Gomen, Gomen! I know this is long overdue, but I had a few personal issues to sort out. All is well now, though, so I should be updating more often, promise. Sorry this took so long, and I hope you like it :smiles:

Disclaimer: If Sasuke were mine... He would be handcuffed to Naruto's bed :3 Kukuku... but alas, he is K. Masashi's... To those of you who would LIKE to see him handcuffed to Naruto's bed, help me own him!

"I don't know about this." the locksmith said as he scratched the back of his head. "It's not really something we're allowed to do."

"I understand your concern." Sasuke said as he pressed a fifty dollar bill into the locksmith's hand. "But you see, this is for a friend of mine, who's in the hospital right now. His front door lock needs to be changed, and so do all his window locks."

The locksmith sighed and scratched the back of his head again. He then bent down and proceeded to unscrew the doorknob for the door before him so he could replace the entire lock mechanism. Sasuke stood behind him during the entire process before they moved into the house and he followed the locksmith around to each window.

After a few hours of that, the locks were all replaced and Sasuke paid the locksmith. He then had a flooring company come over and replace all of Naruto's carpets, tiled-floors, and hardwood floors. The blond's carpet in his room was beyond repair, and he felt a little surge of happiness bubble inside him as he had it replaced with the exact same colour—well, the same colour, only less faded and less stained.

That took practically the rest of the day, so Sasuke locked the front doors behind him after the flooring company had left and made his way to his motorcycle. He got on it and headed for Kakashi's house before he realized what he was doing, and turned around. Kakashi and Iruka were probably doing something scandalous with their windows open and their doors unlocked. Kakashi was an exhibitionist, and the pony-tailed Arson Investigator always complained about it, but it was his own fault for dating the perverted Captain.

Sasuke stopped in the middle of the empty street, looking around. He wasn't sure what he should do—where he should go. With a sigh, he spun around and headed out to Kiba's house. He needed to talk to someone, anyway, and Kiba was just about the closest thing to a friend he had.

When he got to the man's house, Akamaru came running up to him as he climbed off his motorcycle. The massive dog practically bowled him over, and Sasuke had to refrain from killing the damn thing, knowing the fire department needed well-trained dogs like Akamaru.

"Who is it, Akamaru?" Kiba asked as he opened his front door, walking out onto his front porch in nothing but a pair of low-riding black sweatpants. (1)

"Get your dumb mutt off me." Sasuke growled as Akamaru licked his face continuously.

"After that comment? Not a chance, man." Kiba smirked as he leaned back against the side of his house and crossed his arms.

"I need to talk to you, dammit! Get him off!"

"Akamaru, get off him. His bastardness might be contagious."

The large white dog obeyed, backing up slightly before turning around and running back to his doghouse, practically flying into it. Sasuke wiped the remaining drool off his face with the front of his shirt, muttering about disgusting creatures as he made his way to Kiba's front door. His friend motioned him inside and then followed him, closing the front door.

"You hungry? Want a drink or something?"

"I'm fine." Sasuke sat down at Kiba's kitchen table while the other man grabbed a beer before plopping down across from Sasuke.

"So, this is new. Since when do you need to 'talk'?" Kiba popped open the can and took a large swallow.

"I was just thinking." Sasuke replied. Kiba waited, but the raven said nothing more.

"You do know that there needs to be talkage (2) for us to talk, right?"

"Why is Naruto like that?" Sasuke demanded, narrowing his eyes, promising sweet death to Kiba if he didn't answer truthfully.

The brunette stared at him. "What?"

"He's so—happy." Sasuke spat the last word out as if it were the most disgusting thing in the world.

"What, he's not allowed to be happy?" Kiba asked with a smirk. "You've gotta realize something, Death—the two of you perceive things differently. See, your pasts are similar in the sense that you both lost your parents at a young age because of some psychotic freak." Sasuke nodded to this, not looking at Kiba. It was no secret that the Uzumaki fire wasn't an accident, and it was also no secret that Itachi had gone crazy and killed Sasuke's family. Sasuke even realized that they were about the same age when it happened, too.

"Now come your differences." Sasuke looked up at Kiba as the brunette continued. "You're both the same in your pasts, but you've reacted to the after-effects differently. Naruto surrounds himself with noise to know that he is never alone, whereas you isolate yourself in silence. You like to think that you'll never get hurt if you isolate yourself, but you know what, Sasuke—you're wrong." Kiba shrugged before he let out a small sigh, shaking his head. "You're not as uncaring as you think."

"Yes I am." Sasuke snapped.

"So, what colour carpet does Naruto have in his living room?" Kiba gave him a poignant look and Sasuke could feel a blush threatening to take over his face. He throttled it violently.

"I'm looking out for the best interests of a comrade."

"Oh, get over yourself, Sasuke." Kiba threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "You'll admit to yourself that you like him, but nobody else can ever find out? Do you think we're blind or something?" Kiba rubbed his face, annoyed. "Last year, when that building four blocks from your place burned down and killed twenty-five people, I know you cried." Sasuke's head snapped back. "You knew it was your brother's doing, and you knew it was because he thought you lived there. You cried, but you thought no one knew. You care about people you don't even know, so would it really be so bad to drop the cold-bastard act every once in a while and act like a normal human being?"

Sasuke lowered his eyes and stared down at Kiba's scratched table. Vaguely, he noted Kiba needed a new one, as this one was getting old. Perhaps they sold tables at Wal-Mart?

"It's okay to care about people Sasuke, and it's okay to be scared that they'll disappear one day." Kiba stood up. "But hey, everyone dies eventually, right? We don't have control over that—which is why you should live for the moment, or else it'll be gone before you understand why."

"Hello, Naruto."

The little boy who was no older than six looked up at the person who'd addressed him. He didn't know him, but he recognized him as being the son of a person his dad used to know. Why was he at his school?

"I came to pick you up. Your dad is busy right now."

"Daddy told me not to leave with strangers." Naruto replied in a small voice. This person looked scary, and he didn't want him to get mad.

"I'm not a stranger, you know me. I've been to your house many, many times."

"I have to wait for my daddy." Naruto took a step back.

"Is there a problem?" He spun around and his eyes lit up as he saw Jiraiya Sannin walking towards him.

"Uncle Jiraiya!" The blond ran to the white-haired man, jumping into his open arms.

"Hey, you're getting big, champ." Jiraiya smiled as he held the blond before looking back at the boy who'd been talking to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd help Arashi out since I heard he was busy. I was going to take his son home."

"Were you, now?" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "To his house—or yours?"

"Do you want to start something with me, old man?" the boy growled.

"I may be old, but I assure you, I can take care of myself. And those important to me." His arms tightened around Naruto to emphasize his point. The blond merely looked back and forth between them, not understanding the conversation.

"I'm not going to hurt him—"

"No, you're not." Jiraiya agreed.

"I just want to—borrow him."

"Whatever possessed you to assume that Arashi would allow his son to be used by an arsonist? He's a firefighter, or have you forgotten?"

"You don't even know what I need him for." the boy replied, seeming calm outwardly, but Naruto could see his eyebrow twitching. He was quickly losing his patience.

"Does it matter? It involves fire."

"Perhaps if I told you, you would feel more inclined to help me."

"I will never feel more inclined to help you." Jiraiya spat.

A car pulled up beside them, the passenger-side window rolling down. "Jiraiya, hurry up. I need to get to work."

"I'm coming, Tsunade." Jiraiya said, his eyes locked on the boy's before him as he glared. "Stay away from Naruto. I mean it."

Naruto's eyes opened slowly as he let the tail-end of his dream disappear. Dream, memory, it was all the same. How did one describe this phenomenon? Every time Naruto had a dream, it wasn't really a dream, but a memory. But since he was asleep when it happened, could it be considered a memory, even if he knew it was one? Or was it still called a dream? Naruto didn't know—and it was making his head hurt.

He found it odd that he still remembered the reason that boy wanted him. He couldn't really remember when the conversation had taken place anymore, but he knew his mother had been there. His mother and the boy had been yelling at one another before the boy had slapped her. Naruto had been mad; nobody was allowed to hit his mother like that. But he was six, what could he do?

That was when the cold voice had broken through his rage, explaining why he wanted him. Naruto's eyes drifted closed as he went back to sleep.

"Fires are amazing things, are they not? They react differently based on the area they're provided and the amount of air and open space they have. That is why I need your son. He's six years old, but he's small for his age. He's old enough to understand my instructions, and small enough to get to the places I want him to. Like vents, for example. I need someone as small as him, and as old as him. He's the only person I know who can fit into those places!"

"You have a brother, why not use him?" Minako Uzumaki demanded, feeling guilty for having done so, but wanting to protect her son. "Arashi's already told you that you're not going to use our son for your crazy fire-based experiments! Now please leave!"

"You don't understand!" the boy growled, Minako taking a step back in fear. He was scary when he was indifferent. When he got angry, he was downright terrifying. "I can't use my brother, because he isn't good enough. He doesn't understand fire or how it works. Naruto is Arashi's son. He understands fire better than most firefighters because his daddy," he spat the word out, "taught him everything about it. I need that boy!"

"Get out of my house." Minako stated calmly. "Now."

"You'll regret this." the boy growled. "I warned Arashi, and now, I'm warning you. This is the last time. Next time I ask, it better be a yes, or else you won't be around to protect your son, anymore, because you won't have a son to protect."

"Is that a threat?" Minako narrowed her eyes.

"Of course." the boy brushed past her roughly. "Tell Arashi I'll be back in two days. He better have a better answer by then, or your son will no longer be protected."

The front door slammed and Minako slammed her fist on the counter angrily. Naruto jumped, retreating further around the corner he was hiding behind. Minako then sank into a chair and buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she cried silently.

Naruto didn't know what to do.

Sasuke rubbed the back of his head as he made his way down the hospital corridor, having easily gained access despite it being after visiting hours. As annoying as it was to have Ino and Sakura love him, it had its advantages.

When the raven reached the blond's room, he noticed Naruto was asleep. He didn't want to bother him, but he needed to make sure he was all right. So, he walked into the room and shut the door behind himself. He made his way to the chair beside Naruto's bed and sat down in it, staring at the blond. He had a small frown on his face, as if displeased with what he was currently dreaming about. Sasuke knew he needed the sleep, though, so he decided he wouldn't wake him up unless Naruto started whimpering or something.

As he glanced briefly around the room, his eyes fell on a book resting peacefully on the table beside the bed. He recalled Naruto asking Gaara to get it for him, the redhead agreeing. Naruto had looked so desperate when he'd asked the stoic driver to get it for him, and Sasuke was curious as to why that was.

Knowing he shouldn't, Sasuke reached out and took the book in his hands. He stared at the brown cover for a few seconds before flipping it open to the first page. His eyes widened before he looked down at Naruto to ensure he was still asleep.

On the first page of the book, two words were written. "Naruto's Journal".

Sasuke flipped it open, looking through it briefly. He didn't read anything, really, until something caught his eye.

March 12th. Neji talked to me about my finances again. I think he worries about me more than he should.

Sasuke bit his lip before flipping through the book some more, scanning the dates for a specific one. He finally found it. June twenty-fourth.

June 24th. Started at Station Seven today. Gaara works there, so I was happy. Met a cool guy named Kiba, too.
There's this one guy called Sasuke who has a problem with me. I'm not sure why.
Also, a guy named Genma tried to rape me in the shower. It was scary.

June 26th. Genma tried to rape me again.

Sasuke flipped a few pages, catching glimpses of "Genma tried again" every now and then. He smiled slightly as he realized the perverted firefighter really did have it out for Naruto. He stopped on another date as something caught his interest.

August 12th. I pulled a fast one on Genma, today. I tried to rape him. He looked shocked—but then he was all for it... So, I ran.

Sasuke flipped a few more pages until he reached the last entry, which had been written in the day before. Naruto had probably done it after everyone had left. He'd slept a bit while they were still there, and then woken up to ask Gaara to get the book. When Gaara had returned, everyone had left. This entry is less than twenty-four hours old, Sasuke realized as he began to read it.

August 18th.

Station Seven.

I was transferred out of Station Twelve,
And thrown into what I thought was hell.
Everyone here was perverted or scary,
And I didn't take the transition well.

As time went on, things got better,
And I didn't feel like the odd man out.
The rape attempts became less common,
And everyone liked me, without a doubt.

First and foremost, I have to mention Blade.
He was the first person I'd met.
He'd scared me and insulted me, but he was cool.
May he rest in peace, and I'm sad he had to jet.

Next is the Captain, known as Scarecrow,
The guy is weird and sort of crazy.
But he leads us right and shows no favouritism,
Even if he can be somewhat lazy.

Arrow is third on my list of people,
And what a pervert that man is!
He tries to rape me whenever he can,
And will not stop until I'm his.

Scarface is Arrow's lover and watcher,
A type of babysitter, if you will.
If Arrow begins to get out of line,
Scarface is the one who goes in for the kill.

Magna is cool, though obsessed with coffee,
And he always seems to injure himself.
He always wears a bandage across his nose,
And one wonders what he does with himself.

Godd is an odd one, no doubt about it,
And I'm pretty sure he's gay, too.
Of course, I see no problem with this,
What do I care what others do?

Next is Sandman, my good friend since forever.
I never thought we would chill again.
I hadn't realized how much I'd missed him,
And I'm glad I can see him every now and then.

Wolfgang is the coolest person in the Station;
He gets a whopping two thumbs up.
He's hysterical, he's fun, and he was awesome from the start,
Despite the fact that you can't get him to shut up.

Last but not lest is the one called Death,
He thinks he brings misfortune wherever he goes.
He thinks everyone he gets close to will die.
Why he's like this, no one knows.

Death needs help, he needs to understand,
I want to help him realize the truth.
But no matter how hard I try, it doesn't work.
What could have happened during his youth?

Why won't he—

"What are you doing?" Sasuke snapped the book shut and looked up to find Naruto staring right at him, his eyes open. The blond's eyes were fixed on the book Sasuke held in his hands.

"I-I was just—it fell from the table, and—"

Naruto snatched the book from Sasuke's hands, giving the raven an unreadable stare. Sasuke felt insanely uncomfortable, but he supposed he deserved it.

"Don't look through my stuff again." Naruto said before clutching the book to his chest and rolling over so his back was to Sasuke. "Don't look through my stuff again." he repeated in a whisper as his grip tightened on the book.

Sasuke didn't know how to apologize, or what to say, for that matter. So, he just stood up and left the room without a word, wondering how Naruto would react to his house being cleaned and repaired. He winced and decided he wouldn't tell him it was his doing. He would get someone else to give him his new key. It was safer.

Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back down the long hospital corridor, both Kiba and Naruto's words echoing in his mind.

(1) NOSEBLEED! HALF-NEKKID KIBA!

(2) Yes, I am well aware of the fact that talkage is not a word, but since it's something I say, and I'm starting to talk like my various versions of Kiba anyway, why not make him sound like me? heh:P