The final chapter has arrived! I spent a looooooong time contemplating all the different ways I could make this fic go before I finally settled on an ending. Hopefully, it's one that all of you can find satisfaction with. I tend to make remaining true to the characters' personalities a priority in writing fics, so sometimes my fans get angry at my non-fluff endings. Realism has its value, too, I say.

Whenever I sit back and think about how much has happened in the course of writing this fic, it all seems so surreal. It was supposed to be a graduation present for a girl who is now a sophomore in college. If it hadn't been for her, I never even would have had the idea. I've had two birthdays since I started this, I'm 18 now, about to leave for college myself, and a significantly different person than the 14-year-old who started a FFN account one day on a whim. My first fic on this website turned into the inspiration for my first book, and I'll never forget that. (I haven't had the fic posted on here in four years, so don't try to look for it, loves). It's weird to think about, but I've been writing on this site for FOUR ENTIRE YEARS. This is probably the first fic that most of you have read by me, but I've been around for a good chunk of time XD.

So, without any further adieu, I give you all the last chapter of Habitual Infatuation. I hope you've enjoyed watching it unfold as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I'll miss you all so much! I bid my old fans a cheery goodbye, my new ones a fond farewell (I wish we'd had more time together!), and hope that you all give the same loving, clever, energetic, and utterly unique support to the thousands of other aspiring writers on this site. We all have to start somewhere. I love, love, LOVE you all, and thank you so much.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Or a mansion. Lolz.

For Sora-chan and Tsumi-chan. Forever isn't long enough to hold a friendship like ours.

Habitual Infatuation .:. Chapter Eleven

Naruto scanned the woods around him nervously, blue eyes peering into every dark corner in an attempt to identify the chakra he sensed.

"Sasuke?" he called uncertainly. His voice echoed emptily around him. He would swear he was alone if it weren't for the unshakable feeling of another's presence. Was he losing his mind? He doubted Sasuke would return so quickly after the way he'd fled before. The dark-haired ninja could have rivaled a magic act with the way he'd disappeared. So…who was it that stalked him from the shadows?

"Sakura?" No answer. Not even a whisper of breeze could be heard. The forest was dead silent. Naruto was beginning to feel stupid. If he really was just imagining things, he was glad no one was around to hear him shouting at the forest like a crazy person. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the trees, as if he blamed them. He decided to try one more time.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Ah, finally you guess correctly."

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin as a warm voice tickled his ear. He turned around so quickly it actually threw off his equilibrium, and he had to wait for his head to stop spinning before he could see clearly. Kakashi was standing in front of him. Literally, directly in front of him, just a few inches away. The older ninja's eyes were sparkling with a smile that was covered by the mask he wore over his mouth. Something about that smile unnerved Naruto. His teacher was just a little too happy, like he was planning something.

Suspiciously, Naruto moved a step away and uncrossed his arms. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei. What are you doing here?"

"When I returned to our campsite with water, Sakura already had a fire going, but Sasuke and you were still missing," Kakashi explained calmly and a little impatiently, as if this story was something he had to get through before he could move on to more important things. "I left to figure out what was taking so long." He chuckled in a way that filled Naruto with discomfort. "I half expected to find you two having sex in the woods somewhere."

Naruto's cheeks immediately turned an insane shade of red. Of course Kakashi knew that Sasuke and he were lovers, but he hadn't expected his teacher to just come out and say it like that. How embarrassing, especially considering Sasuke had just run off without him.

Naruto shifted his weight from foot to foot and mumbled, "Don't hold your breath, you pervert. Somehow I doubt Sasuke and I will be doing... that anymore."

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow, looking intrigued. "Trouble in paradise? You two certainly seemed cozy enough when I walked in on Sasuke's little love confession earlier. Don't tell me he's already denying it?"

Naruto's face turned even hotter; Kakashi could feel the radiating warmth from where he stood.

"He didn't take it back, but he didn't confirm it either. He wouldn't talk about it at all, and then he ran off and left me here. I guess he was just fucking with my head after all."

Kakashi was mildly touched by the obvious pain in Naruto's voice, but not enough to deter him from his plan. He knew quite well that the feelings these boys had for each other would die off if left on their own. Both young shinobi were too prideful for their own good, too scarred by their separate pasts, and far too mistrustful. That was why Kakashi had chosen to step in, in his own special way.

"Poor Naruto; you're learning a lesson about relationships the hard way. Was Sasuke your first?" Kakashi asked casually.

Naruto's head shot up as if Kakashi had punched him. His eyes widened with surprise. He knew Kakashi had no shame, but now they were getting into personal questions. "Um…" Naruto stammered, torn between his desire to obey his teacher and his desire to tell Kakashi to mind his own business. "Yeah… he was my first. I don't think I was his, but…" Naruto trailed off, far too embarrassed to say anything more.

Kakashi touched a hand to his chin, clearly thinking. When he spoke again, all the blush in Naruto's cheeks drained away. "Do you think maybe he's hesitating because you're so inexperienced?"

"What… what do you mean by that?" Naruto was incredulous. Such an idea had never occurred to him, and to hear it from Kakashi was just plain weird.

"What if Sasuke feels guilty for taking your virginity?" Kakashi continued calmly, as if the subject matter was not the least bit delicate to him. "The first person you have sex with stays with you forever, no matter how many partners follow her, or him in your case." Naruto turned red again, but Kakashi ignored it and continued. "What if Sasuke feels you're too inexperienced to satisfy him sexually? Sex is half the relationship, after all. Plenty of people find someone they're attracted to emotionally only to discover they're not attracted to them sexually, and it ruins the relationship."

Naruto was nearly speechless, but not quite. "Do you think… that's why Sasuke ran away? He didn't like what we did?" His heart clenched painfully at the thought, but what Kakashi said made sense. Maybe he was just too inexperienced for a lover like Sasuke. Maybe that was enough to make Sasuke change his mind about how he felt.

"Oh, I'm sure you're a fine lover, Naruto, or at least that you could be with some practice." Kakashi patted Naruto on the back, which did not make the blond feel the least bit better. "Sasuke and you obviously have a lot of chemistry, and chemistry can go a long way towards spicing up your sex life. The real problem is learning the moves, the little things that you can do to make any person's toes curl." Kakashi winked down at him, which immediately made Naruto feel like a little boy caught trying on his father's clothes. Kakashi, perverted as he was, must have had hundreds of lovers in his lifetime.

"Kakashi…" Naruto hesitated, not fully believing that he was really going to ask this next question, "do you think you could tell me how to be a good lover? I mean, so Sasuke might… I mean…" He couldn't continue. He really just couldn't. This way beyond embarrassing. This was downright humiliating. How had he dared to ask such a thing?

He opened his mouth to take back the request, when suddenly the air around him shifted. He felt an arm slip around his waist and warm breath blow through his hair. He stiffened, not fully accepting what was happening.

Kakashi's words tickled his ear again. "Why would I tell you when I could show you?"

Naruto's mouth fell open in shock. Was Kakashi really suggesting such a thing? It was beyond inappropriate. It broke just about every code of conduct that ninjas had. It was completely unheard of.

It… was no more unacceptable than his relationship with Sasuke.

Naruto's heart thudded in his chest as he realized this could really happen. If he refused Kakashi, his teacher might decide to separate Sasuke and him after all. Kakashi had the power to make their lives miserable, or make them blissful. What if Kakashi really could teach him to be a great lover? What if… that was all it took to make Sasuke love him?

Naruto tilted his chin up, hardly daring to look his teacher in the face. Kakashi was still smiling, but both of his hands were drifting slowly over his student's body, massaging the hard muscles and taut skin. Naruto found that he wasn't totally disgusted by the touch. He wasn't in any way attracted to Kakashi—or to any man other than Sasuke—but if he thought about the touch as a learning experience and not as something sexual, he found he could easily stomach it. This wasn't the worst thing he was willing to do for Sasuke, he realized with a start.

Slowly, the young ninja raised his hands to his teacher's body, copying the way Kakashi was touching him. "So…" he whispered uncertainly, "you'll teach me?" He caressed Kakashi's skin through his uniform slowly, imagining that he was touching Sasuke instead. Kakashi leaned down and brushed his lips across Naruto's through his mask, exhaling slowly in a way that made the blond shiver. This, he would admit: Kakashi definitely had skill in the area of lovemaking. Naruto could feel goosebumps popping up on his skin wherever his teacher touched him. He was getting aroused, whether he liked it or not, and they were just getting started.

Kakashi kept his lips just barely touching Naruto's. "I'll do it…but under one condition."

Naruto looked surprised, widening his eyes to silently ask what the condition was.

"You have to tell me exactly how you feel about Sasuke." Kakashi's hands dipped lower to caress the small of Naruto's back and slowly slid around to his inner thigh. "You have to assure me that you're doing this for the right reasons, and that your feelings for him aren't going to change because you have another lover." The blond ninja sighed when his teacher touched him in such an intimate place. It felt so forbidden. However good it felt, his mind stayed focused on Kakashi's words.

Naruto's stomach sunk slightly at the words "another lover". He didn't really want "another lover". Somehow he'd thought it was possible to learn from Kakashi without taking "another lover". When his teacher reminded him that it wasn't, the entire illusion shattered and sent an uncomfortable twinge into his stomach. This is wrong, but what other choice do I have?

He took a deep breath to steady himself and then looked up at his teacher. "I love Sasuke."

Kakashi looked surprised at his student's boldness but did not speak, inviting the boy to continue.

"When we first arrived here, I didn't know what love was." Naruto's hands stilled on his teacher's body. "I thought love didn't exist. I thought it was something humans created to bring them comfort. I wasn't completely wrong, but I had a lot of things mixed up. Love is created, but it's created by effort and willingness to do things for the person you love. Love is feeling pain when your partner feels pain, and wanting to do anything you can to make that pain go away. I don't want Sasuke to ever be hurt again, not because it's my problem, but because it's our problem. I could leave him to his own heartache if I wanted, but that would hurt me just as much as anything else. I realize now that love isn't about being selfish, it's about being selfless. If Sasuke wants me to be a better lover, than I'll do anything to make that happen, because I know it will make him happy. I'd do just about anything to make him happy… because I love him. I truly love him."

Naruto smiled, his eyes distant. "I think perhaps that's why I always fought so hard to be his equal. I wanted to be good enough for him. Perhaps…I've loved him all this time and just never realized it."

Naruto took a breath. It felt strangely liberating to say it out loud. "I love his flaws as much as I love his perfections, which is why I know this love is real. I love his pride, and I love his anger, because they give him depth and they make him who he is. I love his past, and I love his future. I want to be a part of that future, though I may not be a big part. I even love the dark places in his heart that he tries to keep hidden, because I want to take those places and bring light to them. I understand now that when you find the right person, it's no longer just about you. It's about us."

Naruto stopped, feeling lighter than before. Kakashi was smiling in a way that once more made Naruto feel uneasy. "That was exactly what I needed to hear," the teacher chuckled. "I'm sorry to inform you of this, Naruto, but we will not be having sex now, or ever. I know this is a horrible loss on your part, but you'll figure out why in a moment. You've said exactly what you needed to say, and I wish you and Sasuke the best of luck in the future. And now, I need to bring the little bastard out of hiding."

Before Naruto could begin to comprehend what his teacher was saying, Kakashi swept down, pulled his mask a little to the side, and kissed Naruto so thoroughly it made him dizzy. Not two seconds later, a black blur swept between the two, and Naruto watched with wide eyes as Kakashi was carried several feet away from him. It looked downright comical to see his teacher flying through the air, as if by magic, after having just been quite passionately kissed by him.

Could this situation get any weirder?

"You perverted bastard!" a voice exclaimed, and the thudding sound of punches followed immediately afterwards.

Naruto quickly identified the voice as Sasuke's, and realized that the black blur now attacking his teacher had to be the other ninja.

"Calm down, Sasuke, I was only trying to help!" Kakashi ducked around a series of furious blows aimed at his face.

"I should kill you for daring to even touch Naruto, let alone kiss him!" The black blur slowed just enough for Naruto to see that it was indeed Sasuke, looking like a pale god in the midst of a tremendous fit of rage.

"I know you heard every word, little student of mine," Kakashi managed to say calmly even as the attack never slowed. "Don't you have something more important to do right now than throw punches?"

At that, the black blur disappeared, revealing Sasuke in its place with one hand gripping Kakashi's vest and the other drawn back into a fist. Slowly, the black-haired boy released his teacher and took a deep breath before turning around to face Naruto. The blond sucked in a deep breath. Sasuke was looking at him so intensely his heart skipped a beat.

In a flash, Sasuke appeared before him, and their eyes locked together.

"Naruto, there's something I need to say to you." Sasuke's voice was no louder than a whisper.

Naruto's muscles stiffened with anxiety. "Yes?"

Sasuke paused for a moment—he seemed to be thinking very hard—and then said, "I'm sorry I left before like I did. I was afraid of the truth, more afraid than I've ever been of anything. Neither of us have had an easy time with love in the past, so I hope you'll understand and forgive my indecision."

Naruto took a queasy breath and nodded. Sasuke continued, "I heard what Kakashi-sensei was saying to you, and that pervert is an idiot." He threw an acidic look over his shoulder at their teacher, to which Kakashi responded with a nonchalant shrug. "I don't regret what we did for a single instant…and it was my first time, too." Naruto had to admit to being mildly surprised. He didn't know a whole lot about sex, but to him it seemed Sasuke was a natural.

Sasuke continued, "There's no one in the world that I would rather have as my first than you. My body told me things that my heart didn't understand. The way it felt to be with you was more than just chemistry. Sex and love are meant to walk hand in hand, and only when combined do you get something like what we have." Sasuke's lips twitched into a smile. "I may not be experienced in either area, but I think I know enough to say there's something amazing between us."

Naruto blushed and nodded again, finding himself suddenly lost for words. Did this mean what he thought it meant?

Sasuke leaned close and nuzzled his face into Naruto's soft hair. "After I left you before, I realized the mistake I'd made almost immediately. I came back to try and fix things, only to find you standing with Kakashi-sensei. You can't begin to understand how it made me feel to see him touching you, to see you touching him back, even if you thought you were doing it for me." Sasuke pulled back and looked Naruto in the eye. "I never want to see you with someone else. You're mine and mine alone, from this day onward. Everything that you said…the things you were willing to do for me… I feel the same. I want you to know, Naruto, that I love you. I completely and truly love you."

He kissed Naruto softly, breathing in his sweet scent. With a twinge of nervousness, he waited for Naruto to respond.

The blond smiled slowly. "I love you too, Sasuke. Now, how are we going to explain this to Sakura?" Both boys burst out laughing.

Kakashi joined them, walking over and slapping them both on the back. "She'll get over it eventually. And if not, we could always just leave her here and hope that some forest-dweller comes along to woo her. Perhaps the forest would work the same magic on her that it worked on you two."

Still chuckling, the three men walked leisurely back to their campsite, watching their shadows slanting along the ground in front of them. Two of the shadows held wispy hands, blending together in the same way their owners lives were now blended together forever. And unlike the fleeting shadows, the love those two lives shared would not fade with the setting of the sun.

The End.