A/N: It's mostly about Naruto and Sasuke, friendship, and birthdays. Maybe it's because it was mine just a few days ago. Would you believe I actually forgot about it? I offered to buy my friend a dwarf rabbit as a birthday present. She looked at me funny and said it wasn't her birthday, it was mine. I stared and stared and decided not to say anything else for the rest of the day for fear of something even dumber leaving my mouth.

Warnings: A tiny tiny bit of language here and there. Really no biggie.

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. Y'all know that. So don't rub it in. TT

Happy Birthday: Part 1

Birthdays didn't mean much to Naruto anymore. Not after having drawn yellow colored cakes and bowls of ramen on the hokage tower to celebrate them for most of his life. Not after Konohagakure always seemed to be in a darker atmosphere coincidentally when it was the birthday of the demon-fox's vessel. And definitely not after three and a half years after having lost his one and only best friend.

He remembered quite clearly the last birthday he had four years ago, when Team 7 still existed. It was a surprise one. Iruka had treated him to a bowl of ramen just like he always did ever since a few years before, and had invited the blonde over to his own apartment in the evening – to get him his present, Iruka had said. The door was swung open with everyone, all four genin teams and their respective senseis, and even the hokage and shizune, yelling out a very loud surprise and launching into a birthday song. Glitter, confetti, streams and voices floated about the room. The colors made his mind churn and the voices made his heart turn. In the middle of the room, first ones up to greet him, was a majority of his own team. Sakura gave him a hug. Kakashi ruffled his hair. Sasuke was somewhere else in the room.

The cake was decorated to look like a giant spiral. And it was huge, he recalled. Kakashi must have remembered who he was catering for (Naruto) and who else was invited (Chouji). Not as appealing as Ramen, Naruto had concluded after many bites, but it was delicious enough. He wasn't too sure whether it was traditional to open presents at a party or to wait till everyone leaves, since this was the first time he actually had a party. But once Iruka gave him the go sign, presents were pounced very viciously upon, torn recklessly apart, and thanked heavily for. He remembered what most of the presents were, but could definitely recollect every detail of the gifts his own team gave him. Sakura had given him a black woolen jacket, one that had kept him warm and comfortable for a long time after. She had sewn his name in big bright orange thread at the back, and on the front at the left chest, 'future hokage' printed neatly across. He hugged her again. Kakashi had given him a pair of necklaces that had metal pieces which could fit together, beautiful characters engraved upon each. "You're not meant to keep both for yourself, by the way." Kakashi winked. Naruto glared at him and said he already knew that.

He didn't get a present from Sasuke.

"When I'm hokage, I'm gonna make it compulsory that everyone gets a really fun surprise birthday party!" Naruto remembered declaring loudly to everyone before they left.

"It wouldn't really be a surprise anymore then, would it?" Tsunade had replied dryly.

After everyone left, only Iruka, Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were left in the room. They cleared the place up, chatting and finishing off any leftover food. Then Naruto thanked them all again, surprising them when he gave each of them a hug. He didn't hug Sasuke though, saying that the bastard didn't get him a present. Sasuke didn't seem to mind but had mentioned the fact that he hadn't bought a present in the first place.

They went home after Iruka's place was clean, and Naruto could still remember smiling so hard that his mouth started to ache.

He recalled getting home, so overwhelmed and so happy, yet sorely disappointed at something that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he chastised himself for being so ungrateful and for not being appreciative enough for the first birthday party he had ever had.

He slid down with his back to the door, and sat there on the floor for an hour, thinking about everything that just happened and hoping so badly that it wasn't all a dream. Then someone knocked at his window. He jumped, then ran to his bedroom, where a dark figure stood outside, balanced on the balcony railings.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Naruto had asked Sasuke, confusion coloring his voice, with a tinge of shock for having the last person he had expected to appear at his window… appear at his window.

Sasuke climbed into his room, and shoved something long into his hands, "Happy birthday, idiot."

Naruto was stunned to silence, but it only lasted a few seconds. "I thought you said you didn't buy a present?" He gave a sly glare.

"I didn't." Sasuke wasn't looking at him.

Naruto's eyes widened, "You… stole it?"

"No, dead last." Sasuke said with annoyance, snapping his head back up, "It's from my old house. My dad gave it to me."

Naruto fell even more silent. It must have been important to him then. He looked down at the present, feeling touched, a little warm at the heart, kind of happy, then snapped out of his reverie, "What the fuck? It's a sword sheath!"

Sasuke had nodded.

"It's a sword sheath." Naruto repeated.

"I know." Sasuke said.

"It's empty."

"I know."

"I know you know!" Naruto remembered snapping, "What the fuck am I suppose to do with an EMPTY sword sheath?.!"

"Put a sword in it."

Naruto had never heard Sasuke say something so smartass yet so dumb in his entire life.

"What kind of person gives a sword sheath without a sword?.!"

"I can't find the sword."

"WH- what?"

Sasuke shrugged, "It's somewhere in my old room. I was late for the party. I'll look for it another time."

Naruto recalled sighing, feeling a little unconvinced, then turning back down to look carefully at the sheath. As empty as it was, it was beautiful. A dark blue casing with silver engraving, drawing irregular, cloud-like patterns and Uchiha crests. It really must be very important. He ran his fingers over it and let out the air he was holding in. "Thanks."

Sasuke shrugged again.

Naruto had stood there, staring down at the sheath, and then he suddenly jumped on Sasuke, hugging him tightly. Up till now, he has never forgotten the look on his best friend's face when he had done that. It was priceless.

"Get off." Sasuke muttered, but didn't push him away. Naruto got off anyway – just in case Sasuke was planning to pull out a kunai to pry him off instead.

Naruto dug into his pockets and held out both his hands, fists clenched, "Pick one."

Sasuke raised a perfectly shaped brow, and nodded at the left hand. Naruto flung whatever was within it at the other boy, who caught it smoothly even though it was dark and difficult for someone normal to see. He looked down at it, a metal pendant with a half of it missing, and he looked back up.

Naruto was tying the other necklace around his own neck, a half of a pendant dangling at his collar. He grinned, the scars on his face shortening significantly in length.

Sasuke remained impassive and pocketed the necklace.

Even after the past few years, Naruto could still remembered the springs under his bed creaking as he dumped himself down on the covers, sighing and keeping the smile on his face. He remembered closing his eyes.

"Just what the hell are you doing now?" Sasuke had asked after a while.

"Just thinking…"

"Wow."

"SHUDDUP." Naruto snapped, then his face fell back into the previous grin. "I was just thinking and trying to… memorize."

"…Memorize what?"

"This feeling."

Sasuke didn't say anything.

"…So that next time, I can recall it when I need to. When I feel like being really, really happy."

Sasuke smirked, "You actually had some depth after all."

"Shut up, bastard." Naruto stuck his tongue out, though it was aiming at the ceiling and not at his friend.

Naruto remembered opening his eyes after a while and watching Sasuke climb back out the window, and seeing Sasuke's smirk shift into a normal smile. A nice smile. And he remembered how Sasuke jumped off the railing without a sound.

That was the first and the last birthday he had. But birthdays really didn't mean much to Naruto anymore. Not after he watched Sasuke walk away while he sank under a river's surface. Not after he failed to bring his best friend back three and half years ago and returned to Sakura empty-handed. Not after the realization that Team 7 had hardly met up after that. Not after he found himself sitting outside the Uchiha compound with rain pelting heavily down on him, in his dirty hands a silver chain, its pendant lost somewhere in the mud.

A/N: Give me some feedback. Whatever looks wrong, just say so. If you think the story sucks, I guess you can say so too. Encouragement, though not necessary, is greatly appreciated.

I was wanting to make this a one-shot, but changed my mind in the end and decided to make it a two-part thing. So... until the next chapter, whenever it appears, ciao.

-sylver