Disclaimer: Naruto is officially Dis-claimed!

Warnings: Angst, yaoi, futuristic, limey, and weird. Super weird. Like a peanut butter and banana tuna fish sandwich weird.

Pairings: SasuNaru,

Intro: I wrote this sequel because I got a lot of requests, but I’m afraid that in my vision I wrote a few things oddly. I have received a few requests to make it a three parter, and have been kicking around an idea for a while that I think should be written and extracted. This fic, then, needed some polishing.

"Start"

By GK

Anbure looked into the mirror, studying his reflection with serious eyes. His face was thinner; the baby fat had fallen away from a finely structured jaw line. The same dark hair spiked over a familiar headband. Long lashed blue eyes blinked once or twice, running over neatly pressed clothes.

He was sixteen.

"I was married at your age," his Father had said, idly, helping him to dress. He closed his eyes, nervous. Forget the people. Forget the fancy clothes and the incense and the ceremony. Forget everything. The only thing that mattered to him was in the other room, lifting soft white roses into soft pink hair.

Sarana.

Anbure opened up his eyes and smiled.

The Mizukage lifted his eyes from the scroll he was reading up to the face of the smirked messenger. Briefly, he considered killing him. He dismissed it sourly. In the tradition of the villege leaders, he was the strongest. In the tradition of the Mist Village, he was possibly the fiercest and most violent. In the entire country, there was nothing and no one that could stop him.

No one, except his daughter, Yuka.

The Mizukage looked down at his hand, at the chunk of lightly bloodied hair between his fingers. His face betrayed nothing. He wondered silently about the Jounin he had sent after her before.

As if in response, the messenger threw five objects on the ground. Lightly bloodied forehead protectors bearing the symbol of the Mist Village.

"You know what you have to do," the messenger said before leaving. For a long moment, the Mizukage sat in the dark. He remembered her soft laugh and her warm embrace. Her sweet face and her gentle voice. Useless as a ninja. He had hated her mother. Yuka was the only thing that he had ever loved.

Resigned, he called them to his side. They came in droves.

It was an outside ceremony. The pink cherry blossoms fell in tangles among the spectators. He was nervous, but oddly calm as he watched her coming towards him. Anbure's lips curved up into a sweet smile. Sarana's little sister sneezed once. His Father was watching him fondly. Naruto stood beside him, equally proud. He noticed, with a slight smile, that his former teacher's kimono was tied crookedly. It was so like him.

Sarana reached his side, a single cherry blossom resting precariously on her head among the rose petals. The ceremony began.

And then there was blood, and he was a little confused because it happened so quickly, but-

Roses on the ground were red.

Anbure opened his eyes and sat up. He panted and sweated and shook his head, afraid. He stood up and glanced into the mirror, at the clock on the wall. Five minutes before it was supposed to begin. His clothes were a little crumpled. Shaking hands tried to fix them.

A knock at the door. "You're gonna miss your own wedding." Naruto called amiably. Breathing in deeply, he opened the door and walked out.

It was a stupid thing to do. But they were Jounin and they were warriors and he was Mizukage and they would follow him to death.

The Mizukage closed his eyes against his village and his loyal followers, his only thoughts focused on an eight year old, hidden away from him. Without a second thought, he ordered his village into certain failure. They went.

Funny the things people do for love.

It was an outside ceremony. The pink cherry blossoms fell in tangles among the spectators. Anbure was still nervous from his dream, but oddly calm as he watched Sarana coming towards him. His lips curved up into a smile, fears disappearing.

Sarana's little sister sneezed once.

He looked at her strangely, and she blushed under the scrutiny. His heart beat a little faster. Anbure swallowed hard, his eyes darting over to where his father stood, watching him fondly.

His eyes were drawn to the lopsided bow of Naruto's blue kimono. His blood ran cold. Before he could react, Sarana had stopped beside him. He watched the single cherry blossom petal resting among the roses.

The ceremony began. Without knowing why, Anbure threw his fiancée to the ground. A gasp of outrage and surprise-

As a dozen kunai embedded themselves in the tree behind them. Mist rolled in, miles away from the nearest water front. He heard screams and cries from the spectators. Sarana was not on the ground.

"Seiya?" Sarana limped her way through the mist. Her frantic green eyes scanned the crowed for her younger sister. Her eyes lit up she found her, curled on the ground and shaking. She grabbed her by the arm to steer her to safety when she heard a noise behind her.

Anbure fought like a man possessed. Through the mist, he saw nothing. With a soft smirk, he closed his eyes. Focusing on what he heard and smelled-

His father was ushering the smaller children, the non-shinobi into a safe place. Naruto fought to distract them, his chakra growing over time. The air was thick with blood. He heard breathing. He heard footsteps. Whirling, his eyes shut, Anbure slammed into a taller man's side. The sound of ribs breaking and staggering back.

Anbure rushed forward, pressing his advantage. He elbowed the Mist ninja in the jaw, blood spraying his face across pale closed eyelids. He moved on to the next one.

But he was so young, and there were so many.

Exhausted, staggering even as his punches landed, Anbure was shoved back against the cherry trees and sank to a heap on the floor. His head swam and he faded in and out of consciousness. He blocked the kunai flying towards him, but it nicked his arm. Blood trailed out. The mist was just beginning to fade.

A kunai buried itself in his shoulder, pinning him to the trunk of the tree. Unable to move, he simply stared with murderous red-flecked eyes at his attacker, ready to die.

The kunai slid through the air.

From her hiding place underneath the reception tables, Seiya's eyes widened and filled with tears. The mist had cleared. Most of the shinobi were dead or had retreated. Anbure's eyes had receded into a painful blue.

Roses on the ground were red.

From blood.

His fiancée stood in front of him, arms outstretched. Blood bubbled up from her lips, and she smiled faintly. She fell backwards into him. His eyes were shut tightly, terrified to see it. His hands ran over her, the smooth skin of her arms. The warm seeping stain of her. Hard kunai handles, intricately carved, extending from a soft body in all the wrong places.

His eyes were squeezed tightly closed. A soft hand touched his face, and he opened them. The tears ran down his face, falling onto her, mingling with hers.

The single cherry blossom petal fell from her hair and into a puddle of blood on the ground.

"I love you," he whispered brokenly.

And Sarana couldn't say anything at all.

Movement. A sharp cracking sound interrupted the stillness. Naruto’s face was grim and his eyes red. The Mist ninja slumped on the ground, his neck broken and his eyes glassy. The survivors stood around in shock. Soft pink cherry blossoms dusted the blood soaked ground, the blood soaked bodies.

A small figure darted forth, running towards Anbure. Effortlessly, Rock Lee caught his daughter, taking the kunai from her.

"This is your fault!" She screamed. Little Seiya glared at him, trying to wrench away from her father's firm but gentle grip.

"This is all...your fault." She broke down into sobs in her mother's arms. Anbure rose, his eyes focused on the ground. He carried Sarana to her family. Her father took the limp body of his oldest, her wedding kimono stained with red, staining everything it touched.

But she was not the only one who fell. A huddle of Jounin huddled around a body. Nameless, and faceless, Naruto made his way towards the crowd. The Hokage smiled up at him. Tsunade's eyes were clouding over.

"Old lady..." He knelt beside her.

"Brat. You're just in time." Blood ran from her mouth. Gently, he wiped it away. "I'm naming my successor." Unusual. The silence was thick. "When I was younger... I never would have taken that blow. You never would have taken that blow."

"Shut up, old lady." His hands were gentle as they dabbed at wounds.

"Stop that. It doesn't matter." She coughed. "I'm naming my successor. Dammit. Sixth Hogake." Her eyes looked up. "Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto started, big blue eyes were shocked.

"My word is law." Her dying voice rang out over the clearing. "Any one who disagrees will have to defeat Naruto himself." A humorless smile twisted her lips. "I wish... I could see that."

And then she was dead.

Wordlessly, Naruto lifted Tsunade's limp form into his arms.

One by one, each person fell into a deep bow before him. His eyes were blurry from tears. Sixth Hokage.

Naruto had supposed that it would feel better than this.

Heading the procession through the town, his head bowed the flower petals streaming ahead. Anbure fell into his father's arms, crying.

One moment can change everything.

He lay the Hokage down on the long wooden meeting table. The other advisors crowded around the body of their fallen leader. A steady dripping sound was heard echoing through the room as her blood ran down the tabletop and onto the floor. Naruto looked at her empty ashen face sadly.

"What now? This is unexpected-"

"A tragedy..."

"Who would have thought that Tsunade-sama would fall..."

"Who will lead us now?"

"Hokage-sama." A withered but trusting face waited at Naruto's arm respectfully. "What do you suggest that we do now?"

Naruto looked up with a grin that was more of a snarl.

"We fight."

The crowds gathered into the small meeting room. Some, like Sasuke, were still bleeding. Some, like Seiya, were still crying. Some, like Anbure, stared at the floor and did nothing.

"The Mist Village has always been a bunch of bastards," Naruto said, standing above them. He had refused the headpiece he had coveted when younger. He had refused the ornate throne. "But that's no reason to attack us without warning. There’s gotta be something else behind this attack. I called in all the shinobi on missions right now. A few of them were stationed in the Water Country. Hopefully they can tell us what the hell is going on."

"So we're just gonna wait?" A young Chuunin exploded. He was bleeding from a poorly dressed wound on his shoulder and glared up with angry eyes. Naruto walked over to stand above him. They locked eyes for some time before the younger boy lowered his, and murmured an apology.

"No." He said simply. "We can't wait. I know shinobi aren't used to working without pay... but this is number one." His eyes roamed the crowd and held them trapped. "When there’s war, something threatening the whole village… we have to fight together. If we don’t do this now, there won’t be anywhere left to go, nothing left to fight for. I didn’t end up Hokage to watch everything I love about this place die!” He scowled. “We go to war in two days. Be ready." He turned away.

"Hokage-sama." The same old man waited for him just beyond the crowd. "Hyuuga Neji has just returned from his mission in the Water Country." The man bowed to him albeit stiffly. The same blank eyes raked over the tired and blood stained Naruto and found him acceptable. The lips turned up into a stiff and formal smile. His hair had been cut years ago. They were not boys anymore. "He has some information I think you must hear."

The crowds were dispersing when Naruto reappeared. "Anbure," he said. Said ninja finally looked up from his fixed gaze on the floor. "I have a mission for you." Under the words, Anbure began to crumble. His father's arm steadied him. For a brief moment, Anbure leaned against him. Then, gathering his strength he shrugged away. He didn't notice the brief darkening of hurt in Sasuke's eyes. Anbure nodded. "Wait for me in the next room." Naruto instructed.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." He said, holding his hands out palms up.

"Whatever you say," Sasuke lowered his eyes and bowed slightly. "Hokage-sama." There was no insincerity in his voice… though perhaps there was a little bitterness in his step as he walked away. Naruto sighed and turned away.

Hokage.

Meant he was different now.

"The attack on us five years ago was an assassination attempt." Naruto paced the room nervously. "I should have seen that..." He shook his head impatiently. "But I didn't. The Mizukage, right? He's a hardcore guy. But he's got this daughter, Yuka. Anyway, a missingnin working for a local daimyo kidnapped her. The daimyo, Ichiro Shigure is hoping to put Leaf against Mist. With both of us gone, he can sweep in and pick up the pieces before any of the other lords can hire ninjas from other villages. It's all politics." He sat down suddenly, laying his head down on the table.

"I gotta go and find that girl before all of us die." He said firmly. "And I need you to come with me." His hands tightened into fists. "If I could leave you out of it. If- But I can't, okay? You're quiet and little and you work well in the dark. The Byakugan, the Sharingan isn't enough. I need the Shininnome." His eyes burned. The eyes of the dead. Anbure choked back a sob.

"When do we leave, Hokage-sama?" He asked quietly. Naruto smiled a little sad smile and reached out to ruffle Anbure's hair. He drew the smaller boy in for a hug.

"Don't tell your Dad, huh? But I feel like you're my kid too, sometimes."

"Why?" Anbure asked, not pulling away. "Why not tell Father?"

"Because…" Naruto's grip tightened. "Maybe I don't deserve to feel that way, huh?"

It was raining.

Every shinobi gathered outside in the town streets. The youngest Genin, fighting off protests from parents and friends, pulled on their shurinken holsters and wandered the streets. The oldest retired Jounin rubbed the creaks from their joints and pulled on forehead protectors lightly filmed with dust.

The streets were filled with people. Soon they would be filled with blood.

Uchiha Sasuke stood in the training hall of the Uchiha family estate and tensed. Launching into a long stream of seals mixed with complex taijutsu moves, he swept from one side of the hall to the other. He finally collapsed on one knee, panting and coughing.

It was his only son.

It was his only love.

When Uchiha Sasuke made his way through the streets, it was the final signal. They lined up in rank and he adjusted them according to skill. His face was a cool blank slate, and each shinobi saw nothing but calm death reflected in black eyes.

Some of them wondered at the lack of emotion that he showed when sending his only son away. Some of them wondered about the ice coating his heart as he rode into almost certain death, leading the lowest of the Genin, swearing to protect them.

Some of them wondered, and others knew.

The rain slipped down his face. Hiding all expression. He lifted his arm to send the ninja ranks into the trees.

Like when he faced Naruto.

Like when Hinata had died.

Like when Anbure was born blind.

Sasuke despaired.

One year. It blended into two.

Anbure slipped silently through the trees, Naruto by his side. If Anbure was silent, then Naruto might as well have been dead for the noise he was making. After all this time, after only the occasional glimpse into what was happening back home-

"Oh, yes, he died, didn't you know?"

"Whole families- in the mist- in the night..."

And it had all come down to this.

They walked into the cave. The path was littered with bodies of Mist ninjas who had come before them. Parts and rivers of gore flowed through, mingling with the rainwater. It was oddly fitting that it rained again. As they stepped into the entrance, they passed a Mist shinobi that had been crucified, a stake protruding from its open mouth, pinned to the back wall of the cave. The smell of gore permeated the air.

"It's nice of you to come, Hokage-sama." Someone stood just above a motionless form of a child.

Naruto began a complex series of seals, the shinobi holding the girl tensed and- fell down motionless.

Anbure stood frozen from where he had moved, his arm still outstretched. A single kunai had flown to its target.

The crucified shinobi. The illusion fell away and the shinobi fell to his knees, coughing up blood. He made to pull the kunai from his stomach.

"How did you-?"

Anbure stood smiling, his eyes closed. "I could hear your heart beating," he said darkly. He opened his eyes and they were flecked with red. The shinobi rose gracefully to his feet.

"A little kunai is not going to stop me-" But before he had finished the sentence, Naruto had pinned him to the wall again. Kunai extended from both shoulders, hands, thighs and feet. Naruto held the missingnin's head tightly, one hand curved underneath either side of his jaw.

"Before you die," He said. "Why did you keep her alive?" A Kage Bunshin clone lifted the little girl into his arms tenderly from several feet away. "You weren't gonna give her back."

The missingnin coughed and choked up blood. "Wanted to kill her," he explained, complied to tell the truth by Anbure's hypnotically red eyes. "In front of her father... when it was all over." A sharp sound and his head lolled back against the wall, useless and empty.

Naruto walked into the Mist Village unharmed. Partly because of the young man at his side, whose strangely swirling eyes held them at bay. Partly because of the little girl cradled in Naruto's arms, his coat draped over her. And mostly because there weren't a lot of them left anyway.

He knelt before the Mizukage, who sat on the steps of what once had been his home. Both of his legs were broken. His arms had been tied together behind him, and someone stood over him, glaring at the approaching figures. The village had been taken.

Uchiha Sasuke stepped down from the marble steps, stained faintly pink.

"You're late," he said, his lips quirking up into a smile.

"When the village is back to the way it was, we'll celebrate," Naruto told the crowds.

"But that'll take years!" A young child wailed.

"I know." Naruto winked. But the older ninja laughed and understood. He was going to be a great Hokage. They were taking on more missions then ever, trying to raise the money to rebuild broken up homes and broken up bodies.

And slowly they began to forget. And slowly they all began to remember. The way that things were supposed to be.

Anbure walked through the village, his hands tucked into his pockets and his eyes heavy. He had left the village the day Sarana had died, and hadn't been back since. Three years was a long time. His friends had died or married. He passed through town, unsure of his destination. His feet carried him to a small familiar home. He hesitated, and the door opened.

Sakura studied the young man who stood before her. Pieces of Sasuke, pieces of Naruto were patched together. His eyes looked up like a puppy expecting a beating. Once, she would have hated him, a little, despite the nice things she would say. And those damn eyes would have told him. But that was a long time ago.

She stepped across the threshold and walked up to him. She looked up into his eyes. She felt herself choking up despite herself. She closed her eyes and tears spilled out and ran down her cheeks. She reached out one hand to touch the top of his head lightly. He had grown out his hair. She swallowed hard.

"I forgive you." She smiled.

His hair hung down his collar and he had gotten taller, but as he walked away from the Lee house, she still recognized him. The same bitter feeling welled up inside of her.

He stepped into the woods. He walked through the familiar clearing, walking up to the spot that he remembered. The tree still had the marks of the kunai embedded in it. The ground was covered with green where once it was covered in red. He sighed.

She threw the kunai and rolled out into the open.

"Die!" She yelled- and Anbure took the blow. His eyes were enormous and frightened. His attacker rose to her feet, her long pink hair swept back into a braid. But her eyes were black glass. He dodged the second attack.

"Why-" He gasped. She lashed out with her feet, pushing him against the tree trunk. The same tree trunk.

"Fight me!" She yelled. "It's your fault that Sarana died!" He blocked the next kick half heartedly. She threw another half dozen kunai. He began to block them with a blade- but changed his mind. The reflections would hit her. He hissed in pain as four kunai bit deeply into his forearm. One missed his throat by a fraction of an inch. One struck his side. He bled.

"Why won't you fight me!" She demanded a pink and red blur. His eyes were still blue.

"Because you look just like her!" He yelled, his voice breaking. She froze, her leg still midair. Footsteps were coming their way.

"Seiya!" Her father said sharply, and she backed off a few steps. Her mouth opened, but she seemed to change her mind. Her father stepped forward to help Anbure to his feet. Blood ran down his front to puddle in a slight depression at the base of the tree. Her mother was crying.

"Seiya." Seiya turned and walked out of the clearing.

"A girl beat you up, huh?" Naruto teased. He watched the medics patch up Anbure, who shook his head.

"I was caught off guard. She looks just like-" He broke off. Naruto frowned sympathetically. "But. She was kind of good." He admitted grudgingly. Naruto laughed.

"It was a war. You have to be kind of good or you're kind of dead." Sasuke was in the doorway. Anbure tensed. Naruto rose to his feet to greet his friend. "She was one of the best, though." He added, studying his son. "She seemed to be fixated with you. I thought it was a crush. Obviously I was wrong."

"I've got some stuff to look in on- I'll come see you later, huh?" Naruto suggested, turning to go. It was awkward between them now. Anbure noticed, but no longer knew what to say. Sasuke sat down beside his son.

"I-" And his eyes darted up. He rose to his feet smoothly. "Seiya," He said pleasantly. "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to kill my son."

"Uchiha-sensei- I- I didn't come to attack him. Especially not when he's injured. That would be dishonorable." Her eyes were a little angry at the thought of it. Sasuke stared at his student who stared back willfully. Finally, he gave in.

"Alright. I suppose I can trust someone as honorable as you alone with my son for a few minutes." He slid out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Anbure stayed where he was, his back facing her.

"I spent three years training." Seiya said, leaning against the door. "All I could think about was beating you." Her eyes were wet. "I loved my big sister so much. I guess I never stopped to think that maybe you loved her too." Anbure lifted his head. "I guess. What I mean, is. Um."

"I forgive you." She said quietly.

"...Thank you."

“Isn't it kind of sadistic to pair those two up on a mission?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, looking over Naruto's shoulder. Naruto grinned up at him.

"C'mon, she's cute. What's wrong with it?" He asked. They were alone together for the first time in months. He sat at a desk, doing paperwork and complaining about it. Sasuke dropped off some things and hung around, keeping him company. "He's ending up way too much like you. He needs a nice outgoing hyper chick!"

"You'd know." Sasuke said idly. "You were with him for the last two years." Naruto's eyes darkened.

All Sasuke ever wanted was justification. You were wrong, I was right. He wanted an apology. He wanted compensation.

"I'm-"

And then he changed his mind.

"Shut up." Sasuke slid his hands down the back of the chair, wrapping them around Naruto's back and draping them over his chest.

"Okay." Naruto leaned back.

"So. Do I need a 'nice, outgoing, hyper chick'?" Sasuke asked, smirking.

"I hope not." Naruto looked up at him.

Sasuke leaned down for a kiss.

There was a knock at the door.

"Hokage-sama-" And Sasuke was gone. Naruto sighed and turned to open the door. The window in back was open, and the curtains swirled around it.

“Gosh! It seems impossible that Naruto never ended up with anybody…”

Voices drifted through the air. Sasuke listened from where he’d landed, crouching in perfect stillness in the shadow of a building.

“Well, Sakura was the only one who gave him the time of day, and you know how her and Rock Lee ended up.”

“Yes, but that was kind of romantic.” Tenten was leaning over the counter at Ino’s flower shop, her long hair dusting the face of the quiet infant strapped to her back who was pulling at the strands with interest.

“I’m sure Naruto’s will be too.” Ino was shifting flowers in a vase. “All he ever talked about, when we were kids, was recognition. He’s great with children. Now that he’s Hokage, people will see him differently.” She smiled, softly, as her fingers flew. “He can have a family now.”

“That’s not a very good reason.” Tenten said distractedly, as she gently untangled her hair from the child’s sticky fists.

“Well,” Ino said, “That’s what he wanted in the first place.”

Sasuke of two years ago would not have listened to their conversation. He would have felt himself impervious to contented gossiping, would have dismissed it as trite, uncomplicated.

His ears were not used to the babble of peace, to the role that he played in the grand scheme of things.

He could have a family.

Wasn’t that what he wanted, really?

Sasuke stayed in the alley until the village fell to the shadows. As the darkness crept across the village, dimming lights and subduing sounds, something clicked for him. It was two pieces, sliding and forcing and clashing that slid neatly into place, perfectly and with a symmetry that he hated.

It took a very long time for him to emerge.

When he did, he was different.

"Let's go, already." She said impatiently.

Anbure walked beside her, giving her sideways glances every now and then. Now that the shock had worn off, he had realized that Seiya really didn't look that much like Sarana after all. The hair was the same long pale pink. But Sarana had been thin and frail and ethereal. Seiya was wild and violent and all muscle. She was shorter than Sarana, and louder. He winced a little as she yelled for his attention.

"I can't believe they paired me up with you." He muttered. She glared at him.

"Well, I'm not all happy about it either, you know. I forgive you, but I still think you're a bastard." She stuck her tongue out at him. He sighed. It was going to be a long mission...

Naruto worried. He didn't often worry, or anything, but this time he figured he could make an exception. It had been almost a year since his return and he could count the number of times he'd been alone with Sasuke on one hand. And the most disturbing part wasn't his lack of opportunity, but the fact that it almost seemed like he was being avoided...

He sighed and shifted in his seat and tried valiantly to look interested in whatever matter the latest client was rambling on about. His thoughts shifted out of the window and beyond. Sasuke stood on the ground, directing a half dozen shinobi repairing a roof. The roof slid a little, and he was already there. Sasuke held the weak places, shouting orders that were hurriedly followed. Naruto's lips curved up into a smile; Sasuke turned and their eyes met.

Sasuke turned away from the Hokage's window and walked away. His mouth formed a tight line and he tried to ignore the thrumming sound in his chest.

Heart breaking.

He turned back to construction.

"I can't believe you're really doing this." His cheeks were faintly pink and Anbure glared at the ground. "We're on a mission-" She sighed impatiently from somewhere behind him.

"Yeah, and it's OVER! And four days without a bath is taking its toll. All you have to do is stand guard for ten freaking minutes, okay?" She paused and sniffed. "And I'll return the favor. You could use a bath just as bad." She paused. "...Maybe more." His cheeks turned a deeper red. The sound of rustling fabric and someone sliding into the cool water of the lake.

"What if someone attacks you?" He asked, staring stubbornly at the ground.

"Then I'll yell. If I yell, you can come rescue me, okay? I mean-" More splashing, her voice was water muffled. "What's a little nudity next to dying?" He rolled his eyes. She was driving him crazy.

Not that there was anything wrong with her, or anything. She was strong and held her own in battle, wrapping her hands with bandages to protect the skin and bone from her powerful punches. She was smart, too, and could see through most genjutsu illusions easily just using logic. She was quick, and didn't complain much, but still-

She was driving him crazy. He wasn't sure exactly why, but he alternated between wanting to grab her by the shoulders and shake her really really hard and wanting to- to-

He wasn't sure what exactly he wanted to do. Exactly. He listened to her splashing around and ground his teeth together.

There was a scream.

Before it had even fully registered in his ears, before she had stopped screaming, he was there. She was half hidden behind a rock, her eyes huge. He stood protectively in front of her.

"What?" He asked sharply, his eyes darting back and forth. Silently, one hand cupped over her mouth and one hand shaking, she pointed.

To a water snake.

Anbure bit his lip hard to keep from smiling. He bent over to pick it up. He swung it gently just in front of her hiding rock and heard her startled gasp.

"Aren't they p-poisonous?" She stammered. He coughed a little to cover up his laugh.

"Yeah." He lifted it onto his shoulder. "But they only attack you if you scare them." One hand ran down the snake's spine and she shuddered. "The water around here is pretty warm. There's probably a whole nest of them..." There was a loud splashing as she scrambled out of the water. He shook his head in amusement and set the snake down at the edge of the lake and turned around.

He shut his eyes almost instantly, both hands coming up to cover his nose. There was a pause. Seiya continued dressing. He kept his eyes closed tightly. She finished and waited until he opened his eyes before punching him in the shoulder. He winced.

"I thought you said-"

"Did I look like I was dying, you perv?" She sighed and hefted her pack up to her shoulder. "I'm not hanging around a place full of snakes. You'll have to live without a bath till we get back."

"I can't believe they paired me up with you..."

Sasuke was tired.

He ran tired hands through tired black hair and stared up into tired black eyes. He leaned over the bathroom sink; the light bulb was dim and it softened his features. He listened to the sounds of someone moving outside. Naruto's deliberate footsteps echoed around the building, stopping outside the window to the bathroom. Sasuke froze and held his breath.

They both knew he was in there.

They both knew he was hiding.

Sasuke broke down, listening to the sad sound of Naruto walking away.

It was his birthday. His hands curled around the floor, cupping air. Anbure walked past the cracked door and paused. His Father.

He nudged open the door and knelt beside him, studying the ageless face and the sad lines. He picked up the limp form of his father and set him down on the couch, spreading a blanket over him.

"Happy birthday," he said.

"More missions, more of you and me." He sighed and rubbed his temples.

"I'm just that good, I guess." She said breezily, kicking her legs a little before pushing off her seat and standing before him. "It's not terrible, though, right?" She winked at him. "Could be worse."

Anbure rolled his eyes. "I doubt it." He said, staring at the ground. But he smiled. Her sharp black eyes noticed. Unable to help it, the edges of her mouth turned up too. Two idiots, walking side by side, smiling at the ground.

Seeing it was the first time Naruto had smiled in days.

They didn't talk. Looking around, standing back to back they tensed. He had kunai in each hand. On her hands were fastened brass rings, interconnected with tiny chains. She grinned. Battles made him calm; battles made her hyper. He supposed it was what made them work so well together.

He turned and threw a kunai at her. She leaned to the far right and it swept past, striking an enemy crouched behind her. She reached out one hand to swing herself around the trunk of a tree and gain momentum. A flurry of kunai spotted the wood beside her, forcing her to lose her grip. She fell and skidded, her feet sliding across dirt and gravel and sending her flying. She hit the tree back first, the air rushing out of her. For a split second, her defenses dropped.

The nameless, faceless enemy attacked. The sound of weapons through the air, and the splash of blood. Seiya scrunched up her eyes.

But... there was no pain. Slowly, she opened them and saw black. The black mourning clothes she always saw. Her eyes swept up as Anbure fell to his knees.

And Seiya saw red. She launched forward, her frenzied attack catching him off guard. Her foot caught the underside of his jaw and his head was dashed against the tree. The others had escaped. She dropped down to look at her teammate. He was still breathing, but unconscious. She hoisted him up and into her arms and began to carry him back to the village.

"Let me see him." Seiya demanded.

"Family only, Miss." A mild mannered nurse said officially, turning away.

"Hey! Listen, I'm a teammate! I dragged his sorry butt in here, and now I can't even see him?" She demanded. The nurse shrugged. Losing her temper, she reached out to grab the nurse's collar and half pull her out of her seat-

Only to be pulled back by a force she couldn't even see. She struggled against her captor for a moment until she looked up into bright blue eyes. She froze, startled. Naruto smiled at her.

"Hokage-sama." She whispered, relaxing. Instantly, he let her go. She bowed a little, but he shook his head, embarrassed.

"Don't do that, ok? Um. But I think it's alright if you let Seiya-chan see her team mate, right?" he winked at the nurse. "Just for a little while." The nurse nodded quickly.

"Anything, you say, Hokage-sama."

She walked into the room and Sasuke glanced at her. Instead of glaring, he looked amused. "I'll let you two have a moment-" he began, before he saw Naruto standing in the hallway behind her. His half smile fell.

"Let's let the kids alone for a bit, huh?" Naruto said, smiling. But his eyes were serious. Sasuke walked into the waiting room like a man walking into death.

Seiya slipped into the chair beside his bed. Her mouth was an angry line. Anbure waited patiently.

"You big dumb jerk." She said finally. Something fell onto her hand, tightly clenched in her lap. He looked down, puzzled. Movement. He reached out and his fingers were slightly wet.

"You're not allowed to die for me." She choked. "I said I wouldn't lose anybody special to me anymore. I got strong so I can protect things! So..." His open palm caught the next droplet as it was falling midair.

"You're not allowed to die for me."

He reached out and tilted her chin up. Her eyes glistened with the rest of her tears. He was smiling at her softly, his eyes closed. For some odd reason, he could hear his heart beating in his ears.

"If you promise not to cry, I'll promise not to die for you."

"Sasuke." Naruto spoke to his back, to the wall for all he knew. Sasuke was looking out of the window. "We need to talk."

Sasuke turned and looked at him slowly and Naruto had to will himself not to take a step back. He had forgotten how cold Sasuke's eyes could be. He had forgotten the dangerous black ice layer he hadn't seen for years and years.

"Do we," he said, but it wasn't a question. He walked away, hands in his pockets and unconcerned.

It was an answer. Naruto slumped into a chair, his hands over his eyes.

"Why?" She dared, glaring at him.

"Because I don't like to see you sad." He said, letting his hand fall away. She shook her head impatiently like a colt and looked to the side.

"'Cause I look like Sarana." She said.

"No." Anbure was suddenly fascinated with his hands. "Because you look like you." She flushed red and stood up stiffly, walking to the door. Anbure stared at the floor and counted the tiles.

"I promise." She said quietly, shutting the door.

Two years and the final repairs were made. The village was exactly as it had been, plus or minus a few shinobi. To celebrate, there was a feast. Everyone was invited to stay at the Hokage's palace, knowing that most of them would not. Anbure had convinced his father to go and stay the night months before, and held him to his word even after the injury forced Sasuke to go on alone.

Sasuke stood on the steps and took a deep breath. It was harder to be colder, but one glance from Ino or from any other pretty young thing made him remember. He hardened the cold shell around his heart and stepped inside.

The best commander in the village. The best female shinobi. Ironic that they sat one on each side. While Ino busied herself with talk and action and smiles and wit, Sasuke was surly and quiet. He also refused to touch the sake. Naruto drank it by the bottle.

The tension was high and hot and halfway through Sasuke excused himself to go to the room alone. He paused once at the doorway, and it was his undoing. His black eyes swept over the perfect blonde pair and his hurt leaked through. For the briefest of moments, his jealousy bit him, his feelings showed. Then next second he turned and walked away.

But Naruto wasn't Hokage for nothing. He sipped at his sake and was silent, his eyes trailing after Sasuke. Ino noticed and drew upon her lightest smile. She leaned down to whisper into his ear. The sake and the words made Naruto flush. She laughed and rose from the table, slipping down the hall. He didn't feel like watching her leave.

He paced back and forth at the foot of his bed, muttering a little to himself. The idiot who planned the seating arrangements also planned the sleeping arrangements, apparently. Sasuke to the left, Ino to the right. His eyes darted back and forth between the two doors.

He took a step towards Sasuke's door. But he didn't feel like getting rejected tonight. He had been gone forever! It had been years since whispers, since sitting together, since sex- His hands clenched into fists.

All Naruto wanted to do was hold him.

But four years was a long time. He relaxed slowly. Shoulders fell. Sasuke could have changed his mind. Naruto had been reluctant, stupid. He could have...

...forgotten.

He turned on his heel and stepped towards Ino's door. It stood a little open like an invitation. She was smart enough to keep him grounded, pretty enough to keep his interest, and old enough to want to stay in one place. With him.

Maybe. He could love her.

His fingertips brushed the doorknob and it swung a little further out of reach. But he remembered black eyes that were angry. And anything important enough to make Sasuke angry was-

He thought about it.

Sasuke heard the sound of Ino's door closing and he opened his eyes from his feigned sleep. He sat up in bed, the sheets pooling around his waist. He pushed his hair back from his face and frowned at the wall.

"I couldn't understand why you were avoiding me." Sasuke's head shot up.

"But now I think I do." His eyes darted around in the darkness. The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"But Sasuke..." There was a weight near his feet. Someone was sitting on his bed.

"I'm Hokage now." Sasuke tried to stand up, but he was pinned to the bed.

One hand effortlessly held both of Sasuke's arms to the headboard. The other hand tilted his chin up until they were nose to nose. Naruto's eyes were red cast with emotion.

"I'm not stupid. I know what I want." Sasuke stopped struggling.

"You and Anbure are all the family I need. My bloodline can go fuck itself." Naruto nuzzled the side of Sasuke's neck and slid his hands down to wrap around the other's waist. Sasuke turned his head and their lips met.

Four years gone. Two years wasted. Sasuke's hands slid over Naruto's back.

Love.

Love.

"Now shut up," Naruto growled, his eyes daring Sasuke to move. "And let me hold you."

Seiya paced the waiting room, her hands clasped around something. She muttered a little to herself, running hands through her hair nervously.

"I always did like him," her father had said, when she had asked him. And that had been that. Her mother gave her a little box and cried a bit to see her go. Sighing with exasperation, she gave up and went in.

Seiya shoved her way into the room, empty of visitors. Anbure smiled up at her innocently. Some time had passed, but they were back again in the same white room.

"I promised not to die," he reminded her. "But I never promised not to get hurt." He winked. She reared back and slapped him. He stared at her open mouthed.

"And I promised not to cry. But I didn't say I wouldn't get pissed off!" She exclaimed. Still, she blinked suspiciously.

"Seiya…" He said, but she cut him off.

"Shut up." She pushed him back against the pillows. Her eyes were dark. "Just." She was sitting on the edge of the bed. Then she was leaning in. "Shut. Up." She murmured. And she kissed him.

She pulled away and he was blushing, looking up at her. She fished in her pocket and drew out a small black box. She took a few steps back and tossed it in his lap. He opened it.

"Marry me?" She asked.

He stared at the plain gold band in the box as if hypnotized. Two years, a bunch of scars, and one brief kiss and he was supposed to decide. Her eyes weren't green. Her smile wasn't sweet. She was wild and stupid and goofy. His eyes swept over her small skirt- impractical, he added silently to the growing list. Her tiny waist. He blushed a little as he skimmed over her chest. Her arms were thin but well muscled. Her hair was still long and still a pale reminder. Her soft curving neck and strong chin and impatient mouth. And those dark eyes that glared whenever they didn't have anything better to do. They were glaring right now. He was smiling like he hadn't smiled in years before her.

She was seventeen. He was twenty.

"Yes," he said.

The wedding was quiet, small, and indoors. The snow fell down outside as the ceremony ended, and Anbure had never smiled more in his life.

”Is this the way that things are supposed to be?” Seiya whiapered, hesitated.

“This is the way things are,” He said.

It was good enough.

End