Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto, no matter what the voices in my head tell me.
A/N: Didn't come out as a funny chapter. Sorry. More notes at the end. (I'm not really happy. Can you tell? Stupid war…) Please enjoy reading.

Chapter 2 – Blue Without You

"Sakura-chaaaan!"

Said pink haired head whipped around to send the blond a nasty glare. "Naruto, must you whine my name like that?"

Naruto pouted. "What a way to greet your best friend, sheesh."

A smirk etched itself on Sakura's thin lips. "Since when are we best friends exactly, hmm? I wasn't aware that we were anything of the sort," she teased and placed her hands on her hips.

"Sakuuura! You're so mean!" Naruto said in mock-hurt although it was true that they weren't exactly best friends. Ino and Sakura were somewhat best friends now that after joining forces in looking for hot gossip, the rivalry between them dissipated.

Grinned brightly, the tanned boy asked, "So did you read it? Did ya? Did ya?"

The pink-haired girl looked confused. "What are you talking about, Naruto?" She turned slightly to give Ino, who was sitting down by her desk, a questioning look.

"What are you looking at me for? How would I know what's going on in that empty space he calls a brain?" The blonde girl interjected indignantly before burying her head again in the fresh Konoha's Weekly issue that came out yesterday.

Naruto puffed out his cheeks. "And I call you people my friends! Unbelievable!" He threw his arms in the air in dismay.

Two pairs of eyes, one deep blue and the other a majestic light green, stared back blankly at him.

Naruto rolled his eyes and snatched the newspaper out of Ino's hands, ignoring the cries of "Hey! That was mine!" and opened it to the page dedicated to the love advice column. He handed it to Sakura and pointed with his index finger at it. "Read this," he said and walked behind her so he could look too. He rested his chin on her shoulder and relished in the fact that he could do so now without her hurting essential areas along his body. She developed a soft spot for the blond after he got over his crush for her.

Naruto jabbed Sakura in the ribs, urging her to read. She cleared her throat. "Dear Lady in Doubt," she gave the blue-eyed boy a meaningful lopsided stare and carried on. Naruto averted his eyes and read the printed black words contrasting against the ashen paper.

Dear Lady in Doubt,

Post-it notes? He gives you little post-it notes? Okaaay. Some girls would find that awfully romantic, you know. Not to worry though, that part is actually the easier one to fix. All you got to do is...tell him! Just tell him that you appreciate each and every act of love and cherish it but you think that it's a teeny weenie bit too much. Tell him that it's enough if he just says those three words to you; he doesn't need to prove it. Having him say 'I love you' will be, in the end, more real than anything he'll ever give you.

Physical issue. Yikes. This one will be a bit trickier because you haven't told him about it when you discovered that he can't kiss and just let him do it. If you tell him now he might suspect that there might be other things that are wrong with him and start thinking, "What if I can't please her?"

You should approach him when he's relaxed and happy. Perhaps after a good date, alright? Tell him that you want him to close his eyes and let you try something new. Kiss him the way you want it done and by that you might be able to teach him something new or two. When you draw back, make sure you praise him and say something nice (a little flirtatious wink and a charming smile wouldn't hurt too). Then ask him to try.

Help him gain experience. Be patient and tentatively teach him how to kiss without him realizing that you're trying to change his kissing-ways.

If that doesn't work just remember that it's better to have a lousy kisser and a beautiful relationship than an amazing kisser and a miserable relationship.

Good luck,
Lovey-dovey

When Sakura finished reading she folded the newspaper and handed it back to Ino. Her shoulder-length hair shielded the side of her face, preventing Naruto from seeing her expression from his current position with his head weighting on her shoulder. She let out a short, breathy laugh. "I don't know how you do it, Naruto. It's like you're a different person when you write these things…" Naruto didn't need to see her features to tell that she was smiling now, "Thank you."

The boy grinned mischievously and tilted his head so that his lips were at her ear. He whispered sultrily, making sure that his breath tickled the sensitive skin right below her earlobe, "If it doesn't work out in the end, you can always come to me. I bet I'm a better kisser…"

Faster than he could say "Don't Be Hatin'" he was pushed back and smacked two times on the head.

"OW!" The blond yelped loudly and gingerly rubbed the sore spots on his head which were rapidly growing bumps.

"What makes you think that you'd be a better kisser if you've only been kissed twice in your life?" She asked crossly.

"I, uh, have a feeling. Plus, I practice with ice-cream all the time."

"...Well, that's pretty flimsy evidence. What else?" She demanded, a perceptive glint shimmering in her jade eyes.

Well, damn, Naruto thought. Of course Sakura didn't know that Naruto has actually kissed and been kissed more than twice. Before they started the university Naruto went out of the country with his current guardian Jiraiya and has gotten a bit of action after persuasion from the super-perverted, white-haired man.

It wasn't anything serious since Naruto was so heartbroken at the time after the 'prom incident', as he called it. At least he wasn't a virgin. Not that Sakura knew that either. He never really had the heart to tell her because she was still under the impression that he was wholly innocent.

He was glad that he was such a good actor. "I also…resheboueet," he murmured silently and avoided her look deliberately.

The sea-green eyed girl smirked slyly. "What was that? I didn't hear you."

Naruto feigned annoyance and grinded his teeth together. "I said…I also researched about it."

Sakura shook her head but smiled softly, looking like a mother who was about to teach her son an important lesson. "You can't know what it's really like until you try it. You've researched about love and romance so much that, yes, maybe theoretically you are somewhat of an expert. Although I still don't think so. I don't see how you can be an expert on love and kisses if you've never experienced it before. The real thing is a lot harder and much different," she sighed. "Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded meekly. Forcing on his signature idiotic grin and folding his hands behind his head, he said, "Thanks, Sakura. I think I'll go to the gym now before my other classes start. Some of the guys should be there too."

She had that heartrending look on her face. Was it pity? Ha! "Alright. Have fun."

Ino chirped in a "Bye, Naruto," and got back to her reading.

Naruto hastily walked out of the paper's staff room and let his legs carry him to the gym right outside the campus while letting his mind reflect on what his pink-haired friend said.

She was right nonetheless. He never did experience love. Despite the fact that he was already 19-years-old, he's never been in a real, meaningful long-term relationship (longer than those 'meaningful' overnight relationships with girls from abroad that put out). He partially blamed himself because he's been pinning over Sakura until their last day in high school's senior year.

What infuriated him even more was that every time he tried to start a conversation with random girls in campus that sent him wandering, appreciative looks (at least some people appreciated his sexy body!), his plans were always demolished by that damn Uchiha. That jackass just popped out of thin air as if he has some sort of radar that goes off in his head, 'Time to embarrass Naruto'. Sasuke never missed an opportunity to publicly humiliate Naruto in front of girls, or anyone else for the matter.

Before he knew it Naruto was in the gym's locker room and at his locker, as if all this time he was on auto-pilot, picking up an orange towel, a pair of silver-colored headphones and an empty bottle to fill up with water.

After adjusting his towel snugly on his honey-skinned shoulders and behind his neck, he went out to the gym room and quickly ran into a familiar face.

"Ah, Fuzzy-Eyebrows!"

"Good morning, Naruto." Rock Lee replied wearily. The blond noticed how the other's shoulders slumped forward and how he hung his head. Lee was usually up and jumping at this hour (in fact, at all hours of the day) but right now he looked out of energy, as if someone sucked it out of him with a vacuum and then stomped on him so he'd look even more miserable. Even his green suit looked blanched and limp.

"Um, are you okay?" Naruto asked tentatively.

He got a sniffle out of boy in response.

"Let me guess. Sakura?"

Lee nodded dejectedly, his eyes transfixed on the floor.

Naruto slapped the bowl-cut boy hard on his back in reassurance, causing him to stumble forwards a bit and nearly trip. "Worry not, Fuzzy-Eyebrows! Sakura is very serious about her relationship with you. In fact, I just saw her and we talked…" Lee's eyes snapped to look at Naruto and widened, a glimmer of hope flittering in them, "really, you have nothing to worry about!" The blond pulled on his 'Good-Guy' pose and raised a thumb up.

Lee looked at the shorter boy expectantly. "R-Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah!"

"OH, NARUTO! I AM THANKFUL FOR YOUR YOUTHFUL SPIRIT!" He threw his arms spasmodically around a very startled Naruto.

Naruto tried to tap on his attacker's back but found his arms pressed to his body in a death grip. Soon enough he was struggling for breath. A corresponding idea for a headline popped into his mind. "Columnist dies from oxygen deprivation by a deadly HUG!"

"A-Air…AIR!" Naruto choked out while mentally shouting, Let go, let go! Suffocating!

The green clad boy let go of the breathless boy and pulled back. His huge eyes were shinier than usual and a wide smile with blindingly bright two rows of teeth broke on his face. "You must have used your revolutionary love tactics on her! Now our ever-sweet love shall blossom once more!"

Naruto, still panting for air, nearly sweat-dropped when Lee raised a fist to the air with new-found confidence. It seemed that Sakura told her boyfriend that he was the love advice specialist. Or maybe Lee just figured that he has good 'love tactics'?

The recovered blond clasped the other's hands between his and batted his eyelashes animatedly. "To ever-sweet love!"

After thanking Naruto again, the green energy ball ran out of the gym and Naruto imagined rose-pink hearts rushing after him like a cloud of dust. The blond felt a smile of satisfaction tugging at his lips, figuring that the other boy was probably going to ask Sakura out on a date.

Exercise was undoubtedly Naruto's favorite past time. What was a better way to vent off frustrations other than repeatedly sock it to a punching bag?

Naruto liked the way working out allowed him to push his limits. He was no masochist, but feeling the soreness of his contracting muscles as he flexed gave him a sense of pleasure. It was as if he confirmed to himself that if he tried hard enough, despite the pain, he could achieve anything.

A few years back with a belly a bit robust and round cheeks he was nothing short of a chubby preadolescent. His goal was to prove himself worthy (to be able to finally overpower Sasuke in one of their little fights and to win Sakura's attention) and with countless hours spent at the gym he managed to tone-up pretty well. The gym also helped him keep in shape for his job.

Once he stretched, he climbed onto one of his favorite machines, the Eliptical Cross Trainer. He put on his in-ear headphones and connected the plug to the radio system. With rhythmic music pounding in his ears, he grasped the arm levers and stepped on the pedal platforms, pedaling forward while alternating the arm levers back and forth.

Obsidian eyes observed the boy dressed in the orange baggy muscle pants and the black tank top from afar. Sasuke watched the blond breathing heavily, sweat already glistening on his muscled arms and forehead and his eyelids closing shut calmly as if he was merely taking a stroll on the beach. Naruto was completely oblivious to the figure who was staring at him from the other end of the large room, hiding behind the rows of treadmills.

Even though said individual stood at a fair distance from the unaware blond, a light blush still covered his pale face. He felt like a schoolgirl checking out her secret crush when he wasn't looking.

He also couldn't believe that he resorted to stalking Naruto. The lowest of lows. It was not even as though he carried a camera with him and took photographs of the boy in the shower or followed him home. It wasn't like that. He just occasionally looked after him. Yes, looked after him. That sounded better.

Still, he couldn't impede the voice in his mind which kept shouting smugly, Stalker! Stalker! Truthfully, it wasn't the first time that he tailed after the attractive blond without him noticing – after getting over the denial stage he found it easier to think of the blond as attractive, after all, he wasn't blind – but trailing after him was the only way to ensure that the blue-eyed boy wouldn't be taken away by someone and thus completely foil Sasuke's plans.

Not to mention that he simply liked watching Naruto. Not that he would ever admit it aloud. He still couldn't believe that he's actually going to go through with what he came here for.

Naruto suddenly opened his eyes, startled. He jumped off of the Eliptical to the floor, landing shakily on his feet but forgetting about the headphones still thrust in his ears. The blond 'eep'ed and flailed his arms, his head skewed to the machine, until he took off his headphones embarrassedly. A round of a few friendly chuckles erupted at the incident from the other occupants of the gym who happened to be near the boy, and Naruto suddenly smiled big, enjoying the attention.

Smiling still, Naruto reached for his front pocket and pulled out a small, vibrating mobile phone. He pressed it to his ear and greeted loudly, "Yo, sex-on-legs talkin'."

The boy at the far corner risked getting out of his hideout and inching closer to the blond in order to listen to his side of the phone talk. Luckily for him, Naruto's backside was turned to him.

"Hey! I resent that!" Naruto exclaimed into his cell phone. "I'll have you know that some people who can appreciate true art will say that my body is a master piece." There was a pause and coal-black eyes were drawn to the blond's movements, his sun-kissed tanned hand which rose to wipe sweat off his brow and the way that it then went through his golden locks.

It's more than a master piece, Naruto. It is god-status worthy. Sasuke felt his face heating up at the unvoiced acknowledgment and shook his head as if it would undo what he just thought.

He felt goose bumps run from his wrists up to his forearms when Naruto laughed heartily. He frowned deeply while roughly rubbing his arms to make it vanish. He hated how his body reacted to the other boy. Emotions he could control when he wished, but his body was another story.

Long pause. Then…

"WHAT! NOW?" The blond yelled into his mobile and abruptly turned to the Eliptical to grab his belongings (towel, bottle, headphones), his features showing distress. "Sakura, you know I can't be late to Orochimaru's class!" Naruto started pacing towards the exit, shuffling closer to Sasuke's current hiding place near the door to the locker room. "Kiba too? He must've been in the weight room them, 'cause I didn't see him…" Naruto kept on talking.

When the black-haired teen realized that if he stayed put he will surely be discovered he felt a wave of panic wash over him. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, he scampered hurriedly through the door, cursing under his breath that it had to be the most ungraceful, un-Uchiha-like sprint he had ever carried out.

Naruto entered the locker room and went straight to his locker. After inserting his combination and unlocking the metallic door, he clumsily pushed in his bright orange towel and stopped when he heard a soft crinkling sound of paper being creased. With eyebrows furrowed, he slowly reached out his hand under his towel and drew out an envelope.

Naruto blinked his big blue eyes curiously and opened the elegant silver embossed stationery seal on the cream-colored envelope to reveal its contents.

Dearest Naruto,

Love can be expressed in a myriad of different methods. I tried expressing it in written sentences but I had to constantly search for the words, for they all seemed less than I truly feel. I wanted to display it to you, yet even a profusion of roses, lilacs and daffodils would not be enough to show you that you're my world, in brilliant colors (and that I'm sure you wouldn't have liked to receive flowers from another male).

I just cannot explain the passion inside which burns for you. Should a thousand deaths tear out my heart, it would still beat for you a million times and call out your name.

I treasure you, for you are where my happiness begins. I am forever lost when you are not near by. I pray for the day when I could greedily kiss your lips and you will take my heartache away.

For now I am blue without you,
Caeruleus

To say that Naruto was flabbergasted was an understatement. He couldn't believe it. Someone wrote a love letter…to him?

Naruto instinctively looked to his left and to his right to see if the person who left the letter might still be in the room, hiding just out of the field of his vision, ever though he knew that it wasn't the case. When he found nothing, his eyes peered yet again at the note in his hands.

Wow. Someone actually liked him. Loved him even! If this wasn't a joke – and it didn't seem to Naruto like one – it meant that there was a girl out there who—

Wait a minute.

"…to receive flowers from another male."

Hold on.

"…another male."

The sentence echoed loudly in his mind a dozen times more, taunting him. An untamed sort of anxiety overwhelmed him, similar to the somewhat panicked realization when you were on a plane half way across the world and suddenly remembered that you left the fire on the kitchen stove burning.

Realization sank in.

Oh shit on platters! What the hell?! Naruto mentally spluttered.

Sasuke was thankful for the way the locker room was structured. There were four rows of tall lockers, all vertical to one another, creating the shape of a square with no vertexes, with two long benches in its middle.

He was hiding behind one of the high sort of barriers which was vertical to Naruto's locker, so when he peeked around its corner he could only see the blond's side. It was enough for him to be able to read the emotions flashing in Naruto's sapphire blue eyes. Curiosity, confusion, surprise, delight and then the inevitable horror.

Sasuke couldn't watch anymore. The back of his head hit the tinny locker he was using as support softly so that the other boy in the room wouldn't hear.

That's it. He did it and he regretted it. He regretted it the moment the letter slipped through his fingers into the small airing opening on the little grey door.

Shit. Just fucking brilliant. What if he realizes it was me? Sasuke asked himself, remorse already flooding through his system and his stomach churning unpleasantly. He knew he shouldn't have gone through with it.

Sasuke heard the sound of footsteps going fainter and held his breath until they disappeared completely. When they did he let out a breath and allowed himself to sink to the floor with his back still pressed to the cold metal and cursed.

He tried to concentrate on the well-oiled hinges on the door in front of him that led to the showers so that the strong palpitating of his heart would go unnoticed.

Shit.

Author Notes: How the hell do I manage to write 3000+ words per chapter? I want it to be less! Grr...Boring chapter. Blah. Not really as funny as I was hoping for but I'll try to make up for it in the next chapter. Edited first chapter when I realized that I wanted Sasuke's feelings in the story too. Hope it's okay. The love letter has to be the hardest thing I had to write…Tell me if it came out tolerable, alright? It worries me. Please review!

Lots of thanks to Jenanien, cynlee, Trinica, chichi, Azamiko, btTara, Strawberry Blood, Smoking Panda and Alana-StarSugarCat! I love you all! Hugs and cookies to all of you! Have some magical bananas too!