My 13 - Ch 21

My 13
By Kitteh and NeoFox
Rating: PG - 15
Warnings: Language, violence, romance
Pairings: Sasuke x Naruto, Kakashi x Iruka
Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto
Summary: After Sasuke's departure hope had nearly been lost. Days later it was Naruto's own determination to bring him back that allowed him a chance to train in the ranks of ANBU and earn him the title of Hunter-nin. Now a year later on a quest to find the one thing he lost he runs into a mysterious person on his twelfth mission. The few traits of Akatsuki are clearly seen, but it is not the eldest Uchiha behind the Sharingan eyes.
Beta: Kitteh and NeoFox

Chapter 21

The ceiling was never an interesting thing to stare at, but when it was the only thing Sasuke had to occupy himself with he had no real choice to do much else. He had woken up to the sound of the front door closing earlier in the day and expected Naruto to have gotten back from shopping. He planned to get out of bed and greet the boy, but had promptly been shoved away and told to stay out of the kitchen and just away from Naruto in general until told otherwise.

Ever since then Sasuke had been left a little more then disgruntled at being pushed aside so easily, but the random noises and few curses he heard coming from the kitchen left him curious. He had gotten up to check a couple of times, but was yelled at and sent back to the living room where he presently was, while still in his pajamas. He hadn't bothered to change because he was too stubborn to give into what was going on.

Another noise from the kitchen caused Sasuke to finally sit up and turn his eyes away from the ceiling. He looked towards the source and wasted no time speaking in as even a tone he could despite his curiosity, "Do you need any help in there?"

"For the last time, Juusan- NO! I don't need your help." There were a few more clangs and the loud sound of something falling to clatter on the floor followed by a few choice cusses from Naruto. "I'm perfectly fine!" he called back again to Sasuke in an attempt at a cheery tone. He then cussed out what had fallen as if it had been whatever that fell's fault entirely. "Just shut up and enjoy doing nothing for once, damnit. Read one of my manga or magazines I have lying around, and stop being such a pest!"

Sasuke clicked his tongue at that last little bit and made a show of rolling his eyes. Of course no one was there to see it, but he didn't really care much. He finally moved off the couch and got to his feet, rubbing at his neck while he walked over towards the small area where Naruto kept his books. He didn't feel much like reading, but it was a good way to keep silent and make the other think he had listened. Soon enough, Sasuke gave a small glance behind him before he gained a little focus to try and hide his presence. Once he was sure he wouldn't be detected he made his way one careful step at a time towards the kitchen.

It was a brilliant idea; Naruto was too busy with whatever he was doing to ever notice such a clever infiltration. That was until Sasuke slammed into a sealed doorway; a rather powerful one for whatever mundane cooking Naruto was up to in the kitchen.
When Naruto felt the disturbance he stormed right back to Sasuke and glared angrily. "You impatient, idiot! You think I didn't think you'd try to abuse your skill to try and get in and see!" He tapped the wooden spoon he held in his palm as he glowered at Sasuke in a dark threatening manner. "Now sit down and be good."

Sasuke had been busy rubbing his poor abused nose from slamming face first into the seal, but had looked up when Naruto grabbed his attention. He dropped his hands and tried not to look as embarrassed as he actually felt about the entire ordeal that he had just gone through. "Fine, whatever." He glanced past Naruto for a split second, but turned away just as quick to head back into the living room. "How much longer is this going to take," he almost spoke in a whine as if he were a child.

"It'll be ready when it'll be ready." That didn't answer anything at all and Naruto knew it. Still he watched Sasuke walk off, tapping the spoon in one palm while he made sure he was gone completely. "Nap or something. I'm sure there's something productive you could be doing instead of being a grumpy brat." Naruto waved the spoon around as he disappeared back into the kitchen. "The more you bug me the longer it'll take!" he called back, adding insult to injury.

"I'm not acting like a grumpy brat." Sasuke plopped himself back down on the couch after having taken one of the few manga out from the pile of books. He had spoken the words in a stubborn tone of voice, but Naruto was no longer there to hear them. He fingered through the pages, finding nothing of real interest, but it passed the time. Still, he kept an ear out while he tapped his bare feet on the floor in a quiet beat.

There wasn't much to hear in the kitchen for a while. Vague average sounds that really didn't give away anything that Naruto was doing in there. The smell of rice was in the air, but that was even less telling than the sounds that Naruto made. At least it didn't smell like Naruto was over cooking or burning the rice.

"Oh no!" Naruto sounded genuinely alarmed. "I used too much!" He whined as if this were truly detrimental.

Sasuke turned his eyes away from the book to flip his head upside down over the back of the couch. It still didn't give him the best view of the kitchen, but at least Naruto would hear him when he spoke up, "What did you use too much of? What are you doing in there, Hunter?" Maybe he could actually get some answers this time if Naruto was having problems.

"N-nothing! I didn't use too much of anything! STOP PRYING!" Inside the kitchen Naruto looked over the poor misshapen onigiri in his hand. He had added more rice to try and compensate with the spices he put on it, but it had only turned out ugly and monstrous. Maybe it tasted better than it looked. So Naruto gave it a test nibble and soon he made loud gagging noises. "Ugh! I've summoned a monster." He set it aside and tried again with a disappointed whine.

Sasuke raised a brow at what he heard, but he could only shrug a shoulder. There wasn't much he could do about it since all his attempts at helping had been thwarted thus far. He dropped his head down once more to pay attention to the book in his hands, but his ears were still tuned into the kitchen. "Are you sure you don't want any help?"

"Oh I'm sure you'd like that- wouldn't you! So nosey, Juusan. Lounging around in your pjs reading comics all day while I slave all day in the kitchen! Sleeping all day while I shop. Tsk. Such a lazy ass," Naruto teased on Sasuke from inside the kitchen.

"Mmm, yeah, it's horrible. I know." Sasuke smirked while he went along with Naruto's words. He didn't mind the playful teasing as much as he would in the past. "I should be ashamed of myself for slacking off so much. It's horrible really." He turned the page of the manga and was forced to turn it sideways as he tried in vain to figure out just what exactly was going on.

Naruto suddenly walked into the room, speckled in rice. He had a cup of tea in his hand which he soon offered to Sasuke. "Here. Maybe this'll calm you down, you lazy spazz." He grinned as he leaned over to see exactly what Sasuke was reading. "Oh. I love this one. It's the one where that guy does that move- and kicks the asses of at least a hundred guys. It's so cool." He flipped through the pages and pointed to a page with plenty of action lines in almost every direction all with a disgruntled minion being beaten down in at least every panel. "Yeah. There!"

Sasuke stared at the page with little curiosity while he took a sip of the tea which had been offered to him. It still wasn't half as interesting as Naruto made it out to be, but the other boy seemed to think it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Sasuke didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise. Instead, he turned his eyes to look at Naruto and when he did he noticed the state he was in. Sasuke was forced to keep his laughter in and only allowed himself a small smirk. He leaned over and kissed away a piece of rice that was on Naruto's cheek, speaking up after the action, "You're a mess."

"Hm?" Naruto rubbed the spot where Sasuke's lips had been and felt his cheeks grow hot. "I guess I am." He gave a slight laugh as he plucked a few grains of rice off to eat. "Oh! Yeah. I gotta tell you something." He plucked up the manga from Sasuke's hands to rest it open on his own head; it was safer there. Naruto chose just as Sasuke was drinking to speak up. "Iruka-sensei says hi, and that he's kissing Kakashi-sensei."

It had been a good idea to steal the book away, because as soon as Naruto spoke those words Sasuke had been forced to spit out every last bit of tea he had just drank up while his eyes shot wide open. Of course it still didn't save him from choking which forced him to set his cup aside as he tried to get a hold of himself and stop coughing. As soon as he managed to, he glanced to the side at the other boy while he wheezed out a response, "Wh-What did you say?"

Naruto laughed outright at Sasuke's messy reaction, even if it did get tea everywhere. "You heard me." He made one hand swim. "Iruka-sensei." He made his other hand walk. "And Kakashi-sensei." Both hands walked and swam towards each other. "Kissing." And both hands did, rather graphically, as graphically as Naruto could make his hands appear kissing.

"Okay!" Sasuke lifted a hand to stop Naruto's own from the display. "I get the picture. You can stop now." He stared for a moment as if still comprehending what he had been told, but soon he lifted his eyes to Naruto's face. "Wait, how exactly did you find this out? Why would Iruka ever tell you anything like this?" He pulled his hand back to wipe at his mouth, feeling rather disgusted that he had even spit out his drink in the first place.

"I'm an infiltrator of information! You doubt my knowledge gathering skills? Tch! Never doubt my greatness, Juusan. I can do many an amazing thing." Naruto shrugged anyway and decided to divulge at least a little. "I stumbled upon something out of place and interrogated him on it. Simple as that." He shuddered. "Absolutely horrifically disturbing and terrifying knowledge, right?"

Sasuke reached out to pick his cup back up while he shrugged a shoulder. "While it is a little out of the ordinary, yes, it's not really terrifying." He looked down into his cup and was glad to see that there was still some tea left to drink. He took a few more sips before he attempted speech again. "I never really saw it coming, so it's a shock, but I'm the one that's been away from Konoha for a year." He looked back at Naruto. "What's so bad about it?"

"I'll tell you exactly what's wrong with it: 'Ewwwwww'!" Naruto flailed his arms, not understanding how Sasuke could see this. "And ewwww s'more! They're our teachers, Juusan, that makes them like- siblings! And ew- siblings just don't do that to each other!"

Sasuke gave a simple shrug of his shoulder. He reached out to grab the book back from Naruto's head since it was still his only freedom from his boredom. "Weren't you preoccupied in the kitchen before you came in here so concerned about who Iruka was kissing?" He raised a brow, but soon turned his attention back on the pages of the book.

Naruto stared. "That's it? That's all?" His arms flopped to his sides disappointed. "I tell you the biggest piece of juicy information of Konoha ever- and you opt to read a manga and tell me off." He glowered at Sasuke. "I thought I'd get more out of you than spitting tea all over the clean floor." Naruto crossed his arms stubbornly. "You act as if this isn't big news."

"Because it's not. Well, not compared to most things going on lately." Sasuke glanced to the side to give Naruto his full attention once again. "Naruto, need I remind you of everything that's happened lately? After a year we found each other again. We fought and you brought me back to Konoha. I found out I have no home only to come and live with you. We confessed how we felt about each other and aside from one small mishap concerning an annoying mutt, everything is going okay. I don't think Iruka and Kakashi's love life is huge news to be honest." He looked back at the manga and flipped it to its side again. "Really, Hunter, you're blowing this out of proportion."

Naruto huffed. "It's just refreshing to hear news that isn't about us for once. You're the one that's making the big deal, except it's about our situation. Compared to everything that's happened in Konoha, minus ourselves, this is pretty damn big news!" But he wasn't getting the reaction out of Sasuke that he wanted. Naruto pouted like a stubborn child who wasn't getting his way. "Oh sure, when I want your attention you ignore me- but when I don't want you to bother me you're a pest. Fine. Your loss. I'll share my news with someone else who can appreciate such outrageous properly." Naruto waved Sasuke off as he headed back to the kitchen.

"Someone else?" Sasuke blinked and looked away from the manga once again. Naruto had his attention pulled away, but of course the other boy had already walked back to the kitchen. Sasuke flopped his head upside down once more on the back of the couch and ignored the dazed feeling it left him with. "What do you mean someone else? Who else would listen to such a thing?" He nearly pouted over the fact he was alone once more. "I just don't think it's any of our business to be honest. So what if Iruka wants to randomly kiss Kakashi? How would you feel if Iruka got grossed out over the two of us kissing?"

"Maybe I'll tell Hinata!" Naruto shot right back from in the kitchen. "She always seems to care about what I say. She listens! At least she'd think it was big news and freak out like any normal person would." There was light grumbling as noises from what Naruto had continued doing went on. "Unlike someone else who can't think beyond his own situation in Konoha."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at that last little statement. It caused him to right his head and scowl at the book he held before he tossed it aside onto the couch. He wasted little time scooting down until he was nearly curled up and one with the cushions while he crossed his arms. A bit of jealousy formed at a few of the other things Naruto had said and he was quick to respond with his own bitter words, "Fine, while you waste your time with Hinata then I'll go find Sakura. I'm sure she'll just love to spend time with me while you two are blabbering on about nothing."

"Fine!" Naruto nearly growled back, proving Sasuke's words had hit their mark. But like always when Sasuke pushed, Naruto had to push back just that much harder. "I'm sure she really would love that. Maybe you should- it's not like you've given her your attention let alone a kind word in over a year. Oh- that's right; the last thing you ever said to her was 'I don't love you'. And you left her to cry. Maybe you two should go out. And while you two get all squishy faced- maybe I'll just go take Hinata out for ramen and we'll share a bowl while 'blabbering on about nothing' happily!"

"Oh gee, I'm sorry I couldn't share Sakura's feeling, Naruto. Sorry I was in love with someone that's a complete idiot at times instead." Sasuke glared hard at his cup of tea, but it refused to shatter into pieces like he willed it to. He moved a foot out to kick the table instead and was satisfied when the cup at least wobbled because of the movement. "Go ahead and take Hinata out. See if I care. It's not like I'm doing anything productive. I'm only thinking about my own situation lately, right?" he spat out just as bitterly as he had before, but at the same time he sounded childish.

There was a sharp snap from Naruto in the kitchen, the wooden spoon between his hands. He blinked when he realized he had abolished his own cooking utensil because of that idiot Sasuke. Angrily he threw the pieces in the sink. "Fine! Maybe I will! And while I'm gone maybe you'll actually stop feeling sorry for yourself and get out of the house and make peace with a few of those people you called 'comrades'!" Naruto slammed his hands down and gripped the lip of the sink tightly in his anger. "If you actually did something like that then maybe we wouldn't have to hide away in my apartment from stupid things like getting ambushed by people we should be calling friends! Tch! But since when has the self important Uchiha Sasuke ever cared about anything but his family!"

Sasuke's eyes widened for a split second, but soon they narrowed as they fell halfway. Those last words hurt more then he would ever admit, especially after the strong bond that had just been made between himself and Naruto. He had confessed to the other boy that he held family higher then anything else and suddenly it felt as if it was being used against him. He refused to speak up any longer and nestled himself down closer to the couch, keeping his eyes on his cup.

Naruto clutched the sink tighter as he expected Sasuke's words to return far worse and biting than his own. But there was nothing. No angry shout back, no hurtful retort. It had Naruto relaxing his hold in confusion. He glanced at the door. Had he broken Sasuke? Sasuke usually didn't crumble so easily to words.

Grabbing something Naruto made his way back to the living room, peeking in. There sat Sasuke curled up tight in the cushions, looking like a small child who had a war on with the entire world in his pajamas. It might have been considered cute had Sasuke not looked so genuinely hurt, which wasn't something he allowed others to see very often.

Naruto stepped into the room even though the tense hostility rose completely with his presence and Sasuke wouldn't even glare angrily at him. Naruto hopped onto the couch. "You're so sensitive sometimes, Juusan." He bumped Sasuke's shoulder with his head. "You should know by now I don't mean things I say when I'm pissed off." He nudged Sasuke's shoulder with his cheek.

Sasuke tensed up immediately at the contact. He couldn't help being on the defensive after what had been said and had to bite his tongue from actually saying anything harsh. Still, it didn't stop him from speaking in a bit of a clipped tone, "Maybe you should actually watch what you say." He rested his chin down on his knees and still refused to make eye contact with Naruto, but he didn't push him away which was a good sign.

Naruto huffed lightly. "I'm not the only one." He leaned closer to bump Sasuke's head with his own lightly. "But that isn't the point. The point is, is that you have to shut your eyes now." He leaned his head against Sasuke's, nuzzling with a playfulness to pull Sasuke out of his brooding temperament. "Trust me, close 'em. It'll make up for the fight."

Sasuke finally glanced to the side because of the small nuzzle. The curiosity came back to him despite their previous fight and soon he was dropping his legs down to sit up straight. "Fine, but this better not be anything stupid," he spoke in a quiet voice. He shut his eyes and waited for whatever it was Naruto had planned.

Sasuke could feel his hands being lifted up to sit cupped; in the center of his hands something light was placed. Adjusted. Perfect.

"Okay." Naruto let himself lean comfortably against Sasuke's side. He nudged Sasuke's cheek with his own. "You can look."

When Sasuke opened his eyes there cupped in his hands a puff of white stared back up at him. It was homemade onigiri with little edible eyes, a happy mouth and extra spice for the blush on its cheeks.

Naruto pointed to it with a grin. "See, it's happy to see you."

Sasuke felt his cheeks redden from such a kind gesture, especially with the way it had been prepared. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had fixed him homemade onigiri. He had always prepared it himself or just bought it at the market. The fact that Naruto had remembered the treat to be his favorite food also had him finally smiling a little and forgetting all about their fight. "This is what you were doing in the kitchen?"

Naruto was quick to give a few nods. "Took a while cuz I wanted it just right. I had to watch the rice closely to get it just right, all while trying to keep you out of the kitchen." He rested his chin on Sasuke's shoulder. "And I'm not the best cook to start. See, it's smiling, something you should be doing more. It’s supposed to cheer you up with what happened on the roof." He tapped the smiling onigiri. "Even if it doesn't taste good, at least it looks cute."

Sasuke couldn't deny that, but he didn't really want to put down Naruto's cooking skills immediately when the boy had worked so hard it seemed. Still, it would be hard to eat something that had a face. He decided to at least try it and lifted one hand away to pick at a corner so he could get a bit of rice in his fingers. He took the small clump up and deposited it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he tested it out. True enough, it wasn't the best thing in the world and Sasuke could tell that Naruto had used too much salt, but he still enjoyed it. Mostly because it had been made by Naruto's hands and just that thought made it taste even better. "I think it's just fine," he finally spoke up after he swallowed the tiny bite.

"Liar," Naruto stated bluntly but still affectionately. Since Sasuke seemed won over Naruto tackled into him to wrap his arms around his neck. "You're just being nice. But that's fine, I'll take the compliment. Since you're not choking, s'gotta mean something." Naruto leaned his cheek against Sasuke's. "I did my ultimate best!" He fiddled nervously with Sasuke's shirt. "Because I know you like onigiri, and I don't really cook. S'bit of payback for all the times you cooked for me, and yeah. Stuff." He hid his face a little against Sasuke's long bangs.

Sasuke had nearly toppled over from the sudden tackle, but he managed to keep his balance somewhat. Naruto's affections made him feel better compared to the broken down mess that the fight had put him in. His small smile grew while he leaned his head over a bit to nuzzle Naruto's blonde hair since it was the closest thing near. "I wasn't lying. It really does taste good. It means a lot that you went to the trouble of making it, Naruto." He looked back at the piece of onigiri in his hand and although he would feel bad for ruining the happy little face he wanted more of what had been made for him. He lifted it up to take a more appropriate bite, savoring it instead of chewing it down so quickly.

"You took half his sight." Naruto chuckled as he reached over and tried to straight the smile on the onigiri. "At least he's happy about it. I've never seen someone so happy to be consumed alive. I am glad you liked it. And that I didn't poison you. That would... be bad." Naruto leaned over and snuck a small bite of Sasuke's happy onigiri. "Mmm. This is one of the better ones I made." He gained a sly smirk and licked up a grain of rice near the corner of Sasuke's lips. "Mhm. Yep. Definitely one of my better ones."

Sasuke slowed in his chewing after such a bold move and finally gulped down each bite. He turned his sight on Naruto and tried not to look as affected by what had been done as he actually felt. It was a useless battle and soon enough he was giving the other boy his own sly look as he lifted his free hand to lick off the rice that still clung to it from before. Once his fingers were clean he placed them under Naruto's chin to bring him a little closer so they could share a rather intimate kiss.

Naruto sighed against the kiss quite happily, preferring this over the angry argument before; now long forgotten. The kiss tasted like onigiri and tea, at least Sasuke did. Naruto blushed considerably when Sasuke licked a few grains of rice that he didn't even know he had on his lips. It left Naruto making a giddy laugh that was muffled against Sasuke's lips. "Maybe my cooking tastes better on your lips, I don’t know. Maybe it's the secret ingredient I'm missing. Let's just see." Naruto gave a devious grin as he leaned down to pluck up the rest of the onigiri Sasuke had in his hand with his mouth. He then offered it to Sasuke's mouth. “‘Ere."

Sasuke stared at just what he was being offered for a few seconds. It was an odd way to eat his favorite treat, but not at all unpleasant. He gave a small grin to Naruto before he leaned over to take the offered half of the onigiri into his own mouth to chew on. It was still just as delicious as the first moment he had taken a bite, but as soon as his lips touched Naruto's once more it made the small snack taste much better.

"Mmm. Much better. I usually like the kind with fish, but I think this could rank higher up." Naruto licked the rice from his lips. He soon grinned pleased with himself. "I can see why you like onigiri so much." He made himself comfortable along Sasuke's side; the other boy was so very comfortable since he was still in his soft pajamas. "Mmm, Juusan onigiri is quite delicious."

Sasuke went about licking his other hand clean after he was finished chewing once again. He seemed quite content with Naruto so close against him and even wrapped his other arm around his friend to keep him close. "Then you should make it again. That way you can have it a second time." He rested his head back so he could stare up at the ceiling for the time being. He kept quiet for a few moments, finding interest in the few cracks there were, but soon he spoke up again about the small bit that was troubling him, "I'm sorry about what happened on the roof. Kiba and the rest of them were upset with me. I should have just listened to you to begin with and left. I let it get to me and you had to get involved. You're losing friends because of me." He lifted his other arm to rest it over his eyes. "Tch, I'm a mess."

"Hmmm, yeah, yeah you are," Naruto was easy to agree. "Using fire and then the Chidori, I'd call that pretty messy. Not that the old woman needed to know about all of that. But, yknow, it was pretty stupid. I wasn't exactly at my best there either." Naruto glanced up at Sasuke's face. "But one step at a time, right? We got through it together, just like we said we would. No regrets." He crawled up until he had sprawled over Sasuke's front, claiming it as his own comfortable place of rest. He sighed like a relaxed cat, even going so far as to give a small lick to Sasuke's throat to prove he was just that comfortable. "We're doing okay, and I'm more than content with that," he added quietly.

Sasuke had given an instinctive swallow because of the lick and soon lifted his arm away from his eyes only a little so he could peer down at Naruto. "You don't think Tsunade needed to know that I nearly lost my mind and almost killed Kiba? Didn't she tell you to actually report that kind of stuff?" Sasuke soon realized just what he was saying and rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. He dropped his hand just so he could use both to rub at his face. "I don't know, Naruto. I feel like I'm right back at square one."

"Square one was standing right outside of Konoha, while you were wearing the Akatsuki jacket. I think we're a bit past that square now." Naruto slipped his arms round Sasuke's middle, the soft kitty printed soft pajamas seemed to insist that Naruto cuddle the wearer more. "Mmm. If I thought you were a threat I wouldn't have dragged you back to Konoha, or let you stay here with me, or sleep in the same bed. Sides, you'd have to be an idiot to not expect something like that to happen. Anything worth having takes work. Nothing is easy. Tch, of course this whole thing is going to be hard. You just need to learn some discipline again. Get used to things in Konoha again." He gave Sasuke a reassuring pat. "You're doing fine, stop worrying."

"It's hard to get used to things when I have nearly every villager trying to breathe down my neck to see when and if I slip up." Sasuke dropped his hands to wrap them around Naruto since the other boy was so willing to suddenly be cuddly. He pulled Naruto as close as he could and buried his face near blonde hair, feeling a little better with the action. He felt a little guilty over the fact he was the main reason they had been cooped up for so long. Naruto had agreed that they could stay inside as long as need be, but he didn't find it fair to the other boy. "Mmm, Naruto?"

"Shhhh," Naruto practically purred the words contently, "cuddling is going on." He snuggled himself that much closer, the feel of warm pajamas was making Naruto completely drowsy and lazy. "Erm." Naruto blinked open an eye. "I mean what? What is it?"

"Well," Sasuke began quietly, but lost his nerve just as soon as he did. He clung a little tighter even though it seemed to make Naruto drowsy. He just wasn't quite sure how to phrase things properly and he was never very good at speaking very openly to begin with. He scrunched his face up, mostly annoyed at himself for not being able to speak up. All of those times Sakura or any of the other girls had asked him silly questions such as what he were about to ask and he wouldn't even bat an eye, but yet when he needed to speak up he became a wreck. "Do you think maybe you'd want to get out of the house some time? We could go out somewhere together and... uh... hmm." Sasuke lost his nerve in the middle of speaking and just stopped. He settled for burying his face in Naruto's hair instead, giving up.

Naruto was surprised to find his hair had become a safe haven for Sasuke's lack of nerve. Sasuke rarely lost his nerve for anything, at least as far as Naruto could figure. Sasuke wanted something, he said or did it; he always seemed so assured. So it caught Naruto's interest when Sasuke rather hide away in his hair than speak. He nudged Sasuke's head with his own. "Hm?" Naruto tried to move his head best he could to see Sasuke's face. "Go where and do what, Juusan?" he curiously urged. Naruto went so far to giving affectionate little nips to Sasuke's chin and jaw line to encourage him to speak.

Sasuke squirmed because of the affection given, but it helped in that way only Naruto could. He lifted his head once more, but didn't meet Naruto's eyes. Instead he looked off to the side and tried not to seem as flustered as he felt. He had never been on the other side of the fence with such questions. It felt rather awkward in a way. "Go out, you know, just the two of us. I know we've been out before, but in the end it only got us in trouble. I was thinking more like a day outside together with no real worries as to what would happen." Sasuke pulled one of his hands away from Naruto's middle so he could run it nervously through his hair. He still refused to look at the other boy. It was just safer that way. "Kind of like a date," he finally finished quietly.

Naruto nearly choked on his own breath and saliva; the 'D' word was not something he had ever heard from Sasuke's mouth. He pushed himself up to sit on Sasuke's lap. "A d-date? You want to go out on a date with me?" Naruto was more than shocked; he was completely and utterly blown away, but terribly amused by it. He tried to move to catch Sasuke's gaze. "Mister Sasuke Uchiha, the lord of rejection, apathy, cold shoulders and least affectionate in all the world next to rocks and blocks of ice-- wants to go out on a date with me, Naruto Uzumaki?" It was hard to believe, even with everything and all that had happened between them.

All of what Naruto had said caused Sasuke to frown and slump more and more against the couch. He dropped his hand back down to rub at his neck which was an unconscious action he had picked up over the year. "Gee, thanks. That makes me feel so much better," he answered back sarcastically. He continued to avoid eye contact as best he could, but Naruto seemed determined to catch his gaze. "So what if I do?" he finally managed to mumble out as he went on the defensive.

"Outside? In public? Acting all mushy? With hand holding and kissing?" Naruto placed his hands on Sasuke's cheeks to force him to look at him. "And acting all lovey dovey? Sharing drinks, foods and walking in the park and giving flowers and chocolates? I think there's something about movies and uh, possibly balloons and dancing. But I've never gone on a date before, so I wouldn't know." Naruto couldn't hold the amused laugh in. "I didn't think the word 'date' was even in your vocabulary, Juusan."

"Neither did I." Sasuke finally managed to smirk as he played along with the little back and forth. As he looked into Naruto's eyes he didn't feel quite as uncomfortable as he did seconds ago and finally dropped his hand away from his neck. "Besides, maybe not all that. I'm just talking about spending some time with each other. You know, nothing that involves pranks and picking random fights with people." He shrugged a shoulder. "If you want to act all mushy then I can't stop you." He reached up to grab hold of Naruto's hand, moving it over to kiss it gently before he spoke again, "I'm yours, remember?"

"Yeah," Naruto's grin took a shy turn as warmth crossed his face at the memory, "I do. And you know full well that the same goes for you." He moved closer so he could rest his head atop Sasuke's leaving them in their own personal hovel between them. "Not that we're not already spending every waking hour with each other." Naruto messed with Sasuke's long bangs between his fingers. "But a 'date', that should be special, right?" He gave a small kittenish lick to the tip of Sasuke's nose. "I formally accept your invitation to a 'date'."

It was Sasuke's turn to flush red after Naruto's agreement. He had expected the boy to laugh it off and everything would just return to their normal, simple daily lives. Anything but the small lick and something akin to an 'okay' from the other boy. He supposed this is what it felt like to have those butterflies in his stomach that all the girls talked about on a day to day basis, because it certainly felt like his stomach had tied itself in knots. He couldn't really answer since he couldn't find words. All he could do was to lift both hands to place them on Naruto's cheeks, making sure to spread his fingers along those few markings, before he leaned the extra inches to give Naruto a lingering kiss while his eyes slipped shut.

Naruto practically purred his sigh against Sasuke's lips. He let his lips brush lightly with affection instead of rough or needy, just feather light in its affections like it had been on the tree tops.  Naruto let the kiss peter away into a nuzzle against Sasuke's cheek, slow as he brushed his smile across the other boy's cheek before placing a kiss itself there. "And I love you too," Naruto added quietly as he gently nudged Sasuke's head with his own.

Sasuke couldn't stop himself from smiling as he heard that simple confession. No matter how many times Naruto spoke it he always loved to hear those words. They were all Sasuke needed to keep him grounded. He was quick to lift his hands up further, burying them in the other's blonde hair so he could keep Naruto as close as possible. He knew that going out with Naruto in such a private situation only meant facing up to things, but for the moment he didn't care. Everything would be fine over time. Naruto had assured him of that.