Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Romeo and Juliet.

Author's Note: It is now June 29 and--- WELCOME TO MY PARTY! I'm officially seventeen today, and you all get a wonderful present! CHAPTER SIXTEEN of the New Guy! This is your present for stopping by at my party today! So, grab some drinks, some candy and cake and enjoy yourself! I've been a mess getting this all written down in time, and I thank my nightly owl skills for keeping me up to the wee hours. I wrote like the last three pages at two o'clock in the morning two days ago, and I'm pleased to say it went extremely well! I love this chapter, and I hope you all will too!

Anyway, this chapter's twelve pages long, so no whining aloud! But, you guys wouldn't do that, right? Well, this chapter's insane! But that's just my opinion. We see tree-climbing Naruto, Neji being Neji, bastardly Sasuke, and concerned yet mischievous Itachi? A big recipe for disaster, or will the pot simmer down? Okay, that was a really stupid line, but you get the point.

I have to thank you all for your great reviews! We made it to two hundred::cries: This is my best fanfiction ever and I owe you guys so much! So, here's your treat, a bunch of cookies and chapter sixteen. Read and enjoy! Much love from your (now seventeen year old) SilverRose88.

Chapter Sixteen

A slight tapping noise roused a Hyuuga from his slumber. Groaning, he turned away from the noise and shoved his head against the pillow to drown out the sound. But, even after that attempt, the patter was still there, only louder and Neji turned over, slowly sitting up. He peeked his eyes open only to be blinded by the light from his window. The window, he realized, was where the racket was coming from. He twisted to the left to face the window, and almost fainted in shock at the bright blonde fluff of hair on the other side of his window.

Neji bolted out of his bed and ran to the window, unlocking and opening it, still trying to digest the fact that Naruto was sitting outside on the tree beside his house. "N-N-Naruto?" Neji stammered.

Said blonde turned to him and said, sounding disgruntled, "You've got a mean butler, Neji! He wouldn't let me in when I showed up at the front door! He said that the 'young master' was still sleeping and shouldn't be disturbed,"

Neji let a soft laugh escape his lips. "That's because it's true, Naruto. You woke me up,"

"Hey, if I'm able to be awake this early, on a Saturday, mind you, you should be up too," Naruto replied. "Now, are you letting me in, because this tree is very uncomfortable, I'll have you know,"

Neji nodded and moved aside so the blonde could carefully make his way into the room. Naruto sighed and stretched, before turning to Neji and staring at him, which then prompted the Hyuuga to ask, "Naruto…what are you doing here?"

"We have to talk," Naruto replied simply, but seriously.

Neji nodded, a smiled crept across his lips. "I've been trying to get you to talk to me for the past three days. Why'd it take you so long to get to talk to me?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I had to figure out what I wanted to say to you when I did want to talk. Three days gave me the chance to clear my head, and come up with the words and phrases I could use to express what I felt after the k--well, you know," This was partially true. It was now four days after the kiss, and for the past three days (after that really bad day which was the last chapter), Naruto had been trying to make sense of the world…and make sense of what he was going to do. He knew he had to talk to Neji and Sasuke, that much was obvious, but he still wasn't sure how to approach his two bitter friends. Naruto felt that it'd be easier talking to Neji than it would with Sasuke. Especially since Neji wanted to talk to him, had been trying constantly all the time during school and at work; and how Sasuke was blatantly ignoring him again, never answered when he tried to talk to him and explain. So, once he'd figured out how to approach them, he busied himself with deciding what he was actually going to tell each of them. Sasuke was easiest for this category, because all he really had to say was the truth, and sound convincing. He knew that Sasuke would probably listen to him if he begged and pleaded just enough, and Naruto was really banking on that to happen. If the Uchiha didn't even give him a chance, then all of his planning would have been for nothing. Neji, however, was the harder one. Naruto knew that he had to tell him how he felt, but that was easier said than done.

"And…how do you feel about w-what happened?" Neji asked cautiously after a few minutes. The Hyuuga's heart was beginning to pound as he anxiously awaited for Naruto's, hopefully good, answer.

Staring straight at the Hyuuga, Naruto replied, "I'm really angry, Neji,"

Those words were like a knife plunging through his heart.

Naruto sighed and continued, "Why did you do that? You went and did something incredibly stupid, and I don't know what to think about it; much less how to act around you anymore. You're my friend, Neji, and you stepped the line,"

Neji cringed inwardly at Naruto's words. He knew from the last few days that the blonde had been mad; only anger could have made the usually cheery boy act openly hostile towards him. But, Neji hadn't taken into account that hearing him say how angry he was, seeing the exposed resentment in his sapphire blue eyes, would make him feel the worst he'd ever felt in his life. He'd never meant to make Naruto mad, would have never dreamed to do such a thing, and had only kissed him because he was getting impatient, getting frustrated that no matter how hard he tried to be with the blonde…it was the Uchiha who seemed to come off in first place. "Naruto…I--" he began, but Naruto cut him off.

"No. I want to talk right now. You've done enough already, don't you think?" Naruto asked. Neji nodded slightly, and the blonde went on, "I honestly don't know what to do. You must have had a reason to have kissed me, right? But, I tried thinking about that, and I couldn't come up with that reason…at least something that was logical. I don't know, maybe you had just hit your head on something really hard, and you weren't thinking properly,"

"Naruto, that wasn't--" Neji said. "Please, just let me explain, okay?"

Naruto crossed his arms and stared at him. "I suppose you can. But you'd better have a good reason. I'll be really pissed if you say some crap like 'I was just kidding…you just looked so kissable!' or something,"

But that's true. You did look really kissable…Neji shook his head and thought about what to say. Should I tell him the real reason I kissed him? I-I want to, god, I've been wanting to for such a long time, but-but he's so mad at me, telling him the reason right now…I don't want to make him even more angrier. And, what if he rejects me?

"Neji, if you don't have a goddamn reason, then I'm leaving," Naruto said.

"No-No, I've got a reason," Neji said, clearing his thoughts with a light shake of the head. He wanted to tell Naruto the truth. Tell him that he'd kissed him because he liked him, liked him a lot, and had been growing impatient for not being able to keep his emotions and feelings inside. He wanted to tell Naruto that he had kissed him because of his growing feelings for him. That he'd wanted to kiss him for a long time, and had gotten overly jealous when he'd found out that the Uchiha bastard is supposed to (Or already has, Neji thought angrily) kiss him in the play more than once. He wanted the blonde to know how he felt about him, and he wanted the blonde to feel that way for him as well. But, after what had happened, after what he'd seen…Naruto had gotten too angry about just one simple kiss, and Neji wasn't really willing to find out how he'd act if he knew about his feelings. Even more angrier, perhaps? Or, blatant avoidance? Neji was certain that if he told Naruto the truth right now, he was most likely going to lose the one thing in the universe that meant the world to him.

No, Neji wasn't going to risk losing him. Not now, when he knew his chances of getting what he wanted was slim to none. So, he was left to choice number two; and even though he didn't like lying to Naruto, he knew he had no other option. "Naruto, th-the reason I kissed you is, well, I did it because that's what the script said to do, right? Haven't you read the script at all? It says that Juliet is supposed to kiss Romeo, and so, that's what I did. I kissed 'Romeo'. I kissed you,"

Naruto stared at him, arms still crossed, a frown at his lips and brow creased in deep thought. "If that's so, then why didn't you tell me that in the first place! I freaked out and got angry at you for nothing!" Naruto exclaimed, still a bit pissed off. "And, why did you have to kiss me anyway? Couldn't you have just skipped over that part? I didn't kiss you when the script told me to,"

"…And why didn't you, Naruto?" Neji asked, taking a step closer to the blonde, a sudden serious look in his pale eyes.

"W-Why? B-Because it was unnecessary, t-that's why," Naruto said, voice becoming unstable as he took a step back. Neji had an odd look in his eyes that Naruto couldn't make out.

"You can kiss the Uchiha, but not me? Why not me, Naruto?" Neji asked, getting closer.

"I-I…Sasuke…we only do because we have to practice…" Naruto mumbled. "I-I mean, we're the ones who have to actually k-kiss in front of an audience when we finally put on the play. And, this isn't about why S-Sasuke and I kiss, this is about why you kissed me!"

"I know that. I just want to know why you're making a big deal out of it. Apparently, it's not like you haven't been kissed before," Neji replied, taking a another step closer.

"Y-Yeah, but--" Naruto spluttered, not sure how to answer that, since technically Neji did have a point.

"So, Naruto," Neji said, now about a foot away from the blonde, who was being backed into the wall. "Why can you kiss Uchiha, but you can't kiss me? Why does kissing me make you mad? I was just helping you rehearse, you know,"

Naruto had no idea what to say. He just stared up at Neji's pale eyes which were watching him intensely, and took another step away, only to have the Hyuuga step forward again, leaning towards him. Neji placed a hand on the wall above the blonde's hair, pinning Naruto to the wall behind him. The blonde was beginning to panic as the pale-eyed boy began leaning closer again. He's getting too close. What's he trying to do? H-He's freaking me out! "N-Neji." Naruto said. "Stop that!" Naruto grabbed his arm and pushed the Hyuuga away from him, getting angry all over again.

The Hyuuga blinked, surprised at Naruto's outburst.

"What the hell are you doing?" Naruto demanded.

For a moment longer, Neji just stared at him, still a bit taken aback that the blonde had backed off so easily. "N-Nothing," Neji lied, looking away.

"Right. Don't try that again, Neji," Naruto said. He now remembered why he'd come here, remembered how pissed off he was at the Hyuuga, and now because of what he'd just tried (though Naruto wasn't exactly sure what he had tried), Naruto was even more pissed off. "Later," he said, heading back to the window to make his exit.

"W-Wait, Naruto," Neji called after him quickly before he lost his nerve.

"What?" the blonde asked, slight bitterness in his voice.

"Listen, I-I'm sorry, okay?" Neji said, staring directly at him, pale eyes locking with blue. "Don't be mad at me," I can't stand that. I can't stand you being so angry with me.

"I'll have to see about that, Neji," Naruto said as he crossed over the window. "But, maybe someday I'll forgive you," And with that, Naruto left, headed to his second destination for the day.

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"Damn it, why isn't anyone answering?" Naruto exclaimed angrily as he began pounding on the door of the Uchiha's home. "He's got to be home. I have to talk to him now before this goes on any further. Where is everybody?" Frustrated, Naruto kicked the door and swore as pain swept up his foot. "That was stupid," he mumbled.

"Yes it was. Now, can you stop beating up my door?"

Naruto looked up quickly to find the very person he wanted to see. "Sasuke-bastard! What's the deal? If you're home, then why the hell weren't you answering the door?"

"Because there's a business party going on here, and everybody's out back," Sasuke said.

"Business party?"

"Yes. Itachi's invited a bunch of associates and people like that for lunch,"

"Kinda early for lunch, isn't it? It's only nine,"

Sasuke ignored that comment and said instead, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you," Naruto replied seriously.

Sasuke met his gaze and held it firmly, and said, "I've got nothing to say to you,"

"But I've got quite a lot to say to you, Sasuke, and I'm not leaving here until I do," Naruto said, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Naruto, just leave. I don't have the time to entertain you right now. I have to go back to my guests,"

"I thought they were Itachi's guests,"

"Yes, but they are also people I know, and I have to attend the function. Business parties are something you wouldn't understand, since you're not on that level,"

Naruto felt like he'd been slapped. "Well, excuse me for not being in the high-class loop," he said, every word drenched with bitterness.

"Whatever. Just go, will you?" Sasuke said.

"I already told you; I'm not leaving until I've had my say," Naruto said.

"I know what you're here to talk about, and I don't have the time to listen to whatever it is you might have made up,"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Sasuke," Naruto said, then he sat down on the front steps, crossing his legs and arms. Staring up at the now rather bewildered Uchiha, he continued, "And, if I have to wait until this dumb business thing is over, then I will,"

Sasuke stared at him, shocked by his determination to tell him what was going on. Why is he so persistent to explain what happened? Why does it matter so much to him to make me understand? Sasuke thought about this and wondered about whether he should give the blonde a chance to clarify things. But, he didn't want to hear the reason, he didn't want to listen to the lies that he could have made up. I'm not going to lie to you, Sasuke… Does he really mean that? How can he trust that?

"Naruto. I'm telling you to leave," Sasuke said severely. "I don't want to hear whatever you're going to say,"

"I know you don't want to listen to me," Naruto said. "That's why you've been ignoring me for the last few days, right? Well, I don't care if you don't want to listen. The fact is that I'm going to make you listen, whether you like it or not,"

Sasuke blinked at the intensity behind the blonde's azure eyes and the thoughts started up again. Why was this so important to him? He'd never seen Naruto so determined in his life before, and that fact was making it all the harder for Sasuke to ignore him, to remember that he was still mad at him. As he continued to stare at Naruto, who was sitting on the threshold still gazing intently up at him, blue eyes full of resolve, and arms crossed over his chest in a manner that clearly said he wasn't going to leave unless he got what he came for, Sasuke couldn't help but find the situation rather amusing. Even though the blonde knew he was mad at him, here he was, sitting outside his front door with such determination to change what was going on between them. Sasuke knew he was being rude on purpose. Knew that his anger was taking the better of him, and even though he knew that he should hear the blonde out, some inner part of him felt that listening to Naruto wouldn't solve anything…that his reasons probably weren't even true. But, Sasuke had no reason to believe that Naruto would lie about what had happened. He had even said himself that he wouldn't lie to him, but what if that had been a lie too? What if…what if what he'd seen was exactly as it was? That Naruto had kissed Neji and had…wanted it? Finding that out would mean the worst pain he could ever imagine, and Sasuke didn't want to go through that. But why would Naruto be so willing to explain if that was the case? If Naruto had wanted to kiss Neji, then there wouldn't be any reason for him to have chased after him that night, for him to have tried as much as he could to talk to him for the past three days, for him to be sitting here right now.

The younger Uchiha sighed and looked away from the penetrating gaze of the blonde and said, "Naruto, if you don't leave right now--"

"I told you Sasuke, I'm not leaving. I'll stay here all day if I have to, I don't give a damn," Naruto interrupted. "What you're doing, your avoiding me, it really hurts, you know, and I don't like it,"

It hurts you? Sasuke thought more bitterly than he meant to. What about how much your actions hurt me?

"I've made up my mind to fix things, Sasuke. And I have to talk to you. I have to tell you what really happened. If I don't…well, you'll just hate me, and I won't be able to stand that,"

I-I could never hate you, Naruto…Hyuuga yes, but you, never. Damn it, why can't I just tell him this! Why can't I listen to him, I-I know I want to, but…

"So, Sasuke-bastard. I'm staying. I'll wait until your party is over. I'll sit here and I'll wait to explain. I'll wait for you to listen,"

Naruto gave Sasuke a strong unwavering gaze and Sasuke caught it and held on, thinking about a time before when something similar had happened. He remembered how he himself had waited in front of Naruto's door to apologize for being a bastard and ignoring him. Though Naruto wasn't here to apologize, it was basically the same concept and this made it even harder for Sasuke to hold firm, to not falter from his base. He couldn't give in. For some stupid reason, he wasn't letting himself be fair with Naruto. He wasn't going to listen to him.

…At least not now.

Turning on his heel, Sasuke walked off the way he came, leaving a disbelieving, yet unyielding Naruto still sitting on his doorstep.

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"What's wrong? You're actually trying to have a good time,"

"Leave me alone," Sasuke said flatly, not in the mood for his brother's words of wisdom or comfort or whatever shitty advice he was going to dish out.

"But something's obviously not right. You're involving yourself in the party when you usually just sit in a corner reading a book," Itachi said, taking the seat beside his brother at a table. "Come to think of it, you've been like this for the past few days. So, what's going on? Something I can help you with?"

"No. Nothing you can help with, so just leave me alone and go mingle with your guests,"

"They can mingle fine without me. What's going on?"

When Sasuke didn't answer, Itachi studied his younger brother thoughtfully. Hmm, something was definitely up, and as the older brother, he had to find out what. How else could he pester Sasuke? Taking a chance at the one thing that always shook the young Uchiha up, Itachi said, keeping his voice light, "Has it got anything to do with a certain boy by the name of…oh, I don't know, Naruto?" Itachi reveled in the way Sasuke flinched. "Aha, so it is about him,"

"I never said that," Sasuke ground out.

"But it is, isn't it? So, what's happened this time? Some kind of fight, that's easy to tell…but there's something more. Hmm, what could it be?"

"Brother, go away," Sasuke said, twisting away to face the back of the house instead of his brother's prying face. Glaring at the house, Sasuke tried to pretend that Itachi wasn't there, and that Naruto was the last thing on his mind. But, seeing as how the latter was definitely and completely the utmost thing on his mind, Sasuke was having a hard time convincing himself that Naruto's appearance that morning wasn't important. Then again, who was he kidding? Naruto showing up here was the last thing he'd ever expected, especially since he was being so blatantly obnoxious, and bastardly. But, that was Naruto…always full of surprises, and that thought let a small smile escape from his lips.

However, he shook his head quickly and frowned. No. I'm still angry. I-I'm not going to waver. What he did was too painful to just forgive and forget. Sasuke's brow creased as he thought about his dilemma.

"Oh, so he did something, huh? What did Naru-chan do to make you so upset?" Itachi asked.

"Don't call him Naru-chan!" Sasuke snapped angrily, glaring at his brother.

Itachi smirked at him. "Why? Does it bother you?"

"…N-No," Sasuke lied, glaring at the back wall again.

"So, little brother, what has Naruto done to upset you so? Must be something really big if it's kept you in such a mood for a week,"

"He-He didn't do anything," It was that damn Hyuuga.

And as that thought crept though his mind, Sasuke blinked and his frown deepened. I-It wasn't Naruto's fault, was it? It must have been the Hyuuga who had kissed Naruto and not the other way around. Naruto didn't just go around kissing people like that; Sasuke was pretty sure that Naruto was straight and wouldn't kiss guys so easily…he did always make big deals whenever the two of them practiced their kissing scenes for the play. So…maybe Naruto hadn't really done a thing, and Neji was the one responsible. Could that be a possibility? But what if the real possibility was the Naruto…liked Neji and kissed him because he wanted to? That was a prospect too, and this one was the one that Sasuke feared more. He'd never be able to handle it if that was what Naruto came to say.

"You look afraid about something," Itachi noted as if he'd read his brother's mind. "Did Naruto do something to scare you?"

"I'm not afraid of anything, Brother," Sasuke said, though he was beginning to think he was lying to himself. Was he really afraid? Was he afraid of what Naruto might tell him? That Naruto might tell him that he had actually wanted to kiss Neji; was that what he was afraid of? Sasuke wasn't so sure…he hadn't once thought that he was scared or anxious about something like that. It hadn't even crossed his mind, but now that reason seemed to fit more than anything else. But, still he had some doubts. An Uchiha wasn't afraid of anything…how could he be afraid of something so trivial like that?

Sasuke got to his feet abruptly and walked off, muttering to his brother, "I'm going inside." He needed time to think, and there was obviously no way he'd get that done with Itachi's prying nose in his way.

The elder Uchiha sighed and shook his head as he watched his brother head towards the house. Scratching his head as he too got to his feet, he mumbled under his breath, "Silly little brother. He might as well wear a post-it to his head saying 'I love Naruto!', he's that obvious. Still, it is amusing," he added with a laugh.

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Naruto yawned. Five minutes later he yawned again. With a sigh he leaned back against the front door of the Uchiha house and stared up at the blue sky. He'd been sitting on the goddamn doorstep for about three hours by now, and not only was it very uncomfortable, it was insanely boring. He wanted to do something, but knew he couldn't leave because that would just be giving in to what Sasuke wanted, and Naruto decided that it was time that bastard couldn't get away with what he wanted. He wasn't going to leave. No. He was going to sit on the doorstep until Sasuke relented and listened to him. He was going to sit on the doorstep no matter what. He was going to show Sasuke that he wasn't giving up, not this time.

But he was bored. How long did business parties last anyway? He surely didn't have a clue. For all he knew, he could be out on Sasuke's threshold for the entire night. Oh, god, he wished business parties did not last that long. If they did, he was sure he'd have a really sore butt by the next morning. No, if it gets that late, I'm going to hunt the Uchiha down. I'm not leaving here until I talk to him. I-I just have to set things right. …But if that bastard doesn't get out here soon then I'll just have to take some drastic measures…ruining the party would work well…but that could get Sasuke mad at me even more…hmm, this is a tough one…

"What's with that look?" came a familiar voice interrupting Naruto's planning.

Naruto looked up to meet black eyes and shrugged, "Nothing," he said, looking away.

The Uchiha wasn't fooled and sat down beside him. "Ruining the party wouldn't be of help anyway," he said, and Naruto turned to him with a how-did-you-know-what-I-was-thinking look on his face, and he continued, "Sasuke's not out back. He's probably brooding up in his room,"

"Oh," was all Naruto could say to that.

Itachi watched the blonde sit and fiddle uncertainly with his hands for awhile. He could easily tell that the boy was upset about something, and given the way his brother had been behaving, whatever had happened between the two, it was obviously big and hurtful. The older Uchiha grinned mischievously. This could actually be a good thing. "I have an idea," he told Naruto, who stopped playing with his fingers and looked up at him. "You want to talk to Sasuke, right?" Naruto nodded. "And my brother's being an idiot by not listening to you, correct?" Another nod. "Okay, then, I suggest this…" Itachi quickly whispered something into Naruto's ear, and the blonde listened carefully, slowly blushing.

"B-But, t-that might not even work," Naruto said, his face still a slight pink.

"Oh, believe me, it's guaranteed to work one hundred percent," Itachi replied with confidence.

"I don't know…" Naruto began. Then, with a scrutinizing gaze, he asked the older Uchiha, "Why do you want to help anyway? Don't you have to host a party?"

Itachi shrugged. "Yes, I do have to host a party, but they won't miss me for a while. And, I want to help because knowing how insanely cold and stubborn Sasuke is, he might just leave you sitting out here all day long,"

Naruto nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Oh, and it's always fun to tease my brother. I'm certain he'll drag you away and that'll give you the chance to jump on whatever it is you have to tell him,"

"Well, if you're sure it'll work, then I guess I'm in. I have to talk to Sasuke, no matter what,"

"Good, then I guess Plan Talk To Sasuke is underway," Itachi said, getting up.

Naruto stood and grinned. "That's a horrible plan name,"

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Sasuke paced the floor of his room for about the umpteenth time. He was getting more frustrated by the second. But, he didn't know what to do. Part of him wanted to listen and hear Naruto out. But the other part of him had some gut instinct that whatever the blonde had to say to him was not going to be good, and that he should just spare the pain. But then not knowing which side he should agree upon was much pain in itself.

Sasuke sighed and sat down on his bed, rubbing his eyes. All this frustration and uncertainty was making him unusually tired. He slowly rested his head onto his pillow, and the softness surrounded his head, making him feel unusually lighthearted. Maybe he could just rest for awhile…forget about everything that was causing him anger and aggravation and pain…forget that he was leaving a certain blonde sitting outside on his front step…forget that he had a party he should be at. Just for awhile, maybe he could sleep and not think of anything, just relax and rest…Naruto always did say that rest and relaxation were important, next to ramen, that is. So, maybe he could try that…

Sasuke shut his eyes and sighed again. Huh, this isn't so bad. Just relaxing…ignoring everything else for awhile. I could get used to this…But as he slowly got deeper into total relaxation, his brother's loud voice seemed to echo into his quiet room from the hallway. Sasuke squinted his eyes shut as if trying to will the voice away. Not now. Why did Itachi have to come bug him now? Didn't his brother ever have anything better to--Sasuke froze. There was another voice. A voice that he had grown to love…Naruto. No, did Itachi let him in? Is he coming up here to talk? Crap. Oh, I'll just pretend to be asleep, even they wouldn't disturb a sleeping person, right? …No, maybe they would. But even so, Sasuke kept his eyes shut and pretended to be resting, awaiting for the knock on his door coming at any moment…any moment…any moment now…

The young Uchiha's eyes flew open as he started making out the words of the two in the hallway. They were nearing his door, and were taking about something that was making Sasuke's blood begin to boil.

"Now, don't worry Naruto, I promise you it won't hurt a bit," Itachi was saying. "In fact…if we go about it right, it's actually quite fun…"

"Are you sure? B-Because I'm-I'm sort of scared…I don't know what'll happen…" Naruto said, sounding very apprehensive, and the tone of his voice was making Sasuke's heart begin to race. What the hell are they talking about?

"I said don't worry, Naru-chan--" Here Sasuke gave an involuntary twitch. "--everything will go smoothly. Now, let's get into a room before someone hears what we're talking about,"

"O-Okay," Naruto said.

"Please don't be frightened, Naruto. I will be completely gentle…you won't feel a thing,"

Sasuke was now on his feet, glaring at the door. He started to growl. What the hell was going on? Well, whatever it was, he was going to murder his brother! No question about it. A brutal, horrid, bloody murder. How dare he even go near Naruto!

"I-I'm still not really sure," Naruto was saying as Sasuke made his way to the door.

"I promise to make it really enjoyable. You'll have a great time, I swear," Itachi said as the Sasuke slammed open his door and burst out into the hallway, his black eyes full of rage as he immediately found his brother and glared spitefully at him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke yelled furiously, continuing to glare at his brother, though he flicked glances at Naruto, making sure the blonde was okay.

"What, us?" Itachi asked innocently, trying to bite back the really big urge to laugh.

"No, just you. What are you doing with Naruto?" Sasuke demanded.

"Oh, nothing. We were just talking, weren't we, Naru-chan?" Itachi asked.

Naruto nodded, giving Sasuke an odd look. Itachi was right…this did work, but why's he so pissed off anyway? Naruto wondered. "Yes, Sasuke-teme, we were just talking. Didn't know that was a crime,"

You weren't just talking! Sasuke thought. Well, yes you were…but you were going to do something else…God, I'm going to kill my brother.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, and when he only earned a glare from his brother, Itachi continued, "Well, if there's nothing you wanted, then I guess Naruto and I will be on our way…"

"Don't you dare!" Sasuke snarled. He then grabbed Naruto's hand and dragged him into his room, not noticing the blonde's grateful look back to the older Uchiha who just smirked and nodded at him.

Sasuke sat Naruto on his bed and said, "What were you talking about? What did my brother want to do?"

"Nothing, Sasuke-bastard," Naruto replied, crossing his arms and looking away.

"Don't lie to me, Naruto. Obviously something was going on, and I demand to know what it was!" Sasuke said fiercely.

"I told you, it was nothing. We were just talking about something. …I don't want to talk about it, ask your brother later," Naruto said.

Sasuke watched him for a moment before deciding to drop the matter. He sighed and walked over to his desk, his relaxation mood completely ruined now, and he just wanted to brood for awhile, and formulate a plan to execute his brother.

"Sasuke, we have to talk," Naruto said, getting to his feet.

Sasuke stopped at his desk and swore under his breath. Momentarily, he'd forgotten that Naruto had wanted to talk to him, and now that he was inside the house, in his room, the blonde had no reason not to get what he wanted. Sasuke turned to Naruto who was watching him evenly, and the war between his two halves started. He wasn't sure what to do. Should he listen to Naruto or kick him out? Both options had their downsides. What if Naruto's explanation was good and he kicked him out and never got to hear the actual truth? That would result in a broken friendship, and only more good luck for Neji, and that thought made Sasuke cringe. But, what if he listened to Naruto, and the blonde's explanation was exactly what he was dreading? Then, he'd have to come face to face with that result, and he didn't want that at all.

So, Sasuke was a crossroad, and neither path seemed any more appealing than the other. What was he to do?

"I'm not leaving until you hear me out," Naruto said. "I don't know why you're set against hearing the truth. I'm not going to lie to you, and I can tell you what I'm going to say is absolutely good. Nothing bad, if that's what you're worried about, though I don't know why you'd be worried about that. I-I just want you to hear me out. Then, you can go on hating me or whatever it is you're doing. I-I just have to tell you. That's all I'm here for,"

Sasuke met the blonde's gaze and felt his heart hammer from the intensity of the sapphire eyes. Naruto was that convinced to set things right. He just wanted to tell him what had happened…he was leaving the rest up to Sasuke, and the Uchiha didn't know what to make of that. Should he listen to Naruto?

"Still not giving me an answer, huh?" Naruto said with a laugh, tearing his gaze from Sasuke's piercing ebony eyes. "I'm not going to make you listen. I want you to say you will. So, until then, I'll just sit here," The blonde resumed his seat at the edge of Sasuke's bed, and started watching Sasuke for any hope of some expressions to help him figure out what the Uchiha was thinking. But Sasuke's mask was on tight, and he wasn't letting any feelings escape. Naruto sighed at that, wishing deeply he knew what else he could do to make Sasuke listen.

Sasuke just stared at Naruto, wondering why the blonde was so set on getting him to listen. God, what should I do? Gazing at the blonde, Sasuke noticed the 'I'm waiting' look on his face, and felt rushed. He had to decide at least what he wanted to do. Either hear him out or get rid of him. Just choose one option and then it'll be over.

"F-Fine, Naruto, I'll hear you out," Sasuke finally said.

The Uchiha had never seen Naruto so relieved before. The blonde seemed to relax instantly, and his eyes regained their more excited and happy look. Naruto grinned and got to his feet before Sasuke. "So, jus-just hurry this up and tell me whatever it is you want to say. I've got to go back to the party,"

Naruto chuckled. "According to your brother, you've been up here for almost two hours, meaning you don't have to go back to the party. I'll take as much time I need to tell you. But, I'm thinking it's going to take more time to convince you I'm telling the truth,"

"And? The truth is?" Sasuke inquired cautiously, feeling his heart begin to pick up the pace. This was it. The answers he'd been wanting, yet dreading to know. Had Naruto really wanted that kiss, or had the Hyuuga bastard forced it on him? Though either way, Sasuke was going to kill Neji. He could add the Hyuuga to his hit list after (or before) his brother.

Naruto found Sasuke's gaze and his eyes turned serious again as he stared at the Uchiha. He knew he had to sound like he was being truthful. He knew he was telling the truth, but to convince Sasuke, he had to sound as though this wasn't some written out script he was reciting. He had to sound genuine. He had to express. Naruto laughed under his breath. That would be easy for him; he was the most express-full person he knew.

"So?" Sasuke persisted. "If you don't have an explanation, then--"

"I didn't want that kiss," Naruto interjected.

Sasuke blinked and stared at him, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from within him. "W-What?"

"I didn't want that kiss," Naruto repeated.

"D-Didn't want?"

Naruto nodded. "N-Neji kissed me. Not the other way around, or going mutually. It was one-sided,"

Sasuke continued to stare at Naruto as though he hadn't seen anything like him before. Neji had kissed Naruto. Naruto had not kissed Neji. They had not kissed each other. This brought forth a lot of different emotions. For one, he was insanely furious; he was planning on giving a certain Hyuuga a visit…with a hatchet. Two, he was incredibly relieved; he just wanted nothing better than to just rush over and kiss the living daylights out of Naruto (and he really had to refrain himself from doing just that). Three, he felt completely stupid; he'd avoided and been an absolute ass to Naruto for the past few days for nothing. The blonde obviously hadn't wanted that kiss at all, and because Sasuke had been a stubborn fool, he'd almost ruined their entire friendship. He was such a bastard.

"Listen, Sasuke, I-I honestly don't really know why I feel like I have to explain this to you, but I feel like I do…and that's why I'm here. I didn't want that kiss, and I've already told Neji so. He gave me his reason for kissing me and that it was because we were rehearsing,"

"Rehearsing? You and Hyuuga don't have any kissing scenes," Sasuke said, watching Naruto closely as though he'd just found a giveaway to a lie.

"I know that. We were rehearsing the death scene because Neji was curious. And-And, when it came to the part that I was supposed to kiss him, I skipped it. But, well, Neji didn't. When Juliet is supposed to kiss Romeo, Neji actually kissed me, and-and that's what you saw,"

Sasuke didn't think he could feel any stupider. They had been rehearsing. Neji hadn't jumped him. But Sasuke knew Neji wasn't innocent; he'd obviously read the script and did what it said because there wasn't any loss to him to kiss Naruto. But they had been rehearsing, and Sasuke had just seen Neji kissing Naruto and had lost it. Now, he wasn't sure what to say; he felt unusually stupid. Relieved, even happy, but stupid.

"Well, I-I guess that's all I really have to say…I mean, there's nothing else. I-I'm sorry if you're mad, and I didn't want to make you mad," Though I don't really understand why you're angry at me in the first place… "So, yeah…you can go on ignoring me or hating me…or both. Whatever. I just had to tell you, because I felt like I should. For some reason, I-I felt bad that you'd seen that, though I don't know why," Naruto shook his head, and then slowly headed for the door. "Well, I-I guess I'll, um, see you around, then…Bye, Sasuke-bastard,"

Then, before Sasuke could call out for him to wait, Naruto walked out the room, and had vanished down the hall as Sasuke peered out his door. The Uchiha's mind was reeling. Naruto hadn't wanted that kiss. Everything was okay…except for maybe that Hyuuga problem he'd have to take care of…but, other than that, everything was okay. No, wait, it wasn't. Naruto had just run out the door still thinking that Sasuke was mad at him…that Sasuke hated him and was going to continue hating and ignoring him. No, Sasuke could never go on doing that. It would hurt too much.

"Damn it!" Sasuke swore as he quickly made his way down the hall, down the stairs, and out the front door, looking for Naruto. But, the blonde was quick and had already left the Uchiha grounds. Sasuke swore again as he went to get his car, but kicked a rock remembering that the guests' cars were blocking the way out of the driveway. With a sigh, Sasuke left the grounds. He'd just have to run.

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Naruto sighed as he entered his apartment, flicking on the lights. It had been a very long morning, and all he wanted to do now was rest. Talking to Neji had been just as he'd expected; quick and to the point. But, talking to Sasuke had been horrible. For some reason, it hurt him deeply to explain to Sasuke that he hadn't wanted that kiss. He had not wanted Neji to kiss him, and that was the truth. Telling himself that was easy. Telling Neji that had been a bit harder. But telling Sasuke had been the worst. The way the Uchiha had left him sitting outside for practically three hours. The way the Uchiha hadn't bothered to relent to the truth until Naruto had wormed his way inside. The way the Uchiha had seemed doubtful of why Naruto was there in the first place. The way the Uchiha had watched him, as if waiting for a clue to giveaway that he had wanted the kiss. All of that had amounted to a horrible, one-sided conversation.

It wasn't like Naruto had really expected Sasuke to say much. No, he had had the feeling he'd been the one doing all the talking, and he had. Even at the end, Sasuke had made no attempt to apologize for his hurtful actions of the few previous days, and this brought pain to Naruto like no other. It really hurt him that Sasuke had ignored him, that Sasuke was mad at him…and then the fact that the Uchiha was going to continue being mad at him, and continue avoiding him only caused the blonde more pain. He felt as though he'd done something wrong, and he was paying for it.

Naruto had been so sure that Sasuke would listen to him straight out. That afterwards he'd realize what an absolute jerky bastard he'd been and apologize. Then they'd be friends again, and things would go back to the way they'd been before. But, after what had happened that day, Naruto was beginning to see days without Sasuke…and that made him unusually depressed.

"God, but I didn't even do anything! Sasuke's mad at me for nothing. I was a victim too. It wasn't my fault," Naruto said aloud as he flopped onto his bed.

"I know…and I'm sorry,"

Naruto's blood froze over and he leapt to his feet, turning to face the intruder at the door. "S-Sasuke?" he breathed, staring at the Uchiha with shocked eyes.
Sasuke, who was breathing heavily from running all the way over, nodded slightly and stepped inside. "You know, you should really learn to lock your door, Naruto," Sasuke said. With a slight laugh, "That's what got us into this mess in the first place, was it not? Your constant lack of decency to not lock the door,"

Naruto stuck his tongue out and said defensively, "Hey, don't blame this on me!"

Sasuke nodded again and ran a hand though his dark hair. "I know, and I'm sorry again. This wasn't your fault," he said.

"I'm glad you realized that," Naruto said coldly.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Sasuke repeated. "For-For all of it. I was just…mad, and upset,"

"Me too," Naruto replied and then grinned and was rewarded by Sasuke's slight smile. Then, noticing the dripping sweat on the Uchiha's brow and the boy's rugged breathing, he stepped closer and asked, "God, what's with you? Did you run all the way here?"

"Yes," Sasuke replied. "My car was blocked in the driveway. So, I chased after you," Then, giving Naruto a searching look, he asked, "And how in the hell did you get here so quickly? You only had like a minutes' head start,"

Naruto grinned superiorly. "Heheh. Guess I'm just more athletic than you are,"

"That's hardly true, and you know it. We're almost equal in athletics. Really, how did you get here so quickly?" Sasuke asked.

Shrugging, Naruto replied, "Took a cab. I ran to the intersection and to my luck, there was a taxi. So, I got a ride,"

Sasuke groaned. "No wonder I didn't see you ahead of me," he mumbled, then sank into the chair at the table, and ran a hand though his hair again.

"Here, let me get you some water," Naruto said, and headed to the kitchen. He returned with an ice cold glass of water and handed it to Sasuke. "There, before you dry up and I have to dispose of you,"

"Very funny," Sasuke replied dryly, but he took the water gratefully and drank it all.

"Better?" Naruto asked.

"Much. Thanks,"

"Not a problem, Sasuke-bastard,"

"Don't call me bastard, dobe,"

"Then don't call me dobe!" Naruto shot back with a grin and as Sasuke returned the gesture, Naruto felt as though everything was back to normal.

Author's Note: YAY! They made up! Too bad they didn't make out for it, but maybe that'll be coming soon? I don't even know and I'm the authoress! Well, thank you all for coming to my party, it meant a lot to me to celebrate my birthday and Sasuke and Naruto's apologies together. You guys are the best and I love you all so much! Have a great one, and I'll see you next time!