Disclaimer: I think we all know who owns the rights to Naruto. And it isn't me.

Author's Notes: (pant) (gasp) (huff) This took SO much freaking ENERGY to write. It just refused to stop! It was fun, but... damn it was hard. And I still think the plot is shaky at best. Sigh. And the layout... I'm not entirely sure about it. I also think it's kind of shaky. I while ago I had this idea of writing a story with a little "inner mind theater" thing stuck in special points, but when I first came up with that, the "inner mind theater" thing was totally smutty. I tried it with this story and found it really didn't work, so I trashed it in favor of children. Because really, who doesn't love writing about children? They're so adorable and easy to manipulate!

Anyway, I've been totally, totally, TOTALLY swamped with homework and crap. Spring Break? Yeah, NO. I got assigned two big-ass projects and haven't done a single thing to either of them. Yay I'm going to fail this semester

Dedication: To all my reviewers, but mainly Bonfiore'sGirl, who is such a comfort when I need one. I always feel so guilty about fangirling over Naruto as much as I do now when I used to hate it, but she's always there to fangirl right along with me, and that always makes me feel better. Anyone to fangirl with me always, always makes me feel much better. She's such a great friend, and I really hope she knows how much I appreciate her. And she wrote the poem that's used in this fic! SQUEAL! How cool is that?! So this one's for you, Mary! X3 Hope you like!

Warning: I drop quite a few F-bombs. Because it's fun. But that's about it. Also, I write from both Sasuke's and Naruto's POVs. A change in POV will be announced with a sentence like this.

Nobody looked at him the same way now. Even though the accident happened years ago. He was fine with that, however, since they were all annoying anyway. They typically left him alone, because they were afraid of the dark, haunted look that his eyes had acquired since the accident.

It wasn't truly an "accident" as the word is generally defined. It was a murder, a well-planned, vicious, completely intentional murder. Murder might have been a light word, though. In normal conversation, words like "slaughter" and "bloodbath" were typically used. He, the only survivor, had never been quite the same...

But there had been a time where he was not avoided like he was. He had been loved once. His family had loved him, yes, but they were no longer of this world... but not just them. There had been one other. Blond hair, blue eyes. Bright, bright blue eyes, the clearest shade of blue he'd ever seen. Any other blues he saw after those eyes seemed pale and lifeless in comparison. Exuberant and annoying are two adjectives that came to anyone else's mind when they thought of that someone. Beautiful was what came to his mind. That someone had been beautiful, he remembered. The very epitome of the sun. Bright like the sun, and the only sun to light his world...

"Hey, did you hear? We're getting a transfer student here today!" Sakura squealed, just within my hearing range. I frowned slightly, but shrugged it off. I wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation, not in the slightest. I didn't care about what two empty-headed bimbos had to say. They just happened to be talking much too loudly to be legal. And there was nothing better to focus on besides the meaningless doodles that had been scraped into my desk, and I had been staring at those for the last twenty minutes out of the good half-hour we'd been waiting for our teacher to show up. They were getting boring.

"Really? Ooooh, I hope it's a hot guy." Ino giggled suggestively and glanced at me. If I'd chosen to look at her, I probably would have seen a hungry gleam in her eyes, or noticed her shoulders contracting very slightly, just enough to squish her breasts together and give herself a little more cleavage. I rolled my eyes and returned to tracing the carvings in my desk.

"Settle down, class, settle down!" their teacher, Iruka-sensei, finally made it to class, looking ruffled and red-faced (courtesy of one silver-haired pervert who was always late). "We have a new student today... well, sort of. He says he lived here when he was little, so some of you might remember him. His name is--"

"--Uzumaki Naruto!" a new, eager voice interrupted, and the class's attention was drawn to the new student. My mouth dropped open.

"That is Uzumaki Naruto?!" Ino whispered, utterly shell-shocked. "I remember him! He was that annoying dork who had a crush on you, Sakura!"

Blond hair, blue eyes. Beautiful. Uzumaki Naruto. The only one who had truly liked me. He was back.

But he wasn't the same. Nobody but me would have called Naruto beautiful back then, but now every single person was staring at him, their eyes popping. He seemed to radiate a glow, a pretty glow that attracted people to him. His smile was just as sunny, his eyes just as brilliant. Even underneath his baggy orange t-shirt and black jeans, one could tell his body was shapely and very nicely toned. A little bit of pink dusted my cheeks, to my chagrin.

Unknowingly, in response to this unfavorable show of emotion, I scowled heavily.

Screams of laughter echo all around them, but Sasuke can't hear any of them. They just faded in briefly and faded out as if they'd never been at all, but were quickly replaced with new echoing shouts of laughter. Sasuke sits a little apart from the rest of the children, in the shade of a tree, clenching his eight-year-old hands in his lap. They don't notice him. They don't need to. They are having fun, and Sasuke wouldn't have fun if he joined their game. So he just watches them chasing each other in the too-bright sunlight, romping on the too-green grass, falling all over each other in their surreal environment. Then eight-year-old Naruto wanders over from the other side of the grassy field, where he had been doing exactly the same as Sasuke. Sitting alone, by himself, watching the other children play. He sits himself down very close to Sasuke, close enough so their shoulders are pressed against each other. He asks Sasuke if he is lonely. Sasuke replies that he isn't. Naruto says he thinks Sasuke is lying.

"So, uh, I guess some of you remember me?" Naruto laughed a little, a light trill that was very uplifting. "Hi?"

"Hi!" one girl shrieked in response. "There's an empty desk next to me, you can sit here!" Immediately the rest of the class jumped on her statement and squabbled fiercely over where the cute blond would sit. I chewed on my lower lip, trying to appear cool and indifferent... or not antsy at least.

"How about you sit in the back, next to Uchiha-kun?" Iruka suggested, obviously nervous about this kind of welcome, and seeing as I was the only one who hadn't fought over the new transfer, it would be safest to put Naruto next to me, right? Apparently he hadn't noticed my dark expression.

"Uchiha? Not like Uchiha Sasuke?" Naruto's electric eyes followed the teacher's finger to the back of the classroom with new interest. "I remember that bastard!" the class shared a collective chuckle. I'm pretty sure my scowl deepened here, but I couldn't be entirely sure since my head was spinning from the force of all these unwanted rushes of emotion. I wasn't used to that.

Though after the amusement had passed, I noticed the tone of the whispers around him changed. They were darker now, more worried. I knew instantly they were wondering about my "new disposition". Maybe trying to remember me like Uzumaki remembered me. I doubted they could.

"Hey." Naruto slid into his seat, smiling uncertainly at me. I only noticed out of the corner of my eye, because I refused to look directly at him. I couldn't bear to think about what kind of weird feelings would twist my gut if I made eye contact. "What's up? It's me, Naruto. Do you remember me, bastard?"

Finally I figured what the fuck. If I was doomed anyway. I took a few seconds to force any emotion off my face and finally risked looking up. I could have sworn Naruto's breath caught in his throat, but I definitely wasn't betting on anything. In fact, the less I had to do with this beautiful creature, the better.

"Yes, I remember you." I said shortly, and proceeded to ignore the bewildered blond.

I spent the whole first period of my first day back home trying to get Sasuke to talk to me, or at least look at me. Neither of which he gave me. The bastard had some pretty terrifying self-control, I had to give him points for that. After all, I had only been flicking little paper notes at him for maybe a minute, tops, before he hissed at me out of the corner of his mouth, "If you insist on not paying attention to class, Uzumaki, why don't you spend your first day back annoying someone who actually still gives a flying fuck about you?" Yeah, that one had really hurt. But then again, I always knew he was a bastard. It's just... he had been my bastard when I lived here. We were inseparable. Uchiha and Uzumaki. The Double-Us (like that pun hadn't been coming for miles and miles). Resident troublemakers and the best pair of friends you could ever find. Most of my pictures from way back when had him in them. I had looked at those a whole lot before I came back here, just so I could get to know everyone again, and boy had Sasuke been an adorable little kid! He had been such a mama's boy, I remembered that really clearly. He had these big dark eyes that reflected whatever he was looking at and these really squishy little cheeks that I just wanted to pinch and--

Ok. I think you get the picture. Sasuke had been, like, the perfect little boy. And we had been the perfect friends. Now, however... I was just lost. I just sat there, watching Sasuke when I thought he wasn't paying attention and wondering where that adorable little kid had gone. Wherever he was, he was probably in the same metaphorical trashcan as our old friendship. The Sasuke sitting there now was dark and brooding. He didn't smile, I saw that right away. Little Kid Sasuke had smiled for me. But this one wouldn't, I could tell. He just glared at everything. Maybe he was trying to set the whole world on fire. Frankly, that wouldn't surprise me, given this new Sasuke's attitude. I couldn't quite tell if this new Sasuke despised the world or simply didn't care enough to muster up the energy to hate it. Maybe he was somewhere in between. Whatever he felt for the world, it certainly wasn't positive.

Sasuke glares at the blond next to him. It's stupid to think that, he scoffs. I'm not lying. Why would you think something like that when I'm clearly fine? Naruto regards him carefully and brushes one finger under Sasuke's eye. He says Sasuke isn't fine. He shows Sasuke the wetness on his fingertip that proved it. Sasuke is crying, Naruto says. Why can't Sasuke tell that he's crying? Once Sasuke knows, however, he could feel a wave of misery rise up from a black hole in his heart and threaten to rip apart his sanity. He barely chokes back a sob and hides his face in his lap, feeling for the first time the warm tears flowing down his cheeks. He tells Naruto that he thinks he's stupid. He's stupid for pointing out what Sasuke was blissfully ignorant of. Naruto replies that healing can only start once you feel the pain. Sasuke doesn't hear him through the blood pounding in his ears.

Sasuke was gone the second the bell released us. I wandered out a little more slowly, thinking. Not as rare an occurrence as one would think... but I digress. I was so caught up in my thinking that I didn't notice anyone around me, which naturally lead to a collision.

All I heard was a frightened squeak and felt something soft smack into my chest, then both of us were on the ground, rubbing our sore butts.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry!" I jumped up right away. "Are you okay... woah! It can't be! Hinata?!" And indeed, my old friend Hyuuga Hinata was laying on the ground before me, wincing as she stood. Her dark hair had grown out, and she had definitely, ahem, filled out a lot in the chest region, which suited me just fine. Otherwise, she still had that same attractively pale skin, those same milky-white eyes that looked blind but could see perfectly fine, and, as soon as she got her first glimpse of me, that same brilliant shade of red that completely colored her cheeks.

"N-N-Naruto-kun!" she stuttered, shying away from my outstretched hand and helping herself up. "It's really me... It's so w-wonderful to see you!" a glowing smile lit up her face. Combined with the furious blush coloring her face, I half-thought I was looking at a stoplight-turned-human. A very pretty stoplight, but a stoplight nonetheless.

"Hinata, I saw you fall, are you-- Damn, if it isn't Uzumaki Naruto!" Another of my old friends came skidding down the hall. None other than Inuzuka Kiba, pointy eyes crinkled and fangs bared in a wide, friendly smile.

"Dog Boy! It's great to see you!" We were a little unsure of what to do in such a situation, so we settled for a weird sort of gesture in between a handshake and a high-five.

"We've got so much catching up to do, eh? A lot happened after you left." Kiba said, then turned back to Hinata for a moment. I snickered to myself. Oh yeah, Dog Boy had a huge crush on Hinata. I remembered that much from our younger days. And it was obvious that little crush had flourished over the years, judging by the way Kiba morphed into a doting mother hen as soon as he set eyes on the Hyuuga girl (or at least as much of a mother hen as a manly man like Kiba could be). I waited as patiently as one with my attention span could.

"Ok, ok, Kiba, she's fine, now can we go already?" I whined. Kiba shot me a pointed glare, but Hinata just smiled prettily.

"Wh-where would you like to go, Naruto-kun?" she asked. I was impressed. Her speech was a lot more smooth since the last time I saw her.

"Hmm... Is that ramen place still around? Ichiraku's?" I asked thoughtfully. They both nodded. "Great! You guys will be paying, right?" I winked at the glare form Kiba this earned me and waltzed off down the hallway. We snagged any other people who wanted to come along the way. Only one person was missing...

"Sasuke-teme!" I shouted at the Uchiha when I spotted him buried in his locker. He turned an intense stare on me when I called him, making me feel like I was being x-rayed. After a short, tension-filled staring contest, Sasuke snorted, slammed his locker shut and stormed away from me.

I just gulped a little. A hand placed itself on my shoulder, maybe trying to be comforting, but I didn't really feel it. I think I just wanted Sasuke's eyes on me again, but not the way they were. They were so dead. I hated to see my best friend in such a condition.

If I took the shortest route home, I had to pass by the graveyard. Usually, I refused to do that. I knew that it was stupid, that I couldn't see the particular graves that I was afraid of from the front of the place anyway, but it was irrational. I didn't bother to fight it. So instead I veered way off course and mapped a much longer path home.

That day, I didn't feel like going home right away. I stopped at a local park and commandeered a bench for myself. If anyone tried to sit on it, they were immediately frightened away by my glare. That's one thing I liked about my face. Otherwise, I thought it was too attractive. Don't get me wrong, I really wasn't vain like everyone thought I was (and just for the record, I really didn't use any hair gel. Why should I? That would take too long. My hair naturally spiked like that). I only disliked my face because it attracted all sorts of girls, none of which were in love with my personality. They were bothersome. None of them really knew me.

Not like Uzumaki had known me...

This thought drew me into reflections. I stared blankly into the groups of children who were playing, rolling around, play-fighting on the grass. Naruto and I had been like that... tighter than real brothers. So why did I push him away these past few weeks since he came back? Why was I so afraid to let him in now? He'd understand completely about my situation... he was just caring like that. Maybe that's why I was afraid to let him in. He was so caring... I'd open up right away. Spill all the poison that blackened my soul to him. And if I opened up... it'd be like serving my heart to Naruto on a golden platter. If he threw it away, I would break.

I sighed, running my fingers absentmindedly through my dark hair and laying down flat on the bench. My eyes hurt. It wouldn't be too much of a problem to shut them for a while... it's not like anyone was paying attention to me anyway. I was completely in... control...

Naruto waits patiently while Sasuke sobs into his hands. It's Sasuke. Naruto will do anything for Sasuke. But he's still a hyperactive, impatient eight-year-old, so he shifts and fidgets while Sasuke cries. When Sasuke calms down enough to look up again, Naruto is overjoyed and immediately pulls the brunette off to play. Sasuke's eyes are red and puffy, and his cheeks are still tear-stained, but a small smile breaks through the picture of misery, and he tackles Naruto to the ground. Naruto knows what has happened the second his scratched cheek hits the cool grass, and he laughs brightly, spinning around and fighting Sasuke off.

When I rose to consciousness again, the first thing I sensed was one big fat ache in my neck and a few little pains in my joints. The next thing I sensed was the change in temperature. It had been fairly warm when I fell asleep, but now it was pleasantly chilly. Lastly, I felt someone sitting next to me.

I groaned and shifted. "You're awake?" a familiar nasally voice asked me. Some little emo in the corner of my mind shrieked in irritation. My little nine-year old self in the other corner of my mind squealed in happiness.

"Not you." I muttered, sitting up and stretching. Naruto's grinning face stared right back at me. "Oh, please, not you. I can't deal with you now."

"I'm happy to see you too, teme." Naruto snorted. "Now, was there any particular reason you fell asleep on a public park bench? Did your brother kick you out of the house?"

I felt an irrational surge of hatred, though whether it was aimed at Naruto or my brother I wasn't entirely sure. "I live alone." I replied curtly. Naruto must have picked up on my change in tone.

"Oh, so you DID get kicked out! What'd you do? You piss your dad off for not being the perfect little angel Itachi is? Or--"

"Itachi is dead!" I snarled finally. Naruto's face immediately twisted with remorse. I looked away, unable to stand seeing those pretty blue eyes like that. I didn't need and rather hated pity. Pity couldn't change the past. Pity couldn't bring the dead back. What use did I have for it?

"Oh... oh god. I'm sorry. I had no idea... I'm so sorry. God, I'm such a dumbass! I really didn't know--"

"Whatever." I cut him off, my eyelids drooping again. I was exhausted and wanted nothing better than to crawl into my warm, comfortable bed and sleep for a good, solid eight hours. "Just go, Uzumaki... I'm tired. I'm going home." I was about to stand up and leave like I said I was going to, but two strong arms caught me around the waist and pulled me into Naruto's lap. I let out a very unmanly squeal at this. "What the hell, Uzumaki?! Let me go!"

"I upset you." Naruto said, his voice muffled due to the fact that he had his face pressed against the back of my shoulder. I shivered, but if he asked, I decided I could blame it on the temperature. It was partly true, after all. It was pretty cold and I forgot a jacket. Just another reason why I resented the warmth of Naruto's arms. "You're angry and hurt now. I don't want you to hurt."

"What are you now, a shrink? Let me go!" I ordered angrily, pushing on his shoulders to try to get him to let me out. My determination was fading rapidly, though. "God, Uzumaki, just let me go! Guys aren't supposed to get in positions like this!"

"I don't care, I'm bi. And you didn't use to care. We did this all the time when we were kids." Naruto murmured into my shoulder. His lips sent prickles across my skin. "You never cared then."

"We were kids." I explained exasperatedly. Somewhere in the back of my mind, something was lifting it's head up and sniffing the air hopefully. Naruto was bi? Interesting... "We didn't know any better. We could get away with it because we were kids."

"So? I don't care!" Naruto insisted forcefully. "You're still my friend, Sasuke, whatever you think. And I don't want to watch my friends hurt in silence."

Crack. My mental walls were cracking as effectively as if Naruto's words had turned into a metaphorical hammer that he smashed into the wall. I trembled for a moment or two, torn over what to do, then again decided what the fuck. Fate likes to screw with me enough anyway. Why not take the ball and run with it? So I relaxed into a more comfortable position, accompanied by a muttered, "Just a little while, dobe." Then I closed my heavy eyelids again, savoring the warmth Naruto was giving me.

If Fate decided to fuck me over again... I don't know what I'd do if I let Naruto in then lost him again.

Stupid Sasuke fell asleep on me again and I was forced to carry him back to my house. I considered leaving him there, but as a responsible and caring friend, I couldn't just abandon him to get mugged, raped and killed on the streets.

... OK, so maybe it wouldn't have been that extreme, but I'm pretty sure his wallet would have been stolen at least.

I couldn't remember where exactly Sasuke lived, and I didn't want to risk wandering around in the dark for hours, getting all the wrong houses. Plus, though he looked really slim, Sasuke was actually as heavy as if I picked up a wheel-less wheelbarrow full of bricks.

Needless to say, my guardian Jiraiya had a lot of interesting things to say about why I was carrying a completely knocked out, very gorgeous teen into the house bridal-style. Not to mention my hand had accidentally pushed his shirt up a little while I was carrying him and I couldn't stop staring at that little slip of skin on his flat stomach that revealed and thinking very inappropriate thoughts. It wasn't my fault the guy was so damn erotic when he slept! Then again, he was pretty erotic when awake, too. Every line of him gushed sex. No wonder he had girls throwing their virginity at his feet every day. Not that he took any.

Stupid Ero-sennin. He kept winking suggestively at me and asking for tips for his new perverted book.

At least I could tease Sasuke-teme when he woke up in the morning.

Somehow the two manage to fall to the grass at the same time, limbs tangled together, breaths mixing in the cool evening air. The boys' play fight had lasted for hours, and now the sun was gone. Sasuke savors the warm body laying on top of him, and wonders if anyone would care if they slept out there, underneath the stars, all night. Naruto shifts a bit and leans up enough to look into Sasuke's eyes, such warmth and compassion shimmering in his blues that something inside Sasuke swooped. It scared him a bit, that someone could feel so deeply for him of all people. Sasuke shudders and shoves Naruto off. Naruto lands on his butt unpleasantly, a look of confusion and hurt twisting his face. Sasuke says bitterly that the sun set, so they should go home. Go home, and pretend this never happened... that was left unsaid.

Light hit my eyes the moment I opened them. I wasn't used to this. I groaned angrily and turned over, hiding my face from the light. I was just preparing to sleep for a few more hours when I noticed the noises of a shower running. Odd. I wondered if Ero-sennin was up or something... he usually didn't shower until after I went to school.

School...

"HOLY SHIT!" I shrieked, leaping up and grabbing my alarm clock. "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T THIS THING GO OFF?! ERO-SENINN, I'M GOING TO BE LAAATE!"

At top speed I raced through my house, throwing on whatever clothes were around and popping a bit of toast into the toaster. When I had finished tying my shoes and ran out to the kitchen to put my dirty plate away for washing, Jiraiya was bending over the fridge, rooting through it.

"Ey, kid, did you take the last of the jam?" he asked me mournfully. My mouth dropped.

"You finished off the jam yesterday, and what the hell kind of joke is this? If you aren't in the shower, who is?"

"You mean you forgot your pretty friend?" Jiraiya snickered at me. "That really attractive kid you brought home yesterday?"

"Oh, Sasuke-teme." How could I have forgotten him?

"Since he woke up earlier than you, I told him he was free to use our shower and steal some of your clothes for today. He's the one who turned off your alarm." Jiraiya informed me cheerily.

"What?! Ero-sennin, you know I don't have any clean clothes!" I whined at him. Jiraiya just winked at me and floated out of the room.

"Not my problem."

"Uh, Uzumaki...?" Sasuke took that moment to make his entrance. I'm pretty sure my heart stopped. He was clothed in only a towel around his waist, and a pretty short towel too... droplets of water were still running down his pretty skin, a little hint of steam was still rising off him, and his hair was still drenched and clinging to the back of his neck... oh god. Don't explode in your pants yet, Naruto. Calm. Cool. Think of something nasty...like Ero-sennin in a pink miniskirt. Yeah, ew. Major turn-off.

"Hello?" Sasuke sounded annoyed, and waved one hand in front of my face. Dear lord. His towel slipped a little without the extra support. "Your guardian said I could borrow some of your clothes..."

"Yeah, go ahead." I said, my voice cracking a little. I sounded like I just hit puberty. How embarrassing. "Take any ones you want."

Still staring suspiciously at me, Sasuke retreated to my room and sternly forbade me from following him in or spying at all. Like I wanted to. Well, okay, I really did want to, but I was pretty sure that if I did any such thing, Sasuke would end up suing me for sexual harassment. Or rape. It would depend on how long he left his pants off while he changed.

Sasuke ended up choosing the only things in my wardrobe that weren't orange (why shouldn't I have so much of such a great color when I could make it work so fucking awesomely?). He returned wearing a pair of tan cargo pants and a black skin-tight shirt... or, it was skin-tight on me, at least. I had a bit more muscle than Sasuke, so it flopped just a little off Sasuke's lanky frame. But he still managed to make it look sexy. I would have been severely shocked if there was anything Sasuke couldn't make sexy. Fuck, the guy could come out wearing a garbage bag and he'd still be sexy.

"Ready to go, then?" I asked cheekily. I could sense that Sasuke wasn't too happy with me at the moment. He kept muttering about the lack of variation or style in my wardrobe (I resented that) and shooting sullen looks at me. I rolled my eyes. Whatever, Sasuke couldn't stay mad at me for long.

It was only natural that Uzumaki and I attracted many strange looks when we walked into school together, side by side like friends. After all, I had spent the majority of my energy pushing the dobe away up until now. Plus, we were two of the most attractive guys in our year, walking into school together. Let's not mention the hysteria that my wearing Uzumaki's clothes caused.

Uzumaki was talking nonstop at me. I tuned it out, since most of it was just ramblings, but one thing he said caught my attention.

"Hey, Sasuke, why don't you smile anymore?"

I snapped out of my zone and sent him a cold stare. He didn't flinch or back down at all. I had to say I was just a little impressed, since no one had ever done that before. If I glared at them, they got out of my way.

I snorted. "That's a stupid question, dobe."

"Are you gonna answer it?" he probed.

"No." And that was the end of that. He pouted a bit.

"Come on, Sasuke! I liked your smile back when we were kids! I bet it's just as pretty. Smile for me, please?"

Heat balled in my cheeks a bit. Uzumaki thought I was pretty... then again, so did the rest of the population. "Why should I? Give me a reason to, moron." I countered.

"Shouldn't my glorious presence by itself make you smile?" he said cockily, nudging me with his elbow. I rolled my eyes.

"Apparently not." I retorted, smirking at him. He glared right back.

"That doesn't count, Sasuke! That's not a smile! Come on, please?"

"Just drop it, Uzumaki!" I snapped finally. Naruto frowned but didn't bring it up again. Perhaps he was thinking about Itachi and what I revealed yesterday.

My stare hardened a little as I glared down at my desk, the teacher droning somewhere in the background. Yesterday. I had come to the conclusion that yesterday was a fluke. I certainly hadn't meant to let slip as much as I did, even though that wasn't much. Just that Itachi was dead... Uzumaki still didn't know the circumstances surrounding the death. I didn't like to think about that. I was pretty sure I'd snap if I let myself dwell.

The hurt in Naruto's eyes intensifies instantaneously. It bites Sasuke hard in his heart, but he doesn't want anything else to do with Naruto. He doesn't want to be hurt again. Naruto glares at him, tears glinting in his eyes, but those tears will never be shed. Naruto wipes them away and grabs Sasuke's arm, declaring that he won't let go. Not now, not ever. Sasuke tries to jerk his arm away, but Naruto's grasp is like iron. Finally Sasuke growls angrily and gives his arm an almighty wrench. Naruto, who wasn't prepared, accidentally lets Sasuke go, and Sasuke is instantly gone, flying over the blue-bathed grass. Naruto doesn't waste any time lamenting, but takes off after his friend, his beloved, immediately.

I sighed heavily. If I wasn't going to dwell on that, my mind instantly turned to the only other thing occupying it at the time: Uzumaki. In regards to him, I think I disgusted myself just a little. I felt like a grade schooler in the first stages of puppy love.

I glanced briefly at Uzumaki sitting in the front row and found my eyes lingering on his hair glinting, the curve of his cheek... I didn't want to love him. I really didn't, because everyone I loved died. I didn't want him to leave me too.

Finally I thought fuck trying to concentrate and rested my head on my desk, earning me a weird look from my classmate.

I needed to know that Uzumaki was going to stay loyal to me. I couldn't let him in otherwise. And I couldn't just come out and say something like, "Uzumaki, I'm madly in love with you, please let me bear your man-babies." How was I supposed to tell Uzumaki that I was head over heels for him without actually telling him?

A plan drew itself out for me. Slowly I pulled out a piece of paper and started to write.

Sasuke was so tuned out the rest of the class. Again he refused to talk to me, but his aura was more contemplative than hostile, which was okay, I thought. I would have given quite a lot to know what he was thinking about, though. He was wearing his "fire-starter" glare that day, and aiming it at the poor desk.

While I was zoning out, thinking about my friend, I absentmindedly opened my locker and was immediately hit by a shower of... letters. I just stared at them on the ground. A lot of them were sealed with pink heart stickers. A few of them had green ink on the front. I picked one up and opened it curiously.

"A... love letter?" I said blankly. I opened a few more. "What the heck? They're all love letters!"

"Well, yeah!" a voice giggled from behind me, and I found two girls sending flirty looks at me and giggling as they hurried away. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why they were acting so weird.

"Dobe, they like you."

"Sasuke! Finally, someone who can explain!" I cried piteously, latching onto my friend as he approached me from behind. Sasuke huffed a little, but didn't force me off. Instead, he scowled so icily at the letters at my feet that I wouldn't have been surprised to see icicles shoot out of his eyes and tear them apart.

"I said, usurankontachi, they like you." he repeated impatiently.

"But why?" I insisted.

"Why not?" Sasuke muttered, slurring his words so much he might have said something else. It was nice to believe that he really did say something like that about me, though.

"What was that, Sasuke?" I asked cheekily, nudging him in the side. He ignored me. "I still don't understand." I feigned ignorance in a ploy to get Sasuke to compliment me, just once. "Why do they like me?"

"... Dobe..." Heh, Sasuke was really struggling. He was frowning heavily, his lips moving independent of his words, and he touched his face lightly, nervously. "Just get Sakura to tell you. You're close to her, right?" he said finally, avoiding my gaze. I indulged in a minuscule bit of disappointment before swiping the negative feeling away.

"I guess." I sighed dramatically and was about to walk away (maybe he would follow me and beg my forgiveness?) when I spotted something in Sasuke's hand. A letter...

I smirked and reached for it. "Oh, is that for me too?" I cooed teasingly.

"Nah-ah, dobe, not now." Sasuke waved the letter enticingly in my face then snatched it out of my grasp right at the last second as I swiped for it. "You can read this at the right moment, but not now."

I blinked a few times. "Wait, that really is for me? I was just kidding."

Sasuke pocketed the letter. Was that a bit of blush I saw on his cheeks? "Shut up, dobe. It's not a girly love letter or anything," he gave the letters on the ground, the ones that had fallen from my locker, a condescending sneer, "not like those ones from your fans. But you can read it later."

My mouth dropped open. "No way! Sasuke, let me read it now!" but he just waved to me without turning around as he strolled off. Damn him and his sexy ass... I just couldn't follow him.

Sasuke is ahead of him, running fast on those long, pale legs of his. His skin is like a moonbeam against the dark sky, so it's easy to keep him in sight. Naruto's lungs are on fire, burning from the inside, and his legs are crying with every time he urges them to keep going, keep going. Then a rock maliciously finds it's way under Naruto's foot, and Naruto goes flying stupendously forward, planting his face ruthlessly against the hard dirt. Sasuke unconsciously skids to a halt and turns to make sure his friend is okay, then he remembers that he's supposed to be fleeing from him. But Naruto looks so miserable as he scrambles to his shaky feet, knees bleeding lightly and tears mixing with the dirt on his face, that Sasuke can't bear to leave him behind. He waits until Naruto can run again before resuming his escape.

"God, Iruka-sensei! He's such an arrogant prick!" I ranted at my favorite teacher. Iruka nodded sympathetically.

"Yes, he just has trouble relating to others." he said, glancing at me as he graded papers.

"... What happened to Sasuke's brother, Itachi, anyway?" I asked cautiously. It seemed like something I shouldn't ask about, but I needed to know. It seemed somehow connected to Sasuke's new personality... his new darkness. "I heard he was dead..."

Iruka jumped a little and met my determined gaze. "W-Well, Naruto, that's a... um..." Iruka shifted nervously. "It's sort of an unspoken rule that we don't talk about that around Sasuke. You see... he is dead, along with the rest of Sasuke's family."

"Oh..." something in my stomach twisted unpleasantly. I had no idea...

"Sasuke was only twelve or thirteen." Iruka shook his head and returned his eyes to his papers. "It was deeply traumatizing for him, so we don't talk about it around him. Please be sensitive, Naruto?" his tone was pleading a little, but he didn't need to tell me that. Sasuke was still hurting from that incident, and not even I was going to make it worse with my clumsiness.

"I will." I said firmly, and darted out of the room. I needed to find the graveyard.

I read and reread the letter I had written to Uzumaki so many times that the words seemed stupid to me now. But they were all that I had. It didn't matter if they sounded stupid to me or not, because Uzumaki was the one I had to worry about.

I groaned to myself. Uzumaki was the one I was worried about. What if he couldn't figure it out? It was a little obvious, though... even a moron like him could figure it out. Hopefully. I didn't want to stake anything too high if my love life was dependent on Naruto's puzzle-solving abilities.

I kicked a rock a bit. The breeze toyed with my hair. It was so calming... from my position on the roof of my house, I could see the entire city. It was stretched out before me like it was a picture in a pop-up book. It felt kind of nice to let everything go an imagine the world was just some child's toy for a moment.

But I was brought abruptly back into reality by spotting a very familiar head of blond marching purposefully down the street. I frowned contemplatively. Where would Naruto be going at this time of day, and past my home? He obviously wasn't going to visit me, because he marched right past my building. He didn't even know where I lived.

I watched him like a hawk as he approached the corner of the street. There he was stopped momentarily by a gang of three girls in skirts much too short for my liking. I ground my teeth with frustration. They were obviously hitting on him. I could tell from their body language. Each had one hip cocked out, a hand on that hip. They batted their eyes a lot. One bold one even sidled up to him and nudged him a bit with her elbow.

I hated it. I was sick of people- not just girls, some boys too, because apparently someone had let it slip that Uzumaki was bisexual- hitting on him, constantly, everywhere he went! The idiot didn't even know! He just smiled and played along with them, like they were friends instead of sluts! They interrupted our conversations too. It took an unpleasant amount of my considerable self-control not to deck the stupid wanna-be's in their faces, or else drag Uzumaki off to an abandoned classroom and claim him as mine once and for all.

Those girls, though... Naruto just waved them off. They looked mightily disappointed before waltzing off, erasing him instantly from their minds completely. That peaked my interest. Normally Naruto would spend some time talking to them (to my chagrin). He must have had a pretty important mission to not spare the time to make new "friends".

That settled my mind for me. I shoved Uzumaki's letter into my pocket, scrambled off my roof as fast as I could and crept down the street as surreptitiously as possible. It wasn't too hard to tail Naruto. He never looked behind him, he was so single-minded.

Then he abruptly turned. Dread clenched my stomach. He turned directly into the graveyard.

Furious tears are falling from Naruto's eyes as he scrambles up from the ground. His knees are bleeding and stinging and his face burns, but the worst part is he's sure that Sasuke has gotten away. Which means he's incredibly surprised to look up and see Sasuke waiting there for him to stand up again. Naruto's breath catches as he locks eyes with Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes are shining with remorse. He's sorry that Naruto is in pain. But there's no help for them. Not yet. Sasuke starts running again, and Naruto continues chasing.

Itachi was all I could think as I edged cautiously around the tombstones. Then the logical part of my mind booted the phobic part out and scolded me. He could be visiting anyone, it said nastily. The world doesn't revolve around you and your sorrows, you know!

But I knew the path Uzumaki was taking by heart. It lead right to my family. And my family's graves were the ones he halted in front of.

I couldn't tell what he was feeling, as his back was still to me. But I guess it really didn't matter, because I didn't care for his pity and there was no possible way he could feel the creeping horror and stabbing pain that I felt. He certainly wouldn't have been happy. I didn't want to see him depressed. What other feelings mattered beyond those?

I let Naruto bow his head in lonely silence for a moment, then I stepped forward next to him, touching his shoulder lightly. He jumped.

"Sasuke! What, uh... what are doing here?" he sounded nervous, stuttering like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

I didn't smile or chuckle or whatever shit was expected of me. "I just had a feeling I should come." I said softly. It sounded a lot better than I stalked you here.

"Ah..." Naruto said quietly, then looked back at the graves. We stared at them without speaking.

"My parents went first." I said quietly after a time. I knew Naruto must have been burning with curiosity. "They were murdered. I came home from school one day to find the living room, covered in blood... and their bodies..."

Naruto inhaled sharply. "Sasuke, you don't need to--"

"My father had protected my mother, you know." I continued quietly, emotionless, like I read it out of a horror novel. "His body was laying on top of hers... and then Itachi came out."

"Sasuke, you really don't need--" Naruto was pleading with me now, but I cut him off again.

"He had one of our father's antique swords. Head to toe, stained with blood, and none of it was his. He just smirked at me and told me he finally got rid of them, our parents. They were nuisances, they only held him back. Then he turned the sword on me."

Naruto winced. "Sasuke..."

"I guess I only survived because I was good at running away." I pressed on, a bitter edge creeping into my voice. "I begged that bastard for my life. I ran and hid. I managed to stay hidden until the police arrived, and stayed hidden as Itachi tried to resist arrest. The police accidentally killed him."

Naruto's throat sounded dry. "Sasuke, that's..."

"That's reality." I sighed and ran one hand through my hair. "That's what happened. And it's in the past. I'm past it." The lie burned my tongue.

"Are you?" Naruto asked quietly. Something inside me swooped. No way, he couldn't have been that good at reading people, could he...? "You aren't open, Sasuke. You don't trust people anymore. Even a moron like me could see that. And frankly, after what you just told me, you have a pretty damn valid reason. But just because one person betrayed you and ruined your life doesn't mean that there aren't others who can mend your heart. Don't push everyone away, Sasuke." He was pleading again. "Don't push me away."

My head was swirling. If he was implying what I thought he was implying... maybe I could trust him after all. One hand fingered the letter in my pocket. It was time. My fist clenched around it and brought it into the open. Brief recognition flashed in Naruto's eyes.

"I guess now would be the best time to give this to you." I said softly, swallowing hard. This was going to hurt... "Uzumaki." I said, my voice a little louder and more official. "This isn't exactly a letter. It's a poem... a puzzle, sort of. Solve it. Until you solve it, I don't want to have anything to do with you. My birthday is in three weeks... I want the answer by then. If you can't get it by then, I want you out of my life." I thrust the letter into the stunned blond's hand and strode out of the graveyard, not looking back once.

When Sasuke said to get out of his life, he really, really meant it. No matter what I did the next day, he refused to talk to me, acknowledge me... he wouldn't even look at me. And it hurt more than I ever thought it would.

I growled to myself, sending a resentful look at the back of Sasuke's head, where he sat at the front of the class. That jerk had no right to make things so difficult! How ironic was it that right after I practically begged him to not push me away, he tells me that he doesn't want anything to do with me?! What an ass.

Then again, another little voice pushed itself to the front of my mind, he does kind of have a good reason. I mean, his brother killed his family! Right in front of him! That's got to be even the teeniest bit scarring. He's probably testing you.

A stupid way of testing, though. I shot back at that little voice of reason. It shut up, grumbling resentfully.

The letter hadn't left my person since he gave it to me yesterday. I read it and reread it again and again and again until I had the whole thing memorized, but still I didn't let the letter out of my grasp. I felt like it was something precious, some precious key that came straight from Sasuke's heart. It was the only key to opening the thick lock he'd erected around himself.
But, of course, it wouldn't help anything if I couldn't solve the damn thing.

Instead of taking notes, I pulled the letter out of my pocket, smoothing the worn crinkles and scanning it again.

A poem.

"If the day is orange,
and the night is blue,
Then I am the night
and the day is you.
Opposites attract,
as the sun does the moon.
There is one thing
that can make me swoon.
Bring it to me,
and I'll smile for you.
Just finish this poem...
(hint: three words.)"

I ground my teeth at the last line. Hint? He thought I needed a hint? What an arrogant, cocky prick.

Then again... I had absolutely no idea what he meant by that. Sun and moon? What did the sun and moon have anything to do with us? And opposites? Was he thinking of magnets? There was one part I could understand, though. "There is one thing/ that can make me swoon./ Bring it to me/ and I'll smile for you." That was simple enough. Sasuke liked something, and if I could find it, then he'd smile for me, like I asked him to. Easy enough for him to say...

I sighed and resisted slamming my head against the desk.

I could do this. This wasn't too hard. I'd overcome greater challenges that this, right? And this was for Sasuke. I'd do anything for Sasuke.

It hurt more than I had originally thought possible to shove Uzumaki away like I did. But it was necessary. Just an obstacle we had to overcome.

When I could sneak a look at the idiot in class, he usually had my letter out. It was worn out. I was forced to roll my eyes at this. Only Uzumaki would keep that old thing lying around, like it was some precious gem, or a manifestation of my heart or something cheesy like that. It was just a piece of paper.

Uzumaki eventually left me alone. He must have realized that I wasn't going to look at him no matter what he did. I didn't want to. I was sure my inhibitions would shatter like glass against the ground if I let him talk to me again.

Over the three weeks, I couldn't suppress the nagging guilt of what I was doing. Uzumaki was in pain because I wasn't talking to him. And was it really fair of me to test him like that? He wasn't the one who hurt me. Uzumaki was loyal. He would never, ever hurt me on purpose. I knew that, all of it, deep down in my heart. But I refused to acknowledge it. I was just too paranoid.

We didn't come into contact much after Uzumaki gave up on getting my attention. We passed each other in the halls at school, never once giving eye contact to each other.

I noticed him once in the park, the same one I'd fallen asleep on him a while ago. I smiled wistfully. That was a bittersweet memory. Uzumaki was sitting on the same bench, frowning with intense concentration at a paper in his hands. My paper. My poem. His lips were moving, but I couldn't hear any sound from the distance I was from him. His eyebrows would twitch sometimes, and he'd run a finger along the paper, across a line of my poem. He only noticed that someone was watching him when I chuckled at his behavior, and he looked up into my eyes. His pretty blue orbs darkened at first, but that amused smile I wore didn't fade. This must have reassured Uzumaki, because his expression relaxed into a soft smile. He gave me a little thumbs-up, and before I could stop myself, I replied with a little wave and left the park.

The next time, I was sitting on my roof again. I'm not sure how he knew I was up there, but somehow he knew to look up and met my gaze again. My heart forgot to beat for a moment, but only a moment, because he looked away quickly. He stopped at the same corner those girls had flirted with him before and I found my eyes following him obsessively, until he turned the corner again and disappeared from sight. Somehow I knew he was heading for the graveyard.

The last time, I caught his eyes in the hallway at school. He was leaning against a wall outside his next class, pouring over the poem again. Sakura was sitting next to him, chatting amicably. I heard my name once or twice.

"Ah, speak of the devil!" Sakura giggled and waved me over. I could have risked being rude, but something about their conversation intrigued me. Perhaps it was the dark, brooding expression on Naruto's face. It wasn't natural for an expression like that to appear on Mr. Sunshine's face. "Sasuke-kun, we were just talking about your birthday! It's in a few days, right? Well, I was thinking we could set up a big party for you..."

"Whatever you like." I replied carelessly. Naruto was avoiding my gaze now.

"So, we could use your house then, right? We'll help clean up and everything! Ino has a..." My concentration waned away from Sakura and toward Naruto. I could tell his fists were clenched inside this jacket pockets, and it suddenly struck me. My birthday... that was the cutoff. After that point, I figured even such a simple answer was beyond Uzumaki and if it was, then he didn't love me like I hoped. Perhaps he wasn't close to the answer yet...?

"... possibly a surprise party, but after all this it might not... Sasuke-kun, are you listening to me?" I snapped back to attention and smiled a little uneasily at Sakura, who was glaring lightly at me.

"Yes, yes, that all sounds fine. I'll leave everything in your capable hands, Sakura." Ah, flattery always squeezed me out of the tightest problems. Just like I predicted, Sakura blushed prettily and wrung her hands, obviously proud of getting a compliment from me.

"Great! I'll arrange a few more details with Ino-pig and we'll be at your house promptly at noon this Saturday, okay?" she said cheerfully. I nodded my acknowledgement, and she bolted off to find Ino, unfortunately leaving Naruto and I in a very awkward silence.

"... So." Naruto said finally. "You're turning eighteen, then? That's a big number."

"Yeah, pretty big." I replied, weighing each of my words before releasing them. "I'll be legal."

Naruto smirked a bit at that. Somehow, I was thinking that his mind was more in the gutter there. "Good for you."

"Naruto." I said quietly. Naruto jumped. He obviously wasn't used to me using his first name, and let's face it, I never used his first name. "Tell me the truth. How close are you to figuring out that poem?"

"Uh..." Naruto bit his lower lip. My heart sank rapidly. Just what I was afraid of. To spare him answering, I shook my head and turned my back on him.

"You still have a few more days." I said softly over my shoulder. Inwardly I cursed myself for allowing even a teeny hint of disappointment to enter my voice. Without another word, I walked off to spare myself from looking at the hurt expression on Naruto's face.

I was really starting to stress about that poem. You know how the hours seem to fly right on by while you're standing on the sidelines wondering where the hell they went when you're dreading something? Well, imagine that tenfold. I was absolutely fucking terrified of Sasuke leaving me. I couldn't let him just dump me like that. I couldn't let him waltz on out of my life like he'd never been there at all. Sasuke was the most important person in my life. I fucking loved that guy. As Kakashi-sensei might describe it, I was in love-love with him.

Yet somehow, I couldn't figure out what the hell he wanted me to tell him.

And as I shed bloody tears over that poem, the hours decided to whiz right on past me and halt on Sasuke's birthday.

The party was one of the biggest in the neighborhood. After all, this was Uchiha Sasuke's eighteenth birthday. Mr. Popularity turning legal. That had to be a big deal.

Sasuke's house was completely full. There was hardly any room to move anywhere. I spotted Sasuke sulking in a corner, being the wallflower that he was. When not being greeted by party-goers, he was staring sullenly around his normally spotless house and wincing when someone tracked dirt onto his pristine white floors. I snickered to myself. That neat freak.

Then his eyes briefly met mine, and I could tell that he knew I had no idea what his poem meant by the faint darkening of his eyes. I tried my best to flash him my brightest grin, but the misery twisting my gut rendered such a task pretty fucking hard, so I gave up and avoided the guy for as long as I could.

I was terrified. I secluded myself in the upstairs bathroom for some time, desperately pouring over the poem as many times as I could, hoping for an epiphany of some sort. But nothing came to me. No sudden realization, no mystical ideas popping into my head sent from the heavens, no angels singing Hallelujah. Nothing. Perhaps if I wasn't getting any otherworldly signs, maybe we really weren't meant to be. Or maybe Neji was getting to me. Either one. My time left with Sasuke was being counted by hours, if not minutes.

I couldn't lose him. Couldn't, couldn't, wouldn't. Couldn't. I wasn't about to admit defeat.

When Naruto stumbles yet again, he doesn't rise right away like last time. Sasuke halts and turns back, worry clawing away at him as Naruto still doesn't rise. Finally, after a few heart-pounding moments in which Sasuke think that maybe Naruto died, Naruto slowly sits up, tears streaming faster and thicker down his cheeks. There's a scratch across his face, and his elbows are now bleeding as well. Sasuke bites the inside of his cheek, hesitating, then inches carefully toward his friend. Naruto doesn't look up at him, just stays there, slumped on the ground, looking so defeated. Sasuke edges closer and closer, a little panic surging through his brain. Then suddenly Naruto jumps up and catches Sasuke around the neck so the brunette child can't run away anymore. Sasuke splutters, but it's no use- he didn't see the trap and is now caught. Naruto pulls him down to the ground until their bodies are laying right on top of each other, and gives Sasuke a little kiss on the lips. He tells the boy he doesn't need to leave. Life isn't made of black and more black. There can be some white if Sasuke let the love in.

When I was finally kicked out of the bathroom by an irate Sasuke who had been receiving a lot of complaints, he dragged me away from the crowd and to his empty bedroom. I gulped down the panic that was slowly crawling up my throat.

"Dobe, what were you hoping to accomplish by holing yourself in there for hours?" Sasuke growled at me, pushing me onto the bed. I shrugged, waving my hands elegantly as he crossed the room to stand on the side of the bed opposite me. Then I noticed his eyes trained on one of my hands, and belatedly, I remembered the tattered, worn poem was still in the open.

"... I'm about to send everyone home." Sasuke said, his voice soft in the quiet room. "Have you figured it out yet?"

"I, um..." This was it. The moment of truth. The moment we'd all been waiting for. And the best part? I still had no fucking clue what he wanted me to say. "I... I..."

Sasuke just stared at me, tense, radiating a shy aura of hope. Hope. Something I'd wanted to see in Sasuke since I was reunited with him. But when I failed to come up with an answer, that hope was instantly smothered. I felt like I was choking on horror.

"... I see." Sasuke murmured. I started crawling weakly forward over the bed, stretching my hand out to him. But he jerked out of my reach.

"Sasuke, wait!" I cried as he backed away from me, toward the door. "This isn't over! You don't have to go, please don't leave me! I--" but he was already gone. I choked back a sob. My eyes were warm and scratchy. "I love you." I said to the empty room as I laid my rushing head down on one of Sasuke's pillows and breathing in his scent. It helped calm me.

I knew that the pain of Sasuke's departure was going to ache no matter how long I lingered in Sasuke's room, so I struggled to lid my emotions for the time being. I needed to find Sasuke and sort this whole mess out. When I had gained as much of a hold on myself as I could, I ducked out of the room and started my search.

"Sakura-chan, have you seen Sasuke?" I asked the pink-haired girl, attempting to be casual. She was herding a group of guests out the door, looking very harassed.

"Sasuke left." she told me curtly. "He said he was going out for a while and instructed me to get everyone out of his house."

Everything suddenly crashed down around my ears. Sasuke... gone? Not here any more? I was too late? He'd already abandoned me? "Where is he?" I croaked.

Sakura gave me a stern look. "He also said not to tell anyone where he was going."

"Dammit, Sakura-chan, this is important!" I shouted at her, but she snootily ignored me. Fuming and half-blind with emotion, I stumbled away from her.

Sasuke's lips are tingling and his mind is buzzing. Naruto's words are true. They've always been true. Sasuke always knew they were true, but he never really saw them. But with Naruto laying underneath him, dirty, bleeding, tear-stained and glowering, everything feels so real. Like a pinprick of light in a tunnel of darkness. And that pinprick suddenly bursts, filling Sasuke's whole being with light he'd never had before. That light fills him to the seams, streaming out of him in the forms of happy tears flowing down his face and near-hysterical laughter. Naruto pulls him down for another hug, and Sasuke kisses him on the lips again. Nothing has ever felt more right.

By the time I had weaved my way to the living room, I was angry no longer. Now I just felt dumb, held in suspension, like something hanging in jello. Everything felt so surreal. I wended my way around the living room, hardly caring where I was going, then came across Kiba and Hinata sucking face on the couch. I chuckled to myself, thinking, Good for them. It's about time.

"You two look like you're having fun." I said casually, plopping down next to them. They immediately parted with an odd noise like a plunger being pulled up and faced me a bit guiltily. I laughed and waved them off. "What's with those looks? We waited FOREVER for you two to get together! No need to look guilty now!" Kiba's face instantly melted into a self-satisfied smirk, but that blush of Hinata's stayed permanently glued to her face. Not that I had expected anything less.

"So, some party, eh?" Kiba said conversationally, arm around Hinata's hips. "Our host is a fucking ray of sunshine, isn't he?"

"Sure, if you're comparing him to a corpse." I muttered, scowling heavily. My throat was constricting again.

"... Wh-What's wrong, Naruto-kun?" Hinata piped up. I met her determined gaze with surprise.

"... Heh, what makes you think anything is wrong, Hinata-chan?" I laughed as bravely as I could, but even to my own ears, it sounded like a lame front.

"You're really sad today, Naruto-kun." Hinata said softly. "Did you fight with Sasuke-kun or something...?"

"Sort of." I admitted under my breath, leaning back against he couch. Kiba's eyes were moving back and forth between us, obviously not comprehending the problem.

"... Maybe I should leave this whole heart-warming thing to you two." he said uncertainly, and made to stand up. But I saw his arm tighten momentarily on Hinata's waist, and Hinata surely felt it. As Kiba continued to hesitate, the problem struck me.

"I'm not going to touch her, Kiba." I swore. "I love Hinata, but not like that. Not like you do. Hinata's my good friend only, okay?" Kiba nodded, slightly mollified. He was about to really leave us when Hinata abruptly pulled him down again and planted a quick and tender kiss on his lips, obviously as much reassurance as I had been trying to give the brunette. Kiba's eyes widened, and he smiled a truly reassured smile. He gave Hinata one last hug, me one last wave, and finally left us alone.

"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked softly. I bit my lip, wondering how to breach the subject.

"Sasuke, he... he won't..." It still hurt. I was still in pain. Saying this problem out loud felt like I was poking an open wound with a stick drenched in salt. I shuddered, forcing off the temptation to burst out sobbing, and continued, "Sasuke says he doesn't want anything to do with me from today on. I guess it hurts a little, but he's such a bastard I shouldn't have expected anything more, eh?" I pretended to not care. I really wished I didn't care as much as I did.

"That's n-not it, Naruto-kun, is it?" Hinata said. My heart beat rapidly. "You're really torn up inside."

"... It's my fault." I whispered, mortified. "I wanted him to open up and trust me. But he can't just do something like that, not after Itachi..." I gulped, but plowed on, "That would be selfish of me. But I really want to heal him. I'm..." I laughed bitterly. "I'm really in love-love with him, Hinata-chan. Do you think I'm a freak now?"

"Not at all, Naruto-kun!" And I believed her. Her milky eyes were shining with sympathy. "Why doesn't Sasuke-kun want to see you anymore?"

"I failed." I muttered, fists clenching. "He gave me a test and I failed..."

"What test, Naruto-kun?" Instead of verbally answering her, I pulled out the poem and listlessly handed it to her. Hinata's pale eyes skimmed the paper, and to my surprise, they widened to unnatural sizes, and tears started squeezing out of the corners.

"Hinata-chan?" I jumped up, reaching a concerned hand toward her. She wiped her eyes, shoulders trembling, and turned a fierce gaze on me.

"Oh, Naruto-kun. This poem..." Hinata had to brush away a few more tears, "this poem is a love letter. Sasuke-kun is in l-love with you, Naruto-kun."

My heart stopped. No. It couldn't be. Could it? "Then the last line...?" I asked weakly.

"... I love you." Hinata whispered dramatically. I leaped to my feet as if set on fire.

"I have to find him! Thanks a lot, Hinata-chan, you're amazing!" I shouted at her as I bolted out of the room. Instantly I tracked the on;y person who had the information I needed down in the kitchen.

"Sakura-chan!" I screeched, grabbing the pink-haired girl's arm. "I know Sasuke told you where he was going! Tell me, now!"

Sakura tutted angrily at me. "I already told you, Naruto, that Sasuke-kun doesn't want anyone following him--"

"He'll want this." I said, a hint of desperation touching my voice. "Believe it." You have to. Or Sasuke will leave me forever.

Sakura's eyes softened. "... Fine. He said he was going to the park... he looked really depressed, Naruto." Then she grew stern again. "Did you say something to him-- wait, Naruto!" I didn't stick around to listen to whatever the hell Sakura had to say. I knew what I needed to know now.

The park. The fucking park. That was our meeting place, right? Our little haven. Maybe that park was fate. Maybe we were meant to be after all.

I always appreciated the gentle silence of the park. It was a soothing place when one needed to sort out their thoughts... or smother irritating feelings. I gave the fateful bench that we kept meeting at one dry look, thinking how ironic it would be to erase Uzumaki from my life on that bench, but then it got me thinking.

Naruto and I always used to play on that swing set when we were little. The park had built a new jungle gym some distance away, and all the kids abandoned the swing set except for us. We always had it to ourselves. I smiled a little bitterly, remembering all the little things we used to say to each other when no one else was around.

"We're best friends, right?"

"Yeah, best friend forever!"

"We'll be together forever."

"I'll stay with you forever."

"My mom says love is a powerful emotion you give to only the people most important to you."

"So, do you love me then, Sasuke?"

"Yeah, I guess I do love you, Naruto."

"Good. 'Cause I love you too."

Those things seemed like such childish nonsense now. We had no idea of the true power that the words we were messing with held.
I glanced over at the bench again. That place seemed more mature, a breeding ground for our more adult worries. The swing set was a fond childhood memory that had yet to be tainted with our darkness. A wry smile twisted my face. Now would be a perfect time to taint it.

I sat myself gingerly on one of the swings, and it creaked under my weight. It didn't seem like anyone had used it for years. I stayed still for a moment or two, then started to rock gently. The swing protested every movement. I took a long, deep breath of cool, refreshing air and started the long, painful task of purging myself of Uzumaki forever.

But somehow, I couldn't. Just when I thought I didn't care about him anymore, a sweet childhood memory would resurface and I'd choke back the urge to cry. Every single time, without fail, that memory would drag along with it the though of, Am I doing the right thing? Is this what should be? Am I a terrible person for putting us both through something like this?

I can't do it. I thought, grinding my teeth against the onslaught of misery. I can't let him go. God, what is wrong with me?

"Sasuke!" my heart leaped straight into my throat at that voice, the voice I'd been in love with since I first heard it. My eyes shot up from where they had been staring at my knees and locked on Naruto, who was sprinting toward me, my poem clenched in his hand. When he reached me, he didn't have the energy to speak for a few moments, so he bent over and gasped for breath, clutching a stitch in his side.

"Sasuke... you... idiot..." he growled at me in between breaths. I glared coolly at him.

"How did you get here?" I asked, irritation lacing my voice. It disguised my shaking nervousness very well.

"Sakura-chan told me." he said, straightening up. I shook my head angrily.

"I knew I couldn't trust that girl to do anything right." I muttered. "Please tell me she got all those freeloaders out of my house without destroying anything."

"Sasuke, you idiot!" Naruto repeated emphatically, glaring fiercely at me. "This isn't about Sakura!"

"Well, it certainly isn't about us." I snapped. "We're over, remember?"

"No, we aren't." Naruto said in a low voice, stepping closer to me. Chills crawled up my skin. "This poem. The last line is I love you, right?"

My heart hammered madly in my chest. "... Yes." I said softly, unable to look away from his smoldering blue eyes. "But it doesn't matter anymore. I'm not--" Naruto cut me off by stepping even closer to me, close enough straddle my knees and trap me there on that swing. I gulped a bit. "Uzumaki. You're really close."

"Love is a powerful emotion you give only to the people most important to you." he said quietly, practically breathing into my ear. I stiffened at the reference.

"So, do you love me then?" I asked, my voice cracking. Naruto's eyes glittered as he leaned forward and planted his lips on mine.

"Yeah, I guess I do love you, Sasuke." he murmured against my mouth.

"Good." I replied in between kisses, a true, bright smile lighting my face. "Because I love you too."

That exchange broke down all the walls, and Naruto pulled me forward off the swing into a tight embrace, kissing my lips over and over and over. I tangled my fingers in his sunshine hair and felt him laugh with happiness into our kiss.

"Took you long enough, Naruto." I mumbled, smirking at him. He grinned back sheepishly.

"Yeah, I guess it did." he chuckled, embarrassed. "Such a simple answer, too... but couldn't you have chosen an easier way to confess to me?"

"Oh, come on." I nudged him suggestively. "At least we'll have a story to tell the kids, hm?"

He just laughed and kissed me again.

As they lay there in each other's arms, Naruto asks Sasuke if he'll ever pull a stunt like that again. Sasuke says he won't. Naruto says he think Sasuke isn't lying anymore.

Author's Notes: Naruto's POV was fun to write. / Anyway, please review, especially if you think this is less stupid than I think it is!