A/N - Whee! I got reviews - Yay! And in reply...

Blue L - Thanks for the comment, and yeah, Naruto hasn't had it easy. Not to spoil the story...I'll be nice to him.

joecool4 - Hehe. I can't tell you what will happen. Gotta read wink Also, what you said would be a great summary Its cute-ish.

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine pout darn...

Hope you like it! Review if you'd like. Ideas and comments are welcome! Flames aren't...but...if you really wanna, then go ahead. '


Twisting Fate - Noodles and Gratitude

A gentle wind grazed the rooftops of Konoha and wrapped around the body of the young Naruto, who sat upon the roof of his house, his wild blond hair waving with the wind as it blew. His azure blue eyes gazed at the sky as a sigh escaped his lips, wrapping his arms around his knees. Blinking several times due to intruding tears, he stifled the sob and rubbed his face, feeling the whisker-like scars on his cheeks. Again, like so many times in his life, his fingers traced the scars and feelings washed over his body. Why was the Kyuubi inside him? Why couldn't the villagers forget about the Kyuubi and treat him equally? He sighed again and looked back into the village. His eyes twitched when he saw Sakura hanging around Sasuke and he let out a growl. He, and the team, had been sent out to rescue Sasuke from the snake. Even after bringing him home, Sasuke was STILL loved and wanted, and he himself was still an outcast.

"Damnit, Sasuke. Why do YOU always get the attention," Naruto asked angrily, clenching his fists. His body trembled as he searched his mind for a reasonable answer. Because he's a damn pretty boy...because he's the Uchiha prodigy. So what?! Naruto heaved out a heavy sigh and gave up fighting, feeling his eyes overflow with tears. Making a small sob, Naruto brought his hands up and cried quietly, feeling his body tremble more. Why can't I get someone to like me? Why can't I have a friend? "WHY, DAMNIT!!!" He heard his voice echo through the village, Sasuke's head turning to look for the source of the voice. His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw Naruto, who had gotten to his feet and jumped to the ground, disappearing into his house. His mind began to question Naruto as well as himself, silently trying to answer them when a loud whine brought him out of his thoughts.

"Sasuke, are you even listening to me," Sakura asked loudly, pouting at his lack of attention. He let out a quiet 'hn' and Sakura grinned, grabbing his arm and nuzzling it. "I'm so glad you're back! I knew you were only going for a few days! I told everyone! No one believed me, but I told them! I said, 'My Sasuke is perfectly fine! He loves Konoha, and he would never leave for good! He's going to come back and sweep me off my feet'!" Sasuke sighed angrily and shoved his hands into his pockets.

What did I do to deserve this torture? Damnit, Sakura, don't you ever shut up, Sasuke thought angrily. After getting his answer (no, she wasn't shutting up) Sasuke turned on his heel and walked away, hearing Sakura's protests and cries. I should go see the dobe. I never did thank him... Nodding to his thoughts, he walked casually to the home of the most unwanted person in Konoha, the home of Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto collapsed onto his bed and sighed, staring at his dull, white ceiling yet again, counting the cracks and paint chips. Becoming bored with his ceiling rather quickly, Naruto groaned and crawled under the small blankets of his bed which were blue and white, burying his nose into the pillow. He stayed like that for several minutes until he heard his stomach growl, reminding him that he hadn't eaten yet today. Grumbling, he slowly got out of the bed and padded to the kitchen, looking up at the open and bare cupboards. His face fell, as well as his heart, not seeing any ramen cups. Dejectedly, he closed the cupboard and went to walk over to the fridge when a small object caught his eye. A grin appeared on Naruto's face, seeing the lone cup of ramen on the counter. Overly happy about his new find, he jumped into the air with a gleeful "YES!" After landing back and grinning like an idiot, he boiled a pot of water and quickly poured it into the cup. He sat down in front of the ramen, his chin on the table as his glanced shot back and forth between the ramen and the clock. After what seemed like hours, Naruto finished preparing his ramen and grinned, clicking the ends of his chopsticks happily. Almost immediately he dug into the ramen, slurping and eating the noodles messily, the warm, spiced broth splashing onto his cheeks. Just then, in mid-slurp, the sound of a knock interrupted Naruto's meal, making him growl in annoyance, slurping the dangling noodles into his mouth. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand before getting to his feet and walking to the door. Ready to get a bucket of water or some other prank, he braced himself and opened the door. What he saw was the last thing he expected.

Sasuke shoved his hand back into his pocket, shifting slightly so that he could see the blonde's face through his hair. Seeing the shocked look on his face, Sasuke barely stifled the chuckle in his voice.

"Sasuke," Naruto asked quietly with a tone of confusion. Sasuke grumbled quietly and let out a 'hn' before he decided to look up at the blonde and look him eye-to-eye.

"Dobe," he replied, in a slight mocking tone. Naruto growled, gripping the doorknob of his front door while glaring at Sasuke. Anger waved through him as he narrowed his eyes, ready to slam the door in Sasuke's face.

"Why the hell are you bothering me, Sasuke? To rub it in that nothing's changed? That I still have to struggle just to get someone to say hi," Naruto exclaimed angrily, his body slowly trembling. "Damnit! Why don't you people just leave me-"

"Thanks, dobe," Sasuke said quietly, barely audible with Naruto yelling. Naruto stopped and blinked in puzzlement, questions running through his mind. Since when do I get thanked? Since when does SASUKE thank me?! Naruto's head tilted to the side and he blinked again, waiting for any other sound coming from Sasuke. After long moments of silence, Sasuke shrugs and turns, walking down the steps to the village streets.

"Hey, Sasuke, wait," Naruto yelled, running after him. Sasuke stopped but didn't turn, keeping his eyes on the ground. "Why are you thanking me?" Sasuke let out a chuckle and looked back at Naruto, giving him a small smile.

"You saved me. Only thing I could come up with to repay you," Sasuke replied with a 'matter-of-factly' tone. He turned and walked off, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts. Shaking his head, he took a step forward.

"You can thank me by buying me ramen!!!" Smiling at his new thought, he waited for a response or action from Sasuke. There was none; he kept walking down the road, and then disappeared around the corner. Naruto blinked and made a sighed, then let out a yelp. "My ramen!! DON'T BE COLD!!!" Naruto ran back into the house and stared at the cup, letting out a big sigh as he saw steam still drifting off the broth. Sitting back down, he lifted the chopsticks and resumed devouring his favourite meal.

Sasuke leaned against the side of the house and smiled. There, I did it. I thanked the dobe...not like anyone else was going to go out of their way to even be nice to him. He let out a sigh, about to start walking again when Naruto's voice echoed through the streets.

"You can thank me by buying me ramen," the blonde's voice exclaimed in a hopeful tone. Sasuke smiled again and shook his head. That's Naruto, always thinking of his stomach. The way he eats, I'm surprised he's not like Chouji or something. Heh, another wonder of the-

"My ramen!! DON'T BE COLD!!!" Sasuke couldn't help but let out a laugh, grinning at his thoughts. Yeah, that's Naruto. Maybe he'll see that food isn't the greatest thing of life. Sasuke pushed himself away from the wall and walked down to the road, deciding the walk the streets again. Not long after, the voice of girl's reached Sasuke and he shuddered inwardly, not wanting to face the group of noisy girls when a gust of wind hit him, making him turn to look at the village walls. What the...something's not right...


A/N - See? I was nice to Naruto Yeah...Sasuke kinda became a softy. Hehe.

Rini