A/N: Hola readers!

The game is still on, fellas! I'm happy to announce that I also have my random number!

The ending of this chapter is so much like the ending of one of Fast Car's chapters. -_-" Whelp. Whatever. I like how this chapter ends anyway. Not too bad, but not really super great either. Just okay, I guess. Haha!

To everyone who has been a faithful reader of this story: Thanks very much for the support! :)

*DISCLAIMER APPLIES*

BEFORE THE WORST

Did I Stutter?

Part II

The next day, Sasuke had his mother taking him to the park. The beautiful young mother accompanied her son to the play area where she would hopefully find two particular people. Sasuke, although having his mother firmly hold his hand, kept his head held up high and walked with a noble air to him. It was interesting how this boy liked to make himself appear cool even when his mother was now crouched down to his level and pinching his cheek.

Ugh! Didn't she know he was way past the age of cheek-pinching!

In an attempt to boost his dented ego, Sasuke lightly pushed his mother's hand away from his face and soothingly rubbed the pinched portion of his cheek. "Mom, stop that. You're embarrassing me." He mutely reprimanded his mother.

"Aw, Sasuke sweetie, you're just too cute that I can't help it!" She took her son by surprise and gave the little boy a loving embrace.

"Mooooom!"

Mikoto giggle at her blushing boy. He looked so cute in his jeans and his short-sleeved shirt. It was a shame that Sasuke was at the age where hugs and kisses were starting to get humiliating. How she missed her little baby Sasuke with his big wide eyes and chubby cheeks. Oh! And how he used to call her 'Mommy' and run up to her with arms wide open for a hug! Her brief recollection of fond memories had the mother reinvigorating the tight hug she had on her son. "Mommy loves you, Sasuke!"

Oh, if people thought Sasuke was flushed before, that was no comparison to the blush he had now. He looked akin to the very hellish red of a red chilli pepper. It was actually a very comical sight to behold.

"Mom! Quit it!" The little boy managed to escape from his mother's grasps. He began to look around to see if anyone had seen the mortifying familial display of affection. A person suddenly ruffled his hair from behind.

"Don't be like that, champ! It's nice to see a mother and her son bond like that!"

Shoot! Apparently, someone had seen him and his mother! The lad didn't have to look back to know who had witnessed them.

"Hey, Uncle Jiraiya." Sasuke eyed the man with exasperation pouring out of his boyish form in waves.

"Jiraiya, I'm so sorry for leaving you with the kids so much. I promise to make it up to you somehow." Mikoto apologetically stated. As she had in the previous day, she would be taking care of some leftover paperwork from yesterday's chore. The young mother would be leaving Sasuke to Jiraiya's care once again.

"It's fine, Mikoto. It's no trouble. You go finish what you have to do. I'll take care of things from here." Jiraiya assured the gorgeous woman. Mikoto bowed her head in gratitude to the older gentleman. She looked to her son and gave the boy a chaste kiss on the cheek before whispering "Have a good day, Sasuke" to her youngest son. Mikoto waved her goodbye and promptly left the vicinity.

"Come on, kiddo! We don't want to keep Naruto waiting!" At Jiraiya's mention of the blonde's name, Sasuke visibly tensed his whole body. That's right... How could he have forgotten?

"Sasuke? Something wrong, champ?"

Yes! There was definitely something wrong!

"Nope. I'm okay, Uncle Jiraiya."

Naruto wasn't speaking to him, was she?

Overnight, Sasuke had managed to calm down from yesterday's events. He truly felt guilty for saying those things to his best friend. Truthfully, he just let competitiveness get the better of him. In his defeat, since he couldn't lash out at Neji, he took out his anger on Naruto. So not cool.

As Jiraiya and Sasuke approached the playing grounds, the little Uchiha sighted the hyper little blonde playing with Kiba and Akamaru. Sasuke was ecstatic to see that the little girl was all smiles and giggles that day. Maybe, like Sasuke, she had calmed down from yesterday's fit! Sasuke ran to her with a small smile on his face. The chances of him being already forgiven were very high.

"Naruto!" He called out to the t-shirt and shorts adorning little girl. The blonde turned her head to the person whom had just called her name. Once her bright blue eyes focussed on Sasuke's form, her whole cheerful demeanour did a one-eighty. The raven-haired boy immediately slowed his pace once the girl had shot him a very grim frown.

"Hey Kiba, let's go play in some other place. This part of the park is getting a little boring." Naruto snapped her gaze to the other direction and left the area. Kiba, after understanding Naruto's mood shift, ruefully looked at Sasuke and waved in an apologetic manner. The brunet and his puppy then followed the blond little girl in her quest to search for a new area to play in.

Sasuke snarled at Naruto's dismissal. If she was going to be like that then two can play it that way! Sasuke shoved both his hands in his pocket and walked the opposite way from Naruto's path. Not like he would have a hard time looking for other people to hang out with. Despite his new resolve to ignore Naruto, he couldn't help but look back every so often to see what the blonde was up to.

llllllllllllllllllll

The next few days weren't so much different from the first day after Sasuke and Naruto's fight. Basically, a day would consist of Sasuke pathetically trying (but not making is seem that he was) to approach Naruto in any way he could. She would then take notice of him, glare, then be on her merry way. Sasuke would then huff in annoyance and look for other people to play with. Once he had had found people he could tolerate to be with, he would proceed to attempt to at least have fun. During which, he would sneak peeks at the tomboyish little girl in the hopes that maybe she was looking at him too.

But alas!

Every time Sasuke looked to her direction, she would be happily smiling or boisterously laughing. It was as if she hadn't thought of him at all in the past couple of days! It was seriously grating on Sasuke's nerves!

Today, Naruto was hanging out with Hinata, Lee, and Shino; a weird combination of people. Sasuke initially expected Naruto to be bored out of her mind in a matter of minutes. But nooo! She was giggling and jumping and fist pumping and yelling and doing whatever the heck she wanted because she was obviously having a blast!

"Sasuke, is something wrong?" Sakura asked from the swing beside him. So into his mental ranting that he never noticed how he had stopped pushing himself on the swing and was starting to get red in the face due to infuriation.

Sasuke took a deep breath to calm himself and directed his gaze to the pink-haired little lady beside him. She looked awfully concerned about him. Frankly, he didn't feel like explaining himself at the moment. "I'm fine, Sakura." The girl nodded in understanding, thinking it wise to try and not probe any further.

The little Uchiha glimpsed at the Uzumaki child once again. She appeared like she was having such a good time with everyone else. Did she not miss having him around? Sasuke sadly watched the little blonde prance around in utter joy without him.

Much as he'd like to deny it, he really missed his best friend right now.

llllllllllllllllllll

The Uchiha family couldn't shake off the feeling that maybe, just maybe, their youngest family member was moping. The little boy pouted as he made rude sounds with his plate; he barely even touched his meal. A sigh erupted from his mouth as he ran his fingers through his set of black hair. That was the twentieth sigh in a span of five minutes! The boy was definitely upset about something.

"What's with you, Sasuke? I only get to be here on break for a week. Don't burden me any further with your sulking and just tell us what the problem is. Is the meatloaf not to your liking?" Itachi took one for the team and voiced out the rest of the family's concern. Sasuke pouted at his older brother's bluntness. He was so not sulking! And as if he was childish enough to be sulking over (he was NOT sulking) food he didn't like.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter? You've been down lately." Mikoto gently placed her utensils on her plate to assume a stance that was more conducive to listening. The youngest Uchiha sighed (Twenty-first sigh. Not that Itachi was counting). The little boy looked around the table and noticed how everyone had followed his mother's example and set respective utensils down in order to listen to his woes. Even his father was looking at him expectantly. Tch. Now, he really had to explain himself.

"It's about Naruto." He confessed in a breathy tone as his posture slumped in defeat.

"Naruto?" Itachi and Fugaku asked at the same time. To think Sasuke had known Naruto for five years and two of his family members didn't know who she was.

"Sasuke's best friend." Mikoto kindly provided the answer for her husband and her eldest son. The youngest child nodded his head to affirm the information.

"Hn. Never knew you had a best friend, son." Fugaku guiltily smirked at his boy. Clearly, he needed to spend more time with his son.

"Let me guess. She has blond hair, blue eyes, and those marks on her cheeks?" Itachi asked before taking a bite of mashed potatoes. Sasuke quirked his brows at his brother's query. "How did you know? Plus, how'd you know she was a girl? I couldn't even tell the first time I saw her."

The fourteen-year-old Uchiha shrugged and eyed the carrot precariously balanced on his fork. "I saw her once. To answer your second question, little brother, she was wearing a skirt for Pete's sake. Obviously, a girl. Besides, even if she wasn't wearing a skirt, I still would have known. She has the general girly feel about her." Sasuke pouted at the explanation Itachi granted him. Hn. Naruto having a girly feel? Psh! What did Itachi know!

"Sasuke has a female best friend?" Fugaku's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Hey, hey, hey! No sidetracking!" The woman scolded her exceedingly uninformed husband. "Tell us what's on your mind, sweetie." Mikoto gently placed her hand atop Sasuke's smaller ones in a comforting gesture. The boy cringed; he hoped everyone would have forgotten the initial issue by now. So with a sigh, Sasuke admitted his dilemma. "Naruto's been avoiding me."

Mikoto took on an expression of perplexity. "Is there any reason she's avoiding you?" Because Naruto ignoring people on a whim was not Naruto at all.

Gulp.

Yes. Of course, there was. Otherwise, Naruto would still be hanging out with him.

"I blamed her for making our team lose at Capture the Flag. I ended up shouting at her and calling her names." Sasuke shamefully lowered his head in anticipation of the tirade of scolding he would get from his mother.

"Hn. I don't see the problem."

"Fugaku!" The mother of the household gasped at her husband's opinion.

"What? If it was her fault then what's the problem with reprimanding the person who was at the wrong?" From a business point of view, Fugaku made perfect sense. If someone made a mistake in his company that caused an operation to fail, that person would surely get a mouthful from him. This, however, was not business.

Mikoto sighed exasperatedly at her husband. "That's understandable, Fugaku; but we're talking about kids who're playing a game. Unless she really meant to have her team lose on purpose, I highly doubt a harsh scolding is in order."

"Just saying, dear." The man returned to his meal after he said his piece.

Mikoto returned her attention back to her youngest son and solemnly looked at him. "Have you apologized to her?"

Itachi snickered at the way his little brother bit his lip in anxiety. Evidently not. The teen, following his father's actions, continued to eat his dinner while paying attention to his mother and his little brother's exchange. Unlike Sasuke, he actually liked meatloaf; and, like any normal person, he liked to eat his dinner while it was still hot, thank you very much.

"Sasuke, you have to apologize to her otherwise she won't be speaking to you for a while. I don't think Naruto is the type of person to hold a grudge. Sooner or later, she'll start talking to you again; but, honey, apologizing would be the right thing to do." Mikoto coolly explained to her boy. She was right. Naruto would never hold a grudge; much less against Sasuke for that matter. Although, she wanted to have her son learn the value of humility; and recognizing when oneself was in the wrong was under that bracket.

"Hn. I don't see why I should say sorry, Mom. You said so yourself that she would be talking to me sooner or later. Why can't I just wait it out?" Sasuke drooped against his seat and crossed his arms against his chest. What was the point of apologizing if the whole matter would fix itself in a few days' time?

The young mother brushed her son's bangs away and let her hand caress the boy's scalp. "Because that's wrong, Sasuke. Also, think about it. If you say sorry tomorrow, you won't have to be moping around any further since Naruto would be playing with you again."

Sasuke felt his left eye twitch at the word his mother decided to describe him with. "I am not moping!" The boy harrumphed at the notion of having to ask for the klutzy girl's forgiveness. Mikoto, sensing the lingering stubbornness from her son, put things in a better perspective. One that she was sure Sasuke would be more understanding of. "Sasuke, are you willing to risk a good friendship because of your pride?"

That singular question had every male member of the Uchiha family halting all movement. Itachi and Fugaku waited in anticipation at the youngest's answer. Mikoto, on the other hand, already knew what Sasuke's verdict would be. Judging from the look on the boy's face, there was no contest.

Sasuke would be apologizing to Naruto the next day. She was sure of it.

llllllllllllllllllll

Naruto sat on the ground beside a boy Sasuke didn't know and had never seen before. The little Uchiha hatefully glared at Naruto's chosen companion. The boy had black hair and was creepily pale. Just from the strange boy's looks, Sasuke could already tell that he didn't like the kid.

Thankfully, the boy decided to take his leave but not before taking the blonde's right hand and laying a light smack on the outer side of the girl's palm. Sasuke growled at gallant gesture. Who did that nowadays? Seriously? Finally, the boy ran off and left the confused-looking girl behind. Now was Sasuke's chance.

"Hey." He called from just behind the little girl. Naruto abruptly turned her head to address whoever was calling her attention. For a half second, Sasuke saw the way Naruto's face light up once she had a visual of her best friend; but the expression left as soon as it appeared, to be replaced by an unintimidating scowl. "What do you want, Sasuke?" The must have been a good sign! In the previous days, Naruto didn't even bother talking to him. At least now, she recognized his presence.

"So..." Sasuke looked away as he scratched the back of his neck. This was so awkward for him! Naruto arched a brow, clearly waiting and probing for Sasuke to speak out.

A couple of seconds passed and the silence wagered on.

Okay...

He'd apologize any second now...

Aaaaany second now.

A whoosh of air blew past the children, carrying with it an average-sized tumbleweed.

...

Where the heck did that tumbleweed come from?

Urgh!

Sasuke couldn't take this anymore! Might as well just say it and get it all over and done with!

"Look. I'm sorry for being such a jerk, okay? Will you stop ignoring me now?" Sasuke pathetically mumbled the apology. Thankfully, it was loud enough for Naruto to hear the appeal for mercy.

The blonde let a malicious glint show in her eyes. She stood up, dusted the dirt away from her person, and smugly stared at the boy in front of her. "What did you say? I didn't quite hear you." She cupped a hand around her ear in a teasing sign that she was having trouble hearing the boy.

Sasuke looked at the girl with mild irritation on his features. "Moron, did I stutter? You heard what I said."

Naruto poked Sasuke's forehead as a means to scold the latter. "Well. If you're going to be like that then I'm just gonna have to play with someone else." A flash of a sickly pale boy with onyx hair flashed across Sasuke's mind. No way he would let Naruto go play with that weirdo!

Sasuke reached for Naruto's hand and looked directly into her eyes. With all the sincerity he could muster, he finally said what he should have said days ago. "I'm sorry, Naruto. Please forgive me."

Naruto stood shocked for a moment, but once the words sunk in, she happily beamed at her best friend. She threw her weight to the boy and embraced him like she hadn't seen him in ages. "I missed you!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes yet returned the show of affection. "Yeah. You too, Elle." For a handful of seconds, the two stayed like that as if starved from each other's presence. They sincerely did miss each other. No doubt about that. Once she had her fill, Naruto pulled away from her best friend and took his hand. She then, subsequently, pulled the boy with her. "Look at what I found yesterday, S'uke! It's super cool! It's probably the biggest spider I have ever seen. You'll never believe it!"

Sasuke shook his head at his boyish friend. This girl, through the years, unfortunately (fortunately) became a necessity to him. He made a mental note in his head that he promised to abide by ceaselessly. He totally would never keep himself away from Naruto for extended periods of time. Being away from her just couldn't be done, he figured. So he swore to himself and to Naruto...

Never again.

He'd never let his pride cause troubles for them ever again.

But of course, walking the talk was a whole different matter.