The Sound of Dreams

AN: OMG, 30 reviews!! You people ROCK!!!

Sorry that I am posting this later in the day than usual. I actually couldn't cut work like I usually do on Tuesdays! *pouts*

Quick questions answered:

Kaa-san: more will be revealed about Sesame next chapter, I promise!!
KaraQ: no, Naruto doesn't know about Asuma yet, that happened after he had left.
Animehead: stop teasing me with you edits!! post another chapter!!!
Kimra: I'm glad that you think everything fits together! I would die if my work started to get choppy! :(
Clarinetcandy: sry that I spoiled it for you :( and yaoi is defintely a form of education.. now.. as to what type...hrm
Ana La Pana83: I swear that I am just gonna steal your email and start making you beta for me!!
DirewolfLilith: I absolutely loved the analogy!! "i squeal like a six year old watching my little pony for the first time" Bout fell off my chair laughing at that one!!
KyuubiGurl: eeepp!!
The2Evils: yah, laughing while going down on your man isn't usually viewed too well *grins*
moomoo: please refer to the disclaimer where I claim indemnity from falling grades or missed homework! Otherwise, thank you very much!!
MeLaiya: I'm glad your teacup has been filled with my Naru/Sasu smutty goodness!! Welcome to the show, hope you stay for the long haul!! Yes, you can worship me, but no effigies pls!
Dana: Shino is just concerned that Sai isn't doing what Shino believes is best for Naruto. He is afraid that Sai isn't taking things seriously enough and, through his carelessness, will allow something bad to happen to Naruto. He is just being protective!

Last piece of good news: I actually wrote three chapters since I last updated! Can you believe that shit?! I need to leave more often for the weekends, I guess!

Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading and many, many thanks for the reviews!!


Chapter 36


'You would think in a place called Rice Field Country that rice would be cheaper,' Naruto grumbled mentally.

He was once again disguised as a female, although a different female than before, shopping in the nearby village for food supplies. The way things were going, they would have to find some way to earn some money. Either that or start crossing the border to shop in Fire Country. Not that he wanted to travel that far to buy groceries.

The weather was starting to warm up and it wasn't a bad day to be outside. He figured in a few more weeks that spring would start showing itself. He just hoped that the food prices came down with the increase in commerce that would occur with the milder temperatures.

He had just reached out to fondle a rather expensive melon (and not the type that Jiraiya would have) when someone stepped up next to him. He glanced at the familiar flame-colored hair and chocolate eyes and smiled.

"Hi, Sasame," he said without thinking. 'Shit!'

The young woman looked surprised as the dark-headed female she had been going to question greeted her so casually. Frowning, she held her fingers up and channeled her chakra. "Kai!" she said rather forcefully, trying to dispel the transformation.

Naruto's chakra flickered enough to flash blue eyes at the girl before it steadied, resisting her attempts to banish the jutsu. Her hand immediately went down to her kunai pouch. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"Wait, wait! It's me, Sasame. It's Naruto," he said desperately, trying to head off a potentially dangerous, not to mention embarrassing as hell, situation.

She blinked, then slowly straightened from her slightly crouched defensive position. "Naruto?" she asked hesitantly.

A hand went to the back of the stranger's head before it was jerked self-consciously back down. "Yeah, heh. We're trying to stay hidden, remember? Have to come to town like this to buy some food."

Sasame bit her bottom lip, trying not to laugh. "You look so pretty!" she teased, her eyes dancing in mischief.

A blush spread across unmarred cheeks. "Hey, this is a perfectly good disguise. You didn't know it was me at first."

"Until you spoke without thinking," she giggled.

"Yeah, well pretty girls make me do that," he teased back, wiggling his eyebrows in a manner that he envisioned as suave.

"Okay, that is just weird. Don't hit on me while you're a girl," she mumbled, her own cheeks turning pink.

"Oh! Um, no offense meant!" He cleared his throat nervously.

"So was it you that saved the girl?" she finally asked after an awkward moment.

"Yeah, I know I blew my cover, but I couldn't let anything happen to a kid, ya' know?" He shrugged sheepishly.

"Well, since you're here, you can save me a trek back out to your place," she said brightly. "Hanzaki-san wants to meet with you... and him."

"Sasuke you mean?" he inquired.

"Yes," she confirmed. She gave a little frown. "Make sure to have him wear something else. His outfit is recognizable as something an upper level Sound-nin would wear. Not too many people would welcome him here. He would draw too much attention."

Naruto nodded. He was sure that there was something that Sasuke could find to wear in the storeroom full of clothing that he had scavenged from all over the base.

"Sasame," he said haltingly. Once the girl met his eye, he continued. "Try not to judge Sasuke too harshly. He had reasons that he thought were strong enough to go to him. Reasons that he used to take advantage of him."

Sasame let out a sigh and reluctantly nodded. "He was never known for taking any action against our people. We just knew that he always stood at his side. I am glad you found him and made him see reason again. I am glad you were able to save your special someone, unlike me." She blinked the sudden dampness in her eyes away as she stared straight ahead.

Naruto laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, but was at a loss of what to say. He knew that her cousin Arashi had meant a lot to her.

She cleared her throat after a moment. "Come to the gentleman's club down our alley. Three days from now at noon."

Naruto nodded. "We'll be there."

He watched as the young woman walked away, casually calling greetings to several of the shop keepers as she went. He sighed suddenly, wishing he could be in a place where he could look like himself and have people respond to him like he was welcome to be there. Turning to the attentive merchant, he held up the melon.

"I'd like to purchase this one," he said quietly.

***********************
Sasuke looked up as he heard the quiet bells that denoted the outer alarm sound. He waited a brief moment as it was triggered in a certain pattern before casually getting up and moving toward the hallway. He allowed himself to meld into the shadows as he waited for the idiot blonde to make his way down into their "home." While he was sure it was Naruto, after all a different pattern would have sounded had he been coerced into entering, caution had been ingrained into him harshly for the past three years.

A few moments later he heard the casual slap of sandals on stone and had to shake his head. That idiot wouldn't know what stealth was if it snuck up behind him and bit him. He frowned slightly, wondering if that made any sense. He only hoped that "dobe-ness" wasn't an STD.

He then quickly decided that the joke wasn't funny anymore when it occurred to him that Naruto would have had to contract it from somewhere first. The thought of anyone else touching something that he viewed as his wasn't amusing.

"Honey! I'm home," a voice sang out.

Sasuke scowled. Stupid dobe, making him think stupid dobe thoughts. Not bothering to stop and ponder the wisdom of his actions, he pulled out one of his shuriken and let it fly. He knew that the idiot would move in time. Naruto was a decent ninja after all.

As expected, the blonde head ducked in time, letting the weapon fly through the space he had just occupied to bounce off the stone wall with a flash of sparks. Blue eyes immediately turned to him angrily. "What the hell was that for, you bastard?"

"You never know what you are walking into, dobe. You should try acting more like a ninja and less like an idiot. Just because you are back doesn't mean it's safe to just waltz in."

"Yeah, especially with a psycho like you here," he growled.

"Put the stuff away and meet me in the training room. I need a moving target," he sneered back.

Blue eyes glared at him like hard sapphires. "Yeah, I could use a good challenge, but I guess you'll have to do." He knew he scored a hit when Sasuke stiffened up at the barb. Dark eyes flickered red briefly before he turned and stalked off.

'What the hell is his problem?' the blonde thought sourly. Though he had to admit he wasn't in exactly the best of moods either.

He put the supplies away and gave a long stretch. He had been running for several hours to and from the village and now the jerk wanted to fight him. Well, if he wanted a fight then he would just have to do it Naruto's way.


Sasuke looked up as Naruto leaned against the empty doorway of the training area. They still hadn't gotten around to replacing the door yet. "You gonna get in here and spar or are you going to stand there staring all day?" he asked sardonically.

"Well, considering that we'll fight most of our real battles outside, I thought you might like to get your pale ass out into the sunlight and spar there," he taunted.

Sasuke paused for a moment, then decided that it really would be nice to get out from underground for a short while. "We need to be careful and try not to attract attention," he said thoughtfully.

"Heh, they already know we're here," Naruto pointed out with a shrug.

"I wonder who's fault that is," he muttered.

"You coming or not?" he asked in exasperation.

Sasuke gave him a short nod.

He followed the younger ninja through the halls, stopping only long enough to grab his coat. He looked over his companion with a frown. "Aren't you going to be cold?" he asked, noting the other didn't bother to grab his own poncho.

"Oh," Naruto waved a hand vaguely. "It's not that cold out."

"You had a coat on earlier," Sasuke pointed out.

"That's because it was colder this morning," he replied with a shrug.

"Hn."

They walked outside together and the raven-haired teen noticed that while it wasn't cold per se, it was still a bit nippy out. He glanced over at his companion who didn't seem concerned about the cool air. 'Must be nice,' Sasuke thought with a touch of envy.

They squared off, both with a kunai out and ready. They held their positions for a long moment before they both burst into motion.

Sasuke was surprised when, instead of charging at him like usual, the blonde jumped back and threw several shuriken his direction. He dodged them readily enough but felt a familiar ripping of material as one passed nearby. 'Damn wind chakra,' he mentally cursed.

Knowing that Naruto was more of a close range fighter, Sasuke let loose his own volley of shuriken followed by his swarm of miniature fireballs. The blonde dodged rather impressively, maneuvering around the battlefield to avoid the projectiles with Sasuke moving up to keep him in range. The dark-haired shinobi frowned, wondering what the idiot was up to.

Naruto suddenly leapt high into the air. Sasuke was about to follow him when he felt something grab his ankles. He barely had time to glance down at the pair of hands gripping him when he noticed a veritable rain of kunai and shuriken coming straight at him from all directions.

His first thought is that it was the same move that the other ninja had used against Gaara at the chuunin exams. Expecting the weapons to be mere replications, he brought up his Chidori Nagashi, surrounding his body with electricity. The hands reaching up through the ground vanished, as well as all but two of the weapons that had been thrown at him.

After the smoke cleared, he stood there with multiple minor scratches and nicks from the wind enhanced cloned weapons and two real throwing stars sticking in him. He first pulled the one from his upper right arm and then the one from his left thigh. He saw the brief look of concern as his opponent landed and had the sudden feeling that the weapons had missed vital points on purpose. Both had hit in painful but relatively safe areas. They had also come from two different directions which meant he had armed at least one clone with real shuriken.

There was an eerie silence as nothing moved. He finally activated his Sharingan, deciding he needed a slight edge against the thousand man army that the blonde could call up at will. It also seemed that the blonde had gotten a bit smarter at using his clones over the years. Rather than just try to overwhelm him with numbers, they were acting like real ninja and attacking from the shadows.

With his enhanced sight he could spot the telltale signs of moving leaves as well as slight shades of orange and black among the trees. He still couldn't sense their chakra presence however. He wondered how the dobe had managed to mask something that was made from pure chakra. Well, standing out here wasn't going to eliminate his enemy and would only make him a further target.

"So, still want to spar?" the blonde before him asked. "Or are you ready to acknowledge my awesomeness?"

Sasuke gave an amused snort before letting the chakra rush through his body. There was a brief flicker of motion and then he was suddenly behind the younger man. An arm went around the other's throat and Sasuke paused long enough to nuzzle blonde locks before stabbing him in the buttock with his kunai. As he had expected, the form disappeared in a puff of smoke.

He immediately moved away from the incoming barrage of weapons, not wanting to have to use his Chidori for a second time this early in the fight. He quickly used a fire jutsu to spray the area in front of him, destroying the weapons before they reached him.

He had let it slip his mind however that they were tinged with the wind chakra and his blaze quickly became a lot larger than he had intended. He dove through the flames, singing himself as well as his clothes and used the cover of the fire to vanish into the trees.


Naruto leaned back against the tree truck, his legs stretched out along the branch on which he was currently sitting. He kept track of Sasuke's relative position as his clones were slowly decimated. He hoped the work out was getting his pale-skinned lover over whatever the hell it was that he was pissed about. He had to admit making the genius run all over the forest, dodging hastily made traps as well as ambushes was doing wonders for his mood.

He tried to hold in a snicker as an explosive tag detonated about a half a kilometer away. He probably shouldn't be wasting his ninja tools since they were so low on funds but it was worth it. Served the bastard right for underestimating him yet again.

He sat quietly for some time, carefully keeping his chakra masked and nibbled on some trail mix that he had purchased. He didn't want his stomach rumbling to give away his position. The sun had traveled a fair distance across the sky and Sasuke still hadn't found his hiding place. He began to suspect that the other ninja wasn't trying to find him but was rather going through the clones for the exercise. He made himself comfortable and thought about meditating.

Naruto's eyes snapped open when he felt the cold steel against his neck. He cursed himself for having dozed off in the tree while there was an opponent about. He looked up at the Uchiha that was calmly standing there looking like he had been through a small scale war. Which, Naruto supposed, he had. He grinned up at him, eyes crinkling merrily.

Sasuke gave a derisive snort. "Usuratonkachi," he muttered, lowering his weapon. He sheathed the katana and slowly lowered himself to sit on the branch. "That was a good job with your clones. You're using them a lot more tactically."

Naruto was slightly surprised at the compliment. He couldn't help but smile happily. "Thanks, teme!"

"Hn."

"We've been invited to come visit with the Fuuma clan," Naruto said casually, picking at the bark of the tree.

"Invited as in 'Come have tea sometime' or as in 'Come or we will hunt you down and drag you here'?" his friend asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Damn, Sasuke. I think you're developing a sense of humor. That was kinda funny!" Naruto said with a brilliant, teasing grin.

"Idiot." He reached out, grabbed an ankle and started pulling the blonde toward him.

"Hey!" Naruto quickly caught his balance and moved forward using his other three limbs as his lover reeled him in.

Sasuke didn't stop until Naruto was sitting directly in front of him with his legs wrapped around the older teen. He slid both hands down to the small of the blonde's back while the other boy entwined his arms around the cloaked shoulders. Naruto entangled his fingers in blue-black hair as Sasuke brushed their lips together teasingly.

"So when is this little get together?" he breathed against slightly parted lips.

Naruto felt his eyelids drooping as his hormones started to kick in. "Mmm, three days from now at noon," he whispered in reply. He tried to connect their lips together for something deeper but Sasuke leaned back, keeping just out of reach. The irritated growl that he uttered became a rumbling purr as a wet tongue coyly flicked out to moisten the chapped rim of his mouth.

"Anything else I need to know," Sasuke asked lightly before darting his tongue deftly between Naruto's lips and out again.

Naruto made a disappointed little sound as that taunting muscle eluded him once again. "How about the fact that I want you to nail me to the tree?"

He let out a soft, breathy chuckle. "I already knew that," he said smugly.

"Cheeky bastard," Naruto grumbled playfully. "How about a request to wear something different?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

"I must not be the only one who doesn't like your ugly ass purple bow," he said with a snicker.

Sasuke grabbed back behind his knees and lifted. Naruto let out a "Wahh," as he quickly braced himself on his arms behind him.

"Jerk."

"As a ninja, you should have better balance." His tone was his usual arrogant and annoyingly superior one but Naruto could see a spark dancing in his graphite colored eyes. "Maybe we should get you some practice."

"Hmm, maybe we should get you inside so I can clean your wounds," Naruto suggested, noticing how the dark fabric of the coat looked a little damp around the upper arm.

The dark-haired shinobi seemed to seriously consider the pros and cons of leaving a potential bout of sex in the tree for medical needs. He sighed and let go of his grip on the other teen's knees. He swung his leg over to join the other and let himself fall to the next branch. "Come on then, dobe," he called with resignation.

Naruto couldn't stop the snort of laugher as he dropped down and followed the Uchiha into the lair.


“Things like this make me miss Kabuto,” Sasuke said, his tone deliberately bland and dry.

Naruto snorted derisively as he put another stitch in the wound on the other ninja’s upper arm. “I’d have to be on my death bed before I would let that son-of-a-bitch touch me.”

Sasuke continued to watch Naruto carefully, his face blank as he refused to acknowledge the pain. “Hn. Some of us don’t have your benefits.” His eye twitched as the needle stabbed into the skin for the next stitch. “Your bedside manner sucks, but you make really good stitches,” he added graciously, trying to make up for his previous words.

“Do you really think I took my clothes to a seamstress whenever they got ripped up during training or on missions?” the blonde asked, darkly amused.

“So you can cook, clean, fight and sew. You really will make a good wife,” he predicted teasingly.

“I notice you didn’t say ‘make someone a good wife’ this time. Got anyone in mind for whose wife I’m going to be?” Naruto carefully knotted the thread before biting it off with a sharp canine. He moved from the small stool to the edge of the bathtub to reach the wound on the leg. He cleaned it once more before he began to sew.

“Well, I would hate to see your talents go to waste, so you can be mine,” he said magnanimously.

Naruto’s lips twitched into a smile. “I hate to tell you this, teme, but there is no way in hell I’m gonna allow you to call me your wife. I’ll be your friend, your lover or your mate. Hell, I’ll even be your boyfriend if you have to, but there is no way you are going to call me your wife.” He moved his hand to cup himself lewdly. “Not with this between my legs.”

Sasuke’s dark eyes had lowered to where Naruto’s hand had been and looked as if he was contemplating whether to place his own palm there or not. He had just started to reach out when he received a sharp “Hold still,” for his efforts. He frowned at the admonishment.

“And quit pouting,” Naruto added as his eyes flickered up to the pale face.

“I wasn’t pouting,” Sasuke denied. “And I was just stretching.”

“You were pouting and rather cutely I might add and you don’t need to stretch, you need to hold still.”

There was a moment of silence before the normally stoic avenger felt the need to distract himself from the needle entering and sliding through his skin. “Mate, huh?”

Naruto glanced up at him, but didn’t reply.

Sasuke eyed the other teen, not finding any evidence on the tanned neck of the marks that he had put there a few days ago. Sometimes Naruto’s healing ability annoyed him. “Is that a Kyuubi thing?” he asked suddenly, referring to his previous statement.

A blonde eyebrow lifted in slight irritation and the blue eyes blazed a little brighter. “What else would you suggest to describe us?” he challenged distractedly as he finished up the last few stitches.

“Spouse, significant other, partner?” Sasuke threw out the words randomly. He wasn’t really sure what to call their relationship and was curious what the other boy would say. Sasuke didn’t like unknowns. He didn’t like things that weren’t identified and labeled so he knew how to react to them. Of course, unknown was the perfect way to describe Naruto. As was unpredictable.

Naruto bent down over his pale thigh and bit the thread in two. Sasuke shivered as hot breath ghosted over his bare skin Blue eyes gave him a knowing look as the rough hand of a fighter moved over to caress the semi-hardness forming in his boxers. Sasuke swallowed almost audibly.

“We aren’t married so don’t call me spouse, significant other sounds like a bunch of snooty bullshit and partner sounds like we are starting a business together.”

Naruto couldn't help but notice that all the words Sasuke had picked had long term significance. He felt a warm surge through his heart as his lover sat there and unknowingly gave voice to his commitment. There were so many potential obstacles to anything long term between them; Orochimaru, Itachi and the revival of Sasuke's clan were only a few.

He forced himself to put those thoughts out of his mind and to try to enjoy what he had at this moment in time. If he were to lose this in the future, he wanted to have experienced enough to make the heartache that he would undoubtedly carry for the rest of his life worth it.

Sasuke fought to keep his voice normal and cool even though his lover was currently rolling his tightening sac between his fingers. “Mate then?” he asked, wishing the other boy was looking up at him so he could see the expression in his eyes.

Naruto moved both hands until they gripped just above the older teen’s knees, below his wound. Knowing what would turn his lover on and wanting to give him that, he tapped just lightly into the demonic power within him. His grip tightened as he lifted red, slit eyes up to the beautifully sculpted face. “Mate,” he growled deeply.

Sasuke’s breath froze for a moment before leaving him in a shuddering rush. He felt his cock harden swiftly in response to the darkness of that gaze. A hand with the beginnings of claws tipping the fingers unbuttoned the fly of his boxers, the scarlet eyes never leaving his. That hand then gently drew him out from under the cloth, talons raking lightly over fragile skin, teasing him with danger.

Naruto slid down to his knees, pushing the dark pants and boxers the rest of the way off of the pale legs. He dipped his head forward, still not breaking their locked eyes, and a pink tongue darted out to lathe over the beads of moisture starting to form on the tip of the manhood in front of him.

He curled his lip up, exposing an elongated canine and ran the edge of the sharp tooth carefully over the blood engorged head, making sure not to break skin. He watched as black pupils started to eclipse eyes that were only a shade or two lighter, consuming their color like a black hole does light. He paused for a long tense moment, drawing out the anticipation, before throwing himself into motion and swallowing the hardened flesh to the hilt.

Sasuke threw his head back with a loud cry, hands instinctively finding their way into blonde hair and fisting tightly. He spread his legs wider as Naruto pushed closer and wound his tanned arms underneath those slender yet muscular thighs. Sasuke leaned back into the cold porcelain of the commode, only the thin black shirt and his arm guards covering him.

A flicker of a frown crossed his face as the blonde started to slow down in his ministrations. He scowled when the younger teen stopped with his cock still halfway in his mouth. Sasuke opened his eyes that had closed in pleasure to look down at the taunting red gaze. Something fluttered in his stomach at that look, the sensation telling him that he was being toyed with or tested.

“Move, moron,” he ordered forcefully.

The blonde brows quirked as if to say ‘Is that the best you can do?’ Then, as if to challenge his dubious authority, the mouth slid further off of his heated flesh.

He used the hands that were tangled in blonde locks to force the other boy’s head back down onto his cock. Apparently that had been the correct response because that mocking gaze became hazier with lust. When he made no further move, the pink lips started slowly slipping back off, as if daring him to stop the action. He shoved the head back down and held it there a moment.

“Is this what you’re wanting, Naruto? For me to fuck your mouth?” he asked huskily, a shaft of desire burning through him at his own words.

Clawed hands tightened on his legs as eyes practically blazed up at him, but it was the quick approving lick of the tongue that gave him his answer.

Not wanting the opportunity to be taken away, he quickly took charge of the situation. His hands moved that sinful mouth up and down on his erection as he flexed his hips into the rhythm. Naruto never tried to stop him, never tried to hold him back. He merely handed Sasuke three out of the four things he craved most on a proverbial silver platter.

Power, control and Naruto.

As he repeatedly buried himself deep within the hot, wet sheath, a low rumbling growl started. Reverberating through the broad chest, up the throat and around his cock, the sound and the thought of that force within the blonde while he fucked his mouth left him shaking and panting.

Brought to the edge hard and fast, he only had a fleeting concern about choking his lover as he thrust as far as he could go and held himself there, spilling his seed with a harsh cry. The swallowing motions sent shudders through his body as he drifted down from his euphoric high.

As Sasuke relaxed almost languidly on the seat of the toilet, Naruto careful extracted himself from his lover’s embrace. Although he had not gotten off, he basked in the other’s pleasure; a contented purr wanting to make itself heard.

He checked the stitches to make sure nothing was pulled too badly before carefully wrapping them up. Standing, he adjusted himself with a slight wince, then picked up the practically comatose shinobi to carry him to bed.

TBC