Reflections (Abandoned WIP)

Chapter Five – Shinboku

Part 1

It was several long minutes later that Ayame recovered from her shock and yanked the quilt out of the tub, not caring how much soapy water spilled onto the grass. Bringing the pattern up close to her face, she carefully examined the stitching. Whoever had made the quilt had used a pattern from another piece of cloth, probably a scrap from a worn-out shirt or a dress. "Mitani-kun, who makes all the patchwork quilts for your beds?" Ayame asked carefully.

"Obaa-san, of course," Mitani answered and turned his face towards her again. "Why?"

"I'll be right back." It wasn't an answer, but Mitani didn't get the chance to protest. Ayame ran to the house, looking for Grandmother. She found her sitting in the living room's rocking chair with the baby in her lap. "Obaa-san! Where did you get this?!" Ayame demanded, holding up the quilt so that the pattern in question was visible.

Grandmother's eyes narrowed for a moment and she scolded, "Ayame-chan! Bringing that mess in here! What is the matter with you?!"

"Where did you get this design?! Or where did you see it?!" Ayame pressed, ignoring Grandmother’s obvious disapproval.

"Which one?" the old woman asked in exasperation, seeing only a quilt full of them and none of them specific or overly eye-catching.

"This one!" The young woman jabbed a finger at it. "Where did it come from?!"

Scowling, Grandmother stared at the strangely colored vase for a minute... or was it a fan? Why did the thought of it being a fan make her feel like she should know it better? "It came from one of the shirts that I use for scraps. Why does that matter?"

"Where did you get the shirt?!"

"It came with a bunch of other scrap clothes from the hospital. They handed me a bundle of tattered clothing and told me that some of it was Mitani's and some of it belonged to people who would not be needing it any longer, and that I should give their spirits rest by giving them eternal life in my quilts. What is the problem, child?!"

"Do you know who the shirt this symbol came from belonged to?! Did they tell you who the shirt belonged to?! Was it someone dead or alive?!"

"How could I know that, girl!?" Grandmother snapped. "Now, calm down and explain this to me! What is the problem?!"

"This is the symbol of the Uchiha Clan of Konohagakure! Konoha Ninja have been searching everywhere for Uchiha Sasuke for almost a year now!" Ayame exclaimed, shaking. If Sasuke had been one of the dead... (Gods, Naruto-kun…)

"What the hell is going on in here?" Mitani asked suddenly from the doorway. He sounded irritated. He had every right to be since a certain someone had left him to finish off the last few sheets all on his own. "What is she being so noisy about?"
"Uchiha?" Grandmother looked a little lost for a moment, ignoring Mitani completely as she thought. Finally, she pulled her mind out of her memories finally and stated, "I remember that Clan. Handsome young men, lovely young women, very strong ninja with eyes like blood. I am uncertain who the shirt belonged to, Ayame-chan. It could have belonged to anyone. I used pieces of it to make Mitani's work bandana and also to make the quilt. Some of it got used as scrap cloths for cleaning. It's been shredded and reshredded this past year. Hito and Mitani might take you to the hospital and you can ask the doctor there if he remembers the symbol. He might be of more use to you than my poor memory."

A few things suddenly clicked and Ayame's eyes grew wide again. "Hospital? Mitani-kun?" Come to think of it, Ayame did remember hearing from Hito that Mitani had been in a hospital for a long time before he'd been taken to Grandmother. But it wasn't possible... was it? "Mitani-kun, how long have you lived here?" she asked slowly.

"About ... a year, I think. What's going on?" Mitani just sounded confused.

"Where did you live before?"

"I don't know. I don't remember anything from before I woke up in the hospital."

He didn't remember... Ayame dropped the quilt and ran over to Mitani, yanking the bandana off his face. What she saw made her tremble.

Mitani was caught entirely off guard. He threw his head back a little in surprise, clearly displaying a face sculpted by the greater powers, for although his black hair was buzzed close to his scalp, his features were pure. His eyes were a beautiful and completely unguarded obsidian, open and looking mildly vacant for that they blankly stared.

Ayame hadn't seen him in over a year, and without his distinctive hairstyle framing his face looking at him was a little disorienting, but she would have known him anywhere. Every girl in Konoha knew Uchiha Sasuke's face, and Ayame was no exception. The young man in front of her was undoubtedly the very one all of Konohagakure's best had been searching for over the past year.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered, her voice shaky.

Suddenly, without any warning at all, Ayame whipped around and dove for the quilt, ripping off the Uchiha symbol. An instant later, she was out the door, headed for the main village.

“She just… Hito! Come get my bandana!” Mitani immediately yelled for his helper as he moved carefully forward to pick up the quilt. His quilt. “She just ripped my blanket!” he exclaimed and snarled. “Son of a bitch!”

“Mitani! There are children!” Grandmother yelled. Mitani was silent as he moodily fingered a torn edge of cloth.

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Ayame ran as fast as she could to the council hall in the middle of the village's main square, the scrap of cloth clutched tightly in her hand. Without pausing to knock, she burst into the council's main chamber, calling frantically, "I need your fastest messenger to take a message to the Hokage! It's urgent!"

The head of the council looked up and blinked. "What's the trouble?" the old man asked, rising instantly. He was old, but not so old that he was not still a little bit spry.

"I've discovered some information that the Hokage needs to know immediately!"

"What is your message?" the councilman asked as he motioned behind him to a waiting runner. A lithe young man came forward and waited patiently. "I'll send this lad to the first Leaf Ninja he can find."

"Do you have a scroll I can use?" One of the other councilmen handed her a scroll and she quickly wrote her message, rolling it back up with the scrap of cloth inside. Handing it to the runner, she said firmly, "Make sure that whoever you give this to understands that only the Hokage may open it." Ayame didn't know how quiet Tsunade was keeping Sasuke's disappearance and didn't want to chance that information spreading to enemies.

The councilman patted the boy's shoulder reassuringly and the kid saluted them smartly with a firm, "Yes, ma'am!" before taking off at a fast sprint. The councilman smiled at her then. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Shaking her head, Ayame answered, "No, thank you. I'm sorry to have disturbed you." She bowed to them and left, heading for Grandmother's house. Now all she could do was wait for the reply.

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*Konohagakure*

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Raido appeared, with his delivery in his pouch, via Jutsu smoke in front of Kotetsu and Izumo. The pair stood closely together, talking outside the door of the Hokage's office. He dropped his hands from the last seal of the Teleportation Jutsu and stated immediately, "I must speak with the Hokage."

"Raido?" Izumo stated in curious surprise as he pushed at Kotetsu's chest, forcing the other man to move back from where he loomed over Izumo. Now with the room to straighten from his lean on the wall without getting too close to his slightly taller partner, Izumo moved towards the doors of the Hokage’s office. "I thought you were on leave..."

"I was dispatched with a message for the Hokage that the village Head Councilman sent his fastest and most trustworthy runner to deliver," Raido explained. "Is the Hokage in?" He didn't know what the message said, but he knew that it had seemed urgent. The boy who had handed him the message scroll had stated simply that a young woman had burst into the council chamber and demanded that a message be sent to the Hokage immediately. He'd opted to move with all urgency because from the sound of things, it required just that kind of attention.

"Yeah, she's in," Kotetsu said with a nod. "Tred carefully. She just got back from a meeting with the nobles about Naruto-kun, and she's not in a good mood."

"Hai, arigatou gozaimasu," Raido muttered with a slight bow as Izumo opened the door and gestured him through. As the door closed behind him, he saluted the Hokage, placing his right hand over his heart in a neat fist, and greeted her politely. "Konnichi wa, Hokage-sama. I have an urgent message from a young woman in Namikiji." He pulled the scroll out and waited for her to summon him forward.

"From Namikiji? Oh! Give it here," Tsunade stated, holding out her hand for the scroll and hoping it was a message from Ayame saying she'd managed to convince her grandmother to help Naruto. The demon-holder's time was growing very short and Ayame was the only one who had any hope of convincing the old woman that she was truly needed again. The nobles were becoming very impatient with Tsunade's skillful evasion of each and every one of their death orders.

Undoing the tie, she pulled the scroll open and blinked in surprise when a scrap of cloth fell out, landing in her lap right side up. Her eyes widened when she recognized the symbol. (Uchiha...) She lifted her gaze back to the scroll. The message was very simple, and she began to shake at its implications.

"I FOUND HIM! - Ayame"

"Go get Kakashi. Now!" she snapped, leaping out of her chair.

"HAI!" Raido was gone in a startled instant, reappearing behind Kakashi at the Ichiraku where the Jounin was getting ramen for Naruto with Sakura. "Sorry, Kakashi," he stated as his hand landed on Kakashi's shoulder, and then they were both in the Hokage's office.

"You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked calmly, not at all fazed by suddenly being yanked from one place to another.

Tsunade pushed the scroll and cloth towards the edge of her desk. "Look."

Kakashi looked and immediately went into action. "Do you mind if I borrow Kotetsu and Izumo?" he asked Tsunade. She shook her head and yelled for them herself.

The doors opened and Kotetsu and Izumo entered in immediate answer to the summons.

"What is it, Hokage-sama?" Izumo asked as he and Kotetsu stopped just inside and closed the door behind them.

"We're going to Namikiji for a recovery," Kakashi answered as he tucked the scroll and cloth into his vest. "Meet me at the north gate as soon as you're ready. Bring only the essentials for three days of travel. Move!" Kakashi barked, disappearing in a cloud of Jutsu smoke to get ready himself.

"You heard him! Get going!" Tsunade snapped, particularly at her assistants.

Izumo and Kotetsu bowed and vanished as Raido did the same. All three were at the north gate and waiting for Kakashi in minutes.

Kakashi appeared only a heartbeat after them and immediately leapt for the trees, knowing the others would follow. (Please let it really be Sasuke and not another false lead,) Kakashi prayed, traveling through the forest at top speed.

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*Two Days Later*

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Looking very much like a nervous animal, Ayame paced back and forth in front of the door, waiting. She'd only sent the message a few days ago and knew that even ninja could travel only so fast, but she was anxious to have her suspicion that Mitani was Sasuke confirmed. If she was right, then Naruto would be happy again. She so wanted to see him happy again. (Where are they?!)

There was a sudden knock at the door and Hito yelled, “I’ll get it,” but he entered the front room to find Ayame-nee-chan already opening the door.

"Thank the gods, you're here!" Ayame said anxiously, not even giving the small team of ninja a chance to get out a greeting. "He's in the back. This way." She went out onto the porch and led them around the house to where Mitani was pulling laundry off the lines.

"You think that's really him?" Kotetsu whispered to Izumo, taking in Mitani's lightly tanned skin - Sasuke never got a tan - his lack of finely developed musculature, and the bandana covering half his head.

Kakashi stepped up to Mitani without hesitating for even an instant and asked, "Yo, Sasuke. What's with the bandana?"

Mitani started and faced the voice, demanding instantly, "Who are you and how did you get back here?" which meant he had neither heard the others step out onto the porch or Kakashi approach him.

Izumo leaned over more and shook his head, his eyes never leaving Kakashi and the boy. "I'm not sure. The possibilities and potential scenarios are endless."

"This is Kakashi-san, your Jounin mentor, Mitani-kun," Ayame stated, hoping she'd set a few bells ringing.

"Mitani?" Kakashi raised his visible brow. Wasn't this supposed to be Sasuke?

"He's been going by Mitani because he doesn't remember anything from farther back than a year ago," she explained.

Amnesia…or something closely related to it… Wonderful. That meant there was a good chance that this wasn't Sasuke. "Excuse me," Kakashi said, reaching forward to pull back the collar of Mitani's shirt to look at his left shoulder.

"He's my what - HEY! Don't touch me!! Who the hell do you think you are?!" Mitani jerked away and covered that spot on his shoulder that felt odd at strange times with a slender hand. The skin was still smooth, and it never actually hurt. It just felt vaguely... empty sometimes. His lips set in a scowl he righted his shirt and demanded to know, "What the hell is going on?!"

They weren't going to get anywhere if this Mitani kept squirming and refusing to be examined. Hoping to gain his cooperation, Kakashi calmly explained, "A student of mine went missing a year ago and I’ve been searching for him ever since. Ayame-chan believes that you are him. He had a distinctive marking on his left shoulder, and I would like to check yours to see if you are him."

"You're a ninja, right? Well, I'm not. I can't be your student," Mitani stated firmly. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"Who says you weren't a ninja before you lost your memory? Please, just let me look at your shoulder."

"I couldn’t have been a ninja. I'm completely blind," Mitani countered and backed up some more. Damn that he'd been lost in thought when this guy had come up to him. This was all Ayame's fault.

"There are blind ninja," Kakashi argued, stepping forward. "Please, it will only take a second."

"Was your student blind?" Mitani asked and stepped back again, but he came up against something that he just knew wasn't supposed to be in the yard. Before he could react, strong hands had his arms pinned to his sides.

"This will only take a moment, S-... Mitani-kun. Please, don't fight me," Izumo said gently and looked up to Kakashi with a small smile. "Speed is of the essence, right?"

Kakashi nodded and pulled the collar of Mitani's shirt aside, looking for the two seals.

Mitani went crazy. He couldn’t see, damn it, and although it probably shouldn’t have it frustrated him it made him very, very angry. What also frustrated him was that every kick and every squirm meant nothing. The man in front of him blocked and deflected his attacks easily and the man behind him held him with minimal effort. Growling low in his throat, Mitani kept fighting until he heard the thud of smaller feet and then a familiar little voice yelling.

“Let go of Nii-chan!!”

(Tohru…)

“Leave him alone, you big bullies!!”

(Hito…)

Mitani went still. The two kids were close. The soft thump of small fists hitting stiff, padded cloth told him that at least Hito was right there in front of him, hitting the ninja there. If nothing else, he had to make sure the children were alright. It wouldn’t do the kids any good if they were frightened because they thought…whatever about what was happening to him. “Hey. Hey. Guys, leave it. It’s ok. Hito, take Tohru inside. They just caught me by surprise.”

“But…” Hito began, but Mitani cut him off.

“Go on. It’ll be fine. They won’t hurt me. Ayame-nee-chan will take you in to see Obaa-san, ok?”

Izumo watched as the young boy pulled the little girl off the Jounin’s leg and led her into the house trailed by Ayame-chan. Then he looked down to the boy he still held who was no longer struggling. However, his entire aura spoke of displeasure.

“Hurry up and look, damn it. Let go of me,” Mitani grumbled jerking away as Izumo slowly complied.

Again, Kakashi pulled the collar aside, standing at Mitani's side now so that he had a clear view.

Mitani's left shoulder was completely free of any marks or seals, the skin smooth and marred only by a small, mostly healed scar that touched no where near the place that the Curse Seal and Kakashi’s own Containment Seal should have been.

Discouraged, Kakashi let go of Mitani's shirt. Now he had to rely on questions and instinct. Hoping to make Mitani more comfortable, he sent the others inside to talk to Grandmother about whether she'd accepted the Hokage's request. Once they were gone, he returned his full attention to the young man.

"Ayame-chan said you don't remember anything from before a year ago. This is correct?"

"Yes," Mitani grumped and moved away in the general direction of the clothesline, stretching out his hand until he felt a sheet and then resumed his place and task from before the interruption. "Nothing before waking up in the hospital in mass amounts of pain."

"Do you know how you were found or any details of your treatment?" If he had been found near a river, then that increased the chances of him being Sasuke.

"The villagers that found me said I was staggering around mindlessly, bleeding everywhere, with a small portion of the back of my skull caved in," Mitani answered shortly and moved on to the last sheet. "They took me straight to the hospital, at which point I died. The head doctor that saved my life told me I was clinically dead for a full two minutes before they brought me back and then managed to patch me up with multiple surgeries and the second-rate skills of a flunked out healer-nin."

"Staggering around where? Near a river?" (If he is Sasuke, then being dead for two minutes is probably why the seals are gone,) Kakashi thought. He knew his seal didn't stick around after death, but he didn't know whether Orochimaru's did or not.

"They never told me that," Mitani stated and finished dropping the last sheet into his basket. He then picked the basket up, turned, and started for the porch.

"Could you take me to those that found you and the doctor that treated you?" They would probably be less stubborn about answering questions.

"I don't know how to get there. I'm blind, remember?" Mitani answered. His tone was still moody.

"Is there anyone here that could take me to them?" Kakashi asked, easily ignoring Mitani's tone.

"How should I know? I've never cared to ask." Mitani wasn't being very cooperative, he could have easily told this man that Hito could take him, but he figured he didn't have to be cooperative after being treated like that.

Kakashi crossed his arms and sighed. This was going nowhere. "Are you sure you don't remember anything from before waking up in the hospital?"

"Colors." Mitani answered, stopping outside the linen closet. He set the basket on the ground and began folding the sheets. "Textured gray and smooth white perpendicular to each other to my left. There's a whistling sound and then nothing."

"Textured gray? A whistling sound?" Kakashi repeated, his tone asking for more detail. That sounded promising.

"That's what I said," Mitani responded.

Kakashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This was like trying to get something out of Naruto on a bad day. "Can you think of a reason for either?"

"Nope."

"You're not being very helpful."

"Am I supposed to be after you sneak up on me and then attack me out of no where, then pin me against my will?" Mitani never stopped folding the laundry.

"We didn't attack you, and we had to pin you because you were fighting us. As for sneaking up on you, we're ninja. It's second nature for us to be silent. We never meant to frighten you."

"I wasn’t frightened. Look," Mitani turned to face him. "What the hell do you want from me? I don't know you, ok?"

"I was hoping you might be my missing student," Kakashi said quietly.

Sighing, Mitani reached up and fisted the crown of his bandana. Pulling it off, he stood for inspection, vacant black eyes staring, unseeingly, right through Kakashi. "This is the only answer I can give you. If you can't recognize your own student, then that's your problem."

Kakashi silently, carefully examined Mitani's face. He noticed a thin, jagged scar running along the right side of Mitani's forehead, parallel to his hairline. There was another on his left cheekbone. Numerous small, almost invisible scars littered his face, especially along the line of his jaw. Mitani's buzz was broken up by bald spots, large and small, patches and lines. He looked like he'd... well, like he'd been thrown off a cliff and tumbled through rapids.

Despite all the scars, the buzz, and the vacant eyes, there was no doubt in Kakashi’s mind that the young man standing in front of him was Sasuke. He could never mistake the shape of Sasuke's eyes, the way they were unconsciously narrowed in irritation, nor the set of his jaw as his lips turned downward in that familiar frown. His face was far more open than Kakashi had ever seen it, but Sasuke no longer remembered the hardship that had caused him to close himself off to the outside world.

Feeling suddenly overwhelmed with relief and happiness, Kakashi stepped forward and wrapped his arms around “Mitani”s’ shoulders, holding him close. A few tears leaked out of his closed eyes to wet his mask and hitai-ate. They had found him.

It was a long while before Kakashi released the seemingly stunned young man from his embrace. "Go pack your things. You're coming back to Konoha with us." They had to find a way to cure Sasuke's blindness and amnesia immediately. Like this, he was the perfect target for Orochimaru.

Mitani had frozen, stiffened up and held his breath the entire time the stranger had held him. He let it out in a whoosh when the man stepped back. "I don't even know your name and you're expecting me to go somewhere with you!?" Apparently, he was this man's student, but then why couldn't he remember anything about him? Why couldn't he remember anything at all about himself besides what had happened here in this house? What had happened to him?

"You need healing, Sa- Mitani, and Hokage-sama is the best healer in the Fire Country. Besides, all your friends are waiting to see you again." Kakashi smiled. "You go pack. There's something I have to do." Whistling a jaunty tune, he went in search of one of the other children to take him to the hospital. Tsunade would kill him if he didn't bring back Sasuke's medical records as well.

Standing there, Mitani wore the expression of someone stunned with a scenario-tazer. Blinking, he replaced the bandana and finished the laundry before he went in search of Obaa-san. "Baa-san? Baa-san?"

"Here, Mitani-kun," the old woman called and spoke until Mitani had entered the room, leading him to her by voice. "What is it?" she asked.

"That strange guy wants me to go with him to see the Hokage..." he trailed off, not sure why he'd come to her. He didn't really need her permission, did he?

"It would be wise for you to go with them, Mitani-kun, but unfortunately for them I truly cannot leave the children if you go."

"Then Kotetsu and I will stay with the children," Izumo offered. They were getting desperate and the old woman was very good at evading their bribes and pleas alike. "We baby-sit the Hokage every day, after all. What better baby-sitters are there?"

"We will?" Kotetsu deadpanned, giving his best friend a Look.

Izumo smiled sweetly at the old lady and turned his face to Kotetsu, leaning in close to his partner's ear. "This will give us a break from Tsunade-sama. Not to mention that once the kids go to sleep it will be just you and me with no Jiraiya-sama to constantly spy on us..." he whispered, making sure that no one heard him too clearly. However, his tone was entirely neutral, so no one would have inferred the real meaning of the words, whatever they might have been, anyway.

"No Jiraiya-sama is definitely a good thing," Kotetsu whispered back, one corner of his mouth twitching up in a smirk. He straightened and also smiled at Grandmother. "We will stay with the children if you will accompany the others back to Konoha."

Izumo simply smiled and nodded, leaning away from Kotetsu again.

Feeling a little confused, but certain that he should follow Kotetsu and Izumo's initiative, Raido – who had been silent to that point in favor of allowing far more experienced ninja deal with the mind-bending situation – blinked once and then nodded slowly. "I promise you, they are not kidding," he assured the old woman.

Obaa-san was silent for a moment then looked to Mitani. With a small sigh, she turned to her granddaughter. "Ayame-chan, can I trust you to stay here with these two ninja and look out for my little ones? Men do not always know what is best for babies."

"Of course, Obaa-san," Ayame promised immediately, eager to hear her grandmother agree to go at last.

There was a silence until grandmother finally said, "Then I will go as Mitani's familiar travel companion. He is one of my children and I must do right by him as well as the others. He needs to see your Hokage for his own health, regardless of whether he is your Sasuke or not. I have been unable to help him on my own, for his mind is fractured in more ways than I can mend as a simple healer of the conscious and subconscious minds."

Sighing, she rose from her rocker. "Prepare yourself for at least a week of travel, Mitani. We leave when the ninja escorting us ask."

Mitani sighed heavily and turned, leaving for his room to pack.

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*Six Days Later*

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"Wait here," Kakashi said as their small group reached the large doors of Tsunade's office. "I'll go let her know we're back." He knocked on the door and entered when he heard Tsunade's summon.

"Kakashi!" Tsunade shot to her feet and immediately came around her desk. "Where are Kotetsu and Izumo? Was it really him?"

"Kotetsu and Izumo stayed behind with Ayame-chan to look after the grandmother's foster children. It was the only way she would agree to come and help Naruto." Smiling broadly beneath his mask, he added, "Yes, it really is him."

The relief on Tsunade's face was impressive. She slumped back against her desk, appearing utterly boneless. "Thank the gods!" She trembled for a moment as she bowed her head and seemed to pray, and then she looked at him. "Very well. Send them to me. Now, please."

Nodding, Kakashi went back outside and motioned everyone in.

"Kakashi, please go get Sakura while I talk to Obaa-san and Sasuke. Hurry," Tsunade stated and resettled herself behind her desk as the old woman and... She stilled. She knew Raido wasn't Sasuke and the grandmother obviously wasn't Sasuke...so the child... (Oh, dear.)

Mitani stayed beside Obaa-san and faced straight forward steadfastly. He had a strange feeling of déjà vu as those of his senses still intact were assaulted by the sounds and scents and general chaos all around him, but he couldn't place it, so he shrugged it off.

"Hello, Tsunade-san," Grandmother greeted cheerily, approaching the desk so she could clasp Tsunade's hand. "It has been such a long time since I saw you last, and yet you still look the same. I had no idea you were the Hokage."

"It was an impromptu sort of thing," Tsunade answered, pointedly ignoring the comment on her appearance. "How are you these days?"

Mitani focused on the voice of the new person. A strong woman, he decided; someone with a lot of spirit and that was used to being obeyed. He couldn't help but think of her as a woman who tended to be a little immature at times for some reason, but he figured it was the effect of the tone of her voice that led to that assumption.

"I am very well, thank you. I have certainly aged better than you," Grandmother teased lightly.

Tsunade forced the corner of her mouth up in a smiled that looked only a "little" strained. "Yes, aheh... you did, it seems." Would the world never leave her be for faking her appearance? Sighing mentally, she relaxed her face back into a truer smile. "So this is Sasuke-kun, returned to us at last. Thank you for looking after him for so long... but Sasuke, why didn't you come home as soon as you were able?" That had been bothering her and she had an inkling of the answer, but wasn't sure she was going to like it.

"My name, until I know for certain otherwise, is Mitani, Hokage-sama. I couldn't come back if I didn't know the way..." Mitani didn't like answering to these people. He didn't like them just assuming they knew who he was.

Tsunade froze. This was not what she had expected! Standing, she slowly moved around her desk and stared. "Mitani?"

"Yes."

Reaching forward, she pulled the bandana off and then closed her eyes and swallowed hard as she replaced it. "Alright... Mitani." She swallowed hard a second time to get herself under control. "I understand now." He didn't remember who he was. He couldn't see. His body language and now his words had told her all of this. (Things might yet work out for the worst.)

"Tsunade-shishou, you sum...moned… Sasuke-kun?" Sakura gasped and stared at him stunned for a few silent seconds before she launched herself at the thin young male. He spun in surprise at the sudden approach, catching her neatly against his chest even though he hadn’t really meant to. She could never mistake that form or that posture. Never! Happy tears filled her eyes and she sobbed, completely overtaken with happiness and relief.

Startled, Mitani staggered back under the full-force of the tackle and then pushed at her, trying to dislodge the strange, young girl. "Who are you?! Let go of me! Why do women have to hug everything!?"

"Must you be so loud, Mitani-kun? They all mean well," Grandmother chided.

Sakura stilled and released him instantly. Grabbing his arms, she stared into his half-masked face. Something was very, very wrong here.

"Sasuke-kun?" she too, lifted the bandana and gasped, dropped it back into place as she stepped back, her look of joy turning into one of horror. "Oh.... no. No! Tsunade-shishou?!" She turned to her mentor helplessly.

"We'll do everything we can, Sakura," Tsunade stated solemnly, her sadness apparent in her voice.

Mitani muttered a quiet apology and moved over to stand by Obaa-san. He was getting tired of being called 'Sasuke' and really tired of having his bandana yanked this way and that.

Tsunade looked on, watching with sad, weary eyes as the sad little drama unfolded slowly before her. Her ninja would never get a break, she acknowledged sadly and felt a heavy weight settle in her breast.

After a brief, whispered discussion with Raido, Kakashi pulled Sakura aside as the other Jounin went downstairs to check on Naruto.

"Sasuke's been going by the name of Mitani for the past year," he explained quietly. "He doesn't remember anything from before he woke up in a hospital, blind and in pain."

"Oh...gods..." Sakura looked at the floor, searched it for the ultimate answer, the solution to fix this terrible catastrophe. When she found none, she looked right up to Kakashi's face and sniffled. "I'll do whatever I can," she stated firmly. "He's alive, so the chance of him healing is good." She would be optimistic.

Kakashi nodded once and gave her an encouraging smile. He'd seen Tsunade work miracles with Sakura and Shizune's help and was confident they could do it again.

Grandmother turned to Tsunade after accepting Mitani’s apology. "Now, where is this boy that needs my help? Ayame-chan said he is the one that the great Yondaime Hokage, bless his resting soul, sealed Kyuubi no Kitsune into."

"Ah, Obaa-san, I think it would be best to send...Mitani...down to see him first. He will be more manageable then. Meanwhile, I’ll brief you on everything that's happened, so that you can be fully aware and better prepared."

"Kakashi-sensei and I will show...Mitani to the basement, Tsunade-shishou," Sakura offered.

Mitani scowled deeper. That pause before his name... everyone did it. It was really starting to bug him. "Why do I have to go to the basement? Who needs to be more manageable?" Why did he feel so slow for having to ask these questions?

"If you feel that is best," Grandmother said. Turning to Kakashi, she asked, "Could you please bring that chair here? My legs aren't what they used to be." He immediately fetched it for her, and she thanked him as she sat down.

"We'll explain on the way down," Kakashi said to Mitani after 'you're welcome'-ing Grandmother. He pulled a folder out of his vest and set it on Tsunade's desk. "These are Mitani's records from the hospital where he stayed after he was found."

"Thank you, Kakashi. You three are free to go. You know what you have to do," Tsunade dismissed them and set to briefing the older woman before her on everything that had transpired since Kakashi and his team had left for Sand.

Sakura held the door for Kakashi and...Mitani. It was so hard to think of the young man as a stranger. It was undoubtedly Sasuke, but at the same time she could recognize that he wasn't the same as he had been. Closing the doors behind her, she waited for Kakashi to take the lead, unable to stop staring at Sasuke.

Mitani stood stiffly in the hallway and waited for orders or directions or something. He could feel the weight of the strange girl's stare, and it unnerved him, but he stubbornly tried not to show it.

"First thing’s first. Mitani, this young woman is Sakura, your former teammate," Kakashi introduced. "You were in the Academy together and were assigned to the same team when you graduated."

"Hi," Mitani greeted her sullenly. He really didn't want to deal with these people. He didn't know them and they seemed to have expectations of him that he was almost entirely certain he couldn’t fulfill.

"It is wonderful to have you back, Mitani-kun," Sakura stated, her voice holding a lot more joy now. The shock was almost gone. She was starting to feel just happy to have him back mostly whole.

"Let's go," Kakashi said when it was apparent Mitani wasn't going to say anything else. Turning towards the stairwell, the Jounin made sure not to step too lightly so Mitani would be able to follow the sound of his footsteps.

"The one we're taking you to see is your other former teammate and your best friend, Uzumaki Naruto," the Jounin explained. "He's been imprisoned for the past year because, when you disappeared, he uh…exploded. Quite literally. You see, Naruto is the container for the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and his reaction gave the nobles cause to lock him up for fear of his power. He is the one Obaa-san is here to help. We're hoping that seeing you will make him more manageable so he can be helped."

They reached the basement with little incident, Mitani having nothing to say aloud about Kakashi's explanation. Sakura paused outside of Naruto's cell and looked to Kakashi expectantly. She didn't know what to do. Would it be better to tell Naruto first or simply show him?

(What kind of friendship must there have been between me and this other young man if this Naruto ‘exploded’ when I disappeared?) It was the only thing he could think. Everything else was so surreal and happening almost too fast. He couldn't really put much thought into all of it. Into any of it, really.

"You'd better go in there and warn Naruto about a couple things," Kakashi suggested to Sakura after nodding a greeting to the Chuunin on watch.

Sakura stared at Kakashi for a moment after forcibly removing her gaze from Sasuke and then nodded once. She turned to the door, which was almost never locked anymore, took a deep breath and stepped inside.

----------

Gods damn it, I want out of these chains!! I don't want to wait until they tell me it's okay to take them off!! Growling, I attack one of my pillows with my teeth, taking out my frustration on it. There's something strangely satisfying about watching feathers float back down to the floor after killing a pillow. (Ew, too much information.)

I hear the door open and perk up. Sakura! Spitting out the pillow, I ask hopefully, "Is it time?!" I want oooooooouuuuuuuuuttttttttt!!!

----------

"No, I'm sorry.” Sakura hesitated. “…but Naruto? This is very, very important, so pay very close attention. I need your solemn oath as a ninja and as a man that you won't leave those chains no matter what walks through that door, do you understand?"

Sakura wanted that first. Naruto should have been totally trustworthy once she had his word.

----------

She needs me to-? Wait a minute. Eyes narrowing, I ask, "Is the little shit out there?"

If my lord bastard is outside waiting to come in and gloat about how close he is to having me killed again, it'll take more than my oath to keep me from killing him. For him, I would gladly go back on my word.

"Nothing of the sort. Just give me your word, Naruto." Sakura is impatient. More so than she ever has been before in the recent past.

"Fine," I grumble. "I promise not to leave my damn chains. Now, what's going on?"

----------

Sakura sighed. This was going to be... touchy and difficult. "We believe we've found Sasuke." she began carefully, choosing her words with caution. "But he's not quite himself. He's… Well, he’s blind. And amnesic - meaning he doesn't remember who he really is or…who we are."

Now to see how he reacted.

----------

"Meaning it's probably another look-alike," I mutter, kicking off my ankle chains so I can stand. I cut off Sakura's protest with, "Relax, I won't take off any more. I can't exactly meet someone sitting down, now can I?"

If it really is Sasuke, I'll do anything Sakura wants me to for a month. (Aw damn, are they growing back? ... Because you haven't made a comment like that since I knocked 'em off. ... How many times do I have to tell you NO?)

----------

Sakura bent over and retrieved the ankle chains scooting them into a reasonable spot before she straightened and sighed. “The nobles may have my head for this if they actually come down to see you during this. I’ll be right back.”

She turned to go but stopped. “Don’t forget that he’s blind and not himself,” she emphasized and then left.

Outside the room, it was silent; Mitani’s unwillingness to speak probably killing all hopes of conversation for the time being. Sakura sighed mentally. She was sighing a lot lately, she realized with chagrin, but it was one way to painlessly vent her frustrations and apprehensions, however, so she welcomed it.

“Mitani-kun, please come with me?” she asked and moved up close to him. “I’ll lead you in, if you don’t mind, so that you won’t have to fish around. Uhm, no offense, but it’s better this way. Trust me.”

Making a small sound of annoyance that sounded vaguely like a huff, Mitani reached forward, found her body by touching her stomach and then caught her elbow before she could assist him.

“Fine,” he grumbled and let himself be directed. The room the girl called Sakura brought him into was massive. It crackled with energy that Mitani could easily feel and sense all around him, just like he could feel the vast emptiness of the space enclosed by the ceiling, floor and four walls. A soft clink brought Mitani's focus to the middle of the room. He and Sakura weren't alone.

The nervous young woman led him forward and began to speak softly but firmly to the other person in the room. Sakura was excited, but almost afraid. Mitani's eyes narrowed beneath the bandana edge, the pull of skin and muscle familiar in a deeper way than most things as he turned his expression from wary to entirely suspicious. The line of his mouth thinned the more she spoke.

"Remember what I told you before, Naruto. Remember that there might be an audience and be considerate. Don't forget his condition," she was saying as they moved deeper into the room.

(Condition?) Mitani really didn’t like the sound of that, but before he could protest she was moving on as if Mitani wasn’t there. The nerve! "We want your verification that this is him..." She then turned her face towards him, notable by the fact that her voice was louder. "Don't be afraid, Mita..." she didn't get to finish.

----------

"Sasuke..." I whisper in shock as Sakura brings him to stand directly in front of me. He looks so different with scars all over his face - the half that I can see, anyway - and every visible stretch of skin. But a draft from the hall carries his scent to my nose. My nose doesn't lie. It can't lie. It's too sensitive. Underneath the smells of soap, wind, forest and earth is his scent. The same one my bedroll carried before my scent covered it. Vanilla and cold steal and that unique musk that can only come from one person. Sasuke's scent...

But... he's supposed to be dead. He left me. No one that leaves me ever comes back. Shaking, I lean forward to cautiously sniff at his jaw. ...My nose can't lie.

"Oh gods," I choke out, pressing my cheek against his. "You're alive. Sasuke. You're alive."

My whole body's weak with relief and tears are running down my face, but I don't care. He's back. He's right here, standing in front of me. I can smell him and feel the warmth from his body. I want to hold him so badly I ache, but I promised Sakura I wouldn't get out of my chains. The fox says something, but I ignore it. This is more important. So much more important.

I can't hold him, but I can taste him. My heart pounding in my ears, I kiss my way across his cheek to his mouth, gently brushing my lips against his. The tears are coming out even faster now. I've missed this so much. Sasuke's scent and feel and taste. I think my heart's going to burst, it's beating so fast. My knees are about to give out from the relief flowing through me. My Sasuke is back.

----------

Mitani froze, stiffening up at yet another invasion of his personal space. Sakura silently reached up and pulled the bandana from his head and then silently turned and left the room before he could protest or even react. They needed time alone. Once outside the room, she turned to Kakashi and the Chuunin guard, wringing the bandana between her hands.

“Let’s leave them for now,” she stated and looked expectantly to Kakashi, who stood by the window watching.

"Aa." Kakashi turned around and led the way up the stairs, a deeply thoughtful look on his face.

----------

That voice… My immediate reaction to yet another invasion of my personal space had been to retreat, but that voice… It seems so familiar. He seems so familiar. His quiet repetition of “Oh gods, you’re alive” in that voice that trembles and laughs at once without changing its tone even the slightest or raising its volume, it’s almost like a sleep mantra. I could lose myself in that voice. I reach forward, slowly, and my fingers find warm skin, smooth and completely unmarred, and I feel suddenly self-conscious about my own body, littered and crisscrossed with scars as it is. Odd and rather silly of me, actually. I lay my hands on his chest, palms flat. He’s so hot beneath my touch. I’m amazed.

His scent fills my nostrils and it shakes me right down to the core. I’m absolutely stunned to find that my heart aches. It’s beating fast with that very same longing that has yanked me from painful, vague dreams on so many nights in the old woman’s house, but at the same time my body is awash with a feeling of relief so intense I’m damn near to crying. He’s taller, I note absently, something rising within me that I note to be ire at that realization, but it’s more of a “playfully miffed” feeling. Strange…

When had I closed my eyes? His lips are still wandering all over my face and occasionally brushing my mouth, but I can’t find it in me to fight him off. I have a sudden urge to “see” him that’s so strong I can’t resist it. I lean away from him and step back one step to gain some space. I need to “see” him.

I lift my hands up and run them gently through his hair. Soft, spiky, messy, short locks of hair that spill over his forehead a little. I’m trembling with emotions I don’t understand, but I run my fingertips over every feature despite their tremors. I brush at his bangs a little before dropping my exploration to his eyebrows; short, soft hair, neither too thick nor too thin for the bone structure surrounding his eyes. He closes them briefly to let me map their shape: slightly slanted, but I bet they open wide. For some strange reason, I am dead certain that they are the clearest and most vibrant blue. Heartstopping, real blue.

Shaking my head a little to clear it of speculations, I move my fingers over his cheekbones, feel his nose, and then drag all of my fingertips lightly over his wet cheeks, learning the lay of his features and the shape of each and fit of each into the other. Marking him like whiskers are three deep scar-lines on each cheek. His lips are dry and smooth, neither too full, nor too thin. He kisses my fingertips just before I move on and I feel the one corner of my mouth curl up as my heart clenches a bit. He has a strong chin and a clean cut jaw bone structure. All in all, his face is finely shaped, if a little round yet. I “see” him as very handsome.

----------****----------

I could die from the way Sasuke's gently touching my face. I want to die, because I know I will never be this happy, this completely ecstatic ever again. Sasuke's alive and here, and I'm laughing and crying at the same time and completely overwhelmed by all of this. Maybe I’ve died and gone to heaven- No, wait, I'm still in chains. Damn. Maybe I can talk him into taking them off me so I can hold him and touch him and really convince myself that this is real. That way I won't be breaking my promise to Sakura.

Wanting to taste him again, I tilt my head down to kiss his fingers before leaning forward, pressing my lips against his sweet mouth as I take a step forward to press our bodies together. I trace the seam of his mouth with the tip of my tongue, begging for entrance. In there is where his taste is the strongest, the most concentrated, the most delicious. My chest is painfully tight with absolute elation. He came back.

----------****----------

I feel something inside me break a little, like cracking glass. Everything is so strange and yet so familiar. He’s familiar. I know him. I don’t remember him, and that is at least part of why my heart is so pained, so sad, but I know him. I don’t hesitate to slip my hands up over his ears and tangle my fingers in his hair, crossing my wrists at the back of his head so that I’m hugging him. This is the first time in a year that I’ve felt this kind of attention. This single-minded focus directed at me. This familiarity makes my heart beat fast and my pulse thunder in my ears. I can feel something cold and jointed against the underside of each of my upper arms…things that clink and chink as we shift… Chains, I realize, and my blood suddenly runs cold with anger.

I start to pull away, my lips still sealed. I’m shaken. He’s chained like an animal! I’m angry and yet, confused. I’ve never felt this safe or this relaxed in my memory and here he is, the first to make me feel recognition, chained up like a dangerous beast. But that’s ridiculous. Why would I feel this way if he were dangerous? Didn’t that man, Kakashi, say that he lost it when I supposedly disappeared? Well, I’m here now, and I want to be held, as unreasoning and out of the blue and unlike me as that sounds. Growling softly, my hands leave his hair at the same time that I begin to lean away. I want him free.

----------****----------

"Sasuke? Sasuke, what's wrong?" I ask quietly, beginning to lean forward, but then I see the anger in his face. Why is he mad? I hope it’s not because I kissed him! I mean c'mon, this is Sasuke, the one who used to steal kisses from me whenever he could!

(...Oh, yeah.) Sakura said he's amnesic...which means he doesn't remember the time we spent together before he...

I straighten and lower my eyes to the floor, not bothering to hold back the fresh flow of tears. The pure elation I was feeling a second ago is gone, replaced by heartache. Sasuke didn't come back to me. His body did, but his mind didn't. I want to scream at the unfairness of it all. I spent the year thinking about all the ‘could haves, would haves, should haves,’ and now he's here in front of me, but it's only half of him and I just want to scream.

----------****----------

‘Sasuke’ hm? Well, that must be who I really am. It will be awkward getting used to a new name, but I can manage. He can call me anything he wants so long as he calls me something. I reach forward and find the chain on the right and run my hands all over it where it apparently meets a collar at his neck. It - oddly enough - only takes me seconds to find the catch and then all four chains drop neatly to the floor. They slide away noisily as they hit the polished floor, but I don’t think about it. His hands are my next target and I find his shoulders, my hands following his muscles down his arms until I find the catches on those restraints too.

----------****----------

He's... releasing me? He wasn't mad at me? Surprised, I stand completely still for him, relishing the feel of his hands on my arms. He frees my hands and I grab one of his, guiding it to the catch of my collar. It hits the floor with a dull thud, landing on my bedroll.

That sound is like a signal to my body, and my arms wrap tightly around his shoulders, pulling him flush against my body. "Sasuke," I whisper, my voice husky from crying and happiness and frustration. Determined to make the most of this before he pushes me away, I latch my lips onto his and thrust my tongue into his mouth, plundering the warm cavern with a hunger that surprises even me.

His taste - just like his scent, only heavier and richer - makes my head spin and I push my tongue deeper, relearning his mouth. How did I manage to live without this for a year?!

----------****----------

I’m a little taken by surprise, but I recover quickly. I don’t know why, but this isn’t so bad. This doesn’t strike me as wrong or unusual or anything but good…nice even. No, more than nice. Wonderful.

I wrap my arms around his neck and hold on tightly. Letting him ravage my mouth is like reaching for everything I’ve lost. Tentatively, I brush my tongue against his and shiver. That, I decide, is well worth a second attempt and another and another. He’s…addicting and tastes vaguely like ramen, fire and something much smoother than anything I’ve ever tasted before in my short memory. I think I’m smitten or was or have been all this time and just didn’t know it. Everything’s all jumbled and confused in my head…everything except the part of me that really wants to keep enjoying this.

----------****----------

Gods, he's kissing me back. I think this time I really have died and gone to heaven. Trembling from the overload of sensation, I deepen the kiss even further, nibbling his sweet lips, sucking on his tongue and running mine along the roof of his mouth, trying to tell him just how much I love him and how much I missed this - missed him - without actually saying anything. My hands run down his back to the hem of his shirt and they slide underneath, pressing him closer to me. Even there he’s littered with scars, and I growl angrily, deep in my throat, when my fingers find a large, nasty one.

----------****----------

That growl is almost primal and it makes me shiver in the most delightful way. I feel silly, thinking like that but the heat pooling in my lower body doesn’t argue the fact. I’m kissing him back with abandon now. His hands are hot on my skin and I can feel the heat of his chest through my tank top. It’s comforting. He pours so much of himself and his emotions into the kiss that I’m drowning in it. I need to break for air but some stubborn part of me wants to refuse to let this go. Survival instinct wins out, and I push desperately at his chest, trying to pulling away.

----------****----------

Wha- oh. Air. Yeah, air might be a good thing. I slowly pull my tongue out of his mouth and peel our lips apart. Our chests heave as we catch our breath. I can feel his heart pounding against mine. Gods, he looks so... edible with his eyes closed and his mouth hanging open as he pants, his lips red and swollen from our kiss. A breathless laugh escapes my mouth as I lean forward to gently nibble along his jaw, my hands roaming his back. I can smell his arousal and it sends fire over my skin, burning every inch as it makes its way to my groin.

"You are such a bastard, Sasuke," I murmur teasingly, gently sucking on his earlobe.

----------****----------

“I’m a what?”

I open my eyes and for some reason experience a moment of sheer mental vertigo, an image of a tall, muscular, blond-haired, blue-eyed, slit-pupiled, handsome young man invading my mind as instantly as if I’d opened my eyes and seen him. I close them again and shake my muddled head. I still need to catch my breath. Concentrate on that first…Sasuke. I suppose I should start thinking of myself by that name if I’m going to be using it from now on.

----------****----------

His voice. Gods, his voice. Deep and smooth and absolutely beautiful, especially when he's breathing hard. It washes over me like a tsunami, threatening to carry me away. I let it. I want to hear more. I want to drown in it.

"You heard me, bastard," I murmur, my voice rough and playful as I kiss my way down to his neck and bite at his pulse.

----------****----------

This is not exactly the type of witty banter that I would have expected for foreplay. I squirm and my breath hitches as his lips and teeth tease my neck.

“Why- Why am I a bastard?” I ask softly and run my fingers through his hair again. I can’t help it. True these aren’t the kinds of things I was expecting hear, but then, they don’t exactly strike me as wrong either, so I’m just going to go with the flow here and see what happens. What was I to Naruto when I knew myself? These kisses make me want to know and want to know bad.

----------****----------

"Because-" A kiss to the base of his neck. "You left me again-" Another to the hollow of his throat, followed by a gentle nip. "When you promised-" And another to his chin. "You wouldn't do it anymore." I nuzzle his Adam's Apple with my lips, lightly sucking on it and enjoying the way it trembles as he breathes.

I don't hold it against him that he left me again. I just can't, not when he clearly doesn't remember me. At least, his consciousness doesn't. I know at the very least his body does, or else he wouldn't be steadily growing more aroused by the second. He didn't mean to leave me again. Shit happens, and that day it decided to hit the fan. But I definitely will use his "broken" promise to my advantage.

----------****----------

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. It’s sincere, which surprises me. I don’t remember this promise that he speaks of, but I don’t believe he would lie to me. Not right now. “But I’m here now,” I add in a low murmur and hug him, tightening my arms around his neck. My head tips in any direction that will give him complete access to my neck. It feels too good not to crave that touch. In fact, I can feel myself hardening inside my pants. I shift to try to make myself a little more comfortable.

----------****----------

"Yes, you are. And I'll never let you out of my sight again," I swear fervently, softly pressing my lips to his in a tender kiss. One of my hands slides down to the small of his back while I bring the other up to cradle the back of his head.

What-? There's something strange on the back of his head. Something thick and deep and... Gods. "Turn around," I order gently, releasing him.

----------****----------

I’m confused. Turn around? What the hell? But there’s no reason not to trust him, so I remove my arms from his neck and turn slowly, already missing the warmth of his arms around me.

----------****----------

I lift a shaking hand to slowly trace the enormous scar marring his skull with a gentle finger. This is what stole at least his sight. It might even be what kept him away from me for that long, painful year. I'm crying again. How many times am I going to cry today? Will Sasuke ever regain what he has lost?

I circle my arms around his shoulders, pulling his back against my chest and pressing my cheek to his. "Does it hurt?" I ask quietly.

----------****----------

Does it- Oh… “No. Not any more. It only aches when it rains, but that’s normal.”

My answer is soft and I lean back into his warm body easily. This is a sudden and odd change of pace, but I follow him as quickly as I can, willing my body to calm down. Now trying to pull my biological “mind” out of the gutter, I reach up with both hands and clasp his arms where they loop over my chest.

----------****----------

Crossing my ankles, I lower myself to the floor, pulling Sasuke down with me so he sits in my lap. I tighten my embrace and rest my chin on his shoulder, my elation and arousal completely forgotten.

"So you can't see at all?" I ask quietly, my voice carrying my heartache. "And you don't remember anything? Not me or Kakashi-sensei or Sakura or anyone?"

----------****----------

For once, I’m disappointed in myself. I sit and think for several long moments. “No,” I finally answer him. My voice is as quiet as his, matched in heartache, but I don’t understand it all. “No, I can’t see anything. And I can’t remember anything that happened beyond a year ago… I’m sorry, Naruto.”

There’s a long silence and then I ask what I’ve been wondering this entire time. “What were we…to each other?”

----------****----------

Likes to ask simple questions, doesn't he? There are only a thousand different ways to answer that. I shift a bit to distribute his weight more evenly and move my arms down to his waist. "We were... rivals and best friends, and we'd just started becoming more when you disappeared." We could have been so much more if I hadn't been so stubborn, but hindsight is 20/20 and regrets won't get me anywhere.

----------****----------

“Then, we weren’t lovers yet,” I state thoughtfully. Something compels me to lean back and rest my head on his shoulder, so I do. My arms remain on his since they’re comfortable there, shifting only so that they rest on top of his arms now since he put them around my waist instead. I’m not sure how I feel about the fact that we weren’t lovers yet, but I do find it a little disappointing at the very least. “I would ask if you still feel strongly about me or at least about the me I was… but I think I already know the answer to that question. So I’ll ask this instead: can you look at me and see who you knew in here, Naruto?”

Saying his name makes me want to turn around and resume our kissing. It makes me feel strongly just saying it. It makes me want to challenge him, makes me want to kiss him breathless, makes me want to cry on his shoulder… I want to be whoever I was again. I hate this not-knowing, this brick wall I hit mentally every time he speaks. I should remember him. His voice, his scent, his skin should mean more to me than this vague familiarity that I’m clinging to so desperately. It’s frustrating!

----------****----------

Can I? I sit up straight and gently grab his chin, turning his face so I can meet his stare. His eyes are dead, glassy, and vacant. They hold none of the cold fire I’m used to, none of that quiet, almost non-existent expressiveness that takes years to learn how to read. His face is far more open than it’s supposed to be. The Sasuke I know would never show his emotions so openly, even when he was alone with me. He always had a mask up. What changed then was only the thickness of that mask.

Less important are the different hairstyle and the myriad of new scars. The Sasuke I knew would never stand for having all his hair shaven off. He was much too vain and proud of his hair, no matter how much he denied it. Now, he looks like a melon head, especially with all the little bald spots. I smirk at the thought and meet his empty gaze again.

Can I see the Sasuke I knew in this new one? Yes, but just barely. It’s as if he’s sleeping. “Yeah, I can see him,” I murmur, stroking his lower lip with the pad of my thumb. I can see him, and I will do all I can to wake him up.

----------****----------

That gives me hope for my future. My full recovery seems less impossible with those few words. My heart beats a little faster and I twist around almost completely so that I can face him. Even if I can’t see him, when we’re this close, I can feel his breath on my face and hear his voice directly from his lips and not muffled from behind me.

“Thank you,” I murmur and reach up to grasp his wrist with one hand while with the other hand I seek his face again. I don’t know what else to say.

----------****----------

I press a kiss to his palm and slowly tilt him back onto the bedroll, following him down. I settle on top of him and cradle his face in my hands.

“What is this like for you?” I ask quietly, curious as I pepper his face with soft kisses. “Meeting someone you should know but can’t remember?” The feel of his skin under my hands and lips is absolute heaven, as is having his body stretched out beneath mine. Through our clothes I can tell that he doesn’t have any of the musculature he used to have anymore. He’s still lean and strong, but he’s definitely lost his ninja strength. That’s something we’ll need to work on.

----------****----------

“Disorienting,” I answer immediately. My voice is husky and reminds me of the velvet of Obaa-san’s best guest sheets. “But at the same time it’s so comforting that I knot up inside. I’ve felt completely out of place for the entirety of the last year. Here. Now. Like this with you, I feel like I belong here. That’s all I need or want…For now.”

I don’t mind laying beneath him like this at all. In fact, I think that I like it very, very much. Naruto’s solid and strong, and every inch of him instills a strong sense of security within me. I let my hands take his shoulders and squeeze.

----------****----------

A quiet, happy growl rumbles in my throat at the feel of Sasuke’s hands squeezing my shoulders. The husky burr in his voice makes me shiver pleasantly and I kiss him, my tongue darting out to ask for entrance. I want to taste his addicting flavor again. I want to drown in it. My chest is tight with elation again. Sasuke doesn’t remember me and yet he still wants to be with me. I don’t deserve that kind of blessing, but I’m definitely not gonna turn it down.

----------****----------

There’s no hesitance in me whatsoever. I open to him immediately and even coax him into my mouth. I want his flavor flooding my tastebuds even as his scent floods my nose and his heat infuses my whole body. My hands slide back to his shoulders and I loop my arms around his neck, nuzzling his lips and meeting his tongue’s every caress with one of my own. I feel so… wanted. So… seductive, and I don’t mean to be, but that’s how I feel anyway.

----------

“Do you think they’ll be able to help Naruto?” Kakashi asked of Sakura as they trekked down the stairs to Naruto’s cell to check on its current occupants. Tsunade and Grandmother were still in the Hokage’s office, discussing ways they could deal with the demon-holder’s problem.

Sakura seemed thoughtful for a moment and then nodded cheerily. “I believe they can and that they will,” she stated firmly. “Don’t you, Kakashi-sensei?”

“I certainly hope so,” he said sincerely. “I don’t want to see the nobles win this fight any more than you do.” They reached the landing and Kakashi immediately looked at the window of Naruto’s cell. What he saw made him pause in midstep.

Sasuke was laying down on the bedroll and, essentially, had a Naruto blanket. At some point Naruto had gotten out of his chains, but that obviously wasn’t much of a problem. The two young men were in what looked like a very firm lip-lock, appearing to all the world like… (Well, lovers that haven’t seen each other in a year,) Kakashi thought with a smile as he watched them explore each other’s bodies with hungry hands.

“It’s a good thing Jiraiya-san isn’t here, ne, Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura smiled softly as she watched them through the glass. In another time, what seemed like lifetimes ago right then, Sakura would have fled for various reasons at the sight of her teammates interacting so…intimately. As it was now, she was only happy for them and glad to see that Sasuke at least recognized something, even if it was only vague familiarity. She could still see that Sasuke wasn’t quite himself just by the way he moved. The turn of a wrist, the flick of elegant fingers…none of that was truly Sasuke, but his recognition of Naruto as someone he could do something so intimate with, that was a step in the right direction.

"Aa." Kakashi grinned and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small notebook. "I think I'll take notes for him."

"Sensei!" Sakura admonished through her giggles and shoved him towards the stairs. "Let's give them some privacy, hentai," she added shaking her head, her voice full of amusement.

"But I get good money for taking notes for him!" Kakashi protested jokingly, allowing Sakura to push him up the stairs.

"How about I take you to the Bar-B-Q as payment for not taking notes for Ero-sennin?" Sakura offered, still steering him. Her heart felt so light she could have probably flown away.

"Deal." Kakashi sent a silent prayer of thanks up to the heavens and felt the renewed hope that everything was going to be just fine.

----------****----------

Wonderfully breathless, I stop raining kisses on Sasuke's neck to coax his tank up and off. I want to feel his skin against mine as we steal each other's breath and our hearts pound. He allows me to pull it off and I toss the shirt wherever, not caring what happens to it.

His chest is heavily littered with scars and I hiss in sympathy as I trace a long one on his pectoral. He's been put through so much pain and horror. I swear, Sasuke, I'll make sure you never have to live through something like that ever again. I can see his heart pounding and I smile, leaning down to kiss the skin above it, mouthing 'I love you' against his flushed skin.

----------****----------

It tickles, but in a way that makes me gasp and squirm, tangling my fingers in his hair. It takes a moment for his lip movements to process but somehow I think I know what he’s saying. ‘I love you.’ Gods, my heart’s ready to burst. Is this what real, true love feels like? This aching, yearning, longing sensation of ‘hold me now and never let go?’ I’m not sure. I want to say it back, but I don’t want to ruin this. How can I know if I love him if I don’t remember myself, let alone truly remember him? So, instead, I pull him up from my chest and kiss him again.

One hand slides down his back while the other remains tangled in the hair at the back of his skull. I feel a pang, knowing that I have no hair to do more to than rub. I could be envious, but I push that away in favor of pushing my tongue into his mouth for a change. He still tastes like ramen and his own personal taste…but what’s this sudden earthy swirl to his flavor?

----------****----------

My lips instantly part for him as I gasp in surprise and pleasure. I happily allow him to conquer my mouth, smiling into the kiss as he devours me just as I devoured him earlier. The feel of our chests pressed together, our hearts thudding against each other in matched rhythm, makes me wish that he was completely himself right now so I could make love to him. Claim his heart and soul and body as my own. But I can't do that if his mind isn't whole. I will wait until he remembers. I will wait until he’s truly and completely Sasuke again. I've waited a year to see him, I can wait for him to remember.

My hands caress his torso and I stiffen when I find where he was stabbed. The scars are small and randomly placed, but even without looking at them I know they're kunai wounds. Did Tsunade-baba check Sasuke over to make sure everything healed properly before sending him down here? I hope so, but in case she didn't... I slowly, gently break the kiss.

"We'd better go upstairs," I murmur.

----------****----------

“Upstairs?” I murmur, sounding a little…dazed. My hand leaves his hair to caress his chest with light fingertips. I don’t want to stop and I think. I think I’m…pouting. My mind’s more focused on what we were just doing than on what he just said.

----------****----------

Chuckling at his pout, I press a quick, chaste kiss to his lips. He's so beautiful.

"Yeah. You need a check-up," I state quietly, slowly untangling myself from him and rocking back onto my heels. Reaching out, I take his hand in preparation to help him stand. "I want to make sure your hea-ARGH!!"

White. Hot. Pain blazes through my head, making my eyes water and my skull split. It barely registers that I've fallen back down onto the blankets. What-?! (You what?! ...What do you mean, you- ...Well, excuse me for not giving you my undivided attention! ...OW!! Gods dammit, STOP that!! ... I don't have to pay attention to you if I don't want to, you sorry excuse for a giant rat!!) "AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRHHHHHHH!!" (STOP!!!!)

----------****----------

I move before anything really registers, drawing my legs beneath me, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and leaning over him as I pull him close. I don’t know what’s wrong! I didn’t do anything, did I!?

“Naruto! Naruto, what’s wrong?” My voice is edged with panic. I don’t like this. I can hear his every heartbeat and gasp. It’s eerie and I don’t like it! It makes my heart clench in sheer terror.

----------

Kakashi and Sakura had just reached the floor where Tsunade's office was when Kakashi stopped, hearing what sounded vaguely like a scream of pain coming from downstairs. Something was wrong. "Did you hear that?"

Sakura didn’t answer. She was already heading down the stairs at breakneck speed with her heart pounding as it climbed into her throat. She burst through the doorway and flew to the boys’ side, thankful that what her mind processed was Sasuke trying to comfort Naruto and not either of them trying to harm the other.

“What’s wrong!?” she exclaimed as she hit her knees on the opposite side of the writhing blond.

----------

I look up as that girl’s presence – Sakura, my mind supplies almost instantaneously – appears beside him as if by magic. I jump out of my skin, but shrug it off and explain. The faster I tell her what happened the faster she can help, if that’s possible.

“He just started screaming. He was in the middle of explaining to me why we had to go upstairs when he just doubled over and start howling.”

My voice is clipped and strained and my head is starting to ache. I can feel a burning behind my eyes, not something that happens often, usually only in high stress situations like this one or the time Hito fell into the pond on one of Obaa-san’s bad days and I had to save him. My eyes burned for hours after that, my head throbbed, I was terrified throughout the whole-ordeal but I saved Hito and that was what mattered.

Now, how can I save Naruto?

----------

Seconds later Kakashi joined them, Tsunade in tow and Grandmother on his back. "What happened?" he demanded as he carefully set the old woman down. After Sasuke had explained again, he gave a worried look to Tsunade. It was obvious that the cause of Naruto's screaming was the Kyuubi, but what could they do?

"Tsunade-sama, do you know the five-point seal?" Maybe that would stop whatever it was the demon was doing.

"Do not use that seal," Grandmother said firmly before Tsunade could answer, her calm voice easily heard over Naruto's cries. "He is too far along in the merging process. If you use that seal, it will only hurt him further."

Tsunade pursed her lips tightly then let out a sharp hiss of frustration. “Then there isn’t anything we can do for him right now. Not until Obaa-san and I have ourselves in order to actually begin the correction process, which could take us at the very least a week. Naruto will have to hold out for that long.”

It was all the comfort the Godaime Hokage could offer.

Scowling, Sakura turned her attention to Naruto and the still confused Sasuke. Things had been looking up. Now, things had taken a slide down again. She growled a little in frustration. (Naruto’s strong, but there aren’t many who can withstand severe mental torment for extended periods of time like this. His condition is already bad… How long will he last? How long can he last?)

----------

I haven’t let him go. I won’t let him go. He’s drowning just like Hito had been, except that it’s a different kind of drowning. Naruto is drowning in pain. The others are talking about Seals, merging and things I just simply don’t understand, and none of it is helping him. Determined to stop his cries of pain by stopping the pain itself, I grasp his chin. He’s gasping for breath and as his head turns towards me I cradle his cheeks in both palms, allowing me to feel the pull of his skin over his face. It tells me that his eyes are screwed shut.

I’ve got him back on his back now. He’s squirming so much that he’s not in the same position for long, so I straddle him, my hands never leaving his face.

“Naruto!” my voice comes out harsher, raspier than I’m used to hearing it. His body tenses under mine and his back flexes. I’m lifted, but I have better balance than one would give a blind man credit for so I don’t tip off. I don’t think he’s realized it, but his hands have seized my wrists, his grip so tight I’m afraid my bones are going to break, but I don’t try to pull away.

“Naruto, you bastard! Don’t do this to me!”

Even if I can’t remember him, I still know him. He’s something familiar in a world that I can’t remember much of. I don’t…I don’t want to lose him. Not after I found him…again.

“Snap out of it!”

I can feel tears trekking down my face. I was already emotionally volatile anyway. Today hasn’t helped. This especially hasn’t helped. This is all that damn fox’s fault, I reason suddenly, seeking something to blame. I’ve heard the story. I guess that’s what the others were talking about. Oddly, they’ve fallen silent, but that doesn’t matter. What does matter is helping Naruto. Distantly, I note that my eyes haven’t stopped burning, but it’s a distant sensation in the face of my desperation.

“Oi! Kitsune no yaro! Leave him alone!” My voice still sounds lower, more velvety. I’m not actually screaming or anything. I’m sorta…growling more than anything. “Or I’ll come in there and rip all nine of your tails off and shove them down your throat!”

Is that how this works? Could someone get in there and fix this? It would have to work that way if the fox is an entity trapped inside. The mind is a relative thing, isn’t it? My eyes are really burning now. It’s an intense, acidic pressure at the back of my nerves.

----------

Sakura stared. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear that it was Uchiha Sasuke straddling Naruto at that moment, not some confused and amnesic young man who was desperate for things to stop spinning out of his sense of control. She glanced to Kakashi and Tsunade. They were both as transfixed as she was. The tension in the cell was enormous. Turning her attention back to the boys, Sakura felt her heart palpitate a little more erratically with every snarled word from the sable haired young man. That was as close to Sasuke’s real voice as she had heard him utter yet.

Kakashi winced as Naruto's howls increased in volume with every word from Sasuke's mouth. Red chakra began to dance like lightning over Naruto's skin, leaving behind the stench of burned flesh. It was horrific to watch Naruto's skin blister and heal, blister and heal. What made the scene even more frightening was the fact that none of them could do anything but wait.

Then suddenly the screaming stopped, just as abruptly as it had started. The last of the burns healed, leaving behind pinkened flesh and the faint smell of char. Naruto went limp, his screams replaced with broken sobs. No one dared ask if it was over, afraid the torture would start again if they said anything.

Grandmother knelt with painstaking slowness next to the boys and placed a gentle hand on Naruto's forehead. Her hand glowed green for a moment before she quietly stated, "The ordeal has ended and I sense no damage to his mind. Naruto-kun, can you hear me?"

There was no doubt in her mind now that this young man was in desperate need of her help. She called his name until Naruto finally responded, his sobs quieting as he opened bloodshot violet eyes to stare vacantly at her.

"Naruto-kun, what happened?" she asked gently.

Shaking like a leaf in a storm from his ordeal, Naruto swallowed thickly and managed to rasp out, "Fox... doesn't like... being ignored."

His eyes rolled back into his head and they shut as he lost consciousness.

----------

“Naruto?” I hold my breath but get no answer. That heavy silence frightens me almost as much as his screaming did.

“Naruto!?”

I turn my face to the others my hands gently running over his features. He’s still breathing, but…

“What’s wrong? Why isn’t he answering me?!” (Why am I panicking? What’s come over me? I don’t even remember him…but he’s so familiar…) I whimper a little and turn my attention back to Naruto.

“Naruto,” I whisper and press my nose to his cheek, my easily restarted tears soaking the tip of it and the plane of skin it presses to. I draw a shaky breath. “Naruto…please answer me…”

----------

(Turn. Quickly.) Sakura faced the wall and held back tears. It was so unlike Sasuke to be like that and yet, in the given situation, Sakura couldn’t see things any other way. She choked back a soft sob and put a hand to her mouth. (And I thought I was done crying over all of this…) To her left now, Tsunade remained as silent as the Hokage monument.

"He's unconscious, Mitani-kun," Grandmother said quietly, resting a comforting hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "All we can do now is wait for him to wake up. He survived the worst of it without losing his mind, so he'll be just fine. His will is very strong."

----------

“Sasuke,” I mutter with a sullen sniffle and stroke Naruto’s warm cheeks, leaning down to kiss his lips gently. (I’m not going to leave you,) I vow and nuzzle his nose a little awkwardly. (I’ll be right here when you wake up.)

----------

"Sasuke-kun, then," Grandmother agreed. "Have faith in him. He'll emerge victorious from this. I could expect no less from the one the great Yondaime chose to be Konoha's savior." She gave his shoulder a squeeze before slowly standing up. "Perhaps we should move Naruto-kun to some place more comfortable?"

"Naruto's apartment has been sold, but Sakura's been keeping Sasuke's apartment in good condition," Kakashi stated.

Turning back to them Sakura smiled a little. It was tremulous but it was there. “Hai. We can take them to Sasuke’s apartment and settle them there. Naruto hasn’t had the comfort of a real bed in an entire year. It’ll be a good thing for him, I think”

Tsunade nodded and spoke finally, after so long a silence. “I’ll watch them. Kakashi, help me take them there. Sakura, you’ll go shopping and stock the kitchen for them. Let’s move,” she added with a sigh.

Kakashi nodded and knelt next to Sasuke. "I'll take you, okay? Tsunade-sama can take Naruto."

Tsunade knelt on the other side of them and lifted Naruto’s head by sliding her arm under his neck. Sakura had already moved to gently take Grandmother by the elbow, preparing to assist her up the stairs and Tsunade took a moment to mentally praise the girl for her thoughtfulness.

----------

I turn my face towards Kakashi. “You’re taking us to the same place?”

“Yes.”

I’m quiet for a moment and then stand slowly, moving away so that Tsunade can lift Naruto up. I lay my hand on Kakashi’s shoulder and extend my other one towards Naruto’s body, feeling around until I catch up his dangling fingers and lace them with mine. His are limp, mine are firm, but I’m careful not to squeeze too hard.

“Alright,” I whisper, sounding incredibly hoarse to my own ears. “Let’s go.”

----------

Tsunade looked up at Kakashi and nodded once. They would simultaneously cast the teleportation Jutsu and end up in Sasuke’s apartment. “Bedroom,” she stated and closed her eyes.

Closing his eyes as well, Kakashi made the necessary seals. A heartbeat later, the four of them were standing in Sasuke's bedroom. Well, three of them were standing. Kakashi went to the bed and turned down the covers so Tsunade could lay Naruto down.

“Get me a chair, please, Kakashi,” Tsunade requested as she laid Naruto between the sheets and covered him carefully. He was fully healed now, no mar or mark on him. She touched his forehead to check his temperature and then left the room to get herself a glass of water as well as one for each of the boys. When she returned, she smiled to see Sasuke curled up beside Naruto, leaning over the blond even as he leaned against the headboard. Amongst all of those pillows they were nearly lost, or at least Sasuke was.

The dark-haired youth clutched Naruto’s hand in one of his own tightly, resting them on Naruto’s broad chest. Sighing, she took the chair Kakashi had grabbed her and placed it in a corner of the room that would not disturb the boys. It was as if Sasuke had already forgotten they were there.

“Thank you, Kakashi. You’re free to go help Sakura now, if you would, please.”

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The Jounin gave his students one long, last look before he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

----------****----------

I've been here before. Last time it was to fight for control of my body. This time, I'm just royally pissed. No, I'm furious. (FOX!!) I get no answer and yell again.

"You called?"

I watch it slink out of the darkness, a bored look on its face. This time around, the light is to my back. I am in control of the situation. That mongrel is toast. (What the hell was going through that pea-sized brain of yours when you attacked me?! I could have died!!)

"If memory serves, you wish for death."

(If memory serves, you don't! And neither do I! Not anymore!)

"Forgive me for going against Master's wishes."

Its sarcasm is biting, but I don't flinch. My eyes narrow as it turns around and begins to slink back into the darkness. (Don't you dare turn your back on me, bastard.) It ignores me and keeps going. (Hey! I'm talking to you!) Reaching forward, I grab the end of one of its nine tails and yank as hard as I can. (You're allowed to ignore me but I'm not allowed to ignore you?!)

"If you wish to keep that limb, you will let go of my tail," it snarls.

(That's not very fair, is it?) I continue, paying no heed to the warning.

"Life is not meant to be fair, mortal. If life were fair, then I would not have been condemned to the torture that is living inside you."

(No. You'd be dead.)

"What do you want, human?!" It snaps, baring its teeth.

(I want your word that you won't attack me again if I choose not to acknowledge you.)

"I refuse."

(Then I want your word that you’ll acknowledge me when I'm speaking to you!)

"Again, I refuse."

Oh, for the love of- (It's one or the other! Take your pick! I refuse to share a body with someone who throws a tantrum just 'cause I don't pay attention to them!)

"Deal with it."

(NO!!) I grab another tail in my free hand and yank before it can turn away, again overlooking the warning growl it gives me. (I'm sick of your attitude and I'm sick of you!! Either I'm allowed to ignore you or you're not allowed to ignore me!! Fair is fair!! Make your choice!!)

"I refuse to be ordered around by a human!"

(This is MY body!! You are going to play by MY rules!!)

"How DARE you?! I am Kyuubi no Kitsune, one of the great demons!! You are just a whelp of a human!!"

(A whelp of a human that can kick your sorry ass!!) With a loud battle cry, I attack. I will take its word!

----------

Ow. Everything aches again. I really hope fighting my damn parasite doesn't become a hobby...even if the current score is 2-0. Groaning, I slowly push myself into a sitting position with shaking arms and open my eyes. How long was I out? Where am I? Where's- gah!!

----------****----------

I’ve been sitting here all night, waiting, hoping, praying for him to stir, move, show me some sign that he’s still alive. And then he sits up, slowly and unsteadily, and I can’t help it. I throw my arms around his neck and sob into his throat. For now I can’t form the words to express my emotions, but I think my emotions are doing a damn fine job of expressing themselves.

“Naruto,” is the only thing I can manage to get out for now.

----------****----------

"Uh, hi... Miss me much?" I ask with gentle playfulness, hugging Sasuke close. His weight on my shoulders and neck is painful, but I don't care. More important is the way he's soaking my skin with his tears. It's so unlike him that it's surreal. Sasuke isn't supposed to show this much emotion, even if I have been out cold for however long. I feel the emotional ache that's firmly rooted itself in my heart grow a little in response to my wish that he was whole. I rub his back soothingly with a trembling hand. I'm gonna feel that fight for a few weeks.

----------****----------

I sit up, pulling away after a moment and then run my hands lightly over his face to catch his expression. The lines in his features speak volumes of his weariness. He’s exhausted, and his eyes and lips are pinched at the corners, speaking of stiffness and pain. My lips turn down as I catch the other subtle and telltale symptoms of sadness. There’s a little bit of a smile on his pinched lips though. Such confusion in his mind that it all speaks so plainly in his face…

I cradle his face between my hands and lean forward, brushing my lips against his. “Thank you…for coming back to me.”

----------****----------

I smile and carefully lean towards him for a real kiss.

"It's gonna take more than a bratty demon to keep me away from you," I murmur. "How long was I out?" As soon as I get all the important information, I'm going to sleep. After a very long, hot shower.

----------****----------

I kiss him. Again and again, I kiss him and it still isn’t enough, but for now, I answer his question in between, which comes out to be, “The whole night.”

My one hand is now tangled in his hair while the other still cups his cheek. My body’s moving on its own to straddle him and yet I can’t find this disturbing in the least. I want to be close him, to feel him against me. The more I feel him, the surer I am that he really is there.

----------****----------

Yep, this is definitely Sasuke. He's the only one horny enough to straddle me of all people even when amnesic. Unfortunately, as much as I want this and so much more, his weight on my legs is making the pain flare to new heights, especially on the places where the fox clawed my mind-self. Those will take the longest to 'heal'.

"Sasuke, you're hurting me," I murmur, gently pushing him off me.

----------****----------

"I'm sorry," I murmur and carefully slide off him. "Are you all right?" I can't entirely keep my hands off him, so I settle for taking his hand and clutching it in both of mine.

----------****----------

"I will be after a long shower, food, and sleep." I give his hand an affectionate squeeze and look around the room, trying to figure out what this place is. I've never been here before.

"Where are-" My eyes land on a certain someone sitting in a chair in a corner and I glare at her. "Just how long have you been there?" Stupid old hag. She's been hanging around Ero-sennin too long.

----------

"You don't honestly think we'd leave you alone with Sasuke-kun if there was the potential for the Kyuubi to hurt you or him, do you?" Tsunade shot back and then grinned. "If you're fine now, I'll be heading to the bar and leave you two...alo~ne."

----------

"Yeah, I'm fine," I grumble. As if I'd hurt Sasuke or let the fox do anything to him. No trust at all. "Now get out of here. You need to refresh your Jutsu. Your wrinkles are showing."

“And how do you know I don’t want them there?” she asks and then she’s gone.

----------

"Old hag. The day she wants her wrinkles to show is the day she wins the lottery and it isn't a bad omen," I mutter, carefully shuffling to the edge of the bed. I really need a hot shower before all my muscles get too stiff. "I'm gonna go take a shower, okay, Sasuke? Where are we, by the way?"

----------****----------

“Tsunade-sama said this is my apartment,” I answer and follow him to his feet by sound. I’m right beside him as he begins to walk. “So you’re going to take a shower? Then we’ll eat and then we’ll sleep?”

Gods, is that really my voice? I sound so weary. I do feel cranky; the kind of cranky that comes from getting no sleep.

----------****----------

"Sounds like a plan." After a little hunting I find towels, soap, and shampoo for the both of us. I may be dense, but I'm not dumb enough to not realize Sasuke means to follow me into the bathroom. That's just fine by me. Means less time we have to spend apart. Our supplies tucked under my arm, I start trying doors to find the bathroom and discover it quickly.

Considering this is an apartment, I thought he was just gonna have a shower stall like in mine. I was so wrong. This place has a full-blown furo, tub and all. Oh, and does that tub look wonderful. Setting down our things on the tile floor, I walk over to the tub and turn on the hot water. By the time we're done washing this'll be full and I'll be able to soak my soreness away. Heaven.

----------****----------

I waste no time stripping down and dropping my clothes in the basket by the door once I find it. Just like the bathroom at Baa-san's, there had to be one. It seemed traditional and right. He turns from the tub with the soft squeak of his bare foot on tile, and I smile a little. I can't lead myself around in here. If I slip, it could be very, very bad. I don't know how many more blows to the head I can take before I just up and die from one. I reach behind me and feel for the door, sliding it shut. Then I extend a hand and ask softly, "A little help?"

Some part of me hates to have to ask, but the part of me that's really very tired of pain overrules it, every time and with ease at that.

----------****----------

Smiling, I approach him. Even heavily scarred, his body is still absolutely beautiful in my eyes, lean and well-formed and- Okay, Naruto, not the time to be thinking things like that. Sasuke's not completely himself, remember?

I dump my clothes in the hamper and take his hand, leading him over to the stool by the faucets. "I'll be right back," I murmur, kissing his cheek. I leave the furo to begin another search. There has to be another stool and wash tubs somewhere in this place. Hah! Success! Carrying my finds under my arm, I rejoin Sasuke in the bathroom and set my stool next to his.

"Here." I put one of the wash tubs in his lap and turn the water on so we can wash ourselves.

----------****----------

Neither of us has much to say as we bathe, but that's fine. The quiet is nice and relaxing and the sound of him splashing and scrubbing beside me is a comfort. I can't understand why I'm so drawn to him. I know I feel a familiarity with him. I know he stirs something in me and stirs it very strongly, but I can't fathom the depths to which we knew each other while I was myself. It's a lot to take in, the reasoning behind it all hurts my head and I've already got a bit of a headache from last night. At least the backs of my eyeballs aren't burning any more. That was damn uncomfortable. I pause in washing my hair and finger the scar at the back of my skull. It's irregular and wide, gruesome beneath my fingertips, my only method of "sight." I suppose it isn’t as big as it could be. It’s really all a matter of perspective anyway. It probably looks a lot worse to these people here than it does to say…Obaa-san.

My eyes turn to the floor and away from Naruto. I can't see, but I have a feeling that at some point in my life, I probably could because my eyes move. Obaa-san told me once when I was first getting a handle on being a functioning human being again, that people that could never see don't move their eyes nearly as much, some times not at all and they can’t keep their line of “sight” trained on others for any length of time. I can.

I wonder if I knew I'd never see again or if this is something that will go away after I get my memories back, or if I'll get my memories back and have to face even more despair for not being able to see.

----------****----------

The silence around us has gone from comfortable to incredibly thick. Something's not right. Lifting my eyes, I see that Sasuke's gotten lost in thought, and the thing on his mind is not something entirely pleasant. Now that's a familiar feeling. I reach out to gently stroke his cheek with the back of my knuckles. "Hey, you okay?"

----------****----------

I start horribly and nearly fall off my stool. It takes a second to quiet my heart and catch my breath. “Sorry. I was just…thinking,” I murmur.

----------****----------

"I could tell. Wanna talk about it?" I ask, going back to stroking his cheek. His quick breathing makes me want to kiss him and- Note to self, stop associating with hornballs 'cause it's rubbing off on me.

----------****----------

I reach up and cradle his hand to my cheek with both of mine.

“I’m not sure what to say.” How can I ask everything I’m thinking? There’s so much… I take a deep breath and kiss his palm softly. “Was I always blind?” I ask after a moment. My eyes are closed and because of it, I can smell him more acutely, focus more on the warmth of his hand.

----------****----------

That question sends a bolt of pain straight to my heart and I look away. "No," I say softly. "You actually used to depend on your eyes a lot. You're an Uchiha, after all."

And the way you used to look at me with those eyes... Please, gods, let Sasuke regain his sight so I can see the friendship and rivalry and love in his eyes again when he looks at me. I want to see that familiar fire and determination. It hurts to look at his dead, glassy eyes.

“What does it mean to be an Uchiha, then?” he asks and nuzzles my palm.

Smiling softly at the affectionate gesture, I turn to face him and gently pull my hand free. "Tilt your head back," I say while filling my wash tub with fre- Tub! I hurry over to the soaking tub and turn the water off just in time to prevent it from overflowing. Too close. Shaking my head at my own denseness, I sit back down on my stool and fill my wash tub with fresh water.

"Uchihas like you have a bloodline limit called the Sharingan," I explain as I carefully wash the suds from his short hair. Just because he's blind doesn't mean soap in the eyes won't sting. "It's a special eye trait that lets you see things most people can't. When you used it, your eyes would turn red and you'd get three little black teardrops around your pupil. The teardrops would spin like this."

I take his hand and draw a circle in his palm.

----------****----------

“So my family is known by its eye-trait. This trait is called the Sharingan,” I pause as a thought occurs to me. “Why hasn’t my family come to see me? I’ve been here long enough that they should know I’ve returned by now right? Unless the Hokage is keeping my return a secret.”

----------****----------

Shit. I was hoping he wasn't going to ask about his family, especially since there's really no way to say “your big brother's a major asshole and slaughtered them all” lightly.

"Tsunade-baba probably is keeping your return a secret until you've settled in," I agree. It's something she would do. "...But that's not why your family hasn't come to see you."

Dammit, do I really have to tell him?

----------****----------

“Oh,” I whisper and turn my face away. I’m not sure I want to know why they haven’t come to see me yet then.

“Bath?” I ask. The sound of running water hadn’t escaped my ears and I’m more than ready for a soak. I’ve been tense all over since last night. I sense that he’s a little relieved at the change in subject. Well, so am I. I didn’t like that sudden tension brought about by my naïve inquiry.

----------****----------

"Yeah." I dump a tub-full of water over my head to wash away any stubborn suds and stiffly stand up, putting my hand on his shoulder so he can take it when he's ready. I really, really hope he doesn't ask me about his family again. He rinses himself and clasps my hand, letting me lead him over to the tub so we can climb in.

Oooohhh, this feels good. The water is just hot enough to relax the soreness out of my muscles without being scalding. Sighing happily, I slide down until only my head is above the water.

----------****----------

Sighing myself, I settle down beside him. He’s against the wall, giving me plenty of room to tuck my legs up beside me and drape my elbows over the rim, half-reclining. This is so nice compared to the constant “go, go, go” of Obaa-san’s place. The company is better, too. Not for any particular reason. Naruto just…is.

----------****----------

Eventually I dredge up enough energy to lazily search for his hand. I find it at the top of the water and tangle our fingers together, kissing the back of his hand before resting our entwined hands on the tub’s tiled bottom. I could stay like this forever.

----------****----------

Yes, I decide. This is definitely nice. I squeeze our fingers together as he settles our joined hands on the bottom of the tub. My legs are starting to cramp, tucked up as they are for Naruto’s convenience. Groaning a little, I untuck them and shift around until I’m lying alongside him, our hands between us. I want to move closer, to feel his body along mine; a warm reassurance in my dark world.

----------****----------

My soreness is steadily going away, leaving me one very happy mush pile. I feel the water move as Sasuke shifts to lie down next to me and I carefully scoot over – minding the phantom gash on my ass – until our shoulders touch.

“So where were you this past year?” I ask in quiet curiosity, idly stroking the back of his hand with my thumb.

----------****----------

“Namikiji, in a foster home. There wasn’t anywhere else for me. I had to go through rehabilitation, but that apparently took a lot less time than the doctors anticipated,” I answer. My voice is a low rumble without all the excess vibrations, but it does echo faintly off the walls, vaguely muffled by the steam

Encouraged by his actions, I sink a little lower into the water and turn onto my side. I’m not sure pressing any closer would be welcomed, but his shoulder hovers just out of reach of the front of my own. Bait, to draw him closer to me instead.

----------****----------

I crack one eye open to see where he is. “Namikiji, huh? No wonder you’re all scarred up.”

Namikiji is a good fifty or so miles downstream from where he fell. And I’m pretty sure there are rapids in that stretch of the river, too. Gods, it’s a miracle he survived, let alone got away with only scars and blindness. He could have easily lost a limb.

“How many kids are in the home?” I let go of his hand and search for the other one, using it to pull him closer when I find it. Most of the soreness is gone and I want to feel him against me.

----------****----------

“Thirteen, not counting myself,” I answer, my voice lowering yet again. I’m closer now anyway, so it doesn’t matter. He can still hear me. I snuggle up to him, readjusting my limbs briefly so that my free arm pillows my head on the edge of the tub and my other hand, newly twined with his, rests on his chest. I’m so very tempted to throw a leg over him, but refrain. I don’t want to hurt him.

----------****----------

“Thirteen kids? Awesome! When can we visit?” I ask cheerfully. I haven’t played with kids in forever, and in Namikiji I won’t have to worry about a parent pulling their kids away ‘cause I’m “the monster.” Seriously, I know we can’t visit until Sasuke’s been fixed, but I do want to go as soon as we can after that. By that time we’ll definitely need a vacation.

Giving Sasuke’s hand a squeeze, I let it go to slowly run my knuckles up and down his arm. This is absolute heaven, having someone to talk to and – this is the kicker – to be affectionate with. I’ve been starved of this – of Sasuke – for much too long.

----------****----------

“Obaa-san would probably really appreciate the help if we could make it out to Namikiji some weekends,” I tell him. “Whenever we can or want to.”

His caresses make my blood warm and my heartbeat and pulse rise… among other things. However, I’m more interested in easy intimacy at this moment and so I diligently ignore my stirring arousal in favor of petting his chest and occasionally sketching nothing-patterns on his hot, smooth skin. I’ve got my eyes closed so that my brain isn’t trying to access a dead function. I want to feel, smell, and definitely touch him as my focus is on him.

----------****----------

It's times like these I love having a super-sensitive nose. Despite the fact that most of his body is in the water and the room is full of steam, I can still smell his arousal. Heh, this Sasuke's easier than the old one. ...Then again, I didn't exactly give the old Sasuke many opportunities to be easy.

"Getting a little hot under the belt, are we?" I tease, running my knuckles up to his neck.

----------****----------

I turn my face so that his knuckles also brush my cheek, hunching my shoulder up a little. It tickles, but I refrain from displaying that fact too clearly.

"It's your fault," I mutter and smile slightly as I say it. "You do this to me." (And no one else ever has... at least not in my memories any way.) I lean forward a little, hoping he'll take the hint and kiss me.

----------****----------

I breathe a laugh and slide my hand to the other side of his neck, cupping the back of it to pull him closer. Our lips meet in a quietly passionate kiss, my own curled up in a very content smile. This close, I can smell his arousal more acutely and I feel my body begin to stir in response, making me shift a bit as the water suddenly becomes almost too warm. I break the kiss just long enough to sit up and pull Sasuke up with me. My arms snake their way about his waist as I capture his mouth again. There, now the edge of the tub isn't digging into my neck.

----------****----------

The arm that I had been using as a pillow finds its own way around Naruto's neck while the other slows its caresses down to long, soft strokes over smooth skin on firm muscle. His mouth is warm and light in taste, and I let my tongue slide over his teeth and stroke the roof of his mouth teasingly. I'm hard, but not painfully so. I'm balancing on one hip with my legs still stretched out as they were when I was merely laying on my side. I'm stretching a bit, but it isn't a strain. This is slow and easy and comfortable.

----------****----------

One of my hands slowly crawls down from Sasuke's waist to his thigh, caressing the soft yet scarred flesh.

"Sasuke," I purr against his lips, just wanting to hear his name. The arm around his waist tightens as I turn my body towards him. Everything about him has completely flooded my senses - his taste, his scent, his touch. Sasuke is a drug and I can't get enough of him.

He says he doesn't remember anything, but... Does he ever dream of this? Of what we were before he disappeared? I remember so clearly the night before that horrible morning. We were taking the next big step and I stopped us in the middle. Not because it wasn't mind-numbingly amazing. No. I stopped us because I was afraid. But not anymore. I love him and I'll never push him away again. I swear it to you, Sasuke.

----------****----------

"Naruto," I breathe in response and follow the pull of his tightening embrace readily. My legs I draw up almost beneath me as I wriggle and scoot up onto Naruto's curled thigh. The one he'd had raised between us when he'd first sat up which he'd let fall as he turned towards me. Now, I loop my arms around his neck, ignoring the feminine pose I've taken. It's comfortable and allows me to sit like this with him easily. It's convenient and so worth the small sacrifice of a little male pride. He probably doesn’t even notice anyway.

----------****----------

Wincing as Sasuke's weight makes the ache in my thigh flare, I carefully pull my leg out from under him so that he's sitting between my legs. There, much better. My lips trace a path from his lips to his earlobe, which I nibble on gently, as my hands being a thorough exploration of his torso. The hitch in his breathing makes me moan quietly and my arousal heightens. Did I mention this is heaven?

"My beautiful Sasuke," I murmur, kissing and nuzzling at the spot just under and below his ear.

----------****----------

Resettling myself so that I'm kneeling between his thighs, I lean closer to Naruto and moan right in his ear. I only know because my nose brushes the shell of skin and cartilage as I tip my head to allow Naruto all the access he could ever want to my ear and neck. This is so wonderful, I can't even begin to describe it. I don't want to be without this - without him - ever again.

----------****----------

A happy little growl vibrates in my chest as I kiss my way down to his neck. There are barely any scars here, and all of them are of the kind every ninja has - except me 'cause of my massive healing ability. They're the little thin ones we get from being held at kunai point during spars and battles. Wanting to feel that electric shiver I got when he moaned again, I begin to 'wash' his beautiful neck with long, broad strokes of my tongue. His skin tastes absolutely wonderful, especially when flavored with sweat and his arousal.

----------****----------

At first I feel confusion. Naruto’s…licking me? But then he keeps doing it and it’s… My arm tightens around his neck and the other one slides up to join it. I tip my head and tremble faintly from the inside out. It’s one of those things that’s quietly arousing, something that shakes you right down to the core and then builds you back up in fire. The hot water and his hotter tongue are working together against me. I scoot closer to him, wanting to press myself against him. I need to touch myself, but I don’t think I can let go of his neck. I might get entirely swept away.

“Mmh, Naruto,” I hear myself and feel my brow furrow, but I’m more interested in focusing on his tongue on my throat, not the distant sensations of my other body parts.

----------****----------

Smiling against his neck, I cup the bottoms of his shoulderblades in my hands and move my mouth to his collarbones, laving my tongue over one elegant wing of bone. Heh, if the old Sasuke caught me thinking this way, he'd definitely whack me and state very firmly that he's a man. Not my fault he looks so effeminate. Considering his brother, it's probably an Uchiha thing. Or maybe it's just a ‘Sasuke's immediate family’ thing. Whatever, not important. Off topic. Well, not really, but... How does anyone put up with me?

Mentally shaking myself to get back on track, I drop a kiss to the hollow of Sasuke's throat before moving over to the other thinly-fleshed bone.

----------****----------

My whole body shudders, and I tip back into his hands, my arms slipping little by little from his neck until my hands rest on his shoulders with my elbows hanging between us. As I lean back, my legs automatically slide apart, my thighs coming to rest lightly against the insides of his, giving my swollen member a little more room to strain beneath the water’s surface. His tongue caressing over my sensitive collarbones is intoxicating.

“Naruto.” A whisper, half choked with desire. My voice sounds a little lower than it normally is, and I can hardly catch a full breath.

----------****----------

A quiet moan escapes my throat as his choked whisper and the strengthening smell of arousal on his skin makes my own hard length jump. I lean him back a little farther - stubbornly ignoring the way my arms protest at supporting his weight - giving me room to 'wash' the midline of his chest. His skin is brightly flushed from the hot water and our play, making him look all too edible. I shorten my licks, nibbling his flesh at random times.

----------****----------

“Naruto!”

It comes out a soft pant as I let my head fall back. One of my hands flies to my mouth and I bite down on my forefinger unable to think of anything else to do that doesn’t involve getting in his way. I whimper behind it as his nibbles send a bolt of liquid fire right to my erection, making it bob a little in response and in the water, the sensation is exquisite. Part of that, I feel, is because of Naruto, though. My senses seem so incredibly attuned to him.

----------****----------

"No," I whisper, pulling him up so I can nudge his hand away from his mouth with my nose. "I want to hear you, Sasuke. There's no one to hear you but me."

I want to hear every little sound he makes, and there are no neighbors around for us to worry about. I trail kisses from the underside of his chin back down to where I'd been nibbling a moment ago. Leaning him back until his head just touches the water, I swipe my tongue from the center of his chest to one budding nipple, which I kiss.

----------****----------

That makes me moan. Loudly. I tangle my fingers in his hair after only a moment's stiff and shaky hesitation from my hands. He wants to hear me... oh, he'll hear me. I'm panting, but now I'm not fighting all the little whines and whimpers that softly bubble up from my throat. I squirm a little, my hips lifting once - all on their own - in a silent plea. Again, I feel the need to touch myself, but instead I force my hands to remain in his hair.

----------****----------

The noises he makes are pure music to my ears, every whine and whimper sending delightful shivers through me. And it's very hard to miss the way his hips are wriggling, begging for attention. Suddenly feeling incredibly wicked, I lean back until I'm sitting up and pull Sasuke up with me. I capture his mouth in a deep kiss to distract him as I coax one of his hands down from my hair. Leading it down between our bodies, I wrap his own fingers around his straining length.

"I believe there's something you need to take care of," I purr against his lips, my voice dripping with playful mischievousness and desire. They say the quiet ones are the loudest when doing it. I wonder if that's true.

----------****----------

Explosive. That's the only way I can think of to describe my voice as his name spills from my lips on a surprised exhale. My fingers gratefully lock around my aching member and my wrist begins to jack up and down instantly at the same time that my other hand leaves his hair so I can wrap my arm around his neck. My chin ends up on my arm, my head tilted towards his, as I lean forward and close as much space between us as possible. The sensation of having my erection in my hand drags a deeper moan from me as my body begins to spasm a little. I’m nearing climax, but I’m not quite there. My arm tightens behind Naruto's neck, and I bury my face in his shoulder between my arm and his neck.

"Gods, Naruto." I had reservations about doing myself in company at first, but Naruto suggests it and suddenly all of my qualms are gone. I moan again, louder still, and my hips start to flex rhythmically forward.

----------****----------

My own body is shaking with the need to cum as the rhythmic press of water against my arousal brings the edge that much closer. The fact that it’s being caused by Sasuke’s increasingly desperate thrusting makes the sensation all the more potent. I’m going to lose it soon. Groaning loudly between rough gasps, I bury my face in his neck and embrace him, pulling him as close as possible when one of us is kneeling and the other sitting. But my hands refuse to stay still. They glide down his back to his ass and cup it, kneading the firm globes. My mind is slowly going numb with pleasure and I begin to rain kisses all over Sasuke’s neck and shoulder.

----------****----------

My mind registers his hands on my ass and that’s that. Warmth floods me as cum jets into the water between us and I let out a loud almost-howl of pleasure as my body is wracked with the sensations of climax. I milk myself habitually and then, trembling, I reach for him, knowing he has to be hard with the sound of his breathing – hard as that is to hear over my own rapid breath and pounding heart. My fingers slip easily around him and I pump my wrist for him the same way that I’d pumped my own erection. My lips find his ear and I squeeze him as I nibble his lobe gently.

This is paradise.

----------****----------

A loud, deep cry in the form of Sasuke’s name leaps out of my throat as the feel of his hand pumping my hard length and his teeth on my ear sends me flying over the edge so fast I don’t even have a chance to try and hold back.

Shaking as the after-shocks ricochet through me, I lean back against the tub wall and pull Sasuke close, too sated and relaxed to care if his weight makes the phantom wounds on my chest hurt. That was the first time I’ve climaxed at his hands and… I just… There are no words I can think of that can even begin to encompass just how amazing it was. A blissfully tired smile on my face, I turn my head to press a gentle kiss to Sasuke’s cheek.

“That was evil, giving me no warning,” I murmur teasingly. I love him so much.

----------****----------

“You weren’t playing fair to begin with,” I reason. It’s true. Naruto had played a little…dirty, figuratively and literally speaking. I’m sprawled on top of said pile of mushy “dirt” and can’t help but ghost some kisses over his torso where I can reach. Kissing his throat now, I murmur softly, “Let’s get out and rinse off. There’s a far more inviting place to sleep than here.”

----------****----------

"Yeah." I pull him up for a deep, long kiss before gently pushing him off so I can stand. My legs are a little shaky still from the after-shocks. Bet his aren't much better.

We rinse quickly, dry off, and I lead him back to the bedroom, where I search for boxers for us to sleep in. Why doesn't it surprise me when every pair in the dresser is black or blue? I pull a pair on, hand another to Sasuke, and flop onto the bed in a sprawl, my face buried in a pillow. I was too out of it to notice this before, but his bed is so comfortable it's not fair. I'm already almost asleep.

----------****----------

Pulling on the boxers Naruto hands me, I soon follow him to the bed and crawl up onto it. On my hands and knees, I crawl to him, feeling my way, and then sink down beside him. I’m exhausted, I realize, like I haven’t been in many months. Lying on my side facing him, I drift into a light doze. It’s peaceful. Several moments pass, but I can’t get to sleep. Something’s bugging me…

“Naruto…what’s it like having to compete for space in your own mind with the Kyuubi no Kitsune?” I can’t even begin to fathom it.

----------****----------

“Hell," I answer immediately, my voice muffled by the pillow currently swallowing one side of my face. "Especially when it gets all uppity and refuses to shut up, which is most of the time. The only time I can ever get any decent sleep is when it's sleeping or decides to leave me alone. It hears all of my thoughts and always has to make a comment - usually lewd. It's always insulting me. The only way I can ever make it shut up and leave me alone is to either try to kill myself - which scares the piss out of it, since if I die it dies - or go into my head and beat it to a bloody pulp. Unfortunately, I can only do that when I'm unconscious. Not asleep, unconscious."

My arm snakes out to drape over Sasuke's waist, pulling him closer against my side. I forgot how good a teddy bear he is.

----------****----------

I let him drag me to him without any resistance at all. This is still so new to me and yet so familiar at the same time. It’s confusing, but nice, so I don’t dwell on it.

“Is that what happened last night?” I ask softly and burrow close to him, sucking in his scent with a long, quiet inhale. Yes, this is very nice.

----------****----------

"Is what ‘what happened’ last night?"

This bed is perfect heaven, especially after sleeping on a floor or makeshift bedroll for so long and especially with Sasuke snuggled up against me, and I'm quickly falling asleep. A yawn just about splits my face in two. Whoa, head rush. That big inhale flooded my mouth and nose with his scent. The sheets are saturated with it. If I weren't so sleepy, I'd probably be hard all over again right now.

----------****----------

“Well,” I mutter, reasoning things out slowly since my mind is so tired that I’m mostly asleep right now anyway. “You were unconscious. Were you fighting it?”

He’s so warm, this bed is so much softer than what I’m used to (and yet somehow it feels like home in a way Obaa-san’s place never could).

----------****----------

That question makes me grin.

"Yep, and I beat the ever-living crap out of it. De-fanged, de-clawed, took off an ear, forcibly removed a couple tails, knocked off a couple important bits, gave it some nice long gashes..." I rattle off smugly, pulling Sasuke closer so that the tips of our noses are brushing. "It's not gonna be bugging me for a long time."

----------****----------

"That's...wonderful." I wrap my arm around his ribs carefully. Settling into a comfortable position, I yawn hugely. "Sorry."

I try to suppress the next yawn, but can't and give in with a cracking from the joints between my mandible and maxilla. Sighing as it ends, I snuggle into him and murr. "I'll have you mostly to myself then," I state contentedly.

----------****----------

"You'll have me all to yourself as long as we stay here," I murmur happily, brushing my lips against the side of his nose. "I want to stop by Tsunade-baba's office for a bit tomorrow, but after that it'll be just you and me."

His body is a very relaxing weight on my side - thankfully my sides don't ache too badly, so I can easily ignore any pain his weight causes - and I yawn again. "Now you're making me do it," I chide playfully. Sleep definitely sounds like a good idea right now.

The only response I get is a quiet, noncommittal hum as Sasuke snuggles closer, already mostly asleep. Smiling, I kiss him gently and whisper, "Oyasumi, Sasuke. Thank you for coming back to me."

I'm soon fast asleep myself.

----------****----------

*The Next Morning*

----------

I wake slowly, my head rising and falling gently. The feel and sound of a steady, easy heartbeat humming and the hiss of inhale-exhale in my ear makes me smile very faintly. I lay there for several very long, languid moments, savoring the feel of heat, flesh and life beneath my cheek. Naruto became my pillow at some point last night. His arm is around my shoulders and my arm is about his waist. Snug is the only word I can think of to describe our hold on each other.

After an indefinite number of minutes have passed, I sit up slowly, careful not to wake him. I want to know what he looked like all over. For one of the first times that I can remember, I seriously regret my lack of vision. I can’t remember this pang ever being this strong before. Gently, I caress his cheek with the hand I lifted from his waist. I know his face. I want to know his body.

Pulling myself up, I draw my right knee beneath me, plant my hands on either side of his head and swing my left leg over his body. Gracefully, I settle just above his hips. It sends a shiver down my spine when I find that he’s hard. Not surprising though. I was hard when I woke up, too. I’ve been awake just long enough that my morning hard-on has receded a little. Well, it had anyway. It’s wide “awake” now.

Shoving the ache between my legs aside in my mind, I reach out my fingertips, finding his perfect cheekbones. Slowly, I trail my fingers down his face, the digits bumping over his whisker marks like a wagon over rutted trails. Caressing down his neck and over his collarbones, I finally reach his chest. Here, my fingers slow and begin to lightly stroke every line, contour and plane they find. He’s so… well-built. I’m in awe.

----------****----------

Something's touching my chest, drawing me out of my sound sleep. There's something else too, resting on my stomach right where my damn parasite managed to claw me deeply during our last fight. The phantom pain flares greatly every time the thing shifts. Ow! Ow... Now my chest hurts too. I peel my eyes open so I can see the thing I want to shove off my sore body.

...Sasuke. I freeze, hoping he hasn't realized I'm awake.

Sasuke's sitting on my stomach, trailing his fingers over my chest, exploring every detail with the care only a blind man can show. Blind...

My chest tightens with heartache as I explore him with my eyes, taking in all the changes that have happened to him in this past year. His body is littered with scars, ranging from the tiny cuts on his jaw that I almost can't see to the large, frightening gash on his chest, which still is dwarfed by the deep wound I know mars the back of his head. The Sasuke I knew would never admit it, but he was incredibly proud of his body, relatively free from scars and a model of hard, muscled perfection that ninja are known for. Now... he's still muscled, but he's lost a lot of mass and tone, leaving him leaner than before and definitely in a condition he never would have stood for. Nothing less than perfection for Uchiha Sasuke.

His hair... He was even more vain of that, and denied that accusation too. Soft and thick and wonderfully black, I loved to watch that rooster tail on the back of his head lift in agitation whenever I annoyed him. That hasn't happened since we were kids - he developed too much control over his emotions - but I will never forget the way it would stand almost straight up. There's nothing left of that tail now... Hair kept buzzed to probably make the bandana more comfortable, Sasuke looks more like a melon head than a rooster. Heh, he'd probably hit me for both comments.

I don't want to look at his eyes, but I force myself to anyway. ...My chest tightens so much it's almost hard to breathe. His eyes - those impossibly black pools of abyss I've become so practiced in reading and learned to love - are dead. They show none of the emotions currently flowing across his face, none of the determined spirit I know is inside him, not even the tiniest spark of life. Dead. Flat. Shallow. Seeing them hurts me more than anything else because I know how much his eyes meant to him. He's an Uchiha. Their eyes were their legacy. With them, they could see so many things a normal person never could. Because of their eyes, they were the ones Konoha turned to for protection, alongside the Hyuuga. A blind Uchiha... was worthless. And Sasuke is anything but worthless because he means the world to me.

Shaking a little from the force of grief flowing through me, I reach up to cradle his face in my palms. The face always covered in a mask, just like my own... the one now bared to the world because it has forgotten it's supposed to hide itself.

Will things ever be back to the way they were? The way they're supposed to be?

----------****----------

I start, every muscle in my body jerking in place as I immediately recognize that it’s Naruto’s hand by touch and by scent halfway through the jolt of surprise. My hands leave off their exploration and both come up to cradle the backs of his wrists. The silence is heavy.

“You feel sad,” I murmur and pull his wrists, gently removing his hands from my face as I lean down to rub noses with him. I yearned for this sort of contact for one whole year. I’d wake up in the middle of the night sometimes, aching inside for it. I have it now, and I’ve never been more grateful of anything in my living memory.

“What’s wrong?” I softly ask and brush a gentle kiss over his lips.

----------****----------

How can I describe to him the intense ache I feel, the deep desire that he be himself again? Cold yet so warm, aloof yet clingy, a huge bastard yet... the one who dragged me back from the brink of suicide because he wanted me to live and be with him. My throat closes, allowing only a small whimper of heartache to escape as I embrace him as tightly as I can, ignoring the phantom pain all over my body.

----------****----------

“Naruto?”

What else can I do, but hold him back as tightly as he holds me? I cling to him, aching at the sound of that little whimper. I want to make whatever brought that whimper out of him go away with an intensity that I can’t even begin to consider. I stroke his hair, completely confused as to what brought this on, but I don’t hesitate to murmur soft comforting things to him. It’s babble really, but I think the sound of my voice might matter more than the actual words.

----------****----------

The sound of his voice in my ear only drives it home even more that he's not himself right now. The Sasuke I knew would never allow so much emotion, so much care, into his voice. Not able to take any more of this, I gently push him off me and walk to the bathroom, needing to soak my sore muscles and wanting time to let this all really sink in. Last night I was too focused on the fact that Sasuke'd returned. It didn't fully register just how much of him has changed. Now... Gods, what am I going to do?

----------****----------

I sit in silence. What did I do?

Dropping my unseeing gaze for a moment, I consult my lap mutely. The best thing I can probably do right now is wait until he comes out. Sighing, I settle back against some pillows against the headboard, draw my knees up to my chest and hug them, resting my chin in the groove between them. I still don’t know what I did…

----------****----------

I return a couple hours later, still not entirely ready to completely accept just how much he's changed, but definitely able to be around him without showing my hurt. "Hey," I greet quietly, sitting next to him.

"You hungry?" We still haven't had breakfast.

----------****----------

Without facing him, I ignore his question and ask very softly, "What did I do? Tell me... so I won't do it again."

I'm not going to quit until I find out what I did wrong. I didn't like him being like that. At all.

----------****----------

"It isn't anything you did," I murmur after a long silence. "It's nothing, just... I'm just getting caught up on things I probably shouldn't." Leaving it at that, I stand back up and take his hand.
"C'mon, let's go eat," I say with a cheerfulness that comes only from my mask. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

----------****----------

For some reason, I just let myself get dragged along. I guess I'm just afraid to lose him - this happiness - so soon after I've found him. Breakfast is a quiet affair... I'm afraid to speak. I still think I did something and he doesn't want to tell me for whatever reason. That cheery front is... I fish for the right way to phrase it... Annoying. I can hear the strain in his voice that comes from holding up that obnoxious front.

When breakfast is over, I ask softly, "So...What are we supposed to do now?" I feel so incredibly lost and out of place. Yet, some part of me is struggling with the familiarity of it all. I'm almost in knots. My shoulders are aching dully with the stress of everything that's happened.

----------****----------

What are we supposed to do? I know what I want to do, but... Hm. Tsunade-baba left yesterday without telling me anything, hopefully meaning that there isn't anything we have to do. Fine, what I want to do it is.

"Let's go see the old hag," I suggest as I put the dishes in the sink for washing later. "There are a couple things I want to talk to her about."

"Tsunade-san?" Sasuke asks, probably to clarify who I mean.

"Yeah, her."

I drop a hand on his shoulder, taking comfort in the fact that, while his mind is still gone, his body has returned to me. That is more of a blessing than I have the right to ask for.

----------****----------

My hand quickly covers his. I'm desperate for the reassurance that he isn't going anywhere without me. "We need to get dressed, then, don't we?" I ask softly, gazing unseeingly at the tabletop. At least he doesn't seem to be upset with me any more.

----------****----------

"Yeah." I flip my hand over so our palms touch and lean down to softly kiss his cheek. He looked so miserable throughout all of breakfast. Still kinda does. I really hope it wasn't because I left for a little while... Gods, this is going to be so hard on us. Haven't we been put through enough?!

----------****----------

I turn my head and brush his lips. He's important. He needs to know that. He needs to know how much I want him with me. I don't know why I feel so desperate to keep him with me, but I do. That's enough for me for now. Besides, maybe if he knows how much I feel like this, he'll stay. I feel a little disoriented, but I try to shake it off by murmuring, "Let's go, then."

----------****----------

We dress in silence. I give him one of his old outfits - the one with the Uchiha fan on the shirt's back - and go looking for my own clothes. I remember Sakura telling me a few months ago that the nobles had ordered my apartment sold. She'd managed to rescue all my things and bring them here. Where did she say- Hah! Found them! I'll need to thank her later for this. There is no way in hell I'd ever fit in any of Sasuke's clothes. I'm lucky I fit in his boxers.

Dressed in my usual orange pants and black tee, I rejoin Sasuke in his room.

"Ready to go?" I ask, some of my frustration creeping into my voice. I couldn't find my hitai-ate. Damn lordling bastard probably stole it.

----------****----------

"Yes," I state, pulling at the collar of the shirt with one finger. I'm used to tank tops and open neck shirts. This thing is going to drive me nuts, but I guess it's what I always used to wear. At least, I can assume that reasonably anyway, since it fits me pretty closely and it's in what's been said is my apartment. "Let's go."

----------****----------

I take his hand and pull him close, pressing a gentle kiss to his mouth. Thank the gods his taste hasn't changed, or his scent, which has increased tenfold now that he's wearing his old clothes. I think I'd go insane if those changed. Baba, you'd better be able to help us or I'm going to strangle you!

----------****----------

This is nice. My eyes slide shut and I wrap my arms around his neck to pull him closer. He's a full head taller than me so I have to reach up a little bit, but that's... Well, it's a little irritating for some reason, but it's fine for now, like this. He tastes good, like ramen broth and a crisp autumn morning. That slightly earthy taste that comes from the scent. I want more of it and with that thought comes impressions from the day before when we were in the shower. His heavy breathing, his scent in the steamy washroom, the sound of his voice as he came... I can't suppress the emotions and sensations that brings and press closer to him.

----------****----------

He's so eager... Is it because I'm the only thing here that is familiar to him? Does he even really want this? Does he want to be with me, or is he just seeking comfort from a familiar thing in an alien world? Not that it really matters... but I do wonder.

I slip my arms around his waist, pulling him flush against me as I let him plunder my mouth and return the intimate gesture. He is seeking comfort... but at the same time, he really does want this. I can tell in the way he's kissing me. Why can't anything in my life ever be simple?

----------****----------

We kiss until we're breathless and then he rests his forehead against mine. Gods, please don't ever take this away from me. Please...

"I know we need to go talk to Tsunade-san," I whisper and rub noses with him. "So, let's go get it done, so we can get back to this."

----------****----------

"Okay." I brush our lips together once more before loosening our embrace. "The fastest way there is roof-hopping. Can you still do that, or do you want to ride on my back?" The sooner we get there, the sooner we can come back here.

----------****----------

...huh? Roof hopping? Ride on his back? "What are you talking about, Naruto?" I open my eyes, almost expecting to see him looking down at me so earnestly, but that's ridiculous. I wish he'd remember that I can't remember anything because now I'm not sure of what he's talking about.

"Roof hopping. You know, jumping from roof to roof. It's easy."

"You can get on the roof?" I shake my head. Well, they can travel through the trees like the ninja that brought Obaa-san and me here. "Whatever. Riding on your back is fine. If it's efficient then fine."

I want to get this done so it can be him and me again. I'm not antisocial really...I just want to be with him and just him for a little while longer.

----------****----------

The look of bewilderment on his face is really amusing. Smiling slightly, I give him a quick kiss and turn around, squatting so he can climb onto my back.

"I promise to not go too fast," I say, my smile turning mischievous. Hmm, an amnesic Sasuke might actually be a lot of fun.

----------****----------

I stoop and reach forward, finding his shoulders and bracing myself on them as I climb on. "I trust you... just don't kill me," I mutter, hearing the smile in his voice. It warms my chest. As he stands, I bury my nose in the hair at the back of his head. "I'm sorry... for being so much trouble."

----------****----------

"You're not trouble," I state as I carry him out onto his balcony and jump onto the roof. "Ero-sennin getting on my case for something stupid, now that's trouble. And I won't kill you. Scare you a bit, but definitely not kill you." Without warning, I leap to the farthest roof I can and take off at half my top speed. I promised I wouldn't go too fast.

----------****----------

I hold to his back tightly, comfortably in the knowledge that he won't hurt me. He seems to care too much about me to hurt me. That's a very good thing as far as I'm concerned. I nuzzle the back of his neck and then tuck my head against his shoulderblade. I don't know how long it will take to get to wherever Tsunade-san is since I was apparently teleported to my apartment. I'll just close my eyes and rest for the ride.

----------****----------

Is he-?! Oh, you're kidding me! He's resting! And here I was hoping to make him at least nervous. Mou.

It only takes me a few minutes to reach the Hokage Tower, landing on the roof and releasing my hold on Sasuke, letting him set his feet down. I take his hand in a loose grip, asking silently if this is alright. I don't know anymore how he feels about showing our... closeness? Relationship? …in public. I have no problems with it - I don't care anymore what people think of me so long as they stay out of my business - but he still might prefer not to advertise it.

----------****----------

I squeeze his hand gently when he hesitates. I want to get this over with. I want to talk with him, learn more about us, him, and myself before all of this. He starts off for the door that will take us down, or so I assume. His hand in mine is comforting, warm and gentle, and yet there's a small hint of possessiveness in his grasp. I wonder briefly if he even notices it, but then the world is muffled by the stairwell, the warmth of the sun smothered in a darkness that I feel on my skin. I'll stop thinking about us for now and focus on getting this done and over with.

----------****----------

I lead us down the stairs to Tsunade-baba's office and just walk in, Sasuke in tow, not caring if there's anyone in there with her. I was stuffed in a cell against my will and then confined to the Tower - when I was more than capable of taking care of myself and no longer a danger! - for way too long. I'm entitled to push my way around with her for a while.

"Oi! Tsunade-baa-chan! I need to talk to you." The room is full of nobles with my lord bastard at the front of the crowd. Ugh, wonderful. The brat looks like a tomato, his face is so red. I push past him and put my hand on the Hokage's desk. "You got a minute, right?"

----------****----------

Tsunade looked up and stared for a moment. Naruto couldn't have picked a worse time to come barging into her office if he'd come in and caught her naked with...with Orochimaru! Quickly recovering her senses, Tsunade rose. "No, Naruto. I obviously do not have a minute," she stated through gritted teeth. This was going to give her a headache!

----------

The old woman sounds angry, but since it isn't at me, I'm not going to stress out over it too much. I step up close to Naruto's back and rest my other hand on his hip. I can sense the other people in the room. Whoever was sputtering before is done now. I feel like I'm being stared at and it makes me all too conscious of the fact that I'm not wearing a bandana. I feel a little like a freak at the moment so I lower my chin and inch a little closer to Naruto.

----------****----------

I give Sasuke's hand a comforting squeeze and look over my shoulder at the small crowd. Assholes. The lot of them. And leading them is the biggest asshole in the Fire Country, save for Orochimaru. He's turning redder by the moment and glaring daggers at me and Sasuke. I hope he has an apoplexy. Shrugging, I face Tsunade-baba again and say easily, "You don't look too busy to me. This'll only take a minute."

----------

"Tsunade-sama!" Junichiro barked. "Explain this!"

This was outrageous! First, he had come to observe the demon through the window of its cage to check on its status, only to find it gone. Second, the Hokage had refused to say anything about why or how the demon had escaped. Now it was standing in front of him with some... some... scarred freak, acting as if his presence was no more important to it than that of a fly. Junichiro would not stand for it!

Ignoring Junichiro's outburst, Tsunade continued to focus on Naruto.

"If you want, you may come see me after I finish with the nobles, Naruto. Be a good ninja and take Sasuke out of here... I have to finish explaining things. As soon as Junichiro-san has finished his ranting."

She shot the little brat a small, pointed look for good measure and then looked back to Naruto, but before the blond could retort, chaos erupted. Tsunade immediately regretted the frivolous admission that Sasuke was back. Her predicted headache was definitely beginning to set in.

----------

Gods... idiots, all of them. Just because Tsunade-baba let slip that it's Sasuke standing next to me doesn't mean they all have to start shouting at once. Some of them are yelling questions at poor Sasuke, who has absolutely no clue what's going on. Others are arguing as to whether Sasuke really is who Tsunade-baba said he is. Hel-LO, he's wearing an Uchiha shirt, isn't he?! ...Alright, that's it, I've had enough.

"QUIET!!" I roar, effectively shutting them all up. Heh, I think one in the back wet himself. Yep, he did, I can smell it. "Yes, this is Uchiha Sasuke. He was found and returned to us, no thanks to you bastards. If Tsunade-baa-chan had listened to you morons and called off the search, we might have never found him. Now shut your traps and BACK. OFF." I growl that last bit at the nobles closest to Sasuke. They scurry away like the vermin they are.

Satisfied with the range of terrified or ashamed or meek looks on their faces, I turn back to her desk. "Like I was saying, I need to ask you something."

----------

"You will ask her nothing! Guards!!" Junichiro demanded. A pair of men armed to the teeth emerged from the small chamber next to Tsunade's office. "Seize the demon and lock it in its cell! Tie it down with as many chains as you can! And arrest the Hokage for endangering our country by allowing the demon to wander!" The guards bowed and approached Naruto, obviously blood thirsty.

Tsunade was about to stand and issue a couple "orders" of her own, but someone beat her to it. She was just really slow on the uptake today, she reasoned irritably and rubbed at her temple as Sasuke actually showed a little of his former backbone.

----------****----------

They're going to put him back in that cell?! Like hell they will! I turn to face them fully, drawing myself up to my full height. My eyes are trained in their direction - even though I can't see them I can still hear them moving around, and it makes the thought "clumsy fools" drift darkly through my head - and I'm between them and Naruto.

"Don't. Even."

(When did my voice get so deep... and ominous?) It stopped the guards though, so I suppose it's not such a bad thing.

"Naruto isn't going anywhere. He stays with me."

----------

Tsunade blinked. (Sasuke? No. No, that’s not possible… or at least not very likely.) She glanced over to Naruto to read his expression, but she didn’t have a very good angle for it. Sighing softly to herself, she settled for reading the blond’s body language. (Shoulders… spine… muscle tension…) Everything about him exclaimed surprise. Apparently Naruto hadn’t expected this new, blind Sasuke to stand up for him.

----------****----------

I drop out of my fighting stance to stare at Sasuke. He’s… defending me? He is. Heh, heh, and my lord bastard looks like a ghost. Grinning, I press a kiss to the spot right in front of Sasuke’s ear and whisper, “Thank you.”

I present my best fox-grin at the guards and return my attention to Tsunade-baba. "I need to ask you a favor." Can I please get out what I want to ask so Sasuke and I can go back to his place? Please?!

----------****----------

(Little Bastard looks ready to drop from shock. Serves him right though...)

"Alright. Alright. Geez, brat. You act like I'm the ‘unbusiest’ person in the world," the Godaime grumbled and walked around her desk. She caught Naruto by the scruff of his neck and dragged him into a small conference room off to the side of the office, opposite the secretarial office the guards had come from. Sasuke followed like a good little shadow and Tsunade closed the door behind them. "What, gaki?"

----------

I'm feeling rather pleased with myself. Whatever I did was done right, or at least that's my best guess. Naruto seemed pleased anyway, so I'll go by that. Thankfully, Naruto still has my hand. I like the contact and I don't have to stumble after them and hope I don't run into the doorframe. Tsunade sounds tired but pleased now. I wonder if she's happy to be away from those bastards or if she's happy that I helped Naruto...

----------****----------

Tugging Sasuke close to my side, I point at him and simply state, "Fix him."

If she can heal Fuzzy-Brow's crushed limbs and my intense chakra burns, returning his sight shouldn't be too hard. I want him to be able to see me, dammit! I want the life to come back into his eyes! As for his memories... that's a bit of a stretch for her, but I bet she could do it. She'd better do it, or she'll soon find out what happens when I really get pissy.

----------****----------

Tsunade sighed. “Sakura, Shizune and I were going to give you and Sasuke a little more time together while I deal with the nobles. Then we were going to steal him for while and see what we can do to help him. How’s that sound?”

----------

I blink. ‘Steal me?’ I’m not sure I like the sound of that.

“What do you mean, ‘see what you can do to help me?’” I ask and unconsciously squeeze his hand. The old woman sighs and answers me patiently.

“We’re going to see how many of those scars of yours we can get rid of and see if we can fix your eyesight. Although, I’m sure we can. We’ll do it all in one go if that’s possible. The sooner we start getting you back on your feet, the better off we’ll all be.”

Oh. Well, that’s tolerable. “Alright… when?”

----------****----------

"As soon as you're ready?" I ask him hopefully, tightening my hold on his hand. I can have hope again, since he came back when I was so sure he wouldn't. I won't push him to go through with it, though. If he doesn't want it, I won't make him... no matter how much I want it.

----------****----------

To see again? I don't remember sight. Not clearly. I dream about it sometimes, but dreams are so vague when you open your eyes in the morning. I want to see Naruto. "As soon as you're ready, Tsunade-san."

That's my answer. I want this as soon as I can have it.

----------

"Alright then," Tsunade stated with a decisive nod. "ASAP it is." She looked from Sasuke to Naruto. "That fine by you? I can let you know a more concise date a little later this week if you want."

----------****----------

"Yes!" I'm excited. I want to pull Sasuke in my arms and kiss him breathless, but I won't until we're alone. The old hag’s already seen too much.

----------****----------

"Alright. Now get out. I have to deal with Them now."

Tsunade pushed past them and left them to their own devices in leaving the room. She had bastards to deal with, mostly young nobles that were handling the small stuff for the current lords. (I'm not their goddamned babysitting service. Who the hell do these bastards think they are, dumping their kids on me?!)

----------

I turn my face to look in Naruto's direction. He feels like a naked wire, thrumming with electricity.

"Are you all right?" I ask gently, concerned.

----------****----------

The instant I hear the door latch shut, I throw my arms around Sasuke's waist and tug him close for a deep, passionate kiss.

"I'm just fine," I murmur against his lips when I finally allow him to breathe. "I can't wait until she gives your eyes back... I loved your eyes and I want to see them again."

My hands caress his back, pressing him closer to my front with every pass.

----------****----------

He's happy and nothing has ever made me happier than that.

"I'm sorry. Do they bother you like this? I can...I can wear the bandana again. As soon as that girl gives it back to me..." I press closer eagerly, my arms trapped between our chests. I drop my mouth to his throat and risk a soft swipe with my tongue. I still think he tastes wonderful.

----------****----------

"They don't bother me," I say around a quiet purr-growl. I love the feel of his tongue anywhere on my body. My hands slide up to his shoulders and coax his arms around my neck. There, now we can be even closer. "It's just... I miss them. Your eyes were one of the things I missed the most about you." I hug him tightly, letting my head tip to the side so he has more room on my neck.

----------****----------

He likes it? I smile a little wickedly against his throat and lave my tongue up his jugular vein in short slow strokes. Meanwhile, my mind turns over the fact that he really seemed to like my eyes. I wonder what they look like... "Naruto?" I ask softly. "What color are my eyes?"

----------****----------

"Black," I answer immediately, following it with a low, soft moan. What he's doing on my neck feels so good. "Pure black."

Reluctantly, I push him away before he completely turns my brain to mush. "Let's go back?" I suggest, wanting to sit on his - our? - bed and cuddle with him as we talk.

----------****----------

"Yes," I murmur and lay my left hand on his left shoulder so that I can walk around behind him. "Out the window like before?" I ask as I plant my right hand on his right shoulder. "Or can you only do that with balconies?"

There's still so much I have to learn. It’s going to take me forever to learn everything…unless I remember it first.

----------****----------

"Window's not big enough, and I really don't want to go out the old hag's office..." I mutter as I lift him onto my back. My sensitive ears can pick up traces of the argument going on next door. Glad it's her and not me in there. "I'm gonna teleport us to the roof and then go from there, okay?"

----------****----------

"It's fine with me."

I tuck my arms out of the way and place my cheek against his shoulderblade again. I want to get home quickly. However he has to do that is perfect as far as I'm concerned.

----------****----------

Nodding, I teleport us to the roof and jump the roofs until we're back on Sasuke's balcony. I let him down and head out of the room, tossing a, "Be right back," over my shoulder.

I return a few minutes later with a glass of water for each of us. Handing one to him as I join him on the bed, I ask, "Do you remember what it's like to see at all?"

----------****----------

"Not really," I answer and carefully sip at the water. "I dream about it, but I can only vaguely remember what it was like. Everything's kind of fuzzed over, like I was tired when I saw anything that I remember seeing."

Pleased that he's showing an interest, I sip again and ask, "What was I really like before?" in return.

----------****----------

"A cold, hard-assed bastard who didn't care about anyone and would do anything to gain power," I state bluntly, staring into my water glass. "Even turn on his best friend," I add in a quiet voice. The memory is a painful one, but the pain has dulled both from time and our growing closeness. Everyone changes throughout their lives, and I am very glad Sasuke eventually changed for the better, even if that change was very hard to see.

----------****----------

My head shoots up and I look in his direction even though I can't see him. I don't know what to say... Is he kidding? After a moment of staring, feeling my eyes move back and forth uselessly as though searching his aura or soul, I ask very softly, "What did I do to you, Naruto?"

----------****----------

"You..." I have to take a long gulp of water to clear my suddenly tight throat. Damn my fast mouth. I hadn't meant to say all that. At least I managed not to mention Itachi. "You tried to kill me... because I am your closest friend. There was something you wanted that you could only get by killing your closest friend. Came damn near to succeeding too, but I managed to stop you."

----------****----------

My hearts beating suddenly so fast that I clench a hand in my shirt over it. I have no idea why, but it hurts to hear about this. I turn my face towards the mattress and for once I miss the whisper of hair against my cheeks. I don't remember having hair, but my body seems to occasionally feel the phantom caresses of it.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I am so sorry. Maybe...maybe it'd be better...if I just stayed like this. Blind. Harmless..."

How can he even stand to look at me? I'm at a complete loss. How can he stand to be within the same village as me, when I betrayed him...even tried to kill him?

----------****----------

Shit, I oughta sew my mouth shut. Already almost twenty and still dead last in the brains department.

"Hey," I murmur, reaching out to loop my arm around his shoulder and pull him against my side. "It was a long time ago, a really long time ago. Don't worry about it." My hand rubs his arm comfortingly. "You're not like that anymore... Well, you still were a cold, hard-assed bastard who pretended not to care about anyone. I knew - I know - better."

I press a kiss to his cheek, hoping to soothe him. Maybe I should've listened to Iruka-sensei and Ero-sennin every time they told me to think before I speak...

----------****----------

I resist for a moment, he didn't really respond to my suggestion, but I can't hold out for long against him. I turn my face into him and snuggle up as close as I can get. "I...How can you stand to even look at me?"

My voice is muffled but still clear against his chest. It's the one question that keeps popping into my head. How can he touch me like this and put his lips on me...when I tried to kill him?

----------****----------

"I wanted to be your friend ever since we were little... and when you refused to befriend anyone, I decided to become your rival instead, trying to be better than you in everything," I murmur, hugging him close. The words are coming slowly as I try to find ways to explain this to him.

"Then we were put on the same team and we did become friends, even though we pretended we weren't. Pride, I guess. But when you admitted I was your closest friend... I was so happy, until you tried to kill me, which was right after telling me that. ...I couldn't even stay mad at you for a day, because I knew why you wanted that power. I understood the loneliness you'd forced yourself into to become powerful, because I had been thrown into loneliness by the villagers. All I wanted was to stay friends with you... My first and best friend. The one I thought of as family."

I nuzzle the top of his head, my eyes shut tight against the tears that want to fall.

----------****----------

There's a moment of silence. It lasts only until I feel that first teardrop hit the tip of my ear and then my arms loop around his neck and I'm holding him tightly. I never want to let him go. He needs me as much as I need him.

"Shh," I soothe softly and run my fingers through the hair on the back of his head. There's nothing I can say to make this better. Things are the way they are for a reason.

----------****----------

Leaning forward until we're lying down on the bed, Sasuke under me, I bury my face in his neck and cling to him tightly.

"I love you, Sasuke," I whisper against his skin, fighting the tears escaping from under my eyelids. Dammit, I didn't want to cry...

----------****----------

I lay there a moment. He said that before...and he's proven already that he means it. I love him. Of that there is no doubt, but how do I tell him? I stroke his left shoulderblade and tangle my right fingers in the hair at the back of his head, holding him close. I wrap my legs around his waist, and tell the truth in a strong murmur.

"My heart hurts every time you say those words...but it's a sweet pain. I want to feel that pain for the rest of my life. I love you, Naruto. I have absolutely no doubt about that."

----------****----------

My heart believes him, but my head... won't. Can't. Whatever. This nagging little voice in the back of my mind - which thankfully isn't my damned parasite - keeps telling me there's no way he can love me when he doesn't remember, especially when we were reunited only the day before yesterday. I stubbornly squash that annoying voice and cling tighter to him. I am not going to ruin our time together with my stupid insecurities.

----------****----------

I tighten my hold on him as well, laying my chin on the top of his head as I hold his shoulders with one arm and stroke his back with the other. I'm warm and protected, loved and wanted here. I've yearned for this...for a year...and mostly didn't know it.

----------

The boys were both fast asleep when Sakura tiptoed into the bedroom. Sasuke was using his bedmate as more of a blanket than a companion it seemed, an adorable sight as far as she was concerned any more. Smiling, she took up an extra blanket and threw it over the two of them. (Let them rest... They've more than earned it,) she thought and left, shutting and locking the door behind her. Turning, she smiled at the Jounin standing behind her.

"They're dead asleep," she explained. "I figured let them rest. So, it looks like it's just you and me, Kakashi."

"Looks like," Kakashi agreed, hands tucked in his pockets. "Guess we'll have to tell everyone they can't see Sasuke tonight." He pushed off the wall he was leaning on and lazily strolled towards the BBQ restaurant, a favorite gathering place for the once Rookie Nine and their friends.

TBC…

Author's Note:

Ah, the long awaited update for Reflections. Please enjoy it and review. If you don't review...well, I just simply get lazy and don't worry about updating. Sorry, but...it's gotta be fun for me and Ceci too right? So we're going to ask for AT LEAST 50 reviews before I put up the next chapter bit. That's not a lot to ask considering the number of hits we get on the story. Oh and please gives us more than "Great Job! Update soon." That's just...well, blah. Or lame. however you want to put it.

~Kirei