"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan! Ne, tell me again how you got over Sasuke-kun?" Naruto pleaded for the hundredth time in their two year relationship. His cerulean blue eyes begged her over his bowl of ramen, now his second favorite thing, next to Sakura, and what she was about to say.

"(sigh) Naruto-kun, I got over Sasuke because of the great, blonde-haired, blue-eyed man in front of me. When Sasuke left, I was finally able to see what my ignorance had left me blind to." She replied, smiling and reaching across their booth to give his hand a squeeze.

It was her constant reply, and there was nothing untrue about it, but even now it started to sound a little automated. Naruto finised his bowl and they stood, paying.

They left hand-in-hand.

--

Naruto reached his apartment, turning to bid good-bye to his girlfriend, when he saw the look on her face.

"Sakura-chan! What's wrong?" He said, stopping to eye-level and gripping her shoulders.

Sakura offered him a weak smile, before sadly looking him in the eye and saying, "N-Naruto? Do you mind.... if... if I spend the night here tonight?"

"Of course not! Come on in!" He said, stepping aside in the open doorway.

They entered, Naruto tossing his keys inside, and Sakura making a beeline for the shower. The blonde lay out an old T-shirt for her to sleep in, and made his way to the kitchen to wait.

Sakura found him staring absently into an empty cup of tea, and she took a second to fully take him in before she tapped him on the shoulder and pulled him out of his reverie.

"Oh! Sakura-chan. I didn't hear you come out." He said as he stood.

Sakura grinned at him. "It's a sad day indeed when a ninja doesn't hear his own girlfriend coming."

Naruto just shook his head.

"Sakura-chan, you can have my bed. I'll take the couch tonight."

Sakura looked at him, startled, then nodded in acception.

They left the kitchen, heading to their appointed spots, when the pink-haired kunoichi stopped him.

"Ne, Naruto-kun? Thank you."

"Hn?"

"For not.... taking advantage of me. For never asking to much of me."

Naruto shook his head again.

"I would only wait for you to come to me, Sakura-chan."

She smiled at him, sadly. That night, she lay awake thinking about his response, and guilt crept over her.

--

The next day they had plans. After breakfast, they went to the training grounds together, and ran into some friends, who invited them to lunch, but they declined, having planned to spend the day together.

They sparred a little, until they were well worn-out, and Naruto suggested they go rest awhile. Sakura agreed.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?"

"N-Naruto! What are you--whoa!!"

Sakura's words were cut off when Naruto scooped her up into his arms and took off onto the roof-tops. The leaf nin set her down and she looked around to see a great view of Hokage mountain, the cherry blossom trees surrounding it in full bloom. As a flower fell, caught on the breeze, he snatched it from the air and handed it to her.

"Naruto-kun! It's so beautiful! Thank you!"

Sakura wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him full on the mouth, startling him. She was surprisingly dominant, reaching with her tongue to prod at his lips and request entry. Naruto closed his eyes, opening his mouth and waiting for her tongue to explore, but it never came. Instead, a moment later, she pulled away harshly, and he was forced to open his eyes to see what was wrong.

Sakura stood, staring over his shoulder at something he was not aware of. He turned, his breath catching. There stood a dark-haired man, slightly taller than himself. He started as Sakura cried out,

"S-Sasuke-kun!"

"S-Sasuke-kun!"

What? You've got to be kidding! And after I was finally happy too, dammit! He's as big of a bastard as ever! Naruto thought, eyes narrowing slightly.

"You came back for me!"

Naruto turned, startled, to look Sakura fully in the face. Apparently she hadn't gotten over him. But Sasuke's expression never changed, his gaze never leaving Naruto's.

"What the hell do you want, teme?"

Cool onyx turned to regard Sakura, his expression becoming one of disgust, as if he couldn't care less about her. Suddenly, Naruto was shoved aside as his girlfriend threw herself at Sasuke, hugging him.

"I knew you would come back!"

But the Uchiha looked at her as if a piece of flaming garbage had decided to up and fling itself at him.

"Great, just great." He said sarcastically. "You live to make my life hell, don't you bastard?! Sakura-chan! We're leaving!"

Sakura turned to him and raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Excuse me? What are you talking about? We're through! There's no way I'm loosing this chance to be with the one I truly love. He came back for me after all, didn't you?" She remarked, turning.

And then she noticed the look the Uchiha was giving her.

"Y-you did right?" She asked, taken aback.

Sasuke didn't reply, merely using one hand to daintily peel her off of himself. The kunoichi's eyes threatened to brim, and she took a step backwards.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, reaching a hand out towards her.

"No! You're an idiot you know that?! You thought I could get over that?! Ha! I never even liked you in the first place!" She spat, slapping his hand away. Her tears spilled loose, and she backed away from both of them, turning and fleeing.

"I hope you're happy now! Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!!" Naruto called after her.

"You can't expect me to believe you still like her?" Sasuke said, throwing the word 'like' out as if the thought itself was unthinkable.

The blonde merely glared at him and went after Sakura. Sasuke took a step after him but stopped himself, realising that it was dumb to go after the boy now. He obviously wanted nothing to do with him.

--

Naruto reached his girlfriend-- wait no, his ex's now, and knocked.

"Go away!"

He knocked again.

"Go away!"

He waited this time, before knocking again.

"I said go away!"

Naruto sighed, counted to ten, and then knocked-- again.

"I said go the frack away, damn it!"

Naruto resumed counting to ten, but when he reached five, the door swung violently inward, revealing a very blotchy and puffy-eyed Sakura. She attempted to slam the door in his face, but Naruto caught it, wrapping one hand around the door and the other around the door frame, and pushed himself through. A defeated Sakura fell back, crying again.

"It's all right Sakura-chan, I forgive you. Just come back to me." He told her camly.

Sakura laughed. "Y-you forgive me? (sniff) You're a big--bigger f-fool (sob) than I thought! I d-don't really like you! I p-played you! (deep breath) And.. and I can't for-forgive m-myself! (sob) 'Cause-- 'cause I got played..." She cried bitterly. "I want you to hate me. Now just leave me! Are you happy seeing me wallowing in my own sorrow?! Go!" She said, shoving him out of her house, hard.

Sakura slid down the back of her door after she shut it behind him. She pulled her knees to herself and held them as she cried.

--

Naruto returned to his apartment to see the teme waiting for him.

"What the hell are you doing in my apartment? I thought you at least had enough common sense to see I absolutely hate you now." He spat, eyes flashing.

Sasuke winced, but so incredibly subtle enough, Naruto didn't notice. He licked his lips, suddenly nervous. But in a moment he was the same cool, composed Uchiha who had broken up his dobe from the pink thing. 'His' dobe. What a strange thing to just slip from an Uchiha's lips.

"I just wanted to make one thing perfectly clear, usuratonkachi." He said, eyeing the blonde. "I did come back for someone."

"And I care, why?"

Sasuke clenched a fist in frustration, but he kept going. "I came back for you."

"And you thought I actually wanted you back? If you hadn't noticed, everything was perfectly fine and dandy 'till you came along." Naruto growled in response, obviously not getting it. Sasuke tensly jerked his head to one side, so that his neck cracked.

"Whatever, dobe. Just forget it." He sighed.

"What? What is it?" Asked Naruto, now suddenly interested, before sarcastically adding, "There was another reason for you to come back, besides wanting to ruin my life?"

Sasuke bit back a sarcastic remark of his own. "No. Ever think that I came back because I missed you? Didn't think so." He said, not giving Naruto a chance to reply as glittering onyx narrowed.

Now it Naruto's turn to sigh. "Look, I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. It's been tough. I should have known that just because you left didn't mean that Sakura would like me suddenly. It doesn't work that way. It's not your fault."

"Yeah, whatever idiot. You forgive too easily. You'll get hurt." He snapped.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked, anger rising again.

"Exactly what I said. I know that when you ran after Sakura, it was to accept the apology she's never going to give you."

"Great! My life is completely ruined! Not only do you first run away, leaving me in a complete mess, as soon as I get over myself and find love, you come along and snatch it away! And now I have no privacy! You follow me around, and listen in on my private matters! I wish you would go crawling back to your lovely Orochimaru and die!"

This time Sasuke flinched visibly, but it went unnoticed by the blonde, who had spun on his heel.

"Look I'm sorry, Naruto. It's a bad day for me too. I just got back and everything, you know how it is, after a mission...."

"Oh great, and apparently you've been watching me all these years! You insult my talents as a Jounin! GO THE FUCK AWAY! NOW!"

"Fine." He spat, turning and leaving from the open window he had come in from, not bothering to look back.

Naruto slammed the window shut behind him before slamming his apartment door closed and storming into his bedroom, plopping down on his bed, and crying for the first time in three years.

Sasuke reached the empty Uchiha complex, alone, like always. Even when he had gone to Orochimaru for power, he had been alone. His guards had been ordered not to speak to him, and Orochimaru's laquey, Kabuto, had rarely even acknowledged his presence.

But that was the way it had always been, even before Itachi had murdered their family. They either rarely had any time for him, or the options were not to his liking.

"I'm home!" He called to no one in particular.

He sighed, laying down on the bed that had been his for fifteen years, and for three of which, hadn't been used. Today had been crappy. His first day back, and the words he needed to get out were out, but they had no effect.

He couldn't even be sure if Naruto had gotten the hint. The last thing Sasuke thought about was that Naruto had used the honorific "-kun" on his name for the first time in his knowledge, and he fell asleep, wondering what the blonde could have meant by it.

--

Naruto woke on his bed late at night, his eyes sore from crying himself to sleep.

And a bad sleep it was. He had restlessly dreamt, though of what, he didn't know. It was one of those times he had woken, still groggily grasping what was left of it, but it quickly slipped from him, and it bothered him greatly.

But what would bother him more-- knowing his dream? Or being unable to remember it? It had to be something important, or he wouldn't have dreamt it that way. And what way, exactly, had he dreamt it?

Naruto sighed. He was arguing with himself over remembering a dream. It sounded crazy but he had this gut feeling he was supposed to remember it, or else he wouldn't have remembered it at all. He lay down again, hoping that if he could fall asleep, it would come back again.

He woke up an hour later, the dream once again slipping through his grasp. Now declaring himself unable to sleep, he showered, and left for the training grounds, hoping to get some stress out of his system.

--

Sakura lay in bed, her eyes pretty much swollen shut from her tears. She contemplated calling Ino and telling her what had happened so she could come down and reassure her, but her friend would probably kill her. Not so long ago, when Sakura had decided was now officially over Sasuke, and officially Naruto's girlfriend (much to Naruto's ecstacy), Ino had congratulated her, telling her it was about time she found someone else.

For she, herself had fallen in love with someone along time ago, but when prodded about who the lucky man was she only laughed and shook her head, saying that when the time came, she would confess to that person, and then everyone would know.

No. Ino would disown her now. Maybe. And then maybe she would help her feel better. Sighing, Sakura gave in, and went to see her best friend.

--Later--

Sakura reached the Yamanaka's, and was ushered in by Ino's friendly mother, who had automatically seen something was wrong.

"Ino!" she called, through the house.

"Arigatou, Yamanaka-san."

"Oh, it's nothing, dear. This is what us mothers are for."

"Yes, Oka-san?"

"Ah! Ino!, Well, I'll leave you to it, then."

"Oh, Sakura! What happened this time?"

"Ino, I've done something bad..."

--Later (again)--

"Oh, Sakura! How could you?? That's no way to treat Naruto, even over Sasuke!"

"(Sigh) I know Ino, and he even tried to forgive me, but I refused to let him."

"Well, good then, because you both need time to think about this. No one deserves a girl who's still pining over a someone else."

"I know-- wait what?? You actually approve?!" Sakura said, incredulous. She had expected Ino to nag and barrate her for losing her only chance. She could almost cry again, in frustration, and not understanding.

"Come here."

Ino, who had previously been sitting in a chair, whilst Sakura had been seated on her bed, moved onto the bed behind her, so that her pink-haired friend was pretty much in her lap, and wrapped her arms around her. They sat like that, Ino letting Sakura dry sob on her, her tears spent, and comforted her the whole time.

--

It hit Naruto hard. Very hard. So hard, in fact, it sent him literally stumbling backwards. His dream had come back to him, with only the littlest thouht of Sasuke.

And he remembered it all.

He was at Hokage mountain, the stone images visable to him, and then, there was Sasuke, and Sakura beside him.

"You came back for me!"

It was earlier all over again. Sasuke daintily peeled Sakura from off of him, the look of disgust still plastered on his usually impassive face.

"No. I came back for you, Naruto-kun."

It was different, but it was the same. And then they were in his apartment, arguing, only now, it was violent.

"GO THE FUCK AWAY! NOW!" he said, shoving Sasuke towards the open window.

"I won't give up on you, Naruto."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" he said, taking a swing at him.

"Exactly what I said."

And then Sasuke was on him, had him up against his wall, breathing down his throat, as long, pale fingers wrapped around it.

"Fuck you. teme." He choked out, past the vice-like grip on his air.

"Gladly."

And without further invocation, he kissed him. The pale lips, on his oh-so-pale face, closed around his, and--Wait, what?!

Kissed?! He... kissed him?! It wasn't like Sasuke would actually do something like that.... would he? And those words. What Sakura had said-- that Sasuke had come back for her, meaning to go out with her, but he hadn't. And then, Sasuke had told Naruto he had come back for him, meaning... meaning what, exactly? He couldn't have meant it the same way she had?

Never. Uchiha Sasuke did not like Uzimaki Naruto. He just didn't. Because all this time they had been friends, and rivals, and that could never change. Why change it now, when things were good, and Sasuke was finally back?

Yes. Finally. Why deny it? Something in Naruto had jumped for joy to see his old friend home again, while something else had dropped like a rock in the viscinity of his stomach, as he laid eyes on the one thing in his way of Sakura. Hell he had known she still liked him, '-kun' or no '-kun'.

Speaking of which, Sasuke had used '-kun' on him. What could it mean? Or did it mean anything at all? In the dream, Sasuke had kissed him. It was all some sick joke his mind was playing on him. Dreams did that--they twisted things around, made them different. Features, thoughts, actions, all were distorted in the fantasy world, made based off the subconcious.

No. It couldn't have meant anything at all.

Ino was disappointed as Sakura moved away, and she wished the moment had lasted longer. All she could do, as Sakura pulled out of her arms, was brush her lips against the tall forehead. Fortunately, she didn’t feel a thing.

--

Okay. It was starting to bother him—or rather, it had started to bother him last night, when subtle implications had been planted in his subconscious mind, so to speak.

Now, it was pestering him, rather like Konohamaru when he and his cell were together and had spare time. He puzzled and puzzled over it, but the more Naruto thought, the less answers he got.

But it all seemed to come back to the same thing: What did Sasuke mean?

Man, did Naruto need to vent.

----Later----

Here was typical Naruto, ready to pass out, yet still standing, and part of that was because he was running from his own thoughts, and being Naruto, who else could be dumb enough to lose to a log? (Okay, maybe he’s not losing, but who passes out hitting a log, anyway? Naruto.)

He didn’t want to admit he was in denial, he didn’t want to run, but when it all came down to it, he needed to get away from the questions to which he had no answers. The more he thought, the more he wondered; the more he wondered, the more he worried; the more he worried, the more steam he built up; the more steam, the more he needed to train in order to vent, and finally, the more he vented, the more exhausted he became.

The only thing left to do, besides running and hiding, was asking Sasuke what he had meant, and as stubborn as he was, the blond wasn’t going to fold so easily. No. He would tough it out and continue avoiding the situation by thinking, and trying for his own answers.


----Later, again (There sure are a lot of later’s here.)----

And how long, exactly, would he last, especially in this state? Apparently only about half-an-hour to an hour.

He needed answers.

--

Naruto went searching for Sasuke, but didn’t find him at the Uchiha manor, at the training grounds (obviously), or at Hokage Mountain. About to give up despairingly, he wondered back to the ramen stand and found Sasuke.

Talking animatedly.

The blonde laughed inwardly, trying to remember the last time he had seen the teme holding a decent conversation. He couldn’t.

Naruto coughed, drawing Sasuke’s attention.

“Nande, Naruto-kun?”

He sucked on his lower lip, wondering how the Uchiha could act as though nothing had happened last—oh that’s right. It was only a dream. But still, after yesterday... so much had happened....

Naruto took a stool by the raven-haired boy.

“About yesterday.... when you said you had come back for me?”

“Yeah?”

“What did you mean?”

“I meant what I said.”

“What! Seriously! What did you--”

“...”

“I’m sorry... it’s been a really stressful night for me (sigh). I really need to know what you meant, Sasuke-kun.”

Sasuke sucked in his breath, thoughts spinning wildly. He used –kun again...... can he fell the same way? Why else would he want to specify what I had meant?

“It’s important.”

Sasuke leaned forward and brushed his lips against Naruto’s, before pressing against them harder. He ran his tongue along the blonde’s lower lip, making him shudder. He pulled away harshly, his fist colliding with Sasuke’s face before turning and rushing away.

Naruto ran. He didn’t know where he was going, but he ran. Confused and hurt, he went where his feet would take him, and his feet carried him a ways. It was awhile before he slowed to a stop, panting to catch his breath, but when he did, it took him a second to recognize his surroundings. He came to a stop at Sakura’s doorstep.

Tentatively, Naruto reached up and rang the doorbell. After five minutes with no answer, he turned to walk away, but bumped into a happier looking Sakura.

“Oh! Naruto-kun, what’s going on? I just got back from Ino’s. Why don’t you come in?” She said as she opened the door. The blonde took a hesitant breath before following her in.

Sakura sat down, offering Naruto a seat.

“Naruto-kun, I know I wouldn’t accept your forgiveness before, but know I apologize. I shouldn’t have used you like that. It wasn’t right.”

Naruto studied the girl’s apologetic face.

"You came back for me!"

Naruto turned, startled, to look Sakura fully in the face. Apparently she hadn't gotten over him. But Sasuke's expression never changed, his gaze never leaving Naruto's.

--

“I just wanted to make one thing perfectly clear, usuratonkachi.” He said, eyeing the blonde. "I did come back for someone."

“And I care, why?”

Sasuke clenched a fist in frustration, but he kept going. "I came back for you."

Just seeing her reminded him of him. But there was nothing he could do about it. But he still needed answers. He just needed to know........

Naruto stood slowly, approaching Sakura, who had fallen silent, seeing his pensive look. When he reached her, he dropped to eye level with her. Then, reaching out, he kissed her.

Immediately, she took over, as per her nature, and ran her tongue along his lip, and he stifled the same shudder that threatened to run down his spine as he was again reminded of—no, he wasn’t going to think about it. It was a thing of the past of now.

He pulled away and left her there, unable to cry, and feeling that she had deserved it.

--

She had seen everything. After Sakura had left her house, she had taken a second, then rushed to the family shop, selected the right flowers, and left with a card, promising she would pay for it when she got back.

She reached up to knock on her friend’s door, now brave enough to hand deliver them, when she had noticed that the door wasn’t closed all the way. Quietly, she pushed it open, just enough to peek through, when she heard voices. Ino glanced around quickly, then realized the voices were coming from inside.

“Naruto-kun, I know I wouldn’t accept your forgiveness before, but know I apologize. I shouldn’t have used you like that. It wasn’t right.”

And then he had kissed her. And to her dismay, she had kissed right back. Forcing herself to stay calm and quiet, Ino dropped the bouquet and ran.

--

After Naruto had left, Sakura stood silently to close her door when she noticed the flowers. The selection showed them to be from the Yamanaka’s flower shop, but the note wasn’t signed. Silently wondering, she glanced quickly around before sniffing at them and allowing herself a small, wan smile.

--

Naruto did nothing the rest of the day, but try to avoid what had happened. But it haunted him like the Plague, and the worst part: he didn’t know hat he thought about it. Nothing. Almost absolutely nothing.

He wondered what Kakashi would think of all this, but he didn’t want to drag someone else into it. He had seen the bouquet of lilies with Ino’s handwriting on the card, he wasn’t dumb. {A/N: Ok, he is, but you get the point.}

He went to bed again, hoping to escape his thoughts, though they followed him there still. He dreamt the whole time, of Sasuke, mocking him, asking him what he thought.“Did you like it? What was it like? Your kiss with Sakura. Was it good? Did you enjoy it? Was it all like my kiss? Was it as good? Was it anything like mine?”

And his only problem: It wasn’t.

“I’m going to need sleep soon.” Naruto muttered to himself, alone. In bed… In the dark. The last two days had not yielded any answers to him, and neither had they let him sleep very well. He sighed, drawing a hand across his face and thought One thing’s for sure, Ino and Sakura are having problems, and I’m in deep shit with Ino.

First things first, he had to fix things between Ino and Sakura.

Ten minutes later, despite dragging his feet, Naruto found his hand hovering hesitantly above Ino’s door. Swallowing, he squeezed his eyes shut momentarily, grimaced, and brought his knuckles to the wood.

The blonde bit his lip and waited, nervously, for the door to open, and he sucked in a breath when Ino answered. She was obviously surprised to see him, but anything else was lost as she flashed him a plastic smile, pretending like nothing had happened.

“Can I help you?” She asked, slightly confused, and struggling to keep her voice pleasant. She watched as Naruto’s eyes darted uncomfortably to the side.

“Umm… I have something to say?” He offered, shifting his weight.

“That’s a first.” She snapped impatiently, either not noticing the bite, or not caring.

Naruto sighed in frustration.

“Look it’s about Sakura, okay?”

Ino looked taken aback, but stepped aside and motioned with her head for him to enter.

“I know…” he began as he stepped over the threshold, searching for the right words.

“You know what?” She asked, trying not to insult him again.

“… That you like her--Sakura I mean.”

Ino blinked, confused for a second, and then realized what he had said. Slowly feeling apprehensive, she tensed, wondering what his reaction was going to be--but the emotion was quickly replaced by anger. And it was steadily growing harder to bite back.

“And you?” She asked coldly.

“She broke up with me.” He said lamely.

Ino rolled her eyes and sighed, exhasperated.

“Well, DUH. I mean, what about yesterday?”

Naruto gave her a blank look, obviously not understanding.

“The kiss…?” She offered.

“OH! That was--I don’t--You don’t--It wasn’t--” He said, starting and stopping, not sure what he should say. Taking a deep breath, he started again, “It’s a long story… You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me,” She said, the corner of her lips tugging into a frown.

“I suppose it was selfish…” he began, eyes focusing on something she couldn’t see, as he was drawn into deep thought. Knitting his eyebrows together, he exhaled in frustration, cheeks puffing out as the breath noisily left him. “How can I put this…. My orientation’s been thrown into constant turmoil?”

Ino’s eyebrow quirked in near disbelief as she watched the idiot she had seen cling unwaveringly to a girl--the girl she liked, nonetheless--for most of their lives.

“I needed answers, okay?” he asked, now nearing desperation.

She nodded in understanding, but still needed reassurance.

“So did you get you answers?” she probed, hopeful.

Pursing his lips, he thought about it, and shrugged a shoulder in what he meant to be indifference.

“I--I don’t know.” He said, but he was beginning to think he had…

Pupil-less eyes slid closed as she reached a hand up to rub her neck, working the kinks out of it. She sighed in understanding, and felt herself blush as an image of Sakura flashed before her. She opened her eyes and smiled slightly, rising. Ino lay a hand on his shoulder as she nodded again.

“It’s alright.” She murmured, giving him a tiny pat. She felt his shoulders sag in relief, and gestured toward the door. “You have your own problems to deal with.”

Giving her a questioning look, the blonde stood, ignoring his aching joints, and started towards the door.

“But thanks, Naruto.”

He was halfway down the walkway, the door shut behind him, before he realized what she had said.

--

Naruto spent the remainder of the day wandering leisurely--er, aimlessly, rather-- around the village, his fingertips occasionally fluttering up to brush his lips, and then clutching his hand into a fist, scowling inwardly, though more at his heart-rate than anything. A couple of times, he had to stop and lean against something, eyes shut, one hand wrapped tightly around his stomach, the other over where his heart should have been. He stayed this way for several, rather long moments, before he started again, slowly now.

But what to think about? It hurt to think about Sasuke…. And not thinking about him hurt more.

Three years ago, the blonde would look around and smile sadly, unable to remember all the times he and the Uchiha had had together, and wish that Sasuke had never left, but now, it was different. No longer those natural feelings of ‘nostalgia,’ it was starting to bother him. Because now, everything reminded of his ex-teammate. And why, when he was the very cause of all his troubles, couldn’t he stop thinking about him?

Though refusing to consciously admit it, he knew the answer, but he didn’t want to believe it, out of his control or not. And he wouldn’t, because he was childishly shutting everything out of his mind.

Without noticing, his hand had flown to his mouth again, this time pressing firmly, his lips numbing as he remembered the kiss… and he suddenly he had to stop again, one arm around his middle, as his stomach turned, making him feel nauseous.

His heart aching dully, he groaned, and, wrapping his other arm around his stomach as well, he stumbled home.

--

When he reached his apartment, the ache had finally subsided, but his heart had yet to completely slow down. Swinging the door inward, Naruto tossed his keys onto a nearby counter top and slid his jacket off, tossing it near the vicinity of his couch. His hand automatically groped outward as he located the light-switch, but something made him stop. Cocking his head, the blonde strained his eyes in the darkness towards the disturbance in his quarters’ layout--mere shadow though it was. And when he failed to sense any traces of chakra, he sighed, slowly calming down. Deciding he was so frazzled that he suspected his own shadow of threat, he threw the switch, pupils contracting rapidly as light flooded the room and he was momentarily blinded.

Naruto threw a glance at the couch to note where his jacket had landed for future reference and faltered a step. Because there, on his couch, his orange and black jacket a haplessly strewn mass of cotton before their feet, was a figure. His eyes traveled upward, slowly registering the meaning, and he found himself tensing, recognizing the feet, whose pale legs were crossed lazily, the loose cloth draped over them…. The lean waist, disguised by the loose yukata and thick, purple rope…. Leading to a partially visible chest, as pale as the legs. And he paused, not sure if he wanted to confirm his suspicions.

But his gaze trailed ever onward, and he found that his fears were correct. The longish, black hair, dark eyes, darkened into a pissed-off death-glare those Uchiha’s were so famous for. And that angry, impatient look only convinced him more that he didn’t wasn’t to see Sasuke right now, although he would’ve gladly let him stay.

The bright blue eyes flicked back in fright and disbelief, and then over, again, to the figure on his couch, as if it would no longer be there when he looked again. But Sasuke was still there, and Naruto went rigid, drawing back. Needing something in that dangerously void area behind him, he backed up, until he bumped the door shut slightly, and then kept moving until a solid ‘click’ sounded, and his back was firmly against the wood.

He instantly regretted it, now trapped in the room with the older man; his odds of escaping extremely slim. And to make matters worse, that older man was Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto’s eyes widened as his fear steadily grew, and he waited, alarmed, wondering what the other would do, his muscles groaning in protest at being held so tense.

“….Sasu?” He managed to choke out, barely audible.

He watched as Sasuke rose and approached him. He tried to move away, but found himself held there, ironically, but the supporting frame behind him. Naruto winced as a pale hand reached up to cup his cheek, cringing when the others skin brushed his. The hand stopped, fisted, and dropped back to the side, the frown now a deep scowl.

Sasuke brought the palm of his hand to the wood next to the blonde’s face, satisfied as a loud ‘thud’ was heard. But he tsk’d in annoyance when he saw the other flinch, and turn those beautiful cerulean blue eyes up at him in a long, pleading look.

Kami, how he hated those eyes.

“What?” he murmured, then, adding a touch of sarcasm to his voice, “You really don’t trust me enough to not do something horrible to you?”

“I--It’s not that!…” Naruto stammered, unable to finish saying It’s me I don’t trust will stop from doing something that shouldn’t be done.

Sasuke hesitated, surprised, but he mentally shrugged it off, leaning closer. The blonde managed to let out a strangled cry, but that didn’t stop the dark-featured nin from closing the distance.

Even before their lips met, Naruto was waiting, breath shallow, and heart racing.
But this time his stomach was doing happy flips and not sick ones. And even though he didn’t want it, he wouldn’t stop it, so he stood there, fingernails starting to pull up grains in the wood as he waited an excruciatingly long time before the soft mouth was on his.

And he couldn’t help but return it, egging the Uchiha on. And an unbeckoned thrill ran down his spine, unable to help remembering their last.

But, as happy and utterly confused about it all as he was, he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong. Sasuke tasted different? Or something. Disappointed, Naruto gently rested a hand on the other’s shoulder, pulling away slightly. The older man quickly got the hint and pulled back, giving him a questioning look. And the blonde had his answer.

When he had rebelled yesterday, because of the kiss, he had landed a punch…. And here were the effects. Sasuke had a split lip because of him. He had done more damage then he had hoped.

Eyebrows curving upwards in remorse, he brushed a finger of the slight wound, barely noticing the quick jerk from Sasuke, since he hadn’t meant to show the pain.

“I’m so sorry……” He breathed.

But Sasuke didn’t reply. Instead he kissed him again, pressing him to the door for all that he thought the blonde was worth.

This time, Naruto wasn’t ready for it--and it scared him. He screwed his eyes shut, body stiff with defiance as he waited for it to be over, and that seemed slow in coming. The blonde gasped for air and was promptly invaded.

Naruto struggled to keep himself in check, against the unfurling tendril in his stomach, of fear and excitement, denial and want. And his body was getting hotter, the feeling nagging, and reminding him that this was wrong.

But as a feverish state of mind clouded his vision and threatened to take over, he realized he still had control, and he would do whatever it took to maintain it.

A soft noise, a mix between a whimper and a moan escaped Naruto’s lips as Sasuke wedged a leg between his, rubbing against his undeniably hardening cock. And the increasing urge to throw his arms around the other, deepen the kiss, and grind down on that leg urged him to stop this.

Unable to pull away, the blonde gave the Uchiha an urgent shove and turned his head to the side. But Sasuke ignored it, reaching up to grab his hair and yank his head back, even as he attempted to move away from the door.

“Sasuke!” he panted, wincing as his head knocked against the doorframe.

“Nh,” the addressed grunted, sinking his teeth into Naruto’s neck.

“Sasuke!” he repeated, gasping slightly as the rough tongue smoothed over the irritated spot, raising the hairs on the back of his neck.

“Nh?” he asked, savoring the taste of sweat and body salt.

“Stop.” The blonde hissed, eyes narrowed and pupils slitting.

Sasuke paused, glancing up.

“Not…. Now” Naruto managed, breathing heavily. But when the Uchiha didn’t move, he almost lost it. “Move, teme.” he snapped, pissed off.

The older man gave his hair a tug, as if saying, You’re clearly in no position to be giving orders right now, dobe.

And he lost it. Eyes red, teeth bared, he threw his weight at the other only to stop midair, and then resume falling, hitting the ground through a puff of smoke. Glancing around in bewilderment, he smacked his forehead with his hand, thinking, Of course! It was only a shadow clone!

--

The next day, Naruto crawled out of bed and dragged himself to a restaurant. Tired, hungry, and out of his mind, he took a seat at what he recalled to be Chouji’s favorite Barbeque Buffet. Placing an order, he waited until his waitress bowed and left, then placed his face in his hands, sighing.

There was a giggle and he glanced up to see the recently mentioned Akimichi a booth over, being fed pork by a very pretty girl. At first glance, the hairstyle made you think it was Tenten, but she was completely different. Half of her hair was up in two baos, one on either side of her head, and the rest of her hair hung down around her shoulders. But her features were blatantly foreign, her hair color a rusty, brownish, yellow, and when she flicked them over to cast a glance in his direction, Naruto found that her eyes were the same color.

He eyed her strange, would-be kimono and jumped when the waitress slid a glass of water in front of him.

“Sorry for the wait, sir. Your food is on its way,” She said diligently, bowing again. He looked past her at the stranger and noticed she had been staring, but looked away quickly. Naruto frowned.

“H-hai… Domo,”

She bowed again and left, hurrying quickly to a new customer to continue her long day of monotonous orders.

“Chouji-dono!”

Naruto blinked rapidly and found the new girl giggling uncontrollably as she held her sides and rocked back and forth in Chouji’s lap. He smiled widely and apologized, giving some flippant excuse. She dove her chopsticks for the last piece of pork—something Naruto knew Chouji found unacceptable—and made it. She smiled and proffered it to her friend, letting him take a bite. She waited for him to finish, and then made to give him the last bite, but at the last second made it disappear into her own mouth. Chouji retaliated by tickling her.

Thinking that he really was beginning to lose his mind, the blonde shook his head and looked away, rubbing his eyes. There was no way…

He looked back up again, and, sure enough, the giggling girl was still in the Akimichi’s lap.

“Oi, Naruto-kun,” he called.

“N-nani?”

“Come join us.” It wasn’t up for debate.

Naruto rose slowly, picked up his glass of water and clunked it down on their table as he sat on the bench opposite them.

“Ohaiyo,” he muttered sarcastically.

“Ohaiyo-gozaimasu,” Chouji replied jubilantly. “Naruto, this is… Sung” he continued, faltering over the sound of her name.

She giggled. “Seung,” she corrected him.

“She’s from…. K” he made a noise in the back of his throat like he was choking. “K…K….”

“Korea,” she said, rolling her eyes. “He can never pronounce it right.”

Chouji scowled, and Naruto realized that she had a very thick accent over her Japanese, like she has just learned it a couple of days ago.

“Sung, this is Naruto,”

“Hajima, Seung-chan,” he replied shortly, finding her name not as easy to pronounce as he had thought. He felt a sudden flare of sympathy for his friend.

“Hajimamashite, Uzumaki-kun,”

Naruto smirked slightly at her formality, not realizing that no one had actually told her his last name.

“Sung-chan is my fiancée,”

The blonde choked explosively on his glass of water and stared in utter astonishment at the couple. Seung had lost her giggling attitude and had turned a considerable red, while Chouji managed to look smug, yet somehow embarrassed.

“A—ano….” She started to explain.

“There’s no use denying it, I’ve made up my mind already.” He said stubbornly.

Seung turned to Naruto apologetically, “This is all so sudden…” she began. “I’m a medic nin from Korea. My parents are aristocrats who are in confidence with my lord, the emperor. Because we are weak and unready in the face of war, my parents have suggested to him an alliance between our two nations.” She took a deep breath. “An alliance in the form of marriage. So I was offered up, and I came here to find a husband to form the alliance. The Akimichis have been my…” She turned to Chouji and began speaking in rapid-fire Korean, though it was obvious by the look on his face that he didn’t understand a word of it. She stopped abruptly. “How do you call it…?”

“Foster family?” Naruto offered, useful for what might have been the first time in his life.

“Yes, exactly!” She said. “My foster family, while I have been presented to many eligible suitors. But the more time I spent with my family, I found the one I wanted most was…” She turned to him, “Chouji.”

He looked proud, but still ruffled.

“We haven’t told our parents yet, but we hope they will approve.”

“Good luck,” he muttered.

“Thanks,” Seung replied, accepting it gratefully. “And you, I hope your love it accepted as well.” She smiled.

“N-Nani? Love?” he asked.

Her smile faltered slightly, before she realized what was going on. “I think you know what I mean.” She said simply, leaving him to figure it out for himself.

“Er… thanks.” He noticed his waitress holding his order and looking about for him. He waved her over to the new table; she asked if she could do anything else for him, and when he shook his head no, she bowed and left.

He sighed and thought deeply about what Seung had meant by ‘love,’ surely she couldn’t have meant Sakura, that girl had crushed him the instant she had seen Sasuke’s face. He shuddered silently. Sasuke. Just the boy’s name was enough to send his head reeling. He felt like he had aged several years in the past week. Naruto lifted his chopsticks to his lips and took a tentative bite of his food, chewing slowly as he mulled over her words. Love… He couldn’t think of anyone he thought of that way. He thought of last night and the back flips his stomach had done… Speaking of Sasuke. The blonde wondered what the other man was doing at the moment, unable to stop himself from thinking of him.

“He’s standing right outside the window.”

Naruto flinched and jerked his head towards the window, and looked, eyes wide, to find nothing but an empty clearing; he scowled and turned back to Seung.

“What?”

She giggled loudly, “You think about him a lot, you know.”

“And you would know this how?” he demanded.

She frowned immediately and looked away.

“What, are you trying to tell me you can read minds or something?”

Seung shook her head reflexively, and then slowed, trying to phrase it appropriately. “Not minds—hearts.” She said instead. “I can read the thoughts written in a person’s hearts. If I were to read minds, I would never understand what is going on, because a person’s thoughts can cloud their judgment, and emotions. I only read true, raw, emotion…..”

He picked at his food.

“So lemme get this straight… You know that I’m in love… and the one I think about a lot is Sasuke…”

Her mouth quirked slightly. “Sure.”

He frowned at her, “So what is it, then? If that’s not?”

“I never said it wasn’t!” She said, throwing her hands up in defense,

Naruto huffed indignantly.

“Sorry, Naruto…. Sung does this when she feels like meddling in people’s lives…. She likes to give answers, but she aims to make you more confused than when you started…” Chouji explained, delicately placing one very large hand over Seung’s mouth.

“No, it’s okay, I need this,” he said, waving him off. “So I’m right then?”

“About what?” She asked as soon as her mouth was free again. She turned to Chouji, grinning, “I’m sorry, I can’t help it… and he’s so easy to confuse!” She giggled.

“Am I in love?”

“You’re starting to get it!” She exclaimed, clapping. “But you’re almost there. You’ve almost got the question.”

“‘The question’?”

She nodded exuberantly. “The question. The one EVERYONE wants to know.”

He blinked. “Wait, you mean the meaning of life? How would you know that? Is there a god? Can you read his mind?”

She rolled her eyes, “Minus 50!” She eyed him. “Think, Naruto-kun. What were we talking about?”

He hesitated. “…That I’m in love?”

Seung nodded again, slowly this time. “There you go, now know that you only get one question, so make any uncertainties into statements until you find the question you’re looking for.”

“..I’m in love.” He corrected himself. It was still practically a question.

“Good; now your question.” She had grown very still quite suddenly, and her eyes were beginning to drift closed.

The blonde thought hard. If he had been thinking about Sasuke, then wondered where he was and she answered his question, then stated that he thought ‘about him a lot,’ then… She must have meant Sasuke. There was no use asking that as his question, because somehow he knew that what she wanted was a more general question to which there was one simple answer. He knew what she wanted him to ask.

Who am I in love with?

Though he had taken a deep breath, and his mouth had opened to ask it, he couldn’t make it come out. Instead, he changed his tactic. “What is love?” He asked.

Seung had opened her mouth and began to answer, “Uchi—” When she realized that that was not what he had asked. She smiled. “Now there is a question. In all of my years, Naruto, I’m sure I haven’t met one quite like you.” She reached across the table and took one of his hands in her own. “Love is the extremely ridiculous attachment that one being has for another, built on memories they have for each other. It is an emotion; an indecent hormone which invades and corrupts the brain, a completely illogical and irrational emotion. But it is uncontrollable, uncontainable, undying, and completely, utterly, and one hundred percent critical for human survival.”

Naruto blinked in surprise and pulled his hand back from hers. He had thought he had known what to expect, a dictionary/textbook definition like ‘a connection or relationship between a man and a woman,’ but she had made no such statements, and he knew that somehow, in some, strange way, what he thought of Sasuke fit neatly into her description. But was he really in love with him?

“Do I—,”

She cut him off shortly, her eyes flashing, “You’ve asked your question, now scat. I don’t want to see your face for a very long time,” She said, smiling. “And at least not until you’ve gotten your own mess straightened out. Or Chou-kun and I have the wedding—whichever comes first.”

Naruto nodded and stood, slowly wandering out of the restaurant and entirely forgetting his plate and bill, though Seung herself would pay the waitress for him.

He had much more to think about.