ATTENTION!!!!: This is the official restarting of this story! This chapter is much longer then previous chapters and is a sight of what is to come. Chapter will now be longer and much better writing. The old chapters have been updates so they match our new style. With your reviews this story will not be dropped again, so please keep us motivated and review what you think.

Disclaimer: We don't own any of these Naruto characters!!

Summary: Naruto and Sasuke meet in unfortunate circumstances in the middle of a war between their gangs. Through the hatred a friendship is born. But once things become too deep they have to lie to everyone they ever cared about. But what happens when there lie is discovered?

AU, OOC, SasuNaru

Warnings!: Rated M for Language, violence, sexual references, Shounen Ai/BL (boyxboy...lol), and explicit content in later chapters.

Attention!: This story is written by me and LxLightFangirlForever4 a.k.a Sango-chan, so give don't me all the credit!! ..lol

Plz only intelligent flames and if you don't like yaoi, DON'T READ, arigatou

Authors notes:

Ayame: We are so excited to have a new start on this story!

Sango: Dear Jeebus…that took forever to type up…all the big paragraphs were starting to piss me off lol

Ayame: Lol ya we worked our asses off trying to finish this chapter and update the others before the new year.

Sango: Yeah really lol well I hope you all enjoy this chapter and plz don't forget to REVIEW! lol


Chapter 8: A Final Goodbye

The full moon watched over the city, shining a white light through the pitch black sky. The clouds had finally started moving, revealing the stars. The position of the moon suggested that the time was approximately midnight.

Puddles of water were splashed around every time Kiba took another step. The insides of his shoes were soaked and so was the bottom of his pants. The rain had been reduced to a fine mist. ' Where are you Sasuke? We've been looking forever...' Shino just silently followed not saying much of anything.

"Damnit!" Kiba took out his cell phone for what seemed like the thousandth time that night and dialed Sasuke's number.

"If he didn't answer the first hundred times, then I don't think he will now." Shino commented, started to get a little annoyed.

"You know what___" Something caught his attention to the right.

"What now?"

"Shhh..." Kiba's eyes searched the area. "Do you hear that?" He whispered.

"I don't hear anyth__"

"Over there!" Kiba cut him off again and ran over towards the noise he heard. As they got closer the sound got louder until it suddenly stopped.

"I knew I recognized that song! It's Sasuke's ring tone!"

"Now let's just hope that he is somewhere near it. Call it again." Shino suggested. Kiba did as he was told. Unfortunately, the constant echo made it almost impossible to pin point the phone's exact location.

"Why is it so damn difficult!?"

"Kiba, I found the phone."

"Is Sasuke there?!?" He called out impatiently. He wondered why the hell Sasuke had to run off like that. What was it that Kakashi said that got him so upset that he would run off without telling anyone?

"No. He still might be close though." Shino gave the brunette the cell and took a look around. Kiba stared at the phone in the palm of his hand.

' Sasuke....If anything happened to you, I will personally kick your ass! I'll never forgive you either bastard! ' He clenched his hand around the phone and shut his eyes. ' I'm going to find you...' He took off running through all the nearby alleys, yelling Sasuke's name. Shino silently helped going over areas Kiba had missed. It felt like an eternity of searching with nothing showing up.

A glimpse of hope filled Kiba's dark eyes when he saw a silhouette, but it quickly vanished when he realized instead of standing, the shadow lay on the ground, motionless. He hoped that Sasuke was okay, but by the looks of it, he appeared far from okay. Kiba was afraid to step any closer for the fear of discovering something that he wished he wouldn't.' He's gone isn't he..? He can't be ' Kiba buried the thought and forced himself to advance forward.

"Sa...Sasuke?" Kiba reached his hand out to his friend's face. He sighed in relief when he felt warmth on the skin, proving he couldn't possibly be dead. "Shino! I found him!" Kiba checked Sasuke's pulse to make sure his heartbeat was normal. And it was, thank god. The Uchiha boy was just laying there unconscious.

"Look's like he found himself a fight." Shino came from behind, inspecting the blonde that lay next to their friend.

"What should we do with him?"

"Nothing! We don't need to kill another one! Besides, Sasuke is more important right now." Kiba started lifting Sasuke's body over his shoulder. The raven hung off of Kiba's back, head resting on his companion's shoulder. Kiba grabbed his legs so he wouldn't fall off.

"Let's go. Just leave the blonde where he's at. His life is in fate's hands now."


His vision faded in and out as Sasuke's eyelids opened and closed. A blurry grey and a small sense of motion was all he could register in his echoing head. As his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he recognized the grey as the cement sidewalk, and the movement as walking along the street. It took his mind a while to realize he was draped over someone's back. But once he did, the night's events played back to him sending a searing pain through his head. This migraine was killing him.

Sasuke sighed. "I need a smoke..."

"Well, that's a nice first thing to say to someone that just saved your ass." Kiba smiled slightly.

"Fuck my stomach hurts….And my head!" Sasuke groaned in pain.

"Well, maybe next time you shouldn't run off and start fighting random people on the streets."

"He started it." Kiba laughed at the childish statement. "Shut up, I'm still out of it...Where are you cigarettes?" Sasuke began looking around as if he was actually expecting them to pop out of nowhere.

"Left pocket." Kiba chuckled. Sasuke searched through the pocket for the lighter and a cigarette. Kiba spoke again after hearing the flick of the lighter. "Next time you run off like that...Tell me or at least answer your phone...You had me really worried..."

"I was angry..I didn't mean to worry you or to even get into a fight." He blew smoke into the air letting the wind carry it away. The sensation of the familiar smoke in his lungs sent a wave of relief wash over him. "Whatever happened to that Uzumaki kid anyways?"

"We left him where he was. I figure Kyuubi is looking for him...I'm just glad we found you before they did."

"Hn." Sasuke yawned. "I'm tired..."

"You can go to sleep, we still have another twenty five minutes before we get there." Kiba responded.

"I'll probably look pathetic being carried around like this." His last words were slurred as he drifted into a light sleep.

"You're lucky you're skinny or else I would make you walk." Kiba laughed.


A knock on the door startled the slumbering Kakashi awake. He looked at the clock on the wall and it read 1:30am. He forgot when he has fallen asleep; nevertheless he stood with a grunt and opened the door. Kiba and Shino were found waiting outside the door, still wet from the rain. The leader looked at the two and the sleeping Sasuke still on Kiba's back.

He sighed quietly to himself. "Come in. I'll get some towels. And put Sasuke on the couch." Kakashi walked off and into the bathroom for the towels.

"Kiba, I'm just going to head home now. It's been a very long night." Shino started for the door after Kiba gave a small nod of acknowledgment. It really has been a long night for all of them.

Kakashi returned handing a towel to Kiba. "So what did he get himself into this time?"

"He started a fight with Uzumaki Naruto, the future__I mean the new leader of Kyuubi." Kiba wrapped the towel around himself and knelt down next to Sasuke. It was true. Now that Iruka was gone, Naruto was the new appointed leader of the Kyuubi gang. "I wish he wouldn't do such careless things like this."

"I guess I'm partial to blame for that. I said a lot of things I shouldn't have said back there." Kakashi sat down in an armchair and glanced towards the room where him and Sasuke had had their earlier dispute. Kiba just sat in silence not wanting to disagree or confirm his leader's thought. In his mind, Kiba was actually quite upset with Kakashi's behavior on dealing with the whole situation. Instead of punishing the person who did wrong, he yelled at the one most confused and already overwhelmed in self-pity. It gave Kiba a headache wondering why the hell Kakashi would have acted like that.

"Call me back here when he wakes up." Kakashi left after a small nod from Kiba.

It was about a half hour after Kakashi had left the room that Sasuke finally started to stir from his light slumber. It immediately caught Kiba's attention and he rushed to the side of the couch. He knelt down so he was eye level to the raven.

"Sasuke? You awake?" As if responding to the voice he turned his head to face his friend slowly opening his eyes.

"Uhh...Am I back at Kakashi's place?" Sasuke looked around the room.

"Yeah we're back. And he wants to talk to you again. I don't think he is so mad this time, but still, I don't think he will be very easy on you either." Kiba stood up. "I'm supposed to get him when you wake"

"Why does the bastard always lecture me. I'm not the one who killed that man, and it's his fault I went after Uzumaki. He pissed me off!" Sauske spat, sitting up.

"Sasu__" Kiba started.

" You're right Sasuke." Kakashi spoke from the doorway. His arms were crossed and he leaned against the doorframe. Both boys nearly jumped, alarmed from his sudden presence. Sasuke took one glance at his leader and then looked away. He was still angry with him.

"How long have you been there?" Kiba questioned quietly trying to fill the silence that had fallen in the room. He was unsure whether he would be answered or just simply ignored.

'Long enough to know that I still need to speak with Sasuke." Kakashi answered and gave Kiba a look that told him it was okay for him to leave now. He nodded understanding the message. He gave Sasuke a sympathetic look before taking his leave.

"He is probably just going to wait outside, knowing him." The silver haired man chuckled. Sasuke looked at him with a confused expression. Why was Kakashi laughing, at a time like this! Wasn't he still mad at Sasuke? "He's a good person, he spoils you." He added.

Sasuke signed finally deciding to speak. "I know, I don't deserve a friend like him." He smirked.

Kakashi stood up from his position in the chair and stepped over to the opposite side of the wall staring out the window. He was avoiding eye contact with his apprentice. Sasuke had noticed this immediately, but before he could ask anything, the man spoke.

"I didn't mean to piss you off like that. I agree that I went too far, but damnit Sasuke! You went against everything I've ever told you with that stunt tonight. It cost someone their life!" Kakashi grunted again and rested his face in his hands. He was utterly frustrated. Because of something like this, everything could easily go wrong from now on. It was only just a matter of time.

The raven simply looked away allowing him to continue. He had no idea how to justify what he had done. And he knew that he wouldn't ever be able to. That much was true.

"Why did you have to start that serious of a fight right after his father figure was killed?"

"I..I don't know. I've made a lot of mistakes tonight…I wish I could just take them back…But that's obviously impossible."

"I feel bad for that kid. I understand that Kyuubi is our rival gang, but he hasn't had an easy past you know. We have all had hard lives and that is something that we must put into account. We can't hurt others without a motive behind it. He has lost his father, his leader and he had to face you in a fight. And now he is the new appointed leader of Kyuubi. That kind of responsibility must be really hard on someone once it is thrown on them abruptly." Kakashi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I wish you could have picked someone else.." He finally finished.

"If I ever see him again, I will apologize. That's about all I can do right now."

"Well, what about you? Are you still angry with me?" Kakashi asked.

"A little, but I will get over it. Right now I'm angry with myself more than anything."

"Well I'm happy then. If you didn't care about it, then I don't know what I would do with you. I still have to figure out what I'm going to do with Kankuro."

"I never want to see that jackass's face again!" Sasuke growled. His anger was coming back by just the sound of his name being spoken.

"Calm down, I will take care of it."

"Hn." Sasuke replied.

"Well it's been a rough night, I think you should be getting some sleep soon." Kakashi patted Sasuke on the shoulder in a comforting notion.

"Yeah, but I think I'm going to stay out of Sharingan business for a while. I need to get myself together. The gang just seems to be bringing misery lately. So, sorry but I won't see you for a while." Sasuke got up from the couch and headed to the door.

"Alright, I understand. Take your time, but try to come back soon." Kakashi spoke before Sasuke gave a final nod and exited out of the house.

"So, how did it go?" Kiba asked as soon as his friend stepped onto the front porch. Sasuke just shrugged and began his walk home in the dark. Kiba followed silently and saved the questions until they got home.

"Hey Sasuke." Kiba called out once they entered the apartment. Sasuke didn't answer right away. He quickly shed himself of his jacket and hung it up on the hook nearby. Kiba awaited acknowledgment and slung his coat along the back of the couch.

"What is it?"

"Maybe you should….Well, maybe it's time you visited your parents." He hesitantly suggested. Sasuke's breath hitched for a few seconds before he responded.

"That's impossible and you know it! They're dead…" The raven quickly walked away not wanting the subject to go any further. Unfortunately though he was halted to a stop when Kiba grabbed a hold of his wrist.

"You know what I mean..Go to their graves. Seriously Sasuke, you haven't been there since the incident. You wouldn't go the last time I suggested it so why not now? It might help with all that is going on right now."

"How the hell will that help anything?!" Sasuke pulled his arm away and stepped away from Kiba.

"Sasuke wait!" Kiba rushed to block the raven from opening his bedroom door earning an icy glare in return.

"Just go, talk to them. Trust me." Sasuke looked at his friend with a saddened expression. "I can go with you if you want." Kiba tried to comfort, stepping away from the bedroom door.

"No, I'll just go sometime soon on my own time."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah.."

"Promise me you will go."

"…Alright.."

"Alright what?" Kiba raised a brow towards Sasuke. He just rolled his eyes and opened up his door. "Hn, fine you win. I promise I will go."

"Go where?" Kiba pressed.

"You know me too well." Sasuke sighed.

"That's the point. I won't let you out of this so easily."

"Fine fine. I promise I'll go to my parent's grave." He sighed in defeat.

"Thank you." Kiba smiled victoriously. Sasuke took one last glance back at his friend and smirked before closing the door.

It's been twenty minutes since Naruto's phone call of his terrible news about Iruka. Gaara, Neji, and Chouji found Iruka's body and was trying to figure out what they should do next. They were so horrified by the sight, they had no idea how to go about things. They never imagined in a million years that their leader would be brought down in such a violent way. It was unbelievable.

'…Oh, and Gaara, I won't be here when you arrive. I have something that I have to take care of..'

They have been friends for years, and Gaara hated it when Naruto would pull a stunt like this. How stupid could Naruto be, running off like that in the dark of night. After what happened to Iruka, Gaara was kind of surprised that he would run off somewhere knowing that the killer is most likely still out there. Naruto was usually more sensible than that.

Gaara sighed impatiently and finally spoke. "You know what…I need you two to deal with the body, I'm going to look for Naruto."

"Look, we already have one member dead and one missing, we don't need you added onto the list." Neji told him.

"I'm not leaving my best friend out there! You are not going to stop me from finding him."

"I kind of agree with Gaara on this." Stated Chouji. "Just let him go."

"Fine.." Neji sighed.

"I'll keep my phone on in case you need to call me about something." The redhead informed. "Also, I need you to arrange a private funeral for tomorrow. It's the least that we can do." Gaara glanced over at Iruka's body, which was covered in a light blanket that they had brought with them. Neji and Chouji simply nodded and Gaara headed off down the street in search for Naruto.

"Naruto…..Naruto.." Iruka's voice filled Naruto's ears. He kept turning around in the dark room, looking for Iruka. Yet he was nowhere to be found.

"Iruka, where are you?" He began to panic. He wanted to see him again but every time he turned around, nothing would be there. His chest tightened even more in pain at each second that passed.

"Please Iruka….Don't leave me here.." His eyes began to water as the realization of being left alone in this hateful world hit him like a ton of bricks. It hurt so bad knowing that he was gone..Forever. Iruka was like a second father to him, even when his father was still alive.

"Don't leave me alone.." Tears streaked down his cheeks as he knelt on the ground.

"Naruto…Naruto wake up."

"Iruka..?" Cerulean orbs slowly opened, his vision blurry. All that he could see was a hazy figure looming above him. Things were slowly coming back to normal, the figure's facial features becoming more apparent. The scar across the nose, tanned skin and dark eyes. It was Iruka. He was alive, and everything that had happened that night was all just a horrible nightmare. A smile appeared on Naruto's face.

"Iruka…I'm so glad you're here."

"What are you talking about? It's me, Gaara."

"What..?" He blinked a few times and began to see the smiling Iruka slowly fade away. Gaara was starting to take his place, his green eyes staring at Naruto's unfolding confusion.

"You were passed out and.."

"You mean.." Naruto glanced around, observing his surroundings. Tall buildings, brick walls, a clear night sky with a full moon luminating over the city. His clothes were drenched and cuts and bruises lay all over his body.

He carefully sat up and looked over at Gaara. The events of the night replaying in his mind, and none of it was a dream. It was all very real.

"Naruto..I'm so sorry."

"…Gaara." His eyes were watering again. He couldn't hold it in any longer, it was too much for him to bear. He quickly wrapped his arms around Gaara and sobbed into his chest. Gaara wasn't too sure about what to do, so he just allowed Naruto to cry.

"I..I couldn't save him. I was too late..!" Tears were already streaming down his face. His sobs were loud and so full of pain. Gaara knew how close those two were, but he never imagined that this was how Naruto would react to his death. But, his death was sudden so that definitely added to it.

"It's all my fault…I let this happen. How could I be so stupid..!"

"Naruto, it's not your fault. None of us could have predicted that this would happen." Gaara tried to console him.

"How can you say that it isn't my fault! If I never would have let him go, then he would still be here." His chest heaved as another sop threatened to escape from his throat. He clung onto Gaara's shirt tightly as the tears continued to flow.

"You shouldn't blame yourself Naruto. Iruka wouldn't want that."

Naruto didn't respond, his cries were slowly subsiding. He did have to agree with Gaara on that note though. Yet he couldn't help but blame himself for Iruka's death.

"C'mon Naruto, let's get home, everyone is worried." Naruto nodded in agreement and carefully stood to his feet, Gaara assisting him.

The sky was grey and a light breeze blew though out the field and through the trees. People dressed in black sat in chairs and quietly spoke to one another as they waited for the ceremony to begin.

Iruka's funeral was the very next day. The night before, no one had gotten that much sleep at all. Especially Naruto. There was a lot of work to be done.

Naruto stood next to an old oak tree right behind the small group of chairs. The rest of the Kyuubi gang was here in Iruka's honor. Chouji, Neji, Hinata, Gaara, Tenten and Sakura. The priest that was there was one of Chouji's old friends. Chouji had called him up last night and told him to swear to secrecy to not tell anyone of the incident that happened that night. Kyuubi didn't want to have any of the police involved in this. Not that they would do much of anything, they just didn't want any more problems than they already have.

Naruto leaned against the tree and gazed out at the cemetery. There were flowers laid out on some of the tombstones, showing that people still came to visit here every once in a while. It was hard to imagine that this was going to be Iruka's final resting place.

"Naruto.." The blond lost his train of thought when he heard the voice. He turned to see Sakura standing there.

"Oh, hey Sakura." He smiled and hugged her tightly. Sakura stared up at him sympathetically.

"I'm so sorry Naruto. Are you feeling any better today?"

"Eh, a little. I'm sore all over though." He shrugged.

"I bet. You were out all night fighting with some random person in the streets."

"Not just any random person. Sasuke Uchiha from the Sharingan gang. He knew about Iruka's death."

"So you're saying that it was Sharingan that did this?" Sakura asked. Naruto looked at her, seriousness showed in his eyes.

"Yes, Sharingan have been after us for a long time. They killed my father and wanted to kill me bit never did. There is no doubt that they would do this. Either Sasuke killed him or he was there when it happened." He explained.

"I think you are right Naruto.." Sakura paused and looked at the rest of the gang sitting in the chairs set in front of Iruka's casket. "We are all going to miss him. You and Iruka were just so close.."

"You don't know how close we were. Nothing will ever be the same without him here."

"Wait a minute, Naruto!"

"What?" Naruto looked at her.

"Wouldn't that make you the new leader?" Sakura proclaimed.

"Uh…" Naruto was at a loss for words. 'Shit! I never realized that!' He ran a hand through his golden hair in frustration. "Fuck."

"What? What's wrong?"

"Huh, oh its nothing." He shook his head and looked away, his mind racing over the new responsibility that has been placed on his shoulders. He was only eighteen years old and already a gang leader.

"Well, it couldn't be that bad, could it..?" Naruto didn't respond.

"Okay everyone. Shall we get started?" The priest spoke up and signaled for some of the people to sit down. Sakura and Naruto followed suit and sat down in the front row. Everyone stopped their quiet speaking and looked up at the priest, waiting for what was about to be said.

"We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of Iruka Umino. He was a well respected leader that everyone loved and adored. Last night his life was stolen from him by Kyuubi's well known enemy. What I would like for everyone to do, is to take a moment of silence and prayer." Out of respect, everyone bowed their heads and sat quietly as the moment of silence began. The silence seemed to last an eternity for Naruto. All that was heard were the birds chirping and the rustling branches and leaves.

Naruto sat hunched over in his chair, both hands shielding his sight from everything around him. His eyes were focused on the green grass beneath him. He glanced over at Iruka's closed casket and sighed quietly to himself. ' How did it come to this…I don't understand..'

"Okay, now beforehand Naruto Uzumaki has offered to say a few words." He gestured to the blond. "If you will."

Naruto scratched his head and nervously replied. " Yes sir." He stood from his chair and advanced to the stand.

"Well, uh…I'm not all too sure what I should say really." He looked out at the rest of the gang sitting before him, listening carefully.

"Iruka Umino, not only was he our leader, but he was like a father. To me, and to the rest of you. He took care of all of us and made sure that we were all safe. Ever since my father died, he was always there for me and he made me forget about the pain that I had. When I was young he would take me to the Ichiraku House for Ramen, or to the park so I could play with some of you guys." He motioned towards the gang and smiled.

"And he also helped me out with my first serious crush in the fifth grade." He chuckled. " But most of all, he kept us safe and sound no matter what. There are times where I don't even think of us as a gang, but as a family. And Iruka made it that way. Without saying it, you knew he loved us as if we were his family. We are his family no matter what." Naruto sighed and looked down briefly.

"Last night, after he left, I knew that there was something wrong. I went out to look for him hoping and praying that everything was okay. But then..I heard him scream off in the distance." Naruto's voice started cracking as recalling those events. The gang watched and listened intently. Some of the girls tried so hard not to cry as they watched Naruto's painful expressions. This was the first time that he was explained all that happened last night.

"I…I knew right then..That everything was about the fall apart. I don't ever want to hear anyone..scream like that ever again.." The blond paused for a couple of seconds to regain his composure.

"And then seeing him…" His voice hitched and he looked down. Sakura couldn't bear to watch him, but she did anyway, her face emotionless. Stray tears rolled down from her eyes.

"I'm..I'm going to miss him so much…Iruka..I know my father would be proud of both Iruka and I. My father trusted him and knew that he would take great care of me and raise me the way he most likely would have. Even I'm proud of him for making my life what it is today. We are all proud of him, and we're all going to miss him..so much.

I was speaking with Sakura just a few moments ago and she made me realize something. Now, since Iruka is..away, then that makes me the new leader of Kyuubi. I'm not too sure how to go about all of this. I wasn't even really expecting to be the leader this soon. Even though I knew I would be if something were to happen to Iruka. I just wanted to let all of you know about that..I'm not sure what else I should say, but I hope that Iruka is in a better place than this dreadful earth.." Naruto bowed and started back to his seat. The rest of the gang clapped in respect for the new leader.

The second the blond was seated, Sakura clasped her hand with his and looked at him. A slight appreciating smile appeared on her face.

"You did great Naruto.." She whispered.

"Thank you." He quickly planted a kiss on her cheek and faced forward as the priest resumed the remainder of the sermon.

Naruto gave a sigh, trying to calm his senses. But t seemed like the most difficult thing was knowing that Iruka was laying lifeless in the coffin. He could imagine him sleeping peacefully in there, almost as if he was still alive. But it was only after a few seconds that the image of Iruka laying in a pool of fresh blood would pop up and numb his mind.

Sakura's green eyes shifted to Naruto's direction, analyzing carefully the emotions on his face.

' Poor Naruto…They were so close..'

She noticed the hint of affliction hidden within the depths of those blue eyes. Yet, he tried his best to conceal the feelings of guilt, anger, and sadness with seriousness.

Feeling a pair of eyes upon him, Naruto looked at the pink haired girl next to him with questioning eyes.

"What is it?"

"Sakura shook her head. "No no, it's nothing." She grasped his hand tighter, reassuringly, telling him that everything was going to be alright.

"Hey Naruto, are you sure you are going to be okay?" Gaara asked standing outside the apartment with the rest of the Kyuubi gang.

"Yeah, don't worry about me." The corners of his mouth curled slightly.

"Well okay then. Just call whenever you need something okay?"

"Don't worry Gaara. There won't be any need to do that." He lied. Naruto knew that he wouldn't be able to last very long in a home filled with so many memories. But hey, at least he can give it a try.

Gaara placed his hands in his sweatshirt pockets and spoke. "Well you guys ready to go then?" The Hyuuga cousins, Tenten, and Chouji nodded in agreement. However Sakura stood there with a look of dismay as she stared at Naruto reach his door.

"Sakura, aren't you coming?" Tenten asked.

"I'm worried about Naruto though…" Naruto looked at her knowing beforehand that she would say something like this sooner or later.

"Sakura dear, I'm fine. There is no need to worry. If I need anything I will call. Just go hang out with Tenten, keep your mind busy." He suggested. Sakura's eyes began to swell with fresh tears. She couldn't take it any longer. It felt like the whole world and everything on it was being torn apart.

"Oh Naruto…!" The now crying girl ran into him tightly wrapped her arms around him.

"-sigh- She's going through one of those overly emotional acts again..T.T" Tenten spoke inwardly. Sakura's sobs were almost endless and uncontrollable. But she couldn't help it, she had to let it out now or it will get worse later on.

"Uh, Sakura.." Naruto was speechless. There wasn't much he could do, except hug her back and make her feel safe until the crying seized. And when they had some other things to take care of at the moment.

Sakura chuckled a bit and wiped her eyes, apologizing for her rudeness. "I'm sorry for holding you guys up. But you could have gone without me. I would have caught up."

"No, no its fine now Sakura. So are you ready to go now?" Asked Gaara. The girl nodded.

"Okay." He smiled. After a quick kiss, Sakura turned and left with the gang.

Naruto sighed as he stepped into his apartment. The familiar scent of his and Iruka's home greeted his senses. The place was clean and appeared spotless. Last night when him and Gaara finally came home, they had Naruto try to get some sleep while the rest do their part and clean up. It was the least they could do.

His eyes roamed over the living room and in the kitchen. He found everything in its correct place, yet everything was out of order. Iruka was gone and Naruto had to live alone in this apartment.

He draped his coat on the arm of the couch and chose to sit down. He wanted to keep his mind occupied so he turned on the television. As the television played, Naruto told himself that he could do this, that he could live without Iruka. All he had to do was keep his mind busy. However, it was impossible. The uzumaki's mind was corrupted with memories of what hims and Iruka did together over the years. How could he possibly keep his mind busy with useless items for the years to come?

A sigh of frustration escaped from the blond and turned off the T.V. He already knew this wasn't going to work in the first place, but he didn't seem to care one bit.

Naruto sat there in the silent filled room. Blue eyes staring at random things until the path his eyes took led him to a framed photo on the end table next to him. He looked at it for a second and picked it up to get a closer look.

In the photo, there was Iruka, Arashi and five year old Naruto. Naruto was sat atop Arashi's shoulders and Iruka stood with his arm draped over Arashi's back, a dorky grin plastered on his face. Naruto rose to his feet and turned away from the living room without tearing his longing gaze away from the picture. His heart wrenched as his gaze lifted and stopped at Iruka's bedroom door. He took a few steps forward and grasped the doorknob. He took a deep breath before finally stepping inside.

It was like everything was in slow motion as his eyes roamed around the room before him. He took a few steps inside looking around and taking everything in. He never paid much attention to the space Iruka occupied. All the things he owned were a symbol his past. Naruto knew this to be true, but never really took into account of what everything meant.

The brown teddy bear that sat on the shelf next to the window was from Naruto when he was seven years old. Him and Iruka had gone to the yearly festival and played some of the games that were there. Iruka had paid for Naruto to play this one particular game because the boy wanted one of the teddy bears. When he won the prize, he gave the stuffed animal to Iruka with a grin. To this day, Naruto still remembers the exact words that was spoken to him.

' Thank you so much Naruto. When we get home I shall this in a safe place for the years to come.'

A wry smile appeared on his face as he recalled the fond memory. He set the photo down on the desk and reached for the bear. He held it in both hands and stared at it with a serene gaze. Naruto looked into the depths of the marble eyes and lost himself in the peace that washed over him. It was as if all his worries had vanished into a black void of nothing. He had entirely forgotten about the problems that were going on in life right now and was immersed in the pleasures of the past.

However the peaceful feeling had vanished just as fast as it had appeared. And that's when the smiled faded as fresh tears flooded form blue orbs.

"Iruka..!" The stuffed animal was clenched to his chest and Naruto collapsed to his knees. Uncontrolable sobs escaped from his mouth and filled the room. He sat hunched over, crushing the teddy bear closer to himself wanting to be close to something that was somewhat real.

'How could I have let this happen..! I was too late…!'His mind was scattered and it felt like a vise was growing tighter and tighter around his heart. His chest heaved as he cried out.

"I couldn't save you Iruka!..I didn't make it in time..! Its all my fault.."

His face was stained with tears and he was far from calming down. Naruto's palms began to perspire and his body shook with pain at the loss. How was he going to survive? Iruka was everything in Naruto's life. He spent almost every waking moment with him. Whether it was with the gang or with just the two of them. The thought of living a future without him was almost too much to bear.

Naruto opened his eyes completely for the first time in what seemed like forever. The room around him appeared as if it were spinning violently. He didn't know what to do. He knew that if he even tried to stand and regain his composure, he would just fall back to his knees.

This was the only thing he could do right now. He fell over onto his side, bringing the teddy bear along with him. Naruto lay there huddled in a tight shivering ball. He continued to cry some more until he was fast asleep in Iruka's bedroom floor.

It was sometime later than Naruto awoke laying in Iruka's bed. The teddy bear laid next to him. Dispite all the pain that still burned deep inside him, Naruto wasn't crying. He sat up a little confused as to how the hell he ended up laying in the bed. He scratched the back of his head and then wiped his eyes of the dry tears.

Just then, the door was pushed open and a redheaded Gaara walked in with a glass of water.

"Oh, good you're awake."

"G..Gaara? What are you doing here?"

"I was a bit worried so I stopped by to check on you. After I saw that this door was open I came in a saw you laying on the floor. So I set you on the bed." He explained handing Naruto the glass of water.

"Thanks.." He mumbled taking the glass.

"I know how hard this must be for your Naruto.. But you shouldn't worry. You'll get through this."

Naruto knew that his best friend was just trying to cheer him up, but no one could possibly ever know how hard it was for him.

Gaara sat down next to him and looked at him. Naruto just simply stared into the glass, not once taking a single sip.

"Hmm..Naruto."

"Yes?"

"How about I stay here for a few days? Or at least until I know that you're feeling better."

Naruto was shocked as he looked at his friend. He hadn't even thought of that idea. Maybe this will work, Maybe Naruto will be able to live the way he used to. It Gaara was here looking out for him, then everything might turn out alright after all.

"Would you really do that Gaara?"

A smile of recognition greeted Naruto. "Of course blondie! What are friends for?" He patted Naruto's shoulder and watched as a weak smiled shown. "Okay, that'll be great."


Ayame: Whoo! Finally done with the newest chapter. It took us a year to update but we are back! Lol :3

Sango:haha god…its been forever since we have officially updated this story. And I hope we continue on. So tell us what you think, review review review :3

Ayame: We also have a new story called The Little Things Give You Away so don't forget to take a look at it! And like Sango-chan said REVIEW!!! XD

..::PREVIEW::..

Sasuke was right, there would be no way two people from opposing gangs could ever have a bond besides hatred. But as they both walked away from each other there thoughts were identical in the realization that they had an accidental friendship and it was there no matter how much they denied it.