A/N: Once again, thank you so much to my lovely beta, chase3136!

Also, thank you to those who reviewed with your words of encouragement! I hope this chapter pleases you all!

As always, don't forget to review. It's sooooo nice to read what you guys have to say ;)

Any personal questions you might have, please PM me.

The title of this song was inspired by the song "Epiphany" from an amazing band called 'Staind'. Do check out the song at youtube, it's really beautiful.

Chapter Six: Epiphany

The night was quiet and intensified the odors of the greens around the small camp they had improvised. A mild breeze danced around the area, causing the leaves of the trees to shiver ever so slightly above them. Considering, they were only a few miles away from the sea, they had been lucky the weather had remained favorable there, since that zone was known for unstable winds and unexpected precipitation.

Naruto was feeling rather thankful they had not needed to assemble tents. It was warm enough, and even both Kages had agreed it was more practical to just lie down on their sleeping bags and be ready to go as soon as the sun got up. Naruto, Neji and the remaining body guards had arranged so that each one could keep watch, and since there were six of them, they decided to change shifts every hour or so.

Naruto had done the first shift and by now they should be on their third, which meant Kankurou was supposed to be keeping watch at that moment.

Lying on his back inside his own sleeping bag, Naruto – who was finding it really hard to fall asleep – was staring at nothing in particular in the semi-darkness of the area, noticing how leafy the trees were and wishing they weren't, so that he could see the stars; if there were even any.

He was wide awake, and even though he thought it would do him good to sleep, his body and his mind were full of energy with the anxiousness of getting back to Konoha. The blond was ecstatic with everything that had been happening lately and could not put his mind to rest.

He wanted to see Sasuke, make things right once and for all and try to make something of his new found feelings for the Uchiha. He knew he felt something different for him, but did not know why or its depth. He had to deal with whatever it was that he was feeling and the sooner he understood it, the sooner he would know what to do with it and how to react.

Despite his previous talk with Neji, he was not feeling like he wanted to step away at all, quite the contrary – he wanted to explore it, embrace it and enjoy it. That feeling was painful, made his heart ache and his stomach contort in a funny way, but he had never felt anything as intense. He wanted to cherish it for as long as it lived. This need made him feel guilty because Neji wanted Sasuke, wanted to make it work with him. Also, Naruto had Hinata; someone who loved him and had done nothing to suffer through his current emotional conflicts.

Sighing, the blond closed his eyes, trying hard to stop his mind from replaying his kiss with his best friend. It was easier said than done, because he kept remembering how Sasuke's lips had felt over his, his taste, and how soft that porcelain skin had been underneath his fingers.

Stop thinking about it, you'll probably never get the chance to do it again…

That weird girl, Haru… What the hell did she meant that she knew him and Sasuke? And how on earth did she manage to read his mind? Not possible. She might be a Priestess, but their job was to speak to the Kami and know all sorts of forbidden incantations and seals. Naruto heard that some of them were healers and even had visions about the future, but mind reading? That was just impossible. He was so going to check her out when they got to the village…

Then, there was Gaara.

Ah, a safer topic to think about, at last.

Gaara, who was a Jinchuuriki, and the new Kage of Sunagakure.

Naruto had met Gaara many times already after the incident when he helped them get Sasuke back. The red haired boy and his team had been to Konoha a few more times after that, and Naruto and his own team had been to Suna as well. They had even had one or two missions together concerning the Akatsuki when Sasuke had been searching for his brother, which meant that they were familiar enough not to get uncomfortable with each other.

Naruto had actually liked Gaara from the first time he had met him and known he was a Jinchuuriki as well. Now that the boy was calmer, more benevolent and merciful, they had gotten along just fine because they had a lot in common. Gaara was the kind of dissimulated smart person Shikamaru was and always seemed to know the right thing to say about everything; if there was a calm, quiet person Naruto enjoyed, it was him because somehow, Naruto could always see though him and understand his actions.

He had been surprised Gaara had become Kazekage, but…somehow it made sense, and he was proud of him and of himself. He had made it so that Gaara's heart changed and now he was a Kage, willing to protect his village and his people, forgetting his hatred and the pain they had put him through. It was amazing that he had worked so hard to go from "Implacable Murderer" to be considered for such a high position. It was a beautiful thing to witness. It made Naruto want to work harder to achieve his dreams even faster.

The bronzed male stretched protractedly and raised himself to sit up. At the dim light of the single oil lamp they had brought, he could see the many figures of his temporary companions sleeping peacefully. Someone was snoring softly but Naruto did not bother to see who it was. It was then he felt the heavy weight of being watched and turned his head to see who it was, to meet the pale greenish eyes of Gaara from across the camp. The other boy was sitting very straight in a tree trunk, also wide awake as he held a metallic mug in his hands.

Naruto smiled at him and the other simply nodded. How could he have forgotten that Gaara did not sleep?

Getting up carefully, he made his way to him as he avoided the resting bodies on the ground. Once he reached his goal, he sat down heavily beside the Kazekage and sighed dramatically.

"Having trouble sleeping?" Gaara asked neutrally, in a low whisper so as to not wake up the others.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed in an equal low voice, accepting the mug he passed him. "Had I remembered you did not sleep I would've kept you company from the beginning."

The red haired simply shrugged in a rather relaxed way but said nothing. Naruto took a sip of the hot drink Gaara had offered him and realized it was tea, although he could not identify what kind it was.

The two sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying the breeze and the silence of each other's company until Gaara finally spoke.

"It's been a while since we last met." he said, matter-of-factly, looking over at his companion without expression.

"I guess so…" Naruto muttered, smiling slightly at him. "How long has it been? A whole year?"

"Something like that." Gaara agreed, nodding carefully.

"Gosh…and now you're the Kazekage!" the blond commented, smiling more broadly. "Life really plays tricks on you when you least expect it."

"Indeed." Green eyes stared into blue ones that looked almost black in the night. "Did it upset you?"

Naruto's eyebrows rose up disbelievingly as he let out a loud laugh, and almost immediately covered his mouth with his free hand to stop the outburst. Gaara, for his part, seemed as curious and bemused as his neutral features could show.

"Are you kidding? It's great!" Naruto muttered, lowering his voice once more as Neji moved a little restlessly in his sleep. "I'm really glad you made it, it makes me really happy and gives me even more motivation to become Hokage myself."

"Yet, you seem troubled." the other pointed out, reaching for his mug and taking it away from Naruto's hands. "There's something in your chakra that lets me know you're feeling uneasy about something."

Naruto's smile subsided considerably but he did not allow himself to let it disappear. He had forgotten that, after getting to know Gaara a little more intimately, somehow the demons they had inside one another seemed to send signals to let the other know the level of the chakra signature of their bearers. It wasn't something that made them more intimate, but it certainly helped them to understand each other's feelings better, and that was how Naruto had learned how to read Gaara's emotions even when he showed nothing on his face.

"That's got nothing to do with you," he said, simply. "I'm just a little…well, a lot of things happened this last year, and even more in these last few weeks."

"Like what?" Gaara seemed genuinely interested now, but Naruto just shifted a little and sighed.

"Oh, you'll see when you get to Konoha," he said, a little sarcastically. "Even if you don't see it I'm sure you'll hear about it."

The red haired seemed to understand his friend was not too keen on letting him know what was concerning him, so he dropped the subject and opted to remain silent, which made Naruto wonder if he had been rude in the way he had said it.

Feeling a little guilty, he punched Gaara's arm ever so slightly, in a friendly way, so as to not awaken the power of the protective sand he held within the gourd he still carried everywhere.

"So, it's really good to see you." he said, meaning it but truly hoping his tone sounded as truthful as he wanted.

"It's nice to see you too." Gaara replied, politely but firmly, unblinking eyes observing him attentively.

"Will you stay with us for long?" Naruto asked.

"As long as I'm required to," Gaara took a sip of the tea before passing it to Naruto once more. "There are a lot of political strategies to be debated, a lot of contracts to be made. I am not a substitute Kage for anyone, so I have to actually have a deep insight of how things are with your village and decide what we can do to help it, and what I need that the village might have to help me with. So, I think I'll be around for a while."

"Good," Naruto assented, resuming his wide grinning. "I've been having a lot of work recently, but we should definitely hang out whenever you're free. I'll take a whole day off if I have to."

Gaara stared at him with those vague, penetrating and intimidating eyes but Naruto knew all too well that the other Jinchuuriki was surprised by the offer. And more than surprised, his chakra was now bubbling with gentle satisfaction.

"That would be nice," he muttered, nodding once before looking up to the roof of trees above them. "I wish the leafage wasn't so dense. I heard the stars shone brightly near the sea, but this is rather disappointing."

Naruto blinked several times while gazing at Gaara's delicate but daunting profile, noticing how somehow, in quiet moments like these, he seemed so much more approachable and easy-going. Naruto knew Gaara had changed and yet, he himself was one of the rare people that could claim to get inside the new Kazekage's walls easily enough. Gaara was still feared by many, and still feared people's reactions to him and deep emotions. It was a pity, though, Naruto thought. Gaara was quite attractive and could look absolutely innocent if one knew how to make him drop his guard.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Naruto said, unconsciously staring at Gaara's forehead were the Kanji for "love" was tattooed.

Love…

Would someone like Gaara ever really learn how to love a person? Would somebody ever have the heart to look through him and fall in love with him?

Ah, he was just thinking too damn much about that whole love shit again…

oOo

Lunch at the Haruno's could have been an enjoyable experience, if Sasuke had not noticed Sakura's excessive efforts to impress him or her mother's attempts at being sympathetic towards his being 'gay'. The older woman had always been cheerful and nice to him, but apparently she was not very happy that her daughter had been rejected over another man.

I mean, what could a handsome, influential man like you find so special in another male? She had asked, falsely interested. I mean, I see what could attract you to Hyuuga-kun, but if you say you're not gay, then that means you can still turn your attention to women, right? When you do, please consider a girl who cares for you. You do know Sakura would make a fine spouse, right? She may look a little careless, being a Kunoichi and all, but she does know how to be the perfect housewife.

After that,she had kept going on and on about the joys of marriage and the good points of having a female lover, not to mention the amount of times she mentioned how amazing and talented Sakura was – something Sasuke could not understand since Sakura already had a boyfriend.

The young medic had been terribly embarrassed about the whole thing and apologized to him when he was about to leave, but Sasuke was more than happy to get on his way to his meeting with the Hokage because he did not need another thing to make him feel more guilty and confused about his life.

Not that he was confused. Even if he had never been with a woman,he knew he did not feel repulsed by them, reason why he did not consider himself gay. However, if he were to be honest with himself, at least, he was fairly sure that he liked being with Neji and that his body reacted well enough to one of another man's. Maybe it was just a phase, or maybe he really was bisexual. Or maybe he really was gay. After all, he had kissed Naruto, liked it, too, and it had excited him.

Did I feel that way because he is a guy? Sasuke had wondered, many times since the event. Or was it because it was him?

Naruto had always been important to him. He had always made him feel things he had never felt with anyone. He made him laugh when no one else could, made him angry, got under his skin, and pushed him to the limit. Still, they were rivals and best friends who got on each other's nerves. They fought, bickered and hated each other as much as they cared about one another. Going from that to some sort of mutual physical attraction was devastating and Sasuke did not know what to do, because even though he and Neji had "chemistry" going on between them, the new found "chemistry" that had drawn him to Naruto had been equally intense, but so very different that it had been alarming. There had been feelings there, but which, Sasuke did not know. The only thing he knew was that his thirteen hour sleep had been filled with unexpected fantasies of blond hair, a whiskered face and blue eyes that gleamed in the dark.

But well, none of that mattered when it came to Sakura since he never intended on dating her and doubted he ever would, gay or not gay.

000

"I really think you did a great job with planning all of this, Sasuke," Tsunade said at the end of the day, golden eyes shining appreciatively when Sasuke was standing beside the large chair she was sitting on, pointing at the papers where he himself had designed the plan for the orphanage and for what he wanted to do with his house. "I'm glad you have it all figured out, it saves the council and the Daimyo a lot of trouble. It's brilliant."

"Now that you mention it, I have also brought the papers with the proposal for the Daimyo," Sasuke said, checking inside his black briefcase for the large amount of paperwork he had brought with him. "I mean, I've been doing some research and there are no orphanages in the fire country or in most of the surrounding villages. If the Daimyo will allow it, we can make contracts with other villages that are interested. They pay a small monthly tax to help finance the orphanage and we give them free pass to deliver parentless children to our village. Then, there will be other things we will need to discuss further since these children will not belong to Konoha and will eventually have to return to their own villages,but…"

The door creaked open and Shizune's dark head appeared, causing the two occupants of the large office to look at her.

"I am sorry, Tsunade-sama. But Naruto-kun and Hyuuga-san are back with the Kages and respective bodyguards." the slim woman said, in a low voice.

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Naruto's name but he did not react to it. He had expected to be home by the time they arrived, he really wasn't ready to face him – or Neji – yet.

"They're earlier than I expected," Tsunade said, voicing Sasuke's thoughts with a heavy sigh as she arranged the confusion of papers on her desk. "Is that uninvited girl here as well?"

"She is." Shizune confirmed.

"Well, do send them in!" Tsunade groaned, cracking her knuckles. "And make sure their quarters are ready for them when they wish to retreat. And Sasuke…" she turned her head to the man on her right when Shizune's head disappeared, smiling apologetically. "This proposal is wonderful, I'm sure it will be approved since you found more than one way to go through with it in an affordable way. I will debate this with the council, and will contact you before sending it to the Daimyo."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Sasuke said, professionally. "If there is anything else you need of me…"

The door opened once more with a screechy sound and a lot of people came in: first, a beautiful tall woman, then her two minions, then a young girl. After them, Sasuke was surprised to find Gaara coming in with his Kazekage hat on, followed closely by Kankurou and Temari. Only then, did Naruto come in, looking rather tired with his large backpack on his shoulders, and then Neji, looking as fresh and composed as always.

"Ah, my fellow Kages!" Tsunade exclaimed in a good mood, getting up and going to them to greet them. "Terumi! Gaara-kun, congratulations…"

Sasuke watched as introductions were made and murmurs filled the office. He wanted to leave but knew that now, having two Kages in the same room, it would be impolite to do so.

He crossed his arms as he and Neji exchanged looks. Neji nodded once and Sasuke smiled a little. Then, his eyes shifted towards his teammate and met Naruto's. The younger one stared at him for a while with raised eyebrows, his mouth opened, and Sasuke just had to snicker at that too. Naruto looked so unbelievably stupid and surprised it was hilarious.

Noticing Sasuke was silently making fun of him, Naruto closed his mouth and pressed his lips together, averting his eyes and blushing violently, leaving the Uchiha wondering if he should find it pathetic or just plain endearing.

Endearing? Sasuke internally cringed, the realization erasing the smirk from his lips. What the fuck?

"You did not introduce us to this lovely young man, Tsunade."

Sasuke blinked and noticed he was being watched by the woman that was, in fact, the Mizukage.

"Well, he already knows Gaara," Tsunade said, seeming rather amazed that Sasuke was still in the room. "But it was my bad, I apologize. Terumi, Ao and Choujiro, this here is…."

"Uchiha Sasuke." A gentle voice said.

All heads turned to the little girl behind the Mizukage, but only those of the water country did not look surprised at her sudden intervention.

"The last of his bloodline, but not the only owner of the Sharingan," she kept on, brown eyes innocently fixed on Sasuke's. "Remarkable brains, Uzumaki-san's teammate, and Hyuuga-san's lover and partner in ANBU. Nice to meet you, I'm Kirishima Haru, main Priestess of the Water Country."

This time, it was Sasuke who felt his chin drop. When the girl smiled, he felt a shiver run down his spine.

She looked familiar, yet he was sure he had never seen her before in his life. He looked at Neji, who seemed as flabbergasted as he was, but the Hyuuga shrugged as if to let him know he had not said a word to her about them.

Gaara did not react to the news but was watching him closely. Ao and Kankurou made dissimulated disgusted faces while Temari seemed a little horrified. Not that it mattered to Sasuke anyway.

"Well, aren't you something…?" Tsunade commented, looking vaguely displeased, receiving an adorable smile from Haru.

"Ah, so this is the famous Uchiha," The Mizukage said, smiling observantly at him with a pleased expression. "My, you have some lovely men in your village, Tsunade. Hyuuga-san's lover, then? It's not something that can't be changed, is it?"

What the hell is this crazy woman talking about? Sasuke thought, uncrossing his arms and feeling absolutely mortified by the path the conversation was taking.

"I'm sorry, Terumi, as nice as this little chat is, we do have to settle you in, and I'm sure Sasuke has other matters he needs to attend to." Tsunade muttered. From what the Uchiha could see, she had become immediately suspicious of the girl. "Please, Sasuke, go on your way."

"Er…yes, Hokage-sama. Nice seeing you, Gaara, Kankurou, Temari. Nice meeting everyone else." He said, regaining his composure and bowing. Then, he remembered his conversation with Kakashi and breathed in deeply. It was no use delaying things; it would not help him or Naruto, so he had to stick to the plan. "Naruto, can I have a word with you outside?"

Naruto had the air of someone who had just been punched in the stomach but nodded slowly, still blushing deeply.

"Sure."

oOo

Sasuke was certain he would feel awkward the moment he confronted Naruto face to face again. What he did not expect, though, was to find that Naruto's own awkwardness was of such proportions that the brunet had no time whatsoever to feel anything but amused…and a little annoyed.

Naruto was blushing more than ever, breathing heavily, hands nervous as he fumbled with the zipper on his green vest. He was sweating and it was clear that he was only stubbornly holding Sasuke's intense gaze to prove something that the Uchiha was not sure what it was.

It was damn funny and a little flattering, too.

"So…, you want to have dinner with me, at my place?" Sasuke asked simply, once they were in the hall outside Tsunade's office, facing each other.

Blue eyes widened at him disbelievingly.

"I…really?" Naruto questioned, his tone a mix of excitement and uncertainty, eyes becoming huge.

"Yes, really," Sasuke muttered. He was trying hard not to remember what had happened the last time they had been alone but it was a little difficult with his friend behaving like some damsel who had had her first kiss with her prince charming.

"But… What about Neji?" Naruto whispered, chewing on his upper lip like a lost child.

"I'll hang out with him for a bit, take him to the compound and…stuff," Sasuke explained, keeping his voice as steady and casual as he could, and ignoring the fact that his palms were sweating. "It's not like we always have to be at each other's houses."

Naruto was tense; Sasuke could feel it more than he could see it. He was debating on something, fighting an internal emotional conflict. His eyes revealed how much he wanted to accept the invitation, but his body language gave away his uncertainty.

It was extremely baffling how much his attitude affected Sasuke's nerves and, more importantly, his hormones.

"I'm not sure it's a good idea, Sasuke…" He replied, leaning against the wall and scratching his right arm. "I mean..."

"Shut up."

"What?"

Sasuke stuffed his hand inside the left pocket of his jeans and took out his house keys. Grabbing Naruto's hand and turning the palm upwards, he put them there and closed the blonde's fingers around it, pretending he did not notice the brief spasm he felt there at his touch.

"Don't be an ass and just take it," he said, huffing with impatience and making sure that once his hand was no longer touching Naruto's, they were once more at a decent distance from each other. "Go to my house, take a shower or something and wait for me. You know where my clothes are, you know where the food is. I bought instant ramen; we can have it for dinner."

The look on the blonde's face was priceless but Sasuke did not want to take the time to decipher what it really meant.

"Sasuke…but I…after what happened I don't think…"

"Let's not talk about it," Sasuke interrupted, coldly. "It happened and that's final. Talking will only make this situation worse than it already is."

Naruto swallowed with obvious resentment but shook his head in affirmation.

"Alright," he whispered. "If that's what you want."

It's not, really.

Sasuke sighed. Things were becoming too damn hard and he did not know why.

"Let's just…try and get things back the way they were before," the Uchiha murmured; his voice gentler. "There's no point in making it more awkward than it already is. We'll…see how things will go between us from now on, ok?"

Naruto closed his eyes briefly and inhaled before opening them again to look at him, his expression less moody and more confident.

"Alright," he said, slowly. "What time will you be home?"

"Maybe a little before seven. You still have some time to visit Hinata if you want. Just make sure you're home by the time I get there."

"Right, I will."

"Now, get back in there, you still have to report about the mission. And tell Neji I'll be waiting for him outside."

oOo

Naruto wanted to want to visit his girlfriend badly. However, the desire didn't come because, truth be told, he did not want to visit her at all, not when he had Sasuke's house keys in his hand for the first time ever, not when Sasuke had so willingly invited him over. It was too good to be true, so the only reasonable thing his mind was ordering him to do at the moment was to go over to Sasuke's place immediately and forget any meetings or plans he could have had.

He didn't feel himself walking all the way there, nor the heavy weight of his backpack since he felt like he had no feet and his body was soaring. It was the strangest of feelings, knowing every step he took towards his destination was also a step towards Sasuke and whatever it was that was going to become of them from then on. Although, he was not expecting anything extraordinary – by the way things had gone over the last few weeks, he would be happy enough to at least get their old friendship back –, he could not help but wonder if, for some prodigious reason, things would change between them…for the best, hopefully, whatever that meant.

Sasuke's house was impeccably clean and tidy as usual, and everything was exactly as Naruto remembered, except for the extra toothbrush he saw in the bathroom when he went to take a bath, and the unfamiliar clothes he found in Sasuke's wardrobe afterwards.

No big deal, he thought decidedly, ignoring the nervous twitch in his eyebrow. The blonde's mood lit up when he found the three pairs of the boxers Sasuke had once purposefully bought for him to have there. He picked up one that was red, grabbed a clean white t-shirt and a pair of black sport pants, thankful that he and Sasuke were about the same built.

Moving on to the kitchen, he occupied himself in trying to find something light to eat while he waited for his teammate. He was finally having that feeling again, like he was home – Sasuke's home. He was wearing Sasuke's clothes, with Sasuke's scent lingering all over them, and it was so amazingly reassuring that Naruto had to keep himself from bringing the fabric of the t-shirt he was wearing to his nose in order to smell it.

When the brunet got home, Naruto opened the door for him and the awkwardness was more than palpable as the minutes went by. They exchanged a few necessary words, Sasuke muttering that he was also going to take a bath, Naruto saying he was going to make ramen for them in the meanwhile.

A few minutes later, the Uchiha emerged from the bathroom, hair wet and wearing a black top and the same shorts he was wearing when he had been with Naruto two days ago. They set the table together, exchanged a few phrases before sitting down and starting to eat. Naruto was deadly nervous, not really knowing what to say or how to act, so for the first time, he ate in slow motion, watching carefully as Sasuke did the same, trying hard not to stare too much because he realized he was unconsciously appreciating every gesture he made.

When Sasuke made eye contact,he almost spit the noodles back into the package.

A black eyebrow rose with wonder as Naruto's cheeks became tainted in red. Sasuke sighed softly and started talking. His tone was soft but neutral as he asked him about the mission and how things went, which helped Naruto to sober up by immediately recognizing his friend's attempt to lighten the mood and make conversation.

It was not like Naruto wanted to complain about Neji, it was just that he had nothing spectacular to tell, really, so he told Sasuke how Neji had been all authoritative all through the mission, always wanting to outshine him, always playing the part of the insufferable prick. This made Sasuke smile for some reason and Naruto wondered if it was because he was thinking about Neji being a prick or because Neji was being bad mouthed and since the blond preferred feeling superior instead of feeling jealous, he chose option two.

Then, he told Sasuke about how Neji decided to tell him all about their relationship. Sasuke, for his part, did not look surprised or embarrassed; he just nodded or rolled his eyes when Naruto told him something he was probably not supposed to know but did not mention anything else and Naruto was thankful that he was just that decent. Afterwards, they commented on Gaara being the new Kazekage and on the weird girl called Haru, the one that knew Sasuke's name and told Naruto she knew the both of them. Sasuke actually laughed at that and dismissed whatever hesitation Naruto had.

As the conversation became more casual, they managed to regain some of their old intimacy back easily enough, as though the fact that they were simply hanging out like they used to was enough to make everything go back to what it had always been. The only exception was that Naruto's heart beat faster every time Sasuke smiled, moved or even flinched and that he was painfully aware of the other boy like he had never been.

But he ignored all of it just like he had ignored so many things that had made him feel bad lately. Right now, he was happy he could be there with his friend, socializing like they used to. Nothing else mattered and he just had to focus on that – and believe it too. They were both acting like nothing had changed, and still Sasuke had Neji and Naruto had Hinata, and they had kissed and that was a constant thought in the blonde's mind whenever he gazed at Sasuke's mouth, the one that had felt so incredible against his.

However, it was proving to be more difficult than he had expected because Sasuke just had to tell him about what he had been planning to do about the Uchiha Compound, matterhe had been discussing with the Hokage when they had arrived.

He was aghast that Sasuke wanted to tear it down to give in to Naruto's idea of building an orphanage. For some reason, it was too…something…to be real. He did not even know what to think of it or how to feel.

"…and I've already told Tsunade-sama that I will want a little more land around my parents' house since I want to rebuild some parts of it and expand it," Sasuke was saying, long after they had eaten and cleaned everything. He was leaning against the counter – something Naruto knew he enjoyed – and was waving his right hand with a cigarette between his slender fingers as he spoke. "She says I should check all the houses to see if I can find something valuable, like Uchiha traditional artifacts or important scrolls, and as soon as everything is cleared, she'll start with the demolition plans."

The younger man was still sitting at the table, listening to every word Sasuke uttered, barely noticing he was staring with the most stupefied look ever, but feeling absolutely infatuated and unable to avoid it.

Sasuke was going to tear down his clan's compound. Konoha would have an orphanage. Contemptuous Sasuke; with his pose like he did not care. Sasuke, who was actually so fucking sexy it hurt. Sasuke, who was, indeed, one of the most beautiful people Naruto had ever seen. Sasuke's mouth, Sasuke's voice, Sasuke's home, Sasuke's gestures, Sasuke's…

No, Naruto thought. They were making up. Things would be back to normal and Naruto knew he had to not think about what had happened between them and not want to talk about it. Neji had said Sasuke thought highly of him; that was more than great and it was enough, or at least it should be.

Then, why couldn't he just accept it and be content like he had sworn himself he would be? Why did he still have that weird feeling inside him, that thing that moved him and pulled him towards his best friend?

Was Sasuke not affected by it at all? He had been the one to initiate the kiss, could it really have just been something to test him? Was it really all it had been? Had Sasuke really not felt anything at all? Had he been turned on just because it was a natural reaction?

Not knowing was driving Naruto crazy. It would be impossible for him to go on, living day by day without knowing what it had been, what had not been or what could have been. He could ruin everything again, but not knowing suddenly was not an option.

Sasuke was there. They had been so unbelievably close it seemed disastrous that they had to draw apart again. If Sasuke turned him down…well, at least he would get the answers to his questions and would finally have a valid reason to apologize.

Sasuke was still saying things Naruto had stopped listening to ages ago. The Uchiha was either purposefully ignoring him and his growing anxiety or was just plain oblivious, so Naruto just waited for him to finish his cigarette and put it out on the ashtray he had been holding in his other hand before getting up and going to him.

Sasuke set down the ashtray on the counter behind him, apparently not taking much notice of the fact that his friend had gotten up and was clenching and unclenching his fists in front of him, but Naruto – who was shaking with pure apprehensiveness and yearning – was simply too tired of his casualness and did not want to deal with it anymore.

He didn't want to think about Neji and Hinata, did not want to consider what was and wrong or right at that moment. Morals and all questions of "why" and "what ifs" didn't matter because, if there was one thing the blond boy was absolutely sure of right then, it was that he wanted Sasuke, wanted to get him to react to him and definitely wanted them to respond to each other in many different ways.

Deciding it was a terrible time to think at all, and feeling incredibly thankful for the impulsiveness that never allowed him to lose courage when he needed it the most; he stared straight into Sasuke's calm but observant eyes before quickly grabbing him by the waist and pressing his mouth forcefully to his, causing the other young man to gasp.

Unlike the first time, where they had kissed softly and tentatively, this time there was no such thing as sweetness. As Naruto pressed himself to Sasuke, bringing their bodies together as much as he could, he kissed his companion ferociously, urging him to kiss him back, and even though the Uchiha seemed slightly taken aback for a few moments, he did not take too long to willingly open his mouth to receive him and kiss back as enthusiastically. There was the taste of ramen and orange juice and cigarettes flowing between them.

When Sasuke put his arms around his neck to hold him close, Naruto was sure he could have lost himself over and over again in everything he was; his smell, his taste, the sound of his low, indecent moans. Even his body, unfamiliar but so incredibly hard and toned was amazing because it was strong and firm and he knew he would not have to be gentle or scared of hurting him. The thought alone of the rough, careless things they could do together was extremely arousing.

The kiss was clumsy, mouths clashing together, teeth nibbling and tongues swirling around each other with loud suction noises as they held onto each other for dear life. Naruto did not know what to feel, what else to do but relish in what was happening and find contentment that Sasuke was indeed responding to him with the same want, that what had happened – what was happening – was completely consensual, and that was all he needed to know. All he wanted was to let go, immerse himself on those amazing sensations, and hope the other could do the same.

Which – apparently – was not as difficult as it was supposed to be since the raven was clearly as excited as he was.

In a way, Naruto thought they needed it, deserved it even.

They parted for air after a few moments. Their questioning eyes met and their breaths mingled in an invisible dance between them. Naruto felt relieved that he saw no regret there, no anger, just awe, lust and a slight confusion.

"You're doing it again," Sasuke murmured breathlessly, left hand moving to stroke blond locks rudely. "That look…I don't know what to make of it…."

"I like you…" was all Naruto managed to utter, daring his hands to lift Sasuke's t-shirt up just a little so that his fingers could touch his skin at the same time that he leaned forward once more to kiss his jaw line fervently. "I really do."

"I know," Sasuke said, making a weird noise with his throat at his friend's ministrations and throwing his head to the side. "But you don't like me the way you think you do. You're just horny and bored, moron."

"You don't know how I feel." Naruto defended, biting down hard on the raven's neck and making him hiss. "I do like you, you're important to me. Only…maybe now I've become horny for you."

Sasuke let out a sarcastic cackle at that.

"Really?" he said, pulling blond hair brusquely back to force Naruto him to look at him. "That's so selfish of you."

"You're no better," The kitsune pointed out, making a face. "You're the same; you kissed back."

"I did," Sasuke admitted, and the lustful, dangerous way he eyed Naruto's mouth made the blond shiver wantonly. "It doesn't make it right, though."

"I don't care about that right now," Naruto uttered, as coherently as he could, finding himself incredibly turned on by the aggressive way Sasuke pulled his hair further back to expose his Adam's apple. "If you want it as much as I do, I don't see what could possibly be wrong about it..."

"Of course, you don't," Sasuke joked, licking Naruto's neck all the way up his chin and making him moan loudly. He doubted he had ever been this noisy during a making out session. "Your brain can't reach such a hard train of thought."

"Fuck you…"

Lips met voraciously once again and it all became turmoil of emotions from then on.

Naruto felt free like never before as he was so graciously given permission by Sasuke to remove his top and throw it to the side. He had already seen his best friend topless, bottomless and just stark naked, and yet, what he felt this time was completely different. For the first time, instead of envying his body, he appreciated it for the vision of sin it was. His back, his chest, his sides, everything felt heavenly underneath Naruto's fingertips.

Sasuke understood him, understood what he needed, what he wanted, understood that, for now, he just wanted to be able to touch him, kiss him, get close to him, discover him, but did not need any more feedback than what he was already receiving.

As it was, the brunet allowed himself to be touched, kissed, fondled, bitten and rubbed against. Naruto had the feeling he was not the passive type, but was happy to have the privilege of having met this side of him. Sasuke was in control but responded eagerly, touching him as well and making sure he did not step over the line of what was acceptable – which, for now, meant touching and so on only above the waist, because he slapped Naruto's hands away every time they wandered somewhere forbidden. Still, he led him on and encouraged him and clearly had a blast while doing it.

The way he moved, the way he kissed, the way he touched…

Damn sexy…

The Uchiha was loud. Not loud like any kind of overjoyed female, but a sort of low, passionate and obscene loud that had no reservations, and yet was rather discrete, intimate.

Soon, Sasuke had moved to sit on the counter, opening his legs so that Naruto could settle in between them. When the raven locked said legs around the blonde's waist, they came in to full contact, their bodies glued together like never before. Not long after that, they were already rolling their hips against each other ferociously through their clothes, groins rubbing together in a way the blond would never even dream of trying with his girlfriend. He was too scared to try and touch any sexual parts, but too wound up to just ignore his need to come.

He was aware that it was a bad idea to mark Sasuke, so instead of biting down on his shoulder, he buried his head on his shoulder, biting on his own lower lip instead to muffle his cries. He wanted to make it last but found himself unable to hold the gush of pleasure running through him, because really, how could he avoid it when feeling the other's covered member pulsing against his caused him to share in the sudden and unexpected orgasm?

Sasuke felt amazing while coming, holding on to him and letting out the most erotic sounds in Naruto's ear.

All Naruto was able to do at the moment was press his lips into that strong shoulder and dig his nails roughly on his waist as the last moments of bliss coursed though him, and he shuddered violently against Sasuke's equally shaky body.

They held each other to regain their strength and Naruto hazily mused on how that one experience was hotter and much more pleasurable that any of the times he had had sex with Hinata. Even feeling Sasuke's raspy breath on his cheek was enough to make him tremble.

I can't even feel guilty about it, he realized, feeling a little disgruntled. He knew guilt would overwhelm him at some point, but right now, the sheer perfection of the moment was the only thing occupying his mind.

And he knew the same was happening to Sasuke.

"This will ruin everything we've built so far," Sasuke would mutter seriously, later on after they had cleaned up and went to his room to lazily lie down on his bed. "All these years of trying to get along…it'll all go down the drain."

The younger man was lying on his side beside him, observing Sasuke's pretty profile as he impassively stared at the ceiling.

"There is nothing to ruin that isn't already ruined, Sasuke," Naruto whispered, reaching out to put a reassuring hand over his chest, feeling the not so steady drum of his heartbeat. "That's how it's always been. All we have are pieces to put together and stuff to fix…I…"

Sasuke turned his head to the side to look at him, a confused expression marking his pale face.

"I think that this might be the thing that will finally fix us," Naruto proceeded, carefully. "The missing piece to…"

"Naruto…" Sasuke interrupted, frowning faintly at him. "Don't. I said it before and I'll say it again: I don't want to talk about it. Don't do this. Don't turn it into something more than it really is when all we know right now is that our bodies are surprisingly compatible. Just…drop it."

Naruto could only nod because Sasuke was right to a certain extend. They were attracted to each other but it was something new and confusing and it could really be nothing. It did not feel like nothing, but it could fade with time and it was ridiculous to make assumptions or plans just because they had made out and had some really great dry sex. Still, it had been the most amazing of things to him.

"Ok." He agreed while getting up on one elbow and getting a little closer to the brunet until their faces were mere inches away. "But you and Neji started out with several 'one night stands', right?"

"Yeah…" Sasuke said, tilting his head up instinctively to receive Naruto's brief kiss.

"Well then, I guess the least you could do is give me a few more nights with you."

TBC...