Note: I know! I know, already! I really really really shouldn't be starting anything else. I need to stop starting things before I finish the others. It's a disease, I swear. But dammit! This idea popped into my head and I needed to do something with it before it ate my brain. Seriously, it has brain-eating powers. But as you all know, Follow You has been put on hiatus and I needed something to get my Sasuke muse back. He ran away and I had to coax him out with promises of hot leather fetishes and other such things that fill my nights with wet dreams.

Warnings: for this chapter? Only some language, and I think maybe Sasuke himself deserves a warning. .

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I only own the first box set on DVD. Oh, and four Naruto manga I bought in France the last time I was there.

Pairings: Uke!Sasuke. I'm really not sure exactly who I want to pair him with just yet. Though, right now I'm leaning towards Gaara. Or Neji.

Izon no Niwa

By: Jaiden Lockheart

Chapter 1: Enigma

…There had always been a sort of sinister interest in the rain for me. A curiosity that I never felt was fully sated when the storm would pass and I'd be left to dry by the sun. The drops coating my hair, saturating my skin, seemed to almost embody the emotions that would come to me when I would stand outside and watch as the sky let go. Because that's really the only thing one could do once the rain started, watch. I think it was that complete inability to evade it that really caught my attention.

And I wondered vaguely, if the rain were to be personified, would it be cold and incomprehensible like it was when I could feel it on my skin, or would it act on its impulses to seek out every tangible body it could find.

But who am I to judge something like the social ability of the rain?

I guess I'm not meant to know such things, but it would be nice to have my wandering questions answered from time to time.

I never ask outwardly; it would be too painful to present my thoughts to the world. A weakness, I've been told, to wear your heart on your sleeve. And maybe that's the reason I get called cold and distant, like the rain…

"Sasuke!"

The brunette jumped slightly as he was pulled from his thoughts abruptly, twisting in his seat to look up at the redhead that was waiting impatiently for him to acknowledge her. Her brow was at an incline and her face was the picture of annoyance. He sighed heavily.

"Sorry, Sakura." He apologized quickly, throwing her a halfhearted smile as he rises from his seat on the couch.

"I should say so, you were completely ignoring me." She huffed and her hands dropped from their position on her slender hips. "What has you so distracted today, hmm?"

"Nothing. Thoughts. Don't worry about it." He reassured his friend. He stretched his arms above his head and heard the loud cracks down his spine, recovering from sitting on his ass for longer than an hour.

"Thinking again? Didn't I already talk to you about that?" She asked, an easy smile appearing on her pretty face.

Sasuke just laughed, shaking his head in amusement. He was used to Sakura's playful teasing by now that it no longer bothered him. He knew it was just her way of showing affection. Well, not her normal way of showing it, but her way to skirt around his abrasiveness. If she couldn't tell him blatantly that she cared, she chose indirection. He was clever enough to get the real message, she knew.

"What were saying, anyway?" He asked.

"Before you fell off the face of the earth?" She asked, receiving an irritated nod from her friend. "Just that I was bored with the TV and that we should do something."

"Like what? Akatsuki is closed tonight because of their reconstruction." Sasuke hoped to steer her away from the idea of socializing by bringing up the closing of the only decent dance club in town. She apparently wasn't deterred.

"We live in California, 'suke!" She reminded him, throwing her emphatically. "There has got to be more places to hang out than Akatsuki."

Sasuke's brow crept up as she began pacing in front of him, searching her brain for something else for them to do on a Friday night. It really wasn't that hard. Sasuke himself could think of a few places they could go. However, he really wasn't feeling up to seeing a lot of people tonight. He had been limited on sleep recently, and a hot shower and Sakura's down comforter sounded amazingly appealing.

"You know what we could do…" She started, her voice trailing off mysteriously and Sasuke knew he didn't like the look she got in her eye when she turned back to him.

"You mention his name and I swear to god I will push you through a window." He warned, knowing already that it wouldn't really matter what he said.

"Come on, he's not that bad." She reasoned, coming to stand closer to him.

"A closed window, from the fifth floor of your mom's office." He said.

"You wouldn't even have to talk to him." She shook her head.

"What part of 'you will die a painful death of glass stabbing you through the back as you're thrown from the top floor of a very tall building' don't you understand?" His eyes widened considerably. "I'm not going to that party. He'll be there, and I'd rather poke my own eyes out with toothpicks than see him."

"Oh, come on, 'suke. You don't hate him that much." Her hands had found their way back to her hips, a telltale sign that she wasn't going to back down. But he was just as good at pressing on as she was.

"I do hate him that much." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Besides, the only clothes I have here are my pajamas. And I can't wear your clothes."

"That's bullshit and you know it." Sakura's eyes narrowed and she reached forward to pull his wrist away from his prison under his other arm, dragging him with her toward the stairs. "I've tried on plenty of your stuff and it fits fine. What makes you think it doesn't work both ways."

He gave up then, knowing it was just better not to argue. Fine, he would go to this fucking party for a few minutes. He knew that once he found some of her girlfriends from school, she would leave him alone long enough for him to slip out and go home.

Though he knew Sakura's house like his own home, he let her lead him to her room at the end of the hall upstairs. She opened her door--littered with band flyers, posters, and various stickers--and walked into her room. It was a familiar place to Sasuke, one that he felt comfortable in. So he didn't tense nervously when she shut and locked the door behind them.

Sakura's room was always something of an enigma when one first saw it. The black walls that were trimmed with neon pink were probably the first thing someone noticed about it, followed by the carpet that was the same electrifying hue. A computer desk stood on the far wall next to the large bay window, her laptop resting on top along with her stacks of fashion magazines. The large bed, which had been the only reason Sasuke had agreed to stay the night that first Friday in seventh grade, was covered in black silk sheets and a equally dark down comforter. The side Sakura normally slept on ruffled while the other seemed like it had never been touched. The walls, like the door, were covered in posters and other things sporting her favorite bands. If any of her friends didn't know what kind of music she listened to, Sasuke was sure they must be blind.

"Come here!" Sakura's voice sounded somewhere from inside her walk-in closet. Sasuke set off in that direction, leaning against the door frame when he reached it. He found her standing on her toes looking through the many pairs of pants she had hanging. A moment later she was pulling a pair off the hanger an throwing them to him.

"You actually expect me to fit into these?" He held the dark jeans in his hands, trying to decipher whether they were black or actually navy blue.

"I expect you to get your skinny ass into them before I come over there and strip you myself." She warned, running to the other side of the closet where her shirts were located. She did the same as she had with the pants, coming up with a shirt much quicker.

Sasuke dropped his own jeans to the floor, far from embarrassed around Sakura anymore. The two of them had been changing in front of each other for years now. He slipped his legs through her incredibly skinny jeans, surprised when he was able to pulled them all the way to his hips and fasten them without much effort.

"It's a little difficult to get into, but it'll look amazing." She said as she handed him the hanger that held the shirt she had picked out for him. Which, he decided instantly, could hardly be called a real shirt. It looked more like a torture device.

"That thing has more metal than my bag does." He replied, referring to his book bag that was covered in clips and buttons.

"Just trust me." She smiled when he reached for it, throwing his t-shirt on the ground with his pants.

He pulled the corset over his head, fitting his arms through the black cotton straps. He knew it wasn't as bad as it looked, as he'd worn leather before and had actually found he didn't mind the feel of it against his skin so much. He turned on Sakura's cue and allowed her for lace it up, again surprised with how easily the contraption went on. He looked down the sides, where fish net was his only covering, held to the front and back of the shirt with long safety-pins.

"There, perfect. What did I tell you?" Sakura asked. "Now all you need to do is fix your hair and look through my jewelry box."

Sasuke left the closet, not looking back at his friend because he was sure he'd find her back to looking for her own outfit for that night. He crossed her room again quickly, heading into her adjacent bathroom and looking in the mirror.

Though he would never admit it out loud, Sasuke knew he was attractive. And even more so when he was wearing clothes designed originally for the opposite sex. He turned in front of the mirror, checking all his sides before decided that Sakura really had been right. He did look amazing.

He bent down--the action a little uncomfortable in his current clothing--and sifted through the contents under Sakura's sink, searching for her hair wax. He found the jar lurking behind her hair dryer and opened the jar before sliding his fingers through it, pulling a generous amount into his hand. Rubbing his hands together, he stood again and ran them through his hair, effectively mussing it further.

After washing the excess off his sticky palms, he went in search of Sakura's jewelry box. It was right where he expected, on her computer desk. The room was filled with soft classical music when he opened it, but he ignored it as he searched for a necklace he could wear. He chose her thin silver choker, the small onyx stone dangling from the front. He fastened it around his neck and moved on to replace the small stud in his lip with a silver ring. He decided to leave his own bracelet on.

"Well, we do clean up nicely don't we?" Sasuke chuckled at Sakura's words and turned to see her coming out of her closet. She was now wearing a short, lace skirt and another one of her corsets. Overall, she reminded him of a French maid, what with all the black and white. But he figured very few could look quite that much like a whore, but she also pulled it off, he decided quickly.

"We look like we're asking to get raped." He commented as she slipped her feet into her black boots.

"Then we better play the part well, hey?" She said, winking. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be for something that's certain to kill me." Sasuke said, moving to follow her out of the room and back down the stairs.

"We'll take your car." Sakura grabbed her cell off the table in the foyer while Sasuke slung his bag onto his shoulder. "And stop comparing the party to leukemia."



Gaara was in the middle of his fourth drink when he heard the news. And to tell the truth, it had honestly come as a surprise to him.

Sasuke Uchiha was actually going to make an appearance at the party.

Who would've thought the kid had that much nerve?

So it was only natural that he search out the object of everyone's interest when Lee told him. His black-haired friend wouldn't get his facts mixed up, for sure. And it hadn't taken long to spot the younger boy amongst the many other teenagers littering the Hyuuga Estate that night.

He was dancing when Gaara found him, something the redhead knew the Uchiha was known for. His lithe body moved to the beat of yet another techno song with a heavy beat, the music that had plagued the party since he'd walk through the doors. Tight denim and leather clung to him like another skin and Gaara could see the perspiration forming on exposed skin, making his arms, chest and neck appear slippery and shiny.

It really was brave of the raven to show his face here.

He slipped easily through the crowd of dancing bodies, ignoring the beckons to join them. He watched the Uchiha as he past, smelling the sweat that poured from him mixing with his signature scent. It drove Gaara crazy, being that close to him and not being able to touch, able to wrap his arms possessively over his small body. He wasn't sure if he was glad Sasuke liked to dance with his eyes closed or not.

"Have you seen him yet?" Were the first words out of his mouth when he joined yet another of his friends in the kitchen, grabbing the shot from Neji's hand and downing it in one swallow.

"No, not yet. Do you think it's true?" Neji asked, leaning against the counter on his elbows.

"Oh, it's true. And he looks as gorgeous as ever." Gaara added the last comment knowing Neji would know exactly what he meant.

"Did you think that would change since the last time you saw him?" Neji had a way of making his words sound thoughtful even when they were obvious.

"It should have, don't you think? He's still in high school." The redhead crossed his arms over his chest.

"So, what are you gonna do about it?" Neji raised a brow at him, the action asking him more than the actual words had.

What was he going to do about it, indeed.

He sighed heavily, turning from Neji when the pale-eyed man turned his attention to someone else in the room. He retraced his steps back to the living room where he stopped to watch Sasuke once again.

The raven was certainly an conundrum in his own right.

Gaara's feet seemed to move of their own volition then, carrying him to the dancing Uchiha. He stopped right behind him, catching Sasuke's friend's eye over his shoulder. She nodded in understanding, not really wanting to get involved in his affairs.

It was then that his arms came to wrap around Sasuke's middle, pulling the smaller boy against his chest and dropping his head to whisper into the Uchiha's ear.

"It's been a long time, Little Raven, I'm glad you could make it."

Note: Okay, so don't kill me please! I hope I made it up to you. This chapter sort of has dueling tones to it. The beginning is a look into Sasuke's mind, which is always dark and depressing and then it changes to light and almost humorous with Sakura(did anyone pick up on the Visual Kei/Gothic Lolita vibe to her room and clothes?), and then goes back to being dark again with Gaara. Our favorite redhead has some things up his sleeve, it seems, hey? I'm sorry if there are a lot of mistakes, it's 5:30 in the morning and I've been awake all night. I just finished writing it and I don't really feel like going through and revising at this very moment. I'll revise later, but if you found something that's wrong, inform me please? I'm not perfect and even on a full night's sleep I still look over things.

Chapter 1 Playlist:

1.) Izon no niwa - SID: This song is actually the inspiration for this whole fic and it is utterly beautiful. The feel of it goes perfectly with Sasuke's little inner-monologue in the beginning.

2.) Machiavellism - Dir en grey: Fits perfectly with the more playful parts of the chapter, and especially with Sakura's room.

3.) Shut me up - Mindless Self Indulgence: Exactly the song I was thinking of when writing the Sasuke/Gaara dancing scene.

Well, it's nice to be back, even if it's not to update one of my pre-existing stories. Review guys, and give me feedback on what you think I should do with the pairing. .

Love you all,

--Jaide