44. Together

Arms crossed, I leaned against the old oak tree, my gaze cast forward, my thoughts running. It seemed a lifetime ago that Kiba and I had investigated those markings outside the village; when I fell right into Sasuke's trap. It seemed a lifetime ago that I had screamed at him on that hilltop, that I found out my brother was alive, that I found out the truth about my clan. But in reality, it really hadn't been that long ago. How had my life changed so drastically in such a short time?

Just a few months ago, I was a broken, empty husk; a mere shadow of who I'd once been. I was mostly solitary and filled my days with dangerous missions, drinking and gambling. When Kiba couldn't pull me out of my house, I was sleeping to avoid that empty hole in my chest. Until the nightmares found me.

And now I ruled over a clan.

My brother was back in my life now, and I'd found that I could forgive him for his actions. I'd met a cousin I never knew existed and was able to grow close to her. And then there was Sasuke.

I watched his back as he sat in the grass, his eyes on the rising sun. I wasn't quite sure what to think of him. He'd come back into my life so suddenly, digging up feelings and thoughts I'd so desperately tried to suppress for so long. I was able to come to terms with what had happened, even if still hurt. The rage had subsided towards him, but that brought its own host of problems. Without the rage, there was room for old feelings to pop back up.

It was easy to push away everything when looking at his face made me see red. But now I could notice the lines of his face. How his nose curved. How his lips were shaped. His expressions had softened, and his eyes no longer reminded me of chips of ice. There was some life in them now. He remained guarded, but I could sometimes almost see past that wall to the boy I had known that had been buried behind it.

There was a piece of me that was terrified; terrified to reach out and what I would find if I did. I didn't want to admit to myself that if I reached out and found nothing, something that I didn't fully realize I was building would break. Part of me wondered if he ever thought about that kiss; if he ever remembered how perfectly our lips had shaped together.

What was I thinking? We were about to march into the greatest war the shinobi world had ever seen. By this time tomorrow we could be dead. And then none of it would even matter.

Pushing away from the tree trunk, I quietly made my way over to Sasuke; dew-dampened blades of grass clinging to my sandals as I did so. Despite this, I still took a seat in the grass beside him. I, too, turned my attention to the sun as it made its ascent over the horizon.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while and it brought my mind to happier times. If I closed my eyes, I could pretend we were seven again. I could pretend it was another lazy afternoon and we were waiting for our brothers to quit training. Or that we were twelve and we'd just finished training and we were relaxing before heading home. With the damp chill of the morning, I could even pretend we were fourteen again and we were under that bridge; our bridge.

"Are you okay?" I finally asked softly, if only to fill the silence.

Sasuke remained silent for long enough that I glanced over at him. His face was pensive as the early morning light cast gentle shadows along the lines of his face.

"Mm," he finally replied. Not a confirmation, but not a denial either.

I returned my gaze to the rising sun. "Do you think we can do this? Win the war I mean."

A moment of silence. "I don't know."

"Well…if we fail, we only lose our lives," I said with the shadow of a smile, echoing the words Kakashi-sensei had once said to us.

I let myself live in my memories for a moment before Sasuke's voice brought me out of them. "Well…you'll be fulfilling your promise at least."

"What?" I blinked, peering over at the Uchiha's profile.

"Our second year at the Academy. It was our first overnight survival exercise. You cried because you couldn't bring yourself to kill a rabbit and you were certain we'd starve to death."

"I didn't cry!" I said indigently, face flushing with heat, too flustered to glare properly.

But then I noticed it. Sasuke was smirking. It was tiny, barely more than a twitch of his lips, but it was undeniably there.

"Yes, you did. But you said that, at least if we died, we would die together."

The embarrassment was forgotten as Sasuke finally turned to look at me. Something hit me right then, like a blow to the chest. I lost all the air in my lungs, and they seemed to forget how to draw in air to replace it. I couldn't remember anything looking quite so beautiful.

The orange glow of the sun was sharpening his cheek bones and making his skin look as pale as ever. His face looked more relaxed than I could ever remember it being in recent memory. And he was looking at me; really looking at me; like he was searching for something, or trying to tell me something.

For a moment, a wild thought struck me. That I could close this distance, that I could capture his lips with mine. That I could feel him and taste him, at least one more time before we possibly died.

The urge was stronger than anything I could remember feeling. It was overwhelming, like needing to quench a thirst in the desert. But I reigned myself in. I wasn't sure I wanted to find out what happened after. How would I handle his rejection?

I needed to remind myself who Uchiha Sasuke was. Sure, he was different from the person he had been a month ago. The last few weeks, his dealings with his brother, seemed to have made a shift in him; brought back some of the Uchiha Sasuke I had once known. But at the same time, there was still much of him that hadn't changed, and possibly may never change. He was still a man shaped by trauma, by his trials and by his mistakes. He was still Sasuke, and he had always been guarded with his emotions, even as a child.

"Well, I do like to keep my word," I murmured, allowing my fear to take over my thoughts and my suddenly racing heart.

He just watched me, not responding. I wondered if, somehow, he could read my thoughts. Or if he could sense the battle within me. Did he know how those words had affected me? Did he care?

Now was the time to say it all. This might be the last chance I had to tell him everything I'd ever wanted to say to him. To lay myself bare.

But I couldn't.

Maybe I was a coward. Pft. Of course, I was being a coward. But at least I wouldn't look like a fool.

"Together then?" I said softly instead of everything that was running through my mind.

Sasuke watched me for a moment longer before he gave me a single nod. "Together."

The battlefield was a barren wasteland. Whatever had been there, including trees or grass, had been obliterated. It was rock and dirt and clay that stretched on for miles, dotted by craters. It was a suitable place for the possible end of all things.

My friends were immediately recognizable, even from a distance. As the forestry parted and the battlefield came into full view, I could visualize my friends at the head of the militia of ninja. It was hard to miss Naruto's orange jacket or Sakura's pink hair. Although I could not quite discern the rest, I was sure the rest of my friends were at their sides.

Unless they were already dead.

I shook the thought, and the accompanying clenching of my gut, away. We stopped at the end of the forestry, giving ourselves time to assess the field before us. There was no denying that the enemy was by far the most intimidating thing I'd seen in my life.

I glanced to my left, catching my brother's eye. His face was grimmer than normal, but it was offset by the determined set of his jaw. He gave me a nod, a sign of encouragement, an acknowledgement of what we were walking into. I gave him a nod in return.

I took a moment to peer over at Sasuke to my right. Sensing my gaze, he turned his gaze on me. I felt an urge to thank him for making the right choice, for being here. But somehow it didn't seem right. So I didn't. But when he gave me a purposeful look that said 'together', my eyes said it right back before we made our way to the frontline.

We gave no warning, we made no sound; we simply leapt down in front of Sakura and Naruto. Juugo, Suigetsu and Karin landed somewhere behind us to the right, while Keitaro and Cherushii dropped down to our left. My eyes scanned the area before me and I immediately found the four Hoakges; mostly because they were responsible for the chakra-infused barrier that was currently containing a ginormous monster in the middle of the battlefield.

"Fashionably late, eh Sasuke?" Naruto commented with a rather laissez-fair attitude.

"Nakao?" Sakura said my name in surprise.

I glanced back at my old teammates and gave them a weary smile. "You can probably cancel that missing person's report. If anyone bothered to file one that is."

"Sasuke…?" Sakura asked quietly, switching her focus from me to the Uchiha.

By now, our arrival had attracted the attention of those around us. I heard someone say Sasuke's name, and glanced over to see a shocked Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji.

"Nakao!"

I had barely enough time to pivot before something plowed into me and a pair of arms trapped me against a chest.

"Kiba…" I blinked, my voice muffled against his sweatshirt.

Kiba pulled back, holding me at arm's length while he scanned me closely. "Nakao, are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay-" I tried to say, but my old friend was already turning a growl on Sasuke.

"You bastard! You have some nerve showing your face here!" Kiba snarled, jabbing an accusing finger in Sasuke's direction.

"Kiba…" I muttered warningly under the gazes of those around us.

Kiba shot me a sharp look. "Have you forgotten who he is!? He's an S-ranked criminal…and he kidnapped you!"

"I was there," I rolled my eyes, settling a blank stare at him. "I'm here, I'm fine."

But Kiba wasn't listening. His rage-filled eyes bored into Sasuke's face. Sasuke, for all of his cool composure, actually seemed a bit miffed. It was subtle, not easily recognizable…but the tension between them was.

"Kiba, I'm fine," I said firmly in an attempt to end this silly one-sided argument. "Okay? He didn't hurt me."

"Maybe not this time," he sniffed, and I felt my muscles tense at that.

"Why are you here, Sasuke?" Sakura interrupted, for which I was grateful.

"I've decided to become Hokage."

This statement caused a host of rather comedic expressions to pass through the group. Even I blinked in surprise.

"That's so funny I forgot to laugh!" Kiba bit out, his lip curled into a sneer. "I didn't know missing-nins were capable of telling jokes!"

Shikamaru seemed to share the sentiment. "Do you really think we'll just forget everything you've done?"

"I figured you couldn't just let bygones be bygones, but I honestly don't care what any of you think," Sasuke replied. "The Hokages are the reason everyone is in this current predicament. That's why I'll become Hokage and make sure something like this never happens again."

No one seemed to think this was a suitable answer, nor did they likely understand it. But Naruto seemed unfazed, stepping up to the side of Sasuke not occupied by myself. A smirk settled onto his face. "I'm the one who's going to become Hokage."

"He did call it," I shrugged, earning a very brief glance from Sasuke.

"It really does bring a tear to my eye that we have so many Hokage candidates but…we kinda have a bigger problem to take care of here!" the voice of the First Hokage floated over to us, gaining our attention. He was kneeling before the barrier. "Mold your chakra! To defeat that thing we need to strike with a concerted attack!"

I was entirely sure what that thing was. Some kind of monster with numerous tails. Its body seemed able to produce an array of beings that seemed to pop from its skin like clay. The figures came in all shapes and sizes; some human looking, some beast looking, some a mixture of both.

"Alright…" Naruto grinned. "Sasuke, Nakao, Sakura…ready?"

I looked to Naruto, to Sakura, then to Sasuke. After all this time, squad seven was back together. We were right where we were supposed to be. And maybe it was the sentimentality of the moment, or the sudden ease and happiness I felt at suddenly feeling a purpose, feeling like I belonged. Maybe it had to do with whatever was in Sasuke's eyes when he turned them on me just then. Maybe it was all of it. Maybe it was none of it. But, suddenly, I didn't care about being a fool. Or being rejected. Or of literally anything except the fact that we were seconds away from rushing into battle and this could be it. This could be the last time I looked at his face or got to feel this swell of emotions or felt the sudden, ringing clarity that this was where I was meant to be; not just here in this squad, but next to him. This had always been my place.

I thought of all the time that had been wasted when we were apart; the years after his clan's massacre, the years after he joined Orochimaru. And it conjured up an imagine in my mind; of Keitaro standing over Itachi's ashes. I thought of all the time that had been wasted while he stayed in Konoha. All the years he would never get back. All the memories he would never get to make.

Suddenly, nothing seemed quite so important as what I was about to do. It didn't matter that there was an audience. It didn't matter that I faced the possibility of rejection. Nothing seemed to matter except the very idea that this was it. I didn't fight it when I lost him at eight. I didn't fight it enough when I lost him at fourteen. But this time, I was leaving nothing to 'what if'.

The life we shared together flashed through my mind like a slideshow as I took a step closer to Sasuke; we hadn't been very far apart to begin with. I only had to reached out to grasp the fabric of his shirt in one hand. In retrospect, it was a very intimate moment when I grabbed his shirt, fingering the soft material; but I didn't care just then.

When I peered up, Sasuke was watching me. His face remained mostly controlled, but there was enough of a crack in the exterior that I could read what lay beneath. Perhaps I was the only one who could really do that. I saw a bit of confusion, quite a bit of surprise, and something else. Something difficult to explain. Like when we were little and he released a weapon at the target, holding his breath as he waited to see if the tip sunk into that bullseye.

I didn't give myself the opportunity to see more. With a very gentle tug on Sasuke's shirt, I reached up on my toes and captured his lips with mine.

There were gasps, I could hear them, but they were muted, inconsequential. Nothing around me mattered in that moment because my senses were completely consumed by him. His lips were as soft as I remembered, he even tasted the same. Just his nose brushing gently against mine was enough to send impulses shooting through my body. To say nothing of the electricity that ran through me when I felt his hands cup my elbows, when I felt his lips respond to mine.

Just like the last time we had kissed, Sasuke had a way of being gentle without holding back anything that he was actually feeling. It was passionate, without the wild hunger I knew could take me if I really let it. As it was, I was beginning to feel light-headed as desire shot tiny bolts of lightning through my nerves.

I didn't pull away until I was physically out of air. When I did, we didn't pull far apart, just enough for us to gaze at each other. I imagined I looked as he did, with a trace of shock over what I'd just done; what we'd just done. But there was no embarrassment, no discomfort. Rather my body was humming, like it had been awakened. Like I'd been sleeping until this moment.

I think I could have stood there forever, gazing up at his face, at those bottomless eyes. I certainly wanted to. I wanted to feel him kiss me again. I wanted to feel those hands on my face, on my hips, anywhere. I wanted to tell him everything that was running through my mind.

But it had to wait. This moment would have to be enough. Because there was a war going on five miles ahead of us, as I was so rudely reminded when the sound of clapping reached my ears. I glanced over to find Keitaro and Cherushii watching me rather smugly, Cherushii offering me a few sarcastic claps before my humiliation was complete.

I offered them a scowl before my attention focused on the rest of the audience. The shock written on everyone's faces had me flushing a little, realizing the intimate moment I had just partaken in had been witnessed by all these people. But the embarrassment faded when I caught sight of Kiba, and the horror that was written on his face; the heartbreak evident in his eyes. I was quick to pull my gaze away from him.

I finally stepped away from Sasuke, clearly my throat. "Um…ready."

Naruto snuck me a sneaky grin before setting his gaze forward. "Well, now that we're all set…Nakao, Sasuke, Sakura, let's go!"

In unison, we rushed forwards, heading straight towards the beast ahead of us. As we neared, the Hokages lifted the barrier just enough for us, and the ninja behind us, to run through. We were immediately met by the strange creatures the tailed beast was creating from its own body. I noticed now, more than before, that these beings were deformed and, in some way, armed. Some were armed with actual weapons, while others sported appendages shaped like blades.

The opposing forces met like waves crashing into one another. We plowed through them, Sasuke slashing through his opponents with his katana, Sakura breaking apart creatures with her fists. But my focus on them was limited as I withdrew my own blades and began my assault. I decapitated the first creature I met, spinning to avoid the weapon of another opponent. I slashed at the chest of another creature that came to meet me before I plunged forward to stab through the abdomen of another.

The others joined the fray, plowing through enemies that seemed to be appearing just as fast as we were cutting them down. I could hear Cherushii's whip cracking in the distance. Keitaro was a whirl of color as he hacked through his opponents. But they just kept coming and coming.

The sound of a hawk cawing drew our attention upwards. The hawk was giant, and white thanks to the jutsu that had made it into an actual being. Sai rode atop its back. He was the honorary fifth teammate of our squad, meant to replace Sasuke some time ago.

"Sai!" Naruto called.

I'd never warmed up to Sai. Maybe it was because he was meant to replace Sasuke. Maybe it was his personality. Regardless, he was capable enough and I was glad enough to see him as the onslaught continued.

But as he flew above us, our foe took notice as well. One figure grew a spear out of its arm and launched it upwards, where it cut through Sai's hawk like a knife through butter. Sai fell out of the sky and I was surprised to see a golden glow shoot up like a tendril, wrapping around Sai and pulling him down to safety.

Surprised, I turned my gaze on Naruto, whose entire being was glowing with a golden light. The light formed pointed ears on his head a tail behind him. Apparently, he had mastered the nine tails while he was away.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked Sai, but I didn't catch the response as I watched the enemy encroach further towards us. I took a few steps back until I found my back pressing up against the backs of my teammates.

"Naruto, can you lend us your chakra again?" Sai asked.

"Not right now. Kurama's still trying to mold enough chakra," Naruto responded.

"Our attempts to destroy the main body is impeaded by these large beasts. We'll have to pick off the bigger ones and slip past them, but it'll take time. Without your chakra, things could get really ugly…"

But despite Sai's concerns, my teammates didn't seem bothered. Instead, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all bit their thumbs, drawing blood.

"Picking them off, not going to be a problem," Sasuke said as he quickly scrawled a seal on the ground in blood and slammed his palm onto it.

Naruto and Sakura copied his actions. Giant clouds of smoke erupted from the ground, revealing three large animals as it dissipated. A toad for Naruto, a slug for Sakura and a snake for Sasuke. The same summons the legendary sannin could produce.

"No fair," I found myself muttering. I hadn't gotten training from a legendary sannin.

Naruto and Sakura leapt up to stand atop their summons, but Sasuke turned his gaze on me. "Maybe you should hang back."

I scowled at him. "Like hell."

No way was I going to watch my teammates' backs as they plowed forward. Not waiting for permission, I leapt up, landing atop the head of Sasuke's summon. A moment later, he joined me, leveling his stare at me.

"Don't do anything stupid," Sasuke was sure to tell me, earning a scoff, but a half-hearted one at best.

"Saved your ass enough times, Uchiha; I know what I'm doing."

He might have smirked if the situation hadn't been quite so serious.

"Are you guys paying attention!?" Naruto's voice floated over to us. "Stop making ogley eyes at each other!"

I was sure to flip him the bird as I glared at him, but he was already laughing. I couldn't help my own amused smirk.

"What do you need, Naruto?" asked his toad, taking me aback even though I had once seen a giant turtle talk.

"See that giant ass thing ahead of us?" Naruto pointed to the giant beast agahead. "Jump in there and get us close!"

"Sasuke-sama, how can I be of service?" Sasuke's giant snake hissed out.

"Just proceed straight ahead," Sasuke ordered. "I'll deal with the main body."

"Katsuyu-sama," Sakura addressed her giant slug. "I need you to split and attach yourself to everyone in the alliance. Healing them is of the utmost importance."

"This is really so unfair," I muttered, feeling a bit left out.

But I caught Sasuke's eyes and they were glinting. I guess it really didn't matter that I couldn't summon some giant animal. Regardless, just like I promised, Sasuke and I were going into this together.

Author's Note:

This is a short one, but I really wanted to keep it separate from next chapter. So I apologize for the length. I hope it turned out alright, I wrote the second half in a frenzy after a few weeks of staring blankly at the computer screen.

Once again, thank you so much for the lovely reviews! Honestly, I almost cried. You are all so wonderful. Mwah!

Stay safe, readers!