You guys didn't really tell me who your favorite character in my story is. I'm sad…and thanks to those who did! This chapter is dedicated to you few.

Oh, and some of you are under the impression that I hate Sakura. Well, I don't. I actually like Sakura a lot. She is one of my favorite characters. However, since this is a NaruSasu, Sakura kind of has to be an obstacle in some way shape or form. And as of right now, she is the biggest obstacle for the pair. I guess I made her too much of a villain. But you have to feel sad for her. She is how she is because her mother raised her to be that way. I pity her.

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Chapter 11: Every Heart

Sasuke followed Naruto into the small restaurant. The instant he entered the place, he could smell the different spices and flavored broths all mixed together. Surprisingly, it was slammed busy. Sasuke looked at his watch. It was only eight o'clock. 'Wow, daylight savings time throws me off every time. Besides, I've never got off work so early before.'

Ichiraku was a little more cluttered than most restaurants. It was because there were too many people trying to get in such a little space. That's what stood out the most in Sasuke's mind. It was very small, like trying to fit people and tables into an apartment with 2 bathrooms and it's own kitchen. Even so, many people didn't seem to mind having their tables so close to one another. 'I guess the food is very good.'

A tall woman waitressing for the restaurant with light brown hair saw Naruto and Sasuke come in. The minute she saw Naruto, she stopped what she was doing and gave Naruto a big hug. Naruto kindly hugged her back.

"Naruto-kun! I haven't seen you in here for almost a month." Sasuke noted that in her hands were a pad of paper, a pen, and a handful of tips she must have collected from one of the tables. Naruto and the woman pulled away almost as quickly as they hugged.

"I'm sorry Ayame." Naruto apologized, scratching his head with his hand. "I had a lot to deal with this past month."

Ayame blinked a few times before replying. "What is wrong? Did you and Sakura break up?"

Naruto shook his head quickly. "No, not at all." Naruto wasn't sure how to explain to his old time friend from Ichiraku about what had happened. Hell, Sakura didn't know everything about it and Sasuke only knew little more than half of it. But then again, Naruto found out only this evening that he knew so little about the situations as well. He had no idea about Sasuke and Itachi and Kyuubi; nor did he have any idea about his present girlfriend and what she was going through, so he wasn't one to talk.

However, Ayame was someone that Naruto found he could talk to, she and the owner of the restaurant. "Sakura and I are in the middle of a speed bump." He confessed, not caring that Sasuke was listening in.

"Oh!" Ayame exclaimed. "I'm-I'm so sorry…"

"Well, we're still together and I don't plan to break up with her or anything." Naruto laughed sheepishly. "And I don't think that Sakura is going to break up with me."

Ayame nodded and smiled slightly. "That's…great Naruto! Very good news!" Ayame never had much of a liking to Sakura so she wasn't really sure what to say. Ayame wasn't brave enough to say it to Naruto nor was she able to look Naruto in the face when she thought of it. Letting her eye wander, she finally saw Sasuke standing behind Naruto and she gave him a welcoming grin, thanking god for giving her a reason to change the subject. "Welcome sir, would you like a table?"

Naruto glanced behind at Sasuke and chuckled lightly. "That's Sasuke Ayame! He's with me. He is a new friend of mine." Naruto explained.

Ayame's light brown eyes inspected Sasuke intently. It was almost like there was no one in the room besides Sasuke and Ayame. It wasn't a glare nor was it a kind look, but a puzzled one. With every passing second, Ayame moved closer to the raven subconsciously. She cupped her chin after a few painfully long minutes and said to Naruto, "I think I've seen him in here before."

Sasuke blinked. "I've never been here before." He answered a little too forcefully.

But Ayame wouldn't have it. She knew that she saw him from somewhere. "No, I remember you! You were here with Kyuubi weren't you? It was only a few months ago!" Ayame nodded along with her words, knowing that she was right.

"You were here with Kyuubi?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

Now Sasuke was beginning to lose his patience. That was one of the things that he didn't want Naruto to know. It was too private. "You're mistaken. I've been here only once and it was a few years ago."

Ayame was speechless. She always remembered a face! "Well," she added sheepishly. "You look an awful lot alike." She saw that from where she was standing, Sasuke wasn't budging. She knew that it was him that was with Kyuubi, but she didn't press the matter any further. If he wanted to deny it, then let him. It wasn't her business. "Maybe you're right." She gave him a fake look over, playing along. "Yeah, now that I think about it, you do have some differences."

However, Naruto wasn't as stupid as they perceived him to be. He was still slightly apprehensive of this, but like his friend Ayame, he wasn't going to pressure Sasuke for information on the matter. Not yet anyway. Naruto still didn't believe Kyuubi was only a friend of Sasuke's brother. There was something else between them and Naruto's new mission was to find out what.

"So, what'll you boys have?" Ayame asked after she had them seated at the one open table and pulled out her handy dandy notepad. Sasuke took a quick look over the menu trying to decide what he was going to eat. All they had listed was different types of ramen. 'Figures.' He thought.

Naruto didn't need to see a menu. He practically memorized every one of them by heart and he knew exactly what he wanted. "I'll have the Miso Pork." He answered gleefully.

"With what to drink?" Ayame asked, writing his order down.

"Ramune." Naruto looked at Sasuke sitting across from him, still inspecting his menu. 'What should I get?' he thought.

Ayame nodded and then went to Sasuke. "And what'll you have sir?"

Sasuke took one last glance before he made up his mind. He didn't look up from his menu as he answered her, "The vegetable bowl." Sasuke folded up his menu and handed it to Ayame saying, "With just a water."

Ayame wrote his order down and gave them a smile. "It'll be right up. If you want anything else, just let me know." She gave a quick bow to the boys and left to place in their order.

Naruto didn't know what else to say to Sasuke now that Ayame was gone. It was just the two of them. Suddenly, Naruto felt embarrassed like he usually did on the first date. But Sasuke and him were not on a date. They were simply friends trying to get to know each other better? Well, that was how Naruto saw it anyway. ((A.N// So in denial)). Naruto wasn't sure why he felt so nervous. It wasn't like he wanted to impress Sasuke in any way like he did with his girlfriends. Or did he?

Of course not! They were simply friends and that was all they were and ever will be! That is if they at the level considered to being friends. For all Naruto knew, Sasuke didn't see him in the same way. But that was why he agreed to be here was it not, so that they could be friends? I mean it would be a lot easier on both of them if they were friends for the rest of the year instead of just remaining as bitter towards the other as they have been. This was after all for the sake of keeping the peace.

"You seem to know Ayame well." Sasuke commented, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. She's a friend of mine."

Sasuke laughed a little. "Is it from a long time ago or do you just come here that often?"

"A little bit of both." Naruto admitted awkwardly. "My father's old war buddy owns this place."

"Your father was in a war?" That grabbed Sasuke's attention.

"Yeah," Naruto sighed, folding his arms on then table and looking at Sasuke's hands which were folded together right in front of him. "I never met him though. He died in the war a week before I was born."

Naruto began to wonder why he was confessing this to Sasuke so quickly. It took him a month before he told Sakura and nearly four months before he told Kiba. He still hadn't confided this information with anyone else in his little clique. "All I know about him is what Kyuubi tells me."

"I'm sorry." Sasuke's voice was just above a whisper.

"Why are you sorry? It's not your fault." Naruto was torn from his thoughts when Ayame returned with Naruto's Ramune and Sasuke's water. "Thank you Ayame." Naruto said while he used the Ramune top to open his drink.

"Your food will be out in a minute." She bowed slightly again before walking off to help another customer.

Sasuke didn't waste any time this go around and asked the blonde, "But if your father is dead, then whom is she married to?"

Naruto shrugged. "My step-father."

"I didn't know he was your step-father." Sasuke replied. "I mean, you two do sort of look alike."

"You've met him?" Naruto asked with his brows raised.

Sasuke shook his head. "No, but I've seen his picture in People Magazine." Sasuke took a sip of his water slowly and brought the glass back down. "I read the article too. His theories on etiology are brilliant."

"You understood it?" Naruto was surprised.

"You didn't?"

"Hell no!" Naruto laughed. "I may be smart, but I'm sure as hell not that smart!"

"Well, I thought it was brilliant." Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair and started whirling his fingers around his raven locks. The movement memorized Naruto. He associated such things when in one of those romance movies, the ones that Sakura dragged him to, the woman digs her hands into the man's hair as they fucked each other on the screen. Was Sasuke doing that intentionally? Naruto doubted it but you can never be too sure with a prostitute. After all, Naruto did say he'd pay Sasuke double what the other man agreed to pay.

'No! I won't have sex with him. I'm not drunk or anything so the thought should never cross my mind. This may just mean that I need to consider taking the next step with Sakura. Besides, I meant that I'd just pay him double, not pay double for the same act.'

Naruto nodded along with his thoughts. He was right. Of course he was right! Naruto figured it was best to change the subject anyway. "So, what's your story?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth did he regret them. It was rude to ask Sasuke out like that, especially since he knew part of it. Naruto clamped his mouth shut with his hand and muttered lowly, "Jesus! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that."

Sasuke didn't look upset or anything. "No, don't worry about it." Sasuke took his hand out of his hair and rested his chin on it. "Now where should I start?" he thought some more and was interrupted when Ayame returned once more with two hot steaming bowls of ramen. One, for Naruto was filled with pork and the other, for Sasuke was filled with vegetables. "Here you are." She placed the correct bowls in front of the correct owners. "Please enjoy!"

For the third time, she left the boys alone.

"Well, I guess I should start with my first girlfriend." Sasuke told Naruto, picking up the conversation where they left off. Sasuke picked up his chopsticks and broke them apart. Naruto had done the same, but in a much shorter time then Sasuke did. Naruto was on his second bite by the time Sasuke finally got his chopsticks ready to go in his hand.

"You had a girlfriend?" Naruto laughed. "I thought you were gay!"

"I'm bi." Sasuke corrected, uncaring about it all. "Anyway, she was older than I was. I was still a freshman in Middle School and she was a freshman in the school we go to know."

"Oh? Do I know her?" Naruto teased unexpectedly.

"Why, yes you do Naruto. At least I'd hope so since she is your girlfriend now." Sasuke took his first bite of the hot noodles, letting their amazing flavor fill his mouth before letting them snake down his throat. Naruto dropped his chopsticks and they clinked against his bowl. "You-you went out with Sakura!" he exclaimed.

"Yep!"

"And you didn't tell me!"

"I told you right now dope."

"But she never told me!" A few of the people sitting at the tables nearby turned towards the loud boy. They only stared for a minute before they returned to their conversation.

"Why should she? I was her ex before she went out with you. Do you tell her about your old girlfriends?" Sasuke chuckled.

"Well, no." he admitted. "Still, I just wasn't expecting it."

"Good cause Sakura and I never got along anyway." Sasuke took another bite, waiting for Naruto to pick up his chopsticks again. He chewed his food carefully before taking it in once more. "There was no spark between us." He continued. "It was like we were from different planets. Neither one of us were really interested in the other. It seemed to me like we were dating just for the sake of dating." Sasuke sighed and Naruto stopped eating for a minute to watch him. "We didn't click. Not like you two do." Sasuke threw in the last part for Naruto's benefit. He was in love with the blonde, but the blonde was in love with Sakura. Sasuke couldn't compete against her after all.

Sasuke's mind flashed back and he saw another image of that afternoon, Naruto and Sakura embracing with such a powerful love that Sasuke felt very envious. Why couldn't he have that? Why had cupid shot him with his arrow when he already shot Naruto a few years back? Why had his brother fallen into a coma and left him in this state? Once more, Sasuke felt unworthy of being in Naruto's presence.

"So…I'm guessing you guys broke up?" Naruto said, helping Sasuke along with his story.

"Yes." Sasuke said quickly. A little too quickly he thought. "Anyway, so my brother Itachi took me out one night, saying he wanted to talk to me about something. I went and that was the first time I met Kyuubi."

Sasuke swallowed another bite and Naruto waited patiently for him to continue. "I thought he just wanted me to meet his new friend, but that wasn't it." Sasuke fell silent and it left Naruto hanging. "What did he want to talk to you about Sasuke?"

Sasuke took a deep breath and debated quickly in his mind whether or not he wanted to tell Naruto it. But Sasuke figured that it would change things much anyway. "He said he wanted me to break things off with Sakura."

"What? Why?"

"We weren't meant for each other." Sasuke answered simply. "He must have seen that."

"But it wasn't his business." Naruto countered.

"Then I don't know why."

"Yes you do!" Naruto glared but his eyes softened rapidly. "Go ahead. You can tell me. I won't get upset."

Sasuke sighed a fine. "He said that Sakura was just using me. Using me so that she could get closer to him."

"I see." Naruto said softly. He only half believed it. Could Sakura, the woman that he loved ever do that to a person? Of course, the great song from Evita: Goodnight and Thank You came instantly to him ((A.N// If you don't know the song, it is simply talking about how Eva used her affairs with men to climb to the top of the social ladder.))

"So anyway, I thought about it and said to him that I didn't care if she was using me or not."

Naruto was confused now. "Why?"

"I don't know. I guess at that time, I didn't care about anything. I was so indifferent to everything back then. Hell, Itachi could have said that he was the head of a drug ring and I probably wouldn't care about it. That was when I still had money and everything. Losing it all, now that was when I realized how cruel this world was to people. That was what made me the man I'm becoming now."

Naruto nearly laughed out "You still are pretty indifferent to things. You don't seem to care what others think of you." But he didn't. Naruto was going to respect Sasuke's beliefs for now.

"And that night when Itachi and I returned home…" Sasuke's voice was cut off by his own thoughts. Naruto thought he knew what was coming, but he was scared to be right.

"What was it Sasuke?"

Sasuke's voice felt tighter than usual. He couldn't say he was comfortable talking about his life. Hell, he still hates it when Haku and Shino bring it up on the anniversary of the incident or on their birthdays, asking if he wanted to talk about it. No, he didn't. But somehow, to Sasuke, talking with Naruto about it was the same as giving him his heart. It was probably the only way Naruto would take it. Otherwise, Naruto would look at him in disgust (Well, more than he already does) and shy away from him forever. Not that Sasuke could blame him. He'd do the same thing if he were in Naruto's position.

"We came home-Myself, Kyuubi, and Itachi, and we found my parents in the-in the foyer. Both were stabbed in the back with a samurai style sword. Killed instantly, they told us. Everything changed after that. Itachi was always busy with our family's company, Kyuubi came over every other day but I didn't see him. He spent most of his time with Itachi. And Sakura was a little kinder and more sympathetic with me than she had been. Things went like that for two months, then I lost Itachi too."

Sasuke became silent again. Naruto asked Sasuke how Itachi became comatose to try and keep him talking.

"Car accident." He answered. "Our chauffeur died immediately and so did the person accompanying Itachi. Itachi hit his head on a broken piece of the other car. He had a few broken bones, but they healed a long time ago. Now, all we are awaiting for is for him to awaken."

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke was now on the verge of crying, like he always was whenever he talked openly about his brother, but as always, he didn't shed a single tear. Not in public anyway. "They ask me every time I go to the hospital if I want to take him off life support." Sasuke shook his head, like the thought of agreeing to it was ridiculous. "They said that it is a long term coma. If the patient doesn't awaken in the first few weeks after the impact, then it is unlikely that they would ever awaken. And the longer the coma continues, worse the chances are."

Naruto had but a few noodles left in his bowl and the broth. Usually, he'd eat it right down to the last drop. But the mood of their conversation made Naruto lose his appetite. He couldn't eat anymore even if he forced himself too.

"But," Sasuke continued. His throat burning worse than ever for the pressure it was undergoing for the held back tears. He felt like he was Hoover Dam, wanting nothing more to burst out with the water works. But Sasuke wouldn't have it. "I can't do it. I don't care how much it cost and how long I have to whore myself like some cheap fuck, I will not. I repeat: WILL NOT take Itachi off the life support. I won't. He's…He's the only family I have left."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

Naruto and Sasuke both jumped as they noticed Ayame had returned with their check. Naruto was the one who thanked her and took the check, no question in his mind that he'd pay.

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Well, back to school tomorrow for our lovebirds!

Any who…try and guess what is coming next!!! Just try it! I dare you! I triple dog dare you!!!! And no! No character death yet. That is still quite a long way off.