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September thirteenth, still the eighteenth week
"I won't tell you again, brat." Kyuubi growled. Naruto clenched his fists as he stood meters from the familiar cage in his mind. He'd been in this time for a while now, long enough to know he'd be forced to pull out soon.
"You're going to answer me!" The blonde growled. Kyuubi's chakra started to bubble up against the bars of the fox's cage but Naruto didn't even bother allowing it past the seal. He'd spent the first few times being inside his own mind to get better at controlling the fox's chakra and it had been useful the dozens of time after.
"You can try to make me." The fox's grin widened. Naruto let out a huff of indignation, staring the nine-tailed demon down.
"We've been at this for days and you don't want to give anything up, what are you so afraid of?" The blonde screamed loudly. His voice echoed off the walls of the room and Kyuubi's blood red eyes narrowed at the accusation.
"Afraid of? You know nothing, brat." The fox's voice was dripping with disdain. If it was possible, his fists clenched tighter and he grit his teeth together to keep from blurting out something stupid. "I'm not afraid of your little pregnant bitch, what makes you think I'd be scared of the whining whelp?" Inhaling sharply through his nose, Naruto tried to maintain what little calm he had left.
"You're afraid we're going to figure something out!" The blonde growled. It had taken quite a few attempts to ignore the quips the fox had about Sasuke and even now he still had a hard time keeping quiet. "That's why you keep deflecting and won't answer what you know." Naruto's stare didn't waver from Kyuubi's as the demon's chakra crashed against the gates and seal or when the demon's fangs parted to respond.
Whatever the fox was going to say in response, Naruto didn't get a chance to hear it. The vision in front of him faded into darkness and he suddenly felt aching and sore. He'd been in this physical position for a while and as he tried to shift, his body pressed up against wooden restraints. Sighing, the blonde waited for them to disappear before he relaxed.
"Anything?" Yamato asked. Naruto could hear the weariness in his voice and shook his head. Opening his eyes, the blonde blinked twice as he adjusted to the small fire lanterns set in each corner of the room and still dusty light bulb above his head. The older male nodded sluggishly and both their bodies sagged where they sat. Naruto glanced to Kyoko who was still rigidly sitting, her hands clenched into fists as she tried to concentrate.
"Apricot." Naruto called to her. She opened her right eye and peaked at him. Several meditations had ended up with her either pushed across the room or toppled onto him. He didn't blame her for being wary.
"Nothing." She shifted her position, bringing her knees up to tuck her arms under them. Kakashi was in his usual place behind them, rereading his Icha Icha Paradise book for probably the third time, that night. "I hear him all the time in my sleep but we've been at this for days, why haven't we gotten anywhere?"
"We're missing something." Gaara tilted his head, he had given up standing the third night and was sitting with his back pressed against the wall.
"That's helpful." Kyoko bit out. Her fear of the silent redhead had dissipated as she got to know that his calm demeanor was pretty much his personality. That was how Naruto knew Kakashi was right about her being too naïve.
"We know that the connection of the chakra is in Kyuubi's cage but we can't find it if you can't find the place inside your mind." Yamato frowned and stretched his arms over his head as Gaara spoke in his quiet tone.
"I'm trying! I don't know how Naruto does it." Kyoko spat out. The redhead's irritation was normal by this point but the blonde was immediately reminded of Sasuke and the pang of sadness in his chest hit him hard. It'd been too long since they had left, that strange feeling in his stomach came and went as he thought about his Uchiha and their baby. They needed to figure this out so he could get home and be with them.
"I think that's the most I've ever heard him say." Kakashi called out mildly. Gaara decided to give the white haired male a pointed stare; it was all it took to get Naruto's old sensei to stop talking.
"Kyuubi won't tell you how to reach Kyoko, why?" Yamato attempted to steer the conversation back to the point at hand. Naruto shrugged his shoulders, remembering the fox's tactics to evade his questions.
"Obviously he doesn't want us to figure it out, it's his first real chance to escape." Naruto sighed. "But he's been trying to avoid the whole subject of Apricot, it's like he's completely in the dark about her as we are." The blonde watched as Yamato's eyes sharpened on him and Gaara blinked.
"You mean he might not have realized that Apricot had half of his chakra sealed inside her until her seal started to break?" Yamato leaned forward, obviously interested in his new idea.
"Now he's trying to figure out how he was split between the two of you?" Kakashi spoke up from behind them. It dawned on the blonde then that Kyuubi might not have realized he hadn't been at his full strength all this time.
"I don't know, maybe." Naruto frowned. "That doesn't explain why Apricot can't talk to the Kyuubi though. Do you think there might be something in his cage that's blocking her from us?" He turned his head to Kakashi before looking back to Yamato and Gaara. "That would certainly explain some things."
"But if you try to get past the seal, it might break and let the Kyuubi free. We've been over this, how are you going to fix whatever it is if you can't t get in to see it?" Kyoko rolled her eyes in exasperation. Naruto felt the urge to grab the redhead girl and shake her by her shoulders, the only thing that stopped him was the memory of the last time they had prolonged contact. Both of them had felt her seal weakening, a resonating crack rattled around their brains as the nine-tailed fox's chakra oozed from where their skin touched. He hadn't been able to keep Kyuubi's chakra from slipping out and the loss of control was not something he wanted to be feeling again anytime soon.
"Why is Sasuke not here? His bloodline limit would be useful." Gaara turned his stare onto Naruto and the blonde sheepishly looked to Yamato as his face heated up.
"Well, you see, Gaara." Naruto raised his hand to scratch his head, reluctantly looking away from Yamato who was rigorously shaking his head. "It's, it's complicated." That seemed to be all it took to convince the Kazekage and he stood, Naruto mirroring him hastily.
"Hey, what are you guys," Kyoko started but stopped short. Sand was creeping into the room through the floorboards and cracks in the barred window. She paled and watched in horror as the sand accumulated around Naruto, Gaara stepping closer to him and into the middle of the swirling sand. "He can do that?" Naruto grinned at her when she heard her cry.
"Don't worry Apricot, we're just going to talk for a little. Why don't you keep trying to find Kyuubi?" Naruto watched as the sand obscured her from his view, rising above his head and surrounding the Kazekage and himself. The sound of sand condensing around him ensued, covering any noise anyone made outside of the sphere.
There was no light, the sphere would be a complete fortress but that didn't worry the blonde; Gaara wouldn't let them suffocate and wouldn't squeeze him to death. Once the scratching sound of the sand died down, it was just the redhead and he, where they could talk privately.
"Why is Sasuke not with you?" Gaara asked again. Even though Naruto knew the redhead couldn't see him, he scratched his head nervously.
"So, a couple of months ago I told Sasuke that I wanted to have a kid with him, you know, just pillow talk, and he got all serious about it. If we wanted to use a surrogate or if I wanted to ask Sakura to carry our kid for nine months." He knew he was rambling, playing with the hem if his jacket as Gaara patiently waited for him to explain. "And after a few days of talking about it, I said I wouldn't mind if he got pregnant, you know, I was teasing to get him in the mood, I joked about wanting to practice." The blonde paused. Gaara had yet to say anything and Naruto couldn't tell if his friend had figured where he was going with this so he could stop talking but when the silence started to get awkward he started again.
"A week later Sasuke showed me a scroll he'd taken from the Hokage's forbidden scroll room, don't ask me how he got in there in the first place with an anbu team watching him constantly but he did. Sasuke said that if I could get him a few more of the scrolls, he could rig up a technique that would let him, ya'know, get pregnant, technically." Naruto nervously listened for any kind of reaction that he could hear in the pitch black.
"You're saying that," The Kazekage paused long enough for Naruto to interrupt him.
"The seal activated like, four or five months ago, and then there was the chuunin exams. Sasuke wanted to do it 'cause you know he could do it in his sleep now and even pregnant he got through fine. But then there was this whole thing with Apricot having Kyuubi's other half that we had to take care of, which, you saw during the third exam and have to deal with now." The blonde inhaled deeply to give the redhead time to respond.
"He's carrying your child?" Gaara's voice was soft, his deep voice rumbling over his words. "Sasuke is doing that for you?"
"Yeah, it's too risky for him to travel that's why he couldn't come." Naruto answered almost breathlessly. He was pretty sure the Kazekage could hear the smile in his voice. "Well, I'm pretty sure he wants to start a family as much as I do but it's crazy isn't it? I didn't know he'd go this far for, you know, for us."
"Congratulations," Gaara's voice was quiet and without his sight, Naruto wasn't sure what his friend was thinking. "I'm happy for you, that you have him."
"Thanks," The blonde started, feeling suddenly awkward. "I'm sure you'll find somebody too, or have you?" Even in complete darkness the urge to scratch the back of his head was hard to ignore in the silence. "Is it someone from Konoha?"
"Yes." Gaara murmured. The blonde could feel his eyes widen, so that was why Matsuri had been so hostile towards them ever since they had arrived. She probably thought it was one of them.
"Oh," Naruto turned his head back to the redhead's voice in surprise. He had a pretty good idea of who it could be that had caught his friend's attention but then again, he could be wrong. "It's not me, is it?"
"No." Gaara murmured. The sand started to shift, particles of it already falling from above Naruto's head and into his hair.
"You might want talk to Matsuri about why you couldn't return her feelings. It might ease some of the tension between you two." Naruto tried to keep his voice at a low decibel as the sand shuddered around them and started to recede. Light was breaking through the falling enclosure of sand and the blonde could see Gaara give him a small nod.
"Everything okay?" Kakashi's voice sounded particularly bored. Naruto glanced to him, and then turned his gaze in the same direction as the grey haired teacher. Apricot had backed herself against the nearest wall, her face pale and eyes wide. Her hand was clutching onto the braid of her hair
"I don't see what the big deal is, you did just fine with him before and even then you knew he was a demon container like yourself." Yamato rolled his eyes but didn't say anything else when Gaara turned his gaze to him.
"Yeah, before I knew he controlled sand and could crush me!" The girl yelped. She wrapped her arms around her knees and gave the Kazekage one more careful look before squeezing her eyes shut and tucking her head between her knees.
"Calm down, you're overreacting." Naruto sighed when her breathing grew labored. "Gaara's not going to hurt you." The blonde stepped over to the girl and kneeled down beside her. Kyoko breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth but kept her eyes shut tightly.
"Are you having a panic attack?" Kakashi asked in a soft voice. Naruto could hear the annoyance underlying his tone but Apricot didn't seem to catch onto it and lifted her head long enough to shake her head in response. They remained quiet awkwardly for a few minutes, allowing the redheaded girl to calm down on her own. Naruto moved away from her, getting tired of kneeling.
"We should keep trying to figure out a way for Apricot to get to Kyuubi. Did you guys come up with something while I was talking to Gaara?" Naruto asked. Kakashi pointedly returned his attention to his book and Yamato shrugged his shoulders.
"She clammed up as soon as you guys were completely in the shell of sand and Kakashi hasn't been any help since we got here." Yamato shifted from his position, stretching his legs out and leaning back with his weight on his hands. Naruto sighed and sat back down in front of the brown haired man.
"Okay, so let's brainstorm while Apricot tries to calm down." The blonde looked over to Gaara, pleading silently that he would have at least one idea to contribute. The Kazekage finally turned his head away from Yamato and looked to Naruto with a blank expression.
"We've been trying to get her to get to Kyuubi the same way you do," Gaara's forehead started to wrinkle and Naruto got the impression that if he had eyebrows, they'd be furrowed. "What if we tried something else?"
"Like what?" Yamato asked. "Where do we even begin?" The man sounded tired and Naruto didn't blame him. They had been doing this night after night for days now; having to contain Kyuubi's chakra again and again must have been wearing him thin. They'd have to take a break for a day or two, as much as he wanted to get back to Sasuke, it just wasn't fair to the older man to keep pushing him like this when it wasn't getting them anywhere.
"When we touch, the two parts of Kyuubi's chakra connect and start to break down my seal." Apricot's voice came out in a high pitch. "Is that a good place to start?" She had opened her eyes but her face was still pale and raised one hand to her braided hair again, running her fingers across the spiked strap.
"We already figured that out." Naruto frowned. "What does that have to do with getting you to Kyuubi?" The blonde tried to ignore the twinge in his stomach that had been affecting him on and off since they had left Konoha. Whatever the feeling was, it wasn't just going to go away and he wouldn't feel at ease until it did which of course meant getting back as soon as possible.
"Kyuubi's chakra is split into two halves, one inside of her and one inside of you." Gaara murmured. "Maybe, she can't talk to Kyuubi because she's not housing his consciousness." The redhead tilted his head to the girl but didn't bother looking at her.
"Because Kyuubi's consciousness is inside me." Naruto nodded at the realization. "I never thought about it like that before. That doesn't explain why Apricot can here him when she's sleeping though." The blonde looked over to Kyoko again. She had closed her eyes and was doing the breathing exercise but at least she wasn't freaking out anymore.
"Who knows, could be the effect of the connection of chakra. It might have even something to do with her subconscious." Kakashi shrugged his shoulders but he had set his book down which meant they were probably onto something or at least something worth listening to. "What it does tell us though, is that it's maybe possible to connect Kyuubi's consciousness to Apricot if they touch."
"So we're going to try it while they're physically touching." Yamato said in a flat tone. "It will weaken the seal." The blonde sighed and crossed his arms over his chest and he could see the only girl in the room move from the corner of his eye.
"Well, we've gotten nowhere with the meditating, might as well try something new." Naruto looked over to the girl and nodded to her when she looked back at him with a wary gaze. Apricot had dropped her legs to stretch them out across the dirty floor, her bare feet just inches shy of her borrowed shoes but her hand was still on her braid.
"What if we only do it for a few minutes? It won't completely undo the seal, just wear it down some." Kyoko spoke softly. She glanced at Yamato since it was going to be his decision about whether they do this or not. It all relied on his ability to keep Kyuubi's chakra from slipping too far out of Naruto's grasp.
"Do we have any other ideas?" Gaara asked. The blonde looked over to him and then at Kakashi who had picked up his book again and was leafing through the pages as he found his starting spot.
"I guess not." Yamato sighed. He tucked his legs back into a crossed position and straightened his back, preparing for another round of Naruto's meditation.
"At least none on how to get Kyuubi's chakra out without it killing me." Apricot spoke up bitterly. She stood and moved to sit next to Naruto, as far away from Gaara as she could be. The redheaded female was careful not to touch him and licked her lips in nervous anticipation.
"Ready, Yamato?" Naruto asked. The brown haired male immediately gave him a dirty look and inhaled sharply before letting out a slow exhale.
"Make this attempt count, we can't afford to do this too many times without the proper equipment if the seal breaks." The dark haired male opened his eyes as he spoke and relaxed his hands on his knees, nodding to Naruto in signal that he was ready.
"Skin to skin contact, wake us up in ten minutes so we can see how fast the seal will deteriorate." Naruto held out his hand for Apricot to take and closed his eyes, centering himself for the now overly familiar trip into his mind. As soon as she set her own open palm into his he delved deep, the world outside of his body disappearing from his senses. It wasn't long before he opened his eyes at the sound of water dripping.
"Back again, brat?" Kyuubi's growl sounded distracted and Naruto frowned. He could feel the difference this time. The fox's chakra was thrumming behind the sealed gate, stronger than it had been since they had first arrived in Suna. It wasn't just the demon's chakra; there was a feeling of pressure that hadn't been there before. The blonde frowned and tried to reach out into his mind to feel where the excess chakra and pressure was coming from.
"You feel her now, don't you?" Naruto asked. He would have sighed in relief that they were finally getting somewhere if he wasn't focused on trying to find Apricot in his mind. There was a strange, tingling sensation in the palm of his hand and he scratched at it nervously.
"The rest of my chakra you mean?" Kyuubi snarled. His chakra flared and pressed up against the cage, boiling against the bars since Naruto refused to let it loose. They were already taking the chance of prolonged contact with Apricot and that would weaken her seal at a greater rate than before. He wasn't going to add any more risk on top of that.
"Oh, calm down you oversized fur ball. You didn't miss it until you knew it was gone." The blonde snapped at the fox. Kyuubi's pupils narrowing into thin lines as he stared angrily at his human container and a rumble rose from the demon's throat.
"Naruto?" Apricot's voice echoed over the fox's growling and Naruto turned around the room, looking for the owner of the voice. The fox moved inside his cage but the blonde was too busy looking for Apricot to pay attention to what he was doing.
"Where are you, Apricot?" He called out loudly. Naruto spun in a full circle, and then turned his head again. She wasn't in the room. The echo of the girl's voice had seemed to come from inside the cage and he tried to look into the darkness, past Kyuubi's glowing fangs and bright red eyes.
"Yes, where are you, little bitch?" Kyuubi turned his head, his fangs opening as he voiced his thoughts. "Come out and show yourself, so I can kill you!" An echoing squeak came after the demon's proclamation and the blonde was almost certain that it came from the other side of the bars.
"Don't listen to him, as long as you don't open the seal he can't touch you." Naruto stepped closer to the nine-tailed demon's cage and glared at the fox before trying to look see into the darkness. The fox was turned in his cage, having heard the echo and Naruto was facing a wall of red, bubbling chakra. "Apricot?" He called out. Kyuubi's chakra was sizzling as it pressed against the seal and when the girl didn't answer him he felt his stomach drop. "Kyoko!" Naruto called out.
"Ah, there you are you insufferable whelp." Kyuubi sounded pleased and Naruto tensed as he listened to what he said. Squeezing his eyes shut, he forced himself out of the space in his mind and found his body already jerking away from the touch that was literally burning his skin.
"Naruto," He could hear Gaara's concern as he clutched his hand to his chest and opened his eyes to see the damage. "Are you alright?" The outer part of the burn was already a deep red but it was in the center of his palm that the burns were the worst. His skin was peeled away, the new skin under it blistering, bubbling up and aching sharply. Attempting to open his hand up completely, the blonde hissed and clutched at it. This lag in his automatic healing had never happened before.
"It's not healing." Naruto looked up to Yamato and then to Gaara. The brown haired man's expression grew concerned and the Kazekage's eyes darted down to the blonde's hand.
"Give it a few seconds," Apricot spoke up urgently. "The chakra is reverting back to its normal paths." Naruto jerked his head over to her and his jaw went slack, surprised. Her body was radiating Kyuubis chakra, a haze of red in the air just above her skin. Normally green eyes were bright red like Kyuubi's and were meeting his in a nervous gaze. She had scooted back from him but was already reaching behind her to pull herself flush against the wall.
"How can you be sure-" Yamato started to ask. The sudden, intense pain in his hand made the blonde gasp and curl around his arm but it was the sensation of his skin growing back at an inhuman pace to his relief.
"She was right, it's working." Naruto sighed. He pulled his hand away from his body and opened his palm, letting Yamato and Gaara see it. The pain had reduced to the tingling itch of his skin regenerating and flexed his fingers to inspect it. He glanced to Apricot again; she seemed more relaxed now that Kyuubi's chakra was no longer radiating physically from her body. "How did you know?"
"Like I said last week, I can't do instant regeneration like you can. It always takes a while for Kyuubi's chakra to travel through my chakra pathways." Apricot murmured shakily. "If Kyuubi's chakra was burning your hand, it wasn't flowing like it normally does." Naruto blinked at her in surprise.
"What happened in there?" Kakashi asked. Naruto turned his head to the older man's spot in the room but found the white haired man was standing up and moving. Kakashi dropped down between the blonde and Yamato, intently staring at Apricot with his visible eye.
"He found her, I tried to stop him before he started anything." The blonde murmured. Kakashi's gaze turned to him and he stared back at the older man's good eye.
"Let's see the seal." Gaara motioned with his hand to Apricot and she stiffened against the wall. She took a deep breath and straightened into a sitting position before she pulled up her shirt so they could see the seal. He stared at her from afar and the girl anxiously started a breathing exercise, breathing in loudly through her nose and exhaling from her mouth.
"The degradation isn't as bad as I thought it would be." Yamato spoke up. "It could handle one or two more quick sessions like that before we would have to stop." Apricot tugged her shirt down, crossed her arms over her stomach protectively and Naruto flexed his fingers experimentally.
"I'd rather not, that really hurt." Naruto raised his hand. The skin had healed and it would be impossible to tell that it had ever been burned in the first place. His nerve ends tingled with the thought of pain and he wasn't up for experiencing it again anytime soon.
"Why did the connection have a physical affect on you but not on her?" Gaara asked. Naruto could only shrug in response. His gaze turned to Kakashi but the man was quietly staring at Apricot, gauging her actions and reactions now that she had finally met Kyuubi face to face.
"Not a clue, you?" The blonde looked over to the only girl in the room. Apricot refused to let her green eyes stray from Naruto and over to the Kazekage. Color had returned to her cheeks but her expression was still guarded, tense.
"Why are you looking at me? I don't know." Kyoko nervously retorted. Her gaze momentarily met Naruto's before she looked away and played with the hem of her shirt.
"Do you think it will happen again?" Yamato asked. The dark haired man raised a hand, feeling the growing bags under his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose.
"We can try, what's the use of instant regeneration if I can't burn off my whole hand?" Naruto asked sarcastically. He smiled at the weary looking brunet and motioned for Apricot to come closer again. She did so hesitantly, scooting across the sanded floor to be just in reach of the blonde. Apricot held her hand out and watched as Naruto brushed his fingertips over her open palm. When nothing happened, the blonde pressed his hand flat against hers and waited for the skin burning to start. After at least five seconds of awkward silence, Naruto pulled his hand away and the redhead gratefully retracted her own, pushing herself back towards the wall.
"So, it doesn't happen when we're just touching." Naruto sighed. "We already know it wears down the seal at a faster pace than just being in a close proximity so it might only happen when our consciousness is touching through Kyuubi." The blonde looked to Gaara who gave a small shrug of his shoulders.
"What did you see in there?" Yamato asked. The brunet leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he watched Apricot squirm. Naruto followed his lead and unfolded his legs and sat back into a relaxed posture. Most likely they were done for the night, having been at the meditating for hours already.
"It was dark," Apricot started out hesitantly. "I couldn't really see anything at first and then Kyuubi's chakra flared." Naruto watch the girl raise her hand to pull at her braid, she pulled the tie off and started to undo the braid, slipping the spiked strap out before she continued. "I saw the cage, like Naruto said I would. It was at the back of this cave like place."
"Did you notice anything specific?" Kakashi spoke up. Apricot paused in running her fingers through her hair and frowned.
"The bars," Apricot looked up suddenly. "The bars of the cage, they were breaking, crumbling from the weight of Kyuubi's chakra, it was seeping through the cracks." Naruto nodded, waiting for her to continue as she separated her hair into three sections. "I heard Naruto's voice, it was like an echo. He was telling me not to open the seal, then I saw him, the fox I mean. His big red eyes and teeth at least, he called me an insufferable whelp and then I was here again."
"Then it was a good thing you got out when you did, Naruto." Kakashi murmured. The blonde nodded his head but kept watching the younger girl as she braided her hair with practiced ease. "Now that we know it works when you're physically touching we can move on to why it only works when you're in your own heads." The white haired man raised his hand and gave Yamato a slap on the back.
"I'm going to need a break, I can't keep doing this every night." Yamato looked over to his old mentor with a grim expression. Apricot finished with her hair, tying the ends and grabbing the strap from her lap and fingering the spikes.
"We'll take a break then, rest up and we'll start back up again in a few days." Gaara turned his gaze to Naruto and the blonde looked back to him with a nod. "I'll see what I can find about chakra pathways and a demon's chakra in the meantime."
"Who let you stay up so late, Apricot? It's past your bedtime." Kakashi smiled underneath his mask. The jonin stood, holding out his hand for Yamato to take as Naruto moved to stand on his own.
"We've been staying up to all hours of the night this whole week!" The girl spluttered in response. "And I don't have a bedtime." She muttered petulantly. Apricot rolled onto her knees and half crawled her way back to the middle of the room to grab her shoes while ignoring everyone in the room entirely. Naruto was planning on lagging behind and watched as Yamato and Kakashi went down the stairs, Apricot shoving her feet into the boots before chasing after them.
"Can I ask who it is?" Naruto asked. He raised his eyebrows innocently and leaned closer into the red haired man as they made their way to the stairs at a slower pace. "The person you like." Gaara looked over to him with a blank expression but the blonde wasn't deterred and looked at the redhead expectantly when they reached the first floor.
"He's an applicant for the Konoha-Suna liaison." The Kazekage relented. That only fueled the blonde's curiosity and he followed his friend out of the rickety house where Apricot, Kakashi and Yamato were waiting for them.
"That's all you're going to tell me?" Naruto whined. The sun had set hours ago but the street was bathed in light, the moon allowing him to see Gaara's uncomfortable stare. "Come on, Gaara! Who is it?"
"Who is what?" Kyoko turned around to look between them and then stepped back in surprise when she saw the Kazekage's expression. Gaara blinked and looked away from his nosy friend. The blonde followed his line of sight and watched as Matsuri dropped from a rooftop across the street, a full-blown glare her set expression.
"The guy he likes, his precious person. I know it's someone from Konoha but he hasn't told me who it is." Naruto sighed with a roll of his eyes.
"Probably because that's his business and not yours." Yamato arched an eyebrow at the blonde. Naruto grinned at him and then turned to Matsuri whose glare was dropping into a surprised stare as she stepped up to their group.
"Did he tell you who the candidates for the liaison job were?" Naruto took a step towards the sand ninja with an eager smile. She didn't know why he was smiling and the blonde wasn't going to tell her that it was because he was solving both his and Gaara's problems at the same time.
"I-" Matsuri started. She looked over to the Kazekage, then back to the blonde, mouth agape. Naruto's grin widened, the girl would realize that the person Gaara liked wasn't with them and it would make her curious, she'd ask the Kazekage about it if she were bold enough. "Uh, I," The girl stammered again.
"That's classified information between the Kazekage and the Hokage, Naruto. Stop badgering them." Kakashi pushed the blonde forward when he set his hand on his back. The blonde looked back to him with a wide smile and got a raised eyebrow in return.
"See you guys tomorrow then." Naruto turned to Gaara and winked before jumping up onto the nearest roof, Yamato immediately followed him. Apricot came up a few seconds after that and the last one onto the roof was Kakashi who gave Naruto a deadened stare.
"I'm sure you can guess who's being considered for the liaison job between Suna and Konoha." The white haired man began. They all jumped onto the next rooftop, Kakashi in the lead. "There's no need to badger the Kazekage or his subordinate about it." Naruto rolled his eyes and Yamato let out a short laugh as they jumped onto the next roof.
"Yeah but it's no fun if I can't tease him about it. I don't get to see him very often." The blonde sighed. Kakashi inclined his head toward him but didn't say anything more. They got across three more rooftops before Kyoko spoke up and ended the peaceful silence of the night.
"Can I ask what a 'lee-age-on' is?" Apricot tentatively spoke up. Naruto looked to her for a brief second before turning to Yamato with a grin. Yamato looked to Kakashi in response but the white haired male resolutely ignored the look, leaving the brunet to deal with the question on his own.
"Liaison, it's someone who helps maintain the relationship between two groups for varying reasons. In this case, it's someone from Konoha who's going to come to Suna to maintain our social and political connection to them." Yamato droned on in a bored tone. Naruto looked back to the redhead girl and watched her try to take in the information with a concentrated expression.
"And for Gaara to maybe do some personal liaison work." The blonde raised his eyebrows with a lecherous grin. With the nearly full moon lighting up the sky, Naruto could see Apricot's face turn red as she figured that one out. Yamato coughed loud enough to hide his snorting laugh and Kakashi paused on top of a low bearing roof. As soon as Naruto landed beside him the white haired male whacked him upside the head. "Ow!" He glared at the older man.
"Don't fill her head with perverted things, she's already afraid of him." Kakashi stared back at him with his visible eye. Naruto shrugged his shoulders at him, watching how the full moon casted shadows across the white haired man's face.
"I'm not afraid of him!" Apricot cried out indignantly. "Just his sand, that you know, could crush me to death." The girl murmured almost as an afterthought. Naruto and Yamato all snorted at her response, Kakashi ignored her completely and jumped over to the next rooftop without bothering to wait to hear more her excuse.
The wave of uncertainty hit Naruto hard in the stomach when he was in the shower. It had been happening on and off through the days, when he was lying in bed wishing Sasuke was there with him and times like now, when he was in the shower not thinking of anything in particular. Still, the anxiety was there and the blonde raised his hand to his wet hair, grimacing as it spread.
It was because Sasuke was pregnant, Naruto had told himself for the first few days. Sasuke was vulnerable and he felt guilty for leaving his pregnant boyfriend to fend for himself but he could only convince himself of that for so long. The Uchiha may have only just passed the chuunin exam but he wasn't a weakling, even if he was pregnant. Naruto had then tried to reason with himself, Sasuke had the compound and the barrier, and the only people who could get into the compound were people that Sasuke wanted to let in.
Shivers raced up his spine and down his arms even though the water was hot and the shower stall was filled with steam. Naruto had given up trying to convince himself that the feeling would go away and pressed his forehead against the wall. Water ran down his back and after a few seconds, the dread started to fade but Naruto was already stuck on the idea of Sasuke. Wondering if he still had morning sickness, if he'd gotten any bigger and couldn't fit into his favorite pair of pants anymore. Did Sasuke miss him as much as he missed his dark haired asshole? Was he lying on their bed in the middle of the night, wishing that Naruto was holding him or rubbing the swell of his growing stomach? Naruto sure as hell did.
Sighing, the blonde closed his eyes and felt the phantom sensations wash over him. The feel of Sasuke's back pressed against his chest, his soft spikes of hair brushing against his cheek. Sasuke's hand running through his hair, those long, slender fingers tightly holding his neck for a forceful kiss. His mouth dropped open, blood pooled into his lower regions as his body created more sensations to go with the images in his mind. Those talented fingers around his length, Sasuke's warm mouth sucking on him and he felt himself twitch when he remembered watching pale fingers press their erections together. He was wrapping his fingers around himself before he even realized what he was doing. It took a bare second to decide to keep going and he squeezed himself, swallowing dryly.
The water in the shower was getting lukewarm but Naruto didn't care. He lifted his head to the spray and let his mind drift. The soft skin of Sasuke's ass pressed against his hips and length, teasing him with just enough movement, just enough pressure. Sasuke's lean body pressing down on him, penetrating him with gentle thrusts, the blonde's hole twitched at the memory. It had been so long since the Uchiha had topped, months even before his pregnancy and Naruto missed it, wanted it.
He moved his free hand to his behind, slipping two fingers between his cheeks to press against his aching hole and had to bite his lip from moaning when he thumbed his head. Sasuke liked being on the receiving end of a little rough play but when he was taking the lead he was nothing but the definition of tender. Naruto had been surprised just how much he had enjoyed it, having his body worshipped until he was a trembling, sweating mess. The shower water was colder than lukewarm now, running down his face and back but his length was still rigid in his grasp. His breathing was heavy, not loud enough to be heard over the running water but the blonde was still cautious when he pushed his middle finger inside himself. Without lube, it was a little painful and the sting made Naruto squeeze his eyes shut.
Sasuke's flushed face materialized behind the blonde's eyelids. Tears were welling up in the corners of obsidian eyes, his mouth parted and chest heaving. Those beautiful pale fingers were clutching the sheets around his head, his wrists still irritated and red from the chakra cuffs that had been removed only hours before. Naruto had sat back then, admiring the full view. Sasuke's cock was limp and spent, cum spattered across his stomach. His legs were still parted and his entrance having spasm after spasm in the wake of his climax. The blonde had felt guilt, for coming inside of him but the Uchiha had released his grip on the sheets and pulled him down for a forceful kiss. Letting out a single grunt, he let his hips jerk forward into his hand and could feel his climax coming. A few more strokes after that and the blonde ejaculated onto the wall. Dammit, he wanted to look like that after a great round of sex.
It took him another minute to gather himself, to pull his finger out and wipe the shower wall clean of his mess. Cold water hit his head when he moved to turn off the showerhead and he started to feel the slightest bit guilty for having used up all the hot water. Naruto toweled off and dressed quickly, hoping Kakashi hadn't heard him for any part of his shower. He stepped out into the room and tried to discretely look at his temporary roommate. Kakashi was lying on his bed, hands underneath his head and his Icha Icha Paradise on top of his face. Naruto quietly moved to his bed and sat down, grinning at the thought of getting away with his quickie.
"Have a good time in there?" Kakashi's voice came from underneath his book and made Naruto jump in surprise. His grin soured into a scowl as he flopped his body down, arms spread out as he looked up at the ceiling. Of course the white haired man had heard him and would make a comment, he'd tell Yamato too as soon as they met up again for dinner and he'd get teased about it for sure. Naruto turned his head to glare at Kakashi but the man didn't twitch a muscle, his book still covering his face and arms raised with his hands underneath his head in a relaxed position.
"You're creasing the spine of your book, I hope you know that." The blonde muttered petulantly.
"This is my copy for traveling." The white haired man retorted. "Are you out of the bathroom completely? It's my turn to take a shower."
"I used up all the hot water." Naruto told him flat out. That earned him movement from the older man; Kakashi raised his hand to grab his book and turned his head, both of his eyes visible. The blonde stuck his tongue out at him before rolling onto his side, away from the jonin. His mind wandered for a moment before settling on the topic of Sasuke again, he couldn't wait to get back home.