Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I do not own Naruto or any other character in this latest chapter.

A/N: So, after a ridiculously long wait, I have the next chapter. I know it isn't as good as the other, but I'm really trying. It's also really short, but I did my best between school, extra curricular activities, and my ace-load of homework every night.

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Sasuke woke up slowly to the sound of rain tapping insistently on his window. What time was it? Where was he? Looking around dully, he recalled the familiarity of the room- his bedroom- and lay back down with a sigh. Looking out the window, he figured he'd been sleeping for a long time, so it would be late morning.

He didn't want to get up; his body seemed to refuse to move as he lay there, contemplating everything. His childhood- as much as it pained him to do so, - his adolescence so far, the previous night; all of it swirled through his mind to create a single image- an image of utter hate. All of it felt like a burden on him, a heavy foreboding weight. Sasuke didn't want it anymore, he didn't want to be stuck thinking about these things everyday. Maybe, if he finally killed his brother, he would be able to become the person he was meant to be. Maybe he wouldn't be so cold and withdrawn all the time. Maybe… maybe… he could learn to love, to use his heart for more than unbearable revulsion.

A knock on the door brought Sasuke to his feet on instinct. Not entirely woken up yet, Sasuke stumbled to the door. He didn't even have a light on yet... or clothes, for that matter. In his striped boxers, his hair flat from just waking up, and his eyes drooping a bit, Sasuke opened the door a crack. But, of course, the hallway was dark and there was no light spilling into the hall from inside his apartment. The figure standing at his door, however, was not intimidating, even in the darkness.

"Sasuke?" the person outside asked almost hesitantly.

Sasuke sighed- either in annoyance at the voice he recognized or plain pure relief. What if it had been some stranger? Worse yet, what if it had been a fan girl, and he was standing there in his boxers?

"What do you want, dobe?" Sasuke said, his coldly steady- if not slightly sleepy- voice not betraying the relief that swelled through him.

"Nothing, just wanted to talk to you about something," Naruto said, a smile in his tone. Sasuke already knew he didn't want to hear it. "The whole village is talking about it."

What if it's something important? Sasuke thought, though he doubted it.

"Hold on," Sasuke ordered, trying to push the sleepiness from his voice. Naruto just huffed and crossed his arms as Sasuke let the door slam shut. He carefully walked towards a lamp and flipped it on, not wanting to let Naruto hear he was stumbling around. Finally, the dark room was illuminated with artificial light and Sasuke ran next to his bed, picking up the shorts he'd had on yesterday. He didn't really care that they were dirty; he hadn't gotten his shower yet today anyways.

"You can come in, Naruto," Sasuke said as he shoved the rest of his dirty clothes under the bed. Picking up included part of his morning chores, and he'd slept for too long today to get them done before he'd had company.

Naruto stepped into the nearly spotless apartment almost tentatively. What if he had mud on his shoes? What if Sasuke killed him for getting dirt on the perfectly clean floor?

Sasuke, noticing this, said, "Don't worry about it. I haven't cleaned yet." If Naruto didn't know better, he'd say Sasuke nearly smiled.

He hasn't cleaned yet! This place is immaculate! Naruto thought, looking around. Surprisingly, this was maybe only the third time he'd ever been in Sasuke's home, so he couldn't really remember all the details. There wasn't a speck of dust to be seen, no crumbs, no dirty dishes lying around... If Naruto hadn't known Sasuke, he'd say that the place was uninhabited but for the unmade bed

"I thought you'd have been up by now," Naruto said, obviously referring to the sleep still audible in raven-haired boy's voice and his lack of a shirt, revealing his perfectly chiseled, muscular abs. Not to mention his signature hairstyle wasn't quite a hairstyle at all…

"What do you want?" Sasuke grumbled. He felt that burning tingle in the back of his throat returning very slowly from the previous night and he did not want Naruto there to make it even worse.

"You mean you really don't know? The whole village is talking about you."

"So you said…" Sasuke said, giving Naruto one of his famous glares. "What did you want to tell me?" Sasuke hated it when Naruto beat around the bush. Naruto always wanted to dilly-dally on small talk and Sasuke wanted to tear out his throat for it.

"Yeah. Everyone heard you got a date last night, but no one knows who with." Naruto smiled, plopping down onto Sasuke's bed. A masculine aroma immediately invaded his nostrils and he took another deep breath inconspicuously. The smell was intoxicating. No wonder Sasuke had so many girls following him around like bloodhounds.

"Yeah. So I asked a girl out. It's not a big deal and it's none of your concern," Sasuke said stubbornly, watching Naruto plop down onto his bed. He stood and walked towards the kitchen.

"You want something? I haven't eaten yet," Sasuke said, his voice echoing out to Naruto, who was trying to identify what cologne Sasuke wore so that he might be able to buy the same brand.

"Um… no. I mean, do you have any Ramen?" Naruto answered with a small blush. He was almost positive that Sasuke wouldn't have any- he hated the stuff almost as much as he hated Naruto.

Sasuke, in the mean time, dug through the cupboards. He didn't suspect to find and instant Ramen. After all, he despised the stuff, but, right when he was about to stop looking and close the cupboard door, he saw an orange package out of the corner of his eye.

How did that get there? Sasuke asked himself as he grabbed it. Whatever. Talk about convenience…

He got out a pot and set the stuff cooking. It would only take about three minutes, and then Naruto could add the flavoring. Not that Sasuke wasn't a great cook and didn't know how much to add, but he didn't want Naruto to think that he was his maid.

But the Ramen did not solve Sasuke's problem. It's not like he'd be the one eating the slimy crud. He dug through the other cupboards, but didn't find any breakfast food. In defeat, he finally tugged open the fridge door. Inside was an assortment of energy drinks, fruits and vegetables, and juices- all healthy crap, some of which a certain rose-haired girl named Sakura had brought him not too long ago. Sasuke grabbed an apple and a container of orange juice that was nearly empty.

Using his foot to close the refrigerator door, he set his breakfast on the table and got out a glass, also taking a moment to stir the noodles. Sasuke was finally able to sit down and eat his breakfast when the Ramen was finished.

"Come get it!" he called to Naruto, pouring the disgusting noodles in a bowl and setting it on the table disdainfully.

Naruto's head shot up when Sasuke called to him. What had he made? Naruto didn't expect him to have any ramen, so what did he make instead? But Naruto's nostrils smelled distinctly what his eyes saw when he walked around the corner. Ramen! He set upon it at once, inhaling the stuff rather than eating it.

Sasuke grimaced and his stomach flipped. He would definitely be eating light this morning…

"You never told me who you asked out," Naruto said as the two walked back to the bedroom after Sasuke had cleaned up. It was now lightning outside and crashes of thunder could be heard in the distance. Sasuke suddenly wondered how Naruto had gotten there without getting totally soaked, but decided it was not important. If he had some secret as to why he wasn't wet, Sasuke wouldn't pry (as Naruto was so fruitlessly trying to pry into his business now).

"It's still none of your business," Sasuke said coldly. He knelt beside the bed where Naruto's legs were half hanging off and snatched the clothes out from beneath. He threw them into a hamper next to his closet and started for the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked Sasuke as he disappeared into the small bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"What do you think, dobe? I'm taking a shower. I'll be out soon."

Naruto would have responded to the insult this time, but he heard the shower water running and knew Sasuke wouldn't hear him over it, so he grumbled incoherently to himself instead. Finally, within two minutes, boredom set it. Slowly, Naruto got off the bed, expecting it to creak in complaint as his did, but it did not. But, even though he had not been expecting complete silence, it did not surprise Naruto. Sasuke always had good quality things, if not a quantity of them.

Sasuke may have thought Naruto didn't see him pull those clothes out from under his bed, but he had, and snickered at the thought of it. What else might be under there? Naruto wondered to himself. He knew he shouldn't snoop around, but he couldn't resist. Besides, what if he found something that could give him great blackmail material?

It didn't take Naruto long to abandon his mission for this "blackmail material". Sasuke may have had clothes under his bed, but that was about it. The rest just consisted of spare sheets and other necessary items. But finally, when he was crawling out from under the bed, Naruto laid eyes on a box that he had somehow overlooked as the water in the shower stopped running.

I have to see what's inside! Naruto thought with determination as he pulled himself back under the bed. He would just leave Sasuke to believe that he had left while really he just stuck around under the bed and looked at whatever treasure lay buried in the box that was over-concealed.

Maybe Sasuke put it far back for a reason… Naruto felt a pang of guilt. Why would he nose around like this? It was like Sasuke had said twice already that day: it was none of his business. But had that stopped him from asking about Sasuke's date? Besides, he would always wonder if he didn't find out now. Silently, he grabbed the box as he heard the bathroom door open.

Sasuke looked around for a moment, wondering where Naruto was. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and was going to use the fact that he needed to get around as an excuse to kick Naruto out of his house, but as far as he could see, he had already left… Or that was what Naruto wanted him to believe, but Sasuke wasn't quite the stupid. He knew Naruto was around somewhere. He hadn't had his question answered yet and it would be very unlike him to leave without getting it answered.

Hmm… Where are the only places in the entire house where Naruto could hide? Sasuke thought, eyeing his bed and his closet warily. With the skill of a ninja, he silently crossed the room to his closet. With the tiniest smirk on his face, he pulled open the door, preparing himself for… nothing. There was definitely no Naruto hanging out in his closet. So that left under the bed as the only other alternative.

Naruto held his breath as he watched Sasuke from his well-concealed hiding spot under the bed. If he saw him there, it would be a miracle. Slowly, he opened his prize- the normal shoebox that he had found so precariously tucked away. When he did, he was met with a billow of dust in his face and almost immediately coughed, barely managing to hold it in. That could have been tragic…

The box surprisingly only held one thing, and one thing was a picture frame laid upside down…

A/N: Not much of a cliffhanger, but it's better than nothing. Please review. It would make me happy and get you another chapter faster. (FYI: No reviews, no updates.) I was lenient on how many reviews it took for me to write this second chapter, but I'll be tougher the farter along I get.

So, in other words, I want reviews, and you want updates (hopefully), and we can't have one without the other… ;)