47This is my very first story. EVER. So please be kind ... please! I have no beta so any mistakes that are made are purely my own.
This story is yaoi so if that's not your thing then I suggest you turn away.
I do not own Naruto in any way shape or form, if I did Naruto and Sasuke would have ended up together a looooooooong time ago! xD
Now off to the story!
Uchiha Sasuke's homecoming was not a welcoming one. As he and the rest of the Konoha shinobi, who had joined and survived the war, returned to Konoha the citizens stared at him in a combination of anger and suspicion. Not that he was surprised by this reaction, it was only to be expected after everything he had done and said. Hell, he was rather surprised he wasn't confronted by an angry mob with torches and pitchforks.
He smirked at this mental image.
A cheer jerked him from his thoughts and he noticed Uzumaki Naruto's welcome was very different from his own. The citizens of Konoha welcomed him with cheers, laughter and smiles. Genuinely glad to see their village hero return alive and well, unscathed and unharmed.
Sasuke turned and glanced at the dobe, expecting to see his usual bright and cheerful face with his big dobey grin. Instead the blond looked incredibly sad. Sasuke frowned and faced forward once more.
He, and a select few shinobi who consisted of both the former and current Team 7, were to immediately report to the Hokage's temporary headquarters to, presumably, figure out what to do with Sasuke.
See, because of Sasuke's contribution to the war the Kage's had decided to forgive his many transgressions with the understanding that he would return to Konoha since Naruto was the only one who stood a chance against him in a fight. Everyone had expected Sasuke to protest but when he had agreed to this ultimatum of sorts they'd been astonished to say the very least.
But the truth is, that after everything Sasuke had been through, and everything he'd learned, he just wanted some sense of normalcy. And the closest he'd ever come to normal had been here in Konoha when he'd been apart of Team 7.
He knew that things couldn't go back, and that Team 7 couldn't ever be the same again, but Naruto had never given up on him as a friend or as a rival. Because of this, Naruto was his very last remaining bond from the past.
He wanted to try and mend that bond. He wanted to get to know the person his friend had become, because Sasuke barely recognized him anymore. They had both changed with the passage of time and separation. Naruto for the better, Sasuke for the worst.
He could acknowledge the fact that he'd traveled down the wrong path. That he'd continually made the wrong choices. But he would not allow himself to become a slave of the Uchiha curse.
Tsunade silently studied Uchiha Sasuke. She hadn't known the boy very long before he'd disappeared so she hadn't quite understood Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi's determination to bring him back.
Even after everything he'd done, everything he'd said, Naruto, the brat, had refused to give up on him. She didn't understand the fascination.
Tsunade sighed and glanced at the blond who was looking rather sad and lost. She barely resisted the urge to hug him.
"I'm officially assigning Sasuke back to Team 7," she stated bluntly. She saw no change in the Uchiha boy's face at her announcement and she grudgingly admitted the kid had a great poker face.
She settled back and eyed him like one would a rabid dog.
"Since you haven't been here for several years you may not be aware of the changes to Team 7, so I'll fill you in. Team 7 is alternately led by either Kakashi or Yamato. The rest of the team includes Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and now yourself."
She watched with interest as Sasuke eyed both Yamato and then Sai before looking back at her, seemingly dismissing them both. She was certain both Yamato and Sai had noticed their inspection and subsiquent dismissal but their expressions gave nothing away. Tsunade made a mental note to never play poker with the three.
She sighed again and eyed the boy who she'd come to love like a son. "Naruto, I'm putting you in charge of Sasuke and until he has proven himself trustworthy the two of you will be sharing living quarters."
Naruto jerked in his seat. Relieved that she'd finally gotten that sad look off his face, she almost cheered. Almost. The Hokage had to be serious at a time like this after all.
"Ba-chan-" Naruto began, only to stop mid-sentence when Tsunade held her hand up.
"This is not up for debate Naruto. Either the two of you live together or Sasuke spends his nights in a jail cell. The choice, as it were, is yours."
He grudgingly conceded.
Tsunade bit back a smile, glad that the blond was somewhat back to his normal bratty self.
At least the next several months would prove interesting.
After stopping at Ichiraku where Naruto got his ramen fix (some things, it seems, never change), they picked up some clothing and other supplies from some nearby stores before making their way to their shared residence.
While Naruto had been gone the people of the village had worked together and built Naruto a home, and a rather large one at that. Sasuke eyed the large house, rather surprised at how very different people were treating the jinchuuriki.
"Nice house," Sasuke said, breaking the silence that had descended upon them.
Naruto grunted non-committally as he opened the door. Sasuke followed him in, and ran into him when he suddenly stopped.
"Dobe-" he began irritated, but his voice cut off when he saw what had captured the blond's attention.
Someone had put up a large framed picture of the Fourth Hokage and his wife over the fireplace. And on the mantle was a collection of photos that included pictures of Team 7, current and past, the Sannin Jiraiya, the Third Hokage, pictures of the rest of the Konoha 12, the current Hokage, and even a picture of Naruto and the Kazekage.
Sasuke heard what sounded suspiciously like a sob come from the blond. Not really knowing what to do he awkwardly put his hand on his shoulder so that Naruto would know he was there if he needed him. The dobe stiffened a bit before relaxing, taking comfort in Sasuke's gesture.
As Naruto moved closer to look at the pictures displayed on his fireplace mantle, Sasuke let his hand drop and followed Naruto silently, curious about all that had happened in the blond's life in the several years that they'd been separated.
He was also very curious as to how Naruto had gotten so much stonger in such a short amount of time, and what trials he'd faced to gain that power. Because Sasuke knew, more than anyone, that power and hardships went hand in hand.
. . . . . . . .
Naruto eyed the pictures tearfully. He couldn't believe how different Konoha was treating him. He'd not gotten used to it yet. The fact that they had collected all of these photographs of his most important people and displayed them so that he would see them as he first walked in the door to welcome him home was incredibly touching. He felt wholly accepted by his home village for the first time in his entire life.
And in addition to all of this, Sasuke was finally back in Konoha. Naruto had nearly given up hope on bringing his ... on bringing Sasuke back to Konoha.
Naruto sighed. He'd realized on the battlefield that what he felt for Uchiha Sasuke could not be summed up as mere friendship nor as mere rivals. He'd realized on the battlefield that he was in love with Sasuke. And, he knew, without a doubt in his mind, that it would forever remain one-sided. Sasuke would kill him if he ever got wind of Naruto's feelings, and he wasn't exactly keen on the idea of dying before accomplishing his goal of becoming Hokage.
Tsunade ba-chan could not have been more cruel if she'd tried. Naruto knew that she hadn't a clue on how he felt for the Uchiha but now because of her ordering them to live together he was going to be in hell. To be around Sasuke day in and day out, knowing how he felt about the man, and not being able to say or do anything about it ... it was going to be torturous. But, he supposed he'd lived through worse. Maybe. Possibly. I mean, how bad could it get?
Edited: 6/22/2016