodded.

But when he thought back he always had been "just Sasuke" to Naruto. Naruto never saw Sasuke as the last Uchiha or the infamous traitor or Itachi's little brother. To Naruto Sasuke had always been – just Sasuke.

And with that in mind, Sasuke stepped out from the bathroom.

Naruto gave one of his bright smiles as Sasuke walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table that was filled with food. He had outdone himself in order to impress Sasuke. It was not a lot of things he could cook, but pancakes were one of his specialties. And by the little drool in the corner of Sasuke's mouth, he was sure he had managed to impress the proud Uchiha.

"I'm not the best of cooks, but Iruka-sensei made me pancakes once and after that I begged him for days how to teach me to make them so… pancakes is one of the few things I'm really good at," Naruto said and smiled with a hand behind his back.

"It looks nice," Sasuke said and saw how Naruto put a few pancakes on his plate.

"I hope you like it as much as I do because you will be having pancakes every Saturday morning from now on," Naruto said and didn't realize that what he said almost sounded like a marriage proposal in Sasuke's ears.

'And I really wouldn't mind it. I wouldn't mind at all to be married to you Naruto,' Sasuke thought as he put a piece of pancake into his mouth and let the heavenly taste take over his senses.

'I hear you came to your senses after all,' a dark voice chuckled inside Sasuke's head. 'I told you he would be good in providing for you.'

Sasuke mentally snorted and refused to give the voice the pleasure in admitting that it had been right. The breakfast that Naruto had made was beyond heavenly Sasuke decided as he swallowed the last piece on his plate. He took a sip from the orange juice and looked at Naruto.

"Thank you for the meal Naruto," he said and saw Naruto lift his head, his mouth stuffed with food. It made Sasuke smile again. "It tasted wonderful."

"Good," Naruto mumbled and blushed.

"And I will hold you to it you know."

"Huh?"

"The promise of making me pancakes every Saturday morning from now on."

Naruto's blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when he heard Sasuke's words. He swallowed hard.

"R-really?"

"Really." Sasuke confirmed.

And before Sasuke could react he was hauled up and got himself caught in a oversized bear hug.

"Sasuke…. I'm so happy," Naruto whispered, his voice thick of emotions.

Sasuke could only agree. He was happy too. He put his arms around Naruto's midriff and hugged the blonde back.

Outside in the tree there was an ANBU that was grinning widely behind his mask. Naruto's stand-in captain, Yamato, was happy for the blonde fox-boy. He had finally found his precious person and he had been accepted by said person too.

"Yamato-taicho?" a voice came from behind him. Yamato turned around and saw his subordinate Sai sit behind on the tree-branch.

"Look and learn Sai-kun. What you see there is love in its purest form." Yamato said and pointed towards the kitchen window. "Doesn't it look nice?"

Sai turned his dark eyes and watched how Naruto embraced the Uchiha in a bone crushing hug. It felt strange inside him. Feelings he thought he had killed off long ago began to re-surface. It felt strange inside him. He didn't know what to say or do.

"Don't worry Sai-kun, one day you will understand," Yamato said when he saw the struggles the young Root-ANBU had. "Come, we will inform the Hokage about this development, but I'm sure she will already know."

Sai nodded and followed his captain as they took off for the Hokage-tower.

Naruto reluctantly let go of Sasuke and looked into black eyes. He wanted to say so much to Sasuke and yet the words didn't come over his lips.

Sasuke smiled softly and rose to place his mouth against Naruto's.

Naruto gasped but seconds later he let go and embraced Sasuke once again in his arms. He kissed the Uchiha with all the emotions he was capable of. He could feel Sasuke give in and follow Naruto in the kiss.

'Gods, I love him so much!' Naruto thought as Sasuke kissed him back. 'I love him!'

'Good, now let jump his pale ass! I want his ass!'

"SHUT UP FURBALL!!" Both Naruto and Sasuke roared as they broke the kiss.

Then they laughed. The tension was totally broken now. But the love had filled up that void. And in Sasuke the love and devotion had filled up a space where his hatred earlier had resided and no matter how he tried to deny it, the knowledge that he was being cared for was beyond anything he had felt before. And it felt good.

T B C

I hoped you liked it.
I was thinking about Yamato teaching Sai about love, making them an item – what do you think?
As you can see this will not be a male-preg story, but Naruto and Sasuke will have babies in the future.

Now if you want – please give me some feedback, reviews – it makes me so happy.
And of course HAPPY NEW YEAR – I hope 2010 will be a great year for you all.

Love Maria