Leaning Towards the Sun

Epilogue

Sasuke couldn't believe it; in just two days he'd be graduating, and his student days would be over! He was so excited he could barely contain himself. After four years, he'd have no more assignments, no more exams, no more deadlines. He was free.

...right after he finished this huge pile of paperwork, that is.

"How's it going?" Naruto asked from the doorway, wrinkling his nose. Naruto may have become 'competent' at payslips and tax invoices in the past few years, but he certainly hadn't lost his distaste for it all. "Done yet?"

Sasuke sighed. Graduation was in two days, and then in three days he and Naruto were leaving for Japan, for an entire month. What had they beenthinking?! The centre couldn't cope without both of them here, not for four weeks. It was crazy!

"Is it too late to change our minds?" Sasuke asked. Even with all this work he was doing in advance, he still felt anxious about leaving the centre in someone else's hands for so long.

"Don't tempt me!" Naruto replied, coming into the room and glancing over his shoulder. "...just think about all the ramen."

Sasuke scoffed. "That won't work on me, dead-last." And Naruto had promised they'd have no more than one serving of ramen per day.

Naruto laughed. "Yeah, okay, well...this time next week, we'll be on Cat Island!" he said, citing Sasuke's #1 request for their holiday.

...well, okay. Maybe the centre could cope while they were gone. And this would be the first time the two of them had ever gone away together for more than a weekend- they deserved it, didn't they? Yes, they did.

Sasuke pushed the paperwork away and stood up. "I need a break. Then I'm going to get this all done tonight." He walked out into the hallway and then into the playroom, and found it deserted. He narrowed his eyes. "Naruto," he said. "Where are all the kids?"

Naruto trailed after him and smirked. "They pretty much all went home, Sas. It's six-thirty already. It's just the after-hours kids left."

Six-thirty already? Where had all his time gone?! "Then who am I supposed to play with?!" Sasuke whined. He needed a break, if he was going to get all his work done today!

Naruto grinned and gave him a look. "Well-"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Shut up," he said.

Naruto winked at him. "Hmm. Later, maybe." Then the doorbell rang and Naruto wandered off towards the front door.

Sasuke glanced around the room, trying to spot one of the after-hours kids. Leaving the centre open until 7 pm each night had been a great way for them to make more money- since usually, either Sasuke or Naruto was here until then anyway. It had been a win-win; so at least Sasuke's four years of studying business had been of some use.

Ah, there's one, Sasuke thought, as a multi-coloured blur came racing towards him, slamming into his legs and holding on tight. "Sasuke-sensei!!" the blur wailed, his little voice full of misery and suffering.

Sasuke bit back a smile. "Kaito?" Sasuke asked. "What's wrong?"

"Akane won't leave me alone!" Kaito cried. "She's been following me around all day!"

"Kaito-chan," Naruto called, coming back into the room. "Your mum's here!"

"No!" Kaito yelled, gripping Sasuke's legs tighter. "I'm staying here with Sasuke-sensei!"

"And with Akane?" Sasuke asked. "Because she's still here as well, you know."

"No!" Kaito yelled again.