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Back to Where We Were	By : MLL Category: Naruto AU/AR > General Views: 940 -:- 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
Disclaimer: sadly, I don�t own the Naruto characters; Kishimoto has that honor.

A/N: OOO means flashback due to the lack of italics in AFF

A/N: Alright, I want to thank everyone for reviewing this story, I truly appreciate the time you take to write it. Here's the next one--hope this chapter is worth the wait--and enjoy!

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Back to Where We Were
by: lady-rouge

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Chapter 3

Naruto had been injured many times in his life but never had there been a time as painful and body wrenching as this one that his senses were waking up to. As much as he wanted to close his eyes and bury himself back into the land of sleep, he could not ignore the tug of consciousness in his brain or the murmuring in the background. With a small groan, Naruto blinked his eyes slowly to see two dark figures whispering softly in the shadowed background. Alarmed at who they were, he sat up quickly, but hissed as a pain shot through his head and he fell back down.

�Naruto!� came a feminine voice and before Naruto could see who the owner of the voice was, a worried face peered closely into his. �Oh thank God, Naruto. You�re finally awake,� came the relieved tone of a woman with pink hair. Sakura! Everything flew back into his head with a rush that took his breath away for a second and he collapsed fully onto the hard floor that he had currently been lying on.

�S-Sakura, are you okay?� He asked her hurriedly.

Her eyes widened for a moment but she just nodded as her eyes lowered and in a quiet tone laced with guilt, �Yeah, thanks to you.�

Through the pain that lay on the outskirts of his senses, Naruto chuckled and reached a wavering hand to pat her assuringly; ignoring the shooting pain with a wince. �Don�t fret about this small injury, Sakura. I�ve been through worse.�

She nodded, but despite her agreement, tears still shone brightly in her eyes.

�Naruto, I didn�t get the chance to thank you for that act of kindness.� Lee came from where he was setting up the cots and sat next to his wife on Naruto�s left side.

Naruto flushed with all the attention that he was getting. �I was just doing what any one else would have done in those circumstances,� he said with an embarrassed shrug.

Lee shook his head. �No one has done that for us before. They�re all afraid of being whipped and I don�t really blame them for trying to stay out of trouble. What you did . . . is something that takes a real friend to do . . . thank you, Naruto.� Lee gave him a lopsided smile and Naruto returned it with as little as a grimace as possible from the pain.

�Although we are thanking you for this action, I will not allow you to do it again, Naruto,� Sakura reprimanded him softly. �They will not go so easy on you anymore. After you blacked out, they cut the lashes to eight, but only due to the intervention of another guard who was nearby. Thank God for that because fifteen would have kept you bedridden for three days at the minimum,� Sakura said with relief. �You�ve only been in bed for a day, and you need more, but it was only with our begging that they agreed to let you take today off. Tomorrow . . . they expect you to come back.� A tear trekked down Sakura�s cheek and she sniffed it away. �I�m afraid for you because they might take advantaged of your weak condition.� She began to cry and Lee took her into his arms to comfort her, but not before casting Naruto a worried look.

They sat in silence until Sakura�s crying turned into sniffs and it was only then did Naruto let his drooping eyes close and let sleep overtake his weary limbs.

-

It only seemed like a second that Naruto had closed his eyes before someone shook him awake. Ignoring the soreness in his body, Naruto opened his eyes and got up slowly. They gave him worried glances before reaching out hands to help him. Shrugging them off gently, Naruto straightened out slowly with a small wince. Everything in him screamed pain, but he ignored it.

�Go on ahead of me, I�ll follow you guys,� Naruto assured them both, but they shook their heads stubbornly.

�If we can�t help you at least let us walk beside you.� Lee was firm as was Sakura�s agreement�if her vigorous nod was any indication.
Feeling a new, but not unpleasant feeling blossom at their concern, Naruto just smiled and nodded as they proceeded to the bathrooms.

With the help of Sakura and Lee beside him, the pre-morning rituals of cleaning and eating passed adequately enough for Naruto and it was not too long before the loud yelling of the guards came to line them up. Since he had practice with walking that morning, Naruto found that he managed the task of walking bearably and so with that and his refusal to be helped, they left him alone.

As they began to walk to their working place, Naruto looked around at the other trio and found that they were looking at him with looks of bewilderment and curiosity but did not say anything. Naruto gave them a small smile and they returned it before looking up at the two guards in front of them who kept giving them menacing glares.

Naruto observed them as well and found that they were the same guards from yesterday. Feeling anger swell inside of him at the remembrance of the events towards Lee and Sakura, Naruto pushed the emotions away. It was no use to dwell on things that he had no control over or things that he would probably be seeing again.

As they trekked to the fields and began to work, Naruto found that within an hour, he was beginning to feel the effects of the whip on him. He found himself breathing short deep breaths countlessly and as the sun sprayed scorching rays over their leaned backs, black spots danced on the edge of his vision that Naruto found himself on the edge of giving up but with one look at the worried couple next to him, he hung on albeit with a thin string.

It was as if his body had a will of its own and even after he had shut himself off from the pain that shot up his arms, from his wounds that had reopened, Naruto did not feel like the arms that continued to do the repetitive work were his own. His arms held that pattern of monotonous work as the morning wore on and to his avail, when the guards called for lunch break, his arms continued to work like it was a lifeless machine. With growing panic at the arms that were not of his command, Naruto closed his eyes and tried with all his might to stop them with his will power but they paid no heed to him. It was only when he felt a pair of hands on his arms that Naruto opened his eyes to see a worn-looking Lee giving him a worried expression. �Naruto, you can stop now.�
Naruto looked down to see Lee�s hands resting slightly on top of his arms that had stopped to rest on the hoe. Giving him a shaky smile, Naruto tried to hide his dissipating fear. �Yeah, I�m hungry. Let�s go.�

They left their work at the fields and walked towards Sakura and the other trio who were in the shade. Grabbing their skimpy lunch, they all sat next to each other and ate quietly; not trying to waste any more energy than necessary. Before they knew it, they were ordered to return to the fields to work and with a reluctant sigh, they all stepped out of the shades and into the hot sun once again.

For some reason, Naruto found himself struggling to begin his arms to work now. After the break, his arms and body had tasted temptation and now they were unwilling to cooperate with him. Steeling himself for the pain that he knew would come, Naruto bit his lip tightly before forcing his arms to continue the pattern that had scared him earlier.

�I-I can�t Lee,� came a trembling voice and Naruto�s head whipped over to the source. �Somehow, the food doesn�t give me enough energy anymore.� Sakura.

It was suddenly like the other day and a sense of d�j� vu swept coldly through him; leaving a sick feeling in his stomach as he watched the guards look up from their talking and see Sakura�s lack of working. Their shouting was the same and as Sakura continued to remain passive and inert at their commands, to Naruto�s horror, they took out their whips and came towards them in angry treads. It was like a slow moving film that came out silently as Naruto watched them pull Lee away and turn towards Sakura with angry looks.

Feeling the d�j� vu hit him again at that familiar scene, Naruto ran instinctively; driven by the emotions that swirled in his mind. Despite the protests of his limbs and muscles, Naruto found himself running towards the crouched figure and the huge guard that loomed over her with a raised arm. Suddenly, Sakura turned to look at him and her face froze as she saw his intentions. Her mouth opened in protest, �No Naruto!�

The guard turned with surprise and upon seeing Naruto, he smirked maliciously. �You didn�t get enough the last time?�

Naruto stopped in front of Sakura and held out his arms in a defensive position to protect Sakura. �Stop hurting Sakura.� He glared angrily at the guard and the guard stumbled back in surprise before his face turned cloudy with angry�dark anger.

�Who do you think you are?� The guard said with an enraged snarl. �I�ll show you who the boss is.� And with a blink of the eye, he had raised his whip and with a deformed and deranged smile, he spoke. �The other day wasn�t enough, was it? Well, if you won�t move, then I won�t go easy on you anymore, imbecile.� Naruto remained unmoving and the guard�s face transformed into an ugly expression at his failed attempt of intimidation. �You will regret this act of defiance against me� was the only thing Naruto had as a warning before the familiar burning sensation whipped against him and his world burst into white and red sparks.

�Naruto!� Sakura�s desperate screams echoed through the fields and as the whips continued their onslaught on him, it was like he was not a part of his body anymore. One minute he was feeling the pain wash over him and the next, it was like he was a stranger watching the scene from afar. In a dream-like state he watched his body crumple and fall on top of Sakura�s as the guard continued to whip him and as Sakura continued to scream and cry. It seemed like eternity that the guard continued to raise and lower his hand angrily at Naruto until his other partner finally came to stop him. And as Naruto watched impassively, the guard finally stopped and walked away from the wounded blonde man. As the guard moved away, the pink-haired woman rolled the fallen man to measure his injuries. She was crying and as tears streamed down her cheeks, the other group along with Lee came hesitantly towards the duo.

They had only picked him up gently when the guards came angrily and yelled at them. What he said, Naruto could not hear. Suddenly, with a force of an angry bull, he pushed the body of the unconscious blonde off of Lee and onto the ground and with another shout, he threw his hand in the direction of the prison cells. Sakura yelled at him and without another word, his hand flew through the air and hit her cheek. She let out a startled cry before Lee came and covered her with his body. With another shout, he began to walk away and the group followed him slowly away from the blonde man on the ground. Sakura was the last to leave and with a sob, Lee tugged her away from the body. With twin looks of sorrow and pleading for forgiveness from the fallen man, they finally left.

Naruto watched the scene for a while before his world began to swirl into a black vacuum of blackness and it was with one last glance at the fallen blonde that he closed his eyes to.

-

Naruto could remember nothing through the fog of pain that he drifted in and out of. Days and nights became interchangeable; running and blurring into one long time period. His head pounded painfully that he found it hard to remain conscious. The pain tore at him from all sides and angles; making it hard to stay awake. Many times, he only remained awake for a couple of seconds, but it was long enough for him to see the old but gentle and wise face that stared at him through the blurry haze that signified his pain. Naruto attempted to smile at him before he fell back into the world of unconsciousness but he felt like his mouth was frozen into the grimace that he always wore and so with the failed attempt, he just closed his eyes again.

Naruto had no conscious idea of where he stayed. Through his bouts of consciousness and unconsciousness, he only remembered a wooden ceiling, small windows that let in a small stream of light, the sound of rushing water and the elderly man�s kind face. As the days passed and his ability to stay awake longer grew, the desire to know more about his savior and the place that he stayed in increased. He did not act upon his desire until one afternoon�if the looks of the sun indicated anything�when the old man came to spoon feed him a lunch that consisted of chicken broth.

�W-Where,� his voice came hoarsely from lack of use and taking a swallow, he tried again. �Where am I?�

The old man looked startled for a moment before smiling at him. �It�s about time you began to talk, young man. I was starting to get worried for a while there. For your question, you�re at my house at the edge of the village in the woods.�

Naruto scrunched his face as he thought for a while. �No offense, but have I met you before? I don�t seem to recall your face at all.�

The old man let out a chuckle. �None taken since we have not even properly introduced ourselves yet.� He brought out a hand and shook Naruto�s limp and weak one. �I�m Sarutobi, the medicine man to the village and you are . . .?�

�Uzumaki Naruto.� He offered nothing else and the medicine man knew better than to ask for more. They sat there while Sarutobi fed him the rest of the broth soup before Naruto attempted to speak further. �How did I get here?�

His eyes gazed unseeingly out the North window before he spoke in a soft voice. �It�s funny because I usually don�t come the way in which you were lying but that day, for some unknown reason I decided to come that way from one of my village check-ups. I was walking when I came upon you on the fields and saw you lying there. No one was around so I took you home as fast as I could and I�m glad I did because you were on the brink of death, Naruto. Under better circumstances, they wouldn�t have been that death threatening, but it seems like you received some previously to that day. Also, the wounds were much deeper than the first one inflicted. The man who did this must have been very angry.�

Naruto nodded but said nothing more. �How long have I been here?�

�About four days.�

�Four days!� Naruto shouted before grimacing at the soreness that that action brought.

The man smiled. �Four days is definitely not long enough for an injury as yours. The minimum that you need of rest and food is at least six days.� He brought a hand to pat Naruto�s head like he was still a child.

�Sarutobi, you don�t understand, I am a prisoner of the Sound Palace. I have to go back and help my friends. Who knows what has happened�.�

�I know.�

��to them. Huh?� Naruto looked at the old man in disbelief. �You knew I was a prisoner yet you helped me.�

�The question is why wouldn�t I?� As Naruto continued to stare at him in confusion, the man let out a helpless chuckle before speaking. �As a medicine man, it is my duty and will to help anyone who needs my skills and knowledge. When I became one, it was not in my plans to withhold my skills from anyone. A medicine man�s role is to help anyone they come across despite their village loyalty or their status in my village. It is not in my ethics to do so to anyone.�

Naruto just stared at him in wonder and nodded. �I-I would never have thought anyone would still hold that theory in here with all that the villages have been through. I guess I�m lucky that I came across you, ne?� Naruto�s eyes brightened as he laughed a little.

The old man smiled as well; seeing Naruto�s humor.

�Does anyone know that I am here?� Naruto said after much pondering.

�No, I have not heard much about you so I�m assuming that they don�t care about your whereabouts.�

At those words that spoke of the truth, his heart pained at what it indicated. �Regardless of whether they care or not, I�ll be returning to help my friends!� he said a bit too roughly but the pain hurt too much for him to just brush it off.

The old man just nodded his head sympathetically before moving the blanket that had fallen to Naruto�s waist back up to his neck. �We�ll talk more during dinner okay? Right now, I should go work on my herb garden and water them. If you need anything, just shout.� With the assurance that Naruto was comfortable and content, the old man left him to his thoughts.

-

Naruto had dozed off for quite a while when he heard the sound of thundering in the distance. At the thought of a storm on its way, Naruto shuddered. He had never been really fond of thunderstorms, big or little. But if the storm was coming, that meant Sarutobi would be coming in and that meant dinner and conversation. Naruto smiled widely. He hadn�t had that for a long time. Letting his head rest comfortably back against the pillows, he waited for Sarutobi to come any moment.

As soon as that thought left his mind, the sound of a door banging rang through the small hut that Naruto was in and his head snapped to the now open door. What the hell? Naruto�s breath caught in his throat. There, standing in all his seething, magnificent glory stood Sasuke. His raven hair blew restlessly with the wind outside and his eyes searched anxiously for something throughout the house. Naruto watched Sasuke�s face darken at the lack of whatever he was looking for and without any warning�almost as if he sensed something�his dark eyes landed on him and Naruto could have sworn that time had froze in that breath of a second as they locked gazes.

�S-Sasuke,� Naruto breathed softly. �How��

�What is going on?� A voice broke through the trance between them and Naruto jerked to see Sarutobi standing by the door on the south side. Sarutobi looked at Naruto questioningly before turning to look inquisitively at the intruder. Upon seeing Sasuke, Sarutobi blinked as surprise registered on his old face and with the speed of a man that did not match what his physical appearance told otherwise, he quickly fell upon one knee; face positioned downwards to show his reverence towards Sasuke.

�Your highness . . .� Sarutobi raised his head but otherwise than that slight action, he did not move. �To what do I owe this visit to?�

�How did he get here?� Sasuke�s voice came out cold, infuriated as his eyes pierced angrily through Naruto�s. A nauseous feeling swept over Naruto as he felt the cold eyes run him over.

The situation becoming clearer with every second, Sarutobi stood up, stepped through the doors and walked to stand next to Naruto on the bed. �Your highness, I can explain everything,� Sarutobi said calmly. �I was returning home from one of my monthly check-ups with the Hajime family when I came upon this young man.� He paused before looking Sasuke square in the face. �Seeing that he was injured, it was only reasonable that I take him up and rush home to medicate him with my herbs and medicine.�

Finally taking his eyes off of Naruto, Sasuke looked at Sarutobi and his voice softened somewhat. �Sorry that you spent so much time and medicine on him, I will be sure to send in money tomorrow to cover the costs.�

At those words, Naruto felt indignation boil inside of him. Why was he always a burden? Everything encompassing Sasuke and him always ended up ugly . . . didn�t he know that already?

Despite the old man�s protests, Sasuke turned deaf ears on him and instead spoke again. �Now that I have come, I have come back to reclaim what belongs to me.� And without another word, he strode angrily to where Naruto lay and without another word, he tugged Naruto roughly out of bed. It was easy for Naruto to order his body to obey Sasuke when he was pulling on him but when Sasuke had pulled him to the floor, he let go of Naruto�s hand like it burned him to touch him and with no support, the pain flooded back and Naruto fell on his knees with a hiss of pain. Arms outreached to stop his fall, his hands took the brunt of the hard floor and he bit back another sound as the air rushed out of his lungs. When had he become this weak? DAMN! Naruto wanted to cry and shout at the heavens for letting him make a fool of himself in front of the last person that he wanted to be seen as weak.

Hearing a startled curse from Sasuke, Naruto bent his head in shame. He didn�t want to see the disgusted look on his face. Unexpectedly, arms settled around his waist in a gentle fashion that found Naruto looking up surprised to see that it was Sasuke as he picked him up to carry him bridal style.

�Let me go, you bastard!� His first instinct was to get Sasuke away from him. Panic settled within him and he tried to push himself off Sasuke as familiar sensations began to reawaken. The sensations of comfort . . . of content . . . of Sasuke . . . of home . . . it was too frightening and Naruto fought to be free. �If I am here, how does this concern you?!� He retorted angrily.

Sasuke tightened his hold on him. �You broke into my village and are hiding away from the duties set upon you. It does concern me! And because of you, I have lost valuable time and had to put off a contract meeting to search for your whereabouts in this village! I finally find you three days later and where? Leeching off Sarutobi and being lazy.� He glared at Naruto; daring him to contradict his words.

Not able to find anything false with Sasuke�s words, Naruto gave Sasuke a loathing look and suppressing the hurt that rose at their argument, he closed his eyes and became indifferent to whatever happened to him�to whatever Sasuke decided to do with him next. Closing his ears to the words that Sasuke shared with Sarutobi, Naruto did not know they were leaving until he felt the ground shift underneath him as Sasuke moved, until the cool breeze of the evening caressed his face, until he felt himself fly upwards�never leaving Sasuke�s side�and begin to move to the sounds of a horse�s neighs and galloping. With the breathing and body of Sasuke enveloping him in a warm halo along with the horse�s running hooves, Naruto gave into the welcomed sleep.

-

When Naruto finally opened his eyes, it was to the image of a spacious room full of materials and furniture that spelled masculinity to anyone who came upon the room. Scrolls, kunias, fighting protectors and swords graced the room on the table tops while clothes were strewn on some of the oak chairs lying around. In the center was a full-size bed and looking around, Naruto saw another bed that was a size smaller leaned up against the north wall. His eyes widened even further when Sasuke strode towards the smaller bed and dropped him upon it.

All his sleepiness cleared away and Naruto sat up from his fallen position and glared at Sasuke for an explanation.

�You will stay in this room until you get better.� His response to the glare that Naruto shot him was curt; dismissive as he turned away.

Naruto�s arm shot out to grab his arm in an attempt to halt him. �What do you mean?� Naruto asked, trying to make himself understand the situation. What happened to the prison cell? Where were Lee and Sakura? Were they okay? �Where . . . are the other prisoners? Have they been given their own rooms too?� Hope swelled up in Naruto�s chest before it was killed by Sasuke�s next words that were laced with ice.

�No.�

�Then why am I here?� Naruto looked at him as questions flew through his mind; too fast for him to even comprehend them. What had happened while he was away?

Sasuke glared at him before stalking away to the door; not bothering to answer his question.

�I�m leaving then,� Naruto said furiously to the turned back of the stoic Uchiha. �I�m fine now. I will return to the prison cells.� Finished with his little speech, Naruto rose to leave the bed, but no sooner had he done it when Sasuke materialized in front of him; stopping his progress to leave the bed.

�No.� His same reply came again and Naruto growled fiercely. �You will stay here until I say so,� he countered angrily.

They glared at each other furiously; daring the other to make the first move and reluctantly, Naruto did. He didn�t have the patience like Sasuke. Feeling the ache that only the remembrance of the past could invoke, Naruto remembered that it was patience that had started the deterioration of their bond . . . maybe that was why he didn�t trust himself to have it so much anymore . . .

OOO

Naruto grinned cleverly to himself as he walked the familiar path to the mansion that stood in the distance. In his hands he held two big bags filled with food. Sasuke always ended up cooking dinner since all Naruto cooked was ramen. So tonight, Naruto would cook a real dinner for a change. He wanted to see the look of surprise on Sasuke�s face. Boy would it be worth the trouble of cooking, Naruto thought with a fond smile. Hopefully, it would take away the brooding look that Sasuke had been carrying around for the past few days despite Naruto�s efforts to cheer him up. Naruto�s smile dimmed a bit, but he pushed it aside as he scurried to get the pots and pans on the stove and the food chopped up.

Tonight he would attempt Sasuke�s favorite dish and as he sliced the vegetables swiftly, he glanced at his watch and yelped before increasing his chopping and slicing to a higher notch. Hearing the bell ding to indicate that it was time to take out the steamed rice, Naruto quickly finished up the last bits and threw it into the boiling pot. Rushing over to the steaming pot, he transferred the upper half of the madly steaming pot without another thought to the table. Halfway in his haste, the over heated metal traveled to his mind and hissing in pain he quickly ran to the table and set it on the table with a loud thump.

Oww . . . his hands felt like they had been run over by a hot iron.

Hearing another beeper go off, Naruto quickly forgot his pain and rushed to stir the food on the stove. In the next half hour, he worked like a mad man and when the last beeper had gone off to remind him of Sasuke�s usual arrival time, Naruto had successfully set out the food on the table and albeit a little messy, it was set and ready. Naruto smiled happily to himself as the knock came right on time.

Naruto jumped out of his seat and walked to the door. Opening, he saw Sasuke who immediately bent down to give him a small kiss on his mouth. Sasuke smiled at him but the distant look in his eyes was there again and as Naruto watched him enter their home, Naruto felt his stomach sinking. Not again . . .

�Did you eat yet, dobe?� Not waiting for an answer, Sasuke dropped his things on the table before walking monotonously to the kitchen to wash his hands. For the life of him, he could not move his legs to follow Sasuke to see his reaction. That had been the whole purpose, hadn�t it? Then why did he feel like it was the last thing that mattered right now? Naruto closed the door and slid down to the floor as his mind went blink with numbness. Oh god, what had he done to deserve this?

�Naruto?�

All he wanted to see was a genuine smile upon his handsome face again . . . Not those half distant ones. He would do anything to see those again . . .

�Naruto?� came Sasuke�s voice from the kitchen again. �I saw what you did and�� Sasuke stopped in surprise as he saw Naruto half bent down against the door. He strode quickly to Naruto to grasp his hands and to pull him up gently towards him. �Is something the matter, Naruto?� Sasuke looked with concern at Naruto�s withdrawn face.

Yes, yes, there is Sasuke. There�s something wrong with you, but you won�t tell me what�s bothering you. I see it everyday in your troubled eyes. You try to hide it in my presence, but I see it and it scares me because you won�t tell me. I�m afraid that you�re not happy with me anymore and I�m even more afraid of asking you. I�ve given you patience and have tried to give you time to tell me on your own, but why is it that instead of time making you grow closer, it�s making you grow more withdrawn? What�s on your mind? Please tell me, I�ll share your burden. Naruto attempted to smile reassuringly at him. �Of course not, Sasuke,� he lied. Conveying a smile, he grinned a bit to hide his inner turmoil. �So what do you think of my dinner, Sasuke?�

But Sasuke did not answer him as his attention was caught by Naruto�s hands that he had captured earlier to pull him up. He examined them intently. �Dobe, what happened to your hands,� he said loudly and almost angrily.

�I�� Surprised, Naruto stopped and looked at him in confusion. �What do you mean? Nothing.�

�Your hands�they�re blistered!� Sasuke said with bristling anger and worry as he looked at the damages.

Naruto looked with surprise at his hands that were now held in between Sasuke�s bigger ones and saw that they were indeed red and full of blisters. �Oh, that must have happened when I was bringing the steamed rice pot to the table and I forgot to use any cloth for my hands,� Naruto laughed sheepishly. �It�s no big deal Sasuke, I�ll clean it while you go have dinner��

Before Naruto could say anything else, Sasuke had pulled him to the chair and pushed him to sit on it. Sighing, Sasuke left and came back with some medicine. He kneeled in front of Naruto and with so much tenderness that it made Naruto�s heart ache, Sasuke took Naruto�s hand, one at a time, and applied balm to cool it down. Then he gently put bandages around it to keep it from infection. �Does it hurt, Naruto?� Sasuke asked softly after finishing.

Surprised once again, Naruto shook his head. Throughout the whole procedure, Naruto had forgotten the purpose and instead had concentrated on Sasuke�his every movement, his every expression of slight pain and remorse for causing pain whenever he put ointment on Naruto�s wounds. Naruto hadn�t even felt anything and told Sasuke so.

Sasuke just playfully ruffled Naruto�s head, but the worry did not go away and as they sat down to eat dinner and as Naruto reached out for a spoon, Sasuke snatched it away. Thinking that he was being punished by Sasuke for burning his hands, Naruto protested. �Teme, that�s not nice! I cooked it for you and this is how you repay me?�

Sasuke just smirked before throwing Naruto�s spoon into the sink behind them. Howling outrages at Sasuke, Naruto made to go get his spoon, but Sasuke halted him by holding his own spoon out to Naruto. It was filled with food. �I�ll feed you, dobe.� He said with stern tone.

Feeling a warm feeling growing in his chest, Naruto just stared at him with his mouth open and without any warning, Sasuke had put the spoon into his mouth and Naruto could do nothing but swallow the food offered.

�You�re hurt and I won�t allow you injuring yourself anymore than you are. So, I�ll feed you until you get better.� Sasuke smiled at him and brought the spoon back up to Naruto�s mouth with another spoon full of food.

�But what about you, Sasuke?� Naruto protested as Sasuke brought the spoon into his mouth again.

�Later,� Sasuke said nonchalantly.

�Teme!� Naruto protested again. �I�m not a baby and this food was for you specifically. You can�t make me eat another bite.� Naruto said defiantly as he crossed his arms against his chest and clamped his mouth shut tightly.

Sasuke just laughed before smirking. �Oh really? Is that a challenge, Uzumaki?� With a lunge, Sasuke cornered him against the back of the chair.

As his smirk grew bigger, Naruto wondered what Sasuke had up his sleeve. That smirk didn�t look too good . . .

The sound of the spoon falling against the table was Naruto�s only warning before hands were upon him and tickling him. Naruto only had time to register the nimble fingers moving rapidly around his body before he burst out in helpless laughter. �Stop�Sasuke,� he gasped in between choked gasps and laughter. �Teme!� He said before doubling in fits of laughter as the fingers worked even faster. �Stop!� He protested again, but the fingers continued.

�Give up?� Sasuke teased with a smile.

�I-I give up,� Naruto said breathlessly; relenting, and suddenly the hands disappeared. �You big bastard,� Naruto muttered darkly, but there was no anger in his tone.

Sasuke just laughed and Naruto�s breath caught as he saw the full laughter in his eyes. That half-distant look was gone for once and Naruto swelled with happiness. Maybe tonight hadn�t been such a waste after all . . .

�Naruto,� Sasuke had stopped chuckling, but there was still a light in his eyes. �I�m happy that you cooked for me tonight, but� he paused and thought for a moment before continuing again, �but if you�re going to end up hurt than I don�t want you to do it anymore, okay? Once is enough. Besides, I won�t complain anymore about having to cook, so don�t do it anymore.� He smiled widely but there was a serious tone behind his words and serious look in his eyes.

Feeling heady from all the concern that Sasuke had, Naruto shook his head. �Don�t worry Sasuke, it won�t happen again. Today I was just careless because I ran behind on time��

�No more arguments,� Sasuke interrupted. �I don�t ever want you hurt anymore.� With that, Sasuke bent down and kissed him gently on the lips.

OOO

That night, Naruto should have cornered Sasuke and made him tell him everything on his mind, but he hadn�t and now . . . Naruto had lost his chance to help Sasuke. To this day, Naruto wished he had done things differently, but it was too late to change the past. What ifs haunted him nightly. What if he had been more persistent, what if he had asked earlier, what if . . . it made Naruto hate himself so much. Feeling the melancholy rise from that memory, Naruto pushed it away and instead, tried to concentrate on the matters at hand as he watched Sasuke watch him intently.

With a push of energy, Naruto moved quickly to the right of Sasuke, but he was too quick and blocked it. Trying the other side, the same thing happened and Naruto growled. �Sasuke let me go back.�

�No.�

Feeling frustrated, Naruto pushed Sasuke out of the way and that act spurred Sasuke to push him down and against the mattress with his body. Naruto struggled against the captivity but found it useless with his quickly draining energy.

�Then let them out of the prisons,� Naruto said crossly as he looked helplessly up at Sasuke.

�I can�t allow that.� His voice was unyielding and ruthless.

�Then I will leave here,� Naruto said again with anger, �unless you let them leave the prisons and that harsh work,� he tried to compromise. �I won�t let them suffer by themselves.�

�I won�t let you,� Sasuke hissed and the struggle for dominance began as Naruto tried to buck Sasuke off of him; tried to push him off with all his strength. Sasuke was strong, Naruto realized after they both thrashed at each other, stronger than before and with that realization, Naruto grew even more determined.

With an adrenaline rush, he quickly encircled his legs around Sasuke�s slim waist and swiftly overturned him so that Naruto was on top for once. Seeing the surprise in Sasuke�s face, Naruto took that advantage and rapidly jumped off the bed and ran for the door. He had only made a couple of feet before he was tackled to the ground by a body.

Naruto turned around from his position of the ground to face the body of Sasuke and tried to throw a punch in that arrogant face of Sasuke�s but he saw it coming and blocked it without an effort. Every attack that Naruto threw, Sasuke was able to block it with ease and pretty soon, Naruto felt tears burning the back of his eyes as he saw his defeat coming with the decline of his strength. When Naruto attempted to punch him again, instead of being blocked again, Sasuke caught them this time and held them above Naruto�s head. Naruto squirmed angrily; furious at being trapped so easily.

�I won�t let you win,� Naruto snarled, but Sasuke only tightened his mouth angrily at Naruto�s refusal to give up.

�When will you get it, Naruto? You won�t win, so give it up!� he growled before he descended down and roughly pressed his lips against Naruto�s panting ones. Sasuke�s mouth was demanding and harsh; almost angry to the point of punishment. His tongue slid against the protesting lips of Naruto�s and ran along his smooth, white teeth before plunging into the warm caverns of his mouth. One hand held Naruto�s hands captive above his head while the other held his chin forcefully still.

Feeling the assault of Sasuke�s mouth against his, Naruto struggled violently against it . . . against the reawakening feelings . . . against the old desires that were slowly taking a hold of his senses, his mind and his body, but despite the resistance that he put up, he gradually felt the resistance declining against his will as his body�s desires took over and suddenly, he felt the tears that he had been holding back at the injustice come rushing back and slowly and he gave in to it . . . just like how his body gave in to Sasuke . . . how it had always given in to Sasuke.

�I hate you, Sasuke,� he said mournfully as he realized his defeat through the betrayal of his body.

A tear trickled slowly down his cheek as his hands changed unwillingly from pushing against Sasuke to pulling him closer to his own arching body, as his lips answered back to Sasuke�s, as a moan escaped his now-searching lips.

Oh God, but Naruto just realized how much he wanted his touch . . . how much he needed it.

Their fight for dominance had slowly spiraled into a raw primal need that spun beyond their control and as their lips clashed heatedly, the need to win dissipated. The need for satisfaction, for completion, for hunger, for each other slowly dominated their mind and as their hands quickly shed each other�s clothes, their hands roamed hungrily over every inch of exposed skin. Need replaced and clouded judgment as their mouths moved and sucked on bare skin; trailed hot kisses over sweaty skin. Their bodies grinded in sync with one another as groans and pants filled the room

�and they gave in.

�Naruto,� Sasuke�s hoarse pant spoke volumes of his plea, of his need and with shaky legs, Sasuke pulled Naruto towards the bed in the center. With a tumble, Sasuke straddled Naruto�s body against the soft bed before bending down to mingle their tongues together. Rubbing them erotically against each other, Sasuke let out a hiss of pleasure before entering Naruto slowly and as he thrusted in and out of Naruto in a pattern that soon picked up speed, Naruto gave into natural instinct and intertwined his legs tightly around Sasuke�s lean waist as they fell under the trance of doing nature�s oldest rhythm.

-

Naruto had never remembered a night as comfortable and relaxed as last night. For the first time in a long time, Naruto had fallen under a deep sleep and as Naruto stretched out his limbs on the bed; feeling well rested, he felt a soreness that left him wincing somewhat as he got out of the soft bed in the center. Naruto turned his head to the left and gaped at the beautiful sight that the huge window offered.

From his high point of elevation, he could see the beautiful waterfall in the distance that was surrounded by trees and nature. Seeing the sunshine shining brightly, the realization of it being midday left him running�only to come to a halt as the events of yesterday caught up to him�and Naruto blanched as he remembered last night. As the images replayed themselves in front of his eyes, Naruto closed his eyes with horror. How could he have given in? How could he have shown . . . that he still needed Sasuke? He opened his eyes and looked at the window once more to see his naked reflection in the window.

Paling even more, Naruto grabbed a folded outfit on the table to the left of the bed and quickly donned it on before walking numbly to his untouched bed by the north wall and throwing himself on it as he thought about last night. No matter what he did, the images played cruelly in his mind of slick, pressed bodies, arching, grinding�thrusting. Naruto suppressed the heat that coiled in the pit of his belly as he recalled last night.

�I am such an idiot,� he whispered angrily to the empty room. Sasuke�s probably laughing at me right now, he thought bitterly.

KNOCK KNOCK

Naruto lifted his head to observe the set of huge doors that the noise seemed to be coming from. The knock came again and Naruto walked warily to open them. The doors opened with a small whish and a cold voice spoke out.

�So you�re the one who stole Sasuke from me last night.�

-

-

-

TBC . . .

All comments appreciated on any comments of the slowness(?) of this fic or suggestions on how to improve it. Muchos Thank-yous ^_^

~~~~~~~COMMENTS~~~~~~~~~
blisblop: I hope this helps a bit with unfloding the past . . . hopefully? :) Anyways, thanks for those comments, it made me happy for the rest of the day!

natty: Sorry, sorry, sorry! I understand, but it couldn't be helped because I just love to torture yo--I mean, what I meant to say was, the next events were too long. ^_^ I'm innocent, I swear, it was all good intentions . . . . . . . NOT! '-'

Trek: Thank you so much for your comments and for pointing out that I had forgotten to put AU on it. Thanks a lot, you saved my life! ::hugs:: Ahem . . . . maybe not my life exactly . . . ^_^ But the concepts the same!

ghost: Also, you're another that was really helpful in pointing out that I had forgotten to put AU on my story. Thanks again! ::hugs as well::

silverfox: Thanks so much and I hope you enjoyed this story.
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