"Feelings are not supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions." -David Borenstein

"Naruto-tori in position 1." 'Meaning you're hanging upside down from the tree in Sasuke's yard…baka.'

"Sakura-pinku." 'She's giggling so much she might give away where she is.' "in position 2." 'You're kind of peeking in the window right now Sakura…that's…stalkerish.'

"Megumi-chibi in position 3." 'I don't think Naruto heard her…'

"WHAT!" 'Smooth Naruto…'

"Megumi-chibi in position 3."

"Emi-chan?" 'No way Naruto don't try that voice on me.'

"Come on Emi-chan you have to say your position!" 'I can tell you where my foot will be positioned if you don't shut it…'

"Just say it and we can get this over with Emiko." 'Fine…'

"Emi-baka-dobe in position 4." Naruto burst into happy laughter, clinging to the tree's branch for support.

"Baka." Emiko muttered before she picked up a piece of gravel and chucked it at the blonde. Each person came out of their hiding spot, Megumi from behind a parked car and Sakura from her place against a wall of the house.

"Emiko, in his defense we did each agree to have someone else make up a nickname for his game of stealth." Megumi stepped up next to the brunette and watched as Naruto tried to dodge the gravel. Emiko grabbed a heavy handful of the stones and waited an evil smirk on her lips as she waited.

"I know but they weren't supposed to be retarded nicknames." With that being said Emiko launched the gravel at Naruto and felt victory as they pelted Naruto. 'Try and dodge that.' She laughed before turning to the other two.

"Are we actually going to continue through with this?" Sakura's expression barely showed her excitement and she nodded heartily. Megumi, who didn't seem to mind either way, offered an 'I suppose so.' A loud thump reached their ears and they each turned to see Naruto sprawled on the ground, his feet in the air and his back against the tree trunk.

"Guys!" Instantly he was to his feet and he pressed his back against the tree. "Stealth mode! How are we going to kill Sasuke-teme if he's waiting for us!" He turned his blue eyes to the group only to be greeted by Sakura's fist cracking down painfully upon his head.

Emiko crossed her arms and let her gaze flatten at the two. "Naruto you are the loudest kid in high school and Sakura has bright pink hair. We can't be stealthy." Megumi giggled from beside her and Emiko let out a short laugh at the look upon the pair's face.

Sakura was the first to recover and Emiko watched as she bounced to the front door and knocked loudly upon the door. The blonde appeared not soon after, pressing himself against the wall beside the door as though he hoped he would meld into it.

"Come Emiko." Megumi called sweetly and Emiko's eyes were drawn to the golden haired girl. 'Why hasn't she recognized his house yet? Or why hasn't she said anything?' Her inability to answer even the simplest questions bothered her mind and she resolved to ask the teen as soon as possible.

The sound of an opening door drew all their attention and standing calmly in its doorframe was Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura's face broke into a smile while a tint brightened her cheeks as Sasuke looked at the three females.

"Wha-"

"GOTCHA!" Naruto jumped in and tackled the raven haired teen to the ground. Sakura let out a forceful yell of anger at the blonde and attempted to yank him off her love. It seemed he didn't need help though as Naruto was kicked off and skidded to a stop outside the door.

"Uchi-" Emiko made to call out for him but wasn't fast enough as the door closed sharply. Naruto stared at the door incredulously while Sakura simply gaped at the door with a hint of hurt in her emerald eyes. 'Jerk,' Emiko thought as she raced up to the door and began to pound on it.

"Hey! Uchiha! Open up! We're here to have fun!" Emiko shouted at the door, her brow furrowed in annoyance as she knocked harshly. The sound of the door unlocking finished her banging rampage and Sasuke greeted them with a sharp glare.

"Go away." He made to close the door again but found Emiko holding it open. Onyx black eyes met with her mismatched ones before she slowly opened the door, a smile now upon her face.

"Come on," her tone had softened. "We drove all the way here." The Uchiha let out a small 'hn' and moved from view. Sakura looked to Emiko, stunned. She just smiled brightly and gestured for them to enter and followed lastly.

"YOU'RE RICH!" Naruto's voice echoed lightly from the walls and Emiko stopped to take in the interior. The colors were comforting to her and her eyes took in the details before she joined the line playing follow the leader after Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura's eyes were wide but she rarely took her eyes off the teen heart-throb striding before her. The dark tone of the house was slightly unnerving and Sakura was grateful for the lights spaced at perfect intervals.

For minutes they were introduced to the house with occasional remarks made by Naruto who felt his hope of up staging the Uchiha slipping every time he found himself down another hall. The line stopped and Sasuke opened a door, one finger pointing in and Sakura complied silently. Naruto peeked in first and his face lit as the room was revealed.

The walls were decorated a dark red with white borders and tan furniture. In the middle of the room was a delicately aged pool table. In one corner was a pinball machine and in another was a large screen TV accompanied by a large couch and a recliner. Movies were stacked in the bookshelves and as Emiko entered she noticed none were younger than 9 years old.

"Uch-" Emiko turned and felt the air rush as the door shut in her face. Her eyes narrowed and she gingerly opened it before stepping back into the hallway silently. 'Okay when I said we've come to have fun I didn't mean that you would put us in a room with games and then leave!' The door creaked and she twirled to see Megumi stepped quietly out of the room. Once the door was shut they both turned to each other.

"Are they both occupied?" Emiko questioned and Megumi nodded with a small smile.

"Hai. Where are you planning on going?" Megumi inquired and Emiko let out a small laugh, her hand reaching to scratch the back of her head.

"Going to find Uchiha." Remembering her former goal she decided it was as good a time as any. "La-"

"Hai, I knew it was Uchiha-san's house." Megumi interrupted calmly and Emiko's eyes widened upon the girl's confession. 'Nani!'

"Then why didn't you say so!" Emiko demanded, straining to keep her voice quiet as she didn't want to attract the attention of the only two inside the game room.

"I wanted to see what you would do." Megumi replied, her eyes twinkling with mischief and amusement at the dumbfounded look on Emiko's face. 'Should I tell her that he was home?' Emiko wondered to herself, the options weighing in a mental scale.

"We saw Uchiha-san before he left and he said you had already gone home." Megumi began to reveal her clever deduction skills. "Yet you came to me later and asked for a ride home."

"Well I-" Emiko tried to explain but Megumi held up a hand for her to quiet. Emiko obeyed, slightly thankful, now she wouldn't have to think of some pathetic lie to cover.

"I followed Uchiha-san and heard he told a doctor to give you medication and he said he would pay for it." At this her eyes flashed to a different emotion. Emiko had seen it often when a mother was being stern to a disobedient child. She'd often used the look over her friends and wondered if this was how they felt.

"You never told anyone your foot was injured so badly you needed medication Emiko." Megumi's voice rang of concern and disappointment. Emiko glanced away from the hazel eyes while a joking smile rose to her face. 'I hate being caught,' she thought to herself

"Emiko, stop smiling." Emiko's head snapped to the girl and her smile abruptly faltered. "You smile so much its unnatural." At this the grin fell and Megumi nodded quietly. "You wanted to see who had paid so I drove you there. I've been to Uchiha-san's house a few times with Toko-san and I knew that by the time I got you there Uchiha-san would be home."

'She set me up!' Emiko realized in shock at her friend's actions. 'Why that sneaky…little...' she studied Megumi's honest face and felt her thoughts slip. 'Damn her for being so nice…and smart…baka.'

"Why wou-" Once again Megumi held up a hand and Emiko grudgingly obliged.

"I knew you would find out was him. I wanted to know what you would do with that information." Emiko's eyebrows rose in surprise and confusion. 'Nani?' "I could judge what you thought of Uchiha-san by how you reacted to the information. If you told everyone, if you said nothing or if you told a select few. Do you remember what you were like coming back into my car?" At this Megumi smiled in a way that Emiko guessed was to express her pride at her knowledge.

"I said nothing." Emiko muttered, her arms crossed as she waited for Megumi to make some kind of deduction.

Megumi giggled. Emiko's lips straightened into a line and she shot the girl a look daring her to say something. So of course she did. "You weren't just silent about it." Megumi stated once she was back to her calm and new all-knowing nature.

Emiko paused to think, a faint smile on her face before she looked up to Megumi.

"Nobody. They weren't home."

"Well he must've been in a different room." Emiko lied. She was slightly unnerved and hesitant as her mind predicted the conversation's path to be going. It was Megumi's turn to frown and her lips pursed together.

"Emiko, I doubt that." She sighed and one hand rubbed her forearm. "Can't you just tell the truth? It's not a bad thing that you didn't tell everyone Uchiha-san had done something nice for you." 'What is she getting at?' Emiko was suspicious but Megumi swept aside the expression and continued. "I don't know for sure but I'm quite positive you ran into him, whether he was asleep or not. I don't know." The air of Megumi's certainty vanished and Emiko released a small breath.

"What are you getting at?" Emiko decided it was best to cut to the chase and the golden haired teen moved her gaze around the walls before she rested her gaze on Emiko who stared blankly back.

"I'm trying to say…Well I guess I'm trying to show you more actually." Emiko felt a twinge of anticipation seconds before its partner of apprehension joined the commotion in her mind. "Sakura knocks on his door and he shuts her out, you bang on it yelling and he allows us in. Let me finish." Emiko's mouth was open, ready to spurt a sarcastic comment when Megumi suspended her talking privilege. "He pays for your medications and talks to you without you forcing him."

They were things Emiko couldn't brush away with a wave of her hand, although she tried. Instead she decided to speak. "I was banging on his door and I would've kept going until he let me in and he probably let me in to make me shut up. As for the medical bills I didn't want medication so he goes against me like a jerk to use it against me later-"

"He didn't tell you though. If he had wanted to hang it over you he would have told you." Megumi pointed out quickly and Emiko scowled for a second, her mind working briefly to find a way to refute the statement. Finding none she attempted to skip over it and continued speaking as though it hadn't happened. Megumi smiled at this.

"And he doesn't talk to me any more than he does anyone else." Victory seemed to pass to Emiko before Megumi took her chance to speak.

"Hai he does. He spoke to you when we were cleaning the classroom. Hell Emiko, he even participated a little in the little rag fight you had." This Emiko couldn't disagree with and a small laugh strained to sound as the memories of the night resurfaced. 'Damn her good memory…'

"What are you saying?" Emiko's voice had quieted and her eyes were no longer fixated on proving her friend wrong. Subdued curiosity and a tint of wariness now observed Megumi as she thought.

"I'm not sure…" Emiko's eyes widened farther than ever at the comment.

"What do you mean you don't know!"

"Well I'm sorry but you weren't supposed to give up so easily."

"That's stupid…" Emiko huffed and she glared at the ground resting beneath their feet.

"I'm glad you care for him though." The remark didn't go unheard and Emiko's attention jerked back to her friend. 'NANI! She did not just say that! What the hell!'

"NANI!" Emiko unwillingly screeched, her throat tightening while her mouth was covered successfully by Megumi's hand.

"Kami Emiko, I didn't mean you love him." Megumi forced Emiko further down the hall before she removed her hand.

"Who said I cared for him!" Emiko strained to keep her voice to a yelling whisper. She felt a sharp shock and her head jerked forward as Megumi smacked the back of her head. 'Owie…so that's what it feels like.' Emiko's nose scrunched as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Emiko you listen to him, he somehow manages to calm you down and you do what you think would be best for him." Emiko's mouth hung ajar before she crossed her arms yet again and shook her head stubbornly.

"Iie."

Megumi released a long and exasperated groan. "Emiko, I'm not saying that I think you two like each other. Although I think Uchiha-san cares about you." Her pace quickened for the last sentence and she feigned ignorance to the glare. "I'm just saying that…I think it's good. And that I hope you keep it up. Oh! And that your escapade into Uchiha-san's house is a secret I won't tell."

Emiko was floored, her eyes never left Megumi's and she watched in slight stupor as she returned to the game room. Blinking, Emiko's conscious returned in full force and she slowly lowered herself to the ground. Sitting cross-legged on the ground she rested her forehead in her hands and closed her eyes for some peace.

'Care…why did I think of her statement to mean something else? Do I want him to like me? Iie, of course not. I like who I am what difference should it make if he likes me?Damn her…putting these thoughts in my mind. Sasuke wouldn't care for anyone...that wouldn't make any sense.' A low groan issued from her mouth before she bit her tongue softly to distract her mind. It didn't last long as she was back to questioning everything she'd learned in the past minutes.

'Okay, I guess I understand. I almost went at Toko once and he stopped me and I almost barged in after Naruto and he stopped me but I'm not that hard to stop…'

"Emiko! Where are you!" A young teenage boy raced through the streets, his dark brown eyes searching frantically over every crack in the street.

"Nii-san!" A young girl with long pigtails of brown hair and one blue and one brown eye peeked over a rooftop and waved gleefully. The boy stopped his heart pounding as he watched in terror while his younger sister stepped onto the ledge of the roof. Instantly Yukito darted into the building and raced as fast as possible. The metal exit door burst forth and Yukito dashed forward in time to grab his sister and yank her back from the ledge. Emiko let out a shout of disappointment before she began to claw at her brother's arm wrapped firmly around her stomach.

"Let me go! I'm going to fly!" She scratched at his arm and bit it to feel his grip loosen just enough so she could slip past his reach and back to the ledge. Looking down at the ground she smiled and bent her knees to prepare to jump.

"Emiko Iie!" Yukito's pleaded as he ran back to her and felt her jump. His heart seized and he grabbed frantically at her before he tumbled back, his sister yelling angrily in his grasp.

"Emiko stop you can't fly!" Yukito yelled, now sitting up in an attempt to keep a hold on the young brunette fighting and clawing to get back to the ledge.

"I'll jump and show you!" Emiko shouted in response before she felt something slam into her head.

"Emiko you are the most stubborn girl I'll ever know." Yukito muttered, barely audible to the girl as she slipped into darkness.

'Okay so I don't listen to Yukito-nii-san all the time,' a small smile formed on her lips. 'Okay so rarely ever but just because I listened to Sasuke doesn't mean anything. Just coincidence. There's some logic...somewhere...' In her reverie Emiko had failed to notice the dark haired teen now sitting beside her.

"You're surprisingly quiet." Emiko jumped nearly a foot in the air and landed sideways causing her to topple to the ground.

"Graceful." Emiko sat up straight and gave him a sufficient glower before blowing a lock of hair from her face. Sasuke sat beside her, his blank eyes focused on the hallway spanning before him rather than the girl now murmuring things as she sat up. A smirk was in its usual place and he glanced to see Emiko shift hair back to its original place.

"Jerk." Emiko muttered before she leaned forward and gazed down the hallway. A comfortable silence fell and Emiko shifted to lean against a wall, her legs extending towards the other side. Her eyes closed and she let it settle in for a few moments before deciding to speak.

"Uchiha," Emiko assumed she had his attention as she was too lazy to open her eyes. "Why don't you smile?" The air shifted, both of the teens noticing faintly as a breath of sadness joined them.

"Hn." Emiko felt the release as she stopped smiling, her face hurt some times from the constant smiling and she relished just being calm. The tips of her mouth turned down at the lack of response. A small sound of a scoff met her ear and she opened an eye to see Sasuke smirking at her.

"You look stupid that way." Her eyes narrowed at him but stopped the small frown anyway. Sasuke turned away from her gaze and Emiko had resigned to his silence when his voice rang through the hall.

"Why do you call me Uchiha?" The question was surprising and Emiko opened her eyes to stare at Sasuke's back as though it would reveal his intentions.

"Uh... well Uchiha's easier than suffixes." She spoke honestly and waited for his response while a finger twisted in her hair. "Anyway you call me Kigurashi so you have no room to talk." She pointed out the fact. Sasuke's hands fell to his sides and he revolved around to look her in the eye.

Emiko refused to back down and met him head on, her eyes never leaving his as they waited minutes for someone to break. A voice laughed in her head and a modest but genuine smile rose to her face as she searched his black eyes. 'I never thought I'd like black eyes…' Emiko pondered the though to herself, never letting her gaze falter. Every time she thought she'd seen the last depth a new level would show.

Heat rushed to her face as she realized they had been staring for minutes, not wanting to tinge pink without reason Emiko broke the connection and looked down the hall. The sounds of her friends were muffled by the door but she could discern Naruto's voice as he played the pinball machine.

Sasuke followed her gaze and listened as Naruto ranted about the broken machine causing Sakura to be heard yelling loudly at him for kicking Sasuke-kun's machine. Emiko laughed softly and drew her gaze back to Sasuke.

"They're going to date eventually," she predicted, slightly foolishly as it seemed the two would become anything other than boyfriend and girlfriend. "Once she gets over you." She pointed a finger in Sasuke's face and amusement shone on her face as Sasuke glowered at the finger now in his face.

"Fine as long as she leaves me alone." Sasuke spoke harshly and Emiko dropped her finger, a look of mute sadness on her face as she listened to his words.

'Does he really want to be alone that much? I used to like being alone but now…I don't want to be alone anymore it's too much. Does he want to handle all that on his own?' Sasuke paused and considered the change in her face before he awaited her next words.

"Do you like being alone that much? You don't ever want to find someone?" Emiko spoke truthfully, something Sasuke always noticed and in a sense appreciated as well as disliked.

Stillness tailed her question and Emiko fidgeted with her hair as she wondered what his response would be. 'I don't want anyone,' she figured would be the answer.

"Hn." Emiko practically rolled over on the spot and groaned into the wood floor, unaware of the strange look from the Uchiha. 'Why can't he just say something!' Emiko mentally cursed the male.

"This floor feels nice." Emiko smiled like a drunken person and rested her forehead against the wood. Sasuke raised a brow as though to ask if she had taken anydrugs recently. The relaxing cover of resting on the floor tempted Emiko to sleep as she closed her eyes.

"I've never had anyone like a boyfriend." She was past the moment where she cared if he heard or not. She wanted to speak her thoughts and feelings, no matter how dizzying they were with questions about the raven haired boy.

"I think I'd like one. Or just anyone. Someone to understand you more than your friends do and to support you in any quest you take on. To hold you when you're tired and to comfort you when you're sad. To drive away the fears until you aren't scared any more. To be happy with. Or to just," she yawned, her sentence breaking for a moment. Sasuke's gaze didn't falter as he watched the girl, half asleep with her forehead on his floor, continue to speak. "Just to sit in silence with, knowing that they're there if you need them."

With the last words barely audible Sasuke picked the sleeping girl from the floor and walked to his bedroom. Entering he was careful not to disturb her before he set her gently down on the bed and took a moment to observe how she curled on her side, her fingers clinging to his comforter and her head burrowing in the space between the pillows. Shaking his head to rid his mind of plagues he disappeared silently back into the hallway.

A/n: this took so long to write I had problems with it hopefully it turns out well! Hope you enjoy. I kind of like the Sasuke nice thingy and yay for Megumi! Haha she's like a new sherlock holmes...okay maybe not...anyway hope you enjoyed! Reviews and any comments are always appreciated. -shyshi