Raven

Naruto stared down the road at the dark figure coming his way. It looked like a samurai, he thought, watching as the man came into focus. Yes, he could see the outline of a sword from behind the man, and black hair that stuck up everywhere. But why would a samurai be coming into Konoha?

No.

His heart skipped a beat.

It was Sasuke.

RAVEN</i>

Naruto's body felt numb as Sasuke stopped mere feet from him, a scowl on his features. He looked so... different... hardly Uchiha Sasuke at all. This was Orochimaru's doing, Naruto knew it. Nothing but the work of that monster could have made Sasuke look so... cold.

But he was glad to see him, nonetheless.

The first thing he did was pull Sasuke into a hug. He didn't care. It had been so long, and he closed his eyes for a moment at Sasuke's different yet very familiar scent. He felt Sasuke's body, motionless and unresponsive at the touch, and he knew Sasuke could care less what he was doing.

"Sasuke..." Naruto murmured. "Where have you been?"

"With Orochimaru." Sasuke pulled away from Naruto, still looking surpremely uncaring as he surveyed the land around them. Naruto's eyes swept over Sasuke's bare chest, his loose samurai clothes, the gleaming sword sheathed at his side. He looked back up to Sasuke's face, once again meeting expressionless black eyes. Sasuke was only fifteen... and yet looked so much older.

Naruto sighed. Sasuke looked over the blonde's shoulder at the village behind him.

"Konoha still the same as always, then?" he said, his lips turning up in a slight smirk.

Naruto nodded. "Sasuke... we've... missed you..."

"Hn." Cold as that was, Naruto was delighted to hear that noise, because it was so like Sasuke... he was glad that at least something had stayed the same. He liked to think about Sasuke that way, the younger Sasuke, attitude-prone as he was, because at least then he wasn't one of Orochimaru's mindless slaves.

And that thought scared him again.

"Sasuke..." Naruto said to him, watching as his former teammate didn't even acknowledge that the blonde had spoken. "Why have you come back?"

His hand slipped inside of his leg holster, fingers closing around a kunai. He would hate to do it, but if Sasuke was here to attack Konoha, then he would have to stop him. Sasuke's eyes flicked to his, and Naruto saw smooth white knuckles tighten on the handle of the katana at his side.

"Relax, dobe, I'm not here on orders."

Naruto didn't release the kunai, his mind barely registering that Sasuke had called him "dobe", like he always had. "A vendetta, then?"

Sasuke turned to him, slowly unsheathing his katana. Quick as a flash, it was at Naruto's throat.

"Really now..." Sasuke said, lowering it with a smirk. "If I were here to kill, you'd already be dead."

Naruto rubbed his neck, taking his hand out of the holster. "Would you really kill me just like that, Sasuke?"

He didn't answer, sheathing his sword again and making to walk past Naruto. The blonde grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

"Into the village."

Naruto shook his head. "How could you just walk into town like that? After you've been gone for so long? What will everyone think, seeing you again?"

"I don't care."

"What about... what about Sakura-chan?" Naruto could remember all too well the feelings Sakura had for Sasuke when they were younger, and he knew she felt the same way still, hoping every day that he would return.

"Does she still love me?"

"...Yes."

Sasuke looked up at the sky, shading his face with a sleeved arm. A cherry tree caught his eye. He walked to it and sat down, followed closely by Naruto.

"I don't know." Sasuke's voice was surprisingly soft.

"Well, let's hope no one sees us like this," Naruto said, chuckling softly. "They'll think I knew where you were the whole time... start talking about conspiracy theories."

Sasuke looked sideways at him. "Is that what everyone thinks?"

"Well... you just up and left one night, and Sakura wouldn't say what happened, only that she saw you leave and you were going away."

"But you knew."

"I guess I did... I knew you would go to Orochimaru."

Sasuke gave him one last glance, and then forward at the dirt path. He looked so much older, Naruto couldn't stop thinking about that. He didn't look old... but there was just something about him. There were few things that could make a person look so old when they were so young. He knew that Sasuke had probably already killed, but there was something else. Naruto blushed just thinking it.

"Sasuke... you haven't... well..." Naruto scolded himself for even opening his mouth. What Sasuke did was his own business.

"Out with it." Sasuke said, still staring ahead pensively.

"You haven't... had sex, have you?"

Sasuke looked at him bemusedly, a familiar glint of the old Sasuke coming back into his eyes.

"Why, have you?" he challenged. "You're looking pretty nice these days, I'm surprised girls aren't hopping into bed with you."

"Sasuke, stop it!" Naruto said, poorly attempting to hide the crimson flooding his cheeks. "I swear... you're so bold now... that stupid Orochimaru-"

Naruto stopped. Orochimaru. He'd always been a lot on the creepy side, and he did have a thing for Sasuke...

"What?" Sasuke stared at Naruto.

"Orochimaru...?"

Sasuke looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "It wasn't him, dobe."

Naruto sighed, then perked back up again.

"It wasn't him...? Then who was it?"

"I didn't say it was anyone." But Sasuke was smirking, and Naruto knew he was finding this amusing. He sighed in annoyance, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away.

"No one, okay? Man, you were always such an impatient one."

Naruto turned back to him, lowering his eyes as they clashed with impossibly black ones.

"But, Sasuke... have you killed Itachi?"

He knew the answer was no. He knew that Sasuke would have to keep going, but he was so damnably stubborn that he would never give up. But Naruto just couldn't let him go, not like that. He wanted Sasuke to stay, even if he didn't know exactly why. He wasn't just going to sit idly by and let his friend leave again.

"Yes."

That word was like a shock to Naruto.

"Wh... what?"

"Yes." Sasuke turned to him, smiling.

"You... killed him?"

"I did."

"So..." Naruto's mind reeled, and he lunged forward, grabbing the front of a surprised Sasuke's shirt. "So why the hell are you leaving again?"

His eyes snapped angrily, boring into Sasuke's amused charcoal eyes.

"Who said I was leaving, you dobe?"

Tanned fingers loosened their grip, blue eyes widened, and Naruto's mind reeled.

"What are you talking about, Sasuke?"

"Why would I have come back?" Sasuke shook his head. Naruto could be so thick-headed sometimes. "I'm done with what I have to do."

"But..." Naruto was still trying to register what Sasuke was saying. "Orochimaru wouldn't just let you leave, would he... I mean..."

"I don't have to worry about Orochimaru," Sasuke said, victorious malice concealed in his voice.

"Did you...?"

Sasuke smiled at him. "I'm here to stay, Naruto."

The blonde's chest heaved. Could Sasuke really be telling the truth?

"And sit down," Sasuke said impatiently. "You look like you're ready to ask me to marry you."

Naruto looked down at himself. He was up on his knees, his hands still lightly clutching Sasuke's shirt. He flushed and sat down against the trunk.

"You're... really staying?" His excited eyes were trained on Sasuke's face.

"Yeah..."

Naruto's hand twitched hesitantly, and suddenly he threw his arms around Sasuke's neck.

"You're staying, Sasuke, you're staying!" he shouted, sounding very much like a child on sugar-high. He ignored Sasuke's disgruntled attempts to push him off. "Oh, Kakashi-sensei will be so pleased! He's wondered what happened to you!"

"Naruto! Get off me!"

Naruto clung tighter to him. "Seriously, Sasuke," he whispered. "It's nice to have you back. I really did miss you."

He let go, leaving a soft touch on the back of Sasuke's neck.

"Sakura..."

"She thinks about you every day," Naruto said. "She won't give up on you."

"Did you give up on her?" Sasuke smirked. Naruto blushed at being read so easily, but shook it off with an arrogant smile.

"Nah," he said, grinning. "Turns out that shy little Hinata girl's always had a thing for me."

"Oh?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. And she sure is cute now, you know."

"So she's yours?"

"Naturally." He flashed another genuine Naruto smile.

Sasuke laughed. "I bet Hyuga's not happy with that one."

"He's got TenTen."

"Eh?"

"Everyone's pairing off now, it's weird," Naruto smiled, rambling. "I mean, when Ino hit it up with Shikamaru..." Sasuke scoffed loudly. "I thought it was strange, but now it's basically everyone."

"Except Sakura."

Naruto's face fell. "Yeah. Lee's still after her, and there's others... but she only wants you."

Sasuke sighed. He ran a hand through his hair.

"I'll talk to her."

Naruto's head shot quickly toward Sasuke. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke smiled at him. "Might be nice to see her again."

"After she passes out," Naruto chuckled.

Sasuke stood up. "Come on, Naruto. I'm tired and I want something to eat."

"Ichiraku!" Naruto leapt to his feet. Sasuke smiled at him.

"Like you need another excuse to get ramen."

They started down the path, and Sasuke stopped for a moment, looking down at the village.

"I'm really going back. Naruto, tell me I'm going back. Tell me I can live free now."

"You're free, Sasuke... you're home." A grin was shining on his face.

Sasuke closed his eyes, a content smile under them. He started walking again, lifting his head with a determined look in his eyes. Naruto tightened his hitai-ate before following him.

"So, Naruto," Sasuke said, his famous smirk back in place. "You get any from that Hinata girl?"

"What?" Naruto said, blushing crimson again. "I'm... I'm not telling you that!"

Sasuke laughed. "Come on, dobe... why not?"

"I'm not!"

And the pair could be heard bickering all the way into the streets of Konoha. It was only the first day Sasuke would have as a shinobi there again, but he was glad to be back, glad to have Naruto at his side.

OWARI</i>