Chapter Seven

Naruto came into a warm and sleepy consciousness. Someone was carrying him and he could smell pine and cedar and hear someone's gentle breathing. Without opening his eyes he could tell it was early morning. The birds were singing but the sky was still dark. Where was he?

“Ah, you're awake,” said Sasuke gently. And Naruto remembered, and the memory of last night made him smile. He made a small noise of content as Sasuke lay him down. “Go back to sleep, it's early.”

“What about you?” Naruto managed, stifling a yawn by burying his head into the cloak he was wrapped in (which he now recognized as his own.)

“Idiot. I'm right here.” Sasuke put an arm around Naruto, and Naruto sighed at the comfort and the warmth. He wanted this to last forever.

“Don't leave me,” Naruto breathed. “I don't think I could survive it if you left me again.”

“Shh. Sleep,” Sasuke whispered. “I'm here.” Naruto felt a slight prick to his arm, perhaps the bite of a bug, before slipping back into a deep sleep.

Author's note: This chapter is so short because it didn't really fit well at the end of the last chapter and doesn't fit well at the beginning of the next one, but I wanted to include it anyway. I've nearly finished Chapter 8, but I can't decide which version to upload. I have the next chapter going two ways, so I'm going to ask a couple of people for their opinion. One version has more smut, but introduces a whole new conflict that I'll need to conclude before I can end it, but if I upload the other version the story will progress faster. Ack. Decisions. If you want to help me decide, send me a PM =)