Click.

When Sasuke woke, the first thing he noticed was the cold. The covers had fallen off his upper body and he was freezing. The bright yellow light stinging his eyes was from the bedside lamp that he had somehow forgotten to turn off. Right beside it, the alarm clock said 5:00 am. Groaning, he pulled on the covers and snuggled up to the warm body next to him.

"Don't hog the covers, stupid," Sasuke murmured. Receiving no answer, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

/later..

Something irritating. Some high-pitched voice.

"-kun! Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke snapped his eyes open and glared at Sakura. She was hovering right above him, a bright cheery smile on her face. She was putting on her trademark pink jacket and saying something about last night. What is she talking about?

"I gotta go to class. See you la-"

Sakura's voice was cut short as the door opened and a quiet but obviously furious Naruto came in. He slammed the door behind him and put the groceries he was carrying on the table. He breathed deeply as if to calm down, and then stared at the two.

"A-ah, Naruto. I was just getting the book you'd borrowed. I-I need it today," Sakura stammered.

She backed away from Sasuke's bed and hurried towards Naruto's bookcase, which was right on the other side of the room. She stood in front of it blankly, belatedly realizing her mistake.

"I gave it back to you yesterday," Naruto said coldly, apparently even more than furious than before.

Sasuke, who'd been watching, decided at this point that it was a lovers' quarrel that had nothing to do with him. He pulled a pillow over his head, hoping to not hear them yelling at each other as they had done for the past week.

"Well, I- I'll just go for now," Sakura said.

And don't come back, Sasuke thought.

"See ya… guys." Sakura practically ran towards the door.

Silence.

Sasuke sat up and looked at Naruto.

"You guys are fighting again- ." He was surprised to see tears forming in Naruto's eyes.

"Bastard." Naruto whispered.

/flashback..

When Naruto had gotten back from his monthly weekend visit to Iruka's and gone back to his dorm, the sight that greeted him was the last thing he'd expected. Sasuke, apparently naked though only his chest could be seen since the rest was covered by a blanket. A blanket shared with a girl. With Sakura, Naruto's girlfriend.

Shocked he had put his bags down by the door. He couldn't bear to go further in. He went back outside and closed the door quietly, not wanting to wake them up and see the guilty looks on their faces. He didn't want to hear their excuses.

Looking at his watch dazedly, it was only five in the morning. They probably hadn't expected that he would be back so early.

The dorm was a mile away from the beach, so he walked there and stared at the dark waves crashing down on the sand. The pain in his chest surprised him He made a tiny sound and put his hand over his face. He let himself fall and sat on the sand. Gripping his hair tightly, he looked out at the sea, seeing instead Sasuke, his sleeping face illuminated by the lamp. His expression had been so peaceful. His soft black hair spread out on the pillow. His hair intertwined with the pink strands of Sakura's hair.

Naruto gritted his teeth at that image. That bitch. We've only been together a week and she does this? Did she even like me to start with or was going out with me just a ploy to get closer to Sasuke?

Sakura had had a crush on Sasuke since forever. Grade school, junior high, high school. And Sasuke ignored her the whole time. Naruto had become best friends with Sasuke in high school and Sakura had had to accept grudgingly that Naruto would be closer to Sasuke than she would ever be. She had taken every opportunity she could get to make his life miserable. When they'd entered university it seemed that Sakura's feelings had finally cooled down and they'd gotten along better. So much better in fact that he had tentatively asked her out. That she accepted surprised him but he hadn't stopped to wonder why.

Sasuke. Naruto had picked quarrels with him almost the whole time Sakura 'loved' him. But in high school he'd started to see past the image Sasuke gave out, past the Sasuke that the fangirls, teachers, and the other people knew. The things he'd hated before, the seeming arrogance, the way Sasuke ignored everyone, the way he didn't give a damn about anyone else's opinions, Naruto saw in a different light. The negative impressions disappeared and Naruto saw a quiet boy who hated all the attention and yet was lonely because he was an orphan and friendless. Naruto saw a Sasuke who got irritated by screaming fangirls who cared only because he was handsome and who interpreted his ignoring them as sexy and mysterious, a Sasuke who silently raged at teachers, who when they saw he was smart, pushed their own dreams onto him. It seemed everyone wanted something from him. The ones who didn't, envied him. Or misunderstood, like Naruto had. It made Sasuke clam up, become poker faced, and generally try to avoid relationships with other people.

Naruto had stopped fighting with Sasuke and started to just hang out with him instead. Sasuke accepted this strange occurrence quietly and that had been the start of their friendship. Sasuke's silence seemed to have rubbed off on him because by the time they got to university Naruto had calmed down from being a loud, hyperactive, and generally annoying person. That and close proximity with Sasuke contributed to his semi-popularity.

I thought it was why Sakura agreed to go out with me.

The sound of people talking shook Naruto from his reverie. He stood up, ran his fingers though his windblown blond hair and started to walk back. His mood was grim and to prolong time he decided to drop by the supermarket and buy food. Time passed quickly though and he soon found himself in front of his door. The thought that Sakura might still be inside made him angry all over again. The ache got deeper in his chest. He didn't want to go in. With a deep breath, he opened the door.

A/N: tell if you've got any suggestions for the next chapter