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The Fall of the Dogs of War	By : dolphina23 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 927 -:- 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
- 17
- 18
- 19
Author�s Note:
Sorry for the long wait. I had a lot of trouble with another one of my stories
and needed to get through some of it before coming back to this one.

Mariko, I completely agree with you that I very well could
have ended it with the last chapter, but there is so much
plot left for me to delve into that I just can�t resist. Thanks for that
review! Thanks to everyone else who did so as well. Blugirlami21, I have
noticed that in my stories, and in my head, Naruto gets tortured quite often.
And it has nothing to do with my not liking him. I actually consider his
character to be one of the best male main characters in a manga or anime, ever.
I�d probably catch a lot of flack on forums if I posted that, so many people
can�t really see far into his character. Itanaulover,
you are officially my favorite reviewer.

�� Unfortunately,
or fortunately depending on how you look at it, this story still has quite a
ways to go. But that also means the updates may lag a bit. Have patience,
please, and remember to sit back, relax . . . and enjoy the ride.

�� I found
some new, well relatively speaking, music to listen to during the beginning of
writing this chapter. It�s called �Falling Slowly� sung by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. It�s easily found on Youtube, just type in the
title of the song. I would put up a URL but apparently those things don�t show
up all that well sometimes. Trust me, it fits them
both, especially Sasuke.

Chapter�� 17
Play Me Love

�� Naruto
could feel the sheets brush up against his legs. Fingertips trailed up his hip
and around his shoulder slowly. He sighed softly and shifted to feel Sasuke�s
breath on his face. It smelled of sweet tangerine, or maybe pomegranate. Naruto
wasn�t too sure. He�d never been very good with health food. Strange, he always said he couldn�t stand
sweet things. Naruto smiled softly, feeling it grow a bit as Sasuke�s hand
slid along his cheek. His fingers splayed over the marks there. Perhaps Naruto
should have asked Kakashi what had really caused them. No one had ever really
given him an answer and he had felt odd asking after a while. Sasuke�s face
came into focus gradually and Naruto blinked the rest of the sleep from his
eyes. A soft quality Naruto saw as tenderness seemed to emanate from him. He
smiled wider.
�� Hey,� he
said quietly.
�� Hey,�
Sasuke responded just as delicately. Sasuke�s eyes traveled over his face and
his fingers came up to trail through his hair. Naruto leaned up as much as he
was able, Sasuke only a mere few inches above him, and kissed him on the mouth,
one hand cupping his cheek.
�� Hey,� he
said again.
�� You said
that already,� Sasuke remarked calmly.
�� He leaned
down and kissed Naruto, brushing his lips around to his jaw-line. When they
parted again, Naruto could hear his own heart in his ears. Or maybe he had
accidentally pulled in natural energy and it allowed for Sasuke�s heart to at
last find a voice. Sasuke shifted and turned them until Naruto was splayed out
on his back. His hands drifted along his exposed skin wherever he found it. Naruto
couldn�t stop him even if he wanted too. The sensation was too perfect. He
moaned low in his throat and struggled to grasp at anything he could reach,
just as Sasuke seemed to be doing. The clothes they wore fell away, sighing
softly as they left the bed. It was as if everything around them could see what
was happening, how precious it was, and moved out of the way. The kissing
continued, Sasuke delving lower to Naruto�s collar bone and then his chest.
Naruto nipped without teeth at Sasuke�s forehead. It was the only part he could
grab hold of at the moment. They changed position again. Sasuke maneuvered his
body, sliding all that skin over Naruto, until he perched between Naruto�s
knees. Naruto spread them out further but Sasuke wouldn�t lean his full weight
down. Instead, he searched his face mutely. Naruto smiled and pulled Sasuke�s
face down to meet his, kissing at his lips languidly.
�� He rested
his head back down on the bed, taking Sasuke with him. Music, Sasuke thought. I can
hear music. He traced his fingers back down Naruto�s hip and around to his
hardened cock. Rolling it in between his palm and fingers he heard a gasp and
an almost inaudible moan. Naruto felt it when he brushed even lower and tensed
slightly. Sasuke removed his hands to go back to kissing him with his eyes
closed. When he moved his fingers down and once more rubbed at the cleft,
Naruto relaxed into it. A finger slid inside him and he hardly felt anything.
He concentrated only on Sasuke�s face, his gentle fingers whispering down his
spine, as he curled up to take in more of them. It was slow, so slow. Moments
passed as hours, the day ended and began again for him. Sasuke pushed at
Naruto�s thighs to widen them further still. Then Naruto felt Sasuke�s cock,
hot and sweating faintly, press against him. Again, it was slow, nearly
torturous, but Naruto could bear it. When they had finally bridged the space
between them and all Naruto could see of their bodies mixed together, the music
swelled inside his own head. A humming and a scorching heat spread along his
stomach. It enveloped him fully when Sasuke began to move out a tiny bit and
slowly pushed back in. Sasuke patiently bit the inside of his mouth and worked
through the blinding pleasure until he felt the muscles surrounding him ease
up. The pace quickened, and both their breaths came in heavy pants. Moaning
loudly in Naruto�s ear, he leaned down to kiss along it, something he had never
tried before. Naruto jerked his head to the side a little and gasped.
�� What? Is
it too much?� Sasuke asked breathlessly. �Naruto?� he asked again when the
other boy remained silent.
�� He tried to
stop moving but Naruto held a hand against his back and dug into his buttocks
sharply with his fingers.
�� That . . .
what you just did, it felt . . . so good,� Naruto murmured. Sasuke frowned a
little before licking the rim of Naruto�s ear and pushing back in, a smile
dancing just below the surface. Naruto caught it when Sasuke pushed up onto his
elbows and he could see his face. The rhythm of thrusting and grunting and
moaning drifted out of sync a bit but it was still beyond what they�d had
before. And, it was so much better. The heat pooling in his stomach clenched
and Naruto cried out against Sasuke�s chest. Liquid spread upward from his cock
as Sasuke pushed in a few more times, though not at all roughly. He moaned
suddenly, loud and long. Sweating and breathing heavily, he collapsed onto the
bed half-leaning on his partner. His vision had gone hazy. He fought to see
clearer as Naruto turned to him. The smile, so content, and more than a little
sleepy, was enough to bring him out of it fully.
�� Are you
alright?� Sasuke could still feel his heart pounding madly in his chest. Naruto
hummed in response and snuggled up to his shoulder.
�� I�m fine.
That was unbelievable, Sasuke. I had no idea it could . . . well, you get it,
right?�
�� Sasuke
smiled warmly, the glow reaching his eyes for the first time since Naruto had
known him.
�� Yeah, I
know. I get it.�
�� Naruto
nibbled at his lips a few times before they relaxed around the tangled sheets
together.
�� I get it,
Naruto.�
�� Good, now
go take a shower. I�m too tired to move right now and you smell awful,� Naruto
shot back.
�� What?!� Sasuke cried indignantly. �I do not! If anyone
does, it�s you, you slob!�
�� Whatever.
I�ll remember that the next time you want morning sex,� Naruto reminded him.
�� Sasuke had
a heavy retort ready but then he saw the narrowed eyes and devilish grin Naruto
sent him and huffed. He got up, feeling a touch stiff, and made his way to the
bathroom taking care not to let on how weak his muscles had gotten. It was all
Naruto�s fault anyway, waking up with that sleepy, sexy look on his face,
Sasuke thought. Damn it.

�� Naruto
thought about what he�d noticed in Sasuke while the other boy showered. Thinking
on it made him question his own torturous, and yet captivating, journey with
him. His feelings for Sasuke weren�t the same as when they�d been together as
part of Kakashi�s team. They weren�t the same as when Naruto had chased him
across whole countries either. They felt close to what he�d had deep in the pit
of his stomach whenever Sakura had been around.
�� He realized
he had yet to visit her grave, just as he hadn�t made the time to search out
any of his other friends. The question of how deep his feelings went for Sasuke
rose up again inside him. It was clear and yet so confusing. Was that really
all it was? Could there really be so many ways to love? He knew one thing with
a certainty that ripped through all his bewildering thoughts and left the shreds
to collect on the floor beneath his feet as he sat up.
�� He could
not let it pass by unheard. He�d made that mistake with Sakura. And now he
couldn�t be sure if she had truly heard, or felt any better, for knowing how
he�d truly felt. She had died alone and the ache in his heart was still present
whenever the thought had time to settle. The sound of the curtain drawing back
in the shower drew his attention and Naruto steadied himself. Sasuke walked
out, a towel draped around his hips and drops of water decorating his pale
skin. Naruto fought the almost instantaneous desire welling in his chest.
Swallowing helped. Closing his eyes and breathing deeply helped more.
�� What was
that you were saying about not wanting to get up? You can stay there a little
longer while I grab something from the store for dinner. But the sheets really
need to come off soon.�
�� He was
rummaging through the long dresser against the far wall, and then inside the
Tallboy chest, for clothes.
�� Sasuke,�
Naruto tried to catch his attention. He wanted this to be done right. Was this
the right way? He didn�t know who to ask. When their eyes met as Sasuke turned
to him, eyebrow raised, Naruto found himself oddly disconnected, as if he was
watching them both outside his own body.
�� I love
you.� It had come out easily and his voice had sounded quite calm, to his ears
anyway. No bells went off. There was no dramatic swell in an air filled with
powerful emotions and longing. And still it didn�t feel wrong exactly. Sasuke
was silent a moment before he turned his head away and his eyes slid to the
wall. When he began striding back toward the bathroom, Naruto was confused. He
knew that Sasuke might not have been ready to hear it, but ignoring it wasn�t
going to do any good either. Or maybe Naruto had been wrong about him?
�� Did you
hear what I just said?� he asked.
�� Sasuke
stopped moving just enough to throw a glance Naruto could barely make out over
his shoulder.
�� I heard
you. And we still need to eat. We�ll talk about this later,� he replied.
�� The peel of
the doorbell startled Naruto. He�d forgotten they even had one. No one had ever
come calling before. But their living situation, even the fact that they had
returned, might not have reached everyone that they knew.
�� Could you
get that, Naruto? I�m a little busy at the moment, and sort of half-naked.�
�� Naruto
balked at the request. He was completely
naked. Or had Sasuke forgotten their most recent bout of lovemaking?! Now he
was really pushing the bounds of Naruto�s newly acquired love for him, the asshole.
Grumbling, Naruto slid into some boxers and a pair of dark jeans he had found
on the floor. Their home already looked lived in, as far as he could see. His
clothes had all managed to find their way onto the floor, just where he liked
them. The jeans themselves, when worn and not wrinkling on the hard wood, hung
low on his hips and fit them snugly while sagging out and down the rest of his
legs to stop just above the floor. They were, by far, the most comfortable
things he owned, aside from his work-out and mission attire. He held no qualms
about anyone seeing them, though he opted not to add a shirt.
�� He
continued to grumble and bemoan Sasuke�s attitude all the way down the stairs,
breath hitching a little at the soreness in his backside. Damn him, he was
being belligerent and he had caused that part of him to ache again. It
hadn�t hurt while he�d been lying down. To think he had confessed, and as
simply as he could. But Sasuke managed to complicate it, Naruto thought darkly
as he headed for the front entrance to quiet the incessant ringing.
�� The moment
the door swung open, he wanted to shut it again . . . and quickly. Ino,
Shikamaru and Chouji stood on the threshold and Naruto felt himself staring
numbly at them. Especially at Ino; she had been so close to Sakura once. But,
he was able to form a grand smile, even if he didn�t feel all of it and pulled
the door open wider to let them.
�� Hey, you! I was just thinking about coming to find some of
you guys! How have you been, Shikamaru, Chouji . . . Ino?�
�� Shikamaru
smiled and laughed, Chouji gave him a gentle pat on his shoulder and Ino . . .
Ino seemed out of place and it made her look sheepish and embarrassed to him.
He�d never really talked with any of them aside from the Chunin exams or a
mission. He didn�t know what to say now. Luckily, Shikamaru, always so smart,
started off for them all.
�� You�ve
been away too long. But that�s no excuse to not see your friends, Naruto. So we
thought we�d drop the hint, in case that part of you hasn�t changed.�
�� He smiled
as he spoke and just like that it was easier for Naruto.
�� You have
no idea what�s been happening, do you? But that�s okay. It�s not a story most
people could live with.�
�� But you�re
not most people, eh Naruto?� Chouji injected himself into the conversation
effortlessly. Naruto laughed, not because any of the things that had driven him
away were funny but because he felt the calm nature and good will of his
friends. He turned to Ino but before he could say anything, Sasuke came down
the steps still towel-drying his hair. At least he�d put on some clothes.
�� Ah,
Sasuke, look! We have visitors!� he called happily.
�� I can see
that,� Sasuke replied calmly. His eyes canted between them all slowly and he
started for the door. �I have to go. Dinner, remember?� he reminded Naruto.
�� Naruto
frowned and hurried to catch up. He pulled Sasuke aside just as he finished
putting on his shoes.
�� Hey, just
because they don�t know you aside from what you did or didn�t do before,
doesn�t mean they don�t want to.�
�� Sasuke
huffed a little and paused.
�� He finally
turned to meet the glare Naruto was giving him.
�� And, if I
don�t want to know them?�
�� Naruto
waited until Sasuke stared straight into his eyes before replying, �You don�t
have to go now. They�ve come by to see how we�re doing, after all.�
�� Sasuke
caught the small smile Shikamaru threw his way from the great room. He hummed
lightly, feeling uncomfortable with all the attention.
�� Naruto
leaned into his shoulder, his lips brushing his ear, and he recognized it as a
ploy to get him to listen. Of course, the added affect of all conscious thought
being slammed outside of his head in favor of the heat starting up below his
belt probably went unnoticed. At least he hoped it did.
�� If you don�t know them, you can�t judge them
yet,� he whispered urgently.
�� Sasuke
could still feel the ringing in his ears as he walked away, deciding on a light
stroll before going to pick up some meat and vegetables. Maybe he�d manage to
waste enough time for the whole thing to blow over because Naruto�s friends
would have no choice but to leave, eventually. He kicked angrily at the ground
and hesitated only a moment before going to find the one person he knew he�d
find nothing more to share with than a companionable silence.

�� Naruto
sighed a little, drawing his fingers threw his hair and pulling at the ends. He
turned back to smile at the trio of people standing around his living room.
�� Who wants
something to drink?� he asked cheerily.
�� Chouji
raised a hand hesitantly and Naruto chuckled as he moved off to get it. He
caught Ino out of the corner of his eye staring about the room, looking a
little dazed. But then he saw that Shikamaru, and even Chouji, were just as
stunned. He shook his head, not understanding what was so special. Returning with
a few glasses of iced tea that Sasuke had made while Naruto had slept, he
joined them all. They sat down on the brand new furniture and Naruto relaxed
back into the comfortable, cool leather of the cushions.
�� This is
all brand new stuff, huh?� Shikamaru commented, waving a hand airily around.
�� Yup, we
just got the rest delivered the other day, not too long after my latest
hospital stay,� Naruto said, then regretted it as he saw all their faces fall a
little. But Chouji, unexpectedly, was the one to save it.
�� You know,
Naruto, there�s been a lot going on recently. I�m sure you�ve heard about it
all by now. A little late, if you ask me, but there�s nothing you need to worry
about anymore, at least not alone. We came by to tell you that. And to sneak a
look at how bad the house had diminished since you and that . . . Uchiha, moved
in,� he quipped.
�� Naruto
rumbled laughter at him and the smile Shikamaru was trying to hide as he glared
at Chouji.��
�� Sasuke�s
not like that now. You�d know that if he�d bothered to stay, the ass,� he
snorted between the giggling.
�� Shikamaru
rolled his eyes.��
�� Yeah, we
figured, what with him being reinstated already and all. But he�ll come around,
soon enough if you�re sticking with this village.�
�� What
Shikamaru said should have been sobering all on its own let alone the
implications he�d left underfoot. Naruto ignored it all in favor of trying to
placate Ino. She seemed to be suffering with something, something she wanted to
say. Naruto had a good idea what it was about.
�� Ino,� he said quietly, �Maybe you could, uh,
tell me about her. What you knew. But . . . when we have more time, ya know? I still haven�t visited her yet, so it may take a
while to . . .� he smiled an apology and Ino brightened up a little. The room
itself had been waiting for it, to Naruto�s way of thinking.
�� Okay,
Naruto. Don�t worry about it,� she told him softly. �Anyway, it�s not like I�ve
got a lot of juicy stories for you. But I do know a few good ones. I�d be happy
to talk to you . . . later.� Her banter had gotten stronger as she talked. The
house, and everyone in it, glowed a little brighter for it.
�� Good,�
Naruto nodded, satisfied. �Now, who wants to tell me about their latest
mission?� He wiggled his eyebrows a bit and they all laughed. Shikamaru
silently thanked Sasuke. Whatever he had done, whatever he was doing, worked beautifully.�
��
�� Sasuke
found a tree near the Academy and leapt into it. He�d felt Kakashi�s chakra
nearby and knew he�d be along eventually. If it was only moments before he had
to leave, he�d feel all the better for it. Sure enough, the older man alighted
on the tree in front of him after only a short wait. Trust him to finally be on
time for once when Sasuke had no use for it. He sighed and shifted restlessly.
�� What?� he
asked, just for something to do; that was all it was.
�� You tell
me, Sasuke. What are you doing out here instead of having dinner with Naruto?�
Kakashi gave him a look and Sasuke wondered edgily about how much he had seen
of their training session. He shook his head and lowered his eyes.
�� I can�t go
back yet. Not until they leave,�
Sasuke murmured.
�� Who?� Kakashi asked curiously.
�� Naruto�s
friends,� Sasuke mumbled. He wasn�t entirely sure he should be confiding in
Kakashi given that he probably thought it meant Sasuke had forgiven him. He
hadn�t, yet. But there was no one else.
�� Ah,�
Kakashi replied helpfully.
�� Sasuke
huffed. He jumped a bit at Kakashi�s hand on his shoulder and realized the
Jounin had settled in beside him.
�� Well, we
can sit here, for a while. By the time it gets dark, they should be gone.�
�� Sasuke said
nothing. Instead, he leaned back against the tree and drew a leg up to watch
the sunset with him.
�� I could
tell you a story, if you like, while we wait. I could tell you what I know
about your family.� Kakashi cast his eyes to the side to gauge Sasuke�s
reaction. Sasuke didn�t say anything. He did lean his head a little to the
side. Kakashi took it as a sign to continue.
�� Your
father was a hard man to know. Your mother was beautiful and complimented him
in that she was easy to get along with, and she knew him well. Your brother . .
. your brother was strong and smart. Fugaku had high hopes for him, and high
expectations. He pushed Itachi to rise beyond any of the other clan members.
Perhaps that was what drew Itachi to befriend Madara, I don�t know. There were
rumors that he had been seen in the village again. His power wasn�t just the Mangenkyo, Sasuke. He had a lot of charisma, a lot of
anger, and he pulled as many of your clan into it as he could. But Fugaku, he
learned of the treachery they were planning and put a stop to it. That angered
Madara, enough to enlist Itachi in his effort to punish them. Afterwards,� he
paused for a moment to let everything sink in.
�� Afterwards,
no one really is sure what happened. Your father�s journal, which the council
ordered be kept from you to try and save you from diving into the same hate and
darkness, only spoke of his fears for his son. He knew that Itachi had gotten
too close to power, too used to it. He wanted more. He had become obsessed with
activating the higher forms of the Sharingan. So much so that he was willing to
go against every moral code and sell himself to Madara�s dream of pain and
vengeance. If your own father hadn�t even seen how far Itachi had fallen, how
could anyone else have known about it?�
�� Kakashi
stopped and waited. He felt torn between wanting to make Sasuke understand as
best he could about that time, and wanting to protect him from all the
possibilities. He�d suffered more than enough from the massacre. But if Sasuke
could understand that it wasn�t the council, that hindsight was only useful to
a point, and that anyone who knew what was happening had made only the choices
they thought would best rectify everything, then Kakashi could sleep easier.
Maybe he was just being selfish but there was no point in hiding anything
anymore. He had seen what that had done to ruin him. He opened his mouth to
speak again when Sasuke turned his head to face him.
�� That�s
enough, Kakashi. I�ve heard enough. I�m not so angry anymore. Well, not enough
to kill them all. Thinking back on it, I�m sure I probably saw more than I
thought at the time. I couldn�t have done more. Or at least that�s what I kept
telling myself. The council could have done more, or the Hokage should have
seen it. But that was so long ago. I guess . . . I guess I just wanted to hear
that I wasn�t to blame. That all I ever did was enough. I should have seen it,
maybe. But putting it all on the shoulders of a few, when there were so many
others, and they obviously all couldn�t have been joined against my family. Too
many of them only saw what they wanted to see, the villagers expecting a grand
continuation of a powerful clan. The council probably hoped for the same. It
wouldn�t make sense for them to fear what they thought they had control over. Right?�
�� Kakashi
thought about that for a moment before replying.
�� Like I
said, hindsight is a nearly useless thing. Except for future concerns, it
doesn�t give us much, except perhaps, closure, a reason behind it all. But, I
think the council would have signed their own death warrants and deaths by
torture at that, if they had known what was truly happening and done nothing.
They are too old to have gone that road for such stupid things as jealousy,
envy or fear of power. Who really knows? I do know that they are loyal to the
health of this village. And that the current Hokage is compassionate and
strong. She can keep them in line and would have recognized any dissent or
malevolence within them. And I trust her judgment. It�s enough for me, it has
to be. I�m not going to assume danger unless I can find evidence of it.�
�� And Naruto?� Sasuke asked accusingly, glaring heatedly at
him. �What about him?�
�� What about
him, Sasuke?� Kakashi countered. �He�s strong, healthy, and has a long life
ahead of him. He will be a great ninja. For that, you need the council, because
their decisions directly affect the village and its citizens, ninja included.
The ANBU are working tirelessly to fix what Danzou likely started with the
rumors and whispers of imminent danger connected only to Naruto. Worse, he
seems to have given away information that the council had known about this
supposed enemy for a while but chose to do nothing because Naruto is a valuable
commodity, being the last Jinchuuriki and all.�
�� Sasuke
snorted and pulled his face into a look of disgust.
�� So, it�s
just going to happen again, is what you�re saying, right?�
�� No, I�m
saying that, as ninja, we are trained to look beyond what we can see with our
eyes,� Kakashi replied, unruffled. He gave Sasuke a look that told him he
should know this already. And Sasuke did. He smiled then, because he understood
what Kakashi had meant by all this. He understood perfectly.
�� We�ll find
him, then, whoever it is Danzou has been feeding information to,� he said
quietly, threat lacing his words.
�� Kakashi
beamed under his mask, his eyes closing and arcing upward.
�� Wonderful!
I knew you were smart enough . . . and mature enough, to get it now.�
�� Sasuke
huffed and looked away, crossing his arms over his chest. They sat like that,
comfortable in each other�s presence to not need words anymore, until the sky
changed colors. Brilliant hues of orange and red, light pink dusting the
horizon, met their gaze to the west. When the night had taken hold over the
village fully, Sasuke stood up to brush off his pants and slide easily down the
bark to the ground. As he started off, Kakashi called him back.
�� You know,
Sasuke. They don�t have to be just Naruto�s friends. They can be yours, too.�
�� Sasuke
stopped moving. He�d thought about that happening but had dismissed it out of
hand long ago. Too much time had passed and he�d done too many things to rely
on any trust remaining in any of them to have been saved for him. Naruto�s
words plowed through his niggling doubt as they always seemed to do.
�� You don�t
have to go now. They�ve come by to see how we�re doing, after all.�
�� And
Shikamaru had given him that thin smile. It might have held no invitation but
there was no malice either. Sasuke didn�t know enough about him to see it as
anything else. And that was the point, wasn�t it? That was what Naruto had
meant with that comment.��
�� If you
don�t know them, you can�t judge them yet.� Sasuke sighed and lifted a hand to
Kakashi in farewell. He could judge them as he pleased. He could do anything he
damn well liked. But that would gain him nothing he could use to build a life
here, or re-build the old one, as the case may be. And it would not make Naruto
happy. Why did things always have to be so complicated? Why did simple-minded
Naruto always make them that way? Because he loves me? Sasuke heard the small voice in his
head and pushed it away violently. Gods, that was so sentimental and not what
he needed right now . . . or even what he wanted. He didn�t want that. But
maybe that was just how it was supposed to be, simple yet complicated.

�� Sasuke
turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open. The soft glow from the
great room lamps welcomed him in and he relished in the heat of their home a
moment before taking off his shoes. Their home, those two words were so simple,
so small, and yet he felt a soothing balm spread through him whenever he
thought about it. He hadn�t thought, in all the years he had spent training to
gain strength, in all the fights that only served to bring him closer to
killing Itachi and certainly not when he�d finally attained that goal, he would
ever be able to feel that way again. He had always told himself it didn�t
matter. Nothing mattered but his vengeance, his family�s honor, and later, his
own pain. Truthfully, though it hurt to admit it even to himself, he had felt
almost empty at first when he�d killed his brother. But slowly, that space was
filling in, with what he wasn�t so sure just yet. But he no longer had trouble
sleeping, kept awake at night by his family�s deaths or Itachi�s final gifts to
him. He�d been a good brother once, a good friend and he had struggled against
the pull of Madara and his own guilt for so long. But he was dead and there was
no changing any of it. Sasuke sighed and hefted the bag of groceries over his
shoulder.
�� Naruto,
I�m back,� he called out. I�m home.
�� When he
heard nothing aside from the ticking of the clock on the wall, he walked toward
the stairs, leaving the meat and vegetables on the hall table. They would keep
for a few more minutes. He found Naruto settled on the bed in their room, an
open book splayed out on his lap. Sasuke arched a brow delicately. But he
caught the title as it slid toward the floor and realized it was one of
Naruto�s old sensei�s novels. He nearly gagged in disgust. There was nothing
enlightening or instructive about reading that kind of crap. He was tempted to
throw it into the stove while he made dinner but stopped when he realized there
was a handwritten message on the inside of the cover. He read through it
quickly, waiting for one of Naruto�s surprise wake-up calls. He would have
sensed the difference in his breathing definitely, but a person could never be
too cautious.
�� To Naruto,
�� My favorite, moron
of a student. Sometimes, to see the joy in things, you have to see what
could be instead of what is. Here�s a little something about what could happen,
under the right light.�
�� Sasuke
frowned at the message, not clear on what it was supposed to mean. Did that
pervert actually equate pornographic sex with a lasting, and healthy lifestyle?
He flipped the book over to read the synopsis and gasped. This one wasn�t a
love story, not even Jiraiya-sensei�s loose estimation of one. It was about a ninja
that mirrored Naruto, though it had been published before he�d been born.
Naruto must have gotten it from him during their travels together. But the seal
on the side said it had once been the property of the village library, a large,
brick building on the west side of town, close to the Hokage Mountain.
Sasuke frowned deepened, but he decided it was probably a sensitive issue to
ask right after waking up so he let it go until later.
�� Naruto,�
he called, running his fingers through that shining hair gently. Naruto mumbled
a little and shifted a bit before settling back into the bed.
�� Naruto,
wake up. I�m home.�
�� Naruto
opened his eyes and yawned a little before rubbing at them.
�� Sasuke? Oh, hey, you�re back,� he said thickly.
�� Yeah.�
�� They left
already,� he told Sasuke, getting up and stretching languidly.
�� Sasuke
rolled his eyes a little. �Well, I got that, seeing as how the house is devoid
of any inhabitants but us.�
�� Huh?�
Naruto asked and Sasuke wasn�t sure if he was seriously unaware of what that
had meant or he was still half asleep.
�� Forget it.
Next time, maybe,� Sasuke grumbled, avoiding his gaze. Naruto blinked the rest
of the sleep from his eyes and caught on, finally, to what he�d just said. He
smiled widely and allowed his eyes to drift halfway closed. Then his stomach
grumbled loudly and he looked up expectantly.
�� No, I
didn�t forget. Come on, I�ll make us some steaks and rice. But, you�re doing
the dishes,� he called over his shoulder as he made his way to the stairs.
Naruto rushed after him, whooping happily.
�� No sweat.
I don�t mind dish duty if I don�t have to cook.�
�� Don�t know
how, more like it,� Sasuke shot back, amused.��
�� Hey! I can
too!� Naruto squawked indignantly.
�� I keep
telling you ramen doesn�t count for anything, at all,� Sasuke replied smugly.
He pulled Naruto around the bottom part of the banister for a quick,
open-mouthed kiss that served its purpose. There would be silence throughout
the rest of the meal, from conception to the dish-work at the end because of
it, Sasuke was sure. He smirked as Naruto followed him into the kitchen in a
light daze. Yes, coming home had its advantages.
- 17
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The Fall of the Dogs of War