Long years passed; and all that they took was too much pain for Sasuke to bare.

His sun … the years had all but slain him of his joy. Naruto had left; with the passing years he had gone from the old oak tree, and the one stick-horse that had become their shared stallion. The warmth was absent in Sasuke's life. The sun gone, the sky as dark now as his lifeless eyes and black as his broken heart. Sasuke's nights, still years after Naruto's departure, were filled with silent tears and memories of broken toys and blonde locks resting softly against his shoulder. He missed his Dobe. He wanted him back.

But as the years changed, and they did, so did the neighbours.

The idiot realtors that were in charge of selling Naruto's house hadn't given Sasuke a 'new best friend' as the idiotic blonde had promised -not that Sasuke had ever really expected them to, instead they had forced some -even more idiotic- petal pink-haired wretch onto him. Haruno Sakura. Once the hindrance that plagued him for a time, she quickly became the 'bitch that stalked him.' Sakura was the main reason Sasuke had cried at night, pining for his lost Naruto. But that was six years ago, his tears had ceased now and the fact that Naruto was gone now would never stop Sasuke from remembering the awesome fun they'd had. Nothing could take away the summers they'd spent together. Not even Sakura could rob him of his memories, try as she might. Especially in these times, when the sun shone unbearably bright; when Sakura had forced her company on an unsuspecting Uchiha household and Sasuke's mind wondered back ...

"Sasuke-kun? Did you hear me?" Again the resounding gong was ringing at his ear-drums. Sasuke couldn't help but wince as he glanced up at the stupid sickening -suposed to be sexy- smile now plastered on her pasty face. Her faded green-eyes trying desperately to sparkle. 'Hn, stupid-head. Can't even wait for an answer,' Sasuke thought as he watched Sakura's lips move without pause.
"-just assuring your mother that you weren't planning on heading into this silly war Sasuke ... You see Mikoto," Sakura leaned forward and lightly held Mikoto's fingers as she breathed the name, "-the whole thing isn't really Sasu-kun's scene." Mikoto giggled slightly as she glanced across to her fuming son, gently pulling her hand away without seeming rude. It was painful; containing the laugh that longed to slide from her throat, she could almost see the smoke drifting from his ears it was quite amusing. She would have stopped the bluthering girl but she hadn't giggled at Sasuke in such a long time that the notion to stop completely left her.
"Anyway-" 'please stop talking please stop talking please stop talking,' "-I think Sasuke and I should be off now. I told my mother that he would met her for lunch." At this Sasuke finally decided to find his voice box. After a near-embarrassing coughing fit, Sasuke glared at the pink-haired twit piled beside him.

"What?" Sasuke's perfectly shaped brow rose just a bit, and Sakura was sent into a mad sweat. She wasn't suposed to tell Sasuke until he'd dropped her off at her house.
But, Mikoto was done giggled and she knew a 'Sasuke-tantrum' when she heard it.

"Actually Sakura. I've already asked Sasuke to accompany me into town today. Sorry but ..." She had to think fast; Mikoto may have been an Uchiha but she wasn't born one. Quick of wit and naturally smart though she undoubtedly was, she was not built with an inate ability to lie.
"-um, mothers come first. Sorry." She offered Sakura one withering grin, It was neither beight nor convincing but Sakura wasn't about to dispute it.
And Sasuke was looking at his mother like she was the best thing since caramel ice-cream.

'God that boy looks like Itachi.'

She knew better than to voice the thought but Mikoto's smile brightened nonetheless as she realised there was an actual legitimate reason to have her sone with her that day.
"...Besides," Mikoto sighed half-heartedly, glancing pointedly at Sasuke then turning her evil grin on Sakura. "Sasuke's letter came in just yesterday and there are still a few things that he needs to get."
Mikoto laughed a little behind her hand as she watched her son raise gracelessly from his seat -eyes buldged and breathing slightly increased- and dragged the pink-haired 'eye-sore' with him to the door.
Sakura could be heard all the way to the front gate "-LETTER SASUKE??!? WHAT DOES SHE MEAN!!?! SASUK-"
The only thing really heard after that was teh turning of the gate-lock -a necessary precaution- and Sasuke's hurried footsteps. Well, hurried for Sasuke anyway.
He reappeared moments later. Not a hair out of place; breathing calmed and now in time with his long languid strides.

But as he sat opposite her; Mikoto couldn't help but see something else, lingering gently behind his eyes. He finally looked - alive. Like she hadn't seen him since ... Naruto.
Words unbidden flashed before her eyes, and again she sighed as she let herself remember them.

STANDING BEFORE THE LAUGHING FACE OF DEATH, HE TRUELY COMES ALIVE ... ALL FOR THE SAKE OF LOVE,' ... 'and a broken wooden-horse.' she added sadly as an after-thought. Mikoto ran her startling gaze along the length of her son - her little boy. "Come on Sasu-chan. We have alot of things to get."

~SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN~SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN~

The war had escalated so quickly.
it had come so fast. But they were both prepared to do their duty. Sasuke had been right; there horses were no longer toys and the rifle at Naruto's shoulder would not disappear when his mother called him in for dinner.

... Dinner ...

Naruto's stomach called and Sasuke was ready for it.
"Dobe!" Sasuke couldn't help but smile at being able to call on his idiot friend, "-keep that damn stomach of yours quiet!"
He'd been waiting for the idiot to make a sound all damn night, and now that he had -not two minutes after they'd eaten- Sasuke was pissed, maybe a bit unjustly, but he was still pissed.

"Then feed mee Teme!" was the blonde's whispered (and late) reply. "I can't run on water and stew fool," Sasuke's fingers twitched. Oh how he wanted to strangle his Dobe right now.
"Teme, are you even listening to me!" Naruto was gesticulating wildly; if they weren't in such an obsured situation 'stupid war' Sasuke would've been laughing loudly at the blondes facials. He was so desperate he had almost changed colour. It was quite amusing.
"RAMEN TEME! Give me RAMEN!"

Sasuke sat there and smired as his idiotic friend screamed as quietly as possible. The blonde almost in tears nowm he'd gotten himself all worked up and now all he could think about was his heavenly/nasty gluttonous snack.
Tan, pouting lips where just openeing to complain some more no doubt but Sasuke had thought of a way to shut the dobe up.
"You know, Dobe?" he waited till he Naruto's unyielding attention. "You sound worse than Sakura-chan when you start your complaining." Blue eyes widened, then shurnk. Shocked and annoyed that the evil-temeloving-cow was even mentioned at a time like this.

'We're at war for Christ's sakes. Out here in the wilder-wild and he's thinking about her!?' Naruto's face displayed perfectly the contents of his thoughts. Shock, bewilderment. SHOCK!.. confusion. And hurt, He was thinking about her ... and he was smiling. Uchiha men didn't smile. EVER.

"Shut up, Sasuke." And that was that. Naruto no longer felt like baiting the teme into an argument, so he rolled over and thought about him instead.
About their youth, the summer games that had haunted his separation from Sasuke and then, after every thought was exahausted. He thought about her, the first day he met Sakura