..Chapter Twenty-Five..

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There was silence and the sound of a breeze. There was beauty from above. Thousands of twinkling lights all representing their own small space in existence. There were specks of flitting puffs of white here and there, floating by just before the void of endless night. They were not a canvas but mere wanderers in tapestry free for the viewing to any who graced it with their eyes upward.

"So... what do you want to do with your life..? Hm...? Really?" His question rung out peacefully, just barely breaking the comfort of silence provided. The same silence he oft enjoyed with another; another with blond hair, blue eyes and a temperament to befriend all in need.

Her smile, though in the guise of a male, bloomed out on her face curiously. It was not one of half belief or even humor, but more of consideration. "What do you mean?"

He sat up slightly, onyx depths looking over at her. "After high school, I mean. you never talk about it. What do you plan to do with your life?"

She sighed, but didn't sit up from her place on the roof, his roof just outside of the skylight which led to his room. Her hands remained behind her head, supporting her like a makeshift pillow.

She didn't answer him right away. It was a question she wasn't sure she had an answer to, or at least not one she could give him. She had a scholarship for gymnastics. It was something she'd always loved to do, it was something she had a passion for, right? She'd told herself that same thing so many times, over and over again, she wasn't really sure anymore.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm not sure... College, I guess... "

His laughter was soft.

Her eyes flashed open and she turned her head to look at him. She arched a brow. "What's so funny, Uchiha?"

He shook his head, smiling boyishly. "Nothing, really," he said softly, looking more open, more real than she ever recalled perceiving him to be in the beginning. His eyes were kinder as he appeared to look almost through her. "You just... you always seem to have a plan, Vince."

Her lips curled into a half smirk. "Oh, how so?" When did she have a plan? This whole 'game' had been one big ball out of control in her opinion, not that he knew that, of course. She was constantly following him, walking in his guidance, tracing his steps. It was he who had told her, taught her in the midst of chaos, how to properly hit someone.

"I'd say you have more of a plan that I do," she replied with a grin. "See the world on waves, wasn't it?"

"That's not going to be my career, though..."

"And why not?"

"Well... " he edged, blinking. "I told you, politics. I don't want something I love--."

"Being turned into something you hate, I know.." she sighed out in reply, looking up again.

He flopped back down as well, mirroring her position. "Yeah, well, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You love motocross, don't you?"

"Sure, but--."

"Same thing, Vince... isn't it? Why should you be afraid to get your hands a little dirty for the things you love most? What's so bad about taking a risk?"

She didn't reply, but she heard him. The double meaning, unbeknownst to him was not lost on her.

"We're pathetic, aren't we? A couple of fools too afraid to be what we want because of someone... something else. Why should we be?"

"It's easier... I guess... to pretend."

And they lay there, both looking up at the stars as if analyzing two entirely different things that were so much alike at the same time.

"I've always taken the easy road in life, I think... I depended too much on things I'm too afraid to change for myself. I've become complacent... and now, on the cusp of being an adult... I'm still waiting for someone to give me the answers.. aren't I?" He sighed. "I don't think I will anymore."

"Oh?"

"And neither should you."

She blinked and looked over at him, turning her body slightly to face him. Her face expressed a mixture of confusion and question. "Huh?"

He barely moved, but did turn his face to look at her. "Why not? What's the worst that could happen? If you love motocross so much more than anything else... why not simply take that on as your future?"

She smiled as if he spoke of it like a dream what would never be. So full of hope and yet knowing nothing of the reality life provided. "Oh, and I suppose you'll just become a world famous surfer? To hell with all the BS?"

He grinned. "Sure, why not? Like I said... You gotta get your hands a little dirty...

....Right?"

"...Right?"

His words hung in her mind, ringing like a bell as she placed a delicate ornament on the green trimmings of the Douglas fir set off to a corner in her living room. She hadn't realized she'd been standing there, staring off into space for a few minutes, reliving that memory as if really were just moments ago... not weeks.

But she did now as the echoes of a Christmas special rang out from the TV in the distance, as Naruto laughed in the background trying to steal a kiss from Hinata under the mistletoe hanging from an archway leading to another room. Further off she could barely hear Tenten arguing with Neji, who'd come with Hinata for one reason or another, over some incident involving a box of decorations and her being in 'his' way.

Her friends were all here... all of them... she should be happy. She should be smiling for real, not plastering on a fake grin and trying to pretend she was ok. She should be ok. Right? She frowned a moment as she took another bauble from the box at her feet and looked for a place to put it on the tree.

It was her fault wasn't it? She'd been the one to run away from him, hadn't she? She couldn't of possibly expected him to go on being by himself... alone and lost without her? She didn't want that did she? Shouldn't she be happy for him? Shouldn't she be happy he'd found happiness? If that was how it was suppose to be then why was she so angry? Why did she end up feeling betrayed, left behind and forgotten? It's not he knew where to find her. It's not like he should have to come looking for her. It wasn't as though she hadn't covered her tracks so that even a bloodhound with a sense for paperwork would find her. She had. She'd done it all for him, hadn't she?

Ino glanced at Sakura from her side of the tree, trying not to look as though she was staring right at her. Although, it's as if the girl would notice. Ino knew that look. She was lost in her own thoughts. Unbelievably, it wasn't a look she was use to seeing in the pinkette's eyes. It just wasn't Sakura. She hated this. But, what could she do? Her heart broke for the girl after she'd taken a look at the paper herself. The moment she'd tried to ask her what was up when she got to table at the coffee shop Sakura had run off to the bathroom, barely glancing at her. But, not before Ino saw the tears in her eyes daring to fall. It was then she'd read over the discarded article on the table.

Again, though, what was she to do? Tell her to run back to him? Tell him the truth? Beg for his forgiveness? Sakura would never do that. She might be a wreck to the careful eye right now, but on the outside, when prodded, she placed her pride back firmly in place. And there were few people who could crack that shell, and the chances of getting her to do the right thing after even that were... well... impossible. Sakura would simply say she'd made her bed, she'd had her chance, and that she should simply accept her own mistakes in all of this. She would say Sasuke was not her business anymore. And what was worse, she'd say she wouldn't want to interfere in his happiness, his life anymore.

As if that girl Karin could give it to him!

Ok, perhaps that was just Ino being a good friend... but seriously? What could anyone know of his feelings? What could he possibly know himself? He didn't even have all the facts! On top of that, he'd still loved her as a guy! For all that was holy, if that didn't speak volumes about how much he loved her, what did? Few people would actually go beyond society's boundaries regarding sexuality, risk being scorned by their peers, family, hell.. the press in Sasuke's regard, and admit their love. After going through all of that with him, the mere idea of what he was offering her... how could Sakura not simply take another shot at it?

Ino, placed a final ornament on the tree as she heard a beep go off, indicating the ham in the over was close to being done and she needed to get the deserts ready to go in next. Sakura didn't even notice the sound.

Ino shook her head. "I'm going to the kitchen for a bit. Be right back."

"I'll come with you," Naruto remarked offhandedly as he stood up from the couch.

Too bothered by Sakura and what to do about the situation Ino didn't even question if he knew the difference between a spatula and a ladle. As she entered she grabbed a thermostat from the counter and opened the oven. With a mit in hand she pulled the bottom rack out gently and stuck the pointer end of the measuring tool into the hunk of brownish-pink.

"You alright?" she heard Naruto ask from the background and he poked around in the fridge.

"I'm fine, I guess... why?" Her eyes narrowed on the gauge at the dial moved up and over the 100 degree mark.

She heard him moving about jars as he responded, "You've just seemed pretty tense all night. And you've been hovering around Sakura like she's a wounded animal. It's pretty hard not to notice."

Ino pulled out the thermometer and set it on the counter before grabbing another mit. She pulled the pan holding the ham out of the oven and set it on a two mits side by side on the counter. "I'm worried about her. You're her best friend too.. aren't you?"

He shut the fridge and tossed around an apple. "To be honest... I'm not really sure what to say to her." He shrugged as he leaned back on the counter and took a bite. He chewed and swallowed in order to better continue his thought. One arm was slung over his chest as he tucked a hand under his other arm. "Sakura has always been known for doing... crazy things. Hell, stupid things, in most people's opinions. But, in the end, she never hurt anyone. Not really. And anytime she'd screwed up she's always cleaned up her mess."

Ino frowned and she got the a cookie sheet with unbaked confections on it off the counter and slid it into the oven. "What's what suppose to mean?" She shut the over door and turned the dial to the correct setting.

"Oh, come one, Ino. You know what I mean. She left Sasuke a damned mess. She told me she was going to fix it, she told me she was going to tell him the truth... not.." he waved his free hands idly in the air as he tried to come up with the right words. "Not leave the guy with his balls in his hands, not knowing where to turn. And to top it all off she had me lie for her. If you ask me, it's pretty damned selfish of her."

Ino face changed to half anger and half disbelief as she turned to face him, hands on her hips. "Did you... never mind, I can't believe you..! how can you say that about her? Knowing her like you do?"

"I'm saying it because I do know her."

Ino shook her head and turned her back to him. She walked over to another counter and pulled out the icing so she could start decorating the cupcakes. "You know what, you might have been there for her in her junior years, Namikaze, you might have been her best buddy before high school... but while you were playing the soccer star at that all boys school I was her best friend. You might have taught her how to play school yard games but I taught her how to put on makeup and talk to guys so they noticed taught her how to be one of the guys, but I taught her how to be a woman... so forgive me when I say you really don't know her at all anymore."

His eyes narrowed as he looked over at her now to his right. "I'm not sure if I want to anymore..."

"God...!" she snapped, slamming a spoon coated in icing on the counter. "Just... you know what... shut up... you're such a jerk, Naruto. And here I expected just a little more understanding from you."

He snorted. "Well if you know so much, then why don't you enlighten me huh? Tell me why my best friend since grade school broke my other best friend's heart just to save her own feelings? Tell me why she'd acting like a damned coward?"

"Idiot," she half muttered hatefully. "She's in love, you moron. Can't you see that?"

"So?"

Ino paused and closed her eyes. "Sakura's never been in love before, you... " she simply let it hang at that, not really able to find an appropriate insult in all her frustration. And it didn't really matter too much, his silence made her continue as she went back to decorating... a little less forcefully.

"Fine... it's not like you were really around then... so I'll tell you," she muttered. "When I met Sakura it was in freshman year. She was in my homeroom class which just happened to be gym. All freshman have to take it the first year and we both had it after homeroom. We were the only two who had the same first class and homeroom in the same place. So... when the bell rang and everyone left... we just hung out and waited for the other students to get there while the gym teacher got things set up.

"Sakura, at first sight? Well, she wasn't the type of girl I'd normally hang out with. As far as I knew, she didn't really have any friends. Not that I cared then... at first.

"She wore jeans to school everyday. And T-shirts. I hardly ever saw her in anything else. And she always had her hair tied up in a ponytail. I think then it was the only hairstyle she knew of, at least when she wasn't wearing hat. Typical tomboy. She never wore makeup and she bit her nails constantly. But, at least her clothes fit. And her sneakers were never scuffed.. well, accept the ones he wore in gym class.

"Anyway... I dunno how it really happened, but a few days into the new school year I guess I got tired of not talking to anymore before class started and my friends got there. Our school is pretty big, so the time between classes was ten minutes instead of five. I started to ask her about herself, got to know her a bit better. She helped me get through gym class and I helped her be... well... more of a girl I guess. She never really changed... she was still Sakura. But, she just took on a few more skills." Ino smiled as she placed a finished cupcake on the tray.

"We started to spend more time out of class, out of school, together. We went to parties, stayed over at each other's houses and I eventually introduced Sakura to my friends. Sakura became popular and well liked. She wasn't like other girls and guys could relate to that. Especially when she was just being herself. To tell you the truth, I got a little jealous of her, did quite frequently before I hooked up with Choji.

"She dated a few guys, had boyfriends that lasted a few months, but she never really stuck with them. In the end I think they all kinda fell under spell once they got to know her. But.. Sakura's flighty. She likes to have fun, always has, even before me. It's not that she never wanted to get serious with any of them and she never intended to hurt them... but, she just didn't love them. She didn't want to waste her time or their's.

"Sakura's always been that way. I don't even think she knows she's doing it. She ends up becoming more of a friend than a lover most times and can't see beyond that. And Sasuke... well..."

She smiled. " I don't have to know the guy like you two do to tell you, no wonder he questioned his sexuality."

"What do mean?" Naruto asked finally speaking up.

Ino smiled cattily, as she always did when she felt she held all the cards, and turned to face him, pausing, as he pay one hand on her hip. "Sasuke's kinda... girly? Haven't you noticed? He's not gay, but I can see how people might think so. He was raised in a very comfortable environment. By his mother, right?"

"Well.. from what little I know... yeah. Sakura tells me his father really only paid attention to Itachi..." He scratched the back of his head, trying to follow her. "I don't.."

Ino shook her head. "Sakura is the same way, but her father was the one who did all the doting, not her mother. Don't you see, Naruto? They're two sides of the same coin, but they're playing half different roles. Sakura has more masculine roots with a womanly exterior. Sure, if you asked her the difference between Prada and Calvin Klein she'd be able to tell you. But if you asked her if she'd rather be getting her nails done or skating boarding, what do you think she'd say?" Not giving him time to answer she went on, "And Sasuke? I'm sure the man has enough hair products to support a small country. Don't you get it... she's attracted him not just because she has things in common with him, or because they're great friends like all the others... she's attracted to him because he fits her; just as she fits him for same reasons.

"Sakura didn't tell him the truth because she's never been in love before. She doesn't know how to deal with that emotion. She probably can't even really comprehend it. To make matters worse, he doesn't even know the truth. That's can't be easy for her. So, yeah, I'm worried about her. I'm trying to figure out how to convince the girl to go after him and take a risk on her heart. I don't want her to wake up in twenty-five years and look back on this time in her life with regret. And she's stubborn, Naruto. Stubborn enough to go that route..." Ino sighed and placed a few more finished cupcakes on the tray.

"So, what do we do?"

"I've been asking myself--." Ino paused as a soft tune sounded in the room. Arching a brow she looked over at Naruto.

He blinked and dug into his pockets as soon as he realized it was his phone. "Ah.. sorry... gimmie a sec." He barely glanced at the caller ID as soon as he realized it was a number he didn't know. It wasn't a 1-800... so he figured he was safe from telemarketers.

"Talk to me," he answered.

The voice that greeted him was anything but chipper telemarketer trying to sell him slippers. "I need to speak with Vincent. And don't tell me you don't know where he is, Naruto. That's bullshit and we both know it."