Choices

Choices
Author: Kinai26
Paring: Naru x Sasu
Rating: Yaoi 18+ One-shot, spoilers from the manga may appear (up to chapter 418)
Disclaimer: I don´t own Naruto, Sasuke or any of the other hot guys – Mashimoto-donno does – I´m just borrowing them heh heh

x x x x x x x x x x x x x

“Haa Haa Ahhh f***!” the last member of the Akatsuki hissed as he ran for his life… or what was left of it.

He was badly wounded and knew that it would only be a matter of time before his body would fail him. He had been so sure that everything would turn out just as he had planned it… but everything had gone very, very wrong… well for him, his team and the rest of the Akatsuki anyway.

The raven-haired nin was sure that Konoha was celebrating right now. Celebrating the fact that Tsunade and her shinobi had succeeded where everyone else had failed, they had defeated the Akatsuki.

“Damn that was so stupid,” he hissed in pain. His mind screamed for him to rest… but if he did that… then they would catch him and he for one didn´t want to be caught alive.

He recalled Madara´s optimistic words before they had attacked Konoha after it seemed that Tsunade, Naruto and the others had defeated Pein as he and his team had attacked Konoha earlier this week.

“They were just lucky,” the mask wearing Madara had told the remaining Akatsuki members. “And now they are wounded, weak and on their knees. It will be a walk in the park to destroy the city and everyone in it.”

´I thought it would be foolproof especially since Naruto wasn´t here this time… but we were wrong. I can´t understand how they could have been so strong. I saw they wounds and the bags under their eyes. They were tired and still mourning their dead from Pein´s attack… and still they defeated us, ` he thought while tearing off the black cloak with the red clouds – he had never liked it anyway and it was way too visible.

´I need to get away from my pursuers… but where could I go? I don´t have enough chakra left to use a genjutsu that would be strong enough to fool them and with my dislocated shoulder, the stab wound in my stomach and the senbon needles in my back… I can´t even defend myself properly damn… all I can aim for is to try to get as far away as possible before I collapse… and die from my wounds before they find me.`

~ # ~

“Naruto thank kami that you´re back!”

“What the f*** happened here Sakura-chan?” the blonde cried out as he raced towards her. She was covered in blood (not her own thankfully) and her cheeks were showing signs of too many tears shed. He had just returned from his final sage training with Fukasaku after obtaining the power of a sage.

He hadn´t completed his training as Pein attacked Konoha last week and he had been forced to temporarily break of his training… but now he had completed his training and could call himself a toad sage.

“The Akatsuki… they attacked us again just after you returned to your training… Naruto, Sasuke was with them,” the pink-haired medic sobbed.

“S-Sasuke? Where is he?” the blonde nin´s voice was trembling now. “Sakura… is he among those who…” Naruto couldn´t bring himself to say it out loud but he did think it.

´Is Sasuke dead? `

“No he fled along with Madara… Kakashi, Gai and Shikamaru followed them and killed Madara and Kiba, Neji and Ino are still hunting Sasuke…Naruto, Kakashi… he…he…” she told him. Her voice was filled with so much pain and sorrow and Naruto knew that it was clear that Neji and his team was going to kill Sasuke when they found him… but something else was off about her behavior… had something happened to Kakashi?

“…” Naruto swallowed hard as Tsunade and a very pale Iruka ran towards him.

“Naruto-kun,” Iruka wrapped his arms about the blonde who hugged the brunette back.

“How bad is it?” Naruto asked as he saw the sorrow in the Hokage´s eyes.

“…The Akatsuki are gone. They thought that we would be weak after Pein´s attack and you back at the sage mountain. We won but the price for our victory was high…” Tsunade told her soon to be successor.

Most of the council had died during Pein´s attack and after the final attack of the Akatsuki they were all dead. Tsunade was tired of being the Hokage, she just couldn´t bear it anymore. Half of the city was destroyed, many had died and the death of Jiraiya last month and now Chouji, Shino, Lee, Ten-ten and… and…

“Kakashi didn´t make,” Iruka whimpered against Naruto´s shoulder. “He didn´t survive the battle against Madara… and Gai probably won´t last the night.”

“… K-Kakashi-sensei…” Naruto felt like a piece of his heart died and it filled him with an ache he knew too well.

He saw the pain in Iruka´s brown eyes and shared his pain. Naruto knew that Iruka and Kakashi had been very close maybe even lovers and he wished that there was something he could do to soothe Iruka´s pain. “Baa-chan…Do you want me to…”

“Yes you should join the hunt for the Uchiha as well… Naruto, remember that he´s dangerous. Don´t trust him… He is to be executed on sight.”

“… I-I understand,” the blonde whispered sadly. He was falling apart… he could feel it… with each friend and loved one he lost he died a little bit with them.

What should he do… what could he do?

Should he follow Tsunade´s order and kill Sasuke because he attacked Konoha… or should he follow his heart and risk to be killed by Sasuke´s hand by trying to help the Uchiha?

´Will I be able to live with myself if I let him die? What will happen if I was the one who was to deliver the final blow… would I be able to live in a world where I had killed the one I love?` The answer came to him almost instantly.

“Naruto?” Sakura sobbed. “You can´t mean that you would kill-”

“Sakura-chan! If the Hokage orders it then so be it… I know now what I must do,” Naruto told her. He looked into her wide green eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I am sorry.”

He leaned closer and pressed his lips against hers to give her a silent message. As he moved away he could see it in her eyes that she understood what he was going to do and that this chaste kiss had been his way of saying goodbye.

“God Naruto… please take care of yourself out there,” Sakura whimpered. She held him close, crying loudly against his chest. She knew what he was going to do… she had always known that Naruto would choose with his heart rather than to follow rules blindly.

She recalled something Kakashi had said as they had still been team seven all those years ago;

´Those who betray or leave their friends behind are worth less that dirt! `

´Yes he wanted us to protect each other and that is why this has to be goodbye… Naruto, are you really willing to give up on your dream of becoming Hokage to be able to save Sasuke? ` She thought as she listened to his beating heart. ´Naruto… you always did love him more than I did… I just hope that Sasuke will be able to see this before it´s too late. `

Naruto was not really surprised that his heartbeat was calm and steady now that he had made up his mind; he looked down into Sakura´s eyes with determination in his deep blue orbs.

Naruto let out a sigh as he saw tears running down Iruka’s face even though the Chuunin did his best to hold them back.

´I´m sorry Iruka-tousan. I wasn´t here to protect Kakashi and I wasn´t here to fight along with him as he faced Madara. I won´t make the same mistake with Sasuke… I can´t let him die… I wonder how he must feel right now… all alone, probably wounded… Teme will you even let me help you? `

Itachi had been right… there would come a time when he would have to choose between Sasuke and Konoha and as he had told Itachi before Sasuke had killed him, he knew which side he would chose.

“Naruto…”

“Yes Sakura-chan?” he asked her. He watched her wipe the tears from her eyes.

“He is wounded but still very powerful… so please take these,” she handed him her personal pouch of medical herbs, bandages and soldier pills. “This should be helpful if you end up wounded and the red soldier pill is for emergencies only… it will speed up the healing of critical wounds and might be the difference between life and death.”

“Thank you Sakura-chan…” He said with a soft smile. “Once I get back I´ll take you out on a nice date ne.”

“… We´ll see,” she said with a sad smile. She knew that he wasn´t going to come back this time but to avoid Tsunade and Iruka finding out what Naruto was up to they acted as they usually would before a dangerous mission.

“I will miss you,” he whispered into her ear as he hugged her one last time. “I love you Sakura nee-chan… “

“I love you too Naruto… I will miss you so much, think of us from time to time and… please take good care of him,” she sobbed with a low voice so the no one else than him could hear her.

“Don´t worry Sakura-chan… I know what I´m doing…I´ll try to contact you from time to time… see ya,” and with that he ran towards the forest where Tsunade had told him that Sasuke had gone.

“Do you think that he will be able to do it?” Iruka asked the pink-haired girl. “Do you think that Naruto could kill him?”

“… I know that he will do what he has to… or will die trying,” she said with a sad smile before she turned on her heel to help to heal the living and later on help burry the ones who didn´t make it… like… Kakashi.

~ # ~
Sasuke let out a pained hiss as he removed the senbon needles and a kunai from his back as he had managed to find a hollow tree where he could catch his breath for a few minutes before he would have to move on.

He had managed to trick Kiba and Akamaru´s noses by discarding his cloak and then his bloodied shirt before changing his pattern of movement while his clones spread pieces of his clothes all over the forest.

He knew that he had to bandage his wounds if he wanted to have a tiny chance of getting away.
Ino was using her mind transfer jutsu and use birds to look for him from above while Neji used the Byakugan and Kiba and his Akamaru their noses – they where the perfect tracking team and they were set on finding and killing him.

He had only killed the elders who had given Itachi the mission to kill their clan, but what really seemed to upset his pursuers was the fact that Sasuke had done nothing to save Chouji and the fact that he had hurt Hinata.

Sasuke had walked right passed the dying Akamichi, not even sparing him a glare. Sasuke had also been very rough to Hinata as she had tried to stop him from killing her grandfather who was a member of the council.

He had broken a few of her ribs, an arm and probably given her a concussion as he had knocked her out.

He could understand their anger and knew that it was their right to be pissed at him. Chouji had been Ino´s teammate and Hinata was Neji´s cousin and Kiba´s girlfriend.

´I wonder if they would kill me if they catch me? ` He thought while forcing his aching body to move.

´Just a little further… I have to… get to the valley of end… I want to end it at the place where I almost made the biggest mistake in my life… Naruto, I am glad that you weren´t at Konoha as we attacked… at least I won´t be able to hurt you ever again soon… then you can settle down with Sakura, have a lot of beautiful blonde kids and become Hokage… You are better off without me…` he tried to convince himself as he pushed himself to move.

´N-Naruto…if only I could see you one last time…`

~ # ~

Naruto ran as fast as he could. He had asked for Kyuubi´s assistance and though the demon fox had growled at him it had still lend Naruto his powers as he (Kyuubi) always did.

They weren´t at very friendly terms with each other as the fox wanted out and Naruto wanted to get rid of the demon, but they had somehow come to an agreement. Naruto would tolerate the fox´s presence, listen to some of his advice and address him with respect.

The demon would in return try to behave and would lend the blonde his powers without demanding to be freed.

With the enhanced senses of a fox and the additional stamina he was able to find the Uchiha´s scent and head straight for Sasuke without taking the same detour that Kiba, Neji and Ino had as Naruto wasn´t fooled by Sasuke´s clones that had scattered his bloodied clothes earlier.

“Damnit Teme, where are you heading?” Naruto hissed as he jumped over a stream that briefly made him lose track of Sasuke´s scent.

~ # ~

Standing on top of the stone head of Madara´s statue, Sasuke stared down at the waterfall and the place where he had tried to kill his best friend nearly five years ago.

´I´m glad that I didn´t kill you back then Naruto… I just cared too much about you to kill you to gain the Mangekyou Sharingan that way… My feelings for you have always been contradicting… on the one hand you always pissed me off and made me feel weak… but on the other hand, you made me feel alive, strong, independent and that you really cared deeply about me… and why else would you have tried to save me from myself over and over? I wish that I could have been able to see your cheerful face when you become the Rokudaime but I will never be able to see you again… and it makes me feel… sad. `

´I don´t want to die… but what else is there left for me to do? I can´t go back to Konoha, I have lost my team and Naruto probably hates me for hurting the Hyuuga girl… so what else is left than to die? Maybe I should jump off this cliff… It would be fast and end the pain of slowly bleeding to death, ` he thought as he stepped closer to the edge and peeked down at the rocks at the bottom.

´There is no way that I would be able to survive a fall from this height… Naruto I will miss you… I hope that your dreams will come true, ` he stepped over the edge with his eyes closed.

Suicide wasn´t an honorable way to die but at least this way it would be his decision… his choice.

He could feel the tickling surge in his gut as he fell. He could feel the cold wind in his hair and on his face, blowing away his tears of regret… regret of not being able to say goodbye to Naruto.

Sasuke barely heard a loud cry before a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around his still falling body.

“Teme! What the f*** are you doing?!”

“N-Naruto?” Sasuke opened his teary eyes and looked straight into sad blue ones.

“You are so stupid Sasuke… why did you jump?” the blonde sobbed against him.

“I-I…”

“Do you really want to die that badly?” Naruto asked.

“I didn´t know what else to do. I don´t want to die but what else have I left Naruto?” The raven asked while he raised his healthy arm to be able to touch the tanned skin one last time, to brush his fingertips along those odd whisker-shaped birthmarks that made Naruto´s face look even cuter.

“You have me Sas´ke.”

´Now I can die as a happy man… I got my wish… I got to see you again, ` tears ran down his pale cheeks freely before realization hit him.

“No, no you can´t do this Dobe, you can´t die with me… you have to live… and become happy,” Sasuke cried out.

“But what if being with you is what makes me happy Teme?”

“No don´t die!” he pleaded.

“My faith will be the same as yours Sasuke… so what will it be, live or die?”

“Live…”

~ # ~

“I tell you Neji, I heard someone scream from over here,” Kiba barked angrily at his team leader as he led them towards the area where he had heard something.

“Do you pick up on a scent?” Neji asked as he didn´t want to pick a fight with the pissed Inuzuka. Kiba wasn´t angry with Neji or Ino but Sasuke for hurting Hinata and Neji knew that and understood Kiba´s anger and pain.

“Wait a sec… yes I can smell the Uchiha…” Kiba´s eyes grew wide as he picked up on another familiar scent. “We have to hurry; Naruto is close to the bastard!”

“What?! Naruto… damn,” Neji hissed as this could very well complicate things. “Lead the way!”

They ran as fast as they could till they reached the cliffs and the roaring waterfall.

“… Neji?” Ino asked softly. “Do you want me to search the valley?”

“Yes do that Ino. Kiba what can you tell me?” The Hyuuga asked while searching the area off with his Byakugan.

“There are too many scents here and the waterfall and the damp air makes it hard for me and Akamaru to pick up on anything, but I am sure that both of them were here. I could smell the Uchiha´s blood and Naruto´s fear…”

“Try to find their scent… we have to find them.” Neji ordered. He scooped up Ino´s unconscious body and descended to cliff right behind Kiba and Akamaru.

The blonde girl was using her ´Shintenshin no Jutsu` (mind/body switch technique) and was using the keen eyes of an eagle to search the valley from above with her male teammates were searching from the ground.

“I found something,” Ino said as her mind returned to her own body. “Half a mile up the stream on the other shore.”

~ # ~

Eyes blinked a few times before they regained focus. He was lying in an unfamiliar place and it was so dark that he couldn´t see anything at all.

“Am I dead?”

“Nope.” A familiar voice answered him from within the darkness.

“W-Where am I?”

“Some place safe… No don´t try to sit up… you need to rest for now Teme.”

“Dobe?”

“Yup?”

“… You saved me?

“Yeah I did.”

“Why?” Sasuke asked while reaching out into the darkness. He couldn´t see anything and feared that he had died and gone to hell and that hearing Naruto´s voice was his punishment. That the devil would let him hear the voice of the once he loved but never would be allowed to lay his eyes up on again.

“Because you chose life Sasuke,” the voice told him.

“… would you have… have crashed onto the rocks with me if… if I had-” Sasuke asked before swallowing the knot in his throat.

“I would have followed you into the darkness if your choice had been death Teme,” Naruto told him as he took Sasuke´s outstretched hand into his, lacing their fingers. “I was once asked who I would chose if was forced to chose between you and Konoha.”

“… And you…”

“There never was any doubt in my mind Sasuke… I chose you instantly… now sleep,” A warm palm was placed on his pale forehead and he felt how his eyelids grew heavy.

“No I don´t want to lose you again,” Sasuke mumbled sleepily as he fought against the ´Tarunda no Jutsu´ which Naruto had used on him.

“You won´t lose me Sasuke… I´ll stay right here with you as long as you want me to.” Naruto said.

“S-Stay with me… forever…” Sasuke couldn´t fight the sleep any longer but before he entered the land of dreams he heard something that made him feel safe and happy.

“Yes forever Teme.”

~ # ~

Sakura dropped down on her couch. Today had been a day filled with sorrow and tears. Too many good people had been buried already and she felt like screaming.

She had been both sad, worried and yet strangely relieved as Neji, Kiba and Ino had returned to Konoha with Naruto´s bloodied orange-black jacket and told Tsunade that they found a lot of blood on the scene.

Tsunade had nearly drowned herself in sake as she feared that her Gaki had died, especially since no one had seen or heard anything from Naruto since then… and nearly a week had passed already.

Sakura had told herself over and over that Naruto was alive somewhere and hoped that Sasuke was alive as well. She didn´t want to think of the possibility of Sasuke and Naruto fighting each other… falling into the river and drowning like Tsunade feared could have happened.

Her eyes somehow found their way to a specific picture on her bedside table. She reached out and touched the glass and felt the tears well up in her eyes again.

“Sasuke… Naruto… Kakashi… Am I really the only one left alive of our old team?” she whispered softly. She felt so alone… and it made her think about today´s funeral.

The look on Iruka´s face as they had lowered Kakashi´s coffin into the ground had torn her apart. The gentle teacher had been broken and she doubted that he would ever recover.

She knew that Iruka´s world would crumble even more once he realized that Naruto wouldn´t come back either. ´Life is cruel…` she thought as she wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her chin on them.

“Excuse me?” A low voice chirped. “You are the one called Sakura, aren´t you?”

“Huh?” She looked up but didn´t see anyone.

“I´m down here missy,” the voice chuckled.

“Oh… you are a frog.” Sakura curiously leaned down towards the red animal and reached out to touch it´s uneven skin.

“Technically I´m a toad,” he told her. “My name is Gamakichi and I bring a message from Naruto.”

Sakura stared at the toad. She took the scroll that Gamakichi handed her, her hands trembling so bad that she could barely open it.

´Dear Sakura-neechan,

I kept my promise and reached my goal. Everything is fine and your soldier pills might taste like crap but they really work wonders.

Would you mind to tell Baa-chan that I am sorry that I didn´t say goodbye to her… and give this to Iruka for me will you… it used to belong to Kakashi and I´m sure that he would have want Iruka to have this to remember him by… I am so sorry that I couldn´t be there for the funeral but I have to stay where my heart belongs.

I can´t tell you were we are heading but I will communicate with you through Gamakichi to tell you how we are doing.

With love

- Naruto –

She stared at the scroll before letting out the breath she had been holding while reading.

“They are alright,” she said with a smile.

“Do you want me to deliver a message back to him?” the toad asked after handing the pink-haired girl a piece of jewelry that Kakashi had asked Naruto to look after for him. “It will be perfectly safe as I am loyal to Naruto only.”

“Oh… that is a…” Sakura whispered as she felt the cold metal in her hand. “I want you to tell Naruto that I will make sure that this treasure will be Iruka´s within the hour. Tell him that I love them both and wish them good luck… and that I expect him to write again soon – like within a month soon.”

“… I will deliver it to him,” the toad nodded before he disappeared after Sakura ran out the door to go straight to Iruka´s place.

~ # ~

Naruto chuckled as he received word back from Sakura.

“That is so typically her,” Sasuke said lazily. He was enjoying the comforting rays of the sun that filled his body with warmth. His wounds were almost healed up and they had been able to leave the underground cave that Naruto had used for a shelter till the Uchiha had recovered enough to move around on his own again.

Right now they were staying at a small civilian city in the middle of nowhere and for now they would stay here.

“Mmmm yes,” Naruto purred as he lay down on the warm grass of their front lawn, placed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.

Naruto had rented a small house in the quiet end of town. Sasuke had been surprised as Naruto told him that Jiraiya had left everything (A/N: which was a lot) to the blonde and that Naruto was planning to write a book about Jiraiya, Kakashi and the others who had died – to honor their memory.

Sasuke liked the idea as it meant that Naruto would spend more time around him.

They had become a lot closer and the Uchiha liked their new relationship. Naruto was one hell of a kisser and the thought of those warm hands on his pale skin made him want more.

“Naruto?”

“Mmmm?”

“Want to meet me inside?” Sasuke asked huskily.

“…” Naruto opened one eye and peeked at the smirking Uchiha. “You want to make out?”

~ # ~

Iruka stared at the golden object that Sakura had handed him.

“Kakashi wanted you to have it…. Naruto asked me to deliver it to you,” the pink-haired girl told the brunette. “He told Naruto that this ring made him think of the two of you as one being.”

“… Thank you Sakura-chan,” Iruka whispered softly while slipping the ring onto his finger. The ring was decorated with a small dolphin which had an eye patch. It was an odd piece of jewelry and Iruka had no idea where Kakashi had found this… but it made him feel better… closer to his dead lover somehow.

“Naruto isn´t coming back is he?” the teacher asked after a few minutes of silence.

“… No,” Sakura told him with a sad smile.

“Is he happy with the choice he made?”

“You knew what he was going to do?” She asked.

“Of course I knew. I have always been able to read Naruto like an open book. I knew that there was no way that he would be able to go against his heart and his heart has always belonged to one person.” Iruka said with a sigh. He knew that they could speak Sasuke´s name out loud as the ROOT ANBU still suspected that the Uchiha was still alive though they couldn´t find any proof of their suspicion.

“Yes I think so… I think that they are very happy together where ever they are.”

~ # ~

“Mmmm Ahhh Nngh Naru…” Sasuke moaned as he felt sharp teeth bore themselves into his skin before a wet tongue licked apologetic at the reddening mark.

“Sorry but you taste so good that I just had to bite you,” the blonde purred.

“T-That´s alright… I like it, turns me on,” the raven groaned. He wanted more so he lifted his hips and pressed his groin against the blonde´s. “No more foreplay… I want you Dobe.”

“Mmmm like the sound of that,” chuckled the blonde while he quickly undressed himself and his lover. “Are you sure that this is what you want?”

“Well you saved my ass so I decided to be generous and let you top when we reached this point of our relationship…” the Uchiha said with a smirk.

“… What´s up with the smirk?” Naruto asked while raising a golden brow in suspicion.

“Nothing… other than I´ll be on top from tomorrow heh heh,” Sasuke chuckled.

“You wish Teme,” the blonde purred. He didn´t wait for a reply before he plunged an oily finger into the Uchiha´s ass, wiggling it to stretch his pale lover.

“J-Just stating a-a fact Dobe,” the raven moaned as another finger was added.

“We´ll see Sas´ke,” Naruto chuckled. He flipped the Uchiha onto his hand and knees because he knew that the wounds from the senbon and the kunai there hadn´t fully healed yet and he didn´t want to hurt his Teme during their heated game.

“Did I tell you how hot you are when you submit to me?” the blonde purred while he used hands, lips and tongue to worship Sasuke´s neck, shoulder before kissing a trail down the spinal cord.

“I #kiss# love #kiss# you #lick# Teme.”

“Mmmm… AH Naruto what are you-” Sasuke cried out as he felt Naruto´s wet tongue brush against his entrance.

The fingers were still moving in and out of him while that wicked tongue wiggled inside.

“Ah f*** N-Naruto,” the Uchiha panted. He felt like he was going insane and all he could think about was Naruto´s tongue.

“Soon koi,” purred the blonde fox. “Do you like it?”

Nnngh f*** yes.”

“Then consider this Teme,” Naruto growled in need as he positioned himself behind the whimpering Uchiha. “If you bottom then that is part of the package deal.”

“…Naru-” Sasuke was about to protest as Naruto pushed inside of him in one fluid thrust. “Ahhh.”

“Yes love? Is there something #thrust# that you want to #thrust# discuss with #thrust# me?” Naruto teased. He simply loved the passionate cries he earned by thrusting hard and deeply into his lover, aiming for his prostate with each roll of his hips.

“N-Naru… Ahhh,” the Uchiha was no longer able to think coherent thoughts. His body moved as on auto pilot as he met each of Naruto´s hard thrust, impaling himself on the blonde´s cock. “F-Faster… I´m so… so close…”

“As you wish,” Naruto panted as he slammed harder and faster into Sasuke´s trembling body.

“L-Love you N-Naruto,” the raven cried as he entered a state of perfect bliss as Naruto wrapped his fingers around his neglected length and pumped him while his grip on his hip with the other hand tightened.

Naruto cried Sasuke´s name out loud as he followed the Uchiha in an orgasmic high only seconds later.

“N-Naruto?” Sasuke asked after he regained the ability to speak.

“Mmmhmm?”

“I wouldn´t mind if you topped once in a while,” the Uchiha hummed. His voice sounded very satisfied and happy.

“Good choice Teme.”

Epilog:

Sakura got news from Naruto through Gamakichi once a week. Only she, Tsunade and Iruka knew about Naruto and Sasuke as everyone else thought that Naruto and Sasuke had fought against each other at the valley of the end and had ended up killing each other.

The fact was that Naruto and Sasuke were thriving. They had decided to stay in the house Naruto had bought for them and after a year they allowed Sakura and Iruka to visit them.

Naruto´s book was published under Jiraiya´s name – it was very popular and Naruto soon decided to write another one which was based on his and Sasuke´s memoires. They were going to alter a few things and use fake names of course.

Naruto and Sasuke teased and bickered at each other every day and loved each second of it and enjoyed the rest of their days together without fear of losing each other during a mission as both of them took civilian jobs as they opened a small flower shop.

Sasuke wasn´t really into the whole flower crap but Naruto loved it so the Uchiha decided to take care of the financial part of the shop while his Dobe took care of the plants and served the costumers with his bedazzling smiles and friendly behavior.

They soon learned that it had been a brilliant idea to open a flower shop as no shinobi came near their shop and that their secret get-away far away from their past lives were secure.

“Do you miss your past life?” Naruto asked as they sat on their front porch, sharing a bottle of red wine while watching the beautiful sunset disappear at the horizon.

“No. I will never miss the fear before I had to fight for my life… and I definitely don´t miss the long and lonely night without you by my side Dobe. I might growl, hiss and claim that our lives are boring at some times… but I can assure you that I am happy here with you.”Sasuke told him. “what about you Dobe? Do you regret that you chose me instead of becoming the Rokudaime?”

“I regret nothing Teme. I would choose you over a stupid title every day… I wanted to become Hokage to gain respect and be loved… and I have all of that with you… To sit on this spot with you by my side in this very moment makes it worth the hardship of getting here don´t you think?”

“Agreed koi,” Sasuke said. He wrapped an arm around Naruto´s shoulder and reduced the space between them.

Their lips met in a loving kiss and all that was left was to decided whether to stay on the porch a little longer or kiss and grope their way into the bedroom and have steaming hot sex.

~ Owari ~