I've always struggled to find things to say, and now I have lots to say, so bear with me.

1. As you may have noticed, the 70+ review marker was reached. So, if you have given me any kind of feedback up to this point (even those 8 reviews after 70, because I'm nice, and the reviewer who sent me an email) I will accept a request from you. Please send your requests to me either in an email (email address is available on my profile) or in a private message. Please do not submit it as a review to this story or I'll probably ignore it. Understand that they will all be one-shots and I'll post them all together in one multi-chaptered "story." I will also be putting the name and prompt at the top of each one-shot, so if you don't want your name on it, let me know. Any questions/concerns, let me know. I look forward to the challenge!

2. I have a new story up. It's going to be quick, fast, and dirty, but that's how I like it.

3. This chapter is long overdue. However, I hope the content makes up for my absence. Let me know!

Chapter 14: The beginning of forever

The first thing that Naruto became aware of was that there was someone screaming. They sounded like they were in pain. "Why doesn't anyone help that person?"

The second thing he became aware of was that there was someone running fingers through his hair, across his forehead, and across his lips. "Hush, my most beloved, hush. I am here; I will make the pain go away." It was Sasuke! Naruto would know that voice anywhere. But his words made him quickly come to his third realization.

The pain was agonizing. He tried to tell Sasuke that he hurt, but to his surprise his mouth was already open. He was the one who was screaming. He tried to stop himself by slamming his jaw shut, but that just made it turn into a shriek. "Sas-sas…"

The hand on his cheek brushed the strands of his hair off his forehead. "Naruto, I am here. I will help you." There was a hand under his back pulling him up enough that something slipped behind him. It was a body, Sasuke's, behind him and he was pulling Naruto back to rest on his chest. The touch alone was like fire racing through his veins. He struggled a bit, fidgeting and struggling to find a comfortable position. Sasuke's cool hand rested on his forehead and his rumbling purr echoed through Naruto's back and eased the pain on his spine. The relief was like putting a band-aid on an amputation, but it eased enough that Naruto could at least focus his senses. Or, at least try.

He squinted his eyes open, but all he could see were bright spots coloring his vision and no details. He was rewarded for his effort by a sharp stinging at the back of his eyes and he shut his eyes again quickly. He tried to strain his ears to see if he could tell what was happening. The last he remembered he was in the basement lying useless on the battlefield. The last thing he remembered hearing were the beginnings of the clash between Itachi's and Sasuke's covens. Was it over then? The only thing Naruto could hear was Sasuke's low rumblings. The only thing he could smell was Sasuke and the only thing he could feel was Sasuke's hand on his head and his body behind him. Everything seemed so frustratingly blank and Naruto could not make sense of his surroundings.

A popping sound reached his ears and the scent of copper filled his nose. There as a moment of nothing else and then something warm and wet was being pressed against his mouth. He tried to turn his head away, but Sasuke's hand on his forehead trailed down to his chin and tilted his head back. "Drink, my beloved. It will make the pain go away." Obediently, Naruto cracked his mouth open and something soft pressed against his teeth and something warm trailed down his throat.

And oh the taste! Naruto had never tasted anything like it, if taste would be the correct term. He could feel it, all through his body, the emotions- fear, affection, concern, hatred- and could see a flickering of memories not his own behind his eyelids. But it was a patchwork and no coherent thread weaving them together, so Naruto could make no sense of it. But, underneath all of the flashes and conflicting emotions, there was a thrum of contentedness, love, and comfort. And, as Sasuke had promised, the pain ebbed away as the drink entered his veins and spread through his body.

A few moments passed and then the object in his mouth was removed and replaced by Sasuke kissing him. Sasuke licked the edges of his mouth and nipped at his bottom lip before pulling away. "Sleep, sweetheart. I will be here when you awake."

Naruto struggled to stay awake- he had not yet seen Sasuke, only seen and felt him- but the exhaustion swept over him before he could attempt to fight it.

Naruto awoke next with a startled gasp. He had dreamt that he was still in the basement, Itachi's fist still ripping a hole through his chest. His body was lethargic, and so he could only dart his eyes around the room. He gathered enough to know that he was no longer in the basement and then Sasuke's beautiful face came into his line of sight.

"Sasuke!" Sasuke grinned at him a kneeled beside the bed, running fingers through Naruto's hair.

"Feeling better, Beloved?" Naruto grinned back.

"Yes, but…"

"But?"

"What happened? Where am I? I thought…I last remember…" Naruto scowled and tried to remember what had happened. But, the last he remembered, he was dying and he had no intention of waking again. Sasuke ran a finger down Naruto's cheek before he answered.

"Can you sit?" Naruto nodded and rolled on his side to push to sitting. Sasuke's hand was under his elbow and helping to stabilize him. As soon as he was in a sitting position, Sasuke was pulling the pillow up to place it at Naruto's back. Naruto leaned back against the pillow and sighed. Sitting now, Naruto could discern his surroundings better. It was a single room that he had never seen before, relatively smaller than his in the mansion. There was a fireplace, but there were no logs or grating in place that would be expected of a working fireplace. There were also no windows and a single door. Unlike his bed in the mansion, this bed was not a canopy bed. Looking towards the low ceiling, he noted that there were no light fixtures. Indeed, as Naruto looked around there were no lights or lamps. It was odd, since Naruto could see the details of the room as if there were a light source. Odd. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Naruto drawled. Remarkably well, actually, considering he was supposed to be dead. He remembered his injury and decided to check on it. He pushed the covers down and pulled the hem of his shirt up. Naruto didn't know what he had been expecting, but it wasn't what he saw. There was a circular scar on his abdomen, but other than that, the skin was smooth and entirely uninjured. Naruto swallowed hard and slowly looked up and into Sasuke's face. Sasuke was watching him carefully, gauging his reaction. "Sasuke, what happened? How long have I been out?" Sasuke shifted and moved to sit beside him on the bed.

"You have slept for a little under a month, but that was to be expected." Sasuke looked away from him and toyed with the edge of the comforter. Naruto scowled at the uncharacteristic gesture. "As for what happened, I must ask you to forgive me. I have acted selfishly and against your consent." A suspicion was beginning to form at the back of his mind as Naruto poked at his healed stomach. A month wouldn't have been enough time for that to heal naturally. Curiously, Naruto ran a tongue across his teeth and pushed at the gum at the top of a canine. The sharp tip imbedding in his tongue and the quick sting confirmed it. "Ouch!"

"Naruto?"

"You turned me!" It wasn't a question. For one scary split-second, Naruto was conflicted. On the one hand, he was terrified of what he had become and at the prospect of living forever off of blood. On the other, the very idea of living with the person that he loved for the rest of eternity, regardless of the how, was romantic and exciting. And, after watching Sasuke's face fall from concern to shame, Naruto decided that the good far outweighed the bad. He could learn how to be a vampire; he would learn, especially if Sasuke was the one who taught him. He forced back his happy little grin and maintained his scowl, waiting for Sasuke's answer.

"I did. I am so, so sorry Naruto. But I was not left much of a choice. You were dying and I could not let you go like that." Naruto had momentarily forgot what was at stake those few, terrifying moments before his death, and the anger that he should have felt at being turned belatedly surfaced. Knowing that Sasuke was still alive didn't less the quick flare of panic. Naruto moved to straddle Sasuke's lap and pushed him back hard against the head board.

"Kakashi promised me that he wouldn't let you!"

"Did he?" Sasuke growled. "I assure you that if I knew that you would not want it so much I would not have attempted it." Naruto punched his shoulder and was slightly surprised to see Sasuke wince. He grinned; apparently he and Sasuke were closer to being on an even playing field.

"That's not the point, bastard. If you had asked me before you sent me away, I would have let you change me then." It was worth it to see the shock cross Sasuke's face. "The point is that Kakashi thought that that was exactly what Itachi wanted to happen so that you would be vulnerable and he would kill you." Sasuke's shocked expression melted into a pained one.

"Ah, yes. Kakashi was correct. That was Itachi's aim. He told me as he was chaining me to that wall."

"And you did it anyway?" Sasuke reached forward to cradle Naruto's face in his hand.

"Of course. What would my life be worth if you had died?" Naruto grinned at him.

"That's what I said." Sasuke scowled at him and pulled a strand of hair.

"Yes, we will discuss that later." Naruto leaned forward and kissed him.

"That's fine. I don't regret it." Sasuke grinned into the kiss.

"Then neither do I. Shall I tell you what happened then?" Naruto nodded and shifted so he could rest his head on Sasuke's shoulder. "Itachi and his followers are dead."

"Good," Naruto spat. Sasuke kissed his temple. "How'd you manage to kill them all and turn me?"

The fierce pride was evident across Sasuke's face and in his voice. "My coven was strong enough to kill Itachi's followers and fend him off while I worked on you. Though…"

Naruto tilted his head so he could look at Sasuke. "Though?"

"Though, we too suffered a casualty." The pain shot through Naruto's heart. Sasuke shifted and began to run his fingers through his hair again. "It is not your fault, Naruto, please do not suffer for it."

"Who?" Sasuke sighed.

"Sakura. I ran to you as soon as I was free and immediately began to work on turning you. It was the opportunity that Itachi was waiting for, and he moved to attack me. Sakura intercepted him. She died in the process, but was strong to the end and able to hold on long enough for me to stabilize you."

Naruto felt a wave of sadness wash over him, and he was positive it wasn't all his own. "Sasuke, I'm so sorry. I know how important she was to you."

"She was a dear, loyal friend," Sasuke agreed.

Naruto rubbed at Sasuke's hand. "Though, if she had to die, I am sure that she died the way she wanted to, with her boots on and fighting for you." Sasuke grinned down at him.

"Of course, though she was fighting for you as well." Naruto wrinkled his nose.

"Doubt that. I got the feeling that she didn't like me much."

"At one time, she did in fact hate you. However, I think your actions in the end moved her. When she moved to fight Itachi, she yelled for me to save you. I was already by your side, but I believe she was giving us her blessing, knowing that she was sacrificing herself so we could be together." Naruto was warmed by the thought that at the end he and Sakura were friends. He rested back against Sasuke.

"Is everyone else okay?" Sasuke hummed.

"Yes, for the most part. All injuries that were sustained are now healed."

"And Itachi's dead?"

"Mhm. You will never have to fear him again. Him or any of his followers." Naruto considered that.

"So, how does one kill a vampire?" Sasuke grinned at him.

"Very, very carefully." Naruto stuck his tongue out at him and Sasuke chuckled. They sat there for a couple of moments more, allowing Naruto to look around the room once more.

"So, where are we? Are we still in the house?" Sasuke shook his head.

"No. We are far from the house in a location that only I know. It is seven miles underground. At the moment, you are very sensitive to light, so we must keep you someplace where the sun cannot reach you and without any other sources of light."

"But I can still see."

"Of course. A vampire has heightened senses. You will not require the light to see."

"Huh." Sasuke chuckled at Naruto's bored expression. "So, how long do I have to stay down here?"

"The normal time required for a vampire to build up enough strength to at least be able to venture out on dark nights is a year."

"A year?" Sasuke grinned at the outburst.

"Yes, a year. And even after that, we will have to be careful to not expose you to too much light. You will be very vulnerable for at least a decade."

"A decade! As in ten years?"

"Yes, Naruto," Sasuke chuckled. "As in ten years. Iruka is only fifty years old and is still fairly dependent on his sire." Sasuke shifted down the headboard so he could lie next to Naruto and brushed some strands away from Naruto's eyes. "But, time will pass differently for you now. What once would seem a life-time will pass as if it were a day. A year will pass like one breath to the next, and a decade will pass like a night." Naruto pouted for a moment.

"Well, can I at least have visitors?" Sasuke winced, but his grin was quick to resurface.

"No. And that, unfortunately, is solely my doing. It is an instinct a sire must endure to take their fledgling far away from others and bury them away. I suppose it is to insure that our bond develops properly without outside interference and to insure that our fledglings stay safe. Most pack animals, wolves and lions, will seclude themselves when they have cubs. I suppose that it is for the same reason."

"Well, what the Hell am I supposed to do down here for a year?" Sasuke smirked evilly at him and rolled over to pin Naruto underneath him.

"Oh, I am sure we can find some way to occupy ourselves." Naruto grinned up at him.

"Is that so? What could we possibly find to occupy ourselves for a year?" Sasuke forced his smirk down and put on a serious expression, but the amusement still rolled off of him in waves.

"A great deal, actually. I have much to teach you. I must teach you our ancient language, must train you on how to fight, when and how to listen to your instincts, how to train your senses, how to hunt and feed, the use of glyphs, incantations…" Naruto had enough and kneed him in the stomach.

"You're a damn tease." Sasuke grinned at him and rolled off of him and stood.

"I must, however, leave you now for a short time."

"What? Why?"

"I must go hunt. I am feeding for two, now." Rationally, Naruto knew that made sense, but every fiber in his being was telling him to not let Sasuke go, to keep him there with him. It was an itching feeling underneath his skin, starting near his heart and spreading out. Sasuke eyed Naruto carefully before sitting back down on the bed and kissing Naruto gently at the corner of his mouth. Naruto turned into the kiss, but Sasuke moved away so he could see his pouting face. "I know. It is your instincts that tell you to stay with me always, for your safety and for the sake of our bond. I too must battle my own instincts that tell me to not leave you. But we must feed, and since you cannot go, we must be separated."

"It's not just instincts," Naruto mumbled. "I missed you." Sasuke's mouth melted into a soft grin, one that Sasuke only gave to Naruto.

"I missed you as well. The three days that you were away were fairly unbearable, and for the past month I only was allowed the pleasure of watching you sleep. But I will stay close and go quick the sooner to return." Sasuke reached out to him and ran a finger across his brow. "Perhaps you should sleep while I am gone. You still look exhausted."

Naruto wrinkled his nose at Sasuke's assumption. "I've been sleeping for a month." Sasuke smirked at the reply, even as fatigue was creeping up Naruto's spine and weighing down his head.

"Of course. The process of turning into a fledgling vampire is very taxing. You will need plenty of rest if you are to return to your normal, exuberant self." Naruto huffed and threw himself back on the bed and turned his back to Sasuke, dismissing him with a flick of his hand.

"Fine, fine. You can go then." There was a dark chuckle behind him, and then Sasuke was kissing the base of his neck on the vertebrae. He heard the slight shifting that he knew he wouldn't have been able to hear had he still been human, and then Sasuke was moving around the bed and towards the door. He didn't say good-bye, but grinned at Naruto before exiting the room. Naruto could hear Sasuke's claws drawing shapes on the other side of the closed door, drawing glyphs Naruto assumed, before all went silent.

Naruto tried to track Sasuke's progress through their still weak bond. Naruto tried to count how many prey Sasuke had taken, but his exhaustion caused him to loose count. There were moments of forced calm followed by bursts of adrenaline followed by moments of resignation and annoyance. Faithfully, he tried to stay awake to see Sasuke return, but he was struggling and quickly loosing the battle. He knew their connection went both ways and so was not surprised when he felt Sasuke pause in his normal cycle and send him reassurances through their bond. It was just enough to relax Naruto's stiffened muscles so that sleep could finally take hold.

There was a weight on top of him. The heaviness was like a security blanket, and all of the feelings of unease vanished; Sasuke was back. Naruto opened his eyes to grin at him, but the keen sharp pain in his stomach made him wince instead. Sasuke's mouth quirked sadly. "That means that you are hungry. Here."

Sasuke was lying almost on top of him with the skin of his collar bone brushing Naruto's lips. Naruto winced and turned his head away slightly, despite the flash of annoyance coming from Sasuke. It was too weird! Naruto had a feeling he was going to make a piss poor vampire. Naruto pouted up at Sasuke, whose annoyance faded to a slight amusement. "The first time is hard. It will get easier with time." When Naruto still did not bite down on the flesh in front of him, Sasuke sighed. "Feed, Naruto. Or I shall force you like you forced me." Naruto shot him a shaky grin.

"Yea, but that was different."

"Was it?" Sasuke mocked him, pulling away just enough that Naruto could see his expression of forced surprise.

"Yes. And you're a jerk." Sasuke kissed Naruto's frown lines and grinned at him before lying back down. Sasuke pressed his jaw into Naruto's and purred low in his chest. Naruto didn't so much hear it, but felt it through his own chest. He supposed it was Sasuke trying to calm his nerves, but it wasn't helping. He felt an even lower growl and then the fingers lacing through his hair moved down to cradle the side of his face. Sasuke's thumb rubbed circles at the hinge of his jaw, forcing his mouth open. Sasuke took the opportunity to shift and push a part of his throat against to top of Naruto's teeth. Naruto whimpered a bit and struggled, bringing his legs up to push at the bed, trying to scoot himself out from underneath Sasuke and fisting the back of Sasuke's shirt. Sasuke's low purr was back, though, and Naruto's struggles were in vain. The feeling of an itching all along his gums at the base of his canines was all the warning Naruto had before his instincts took over and extended his fangs.

The expected taste of metal never came. Instead, the blood filling his mouth was sweet, tasting of emotions, memories, and the blood donors' meals. Carefully, he swallowed. He could feel his blood meal immediately absorbed by his body, flooding his veins and abating the pain. He felt a vague lightheadedness that he knew wasn't his own, and tested Sasuke's hold on his head. To his delight, Sasuke let him pull away. Sasuke lapped at his lips and chin, cleaning his mouth, and then rested his head by Naruto's. Naruto watched the injury on Sasuke's neck heal as Sasuke returned his fingers to Naruto's hair.

"I thought I had lost you." Naruto turned his head to be nose-to-nose with Sasuke, looking in his eyes. Sasuke stroked his cheek. "I did not know if I had gotten to you in time. And you slept for so long, much longer than the norm. For a month, you did not move, and of course there was no pulse. My only hope was that your wound healed and you were not deteriorating. Two days ago, you woke for the first time, screaming and in pain. I admit, your screams were the sweetest sound I have ever heard. It meant I had not lost you, that you were still mine."

"I'll always be yours." Sasuke grinned at him and rested his head on Naruto's shoulder. They lay there for sometime, Naruto enjoying having Sasuke so close. As Naruto's mind wandered, reflecting on how he had gotten there, he started to draw patterns on Sasuke's back. He hadn't realized what he was doing until he started to feel patterns being drawn on his own back. Confused, he checked Sasuke's hands- one in his hair, the other laced with his own free hand. He drew an S on the small of Sasuke's back, felt an identical S on his own. He wondered…but then Sasuke's fingers were twitching in his hair. "Is that…?"

Sasuke grinned and licked at Naruto's cheek. Naruto could feel his own skin raking across his tongue. "I can feel it as much as if you had licked me." Naruto stared back at him with wide eyes.

"Weird! Is that our bond? Will it always be like that?" Sasuke propped himself up on his elbow.

"Hm. How to explain? Yes, that is our bond. It is particularly sensitive at the moment, because I have just fed you and by our prolonged proximity. Once we are no longer touching and your meal is fully digested, the sensitivity will wane." Naruto found himself disappointed. Sasuke chuckled, and Naruto felt Sasuke's assurance flood his mind. "The longer we are together, the older you become, our connection will strength. It will wane, but it will be stronger than before. One day, we will be able to be continents apart and be able to feel each other as if the other was there; share thoughts as easy as if we were standing in front of each other talking."

Naruto was intrigued and thrilled at the prospect. "Is it the same with you and Kakashi?" Sasuke winced, and Naruto could feel the guilt and the feeling of failure through there connection. He focused on the feeling and focused on his feelings apology and reassurance. He didn't know how successful he was, but he received a grin from Sasuke for his effort.

"No. Kakashi is not fully my fledgling. I required help to turn him. Also, due to…circumstances, I was unable to spend enough time with him for the first couple of years, our bond never was able to fully form. For the first year, I could never even read his emotions. Over time, we have been together long enough that the basis of our bond is there." Sasuke paused and smirked at Nartuo. "Of course, the feelings the sire has for the fledgling affects the strength of the bond as well."

Naruto tried to figure that one out. He knew how close Kakashi and Sasuke were, and only hoped that Sasuke would learn to rely on him as much as he did Kakashi. And, while he was being truthful with himself, he wanted to be as close to Sasuke as he could, and the easiest way to do that was to make sure their bond was strong. "How so?"

Sasuke let his head fall to the side, attempting for all the world to look nonchalant, but Naruto could feel the smugness coming from him. "Well, I suppose that a sire's bond would be stronger for a fledgling that he was in love with rather than respected as an elder." Naruto grinned.

"Is that so? Then do you love me?" Sasuke straightened his head and look Naruto straight in the eye.

"Yes. Very much so." Naruto sighed and reached up to twist his fingers in the hair at the nape of Sasuke's neck, pulling him down so he could kiss him hard. Those words, and all the meaning that came with them, meant all the world to him, and Naruto knew that he could have died happy in that moment. All this time, he had been given the leisure of assuming Sasuke's affection for him. It had been like he had been holding his breath all these months and now, with the actual knowledge of Sasuke's love, Naruto could finally exhale. The release of the tension caused him to whimper slightly. Or, that could be the man above him. Sasuke had shifted from Naruto's side so he could lie on top of him, pushing his body into Naruto's. It took just one rock of Sasuke's hips to force a shriek out of Naruto's throat.

"Holy Hell!" The duality of experiencing his own and Sasuke's pleasure caused his vision to tunnel. It was too much too fast, and he threw his head back to force air into his lungs. Sasuke pressed his lips into Naruto's throat and chuckled.

"All right. Breathe." He gently scraped his fangs across Naruto's throat, ending in a nip at his shoulder. Faintly, Naruto felt claws softly raking down his ribs and grasping the top of his hip bone. He jumped slightly when he felt a nip on his other hip bone and he shifted just enough to see Sasuke peering up at him with laughing eyes, fangs fully extended. He bit his lip as he watched Sasuke trace his scar with his fangs, ending in a hard pressing kiss below his naval.

"Sasuke," he whined. Sasuke growled back at him before catching the top of his boxers in his fangs and pulling them down over his hips. Naruto had to look away. The feeling of Sasuke's fangs traveling down his length was nearly his undoing and caused him to arch his back. The action forced Sasuke's claws to imbed in his hip, but it was enough to bring his sanity back to him long enough to fist his claw-tipped hands in the sheets so he wouldn't scratch at Sasuke. In the end, he didn't last long. All it took was a sharp, biting nip to the base of his cock to be his undoing. He came hard with a searing white hot heat shooting up his spine. He felt Sasuke sink his fangs into his inner thigh and the aftershocks of both of their releases before he allowed himself to succumb to the blackness tinting the edges of his vision.

Naruto didn't know how long he had been out, but he could smell clean sheets and feel the slide of fresh boxers. He also smelled Sasuke. He knew that Sasuke wasn't next to him, to his dismay, but he also knew that he wasn't far. Carefully, Nartuo rolled to his side and pushed himself up on his elbows. Sasuke was there, sitting in an over-stuffed easy chair next to his bed, a heavy looking book open in his lap. Sasuke was watching him struggle into consciousness and rewarded his efforts with a gentle grin. Naruto grinned back at him before motioning to the book. "What are you reading?"

Sasuke hummed and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, the book opened in front of him. Naruto could tell that Sasuke was going to read to him, so he pushed himself up enough so he could lean back into the headboard and enjoy listening to Sasuke's voice. Sasuke shot him another grin before looking back at the book.

"I have loved you with an everlasting love. Before time began, I knew you. For years, you swam around in a sea of meaninglessness, searching for love, hoping for hope. All that time I was pursuing you, aching to embrace you in my compassionate arms. When the time was right, I revealed myself to you. I sang you a love song, whose beginning and end are veiled in eternity. Join me in singing my song. Together, we will draw out of the darkness and into the light."

Naruto was speechless. "That's beautiful. What's that from?" Sasuke actually laughed before closing the book and showing Naruto the cover. "The Bible?" In disbelief, Naruto laughed as well.

"This is a more recent edition. I have one of the original King James' Bibles, but I keep that safely locked away." Naruto grinned.

"So how old are you really?" Sasuke grinned at him before motioning back to the book.

"The first accepted English translation was commissioned by King James in 1604. Unfortunately, Latin is incredibly difficult to translate, and often meanings are lost. So, can you imagine who King James hired to do the translations?" Naruto shook his head. "Playwrights. One of which was the infamous William Shakespeare. It truly is a marvelous piece of literature, written in perfect iambic pentameter." Sasuke stroked the binding, a soft scowl flitting across his features before placing it on the table beside his chair. "Before Itachi turned me, but after he had killed our family, I was lost. I had very little to believe in and I could never understand the why. Why did Itachi betray me? Why was I chosen to ender that torment? Why must I become something I hated? Why must I be forced to live forever in anguish? Why? Ironically, the Bible was one of the first places I looked for answers."

Naruto slipped from the bed and moved to sit across Sasuke's lap. He could feel the distress of ancient memories that still stung. He ran fingers through Sasuke's hair. "Did you find your answers?" Sasuke laughed bitterly.

"No. I have studied every faith, read every scholar's article, desperate to find answers, but I have always come up frustratingly short. But, wonder of wonders, I found my answer in the most unexpected location." Naruto was enraptured.

"Where?" Sasuke smiled at him softly and traced his cheek.

"Standing in a dirty alley, holding a dying baby." Naruto's breath caught in his throat. "When I see you, everything in the universe makes sense. When I see you, my heart is at peace. If you are by my side, then I feel like I can face forever."

Well, and what could Naruto say in reply to that? He struggled for a moment before swallowing hard. "So, you're younger than two-thousand…"

Sasuke's deep chuckle resonated through the room.