Spartan Ninjas (Abandoned WIP)

Disclaimer: We do not own or gain any profit from Naruto.
Reviews are welcome.

Author's Note: for further reference here is a key to help you follow the story:
::this:: is a character's own personal thoughts

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Spartan Ninjas
~ Chapter Twelve ~
By: Cecilia Tsukineko and Kirei Kitsue
Beta'd by Sammei

----------A Month and a Half Later, Night Before Thanksgiving-----------
It was just beginning to get dark when Naruto finished packing the trunk of Sasuke's Chevelle with their dirty clothes, his laptop, and their possessions that weren't being used. They were going to Naruto's house for the holiday and Naruto was all excited about seeing his pet bullfrog again, as well as his grandmother's cooking. Sucking an abused knuckle, he shut the trunk and climbed into the driver's seat. "You ready?" he asked Sasuke as he climbed in, just having come out of the building.

"Room's locked and everything's secured. Let's go..." he said and buckled his seatbelt before leaning the seat back a little to get comfortable. "Are you sure we have everything...?"

Naruto nodded and started the car after buckling up. "You and Kakashi sent out the latest batch of letters today, right?" he asked as he drove onto Shaw Lane. "Have you gotten any replies yet?"

"No. It'll take a while before we get any replies. International mail takes forever," he said casually and stretched a little before slouching in his seat ready to take a nap. "You'll have to thank Jiraiya for his help in translating into some of those weird languages he knew off the top of his head..."

"I had to threaten to not give him any more chapters of the book we're translating in order to get him to help," Naruto laughed. "And to take away his Playboys... I think that was the thing that did it. But anyway, did you send out the latest batch?"

"Oh... uh... yeah we did. That was the last of them too. We'll get replies in a few months."

"Okay." Naruto reached over and gave Sasuke's knee a squeeze before flipping through the CDs in the changer, looking for his Gravitation soundtrack. Once found he put it on "Rage Beat" and sat back, slowly fighting his way through the streets clogged with students going home for the weekend. He was saving "Shining Collection" for the highway.

With a deep sigh Sasuke relaxed back in his bucket seat and closed his eyes, sleep overtaking him almost immediately.

---

A couple hours later Naruto put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and gently shook him. They were parked in Mika's driveway. "Hey, sleepy. We're here," Naruto said.

He woke instantly, and though a little groggy managed to put his seat upright and undo his seatbelt before he fell back and let the sleepiness slowly slip away from him. Meanwhile, hooded black eyes took in the quaint house in front of them. "Nice..." he mumbled and got out of the car moving around to the trunk.

"Yeah. We love it. My Jii-chan grew up in this house, and then my dad. My room used to be Dad's," Naruto said as he unloaded the trunk of dirty clothes, saving everything else for later. He took the heavier bags since Sasuke still effectively had only one working arm and managed to ring the doorbell with his elbow.

There was loud barking from inside and the sound of Mika scolding affectionately before the door opened. "Hey you two. I was beginning to wonder." She was holding a very wiggly miniature Schnauzer under one arm.

"Class got out a little late, sorry. Hey Guen," Naruto chirped as he leaned down to kiss the dog... and nearly dropped his bags.

"Here, I'll trade you," Mika laughed, handing the hyper dog to her grandson and taking the laundry bags. "Hello Sasuke," she greeted with a smile. "Go ahead and dump those right here in the entrance. I'll get to them in a bit." She headed for the laundry room.

Laughing as Guen tried to lick his face, Naruto turned her around and presented her to Sasuke. "Sasuke, meet Guenevere. Watch out, she just might wash you to death."

"What's with the mop-end?" Sasuke asked as he came in behind the two of them and dropped the lighter stuff he'd managed to carry in before closing the door with his left elbow.

"Baa-chan wanted a dog that was low-maintenance," Naruto explained, holding the little dog in the crook of his arm and rubbing her belly. "She picked a schnauzer because they don't shed. Then she found out just how hyper they can be." He grinned mischievously. "Hyper dog plus hyper kid equals many headaches for Grandma."

"At least it isn't a Jack Russell..." Sasuke murmured and rubbed one of the Schnauzer's ears for a moment before turning and opening the door again. "You want to get the rest of the stuff in so we don't forget to leave anything behind... and so that we don't have to worry about it later? Or do you want to wait? I know we aren't going to want to do it after dinner is over..."

"It can wait until Sunday. That way we're not tripping over it all weekend since I was planning on just dumping it all in my room." Naruto gave the dog a kiss on her crown and set her on the floor. She promptly began running circles around Sasuke's feet, dancing on her hind legs and sniffing at his knees curiously.

"Guen, leave him alone," Mika laughed, returning to grab the last few bags of clothes. Guen ignored her completely. "Sorry Sasuke, but she just loves new people."

"I see that..." he muttered as he looked down at the dog. He closed the door and then looked to Naruto. This was Naruto's place so certainly Naruto would lead in what they would do.

Naruto sat on the floor and took his shoes off, then pulled off one of his socks. "Oh Guen... look what I have..." he sing-songed, waving the sock like a flag. The little dog immediately attacked, play-growling and trying to steal the sock.

"Good idea. And if you can get her to fall asleep, that would be wonderful. She's been a right little terror all day. When did you get the new cast, Sasuke?" Mika asked curiously, throwing the last couple bags of clothes down the stairs to the basement. She'd take care of laundry later.

"Uhm... a week or two ago," he answered with a slight half-shrug as he ran his fingers through Naruto's messy blond spikes. "Hey you... let's take the dog for a walk and tire her out that way... And then we can come and help with the rest of dinner, if Mika wants our help that is... I know how women are in the kitchen."

"Oh? And just how are women in the kitchen?" Mika asked with a raised eyebrow, pretending to be offended.

Liking Sasuke's suggestion, Naruto got up and grabbed Guen's leash, much to her delight.

"Bossy... and in the end they shoo you out and do it themselves," Sasuke answered as he looped an arm about Naruto's waist and guided him and in effect the leashed dog out of the door.

"Hey! I need my shoes!" Naruto wriggled free from Sasuke and pulled his shoes on after replacing his sock, not caring that it had dog spit on it. "Okay, let's go."

Mika just chuckled at Sasuke's answer and went to start dinner.

Naruto led Sasuke through his neighborhood, easily keeping Guen in line even though she was bouncing everywhere. "Yay, four day weekend. Is there anything you want to do after Thanksgiving before we go back to school?"

"No," Sasuke said simply walking alongside Naruto at an easy amble. They weren't touching at the moment, but that was to be expected. On the grounds of the University such things were protected, but here in the real world bad things could happen to Mika and the Uzumaki property if it were found out that Naruto was gay. One never knew where bigots lurked. Even on campus - as with anywhere - Sasuke only showed real affection in 'public' when there was no immediate public around to see. Anapolis had been an accident and at the same time proven why.

"No? So, what, you just wanna sit in the house all weekend and be slugs?" Naruto teased playfully, grinning a bit. He waved a quick greeting at a neighbor working in her garden but his attention never left Sasuke. He wanted to tangle his fingers with Sasuke's but he knew there were people on his street who had never approved of him being bi and, while they had never done anything more than talk about their dislike, he didn't want to give anyone a reason to do more than just talk.

"Yeah... something like that... I think slugs isn't exactly the way I would have put it... Usurakontachi..." Sasuke taunted lightly and reached out to ruffle Naruto's hair affectionately.

Naruto made a face and razzed him for the abuse of his hair, but it was all in good fun. "Jackass."

"Dobe..."

"Bastard."

"Ahou."

Growling playfully Naruto looped his arm around Sasuke's neck and pulled him down for a noogie. "Perv."

"Perv?!" he pretended to sound indignant but at the same time he twisted and bent them so that his mouth brushed Naruto's ear whispering, "And you're complaining?"

Laughing Naruto let Sasuke go and poked his side. "See, that's what I mean," he teased brightly, putting his hands behind his head. "Hornball. Dunno why I put up with you," he joked.

"I could show you... but it'll have to wait..." he teased and shoved his hands back into his hoody pockets, refusing any further discussion on the subject... for the moment. It wasn't long before they were heading back and were soon ensconced in the warm house with the smell of home-cooking wafting all around them. Sasuke settled on the couch and watched the little dog crawl into her napping bed tucked between the loveseat and the couch and then looked up at Naruto who was coming back from hanging up the leash.

Naruto sat in his lap sideways, resting his head on Sasuke's shoulder with a happy sigh. It was so wonderful to be home, and having Sasuke there made it even better. "How much longer till food?" he called.

"'Bout ten minutes. I'll call you when it's done," Mika called back from the kitchen.

"You got pumpkin pie, right?"

"We're saving that for tomorrow, remember?"

"Damn," Naruto muttered. He really wanted pie.

Wrapping his arms around Naruto, Sasuke tilted his head to rest it against Naruto's. For a moment, he experienced an odd sense of déjà vu that didn't quite fit him somehow... like he was looking out of a body much too small and untoned... but it was gone in an instant. "Why are we saving the pie for tomorrow?" he asked softly and kissed Naruto's forehead, his breath stirring the short, spiky bangs that spilled over the moderate expanse of smooth skin.

"'Cause tomorrow's Thanksgiving, not today," Naruto answered with equal softness, worming an arm between Sasuke's back and the couch to circle Sasuke's waist. "Can't I have just one piece?" he called to Mika.

"No. You'll just have to wait."

"Double damn."

Tilting his head Sasuke hummed in acquiescence of that statement and rubbed Naruto's temple lightly with his chin.

Purring quietly Naruto snuggled closer, nuzzling at Sasuke's neck. All that was needed was a crackling fire and this moment would have been absolute perfection.

---

Dinner - when they were finally called - was a short affair consisting of mostly silence and chewing. Sasuke had his leg pressed to Naruto's, their calves twined around each other so that the inside-arches of their feet were snug against each other. Then Sasuke and Naruto cleared the table and rinsed the dishes before settling back at the table for Oreo cookies and milk.

"Hey Baa-chan, is there a poker game this Saturday?" Naruto asked around a mouthful of cookie.

Mika raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Of course there's a game this weekend. You wanna play?" When Naruto nodded she added, "This time it's at Liz's house." She laughed at his groan. "What? You don't want to see Emily?"

"No," Naruto said firmly.

"Emily?" Sasuke inquired, counting the seconds necessary to make the cookie soft before pulling it out of the coffee mug of milk.

"Liz's granddaughter. She's had a crush on Naruto since she could toddle." Mika laughed at the face Naruto was making. "She also happens to be fourteen."

"And will not accept 'no' for an answer," Naruto grumbled, shoving a cookie in his mouth. "She's the most annoying thing I've ever met on two legs."

"No... Ino is the most annoying thing on two legs. Let's go... I haven't played poker in a long time," Sasuke entreated hoping that Naruto would let him. It was true he hadn't played poker in a while, but part of his objectives were to get on Mika's good side, if not for any other reasons than that she was Naruto's precious grandmother and that Sasuke, himself, liked her as a person.

"Then you two go and I'll stay here," Naruto said after swallowing. If Sasuke wanted to go he wasn't going to stop him but he did _not_ want to see Emily.

"But Emily's asked about you every time I've seen her and she's so anxious to see you again!" Mika laughed even louder as Naruto groaned and dropped his head onto the table.

The hand Sasuke wasn't using for his cookies, in other words his left and casted hand, came to rest on Naruto's knee. "I'll be there Naruto... You know how I feel about women like her..." Sasuke soothed, fingers scratching lightly at the inside of Naruto's knee.

"Dun want you to kill her... though maiming would be fine," Naruto mumbled. "Maiming is good."

Mika just rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I'm gonna go watch the news. Make sure to clean up when you're done." She went into the living room.

"Ha~..." Sasuke murmured as Mika disappeared from the kitchen and he leaned into Naruto's personal space his hot breath ghosting over Naruto's ear. "I wouldn't even touch her unless she came too close to one of us... I'd just let her _see_ that you're mine ... and make it obvious that... I _don't_ share..." His voice was that same deep resonance heard so many times and always in tones meant only for the bedroom.

"But you share your manga and anime," Naruto said in playful "confusion", turning his head so that his cheek rested on the table. Sasuke's breath on his ear had sent wonderful shivers down his spine and his tone of voice just about melted him right there. He loved it when Sasuke got all seductive.

"Only with you, koibitto... because you are as much mine as they are..." he murmured and then leaned away to finish off his milk and the cookies he'd taken out already before stretching. "I need to shower..." and the silent words following that were, 'Care to help me?'

Smirking Naruto stood up and led him to the upstairs bathroom, most definitely planning on joining him. "But you shared them with me before I was your koibitto," he pointed out teasingly.

"It was all part of wooing you..." Sasuke stated diffidently as he closed the bathroom door - they'd grabbed their pajamas and towels before heading to the bathroom - and locked it. "Do you think she'll notice?" It wasn't that Sasuke himself cared what Mika thought of anything he and Naruto did. He just didn't know what Naruto felt on the subject. Up until then they'd been silent about doing anything more than sharing a bed. To Mika they'd only been together for a short time... and she might think they were rushing into things. Sasuke was more worried about sparing Naruto a lecture and Mika the concern.

Naruto just shrugged and began to strip. He honestly didn't know how his grandmother would react. "If she asks then I'm helping you take a catbath 'cause of your cast." Smirking wickedly he added his boxers to the pile of clothes on the floor and helped Sasuke take his clothes off. "And I guess we'll just have to be real quiet," he purred, nibbling lightly at Sasuke's neck.

"Quiet? You're usually the noisier of the two of us, usurakontachi..." Sasuke teased lightly and stroked Naruto's spine down his lower back before pulling away and stepping into the shower. It might be a little uncomfortable but Sasuke diligently put his arm back outside of the sliding fog-glass door and closed it most of the way. He was standing with his back to the showerhead and so reached up and behind him to point the spray more towards the other wall. "This will have to be quick... I can't hold my arm out like this forever..." he muttered as Naruto joined him through the other sliding door, pushing it open to overlap the other one just enough so that he could slip in and then closed it.

"Hey, you can be pretty loud too," Naruto purred, brushing a hand against the inside of Sasuke's thigh before grabbing the shampoo. He paused and set the bottle back down. "Hang on, I have an idea." He turned off the water and left the shower, coming back with a couple towels. He wrapped one around Sasuke's cast, tucking the edges into the plaster, and then wrapped the other towel around that. "There. Now you can let your arm hang and it won't matter if a little water runs down your arm." Turning on the water again he picked up the shampoo and, pulling Sasuke's head into the spray, began to wash his hair.

"Thanks." Smirking Sasuke thankfully let his arm hang at his side while his other hand found Naruto's hip and cradled it as he tilted his head down and forward into Naruto's massaging fingertips. The suds and the fingers were a wonderful sensation and he was thoroughly enjoying the moment.

As he rinsed the suds from Sasuke's hair Naruto asked teasingly, continuing their earlier conversation, "So you've been wooing me since I moved into the dorm?" His voice was thick with amusement.

"Tabun [maybe/probably]..." Sasuke murmured and leaned into the fingers running through his hair helping to rinse the shampoo away. "I didn't really conceive of it as wooing at that point, but I think on some level I looked at it that way..."

"Uh-huh... sure you didn't," Naruto teased, picking up the bottle of conditioner and spreading a bit of the cream through Sasuke's hair. "Oh I forgot to ask you... Did you talk to Kakashi today about how you're gonna deal with your fosters? All you've done so far is get the restraining order."

"No, I haven't. I've been caught up in all the stuff involving my weasel of a brother that I haven't had time to deal with them..." he answered and lowered his forehead to Naruto's shoulder as the blond rubbed some of the conditioner into the shorter hair at the back of his head.

"Mm." Naruto rinsed the excess conditioner out of Sasuke's hair before grabbing the soap and a sponge. He took his time washing Sasuke's body, doing so with a loving gentleness. Kneeling to clean Sasuke's legs he pressed a teasing kiss just under his belly button, looking up at him with playful eyes. He wasn't actually planning on doing anything until Mika went to sleep but that didn't mean he couldn't tease.

Eyes blacker than sin watched him through a wealth of lashes, hooded in love and tenderness. His right hand reached down to caress one cheek gently and he smirked knowing what Naruto was trying to do. "Tease..." he murmured and tangled his fingers in the back of Naruto's hair turning his head so that the blond's cheek rested against Sasuke's lower abdomen. Then those fingers slid around to cradle Naruto's jaw from the back of his head since Naruto's nose pointed to Sasuke's left. "I love you..."

Naruto smiled and rubbed his cheek lightly against Sasuke's belly. "Love you too," he murmured before leaning back on his heels and washing Sasuke's legs. It didn't take him long to finish cleaning Sasuke and he kissed him softly. "You go get dry. I'll be out in a couple minutes."

"Ha~..." he crooned and pulled Naruto to him to kiss him lightly on the lips. "Thank you..." and then he was out of the shower and toweling off before he unwrapped his cast. He pulled on his pajamas and then waited for Naruto to finish.

Five minutes later Naruto turned the water off and shook himself like a dog, spraying droplets everywhere. Stepping out of the shower he grabbed a towel and began to rub the water out of his hair. "Watch the news with Baa-chan or go to bed?"

"It doesn't matter to me... what do you want to do?" he asked as he came up behind Naruto and waited until the blond was securely in his own pajamas before he wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist and pulled him against his chest tightly, nuzzling his lover's ear.

Naruto leaned back into Sasuke and dropped a hand on his arm, purring softly at the nuzzle. "Bed sounds good. News can be really depressing."

"Hai..." Sasuke murmured and nibbled Naruto's ear. "Should we go say good night?"

"Yeah." Reluctantly Naruto pulled out of Sasuke's embrace and headed down the stairs. "Hey Baa-chan. We're going to bed. Night," he said as he leaned over the back of the couch.

"Good night." Mika turned around and sat up on her knees so that she could kiss his forehead. "Don't stay up too late."

"We won't," Sasuke assured her. ::Though we might be up repeatedly.:: And then he turned and headed up the stairs and straight to Naruto's room.

"Love you, Baa-chan," Naruto said, kissing her cheek before following Sasuke up the stairs. Once in his room he grabbed a book off his shelves and sat down on the bed, maneuvering so that Sasuke's head was in his lap and easily accessible for petting. The safest time for him and Sasuke to do anything besides light petting would be after Mika fell asleep and that wouldn't be for another hour yet.

Settling more comfortably on the mattress, Sasuke curled up before Naruto and closed his eyes savoring the feel of Naruto's fingers running through his hair. The peace of the moment was to be cherished until they were given opportunity to break it.

Naruto began to hum quietly and decided he didn't want to read after all, so he put the book aside and combed Sasuke's hair with both sets of fingers. Softly he sang, "On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair... Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air... Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light... My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim... I had to stop for the night..."

A slight sigh drifted from between Sasuke's lips and he stretched a little before resettling and laying still. He was content to lie like this for a long time.

Smiling Naruto leaned back against the headboard and let his eyelids droop. One hand slid down from Sasuke's hair to brush lightly against his neck in a soft caress. "There she stood in the doorway; I heard the mission bell... And I was thinking to myself this could be heaven or this could be hell... Then she lit up a candle, and she showed me the way... There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say...

"Welcome to the Hotel California... Such a lovely place, such a lovely face... Plenty of room at the Hotel California... Any time of year (any time of year) you can find it here..."

The raven-haired young man with his head on Naruto's knee simply laid there and listened in peaceful quiet. Naruto's voice wasn't professional level but that was part of what Sasuke loved about Naruto. He was never what you thought you wanted and always what you needed or truly desired.

Loving fingers traced the contours of Sasuke's face. Naruto knew his face by heart, both sight and touch, but he never tired of mapping the soft, pale skin. "Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she got the Mercedes bends... She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys that she calls friends... How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat... Some dance to remember, some dance to forget...

"So I called up the captain; please bring me my wine... We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty-nine... And still those voices are calling from far away... Wake you up in the middle of the night, just to hear them say...

"Welcome to the Hotel California... Such a lovely place, such a lovely face... They livin' it up at the Hotel California... What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise) bring your alibis..."

The soft fingers on his face were beginning to lull him into a light doze. This was so relaxing... compared to his home. Here it was warm and safe... there it was cold and angry and painful... As one of Naruto's fingers drifted by his lips he tipped his head just enough in the right direction to kiss it.

Naruto's smile grew and he let his fingers glide to Sasuke's ear, circling the shell of skin. With his other hand he reached down and took hold of Sasuke's right hand, rubbing his thumb over the knuckles. "Mirrors on the ceiling, the pink champagne on ice... And she said we are all just prisoners here of our own device... And in the master's chambers, they gathered for the feast... They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast...

"Last thing I remember I was running for the door... I had to find the passage back to the place I was before... Relax said the nightman We are programmed to receive... You can check out anytime you like but you can never leave..."

A soft smile played about Sasuke's lips and his hand folded about Naruto's fingers loosely. Yes, this was almost heavenly.

Naruto hummed the last chords of the song and he bent at the waist to brush his lips against the corner of Sasuke's eyelid. "I love you," he whispered, the hand on Sasuke's ear returning to its earlier task of combing through midnight hair.

"Love you..." Sasuke murmured sleepily, feeling completely at peace.

Gently Naruto lifted Sasuke's head, replacing his knee with a pillow and sliding down to lay next to him. Wrapping his arms around Sasuke's chest he held him close, burrowing his face into Sasuke's neck. Peace and tranquility enveloped them in a thick cloud and Naruto drank it in eagerly.

Fooling around could wait until tomorrow night, Sasuke decided quietly and wriggled as little as possible to get the covers out from beneath them and up over them instead. Then he turned on his side facing Naruto and pulled the other young man closer to him, pushing a leg between the blond's thighs and putting his knee just above and between Naruto's own. He tucked Naruto's head under his chin and let out a sleepy sigh.

"Good night, Sasuke," Naruto murmured, brushing warm lips against his neck before snuggling closer and settling down for sleep.

"Night..." he murmured back and let out one last large sigh before sleep started to drift over them.

---

A knock on the front door shook Mika from her sleep and she looked around blearily. She'd fallen asleep on the couch. "Wha...?" There was another knock and she slowly got to her feet, shuffling towards the door. Yawning she flipped the porch light on and looked out the peephole. There was a blond man, one she vaguely recognized through the haze of sleep, at the door. Slowly she unlocked the door and opened it. "Yes?"

He took in the sight of the familiar and at the same time unfamiliar building's interior, or at least what he could see of it past the old woman's shoulders. She was surprisingly erect for a woman of her age and had only the number of wrinkles that gave her the grace of age without the hindrance of it on her soft beauty. The man let the olive green and over-stuffed tube-like duffle slip off his shoulder to rest on the porch. A chill November breeze tore at the lower flaps of his Aussie Duster, but he ignored it as he reached up to scratch the back of his spiky blond head. "Hi, Mom..." he said, grinning as if he'd been caught sneaking in the house after curfew. Sheepishly he added, "Sorry I'm late..."

"Arashi, how many times do I have to tell you-" Mika began scolding, still half asleep, when she realized just what was going on. Sleep flew away and her eyes got huge. "Arashi..." she whispered, wanting to believe it and not quite able to. ::I must be dreaming... this has to be a dream... he's dead... Arashi's dead...::

"I know. I know... Curfew was midnight and then there wasn't one and then when Naruto was born you slapped one on me and Sara again... but I couldn't help it this time! I got lost... and I only now found out that the rest of the battalion got ambushed at that point... it all happened so fast -"

He was cut off as Mika crushed him in a trembling embrace. She didn't need to hear any more to know it really was him. Her son had come back to her after sixteen years of thinking he was dead. "Arashi... oh God, Arashi..." Her shoulders shook with sobs.

Arashi caught the trembling mass of tears that had become his mother and chuckled quietly, holding her close. He'd missed her, when he'd had the time to think about things other than survival and... things he didn't want to think about because they brought a huge pang of emptiness to his heart and soul. ::My country...:: He shook his head and kissed his mother's crown. "Hi Mom," he repeated and hugged her.

Suddenly she let him go and soundly cuffed him. "Where the hell have you been for sixteen years?! You never called, never wrote, never gave us any sign that you were still alive, leaving me and Naruto - YOUR SON - to think that you were dead!! Idiot!!" And then she did a 180 again and crushed him in another tight hug.

"Uh-uhg!" in a rather squished voice he attempted to answer her. "Uhm... guh... lost in the desert... trying to keep from dying of nature or dying by bullet... they don't like us white folk out there..."

A particularly cold breeze got Mika shivering and she let him go again. "Oh, just get in here before we both die of cold!" she laughed, tears running down her face. Once they were both inside and the door locked, she immediately pushed him into the kitchen and started making hot chocolate. "When did you get back to the States?"

"A couple days ago. I wanted it to be a surprise... I had to do some stuff there in DC and then I came right here from the airport... except that my flight got delayed for something I don't really remember cuz I was mostly asleep. Wanted to get here early enough to surprise Naruto..." Arashi looked a little dreamy. "He must be so big now...." he murmured and sipped at the hot chocolate. "I missed so much..." he muttered then as his attention was grabbed by the dark liquid in the cup.

"He's a freshman at Michigan State now," Mika said softly, sipping her own chocolate. Her eyes were sad as she watched him. He _had_ missed so much... he'd missed almost all of Naruto's life. "Your old room is his now, too. He should be asleep."

"Home for the weekend..." Arashi said knowingly. Then paused before adding, "Should be?" while raising an eyebrow.

Mika smiled lopsidedly. "He and his roommate have been together in a very solid relationship for the past couple months. Sasuke's spending the holiday with us."

::Sasuke..... Roommate.... Jetlag....:: Arashi yawned so hugely all of a sudden that the cracking of his jaw was audible even to Mika. "Sorry," he muttered through the last vestiges of it.

Shaking her head in amusement Mika stood up and went upstairs for a moment, coming back down with an armful of pillow and sheets. "I'll make up the couch-bed for you, okay? I turned the guest bedroom into a study about ten years back. We can talk more in the morning."

Arashi nodded and followed her into the living room. He had snagged the pillow and was on the couch with it under his head before Mika could tell him the couch turned into a bed. He was already out anyway so she'd never have gotten through to him.

Chuckling Mika turned the TV off and draped the blanket over Arashi. "Good night, my baby. Thank God you're back," she whispered as she kissed his forehead. Feeling happier than she had in years she went to her own bed, looking forward to a Thanksgiving with both her sons.

TBC...