Summary: Sasuke has always been better at everything than Naruto, and he's always gotten everything he ever wanted – including all the girls! And Naruto's always been envious of him, and his jealousy has caused him to hate him and consider him as his number one rival. But when Naruto's mother decides to remarry and her new husband is none other than Fugaku Uchiha and he finds himself living under the same roof as his long time rival. Oh, the irony. AU. Sasuke & Naruto pairing.

Author's Note: After picking up two new animes (Special A and Itazura na Kiss), I have managed to come up with this plot idea. It's somewhat a combination of the two, with my own little twists thrown in here and there. Of course, it's Shonen-Ai with the pairing of Sasuke and Naruto. It may contain other pairings, as well, but the one it mostly focuses on is the one I just mentioned. If you don't approve of Shonen-Ai, I suggest you click out of this story, right now.

Warnings: Shonen-Ai, language, some bits and pieces of violence here and there, and maybe some adult situations. If this bothers you at all, just know, that you have been forewarned.

Disclaimer: I, of course, do not own Naruto. If I did, there wouldn't be so many fillers, Naruto would have confessed long ago to Sasuke, Sakura would be with Deidara, and so on. I only own this story, and even then, much of the plot is derived of two other animes – refer back to the author's note for more information.

Reposted; sorry. Somehow it got deleted.

The Cruelty of Fate
Chapter One

– Naruto's Point of View –

I wonder if he's noticed I've been watching him for the last five or so minutes. Not that I enjoy looking at his perfect little face, or anything. I was lost in my own thoughts, all centered around the raven haired teen. How did he do it? How did he maintain a 4.0 grade point average when he never studied and he rarely payed attention in any of his classes? How did he manage to be so perfect at everything he did? How did he manage to get everything handed to him, without even working for anything? How did he manage to have his own fan club – hell, more than one – when he was such an obvious jerk? He payed little, if any, attention to any girls, and he usually tried to keep his distance. He never spoke to them, and never went out on dates. So, how was it, that he had the entire female population at school chasing after him?

Sure, he came from a rich and well-known family. But the little bastard did nothing to deserve any of it! All this attention he got– it was sickening. And it pissed me off more than anything. All throughout our lives it had been this way. He had always been better than me– than anyone– at everything. He was at the top of our class. Hell, he was at the top of our entire school.

I had known him since Kindergarten. We had attended the same school, and somehow, unfortunately, managed to get every single class together. It was like some sick twist of fate. As if someone upstairs had something against me. Maybe they did, for putting me with this... this... bastard. I had to endure him and everything about him for eleven years. Eleven long years.

Back in Kindergarten, I had thought nothing of it. Being the stupid kid I was, I had even tried to befriend him. Tried, being the keyword. But my attempt at being his friend had failed. Even back then, everyone wanted to be his friend. Everyone thought of him as being cool. And even the girls, who at that age shouldn't have been interested in boys, had swooned over him. He, of course, had ignored them. Ignored everyone and turned down anyone who had tried to be his friend.

The start of a new school year, and I was in first grade, I had once again foolishly tried to be his friend. I had noticed him sitting alone at lunch. Figuring no one really wanted to be alone, I had tried sitting with him, only to have him get up and walk away, without saying a word to me. Without even looking at me.

That was strike two.

Grade two and we had had a new transfer student. Haruno Sakura. And that's when I found myself interested in the opposite sex. It had been love at first sight. I had fallen for Sakura the moment my eyes met hers. The only problem was she was interested in Sasuke. It hadn't been but a month before she had finally managed to get up the courage and confess to him. I admired her courage more than anything. Even after hearing what a jerk Sasuke was, and how he had no interest in anyone, she still marched right up to him and handed him a letter – a letter she had poured her heart and soul into, confessing her feelings for him.

He didn't even open the letter and he rejected her. In front of everyone. And that was strike three.

And ever since then, I have hated and loathed Uchiha Sasuke. He had humiliated Sakura in front of the entire school – give or take. After that incident, I had found Sakura alone, crying. And I had comforted her. I almost confessed to her right then and there, but unlike her, I was afraid. So, I had kept my mouth shut. We had became friends – and I didn't want to ruin that.

Even now, I knew Sakura still had feelings for Sasuke. How she still had feelings for him after what he had done, was beyond me. I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. And myself? Yeah. I was still pretty much in love with Sakura, and that love had only grown over the years of being around her, and being her friend. But I knew that she didn't feel the same way about me. She had her eyes on one boy only, and that boy was Sasuke.

"Good morning, Naruto."

My thoughts were interrupted. I tore my eyes away from Sasuke, and turned them onto the girl who had taken a seat next to me. Shoulder length cherry blossom-colored hair, beryl eyes and a slim figure. Her lips were curved into a smile. Her genuine smile.

"Aah. Sakura-chan. Good morning." I greeted, returning her smile with one of my own.

"Why were you staring at Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, raising one of her slender pink eyebrows in curiosity. Shit. She had noticed. I had hoped no one would.

"I was just thinking." I replied, sheepishly scratching the back of my head. "Did you do last night's homework? I was hoping I could copy..."

Sakura rolled her eyes at me. "Naruto! You have to start doing these things by yourself or you'll never learn anything! And you complain because you don't get good grades."

My change of subject seemed to work perfectly.

"I know, I know! I just...forgot?" I laughed at the expression she gave me.

"That's too bad for you then. I'm not letting you copy, again." Sakura muttered, turning around in her seat and facing the front of her room. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. That was, apparently, the end. And I knew there was no changing her mind.

I let off a heavy sigh. "You could be a little nicer to me, you know!"

"Nicer is letting you copy my homework? I don't think so." Sakura replied, sparing a glance at me. "Nicer is making you atone for your mistake, and not letting you copy. If you don't do the work yourself, you'll never learn anything! Trust me, you'll thank me for this one day."

"I'd thank you today if you let me copy..."

"Not happening. Drop it."

"Fine, fine."

As the rest of the students – those who waited until the last minute to come – filed inside, the bell rang. I stole one last glance towards Uchiha Sasuke, who sat near the back of the class – Sakura and I were in the middle – and made a silent promise to myself.

One of these days, Sasuke-teme. I'll make you pay for what you did to Sakura-chan. I'll humiliate you in front of the entire school, just like you humiliated her. Just you wait.

He must've sensed my gaze, because he looked towards me. Our eyes met, and I slowly turned away, looking up at the front of the room as our teacher, Iruka, began taking attendance.

– Normal Point of View –

Naruto arrived home not too long after school had let out. Upon entering the apartment he lived in with his mother, he was instantly greeted with the smell of his favorite food – Ramen. And it smelled delicious. He slipped his shoes off, and sprinted into the kitchen, where his mother was just putting dinner on the table.

Seeing her son enter the kitchen, her lips tugged into a smile. She was a beautiful woman. Slender, with a tanned complection. Her long red hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, ending just above her waist. Naruto looked little like her, looking more like his father– who had passed away a few years back. When his father had died, they had both taken it extremely hard. Naruto's mother, Kushina, had taken it harder – even though she tried to hide it. As time passed, she seemed to get a little better, but Naruto knew that she had still been in pain. Until about a year ago. She had started seeing someone else. Naruto knew little about him, not liking to talk about the other man in his mothers life, but was glad that someone else was there for her.

Before Naruto could say anything, Kushina spoke. "I bet you're hungry, aren't you? I'm sorry that we've been having Ramen so much, but it's cheap and–"

"The food smells delicious." Naruto said, before she could finish her sentence. "Can we eat now?"

"Of course. There's also rice balls." Kushina motioned for the table where the ramen and rice balls were sitting and took a seat. Naruto joined her, sitting across from her. He clapped his hands together.

"Itakadimasu! Thanks for the food!"

And he immediately dug in.

Silence overtook the room, except for the slurping sound that Naruto was emitting as he gobbled down his noodles, barely stopping to catch two breaths. Occasionally he would look up at Kushina, and he could tell that something was on her mind, as she poked at her food.

"Mom," Naruto lowered his chopsticks away from his mouth and sat the almost-empty bowel of ramen down. His eyes locked with his mothers, and he scowled. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, well, that is..." She looked down at her ramen. It had barely been touched. Now, Naruto was starting to worry. Sensing her sons worry, she looked up and smiled at him, sheepishly. "It's nothing bad, so don't worry about that..."

"What is it then?"

She pressed her lips together and hesitated.

"Mom...?"

"I know you don't like to talk about him, but, Fugaku–"

"Fugaku?" Naruto repeated as he pondered on the name. It finally dawned on him. "Oh... the guy you're seeing, right?"

"Mm." Kushina nodded. "You see... he's asked for us to move in with him."

"Are you serious, mom? You two haven't even been dating that long– of course you said no, right?" Naruto asked. But he already knew the answer.

"I accepted his offer." Kushina replied, meeting her sons eyes again. She knew that he was upset at this news. She knew all too well that he didn't like the thought of her being involved with someone else.

"You've got to be kidding..."

"I'm being completely serious." Kushina sighed, pushing a strand of her red hair behind her ear. "We'll be moving in this weekend. At least now you'll get more of a chance to know him. And he has two sons of his own. One's your age."

Naruto didn't know what to say, so instead, his eyes gazed down on the last of his dinner. "You haven't even known him that long–"

"It's been a year..." Kushina said.

"Shouldn't you wait to see if this relationship is for real? Wait until you two marry. Or at least, he proposes..." Naruto muttered and he looked up. Kushina's face told him everything. "W–What!? Don't tell me–"

"I was going to tell you before, but..." Kushina paused. Naruto's mind raced, and she decided to answer one of the questions she knew was on his mind. "Two weeks ago, he proposed."

Naruto's stomach churned and he suddenly felt sick. This couldn't be happening.

Naruto stood up and without saying anything, he left the kitchen. This would take some time to comprehend, Kushina knew that.

Naruto was laying on his bed, his arms stretched behind his head and his bright blue eyes staring up at the ceiling and his legs hanging off of the side of the bed. How could his mother do this to him? They had only been dating one year? He hadn't even liked the idea of his mother dating anyone else, let alone marrying someone.

There was a soft tapping at his door, and he knew his mother was standing outside, asking permission to enter. He sat up and stared at the wall opposite of him.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah.."

The door creaked open and Kushina stepped into his room. She walked up to him and sat next to him on his bed, without saying anything else. A moment of silence passed between them.

"Why...?" Naruto finally broke the silence, but he still was avoiding Kushina's eyes.

"I love him." Kushina whispered. "Naruto, listen to me. I know that you don't like the thought of me being involved with another man, and I think I know why. No matter what, no one will ever take the place of your father, and Fugaku isn't trying to do that."

Naruto didn't say anything.

Kushina sighed and continued, "I was fired last week from my job." Finally, Naruto turned to his mother. "And I haven't been able to find another one. Fugaku and I had planned on a long engagement, and wanted to take the relationship slowly, to give you, and his children, time to adjust to the thought, but when I was fired, and I told Fugaku about it, he offered to let us stay with him. We still plan on a long engagement, and this way, you and his sons will have time to grow more accustom to us being together."

It all made sense now. Kushina had had a hard enough time supporting them with just one paycheck a week. And now that she had lost her job, surely they wouldn't be able to afford to pay rent for this apartment, or buy food.

"I hope you'll forgive me for this sudden arrangement."

"Of course." Naruto gave a side-ways smile. "It's not your fault, after all."

"I'm glad."

"How'd you get fired, anyway?"

"Well.."

Kushina slammed her hands, aggressively, against the keyboard. "WORK, YOU STUPID PIECE OF SHIT!" She growled, clearly frustrated, as the screen of the computer turned blue, and white numbers and letters started appearing across the screen. She understood nothing of it. "OH COME ON!"

She kicked the computer's tower, which had been sitting on the ground, under the desk. Her kick had come with a little too much force, and pain coursed through her foot.

"OW! SHIT!" She cursed and began hopping around on one foot, while creasing her sore one. Someone cleared their throat, and she opened her eyes, staring into the eyes of her boss.

Her eye twitched, and she sweat dropped. "Uh. Hi..."

Naruto sweat dropped. "Then again, maybe it was your fault..."

Kushina's cheeks flushed and she scratched the back of her neck. "It's not my fault the computer wouldn't work right..."

"But it is your fault that you started yelling at it and kicked it."

"I wouldn't have done that if it hadn't given me problems to begin with." Kushina muttered and then the two broke into laughs and fits of giggles.

When their laughing fits finally died down, they sat there for a few minutes, in silence. And then Naruto remembered something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper which had been folded several times. Kushina watched him, curiously, wondering what he was doing.

Unfolding the paper, he looked down at it once, smiled and handed it to Kushina. "I almost forgot, I need you to sign this..."

Kushina took the paper and looked down at it. Her eye began twitching. "You didn't do your homework and you got an F? Na...ru...to." She growled and slammed her fist against his head. He yelped and grabbed his head in pain.

Man, his mother had serious anger issues...

The rest of the week had passed by rather slowly and finally, the weekend arrived – and the day that Kushina and Naruto were moving in with Fugaku and his two sons. They had packed up all of their things – which really hadn't been that much – and had departed their apartment and left for their new home in Kushina's small two-seated car.

Naruto stared out of the window, and at the passing houses, wondering which one Fugaku's was. "So, what did you say his sons names were?"

"Hm? Oh, dear... I can't even remember..." Kushina mused. Naruto shook his head, rolling his eyes.

Another few minutes passed and the car pulled into a long narrow driveway. Naruto peered forward, up the driveway, and gawked at the house that sat at the end of the driveway. Not a house. A mansion.

"A– Are you sure we're at the right place?"

"Of course. I've been here before."

The car stopped and Kushina turned off the ignition. The two sat in the car for awhile, with Naruto continuing to stare at the mansion. It was the biggest mansion he had ever seen. Hell, it was the only mansion he had ever seen. His town wasn't famous for mansions, or those who were rich. Although, they had a few families who had a lot of money, and could afford to live in a mansion like this one.

The Sabaku family, the Hyuuga family and of course, the Uchiha family.

Those were the only three families that came to mind, that would have enough money to live in a place like this. Though, he knew that the Sabaku family lived on the other side of town, and even though they could afford it, the Hyuuga family didn't live in a mansion. As for the Uchiha family – he had no idea of what their house looked like, nor did he even want to know–

And then, as if a sudden bullet has penetrated his skull, it hit him. Sasuke's family was rich and well-known, and he knew that Sasuke lived with his brother and his father. The guy Kushina was seeing – Fugaku – had two sons and could afford to live in a place like this? Surely, fate wouldn't be this cruel...

"Itachi and Sasuke." Kushina suddenly said.

"What?"

"That's his sons names. Itachi and Sasuke."

Naruto's heart pounded against his rib cage and his breath was suddenly caught in his throat. This could not be happening. Maybe it was just some weird coincidence. That had to be it. It was just a coincidence...

"Well, come on. Leave your stuff out here, Fugaku will have someone bring it in." Naruto, who was too lost in his own thoughts to give thought to what his mother said, climbed out of the car and followed his mother towards the mansion. The two walked, side by side, up the steps. When they got to the door, Kushina didn't even have time to ring the door bell, before the door was opened.

A tall man-in-uniform stood there, his expression dull. He was obviously, a butler. He gave a polite bow to Kushina and Naruto, greeting them. "Good afternoon, Kushina-san. This is your son, I presume?"

"Yes, Shinji. This is my son, Naruto."

"He is as lovely as you are." Shinji said.

Kushina flushed, laughing.

"Kushina." A man appeared behind the butler Shinji. He was a tall and handsome man, raven black hair and onyx eyes. Just. Like. Sasuke.

Naruto clenched his teeth as Fugaku embraced Kushina in a warm hug, which she returned. He pulled away from her, turning to Naruto.

"Fugaku, I'd like you to meet my son, Naruto. Naruto, this...is Fugaku." Naruto's thoughts were elsewhere, and he hadn't heard anything that was being said. His eyes were staring past both Fugaku and Shinji, and were on someone else. Naruto's hands balled into fists at his sides. Kushina frowned, and nudged Naruto, painfully, in the side. "Naruto! Don't be so rude! Say hi!"

"Hi..." Naruto repeated, dully.

Kushina frowned at his tone and was about to say something, when Fugaku noticed that Naruto was staring at something. Turning around, he seen that Naruto had not been staring at something, but someone. His youngest son.

"Oh, there you are. Come down and introduce yourself." Fugaku instructed.

As Sasuke descended the stairs, he walked up to them, joining his father. He gave a polite smile towards Kushina. It was fake. Naruto could tell. And Naruto had known Sasuke long enough to know he never smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Sasuke." Sasuke introduced himself. He glanced towards Naruto, and their eyes met.

"Likewise, I'm Kushina and this is my son–"

"I know who he is." Sasuke said. His lips tugged into a smirk. He seemed to be amused by these circumstances. He knew how much Naruto despised him. And he also knew how much fun this was going to be, living under the same roof.

Naruto muttered something incoherent under his breath, his eyes never leaving Sasuke's.

Apparently, Fate was that cruel.

I want to apologize. The end was half-assed, and I slacked off a lot, but I just wanted to hurry and get the first chapter posted. I hope it wasn't too bad, though. Feel free to point out any mistakes that were made, and I'll fix them as soon as possible! Thanks. :D

And as a side note, sorry for the OOCness. I'm not all that familiar with Kushina or Fugaku. And I know Naruto was OOC, too.. I hope you forgive me.

I don't know if I like this story yet or not. . . But, it's up to you. Should I continue, yes or no?

Also, if you will, please give me constructive criticism. I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing.