Author's Note: Last chapter, guys! Thank you to roboguy45, Dragon77, yukino76, and HeartSNS for your support since the last chapter. :)

The FFN version has been edited to remove any explicit parts. If you're interested in the full version (and are of legal age), then head on over to AO3. You can find me there with the same pen name + story name.

Sasuke put on the plain, pale blue yukata that Shizune left out for him. He'd gingerly fed his arms through the sleeves, feeling his wounds sting with every movement he made. The pain wasn't as bad as it had been the day before (or perhaps he had just gotten used to it), but Sasuke made sure not to move too rashly.

Just as he'd finished tying the obi lightly around his waist, a knock came at the door. Sasuke paused when he heard Naruto calling out to him. He wasn't sure if he was ready to face Naruto yet, especially not after he'd coldly cast the other out of the room. The elf didn't want to know what Naruto's face would look like, how disgusted he'd be, when he saw his wounds. His face flushed in embarrassment at the thought as the elf called out for Naruto to come in.

Naruto hesitated before stepping into the room, his eyes focused on Sasuke's as he did so. The elf fought the urge to cast his eyes downward; he was still afraid of what he'd find behind Naruto's eyes. But he kept his gaze steady at the man he'd come to fall in love with.

They stood on the far ends of the room, assessing one another.

"I looked for you," Naruto said quietly, his expression softening, "As soon as I heard there was a chance you were still alive, I left Konoha to find you."

The elf felt his breath catch in his throat; he could feel relief wash over him at the thought that Naruto hadn't given up on him. But Sasuke still couldn't bring himself to respond. He had no idea whether Naruto would still want him after all Sasuke had endured and how ugly his body had become. Sasuke folded his arms across his chest as he shuddered at the thought of Naruto rejecting him after seeing his wounds.

"Sasuke."

When Sasuke focused onto Naruto's brilliant blue eyes, Naruto gave Sasuke a small smile, as if trying to reassure him that everything was okay.

And for just a moment, Sasuke felt just that.

Sasuke could feel the tears that he'd been holding back flow freely as he began to weep. He'd gone through so much alone, and that seemingly unending despair finally caught up to him once he'd had a moment to think about all that happened in the past few weeks.

Kakashi.

Orochimaru.

Kabuto.

Kagura.

Fuck.

Sasuke just wanted to forget about it all. He felt an intense mixture of fear, loneliness, insanity, claw at him.

It wasn't until Naruto pulled him in close that Sasuke wailed, his arms wrapping around the strong body of his master - no, his lover. The very idea that Naruto would disown him immediately dissipated as Naruto held him snugly against him (Naruto seemed very careful not to agitate Sasuke's wounds).

"Naruto," Sasuke whispered, still in disbelief that he was reunited with Naruto and pressing his face to the blond's shoulder as if he would disappear any minute.

Gently as he could, Naruto soothed Sasuke with soft whispers of his name and kisses on his forehead, swaying them back and forth as they continued to cling to one another.

"I'm here, Sasuke," Naruto said quietly when Sasuke's crying eased up, "I'm here."

. . . . .

"Tell me what happened after you confessed to Kakashi's murder. I want to know everything, from the moment you were taken to the jails to now."

Sasuke looked at Naruto nervously, watching as those clear, blue eyes bore into him. Despite the serious expression on the human's face, Sasuke knew that Naruto was trying to keep his anxiety in check.

They'd spent the entire day in Sasuke's room, speaking for hours with one another about nothing in particular. They both knew they were putting off the discussion of what exactly had happened to Sasuke since he was jailed back in Konoha, but the elf had strayed away from those heavy emotions. He didn't want to talk about what happened, for fear of losing Naruto.

Sasuke wanted to be close with the blond, to feel his hands and body all over him, to get lost in heady pleasures as they tried to prove how much they loved one another. But he feared that Naruto's love would disappear when he'd hear about what happened to him and saw the wounds on his back.

Sasuke was battered. Broken.

He was already a mess when Naruto first brought him home, and he was just more of a mess now. Why would anyone willingly touch him? To willingly love him, with all the emotional baggage and physical damage he now had?

The elf tried to tell himself that Naruto was different, that he would love him all the same. But fear drove his mind to dark places, told him that he wasn't worth someone so caring and wonderful as Naruto.

So when Naruto pushed the conversation to something heavier, Sasuke nervously fidgeted with the sleeves of his yukata, eyes cast off to the side. He thought back on everything, and it made him feel like he was drowning.

"I...I don't think I'm ready," Sasuke confessed as he bit his bottom lip.

The expression on Naruto's face softened. The blond sighed, then gestured for Sasuke to scooch closer to him on the bed until they sat side-by-side, their hips, legs, arms touching. Naruto gently cupped Sasuke's cheek and turned the elf to him, placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Then will you at least let me see your back?"

The elf shied away from Naruto's touch and casting his gaze downward. He was so afraid of Naruto rejecting him that he didn't even want to give the other the chance to do so. But he'd need to give the blond at least the chance, even if it ended up hurting him...

Sasuke shut his eyes, trying to gather up enough bravery. After a few moments silence, Sasuke gave a small, "ok", and moved to completely sit on the bed, his back facing Naruto. He shimmied the yukata off his shoulders and let the smooth material fall onto the bed, letting it pool around his waist seductively.

The bandages were still wrapped around his torso, but Sasuke undid one end that had been tucked in at the front and loosened the wrappings. Naruto reached around Sasuke as he helped him unravel the bandages. As each layer of bandage was removed, Sasuke felt more and more anxiety build up in him. When all the bandages were finally off, Sasuke was on the verge of tears.

. . . . .

Naruto felt his stomach knot uncomfortably at the sight before him. But in the few seconds that it took for him to feel discomfort, that feeling morphed into anger. He clenched his fist as he looked at the marred, but still beautiful, expanse of skin.

He wasn't going to lie and say the damage was no big deal; the criss-crossing of bright, red lines actually made Naruto sick to his stomach. All he wanted to do was reach out and touch Sasuke, to let him know that he was still there for him. He knew it was taking Sasuke all he could to show this vulnerable side of him, and Naruto appreciated it.

To show Sasuke just how much he appreciated it, and to ensure him that he was here to stay, Naruto leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Sasuke's shoulder.

"I love you," Naruto said, lips still pressed against Sasuke, "I'm not going to leave you. Ever."

Sasuke's shoulders shook as Naruto embraced him gently.

oooOOooo

After dinner, Sasuke insisted they go outside for a stroll. The elf looped his arm around Naruto's, and they toured Kibougakure. It was a bustling town, with much more life and diversity than their home back in Konoha offered.

"I like it here," Sasuke said quietly as a group of children - elf and human - passed them, racing one another home.

Naruto smiled, though he could feel his stomach weigh heavily as the thought of Sasuke's brother plagued him. He thought finding Sasuke was the difficult part, but he quickly learned that the aftermath of his journey proved significantly more difficult. Luckily it only took a little extra persistence to get Sasuke to yield in trying to hide his wounds from him. Itachi, on the other hand…while the blond knew it was his duty to give Sasuke at least the chance to meet his brother, he wanted nothing more than to just return home with Sasuke.

They returned to Shizune's and retreated into their room, Sasuke immediately going to sit down on the bed to recuperate his strength. Naruto pulled his chair up and sat directly in front of the elf, taking Sasuke's hands in his as sighed. Sasuke looked at their hands, then up at him questioningly.

"Sasuke, I have something to tell you," Naruto said, pausing for a moment as he collected himself, "When I was looking for you, I found your older brother. His name's Itachi."

The blond braced himself for the moment of shock to grace Sasuke's face, but when that moment failed to come, Naruto looked at Sasuke questioningly. Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, shut his eyes, and nodded as he let out a long breath.

"Kakashi told me," Sasuke said, reopening his eyes to look at Naruto, "Is he… how is he?"

Naruto looked down at their hands, holding them tight as he replied, "He's well, relatively speaking. Itachi asked that I bring you to see him when I found you. Is that- is that something you'd like to do?"

Sasuke leaned forward and kissed each one of Naruto's eyelids, making sure to throw his arms around Naruto's neck in an extra tight embrace.

"Yes. Thank you."

oooOOooo

When Itachi received a courier announcing their arrival to Aogakure in a few days' time, he immediately assigned everyone to cleaning up and clearing out two rooms for their guests. There was a mixture of excitement and annoyance- excitement, for the reunion of the two brothers, and annoyance, for the disruption of their operations since many were in the middle of recruitment and in the planning phases of extractions. But most expressed excitement as their base was thoroughly cleaned and primped.

On the day of their arrival, Itachi seemed to be in a good mood. He awoke early that morning and went out to bring breakfast back for everyone, even choosing to share the meal with them. It was highly unusual for the man to socialize with them, but the others didn't seem to mind.

Sasori headed out to meet Naruto and Sasuke outside of town around noon, just in case the blond couldn't recall the way to their base. Itachi expressed his thanks, to which Sasori blushed and insisted it wasn't a big deal.

As soon as the front door opened and the trio walked into the place, Itachi got up from his seat and stared at the elf who looked so much like his own reflection. There was no doubt they were brothers.

"Sasuke," Itachi said as he looked at his long-lost brother.

Sasuke looked right back at him, giving him a nod as he greeted with a small smile on his face, "Hello, Itachi. It's wonderful to finally meet you."

. . . . .

They planned to stay just a few days but ended up staying an entire week at Aogakure. Naruto didn't really mind so much, especially after Sasuke insisted that he and Naruto share a room.

Each night, Sasuke and Itachi stayed up until very late, talking about anything and everything. Of course they'd want to make up for lost time, and Naruto wouldn't stop them from doing so. But once the eighth night crept around, Naruto was starting to get antsy with nothing to do. The base wasn't all that great for entertaining guests, and while Aogakure was a nice town, it wasn't home. Not to them, at least.

On that eighth night, Naruto stayed up and waited until Sasuke returned to their room. As with the other nights, it was very late when Sasuke stole into the room. But the elf looked surprised when he saw Naruto awake, reading a book that Itachi had lent him.

When Naruto saw that Sasuke had returned, he closed the book and looked at Sasuke, smiling tiredly.

"Hi," Naruto said.

"Hi," Sasuke said, returning the smile.

Naruto stood from his chair to stretch and made his way to the bed, aware of how Sasuke's eyes followed him. When Naruto lied down on his side, he patted the spot next to him, beckoning Sasuke to follow. The elf lay down next to him, his back pressed up against Naruto's warm body.

The blond traced a lazy finger from Sasuke's ear, down his neck, to his shoulder. He watched as muscles tensed, and Naruto continued his light touches, pushing Sasuke's kimono down his shoulder and revealing the pale skin there. Naruto placed a kiss there and wrapped his arm around the other to pull him close.

"How's your back?" Naruto asked.

"Mm, fine," Sasuke replied, though his breath seemed a little ragged.

"Let me see."

Sasuke loosened himself from Naruto's grasp and sat up on the edge of the bed, moving the kimono off his shoulders and letting the fabric fall. Despite his initial hesitation, Sasuke was compliant to Naruto's requests once he was sure the blond wasn't going to leave him.

The wounds on Sasuke's back were healing quite nicely though they were still pink, slightly raised from the surrounding skin. At Shizune's request, Sasuke and Naruto remained in Kibougakure for a week, just to make sure that Sasuke was healing properly, before they headed off to Aogakure to meet Itachi. Sasuke didn't need bandages anymore, but Naruto made sure to rub Sasuke's back with salve every morning after they bathed.

But today was different. Naruto grabbed the jar of salve and instructed Sasuke to lie on his stomach. Sasuke complied, expertly keeping his lower parts covered as he did so.

The blond opened the jar and scooped out enough of it before smearing it on Sasuke's back. The elf hummed in comfort as Naruto's hands worked the odorless salve on his back.

But the hands didn't stop once the salve was properly rubbed in. Instead, they continued along, up to the back of Sasuke's neck, kneading out the knots there. Sasuke let out a content groan, feeling his body react strongly to the intimate touches. Then the hands continued to move along each of Sasuke's arms, squeezing gently as they went.

"Naruto," Sasuke growled warningly as he turned his head to catch the mischievous look on Naruto's face.

The situation was a little like deja vu for the both of them, when Naruto had first brought Sasuke home and had given him a bath. That seemed so long ago now.

But Naruto paid no mind to Sasuke's threatening tone then and he wasn't about to pay any mind now. He simply continued his touches, trailing his hands down Sasuke's sides until he reached the kimono covering his waist. When Naruto pushed the fabric aside and began working his hands on Sasuke's thighs, the elf let out a strangled noise.

"What do you think you're doing-"

Naruto leaned forward and captured Sasuke's lips, swiping his tongue into the other's mouth. To Naruto's pleasure, they both pressed forward in a fevered bout, their tongues tangling with one another. Sasuke tried to push himself up but Naruto pulled away from their kiss just long enough to place a strong hand on his shoulder.

"Stay," Naruto rasped.

In response, Sasuke growled and bit Naruto's lip. The blond froze, seemingly shocked at the aggressive show, but the next moment his eyes darkened and Naruto licked his bottom lip to nurse it. He scooped Sasuke's naked form up in his arms and turned him around to set him down straddling his lap, facing him. Sasuke flushed at how exposed he was but made no move to cover himself.

"Why this position…?" he asked, averting his eyes from the fierce blue ones trained on him.

"I just applied the salve," Naruto responded, as if the answer were obvious.

They hadn't touched each other this intimately since… well, since before everything. Naruto had been patient with Sasuke, waiting for him to heal and understanding that he'd gone through a lot. He hadn't wanted to push it, but the blond was aching for Sasuke.

. . . . .

When Sasuke finally moved off Naruto, he pushed himself up gingerly as Naruto slipped out of him. They both moaned at the feeling, sensitive from sex. Sasuke got up from the bed and grabbed a handkerchief from his knapsack, wiping his stomach off before wiping Naruto's. Then he lay down next to Naruto, stomach-first, and lazily ran his fingers over tanned skin.

"I love you," Sasuke said, his dark eyes staring at Naruto's.

"I love you," Naruto returned.

They both leaned in for a kiss, warm and decidedly slow; the lust had faded for the moment, but the love was just as strong as ever. And despite what he needed to say next, Naruto wanted to make sure Sasuke didn't have any other ideas about their relationship.

"Sasuke, I need to go back to Konoha," Naruto said softly as he reached forward to tuck strands of ebony hair behind one of those cute, pointed ears.

The elf pushed himself up from his prostrate position, opting to sit on his knees as he looked down at Naruto.

"You're leaving?" Leaving me?

The look in Sasuke's eyes wrenched Naruto's heart with guilt. Naruto leaned on his elbows, grabbing one of Sasuke's hands in his.

"Don't misunderstand me," Naruto said as he stared at their clasped hands, "I want us to go home together and live our lives out in comfort in Konoha, but I don't even know if we should go back. People think you're dead, and you wouldn't be able to leave the house. I can hardly stand being cooped up here as long as I have myself, so I don't want to force you to live a life like that."

The confusion in Sasuke's eyes was clear.

"You're going to leave me here, go back to Konoha...and then what?"

"I'm going back to get a few of our belongings together, then we'll find another home. We could live here in Aogakure to be near your brother, or Kibou with our friends, or any other place that you desire."

Sasuke furrowed his brows, clearly not liking the idea that he'd be without Naruto for some time.

"It's better this way," Naruto said, squeezing Sasuke's hand, "Here, Itachi and his group can watch over you and keep you safe until I come back. I...I don't want to think about what would happen if you were taken from me again."

The elf sighed stared forlornly at their clasped hands, as if already missing the blond man.

"Okay," Sasuke said, "but you promise to come back for me?"

"I promise."

oooOOooo

Sasuke frowned, pressing his cheek in his palm as he leaned on the table. He was bored.

Not a day after Naruto left to take care of business in Konoha, Itachi left the base for an extraction operation from a notorious band of traffickers. Itachi left Sasori in charge of the place, and despite Sasuke's fondness for his older brother, he didn't care much for the strict redhead.

So the elf stayed in his room for the past three days, unable to leave the base since Aogakure was not a neutral zone. He'd be grabbed off the street as soon as he'd step outside, as Sasori had warned him, unless Sasuke were to get his ears "fixed".

He understood why his brother and the others wanted - maybe even needed - to mutilate their bodies like that, but Sasuke knew he'd never change a part of himself like that. If he did, Sasuke took it as denying who he was, denying every part of his identity that made him, well, him.

Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh, getting up from his seat and leaving his room. He'd done more than enough moping by himself. With time on his hands, he should at least try to grab a book from his brother's office and learn a few things.

The brunet was making his way down the hall towards the stairs when Sasori appeared from his room. The other didn't seem to notice him, heading downstairs without a second glance behind him. As Sasuke walked by, he realized the door was just slightly ajar. He could see a sliver of the room, but his interest was already won; the elf was bored, and any distraction from his boredom was welcome.

Quietly, Sasuke pushed the door open and peered in. The room was simply furnished, much like his and Naruto's, except with a few books scattered on the table and an interesting monochrome landscape painting hung up on the wall. Sasuke took a bold step into the room, wanting to take a closer look at the art. He was only there for a half minute when Sasori showed up at the door.

"Your brother painted that for me."

Sasuke jumped, startled and eyes wide as he turned to look at Sasori. The redhead had his arms crossed over his chest, but not even a hint of annoyance graced his face. Instead, he'd looked...anxious?

"He did?" Sasuke asked, his nervousness at having been found out snooping around Sasori's room fading.

"Yes. He's very talented," Sasori replied, pausing for a moment as he stared at the painting, then continuing, "I have a bit of work to do. Do you mind?"

Sasuke flushed almost immediately, heading for the door. Just as he was about to leave the room, he noticed the sword on the table. It looked awfully familiar…

"That sword," Sasuke started as he pivoted on the ball of his foot to head for the table, "where did you get it?"

The redhead sighed but made no move to stop Sasuke as he grabbed the sheathed sword and turned it in his hands. He recognized it as Naruto's sword, the one he owned until he was attacked by those bandits. Sasuke's eyes widened, a million thoughts surfacing as he looked up at Sasori.

"This is Naruto's."

Sasori pressed the pads of his thumb and index fingers to his eyelids.

"Yes."

"But...why do you have this?"

Sasuke hoped Sasori had stumbled upon the sword by way of trading or by some other indirect line, but by the way the redhead remained silent, his gaze averting Sasuke's, the brunet knew it only meant one thing.

"You attacked him," Sasuke growled, hands clenching around the sword, "It was you, wasn't it?"

Sasori growled right back, "And what if it was?"

"You nearly killed him!" Sasuke shouted, hands shaking.

"I know," Sasori stated, a hard tone in his voice, "Naruto is a good man, and I almost killed him- for what? Some coins and a sword? The regret from that encounter lingers with me every day."

Just by the brief time spent with the redhead, Sasuke knew that Sasori was telling the truth. He wouldn't simply voice his regret just to get Sasuke off his back. But his admission didn't help that Sasori had, in fact, hurt Naruto.

"I'm sorry."

Sasuke just looked up at Sasori and replied, "You need to apologize to Naruto, not me."

With that, he returned to his room, the sword in his hands all the while. Sasuke lay down on the bed, placing the sword right next to him, and slid under the covers.

He missed Naruto.

oooOOooo

Naruto showed up at his home in the outskirts of Konoha, surprised that Sakura was already there to welcome him. He had sent letters updating her on the situation, the most recent one right before he left Aogakure. But he hadn't heard back from Sakura at all, so he had no idea whether the woman had stuck around.

Sakura simply punched him in the arm when he stood at his doorstep, a sheepish grin on his face. Naruto explained why he was back, and Sakura's smile fell.

"So you're leaving Konoha."

The blond only nodded, his chest tightening. Sakura was a good friend all these years, but he had Sasuke to think about. It wasn't safe for them to remain in Konoha.

In the next moment, Sakura grinned and punched Naruto's arm again.

"I can always come visit. Don't forget to send me letters when you find a place to settle in."

Naruto promised Sakura that he would.

oooOOooo

It was early morning when Naruto came to Aogakure with a wagon of their things. Sasuke was shaken awake by Itachi, only having gone to bed not too long ago after another intellectually stimulating late-night conversation with his brother. But when the elf exited the base and saw the blond beaming at him, Sasuke couldn't help it as he threw himself at Naruto into a crushing hug.

"You're back!" Sasuke said joyfully, coming awake from his sleepiness.

"I promised," Naruto said, grinning as he pulled back to look at Sasuke, "Do you want to spend part of the day with Itachi, or are you ready to go?"

Despite his earlier happiness, Sasuke faltered. He tried not to think too much about having to leave Itachi, but Sasuke knew he had to leave his brother eventually. He'd considered staying in Aogakure, but the elf wouldn't be able to leave the house without Naruto. While the idea of being close to Itachi was tempting, so was freedom.

"Stay for lunch, at least," Itachi said, catching the tail end of their conversation as he came outside.

Sasuke nodded at his brother and led Naruto into the base.

. . . . .

When Sasori made his apologies to Naruto, the blond simply shook his hand and gave him a smile.

"The cut you gave me hurt like hell, but no hard feelings, yeah?"

Sasori flushed out of embarrassment. He really didn't deserve this man's forgiveness, but he'd given it to him as if Sasori had only just stepped in his way.

The redhead felt his attraction build for the blond. He was very glad for his sanity that Naruto wasn't sticking around.

. . . . .

"Promise you'll write to me? And visit me when you have the chance?"

"Of course, little brother. I'd love to visit."

Naruto stood a bit away from the brothers, not wanting to intrude on their goodbye. Sasuke looked so glum about leaving, but when the blond had so much as hinted at the elf staying with his brother, Sasuke had threatened Naruto.

It wasn't as if the brothers would never see each other again though. Sasuke said he'd write to Itachi when they were settled in Kibougakure (which Sasuke ultimately decided was the best place for the both of them to live). And if Sasuke ever wanted to, he and Naruto could always make the trip to Aogakure.

Sasuke reached up and placed a kiss on Itachi's cheek before wrapping his arms around him. They embraced for a few moments before Itachi pulled back and smiled, his gaze meeting Naruto's.

"Now go, before Naruto gets annoyed," Itachi said.

"He can stand to wait a few more minutes," Sasuke pouted.

Naruto's mouth twitched. He liked Sasuke's strong will, so it was more amusing than anything that Sasuke had disregarded him that way. No worries; Naruto would have more than enough time to remind the elf that he wasn't someone you could easily ignore.

As they rode off, with Sasuke sitting next to Naruto at the front of the wagon, Sasuke turned in his seat and waved at the group seeing them off. When they were nothing but specks in the distance, Sasuke turned back to face forward.

They rode on for a while in silence, neither feeling the need to break it. Sasuke hummed, then hooked his arm through Naruto's, leaning on him. The blond didn't need to look down to know that the elf was smiling just as big as he was, and they continued their way to Kibougakure in peace.

FIN

Final Author's Note: Oh. My. God. This thing has been 5+ years in the making, and it's finally done! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who's given their support by way of reviews, follows, favorites, and messages! I honestly couldn't have done it without you guys.

A HUMONGOUS thank you to Dragon77 and roboguy45 who've been around since, like, the very beginning of the story and never gave up on me, despite my long hiatuses. You guys are awesome, and your constant encouragement just warms my heart. Thank you again, both of you!

As for my next work, I'm toying with either a modern AU story or something more futuristic/dystopian. Let me know what you guys think!

Until next time.
With Love,
Char