REEEAAAADDDD- OKAY EVERYONE! I COMPLETELY RE-DID this chapter. I hated the way it was before. So I'm going for a WHOLE NEW STYLE! So if you're an old, very patient reader… x3 I would like to say that I love you, and that you should re-read this. Very so.

A/N-. This came out of absolutely nowhere. Wrote it in a span of 5 hours, and pulled almost everything from my butt. So I have no idea where I'm going to take it. Umm… I've never been to a mental institution myself… so… I'm improvising. This is also going to be yaoi. Male/Male and such. I was leaning towards Gaara/Naru at first, buuuut…. I'm also kind of sort of thinking Sasu/Naru… I could really make both of them work….
….
Did I mention that I have no idea what I'm doing?

Disclaimer- I own no one! No one! And if you think I do, you deserve to be shot on spot.

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Naruto paced his room angrily. His loud, stomping footsteps echoed against the walls of his room, his face set in an expression of irritation.

Damn that Sasuke.

He grit his teeth, and clenched his hands, continuing to pace without missing a beat.

Damn. That. Sasuke.

He halted in mid-step, and clenched his jaw to the point of where it ached. His breathing was irregular and rigid, coming in heavy, fuming hisses. His eyes were narrowed, and his shoulders were shaking.

DAMN. THAT. SASUKE.

From outside of room 17, belonging to the local hotheaded, obnoxious, blonde-haired boy of Konoha's Psychiatric Institution for the Curably Insane's, Naruto Uzumaki, came a resounding crash followed by an unnecessarily loud curse.

"DAMNIT!"

Hardly a minute of silent seething passed before he twisted himself around to face his door, as he heard the subtle click of his door unlocking hastily from the outside.

"NARUTO, WHAT'S ON EARTH IS THE MATTER THIS TIME!?"

His door flung open, and in stormed the tall, slender figure of a rather harassed looking woman. Her face was positioned with a scowl of exasperation, and her blond hair that was usually pulled back into two very loose ponytails was loose around her shoulder and in her face, giving her an unusual disheveled look. She had dark rings under her eyes that mentioned lack of sleep, and her generally spotless nurse's uniform was wrinkled. She stood to her full height, and glared down at the blonde-haired boy standing three feet away from her. Glancing at the wall to her right, she felt her impatience grow as she realized what the crash was. The very clock that Naruto had practically had to beg for not even four days ago lay shattered against the wall.

"Naruto…." She said quietly in a dark, ominous tone.

Naruto followed her gaze hastily to the clock, and let out a growling breathe, turning away whilst moodily crossing his arms.

"It was him, Tsunade! I didn't do it this time!"

The woman, the head nurse of the whole psychiatric center, sighed while running her hand through her hair. She always seemed to get a headache when she had to deal with Naruto. Unfortunately, it happened often. The boy was loud, competitive, easily angered, and more often than not, violent. He didn't get along with the other children of the psychiatric center nearly as well as she always hoped he would. Even after countless counseling sessions solely based on the subject of reaching out and making friends, he seemed very intent on singling himself out from everyone.

It frustrated Tsunade to no end.

"What are you talking about?" She asked exasperatedly. It had been a long day, and her patience was rapidly being replaced with irritation. She certainly wasn't up to dealing with the boy's nonsense tantrum at the moment.

Naruto slightly stuck out his lower lip in a distinct look of aggravation.

"Just like I said, you hag! It wasn't me!"

The harsh glare that met him made him falter after only moments of locking determined eyes with her. His expression faded to one of unease, before glancing away altogether. Both were stubborn, both had a blistering temper, but only one had the ability to make nearly anyone recoil with a single glare.

Tsunade let out a huffy breath, planting her hands on her hips.

That Naruto…

"Why did you break your clock?" She asked him firmly, her gaze unwavering.

"I told you! It wasn't me!" He protested, trying to muster up the courage to look back up.

"If you're going to blame anyone, blame that idiot Sasuke!"

Tsunade raised one of her eyebrows, despite herself.

"Sasuke…? You mean that boy who doesn't talk…?"

"What other Sasuke would I be talking about!?" He asked rather loudly, looking back up with the same determined look that was usually positioned on his face, mixed with the annoyance from moments before.

"But how in the world-…?" She paused, and was suddenly struck with revelation.

"You're upset because he wouldn't speak with you?"

His silence only confirmed it, and she didn't know exactly what to say. Naruto was generally ignored in the psychiatric center. He was loud, upset the other patients, and was quite the prankster. Not exactly the type that people tended to flock to. Even though he did the things that he did for attention, all it looked to do was drive people further away. He had been told that before many times, even from Tsunade herself, but it only seemed to make him try even harder to be an insufferable loudmouth.

But even the pranks and deafening expressions that he made got their share of attention, even if for a little while. People usually stopped what they were doing to spare a glance at him, laugh, or reply. For someone to ignore him completely was something completely new to the boy in front of her, which is exactly what Sasuke did.

Sasuke had come to the center only a few weeks before. He was a silent boy, who didn't react to much of anything at all. Nobody could ever seem to get a single word out of him. But he was quiet, not timid.

For some reason, he already had a bit of an enthusiast following. It was particularly made up of females, including some of the staff, but there were some male admirers too. It didn't surprise her too much though; he was quite the looker for a boy of 15. And even if he didn't talk, actions tended to speak louder than words. Something that Naruto couldn't even begin to grasp.

That was particularly the reason that Naruto hated Sasuke from day 1. For him to be able to be so popular, even though he didn't say a word, or even express a single interest in having friends. To have that natural appeal to him that made people desire to be around him, and even look up to him. Something Naruto had always been the opposite of.

"He doesn't even glance at me, you know…"

Tsunade glanced up, shaken from her thoughts.

Naruto's hands were clenched at his sides, and he was glancing away from her look, eyes narrowed.

"I try… he… that…. I try to…. But he…" He fumbled irately over his words, fists clenching and unclenching agitatedly.

"WHAT! Does he think that he's so above me, that he can't even LOOK at me!?" He asked, clearly distressed.

"Does he get enjoyment out of watching me try to get him to glance at anything but the air in front of him!? He doesn't talk, but he acts like he's the king of the whole world! He's so damn cocky, and I can't stand it! Every time I see him, I just want to punch his face in!" He fumed, face scrunching up in dislike. "If he thinks that h-"

"Of course you know what happened the last time you tried to get violent with another patient." Tsunade cut in, loud and firm.

Naruto opened his mouth to continue his rant, but closed it right after. Getting violent meant being confined to one's room. Not particularly enjoyable. Especially if you were a child of an unnatural amount of stamina, like he himself was. Pacing could only burn so much energy, and it got boring really, really fast.

"Now look, Naruto. I don't know why you're spending so much energy on a boy who doesn't seem to have any desire whatsoever to speak… no less, speak to you. But we both know that letting it get to you will no do good for anyone. It won't make him want to speak to you anymore than before. Don't give him the satisfaction of knowing he's getting to you, right?" She spared him something akin to a small smile. Despite his intolerable behavior, she really did have a soft spot for the boy. He wore his heart on his sleeve, as one might say, and she respected that to an extent.

His mood changed suddenly, going from clearly irritated, to grinning with his head held high, and his arms crossed firmly at his chest. He had quite the tendency to change moods relatively quickly.

"Get to me? HA! Like I would let someone like him get to me! It just bugged me a bit, is all! I can handle him! He's not even worth my time!" His grin never left his face, as he shifted his weight onto his other leg.

Tsunade coughed softly to hide her amusement.

"Right then." She ran her hand through her hair again, pulling most of it over her left shoulder.

"Well since you seem to have it all figured out, Naruto, I must be on my way. I have to make my rounds. But you hear me now. If you don't stop acting on this reckless attitude of yours, you are going to be in big trouble." Tsunade frowned at him, completely serious. "The last thing I want to see is you on your way back to the Fire Country Asylum." She finished quietly, but tightly.

A twinge of fear ran through Naruto, and he had to avert his eyes to stop her from seeing the sudden glaze. He tried to make it a casual turn, but he knew that she knew that it was a touchy subject. She probably saw the way his shoulders slumped in an almost defensive way, and how his arms tightened around him. Going back to the Fire Country Asylum was the last thing that he wanted to see as well…

Tsunade bit her lip regrettably, mentally scolding herself for saying anything. She inhaled a breath, and smiled, sensing the boy's discomfort.

"But besides that, just be good, or I will refuse to have your clock replaced." She said with a bit of smugness.

"You wouldn't!"

"I would."

"But! You-! I JUST got it! You can't jus-"

He watched her turn, not able to finish his sentence. She stopped in mid-step out of the door, and looked down at the watch on her wrist.

"Not that you would know, since your clock has met its untimely death, but it's dinner time. Friday night, you know."

Naruto's look of disbelief automatically turned into a massive grin as he hurried out the door after her.

Ramen night.

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The asylum wasn't really all that bad. It was comfortable, it was bright, most of the members of the staff were generally nice, and it had a high-success rate of curing the mentally ill that weren't quite past the point of hopelessness. It was reliable.

There was a garden that the well-behaved patients were allowed to go after meals, the food wasn't bad for cafeteria food, and they weren't always locked away like diseased animals.

It really was a respectable establishment. At least, to the eyes of those who weren't patients. Whereas a lot of the patients thought it was a hellhole just because of the fact that there was a gate locking them in, there were those who were transferred from a select few asylums around the nearby regions that didn't treat their patients well; Or in some cases, humanely at all.

Naruto had come from a place like that. He didn't like to think about it, but it was hardly avoidable. The long days and nights he spent locked away, and the inadequate amount of food that was given to them. The older treatments were slowly being retired, but as the Fire Country asylum proved, they were still practiced. A lot of times they were painful, and sometimes just straight out cruel. Naruto had long ago established that they caused more mental damage than they were helping… They were thought of more as burdens on society than actual people. Because of that mindset, that was how they were treated.

Being transferred from that place, to Konoha's asylum… It was like going from mud to ramen, really. It was a wonderful change. It had a gate around it, but for the most part, they were as free as they could possibly be without being a danger to others, as well as themselves.

As nice as they were treated, Naruto couldn't wait to get out. The thought of finally being free, and no longer being looked at as psychologically unwell was almost too good to be true. For as long as he could remember, he was seeing shrinks, counselors, going through treatments, being tested for things he didn't understand… Finally, he was put in the state's mental hospital. Things only got worse from there.

Naruto rested his elbow on the table, supporting his head with his hand, desolately poking at insides of one of the three empty Styrofoam cups in front of him with a chopstick. Not even 10 minutes before they had been filled with ramen, but like every Friday night, it was gone in record time.

He squinted his eyes, tearing his stare away from the empty cup, and upwards to the serving counter. Several cups of steaming instant ramen were sitting in a row, fellow residents taking their pick. It was almost painful to watch. He was only allowed to have three cups, after the staff realized how much he was actually capable of eating. Ramen was his favorite food in the world, after all, and it only came once a week. He arbitrarily pondered if they would notice if he attempted to smuggle an extra bowl…

Letting out a resentful sigh, he turned away, and scanned the cafeteria. It was probably one of the least remarkable rooms in the whole building. The walls were white, the floor was tile, the tables were wooden and stained and gouged from years of children spilling stuff on it, and trying to cut into it with their eating utensils.

There were windows, though. Big windows that had a wonderful view of the somewhat busy street next to the building. The cafeteria was never really dark, and it was enjoyable to eat in, as long as he got his spot next to a window. Dark rooms, and colors in general had a tendency to depress him. For as long as he could remember, he had always dressed in bright colors. It always seemed to help him get through the little things.

He frowned, and folded his arms on the table, resting his chin on them.

They took away his orange jacket when he had first gotten into the State Institute, and had only gotten it back when he was transferred. Once he had gotten to Konoha's Institution, he got it taken away again, and it was immediately replaced with a white shirt and matching pants. He absently made a face. Plain, white, boring, cotton outfits. Every patient wore them. He didn't quite get why they weren't allowed to wear their own clothes, but at that point in time, he would have done almost anything to get his jacket back.

It's not like he was going to somehow find a way to choke on the zipper or anything…

Without it, he was just another face in the crowd. Another mental case in a nut house. Another hopeless case with no family, no future, and no jacket.

He really didn't do well with blending in. He enjoyed being noticed. He strived for the attention he never got, except when he did something completely out of line. Doing irrational things became part of his personality after a while, but it worked well enough.

What REALLY bothered him were people who could so effortlessly get what he always wanted, in practically no time at all. People like… like….

His eyes swept over the cafeteria almost all on their own, before landing on a table across the room. A table filled with several chattering girls, and a boy with sharp, serious eyes, black hair that was spiked in the back, and bangs that were currently in his face, shadowing his features.

Sasuke.

Naruto growled inwardly, and found himself absently sinking farther down into his seat.

He knew what he had said earlier. But dammit, Sasuke bothered him. Since the first day he had gotten there, he had bothered him. Everything about him pissed him off every time he saw him. From the fact that he was constantly surrounded by people who adored him, to how he always had an air of authority despite the fact that he never spoke a word. He constantly gave off an ambiance of wanting to be left alone, that he was too good for life. He had to wonder why people even bothered.

He tried to ignore it. He tried to ignore it all the time, actually. Just like Tsunade always said. But his fellow resident's arrogance seemed to seep across the room to wherever Naruto was at the moment. It could have all been in his head, but that thought did not calm his inner fury at all.

Naruto felt himself twitch, his breathing coming in fairly noticeably harsher rasps. He scowled, looking away from Sasuke's table. It had been a fairly non-violent day, and he didn't want to ruin it just because of him. Not today. If he was good, he would get another ramen cup for lunch tomorrow from Iruka.

He stood up quickly, the chair flying back with a screech on the tile, and started towards the double doors leading into the main hallway, empty ramen cups completely forgotten.

He hardly realized how his steps were more like echoing stomps, and how several chairs that dared stand in his way were knocked down. His rather loud exit had most of the cafeteria's eyes on him.

He thought that he was keeping in his anger rather well.

I'd better get extra ramen tomorrow…

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A/N: According to this chapter, it looks like it's going to be Sasu/Naru after all. OH WHAT HAS COME OVER ME!?
I'll write a Gaara/Naru later. : For now, I'll concentrate on this, and try not to stop halfway through.

Review plzkthx.