PLEASE READ: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. But I'd like some input on the last chapter that is specific. I'd like to know what everyone thought of the role switch. I wasn't sure about doing it in the first place and while I've heard from Cupricanka, who is more than welcome to comment anytime and, indeed, whose opinion I greatly value, I'd like to know what everyone else thought. So, while you read this chapter, keep that in mind and let me know please?

Also, anyone that is hoping for Kabuto to appear in this fic, I may not be able to get him in. I may not have a feasible plan for him, not with it being so late in the game to implement it. I'd like to send a special thank you to NekoKriszty on for telling me about the song, Suna no Oshiro, by Kanon Wakeshima and for all her reviews. It, indeed, has given some inspiration to me for this chapter.

The remix of the song Jai Ho, with the pussycat dolls, (don't look at me like that!), should be played for this whole chapter. It can be found pretty much anywhere you go for music.

Lastly, sorry for the long wait. 

Chapter 20

Holding Up the World, Gravity Is Only Relative

Naruto and Sasuke had spent the interim month before the next bout training together. Because the numbers had been uneven before the preliminary bouts, they had all been asked if they wanted to proceed with the dangerous individual assignment. One ninja from Suna had dropped out at that point, leaving only ten to continue on. Sasuke was staring at his lover now, across the square at the south end of Konoha, not far from the bar where that witch had been the shopkeeper. Despite the fact that it had been settled and the participants jailed, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to tear the whole building to pieces. But Naruto's logic, absent as it was from many necessary things, had over-ridden his anger once more. He leaned back against the trunk of an oak sapling and stared at the clouds above his head. It still felt strange to be here but he was getting used to the stares again . . . and the whispers. There was a rumor floating around that he had purportedly only returned to furnish the Uchiha grounds with children.

He scoffed to himself quietly. His intentions, so far removed from what they had been just a spare few months ago, amounted to only things that merited his attention. Starting a family was no longer a crushing need for him. He would much rather study, read or bury himself in his lover's heat and resilience. He felt calmer at the warm touch on his shoulder, almost as if the contact alone could eradicate the old scars. They couldn't, nothing in the world had been created to do that, whether they could be seen or not. But it did calm his rage and the sudden heat that enveloped his arm was all that he focused on. All he wanted was more of that touch.

Naruto sighed quietly in Sasuke's ear and breathed in the scent of the sky for a moment. He still had trouble accounting for just how they had managed to come so far in so short a time. He wondered what it was about himself that was so appealing to Sasuke sometimes. But he wouldn't dwell on it. They had training to do after all. And he was looking forward to this coming fight, and the decision of the council afterward. He knew in his heart that there would be no denying how far he had managed to go, working so hard on Sage training and learning not only the techniques his father had left for him but when to use them. He thought back to Iruka suddenly, the fight with Mizuki in the glade and his sensei's words at the ramen shop later. He had told Naruto of the trials of becoming a strong ninja, the focus required and the strength. Naruto had laughed it all off, believing he either had the strength already or would develop it through more training and hard work. But he hadn't really been listening to Iruka. He hadn't understood, not then. Now, he felt closer to everything he'd been working toward. And though it had all come at some high costs he was ready, finally, to use true strength, for these people, for his home. He hoped he could show the examiners that. Becoming a Chunin was one more step closer to holding the power to protect his people.

"What are you thinking about so seriously?" Sasuke asked quietly, craning his neck back to gaze at Naruto, who was anchored by his feet to the bark of the tree.

"I was thinking . . . ," Naruto paused not sure how to say it or even if Sasuke truly cared to know. As easy as it had become to read him at times, with some effort granted, he still felt unsure about where things were going and what it all meant, to be in love.

"That we should go see Iruka for a bit. I haven't seen him for a proper visit yet. And Kakashi, too; I want to know what he thought of the first bout in the exams and the Forest."

Sasuke frowned, not sure what part of the Forest portion of the exams he was talking about. He hoped Naruto wasn't suddenly insecure or regretful of what they'd done. He certainly couldn't care less, especially not about anyone knowing the truth between them. It didn't belong to them anyway; it belonged to Naruto and himself only. Still, they had not talked about it, as Sasuke had hoped. His fear of whatever lurked inside Naruto's head, especially after his own pride had lent itself to bite back against what Sasuke felt for him, made him anxious. As if, at every turn, Naruto would wake up and see just what this complicated level that sex had brought them to could do to them both. Sasuke sighed and lifted a hand to rub Naruto's shin and calf. The contact, once again, calmed his nerves enough to drive away everything that could be and left what was there.

"Sure, but it'll have to be quick. We're due at the arena at twelve today. We don't want to miss that, now do we?" He smirked up at Naruto, who grinned and narrowed his eyes before laughing at him. His face screwed up into that happy, almost care-free expression and Sasuke could almost forgive the slight.

"So, you do want to miss it? Hmm, and here I thought I could get in some great practice, running you into the ground," he taunted.

Naruto frowned as he leapt form his perch, but brightened and skipped on ahead, a telling twitch to his lips.

"It's not my fault you look like a trussed parrot, turned wrong-side up, from that angle. Blame your hair," he snickered.

Sasuke balked and then, surprisingly, grinned back. He just didn't have the energy to waste getting angry, not for such a paltry thing.

"Right, so when you trip over your own feet, does that make you one of those giraffes from the far west?"

"Giraffes?" Naruto queried, completely at a loss. Sasuke had forgotten that Naruto hadn't been afforded tutors as he had. Or rather, he just hadn't thought of it. Rolling his eyes and smiling, he dragged Naruto forward toward the Academy.

"I'll tell you about them sometime. You'll like it. There are stories and legends about animals as tall as the treetops, ones that could lift small buildings and a king to rule them all." Naruto stopped looking confused and just cocked his head.

"You promise?" he asked. It was said so seriously that Sasuke wondered what he really meant.

"Yeah," he agreed, resisting the urge to frown. He'd find out, later. Of course, he'd said that about every other time they were supposed to discuss something. But he resolved to keep his uncertainty buried, and perhaps, mimic some of Naruto's unwavering optimism. Maybe if he did it enough, kept at it long enough, it would become just as easy to bring forth as his anger had been.

As it turned out, Iruka hadn't had time to visit with them before his next class, though he had promised to come by to see their home and stay for dinner sometime soon. He even went so far as to volunteer Kakashi in providing a little liquor, something Naruto had chirruped excitedly over while Sasuke had fought down the laughter he still felt a stranger to, finally settling on a dry, husky bark. The Academy was holding another final exam in a few weeks and Iruka was busy curtailing a troupe of rambunctious students from practicing the techniques needed in order to pass on each other. Normally there wasn't anything wrong with that, at least as far as Sasuke could see. But apparently, this term's prospective graduates were strong enough, and lacking enough aim and focus, that they could take out whole buildings in their eagerness to take each other off-guard. He wondered if any of them would be granted a pass after the Survival training. After witnessing what ambition of that kind could do, he sincerely hoped that the old woman Hokage was as worthy as Naruto professed her to be. He felt irritated at himself, then, for allowing his mind to slip so easily backward. The past was a dead thing; dead things shouldn't be stirred up. There were too many creatures underneath all the detritus.

He had to focus on today, something he noticed Naruto did a lot of. Like it or not, Sasuke had seen more than the obvious in him. There wasn't anything overly painful about living in the present, not from where he stood watching it all. And every time he reminded himself of that, of the effort to change his thinking, it really did get easier to do.

Of course, now all he felt was impatient. They had arrived back at the arena with more than an hour to spare and they were the second to last fight in the schedule. Sasuke crossed his arms and slouched, every measure of his body reading as calm and collected. Inside, he itched. Glancing at Naruto, he could see that boundless energy and unprecedented power rippling the air in wide currents around him. They were every bit as ready for this and, more than that, deserving of it than any other participant, Sasuke was sure.

The final part of the Chunin exams kicked off to tumultuous fanfare. Nearly all of Konoha had turned out to see it, along with visiting dignitaries and small pockets of foreign villagers from all over. Sasuke was not a fool and Naruto was not nearly as dense as he had been in the past. They both knew that many had arrived in anticipation of catching the bout between a former deserter and a former failure. Naruto leaned back on his heels, currently resting on the stone railing in front of the Kages, and smiled at Gaara.

"Long time no see, Gaara. How are you?"

Gaara smiled thinly at him and shook his head.

"There is no need for you to worry, Naruto. I am sure you will finally reach all your goals, without anyone to pay your way to them."

Naruto shifted slightly and wiggled his toes inside his sandals nervously.

"It's that obvious, huh?"

Even though the full import of this match, and this second exam, had reached him some time ago he still felt anxious about it. He knew that he would be allowed to retake it, should it not work out as he hoped once again. But it would be disappointing, to say the least, if he was denied once again. He really didn't want to be left so far behind all his friends. More than that, he worried over the fate of his village, should someone with less resolve and desire gain what he knew he could not only accomplish but hold fast and strong.

"Naruto," Gaara murmured quietly. "I have been waiting to meet with you again since that day in my village. I will not have it marred by such unnecessary concern. You will be glorious."

Naruto took a deep breath and grinned at his old friend.

"You really are a great leader, Gaara. Maybe you could float some advice my way sometime, after this is all over. We could get to know each other again, and a little better, too."
Gaara nodded at him and Naruto chuckled softly.

"Besides, you can use it as an excuse to hide out at our house for a bit. I'm sure it gets tiring, pandering to the masses of adoring people trying to get a word, or a favor or whatever, from you."

Gaara laughed then, dryly. It was quiet and rough but Naruto decided he liked hearing it. It was a welcome change to the cold hatred, disgust and almost total lack of compassion that Gaara had held in such high regard the first time he had been inside Konoha.

Suddenly, the announcement to commence the matches came booming from the floor of the arena and Naruto glanced down to see Genma in the middle of the ring. He moved his gaze off to the right, searching. He found Sasuke tilted against a pillar at the top of the eastern facing stands. In one lithe move and with help from wind and the almost god-like speed he'd adopted and improved from his father, Naruto materialized at his side, still smiling. Tsunade, who had listened to his and Gaara's exchange without comment, smiled proudly. She knew she had no real claim on any of his growth, but it still arose in her a powerful joy. She nodded down to Genma who dipped his head in acknowledgement and called out the first two fighters. Their match proceeded and Naruto and Sasuke took everything in with sharp focus. Three more bouts followed, mostly consisting of Suna ninja. Naruto and Sasuke watched every one of them, drinking in details about the individuals as well as the techniques, anything they could use or learn from in the future should they need it.

Finally, they heard Genma clear his throat dramatically and Sasuke could feel Naruto's charged excitement and anticipation from his place several feet away. He reached over and dragged a finger lightly across the back of his hand. Naruto smiled warmly and turned to him. He clasped Sasuke's hand and turned it to face palm up before running a warm finger over the lines there. He formed words and then leapt away and down, pooling wind chakra around him to diminish the speed of his descent. With his coat billowing out and around him, it looked as though he were some terrifying and awesome bird; a raptor that had yet to been seen in this world.

'I'm going to wipe the floor with you,' Naruto had written.

Sasuke scoffed and hefted his body over the rail, running down the other side to the floor in a swift match of his partner and opponent's own speed. Kakashi, ensconced in shadow, watched from a corner of the Kage's dais. He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side, waiting. His former students, no his family, had matured somewhat. But he wasn't going to assume the outcome, not with Naruto present. He leaned back and assumed a pose of relaxed indifference while keeping a keen eye on the two of them.

As before, Naruto and Sasuke bowed to each other, to Genma and to the Kages. They turned to face each other and waited for Genma to give the signal. When it came, Naruto ran back and up in a burst of speed before raining a hailstorm of kunai at Sasuke. Sasuke dodged expertly and pulled out his shadow shuriken technique from the bandages around his wrists, the same one that he had used on Itachi. He aimed for the Naruto he could see and the ones he could feel around him from the passage of air. Naruto had already pulled out a mass of clones and hidden them to match the surrounding environment.

Ten, twenty, and then thirty exploded in veils of smoke while the real one flipped over and over to avoid Sasuke's attack. He changed direction, suddenly, to vault off his hand and back onto the ground clear on the other side of Sasuke. As soon as Sasuke turned he knew he'd been a fraction of a second too slow. Naruto used his speed to appear right beside Sasuke and aimed a well placed side kick to Sasuke's midsection. It landed, but thanks to Sasuke's own speed, did not hit with full force. He grunted and spun back and around to try for a high roundhouse at Naruto's head. Naruto ducked at the last moment and, smiling, hopped backwards.

Sasuke saw that one of the clones must have been imbued with Nature chakra as Naruto had the subtle change to his appearance and the increased speed and strength. He could feel the charge, almost electric, in the air. He backed off to try to visualize Naruto's next move but found him, once again, at his side. Gritting his teeth in frustration he blocked Naruto's punches, chops and kicks with little effort. But the fight was already wearing on him. Sasuke pulled back and managed to perform the seals, in rapid succession, for a grand fireball and the phoenix flower techniques. One after another were avoided by Naruto but it gave Sasuke a chance to get in closer for a session of taijutsu that left even Naruto's stamina lesser than before.

Unfortunately, it did worse to Sasuke's strength and speed. And he'd only managed to land a few hits to Naruto's abdomen and chest before having to pull away for a breather. And that was more unfortunate, as Sasuke saw Naruto begin to gather the energy for the technique he'd used at the valley, only with an extra clone that seemed to be feeding wind chakra to it. He watched, enraptured and lulled by the amount of power involved. He couldn't get hit with it, not that he thought Naruto would be so callous. It would surely kill him, after all.

Naruto, his head down and sweat permeating his clothes and hair, shifted his gaze up without raising his head. He was smiling and with all the energy in the air and the fatigue Sasuke knew that even he had to be feeling, it looked dark . . . and dangerous.

"You should have done something, Sasuke. It's almost over now," he said and Sasuke felt the beginnings of fear settle in his stomach. Maybe Naruto really could do something so ruthless. He swallowed and pooled all his remaining chakra to his feet. From the look of the Rasengan that seemed to be twisting into a shuriken, he would need everything to avoid it.

But, instead of aiming it at Sasuke Naruto lifted off the ground using the wind and channeled the whole massive attack on the ground. It splintered the rock in large rivets and gouges and encompassed the whole arena. The rock formed into boulders of varying sizes and shapes, affording great cover to them both. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, not believing Naruto would do something so stupid without good reason. He didn't have time to waist trying to reason it out however. Naruto was there suddenly, right in front of his face. Sasuke shifted his weight and reappeared behind one of the boulders with a quick succession of turns and sprints. He leaned against it and tried to catch his breath. His shoulders were shaking with the fatigue of the fight when he felt the rock behind him give way and shift upward. His own feet joined in, moments later, but he managed to pull away from the clawing winds and control his ascent to vault off the rocks around him.

At every move, Naruto was there already or else a mere second behind him. He was grinning childishly too. Sasuke felt like an idiot. How it had taken him so long to see it was astounding. He balanced atop a floating piece of rock and quickly tore the white gi he'd chosen to wear clean off. He kept the black slacks on as he hadn't felt Naruto's fingertips on it earlier like he had the shirt. It had to have happened when Naruto and he had met up in the stands. When Naruto had taken his palm and placed his other hand on his shoulder. No wonder he had written what he had.

Naruto laughed and waved for him to examine it. Sasuke glared at him and turned the shirt around. Small, near the collar, were characters written in black ink. They were recognizable as the same characters that formed the technique for speed that Naruto had been using almost the whole fight to control where Sasuke went and appear almost instantaneously behind, in front or beside him. Sasuke glared harder and tossed the shirt to the ground brusquely. A roar had grown amongst the crowd and it filtered to him in waves now. Most of the spectators had risen to their feet at Sasuke's actions. Or rather, complete hordes of girls had screamed and clutched their hands to their mouths or chests. Sasuke closed his eyes tight and sighed heavily.

Naruto was grasping at his side, still belting out laughter while trying to swipe at his eyes simultaneously. Sasuke took the opening and rushed him, expecting to at least land some taijutsu before maybe having to freeze the insolent prick with his Sharingan. He had yet to activate it as he had thought they were marginally the same in most areas. Sasuke had more seal knowledge and more speed without the Nature chakra while Naruto had increased his stealth and strength and the amount of his more powerful techniques. But Naruto dodged Sasuke's body completely and materialized behind him again. Sasuke didn't understand it. He'd removed the shirt and Naruto shouldn't have been able to move behind him so easily without the characters to guide him, not while Sasuke had been using the same amount of speed as before and the dust from the exploding rock to hide his movements.

Suddenly, the rock began to shift again and Sasuke gripped some of it with his chakra enhanced feet only to find it turning to aim his head toward the ground. Flipping off and to the earth, he wasn't able to avoid the hit from Naruto. A heel caught him in the chest and he slid all the way to the wall. Before Sasuke could move away he felt arms wrap around him and knew rather than saw Naruto morph through the wall to capture and hold him fast from behind. Naruto's leg held his hips still while his arm encircled his shoulders and chest. Another arm, this one in front of him, held a kunai to his throat. The clone behind him, or the real Naruto, Sasuke wasn't sure which, held one of his hands steady in his own.

The Naruto in front of him grinned mischievously and Sasuke fought the urge to insult him or spit at him. He didn't like how this fight had suddenly shifted so far out of his control. Even though he was sure he would be able to acknowledge the prowess Naruto had pulled together, Sasuke had never witnessed this kind of ability from him in their training before. Naruto leaned in and Sasuke could feel his uneven breaths along his cheek. Naruto's chest rose and fell rapidly and Sasuke could now see the sweat on his brow.

"I want you to say it," Naruto whispered. The clone holding him to the wall licked the shell of his ear and Sasuke gasped out loud. He hadn't meant to. But he also hadn't expected that kind of display, and here of all places. Sasuke shifted, leveled a gaze at Naruto and a calm settled in his limbs that he felt nowhere else.

"And if I refuse?" Sasuke countered.

"Aw, Sasuke, come on," Naruto replied. There was no whine in his tone though. It was heavy and promised things Sasuke was all too fond of. Naruto shrugged while keeping the kunai gently against his throat.

"I understand what you must feel for me now. But everyone needs to know there limits, or so I keep hearing." Sasuke wasn't sure if Naruto meant it as a joke but he recognized how tired he was and the fact that he had almost no chakra left. He sighed.

"You are so going to owe me, Naruto," Sasuke threatened. Naruto nodded but the amusement in his eyes told Sasuke that they both knew just who had accomplished what during the match.

"Whatever you say, Sasuke," he said calmly.

Sasuke lifted a hand up and called out to Genma.

"I give up," he said evenly.

Genma just stood there and gaped at them.

"Are you deaf, man? I said I give up," Sasuke gritted out louder.

Genma seemed to shake himself free and declared the match over, Naruto as the winner, and the whole arena exploded in a riot of sound. But the most surprising thing had nothing to do with Naruto's constant, shining grin or the affect it had on the other leaders who all gaped down at Naruto as if they were only just now seeing him. When Sasuke and Naruto finished bowing to the dignitaries, the Elders, each other and Genma, it was he who motioned for Sasuke and Naruto to turn around. The sight that greeted them took Sasuke's breath for a moment.

All of the ninja in the stands had arisen to their feet, including the oldest families, the Hyuuga at the forefront. They all caught Naruto in their gaze, every single one of them. Sasuke glanced over at him to gauge his reaction. Naruto frowned but said and did nothing. The balled fists at his sides didn't escape Sasuke's notice though. Had he not turned to ready himself for whatever these people were planning he might have missed it. Every single ninja within the dome knelt to their feet and graced Naruto with a full cow-tow. Sasuke could not keep his jaw from dropping. A small sound from Naruto and he had to tear his eyes away to look at him. He was smiling, but it was all together different from anytime Sasuke had seen it before. It was heartbreaking in its disbelief and yet beautiful in the gravity of appreciation that Sasuke saw there. So, he did the only thing he could think of at being able to have that smile, even if it wasn't only his. He turned back to the now hushed crowd, and bowed at every single person in turn.

Naruto had carved squares into the guardrail to resemble keys of a piano. He was still riding a high from the fight and the homage of his fellow ninja, energy thrumming through his body wildly. Running his fingers along them, he mimed playing a simple concerto. Sasuke watched, running a finger up from the beginning of the board to where Naruto's fingers were, stopping just before they touched. Naruto smiled softly and glanced back at Sasuke from the corner of his eye, tilting his head back playfully.

The smile widened and Naruto's fingers traced the keys until they played at the tips of Sasuke's fingers. Sasuke pulled back only to feel Naruto's other hand reach behind him to play the same tune, one-handed, over his right hip. Growling, Sasuke swung Naruto around and grabbed a hold of his fingers, clasping them together tightly.

Naruto didn't even flinch.

"It's fun, huh?"

Kiba, who had joined them at the top row of benches along with Shikamaru and Ino, swung his head back and forth between the two confusedly.

"Uh, what's up, guys? You okay?"

The look Sasuke and Naruto exchanged as Sasuke stepped closer was lost on him. What was more, it made him nervous. Just what the hell was happening?

Sasuke's mind flittered through memories. The fight just now, Naruto's clone against his back so warm and solid, their lovemaking in the Forest of Death and so many others came into focus in his head.

Before anyone else registered the reality of the situation Sasuke had grasped Naruto's other hand in one of his and began tugging Naruto towards the back hall.

"Home, now!"

Naruto chuckled and returned the strong grip.

"Whatever, I guess playtime's over, then."

Ino glanced at Kiba and then at Shikamaru who was resolutely ignoring everything, or so it looked. She still had trouble understanding when he was actually paying attention. Their fellow ninja had gone in a swirl of wind and smoke before Kiba had even gotten an answer.

"What the hell? What was up with that?" he asked, turning to his two friends in hopes of gaining an explanation.

"Why are you asking me? It's not like Sasuke or Naruto has said two words to me since they've been back!" Ino squealed, unhappy with the queasy feeling that came over her whenever she thought about it, or Sasuke.

"If I had to guess," Shikamaru's lazy drawl filled the air, "I'd say too much tension."

Kiba rolled his eyes at him. Really, he wasn't that stupid.

"Yeah, I figured that. The question is, why? I mean, they were just fine when they faced each other a few moments ago. It looked like they were having fun, almost, instead of battling in an exam."

He did not mention the honor that he and the other ninja had paid to Naruto. It went without words what it was they all felt for him, and all that he'd strived to overcome. To Kiba, it had been an easy thing, and worth any effort, for Naruto to have accepted it after so much had been done to him. Shikamaru glanced over at the spot where his friends had disappeared from and smiled cheekily.

"Heh, who knows?" he said as he shrugged and pushed himself off of the rail.

"Hey, what does that mean?! And, where are you going? There's still one more fight left!" Kiba called after him, motioning down to where the final two ninja and Genma were now standing, in the middle of the ring.

Shikamaru waved lazily at them both and headed toward the back hall leading to the stairs and out of the building.

"Nowhere special. That last fight won't turn out all that interesting."

Ino and Kiba glanced at each other and then back at the two remaining participants. One hailed from Kusa village and the other from Kumo, but it no longer mattered. Ino shook her head and stalked off after her teammate with Kiba tagging along behind her.

"Hey, not you, too!"

Ino made an impatient gesture with her hand.

"If Shikamaru says it isn't worth watching, then it isn't. He's a genius who can read people's movements and the outcome of a fight from the very beginning, remember? He already saw those two in the preliminary rounds. I'm going home."

"Don't you want to know what he's up to, though?" Kiba shot back.

He really wanted to know what Sasuke and Naruto were doing, but feared riling the Uchiha. He would never admit such a thing out loud of course, but it was there all the same. And, he still didn't trust the guy like everyone else seemed to, even if he had helped Naruto through some of the worst injuries he'd ever heard of.

"No, I don't. He can look after himself."

"But . . ."

"Look, are you coming or not? Watching all these battles has gotten me in the mood for some training. I might even go easy on you, assuming you and your dog can keep up," she smiled mockingly at him.

At the veiled insult to Akamaru, who was waiting for him at the entrance as he was too big to fit through the doorway now, Kiba grew incensed.

"What?! That's it! Akamaru and I'll take you out in no time! But, don't worry, maybe Shikamaru will come along and save you before you get too chewed up," he taunted mercilessly.

"Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?" Ino countered, fury sharpening her tone.

The two raced along the rooftops outside towards an open training ground while Shikamaru watched, concealed in a nearby tree. At least he didn't have to worry about shaking them off his trail. He headed down the side streets towards Sasuke and Naruto's house, too curious even with his suspicions to not want a few answers on his own.

Naruto, meanwhile, crawled backwards up their staircase, Sasuke following him at every rising step. They kissed and touched and grabbed at clothes furiously. Sasuke broke away with a loud sigh and heaved in a few breaths before running his hands down Naruto's pants to his sandaled feet. He slowly, so slowly, pulled them off one at a time. Naruto watched, breathing hard, and squinted down at Sasuke through his lengthening bangs. The heat growing in his stomach and furling out nervous excitement all the way to the tips of his fingers became unbearable. As soon as Sasuke was done with his shoes, Naruto tugged him up by the shoulders and kissed him roughly. They swayed on the step and Naruto arched his back to pull Sasuke up further with him. They finally struggled to their feet a little awkwardly, still kissing, and made their way up the rest of the stairs.

At the top, Sasuke spun Naruto to hit the wall and wrestled his hands up to either side of his face, kissing his mouth slower than before. They stayed there until Sasuke couldn't breathe. And then, further down the hall and still connecting with a series of open-mouthed kisses, Naruto returned the favor. Sasuke's back slammed into the wall just outside their bedroom and he grunted but recovered quickly. He ran a knee between Naruto's legs and widened the space there. Naruto ground up against it a few times before shifting uncontrollably and gasping for air.

"Sasuke . . . love me. Now . . . I can't . . . ," Naruto mumbled into his neck as he held him close in a fierce embrace. Sasuke shuddered and rubbed his lips over Naruto's sweat soaked hair.

Their shared body heat and their arousal made their clothes insufferable. Soon they had shed all but their boxers and Sasuke had Naruto pinned at the wrists to the bed. Neither one of them stopped at the tell-tale surge of someone else's chakra outside the window. Sasuke, at least, knew exactly who it was and didn't care. He wanted to taste Naruto again, so he did. Cupping his hands gently, Sasuke pressed his hyper sensitive lips to Naruto's and nipped at them as if he hadn't done it in years. Naruto kissed back just as eagerly and spread his legs out to either side of Sasuke's hips. But, in a move that was as fluid as possible under the circumstances, Sasuke wound up straddled by Naruto who drove his hips down and forward. He rolled them again, sensuously, and Sasuke bit his lips to keep from shouting.

Sasuke took the time to shift Naruto off of him so he could hook his fingers inside his boxers and pull them down. Naruto did the same with his own shorts and their cocks touched and danced along each other, sweaty and hot. Naruto moaned and closed his eyes.

Sasuke shuddered and lifted a hand to brush away the stray wisps of hair that had gotten caught in Naruto's eyes. He could see them better now and it made him smile. Naruto moved around on the bed until he was free of his boxers and helped Sasuke do the same. Suddenly they were anchored to each other by nothing but skin . . . and it was glorious. Sasuke breathed in the scent of his lover deeply. Naruto, meanwhile, had nudged his knees apart and reached over to the nightstand to retrieve the oil. He lathered it in his hands generously and took a long time in fingering Sasuke.

First one, then two and, finally, after Sasuke began to shift at the pulse of pressure and almost pain inside, three fingers were gliding in and out slowly. Naruto leaned down to kiss him as he ran the same hand that had been inside Sasuke's ass along his cock. Sasuke swallowed hard and steeled himself for the larger pressure and pain. Naruto entered him slowly, stopping to push a little harder when he met with resistance. But it was gentle, as it had been the first time. Sasuke caressed Naruto's back and pulled him closer as he widened the birth between his legs. He felt Naruto shift and pull out slightly only to push back in hard. Sasuke gritted his teeth and rode it out for a few moments. The pressure eased and melted away. Pleasure rang up through his back and wrapped around his aching cock deftly. Sasuke moaned in Naruto's ear. Their mingled sweat left a tang in the air that Sasuke welcomed. He breathed in and out loudly and Naruto's accompanying rasps filled the quiet of their bedroom. Suddenly, Naruto drove into him harder and faster and Sasuke rolled his hips forward and up a bit to meet his thrusts. They carried on that way for mere moments before Naruto shouted hoarse and quick, once, and Sasuke felt the still strange and thick wetness of cum inside him. It wasn't long before Sasuke cried out himself, as the rhythm of thrusting slowed, and he came all over their stomachs.

Naruto listened as their breathing evened out and pulled out of Sasuke to lie on the bed next to him. Sasuke reached over the edge of the bed to grab the towel that they had used the night before after making love. He sniffed it and wrinkled his nose a little, but used it anyway to clean off. He was too tired to get up and shower at the moment. Naruto seemed of like mind as he, too, grabbed the towel and cleared semen from his slackened stomach muscles. Sasuke shivered a little in the afterglow. Hunching down to grasp at the sheets and blankets that had tangled at the foot of the bed, he snuggled into Naruto's side. Warm arms encircled his shoulders lightly and he sighed in contentment. Naruto whispered something in his ear as he felt exhaustion pulling at him. He didn't need to hear it to know what it was. He felt it from his lover all the time. The thing that weighed him down, that made it so hard to say the things he desperately wanted came creeping back into his head before he could ignore it, or better, deny its existence entirely. He whispered a response to Naruto, without thinking. And, though he wasn't conscious of exactly what he had said, Naruto had heard it clearly.

"I miss my family."

Naruto sighed, turned his body to better encapsulate Sasuke with all the warmth he could send him.

"I know," he answered quietly. "I love you."

He kissed his lover gently on the forehead, reveling in the almost salty taste, before reaching up to caress strands of his hair, still somewhat damp from sweat.

"Get some sleep, Sasuke." And the two of them drifted off together.

Outside their bedroom window, Shikamaru pulled back from the decorative shutter he was clinging to, breathing out of control. The whole scene had unfolded so rapidly, and he'd been startled by the amount of intensity that had grown between them, that he hadn't thought to dampen his chakra. He knew that they'd been aware of his presence the whole time. So, why had the Uchiha not thrown a fit? Why had Naruto not come out, embarrassment clear in every line of his body, to yell at him? Why had he stayed? Feeling guilt wrack its way through his entire body, he slid down as silently as his training dictated, and slunk back through the main village roads toward home. He had a lot to think over, a lot to be ashamed about and a lot to keep secret, if only for the sake of his friends and his own desire to keep them that way.

One last thing, I got the idea for the bit with the stairs from a film called Love and Sex, starring the talented Famke Janssen. But it was only the going up backward part, everything else is mine, mine, mine.