Hello again everyone. I'm sorry this update had taken me so long... I've been having a few problems in my life, and so I must now apologise again as this is quite a short chapter. Sorry I can't manage doing more for you right now.

Hopefully all of this will be sorted out soon, eh? Then I can get back to updating more often like when I started this story.

Well, let's look at the bright side of all of this... it's given Orochimaru and Sasuke plenty of time to heal from all of your beatings on them! Hah!

Heh... on with the next chapter, yesm?

Disclaimer: Still don't own him.

Warnings: Short chapter. Don't hate me too much. Oh, and really, seriously horrible and purely EVIL cliff hanger at the end!

What? I have to get my kicks in life from somewhere... might as well be from torturing you guys! Muaha...

"All of that really happened?"

"And he was going to kill you?"

"Does Sasuke know that bastard was going to kill you as well?"

"Don't you think that would have been obvious, Gaara? Sasuke ran in on them when Orochimaru was about to stab Naruto!"

"Shut it, Neji. From the sounds of things, Sasuke is trying to keep everything stable, namely his reputation and the company."

"And what of Naruto?"

"What am I, a mind reader? How am I supposed to know what Sasuke thinks of him?"

"You'd know him better than me."

"How do you figure that?"

"You're more similar to him than I am."

"I dare you to say that again."

"You're more similar-"

"Guys!"

Neji and Gaara snapped out of their little bickering and turned to face Naruto, who was still sat on their sofa, his head resting in his hands. In his frustration, he ran his fingers through his hair and tugged on it, as if in an attempt to rip it out.

"Naruto, our apologies," Neji said sincerely. Gaara nodded in agreement, making a mental note to punish Neji later for what he said.

"You know, I-I don't know what's worse. The rape, the attempt at killing me, or the way Sasuke has been acting. As if it wasn't bad enough before all of this when he was acting like a heartless bastard anyway. After all of this, I really find myself wondering whether he even cares for me as a friend anymore. I-I have a feeling that Orochimaru isn't even in custody like Sasuke told me. Even if he didn't tell the police about Orochimaru raping me, it would still cause a lot of problems for the company, wouldn't it? So, how does Sasuke save the company from utter ruin? He makes a deal with Orochimaru. Hand the reins over to him completely, and he lets Orochimaru go, lets him run away and not get caught."

Neji and Gaara blinked in awe several times. Was this really the same Naruto they had known for so many years?

"You've given this quite some thought, haven't you?" Gaara asked after several minutes of silence. Naruto simply nodded his head in reply.

"I don't know, Naruto," Neji said in thought, sub-consciously rubbing his temple. "Though Sasuke has undeniably changed, to go as far as allowing Orochimaru to get away? I don't know, but that sounds like too much, even for Sasuke."

Naruto nodded, though he still wasn't convinced himself. "I hope you're right, Neji…"

Sasuke looked around at the mess he had caused and grimaced a little. If anyone showed up and saw the state of the bedroom, they would instantly assume that Sasuke had trashed the place in a blind rage. Though that's what he very much felt like doing, that wasn't why the room looked like a bomb had hit it. For the past hour, he'd been searching for one important item.

An address book. If Naruto had decided to run off, the first place he would go to was Gaara's and Neji's house. Thus far, the damn book had eluded him. He berated himself a little for not remembering their telephone number, or even the street where they live.

Sasuke threw himself onto the bed, landing on Naruto's side. That's when he spotted something. He moved swiftly from the bed, crouching down, he pulled a book out from underneath Naruto's personal wardrobe.

"What is this?" Sasuke asked out loud, looking the small book over. It certainly wasn't the address book he had been looking for. He was about to chuck the book down with the rest of the mess in the room, when a scrawl of writing caught his attention.

On the bottom right corner of the book read: "Naruto's Journal."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. Since when had Naruto kept a diary? Though he knew it was an invasion of the blonde's privacy, Sasuke sat back down on the bed with the book, and began reading.

Today was amazing. Who would have thought that Mr. No Emotions could be so sentimental? Tonight he took me on our, what, 6th date? Possibly 7th, I'm not entirely sure. He kissed me again. I'm writing this feeling like some little school girl, but that kiss felt like being sent to heaven and back.

Sasuke smiled to himself. The entry had been made several years ago, and Sasuke could remember that night clearly. The look on Naruto's face made him wonder whether or not he had actually enjoyed the kiss. Reading this made him realise, the soppy blonde had enjoyed it so much, he had been momentarily stunned.

Sasuke flicked through the book, reading an entry made over a year after that one.

I can't believe it. Sasuke wants me to live with him. I know he's been hinting about it for a while, but for him to finally come out and ask me is really something else. I think it will be nice, to not live alone. Kiba, Gaara and Neji have promised to help me with my stuff. Though really, I don't need anyone's help at all. I hardly have anything! I don't need anything… just as long as I have my Sasuke.

Reading this made Sasuke glance around the room. Before Naruto came along, the room had been completely black. All the walls were painted black, the carpet was black, heck even the furniture and bed linen was black. The curtains, by Sasuke's law, were always closed.

Naruto had changed all of that. Naruto had changed a lot of things. All of them for the better. It had been Naruto who redecorated the room, and who then went on to redecorate the rest of the entire house. The extreme size of the house didn't seem to daunt the over-enthusiastic blonde whatsoever.

"I took all of that for granted," Sasuke muttered to himself turning a few more pages to an entry made when he had been accepted at Orochimaru's company.

Sasuke is really moving up now. I'm so proud of him. We're going to celebrate tonight!

Sasuke frowned slightly. That was all there was to the entry, as if it had been made in a great hurry. Further more, he couldn't remember doing any celebrating on that occasion. He turned the page over to the next entry.

Well, me and Sasuke never did get around to celebrating. He went out with some of his work mates, and they did some celebrating of their own. That's okay though. Sasuke deserves it. He's such an amazing guy. I'm going to make a really nice dinner for him tonight! I've been looking up recipes and stuff, and I've decided on the perfect stuff for him. I'm even going to re-arrange the main room and set up the dining table. I've got some brand new cutlery, flowers, a new tablecloth, and some fragranced candles too. He's going to be thrilled, I know it!

Once again, Sasuke found himself frowning. He couldn't remember any fancy dinner either. Almost unwillingly, he turned the next page, knowing it wasn't going to be a happy entry like the rest.

Sasuke didn't come home last night.

Sasuke looked over the whole page, but that was all that was written. Just that one sentence. He let his head fall into his hand, and he sighed heavily. If he'd known Naruto was going to do something like that for him, of course he would have gone home. He was so wrapped up in his work and trying to adjust, he'd ended up staying late. By the time he had gotten home, Naruto was already in bed, sound asleep.

Not wanting to know if he had ruined any other surprises from Naruto, Sasuke skipped some more pages to an entry made just last year.

Sasuke's been made partner of the company! This is really great news for him. I'm happy for him, of course, but he sure has become a lot more distant with me as of late. Not that he wasn't already a bit distant the moment he was accepted at the company… but now it just seems to be a lot worse. Ah, maybe I'm just being stupid. Sasuke loves me, and I love him. That's all that matters.

Sasuke flicked through the last of the used pages to the most recent entry, made just yesterday.

Things have really hit rock bottom now, I think. I want Sasuke to notice how much he's hurting me, but it's like he's blind or something. Blinded by his obsession with work. It seems that the company is far more important to him than I ever have been. He's acting as if the rape and attempted murder never even happened. How can someone act like that and not be rotting with guilt?

I mean, he couldn't even take a few days off work to be with me. What's that about?

I think he lied to me. I think Orochimaru is still out there somewhere. He's not in custody. I know he isn't. Sasuke wouldn't dare put the company at risk like that. Sasuke let him get away, after what he did to me. Perhaps what Orochimaru said was true. Perhaps I am just a nobody.

Sasuke doesn't love me.

"Lied? Let Orochimaru get away? Don't love him anymore…? Naruto…"

"Quite clever, really." Sasuke almost jumped out of his skin. He snapped the book shut, gripping it tightly in his hand as he stood to face whoever had spoken to him. He gasped, letting the book slip from his fingers.

What...? I already warned you it was an evil cliff hanger...

Review? I'm not a very happy Noodle at present... life really knows how to bite ya in the ass sometimes, ne? -Sigh-