Standard disclaimers apply.

This fic is:

1. SasuNaru, yaoi, OOC and unbeta-read.

2. co-written by XKunoichiofthePaintbrushX so give her some love.

And to those anonymous reviewers, please leave your e-mail address so we can personally reply to your reviews. Yoroshiku ne.

The blonde was boiling with anger as he walked down the street. It was fortunate that there were only few people because he didn't feel like apologizing if he bumped into them. He was just mad. Sure, it had been his suggestion and he had given his permission but oh gods! It still hurt like hell. He hadn't expected to bump into them in this part of the city. He had thought they'd be strolling in the posh area of the city and not in this area which wasn't even popular among couples for dates. He glared at the only person who had the gall to grab his hand when he was in this state.

"Wait," the dark-haired man said.

He shrugged the hand off and started moving. Once more, he was grabbed and the hold was tighter than before.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" the other man growled, annoyed. "You're the one who suggested that I should date few girls to get my parents off our case."

He glared at him. "But couldn't you take her somewhere other than here? It hurts. Damn you!" It hurt knowing that you couldn't flaunt what was actually yours. He nibbled the inside of his mouth before whirling around to resume walking. He had just admitted that he was jealous. How stupid could he get? He let out a cry of protest when he was pushed into an alley and pressed against a wall.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded while his heartbeat increased. "You can't-"

The dark-haired man smirked. "You're my boy- lover so that means I can kiss you anytime and anywhere I want," he whispered, his voice husky enough to make his prisoner shiver. With that said, he didn't take another second to kiss the blonde.

Does it matter that people don't know that I am yours as long as I know that I am?

Chapter 6: Before the feelings overlap

"Kimi no me ni utsuru aozora ga
kanashimi no ame ni nijindemo
sonna toki wa omoidashite
waraiaeta kyou no hi wo"

-Ken Hirai, "Omoi ga kasanaru sono mae ni"

Nothing but the shrill ringing of the bell could save the students of a particular class section from the sleep-inducing discussion of the most boring teacher in their school and that sound came twenty-two seconds later and it was a welcome melody to all those who had waited for it.

Voices, laughter and movements chased the silence and stillness that had once proudly ruled the room.

While most of the class preferred to spend their ten-minute break anywhere but in their classroom, there were others like Sasuke, Gaara and their two new friends- Kiba and Shino who remained inside. At one corner of their room just near the windows, they aligned two tables and sat on each side.

Kiba was still awed and curious how someone as loud as Naruto was able to befriend someone as taciturn as Gaara and someone as arrogant and cold as Sasuke. But then again wasn't there a saying that goes like 'opposite attract each other'?

And he believed in that because he had found a best friend in the ever silent and downright-mysterious-to- the-point-of-beingcreepy Shino. But that wasn't the only adage applicable to him and his friend. 'Birds with the same feather' also described their friendship. No matter how different he was from Shino and vice-versa, both of them like Kabuto mushi. But in the case of his new friends, within the three months and counting he spent with them, he hadn't notice anything common among the three. His eyes almost popped out from their sockets when Naruto drunk from Gaara's can of juice.

"That's indirect kissing," he blurted out causing Naruto to choke.

Gaara looked at him faking dumbness, Sasuke snorted while Naruto stuttered between coughs. "That's stupid! We've been doing this since at the age of eight!"

"Still-"

The blonde pushed him forward and grinned, "Don't tell me you haven't done this with Shino?"

Kiba's eyes bulged. "Of course not! I don't want to do it anyway."

"Swapping germs with each other isn't an activity we partake," a non-fazed Shino stated.

"Then you miss half the fun of growing up," was Naruto's amused reply. He winked at Kiba before taking another sip from Gaara's can.

-SasuNaru is love-

The project they were working on wasn't difficult and with it being divided among the five of them, they could have done their own tasks at their own respective houses. However, being teenagers, they saw the project as another means to hang-out together and this time it was at Sasuke's room.

Accomplishing the project took longer than it should be with all the distraction Naruto and Kiba could come up with. But they did finish it and by then it was quarter to ten in the evening and they could have stayed longer if not for Fugaku who stepped inside the room without knocking.

"Shouldn't you boys be on your way home?" he asked, his gaze sweeping on the area and landed a bit longer on Naruto who was familiarly sitting cross-legged on Sasuke's bed. Of course, the older Uchiha's look didn't go unnoticed by Gaara and Sasuke. Both of them tensed.

Knowing that they were no longer welcome there, the four guests placed things back into their school bags and meekly left the room in a single file.

"Excuse us, Uchiha-san," Gaara who led the line said in a cool polite voice as he passed by the man.

"Good night, sir," Kiba added.

"Excuse us," Shino bid with a slight bow.

"I'm going to show them the way out," Sasuke stated as his father's cool gaze landed on him.

"I'm certain they know their way out," was the calm reply. "If not, Naruto here can lead them. After all he knew this house like the back of his hand." He looked at the boy in question. "Am I right, Naruto-kun?"

The blonde rubbed his nape sheepishly. "Yes, I do." He then smiled as if to get rid of the sting of the man's sarcastic statement. "Thank you for having us, sir." And with that said, he led his friends out.

Both father and son waited for the soft footsteps to fade completely before establishing an angry eye contact.

"Make sure you-"

"Why are you like that to Naruto?" Sasuke asked, not giving a damn that he cut his father off. He couldn't understand why the older man's treatment to his blond friend had changed. He didn't mind that the other wasn't as familiar as he was with Naruto as long as he was polite but he wasn't. Subtle mockery and veiled sarcasm were all the Uchiha had for the blonde. But why? Was it because of that time when he, Gaara and Naruto had seek their advice on depositing their money for their marriage? But it wasn't like they were serious about it. Wait, they were but they were kids at that time for Pete's sake! "He's my best friend," he added trying to sound calm when he was really annoyed.

Fugaku looked at his dead-ringer almost in disbelief. Was his son that stupid that he no longer knew what 'best' meant?

"That's ridiculous," he snapped. "That boy was the only person you spent for the most part of your childhood. That doesn't qualify him as your best friend!" And before Sasuke could retort anything, he gave him a sharp disapproving look. "I expect you to ace your exam tomorrow", he said before leaving.

Sasuke cursed under his breath and glared at particularly nothing. It wasn't like he hadn't ace his exams before but his father sounded like he hadn't. Even once.

What do you want from me?

-SasuNaru is love-

Naruto gave his friends who were at the other end of turnstiles before going down on the stairs that would lead him to his train's designated platform.

While waiting for his train, Kiba's question clearly rung in his head.

What prank did you pull on Uchiha-san to make him like that to you?

He tilted his head to the left, a wry smile on his face. He didn't know about Sasuke but he and Gaara had a good guess the reason of Uchiha's treatment. But he couldn't call it a prank. The three of them had been serious in starting a new family founded on fun and their ideals. But they were no longer kids and they were now aware how the world works in accordance with the social norms. And it wasn't like he wanted to spend his life with Sasuke as his husband and Gaara as their child. Or did he? He recalled what his friends were like and what they were now and he immediately had his answer. Definitely not. Things had changed. They including him had changed. But the changes were very prominent on Gaara and Sasuke.

Sasuke had become withdrawn and insensitive. His smiles had become smirks and his laughter had been tamed into chuckles. Thanks to whatever his father did, he was now success-driven, result-oriented teen who believed he was better than anyone else... anyone but Itachi. But that would change according to him. One day, he'd be better than his older brother and until then he won't fool around.

Unlike Sasuke whose change was gradual, Gaara's was almost instantaneous. Almost a year ago, Gaara's mother had died. Her death had widened the gap that had always separated her bereaved family members when she was alive. Each of them were grieving alone and dealing her demise in their own way.

Her husband had made his work his solace drowning himself in financial matters.

Her eldest son, Kankuro, spent more time in his room probably working on his ventriloquist skills.

Her one and only daughter- Temari preferred going here and there together with her friends rather than staying at home, leaving Gaara completely and utterly alone.

Although he had Naruto and Sasuke what did an eleven-year know about grief and loss? In the end, his friends' comfort wasn't enough to soothe even one-eighth of his pain. And with his family's comfort never coming and because he was tired of waiting, he closed the doors to his heart. There was just coldness around and within him.

The bell signaling a train's departure snapped Naruto from his thoughts. He let out a half-cry as he realized his train was about to leave. When did it arrive? Without any hesitation, he hopped into the train just in time for the door to slid shut.

-SasuNaru is love-

Naruto lifted his left arm from his eyes as his call was answered. Finally.

"..." came the noise from the other end.

"..." was Naruto's reply.

"..."

"Am I disturbing you?" he finally asked, breaking the silence.

"What do you think?" Sasuke asked back as he put down his pen and rubbed his eyes.

"Look, bastard," he heard friend said. "I'm just worried that you were scolded. It wasn't your fault. It was ours. Your father had the right to get annoyed."

"Are you defending him?" Sasuke asked annoyed.

"Hell no! We really overstayed. He could have chased us out but he didn't." The blonde was doing his best not to give Sasuke another reason to hate his father.

The pale teen snorted but didn't say anything. But he wondered how long Naruto would stop pretending that Fugaku didn't hate him and coming up with reasons and explanations.

"See you tomorrow," Naruto said.

"Yeah tomorrow," Sasuke replied before hanging up. He tossed his mobile phone to his bed. When he heard a dull thump, he looked over his shoulder and a greenish book lying on his bed. He glanced to his table just to make sure his greenish book was on his table. Certain that it wasn't his, he stood up and checked its owner's name.

He sighed. "That dobe," he whispered. It was obvious that the blonde hadn't notice his mistake nor did he remember that they had homework. He sighed once more before padding back to his study table.

-SasuNaru is love-

The following day, Sasuke thump Naruto's head the moment the two met up in their usual place outside the train station closest to their school.

"What the hell was that for?" the blonde growled. He stared at the book being held in front of him, blinked then grabbed it when he recognized that it was his. Together with recognition came remembrance that he wasn't able to do his homework. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" He muttered over and over again as he carelessly turned the pages. He looked confused when he found out that the questions on the assigned pages were done and the answers were written in his handwriting. Funny, he couldn't remember doing it anytime yesterday. At a close scrutiny, he realized one thing.

"Sasuke, you-"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "Knowing you'll just copy mine, I decided to do it for you." It wasn't hard for him to imitate his friend's handwriting. All he had to do was loosen his grip on his pen, hold the pen erectly over the paper then write as if his life depended on it.

The blonde was about to say something when someone grabbed his book.

"Answers," Kiba grinned, "I gratefully partake."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes then looked behind Naruto.

"Gaara. Shino," he stated as a greeting. The two just nodded.

Feeling suddenly conscious for some reason only his pride probably understood, Naruto wasn't able to thank his best friend until that night through an email on his mobile phone. The content was simple.

Thank you, bastard.

It was simple and short but it made Sasuke smile softly. He dialed the blonde's number but the line was busy. He entertained the idea of calling their house landline but discarded it a second later. There was no sense in teasing the blonde with it anyway. With that thought, he continued reading the business administration book he bought at a bookstore.

-SasuNaru is love-

Gaara was never known for his patience. He wanted everyone he dealt with to be frank and direct. He wanted things to move quickly so he could get over it so after hearing Naruto talking nonsense for almost ten minutes, he started tapping his fingers against his table. He gave the blonde three more minutes to get to the reason why he was calling but when it was still nonsense, he decided to do things his way.

"Is there any important reason why you called me?" he asked, his voice reeking with impatience.

Naruto paused. "I guess so," was the reply.

"You guess? Uzumaki-"

"I just wanted to talk with you."

"Talking with me… you're doing that everyday," the redhead pointed out. He rolled his eyes when he heard that all too familiar nervous chuckle from the other line. "What did you do today, Naruto? Another prank?"

"Hell no. I did no such thing. I'm mature now." All he wanted was for his line to busy when Sasuke call him. He was certain that bastard would call after reading his message. He could have turned off his mobile phone but there was a possibility that Sasuke would ask him about that the next day. And as much as he wanted to tell Gaara the exact reason why he was calling, he wasn't comfortable about it.

"Mature?"

"Come on, Gaara. Just put up with me a bit longer. Isn't that what you always do, anyway?"

"Whatever. Talk and stop complaining."

The blonde grinned victoriously.

-SasuNaru is love-

The eyes of the student following Gaara widened when the latter halted suddenly in the middle of the covered walkway leading to the school gate. The girl who had her left foot midair managed to sidestep around him in the nick of time, completely avoiding her schoolmate. She sighed in relief.

But her efforts were completely lost on Gaara as he turned around and traced his steps back, not giving a damn that other students immediately steered away from his path.

The reason of this avoidance was that they were intimidated by the mere presence of the boy who bore the tattoo of love on his forehead. And him being a man of few words, gestures and emotions didn't help matters not to mention that he had a pair of sharp and intense eyes. Those emerald orbs seemed to speak of his knowledge of the cruel ways that was on life's disposal.

Nobody would have guess that this taciturn teen was once an ordinary kid full of dreams and hopes; of innocent ideals and was untouchable by reality's harshness. That was until his shield and source of warmth was taken away.

Gaara slid the door to his classroom open and then frowned.

"Isn't it also Sato's shift today?" he asked Naruto.

"Gaara! You forgot your book. I was supposed to go to your place tonight to drop it," Naruto informed him.

The redhead took the book then perched his hips against one desk. "Why are you cleaning alone?" He watched as the blonde dusted the eraser by a window.

"Her crush finally asked her out so yeah..." The blonde grinned to his friend. "But now that you're here..."

"Forget it. I don't feel like cleaning," Gaara said. He opened his book and pretended to read just to spare himself from the blonde's very potent puppy eyes. Where the hell did he get and when did he master it anyway?

"Where is Sato?" Sasuke asked from the doorway, surprising the room's occupants.

"Having the best time of her life," Gaara answered almost mockingly.

Sasuke didn't bother to chase that topic. As the class president, it was one of his responsibilities to make sure the room was clean and everything was arranged. That was it. He didn't give a damn on who was having the best time of their lives and why. He let his gaze swept the room and nodded, pleased. It seemed the blonde managed to do things all by himself.

"If you're done then let's go home, you two," he said and then left. Gaara dropped his book into his bag and followed suit. Naruto pouted before muttering about insensitive bastards. He ran after his two friends who were walking side by side and squeezed himself between them while having his arms draped over their shoulders. The two gave him an almost identical glare.

"Ramen?"

"No," they chorused.

"Donuts?" Naruto smiled knowing their reaction or lack thereof meant 'yes'. "Donuts, then," he muttered.

They left the school, all of them content. But when could this peace and happiness last when there was already a coming storm, brewing at the farthest part of the horizon?

TBC

The chapter title is the English translation of Ken Hirai's song "Omoi ga kasanaru sono mae ni".