It started with innocent curiosity.
"Sasuke..?"
The Uchiha gazed at his friend, the large, otherworldly blue orbs causing an unsettling feeling in his stomach.
They were only ten; still naïve and ignorant to the world around them.
"Naruto... Can I kiss you?"
"Wha--? No way!" Naruto scooted backwards across the grass, pouting when Sasuke crawled after him. "I said no!"
"Come on, Naru-chan," Sasuke cooed softly, giving his best puppy dog expression. "Don't you want to see what it's like?"
Naruto frowned, pondering this for several seconds before blushing cutely and moving forward uncertainly. "A-alright.."
Sasuke felt his pulse quicken, his eyes falling to rest on Naruto's two pink lips just waiting to be claimed. He leaned forward, closing the distance between them and kissing the other boy soundly.
The blonde pulled away first, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "That was weird.." Sasuke bit his lip, restraining from jumping forward and kissing him again.
"Open your mouth.. I heard Itachi say something about using your tongues once."
"T-tongues? That's gro- mmph!" His eyes widened when Sasuke took advantage of his parted lips, a warm tongue already darting inside his mouth and flicking against his own.
Sasuke pulled the smaller boy closer when he had relaxed against him, Naruto's eyes finally sliding shut. "Nn… Sasu.." He fisted his hand in Sasuke's shirt, unconsciously moving forward as their tongues continued to fight and twine together.
Naruto suddenly pulled away moments later, his eyes wide and his cheeks a rosy red. An uncomfortable fluttering in his chest made him move away further, a hand rising to touch his tender, swollen lips.
"Naruto?" Sasuke stared at him in confusion, struggling to regain his breath.
"L-let's not do this anymore.."
It started with innocent curiosity, and it spread like poison.
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SLAM.
Sasuke roughly shoved Naruto against the wall of his apartment building, the blonde's keys clattering to the floor.
"Sasuke? Teme…" Sasuke grit his teeth, his eyes flickering with some unknown emotion.
"You must think you're pretty clever, kissing me like that in front of the whole class." He scowled, tightening his grip on Naruto's wrists when he began to struggle.
"It was an accident," Naruto replied coldly, startling the other when he looked straight into his eyes. Sasuke quickly regained his composure, his frown curving into a sexy smirk.
"You say that, but I know you enjoyed it," He murmured, leaning forward and sweeping his tongue across the younger boy's earlobe. Naruto squirmed, settling for his last resort of kneeing Sasuke in the groin.
"I'd never want to kiss you!" He yelled, his face turning red with fury. Naruto grabbed his keys from the floor while Sasuke was still doubled over in pain, turning to go into his apartment and locking the door behind him.
Sasuke slid to the ground, closing his eyes and wincing. "I'm such an idiot," He muttered quietly. After he had first kissed Naruto almost three years ago, Naruto had become distant and they began to argue about the stupidest things until Naruto finally declared their friendship as over on the summer of their eleventh year.
Why did it have to turn out like this?
The brunette sighed at the familiar pang in his chest. Naruto was so close, but he seemed to be growing farther and farther away. He wouldn't give up.. No, he cared about Naruto too much to do that. He was almost glad that Sakura and Naruto had to help him with the cultural festival; being together for so long might get him a chance somehow.
Standing with new determination, Sasuke slid his hands into his pockets and leisurely started down the hall, already thinking of a plan.
xxx
Inside of his apartment, Naruto leaned against the door and touched his fingers to his lips where Sasuke's taste still lingered.
"Sasuke.."
xxx
"Naruto, get off your lazy ass and do something! Sasuke-kun and I are doing all of the work here!" Sakura snapped, wiping her hand across her forehead. Of course, there was nothing else she would rather do than sit in a room with Sasuke all day, but she doubted she looked very attractive when her hair stayed plastered to her face, sticky with sweat.
The blonde shoved a newspaper into a paper shredder, his lips pursed together in annoyance. He kept stealing looks at Sasuke, afraid that he might try to molest him while Sakura wasn't looking.
..Well, you never know. Sasuke was a creepy kind of guy.
"Definitely creepy," He murmured, sticking in another newspaper. He glanced at the Uchiha again- and froze. Sasuke was just as sweaty as Sakura, although Sakura wasn't really doing anything strenuous enough to cause her to do so. Somehow, though, seeing Sasuke glistening with sweat like that was.. erotic.
Suddenly, Sasuke exited the room without even saying where he was going, letting the door click shut quietly behind him. Sakura frowned, sighing in an exaggerated way. She was getting nowhere with Sasuke.. she had tried several times to start a conversation, but all he ever responded with was "Mmm." or.. nothing.
After at least ten minutes, the pink-haired girl turned to Naruto with her hands on her hips. "Naruto," She whined. "Go find him!"
The blonde sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Why do I have to do it?"
"Because if I do, Sasuke-kun will think I'm following him!"
Naruto raised a brow before finally standing reluctantly. "So noisy," He complained, opening up the door. "I expect a kiss when I return!" He grinned, disappearing into the hall before the girl could object.
Not that I'd really want to kiss her.. He frowned, tucking his hands behind his head as he sauntered down the hall. His childish crush on Sakura had already diminished, not that he would ever admit it. That would only bring more trouble from Sasuke..
Sasuke!
Naruto gawked, pausing mid-step when he saw the tall, dark figure approaching.
"Naruto..? What are you doing?" He stopped in front of the blonde boy, a fluffy towel in one of his hands. His hair was dripping wet, while elsewhere water droplets ran down his smooth, perfect skin. Naruto felt his face heating up and took a step back, pointing his finger at the taller boy.
"Where the hell did you go? Stupid Sasuke.." The Uchiha frowned, lifting the towel to wipe his face and neck, afterwards rubbing it against his hair.
"The bathroom and the water fountain.. Were you worried?" He smirked, lowering his hand and walking towards Naruto, who had found that his legs refused to move. "Naruto.."
The blonde swallowed, closing his eyes when Sasuke's calloused fingers caressed his cheek. "Naruto, look at me."
Naruto timidly did so, sucking in a sharp breath at the look on Sasuke's face. He looked so gentle, his eyes lit with warmth and adoration. "I like you.." Sasuke leaned down, pressing his forehead against the other boy's. "Why won't you accept my feelings?"
"Sasuke.." Naruto licked his lips, his heart beating violently against his ribcage. "I-"
"Sasuke-kun! Wai, what a surprise seeing you here!" Naruto jerked away, turning around to see Ino waving wildly from all the way down the hall. Sakura stuck her head out the door, frowning. "I thought I just heard- Ahh! INO-PIG! What are you doing here?"
Ino snorted, turning her head away from her former best friend. "It's none of your concern, forehead-girl."
"PIG!"
"FOREHEAD!"
Naruto slowly turned back around, not very surprised at the way Sasuke was clearly seething. He schooled his face into a blank expression, taking another step backwards. Pretending was one of the few things he was good at. "I don't feel that way about you, Sasuke. Please don't bother me about this again," He said in a monotone voice, afterwards brushing past the boy before he could see the hurt written across his delicate features.
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Naruto had chosen to go to Konoha High School, while Sasuke's father had more or less forced him to go to Sound Academy- a prestigious school whose founder had once been a friend of Itachi's.
Sasuke was having a rather difficult time accepting this fact.
"Naruto.." He sighed the boy's name dreamily, flopping lazily onto his bed. "Summer vacation is over, and we've already been in school for two months.. I haven't seen him in a long time."
Sasuke absently trailed his finger along the bed sheets, tracing some sort of pattern. "Too long.."
Junior high had been a mess. After Naruto had so frankly stated his feelings their second year, he had stayed as far away as possible from Sasuke after the work for the cultural festival was finished. Talking to him became impossible, and even their fighting ceased. By the time they graduated, it was like they had never known each other at all.
He had to see him.
xxx
"Naruto! Can I borrow your notes from Kakashi-sensei's class?" Kiba called out to him, jogging over with a blushing Hinata following after him. "Hello, Naruto-kun.."
Naruto smiled brightly, though neither of the two before him noticed that it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hey, Hinata." He reached into his schoolbag, tugging out a notebook. He'd become much more organized and focused when he'd entered high school. He needed something to take his mind off of things, and school work just happened to be there.
"Here you go, Kiba. Give them back to me tomorrow, okay?"
"Will do. Thanks a lot, Naruto." Kiba grinned, sliding his arm around his girlfriend's waist as he started for the opposite end of the school. "K-Kiba-kun!" Naruto heard her squeak, and smiled despite himself. They were a good couple..
Walking up to class 1-C, Naruto leaned against the wall while he waited for Sakura to finish cleaning up. When she finally emerged, she grinned at the sight of her friend. "Hey, thanks for waiting. I hate cleaning duty.." She wrinkled her nose, falling into step beside Naruto when he started walking towards the front exit of the school.
"How was your day? There's a new guy in my class.. his name is Sai, I think. He looks a lot like Sasuke," She commented absently, frowning when she noticed the cloud of doom that seemed to be hovering over her blonde friend increase tenfold. "Naruto?"
"Sorry.. I just.. haven't had a good day, I guess. I just want to get home." He rubbed his eyes tiredly. Lately, sleep seemed to be lacking as well. His life just seemed to get worse and worse..
xxx
Sasuke stopped after passing through the entrance of the school, taking a deep breath. He'd ran into Kiba only a few minutes earlier, who had informed him that Naruto would either be waiting for Sakura or heading out to leave.
Sakura..
He frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. If she had touched him-
"..really, Naruto. You've changed so much since junior high. It's almost frightening."
"Sakura-chan, please.."
"What? It's true. You're responsible and smart.. I know how mean I used to be to you. I'm sorry about all that, y'know.."
"Haven't we had this conversation before? Don't worry about it."
"But- whoa, who's that? Looks like a Sound Academy uniform.."
Sasuke turned his head, and his eyes immediately locked with Naruto's. The brunette bit his tongue to keep from gasping in shock. Naruto was.. gorgeous. His hair was still the same vibrant color, but was a little longer than what it had been the last time he'd seen him. He had grown in height, maybe only an inch or so shorter than himself. His skin was sun-kissed; his blue eyes still swirling with emotion. Sasuke regrettably noted that Naruto was more toned than he was, his biceps visibly straining against the uniform jacket.
Sakura broke the silence. "Sasuke-kun, is that you? It's been so long!" She grinned, walking forward and dragging Naruto with her. "What brings you here?"
Sasuke drifted his gaze to Sakura briefly, then returned his eyes to Naruto. He looked so.. mature. Sakura looked between the two of them for several moments, then slowly backed away.
"Ahh, you know, I have a project to do tonight, so… ja!" Neither Naruto nor Sasuke watched her leave, too busy inspecting the person standing before them. Naruto was surprised to see how Sasuke had grown as well. His face was more angular; his cheekbones more prominent. His legs and arms were still slim, but the uniform hugged his body perfectly. The blonde's mouth went dry when Sasuke smiled softly.
"It's been a while, Naruto.."
"Y-yeah.." He responded lamely, shifting the bag on his shoulder. "Why are you here?"
Sasuke's smile faltered slightly, but he didn't seem discouraged. "I wanted to see you." He spoke up again before Naruto could do so. "I know you don't have the same feelings that I do.." He paused, clearing his throat. "I just want to at least try being friends. Can I walk you home?"
Naruto watched him uncertainly, finally nodding when Sasuke arched his brows expectantly. "I-… Sure." He turned quickly, leading the way to his apartment.
When they reached the building, Sasuke realized that Naruto must still live in the same apartment that he used to. He leaned against the wall as Naruto unlocked the door, pushing himself away from it when Naruto walked in and glanced back at him. "You can… come in for a while, if you want. You came all the way here, after all.."
Sasuke stepped in and shut the door, glancing around the familiar place. "Still looks the same," He stated, turning to face the blonde with a smile. "You don't like change much, do you?"
"No.. I suppose I don't." Naruto watched him for a moment, then walked towards the kitchen. "Do you want some tea?"
"No thanks."
"Make yourself comfortable, the-" CRASH. "Shit!"
"What happened?" Sasuke quickly rushed over, realizing that Naruto must have dropped a glass. "You idiot, don't try to pick up the pieces with bare-"
"Oww!" The Uchiha sighed, grabbing him by the arm and directing him to sit in a chair.
"Where's your first-aid kit?"
Naruto bit his lip, the gash on his finger already gushing blood. He winced, pointing to the cupboard above the fridge. "Up there, on the right."
After retrieving the kit, Sasuke sat down across from Naruto and gently took the boy's hand in his own, first wiping away the blood that was dripping down his palm. He applied an ointment to the cut, then wrapped a bandage around his finger more carefully than was needed. Naruto withdrew his hand when the treatment was done, bending his finger experimentally and crying out. "Gah!"
Sasuke took his hand again, making Naruto jump a little in surprise. "Does it hurt?" He whispered, slowly raising Naruto's hand to his lips as to kiss the tip of his wounded finger. Naruto's eyes widened, though he didn't pull his hand away or object.
"Sasuke.." He felt breathless for some reason, his heartbeat sounding loudly in his ears.
"I've missed you so much, Naruto.."
Naruto sat frozen in the chair as Sasuke slowly moved forward, silently screaming for himself to move but his body didn't listen. He gripped the edge of the table when Sasuke softly brushed a pair of lips against his own, the touch light but leaving a lingering sensation. More encouraged when Naruto didn't push him away, Sasuke leaned in to capture his lips once more.
"No.." Naruto closed his eyes when Sasuke kissed him a second time, wanting to move, to run, but unable to do so. He opened his mouth to the other boy's probing tongue, letting it invade his mouth and explore.
Sasuke slid his hand to Naruto's cheek, enjoying every moment of running his tongue throughout the walls of the blonde's mouth, remarking his territory. He coaxed out Naruto's tongue as well, moaning when Naruto ran his nimble fingers through his hair.
"Naruto.." He kissed the boy's swollen lips again, then kissed his way down Naruto's jaw, pausing at the place where his shoulder met his neck. Biting down gently, he rubbed his tongue against the soft flesh and lowered his hands to begin unbuttoning Naruto's jacket.
"Nnn..! Sasuke, st-stop.." Naruto muttered, tilting his head to give better leverage despite his pleas. He gasped when Sasuke slipped a hand beneath his shirt, the skilled fingers tracing outlines of his muscles.
Naruto's eyes shot open as Sasuke's fingers slid beneath the top of his pants, jumping out of his seat and stumbling backwards. "What.."
"Naruto.." Sasuke frowned, standing slowly. "I'm sorry.. I couldn't stop myself."
"You couldn't stop yourself?" Naruto screeched, his cheeks burning with humiliation and shame. He had been enjoying it.. he had fucking enjoyed it!
"Get out.." The volume of his voice dropped several decibels, his shoulders visibly shaking. Sasuke stepped forward, but Naruto flinched away.
"Naruto, please.. I'm sorry-"
"GET OUT!" Naruto balled his hands into fists, raising his head to face Sasuke with eyes filled with tears. "If you don't leave, I'll never forgive you," He quietly whispered.
Sasuke's lips parted in surprise before trembling slightly, and finally pressing together into a thin line. "I understand.." He did his best to ignore the tugging pain in his chest. He'd ruined his final chance.. He had told Naruto that he just wanted to be friends. Why had he kissed him..?
Walking for the door, Sasuke's hand paused on the handle for a moment as the magnitude of his thoughts hit him all at once. "Goodbye, Naruto.."
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Naruto wrapped his arms around himself, letting his umbrella tilt back against his shoulder. "It's too cold to be April," He stated aloud, dangling a single bag of groceries from his wrist.
April..
That's right, he'd graduated almost a month ago now. Instead of high school he was in juku, preparing for university entrance examinations. He had moved into the city to be closer to the school, plus he had a part-time job.. Put simply, his life was crazily busy.
Brrrrrr.
Frowning, Naruto pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. "Moshi moshi?"
"Naruto! How are you?"
"Ahh.. Sakura-chan, hey. I'm doing.. fine."
"Stressed out, huh?" Over the past few years, she had somehow acquired some sort of sixth sense that allowed her to figure out when something was wrong. Then again, maybe all women were like that.
"You guessed it."
"Well, I'm staying with Ino for a few days.. She's in your class, right? Let's go out tonight; you need to have some fun."
"Sakura-chan.."
"Come on, Naruto! It'll help you get rid of some of that stress. Why are you so reluctant to have fun these days?"
"I'm not.. I'm just.." He sighed, closing his eyes. "Fine. Where do you want to go?"
"A karaoke box!"
"…"
"…?"
"What did you just say?"
"Kar-a-o-ke box!" She annunciated, and Naruto could tell she was rolling her eyes.
"No."
"But Naruto-!"
"I don't sing, Sakura-chan."
"Come on, it's only for fun! Besides, I brought you something that you forgot at home!"
"Something I forgot?" Naruto raised a brow. He didn't think he had forgotten anything.
"Yeah, it was outside your apartment.. I guess you accidentally forgot, ne?"
"I guess.." He glanced up as the rain started to let up, hoping it would warm up a bit as well. "Alright.. You're talking about the place near the school, right?"
"Yup. Be there at seven o'clock sharp.. or else!" Naruto snorted and hung up, sliding the phone back into his pocket. Sakura was so irritating sometimes.
He looked down at his watch and scowled. It was already five-thirty.. He only had an hour and a half to go home and put his groceries away, take a shower, and get to the arranged meeting place. She had somehow planned it that way, hadn't she..?
xxx
"Naruto, you're late." Sakura punched him playfully in the shoulder, still managing to get him to wince in pain.
"Why do you always do that?" He questioned through his teeth, rubbing the abused area gently. "You're stronger than you think."
"You're just a baby." She stuck out her tongue, turning around when Ino exited a room down the hall and joined her.
"Oh, he's finally here? Took you long enough, Naruto."
"I'm only twenty minutes late!"
"That's twenty minute less that you get to spend with me," The pink-haired girl pointed out, giving him a disapproving look. "Don't you miss me, Naru-chan?"
"..Remind me why I came here again?"
Ino laughed, glancing towards the room she had come from. "Sakura told you that you forgot something, right? We brought it along.. You don't have to do the karaoke if you don't want to."
Naruto shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, tilting his head slightly to move his bangs out of his eyes. "That's odd.." He eyed Sakura suspiciously. "It's not like you to just do something for me like this and not make me compensate for it."
Sakura pouted, leading the other two down the hallway. "That's not true." The blonde merely shook his head, lifting a brow when the two girls stopped next to one of the doors, apparently expecting him to open it. Definitely suspicious..
He reached out for the doorknob, turning it and pushing the door open.
xxx
Sasuke leaned back in his seat, flicking ashes from his cigarette into a tray nearby. He eyed the door and frowned, sighing in annoyance. Maybe I should just leave, he mused, standing and pushing his hands into his pockets. He paused when he heard voices, the door opening and putting him face to face with-
Naruto.
The cigarette dangling from his lips fell to the floor, the brunette's coal eyes widening into saucers. Why was Naruto here?
"Wh.." He started, stopping when Naruto turned to the two girls beside him.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Sasuke could tell he was mad. His voice wavered, and his face was already flushed. He really didn't want to see him after all, huh?
Sakura frowned, leaning against the doorframe. "What are you talking about, Naruto? I told you that you forgot something.." Her lips twitched into an all-knowing smirk. "How could you forget the most important thing?"
Sasuke blinked, his mouth hanging open stupidly. What had she just said..?
Naruto glared daggers at her, seeming put out when it didn't have any affect. "Sakura chan, you.."
"Stop, Naruto." Sasuke regained his voice, walking towards the group at the door. "If my presence troubles you this much, I'll go."
Ino and Sakura both frowned, whereas Naruto looked up in surprise. Sasuke was offering to leave? What?
"No.. Don't.." He said helplessly, starting forward but tripping over the doorstep and ungracefully falling to the floor.
Within the next few seconds, the world turned black.
xxx
Naruto opened his eyes, sitting up from a futon and looking around. He was in a large, rather empty room; only a desk and a phone occupying the vast space. Reaching up, he felt a bandage on his forehead and frowned. Where the hell was he?
He started to stand, freezing when he heard the door sliding open. When it opened, he breathed a sigh of relief – why am I relieved? – when he saw Sasuke standing in the doorway.
"Finally awake?" Sasuke walked over, kneeling down to hand the blonde a cup of tea. "You hit your head on the corner of the table when you fell.. I think I was too surprised to catch you." He reached up, trailing his fingers along the bandage and frowning when Naruto winced. "Sorry, does it still sting?"
"A little.." Naruto sipped his tea, casting his eyes around the room once more. "Where are we?"
"My room. I'm staying at an onsen near Ino's apartment.." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry about this evening, Naruto. I honestly didn't know you were going to be there."
Naruto suddenly set his cup aside, startling the other teen when he reached up to touch his cheek. "Sasuke.. you're always the one apologizing, but I'm always the one at fault."
Sasuke closed his fingers around Naruto's wrist, prepared to pull his hand away. "Naruto, what are you saying?" He gasped when Naruto's other hand gripped the front of his shirt, pulling him close enough to make their noses touch.
"I'm saying.." Naruto loosened his grip on Sasuke's shirt, his eyes half-lidded in anticipation. "Kiss me, Sasuke."
The Uchiha stared at the boy in front of him in surprise. Had Naruto hit his head a little too hard? The thought vanished from his mind when Naruto leaned closer and brushed their lips together, all self-control melting away as he tangled his fingers in the blonde's hair and kissed him senseless.
Sasuke pulled away when he felt something wet on his cheek, opening his eyes to find tears spilling from his beloved's eyes. "Naruto! What's wrong?" He watched in horror as Naruto covered his face with his hands, sobs causing his shoulders to shake.
"I-I'm sorry, Sasuke.. I.. can't…" Sasuke gently moved Naruto's hands away, his brows knit together in worry. "You can't what, Naruto? Tell me.."
Naruto looked up at him with his wet, ocean-blue eyes, his lips trembling as he tried to suppress the sobs racking through his body. "Be with you.." He desperately wiped at his face when Sasuke released his hands, his gaze lowering to stare at the ground. Sasuke shifted away slowly, confusion lining his face. "Wha.."
"It's not right.." Naruto raised his eyes to him again, tears already staining his cheeks again. "It's wrong for us, Sasuke; we're both guys.. What do you think would happen to your dad's business if people found out? We can't-"
"Naruto, shut up." The brunette shook his head, unable to believe what he was hearing. He reached forward and grabbed Naruto's shoulders, staring straight into his eyes. "Is that the only reason? That's why you've rejected me all these years?"
When he didn't receive a response, Sasuke shook the blonde's shoulders angrily. "Naruto, you're so stupid!" He buried his face into Naruto's neck, his arms wrapping around the smaller boy. "It's okay to be selfish once in a while..! Why can't you think about yourself for once?"
"Sasuke.." Naruto forgot to breathe when Sasuke lifted his head, using his thumbs to wipe the tears away. He then leaned forward, placing tender kisses on Naruto's eyelids.
"I love you, Uzumaki Naruto. How in the world can love be wrong?" He pushed the blonde hair away from Naruto's face, admiring the boy he had cared about for so long.
Naruto felt fresh tears welling in his eyes, the tension in his chest finally easing as he was embraced by the man he loved. "I love you too, Sasuke," He confessed, shifting to kiss the Uchiha's parted lips.
"I always have."
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"Naruto, you're not lying, are you? You and Sasuke are finally together?"
The blonde sighed into mouthpiece of his cell phone, turning onto his side to eye the man lying in bed beside him. "We are."
"..So, you're the uke, right?"
"Sakura-chan!"
"Whaaat? There's no way you didn't do anything last night."
"…"
"Fine, don't tell me. I'll figure it out sooner or later anyway," She added smugly.
"You're pretty perverted for a girl."
"Nuh-uh, I'm just curious, that's all. Do you love him, Naruto?"
Naruto smiled, closing his eyes as Sasuke snuggled closer against him. "I do."
"Eee! You actually admitted it.. Now, the only question is: How the hell did you two fall in love with each other?"
"How?" He smirked, touching his fingertips to his lips. "It all started with innocent curiosity.."
Owari.
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Hmm.. Originally, this fic was just going to give me an excuse to write H.. Then it turned into a pile of fluff. OTL;;
I hope you enjoyed the story.. It kept nagging at me at the back of my mind so that I couldn't focus on anything else. Tch.. Stupid inspiration!
As always, please review.
Ja ne!