A/N: So I think writing the last part of this chapter slightly drunk was a bad idea. I came home from a Christmas party and then went straight to working on this one. I recall making a lot of typos. I checked the chapter a couple of times and it seemed okay. If you guys see any mistakes, I apologize in advance. Blame it on the vices of youth. :S This chapter is not beta-read. :( Expect edits in the future.

*DISCLAIMER APPLIES*

Chapter 3

The days after Sasuke's last Naruto run-in were rather uneventful. By normal standards, given that one didn't have a summer job, teenagers usually did worthwhile activities with their peers during summer. A trip to the beach, barbecues, a visit to the local pool, y'know? Kids' stuff. But this wasn't so in the Uchiha household. The Uchihas would never associate themselves with the town's commoners, nor would they let any of the townspeople see their family in such a - for lack of a better term - average state. This was exactly why we find the young Uchiha in his room, occupying his bed and staring at his cream-colored ceiling while all the other teenagers had fun.

For the past few days, Sasuke's daily activities would include him being in his room doing random things to pass the time; if his father was present, he would offer to help out with the business (alongside Itachi, much to his great dismay); and if wanted some time away from his dear family, he would get on his car and drive around aimlessly for a couple of hours. And for the past few days, it was during his drives around town or when he was doing absolutely nothing in his room did he find himself thinking about one thing.

Naruto.

The blond boy was so very intriguing. He was everything Sasuke wasn't, in more ways than one. Aside from the obvious difference in social class, Naruto was vulgar, brash and short-tempered. He wasn't afraid to let loose and was absolutely care-free. Naruto didn't flatter or expect anything from the young Uchiha in any way; entirely different from the people the Uchiha associated with. The orange jacket clad boy was completely without pretenses; and he managed to bring down a little of Sasuke's defenses. Naruto was interesting, simply put.

"Aren't you the productive one, little brother?" There, standing at his front door, was Itachi. Weird. Sasuke distinctly remembered locking his door.

"Ever heard of knocking?" The littlest Uchiha raised his torso using his forearms so he could look distastefully at his older brother.

"Didn't have to, Sasuke." Itachi waved what looked to be a restaurant gift card in the air. Sasuke wasn't imagining things and actually did lock his door; his brother was just being nosy. Their father should really reconsider calling Sasuke the immature one when Itachi, a full grown man of twenty-two, was here playing with cards and locked doors. Was there no privacy in this household? With that thought, Sasuke decided to get a better lock for his room. What had the younger man worried was how he hadn't heard his older brother trying to open said door; or hear it open for that matter. Huh. He was more spaced out than he had thought.

Moving so he could sit cross-legged on his bed, Sasuke looked at the man in front of his door questioningly. "Did you need anything in particular or are you just here to bother me?"

"Bothering you would imply that you were actually engaging in something fruitful." That answer did not please Sasuke in the slightest. "Stop sneering, Sasuke. It's very unattractive." Itachi was a bastard.

"Itachi! State your business or leave! I'm not in the mood to banter with you!" Sasuke made to grab for the nearest pillow. Hopefully, it was enough to threaten his brother. Death by pillow hurl. Yeah. Sasuke seriously doubted his brother would leave; but you can't blame the guy for trying.

"Careful, little brother. Your Uchiha is slipping." The room's owner's eyes widened and the hand reaching for the weapon of choice went slack. Immediately after the shock, Sasuke reverted in to the perfect Uchiha. Itachi was now casually leaning on the doorframe, scrutinizing his own polished nails. The older male clearly knew how to toy with his younger sibling. "I just wanted to inform you that father is back from his shop rounds. And, I'd like to add that he is carrying a lot of paperwork with him. I suggest you get down there soon before he bites off your head. Again." The room's door closed with a loud click signalling Itachi's departure.

The room's occupant stood up rigidly from his bed and made sure no one, not even his meddlesome brother, could come in his room any time soon. Itachi was right; the younger male had slipped. Sasuke's disturbed form then locked and barricaded his door.

A pale arm reached in between the mattress and the bed frame in search of what he thought he needed. Unfortunately, the youngest Uchiha wasn't just innocently staying in his room, wasn't just assisting his father with paperwork, wasn't just driving around town to pass the time. He did something else; and for the past few days, a habit was developing slowly but definitely surely.

Finally feeling the things he was looking for at the palm of his hands, Sasuke pulled all the necessities out of their hiding place and neatly placed them on the floor. Now that he had everything in place, there were only a few things left to do. He entered his en-suite bathroom and took a wet towel. As he was about to exit the bathroom, with a flick of his wrists, he turned on the switch to the air vents. After placing the wet towel at his door's crevice, he returned to his spot on the floor where he opened a familiar resealable plastic bag containing chunks of off-white nuggets. With a final look at his wall clock, the young Uchiha knew he had to make the whole affair quick lest his father really did bite his head off.

Like in the past few days, in the privacy of his room, Sasuke took out a pipe and smoked crack cocaine.

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An hour later, Sasuke made his way downstairs. He spent more time than he should have with his vices so he took a shower just so he had a somewhat plausible excuse for why he took so long in his room. The youngest son of Uchiha Fugaku proceeded to the house's study. To his surprise, the room was open; and, inside, there stood the taller form of his older brother and the large figure of his father. Both seemed to be conversing in hushed tones yet Sasuke decided to interrupt. "Forgive me for taking a considerable amount of time in my room, father. I decided to get myself cleaned before coming to meet you."

Both the Uchiha men fixed their gazes on the recent addition to the study. Older, more worn-out eyes raked over the youngest from head to toe as if judging Sasuke's appearances. Thankfully, Sasuke managed to look presentable despite being in his current state. The dark eyes of Itachi were both focused on his younger brother's equally dark eyes. Now, Sasuke could just be imagining things (chalking it up once more to his slightly disoriented mind), but he couldn't help but notice how Itachi had just given him a very heated glare. Yet as the youngest Uchiha was about to confirm his suspicions, Itachi had already gazed back to the demanding figure of their father.

"Now that Sasuke is here, father, I suggest we get started on those reports." In Itachi's possession was a large stack of papers separated into three filing folders. With a nod of Fugaku's head, Itachi continued. "Sasuke, these are marketing, financial, and inventory reports from all the family businesses situated in this town. You know what to do, don't you little brother?" Sasuke took the folders labeled 'Inventory' and 'Financial'. It was his job to balance out the inventory and fees handled in their businesses. Basically, he had to make sure if the money they spent and earned made any sense. Leaving the rest up to his older brother and his father, Sasuke carried out his task.

The study was fairly silent for the next couple of hours. The only noise emitted in the room came from the two older men in the study. They were talking about the marketing reports, Sasuke figured. The youngest of the three men kept mostly to himself. One didn't need to talk when dealing with numbers and figures. As more time elapsed, Sasuke was still handling his workload. Fugaku had left ten minutes ago after wrapping up his discussion with his oldest son; however, Itachi had remained in the room. The first-born son was sitting quietly on Fugaku's armchair as he watched his youngest sibling work.

In what seemed like forever and a half, Sasuke finally finished the reports. He was actually pretty damn proud of himself right now. He managed to actually balance everything out even though he was relatively high. That, in itself, was a grand feat, if he did say so himself.

"It took you longer than usual." Oh yes. Sasuke forgot. Itachi was in the room.

"Can't we all just be glad that I finished the job, Itachi?" As the seventeen-year-old was about to leave the room, Itachi had suddenly gripped the younger siblings shoulder. Sasuke wondered at how his older brother had moved so quickly.

"Sasuke." The tone was authoritative and Sasuke found himself tensing his shoulders. "If you're sharp enough, you would notice that Daddy Dearest isn't all he seems. Whatever it is you are doing, it had better stop because once father finds out - and he will find out - there will be dire consequences." The hand on Sasuke's shoulder disappeared, and Itachi went on ahead and left Sasuke's perplexed form.

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It was now currently Thursday night and the youngest Uchiha was itching to get out of his seat at the dining table. Itachi announced that the family could expect his university grades to be posted online within the next few hours. Truth be told, Sasuke didn't want to be around when that happened. It would just make him feel inadequate.

"I think I'll be taking my leave now. I still have to take care of the garbage." Sasuke reminded his folks. Knowing what was to come, Sasuke shot a sour look to his older brother. Here we go.

"Have fun, Sasuke." And there it was.

Sasuke replied with a grunt and swiftly left the dining area. As he had done in the previous weeks, the Uchiha family's youngest member grabbed the two large black plastic bags near their backdoor and loaded the garbage in his trunk. Getting on the driver's seat, he decided to pass by the gas station first to top up on gas before heading to his alley. Just as he turned on the engine, he briefly wondered if he would get to see the familiar face of his blond-haired friend.

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The drive to the alley was, overall, very relaxing to the young Uchiha. With his car windows open, he had let the cold night air flow in his car and caress his face. When he had reached his destination, he couldn't help but overhear soft singing accompanied by the gentle plucking of a guitar. The song had a sombre melody yet contained unrestrained hope. Sasuke, once again, saw tiny wisps of smoke floating in the air. If he wasn't sure before, he was sure now. Naruto was in that alley.

The dark-haired teenager moved silently towards the alley's other occupant, being careful not to disturb the blonds' current trance. The boy was sitting on top of the closed-garbage bin while singing with his eyes closed. He cradled the guitar with great care; his cigarette was placed, surprisingly, on top of a beer bottle which placed carefully at his side. Thankfully, Naruto was wearing something different this time around. A plain orange shirt and dark jeans; didn't really deviate that much from his first attire but different nonetheless. The young Uchiha said nothing and simply listened to Naruto sing. Unknowingly, a small smile crept on to the paler boy's visage.

Naruto's eyes fluttered open as the song came to a finish. The moon's light made the blonds' blue eyes seem glassy. It was unmistakable that the orange-clad boy was still in his own world. Realizing that Naruto wouldn't notice Sasuke's presence any time soon, the Uchiha decided to take matters in to his own hands.

"I didn't know you could play the guitar, blockhead." And with a loud yelp, Naruto found out that he was no longer alone.

"Christ! You scared me!" The whiskered-face looked panicked in the same way he had just last week; only this time, he held his guitar in such a way that he looked as if he was ready to smack anything with it.

"I don't recall ever telling you my name was Christ, blockhead." This earned a quiet chuckle from the blond. He was smiling that smile again.

"Did you just try to make a joke, ducky?", yet those blue eyes were still quite dull for Sasuke's taste.

"Nor do I recall saying it was ducky." Sasuke tried for another joke. Maybe he could make the dimness in Naruto's eyes go away, even for a moment. Another soft laugh met the ears of the young Uchiha.

"Hi Sasuke." Naruto wore on a real smile, just like the one Sasuke had seen a few days ago; and just like a few days ago, black eyes were engrossed in that smile. But Sasuke mulled over why Naruto's eyes were still as dull as the night they had met. Sasuke hated to admit to himself that maybe those eyes were naturally that way. Impossible, he thought. With the way Naruto was, he would at least expect those eyes to be the same deep blue as the sky or the ocean; not a disgusting imitation of the shade.

"You know, every time we meet, it seems like I always get some type of a mini heart attack." The shorter boy had leaped from the top of the bin. The cigarette was placed precariously on the blonds' pink lips; and on his right hand was the half-empty beer bottle.

The corner of Sasuke's lip twitched upwards as he folded his arms across his chest. "Maybe you're too much of an airhead and you don't have the capacity to notice when people are close by."

Naruto inhaled his cigarette deeply and released a huge puff of smoke. Sasuke frowned, "Do you always smoke? Out of the three times we've seen each other, I've seen you smoking twice. I hope you're not a chain smoker because that's unappealing to me." Oh the hypocrisy in that statement alone was enough to make anyone's skin cringe. "Not to mention you're drinking alcohol. Aren't you a little young to be having that stuff?" Sasuke couldn't help but point out. He was making excuses to find out a little bit more about his blond-haired companion without actually asking outright.

With a lopsided grin and a wink, Naruto decided to tease Sasuke a little and took a swig of the beer he held in his tan hand. "Please. You don't look that much older than I am, Sasuke. I bet we even have the same age. Shoot. I'm seventeen. How 'bout you?"

"Hn. Same; but I'm turning eighteen in two weeks." Actually, a week and a half; really just minor details, Sasuke mentally nodded.

"So you are older, technically." With another inhale of his cigarette, the blond continued to reveal more about himself. "I turn eighteen in October; still a little ways away, but not by much."

Silence suddenly met the two sets of ears. The quiet wasn't awkward and was completely welcomed by the two teenagers in the alley. Naruto then looked at the little cancer stick in between his thumb and forefinger, and snorted. "To answer your question before we got completely sidetracked, I only smoke when I'm troubled. I try not to do it a lot, but it helps me relax sometimes." Sasuke then heard the squishing sound of the contents inside the beer bottle. "Alcohol, on the other hand, I am definitely not fond of. The stuff is good, no doubt, but the idea of alcohol and getting wasted are both loathsome to me." Naruto glared hatefully at the bottle in his hand. "I just happened to find it lying around in my house and decided to take it. I rarely drink any alcohol but tonight just seemed like a good night to have some, y'know?"

Both teenagers were now leaning against the tall wooden fence that made up the alley. Sasuke found himself musing about the boy not a metre away. This boy didn't bother hiding anything. What was more astounding was the fact that Naruto didn't even know Sasuke. Naruto was just being himself.

"So you're turning eighteen soon, right?", and Naruto voice broke the Uchiha's silent ponderings. "So that would mean you're in your senior year at high school, yeah?"

"Yup. Next school year will be my last year in high school; then my parent will probably ship me off to some university. I'm actually looking forward to that. What I'd give to get out of this place; away from my place in particular." Then Sasuke flinched. Had he said too much? Did what he just say make Naruto piece together the idea that his life wasn't perfect after all?

"I hear you. I feel the exact same way." Without even prying any further, Naruto agreed with him. It was as if the shorter boy simply accepted the information Sasuke had accidentally given him and thought nothing of it. As Sasuke directed his startled expression, he noticed that Naruto again wore a wistful look on his whiskered face. Now, the older of two teenagers was very much determined to change the subject.

"What about you? You should be in the same boat, right? Senior in high school and off to a university next year and what not." but because of his desperation for a subject change, Sasuke forgot to put a little common sense in his inquiry.

An amused blond brow raised simultaneously with an equally amused half-smile on Naruto's charming looks. "University. Riiiight." An audible giggle left the boy's pink lips. "I quit school a couple of years ago, ducky, so no senior year for me as well.", and now a smile adorned Naruto's endearing face as Sasuke slightly blushed.

"Oh." If Sasuke could hit himself upside the head, he would have; but that was uncharacteristic of him. How could he have been so insensitive? Well, this was fantastic. He managed to make the situation even more awkward when he sought to diffuse the sombre mood in the first place.

The silence of the night was disturbed by an outburst of laughter coming from the younger teen "Chill, Sasuke! It's no big deal. Don't get your feathers all ruffled over nothing!" Naruto lightly stroked the clump of spiked hair at the back of Sasuke's head. The damage was done and the young Uchiha now felt like a royal jerk. As Sasuke covered his head with both of his hands, Naruto tried to reassure the older boy that no harm was done and that the Uchiha didn't mean any malice when he had said what he did.

"So what's your family like?" Naruto asked once the previously flushed teenager had calmed down. It was a totally out-of-the-blue question, and it caught Sasuke slightly off-guard; but he obliged the younger man's query anyway.

"I guess you can say my family's pretty high-strung. My father is always going on about how I lack initiative and all that jazz. My mother is pretty chill. She's okay, I guess. And then there's my brother. He's perfect; and my parents just adore him" Although Sasuke did indulge Naruto's question, he said his piece as quickly and as unelaborate as possible. The dark-haired young man wasn't ready to divulge everything just yet.

Sensing Sasuke's slight discomfort, Naruto didn't snoop any further; instead, the tan boy decided to move on to another topic. "Anyway, are you here to throw the garbage again, Sasuke?"

"Hm? Oh yeah. I actually almost forgot about that." The shift in discussion didn't go unnoticed and for that the older of the two was grateful. Taking his car keys out of his pocket, Sasuke made the short journey to his car.

"Yo! Wait up! I'll lend you hand." Naruto then took his guitar from on top of the garbage bin, and opened the large container. The blond then threw away his now empty beer bottle inside the bin after he had stomped on his cigarette butt. Unintentionally, as Sasuke watched Naruto kill the tiny stub, black eyes counted the unlit cigarettes that littered the area. There were about three. If all of them were from Naruto and considering that the blond had said he frequented the alley a lot recently, Sasuke was relieved that the blond was telling the truth about trying not to smoke too much. But, of course, that wasn't confirmed yet. For all Sasuke knew, the boy could be smoking like there was no tomorrow somewhere else; he doubted it though. Despite knowing Naruto for only a short amount of time, the young Uchiha trusted the younger boy now at his side.

The two teenagers were now making their way towards Sasuke's black car to take care of the trash, literally speaking. But as Sasuke made the motions to open his trunk, his gaze stopped on to Naruto's acoustic guitar and looked curiously at it. Naruto was about to ask whether his companion was alright once the blond had noticed the sudden stop of activity from the older teenager; but as blue eyes gazed on to a pale face, Naruto understood what the issue was.

"My mom gave this to me a few years ago. I kind of just learned how to play on my own, I guess.", the light-haired boy explained. Although still quite probing, Sasuke accepted the vague answer and continued to open the trunk. Both boys were now sporting one garbage bag each.

Once the task was done, Naruto closed the garbage container and, again, laid his guitar carefully on top of the lid. "Well, that's taken care of." Naruto gladly voiced out and locked his gaze to his companion. "Ducky?" Sasuke stood a few ways away from Naruto with both hands shoved in his pockets. The wealthy boy was clearly deep in thought as he stared on to the shorter boy's form.

"Ducky?" Naruto voiced out once more, but to no avail. The Uchiha was still lost in his own mind. Blond eyebrows furrowed with worry.

Sasuke couldn't understand how someone could care any less about how others thought about their person. Here was Naruto laying out personal information to a complete stranger; yet the boy didn't mind. It was also worth mentioning that Naruto had said things that were considered personal by normal standards. I mean, come on! The boy just told Sasuke that he had quit school like it was nothing. The blond took everything to stride; and it was admirable. It was also worth mentioning how the bronze boy didn't cast a single judgmental eye at Sasuke after the Uchiha had slipped and implied of his familial problems. This boy. This blond, whisker-cheeked, orange-clad, blue-eyed boy was different; and Uchiha Sasuke was hooked.

"Naruto ..." Sasuke trailed. The boy's name rolled out of his tongue effortlessly. None of the teenagers realized that it was the very first time Sasuke said Naruto's name. It was a shame that they didn't; the way Sasuke had said it was intoxicating.

Naruto was now giving him bothered glances. "Sasuke?"

"Naruto ... " the young Uchiha trailed off once again.

What had Sasuke wanted to say? That he found the boy interesting? vulgar, brash and short-tempered? That Naruto wasn't afraid to let loose? What?

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" Naruto gripped Sasuke's upper arm and shook the paler boy's body. The younger male was about ready to have a panic attack.

"Naruto I..."

What did Sasuke want to say?

That he found the shorter boy amusing?

different?

unsuperficial?

That Sasuke trusted him?

That the blond was real in every sense of the word?

That Uchiha Sasuke actually admired the boy that was currently looking like he was about to die from anxiety?

And as Sasuke abruptly stopped all contemplation after his last thought, then he finally spoke out.

"Naruto, I think ..."

Beep - beep- beep said the buzzing phone which was absolutely oblivious to the entire rigidity in the atmosphere.

"Shit.", and Sasuke lost whatever trance he was in as well as what he was just about to say to his companion. The older male opened his phone to reveal a recently received text. After reading the message, Sasuke gave a loud tut.

Naruto let out a breathy chuckle. "I'm guessing it's the perfect brother texting because the parents were looking for you?"

A pallid face suddenly snapped its attention towards tanner ones. That was unexplainably accurate. "How did you know?" What? Was Naruto psychic too?

"Just a lucky guess." Naruto snickered. The welcomed silence beforehand was now declared awkward by the two boys as they both gazed at anything other than each other. Evidently, the earlier tension still hadn't completely left.

"I should head out." Sasuke said; accompanied by his very own sigh. The raven-haired Uchiha resigned himself to the fact that both teenagers would just drop whatever it was that was just about to occur. It was probably for the best anyway; because Sasuke himself didn't understand what had gotten in to him in the first place."Yeah. It's getting pretty late.", and Naruto walked the few metres with Sasuke towards the black vehicle.

Once Sasuke was seated comfortably in his car, Naruto gave Sasuke a shy smile and said his goodbyes. As the blond walked away, Sasuke suddenly shouted for the departing boy.

"You never told me your whole name." Sasuke had said, and Naruto turned his body in such a way that they both saw each other's faces visibly.

"Uzumaki Naruto." With a snigger, Naruto proceeded to ask, "What about yours, ducky? And don't give me one of those 'keep it a secret from the stranger' crap. You already did it once, and it honestly loses its cool effect after the first time."

Sasuke hesitated to answer. What if Naruto changed once he found out his last name? Would he actually start to judge him? To pressure him? Taking a deep breath, Sasuke pushed down all his anxieties.

"Uchiha Sasuke." He said with an air of finality.

Naruto's eyes widened and his jaw went slack briefly, and it made Sasuke's apprehension resurface. And then the most interesting thing happened. The short form of the blond was now unexpectedly hunched over in laughter. Forget about Sasuke being uneasy, the young Uchiha was just plain confused all-together.

"That totally explains the car now, dude." The blond raised a finger and wiped a stray tear -caused by his intense laughing- from his face. Whatever traces of lingering tension in the surroundings was utterly erased by Naruto's peals of laughter. Sasuke briefly considered that maybe Naruto really was crazy.

"Get out of here, ducky, before someone from your family hunts me down for keeping you here." Naruto winked and had slapped the hood of the car.

"I'll see you around." Sasuke responded, obviously not minding the physical attack to his vehicle.

"Will do." And with a wave of Naruto's hand, Sasuke returned to his family.

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Sasuke had smiled all the way from the alley to his house foyer. He was so goddamn happy that Naruto just brushed off the fact that he was an Uchiha. Normally, he should feel offended; but he was anything but.

As he was about to move to his room, he heard his parents ecstatic voices. He stood stiffly at the first few set of steps and listened. Although slightly muffled by the walls, he had a vague idea on what they were rejoicing about. Itachi's grades had come out and they were singing praises at his older brother. Sasuke's gripped the staircase handrail while his joyous countenance vanished in to thin air. Just before he continued to climb the remaining sets of steps, Sasuke's phone rang. Unlike the first time it had sounded that night, Sasuke was grateful this time around.

The phone kept blaring indicating there was a caller on the other line. The teenager checked to see who the caller was at the same time climbing the flight of stairs. Once he had gotten at the top, Sasuke answered his phone.

"What do you want, Suigetsu?"