Sasuke threw the curtains open wide, casting light on all the dust motes floating through the air. With Naruto out on a mission today, it seemed as good a time as any to get some cleaning done. Maybe he shouldn't complain about his current living situation - and not that this should come as a surprise - but Naruto's personal hygiene and overall cleanliness left something to be desired. He jiggled the frame of the window to let in some fresh air. It often got stuck. Eventually, it started to slide upward with an ominous creak.

It was mid-morning, and the day was bright. He looked out over the roofs of the low-rise apartments and grocers. Naruto's apartment was located in a bustling part of the village in close proximity to popular restaurants and stalls, Pachinko parlors, and sake bars. Not that it meant much to Sasuke considering he wasn't allowed outside unless accompanied by an escort: someone of Jounin rank, ANBU, or... Naruto.

After a final glance out the window, Sasuke, quietly, set about his work, starting with tidying the couch. Naruto's apartment was small and only had the one bedroom. Sasuke could've slept anywhere. He'd been used to sleeping on the ground or a hard floor, but Naruto had been so adamant he take the bed that he'd conceded just to get him to shut up about it. Unless Naruto was on a mission or when he occasionally spent the night elsewhere - and Sasuke didn't ask questions about where he went - he slept on the couch with only a sheet for covering. He gathered up the sheet and stripped the pillow of its case.

If someone would've told him years ago that, in the future, he'd be keeping house for Uzumaki Naruto, he would've guessed the person had a death wish. However, there was very little for him to do around the apartment except read through the limited number of scrolls or books Naruto had collected. Although, when he asked, Naruto was always willing to go to the archives to get him anything he wanted (so long as it didn't involve restricted jutsus). The Hokage and council had deemed it necessary to limit his access to news about the outside world. He cared very little to know anything anyway.

Walking around the apartment, he distinctly felt the weight of the tracking bracelet on his right ankle. Over the months since he'd been released from prison, he'd become accustomed to it and the flashing lights and beeps that went off, indicating any level of chakra use. If it flashed into the red, it emitted a shock strong enough stun him, and then a needle would prick his skin, releasing a numbing agent into his blood stream. He was used to poisons after his time with Orochimaru, but it did make his body sluggish to the point that escaping proved rather difficult. It had only taken three or four attempts before he realized that he honestly didn't care anymore about where he ended up. Life would've been the same for him whether he was stuck in Konoha or not - with nowhere and no one in particular to go to. He didn't consider most of the people in this village as his comrades, friends, or…family. Unfortunately, Naruto was someone he hated to admit he was reliant upon.

When Sasuke had first been brought to Konoha, the interrogation had been thorough and brutal - nothing less than what he'd expected from a village known to sacrifice its own people for the sake of peace. He'd had no hopes in prison and ignored his visitors; Naruto and Sakura had come often to see him. He'd expected to be executed after the insignificant amount of intel he'd offered to the man with the scars on his face, but after a nine-month imprisonment, he'd been released into Naruto's custody until further notice.

They did not speak about it, but Sasuke was not naive. He knew that whatever Naruto gave up or had to promise in order for this arrangement to be approved meant that he was risking his credibility on him. If Naruto thought that Sasuke would be grateful to him or owe him anything for 'saving' his life, he was a bigger idiot than Sasuke had ever thought him to be. But it didn't do him any good to constantly pick fights with a person whom he shared such a modest space, whom he relied upon for food, clothes, and the minimal amount of conversation required so that he not go crazy.

While Sasuke sorted through the laundry - separating his clothes and Naruto's into distinct piles of very dark and very bright garments - he thought about Itachi. Over time and after his release from prison, thinking of his brother no longer felt like a piercing stab wound through his gut but maybe more like having a fingernail or two ripped off (a droll brand of torture he'd experienced multiple times during his interrogation). The events that led up to his surrender and capture remained hazy to him due to the means in which he'd been restrained - some form of fūinjutsu that had partially sealed some of his powers away. He no longer remembered if he'd given up of his own volition or if he'd been forced into it, but at the end of all things, he knew conclusively that the man who'd worn the mask, who'd called himself Tobi and claimed to be an Uchiha was gone from this world.

He stared for a moment into the washer, seeing his hands. These hands that had come up against the unstoppable Uchiha Madara and bested him were now being used to do menial chores. It was humbling to say the least. Life over the past 18 months had mellowed him and given him plenty of time to think about his place, who he was, what he'd been, and what he wanted to become. After living a life in which he'd told himself there was no future, perhaps he hadn't been so far off the mark.

After finishing with the laundry, Sasuke filled a bucket with water and cleaning soap and began to scrub the kitchen floor on his hands and knees. It was hot, so he only had on a pair of a black cotton pants. There was a fan, but it had broken weeks ago. Naruto claimed he'd get someone to fix it or buy a new one, but so far, hadn't come through on his promise. As he scrubbed the dirt from off of the floor, he thought of how good it would feel to train. He already knew he was losing muscle mass and flexibility without enough space to properly work out. Once every two weeks, Naruto was able to get permission to take Sasuke out to one of the training fields so that he could exercise and run. It made him feel like a dog. Sometimes he tried to pick a fight with Naruto just to get him to spar, but unable to use much of his chakra without making the alarm go off, they were left to fight using only taijutsu. In that, their techniques were evenly matched. He also certainly wasn't allowed to have any sharp, pointy objects at his disposal, so kenjutsu was most definitely out of the question. Sasuke had always taken great pride in his skills with a sword.

It was strange, though, that he'd come to realize Naruto rarely put his all into their spars, much to his frustration. As often as he sometimes vilified Naruto or got angry with him because there was no one else to take it out on, he wanted Naruto to fight him seriously.

At some point the late morning bled into the late afternoon. Sasuke had scrubbed all floors - kitchen, living room, dining area, and bedroom. He'd let the clothes out to dry on the balcony and had since moved on to cleaning the bathroom. He scoured the sink, toilet, and, stripping himself of his pants and boxers, got in the shower to wash off all the dirt, sweat and grime. Once out, he wrapped a towel around his waist and, for a while, he stared at himself in the mirror. Not out of vanity but out of morbid curiosity. The interrogations had left scars on his body to join with the rest of the ones he'd received over the years. Some he remembered where they'd come from and others he could not recall when he'd received. The times he walked around the apartment without a shirt, he occasionally caught Naruto staring at him, a question in his eyes. Naruto wouldn't know anything about scars - what they meant, that they were a badge of honor to Sasuke, that they were a reflection of the battles he'd fought and that he'd existed. Sakura had offered to heal some of them, but he had refused. He liked that the two of them could see the scars from interrogation and know what their own village had done to him. That the council had passed judgment upon him and sentenced him for his purported crimes. He couldn't ever see them as true crimes. He saw his actions as retribution for Konoha's grievous, unforgivable misdeeds against his clan, against everyone's ignorance of the Truth. So what if they'd let him live? What good was his life without freedom and without his family?

Scowling to himself, he entered the bedroom Naruto had given up for him. He went about picking up the various articles of clothing, the odd scroll, or weapon (what would the council say if they knew Naruto left out his shuriken or kunai for him to find?). Naruto, who had zero notion of privacy, had no qualms about barging in whenever he felt like to root through the wardrobe or dresser drawers (just like he'd done this morning). Muttering as he cleaned, Sasuke pulled the futon off of the bed and took it outside, folding it across the railing. There was a slight breeze, and it felt good against his skin. The aroma of roasted meat hung in the air. It made him realize he hadn't had any lunch. Naruto was supposed to have bought groceries the other day, but he'd forgotten that as well it seemed. He was sure he could steal something from Naruto's emergency stash of instant ramen, but he'd rather go without than have to eat another cup of that crap. The only time Sasuke ever saw Naruto ingest anything that resembled a fruit or vegetable was when hemade dinner. Sasuke cooked as much as possible, but more for his own benefit than Naruto's.

After sliding the balcony door closed, he went back into the bedroom but, remembering he'd thrown all of his clothes into the wash, reluctantly decided to wear something of Naruto's. The majority of Naruto's clothes were stuffed inside the taller wardrobe in the corner. Typically, Sasuke would avoid opening it up considering he had no idea what might pop out of it or what kind of smell would gradually start to pervade the space where he slept. He threw several shirts onto the floor, trying to find anything that wasn't orange. After coming to the bottom of a pile of sloppily folded shirts, Sasuke found a simple black one that, as he pulled it on, fit a little snug but was at least free of stains. As he was going through another cubby hole, looking for a pair of pants, he came across a small black box. There was no writing or marking on it, and not that he particularly cared about anything Naruto had to hide, he wasa bit curious. He gave a glance around the room, knowing he was alone, but checking out of habit. He removed the lid and stared into the box, eyebrows drawing upward in muted surprise.

At first, he could only look at it, a partial reflection of his face appearing in the metal plate. He traced the crack that ran through the Leaf symbol. He knew it was his, from that time, but the question was: Why did Naruto still have his hitai-ate? What purpose could it serve him in keeping it, and why hadn't that idiot made an attempt at trying to give it back to him? Quickly, he put the lid back on and shoved it into the hole where he'd found it. He piled up the clothes in front of it and stood there a while, two fingers pressed against his mouth. Then he gave another glance around the room as if he expected Naruto to appear in the doorway at that very instant, wanting to talk about it. But there was no Naruto.

Confused, Sasuke took a seat on the edge of the bed, one leg drawn up while the foot of the other was flat on the floor. He gazed around the room, at all of Naruto's belongings, at the strange scarecrow-like punching bag made up in Kakashi's likeness as it peeked out from the closet, and then at the wardrobe again, where Naruto had taken care to hide Sasuke's cracked hitai-ate. The plate had looked like it had been polished recently, too. He didn't know what to think, so he lay down for a while and studied the lines and cracks in the ceiling, counting them over and over in his head. Strange. His eyes were starting to hurt. He should go into the bathroom and find those drops Sakura had prescribed.

Unconsciously, he began tracing a line over his shirt - over a nasty scar that ran horizontal across the left side of his chest. Naruto had given it to him in their final battle. There was a panic rising inside of him, making his stomach churn and his chest tighten. After all the variations of confinement he'd experienced - the interrogation cell, his prison cell, and the months he'd spent in Naruto's apartment thus far - never before had he suddenly felt so trapped. He was struck with the thought of attempting another escape. Anything to get out of this place for just a short while, even if it meant being sent back to prison or solitary confinement. He wouldn't have made it more than a few steps outside of the apartment before the ANBU were on top of him.

Somewhere in the midst of his worries, the anxiousness became wariness and the wariness became tiredness. Dancing dust motes continued to swirl within the sunlight streaming through the window. Sasuke shut his eyes. Keeping them open any longer would only strain them further.

He sighed when he heard the front door open and the sound of approaching footsteps. Naruto was home.

"You... alright?"

At the sound of Naruto's voice, Sasuke opened his eyes and looked up. The image of Naruto standing in the doorway was annoyingly blurry. He put some effort into focusing his vision. Naruto became clearer once he took a few steps into the bedroom - still dressed in his green flak jacket. His brow was pinched, concern reflecting in his irritatingly bright blue eyes.

"I'm fine," Sasuke answered curtly as he sat up in bed with his back against the wall. He drew his knees to his chest. "How was the mission?"

Naruto shrugged, ignoring his sarcasm. "Nothin' too exciting. A simple escort mission. No complications." He walked closer and stood at the foot of the bed before folding his arms behind his head and glancing around the room in apparent surprise. "You cleaned the apartment? You didn't have to do that." He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke and suddenly appeared confused. "And are you… wearin' my clothes? Missed me that much, did ya?"

Sasuke shot him a withering look. Naruto fidgeted in front of him and cleared his throat.

"I, uh, got some groceries. Sorry I didn't get them before. Must've forgot. Heh." Nervously, he scratched the back of his head, his gaze darting around the room again, landing everywhere but on Sasuke.

Sasuke squinted at him in the light, noting how tired and dirty he looked. It made him wonder if an escort request had truly been today's mission agenda. He didn't want or care to know why Naruto would lie to him.

"I guess I'm making dinner tonight," he announced when Naruto seemed too preoccupied with his thoughts to say anything else. Sasuke got to his feet.

"I can help you," offered Naruto, eyes finally on him again. He was wearing that fake, plastered-on smile Sasuke had grown to hate so much.

He frowned. "You'd probably burn down the kitchen."

"Hey! I resent that!" Naruto crossed his arms against his chest defensively. "I can totally cook! I've been cookin' for myself as long as I can remember!"

"Not real cooking. The only thing you're good for is boiling water."

"Then do ya need me to boil water for anything?"

Sasuke gave him another long look before he started walking out of the room, bumping into Naruto's shoulder as he passed by him. "I'm sure I can find something that even you can handle. Just make sure you wash your hands first. They're dirty and disgusting."

Naruto put his hands up in front of his face, examining them. "Tch. They aren't that bad."

Sasuke stopped in the doorway. "Since I did the laundry, make sure you bring in the clothes from the balcony once they've dried."

"You're kind of bossy, you realize that, right?" Naruto commented while following after him into the living room.

"Someone has to tell you what to do. Otherwise I'd end up living in filth." He went into the kitchen and started sorting through the various paper bags full of groceries. For the most part, it looked as though Naruto had picked up everything on the list.

"I see. So this is about your needs and not mine." Naruto breezed past him to open the refrigerator. He pulled out the milk and drank it straight from the carton.

Sasuke stopped what he was doing to glare.

"What!?" barked Naruto. "It's almost empty anyway. I got a new one!" He pointed at the carton standing near the sink that Sasuke had just set out. "So what are y'gonna make? I got some pork. Can we have tonkatsu?"

Sasuke continued to sort through everything, putting away what they wouldn't need for tonight because if he left it to Naruto, it would stay on the counter forever and eventually spoil. "You're getting fat. You don't need to eat anything that's deep fried."

Naruto nearly spit out his milk. He choked and coughed while sputtering defensively. Although, he did look down at his stomach and rubbed his hand over it. "That's not true! And you're one to talk, all you do is sit around and - Oh."

Sasuke paused, squeezing tightly around the tomato in his hand until the juice began to trickle down into the spaces between his fingers.

"Ah. The tomato," Naruto said sadly. "What did ya do that for?"

"Get out."

"Huh? Why should I? Listen, if it was about me callin' you fat, I don't really think you're fat - "

Sasuke ignored the rest of Naruto's ramblings and continued folding the paper bags so that they could be recycled. He set out a cutting board along with ingredients he required for tonight's dinner: onions, potatoes, green peas, rice, spices, and beef that needed to be thinly sliced. Eventually, Naruto shut up and awkwardly remained standing by the refrigerator, watching Sasuke as he rummaged through the cabinets for a pot, some soy sauce, and a bottle of cooking sake.

"Rather than stand there, you can cut up these onions and potatoes while I slice the meat," he told Naruto, mostly because he was tired of being stared at.

Naruto came over to him, almost cautiously. "Alright," he said and reached around Sasuke for the other cutting board. He went to sit at the table.

In the meantime, Sasuke ignited the burner and set down the pot. He poured some oil into it and, after he was done cutting up the beef, threw it in to sauté it. The kitchen started to become filled with an aroma that made him feel relatively nostalgic. He'd cooked for himself growing up, trying to recreate the dishes he'd seen his mother prepare. He hadn't done anything like that again until he'd moved in here with Naruto. This oddly domestic scene made him somewhat uncomfortable. When Naruto was done chopping the onions and potatoes, he obediently brought them over to Sasuke.

"Thank you," he said.

"No problem." Naruto leaned against the counter, uncharacteristically quiet.

Sasuke glanced at him. "I used to watch my mom cook."

"Mm. I figured," Naruto replied thoughtfully. "I like watchin' you do it."

Sasuke stirred the meat and vegetables. "That sounds a bit creepy coming from you."

Naruto chuckled and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Heh. I guess so."

"Did you really go on an escort mission today?"

Naruto's laughter came to a full stop. "That's what I said, didn't I? Why would I lie?"

Sasuke merely shrugged.

Naruto fidgeted again. "Maybe I'll go check and see if all the clothes are dry." He left the kitchen in a hurry.

Sasuke tried to ignore his irritation at being lied to (and poorly at that) as he added the water, sugar, sake, and two tablespoons of soy sauce. He stirred the contents and then put the lid on top of the pot, leaving it to boil for a while. He went to the sink to wash up the cutting boards and put them away. By then, Naruto was back and hovering in the doorway.

"Okay. It wasn't an escort mission."

The confession barely caused Sasuke to raise an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"It's not like I wanted to lie to you, but Kakashi-sensei told me it'd be best if - "

Sasuke held up his hand. "You don't have to explain to me. I'm not a Konoha shinobi, so it's none of my business."

Naruto's expression darkened, and he gripped the frame of the door. "How can you still say stuff like that, Sasuke?"

"Because I'm not," he responded coolly.

Naruto took a few steps toward him. "It's not gonna be like this forever. You living here, that goddam thing on your ankle, it's all temporary if you'd just wait - "

"Wait?" Sasuke repeated contemptuously, turning around. "What am I supposed to be waiting for? Do you really think they'll ever trust someone like me again?" He folded his arms to his chest. "What makes you think I even want to be here?"

Naruto hedged closer until he was standing directly in front of him. "Because," he said. "Because you're here. Because you haven't tried to escape in months."

"That has nothing to do with why I'm here."

"Then what do you want?" Naruto leaned in, too close, so Sasuke pushed him back with a hand on his chest.

"Get outof my face, Naruto."

"Or what, huh?" Naruto grabbed hold of his wrist, pushing him back until he hit the counter. "Do you think I like how things are? Do you think I want it to be like this? Don't you know how hard I'm tryin' to make things better for you, but all you do is act like an ungrateful, broody bastard!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Me, ungrateful?" He scoffed. "I don't owe you anything." He shoved Naruto away, making him stumble.

"No. No you don't. I never thought you did. I've only ever wanted you to be happy, but you refuse to let me help you!"

"I don't want your help!" He shouted. "I don't want anything from you. There's nothing you can give me, nothing you can do to bring back what I want most."

With a scowl, Naruto straightened up and stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking away. "You're never gonna change, are you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's features hardened. "I'm not ever going to go back to being the person you remember me as."

Naruto met his eyes, his own narrowing resolutely. "Then I guess I'm not the only one livin' in the past."

"Obviously," he said nastily, "Since you insist on keeping mementos of the time when I beat you and showed you your place."

"What's that supposed t'mean?"

Sasuke sneered. "You're still weak, Naruto. In ways that will always leave you open to getting hurt. Eventually, it willbe your downfall."

Naruto grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Is that a threat?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and smirked. "And what if it is? What are you going to do? Report me? Have them send me away to prison? You'd probably like that, wouldn't you? Then you could say you'd done all you could to save me and feel no remorse afterward. You'd still be the hero that everyone admires, the one who tried so hard to save Uchiha Sasuke from himself!"

Naruto punched him. The force of the hit was only enough to snap his head to the side, but he could already feel a trickle of blood running down his lip.

"You're the one who's pathetic," Naruto shot back. "Actin' like the world owes you somethin' for what happened. Well, guess what? You're not the only one who's suffered, and I'm not even talkin' about myself. I told you that time, that I understood why you were doin' all that shit everyone else hated you for. When you joined the Akatsuki, when you swore to take revenge on the village, but that doesn't mean I can justify you hurting innocent people!"

"Innocent?" Sasuke wiped his hand across his bleeding lip. "In what world are the ignorant innocent? You know what I'm talking about. You should hate this village. For the way they treated you. They're all hypocrites. As soon as you fall off that pedestal they've put you on, they'll turn their backs on you, too!"

"Maybe so," said Naruto, his mouth set in a thin line. "But I'm going to choose to believe in them, in this village, and in my friends. And I consider you my friend, Sasuke."

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. "You're a fool."

"You're not the first to tell me that. By the way," he pointed at the pot, "I may not be an expert cook, but should it be doin' that?"

Sasuke turned. The pot was starting to boil over. "Shit," he muttered and turned down the heat.

"Maybe you should've left the boilin' part to me since that's what I'm good at."

Sasuke ignored him and lifted the lid to make sure nothing had burned. It looked to be okay. He added the peas and another dash of soy sauce before replacing the lid.

"Why?" he asked, his back to Naruto as he tightly gripped the edge of the counter. "Why do you still keep my hitai-ate?"

"That should be obvious. In case you ever want to wear it again."

"Naruto..."

"Hm?"

He turned around to face him. "You can't change me."

"Change you?" Naruto looked surprised by the notion. "Why would I wanna change you? I don't wanna change you, Sasuke, I just want - " He paused, closed his mouth, and shook his head. "Nevermind."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him, but Naruto refused to finish what he'd been about to say.

He changed the subject. "Do you want me to make some rice to go with it?"

Sasuke's eyes were beginning to hurt again, so he nodded. "Yeah. I'm just... going to use the bathroom."

"Your eyes are all red. Are they botherin' you again? Should I ask Sakura-chan to come over tomorrow?"

Ignoring his concern, he walked by Naruto, their arms brushing as he bumped into him. "I'm fine."

Sasuke hurried to the bathroom, noting on the way that Naruto had thrown all the clothes that had been outside onto one end of the couch, unfolded. He sat on the toilet as he administered the drops to each eye. When he was finished, he looked into the mirror, wanting to activate his Sharingan. What exactly had Naruto meant by having him wait this out? What was he supposed to be waiting for? How things were now... this wasn't living.

After about five minutes, Naruto knocked on the door. "Oi! You okay in there? You're not takin' a dump are ya? I took the pot off the burner 'cause it started to boil again. Rice is done, by the way. You're welcome!"

Sasuke swung the door open and glared.

"Your eyes are watering... you weren't," Naruto pulled a disgusted face, "crying, were you?"

He shoved past Naruto, jostling him out of the doorway. Naruto chased after him, flinging all sorts of insults that he simply ignored.

When they returned to the kitchen, Sasuke noticed that Naruto had set the table, and as they started to eat, he became lost in his thoughts. He kept staring into his bowl as he picked out a piece of potato with his chopsticks. If Naruto said anything, he didn't hear it. The argument they'd just had, and it's not as if it didn't happen on a near daily basis, left him feeling tired and drained. Being around Naruto was always like this. After dinner, Naruto, while prattling on about inconsequential crap Sasuke only half-listened to, helped him with the dishes and then made up some excuse about having to meet with Kakashi even though it was already getting late.

Again, Sasuke was left alone, which was probably for the best. He folded up all of the clothes and even made up the couch for Naruto. He spent the rest of the evening re-reading through some outdated scrolls and doing various exercises and a little meditation before he went into the bedroom to put the clothes away. As he reorganized the wardrobe, he came across the box with his hitai-ate in it again and pulled it out. For a second, he considered burning it or throwing it in the trash. It was his anyway, so Naruto had no right to keep it.

He put it aside on the nightstand as he started to make the bed. Once he was done, Sasuke sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the box, and opened it. He took out the forehead protector and lay it across the futon, easily recalling their fight by the waterfall, the things he'd said to Naruto, the way Naruto had looked at him with such desperation, anguish, and determination. At least until the very end, when the rain had started to fall on both of them. On a whim, he hadn't been able to kill Naruto. He'd looked up at the sky and said Naruto's name, continuing what he couldn't voice aloud in his thoughts, I'm... an avenger.

That had been his identity for so long. Had he avenged his clan? Had he avenged what Itachi was forced to sacrifice to protect this miserable village?

He lay down on the bed, clutching the hitai-ate in his hand. The metal was cool against his palm. Now, he belonged to no village. He answered to no one but himself. He couldn't ever see wanting to devote himself to this village or to anyone, so why did Naruto continue to try so hard for his sake? If Sasuke would've died at Naruto's hand during their final battle, wouldn't they both have been better off?

Sasuke couldn't and didn't want to understand. He didn't want Naruto to care or hold out hope or believein him. Why is it that it always had to be about how Naruto wanted things to be? Why did that idiot assume his view on things was always the right one? He closed his eyes, the ache he felt in them before having dulled somewhat. His breathing began to even out as he relaxed and meditated, trying to clear his mind. Eventually, as the light sound of rain started pattering against the window, he fell into a listless sleep.

When he felt the slither of the headband move across his hand, his body was already awake and responding like a ninja's. He grabbed for the other person's arm, twisting it and rolling them both until he was on top, pinning Naruto underneath.

"Idiot!" he hissed angrily. "What kind of moron sneaks up on a sleeping ninja?"

Naruto lay motionless beneath him. "What kind of ninja lets another ninja get that close to them while sleeping?"

"I easily could've killed you."

"You easily could've killed me on several occasions. So, are y'gonna get off of me, or should I assume our rivalry has bloomed into something entirely more... perverted?"

Sasuke scoffed, moving off of him to lean against the wall. He crossed his legs and put the hitai-ate aside on the nightstand. Naruto continued to lay on the other side of the bed, both of his hands resting on his chest. He glanced up at Sasuke and snickered.

Sasuke was not amused. "What were you trying to do anyway?"

"I was just checkin' in on you, and saw you'd fallen asleep with the hitai-ate in your hand. I was gonna put it away, I guess."

"It's mine."

"I know."

Sasuke took in a deep breath. "How did your meeting with Kakashi go or was that a lie, too?"

"No. I really did go to see him. Had somethin' I wanted to ask." Naruto didn't elaborate further; Sasuke didn't feel like asking any more questions about it.

Instead, he said, "I had to fold your clothes and put them away."

"I would've gotten around to it. I wonder what would've happened had you tried to use chidori on me?" Goofily, he smiled up at Sasuke and clutched jokingly at his throat.

"My head probably would've exploded," he deadpanned, and Naruto laughed loudly.

"I wish I could get that thing off of you." Naruto poked at the device on his ankle a few times until Sasuke growled and swatted his hand. "Maybe if you woulda stopped runnin' away in the beginning. You always make things so much harder on yourself."

"Naruto... have you been drinking?"

"Huh? Why d'ya say that? I'm not 20 yet."

"It would've explained why you were stupid enough to come near me."

"Would it?" Naruto turned onto his side and propped his head in his hand. He unzipped the front of his flak jacket. "I think your shirt is too tight."

"Moron. It's your shirt."

"Oh yeah. See, you are gettin' fat!" Naruto had his finger poised and ready to poke Sasuke in the chest, but Sasuke quickly slapped away his hand.

"I will break it off if you try to touch me again."

"W-wait!" Startled, Naruto sat up quickly. "Just what are y'gonna break off exactly?"

"Why don't I sleep on the couch tonight." He started to get up, but Naruto grabbed him by the wrist. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice low in warning as Naruto's fingers began digging into his skin.

"Don't go. I wanna talk." When he seemed sure Sasuke wasn't going to leave, he let go of his arm.

"You and I... we don't talk."

"Fine." Naruto flipped onto his back and flung his arm over his eyes. "Go then."

"You're being annoying."

Naruto pulled an obnoxious face and stuck out his tongue. Sasuke felt inclined to take one of the pillows and smother him with it, but it wasn't worth the energy. He started to walk away when Naruto called to him again.

"What?" he growled.

"Do you really wanna know why I've kept your hitai-ate all this time? I'll tell you so long you answer a question of mine."

Sasuke stood over him, his arms crossed. "Why should I?"

Naruto sighed. "Because you've gotta be tired of actin' like such a stubborn dickall the time."

"I could say the same of you." He wanted to get angry at Naruto's words, but he was, honestly, tired of fighting about the same things over and over again with him. He sat back down on the foot of the bed. "Go on."

But, Naruto remained silent for a while. After a few minutes of waiting, Sasuke looked over his shoulder. "Naruto."

Naruto sighed quietly, absently touching his own hitai-ate. "Do you remember when I asked you to put it on when we were fighting that time?"

"I do."

"You acknowledged me as being strong, and even in that terrible moment, I was happy because I'd always wanted to hear you say it."

"I remember. You were strong, but you weren't strong enough."

"...True." Naruto got up and scooted to the end of the bed so that he was sitting beside him. "I thought I understood you, but later on, I realized how wrong I was. That maybe I didn't know anything about you at all other than - "

When Sasuke looked over at him, Naruto had his head bowed and he was staring at his hands in his lap. He glanced up at Sasuke, smiling faintly but sadly.

"I guess what I wanna say is that... I didn't need to understand everything you'd gone through to know you were worth it all, worth chasin' after."

Sasuke kept his face blank, his expression schooled. It's not anything Naruto hadn't tried to tell him before, and no matter how many times he heard it, he really had no response to give. "So what does this have to do with keeping it?"

"You really are heartless." Naruto laughed, moving his arms behind him and leaning back on them. "I kept it as a reminder, y'know? I kept it so that I could know it really happened and it wasn't some awful dream. I kept it because thinkin' of gettin' you back only made me push harder, and yeah, because it had been yours. But, I did hope that one day I'd be able to give it back to you and that you'd accept it."

"I think you'll be waiting a long time for that day to come," he remarked coldly.

"That's fine. There's no time-limit. To be honest, I was always in such a rush to get stronger so that I could bring you back, and now that you're here, it's like you're the one in a hurry, and I don't blame you - "

"You're still trying to understand me," he growled, shaking his head. "But I don't need to be understood by you or anybody else."

"Ah, is that so?" Naruto nudged his shoulder. "I wanna ask you a question now."

Sasuke had his eyes closed. He thought he felt a throb of pain where that scar was on his chest. "Fine."

"What is it... you want?" Naruto asked. "What would make you happy? To not be in Konoha? To be dead? To be able to use jutsus again? To destroy the world? I just... wanna know."

Lots of images flashed through his mind. What did the word 'happiness' invoke? What came up first in his thoughts?

"I'm not answering that question," he said.

"Mah." Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "I had a feeling you wouldn't. But," his tone became more serious, "I have this feelin' that so long as you aren't happy, I can't be happy either."

Sasuke gave him a severe look, angry suddenly. "So your motives for asking are entirely selfish?"

"W-what?" Naruto sputtered. "No, of course not!"

"But you're saying your happiness is based on whether I'm 'happy' or not."

Naruto pointed a finger at him. "N-no! Now you're just twistin' my words around." He growled, "Sasuke!"

Sasuke did take some pleasure in seeing him flustered. Although Naruto's words were extremely irritating, they didn't come as a surprise. Maybe he'd just gotten used to it. He guessed he knew where Naruto was coming from, but there was no point in giving him hope where there wasn't any.

Naruto slapped his forehead. "I really am no good at this. I wasn't tryin' to say that I'm wantin' to find out what would make you happy just so that I can be happy. It's more like - " He groaned and grabbed the sides of his head, rocking back and forth on the bed until he flopped onto his back, legs kicking up in the air and nearly smacking Sasuke in the face.

"Watch it!" Sasuke snarled and shoved him away. Naruto caught himself before he could fall onto the floor. He went quiet after that, lying beside Sasuke while the both of them listened to the sound of the pouring rain.

As time seemed to stretch on, he suddenly spoke as if to himself, "I wonder if it'll always be like this."

"Huh?" asked Naruto. "Be like what?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Nothing... nevermind."

"It won't alwaysbe like this. Not when I'm Hokage. There are so many things I've seen and wanna change. I don't want anyone else to go through what we had to. That's why I asked, y'know? If you stay. If you want to rebuild your clan - "

"Enough!"

Naruto sat up. "But, Sasuke- "

"No. Just..." He rubbed his chest.

"Then what have the last 18 months been about?" Naruto asked him. "Why come this far when you refuse to go further?"

Sasuke finally snapped as his temper exploded. "Do you think this is living for me? Do you think I enjoy being back in this village, stuck in this tiny apartment with you, unable to perform even the simplest jutsu? I don't want to die, but I don't want this either! When are you going to open your eyes and see that I'm not the person you think I am! I don't share your dreams! I don't want what you want! I don't - " He stopped there, seeing the look on Naruto's face, the way his eyes had gone wide. "Forget it."

"What were you going to say?" Naruto asked as Sasuke got to his feet. Desperately, he wanted to run out of the apartment, out of this village, and never look back. That, or just kill Naruto here and now and be done with it.

Naruto got up and went to stand in front of him, blocking his way out, as if he'd been reading his thoughts. "Sasuke." He sighed and Sasuke felt the weight of it. He wanted too much. Naruto wanted toomuch from him. There was a hand on his shoulder. "You could use me, y'know? Maybe if you stopped thinkin' of me as someone who annoys the crap out of you and start thinkin' about me as a tool, as a means to get what you want - "

Sasuke pushed him away. "What was your mission today?"

"What?"

He ran his hand agitatedly through his hair. "The mission you lied about. What was your real mission today?"

"Uuh - "

Sasuke started to push past him, but Naruto caught him by the sleeve of his shirt.

"Fine, fine. I'll tell you." He let go of Sasuke's sleeve and started pacing around the room. "I'm bein' promoted, alright? I had to tick off so many A-rank missions and today was the last one. I had to break into this group's hideout and capture their leader Takagi Shinpei and bring him in for questioning. He used to be linked to Gatou, from Wave Country - "

"I remember," he said.

"There's a bunch of underground cells startin' to recruit well-known bandits and thugs who are then trained to use swords and ninjutsu. Takagi was apparently head of one of those cells."

"What's the purpose in lying about that? Do you think I care whether you're promoted or not? Did you think I'd be jealous?"

"No. Fuck no, you asshole!" Naruto yelled. "Why does it always come back to that with you? Kakashi-sensei just mentioned that he thought tellin' you about missions and using jutsus would make you all anxious and weird and we just want you to... relax, dammit!"

"Relax?" he repeated in a raised voice. "How can I relax when I'm cooped up in here day in and day out?!" He grabbed Naruto by the flap of his vest and shook him.

"You did that to yourself, bastard! I trust you. They don't yet, but I am workin' on it! Y'think I don't want to be out there with you on my team? Do y'know how badly I want to see you out there bein' the type of ninja I know you are! There's no one stronger than you, Sasuke, but you don't care about anyone or anything except yourself! Itachi would've wanted - "

"Don't tell me what my brother wanted, Naruto!" He roared and shoved him so hard that Naruto landed with a bounce on top of the bed.

Naruto glared at him fiercely. "It's not like you'd listen to him anyway!"

"I don't walk his path."

"Yeah, yeah. You're an avenger. You only walk your own path."

"Shut up," he warned.

"What's the matter?" Naruto taunted, rising to his feet and coming closer. "If you can't have what you want right now, it's not worth fighting for?"

"Naruto!" he shouted before grabbing him by the collar, lifting him in the air, and throwing him into the wall.

Naruto let out an 'oof' as he hunched in on himself and slumped against the side of the closet.

"What are you doing?" He yelled at Naruto. "Fight back! Take me seriously!" Sasuke jumped over the bed and grabbed for Naruto's jacket, shaking him furiously.

Much to his puzzlement, Naruto started to laugh. "Heh. This is more like the Sasuke I remember."

Sasuke stopped shaking him. "What are you talking about?"

Naruto put his hands on top of Sasuke's. "You sit around here like the world is over for you, like there's nothin' left for you to fight for, but that's not who you are. The Sasuke I know doesn't give up, he doesn't let fate dictate shit for him, he doesn't sit around like a sulky brat when things don't go his way."

Sasuke blinked at him, dazed - heart pounding in his chest. He was annoyed that Naruto could still get to him like this. He shoved Naruto away and, numbly, took a seat on the bed. He stared ahead out the doorway, barely noticing when Naruto walked over and stood in front of him.

"I'm not goin' anywhere," he told Sasuke. "No matter how badly you might want it. If y'wanna get rid of me, you're just gonna have to get strong enough to kill me."

Sasuke's head snapped up at Naruto's words.

"You didn't ask me what I wanted," said Naruto, "But what I want is a future with you in it. Preferably in this village, but so long as you're alive in this world and I am, too... I feel like there'll always be someone that exists who understands me. And whether you wanna believe it or not, I think you feel the same. Or else," he leaned down, his face close enough to Sasuke's that their noses nearly touched, "You wouldn't have tried so hard to kill me the last time we fought 'cause what I saydoesreach you sometimes no matter how much you don't wanna hear it."

Sasuke held his gaze. "We'll see," he said. "Won't we."

"Damn right we'll see." Naruto grinned, his eyes full of an unspoken challenge. "Until you prove to me otherwise, you're someone I can believe in. More than anyone else. So, get your shit together so I can get you the fuck out of my house and so I have someone out there who makes me have to work harder! Become stronger than this so that you can fight beside me. Fight withme."

"Hn." Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. "You may come to regret those words."

"Nope. Not gonna happen. I never go back on my word, y'know? Anyway, I've bothered you enough so I'll let y'get some sleep. I got permission from Kakashi-sensei to get you out on the training field at least a couple of times a week. What with me being promoted and all," Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose, grinning with pride, "They seem to think I can take you down if y'start causin' trouble."

"Is that so?" he asked.

Naruto nodded. "Well, uh. Night then. You should really put somethin' on your lip by the way."

Sasuke touched a finger to his lip as he watched Naruto go, shutting the door behind him. Fighting with Naruto... was there anything more exhausting, ultimately confusing, and completely exhilarating?

Tired, he lay down on the bed and gazed over at his hitai-ate sitting on the nightstand. He reached for it and picked it up, examining the crack like it was the first time he'd really looked at it. Frustrated, he set it back down and became lost in thought again as the rain hit against the side of the window. He could hear Naruto out in the living room, getting ready for bed.

Sasuke turned off the light and stretched out on the futon, his hands folded on top of his stomach.

From the moment his clan was massacred, he'd never considered what would happen to him in the future. For a brief period of time, he'd thought that maybe he could be happy in this village. When he knew he could no longer stay and live that sort of peaceful life, he'd left to pursue power he needed in order to defeat Itachi. He didn't regret it, and he wasn't sorry. When he told Naruto he'd wanted to cut all bonds, he'd meant it. When he learned the truth about his brother, his hatred for Konoha only grew. That time when he sought to truly understand what it meant to be an avenger, he'd done it for his own peace of mind, so that he knew it was hispath for himself and not what anyone else wanted him to do.

And during that final battle with Naruto, he'd taken all his hate and anger and focused it on him.

He wouldn't say he lost that fight, but...

Well.

It wasn't something he had to figure out right away. He'd pushed as hard as he could, hoping to get Naruto to give up on him. It didn't mean Sasuke was suddenly willing to stay forever and help Naruto achieve his goals, but it did force him to come to terms with certain things about himself, about Naruto, and about their… could he say friendship? Naruto called him a friend. Sasuke didn't know what to call Naruto.

"Idiot," he muttered. "He'll always be an idiot at least."

He closed his eyes and thought about how even if he couldn't bring himself to call Konoha his home anymore, the feeling of not being so alone in this world wasn't completely unpleasant. Even if it was Naruto who made him feel this way. It's not like this was anything he'd ever have to admit to anyone but himself.

Just this once.