A/N: Alrighty. Last little fic dedicated to Girl Who Changed Her Pen Name. Sequel to Not A Good Day and Another Crap Day, so same AU. A conclusion, if you will. We find out more about the boys, I suppose. Based of several more of her dA journals, with a few facts switched around.

Also, the kid Jiraiya was talking about on the news is based on Jamey Rodemeyer, but this fic takes place in July and August, and I know he killed himself in September. No names were mentioned, but the kid in the news is based off him. Also, the way Jiraiya speaks in no way reflects my own viewpoint regarding homosexuality.

Hope you enjoy. And sorry for the wait. ^_^'

The Day From Hell

What was pretty much the worst day of my life began with a comment over breakfast one morning a month after my math exam. I mean, I'd had some really shitty days this summer (and some sweet ones), but that day would go down in history as the worst day ever.

First of all, my godmother woke me up with a big-ass fake smile on her face. Why was that bad? One: she never comes into my room. Two: she never smiles at me. Three: she's never home so early in the morning.

And that wasn't all. Get this…she said she woke me up so that I could enjoy a 'nice, family breakfast' with her and my godfather. Seriously, what the fuck? If there were ever a time either of them didn't inhale booze for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I'd eat my biology textbook. What the fuck was she playing at?

The only reason I got up and went downstairs was to see if there'd be buckets of diamonds and rubies lying around. I mean, I had to be dreaming right? But no. Just my godfather waiting in the kitchen and looking remarkably sober. My godmother trotted over in those heels she wears 24/7 and stood at his side. They looked at each other, then looked at me. They had on identical creepy smiles.

"I like it better when you guys are drunk," I said with a shudder. I turned to go back upstairs.

The big, rough hand of my godfather nabbed the back of my neck and jerked me into the kitchen. "Sit your ass in that chair."

I was shoved into the chair in question hard enough to rock the thing on its legs. "Hey! Watch it, asshole."

My godfather sneered. "You watch your fucking mouth, you little fag." He turned to where my godmother was studying the directions on a box of pancake mix. "I swear to Christ, I don't know where the fuck he gets that shit."

Gee, I wonder where, seeing as you raised me, you jackass.

Did I mention that my godmother doesn't cook? She buys those prepared meals that come in little boxes. I was forced to sit there and watch my godfather twiddle his thumbs while she mixed up lumpy pancake batter, filled a frying pan with oil, and deep-fried the batter into misshapen black balls. The smoke detector was beeping long before she was done. She emptied a whole package of bacon into the left over oil.

The plate she set down in front of me had two of those black balls, both of which were leaking oil and raw batter, and three blackened strips of oily bacon. She even went so far as to dump half a bottle of syrup over the entire mess. As an afterthought, she pushed a fork across the table at me. She then sat across from me, folded her hands on the table, and gave me another one of her fake smiles. I noticed that neither of them had a plate in front of them.

I made a show of waving away all the smoke wafting around the kitchen, before saying calmly, "I'd rather eat shit."

That wiped the smiles off their faces.

"Look," My godfather finally bit out. "The woman and I have something we need to discuss with you, and this would go a lot easier if you stowed the 'tude for five minutes." He always calls her 'the woman'.

Something you should probably know about me is that I hate being manipulated. "Which pretty much guarantees that whatever you're going to tell me is going to suck major ass." I shuddered to even think what this news could be. My godparents never take the time to try and soften shit for me, they just give it to me straight. Suddenly afraid to hear whatever it is, I bolt up from the table. "I'm gonna be late."

Got the fuck out of there and locked myself in my room.

I'm not lying about the time. I have a fake job interview for careers class today, a bit of fuckery that counts as 30% of our final mark. I need to shower and wear a suit. By the time I'm done, I know I'll be lucky to make it on time. I'm dashing out the door when my godmother decides to be helpful and give me directions to a shortcut. Bitch is never helpful. It only reminds me that I'm likely to receive bad news when I get home.

The shortcut consists of a different bus route. Figure it can't hurt, given the time. Bus came, I got on, and that was that.

Trust my godmother to get me so lost that I ended up in some glitzy suburban neighborhood I'd never even heard of. It was right next to the canal, though, which my school is also near, so the whole time I know damn well I'm lost, I tell myself I'm not that lost. Walked around clueless for a good thirty minutes.

Finally fed up, I just sit down on a park bench and watch the ducks. There's a bunch of them. Thoughts of what my godparents could possibly have to tell me run around my head for a bit, but then I end up thinking about Sasuke; the ducks reminded me of him with his duck-ass hairstyle. Thoughts of him eventually galvanize me into getting off my ass and getting to school.

Sasuke's sort of my amazing, sexy-as-hell boyfriend.

Ended up walking back almost to my frigging house, which is an hour from school. Hate my godmother. By the time I got to school I was late as shit and positive I'd missed my interview, a fact confirmed by my teacher. I tell you, I felt close to murder.

Who should stroll up then but Sasuke himself? "Maybe an exception can be made?" he's telling my smug teacher. There's a bit more, a bunch of long words that Sasuke uses when he's talking to teachers. I don't really notice what he's saying since I'm too busy taking in the sight of him in a suit. If it were possible to go blind from someone's beauty I'd have been sightless a long time ago. Lucky for me, Sasuke's glib tongue convinces my teacher to overlook my tardiness.

-oOo-

After, when the exam is over, Sasuke tugs me over to a janitor's closet. I'm panting before he even gets the door closed; our closet activities are the only thing that keeps me sane some days, knowing I have them to look forward to. It's all nice and dark, and smelling of cleaning agents. Sasuke drops his suit jacket, loosens his tie, and then he's all over me.

I'm ready for him. His hands shove my jacket off my shoulders, before dragging me to him by my own tie. God, that is so hot. His mouth is greedy and hard on mine, his tongue soft and warm. I have to work to keep from moaning too loudly.

We've been doing this awhile now. A good month at least. We've progressed to touching below the waist. His hand slides between my legs and cups me hard, rubbing and squeezing my boner. Jesus, he has no idea how crazy that makes me. Or maybe he does, seeing as he knows just how to touch me so I'm almost coming every time. "Stop," I gasp. "Stop, stop, I'm close."

We take a minute, breathing heavily, then we go right back at it, sucking face and groping like mad.

As usual, I'm grinning like a tard by the time I get home. Usually my good mood lasts until I get upstairs, where I can chat with Sasuke on Deviantart and Facebook (sometimes MSN too, all at the same time), where the mood then lasts until whenever we get offline. But today my godparents are waiting for me in the living room and call out to me as I'm passing it on my way to the stairs. Right then I remember that they have something to tell me that I'm probably not going to like. I try to guess what could possibly make them want to soften the news with breakfast and fake smiles. I wrack my brain but nothing comes to mind. They've been raising me since I was born, but the three of us are remarkably uninvolved in each other's lives, so again, them taking the time to try and sugar-coat something smells off. I sat on the couch across from them and waited.

My godmother gets right to the point. "We're moving."

Okay, that's bad…but somehow I was expecting something much worse. So I have to change schools, that sucks. It'll be harder to see Sasuke and all-

"To Japan," my godmother adds. "Permanently."

Wait…"WHAT THE FUCK?" I explode. "The fuck! Japan! Wh-wha-" I'm choking on my own tongue, standing, shaking, and all I can think is Sasuke-Sasuke-Sasuke. "Why?" I finally manage. "Why the hell do you people deliberately set out to fuck up my life just when it's finally going right? Huh? Why?"

Without waiting for an answer, or even to stop and think what I'm doing, I'm pounding up the stairs to my room, ready to fling myself online, tell Sasuke, and wait for the solution he's sure to come up with. My world's just totally imploded on me but Sasuke keeps a cool head no matter what. He'll know what to do.

I was dimly aware of my godfather yelling downstairs, telling my godmother that this was why they should never have bothered trying to break it to me gently. Something about me being ungrateful no matter what. I don't care, I'm already logging in to Deviantart and everything else. I can hardly keep my hands still, they're shaking so bad.

The door to my room crashes inward, nearly kicked off its hinges as my godfather barges in. I tried to scramble up from my chair, but he's already hauling me out of it and slamming me against the wall by a fistful of my T-shirt. "The fuck off me, you asshole! Help! HEEELLLP!" I bawl. There has to be someone on the street who'll hear me. "RAPE! FIRE! HELP!" I hope someone comes and arrests him, someone like Child Services or some shit, and then I'll be placed with the system, run away, and live with Sasuke in happy sin forever.

The man's pissed. I can see it in the sardonic twist of his lips as he shakes me to silence. "Let's get something straight," he mutters, interrupting my little fantasy. "We're moving. Your faggoty little ass is coming with, so I won't put up with any bullshit on your part. Clear?"

"Fuck you! I'm not going anywhere, you jackass. My whole life's here-"

My godfather leaned down until his nose was an inch from mine, simultaneously lifting me until my feet dangled a foot off the floor. I have time to notice that the whites of his eyes are tinged red. "I'm going to give you exactly two seconds to comprehend the enormity of the fuck I do not give," he hissed in rage, "before I put your fucking, insubordinate head through this goddamn wall. We are leaving. You are going. And there is nothing you can do about it. Got it? A month from now you'll be on Japan Airlines, same as me and the woman, and I won't hear shit about it. Now. Is that clear?"

I contemplate the wisdom of spitting directly into his face, then decide that an unmarked grave wouldn't be conducive to finding a way out of this mess. I settle for glaring my hatred. He takes my furious silence for assent, drops me to my feet, and stalks out of my room. I leapt for my door and slammed it closed as hard as I could.

I sent Sasuke urgent messages on MSN, Deviantart, and Facebook. He has a phone, but I don't, and I'm too mad to risk seeing my Hell-spawned godparents by using the house phone. He hits me back via Facebook: Be right over.

Sasuke's never met my godparents. I'm too ashamed for him to, and scared they'd insult him, so anytime Sasuke comes over, it's at night and through my bedroom window. Ordinarily, my godparents don't come in my room ever. Once in awhile my godfather comes in to wake me up in the morning, but generally no. Especially at night. My godmother has her hospital shifts, and my godfather's typically drinking in front the T.V. Sasuke's visits are safe from detection.

Tonight both my godparents are home and shockingly sober, so I'm hoping my luck, such as it is, holds out. I'm leaning out my window and keeping a watch for Sasuke by the time he rides up on his white bike, climbs the tree outside my window, and jumps to the eave just below it. He ducks into my room as I stand aside.

"'Sup?" he says. Usually we're all over each other the second he comes over, but this time he's staring at me cautiously, not sure whether to smile or not. "You only said that shit just got real, no details. Problem?" He shoves his hands into his pockets, head tilted quizzically.

"Big problem. My godparents just told me we're moving to Japan in a month, and it's for good."

I've never seen Sasuke shocked. He's shocked now, eyes wide, body going completely still. He's staring at me, but what can he say? I didn't stutter; what I'd said was crystal clear. We were over.

He walked to the end of my bed and dropped down on it, hands dangling between his knees. After a minute, I copied him, sitting beside him. I give him as long as he needs to digest the info. He's my only shot at getting out of this mess. Sasuke always has a solution.

"Why?" he asks softly. "Why are you guys moving?" He's staring at the floor, too shocked to even blink.

That was something I'd thought about while waiting for him. True, I'd run out after I asked my godmother the same question without waiting for an answer, but I seem to recall hearing snatches of conversation here an there for the past few weeks. Nothing I ever paid attention to. "I think her job or whatever here has ended. She was either teaching advanced medicine or studying it, I don't know." Never did understand or care about precisely what my godmother did.

"But…why Japan?" Now Sasuke looked at me.

"Where do you think I lived before transferring to this school?"

"Uh, somewhere else in Ontario?"

I studied my hands, leaning over on my elbows and picking my nails. "Well, yeah. I did live in another part of town for the first year after we moved here, but up until I was ten I lived in Japan. A district called Konoha, outside Tokyo." It occurs to me that Sasuke and I had never discussed our pasts overmuch.

"So…you're Japanese?"

"For all intents and purposes, I guess."

"And you speak the language?"

"And read and write it. Fluently. Why wouldn't I?"

"You sound Canadian."

I'd had to learn fast once I got here to sound like the locals. "Believe it or not, I did know English before we moved. They teach it in the schools." I went on to describe the school I'd gone to. "Guess I'll be going to Konoha High next year."

Sasuke was silent for a bit, thinking. "You sure it's permanent?"

"Positive." When he said nothing else, I figure it's now or never. So far I'd been holding in my panic with an effort, steadfastly not thinking beyond the next moment and then the one after that, but now that all the explanations were done with, I had to know. "What are we going to do?"

Sasuke slowly shook his head. That gesture was so hopeless…it looked as hopeless as I felt. The panic tightened in my chest, squeezing there, and I started talking to cover it, anything to keep from thinking too hard.

He listened, I'll give him that, but as I talked his ear off about everything I was afraid of, I couldn't help thinking that his mind was far away.

"Don't even know why they bothered to try to break it to me gently," I finished in a mumble. "They usually just do shit and drag me along."

"Guess you're not ten anymore," Sasuke volunteered. "Big-ass teen now, with the potential to fuck things up for them."

"How? If I could do that, I'd figure a way out of this. What am I going to do?" I ask again.

"What can you do?"

"I don't know. I thought about reporting them to Child Services for abuse. Getting placed. Running away." Living with you.

"I think someone has to interview them to judge them unfit, and then I don't know. Court hearing maybe. Whatever the procedure is, it'll take way longer than a month. I thought you told me they were cool? You know, when I came that time and you were locked out?"

He's right, that plan was the dumbest idea ever. In answer to his question, I shrugged. "I don't exactly get along with my godparents, but they feed me. Clothe me, keep a roof over my head." Then, to be perfectly fair I said, "They're not specifically mean to me. I mean I know some kids have it way worse. I do mouth off and shit. We're just not…close."

"Is going back to Japan really such a horrible idea?" he asked softly. "I mean most kids have never been anywhere, and most likely will never go anywhere."

He's staring at me and I meet his eyes. "It's not Japan. It's you. The thought of leaving you is making me sick. I can't. I…I thought you felt the same way."

"I do. I just don't see how we can stop you from going."

He's sincere, I can tell. His voice cracked a bit at the end there.

"I don't want to leave, Sasuke."

"And I don't want you to. But we'll still see each other online, right?"

Suddenly mad at him for giving in so easily I stand up. "I guess. But who're we kidding? Life will take over, we'll forget each other, and then before you know it, we'll be thinking of this as just some summer fling that happened." But I know I'll never forget him. Never. God, I'm dying inside, and he's just sitting there, head bowed. Like he doesn't care.

"I'd never think that," he muttered. "And I'd never forget you."

"Maybe not, but we'd move on. I can't take the thought of you eventually liking someone else."

Sasuke lifts his head and we stare at each other.

It sucks so hard to be fourteen and helpless. Adults are always going on and on about how good kids have it. Youth and health, and our whole lives ahead of us. Yeah right. What being a kid really means is that you get shoved around by adults, by their decisions, and you just have to suck it up or get run down. A ball of bitter hate settles in my gut as the panic finally bursts free of my efforts to keep it in check.

I'm leaving and I'll never see Sasuke again.

Still staring at each other, Sasuke gets up and walks over to me.

-oOo-

I think I was wrong to say Sasuke didn't care. The way he swung me around and fell with me onto my messy bed felt like he cared a lot. Especially since his mouth was locked to mine the entire time. My legs were roughly nudged apart by his knee and then the full weight of his body settles directly onto my groin and I moan into him. Arch upward, grab him around the waist and hang on tight. We're breathing heavy, petting heavy, kissing hard. He's humping my crotch. Something we've never done. The most we do is sit on my bed and kiss. Touch. But there's never been, like, an ending. Neither of us comes; we're too scared to. That's adult territory right there, like we'd be having sex. For damn sure Sasuke has never touched me like this, with the humping and his warm hand sliding down the waist of my jeans to grab my ass. My dick feels hard as a rock and I'm already close to coming. Going by the sound of his breathing and the way it fans my cheek, I'd say he's in the same boat.

And suddenly I want it. I'm ready. If I can't have Sasuke, then I'll have this and take it with me. "Do it," I break the kiss to pant. "Do it, I want you to."

It takes Sasuke a beat to understand. His brows snap together as he leans up on his hands. "What? No!"

But I'm already trying to tug him down again, rolling my hips upward against his. "Please, Sasuke. We're both ready, I know it-"

"Not like this. I don't want our first time to be like this."

"Pretty soon we won't have any times! Sasuke come on, please, I need it. I need you."

He shook his head, pulled free, and sat at the end of the bed again. A second later, he dropped his head into his hands. "You're upset and vulnerable right now. I'd be taking advantage of you."

"Sasuke, what the fuck? I don't care about that! I just want you, okay? Please!"

"No." He stood up and went to the window.

I'm shocked. Like, I can't even speak. I stare at him, unable to believe he'd leave me hanging like this, knowing I'd be gone in a month and that we only had a few precious weeks to be together. He climbs out onto the eave and is jumping to the tree by the time I stumble from the bed and run to the window. He sees me and looks up, holding a thick tree limb.

"I love you," I said in a shaking voice. I'm past caring about any embarrassment this unprecedented statement gives me. Maybe he'll stay if he knows.

"I love you, too."

It was like being broken and being born all at the same time, because right after he said it he left anyway. I watched him ride down my street until I couldn't see him anymore.

The next day was my civics exam. I woke up early. I wanted to get there and maybe have extra time with Sasuke. Fucking bus left me standing there, so I took the 16 instead. Thing was packed, but it'd take me to school too.

There was this guy sitting next to me on the bus, little Indian-looking dude. He was fidgeting and shit, couldn't keep still. I'm absorbed with thoughts of Sasuke and what I'm going to say to him, but then I notice from the corner of my eye that the guy has a hand on his crotch. Whatevs.

It took me a minute, but then I notice this fuck is actually putting his leg against mine. I waited a sec, just to make sure I was actually being harassed. He leaves his leg against mine, but then starts nudging me, rubbing his arm against me too, and I slowly turn my head to glare at him.

Whatever he sees on my face drops his toothless grin from his.

An hour later I realize my ass still isn't at school. Fighting my way to the front of the bus, I ask the driver when I'll be getting to where I need to go. He politely informs me that the bus I wanted was the 16 Alta Vista. Since I'm currently standing on the 16 Brittania, I let loose a loud, hoarse stream of colorful language. The driver then gives me directions from the next stop, I get off, and make it to school barely in time for my exam. Why does this shit always seem to happen to me?

-oOo-

After, I locate Sasuke, but he's not keen to go to the janitor's closet. Actually, he's staring at his watch and saying he has to leave.

"It's the last day of school, we can officially enjoy what time we got left," I concede. "Just thought we'd have a last fling in the closet, is all."

Sasuke gets on his bike.

"Meet you at my place?" I ask. This was our standard routine.

"Uh, no. I gotta go, I got something to do."

He's not looking at me, and I suddenly find that strange. "Dude, what could you possibly have to do? It's summer!" But he's already riding away. "When will I see you?" I shout after him.

He only lifted his arm in a wave. Didn't even look back. I stood there frowning after him, aware that Sasuke had never ignored me, not since he broke into my house this summer.

Would you believe I didn't see Sasuke again for the entire month before I left? Wasn't for lack of trying on my part. I lived online, refusing to sign out of any of our usual sites. I sent him what must have been hundreds of messages on Facebook and MSN, and notes galore on Deviantart. Nothing. He wasn't on any of the sites at all.

I think I really started worrying when I called his phone and found it disconnected. I hunted around my room until I finally found the scrap of paper I'd scribbled his home number on. His brother answered. Said Sasuke was out.

"When will he be back?" I begged.

"Late." Phone went dead.

I called everyday and got pretty much the same result. Sometimes the answering machine would pick up at times I guess Sasuke's brother was at work, but no one ever returned my calls.

A week of that. Since coming to my rescue earlier this summer, Sasuke and I had never gone so long without seeing each other. We saw each other everyday at school, and each day of the weekend. When we weren't together, we were online. I always had some kind of contact with Sasuke. This separation, not knowing where he was or what he was doing, was killing me. I couldn't eat or sleep or do anything but sit glued to my laptop, hoping and praying that he'd eventually come online.

-oOo-

My godparents packed up our shit, sold most of the furniture, and threatened to rip me a new one if I didn't handle my own room. I left my shit where it was, eyes grainy from too much time staring at my laptop's screen. They came and went in my room, screaming, shouting, warning me. It was like a storm blowing around an impenetrable fortress. I was the fortress, and I wasn't budging, not until I'd had word from Sasuke. Fuck, they'd have to get the police to make me get on that plane.

My godfather actually laid hands on my laptop when he realized that was my focus. I don't really remember what I said or anything, but there was some action. I was bloody and bruised by the time he finally walked out my room, but I had my laptop hugged tight to my chest. It was my only link to Sasuke. He paused on his way out, looking at me as if he'd never seen me before. After that he and my godmother left me alone.

When two weeks had gone by, I decided to make the trip across town to Sasuke's house.

It was early in the morning, barely eight when I pressed the buzzer. I wanted to be sure I'd catch Sasuke before he went wherever he went all damn day. Door was yanked open by his brother, who had a piece of toast clamped between his teeth and was buttoning up a dress shirt.

I'd only met this brother once. I'd gotten the impression that he worked like a dog to support him and Sasuke. I swallowed hard, since obviously I'd caught him as he was about to go to work. "Is Sasuke home?" He had to be home. Please.

"No."

"Where-"

"Out. Working." The toast was polished off as a tie that had been hanging loose around his neck was now tightened.

Sasuke had a job? Since when? "Do you know when he'll be back?"

"Late. And then he'll be sleeping."

"Oh. Can you tell him I-"

"Look, if Sasuke wanted to talk to you he would, okay? I gotta go." The door closed in my face.

I walked back to the bus stop, waited for it, got on, rode home, went to my room, took my laptop, and threw it against the wall. Then I kicked it.

Sasuke was avoiding me. Evidently he had his own way of dealing with my impending departure and that was to quit me cold turkey. Just break up with me now, instead of trying to have a last few days together. While I could understand this, to a certain point, I couldn't understand how he could make our eventual separation that much more painful by doing this to us. He'd said he loved me. Didn't he want to spend what time we had left together?

Obviously not.

My laptop is a sturdy HP, ancient, so it didn't suffer too much damage from my rage. I nevertheless turned it off for the first time in months. I found a box downstairs and brought it up to my room. My laptop was the first thing I packed.

I guess I sort of shut down after that. I was hurting so bad that I couldn't take it. Went sort of numb. I set about methodically packing the things I wanted to take and having them ready to be shipped with my godparents' things. My furniture was given away. I considered calling up Kiba, Neji and Gaara, then decided against it. I couldn't handle anymore right now. Besides, they already knew I was leaving. I chatted with them after that night Sasuke left me hanging.

Another week went by. One more week, and I'd be gone. I sat in my empty room, feeling the bruise still on my cheek from my godfather's knuckles, and just waiting for the time to pass. Speak of the devil…

"Naruto! Get down here!"

I sat where I was for a few minutes, not really caring what he wanted. Then he yelled for me again, and figured I had nothing better to do.

-oOo-

The man's sitting on the only piece of furniture left, staring at the one thing he and my godmother decided they couldn't part with till the very end. Their flat screen. I lounged in the doorway, hands in my pockets. "What."

He's three cans into the six pack at his side, and takes a long swig before he answers me. Stares at some news program I couldn't care less about. Finally he mutes the T.V. and looks at me.

It's the first time we've been face to face since he tried to take my laptop. "You're a fag," he states.

I say nothing. He's forever calling me that, and by now the word means nothing to me, not coming from him.

"I have to assume people at school knew?" he asks. His voice is gruff, his white brows drawn together over his small and beady eyes.

"Yeah."

"They pick on you for it?"

Interesting question. "Why?"

"Just answer me, dammit!"

He's never pretended to be interested in anything but my report cards. "I guess."

"Bad?" There's an intensity to his stare that's starting to make me uncomfortable.

"Bad enough. That time I got suspended from school for fighting wasn't because of some stupid cafeteria shit like I'd said. Three jocks jumped me in the locker room."

"And that ended it?" he barked, frowning harder.

That fight had happened three months after I'd transferred to this school, two years ago. My godfather looks close to murder though, so I figured answering would be a good thing. Besides, what happened, happened, not like he could punish me for it now at this late date. "No. After that, it got worse. Decided to settle things off school grounds. Remember that time the cops called you and said I'd been taken to the hospital? I'd told you me and the guys had flipped our mountain bikes in the park." Neji, Kiba and Gaara had been with me that night, and equally bloody. "Actually, they'd come with me to support me. Must have been about seventy-five of the worst homophobes at school there. Parking lot behind the old strip mall."

He stared at me, beer forgotten. "Seventy-five? Against four? No wonder you looked like shit. No one could have won that."

I snorted. "Please. I handled my business. They didn't all rush me at once, anyway. I think most of them were there to watch, but I had friends. And I had my knife. Used what you taught me."

My godfather had his own dojo back in Japan. I'd been his unofficial assistant in it, helping him train the students, for years before we'd left. Our sessions together hadn't been as frequent since coming to Canada, but I hadn't forgotten anything.

He stared at me awhile, without blinking. Then he said, "And after?"

"What, at school? Was like I'd contracted AIDS or something. People stayed away from me. I was fine. Had my friends. And now I have-" But I stopped there. He didn't know Sasuke, and I could barely think his name without throwing up.

My godfather smirked. "Now you have that kid who climbs through your window every night and does God-only-knows what faggotry with you? The one you think I don't know about? Black-haired kid?"

Stunned, I nod.

He doesn't harp on it. "And you're good now? Not bullied? Or thinking about suicide?"

It took me a long minute to understand that this had been the point of the conversation all along. "Suicide? Hell no. Why would I kill myself over a bunch of fuckers I could take?"

He waved at the screen, where the news program was silent still, and apparently talking about some boy whose picture was displayed in the upper right hand corner. "That kid was a fag, too. Bullied. Swore he wasn't suicidal. Even made an 'It Gets Better' vid, and was all over YouTube. He offed himself. Little fag kids are offing themselves all over Canada and America, or else getting murdered by bullies."

I blinked at the screen. Then looked at him. He was frowning at me again. "Well, I ain't him."

"No," my godfather said after a minute. "You're not. You're too stubborn and block-headed to buckle under peer pressure."

There were a few minutes of silence, wherein I felt my face start to burn with the realization that he'd been worried about me.

"You ever get to feeling like you want to kill yourself, though, and you let me know. I'll handle whatever it is decisively." Now he swigged deeply from the can in his hand, draining it.

Not just worried. He cares. All I can do is stare at him as he cracks open a fourth can. My tongue feels glued to the roof of my mouth. He sees me standing there and tells me to get lost, that I'm bugging him. I turned and quietly made my way up to my room.

Before he un-muted the T.V. I heard him chuckle to himself and mutter, "Seventy-five. Seventy-five. Minato woulda been damned proud. Fuck, I'm damned proud."

The last week before the flight positively crawled by. Things weren't better between me and my godfather, but I felt a little less resentment. Not much. Was still hurting over Sasuke, still confused about why he'd done it, and completely dreading Japan. All the negative emotions sort of got jumbled up and canceled each other out so that I just felt empty. Hollow. Couldn't think at all. Walked around for that last week like a zombie.

And then we were getting in a cab one night, heading to the airport. We checked in, got our tickets and boarding passes, and went to sit in front of our gate and wait. My godfather handed me my ticket and passport, then ignored me.

-oOo-

My laptop was in my carry-on. I'd dug it out of the box I'd packed it in at the last minute, somehow unwilling and unable to give up this last link to Sasuke. I ran my hand over the surface, hesitated, then opened it for the first time in two weeks.

Deviantart's my homepage, where it all started with Sasuke, but my MSN signed in automatically, picking up the airport's Wi-Fi.

Sasuke was on.

I stared at his screen name, and at the little message box. He'd been messaging me for the past 15 minutes, I saw. In a detached way, I thought about how I'd have given my left nut to be seeing this very sight at any time during the past month. Hell, both my nuts.

Obviously, he saw that I was on line now. A flurry of messages popped up one after the other.

DaRkAvEnGeR723: Where r u?

DaRkAvEnGeR723: Been msging u.

DaRkAvEnGeR723: Naruto? U there?

I really considered ignoring him the way he'd ignored me, but I couldn't. I typed my answer and hoped it hurt him.

RamenRulez: Airport.

DaRkAvEnGeR723: Oh. Did u get a window seat?

RamenRulez: That's al u care about. Fuck u.

RamenRulez: *all

DaRkAvEnGeR723: I care about u 2. Are you in the back of the plane? Lots of turbulence back there. :'(

RamenRulez: Oh yeah, I can c u care a lot, asshole. My seat's 17A, so I ain't in the back. I hate u.

I waited expectantly for some kind of comeback, but he signed off. Just like that. I had time to notice he'd been chatting from a mobile device, and then my vision blurred. I closed my laptop.

He'd probably been trying to take my mind off the flight, cheer me up, I realized. And I'd just used the first time I'd communicated with Sasuke in a month to act like a first rate shit. None of this was Sasuke's fault. He's as helpless as I am. Maybe I expected to much from him, given how suave he normally is, but the fact is he only turned fifteen a few days before my godparents dropped the bomb on me.

It's time to board.

Once inside, with my bag stowed overhead, and my godparents taking up the two seats in front of me, I drop into my own seat and stare out at the night. Sasuke's out there somewhere. Until I grow up, get a job, and save enough money to come back here, this is as close as I'll ever be to him ever again.

Someone drops into the seat next to me. I don't care, keeping my face to the window until the plane revs up and taxies down the runway. We're lifting off and climbing steeply. Leaving Sasuke behind. It hurt so bad that I felt like some part of me was physically down there, being ripped right out of me. A choked sob makes its way past my throat, and now the tears really come.

Whoever is sitting next to me taps my shoulder in concern. I swing around, ready to tell them to fuck off, but it's Sasuke. Right there in the chair, not three inches from me. He's grinning, and I'm stupefied.

"Just thought I should introduce myself," he says quietly. "I can tell he's trying not to laugh at the look on my face, his grin is so wide. "Seeing as we're going to be on this plane awhile. "I'm Sasuke, Konoha High's newest exchange student." He held out his hand.

For a second I think that I've fallen asleep, that I'm dreaming. Then I throw myself across the seat at him, yelling and mauling him and cursing him out, and kissing him and still crying, and-

"How?" I squeal. We're settling back down. People were staring at us. "You abandoned me, I thought you'd broken up with me." Then I shot a quick look at the back of my godparents' heads. They had headphones on, watching movies on their screens. "Does my family know?"

"Don't think so," Sasuke shrugged. "My brother did. He's the one who found me a job on short notice and signed me up for evening classes at Berlitz. I asked him not to tell you," he added sheepishly. Then, seeing the way I was scrubbing my face on the hem of my hoodie, he says, "Don't cry."

-oOo-

The whole story came out. How Sasuke had begged his brother to go to Japan, and Itachi had contacted Konoha High and a family willing to take him in in Japan. Itachi paid for the plane ticket on the condition that Sasuke pay him back immediately, since it was money they could ill-afford. Sasuke had worked all day at a horse ranch in Tunney's Pasture, then gone straight to Berlitz afterward for classes in Japanese every evening. For the whole month. He'd been able to pay back almost all of what he owed Itachi, with a promise to find a part-time job in Japan and pay back the rest.

"I'm sorry I ignored you," he finished off by saying. "But I wasn't sure I could pull it off and I didn't want to get your hopes up. As it is, Itachi only agreed to accept the partial payment because I threatened to run away. I'll pretty much be on my own once I get there, since he said he'll only be able to send me a small amount each month, but the family I'll be staying with seems nice. Spoke to them online. Nara family. They have a kid our age."

I'm still dazed by the wonder of him, grinning at him like an absolute mental case. "I can't believe you're here, that you did all this."

"Like I was going to let you forget me and move on? Had to sell my phone, my laptop, everything. Barely made it to the airport in time, and almost couldn't get you to tell me your seat number so I could book the seat next to yours once I did get here. Chatted with you from my brother's phone, by the way. I'd do it all again, too. I'm not letting you go."

I think I blushed.

Sasuke leaned close to me, getting right into my face. "Also? There's a certain request you made of me that I plan on seeing to as soon after we're settled in Japan as is humanly possible." Then, as if to make sure there's no doubt in my mind as to what he's talking about, he puts his mouth to my ear and whispers. "I can't wait to be inside you."

Okay, so maybe this whole thing started out as a day from Hell, but right then there was so much happy inside me I thought I'd burst. Just go kablooey all over the place. That moment right there, with Sasuke next to me, hand in mine, whispering how he was going to fuck my brains out, I knew I'd never been happier. Not ever.

Best day of my fucking life.