A/N: Hello and welcome to another installment of Home! Some of your reviews had brought literal tears to my eyes, thank you all for your kind words and highly appreciated criticism! Y'all are what keeps me practicing! With my writing now being done on a laptop instead of my phone, I can make flashbacks and points of view a bit more distinguished now and I can't thank you guys enough for sticking through it with me. My current-time scenes typically begin with the name of the character whose point of view is being used with capitalized X's around them, it will remain as such but with the addition of being underlined. (Ex: X Naruto X) Flashbacks will now begin with a bold mini-heading and the character's POV will be stated. (Ex: X Naruto (the great ramen debacle)). Additionally, please consider italicized words to be one of two things: a character's emphasis on a word/phrase during speech OR it is the acting character's thoughts. This fic is VERY loosely based off of the events of Naruto, Shippuden, and eventually Boruto(ish). Kishimoto owns the entirety of Naruto, but not Akuri. Akuri is mine. I also own any and all mistakes in this fic as I don't have a human beta, my dog did his very best though. My sincerest apologies on the delay of this update, life has been wilder than usual.

X Akuri X

The first week of traveling with team Hebi was oddly comfortable, our ragtag quintet meshing considerably well for the circumstances surrounding our gathering. Together, we'd investigated and destroyed two of the known hideouts that the Akatsuki members flitted about, leaving smoking ashes in our wake. We hoped that the third would have signs of Itachi, as the first two were vacant aside from some rats. Like most of our travel, Sasuke and I remained at the front of our group as both scouts and guides to direct our squad and scan for potential threats. Jugo and Suigetsu took up the rear, leaving Karin trailing behind the pair of us. Despite her usefulness, her desperate ogling and apparent infatuation with Sasuke had become more than a mild irritant over the last hundred hours we'd spent in each other's company. She and Suigetsu were potentially the most irksome of comrades I'd ever worked with and if not for their unique abilities, I would have truly questioned why they were recruited. Sadly, Jugo wasn't without his faults as I'd come to find out over the last seven days, although he happened to be my favorite of the trio.

"We're coming up on a village, can't we stop for lunch?" Suigetsu's request buzzed from the back to my ears like a gnat, this being his fifth request to stop to take a break since we'd set out this morning. "I'm absolutely starving."

"It hasn't even been three hours since we stopped to rest last time," Karin cawed angrily, shaking her fist at the white-haired man threateningly, "you're the reason this is taking so damned long!"

Sasuke and I exchanged a sideways glance, an entire conversation passing in that moment as though we hadn't spent time apart or ever squared off against one another. It was a comfort to know that our bond was still as unbreakable as I'd thought it to be years ago, the both of us able to read the subtle nuances of the other's facial expressions or body language.

"I could eat," I answered his unspoken question, "and if I'm not mistaken, this place should have an awesome tea shop. I could use a cup of the good stuff."

"Lunch it is," Sasuke informed our entourage, continuing his purposeful pace toward our stop with the four of us falling into formation. We encroached upon the village, studying the small collection of buildings and homes as we walked, the sounds of storefronts and the aromas restaurants serving the local eats buzzing in our senses. It brought a smile to my face when Sasuke led us to a small café near the outskirts of the quaint hamlet, lifting the noren politely for me to enter the establishment before him. The walls were adorned with brass and iron decorations that paid homage to the three Great Ninja Wars that had broken out across the lands before a short era of peace graced the peoples. Once I took an inventory of the fellow guests I counted out that out of the ten tables, only two of them were occupied and each hosted four guests that chattered amicably amongst each other.

"Welcome," a cheerful server's voice chirped as she walked by with a tray of dirtied dishes, "take a seat wherever you'd like, I'll send someone right over to you."

I chose a round table that could seat all of us, away from the other patrons to keep our conversation as confidential as possible. Within moments of settling, a kindly older woman approached with a tray that carried a tea pot and five small mugs along with a saucer of milk and a jar of honey. She carefully placed all the drinkware down in the appropriate places and filled the ceramic white cups with enough room for additives to be incorporated, finally settling a small paper menu in the center of our table.

"I'll leave you to look at the menu, enjoy your tea," she bowed her head gracefully, "I'll be back soon to check on you."

Sasuke took the menu in hand to study it for a few moments, taking a sip of his plain tea while he did so before passing it over to Karin. I spent this time doctoring my tea, forgoing the dairy to drizzle a healthy amount of the amber honey into the steaming mug before me and stir it with the spoon that accompanied my cup. The first sip of the steamy brown liquid seemed to touch the very core of my soul and my taste buds sung, the first worthy cup of steeped leaves in days of being on the road with team Hebi. The group had decided to order three different tapas to cater to multiple preferences once the waitress had stopped by again, the matronly woman kindly replacing our simple white teapot with a fuller twin after checking the remainder. It wasn't until our meal had been finished and a handful of other patrons filtered out that any sort of operational discussion began at our table, voices kept at inconspicuous but quiet volumes.

"Like before, Akuri will be with me at the front of the assault in the case of battle," Sasuke delegated, pulling out his wallet to leave a payment for our tab with what looked to be a hefty tip, "you three will be support. It's time to move out."

The server returned and graciously thanked our group for the unexpected gratuity, that being the signal for the five of us to collect ourselves and belongings to depart from the small town. As though I'd been a part of the team since it's assembly, I fell right into our travel formation without a second thought and for a moment it felt like I was on any other covert assignment with my fellow members of the ANBU. What brought even more unanticipated comfort was that I'd subconsciously matched my twin's pace, the two of us heading the team like a well-oiled machine. We passed only a few traveling merchants on our trek, our destination finally coming into sight after half a day's worth of walking and Suigetsu's frequent complaints. With Sasuke's silent command, the subordinates of Hebi dispersed into the trees to await further direction while we continued to the entrance and a potential goal.

"Keep your eyes peeled, sister," Sasuke warned softly, stepping a fraction of an inch closer to lower his voice to just barely audible, "I can sense that we aren't alone anymore."

"Let's take a look," I suggested quietly, blinking away the natural color of my irises to examine our surroundings with the sharpest sense of sight I had without tasking my eyes in their strongest form.

Our steps slowed and became heedful, both pairs of three-tomoe'd eyes scrutinizing the approaching hideout in the hopes of discovering a target. A gust of wind rolled through the forested site, trees grooving and raining loose leaves across the woodland. I crossed my arms beneath my cloak as the unexpected chill of the gale penetrated the thin material, the hairs on my neck beginning to raise as an energy appeared on my radar. Slowly, my lips began to curl upward and I lifted my gaze to the sky, where I could now see two large monstrosities constructed of clay coming our way.

"Get ready, brother," I suggested, halting to study the aerial bombers, "my quarry finally came and it looks like he thought to bring a friend with him this time."

"I've got the friend, focus on Deidara," Sasuke ordered, following my gaze before our eyes slowly came to meet and he issued another soft command. "Go."

Sasuke flitted to the east as I darted to the west, coordinated by a shared peep at the other twin to avoid the incoming explosive and locate an adversary to launch an assault against. The taller Uchiha squared off against the orange-masked compatriot, katana drawn and lithe form in a battle-ready stance. That was all I paid mind to before turning my sights on Deidara, a heated tingle racing its way under every square centimeter of my skin. Adrenaline and something even more primal, perhaps a mingling of bloodlust while I stared down my son's killer across the small clearing in the forest.

"You Uchiha just won't go down," he groused with mild annoyance as he plunged his right hand into a pouch holstered at his hip, "and you've been trashing our hideouts. Looking for me?"

"Itachi, mainly," I clarified, fishing a single kunai from the pack strapped at the base of my back. My free hand formed half of a snake sign and it's occupied partner began to pull pieces of stone from the earth to it's surface to harden to seemingly become the same iron of the knife, "you're just a side-quest."

"You'll regret calling me just a side-quest!" Deidara swore, raising his arm to bare the orifice on his palm as it regurgitated an alabaster brute of bleached earth attached to him by a long and seemly everlasting tail of clay. Disproportionate limbs aside, it began to stumble and lurch in my direction at full speed with it's only intent being it's wielder's bidding. It's oblong arms began to rain ungainly blows that I simply leaned out of with the enhanced perception my eyes granted, stone-coated fist and weapon gouging the clay body of this lesser creature with every counterattack. The rogue's other hand, visibly fabricated, created an equally unprepossessing mutant to fight alongside the original and I delighted in his evident frustration. During the entanglement with Deidara's chakra-controlled puppets, I caught snippets of Sasuke's encounter with the mystery Akatsuki member and couldn't contain the laughs they provoked. The masked man was popping below and above ground like a whack-a-mole all about our battleground and avoiding every one of Sasuke's blows.

"Are you going to actually fight me?" I called out, ducking to allow the mindless fighting drones to clobber one another prior to swinging the hammer that was my hand through two consecutive clay arms. "Or am I going to be practicing with your dummies all day? This is exactly why we decided that you weren't worthy of being the main objective, you lackey."

The smirk that dragged the corners of Deidara's lips upward were unsettling, but not nearly as much as the subsequent rumble and detonation from down below.

X Naruto X

"I'd remember a set of twins if I'd seen them," the older gentleman at the local outfitter remarked, "this town hasn't seen a set of those in many, many years. I'd check some of the local restaurants, all travelers get hungry."

"Thank you, sir," Hinata piped up, seemingly sensing the frustration that ran rampant under my skin and likely across my face at the third admittance of no sightings of either Uchiha. "Have a great day."

Yamato's stoic expression outside of the shop indicated that he'd had the same luck that we had during our search of the small settlement that a ninja hound had let us to via Akuri's scent on the necklace she'd left beside the note. I shook my had at his inquiring eyes, our trio releasing sighs of vexation and collectively exchanging looks prior to marching onward to the tea shops and cafes scattering the outskirts with our shinobi canine in tow.

"He suggested to visit the local eateries," Hinata recalled, tilting her head toward the nearing tea hut. "D-didn't you say Akuri had a...a thing for tea?"

"It's her favorite thing to drink. Morning, afternoon, and night; she'll be having a cup of tea if she can." I authenticated, "We can be sure that if she's traveling with Sasuke, she made him stop for some."

Knowing Sasuke, he still under-steeps the tea because he's in such a hurry.

Yamato led our trio into the small establishment, hounds seated not-so-patiently outside as animals were prohibited inside. Aside from the scents of fresh food wafting through the stagnant air of the tea house, I noticed the assortment of metal art on the walls that depicted the former struggle that plagued many of the lands including Konoha. Only four tables contained guests, none of them full and not a single one of them resembling any of the Uchiha we were tasked with locating and recovering. Before I could open my mouth, our captain gartered the attention of a graying waitress and began to drill her before the duties of service pulled her away.

"We're searching for a set of twins," the wood-style user omitted, "both with dark hair. The boy has black eyes, the girl has one blue eye and one green. Likely traveling with three to five other shinobi, although I'm unsure if any of them display a village insignia of sorts. They would have passed through here within the last few days. Have you seen anyone matching that description?"

"You know, I actually have. I served a set of dark-haired twins today," she tittered, fingers shifting anxiously on the tray she held. "A-are they killers?"

"No, no, ma'am," Yamato quickly assured, "they've simply gone missing from our village and we're going to bring them back home. Do you remember when it was that you saw the twins?"

The prospect of seeing Akuri after over a week's time was more exhilarating than I expected it to be. My skin buzzed with anticipation while I listened in on the pair chattering away.

"It has to be just before the lunch rush," she portrayed, cupping her chin in thought, "I'm sure they were here before lunch. There were five of them in total. Those twins, a red-headed girl with glasses, a burly orange-haired boy. The last boy had white hair and was rather...rude. The dark-haired boy paid well for their visit though."

"Did they tell you a direction they were heading?" I butt in finally, startling the senior stewardess. "Or did you see which way they went when they left?"

"N-no..." she fumbled with her words at first, understandably unnerved by the way I was likely staring her down. "I think they went to the east side of the village, but I'm not certain."

Hinata's gentle hand on my arm stopped me from whirling around and exiting the café to resume my search for the twins the occupied much of my head and heart. Her eyes held an unparalleled genial warmth in them that told me to take a long and deep breath of collection, the unfelt softness of her palm radiating a stillness throughout the rest of me that contently complied to. We held each other's stare, her cheeks slowly gaining redness with every moment that passed during Yamato's apologies and thanks to the aging woman taking orders at a tea shop before we separated and followed him out. What raced under my skin now was an excitement I hadn't felt since the first days I'd realized that I had a crush on the woman we were pursuing, not the hopeful prospect of finding her driving me as it had been for nearly eight days. Our quintet, ninja hounds included, departed from the shop to meet up at the rendezvous point.

X Naruto (since the loss)

As of late, I'd been turning in earlier than Akuri. She remained awake for long hours during the night, restless and understandably so after having lain our son to rest in the recent weeks. My heart ached for her as I lay in our bed by my lonesome, palm and fingers splayed across the cold side of the sheets that my partner typically occupied. Sleep was a very hit or miss endeavor for myself without her beside me, but it truly pained me to know how worked up she had to have been about the entire ordeal. I lay there for nearly an hour and a half with eyes that burned with sleeplessness but seemed spring-loaded into staying open, sighing heavily and turning to study the white ceiling. The bedroom door creaking open caught my attention and I silently delighted when Akuri's form came into view, navy silken robe tied tightly at the waist and long hair free to sway with her motion.

"Hey," I greeted softly, sitting up to smile at her.

"Hey," came her muted response, bicolored eyes catching the light from the moon streaming in and twinkling when I came into focus in the darkness of the bedroom.

"Finally tired?"

"...no, not really tired," she informed after a brief pause, stepping closer to the bed but not joining me on it.

"Did you just want to hang out? I can't really sleep, so.." I trailed off, studying her while she began to twirl a lock of hair that hung low about her waist. "Did you want to talk about something?"

The Uchiha standing before me said no more in that moment, the twisting of her hair around her index finger ceased and she held my eyes solemnly for a brief minute. While she stared at me, her dainty fingers slid lower to the belt of her wrap and slowly began to pull the ends to unravel the knot. Her actions alone were enough to leave me with tented boxers, but I did my best not to draw her attention to it. The shimmering material parted and she shrugged the article from her shoulders, the light fabric sliding down over her body before pooling at her ankles as she bared herself to me. The sight of Akuri naked had become very far and few between since the funeral, the majority of her changing being done in the bathroom behind a closed door rather than openly in the bedroom, let alone before my very eyes. Her body had only been a touch different than the last time I'd seen it fully bared; typically perky breasts sagging a tad bit lower with dusky browned nipples and a faint scar across her mid-rift that was scarcely visible in the low lighting of our bedroom in the evening hour. Even during the times in which I'd tended to her healing wounds post-memoriam, she would cover herself without meeting my eyes and the room would be tinged with a shame I didn't understand. The shared gaze was held evenly as she crawled into the bed and slowly pushed me down onto my back as she straddled me, her bare skin on my hips feeling chilled from the air outside of the covers once she'd joined me under them.

"I miss you...like this." she relayed quietly, finally breaking away from our staring contest to settle herself fully against me and rest her cheek on my collarbone, ebony tendrils of hair falling down around us like a blackened river.

"I've missed you, too." I professed without malice, pressing a soft kiss on the crown of her skull.

My arms curled around her without hesitation, pulling her even closer to me and allowing the sensation of her skin molding to mine drown me for the briefest of moments. We stayed like that for long minutes before she lifted her head to study me and I dared not speak again in fear of Akuri changing her mind, every single part of me nearly begging for this intimacy. Our lips met chastely at first and both sets were chapped from the chilled autumn air, my fingertips skimming across her bare back and down to her behind to gently knead the firm yet bouncy flesh. The kisses slowly but surely deepened, becoming languid and wet as a smaller pair of hands began roaming my heating skin in a way they hadn't in far too long. Our hips began to shift and grind against one another, leisurely enjoying the friction and unhurriedly reconnecting carnally.

"Get naked," she ordered quietly after pulling back and removing herself from her perch on my hips to lay down on her side of the bed. I obeyed without any fuss or reluctance, tossing the white shorts toward the hamper in the corner only for them to fall just shy of the wicker basket. When I turned back to face her, my mouth watered at the sight; Akuri lay on her back with her hair sprawled like a ragged cloak beneath her, right hand slowly rubbing circles at her clit while she watched me with hooded eyes. "I'm all yours, Naruto."

As uneager as I was to tear my eyes from her again, I stood to retrieve a condom from the nightstand and roll it down over my throbbing cock. There was no way in hell that I was willing to go through another repeat of the torment we'd just undergone and I was certain she felt the same way, her eyes glittering with appreciation when I met them as I crawled over top of her. I took myself in hand and rubbed the latex-coated head along her clit and nether-lips, elated at the quiet and breathy noises of pleasure she made. That was enough to convince me to start pressing into her, the walls of her inner canal deliciously tight and impossibly warm.

"Fuck.." I grunted the moment I bottomed out inside, looking down at our point of connection and feeling myself throb within her. "I'm not gonna last long, 'Kuri. I'm sorry."

"Be sorry if I don't come," she suggested noncommittally, her legs coiling around me and her ankles locking at the base of my spine.

I couldn't contain a chuckle at that, leaning down to capture her lips again and start moving within her before pulling back to watch her unfold. Her moans and signs of enjoyment were both encouraging and heartwarming. It made me happy to the core to know that she was taking joy from the act, as I feared she would shy away from it or have a wary eye when considering engaging in sex after what we'd been through. I began to scoop upward with my hips on every thrust with the intent of grazing her sweet spot, the pace still deliberate and meant to keep me at pace to avoid having to make a sincere apology.

"God, that feels good.." she murmured, digging her heels into my back with each inward stroke to attempt to spur me on. "It'd feel even better if you went a little faster."

"Will going faster make you come?" I inquired, leaning down to lavish one browned nipple with my tongue and teeth. "Because that's going to make me come, ya know?"

"I haven't gotten off in just as long as you have, unless you've yanked it," she countered, arching her back to offer up more of herself to my attentions. "Just fuck me, Naruto."

I spent four languid strokes deciding before taking her wrists in my hands and transferring them to be pinned down by my left while my right supported me over her. The darkening of her irises relayed how aroused this made her and I chose to go for broke, my hips bucking at a comfortably speedy pace for the two of us with my heavy balls slapping against the part of her ass.

"Just like that," she crooned, the tendons in her wrists pulling taut as she balled her fists and scrunched her eyes shut while her walls trembled apprehensively. "You feel so fucking good."

"No, you do," I argued breathlessly, "you feel like you're going to come. I can feel you getting tighter."

Akuri couldn't form anything more than calls of my name or keens of pleasure at my relentless internal jabs, sweat beading at my temples and beginning their short descent down the sides of my face as I arduously tried not to blow before she did. Talking nasty to her always seemed to do the trick, but it was having a profound effect on my willpower.

"You're wet too, I feel it on my balls," I hissed into her ear, doubling down and putting more force behind each stroke. "I wonder if you'll squirt on me like you did at the hot springs? I wanna see that, 'Kuri."

The recollection of our short vacation to a relaxion hot spring getaway was was did her in, the ravenette below me crying out what I could assume was my name for the dozenth time that evening as she plunged into a pleasurable oblivion. The look of rapture on her face wrung me out, groaning long and loud as I emptied all of myself into the latex surrounding my manhood. We stayed like that for a few brief moments to catch our breath, Akuri's heart hammering below my cheek where I rested on her chest.

"I can't believe I made it," I admitted with a hoarse laugh, pressing sweet kisses along the outside of her left breast. "Who would've thought that masturbating would have paid off?"

Akuri chuckled and rolled her eyes, giving me a little push to signify it was time for us to physically separate and clean off. I reached down and took hold of the rimmed edge of the condom and pulled out, both of us shuddering at the disconnect, standing carefully and padding off to the bathroom to dispose of the contraceptive. Smartly, I spent the time urinating while I was there before returning to our bedroom to find the Uchiha snoring softly on the bed. I covered her up before carefully crawling in beside her, nuzzling up close and pecking her sleeping cheek once before settling for the evening.

"I love you, so, so much," I professed quietly, closing my eyes and letting sleep drag me down under.