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As they got further and further away from the now even more dented and cracked moon, the memories of the mission kept on running through Naruto's mind on repeat.
Or rather, the new conclusion he pulled from then. One, Naruto had to admit to himself, that wasn't quite as surprising to him as he first thought it would be. Maybe a part of him had always known his true feelings, growing out of control as they had been.
What was the point of acknowledging just where his feelings for Sasuke truly lay when the raven rejected the possibility of returning to Konoha, never mind being as much as a friend to Naruto?
What was the point of acknowledging anything when Sasuke could barely stand being in Konoha long enough to recover from his injuries and exhaustion before taking off again?
"What's got you thinking so hard, usuratonkachi?"
Naruto blinked in surprise and turned his gaze from the moon to Sasuke's face. His skin seemed even more pale when compared to the nothingness that was space.
Or maybe it was the paleness of the moonlight reflected by his skin, that made the glow of his mangekyo and rinnegan so much more pronounced than it usually was. Maybe it was the embrace of Sasuke's susano'o as he flew them down to Earth, until they were within reach of Sasuke's teleportation range. Maybe it was the way that Sasuke held him in a princess carry (as well as he could, given that he only had one arm) to preserve some warmth during their travel through the emptiness that was space.
Maybe it was all due to the newly acknowledged feelings.
As one-sided as they might be.
Naruto swallowed down his nervousness. "You."
A black eyebrow disappeared beneath outgrouwn bangs. "Is that so?"
"Yeah!"
"...Do I want to know what you were thinking about?"
Naruto chuckled to himself. "Probably not." He leaned his forehead against Sasuke's left shoulder and closed his eyes. Determined to burn this memory into his brain. Sasuke's warmth. Sasuke's scent. The feeling of being held by him, Naruto's legs slung over his arm and being held in place by a strong hand.
Sasuke stayed quiet for a few minutes. Long enough for Naruto to almost fall asleep in the peace he found in this moment.
"I've... I've been thinking about you too," Sasuke admitted quietly.
"Only bad things, right?" Naruto joked.
"Yes...," Sasuke said rather hesitantly, and Naruto felt the shoulder beneath his head tense. "No."
Naruto lifted his head almost quick enough to give himself a whiplash. "Eh?"
Naruto felt Sasuke's chest expand against him as Sasuke took a deep breath.
"It's the main reason why I'm wandering through the lands. To see the countries and the people for what they really are and to truly find myself. To think everything through on my own for once without being constantly dragged between narratives that all hold truths, yet always one that forced me down whichever path someone else chose for me."
Naruto winced. "I'm-"
"I don't blame you," Sasuke cut him off and shook his head. "You were just as unknowing as I was in the beginning. You just had the luxury of learning about it all from a distance. I tried to gain some of that distance myself. And while I haven't come to conclusions about everything yet, there is one thing I'm now more certain about than ever before."
Sasuke locked eyes with him. The rinnegan glowed with chakra as Sasuke teleported them within the safety of Earth's atmosphere. Yet Naruto could not look away from him. Nor could he blame the feeling in his stomach to the stronger gravity.
"You make me feel like I truly exist within this world. That I'm not merely a pawn to a grand design or the sum of the people who manipulated me however they wanted to. You are the warmth that I haven't allowed myself to feel for so long. You lit the fire in my heart once more when all my other emotions were gone. I feel... blessed to exist in your world. In whatever way that may be."
For once Naruto didn't know what to say. His mind was too full with everything he had held back for so many years.
He cupped Sasuke's cheek with his left hand, his right hand not feeling quite... right for the moment, and said the only thing he truly could when faced with the heartfelt confession of the one that mattered to him the most.
"I love you."
Sasuke looked like a weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. He opened his mouth, maybe to say more, but stopped when he noticed that Naruto was closing the distance between them. He allowed himself to be pulled into a kiss. So different from the first one they shared. Both from how soft the contact of their lips was to the feelings behind it.
(Though, Sasuke mused to himself, Naruto still tasted like miso.)
It was a kiss both of them had yearned far too long for.
Yet it was over far too soon.
Because Sasuke got so distracted, the susano'o dissolved, and Sasuke barely managed to keep them from crashing into the ground in time.
He still looked cool doing it, though.