The Sound of Dreams

AN: I am so glad to hear that you guys enjoyed the last chapter so much. It is really hard for me to guage my own sex scenes for hotness value since I am so analytical while reading them. Also, God love my beta, but he's a guy that has no interest in yaoi whatsoever so I don't get a lot of feedback except for "Yeah, I can see that happening" from him. Now, before you suggest I fire him, he is the one that runs up the red flag if I let my boys go astray on the path of IC. That and he is really good to bounce plot ideas off of. Of course what is really amusing/annoying is that every time I hand him a chapter, the first question I hear is "Have you killed Sasuke off yet?" /sigh ... someone tell me why I love this man again?

Luthien: Thanks for your support, hun. It really means a lot to me!
Elict: I totally agree about Sasuke. I hate to say but I am a bit of a snob when it comes to him. If he isn't paired with Naruto, then I usually don't read the story.
Burr: I am glad that you loved(x64) it!! hehehehe
Total Truth: You really think that Sasuke will just be comfortable now? Not Prince Emo!
SeveredWings: *sings* I got cookies, I got cookies!!! OH, and cake from ADI !!!
Ana La Pana83: Thanks for catching my booboo 26th chapter. I don't mind a bit that you pick up on these things. I would prefer to know so I can fix things!
ladygizarm: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I'm glad I could give you such a present!! I am also flattered that you consider my writing as such!
darknessfeathers: I will never get tired of hearing that people enjoy my writing! I eat it up! And while Sasuke will get his chance to be on top, it will usually be Naruto. I am a big fan of Naru/Sasu, but I also feel that the situation and mood shifts from time to time. Sometimes people feel more aggressive than at other times, sometimes they feel more submissive. /shrug That is how I view it personally. Especially when you have two very strong willed individuals. (Not trying to start a Naru vs Sasu discussion here. They have boards for that!! /cringe)

On a side note: It seems I am having a hard time keeping those two apart now that they have actually slept together. Does anyone else have this problem? I mean I will be writing along and next thing I know I have lemon on my hands. (Hmm, that sentence could be easily misconstrued.) I know it sounds kinda strange, but even with all the planning I do unexpected things happen. I'll type something in and then stop and think 'Omg, did he just say that???' There is a perfect example of this in this particular chapter actually. Anyway, I will stop rambling now (head cold meds, I totally blame it on them) and am going back to bed after posting.

Thanks for reading and thank you so much for the wonderful reviews!!
Aki: Will post this in next chapter as well: Updates are on Tues and Sat's!! :)


Chapter 28


Naruto sighed as he found himself in the middle of town shopping for food and supplies, once again looking like a girl. It was so unfair that he had to be the one traipsing around in a skirt while that stoic bastard got to stay behind and fix up the place. Although he had to admit being able to leave the musty old dungeon was a fair trade off for having to put up with guys being unable to raise their eyes to his face level.

He also had to admit that he needed a break from being around Sasuke as well. Truthfully he had never thought to hear himself say such a thing, but the bastard had been acting downright strange this past week. One minute the jerk would be avoiding him like the plague and the next he would just stand there staring at him.

At least amidst all of his evasiveness, the dark-haired ninja had been getting their new home up and running. The training arena was now suitable to use again and he had just put the chakra barrier in place. He always had Naruto activate it since it required the use of four clones to power it up and keep it running, but once in place it was virtually undetectable as was any chakra that was used inside.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he turned his attention back to the town. Not much had changed in the past three years since he had been here, except perhaps it looked even more downtrodden. He was curious if Fuuma Sasame was still around and if the defectors from her clan was still trying to help out those affected by Orochimaru's rule of Sound.

As he moved from shop to shop, he couldn't help but notice some individuals who seemed more like they were scanning the small crowds of people rather than just loitering about. From their movements and manners, he would have to guess they were ninja of some type. Probably Chuunin level in his estimation. They didn't wear any identifying hitae-ate or other marks, but their focus narrowed in on anyone who looked capable of handling themselves.

If it wasn't for the fact that they were trying to remain undiscovered, he would have looked for the Fuuma clan and asked if there had been anything going on in the area lately. The town was a little quiet. People kept to themselves as if afraid to draw attention.

He finished making a few more purchases, telling himself that he would come back in a few days. He didn't want to draw notice by buying a large amount of goods at one time.

He made his way stealthily outside of town and, after making sure he wasn't being followed, dropped his jutsu and started back to their base. It took him a few hours to traverse the distance and it was easily noon by the time he arrived.

He neatly weaved through the various traps and made his way deeper into the underground lair. He made sure to announce rather loudly that he was back, not wanting to be jumped by accident. At least not in a violent way. Sasuke stepped out of the shadows as Naruto drew even with the kitchen.

"Hey, teme," he greeted happily.

"Hn," came the expected reply.

"I hope you are in the mood for real food! Well, okay it isn't ramen, but it is real enough," he amended.

He entered the kitchen and sat the few bags he had with him on a counter. As he proceeded to put things away, Sasuke leaned against the doorway and watched his every move. After a few moments, Naruto started to itch between his shoulder blades.

"If you need to start in on the scrolls, I can let you know when it's ready," he offered.

The Uchiha didn't reply but neither did he move from his resting place.

Trying to ignore the looming presence, Naruto retrieved a few cooking utensils that had been left behind from the cupboards. He then pulled out the fish from the refrigerator that he caught on one of his daily excursions to the stream.

Sasuke watched as Naruto busied himself with preparing their lunch. He knew that his behavior was starting to concern his friend (lover?), but he just needed a little space to deal with his reactions to their intimacy.

It had been a long time since he had felt so exposed or emotions so raw. One part of him wanted to leave, to run away from the intensity of his own desire and need for the other teen. But he knew, hell, he'd had it proven to him, that running away wouldn't free him from the other. He began to wonder if perhaps Neji wasn't so wrong after all in believing in fate and destiny.

Another part of him wanted to immerse himself in this new tenderness. It wanted him to remember what it felt like to be human again and to care about someone other than himself or his vengeance. It railed against his thoughts of running even though he very well knew that if Itachi ever found out about their relationship... He paused at that thought. What could his brother do that he wasn't already planning on doing anyway? He knew that Itachi was after the Kyuubi. Hell, if he left, he would just leave his friend wide open to his brother's attack. He had to stay to protect his companion.

Who the hell was he kidding? How in the hell could he leave when it was taking all of his willpower not to go over there and wrap his arms around that warm body and nuzzle that sunshine-haired head.

He was pathetic. Truly.

"So, did something piss you off this morning?" Naruto finally spoke up.

"You were gone when I woke up," he stated. Whether it was an answer, a statement or a question, Naruto wasn't sure.

"I wanted to get an early start so I could get back for lunch," he explained.

"Hn."

"The town didn't look too good when I was there. It almost reminded me of Wave Country before they put in the bridge. Not that it was that bad, but it wouldn't take much," Naruto said as he used a knife to expertly slice some vegetables.

Sasuke shifted himself into a more comfortable position. "Orochimaru pulled in a lot of resources for his various projects. Money that would normally go back into the village ended up spent on other things."

"Now that he is gone, they will recover, right?" he asked, his bright blue eyes hopeful.

He gave a shrug. "Dunno. Without him to run the ninja village, they will likely be left as they are unless the daimyo can pull the money together to put some life back into the place."

"Oh, so the daimyo will take care of them!" he said, his tone relieved.

"Probably not," he countered in a bored tone.

"Why not?" the blonde demanded.

"Once they finally figure out that Orochimaru is gone, he will have to put his money into building up his defenses."

The whiskered face scrunched up in confusion. "Who will be attacking him?"

"These smaller countries used to bicker and fight all the time. Orochimaru convinced the daimyo to allow him to start a ninja village here to stop the fighting by having Rice Field Country become a stronger power." He gave another careless shrug. "It allowed him to have a base of operations and, after a few demonstrations of what a snake summons could do coupled with some of his 'special' ninja, it convinced the other countries to leave this one alone. If they find out that the daimyo is defenseless, they will restart the skirmishes."

"You're talking about actual war?" he asked hesitantly.

Sasuke nodded casually. "More than likely."

"That's horrible!" he protested.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "And what do you propose we do? It's out of our hands, dobe."

"There has to be something," he muttered with a frown.

Sasuke straightened up from the doorway and walked up behind the muscled tanned body. He lifted a hand up and brushed his fingers through the queue, gently pulling through some tangles. "You still don't know how to tie a knot," he murmured.

"I can tie knots," Naruto protested lightly. "I just can't tie fancy knots. Especially behind my head."

Sasuke was silently debating whether or not he should kiss the side of the blonde's throat when he heard the distinctive "click" of the stove being turned off.

"Lunch is ready!" Naruto announced brightly. He turned, dropped a firm but chaste kiss on Sasuke's lips, and then moved past the stunned shinobi to grab some dishes.

The dark-haired young man licked his lips, trying to capture the other's taste on them, before moving to help set the food on the table. He went back to the cabinet and checked on the bottle of vitamins. Noticing that it was in the exact same position that he had placed it in the day before, he opened the container and pulled two out. He carefully placed the bottle again. It was his way of making sure that the dobe got what his body required. Left to his own devices, the younger man would be sucking up ramen again and never look twice at a vegetable.

He did have to give him some credit though. The variety of groceries he had picked up today looked fairly well-rounded. He walked back to the table and set the two pills down in front of Naruto before taking his own seat.

Naruto made a face at the rather large pills, but obediently swallowed them down with a gulp of tea. A shiver ran through him and his face grew even more distasteful.

"It's your own fault that you ran out of the chewables," Sasuke commented dryly.

"It's not my fault they tasted like candy," the blonde pouted.

"It was a frightening insight on what you'd be like on those herbal energy teas," he smirked. "I thought I would have to knock you out to get you to sleep."

"It got the rest of the base cleaned up faster," Naruto pointed out, trying to salvage some dignity.

"Yes, but then you crashed for twelve hours," he reminded him with a slight snicker.

"Oh my god, that was almost a laugh," he said with wide blue eyes. "A laugh at my expense, but still almost a laugh."

"Dobe, all my laughs are at your expense," he said with another smirk.

"Shut up and eat, bastard," Naruto growled in mock anger.

"Hn, I was trying to delay the inevitable," he said in faked resignation.

"Hey, my cooking isn't that bad!" he protested rather loudly.

"It's not that good either," he rejoined.

"Fine. You can make dinner!"

Sasuke looked up and smirked a little viciously. "But you're the one that is so good at cooking and cleaning. You'd make someone a good wife."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly in surprise before narrowing in aggravation. "I don't know, Sasuke, you were doing a really good impression of a wife last week," he retorted impetuously. 'Oh, fuck, I didn't just say that, did I?'

The sound of the chair scrapping back harshly on the floor was loud in the sudden silence. The dark eyes blazed in anger, hints of red starting to appear in them. Sasuke rose to his feet, ignoring the anxious and regretful expression on the dobe's face.

"Sasuke, I didn't mean-"

Not wanting to hear any more, he turned and walked toward the door.

"Sasuke!" Naruto jumped up and went after the offended young man, catching his arm before he left the room.

"Naruto," he said in a dangerously low tone. "Let go."

"But Sasuke, dammit I didn't mean it like that!" he started to protest desperately.

"Naruto," he interrupted again. "Unless you want to be picking your teeth up off the floor, let my fucking arm go!"

The blonde backed off and the older teen stalked out of the room. A moment later the sound of a study door slamming shut could be easily heard.

"Way to go, Uzumaki," the remaining person in the kitchen muttered to himself.

****************
Two days later found Naruto ready to pull out his hair. Sasuke had pretty much locked himself inside the study and hadn’t emerged during waking hours. Naruto found dishes drying by the sink in the mornings and evidence in the bathroom that the dark-haired man had been about, but never while he was awake.

While Naruto knew that he had said something stupid, the sulking was getting irritating. The bastard always could hold a grudge. Hell, hold it, nurse it and encourage it to grow.

Giving in to the urge to sigh, he made his way to the ominously closed door. He knocked, but was expectedly ignored. “Dammit, Teme! Open the fucking door before I break it down! I’ve already said I was sorry, you bastard!”

The continued silence infuriated him faster than any verbal retorts might have. Balling up his fist, he slammed his hand into the wood of the barrier only to have it flare up against the strength of the blow. The bastard had sealed it and reinforced it with chakra.

“Fine, bastard! I’ll be in the training room blowing up practice dummies dressed in your clothes!”

Letting out a growl when the door remained shut, he stomped off toward the practice area.

He trekked through a few hallways, some of them roughly hewn, until he reached the heavy door to the training room. He entered a room approximately thirty meters along each side. The walls ceiling and floor were all stone work and showed the nicks and scars of hard use. He flicked a switch, causing the lights set into niches along the walls to power up, illuminating the large room.

He walked out to the center of the room and formed several clones. Four of them split off and approached a set of painted kanji in the middle of each of the four walls. They allowed their chakra to flow into the characters, causing the writing to glow with power until all were glowing a soft blue. Once they were all powered, the light spread out until four solid walls were formed, sealing the room.

The remainder of the clones split up and began to practice molding wind chakra into his Rasengan.

He worked for several hours, trying to find some key to make the jutsu work without blowing up in his face. There had to be something that he was missing, something that his stupid brain just wasn’t clueing in on. Sure, Yondaime hadn’t progressed to this point with the technique, but that didn’t alleviate the feeling that he was somehow fucking this up. Just like he fucked up with Sasuke.

He had to perfect this jutsu. He had to be there and actually be useful when Sasuke took on his brother.

He felt a familiar surge, saw his nails sharpening, knew that he had to regain control. But his frustration, anger and fear of failure were eating away at him. As the jutsu became unstable and released, his tenuous control slipped and his rage opened a direct channel to the churning chakra in his gut.

He fought back the aura that wanted to surround him. Fought back against the desire to just lash out and vent. His eyes widened when he felt another presence in his mind stir, pushing at the seal like a pasty maggot trying to escape its egg.

As he turned his attention inward, his surroundings faded to black.

TBC