Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective author. The original characters and plot are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. No copyright infringement is intended.

Sasuke groaned and buried himself further under the warmth currently surrounding him. He could hear laughter…it was faint, but with every passing moment it grew louder and louder. He opened his eyes to find a pair of silky black boxers lay inches from his face, thoughts of last night came rushing back to him and he smiled; today would be a good day, he thought. Sighing, the raven turned over – onto his back – and stretched before forcing himself out of bed; the sleeping bag that is. The tent was empty and Sasuke guessed that Naruto had woken earlier - as always - and was with the others outside...he was probably the one making the most noise. The raven couldn't tell if the people laughing hysterically were Naruto and Kiba or Naruto and Lee. Nevertheless he continued to pull a set of clothes out of his rucksack and dress himself for the day ahead.

He chose a pair of loose white shorts, along with a loose black t-shirt; complete with the usual Uchiha symbol on the back. He didn't bother putting shoes on and headed outside – after making sure he looked alright – to discover who had woken him up. As he stepped through the zip of the tent he first noticed the raging heat…it would likely be another heat wave like it had been the other day. Sasuke didn't like being hot, he preferred coldness; it wasn't as uncomfortable and you could wrap yourself in extra clothing; when in warmth you could only remove your clothing and then you were restricted to how much you could take off before being naked.

The second thing he noticed was that it had been Naruto and Lee who had been laughing. Situated in the centre of the area, surrounded by tents, were four of his friends; Naruto, Kiba, Lee and Ino all sat together on a large purple blanket. Naruto was currently sprawled out on his back – he was wearing nothing but a pair of orange cargo shorts…they reached his calf and seemed a few sizes larger than they should be – and was rolling around bawling with laughter; his eyes were watering and he looked like he was struggling to breathe. Lee was also laughing, but not to the extent that Naruto was. Kiba seemed extremely embarrassed and when Sasuke looked twice he noticed that Ino was in fact giggling along – although silently - with the other two idiots.

Sasuke shook his head and progressed towards them…after noticing his presence Naruto straightened himself and immediately grinned happily. "Heya, sleepy head! God, do you know what time it is?" he attempted to sound irritated, but Sasuke could see through his charade. "Hn," was his simple reply before he settled himself down onto the blanket next to his boyfriend.

"Saaaaasuke. You should have been up earlier; we've been up for ages!"

"Why, dobe? We're on holiday."

"Because then you wouldn't be wasting the time off!"

"…"

"Well?"

"Tch, Naruto you're so dense. What's happening today?"

"Huh?"

The other three who lay on the blanket began to snicker at the bickering going on between the two lovers. Realizing that Naruto was not going to answer; Lee decided to speak up for his blond friend and answer Sasuke's question…"Today we are going swimming! It is such a beautiful day; a day meant for splashing in the waves of youth. Such is the-" The youthful teen's speech was cut short as an angry voice bellowed from inside one of the nearby tents.

"Lee! What have I told you about rambling on about youth?!" It was unmistakably Sakura's voice. Lee shut his mouth instantly and his eyes fell to the floor. Naruto almost felt sorry for the guy…Sakura could be so demanding and when it came to Lee, he really didn't have much to say in the relationship; though he knew the boy was happy and that was all that mattered to the blond.

"We didn't bring swimming suits, Lee. How can we go swimming without suits?" Sakura asked as she emerged from her tent, her body was wrapped in a thin yellow dress with pink flowers on it. Behind her was Hinata Hyuuga, dressed much the same as Sakura; her dress was blue. Though there was the unmistakably large bump that made the flamingo haired kunoichi stand out.

"Sakura-chan, why not just wear underwear…it's basically the same thing as a bikini isn't it?" Naruto piped up, earning curious glances from the three girls before they smiled sweetly.

"Gosh, Naruto. You're right" Ino said before she stood up and rushed into her tent to 'get ready', the other girls merely turned around and re-entered the tent they had previously been in. Kiba sat stunned for a moment before mumbling under his breath "That's not fair…I would have got slapped if I'd said that." To which Sasuke snorted, though he was the only one who had heard the dog lover.

"Well I'm just gonna wear this." Naruto patted his shorts before turning to Sasuke with a curious look adorning his whiskered face.

"I'll take my top off when we get there." The stoic boy gave his answer in an uninterested tone.

Lee - who was wearing his green suit like usual – retreated into his tent to change into something a little more appropriate.

Kiba quickly stated that he would do the same as Sasuke. Something seemed to remind Naruto of his father-figure and Kakashi as Sasuke moved closer to him…he told Sasuke quickly that he was going to get the two from their tent and before his stoic boyfriend had time to argue the blond was away. The tent the two sensei's were occupying was a red colour…slightly orange but darker and it was a little bit away from the other tents; slightly like Naruto and Sasuke's but farther. Naruto approached with out caution and immediately burst through the open zipper. The scene that awaited him was shocking – to say the least - for the oblivious blond boy.

Iruka squirmed slightly under the touch of the silver haired Jounin. He felt smoldering hot – despite the fact that both men were only wearing underwear - and he couldn't stop the pants gasping from his throat. He faintly felt bad for keeping their relationship a secret but he really wasn't ready for the world to know…he had only recently discovered his feelings anyway; there was no need to rush. The Chuunin hissed as he felt his boyfriend bite into his neck, but the pain was quickly replaced with pleasure as Kakashi sucked and licked at the mark he had made. Iruka couldn't hold in a giggle though, when Kakashi ran his hands up and down the smaller mans sides; it tickled. That was when he took the time to push the silver haired Jounin off of himself and sat up straight only to see Naruto – looking rather shocked and lost for words – staring wide-eyed at the two from the entrance.

"Oh, shit. Naruto!" he yelled desperately.

"I-I…I um…came to…uh…tell you that we're all…um…we're all going to the river to swim so you guys should get ready and…and meet us out there as soon as you can." Naruto stuttered out before disappearing back through the zipper. As soon as Naruto was gone all the colour in Iruka's face seemed to drain. Kakashi waited for the explosion but when none came he grew worried…shuffling closer to his dolphin-chan once again he was surprised that the man flinched slightly before jumping to his feet and hurrying to get ready. A pain made itself known in the Jounin's chest; Iruka had flinched. Kakashi had only inched closer slightly and his boyfriend had actually flinched. He frowned before storming out of the tent – pained again when Iruka showed him no reaction and completely ignored the silver haired man's actions.

"Ne, Sasuke?" Naruto began as he slowed his pace to walk with the raven. The rest of the group – everyone was there – were ahead of the couple now; all on the way to the river. "I-is there something going on between Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei?"

Sasuke chuckled a little…"What makes you ask me that?" he smiled at the boy beside him as the blond blushed considerably whilst thinking of a good way to explain what he had seen without freaking his lover out too much.

Naruto cleared his throat before he started. "When I went to tell them about coming here…they were kinda in the middle of…things." Naruto stopped his explanation there but it seemed Sasuke was not taking the hint.

"…sexual things," he elaborated.

"Oh? Then I guess there's no harm in telling you; they are boyfriends."

"What?!" Naruto yelled, frowning at the thought 'why didn't Iruka-sensei tell me about this?'

"Yes. I don't know how long it's been going on for, but…Iruka seems to be a very private person and so he refuses to tell anybody of their relationship."

"But…why would Iruka-sensei not want people to know. It doesn't make any sense to me."

Sasuke merely nodded in response – it made sense to him; he could see that Iruka was obviously afraid of people's reactions. But although Sasuke knew what the man was feeling he had absolutely no idea why…the Uchiha had never been concerned with the thoughts of others – he took Naruto's hand in his and pulled the smaller boy to a stop. He kissed the jinchuuriki lightly before whispering that everything would work out for their teachers. If not then it was never meant to be. Naruto smiled at his boyfriends sweet gesture and resumed walking – his hand still linked with Sasuke's – towards their destination.

A few steps ahead of the teens, was Kakashi, he watched the ground with each step he took. He was feeling extremely down after what had happened at the tent; Iruka had acted as though he really didn't care about what the silver haired Jounin thought or felt. 'Then again, perhaps he doesn't care. Maybe I got this all wrong.' The man thought solemnly 'I was always bugging him about my feelings and maybe…maybe he just said yes because he wanted me to stop bothering him. That's probably the reason; it would explain all his strange behavior.' Kakashi sighed at the thought; he would need to finish with his dolphin if that was the case; there was no way he could go on knowing that the man he loved truly did not love him back. He peered to his right, passed the two girls – Sakura and Ino - between him and his boyfriend, and took a long look at the man; he seemed lost in thought.

Iruka watched the trees as they passed with glazed eyes. He tried to navigate his thoughts away from a certain masked man. But he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried Kakashi kept creeping into his head. He had been awfully harsh to the silver-haired man this morning; Iruka was aware of this. He was scared now though. What if Naruto told people about the relationship? What would the others say? What would his friends think? Iruka could not comprehend how that situation would turn out.

He did not want people to hate him because of his sexual orientation. This worried him even more now that his 'son' had seen him with Kakashi. He knew the blond would not see reason to keep the matter secret. And how could Iruka possibly explain to Naruto – who was obviously gay, himself – that he was afraid of negative reactions to his sexual preference. There was no way Naruto would understand unless he told him straightly…'some people don't like people like us…some people will hate me because I love another man'…yeh, cause he could really see that going well. Naruto would definitely take offence if he came out with something like that. The last thing he wanted to do was upset the blond.

Iruka shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. 'Why can't our relationship be perfect like Naruto and Sasuke's? Well…as close to perfect as you can get.' To make matters worse for the emotional Iruka; he knew it was entirely his fault. He was the one being difficult and he was the one being cold. To be honest he was rather ashamed of himself…what must Kakashi think? Kakashi…who really was a good guy; even in all his perverseness.

"Ahhhhh!" Hinata screamed as Ino splashed water over her dainty form. The two girls were having a war to see who could splash the other more. At the moment Ino was definitely winning; Hinata barely managed to stop screaming as she held her arms up to shield her face from the cool water.

Sakura giggled at the scene…she was at the side of the river; watching all her friends play. Lee was with her – at her back with his arms around her bloated belly – and was also laughing, but not at the girls. Lee was laughing at another event that was taking place further down the bank.

Sasuke stood gazing at the sky. His boyfriend had insisted that he enter the water but he had refused persistently. Naruto would not give up though and even though the raven wasn't sure of the boy's whereabouts, he knew the blond was up to no good; he never was. The sun was shining brightly and Sasuke was glad he wasn't wearing much, even with his t-shirt still on. He knew he would be cooler if he went into the river but he was too stubborn. It was childish to play around like that.

He turned his gaze to the water again and found that Kiba was in there…and he was talking with Kakashi. Iruka was there too but he seemed distracted and was standing further away from everyone. Sasuke vaguely realized that Naruto was usually with Kiba when he wasn't with the Uchiha. As soon as the thought passed through his mind, however, it was gone and replaced by shock as a force made contact with his back. The push sent him stumbling forwards and he tumbled into the water; thoroughly annoyed. Once he gained his composure he turned sharply to the culprit to come face-to-face with a half-naked-and-wet Naruto. He almost drooled, but controlled himself.

As soon as reality hit him he sent a death glare to his boyfriend who grinned sheepishly before running towards the water. Sasuke knew immediately what was coming. And he didn't want it. "No! Naruto stop! Don't do…" But it was too late as the boy jumped into the air before curling into a ball and hitting the water – precisely in front of Sasuke - with a crash. He caused waves of water to flow over the rest of the occupants before he surfaced to see his boyfriend; Sasuke. Who looked extremely pissed off and irritated. The Uchiha swore he would murder Naruto one day. The blond took time to survey his lover as he smiled sheepishly at the boy…The raven hair that usually spiked up behind his head was dripping wet and clinging to his head; the weight of the water caused his hair to hang at his neck as water dribbled down his face and chest. The spring water gathered around his torso, exposing his upper chest – clad in a wet t-shirt that gripped at his lean body - to the warm air.

The one thing that distracted the blond from studying the Uchiha was the laughing that was coming from Rock Lee at the side of the river…he had been watching the entire thing and Naruto grinned at his achievement. As soon as Sasuke saw the grin he seemed to snap. Stripping himself of his t-shirt and tossing the garment out of the river, he tossed himself at his boyfriend and tackled the blond under the water as they began one of their regular 'spars' though both would admit that they never really went all out on the other any more. It was mostly just playful.

Iruka watched the ripples running through the water from the ruckus ahead of him. He could hear the yells coming from each of the boys who were fighting and the screeching resonating through the area from Ino and Hinata. He could even hear the voices of the men talking right next to him. But he wasn't paying attention. He was thinking – yet again – about the situation concerning Kakashi and Naruto.

He had made a decision and would talk to the blond immediately. He hoped to god that the knucklehead understood without things becoming difficult. Disregarding the sprawl that the boy was in with his boyfriend, Iruka trudged through the water until he got to the flailing teens.

"Naruto."

Both boys stopped to look at the person whose voice they had just heard. Seeing Iruka, the couple looked at each other as if confirming that it was their former sensei before looking curiously back at the man.

"I need to talk with you please"

"Um, ok." He replied and after sending Sasuke a confused gaze he got out of the water and followed his father figure as the older man lead him a little into the woods. He stopped when they reached a small patch with a large log to sit on…both could still hear the noises coming from the river as they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So um, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Naruto asked, blushing slightly and averting his gaze as he remembered what he had seen hours before.

"About Kakashi and me," he replied with a serious look on his face…

"I don't want you to tell anyone what you saw. I'd prefer it if word didn't get around. And also…I'm sorry you had to see that, heh."

"Oh, it's ok Iruka-sensei. I wouldn't tell anyone anyways, that's you're business! But why won't you tell people…I though you would have told me when you guys started dating."

"Well…it's complicated."

Naruto only stared dumbly at the other 'how on earth is it complicated? I wonder if there's something wrong with them' Naruto immediately looked worried and Iruka noticed. He sighed; this was going to be harder than he had hoped.

"I'm not comfortable with people knowing that I'm in a relationship with Kakashi…"

"Cause' he's a pervert?"

"No,"

"Cause' he's lazy?"

"No,"

"Cause' he's always acting so cool?"

"No"

Naruto gasped, "Don't tell me it's cause he's bad in bed?"

Iruka's face glowed bright red at the remark and he immediately answered "Of course not!"

Naruto started looking confused…he obviously was running out of bad points about his former sensei.

"Cause' of that rivalry between him and Gai?"

"No, Naruto look its nothing like that really..."

"Is it cause' you're embarrassed of him?"

When Naruto's answer was silence, he frowned…did that mean yes?

"It's not that I'm embarrassed of him. It's just…" He was desperately hoping that the blond would get his point soon so that he wouldn't have to spell it out. Naruto blinked a few times and tilted his head to the side…he really didn't understand.

"It's because he's another guy, Naruto."

Iruka worried momentarily that Naruto would be offended by the comment but it passed when he saw Naruto tilt his head to the other side and lift an eyebrow.

"Ehhhh? I don't get it Iruka-sensei."

The Chuunin sighed and closed his eyes; he was digging a hole…

"I just don't know if I am comfortable with people knowing that I'm gay." …a big hole.

"Why not?"

"Because I just realized it myself and I'm a little insecure about people disliking me because of it."

"Why would they dislike you because you didn't know you were gay?"

"No, people will dislike me because I am gay."

"Why?"

"Because some people don't like people like us."

"But why not?"

"Because they are idiots!"

"They can't be Idiots…if they were idiots then you wouldn't care what they think."

Iruka was caught of guard. He hadn't expected such a thing from Naruto. But he knew those words were true. He couldn't explain to the blond why he cared…He knew Naruto cared what people thought of him; that's why he had always desperately wanted to be Hokage. That was the reason he hadn't wanted to explain this topic to the jinchuuriki.

"Because I don't want people hating me. Please understand Naruto; a lot of people don't like gay couples…especially guys."

"So?"

"What do you mean so?! How can you sit there and say that, I know you care about what people think of you!"

"Yeh, I do care about what people think. I still don't get your point though…people don't hate me and Sasuke."

"Yes they do! They just don't show it!" As soon as the words left Iruka's mouth, he immediately wanted to take them back. He watched Naruto closely and could tell by the look on the boys face that he was not happy. 'Oh, shit. I've upset him now. God, Iruka, you fool! Look what you've done to Naruto. But why doesn't he look sad? He doesn't look happy but he doesn't look sad; he looks annoyed. Why would Naruto look annoyed now?'

"Look. Iruka. I think you need to calm down." He said in a soft voice, caring and seemingly sweet.

"I am cal-"

"Would you please just shut the fuck up a minute?" Naruto growled out through clenched teeth, a calm expression on his whiskered face. The blond was mad, really angry at what Iruka had said…as if the boy didn't know that people didn't like his relationship. He did not need to be told - by someone who he looked to as a father no less - just how horrible and unacceptable his sexual orientation was. He was quite aware, though he really didn't have a clue why he was bubbling with anger at the statement. He would never usually get so aggravated over something so small. He pushed the thought aside though; he was far to irritated to care. Iruka promptly shut his mouth; not once in his whole life had he ever seen Naruto act this way…it was as if he was a whole different person.

"People hate me. People hate you. People hate Sasuke. People hate Kakashi. People hate Sakura. A god damn lot of people hate Kiba! I hate people. You hate people. Everyone hates people for different reasons. If someone hates me for having Kyuubi inside of me, I'll admit I care…it hurts to be hated for something you cannot control. If someone hates me for being in love with another guy, I'll admit I care…because it hurts to be hated for something you can't control. But people will hate me whether I'm gay or not so why the hell should I think about it so god damn much that it starts to ruin my relationship with someone I care about. That's stupid and I would only get hurt more in the process!"

Naruto took a shaky breath, he had not breathed through the entire lecture. His face was red and he looked really pissed off. Iruka just stared at him; everything he said made perfect sense…he had only come here to tell Naruto to keep his mouth closed and yet now he was seriously questioning his sanity. How could he have been so stupid? He would need to talk with Kakashi later and explain that he thought they should start telling people. Their friends first, then perhaps just let things happen. He smiled, it felt good to finally let go of all the hiding, and he could practically feel the relief flushing through his body.

Iruka smiled pulled Naruto into a hug. The blond still seemed aggravated so he rubbed the boys back while admitting that he was right and he thanked him for the great advice. Naruto nodded before silently getting up and heading back to the water.

For the rest of the afternoon the group splashed around in the river. Sasuke stayed at the side mostly, with his lover in his arms. Naruto hadn't spoken a word since he returned from the woods with Iruka. As soon as the blond came back he went straight into the water and leaned against the side. Sasuke hadn't taken long to approach him and when he did he was ignored for several minutes before the younger boy pushed him between himself and the side – where Naruto had been moments before – and used him to lean on instead.

They had stayed like that for a few hours now…not that Sasuke minded; this was exactly the kind of things he liked to do with Naruto. Just lay together, peacefully. He was worried about the blonde's health though…after the tears yesterday and now this silence.

The two watched as their friends continued to splash around. Hinata, Ino, Kiba and Lee were fighting in the water; Lee held Ino atop his shoulder as Kiba did the same to Hinata. They navigated through the splashing water while the girls clung onto each other – both trying to get the other to fall. It was a funny scene to watch. Iruka and Sakura were standing just meters from the couple and were engrossed in baby talk. Kakashi however, was no where in sight. Sasuke paid the latter no mind at all, why should he care where the guy was. What he did care about however was the chills that were rolling around his body; it had cooled down now that it was evening and everyone seemed to notice. The water was turning feverishly cold.

Considering that Naruto might be feeling the temperature also, Sasuke wrapped his arms tighter around the blond, resting his head on the jinchuuriki's shoulder as he whispered in his ear. "Are you cold?" The raven waited a moment, hoping for an answer but at the same time not expecting one…it really was strange the way Naruto was acting though. He sighed and buried his face in the crook of his boyfriend's neck; Naruto's fluffy blond hair tickled his cheek slightly. Both teens' upper bodies had completely dried since they had not been submerged for hours.

An ear piercing screech echoed through the area before a blonde flash hit the water with a splash. Lee - who had been holding the girl - also ended up being pulled under by the force. Hinata smiled in victory before being dipped back into the flowing river. Ino emerged from the liquid and immediately began shivering, complaining that it was 'sooooo cooooold' before she scrambled out of the river and sat at the edge. Hinata also shivered slightly – must have been because they had been out of the water so long they hadn't realized the change in temperature – and clung onto Kiba.

Lee re-appeared right next to Sakura, to the girls shock. He picked her up and carried her out of the water. Seeing that everyone was leaving, Sasuke gently gave a squeeze to his lover and began getting out of the lake also. Naruto followed behind to see that Iruka was already out as well.

"Well, guys looks like we should go now since it's later, not to mention colder. Plus I'm starved!" Kiba yelled from behind as he helped his girl out of the water.

"Yosh! Let us head back to camp my youthful friends!" Lee promptly agreed and burst happily into the woods. The rest followed at a slower pace, Sasuke and Naruto walked last - since the Uchiha had needed to pick up his top - with their fingers laced together. All were extremely worn out – with the exception of Sasuke, Iruka and Kakashi, wherever he was – and tired from their strenuous activities…well, not all were tired because of that. Naruto was absolutely shattered. On top of that he didn't feel like talking to anyone. He just wanted to wallow and then sleep. Sleep a long, long time if he could. Kakashi appeared beside Iruka with a 'poof' and a cloud of smoke. Iruka did not say anything but he smiled slightly… though Kakashi did not see it.

Naruto stared at the fire as it flickered and cascaded light into the dark camping area they were all sitting in. The group was currently around the fire that had been made a while ago to cook upon and serve as a light, calmly eating their food. Silence had consumed them for the moment but Naruto knew he was getting a few worried looks sent his way – no doubt from his boyfriend – and no doubt it was because he had not touched the food in front of him at all.

Sasuke sighed as he continued devouring his meal. He genuinely had no idea what was wrong with his blond and that annoyed him greatly. He put down the stick that his food had been on a moment before. Turning to look at Naruto he whispered lightly so that only the boy could hear.

"Do you want to go to bed now?"

He received only a nod in return before the Jinchuuriki stood up and walked into his tent. Sasuke muttered 'goodnight's to everyone and a 'thank you' to Hinata for cooking the food on the open fire.

"Hey does anyone know what's wrong with Naruto?" Sakura questioned as soon as she heard the zip being closed to the boys' tent. Everyone just shook their heads numbly and finished eating before they all retreated to their own tents for the night; it seemed the days activities had worn everyone out beyond belief.

As the group fell asleep in silence, each seemed to be hoping for something better than they had…

Iruka was wishing he could sort everything that had happened that morning with Kakashi out, as was his boyfriend who lay with his back pressed against the Chuunin's, though Kakashi had a feeling the two would not be a couple for much longer and he also hoped he was wrong…

Hinata and Kiba were wishing that her family would never find out about them and ruin their relationship. They wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, yet knew – painfully - that it was not possible due to her status…

Lee was hoping that his soon-to-be-born child would pop out soon so that he could start teaching the baby about all the wonders of youth that his wondrous sensei Gai had told him. While Sakura was wishing the same thing, for different reasons; she just couldn't wait to hold the bumble of joy within her arms and watch lovingly as her child grew up...

Sasuke was wishing that he knew what was wrong with his partner. He detested not knowing things and wanted so much to be able to read the blonde's mind. Naruto was only wishing he could figure out what was wrong with him. His newly confused emotions were a pain in the ass for the boy...

Ino was already asleep and dreamed of a day when she too would be happily in love like all her friends seemed to be.

Nobody knew what the next day would have in store for them. All they could do was wait until morning and hope above all that their dreams would come true.

Gosh! That chapter was really hard to write, especially the ending. I'm not sure why but I took so much longer than usual and I apologies hehe and again, like always…I hope you enjoyed Xx..xX