Author's Notes:

Sorry for the long delay in updating, I had some problems finding a beta. But now that I've one who I like very much, NikkiCross, this story will be updated on regular basis. So everyone cheer for her to continue aiding me get these chapters out! /(^_^)/****

To everyone who is still following, thank you! I'll leave you now to read, enjoy~

His eyes hurt; stinging as if acid had been poured into them. There was a buzzing ache in his head, and it took him a minute to allow the sharp pains inside to settle. His mouth felt dry and his body was sore, but as Uzumaki Naruto twisted backwards out of the uncomfortable position he was forced into, the blond was finally able to adjust to his surroundings. Blinking once, twice, he looked again as a dumbfounded look etched itself onto the confused man's features.

What the hell was going on?

He was lying on the floor, one hand clutching the remote and the other lazily splayed onto the sofa. While it was entirely likely a situation where he must have fallen while watching could easily be concluded, Naruto didn't have any clue as to where he was. That TV set, those wooden floors, the tiger-printed sofa he was abusing, the fan, the windows… this household. His eyes went wide. Maybe he did know where he was. Naruto knew those things all too well, and as the blond ruffled his golden locks, he decided to calm down. He was still dreaming. Probably. No, this had to be nothing but a dream.

Sitting straight and pinching himself, the scene didn't change, and neither did the ache in his cheeks. Naruto pinched himself again, even slapped his whiskered face, but nothing altered. The blond stood up, failing to ward off an anxiety crusade, when a gentle voice called from his right snapping him out of it.

"Naruto, you're still sleeping?"

As if his eyes couldn't get more pained, a trace of tears welled up at their corners. Naruto turned slowly, almost afraid of what he might see. There, in the entrance to the living room, stood none other than his dear father; Namikaze Minato. The blond's hair was as wild as ever and his trademark grin was plastered onto his face with pride. Naruto felt his fingertips tingle at his side, and while he didn't know what came over him, the younger blond didn't regret it when in the blink of an eye; he had traversed the little distance separating them and captured his father in a bone-crushing hug.

Naruto had no idea what was going on anymore, but whatever it was, he was grateful for this encounter.

Minato blinked at the unexpected hug, but gently returned it. "I see you've healed from Sakura-chan's rejection."

The joking tone brought Naruto out of his trance. "…Umm… y-yeah…?"

"What? Did you get amnesia? Remember yesterday you came crying about how you'd finally confessed your undying love – you've been pining since kindergarten, after all," his father added, amused, "but Sakura-chan told you it's best to be just friends? Remember?"

Naruto's mind flipped back to an old memory he had of such events; he remembered confessing to Sakura in high school and being flatly rejected. It was one of those points in the young man's life where he thanked Sakura for being tough. She was really better off as a sister and a supportive friend than a lover. He had come to understand that when he got older, and feeling like he should act the part for now, the blond offered an excuse to his old man.

"Umm… I'm still recovering, Dad."

"Well, as long as you're not depressed about it, I'm good." With that, Minato walked towards the kitchen, escaping Naruto's clutches. "I'll be making lunch now. If you have any recommendations, feel free."

"A-Anything's fine."

The blond adult mumbled something under his breath and disappeared from Naruto's sight. The blond fell back on the sofa, and finally the reality of what was before him had hit him. The confused man's eyes roamed the place whilst his hands touched the nearby cushions as if trying to affirm their existence. He could do nothing but accept it; by whatever means that had transgressed, he was back in time. To his old town. His old house. And – from the look on that mirror – his old self of seventeen years old.

Oh shit.

It took a while for his brain to remove the shock and accept this new reality. Naruto felt his heart race as he sat down on the dining table, watching his father put the dishes down. He didn't know if it was alright for him to talk to his father about all this or not. Would he believe him, or would he think it was some side effect of Sakura's rejection? Thinking about it now, when he was younger and had gotten rejected, what did he do then? The question flew out of his head when Minato spoke to him.

"Kakashi-sensei says that you've improved on your study, that's good."

The name of his old chemistry teacher rung clearly. Naruto's memory of the male wasn't too clear as he didn't interact much with the man. Actually, what he remembered was that he was a little creepy. Kakashi always had an eye-patch on and clung to his homeroom teacher – Iruka-san – more than needed. Naruto couldn't recall the relationship Kakashi-sensei had with his father to warrant commenting on his studies directly to the old blond, but he allowed these minor details to trail off.

Naruto hummed as a safe-reply."Uhumm…"

"So, are you going to go today?"

Puzzled, Naruto was quick to reply. "Go? Where to?"

Minato frowned and replied. "You sure you're okay? To the course, of course. Yesterday you ditched, and I don't think you should do it tonight. Even if you're not feeling like it, it's better to go. Think of it as a sort of distraction."

The gentle smile that followed made Naruto's heart ache with pain. He really did miss his father. He returned the smile and nodded. "I'll do that. Don't worry."

With that they continued their lunch. Naruto helped doing the dishes then retreated to his old room. It was the same as he'd remembered, with scattered messes all around. His old plushie, Kyuubi, was lying on his desk, and Naruto moved to pick up the nine-tailed fox. Beaming, he remembered it was an old birthday present his deceased mother had given him during the blond's fifth birthday, and he still cherished the fox. Clutching it tightly, the blond sat on his bed. He gave his room a glance and his mind raced with questions.

Was there a reason for him to be back here now? Was God giving him another chance to redo his life? Was there actually such a thing – a second chance on life? Currently, his life as he knew it was filled with nothing but work. It wasn't an awful one; Naruto enjoyed the things going on for him. Besides, the new addition in, Sasuke, was making it a little bit more interesting. If the reason wasn't an internal prayer his subconscious had made, why was he in this timeline?

Putting Kyuubi down, the blond stood up, headed to the bathroom and decided to get ready for the course, as thinking of a dead-end tale was never his strong point.

The streets were different, some buildings were gone – not build yet – some were newer than he remembered. The trees were different as well, the air around him felt clean and calm. It was really his hometown of nine years ago. Naruto allowed a peaceful smile to show on his face and taking a left turn, the teen came face to face with a hidden door. He checked the paper with the directions in his hands, and the words of Konoha Teaching Center were displayed in bright green neon. He slid the entrance open and made his presence known to the receptionist.

"Good evening."

A woman wearing glasses, seemingly in her forties replied to his salute with gentle eyes. "Good evening, Uzumaki-kun. How are you feeling?"

"Fine…?" He blinked at the odd greeting.

"Your father informed us yesterday that you were down with the flu, and that's why you weren't able to attend."

The blond rubbed the back of his head, already putting two and two together. He bowed to her and thanked her for her concern, assuring that he was completely nursed back to full health. The woman beamed and gestured for him to go inside.

"You're early though."

Nodding his thanks again, Naruto walked in. From the little information he could gather about the place, it was an educational center. People used it for training in different fields as well as a language center. The place wasn't that big, but it had a strong reputation, mostly because all the teachers were an A-list individuals. Naruto didn't remember the place all that much, and thinking about it, when his father mentioned the 'course', it took him a while to recall.

He remembered going there every evening for two months, and when his grades were on track, he stopped going. He couldn't remember anything beside that. It was a place of vague impact. Nothing to imprint on memory. Naruto pushed the door where he guessed his old class was and entered. Indeed, there was no one in. He really was early. The clock read seven thirty, but the class usually started eight sharp. He thought people would come a bit early, but apparently this presumption was wrong.

The blond put his bag at the chair further back and simply looked around the place. Nothing was coming to reminiscence again, yet there was a foreign feeling telling him that this place was precious.

When the clock hit seven forty-five, students started gathering. By eight sharp the class was almost full. Naruto grinned to himself as a couple of people came to greet him. He was astonished to remember every single one of them, and he greeted them with enthusiasm, thanking them for their wishes of good health. Not a minute later, as the last person left his side, the door opened.

As the blond watched who had walked in, his eyes grew wider. Standing in the place where the teacher should stand was none other than Sasuke. Same height, same built, and the same unearthly air around him. Even his hair stuck to the back the same way. Naruto blinked a couple of times to try and clear his vision, but the raven-haired individual was still standing there. He swallowed sharply.

"Alright, I see everyone's present. Uzumaki-san," Naruto jolted when the kid he'd rescued in the rain called his name with a voice filled with nothing but authority and strength. "I've received news of your illness; I hope you're fine to join us tonight?"

The blond felt his tongue tie in knots. He didn't know how to answer, simply nodding with a lame, "Yes."

"Good," Sasuke stated simply. "You can come to my office afterwards; I'll give you a mini-lecture about what you have missed. For now, try not to get lost and understand as much as you can, alright?"

Again, all that Naruto could do was nod lamely. The person who looked so much like the Sasuke in his reality turned his back to him and started writing on the big black board. The teen couldn't concentrate on anything he was being taught as his head was a mess inside. He felt stuck in a paradox. How and why? His memory said nothing about Sasuke teaching him, and as much as he tried to remember who his old teacher was, he couldn't. It was like trying to remember life as an infant.

Was Sasuke also given a second chance? But the raven-haired teen didn't look anything different… Shouldn't the effect of time-travel – if that what had really happened – change him to a younger version? Or maybe, it was different for Sasuke. Maybe everyone got a different experience. Just because he was back into his old body didn't mean that Sasuke was as well. So… did this affect others, as well? Could he find his doctor friend back in time?

He moaned… everything was all over the place. Nothing of this made any sense to him.

The blond stopped his train of thoughts, in the first place, he wasn't one hundred percent sure that this person was indeed Sasuke. Maybe it was someone who looked really, really, really like him. He did watch a TV show one time about two people looking alike, without having any relation to each other. So maybe this incident was something similar.

Someone who looked like his Sasuke, certainly, but was another being altogether.

Yes, he could be seeing Sasuke's double or something like that. So… how could he make sure? A silly idea came to his mind and Naruto decided to go with it. He took a deep breath, steadied his heart and shouted loudly.

"SASUKE!"

The whole class stopped at his cry, the blond cringed, he wasn't intending for his voice to be that high. The black haired teacher turned around when the class exploded in laughter. Naruto blinked at the sudden reaction.

"'Sasuke'? When did you get so close to Mr. Uchiha, Naruto-san?" a classmate near him remarked.

"First-name basses after only a couple of weeks, so brave~!" another teased from the front row.

Similar comments and 'woo's' filled the small room, and Naruto rubbed the back of his head embarrassed. He didn't even have a clear explanation to stop his colleagues from ridiculing him. A clap from the board got everyone's attention. Naruto raised his eyes to come in contact with clear black ones.

"Uzumaki-san, if you have something to ask, I'd prefer you address me as Mr. Uchiha. We're not in a position to use first names with each other. Please, do refrain from shouting in my classroom, understood?"

The death glare that followed shushed every last sound in the room, Naruto gulped nervously and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good, now let's get back to class."

Everyone continued what they were doing as if nothing had happened. While Naruto sighed in relief, his brain continued in circles. That person was indeed called ' Sasuke', 'Uchiha Sasuke' to be exact. His Sasuke didn't give him a clear last name for himself, so Naruto wasn't sure if they were the same person or not, but how many people could have the same first name and also the same face?

His brain reckoned that it couldn't be a lot.

Naruto sat down and the man – or teenager – called Uchiha Sasuke sat in front of him. The teacher's lounge wasn't that big, but it was organized. The cool AC surrounded them, and Naruto allowed himself time to watch his supposed 'sensei' finish the papers in front of him to pay him full attention. The blond took the time to analyze and was astonished at the remarkable resemblance. It felt like he was looking Sasuke in the face.

The same paleness; the straight face and small lips, the high cheekbones that gave more edge to the handsome face. This time's Sasuke had the same aura as his one, a cool mysterious aura, attracting him to get closer. That pale nose wriggled slightly in dissatisfaction when Uchiha Sasuke seemingly found a sentence he didn't like. Naruto caught himself smiling, it reminded him of a time where his Sasuke was having a bad dream, his nose had wriggled in the same exact notion. The similarities were astonishing.

All this was too strange. Naruto's emotions were in a mess, but being beside this person gave him a sense of calm. The blond felt a headache form at the confusion. Alas… his hand itched. God how much he wanted to reach over and grab that hand, secured it in his grasp and hope this all to be a bad dream. He wished to wake up to the sound of his Sasuke, telling him that he should be up since he had overslept.

Blinking back to his current reality, the blond heaved a sigh. He looked at his hand and back to the other male's... he wanted to affirm with his touch if this was really his Sasuke or another. Strong black pearls looked at Naruto suddenly, and the blond darted his eyes embarrassed. While he couldn't see it, a smirk decorated those thin lips. Naruto's attention was pulled back to the source of his agony when that sharp voice hit his drums.

"So, what was all that back there? Why did you shout my name like that?"

Naruto felt his heart race; he steadied himself and gave a reply that he thought was good enough. "I was half out of it, sorry. It won't happen again."

"Hmm…" Sasuke mused. "So you shout your teachers' names when you're out of it?"

"No, that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

This person was smart. Naruto had to tread carefully or he'd be found out. "It was nothing, forget it."

"Well that 'nothing' has interrupted my class, so I won't. Now, stop dancing around and just tell me, what made you shout my name like that?" The raven stared Naruto down.

"You know, you're really annoying," Naruto countered feeling a little irritated. "I already apologized for it and said it won't happen again. Why are you insisting on prying?"

"…"

The air seemed to tense up a bit and the blond sighed. This wasn't how he wanted this conversation to go. The raven looked like the curious type, and he was probably wondering why one of his students suddenly did something out of the blue like that. Besides, being the oldest here, he presumed, he should be more in control. Naruto groaned out a reply.

"I wanted to make sure. You look like someone I know, someone I met recently. You both have similar features; I wanted to see if you also have the same name."

Sasuke raised a brow at the odd explanation; a part of him started believing he was dealing with an idiot. "Putting the fact that you already know my name aside – I properly introduced myself the first night I taught you, you could have waited after class was over to ask me or a classmate, if you've forgotten."

The blond rolled his eyes, he could have done all those things, but in that moment, he was too caught up in his own thoughts to think anything thoroughly.

"Can you just let this go?" Naruto pleaded. "I told you the reason, stop interrogating me."

The raven smirked. "Reasoning with idiots is my hobby."

"You really are annoying."

A book was pushed onto his face, the teacher before him clarified. "Chapter three, you have to read that tonight."

Naruto thrusted an eyebrow up. "I thought you were going to teach me the lecture."

"I'm not that free." He was rejected rather flatly. "And you seem quite healthy, so do it yourself."

Sure enough, his cover-up lie didn't go undetected to that smart teen. Naruto looked at the book, and really, it wasn't that big of a deal. He could get all those things inside his head in less than half an hour, but he was still unsatisfied with the way he was being treated.

"You do realize you're the one who said to come here to catch up?" Naruto questioned.

"So?"

"So if you weren't going to teach me –"

"It was when I felt you needed to be taught," The annoyed raven cut him off. "But the 'you' right now doesn't need me in anything."

Naruto blinked at the odd sentence. He wanted to counter, but the opposing male started packing his bag, and before he could register what happened, Naruto was all alone in the lounge.

Naruto sighed and adjusted the tie on his neck. His old school uniform fit his torso perfectly, but a yawn escaped his lips as he treaded slowly to his high school. Inside, he was actually looking forward to seeing his old friends. The old gang. The last time they were all gathered had been close to a year ago, and everyone was working in different areas and different countries. It would be nice to meet them once more.

Naruto felt a smile tug at his lips the minute his feet set course on the familiar ground; he caught sight of his old friends from the corner of his eyes, hanging out by the big Sakura tree on the entrance. As presumed, they were all back to their young selves. Sakura's pink hair was still reaching her back, strung in a high ponytail for all to see, taking up her usual position beside Ino and arguing about who would be the killer in the mystery drama they followed.

Next he sighted Sabaku Gaara, his redhead best friend. Naruto really missed the male. The last time he'd seen him was when they got together for drinks in which he was telling him about his transfer overseas. The redhead had his trademark headphones hung coolly on his neck, still lacking his eyebrows, and the blond chuckled. A distinct memory of when they were drunk and Gaara decided that shaving his eyebrows was the next big thing came to explain the lack of them.

His redheaded bestie had his attention stolen by their class representative, Hyuuga Neji. The dark brown-haired beauty with his lilac eyes was a sight to behold. He understood the way Gaara was charmed. Yeah, it was nice to get back in time.

Naruto waved as he approached them, he greeted like nothing was wrong but the minute he was in their midst, the air got super quiet. He sweat-dropped.

"Umm… is there something wrong?"

Sakura was the first to approach him; her sheepish eyes were filled with uncertainty. "N-Naruto-kun, are you alright?"

He blinked at her strange question and nodded. "Peachy, why?"

"Umm, no reason, if you're fine, it's good."

The rest seemed to share her sentiments, however, the blond wasn't about to let himself be shrouded in more mystery.

"Wait, what's wrong? Why the sudden enquiry about my health?"

They exchanged odd looks then Sakura replied him. "You don't remember? The day before yesterday… when I…"

She trailed off and he was finally able to catch her point. He had forgotten about her rejection. And from the looks of it, their friends knew all about it. Naruto honestly couldn't remember how the rejection had taken effect; the memory was again vague to him. But he knew he was upset about it when he was young. Probably took a while to recover fully.

Sakura was the perfect friend, closer to him than anyone, she was the one who held all of his secrets and was always there to offer a helping hand. Yeah, being friends suited both of them very much. He offered her a smile and ruffled the hair she hated to be touched.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan, I'm really alright. I love the relationship we have right now. You're someone precious to me and I never want to lose you. So please, continue to be in my life from now on."

Tears came to her eyes soon after his words. She quickly hugged his bones to dust. The girl was obviously feeling very stressed about rejecting him. The blond knew how hard it must have been for her, and hugging her back, Naruto allowed his princess to cry on his chest as much as she liked. He hoped for a bright smile to grace her beautiful features afterwards.

His wish was granted a few minutes later. Wiping her face with a handkerchief, she nodded. "Me too, I want to always be in your life, and for you to always stay in mine. Promise?"

She exchanged her pinkie, an old habit they didn't grow out of, and Naruto happily obliged. "Promise."

As the gang returned back to their joyful atmosphere, Naruto tagged close to the guys and watched as the redhead tapped him on the shoulder.

"Are you really okay?" He inquired.

Confused, Naruto responded, "Yeah. You thought I was faking it?"

"Well, you had liked her since kindergarten," Gaara reasoned. "Excuse me for questioning that one day you would change your heart."

Naruto nodded. Logically, it would take him a month or so to heal a broken heart – if not years – but the problem lied in that his heart wasn't broken; it was confused as hell, but not broken. He offered his friend a realistic reply to his situation.

"Of course I'm not one hundred percent okay, but I'll get there sooner or later. Besides, you saw how miserable Sakura-chan looked; I couldn't allow her to remain like that."

"You're so nice to girls, always." The long-haired brunet called Neji commented, enrolling in their conversation. "That's a gentleman trait; never lose it."

The blond sheepishly smiled. "You flatter me, Neji. If we're talking about a gentleman, no one can compare to you."

Lilac eyes got gentle. "Thank you, Naruto. It's a testimony I hold dear."

Before they got to class, Naruto's eyes caught a familiar silhouette passing them by. His blue eyes shined with wonder when he recognized that chicken-butt hair. What puzzled him to no end was that he was wearing the same uniform as them. So… a student?

Quickly halting his friends, Naruto grabbed Gaara's arm and pointed to the back of the Uchiha on his mind. "Wait, who is that!?"

They both looked at him with strange eyes, but Neji was the first to answer. "What do you mean? Uchiha Sasuke-kun?"

"Yes! Why is he here? And wearing our uniform as well!" the blond exclaimed.

"Naruto, you sure you're okay? Right now, I'm really starting to wonder about that." Gaara mocked with a straight face.

"I'm fine just answer me. Is he a student here?"

"Yes," Neji answered, ignoring the weird mood Naruto had entered. "He's in our class and has been there for a semester now. Did you forget? He's the reason Sakura-chan rejected you. She's crushing over him, as is most of the school."

His features frowned more and more. What was going on? How could Sasuke be a student and a teacher at the same time? He'd thought the male was some kind of a genius who skipped some classes enabling him to teach at the center, but now finding out that he was an ordinary student, his confusion knew no bounds.

"Sorry guys, you go on ahead, there's something I need to do."

With that, he bolted after the short haired raven, leaving behind nothing but confusion to veil his situation.

"What just happened?"

Neji shrugged at this best friend. "God only knows."

"A student and a teacher both at the same time. How busy are you, Sensei?"

Naruto caught up behind the male, catching his breath, and smirked at him. Sasuke pushed the button to get his cool drink from the vending machine and serenely answered, "I don't need to hear that from someone who skips with a sick pretense."

The blond rolled his eyes. "Are you a Capricorn or something?"

"Hn."

"Won't you get in trouble if the school found out?"

"Are you threatening me?" Sasuke raised a brow.

Naruto scowled at the tone. "You know, for one, you have an amazingly pessimistic personality. I'm asking a simple question now, how come you jump to threats?"

The pale male took his iced-coffee and started walking towards their supposedly classroom, Naruto toeing.

"When someone has leverage over another, they usually see the path where they can take advantage of the situation. That's human nature."

"No, it's not." The blond countered. "That's awful people's nature. Moreover, even if I were to try and exploit this situation, there's nothing that you could offer."

'Besides information on this messed up situation I'm in' his inner mind opposed.

Sasuke took a right turn and entered the classroom. "Alright. Then leave me alone."

"I don't want to."

A scowl was facing him. "Why?"

Grinning, Naruto bared full teeth. "You intrigue me."

"…Because I teach?"

"How old are you?" he retorted.

"How is that an answer?" Sasuke snapped.

"It's not. I want to know."

"None of your business." The raven growled.

With that, Sasuke gave him the cold shoulder, brushing against him coldly as he made his way to his seat, once again ending their conversation without giving Naruto a chance to halt him. The blond rubbed the back of his head and allowed the other his peace. A feeling told him that the key to this mystery lied with Sasuke, he just needed to be patient enough to get it.

His friends chatted about nothing but silly things, and it gave Naruto a sense of comfort. He liked the ease their teen years were giving them. He watched as the girls parted from them, heading towards the girls' changing room while he followed his male friends the opposite direction. They were currently in the public pool, and the air wasn't cold or hot; perfect for a swim. Ino, the blonde cheerleader and Sakura's best female friend, was the one who hauled all of them into it.

Naruto changed into his set of orange trunks and headed to the indoor pool. Not a minute later, he was followed by a yawning redhead, and Gaara scowled at the empty pool.

"Really… it's not the season," he commented.

"Yeah, but it's better this way. It feels like we have it all to ourselves." Naruto commented, happiness evident in his tone.

"Hm."

Two seconds later, they were followed by Neji, Kiba, a groaning Shikamaru, and Shino – who for some strange reason continued wearing his sunglasses indoor.

The girls were already making themselves comfortable if the sounds of laughter were anything to go by. Naruto located Sakura hitting a random ball across the net set up in the pool, accompanied by both TenTen and Ino. Hinata – they shy princess and Neji's cousin – was sitting elegantly across of them, a gentle air was surrounding her. Naruto always admired the silent beauty; he had a hunch that if Sakura wasn't in this world, that girl would have been the target of his crush.

His mind was brought back to reality when a splash of water hit his body. The blond blinked and looked accusingly at tan hands. Kiba smirked at him.

"FIGHT!"

The minute that word resonated, all males went into the pool and started splashing each other, randomly forming alliances against each other. Some grouped with the girls, some went solo, and some chose to team up in pairs. Water guns were used, and water balloons as well as some random items cropped up. The pool was filled with amusement in a matter of seconds.

Naruto found himself really enjoying the atmosphere. A tap on his shoulder had him drenched with a water balloon, and the culprit no other than his best friend, Sakura. The girl grinned daring him to chase her. In less than a second, they were running around the pool pursuing each other, just like small children.

"You know, there's something different about Naruto-kun." Hyuuga Neji reasoned from the other side of the pool.

"What do you mean?" Asked the other party.

Neji lifted himself up and sat beside Gaara on the wooden chairs stationed for rest. His brown locks came to be locked in a bun high above, securing them from any stray water drops. As the bright eyed male spoke, Gaara tried not to stare at him.

"He seems more mature. Ever since Sakura-chan's rejection, it's like he changed somehow."

"Of course he did," The redhead spoke. "He had to cope with the situation."

"No, I don't mean that type of change…" The brunet hummed slightly before continuing, "It feels like he's a different person. The way he speaks and carries himself. I know he's Naruto, but I just can't shake the feeling that he's more… you know, in tune with himself. As if he's grown ages in a day."

Gaara looked at Naruto as he slipped and fell to the pool and tried to see maturity in that idiotic grin but failed. Whatever the handsome male was seeing, his eyes didn't.

"I'm sorry I don't see it. He feels like the same old Naruto to me."

Humming once again, the brunet mused to his partner, "Maybe I'm reading too much into it."

"Maybe." Gaara allowed his pale hand to touch a stray lock that – against Neji's wishes – was affected by the gruesome waters. "You're coming to my house today?"

Neji's eyes dimmed. "No can do. I need to go with Hinata-chan to a family gathering."

Knowing how the other felt about his family, Gaara spoke gently. "All the more reason to. Ditch them."

"I wish I could." Neji sighed.

"Sure you can. Just come with me and let them burn." Gaara offered with a smirk.

"Sadly, if I did that, the one who will burn would be Hinata-chan," Neji softly commented. "I can't do that to her."

Gaara removed his hand from the other's hair and pouted. "Fine. Suit yourself."

It was silly; he was being childish, but the way it felt like Neji was putting the beautiful girl before him made him crass. Jealousy really wasn't his thing, and he knew perfectly well how much Neji thought of his cousin. She was a little sister that he wanted to protect, not a love object. Regardless, the fires of jealousy knew no reason.

The eyebrow-less male groaned aloud when Neji's hand came to grasp his. Without looking the other's way, he hissed.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?" A soft voice chirped beside him.

"Trying to coax me."

Gaara could hear the way Neji allowed his hair to loosen from its hold. He knew the other was trying to make him look. He loved Neji's hair; loved staring at it, smelling it, and the best, moving his fingers inside of it. It wasn't fair. The Hyuuga was dangling that card so close to his face, his inner desire was floating up.

When pale fingers came to play with his, Gaara hissed again. "I said stop it."

Neji put his mouth to the redhead's ear then whispered. "And if I said no?"

Gaara faced his teasing friend and sighed. He cupped those pale cheeks in both hands and gently but harshly nipped on Neji's right cheek. The brunet's eyes widened then he chuckled in amusement – which was a little bit hard seeing how his cheek was being a hostage.

"What are you two doing?"

They looked at the intelligent Shikamaru with delight. Gaara let go of his hold just to answer. "I'm biting him."

"He's biting me." Neji affirmed.

"Why?"

When the only answer he got was the redhead going back to biting Neji's cheek, the black haired male decided that it was best to leave those two to their weirdness and move on. In fact, he could feel how troublesome the situation would be if he inquired more. He wasn't a man who liked to be troubled. Throughout his life, he lived with one rule, to stay out of any business that wasn't his.

So far, that rule gave him peace of mind for sixteen counted years.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw his close friends, Kiba and Shino, eating something. They seemingly had finished playing like monkeys, and he made his way towards them. In a swift move, he snatched the melon-bun from Kiba's inattentive hands.

"HEY! I'm eating that!" The dog-lover barked at him. "Give it back!"

"No," Shikamaru objected. "You ate enough, judging by that."

His finger pointed to the trashcan nearby, having five wrappings of melon-bun thrown in. Kiba grimaced but continued yelling.

"Who says I was the one who ate them!? What's your proof?"

"Shino, did he eat them or not?"

Kiba shot a death-glare his best friend's way, but luckily Shino's thick sunglasses sheltered him. The tallest of the three looked from his best friend to Shikamaru and stuck his tongue at Kiba.

"He did. All of them. I testify."

In a second, Kiba was on his tails. "YOU FUCKING LIAR!"

Again, Shikamaru was watching in amusement as the two started a game of tag. Kiba was fuming with curse words aimed at destroying whatever bond he shared with Shino, while the other simply ran away, surprisingly easily dodging all of Kiba's punches and kicks along the way. It just showed how long he had been dealing with the other and how much he read him well. Yeah… friends were always fun to be around.

Naruto combed his hair backwards and took a deep breath. He waved goodbye to Gaara and headed towards his house. It was nighttime, and a yawn escaped his lips. It had been a while since the blond had strolled around his old hometown, so he took a little detour. His legs came to a halt beside a busy shopping district. He sat on one of the benches available and practiced his favorite hoppy – watching people.

He noted a couple, the woman was chatting about a blouse she bought, the man with her looking bored to death. Still, though, he listened attentively, showing Naruto how much he treasured the one he was walking with. Three high school girls were loudly discussing how handsome some rock band was, disturbing the general vicinity. A small argument about who was the hottest – the bass player or the lead singer – caused a fracture to happen between them. Naruto enjoyed spending his night analyzing.

Naruto's eyes roamed the cafés and restaurants nearby, his stomach grumbling at the sight. He always liked the idea of having his own place; a cozy restaurant where he'd serve delicious foods – probably noodles – and warm people's hearts with it. He never knew how this wish had slipped away from him. His life as he knew it was empty of any color, the company he was working for didn't even deal with anything close to the food industry. The blond sighed, choosing not to dwell on the past. His azure orbs changed direction and went a little wide, in a split second, his legs moved.

Every thought froze in front of the silhouette of one Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto watched as the raven haired male made his way through the crowd. Elegantly and rather harshly, he strode purposefully onward, his steady steps telling a story. This story, however, was not a tale that Naruto was able to comprehend. Even though the street was crowded as hell, the blond was able to keep a steady tail on his prey. Sasuke took a right turn, a left, and then two rights. Naruto followed. Not less than half an hour later, Naruto noticed that they were getting further away from his home and the train station.

He looked at his watch, time reading ten at night. He had two choices, follow Sasuke or go back home. The last train was about to leave. He wouldn't make it if he continued following. He really wanted to know what the other was up to, though. Checking his bag, the blond was relieved that the money there was enough to secure a taxi back. Assured that he would find a way back home, he continued his pursuit.

Not too long after, Sasuke came to a stop. Naruto hid quickly behind a nearby corner. He had visual on the other, but Sasuke couldn't see him. That's why, when his name was called all too clearly, every cell in him cringed at being caught.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Step out."

He had a choice again. Run away without showing himself and deny this had ever happened, or allow himself to be caught. With a smile that set his insides on fire, he chose the latter. Raising both of his hands as if caught in a crime, the blond surrendered.

"I was very careful; how did you find out?"

Black orbs rolled at him. "You're one hundred years too early to tail me. So, what do you want?"

"Sensei," Naruto stressed, allowing his hands ease. "You're interesting."

Sasuke kept a keen stare at him. His blackish coat hung tightly to his nice frame, giving the handsome young man more allure. "…"

"You want me to expose all my cards, but you won't do the same in return. That's not fair." Naruto spoke after much silence caused him to jitter.

"I don't remember asking you anything. It's you who keeps involving yourself in my business." Sasuke flatly responded.

Taking closer steps to the calm teen before him, the Uzumaki chirped. "Because you interest me. There's something that draws me in and I'm intent on finding out what."

"Be careful," Sasuke warned, "The flame draws the moth to its death."

"I take it you're my flame?"

"…Or your death." Sasuke retorted.

The distance between them was decreasing as the blond teen made his way to the other. Naruto walked closer and Sasuke didn't move away. The cold night air blew a couple of times, but neither paid it any attention, the sounds of cars vanished in the silence of the night, giving a perfect setting for them. Naruto was sure he knew nothing of the place he was at. As the corner of his eyes caught glimpse of the streets, he made sure he was in an unfamiliar territory. Yet, being the brave stud he believed himself to be, he continued moving closer until Sasuke's breath was audible to his ears.

Without fear, he extended his hand to the other male, cupping a pale cheek. "You're not running away, sensei?"

"There's nothing to run away from."

"You sure about that?"

Before Sasuke could respond, Naruto closed the distance with a kiss. It was soft and shallow. A simple lip on lip touch. He tapped those thin lips with his. Trying to connect and maybe find some answers, but the only thing it left him with was a lingering feeling of familiarity. Something that ignited in him another series of unanswered questions.

The second time his lips came closer for a redo, Sasuke spoke, covering Naruto's lips with his palm. "So you're seeking my body?"

This halted the blond and he frowned. He looked the unfazed male in the eyes and gave said 'body' a check. His heart certainly leapt at the prize, but it was different. The feelings inside of him were undefined; he wasn't sure why he felt the need to get close and touch. Naruto didn't understand why there was a pull that drew him to this Sasuke. He still couldn't trust the teacher fully, yet on a level, he believed it was okay to let him in.

His mouth opened then closed, repeating itself a couple of times. Naruto's brain was analyzing and over-thinking; coming with choices and decisions, and yet none of them seemed to lead him to a wining argument. He didn't want to reveal all his cards, but at the same time, it felt like Sasuke knew something. His face twisted into a troubled expression and before he knew it, his hold on the teacher's face loosened.

Seemingly, the raven got bored. He turned around and started walking. Having nothing better to do, the blond followed.

"Why are you following me?"

The question was direct, Naruto couldn't answer it, so he kept quiet, but his legs continued their journey. They walked for about another half an hour until Sasuke stopped before a big gate. He took out a card and swiped it over a screen of a black looking monitor. Naruto watched in awe as the gate opened ever so slowly to them.

Sasuke nonchalantly walked inside, ignoring the big blond dog that was behind him. Naruto considered it permission to come in. He ran behind the raven-haired male, unable to keep his mouth from dropping at the beautiful garden they walked into. The ground was covered in crystal grey tiles; three steps separated him from what appeared to be heaven on earth. The garden lights shone brightly formulating a path surrounded by greenery. It was a scene right out of a magazine.

The smell of flowers filled the vicinity, taking Naruto's mind momentarily away from his thoughts. By the time he finished gazing, he found the object of his interest had moved a good couple of feet away from him. Not wishing to be left behind, the teen made his way right beside Sasuke, ignoring how deep inside of him, he felt right at home.

Thanks for reading. Look forward to the next chapter, everyone! Reviews are welcomed. ^_^