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

Author's Note: I am sorry this chapter took time to get done! I've been really busy these past two weeks. I've been writing in my other fanfics while trying to restart one of my own original story. Plus, I just began learning the guitar and I've been practicing a lot. And then…I sort of lost all ideas I had for this story! All of them! I have the entire ending of The New Guy planned out, but I have no idea whatsoever what I'm going to do in the middle! That's why I spent like 90 of my time staring at the computer screen willing myself to come up with something! You'll find out that my ideas were absolute crap! I swear! Honest to god! I hate this chapter. It's probably one of my worst. But, I'll let you guys decide that at the end.

Anyway, I've got some reviews I want to reply to, so I'll do that first.

To Poeticus Daffodilia: Wow! You actually read my story that many times? …Is it actually that good to reread? Whoa. Well, thank you so much for that! It really makes me feel good! And, the reason I don't make up chapter titles is because I can't think of one that fits everything in the chapter. And because I'm lazy and I forget. Hehe. Anyway, thank you so much for your review!

To Hiei-Is-Mine: You're going to worship my story? Wow! That's one of the greatest compliments ever! Thanks so much for your review!
To MissDbzMedabots: I'm glad my story cheered you up during a bad day. That is what I'm here for ya know! Thank you for your review!
To TheCagedBird: I absolutely love the points! Thanks so much for them. I'm always looking forward to reading your review. And, yeah, the line "The Uchiha may have scored thousands of points in the blonde's eyes…" that did hint to the point scores! Great job catching it! Hehe, I completely forgot I even wrote that line.

Well that's all for now! Thanks so much for all of your reviews! It was all of the reviews I got for the last chapter that made me force myself to write, even if the chapter turned out like crap. Thanks for all of your support! I love ya guys! Yours, SilverRose88.

Chapter Twenty

He was annoyed. He was really annoyed. He didn't remember a time when he was more annoyed in his life. He was also ready to kill. Anything. Anyone. Whatever or whoever that came in arm's length he was ready to strangle it until it passed away. Of course, that wouldn't be such a good idea, but in his current situation, he didn't quite care. All he wanted was to get as far away from this place as humanly possible, and if he had to resort to killing, then he would. He hoped it wouldn't have to come to that, but he was in a bind. There weren't many ways out of this place. One option was to stay in there the rest of the day, or to use the only door. But, the former was much more appealing, seeing as how on the other side of that door was--

"Sasuke-kun!"

--his doom.

"Sasuke-kun! I know you're in there! You've got to come out! We're all waiting! Come on!" Sakura called.

"Leave me the hell alone, Sakura! I mean it!" Sasuke snapped.

"But the class is waiting! You've got to come on out!" Ino said. "We have to see how it looks!"

"I wouldn't come out here if you paid me!" Sasuke said. Just then the door opened and he heard a pair of feet walk inside. "What are you girls doing? You can't be in here. It is the male's bathroom!"

"Oh, and I'm not a male?" a familiar voice said as it walked over to the Uchiha's closed cubicle.

Sasuke blinked and shook his head. "They sent you to get me, didn't they?"

"Of course not! I volunteered!" Naruto replied cheerfully. "Now, come on out bastard, we've got to get this on with!"

"There's no way in hell you can make me come out," Sasuke said.

"Aw, quit it already! It's not that big of a deal! I'm in costume and it's just fine," Naruto said.

"Yes, but you're not dressed as a girl," Sasuke replied bitterly.

"That's true," Naruto said with a nod. "But, really Sasuke, you're going to have to get used to it sometime, aren't you?"

"I know that, but aren't Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sensei about five months early for 'sometime'?" the Uchiha replied.

"They said it's to make sure the costumes look good or need changing and alterations. Come on! I'm sure Sakura-chan, Ino and Hinata-chan all did a good job on your costume," Naruto said.

"That's not the problem, dobe! The costume is great. It's just that I am in no way, shape, or form, going to wear a dress! I am not a freaking girl!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"No, you just play one," Naruto said.

"Not helping, dobe!"

"Just get your ass out here bastard! If you look bad then I'll go tell everyone that you're not coming out no matter what, and you can change and come back to class. Okay?" Naruto suggested. When Sasuke didn't reply, he said, "It's just me, Sasuke! I won't say a word if you don't want me to. I won't laugh or anything. I'll just say if you look good or bad and then that's that. So, swallow your male pride and get out here before I break the door down!"

Sasuke sighed and said, "You're not giving up, are you?"

"Nope! So, just spare me the trouble of breaking the door down and just get on out here," Naruto encouraged.

Sasuke sighed again and as he unlocked the door, he warned, "If you laugh, I'll kill you,"

"Nah! You can't do that! I'm too cute to kill!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin.

You have no idea… Sasuke thought, then shook his head and opened the door, stepping out before the blonde in all his olden-day female dress glory. He was met with a surprised expression on the blonde's face, and he felt a blush rising up his neck as the dobe explored his costumed self with his azure eyes. Feeling uncomfortable, yet liking the fact that Naruto was looking at him appreciatively, and wishing he would really look at him like that, he finally spoke, pointedly gazing away, "Well? Good or bad? Bad, right?"

"Are you crazy? You look great!" Naruto exclaimed, still surprised.

Sasuke blinked. "Really?" he said, turning to look at the blonde who nodded vigorously.

"Yeah! I don't know what you were worrying about, but you look great! It's like you were meant to be a girl!"

Sasuke bristled. "That's not helping my sense of male pride here, Naruto. Even if I look good in a dress, which is nothing to be proud of, I still don't want to go out there in it,"

"You know what I mean! And, isn't it true that when Romeo and Juliet was first performed way back when, that the entire cast was male? So, if those guys could do it, why can't you? …Are you scared, Sasuke?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

The Uchiha glared at him. "Not scared," he said. "Just humiliated,"

"Come on, you look so great in that! If you were really a girl, I'd totally date you!" Naruto said.

So…you wouldn't date me if I were a guy? Sasuke wondered with churning anger. That makes me feel a hell of a lot better. "Again, dobe, not helping," he said.

"What do you want me to say? That you look stupid?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I want you to say, because then I won't have to go through with this,"

"You'll have to sooner or later,"

"I prefer later. I'm the only guy in the play that has to dress as a girl,"

"And you look better than all of us! The other guys look good, and the girls look pretty, but you…you just look…" Naruto cut off, roaming his eyes over the Uchiha once again, trying to come up with the correct word to describe how he looked.

"Just what?" Sasuke asked, blushing again because of Naruto's exploring eyes.

"…Hot…" Naruto replied with a slight blush as he met Sasuke's ebony gaze and watched how it changed from humiliation to surprise. He noticed the Uchiha begin to blush even more as he stared back.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto! Are you two coming out or what?" Sakura shouted, pounding on the door.

The contact broke and both boys looked away with growing blushes.

"S-So…are you coming then?" Naruto asked, stealing a glance at the Uchiha from the corner of his eyes.

Sasuke turned and said, "Yeah, I am, let's go,"

Naruto nodded and they walked out into the hall. Sakura and Ino immediately fawned over Sasuke, as they stepped out of the bathrooms, and the Uchiha just seemed to want to crawl under a rock. The girls went off to tell the class they were coming, and Naruto hung back with Sasuke who broke the silence after a moment.

"D-Did you really mean what you said back there?" he asked.

Naruto looked over his shoulder at him and smiled. "Yep! It was the honest truth. You look way hot. Not that you don't look hot as guy, because you really do, but you look hot as a girl too…If that makes sense," he said with a laugh.

…Did he just say I was hot? When I'm not dressed as girl? …He must not have realized what he said, but I did hear him say that, didn't I? …Yes, I did. So then, Naruto thinks I'm hot? Sasuke couldn't help but give a slight victorious smirk at that thought and the blonde noticed his smile.

"What's up?" he asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "Oh, nothing," he lied. Then, he looked the blonde over and said, "By the way, you don't look that bad either, dobe,"

Naruto turned and a light blush painted his cheeks. "Heh, that's right! I look great! …And don't call me dobe, bastard!"

Sasuke just smirked at him as they returned to class.

xxx

Apparently everyone else in the class had the exact same opinion of the Uchiha as Naruto had. For awhile, the room was quiet as everyone took in the appearance of Sasuke in a dress…actually looking good. But everyone looked away quickly when Sasuke threateningly issued the Uchiha Death Glare.

"Can we just start?" he said, grudgingly making his way to his seat, Naruto following behind.

"Uh, right," Iruka said and stood up from his desk. "Well, all of you look great! The costumes were perfectly done," He glanced at Sakura, Ino, and Hinata who all looked pleased with themselves. "Now, it's time to see how many of you practiced over break! Let's start with the scene when Romeo and Juliet first meet at the ball. So, Naruto, Sasuke, come on down, and let's try with no scripts--Naruto! Put that away!"

The blonde stuck his tongue out at his teacher and dropped the script, letting it fall to the floor. "Fine then, I'll show him. I actually have that scene memorized,"

"You do?" Sasuke asked skeptically.

"Yes, I do! I have all of our scenes memorized! The other ones are coming along…really slowly…" Naruto said as he headed back down to the front of the class.

Sasuke followed after him, vaguely wondering why the blonde had only memorized scenes with the two of them. I would have thought he'd start at the beginning and memorize that way…But he's skipped around and memorized the scenes with the both of us first. Why? Deciding that trying to understand the blonde's mind was rather difficult, he just shook his head and said, "If you have all the lines memorized, then why were you bringing the script with you?"

"Because I'm not confident enough yet. Performing in front of people isn't my thing,"

"You have stage fright? That's unexpected from you,"

"Not stage fright exactly, it's just I don't like performing in front of people. Especially not complicated stuff like Romeo and Juliet,"

"It's still stage fright," Sasuke said.

"Shut up, Sasuke," Naruto said with annoyance causing the Uchiha to smirk.

"All right, let's begin. Act I, Scene I, Line, 90. Romeo, start," Iruka said as he sat back down at his desk.

Naruto nodded at Iruka and turned to Sasuke and grabbed his hand. The Uchiha blushed slightly, but fought it down, remembering that he was in front of the class and not alone with the blonde like he wanted it to be. From the corner of the Uchiha's eyes he could see the furious looks of the Hyuuga and Gaara, and he smirked to himself.

Turning his attention back to Naruto, the blonde began his lines, "If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentler sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss,"

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this: For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss,"

"Have not saint lips, and holy palmers too?"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer,"

"O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do: They pray: grant thou, lest faith turn to despair," Naruto said leaning closer.

Sasuke fought the blush off of his cheeks and he gazed up at Naruto and said, "Saints do not move, though grant for prayer's sake,"

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take," Naruto paused as his eyes flicked to Sasuke's lips, knowing he was supposed to kiss the other boy but wouldn't in front of the class. He tried not to let the desire that was building up within him take control…because if Desire had it his way, Naruto would have been kissing the Uchiha long before. For some reason unknown to him, ever since New Year's at Sasuke's party, Naruto had had the impulsive longing to kiss the Uchiha again like he had that holiday. Naruto wasn't sure why he was thinking such inappropriate thoughts, because wanting to kiss Sasuke would have to mean that he liked him, right? But he didn't. He knew he didn't. How could he? Sasuke was a guy!

But ever since he'd gotten home that New Years and up till that moment a few days later, he had been constantly thinking about how Sasuke had kissed him and how he'd kissed him back. It was getting annoying, really, and the blonde was starting to think he was turning into some kind of perverted fool, thinking all he could about when he'd kissed Sasuke. But what bothered him more than Sasuke kissing him, was why he had kissed Sasuke back. Why would he have done such a thing like that? He knew he didn't like Sasuke; that was simply out of the question to ever be true. So, why had he gone and kissed Sasuke back…and why had he liked it? That was another question he had absolutely no answer to.

Naruto tried to hide the blush that was threatening to claim his cheeks. Whenever he thought about kissing Sasuke, or remembered when he had kissed Sasuke, the blonde would get a nervous embarrassed feeling, much like a girl when having her first kiss. He couldn't control that either. He felt stupid, thinking about Sasuke in a more-than-friendship kind of way, because it was obvious that Sasuke didn't feel about him in that way. They were both guys! There couldn't be anything like that. Then, why did he feel so upset about it? Why, deep down, did he feel as though he wanted it to be a more-than-friendship kind of relationship? Why was he thinking such stupid things, and why wouldn't they leave him alone?

The blonde shook his head slightly, and shut his eyes tight, shoving those thoughts away, along with his desire to kiss Sasuke and the images of when he had, he continued with his lines, skipping over the kiss, "Thus from my lips by thine my sin is purged,"

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took," Sasuke said. He bit back the disappointment from his voice; trying not to let Desire take over and will him to just kiss Naruto without giving a damn about the rest of the class. But he held firm, and tuned back to reality as Naruto continued with the play.

"Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again," Naruto again flicked his gaze down at Sasuke's lips and was surprised to find that the Uchiha was staring right at him with the same kind of desire that was etched in his veins.

"You kiss by th' book," Sasuke said.

The two were met with silence from the class. Everyone was watching the two with surprise, wondering how they were so much in tune. Of course two certain members in the audience wanted nothing better than to run up to the front and rip the Uchiha away from Naruto.

Reluctantly, though he didn't understand why, Naruto dropped Sasuke's hands and turned to face the class. He grinned and said, "Ta-da! And you guys all thought I didn't know my lines, didn't you? Well, I showed you! Haha!"

The class laughed and the tension from the performance that had just been given died. The class clapped and Naruto bowed dramatically; Sasuke just rolled his eyes and walked back up to his desk.

"Yes, yes, Naruto, we get it," Iruka said, grinning. "Go take your seat, now,"

Naruto bowed one last time and then walked up to his desk beside Sasuke, as Iruka called for Lee, Sakura, Shikamaru and Ino to come down. Naruto turned to Sasuke and said, "We were great, weren't we? I think we have that scene under our belts!"

Sasuke gave him a slight smile. "Yeah, I think so," he said. Then, dropping his voice, he leaned over to Naruto and whispered quietly, "Too bad we couldn't do our kiss,"

Naruto shivered slightly from Sasuke's breath against his neck. A blush fought it's way onto his cheeks, and he glanced carefully at Sasuke who just gave a slight smirk and pulled away, turning his attention to the front. Naruto heaved a sigh, tearing his gaze away from the Uchiha and to the front of the classroom. He tried to listen to what they were rehearsing but his mind was just replaying what Sasuke had just said.

Damn it! What did he mean by that?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

If it was possible to be so angry at someone, so jealous at someone, that there was nothing more appealing than to wipe that person clear off the face of the earth, Neji was pulling it off without letting his companion notice a thing. How could he be anything but angry and jealous while the blonde continued talking about what a great New Year's he'd spent with that bastard of a Uchiha? That same New Year's he'd planned to spend just completely and solely on the blonde sitting across from him? That same New Year's he'd planned to try and find out any of Naruto's feelings, and to help guide them in the right direction…towards himself, of course. But, no, he hadn't gotten to do any of that. And why? Because that damned Uchiha had gotten in his way. Again. And Neji was starting to get insanely pissed off.

"Hello? You in there? Earth to Hyuuga Neji!" Naruto exclaimed, waving a hand before his pale-eyed friend's face. It was the next day and the two were getting something to eat after work. When the Hyuuga blinked, the blonde grinned and said, "Space out much? What's up?"

Neji shook his head and lied, "Nothing, Naruto,"

"You sure? It doesn't look like nothing to me. You seemed to be thinking hard about something," Naruto said, staring curiously at Neji with his bright cobalt eyes.

Neji caught his gaze and whispered softly, covering up his current thoughts with a line he knew would work in his advantage, "I was just thinking how adorable you looked in your costume in class yesterday. I wasn't able to tell you so during class, but you really looked very cute,"

The blush on Naruto's cheeks made the Hyuuga grin satisfactorily. Naruto stared directly at him, the blush only reddening on his face. He stumbled over his words as he replied, "Uh…I-I looked cute?"

Neji gave a slightly amused stare, glad to have caught the blonde's attention and said, "Yes, you were very cute. The cutest out of everyone in the class, if I say so. That costume looked great on you,"

Naruto gave a slight laugh and said, "Heheh, I guess I did look pretty good!"

"Of course you did, Naruto. You always look good," Neji replied.

Again the blonde blushed, and decided not to think about what Neji had just said, seeing as how the Hyuuga looked perfectly calm and collected about everything. Then why was he feeling so flustered by hearing comments like that? Hell, who was he kidding? Who wouldn't be flustered by hearing comments like that? Especially from someone like Neji; someone, in Naruto's opinion, wouldn't be caught dead saying the word cute, let alone to another guy! But, Naruto could tell that the Hyuuga wasn't joking, which only meant he was telling the truth. But how could anyone be so calm when saying something like that? It wasn't natural!

Deciding to think more about the minds of the Hyuuga later, Naruto looked up from his bowl of ramen and said, "Yeah, I keep forgetting to tell you that I really am sorry I couldn't go to your New Year's party, Neji,"

The Hyuuga waved a hand at him, trying not to show his true emotions, and said, "It's all right, Naruto. You already apologized a thousand times,"

"But I still feel bad," Naruto said.

"Well, did you have fun? All that matters is if you had fun,"

Naruto nodded and grinned, vaguely wondering why Neji cared so much if he had fun or not. "Yeah, I had fun! Sasuke's party was so cool! We ran from all of his crazy fan girls--"

"Yes, Naruto, I know, you've told me already--"

"--and he made me spaghetti because I didn't want that fancy food--"

"I know, Naruto--"

"--and we pretended to be lovers so that the fan girls would leave us alone and--"

"I kno--Wait. What!" Neji exclaimed angrily, leaning over the table to gaze directly at Naruto.

The words had been out of his mouth before he'd even realized it. Stupid. Why'd I say that aloud? …Why does Neji seem so pissed off about it? "Uh…we just pretended to be lovers so that way the fan girls would leave us alone, you know? It really wasn't that big of a deal," Ha. That's a big fat lie. Because of that, I have no idea what I feel anymore. I-I have thoughts about Sasuke, and it's freaking me out! I-I want to kiss him again, but I don't understand why. I swear, because of that night, fun as it was, I am starting to lose my mind.

"Is that all that happened, Naruto?" Neji demanded. "Uchiha didn't do anything to you, did he?"

It probably wouldn't be a good thing to tell him that we kissed…twice…would it? I think not. He'd probably flip out, not that he hasn't already, but… "Hey, Neji, why are you so angry about this? You-You sound…almost…protective or something…What's up?"

Neji stared at Naruto for a moment then slouched back into his seat. Feeling a bit disappointed, but still slightly amused by the blonde's ignorance because it was one of the things he loved about the blonde, he said, "Do you honestly not know, Naruto?"

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Know what, Neji?"

The Hyuuga leaned over again, catching Naruto's gaze and holding it tightly, not at all wavering. It had been a long while since he'd been able to stare so deeply into the blonde's dazzling azure gaze. He'd yearned to be able to just stare into his eyes and to somehow… somehow get his mouth against the blonde's as well. Of course, no opportunity had presented itself, and Neji wasn't very keen to just kiss the blonde while they were in public, if say, Naruto flipped out and yelled at him because of it. That would definitely not be a pleasant scene, but at that moment, Neji couldn't care less where they were because his mind had found it's one-track course: kiss him, kiss him, kiss him.

He leaned a bit closer still, never once removing his gaze from Naruto's, who was slowly beginning to stare at him in surprise, a small blush fighting to paint his cheeks. "Naruto, do you really, truly, not know?" The blonde just shook his head slightly and Neji continued, "Do you have no idea about my feelings? About my feelings…for you?"

Naruto wasn't sure if he'd heard him correctly, and if he had, he could only wonder if the Hyuuga had somehow gotten high off of something, because this wasn't making any sense to him at all. Again, he could tell that Neji wasn't joking, which meant he must be telling the truth, or he was just very good at acting. But then again, Neji wasn't a joker, so this couldn't possibly be a trick. But how could it be true? How could Neji be saying something like this to him? About my feelings…for you? What did he mean by that? N-Neji…Neji had feelings for him?

Naruto could begin to feel his heart start to pump rapidly in his chest as he continued to stare into Neji's pale eyes. He sensed something else within the Hyuuga's white eyes, something he'd never noticed before, something that felt similar to the way he'd looked at him that night Neji had kissed him… Naruto's mind began to put up red flags. Was Neji about to kiss him again? No, he possibly couldn't! Naruto had gotten so angry about it the first time, so how could he even fathom trying to kiss him again, much less in public? But Naruto knew that gaze very well, not only because of when Neji had tried to kiss him that night so long ago, but also from just the day before during rehearsal. He had stared at Sasuke with that exact look of desire that had made him want to just wrap his arms around the other boy and press his lips against his and kiss him with such passion he didn't know existed.

But Naruto couldn't understand why he wanted to kiss Sasuke, and therefore couldn't understand why Neji wanted to kiss him again. He knew that Neji wasn't stupid, so why would he risk doing something that was obviously a loss in morals and sense of reason? Naruto couldn't begin to comprehend what was running through the Hyuuga's mind, much less have any idea as to what could possibly be in there. The only conclusion he could come up with was that Neji had momentarily gone insane, and even though he knew that was absolutely unlikely, it was better than even thinking that Neji had feelings…for him.

The Hyuuga watched Naruto with apprehensive eyes, a look that usually didn't grace his pale gaze, but at that moment he was worried and he knew it. As he continued to stare at the blonde across from him, the only thing he could wonder was why he had let his mouth speak before consulting his mind. It had happened that day a few weeks ago too; when he'd told Naruto it would have made more sense if he and Uchiha switched places in the play. Neji usually didn't blab things out like that, he usually had more sense than that, but sometimes, like that very moment, whenever the Uchiha was mentioned, he seemed to see red and that only caused him to lose his mind. He hadn't meant to speak about his feelings to Naruto so suddenly, in a public restaurant of all places, but he was almost starting to get desperate. Almost. Naruto had spent New Year's with the Uchiha and had an apparently good time, and just knowing that made him cringe in anger. Not only that, but they had pretended to be lovers? What the hell did that mean? What exactly had they done to prove such a thing? Neji knew Naruto wouldn't do anything like that willingly, so it could only have been the Uchiha who would have seen the situation as an advantage for him. Damn him! Neji thought, his hands clenching into fists. If I find out he did a thing to Naruto, I swear I'll kill him.

But that wasn't the important thing at the moment. What was more pressing was the fact that he'd just opened up a door for Naruto…the door that led to his deep feelings for the blonde…feelings he knew Naruto wasn't ready, or willing, to hear yet…feelings he was starting to have less control about. His feelings were starting to take control, and that must have been why he'd stupidly blurted out the words 'About my feelings…for you.' What would Naruto do if he found out about his feelings so soon? He knew he was going to tell the blonde eventually, but he knew that this wasn't the best time, or the best place, to share an open confession. But he'd already dug in too deep; he'd said those words and he couldn't just take them back without sounding like a moron. He knew that even though Naruto was sometimes incredibly dense, the blonde wasn't always that stupid and he could figure things out if he simply put his mind to it. If after this, Naruto went home and actually thought about everything…was it possible that he'd be able to figure out what Neji had been trying to say? What would happen then?

Damn it. Why did I even open my big mouth? Neji mentally reprimanded himself for being so stupid, and in the process of being so mad at himself, he broke his locked gaze with the blonde and leaned back against his seat.

Naruto blinked, the heat in his cheeks beginning to recede a bit as the Hyuuga looked away from him, a scowl on his face. Naruto eased back into his own chair, sighing deeply from within his lungs as he tried to understand what had just transpired between himself and his friend.

However, before he could think another word, Neji had turned to look at him and said, "Naruto, are you done eating? We should go then,"

The blonde blinked again, wondering how the Hyuuga was still so calm after what had just happened. Naruto swallowed and nodded, looking down at his half eaten bowl of ramen; he was in no mood to eat right now. He needed to do something to take his mind off of things. Whatever the hell that gone on just minutes before was something he wasn't in the mood to think about. At least not yet. He would wait for a more appropriate time to think about it. He nodded to himself at his decision as he followed Neji out of the restaurant and out into the darkening night.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Okay, now just put it in the oven and we wait for it to finish," Sasuke directed as the blonde shut the oven door and stepped back. Turning to Naruto he said, "Well, I think you did a fairly good job today,"

"Really?" Naruto said. "It was my first time making lasagna,"

"Naruto, it's your first time making everything that I teach you," Sasuke replied, rolling his eyes.

The blonde just stuck his tongue out childishly and began to clear the counter. "Well, it's a good thing we had this cooking lesson. I've got nothing to eat, and this might last me for awhile until I restock,"

"Restock? Naruto, what happened to all of that ramen I got you? Plus the ramen you had before that, along with the ramen the two bast--I mean, Hyuuga and Gaara got you? Don't tell me you finished it already! It's been almost four weeks since New Year's and that supply should last you through the end of February." Sasuke stared at the blonde with disbelief.

"Heheh…" Naruto said, guiltily rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay then…I won't tell you…"

Sasuke just shook his head. "That's just sad, dobe,"

"Don't call me dobe, bastard!" Naruto exclaimed. "And, besides, I was hungry! What was I supposed to do? Chew my arm off instead?"

"No." Sasuke wiped a bowl of sauce clean, looked up at him and continued, "Because that would be gross. And you wouldn't be much appealing anymore with a chewed off arm. I was thinking something along the lines of…self-restraint? Why don't you buy other foods besides ramen? Ever thought of that?"

"What's the point of buying when you teach me to cook instead? This is more fun anyway," Naruto replied, trying not to think of what Sasuke meant when he said 'wouldn't be appealing anymore.' Did that mean Sasuke thought he was appealing now? The blonde shook his head and grinned at the Uchiha. "Actually making the food is more fun than buying it and just sticking it in a microwave. And, it's fun to learn from you too. Not everyone can say they've been taught from a master chef, you know."

Sasuke blushed and glanced away, concentrating on cleaning up the mess before replying, "I am not a master chef."

"Are you crazy? Of course you are," Naruto said. "You cook better than anyone I know."

"How many people have personally made food for you?"

"…Uh…just you…"

"Right. So your opinion really doesn't count if I'm the only person you've tried a meal from."

"Whatever. Can't you just take a compliment and not get all crabby about it? That's what I was doing, you know. Complimenting you. So, be a bit more appreciative," Naruto said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Sasuke replied sarcastically. "Thank you very much for your compliment. Is that better?"

"You're getting all sarcastic again. It seems like my defrostation has worn off," Naruto sighed deeply. "And you were doing much better, too."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Are you still on with that defrosting stuff?"

"Of course I am! And, my skills have worked on you, haven't they? You're much nicer, much less cold and bastardly than you wore months ago. Don't you agree?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke stepped up to him and gazed directly into his eyes. When he caught the blonde's stare and noticed the surprise in the azure orbs, he slowly smirked to himself. Leaning over, Sasuke whispered softly into his ear, "I don't think your skills had anything to do with it. …I think it was just you…and what you do to me."

Naruto gave an involuntary shiver at Sasuke's breath against the skin of his neck. He felt his heart begin to pick up speed in his chest. Turning slightly, he captured the Uchiha's ebony eyes and replied huskily, "W-What do you mean by that?"

Sasuke smirked at him and said, "What do you think I meant?" He then stepped away, and with his smirk growing at the surprised and confused look on the blonde's face, he walked out of the kitchen saying, "I'm going to see what movies you've got, all right?"

Naruto just nodded dumbly after him. He blinked a few times, trying to gather his thoughts. What had just happened? What had Sasuke meant by 'I think it was you and what you do to me'? And, why had he just walked off like that with no explanation? To the blonde, it had seemed for a moment that Sasuke was going to kiss him again. And, unlike usual times, when he freaked out about being kissed, Naruto had wanted a kiss. He wouldn't have minded a kiss. For some reason, he felt upset that Sasuke hadn't kissed him and had just walked out, talking about movies no less!

"Oi, Naruto, mind if we watch the Day After Tomorrow?" Sasuke called from the other room, causing Naruto to shake himself from his thoughts.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead! I'll get us something to drink," Naruto replied.

xxxx

"Let's check on the lasagna; it's probably done by now," Sasuke said around an hour later.

"Yes, finally. I'm starving," Naruto exclaimed, pausing the movie and following Sasuke into the kitchen.

Sasuke opened the oven door and checked inside. "Well, you're in luck, it's done," he said and Naruto gave a little cheer causing the Uchiha to smirk and shake his head. "Quit acting like an idiot and get a knife, plates and forks," Sasuke ordered as he pulled the lasagna out of the oven.

"Aye, aye, sir!" Naruto replied with a salute and went to do what he was told. A few minutes later they were sitting on the floor in front of the T.V. with the dish of lasagna and two plates. "This looks way good," Naruto said, staring down at the dish as Sasuke was slicing pieces for each of them.

"Yes, it actually does look good," the Uchiha replied.

"I still can't believe I can make lasagna."

"Think you can make it without me instructing you?"

"Probably not," the blonde admitted. "But, still, it's just nice knowing I've made it once in my lifetime."

"I should quiz you one day. Just have you cook everything I've taught you to see if you actually retain any information in that brain of yours," Sasuke said.

"Hey, that's mean!" Naruto said indignantly. "I probably could make everything…It'd just take a longer time…And you'd probably end up needing a new kitchen by the end."

"Then, if I do quiz you, we'll be doing it here. I'm rather fond of the kitchen at my house and don't want to see it in a mess."

"Hey, Sasuke, I've wanted to ask this for a long time, but I kept forgetting," Naruto said, finally tearing his gaze from the lasagna to look up at the Uchiha.

"Yeah, what?" Sasuke asked.

"Why do like to cook anyway? Cooking just doesn't seem like something you'd spend time learning. So, what's the deal?" Naruto inquired.

Sasuke paused cutting up the lasagna and met Naruto's gaze. He shrugged lightly and replied, "I don't even remember why I started cooking. Guess I was just bored one day and wanted something to do. So, I went to the kitchen and our cook was preparing some feast. I think there was some big business party that night my parents were holding. I asked if I could help, and our cook said yes. I just found it fun, and came back day after day to learn more."

"How old were you?"

"Uh, eleven or twelve, I think."

"You've been cooking for almost six years? No wonder you're so good!" Naruto exclaimed, sounding so impressed it made Sasuke blush slightly.

"I've told you already, I'm not that great," Sasuke said, fighting the blush down as he laid a piece on Naruto's plate and then one on his own.

"Do you want to be a chef or something?" Naruto asked placing a piece of lasagna into his mouth.

"No, not as a profession. Cooking is just my hob--"

"Arrghh! Hot, hot, hot!" Naruto exclaimed as he all but spit the slice out from his mouth and then began to frantically wave a hand in front of his mouth. "Damn it! It's burning! Ahh, I burnt my tongue! Crap!"

Sasuke, who'd thought something a bit more pressing had happened when the blonde had abruptly screamed, sighed with relief and said, "Just calm down, Naruto. If it stings that much, just put some toothpaste on it. That usually works for burns,"

Naruto nodded and jumped up, quickly rushing to the bathroom. However, a moment later he exclaimed again, "Sasuke-bastard, you liar! It just burns even more!" Naruto brushed the paste off of his tongue and spat the taste out of his mouth into the sink as Sasuke walked up. The blonde turned to him and said, "It didn't work! Thanks a lot, Sasuke-bastard," He shoved past to get a glass of water, hoping that would ease the burn on his tongue, when Sasuke grabbed his wrist and turned him around.

"What Sasuke? I swear I can't feel my tongue anymore!" Naruto noticed that Sasuke was leaning closer to him, his free hand captured his chin and pulled his face closer. Naruto began to blush slightly as he continued, stumbling over his words since the Uchiha was staring at him with sudden desire. "I-uh…need s-some water to try to-to stop this-this burn-burning…"

"I think I have a better way," Sasuke whispered hoarsely. He met Naruto's confused and shocked gaze momentarily before he pulled the blonde's face closer and pressed his mouth against his.

Naruto stood there, absolutely dumbfounded for a whole minute before he slowly closed his eyes and let the part of him that was aching for such a kiss to take over, even though his more sensible side told him to step away before things got any further. But, at that moment, Naruto didn't care. He knew that there was something stirring within him; some feelings that were trying to surface, and even though he'd spent many minutes a day trying to figure out what was going on through his head, he had come to conclusion that it was too much to handle. All he could do for the time being was to just let things flow, and try to sort everything out slowly and carefully. The main thing that he was trying to understand was his sudden desires to kiss, of all people, Sasuke. He couldn't quite figure out if he was just physically attracted to the Uchiha, or if he actually liked him. Between those two, the fact that he wanted to kiss Sasuke was what was confusing him even more every time he thought about it.

At that precise moment, he was especially glad Sasuke had kissed him. Sure, it was unexpected, but he liked it. However, despite the part of him that was doing victory dances, at the same time there were red flags going up, telling him that he shouldn't like being kissed by a guy. He knew it was true. He wasn't gay. He didn't go for guys that way. And, even though that made sense to him…kissing Sasuke made sense to him too. Kissing Sasuke and liking it made perfect sense to him; it was as if that's how things were meant to be all along. But, there couldn't possibly be any reason for him to actually like kissing Sasuke. It just didn't make sense. And that's why he was torn between the two halves; the one half that knew something was not right, that there wasn't any way he could be into guys, especially Sasuke for that matter,; and the other half, that continuously held the desire for wanting to kiss the younger Uchiha. The two halves of his every being that no matter how much time he spent trying to comprehend, would not merge together at all.

Naruto was suddenly dragged away from his thoughts as he felt one of Sasuke's hands move up behind his neck to press his face closer to his own. Naruto felt his heart begin to pound uncontrollably against his chest, and he tried to calm himself. But just then, he realized that Sasuke's tongue was insisting on entrance into his mouth and all of his previous composure vanished within a millisecond.

As Sasuke continued to beg for entrance, Naruto wondered if he should give in, or back off. He could feel Sasuke pressing his mouth against his even more urgently which only made it more difficult to try and not take that tempting route. But, he didn't want to back away. He wanted to kiss Sasuke, really kiss Sasuke, and despite the feeling that he should just pull his mouth away, Naruto decided that the tempting route was the route he couldn't resist. Maybe kissing Sasuke this way would help him answer those questions he'd been asking himself for the past few weeks. Maybe kissing Sasuke would help him realize his true feelings. But, then again, kissing Sasuke could also just cause more problems for him in the long run. The main problem being Sasuke. If he kissed Sasuke, really kissed Sasuke, then what would happen the next day between them? Would things be any different, or would they stay the same?

Naruto didn't want anything to change between them. He didn't want to lose such a good friend. But, he was on his last thread; it was getting harder to stop himself from wanting to kiss Sasuke back. It was getting harder to not open his mouth and let the Uchiha take over… But he couldn't just jump in like that. He needed to understand what was going on, and that stared with trying to figure out what Sasuke was doing. Why was Sasuke so blatantly kissing him as if it were an everyday occurrence? Naruto then remembered that Sasuke had kissed him to stop the burn on his tongue. He'd forgotten that in the suddenness of the kiss. But was that Sasuke's only reason for kissing him?

Of course it is. Sasuke's just trying to help, so quit thinking and just let him help already!

The blonde obliged, finally taking into the desire that continued to overwhelm him. He slowly opened his mouth and instantly Sasuke's tongue slid in, searching and twining with Naruto's own. Immediately he realized Sasuke's meaning behind kissing him at that moment. Feeling the other boy's tongue against his own was causing the burn to fade away, leaving a more sweeter taste. Naruto had never felt so much desire overpower him than he did at that moment. He could almost sense the yearning from Sasuke as well as the dark-haired boy continued to kiss him, his tongue exploring the cavern of Naruto's mouth.

Sasuke was trying desperately not to lose control. He knew that if he lost control then everything would turn into hell in a hand basket. He had to keep his head on straight for himself and for Naruto. If he lost his control then there was nothing to restrain himself from trying to get what he really wanted. And he knew that what he wanted probably wasn't what Naruto wanted, and therefore he couldn't let his raging emotions and hormones get in the way. He didn't want to do something he knew he'd regret because it would make Naruto angry. That was something he definitely did not want. But, it was much to hard to reign in his desire. He had to stay in control, he knew that. But it was just so damn hard.

To say he had been surprised would have been a bit of an understatement. He had been absolutely astounded when Naruto had decided to let him in. The move had shocked him, but had immensely pleased him at the same time. He knew that if Naruto was letting him kiss him this way then there was definitely something going on with the blonde that was towards his advantage. He was just glad that his last minute thought had actually gotten him some much needed action. How was he supposed to know if kissing someone really eased burns on someone's tongue? It wasn't like he'd ever done it before, or had someone try it on him. It had been some random, completely random, wild and impulsive concept that he just couldn't let it slide by without giving it a try. And so he had. He had no idea Naruto would actually go along with it, let alone kiss him back the way he was.

But, Sasuke knew he had to stop. As much as he enjoyed kissing Naruto, letting his tongue travel over the blonde's, exploring the moist cavern of his mouth, taking in the taste of the blonde (which was, not surprisingly, ramen), and experiencing the bliss of Naruto kissing him back, he knew that he could not let this go on any longer. It was with great difficulty that he slowly pulled his mouth away from the blonde's, pausing for a second to kiss his lips, before moving away completely.

He noticed immediately the disappointment in the blonde's cobalt eyes, and felt satisfaction. However, he couldn't help but wonder why Naruto would feel upset about ending the kiss, when he would have thought the blonde would be upset about beginning the kiss. Sasuke just shook his head, and turning back to Naruto saw that the blonde was breathing heavily, a bright crimson blush painted his cheeks. He himself couldn't help but blush slightly as well.

"The burn better now?" Sasuke asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Uh…y-yeah, yeah. It's fine," Naruto replied, not meeting his gaze. He stared fixedly at the floor, the color in his face only deepening.

"Well, then, let's eat," Sasuke said sitting back down by his plate. "And, be careful not to burn yourself again, okay?"

Naruto gave a nervous laugh and said, "You go ahead and start. I-I-I'll be right back…" He quickly walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Splashing some cold water onto his face, he began to think clearer, and his heartbeat was beginning to return to normal. Naruto stared at himself through the mirror, trying to see into himself, trying to understand what had just gone on between him and Sasuke. While he was practically shaking, Sasuke had been absolutely calm about the entire thing. Did that mean Sasuke hadn't cared about the kiss? Did that mean that it didn't mean anything more to him?

Naruto sighed deeply, turning to lean against the door as he sat down on the floor. He had never before experienced something like he just had. Even though it had caused another bout of questions and unanswerable emotions to come forth, it had felt so right. The kiss had felt as though a tidal wave had swept over him, drowning him within the desire that had been begging to surface for so long. He couldn't comprehend the reasoning behind all of it. He couldn't begin to fathom why he was now aching for more. Something was awakening within him and he was starting to feel a bit scared.

Damn it! I-I actually enjoyed that kiss! I mean, really enjoyed that kiss! I'm craving for more. I feel like I need more or I won't survive. Wh-What is going on with me? What is this feeling?

Author's Note: Wasn't it complete and total crap? I swear it was. The only part I really actually enjoyed was the Neji and Naruto scene, even though it was the most boring one. That scene actually had to be there because it's for the plot of the story. Neji letting his tongue slip about his feelings was to get Naruto thinking about the other guys, and not just Sasuke. So, that scene is crucial to the story. The rest was just there for my own amusement! And for yours of course. And, I really don't know if kissing someone would make a tongue burn go away. It was a crazy idea I had. Come on, I thought of it at four thirty in the morning! It was a completely random thought and I just felt like I wanted Sasuke and Naruto to kiss, so that was an excuse. Stupid, I know, but if you all enjoyed it, then I'm all happy!
Anyway, I have to ask you guys one thing which is VERY IMPORTANT! I was thinking of doing a valentine's day thing, but I wasn't sure if you all would enjoy it or not. So, I was planning to do a v-day, and then skip the entire month of March and just go onto April so that way the story will begin to progress a bit more. What do you guys say to that? I really need your opinion because I'm losing ideas for this story and I don't want to have to stop it. If you have any other ideas that would be great too! Please help me out!

Well, that's all I have to say. Thanks for reading and please review! Tell me what you think about my ideas! Thanks again! Love from, SilverRose88.