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 35: Kiss It, Keep It

"By that kiss, I vow an endless bliss."

-John Keats

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"Sasuke- ah, stop.." Naruto gasped. "This isn't.. uhnn - working."

"I know- I know!" The raven gritted his teeth together, trying to stave off the panic he could feel swirling in his gut and crawling up the back of his throat. He tightened his hold on the blonde's hand and yanked him back the way they came. "Come on! We.. we just need to keep moving."

The two had managed to slip out of the Akatsuki-filled room undetected, but the bunker was a freaking maze and they had yet to find their way back to the surface. It was driving both of them mad- especially Sasuke, who's Uchiha temper was probably the only match for the Nine Tails' demonic one.

And with every wrong turn,

every empty hallway,

every useless goddamn door-

his anger grew.

The two raced around another corner, and then skidded to an abrupt stop. Another dead end..

"Fuck!!"

"Sasuke, stop for a sec", Naruto huffed. He placed a hand on the raven's bare chest. "Wait, ok? Just- just let me think."

"We don't have time for that!" Sasuke shoved his hand away, then whipped around to glare at the blonde. "They're probably looking for us by now-"

"Sasuke-"

"We have no plan, no defense, no counterattack. We need to get the fuck out of here. Right. Now!"

He grabbed Naruto's arm and started to yank him back the way they came, but Naruto jerked it free and took a step back. "Dammit, Teme- listen to me! Blindly running around is not going to work!"

"And you think you know a better way?" he sneered. "Oh, I can't wait to hear it."

"Fuck you." Naruto snapped. "You're not in charge here, Sasuke. My plans are just as-"

"Ughh, fine!!" Sasuke stepped close- his face hardened, his demeanor struggling not to break. "Then, what do you have in mind?"

"I need chakra."

"Yeah, well- join the fucking club."

Naruto was not amused. "Sasuke- I need you to fucking work with me."

The Uchiha sighed, forcing his anger back. "Ok.. ok, alright. I'm listening. What's the plan?"

"I need you to channel as much chakra over to me as you can." Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but Naruto jumped in before he could start. "I am aware that we are both at our end. I'm saying- force it. Find something. I'll need every last drop."

"For..?"

"A summoning jutsu."

Sasuke studied him for a moment, then nodded. He hated to admit it, especially when he was already feeling particularly pissed off and inadequate, but it was a good plan.

Lost somewhere underground, no energy, minimal (if any) chakra, Konohagakure too far away.. yeah, a giant toad would be a pretty useful comrade right about now.

Naruto grinned. "Pretty good idea, right?"

"It's decent", he muttered, grabbing his hand. "Ok. Stop talking, Dobe, I need to focus."

Sasuke closed his eyes as he forced all of his chakra reserves through his body and over to Naruto's. It wasn't much, but it should be enough for one final move.

Naruto took a deep breathe and moved his hands fast. Eyes flaring red with what was left of the Nine Tail's power, Naruto dropped down, ran his finger tips across his bloody palm, and slammed his hand into the ground.

"I realize the two of you tired, but I need you to immediately report on what happened today."

Naruto flopped down onto the floor of Tsunade's office and sighed dramatically. "Come on, Granny" he complained, "we just got back!"

Sasuke clenched his jaw. "We're both fine, the curse is gone, and the Akatsuki are not likely to retaliate. What more could you possibly need from us right now?"

"Watch your tone, brat."

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose as she struggled to rein in her frustration. God, they really know how to piss me off. "You escaped by using Naruto's summoning technique. How do you know that you're not being hunted down as we speak?"

"Because Itachi betrayed the Akatsuki and is bringing them down, as we speak."

"Uchiha", she grated out, "I don't know how many times I have to fucking tell you-"

"Granny- we will tell you every last detail later" Naruto interrupted, "but right now we really need to rest."

Tsunade stopped and glanced over at the blonde sprawled out on her floor, noting his drawn and unusually pale face, and the heavy bags under his eyes.

She sighed. "Fine. Get some rest. But I expect you back here first thing tomorrow."

The two nodded, and Naruto struggled to his feet. He swayed, and Sasuke's hand shot out to grab his arm, steadying him. He gave the blonde a look, but Naruto just shook his head and moved towards the door.

Once they were out of the Hokage's office, Sasuke turned to look at him again. "You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah.. yeah, I'm fine. Just feeling worn out."

"Me too", Sasuke muttered. "Let's head back."

Naruto looked down at the hand on his arm, then raised his head to meet tired obsidian eyes. "Uhh- Sasuke? My apartment is that way."

"You're coming home with me."

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

Sasuke pulled the clueless blonde along, leading him back to the Uchiha manor. "We already lived together when we had the curse. There's no reason it has to stop now."

Blue eyes widened. "There's absolutely a reason! We just started dating! I can't move in with you!"

"You have your own room" Sasuke stated calmly, wishing the obnoxious dobe would do the same. "And my place is huge. Why would you go back to your tiny ass apartment?"

"Because it's my place, Sasuke!"

"Not anymore."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What did you do?"

Sasuke met his gaze for a moment before turning his attention back to the road ahead. "I ran into your landlord when you went to the restroom. I let him know you were moving out."

"You WHAT?!" Naruto ripped his arm free and shoved him. "What the fuck, Sasuke! You can't just decide shit like that on your own!"

Sasuke stepped close, eyes burning. "Will you stop being so goddamn stubborn, Naruto! We have been inseparable since I came back to Konoha. It's fucking stupid for me to live in that fucking mansion without you!"

"God, you piss me off" Naruto growled. "I'm going home."

"Yes. You are." Sasuke grabbed his wrist and, despite the blonde's protests and punches, continued to drag him home.

The two eventually made it to the Uchiha manor and Sasuke roughly shoved the blonde inside, locking the door behind him. Naruto whipped around, glaring.

"You're lucky I'm so fucking exhausted or I would kick your ass."

"Whatever, dobe. Just go lay down."

Naruto glared a moment longer, then turned around and headed to his room, flipping the raven off as he walked away.

"Yeah, yeah. Love you too."

Sasuke shuffled over to the couch and collapsed. He looked up at the ceiling, staring as his eye lids began to droop.

It was a long day.. he thought, but it seems like I'm a lot more worn out than I'd usually be after something like this..

Then his lids dropped, his eyes rolled back, and a deep sleep consumed him.

Several hours later Sasuke woke up in a fog. Somehow he was even more exhausted now than he had been before he slept.

If that was even possible.

He pushed himself up and dragged his feet over to the kitchen, intending on making coffee, when his legs suddenly gave out. He dropped to his knees, hard.

"Nnn- fuck!" he groaned. He tried to stand, but almost immediately fell forward. He was just able to catch himself in time before smashing his face into the floor.

The hell..?

"Sa... s'ke.." Naruto gasped, his voice thick, breathing labored. He stumbled into the room, dragging his hand along the wall, steadying himself. His heart was beating violently in his chest, his body weakened to the point of near collapse.

After another failed attempt, the Uchiha was finally able to push himself back to his feet. He quickly slammed a hand against the kitchen counter to keep himself from falling. He looked over at the struggling blonde, blinking rapidly to clear the darkness closing in on his vision. "Naru..? Do you..feel.. kind of-?"

"Yeah", Naruto breathed. "Wha-what is this..? Why do I feel so.. fucking.. weak?"

Using the wall and an assortment of furniture as support, Sasuke managed to make his way over to the shaky blonde. "Come on." He grabbed Naruto by the arm and slowly led him over to the couch. Sasuke was feeling more and more drained with every step, but he forced himself to keep going and to support Naruto along the way.

What the hell is going on??

"S'ke.. do you think..?"

Sasuke met the blonde's worried gaze with one of his own. "Let's.. let's just sit down first, ok?"

They dropped down onto the couch and turned to face each other. Sasuke stared into deep cerulean eyes filled with confusion, and watched as flashes of knowing shot through them.

"It's the curse..," Naruto breathed out. "isn't it?"

"Only one way to be sure.."

Naruto nodded. Sasuke reached out and buried his trembling hand in soft blonde locks, pulling him closer. He watched the blonde nervously lick his lips, then slowly looked up to meet his eyes. Deep blues flickered between inky black orbs, reading every thought swimming beneath them. Heavy lids fell to obscure his thoughts, and Sasuke leaned in and kissed him.

He kept his lips pressed firmly against Naruto's, waiting to see what kind of power might be hiding beneath their kiss.

After a while, Sasuke slowly pulled away. The exhaustion, the weakness- all of it was gone. He felt like himself again. More than that, he felt strong. Incredibly strong. Like he had just gotten an extra boost of energy.

From just one kiss.

Naruto stared at him, huge blue eyes consuming most of his face. "You. Have. Got. To be freaking kidding me."

Sasuke looked away, letting long raven strands hide his smile. "Well, looks like you're stuck with me after all."

Naruto groaned as he fell back on the couch. He dragged his fingers through his hair and sighed at the ceiling. "So, I guess this time we get weaker throughout the day unless we kiss. That's.. that's just great."

"We just need to make sure we kiss at least once a day. Doesn't sound so bad to me.." Sasuke mumbled. "Should be easy to do now that we're living together."

Naruto pushed himself up onto his elbows and rolled his eyes. "You're ridiculous, Teme."

Sasuke dropped his hand down on the couch next to him and leaned close. "Does that mean you want to break this curse too?"

Naruto thought about it for a moment.

This new curse makes us both stronger. All I have to do is kiss the person I love every single day.

.. And I get to stay by his side because of it.

"You know what," he looked up at the raven and gave a small smile.

"I think I'll keep this one."

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~ The End ~

Author Note:

Thank you so much for reading Dying to Kiss You !! I truly appreciate all of you & I hope that you enjoyed it! I would love to hear your thoughts- I'm curious to know what worked and what didn't as I dive into future stories.

"Right, well.. I shall now take my leave. Cinnamon, darling- let's go traumatize Naruto and Sasuke in another story."

;D