The faint sunlight illuminated through his curtains, the insistent noise of alarm blaring marked the start of another day. His hand slammed on the button and turned it off, scratching his head as he headed to the bathroom.

"Ugh, why did I have to dream…" He rubbed his face with his hands and sighed. He stared at the mirror for few long seconds, before he grabbed the toothpaste with another tired huff.

Once done, he picked up his uniform, preparing himself for another work day. His fingers combed haphazardly through his uncooperative locks as he walked towards the elevator until he noticed something on the wall. He touched the appointed place and with a grimace, he noticed that it was slightly dampened.

He returned to his room and called someone with several instructions. He waited in the corridor until a blond woman arrived.

"So there's a leak? Well, I remember that there's a bathroom behind this wall…" She said, also surveying the appointed area.

He scratched the back of his head. "That's kinda weird…I designed this hotel so all the plumbing is mostly placed between each floor. If the wall is damp and not the ceiling, that means there's an infiltration too. I have to check this out."

"I brought the ladder for you." The woman stopped at his side and offered it to him.

"Thanks baa-chan!" He chirped.

"Stop calling me that, it's Tsunade, you brat!" She lightly chastised him, punching his arm.

"Ow…that freaking hurt you old hag!" He cowered when she showed her fist, climbing the ladder and clearing his throat to change the subject. "So can you hold the ladder for me?"

Tsunade glowered for a moment before placing her hands on the base of the ladder. While she was holding it, she saw some teenage girls walking towards them, happily chatting until they noticed them. Or better, they noticed the handsome blond man that was inspecting the wall. When they were passing through them, the girls slowed down their steps, glancing furtively till they giggled once they were close to the elevator.

Tsunade lifted a languid eyebrow unimpressed, also staring at her newly appointed employee. No matter how many years had passed, she would always fondly regard him as the usual nagging and loudmouthed brat. She was still taken by surprise by the fact that her childhood friend Jiraiya had managed to raise this young man by himself, even when they had refused any financial help from her. Tsunade saw the blond rubbing the back of his neck in contemplation and asked:

"What's the matter?"

"Hm? Nothing, the leak doesn't seem to be very bad, but I still need some tools and material to partially break apart the ceiling and then fix it up."

"Can you do it? Do you think it'd be better if I call the plumber then?" Tsunade suggested.

The young man shrugged, shaking his head. "Nah, it's kinda easy, I can do it. I'm more worried about the infiltration inside the wall though."

Tsunade made a worried hum, retorting. "How bad is it? I don't have to destroy this whole wall right? So what caused this permeation? I hope it's not because of that blasted contractor, I swear if he chose bad materials on purpose—"

He rolled his eyes. "Hey, c'mon, I was there, inspecting the whole process. I wouldn't let such a thing happen."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, well. You did help me whenever possible and you smoothed over all the disagreements I had with that contractor."

"You mean; I stopped you whenever you wanted to throw him out of the window." He raised one eyebrow incredulous.

"Same difference." Tsunade smirked unruffled. She heard the ding of the elevator; the same teenage girls with some extra friends appeared and walked back to their room with a mischievous beam. Mentally shaking her head, she said. "So if it's not bad materials then…"

"It's something natural caused once a building starts to age, that's all. It'd happen sooner or later."

"You designed this hotel five years ago—"

"Almost six. Well, this is the first time I've seen this kind of issue here and it's not that bad, so your hotel is still in good condition in my opinion. Usually though in these cases you'd have to destroy the wall and build a new—"

Tsunade automatically frowned.

"—but there's a new type of glue in a syringe that you insert in the wall to fix this kind of problem."

"But I seem remember that this glue is expensive right?"

"I know some contacts that will sell it to me for a cheaper price. I better start fixing the plumbing after today's work shift."

"Thanks for the help Naruto." Tsunade said, noticing the teenage girls passing by them once again, whispering to each other between some playful giggles. They stopped for few seconds to ogle the young man until they hastened their steps towards the elevator, staring and sighing dreamily while they waited for its arrival, leaving at last with a bit of reluctance. Tsunade shook her head. Those girls are one step away from literally grabbing some chairs and sitting nearby, fully appreciating the view.

"No problem." He answered, climbing down and folding the ladder, oblivious of the girls' obvious attention.

"I'm so glad that I hired you to temporarily substitute for the receptionist who's on maternity leave. You're bilingual, help me with heavy chores, teach skiing and also take care of the maintenance in this hotel. Multi-talented and MBA graduate - a great package at the cost of only one regular salary. A very fair deal if I do say so myself." Tsunade nodded, widening a satisfied smirk.

"Cheapskate." He grumbled and then shouted in surprise when she smacked him on the head in playful vengeance.

Tsunade observed him as he placed the ladder back in the maintenance room and said, "I'm glad that you'll fix the plumbing, but don't you want to rest a little after work, relax or go skiing or something? Ever since you got here you either help me out or you inspect this hotel. You could go to a nearby town and have some fun too."

Every emotion shown in his cerulean eyes slowly closed up as Tsunade observed concerned over this odd behavior, not used to see this young man guarding his feelings. She could still read some remnants that escaped through the cracks, like the way his shoulders slightly tensed and his face almost expressed some sort of longing…? - mixed altogether with forlorn and aching loss.

Whatever the reason that caused him to suddenly arrive here out of nowhere was certainly tied with such a complicated display of emotions, Tsunade mused with herself. She wished she could understand and help him, after all, the young blond was a dear friend of hers and she knew him ever since he was a kid.

But Naruto only quirked a mollifying smile towards Tsunade, stopping any question from being voiced. He shrugged, scratching the back of his head and said:

"Nah…I'm not interested right now. Maybe later." Then, he added before Tsunade could further enquire. "Well, I gotta go to the reception desk now, some clients are there. See ya."

A middle aged Japanese man was waiting, staring at the empty reception desk with an air of disapproval. Once Naruto arrived, the older man narrowed his eyes and curled his mouth downwards, placing his suitcase on the floor. Naruto opened his mouth, ready to apologize for making the guest wait, though the client spoke first in English:

"Hello."

Blinking confusedly, Naruto answered with the same language.

"Hello and welcome to Green Hazel Hotel! Would you like a room or have you already made a reservation?"

"I already made a reservation." The man answered curtly, placing the documents on the table.

Naruto thanked him and started typing all the necessary information into the reservation system, noticing that a woman, probably his wife, appeared next to him.

"Have you finished already?" She smiled to him, speaking in Japanese.

"No…this American is taking too long to do his work. As expected, I know that if it was one of our people, he wouldn't be this inefficient and slow." Her husband responded in a hushed whisper in Japanese that was still audible enough for Naruto to hear. His whole body was going numb and he closed his blue eyes, sighing.

"Oh Dear…don't say something like that!" She lightly chastised him.

The old man softly snorted. "Don't worry about it, it's not like he can understand us anyways. I'm surprised Tsunade-sama would employ him when she guaranteed that her main staff would be all Japanese. I came here for a vacation specifically to avoid those Westerners and their usual goofiness but I'm still forced to face this gaiji—"

"Sorry for making you wait- your registration is complete now." Naruto said in perfect Japanese and the couple snapped their necks in his direction, widening their eyes. "Here's your room key."

They glanced towards each other awkwardly, before the old man cleared his throat and picked it up. "Well…thank you."

"You're welcome." Naruto smoothly responded with a professional smile. "I apologize that I may have taken so long to attend to you and my appearance doesn't appear professional in your eyes but I assure you that I'm doing my best to make sure all the guests of this hotel have the best experience possible. I hope that at least my Japanese is passable, nevertheless."

The couple muttered incomprehensible apologies, picking up their luggage albeit with stiff and clumsy movements.

"Oh, you don't have to carry your luggage. I'm calling the bellboy right now, there's no need for you strain yourself carrying those." Naruto assured, picking up the house phone to make the call. "It's our job to serve every client with utmost dedication and there's no way we'll allow anyone to feel uncomfortable in this hotel."

They blushed in mortification while they accepted his help, bowing in apology. While the blond watched them walking towards the elevator, he heard a clap of hands and turned around to see Tsunade quirking an amused smirk.

"Well, that was an interesting turn of events. Sorry about that. They've been faithful guests ever since I opened this hotel but unfortunately they hold a little bit of grudge against Americans. I guess no one is perfect."

Naruto shrugged, shuffling the papers. "I'm used to it."

"What I'm surprised about is that you actually confronted them." Tsunade responded, noticing the young man stiffen at her remark. "Don't deny it, Jiraiya told me about your bad habit of letting people badmouth you without defending yourself."

Naruto sighed. "I didn't want him to worry about me, but I guess he'd notice after all."

"He is your father - of course he would notice it." Tsunade smiled back at him. "I was getting ready to talk to the guests when their comments were getting nastier, but I'm glad you fended it all by yourself. It's surprising, and it's a certainly a very welcomed change."

His vibrant blue eyes shifted into a gloomier color as the blond paused to contemplate. He murmured. "I guess."

Tsunade thinned her lips in consternation, recognizing once again the troubled look coming from Naruto. Since it seems that the young man didn't intend to talk about his problems to her, she had no choice but to leave him until he felt better. "I still think this is great, no matter what caused you to change. Well, I should get going. I have to organize this month's bills." Tsunade waved her hand as she walked to her office.

Naruto just answered with a short nod, his eyes still distant and lost in his thoughts, his arms resting on the reception desk. While most guests were outside having fun, Naruto simply stood immobile, barely noticing the time passing by.

He suddenly shook his head, vigorously messing his hair with his hands as he groaned in frustration:

"Aaaaaaaaaargh. I'm thinking about that bastard again."

Naruto banged his head on the desk a couple of times till he rested his cheek on the marbled surface, exhaling a loud sigh.

But even though he refused to spare an extra thought over Sasuke, he couldn't help but wonder how Sasuke was coping right now…

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I'm going to die. Sasuke gasped, unable to breathe properly as he was lifted several feet above the ground. I'm definitely going to die.

"YOU!" Jiraiya growled, tightening his fingers around Sasuke's neck. "I don't care if you're an Uchiha or whatever, hell, I don't care if you're God but for hurting my son—you're going to pay!"

Sasuke tried to come up with any rebuttal but he only managed to wheeze out some feeble whimpers. He attempted to loosen the fingers around his throat and kicked anywhere possible (his life was at stake here) but without any avail. This fueled Jiraiya's wrath as he banged Sasuke's head to the wall repeatedly and snarled:

"And you dare coming here after all you have done to my son, you son of a bitch? I'll tear you limb by limb and throw you in a tank of acid!" Jiraiya suddenly released the young brunet and growled. "Now say your last wishes before I send you to hell!"

Sasuke coughed non-stop, breathing rapidly to recover the lack of oxygen in his brain. Oh God, he almost died just now. He swore that he almost saw a field of flowers and the river Styx, his soul slowly detaching from his body. This man was Naruto's father? Sasuke was still incredulous from this revelation because above all else, this monstrous strength was surely inhuman.

Jiraiya was glowering darkly at the young Uchiha, snapping his knuckles. A cold sweat ran through his spine. Figuring that it'd be best if he started slow, Sasuke said:

"I…want to talk with Naruto."

One stunned second passed until an enraged roar of "WHAT?" emitted from Jiraiya as he stalked menacingly towards the Uchiha.

"Wait! I can explain!" Sasuke replied, sprinting away as he attempted to buy more time.

"To hell with explanations! I should have killed you instead of giving you extra time to spout this foolish nonsense! Don't you dare try to escape from me you little fucker!"

Sasuke looked around, noticing a long corridor on his left and a door located in the middle of it. Maybe he should run for cover in that room—a large part of his ego was against this decision. He's an Uchiha after all. Uchihas don't cower under overprotective parents; Uchihas don't flee under perilous situations, Uchihas—

Out of nowhere, alarm bells rang loudly in his brain and Sasuke ducked, missing by a hair one punch delivered by Jiraiya. The brunet was incredulous as he saw his fist leaving a gaping hole in the wall.

…right. On the other hand, it might be wise if he made a strategic retreat and wait till the older man calmed down. Sasuke evaded when Jiraiya attempted to grab him by his neck and dashed away as fast as possible.

Unfortunately, Jiraiya noticed Sasuke's intention, shouting as he followed the young Uchiha:

"Are you going to hide now you coward? You—" He aimed another punch on the pale cheek but fortunately Sasuke parried with one hand and with the other pushed the old man a few steps back.

Sasuke said. "Please. I don't want to fight y—!" He avoided other jabs in his direction as Jiraiya destroyed the wooden door with one blow.

"Why do you want to talk with Naruto now?" Jiraiya yelled, throwing random objects towards Sasuke's direction. "After everything that you have done to him, you have the balls coming here asking for my son?"

"I have a good reason!" Sasuke shouted back, dodging a vase as it shattered the wall.

"You thought you haven't tortured Naruto enough you piece of shit?" Jiraiya said, his hand blindly trying to find any other object to throw at the young man. Once he realized that he had nothing nearby, he decided to chase after Sasuke, increasing his speed.

Sasuke immediately realized the impending doom as he jumped behind the couch, one man located at each side running in circles ultimately reaching an impasse.

Sasuke heard Jiraiya muttering under his breath in Japanese. "This damn cockroach is taking time to die…"

Well, it appears that Naruto's father is surely fluent in cursing in Japanese unlike his son.

"Jiraiya-san…"Sasuke started slow though he heard a scornful snort in return. "I do not want to harm your son, I want to set things right with him."

"Don't give me that crap you brat." Jiraiya glared darkly, snarling. "You hurt him! Physically and emotionally, I have never in my entire life seen before my son looking so affected, troubled, lost." He said, recalling the day when he saw Naruto with charred clothes. "And then, what you said to him…"

Jiraiya closed his eyelids in a frown until he reopened them, his eyes narrowed to slits. He pointed at Sasuke, an accusatory voice that reverberated resentful hatred. "I don't want you anywhere near my son from now on. For all the damage you have done already, it's obvious that you're only affecting him badly so you'll harm him if you see him once again."

Sasuke stared back at the older man, unable to come up with any words of rebuttal as his mind went blank. His fingers slowly enclosed into a fist, blurting out. "Why can't you give me another chance?"

Jiraiya suddenly expelled a loud sardonic chortle, grabbing his side of the couch and shoving forward, unbalancing Sasuke who was positioned on the other side. "Why do you keep insisting on this moronic idea?" He said as he climbed over the furniture and almost managed to yank Sasuke's shirt.

"All I'm asking is for one more chance! I can clear things up with Naruto—"

"I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN GIVE ANY CHANCE TO AN IMMATURE AND SPOILED BRAT LIKE YOU!" Jiraiya roared, trying to approach close to the brunet. "You're nothing but a cowardly son of a bitch that couldn't admit anything with my son because you're so goddamn selfish with your gay insecurities! And Naruto had to pay for that!"

Sasuke gulped dryly, memories of their last encounter still stinging fresh in his mind, replaying the moment when he saw Naruto's pained blue eyes. He muttered. "I am well aware of all the damage I have done to him. That's why I want to talk to him, at least apo—"

"DON'T WASTE YOUR BREATH FREAKIN' ASS! You better leave Naruto alone if you really want to apologize him, you worthless piece of shit!" Jiraiya threw a small pot of plant that Sasuke dodged.

Jiraiya wheezed heavily from exhaustion, finally taking a second to rest. He gritted out. "And you know what really angers me the most? My stupid son actually bothered himself to defend you!"

That caught Sasuke's attention, hearing about Naruto's latest news as he asked, breathless. "R—really?"

"Yes!" Jiraiya begrudgingly agreed, scratching his head. "Last time he called and confided in me I said that he should let everything that happened with you out in the open so everyone will know and you know what he replied to me?" Jiraiya inhaled slowly and expelled a frustrated groan. "That I have to understand that you have a lot of complicated problems and he shouldn't bother you over this." Jiraiya snorted. "Have to understand…I'd rather swallow burning coals than to try and understand a spoiled brat like you. I don't know what the hell he saw in you."

As Sasuke absorbed this new information, his eyes narrowed in response, gathering strength from every nerve in his system as he admitted. "I also don't know what Naruto saw in me but I can guarantee…I do return his feelings with the same intensity."

Jiraiya gritted his teeth, taking broad steps towards the young Uchiha. "I am not going to hear this bullshit."

"It's true! I vow to you, Naruto is my most important person!" Sasuke declared without hesitation, an unwavering voice that left no doubts of his sincerity.

Such words actually left Jiraiya shocked, unable to move while he fully comprehended the concept. He slowly balled his hands, murmuring.

"If he's that important to you…" Jiraiya howled, punching the wall and shaking the whole house. "Then why did you do something like that to him?" His fist left a large crack behind it, peeling off the paint and all nearby objects having fallen to the ground.

"Because…"Sasuke opened his mouth, stumbling to come up with a reasonable answer but he ended up confessing, his head lowered in shame. "Because I didn't realize how important he was to me until I lost him."

Jiraiya sighed heavily and for the first time in this conversation, there was a tinge of sympathy in his voice. "But it's already too late brat, admit it."

"It's not too late, I have changed." Sasuke continued, obstinate. "It's true that I can't undo my mistakes, but at least let me try fixing it—"

"Then you have a lot to do to fix those massive mistakes young man!" Jiraiya snarled, his rage returning in full bloom. "Not only did you leave my son heartbroken, you humiliated him and forced him to resign what was literally the job of his dreams! God, I don't even know how I'm going to convince Sarutobi-sensei—"

"Sarutobi-sama is not going to fire Naruto, he said so himself." Sasuke remembered something and snorted in self-deprecation. "After I bowed and begged to him needlessly."

All of a sudden, Jiraiya grabbed Sasuke's neck with one hand and violently shoved him to the wall, growling. "You really think I'm going to buy this idiotic statement and pity you?"

Sasuke coughed and scowled. "I'm not lying."

"Give me a break. You're just a rich boy who can't think of anyone besides yourself. You'd never do something like that." Jiraiya scoffed, tightening his hand around Sasuke's neck.

"You might be right that I am selfish. I didn't even understand why I was doing that but…it felt like my body was moving on its own." Sasuke confessed and widened his eyes as an epiphany finally dawned on him.

His entire life, even though he followed his parents' decisions or attempted to impress them, deep inside, he wanted their recognition to satisfy himself. It was the first time that he acted on his own whim, he wasn't expecting Naruto's gratitude afterwards, he didn't want to relieve his own guilt - his heart simply dictated his body to move. He was willing to throw his ego, pride and everything—

"I bowed and begged because I only wanted Naruto to be safe. I know it's a small fraction of all the mending that I have to do but…at that moment, nothing was more important than Naruto and if I could do anything to help him…Then…then… it'd be completely worth it." Sasuke wheezed between tired breaths, his head still dizzy from this revelation.

Slowly…Jiraiya detached his fingers around the pale neck, silently observing the young man coughing for air. Jiraiya sighed with a loud huff, turning his back as he started mulling to himself, still undecided which course of action he should take.

"Jiraiya-san, I just need to talk with Naruto one more time, that's all." Sasuke said. "If Naruto rejects me even after this explanation, I swear I will leave him alone."

Jiraiya grumbled some nonsensical noises, settling to turn around with another huff and his eyes zeroed onto Sasuke's graphite ones. "Fine. But after everything that you have done, I can't just…give his location, just like that."

Sasuke inhaled deeply and murmured. "Then…"

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"You talked with Jiraiya yesterday, right?" Tsunade asked, sitting on the flatbed truck while Naruto placed all the vegetables inside a box.

"Yeah yeah, I did, satisfied? You were really annoying nagging me every five seconds 'bout it." Naruto grumbled, rolling his sleeves.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tsunade noticed the growing number of female onlookers subtly looking at them. It wasn't her fault that she 'only' found one set of overalls that were actually a few sizes smaller than normal and with very minimal movement it showed every hard line of Naruto's fit body. And she couldn't help that with all the physical exertion, the blond would have no choice but to unzip the upper part of the cloth and roll up the sleeves, showing his tan muscles. And it was definitely a coincidence that the ski booth was placed near them, and while everyone was looking at them, they would have no choice but to pay for the classes and equipment too.

Ah...good for profit.

"And yet you were so stubborn about this, making him worry over you the whole time. You only listened to me when I threatened to kill you, stupid brat." Tsunade retorted back. She contemplated then. "Though I admit that I'm curious about why you decided to visit me out of the blue and accepted working here, in a place that is so far from your home, above all."

Huffing, Naruto ignored her with a roll of eyes, picking up the boxes and walking towards the kitchen door.

A light bulb suddenly went off and with a snort, Tsunade examined her fingernails in fake interest, watching the young man pass her by. She said nonchalantly. "Someone dumped you huh."

Naruto nearly tripped.

Tsunade scoffed raising her chin and flung her ponytails. "Aaaaah…I thought so. Ah, youngsters...I remember the time when I had to—"

"I don't want to hear your century-old fairytales, old hag." Naruto deadpanned.

He hastened his steps to duck the snow balls furiously aimed at him.

Once done, Naruto returned to the hall ready for another day of work, noticing the Japanese couple he dealt with yesterday and to his surprise, they bowed courteously albeit a little bit stiff. Naruto bowed back at them, not suppressing a small smile as he watched their backs.

He had spent most of the time answering the phones and taking care of the guests (for some odd reason female guests just kept arriving with some really basic questions that puzzled Naruto. Who wouldn't know how to connect to a wireless internet in this day and age?). Even though he generally spoke with the guests in English, the hotel also received a reasonable number of Japanese people too. No wonder Tsunade literally grabbed him the moment he said that he was free; she also looked really busy running everything by herself. But really, he was still struggling to get everything done right; attending to everyone, filing all the information and responding to their complaints…Naruto sighed as he typed on the computer; he seriously wasn't made for this.

However, realizing how much he didn't fit in this environment also made him remember about his previous job. Naruto mused distraught, he should probably give up his architect career, after all, even if Sasuke didn't hold a grudge against the punch, Naruto couldn't hold out much hope that Fugaku would do the same. Plus, what kind of architectural firm would hire someone who punched the president's son of the most prestigious company in the world?

Maybe he should open his own firm then, start slow and build a reputation in small towns. Naruto groaned; his future was looking bleak. He shouldn't dwell too much on those possibilities and negativities. First thing he should do, would be to apologize to Sarutobi-jiichan and Shikamaru for all the trouble he caused once he returns then check his bank account and depending on the situation, maybe he should move to another state. Or another country. Another planet would be even better.

Naruto massaged the bridge between his eyebrows as he finished typing all the information. This was the…twentieth time in a row that Japanese guests had arrived. Ever since yesterday there was a sudden increase of Japanese people frequenting the place, for some odd reason. Was there some kind of convention being held over the next few days or something?

Naruto rummaged through the hotel's schedule, still having some trouble comprehending the system. He raised an eyebrow at what was scheduled over the next few days:

50th annual festival on Japanese culture

It did sound kind of interesting in some way…if only they could add some people cosplaying as samurais and ninjas. Naruto wrinkled his nose, now noticing that most of the people strolling in the hall were middle-aged Japanese groups. Such a serious convention, only someone who takes jokes too seriously, is a moody and stoic bastard would like participate that.

Sasuke would probably be pleased to see such an event being held here…

Naruto groaned loudly, banging his head on the table:

"Oh God! I'm thinking about that bastard again! Seriously, what the hell is my problem?"

"You're thinking about who, usuratonkachi?"

Naruto immediately whipped his head upwards, incredulous at hearing that familiar baritone voice. But lo and behold, Sasuke was staring back at him with mildly amused eyes. Naruto blinked twice, jaw agape. This was impossible; he must be seeing and hearing mirages.

Sasuke spoke again, smirking. "Well, dumbass. What bastard were you thinking about?"

What? Wut? Huuh? This mirage looked really realistic…

Sasuke cleared his throat to somber the mood and said. "Naruto, I'm here to tal—"

Naruto jumped over the receptionist desk and dashed off.

It was Sasuke's turn to halt a few seconds in bewilderment until he got ahold of himself and without wasting much time chased after him.

"What the hell? Why are you here?" Naruto shouted as he continued running. "And why the fuck are you following me?"

"Why are you running away then! Naruto! We have to talk!" Sasuke growled, trying to catch up.

"What? No! Go away, go away!" Naruto yelled back, stumbling into some people as all the onlookers watched the chase confused.

"I'm not going to! Get back here you dumbass!"

Naruto found the janitor room and scrambled to reach the doorknob, opening and entering inside as he rushed to close the door—

Sasuke finally reached the other side and grabbed the doorknob, starting a tug of war.

"What the—release the door you bastard!" Naruto snarled, trying to pull it closed on his side.

"Only after we talk usuratonkachi!"

"What the fuck! Since when are you one who likes talking you asshole! Go away dammit!"

"You know that I'm not going to do that now stop being so stubborn!"

"Stu—who's stubborn? I'm not stubborn! You're being stubborn!" Naruto roared.

"And you're also being a dumbass! Open the door Naruto!" Sasuke roared, pulling the doorknob.

"No I won't you asshole!"

"Yes you will dumbass!"

"What the fuck, are you fucking deaf? I told you to go away!"

"Only. After. We. Talk!" Sasuke punctuated each word through snarls.

"No!"

A loud cough caught their attention and they momentarily stopped their skirmish to glance at Tsunade while she was observing the situation with an amused smirk.

"I'm just here to inform Uchiha-kun that your room is ready, the bellboys have already carried up your luggage and here's your cardkey."

Sasuke frowned at the interruption, both hands holding the doorknob securely as he stared at the offered card. He raised one of his hands to grab the card and as he did so Naruto quickly took advantage of the opportunity and closed the door, locking it.

"Wha—"Sasuke banged loudly on the door yelling, "You're not going to get away from this usuratonkachi!"

"Fuck off bastard!" was the muffled reply from behind the doors.

Sasuke almost emitted an inhuman growl until he noticed several people looking at the present situation, some were even pointing at them. He pulled out the nastiest Uchiha Glare ® in his arsenal which was enough to make them scurry away while Tsunade, who was still watching in bemusement, folded her arms to her chest.

Sasuke bowed courteously and said. "Thank you, Senju-sama. Now if you'll excuse me…"

The brunet turned around, breathed slowly a couple of times to calm down, raised his hand to knock on the door and muttered.

"Naruto, come out. We need to talk, just for a few minutes, I swear. I just need you to hear me out and let me explain."

Sasuke waited for any kind of reaction but he only heard the sound of Naruto shuffling to sit down. Naruto curled into himself, placing his elbows on his kneecaps, his head softly touching the door as he let escape a heavy sigh. Heartbeats were throbbing loudly on his ears, tempting him to open the door and listen to Sasuke. He couldn't, not when there were still flesh wounds refusing to heal, the bitterness pulling him to the ground. He bit his lip when he heard Sasuke knocking again.

"…Naruto, please."

Sasuke was growing restless when he only met an uneasy silence in return. He moved to knock on the door but Tsunade intervened with a hand wrapped firmly around his wrist.

"Well Uchiha-kun, maybe it's time for you to get settled and relax in your room - maybe admire the view, right." She said, piercing golden eyes leaving no room for discussion.

Sasuke frowned from the unnecessary intrusion. He was so close to seeing Naruto after being deprived of his presence for so many days; his entire soul ached for the blonde, thinning his very limited patience even further. He wanted so much to clear things up with Naruto and to be basked in his warmth, but the blond was refusing to see him and to add fuel to his growing frustration, outsiders were also hindering their reunion.

The young Uchiha detached his wrist from Tsunade's grip with a little bit more force than necessary and growled. "Thank you. Maybe I'll do that later Senju-sama."

Tsunade glowered, snapping her knuckles with her hands as a threat. "How about now, Uchiha-kun?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in response, knowing full well about Tsunade's combat abilities since she came from a traditional clan that encouraged each member to learn at least one type of martial art. Sasuke grumbled inwardly, in this short period of a few months he had been in more brawls than he had before in his entire life. He could avoid this particular battle since it was rather unnecessary, plus he had the whole day to find Naruto and talk with him. However, he just couldn't step aside so easily, when Naruto was so close to his grasp.

"You know that the room has a back door which Naruto most probably used and exited through by now?" Tsunade said, terminating any sort of plans running through Sasuke's mind. Sasuke glared but she only smirked back. "Don't get me wrong Uchiha-kun, I don't like meddling in someone else's business unless it's necessary. Now, do you need me to show you where the elevator is?"

Sasuke frowned and responded. "I can locate it myself, thank you Senju-sama."

Tsunade waved her hand with a sweet beam, watching the young Uchiha walking away. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the door slightly ajar so she opened it unceremoniously, Naruto falling to the ground with an "oof".

"He's already gone brat." Tsunade said as the blond man scrambled to see any sign of duck-butt hair nearby.

"Oh." Naruto sighed relieved, standing up. "Thanks for covering me baa-chan."

"You're welcome, but knowing he's an Uchiha, he won't fall for this lie next time because he will check the whole building to the smallest detail for any future possibility." Tsunade replied. "So, what horrid thing did he do to you, did he cheat on you or something like that?"

Naruto stared back at her, grumbled some nonsensical noises and walked back to the reception desk.

Tsunade followed, musing out loud. "Turbulent relationship that ended in disaster? Hm, maybe then—?"

"Do you always have a habit of sniffing for some gossip, wrinkled old hag?"

The murderous aura was thick in the air. Tsunade howled, snapping her knuckles. "SAY WHAT YOU LITTLE BR—"

"Oh, look at all the people waiting in the reception area! Gotta go help all the guests, bye!" Naruto sprinted far away to avoid any possible retaliation.

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It's a wonder that the guests didn't mention about the blond receptionist's odd behavior; Naruto was constantly glancing around, blue eyes narrowed and suspicious. He jumped every time he heard the ding sound coming from the elevator, sometimes crouching behind the desk while the guests looked bewildered at him.

This neurosis had paid off because it didn't take very long to see a grouchy Uchiha Sasuke bursting out of the elevator, his eyes sharp like a Hawk hunting his prey. Naruto instantly ducked behind the reception desk, groaning exasperated.

Sasuke strode towards the reception area, already noticing the lack of a certain dumb blonde. Disregarding all the onlookers around him, he jumped past the reception desk only to meet empty space. He obviously opened the back door then, searching for any hair or hide of Naruto but the service area was also empty. There was another door leading back to the main hall, as Sasuke's patience had practically evaporated, he pried it open with a glare only to meet Tsunade blinking surprised.

"Uchiha-kun? What are you doing here? This place is authorized only for workers you know that right?"

"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke asked, not in the mood to waste a second with needless hindrances and unwanted distractions. He saw Tsunade raising an eyebrow in response from his blunt approach, but nevertheless, she answered.

"There's one guest that complained about some issues in the bathroom, or something like that, he went there to check it."

"Since when is Naruto employed as not only a receptionist but also as a plumber too?" Sasuke grumbled.

"Well, he's multi-tasking!" Tsunade snorted. "Now Uchiha-kun, if you don't mind stepping aside, I need to work."

Not fully convinced, the brunet obeyed Tsunade, a deep frown showing on his face and began exploring the whole hotel, not leaving one place undiscovered. Tsunade watched from the reception desk, as the young Uchiha stalked everywhere with a permanent dark cloud looming over his head, glaring hard enough to break diamonds. She idly shook her head, Uchihas and their perennial bitchiness.

Spiky golden hair peeked out from behind the desk; slit cerulean eyes peered across the entire area, searching for one arrogant bastard.

"He's still here, you know." Tsunade said, placing her chin on her palm when Naruto lowered in urgency before Sasuke found him.

Naruto scratched his hair with a troubled look, musing for a while. "Hey baa-chan…" He said. "Would you mind if we change shifts, you take the afternoon while I'll take at night and morning?"

Tsunade deliberately paused, as if she was silently questioning his decision. "Hm. Well…let's see. Naruto, do you know our neighboring city Brunswick?"

"Brunswick, the one that I have to drive for almost 2 hours to get to? What about it?" Naruto narrowed his eyes suspicious.

"You see, Brunswick is particularly famous for their beer, which is still a home brewed production. I certainly wouldn't mind switching shifts if you could buy two barrels as a gift for my trouble."

Naruto took a while to process the idea until he muttered, eyebrows furrowed. "Wait. Is that extortion? Are you asking me to bribe you?"

"If you want this in laymen terms…" Tsunade smirked. "I guess."

"Two barrels?"

"Aren't you glad that I didn't ask for three?"

Naruto scowled. "You're one corrupt old—"

Tsunade raised her voice a tiny bit. "Oh, Uchiha—"

"—Nicest lady I have ever met. And the old part? Slip of the tongue, I swear you look in your twenties ba—Tsunade nee-san." Naruto said with gritted teeth.

"Now that's way better. Have a nice trip Naruto-kun."

Naruto sulked. "This is unfair. You're practically ordering me to do this, don't deny it."

"Hmm."

"You're a ruthless dictator."

"Of course." Tsunade nodded laidback.

"This is…like fascism. No, Despotism." The blond continued grumbling like a petulant child.

"Uh huh. You know Naruto…" Tsunade whispered when she saw Sasuke surveying the area nearby. "You're free to refuse my offer if you prefer."

Blond eyebrows knitted together as Naruto shifted towards the back door. "I'll do it."

Tsunade thinned her lips, unable to refute the fact that she was mildly disappointed with his decision. She crossed her arms when the young blond opened the door gradually, his back facing her.

"You shouldn't ignore the fact that Uchiha Sasuke came all the way here just to meet and talk with you." She said and Naruto promptly froze in his tracks. "Can't you give him a few seconds to hear him out?"

Naruto continued to tiptoe inside the service area, apparently unruffled by her enquiry. "No." Naruto said, one word ringing unrelenting and emotionless, though the older woman could almost detect a tremble in his voice.

How is it possible that this usuratonkachi always managed to get on his nerves? Sasuke kept wondering while he rechecked the reception area for the umpteenth time, only to see Tsunade attending the guests. He didn't have time or the mood to play Naruto's stupid game of chase. Fine if the blond dumbass managed to avoid him till now, it's not like he didn't have some extra cards to play either.

One of the many quirks Sasuke learned when Naruto was working in Kyoto was that his stomach functioned like clockwork. That meant that no matter what place or moment, at 11:00 pm Naruto wanted to have his so-called "Ramen time". It was like some kind of frightening addiction, Sasuke had never seen anyone go so far for some mere junk food. There were many times he wanted to warn the usuratonkachi about the dangers of constant consumption of saturated fat and unhealthy additives (but he could imagine the shocked rebuttal of 'Ramen also has vegetables and it's a very complete and healthy meal, so stop complaining bastard').

This time he was going to use this knowledge to his advantage, laying his trap carefully. Both the kitchen doors were closed at night, though Sasuke assumed that since Naruto was part of the Hotel's staff, he probably had the key to the outer door. The brunet arrived a half hour earlier, noticing the lights on in the room and Naruto cooking his nightly snack, while grumbling something like 'Instant noodles aren't exactly like cup noodles, that old hag—'

"Hello usuratonkachi."

Naruto literally jumped a few feet and swiveled around to see Sasuke planted in front of the door, crossing his arms with a victorious smirk. Fuck! He wasn't expecting that Sasuke to remember this habit. He should have cooked it earlier and then eaten in his room but it was already too late.

"Now you have nowhere to run and you will listen to what I'm going to say to you."

Sasuke expected Naruto to whine or complain about this, but the blond squared his shoulders instead and muttered calmly. "You know Sasuke, why can't you give it a rest? I've had enough. You're going to step aside right now."

Sasuke felt unsettled that Naruto had said it with such threatening conviction, though he responded coolly. "I see no reason to obey your request."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Why are you so damn persistent? You just can't handle when someone refuses you so you keep insisting like some sort of grumpy brat."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, unbelieving about what he had just heard. "Brat? I'm not the one who kept avoiding the situation instead of properly facing me, dumbass."

"I wasn't avoiding you. I just don't want to hear you anymore. Maybe you should have gotten the clue and left me alone." Naruto growled.

"Why won't you just listen to me?" Sasuke said confusedly. "Can't you see that there's a reason why I'm here?"

"Huh…so what?" Naruto straightened to stare icily towards the brunet and muttered back. "Do I look anywhere near interested to know why you're here?"

This sudden attitude threw Sasuke off guard, though he still rebutted, lowering his tone. "Because if I'm here, after all that has happened between us, obviously now I have a good reason in wanting to find you."

"And I already said that you shouldn't do this, you're only wasting your time." Naruto stared straight towards Sasuke, his blue eyes acquiring a sharpened edge. "What makes you think I'm going to believe whatever you're going to say Sasuke?"

Sasuke felt a cold sweat rolling down his back, not expecting such blatant antagonizing coming from Naruto. He steeled his nerves, ready to face him. "We still have much to talk about, especially considering that we still have unresolved—"

Naruto interrupted with a loud chortle, hollow and devoid of any genuine amusement coming from his lips. "Really? What unresolved issue are you talking about? Sasuke, I'm pretty sure you've already established the end of whatever thing we had started the moment you called me a poor insignificant idiot."

Sasuke concentrated his every nerve not to recoil from this accusation but he still felt a shiver spreading through his skin. He murmured cautiously. "What I said back then, was nothing relevant—"

"What? No…I think it's quite relevant." Naruto said in mild incredulity. "Those words…you didn't say that out of nowhere. You knew exactly what those words meant to me, you knew how much I hated it, so you knew how I would react once I heard it to get the reaction you wanted. But you know what angers me the most? You know all about it because I told everything…to you!"

Naruto's voice rumbled inside the empty kitchen, loud echoes expelled every emotion that the blond had bottled up inside himself up till now. It was enough to make Sasuke speechless for few seconds, as he responded, albeit hesitant:

"Naruto, I didn't mean to say them in the first place…"

"That doesn't matter, that's not the point!" Naruto growled. "You knew how much it would hurt me hearing those words and yet you still said them. Why should I even bother myself listening to you when I won't be able to trust you after all this? If I'll be unable to talk with you, fearing that whatever I'll say you'll throw it back to me somehow?"

Blazing blue eyes focused in a cold fury that was entirely aimed at Sasuke, and somehow he was incapable to avert his gaze, receiving every bitter emotion that Naruto was lashing out.

Sasuke said. "It was my mistake that I said those things, but I won't do it again, tru—"

"Trust you? Why?" Naruto interrupted, walking towards Sasuke. "I may not look it, but actually I'm not someone who can talk about my private issues to just anyone Sasuke. Some things that I said to you I have never mentioned to anyone else before…and this was the result in the end."

With one hand clutched to his chest, Naruto approached even closer to Sasuke, golden eyebrows furrowed as teeth grinded out another growl:

"I have confessed parts of my past… parts of myself that I have never told to anyone before…and you used it against me in the end."

The Uchiha only felt a swift breeze against his face, as a tanned hand reached towards the door behind him, icy eyes trapping his attention and robbing his breath. Naruto snarled, just before he finally opened the door and exited the kitchen:

"Now tell me again Sasuke—why the hell do I have to listen to you?"

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Sasuke groaned loudly inside his room, both hands rubbing his face, trying to filter the sun's rays against his eyes. He couldn't sleep through most of the night, that disaster playing and replaying inside his mind until his body had finally succumbed to his tiredness and he dozed off for a few hours.

He still wondered to himself why he couldn't come up with a significant response to Naruto's angered words, cursing that his eloquence and quick thinking had abandoned him in such time of duress. He just stood petrified, witnessing all the rage shown in that pair of blue eyes and unable to say anything that would soothe his pain. His entire life he had been criticized by various people, enough to develop a resistance and was able to effectively counterpoint if necessary. However this time, he simply listened helpless shaken to the core, letting Naruto once again cut through layers of his mask; being spot on his flaws and faults.

For some reason he harbored some vain hope that…after all the trials and tribulations just to get here; his confrontation with his brother and his father, bowing down to Sarutobi and meeting the blonde's father, at least here…Naruto would give him a break. Sasuke snorted humorlessly, guess life didn't exactly work like that.

Above all, Sasuke couldn't fully absorb the idea of why Naruto refused to listen to him. Throughout this entire journey of correcting himself and facing his fears; mainly for personal reasons, but also was fueled by the fact that…the reason Naruto helped him by lying to his father back then was because Naruto still returned his feelings even after all that. He was able to break through walls because he had Naruto as his finishing line and expected that once they had cleared up the misunderstandings they could have the beginning of a fresh relationship.

But it didn't look to be the case. Naruto was right. Who the hell in their right mind would trust him after Sasuke had just essentially thrown him out the window and humiliated him? Sasuke sighed heavily. Perhaps Naruto covered him not for the reasons of what he assumed at first, but out of loyalty, something that he had completely lacked in that meeting.

Sasuke still had to clear things up with Naruto, as he had promised to Jiraiya. However, there was the possibility that even after explaining everything, Naruto would reject him. And Sasuke would leave him alone, let Naruto escape from his grasp and lead a life without him.

This mere thought was enough to heighten the desire to bury himself under the bed covers, forever denying the cruel passage of time.

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Naruto groaned loudly in the reception area, softly banging his head on the table as he rested against it with a heavy sigh. God, last night completely exhausted his energy. He didn't expect to let all his rage burst out so easily like that, even though he got angry and annoyed on certain occasions, he had always assumed that such negative emotion was counter-productive. Trust the bastard to always make Naruto create an exception for him. Bah.

Perhaps the worst part of it all was the devastating effect Sasuke still had on him. His close proximity was enough to make his body react automatically, as if a magnetic force was pulling him in, a fire being supplied through his veins till it almost made him dizzy. The loud heartbeats that were nearly ripping out of his ribcage kept begging to simply forget whatever had transpired between them, to accept whatever excuse Sasuke would come up with, but…he couldn't…

"You know, you should talk with him." A feminine voice cut into his line of thought.

Naruto groaned and rubbed his face on the cool marble. "Not now baa-chan. Why is everyone so fucking insistent…" He mumbled.

"Naruto, it wouldn't hurt if you just take some time to listen to whatever Uchiha-kun wants to explain to you." Tsunade replied, crossing her arms. "I'm not saying that you should just accept whatever explanation, I'm just saying that at least hearing him out will be good for you."

Naruto raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Good for me? Have you gone senile old hag?"

With an angry tick in her left eye, Tsunade let the insult pass by as she continued talking. "I'm just saying that even though I have no idea what's happened between you two, at least once Uchiha-kun arrived he was able to extract some kind of reaction from you."

"Yeah, I'm getting angry just thinking about him let alone listening, how the hell is this helping me?" Naruto grumbled back.

"Because he's the only one who can make you get rid of all the negative feelings you keep holding to yourself, brat." Tsunade answered.

The young man furrowed his eyebrows confused, responding. "Huh?"

"Naruto, ever since you arrived here five days ago, I didn't see one moment when you were smiling for real. And you have been keeping your distance with everyone—don't deny it—"Tsunade raised her hand to interrupt whatever protest was coming from Naruto. "And for some reason you kept hiding your emotions… I know you well enough brat, I can see it."

Naruto finally gave in with a loud sigh, his cheek no longer feeling the cold surface of the marble. "Fine, then why do you think that if I listened to Sasuke it would be any better?"

"Because at least you'll no longer be burying those feelings inside you then? I know the Uchiha clan well; they wouldn't do anything unless it was really worth their time and attention, so I believe that Uchiha-kun has a good reason wanting to talk with you. I'm not asking for you to just comply with his wishes but at least…by listening to him you could put whatever unresolved issues to an end. Think about it." Tsunade replied, observing Naruto's expression acquiring a contemplative gaze.

However, his blue eyes kept showing conflicting emotions, as if he was considering her words but still feared whatever repercussions would fall on him. Silently walking back to her office, Tsunade left the young man to his own musings.

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Sasuke was absentmindedly watching the TV showing some weather report. After almost literally dragging himself from his bed, he went to the bathroom and dressed with reluctance, his energy had completely evaporated. He had nothing to look forward to for today, so where was the need to make any kind of effort then? Sasuke was now starting to wonder where the hell his confidence had gone and admonished himself for such weak thoughts.

Looking at the clock, Sasuke realized that it was already afternoon, he wasted too much time contemplating; his mind basically wasn't focused on the present. He rubbed his eyelids in consternation, inhaling a long intake of air and expelling with a loud sigh, turning off the TV. Sasuke stood up, his gaze gradually gathering strength and his posture recomposing to his usual proud and refined self, now resembling the Uchiha that would deal head-on with his problems without much fear and was ready to face all consequences. He had every intent to accept whatever was coming to him, because after all, he was the one who made the devastating mistakes. Sasuke balled his fists, exiting his room and went to the hallway, unable to ignore the fact that his legs were a little bit numb.

From behind the reception area, the brunet heard a female guest chatting amiably with Naruto while she threw some furtive glances towards the blond, though from his position he couldn't see Naruto's reaction to her. Sasuke felt a flare of rightful indignation as he quickened his steps. This rage quickly dimmed when he realized that it wasn't his place to intervene, and even if he did, it'd only aggravate the situation since he had no claim whatsoever over Naruto.

Still, that didn't mean he wasn't going to indirectly hinder her pursuit, as the Uchiha readied his glare and he heard Naruto saying:

"Oh, sorry, I'm also new here. I don't think I know any bars in the neighboring town."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, already guessing what she had asked him about, this was the most cliché excuse to flirt with someone. Thank God Naruto was also too thick to fall for that.

The woman instantly corrected herself as she replied:

"Really, you're a new employee? Well, maybe we could explore the town together then! Some of my friends actually mentioned a bar but I didn't want to go by myself…how about you go with me…" She caressed Naruto's hands with her fingers and slightly tilted her head. "And then we could get to know each other better and everything…"

Sasuke growled unbeknownst to himself, almost close enough to throw silent death threats towards the female guest until he heard:

"…ah." There was something in Naruto's tone that showed that the innuendo had clicked in his brain at last. Sasuke froze in his tracks, a cold dread running through his veins. What if…

However, Naruto detached his hand from hers and settled to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry. I don't think I can…I mean, I already L—…" Naruto sighed. "…Let's just say that I'm already committed…sorry."

Under normal circumstances, Sasuke would have wondered if it was healthy to change this rapidly from having depressed and pessimistic thoughts weighing heavily on his mind then to feel a sudden hope blossoming in his chest, his whole body buoyant and light. So Naruto…this changed everything. Sasuke definitely had a window open for him and he had the very intent to fully utilize it.

The woman left the reception area with a fake smile, which instantly vanished as she approached her friend. They walked past him as Sasuke heard her friend say:

"Ah…that's too bad. See, I told you that all the hot guys are either taken or gay."

"How about both?" Sasuke thought narrowing his eyes towards them, before he glanced at Naruto's back.

Sasuke smirked. Since it appeared that the tide was turning to his favor, maybe it was time for him to commence another plan he had cooked up to entrap the usuratonkachi.

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"Senju-sama."

Tsunade turned around with a raised eyebrow, replying. "You know, it's been a long while since anyone has constantly called me by my maiden name, and coming from an Uchiha no less. Well…is there a problem that might concern you Uchiha-kun?"

"Hn." Sasuke responded, pausing to mull things over. "It's about Naruto. I would like you to help me with something."

This time Tsunade lifted both of her eyebrows. "You're asking me for a favor? Wow, your ancestors must be turning over in their graves."

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever disagreements my clan used to have with your clan are all part of the past plus it doesn't really concern me."

Tsunade smiled, albeit a bit evilly. "You're going to receive an ear-splitting sermon from your mother if she gets hold of this news young man."

This time Sasuke stiffened a little, but shrugged it off once again. "I have more important issues at hand. I wanted to have some time alone with Naruto to talk with him and I need your help."

Sasuke wasn't in the mood to elucidate in detail the reason to Tsunade, but if needed to he would make a succinct explanation, whatever it took that would turn her to his side.

However Tsunade just folded her arms and answered. "Ok fine, tell me what to do."

The Uchiha blinked confused. "You're…not going to ask why?"

"I received a phone call from Jiraiya and he explained the overall situation."

Oh great. Oh…great. Sasuke rubbed his temples as Tsunade said:

"He then suggested for me to murder you and then throw your corpse to the wolves. I disagreed of course. Wolves would make such a mess, not a good way to get rid of incriminating evidence."

"If you're on Jiraiya-san's side, why do you want to help me out?"

"I'm not helping you Uchiha-kun, I'm helping Naruto." Tsunade replied, a menacing glint shown in her eyes. "Making him finally talk with you is perhaps the best option. Now tell me what I should do, as long as you're not asking for something too outrageous, of course."

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It was late afternoon; all the guests were out either to explore the neighboring towns or having fun skiing, so Naruto was alone in the hall. He suddenly felt his skin prickle, like some sort of natural compass inside him. Even though he couldn't pinpoint the exact location, he could feel the general distance of how close the bastard was, so it didn't surprise him when the brunet was shadowed him while he was writing some documents.

"What do you want Sasuke?" Naruto grumbled, moving the paper to a lighter spot.

"Why are you treating me this way?" Sasuke asked.

"What?" Naruto lifted his head with a confused eyebrow.

Sasuke crossed his arms with a victorious smirk. "You still have feelings for me, don't you?"

However, instead of questioning or rejecting this statement, Naruto just kept staring at Sasuke until he answered. "Yeah. Unlike you, I'm not going to bother denying this fact anyways. So? What?"

This time it was Sasuke's turn to furrow his eyebrows in bewilderment as he responded. "If you still have feelings for me, why are you treating me in such antagonistic way?"

"Because those are separate issues Sasuke." Naruto finished checking the documents and placed one hand on the table, blue eyes steadily looked directly at Sasuke's gray ones, leaving no room for any hesitation. "I'm definitely not going to let my feelings blind me and just because you're here now, doesn't mean that I'm going to accept you back when the problem is still there and it'll return sooner or later. Plus, just because I still have feelings for you, doesn't mean that I will just allow you to talk down to me, however intentional or not. I still have my pride, and I can't allow myself to feel inferior to you."

This explanation appeared to satisfy Sasuke enough, as he just nodded, grunting. "Hn."

"Now that you're happy receiving this piece of information, shoo. I gotta type some thingies too, 'm busy." The blond waved his hand in dismissal.

"Hn." Sasuke simply stood on the same spot, unmovable.

"You're not going away are you?" Naruto glowered at the amused expression shown on Sasuke's face.

"I'm not quite…done yet. Unfortunately for you."

"Ugh, what do I have to do to get rid of you bastard, I swear…What do you want Sasuke?" Naruto leaned his weight on one hand planted on the table.

The brunet slowly widened a very wicked smirk that made the back of Naruto's hair stand up. It was that type of smile similar to a predator getting ready to pounce on his victim but not before indulging himself with his sadist urges by playing with his prey, while also simultaneously showing his superiority of 'you're a dumbass and I'm the genius Uchiha'. Naruto was heavily tempted to smash his fist through that smug face then run away as fast as possible and live on the remotest planet in the Solar System.

Before the blond could enact his desperate thoughts, Sasuke placed both hands on the reception table and leaned his face closely to Naruto's till he could feel his steady breath and Sasuke said.

"I want to take skiing lessons."

And suddenly nothing made a lick of sense.

"What?" Naruto asked dumbly.

"Skiing lessons. This hotel offers those right? I would like to have a lesson." Sasuke responded, still wearing that smug smirk.

The blond slackened his jaw, silently mouthing like a fish out of water. He then settled with the standard answer, snarling through gritted teeth. "Well, bastard, there's a ski booth outside so if you want to have one, just ask around and they even rent equipment if you need it. Unfortunately I'm sorry to say that they probably don't sell the proper size hat to fit your gigantic head and ego."

Hn, cheeky dumbass. Sasuke ignored the insult for the moment to concentrate on more important issues. "I have already gone there. The booth is completely empty and there's a banner explaining that if the booth is vacant, the receptionist is also available to teach ski lessons."

Naruto's suspicions hammering at his head were confirmed now. "What? You're lying through your fucking teeth asshole, there's no way the ski booth would be empty at this time of day."

Sasuke stepped aside and said. "Go ahead and check it out if you'd like."

Naruto narrowed his eyes towards the brunet, and then redirected his gaze towards the ski booth visible outside the doors. It was really empty, which was odd considering that even though Tsunade didn't hire a lot of instructors, he had never seen the booth empty before.

"What the hell, did you bribe them or scare them off by threatening their lives? There's no way this would have happened and I'm not going to fall for whatever you're scheming bastard." Naruto grumbled.

"What are you talking about, idiot? I'm simply looking for some ski lessons and conveniently you're the one left to teach me. So…" Sasuke grabbed his wallet and said. "Do you accept credit cards or do I have to pay in cash?"

"No. No way. I'm not going with you bastard. You're definitely planning something evil, I can feel it in my veins, asshole. I'm not going." Naruto pointed accusingly and then snorted. "And besides, even if none of the other instructors are around, I can't leave the reception area. Someone has to be here in case a guest needs some help."

"I can take care of that Naruto." Tsunade suddenly appeared behind Naruto and the blond man jumped in surprise. "I think it's a good opportunity for you to relax after all."

Naruto swiveled around with his jaw agape and he rebutted. "What? There's no way I'll be able to relax with this bastard next to me dammit."

Sasuke smirked. "What? Are you scared usuratonkachi?"

This comment generated a sharp glare coming from Naruto. "I'm not afraid of you b—"

"Good, then get out before I have a headache you two." Tsunade waved her hand flippantly. "Especially you, brat. I was almost rendered deaf from your loud yell."

Naruto grumbled. "Wait. I'm still not going. I'm not looking for an early dea—"

"So you're going to refuse a request from a guest? You promised you would teach skiing if necessary, I can't believe that the brat I know; Uzumaki Naruto, is breaking a promise." Tsunade said.

"The circumstances are different; it's obvious that this bastard is laying some kind of trap."

"Well, I don't care!"

"What! You're just throwing me in the lion's den without any remorse, what kind of evil old hag are you?"

"I'm running a business and the client always knows best!"

"Senju-sama is correct, and as an employee you should listen to your superior usuratonkachi."

Naruto glowered at Sasuke, peeved from the fact that he had to defend against two people at the same time. "Eat my socks asshole!"

"Watch your language brat! And Uchiha-kun is right - you said you would help me out running this hotel. You're not going to disappoint me are you?"

This time Naruto looked a little bit embarrassed at Tsunade's solemn eyes so he said. "Well…uh…"

"It's just for a few hours, ok. Don't worry about it."

"But…"

"Besides, you wouldn't act so unprofessional would you?" Sasuke said.

"Of course you wouldn't, because I would have your head for it." Tsunade continued.

"It is your duty after all."

"You have a responsibility to uphold."

"You're not going to back down from your own word right dumbass?"

"Just go you stubborn brat."

Naruto just glanced back and forth from their rapid exchange of words, unable to come up with any rebuttal. He finally threw his hands up in the air exclaiming:

"You two are ganging up on me!"

~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~

He…he couldn't believe he really obeyed them. Naruto sulked while he stared at the ski equipment he was currently wearing, also glaring at the stupid conceited asshole that was also placing the ski boots on his foot.

"So, where should we go usuratonkachi?" Sasuke said once he finished putting the goggles over his eyes.

Naruto grumbled, picking up the hat and shoved it over the duck-butt hair. Despite the initial forceful action, the blond still checked to see if Sasuke's boots and bindings were fitted correctly, paying meticulous attention so as to avoid the brunet having any kind of possible accident. They used the cable car to reach the top of the mountain (Naruto was still sulking all the way up) and once they arrived there, the blond pointed to a less populated area where an ambling easy sloping green trail was located to be taken back down the mountain.

"Let's go over there. Walk but pay attention to keep both skis parallel, bend your knees a little bit and use the poles to help move forward." Naruto turned his neck to see if Sasuke was following him but the latter kept staring at the sky. "Hey, are you listening to me bastard?"

Obsidian eyes slowly blinked and the brunet muttered. "Of course I am dumbass. Let's go." He however walked in an unhurried pace. With a roll of eyes, Naruto also reduced his speed, to keep pace with Sasuke.

But even though Naruto tried to walk as slow as possible, they still managed to have a reasonable distance between them so every couple of minutes or so the blond would have to wait for Sasuke.

"Hey, you're pushing off on the wrong side; you should push off to the right."

"I am pushing off to the right dumbass." Sasuke glared, tilting to the left.

"No, you're not—point your ski more to the right, spread your legs and bend your knees, using your right leg to guide in the direction that you want." Naruto demonstrated by doing the same.

"Hn." Sasuke obeyed, though he kept moving to the left.

"You're doing it wrong. Be careful or we'll wind up in the forest." Naruto grumbled.

"What are you talking about; I'm doing as you requested, usuratonkachi." Sasuke obstinately rebutted, moving to the left.

"Ok, you know what. Wait a second; I'm heading over to you." Naruto walked towards Sasuke while the latter raised an eyebrow.

Snowflakes began falling around them, Sasuke pointed out. "It's starting to snow. Is this ok for us to continue skiing here?"

"Yeah, I don't think it'll be a problem… we're not expecting a storm or anything" Naruto said, when a sudden gush of wind interrupted them and the snow started thickening. "On the other hand, it might be better if we return now to be on the safe side." Naruto noticed that they were too far from the cable car so he said. "Can you slide forward?"

Sasuke snorted and used his poles to move his skis, only sliding forward a few inches at a time. With the wind and snow strengthening to become a small blizzard, Naruto had a sinking feeling that they might be entering in a dangerous situation. The blond swiftly sauntered next to Sasuke and instructed:

"Lean a little bit forward, but put most of your weight on your heels. Open your legs as if there's a basketball between them. Then point your skis together but be careful so they won't touch each other. Can you do it?"

"The snow is kind of obscuring my vision, is that ok?" Sasuke responded with a frown.

"Um, open your legs wider so you'll go slower. The hotel is just straight ahead of—"A loud gust of wind whirled up around them, making it more difficult to see. A familiar sensation of his blood turning cold, Naruto slowly had a horrible déjà vu…this situation looked similar…extremely similar.

No way…no fucking…wayyyy…

Sasuke looked around, assessing the area. "We better hurry up before it's too late."

Naruto nodded, and slid a few feet forward. He heard a pained grunt and panicked a little, shouting.

"Sasuke, is everything alright?"

There was a silence and then. "…yes."

Naruto instantly rolled his eyes, knowing that the bastard was too stubborn for his own good. He walked back; ignoring the glare he was receiving in response, and said patiently:

"Don't think too much, relax. We'll be back at the hotel soon enough, just move like I'm doing." Naruto prepared his position though Sasuke said:

"I can't see much ahead."

Naruto agreed begrudgingly, but since he was an experienced skier, he could keep a calm mind even under such duress. Sasuke was a beginner though so he was prone to get alarmed under the circumstances.

If Sasuke was unable to keep a cool head, it'd be better to stop to avoid any possible accident, and there was no way that Naruto would leave him alone. They should find a shelter and…wait…

Spending an overnight with Sasuke. This really sounded too fucking similar. Naruto stared incredulous as the brunet raised an eyebrow.

"We should hurry up, shouldn't we? Maybe we'll be able to see the lights from the hotel." Sasuke said, trying to move forward. Naruto placed an arm in front of him to halt him.

"No, at this point, we better find a shelter. Can you see any nearby? A wooden cabin or anything like that?"

Sasuke settled to search on his right, but he shook his head.

Naruto scanned the area to the left, until he found a reasonably big cabin. He sighed relieved, poking Sasuke as they moved towards it. The closer they walked to the destination, the bigger was the sensation that fate was playing a very cruel trick on them.

It must be the bastard's fault, definitely.

Fuck. No fucking way. This is…gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah…fuuuuuuuuck…

"You!" Naruto pointed accusingly, once they finally reached the wooden cabin and removed the ski boots.

The bastard even had the gall to place a hand to his chest, smirking while looking 'innocently' confused at the blonde's sudden outburst.

"God! Whenever I'm with you disasters just keep cropping up! I swear the first thing I'll do once this is over is to go to every church and temple existent in this world to exorcise you from my life!" Naruto growled, messing his hair with his hands in frustration.

"Idiot, this isn't anything of the sort." Sasuke snorted.

"What?" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke crossed his arms and calmly said. "I said; it's not a disaster. If the snow storm was dangerous enough for skiing, the weather report would warn about it and Senju-sama would have cancelled the activities for today. But I knew from looking at the sky that there would be a small blizzard, not much to impair skiing but enough to obstruct the vision."

Blue eyes narrowed and then slowly widened in comprehension, blood draining from of his face. There was something in the dangerous glint showing in Sasuke's gray eyes that made the blond want to scream for help and flee from this place. Unfortunately the brunet stood in front of the front door, hindering any chance of escaping. Right, so where's the closest window…?

The infuriating smirk was back full force as Sasuke declared. "You really should have checked about the previous owners before starting any architectural project dumbass. This area used to be part of the Uchiha clan's Manor before we sold them to Senju Tsunade. This cabin actually used to be ours, and I know this entire land like the back of my hand."

Naruto's jaw dropped stunned before he shouted. "You tricked me?"

"Technically…no, I didn't. I did insist on returning to the hotel, you're the one who found this place." Sasuke answered. Then, he paused in contemplation and added. "I might have exaggerated my lack of skiing ability though."

Sasuke's smirk widened even further as he stepped closer to the blond. To Naruto, the Uchiha looked like one of those cliché types of villains that would cackle evilly while inflicting pain to the poor protagonist. And they were also currently in a cliché situation, the snow outside, all alone far away from civilization while he prepared to commit a crime on the victim that was still oblivious about his looming disaster—

"Oh my God, are you going to murder me now?" Naruto pointed at the brunet, with a horrified expression stamped all over his face.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, stopping in his tracks. He deadpanned. "Usuratonkachi. Why would I do something like that?"

Naruto bristled for a second, before realizing. "I know! There's a reason why you recreated this situation so similar to the earthquake accident. You're going to try raping me!" Taking from the amused reaction shown on Sasuke's face, Naruto concluded. "I bet you're still sore from the fact I topped you that night, that's why you planned this as revenge!"

Sasuke simply smirked and declared. "As I was saying…"

"I didn't hear you denying this part!"

The brunet rolled his eyes. "You know why I want us to have some time alone Naruto." Sasuke said solemnly, dropping all the amusement at last.

Naruto also lost all the comical expressions as he muttered. "Oh. Oh that. Not interested. I'm gonna look for some rations in the house now."

"How much longer are you going to waste your time running away from me Naruto?" Sasuke said as Naruto turned away.

Naruto immediately snapped back to throw an angry glower to Sasuke as he said. "How in the hell does this looks like I'm running away from you huh? I just don't understand why the fuck I have to listen to you when not only you did nothing to undo your mistakes but you also used those dirty tricks just now."

Sasuke sighed wincing a little, he hadn't thought about this detail. "I admit, it is my fault." He quickly amended; Naruto widened his eyes in response. "But I had to do something to get you to give me the time of day, or at least react with something other than your usual hostility. It's time for us to seriously talk Naruto, I'm just asking for one last chance."

Sasuke moved away from the door and leaned his back against the wall, saying:

"But I'm not going to force you to hear me out unwillingly; I'm hoping that you'll do this through your own volition."

Naruto couldn't move from his spot, his face contorted with doubt. He was torn apart, and it was noticeable with his crossed arms placed in front of his chest, as if his heart was commanding him to stay, though his legs were still restless, contradicting the rest. He shut his blue eyes in contemplation, dragging out a long sigh.

"I trust you."

Naruto opened widely his eyes, whipping his neck to stare at Sasuke. "What?" He asked.

"I trust you." Sasuke repeated, leveling his gaze onto Naruto's. "This is the reason why…you should listen to me."

The blond knitted his eyebrows together, growling. "If this is supposed to be another scheme of yours, let me tell you—"

"When you said that you're not someone who could confess about yourself to anyone…I understood because I'm also the same. You should know that there are also many sides of myself that I have never shown to anyone before…" Sasuke lowered his eyes in remembrance and continued. "After my older brother had fled from home, after I was thrown into being his substitute heir, I suddenly had many people paying attention to me, wanting to befriend me for dubious intentions, wanting to take advantage of my position and name. I had too many prying eyes observing my every move; I couldn't falter for my own image and pride, for my parents' pride, for my clan's pride… I realized that there was no reason for me to trust anyone under those circumstances…" Sasuke raised his eyes once again and murmured. "Until you arrived in my life."

Naruto hitched a breath unbeknownst to himself, his shoulders slowly dropping as he released some tension from his body. "And…?" He skittered his eyes to one side, not wanting to see Sasuke's unwavering gaze. "So how is this related somehow?"

Sasuke expelled a long sigh, reflecting out loud. "For a long time I had always thought that there was no merit placing my trust in someone…I couldn't see any advantage to doing that, not to mention it was risky and the person could reveal my secrets to anyone. I kept guarding myself, because depending on others is something for the weaklings, I didn't need this, I could be strong on my own…until you gave me reasons to trust you, to confide in you and share my past with you."

A long silence lingered between them, idly listening to the howls of the wind rattling the glass windows. They were communicating wordlessly through their eyes, connecting at last after excruciating days with severed bonds.

"At first I believed that there was nothing more shameful than showing my flaws to you, trusting you made me weak, but—I realized in the end that it's quite the opposite feeling." Sasuke quirked a small smile and said. "Having you help to share my burdens gave me more strength to conquer my insecurities, and trusting you is actually comforting and safe. Trust…might be a dangerous choice but it's still worthwhile to risk it. And that's why you should listen to me. Even if you don't end up trusting me in the end, I'm hoping that after I explain everything, you'll be able to regain trust in people—"

Sasuke inhaled slowly, staring at his trembling hand, so he covered it with the other. No matter how many wounds would heal with the passage of time, there would be always some remaining scars.

"…Because I also know how it feels to be betrayed by the person you trusted, how devastating it can be and for that…I am deeply sorry. For making you suffer like this."

Naruto paused in reflection, looking back and forth towards Sasuke and the ground. He could almost feel the talons that had been continuously wrenching his heart, gradually dissolve and melt away. This was probably the reason that scared him, that even after what Sasuke had said to him, he really couldn't keep any long-term bitterness towards him, he would forgive Sasuke anyways. He supposed that this was the expected outcome…Naruto exhaled a tired breath, having settled his mind at last.

The blond approached and stood next to a couch and leaned at the back of it, observing that Sasuke had finally relaxed his entire demeanor in response. A grin played on his lips and Naruto also felt his limbs loosening up, so he laced his fingers and rested his hands on his lap.

"Before…you start -answer me one thing." Naruto murmured and glanced at Sasuke in apparent curiosity. "How did you know I was here?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, not exactly expecting this enquiry out of nowhere, though he supposed that Naruto asked to lighten up the mood. The brunet answered. "First clue was when I noticed that you're a person who dislikes staying in places for too long unless you have something that would make you feel comfortable, which is being surrounded by your friends and colleagues. And even back in Tokyo and Kyoto, there were some specific hours that you couldn't attend to meetings because you mentioned that you used those to talk with your father and your friends."

Sasuke roamed his eyes around the wooden room, in which Naruto blinked confusedly, before imitating the same action. Sasuke continued:

"Nara-san had already mentioned that he called all of your friends and you weren't in their houses, so that option was out. Therefore, I took in the second thing that you prize the most; architecture. Your work, commitment and responsibility. I couldn't just shoot in the dark when you had designed many buildings, so whichever you chose, you also had to have an emotional attachment to live in that place for an extended period of time." Sasuke paused with a slight grimace, fresher wounds reopening. He murmured in a low tone. "Then…I considered the earthquake we suffered back in Tokyo because of how much it impacted the both of us. You experienced first-hand the importance of the difference between a well-structured building and others that were not and had crumbled all around you and have used this first-hand knowledge to improve on designs that will be able to save many lives. And since Mitsukoshi is one of the first buildings Sarutobi-sama had created at the beginning of his career…you would probably want to check it out, to see if the condition of the first building you designed had any issue that needed fixing."

Tsunade's hotel was actually the 5th building in the list of his accomplishments according to the report he was given. When Sasuke had questioned Naruto's whereabouts in the first buildings the blonde had designed, he only received negative responses. However, Tsunade's hotel was the only personal request in the list, while the rest were accomplishments under the name of architectural firms Naruto was working for. He concluded then the hotel was actually the first building Naruto had designed but the 5th to be finished, and since Tsunade was Naruto's father acquaintance, this was the reason why Naruto had accepted, and also the first kick start of his career, so it'd make sense if Naruto was currently living there. He later asked Jiraiya to confirm this theory, in which the latter had agreed about it, albeit a little bit begrudgingly.

Naruto sighed, placing his hands on the top of the couch as he admitted. "Yeah, you're right. At the beginning of your career to most architects, you're mostly designing a building to win a prize and to develop a unique style. Most of the time you don't want to pay much attention to all the ergonomics and regulations because it's more the job of a structural engineer. But after a while there's the need to learn things outside of your area and evolve in some others…after all, there are people living in the buildings we have created, that's why I need to keep an extra eye on them."

"But this is not exactly what you really wanted to ask me right?" Sasuke said, quirking a small smirk.

Naruto lifted his blond eyebrows, shifting as he languidly crossed his arms. "I guess not. So…Sasuke." He nibbled his lower lip contemplating and declared. "Why are you here?"

It was Sasuke's turn to fall silent and willing his heart to calm down, blood pumping in his veins and heightening his senses till he could feel goose bumps all over his skin. His stomach kept squirming out of nervousness; strange, there was no reason to be fretting, he knew the extent of Naruto's feelings towards him, he knew his own feelings back to the blond – but he had never had this sense of insecurity and vulnerability, ready to discard his last mask in front of Naruto.

Sasuke said slowly:

"I'm here because I wan—hope to regain something that I lost. Because I want to be with someone that I missed too much. I'm here for you…Naruto."

He observed beneath his eyelashes Naruto's reaction. His cerulean eyes showed a mixture of elation and regret, a sad smile gracing his lips, generating a growing rush of dread in Sasuke's heart.

"Sasuke, I…I, you know. As much as I forgive you for this, I don't think I can bear witnessing your father questioning about us again in the future and risk having you would throw out whatever words to cover the situation. I just…"

The brunet immediately sighed relieved, most of his panic leaving his system. "I told the truth to my father. He knows."

Naruto widened his eyes and muttered. "You…"

"Yes, I cleared up all the misunderstandings." Sasuke hastened to add. "He approves, by the way." Sasuke felt it'd be wiser if he didn't add the details that Fugaku was actually trying to bring him closer to Naruto.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling a little. "Wow, I guess…I guess that's better…I certainly wasn't expecting this…"

"Also, Sarutobi-sama had denied your letter of resignation. He expects you to return to work as soon as possible, there are several projects that need your attention. This was the message he wanted me to tell you."

Naruto dropped his shoulders in complete surprise, his eyes wide in awe. "You…you really…" He said, blushing shy and embarrassed. "Um… f—for…"

"For you." Sasuke declared detaching himself from the wall and taking a few steps closer to the blond. "Wait…I admit that I also did it for myself too. I couldn't bear myself for hurting you and losing you after all those horrible decisions I made. What I did was wrong and if I could do it all over I would have chosen the correct path but…at that time, I was unable to."

"…And you preferred denying everything that had happened with us Sasuke." Naruto shook his head. "So…"

"Because I couldn't work out all the emotions I had for you Naruto. I told you…" Sasuke softly said. "I couldn't see the reason for trusting anyone up till now. And you, you also broke down all my invulnerability and you made me feel human. You…" He chortled a short breath. "You are infuriatingly able to make me drop from the pedestal I've been placed on by others and stay on the same level as yours, and you're able to see me for who I am."

Naruto quirked one side of his lips upwards and said, "And you can see through all the flaws I'm usually able to hide so well, but instead of feeling cautious about it, I just want to know more about you. There must be something illogical about it…but that's the truth about what happened whenever I was around you."

They still had a considerable distance between each other, both undecided to make any move. However all the remaining barriers were disintegrating until all that was left was a transparent vision of one to the other. Instinctively, they knew that this was the beginning of something extraordinary, though they wanted to relish the current moment for now.

"I felt the same…Naruto." Sasuke confessed. "But at that moment everything around you just overwhelmed me…all the emotions you were able to extract from me were too much, I couldn't keep control of any of it and this…frankly, concerned me. All I know is that you brought out many unknown feelings in me and I couldn't understand any of it…since I couldn't understand it, I felt it'd be better if I—"

"Rejected it. That's why you rejected me." Naruto cut through, his tone ringing slightly colder than he intended. Naruto sighed running his hand through his hair and muttered, "That…explains a lot of things. So that's why you said those…words, at that time. Not only because of your reputation."

Sasuke shook his head guiltily. "You have to understand…I had never felt this way in my entire life before. I couldn't grasp this concept, I couldn't classify it so I could restrain it—I denied all that then, I preferred burying all those new feelings instead. But once I realized what all I had done, I felt even more miserable." As if he had been stripped of all the colors in his world, leaving only an unbearable sadness. "I thought that once I denied everything I would regain control but actually losing you just worsened everything. I missed you…" Sasuke admitted, stepping even closer to Naruto. "And you also had the hare-brained idea of disappearing off the map, making me go crazy worrying about you." Sasuke smirked.

"Hey~~~" Naruto protested with a snort. "You can't complain when you're the culprit. I'm going to properly savor the fact that I made your icy ass feel guilty about me."

"Hn." Sasuke narrowed his eyes in playful annoyance. "I made mistakes and took too long to finally realize it and to amend them…but I hope it's not too late. You changed me and you made me want to change my fate, so…"

Sasuke stared longingly at Naruto, preparing himself to say the crucial words. He had the intention to let his feelings be fully known to Naruto, because after all this, Naruto deserved all—

"Naruto…" Sasuke inhaled again and said. "I…" He cleared his throat and repeated. "I…"

Unfortunately, he could blame his ineptitude to fully express his emotions or whatever else that was impeding his confession, but he choked in the middle. Even as he made an effort to declare his feelings out loud, his nervousness clashed back full force and stopped those words from coming out of his mouth. Sasuke cursed himself over and over.

Naruto appeared to notice his internal crisis nevertheless, so he just raised a hand in mock commiseration and said:

"You know what. You can tell me that on the day when my urge to kill you is smaller in comparison to my urge to fuck you."

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow in response, before surrendering himself with a short chuckle. Naruto grinned back. "You still want to kill me? After all I have done tonight for your sake usuratonkachi?" Sasuke teased.

"After all you have done to me, any normal person would do the sane thing and cut every tie to you. I guess you're lucky I'm just this patient." The blond crossed his arms haughtily.

"I thought you have forgiven me already." Sasuke said, now only a few inches away from Naruto.

"Yeah well…I may or may not have…that depends." Naruto responded, shrugging.

"So what should I do for you to grant me your forgiveness, dumbass?" Sasuke murmured, leaning on Naruto, feeling the warmth irradiating from the tanned body as his hands settled on Naruto's hips.

Naruto inclined slightly backwards even though he didn't reject Sasuke's touch, his own hands gripped Sasuke's arms, his eyes at half-mast. "I don't really know…what do you want to do then?"

Sasuke snorted, tilting his head and eliminating the remaining gap between their faces. Their lips hadn't fully touched yet, with Sasuke feeling Naruto's breath tingling against his lips.

He retreated to glance at Naruto; his graphite eyes observing his blue ones. He moved in a few inches closer, with his mouth now lightly brushing against Naruto's, though he didn't move any further forward. It was Naruto's turn to shift backwards with a questioning raised eyebrow, before rolling his eyes, grabbing Sasuke's front jacket and yanking him closer with a mischievous beam:

"Stupid bastard." And just like that, he sealed his lips onto his.

This kiss was gloriously different from the previous ones they had shared. There was no outside interference, no sense of urgency; setting their emotions soaring free. They took their time to explore each other's mouths thoroughly, to map every contour of their bodies and inhale their intoxicating scents. Their sense of time and direction simply disappeared as they entered their own private world.

There was only an unhurried pace in between each kisses, tongues twisting and probing with soft smacks of lips clashing and joining. They knew letting the fiery passion bursting out of control was a promise in the near future, so for now they settled reaffirming the existence of their shared feelings. There was a sense of fulfillment lingering with each caress and happy sigh, touches had tints of affection with their heartbeats warmly moving in synch.

Naruto barely noticed that at some point he was sitting on the floor, moaning while their lips were still locked and his fingers were buried in Sasuke's black locks. The brunet gradually enveloped his fingers around his wrists, leaning above the blond while he licked Naruto's lower lip.

Sasuke pinned Naruto to the ground all of a sudden. Naruto blinked.

Sasuke widened a very wicked smirk. "Good. Now this is the part where I'm going to say that I'm still sore from the fact that you topped me that night and it's time for me to reenact my revenge."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, wrenching his wrists away from the pale hands. "Like hell you will!"

Report 15: An End, their beginning.

Author: And that's the end of the story! *whistling*

Readers: What…the hell…is this?

Author: What? The story is classified as NaruSasu right? If I continued that part it'd end as SasuNaru so I'd betray the readers that were expecting NaruSasu only. Yeah, no need to thank me, I'm just doing my job. *flees to the remotest island of the planet*

Ok, now onto more serious matters. The main plot of Renewing Changes is over, but I intend to write drabbles for this AU and this time they're going to be NaruSasuNaru; meaning, Sasuke will top. Sometimes. The first drabble will be directly continuing the end of this chapter, but afterwards it won't follow this formula. Also, I intend to write the past between Mikoto and Fugaku, so get ready everyone!

To everyone who asked themselves why I didn't put Naruto and/or Sasuke finally saying the words "I love you"…I have a good reason. First of all…this is a small rant; but I'm tired of seeing stories when people barely meet each other and just by having some chemistry means "I love you". I think that there are many ways to show you love someone and it doesn't have to be vocally.

Second, is that; believe it or not, I don't think they are ready to say it yet. They know each other for…um, 5 or 6 months? Although I believe that they have the love…I think it's in the early stages, so I'd rather say those words after they have progressed further in their relationship and are sure they will have an everlasting one. I say it because I think those words "I love you" are extremely important, that's why I don't want to use it so halfheartedly, I prefer waiting for an opportune moment when those words are the main focus, not the spur of the moment thing, neither used as some sort of magical spell that will solve all problems.

Thank you everyone for reading this fic and for waiting so long for the last chapter…sorry, but RL clashes…XD I'm going to take a break writing fics in English for now too.