Disclaimer: Naruto and Co. belong to their respective parties, not limited to Kishimoto Masashi, and Shueisha Inc.

Warnings: Slash. AU (which means most of the characters are going to be meeting each other for the first time ever.). Also, I'm taking the characters and making them into my own little monsters. Thus, if they're slightly OOC, forgive me... ;;

Rating for the Chapter: PG-13

Dedication: To all the Naruto fans—'cause you gotta to be a Naruto fan before you can become a SasuNaru fan (and then some). Also, much thanks to purrfectly976for pointing out something that I missed! Go read her fic, people!

Sleepless Beauty

By tomomi

Part I: Sudden Disruption

The town of Konoha was a conservative town, so used to their ways that it seemed to be ingrained in them. The people were conventional, sticking to their traditional ways as an object would stick to glue. The buildings were simple and dull, patterned so that not one outshined the other, not one stood out from its neighbors. Nothing in that town should stand out because that was the way things were.

And that was the way things always had been.

And Sasuke hated it; he had learned to do so from a very young age.

And he continued to hate it as he grew up and it continued to be the way it was.

And it would have stayed that way if not for one thing: Hitsuzen.

-----

For such an unusual and seemingly strange house, Sasuke almost did not notice it. He didn't think he would have noticed it if not for the angry voices coming from within the odd house, or rather shop, as the sign on the fence indicated.

A shop called Hitsuzen. We'll grant your every wish—impossible as it may seem, was the gold inscription under the name.

Sasuke smirked. Any wish, huh? He traced the inscription with his finger.

Well, what if my wish was to change this town—make it more exciting?

Suddenly, he had an overwhelming urge to walk in the store. His legs started to move on their own, one step after the other. Before he realized it, he was in front of the entrance. He blinked. The hell?

The arguing inside grew louder. There was a yell of "Kakashiyou idiot!" and the double-doors of the entrance swung open. A boy dashed out and slammed right into him, the impact of the clash knocking him onto the ground.

Sasuke winced and groaned inwardly. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at wide, blue eyes. Sasuke felt like he was staring into an ocean. The cerulean eyes were planted on a peachy face, accompanied by a delicate nose and full lips. The boy's face was framed by strands of golden hair that stuck up in odd places. He also had strange markings on his cheeks that strongly reminded Sasuke of whiskers.

The boy blinked at him. "Oh..."

Sasuke stared at the boy. The boy looked to be slightly younger than him and most definitely shorter, but despite that fact, it didn't make him any less heavy.

He shifted slightly and glared. "Get off. You're heavy..."

The fair hair boy flushed and scrambled off him. "Sorry. But no harm done, right?" he grinned ruefully and held out his hand.

After a moment's hesitation, Sasuke took the offered hand. Once he was standing, he brushed himself off. Up close Sasuke noticed that the shop was rather eloquent in its designs, fine to the very last mark. Hitsuzen had a Chinese architectural style to it. It stood out very much next to the other plain, old buildings.

Sasuke turned his eyes on the blond boy, who was indeed about a head shorter than him, not to mention younger. The boy was dressed in a Chinese outfit with spiral markings on it. Currently, the boy was looking at him with interest, blue eyes wide with curiosity.

Noticing Sasuke's eyes on him, he grinned cheekily. "That was a rather rough start, huh?" He held out his hand once again, this time to shake. "Let's start again. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, age 14."

Sasuke reluctantly took the offered hand; it felt very warm and soft inside his own. "Uchiha Sasuke, 16."

"Uchiha, huh?" Naruto tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "Hey, Uchiha Sasuke-kun is from an old family line—a clan, right? Your family symbol is a round fan, right?"

Sasuke blinked, taken aback. How did this kid know all this? "How did you...?"

"Just a feeling." The shorter boy shrugged. "Hey, Uchiha-kun, you didn't answer my questions. Was I right?"

Sasuke nodded hesitantly. "Yeah..."

Naruto suddenly burst out laughing. "I knew it! The Uchiha's family symbol is an uchiwa!"

Sasuke stared at the blond boy. Never, in all his life, had he been so taken aback. Never in all his life had he touched someone as much as he had touched this strange boy. He had also never spoken that much in such a short period of time; a two-to-three word sentence from him should satisfy anyone for a full day. Yet, here he was...

Never had he been so affected by someone.

"So Uchiwa-kun," the boy teased, "came to make a wish, did you?"

Sasuke's cheeks tinted pink. "N-no." Why was he stuttering? Why was he blushing? "I just read the sign and somehow... ended up here." he finished with a frown.

"Did you touch the sign?"

Sasuke gave a slight nod.

"No wonder. But it doesn't matter. It's hitsuzen. That means you gotta come in now, Uchiwa-kun." Naruto grabbed his hand and dragged him inside. Sasuke was too shocked to put up much resistance. In the back of his head, he noted that Naruto's hand was as warm as ever.

Naruto dragged him down the hall—somehow the entrance doors closed by themselves—and around corners. This place was like a maze. From outside, the shop had seemed small, but on the inside, it gave the appearance of being extremely large. Finally, they stopped in front of two shoji doors.

Naruto touched the shoji doors, but didn't open them, and Sasuke heard him heave a deep sigh of something akin to resignation. Abruptly, Naruto whirled around and gave him a slightly strained smile.

"Here you are. Just touch the doors and it'll slide open for you. Oh, and if you're expecting something mystical and whatnot, don't hold your breath." Naruto warned. Then he relented, "But don't judge him by his looks or his actions. He's more than he seems." Naruto moved behind him and pushed him forward. "But then again, we all are here at Hitsuzen."

Sasuke turned to question him about his last statement, but found he was alone in the hallway. Where had Naruto disappeared off to? And more importantly, Who was 'he'?

Sasuke contemplated his situation. He had no idea where he was. This place was too much of a maze. He was certain he would wind up lost if he even tried to find the way out on his own. The only option was to go speak to whoever 'he' was. Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke placed his hands on the surface of the shoji doors. Just as Naruto said, the doors slid open by themselves, revealing just about the strangest room he had ever seen.

Cloths made of silk hung from the ceiling, arching around the room. The fabric resembled organdies, set in various soft colors. All four walls had delicately painted leaf patterns linked with thin vines. Pots of orchids and plush pillows were positioned here and there. In the middle of the large room was a great water fountain. Next to it stood a couch and like the pillows, it was plush; the man who lay on the couch looked comfortable enough.

Unsure of what to do, Sasuke just stood there staring at the man. He was a rather young man, in his mid-twenties or so, with gray hair that flopped to one side and a scar that crossed his left eye. He lay there reading, looking as if nothing else in the world mattered to him. Everything in his posture gave him the appearance of being very lazy.

Before Sasuke could call his attention, the man spoke: "So Uchiha Sasuke..." He didn't even look away from his book. "I've been wondering when I would meet you." The man spoke in a bored tone.

Sasuke glared at the man suspiciously. How did he know his name?

"Meet me?" he questioned sharply. "How do you know who I am? Who are you?" he demanded.

Kakashi looked up from his reading and smiled. "I am Hatake Kakashi. I know who you are because I knew we were to meet. It's all due to hitsuzen, of course."

Sasuke gazed at him through dark, narrowed eyes. "Hitsuzen? When you say that you mean fate or destiny... right?"

"Something like that. To put it simply, hitsuzen is just something that you can't escape." Kakashi placed his book down. "Now, now, young Uchiha. You are here because there is something you desire. Tell me."

Sasuke glared at the gray hair man. "No. I have no wishes." he stated firmly, lowly. "I don't want anything from you."

"From me?" Kakashi questioned lightly. "No, I'm afraid you've misunderstood me, Uchiha Sasuke. Not from me. Nothing from me..."

Kakashi stood and walked over to him. As he walked, time seemed to slow. Suddenly, the atmosphere seemed much thicker and Sasuke could not make himself look away from Kakashi, who kept his eyes firmly on Sasuke's own.

"What you wish for and what I have to give you are two entirely different things," he stated as he walked. "Are you sure you don't have a wish?" He was only a foot or two away from Sasuke now.

Sasuke felt the hair on the nape of his neck stand on end. He shook his head slightly. He was sure.

Wasn't he?

Kakashi was now only half a foot away from him, deep into his personal space. Sasuke felt his defenses rise.

"Are you sure?" he asked again, lifting Sasuke's chin with his forefinger. "Think deeply about this, Sasuke."

As if he was being controlled, Sasuke responded: "I wish to change this town... I want it to be different, more interesting."

"This town? Or do you mean your life?" Kakashi questioned further.

"My life." Sasuke answered, almost automatically.

Kakashi smiled and turned his eyes to the entrance. Time seemed to return to its normal pace and everything felt lighter. Sasuke blinked and found he could finally look away from Kakashi's gaze. What the hell just happened?

"Would you take him to his room?" Kakashi asked. "It's the one near—"

"YesI know..." interrupted a voice from the door. Sasuke whirled around. A boy about his age and height was standing there. Everything about the boy was eerie, from his dark, flaming red hair and expressionless face to his black, skull-chained boots (which had dark specks of red on it—blood?).

He dragged his eyes away from the boy to look at Kakashi; he had just remembered something Kakashi had said earlier.

"Wait. When you said 'his room', who were you referring to?" he asked, sharply.

Kakashi raised a brow. "Why you, of course," he said simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You need to know where your new room is at."

"What?!" Sasuke's eyes widened slightly in shock. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

Kakashi sighed. "In order to fulfill your wish, you must stay here. How long you stay will depend on how long it takes for you to realize."

"Realize what?"

"That's exactly what I'm taking about." Kakashi turned to the boy. "Gaara, please take Sasuke to his room."

"Hold on!" Sasuke protested, angrily. "My parents—"

"Your parents are out of town for the time being. Therefore it will not be a problem," Kakashi stated firmly. "Gaara, if you will."

Sasuke clenched his teeth. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Getting off telling him what to do! "I'm not staying here," he said tightly. "My parents expect me to be at home. I don't want to stay here."

Kakashi stared at him thoughtfully, his eyes strangely intent. "Sasuke, your parents do not notice you at all, do they? Your family had some trouble years ago. You have another wish. One deep in here." Kakashi placed a finger at Sasuke's heart and a cold shiver ran up his spine. How did he know? "I can grant that wish also. But you must stay here, Sasuke, in order for me to help you fulfill it."

Sasuke stood there in shock. He knew exactly what Kakashi was referring to. But how did he know? It was never spoken about in his family. His parents, indeed, did, for the most part, ignore him. After his brother Itachi's disappearance four years ago, his parents withdrew into themselves. They buried themselves in work to help them forget the pain of losing their pride and joy, the Uchiha's eldest son, leaving Sasuke to be forever in his shadow. So how did Kakashi know he wanted to find his brother?

"How did you know?" Sasuke asked quietly. He glared at Kakashi, his normally black eyes blazing red. "How could you possibly help me? How can staying here help me find him?"

"There are many things I know, young Uchiha. Likewise, there are many things I don't. But then again, I know more than most."

Sasuke opened his mouth to reply, but before he could get the words out, a loud voice spoke. "Oi, what's going on? Gaara, what's taking you so long?"

Sasuke looked to the door and saw that Naruto and another boy had joined the waiting Gaara.

Kakashi smiled. "Hey, Naruto, still mad at me?"

Naruto glowered at him. "Shutup! Don't talk to me!" He turned and looked up at Gaara, questioningly. "What took you so long?"

Gaara looked down at Naruto and Sasuke saw those cold, green eyes soften slightly. "Hatake-sama"—"Eww, Gaara, don't boost his ego by calling him 'Hatake-sama'!" Naruto crinkled his nose, whining.—"Hatake-san wanted me to show Uchiha where his room was, but there seems to be a problem between the two." he murmured.

Naruto huffed through his nose. "With Kakashi, there's always a problem..." he muttered, almost inaudibly.

Kakashi grimaced. "I resent that."

Naruto pursed his lips, his eyes flickering to Kakashi before returning to Gaara.

The boy next to Naruto spoke up—though that was ironic because his voice was nearly as quiet as Gaara's. "So that kid is going to be living with us? That's why Kakashi wanted us to prepare an extra room."

"Kakashi never does anything for himself, that lazy bastard," Sasuke heard Naruto mutter. Sasuke's lips twitched. Strangely, Naruto's complaints about Kakashi seemed quite amusing. Normally, Sasuke found nothing amusing. He hated nearly everything and liked very little.

Naruto pouted. "Well, what's taking so long? Hey, Uchiwa-kun, don't you want to stay here with us?"

Deep blue eyes looked earnestly up at Sasuke and he found himself grudgingly give way. "Fine. I'll stay..."

Naruto beamed and cheered. "Yay! We have another friend joining us!" He bounced up to Sasuke and grabbed his arm, dragging him out the doors. "C'mon, Uchiwa-kun, your room is right next to mine."

Sasuke heard Gaara and the older boy walking behind them.

"You'll like it here, Uchiwa-kun. Everyone here is nice." He paused. "Well, relatively."

'Everyone'? Was there more of them? Naruto was already enough for him. Sasuke might tolerate, even like Naruto, but he didn't think he could stand any more. He was a recluse by nature and generally avoided too much company if he could help it. "Are there anymore of you?" Sasuke asked, tiredly.

"Of me?" Naruto asked, laughing, "Yeah, sometimes there are more of me."

Gaara and the older boy snorted. "More than enough," murmured the older boy.

Naruto laughed and turned his head to blow a raspberry at the two boys. "Shut up, Neji, you know you love me. You too, Gaara."

"Yeah, but you're such a handful, 'Tsune."

Naruto just grinned. "Ya, I guess. Anyway," he said turning back to Sasuke, "to answer your question, for the time being, no, we're the only ones living here right now."

Sasuke raised a brow. "'For the time being'?"

"More friends!" Naruto answered, cheerfully. They turned a corner and continued walking.

"Your room is just down this hall. If you ever need to find it, you will sooner or later." Naruto said. "It's the last room on the left side, next to the room labeled ''Tsune's Room'—which is my room." Naruto scrunched up his nose, as if thinking hard. "Is that all? Yeah, I think so..."

"Naruto..." Neji reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember." Naruto released Sasuke's hand. He clenched his fist, his hand already missing Naruto's warmth. Naruto turned to him. "Hey, Uchiwa-kun, I have to go now." Naruto moved to stand next to Neji and Gaara, who were looking at Sasuke indifferently. "But I'll see you later, alright?"

Sasuke nodded once to show that he understood and Naruto flashed him a bright smile.

"Okay! See ya later!"

As Naruto, Neji, and Gaara left, Sasuke wondered what in the world was happening to him. First, he gets pulled into some weird store that "fulfils wishes." Then he meets these weird people, who knew far more than they should. One who, by the looks of it, was the owner and the laziest person alive. One who was very loud and noticeable—and extremely warm. And the other two, well, they were very similar in their attitudes and facial expressions to him. And that fact alone was strange as it was. And now, he was forced to live here? Why in the world did he agree to do so in the first place? He knew it had something to do with Naruto, but all the younger boy did was look at him. He couldn't have affected him that much, could he?

What the hell was happening to his life?

Translations:

–kun: an honorific one would attach to a male friend or associate's name. Uchiwa: "round fan", which is the symbol on the back of Sasuke's jacket.–sama: an honorific one attaches to someone who is respected; in a way, it could mean "lord" or "lady". –san: an honorific one attaches to a stranger or to someone in need of respecting; in a way, it could mean "Mr.", "Ms." or "Mrs."