Pairings: SasuNaru, with a little NaruSaku mixed in. Don't like yaoi? Don't read! Duh.
'Things have really changed…'
Or so Sasuke happened to be thinking at the time. The teen lay awake in his bed, silently staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to questions that swarmed his head. He found it hard to believe that the reality of just five short years ago was the same reality of today. But, in fact, they were.
Uchiha Sasuke: five years ago, he was the rookie of the year, and an unbelievably skilled fighter. He excelled in nearly every aspect of training, easily surpassing his classmates and teammates. Other shinobi found interest in his natural abilities. He also was known for being popular among girls his age, and not just for his skills. It was like his cold, elusive nature made them ever more inclined to try to win him over. He found they just couldn't take the hint. They constantly followed him and wanted to hang out with him. They bickered and fought over him behind his back, like he was a possession or something. Especially Ino and Sakura, who seemed to have their own I'm-gonna-get-Sasuke-before-you competition of some sort.
And on the other extreme, there was Naruto.
Uzumaki Naruto: prankster, laughingstock, reject, just to name a few of his distasteful titles. The blonde boy was silly, clumsy, and rash. Many adults, especially those who knew of his rocky beginning looked down upon him and kept their children clear of his presence if at all possible. Almost no girls had romantic interests in him, and the one girl he liked detested him. Naruto, put simply, just failed at success.
So what had happened?
Sasuke had always relied on his natural born talents to see him through. He had bred strength and of course there was the sharingan. But poor Naruto had to struggle, partaking in painfully difficult training daily, just to try to keep up with the older boy. This became his way of life: training hard every day until his body could take it no more. Sasuke trained, too, but with Naruto and the rest so far behind him, he didn't stress it too much.
But natural talent only carries one so far. It was as if, after a certain point, Sasuke had outgrown his generic skills, and his progress slowed dramatically. Naruto, on the other hand, continued to get better and better, following his way of life. Before either knew it, the blonde had surpassed his elder. The new contrasts caught the eye of several nearby. Adults and elders began to show more respect for Naruto, his peers challenged him frequently and began to include him in social activities, and even girls were seeing him in a new light. The tables had turned for the worse for Sasuke.
Naruto was now the most popular boy around. Even the knowledge of the Kyuubi within him no longer frightened his friends, but rather attracted them to him ever more. In these short years, the blonde had dated several girls and, as rumor had it, perhaps even one or two boyfriends in recent weeks. But he was notoriously flighty, and rarely managed to hold onto a relationship for more than a month. Most believed there was one person Naruto was after, and he was holding out for them, though no one was sure who.
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Sasuke groggily leaned over and looked at his alarm clock. '9:14! Shit! I'm late!' He jumped from his bed and dressed hurriedly. He stopped shortly by the bathroom, then headed down the stairs into his kitchen. The house was silent around him, and even the squeak of the steps seemed noisy. He ate a quick breakfast, and was out the door shortly. He found no reason to linger in the barren house long.
'I don't know why I'm rushing, I bet Kakashi-sensei isn't even there yet.' the teenager thought as he trudged down the dusty street. The town was already busy about their daily activities. He was soon at the bridge, the same place team 7 met every morning. He spotted his two teammates side-by-side, leaning over the railing. Then it was obvious: Naruto and Sakura were dating again. Naruto was obviously saying something funny, because Sakura was hysterical with laughter. She playfully bumped the blonde's hip with her own, to which the boy responded with the same.
Sasuke found himself taking loud, deliberate steps over the bridge, but no response came from the couple. He couldn't understand why the sight disgusted him so much; the two people who annoyed him the most, together, and away from him. Nonetheless, he found himself staring at the two, watching especially the back of the bright orange outfit.
"Haha! Yeah, where's the baka anyway? He's usu—" Naruto's sentence was stopped short when his eyes fell upon the Uchiha on the other side of the bridge. "Oh, hello there, Sasuke-kun!" the blonde continued mockingly. He then turned back to Sakura and they both began laughing again at their own jokes.
'Dammit, they were talking about me!' Sasuke felt his face become hot with anger. 'They were talking about me… and laughing?' The young ninja felt like just grabbing a kunai and—
"Good morning, everyone!" Kakashi's voice startled the three teens. They all turned in unison to see their sensei at the edge of the bridge.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're actually less than 2 hours late today!" Sakura stated, though probably not even her teacher being once again late could bring down her mood.
There were no missions available, so team 7 busied themselves with target practice instead. But since their teacher was actually earlier than usual (though still late), they were finished just shortly after noon.
Walking back across the wooden bridge, Kakashi unexpectedly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto and Sakura were holding hands and chatting happily. Sasuke walked behind them a few paces, trying to concentrate on staring at his feet. He couldn't wait to get home.
"Tonight?" he heard Sakura ask. He looked up and saw the two love-bugs had halted. Sasuke spotted three or four of Sakura's friends hailing her over.
"Tonight!" Naruto replied enthusiastically. They came together and Naruto gave the pink-haired girl a short peck on the cheek. She blushed lightly and trotted off to her friends. The mob of girls waved at Naruto, giggling before they all disappeared down the street.
Sasuke and Naruto continued walking down the lazy streets, silently. The blonde slowed his pace until he was walking next to the Uchiha. But neither said anything, and an uneasy feeling shrouded the two.
"Are you going to that party tonight?" Naruto suddenly blurted.
Sasuke was startled by the question. He hadn't heard of any party going on, which didn't really surprise him. He found himself a lot more in the dark about social activities recently. "No," he responded after a short pause.
Naruto jumped in front of the dark-haired boy, stopping his procession. "Aw, please?"
The blonde's pleading voice shocked Sasuke. He stared at the younger for quite a while, stared into the bright blue eyes. 'Naruto's so… so…' "I've got plans," he finally answered, interrupting his own thoughts. He didn't give his teammate time to reply, because he turned to head up the stairs to his home.
Naruto's "Talk to you later, Sasuke-kun," was lost when Sasuke slammed the large door shut.
