NOT BETAED!

AN: 3 days ago, I picked up the first volume of the Naruto manga and read it for the very first time. I decided I needed more information about Naruto and all its characters.

Seeing as Naruto's father's name has long since been exposed Uzumaki Arashi is now Namikaze Minato. I will go back and change this in earlier chapters.

I apologize for any future confusion this may cause.

CHAPTER TWELVE – You


"So your birthday is coming up Naruto. What would you like as present?" Sakura smiled excitedly.

Naruto stared at her in surprise. 'Since when has we ever celebrated my birthday? It's always just about the defeat of Kyuubi. ' Not knowing what to say Naruto settled with a simple shrug. "I don't know. Do we celebrate it?"

Sakura looked at him, feeling a bit disoriented before starting to laugh awkwardly. "Silly goose, you know we do. Every year you demand the best party and presents ever. "

Naruto looked at Sasuke beside him, trying to find a confirmation in black eyes. Upon receiving a short nod, Naruto looked back at Sakura, laughing nervously. "Aah, I know I know. I was just testing you... Heh."

"I bet you would like that sword we saw over at the swords maker, the one with the black blade and red handle." Kiba grinned, feeling proud over himself.

"Uh yeah, exactly." Naruto nodded, not knowing at all what the dog boy was talking about. "I liked that… sword."

"Great Kiba. That was one gift and it costs more than the whole party will. C'mon Naruto, you always want stuff. Just tell us something." Ino yanked in.

Naruto looked over the group of friends. They were all staring at him, waiting. To say that it made him nervous was an understatement. "Well... Urr, that weapon perhaps, and like... I don't know, improvise!" It ticked him off, these were his friends but at the same time they weren't. They were all so different and it felt weird to have Sakura ogling him all the time. 'Thank god she's nothing like that anymore back home. I pity Sasuke he had to deal with it when we were younger. It's suffocating.'

Feeling the blond's tension, Sasuke decided the group had tortured the blond enough. Leaning close, Sasuke whispered in Naruto's ear; "We can leave if you want to, we could always just tell them I don't feel fine?"

Naruto bit his lip before simply nodding. "Okay."

"Okay what?" Sakura asked confused as she had overheard Naruto's answer to Sasuke.

Smiling Sasuke started to move from his seat as he gripped Naruto's hand with his own. "I don't feel so good, so we are leaving. Isn't that right, koi?"

Naruto blushed at the nickname and nodded before following Sasuke's lead. "It was nice seeing you guys. See you later." They said their good byes and then hurried out of the small shop.

The three people that were left by the table looked at each other with equal expressions.

"Did anyone else think Naruto was acting weird? More humble and less self confident than usual..?"

-

"I'm sorry." Sasuke kicked a rock in front of him.

"Sorry for what?" Naruto asked confused.

"Sorry for taking you to meet them. I should've known they would be asking questions."

"Nah, it's okay. I already knew it would be weird. However, weird sure beats being locked in that house at the moment. It was starting to take its toll on me."

Sasuke lifted a fine brow at the blond's statement.

"Uh, not that I don't enjoy your presence Sasuke, because I do, it's just that it feels like I should be doing something. Something like; help Minato-sama(1) finding a way back home. I like it here, it sure beats my world but, I miss my friends and loved ones."

"I see."

"I bet you also miss your Naruto. I can't be that much of a good replacement. "

"Why would you say that?" Sasuke frowned.

"I know I'm not the brightest person but that doesn't mean I don't notice how you look at me at times. I don't blame you though. I know you miss him and I bet it doesn't exactly help that I practically am him. It's kind of like a "see but don't touch" situation."

Sasuke stared at the blond surprised. "I didn't know you could be deep Naruto… but thanks for understanding. I try not to think about it but like you said; it's hard."

Naruto chuckled. "Hmm, I guess the saying might be true then; don't judge the book by its cover."

"Witty." Sasuke smirked "Though, you're not like him. I'm not going to bad talk my Naruto but, you are less spoilt than he is. At times he can be so annoyingly self-absorbed and greedy that it's just ridicules. You are more... humble."

Blue eyes widened in surprise but then faded into sadness. Our lives have been so different. "My whole life I have been told I'm nothing but a demon child and that I'd be better off dead. I don't think I'll ever completely feel like I deserve to live. I caused a lot of misery to Konoha, I know that, and that's nothing you can settle with a simple 'I'm sorry'. I guess that may be the reason to why I act humble, greediness and self confidence is something I can't afford to have with my past and future." Looking up from the ground he fixed his eyes intently on the other. "Who knows, if I had had the same past as your Naruto, perhaps I would've been the same?"

Taken aback by the blond's words, Sasuke stopped from walking. He knew the other one had a point, but there was something about it. It wasn't true. He fixed his own gaze to meet the other. "That may be true, Naruto." He chuckled to himself. "But not when it comes to you." As he saw confusion on the other's face he stopped his chuckling and turned it into a shy smile. "I may have only spent less than two weeks with you but that's all I need - to know that you are one of a kind Naruto. You have a different kind of air around you than my Naruto has. I'm not saying that my Naruto is a bad person, I'm just saying that you and him are different, and that's not only because you have two different pasts. It's because he is he, and you are you."

Furrowing his eyebrows Naruto slowly comprehended the raven's words. "That's..."

"You tell me that you don't deserve to live, ne?" he murmured in a whisper, cutting off Naruto in mid sentence. "I wonder what your friends would say about that. I wonder what I'd say... I don't think-"

This time it was Naruto's turn to cut off the other. "He would tell me I'm an idiot." he chuckled fondly at the thought of his best friend. "The others would probably agree."

Sasuke smiled. "Everyone is allowed a moment of weakness, just don't let that moment swallow you whole. Only then are you lost forever. You deserve to live, and somewhere deep inside you, you have to know I'm right. Your past does not decide your future, you do.

Naruto stared dumbfounded at the older boy until he let his lips curve up in a weak smile. The other was right. He always preached to others about how life was something you shape yourself, but hadn't let himself live by the same rules. He had let himself get lost in his own past. 'From now on I'll change. I will show them, I'm not what they believe I am.'

(1) Arashi-san, now Minato-san.

Fox Loves Shinigami: At first I was thinking of writing a parallel story with the other Naruto, but since I'm tired of CaR and don't really like the plot, I'm not going to do that.

I will, however, mention parts with AU Naruto later on in the story.