Chapter Three: Regret

Author's Notes: Thank you all for the reviews. It means a lot.

Chapter Three: Regret

For Taylor


Sasuke sat on the back corner seat of their compartment of the train while he ignored his friends ramble on about their day and simply stared out of the window at the quickly flashing by scenery.

The broody man had managed to glare at someone to the point they hopped up and gave up their seat while the rest of his group of friends stood holding onto the bars and poles and each other while the Metro train rocked unsteadily on the tracks towards the Vienna station.

Second worst day in history was his conclusion really. He really didn't want to think anymore about the first.

The raven tried to ignore Naruto as the man acted – or maybe just felt like – everything was normal, carrying on conversations, showing off his pictures, and talking about the Pagoda that he just oh so loved to see. Sasuke wanted to scream.

The raven watched as the cars raced by the windows, his mind trying to focus on the hasty drivers while one half was trying to focus on the laughing blonde. The train slowed suddenly with a jerk, causing Sasuke to look away from the window to notice they came to the last stop just as the muffled announcer repeated his thoughts.

Sasuke hopped up from his seat and slid out before his friends could move an inch due to a man with a cart of some sort who got his wheel stuck in the slots where the doors slid open and shut on the other end of the compartment where they stood. The Uchiha didn't bother waiting and he walked swiftly with the crowd, not riding the escalator but taking the steps two at a time as if in some important rush and swiftly walked through the overhead walkway tunnel towards the parking lot.

Then he remembered at the worst possible moment just as he was about to make his wonderful and glorious break for the home stretch to get away from it all…

"HEY! TEME! The car is locked!" Naruto called while he jogged to catch up as the rest of the group lingered behind and made plans for food.

Of course, that was right, he rode with Naruto.

Sasuke stopped in the middle of the sidewalk causing a group of teen girls to giggle as they steered around him before he glared to shut them up abruptly.

The blonde caught up to the raven's side and smiled like nothing was out of the ordinary, "We're all going to get something to eat at Yorkshire."

The two began walking calmly to the car while Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets, "I can't go."

Naruto frowned lightly and thought about how to approach what he had caused, "Look, Sasuke, if it's about-"

"It's not. Kimimaro sent me a text message and they need me to come into the office." Sasuke lied.

"You're a horrible liar." Naruto corrected as he watched his sore feet shuffle to the car that sat at the back end of the parking lot.

Sasuke grinded his teeth together, "What makes you say that, dobe?"

Naruto dug into his pants pockets for his keys while he used his other to wave to his group of friends that were lucky enough to get a closer spot and were climbing into their own cars.

"Well, it's because you left your phone at home."

Sasuke sighed, then cursed, and reluctantly got into the car.


Naruto pulled into the front spot outside of the apartment complex to drop off Sasuke, one part thankful to end the awkwardly silent car ride, and the other disappointed that his best friend was bailing on a day they could spend together.

A pale hand reached for the door handle before Naruto pressed the safety locks with a determined face, "Hear me out."

Sasuke paused with his hand still lingering hopefully on the handle, "Do I have a choice?"

The blonde smiled lightly towards the steering wheel with a faint chuckle, "No. Not really."

The raven let out a small sigh before his hand retreated, "Alright. Go ahead before I decide to break the window and just jump out."

"You're going to get together with me tonight and we're going to go out and have fun and you aren't going to be a bastard."

Sasuke snorted, "You're making it sound like I don't have a choice."

Naruto shrugged, still refusing to look at his friend, "Well, you really don't."

Sasuke actually let out a small laugh, causing the blonde to turn and face him with a smile, "That sounds like an agreeing sound there, teme."

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, "You know, sometimes I really hate you, dobe."

Because it's impossible to say 'no' to you.


"Hey, teme…?"

Naruto reached a small tan hand forward and prodded the buttons of the radio, ejected the CD they were listening to, and somehow managed to open the sunroof.

Sasuke flicked his dark gaze away from the road to the blonde in a bored manner while Naruto flashed a grin with a shrug while the rain dripped lightly in from outside. Sasuke began to easily fix the mistakes the blonde made with a quick swipe of his fingers. The sunroof shut politely, the radio turned itself off and the CD was back on to play quietly in the background.

"What did you want, dobe?"

Naruto smiled towards the road as he rocked back and forth to the music with misplaced rhythm, "I was going to ask how you turn the heat on."

The raven repressed a snort as he took the off ramp towards the restaurant and blindly reached over and pressed the button for the heat to blow full blast.

Sasuke smoothly drove the car through the little shopping center to the restaurant him and Naruto visited most while he thought about random things and the blonde chatted away about the late lunch with the rest of their friends.

Naruto's bottomless stomach never really surprised Sasuke in the least, well, that was until he was facing the check for the meal.
The raven pulled smoothly into a parking space in the tiny lot and cut the engine while the blonde scrambled out of the car with his stomach roaring in hunger as if he hadn't eaten in three days.

Sasuke followed slowly behind, feeling heavy footed while Naruto had a little skip to his step as he opened the door and held it, "Come on, teme! I'm not a doorman!"

Sasuke slowed down a fraction with a smirk hidden under his bangs while he pretended like his feet moving along were the most interesting thing in the world till he heard Naruto's foot stomp with a chuckle.

Sasuke looked up to see the blonde leaning against the door with one of his pleasant and easygoing smiles playing with his lips and his bright aquamarine eyes were twinkling with a tint of mischief.

Sasuke smiled despite himself and the brooding mood he was determined to stay in drifted off before he picked up the pace.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sasuke was still grumbling, mumbling and cursing at the menu when the waitress walked by for the third time to have Naruto wave her off like some airplane.

"Teme…" Naruto sputtered away a ball of laughter, "Calm down."

"Naruto…" Sasuke's eyes flicked over the top of the menu with a certain gleam of murder that the blonde saw a few rare times when he was bold enough to pull pranks on his best friend.
"Look at where the idiot sat us."

The blonde didn't have to bother, he already laughed loudly about it when she started walking towards the table and Sasuke punched him in the back of the head for it.
The one table that had to be left empty in the middle of a tour group that just happened to be all women. It just happened to be all women who had a staring and giggling problem.

"Naruto, need I remind you I have a knife."

"Alright, alright. Last time I ask to sit next to the fireplace." The blonde grumbled as he waved over the waitress.

"If you're cold, ask for my damn jacket. Don't throw us to the jackals."

"Is that how you see females?" Naruto let out a breathy laugh when one overheard and glared.

"The dumb ones."

The waitress came by briskly and scooped the two up and out of the danger zone and guided them to a booth off to the side; the backs high and tall with dark wood and easy to guard against unwanted guests. Sasuke took a drink from his tea that was brought over from the old table while the blonde still continued to scan the menu while nibbling on his bottom lip in an indecisive worrisome habit.

"Dobe, you know the menu and the food like the back of your hand. Pick something."

Naruto looked over the edge of the menu with a foul look, "That is the problem, it's all good."

Sasuke reached across the table and snatched the menu away, tired of waiting on the blonde to decide, and cut him off when he opened his mouth to most likely whine out a complaint,

"Pick a number one through five."

"Seven."

"Hm. Chicken livers, interesting."

Naruto pulled a face while chuckling, "Ew, teme. Alright, alright. Three."

"Turkey sandwich."

Naruto nodded his blonde head once in a stiff movement making the unruly blonde locks shift abruptly to lightly cover his bright eyes that were smiling along with his lips.
Naruto drew up one of his index fingers to swipe underneath his eye and cleared his throat to signal Sasuke, who was watching this small gesture that something was on his face.

"I'm not falling for that again." Sasuke glared after having fallen for the 'booger hanging out of your nose' gag that Naruto pulled twice since they had left.

"No…" Naruto huffed before he lifted up from his seat and leaned across the table to reach towards Sasuke's face, "Close."

Sasuke snapped his mouth shut, that just so happened to drop open just slightly before he shut his eyes like Naruto had originally meant.

The Uchiha barely felt Naruto's fingers pinch at his skin before he heard the triumphant, "HA!"

Sasuke's onyx eyes came into view as his pale lids fluttered open to see the same tan index finger holding out a single, solitary black eyelash.

"Oh, come on Naruto."

"Do it."

"No."

"Dooo it." The blonde stretched as he inched his finger closer to the raven's face.

Sasuke sucked in a barely audible breath before he blew at the eyelash angrily from the corner of his mouth for the tiny piece to disappear.

Naruto flopped down into his seat with a blinding smile that always and only seemed to spring forth around Sasuke, "What did you wish for, teme? To not be cold blooded anymore?"

Sasuke shot the blonde a glare out of the corner of his eyes while he started out the large open windows to watch the rain pick up suddenly with intent of trapping them.

"No, really, what did you wish for?"

Sasuke shot another glare before letting his tone catch a slightly icy edge, "Stop. Right there."

They both knew if Sasuke made a wish, exactly what he would wish for.

"Sasuke…" The blonde began, catching his friends' attention away from the window, his dark gaze catching with a bright one that was laced with worry.

"Sasuke I…"

Sasuke hadn't felt this feeling in a long time. It was that overwhelming feeling when your body goes into overdrive due to your feelings spinning wildly out of control. Your legs go numb while your arms get heavy, your fingers tingle and your palms ache while the taste from your mouth leaves, and for one single solitary moment, you can't see and you only hear the ringing in your ears; your heart skips several beats before taking a wild plunge into your empty stomach that just so happens to be twisting, turning and jumping.

Sasuke swallowed thickly; feeling like he was peeling paint away from a wall with his finger nails when his saliva trailed down his suddenly dry throat while he waited for the blonde to finish in hope.

"I…I should have told you how I felt."


Author's Notes: I'm trying to upload my pictures of the blossoms (and the Pagoda) on my computer… but…well…me have-y problems. Give me time.
Also, I put in some mindless filler bullshit there in the middle. I don't know why…maybe to show their relationship and how they act…or to get to the ending note. Who knows? Let's go with both.