Adjuel: Okies. I don't write often so this will be crappy. I'm ticked at the 'rents, so the best way to channel my anger is to write. I have no idea how this will turn out, but oh well.
Disclaimer: No, I DON'T own anything or anyone related to Naruto. Got it memerized? –.-' I don't even own that line! It's from Kingdom Hearts, which I also DON'T own... I love Axel! -fangirl squeal-
Edit: I wrote this on the 13th of Feb, but my 'rents didn't pay for our internet bill, so it wasn't working at the time (although that's not why I was mad at them...) I did not re-read this, so I'm sure there will many mistakes. I wasn't originally gonna post this, but oh well...
Heartfelt
by: Adjuel
Naruto stumbled into his small apartment. Clothing and old ramen cartons littered the floor, making it a hard task to move across the room. The peeling wallpaper seemed even worse than the last time Naruto took the time to look at it. A sense of foreboding hit Naruto. He realized something, and that something scared him. Nothing had changed. Nothing would change. It was all the same.
The cruel treatment of the town that he received: the cold looks, the haunting whispers, the horrible pranks, the mean jeers… the list was endless. And it never ended, and would forever be that way. Nothing would ever change, because people never change. It was a fact of life, and Naruto knew this, yet felt the need to deny it. Until now.
He was sick of it. Sick of it all. Why bother? It all traveled in one giant circle, his life, a vicious cycle. The blue eyed blonde woke up, dressed in his neon orange out fit, waited for Kakashi-Sensei, looked like a fool in front of his team and others, ate either instant ramen at home, or, on those delightfully rare occasions, he would go out for a specialty ramen with Iruka, then come home to think about the crappy life he had and sleep. And not to be forgotten, the villagers never failed to squeeze in their two cents worth throughout the day:
"Demon brat…"
"Piece of lousy crap…"
"Thank goodness my child isn't on that corrupt devil's team…"
Naruto's heart dropped. Life sucked… horribly. Nobody cared, nobody would. His actions were all a fraud: his smiles, his nonchalance to the villagers, his chipper demeanor… all fakes. The real reason he put up with that freaking orange eyesore of an outfit was if he wore anything darker, he might not be able to keep it all up. The mask. It would crumble without something to keep it afloat. And he hated it. He hated it all. The lies, the smiles, the doofus personality.
Not to mention it was hard to keep up such a peppy exterior. Especially when he felt the direct opposite of his made up alias. Inside he was dying, while he shouted obscenities at a certain brooding jerk outside. Sometimes, Naruto just wanted to scream. Scream that he was not an idiotic dobe. That he, too, could be an elite ninja, and a great asset to any team.
Naruto sighed, then slipped into his favorite chair. The chair seemed to swallow his body, soft and fluffy. Stuffing was beginning to break free from the worn fabric, yet it was still unbelievably comfortable. The soft blue-black fabric reminded the blonde of something, but he refused to think of what…
The blue eyed teen sat in that chair until time seemed just a theory. He felt numb. Not a thought passed his blank, uncomprehending mind. All of his energy seemed depleted, his muscles incapable of moving. It was all too draining. Life was not worth it. Nothing in that moment was. Not even that thought that he refused to think or dwell on. That strange place in his mind he never let himself visit. It entertained dangerous thoughts in that forbidden area.
Yet Naruto could not deny that what lie there was his favorite thing to dream of. The thought that made him go on some days, and wish for death others. That prohibited fruit that tempted him so. The thought of love. That was, above all else, Naruto's greatest weakness. His greatest wish.
And though he would never speak it, think it, or indicate it in any other way, his wish went deeper than that. His heart yearned for another, a specific individual. A person that was untouchable, that made Naruto's heart swell with pain. Because they were just like all the others… he was just like the others…
No, no! Naruto could not think about Sasu-them. They were not a part of Nauto's life, and that was that. They never would be, and that was fine. Because it hurt to think about, so there was no "they"… or "he"… only a "Naruto", alone, unwanted, an outcast, a nobody, a pile of trash, a… a… thing that took up too much space and air on the precious earth, a fool…
Yes, a fool. That was perfect. Naruto, The-Number-One-Hyper-Active-Ninja-Fool! Nothing would be a more fitting title. Because nothing could be more fitting than the harsh truth.
Naruto felt something foreign on his face. He lethargically picked up his drooping arm. Slowly, he swiped a tan hand across his cheeks, only to find them wet. An extreme pain filled the teens chest.
Naruto gasp, suddenly alive with energy. He clutched harshly at his chest, the pain overwhelming. The brightly colored apparel about him was ripped by angry hands, trying desperately to get that pumping organ to stop with its torture. To just… stop…
It all came to Naruto in the blink of an eye. The solution to his problems, every single one, including the ever perfect Sasuke. The answer was lying just inside that drawer on the other side of the room.
It was an object that he had stolen. Something that belonged to a fellow pink haired ninja. But that was ok, because he knew she would never miss it. Sukura had been totally oblivious to the thievery that had taken place right under her nose. Although, Naruto could not really blame her. It was just one, tiny pink razor, anyway. Why would she miss that?
Naruto had nabbed the razor during one of their missions. Sakura had been complaining about how she had not had a bath in the past week, and if they dare move another step without letting her bathe, there would be heck to pay. Thus, the men, fearing the wrath of inner-Sakura, stopped to allow the beauty to bathe in a nearby river. The team had split off after that, and Naruto's mind began to wonder, as did his feet. He did not know where he was going, or what he hoped to accomplish, but his thoughts eventually went straight to the forbidden.
Sasuke. At the time, to Naruto, he was just a brooding emo punk. But that walk changed Naruto's perspective of the Uchiha dramatically. He began to really think about the reason his heart always went haywire when around the raven haired teen. And why his approval meant so much. And why his eyes were so freaking sexy when the sharingan took over those obsidian pools full of revenge.
Just like that, everything fell together like a jigsaw puzzle. And Naruto was scared. Scared of these feeling, so foreign and unwanted. Yet that delightful feeling was persistent. It haunted his mind, swirling, confusing the poor blue eyed teen until he felt tears prick the insides of his eyes. His moved mechanically forward, stumbling on his way, until a pile of oddly familiar red clothing tripped him up.
Naruto saved his footing while his mind started to clear. In place of the confusion that had just fogged his mind was a searing pain. Naruto almost screamed at the unexpected on slot of feelings on his fragile heart. His bit his tongue. All he needed right now was for Sakura to realize he was there and accuse him of being a perverted peeping tom. He did not even look toward the river. Like he needed the disturbing image of a nude Sakura burned in his mind for the rest of his life. Now if it were Sasuke… The pain came back with quite a vengeance at the thought.
Naruto looked around in vain for something, anything, to rid himself of the unbearable pain shooting through his veins. And that is when it caught his eye. At that moment, it was the most gorgeous thing Naruto had ever seen. A pack of small, pink razors. He was sure Sakura was going to use them to shave her long legs, yet Naruto had another plan for them. Quickly, he grabbed one and made a dash for it. Naruto was not sure how long he ran, but he knew that he had to get far away, lest he be found.
He finally found a small clearing, perfect for privacy. Naruto sat on a rock, and took the cap off of the razor. With trembling hands, he snapped the extra plastic that kept the metal encased off, careful to keet the blade from slicing his tan skin just yet.
For a few seconds, Naruto hesitated. Could he really do this? A picture of all the cruel villagers urged him to make the first cut. It would be a thin one, not too deep, experimental to start with. With the gleaming blade poised above his wrist, Naruto closed his eyes, ready for the pain…
"There you are, Dobe."
And just like that, Naruto's eyes flung open, horrified by what he had almost done. He looked up to see Sasuke standing there, more extravagant than Naruto remembered. A light seemed to shine on Sasuke, like the angel that Naruto now felt he was. In that moment, Naruto confirmed his suspicions: he loved the Uchiha, with all of his being.
"Sakura is done. Kakashi is ready to go. Hurry up, Idiot"
Naruto had hidden the blade behind his hand when he first heard Sasuke, and he discreetly slid it into his pocket. He then jumped up and shouted to the teen before him:
"Sasuke-teme! I am NOT dobe! Or an idiot!"
"Hn. Whatever."
The two teens walked back to the rest of their team in silience. Naruto was quiet the entire time, unnerving the Uchiha. Lost in thought, Naruto did not notice the other's perception to the slip of his mask. Was he really about to take his own life? Would he have gone through with it if Sasuke had not come along? Naruto felt slightly sick, and later, while the others slept, he went off and unloaded his dinner at the thought of what he had done, what almost happened, what would have happened if it had not been for Sasuke.
It was then that Naruto promised to never think about Sasuke or his problems ever again. Of course, he had slipped up on occasion, but for the most part, he kept his feelings locked up, safe from the ever nosey world.
But now, the pain was too much. He slowly stood, making his way towards the drawer that held his redemption. Opening the drawer with confident hands, Naruto dug until he found what he was looking for. That pink razor seemed more appealing than it had that first night, and Naruto fell for its fatal lure.
He walked to his cramped bathroom. It was the only room that Naruto kept relatively clean. He sank to the floor, ready to accept his fate. Just as he had done before, he lifted the blade to rest on his tan wrist. He waited slightly, hoping for a distraction, a reason to live, in the back of his mind. But nothing happened. Just silence. Ever so slowly, Naruto drew a steady line down his arm, for he wanted permanent relief, not just a little blood across his wrist.
Red filled his vision while the smell of iron assaulted his nose. It was all so intoxicating. Encouraged, Naruto drew a new line, and soon his entire arm was red. He felt crazy with ecstasy. It was like a drug, and he was hooked. It was everywhere, covering everything. The once spotless bathroom was painted a new color, a deeper color. The color of blood. An insane laugh escaped from Naruto's lips, filling him with glee. It was all so perfect! He felt such bliss! And even through the pain, he had yet to shed a tear. Although the pain was there, it was different than that of the pain that filled him when he thought of Sasuke. That pain was deeper, with tears, than the skin deep feeling that filled him now. This pain Naruto could deal with. The pain of rejection, ridicule, hate, loathing… love. Those were the pains that were unbearable. Naruto went to make one more cut, but he had no strength left in his body. It was being drained, just as his blood was.
With a start, Naruto realized the life substance that continued to flow from his arm was the color of Sasuke's eyes. And suddenly, Naruto did not want to die. He wanted to stand up, shake off the strange feeling that was pulling at his foggy mind, and go to Sasuke. He wanted to get it off his chest, tell the Uchiha of the strong feeling that overpowered his being, the feeling of love. He wanted to risk it all before he was gone, before he was pulled away from all he knew. At that moment, Naruto wished he would have never found that stupid razor, had never build his fake alias, had never lied about it all…
Naruto panicked. He could feel something akin to sleep try to take him away from this world, and the tears finally came. He tried to lift his arm to stop the never ending flow of blood, but it was futile. He did not even have enough energy to yell for help. Where was his angel now?
He could read the headlines now:
"Demon-Boy Finally Takes His Own Life!"
"The Towns Dreams Have Been Fulfilled!"
"The Pest Has Been Taken Care Of!"
"New National Holiday: Demon-less Day!"
Naruto felt ill. He had done the job they had always wanted to do. He rid the town of its menace. And they would celebrate his death! Because he was the demon child: unwanted, lonely, the town eyesore, a pain in the butt, a joke…
With that thought, maybe he did make the right decision. Maybe the world was better off without him…
And then the world went black.
----
Sasuke grumbled under his breathe. Why must Kakashi torture him so? That freaking pervert knew he liked Naruto, so what does he do? He sends him to give the blonde his invite for the upcoming annual Chuunin Ball.
Kakashi could have given the crisp papers to his team at practice, but he "forgot" to hand them out. And since he had already found Sakura and given her hers, then he was sure Sasuke would not mind taking Naruto to him.
'Forgot my butt! That stupid baka-perv just wanted me to ask Naruto to the ball. Pfft. Like I would ever risk it… Although the thought is rather tempting…'
Sasuke shook his head. Besides, he did not know how Naruto would react to such a thing. Plus, he knew there was more to Naruto than the blonde teen let anyone see. A fragile boy who was sick of being made fun of. And what did Sasuke, the teen who was in love with this fragile boy, do about it? He added to the stress in Naruto's life by belittling him. Sometimes, Sasuke hated himself.
Yet it bothered Sasuke. He new something had been bothering Naruto lately. Ever since that one mission...
After having their lives threatened, team 7 let Sakura have her precious bathe. When everyone split up, Sasuke had taken a nap in one of the trees near where they set up camp. When he finally woke up, an overly cheerful Kakashi was standing above him.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, sitting up and glaring at his sensei, who was reading that freaking orange book again. Perv. Kakashi closed his book, turned to Sasuke, and… smirked? It was hard to tell….
"Hello, Sasuke. How was your nap?"
Sasuke settled for deepening his glare.
"Ah, I see you want to know why I'm here. Fine, I'll be direct about it. I have noticed lately that you have taken a liking to our favorite masked teammate, hm?"
Sasuke gave Kakashi an odd look. What was the perv trying to say here?
"Don't flatter yourself," Sasuke said flatly.
Kakashi laughed lightly, and replied, "I meant Naruto. I'm sure you can see through his mask, too."
Sasuke hesitated, but answered truthfully. He knew Kakashi either already knew the answer or would find out eventually…
"Yes… to both of your observations"
"Ah, so I was right. But, I must give you a little piece of advice. If you really do love Naruto, tell him. He is a… fragile being. He has been hurt so many times… yet, Sasuke, he also needs someone to love him. You better act soon, before something happens…"
Sasuke looked away, and by the time he went to respond, Kakashi was gone. In the distance, he heard a soft, "By the way, Sakura's done. Go fetch our little fox…"
"…Hn."
Sasuke began his search for Naruto, and found him rather quickly, in and odd little clearing. Smirking, Sasuke made his presence known.
"There you are, Dobe."
Naruto visibly jumped, confusing Sasuke. He saw Naruto hide something in his hand, but he kept quiet. Naruto finally looked up at him from his perch on a rock, and something… something Sasuke did not recognize began to shine in his eyes. Mentally shaking his head, Sasuke said, "Sakura is done. Kakashi is ready to go. Hurry up, Idiot"
Sasuke noticed Naruto slide whatever was in his hand into his pocket, and then he shot up, shouting, "Sasuke-teme! I am NOT dobe! Or an idiot!"
"Hn. Whatever."
Sasuke's heart burned with guilt, but he was not ready yet to let the blonde know of his feelings. He new something was really wrong from the way Naruto did not even try to keep his mask up on their walk back to the camp, but he did not know how to approach the subject, so he ignored it.
Sasuke was so caught up in his musings that he did not realize he had made it to Naruto's front door. Startled, he slowly knocked on the door before him. The neighborhood was horrible, and Sasuke did not like the fact that Naruto lived here. He took a deep breathe. Maybe… maybe he should ask Naruto to the dance. He was already here, and he had the nerve. Plus, if they got together, he could rescue Naruto from this dump-Ok! Why was Naruto not answering his door? He had been knocking for the past five minutes, for goodness sakes! Maybe Naruto knew who was at the door, and was refusing to open it.
Curiously, Sasuke tried the door knob, and found it open. He crept in side the apartment, clothes and ramen containers spread across the floor. Sasuke cringed, making his way deeper in the small apartment. He could not see Naruto anywhere, but he would not leave his door unlocked unless he was home. Opening the first door he came to, Sasuke gasped in horror.
He had found the bathroom. Which would be normal, if there was not a bleeding Naruto spread across the floor. There was so much blood! Sasuke felt dizzy, but he could not pass out. If he did, who would save Naruto? With new determination, Sasuke bent down to check Naruto's pulse. Sasuke felt like his heart would stop… there was no pulse.
Sasuke's eyes went wide. He felt a faint pulse! Quickly, he ran in the living room to find a phone. After calling an ambulance, Sasuke ran back to Naruto. The sight made Sasuke want to hurl, but he pushed the feeling down.
Sasuke took one of Naruto's shirts and tore it into strips. After wiping all the blood he could from Naruto's arm, Sasuke beagan to work. He tied one of the strips around Naruto's bicep to help slow the blood flow. He used the rest of the strips to apply over the open wounds to block the nonstop river as best he could. Not knowing what else to do, Sasuke waited for the ambulance to come.
The ten minutes it took for the paramedics to arrive seemed to take years. When they finally showed up, everything was such a blur. Without knowing how, Sasuke found himself at the hospital, pacing an empty waiting room. His heart and mind were racing, not slowing enough to think of what was happening elsewhere.
If something happened to Naruto, he would never forgive himself. Somehow, he knew it was all his fault.
'Duh, Uchiha. You were one of them, one of the ones that put him down. That's why you know it's your fault. Gah, how I hate myself. I should be the one on the deathbed, not Naruto…'
After awhile, everyone began to arrive. It started with Kakashi, Iruka in tow, then Sakura, and it escalated from there. Lee, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Choji, Neji, Tenten, Gaara, Kankuro, Tamari… Sasuke felt like it was the chuunin exams all over again. Even with everyone there, it was not much of a comfort. They were all bombarding him with questions, it did not help at all.
After hours in the now cramped waiting room, a nurse finally came in. Everyone immediately crowded around the poor women, and she stumbled to get a word in.
"How is Naruto?"
"Will he be ok?"
"How bad is it?"
The women sighed, "Please! Let me talk!"
The room finally quieted, and the women sighed again, "We are still unsure of how stable our patient is. It will be a long night, and the doctor has told me that we won't have any information on his status until, at the earliest, tomorrow morning, so I suggest you all go home and get a good nights rest. That is all."
And with that, she was gone. Kiba scowled, "Well that's just dandy! We want to know how out friend is, and they tell us to 'get a good nights rest'?! Ha. Like I'll be to get any sleep knowing-"
Shikamaru sighed, grabbing Kiba's arm, "What a drag. Kiba, let's go. It may be a pain, but we won't know anything till tomorrow. It's best we let some people-," at this, he discreetly inclined his head towards Sasuke, "-have some breathing room."
Kiba glanced at Sasuke, then nodded his head in understanding, "Ok, Shika. Ino, Chouji, we can give you guys a lift home, if you need it."
Shikamaru sighed at Kiba's 'helpfulness,' "What a pain…"
Ino and Choji answered simultaneously, "Sure."
Slowly, everyone began to leave, just as quickly as they had come. Shino grabbed Kankuro's hand, and they exited without anyone noticing. Neji left next, followed by Tenten. Then it was Hinata with Tamari, and they only ones left were Sasuke, Gaara, Lee, Iruka, and Kakashi. Before he left, Gaara went over to Sasuke, Lee waiting for him by the door.
"Sasuke, when Naruto wakes up, you had better tell him. Don't try to deny it. You know what I'm talking about. And don't you dare hurt him. If it weren't for Naruto, I would still be a blood-thirsty animal. He has given me more than I could have ever hoped for-," At this, Gaara smiled lightly at Lee, "-and he deserves to be happy. And I think you can make him just that: happy. Don't wait once he wakes up, for you might be too late the second time around."
Sasuke stayed silent for awhile, then said almost inaudibly, but Gaara heard him, "But how can you be so sure he will wake up?"
"Because, Naruto is tough. He can make it through this. This is just a minor set back in his life. Help him through it."
And, like the others, he and Lee were gone. Kakashi left around 3:00 a.m. with a sleeping Iruka in his arms.
Sasuke sighed. He was alone again. There was too much time to think, to dwell on how Naruto was doing, what would happen…
Sasuke fell asleep in one of the stiff waiting room chairs. He woke up when someone entered the room, but his conscience did not want to wake up. His jumbled mind kept him from realizing where he was, even though his neck was in a very uncomfortable position…
"Aww, the poor dear is asleep. I'll come back with the news in an hour or so…"
And with that, everything flooded back to Sasuke. He sat up quickly, yet regretted it when his neck cracked. The nurse regarded him with a surprised expression. She had thought he was asleep.
"How is he?" Sasuke said while he rubbed his neck.
"Well, sweetie, the doctor has finally gotten him stable, and he looks good. Although he did lose a lot of blood, we have been slowly fixing that. He still needs a few pints, but everything seems to be fine. I'm sure he'll be ready to get out of here by the end of the week."
The nurse gave him a reassuring smile and Sasuke could not help but crack a small smile at the news.
"Is he up yet? And can I see him?"
"He is extremely weak, but he should wake up sometime today. As for visiting, yes, you can stay in his room now. The room number is 314."
---
'Room 312… 313… here it is. Room 314…'
Sasuke took a deep breathe. Here it was. Naruto's room. Sasuke walked through the open door, looking at the sleeping teen before him. He sighed. Naruto looked better than he thought he would. His arm was completely bandaged, but that was to be expected. Naruto's skin also looked a little on the pale side, but at least he was alive.
Sasuke pulled one of the chairs that was in the room to the side of the bed. Once he sat down, he took Naruto's unharmed hand in his, settling into the silence. He almost jumped out of the chair he had just occupied when the hand in his squeezed his. He could not help but hold his breathe as Naruto's eyelids slid open.
"Mmnn… Wha…? Sasuke…?" Naruto's voice was weak and had a hint of disbelief to it. "Am I in heaven…?"
Sasuke let a small smile grace his face. He doubted Naruto could even see it.
"No. I hardly think the hospital is the same as heaven."
Naruto blinked, confused. He glanced away from Sasuke, trying to remember what happened. Why was he in the hospital? What happened…?
Looking back at Sasuke, he voiced his confusion, "What… Why am I here?"
Sasuke's face contorted to… Naruto was not sure what emotion lay there. Disgust? Whatever it was, Sasuke obviously did not like it, "Kakashi sent me on a… an errand, I guess, and it involved you. When I came to your apartment, you didn't answer, and the door was unlocked. I went in and-"
A look of remembrance shone on Naruto's face. No wonder Sasuke was disgusted.
"-And you found me in the bathroom, gouging my veins out," Naruto said vehemently.
Sasuke was surprised at Naruto's tone. Was he not happy Sasuke found him? No, nobody could really want to kill themselves… right?
"Well, yes. Why?"
Naruto's eyes flashed as he looked Sasuke right in the eye, saying sharply, "Why what? Why did I do it? Why wouldn't I? I get screwed by the town and its people. I'm hated by everyone. Unrequited love. You choose the reason, 'cause there are just so many!" Naruto sighed, exhausted. Why was he so weak? Oh yeah, blood lose did that to you. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I'm just… mad, I guess."
"At everyone?"
"No. Myself. It was just so… exhilarating! It was better-heck, anything would have been better-than the pain I felt at that moment. But then, before I totally blacked out, I panicked. I didn't really want to die, not yet anyways. I had… something to do first. Then I could die happy… but hopefully that is way in the future."
"…What did you want to do first?" Sasuke asked.
It was then that Naruto noticed his small hand was resting in Sasuke's hand. He blushed and adverted his eyes. Sasuke, wondering what caused the cute blush to appear on Naruto's cheeks, looked to where Naruto had just looked. Upon seeing their intertwined hand he decided now was the time. He could do it.
"Naruto, you know that errand Kakashi sent me on?" Naruto reluctantly nodded his head. "Well, Kakashi wanted me to give you your invite to the Chuunin Ball that's coming up. Also, I wanted… to ask you…"
Naruto looked up, wondering what the Uchiha was having trouble saying.
"I wanted to ask you… will you go with me?"
Naruto froze. Wha…? Did he just…?
"Sasuke, you know that thing I regretted before I, ya know, died?" Sasuke nodded, slightly saddened because Naruto had changed the subject. "Well, I kinda wanted… to confess."
"Confess… what?"
Naruto's face suddenly flushed a brilliant red, and he mumbled a string of unintelligible words.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you," Sasuke said.
Naruto's cheeks flushed deeper as he replied, "I said, I wanted to tell you… I love you."
It was now time for Sasuke to freeze. Naruto loved him? A smile spread across the raven haired teen's face. Naruto smiled shyly back, happier than he had ever been.
"I'll take that as a yes to the dance, then?" Naruto smiled wider, confirming Sasuke's suspicion. Sasuke leaned forward and kissed Naruto's nose, bringing the dying blush back with a vengeance. And then Naruto's yawn broke the moment.
Sasuke sighed, then said to Naruto, "Go back to sleep. You need to get your energy back. I'll be here when you wake up again."
Naruto gave Sasuke a sleepy smile, and snuggled down. Sasuke moved a piece of blonde hair from Naruto's face and said softly, "Good night, Naruto. I love you."
Naruto mumbled a tired, "Love ya, too," in response.
After a few moments, the sound of even breathing filled the room.
---
Outside the room stood perverted sensei and his beloved teacher, locked in a loving embrace. The looked on as their students found the true meaning to life… love.
Well, that sucked. I'll stop writing now -.-'
I guess this served its purpose… I feel better now. But uhg! What a horrible ending! sigh Oh! And just so you know, I have only seen up to the episode where Gaara and Sasuke are fighting, while Shino and Kankuro are at the same time. So, no, I don't know what happens after that. That's why the small Kankuro/Shino snuck in there…
Please leave some kind of comment: good, bad, or just plain ugly. Flames warm my heart, therefore throw 'em my way if you feel you must. I love any type of criticism, so don't hold back.
Plus, if you review, I'll give you a plushie of Sasuke kissing Naruto's nose XD