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 Four ~
By: Cecilia Tsukineko & Kirei Kitsue

----------------Next Morning-----------------
Sasuke lay awake in bed having watched Naruto sleep into the morning a little, but now it was time to order room service and then to settle into the Jacuzzi for a soak. Then they would leave. Deciding it was time Sasuke blew very, very lightly into Naruto's ear and caressed Naruto's hip down to his thigh just to get his attention. The mirth was plain in his eyes. "Naruto... time to get up and eat... soak and then head out..."

"Nngh... five more minutes, Baa-chan..." Naruto muttered, just like he did every morning. "M'comfy..." He snuggled closer to prove his point, burrowing his face deeply into Sasuke's chest.

"I love you, too..." Sasuke murmured and licked the tip of Naruto's ear before letting his tongue dip lower along the shell's upper curves.

That was new... Grunting sleepily Naruto pulled away from Sasuke and blinked at him blearily. It took him a moment to register that it was Sasuke, not someone else, and he put his hand on Sasuke's face, pushing him away. "Perv," he mumbled before untangling himself and standing up, slowly shuffling over to bathroom as a yawn just about split his face in two.

Without more than a little shrug Sasuke stood and moved over to the Jacuzzi-tub, stripping out of his boxers and turning it on. By the time Naruto emerged, Sasuke was settled in the water up to his mid-section, lounging with his head thrown back and his legs spread beneath the bubble covered water. Naruto had two options. To either use Sasuke as a backrest and be comfortable or to try and have a pair of legs to either side.

Now much more awake Naruto pulled his tank off, revealing muscles earned in high school boxing and wrestling, and stepped into the tub in his boxers. He sat in the other end of the oblong tub and began fiddling with the buttons, trying to figure out how to turn the jets on.

Sighing Sasuke shifted his feet over to one side so that his legs could remain stretched out and yet Naruto could do the same and watched quietly as Naruto looked about. With a small and devious smile Sasuke reached up and over Naruto's right shoulder, depressing the switch for the jets which promptly kicked on. "Good?"

"Yep." Settling comfortably in his corner Naruto played with the jets right by him, happily amusing himself. Leaning forward he went under the water briefly, the dogtags around his neck clinking softly as he shook the water out of his hair, and then went back to playing with the jets.

A hand came into the corner of Naruto's vision and then Sasuke's fingers lifted the tags from Naruto's chest. "Dogtags?" he asked softly.

"My parents'," Naruto explained shortly, taking the tags out of Sasuke's fingers.

"Oh..." And he left it at that, leaning back again. There was a minute of silence and then asked, "Comfortable?"

"Yep." Becoming more playful as he came more awake Naruto cupped his hands and shot water into Sasuke's face. "How about you?" he asked, smirking.

A snort of indignation and then Sasuke was glaring from behind wet bangs and through droplets of water. "Ahou..."

Naruto just grinned. "Love you too!" he chirped, returning to his earlier amusement of playing with the jets.

Shaking his head Sasuke shifted a little and sunk more. After a long while he decided he'd been in the too-hot water too long and then stood, water sluicing off him in rivulets that only accentuated the curves and planes of hard-earned muscles. "I'm going to take a quick shower, okay? Then we can go..." he murmured and looked up to meet Naruto's eyes and stopped.

Wide-eyed and blushing furiously Naruto was staring at him. Sasuke, if he didn't have the coal-black eyes or midnight hair, could easily have been the statue of a Greek god... he was certainly a pale enough... and beautiful enough... and... Realizing that he was staring at something he shouldn't have been Naruto turned an even deeper shade of red and tore his eyes away, looking down into the water. "O-okay," he murmured.

There was a soft chuckle and then Sasuke ruffled Naruto's wet hair. "Glad you like what you see..." he teased and then stepped out. He headed for the bathroom, completely unabashed that he was still buck-naked.

Naruto sat in the water for a long moment before climbing out, trying to think of anything but a naked Sasuke. He grabbed a towel from the pile by the tub and quickly dried himself off, pulling on last night's jeans and a fresh t-shirt after changing into dry boxers. "So are you finally gonna tell me where we're going?" he called through the bathroom door when he heard the shower stop.

"No," came the answer from within. About ten minutes later Sasuke emerged from the bathroom fully clothed... in skintight, black doe-skin breeches, a white ruffled pillowy shirt, knee-high black leather boots, and arm bracers in stiff black leather. The icing on the cake was the sword off his left hip hanging by criss-crossed and tilted belts. "Ready?"

Blushing, and then turning a brighter red when he realized he was blushing, Naruto just nodded mutely. Sasuke looked like a dark, dangerous sex-god.

"Good. Let's go... we'll eat out," Sasuke said and then led the way to the car locking the door behind them. They climbed into the car after Sasuke tossed the sword on the backseat and finally took off for a restaurant. The waitresses fussed and fawned over Sasuke though they never once gave him an odd look over his clothes. When they were done Sasuke led the way out to the car again and got in with Naruto. Pulling out of the parking lot he turned the car for Hollygrove.

"'Renaissance Festival'," Naruto read from a sign as they drove by it... and then Sasuke turned into the parking lot just after the sign. "We're going to Ren Fest?!" he asked excitedly, reverting back to the age of five in his excitement. When Sasuke nodded he whooped loudly. He'd never been to Ren Fest but he'd always wanted to go, and he was finally here! So hyper he was almost buzzing he watched people walk by, a good number of them in costume. Well, that certainly explained Sasuke's getup.

Sasuke parked the car and got out, putting on his sword and locking the car before leading Naruto up to the ticket booth. "Any newbies?" he asked of the girl behind the counter. She looked up, stared for a moment, and then jumped to her feet with joy.

"My lord Sasuke!! Welcome back! No, there aren't any newbies... go on in, sire..." She waved him through, as did the next ten people along the security line.

The first stop they made was the first costume shop on the left. Once there Sasuke turned to the lady and said bluntly, "Dress him... you know what I like."

Naruto's tirade of questions (How come we didn't have to pay? How come they know you?) was cut off as the lady said "Of course, m'lord!" and dragged him into the back of the store. Before he knew what was happening he was wearing skin-tight breeches like Sasuke's, only tan instead of black, and had a tunic over a shirt just like Sasuke's. As a finishing touch the lady tied a leather headband around his forehead before pushing him back to the front of the store and presenting him to Sasuke. "What do you say, m'lord?" she asked.

"It will do, lady..." Sasuke said with an approving nod and handed her his debit card. When she swiped it and all of that business was done, Sasuke turned to Naruto as the woman wandered off to tend another customer. "Now for some footwear. Come on..." he muttered and lead the way towards the boot booth down the far left aisle. Once there he had Naruto fitted for boots and then purchased the pair that looked and fit best. Once Naruto's new boots were bought Sasuke grabbed Naruto's sneakers and clothes. "We'll take these back to the car and then come back. We can head right over to the Washing Wench show at that point," he stated while walking towards the exits.

"O-okay..." Naruto stammered, a little mind-boggled by the suddenness of it all. Especially by the price tag on the new clothes and boots. "I don't know if I'll be able to pay you back for any of this, though... Are you sure it's okay?"

"I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't fine," came the answer as they were stamped and waved through. Sasuke knew the stamp was just for show to the public filing in and out so he didn't even think twice about it. Together they dropped Naruto's mundane clothes off in Sasuke's car's trunk and then headed back into the fair. Sasuke looked over his shoulder at the blond who was staring about in full-fledged awe. "Keep up or we won't get there fast enough for good seats."

So Naruto kept up... and kept stepping on Sasuke's heels since he was more focused on trying to look at everything at once than pay attention to the person in front of him. They managed to get to the Wenches' corner just in time to snag the last two good seats. "'Clean clothes, dirty women'?" Naruto read curiously, looking at the sign on the stage.

"Just wait... you'll see..." Sasuke said and smirked as Daphne chose that moment to jump on the ledge of the Wench Well.

"Good day, ladies and gentles!! You're here early!" Grinning from ear to ear she continued, "Well, I know how much you've had to go through to get these wonderful seats, and you've been here forever saving them! I bet you're all pretty thirsty!! So! To show our appreciation for your adoration!! My cousin and I are going to take orders for a BEER RUN!!! Huzzah!!" The crowd boisterously echoed her huzzah and Daphne made shushing motions before adding, "Okay! Okay! Anyone wanting a beer had better raise their IDs high in the air!" And then she and Winnie started dashing about gathering orders. "I've got five Guinness and two Miller Lights – yuck! Oh! Oh! Six – no seven! Seven Guinness! Oh, it must be my birthday!"

Sasuke finished fishing his ID out of his belt purse and raised it high, waiting for Daphne to move that far back. He glanced at Naruto and said, "I'm not a big drinker but it's tradition. Want one? Or we can share..."

"But we're underage!" Naruto hissed, looking at Sasuke like he was crazy. When the ladies saw Sasuke's ID there was no way they were going to let them have alcohol. "We can't have beer!"

Sasuke was about to say something when Daphne appeared beside him.

"Well, hello there handsome..." she purred and grabbed Sasuke's wrist to squint as his ID carefully. "My oh my... What'll be, m'lord?"

"Guinness," Sasuke said simply and put his ID away as Daphne crowed about having eight Guinness and still only two Miller Lights. She wandered off then, both she and her cousin headed for the beer booth. Sasuke looked to Naruto and raised his brow. "You were saying?"

"Give me that ID!" Naruto snatched the ID out of Sasuke's pouch and looked at it. Yep, it said he was under 21. "But... how... You are so weird," Naruto sighed, handing back the ID and giving up for now. He could badger his roommate later.

Sasuke watched as Daphne and Winnie returned and could only smirk as he watched the two women down most of the beer "trying to find each brand since they were mixed together". By the time they got to Sasuke, Daphne just grinned as she held the plastic cup out to him squeezing its mouth mostly closed.

"Okay, sir... If you hold it like this," she grinned a little and took another sip as it tried to slosh over the compressed sides. "It looks full. Yeah..."

Sasuke shook his head and took it, offering Daphne a tip to the money he'd given her in the first place, which she took with a saucy wink and then headed to the top of the stage. It was time to start the show. He looked to Naruto after taking a sip of the beer. "Want to try it? It's not that bad... though I prefer flavored drinks more."

Naruto shrugged and took the cup. "Sure, why not." It wouldn't hurt to take a sip. Tasting it he decided it was alright and took a small gulp. "S'okay," he said as he handed it back.

Between them the half-cup of beer was gone in seconds and Sasuke crunched the cup. The women had just finished introducing themselves and Mr. Wet-Ums, and Sasuke leaned back a little.

"Okay good people... we'd like to start this show off right so we've got three lovely flowers for three of you men out there to give your ladies. So if you love your lady and want to show her, come on up!" Daphne crowed and watched with glee as men started to rise to their feet. The first three up were the ones that were chosen and the others were sent back to their seats. Daphne and Winnie stood behind the three men and grinned at each other. "Okay, audience... I have a question for you... Is anything – ever~ free~ from~ a~ woman~?" she sing-songed and then grinned as the audience shouted "NO!" in unison. "That's right!"

"Wow... You guys are so smart!" Winnie laughed like an idiot, inhaling lots in fast gulps, but it was all in good fun and the audience laughed with her.

Naruto chuckled wickedly. "This is going to be fun!" he murmured. And was it ever. The first man was ordered to run up to some random old man in the back, yelling, "Daddy! Daddy! Why'd you leave me?!" When he got back up to the stage he got his carnation... but he had to grab it with his teeth from Daphne, who was holding the stem in her own teeth, as the audience chanted, "Teeth! Teeth! Teeth!"

The second man had to pull on a large, dirty-looking pair of white briefs over his jeans, run over to the beer stand, strike a heroic pose and yell, "In my man pants I can do anything!" He then got his carnation as half the audience chanted, "Teeth! Teeth! Teeth!" The other half was laughing too hard to chant, Naruto included.

The third man had to chase Winnie through the crowd, yelling, "Winnie come back! I love you! I need you! Winnie!" He had to take his carnation from Winnie's mouth, but she made it difficult for him by tearing off pieces of the stem until only blossom remained, a tiny bit of stem in her teeth. And then she flipped the flower around so that the blossom was in her mouth and the tiny bit of stem was sticking out. The audience just about died laughing. Finally Daphne took pity on him and just handed him a new carnation – she was about to have him take it out of her skirt but Winnie stopped her.

"This is awesome!" Naruto laughed as the third man sat back down next to his wife.

Sasuke shrugged. "It gets worse... or better depending on how you want to look at it," he said over the next intone of the crowd. Daphne was proclaiming that she would teach the audience all there was to know about Courtly Love.

"You see there is only one rule in Courtly Love... and that is 'if you love a man you may never touch him in public.' And there are rule breakers right here in our audience. Winnie! Go!"

Cackling Winnie dashed into the crowd and grabbed her victim, dragging him up onto the stage while his girlfriend laughed. "You've been a very bad boy," she cooed rabidly as she pawed at the poor man.

Daphne giggled and patted him on the head, then looked to his girlfriend, "Excuse me... Lady? Are you a jealous woman?" At the answer of 'No,' Daphne grinned, "Good... 'cus you might be in a little while." Then she turned back to the crowd. "Now remember the only rule in Courtly Love is that if you love a man you can't touch him in public. Well..." She looked at Winnie and together they said, "We don't love this man!"

"Which means we can touch him as much as we want!" Winnie giggled, pawing her poor victim. "Now put your hands behind your back and stay still!" she ordered.

As soon as the man complied, Daphne and Winnie both leaned down and touched the toes of his shoes chanting, "Touch him on the toe, that's my share, that's my toe-tripper you can play there. Toe-tripper love my dear, the more I love him I never draw near..." And so it progressed up to his knees and then his thighs, the women laughing at the way his legs 'trembled' (with the help of Winnie and Daphne of course) and then, "Touch him on woo -..." Daphne pulled back and looked the man's girlfriend. "You can tell he knew what was coming... He just straightened right up and held really still... Uhm, my lady, if you could just go like this..." Daphne covered her eyes for both hands. "For this one teeny little verse... we would much appreciate it."

"How small is it?" Winnie asked his girlfriend with a huge grin. "C'mon, you can share!"

By this point Naruto was laughing so hard he was wheezing. This was fun!!

Daphne laughed when the girlfriend only shrugged and smiled that typically mysterious woman's smile. "We don't know yet, Winnie... Ready? And... Touch him on the woo that's my share that's my funny-finger you can play there. Funny finger, thigh thocker, knee knocker, toe tripper love my dear. The more I love him I never draw near..." The song continued until they'd tweaked the man's shirt where his nipples should have been and then they let him go, moving on to the My Man contest between the women and a chosen man from the audience for each of them, which promptly lead to the whole Yo-ho the pirate's skit. Sasuke chuckled through that part. It was his favorite.

By the time the wenches were done and collecting their tips Sasuke was standing and stretching. "Well?" he asked.

"I love this!!" Naruto exclaimed, leaping to his feet. "What next what next?!"

"Hello Sasuke dear," Winnie said as she came up behind the dark-haired teen and pecked him on the cheek, cutting off whatever he'd been about to say. "We missed you last week." She flashed a grin at a person putting money in her basket and turned back to Sasuke. "Who's your friend?"

"Winnie this is my roommate, Naruto. Naruto, Winnie," Sasuke introduced in a tone that was neither overly enthusiastic nor apathetic. He found himself to actually be quite glad that Naruto was enjoying himself.

"Just your roommate?" Winnie cooed, giving Sasuke a teasing look. "Hey Daphne! Come over here and check out Sasuke's fresh meat!"

"Excuse me?!" Naruto yelped, blushing.

Sasuke's eyes narrowing was his only protest. He knew better than to banter with these two mainly because no matter what he said they'd turn it back on him in the most perverted way possible.

"Fresh meat... Ah, yes... hello there, cutie... Sasuke certainly has good taste," Daphne murmured and ruffled Naruto's hair. She'd noticed him sitting beside and being talked to by Sasuke during their beer run. "How have you been, Sasuke-dear?"

"Fine... thank you. You two seem well as ever..."

"Thanks... I think..." Naruto muttered to Daphne, running a hand through his hair to settle it back into its usual spikes.

"Care to join us for a little private beer run, boys?" Winnie teased, pulling money out of her corset now that the crowd had dispersed. "Ooo, someone gave us a fifty, Daphne!"

Sasuke's brow went up. A fifty from the audience was definitely a rare treat for the players here.

"A fifty! You're kidding!" Daphne exclaimed and came over to stand right beside Winnie to see for herself. "Oh my god!"

"How about we buy you boys lunch then?" Winnie offered, losing a little bit of her rabidness since the show was over. She laughed when Naruto's stomach answered her loudly. "When was the last time you fed your pet, Sasuke?" she teased.

Deciding it was a better idea to not react Naruto just blushed a bit and pretended to be distracted by the leaves falling off the huge oak above them.

"Keep your money, Winnie. I'll take him for some food now... I fed him this morning, but he's a little high maintenance." With that Sasuke said goodbye to the women who returned it with hugs and then ushered Naruto towards one of the food aisles. "Chicken and chips?" he asked.

"I am not high maintenance," Naruto grumbled playfully, putting his hands behind his head. "And yeah, chicken and chips sounds good."

Nodding Sasuke led the way to the chicken and chips booth. After they had gotten their drinks from the next booth over Sasuke and Naruto settled on a bench and began to eat. They were only partway through their meal when Naruto felt a tug on his sleeve from behind. Sasuke, remaining oblivious, watched one of the Three Musketeers pass by and waved as Aramous waved to him.

"Hrm?" Naruto turned his head and saw a little boy standing behind him, no older than four. Tears and snot were running down his face. "Hey kiddo," Naruto said gently after swallowing, swinging his leg over the bench so that he was facing the boy. "You lost?" The little nodded and sniffed. Naruto took a couple napkins and carefully wiped his face clean. "What's your name, kiddo?"

"Alex," the boy hiccupped.

"Where did you last see your mama, Alex?" Naruto asked patiently. Alex pointed at the shops behind him. "How about we go look for her?" Gently Naruto scooped the child up and settled him on his hip. "Hey Sasuke, this little guy's lost. I'm gonna help him find his mom, okay?"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder and stood. "The best thing to do is look where he last saw her and then to take him to the front if we can't find her. His mother will certainly go there after a little while," Sasuke said and then waited patiently for Naruto to move.

"'Kay." Naruto stood and shifted Alex a bit on his hip to make the weight more comfortable. "You hungry, buddy?" Naruto gave the little the last of his fries when he nodded. As Alex munched Naruto walked over in the direction he'd pointed before, keeping a careful eye out for anyone panicking or calling out Alex's name. "Alex, do you see her anywhere?" Naruto asked gently, but the boy shook his head.

They looked for a good half-hour and by then Alex had cried himself to sleep. "Guess we'd better go to the entrance, huh?"

Nodding Sasuke turned, leading them towards the front. The moment they came into view a woman who was standing by the information booth, fidgeting, screamed and ran towards them. The scream had been her baby's name and as she came up to Naruto she pulled the boy from Naruto's arms in her eagerness to have her baby back.

"Alex! Oh baby! I told you not to wander off! Mommy was so scared that you'd gotten hurt!" she crooned to him, sinking to her knees and just holding him. Certainly she knew she was over-reacting a bit but her relief was so great that she hadn't been able to keep her feet in that instant any longer.

Alex woke up and wrapped his little arms around his mother's neck tightly, crying again. "Mommy..."

Naruto just watched for a moment, a wistful smile on his face, before turning around and walking away. "C'mon," he said softly to Sasuke. The permanent ache in the bottom of his heart was flaring a bit and he rubbed his chest in an attempt to make it go away. The chains around his neck suddenly felt much heavier.

Turning Sasuke followed him. It was obvious to Sasuke that Naruto was thinking about something that troubled him enough to make him look so suddenly... pained. Sasuke knew the feelings behind that look, but without much knowledge in comfort, he simply remained quiet. They were in public and he was certain Naruto didn't want attention drawn to them unnecessarily.

The feeling of little arms around his knee made Naruto stop and look down.

"Thank you, mister," Alex said happily with a big smile before running back to his mother.

Naruto just smiled and kept walking as soon as it was safe to again. "Kids," he murmured affectionately. "So what show are we going to next?" he asked, trying to be cheerful again.

Sasuke followed more slowly, watching the child run back to his waiting mother. "We have the whole weekend... What do you say we go back to the hotel and you can shower while I go get something for us to eat. Chinese?"

"Sure... as soon as I check out that store." Naruto had spotted the shoulder-animals booth. He soon was laughing happily at the curiosities, which sat on your shoulder and then you could move their heads and mouths with a little wire-and-knob contraption. There were unicorns, gryphons, and dragons. He immediately fell in love with a beautiful green and gold dragon.

Unable to help himself for some reason Sasuke turned to the store owner and pointed the green and gold dragon on Naruto's shoulder. "Tell me the price and I'll pay it half again. He likes it..."

Naruto wasn't even paying attention to Sasuke as he played with the dragon, making it roar at kids who scattered and laugh-screamed.

Sasuke paid the given price and walked up to Naruto. "I told him you wouldn't need a bag. Come on... You can think of a name for it on the way out to the car."

"Name?" Naruto blinked. "You mean... this is mine?" When Sasuke nodded Naruto glomped him, being careful to not damage his new toy. "Thank you, Sasuke!!"

"You're welcome," Sasuke said, still walking with Naruto clinging to him. "Did you say that Chinese was good for dinner?"

"Mm-hm!" Naruto let him go and began to run through possible names in his head as he played with the dragon. He was acting like a kid who'd just gotten a sack-full of sweets in a candy store. Just as they got to the car he decided on, "Kazul. His name is Kazul."

"Kazul it is..." Sasuke said and got in the car with Naruto. They drove to the hotel and Sasuke dropped Naruto off, saying, "I'll be back. I'm going to go get the food."

"Okay." Naruto went up to their room and flopped on the bed, happily playing with his new toy. He then suddenly got the impulse to call his grandmother. ::I'd better anyway... she's probably called the dorm ten times by now wondering where we are...:: Giving Kazul a pat he reached for the phone and dialed Mika's number. "Hi Baa-chan!" he chirped when she picked up.

"Naruto?!" He heard her heavy sigh of relief. He was safe! "Oh my god, where have you been?! Why didn't you return any of my messages?!"

"Eh-heh, well... Sasuke and I are in Holly. We've been here since last night." Once he got her to stop yelling at him for going on a roadtrip without telling her beforehand they were both laughing at his recount of the Wenches' show. "It was so funny... You would have loved it."

Mika chuckled. "It certainly sounds like it. So what did you do after that show?"

"The Wenches offered to treat me and Sasuke to lunch – everybody there seems to know him, but he hasn't told me why yet – but we declined and ate by ourselves." The cheer left Naruto's voice as he said, "While we were eating a little kid came up to me looking for help. He'd gotten separated from his parents."

"Poor thing. Did you manage to find his parents?" Mika hadn't missed the sudden change in her grandson's mood and had a feeling she knew what was coming.

"Yeah... The kid's safe now..." Naruto said quietly. He traced the pattern on the cover with a finger. The chains around his neck were heavy again.

After a long pause Mika asked gently, "You miss them, don't you?"

A shaky "yeah" made it past Naruto's lips. "A lot... I've been missing them horribly since I moved into the dorm but... seeing all those families today... I just..."

"I know, baby, I know," Mika soothed gently, knowing that at the other end Naruto was trying not to cry. She was tearing up herself. "I miss them too, and especially when I saw you off. They would be so proud of you. Don't ever forget that."

"Yeah..." Naruto whispered, losing the battle against his held-in tears.

The door swung in almost quiet enough for Naruto not to hear Sasuke's entrance. It was the rattle of the take-out bags that gave him away. However, as soon as the door closed behind him he froze and blinked at Naruto who was crying while lying on their bed with the phone in his hand. "Naruto..." he began, about to ask what was wrong even as he hurried to the table by the window to set the food bags down.

"O-um..." Naruto turned away from him and scrubbed at his face, trying to erase the evidence that he'd been crying. "I gotta go, Baa-chan. Sasuke just got back with dinner."

"Alright. Give me a call when you get back to school, okay?" Mika hoped that Sasuke wasn't the type to taunt Naruto for crying.

"Will do. Love you, Baa-chan. Bye." He hung up, keeping his back Sasuke in hopes that he wouldn't notice Naruto's red eyes or nose.

The bed shifted slightly and then a pair of pale arms were circling Naruto's body and pulling him close. Sasuke remembered suddenly what it was like to want to be held when one was in pain. He remembered his mother cuddling him when he'd skinned his knee trying to play basketball with Itachi. Only this was much worse than a skinned knee. "What's wrong?" he asked softly, his deep voice a little more expressive than it had been so far.

"Nothing," Naruto protested. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about his parents with Sasuke. It hurt so much every time he told someone... like picking at a scab that was never going to heal completely. "Let's eat. The food smells good." He pulled Sasuke's arms off his shoulders and stood up.

Sasuke caught his wrist and jerked him back down, only this time into his lap, and held him there. "No... We're not eating until you tell me what's wrong." Sasuke wasn't letting Naruto get out of this. He wanted to know why Naruto was upset.

"I don't want to talk about it," Naruto protested, trying to stand up. "Sasuke, lemme go!"

"No, Naruto..." came the firm reply and then, feeling a little ridiculous, Sasuke rolled, sending both of them tumbling to their sides. Laying there, spooned to Naruto's back, Sasuke murmured, "I know what it is to be in pain... and not have anyone to share that burden with... Tell me..."

With a deep sigh Naruto deflated, feeling tears at the corners of his eyes again. It would hurt less to just tell Sasuke and be done with it than if he fought him, he decided. "I miss my parents..." he whispered, pulling the chains out from under his tunic to tangle his fingers in them.

Sasuke's arm around Naruto's waist tightened and he lifted his head to rest his temple over Naruto's temple, their cheeks touching. His legs curled up into the back of Naruto's legs until they were both nearly in the fetal position. "I miss my parents too..." His tone spoke plainly that he and Naruto were exactly the same in their emotions.

That was the blow that broke the dam. Naruto wracked with quiet sobs, curling up even tighter on himself. "I miss them so much..." he whispered thickly. "And after seeing all those families today... it hurt... because I'll never see them again... it hurts so much..."

Curling tighter around Naruto, Sasuke murmured gently, "I know it hurts. I know..." very softly as he brought his arm up across Naruto's chest under Naruto's arm to stroke short locks of hair out of Naruto's face. Protectively his body tightened about the slighter blond's and gently he whispered soft soothing words, not sure where they were coming from but knowing they should be said.

Naruto cried himself dry and then just lay there quietly in Sasuke's embrace, not even bothering to dry his face as he looked at the dogtags in his hand with dull eyes. He ached everywhere, but it was his heart that ached the most. His heart felt raw...

Quiet still, Sasuke slowly pulled his arm down from Naruto's head to rest on his chest, still clutching Naruto to him. "Do you know how they died?" he asked gently. He didn't want to make Naruto cry more, but... he had to know if Naruto was like him.

"They... were Marines," Naruto began slowly, his voice sounding as hollow as he felt. "They were sent to the Gulf... Mom..." He shuddered. "Mom died from a car bomb... killed her instantly... Dad disappeared when he got separated from his battalion in the middle of an attack... All they found was his pack in the middle of the desert... Assumed dead..." He gave a dry sob, his fingers clenching around the dogtags – the only thing he had of his parents that wasn't from his father's childhood. "I was only three... I was only three..."

"I'm sorry, Naruto..." Sasuke murmured and hugged him, tightly nuzzling the side of Naruto's head gently with his nose. He felt funny but right doing this. Being there for someone when they needed him.

Gradually Naruto's dry sobs quieted as emotional exhaustion carried him into sleep. But unlike all the other times he'd cried himself to sleep thinking of his parents, unless he was with his grandmother, this time he felt safe and protected in his rest.

With a faint smirk Sasuke settled a little more comfortably with Naruto in his arms and nuzzled Naruto's cheek slightly. Closing his eyes he let himself drift a little. It made him feel better to know that Naruto had let it out a little.

Almost an hour later Naruto stirred, opening his eyes and feeling more alive now that he'd slept off the ache. He was a little surprised to feel Sasuke still spooned up to him. He put his arm over the one laying across his stomach and gave Sasuke's hand a squeeze.

Sasuke stirred and lifted his head from where it had been resting on Naruto's. He blinked drowsily and looked down. "Mm... how do you feel?" he asked and flexed his hand in Naruto's.

"Better... Sorry I dumped all that on you..." Naruto murmured, not meeting Sasuke's eyes.

"It's no problem. I've been where you are... I – still am," Sasuke murmured, his gaze steady.

Naruto laced his fingers with Sasuke's, holding Sasuke's hand to his stomach. "What happened to them?" he asked quietly.

A dark silence settled for a moment and then Sasuke said, his voice dripping hate, "My brother."

The dangerous emotion in Sasuke's voice sent a fearful shiver through Naruto. "Your... brother?"

"He killed my parents... and then took out the rest of my family... is still taking out my family," Sasuke answered softly, the deadly tone seeping out of his voice slowly.

Dread ran cold through Naruto's veins. "What...?!" he whispered, his voice rough with horrified disbelief.

"He killed them... when I was eight years old. He killed my parents and I was the only one that saw. No one believed me..." Sasuke took a deep shuddering breath, trying to control himself. He was done crying. He had vowed he'd never cry over them again the last time he'd broken down and had gone into hyperventilating fits. "So he's still out there and still killing distant relatives."

Not able to say anything to that – it was just too horrible for words – Naruto shifted in Sasuke's grip until he was facing him and embraced him tightly, burying his face in Sasuke's shoulder. All he could think of to do was give Sasuke support and understanding... because the one thing they both wanted more than anything else was impossible to achieve.

Sasuke hugged him back equally hard. He didn't say anything, or even attempt to move. It was no surprise considering he was fighting off the wave of grief that roiled up out of seemingly nowhere.

Knowing what Sasuke was fighting against Naruto tightened his embrace. "Let it out, Sasuke," he murmured under his breath. "Just let it out... it'll only get worse if you hold it in..."

"I'm done with this... I'm not gonna... do this any more..." Sasuke ground out, trying still to hold back the tears that were already starting to poor down his cheeks.

"Let it out, Sasuke," Naruto gently, quietly encouraged, running soothing hands along Sasuke's back. "Let it out before it festers beyond healing." That was something Naruto'd seen too many times in his life – schoolmates grown irreversibly bitter because of something that had happened to them or to a family member. All because they refused help, and to acknowledge that they were in pain.

Slowly Sasuke crumbled and began to cry into Naruto's shoulder, sharing his own grief with the blond as the blond had done for him. He clung to Naruto as if his life depending upon it and he sobbed softly, broken-heartedly into Naruto's shoulder. "I respected him... I wanted to be just like him... I was so... stupid."

"No you weren't..." Naruto murmured soothingly, holding Sasuke closer. "You just made a mistake... everybody does... It's part of being human."

Quieting much more quickly than Naruto, Sasuke slowly stopped sobbing and simply laid there in Naruto's snug arms. "Thank you..." he whispered after a moment.

"I was only repaying the favor," Naruto teased gently, lifting his head just enough to nuzzle lightly at Sasuke's cheek. "Besides, what are friends for?"

"Friends..." Sasuke repeated, actually finding himself very pleased with the word. Then he felt his stomach vibrate and gurgle with hunger. "The food needs to be reheated... but it should still be good..."

"I sure hope so... 'cause now that you mention it I'm starving."

----------Later That Night---------
Naruto, warm and snug under the sheets, read his book as he waited for Sasuke to come out of the bathroom so they could sleep. After sharing their pasts the evening had been very quiet, but there had been a feeling of... almost peace surrounding them. Naruto's heart at least certainly felt lighter than it had for a long time after sharing with Sasuke. It was a very welcome feeling and Naruto hoped it would stay with him.

Sasuke emerged from the shower and then the bathroom wearing only his boxers. He crawled into bed with Naruto and stretched out on his back easily, ready for some well deserved rest. The serenity that surrounded the two of them right then was blissful and he found himself wishing it to never end. "Oyasumi, Naruto..." he murmured, staring at the ceiling. It felt weird to feel like someone might actually care about what happened to him.

"Night, Sasuke," Naruto said as he put his book on the nightstand and turned out the light. "Um... about last night..." he asked quietly. "I didn't... turn you into a plush toy, did I?" He was a little embarrassed to ask that but he'd been so out of it that morning that he couldn't remember if he'd woken up wrapped around Sasuke or not.

"It's fine..." Sasuke murmured and turned his head to look at Naruto. "It doesn't bother me. In fact I don't mind at all."

"You sure? 'Cause I could sleep in the chair or something if it bugs you." Naruto fidgeted awkwardly. "I always do that when I share a bed with someone... Baa-chan thinks it's adorable." He made a face to show what he thought of that.

Sasuke shook his head a little. "I'm not going to complain if you want to snuggle with me..." ::I miss having bodies in my bed. It was definitely something I got used to... I think I was at the brink of addiction.::

Shrugging Naruto scooted closer and settled down for sleep. "Alright, but don't complain when I'm squeezing the life out of you come morning. Night."

"Night," was Sasuke's only response as he closed his eyes for sleep. He honestly didn't care if Naruto used him as a body pillow.

It didn't take long for Naruto to fall asleep and roll closer to Sasuke, latching onto him like a burr. Sasuke held him back, sighing in his semi-sleep, and nuzzled the top of Naruto's head.

TBC...