In The Leaves | A 'Naruto' fan story | SasuNaru

You can't lose me now

"Sasuke..." Naruto was being held close to Sasuke's chest underneath the warm blankets, his face buried into Sasuke's chest. "Are you asleep?" 

Sasuke shook his head. "No, why?" 

"I was just thinking...I came on this journey to be with you, and now that I am with you...what happens now?" 

Sasuke sighed, "We give this newfound relationship some days to confirm that we want it, because I really want to make sure I'm making the right choice." 

"You are, dattebayo." 

"Naruto, if I said that I would return with you after confirming this relationship, will you let me act like this behind closed doors without questions?" 

"You mean...kissing? Cuddling? Being soft?" 

"Yes, yes, and yes. All of that." 

"I will, if you celebrate my birthday with me by getting our picture retaken, but it'll just be us in the frame this time." 

"Is that all you want to do?" 

"What else is there to do on birthdays? I usually just walk around, eat ramen, wish for a family, and go to sleep without much else to hope for." 

"I used to blow out candles, eat cake, talk with my..um..family, and visit a place to end the day." 

"Cake?" Naruto mumbled, his brain tried to remember the flavor and texture of 'cake', but he couldn't even remember if he ever tasted it before. Did Old Man Third give him some before? Did Iruka-sensei give him some once? Did anyone try to give him cake?

"You never had cake?" 

Naruto tried his hardest to remember if he ever had it, but he shook his head sadly-cake was not something his taste buds ever came in contact with in his life. 

"We can eat cake together, if you have a flavor you like." Sasuke waits for an answer from Naruto, who couldn't come up with one. "Do you even have a favorite flavor?" 

"If it's the same types of flavor like candy, then...chocolate. I tasted chocolate candy before." 

"Do you want to try chocolate cake?" 

"Y-Yeah..." 

"Then on your birthday, we will eat cake and spend time together, it might not feel like having a family but-" 

"You are more than I could ever wish for." Naruto smiles, moving his head back to lock eyes with Sasuke. "I met my mom and my dad already, so my first wish from years ago is granted. Now you have to grant my second wish-to never leave my side, and to never leave the village again. Power isn't worth throwing away your life for, if you want power or more strength, I can be your partner to assist you in getting to your goal. Just please don't run from me again, don't..." Naruto's eyes looks down, he bit down on his bottom lip, distress could be read in his eyes. "...kiss me and say goodbye again." 

"I won't leave you again, I won't abandon the village again, I won't reject your feelings again, and I definitely won't become the bad person again. My new goal in life is to become someone you can count on, and run to whenever you need me. I don't want to be your rival anymore, and I don't want to be your enemy that'll try to kill you. I want to be your soulmate, your best friend, your other half, your infinite lover." Sasuke lifts Naruto's chin up to meet his eyes again. "You should know by now that I am stuck with you, and nothing can pull me away again-not power, not revenge, not even pain." 

"Will I...um..." Naruto hides his face in Sasuke's chest again. "Become an Uchiha one day?" 

"You don't want to continue saying 'Naruto Uzumaki'?" 

"Naruto Uchiha sounds better, and It's not like I'll abandon my clan name. If we...have kids one day...I'll give them the clan name to live it on for me." 

"As if breeding kids is possible for a male." 

"Can Orochimaru do anything? I know he's not dead." 

"As if I'll free that snake into the wild, I'll turn him into the Hidden Leaf Police, and then we'll see if we can trust him enough to give us an answer in a few years." 

"Sasuke," Naruto chuckles. "You really don't trust no one." 

"Shut up, Dobe, I'm working on it." 

"I know you are, dattebayo." 

~~~

"Happy Birthday, Naruto." Sasuke held the cake out for Naruto, he wore his best smile for him, and tried his best not to cry when Naruto stared at the cake in awe. It was like he never seen it before. 

"It looks...pretty." Naruto's eyes examined the cake and looks up at Sasuke. "T-Thank you, Sasuke."

"Make a wish, and blow out the candles." 

Naruto nodded, he closed his eyes, thought of a wish, and blew out the candles. When he opened them, the fire was out, and all was left is to eat the cake. 

"Happy seventeenth birthday, Naruto." Sasuke puts down the cake, and leans in to kiss Naruto's lips. "I would pinch you seventeen times, but you went through enough pain from me." 

"Are you underestimating me, Uchiha?" Naruto smiled.

"No, I'm not, I just don't want to hurt you again. Physically or emotionally." 

"I'm a strong guy, Sasuke, if I wasn't then I wouldn't be here right now." 

"That's what I love what you, you're strong, independent, and self-less. Stupidly self-less." 

"But I became selfish when I decided to run to you. I abandoned my home to mend what was broken."

"I'm glad you did." Sasuke whispered, his forehead pressing against Naruto's. "If you didn't decide to come after me, I would've wondered off to my death." 

"Me too." 

Sasuke tilts his head to plant one more kiss onto Naruto's lips, before grabbing the knife to cut the cake. "Time to eat, how big you want your piece?" 

"I want to taste it first, if that's okay." 

"Yeah, that's fine." Sasuke cuts a small piece, puts it onto the plate, and hands it to Naruto with a fork. "Here." 

Naruto slowly accepted the cake from Sasuke, picked up the fork, scooped up the cake onto it, and put it into his mouth. He chewed it for a few seconds, before his eyes lit up. "It's good!" 

"Want a big piece?" 

"Yes!" 

"Alright then." 

~~~

Naruto looked at Sasuke, who is holding his hand for dear life. "It'll be okay, I won't let them do anything to you." 

"By the time I walk one step through this, they'll pin me down and throw me into a cell. I just know it." 

"Sasuke, don't doubt them, Kakashi is the Hokage now, so put your trust in him to decide your punishment." 

Sasuke looked up at the entrance of the village and nodded. "Just don't leave my side."

"As long as you don't leave mines." 

"You can't lose me now, I've dug myself too deep to back out." 

"I'll make sure you keep your word." 

"And I'll make sure that you keep yours." 

"I never go back on my word, you should know that, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo." 

Sasuke smiles softly at Naruto. "Soon it'll be 'Naruto Uchiha'." 

Naruto's face flushed red. "Y-Yeah, some day it will be."