This is just a one-shot right now. I'm thinking that it could be extended into something steamier, though. Reviews, my friends. Do you want to see more from this? How much more? Any thoughts or suggestions? Give mama something to work with :)

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Naruto but if I had to choose one part to own, it would be his big... blue eyes! Perv :)

Warning: If you don't like emotional baggage and the power it has to create love, then you won't like this. If you don't like the thought of a boy kissing another boy, then you are out of luck, my friend. This story is not for you.

Rain On My Parade

"Hey! Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled after his friend. "Sasuke! Sasuke, wait!" Naruto had grown irritated with the chase. Why was Sasuke walking outside in the pouring rain anyway? "SASUKE!" Naruto finally reached his friend and grabbed him by the shoulder roughly to force him to face the blond. "The fuck… Sasuke… I was… calling you," Naruto complained in between tired pants, developed from having run to catch up with Sasuke.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, "didn't hear. Sorry," said Sasuke rather despondently.

That's weird, Naruto thought as he raised an inquisitive brow at the response. Sasuke apologized. "Well, yeah," Naruto agreed, shaking off his initial irritation, "this rain is deafening, dumbass," he jeered playfully, his tone upbeat. "What are you even doing?"

"Oh…" Sasuke said, as if he had just now noticed the rain, "didn't notice. Wanna call a cab?"

What is up with him? "Nahhh," Naruto answered brightly, "we're already soaking. Might as well walk, right? It's kind of refreshing! The rain is letting up a little anyway."

Sasuke shrugged and continued walking, his friend following close beside him. Shit, Sasuke thought. I was trying to avoid you, idiot. Sasuke sighed out loud with dejection.

What the fuck, Naruto questioned in his mind and turned his head just enough to slip Sasuke a confused expression. Sasuke doesn't sigh unless… "Sasuke?" Naruto began, pausing to wait for acknowledgement.

"Hn?"

"Did I say something stupid?" Naruto asked tentatively. If he had done something to annoy Sasuke, he didn't want to worsen it with questions.

"Huh?" Sasuke glanced quickly at Naruto with a look of concern… or was it fear? He was wondering why Naruto was so full of questions. It was unnerving. "No. Why?" Sasuke asked, swallowing his uneasiness down hard.

"Uh… No reason." Naruto loosed a tense laugh. He felt like he was over-analyzing but Sasuke's behavior was making him feel edgy. He's acting weird. I should just leave him alone, Naruto silently decided. "Well," he continued, despite his decision, "it's just that you normally only sigh when you're telling me that I'm an idiot." He could remember very vividly what Sasuke was like when he didn't want to talk and it wasn't pretty but Naruto let his curiosity get the best of him anyway. There was no harm in trying, right? Well, there may, actually, be a lot of harm. That depended on how sensitive Sasuke was feeling today. "If I didn't say anything stupid, then what is it?"

God. Sasuke brought his hand to cover his face. You're letting yourself slip. He slid his hand dramatically down his face as he rolled his eyes. "You are an idiot, dobe."

Naruto half scoffed and half genuinely laughed. This is what he had wanted, for Sasuke to start acting normally. However, since Naruto knew it was only an attempt to get off of the subject of what was really bothering Sasuke, Naruto wasn't going to accept it so easily. "Come on, teme. Just tell me what's up," he probed.

Sasuke stared sideways at Naruto with a raised brow, as if Naruto had said something seriously questionable. "Wrong? Have you ever known anything to be wrong with me, Naruto?" He laughed the most prickish laugh he could muster as he turned his eyes forward again.

"Well," Naruto said, stressing the word dramatically, "yeah, actually. A lot." He laughed, knowing that Sasuke would find it funny, too. Well, at least, that's what he thought. Pleased with his joke but immediately aware of the lack of mutual amusement, Naruto quickly choked his laughter down to an uneasy snicker. What the hell is up with him? Naruto halted and grabbed his friend's wrist forcefully, successfully causing Sasuke to stop and face Naruto. "Whatever it is you can talk t—"

Sasuke interrupted Naruto with the actions of ripping his wrist violently from Naruto's grip. Naruto could tell that this was going to be one of those not so pretty times when Sasuke didn't want to talk and Naruto pressured him anyway. The thought was further confirmed when Sasuke settled a cold glare on Naruto's big, blue, innocent eyes. It was typical of Sasuke to look uncomfortably annoyed and disapprovingly cold most of the time but never with Naruto or, rather, never toward Naruto. They had always shared a special bond. Sasuke never looked at him like this and, if he did, it never sent as many paralyzing chills down Naruto's spine as it did now. "Just what do you expect from me?" Sasuke snapped.

Naruto's face gave way to genuine hurt. "I just want you to talk to me! That's all."

Sasuke sneered with a roll of his eyes. "We're talking right now, moron."

"That's not what I mean," Naruto retorted as his patience began to thin. "This isn't the time to play your stupid Uchiha games!" Sasuke could be a real prick sometimes. "I thought we were friends," Naruto finished in a softer tone that was meant to urge Sasuke to confide in him.

Sasuke's glare only deepened and his voice filled with venom. Naruto's caring nature right now was absolutely agitating. Why couldn't he just see that Sasuke wanted him to fuck off? "Well there's your issue, dobe. You're no good at thinking." Sasuke turned sharply and began walking away.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted after him crossly. "Hey!" he shouted louder. "SASUKE!"

Sasuke stopped only upon hearing a crack in Naruto's voice. Is he crying, Sasuke questioned himself with both genuine concern and irritation. He turned to Naruto to see him trembling, not quite crying but not far from it, either. Sasuke suddenly felt the urge to apologize. He hadn't intended to be so cruel. Here, lay the concern. Naruto was his best friend, after all, and he didn't want to do anything but make him happy. That was just it. Naruto just didn't understand just how happy Sasuke wanted to make him. In fact, Naruto just didn't understand anything at all. Here, lay the irritation. He couldn't understand and Sasuke couldn't explain. This coldness was all Sasuke felt equipped to offer at the moment. He didn't know what else to do so he just continued on with it. "Man up, Naruto, and stop crying like a girl."

The comment brought Naruto's blood to a boil. Fuck Sasuke for being such an ass! Naruto was seething but the tone that he spoke with was deflated. "Just talk to me!"

"Dobe," Sasuke responded immediately, as if dealing with Naruto was a chore. He rolled his eyes agitatedly.

"Just talk to me!" Naruto repeated, raising his voice a notch higher. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Sasuke exclaimed while rolling his eyes, as if Naruto's persistence was physically exhausting him.

"Sasuke," Naruto pleaded heatedly, "just tell me what's up and stop rolling your eyes!" Sasuke's response was another automatic roll of his eyes, further provoking Naruto. "Sasuke!"

"Naruto!" Sasuke mocked. His voice raised to match Naruto's, initiating a yelling match.

"Seriously! Tell me," Naruto demanded hotly, the tone in his voice luring Sasuke slowly out of repose.

"Just…" Sasuke began before stopping and growling, instead. A lump of emotion was causing his throat to tighten and block the words from escaping.

"Just what? Tell me," Naruto repeated like a broken record.

"What am I supposed to say?" Sasuke shouted back with petulance. His composure was falling. He was about to snap and he could feel it all welling up inside of him.

"Everything," Naruto suggested.

As emotion welled even higher in his chest and threatened to choke him, Sasuke forfeited words and reverted to angry gestures. He huffed crossly and shook his hands dismissively at Naruto, trying to convey just how much he detested the conversation Naruto was trying to pursue.

"ANYTHING!" Naruto pleaded emphatically, pressing Sasuke further. Naruto was offended by the way that Sasuke's hand gestures resembled a rich bitch dismissing their servant but he chose to ignore that in favor of the bigger picture, which was getting Sasuke to stop being so stubborn and confide in him. He knew he wouldn't win Sasuke's confidence by adding anything more to the already heated exchange.

"Naruto," Sasuke groaned as an exasperated warning. His emotions were reaching dangerous heights and pushing tensely against his will to suppress them.

"Sasuke!" Naruto persisted, his tone switching from the frustrated plight you'd expect from your mother to the threatening commandment you'd expect from your father. Naruto was thoroughly fed up with the back and forth and he decided to show it. He was hoping that this dangerous change in demeanor would cause Sasuke to give in. It could just as easily have the exact opposite effect and cause Sasuke to push Naruto even further away, though.

"WHAT?" Sasuke roared. Sasuke had, clearly, caved but to what, Naruto was momentarily unsure. Which desire was Sasuke giving in to: yearning or negligence?

If Sasuke had given in to yearning, then Sasuke would talk out his problems with Naruto the way Naruto absolutely knew Sasuke was dying to do, even if he was waging this unnecessary war in order to avoid it. Just because Sasuke was Sasuke, he always fought Naruto's attempts to talk about sensitive things. It was the Uchiha in him that fought it, really. Naruto knew that all it took was a bit of poking and prodding for Sasuke to open up. He was never an easy target, much unlike Naruto who would break down the second Sasuke threw him an even slightly inquisitive glance. Despite Sasuke's natural inclination to avoid talking, Naruto knew that Sasuke did, in fact, want to talk. He just need the right motivation. He needed to be reminded that he could trust in Naruto which he undeniably could.

Unfortunately, Naruto's attempts at reminding Sasuke that Naruto was there for him had backfired miserably on more than one occasion. Instead of making Sasuke feel secure, he had inadvertently made Sasuke feel weak and incapable. Thus, leading Naruto into the wake of some very, very unappealing outbursts of anger. It wasn't often that Sasuke took Naruto's concern for him wrongly but when he did, Naruto was faced with a monumental reaction. He was faced with Hurricane Sasuke which always all but destroyed Naruto with its force. If Sasuke had given in to negligence, then Naruto was now facing the calm before the storm.

Sasuke's next movement would decide everything. His initial reaction to Naruto's attempts at talking was always anger. Regardless of whether Sasuke was going to actually talk or whether he was going to turn into a hurricane, he was always mad at first. It was the anxiety and uneasiness that he felt at revealing his innermost emotions—something he had picked up as an Uchiha—that made Sasuke react with anger. If he was going to talk, though, that anger would die quickly as Naruto's reassuring eyes began to take their effect on him and he would spill his surprisingly emotional little guts. If he wasn't going to talk, that initial anger would only double, then triple, then quadruple, and then multiply on into infinity until Naruto wasn't even sure it was physically possible for a human to be so angry. What would Sasuke do, now? The momentary suspense was unbearable! Would the roar of Sasuke's "WHAT" wane or intensify? It was only a moment of hesitation between that "WHAT" and Sasuke's next words to come but that moment felt like a lifetime to Naruto and he was desperate for an indication in any direction. Even if Hurricane Sasuke was going to come out for a spin, Naruto preferred it to the tension that grappled with his muscles from not knowing what Sasuke was going to say or do.

Finally, that moment of uncertainty dissolved and Naruto was awarded with a response and it was the response that he didn't want. "WHAT, Naruto?" Sasuke followed up, the venom in his voice doubling.

The anger was definitely not waning. Naruto was forecasting a hurricane. Naruto dwelled on the thought of the softer Sasuke that he would be seeing if Sasuke had decided to go the other route. If Sasuke hadn't taken Naruto's inquisition so offensively, then Naruto would be facing a vulnerable boy who wasn't afraid to show Naruto the most difficult things for an Uchiha to show. Something about the inhibitions that Sasuke didn't have when he did give in to the yearning was just beautiful. It created precious moments of light for Naruto in which he and Sasuke could be close without any walls or boundaries painfully separating them and that felt like serendipity, like bliss, like the closest thing to heaven Naruto could ever experience. Those precious moments built up over the course of their friendship, ever solidifying into a bright form that would, undoubtedly, depict Naruto's deepest desires when completely refined.

That form took up residence in Naruto's dreams. It was the sole creator of his ecstasy. That form was the very core of Naruto's heart and soul. That form would, some day when it was complete, be Sasuke. Naruto wasn't stupid enough to deny that, as terrifying a thought as it may be, he was in love with his best friend and all of those precious moments that Sasuke had allowed him were to thank for that. Being close to Sasuke like that was the closest thing that Naruto had to actually being with Sasuke and it felt so goddamn right. Naruto was craving that closeness so much right now that he began to physically ache. It caused a hunger to begin eating him up from the inside out. That hunger was infinitely intensified as he met onyx eyes, furious as Sasuke's were. Shining through that fury, though, was a yearning that Sasuke could never squander, try as he might.

Naruto was making silent plights upon his knees at Sasuke's feet within his own mind for Sasuke to make an about face and run back in the opposite direction. He was begging Sasuke to embrace the yearning and create another precious moment of unconditional love to add to the form of light. Sasuke didn't understand just how dear to Naruto that those moments were. As the moments grew, the day that the form would completely and irrefutably depict Sasuke as his deepest desire grew tantalizingly closer. When that day arrived, that would be the day that Naruto would express that desire. That would be the day that he would be able to tell Sasuke of his love. That was a day that Naruto was, certainly, fearing. Even more so than that, though, it was a day that Naruto was anticipating. For, it was the day that everything would finally be right.

However, as Sasuke was now giving in to negligence, Sasuke was stealing another precious moment from the grip of Naruto's hands. He was holding Naruto further back from reaching his courage, the courage that it would take to confess to Sasuke. If all of these thoughts and feelings were buzzing within the sea of sapphire that was Naruto's eyes, as Naruto was sure they would be, Sasuke didn't notice.

"What do you want to hear?" Sasuke bellowed in continuance, moving very briskly to close the gap that he had previously created between the two boys. He stopped just before their noses touched and his eyes were murderously locked on Naruto's astounded orbs. Naruto's internal plights grew more intense. Sasuke was so close to recognizing those pleas. He was staring right into the doorway that would lead to them. If he just chose to truly look into Naruto's eyes, he would see everything that Naruto was feeling. He would turn from the negligence and run for the yearning. He would create another precious moment and, perhaps, that moment would be the one to propel Naruto heedlessly into his courage. Then, Naruto could release the desires of his heart. Sasuke didn't know it now but that was exactly what both of them needed. It would make everything in their lives alright. Sasuke only needed to detach from the darkness and embrace the light, embrace Naruto. He need only look deeply into Naruto's eyes and see.

That's exactly what Sasuke did. He looked deep into Naruto's eyes but he saw nothing but what he wanted to see. Naruto had meandered down a road that he, apparently, didn't know that he didn't want to take and Sasuke was about to educate him thoroughly. He had asked for it and now he was going to get raw, unfiltered Uchiha emotion, a rare and regrettable discovery. Sasuke was going to defeat what he saw in Naruto's eyes. Sasuke answered Naruto's plights but not in the way that Naruto had expected of him.

"You want me to soften up and cry for you?" Sasuke shouted, anger still thickly folded into both his voice and his eyes. "You want to hear all about how angry I am? Fine, as if you haven't heard the pathetic stories a million times! Want me to talk about how my father disowned me at fifteen goddamn years old?" Sasuke's voice threatened to break with that last sentence but he was so deep into his emotional outburst that he gave as many as zero fucks about that. Naruto was taken aback. Was he getting the aftermath of both negligence and yearning? Was Sasuke confiding in Naruto but without the rage dying like it normally did? Was that even possible? Well, it was Sasuke. Anything was possible. The object of his anger switched from Naruto to his father and Sasuke's voice ebbed from a furious yell back down to normal, although, it was still dense with emotion. He moved back to create a more comfortable distance between the two of them. Perhaps, unaware that the only distance that Naruto felt was comfortable was the distance that allowed them to be as close to one as possible.

"My 'father'," Sasuke mocked with spite, "The man who blamed me for killing my mother as she gave birth to me and then blamed me for killing my brother when he committed suicide. Mind you, he did it to escape my father but it was still my fault, of course. It was always my fault. Everything was! Yeah, he did me such a service by letting me sleep in his house and eat his food but he would never call me his son. He favored the dead one over me. The son who killed himself to get away from him! The son who left me all alone with that prick! That son of his left me with nothing except his stupid suicide note, as if that would fucking help! Is this what you want to hear about, Naruto? You wanna hear about how torn up I am inside or about how, on his fucking death-bed, my father blamed me for being the sole cause of the stress that induced his stroke? He was literally dying right before my eyes and he could barely breathe but he still managed to choke out just how disappointed he was to have had me as a son. He managed to remind me that I killed everyone he loved and now, I killed him! Is this what you want, to hear about how fucked up I am?

"You wanna hear about how, no matter how cold and detached us Uchihas are supposed to be, that poor excuse for a father actually hurt me? You wanna hear about how all I ever wanted was that asshole's approval? All I wanted was that bastard's love! I wanted to earn it! I wanted to feel like I deserved it but I got nothing! NOTHING! Not a goddamn thing but hatred! Well, there you go! There it is!" Sasuke was completely unhinged by this point. His eyes were raging with unfamiliar emotions that not even Naruto recognized or understood. "I'm fucked up, Naruto, and all I fucking want is for one person in this goddamn world to…" Sasuke paused and Naruto's confusion crept even higher as an emotion that equally blended hatred and love flashed behind Sasuke's eyes. "All I want is for my one best friend to just fucking lovvvuuuhhhggg." Sasuke decidedly turned that last word into a frustrated scream. No matter how deep into a break down he was, he still couldn't say those words to Naruto. At least, not like this. He averted his eyes down to the sidewalk and that was something that Naruto could recognize. That was a trademark of Sasuke giving in to the yearning. That was shame, fear, and uncertainty but, thankfully, nothing along the lines of anger. Naruto felt a slight rush of relief as he recognized that maybe now the anger was finally dying down. Maybe now they could share a precious moment and Naruto could actually be helpful as opposed to being the punching bag that he currently was.

The relief was short-lived as Sasuke, visibly angry with his lack of backbone, turned and walked a few fuming paces away from Naruto. Then, he stopped abruptly. No, he thought and turned back to face Naruto, deciding he would just say what needed to be said. "I just want…" he started shouting while closing the gap back up. Noooo, he grumbled in his head as he came to a stop before Naruto. He couldn't finish the sentence again. "I…" he yelled louder but the words stayed caught in his throat. Looking into Naruto's innocent eyes in Sasuke's current state made Sasuke even angrier. Naruto looked so goddamn cute and unexpecting. He was adorable and Sasuke couldn't help but think about kissing him, even as Sasuke was burning up from fiery rage inside. Naruto was blatantly unaware of just how alike Sasuke's and his thoughts were right now. Both boys wanted only to connect, to feel love. Except one was dying for the chance to admit it and the other was dying to suppress it. Sasuke decided that he wanted to hit the blond, instead, for being so very Naruto and so he did. He palmed Naruto hard in the chest and then repeated the action until he was slapping rashly at Naruto like a child. Naruto took this as a definite sign of giving in to the negligence. God, this was turning out to be really confusing. One second Sasuke was possibly going in one direction and the next he was going the other. Sasuke wasn't hitting nearly hard enough to hurt Naruto or even cause him to budge but it felt sickeningly satisfying to him, nonetheless. It felt as if he was bitch slapping the cuteness right out of Naruto. I mean, fuck Naruto for looking so tempting while Sasuke was so upset!

Ending up even more frustrated than he was before, Sasuke ceased his pathetic assault to turn and walk a few more angry paces away from Naruto. NO, he commanded himself internally as he stopped, determined to get the words out this time. "I just fucking want…" he thundered without walking back to his spot before Naruto or even turning to face him. He clenched his hands into angry fists. Nooooo, he fussed once more to himself. He still couldn't get the words out. "I…" he started again, noticeably weaker this time. His anger had faded into something deeper and much scarier to the Uchiha, something much more threatening and something much more in favor of Naruto's wishes. "I…" his voice trembled. Was his voice really trembling? Am I really doing this? Where is my resolve? "I don't know!" he shouted at both Naruto and himself, his voice finally cracking beneath the emotion. "I don't… don't know…" he choked out feebly and fell to his knees. "I don't fucking know," he sobbed as his shoulders slumped forward with failure. He had let himself go too far. His emotions, meant to defeat Naruto, had defeated him. He, himself, couldn't even handle raw, unfiltered Uchiha emotion. He was the one regretting this rare discovery and he would bet that Naruto was unperturbed.

Naruto had seen Sasuke stripped down to basics more than once before but, this time, it was something that Sasuke was pointedly trying to avoid. Therefore, this time, it was kind of embarrassing and definitely shameful. This time, Sasuke had tried desperately to hide his feelings. He tried to purposely not give in to the desire to break down at Naruto's feet. He tried to mask his feelings with anger that, though honest, was purposely meant to keep the moment from becoming too deep or too emotional. Every time Naruto tried to talk to Sasuke and ended up receiving a dramatic outburst, that's really what Sasuke was trying to do. He was trying to keep the exchange shallow and restrained and the only way he could that, in the presence of Naruto at least, was to get angry. If he was angry, then Naruto wouldn't try to comfort him and these were times in which he did not want to be comforted.

He did not want to be close. He did not want to feel connected to Naruto because he knew that if he was, he wouldn't be able to hide his feelings for the boy. If he and Naruto shared a moment like that, he would do something stupid like admit his love or kiss him and then ruin their friendship. There were only certain times Sasuke felt strong enough to restrain his affections and those were the only times he would let his softer side emerge. The other times, Sasuke would try to keep up a thin veil of anger and he would always succeed. Today, however, his emotions had gotten the better of him. In the end, he could do nothing but submit to the warm presence of Naruto and open up. Now, he feared what he would do next. He feared what he would say. More importantly, he feared what Naruto would say back. Would it be a requisition of love or rejection?

Naruto watched his friend's display through both understanding and confused eyes. These were all things that Sasuke had already confided in Naruto before, though, not quite in this confusing manner that was caught somewhere between soft and a storming hurricane. Naruto always knew that Sasuke would come to him when he did break down but Naruto never hoped to see his friend so frighteningly upset. He had seen Sasuke vulnerable before and he had seen him angry but he had never seen the marriage of the two and this new strange way of expressing his emotions was painful to watch. Naruto knew that he couldn't interject as he watched, though. He had to let Sasuke purge, as he had learned from previous outbursts of rage, and now that he had, it was finally Naruto's turn to speak. Though, he didn't really know what to say.

Naruto knew that he shouldn't be reprimanding of Sasuke's angry tone like he normally would in a situation where Sasuke blew up on him. He also wasn't sure if he should or, rather, could be as caring as he normally would in a situation where Sasuke softly confided in him, for fear that Sasuke would take it offensively. When angry, Sasuke took compassion as an insult and, though he was crying right now, Sasuke had just shown a lot of anger. Would a display of affection be insulting or not? Sasuke deciding to go against normalcy and be both soft and angry in the same five minutes was so confusing! How was Naruto to react? He decided to simply go with his gut and, of course, his gut was telling him to take this as an opportunity to turn things around into a precious moment. His gut was telling him to embrace his friend and eliminate the distance between their hearts, so that's what he did. That was something that came easily to him.

Naruto closed the space between Sasuke and himself and sat comfortably down so that Sasuke was between his legs. Naruto reached out and wrapped his arms firmly around Sasuke, pulling him as close to his chest as possible. Sasuke may hate this, Naruto thought uncertainly, but he really needs a hug. Sasuke stiffened up at first, clearly contemplating his response to the action carefully. Naruto had partly expected a struggle, cursing, or even punching but he was slightly surprised to receive none of this. He wasn't sure if Sasuke would be angry at him for holding Sasuke so tenderly or for treating him as so weak and helpless. Sasuke wasn't a goddamn damsel in distress. That's what Naruto thought that Sasuke should be thinking right about now anyway. Instead, Sasuke leaned further into Naruto, wrapped his own arms around Naruto's torso, and buried his head into Naruto's chest. A precious moment, Naruto narrated in his head and his heart fluttered at the thought.

Naruto could hear Sasuke whimpering as he cried. He could feel Sasuke's sobs shake his body, echoing through to his core and shattering his heart. He would never hurt Sasuke like this. It was hard to believe that Sasuke was so willingly letting Naruto take care of him like this when he had just been so angry, a normally clear indication that he didn't want to be coddled. Naruto closed his eyes tightly and took notice of the breath that he had been holding. As his body relaxed with the release of that breath, Sasuke's crying lightened. It was as if they were directly connected and Naruto liked that. Naruto took a few more deep, calming breaths and felt Sasuke relax with him until Sasuke wasn't crying at all anymore. After a few drawn out moments of silence, Naruto comforted Sasuke quietly, "You're way better than that bastard ever let you be and you know that. It's okay to cry. It's okay to be hurt because he did hurt you. It's okay, Sasuke. It really is all just okay."

Naruto's words made Sasuke want to cry all over again. No one had ever spoken to him like this besides Naruto and every time that he said such caring words, it felt overwhelming. Sasuke's brother had gone seemingly mad and stopped interacting with anyone after their mother died. Sasuke supposed that for Itachi, being stuck with just their scrooge of a father, his burden of a baby brother, and the nannies hired to raise them in their mother's stead that he clearly took no liking to whatsoever all drove him reasonably insane. He never spoke to Sasuke, if he could avoid it. It was fifteen long years after Sasuke's birth before Itachi committed suicide. The only love he ever offered Sasuke was in his suicide letter that read, "I'm not doing this to hurt you. I'm doing it to hurt father. I do love you, Sasuke. I should have said it more." More? He didn't say it at all.

Either way, Itachi's death only gave Sasuke's father something else to hate Sasuke for, thus, bringing the lack of reassurance present in Sasuke's life to a new world record. Hearing Naruto say things like this to him always made Sasuke's heart ache but it was with a sort of painful relief. He wasn't alone. Somebody cared enough to comfort Sasuke and that was relieving. However, it was painful because it had taken so many miserable years to feel that relief and, by now, Sasuke wasn't sure he even knew how to feel it properly. Actually, scratch that. Sasuke knew exactly how to channel that relief. He just wasn't sure that Naruto would accept the outcome. Every time Naruto spoke so tenderly to him, the love that Sasuke felt for him built up even more and Sasuke didn't know if it would be okay with his best friend that Sasuke was in love with him.

Sasuke teetered dangerously on the edge of blurting out the confides of his heart as he leaned back to look Naruto in the eyes. His eyes were so full of understanding and compassion but without a trace of sympathy, just how Sasuke liked them. He hated sympathy, especially from Naruto. Naruto was the only one who really understood Sasuke and he detested the idea of Naruto feeling sorry for him. He didn't want Naruto to view him that way. One look into those sapphire eyes and Sasuke wasn't even thinking about what he was saying anymore, even if the circumstances to say it were all wrong. "Naruto, I… I just want… I want you to… to…" Sasuke trailed off. His hesitation stemmed not from lack of courage but, rather, lack of focus. He was drowning in the ocean of Naruto's eyes. He was drowning in a sea of embracing warmth.

Naruto liked what he saw glinting so openly in Sasuke's eyes, too. He felt that, for once, Sasuke's face was showing the most genuine display of emotion he could possibly manage and it was an impressive display of emotion, indeed. Sasuke was completely open. He showed no inhibitions. Naruto witnessed adoration and appreciation, two things that Sasuke never let show, flow freely from Sasuke's captivating gaze. Maybe he even saw… love. Of course Sasuke loved him but, from what he saw, Naruto now knew that a spark of something more substantial lay deeper beneath. It sent Naruto's insides into a frantic flutter. He couldn't help the smile washing over his face. He was positive that he and Sasuke shared the same unhindered emotion. This was definitely the triumphant moment that Naruto would reach his courage. This was the moment Naruto had been waiting for. He fully embraced his desire for Sasuke and said the words proudly as they slipped out, as if they were always meant to be spoken to Sasuke, "I do love you. I always have."

"Me too," Sasuke replied without skipping a beat, offering the warmest smile Naruto had ever seen grace Sasuke's face.

Each boy was far too engulfed in the other to really care about the fact that they had just confessed the very thing that they had been afraid to admit for years… love for one another. How can you just tell your best friend that you're in love with him? You can't! Yet, they just did and it had happened so effortlessly. It was momentary bliss. Sasuke wanted to kiss Naruto and Naruto wanted to do the same to Sasuke. The question was, who would make the first move? Who would break the steaming stare and muster up enough courage to satiate the urge?

Naruto was silently willing himself to move in for the kill until Sasuke decided that he could hold back no longer. Naruto had already seen him beyond his most vulnerable. Why the fuck not? He leaned in and captured Naruto's lips with his own and Naruto melted instantly into the kiss. Sasuke's head was immediately launched into ecstasy and he was certain that he would pass out from the sensation. He was thankful when Naruto's hands took a life of their own and tangled in Sasuke's messy, jet-black locks. The action brought Sasuke back down from the clouds and prompted him to move his lips against Naruto's. The new contact caused sparks to surge throughout their bodies like fireworks as their lips moved in perfect harmony. It was absolute serenity. It was a moment worth waiting a lifetime for. Finally, the embrace was mutually broken. The rain had stopped but neither boy had the wits about them to take notice. They couldn't keep their eyes off of each other nor the content grins off of their faces.

"What will we tell my grandparents?" Naruto questioned in a moment of realization, though, his tone held no real trace of actual concern. He was still basking in the aftermath of their kiss. "We went for a walk in the rain, fought, kissed, and now we're in love. Can we still share a room?" The two shared a laugh.

"It doesn't matter what we tell them or where they put me," Sasuke reassured Naruto. "I'll always find a way back to you."

A smile that felt like it would never wane etched itself seemingly permanently into Naruto's features. Sasuke had voiced something that Naruto felt strongly in his own heart. He would absolutely always find his own way back to Sasuke and he believed every syllable of the statement as it slipped out from between Sasuke's lips, too. This was the kind of certainty that Naruto had been searching for. He had a fairly normal life but he had faced loss, too, and he had always been looking for something to believe in, something to make his life worthwhile. He had only a bit of an inkling so many years ago that Sasuke could be that thing but he had no clue just how immense that the force of their relationship would turn out to be. He didn't know then that, some day, the love between the two of them would create it's own gravity and become the center of his universe, the point around which he would forever revolve. He didn't know then that Sasuke would, one day, become the sun of his solar system. He could see the same emotional revelation thrive behind Sasuke's eyes and there had never been a moment that felt so right in his entire life. He believed completely in the feeling that did not spark but, rather, struck up a forest fire between their two souls. It was a feeling that would feed off of the fumes of their love for the rest of eternity.

It would burn ever on, even in death.