Disclaimer: NARUTO is copyrighted to Kishimoto Masashi-san and Shounen Jump (and plenty of other names).

Fanfic based on Hikari M666's Lost in Translation, from which I have permission to use the plot. Some dialog belongs to the original piece. This can be read separately, but please read Lost in Translation if you haven't, it's worth it. And thank you, again, for editing this - and for having such a fic that could inspire my writing skills back.

Finding words

Naruto couldn't believe he'd agreed to and actually encouraged the trip to Berlin. It wasn't as if the idea was a bad one (he did deserve a vacation after passing his preliminary course), but when you were the only one trying to figure out what the guide was saying, because your travelling companion was sleeping in the hotel, it got annoying.

The city was amazing. He was glad it was Berlin, but gods, was it boring! His guide might as well have been speaking German, because he only understood "…and to your right…" and only because the guy pointed to the right. Maybe he could go back to the hotel and drag Shikamaru around, because at least he'd know some of the guide's tour and be able to explain some things to Naruto.

But rolling his eyes, he remembered it was Shikamaru, and it would be impossible to have him out of bed at this hour, the lazy bastard that he was.

(Okay, so he didn't need a guide to recognize the Brandenburg Gate or the neoclassical square, Gendarmenmark, but it would be great to actually know something about them!)

Forty minutes into the tour, Naruto decided to ditch his group all together because, with or without them, he wouldn't get any culture. Might as well google Berlin, learn something from the city, and catch up with his friends on the Internet. He might even catch Sakura-chan, if she was back from her vacation in Paris.

As if connected by thought, his cell phone started to vibrate. It seemed that Sakura was texting him. Naruto was about to flip open the phone to see what she said when he remembered that it would cost him double (or was it triple?), because he wasn't in Japan. He sighed. His friend wouldn't make him lose money if this wasn't important, and maybe it wouldn't cost too much, seeing as she was in Paris.

OMG YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO I SAW IN PARIS AIRPORT!!!

(He should have stopped right there; the number of exclamation marks was enough to say it wasn't an emergency, and it was all in caps. He really should have stopped.)

SASUKE-KUN(!!!) WALKED RIGHT PAST ME!!! CALL ME (HOME)! I NEED TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT! TAKE CARE, INO-PIG!

Right now, he wanted to have his head shoved into the wall. Repeatedly. After reading the message for the third time, he closed his phone and wondered if he was going to be able to make a call to the Hotel and have Shikamaru get him.

His pink-haired friend was obviously home, as in Japan, as in the message would cost him plenty of money! And it was meant for Ino! And she wrote her best friend's high school nickname, meaning she was being smug and had something good - about Sasuke-kun - to say.

He wondered if Sakura did that on purpose. She must have texted all her friends, so they could all get the news. It wasn't as if it didn't matter (or that she had ill intentions, it was Sakura, after all), but reading that particular name and know it was a while since he last saw him, he got a bit nostalgic. And maybe a little, just a little, frustrated.

When they were in high school . . . Ah, it seemed so distant now . . . If things were a bit different then . . .

"Shit!"

Naruto collided with something. It was silent - and then he realized he bumped into someone. He quickly rose. "Holy shit! I'm sorry, really, I – I tripped on the stairs! I didn't mean to – "

Greeeat. Running into people.

"Es tut mir Leid. Ich spreche nur Deutsch." the voice said. And Naruto suddenly felt warm, hearing the weird words that were coming from the guy's mouth.

He blinked. And then remembered he was in Berlin. Not knowing a word. "Oh. I don't really know German, but I guess you don't understand what I'm saying." He felt silly for a moment, not knowing how to say he was sorry.

"I bet you're wondering why I'm here when I can't speak the language," Naruto said, startling the stranger for a moment, before laughing. "And I can't even explain why because you can't understand me!"

He couldn't help it. Some said that talking was therapeutic, and now he understood. It felt great to talk to someone after spending all his morning listening to German and not understanding a thing.

"Well, I'm going to tell you anyway! I'm from Japan and finished school two years ago, then went to university, and I just finished a preliminary course! So as a reward, my friend Shikamaru bought us both a ticket straight here!"

It was great to remember the ending of his course. He had struggled a bit, but, after finishing it, it felt great. And when his friend said that he might give him something, Naruto never expected a trip out of Japan!

"Well, I kinda forced him to come too, really. All he did was pay for it. He's sleeping in the hotel room right now." He couldn't help but grin. When he received the plane tickets, he was surprised to see another one. When he asked about it, his answer was that he could take anyone with him. It took him two days (of begging and fake cries) to convince his lazy friend.

And then, something about the atmosphere shifted, and there was something different about the stranger sitting close to him (or was he the one sitting close?). He was wearing a hood covering most of his face. But something about the way he was sitting reminded him of someone.

Ha! He wished.

Well, whatever.

"Everyone says Shikamaru and I make a weird match. He's so lazy and I'm so active, but I guess I'd hate him if he was exactly like me. But you know, everyone at my school was really different," After saying it out loud, he realized, what a bunch of weirdos they must have made in high school! "It's a miracle anyone became friends. Like this one guy, Kiba. He was obsessed with his dog, never went anywhere without it. Really weird. But we were still friends."

He laughed, remembering how every day Kiba had a way to have his dog in school grounds, even though it wasn't allowed.

"I had heaps of friends. Practically everyone liked me," he gloated. Having everyone like him wasn't easy, but being around them, he felt he was part of something.

Well, not everyone, he frowned.

"Well, except this one guy. But he was a bastard and didn't like anyone! His name was Sasuke Uchiha. The school pretty-boy." Well, pretty-boy was simplifying matters.

His rival was nothing less than a walking god. But he had an attitude problem, which clashed horribly with his looks.

"All the girls loved him. Hell, even half the guys loved him!" He frowned again. He wasn't lying. Sasuke had had that magnetic attraction. "I wonder how many guys he turned," Naruto added as an afterthought.

And then the stranger's eyebrow rose, and after his last sentence, it was higher. And then Naruto was suspicious. Did the guy understand him?

To banish this stupid possiblity (because really, there was no way the guy next to him could understand), he asked what was wrong with his eyes, and then the face was neutral.

Or maybe, he thought, he should follow his instincts. They were always right (like that time he was sure he shouldn't have been copying Sakura's exam - when it was clearly not even the same test). And at this moment, they were screaming that he was being understood.

"Right, you don't know what I'm saying!" Maybe he should pay a little more attention, because that posture was familiar . . .

And Naruto couldn't believe he hadn't recognized Sasuke Uchiha when he first looked at him.

In high school he spent a good amount of time – researching - Sasuke (just because he had to know everything about his rival, because you know, there might be a time when it's important to know that he liked tomatoes and despised sweets, and that girls annoyed him, and that school wasn't that important. Silly things like that), and there was no doubt, this was Sasuke.

Well, this turned things around, didn't it?

"So basically . . . I can say whatever I want to you and nobody will know! I can tell you all my secrets, can't I?" Naruto said, wanting to know his reaction. It was actually good to see him. But why was he pretending not to understand what Naruto was saying? Maybe if he wasn't acting like a bastard, then they could have enjoyed Berlin together.

Naruto almost pouted.

"But if I did that, it'd probably turn out like the movies, where you really can understand me."

There's your chance Uchiha. Take those words in German back and talk to me.

When that bastard didn't say a thing, he decided, why not play a little?

"But real life's never anything like the movies! So what were we talking about? Oh yeah, Sasuke. All the time I knew him, all through high school, I wondered something about him."

This is it again, Sasuke. Take the hood off. Let's talk. Bring back those times together.

When nothing happened, he was disappointed. Naruto's voice lowered. "I always wondered, what made the girls think they had a chance with him?"

Sasuke still wasn't taking the bait.

"He kept rejecting them and they didn't even consider that he might be, well, gay or something. But I personally think the guys had a better chance with him."

That's it. If he wasn't going to make a move, Naruto might as well go and tell the truth. Sasuke wasn't going to react.

"Ah well, maybe not. Maybe that was just wishful thinking."

There. He got a reaction. So he was uncomfortable? Well, Uzumaki wasn't going to be ignored.

"We were in the same class for a while, and I guess I – I don't know – liked him a little. Not just as a friend."

And then the loud, "What?" came, and even though Sasuke tried to hide it, Naruto heard. He had felt a little concerned, because he thought Sasuke wouldn't make a move to stop his rambling. Well, Naruto would keep going. He had kept up his 'you-are-my-rival' façade long enough, and he wasn't going to be ignored now!

"It's not as if I'm gay," Naruto said, after seeing shocked eyes on him. "But, well, if you saw Sasuke you'd understand. With him, you don't notice if he's a guy or a girl. You can just see that he's hot."

There. He said it. Ah, it felt good to have those words out. The first one who knew about his crush on Sasuke was his high school History teacher, Iruka Umino. After spending hours in detention, he had formed almost a familial bond with the teacher, and it wasn't difficult to start talking about his thoughts when he trusted the man.

It wasn't as if his father couldn't understand him, though, he knew now. But, seeing as he only 'came out' to his family almost at the end of senior year, he already had the mantra ('this is only because I see him everyday') on his mind, and so, his father didn't know about his obsession with Sasuke. But his father, and mother, always knew he secretly liked the bastard. They just didn't know how much.

"I never did anything about it, obviously. I was the only person who didn't like him. D'you know how much my reputation would've been scarred if I did? Everyone would've hated me."

Well, reputation was the last thing on his mind when he didn't tell Sasuke or his own friends, really. It was being afraid of the inevitable rejection, if he confessed. Of course after speaking with Iruka-sensei, and then finally telling his friends, and then his family, he was at peace with his crush. It wouldn't hurt that his physical relationship with Sasuke was only that – physical, of punches and insults. He could live with that. At least he wasn't being ignored.

"Especially him. Sasuke would've hated me even more. I mean, he probably would've killed me if he found out some of the things I'd been thinking."

Yeah. The hate. The only thing keeping Sasuke near him. And if he confessed, hate would turn into disgust. And Naruto wouldn't manage to get over that and smile the next morning.

"He always had a really sharp tongue . . . I always wondered . . . that tongue must've been good. Kissing and stuff, sure, but I mainly thought about – other things." A slight shade of red formed on Naruto's cheeks. "You know? Well, of course you don't, but . . . well, I'm not going to say it! Even if you can't understand me, it's still embarrassing. But now that I'm remembering it . . . "

Oh, how he remembered it. It was slightly awkward in those years to accept that he would get a bit of 'morning wood' after dreaming about his supposed rival! But still . . . if they did all those things in his dreams, oh. The last few years would have been much better, to say the least

"Bloody hell, I wanted him. I wanted him so much and he never knew. I called him a bastard every other day, but I swear, all the time I was half a second away from grabbing him, dragging him off somewhere and – "

Woah.

He should return to the topic in mind. This was Sasuke he was talking to. He didn't need to go further and freak him out too much.

"But you know, that was high school. Every normal guy has a one-track mind like that in high school. Everyone's all talk and no intention of actually doing anything. Stuff is different now.

"But now . . . trust me, I'd have intention of doing something. I'm not just all talk.

"God, I'd kill to see him again, just so I could – you know. Hell, I'd probably have trouble restraining myself. But if I got the chance," and here he decided to give a full-blown hint, "even if it was just in passing, I'd recognize his face anywhere."

Yeah, and if the bastard didn't take this bait, Naruto would return to Japan and remove the secret collection of Uchiha photos he had stolen from Sakura! Because he sure as hell wasn't misinterpreting the interest and doubt in Sasuke's eyes.

The bastard might not have grown during these years apart, but Naruto had learned his lesson. He wouldn't brush his dreams away, wanting for a normalcy that was never meant to be.

Naruto looked shiftily from side to side, as if to make sure no one was watching. Then, much to Sasuke's evident horror, he leaned in so close that his breath was on Sasuke's cheek.

"I wish he was here right now," Naruto breathed, his voice low.

There. He managed to get Sasuke's full attention. Maybe, just maybe, they would return to his hotel room and manage to shove Shikamaru out, and have the room to themselves . . .

When all Sasuke managed was a stuttering of n's, Naruto decided that was enough. He grinned like nothing had happened. It was up to Sasuke now, whether he said anything or didn't. If he didn't, Naruto hoped that next time they saw each other, he would have the balls to say he liked Sasuke that way, again.

Naruto said, with effort, in his light way, "Shame I'm in Germany talking to a stranger who doesn't understand a word I'm saying instead of back home talking to Sasuke." Then he pushed his chair out. He stood up.

He began to leave.

It was now or never.

When he heard someone rushing towards him, he couldn't help but smile.

Being in Berlin, not knowing a thing, not even how to order water, wasn't half as bad when you had your not-so-secret-crush walking right beside you, attempting clumsily to explain the misunderstanding.

And it started to get better when they were shoulder bumping, and almost hand enlaced.

Maybe Shikamaru would understand the need to spend the night out?

Thank you, Hikari M666 for letting me write Naruto's point of view. I had fun writing this.

For Sasuke's POV, search Lost in Translation.