A/N: Sorry for the late update, I did warn you all that a few updates may be a bit late because of how hectic things are. Unfortunately, I'm not fond of this chapter. That's just my opinion though so let me know what you think! I'm glad you all liked the little 'intimate' moment between Naruto and Kiba last chapter and you'll be getting some more pretty soon *cough*maybenextchapter*cough*

But, anyway. In the meantime, let me know what you think of this little plot chapter!

Two days had flown by since Sasori's breakdown and tension was running high. Naruto knew that not having the redhead around would be difficult for him, but he'd never considered just how disrupting it would be for everyone. School had been depressing to say the least. Though the blonde now had other friends, Sasori had been with him for years and his absence was a major downer. Without his very first friend around, Naruto felt oddly empty and lonely- even when around Sasuke and Kiba. The teachers had been harassing him endlessly with questions on where the redhead was and Iruka kept voicing his concern over and over. It wasn't exactly helpful to be constantly reminded that his best friend was missing from his life. Sasuke had volunteered to go round Sasori's and talk with him, but Naruto had convinced him not to. The last thing he wanted was to make things worse. Something told him that the generally cold Uchiha wouldn't help the situation at all.

But the one it had affected worse was Kiba. No one else really seemed to notice (especially not the Inuzuka's basketball buddies) but no matter how hard the brunette tried to hide it, it was all too obvious to Naruto. He would smile, laugh and try to act as cheery as ever...but he always had this distant look in his eyes and any mention of Sasori's name sent him into a troubled silence. The joy and giddyness that the blonde had felt after their first intimate moment vanished the moment he saw Kiba's pained face when he noticed Sasori was missing. The teen was riddled with guilt and Naruto was getting increasingly worried that he'd never have the old Kiba back. Naturally, he'd tried cheering him up but Kiba just didn't seem all that interested in hanging out or spending time with his boyfriend. The younger teen wasn't angry, he understood why, but he just wished that he had the strong, carefree Kiba to assure him everything would be okay and that there was nothing to worry about. But, he had to accept that that wasn't happening anytime soon. All he could do was stick by the brunette as best as possible.

Naruto had tried asking Deidara how things had gone in hopes that the blonde artist had gotten through to Sasori but he'd gotten little response. Deidara had been suspiciously secretive and unwilling to give a straight answer; he just shrugged it off and found an excuse to leave. Several times, Naruto cornered him and refused to let him go until he answered some questions but Deidara hardly told him a thing. The older blonde just said that Sasori was upset and that he needed just a little time. The whole thing had been a disaster and to make everything worse, Ino had been hassling them all about getting Sasori to come to Saturday's party- like it was their greatest worry right now! Honestly, sometimes Naruto just wanted to punch her square in her stupid, ridiculously happy, disgusting, slutty face! Seeing the effect her constant nagging had on Kiba was tearing the blonde kid's heart apart. So, all in all, it hadn't been a good week at all….

"You're over thinking this, loser. Which is saying something for you." The ravenette said casually, resting his head on the back of the computer chair. It was only the second time he'd been in Naruto's apartment, but he'd already gotten used to it. As soon as he'd entered, he'd claimed the chair as his own with an unwavering confidence which, though he hated to admit it, Naruto thought was kinda cool.

"You aren't worried?" The blonde asked with concern, glancing over at the black haired teen. He hadn't even noticed Sasuke's insult. Their usual banter and arguments hadn't decreased since the beginning of their friendship and both of them knew deep down that they enjoyed it, but the poor blonde's heart just wasn't in it.

"About Sasori?" The ravenette scoffed. "Not a chance. Sasori's the toughest guy I've ever met. So what if he and Kiba had an argument? He'll get over it."

"You didn't see it though, Sasuke!" Naruto protested, sitting up on his bed to stare with pleading eyes. "He just snapped and Kiba insulted his puppets and...and...he was so angry." The ravenette sighed impatiently, cutting Naruto off.

"Man, you're such a cry-baby." Sasuke said, finding the expression on the other's face pathetic. The Uchiha personally thought that Naruto got far too emotional over things he couldn't control...actually, he got far too emotional in general. "Look, Deidara said he'd sort it out so just leave it to him."

"But..." He hesitated for a moment, thinking over his words carefully. "It's not right...without him..."

"Either way, he can't exactly bunk off school for much longer. He'll have to turn up sooner or later."

"But...don't you think we should comfort him? Isn't that what friends do?" Naruto asked, leaning forward with a pathetic pout on his face. Sasuke sighed yet again, closing his eyes to hide the heart-wrenching sight. Yes...even the cold Uchiha was affected by the puppy look.

"You're so much like Obito it's sickening." He muttered to himself, eyes opening just a fraction to glance over at the other boy. "Look, sometimes you just can't comfort people, no matter how much you want to. There are no magic words you can say to make everything better and sometimes trying to help just makes it worse. This is something Sasori needs to work out on his own." Naruto blinked curiously, taking in every word like they were gold.

"Then...what can I do...?"

"Man, you're annoying..." The ravenette hissed, glaring coldly at the boy. He could feel a headache forming. "Just be there for him when he comes around..."

"Oh...okay..." Naruto's face took on a thoughtful expression as he considered Sasuke's advice. Never before had he thought the Uchiha would actually give good advice but his words were actually starting to make sense. As the blonde considered it carefully and finally came to the conclusion of listening to his friend, they both fell into an awkward silence that was both unnerving and boring.

"So...I'm not a whore you know."

"Huh?" Naruto's cerulean eyes darted over to the scowling ravenette. He furrowed his eyebrows at the lewd comment which seemed so out of place and odd...even for Sasuke.

"I said I'm not a whore, I'm your friend. So instead of making me hang out in your bedroom why don't we go out somewhere and do something?"

"Oh." The blonde said, realisation hitting him. Still, even with the explanation, the comment was ridiculous. "You're really weird, you know that?"

"Like you can talk!" The Uchiha snapped defensively, lifting his head up to narrow his glare at the questioning blonde. "You're such a loser." He sighed, glad Naruto was back to his old self yet annoyed about it too.

"Jerk!"

"Seriously guys, I need an answer, like, now!" She shouted at them, her hands on her hips like some scolding mother. Her voice was shrill and irritating, enough to drive them all insane and pretty much every one of them was developing a throbbing headache because of it. Four boys, lined up at the lunch table, being interrogated by a single teenage girl with her mind set on one idea. And it was utter torture for all of them. Several times they had attempted to sneak away, but she had still managed to keep them captive.

"We've told you a hundred times, Ino." Sasuke scowled, pewter eyes glaring at her with nothing but malice and hatred. This wasn't how he'd expected to spend his lunchtime.

"Well telling me you don't know isn't good enough, boys!" The blonde girl snapped at them. "The party is in two days! I have to know if he's coming now!"

"My. God." Deidara murmured, staring through bored and slanted blue eyes at the girl he oddly resembled. "You are the most annoying person I have ever met. Hey, Sasuke, fancy beating this one up too?"

"Quit it, smartass!" The girl snapped, smacking the fifteen year old over the head harshly. Naruto cringed at the sight, deciding that Ino was definitively not someone he liked. She had cornered the blonde boy, Deidara, Sasuke and Kiba at the beginning of lunch and dragged them off to be interrogated about whether or not Sasori was coming to the party. Personally, Naruto thought she was a complete lunatic who cared way too much about some stupid party- a sentiment Sasuke and Deidara shared. "I want an answer."

"Why do you care so much?" Naruto asked curiously, regretting it the moment the words left his mouth. The girl's eyes darted over to glare at him with the most intimidating look he'd ever seen...and he'd known Sasuke Uchiha for years!

"You're so dense, loser." The ravenette spoke up. "She obviously has a crush on him."

"Not that he'd ever go for her." Deidara snorted, a sinister smirk crossing his face...the kind of smirk that suggested he knew something that none of them did. It was irritating, especially considering how damned secretive he'd been about how Sasori was doing.

"What was that!?"

"Look," Deidara said, offering a somewhat mocking smile. "Just leave it with me and I'll have an answer for you by the end of the day." He waved his hands to emphasise his genuine intentions, smile widening slightly as he attempted to calm the uptight girl.

"You better." She hissed, shooting a warning glare at every single one of them in turn. Kiba didn't seem to notice, he was far too interested in his shoes, Deidara just kept smiling like an idiot, Naruto gulped fearfully and Sasuke didn't react at all. Either way, she seemed satisfied and with a final wag of her finger, Ino left them alone at last.

…

…

…

The silence was...heaven.

"So...you guys wanna head outside?" Deidara asked, breaking the silence awkwardly. No one answered him, the mood having been crushed by yet another reminder of Sasori's absence. Kiba hadn't said a word the entire time, and his younger boyfriend was concerned. Naruto kept glancing over worriedly to see if he was okay, but he knew he couldn't walk up and cuddle the Inuzuka in front of everyone. It was heart breaking to just leave him like that. "Come on, guys! You're not seriously just gonna sit here and mope because Ino's on her period, are you!?"

"Whatever, let's just go before she changes her mind and comes back." Sasuke said, rising to his feet with a scoff. The long-haired blonde smirked, jumping up to lead the way.

"That's the spirit, Uchiha!"

"Kiba? Are you coming?" Naruto asked gently, looking over at the sulking brunette with a concerned gaze. Even in his downtrodden mood, the basketball captain looked so handsome and gorgeous. The blonde missed being close to him…the cuddles…and laughs and smiles…the happiness….

"Yeah." He muttered, slowly climbing up to follow Deidara outside. It broke poor Naruto's heart. But, despite his sorrow, he still got up and walked with the others outside onto the school field.

As they walked, the only sound was Deidara's rantings and ravings about this and that- Ino, the party, alcohol, sex, drugs, art, school, art, home, art, art and more art. Naruto was almost entirely positive that he wasn't the only one amongst the group to zone out and let the older blonde's words drift into the background. He still hadn't exactly gotten used to Deidara yet but he was adjusting. They didn't usually spend much time together, only every now and then during school but Sasori's absence had kinda…forced them together…if that made any sense. To think, not too long ago Deidara had been making the poor boy's life an absolute misery and now, here they were, acting like good friends. Yeah…it was definitely odd.

"H-hey." Naruto muttered as he was forced to a sudden stop. Looking up, perplexed, he found that he'd walked right into the back of an unmoving and silent, long-haired teen. "Deidara, what the hell?" He asked moodily, shuffling around the boy to see what was up. Deidara wasn't the only one to have stopped walking- the others had too. And it wasn't long before it became clear why….

"You made it!" Deidara said, smirking cockily.

"…" Kiba stared, dumbfounded. "S-Sasori…." He murmured sadly.

"I just want you to know, it's nothing personal. You know I love you, right?" He asked sorrowfully, his blue eyes shimmering with moisture. He was emotionally shattered, it was written all over his handsome face. Anyone could have seen that.

"…"

"Come on, Kyuubi." He murmured, tearing up just a little as he stared over at his older brother. The orange-haired man looked as though his entire world had been destroyed, as though life itself had been ripped cruelly from his grasp. And Minato just couldn't bear knowing that he had been the one to cause that agony. This was his older brother, the one who had protected him forever and had always been there for him…and now…he felt like he was just throwing that right back in the man's face. "It isn't permanent. Kushina just…" He stopped himself, knowing it was unfair to pin it all on his wife. "We just feel that it would be good for everyone if you…distance yourself for a little while."

"What Minato means is," Kushina stepped into the room, resting a comforting hand on her husband's trembling shoulder. "We're worried that you're getting too attached to Naruto and, in turn, Naruto's getting too attached to you. It isn't healthy. I think he needs a little time just with his parents for a while. Then you can come and visit and spend time with him every so often."

"Every…so…often?" Kyuubi repeated slowly, crimson eyes fixed on the floor. He hadn't looked up since the conversation began.

"A baby needs time to bond with just his parents first. Having his uncle around all the time defeats the point of an uncle. An uncle is…supposed to be the fun guy who comes every now and then to give him a break from us. At the moment, Minato and I are the break from you. You're with him too much."

"You're not too upset, are you?" Minato asked sadly, already knowing the answer from the plain look on his older brother's face. He wasn't just upset, he was destroyed.

"…"

"Kyuubi, please talk to me." The blonde man pleaded, lips quivering as his words went completely ignored. His wife tried her best to comfort him by massaging his shoulders rhythmically but it wasn't working. He got to his feet and rushed to his brother, kneeling down in front of him to try and force eye contact between them. "Please, you're my big brother. I…." He trailed off, frozen, as he received a look from his older brother that he had never gotten before. A look of pure rage and hatred, those crimson eyes seeming to flash momentarily with emotion. "Kyuubi…please…." He leant forward, going in for something he didn't ask for often but had never been denied- a hug. But, Kyuubi shuffled away without a word, avoiding the embrace coldly- his body practically oozing disgust.

"Minato, come to bed." Kushina said soothingly, extending a hand in offering. Reluctantly, the blonde haired man sighed and rose to his feet to take his wife's hand. The tears were streaming now, staining his peachy cheeks with his sadness as he quickly and hurriedly left the room. He couldn't stand being around his brother anymore, not after the cold response he'd gotten…it hurt too much- that much was obvious from his face. But, before leaving the room herself, Kushina had to get in the final word. "I'm sorry you couldn't be mature about this, Kyuubi. Your brother and nephew adore you and they deserve more than this. I expect you ready to leave by morning." And with that, she too was gone.

"…So much for family…." He muttered to himself, his anger and rage taking over.

Kyuubi sighed, opening his eyes. His forehead was pressed firmly against the glass of the window as his stomach churned. His one weakness…motion sickness…. It was utterly ridiculous really. Here he was- a renowned and ruthless serial killer, sat in a car burdened by sickness. For a guy like him to be beaten by a mere vehicle…it really was embarrassing.

"Can't you go any slower?" He groaned, glancing over at the driver. Kyuubi wanted to get out the car as soon as possible, hating not only the motion but the limitation it was putting on his movement. He loathed being confined to a small space. Claustrophobic and a sufferer of motion sickness…ridiculous. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to get out the car much. Naturally, they had to avoid service stations and other places along the road so as not to be picked up by CCTV. The two of them only stopped every now and then for toilet breaks- toilet not being the operative word seeing as it was often a bush or just the dirt that was used instead.

"No." Itachi replied bluntly. "We can't slow down much more without attracting the attention of the other drivers. I'm doing my best to take it easy but there's not much more I can do." The orange haired male let out a loud groan at the response, rolling his head to hit it against the car window. This action, however, only extracted another groan from him as a throbbing flared up in his skull. It really wasn't his day. "Why don't you try and get some sleep? This journey's unpleasant enough without your constant groaning and whining."

"I can't sleep." Kyuubi snarled moodily- coming across more like a stubborn teenager than anything. "Never have been able to." Yup, that was another thing that could be added to the list:

Claustrophobia

Motion sickness

Chronic insomnia

Flashbacks

The things a coldblooded killer like him had to endure every single day and night of his miserable existence. It really did make life unbearable…not that he'd bother going to the effort of killing himself. Nowadays there was only one thing he truly believed he had enough motivation to go through with…his one true goal…his obsession…Naruto….

"S-Sasori…" He murmured sadly, chocolate eyes staring right into those aloof ones. It was a shock for them all, save for Deidara, to see the redhead stood there on the school field, waiting for them. The older blonde just stood with that smug smirk on his face, as though he'd planned it all out from the beginning. But the other three were completely taken aback.

"Sasori, my man!" Deidara called, walking over to pat the smaller teen on the back. Naruto couldn't help but noticed the pronounced bags under the boy's eyes- blemishes on his usually flawless skin (suggesting he hadn't slept since the argument.) "You came!"

"Yeah." He said, his voice sending shivers down Naruto's spine. The boy knew it sounded insane but it had been so long since he'd heard that voice that it was creepy but, at the same time, comforting to hear it again. "I hope I'm not bothering you."

"Not at all!" The small blonde said quickly, wanting to encourage continuous contact between them. This could be his only chance.

"So, you gonna go ahead then?" Deidara said, pushing the redhead forward a little bit encouragingly. "You said you'd try it."

"I don't know." He muttered.

"Just do it! Don't be a coward, Sasori my man!" The blonde pushed him forward again, almost knocking the poor redhead off his feet from the force. But, whatever Deidara was encouraging him to do, it seemed to work because Sasori fell silent and started to walk up to them- specifically, Kiba. Naruto glanced across at the brunette nervously and wasn't all that shocked to see his boyfriend flinch a bit at his tutor's approach. The tension was immense as the gap between them began to close and Kiba was visibly fearful of what was coming. He was probably worried that another argument would occur.

…

But that wasn't the case.

What happened next was something no one who knew Sasori at all would have expected. What happened next was unbelievable. What happened next was enough to make even Sasuke display shock.

Sasori, the aloof and distant teenager who never got mushy or emotional, walked up to Kiba and pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his lithe arms around the Inuzuka's strong frame and moved into the most awkward, yet heart-warming display of friendly affection any of them had ever seen. Kiba himself was too confused to react at first, but quickly caught on and returned the embrace warmly. And just like that, the worries, fears and concerns of the last few days dissolved at once. If Sasori was really willing to give a hug, that was proof enough that all was forgiven and that broken friendships were now patched up.

Once their hug was over, Sasori moved over and did the same to Naruto. Something the little blonde had wanted for years suddenly given to him, just like that! Hugging Sasori was very weird, though Naruto only had his hugs with Kiba to compare it to. The redhead wasn't big and strong like Kiba, but small and gentle. His touch was soothing and warm, yet open (unlike the Inuzuka's protective hold.) It was nice, but odd. Naruto was still stunned when his lifelong friend backed away and reached over for Sasuke of all people! Naturally, the ravenette had to ruin it all by jumping back with a scowl.

"Don't even think about it." The Uchiha said, eyes narrowing into a glare. Well, the moment had almost been perfect.

"So, we're all good now, right?" Deidara called, an arrogant smirk plastered on his face.

"You bet!" Kiba shouted, grinning that trademark toothy grin that showed off those sexy canines. Just seeing it made Naruto grin in return…the old Kiba was back again! The sulking was over! "So…you coming to the party then?" The Inuzuka asked with a wink, wrapping an arm around his tutor's shoulders happily.

"Yeah." He replied with the smallest of smiles. "Not as though I have a choice, right?"

"That's right, hmm!" Deidara called. Naruto started laughing happily, unable to hold it in. It was such a relief for them all to be like this, with Sasori in the middle. He seemed back to normal, his previous distress and anger gone. Whatever had been troubling him must have been sorted. Deidara must have been better at cheering up people than anyone would have suspected….

"Oh yeah, Naruto." Sasori said, suddenly remembering something. He tried to push Kiba off him, to little avail, as he addressed the young blonde. "When I signed in at the office, they asked me to deliver a message to you."

"To me…? What message?"

"The school got a phone call for you, it sounded urgent." The redhead lowered his voice slightly, suddenly getting serious again.

"Who from?" Naruto asked curiously, cocking a blonde eyebrow at the mere thought of someone calling for him.

"Well…that's the thing…."

"C'mon, spit it out already." Kiba said, tightening his arm around his tutor's shoulders with a wide grin. "This sounds like juicy gossip."

"No, it's not…."

"Yeah, who on Earth would phone for him? No offence, Naruto." Deidara said with an 'innocent' smirk. "Don't tell me he's won something! Or maybe he had a rich relative who just died and left everything to him!"

"Don't be stupid." Sasuke hissed, glaring at the long-haired blonde. "If they phoned the school, it's more than likely social services or Konoha's housing committee. Perhaps they've finally decided to do something about your living arrangements."

"Aw, no way!" Kiba whined, his grin fading. "I like Naruto's apartment. They can't move him!"

"Be realistic. He's fourteen years old; he should have never been left to live on his own in the first place." The Uchiha reasoned, trying to be sensible.

"Well they've left it a bit late, hmm!" Deidara cut in. The three of them were too busy theorising that none of them noticed how unsettled Naruto and Sasori were becoming. The redhead was growing visibly nervous and regretful about bringing it up in front of the others and his reaction was starting to worry Naruto. It was clear that whoever had phoned had nothing to do with social services or Konoha housing…but someone worse?

"Sasori," Naruto mumbled weakly, starting to feel sick from his nerves. He didn't like the atmosphere and he could sense something was wrong. "Did they say who it w-was?" Sasuke, Deidara and Kiba fell silent as they all picked up on the fear in the poor blonde's voice.

"Yeah…

…

The prison your uncle's being held in…."

A/N: There you go! I just couldn't stop myself from patching things up with Sasori this chapter. I was starting to miss him so I had to fix things as soon as possible. Did anyone pick up on some little hints regarding Sasori, by the way? If not I won't mention them but some people may have noticed some subtle little things this chapter.

Not much of a cliff-hanger, I'm sure you all know what the phone call's about right? But I have it planned out to set up some future fluff between Kiba and Naruto…and maybe more….

Anyway, please continue leaving your reviews. They've been wonderful so far!