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The Fall of the Dogs of War	By : dolphina23 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 941 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
Author�s Note: No
more begging. This story will continue to be posted, no matter what. I just so
enjoy all your comments though. Especially Sneakyfox, ItaNarulover who I
noticed placed my story on that person�s list of fic recs (thanks!), and Leila.
I didn�t forget anyone else�s either, I never do.

I recommend popping in the song �The Promise� again for
about the first half of this fic. The scene it is highly featured in inside the
beautiful film, �The Piano�, actually inspired this chapter, I hate to admit. I
hate to admit it because it fits so well and yet is not wholly my own creation.
L
But, the chapter is highly charged and dark and beautiful, so perhaps you�ll
forgive the origin of the muse for it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdWLwRexMRA

Warning! The
following chapter is very violent and has questionable images, please use
discretion while reading! Kishi would probably take one look at this story,
refuse publishing rights and then go throw up in the bathroom before calling in
the boys in white. But I don�t mind. I like beating up my characters a little
to give them an extra antagonist that isn�t easily defeated and then giving
them a chance to overcome it. Also, the bit at the end should clue you in to
what�s up next for our adorable couple! J

Chapter�� 14
Doll House, Our House

�� Sasuke
turned back to see that Naruto was still following. He seemed to be getting
more agitated as they drew closer to the village and Sasuke wondered, not for
the first time, whether or not this was a good idea. Sasuke didn�t think for
one minute that the village that had cursed and lied to Naruto was willing to
give up all the fear and hatred for the thing inside his beloved. Sasuke
stopped moving. Beloved, where had that come from? When had that started? Sasuke sighed. The
foreboding clouds seemed to agree with his presumptions about the future. They
growled their anticipation at him, as he felt the first few drops on his
exposed skin.
�Let�s hurry a little, Naruto.
You�ll get sick if we�re out in this too long.�
Again, there it was. He was worried
about him. Sasuke shook his head as Naruto turned toward him with a smile and
just a little doubt in his eyes. But, Naruto shook his head as if to clear it
and walked on ahead, turning his head slightly and smiling in that way of his,
as if to say �I know something you don�t and if you want it, you have to play�.
Trekking along beside him, Sasuke felt fingertips brush his and then move up
and down, or out and in. Sasuke smiled. It was only slight, but it was there.
He smiled because he knew. He knew what Naruto was really doing. Playing . . .

*�� *��
*

�� Tsunade
sighed. The strain of dealing with wounded soldiers after that last battle,
losing track of Naruto and then finding the kid . . . like that. It was all getting to be just a little too much. On top of
that, Naruto learning about his parents, and from such a man; she shuddered.
She was just thankful he was back in the village, even if he was a bit . . . different. Now, all she had to do was
convince Sasuke it would be in Naruto�s best interest to get him talking and,
eventually, training again. Sasuke had scoffed at the idea. Truthfully, if it
had been any other person, or ninja, Tsunade would not have mentioned a return
to the very job that had nearly cost their life, especially when taking into
account the circumstances behind it all. But, the woman also knew Naruto. She
really did, as much as Sasuke knew him, perhaps even better. The boy would not
be able to live his life the way he wanted without his skills as a ninja. It
was affecting him more than Sasuke had wanted to admit. She had heard the man
speak, of course, and knew of his trouble in keeping Naruto here and grounded, but simply breathing was not enough. Not enough for her
and not enough for Naruto, not by a long shot.

�� She only
hoped it wasn�t too late to reach him, and that his new found love, both for
the man who traveled with him and for the music he seemed to have taken a
fondness for, would help rather than hinder. She shook her head, stretched her
arms up above her, arched her back and stood up. Heading over to the window,
her gaze slid out over the village and toward the Hokage Mountain.
�I hope it all goes as you wished,�
she spoke to the statue softly.

*�� *��
*��

�� Sasuke had
spent the better part of the afternoon cleaning and preparing the house. Naruto
had shaken his head fiercely when Sasuke had begun pulling him in the direction
of the Uchiha compound. He then proceeded to pout and lead Sasuke away, toward
the east end of town where he, apparently, had sent a clone to rent a house.
Sasuke was a little irritated that he�d been persuaded to even follow him, not
to mention actually deign to step foot inside. It didn�t matter that it was
quite pretty, with gray, slatted roof tiles that ended with a row of curved
ones at the bottom, metal window shutters in a floral design and a neatly
manicured lawn complete with a small fountain. And, there was Naruto standing
in the middle of the yard with his face turned toward the sun, looking for all
the world like the light was being blessed by him instead of the other way around. It was almost how he looked
while seated at the piano. That face and that expression . . . . Sasuke already
knew it would be impossible to live without it, even if that thought scared
him. The worst part was, Naruto didn�t even know about it, just like he didn�t
know that he had managed to quell the intense hatred as that found inside
Gaara, Zabusa, even Sasuke himself. He could feel it happening, though never
more strongly than when he listened to the man play. That scared him. He wasn�t
sure if he could handle opening himself up, even to someone as strong and
resilient as this. To not only survive that battle, but destroying someone as
powerful and deadly as Pein was a feat Sasuke didn�t think even Kakashi would
have been able to accomplish alone. Then, before he could process his grief
over the loss of the girl he had been in love with for so long, he�d been taken.
Taken . . . and broken.
�� He felt a
stabbing in his chest and rubbed at it absently. He was sure it wasn�t
physical, but it had been a long time since he�d felt it. A feather light touch
on his hand had him looking down. Naruto�s tan fingers, too short and thick to
make as excellent use of the piano as he could otherwise, were stroking him
lightly. He picked up the fingers and brought them to his mouth, kissing them
softly. The look in Naruto�s eyes betrayed him, even when his voice was silent.
He was worried.
�� I�m fine,�
Sasuke told him. Naruto just smiled sadly. Sasuke huffed.
�If you must know, it�s this house.
It looks like something out of a fairytale. And you expect we�ll be living
here, happily ever after, do you?�
Sasuke hadn�t meant to snap at him.
He was just so on edge, the ominous clouds had followed them and the feeling
that they had made a mistake wouldn�t leave him. He instantly regretted the
words, when he saw the look in Naruto�s eyes. A flash of hurt followed by a
dulling of color, strange how they seemed to be able to reach varying hues of
blue depending on his mood. He would have to ask him about it, when Naruto was
willing to really answer. Again he
felt a touch at his hand. Naruto was writing. �If you really hate it, we can go back. I just don�t want you to be
tempted into that place again. You need to move away from that time, not back
to it. And, before you say it, I�m trying to do the same. Why else would I come
back?� Guilt flashed in those beautifully expressive eyes, if only for an
instant. Sasuke had seen it, though, and regretted even more his choice in
words.
But, instead of apologizing, he
merely laid his head on Naruto�s shoulder and pulled him into a loose embrace
which Naruto returned with ferocity.
�� I don�t
hate it,� he mumbled into the cloth near his mouth. �It�s actually quite
beautiful.�
�� He could
practically feel Naruto smile at the admission. Slowly, they were both making
their way back. It was just so hard, like trudging through mud, then running
through quicksand, the earth pulling at their feet as they struggled to gain
ground over their memories.
�� I have to
go.� Naruto looked up at this. �We need food for this place, right?� � Sasuke answered the question before it could
even reach the other man�s eyes.
�� And, it
probably wouldn�t hurt to check out some of the other shops. A house needs a
lot of things to make it comfortable.� He turned and headed back for town,
leaving Naruto to rub his hand behind his head and grin sheepishly. Sasuke
rolled his eyes. Naruto might have been thinking about Sasuke�s well being more
than his own, just as Sasuke did the opposite, but when it came to mundane
chores, he was still very much a lost cause.

�� Three hours
later found them doggedly tramping the streets of western Konoha. They�d
already picked up the essentials Sasuke figured they would need. Soap, towels,
sheets, curtains (there hadn�t been any on the windows and the shutters looked
to be more for decoration, than to keep away the light of early morning),
packaged foodstuffs, dishware and cutlery . . . the list went on. Everything
that a small cottage needed to become a home, they had. Sasuke had even given a
deposit for some new furniture as the beds in the house looked about ready to
collapse. The rooms, what he�d seen of the ones on the bottom floor, anyway,
had been spacious. Dark, maple-wood floors; walls of gray and light blue and
cream for the living area, dining room and kitchen respectively; light oak for
the kitchen, coffee and end tables rounded out the ensemble. A sturdy dark
brown leather couch and white fur rug gave the open living room a comfortable
vibe. The second story Sasuke had only glanced at, making notes about the
furniture before heading to the bathroom to scout out what would be needed
there.
�� And, so it
was at the end of their foray to town that Sasuke decided they might need
something beyond light fixtures, furniture or bedding. He had spied the shop a
few minutes before Naruto, and so, had caught the look of longing on the boy�s
face. Turning his head, Sasuke glimpsed the black and ebony of keys and the
shining surface of a baby grand. He wondered, idly, what it was doing in a
place like this. He�d never heard of a music shop in Konoha. Being responsible
for the training and housing of the country�s defense force in the form of
ninja meant most of the stores, if not selling weapons or ninja gear, sold
liquor or food.� After all, there really
wasn�t much use for a ninja to learn an instrument unless they were planning on
turning it into some kind of genjutsu. Sasuke didn�t say anything as he watched
Naruto cross the street and enter the shop, he simply followed.
��

*�� *��
*�� *

�� The bell
rang above the door with a cheerless clang. Naruto could almost smell the age
of the wood. Dust hung in the air and swirled in the light from the single bay
window. He didn�t see anyone at the bar. Only upon entering the building, did
he realize it was, in fact, a bar and not some kind of music store. It made
more sense to Naruto. Bars were more common when your potential clients spent
their lives chasing criminals, assassinating people without reasons or the need
for them, or worse, watching teammates, friends, fall to the blade of an enemy.
He clenched his fist in frustration. He wasn�t supposed to be dwelling on all
that. Besides, he�d yet to meet with anyone from his old team (aside from
Sasuke) or even the old hag. He�d let Sasuke handle it all as he�d been too
busy puking his guts out. His nerves had gone haywire at being pulled back to
the stress, pain and fear brought on by all that had happened not much more
than a month ago. He stalked over to the piano and lifted the fallboard. His
fingers stroked the keys reverently, though he didn�t notice it. He simply
relished in the feel of them. If he were really being honest with himself, it
was probably more the music and not the piano. He could probably get away with
a different instrument, one easier to play, and still have the same feeling of
contentment. But, he didn�t really believe that. He doubted Sasuke did, either,
not after seeing how quickly Naruto had taken to the instrument. He pulled the
overlarge bench back and sat down. Sasuke was suddenly at his elbow making the
air around him charged, as usual. Naruto still didn�t know how he did that.
The sound when he hit the keys was
not as out-of-tune as he�d been expecting. Immediately, and with a large grin
painted on his face, Naruto launched into the piece he�d managed to pilfer off
of Akito when they�d gone back in for more books. Akito had grumbled and groused,
not happy that his best customers were leaving so suddenly and without a proper
send-off. Neither Sasuke nor Naruto believed for a minute that he wasn�t
devastated at the thought of them going without some assurance that they would
visit again. Naruto had taught him how to make the signs for �see you later�
and for the word �promise� before leaving. That had seemed to lift the man�s
mood well enough, at least until he started to tear up as they walked past the
shop a little while later, bags packed and with Sasuke tugging Naruto around to
face the road so he wouldn�t trip over his own feet. Naruto had scowled and
Sasuke had smirked until he got a face full of mud and they had both chased
each other out of the village streets enthusiastically. What Akito didn�t know,
of course, was that Naruto had taken to carving the keys of a piano into pieces
of wood or stumps of trees along the way and practicing on them.
Sasuke had moved in behind him now,
as he had at the bookstore, straddling his legs on either side and in back of
Naruto�s. One of the other man�s hands had wrapped around his middle and began
toying with the bottom of his shirt while the other had taken the place of
Naruto�s right hand on the keys, inking out the notes in near perfection,
though not with the same flair as Naruto. Naruto, in the meantime, had used his
right hand to begin playing with the hair at the back of Sasuke�s head. He
watched through half-lidded eyes as Sasuke�s hand pushed at the fabric of his
shirt and began running patterns along his abdomen. He could feel Sasuke frown;
probably at how thin Naruto was still. But at the moment, the blonde was not
all that curious. Instead, he pushed at the back of Sasuke�s head as he turned
his own to the side and up. Their lips met in a gentle caress, but Naruto
pulled back just as he felt Sasuke begin to push for more.
�You know, if you keep this up,� he
wrote on the back of the hand that was creeping up his chest, �we�ll be
christening this piano before we�ve managed to convince the owner of this . . .
fine,� he pressed harder to emphasize
the word, �establishment to part with it.� Sasuke breathed out while smiling a
little. Naruto could tell the man didn�t care who saw or knew, but he didn�t
push it. Suddenly, his instincts clued him into the fact that they weren�t
alone any longer, and he could tell by Sasuke�s expression that he knew it,
too. And, while he didn�t sense any ominous intent from the stranger, he also
wouldn�t have believed it of Tsunade or Kakashi to do what they did. Naruto
turned toward the bar smiling. The woman who greeted him did not look all that
enthusiastic at finding her bar invaded so close to dinnertime by a couple of
has-been ninja.
�Who the hell are you and what are
you doing at my piano?� she growled. Naruto wasn�t sure how long she�d been
standing there, but Sasuke seemed to tense up when she glanced at him. Her eyes
had changed markedly.
�You�re the Uchiha,� she said
dumbly.
Naruto nearly growled in annoyance.
Were people really born without the ability to learn manners? It seemed so.
Alright, he wasn�t exactly high class, but, damn it, anyone would be able to
figure out that mentioning his name in that way, and by distinction, his
family, would piss Sasuke off. Hell, it would piss anyone off. To be reminded not
only that you�re the last of your family, but, in turn, how you came to be the
last . . . and then, to have those looks thrown at you, as if people were
waiting for him to do something, anything to prove that the legacy of strength
and morality the Uchiha had left to him was not gone. Little did most of the
village know how different their idea of the Uchiha and the truth of what at
least some of its members had really been
into would probably have them falling on their swords. Oh, the horror to see
your idols as human. Naruto rolled his eyes at the woman and pointed at the
piano, and then made the universal sign for money after pointing at himself.
She frowned at him then. Her eyes cleared and she frowned harder, a look of
disgust crossing her face for just a moment.
�� I�m sorry.
It�s not for sale. It�s still being used to entertain the customers.�
�� Her tone
left no room for argument, but that didn�t stop Sasuke. Such things were easily
rectified if you�ve got enough money and the added gift of being able to force
a person like that into submission whenever you want to. Although, if he was
going to take it that far, Naruto would rather buy a brand new instrument from
one of the shops he�d heard about from the old man, the ones in northern Fire
Country, rather than have to pull his lover from the clutches of an ANBU; and,
all because of pride. He reached his hand out to the dark-haired man and tapped
his shoulder. Sasuke had been in the process of arguing with the woman about
her just needing the right incentive but turned to Naruto at the touch. Naruto
moved his hand to cup the other�s cheek in a gentle whisper of skin on skin.
Sasuke�s eyes softened, and then, hardened again as Naruto shook his head.
Naruto kept his hold on Sasuke and shook his head again, harder, and made the
sign to tell him they could leave. Sasuke sighed.
�� If you
want,� came the reply.
�� Together,
they exited the shop and made their way, packages and all, toward the eastern
end of Konoha and home. Naruto still wasn�t sure if that�s what this place was,
but he was willing to find out. In any case, he couldn�t very well leave the
entire village to be picked on by those vultures who called themselves a
council of elders or to be attacked by rival ninja. Konoha had grown even more
powerful, and, as a result, was an even greater target. And, it was all thanks
to him and his use of that technique. If he was going to prove to Tsunade and
the council that vengeance rated next to nothing compared to the lives of those
he cared about, not to mention those who couldn�t protect themselves, then he
had a lot of work to do. He was glad for Sasuke, though. Had he not been with
him, Naruto knew this journey back probably never would have happened. Naruto
hadn�t realized, but Sasuke was thinking the same thing.

�� Sasuke
could feel them. They were not ninja, but their aura still spoke of menace.
Naruto could, too, he could tell. The man�s back had straightened and his
shoulders had gone taut. Whatever else Naruto had become, it was not what these
people seemed to have in their heads. The demon, Kyuubi, had only followed
orders. Or, was that God, now, and not demon? Naruto had told him of the pact
and while it was hard to believe, Sasuke knew Naruto would have done anything, anything for the chance to keep these
people safe. �Ungrateful assholes,� he thought, as they made their way
carefully toward one of the training grounds. Best to take a short cut home,
one that would give them cover that only a ninja would be able to keep up with.
But, before he knew what was happening, Naruto had spun around, glared into the
growing crowd of angry civilians, taken Sasuke�s hand, and pulled him into a
fiery kiss. Staring back at them in defiance, he then turned to walk away.
Sasuke could feel the anger and hate radiating off the villagers soar at the
display. �Naruto,� he growled a warning. Too late, he barely caught sight of
the rock as it sailed past him and struck his companion in the side of the
head. Naruto stumbled but didn�t fall. Sasuke turned angrily around and, again,
was surprised by the speed and accuracy of the people before him. �So much for
ninja skills,� he mumbled to himself as three townsfolk held him down while a
fourth secured his hands. It�s not that he couldn�t break the bonds, Naruto,
either, for that matter.
�� But, they
both knew that attacking the villagers, even in self-defense, wasn�t going to
be tolerated by the council. They would simply take the beating and go home to
lick their wounds in private. Sasuke actually found himself nearly smiling, despite
the situation they were in, at the thought of being able to lick his way all
over Naruto. He had had too much free reign to think only of sex lately. So, he
smirked instead.
�� If you�re
going to do anything, make it quick. I�ve got a house to put together and my
friend still owes me dinner.�
�� Naruto�s
face lit up in a half-smile despite the strain Sasuke knew he had to be under.
There were four men holding him down, with one of his arms held across a tree
trunk. Sasuke wondered why, if they were going to beat him for using the demon
to protect them, they would choose now. Naruto had been injured after the
battle and had disappeared right after only to turn up again, later, after that
man had . . . Sasuke shuddered. He didn�t want to think about what that man had
done to his lover. There was that word again. Lover. Beloved. He was getting distracted, now, and that was bad,
even when faced with civilians who didn�t know the first thing about battle.
They were stretching Naruto�s right arm out to the side; and then Sasuke saw
it, at the same time as he heard the woman speak. It was the girl from the bar.
She was yelling at Naruto at the same time as she waved a knife in front of his
face. Suddenly, allowing them to capture and hold him just for the sake of
continuing to earn the elders trust seemed like the most stupid idea in the
world and so Sasuke began to struggle. Looking at Naruto�s eyes that held a
hint of panic, he could tell that Naruto thought the same thing.
�� Let go,�
Sasuke spoke quietly, but the panic was beginning to leech into his voice.
�� I�m afraid
we can�t do that Uchiha-san,� said a voice to his left.
�� You think
you�re in love with him, do you?� the angry cry came from the woman holding the
knife. �Answer me! Are you in love with him?� Sasuke began shouting now.
�� He can�t
answer you!� Sasuke yelled out. The woman didn�t even glance at him. She held
the knife over Naruto�s fingers.
�� Tell me
you�re in love with him. Tell me you�re not a demonic being out to steal our
children. Tell me, and I�ll stop.�
�� Sasuke knew
that last part was a lie and could see Naruto felt the same way. He could also
see the panic beginning to grow as he watched them grab onto Naruto�s wrist.
�� No,� he
cried out and struggled harder. Naruto shook his head. Sasuke didn�t know if it
was meant for Sasuke to stay or for the woman to stop. She had a glazed look in
her eyes, part fear, and part rage.
�� Stop it!�
Sasuke was screaming now. �You don�t know what you�re doing! He isn�t the one
responsible!�
�� None of
them listened and he watched as that insufferable demon of a woman brought the
knife down right on Naruto�s fingers. Naruto had barely made a sound, but the
look of utter shock on his face was heart-breaking. The crowd seemed to float
away. Sasuke could sense other ninja in the background, hear their murmuring,
but he only had eyes for one. Naruto had tried to get up, cradling his injured
hand the index and middle fingers gone.
�� No, no,
no, no, no . . .� Sasuke hardly noticed his surroundings and could care less
who heard what. He scrambled up to his feet as Naruto stumbled and sat on the
ground. He blinked at Sasuke and took in a breath as if he was going to speak.
He kept blinking as silent tears began to gather at the corners of his eyes.
Sasuke kneeled down in front of him and cupped Naruto�s face, his other hand
reaching around his shoulders. Naruto leaned, no, melted, into him, and Sasuke
held on tight as he felt Naruto succumb to the awaiting darkness that
unconsciousness offered. Sasuke could hear voices again and looked up. Kakashi
was there, right there. �Where was he before?� burned through Sasuke�s mind as
he stared at the grey-haired ninja. Then, that thought and others exploded
outward.
�� Where were
you?! Huh? Where in the hell were you?!�
�� Kakashi
seemed to fold in on himself, cringing.
�� Where were
you when they did this? They cut them off! Do you hear me? They cut his fingers
off!� Sasuke gestured to Naruto�s hand, screaming until his throat went raw.
Kakashi seemed to be trying to speak, probably asking why they had not fought
back. Sasuke shook his head repeatedly, fingers unconsciously kneading Naruto�s
shoulder.
�We�re ninja . . . or, we were. The
council would�ve used it as an excuse if we�d fought them!� Sasuke stared at
the empty space in front of them, clutching Naruto fiercely.
�I�d have said they planned it,
except I know they didn�t,� Sasuke murmured, stealing a glance up at Kakashi.
He went back to holding onto Naruto while leaning his cheek against Naruto�s
hair, rocking him back and forth. He heard Kakashi trying to get his attention
again and grudgingly looked up.
�I wasn�t asking why you didn�t
fight back or what happened. That�s not important right now. If we�re going to
try to save them, we need you to let go.�
Sasuke continued to stare until it
dawned on him. Kakashi had meant saving Naruto�s fingers, his ninja abilities,
and his music. Slowly, painfully, he relented and relinquished his hold on the
only thing he considered worthy, the only thing he cared so achingly for. Heat had
coursed down his cheeks and Sasuke realized that he was crying. Aside from the
first time he�d seen Naruto while in the village, right after that man had
gotten to him, he hadn�t cried since his parents� deaths; that had been his
secret and his alone. They all seemed to understand the gravity of the
situation and left him there, taking Naruto with them. Only Kakashi stayed,
kneeling down to put a hand on his shoulder, and Sasuke was grateful for it.
Although he hadn�t really noticed because of the rain - when had it started
raining? -Kakashi had begun to weep as well. He did feel Kakashi�s hands on
both his shoulders, turning him gently so that he could embrace him. That was
how Sasuke�s first evening back in Konoha came to an end, with Kakashi holding
him as he openly wept and Naruto, his Naruto, in danger of slipping even
further away instead of climbing out of the wastes these people had sent him
to.

��
*�� *��
*�� *

Sasuke entered the darkened
hospital room quietly and shut and locked the door behind him. No one was due
in to check on Naruto for another few hours but he wanted to make sure they had
that time to themselves. Moving slowly, he neared the bed, watching the sheet
covering Naruto rise and fall gently in time with his breathing. Sasuke sighed
quietly and sat down in the chair beside the bed, curling his fingers over the
exposed arm. A special glove the medics had made covered the re-attached
fingers and enveloped the rest of Naruto�s hand, leaving the others bare.
Sasuke stared at it and sighed again, peering back up at Naruto�s face. Naruto
was awake, staring at the floor silently. Sasuke began speaking softly trying
to convey everything he was feeling in the only words he could think of at the
moment.
�My father,� he said slowly, �my father
was a good man.�
Naruto seemed to hone in on
Sasuke�s voice. He turned his head toward Sasuke, keeping it bowed low.
�Maybe he didn�t end up that way
and maybe Hiroku�s madness . . . twisted it, but I don�t think so. I started to
doubt him, after the things my brother, and Madara, showed me. But, you . . .
you saw it. He was a good man. Thank you, Naruto. If you can hear any of this,
thank you.�
Sasuke leaned in to whisper into
his friend�s ear, �I�m sorry I couldn�t keep them from hurting you again. Get
some rest. I�ll be here when you wake up.�
Sasuke stared at him, emotions he�d
long ago thought dead welling up inside him. They broke open suddenly and tears
welled and spilled freely when Naruto turned his head up to meet his eyes,
awareness fully present and heartbreaking in them.
�Sasuke,� he murmured softly and
then, beginning to sob followed by screaming while tears streamed down his face,
he collapsed into Sasuke�s arms, as if he�d found some true measure of safety
at last. Sasuke couldn�t help freezing up at first, shock widening his eyes and
freezing up his muscles. Recovering quickly, Sasuke clung to Naruto while
crying a little himself, relief overtaking everything else he�d been feeling.
�Naruto, my Naruto, welcome home,�
was the only thing he could think to say. Other words got caught in his throat,
then, but Sasuke knew there was no need for more. Their shared experiences and
there separate and yet similar pain had helped tie them together. Yet, Sasuke
felt there were far too many other things stronger than that pain that would
keep those strings protected. Pushing away from Naruto a little, Sasuke rose
off the bed he�d ended up on and headed toward the door. He�d felt the shaking
in Naruto�s body and knew he could probably use a shot of something for the
pain in his hand. Naruto glanced questioningly at him when Sasuke turned back
to explain.
�I�m going to get a nurse to see
about your hand. I don�t want anything else to happen to it while you�re here.�
Naruto smiled softly and wiggled
the fingers at him from atop the bedcovers, then raised it up off the pillow to
wiggle them harder at Sasuke while the smile stretched farther up his face.
Sasuke turned around and lifted a hand to the knob.
�Sasuke!�
Naruto called out.
Sasuke heard rustling and knew what
Naruto was doing. He turned back and immediately his eyes widened at the sight
before him and he stood frozen, breathe coming heavy.
�Sasuke,� Naruto said a little more
calmly, �stay with me, just for tonight.�
Sasuke swallowed thickly, unable to
keep his eyes off the beautiful landscape before him, so different from all the
other times he�d had the chance to glimpse Naruto so exposed. Maybe it was only
the circumstances that had made his mouth go dry and his palms itch nervously.
That was it, the circumstances were different. That was why . . .
�Okay,� he replied evenly.

AN: Next chapter . . . hot, sweaty male on male . . . I�ll
let you fill in the blanks! J
- 14
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The Fall of the Dogs of War