The Concept of Like
"Come on, Naruto," an energetic brunette yipped. "Who do you like? If ya tell us, I'll tell you who I like!" Akamaru barked happily, as though saying he would let everyone know if Kiba was lying to them.
The eight year old blonde made a face, shaking his head. "Why would I tell you? I don't really care who you like." In all honesty, he would have really liked to know this tasty little bit of information about his friend--friend? No, probably not.
"Yeah. Of course you would." Kiba grinned widely, his head bobbing with childlike enthusiasm. "The girl I like is cuuute."
Naruto's face fell into a look of horror. "You like a girl? Girls have cooties."
Shikamaru turned his head from where he was trying to explain different types of clouds to Chouji. "Girls having cooties is just a myth."
"Yeah right." Naruto shook his head. "Shikamaru's a liar!" he chirped. Shikamaru just scoffed, turning his attention back to his friend.
"So who is it? You've gotta like someone!" Kiba asked relentlessly.
"I don't like--girls have cooties, Kiba! Someone believes me, right?" The blonde cast his eyes about--and they landed on a passing raven haired child. He scrambled after him, grabbing at the hem of his shirt. "Ne, ne. Sasuke? Girls have cooties, right?"
The boy turned to stare at the blonde. "What?" he asked in annoyance.
"Girls have cooties, right?" Naruto asked, just a little frustrated over having to repeat himself.
"Get away from me and stop asking me such ridiculous questions, usuratonkachi."
Naruto let go of Sasuke's shirt so quickly that he gave the impression of having been burned. He glared after the other boy with as much hatred as he could muster. When he turned back to Kiba, he found the boy to be snickering.
"Uchiha hates you, I think."
"Good." Naruto nodded, a furious scowl set in place on his face. "'Cause I hate him to."
0o0o0
Naruto frowned as he wandered home. Sure, he had people he could be playing with right now, but none of them would play with him. They were all busy.
He tucked his hands into his pockets, his frown deepening as he glanced down a hill, toward a lake--and saw a familiar figure sitting at the edge of the water. He blinked, startled, and then scowled. It was just him. Sasuke.
From up here. . .he could just see the raven's face. He could feel that bit of hate that he wasn't sure was even supposed to be there disappearing. Because Sasuke looked sad. He was so very sad and alone that it was painful. Did no one else see that?
Sasuke turned his head sharply, glaring up at the blonde. Naruto gulped, quickly turning his head away to give the impression that he hadn't been staring at the other boy. Slowly, out of the corner of his eye as he started walking again, he saw Sasuke turn back to the water. That small frown was back on his lips and the blonde was sure that if he could see his eyes, they would look like they were empty.
With a small nod of his head, Naruto turned back around. He tiptoed down the side of the hill, knowing that any ninja worth his kunai could see or hear him. With a small huff, he dropped down next to Sasuke on the wooden dock. The raven's frown deepened and he glanced toward the blonde, completely at a loss as to what he should do.
"What do you want?" he asked snippily, although his voice lacked its characteristic bite.
Naruto shrugged. He wasn't sure why he had turned around either. He swung his legs over the water, watching his reflection with interest. Finally, he turned toward the other boy. "Why are you sad?"
"I'm not sad." Sasuke responded automatically. He stared out across the lake, gritting his teeth and wishing with every fiber of his being for the annoying blonde to leave him alone.
With a frown and tilt of his head, Naruto spoke again. "You're not?"
"No," Sasuke shook his head. "I'm not."
Naruto nodded slightly. He pulled his legs up, making Sasuke believe that he was done, ready to continue with whatever he had been doing before. Instead of leaving, he crawled closer to the raven so he could put his face directly in front of the other boys.
"If you're not sad," he began, almost laughing at the wide eyed, shocked expression on Sasuke's face, "then are you lonely?"
The raven frowned as he scooted backwards, half tempted to push the blonde into the lake. "No. I'm not lonely."
"You aren't?"
"No. I'm not." Sasuke agreed.
"But," Naruto crawled forward, insistently keeping close to the other boy. "what about your eyes? You look like you want to cry."
"I do not look like I want to cry." Sasuke said stubbornly, turning his head away because he wasn't altogether sure if it was true or not.
Naruto frowned, pulling up the last thing in his arsenal of questions. "Then why do your eyes look like mine?"
Sasuke paused in his brief attempt at escape. "What?" He already knew what the blonde was talking about--or he had a pretty good idea, anyway.
"Do you have a family?" Naruto asked, blue eyes trying to reach into Sasuke's mind to get his answer.
"No. I don't. Not anymore." was the raven's cold answer. Any forward motion Naruto had made with the other boy had come to a sudden halt.
"Oh. I don't have a family either."
Sasuke blinked slowly at him. "I'm sorry." he murmured looking down at his hands. He relaxed them because they had unconsciously drawn themselves into fists.
"What?" The blonde asked in confusion. "Why are you sorry?"
The raven spared him a small, incredulous glance before turning his eyes forward. He wished Naruto would leave now. The boy simply couldn't understand what was--
"Sasuke?" came Naruto's tentative voice. The raven scowled furiously at him, but the blonde refused to admit to being intimidated. When Sasuke realized his angry expression wouldn't scare him away, it hesitantly disappeared.
"What do you want now?"
"Hmmm. . .do you have any friends?"
Sasuke blinked owlishly. "Why? Does it matter?"
"Well, do you?" Naruto stared at the other boy. After a moment, the blonde nodded; Sasuke's almost defensive silence answered the question for him. "You don't, do you? Well, neither do I."
Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. "So? I don't want a best friend."
"You don't?" Naruto asked in near shock.
Sasuke shook his head. "No. I don't."
"Well. . ." Naruto frowned, a look of intense concentration on his face. "Instead of a best friend, what about a regular friend?" When the raven didn't answer, Naruto crept closer to him again. "Do you want a regular friend?"
Sasuke frowned. "Maybe. . ." he said indecisively.
"Maybe. . .maybe we could be friends. Do you think we could be friends? Ne, Sasuke, could we? I want a friend."
The raven shook his head, abruptly throwing out a hand to halt Naruto's forward creeping. "No," he said quickly. "I don't want a friend. Why would I want you as a friend?"
Naruto sat back, hurt crossing his small face. He stared at Sasuke, surprised by the guilt that flashed through the other boys dark eyes. "You know. . ." he said after a few moments. "If you let me be your friend, I would never leave you."
Sasuke barely managed to hide the spark of hope flashing in his eyes. "You wouldn't?"
"Nope." The blonde shook his head. "Never ever ever."
Sasuke hesitantly turned his face away. "You're not lying, right?"
Naruto shook his head furiously. "No!" He paused, shrugging slightly. "Ummm. . .Sasuke? Do you hate me? Is that why you don't want to be friends?"
The raven's eyes widened and he turned his head back. "No. I don't hate you."
"Oh, good." Naruto grinned. "'Cause I think I like you--a lot!"
Sasuke blushed faintly, glancing back down at his hands.
Naruto perked up further. "Does that mean you like me to?"
The other boy shrugged, chancing a peek up. Blue eyes met black and Naruto grinned once again as he reached out a hand.
"Promise, then. I don't have to be your best friend, but you can be my best friend."
"I. . ." Sasuke hesitantly lifted his hand. With a final glance into Naruto's eyes, he hooked two fingers around the blonde's. "So. . .that means we're friends?" he asked in a way that could have been nervous had he allowed himself such a feeling.
Naruto nodded, his widest smile on his lips. "Now you're my best friend. I'm always gonna be there for you, now. 'Specially when you need me." He paused. "Ne. . .you'll do the same for me, right?"
Sasuke bit his lip for just a second before nodding. "Of course. Always." He let the tinniest of smiles grace his lips. He wasn't entirely sure if Naruto was really telling the truth, but he wanted to believe him. The slight tightening of the fingers around his and the way Naruto's smile seemed to grow even more sincere was all the assurance he ever needed.
0o0o0
"Come on, Naruto," prompted a somewhat calm brunette. "I already told you; I like Hinata. Who do you like? Or do girls still have cooties?" he teased, thinking back to the answer he'd gotten the last time he asked this question. "Come on! Lighten up! You're way too serious nowadays."
The sixteen year old blonde frowned. "Why does it matter who I like?"
"Oh, come on. After you get Sasuke back, you're going to need something to fight with him over. 'Course it's gonna be a girl. You've fought over just about everything else, haven't you?" Kiba grinned, patting Akamaru's large head as he padded over to the two teenagers. "Who is she? I know you have some girl on your mind."
"I don't like any girls." The blonde insisted. "Leave me alone, Kiba. I can't be bothered with this."
The brunette snorted indignantly, turning away. "Fine. You owe me, 'cause I told you who I like."
Naruto scowled after him before shaking his head and looking up at the sky. All those years ago, he hadn't had a girl in mind. He hadn't had anyone in mind.
The next day, he had wanted to yell it out that he did like someone. Of course, in his eight year old mind, he hadn't comprehended what was implied in liking. If he had actually said what he thought, 'I like Uchiha Sasuke', he would have suffered untold amounts of embarrassment, because the statement just wasn't true. Maybe it was the way that Sasuke still scowled at him, despite his promise, that kept him from doing just that.
It would have been worth it, he reflected. If he had said it then, maybe it would have been enough to keep Sasuke home, safe, out of Orochimaru's hands. As it was, he'd simply run out of time and never gotten around to it when it really mattered.
Now. . .maybe, when he thought about it, it really wouldn't have mattered that he hadn't understood what it meant to 'like'. That meaning had come to him one day when he was off training and had nothing better to entertain his mind with.
Love.
At first, he thought he had felt hate toward Sasuke.
Later, he thought that it could be pity. Pity, because Sasuke wouldn't let anyone near him. Pity, because he was sad and lonely and didn't want anyone else to know.
The profound concept of 'like' had briefly appeared in his contemplations, before it had been replaced by something else, something that was almost terrifying.
Love.
Kiba liked Hinata, but when Naruto really thought about it, somewhere deep, deep down, he had to wonder. Did he love Sasuke? Then he would have to think even more before deciding that yes, he did like him.
Somewhere along the line, Sasuke's cold exterior had become nonexistent to him. Biting insults lacked a certain edge in his mind, becoming what he thought was simply Sasuke's way of saying that he appreciated it. That he appreciated that little promise they had made to one another.
"When I get you back, teme. . .I want to know what you think. You always said I was nothing but a dobe, so maybe I'm wrong. If you're so smart, you know already. All it takes is for you to tell me if I'm actually right." The blonde nodded slightly, laying back on the grass to keep staring up at the stars.
Somewhere, he had the feeling that Sasuke was doing the same. Maybe it was just a hope, but he wanted it to be true. He couldn't help but smile, because he thought it was probably true.
After all, if he was lonely, wasn't Sasuke? They weren't that different from one another.
Maybe during whatever training he was going through, Sasuke had learned that little thing about 'like' that turned it into love. Naruto smiled faintly, staring intently at the stars that caught his eyes. He let his mind wander. . .
After all was said and done, true love was still written in the stars, wasn't it?
Review, maybe?