Year of the Fox

Author's Note:

Aaaah~~~ Only ONE day late this time! I'm getting better! ^____^
Ok, so.... I'm sorry for always bringing you the longest AN's ever, so this one will be short.

Another looong chapter! But That's no biggie is it? I wrote all night, went to bed at 10.15 am and woke up again two hours later.
Basically YotF is killing me, but I'm loving it. Hopefully you'll all do the same.

Chapter ten might be a bit slow (though at this speed I wouldn't trust that statement), as I'm having some issues with the plot's evolution. But it'll be fine.
I put alot into this, so please review and tell me what you think!

Also, I am no expert on medicines for PTSD or depression, but Wikipedia is a good friend to have! ^3^ It also has a nice list of side effects! ^-^

Nyaa, Pervy!Genma is fun to write!

Warnings for this chapter:
Yaoi! ^____^ Finally, eh?
Angst and fluff.


Shichigatsu:

What the hell had just happened?!
Naruto leaned his forehead on the cool mirror above the sink in the bathroom.
"God damn it Sasuke..." he mumbled. "What the hell was that?!"
Sasuke had kissed him.
After all the shit that had happened these last weeks, he'd kissed him!
Naruto could feel a headache coming on.
He didn't feel like getting back to class.

So he just threw a sweater on over his t-shirt, grabbed his bag and made for the exit.
With his head full of questions, he strode across the school yard.
"Hey! Uzumaki!"
He was not in the mood.
Eyebrow twitching, he turned around and sighed. "What do you want?"
He knew the brunette that was standing before him, only by name and reputation, but the elder obviously had business with him.
"I'm supposed to go home with you." Neji said.
***

Sasuke had snuck up to the roof. There was never anyone up here during classes, so he could enjoy his privacy.
He could hear his classmates though; they were on the other side of the building running laps around the tracks the school had invested in on Gai's insist.
"God damn it!" he kicked the fence that surrounded the roof top. And then sank down on the concrete, hands fisting in his own hair.
What the hell was he doing?
If Lee hadn't walked into that gym...What would've happened? What could have happened?
Judging by the look on Naruto's face it wouldn't have been pretty.
"What did you expect him to look like? You kissed him!"
He wanted to tell that annoying voice in his head that he hadn't intended to. But that would be a lie. He had meant to kiss Naruto.
In the middle of all his anger, frustration and insecurity, the only thing that was clear in his mind at that moment, had been that he wanted to taste those lips.
He'd wanted to kiss Naruto.
"Talk about bad timing..." he muttered, letting one hand fall down at his side.
Why did he have to go and do it now of all times though?!
What kind of idiot forces someone up against the wall, yells at them, tells them they hate them and then kisses them?!
He did.
Uchiha Sasuke, king of idiots.
The only explanation that was even remotely close to believable was that while he had been spewing oaths and curses over the one person who might understand him, there had been something inside of him that knew how wrong it was.
Naruto hadn't done anything wrong. If someone was in the wrong, it was him.
Something inside of him had been screaming for him to stop acting this way. Something in him longed so desperately for the pain and confusion to stop. And this something was what made him do what he suspected he'd wanted to do all along. So, he had kissed him.

At least he had managed to do something right; he'd let Naruto know. Or at least let him on.
Their shared past was out in the open, in a shadowy kind of way...
But what did that help, when he was unable to have a normal conversation with the blonde?
Sasuke sighed heavily.
Why was it that he had to fall for the same person he hated?
And why did he have to hate him so much?
When was it he had fallen for Naruto? And why did he have to realize it at the moment he did?!

The truth was that he had known.
Whenever he was around Naruto lately; after the blonde had pretty much forced his friendship onto him; he'd have to concentrate not to stare too long into those deep blue eyes, or at his full lips... During their game of DDR, whenever they went out with the group eating, and...When Naruto'd been on his back, his arms resting around his neck.
He'd ignored it as best he could though, pretended like there was nothing there. He didn't want to realize that the loyalty and affection that still resided in him from years ago, had blossomed into something more.

He needed to talk to Naruto, he realized.
He had to. If he could just explain...

He stood, but as he peeked through the fence and down into the school yard, he could clearly see the blonde leaving. Walking side by side with a dark haired boy he recognized as Hyuuga Neji, some teenage heart throb from the class over them.
His nails dug into his palms, but he didn't notice.
Turning on his heel, he decided to skip the rest of the day and go home.
He didn't feel well.
***

"So....You're gonna work at the orphanage?" Naruto asked, confused.
"Yeah... Work experience and all that...." two short beeps came as Neji unlocked his car.
Naruto got in, slightly uncomfortable.
He wished he could be alone right now, but apparently, there was no way to try to explain that to the older teen, and besides, what was he going to say?
"Tenten was going to show me where it was, but she got held up with a meeting. She's in the arrangement committee for the dance..." the Hyuuga informed him.
Naruto nodded quietly.
While pretending to listen to the boy next to him, he was wondering whether or not he should tell Gaara. He wanted to. He knew that he couldn't keep this to himself.
But he had no idea how to tell him. And it felt like if he told Gaara about how Sasuke had kissed him, he'd have to tell the entire story, something he would really like to avoid.
"Are you listening?"
"Sorry..." Naruto turned to look at Neji, "What?"
"I asked you which direction we should go in." the brunette replied, sounding impatient.
Naruto pointed it out to him, and they drove in silence.
An uncomfortable silence that became too crushing for the talkative blonde to handle. "So...Why did you chose it?"
"What?"
"The orphanage."
"Oh...We didn't choose, we were assigned by the teachers."
"Really?" Naruto bit his lip, "I just figured since we had Lee helping out during gy-"
"I feel for you!" Neji laughed.
Naruto sent him a quizzical look.
"I mean, don't get me wrong. Lee and I are good friends, but...He's a bit...over energetic, isn't he?"
"You got that right!" Naruto smiled.
Ok, so maybe Neji wasn't as bad as rumors wanted him to be. Then again...It wasn't as if he was hitting on him.
Thankfully. He'd had enough of that for one day.
Again Sasuke flooded his mind.
"So, you and Uchiha..."
"Don't ask." Naruto growled.
"You're fighting?"
"What about you? Are you and Tenten...?"
"Do you usually ask a stranger such personal questions?"
"No," Naruto retorted, "Do you?"
Neji's lip curved upwards. "I get it. I won't ask."
Why was it that everyone knew who Sasuke was?
And why did all people talked about around Naruto have to be Sasuke?
He frowned, and had to ask Neji to repeat yet another question.
"I asked," said the brunette smiling, "If there is something I should know about the kids before I start helping out."
"Weeell...." Naruto scratched his head, thinking, "Firstly, watch out for Konohamaru and his gang... There's only three of them, but they're real pranksters. And they'll get you good unless you watch yourself carefully!" he smiled, and went on to tell about how some kids would always be determined on what they wanted for breakfast, until they saw what the one next to them ate.
He informed him on how they did have a system for the laundry, it was just that no one bothered to follow it; things were bound to get chaotic anyway. Even with three washing machines. "Everyone has chores around the house," Naruto started, talking as if they were just your regular over-sized family. "Like, those of us who're older, we have to help with dinner and things like that. The kids are mostly responsible for their own mess and rooms."
Neji nodded, turning left when Naruto gestured to.
"You're starting today?"
The elder teen shook his head. "No, I'm just supposed to go by and get information and introduce myself." he paused, "You're the oldest?"
"Yeah. Then there's Gaara, he's sixteen."
"I've heard of him."
"I bet you have," Naruto thought, feeling real protective all of a sudden. "If you call him a psycho I'm gonna make sure you have to find a new place to gain experience."
"Relax Uzumaki," Neji frowned, "I just said that I've heard of him. Konoha isn't that big. And I rarely listen to gossip."
Naruto sighed. "Sorry." slightly embarrassed he rubbed his neck, "It's just....He's a little reserved and moody....And I easily get protective of him..."
Neji nodded again. "I understand."

They parked outside the tired, but stoic building. Naruto showed Neji the way inside.
"Baa-san!" he called out. "Neji is here!"
Instantly the hall was full of kids, staring at the newcomer with big, curious eyes.
"Hi," Neji said, waving slightly at the children.
Naruto could see at once that he wasn't used to being around kids much. So most likely he'd been placed with them to gain some tolerance.
"Who's he?" Moegi inquired.
"He's from my school," Naruto explained, "He's supposed to work here for a while."
"Heh," Konohamaru grinned. "Fresh meat."
"You," Naruto grabbed the boy by the collar, "Behave."
He turned to his senior; "Chiyo baa-san is probably down in the basement, just come into the living room and wait for her."
Obediently the Hyuuga followed him, the kids keeping their eyes on him almost without blinking as they made their way into the living room.
Just then, Gaara came down the stairs.
He cast one cool glance at the teen standing next to Naruto.
"Gaara, this is Neji." Naruto tried, well knowing that the red didn't care.
"Hi." Neji nodded in Gaara's direction.
Gaara mumbled something that sounded like 'hey', and then he went into the kitchen, emerging again two minutes later with a glass of water, and headed back upstairs.
"I see what you mean..." the Hyuuga stared after the red.
"He...doesn't care for strangers." Naruto said apologetically and fell down onto the couch, instantly being attacked by two of the kids who'd been sitting on the floor.

"Ah, so you're Hyuuga Neji!" the elderly woman exclaimed as she made her way into the living room, "Kids, go play in your rooms, we need some peace and quiet. And Naruto, please make place for others instead of taking up the entire couch by yourself!"
The blonde rose to a sitting position.
"Well," Chiyo started, "As you can see, they're quite the wild bunch. So you'll be having your hands full. Do you have siblings yourself?"
Neji shook his head. "No, but I live with my uncles family. His youngest daughter is about eight... But she's very quiet." he smiled.
"These guys most certainly aren't." the blonde remarked.
The woman smiled at him, shaking her head. "They certainly aren't."
Neji didn't say anything.
"I can take it from here Naruto, I imagine you have homework?"
"Urgh..."
"Upstairs you go then."
Naruto slouched, but made for the stairs. He smiled at Neji; "Good luck."
"Thanks."


"What's he doing here?" Gaara demanded as soon as Naruto came through the door.
"He's gonna work here."
"Work? I hope he's not counting on getting paid."
"No, it's for school." Naruto said, explaining it all to his friend.
Gaara glared at him, as if it was Naruto's fault.
"Gaara, it's not that bad!"
"Easy for you to say, you won't have to deal with him. He's probably gonna be in dire need for a mature conversation, and since I'm the only teen here while you're at school...."
"Don't count on it." Naruto said, "He's kinda the quiet type."
"Like Sasuke?" Gaara was not convinced.
"Please, let's not talk about him..."
"Now what?!" Gaara sighed with resignation.
"Forget it, it's not important."
"Of course not," the red said sarcastically, "Whatever."
"How do you know Sasuke isn't the quiet type anyway?"
Gaara looked at his friend. "Are you kidding? He can't possibly have kept his mouth shut the way you're acting. He's got to have said something to get you this pissed!"
Naruto didn't reply. He plopped down on his bed.
"Want to help me study?"
Gaara stifled a yawn. "Sure, maybe it'll be what it takes for me to get some sleep..."
Naruto smiled, making room for Gaara on the bed beside him.
****

Anko's narrow eyes looked at Sasuke over the edge of her clipboard.
"Why don't you tell me what's been going on with you lately? I can see that something is troubling you."
"It's none of your business." the angry teen replied.
He felt like his privacy was being violated.
Again.
"You seem a lot more emotional lately Sasuke..."
"And before I showed too little emotion, are you never satisfied?"
"Tell me," Anko probed, "Are you feeling paranoid lately?"
"Paranoid?"
"Do you feel like...people are watching you? Like they talk about you? Like you're being followed?"
"I know what paranoia is." Sasuke rolled his eyes, "And here's a newsflash for you; I am being watched, talked about and followed, by the people in this town who can't get enough of my past. Other than that, I'm perfectly fine."
The woman seemed to have stopped listening to him though. "I've talked to your doctor," she said, "And we decided that maybe it's time to take you off Seroquel. At least for a while, to see how you do without the medication."
The Uchiha stared at her. "Let's see....I had some bad years from I was six and until I was what...ten? Post traumatic stress disorder, treated with Seroquel for years, especially after the acclaimed attempted suicide, with following commitment to a mental hospital...."
"It was a clinic, Sasuke, and it was only to make sure you didn't hurt yourself."
Sasuke continued; "I'm done with my trauma thank you, I've been telling you all year that I want off the meds. But hey, you have to think of it yourself!"
"Sasuke," she snarled. "Listen to me, we're only going to try it for a while, and your doctor still thinks you're a little unstable, so we're going to put you on a mild antidepressant; Alprazolam."
Sasuke stared at the woman, dumbfounded. "I'm not even dealing with depressions!"
"No, but you've shown tendencies to other types of convulsive behavior."
The raven crossed his arms over his chest.
"It's only for a few weeks. You can't be on these types of medicine for more than eight weeks anyway, or the effect will wear off. That is to say, your body will become resistant."
"Then what the hell is the point?!" Sasuke snapped.
"The point is to see if you'll get better-"
"I am fine." he snarled through gritted teeth. He hated being treated like a mental patient.
"When we take you off the Alprazolam, -"
"Call it Xanax will you. There's no need for clinical terms, I know what you're referring to."
Anko smiled slightly, Sasuke had always been one step ahead of her.
"When we take you of the Xanax, we'll see if there's need to continue the treatment with Seroquel, and if you're lucky, you'll be free from medication altogether. Isn't that a nice thought?" Her voice was soft and kind.
"Don't patronize me." Sasuke replied coolly. "If you think there won't be any need for further medication, then I'm gonna take that advice to heart and stop altogether right now."
He stood from the chair.
"I thought you would say something like that," Anko said, taking a paper bag from her purse. "So I had your prescription filled out, and got your medicines during lunch."
She handed him the bag. "And you know I'll know if you're not taking them."
Sasuke frowned.
He headed for the door, clutching the bag.
"Continue to take your Seroquel over the weekend. Start with the new ones on Monday, and make sure to read the supplement, so you're aware of the possible side effects. If you start feeling really bad, you call me straight away, and we'll decide what to do."
Sasuke didn't bother to ask about how it would affect his exams, if he got sick. He didn't care. He knew that he would be totally unable to focus anyway.
"I want you back here on Wednesday, to see how it's going, just in case."
He merely nodded, and walked out the door.

The girl at the counter smiled at him.
Sasuke walked past her, not gracing her with as much as a nod.


He stuffed the paper bag into the glove compartment when he got to his car.
On his way back, he stopped by the store to pick up some groceries. He hadn't bothered to shop lately, and the kitchen was getting fairly empty.

He rounded the corner of the aisle that held instant dinners and canned food.
And stared straight into Naruto's eyes.
He froze.
Naruto did the same.
They hadn't as much as looked at each other since Tuesday. Given, it was partly because of the exam stress and how they were allowed to study at home, and how Sasuke's math exam wasn't until next week, while Naruto's had been this week. Today...wasn't it?
Neither of them knew quite what to say.
"Hi...." Naruto finally managed to mumble.
"Hi." Sasuke replied.
"Shopping...?" the blonde asked nervously.
Sasuke nodded. "And you? Aren't you supposed to be having an exam?"
"Well...." Naruto said, shrugging, "Math, you know...? Even if it's just Alternative math, and not half as hard as what the rest of you are taking...." he trailed off.
"Oh...." Sasuke said absentmindedly, staring at Naruto's lips as the blonde turned quiet, his tongue darting out to moisten them.

They paid for their respective merchandise and made their way out of the store.
Neither of them said a word, albeit knowing what was on the other's mind.
"Sasuke...." Naruto finally said, his voice shaking slightly. "I...There's..."
Sasuke knew that the blonde wanted to yell at him again. And he didn't blame him.
"We should....talk..." he suggested.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah...."
"So....should I drive you home or something?"
"No....Sasuke..." Naruto hesitated, "I...think it's best that you don't...for now..."
"Then when are we supposed to talk?!" the Uchiha was getting frustrated.
Whatever it was Naruto was feeling or thinking about him now, he needed to know. And he wanted to explain.
"Later, ok?" Naruto sighed. "I've...got to study...and..." he looked at the raven, lifting his hand, as if wanting to reach out and touch Sasuke, but refrained from it, "You look really tired....It's best that we wait."
How could he be so rational?
Sasuke wanted to grab Naruto's wrist, when the boy turned to leave. But he didn't. The last time he'd done so it had ended in disaster.
"Weren't you the one who said you wanted to talk to me?!" he failed to hold back.
"I want to talk just as much as you do!" Naruto spun around. "But I just can't right now, ok?! Jeez, just for now Sasuke, let it rest!"
The Uchiha said nothing. He realized that he had to do as Naruto said. If he said anything more now, things would get even more screwed up.
He needed to calm down, and let Naruto decide on when they would talk.
Watching the fox leave the parking lot, he got in the car and drove home.
****

Gaara's door slid open, a slight knock disturbing the red's thoughts.
"What?" he asked, his voice cold.
Neji opened the door more, but remained standing in the doorway.
"Chiyo-san asked me to tell you that they are all going out. She wondered if you were coming."
Gaara glowered at him.
"That's a no then..." the elder sighed, backing out of the doorway. "Sorry to disturb you."
He turned, and went back down the stairs.
Gaara glared at the empty doorway, but rose from the bed, silently walking over to the staircase, peeking down.
Neji had been here a lot since Tuesday, just getting to know the kids, who all seemed to love him, and he'd helped with shopping and cooking, although Gaara had overheard a conversation where it was said that he was actually there to help look at their budget, so he'd learn how to manage one. The red suspected he knew it already though.
But even though the Hyuuga had been here pretty much all the time, he'd appeared quiet and reserved, and he wasn't approaching Gaara to strike up pointless conversations.
Thus, the red had settled with him.
He accepted that Neji was there, although he didn't want much to do with him.

But now, he knew that he would have to do his share as well, when he heard Chiyo tell Neji that he could stay while they were gone.
"Naruto should be back in a few hours max," she said, "Oh, I hope his exam goes ok....Until then, you'd be an angel if you could stay with Gaara. He won't be much trouble, I'm sure. It's ok if you just stay down here and watch tv, or look over those papers we talked about...."
"Sure," Gaara heard Neji reply, "I'll stay for a while."

Like Gaara needed a babysitter!
The teen snorted.
He hoped Naruto was coming home soon, even if that idiot Sasuke had done something today as well. A sulky Naruto was better than being alone with this guy he hardly knew.
Though, he had to admit, it wasn't half bad either. And Neji did leave him alone, so he had nothing to complain about.

"Uh....Gaara?!" Neji called from the kitchen.
He hated to disturb the boy, but it couldn't be helped. He was the only one who was there at the moment after all.
There was no reply.
Neji stepped out of the kitchen, into the living room, and nearly had a heart attack; Gaara was sitting calmly in the stairs, watching him with cold, darkly ringed eyes.
"Uh..I..." he tried to collect himself.
"What?" Gaara asked.
"I was just wondering if you have any calculators? I seem to have forgotten mine at home..."
Gaara stood, walking over to a cupboard in the living room. He opened it, and reached inside. After a short while, he reached a calculator to the Hyuuga.
"Thanks."
Gaara shrugged.
The black shirt he was wearing was a little too big for him, Neji noticed. "Hey," he said, "I was thinking of making a sandwich or something...Do you want anything?"

Gaara didn't know what to say. He wondered whether he should be offended; he didn't like the thought of strangers rummaging through their kitchen. But, Neji worked here....
Slightly puzzled at his own reaction he followed the brunette to the kitchen, and sat down on a chair, watching him as he prepared a couple of sandwiches.

"I'm back," Naruto threw his book bag through the door and dragged himself into the kitchen.
There, he found Neji and Gaara, sitting at the table eating sandwiches.
They didn't talk to each other, but he could clearly sense that Gaara was relaxed.
It puzzled him.
The red looked up at him. "How did it go?"
"You do the math." Naruto said, his eyes practically swirling.
Gaara smiled slightly. "I reckon I'd do it better than you anyhow."
Naruto flashed him a grin, plopping down on the chair next to his.
"Hey Neji." he said, more to be polite than anything else.
Neji nodded, shoving the plate of sandwiches over to him.
Naruto accepted willingly.
Between the mouthfuls he asked for the others.
"They went somewhere." Gaara mumbled, "Neji's babysitting."
Naruto looked from one to the other. Neither of the two so much as smiled.
It was strange. But considering the alternatives, it was a positive atmosphere anyway.


"So, what was that all about?" Naruto asked later that night, when the two of them were up in their room.
"Hmm?"
"You and Neji having sandwiches in perfect harmony."
"I was hungry." Gaara shrugged. "He makes good sandwiches. But I don't like having him in our kitchen."
Naruto laughed. "Sounds like you alright."
"What do you think about him?" Gaara wondered.
"I don't know....I don't really know him. I mean, I know that he's Hinata's cousin, and that he's enormously popular. I didn't really like him before...He has quite the reputation you know... But he doesn't seem like they say at all."
Gaara nodded.
"I guess I can't say that I trust him..." Naruto paused, "But I guess he's easier to be around
than-"
"If you say Sasuke I'll hit you." Gaara said coolly.
"You're tired of him, right?"
"You have no idea."
"That makes two of us." Naruto said, without giving the reason.
He wasn't sick of Sasuke, he was just sick of his stupidity, and of thinking of him all the time.
"Let's just talk about something else..."
"Ok. What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Ugh," Naruto fell back on his bed, "I just want to sleep. But oh no, I have to study. Monday is the exam in R.S."
"I'll help you."
"Like you had any choice." Naruto grinned. "I'm going over to Shikamaru's to study on Sunday though, but until then, I'm relying on you."
"Moron."
Naruto rolled over on his stomach, grabbing his pillow. "Arrgh! I can't believe I'm stuck studying all weekend!"

***

It couldn't really be said that Naruto did well on his R.S exam; although he and Gaara had studied all of Saturday, he had been sleepless the following night, beating himself up for not having talked to Sasuke that day. He'd thought that if he waited to talk to him until after the exams he'd be able to concentrate better. Clearly that wasn't the case.
Sleep deprived as he'd been, he'd fallen asleep at least ten times during the study session at Shikamaru's, and then spent the night brooding again.

And now, he was sitting here; glaring down at the sheet before him.
He knew the answers to most questions, but he just couldn't remember them. Instead he scribbled little spirals on his answer sheet.
Still, he managed to write enough on the questions he knew the answers to, to know that he wouldn't fail.
Then, the blonde waited for time to snail it's way to eleven, which was the earliest time they were allowed to leave.
He snuck a peak over at Sasuke; the raven was concentrated, and seemed to know every answer, but he was pale.
Once, he arose in a hurry and disappeared out of the classroom.
His classmates stared after him, but no one said anything.
He came back minutes later, looking even paler. Naruto noticed how Sasuke's hand was shaking, when he gripped his pen again.
"What is wrong with you?" he asked quietly in his mind.

When Naruto could finally hand in his test, Sasuke was still seated.
He thought about waiting for him, but he knew that Sasuke was an A-student, so he'd probably have to wait a long time, and besides, Sasuke didn't seem to be in any shape to have an argument with him today anyway.
Slightly worried, he left the school and headed home.

The next day was pretty much alike; being the first part of their Japanese Literature exam all they had to do was write a text, part two would be in two days and Naruto expected it to be filled with questions about dead people he didn't give a rat's ass about.
He reckoned he'd done pretty well on his text though; he'd chosen to write a short story based on a picture in the booklet that came with the test. Naruto's imagination didn't always know it's limits, so he tended to score well when it came to fiction.
Nevertheless, Sasuke was still seated when Naruto left.
Today too, he looked pale. But the raven was focused and composed.

Naruto sighed as he exited through the door. He wanted to talk to Sasuke.
He cursed himself for not taking the other up on his offer the other day!
But...he'd been worried. Worried that if he went with Sasuke, he'd get too temperamental again. Not only would it affect his scores on the exams, but it would affect his relationship with Sasuke, and cause it to deteriorate.
Naruto didn't want things to fall apart. They were finally getting somewhere!
And what the hell was wrong with Sasuke anyway?!
What did that kiss mean? Why would Sasuke kiss him?
And Naruto was scared...Because, if Sasuke tried again, he probably wouldn't be able to resist him....
And what did that mean?

He got back to find Konohamaru and his gang playing cowboys and Indians in the yard.
They were making an awful ruckus, and several of the girls were tied up to a tree that stood on the lawn. He smiled at them.
Konohamaru ran over to him. The boy had a feather stuck in his headband. He danced around Naruto, grabbing his hand. "Come play with us!" he pleaded. "You can be a hostage!"
"I don't think that the Indians had..."
"Shut up Udon!" Moegi shouted from atop the outhouse where gardening tools were kept. She had a feather in her hair as well, and was as the only girl, an Indian. "I'm the Indian Princess Moon Beam!" she announced.
"I'll play with you kids later ok?" Naruto said, tearing himself from Konohamaru's grip. "I'm beat after my exam."

He found Gaara on the couch in the living room, he seemed to be half asleep.
So the blonde decided not to disturb him. However, when Neji asked quietly; "Gaara? Could you throw me that pen?" the red reacted instantly, lazily tossing the pen over towards the Hyuuga.
"Weren't you sleeping?" Naruto asked.
"I tried." Gaara frowned. "But the Indians are very noisy."
Naruto laughed.
The red seemed to be in high spirits lately. It soothed him. He wondered if it had to do with Neji being around, as a break from kids that were so much younger than him... But the two of them didn't seem to communicate much, though they spent a lot of time just sitting together.
"You don't have any exams?" Naruto asked, turning to Neji.
"Unfortunately yes." Neji sighed. "But you see, I am lucky to be a senior," he frowned, "We get to have all of our exams crammed together in the two last weeks, including the day after the Dance. So much for relaxation."
"Woah..." Naruto mouthed, thinking with dread of his own senior year.
"Yeah, enjoy your youth while you can." the elder sighed.
"You sound like Gai-sensei."
Naruto could see Neji shuddering. It didn't matter how much the other boy enjoyed the company of Lee and Tenten, or what a good teacher Gai was. He did not want to be compared to anything that wore that hideous green suit.
The blonde laughed. Neji scowled at him.
"Naruto-nii! Can you play with us noooooow?!"
Naruto shrugged, smiling. "I guess I'll go out and play hostage, you guys coming?"
Gaara's expression was blank. Neji's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"Fine, I'll go by myself then." Naruto said, going back outside, letting Konohamaru tie him up against the tree as well.

Neji and Gaara watched from the window.
"He's really being the big brother, isn't he?"
Gaara nodded. "Always. He's amazing."
Neji glanced over at the younger. Aquamarine eyes met with his. It was so intense it almost burned him. "That's why it hurts so much to hear what they all say..." Gaara turned, going back upstairs.

***

Having a few days without exams felt good, even though they were either spent at home studying for the next exam, or at school where the students did nothing but run around like mad, trying to help with whatever it was the teachers were working on.
In addition to that, there was the committee who worked with the dance, and Deidara's demand that as many as possible helped prepare for the art exhibit. It was to be at the Youth Center as well, and he wanted as many as possible to contribute, either by creating something or by helping to arrange the show itself.
Everything was chaos.
And Sasuke was gone.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto practically attacked the girl when they met in the hallway.
"Naruto, what's up?"
"H-have you seen S-Sasuke...?" Naruto wheezed. He'd chased down the stairs, leaping over backpacks and people as best he could to reach his friend before she disappeared in the crowd again. If anyone knew where the Uchiha was, it would be her.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I haven't seen him today. Maybe he's sick?"
"Or maybe he's just ditching class," Kiba muttered, as he and Shino came through the hall, carrying a table, "It's not like he's missing something important."
"Kiba!" Shino called out. "Would you lift your end of the table?! You're gonna end up dropping it on my feet!"
"Sorry! It's heavy!!"
"Then maybe we should get a move on?" Shino suggested, "I have a student council meeting in ten minutes you know!"
"Woah," Naruto nudged Sakura, as the pair made their way down the hall, "You just know that the world's gone crazy when Shino looses his cool."
She sighed, nodding. "I have to go too," she said, apologetically, "I need to be somewhere....Either in the art room to help Deidara-sensei.....Or...I was supposed to be helping to plan the Dance....I can't even remember anymore!" she shrilled, speeding down the hall. She turned around, shouting; "If you find him, send him my regards!"
Naruto smiled and waved.
If.
That was a pretty big 'if'.

Naruto made his way down to the cafeteria, but it was so chaotic and crowded he instantly gave up on looking for someone he knew.
Instead he went up to the roof, where there wasn't anyone, thankfully.
He let himself slide down onto the concrete floor, resting his head on the wall behind him, closing his eyes and just enjoyed the warmth of the sun on his face.
No sooner than he was convinced he'd fall asleep like this, his phone rang.
He didn't check the display before answering, just flipped it open.
"Y'ello?"
"Naruto, it's Sasuke."
Naruto's eyes flew open. "Sasuke?! Where are you?!"
"Don't bother with that..." Sasuke swallowed hard in the other end. "We need to talk."
"I know... that's what I wa-"
"Are you free?"
"Now?"
"Yeah."
"Uh....I'm kinda...at school...but...." Naruto shook his head, "Yeah, I'm free."
He couldn't postpone this any longer.
Good, can we meet in the park? I was just out getting some stuff at the store."
"Sure, I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
"I'll be at the bridge then. See you."
Sasuke hung up, and Naruto realized that this was the first proper conversation they'd had in ages. Brushing dust from his clothes, he rose to his feet and rushed down the staircase, out through the front doors and the gates. A few people called his name, but nobody really cared.


Approximately fifteen minutes later, Naruto came running across the bridge, to where Sasuke stood waiting.
The raven turned to look at him, and Naruto had to make a real effort not to let his mouth drop open; Sasuke was pale. His skin was almost ashen.
He looked tired.
But being Sasuke he didn't want it to show.
"You're late dobe," he said, forcing a smirk.
"I'm perfectly on time thank you," Naruto growled.

Sasuke knew he wasn't fooling anyone.
He knew how bad he looked. But it was nothing compared to how he felt.
Anko had said that the side effects would wear off within the first couple of weeks, which was ridiculous, since he was only supposed to be on these meds for a few weeks anyway.
In a perfect world Anko would have gotten the picture by now, and he'd be off meds completely. Sadly, there was no such thing as perfect, and Sasuke had to deal with his nausea, sleeplessness, headache and mood swings. Not that the latter was unknown to him.
"Let's go," he said.
Naruto looked at him with those confused blue eyes of his. "Go where?"
"Away from here, I don't want to have this talk in public."
"And where are we going?"
"My house." Sasuke said calmly, beginning to walk towards the road.
"Your....house...?"
"Anything wrong with that...?" Sasuke had to stop himself, as another wave of nausea swept through him. He swallowed hard.
"Sasuke, are you ok?" Naruto asked him tentatively.
"Yeah, don't worry. Now let's go, before things get weird."
What a lame thing to say. Things were already weird!
At the moment they were talking like they had before, but as soon as they wandered into the fields of their shared confusion, anger and pain.... Another storm would brew.
Sasuke hated himself for deciding to go through with this today, when he felt so lousy. But he bit back, and walked with Naruto.
He wanted to think of something to say, but couldn't think of anything. Besides, it would be weird to start talking like everything was normal, when things were so fucked up between them.

He was nervous.
The nerves alone was enough to make Sasuke sick to his stomach, actually, just the thought of him being nervous made Sasuke feel sick.
This would not end well. He just knew it.
The Xanax was not agreeing with him. He knew he'd felt better if he'd eaten a little, but the medication took away all appetite, and left him in a vicious circle.
Another wave of nausea shot through him. He stopped, swallowing hard..
They weren't that far away from his house... As long as he was spared the humiliation of throwing up in public....

Naruto glanced over at his class mate.
Sasuke had stopped. His face was paler than ever, and little droplets of sweat clung to his forehead. The boy was leaning his hands on a white picked fence, while he swallowed over and over.
"Sasuke...?" Naruto's voice was filled with worry. "Are you sick?"
A pained expression came over Sasuke's ashen face.
He swallowed, and failed.
As Sasuke retched, Naruto rushed over to him.
"It's...fine..." the raven gasped.
Of course it wasn't.
Sasuke retched again, this time more violently.
A choking sound escaped his throat as he vomited over the white fence.
Naruto watched, wide-eyed. Rather than disgusted he felt helpless.
Sasuke's breath was heavy, he coughed.
The raven remained in the same position; leaning forward over the fence, gasping. But he felt better.
"Sheesh Sasuke," Naruto managed to stutter. "If you're that sick you shouldn't be outside!"
"I'm not sick." Sasuke said, standing up straight. "It's something else...."
"What?"
"I'll tell you later. Now let's go before someone wants to sue me for puking all over their plants..."
Naruto smiled slightly. This day was taking a strange turn.

When they walked through the gates to the Uchiha Mansion, Naruto realized how big this place really was. It was huge.
And this was where Sasuke lived all by himself.
"If you want something," Sasuke said, "Then help yourself in the kitchen, I'm gonna go.. you know..."
Naruto nodded, walking through the living room, heading into what he presumed was the kitchen.
There was a staircase in there too, just like the one in the hall, leading upstairs.
He heard the water run in the bathroom, and the sound of Sasuke brushing his teeth.

This was so strange....
He and Sasuke had hardly spoken to each other since that day when Sasuke had kissed him, and now here he was, in the raven's house. And they had yet to say something to piss each other off. He just hoped they would be able to talk like normal people this time.

Sasuke came back. He'd changed, Naruto noticed; he was wearing black slacks as usual, and a black college sweater with a zipper in the front, that fit snugly on his body.
Why did he notice something like that?
And now of all times, when Sasuke was sick.
"Found anything?" Sasuke asked him.
Naruto shook his head. "I'm not really hungry..."
Sasuke shrugged. "Naturally, after seeing that...." he shuddered. "Let's go upstairs then."

The only room in the house where Sasuke felt even remotely comfortable, was his own.
Naruto got that, by the way the raven's shoulders dropped slightly, and no more than that, when he walked over the threshold.
The blonde followed him, sitting on the bed next to him when Sasuke did.
They sat like that, neither of them saying a word.
It was strange, to sit like this.
So strange not to yell at each other.
Naruto nervously eyed Sasuke, trying so hard to figure out what was going through the raven's mind right now.
Sasuke looked back at him. "I guess we should start talking, right?"
Naruto nodded.
The truth was that they were both so confused over everything that had happened, it was hard to know where to start, and what was important to deal with...
Sasuke took a deep breath; "Look, I've been an asshole....and I want to apologize."
Naruto stared at him. He knew that this was hard for the Uchiha; to step down from his high horse, where he wasn't safe, and to apologize.
Right about now Naruto could've said something about how he'd been no better himself with the way he'd screamed and accused, but he said nothing. He waited, for Sasuke to continue.
"I'm angry Naruto," he said. "Because.... I don't know... I'd almost forgotten...You know? And then I come here, and...." he paused, sighing. "You're here, and everyone's treating you like crap, and you just take it!"
"I told you-"
"Let me talk."
Naruto closed his mouth, listening.
"I hated to watch the way they treated you, but at the same time, I didn't want to make contact with you. Because back then.... You...They rescued you...and they left me alone, so... the truth is that... I grew to hate you."
There they were. The very words that Naruto had hoped were nothing but a result of his lively fantasy. But they were real; harsh and cold, straight from Sasuke's lips. Still, the blonde sat still, not saying a word.
"At least I thought so..." Sasuke continued. "But, what I hated was the fact that when we met again... and whenever I look at you, you make me remember things that happened.... things that... it hurts. Ok? That's why. I pushed you away, because being near you brought me nothing but pain."
Sasuke was talking fast, almost without breathing. He hated the thought of opening up and sharing his inner and outmost private thoughts with someone else.
Still, this had to be done. Because he couldn't bear it any longer.
"You made me remember all the things I'd tried so hard to forget. And when I started to remember, I blamed you for it. And I guess...I still do in a way.... But, I don't hate you. I never did. I thought that I did...." the Uchiha seemed lost in his own words.
"You remember..." Naruto whispered, more to himself than anything else.
"Of course I remember!" Sasuke's voice was nearly a shrill. "It's not like you have forgotten, is it? It's not like you didn't start remembering lots of things when we met again?!"
Naruto nodded, shook his head and nodded again.
"I'm scared of remembering." Sasuke stared down at his hands. "So I push you away. I try to stop myself from feeling the pain, you know?"
"I know," Naruto said quietly.
They went quiet.

It was out.
Sasuke had said it. At least the important part of it; that he remembered, that he was an idiot for blaming Naruto, and that he had pushed him away and tried to make himself hate him, to forget.
He sighed deeply. It was such a relief, but at the same time there was so much more that hadn't been said.

"Sasuke..." Naruto made the raven face him again. "Why did you kiss me?"
"I guess..." Sasuke started. "I panicked... I hated myself for pushing you away, and I was terrified. It seemed like the right thing to do..." he paused again. "Or, not right. But I felt I had to."
"So....that's the reason...?" Naruto probed. "Or is there something else?"
"Isn't it obvious...?" Sasuke's voice softened, he leaned closer to the blonde.
His breath was warm on Naruto's cheek, the weak scent of mint caught his nose.
The blonde swallowed.
"Sasuke...Wait," he pushed the raven back, "I'm...confused. And I know you are too..."
Sasuke's weary eyes met his.
"It's my turn to talk right?"
Sasuke nodded.
"Then you can't interrupt either, ok?"
Sasuke nodded again. He waited for the blonde to start talking.
"Ok...." Naruto took a deep breath. "Firstly, I thought I was crazy when you first appeared, you know that? I'd just started to remember you again, and then there you were..." he smiled slightly, "But you weren't you. God, Sasuke...I wanted to convince myself that you weren't the same person I remember. Because the Sasuke I knew wasn't cold like you. The Sasuke I knew wouldn't call me names, insult me and ignore me... But I still knew. And I thought that maybe you didn't remember, or that you didn't... I tried to talk to you, you know? And I think you cut me off on purpose a lot of the times when I tried to ask you if you remembered..." he paused, trying to read Sasuke's expression, but it was impossible.
He wasn't really sure what he was trying to say. The annoyance rose in him, but his voice was just as gentle as before.
"I wanted to be your friend. I wanted you to know that I didn't want you to be alone anymore." he brushed a few blonde locks out of his eyes, "Why did you continue to push me away? If you hated me, you could have said so! You didn't have to lash out at me like that and then ignore me for weeks! And what am I supposed to think, huh? When you first tell me you're not my friend, and you act like you never want to see me again, but then you kiss me?! What the hell was that all about?!" his voice rose to a shrill.
His sapphire eyes glared accusingly at the Uchiha.
Sasuke's dark eyes were locked on him. "You're angry," the raven stated.
"Well of course! And so are you!"
Sasuke looked away. It was true. But he was angrier at himself than he was at Naruto. Hearing the words coming out of the blonde's mouth made him realize how many mixed signals he'd been sending, and how hurtful it must have been.
"But I don't want to be angry," Naruto continued, "I just wanted you to know...And then I hoped we could go back to normal, whatever that is...."
"Me too..."
The blonde sighed, relieved. "At least we're on the same page...Right?"
"Right," Sasuke seemed a bit distraught.
"Sasuke?"
"Naruto...." the Uchiha started, "If..."
"Hm?"
Their gazes met.
"If you hadn't been so mad at me that day...I mean...If I hadn't been acting that way..." he struggled to get the words out, Naruto could tell, it was weird to see Sasuke so...vulnerable? Was that the word?
"I guess what I'm trying to say, is...If things were different...What would you do after...?"
"After?" Naruto asked, his look quizzical.
"After I...kissed you..." Sasuke was almost mumbling.
Naruto's cheeks flushed a little. "Uh...that...." he rambled. "I...I'd kiss you back...I guess..."

Sasuke looked at him, seemingly surprised.
Naruto looked back, slightly uncertain, and still flushed.
"B-but..." Naruto caught himself saying, "The way things are now....And how they were...It's really confusing. We do and say things we don't mean...-"
"I meant it." Sasuke's voice was stern, but shaky.
He felt so sickeningly vulnerable in this situation, with his emotions on display.
"Even if you did," Naruto continued. "I don't know...I...You mean a lot to me Sasuke, and I don't even know you. I'm confused..." he repeated himself for the billionth time. "So...I need to ask you for some time..."
"Time?"
"To figure out what I want...?" he nervously played with the zipper in his sweater.
Sasuke nodded.
"I really want us to get along... So for now, let's just stick to being friends...."
"Friends," Sasuke seemed to taste the word.
Naruto reached out, his hand brushing down Sasuke's sleeve, briefly touching his hand. "Yeah, friends. Ok?"
Sasuke smiled slightly. "Alright...Friends."
He gripped around Naruto's hand, squeezing it softly, and let go again just as quickly.
The blonde smiled back at him. "It's a start, right?"

Before he left, Naruto turned to Sasuke, looking at him with worry in his eyes.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"I've been fine all the time while you've been here, haven't I? It's ok."
"What did you say it was, anyway?" Naruto demanded, he didn't like the thought of leaving the raven at all. As well as he might seem right now, Naruto could still see the incident earlier that day clearly in his mind.
Sasuke shook his head. "Nothing, just side effects."
"Side effects?"
"I told you, don't worry about it dobe."
"What kind of side effects?!" Naruto wanted to know. "Allergy medicines or something?"
The Uchiha nodded. "Something like that. Now get out."
His voice was emotionless, but the smirk on his lips was one of slight playfulness.
"If you get worse you're calling me." the Uzumaki ordered.
Sasuke wanted to protest, but was cut off; "That's what friends are for Sasuke!"
"Fine, but you have nothing to worry about."
Naruto scowled at him. "You better be right about that Sasuke-teme!" he flashed him another grin. "See you at school tomorrow then?"
"Yeah. See you."

Sasuke closed the door, sighing.
He felt terrible, his head was pounding.
And he was smiling. It didn't matter how much humiliation he'd had to endure today....Things were fine between them. At least it seemed that way.
He was just glad he'd managed to talk to the blonde without twisting his words and starting a fight.
Still, in some ways he was more confused than before; in a very subtle way he had admitted to having feelings for Naruto. And when the blonde had said he'd think about it...
That meant...
Slightly stressed, he ran his hands through this ebony fringe.
Trying to calm himself down, he went to his room, trying to read up for the upcoming biology exam, but it only made his headache worse, and he'd rarely been this distracted. So he ended up falling asleep.


The sun tickled in the back of Naruto's neck. He'd probably get a sunburn, but he didn't care.
"Aaaah! I'm so relieved!" he shouted.
People turned, staring at him. He just grinned at them.
He should've talked to Sasuke ALOT earlier, he thought. Not that he hadn't tried, but still. Naruto had never thought that it was possible for him and Sasuke to talk calmly ever again. But now... He grinned wider.
The only thing that bugged him was the kiss...
And how he had said he'd think about it. Think about what?
It was true that he had thought that if Sasuke had tried to kiss him again, he wouldn't have been able to resist. Though he had, because he was pretty sure that Sasuke had been about to kiss him earlier, when they were in his room.
So what did that mean? Did he want Sasuke to kiss him, or not?
"I guess that's what I told him I was going to think about...."
"Ah well," Naruto said to himself, continuing to walk down the street, "At least I can talk to him."
At this moment, he chose to be optimistic, and he was determined that not even the upcoming biology exam, or the thoughts revolving around the kiss could bring him down.
****

"Okay people," Kiba grinned, "Clear your schedules on Saturday!"
"You're finally celebrating your birthday?" Ino asked, tossing her hair back.
They were standing in the hall, waiting for Jiraiya to come and unlock the class room door. Around them a few students were reading through their notes and books in the last minute.
"What do you mean 'finally'?!" Kiba snorted. "It's only been a few days, and besides, I couldn't celebrate in the middle of the exams, could I?"
"You could," Chouji said, "But...."
"So what are we doing?" Shikamaru asked.
"First we go to the movies, it's the premier day for that new ninja movie..."
"Oh! I've been dying to see that one!"
Kiba grinned. "Yeah, me too. And then, we'll go somewhere and eat."

The others continued to discuss where they should go eat, and what Kiba wished for.
Meanwhile, Naruto spotted Sasuke walking in the door.
He smiled and waved. "Sasuke!"
The rest of the group turned, and watched Sasuke walk slowly up to them.
He seemed uncertain.
But he returned Naruto's smile. "Hi."
"Do you feel better?" Naruto asked him.
Sasuke shrugged.
"Feel better? What are you talking about?" Sakura demanded.
Sasuke didn't reply, and Naruto didn't say anything either.
The girl sighed. "Fine, be that way."
"So, you two are back to normal again?"
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances.
The blonde smiled. "I guess."
"What was going on with you two anyway?!"
Neither of them replied.
"Whatever, if you don't wanna share..." Kiba rolled his eyes, "You're coming too then, right Sas?"
A vein popped on Sasuke's forehead.
"Sorry, Sasuke."
"Coming where?" Sasuke asked nonchalantly.
"We're going to the movies on Saturday," Sakura explained. "To celebrate Kiba's birthday."
"We'll see." the raven shrugged again.

Just then, Jiraiya stepped up to the door.
He grinned at the students.
"I hope you're prepared!" he said, unlocking the door.
The students around him mumbled.
"The test is probably full of sex questions..." someone muttered.
"Well that's good!" Kiba beamed. "Gives us all a chance, right?!"
Laughter filled the hallway, as the class made their way through the doors.

In the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Neji moving down the hall. The Hyuuga offered him a slight nod as he met up with Lee and the two of them started to talk, continuing down towards their classroom.


Naruto watched Sasuke during most of the exam.
He tried to see if the boy's hand was shaking, or if he seemed to be in any sort of pain.
It didn't matter what kind of explanations Sasuke presented him with, what Naruto had seen yesterday had worried him.
Sasuke didn't seem like the type to suddenly throw up because of a new brand of allergy meds.
Still, despite looking tired and a bit paler than usual, Sasuke seemed fine.
He was writing down his answers quickly, without as much as touching his eraser.
Naruto smiled, and caught himself staring at Sasuke's mouth.
While the raven's face was emotionless, he was biting his lower lip slightly.
Sasuke's lips were pale and thin, but they were soft. At least they had been that day when....
He stopped himself, nearly springing to his feet at the realization of what he was sitting there thinking. The pencil slipped, and a crooked line ran up the sheet, ending at the top right corner.
"Is there a problem, Naruto?" Jiariya asked, looking up from his desk.
"Eh...No..." Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Sorry...."
Sasuke glanced over at him, one eyebrow lifted.
Still grinning, Naruto quickly looked away.

"How'd you do?" Kiba asked Naruto when they came into the hall. The two of them had finished pretty much at the same time.
Naruto shrugged. "Not too bad I guess... But I couldn't remember all the chemical names for everything..." he sighed, "What does that have to do with bio anyway? Chemicals should stay in Chemistry, where they belong."
Kiba laughed. "Sadly the periodic table seems to cross over to other subjects...."
Naruto unlocked his locker, taking out his history book. "Why do I bother?" he asked himself out loud. "I just know I'll fail this one!"
"You really shouldn't be so negative!" Sakura's voice came from behind him.
"Sakura-chan?" he asked, surprised.
"You did poorly too?" Kiba snickered.
She rolled her eyes. "Not all of us finish early because of that. I'll have you know I answered all the questions!"
"Damn," the dog lover stared at her dumbfounded.
"What are you doing now?" Naruto asked her.
"I'll be heading home, to eat and shower, and then it's off to work." she replied, throwing a quick glance at herself in the mirror fastened inside her locker.
"Oh, you've found a job?"
Naruto had been so busy with everything that had been going on between him and Sasuke he'd forgotten to ask the girl how the job hunt was going.
"Yeah..." she sighed. "It's kinda lame, but at least it pays."
"So, where do you work?"
Kiba's snicker grew into a full fledged laugh: "Do you want fries with that?"
"Shut up Kiba!" Sakura thundered, slamming her locker shut.
"Really?!" Naruto chuckled. "We all have to come visit you at work then! You can treat us to a free meal!"
"The only thing the two of you will be treated to, is a kick to the curb!"
The two boys laughed harder.
"Naruto,"
The three teens turned to look at their upper classman, who'd silently stepped up to them without any of them noticing.
Sakura's cheeks flushed slightly.
Although having a huge crush on Sasuke, she had to admit that Neji from the class over them was gorgeous.
"Neji?"
"Are you going home?"
The blonde nodded.
"I'll give you a ride then."
"I thought you weren't working today."
"I promised Chiyo-san to drive Konohamaru to his karate lessons, and pick up some groceries."
Naruto shrugged. "Ok, fine." he turned to his friends, "I'll see you guys."
They nodded, waving him off.

"How'd the exam go?" Neji asked.
"Ok I guess." Naruto replied, looking out the window.
"Yours?"
"Pretty good. It was hard though," he shook his head. "Typical Orochimaru."
"Ugh." Naruto shuddered. "How come you're done already?"
"I'm fast." Neji smirked. "And I spent the whole weekend studying."
"You too huh?" Naruto leaned back in the seat. "I'm glad I don't have to do that this weekend!"
"Lucky," the other smiled. "What are you doing then?"
He asked mostly to keep the conversation going.
"We're going with Kiba to the movies and stuff, to celebrate his birthday."
"We? As in you and Gaara?"
"I don't think he'll be going..." Naruto chewed on his lip. "You know how he is, and besides, he and Kiba kinda got off on the wrong foot..."
"I see."
Naruto glanced carefully at the brunette. He didn't like this interest he had in Gaara.
Neji's reputation was well known, among other things it said that neither guys nor girls were able to say no to him.
Other than that, he liked the elder. He just didn't want him anywhere near his best friend in that way. God knew Gaara didn't need anything to throw his emotions even more off balance.
But then again, Neji probably just asked to have something to talk about.

Gaara was sitting on the floor in the living room when they got back.
He was helping three first graders with their kana exercises.
"Hi," he mumbled. "How'd it go?"
Naruto shrugged, making room for Neji in the doorway.
"Neji." Gaara stood, running a hand through his short locks. "Hi."
"Hey." Neji smiled at him.
Naruto eyed them carefully. "Where's Chiyo baa-san?" he finally asked.
Gaara jerked his head towards the kitchen.
"Neji's here!" Naruto hollered rather than going in there to get her.
"Wonderful!" she called back. "Could you ask him to come in here?"
Neji removed his shoes and went into the kitchen.

Naruto headed for the stairs, pinching Gaara slightly in the side as he passed him.
"Ow!" The red pushed him playfully.
Naruto laughed.
Neji came back out of the kitchen.
"Konohamaru!" Chiyo called up the stairs. "You have to go now or you'll be late!"
"Coming!" the boy shouted back.
Seconds later he came running downstairs, carrying a duffel bag. "I'm ready!"
"Let's go then." Neji said, smiling at him. He looked over at Naruto and Gaara. "You two want anything from the store?"
Naruto shook his head. "I'm good."
Gaara's eyes flickered, met with Neji's pale ones. He shook his head. "Me too..."
The elder shrugged.
"Let's goooo!" Konohamaru tugged at Neji's shirt.
"Alright, I'm coming." the teen replied, putting his shoes back on.
He waved to the two others, and left.

The door slammed.
Naruto turned to his friend. He cocked an eyebrow.
"What was that?"
"Hm?" Gaara looked back at him, wondering.
"Don't play dumb." Naruto nudged him. "You and Neji! The way you looked at each other just now!"
Gaara scoffed. "You're overdramatic as usual."
Naruto shook his head. "No," he said, sliding his arm around Gaara's neck. "I know you. That look was different..."
"What are you implying?" Gaara asked, annoyed.
"I think...." Naruto whispered. "You have a thing for Neji."
"What?!" Gaara pushed the blonde away. "Are you insane?!"
Naruto shrugged. "Possibly. But it looks like it."
"Well I don't!"
"Good." Naruto touched Gaara's shoulder gently, running his hand down the boy's arm. "Because his reputation...."
"I know, jeez. Konoha isn't that big." Gaara rolled his eyes.

They made their way up to the room.
"Besides, if I have a thing for Neji, you most definitely have a thing for Sasuke!" the red opened the door. "Which, of course is ridiculous!"
"Heh," Naruto snorted, following Gaara into their room.
Gaara turned his head, staring at the blonde. "Or....Maybe it isn't?"
"Heh..." Naruto said again.
"Oh my God," Gaara plopped down on his bed, his eyes widening. "You do!"
"Not exactly...." Naruto mumbled. "But..."
"But?"
"Sasuke kissed me..."
Gaara stared in disbelief.
"W-when did this happen?!"
"A few weeks ago...."
"Weeks?!"
"Yeah..." Naruto grabbed his pillow, clutching it. "I meant to tell you, but things got kinda fucked up, so I guess I forgot."
A little white lie didn't hurt, and besides, Gaara looked positively mortified, and probably didn't notice it anyway.
"Sasuke kissed you?!" Gaara repeated, just as shocked.
"Pretty much yeah..."
"And what did you do?"
"I...pushed him away, yelled at him, flew the scene...." Naruto summarized. "We got into this huge fight,"
"So that's what these past weeks have been about." Gaara mumbled, talking mostly to himself.
"But...we've talked about it." Naruto continued, "And we decided to just be friends."
"For now..."
"So," Gaara stared at him. "What's the deal? Sasuke's in love with you or something?"
Naruto bit his lip. "I....don't really know... He said it was a spur of the moment thing..."
Gaara frowned.
"But it's fine really. Things are totally cool between us now." Naruto tried to convince himself just as hard as he tried to convince Gaara. Because he wasn't so sure things were cool, at least not when it came to figure out where Sasuke and he stood.
"Sure it is, because everything is always a hundred percent certain with Sasuke." Gaara said flatly.
It was Naruto's turn to frown.
"Urgh, he's such an idiot."
"You keep telling me that."
"Yeah...But he's not that bad, really."
"You keep telling me that too."
"Gaara!" Naruto whined. "What the hell am I supposed to do?!"
"What? I don't know?! You...like that idiot?"
"I...." Naruto fell face first into his mattress. "You know, if I knew that, I wouldn't be so frustrated!"
"Crap." Gaara's mouth almost dropped open. "You do."
"No."
"No?" the red crossed his arms over his chest, eyes digging into Naruto's.
"Well....I...don't really know..."
"Either you do, or you don't."
"It's not that simple...."
"There's a lot of things about us you don't know..."
"And...right now, I'm mostly worried about him." Naruto said, sitting up, "He doesn't seem well lately."
"He never has seemed well if you ask me."
Naruto shot his friend a sharp glare.
Gaara sighed. "What's wrong with him?"
"Well...he's just...sick. He's missed a lot of school lately, and then he got sick when we went to his house...."
"His house...?" Gaara's brow furrowed. "The house where Sasuke lives all alone?"
"Moron, you're the one flirting with the sex offender."
"I am not flirting with him. Neji isn't the kind of person I'd get along with at all, and you know that! It's just that it's ok to talk to someone when you're not around. He doesn't say much though, and that's just as well. Other than that, Neji is just as you described him."
"Relax. Anyway, nothing happened. We just talked. And Sasuke was sick anyway."
The red nodded slowly. "So, did you ask him about it?"
"He said it was a side effect." Naruto shrugged.
"That narrows it down to about a thousand types of medication." Gaara shook his head. "Probably nothing to worry too much about though."
"I hope not...."
They looked at each other, from their separate beds.
For the first time in ages, it felt like there was a distance between them. And that despite how Naruto had confided in Gaara just now.
But Gaara couldn't stand Sasuke, and Naruto knew it.
***

It was strange to sit in Sasuke's car again.
Still, Naruto preferred it to walking, and to riding with Neji, not to mention how much he preferred it to having to deal with the feeling that Sasuke hated him.

For once, the two of them had finished the exam at the same time.
Whether it was because the questions were so hard there was no way anyone could answer them, or because Sasuke'd decided he'd had enough of the creepy way Orochimaru had stared at him throughout the time he sat there, Naruto wasn't so sure of, but he was glad that Sasuke had finished right after him and had offered him a ride.

"Maaaan!" Naruto stretched, yawning. "I'm so glad there's only one more exam left!"
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, it's been tiring."
"I can tell. You look like a wreck."
The raven glared at the blonde.
"Sorry."
"You wanna study together today?" Sasuke changed the topic.
Naruto was surprised. Usually Sasuke wouldn't suggest something like that.
"Sure. Where? Your house?" a little knot tied in his stomach.
"Damn you Gaara," he thought. He'd been havng weird thoughts ever since he'd talked to Gaara the previous day.
"No, I was thinking we should go to the library."
"Ok," Naruto nodded.
Sasuke steered the car in the opposite direction of where they'd been intending to go.
"You forgot to blink." Naruto pointed out.
Sasuke's hands were shaky again he noticed.
"Don't worry about it," Sasuke replied.
"Sasuke, do you feel sick again?"
"Hmm? No. Just tired, from all the exams."
Naruto hoped that was true.
"But you said it yourself; there's only one more to go."
The blonde smiled, nodding. "Yeah. So let's do our best!"

After a six hour long study session in the library, Naruto had discovered three things;
One: Sasuke was a great teacher, and he should have studied with him for the other exams as well.
Two: Sasuke did a corky thing with his lip when he was thinking hard; kinda quirking it whilst biting at it at the same time.
Three: He was staring at Sasuke.
And four: He was starving.
Ok, so that wasn't three. It was probably the hunger that made him confused.

"What do you say we go eat now?!" Naruto was practically begging the raven as they got back in his car.
His stomach growled loudly, agreeing with him.
"Fine," Sasuke nodded. "What do you want?"
Naruto smirked. "Burger King."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. He hated junk food. Most of it anyways.
He figured he could always snag the blonde's fries.

The restaurant, if you could really refer to this place as one, wasn't very busy at this hour.
So Sasuke agreed to eat inside rather than order in the drive-through, although he would have preferred it that way.
"I'll order, you just wait at the table." Naruto said, heading for the counter.
Sasuke sat down in the booth Naruto had picked out for them.
He hated places like this....
But he was here with Naruto after all, so it wasn't half bad.
It annoyed him that the voice in his head wanted to know if this was a date.
Of course it wasn't. It was Naruto feeding that bottomless pit of a stomach he had after having studied harder than he had done in all of his life.
But it felt nice though.
He waited patiently, his fingers drumming absentmindedly on the table.

"Welcome to Burger King, may I take your or- Naruto!" Sakura's cheery voice changed into a hiss. "Didn't I tell you not to come here?!"
"It's a free country," Naruto grinned. "And I was in the mood for hamburgers. Is that a crime?"
"Ack," Sakura leaned forward, supporting her chin on her hand. "You're alone right? I'd hate for everyone to come here while I work."
"No," Naruto shrugged, "Sasuke's here too."
Sakura's face went white.
"SASUKE?!" she shrilled. She nearly threw herself over the counter, grabbing Naruto by the shirt. "What are you thinking, bringing him here?! Do you think I want him to see me with grease in my hair and ketchup stains everywhere?!"
"Jeez, we were just hungry!" Naruto managed to stutter; Sakura was shaking him violently.
"What are you doing?!" a boy shouted at her. "You're supposed to treat the customers with respect...."
"Sorry, but this idiot isn't a customer. He's a friend of mine."
The boy smiled. "Meal's on you then? How nice!"
Sakura snarled something.
"Thanks Sakura-chan!" Naruto beamed. "Ok, so I'm gonna have....the biggest burger you have, with everything on the side. And Sasuke just wants fries."
"Fine..." Sakura sighed. "Soda?"
"Coke and Fanta."
"Ok, just sit down. I'll call you in ten minutes time..."
Naruto grinned and returned to their table.
It was Sasuke's turn to grab him by the shirt this time. "Was that the voice of who I think it was?!" he demanded, gritting his teeth.
"Ehehee..." Naruto laughed nervously. "She works here... but don't worry, it's not like she'll be joining us or anything. She's working after all."
"That better be right," Sasuke warned him.

Ten uncomfortable minutes later, Sakura's voice rang out in the restaurant; "Naruto! Your order is up!"
The blonde teen sprinted to the counter, got the order and returned to Sasuke.
The other eyed him suspiciously, helping himself to a French Fry.
"What?" Naruto asked, taking a huge bite out of his hamburger. "I didn't make a secret deal with her or anything."
"Hn," Sasuke dipped a new fry in the little cup of ketchup.

The Uchiha watched Naruto stuff his face, while eating slowly.
They were alone... He could just ask him now...
Swallowing nervously, he started; "Naruto? Did you think about the-"
A shadow ran over his face as Sakura plopped down next to Naruto in the booth, placing a portion of salad on the table.
"I decided to have my break now, so I could eat with you!" she chirped.
Sasuke glared at Naruto, with murder in his eyes.
Naruto shrugged apologetically.
"So, what've you two been doing all day? Shika said he saw you drive off right after the exam?"
"We went to the library." Naruto said.
"Oh? Studying for tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"Ugh, I feel like I haven't got enough time, even though I only have a short shift today, and I know most of the stuff already... But I'm always so nervous before exams anyway! You know?"
Naruto nodded, having another bite of his burger.
Sasuke said nothing.
The blonde reached the burger towards him. "Want some?"
Slightly hesitant, and mildly disgusted Sasuke stared at the half-eaten hamburger in Naruto's hand. He stared at Naruto, as if asking him 'Do you really think I'd eat that?!' but he had a small bite anyway.
He could barely taste a slice of tomato in between everything else, but that aside.... He realized he really did hate junk food.
"That reminds me," Sakura laughed, "Did you know that there's some stupid rumor about the two of you flowing around school!"
Sasuke and Naruto exchanged glances.
Could it be that Sai had really...?
"They're saying that the two of you are going out!" Sakura laughed harder. "But of course that's just so ridiculous that no one believes it. It's just something they're saying to have something to talk about you know? But I'm surprised you didn't know!"
Sasuke clenched his fist under the table. Wonderful. Just wonderful.
Naruto sent him a sympathizing glance. "Well it doesn't matter if no one believes it, does it?" he took a fry from the tray on the table. "We don't care about some lame-ass rumor, do we Sasuke?"
"Hn," Sasuke managed to press forward.

Sakura babbled on as usual, until her boss told her to get back to work.
She looked deadly offended, but collected her trash and left them with a cheery 'bye! Good luck tomorrow!'
And by then, both of the boys were done eating as well.
"We should get back, right?" Naruto asked. "I'm sure they're pretty worried about me by now, and I still need to finish my notes."
"Yeah..." Sasuke said, finishing his soda. "I'll drive you home."
He seemed annoyed.
Naruto assumed it was because Sakura had joined them after all, even after he had promised Sasuke she wouldn't, as well as because of the news she had brought to their attention.
And because he'd wanted an answer...
But Naruto was certain of one thing; he wasn't ready to give one yet, so he didn't bring it up again on purpose. Sasuke probably wouldn't ask again today anyway. He was too proud for that kind of thing.

The ride home was one in silence.
It gave Naruto time to study Sasuke.
He seemed calmer now, despite being so annoyed.
His hands weren't shaky, and his eyes seemed livelier.
He wasn't as pale either. In fact, Naruto thought, he hadn't been all day.
He felt the relief wash over him; he'd been afraid Sasuke would get worse again after seeing how unfocused he was on the drive to the library. It seemed he'd worried in vain though. Thankfully.

"Here we are," Sasuke's soft lips spoke.
The car had stopped.
Naruto must have spaced out, he realized. He looked up, this time fitting all of Sasuke's face into his range of vision.
"Thanks..." he mumbled. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah."
"Don't pressure yourself too much," Naruto said, holding up his bookbag.
"You neither."
"I won't."
Sasuke smiled. "Good luck."
"You too....See you tomorrow."
Damn, he'd said that already.
Sasuke didn't say anything.
The engine roared, and then the car had rolled back out on the road. Naruto stared after it, clutching his bag.
"Hot date?"
Naruto spun around, almost falling into the arms of his best friend.
"Lay off Gaara."
"I'm kidding!" Gaara laughed, helping the blonde get his balance back. "Where were you?"
"At the library," Naruto yawned, "Man, studying is such a draaag!"
"Only one more to go though, right?"
"Yeah. And then I'm gonna sleep for two whole days. Go to Kiba's birthday thing, and then go back to sleep!"


That was pretty much what he did; after coming back the next day, Naruto collapsed on his bed, falling asleep instantly. He slept through dinner and didn't wake up until around seven.
When he awoke he made himself some cup ramen, before going back to sleep, not waking until the alarm rang the next morning.
He groaned, but got up.

Gaara was sitting on his bed, regarding him.
"Morning sleepyhead." he smiled, throwing a shirt to the blonde. "You won't have time for breakfast unless you hurry."

With his shoes barely tied and a sandwich in his mouth, Naruto stormed down the street ten minutes later.
Only to find out that this was another of the pointless days where all they did was sitting around or stressing about, helping with some preparation to some event.
The only comfort was that all of his friends, and Sasuke, were just as exhausted.
The lot of them just hung around the classroom, talking quietly amongst each other, or dozing off.
****
On Saturday afternoon, they all met outside the movie theatre.
It was quite crowded, even though they were early.
"Where's Sasuke-kun?" not surprisingly, it was Sakura asking.
"He texted me right before I left," Naruto said. "He can't make it, says he's not feeling well."
"Oh? What's wrong with him?" Ino sounded worried.
"Is he sick?" Sakura echoed.
"It's probably nothing." Naruto calmed them. But he wasn't so sure about that. He didn't want to worry himself unnecessarily though, so he reached into his bookbag, which obviously didn't hold any books at the time. "Here," he said, reaching a present to Kiba. "Happy belated"
Kiba grinned. "Thanks dude."
"It's from Sasuke and me, so remember to thank him too." Naruto said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
The others gave their gifts as well, and they headed inside the theatre.

After the movie they went to a small Chinese restaurant and had dinner, before rounding the whole event off at Kiba's favorite place; the Arcade.

It was already ten thirty when Naruto made his way home.
Being the only one who lived in his direction, he walked alone. Without anything better to do he got out his phone, dialing Sasuke's number.
"Hello?"
He'd answered quickly. Naruto took that as a good sign.
"Hi, it's me. How are you feeling? We got a little worried."
"I'm fine. My headache went away about an hour ago."
"That's good. So what are you doing?"
"I was thinking I'd go to bed early."
"Oh, I'm not gonna disturb you then."
"Nah, it's ok. How was the birthday thing?"
"The movie was awesome!" Naruto exclaimed. "It was reeeally crowded though, so we were lucky to get tickets. Kiba didn't order in advance of course. Typical him. And then we went out and ate, and then to the arcade."
"You still the ruling champion at DDR?" Sasuke asked, a smile playing on his lips as he said it. Naruto could tell that he was smiling.
"Yeah, pretty much. They don't stand a chance. You know that!"
Sasuke 'hn'ed in the other end.
"Oh, and just so you know, you got Kiba a gift."
"I did, did I?"
"Mhm, I said it was from both of us. I mean, you were invited after all, so I thought it'd be weird if you didn't get him anything..."
"What did we get him then?" Sasuke asked with amusement in his voice. "And just so you know, you don't have to do things like that. I doubt he'd be surprised if I didn't get him anything."
"Yes I do," Naruto said with determination in his voice, "And we got him the newest 'Nightmare' cd."
"Okay, I'll pay you back later."
Naruto shrugged. "Don't worry about that. I'm gonna leave you alone now, ok?"
"Alright, talk to you later."
"Yeah. On Monday probably. I'll be sleeping all day tomorrow."
"'Kay," Sasuke laughed slightly again. "Bye."
"Bye." Naruto hung up.
***

The days remaining until the dance blew past in what seemed like seconds.
The sixteenth was there all of a sudden, and the group sat in the cafeteria during lunch, absolutely exhausted from being ordered around by Kotetsu and Izumo and the rest of the committee all day. They barely had time to eat.
Which meant the girls didn't have any time to talk about what to wear. They were chatting away excitedly now though, barely noticing the boys at the table.
They weren't as enthusiastic.
Shino was looking over the map of the table setting one last time, making sure that everyone was placed in the right seats, and that they had added up the number of chairs correctly.
Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba were discussing the movie they'd watched the past weekend, arguing over whether or not the incidents were based on historical facts.
Sasuke was reading a free magazine he'd found laying around the table. Naruto was watching over his shoulder, taking a bite out of his sandwich once in a while.

"I don't know... I think your purple top looks really cute on you," Sakura said.
"Me too." Hinata agreed.
"Yeah...But...I'm so tired of it! I really wanted to get something new!"
"I know what you mean..." Sakura sighed. She turned to Naruto; "But Naruto has to wear the shirt I bought him, right?!"
"Absolutely!" Ino agreed.
Hinata nodded shyly.
"Huh? I do?"
"Hell yeah! You'll be the most handsome devil there tonight!" Sakura insisted. "Well...." she stole a glance at Sasuke. "Almost..."
"Who said I was going?" Sasuke protested.
"I did." Naruto nudged him. "It'll be good for you. And you're missing out on way too much stuff already!"
Sasuke sighed. "Fine, but on one condition;"
"What?"
"You lot let me go when I feel like it. I..."
"...Hate social events, we know."


As it turned out, Sasuke had nothing to fear.
Tonight's social event wasn't as bad as he'd first thought. At least not as the evening was coming to a close...

When they first arrived at the Youth Center, they were served a dinner consisting of steamed chicken with rice and vegetables, bread and soup on the side.
As they ate, a few seniors from the student council took the stage. It was four of them in total; Kotetsu, Izumo, Genma and Raidou. As well as Iruka, who had insisted to join them up there to prevent any 'incidents' as he put it.
"Good evening everyone!" Genma grabbed the mic, "Firstly, we in the student council would like to thank all of you who are in the committee for helping out during the absolute hell it was to plan this thing!"
Cheers filled the room.
Iruka tried to stay calm.
"Secondly, I want to thank you all for paying the entrance fee and thus financing our Senior class trip this spring!"
This time there were a few more 'boo's than cheers, but Genma went on, totally unaffected; "I'd also like to thank the band we're lucky enough to have here, for showing up at all, and being willing to play for us. Uhm..." he paused, "And I hope you're enjoying the dinner. I can't really think of anything else to say...So I'd like to be excused now please, so I can go molest Raidou in the dressing room!"
Cheers and whistles as well as fits of laughter claimed the air.
Iruka's face almost went blue as he jerked the microphone from the brunette. "That's plenty enough thank you!" he hissed, handing it over to Izumo, who was by far the most reliable member of the student council.
The teen was laughing as he accepted the mic, "Uh...We don't really need that kind of information Genma....But thanks for sharing!"
They laughed harder.
"Seriously though, we've all worked so hard to put this thing together, so it means a lot that you all came. And we hope you'll have fun! Also, I'd like to thank the teachers who were willing to sacrifice their spare time to come here as chaperones. It means a lot, doesn't it?!"
The crowd of students clapped and cheered.
Kotetsu snagged the mic, grinning. "Well of course! In example...It means that we're not able to sneak in any alcohol, but you'd never try that right?!"
Hysterical laughter.
"It also means that there'll be no opportunities for anyone to sneak away for some...'privacy'," he grinned at his classmate; "Sorry to disappoint you Genma!"
Iruka looked like he was about to faint. He had to support himself on a speaker.
"And basically it means that there is no way any of you will get wasted, laid, beaten up or murdered tonight. So let's hear it once more for the teachers!"
Loud cheering filled the room once again.
"Finally, I'd like to give my own thanks to the committee, who of course will volunteer to stay and clean the inevitable mess afterwards." he smiled sweetly, "It's nice to know that people like you exist! I suppose we can all count on you for the New Year's ball? It's only five months away! We should start the planning sometime this week if we want to have the plans ready before January!"
More laughter.
"Thanks everyone!" he put the microphone back in its place, and the four students returned to their table.
Iruka wobbled over to the mic stand. "Thanks boys..." he frowned. "I guess...they said it all, huh? Uhm...After dinner you'll be asked to leave this room for a bit so we can clear the dance floor and open the doors to the patio. When that's done, there'll be dancing and eventually a barbeque until it all ends around midnight."

A short twenty minutes after dinner, the band took the stage, and introduced themselves as a band with no particular style, that played everything from original songs, to covers on request.
They weren't awfully good, but their music set the mood, and pretty soon the dance floor was full of kids moving to the beats.
Sakura and Ino were off swinging themselves, and Kiba too.
Naruto loved to dance, but he didn't feel comfortable, asking any of the girls to dance, and he didn't want to get attention by dancing by himself.
Or maybe those were both excuses to the fact that he knew Sasuke hated these things, and hat he didn't want to leave the Uchiha by himself?
Of course he knew that Sasuke was able to take care of himself, but...

He stuck by the raven's side most of the night. Now and again he sang along to the song they played, nodding his head to the beat, but he didn't leave Sasuke.
He could see Iruka talking to Kakashi over by the door.
The two of them were laughing at something. And Kakashi reached out, brushing something from Iruka's shoulder. He smiled, whilst still miming the words to the song.
He wished Gaara had been here. Then they'd probably spent their time wondering what kind of relationship the two teachers had with each other, and most likely they'd tried to unravel the mystery.
"Dobe, what are you doing?" Sasuke asked him, frowning.
"What?" Naruto shouted, to drown out the loud music.
"If you want to dance; dance!"
"I don't!"
"Yes you do! So what the hell are you doing?!"
"I'm keeping you company Sasuke-teme!"
Their gazes met. Naruto glared defiantly at Sasuke, and was about to shout something again when Sakura came over to them.
"Naruto!" she called out, reaching him her hand.
"Sorry, I'm a wallflower tonight!" Naruto smiled.
"That won't do blondie!" she shook her head, grabbing his hand. "You owe me a dance, remember!"
Naruto sighed. But he really did want to dance with her.
The look Sasuke sent him seemed to be saying 'I told you so'.
Resigning, Naruto followed the girl onto the floor.
He had to admit that it felt nice to get a little loose; moving himself to the music with her.
Sakura's hand took his again, he spun her around, and dipped her backwards. She laughed towards him. He laughed back.
"I didn't think you could really dance!" he caught Sakura's voice through the music.
He grinned. "Less talking," he pulled her close and sent her twirling back out on the floor. "More dancing!"
Sakura laughed louder. She caught Kiba's hand, allowing him to lead her to the beat before sending her back to the blonde.

Naruto and Sakura danced a total of three dances, before the girl announced she needed a break and a drink. They retreated to the table.
Sasuke, Shino and Shikamaru sat there, not saying a word.
"Where's Hinata?" Sakura asked, looking around.
Ino appeared at her side, "What's wrong?"
"Hinata isn't here..."
"Didn't you guys see where she went?" Ino asked. Shikamaru and Shino shook their heads.
"She went in that direction," Sasuke said, pointing towards the ladies' room.
"Thanks Sasuke-kun!" Sakura smiled.
She took Naruto's hand, placing it in Ino's. "Here, dance with Naruto!" she practically ordered. "I'll go look for her."
The blonde girl looked at her new dance partner. "Ah, why not! Let's go Naruto!"
Again the blonde found himself being dragged out onto the dance floor. And again he lost himself in the music, crowd and fun.

Meanwhile, Sakura'd made her way into the bathroom, where she found Hinata.
The gentle girl was standing before one of the mirrors, she looked sad, Sakura noted.
"Hinata?"
The Hyuuga winced, turning around; "S-Sakura!"
"Why are you in here? We didn't see you leave!" Sakura looked at the shorter girl. "Is something wrong? We got worried...."
"It's nothing..." Hinata whispered.
"It has to be something. You were perfectly ok before I went to dance with Na-" it dawned on Sakura. "Oh God, you like Naruto, don't you?"
Hinata didn't reply. She turned her head away from her friend, but her reflection showed off the telltale scarlet that claimed the pale skin in her face.
"Hinata, I didn't know!" Sakura took the other girl's hand. "I didn't mean to...I'm really sorry!"
Hinata shook her head. "It's ok..." she said softly. "Naruto-kun doesn't know anyway...A-and...."
"No, it's not ok!" Sakura almost yelled. "I should have noticed! You should be the one dancing with him! Not Ino and I!"
She grabbed a tissue, starting to dab gently at the other girl's smeared make-up. She must have been crying. That made Sakura feel even worse.
"S-Sakura..." Hinata protested meekly. "H-he's not going to want to dance with me anyway..."
"Don't say such stupid things!" Sakura scolded. "Of course he'll want to dance with you! But you see, Naruto is a bit....stupid. You have to be firm and clear with him!"
Hinata looked even more lost at that statement.
"There you go," Sakura regarded her work. "You're good as new."
She hugged her friend. "I'm so sorry. I should have noticed....But I'll make it up!" she took Hinata's hand and dragged her out of the bathroom.
The band was playing a calm song now.
"Perfect!" Sakura giggled. Dragging Hinata along, she went over to Ino and Naruto, who were still dancing. She patted Ino on the shoulder. "Is it okay if Hinata takes over?"
Ino looked confused, but nodded, stepping aside.
Naruto smiled. "Everyone wants a piece of me tonight, eh?"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Don't go there Uzumaki!"
Naruto simply laughed at her, taking Hinata's hand, just as the song ended and glided over into a different, slow song. "May I?"
She blushed harder than ever.
"Y-yes...."
Carefully Naruto placed his hand on her back, pulling her closer.
Hinata looked like she was about to faint.

Sakura grabbed Ino's hand, pulling her aside.
"What was that about?" Ino demanded.
"I'm playing match maker!" Sakura explained.
"Matchm- Oooh!" Ino's expression dissolved into a grin.
"Did you know she liked him?"
Ino shook her head. "No, but when you think of it...It makes sense! She's always so quiet and shy when Naruto is around!"
"I know! I can't believe we didn't realize sooner!"
Ino sighed. "Yeah, I guess we're really oblivious...."
"Not as much as loverboy over there..." Sakura shook her head.
Ino giggled. "True, but it's looking good, isn't it?"

They glanced over at the couple on the dance floor.
They were moving slowly to the music, Naruto being the perfect gentleman; leading his partner, hand on her back, cheek resting atop her head.
Hinata seemed to be floating on clouds.

Once the dance was over, Naruto thanked for the dance, kissing Hinata's hand, before returning to the table, and Sasuke.
Only, Sasuke wasn't there....
"Uh....Did you guys see where Sasuke went?" he asked.
"Nope..." Kiba replied.
Neither of the others knew either.
"Ah jeez.... That idiot," Naruto growled. "If he comes back here, don't let him go anywhere!"
He trawled off, to look for the Uchiha.
"Dude, what's with his obsession with Sasuke?" Kiba wondered, coming back from the patio with a grill spit. The others shrugged.
"You think it's true..?"
"Don't be stupid Kiba," Shikamaru snorted. "You saw him out there with Hinata. That rumor is not true, I guarantee it."
The girls came over to them, Hinata still a little flushed.
"Where's Naruto?" Ino sat down on a chair.
"He went looking for Sasuke..."
"Sasuke-kun's gone?!" Ino and Sakura both shrilled. They'd both hoped to be able to dance with him.

Just then, Lee came striding across the floor.
"Sakura!" he practically yelled.
Sakura's eye twitched. "Hi, Lee...I was just-"
"Would you do me the honor?" Lee asked, calmer this time, reaching her his hand.
Sakura sighed, but finally smiled and took his hand. "I'd love to."
Lee was practically glowing as he lead her out onto the dance floor.

Naruto had almost given up when he turned the corner outside the youth center.
He'd looked for Sasuke pretty much everywhere inside the building, and the boy wasn't out on the patio or the lawn outside either. The only thing he'd found was Genma and Raidou in a pretty intense lip lock under the staircase, but that was pretty much expected.
He'd began cursing the Uchiha for leaving without saying a word; one thing was to allow that Sasuke could leave whenever he wanted, another was for Sasuke to just take off without letting them know. But then Sasuke's voice came behind him.
"Looking for someone?"
"Sasuke!" Naruto twirled around. "You scared me!"
"Hn," Sasuke smirked. "You know, for someone who wants to keep me company....You're not much company at all."
"You're the one who told me to dance!" Naruto struck up his defense.
Sasuke shook his head. "I'm kidding dobe, I just went out here to get some air... I started to feel a little light headed in there..."
"Yeah, me too." Naruto said. He stepped closer to where Sasuke was standing, by the grove of trees, next to the parking lot.
They couldn't see anything around the corner of the Youth Center, but the music was still flowing through the open doors, into the night.
"Still," Naruto said, "You could've said that yo-" he stumbled over a rock, and lost balance.
Sasuke caught him, his hands resting safely on Naruto's upper arms.
The blonde looked up at him, staring into dark eyes filled with laughter and resignation.
Without thinking, he leaned his forehead on Sasuke's chest.
The Uchiha winced, but didn't deny him to do so.
Slightly hesitant, Sasuke's hands moved, from Naruto's arms to his waist.
He pulled Naruto closer.
His fingers brushed over the fabric of the signal-orange shirt Naruto wore over a black tee. A shirt that would look disastrous on anyone other than Naruto.

The blonde allowed his own arms to move as well, at first only to rest around Sasuke's own waist, as he inhaled the scent of him.... And realized how much he'd been thinking of him since that kiss... And how easily the pieces seemed to fit now.
"Gaara should've known..." he thought, letting his arms move higher, coming to rest around Sasuke's neck. The way they stood now, swaying slightly with their bodies pressed tightly together and the music playing in the background...It was almost as if they were dancing.
Sasuke seemed to be thinking the same.
His grip tightened. The raven took a careful step to the left. Naruto followed.
One step after another, without saying a word.
It was almost...hopelessly romantic.
Sasuke's breath was in Naruto's hair, parting the sunkissed strands, tickling slightly.
They swayed gently.
Naruto felt Sasuke's heart beat hard in his chest. His own seemed to be pounding so much harder. He swallowed, turning his head, his ear pressing even more against Sasuke's shirt.
"Sasuke..." he whispered, his voice raw and nervous. "I've been thinking..."
Sasuke nodded, without letting him go.
Naruto's hands gripped tighter at Sasuke's shirt. He swallowed hard, looking up at the Uchiha.
"Sasuke," he said again.
"Hmm?" deep, dark eyes looked down at him.
"Kiss me..." his voice was barely audible, but Sasuke heard it.
He leaned down, his fringe falling before his eyes, brushing against Naruto's cheek.
Their lips met, tentatively, questioning.
And just as that happened, everything felt so right!
Naruto let his eyes slide shut. Sasuke's lips were warm and soft on his own.
Their lips parted and met again.
Carefully, Sasuke let his tongue run over Naruto's lower lip, whilst he nipped gently at it.
Chills went down Naruto's spine. His nails clawed at Sasuke's shirt collar.
He parted his lips more, allowing Sasuke's tongue to meet with his own.
A soft noise escaped his throat, as Sasuke pulled him even closer, his hand fisting in the tousles of blonde.

Seconds later, the kiss broke.
They stood gazing at each other, not saying a word.
Naruto's cheeks were tinted with red. He licked his lips, which still tasted of Sasuke.
"This means...?"
Sasuke nodded, letting his hand brush Naruto's. "I guess so..."
Naruto smiled. "Good."
"Good?" Sasuke smiled back.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah," he leaned towards Sasuke, catching his lips once again. "Good..."
"Good." Sasuke repeated. "Now, can we please leave?"
The blonde chuckled. "Yeah, we can leave. Let's just tell the others first, so they don't get worried, 'kay?"
"Okay." Sasuke let go of the blonde, his blonde.

The atmosphere around them indicated that both of them wanted to walk back inside, holding hands, but neither took the initiative.
It was new and it was strange.
Not to mention dangerous.
And it was secret. Right now, it was a secret between the two of them, something only they knew. And it felt nice.

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun! Where were you?"
"Outside, getting some air." Naruto said, unable to hold back his smile.
"Oh, want to dance some more?"
"Not really," Naruto shook his head. "I'm kinda tired, and Sasuke's going now anyway, so I'm hitching a ride."
Disappointment was written all over Ino and Sakura's faces.
"Oh..."
"Sorry."
"Sakura!" Lee was back, with drinks from the vending machine in the hall. "Here."
Sakura shook her head looking at Naruto and Sasuke, "Don't worry about it, we'll be fine without you. Right?"
The others nodded.
"Alright, see you later then." Naruto said, hugging each of the three girls. Hinata having to be supported by Ino afterwards.
"Bye," Sasuke said.

They walked across the parking lot, towards Sasuke's car.
Naruto wasn't sure what to say now. He wasn't sure words were needed at all. And he wasn't sure he knew what had happened.

Several times on the way back, he caught himself staring at Sasuke, wondering if the raven was any more aware of what had just happened than he was. But Sasuke's eyes were fixated on the road. When he parked however, he turned to Naruto.
"I'm glad you talked me into coming tonight," he said.
"I'm glad you came." Naruto replied.
"I guess...I'll see you?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah..." he moved in closer, ending the awkward silence with a kiss.
A kiss that was so gentle at first...Only to grow hard, possessive and intense.
Sasuke's hand was in his hair, just as his was tangling in ebony locks.
Their tongues met; brushing over each other, exploring, tasting.
Naruto was certain that nothing could feel better than this.
When he finally pulled away, his head was spinning.
He didn't want to leave, he thought. He didn't want to get out of Sasuke's car, but he knew that he had no choice. If he didn't come home, he'd only worry them all.
"I'll call you," Sasuke said, his voice different from usual.
Naruto nodded. "Okay..."
He placed another hasty kiss on Sasuke's lips, before finding the door handle, letting himself out of the car. "Bye," he said, smiling softly.
"Bye." Sasuke replied, starting the car.
Naruto watched him drive off.
He touched his fingers to his lips.
"...Strange..." he mumbled.

***

The Uchiha manor was dark, but Sasuke didn't care, as he unlocked the door.
He flipped the light switch for the hall and staircase.
He felt warm. It was all so surreal.
And all the emotions that had washed over him... They all seemed unreal to him.
But Naruto's lips on his, that had been real. He smiled slightly.

He headed up the stairs, pleased with the way the night had turned out.
And then, he thought he heard someone talking to him.
He paused, looking around. There was no one here.
But still....
"Did you have fun, Sasuke?" the voice was so familiar...
He spun around, surveying the hallway and staircase, but the house was still just as empty.
"Itachi...?" he asked quietly, uttering his brother's name for the first time in years.

***TBC***
[The plot thickens, kukuku~~]

Replies:

Chibi: Thank you so much! *___* Hope this was quick enough for you! ^3^
Please review again and tell me what you think, ne? *gives cookie*

Reyn: I'm so glad you didn't give up on me! This chapter should hold enough progress, right? One step back, but two forwards! :D
Hehe, yeah, Sai is a tricky one! I keep telling myself I have a plan for him...But it's slipping between my fingers every time I try to put it into words. But he'll get some more time soon. Hopefully that'll bring an explanation!

PansyLane:
Thank you hun! *smooches* I'm having SO much fun with Deidara! *___* He's such a relief from Sasuke's constant angstyness!
'Macho Man' LAWL! xDDD True, so true! Sasuke's not your typical emo, there's enough 'Sasuke cuts himself' fics out there already, and while he might have had a brief encounter with self-harm, he's not doing it. As you saw, the medications are slightly explained in this chappie, we'll dive deeper into it in the next I think! ^-^
O.o I have no idea! I've had longer reviews before...But it's happened to me too! X_x I guess it's just an error on AFF...^^;;

Nusku: CAKE! ^______^ *takes* THANK YOU! ^-^
It really is getting deep, isn't it? I intended for that to happen, but I didn't think it'd turn out this way. I'm happy with it though!

Chloe: Thank you! *hugs* Here's the next chapter for you! ^-^
Hope you liked it! Feel free to leave me some words again!