Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Crossing Boundaries for You	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 12499 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor make profit of it. Kishimoto owns it.

Chapter List
- 32
- 33
- 34
Author's note: This chapter turned out to be the longest of this story. I thought about cutting it into two, but to be honest I'm really curious to your reactions to this particular chapter, so I kept ploughing on until the end LOL So prepare yourself for quite the long chapter!
Warnings: I'm not knowledgeable about court proceedings in Japan, so I winged it a bit; time skips; some violence and if you're a fan of Sakura, this is not the story for you. Trust me, it isn't.
Prepare yourselves, loves, because this is going to be one hell of a ride. I reserved the worst shit for the last part ;)
I hope you'll like this extra long chapter!
Chapter 33
"I didn't sign that," Naruto instantly denied, even as his heart started to pound and he could hear his blood rushing in his ears. His arms tightened carefully around his son, hugging him closer to him.
She was trying to take his son away.
Sasuke had warned him to be on his guard, that she might be planning something, but after months had gone by without even a peep from her, he had foolishly thought she had given up. Even when he had considered her potential revenge, however, he had never envisioned that she would go as far as to actually try to take his son from him.
He had never expected her to go this far. She had been pissed off the last time he had seen her, sure, and she had tried to attack him, but a part of him – a very small part albeit, but it had still existed – had believed she would never cross a certain line.
But she had. She did.
And he hated her so much for that.
"That's your signature, Naruto," Sakura pointed out smugly, tapping the page with a bright green painted nail.
He shook his head, his breathing speeding up as he thought of how much he'd like to wring her neck now. "I don't care. I know I didn't sign that paper – you have no right to take my baby from me!"
The nurse, Ino, sported a confused frown as she looked between the men on the bed and Sakura next to her. "I'm going to leave you to it. I didn't sign up for this mess," she muttered and marched out of the room, clearly deciding to wash her hands off this situation.
"You can't do this," Sasuke hissed and rose up from the bed, standing in such a way that Sakura's view of Yukio was blocked and she could only catch a glimpse of Naruto himself. "I never thought you would stoop this low – forging his signature? Have you lost your mind? What is wrong with you?" The words were spoken in a low voice, but with such an amount of venom laced through them, Naruto was honestly surprised Sakura remained standing there.
"I'm flattered that you think I can copy this signature this well, Sasuke-kun," Sakura sniffed, but the way she shifted her weight from one leg to the other betrayed her discomfort. "But I can assure you that this signature is real and that's my baby he's holding."
"He's not your baby and he's never going to be yours," Sasuke said coldly. "You think we're just going to hand him over to you? Are you so delusional that you actually believe we'd give our baby to you?"
"This contract - "
"I don't care what the bloody contract says – you're not getting him. I can, however, promise you I'll make your life completely miserable if you don't get the hell out of this room immediately!"
"What's going on here?" Itachi's voice broke through the argument; his deep voice drifting over to them from the doorway.
When Naruto peeked around Sasuke as much as his body allowed, he saw Itachi striding into the room; his face turning absolutely thunderous when he laid eyes on Sakura. Closely behind him Tsunade followed; surprise flashing across her face before a frown marred her forehead as she took notice of the pink haired woman.
"Sakura, what are you doing here? Were you on shift today?" Tsunade asked warily, her brown eyes flitting back and forth between the bed and Sakura.
Perhaps she hadn't gone completely mental yet, because at the sight of the two newcomers, Sakura obviously realised she was outnumbered. "Enjoy your time with him, Naruto," she spat and while Naruto couldn't see her due to Sasuke still forming a barrier between the two of them, he could easily picture the fury on her face as she continued, "Because it's not going to last. I'll see you in court!"
Her heels slammed against the tiles as she stormed out of the room; her loud footsteps echoing in the corridor until the sound died out, announcing her complete departure.
"What happened?" Itachi asked perplexed. "What the hell was she doing here?"
Still tensed up for a fight, Sasuke slowly sank down on the bed and rubbed his forehead before he reached out with one hand and carefully grasped one of Naruto's, taking care not to disturb their sleeping son. As Naruto clasped their hands together, he tried to ignore the slight tremble going through his – or perhaps the muscles in Sasuke's hand were contracting so much. It was hard to tell.
"We're going to need a lawyer, nii-san," Sasuke stated grimly.
Itachi stilled; his face darkening. "Tell me everything," he ordered.
"Visiting hours are over," Tsunade announced, popping her head into the room. She looked vaguely apologetic about it before she closed the door again.
"Time for use to leave then," Mikoto sighed, brushing her hair out of her face. Draping both her coat and scarf over her arm, she bent down to brush a kiss against Naruto's forehead before softly stroking Yukio's cheek. "Don't think about this whole situation too much, all right? Just focus on your baby and on yourself, that's all you have to do," she advised him.
"I know," he smiled weakly. That was easier said than done, though. With Yukio peacefully asleep in his crib next to Naruto's bed, it was all too easy for his mind to start thinking about Sakura and her threat all over again.
She released a soft sigh, squeezed his shoulder gently one more time before turning to hug her youngest son.
A pale hand covering one of his own for a moment had him looking up straight into black eyes. "Mother's right, you know," Itachi murmured. While the dangerous tone he had used when ordering Sasuke to tell him what had happened, had disappeared, there was still tension in his shoulders and he held himself rather rigidly, even whilst carrying his daughter in a sling against his chest. Even with Aihime held against him, he looked like a jaguar ready to strike.
"She won't be able to lay even one finger on my nephew, I promise," he continued, casting a look at the sleeping boy. "I'll help you out in any way that I can."
"Thanks, Itachi," Naruto said softly, knowing that he could count on the older man. After he had been informed what Sakura had done and her threat about going to court, he had started making calls, one of them being to a lawyer who could help Naruto and Sasuke. This lawyer, a woman named Konan, would be meeting them next Monday to discuss their case.
Itachi nodded and approached Sasuke, who had drifted a bit further towards the door while talking to Mikoto. The two brothers started talking in hushed tones; both their mouths edged with tension.
"I'm sorry that bitch had to ruin this day, un," Deidara sighed, sitting down on the bed for a moment. He had hardly reacted better than them when he had heard what Sakura had said and Naruto had caught him muttering about introducing that "pink haired menace to his art" a couple of times underneath his breath. Judging by the ice cold blue his eyes had turned whenever he had said something along those lines, Naruto very much doubted he was referring to the innocent act of showing her his art.
Naruto grimaced, plucking at the white sheet covering him up until his waist. "Yeah, I'm sorry too," he muttered, feeling exhaustion creeping up. What was supposed to have been a day of joy had been turned into a nightmare thanks to his former friend. He would never forgive her for that.
"I know this isn't going to be easy, but try to rest, un," Deidara said, patting his arm. He smiled wryly. "Trust me, you're going to need your rest once Yukio-kun figures out just how loud he can cry."
"I guess so." He chanced a glance at the sleeping baby and wrinkled his nose. So far Yukio had only fussed twice since Naruto had woken up – once to feed and once to have his diaper changed. He hadn't heard him actually cry yet, but if he had the same lung capacity as his cousin did … He and Sasuke would be in for quite the treat then.
"It's going to be okay," Deidara murmured and flashed him a reassuring smile before he stood up and made his way to his fiancé.
"You're going to be okay?" Green eyes looked at him intensely; something else, something darker, brewing in the depths of them.
Naruto breathed out slowly and shrugged. "Eventually," he admitted. "I'm just – angry and tired now." Actually that wasn't an accurate description of how he was feeling at the moment, because he felt like he was going to burst with the myriad of feelings that were warring inside of him: fury, exhaustion, protectiveness, fear, hope, love … They were all wrapped up, tangled together, and it was hard to distinguish which one had the upper hand.
"You've got us," Gaara said quietly. He made an aborted move as if he wanted to hug Naruto before thinking better of it and settling with grabbing his hand firmly. "We've got your back; she's not going to win this."
"I know," Naruto said and this time his smile was a tad more genuine as he squeezed Gaara's hand softly.
"I'll be back tomorrow," Gaara promised, released his hand and got up. "Get some rest; you definitely earned that after today."
"You too," Naruto told him. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," he added, not wanting his best friend's already unstable sleeping schedule to suffer even more because he was worrying about him.
The red haired man clucked his tongue and offered him a deadpan look. "Of course you're going to be fine – we'll make sure of that."
With that rather ominous comment he left the room, nodding at Sasuke before disappearing into the corridor where nurses and doctors could be heard walking and chattering quietly. Gaara's odd comment made Naruto remember how utterly still the older man had become when he had heard of Sakura's visit, how his body had subtly tensed up and his eyes had darkened, acquiring an edge Naruto hadn't seen in a long time.
It made the blond man wonder whether letting Gaara leave like that was a good idea. Gaara had been clear about the fact that if anyone tried to mess with Naruto, they'd have to deal with him and his threats weren't ones to take lightly. He wasn't one to make idle threats – his warnings were always best to heed, because he wasn't a guy one should make an enemy out of.
Perhaps he should call him, try to discern whether he was planning something, but … Gaara had said he would come back tomorrow; that wasn't enough time to be planning something, much less carry it out. Naruto didn't think he would do anything immediately either – at least not until they had an idea on how to proceed with their lawyer.
The sound of the door clicking shut broke through his thoughts and he blinked, looking up at Sasuke, who made his way back to the bed; his face etched with weariness.
"We can probably expect Deidara to show up again tomorrow," he commented, lowering himself into the chair. Almost automatically his hand reached out to grab Naruto's. "Not sure about mother, but it wouldn't surprise me if she showed up again later this week before you leave here."
"Gaara said he's coming over tomorrow as well," Naruto said and the corners of his mouth twitched faintly. "At least I can't say I'll be lonely. You're going into the office tomorrow?"
The dark haired man snorted. "Fuck that," he said dismissively, though he lowered his voice as if he thought Yukio would hear his cursing. "I'm taking the next couple of days off. It's nearly weekend anyway."
"Your work - "
"Itachi can pick up some files for me when he drops by tomorrow," Sasuke replied swiftly. "Besides, I'm entitled to some days off. I won't get twelve months considering I haven't been working there for a year already, but still."
"I'll have to call Jiraiya and Iruka tomorrow," Naruto muttered, rubbing his free hand over his eyes. With all the commotion that had happened today, he had neglected to call the two men.
Sasuke uttered a soft noise. "Not like they expected a call from you before Friday anyway," he remarked, leaning back into the chair with closed eyes.
"While Tsunade is going to give us some leeway because she feels sorry for us, I doubt she's going to allow you to stay the night," Naruto commented lightly.
Dark eyes opened again. "I wish I could stay the nights until you're back home with Yukio," he said darkly; his fingers twitching faintly around Naruto's.
"A nurse or Tsunade will be here if I need them," Naruto said quietly, pinpointing Sasuke's reason for worry instantly even if the man hadn't said it directly. "She's going to lay low now for a while I think. Until she gets us into court that is," he added and couldn't help the bitterness he felt from leaking into his voice.
How had they come to the point that his former best friend was dragging him to court about the custody of his own son?
"She's not going to win." Confidence rang loudly in Sasuke's voice even when his eyes shone with frustration and anger.
"Yeah …" Naruto trailed off and lowered himself against his pillow, pulling the sheet higher up. "I'm going to sleep a bit before Yukio wakes up."
Sasuke pursed his lips but nodded, settling in more comfortable in the chair, which squeaked a bit underneath his weight.
Naruto drifted away to the sounds of Sasuke's regular breathing and the rhythmic beeping noises of the monitors.
"I can already tell you that her case is very weak," Konan announced primly, brushing a lock of her blue hair behind her ear. A clip with a large, soft white flower kept the hair on her left side out of her face.
It was Sunday evening, two days after Naruto had returned home with Yukio. Itachi and Deidara had arrived with a blue haired woman in tow and had introduced her as Konan, the lawyer they recommended. They knew her because she was the wife of Nagato, a colleague of Itachi and Sasuke. Apparently she had made quite the name for herself, known for never losing a case.
As Naruto had busied himself with feeding Yukio and putting him to sleep, Sasuke had informed Konan about what had occurred in the hospital room and Sakura's threat to drag them into court and take custody of Yukio.
"My signature on that paper looks very convincing," Naruto said sourly, taking a seat next to Sasuke. He wanted to believe her, but the contract kept bothering him, leaving a sick feeling behind. He knew he hadn't signed that contract, but would a judge believe him?
She inclined her head and crossed her legs, adjusting the papers on her lap. "Even if you had truly signed that document, you still have the right to change your mind considering you're the one who carried and birthed the child," she explained. "She can wave with that contract all she wants, in the end your final decision is what counts. If you state in court that you don't want to relinquish your parental rights, the judge won't question it. It's your baby, your decision. She has no claim to the baby whatsoever, even if you initially started out as her surrogate."
She spread out her hands. "Not to mention, she's a recently divorced woman who clearly carries a grudge, works long hours at the hospital and has no family around these parts that she can count on – all these factors will definitely work against her even if she had a shot at gaining custody. She can't exactly provide a stable environment for a child."
"What do you suggest we do?" Sasuke inquired, smiling absently at Aihime who was resting on his lap and clearly not ready to go to sleep yet. She was grappling at his finger and grinning brightly whenever she caught her, cooing at it while she tugged his finger closer.
"Call her bluff." Konan shrugged. "It's an easy case to win – I'm actually surprised her lawyer is willing to go forth with it, because they have to know she doesn't stand a chance."
"Is there a way to discourage her from trying anything else, un?" Deidara frowned. He was seated on Itachi's lap; his leg resting against Sasuke's.
"Well, forging a signature is a misdemeanour," she replied, tapping her fingers softly on the papers on her thighs. "If we can prove she forged it, she'll be looking at a sentence of minimum one month to five years. While she might not effectively spend that time in prison, it'll most likely serve as a great deterrent, given that this sentence wouldn't reflect well on her – or her career," she added with a thin smile.
"Thing is," Naruto piped up, furrowing his eyebrows, "I don't think she's the one who forged my signature. She once tried that with her mum's signature on a test she failed, but she got called out on it because her attempt didn't look like her mum's signature in the least."
"I remember that," Sasuke murmured. "She got grounded for a month."
Konan tilted her head to the left. "So she had an accomplice forging the signature," she surmised with a small nod. "Can you think of anyone who'd have wanted to help her with this?"
They all exchanged glances with each other. There was one person Naruto could think of who might have wanted to help Sakura with this, but what would he have to gain by doing this? Not to mention he didn't look like the type to know how to forge signatures, that would be beneath him – unless he knew someone, of course.
Still, Naruto was reluctant to verbalise his suspicion, because … Well, he couldn't really have gone this far to hurt them, right?
"I'm … not sure whether he would help her with something like this," Sasuke started, sounding oddly subdued, "but she might have got help from my father."
"Your father?" Konan repeated curiously. "Does your father have any reason to help your ex-wife gain custody of the baby?"
"We had a falling out a couple of months ago," he explained stiffly, not even reacting when Aihime clasped both her tiny hands around his index finger. "I told him I was choosing for Naruto and leaving Sakura and he didn't take that particularly well. He threw me out and told me I wasn't his son any longer."
There was still a hint of old pain simmering in his voice and Naruto rubbed his back soothingly, offering his silent support.
"So him aiding Haruno is his revenge for you leaving her?"
"Revenge for me no longer following his wishes," he corrected her wryly. "I've done whatever he told me to do for years and he didn't appreciate it that I chose to no longer obey him."
"Father never liked losing," Itachi murmured, playing absentmindedly with the ring around Deidara's finger. "He wouldn't have forged the signature, though. That's not his style. He'd have employed someone else to do that."
Naruto wondered what kind of business Fugaku conducted if that got him into contact with someone forging signatures as a living.
"We can build a case out of this if we have a sufficient amount of evidence," Konan remarked, scribbling something down on the first paper. "Might even catch multiple offenders if we catch the one who actually forged Uzumaki-san's signature."
"I can ask Kakashi to look into it," Itachi suggested. He leant back a tad when Aihime started becoming fussy and Deidara reached out to lift her from Sasuke's lap.
She inclined her head and started putting the papers back into her briefcase. "Yes, that's an excellent idea," she approved and rose up; her face softening with a small smile as she stuck out her hand. "I'd like to accept your case if that's okay with you. I'm confident I can win this case for you."
"We're grateful that you're willing to do this for us," Sasuke said, standing up as well to shake her hand.
"Yes, thank you for that," Naruto smiled gratefully, shaking her hand next and ignoring the barely there ache in his lower stomach. Unless he started to feel unwell, he would have a check-up done in five weeks. At this point, the ache centred around his stitches was merely an annoyance which only briefly flared up sometimes, depending on how he moved.
She dipped her head and grabbed her briefcase. "Thank me when this is all over. Have a pleasant evening," she said and Sasuke walked with her to the hallway where they could hear them exchange muffled goodbyes.
Deidara whistled lowly. "Haruno is screwed now that Konan's on the case," he said, casting a quick glance down at Aihime as if he wanted to check whether she had heard the foul word. She was more interested in fiddling with one of the buttons on his shirt, though.
"She seems confident," Naruto commented offhandedly, casting a glance at the baby phone resting on the table in front of him. So far Yukio appeared to be still sleeping peacefully. Most likely he'd wake up in a couple of hours to eat again.
"She is," Itachi said calmly as Sasuke entered the living room again. "She's never lost a case and I doubt she'll lose one as easy as yours."
"Yeah well, I'll be able to relax completely once this is all over," Naruto muttered, running his fingers through his hair. He was feeling tired and the idea of going to sleep, even though it was barely past seven was rather enticing. Even with Sasuke getting up throughout the night as well, his sleep schedule had been completely turned upside down since Yukio was born.
Jiraiya had definitely noticed his lack of sleep when an offhand comment during his visit yesterday had earned him a sharp remark from his godson.
"We know, un," Deidara said sympathetically and got up from Itachi's lap. "I think it's best if we go home now. This little one needs her sleep and I think you can use some rest as well before Yukio-kun needs you again."
"Rest, what's rest?" Naruto joked and they exchanged goodbyes before the couple left.
With a sigh, the blond man lied down on the couch, lifting his legs up temporarily for Sasuke to sit down. Resting his legs on top of Sasuke's thighs and feeling hands absently rubbing his calves, he looked at the dark haired man and asked, "What do you think of Konan-san?"
He shrugged, looking pensive. "She's highly recommended by my brother and I trust him," he answered simply. "If he says she can get this job done, then I believe him. What about you?"
"I want to believe she'll win this case," Naruto said after a short pause, worrying his lip between his teeth.
Dark eyebrows furrowed. "But?"
"I know she said no judge will believe a piece of paper over me, but … I'm just – scared," he admitted haltingly; his face and neck growing uncomfortably warm. "I'm scared Sakura's still going to succeed and that I'll – that I won't have - " His breath hitched and a lump formed in his throat, making it harder to get the rest of his words out.
"Hey." Fingers slid underneath his chin, tilting his head up. "She's not going to get our baby," Sasuke said firmly when he had Naruto's attention. "She can try to take him from us as many times as she wants, she's not going to succeed. Yukio is ours, not hers and he'll never be hers."
Naruto jerked his head down in a nod, swallowing past the lump in his throat with some difficulty as he brushed a hand over his damp eyes. The rational part of him knew that he had to trust Konan, had to believe that she was speaking the truth when she stated Sakura had no claim to Yukio whatsoever, no matter what the contract stated, but the other part of him was scared shitless at the thought that he would lose his baby in the end after all.
That he'd be forced to hand over his son to someone who had seemingly made it her mission in life to ruin his by taking away those he loved.
He had always been hailed as the eternal optimistic one in their friend circle, but it was hard to stay optimistic when he was afraid his son would be taken from him.
"It's going to be okay, I promise," Sasuke murmured and leant forwards to press a kiss against the blond's lips. When he pulled back, there was a faint smile playing around his lips. "So, on to a happier note," he said lightly, brushing his hands across Naruto's thighs. "You looking forward to your birthday tomorrow?"
A surprised laugh escaped Naruto. "Honestly? I haven't even thought about - "
A sudden piercing cry interrupted him, warbled through the baby phone and travelling loudly from upstairs to the living room. With a groan, Naruto thumped his head against the back of the couch, rubbing both hands briskly over his face.
"I'll go see what he needs," Sasuke muttered, rising up from the couch.
"If it's a dirty diaper, it's your turn!" Naruto called out quickly.
That earned him one of the throw pillows against his grinning face and a raised middle finger.
Despite the looming threat of Sakura in the back of his mind, Naruto still managed to have a good time on his birthday. Sasuke had taken an additional day off and Gaara stayed for the entire day too. Deidara showed up with Aihime around lunchtime, explaining she had been fussy all morning and he didn't want to risk her setting off Yukio as well. Jiraiya and Iruka dropped by for a couple of hours in the afternoon while Tsunade called to wish him a happy birthday. Even Mikoto called, expressing her regret that she couldn't come by for a visit today.
Itachi showed up around five p.m. carrying a large, thin present. That was the cue for Naruto to open the pile of presents which had grown throughout the day with each new visitor. He received high quality – and quite expensive – paint, together with several new brushes and pure white canvasses. Some books about gardening which made him grin widely, because he'd always been fond of working in a garden, but living in an apartment had restricted what he could do with plants. Now that he had his own house with a big garden, he could finally create the garden he had always wanted to have.
Gaara gifted him a book with a red cover but with no title to declare what it was about. When Naruto opened it curiously, he was astonished to be greeted with Gaara's handwriting. A closer inspection of the first text – the first chapter – revealed what exactly Gaara had written down. His best friend had written an entire book full with fairy tales.
"You didn't have to," Naruto said, awed, as he brushed his hand over the first page, feeling the slight indentations the letters had imprinted on the paper. "This must have taken so long to finish!"
Gaara shrugged, his hands wrapped around a cup of tea. He and Deidara had taken up the cooking for today, even going as far as shooing Naruto out of the kitchen whenever he had attempted to help them. Dinner would be ready in half an hour – plenty of time for Naruto to open the remainder of the gifts.
"I know how much you loved reading fairy tales when we were younger," he said, crossing his legs. "I figured you could share that love with Yukio."
"I love this, thanks, Gaara," Naruto grinned and leant sideways to catch the red haired man in a hug, mindful of the cup in his hand.
"You're welcome," he murmured, embracing him back with one arm.
There was only one present left on the table and it was a small, square, midnight blue box. It was Sasuke's gift for him and he had to admit that this was the present he had been looking forward to getting the most, if only because he couldn't figure out what the dark haired man had got him. Last Christmas he had bought expensive paint for Naruto – but the size of that box ruled the possibility of paint related stuff out for today.
Unless he had bought like one small paint bottle, but Naruto didn't think he had.
"Here, hold him," Sasuke said, from his spot behind the couch, and handed Yukio over to Itachi, who accepted the baby with ease. Yukio gurgled a bit in protest, his little fists clenching and relaxed, before he settled against Itachi's chest; his snow white onesie standing out starkly against the man's black sweater.
"Time for my present," Sasuke muttered and snatched the box off the table. He sat down next to Naruto on the couch, but didn't hand over the box immediately. Instead he took a deep breath and grabbed Naruto's hand, turning around to face him directly.
That had Naruto studying his face bemused; his confusion only growing when he noticed how nervous Sasuke looked. Overall his face was rather impassive, but his dark eyes were brewing, alight with something Naruto only saw when nerves got to the older man too much – which didn't happen very often.
Why would he be nervous about a gift?
"I'm not good with emotional speeches," Sasuke started and smiled wryly. "That's always been more your forte."
"I'm not that emotional," Naruto huffed, squeezing Sasuke's hand.
Sasuke ignored him. "So I'm not even going to try to make a big speech. I just want you to know that I'm always going to be on your side, no matter what happens." His voice softened towards the end and became more solemn at the same time.
Naruto's stomach did an odd flip and his mouth turned oddly dry. He nodded silently; he had never really doubted that Sasuke would be at his side. Sure, in his insecure moments he had worried Sasuke would leave him eventually, but deep down he had always known that he could count on the dark haired man to be there for him.
Why was he so solemn when he said this, though? Why would he think he needed to give an emotional speech because of a birthday gift?
"So, this is …" Sasuke trailed off, retracting his hand out of Naruto's hold to open the small box.
The lid popped back with a sharp 'clack' sound, revealing …
Naruto's breathing hitched and his mouth dropped open as his brain comprehended what exactly he was staring out. Slowly reaching out with his hand, he said breathlessly, "Sasuke, what does this …"
"It's a promise ring," Sasuke explained; a faint tremor going through his right hand when he plucked the ring from its small dark red pillow. It was silver coloured and when Sasuke turned it just so, blue eyes could pick out the small half moon engraved on the inside.
"A promise that I'll be with you, no matter what," he continued and the ring gleamed in the light when he held it up. "And then later I thought we could exchange these promise rings for a different pair."
The hint at marriage had Naruto's stomach doing flips and turns in a pleasant way even as his cheeks warmed and he let out a jittery chuckle. "Why the moon?"
The older man tilted his head to the left and smiled. "Because you compared me to the moon once before, remember? When we discovered you couldn't hold your liquor." His dark eyes twinkled amused. "I let my ring be engraved with a sun, seeing as you likened yourself to that."
"Oh god," Naruto groaned, slapping his hands in front of his face even as the others laughed and Gaara muttered, "So that's what happened when you got drunk the first time."
"I can't believe you remembered that!" Naruto said, slightly horrified. They had been eighteen at the time and he had pilfered a bottle of sake from Jiraiya. He and Sasuke had drunk it together during a weekend that Sakura had been away for a visit at her grandparents' place.
He couldn't remember much from that evening as he had been a bit enthusiastic with the sake, but he could recall some flashes – including the moment in which he had informed Sasuke that he was just like the moon, beautiful and mysterious and out of reach of every mortal person. He had thought, hoped, that Sasuke hadn't remembered that particular part, because it had hinted way too close at his feelings back then. The older man hadn't mentioned anything about it the next morning, so Naruto had assumed relieved that the other man had been too drunk to remember anything.
Apparently he hadn't been wasted enough.
"Of course I remembered that," Sasuke smirked. "You were quite poetic back then." His smirk faded away when he held out the ring to the blond and the nervous look was back in his eyes as if he wasn't certain how his lover would react. "So, do you want to - "
"Such a stupid question," Naruto grinned, even if it was a tad watery, and held out his hand, wriggling his fingers in anticipation.
If both their hands trembled a bit when Sasuke slid the ring around his finger, well, their family and friends were nice enough not to remark on it.
The light weight around his ring finger felt strange, but good at the same time. The metal quickly warmed up and he couldn't help but stretch his fingers and admire the sight of the silver ring adorning his finger.
The sight of it was so surreal, yet it left him giddy beyond belief. If he felt this excited already about a promise ring, he was probably going to lose his shit once one of them actually proposed.
The fact that a proposal, actual marriage, didn't sound that farfetched anymore had his head spinning wildly.
"Where's your ring?" he asked, tearing his eyes away from his ring, ignoring the amused look of the others.
Dark eyes blinked startled. "Ah, here, in my pocket."
"Give it here, I want to put it around your finger," Naruto said eagerly and Sasuke handed over the ring with a bemused smile.
The ring looked the same as Naruto's, with the only difference being the sun engraved on the inside. His cheeks were hurting with how big his smile was, but he didn't care as he slipped the ring around a slender finger.
"I promise to be on your side no matter what," he stated, even if it was probably unnecessary to state such an obvious thing.
They sealed their promise with a kiss, tasting each other's smile; their hands bearing the rings linked together.
This was definitely the best birthday he had had so far.
"Is he asleep?"
Naruto turned his head slightly. "Yeah, he fell asleep a couple of minutes ago," he whispered, watching from the corner of his eye how Gaara crept closer.
Sasuke and Itachi had offered to do the dishes after dinner and Naruto had gone upstairs after feeding Yukio to let him sleep in his crib. The crib was in their bedroom so that they would be able to get to their son quickly if he needed them throughout the night.
Gaara stepped around some clothes of Naruto – which he had forgotten to put in the basket, damn it – with ease and came to stand next to the younger man, looking into the crib.
"He looks like Uchiha," he murmured thoughtfully before a faint smirk played around his lips as he continued lightly, "He's got his set of lungs from you, though."
"Shut up," Naruto snickered softly, bumping their shoulders together. Yukio had made it known very loudly that he had been hungry, which of course had set off his cousin too. Deidara must have managed to calm her down, though, because he couldn't hear any more crying downstairs.
"Let's hope he doesn't have your penchant for getting into trouble," Gaara remarked, crossing his arms on the edge of the crib.
"God, I hope not," Naruto shuddered, grimacing. That would really be a disaster if Yukio took after him in that aspect.
The two friends stood there in silence for a while, watching Yukio sleep peacefully. He was clenching his fists occasionally and sometimes he kicked with his little feet. He slept with his face turned towards his daddy; his lips pursed in a small pout.
"There's something I've been meaning to ask you for a while," Naruto started softly; his gaze still fixated on his son. "Don't feel obligated to say yes, though." He felt, rather than saw, green eyes looking at him.
"All right," Gaara said slowly. "What's the question?"
"Do you want to be Yukio's godfather?"
It was quiet for such a long time that Naruto felt compelled to look up and check whether Gaara was still in the room and hadn't suddenly disappeared.
He was – looking positively shell shocked. "What?" he uttered blankly; his green eyes wide and his fingers curled around the edge of the crib.
"Do you want to be Yukio's godfather?" Naruto repeated and faltered when his friend just kept staring at him, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You don't have to accept it, you know," he added uncertainly. "Sasuke and I talked about it and we just figured we'd - "
"Why not his brother?" The question was abrupt, curt, and Gaara was frowning slightly.
Not exactly a positive sign. "Maybe we'll ask him if we're going to have another baby," he answered lightly before sighing and running his hands through his hair. "Sasuke and he – they're still mending old wounds. It's not even been a year since they reconnected and it didn't feel right to Sasuke to ask Itachi to become our son's godfather."
"So you decided to ask me," Gaara stated monotone, blinking slowly.
"You're our first choice actually," Naruto said and bit his lip. "Look, if you don't want to, I understand. We'll ask someone - "
"I'll do it," Gaara cut him off. "I'll be his godfather."
"You're sure?" Naruto eyed him, rubbing the back of his neck. "Because you don't have to feel obligated just because you're my best friend. If you don't want to - "
"Are you trying to pull back your offer?" Gaara scowled at him, looking honestly offended that Naruto might rethink asking him to be the godfather.
The corners of his mouth twitched. "Of course not! I'm happy you accepted! My best friend's my baby's godfather!" he crooned and hugged Gaara, careful not to jostle the crib.
"You're an idiot," Gaara muttered but embraced him back.
"Thanks, Gaara. I mean it."
"Yeah, I know." A pause. "Someone has to teach that kid not to be an idiot like you can be after all."
"Hey!"
Later, when everyone had returned home and he and Sasuke had gone to bed, Sasuke pulled him in his arms, mindful of the way he kept his arm around his lover's waist.
"So, good birthday?" he asked softly in the dark.
Naruto smiled, wrapping his own arm around Sasuke's hips underneath the blanket. "Best birthday ever," he murmured and they shared a soft kiss before falling asleep.
Life resumed its normal routine. Still on leave, Naruto took care of the household and Yukio during the day with Sasuke taking up shifts during the night and the weekends. He still took up a free day here and there, but Naruto was worried that if he did that too much he might get into trouble with the company, seeing as he hadn't even been working there for a year yet.
Until Sasuke reminded him dryly that his brother was the one giving him days off and that he still got some work done on those days. Which was – fair and Naruto's worry lessened with that reassurance.
Konan kept them updated whenever there was news. Kakashi had accepted the assignment of figuring out just who had forged the signature; as long as that investigation was going on, Sakura's case of demanding custody couldn't be brought before the judge yet. They hadn't won anything yet, but Naruto still considered that a small victory. As long as that particular battle didn't start, she couldn't touch his son at all.
When Yukio was six weeks old, Naruto visited Tsunade again for his check-up. Sasuke drove him to the appointment and held Yukio in his arms as the doctor examined Naruto carefully, checking his stitches amongst other things.
"Your way of healing will never cease to amaze me, brat," she chuckled, shaking her head fondly as she took a step back, gesturing for him to lower his sweater again.
"That's good, right?" Naruto questioned, just to be certain, as he swung his legs off the examination table.
"That's definitely good," she confirmed, going back to her desk. "Your stitches have healed perfectly and I haven't detected any other issues. Unless you're experiencing discomfort somewhere?" She looked at him questioningly.
He shook his head, sinking down in the chair next to Sasuke. "Nope, feeling fine aside from being sleep deprived," he smiled wryly, but his smile softened when he reached out to caress Yukio's cheek.
"Can't do much about that I'm afraid," she smiled sympathetically, twirling a pen between her fingers. "Except pray that he'll be quick to sleep through the night. So, do you have any questions left with regards to this check-up?"
He actually had one question, but it – sounded weird to voice that one aloud and he could feel his cheeks reddening at just the thought of asking her. He really wanted to know the answer, though, and he didn't particularly trust the internet in this case, because what if he searched the information on the wrong website? Maybe he could ask Deidara? Considering he had been in the same situation as him now. On the other hand, that might be even more embarrassing than just asking Tsunade.
"Just spit it out, brat," Tsunade said dryly. "What do you want to ask?"
A look at the tiny smirk gracing Sasuke's lips told Naruto he shouldn't expect any real help from him and he scowled at the older man before steeling himself with a deep breath. "Eh, yeah, it's just – I've been wondering when, you know, eh, when Sasuke and I can …" he trailed off, making some awkward hand movements between him and Sasuke, hoping that would suffice and that Tsunade wouldn't be so cruel as to actually let him say it aloud.
Light brown eyes glinted and for a couple of seconds it looked like she would indeed be that cruel. Then she seemed to take pity on him and snorted, leaning back into her chair. "In my medical point of view, you're completely cleared, even for those particular activities," she smirked before sobering up. "That said, you still need to be careful about the positions because your abdominal area can still be quite sensitive and putting too much pressure on it isn't a good idea. You also need to make sure you use protection, because there is a chance you might end up pregnant again otherwise and you probably don't want another baby so soon after this one."
"I love Yukio with all my heart, but one baby is definitely enough for me for now," Naruto said solemnly.
"Hear that, Yukio?" Sasuke murmured to their son. "You managed to tire your daddy out. A feat nobody could accomplish before!"
"Mean," Naruto whined and pinched his thigh in retaliation.
"Aside from that, no more questions?" Tsunade asked; her eyes glittering with amusement.
"None, no."
"All right, then shoo, brat. I've still got other patients to see."
Once he was done drying himself off after his shower that evening, he halted in front of the mirror and studied himself carefully, taking note of how he looked like.
His hair was sticking in every imaginable direction, but that was not exactly a surprise. There were light bags darkening his eyes, courtesy of being woken up several times throughout the night. Blue eyes trailed lower, passing his slightly swollen chest, down to his stomach and he pursed his lips, cocking his head to the right. His stomach wasn't flat yet; gingerly he poked the small layer of fat still lingering around his waist. It wasn't that bad, he conceded, turning a bit to check himself from his left side.
Sure, it was still somewhat noticeable, but then again, he had only given birth six weeks ago, so he thought he could be given some slack.
Would Sasuke be bothered by it? He thought back to the past few weeks. They hadn't been able to do much – and hadn't been allowed yet – bar exchanging some kisses and cuddles. Sasuke hadn't appeared particularly bothered by the bit of extra weight, so …
Only one way to find out, he thought, feeling both apprehensive and excited as he pulled on his light blue dressing gown over his underwear. He wore nothing else.
On his way downstairs, he stopped in their bedroom first, checking on his son. He had been put to bed an hour ago and was still sleeping peacefully. With a little sigh of relief, he continued his trek to the ground floor, making a beeline for the living room.
Sasuke was on the couch, leaving through some papers he had brought with him yesterday and making some notes. He didn't look up when Naruto entered the room, save for letting out a distracted hum as a sign he knew his lover was approaching.
Mischief winning from nerves, Naruto stopped behind Sasuke and leant down, wrapping his arms around strong shoulders. "Got a lot of work left?" he murmured in Sasuke's ear and smiled when he felt the man shiver slightly.
"Hm, not really," Sasuke answered and stilled when fingers started unbuttoning his shirt; the small, white buttons popping out of their buttonholes one by one. "So that's why you asked that question." A smirk coloured his voice as he captured Naruto's hands and looked up; his dark eyes gleaming when he caught sight of Naruto's chest peeking through the gap in his dressing gown.
"Don't tell me you didn't want to know that as well," Naruto scoffed and let out a startled laugh when arms snaked up, wrapped around him and pulled him over the back of the couch. He landed in Sasuke's lap, crinkling the papers underneath his arse before he lifted his hips and pulled them away, holding the crumpled papers up in the air.
"Oops, hope that wasn't anything important," Naruto said and grinned when the papers were snatched out of his hand and thrown impatiently on the table in front of them.
"They're just papers," Sasuke said dismissively; one of his hands already sneaking between Naruto's legs, brushing against the sensitive skin there and eliciting a tiny shudder.
"Important papers?"
"Papers which can be reprinted," Sasuke retorted before he locked their mouths together in a surprisingly fierce kiss, edging into possessive.
Naruto returned the kiss with equal passion, pressing himself closer against Sasuke, sliding his hand into soft, inky black locks and curling his fingers around them. He tightened them when fingers dipped underneath his underwear, following the crease where his leg joined his hip. Then those devious fingers disappeared and curled around the waistband of his underwear and started tugging – an action Naruto approved wholeheartedly of.
He pulled back with a soft gasp, tilting his face to the ceiling as lips descended down his jaw, into his neck and –
"WAAAAHHHH!"
Instantly cerulean blue eyes shot open and they stopped, freezing against each other for a moment as the fog of lust dissolved abruptly.
"You've got to be kidding me," Naruto groaned, falling backwards and thumping his head against the armrest. "He was sleeping when I came down!"
"Guess I'll go see what he wants," Sasuke sighed and slipped from underneath Naruto's legs, standing up with a groan.
"There goes the mood," Naruto mumbled morosely, staring disappointed at his lower body.
Sasuke bent down with a chuckle, kissing him quickly. "We'll catch it again once he's back to sleep," he promised.
Then he winced when the crying reached a higher pitch and he hurried upstairs to tend to their son.
Well, at least Naruto wasn't the one who had to deal with a possible dirty diaper this time. Small mercies.
A week later, on Friday evening, they received a call from Konan. Sasuke accepted the call and put it on loudspeaker so that Naruto could listen at the same time.
"Good evening, Uchiha-san, Uzumaki-san," she greeted them pleasantly. "I have news regarding your case."
"Oh? What kind of news?" Naruto asked curiously, adjusting Yukio slightly when he started fussing around. He latched back onto Naruto's nipple and started drinking again, his small hand resting against the warm skin.
"We've got enough evidence to bring the case in front of a judge," she declared to their astonishment.
"Wait, already?" Sasuke uttered baffled and he shared a wide eyed look with the blond. To be honest the both of them had already resigned themselves to months of living in uncertainty.
"Yes, Kakashi-san collected all the necessary evidence this week," she said. "We've got the name of the one who forged Uzumaki-san's signature, together with a list of his 'clients' – including Haruno-san. A deposition of someone else left Haruno-san no choice but to confess what she had planned, which was indeed getting full custody of the baby in hope that it would make you, Uchiha-san, leave Uzumaki-san in order to be with your child."
Naruto closed his eyes, experiencing a feeling of disgust so great it made his whole mouth taste vile. Of course that had been her plan. Had she really thought that all she needed to do was get custody of the baby and that Sasuke would willingly go back to her? Had it never occurred to her that doing such a thing would push Sasuke even further away?
No, it hadn't, he realised with a weariness he could feel deep in his bones. Because she had believed that Sasuke loving Naruto had to be just a phase, something influenced by the prospect of becoming a father. That Sasuke really loved Naruto was an impossible concept for her – because that meant she no longer stood a chance.
"Who was the witness who provided the deposition?" Sasuke questioned, frowning slightly. "If they knew about the plan, why not try to stop her?"
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "When Kakashi-san discovered the link between the forger and Haruno-san, this person agreed to testify on paper against her if they were kept anonymous. They don't want their reputation to be smeared if anyone got wind of this particular scandal."
"Is it someone we know?" Sasuke asked with slight trepidation.
Another short bout of silence before she released a soft sigh. "Look, normally I'm not allowed to give the name of someone who requested to stay anonymous, but in this case it might be better for you if I do tell you."
"That doesn't sound ominous at all," Naruto mumbled warily.
"You were right on the mark concerning your father, Uchiha-san," she continued, ignoring Naruto's interruption. "He got Haruno-san into contact with the forger and knew about her plan from the start."
Sasuke rubbed a hand over his forehead, looking more frustrated than shocked. "What the hell could he have to gain from that? He didn't even like that we used surrogacy to begin with!" he spat.
"A grandchild," Naruto realised unsettled. "He must have believed as well that you would have gone back to Sakura if she got Yukio and then you'd be back underneath his thumb."
"He was the one who kicked me out," Sasuke sneered.
"Yeah, but he must have thought that it was just a phase and you'd come to your senses eventually," the blond man murmured. Fugaku had probably expected Sasuke to come crawling back once he was fired from the company and no longer allowed to be in contact with the rest of the family.
He had never expected Sasuke to make it on his own.
"Whatever the reason might be, we've got enough to present our case now," Konan remarked. "If you want, we can settle this whole ordeal as soon as possible."
"Let's," Sasuke decided after looking at Naruto for confirmation. "The sooner we get this settled with, the better," he said grimly.
"All right, I'll call you when I know when we'll be expected in court," she said primly and after sharing goodbyes, she hung up.
"I'm sorry your father is such an arsehole," Naruto said frankly after a moment of silence.
Sasuke sighed, leaning back into the kitchen chair. "Yeah well, when has he not been an arsehole?" he asked rhetorically and shook his head. "I just thought he would never stoop this low."
Naruto gnawed down on his lip when a thought shot through his mind. "Do you think Mikoto knows about this?"
Sasuke stared at him before closing his eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to give her a call," he muttered, looking a tad apprehensive.
Naruto couldn't blame him. He himself wasn't sure whether he really wanted to know how Mikoto would react to her own husband helping Sakura.
One thing was for certain: it wouldn't be pretty.
Mikoto did know about it. She wasn't happy to say the least. She didn't tell Sasuke much about the matter, apparently sounding rather clipped, sharp like she had never talked before, but there would be consequences for Fugaku, she promised her son.
Naruto would feel sorry for him if he didn't dislike the man so much.
After Konan's call, everything happened rather fast. Only a couple of weeks later, on a Tuesday in the middle of December, their presence was expected in court. Naruto had been thrown off guard when Konan told them the date of when their case would be brought before the judge; he had thought it would take at least a couple of months before a judge would be ready to see them. It made him wonder whether she had pulled some strings, but as a lawyer she couldn't have done that, right?
Regardless on Tuesday morning he entered the courtroom, his hand linked with Sasuke's, as they made their way to one of the benches. Gaara was looking after Yukio until they were done here; he had offered to babysit him as soon as he was told about the court date. Naruto hadn't protested; a courtroom wasn't exactly a great place to bring a baby.
As they sat down, blue eyes roamed across the room. The judge – a greying man with a full beard – was talking softly to a man dressed smartly in a dark blue suit. The right side of the room appeared to have been reserved for the defendants with several lawyers discussing something with their clients.
In the front a man sat with his white hair pulled back in a low ponytail. His glasses glinted in the light whenever he moved his head slightly and he was frowning at whatever his lawyer was telling him. His name was Yakushi Kabuto; he was the one who had made a business out of forging papers and signatures. Apparently he had been a protegee of a man named Orochimaru who had had some business dealings with the Uchiha corporation before. It had been unclear whether Orochimaru himself had been involved in the matter; if he had, there was no evidence to tie him to the forging business of his former employee and he had escaped the dance unscathed.
Behind him several of his 'clients' were seated – people who had paid him to forge papers or signatures. From what Naruto had understood, they were considered equally guilty as Yakushi and would be given a punishment in accordance with the severity of their crime.
Most of this clients – there were around ten – were staring at the floor with blank faces, but there was one person who didn't – and who was staring right back at Naruto with fury burning in her green eyes.
Sakura.
Naruto swallowed and looked away; tightening his grip around Sasuke's hand. He hadn't really known what to expect when he would see her again, how he would feel, looking at someone he once thought he could trust with his life.
He had expected to feel fury, regret perhaps, sadness even. Instead, he just felt empty. Perhaps a bit resigned even. Mostly empty, though.
She had made her bed – now she had to lie in it. After today he would never see her again.
"You okay?" Sasuke murmured, bending towards him.
Naruto offered him a faint smile. "Yeah, just – I'm going to be glad once we're back home with Yukio," he said softly.
Once everything would finally be settled here.
Sasuke nodded in understanding and pressed a fleeting kiss against his cheek, before settling back in the bench.
Naruto turned towards the judge, who declared the court session to be open.
Wondering just how exactly this would end.
Naruto didn't understand much of what was being said. The lawyers spoke in a convoluted language, using jargon Naruto could never hope to comprehend in just a few hours. Yakushi's lawyer – a man with a sallow pallor and a weird-looking, thin moustache – simpered that his client couldn't be really faulted as he had been coerced into forging by his higher-ups.
Konan, in comparison, looked like she owned the place, clad in a black woman's suit with a white shirt and black high heels, radiating an aura which stated 'Don't fuck with me'. She talked about the emotional pain her clients had suffered at the thought of losing their child to a woman with no claim to the baby. How Sakura had gone as far as forging the signature of someone she had once claimed was her best friend, just to take his baby away from him, in the misguided belief that her ex-husband would return to her arms. That she shouldn't be left off lightly, because she had been planning to take away a child from his parents in an attempt to get revenge.
More lawyers followed, more explanations as to why this client and that client had let their papers be forged. More excuses, more heated debates between the lawyers.
Naruto let it all wash over him. He was tense throughout the entire session; the words buzzing in his ear before leaving through the other, not much being retained of what was said. He just wanted to know whether Sakura would receive a sentence and if so, what kind.
He just wanted to be back at home, with his son and Sasuke, finally putting all this shit behind them so that they could focus on them again.
He just wanted to be alone with his family.
The session finally ended right before lunch with the judge doling out the sentences. Yakushi received four years in prison; the evidence being too overwhelming to claim innocence. Some of the other people received one to two years, because their fake papers had caused a lot of trouble.
Sakura received six months.
Naruto couldn't really decide whether that was long enough, but in the end, she had received a sentence and no judge would believe she had a claim on Yukio.
That was the most important part.
He felt light, relieved, when he and Sasuke left the courtroom; a smile dancing across his lips. It was finally over. He could go to Gaara, pick up Yukio and start making preparations for Christmas.
Their life together could finally start without the threat of Sakura looming over them.
Itachi was waiting for them outside the courtroom. "How did it go?" he asked, but he looked relaxed, as if he already knew how it had gone.
The smiles on his brother's and Naruto's faces might have given away the outcome already.
"I'm going to call Gaara with the news," Naruto told Sasuke.
The dark haired man nodded and they shared a brief kiss before Naruto left him standing with his brother, making his way deeper into the corridor to make the call in peace.
"And, how did it go?" Gaara asked immediately. The phone had barely had the chance to ring it seemed.
A laugh bubbled up and Naruto rubbed his neck. "It went well – that's probably not the right word to describe it," he corrected himself wryly. "But she received six months and now no judge will believe she's got a claim on Yukio."
"Of course they wouldn't believe that," Gaara snorted. "Her contract was a shitty piece of evidence – no judge would believe her over you."
"Yeah well, it's still a relief," Naruto said, catching Sasuke's eyes and quirking a smile before he turned around again. "I'm just glad it's over and done with. How's my baby boy? Is he behaving?"
"He's sleeping," Gaara told him. "He was a bit fussy, though, so I think he's missing his daddy."
"Well, tell him daddy and papa will be there soon," Naruto grinned.
It happened without warning.
One moment he was grinning and talking to Gaara, the next moment, a furious shriek rebounded through the corridor.
"I FUCKING HATE YOU! YOU FUCKING WHORE!"
When Naruto turned around in shock, his eyes widened when he saw Sakura storming towards him; her face alight with burning hate.
"Naruto, what's happening - "
Before Naruto could step back, Sakura was there right in front of him and then -
"NARUTO!" Sasuke yelled and for the first time in his life panic coloured his voice.
Panic? Why would Sasuke be panicking? Why was everybody suddenly screaming around him? Sakura was wrestled away by two policemen, still screaming and shrieking, kicking out with her legs and Naruto …
He – he felt odd actually. Like something … His head was starting to grow somewhat fuzzy and why was his sight darkening? Had she hit him on the head?
There was something warm spreading out on his chest and he wondered dazed whether he had somehow started leaking milk. Numbly he looked down, expecting to see his shirt growing damp.
Oh.
That was – he was – oh, so he wasn't leaking, but …
His shirt was steadily growing redder and the source of that was …
A knife.
She had stabbed him with a knife. In his chest.
Huh, so that was why everything …
Arms slipped around him and he looked up numbly, his legs buckling underneath him.
Wide, horrified, dark eyes were the last thing he saw before darkness consumed him.
In the end their life together wouldn't start after all.
AN2: Did I really end it at this place? Yes, I did. Am I evil? Yes, I am. Do I regret doing this? *cackles*
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
The next chapter - the epilogue in fact - will normally be posted on the 29th of June.
Until then *bows*
Cuddles
Melissa
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Crossing Boundaries for You