I do not own these Naruto, nor do I make any money off of this.

"talking"

'thinking'

Chapter 91: Doubt, No Doubt

Sasuke hadn't been the only one to have been up that night. Naruto didn't want to wake anyone up and had chosen to leave through the window. He left the housing area and headed into the woods. It didn't take him long to find the place he wanted to go. The moon was bright and it was reflected on the calm surface of the water. Naruto sat down at the water's edge, putting his bare feet in it. 'It's still beautiful,' he thought. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the night.

"The night can be so beautiful sometimes," a voice said. Naruto looked over his shoulder at Older Naruto. "Although it is filled with darkness, there is always a light shining through it." He picked up a rock and skipped it across the lake, watching it sink into the water before continuing. "Sasuke brought me here when he proposed for real." He played with his wedding ring. "He said I was the light of his life. It was so cheesy, but it left no room for me to say no." He laughed. "You know, I've thought about breaking up with him several times."

Naruto looked at him in surprise. "Why? You love each other."

"And we always will," Older Naruto said. "But sometimes I'm afraid of what I may do if he…" He trailed off.

"If he died?" Naruto asked.

Older Naruto nodded. "I know he's strong, but he's not immortal. Eventually, I'll lose him and that scares me. I'm sure you've noticed that we've avoided talking about the effects of the merger. We told you the basics, but there is so much more to it, even things we aren't a hundred percent about."

"It's keeping you from aging isn't it?" Naruto asked. Eyes widened as they turned to look at him. "I may not be as good at sensing chakra as you but I'm a Seals Master. I can tell you have several seals on your body. I know one of them seals your chakra away so that it isn't overbearing. If you didn't, everything you say may come across as an absolute order. And an argument could turn deadly if you aren't careful enough with your words. But even that seal isn't strong enough to hold back all of that chakra. Just like dad, you made sure to layer other seals upon the first one. I'm guessing one of those seals will kill you if it is forcefully broken." Older Naruto nodded. He was a bit surprised, but he honestly shouldn't be. He knew the two of them weren't as stupid as people sometimes thought they were. "Does it permanently kill you so that even Edo Tensei doesn't work?"

"Yes. If I was to die, my body would disappear from this world. That way no one can get their hands on this power. Well, that's until the Bijuu part of me is reborn. But that wouldn't happen for a long time."

"Does he know?"

"Not everything. He's seen my biggest fear, so he knows that I can't live in a world without him. You told us about that Sasuke that used Edo Tensei on his Naruto. It made me realize something. I might do the same thing." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm willing to rip him out of a peaceful afterlife just so I can have him by my side. I know it's selfish but I… I can't lose him." He turned fully towards Naruto, tears rolling down his face. He laughed. "Just how crazy am I?"

"You're not crazy. Love can be just as dangerous as it can be wonderful. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't do it." An uncomfortable silence washed over them as Older Naruto took in those words. It wasn't until a laugh broke through Older Naruto's lips that Naruto relaxed.

"Of course it's another me that makes things so obvious." Older Naruto smiled. "Love is a risk, one worth taking, isn't it?" Naruto hesitantly nodded. "I suppose I'm in for the lecture of a lifetime when I tell Sasuke how I feel." He sat down, slipping his feet free from his sandals before putting them into the water. "What about you?"

"I… I'm not sure," Naruto admitted. "There are too many other factors to think about. I'm not ready yet."

"If you wait too long, you'll regret it."

Naruto smiled sadly as he looked up at the moon. "I know." He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as the cold breeze sprayed him with a little water. "Can I ask you something?" He opened his eyes and looked at Older Naruto who nodded. "When did you know?" The rest of the question died on his tongue, but Older Naruto understood it perfectly.

"To be honest, I think I always knew. There is a bond between us that kept pulling us together until it just became overwhelmingly clear. It wasn't one moment or one thing that made me fall for Sasuke. It was everything, all of his faults and virtues. I accept all parts of him just like he does me. Even with my insecurities building a wall around me, he walks right though it. We may not have known the word for it, but it was always there. Best friends, rivals, it doesn't matter what we called it. They are just words, empty until given a purpose. It took awhile, but now they mean more."

Naruto nodded. "I think I understand."

"But you're still not ready."

"Not yet."

"Hm…" The two set in silence, staring at the moon.

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"Uchiha," Kyu called. Older Sasuke looked up at that. "Can we talk?"

"Hn," Older Sasuke grunted. He pulled away from the wall. He motioned for Kyu to follow him. The two made their way outside to a training area. "What did you want to talk about?"

Kyo glared at Older Sasuke. "It feels like you guys are walking on eggshells around us and I want to know why." Older Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that. "I would have asked the other me about it, but he seems to be busy." There was a bite to his words.

Older Sasuke smirked. "Are you jealous?"

Kyo looked ready to kill Older Sasuke. "If I was, it wouldn't matter. Besides, you know this isn't about me."

"And pray tell what is it about?" Older Sasuke asked in a snarky and condescending voice.

"The Kit and the Uchiha Brat." Kyu growled.

Older Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It was actually Kurama who brought it up. From everything you three have told us about the other worlds we came to a conclusion." Older Sasuke walked over to Kyu, putting a hand on his shoulder and getting really close to his ear. He whispered something into said ear before pulling away. Kyu was staring ahead with wide eyes and his mouth agape. He was lost for words. Older Sasuke turned around and started heading back to the house. Kyu was left behind to ponder over what the other had said.

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Breakfast was strange as no one seemed like they wanted to talk. The only two willing to speak were the Narutos. Older Naruto and Naruto were exchanging stories about Jiraiya and their time away from Konoha. Both Sasukes remained silent while Kyu was just staring off to the side, deep in though. He hadn't even heard Naruto calling his name. A hand on his shoulder brought him back to alertness. "Are you ok Kyu?"

"Yes, I was just thinking, Kit," Kyu said. "It's nothing for you to worry about." Naruto nodded before returning to his seat.

"So Itachi and Kurama won't be joining us today?" Naruto asked.

"Itachi has work at the academy to do while Kurama has been sent on a mission to Suna," Older Naruto answered. "I'm sure he's terrorizing Shukaku right about now. Poor Neji."

"Neji?" Naruto asked. "Why would Kurama messing with Shukaku have anything to do with Neji?"

"Because this means him and Gaara don't get to have any alone time," Older Naruto said.

Naruto spat out his orange juice. "Neji and Gaara?"

"Oh, are they not together in your world?" Older Naruto asked, cleaning up the mess Naruto had made.

"Well, I'm not sure," Naruto admitted. "I haven't really heard anything from them. Last I saw, Neji was still in Konoha." Everyone looked at Naruto at that. "B-but it doesn't really matter. If Neji and Gaara are together, then that's fine with me. Love is love, genderless and…" He looked from Kyu to Older Naruto and Older Sasuke. "...specieless?" Older Naruto laughed while both Sasukes looked like they wanted to bang their heads against the table. Kyu just shook his head. Naruto pouted. "Y-you know what I mean!"

"Right," Older Naruto said. "Anyway, Uen will be leaving today. Did you want to join us in sending him off?"

"Sure," Naruto said. Older Naruto looked at Sasuke and Kyo. They both grunted out an agreement. Older Naruto smiled before eating the last bite of his food. He then got up and with Naruto's help, began to wash the dishes. Older Naruto noticed that Naruto's hand seemed to flinch whenever he was handed a plate. It was odd since Kurama's chakra healed all of their wounds. The question died in his throat when Naruto gave him a strange look. Both Sasukes remained quiet the entire time.

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Both Narutos, Sasukes, and Kyu teleported to where Team Seven was originally formed. Sasuke looked around since he hadn't seen the area in years. It didn't look that different from the time he used it. The tree Naruto had been tied to was a lot bigger though. Naruto was happy to see that not much was different from the one in his world. Uen walked up to the five of them with a smile on his face. Sasuke introduced himself and he was surprised to learn that in his world, Uen was his uncle. This brought about several questions, but there was one question he wanted to ask the older man the most.

"How did you get here?" Sasuke asked.

Uen smiled. "There was a bit of magic that I found that allowed me to come here. But now that magic has run out. I must be going home." Sasuke nodded. Both Narutos, Older Sasuke, and Kyu on the other hand didn't believe him. Both Narutos and Kyu could hear the lie in his words while Older Sasuke had experience with liars since he was an Anbu. But none of them said anything, knowing that whatever Uen was hiding, they wouldn't find out no matter how much they asked. Uen was surrounded by a light blue light. "I doubt we'll ever see each other again, so this is goodbye. It has been fun." He gave them another wave before he vanished.

Sasuke stared at the spot Uen had been. Due to the strange wind that had picked up when Uen was leaving, Uen's shirt moved to reveal a little bit of the tattoo he had on his chest. From what Sasuke could see, it was a tattoo of a rose. He was about to bring this up when a green light surrounded him. He looked down at his arm to see the now green gem. The light was also surrounding Naruto and Kyo. Naruto quickly waved a few signs just in case. Kyo turned into a fox before disappearing back into Naruto. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other with a look of worry on their faces. Older Naruto handed Naruto a backpack while Older Sasuke handed Sasuke his. "Naruto went and got them when he saw the light." Naruto and Sasuke were a bit surprised to hear that. They hadn't seen Older Naruto even move.

Older Naruto walked over to Naruto and hugged him. "You will know when it is time," he whispered. He pulled back with a smile before walking over to Sasuke. He pulled him into a hug as well. "May you find all the answers on this journey." He walked over to Older Sasuke and put an arm around him. "It has been fun having all of you here."

"Hn," Older Sasuke grunt.

"Please tell Itachi and Kurama that we said goodbye," Naruto said.

"I will," Older Naruto promised. Naruto continued to smile, even as the green light swallowed them up. Older Naruto turned around in Older Sasuke's arms. "Sasuke, I love you."

Older Sasuke smirked. "I love you too, Naruto." He kissed Older Naruto, wrapping his arms more tightly around the blond. "And our baby." He lightly tapped Older Naruto's stomach. Older Naruto giggled. The ground shifted beneath them as they teleported back to their home.

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Watanuki was laying down on the porch enjoying some peace and quiet. He had finished granting a wish from a girl with black hair named Saya Kisaragi. His familiar, a golden dog, had spent a while following Saya. It was a wish made by another, but since Watanuki couldn't go himself, he sent his familiar. Now that it was done doing his job, the familiar was resting, something it rightfully deserved. Watanuki wondered if Saya would ever make a wish that was truly her own. He sighed. It wasn't his place to have such thoughts. He really needed to stop getting attached to those with long term wishes.

"Watanuki," a voice called, breaking him out of his thoughts..

Watanuki took a deep breath from his pipe before letting out some smoke. He then looked over his shoulder at the one who called his name. He was a bit surprised to see this person here again. He looked the man up and down. "It seems your power has grown again."

"That's why I came here again," the man said. He wore a cloak that covered his entire body, the hood covering his eyes. "I can't do it in front of the others, so it was easier to come here." He held out a hand. "Please take it again."

"If I take any more of your power, I'll owe you another wish," Watanuki said.

"Just keep looking out for them," the cloaked man said. "Accept my power as payment towards any wish they make."

"Why do you care about them so much?" Watanuki handed the other a glass orb. It began to take in the man's power, changing its clear color to a dark red.

"Because I wish to return a favor." Watanuki saw a flash of a smile before the man vanished in a puff of black smoke.

"Honestly." Watanuki shook his head, handing the orb to the male twin servant of his. "They are the same." Watanuki looked up at the sky. "Am I doing the right thing, Yuko?"