Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Naruto. Some original characters in future chapters may be inspired by characters from other animes.

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This Thing Called Love

Prologue

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to watch the person you love, love somebody else. At least, that's how Naruto felt at the moment. He looked across the playground at the swings; they were preoccupied by Neji Hyuuga and Sasuke Uchiha. The two boys were engaged in a deep conversation. Naruto despised the fact that they were holding hands.

"Sasuke looks so happy, doesn't he?"

Naruto looked to his right. His old crush, Sakura, was now sitting next to him on the park bench. She wore her hair tied by a green ribbon; the ribbon matched her eyes perfectly. The reason she wore the ribbon wasn't to match her eyes: she wore to ribbon because it was Rock Lee's favorite color. He had given her that ribbon at the end of their first date. She looked at Neji and Sasuke, then back to Naruto. A smile was set upon her face.

"I doubted it at first, but Neji is perfect for Sasuke. I probably doubted it because I still had a crush on Sasuke. Naruto, is everything alright?"

Naruto faked a grin. "Everything is fine, Sakura. I was just thinking."

"You're doing some thinking? Wow! First, Neji and Sasuke hook up. Now you're thinking? Things are too good to be true." She hid her smile behind her hand.

Naruto laughed a little at Sakura's comment. Almost everything she had said since she sat down had been the truth. He, too, doubted Sasuke and Neji. Even though he had a desire for Sasuke in his heart, Neji was what some would say was "perfect" for Sasuke; Naruto saw beyond what the others saw. In his heart, he saw Sasuke and him, together, as being perfect.

Naruto began to realize his obsession with Sasuke during his absence. The raven haired male ran away to Orochimaru in a desperate attempt at power. Naruto began to miss the "brotherly" feel that he and Sasuke shared. He missed the bruises Sasuke's punches left on him. And as hormones took over and his body began to mature, he longed just for Sasuke's touch.

"Sakura, do you really believe in true love?"

Sakura looked from Sasuke and Neji who were now standing, back to Naruto. "Yes, I do. We have an example of it right before our eyes." She bit her lip and took Naruto's hand. "I know you might not believe in true love right now, Naruto, but you have to trust me when I tell you to do it. The wait may be long and hard, but eventually you'll get what you hoped for the most."

"That means that you're supposed to be with Sasuke. I mean, that is what you hoped for."

Sakura couldn't help but to blush. "I did want Sasuke. In the end, I got something that most would die to have: true love. True love is rare to find. In my case, it found me. In my case, I found true love with Lee. I had to grow up and realize that my crush on Sasuke would be nothing more."

Naruto gave a small grin. "You're right Sakura. Lee waited patiently and now he's with you."

Sakura nodded and stood on her feet. "I'm hungry. You want to go get some Ramen?"

"You know it!" Naruto got to his feet without hesitation. As the two walked off, he began to think.

"The hardest to do is to watch the person you love, love someone else. I'll quit eating Ramen for a day to be with Sasuke. I care for him so much, I only care for his happiness, even if his happiness means being with someone else. Sasuke, I will patiently wait for you. I will wait for that destined day."

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And now, a word from the author: Good morning/afternoon/evening to you reader. This story is a rewrite of my 2007 story tittled the same. I was bored and decided to reread one of my stories, and I realized that it started off good; yet, it ended horrible due to me being young and in a rush to type. Writing is a way for me to take my mind off troubles in my life and get lost in my own world. Therefore, I decided to rewrite this. Certain chapters may be written from the individual character's point of views.

As of now I do not have a beta for this story. Though, one would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to your opinions. So please review ;-)