Come Home With Me

Story: Come Home With Me
Chapter: Companions
Author: Sarah Keller
BETA: Rasengan22
Genre: Romance/Psychological Drama
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto hence why this is a FANFIC
Warnings: Yaoi! Doing naughty things on a swing, men going shopping, Ino, angst, lovers spat, footnotes and mention of a baby dying.
Pairings: NaruSasuNaru
Author's note: For clarification purposes, since it isn't stated outright in the text. Sasuke and Naruto are 18-19 years old.

--------------

"The point of you being out here is to help out."

"I'm still recovering, you should be nice." Naruto pouted. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the obvious fake pout.

"You're just being lazy now."

"Well I don't want to break your rhythm, you've been working on all this for a while now. I'd just get in the way." The blond said as he swung on one of the swings Sasuke had installed.

"At least that excuse is more believable." Naruto laughed and even Sasuke smiled a bit. Turning back to the job at hand, Sasuke picked up another 20 lbs. bag of sand.

"Did you know that I have always loved swings?" Naruto asked. Sasuke smiled to himself as he opened the sand bag and started pouring it around the bottom of the slide. Ever since their dinner a couple nights ago, Naruto had been more open to sharing the things he liked. "You don't need anyone else to swing, and more importantly, it wasn't one of the places kids would gather around. You know, like they would around the slide or merry-go-round."

Sasuke's head shot up. Naruto wasn't looking at him; the blond was looking off to his right with a far away look in his eyes. Though the teen was still smiling, the smile didn't reach his eyes.

Naruto, Sasuke's heart squeezed oddly and he frowned.

"Why all the parks, anyways?" Naruto asked before Sasuke could say anything.

Sasuke blinked at the sudden change in subject before sighing. "Sakura and Lee will eventually have kids. They should have somewhere to play."

"Yeah, but does a couple of kids constitute four parks? Not to mention that you turned one of the east training grounds into a park."

"I guess, I'm trying to change something from the past." Sasuke said slowly as his gaze swept over the Uchiha grounds.

"Something from the past? You mean your childhood?" Naruto asked. The blond watched the Uchiha heir as his eyes turned reflective, like he was searching for the truth in Naruto's words.

"I've wondered . . . if the way my clan raised their children isn't somewhat responsible for what happened." Sasuke said carefully. "I wonder about the past a lot." Never once did Sasuke look at Naruto. He seemed to be unable to do so. Part of him wondered about Naruto's past as well and whether he should complain about his family to someone who never had one. Naruto smiled slightly at the other teen, everything he hadn't said clearly heard by the blond.

"It's alright to tell me, Sasuke. I'd like you to open up to me." When Sasuke finally looked at Naruto, the blond smiled brightly. The constricting feeling in the Uchiha's chest didn't dissipate, it only seemed to grow in magnitude. "For instance, you never really told me what would make you happy." Naruto pointed out.

Sasuke repressed the gasp that seemed to be have been rung out of him. Part of him had feared the moment when Naruto would want to know that. Ever since he had focused on Naruto's happiness, he had been forced to examine his own. The future was still something slightly terrifying to the Uchiha, not to mention completely unknown. It was very possible that Itachi or Orochimaru would still kill him.

"I want you to be happy." Naruto sighed and Sasuke didn't need to be told he was stalling. As much as he was being truthful, he was still stalling. "I don't know, Naruto. I really don't. I still want Itachi dead and to an extent, Orochimaru. But killing them is more out of self preservation than anything now." Naruto nodded in understanding.

"Well, why don't you tell me what you like right now?" Naruto asked, trying a different route.

A few naughty ideas involving his blond and a bunch of rope came to mind, but he didn't think that was what Naruto was looking for. A large part of him was still trying to maintain the indifferent and cold attitude. Admitting any kind of happiness was a hard task, the only reason he could admit that his and Naruto's relationship made him happy was because they had gotten that out in the open during a very enthusiastic make out session.

"Sakura said you like to garden." Naruto prodded. Sasuke actually blushed. He realized he really had to become accustomed to the fact that he does some things because he likes them.

"Well, yes. I also like working with my hands." Sasuke said after clearing his throat.

"Like building things? That's cool. I bet you loved all the D-rank missions we used to do."

Sasuke decided not to mention the D-rank missions he did after coming back from Orochimaru. "Not all of them, but some, I suppose I did."

"Anything else?" Naruto asked.

Dumping the now empty sack, Sasuke turned and regarded the blond. "Why all the prodding?" Naruto avoided looking at him for a few seconds before making eye contact.

"You haven't done anything fun since coming back, have you?"

"I believe we established that a lot of what I've been doing has some pleasure in it for me. Especially some more recent . . . exercises." The Uchiha smirked in victory when Naruto blushed.

"That's not what I was talking about. You haven't gone out and done anything beyond this compound, have you? And that's a rhetorical question, by the way, because I know you haven't. Just like I know the others have tried to invite you out." Naruto said, his annoyance at the other clearly on his face. Sasuke simply shrugged. At no time did he say that he was going to go out of his way to play nice with others. Plus, there were fangirls outside the Uchiha compound's walls.

"If you want me to go out, you should know the best method to do that." Sasuke said as he neared the teen still sitting on the swing. Naruto watched the Uchiha's approach suspiciously. "Though I think you would rather stay in."

"What are you doing, Uchiha?" He refused to relinquish his place by trying to lean away from the dark haired teen as he leaned down into Naruto's personal space.

Blue eyes narrowed at the smirk plastered on the other teen's pale face. But despite being wary of the other, he still could feel his heart rate speed up and his stomach clench in anticipation. In the last few days, Naruto had come to recognize the feelings he had whenever Sasuke showed any sign of seduction. Oddly, a lot of them were the same feelings he got right before he sparred with the Uchiha. There was one distinct difference though, and that was how he always felt like he was floating. Sasuke didn't need to even touch him for him to get all light-headed. It was an odd sensation that Naruto wasn't entirely sure he liked. However, he definitely liked what came after.

"Do you really want to go out when we could have fun by staying in?" Sasuke asked before his lips brushed over Naruto's. The blond mewed very slightly, and the Uchiha's mouth dropped down, completely sealing Naruto's mouth with his own.

Naruto's entire body shuddered at the contact of the other boy, his hands tightening on the swing's ropes. He felt Sasuke's hand as it cupped his cheek before traveling up to burrow in his golden hair. Just as Naruto tilted his head up in order to better accommodate their kiss, Sasuke slowly dropped to his knees. Naruto was very confused when Sasuke ended the kiss. But before he knew it, he felt Sasuke nip at his chin and then bury his face in the hollow of the blond's throat. Naruto felt Sasuke's tongue swipe against his skin before it was gone, too. Clouded blue eyes watched as Sasuke's dark head continued to move down his chest. Every few seconds the Uchiha would nip at his skin through the fabric of his shirt. Naruto’s whole body was tight with anticipation. Sasuke's bites were almost playful since he never actually bit on the skin, only giving the impression that he could.

Legs covered by orange fabric were pushed apart as Sasuke slid between Naruto's thighs. Naruto could feel the light pressure of the Uchiha's hands on his thighs before all thoughts suddenly ceased. Sasuke nuzzled the top of Naruto's orange pants. The blond's shirt rode up under Sasuke's ministrations, revealing the tan flesh just below Naruto's bellybutton. Warm air caressed the skin as Sasuke breathed softly, and Naruto gulped. Taking hold of one of the belt loops with his teeth, Sasuke pulled back slightly. His dark eyes glanced up at his blond right before he let go of the pants. Naruto's thighs tensed until the muscles hurt, something that didn't get past the Uchiha who smirked into haze-filled blue eyes.

Sasuke leaned back until he was sitting on his heels, which brought him eye level with his goal. Glancing back up at Naruto, Sasuke nuzzled the folds of fabric between the blond's legs. He never put much pressure on the other boy's groin, only continued to give teasing bites to the fabric. He took a rather large fold into his mouth and sucked on it, causing his cheeks to hollow. Naruto's harsh breathing reached Sasuke's ears, but he couldn't find the will to smirk. This was turning into something far more serious than the distraction the Uchiha had intended. "Do you want to stay in with me?" Sasuke heard himself ask. Up until this moment they had only messed around. Things like kissing and pressing up against each other. They hadn't gone beneath the belt, and Sasuke had crossed that bridge without thinking. Again. This time, though, he wasn’t the least bit guilty.

"Yes." Naruto whispered between pants, completely ready and willing to take their relationship to the next level.

"Tch, how troublesome." It took a few seconds for Shikamaru's voice to get through the two boy's befuddled minds.

Naruto blinked at the lazy teen before he blushed brilliantly. Unlike the time that Kakashi interrupted them, Naruto didn't squirm or try to scream. His response that night had come from the shock of Sasuke's advances, but now he was comfortable with their relationship. And since he wasn't one to be subtle or quiet, he didn't seem to think that they needed to hide their changing relationship from everyone else. As Sasuke stood, he noticed that Shikamaru was looking more at the playground equipment than at them. The Uchiha's fingertips tingled, and he gazed down at the blond to see that he was unconsciously caressing his scarred cheek. Naruto smiled at him, and his stomach clenched at what he almost identified as fear.

"Hey, Shika." Naruto said, pushing himself off from the ground slightly. Sasuke moved away so that he wouldn't get hit by the blond's swinging.

"Naruto. Sasuke, we have a mission." The Uchiha nodded to the lazy genius when he looked at him and turned to Naruto.

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Naruto spoke up. "Have fun." The blond smiled and pushed off the ground a little harder causing him to swing higher.

"Don't kill yourself with the swing." Sasuke said before joining Shikamaru.

Naruto watched the two dark-haired men talk before they walked off toward the compound's main gates. He continued to swing for a few minutes before allowing the swing to slow until he swayed gently in the breeze. The blond took stock of himself and tried to figure out the feelings he felt for the Uchiha. He understood the excitement and even the terror he felt whenever the two of them came into contact. That strange light-headed feeling he got, though, still confused him immensely. Sighing, he got up from the swing and grabbed the now empty sand bags, deciding he could at least help a little by cleaning up.

Tomorrow he would start doing missions again and suddenly blind terror choked him. Not because he was scared of the missions or running into certain people while on said missions, but because with Sasuke doing missions they would hardly see each other. Naruto wondered if their relationship would continue to develop or if this was as far as they'd ever get. Unconsciously, he bit his bottom lip as he pondered this problem and his reaction to said dilemma. His mind wandered to the dinner at Sakura's and to what she had said about him always taking after the Uchiha. It was true that when they were younger he did a lot of things to make Sasuke notice and acknowledge him, not that he was doing that now, but it made him wonder. As someone who had grown up completely alone, it was strange how quickly he had become emotionally involved with Sasuke, even if it had initially been a rivalry. And now, he was becoming more dependent on Sasuke, and his personality was trying to rebel and embrace this at the same time. It was all very confusing.

And then there were the playgrounds. Sasuke's reasoning really didn't make sense to the blond. The Uchiha claimed the play areas and parks were for the kids that would be running around here - presumably Sakura and Lee's children. However, didn't Sasuke start working on them before he knew about Lee and Sakura's relationship? The blond was pretty sure that Sasuke had started transforming the east training area into a park before they moved in. And with all the fangirls and repopulating the clan thing, Naruto really wondered if Sasuke hadn't started the Uchiha compound's transformation with his own children in mind. Something that wouldn't happen so long as Sasuke and he were together. Then again, the Uchiha had made it pretty clear that he was breaking away from all of that bullshit when he came back. Naruto was getting all confused again.

After throwing away the empty sand bags, the blond decided to go out and get some shopping done. As he traversed the shopping district, his mind kept wandering. Naruto was very aware of how people thought he put everyone else before himself, and yes, part of that was because it made him content for his friends to be happy. He found that joy was contagious, how else could people explain the power of a smile? Even on the worst days of his life, Naruto had smiled, and even though it never made his world right, his smiles made it a little bit more bearable.

What his friends weren't so aware of was how Naruto simply didn't know how to put himself before others. For years he got nothing, and now he expected nothing because it was better than waiting for the alternative. Like getting presents. He still remembered the very first present he got. It had been a week before his 4th birthday when two men came up to him as he walked to the playground from the orphanage. He had never heard of the traditional birthday spankings before, but he remembered it afterwards. However, unlike other children who received light smacks to the bottom, Naruto had received four hard slaps to the head, plus one kick to grow on(1). Naruto distinctly remembered that it all happened in the middle of a street and how all the other people around them had simply turned away.

Ever since then, he had learned to avoid being on the receiving end of presents. He had eventually learned to defend himself, something that wasn't exactly difficult considering he went to the ninja academy. Thankfully, the Hokage never believed he would hurt villagers without provocation. When one added the fact that he didn't have parents or guardians to dote on him, one could see how he simply never learned the selfishness associated with getting praise and presents. So when he finally did start to get positive attention and companionship, he was not prepared to accept anything from them except their attention and friendship. He had gone so far as to demand that no one give him presents for holidays, that all he would accept was a small get together and camaraderie.

Naruto would bend over backwards to accommodate the needs of his friends, even if it were to postpone his birthday party until after the Kyuubi Festival so that they could spend the holiday with their families. Part of him did these things in an effort to maintain the friendships, because he was scared of losing them. He did everything not to rock the boat, so to speak. That had been one of the reasons he had turned down Hinata when she had asked him out. Naruto knew Kiba was head over heels for the Hyuuga heiress, and he didn't want to become a rival with him, especially since Naruto wasn't sure if he would be able to return her feelings.

Sasuke though, Sasuke had always been different. Despite popular belief, Naruto hadn't wanted the Uchiha's acknowledgement when they were younger; he had simply wanted to know what was going on in his head. Reading other people was the one thing that he had relied on for his own safety, and he never knew what to expect from the great Uchiha heir. The more time they had spent together, the more Naruto had come to realize that even Sasuke didn't know what to expect. He had a goal, but nothing else. After he came to understand that, Naruto had attempted to help the other boy in both his goal and his sanity. His obsession to do so had almost become a test of his own mental state. Naruto couldn't say he was doing things to please the dark-haired teen because in truth, he simply didn't know what would truly make him happy. At this point all he could really decide was to buy the Uchiha a book on gardening and kiss him the next time they saw each other.

"Hello Naruto." A high-pitched voice came out of nowhere. The blond spun only to come eye to eye with another blond (a fact that really annoyed him).

"Hello, Ino! How is the flower shop, and Choji?" Naruto asked with a big grin.

"Fine, fine." The woman answered with a wave of the hand. "What are you shopping for, anything I can help with?" Ino asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Naruto visibly paled. "Er . . . no, thank you. I'm just getting some extra t-shirts for working out in, and I'm headin' over to get some books."

"Really? Mind if I join you? I've already got what I needed anyways, and I'd like to look through some of the new fiction books."

Crap. "Sure thing, Ino." Together the two blonds walked to the bookstore.

"How are you feeling? I heard you slept for something like four days."

"Two, actually. And I'm fine. Sakura's already given me the all clear. I start back to missions tomorrow."

"Really? Do you think the Hokage will give you B or A-rank missions?" Naruto mentally winced, he hadn't thought of that. Being Tsunade's favorite, he knew she'd try to pawn some less intense missions on him.

"I still have three weeks left on my jounin probation, which means I'll probably be paired with Neji for whatever missions, and I can't see her letting our talent go to waste on boring missions." At least he hoped not. Ino's eyes twinkled as she saw through to Naruto's insecurity.

"How is Sasuke?"

"Why don't you go ask him?" Naruto responded a bit harsher than he intended.

"Well, you know. The whole Orochimaru issue. I just figured since the two of you are spending so much time together, you'd know what was really going on with him." Ino watched Naruto closely as she said that. She saw the way his eyes dilated and the flushing of the skin on his face and neck. "Oh, my God!" She squealed. "Sakura was right! You two are doing the horizontal tango!"

Impossibly, Naruto turned a brighter shade of red as Ino started laughing loudly. "We are not!" He said through clenched teeth. Ino didn't appear to believe him.

"I so knew you two were gay!" Ino said between fits of laughter.

Naruto was waiting for the ground to open up and swallow him. People on the street had turned to regard the two blonds, which was making Naruto more nervous. With a huff, he turned and entered the bookstore only to be followed by the giggling blond girl. After a few minutes of watching Naruto look around for the gardening section, Ino took pity on him and steered him to the right place.

"Here this is a good one." Ino said as she handed the dumbfounded blond a book on gardening. She had finally stopped laughing, but a huge grin was plastered on her face.

"How did you . . .?" Naruto asked bewilderedly.

"You were mumbling to yourself as you walked around."

"Oh."

"Sakura also told me that Sasuke likes to garden." When Naruto blanched, Ino quickly patted him on the back in reassurance. "Don't worry, I think you two are perfect for each other. And Sakura agrees. You two should probably not make out on training grounds, though, Uchiha property or not. You never know who could walk by."

When Naruto started sputtering, Ino couldn't help but giggle again. "Calm down, Blondie. We're all rooting for you, just be careful. Neither one of you knows the logistics of relationships. We just want you to know we're here for you. In fact, you two should come out with Choji and me this weekend. A double date of sorts."

"That sounds like fun, Ino. I'll talk to him about it." Naruto said after his voice had finally come back. For some reason, he had gotten choked up for a second.

"More like blackmail him into, that boy needs to learn how to socialize. Too bad you're not a girl, parenthood would certainly knock some sense into that ass." And with that, Ino was gone. Naruto stood there for a few more minutes, realizing that the girl was right, parenthood would do Sasuke some good. As he paid for the book, Naruto couldn’t help but frown at that fact.


---------------

A solid thumping on Naruto's front door announced the arrival of a guest. Coming out of one of the large rooms downstairs, the blond slid open the front door, smiling when he saw who was there.

"Why are you all dirty, dobe?" Sasuke asked. Not waiting to be invited in, the Uchiha simply pushed his way past the sweating blond.

"I was doing some basic workouts. How was the mission?" Naruto asked as he closed the door before joining the other teen in the living room. Sasuke had already seated himself on one of the couches by the time Naruto had made it into the room.

"Tedious. I barely slept more than four hours the entire three days. I'm surprised you're here, I thought you were going active again the day after I left." Sasuke stretched out his legs before propping his feet up on the coffee table. Naruto could see his muscles visibly relax beneath the plain sweat pants. It was obvious from Sasuke's casual clothing and wet hair that the young man had just cleaned up, which only reminded Naruto that he desperately needed a shower.

"The old hag has been keeping me on a tight leash, much to Neji's annoyance. Take a load off, I'm going to go shower really quick." Before Sasuke could say anything Naruto was already heading upstairs.

Naruto moved as quickly as he possibly could in the bathroom, though not too fast since he'd read somewhere that 90% of all accidents in the home happen in the bathroom after all. But even then, it was 15 minutes before he made it downstairs. When he made it back to the living room, he found Sasuke sound asleep. The Uchiha's feet were still on the coffee table, and his dark head was thrown back over the top of the couch. Naruto couldn't help but smile at the serene expression on his friend's face. Deciding to leave him as he was, Naruto went to the kitchen. It was still a bit early for lunch, but he knew first hand how much shinobi's craved good food on the return home.

Sasuke awoke to the smell of cooked seafood and the sizzle of a deep fryer. Getting up, he headed into the kitchen in order to see what the blond was up to. Walking into the kitchen, Sasuke's eyes widened. Set out on the island countertop was no less than three dishes, which didn't include the dish Naruto was working on and something in the oven.

"Trying to fatten me up?" Sasuke asked with a smirk. Naruto smiled but didn't look at him.

"Are you saying that you don't want to eat any of it?" This time Naruto and Sasuke both smirked.

"No. Need any help?"

"I'm almost done, go ahead and set the table."

The next few minutes passed in a comfortable silence. Sasuke set the table as Naruto finished making the Tendon(2). As Sasuke set the food on the table, Naruto pulled out the brownie he had been baking and set it on the oven to cool. The first few minutes of their dinner was eaten in silence. Slowly, conversation began. At first they spoke of trivial things. Then they spoke of more personal things.

"Am I to assume you left that gardening book in my house while I was gone?" Sasuke asked.

"Well aren't you a smart duck. Yes, I left it." Naruto confirmed with a laugh.

Sasuke was torn as to whether he should ignore the blond's comment or glare at him. He was highly tempted to stop talking altogether. Instead, he sucked some rice from his chopsticks and smirked when Naruto stopped laughing abruptly. "Thank you for the book, dobe."

"You're welcome." Naruto responded dumbly, his eyes glued to the erotic display Sasuke was putting on. "Ino helped me pick it out."

"Really? Do you go shopping with the girls all the time?" Naruto nearly choked on the broth he had just tried to swallow.

"What the hell do you mean by that?!" Naruto practically growled. His blue eyes narrowed and sparkeled with the promise of violence.

"I think you know, Usuratonkachi."

"I am not a girl, teme! Do NOT ever imply that I am, or I will kick your ass from here to Suna!" Sasuke was incredibly amused by Naruto's flushed face and angry eyes. It took all his self control not to laugh out right.

"I'm simply pointing out the obvious, Naruto."

"Why you, you . . . TEME! I'm going back to liking only girls!" Naruto sat back with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. "After I went to the trouble of cooking for you and everything." He mumbled. Sasuke couldn't contain himself any longer and started laughing. Naruto was already pissed off, so he simply continued to sulk.

"You wouldn't actually leave me for a girl, now would you Naruto?" Sasuke asked as he tried to calm himself. He tried to seem very concerned, but he had developed the hiccups from his sudden laughing.

"Instantly!" Naruto declared loudly.

"But you'd hurt my feelings." Sasuke batted his dark eyelashes at the blond in the hopes that he would look put out. Naruto snorted.

"I suppose I haven't found out yet if I'm bi or not. However, Neji is available, so leaving you for another guy is possible." Naruto was looking off to his side, apparently in deep thought. Sasuke's amusement came to an abrupt stop. His eyes narrowed in pure anger at the thought of Naruto doing what they did with the Hyuuga. The intensity of the emotion was so strong that the part of his brain telling him that Naruto was joking went completely unheeded.

"I suppose if any one left the other for a girl, it would be me." Sasuke heard himself say. Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes suddenly, and the Uchiha heir was stricken by the look in those blue eyes. It wasn't the pain he saw there, but the understanding that made him slightly sick to his stomach. Like a whip to the back, Sasuke knew he had should have never said what he did.

"Discover that you're bi, Sasuke?" The blond asked. Naruto’s voice was strangly strong and even though he wasn’t smiling, his eyes shown with interest.

Sasuke no longer wanted to talk about this, and he felt the urge to apologize but couldn't bring the words to his lips. Stupid, stupid, Sasuke chanted over and over in his head. He had completely forgotten the blond's insecurities when he had spoken. Instead of saying anything, Sasuke ate some more of his food.

"Come on, Sasuke, tell me about her." Naruto smiled encourangly, and Sasuke knew he couldn't finish eating now.

"Stop prodding, Naruto. Let's talk about something else." Sasuke tried.

"No, I want to know about her." Naruto pressed.

"There's nothing to say Naruto. It doesn't matter."

"I think it does matter. If you can make a life with someone who can have children, then you should grab hold of them." Naruto said simply with a slight edge to his voice.

The table vibrated dangerously from the impact of Sasuke's fist with the tabletop. "Damn it Naruto. That whole revive the clan thing is an annoying piece of my past, so can we please try not to make procreation the only thing I'm good for!"

"I wasn't saying that it was! I was just saying that you'd make a good father, that you deserve to have a family again. And I know you want them because of the parks, and don't give me that crap about them being for Sakura because you started making them before you knew she was in a relationship!" Naruto was standing up by the time he stopped speaking, his finger waving dangerously close to Sasuke’s angry face.

Sasuke's fists were shaking with repressed fury. Part of him wondered if Naruto was right, even if the thought of having children terrified him. But then there was another part of him that wanted to ignore the whole issue. He was with Naruto now so it wasn’t a concern anymore. Before he could say anything, though, Naruto was already trying to placate him.

"Sasuke, all I'm saying is that you shouldn't pass over opportunities like this. Go out with her, just one date." Naruto’s shoulders sagged and his hand dropped down to his side.

"And what about us?" Sasuke asked quietly through clenched teeth. So much of his anger was directed at the blond. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why Naruto couldn’t accept that they were together, that Sasuke had choosen to be with his blond.

"I'll still be here, Sasuke." Naruto said quietly. The blond’s sincerity was clear in his every word. For some reason that really pissed him off, but once again Naruto spoke up before he could say anything. "Just think about it, Sasuke. I've got to clean up and then go report to Jiraiya. The old pervert wants to check my seal."

And so Sasuke thought about it, because he knew the blond wouldn't listen to him. Naruto cleaned up the kitchen and ushered him out. Sasuke wasn't sure what he should do now so he simply started wandering the Uchiha district. He walked past the rows of houses and the smattering of small business. But mostly what he did was remember. He remembered the people that had lived here, the family he once had. He recalled going to his Aunt and Uncle's grocery store, and competing with his cousins on the training grounds. He even remembered getting to hold one of his newborn cousins a week before the massacre. Sasuke abruptly stopped at that thought. So much emphasis had been put on the entire family being killed that no one ever recalled the people themselves.

Kazuo, the name popped into Sasuke's head. That had been the name of the baby. Sasuke wondered what had been going through Itachi's head as he stood over the baby's crib. Would Kazuo's mother and father already be dead, or did Itachi dangle the lifeless body of their son in front of their faces. White hot fury engulfed the young man and his breathing was shallowing. He squeezed both his eyes shut and clentched his fists until the muscles protested. Sasuke forced himself to think of something else and unbidden, images of Kazuo came to mind. The baby had sucked on his long bangs and giggled when he had winced at a too tight pull of hair. Sasuke remembered how excited and terrified he had become when he had been handed the small person. He had been amazed how strong the baby was, had thought that he would make a great shinobi one day. Sasuke suddenly felt the urge to sit down, like his legs couldn't hold him anymore.

Naruto was right was all he could think. Sasuke did want to have children.


--------------

(1) I’m not sure about everyone else, but where I’m from when we were younger we would get light spanks on our birthday. The number you got corrisponded to how old you were turning. So since Naruto was turning 4 he should have got 5 spanks. The extra one was “one to grow on.” Don’t ask me where the tradition comes from.
(2) A traditional Japanese dish made from rice and deep fried fish. Yum.