Standard disclaimer applies.

Warning: SasuNaru, OOC and unbeta-read.

Chapter 6: Unveiled

The curtains of the open window gently dance as the morning breeze blew into Naruto's bedroom, carrying with it the scent of grass dew and damp ground. However, such scent disappeared as it got swallowed by the stronger scent of sweat and sex as two bodies on the double bed were performing an intimate and sensual dance as old as time.

"Sasuke," Naruto gasped, choking the last two syllables when lust coiled tighter in his abdomen. His toes curled and dug deeper into the mattress, and his grip on the pillow where his head was on tightened.

Sasuke, in reply just grunted because his brain had lost its ability to comprehend words the moment his erection was snugly embraced by Naruto's body. He pushed deeper, loving how the ring of muscles that surrounded him tig htened as a response. He quickened and hardened his pistoning more until the writhing tanned body arched in a perfect arc, ribbons of sticky fluid shooting out and Naruto's passionate cry rocked throughout his body, making him cum.

After a short moment of furious hip movement to ride out their orgasm, Sasuke slumped against Naruto, as breathless as the latter. He nuzzled the damp blond head as a tanned arm slung over his boneless body in a loose but possessive hold.

Later on, he pulled out from Naruto who at the squelching sound such movement made, let out an embarassed snort. For a moment, he was tempted to thrust a finger into that hole but decided to sit and leaned back against the headboard with his pillow propped in between.

Naruto turned to lay on his side, prefering to remain in the warmth their lovemaking had created. A soft satiated smile graced his lips while post-coital bliss hummed through his body. He thought it was one thing to wake up hard because of a wet dream and another to wake up fully erect because of being pleasured by a horny bastard. Despite the protests and complains he made whenever Sasuke let his horniness get the better of him, which was most of the time, he was secretely pleased that his bastard was as insatiable as he was and flattered that he was being utterly desired.

He purred at the hand that was mindlessly combing through his hair and opened his eyes. Coincidentally, he saw a scar on Sasuke's right thigh which he hadn't seen before and lazily traced it with his pointer finger.

"Where did you get this?" he mumbled.

"From my fight with Madara," Sasuke replied.

Blue eyes gazed up at him. "Even though you had killed them, do you still feel so much hatred?"

The other man took his time in answering the question while regarding his lover who was looking at him affectionately and expectantly. "No," he said and shook his head twice. "Not when I'm with you."

It took a moment for such statement to settle on Naruto, but when it did, he was surprised before he blushed. To cover his embarassment, he poked the man in the stomach and said, "Very corny." He let out something akin to a shriek when in a fluid motion, Sasuke threw the blanket up in the air and trapped the former's body in his own as he hovered above him.

Naruto laid on his back, boldly returned his lover's intense gaze and loosely looped his arms around his pale shoulders. All the while, the cream-colored blanket continued falling until it settled on them, covering their bodies from head to toe.

"Dobe," Sasuke murmured, feigning irritation. However, his eyes belied the feelings that rumbled in his chest, rose up to rush past his lips.

Naruto's heart thud loudly in his chest, not in anticipation but in panic and fear. He didn't want to hear it. He slid a hand, his intent clear.

"I lo-" A tanned pointer finger cut Sasuke off. As if to make up for his rudeness, Naruto pushed himself up for a kiss but his lover, having enough pushed him back to bed.

"What is wrong?" he demanded, eyes full of hurt, confusion and anger.

"Please, Sasuke," Naruto replied, not wanting to discuss this matter. He wasn't ready. He could never be ready. Having his best friend know that he was a jinchuuriki and telling his bestfriend who was now his lover that he was a hanyou were two different things. Completely so and he had no assurance that Sasuke would be okay for what he was. He was too insecure and scared to see beyond his fear.

"Please what?" the other man growled while he pushed the blonde harder against the mattress."You don't want me to say it?"

Naruto had to break their eye contact when dark eyes glinted with pain but that look didn't stop him from answering, "No." It wasn't a lie. He didn't want it, not when he still didn't know what he was even though they had been together for two months now.

While Sasuke not being told by his friends who already accepted him was understandable because they expected Naruto to do it, Naruto thought that it was strange that Sasuke had not been informed about his merging by the villagers or other shinobi especially when they could freely talk about it.

"Bullshit," Sasuke snapped, using his anger to cover his pain. "You say your feelings freely so why can't I do the same?" he demanded but blue eyes were withdrawn and guarded now, indicating that the discussion was over. The magical and wonderful feeling that had hovered a minute or two ago was completely gone. Sasuke swept the blanket aside in a sharp movement and sat on the side of the bed, thrusting his legs into his pants.

In the tensed silence in their room, the furious and urgent knocking on their front door came louder than usual. Sasuke stood up and left to answer the door without saying anything. He completely missed how sorrowful Naruto's face became or how shaky the blonde's right hand as it gripped his armlet.

Whatever Sasuke expected to see when he answered the door, a teary-eyed Sakura wasn't one of them. The funny thing was, the woman was smiling through her unshed tears. Before he could say anything, she was looking past him.

"Sakura?" came Naruto's voice from behind.

Sakura took one big step with the intention of flinging herself to her blond friend but upon realizing that her said friend and his lover where half-naked not to mention that there were fresh hickeys on

their chest, she changed her mind. She stopped an arm's length away from Naruto who was indiscreetly staring at her neck, making her blush and making her want to bring a hand to cover the lovebite Sai had lovingly put on her an hour and a half ago.

"I'll cook breakfast after taking a shower," Sasuke said while closing the front door. He gave the blonde a meaningful look before walking back to their mood.

Sakura smiled at Naruto and teasingly quipped, "Even this early, he's wearing his heart on his sleeve." She expected Naruto to give his usual come back of 'That's my heart he's wearing' at such comment but instead, he just remained quiet and eeriely thoughtful.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing, Sakura-chan," he replied while running a hand through his hair, obviously perplexed. "Nothing that I can't handle." I hope. He shrugged his shoulders and inquired, "Why the tearful eyes?"

Instantly, green eyes sparkled like emerald jems. "I'm getting married!" she announced ecstatically.

Naruto blinked owlishly. That was an old news. Everybody knew Sakura was getting married and married months ago if not for her father's stubborness. Blue eyes widened when understanding dawned on him belatedly. "Don't tell-"

His friend nodded.

"Dad dropped by while we're having breakfast, and on the living room, he bowed and told Sai to take care of me." Sakura would never forget the look of surprise on Sai's face or her mother's smile or her father's warm embrace when she threw herself at him in relief, joy and gratitude. It had been the best morning in her young life.

"I'm glad your wait is over." He said and gave her a warm smile that made her heart flutter. "So when?"

"Two months from now," Sakura answered before informing him of her plans which he was certain would change during her discussion with her female friends, but he listened anyway while his mind drifted to the engagement party he and the rest of her friends were preparing.

Almost ten minutes later, Naruto stood by his front door and watched Sakura leave after he returned her wave until she had completely disappeared from his view.

Whistling softly, he went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. It was when he had emptied the glass that darkness descended on him without preamble. When he came to his senses, he found himself lying on the floor and beside him were shards of the broken glass.

He swore under his breath and ignoring the throbbing at the back of his head, rolled to his feet upon hearing his lover leaving their room.

"Dobe?" Sasuke said from the doorway and didn't miss how Naruto almost jumped to his feet. "I heard a crashing sound."

Naruto mentally cursed and sheepishly said, "The glass I was holding slipped from my hand."

Although Sasuke was relieved, his instincts told him that something went wrong... was wrong. He donned his shirt before restating, "I heard a crash and a thud."

"Blame that to my clumsiness." The blonde slightly leaned back when Sasuke intruded his personal space, eyes glinting in sharp observation. He knew Sasuke was doubting him but let the matter slide because calling the man on that would give Sasuke a chance to discuss matters he didn't want to be discussed. He licked his lips and said huskily, "Kiss me."

His dark-haired lover seemed to hesitate for few seconds before giving him what he wanted. When it was over, the former let him walked away from him without so much as a word.

Day by day, Sasuke did his best to break through the wall Naruto had built... the same wall that got thicker and thicker at his persistence until one day, he stopped asking, worrying and reaching out. When that happened, a gap settled between them together with a silence that both relieved and scared Naruto.

-SasuNaru is love-

Naruto fell to the ground on fours, panting heavily more from the pain than the intensity of his training. His fingers dugged into the ground. It had come but he couldn't-

"Troublesome," he heard that lazy voice said and looked up just as its owner hunched in front of him.

"So it's time for that again," Shikamaru stated offhandedly. He looked nonplussed when red-orange chakra started emitting from one tanned hand, like steam rising from a hot drink. He had seen worse than that. He could never forget the first time this unpredictable situation happened. That was the only time tears streamed down on his cheeks at the raw panic that had gripped him. He leaned back slightly when the space around his friend started distorting at his body heat. "Naruto," he murmured. "Shouldn't you be at that place?"

"Engagement party," Naruto managed to say in a strained voice. "Can't miss it."

The other man knew how active Naruto had been in the preparation of the engagement party he and others planned to give to Sakura and Sai. He also knew how much Sakura wanted him to be there, but- "I don't think she'll be happy to have you like this."

"I have this under control," he assured through gritted teeth. He clenched his eyes shut, forcing his excessive chakra to focus on the pendant of Tsunade's necklace. The blue gem started dowsing as it stored more chakra.

Shikamaru wondered how much more the pendant could stand before it would shatter under its owner's chakra and how much more could Naruto's body stand of its overuse. He could only stare at his friend when he had calmed his restless chakra.

"I told you," Naruto said.

"You're such a troublesome guy."

The blonde rolled his eyes and just when his lazy friend stood up, the ground under his feet collapsed while his knees gave way and both men knew he had reached his limit.

-SasuNaru is love-

By ten in the evening, the engagement was in full swing with the engaged couple having made their rounds to welcome their guests. Peals of laughter covered one after another as if fighting for dominance while voices reached to crescendo.

Sakura stumbled into the balcony and took a seat beside Sai. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked.

"Betting whether Ino will be next," Kiba answered. He took a swig of his drink only to find it empty. He made to reach the closest bottle but Naruto grabbed it.

"It's mine," the blonde stated.

"Perhaps Kiba-kun here wants to kiss Sasuke-kun indirectly," Lee stated.

Sasuke ignored the statement seeing it to be mundane and unimportant to demand a reaction from him. Kiba, on the other hand, made gagging sounds.

"C'mon, bastard," Naruto said, standing up and addressing his lover. "Let's get more beer."

"Let Kiba get it."

"For everyone." Ignoring the glare, he dragged the man to the room where beverages were stored for the party.

With mischievous blue eyes, he said, "We could give them a stronger drink. Imagine their hungover."

Sasuke just looked at him with no reaction.

Partypooper."

"Hn."

Huffing at that smirk, the blonde started picking the bottles and passed it to Sasuke. Without warning, his muscles relaxed and his eyes widened when he felt the bottle slipping from his hand in a slow motion. He expected it to crash... waiting for that inevitable sound but it didn't came.

"Clumsy," he heard Sasuke muttered almost in that mocking voice and he didn't have to look to know his lover had caught the bottle.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed upon noticing how flushed Naruto's face was. Did he drink that much? Was he drunk? At a closer inspection he concluded that no, the dobe wasn't drunk. The flush was akin to that of a fever.

"Dobe?" He growled when he was slammed against the wall and his question was swallowed by Naruto's hot mouth. His eyes slid shut at the sensation of feeling such overwhelming passion from the said man. It had been awhile since he tasted this passion of his. He moaned out his pleasure

and burrowing his fingers into the mop of blond hair, slanted Naruto's head so he could have more.

They broke their kiss lanquidly, while teasing the other with a flick of their tongue or with a suck on their partner's bottom lip.

"I'll be back," Naruto muttered, his reddish eyes gazing at his beloved and then he disappeared with a resounding poof.

It took a while for Sasuke's mind to identify what that sound was- the telltale sign that a clone had been released. That thought alone led him to realize that the Naruto he had drink with back at that room and kissed awhile ago was a clone. Angry, confused and feeling betrayed, he tried to guess at what time the blonde switch with his clone. It certainly couldn't be during the party or on their way to the party because they had been together. His brows furrowed as a pressing issue was raised by his mind. Why would Naruto have his clone attend an event which was important to him? He had no idea just as he had no idea what Naruto was hiding but it wouldn't be like this for a long time. He would demand answers and explanations and for that he had to find his idiot.

"Where's Naruto?" Neji asked Sasuke who was anxious to leave.

"That's what I'd like to find out," was the reply icily given causing the Hyuuga male to arch an eyebrow. His gaze accidentally fell on Shikamaru and Sakura who were having a very quiet conversation at one corner of the room. One look at Shikamaru's scowl and Sakura's poorly-concealed worry and he knew where he could find his answers.

At the training ground he frequented since his return, Sasuke drew blood from both of his thumbs and performed a summoning technique. Addressing his summoned snakes, he ordered, "Find Naruto." At that, the snakes slithered away to find their master's errant lover.

-SasuNaru is love-

Two of the ferocious carnivorous animals living in area sniffed the air and broke into a run towards to their left where the scent of their would-be food came. They leapt over rocks, passed through few bushes before reaching the clearing and skidded to a stop. Their tails which stood awhile ago went limp and they whimpered. Like any other animals, they quietly backed away before fleeing for safety. And the area was once more absent of movements and life except for Naruto who had stopped minding the effect his chakra had on these animals... the same chakra he channeled to the ground or that burst from him that never failed to make animals flee farther.

Not far from him, lying on a boulder was his power limiter, eerily glinting under the moonlight. Placed against the same boulder was his knapsack with half of its contents- few scrolls, a book and food scattered around it.

While tension was thick around his area, a relaxed Naruto lay on his back. Although he was certain that Sasuke would confront him after he failed to maintain his clone, he was such in a good mood to be bothered because he was unrestrained. To him, that time of confrontation was too far.

Naruto sighed in comfort. No matter how much he hated his true form, nothing still beat the relaxation he felt when his power limiter was removed from him. With that accessory taken off, breathing became easier and he didn't have to worry about his chakra rolling like waves or keeping under control what the power limiter couldn't suppress and his pendant couldn't negate. Being in his true form was very convenient - a thought he accepted as a fact since his first attack.

The first time this happened was half a year since his merging and he was on his way home from a three-man cell mission with Shikamaru and Chouji. All he remembered that time was his left foot brushing against a tree branch before passing out. His two companions, on the other hand, remembered everything as vividly as when it occurred.

Chouji was behind Naruto when all of sudden, the latter had disappeared from his line of sight. Slightly tilting his gaze downward, his eyes widened seeing his blond comrade outlined in red while imitating a leaf's fall. Without any hesitation, he moved to save him while calling out the attention of their leader.

At his teammate's urgent tone, Shikamaru looked over his shoulder just in time to see Naruto completely engulfed what he first thought to be a fire especially when Chouji who had caught him a second ago, dropped him as the red flame singed his skin. He quickly summoned the surrounding shadows to bind the free-falling blonde but even he had a difficulty. The shadows wavered then few seconds later, despite his concentration, broke. They could only watched in horror while Naruto continued falling like a shooting star and slammed to the ground, creating a crater.

The two leapt from one branch to another as they descended to where the unconscious Naruto was. What negating and unharmful sealing techniques they knew, they used but it only worsened the case. Having no other options, Shikamaru had no choice but to send for a team of medic-nin or for Tsunade, if she was available. The wait then had been gruelling as they could only watch as the fierce chakra continued to rage and burned Naruto's skin.

It had been like an eternity before Tsunade arrived and Shikamaru didn't know that he had cried until Chouji slapped him on his back and squeezed his shoulder - an act of assurance.

Tsunade looked lost and helpless too as she found out that it was impossible to approach Naruto. Fortunately, the blond shinobi gained consciousness. "Too tight," was all he said before unclasping his armlet.

They all watched as his chakra frighteningly rose up to the sky like a luminous bands of red and orange light and seconds later, returned to normal, as if nothing wrong had happened. Even Naruto who they expected to be gasping acted as if he was all right. Results of the immediate check-up Tsunade performed on him showed that he was fine but further investigation on Naruto once he returned to Konoha, proved that the armlet was causing strain on his body as it constantly suppressed his chakra. From there, it didn't take a genius to say that Naruto's body had reached its limit and as an act of self-preservation, released all the pent-up chakra despite the presence of the armlet.

Despite knowing the risk, Naruto insisted to wear the armlet. He couldn't walk along the Konoha streets in his true form and nobody believed for a second that the villagers or the councils would let him do so. However, the council had insisted for him to use the Forest of Death whenever he would have his attack – as they rudely coined it. Instead of protesting, Naruto just nodded knowing that it was a preventive measure for him not to harm the villagers when things would get worse. What was worse than having irregular chakra discharge?

-SasuNaru is love-

Villagers – civilians and shinobi alike, stepped aside to let Sasuke, who was emitting dark aura, passed by and stared after him, wondering who was the poor soul that provoke him to such anger. While they quailed even from a distance, Tsunade looked nonplussed as she regarded the angry man in her office.

"How can I help you?" Tsunade asked sarcastically – an effect from her hangover.

"Naruto. I want to know where he is," Sasuke stated in a coolly controlled anger.

"Have you misplaced your lover?"

"I can't find him and at the party last night, the Naruto I was with was a clone." When that didn't surprise the woman in front of him, Sasuke was certain that she knew. "What is going on?" he demanded.

"Nothing than the usual," Tsunade answered vaguely which made one elegant black eyebrow to twitch. "He'll be back as quietly as he disappeared."

"What do you mean by that?"

"This discussion is over, Uchiha."

Sasuke was about to protest but one snake slithered up along his left leg, making its presence known at the same time, rudely interrupting his master. Tsunade immediately warily looked at the snake while her hands tensed.

"Sorry for making Sasuke-sama wait," the snake hissed. He eyed the blond woman before saying, "Your bidding had been done."

Sasuke nodded and looked at his superior with triumph glinting in his eyes. "Of course. Our discussion is over. Please excuse me, hokage-sama." With that said, he left hurriedly that he didn't hear Tsunade cursing and demanding to have Sakura in her office at once.

"Where is he?" Sasuke demanded.

"His scent vanishes at the forest."

"Which forest?"

The snake seemed to falter, causing its master to scowl. "I don't know the name. From here, it's ten degrees north and four degrees west. The forest reeks of blood, death, malice and danger. I didn't attempt to enter."

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke said and with a nod, dismissed the snake. Without further ado, he followed the direction he had been given. Minutes later, he found himself standing in front of an area surrounded with barbed wires where placards with 'Danger' and 'Keep out!' written on it in bold and red paint were plastered. Nailed on a huge tree was another placard with text that read '44th battle training zone – Forest of death'. He blinked owlishly. He had heard of this place... had been in this place a long time ago. Why was Naruto here? What was he doing here? Was the information his summon gave him correct?

Sasuke was so deep into his thoughts that he almost jumped when a female voice called out his name. He turned around and scowled. "Sakura," he stated in an annoyed voice. Had he been followed? He doubted it. He would have known if he was being followed. Was this just a conincidence then? He doubted it. Sakura, he assumed, wouldn't be here without a reason. Had she been asked by Tsunade? If that was the case, then Tsunade knew. Sakura probably knew too. Perhaps, all of Naruto's friends knew. Of what? He had no idea but he was sick of being left in the dark. "You can't stop me from going in, Sakura," he told her.

There was a sympathy in her voice when the kunoichi answered, "I won't because you can't go in, Sasuke-kun."

"What do you mean I can't go in?"

"There's a barrier surrounding the place every time Naruto's there. Nothing gets in and nothing gets out. Even if you will try breaking it, your efforts will be futile."

Sasuke studied the area again. "Why would he be inside that place? Training? Or is it something to do with what he's keeping from me... what you guys are keeping from me?"

Emerald eyes looked away at the accusatory gaze. "It's complicated and only Naruto has the right to tell you."

"Bullshit!"

"It wouldn't be if only you didn't leave him!" Sakura snapped. It was a low blow but the man was pushing her buttons the wrong way. "We know because we were there." The man hung his head whether it was out of shame or something else, she didn't know.

"So it all comes down on who was there for Naruto at that time, eh?" Sasuke asked ominously, causing the kunoichi to step back.

"Knowing him, he would tell you."

"No, Sakura. He won't. I've been waiting too long for him to tell me. If what you say is true about this barrier to be impenetratable then I'll wait but you better make sure you have an avaiable bed or two at the hospital when I'm done with him." Having said that, he disppeared from her sight. Sakura sighed and pressed a hand against her chest. Dammit! Sasuke and Naruto were the epitome of trouble.

-SasuNaru is love-

Just as he told Sakura, Sasuke waited and was waiting with his mood getting more sour every passing day that Naruto didn't come home and the dragging hours didn't help matters.

He couldn't understand why something that felt so right with Naruto went wrong or why their second chance... their reality was abound of Naruto's secrets or were they lies? His heart clenched painfully. Was Naruto still playing their old game? His heart dropped to his stomach. There was no way his dobe would do that, right? Especially not right after the trouble he underwent chasing after him; after being restricted to do only mission within the village for a month as a punishment for leaving without permission; after the rumors that involved them and most especially, after their frequent passionate embrace.

Dammit! How miserable could he get for Naruto?

-SasuNaru is love-

In a split second, Sasuke put all the wretched emotion he felt in his punch he sent flying to Naruto who had just stepped inside their apartment after eleven days of being gone.

"Fuck!" Naruto managed to spat out before shaking his head to rid of spots he was seeing. Before he could recover, Sasuke slammed him against the wall, kneed him in the stomach, threw him to the floor and pinned him there.

"Tell me," Sasuke whispered hotly into his ear in a demanding voice. "Or I'll beat you up!" Despite his threat, his onyx eyes were pleading, once more reaching out. Once more trying.

"Fine," Naruto replied and there was resignation in his voice. These past three days, he had been thinking and he finally realized how unfair it was for Sasuke to be kept in the dark. He had made up his mind to tell him and had found courage to do so. Let Sasuke decide if he wanted to stay with him after his confession. He pushed his lover from him and stood at the end of the room. "Don't come any closer!" he told Sasuke who moved to follow him. He kept his eyes trained on the man while he took off his power limiter.

On instinct, Sasuke brought an arm to cover his face at the sudden pressure and steam-like fog that filled between him and Naruto. For a fleeting moment, he thought Naruto used a smoke screen to escape but the mass of barely controlled ominous chakra he felt told him otherwise.

While the mist disappeared, the uncomfortable pressure was still there, almost choking him. When he opened his eyes, the sight that greeted him stupefied him. "N-naruto?" he asked because a huge part of him couldn't believe the change. It was just too much.

"The one and only," the being replied in a very deep voice.

"Wha- Why? When? How?" he asked while he took in the hair, the fangs, the malice.

Naruto's courage faltered but he had already made a promise. "I'm a chimera since I was born."

Sasuke nodded, telling the blonde that he knew what a chimera was. When one was in the company of Orochimaru and Kabuto, it was impossible not to know scientific especially genetic jargons.

"Two years ago, when the seal reached its limit, Kyuubi was free. Exposure to his unrestrained chakra damage my cells and killed me."

Sasuke gaped. Naruto had died? Then how-

"My other set reacted hostily to Kyuubi, went as far of absorbing him to replace my damage cells and this is the product- a hanyou." He ended his short explanation by sweeping his arms wide to show himself in a mocking manner. His eyes narrowed, "I'm not a jinchuuriki anymore." He stared down at the bastard, challenging him to say something... to tell him that he loved him still.

Unfortunately, the challenge went unnoticed by Sasuke who was engrossed with his thoughts. He was feeling too many emotions at once with relief as the primary one but there was no disgust. Things were finally making sense and he finally understood why Naruto refused to take off his armlet.

"Why the clone at Sakura's party? What were you doing in the Forest of Death?"

"As you probably figured it out, my armlet is a power limiter and suppreses my chakra. Too much suppression strains my body in such a way that chakra would pour out from every single pore. I need to release this huge amount of unused chakra or I'll implode. I do that there which won't cause any harm to the village. This case is unpredictable and so is the interval between them. The longest had been six months and shortest, one and a half months." He looked down, nervous, worried and scared for Sasuke's decision. If he opted to throw him away which Naruto assumed was what would happen then that was the end for him.

Hearing a ripping sound, Naruto looked up just in time to see Sasuke's wings pushed past his shirt.

Sasuke who was in his maximum mode of his cursed seal then said, "Like I said, you're not the only one who's different, usuratonkachi."

You're not the only one who is special.

Naruto blinked at him owlishly.

"If you're a demon, what does that make me, dumbass? Although this seal have to be activated by my chakra, my cells are mutated to accomodate the effects of the seal."

Was Sasuke saying what he thought he was saying? "Then, you won't?"

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes. "Why would I? Why should I? You're still the Naruto I know."

Hope flared in golden eyes. "Really? Is it really okay?"

"More than okay," was Sasuke's affectionate reply, melting Naruto's heart. Their gazes met while relief vanquished whatever fear they had and their hearts became calm and certain once more.

"Change back to your human form," Sasuke told Naruto.

"Huh? Why? You said it was fine."

Sasuke sighed in exasperatinn. "I can't kiss you in this kind of height difference."

Naruto chortled and regarded their height difference. His bastard was right. "Then use your wings unless they're nothing but useless accesories," he replied teasingly.

"Sorry to disappoint you but they are usuable. I want to kiss you with my feet on the ground."

The blonde chuckled but gave into his lover's request. Even before they had completely turned back to their human form, Sasuke already had their hungry mouths pressed together.

Pulling away, Sasuke yanked Naruto's head back, stared down at him with eyes as glazed and half-mast as Naruto's. He slightly swiped his tongue to break the string of saliva that connected their mouths and said, "Such an idiot... worrying over nothing."

"Shut up. I just don't want to lose you."Naruto explained while running his hands on the other man's clothed chest.

"Never."

"I know that now." He pressed their mouths together. Their tongues immediately surged forward to battle and plunder. On the way to their bedroom, they attacked each other's clothes, ripping them away from the body they desire and would desire forever.

Both of them thought that it was like making love for the first time. There were no insecurities, doubts, hard feelings or such. There was just this enormous feeling of wanting to touch and be touched... the desire to embrace and be embraced... the need to burn and be burned. It was maddening.

Sasuke licked his lips at the tanned body laid out in front of his eyes and felt his libido roar in hunger. With that seductive smile Naruto was giving him, he attacked his banquet voraciously.

He greedily licked his way downwards, eagerly toying with nipples that stood proud and erect under his ministrations, excitedly leaving marks anywhere he pleased and his rewards were Naruto moans and reaction and they were enough... more than enough.

Naruto clenched his eyes shut, his face distorted with fevered lust the moment Sasuke's hot breath fanned his erection. In response, he spread his legs wider and raised his hips. He let out a dark moan when he felt a slick and cold finger enter his overheating body. "Sasuke..."

While Sasuke had his fingers stretched Naruto, he nuzzled his inner thighs, appreciating their smoothness and tainting it with his marks. He moved to scatter kisses on his erection, causing Naruto to raise his hips, demanding. Sasuke moved downward to attack Naruto's perenium with his tongue... teasing him... persistently pushing him over the edge. This time, his fingers were no longer stretching him but pistonining in and out from him, imitating what would happen very soon.

"Sasuke," Naruto murmured,while shaking his head like a madman. Everything was too much yet he wanted more... more heat...more of Sasuke's mouth, tongue and fingers. He wanted Sasuke inside him, hot, slick and hard.

At the cry that slipped past his dobe's lips that warned him how close he was, Sasuke stopped all sensual attack and gripped the base of the erection in front of him, causing the said dobe to curse and whimper. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, making Naruto's hardened length twitch as a reaction. He smirked. "Hey," he said and the blonde immediately nodded, understanding what was being asked from him. Naruto turned to lay on his side, knowing that both he and Sasuke wanted their union to be slow and long. He covered the pale hand that supported one leg against his chest and shivered when Sasuke's wet tip poke his entrance. "Sasuke..."

Sasuke just grunted, sucked one earlobe before pushing into that tight body, burying himself home. "Naruto," he sighed, and tugged the other man's chin for an open-mouthed kiss. A tanned arm reached behind to wrap around his neck, while its fingers buried into his dark-hair as he started moving, slowly, inexorably. It felt good to be inside his dobe... too incredibly good he could feel tears stinging his eyes. He pushed deeper... pressed their bodies closer.

And they were rising into dizzying heights that left them panting and straining towards each other.

Naruto mirrored his movements, creating more friction, taking all the sensations that burned between them like an inferno. Both of them could feel the spring that coiled inside their abdomen. They were close... so damned close. They could see their apex... their place in the stars that were beyond reality; hear the echoing promises, encouraging them to move faster... faster... faster... harder... deeper... faster... Taking Sasuke's hands in his and meeting his lust-filled gaze, they jumped into the maelstrom of their emotions... their maelstrom.

:END:

Author's notes: This fic had been written quite a long time ago and at that time, Kishimoto didn't bring up what happened to Sasuke's cursed seal after his battle with Itachi. I didn't bother changing it once, it was brought up because... I liked it this way.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading. For those who are also reading Secession, please visit my profile for a special announcement.