Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction based on the novel Daddy-Long-Legs using characters from the series Naruto. I own not the novel nor the series so, if you please, do not sue me for I own nothing but my computer. SASUNARU so beware all ye who dare to read on.

"The Letters of Naruto Uzumaki to Sharingan Rooster-Head-sama"

April 12

Dear Daddy Rooster-Head,

Where are you? I don't really know where you live or how to reach you.

Something's happened and I need advice. I need it from you and from nobody else in the world. Can't I see you? Just this once? Please? It's so much easier to talk than to write. I don't want to tell this to anyone else but you. Not Kakashi or Jiraiya or Tsunade. I need you.

Naruto


May 17

Dear Daddy Rooster-Head,

You note written in your own hand—sorry but your writing sucks, no wonder you resort to computer printouts!—reached me this morning. I'm really sorry you've been sick for almost one month. I wouldn't have bothered you if I'd known you've been laid down for so long.

Okay, I'll tell you what's been happening to me. It's sort of complicated to write and very private. Don't let anyone else read this okay?

Before I begin, here's a check for 100,000 yen. I know it's really a small sum of money compared to what you earn but I've worked so hard for it and I want you to have the first fruit of my labor. It's payment for a novel I wrote that's going to be published serially in seven parts then in a book! Now, don't be grumpy about taking the money. I want you to have it. It's proof that all your help and support have not gone to waste.

You must think that I'm jumping for joy right now but I'm not. I'm happy, deep down inside I know I'm happy because I managed to get something out in between my studying for uni and…my problem.

Remember my letter after Ino and Shikamaru's wedding? Remember me telling you that Uchiha was here and he was really acting strange? My plan was to confront him about his behavior after I mailed my letter, remember? Well, I put my plan into action and my problem started that very night.

After dinner, I followed him to the garden, yelling at him to tell me what the hell was going on. Then—you'll never guess what happened next!—he suddenly confessed his feelings for me! He said that he liked me a lot and wanted me to live with him! You can just imagine my shock. And it wasn't even because he was a guy asking me, another guy, but because, well, he's an Uchiha! He can have anyone and anything in this world and he wanted me, orphan Naruto who is struggling to prove himself to the world. He knew my history but he still wanted me.

And the trouble started from there.

He knew my background and he didn't hide the fact that he thought I was beneath him. I was really overwhelmed and flattered when he said that he liked me. But then he started saying things like his feelings were against his reason and his character and he knew that his family wouldn't accept me. I was really hurt. I would've given him a chance if he hadn't said those words.

You know me, right daddy? You know that I'd give anything for people to acknowledge me, to like me, to love me. I used to think that Uchiha had already recognized me as an equal. Besides Iruka, he was the one who really talked with me, through his letters and those times that we'd see each other. I know we fight a lot, most of the time because I provoke him. But like he said, we also had fun. I could be myself when I was with him. I had no secrets from him, not like Iruka. I could tell him things that I could not tell Iruka.

But he said those hurtful words and I lashed out. Wouldn't you have done the same thing if you were in my place? I mean, here was a guy whom I always thought of as my friend, my equal, the only one who I acknowledged as a match for me physically and mentally, and then he shatters all my illusions and tells me that I'm beneath him. He told me that to my face! So I rejected him. He left the next day and I haven't heard from him since.

Everyone here doesn't know what happened. They think that Uchiha left because he needed to take care of some business. They think I'm quiet because I'm studying. But how can I concentrate when my head keeps repeating that awful night one month ago?

This is all Uchiha's fault! If he hadn't said he liked me! If he hadn't said those painful words! If he hadn't—if he hadn't made me realize that I like him too!

And that's what's making me miserable.

One night I was thinking again about what happened when it suddenly hit me. I wasn't sad because someone I thought was a friend betrayed me. I was sad because someone I liked very much, someone who had become a very important person hurt me. As I thought back I realized that my feelings evolved so slowly that he had become an important part of my life before I knew what was happening. But my first indication that something was starting within me was when Sakura confessed her feelings to him and I actually felt happy that he didn't return her feelings.

I like like him. Not the way I like Iruka or Tsunade or Jiraiya or Gaara or even Sakura. I like him because he listens. I like him because he tells me things that I know he doesn't tell anybody else. I like him because even if he's a cold-hearted jerk most of the time, he trusts me enough to show me his soft side once in a while. I like him because he smiles at my jokes and lets me eat his food. I like him because he allows me to see the real him and I like Sasuke Uchiha, not the head of a great multibillion corporation or one of the youngest and most powerful men in Japan who can make even his stuck-up family grovel on the ground or the guy who makes anyone, girl or boy, swoon if he just looks at them. I like Sasuke. Just Sasuke.

And I miss him too. I miss his letters. I miss sparring with him, whether physically or verbally. I miss teasing him for being a prude. I miss the way he makes me feel special just by being there with me. I even miss hearing him call me idiot. And I miss calling him a bastard in turn.

But he said those words and when I remember them I get angry then I become really, really sad.

I'm laying everything in the open daddy. You're the only person that I trust enough to share my feelings with. You're old daddy and I bet you've experienced a lot of things before. Have you ever had your heart broken daddy? What did you do to get over it? How do I go on with my life? I've always tried to be self-sufficient and to solve all my problems by myself, but this time I don't know what to do. I'm so confused.

Naruto


May 20

Dear Daddy Rooster-Head,

Of course I'll come! Half-past nine next Wednesday, right! Don't worry, I won't get lost in Tokyo. Your directions are enough. You don't have to send Kakashi. I bet you need him right now.

I can't believe that you're finally allowing me to see you! Please take care and conserve your energy so you'll have the strength to talk with me when I visit.

Very much excited to see you,

Naruto

P.S.

I need to bring you something. People always brought me something when I was sick in school. So, what do you like? I think I'll bring some fruits. Or maybe some onigiris? Do you like them? I can make some for you.


Naruto's hand shot out to turn off his alarm clock which had been set at an unusual time of five o'clock in the morning. He immediately leapt out of bed and scuttled about taking a bath and putting on his best blue shirt and favorite orange pants. When he was ready he seized his shoes and bag and dashed down to the kitchen. He found Tsunade busily preparing breakfast.

"Mornin' old hag!"

Tsunade threw a spatula without even looking. Naruto ducked easily.

"Hey! You're gonna ruin my shirt! I want to look my best for this trip y'know!"

Tsunade turned around with a tray of food. She looked at the blonde and smirked.

"If that's your best I don't want to know what your worst is."

Naruto looked down in dismay.

"Wha—what do you mean? Don't I look good? Should I change? I spent an hour last night deciding on this! Should I—"

Naruto flailed his arms, hyperventilating.

"Naruto. Naruto! Stop! You're fine!" Tsunade said, laughing. "I was just teasing you."

Naruto huffed and headed for the fridge where he had kept a bento of onigiris he had done the night before. He carefully set it aside then proceeded to attack his breakfast. In a short while he was ready to leave, gift carefully packed inside his bag.

"I'll probably be back late tonight," he said as he adjusted his shoes at the entrance. "Well, I'm off! Wish me luck!"

Tsunade, with a just awakened Jiraiya standing beside her, waved at him. Naruto climbed the farm's wagon and sat beside a dozing Shikamaru. He prodded the other man awake. Shikamaru grumbled under his breath but obediently flicked the horse to move. They were soon plodding towards the train station. Once they reached their destination, Naruto waved goodbye to an already half-asleep Shikamaru and boarded the train leaving for Tokyo.

Throughout his journey, Naruto's nerves buzzed with excitement. His only thought was that he was finally going to see his benefactor! He was finally meeting Daddy Rooster-Head face to face!

In Tokyo he took a bus that took him near Sharingan-sama's address. At his stop, Naruto leapt from the bus and bounced along the street, his eyes alternating between reading the directions and looking at the numbers of the buildings he was passing by. Just as he expected, Sharingan-sama lived in a posh neighborhood that was like an oasis in the middle of Tokyo. He had never visited that part of the city in his previous visits. Tall buildings bearing signs of top corporations and expensive establishments lined the landscaped streets.

The blonde stopped in front of a building with a sign that showed a red eye with three black bean-like marks around the iris. For a moment he dreaded going inside. The building looked so classy and ultra-exclusive. No one but the rich and famous stepped upon its hallow grounds. There was a guard who was looking at him like he was an interloper who had no business going inside.

"But Daddy Rooster-Head lives here!" Naruto muttered fiercely. "He knows I'm coming. He'll welcome me!"

Patting his backpack to make sure that his gift was still intact, he squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. He stepped inside.

The guard accosted him at once. "You there! What do you want? We don't allow vagabonds in here."

Naruto opened his mouth to yell but a voice interrupted him.

"Naruto Uzumaki-sama."

Naruto and the guard turned to see Kakashi bowing at the blonde. The guard immediately stood at attention. His wide eyes flickered from the boss' private secretary to the scruffy blonde.

"Owner is waiting for you. This way please," Kakashi said, managing to shoot a hard glare at the guard before turning away.

Naruto nervously followed Kakashi. He had only seen the white-haired man this formal once, and that had not resulted in a nice way. They walked into an elevator marked "private". Kakashi pressed the button for the very top floor. They rode up in silence.

"Uhm…uhm…so Daddy, I mean Sharingan-sama lives here?" Naruto asked when he could no longer handle the tension.

"Yes," Kakashi replied somberly. "He remade this building so that the penthouse holds his private rooms and the rest of the floors hold the offices. This way he can be reached 24/7 if an emergency erupts or if someone needs to consult him."

"Jeez! It's like he's married to his job!"

"In a way he is." Kakashi hesitated for a moment. "He's had a hard life and never had much of a purpose except to expand his company that his parents left him."

"That's so sad…" Naruto murmured.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes."

They again lapsed into silence. Naruto began fidgeting.

"He's okay now, right? He said he was sick. He can see me now right?"

Kakashi nodded again. "He's still weak but he'll be able to talk with you. He really wants to see you."

"How did he get sick?"

Again Kakashi hesitated as if unsure whether he should be the one to answer the blonde's questions.

"He—he was caught in a storm the day he left a certain place. He didn't even stop to take shelter. And when he arrived here, he pushed himself so much that he caught pneumonia a few days after."

The elevator continued to rise.

"Will he like me, do you think Kakashi?" Naruto blurted out.

Kakashi's one eye widened. Then it curved into a happy arc.

"Don't worry about that Naruto. Sharingan-sama used to be really unhappy. But he has found a new purpose that's given meaning to his life now."

"A new purpose? What is it?"

The elevator chimed and doors opened.

"You."

Kakashi gently pushed Naruto forward before stepping back into the elevator. Naruto whirled around in time to see the doors closing back and Kakashi staring intensely at him.

"Give him a chance to be happy again Naruto."

The doors closed and Naruto found himself alone in a deserted hallway, Kakashi's parting words echoing in his mind. He turned around and found a set of double doors across the elevator. Looking left and right, he moved forward and gripped the handle.

"This is it!" he hissed. "Daddy Rooster-Head is on the other side! Go for it Naruto!"

He turned the handle and stepped in. An empty hall greeted him. He took off his shoes and walked towards what he thought was the living room.

"Uhm…hello?" he called out. "Uhm…Sharingan-sama? It's Naruto. I'm coming in."

He rounded the corner. The first thing he saw was overstuffed chair that was partially propped away from the doorway and facing the big glass window. A long sofa and a small table were the only other furniture in the room. Naruto took a step forward and saw an arm draped on the chair's armrest.

"Uhm…Da-uhm…Sha-er…"

Naruto gripped his bag and remembered his gift. He took it out and took another step forward.

"Uhm…it's me, uhm it's Naruto, er, sir, Kakashi brought me up here and uhm…I have something for you and er…"

The chair's occupant moved and shakily stood up. Naruto rushed forward to help but stopped dead when the man turned around to face him. The bento tumbled down from his suddenly lax hands.

"Sa-Sasuke?"

Sasuke's gaunt face smiled at him. The dark-haired man leaned heavily on the chair's back.

"Wha—what're you doing here?" Naruto wildly looked around. "Where's Sharingan-sama? He—wha—na?"

Sasuke's smile stretched out some more. "Idiot," he whispered almost fondly. "Couldn't you guess that I'm your Daddy Sharingan Rooster-Head?"

And he adjusted a crookedly knitted scarf around his neck.

Naruto's eyes widened and he remembered—

—Sasuke watching his every move during graduation and smiling at him like a proud but discreet father when he received his diploma

—Sasuke writing down a check without needing much of an explanation

—Sasuke not liking Gaara even though it was the first time that the two had met

—Sasuke visiting him every time he got sick even though he never told the other boy

—Sasuke braving bad weather just to visit the farm and tutoring him in the lessons that he had the most trouble with

—Kakashi not surprised to see Sasuke or even needing an introduction

—Sasuke apologizing through food just like Naruto had written to Sharingan-sama

—Sasuke suddenly arriving at the dorm and siding with Sharingan-sama's wish to have Naruto tour Europe and being disappointed when Naruto declined

—Sharingan-sama allowing him to go to the Hyuugas and Sasuke arriving just in time to rescue him when he tried to run away

—Sasuke arriving at the Chidori Farm during his second summer there and spending time with him when he was so angry with his benefactor's supposedly cold order

—Sasuke driving him home when Kakashi was suspiciously absent

—Sharingan-sama forbidding him to go anywhere near Sakura when he declared his crush on the girl and Sasuke turning up more often even during that small celebration for Iruka's election

—Sasuke visiting during Naruto's first Christmas in school just after Kakashi had delivered Sharingan-sama's gifts and insisting to see Naruto's reaction to the presents

—Sharingan-sama recommending a farm that Sasuke Uchiha used to own

—Sasuke knowing Naruto's favorite sport, his favorite color, his favorite food even before he told the other boy

—Sasuke, out of the blue, giving him chocolates with a reassuring note that his secret was safe even though he had ranted his paranoid thoughts only to his benefactor

—Sasuke arriving at the dorm and letting Naruto tour him around as if he wanted to check up on the blonde

—Ebisu-sensei saying that Sharingan-sama believed that Naruto could be a great writer and illustrator even when the Trustee had only been given a sample of Naruto's written work and not his drawings

—Ebisu-sensei saying that Sharingan-sama had gone out for some fresh air after Sarutobi-san read Naruto's composition "Blue Wednesday"

—Konohamaru trying to say that he had not seen any Trustee bring a son during that fateful afternoon at the Konoha Home so long ago

—Sasuke catching a glimpse of Naruto's drafts before they fought for the first time

All the million and one little clues bombarded Naruto making him wince and wobble on the spot. He dazedly stared at Sasuke.

"All this time…watching over me…"

Sasuke nodded. "The letters weren't enough. I wanted to personally make sure that you were safe and happy but I didn't want you to think differently of me so I kept my true identity from you. But now…"

Naruto took one step, two steps towards Sasuke. The other man tensely waited for him.

"All this time…I thought daddy rooster-head was old…and fat…like a real father…told him all my thoughts…my feelings…told him everything…" Naruto blushed then blanched. "…including my feelings…for…Sa-su-ke."

He stood in front of Sasuke, looked down at the outstretched hand then at the pale but hopeful face. He stepped back, swung out an arm and lashed out a fist towards Sasuke.

"YOU BASTARD!"

ARC: And the circle is complete. All the events started with Naruto and Sasuke fighting and end with one as well. How sweet!

Gosh! Chapter 16 got such a mix of responses that I had to look over the whole chapter once more. Anyway, thanks ever so much for your reviews! Notice the four exclamation points. See how happy I am?

And yes, that line that Sasuke said in the last chapter was from pride and prejudice, one of my most favoritest books in the world!

Okay, finale done. Next up, the epilogue, the promised happy ending, and the start of Naruto Uzumaki's Love Letters to—dun-dun-dun.

Dragon