A/N: Chapter named in honor of Kishi's habit of calling chapters 'The Real This' and 'The Real That' because you all thought you heard the bombshell but ninja lie and so on... -_-;

[/rant]

Naruto climbed quickly up the forest path leading to Sasuke's cabin. He was tired and aching but triumphant and ready to boast. His body thrummed with raw adrenaline left over from his achievement and he was eager to tell Sasuke, whose approval he now sought without completely realising it. He had finally mastered holding two clones for longer than a few seconds and as a test had run the entire assault course without merging again. It had taken many tries which had demanded great stamina as well as patience. He was on top of the world when he had arrived back at the Hyuuga house to have Hinata present him with the shopping she had got for him and Sasuke. She'd offered to pick up anything they wanted so he now had a healthy supply of ramen.

When Naruto reached Sasuke's cabin he found the Uchiha sitting comfortably in his swing seat with a heavy book in his lap. He barely glanced up as Naruto threw himself down on the decking at the back of the cabin. Sasuke had taken to reading in this spot over the past weeks and he now seemed to assume that Naruto would visit when his training was finished for the day and they would discuss his regular developments. Of course Sasuke was also taking lessons of a kind but his were shorter and less frequent, he needed only minimal input from Neji and worked at the new technique alone for the majority of the time.

"Did you manage it?" asked Sasuke casually.

Naruto beamed, "Of course I did!"

"I thought so."

"You... did?"

"Sound travels well in the forest; I could hear you celebrating from here."

Naruto gave an awkward laugh, raising a hand to the back of his neck. "Well I was happy."

"As you should be," mused Sasuke turning a page carefully.

"What are you reading?" asked Naruto peering at the yellowing pages filled with faded handwriting.

"Hmm? Oh, Neji was kind enough to allow me somewhat limited access to the Hyuuga family library."

"That was good of him. Find anything interesting?"

Sasuke nodded and lifted the book so that Naruto could read the title written in faded gold lettering on the book's worn leather cover. Naruto frowned as he struggled to read it and Sasuke took pity on him.

"It says: A Documentation Of The Unusual Cases Of Magickal Merging."

"Riiight... and that is?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "It's exactly what the title says. A scholar, Hyuuga Hachirou, from a long time ago started collecting any information he could find of cases where two hunters were able to merge their powers or even just tried to do it because of course most die trying or at least get horribly injured. That's why hunters don't ever attempt it. It usually only happens when powers collide and react because that tends to leave the hunters with some physical impairment which they aim to set right again. The most recent case was added by Hiashi no doubt. The author takes a very critical view of the hunters' actions."

"What did he write in the book?"

"The account of the successful merging of Hinata and Neji's powers."

"Their powers have merged?"

"Yes, that's why they are almost the same. You've probably heard about the distance they can see when they 'combine' their powers."

Naruto nodded, he had indeed heard that Hinata and Neji could see the entire city when they worked together. Sasuke flicked to the end of the book where the ink wasn't faded and ran a finger down the lines of neat calligraphy.

"It says in here that at the age of fifteen Hinata's power emerged whilst in the company of her cousin Neji. She found she could see his power and unconsciously tried to make magickal contact. Of course she wouldn't have understood what she was doing. 'Neji's own power was yet to emerge but we believe that it must have been close to surfacing because the tiny pull of Hinata's magick was enough to wake his and as he reached to her to steady himself he drew her magick into himself. Both fell unconscious and when they woke they were equally blinded'."

"They were blind? But how is it that they can see now?"

"Because they worked to merge their powers. Their options were either to attempt the dangerous process of merging or accept their blindness and never become real hunters. It's quite a rebellious story actually. It says, 'adults responsible for the trainee hunters would not allow them to continue trying to merge their powers after initial attempts left Hinata weak and Neji in great pain'. I bet that 'adult' was Hiashi himself. But apparently they defied him, took a binding oath in secret so that he couldn't interfere and eventually succeeded in merging their powers and regaining their eyesight. Fascinating, eh? Who knew the Hyuuga family had such drama hidden on dusty old library shelves."

Naruto nodded along. Sasuke seemed extremely pleased to find that even the great Hyuuga family had their own scandals. Naruto knew of course that he had never forgiven the Hyuuga clan for surviving this long when a family as great as the Uchihas had perished at the hands of one of their own. He hoped that Sasuke would one day put the past behind him, but he knew realistically that day was a long way in the future. Something stopped Sasuke moving on; something still tied him to his family. Naruto thought that perhaps if they were to visit his old family home that Sasuke might be able to put his past demons to rest. But until that time, the last Uchiha alone, bore the combined enmity and dislike that the fallen members of his clan had harboured for the Hyuugas.

"Hinata got our shopping," said Naruto, suddenly remembering. He leapt up to retrieve the bag he had dropped in the kitchen. "You could have chosen any number of sweet yummy things and you chose a vegetable. You're so weird."

"The tomato is a fruit," replied Sasuke disdainfully as he bit into one of them, being careful not to get any of the juice on the Hyuuga's book.

"If you say so. But Hinata bought us both an extra treat anyway. Look, Pocky!" Naruto brandished the boxes at Sasuke who wrinkled his nose. "You can have the chocolate one; I like the strawberry better."

"You can eat them both, I don't eat sweets."

"Eh? Wow... what are you one of those 'I will not pollute my body with additives and crap' people?"

"Hn, that too but really, I just don't like sweets. They're sickly."

Naruto stuck out his tongue and then put several sticks of pocky into his mouth at once and leant back to enjoy the balmy summer evening. Although the thick forest canopy kept them shaded throughout the day it was still fairly warm at this time of the year. He watched Sasuke hold his tomato between two fingers and nibble distractedly at it as he read. Naruto rolled his eyes at his finicky behaviour. He tried to lie still but even after a day of gruelling exercise he couldn't stop fidgeting. With a sigh Naruto flipped himself around, grabbing one of the cushions from the swing seat to put under his head, he lay down, propping his bare feet on the seat. This earnt him a scowl from Sasuke, but he didn't say anything, yet.

A sudden thought occurred to Naruto. "Did you know," he began in a sing-song voice, "That tomatoes are an aphrodisiac?"

Sasuke raised a defined eyebrow but didn't answer. He knew Naruto's game. It happened whenever he was bored or when Sasuke was trying to concentrate on something. How long would it be before Sasuke gave in to conversation?

Naruto wriggled his toes next to Sasuke and the corner of his mouth twitched before he spoke again. "Hope you don't go getting all horny on me, Sasuke. Hmm now that would be interesting... a horny Sasuke. All over me. Wanton. Needy. Just begging to be-"

"You smell."

"Excuse me?" asked Naruto, looking up in surprise at the blunt remark and completely forgetting his train of thought. He had been quite prepared to go into detail but suddenly his vivid imagination wasn't required.

"You smell," reiterated Sasuke.

Naruto sat up and sniffed himself. "Well I have been running that assault course all afternoon."

"Go and take a shower before dinner," said Sasuke, refusing to look at him.

"Join me?"

-0-

Sasuke's head snapped up. "What?"

"Hinata said the bathhouse is quite beautiful, she said we're welcome to use the baths there any time. And I know where it is; on the opposite side of the house from the training grounds."

If Naruto realised how intimate his invitation had sounded he gave no indication. Sasuke found himself agreeing simply to reassure himself that it had been innocent.

The bathhouse was indeed beautiful though not exactly what Sasuke would have chosen. The Hyuuga's idea of lavish decoration was ornate sculptures and pastel colours, usually of lilac, light blue and beige. It was not to Sasuke's taste. The Uchiha homes were of a sturdy build to withstand the storms which blew in off the sea. Sasuke could picture the huge grey stone establishment atop a high cliff. The Hyuuga home was so different, traditionally Japanese, with wooden decking and rice paper walls. Everything here was flimsy and delicate, unlike the Uchiha communal hall which had an interior of dark wooden panelling and either smooth stone floors or plush crimson carpets. He could remember clearly the roaring fires in stone grates and the inherent feeling of old age impressed upon you when you stepped through it's ancient oak doors. The grounding feeling of watching a clear sunrise in the the fortifying sea air. Now surrounded by the gleaming white tiles of the bathhouse shower room Sasuke missed his own home more than ever.

After showering Sasuke went to join Naruto. The bath was quite a sight, more like a pool than a bath with the stone likeness of a knotted old oak tree filling one end and stretching it's branches like pillars to the ceiling. The ceiling itself was decorated with the carvings of the tree's upper most branches and mosaic tiles depicted the night sky. Sasuke read the Hyuuga's motto and rolled his eyes 'Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one', it seemed awfully 2D to simply advise 'care', it was never that easy, besides the motto made no mention of power(1). Water cascaded from jets hidden in the cradle of the tree's branches and ran down its mighty trunk where the quote was inscribed in letters of silver. Sasuke wrinkled his nose; the steam wafting from the huge bath smelled faintly of lavender. It was so typically Hyuuga.

"Beautiful doesn't really do it justice does it?"

Naruto floated on his back in the middle of the bath, staring up at the mosaic. Sasuke didn't answer. It was beautiful but at the same time ridiculous. Who really needed this much grandeur? He slipped into the water feeling the heat engulf him. Sasuke rolled his shoulders and settled himself on an underwater ledge by the side. The hot water loosened his muscles and he decided that it was pleasant despite the flowery scent and over the top decoration.

"Ne, Sasuke?" called Naruto, drifting slowly to the edge where Sasuke wallowed.

Sasuke hummed but didn't bother to open his eyes. He anticipated another menial question. Naruto seemed very fond of quizzing him on every ordinary subject he could think of. He supposed the guy was just making the most of someone who could and would (with a bit of coaxing) answer his questions. Naruto can't have had someone like Sasuke, who was a continuous presence, very often in his life.

"What tree is that?"

Sasuke resisted opening his eyes just to roll them, he could hardly believe that a conversation about trees was about to take place. "Oak," he answered simply hoping in vain to see the end of the conversation soon if he gave straight answers.

"How do you know?"

Sasuke resisted the urge to say 'it looks like one'. "Shape of the leaves and it has acorns," He muttered sleepily.

"Ah. But how do you know about trees? I mean you live in the city like me; despite it's name Konoha isn't exactly known for its parks."

"I read, remember? Besides I didn't always live in the city. Not that the moorland really has many trees, mostly gorse and heather actually."

"Mmm I've been thinking about that. If it's alright with you I'd like to visit your home sometime."

Sasuke looked up. Naruto was watching his reaction. "There's not much to see. It's deserted, nothing but a graveyard."

"I'd still like to see it," said Naruto seemingly relieved he hadn't been snapped at. "See where you grew up and pay my respects to your family."

Sasuke felt rather taken aback at this. "You never even knew them."

"I know you though."

Naruto hovered in the water before him, perfectly at ease with the strange turn their conversation had taken. Sasuke studied him, Naruto's blue eyes were honest, his reasons genuine. Sasuke took a moment to process the idea. "Okay," he said tentatively. "If Tsunade will allow it I'll take you to my home by the sea."

"Thank you." Naruto's revered tone told Sasuke that he knew what he was asking. "So why do you think they chose an oak tree?" asked Naruto, switching abruptly back to their previous topic and looking up at the tree that towered over them.

"It's a holy tree," provided Sasuke, now glad for this simpler subject. "You've probably seen the carvings and such around the house, that wooden man made of oak leaves and the fountain of the woman holding a moon?" Naruto nodded. "Well they're not really Japanese are they? And neither are the Hyuuga's. Tree lore is something this clan embrace in it's entirety since they live in a forest but also because their British ancestors placed great store in the symbolism of nature."

"The Hyuuga clan is from Britain?"

"Yeah. Strange, huh? I was surprised when I found out, but it was in that book, just a brief mention so I did some checks and turns out they moved here a long time ago. I think they still have a lot of distant relatives over there and I know Neji originally lived there. Explains their silly 'traditional' cloaks. I always wondered how that came about but now it all adds up. They're a strange mixture of western and eastern tradition, lore and blood."

Sasuke knew what that meant. With the fall of his family the last truly Japanese hunter clan had been abolished. He had been shocked to find out though it hadn't really been any kind of secret. Still he found it disconcerting that Japan no longer had any hunter clans of their own. Every hunter in Japan was merely a remnant of a glorified past. It was surely a bad omen. The enemy must be increasing in strength to have achieved it. Japan was weak. The matter was rarely spoken of but Sasuke had long felt that the balance in power between good and evil couldn't stay as it was; standing on a knife edge. Sooner or later it must tip in one direction and the demons had the advantage; evil magick was the most seductive of the two.

"What is it, Sasuke?"

"Huh?"

Sasuke looked up. He had become distracted and wasn't sure how long he had been immersed in dark thoughts.

"You do that sometimes you know; suddenly go all serious and silent. Won't you tell me what bothers you?"

Sasuke looked at him long and hard. Those clear blue eyes, trusting and open. The smooth skin of his torso, not yet marred by the scar tissue he was sure to gain. Naruto was new to this world and knew so little of their position. For him the Hunt was honourable, brave and strong. He had not yet become disillusioned as Sasuke was now. Sasuke shook his head distractedly. He found he couldn't bear to tell this person the truth of their situation, not when that heart held so much hope.

Finished bathing, Sasuke stood to leave.

"It's nothing, Naruto."

When had he become so soft? Sasuke hurried from the bathhouse; he needed to be alone, far away from Naruto. He had never before cared to spare another's feelings. Sasuke didn't believe that truths should be hidden, no matter how painful and frightening they might be. He broke into a run, uphill, through the trees as far away as he could get. It was this place, it didn't feel right here, he wasn't on Uchiha ground anymore... he wasn't even on neutral ground. He didn't feel like himself anymore. It was as though he was changing without any control over the change. If there was one thing Sasuke needed, it was control.

He found isolation in the place he returned to most days, the place he was becoming familiar with and beginning to recognise as his own: the dock on the lake. The wood creaked beneath his bare feet and Sasuke realised he'd left his shoes at the bathhouse along with his coat and weapons. Although he was otherwise clothed Sasuke felt suddenly naked. He hadn't been unarmed since he was a small boy. He toyed with the idea of returning to collect his weapons but decided against it. He was a hunter; he had magick. Besides he was on Hyuuga territory and much as he disliked the Hyuugas he knew they guarded their borders well.

The water of the lake was cool and dark as Sasuke ran his bare feet through it. He sat on the end of the dock, watching as the ripples he made grew and then died away. It was such a lonely setting but Sasuke found it calmed him. The doubts and worries that had grown as the ripples did were fading away, his mind becoming a lake of soothing darkness. Realisation was washing over him. He had feared it in silence for long years; that the world of hunters would fall as his own world had done. What hope was there now? What strength was left in Japan to fight evils that didn't merely destroy the body but which ate at your very soul?

"Why are you always alone?"

Sasuke stiffened, his feet stopping their childish paddling. He took a deep breath and stood, slowly turning to face the one who saw none of this despair. Naruto stood firmly on the shore while Sasuke swayed at the end of the dock, suddenly unsteady. He didn't answer Naruto's question because the words wouldn't come. Behind Naruto two clones came running through the forest to reconnect but he took no notice. Only the two of them stood here now, alone in this desolate world and together.

Naruto nodded to himself when it became apparent there was no answer. Walking down the dock he unfolded Sasuke's coat and swung it around the other man's shoulders pulling it closed at the front. Sasuke felt a shiver run through him for no apparent reason.

"Sasuke... I can't begin to fathom what goes on in that head of yours and until you feel able to tell me I won't be able to help." Naruto took a depth breath looking down at his hands which still held Sasuke's coat around the man's limp shoulders. "But it doesn't matter; I'll spend as long as it takes trying to help anyway."

Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing. What had he done to warrant such kindness? Naruto rested his forehead against Sasuke's hearing the barely audible gasp that followed. Sasuke could feel his heart beat a painfully loud pattern against his chest.

"Why?" he whispered, his eyelids dropping closed as though to shield himself from the answer.

This time it was Naruto who took his time answering. Sasuke felt strong arms encircle his shoulders and let himself become tangled in the firm embrace. When his answer finally came Naruto's voice spoke directly into his ear.

"Who knows?"

Time seemed to stretch endlessly around them as they stood like statues suspended above the lake. Yet time definitely still moved for the sun had now disappeared over the mountains throwing the forest into shadow and staining the snowcaps with brilliant red and orange hues. Naruto pulled away looking up at the mountains far away.

"Happy Birthday," he said softly.

Sasuke looked at him in shock.

"I hope you don't mind, I answered your phone a moment ago when I realised you'd left your coat. Sakura and Ino sang you 'Happy Birthday'," he looked sheepish for a minute until he was sure Sasuke wasn't annoyed. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Sasuke shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I don't even know how they found out, I don't remember ever telling anyone."

Naruto sighed in exasperation. What he didn't know was that the only birthday wishes that had ever meant anything in the past had been his brother's. This was just another day Sasuke had stopped celebrating when his Itachi had pasted into darkness. Yet this struck a new chord with Sasuke. Why did Naruto care?

He looked across at the other man. The high mountain peaks were reflected as his crystalline eyes as he gazed up in wonder. Naruto looked across at him and smiled, a small, happy smile. Sasuke felt his heart perform a somersault and was completely at a loss to explain why that smile made him feel so comfortable, warm even. He smiled in return, just a tiny tilt of the lips but enough that he saw Naruto's eyes widen in surprise.

(1) The motto is a famous quote by Friedrich Nietzsche

Hmm I hope this wasn't too trivial... or soppy, I wasn't too pleased with it myself.

-Yasu