Chapter 4

It was very late. Naruto knew that much with certainty, although he had no idea what time it was exactly.

He had been standing under the archway that led into the garden for a long while, his mind blank and eyes unfocused as he stared at the distant porch light. Above his head, the locator mark for his teleportation jutsu hummed gently. A faint trace of Naruto's chakra still lived within it, like an old memory almost forgotten.

Where he stood, Naruto's body was half inside the barrier that surrounded his and Sasuke's home. He distracted himself by running his mind over the barrier wall, checking its strength. Although it was invisible to the naked eye, the barrier stood as imposing and impenetrable as a mighty fortress.

It was a testament of Naruto's immense power, and a monument to his inescapable weakness.

Finally, Naruto stirred, heaving a long sigh before stepping through the barrier completely. The gravel on the path crunched loudly under his feet, a familiar sound of homecoming that Sasuke would surely hear. Naruto's bright blue eyes shifted upwards as he sensed movement within the house. Feeling a slight twinge of nerves at the thought of what awaited him inside, Naruto jumped up the steps, alighting upon the porch with surprising softness.

After inhaling a long, slow breath through his nose, the Hokage opened his front door.

Light spilled out into the garden, but nothing else. The silence was heavy as Naruto paused on the threshold, his gaze pointedly trained towards the tile floor in the entryway. He knew he was in trouble, and like a child, he found himself too ashamed to look at Sasuke's face. Still looking down, Naruto closed the door slowly behind himself and turned to carefully lock it, all the while feeling Sasuke's eyes boring into the back of his head.

After a slight pause, Naruto turned, finally lifting his eyes.

The first thing Naruto registered was Sasuke's tightly folded arms; his Black Ops uniform was tattered and burnt at the front. Sasuke's skin, visible through the ruined fabric, was covered in angry red burns. Naruto felt a pang of guilt so painful that it stole his breath. In his worry, Sasuke hadn't thought to change out of his scorched uniform or see to his wounds.

Naruto swallowed loudly. "Sasuke, I -"

"Why do you do this?" Sasuke interrupted.

His voice wasn't angry, but it carried echoes of sadness and pain that cut into Naruto more than a sharp tongue would have.

"Do what?" Naruto asked, his deep voice booming in the silence.

"This." Sasuke replied. "Disappear. Vanish. Hide from me. Hide things from me."

Naruto didn't say anything. He simply continued to stare at Sasuke's folded arms, watching as the cord-like muscles beneath his burnt skin tensed.

"Gods, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, finally giving in to his emotions. Sasuke felt his face getting red as anger and hurt rushed through him like a tidal wave. "How many times do we have to fight about this? Why can't you just trust me? Why can't you stop hiding? Why can't you just let me in, Naruto?"

His eyes burning, Naruto finally looked up. He noticed Sasuke tense under his gaze but he ignored it, stepping forward to grasp Sasuke's hand.

Surprised by the sudden gesture, Sasuke didn't react as Naruto unfolded his arms, examining the damage he had done. After a long moment of silence, Naruto sighed.

"Because of this." Naruto said, low and gentle. "Because this isn't the first time I've burned you, and it probably won't be the last."

He carefully turned Sasuke's pale hands, blue eyes falling onto the scars that marked Sasuke's wrists; the places where the chains had cut into him when Kou had held him captive. Naruto's eyebrows met in a deep frown.

"And because of these." Naruto whispered, running his thumbs over the scars, still new enough to be slightly pink.

Sasuke watched, heart screaming in pain and yearning, as Naruto bowed his head so low that his chin rested upon his chest. His warm fingers gently traced a line on Sasuke's thigh, his sad blue eyes seeing through fabric to the large scar on Sasuke's leg as he whispered, "And this, too."

The blond reached up and around to Sasuke's back, his fingers tracing the bottom of the long, jagged scar that ran from Sasuke's shoulder to wrap across his ribs. "And this."

Naruto looked up, gaze melding with Sasuke's as he reached up again, this time resting his gentle hand over Sasuke's heart.

"But mostly because of this." Naruto concluded. "Because you are too precious to me. You don't understand how much it kills me that you're always the one who gets hurt. And it's always because of me. Hell, I'm usually the one who fucking hurts you."

Sasuke felt a renewed rush of muddled emotion. He clenched his eyes shut, breaking the fusion of their gazes as he said, "Naruto, I chose this. I know what it means to stay by your side. But this" - he waved his burnt arms through the air – "hurts me so much less than this does. This fucking secrecy. This back and forth game we have going on here. Your inability to trust anyone else with your burdens or your emotions. You can't keep trying to do it all alone, Naruto. You're only human."

"Am I?" Naruto asked, allowing his hand to fall.

"What?"

"Am I human, Sasuke?" Naruto growled. "Maybe I'm wrong, but most humans don't randomly burst into fucking flame! Most humans don't have giant demons living inside them! Most humans don't live in constant fucking terror that they'll lose control and hurt everyone that matters to them. Most people…most people…"

"Most people aren't you." Sasuke replied. "Nobody is like you. I can't even imagine the shit you have to deal with, Naruto, but you need to realize that it isn't easy for the rest of us either."

Heavy silence fell, almost tangible in the air between them. Sasuke carefully studied the top of Naruto's bowed head. All the while, Sasuke's emotions continued to perform a complex dance that had his heart pounding wildly in his chest. Before he fell in love with Naruto, Sasuke wouldn't have believed it was possible to feel so many different emotions all at once.

Naruto suddenly spoke, in a low timbre that carried like smoke and made Sasuke shiver. "I'm sorry."

Eyebrows pinching in pain, Sasuke sighed. "Raise your head, Naruto. Please."

Naruto glanced up, the shadow of something dark lurking behind his eyes. "I hate keeping secrets from you. But I hate hurting you more, you know?"

"I know what I signed up for, Naruto." Sasuke said. "Being with you is painful. I mean shit, Naruto, loving you has almost killed me. Several times."

Here Sasuke paused, studying Naruto's familiar face as he pondered his next words. Finally, with slightly red cheeks, Sasuke continued.

"But not being with you? It's like trying to breathe water." He laughed once, a sharp, humorless sound. "I am literally drowning in you."

Naruto looked up, and Sasuke was struck by how true those words were. Those eyes, two drops of blue so vivid they made even the brightest summer sky look grey, pulled him in instantly. And in that instant, nothing else seemed to matter. Nothing else even existed. And it terrified Sasuke to the very core of his being.

With trembling fingers, Sasuke rested his hand on Naruto's warm arm, trying to smile as he said in a pleading voice, "It's a good thing I know how to swim, but I'd still be grateful if you threw me a life raft."

Naruto's eyes glistened. "You knew something was up earlier. I know you noticed that the grass around me by the river was new. Why didn't you say anything?"

Sasuke exhaled slowly. "I was so relieved to see you, to see that you were okay, that I honestly didn't even care enough to ask. Anyways, things grow like crazy around you when you meditate. It seemed stupid to even ask about it."

Naruto shook his head. "But you knew. And I knew that you knew. But I didn't fess up…Sasuke, that weird thing with my chakra happened twice today. And it's happened a few times before."

Sasuke frowned, concern pinching the corners of his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

"Honestly? Because I'm scared, you know." Naruto admitted. "I have no idea why this is happening, or how to stop it, or what's going to happen if I can't stop it. I need to be in control of my chakra at all times, or bad things will happen."

After a long moment of concerned scrutiny, Sasuke shook his head slightly. "There's no use in talking about this any more tonight. It's late."

"Sasuke, I'm sorry."

"I know you are, dobe. But you really have to stop doing this to me. I swear, the next time you run away from me when things get difficult, I'll hunt you down and kill you."

Naruto cracked a smile at that. "Okay.

"Okay." Sasuke sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Now, can we please go to bed?"

"Yeah, be right there." Naruto replied, scrambling to take off his sandals. Then he paused, glancing at Sasuke's retreating back. His voice was barely above a whisper as he said, "If it helps, Sasuke: I'm drowning in you, too."

Sasuke stopped, turning to smile sadly over his shoulder.

That expression was enough to make Naruto catch his breath. Even when he was burnt and exhausted, Sasuke was still the most gorgeous thing Naruto had even seen.

Sasuke turned to face him as Naruto made his way down the hall. Without a word, Naruto leaned down to kiss Sasuke, softer than the sun on a spring morning. Sasuke could sense the questions in that gesture – he answered them by returning Naruto's gentle kiss. When he pulled away, Sasuke's mouth whispered across Naruto's throat, his voice low and soft as he offered forgiveness.

Naruto frowned, feeling undeserving of this gesture. But when Sasuke took his hand, the blond allowed himself to be led into their bedroom, and shut the door behind them.

Sasuke was awoken by bright, golden light pressing against his eyelids. With watering eyes, he lifted his lashes slowly, blinking against the brightness. It took him a moment to realize that it was still dark outside, so the offending light was not coming from the sun.

And then, the distinct lack of discomfort drew his attention to his forearms. Raising them slowly, Sasuke couldn't help but smile as he examined his smooth, uninjured skin. It seemed that Naruto had went through the effort of healing him when he slept.

Still smiling sleepily, Sasuke glanced over at Naruto – and bolted upright.

The blonde was sleeping on his stomach, the sheets low around his naked hips. And there, anchored in his shoulder blades, was the source of the golden light: two shimmering, iridescent wings. They were so massive that the one sprouting from Naruto's left shoulder covered the entire bed like a dome of warmth. The other trailed across the ground towards the door.

After the shock and the urge to wake Naruto had passed, Sasuke examined the wings in fascination. As Sasuke stared at the wings, they slowly became more defined. After a few minutes, he could distinctly make out individual feathers, each one more detailed than the last.

Naruto had told him once that his spirit form had wings, as all wind natured spirits did. But Sasuke didn't think it was possible for Naruto to manifest this particular aspect of his being outside of the veil. Sasuke's tired mind began working furiously. Perhaps the "wings" were simply made out of Naruto's pure Jinchuuriki chakra, which he had been using to heal Sasuke's wounds. Naruto might have fallen asleep while it was active, and it was now mirroring a form within Naruto's subconscious.

"Or perhaps," Sasuke realized, "I'm just dreaming."

That was surely the answer. It was the only explanation. Intending to confirm this theory, Sasuke reached out to touch the wing that hovered above him, expecting his hand to meet only empty air.

He jolted in surprise when his fingers brushed against something solid, warm, and feathery. The wing shuddered slightly in response to his touch. The muscles in Naruto's shoulder tensed before he stirred and rolled onto his side, but didn't wake.

Sasuke continued to stare, transfixed, as the shimmering wings began to change shape. The dome of gold above him gathered together into an indistinct blob, hovering for a moment as if unsure. But then, feather transformed into fur, tails cut through the air, and Sasuke found himself face-to-face with a golden Kurama.

For several seconds the fox stared at him. And then, almost to say that he was just as confused as Sasuke, Kurama tilted his head to the side, his ears twitching. Sasuke glanced back at Naruto, who slept soundly. His deep, steady breathing made his muscular back rise and fall slowly. Sasuke's tired eyes fixed on the muscles that rippled over his ribcage.

The muscles stretched under his skin with every slow inhale.

In and out, in and out. In…and out…

When Sasuke awoke, he had no recollection of how or when he had fallen asleep. But for reasons he couldn't quite remember, he felt extremely uneasy – a feeling that stuck by him until Naruto walked into their bedroom with Sasuke's morning coffee in hand.

"Morning, Captain." Naruto saluted with the mug, grinning.

Sasuke scoffed, but smiled despite himself, his uneasiness already forgotten.

Shikamaru had a headache.

A massive, throbbing, irritating headache. It had started when Neji visited him and persisted through the night, getting steadily worse as Shikamaru had lain awake, his mind furiously working.

But now his mind was relatively quiet. For the past hour, he had been watching the sliver of light that squeezed under his door slowly advancing towards his futon. Tearing his eyes away, he glared at his alarm clock. The time read 7:45.

"I'm going to kill you, Hyuga." Shikamaru thought, scowling at the empty room. "Why couldn't you have told me that crap this morning? And no doubt you slept like a fucking baby. Troublesome bastard."

Still scowling, Shikamaru glanced back at his clock. Stifling a groan, Shikamaru slowly rolled to the edge of his futon, stretching one long arm over to turn off the alarm before it sounded. And then, cursing loudly, he rolled off his futon onto the floor.

"Son of a-"

The distant sound of knocking on the front door stopped him mid-curse. It was a soft knock, unobtrusive and apprehensive. That alone cut the list of possible intruders in half. Shikamaru continued to lie on the floor, willing whomever was knocking to give up quickly and go away.

But then they knocked again, louder this time.

"What a drag." Shikamaru mumbled, groaning again as he pulled himself upright.

Throwing his blankets back onto the futon, Shikamaru meandered over to his bedroom door. The morning light was unpleasantly bright to his tired eyes. He squinted angrily, eyes watering as he traipsed down the hallway towards the front door. When he had almost reached it, the person knocked again.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Shikamaru called.

Already prepared to glared at and scare off whoever was bothering him this early in the morning, Shikamaru yanked open the door.

Hinata stood on the other side, her small fist still raised mid-knock, her eyes wide and mouth open in surprise. Immediately, her gaze swept over Shikamaru and her face turned an alarming shade of crimson.

"S-sorry, Shikamaru-kun." She stuttered, quickly averting her eyes. "I d-didn't mean to wake you."

Raising his eyebrows, Shikamaru spared a quick glance at himself. Having just literally rolled out of bed, all he was wearing was a pair of tattered old sweatpants that hung low on his hips. His torso was completely bare, and he was displaying a bit too much of the trail of hair that started at his belly button and travelled directly south. His feet were bare, and although he couldn't see it, Shikamaru guessed that his hair was a complete mess as well.

"Oh well," He thought as he pulled up his pants. "At least it's just Hinata. Could've been worse. Could've been Ino."

"Don't worry about it." He finally said. "I wasn't asleep anyways."

Ever a creature of painful reserve, Hinata continued to pointedly look away from him as she said, "Still, I shouldn't have come so early in the morning. I'm sorry."

Shikamaru leaned against the doorframe, suppressing a sigh with difficulty. "Hinata, it's seriously okay. So, what's up?"

The heiress tucked a lock of midnight black hair behind her little ear, still burning red from her blush.

"Cute." Shikamaru thought, his mood lightening slightly.

"I know that Neji nii-san filled you in on the mission Naruto-sama gave him last night." Hinata said, her gentle voice soothing in the morning light. "He came home quite late, and he seemed somewhat…upset. Did you two fight?"

She leveled Shikamaru with a questioning, un-accusing glance. He fidgeted.

"No, we didn't fight. Well, we did, but not last night. Although, I did hit him with my Shadow Possession. He didn't really like that." Shikamaru muttered awkwardly.

For a moment, those lavender eyes studied him carefully. Then Hinata said, "I think Neji nii-san felt guilty for having to tell you about Ms. Moon-Lee last night. He said he wished that you didn't have to participate in this mission."

Shikamaru scoffed. "Of course he said that. He probably figures he could do it all himself."

Hinata's eyes widened as she shook her head, dark hair shimmering as it caught the sunlight. "No, you're wrong! Although he's never told me, I know Neji nii-san likes you, Shikamaru. He finds you interesting. That might not seem like much, but Neji nii-san rarely thinks anyone is interesting. I believe he wishes you didn't have to participate because he knows how much work you have already."

Shikamaru stared at Hinata in disbelief. "Wait, hold on. You lost me at 'Neji likes you'."

"Yes?" Hinata's eyebrows pinched together slightly.

"The two of us have never gotten along, Hinata." Shikamaru scoffed. "He's always telling me off for some reason or another."

"Just as he frequently scolds me." Hinata returned confidently. "It is his way of showing concern, Shikamaru-kun. If Neji nii-san didn't like you, he wouldn't say anything."

Shikamaru opened his mouth to reply, but quickly stopped himself. After a moment, he raised his eyebrows. What Hinata was saying made sense.

"Well shit." Shikamaru muttered. "Now I feel bad for telling him to go to hell every time he tells me to tuck in my shirt or something."

Hinata giggled nervously.

"He enjoys your sense of humor." She admitted. "Sometimes he tells me about things you said when we spar together, and then we both get scolded for laughing."

"Neji laughs?"

A hint of sadness touched Hinata's voice as she replied, "Yes, sometimes. Neji nii-san can be difficult to understand, but he is very loyal to those he cares about. You are one of the few people he considers a friend, Shikamaru-kun. Please continue to look after him from now on."

She inclined her head slightly. Shikamaru returned the gesture.

After a long moment of silence, Shikamaru asked, "So, is that all you came here to tell me?"

"Oh, no!" Hinata said, blushing again. "Forgive me, I got sidetracked. No, I came here to tell you that I'm in charge of watching over Ms. Moon-Lee today. Naruto-sama wants you and Neji nii-san to get started on the plans for the Chunin exams as soon as possible."

"What a drag." Shikamaru sighed. "I don't suppose you know where I'm supposed to meet Neji?"

"No, sorry." Hinata said, "But I'm sure Neji nii-san will find you. He's already been awake for hours."

"Great." Shikamaru drawled.

Hinata smiled nervously. "One more thing, Shikamaru-kun. Ino-chan wanted me to tell you that we're all going out for drinks tonight. She's training her team today so she couldn't tell you herself, but s-she wanted me to tell you…t-that she'd k-kick your b-b-butt if you don't come."

Shikamaru stared in disbelief. "Incredible. I don't think I've ever heard you say 'butt' before. That's shocking, Hinata."

"Shikamaru-kun!" Hinata squeaked, blushing again.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll stop teasing you." Shikamaru smirked, holding up his hands as if surrendering. "I'll see you tonight then, okay? Have fun babysitting what's-her-name."

"Okay," Hinata smiled. "See you later then."

Shikamaru continued to lean on the doorframe as he watched the heiress glide down the path, disappearing as she turned onto the road. As soon as she was out of sight, Shikamaru smiled. A feeling of warmth fluttered in his stomach as he turned, shutting the door behind him.

"So Neji harps on me because we're friends?" Shikamaru asked the empty house. "That sounds almost troublesome enough to be true."

Shikamaru's mood was significantly lighter, but a sudden painful jab from his headache reminded him of his sleepless night. He had to hurry up and find Neji to get started on the plans for the exams. If the Hyuga had already been awake for hours, he was bound to get impatient soon and come crashing through Shikamaru's door.

Shikamaru smothered a smirk at the thought.

He set about preparing himself for the day, all the while thinking that he would march straight to the nearest teahouse, order the largest and strongest coffee they had, and wait for Neji to find him.

That is, of course, until there was a knock on the door. Assuming Hinata had forgotten to tell him something, Shikamaru called for her to come in over his shoulder. Without glancing behind, he continued walking to his bedroom, sliding open the paneled doors to let in the sunlight. He stooped down to yank the sheets straighter on his futon, nodding to himself at their fractionally neater appearance.

At the sound of footsteps he turned, expecting to see Hinata. But the apparition-like figure that appeared instead made Shikamaru freeze in shock. Neji stood in Shikamaru's doorway wearing his fluttering, crisply white robes. The sunlight gleamed around him, framing him in gold. That strange, warm fluttering reappeared in Shikamaru's stomach. He scowled.

"First Hinata, now you?" Shikamaru muttered, rubbing at his throbbing temple. "It's like I'm the president of the Hyuga fan club."

Neji didn't seem to hear him – he was staring at Shikamaru's chest.

Shikamaru stared down at himself with raised eyebrows.

"What?" He asked, confused by Neji's open scrutiny.

Neji shook his head fractionally. Although he had seen them last night, Neji found Shikamaru's scars even more alarming in the light of day. For a moment he continued to map them, noting their locations. One of them went directly through Shikamaru's birthmark, effectively slicing it in half: Neji felt a sudden urge to reach out and brush his fingers along it.

He shook his head again, sharply this time, as if to clear it. "Forgive me." Neji said, his smooth tones masking his thoughts. "I've never noticed your scars before."

"Oh," Shikamaru said awkwardly, examining himself again. "Yeah, I guess I've got one or two. But these are nothing. Have you seen that scar on Sasuke's back? That thing is brutal."

"I happened to see it once or twice." Neji replied, relieved that Shikamaru wasn't angry with him for staring. "It is rather alarming."

Shikamaru continued talking as he resumed getting dressed. "Makes my eyes water just looking at it. And poor Naruto, it must feel like a kick in the stomach every time he sees it."

With an evident lack of modesty, Shikamaru stripped off his sweatpants, revealing that he was completely naked underneath. Neji jolted in surprise, quickly turning so that he was facing the garden. Feeling his cheeks burning, Neji could only hum in response. Apparently unaware of the reaction he had caused, Shikamaru continued to muse behind him.

"Speaking of Naruto, can you imagine how many scars he'd have if he didn't burn his skin off and regrow it once a month? I mean, we've all got scars. It's a total drag, but it goes along with our line of work." Shikamaru cast a curious glance towards Neji, who now had his back to Shikamaru. "I'm sure you've got a bunch of them."

"Are you implying that I am frequently injured?" Neji replied, risking a quick glance over his shoulder. He was relieved to discover that Shikamaru had found his way into his Jounin pants and, hopefully, underwear. Neji resisted the urge to activate his Byakugan to check.

"Yeah, 'cause you're so weak." Shikamaru said sarcastically. He stooped over, hunting for a shirt in a pile of clean laundry. His hair, still loose from its ponytail, slid smoothly over his shoulder. Shikamaru shuddered.

"Ugh," He groaned, abandoning the hunt for a shirt in favour of tying back his hair instead. "Hate it when it touches me. Honestly Hyuga, how can you stand having your hair touching you all the time?"

"I suppose I'm used to it." Neji replied, trying not to laugh as he watched Shikamaru viciously tugging the strands of hair away from his neck. "If it bothers you so much, why not cut it?"

His hair now secured in its ponytail, Shikamaru resumed his shirt hunt. "You have to cut short hair more often. Too much effort. Couldn't be bothered. Where the hell are all my shirts?"

Neji was smiling. When Shikamaru was in this kind of mood, talking to him always put Neji at ease. But when the Nara genius finally found what he was looking for and turned towards Neji, Shikamaru's eyes immediately caught Neji's attention. The dark shadows had not lessened at all since yesterday. If anything, Shikamaru looked even more exhausted than before.

While Shikamaru was distracted with putting on his shirt, Neji silently activated his Byakugan. As soon as he saw Shikamaru's chakra network, a twinge of concern gripped Neji's stomach. Shikamaru's chakra was seriously weakened. It looked sluggish and unstable – almost sick.

He deactivated his dojutsu before Shikamaru could catch him looking.

"Did you sleep after I left last night?" Neji asked cautiously.

Shikamaru stopped halfway through putting on his Jounin vest to glare at him. "No, actually. Thanks for reminding me."

Neji kept his face blank and unapologetic, but he felt a sharp pang of guilt. "At least we're just sitting down and starting the planning phase today." Neji thought. "It shouldn't exhaust him too much."

"That reminds me." Shikamaru continued, securing his various weapon pouches. "New team rule: if I don't sleep, you don't sleep. We can be miserable together."

"That hardly seems fair."

"No? That's fine." Shikamaru drawled, spreading his arms out to show that he was ready to go. "Let's get this over with."

A brief chapter summary: Naruto is dramatic, Sasuke is sick of everyone's shit, Neji is developing a little crush, and Shikamaru is a grumpy baby in need of snuggles and a nap.

Also, it took me about 20-25 tries to upload this chapter. Not impressed. Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing.