The response I received was overwhelming. Thank you so much everyone. I have written a new chapter by your request. This has been beta'd by moodysavage, so thank you to her. Please let me know what you think, and any ideas you may have. I've gotten a few good ones, so hopefully you'll see that soon.

For those reading This is Not a Game, new chapter next week (I hope, I'm still struggling to write anything) I also have a few gift fics in the works of various pairings including ones out of my norm like Kiba and Sasuke or Gaara and Neji.

Stay tuned!

8:05 Friday Night

Five shots were downed in less than a minute. Hands banged on the table, cheering the blond on as he slammed back each glass. When the last shot was finally set upside down on the table, Naruto threw his hands in the air and yelled in celebration. The table cheered, everyone but Shikamaru that is.

From his place at the edge of the booth, Shikamaru watched on, sighing heavily as his roommate drunk himself into sweet oblivion. There was no possible chance Naruto would remember the remainder of his evening. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Shikamaru shook his head, already seeing that the night would not end well.

In the past, Naruto had only drunk enough to become completely wasted once before. It was back when they were still high school seniors at the final party of the year, and thankfully Sasuke had been there to keep the hyperactive teen in check. Without the Uchiha to keep Naruto under control, the world was about to see a completely new side of Uzumaki Naruto.

"I need to call Sasuke!" the blond student suddenly shouted, pulling out his phone. He dialed the familiar number, grinning like an idiot. "He's such a jerk and I should tell him that. Why would he ditch me?" he asked his friends. His smile fell as he waited for the raven to answer. "I miss him."

"You tell him Naruto!" Kiba hollered, much louder than he needed to.

Shikamaru leaned forward on his elbow, face buried in his hand. "This is really not a good idea," he mumbled into his hands.

"Lighten up Shika," Kiba said, throwing his arm around Shikamaru's shoulders. "It's all in good fun and Naruto really needs to cut loose for once." He wanted to see Naruto relax. Seeing a moping Naruto was hard to deal with, especially with the large blue eyes that made your chest constrict uncomfortably.

On the other side of town, Fatlip filled the back of a limo heading to the Sharingan spring formal. Uchiha Sasuke smiled as he heard his best friends' ringtone playing from his pocket. He pulled the vibrating phone out, smirking at the ridiculous photo the blond had set for his ID. "Naruto," he greeted. The uncharacteristic smile on his face made his brother raise a manicured eyebrow at him.

"Sasuke," the blond whined into the phone. "You're a bastard. How could you do this to me? Do you have any idea how much I was looking forward to tonight? We haven't seen each other in over a month."

The Uchiha sighed heavily, his smile slipping. "I'm sorry Naru," he apologized. Naruto was one of the few people privy to hearing those words come from his mouth. "You know Itachi can be an even bigger bastard than me," he said, shooting an annoyed glare at his older brother. Itachi only nodded enthusiastically, proud of his role as tormentor in his brothers' life. "If I had the choice between going to a stupid high society party and hanging out with you, I'd choose you every time. I hate these parties, you know that."

"I know," Naruto mumbled. "I just wish you were here."

There was a long pause, people on both ends watching the two curiously.

"You're my best friend Sasu," the blond finally said, breaking the quiet. "You are the whole world to me. You've always been there for me no matter what. Even when I didn't want your help, you were there, and I'm thankful for that. You support me, no matter what, even when you think I'm being a complete moron."

"That's most of the time, Naru," Sasuke snorted, effectively breaking the tension.

"Shut up, bastard," Naruto snapped, though the raven could tell he was laughing. "I mean it though," he added, his voice becoming soft and serious again. "Thanks man. I really wish we had been able to spend time together tonight."

"Me to, idiot. Enough of this sentimental crap, that's not you."

Suddenly the drunken blonds' demeanor changed entirely. "Why does Kakashi wear a mask all the time?" he asked suddenly, his tone serious. "And why do they call it an orange? Seriously, whose idea was it to name a fruit after a colour? How unoriginal is that?"

Itachi was biting his lower lip in a vain attempt not to laugh at the look of utter confusion on his little brothers' face as the youngest Uchiha listened to his best friend drunkenly chatter away on the phone. Leaning over, he deftly snatched the phone from Sasuke and switched on the speakerphone. The back of the limo was immediately filled with the sound of the bubbly blond slurring away.

"What about the caramilk bar? Do you remember all those commercials about how they get the caramel in the caramilk bar, but you never do find out how 'cause whoever had the secret was always taken out. So how do they do it? And another thing, why can't I have a cat? I've always wanted a cat, so why can't I have one?"

"Maybe someday my otouto will buy you one," Itachi said, successfully stopping the blonds' senseless rant.

"Itachi!" Naruto yelled happily. There was a loud clatter. Sasuke assumed Naruto had almost dropped his phone when he went to throw his hands up. A typical move for the blond student. "Where did you come from?"

Itachi smirked at his pouting brother. Sasuke was a selfish individual who liked to keep Naruto to himself. "You're on speaker phone sunshine," the elder cooed. He enjoyed flustering his little brother every opportunity he could, a difficult feat unless you knew the younger raven extremely well.

"Really, oh wow!" the drunken blond exclaimed. "Hey Itachi, you're awesome, you know that? So is Sasuke, but you're like the older brother I never had. Always there to help me, and you used to beat up bullies when I was a kid, like that time with Mizuki. I wish you could be my real brother; that would be the best thing ever!"

A roguish smirk spread over Itachi's handsome face as he found himself unable to resist embarrassing his brother further. "Maybe someday I will be," he threw out there before Sasuke had time to stop him.

Onyx eyes widened in horror as the words flowed from Itachi's mouth. Sasuke fumbled for the phone, wrestling it from his older brothers' evil clutches. "Uh... Naru," he gasped out, finally ripping the phone from Itachi's grip. "I gotta go," he rushed out. "Talk to you tomorrow, bye" He ended the call, safely stowing the phone in his pocket while glaring at the overly innocent looking man across from him. "I can't believe you said that," he hissed. The last thing he needed was Naruto hearing the forbidden feelings he held for him, feelings he could never act on and threaten their friendship. The chance of losing Naruto was too painful to even think of.

Dark eyes rolled in exasperation. "It's about time someone said something," Itachi said. He wanted to see his brother happy. The only person to ever break down the wall Sasuke had created around himself was Naruto, and he would be damned if he didn't push them together.

When Naruto finally hung up the phone, the table was quiet. During the time they had all known Naruto and Sasuke, they had never heard either talk that way about their best friend. It was common knowledge that the two were close despite the many epic fights. Whole classrooms had been demolished when they clashed in high school, and now that they were older, the destruction only grew. It wasn't uncommon to see them trading blows one second, only to calmly settle on a couch watching a movie only a few moments later. The group of friends were only just now seeing for themselves the depth of the bond between the childhood friends, and it was humbling.

A pale hand snatched the phone from Naruto's hands before it could be stowed away again. "You'll get this back in the morning, Naruto," Shikamaru said, slipping the phone into his jacket pocket. "You of all people don't need to make an even bigger fool of yourself."

Conversation once again picked up. Naruto was lively, keeping up with several discussions, and for the first time that night, smiling.

It wasn't long before Kiba was slipping Naruto his phone back having lifted it from Shikamaru's pocket. While his roommate might kill him for it later, he figured Naruto was much more entertaining when under the influence, and passing up the chance to watch him drunk dial Sasuke was out of the question.

Naruto shared a not so inconspicuous wink with his brunet roommate, thanking him for returning his property. On the other side of the laughing Kiba, Shikamaru groaned in frustration. He didn't want to babysit an intoxicated blond.

"Let's dance!" Sakura suddenly shouted, sick of sitting around talking. She had come out to have fun, and that was what she was going to do.

With the aid of Ino, the two girls managed to push the others out of the booth, and onto the dance floor. Within minutes, Chouji and Shikamaru were back in the booth, though that wasn't a surprise. Ino and Sakura didn't even bother trying to drag them out onto the floor again. The first time had been a miracle.

Dancing in the middle of the room with people gathered around, Naruto was the center of attention. All eyes were on him as he bounced around singing along, and grinning like crazy. He switched partners every few minutes. His energy and enthusiasm were infectious. He soon found himself wedged between two girls, their bodies grinding together to the pounding beat, but it didn't feel right to him. The girls were hot, and any other night he would have been all over them, trying to pick them up even, but tonight it didn't settle well with him. He pulled out his phone, deciding to call Sasuke again. He didn't know why , but he knew it would make him feel better.

Just as the call button was hit, the song changed and Naruto's blue eye light up. "I love this song," he shouted, breaking away from the two bodies pressed up against him. He could vaguely hear them protesting, but the music called to him. Pushing through the crowd, he jumped up on the stage, forgetting his phone was already dialing Sasuke.

"You may want to put that on vibrate, otouto," Itachi said as Sasuke's phone rang again, the familiar song filling the back seat. "I'm not sure our cliental would appreciate the vocal stylings of Sum 41."

Thinking his friend had forgotten to tell him something, Sasuke answered the phone, but instead of being greeted by an over exuberant blond, music blasted through the speaker. He pulled it away from his ringing ear to stare at the device in confusion. Lowering the volume, he pressed it to his ear once again.

Itachi watched with mild curiosity as his little brothers dark eyes slowly widened in awe. He briefly thought over the possibilities of what the idiotic blond could be saying to incite such a response from Sasuke.

Naruto was singing into the phone. The words hit Sasuke like a freight train, stirring emotions deep inside that he didn't want to feel.

"Another day, is going by, I'm thinkin' about you all the time," Naruto sang over the phone. Sasuke felt his chest constrict. "But you're out there, and I'm here waiting And I, wrote this letter, in my head, cuz' so many things were left unsaid. But now you're gone, and I can't think straight.."

Sasuke could hear the crowd in the background, cheering his best friend on. If he listened carefully, he could pick out the distinct timbre of Kiba egging Naruto to let loose. He groaned. The night was only going to go downhill. As if he didn't already feel bad enough, hearing Naruto sing made his chest ache with guilt.

Naruto was on the small stage, cell phone in hand as if he were dancing in front of the mirror with a hairbrush for a mic. "This could be, the one last chance, to make you understand, yeah". He bounced around onstage, pumping up the crowd, completely unaware the phone in hand was his heart out, he thought of all the times Sasuke had dragged him away before he could do something stupid. Tonight was going to be different.

"I'd do anything," he sang directly into his phone, his words having a devastating effect on a member of his audience he didn't even know he had. "Just to hold you in my arms. To try to make you laugh, somehow I can't put you in the past. I'd do anything, just to fall asleep with you…" The drunken vocals cut off suddenly in a surprised yelp. Naruto's foot slid off the edge of the stage, and his arms windmilled, trying to find his balance but failing to find anything solid to grasp. Tumbling over the side of the stage, he found himself in Kiba and Sai's arms, while they laughed at his idiocy, but prevented him from making contact with the hardwood floor of the pub.

"Naruto!" Sasuke growled into the phone, but it was no use. The line had gone dead, and he was left with no answers to his friends' strange behaviour. Frowning in confusion, he tucked the phone back into his pocket after setting it to vibrate only. "He's drunk," he muttered to himself. "Shikamaru should have known better. He knows what happened last time."

"You mean the night that everything that could possibly be in a stereotypical teenage movie actually happened," Itachi asked with a straight face. He remembered it well, having helped wrestle a rather violent Naruto into the backseat of his Camaro at four in the morning after someone insulted his and Sasuke's mother. "Though I believe that night of mayhem lacked a fiery explosion."

Sasuke snorted. "No, that happened. What was missing was one of us getting laid." One thing the younger Uchiha was grateful for. Ignoring his brothers' chuckle of amusement, he looked out the window, wishing he could just skip the entire ordeal and spend the night with his idiot like he'd promised. "You owe me for this Itachi," he mumbled, eyes still firmly fixed on the city passing by.

With the aid of his friends, Naruto righted himself, brushing off nonexistent dirt. Though the song was still playing the bar had gone quiet. Pumping his fists into the air, phone still in hand but disconnected, he let out a roar. "I'm okay!" The crowded erupted into cheers and laughter. Naruto happily thanked his friends and bounced off, completely forgetting he was going to call Sasuke.

"We're going home," Sakura called to the group of friends. "While exams may be done, I have an internship starting tomorrow, and Ino promised to help in her families shop."

Both girls weaved through the swaying bodies, hugging each one of their friends, stopping back at their booth to grab their purses and jackets. A hand on her arm stopped Ino as she went to leave. Turning, she found herself face to face with Shikamaru.

Brow furrowed, Shikamaru cleared his throat. "Take him home please," he asked. "Make sure he gets home and to bed. He can't stay here like this."

Following her childhood friends line of sight, Ino found Naruto arm wrestling one of the other usual patrons of the bar. "Yeah," she agreed. "Maybe we should. I still remember senior year when the BBQ blew up, and that was with Sasuke there to balance him out." Giving a quick reassuring pat, she snagged Sakura and nodded towards the blond celebrating after his victory.

Naruto was in the middle of showing off, flexing his biceps and kissing the rippling muscles when he found himself accosted by his two female friends. Arms looped around each muscular bicep, Naruto was dragged from the crowd, his audience groaning behind him. He protested wildly, but the two girls didn't let up.

Pulling the halfheartedly struggling blond student across the street and through the front doors of his apartment building, the death grip was finally loosened. Ino punched the up button for the elevator.

"What the hell guys!" Naruto exclaimed. "I was having fun, so what's the big idea? Wasn't that the point?" Everyone had told him to let go and relax, and now they were forcing him to go home. It didn't add up in his mind. "Oh I get it," he said slyly, putting an arm around each of their shoulders. "You wanna piece of the Uzumaki, hm? Well I think I can accommodate." Simultaneously, two hands slapped him across his scarred cheeks, leaving the tan skin red.

The elevator doors chimed open. "Get in," Sakura ordered, shoving her blond friend into the small lift. She didn't have any patience for his stupidity at the moment. All she wanted to do after a night of dancing was go home and climb into bed, not babysit.

Fine," he grumbled under his breath, rubbing his sore face.

The trip up was silent. Naruto fidgeted, ignoring the annoyed glares from the other two occupants of the cramped lift. He stumbled out once they reached his floor, grateful to get away from the stifling hostility. Even drunk he could tell they were pissed.

Herding their intoxicated friend into his bedroom, both Ino and Sakura stood in front of the door, arms crossed over their flats chests, blocking the only exit. "Alright Naruto, get in bed," Ino ordered.

"It's only nine," he whined, childishly pouting and stomping his foot.

"Just get in!"

Not pleased to be forced to bed at such an early hour, Naruto reluctantly began pulling back the blankets, taking his sweet time.

Sakura sighed in frustration. "Hurry up, we don't have all day." She smirked at the resulting squeak at her threatening tone.

Once the sheets were pulled up around him, Naruto patted the empty space on either side of his body. "Care to join me ladies?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows seductively. The only answer he received was the door slamming behind them. "A simple no would have sufficed you know!" he called after them. The front door slammed seconds later signalling their departure from the small apartment.

11:49 Saturday Morning

The facts didn't add up. "That's it? That's all that happened?" Naruto said in surprise. The blue eyes were narrow, brow furrowed in concentration. Either they weren't telling him the truth, or something happened after they left.

"Don't hurt yourself blondie," Kiba teased, watching his friend trying to piece together his evening. He yelped more in surprise than pain when a hand connected with the back of his head, nearly causing him to spill his breakfast on the dozing Shikamaru. To his right, Naruto was snickering to himself.

Hiding a giggle behind her hand, Sakura nodded, agreeing with her roommate. "Ino and I went home afterwards, and that was that." Shovelling the last of her breakfast down, she leaned forward and set her plate on the table, Ino's following shortly after.

The room was quiet, only the sound of chewing filling the empty space. "Was I alone when you put me to bed?" Naruto finally asked, breaking the silence while everyone else ate.

Ino blinked in surprise, sharing a confused look with Sakura. "Yeah, why?"

Scratching the back of his head nervously, Naruto looked down at his lap, unsure of how to tell them the news. He could feel all eyes on him, waiting for his response. "Then why did I wake up with a warm body beside me?" he finally blurted out, unable to meet their gaze.

A stunned silence fell over the occupants of the room. The clatter of Kiba dropping his fork seemed to jar them out of their thoughts.

"You what?" Sakura practically shrieked, green eyes wide. Her hand came up, clapping over her mouth.

Shikamaru sat up, anticipating Kiba springing from the couch, and there was a mad dash for the bedroom. Only Shikamaru remained where he was with Naruto, listening to the hushed yells as the group of friends stampeded down the hall, pushing and shoving in an attempt to reach the room first.

Sai's hand closed around the door handle first. Everyone fell silent, the tension high as if waiting for the unveiling of a treasured artifact. The door was pushed open to reveal a lump in the bed, and a small orange kitten sitting at the foot cleaning itself. There was a collective gasp as the mysterious person moved, groaning as they better situated themselves on the mattress.

Regaining her common decency, Sakura slapped Sai's hand from the handle and shut the door as silently as possible. Ino helped her usher the stunned group back down the hall and into the living room once again.

"Well?" Naruto said once his friends were once again back in their places. "Anyone got some answers for me, cause I'd love to hear them." His mind was still reeling. This wasn't something he'd done before, and he didn't even want to know what Sasuke's response would be when he showed up later like promised. It could go one of two ways. An angry outburst where he was called a moron more than usual, or Sasuke would find the whole situation hilarious and never let him live it down.

"Well, after they took you home, you came back to the bar," Chouji suddenly said. The rest of the room nodded.

"He did?" Ino and Sakura chimed in chorus.

"I did?"

Kiba scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, we'll get to that, but is anyone else wondering where the kitten came from?"

"Yes!"

Alright, I'll be honest, I'm still not a hundred percent sold on this story. So honest feedback on if I should continue.

Review!