Disclaimers: Naruto is someone else's, this is purely a fanfic using someone else's characters.

Warnings: This story includes strong language, violence, angst, hopefully some decent jokes, and (of course) beautiful SasuNaru love.

Chapter 24: Trust Me

"If only I could kiss you as often as I think about it."

-N.M. Sanchez

--

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid to ask."

Naruto lifted up his wrist, displaying the end of the long rope that was tied around it. "Oh, you mean why this freaking psycho tied our wrists together and then used some fucking jutsu to keep anyone from being able to cut the damn thing off!!"

Naruto grabbed a fistful of the rope and yanked it towards him, feeling slightly satisfied when Sasuke was forced forward. "Go ahead, Teme. We would all love to hear about your sick perversions!"

Sasuke glared.

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. "That's exactly why I didn't want to ask."

Naruto stomped up to her desk. "Come on Granny- you can break this jutsu, right?"

She sighed.

"Just get this damn thing off of me!!" He shouted, flapping his arm around in an angry, panic. Like he's still freaking twelve years old..

"Can it, brat! I give the orders here!"

She turned her attention to the Uchiha. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but why did you tie Naruto to you?"

"Because he's an idiot."

"Hey!!"

Sasuke crossed his arms as he shifted his dark obsidian gaze over to the irritant in the room. "How many times have you managed to torture yourself since you were first cursed?"

"It wasn't like I did that shit on purpose!"

"That's exactly my point!" Sasuke shouted back, breaking his stoic composure- something only the blonde could do to him. "I can't trust you to think first, Naruto. This is the only way to make sure you stop doing this shit!"

"Hmmm.. he does have a point, Naruto."

"Are you serious?! You're going to side with him??"

"Let's review some of the other key facts here," she stated, folding here hands beneath her chin. "You both withheld information about the curse, which apparently was not broken-"

"Yeah, but-"

"I'm not finished" Tsunade snapped.

Naruto flinched as she continued.

"You failed to report two major new effects from it, both of which seem to be substantially increasing in strength- which you have experienced on more than one occasion due to your own foolishness."

Naruto looked away.

"You broke into a high-security building to interrogate a prisoner without the authority to do so, and now you have the nerve to tell me how to handle the consequences. Does that about cover it?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, a large sheepish grin plastered on his face. "Heh.. yeah.. sorry about that."

"Which part?" she growled.

"Come on, Granny," he whined. "If this is about punishing me for my crimes, I'd rather just get the freaking death penalty."

Tsunade cracked her knuckles. "That's very tempting."

Tired of their useless banter, Sasuke stormed up to her desk. "We don't have time for this. We need to get answers before this curse gets even more out of hand. Naruto and I need to leave. Now."

Tsunade nodded. "Let me assemble a team. You can move out in the morning."

"No. Naruto and I are more than capable of handling this ourselves. We're leaving today."

Her eyebrow twitched. "Listen, brat-"

"Granny," Naruto interjected, "Sasuke's a jerk-"

He clenched his jaw.

"- but he's right."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Naruto ignored him and continued.

"We should move before word gets out that we're looking. Too many people, and we'll alert whoever's behind this and that information will be gone before we get the chance to find it."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes on the blonde, always surprised when he showed that brain of his. "You think someone intentionally left the Hourglass Curse for our prisoner to find?"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, and Naruto met his gaze. "Yes."

"And you think the two of you were the intended targets?"

Naruto nodded, and Sasuke was embarrassed to admit he hadn't considered that.

It makes sense though. That guy was angry and desperate for revenge, but he had skills that were way too advanced for someone so easily caught.

He thought about the complicated jutsu used for the curse, the barrier that deflected Sasuke's sharingan, the portals he was able to conjure and pull Naruto through.

He got help from someone.

Someone who knows what they're doing. Someone who wouldn't have been caught off guard by an injured and restrained Naruto, and then locked in his own cell.

"Naruto's right" he admitted, "this guy had access to things that seem far too advanced for him. Someone wanted him to do this.."

Sasuke's mind started flicking through a list, already trying to figure out who would have the means to do something like this. "They're smart, highly skilled," he thought out loud, "and clearly know how to evade detection.."

He looked up. "The smaller the team, the better."

Tsunade studied the pair for a moment. They pissed her off like no other, but they were an impressive duo. There was a reason she allowed their team to consist of only the two of them, after all.

She sighed. "Fine, but you will need to send a report twice a day. Carrier pigeon, crow, clone- I don't care how you do it, but I expect a report every twelve hours."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Another hourglass. Great.."

Sasuke and Naruto set off a few hours later, weapons and packs filled and secured. The base the prisoner had mentioned to them earlier was one that Sasuke had recognized as an old Akatsuki hideout. That was their first stop.

Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force didn't get much more intel off of their prisoner. Sasuke had a feeling they wouldn't. Whoever else was behind this, they covered their tracks well. Even memories of how the man learned to use the portals were faded and inaccessible.

I have a bad feeling about this..

Sasuke glanced over at Naruto, taking in his bizarre antics. He raised an eyebrow. "Dobe.. why?"

"Hmm?" Naruto looked up, his teeth still gnawing at the rope binding his wrist.

"Stop chewing that."

Naruto growled. "I'm getting this thing off whether you want me to or not!"

"Oh, I definitely want you to get it off."

Naruto blinked. "Was that your attempt at a dirty joke?" He shook his head. "That was terrible, Sasuke. Really, just terrible."

"Pshh.. whatever."

"Let's go already, Teme!" Naruto spat out the rope he had clenched between his teeth, and raced forward, leaping into the dense forest.

"You better keep up, Sasukeeeee!" he sang out over his shoulder. "Wouldn't want you to get tangled up and fall."

Sasuke eye twitched as he ran after him. "I know what you're doing, baka."

"Oh noooo.." he called out, sarcastically, "someone save me! Sasuke Uchiha knows what I'm up to! How will I ever survive!"

"I will strangle you with that damn rope."

Naruto glanced over and winked. "Not at that pace."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but sped up so that the two were running side by side, long chakra-sealed rope dangling between them.

"Naruto, who do you think is behind this..?"

Azure eyes narrowed. "I don't know, but I can't help but think that the Akatsuki are part of it."

Sasuke nodded. "I had the same thought. Especially since you are the one that guy was after. He seemed like the type to be pretty open about that, and the Akatsuki wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of it."

Naruto stayed quiet, thinking it through. Sasuke decided to fill in the gaps for him.

"The Hourglass Curse would give them a way to weaken you and control you, while keeping him from killing you. Definitely sounds like something they would be behind."

"And they understand how the sharingan works.." Naruto muttered, thinking about the barrier that had kept Sasuke from following them through the portal.

That reminds me.

Naruto suddenly turned to look at the raven. "Sasuke, can I ask you something?"

He met his gaze. "I know what you're going to ask, Naruto, and we shouldn't talk about it out in the open like this."

The blonde slowly came to a stop, and Sasuke joined him. "But you will tell me, won't you?"

Sasuke studied him, noting how serious he had suddenly become.

"No secrets, Sasuke. Remember? We promised each other."

Sasuke looked away. He did remember.

It was when he had returned to the village, after killing Orochimaru and abandoning his fight for vengeance. When he came back he faced suspicion and distrust from everyone.

Everyone, that is, but Naruto.

Naruto has always been on his side. Has always had his back. Even when Sasuke literally had a knife to it- he never doubted him. And in return for his acceptance and friendship, Sasuke had promised him that he would be someone Naruto could trust.

That he would be everything for Naruto..

.. that Naruto was for him.

Sasuke would never break that bond. He had worked hard to destroy his relationship with Naruto in the past, and it was something he still deeply regretted.

He didn't want to give Naruto a reason to stop trusting him after all these years.

"My promise still stands" he finally said, obsidian eyes locked intently on the blonde by his side. "I will tell you."

Sasuke reached out and ran his fingers through soft blonde locks. "You can trust me, Naruto."

Naruto blushed and hurriedly cleared his throat. "Heh, heh.. wh-what did you get so serious for all of a sudden?" He laughed nervously, trying to break the tension.

"Because I want you to know that I mean it."

Those words fluttered in his chest, sending a shiver down his arms all the way to the tips of his fingers. He could feel that familiar electric charge rush through his veins, and he had to bite his lip to keep himself from moaning with pleasure.

The raven's expression darkened, his eyes heavy with want. He took a step towards the blonde, dipping his head down, his deep gaze focused on slightly parted lips.

Naruto noticed, and his mouth went dry with anticipation.

Sasuke suddenly had an intense need to moisten it for him, but he tore his eyes away from the blonde's tempting mouth back up to meet his gaze.

Cerulean eyes flickered between dark piercing pools- pools he could feel himself sinking into. His stomach tightened and he found himself moving towards him.

"Sasuke.." he breathed.

Sasuke stifled a groan as he buried his hand in Naruto's hair and pulled him towards him.

He knew.

He knew he shouldn't keep testing their luck with this curse, but he couldn't stop himself. Especially when the dobe said his name like that..

He pulled him close and firmly pressed their lips together. A sharp invasive charge slammed into him, and he couldn't help but want more of it. Sasuke tilted his head to the side and deepened the kiss, pleased to find Naruto doing the same thing.

Sasuke dropped a hand to the blonde's waist and dug his fingers into tender skin, jerking him even closer. When Naruto wrapped his arms around him and rubbed his hips against him, a deep groan forced its way out his throat. He pushed Naruto's back up against the trunk of the large oak they were standing in and gripped the bark, locking him in place.

Sasuke's mouth traveled down his neck, latching onto the spot he found the night before.

"Ahhh! Mmmm.."

Sasuke grinned against his throat.

"I love the sounds you make.." he whispered.

Naruto's face reddened. "Ahh.." he moaned, not being able to suppress another one of Sasuke's favorite sounds. "Don't- don't embarrass me, Teme."

Sasuke raised his head, staring into Naruto's eyes with all of the love in the world, before dipping his head down once more. Their lips connected in a bruising kiss, and their bodies convulsed with the never-ending sensation of the curse.

A curse that came with so much pain, and yet so much pleasure.

They stayed like that for a while, losing themselves in each other, when Naruto finally had to pull back for air.

Or rather, he tried to.

As soon as he moved his face away the curse activated, and their lips sealed.

That familiar rush of fear slammed into him, and he made a panicky sound against the raven's lips. Sasuke held his face in his hands and Naruto looked up. Their eyes met and because they knew each other so well, he could sense exactly what Sasuke was trying to communicate to him.

Trust me.

And he did.

With every fiber of his being. He did.

So, when Sasuke moved against him, aggressive and sure, Naruto joined him, until finally their lips loosened. He pulled away and gasped in a lungful of air.

Sasuke took a step back. "Thank you," he said softly, "for trusting me."

He tucked a blonde lock behind his ear, and Naruto could feel himself blush again at the contact. "We.. we should keep moving.." he said quickly.

Before I start something I can't stop..

They both stepped away from each other, regaining control. Once they were able to think clearly again, they shared a look and moved in unison, once again leaping through dense forest side by side, forcing their minds to refocus on seeking out answers-

.. and desperately trying not to think about anything else.

Author Note:

I'm sorry if that felt like a bit of a filler chapter. I promise- more dramaaaaa is on its wayyyy. :)

Thank you for reading & sticking with this story. I hope it doesn't let you down! I want to leave you with a good one.

And I would love to hear your thoughts about it so far! I'm very curious to know how everyone is feeling about the change in the story. Personally, I really liked the first half- before they knew how the other felt. When Naruto fought Sasuke on being kissed by him. But I hope the second half is at least still interesting.

Alright, now that I've aired out some of my insecurities, let's keep it going!~