Change, a naruto fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A simple plot, a simple story. I hope you all like it. Dedicated to Ray aka DJ! I love you!

The fireflies were always out every night when Sasuke visited his father's summer home in Okinawa. They would flash on and off like tiny light bulbs and keep his attention for hours at a time, amazing him time and time again. And tonight, as he sat on the porch in the back of the wooden house, he watched them slowly fly around and brighten the usually dark back yard.

He did this every single night, not one to bother himself with change.

Though there was one single person who kept trying to pry himself into Uchiha Sasuke's repetitive and seemingly dull life. The town's local artist and idiot, Uzumaki Naruto. The blond-haired, blue-eyed male made it his mission to annoy the hell out of him and so far he was doing a pretty good job.

Snorting at the thought of the obnoxious teenager, Sasuke uncrossed his legs and leaned his head back against the screen door, his gaze on a specific firefly that was chasing after another.

Every time he visited the summer home, he'd always see the moron somewhere in town and he somewhat dreaded going to the grocery store in the morning because he knew the painter would be there in all his bright orange glory. But as much as he didn't want to see Naruto, he didn't want to change what he liked to call a "yearly tradition". The same events happened every year and he wanted to keep it that way.

After all, Uchiha Sasuke didn't like change.

The sun was bright, as usual, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky as Sasuke walked through the local town. From the sidewalk he was walking on, he could see the ocean behind a couple of fishing shops and an old shinto shrine. It was a sight he was used to and enjoyed. He loved the clear water and the fishing boats that would float up to the loading docks every few hours.

Turning the corner, he stepped onto one of the many boardwalks that made up most of terrain of the town. There weren't many streets since the town was built on the beach, so it was mainly boardwalks and bridges. After he passed a small restaurant he frequented on the weekends, he turned into a rather small store that looked more like a storage house than anything.

"Welcome!" the shop keeper greeted Sasuke with a large smile. Ayame was a sweet girl who worked at the shop in place of her sick father most of the time. "Sasuke-san, I knew you'd be here around this time," she laughed softly. "You run on the same schedule every year, don't you?"

Sasuke didn't like the teasing tone in her voice, but replied to her anyway.

"You could say that."

Then he was off to wander the narrow aisles of the shop, food and other items packed onto the shelves as if someone were stocking up for a hurricane. He grabbed a red basket by the ice cream cooler to put his groceries in and tossed in a couple of boxes of pasta, having always been fond of western cuisine.

As he looked around for tomato sauce, he spotted the cans a little too high up for him to reach. He frowned. He hated how life liked to point out his obvious handicap in the height department. Moving closer to the shelf, he stood on the tips of his sneakers and reached up as high as he could, his fingers brushing against the bottom of the shelf.

Out of nowhere, a tan hand reached up and grabbed a can for the raven, throwing it into the basket. There was a familiar snort of laughter behind Sasuke and he turned, glaring at the much taller man. He knew he'd run into the idiot sooner or later, but he'd hoped that their "reunion" would've been when he was checking out. Now he'd have to continue his grocery shopping with Naruto following him around like a baby duckling.

"Uzumaki."

Cerulean eyes that matched the sky brightened considerably as Sasuke acknowledged him. He'd been so excited to see the Uchiha again that he'd slipped out of work just to meet up with him. For some reason, he really enjoyed his company, despite him being an ass hole and an anti-social bastard.

"Welcome back to the wonderful town of Henka!" the blond said enthusiastically as he spread his arms out wide, as if presenting an other-worldly gift. Unfortunately, all that was behind him were women products and boating magazines. "How come you didn't call me when you arrived yesterday, huh?" he shoved his face close to Sasuke's, their noses almost touching.

Pushing Naruto back, Sasuke continued to look for the items he needed for dinner.

"I had more important things to do than play games with you."

"Whatever you say, Uchiha. I was going to let you in on my brilliant plan to take over Japan and West Canada, but it was your loss," Naruto snickered and walked backwards next to Sasuke, his flip flops clacking against the floor loudly.

Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle at the moron's antics, his mood becoming lighter.

"There's no such thing as West Canada, Usuratonkachi. There's no west anything."

"Bullshit, Uchiha, that's bullshit. There's a West Virginia!" Naruto retorted with a cheesy grin. Oh, how he missed hanging out with Sasuke every summer. "So, how's life in the big city of Tokyo? Are you still going to take that job at your Pop's company?" he grabbed a pack of ramen and tossed it into his friend's basket when he wasn't looking, whistling innocently.

"I'll be starting once I get back in a month," Sasuke answered while sifting through the container of mushrooms in the refrigerated section.

"Man, it seems like it was just yesterday when we were sitting on your back porch and you talked to me about how you were going to work at the company when you were old enough..." Naruto let himself stroll down memory lane, his arms crossed behind his head. "How old were we? I was thirteen and you were sixteen, right?"

"I'm amazed I've put up with you for so long," Sasuke muttered, his comment going completely unheard by the humming artist.

"Did you say somethin'?"

"Hm? No, I didn't," the raven lied with a secret smirk, grabbing what few items he needed before he headed in the direction of the register, sitting the basket on top of the counter for Ayame to scan. She smiled cutely to him before bagging everything.

"Ramen? Either your diet has changed, Sasuke-san, or Naruto slipped this into your basket," she laughed at Naruto's betrayed expression. "Would you like me to put this back for you?"

"No, go ahead and ring it up. It's the least I can do for him, since I'm thankful he hasn't tackled me to the ground yet."

"Thanks so much, Sasuke!" Naruto's grin widened to impossible lengths, stretching from ear to ear. "Remind me to give you a big kiss when we get back to your place!"

"Who the hell said you were allowed in my home?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Why, you bought me ramen, oh wonderful Uchiha-sama! That is most definitely an invitation for dinner!" the blond smiled innocently, like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. No, that phrase was overused in Sasuke's opinion. The smile was more like that of a teenage girl after she'd been caught having sex with her extremely hunky boyfriend named Skyler.

Sasuke would never be able to convey in words the irritation he felt at that moment.

Maybe if he slipped some arsenic into his friend's food and beverage, there'd be a good chance of him dying in his sleep so he'd never bother him ever, ever again. Yes, that sounded like a good plan because he was pretty sure no man could handle arsenic, let alone two doses of it!

Inside of his mind, Sasuke's Id laughed darkly. (1)

"This place is so booooring," Naruto complained loudly as he kicked off his flip flops and went into the living room of Sasuke gorgeous summer home. It was a cozy place with a black leather couch in front of a flat screen television, a fireplace on the right with a painting of the main Uchiha family above it, and a fish tank to the left, next to a stand with books. "You should change it around every once in a while, ya know? Mix it up."

"I'm not mixing anything up, Dobe. Be grateful that I'm even letting you stay the night here. What was your excuse? Oh yes, that your home was being fumigated for stinks bugs? If you must know, stink bugs don't live in Okinawa," Sasuke growled. "If you're going to lie to me, at least make it believable."

"Um, what if I said my house was flooded?"

"Now that's more believable."

"Yeah, 'cause it's the truth."

"..."

"What? I just thought it'd be pointless to lie again since you already know I'm lying," Naruto shrugged. "So yeah, there was this huge storm two weeks ago and my house is full of water now, so I've been moving from one house to the other until someone can come and fix it up."

Sasuke's brow twitched.

"And when will this 'someone' be coming?"

"Mehhh, I'm not sure. Jiraiya said it'd be soon, though," the blond didn't bother to pull up the baggy jeans that were hanging off of his ass, kept up by a studded black belt. Instead, he just plopped down on the comfortable black sofa and flipped on the TV. "You don't mind if I crash here for a while, do you? I promise, you won't even know I'm here."

"I highly doubt that," Sasuke sighed and carried his groceries to the kitchen table in the dining room. "Are you going to help me put groceries away? If I'm going to let you stay here, you might as well do something useful."

"But Will & Grace is on!" Naruto whined. "I love this episode! It's where Will goes to that one place with a cup of semen so that he can... nevermind, you have to watch it to understand," then he went back to staring at the TV screen as if it were the best thing in the world.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke put away the food. He'd always been amused by Naruto's personality. He swore that the painter had the attention span of a goldfish, if not a mentally challenged goldfish.

But in all honesty, he really enjoyed having the teen's company. They always spent every summer together despite their differences and Sasuke relished in the feeling of stability. His life was completely stable and he would keep it that way until the very end.

Poor Sasuke, he didn't know that his perfectly stable and calm life would soon turn hectic.

"If Kenya has three apples and America wants those apples, how many apples does Kenya have?"

Naruto was upside down on the couch, his legs dangling over the back of the sofa and a Playstation 3 controller in his hands as he pounded away at the buttons in order to get his character to do a special attack. He whooped in joy when he knocked his opponent out of the arena and party poppers went off on the screen, announcing him the winner of the ninth tournament in a row.

Sasuke glanced up from the magazine he was reading to toss Naruto a slightly worried look.

"You know, I'm starting to question your sanity and ability to function in society."

The artist let his head fall completely back and he looked at Sasuke's upside-down form.

"Oi, answer my question."

"What was it again?"

"If Kenya has three apples and America wants those apples, how many apples does Kenya have? It's multiple choice. A. No apples. That's it, Kenya has no apples."

Sasuke frowned. "That was a pointless joke. I couldn't even answer."

"Huh, I guess so..." the beginning of the tenth tournament started and the blond's attention was consumed by the game almost immediately. Sasuke could swear he saw Naruto's pupils get bigger after a minute of no blinking. He was able to defeat his enemy quickly and he paused the game to sit up and shake his head like a dog fresh from a bath, his golden locks framing his face messily once he stopped. "Hey, I just noticed that every time I visit you, we do the same exact things... You read while I play video games, you eat pasta while I have instant ramen, and you'll clean up while I take my morning showers..."

"I like consistency," Sasuke answered simply. "I thought I told you that."

"Yeah, but this is starting to get too repetitive. How about we go out somewhere? Oh, I know! Why don't you come with me to hang out with Kiba and Sakura-chan today? We're supposed to go swimming."

"No, thank you."

"But--"

"Do whatever you want, I'm staying here."

Naruto pouted childishly. "You know what? I think you're afraid of change. Since everything's so perfect now, you're afraid to do anything different in fear of something happening. Admit it, Teme, I'm right for once!"

The raven pursed his lips together in annoyance.

"I'm not afraid of anything."

"Then you have to do whatever I do for the rest of this month," Naruto grinned impishly. "Prove to me that you're not afraid, Uchiha. Life's like a salad, you have to toss it up a little."

Sasuke snorted and closed his magazine, placing it on the table beside him.

"Then toss away."

"Dattebayo! To the beach we go! Now get your skinny ass in some swimming trunks, we're not heading out to a banquet, Princess. Lose the dress pants," Naruto joked.

"Fuck you."

The water was calm and perfect for swimming when Sasuke and Naruto arrived at the shoreline. The sand was as soft as the Uchiha remebered it, his toes sinking into its warmth, and there was no one around save for the small boat of fisherman far out in the ocean.

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura waved to them as her and Kiba pulled into the parking lot of an eatery in Kiba's old convertible. The pink-haired girl hopped out in a white bikini and ran across the expanse of sand to jump on Sasuke, her smile dazzling. "Sasuke-kun, I've missed you! I hope Naruto didn't blackmail you into coming here," she laughed. "I never thought you'd ever come swimming with us."

"Well, I decided to... make a change," Sasuke cringed at the final word as if it were the bubonic plague. He loathed change and he swore on every god that he would get his revenge. Naruto had hit low, knowing that an Uchiha basically lived off of his pride. He knew that Sasuke would never be able to pass down a challenge.

Kiba took his sweet time in walking over to them, his cargo pants low on his hips and his cinnammon-colored hair as messy and unruly as usual. Next to him was his huge dog, Akamaru, the pet trotting alongside him with an air of loyalty around him.

"Long time no see, Duck Butt, what have you been up to? Corporate mergers, signing papers, screwin' chicks on your office desk?"

Sakura flushed and slapped the dog boy on his back. "Kiba!"

"It's nice to see you again, too, Inuzuka," the raven seethed. How he'd give anything to be home at that moment.

"Come on, no fighting," Naruto pulled his Asahi t-shirt off and tossed it onto the sand, his muscles far more visible than they had been the previous year. Sasuke took notice to that fact, his eyes glued to the six-pack abs. "Heh, like what you see?"

Scowling, Sasuke glared at his friend. "Hardly."

"Hey, fag, let's go swimming already," Kiba flicked Naruto on the forehead and ran off to the water with Akamaru, the both of them jumping in. Sakura patted the two boys on the head before she, too, ran off down the slope of sand.

"Hopefully, you don't expect me to actually swim," the raven crossed his arms over his pale chest, his obsidian eyes calculating as he watched the blond's two friends splash around in the crystal clear water like children. "I'd much prefer to sit in the sand."

"You're swimming, Teme," Naruto reached forward and grabbed Sasuke's thin wrist, yanking him down toward the water fairly easily since the Uchiha wasn't very strong. Tugging the growling man into the shallow water, he smiled at the feeling of the cool liquid around his ankles. There was nothing he liked better than swimming on a hot day.

"Naruto, let go of me right now," Sasuke snarled, trying desperately to escape the death grip the idiot had on him.

"Come on, loosen up," the blond pulled him further into the water. "You've been here for only five minutes and you're already backing out of our little challenge?" he tossed the other a smirk. "That's so not something I expected from the great Uchiha Sasuke."

Growling in warning, Sasuke snatched his wrist away and grumbled curses under his breath as he lowered himself into the water. He had to admit that it felt nice to be submerged in the cold ocean while the hot sun blared down onto the small town. He just hoped he wouldn't get a sunburn.

"See? It's not so bad," Naruto flopped back and created a huge splash as he went under, his body going around Sasuke before popping up behind him, muscled arms wrapping themselves around frail shoulders. Droplets of water fell down his large frame as he stood there with his arms around the smaller male before he grinned at Sasuke's look of complete and utter horror.

"Don't you dare, Uzuma--"

He was cut short as he was flipped backwards and the sound of seagulls was replaced with the rush of bubbles underneath the water. He could hear his heart beating in his ears and he almost wondered if something had happened and he was sucked into some sort of current, because it was taking forever for him to come up to the surface.

Opening his eyes, he could see the sun above the surface, as well as a school of fish swimming above him. He'd never seen anything like that before and the thought of him drowning was put aside for a few moments as he watched them swim by. Turning his head to the side, he saw that he was above a coral reef and next to a drop off by the shallow end.

Suddenly he was yanked upwards by two large hands and he could hear the seagulls again, air rushing into his lungs almost painfully.

"Sorry! I didn't remember the drop off being so close by!" Naruto apologized. "The current pulled you out of my arms..." he laughed nervously. "Are you ok? You didn't inhale any water, did you?"

Sasuke tried to glare, but he only managed to look up at his friend through damp, black bangs that clung to his face in a messy manner, his eyes filled with relief. He'd really thought he was going to drown or something and was thankful the blond had gotten a hold of him. Even though it was really his fault in the first place, Sasuke couldn't help but be a little grateful.

"I'm fine... thank you."

He then noticed the warm hands that were wrapped around his skinny arms and cleared his throat.

"Oh, right!" Naruto tried not to look embarrassed, but he never was one to be able to hide his emotions well. Pulling his arms back, he smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry for not being able to hold onto you..."

"You shouldn't have flipped me in the first place, Dobe, I almost suffered from a minor coronary heart atack," Sasuke ran a hand through his wet hair. "But don't apologize, it was an accident."

Naruto smiled brightly and he had the strongest urge to hug his friend.

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun! Are you two alright?" Sakura swam over, looking worried. "I saw what happened... Naruto, you're such an idiot!" she smacked him on the back of the head and grabbed his ear, tugging down. "Sasuke-kun could've been dragged out to sea!"

"Itai! L-Let go of my ear, Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined pathetically, his face scrunched up. "It was an accident! I didn't know the drop off was this close!"

"Nice going, Fox Boy," Kiba snickered as he floated by on his back. "You should get him to shore, since his body might go into a state of shock."

Sakura let go of the artist's ear and 'hmph'ed.

"Do as your told, Naruto," she scolded.

"Yes, mommy," the blond grumbled and helped Sasuke swim to the shallow water, lifting him up since his bones literally felt like jello at the moment. "Are you sure you're ok? You look paler than usual."

"I said I'm fine," Sasuke sighed and sat down in the sand, lying back. "I already regret coming out here today."

Naruto sat down next to him and frowned. "Hey, one little mishap shouldn't have you regretting this. I seriously think you need a change of pace, Sasuke, and I'm trying to help. You can't live a healthy life without change every once and a while, ya know? Despite what happened, this is good for you."

"Good for me? How is forcing me to do what I don't want to do helping me, huh? You'll realize soon enough that change only causes problems..." he narrowed his eyes and looked away. "My parents wanted change... and all that came from that was our entire family shifting apart. I never see them, I never see my older brother, I don't see anyone anymore. If they had chosen to keep on living the way they were, I'd probably be a lot happier than I am," he said through gritted teeth. "Change has made me a bitter and angry person, Naruto."

A tan hand reached out to grab Sasuke's arm in a gentle grip.

Sasuke turned his head to the side to only stare deeply into pleading blue eyes.

"Change isn't always bad... You have to understand that. Living the same lifestyle every single day won't do a thing for you, Sasuke. You need to get out and find out what makes you happy. Are you seriously happy living a life where every day's on repeat?" Naruto sighed. "I'm just trying to help you..."

Sasuke yanked his arm away and glared at Naruto.

"I don't need your help. Just leave me the hell alone."

And with that, something shifted between them and Sasuke felt something he thought he'd never feel when it came to Naruto. Regret.

The fireflies were out and about that night, like always.

Sasuke sat down on the back porch for the eighth night in a row since he'd told Naruto to leave him alone. He hadn't seen the man since then, his life going on as normal. But for some reason, he felt uneasy. Naruto was the only thing in his life that was spontaneous and out of the ordinary... Now that he was gone, it felt like everything was just too dull.

Shaking his head, he watched the blinking bugs fly about his yard, his head resting against the screen door.

"Dobe..." he sighed and closed his eyes, picturing the tall male sitting on his couch playing video games for the fourth straight hour in a row. His lips curved upward and he took notice that he was only happy on these vacations because of Naruto. Without the idiot, everything was just too... boring and gray.

Maybe... change isn't as bad as I think it is... He's such a change of pace from my life in Tokyo... And honestly, that's never been a bad thing.

Opening his eyes and leaning forward, he ran his fingers through his hair and pushed himself up. Entering his home, he picked up his cell phone and called Naruto's number.

Some change won't be so bad...

"...Sasuke..." Naruto answered hoarsely on the other end.

"Naruto? What's wrong?"

"I-I've been meaning to call you, but I didn't think you'd answer..." there was moment of silence. "Can I come over...? I need to talk to someone and no one's answering their phone..."

"Of course. I'll leave the front door open for you. But Naruto, what's wro--"

The other end went dead before he could finish and he furrowed his brows, sitting his cellphone on the kitchen counter. He'd never heard Naruto like that before, so quiet and unsure.

"Naruto..."

When the front door slowly opened, Sasuke had expected to see Naruto bound in with a huge smile on his face, proclaiming that he had tricked Sasuke into believing something was wrong. But unfortunately, the only thing the raven saw when he turned toward the door was Naruto in casual clothes with a somewhat dead look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry to bother you..." the blond murmured quietly, sitting next to Sasuke on the couch. "But I needed someone to talk to..." his eyes watered almost instantly and he rubbed at them with his arm. "It's Jiraiya..."

"Your guardian?" Sasuke felt his heart speed up. Jiraiya was all Naruto had. Did something happen?

"Y-You were right, Sasuke," his shoulders shook. "Change only causes problems..," he breathed in and almost choked on the air, sobs wracking his body. He leaned forward and rubbed at his eyes more, failing at stopping the flow of tears. "J-Jiraiya decided he'd rather go back to work than stay retired... and I supported his decision and let him go back to working with the ships, but... but something terrible happened, Sasuke!"

"Naruto..." Sasuke didn't know what to do. He wanted to pull the blond against him and hug him, but he wasn't the best at comforting someone.

"He had a fuckin' stroke on the docks! A stroke! A-and no one was around to help him!" Naruto held back a sob. "He's dead, Sasuke, he's gone! He died all alone out there and I wasn't able to do a single thing! If... If I would've just told him to stay retired, he'd still be here with me right now! Change is bad... it killed my only family, the only person on this island who gave a damn about me when I was little!"

Sasuke, despite not knowing how to comfort someone, pulled Naruto's larger frame against his own and wrapped his arms around him. It was all he really knew how to do and he was surprised when Naruto shoved his face into the crook of his neck and cried his heart out. It was a heart-wrenching sound in Sasuke's opinion, but he would deal with it until Naruto was in a more stable condition.

"I-I'm sorry I never listened to you..." Naruto rubbed at his eyes and choked back a few sobs. "You were right..."

"No," Sasuke gritted his teeth. "I wasn't. You were right. Change isn't always bad... I realized that before you got here... You're the only thing in my life that is far from my norm and the only thing that can bring me any ounce of happiness. You're the one single thing in my life that's never the same and I'm glad for that... So change isn't as bad as I thought it was..."

Naruto pulled back slightly, his eyes red from crying. "I never thought... you, of all people, would say I was right. And did that happen to be a love confession?" a smile bloomed on his face, wiping away the sadness that had been in his eyes. His heart still ached for his deceased guardian, but his mind still functioned like it usually did.

"No, Dobe, it was me trying to make you feel better," he uncharacteristically ruffled the moron's hair and smiled. Never in his life would he had thought he'd become so close to Uzumaki Naruto, the town's bumbling idiot. "And I think my job is done since you're smiling already."

The blond laughed lightly and sniffled, wiping at his eyes with his dry sleeves.

"I can't help but smile when I'm around you, Teme. You know... it's odd. Things have been changing between us over the years so much, yet I've never noticed... We couldn't even stand each other when we were little and you'd come here with Itachi."

"Yeah..."

Sasuke had never even realized that. He only ever thought about what his relationship with Naruto was at that moment. Without him even knowing it, they had been changing all these years.

He smiled.

Naruto had been right all along. Change wasn't always a bad thing...

"Why don't you go take a shower and wash up? I'll give you something to sleep in and make you some ramen," Sasuke stood up. "Where exactly have you been staying at the past eight days? Kiba's? Sakura's?"

Naruto laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Um, I've sort of been sleeping under the boardwalk next to Ayame's shop..."

Sasuke's brow twitched. "You really are a complete idiot, aren't you?"

"Hey! Shut up and go make me some ramen, wench!" Naruto snickered and hopped over the back of the sofa, clearly in a brighter mood. He wanted to cry, but he knew Jiraiya wouldn't have wanted that. He'd just have to suck it up for a while. He'd done plenty of crying on Sasuke's shoulder a few minutes ago and he wasn't going to do it again.

Sasuke snorted and went into the kitchen, the tiniest hints of a smile on his face.

The next week passed by with Naruto and Sasuke doing the usual; playing games, watching movies, going for walks, and just enjoying each others' company. They'd also decided that it would be best to try out a few new things since the raven had chosen to try out Naruto's lifestyle, despite how new he was to the art of change. After all, he'd made a bet with Naruto and he was going to do whatever the blond wanted for the rest of the month.

"This is nothin' too risky," Naruto turned his head and grinned stupidly, his golden locks wet and curving toward his mature face. He and Sasuke were currently sitting on a jet ski, the both of them in swimming trunks and life vests in case of an emergency. Sasuke didn't look too excited, though, if his dead-pan expression wasn't enough of a giveaway.

The dark-haired male had his arms wrapped around Naruto's waist as he groaned and tried to get comfortable on the water vehicle, but he was getting nowhere, the material bunching up in the most akward of places.

"I won't be grounded up into a million pieces of shark food if I fall off of this, will I?" he asked hesitantly.

Naruto tossed him a look that basically said 'WTF?'

"This is a jet ski, not a motor boat, Sasuke," the blond snickered. "Besides, you won't fall off. I'm a pro when it comes to these babies," he patted the handlebar of the white and blue jet ski in a cocky manner. "Let's make an analogy. I'm to jet skis as you are to--"

"I don't need an analogy," Sasuke gritted out. "Just start this thing so we can get going. The quicker we get this done, the faster I can get home and relax."

"Che, what a party pooper, a real boner kill," Naruto said sarcastically and immediately started up the vehicle with a small key. "Now hold on tight, princess!" he warned his friend before leaving the docks and speeding up, their destination being a small island that he and Sakura had found while boating one day.

Sasuke held on for his life, almost tempted to close his eyes if it meant time would go by faster. He wasn't a big fan of speed. Looking down, he was amazed to see a school of fish swimming underneath them, going almost as fast as they were, their light colors reflecting the sun above them.

"Beautiful, isn't it?.!" Naruto yelled over the loud sound of the jet ski. "Wait until you see the island! It's right up here!" he sped up and the tops of mangroves came into view, much different from the palm trees that grew on the beach. He got closer and closer until the shore appeared before Sasuke's onyx eyes, the light peach sand much brighter than the yellow sand on the main land.

The ski slowed down in the shallow water and Naruto shifted away from Sasuke, hopping off of it and pulling it toward the shore.

"There's nothing to be afraid of here. There's only crabs, turtles, seagulls, and the occasional jellyfish that comes up on shore," Naruto grinned and held out his hand, hoping his friend would take it. "Let me show you my favorite spot on the island so that we can relax for a while."

Sasuke climbed off of the contraption and looked around at his surroundings, noticing the huge mountain made of dirt and rock; the pool of water that was separate from the ocean, yet connected; and the large mangroves that had roots sticking up out of the sand and grass like knees.

"Very Lord of the Flies-esque, right?" Naruto laughed and yanked Sasuke into the forest of groves, making sure to alert the raven of any spiders or large bugs. "There's a clearing in here where I love to come to in order to think. Jiraiya used to come here with me all the time and we'd eat our lunch..." he smiled faintly, wanting to change the subject. "But doesn't it remind you of Simon?"

"Simon...?"

"From Lord of the Flies! Simon, the one chorus kid that was with Jack!"

"..."

"The kid who fainted and talked to the dead pig head! ...Eh, whatever, nevermind," Naruto grumbled and shoved aside a few thin branches, stepping out into a clearing that was made up of sand and large stones. On one of the larger boulders, there was a chalk picture of four people, all of them smiling in a crooked manner due to the horrible artist. "See that?" he pointed at the art work. "Sakura-chan drew me, Kiba, herself, and Jiraiya. We would come here together all of the time..."

Sasuke took his time looking around at the landscape, finally sitting down on a rotting log after a few minutes of exploring the area. Naruto was across from him, holding a small rock that was a powdery white. He mumbled something to himself before hurrying over to Sakura's picture and he began to draw, his arm jerking back and forth quickly.

"When Sakura-chan drew this, she made us promise that we'd never break apart from each other, no matter what. Now that I'm adding you here, you have to promise to always come back to see me," the blond finished his picture and smiled, turning back to see Sasuke's face. "Ok?"

The raven chuckled and crossed his arms.

"Whatever, dobe, I promise."

Naruto's smile was as bright as the afternoon sun, just as dazzling and blinding, if not more so. The rock fell from his grasp and he stepped back, a chalky image of a boy with pointed hair and a scowl on his face being revealed for the first time. For some reason, it made the both of them laugh and Naruto plopped down next to his friend, leaning back into the warm sand.

"Who would've known we'd become such good friends? I'd thought I'd never see the day, believe it or not," Naruto commented with his arm over his eyes to block the sun from his face. He could hear seagulls flying by overhead. "See? Change is a good thing."

"I suppose..." Sasuke looked up at the wisps of clouds, his hair being blown lightly back and forth with the cooling breeze. He glanced down at the tan male, wondering why he felt so differently toward him now. As the days went by, something in his gut swelled and churned, as if he had a stomach virus that didn't cause him pain, just unease. "When do you plan on going back?"

"To your place? Hm, maybe in an hour? For now, let's just relax and talk about life," Naruto rolled over on his stomach and scratched at his collarbone absently. "Tell me how you're enjoying your vacation so far. Any better than the years before?"

Sasuke snorted.

"Having more interaction with you doesn't exactly fit my criteria for a "better" vacation. If anything, this is the worst year so far," he teased with a smug smirk, loving the pout he received. "Don't have a hissy fit, moron. If you must know, I'm having more fun than I've had in a while. I never have time for myself back in Tokyo because of all the work."

"Well then, you'll just have to come visit me more often, huh?" Naruto flashed him another brilliant grin.

Sasuke raised a thin brow and slumped forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He laced his fingers together and thrummed them against his knuckles, giving Naruto an inquisitve look, as if contemplating something very important.

"I've taken notice to something."

"Ah, and what's that?" Naruto asked with his eyes closed and his mouth stretching wide open in an obnoxious yawn.

"You seem to want to spend a lot of time with me."

Naruto's eyes snapped open.

Sasuke smirked.

"I was just wondering if you might like me more than you're letting on. I'm not an idiot, dobe, I know signs of a crush when I see them. You spend all your time with me, you always talk about me with your friends, you flirt--"

"I do NOT flirt, I'll have you know! I seduce! And besides, why would I, the great Uzumaki Naruto, have a crush on you... you... Uchiha Sasuke?.!" the blond almost pouted, his face a little red. "I only spend all of my time with you because you're only here for a month or so every summer! I also talk about you with my friends only because they bring you up, ass hole, so don't you dare say I have a crush on you! And I think you're the one with the crush on me!"

"Is that so?" Sasuke chuckled. "What makes you think I would like someone as unattractive and childish as you?"

"Oh ho, well," Naruto began as he sat up and glared at the Uchiha, "you obviously can't live without me, I'm the only person you really talk to, you always smile with me, and I swear to Kami you tried to kiss me last night!"

Sasuke scowled.

"That's what you'd like to think, usuratonkachi. I didn't try to kiss you, I was trying to reach for the goddamn remote you were holding up above your head. Maybe the beer you had last night messed with your thalamus and made you think one of your sick and twisted fantasies was about to come true."

"...My what? What the hell is a thalamus?.! That's another reason why I could never like you! You use too many fuckin' big words!" Naruto shouted.

"You're being too loud, calm down."

"No, I will not calm down! Someone like me could never like someone like you, end of story!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and chuckled again, causing Naruto to puff his cheeks out like a little kid.

"I don't like you," the blond informed the other with a stern tone.

"And I don't like you either," Sasuke replied smoothly, tucking one side of his bangs behind his ear. At that moment, it was settled. Neither of them liked each other.

And as they both denied what the other was saying, believing it wasn't true, they couldn't help but question themselves. After all, everything had always been changing between then since they'd met the first time, so what made them so sure their feelings and hearts weren't changing as well?

"So," Sakura began while chewing on the straw to her soda, "how come you're not spending time with Sasuke-kun? You've been hanging out with him for the past two weeks. Not that I'm complaining or anything," she waved her hand up and down. "I've missed you."

Naruto gnawed on his own straw, his blue eyes focused on the menu in front of him, as if he were trying to focus on anything but Sasuke. It was weird, they'd been perfectly fine with each other two days ago, but that one conversation they'd had changed everything. He'd said that he didn't like the raven, but... it seemed that thinking about one thing made him believe the opposite.

"Sakura-chan," he whined, "What's wrong with me?"

The pink-haired female giggled.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Naruto pouted.

The girl folded her arms on the table in front of her, eyes scanning the diner for anyone who could interrupt their conversation. She then moved her hair over her shoulder and smiled as affectionately as she could, a bit worried about her good friend's odd behavior. Had something happened between him and Sasuke?

"Tell me what's wrong, Naruto. I haven't seen you like this in a long time..."

Naruto inhaled and whined like a kid. He didn't like to worry himself, especially over trivial things like crushes. As much as he kept telling himself he didn't like Sasuke that way, he could help but think that he did. He did always feel a lot happier around the Uchiha, he grinned a whole lot more, and his stomach would...

"My stomach flutters when I'm around that teme..." he spoke mostly to himself, then glanced up until his cerulean orbs met Sakura's emerald ones. They shared a few seconds of staring before Sakura laughed lightly and looked away, almost embarrassed. "My stomach twists when I see him. Does that... does that mean I have a crush on him?"

"Sasuke-kun?" the female took a bite of her BLT and looked up in thought. "I think that's a sign of more than a crush. I think you love him," she smirked and the word 'love' floated around her for a second before it hit Naruto right in the face, like a huge, muddy boot.

"L-L-love? No way!" the blond felt his cheeks heat up, wondering why he was acting this way. He looked down at his own sandwhich and bit his bottom lip, feeling like a nervous thirteen-year-old kid again. He remembered being this nervous when he'd wanted to ask Sakura out years ago. Maybe he did have a crush... or maybe he was in love. "How could I be in love with him...?"

"You've known him for so long, Naruto, and you're not exactly the straightest guy I know," Sakura giggled and sat her warm sandwhich down. "I think you've always liked him, but you just thought of it as a best friend kind of feeling. It happens to a lot of people. You've got to ask yourself... can you see yourself in that kind of relationship with him?"

The blond furrowed his brows and thought about going on a date with Sasuke; sitting together and holding hands at the movies, eating out at a romantic restaurant, kissing on the raven's nice leather couch...

He blushed and scoffed.

"I'm a romantic type of guy and he's most definitely not."

"Ah, but you're considering dating him," she grinned. "Ask him out, Naruto, just see how it goes. It's not like you two still won't be good friends if it doesn't work out."

"I-I guess so..."

"Tell me how that goes," Sakura took a sip from her fizzy soda and licked her lips. "If it doesn't go well, then I think I might just ask him out myself."

"Sakura-chan!"

Naruto entered the Uchiha's summer home quietly, without his usual cheerful greeting. He was burnt out from walking back and forth between Sasuke and Sakura's home, since it was a good five miles in between, and his feet hurt like a bitch. Kicking his sandals off, he sighed and plopped down on the sofa.

"Sasuke!" he wailed, rolling on his stomach and scratching an itch on his side. "Sasuke, I'm thirsty!"

Silence was the only thing that met the blond, which scared him a little. Sasuke was always in the house at this time, drinking coffee and watching the news. Sitting up slowly, he looked around at his surroundings. Nothing was out of place, so he was sure no one had broken in and kidnapped the man...

"Sasuke!" he called again and got up, ignoring the burning in his feet. Heading into the kitchen, he heard a 'thump' outside and pushed open the screen door, spotting his friend sitting on the edge of the porch in a pair of silky boxers and a fitting black t-shirt. "Jeez, I thought you'd disappeared. What're you doing out here at this time of night? You're usually watching the news right about now."

The dark-haired male turned his neck to the side and raised his brows.

"Weren't you the one who said change was good?"

"Hey, I wasn't complaining. I was just a little surprised is all," Naruto took a seat next to Sasuke and laid back on the cool wood, watching fireflies fly above and around him. There seemed to be more than usual tonight. "So... I went and had a talk with Sakura-chan."

"That's nice."

"What? You don't want to know what we talked about?"

"Not particularly."

"Huh, then I won't tell you."

"That's perfectly fine with me. I don't need to hear about your gossip."

Naruto laughed loudly and rolled on his side, glancing up at Sasuke under his messy bangs. He definitely could see himself going out with the guy. He was handsome, mature, smart, and quite fun when he let loose. He just didn't know if they were quite ready for a relationship, especially since it would be a long distance one and there would be a lot of arguing due to their naturally argumentative personalities.

So he would keep himself quiet until he knew they could make it work. But even so, he wasn't even sure Sasuke liked him that way at all. He wasn't going to mess anything up by acting on a whim.

"My older brother called me," Sasuke said suddenly, breaking the calm silence.

"What did he say?" Naruto asked, curious. Itachi never called his little brother when he was on vacation unless it was something extremely important.

Sasuke shifted a bit and frowned.

"I have to go back to Tokyo tomorrow. My father's company is merging with another and they need my signature as soon as possible for the merger to be complete," he sighed and crossed his arms over his knees.

Naruto looked at Sasuke, but the raven turned away, casting his gaze toward the ground. He smiled faintly and pushed himself up into a sitting position, swinging his legs back and forth on the porch's edge. He looked up at the fireflies and grinned, despite how disappointed he was with the fact that Sasuke was leaving so soon.

"I just noticed something."

"Hn."

"The fireflies are a lot like you, ya know? They come back here every summer, no matter what. As upset as I am about you leaving tomorrow... I know you'll come back next summer, and the summer after that!" he laughed. "I think that's the one thing that should stay constant in your life."

Sasuke smiled and nodded.

"I agree. Now, let's go inside and have dinner. How about we have cup ramen as our farewell meal?" he chuckled.

"Hell yeah! You know me oh so well, Sasuke!" Naruto jumped up and ran into the house, followed by Sasuke, who had his hands shoved in his pockets. He was definitely going to miss the blond and this island... And he really looked forward to coming back again the next summer. If not for the tradition, then for the idiot he'd became so fond of.

And as they prepared their meal together, side by side, neither of them noticed the smiles on each others' faces.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Naruto waved his hand dismissingly as the plane to Tokyo rolled down the runway, towards the airport. He was wearing a pair of khakis with a light blue shirt and had on a smile that could blind the already blinded. He refused to be sad in front of Sasuke.

"Here, take this," Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist and placed the key to his summer home on the light tan palm. "Stay there until you can afford a new place, alright?"

Naruto smiled and pulled Sasuke into a bone-crushing hug, ruffling the black spikes of hair with his large hand. It was going to be so lonely and boring with the businessman gone, but he was sure he could manage. It was only going to be one more year until he could see him again.

Man, I really do think I'm crushin' on him, Naruto thought with a laugh. He didn't mind the idea of liking the Uchiha as much as he had when he'd first thought of it. Pulling back with a nervous chuckle, he scratched at his elbow.

"It'll be lonely without you, teme. Promise to text me or call me from time to time?"

"Are you going to fall asleep to the sound of my voice if I do?" Sasuke smirked.

"Don't give yourself that much credit," Naruto laughed and tucked the house key deep down in his back pocket, making sure not to lose it. "But--" he was cut off by the sound of the speakers in the airport coming on, a woman's voice announcing the boarding of the flight to Tokyo. "I guess you have to go now?"

Sasuke nodded and lifted his small laptop bag up from one of the waiting room seats.

"I'll call you when I get home, so that you know I arrived in Tokyo safely," the raven smiled slightly, as if telling Naruto he wanted to move into another embrace but didn't have the time to. "I'll talk to you later, Uzumaki, enjoy the summer house."

He then disappeared through the crowd of people and Naruto couldn't help but sigh to himself and fish the key back out from his pocket, holding it out so he could stare at the intricate designs.

"Just one year, Naruto, one year..." he whispered to himself. Then all of a sudden his phone began to vibrate and he jumped almost three feet in the air, attracting the attention of a group of businessmen behind him. He put the key back and yanked out his cell phone instead, flipping it open to read the text.

Dobe, I understand how you feel.

Naruto's heart thumped in his chest as he read that text. Replying, he typed:

Wut do u mean?

A few seconds later, another text was sent to him.

I questioned myself too.

Naruto's heart calmed down and he smiled.

Really? Howd dat go?

The reply was almost instant.

I liked you more than I should.

If it was possible, Naruto's grin stretched wider than it possibly could.

C ya next year teme.

Same goes for you, moron. And work on your grammar skills. They're atrocious.

"What?.! Fuck you, ass hole! And what the fuck does atrocious mean?.!"

-One Year Later--

Sasuke walked down the boardwalk with his usual holier-than-thou expression, his attire consisting of black dress pants and a white dress shirt, his black tie as silky as his hair. He adjusted his tie with both hands and let his eyes wander around the area. The ocean was as calm as it usually was at this time of year, there were people working on their boats out on the docks, and all of the sea-side restaurants were open.

"Hey there, stranger, lookin' for Naruto?" Kiba grinned as he leapt off the low porch of one of the many surf shops, his flipflops clacking against the wood so loudly that he scared off the seagulls that were in the water pool just beside the walkway. His shaggy brown hair was longer than it had been the previous year, giving him that California look that most of his younger female colleagues went crazy for.

Sasuke almost rolled his eyes.

"Good evening, Inuzuka," he spoke smoothly. "I'm guessing you know where the dobe is? I'd appreciate it if you could tell me. I'm supposed to meet him somewhere, but the idiot didn't give me a location other than 'the beach'."

Kiba laughed heartily and climbed on top of the rickety, wooden railing, pointing further down the beach.

"He should be at Crab Rock. It's a little ways down that way, but you should get there within five minutes," Kiba informed him and jumped down again, finally taking notice of the Uchiha's state of dress. "Fuck, where did you think you were going, Duck Butt? The prom?"

Sasuke ignored him and made his way further down the boardwalk, taking the stairs down to the sandy beach where he continued his walk in the direction of the supposed Crab Rock. As he made his way down the shore, he saw a mountain-type of structure made of rocks come up in the distance, waves crashing against the north end of it. He could even see a rainbow in the misty spray that the large wave created, the array of colors disappearing as quickly as they'd came.

"Sasuke!"

The raven looked up to see Naruto sitting on one of the large rocks jutting out from the side, his legs swinging back and forth, reminding him of the night before he'd left to go back to Tokyo last summer. He smiled fondly and moved his hand over his eyes to block the sun.

"I should've expected this from you, usuratonkachi. When you told me we were doing something special, I thought that maybe for once you'd arranged something... how should I say this... fancy? I know now not to expect much from you."

Naruto grinned.

"Shows how much you know! You shouldn't have expected anything from me to begin with!"

Sasuke snorted and undid his tie, tossing it to the ground, followed by his dress shirt and slacks, leaving him in only his boxers and shoes. He quickly removed his shoes, though, and began climbing up the side of the rock formation. He'd gotten used to these stunts and wasn't too fazed by them anymore.

Naruto scooted over to give his friend room to sit down and smiled, so happy to see him again. He'd gotten a new apartment two months ago and had a job as a lifeguard on the busier beaches a few miles futher south from here, racking up a good amount of money every two weeks. But even though his life was going great, he'd still felt pretty alone without Sasuke.

"I missed this," he admitted, looking out at the sun that was setting. He loved the colors of the sunset, but for some reason, sitting here with Sasuke made the moment all the more special. "Life was too boring without you."

"I could say the same," Sasuke watched the sun lower itself behind the vast expanse of ocean, his expression calm. "Life in the city is dull in comparison to here in Okinawa. In Tokyo, I'm never forced to ride on jet skis, nor do I have the chance of drowning in a rip current."

Naruto laughed loudly and leaned forward, his hands gripping the edge of the rock beneath him. The sun was almost completely gone, save for a thin sliver of orange and red.

"This'll never change, will it?" he asked seriously. "Us, I mean..."

Sasuke looked at the man beside him, the light from the remaining sun making his baby blue eyes shimmer a light violet. He'd thought about this very man often while in Tokyo; the blue eyes, the tan skin, the golden hair...

"I think we'll always be changing," Sasuke replied with as much seriousness. "But that's not neccessarily a bad thing, is it? You told me yourself that change was good for me. And it can be good for us, as well."

Naruto smiled as the sun finally disappeared, stars hidden beneath the thin layer of clouds.

"Yeah..." he shifted and their hands brushed together, causing them to both look away in slight embarrassment. Yet even after they'd turned their faces from each others', their fingers stayed in place, as if refusing to move. Two faces held matching smiles as they both looked up at the sky and named the verious constellations that weren't hidden by clouds, laughter and slight bickering ringing out in the silence of the beach.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't like change.

But for that one person, he made an exception.

FIN

(1)- the ID is basically the devil on a person's shoulder.

I hope you all liked this extremely long oneshot! Reviews would be appreciated!