Khawagah

Disclaimer: I do not own anything with a copyright.

Author's Note: Thanks to NaNoWriMo, I have successfully finished my very last Naruto-related fanfiction. Now I can go finally cleanse my soul and body.

Chapter Nine

Naruto had to hand it to them; the hospitals in Cairo were on top of their game. It look less than 30 seconds for the triage team to look at the seriousness of Sasuke's burns before he was wheeled back, skipping a long laundry list of common cold and cough ailments gawking from the waiting room. A swarm of people descended over his gurney and Naruto was helplessly pushed into the corner of the room.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. There's no need for all this," Sasuke tried to reassure the team, but he was fooling no one with the catch in his voice and grimace firmly planted on his face. One of the nurses approached Naruto next, a clipboard and pen in hand.

"Can you tell me what happened?" she said soothingly, placing a comforting hand upon his shoulder.

Without saying names, Naruto relayed the entire story in detail to the room as they hooked up EKG leads to the parts of Sasuke's chest that wasn't charred and raw and simultaneously open-mouthed gazed at him in disbelief. Soon after, Sasuke was given a shot of medicine through a syringe that had him drifting in and out, eyes rolling back and struggling to keep his head upright. Once stabilized and Naruto felt reassured enough that Sasuke wasn't going to die, he asked permission to use the nearest phone to call long distance. The voice coming through was staticky crossing many miles of land and ocean.

"Yes, I would like to speak with the councilor. This is regarding Sasuke Uchiha."

"If I never go on another vacation with you, it'll be too soon."

Naruto jolted awake from his half-slumber in the bedside chair to see Sasuke smiling ruefully in bed, finally rousing from the heavy sedative of anesthesia. The night before had been a whirlwind. Meeting the trauma surgeon. Learning that Sasuke would need extensive cleaning of his wounds under general anesthesia and a subsequent skin graft to the worst burn at the juncture of his neck and shoulder. A touch and go situation in recovery following surgery when Sasuke's blood pressure refused to come down. The worst part was seeing the love of his life afterward once they settled him into his hospital room in ICU encased in burn netting and gauze from the neck down. Naruto never wanted to feel that helpless again in his life.

"I would also like to point out that you are never injured in these situations. Both times now, I've gotten the short end of that particular stick. I'm over it." He huffed in bed, looking all of a petulant eight year old kid. Naruto laughed, overcome with adoration of this stupid, silly man and overwhelmed with simply being alive right now to see it. He had taken so much for granted before.

"Maybe I'm just a badass like that. In fact, I'm so invincible that I'm thinking of doing this for a living."

"Being kidnapped..." the dark-haired man deadpanned.

"Becoming a cop! Taking down the bad guys one at a time!" He puffed out his chest with pride, not telling Sasuke that he only thought about this new career move in life when he was uncomfortably curled up, sleep-deprived, between two waiting room chairs five hours prior.

Sasuke shook his head, laughing softly to himself. "You are absolutely hell-bent on sending me to an early grave. This whole marriage idea is just a ploy for life insurance fraud."

"Damn. You got me," Naruto conceded softly, crossing the room to sit on the side of the hospital bed. He leaned forward, resting his forehead gently against Sasuke's. "I want to marry you."

"You're still on about that now that we're not faced with impending death? You understand it's not legal in Japan."

Naruto leant up, pushing the other man's hair back and kissing him where his forehead had just been. "Well since life is kind of crazy for you right now, I figured you might want to move to America with me. It's legal there everywhere now, and I think you would love Austin. Granted, I have no furniture now..."

The following kiss took him by surprise. Sasuke's warm mouth moved gently over his, lips teasing his own open. It had been so long since they had properly kissed, that once Sasuke's tongue slid against his sensually, Naruto accidentally pushed Sasuke backwards into his pillow which was met with a yelp of pain from the other man.

Immediately, a nurse that had been passing in the hall rushed through the door. "Do you need something for pain, Mr. Uchi-" She stopped cold, face flushing, as she witnessed the close proximity between them. It was very obvious what they had just been doing. Naruto doubted it was legal in Egypt either.

Much to Naruto's surprise, Sasuke barked out a laugh. "Actually yes, I do. Seeing as my fiancé can't seem to keep his hands to himself."

"Y-yes sir!" his nurse stuttered with second-hand embarrassment, spinning on her heel and rushing from the room.

"You kissed me!" Naruto whispered fiercely, playfully glaring at Sasuke.

"Of course," Sasuke replied, leaning back in again to brush his lips once more against Naruto's to finish what they started before the nurse got back with the drugs.

"I'm going to remember this well once you are all healed up."

"What kind of person needs this many pillows?!" Naruto grunted as he hefted the fourth trash bag full of decorative shams into their front entryway. "I bet I can't even lie on these."

Sasuke's head popped out from their bedroom at the end of the hallway. "You bet your ass you can't! Most of them are going into the formal sitting room, and the rest into the guest room. That's very expensive silk you just had in your hands and manhandled through the front door!"

Naruto rushed and pounced on him from the door. "I'll show you manhandle," he teased, grabbing Sasuke around the waist and pushing him towards the wall. Their lips met in a fiery kiss, the passion palpable between the two. Sasuke nipped playfully at his lips and chin, always the biter, and always successfully eliciting a groan from Naruto's throat. Sasuke's doctor here in Austin had cleared him for physical activity the day before, and they had already taken advantage of the good news. Seven times. Atop various horizontal surfaces around the house. And even one time in the backyard while they were assembling a grill. Naruto insisted that the tall privacy fence was his second best decision of the year.

Naruto's black pants were unzipped and open and cock on the very verge of coming out to play when Sasuke halted their extracurricular activities. "No. No. Wait. We have so much to get done. Your friends are going to be here in twenty minutes and the house isn't ready."

Naruto moaned pitifully, lips planting against the wall miserably when Sasuke ducked his head last minute. "Can't they just sit in the backyard while we finish?"

Sasuke laughed at him, shoving him playfully away. "Anyway, I have something to show you." He crossed the room and opened the top draw of the bureau. "Look what the FedEx guy dropped off this morning." He pulled out a manila envelope and emptied the contents onto the bed

Two silver bands lay on the comforter. Iridescent opal stones were inlaid on the outside of the band, its milky finish glistening softly in the light coming in from the bay window next to them. The rings were wonderfully made and still retained the vintage beauty that the former engagement ring had possessed.

"They did an excellent job at breaking them down," Sasuke admired, sliding Naruto's ring over his finger. "I give you two weeks before you lose this," he added cheekily.

Naruto pushed his good shoulder playfully. "We have so much planning to do. Engagement party. Wedding. Honeymoon." He pulled Sasuke towards him, cradling his hips lovingly and sliding his hands down to cup his backside. "I'm thinking we should vacation somewhere nice outside the United States."

Sasuke looked at him with no amount of humor in his eyes. "I already want a divorce."

Naruto laughed out loud. "How about Mexico, baby?" Sasuke remained stiff in his arms, unconvinced. Finally, he softened against him and rested his head down on Naruto's shoulder. "If you say so, but I'm writing a will before we leave."

"I told you I've always wanted to keep you safe, and I have faltered a little bit in that, but I've held true to my promise overall. You are still alive. You are still mine to have and hold. And I think your scars are hot as shit."

Sasuke ran his fingers lovingly over the reflective badge on Naruto's shirt front.

"Whatever you say Officer Uzumaki. I trust you."

Ending Note: No, I'm not writing Part Three: Titillating Adventures in Mexico. This is the end! (I think. I'm fickle. It might not be.) However, my writing interests have taken a curve. Still into writing LGBT friendly fic, but more interested lately in the lady love variety. For the time being, will be writing on my Hunger Games fic and maybe putting out some original lesbian life drama over on FictionPress. Stay posted.