a/n: Sorry for the delay. If you hadn't heard already, I wrote a script for a drama CD, which is still on sale. However, if you want to avoid the international shipping cost, I have a few extra copies available. Contact me through the email listed on my profile if interested (U.S. residents only). I'll only charge cost of CD plus enough to ship USPS (28.50).

On Monday, two days before Christmas, Naruto and his dad were driving in the rental car and headed toward the Oakwood Cemetery. He stared out the window, a bouquet of various wildflowers sitting on his lap. It had snowed yesterday, so the ground was covered in a dusting of white. Absently, Naruto hummed, and, blowing hot air against the glass, traced the letter K.

"If you don't have any plans tonight," said Minato. "I thought we could do dinner somewhere. Your choice."

"I was gonna meet Kiba," he mumbled. "But not until later."

"If you want to stay longer, Naruto, I can always change your flight."

"It's fine." Naruto wiped away the sentimental doodles on the window. "I was thinkin' about somethin' else, though. If it's alright with you."

"What might that be?"

They were pulling into the entrance to the cemetery. The wrought iron gate was swung wide open, but the road leading in was already covered in muddy slush. Others had already paid their respects today, and he couldn't decide if that somehow made this less depressing. He almost wasn't able to answer, so he bit his lip, hoping it would give him time to keep his voice even.

"I, uh, was thinkin' of askin' Gaara to come back for a week. Maybe until New Year's or the day after. If he wants to, I mean."

"Gaara?" Minato repeated. His father wasn't especially fond of him, but he also had no reason to deny Naruto his request either. "His brother and sister are staying here for a while then?"

"A few months, I think, and then they're goin' to stay with some relative in Southern California."

The car moved slowly past gravestones that dated back to the 1800s. On the bigger stones, he read the names, remembering some from the last time they were here.

"If that's what you want." Minato glanced over at him. "You know I won't be around for a couple of days because of that meeting I have to go back to, right?"

"I know. It's not like we're gonna do much except sit around the apartment and play video games."

"Somehow I doubt that, but I'm sure we can get another ticket for him."

"Cool." Naruto smiled for maybe the first time today. "Thanks. I'll text 'em later and see what he thinks."

"You don't want to ask Kiba to visit?"

"I would, but I don't think the two of them get along, and I told Kiba he should come visit during their spring break. If that's okay."

"Sure. I like Kiba. He seems like a good kid," Minato added while pulling up to the plot they were visiting. Beside his mother's grave was a second plot, already paid for by his father.

Not to be morbid, but it made him think about where he would get buried some day and whether or not he wanted to be in the same place as his parents. It didn't look like there would be room.

"What happens if I die before you?" He asked, looking at his mother's snow-covered stone.

"That's not going to happen," Minato said, the skin between his brows wrinkled with concern.

"It could, and where would I go if you already have a grave next to mom?"

"In the unlikely event that would happen, well, you'd take my spot." Minato leaned over and unbuckled his belt. "You're only 17. There's no need for you to worry about things like that."

"Yeah, but mom was young, too. Why'd she have to worry about things like that?" Naruto asked, clutching at the bouquet of flowers.

"Your mother was old enough that she was able to see you grow up," said Minato. "She was happy to see you become a young man. Even though she wanted to be there for you. When you graduate from high school and college, when you get married and have kids."

"I don't even know if I want kids," he muttered. "I think it scares me that somethin' could happen to me, and they'd be alone. Or if I sucked as a dad and somethin' happened to them?"

Minato placed a hand on top of his head, ruffling his hair. "It is difficult. Worrying about your child, but you're pretty responsible for the most part. I know you won't do anything too stupid. Or, well. I at least thought so while you were hanging out with Sasuke."

"Tch." Naruto pushed his dad's hand off. "Do you have to bring him up right now?"

"I would think being here would make you consider how important it is to hold onto the people you care about, Naruto. Don't you think?"

Naruto gave him a scathing look and, opening the door, got out of the car. He didn't want to think about Sasuke, especially not right now. Sasuke, who had no idea about the loss of a close relative, but was already terrified of it enough to kick Naruto out of his life. But, Naruto was the one who was supposed to be the better person? Nah. No, thanks. He was tired of being the guy to fix everything that went wrong between them. Maybe if Sasuke knew what it was like, he'd be more grateful of what he did have. Then again, all the more reason for Naruto to walk away and let Sasuke do whatever he needed to do regarding his family situation. He'd been in Illinois five days already and hadn't heard from him once. Most of Sunday he'd spent recovering from a slight hangover thanks to Temari and Kankurou encouraging him to drink after that busted up party on Saturday night. He remembered passing out in Gaara's sister's bed until she kicked him out because he kept waking up to vomit into her waste basket.

It began to snow again as Naruto walked up to his mother's headstone. He wiped away the snow with his glove and crouched in front it to read her name. Gingerly, he traced the letters and dates with his fingertips.

"Hi, mom," he said, placing the bouquet in the holder next to the grave so they'd stay upright. "Brought you some flowers. Some of your favorites are in here. I asked the lady for somethin' bright and wild since it gets pretty drab here during the winter, y'know?"

Naruto could hear his dad approaching. The older man placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Kushina," he said. "We're home."

He couldn't help it. Naruto started to cry. If his dad wasn't here, he would've curled up in front of his mom and stayed there, talking to her all afternoon and telling her all about Seattle. It was weird because, almost from the day she died, he was always talking to her. Out loud or in his head, but, being here - either because he was in Joliet or because her body was buried beneath this ground - it felt like he was closer to her somehow. He almost wanted to tell his dad to go away, but it's not like he didn't know this was hard for him, too. He probably wanted his own time to talk to his wife. Naruto knew that the reason his dad threw himself into work was because it meant less time to think about mom. Whether or not being with him also made his dad feel bad, he couldn't say for sure, but he thought it sometimes. Like maybe seeing him was too hard for his dad. He didn't know, and, honestly, they hardly ever talked about her. Naruto thought about her a lot, but there were times when he didn't want to think about it, so maybe he should understand instead of getting angry. For a while, his temper had been pretty mellow, but lately, it was almost like how it was for him in the months directly after she died. Luckily, he hadn't broken any windows, though. At least not yet. He made a fist with his hand, the one he'd cut that day.

"You're not too cold, are you?" His dad asked.

"I'm fine."

"I'm going to visit a couple of other graves," said Minato. "If you'd like some time alone with your mom."

Naruto gazed up at his dad. "You don't wanna talk to her?"

"To tell you the truth," his dad smiled sadly, "I've already been here, every day since we arrived in Joliet."

"What, why didn't you take me?"

"I would've if you wanted to go," he said, "But you had plans, too, and we'd decided to come together today. You're welcome to take the car if you'd like to come back."

"Jeez, dad. You don't have to be sneaky about it." Naruto scowled. "Yeah, if you don't mind. I wouldn't mind the two of us havin' a chat like the old days if that's okay."

"Of course that's okay, Naruto." His dad gave him a pat on the head and, sticking his hands into his coat pockets, wandered away to visit whoever he needed to visit.

Naruto sat down on the snow, his legs crossed underneath him. He picked up some snow and tried to roll it into a snowball, but it wasn't anything but powder so it wouldn't pack. For a while, he traced his finger in the snow, making a variety of figure eights.

"So, uh. I guess you've seen what's happened over the past year, huh? Dad and I are in Seattle because, I dunno. I guess he thought we'd be happier there. I would've been fine here, though. It's not like I needed to get away from you to be happy or anything, and I think I would've been fine at school. It's been good hangin' out with the people here. Really, mom."

He cleared his throat, glancing over at the traffic passing over a bridge not far from the cemetery.

"I've made some friends in Seattle, too. Good friends. I guess… you'd be surprised about some of them, huh? I'm sure you know who I'm talkin' about. I hope you don't… I mean." Naruto bit his lip, his gaze falling to the ground, "I hope you're not disappointed… I don't think you would be, 'cause I know you'd want me to be happy, and I'm not sayin' I'm happy now, but, uh… The thing is, mom." Looking up, he touched his fingers to her stone. "The week before you died, we had that talk… I didn't wanna have it, but you wanted to talk about the future. What kind of girl you wanted me to date or end up with, how she should be like you… what I mean to say is… I fell in love with a boy, and I hope you don't think that's weird? That's not weird, right? He's kind of an asshole, which I know you wouldn't like, but, yeah, maybe I feel sorry for him. I'm also really mad at him right now, and I didn't mean to start talkin' about this, but I guess - dad's kinda bad at this stuff, mom." He sniffled and wiped a tear off of his cheek. "He doesn't know, though. What's to tell? I thought if Sasuke and I started datin', I would. Sometimes I think he knows, but I dunno… I guess I should ask about you? Is… Heaven cool? Is it boring? Do you hang out at the apartment sometimes? Sometimes I think you move things around, but I'm also pretty clumsy and forgetful, so it could also be that I'm the one doin' that. I guess I'm… hopeful… ah…"

Naruto pulled up the hood of his coat and, with both hands, pinched it in toward his nose so that only his eyes were visible. He cried for a little while, angry and sad because his mom was just this dumb stone now who couldn't talk back and he wanted to talk to her so bad!

"Uh, what else." He gave a heavy sigh when he'd regained some composure. "My grades weren't bad last year and now they kinda suck. I have this English teacher who's a real dick to me sometimes. He kinda gets on my nerves. There's this nurse lady who's also a counselor, and I like her a lot, and her assistant. Oh, and the principal. I like Sasuke's brother a lot and his friends. I have this friend, Sai. He's a really good friend, ma. Like, he can be pretty blunt, but he always takes good care of me. I should call him tonight."

He set his elbow on his knee, cradling his cheek in his hand as he drew some more in the snow.

"There are some girls I like, too. I dated some. There's a new girl, but I haven't called her. She's got reddish hair that's not as bright as yours. She seemed kinda fun and wild, so maybe she's the kinda girl you'd want me to be with? I dunno anymore."

Naruto piled some of the snow into a small hill, trying to then form it into a pyramid before smashing it with his fist.

"I think you'd say to not worry about that stuff, though. I probably just need to be alone for a while. No reason I couldn't be friends with Rin. It's kinda weird she knows Sasuke."

When some snowflakes landed on his cheek, Naruto looked up at the sky and watched the snow fall slowly to the ground. Some of the flakes twirled as if they were dancing, which was funny because there was hardly any wind at all. A few flakes landed on his right knee.

"I guess… rather than me… would it be possible for you to watch over him? I feel like I can take care of myself even if I have my bad days, but Sasuke… I feel like no one watches over him. I mean, his brother does almost obsessively. It's just… he's hard on himself. I don't know why he's suddenly changed or what he's thinking… I know I'm the one who got the wrong idea, but… if we drift apart or whatever, it'd be nice if you were still watchin' over him. Is that okay?"

Naruto scooted a little closer, close enough that he could press both hands flat to her gravestone.

"Mom," he said, his voice cracking. "I love you. I hope you aren't sad we aren't here, but I'm comin' back. I really liked that college, and… maybe Seattle isn't the place for me? I dunno what to do. I'm… kinda tired… and… I'm getting angry again like I did after you died. Gaara's comin' back home with me. I just… feel like I need someone around. Someone I can trust, someone who knows me, but I don't… I haven't been feelin' real great lately, mom. I - it's hard. I'm not mad at you, though. I was never mad at you. In case you're worried. But… I wanna know you're watchin' me." He laughed and, his nose running, wiped at it with his glove. "Maybe not all the time 'cause I don't wanna traumatize you, but… in the general sense, heh. I'm sure you remember what it was like to be young, eh? When you and dad first met and all that."

Naruto pulled his knees to his chest, setting his chin on top of them. He wrapped his arms around himself and shut his eyes.

"It's gettin' cold. I wonder if dad's comin' back. Maybe he left me behind, too…?"

For a while, he rested his head, rocking back and humming a few lines of "House of the Rising Sun" until his dad finally returned.

"Did you two have a nice talk?" Minato asked. "We can come back again before we go home. If you'd like."

"We should come on Christmas," he replied, his face still buried in his arms. "Would it be weird to open presents here?"

"A little," Minato answered. "But we can do that if you'd like. We left most of the presents at home, but I might have one or two for you to open."

"Kinda weird not havin' a tree."

"We can get one."

Naruto lifted his head to look up at his dad. "It's okay. You don't have to try and make it feel normal or anything. I think it'd be weirder if we did that. I dunno. No offense."

Minato frowned but didn't say anything. Instead, he held out his hand for him to take. He stared it it for a few seconds before grabbing hold of it and allowing himself to be pulled up. Minato put his arm around Naruto's shoulders, and they took a few last moments to stand in front of the grave. Then they went back to the car. It was a terrible feeling to drive away from her. It sucked to know that she couldn't come with them, it sucked to know he'd never see her again, couldn't have her respond to his questions or hug him when he was sad, and it was unfair -

To get his mind off of it, he pulled out his phone, barely able to see the screen because his eyes kept watering. He texted Gaara about coming to Seattle but didn't expect a response right away since he actually had to text Kankurou since Gaara didn't have a phone.

Naruto wondered if he could handle hanging out with Kiba tonight. Kiba was an upbeat and cheerful guy, which Naruto usually liked... and it might be good for him, but not if he was going to drag Kiba down. Well, he could make a decision later but couldn't think of a decent excuse to bail. They were only going to hang out at Kiba's house and play some video games, maybe watch a movie. Kiba's mom was funny, and he also had this really hot sister who was studying to be a veterinarian at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. It made him remember that one night and how he'd suggested Sasuke could go there since it's such a good school. It wasn't more than 90 minutes away. Oh well. They were on different paths now.

His dad turned on the radio to a local rock station, smack in the middle of "House of the Rising Sun." Looking out the window, Naruto smiled. Then he laughed. He rubbed at his eyes, crying while laughing. If there'd been a breakable window nearby, he would've run his fist through it.

A couple days before Christmas, the entire Uchiha family went out to a nice dinner. Afterward, Itachi took off for a party at a friend's, and Sasuke's mother wanted to make a trip to one of the outlet malls close to their house for some last-minute shopping. He was surprised his father decided to go considering he didn't like shopping or crowds. Perhaps Sasuke inherited that from him because he also would've preferred to head home. The parking lot was packed, but his father was able to find a space near the end of a row. It was lightly snowing as it had been all day. Dinner had put him in a moderately decent mood since everyone was getting along. Itachi and his father had fought twice since his brother's arrival. It wasn't atypical, but it did make everyone tense.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had spent more time with his father than usual lately. Not having any shows (and not spending his spare time with Naruto) meant they were talking more, too. Not about anything significant, but it made him feel better to see his father doing well. He looked healthier than a month ago. He laughed and smiled more. Meanwhile, Sasuke had always been close with his mother. She was kind, beautiful, generous, and patient. These, possibly, were all qualities he lacked, looks aside. He was indifferent to his physical appearance, but he knew he wasn't bad looking. If it helped him in certain situations then so be it.

While walking between his parents toward the mall entrance, he kept hearing that one woman's voice in his head. The one who'd answered Naruto's phone. Since then, he'd barely refrained from unfollowing Naruto from all of his social media. Instead, he did everything he could to avoid it: muting, blocking, whatever so long as it meant he wouldn't have to see his face or what he was up to every night in Illinois. It shouldn't surprise him if he was off having sex now.

"Did you hear what I said, Sasuke?" Mikoto asked, shaking him out of his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what did you say, mother?"

"You've been brooding a lot. Hasn't he, dear?" She asked Fugaku.

"No more than usual, I expect," answered his father. "He is a teenager. I remember what I was thinking about at his age."

"I know it wasn't girls," said Mikoto. "You were so focused on your schoolwork. It was your parents who forced you to go on marriage interviews. I remember your mother thought you might never get married if she didn't intervene."

"I didn't see the point if I wasn't able to financially support a family yet. When I had the means, then it all ended up working out as it should." Fugaku grabbed for his wife's hand.

Sasuke, while happy his parents loved each other and were still so affectionate, always had conflicting feelings when the topic of dating, girls, and marriage came up since, inevitably, it would lead to questions about his own love life (or lack thereof).

"Sasuke's like I was at his age, although I didn't have hobbies since I had to help my father with his store. Itachi, too, has always been very focused on his studies."

"We have two very wonderful boys," Mikoto remarked.

"All thanks to you," Fugaku replied. "A mother's love has more influence than anything a father can possibly do."

Mikoto giggled. "Oh, dear. Why are you saying such nice things? It's not like we'll be going home to an empty house. Sasuke, why don't you have any plans for tonight?"

"Gross," he said. "I'm right here, mother."

"How do you think you were born?" She asked him teasingly.

"Mikoto," said Fugaku. "That's hardly appropriate to talk about in front of him."

"Sasuke's 17," she said, patting her husband on the arm. "I'm sure he knows more about all these things than we give him credit for."

"Mother," Sasuke said. "I'm thinking two glasses of wine is your limit."

"Don't be silly." Mikoto tugged at the back of his jacket. "I want you to help me pick out something for Itachi. Your father also has some secret shopping to do that he won't tell me about, so I'm afraid you're going to be stuck with me."

"Should we meet in the center court at say," Fugaku checked his watch. "Around 8.00?"

"I think we can get everything we need by then," Mikoto replied, taking Sasuke by the arm. "Are you going to buy me jewelry? Diamonds perhaps?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you," said his father. "Sasuke, take care of your mother, and make sure she doesn't go overboard."

"Yes, sir." Sasuke watched as his father waved goodbye and headed toward the opposite end of the mall.

While they strolled past the shops, his mother was smiling and making comments about the Christmas decorations and recounting the decorations as she remembered them in Japan. Sasuke liked hearing these stories. His mother always spoke of her childhood and time living Japan with such a sense of fondness that he sometimes wondered if she wanted to return.

"Mother," he said. "If the opportunity came up, would you want to move back to Japan?"

"Why do you ask?" She hugged him closer. "I like living in Seattle, don't you?"

"I do, but it's the only home I've known. You always talk as though you miss living there. That's all."

"You're such a sensitive young man," Mikoto replied. "You worry a lot about others, don't you?"

"Not especially."

She laughed. "You and Itachi are both so witty, but your older brother's sense of humor is so much more quirky, isn't it?"

"Quirky?" He repeated. "Itachi's sense of humor is very dry and sadistic if that's what you mean. Sometimes it's almost disturbing."

"Oh, I know you love him! You always have. I remember watching your chubby little baby butt as you'd chase him down the hallway without your diaper."

"Is it a mother's job to constantly remind their offspring of embarrassing moments as they get older?" He was definitely going to cut her off the next time she ordered alcohol with dinner.

"Everyone was a baby once," she said, tsking him. "You were such a cute baby, too! All the ladies who saw you thought you were a girl. You had thick, dark hair and the loveliest round cheeks. Who would've guessed you'd grow up to be so handsome?"

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He asked, though he was smiling.

"I think so. You were cute as a baby, and cute as a young man."

"I'm not sure cute is a term most men want to be referred to as," he replied.

"I'm your mother, I birthed you, so if I want to call you cute, I will!" She pinched his cheek much to his annoyance. "We're going in here."

Suddenly, Sasuke was dragged into a men's clothing store.

"Don't you think Itachi has plenty of clothes already?" He asked.

"I'm not shopping for Itachi. There's something in here that made me think of Naruto."

She left his side, and he was suddenly struck dumb with anger. Was she really going to buy something for Naruto despite knowing they weren't getting along, or the fact he'd even asked her to stop bringing him up? Why? What was the point? Just because Naruto didn't have a mother, didn't mean that -

Didn't mean that he needed to make his own mother feel obligated to treat him like a son.

He continued browsing through the store, a scowl on his face. Most of these clothes didn't look like Naruto. More often than not, Naruto dressed casually outside of school in jeans and a t-shirt or a hoodie. Unless he was working out. With nothing else to do, he headed toward the accessories, where there was a collection of hats, including the type of beanies Naruto always wore. He took one off its display hook and glared at it. Sasuke could see him in this. Could see the way his blond bangs would poke out from underneath, and the way his blue eyes would stand out against his tan skin.

"That's darling."

Sasuke blinked when he heard his mother's voice. She was standing right next to him, and he hadn't even noticed.

"That looks just like the ones Naruto wears, doesn't it? What do they call them? Beanies?"

"I have no idea." He set it back on the hook, but she picked it right back up.

"I was going to get him a scarf, but I think I should get him this, too," she insisted. "He always looks so handsome when he wears them. He's the spitting image of his father. Imagine what he'll look like when he gets older! He is going to have all the girls chasing him when he goes to college, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't know," he replied curtly.

"Sasuke," she scolded. "I know you two are having some kind of fight, but it won't last forever. How can you be so angry at him? I'm going to get this, I'll be right back."

Abruptly, he grabbed her by the arm. "You don't have to do that. You don't have to try so hard just because you feel sorry for him."

"What's gotten into you?" She gave him a disapproving look, but he didn't flinch.

"Don't you think it would make us both uncomfortable if you were to give him something?"

"No, I don't think that because I love Naruto, and I want to get him something special because of that, not because I feel sorry for him. Why are you being like this?"

"People can't stay friends forever," he said.

"Even if you no longer feel you're friends with him, that doesn't change how I feel about Naruto, dear. I hate to tell you this, but the world does not always revolve around you."

"But, do you have to do it while I'm here?" He asked, raising his voice (which he never did to his mother).

"I didn't think you'd act so immature about it, frankly," she replied, and removed her arm from his grip. "What exactly is going on between the two of you that you're speaking this way about someone who we all know has been the closest friend you've ever had?"

"Nothing," he said, glancing away.

"Clearly, it's not 'nothing'. If you don't want to talk about it, then okay, but don't talk poorly of him in front of me. It was just last week you brought him over to the house, didn't you? What's happened between then and now to make you act this way?"

"Maybe Naruto's not the person you think he is," Sasuke muttered.

"What do you mean?" She looked concerned as she placed a hand on her hip in typical mom fashion. "Is he in trouble? Is this something his father should know about?"

"No… it's not like that. At least not that I know of." He shook his head. "Nevermind. You wouldn't understand."

"I might if you talked to me about it. If you want to discuss this when we get home, I really think we should have a talk."

He frowned. "Fine, buy him the hat. I don't care. Spoil him. Everyone else does."

For the first time in his life, he walked away from his mother. He'd always thought, no matter anything he might do, she would always take his side. Everyone, this entire time, had been so quick to defend Naruto and get in his corner. Now, even his mother sided with him. Sasuke didn't have to explain anything to people, and they all just assumed Naruto could do no wrong.

It's not his fault Naruto took so long to realize what his feelings were, and then when he was ready, he just assumed Sasuke would be, too? Even knowing all this time how Sasuke felt about dating and coming out. Yet, he was the bad guy because he kept it all inside so that it wouldn't bother anyone, so that it wouldn't upset his family.

The one time he actually said how he felt, Naruto had to go and throw a fit. The blond acted like he gave a shit about him when he was really just using their fight as an excuse to go be a delinquent and fuck around in Chicago. Everyone always thought Naruto was the golden boy. Well, great. But one day, they would see Naruto had his flaws, too.

The day after Christmas, Naruto, his dad, and Gaara were boarding a flight back to Seattle. To be honest, he was fucking exhausted, not just emotionally but physically, and now he was getting on a plane again when he'd rather get punched in the balls than fly. Since the three of them weren't able to sit together, Naruto sat with Gaara while his dad sat toward the back. Being a nervous flyer, Naruto was antsy in his seat. When he was nervous, he also tended to talk a lot. He even had to grip Gaara's hand during take off. That was his least favorite part. Gaara put up with it, but he did look annoyed. Yeah, well. It was that or he barfed in a bag, so this seemed the best option for now. An hour into the flight, though, he started nodding off. That's how tired he was. Next he woke up, they were already about to start their descent. That was really unusual for him. Their window shade was cracked open halfway. Gaara was next to it, Naruto in the middle, and some guy who hadn't spoken a single word the entire flight was on the aisle.

Feeling less anxious, he leaned over Gaara to look out at the clouds as they began to descend into them. This part made him nervous again because it meant more turbulence. But, it was okay. He'd had a good time in Illinois. It was nice seeing old friends and everything, but he was glad to be going home. Not to mention he'd brought Gaara along and could show off by taking him around the city. He was only sticking around until the day after New Year's.

"So," he said, poking Gaara in the arm. "Where do you wanna go first?"

"It's already late," Gaara replied. "I'm going to bed."

"Huh? Wuddaya mean you're goin' to bed? I wanna show you the city!"

"Naruto. We spent most of the past week together. You drooled on my shoulder. I let you hold my hand. I'm going to take a shower, read a book, and go to bed."

He squinted at his friend. "Are you an old man? Are you tryin' to say you're tired of me already?! We just got here!"

"You know I can only take you in spurts," Gaara said flatly. "Don't you have friends you want to see after being gone for a week? That girlfriend you cheated on maybe?"

"I don't have a girlfriend." He punched him in the arm. "And I didn't cheat on anyone." Naruto lowered his voice. "I didn't even get to finish! It wouldn't count even if I did!"

"That's nothing to brag about." Gaara smirked.

"Asshole. Fine. You can crash in my room, and I'll go find somethin' to do since you're so sick of me." He stuck out his tongue. "Jerk."

"How about when you come back, I'll let you share the bed with me?"

"Really?" He started smiling. "It's 'cause you wanna cuddle, isn't it?"

"Tch. Don't confuse me with my sister, Uzumaki. Like you did this weekend."

"Oh, please." Naruto rolled his eyes. "That was one time!"

"This time you threw up in her garbage can."

"Better than in her bed," he mumbled. "I suppose I wasn't too attractive that night? She was really crabby after I got out of my shower and then kicked me out of her room."

"I wonder why. Did you think she was going to let you sleep with her in her bed?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. But she didn't need to throw my phone at me! She cracked the damn screen protector thing, so now I have to get another one."

"Better than cracking your actual screen. Or your skull." Gaara snickered.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Chuckles. How about you blow me?"

"Nah. Go ask your girlfriend. Oh, or is it a boyfriend? You did keep saying 'them'."

"Huh?" Naruto nearly coughed on the gum he'd been chewing. "Me? With a boyfriend? That's, that's - uh... "

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "No. I'm not having this conversation right now."

"I didn't say anything!"

The ginger-haired teen went back to staring out the window. "Tell me about it tomorrow. I think I need to mentally prepare myself first. Go find someone else to entertain you tonight."

"Aw. Fine, but tomorrow you're gettin' the full tour."

"That's fine."

Naruto fidgeted in his seat, wondering if Gaara was being serious about the boyfriend comment. Even for him it was hard to tell sometimes. He started to peek around to read his expression but ended up receiving a dark glare that scared him back into his upright position. A couple of times since they'd been hanging out, Naruto had wanted to tell him about Sasuke, but couldn't bring himself to talk about their relationship in detail. He didn't want to lie about it, but he'd known Gaara so long that having that talk was going to be really awkward. Was it something they did need to talk about if they were only together a short while? What if he told Gaara, and the other boy was completely disgusted? He didn't think that would happen, but all guys reacted differently to this sort of thing. On top of that, he'd never really talked to anyone about it besides Itachi and his friends. Oh, and Rin. Hm. Now that he was home, should he consider giving her a call? Should he text her? Was she going to be pissed he hadn't contacted her in almost two weeks? Was it too much to think Sasuke might've mentioned to her he was going out of town?

Would it be weird to give her a call and see if she wanted to grab a coffee?

He wasn't sure if he should given that she was friends with Sasuke, but apparently she knew about them and still wanted him to have her number and that t-shirt. It's not like they had to go on a date. He didn't want that anyway. Even though he was mad at Sasuke for continuing to ignore him, Naruto knew he wasn't ready. He still had all these feelings for him. But they could be friends, right? She was easy to talk to and fun. The worst that could happen was for her to shoot his ass down, which she was entitled to do, and he wouldn't blame her.

However, he started to get excited at the thought of her saying yes, though. That reminded him. He had presents for the Uchiha family. Dad even got something for Sasuke, but he wondered how that was going to work. Then again, he wasn't a kid. He could stop by and drop off their gifts or have Itachi pick them up.

"Naruto?"

"Huh?" He snapped out of it when Gaara was leaning into his space. "Too close, dude!"

"You went quiet, so I was afraid you were having a panic attack. You okay?"

"Oh. Yeah. No. I'm fine. I… was thinkin' about stuff, so I forgot we were even flyin'."

"I suppose that's a good thing."

Naruto leaned over to look out the window. He could see parts of the city now. It was dark, but the sun was still fading off in the west, leaving just a trace of light. By the time they got their luggage and hopped on the train into the city, it would be past dinner, but not too late to call Rin, right? Why was he so nervous? It's not like he hadn't asked out girls before. He was good with women, and they'd already spoken before and obviously didn't hate each other, and holy shit, were his palms sweating? How old was he? Was it a sign it wasn't such a good idea?

No. He almost felt like he needed to do this. But, it was all up to her in the end. If she said no, then he'd go bug Sai or his dad, or go bum around by himself. He didn't want to go out to a club, though. He kind of just wanted to chill. Sai wouldn't want to do that, but he did want to see him soon. They'd only been able to talk a few times, not that Sai was great on the phone.

Naruto started thinking about his last phone conversation with Sasuke. Sometimes it had felt so familiar until he remembered he was pissed off at him. It figures Sasuke would act like nothing was wrong and if they talked, it'd all go back to normal and he wouldn't have to apologize. Whatever. Sasuke needed to get over himself. He couldn't even pull an apology out of his ass. Always acting like it would kill him to do it. Fine, be stubborn. Naruto had his other friends. He frowned, gripping the armrests as the plane hit the runway and bounced hard a couple of times. Who did Sasuke have, though? Who'd he been hanging out with this entire week that he hadn't bothered to call or text? There was that night he'd been hanging out with Itachi's friends but couldn't be bothered to text him even though nearly everyone else did, including Deidara, Kimimaro, and Itachi. Naruto could just picture him hiding away in a corner and brooding even though Sasuke knew everyone was talking to him.

Asshole.

That settled it. Now that he could turn on his phone, he'd man up and give Rin a call while they were waiting for their luggage. He'd make himself do it. It'd be like ripping off a band-aid. That way if she turned him down in the worst way possible, he'd get on the train and nothing would've changed. But, if she said yes, then that was a whole other story.

TBC