A/N: Hello people of the internet! I have decided to truly ditch the fluff and create a long and intense story with one of my guilty pleasure pairings which is Naruto x Sasuke. Genderbend Sasuke, of course. Apologies to those who wanted this to be slash. Onward.

Huge announcement though! For the duration of November, I will be focusing on this story as part of a writing challenge amongst fellow writers in the Naruto Fanfiction Discord. I apologize in advance if I disappoint anyone!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of these characters. I wrote this for fun.

Mismatched Fragments

By Yangster

Chapter #1: A Chance Meeting

Yes.

That was the word he wanted to hear when the had gotten down on his knees and poured his heart out.

It had been a wonderful day. The beautiful, blue sky was filled with clouds that looked like fluffy strands of spun white sugar. What stood out the most to him though was the vibrant sun, like a golden globe that shined most brilliantly down on the two of them on that early spring day. The flowers were blooming and the sound of new-life filled the air.

It had great day, perhaps even the perfect day.

But no matter how perfect that day may have been, its beauty to him was shattered the moment he heard those words.

No.

He had it all planned out; a trip to the coast on the top of a cliff with a beautiful view before it and a ring made of gold with an elegant emerald in it. He was going to propose to her and she was going to say yes. They were going to be married and have a wonderful life together.

Except that did not happen.

Her rejection came out as a complete surprise. He had been on his knees, the sea breeze running through his blonde hair, a smile on his face that lingered for a few seconds as his brain refused to acknowledge the truth of what she had actually said.

I'm sorry, but I just can't.

The ring in his hand had felt like a weighted stone. Its earlier gloss had all but remained as it faded away and became dull.

What? Why?

He wondered if he should have asked. Was the additional pain gained after learning her answer worth it?

I just can't see a future with you.

No. It was not. He wanted to be fair and virtuous. To take her words as a lesson to be learned, but he just could not. His mind wracked over it, replaying the scene over and over again, each time leading to him looking over his entire relationship with her and to the eventual question.

What did I do wrong?

It was as if an invisible hand had wrapped around his heart and began to squeeze. He had never choked as hard as he did back then. It had not ended there as the universe decided to put salt into his wounds by making the car ride home extra awkward.

What happened? They had driven there with her head rested against his shoulder and a smile on the both of their faces. They drove back with her in the back. The only thing that kept back the awkward silence was the sound of the radio.

During the entire car ride, he had only one thought in his head.

What do I do now?

Mustering up all the willpower he had, he repressed that thought. It had been plaguing him for a few days now, which he knew was unhealthy. Luckily for him, he had used his vacation days to recuperate and stitch together his shattered self-esteem.

Sadly though, he had to work today.

Turning his gaze to the blaring alarm-clock on the nightstand by his bed, he let out a quiet sigh before crawling out from underneath his covers. Sliding his feet off the bed, he sat for a few seconds after turning off his alarm-clock.

His back felt sore and his shoulderblades ached. It took more effort than usual to stand up.

Trudging over to his bathroom, Naruto barely flinched as he turned on the lights. Its usual, overbearing glare barely fazed him as he turned his head to look at the mirror.

He looked much better than he felt. That was for sure.

Rubbing a hand against the stubble that had developed on the lower-half of his face, he took a mental note of it before turning on his shower and stripping off his clothes. Naruto stood there awkwardly for a few moments as he waited for the shower water to heat up. As he stood, the lure of that earlier thought slowly began to slowly make a re-appearance.

Sliding the shower door open, he stepped inside. He immediately stepped back out before opening the adjacent shower door so that he could adjust the water knob. The water had been too hot.

Stepping in once again, he took in a deep breath as he allowed the hot water to do its magic. It was nice, for a few seconds, in till the sound of the water hitting the tile floor turned into white noise as he was once again alone with his thoughts.

Tilting his head, he allowed the hot water to drape over his blonde hair, causing it to slant downwards and to darken. He would have to be quick, as he knew that there was no other place where ones thoughts were as pervasive than in a shower. Usually that was a good thing.

His usual fifteen minute shower was cut to only five before he stepped out on to a mat. Grabbing a clean towel, he began to wipe himself dry. He spent a bit of extra time drying his hair as roughly as he could as even the sound of towel scraping a bit against his scalp was able to help drown out any more thoughts from entering his head.

He took another deep breath before grabbing his razor and stepping in front of his mirror. Leaning forward a bit, he stretched the skin of his chin to perform a last minute inspection before he applied a lather of shaving cream and began shaving.

Perhaps if he just focused on his morning routine, he would be able to stop himself from thinking any further about what had transpired. He would just need to last in till he got to work. There, he would be able to just focus on keeping his customers happy.

Rinsing off, he left his bathroom and began making his way to his dresser to grab his work clothes and an additional outfit to change into after work.

He paused as he saw the open ring box on top of the dresser. The glimmering emerald shined annoyingly in the dim light, almost as it was mocking him. Sighing quietly, he got dressed and placed a change of clothes into his work bag.

Leaning back up, he looked at the open ring box once more. Frowning, he closed it. It was better to get rid of it before it caused any more unpleasant thoughts, he figured.

Grabbing his keys, he walked out of his front door before heading down to the underground parking of his apartment complex.

He passed by the usual cars on his way to his own. It was a bit discouraging to know that each and every single one of their cars were better than his. There was no helping it however, as he was the one who had chosen to live so close to the local rich kid academy.

It amused him that whilst everyone was driving automatic, he still drove manual. Leave that fancy stuff to the new guys he always said.

Even though he was not that old. Still, his old man had always been old-fashioned. Naruto would like to say that he learned from the best, but he knew that would not be true.

He hated lying, even to himself.

Sticking in his key and turning it, he took a quiet moment to revel in this satisfying sound of it starting up. He breathed in a bit as he placed his hands firmly on the wheel.

One day at a time. He could do this. If he just kept reminding himself of motivational phrases, he was sure he could get through the day.

The drive was as mundane as ever, which was to be expected as nothing ever really changed in the big city. People walked through the streets, most of them wearing business clothing and busily looking down at their phones. It was a miracle how no one bumped into anyone despite almost every single one of them having their eyes glued to a screen.

As a person that never bought into the whole smartphone usage thing, Naruto felt as if he was a spectator, observing as all of civilization became consumed by phone usage.

Just kidding. He also owned a smartphone, but he seldom used it. He was awful with technology and also clumsy with it.

It only took him fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant where he worked. It was a grand place that served avant garde Japanese cuisine. He liked it because unlike some of the more pretentious restaurants, the head chef stuck to traditional ingredients instead of all that rich stuff like caviar or gold flake or foie gras.

There was something strange about it though, and that would have to be the fact that Naruto could never remember the name of the restaurant. Luckily, his employers were able to overlook this.

Parking his car, he stepped out and made his way into the restaurant. His presence was alerted to the entire restaurant when the person at the front greeted him.

"Good morning, Naruto!" exclaimed Temari, offering him a polite wave as she smiled.

He did his best to match her smile, "Mornin' Temari."

"How's it going?" she asked, quirking her head a bit to the side.

"Oh, just the usual," answered Naruto, the corner of his lip twitching ever so slightly as he tried to fake enthusiasm.

She looked at him for a second.

"Well, alright then. Get yourself familiarized with the specials today and make sure to tell my brother to stop threatening the line cooks," replied Temari as he gestured over to the main hall.

"Alright," said Naruto in response, "Take care, Temari."

"You too, Naruto."

Nodding his head politely, he walked past her before making his way to the main hall. There, the head chef along with the restaurant manager were speaking to the line of waiters and waitresses. Shuffling into the line, Naruto managed to slip in without being noticed.

"Today's specials will be a grilled octopus leg with a sweet miso sauce as appetizer, seared mackeral with a garnish of spring cabbage puree, drizzled with a light soy reduction and a miso poached salmon in a light fish broth with spring vegetables as the two entrees," began Gaara, the head chef, pausing to take a breath before continuing, "For dessert, we have a coffee jelly topped with whipped cream.

Naruto's stomach rumbled quietly, a reminder that he had not eaten breakfast that day.

He watched as Gaara's gaze turned from the line to him for a quick second. Perhaps his stomach rumble was not as quiet as he thought it was.

"You may now all start your duties," stated Kankuro, who was standing next to Gaara, as he adjusted his silk tie to emphasize his words.

With that said, the line dispersed. Naruto began walking to his station only to be stopped as he heard Gaara call his name.

"Naruto."

He turned around, "Yes, chef?"

Gaara blinked a bit at the formality in Naruto's voice, "I was just wondering if you wanted to test out the specials."

"Oh, sure," replied Naruto with a shrug, "I have a question though."

"Which is?"

"How come you always ask me to test out the new dishes? You don't ask anyone else to."

Gaara shifted a bit before walking towards him. Naruto stiffened up a bit as he felt Gaara place his hand on his shoulder.

"I've told you this multiple times, Naruto," stated Gaara plainly.

"You have?" asked Naruto quietly.

Gaara nodded, "I've told you before that you have a sophisticated palate, Naruto. You just always get me to repeat myself because you like the praise."

"Heh," snorted Naruto softly as he raised a hand to scratch the back of his head, "Guilty."

"Yes, well, come with me," replied Gaara, the corners of his lips curving upward to form a subtle smile before quickly vanishing.

"Alright."

Following Gaara into the kitchen, Naruto was quickly seated at the counter in the center of the room. Within seconds, all the dishes that Gaara had listed off early were placed in front of him. It all smelled absolutely amazing and Naruto was sure that they would taste just as if not more amazing.

"Enjoy, Naruto," suggested Gaara as he placed a pair of chopsticks in front of Naruto before reaching for and wiping his hands with a clean towel.

Naruto looked up from the food at Gaara, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," replied Gaara as he placed the towel into a bin and took up a seat opposite of Naruto, "Tell me what you think about them once you finish."

"Alright," said Naruto in response, nodding his head as he picked up the pair of chopsticks.

Deciding to start off with the appetizer, Naruto looked down at the beautifully grilled octopus dish in front of him. It was wonderfully plump and looked very tender. Picking up a piece, he dipped it into the sweet miso sauce before taking a bite.

His eyes widened as he began chewing. A crispy layer had developed from the heat of the grill, creating this wonderful contrast to the delicate octopus flesh underneath it. It was so soft that he felt as if he was eating lobster. The sweet miso sauce was nothing to scoff at either. Its delicate sweetness and smoothness was the perfect compliment to the delicious octopus.

"Well, how was the first dish?" asked Gaara, his voice carrying a bit of mirth in it as he asked his question.

"It's fantastic," answered Naruto as he shook his head a few times to overcome the overwhelming joy spreading on his tongue.

He cleared his throat, "Your food is amazing, just like always, Gaara."

"Try the next dish," replied Gaara, gesturing towards the mackeral.

Naruto chuckled quietly, "I don't know if I'm ready for it."

"You'll be fine. It's just food," said Gaara with a shrug, "Now come on, we've got only half an hour in till our first reservations arrive."

"Alright, alright, I get it," grumbled Naruto quietly as he chunked a small piece of mackeral with his chopsticks, causing a light crunching sound to fill the room as his chopsticks broke through perfectly crisped fish skin.

He then picked up a bit of the puree before spreading it atop the glistening fish meat. Not only did it smell wonderful, but it also looked beautiful. That light green provided the perfect contrast to that brown mackeral meat. Placing the piece he picked up into his mouth, Naruto felt his lips curve upward instinctively as the taste of spring filled his palate.

"Woah," let out Naruto quietly as he chewed, "What's in the puree? I taste something a bit sour and sweet?"

"I added in a little bit of sake and just a bit of vinegar," answered Gaara, the corner of his lip curving upward into a slight smirk, "Mackeral's a heavy fish. It needs something to cut through that oily fat."

Naruto nodded slowly as he swallowed, "That was really good."

"Hah," snorted Gaara, an actual smile appearing on his face for once, "Leave it to you to describe something like this with such simple words."

"Didn't you always say that simple was best?" asked Naruto, quirking a brow.

"Only when it came to food," replied Gaara, his smile lingering for a second before fading away completely.

Naruto chuckled quietly, "Alright, sure. Next dish right?"

Gaara nodded.

Cutting a piece of salmon from the next dish, Naruto squeezed in a piece of bok choy between his chopsticks along with the salmon before taking a bite. He let out an appreciative hum at the wonderful texture and flavour. The broth really did wrap the whole thing together. The dish as a whole was warm and soothing, which was exactly what he needed at the moment.

"I like it," stated Naruto quietly, "It's good."

Gaara quirked a brow, "Something wrong?"

Naruto shook his head, "No. It's nothing."

There was a moment of silence.

"Are you sure?" asked Gaara, his lips pursing as he saw Naruto begin to frown.

"Yes, I'm fine," answered Naruto with a sigh before he turned his attention to the last dish on the table, "I'll just quickly sample that last one so that I can start setting up my station."

He winced inwardly. It was not like for him to brush Gaara off whenever he asked about him. Usually, he was much more open to discussing his problems. Usually.

Gaara took in a deep breath before sliding Naruto a spoon, "Okay. Enjoy."

Placing his chopsticks down on to the counter, Naruto picked up the spoon. Pressing the back of the spoon against the coffee jelly, Naruto felt himself relax a bit as he played with the bounciness of the jelly for a few seconds. Slowly pressing the edge of his spoon against the jelly, Naruto found some satisfaction as the jelly sprung up as it was cut into.

He then took a bite.

It was refreshing and it was a good way to end the meal after eating all those savoury dishes. He liked how it was so simple, just coffee jelly and some whipped cream. Licking his teeth, Naruto quirked a brow as he tried to figure out where the coffee had come from.

"I'm going to guess Portuguese coffee," stated Naruto as he turned his attention from the dessert to his friend from the desert.

"Correct," replied Gaara simply with an approving nod.

"You always did like coffee from there the best," remarked Naruto as he took another bite.

Gaara snorted, "That is because they are the best."

"Some might argue."

"Then they are wrong."

Naruto chuckled before placing the spoon down on to the counter, "So when are you ever going to make a ramen dish for the daily special, huh?"

"This isn't a noodle bar, Naruto," replied Gaara with a smirk as he leaned forward and placed his elbows on the counter, "Plus it'd take too long to make a broth good enough to fit my standards whilst also having to make other dishes."

"Yeah, yeah. Alright. You've told me this before," said Naruto as he waved a dismissive hand.

"And yet you still keep asking."

Naruto smiled softly, "A man can hope right?"

"There shall be no hope in my kitchen. Only cold, brutal efficiency, and delicious cooking," stated Gaara firmly with a nod.

"Oh, that reminds me," began Naruto, prompting Gaara to quirk a brow, "Temari told me to tell you that you should stop threatening the line cooks."

Gaara groaned, "Ugh. It is not my fault that threatening them is the only way to get them to do what I want."

"You could always try being nic-"

"No."

Naruto blinked once, twice, before shrugging, "Alright then."

Standing up from his seat, Naruto went over to wash his hands. Drying his hands with a paper towel, he then made his way to the door. Just as he was about to leave, he was stopped when Gaara spoke up.

"It's Sakura, isn't it?"

Naruto stiffened up, prompting Gaara to narrow his eyes. Just what could have had happened to turn his usually perky and cheerful friend this solemn and moody?

"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't," replied Naruto vaguely as he turned his head to look at Gaara from the corner of his eye.

"It is," stated Gaara with a sigh as he walked up behind Naruto and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto took a deep breath, his shoulders heaving a bit as he did so, "Look, I don't want to talk about it."

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Naruto," replied Gaara as he offered Naruto an uncharacteristically reassuring smile, "Just know that your fellow employees here at this restaurant have your back."

Naruto nodded slowly, "Thanks for that, Gaara."

He then cleared his throat.

"Well, I gotta go prep my tables," said Naruto as he turned around so that he can get a more proper look at his friend, "I'll talk to you later."

"Take care, Naruto."

Naruto waved a polite goodbye, "See ya, Gaara."

Rushing over to the tables that he oversaw, he quickly made sure that they were all prepped with the appropriate amount of utensils and glasses. He had overstayed his little visit to the kitchen and now he was paying for it. Placing the last wine glass on to the last table, Naruto let out a deep breath. Now all he had to do was wait for the first wave to arrive. Which meant he would have nothing but his thoughts to keep him entertained for the time being.

It did not help that he had barely gotten any sleep the night before, so now on top of the unpleasant thoughts, he was also running the risk of hallucinating.

Glancing through the windows, Naruto allowed himself to gaze at the amazing scenery outside and took note that it had began to rain. It was a sudden immense downpour, which was a faily normal occurance, especially in the region where he lived. Hopefully they did not get too many typhoons this year.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he tuned himself into the quiet pitter patter of rain on the roof of the restaurant as he lulled himself into a slight meditative trance. Today was just any other normal day. He would work hard and he would make the diners smile. Perhaps he would be able to cheer himself up by immersing himself in the happiness of others.

"Alright.."

Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes before exhaling. Alright. He was ready. He was going to forget about everything and just focus on creating the best dining experience he can possibly provide for everyone eating at the restaurant.

Now he had just one question.

Who was he going to be serving first?

Just a few moments after he asked himself that, he heard the front door open and close, followed up by Temari's enthusiastic greeting. Stretching his neck a little and tilting his head a bit to see who had just arrived. Usually the first reservations would be sent over to his section because he was a bit closer to the entrance. Surprisingly enough, it was also the extremely wealthy that dined at his section as well, due to the amazing view outside the windows.

Nothing like dining on amazing Japanese food whilst looking outside at an amazing garden where the seasonal vegetables were grown. Hopefully in Gaara's stubborness to show off his prized vegetable garden, they would not end up all drowning in the heavy rain.

He heard a quiet conversation between Temari and the first guests. After a few moments, the first group of diners revealed themselves.

Naruto widened his eyes.

It was a family, but not just any family. It was probably the most important family he would ever serve in his career in the service industry.

They were known for their immense wealth and staggering monopoly in the eyecare and eyewear industry in Japan, along with every other country in the Group of Seven. Not only were they famous for their eyewear, but they were also famous for their bold, red eyes. Almost every member of their prestigious family had them. It was truly one of the more unique traits that one could have in Japan, especially since most people simply had black hair and brown eyes.

Naruto swallowed quietly in anticipation as Temari directed them over to his station. Their gaze was intimidating, especially as they turned to look at him. Breathing a bit, Naruto steeled his nerves before putting on the most welcoming smile he could muster.

It was not everyday that one got to serve the Uchiha.

He would do his best to impress.

And to hopefully forget.

A/N: Wowee, that took a while to write. I think it was worth it though because I had fun along the way. I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter of Mismatched Fragments! Please favourite, follow and review! I love feedback!