Hey hey HEY! Another chapter up to boot! More reviews and constructive flames welcome! Anyway, I haven't been updating a lot cuz I've come down with a bad case of writer's block, but now I've got this really great idea for a Sasu/Naru/Neji triangle so I'll be updating a little faster. Update speed also depends on how many reviews I get, so keep em coming!

Sasuke pressed his body up against the wall of Naruto's apartment, watching the two boys sleep. Naruto looked so peaceful, sleeping like he was; it was positively alluring. The Uchiha's chest throbbed once more, and Sasuke gritted his teeth, trying hard not to Chidori his way through Neji's skull and claim the kitsune as his own. Sliding slowly down the sill of Naruto's window, he whispered softly to the boy.

"Naruto…" No response. Naruto wasn't one to be light sleeper; the Hyuuga, on the other hand, would be a problem. He knew Neji would be alert even in sleep, for Hyuuga always had slightly more refined senses than anyone else. He would have to corner the fox-child alone, without the annoying presence of Neji. He wrote a note to the boy, slipped it under his door, and leapt away into the night.

Somewhere Far Away

Orochimaru watched in amusement as Sasuke leapt back to his home, jealously written all over his features. Smiling, the snake-summoner laughed in sinister amusement. The situation was perfect for his plan; Sasuke would certainly come in handy. In fact, the Uchiha was practically essential for the capture of the fox-child; Orochimaru knew perfectly well that the raven-haired youth was extremely important to the kitsune. Laughing, he slid two ivory fingers over Sasuke's retreating image, never noticing the figure in the shadows behind him. Kimimaro's granite expression stayed pasted on his face as he turned away.

The Next Day

Naruto yawned and swung his legs over the bed, rubbing his eyes as he did so. Neji was still asleep, hair splayed out on the pillow beneath him. Naruto decided to let the boy snooze, so he padded softly to the bathroom and quietly put on his clothes. After eating breakfast, he fastened his weapons onto his belt and was about to step out of his apartment when his foot struck a piece of parchment strewn on the front doormat. Picking it up, he opened it curiously and read what was inside.

Come to the alleyway across from Ichiraku. I need to talk to you.

Uchiha

Naruto smirked. So Sasuke wasn't brave enough to come face him himself, huh? The note was a little damp; it sprinkled a little last night, so Sasuke had probably left the note under his door sometime after ten. Naruto packed some extra kunai (one could never be too careful; it might be the other Uchiha that wrote the note, for Naruto had never seen Sasuke's writing before) and walked to the alleyway.

Naruto poked his head around the alleyway entrance. Seeing no one, he made his way deeper into the crevice and deeper into the impending darkness. Wandering forward, he held out a couple of kunai, just in case.

"Sasuke?" The lone word echoed ominously around the passageway. Naruto tried again.

"I'm here like you wanted, Sasuke-teme." The teasing tone reverberated around the alley, but still no reply came. Naruto finally snapped.

"SASUKE!" Something stirred from within. A figure moved, and Sasuke detached himself from the shadows, a strange look in his eyes. The look was almost too intense, making Naruto was a little worried. Still, he met the Uchiha's gaze head-on and glared right back.

"Sasuke, what do you want?"

Sasuke chuckled and drew closer to the boy. Naruto stepped back the more Sasuke stepped closer, a little scared at the other's strange behavior. It was almost scary, almost like the time he faced him at the Valley of End, although the look in Sasuke's eyes wasn't one of hatred. It was something else; something Naruto hoped was not what he thought it was.

"Naruto…you have come." In one fluid motion, Sasuke pinned Naruto to the wall by his wrists. The kitsune struggled, taken by surprise. The Uchiha had an iron grip on Naruto's wrists, and the more the blonde struggled, the tighter Sasuke gripped his wrists.

"Sasuke…what the hell are you doing!" Sasuke shook his head, silencing the blonde with a glare.

"Shh…" The word slid out of the Uchiha's mouth like water from a cracked jug. Sasuke bent swiftly and crushed his lips against the fox-child's with a fiery passion laced with lust. The fox-child froze, momentarily startled, and Sasuke took advantage of the pause to nibble gently at the other's lower lip, reveling in the feel of Naruto's soft mouth. The full realization of what just happened finally hit the blonde full force and he wriggled out of Sasuke's grasp, spinning around to face him. Sasuke's tongue slipped out of his mouth and he slowly licked his lips, enjoying the aftertaste of the kitsune.

"Sasuke! What has gotten into you!" Sasuke smiled and extended a hand towards Naruto.

"Won't you approach me, Naruto-kun?" Much to his surprise, Naruto came towards him. He wasn't expecting the blonde to obey, but here he was, coming forward with an unreadable expression in his eyes. Naruto finally reached the raven-haired boy, and reached out a hand towards Sasuke.

SLAK

Naruto slapped the boy with all the force he could put behind the blow. Sasuke staggered back, a hand to his cheek, wincing from the pain. Naruto had a scowl pasted on his face, a mixture of incredulity, shock, and anger.

"Sasuke, get a hold of yourself!" Petroleum eyes met cerulean ones. The Uchiha spoke in a low soft tone.

"Don't deny it, Naruto. I know that you do harbor feelings for me. I can see the stir in your eyes whenever we're together. I know that you like me, even want me." Naruto growled, eyes flashing fire.

"It is true that I have some feelings for you, but that doesn't mean you have to take advantage of me." Sasuke smirked.

"But if you do have feelings for me, then why do you go running to the Hyuuga, hm? Answer me that." Naruto recoiled, a little shocked by Sasuke's behavior.

"Neji…loves me for who I am. He's gone through the pain that I have, and he's felt what I've felt. He's comforted me when I was alone, so I'm grateful to him. I love him in return, Sasuke, and I cannot change that." Sasuke frowned.

"I too have gone through the same loneliness and sadness that you have, Naruto. How do you think I felt when Aniki slaughtered my entire family without mercy? Even more so, how do you think I felt when I watched my family getting killed off when I could only stand and watch? The helplessness I felt…Naruto, I know your pain." Naruto shook his head, a grave expression on his face.

"You, Uchiha Sasuke, have always been admired by the whole village before and after the massacre of your family. At least before your family was killed, you had people who cared about you. At least you had people who loved you and who cared that you existed. The people that I lived with for most of my life didn't give a shit about me. Don't think you know the pain I felt, for at least people gave a crap about whether you got up in the morning or not." With that, the kitsune turned and ran out of the alley.

Sasuke watched the retreating form go, cursing himself for being too rough with the blonde. He did admit, he was a little too forward, but he knew Naruto had feelings for him, stubborn in denial as he was.

A sudden movement caught at his senses, and he threw a kunai at the source of the rustling, more by reflex than anything else. Two pale fingers skillfully intercepted the kunai and a figure stepped out of the darkness. Sasuke visibly tensed; it seemed he had come for him again.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Sasuke-kun. You were a little too forward with the blonde, were you not?" Sasuke didn't bat an eyelash. The Uchiha spoke with steel dripping from every word.

"Come to enslave me again, eh Orochimaru?" The snake-summoner chuckled softly, radiating ice and sinister intentions.

"No, not exactly. It's true, the last time I offered you my power, I intended to take your body and use you for my own purposes. But I noticed that you have a burning need to fulfill your desires and claim this boy as yours. I do admit, Naruto-kun does have a certain charm about him that ensnares many." Sasuke didn't move.

"And your point is?" A smile played on silver-pale lips.

"Since I realized how the two of us are so much alike, both bearing a grudge at the person who made our lives hell, I decided to help you obtain your goal of this boy so you, at least can be happy." Sasuke didn't notice the silky smile Orochimaru wore.

"And you? I assume all your plans that deal with using people don't let you go scot-free, so what is in this for you?" Orochimaru laughed, the unearthly sound echoing around the alleyway.

"What you assume is correct; I usually manipulate the plan so that I benefit in some way, be it salutary or harmful for the other but you are an exception, Uchiha Sasuke. You see, after thinking about it for some time, I've concluded that I'm beyond hope. Konoha, my original goal, is beyond my reach so I've moved on. You were originally a part of my plan to demolish Konoha, but now that I've set my sights on higher things, you don't matter that much anymore. So why the decision to help you? Simply because I saw in you…a little of myself. What you want right now is what I can never obtain." Orochimaru paused, looking at the raven-haired carefully for some reaction, then continued.

"You have noticed that the kitsune harbors feelings for you, do you not? Yes, he does feel for you a great deal; right now the feelings are covered, for he is in denial. All he needs is a little push to expose those feelings. They surfaced when you saved him from the Mist shinobi's flying needles; all they need for true exposure is for you to save him once again." Sasuke started, taken aback.

"How did you know about my saving his life?" Orochimaru tilted his head to the side, a bemused smile on his snake-like features.

"I have my sources. Anyway, here is what I'm willing to do. Konoha does hate me, and rightly so, but I really don't want to consider myself as evil; just doing what I can to obtain my goal. This time, I will be as lenient as to call myself the enemy and capture you, Uchiha Sasuke. I will notify Naruto-kun that if he wants you back, he has to come to my lair. Of course, the feelings will be exposed just a little bit more, and the kitsune will come running to your rescue just like he did last time. I will purposely free you and bind him up as well; you are to come to his aid and save his life just in the nick of time like before, and those feelings he has barricaded inside of himself will come spilling out in a flood. With his feelings revealed, he will completely devote himself to you."

Sasuke inhaled sharply. To have the dobe…to actually have the fox-child and call him his and his only…the Uchiha narrowed his eyes in suspicion, for he knew how manipulative Orochimaru could become.

"You must promise not to touch a hair on Naruto's head, nor require some form of payback for me or for Naruto." Orochimaru laughed, and replied in a velvety voice positively dripping with evil intentions.

"Sasuke, sasuke, sasuke. Dear me, I don't think you understand the concept quite yet. I'm willing to help you, for you can achieve all that is beyond my reach. I do sincerely give you my word, and no matter how ruthless I admit I can become, I never go back on my own promises. Nevertheless, you aren't obliged to give your response right this minute. I will give you five days to think it over." When Sasuke didn't answer, the snake-man turned to go, robes billowing behind him.

"Do consider my offer, won't you Sasuke-kun?" With that, Orochimaru melted away into mist.

Sasuke stood quite still for some time, mind whirring frantically. What he had heard from Naruto and the Hokage, Orochimaru wasn't to be trusted. Yet the snake-man sounded so sincere. And he had promised not to hurt Naruto. It with many quiet, nagging doubts, but Sasuke felt he could place his trust once more into the snake-summoner if he could help him achieve his goal of obtaining Naruto's love. Sasuke sighed, the past events taking a toll on his already tattered mind. He would play along with Orochimaru's ploy for now, but if something happened to Naruto, he would make sure the snake-man ended up with a good many gaping holes in various parts of his body, kind courtesy of Chidori.

Back in his lair, Orochimaru watched as his illusionary double disappeared. The plan was set into action, and judging from the Uchiha's reaction, Orochimaru knew that he was considering this little ploy. The Uchiha was going to be quite useful in the capture of the Kyuubi. Orochimaru turned to Kimimaro who had come up silently next to him.

"Do get ready, my dear Kimimaro. After all, we want to give our Naruto-kun a warm welcome. He is so important in our eyes; what say you, Kimimaro?" Mint-hued eyes narrowed slightly, and Kimimaro gave the briefest of nods before exiting the room.

Naruto ran at full speed for quite a while, running until his lungs screamed at him to stop and his legs were hurting like a bitch. Panting, he placed his hands on his knees, gasping all the while. Why was Sasuke so forward? And why, when Sasuke had always viewed Naruto as somewhat below him on the food chain of Shinobi, why the hell did he suddenly start attacking him in ways that weren't remotely decent? Naruto stood up, still wheezing from the run, and passed his fingers over his lips. They were slightly sore and red, a result from all the biting Sasuke had done. Confusion turned to insolence. The Uchiha would have hell to pay the next time Naruto saw him. He was with Neji, and the only one who had the right to kiss him was Neji and Neji only. Still, the Uchiha's lips weren't half bad….

Naruto shook his head to snap his thoughts out of the gutter. This wasn't right. He was with NEJI, as he brutally reminded himself, and he wasn't about to lose the Hyuuga due to the fact that it was Sasuke who forced himself on him. Yes, that was it. Although he still regarded Sasuke as more than a friend, Neji was the one who risked so much to reveal his feelings to him. Suddenly, Naruto's ears perked up and he turned around to face the Hyuuga that had crept up behind him.

"Neji…" Neji stepped towards the blonde, kissing him and wrapping his arms around the other. Sensing the tension radiating from the kitsune, he hugged the fox-child tighter and whispered into his ear.

"Something is troubling you, Naruto." It was more of a statement than a question. Naruto sighed. With Neji, he could never hide his true feelings.

"Sasuke's acting weird, Neji." An elegant eyebrow rose in interest.

"Oh really? How?" Naruto turned and curled into the loving embrace of the other.

"His behavior is very erratic. One day he treats me like I'm nothing but shit, yet when I look at him on other days, he has a strange emotion in his eyes. And just a few minutes ago…" Naruto stopped. Neji stiffened. If the Uchiha bastard did anything to his kitsune…Neji would make sure the Uchiha would be begging for death after he was through with him.

Sensing the increasing tension and anger the Hyuuga was emitting, Naruto thought it was best to omit their little rendezvous in the alleyway. Slipping his arms around Neji's neck, he laid his lips over the Hyuuga's, and kissed him reassuringly.

"Don't worry. He's probably being a little too uptight. He's been that way since the end of our mission." Neji nodded, nose full of spiky blonde tresses.

"I'll take your word for it for now."