Kiss Me Deadly Chapter 4: Epiphany, a naruto fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of his buddies. But, I should because they're neat. Uber neat. Totally.

Chapter Summary: Shikamaru plots. Sakura and Kakashi are here. Naruto doesn't leave.

Warning: Un'betad.

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Epiphany is an unveiling of reality. Epiphany interrupts the everday flow of time and enters as one priviledged moment when we intuitively grasp a deeper, more essential reality hidden in things or persons.

-Czeslaw Milosz, A Book of Luminous Things

It had felt like someone who cared.

Chapter Four: Epiphany

"Ack! Shikamaru! Watch out!" a golden-haired teen whispered frantically. Shika, as his habit, did nothing but lift his right hand to stifle a yawn. Slightly irritated at his uncaring attitude, Naruto pushed to the other end of the lab table and checked the readings of the thermometer in the boiling contents of a beaker. There was a muttered curse before the tanned boy went to adjust the gas nozzle, turning down the flame from the Bunsen burner. Blue eyes through thick safety goggles shot an ugly look at his lab partner, whose eyelids were already heavy with sleep.

"You were supposed to be watching it so it wouldn't get overheated!" the shorter boy huffed. As if to drive the point further, a paper filled with carefully detailed instructions appeared in front of the spiky-haired brunette; an irate finger pointed at the correct temperature. "Come on, you lazy ass! I can't do all-"

In response, Shikamaru stared pointedly at a sheet of paper laying between them on the black tabletop. It was the lab sheet with charts and blanks already filled out with barely-legible cursive. Naruto let out a long sigh. "I know! I know! But we have to actually look like we did the experiment or we'll fail!" At the mention, both casted dreary looks towards their chemistry teacher, who was busying herself with a different pair of students in front of the class.

To be fair, their instructor wasn't entirely bad but she was demanding; not only did her students have to learn the material, she expected full participation. Naruto, though eager to have any hands on experience with things that might explode, did not grasp the science easily. Whereas Shikamaru could absorb anything in the textbook and lectures while still half asleep (which he often was), he couldn't the motivation to even raise a hand. Since they were always paired, labs were the keystones to their grade. Usually, Shikamaru was in charge of filling out the sheets and Naruto did the actual experiment and cleanup. Even if the blond did mess up the experiment once in a while, the brunette could make close-enough predictions from observing others around them. Really, these labs were just a troublesome formality.

The lazy genius looked back at Naruto, now carefully scrutinizing the faded measurements of a smaller beaker. The brunette chuckled inwardly as he remembered the last time the blond had mismeasured and the classroom became unusable. They had to borrow the library for two weeks until the smell fully aired out. Out of the corner of his eye, the lazy teen could see the teacher as well as a few classmates stealing a worried glance at them. It wasn't necessary, he thought bemusedly. Naruto might not be the sharpest tack in the box but he hardly ever made the same mistake twice, especially after the chewing Tsunade had put them through last time.

Tsunade.

At the mental image of their principal, Shikamaru pulled his eyes away from his lab partner and looked out the nearest window. A rare concentrated crease on his forehead appeared just above the top brim of his goggles. That morning, the brunette had been pulled away from first period class (or nap more like) and called into her office. At first, he thought it to be another meeting to talk about more advanced courses in order to 'work at his fullest potential'. At the mention of 'work', Shikamaru made it clear he wasn't interested in the slightest. The proclaimed genius knew it was a bad idea to try at those 'fun tests' his parents made him take in elementary; they had plagued him ever since. Seriously, couldn't those people figure out via his horrible grades that he was perfectly content living with as little effort as possible?

Surprisingly, the matter Tsunade wanted to discuss wasn't about him.

Dark brown eyes quickly darted to his friend, now pouring the proper contents into the labeled tubes. Naruto, gifted with clumsy fingers, was shaking slightly and there were a couple of messy spills on their table. Shikamaru sighed and grabbed a few paper towels. Naruto stopped, beaker and tube lowered, and raised a questioning brow at him.

"Neh? What are you doing?"

Obviously, the blue-eyed teen wasn't used to seeing his friend clean. Or move on his own free will.

"Cleaning," was the simple reply as he threw the crumbled towel in the nearest trash can. He missed. Blue eyes continue to stare questionably but soon shrugged it off as a miracle and resumed back to the project at hand. Shika rolled his eyes back to the window, leaning on a bent arm for support. A review of the morning played in his head.

As soon as he stepped into the office, the genius immediately sensed something was amiss. First, there seemed to be a large amount of tension in Tsunade's shoulders as she straightened against her chair to meet his eyes. She had looked weary with her usual tightly bound hair slightly loose and with little makeup on her face. Even the designer suit, usually pressed neatly with pride, seemed dull and faded from lack of attention. And out of the numerous times he'd been to the room, it was the first time the thick lush curtains were down; the only light came from a floor lamp in the corner. The whole atmosphere reminded Shikamaru of the old gangster movies he borrowed from Chouji last month...which he never did bother to return.

This was something intense, he could tell even without looking into Tsunade's strict gaze: either something caught on fire, someone was in the hospital, or the government had come to wisk him. Though his insides felt like he swallowed a circus, his stoic face never gave away a flinch. When she finally spoke, time seemed to have stopped with the first sentence.

"Naruto is in trouble."

The rest of the meeting was much of a blur, thanks to the great range of emotions he felt throughout the meeting. All played a part in causing his mind to think irrationally at the time. Fortunately, after he stomped out of the office, the initial rage had time to dumb down during the next two periods. This was the first time the genius attempted to objectively dissect the information. Hopefully, he could formulate a solid plan before the next bell, provided if Naruto doesn't cause another class evacuation.

"Oh god Naruto! Don't boil beaker E! Boil F! Beaker F!" a shrill voice of the teacher interrupted.

...Right. He didn't have much time.

Even though Tsunade had filled him in with all she knew, there weren't many reliable facts to go on. Apparently, Naruto, being the heroic idiot he was, allowed himself to walk straight into Sasuke-the-spawn-of-Satan's despicable grip in order to keep them from being expelled. When Tsunade had first explained this to him, Shikamaru felt a deep sense of guilt and shame developing in his chest. At the time, Kiba, Chouji, and he had brushed off the leniency on Tsunade's close bond with their friend. It happened a few times before so they had no reason to question it. Knowing the truth, it was no wonder the blond had made them take a solemn vow to keep out of trouble during school.

"Tsunade can't do this forever, guys."

"She's already pissed at me enough."

"Thanks, but I fight my own battles."

Shikamaru scoffed into the palm of his hand. The last one was one he had heard before; Naruto always did have a stubborn sense of honor when it came to fighting. In fact, it was probably the only thing stopping him and the other two from murdering Sasuke outright. Years ago, when they first became what resembled a group of friends, they had offered to fight Sasuke alongside him. Without hesitation, the whiskered teen insisted on handling the Uchiha situation alone; there was no room for negotiations. It became unforgivable if they even laid a finger on the bastard.

Sasuke Uchiha was Naruto's rival, nottheirs. That much was-

"Oi, Shikamaru! Look! Look at this! It's turning orange!" Grumbling at the loss of his train of thought, the taller teen turned his head to look at the excited blond, who was holding up a tube of what looked like liquid sunshine. Naruto was grinning from ear to ear, pride gleaming in azure eyes. "It smells kinda funny but-!"

"Blue."

"-I think it's supposed...wait. What did you say?"

A tired sigh. "It's supposed to be blue. Not orange," the brunette stated plainly at his crestfallen lab partner, "And you're not supposed to smell it. Some of this stuff can knock you out, dumbass." Double-checking, the younger teen quickly scanned over the instruction sheet only to find that his genius friend was indeed correct. A long string of mumbled curses followed.

"Don't worry," Shikamaru said easily, pointing at one of the beakers, "just add about 3ml of that and it's fixed."

"If you're so smart, why don't you do it?"

"I'm supervising." A large yawn followed.

Naruto rolled his eyes but went to do as instructed. After swirling the tube around, the liquid slowly changed to a dark shade of blue. The lazy teen heard a sigh of relief from the other followed by more shuffling to complete the next step on the sheet. Shikamaru estimated around ten minutes until the next time he would be interrupted. Now where was he? Oh right.

Sasuke was Naruto's problem. The popular class president was off limits.

However, the blond never did specify that they couldn't fight other people.

For the past few years, Chouji, Kiba, and he found that loophole very useful. Though they couldn't touch the biggest threat, they sure as hell could beat the living shit out of everyone else who tried. Given if, of course, Naruto wasn't aware of it. All of them were common targets so the excuses were convincing enough. If the tanned boy knew that the majority of his friends' fights were because of him, it would terribly damage his ego and, quite possibly, his trust in them. Which is why they had kept it in secrecy.

But the secret would be out as soon as Kiba or Chouji know about this 'deal'. Even Shikamaru, with all the restraints of being a lazy genius, felt enough fire in his veins to call out the Uchiha and collapse the pale face in with his bare knuckles. Until now, they had allowed Naruto to deal with Sasuke alone, as requested, but this would definitely push the other two off the edge; it was already hard enough to just stand by and watch their friend get pummeled each week. No doubt the angry pair would try to confront the Uchiha, and then there would be an angry Uchiha, which would lead to a group of adoring angry classmates, which would bleed into the faculty, etc. etc. Already there was a lot of negativity and that was without figuring in Naruto's own anger.

If worse comes to worse, all that anger would manage to split them apart.

Yeah, so option A of having a direct confrontation was out of the question. Even if Shikamaru confronted the Uchiha by himself, he couldn't do anything without Naruto getting suspicious of it. Besides, Sasuke didn't seem to mind if a few others knew, if Tsunade's testimony was anything to go by. With so little in their arsenal, they couldn't be much of a threat to the infallible Uchiha confidence.

For now, the other two would remain in ignorant bliss; the less people who knew, the better. Luckily, Tsunade must've already figured out this one aspect out since she had kept extremely tight-lipped on the whole matter; she and him were the only ones who know aside from Naruto and Sasuke. Shikamaru didn't have to ask why the woman had chosen him out of the three; he was, after all, a proven genius and the most level-headed of them.

But the fact that she was driven to ask for help was another troubling fact. Even with all her intelligence and power, Tsunade couldn't figure a good way to help Naruto. Though disappointed, he wasn't surprised. The 'deal' itself was created outside the school's grasp; thus, it can only be unraveled outside the school's grasp. Everything had to be done in shadows and out of the official books. It just meant he needed to be more creative.

His mind swiveled around every piece of information Tsunade had given him. First, the teen prodigy needed to differentiate the important from the unimportant; he had to look past the obvious and find the hidden meaning behind every action. Everything had a purpose, a reason, an order. All he needed to do was find it, understand it, and break it.

Think. Tsunade had said the deal must've involved the necklace Naruto had cherished. His stomach clenched into itself at the thought. About a month ago, the Shikamaru had inquired about the missing jewelry but Naruto had dismissed it, saying the chain had broken off and it was safely tucked away in a drawer. Evidently, that turned out to be a lie. He won't be fooled again.

Think. Anyone would assume the deal was the necklace in exchange for the favor. It was a pretty clear answer, but a very weak one. Naruto and Sasuke's fights have been steadily escalating and continue to do so with each passing week. If there was an agreed trade, Naruto wouldn't be fighting as much as he did since there was no hope of getting the item back. Something else, other than Sasuke having the necklace, was causing the increasing frustration in the blue-eyed boy, thus causing the increase number of fights. It can't all be just taunts and jeers, as Tsunade suggested, because Naruto had been teased all his life. There's another part of the deal. Something more. Something deeper.

Think. What else, besides that necklace, would the Uchiha want? What could make Naruto feel increasingly violent? Naruto wasn't exactly rolling in riches; anything the tanned teen had the Uchiha could easily buy gold-plated. Sasuke was already a good student and didn't need anyone doing his schoolwork; oftentimes, Naruto didn't even do his own. Personal servant? No, because the blue-eyed teen didn't have the signs of being at all tired from doing chores or errands. And, as far as the school gossip went, there wasn't any form of public humiliation Naruto was forced to endure, at least by Sasuke's hands.

What the hell could it be? His mind raced around and around, picking up and dropping ideas but nothing came close to being logical.

Undaunted, Shikamaru found himself peering back at his lab partner. The shorter male had the instruction sheet in front of him, livid blue eyes darting from one sentence to the next, making sure to read each extra carefully. Feeling the unblinking eyes on his shoulders, Naruto turned to face him. The older teen hadn't realized he was staring.

"What?" asked the other, padding random areas of his whiskered face self-consciously, "Something on my face?" Pretending to have dazed off, the brunette just shook his head and turned his face back to the window. He heard a mumbled 'weirdo' before being replaced with the clinking of glass. For a moment, Shikamaru wanted to ask pointedly what Naruto agreed to do for Sasuke. Only when an especially large white cloud passed by his vision that a revelation finally clicked.

It didn't matter. Whatever the deal forced Naruto to do, it'll likely be during school hours due to its convenience and privacy. He closed his eyes tighter, frowning in concentration as replays of the past few months played in his head. Besides the increase in fighting, Naruto had been acting differently in other ways. Always watching behind his back as if waiting for something. More alert eyes and a general jitteriness to his movements. The observant teen could also remember times when the blond would abruptly disappear, coming back easily irritable with lame excuses for his absence.

Shikamaru smirked, tasting the beginnings of a plan. Though he still wanted to know what exactly Naruto had to do, the prodigy had found a way to hinder Sasuke in the deal, at least temporarily. It was fairly simple. In order to stop Naruto from doing whatever the hell he had to do, all he had to do was keep a watchful eye on the blond during school. Privacy didn't exist with an unwelcomed guest. He'll have to stick to Naruto like glue for the next month or so, just enough time to come up with something more permanent (and less of a pain). Hopefully he'd have something before the Uchiha could take advantage of any holes.

The only real downfall to the plan was that it only solved one-half of the problem. He could stop Naruto from seeking out Sasuke but what would happen if Sasuke were to seek out Naruto? Though Shikamaru had little problem with being a hawk-eyed tag-along, he needed someone else to distract the Uchiha in order to be absolutely secure. What he needed was an ally who truly cared for Naruto's safety, wasn't a part of the Uchiha fan club, can act flawlessly without arousing questions, and had the power to keep the overachieving junior busy.

Great. Another variable in an already problematic equation. Honestly, the lazy teen didn't want another person to know but it was a necessary part in his plan. All he needed now was to decide on a person. Kiba and Chouji were out, indefinitely. Tsunade came close but Sasuke already seemed to have his suspicions of her. The first two qualities alone took away the majority of the student body. Most of the faculty had an intense dislike for Naruto and an intense like for Sasuke; the few who didn't were too busy with other students to keep any eye on any specific one.

Aside from those he already eliminated, Shikamaru had relatively few options that still met the criteria. In fact, he could only think of one person in the entire school and it was still a great risk. He sighed at the prospects.

"This is so troublesome."

"You're telling me," agreed Naruto, glaring at the beaker of water he had just placed on top of the Bunsen burner. His lab partner had taken the earlier advice to heart; the sound of his voice sounded like the blue-eyed teen had nasal congestion from blocking the sense of smell. "Come on, stupid water. Boil already." Dark brown eyes casually looked over to check if everything was properly set up. His nose caught a light whiff of the bubbling clear liquid in the beaker. Strange, the distilled water smelled almost like the ethanol they used to sanitize the tubes.

At the thought, the brunette immediately seized an identical beaker left on the tabletop and took a light sniff. Nothing. Realization started to sink in as a horrified look spread across his features.

Naruto mixed up the beakers.

He was boiling ethanol, not water.

Ethanol was extremely flammable.

...oh crap.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Look left. Clear.

Now right. Check.

His pink haired manager was no where to be seen, probably out back raiding the new stock of romance novels that had arrived this morning. He had no idea why girls find those things so interesting but thank god for Sakura's inability to be alert when a new shipment of them arrived. Due to an incident in chemistry class, he had missed out on lunch and his stomach had been rumbling uncontrollably ever since. It was a horrible deep growl reaching volumes Naruto thought impossible for any human being. Poor, poor stomach. There, there. You'll be filled soon enough.

With the coast clear, Naruto carefully slid the small glass door away and inched his hands towards a succulent, mouthwatering, absolutely delectable fruit pastry. Of course, he planned on paying for the overpriced dessert; stealing was against his honor code. The one thing the blond was worried about was being caught snacking on the job. His obsessively clean manager had a peeve with the crumbs that usually fell on his red work vest. But if the whiskered teen ate it really really quick, just stuff it in his mouth and gulp a few times, the blue-eyed boy could wipe out any evidence before she came back. Sure, there's a chance something might get caught in his throat and choke him to death, but that was a better alternative than the pains of starving the tanned teen was feeling now.

Success! In the palm of his hand was a golden little piece of baked good heaven. Truthfully, Naruto's taste were more to the savory, preferring thick sub sandwiches or a warm bowl of stew, but the cafe only served one-serving size desserts. One of these babies would be enough to hold him over until after work, when the tanned boy could pick up a burger for dinner. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, the whiskered teen saw the door to the backroom began to swing open. Crap! He opened his mouth. Quickly brought the pastry pass his gums-

BAM.

A book flew straight across the store, passing the rows of shelves of books, and smacked the young male on the side of his head. Naruto arched over sideways from the force, lost his balance, and fell twitching in agony on the floor. His beloved pastry landed to one side with a thick romance novel on the other. The sound of heels stomping on the floor stopped at just above his head. A delicate manicured hand reached to the romance novel, brushing off any dust caught on the cover.

"You know the rules, Naruto." An annoyed series of 'tsk's followed. "Honestly, can't you wait until after work?" Naruto groaned loudly, sitting himself up on the floor and rubbing the spot of the impact.

"Isn't harassment one of those rules, Sakura?" he huffed defensively, looking into light green eyes narrowed in his direction. "I missed lunch today and I was going to pay for it." Blue eyes settled on the pastry beside his hand; it was still intact with a few minor flakes around the crust. Still edible in his book. Azure eyes immediately lighted up as his hands snatched it off the floor. There was a disgusted sound from his manager.

"You're going to eat it? But that's been on the floor!" she cried, pointing at the pastry as if it were a cockroach.

"Well, it wouldn't have been if you didn't throw that book at me," he said, shrugging nonchalantly. Besides, the linoleum floor was sparkling; Sakura made him clean it at the end of every day. "I'm really hungry, Sakura. I can't wait until after work," he continued with a hint of whine. The pink-haired teenager gave him a withering look in response. After a few seconds, she gave a long defeated sigh and snatched the pastry from his hand before it reached his mouth. Naruto stood up to protest when a fresh pastry was handed to him in a clean napkin.

"Fine. Here you go. My treat." The expression of pure happiness on the blond's face was immediate; making it hard for Sakura to stay angry at him. The giant grin on his face did make him seem younger, almost like a charming little kid. Initial irritation ebbing away, the pink-haired girl gave a small friendly smile. "I can't have an worker get sick on the job, right?" the girl said jokingly. The boy gave her a grateful hug, which she hesitantly returned.

"That's because I'm you're only employee," Naruto said cheerily, finally pulling away and taking a large bit out of the dessert. It was true. The bookstore/cafe was located in a quiet section of town; so there weren't many customers. Still, the peace it offered attracted loyal regulars who pull in enough money to keep the place running. Because of the good marks at her private school and an impeccable work record, the pink haired teen was hired on the spot and granted the position of manager. The lack of activity meant she needed only one employee. That was him.

Honestly, the intelligent girl only hired him out of desperation; apparently, Naruto was the only applicant with no arrest record. Sakura had meant to fire him as soon as a better person came along; she had told him herself the job was only temporary. That was over a year ago. With his enthusiastic work ethic, Naruto had managed to convince her to let him stay, even though the clumsy boy often made mistakes. Overall, it was a good job with a nice pay that included the tips he receive from the cafe. Plus it was only six blocks away from his apartment complex, so the bike ride wasn't too tiring. All he had to do was jump off the bus, get his bike, put on the red work vest, and pedal to the shop. It took less than twenty minutes.

But the best part was being near Sakura. The girl seemed perfect in every aspect: intelligent, kind, giving, and extremely cute. At first sight, the boy had developed a huge crush on his employer. It took him nearly eight months to pick up enough courage to ask her out, which ended horribly. Though they had a good friendship, the girl simply didn't feel any romantic feelings towards him, comparing him more to a brother than a possible boyfriend. Stubbornly, he still persisted, asking at least once a month if she wanted to do anything, but she declined each time. Sorry, there was someone else she liked.

Naruto slumped at the memory. He suddenly didn't feel up to eating the rest of the sweet pastry. Besides, the tiny seeds from the strawberry filling kept getting in-between his teeth. He gently nudged Sakura, who was carefully inspecting a book beside him, and offered her the remainder. The green-eyed girl crinkled her nose and shook her head. Her eyes traveled back to the book in her hand; an excited smile lighting her face. Naruto stared. She really was prettiest when she was happy.

Sakura caught him staring and, misreading his thoughts, presented the summary at the back of the book to read. "Doesn't it sound fantastic?!!" she gushed. He resisted the urge to roll his blue eyes and read the fancy cursive, vaguely interested. Why did it have to have so many loops?

Can one kiss mean the demise of the coldest bachelor in the city?

Eck. Already he felt like throwing up. Even someone like Naruto, who avoided these things like the plague, knew the storyline was as unoriginal as emo poetry. Only the look of pure joy in green eyes kept the male teen reading.

Finally, after years of hardship, Margaret finds security as a scullery maid at the mansion of Sir Edward, the most sought after lord in the country. Because of class differences, Margaret and Edward did not give romance a chance. But everything changes in an accidental kiss below a star strewn sky. Their sudden intense love-

"Gah, that's horrible, Sakura." His hand lightly pushed the book away, as if it emitted poisonous radiation. His pink haired friend frowned, a slow anger developing in her eyes. Uh-oh, big mistake. Never make fun of a girl's romance novels, especially if you're trying to have a close relationship with said girl. It was even worse since one of the few bad qualities of the girl was her temper. Last time, Naruto had to alphabetize the entire children's section, from Abby the Angry Aardvark to Zzz, Bedtime Buddy.

"I just think its a little unrealistic!" he blurted, holding out both hands in front of him in a defensive gesture. But the girl seemed to have calmed down at the comment, looking confused, intrigued, and surprised all in one. When the time for being abused had passed and none came, Naruto peered over carefully. There was still some anger in the deep frown lines, but Sakura looked like she wanted to hear more of what Naruto had to say.

"I-I mean, its just kinda hard to believe, Sakura," he continues carefully, "O-one kiss wouldn't-couldn't do all that. It won't change something so dramatically. It doesn't work that way. "

The girl quirks a brow, crossing her arms tightly across her chest and thumping the novel on one side of her arm. "Well, Mr. Know-it-all, have you kissed anyone to back that up?" At the k-word, Naruto flushed a deep red, remembering his own experience, all of which belonged to a certain pale bastard. He inhaled deeply, trying to fight the blood from rising to his ears any further. "I-I-uhh...well..."

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt such an interesting discussion but I am in a hurry," a man called from the cafe counter in a chipper voice. Both teens turn to the man and stare at their customer. He looked young, maybe in his late twenties, but had a rich mane of thick silver hair; all of which seemed to have been ironed into sharp tufts to point at the sky. A pair of dark black eyes, one of which had a deep shadow of a scar across the eyelid, stared back with a hint of mirth. As for the rest of his facial features, it was hidden behind a tightly drawn scarf but didn't hinder his ability to talk coherently.

Seeing that he now had the two's full attention, the man made his order. "Your strongest cup and sweetest pastry, please." The request broke through and soon Sakura, the ever dutiful manager, apologized for the inconvenience of which the man easily dismissed. Still embarrassed, the pink haired girl excused herself in order to tend to the display cases at the front of the shop, leaving Naruto to handle the order. The pastry was immediately picked out of the glass and, along with some napkins, placed inside a white paper bag. The coffee, however, would take around five minutes to finish brewing. They always made it as fresh as possible to please the regulars. Naruto was fiddling with the paper cup, waiting for the sound of the machine to beep, when the man spoke up.

"So do you?"

"Do I what?" Naruto turns to face his customer, a confused look on his tanned face. The man's eyes curve in a smiling gesture.

"I hope you didn't mind me overhearing," the man starts apologetically, "You said you didn't believe a kiss would change something so drastically. Right?" Naruto blinks. Truthfully, he had felt uncomfortable with the topic and wanted nothing more than to forget it altogether. But the curious twinkle in those dark smiling eyes made it clear that the silver-haired man wouldn't let it go. He couldn't very well ignore the customer and face another encounter with Sakura's wrath. Reluctantly, the blond answers, tearing at the cup's brim with his crooked fingernails.

"Yeah, I guess," he mumbles, "I mean, how could it, ya'know? A kiss is just a kiss." The man nods silently, not in agreement but to let him know he was listening. He wants Naruto to continue. The blond shuffles across the floor and checks on the machine. Maybe a minute more. Two tops. He sighs and starts to talk again.

"Its just that, I think something else needs to be there...to make a kiss more than a kiss." As the words leave his lips, memories of the kisses with Sasuke replays in his head. All of them seem to blend together into one humiliating ordeal except one. The latest kiss barely a week ago. The softest and least aggressive of all. Against his will, his mind traces back to the feeling, the warmth, the gentleness. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knows that he is at work, making coffee for a customer with wild hair and too many questions, but Naruto is barely registering that fact now.

Still, even if that something's there and a kiss happens, it might not be enough," he mutters, eyes glazed over, "To change someone, you need more." The man's eyes are no longer smiling; they spark with real interest. The top half of his body is leaned over the counter. "Both the people...they need-"

Ping.

The sound of the machine snaps him back to reality and Naruto twitches out of his daze. Remembering the cup in his hand, he grumbles when he sees most of the brim torn off by his own hand. The whiskered teen fetches another from the stack, pours the coffee, and snaps on the lid. With a grin, Naruto hands the bag with the pastry and the coffee cup to the man, who seems a tad disappointed but regained his normal cheery composure. He hands over the money. Before leaving, he gives the blond another friendly curve of the eyes. "You're an interesting kid." Then, checking the time of his wrist watch, leaves with a quick wave back.

Naruto lets out a tired breath and turns off the coffee machine. Immediately after, Sakura rushes over to the counter, flushed with excitement. "You'll never believed who I just saw!" she says. The tanned boy really didn't care to guess, having too many cluttered thoughts in his head from the earlier conversation, but he smiles playfully. The green-eyed girl takes this as a go-ahead sign and releases the name in a voice dripping with adoration. "Sasuke Uchiha!"

Naruto's body freezes at the name and his bright blue eyes widen in shock. "Wh-what was he doing here?" Sharply, the whiskered boy turns to face a calendar on the wall behind him. It was the last week of November; the week Naruto had secretly dubbed 'un-Sasuke week'. It was traditional ever since the two became aware of their rivalry. All year, the would fight except for this specific week. It was the week when Sasuke would go in an almost zombie-fied state and purposely avoided any contact with Naruto. On the first year, it had come as a surprise but as time wore on, it became the one week of the year Naruto looked forward too. A break, sort of speak, from hating each other so much. Naruto never considered asking the Uchiha why this way so; he simply accepted and adjusted to it. Now with the deal in place, it became more of a holiday from the bastard.

But if he was here, at the place where he thought safest from the jerk, then what in the hell was happening?

Sakura, unknowing of the things plaguing her friend's mind, continued to speak. "You know that weird guy from earlier, the one with all that crazy gray hair...?" She didn't wait for Naruto to confirm before continuing, "Well, I think Sasuke was out there waiting for him. He was in the passenger seat of this really nice black compact and looking out the window at that guy." The blond carefully thought over this new information.

"So...Sasuke was just waiting for that man?" he asked eagerly, panic residing. Maybe the bastard didn't know Naruto worked here after all. If that was the case, everything was completely safe and it was all just a big terrifying coincidence. He grinned widely. Saaaafe!

"Yeah, I guess. Sasuke even saw me and I waved at him!" she squealed. "And the car had all these nice..." Her voice had begun to drift off while the look of absolute joy and excitement was being replaced into a horrified expression. Naruto stopped from the little happy dance in his head and looked to his manager with a concern etched in his face.

"What's the matter? Something wrong?"

She bit her lower lip and looked at his with watery green eyes, near tears. "I just remembered. I saw flowers, Naruto. Wh-what if those flowers were for someone? For a girl?" she whispers depressingly. "I...I need to know who those flowers are for Naruto." Her eyes lighted up as an idea sparked. They slowly turned to Naruto, filled with hidden meaning and fake tears. "I-if only I knew for sure..."

At first, Naruto doesn't catch on but the scheming look of her eyes made it obvious her plan. "Oh hell no! I'm not going to- they're probably far away by now and all I have is a bike, Sakura!" He was, under no conditions, following his rival to a place filled with girls who admire the bastard. Though the chances of being caught was probably minimal, the embarrassment if he was caught was too great a risk.

"They're waiting at the stoplight right now and the places around here have so many shortcuts for you to take, Naruto!" She bats her eyelashes, trembles her lower lip, and, as the final touch, she mimics the sound of a choked sob at the back of her throat. Sakura herself wouldn't dare follow the object of her obsession for a variety of reasons. One, if caught, her actual chances of being with the Uchiha would go down the drain. For two, she wasn't nearly as good a navigator as Naruto around this place. And three, as the manager, she was dutybound to stay and keep a watchful eye over the shop. Naruto was her only chance and, so far, the blond was barely faltering in his stand. Given time, she was sure her charms could make him do anything. However, time was of the essence and the pink-haired female needed the other on his bike ASAP.

Time to pull out the heavy artillery.

"I'll go out with you for one night!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

This was a bad idea. Naruto knew that when he found himself on his poor excuse of a bike. He knew it when he was turning at that third alleyway, vainly trying to keep the black car in his vision. Now, in a cemetery and ducking behind gravestones, Naruto was more sure of it than ever. Looking back, he could've stopped and turned around once they had obviously reached the parking lot of a cemetery. But by that time, his brain was lacking the oxygen to think properly so his feet just carried him over of their own will. Besides, maybe the Uchiha did have a girlfriend and planned to rendezvous at one of the creepy tombs in the local cemetery; the pale boy looked the part. If that were to happen and the tanned boy had gone back, than Sakura would never speak to him again. He just wanted to make extra super duper sure that those fancy white lilies were really for the dead, not the living.

Strangely, the man had stayed in the car, reading some type of orange book he never saw for sale at his bookstore, and left Sasuke to trudge up the lonely path by himself. Wasn't the bastard creeped out going to a cemetery by himself? Naruto followed closely, paying his own spy theme in his head as he ducked in and out from one headstone to another. This was actually kinda fun...in a I'm-playing-with-the-dead sort of way. Still, the thought of rotting corpses beneath his feet made his spine shiver.

The game finally ended when Sasuke stopped at three consecutive gravestones just a little way from the cobblestone path. Intrigued, Naruto watched his rival. As much as he hated the thought, the Uchiha seemed to belong in such a somber dreary place, especially now. He wore a long modern black trench coat with a high collar and few buckles and buttons for decoration. The black of his hair had always contrasted with his pale skin but the setting made it more appealing to the eye. Even those shocking white lilies in gripped firmly in his hand, seemed to be a piece of a portrait to highlight the mysterious aura of the Uchiha.

Naruto watched, throat dry, as Sasuke carefully sets two tightly bounded bouquets of lilies upon the first two graves. Afterwards, he kneels down and respectfully touches the top of the headstones with his fingertips, leaving them on the engraved marble for only a few seconds before retracting them again. There was no third bouquet for the last gravestone but he could still see a pale hand hesitantly move to the top. However within the inch of contact, the pale teen withdraws his fingers, as if it were burned. If there were any a time the blond wanted to see Sasuke's face, it was now. However, the way his stout body was positioned, the boy was already leaning as much as he dared.

A thousand questions mulled over his head. Who was the silver-haired man? Who did the gravestones belong to? Why did he only buy flowers for two? Fortunately, or unfortunately if the perceptions were altered, Naruto didn't have to wait long for the answers to one of his questions. Because right when the blond was unfocused with the questions in his head, a familiar voice broke through and promptly brought him back to reality.

"Come out. I know you've been following me."

The blond immediately froze. The last thing he needed was to be caught spying on his blood enemy, especially after witnessing so damn personal. What should he do? What the hell was he going to do? Panicking, he went through the different scenarios in his head. Making a run for it sounded like a good idea but then it'll make him seem like not only a spy, but a coward. Maybe Naruto could stay put and hope Sasuke gets bored and leaves? No, that only works for bears or something, not bastards. He gulped. Well, there was only one honorable option left. Here goes nothing.

Sasuke scowled when he laid eyes on him, recognizing his image immediately. "What the hell are you doing here?" The voice is thick with ice and venom. But those dark black eyes glances at his bright red work vest and Naruto could see the genius put two and two together. "You work at that bookstore...don't you?" The shorter boy neither confirms or denies but his silence was more than enough. Suddenly, a twisted smirk aimed at the blond. "So, you would go so far as to follow me here, to impress that girl you work with?" The statement also had a double meaning; he could sense the arrogance dripping from the words. Naruto had to go through hoops and rings to get a girl, but Sasuke made little effort into getting hoards of admirers. Blue eyes flare angrily and a growl rumbles low in his throat. The reaction seemed to make the other smirk wider.

The blond couldn't bare to see that revolting look on the other's face so his eyes drifted to the side, towards the three gravestones beside the Uchiha. Curious, he reads the engravings and he immediately feels his rage at Sasuke ebb away. All three had Uchiha as their last name and judging by the dates and the rest of the etchings, they had been...this was...

"Th-that's you're family, isn't it...?" Sympathetic blue eyes turned back to the Uchiha, the severity of how much he had intruded on his rival's privacy smacked him breathless. Sasuke doesn't say anything but purses his lips together in a tight frown; any traces of a smirk wiped clean. Charcoal eyes glared at him at maximum force. Naruto doesn't know what else to say. An overwhelming guilt spread like cancer through his body. "I-I didn't know," he offers meekly. The other searches his eyes, his face, his body for any sign that the younger teen was lying. When he finds none, the Uchiha scowls again before turns around, back facing the blond and towards the graves of his family.

"Leave. Go."

That was a great idea. A perfect idea for someone in Naruto's position. The words were permission to forget this whole ordeal and pretend it never happened. Perfect.

But it wouldn't have felt right. Now that the blue-eyed blond knew that Sasuke was mourning the loss of his family, it didn't feel right to leave. Yes, the Uchiha was his worst enemy and a bastard and had forced Naruto to kiss him against his will. But right now, Naruto didn't see those things. Its a person, alone in the world, grieving for his family. He could hate him later but, presently, he couldn't bring himself to get angry enough. "I'll stay."

At this, Sasuke noticeably tensed. "Get the hell away, Uzumaki." The words are pronounced slowly. Threateningly.

A hint of defiance suddenly fills him. "Don't tell me what to do, bastard. I can stay if I want to." Slowly, Sasuke turns to face him, a murderous intent apparent in his stormy eyes. There's something in them that makes Naruto inwardly cringe, but he is a stubborn boy and refuse to budge under the pale boy's glare. Even when the Uchiha closed the distance between them, the boy didn't move. Without notice, his upper arms were trapped in a vice-like grip. Sasuke had done it so quickly that Naruto didn't even have time to react. The tanned boy swallowed a yelp of a surprise. A pair of narrowed sky-blue eyes stared unblinkingly at the menacing look of the other. "Let. Me. Go," he growls. Struggling against the hold, the shorter male began to twist and turn his body and arms, hoping to break free on his own. Instead, the grip tightens until he could no longer feel his blood pumping into the veins.

"If I do this..." Sasuke dips his head slowly into the crook of Naruto's neck, whispering into the tinted skin, "...would you still want to stay?" His breathe is coming out in heavy pants from the struggling. He feels the vibrations of the Uchiha laughing against the sensitive hairs of his neck. This was too much. This was going to far. The golden-haired blond lifts his right leg up in a powerful kick. The pale boy catches it with his own leg and they both fall to the ground, off balance. Sasuke smirks down at the struggling boy beneath him before lowering his head near the tip of the shorter blond's chin. Naruto shuts his eyes tightly, swearing to himself to kick the Uchiha's ass once he gets back up and cursing every single empathetic bone in his body.

"Do you still..." Even with his eyes closed, Naruto could feel Sasuke's smooth cool skin nuzzle gently against the edges of his jaw.

"...want to stay..." The bastard was moving his head lower, down the sun-kissed neck and suckling small random patches of skin.

"...with me?" With his nose, the Uchiha pushed down the collar of his t-shirt and was now planting kisses at the base of his neck. Sometimes, a cool wet tongue would lick his collarbone, making Naruto shake with a combination of anger and helplessness. But he feels something else. The grips on his arms were loosened. Taking the opportunity, the younger male freed himself from the grips on his upper arms and pushed Sasuke away with his free hands.

"You asshole!" Naruto screamed, landing a satisfying punch on the side of the pale face. He was completely flabbergasted of what just conspired. That was more than just a kiss! Was that whole thing supposed to scare him away? Did Sasuke really wanted to get rid of his that badly? Damn it, he wanted some fuckin' answers right now! Sasuke, wiping the remainder of his blood from his jaw line, glared at him. They locked eyes; angry lost blue eyes against cold deadly black.

"Wh-What the hell-?" Naruto made a reach for a pale wrist but a harsh slap clawed at his hand.

"Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me."

It was easy to ignore the sting where the brunette had swiped his hand away. It was much harder to ignore the sting of the words. Harder to ignore the ugly tone in his rival's voice. Over the years, Sasuke had insulted, taunted, and berated him. But never...never did the taller boy say not to touch him. Never did he talk to Naruto in a tone with so much disgust and resentment. Though the Uchiha was his greatest rival, he never treated the blond like a piece of useless shit. There is a lump developing at the back of his throat but Naruto swallows hard and, with much difficulty, it goes down.

"Fine, whatever bastard," he says spitefully. But something suddenly tugs at him and refuses to let go. It pleads with him to stay and not to leave. However, Naruto tries his best to ignore it and is already several steps away. Voices tell him to ask why Uchiha wanted to be left alone. 'If you aren't going to stay', they say, 'than at least ask'. They tell him that he wanted to know. Even if his hatred for Sasuke was at its peak, Naruto wanted to know. Its true and he tries to fight that urge. No, tells himself, what he really wanted was to kick Sasuke's pretty face in. Instead, he settles on the dirt, at the slippery grass, at the stones in his way. But the need to know nags at him, eats away at him until his steps slow to a halt.

"Why...?" he finally asks, voice cutting through the silence, "Why don't you want me to stay?"

The questioned seemed to have disturbed the paler boy; his head bows lower until half of his face is inside the thick high collar of his trench coat. When it was clear the blond would not leave until he received an answer, the brunette finally speaks. "I want to be alone."

Naruto's breathing hitched and familiar dull pain beated within his chest when he heard those words. Blue eyes promptly casted to the other, who now stood looking as still and worn as the corroded statues around them. The high collar combined with the long dark bangs obstructed his view of the pale face, but the blond could clearly imagine what it would've looked like. Those words always came with a certain face; spiteful eyes aimed at everyone and anyone, lips tight in a severe frown, and a dark mean energy seeping from every pore of the skin. It screamed for others to stay away without actually speaking.

Those words. That tone. The face. He remembered them well in the bathroom mirror not too long ago. The voice of people, mostly his fellow peers, echoed from the black part of his heart. Harsh laughter and hushed whispers rippled between the snippets of conversations that never truly left his ears.

Who's that?

Why is he so weird?

He's so annoying!

"Liar!" The single word came out in a scream in a voice too loud for a place too quiet. Naruto wasn't even clear if it was his own voice; the word had been shoved out of his throat so quickly. Sasuke turned to face him. Charcoal eyes regarded him icily but there was a flicker of emotion the whiskered boy had barely caught. Just a flicker but one that certainly existed. Calming himself, the golden-haired teen took a long and steady sigh before locking his sky-blue eyes to black. "You're lying," he breathed.

Don't play with him!

He's always in trouble.

The teachers hate him, ya'know.

"No one ever wants that." He abruptly broke their line of vision, not wanting to see the obvious hurt in his face mirrored in the reflective eyes of his rival. If his hands weren't preoccupied in tightly fisting the fabric of his jeans, the blond would've covered his ears to stop hearing his own voice. He was only babbling now; words appeared automatically and his lips moved on their own accord. If there was a sense to them, the tanned boy didn't follow nor care. In the other's silence, Naruto could feel the Uchiha listening as closely as if he was speaking through a god. "Being alone, no one wants that. No one."

No, you can't play.

Ewww, he touched me!

Leave him alone. Let's go.

"Being lonely, its given and you're forced to take it." The words came out bitter and rigid. Damn it, his eyes were getting a bit watery now. Head still bowed to his chest, Naruto closed his eyes tightly to rid the excess water, desperately hoping the Uchiha didn't see them drop to the dirt. Sasuke would never live it down if he knew. His breathing had become shortened also, resembling steady quiet gasps. His heart was racing at a million miles per hour to warm blue-cold fingertips. Damn it, even his shoulders were shaking. 'Stop it!' he thought bitterly, 'Damn it, Sasuke's watching!'

Furiously, he wiped at his eyes with one hard swipe. Composing himself, the blue-eyed boy stilled his shoulders and took deep settling breaths. When he was done, Naruto drearily lifted his eyes back to the Uchiha, who seemed unfazed by the fleeting emotional display. There was a heavy emptiness that neither confirmed or denied Naruto's statements. At the utter blankness of the pale features, the shorter boy felt the most unexpected sensation.

Relief.

This enormous relief. It was from seeing Sasuke unchanged after such a display. The blank expression and the cold turn of his shoulder was hurtful but it was probably the only thing the bastard could do. What mattered was what didn't happen, not what did. There were no appeasing motions or calming words but he never interrupted when Naruto was speaking; the dark-haired teen listened to him from start to finish with not even a snicker. Sasuke had allowed him to speak freely, without judgment or pity. This must be how the stoic teen showed his less-of-an-asshat side.

Admittedly, some part of him wished for a comforting arm, a sympathetic voice with a string of nice words, but those acts were too temporary. Experience had told him these actions, while may done with true heart at the time, easily faded away. His friends and even Tsunade, they would have tried to soothe and protect him. Though well meaning, those actions were useless, even damaging. It made him feel weak and a burden to those he wished to cherish and protect. It was comparable to having a bullet wound and everyone trying to find a large enough band-aid to help him stop the bleeding.

And among those frantic people, a single jerk would say to him, "Go to the hospital, dumbass."

The blond could feel himself laughing at his train of thought. By the way he was sounding, it was if he considered Sasuke to be the most important person in his life. The great Sasuke Uchiha. Vowed rival, blood enemy, and all that crap. Maybe the lack of oxygen from earlier was finally catching up to him. However, it didn't change the fact that the paler boy had been the one constant in his life. Always berating him on personal flaws. Always fighting him. Always pushing him to the edge of his sanity.

And always...always here.

The grass was always green. The sun was always bright. And Sasuke would always be there; ready to dodge Naruto's throws and deliver his own. He allowed a minute to pass, to let this thought sink in. To allow himself to fully grasp the edges of something he felt too important to slip away. Something big and real and here. Without thinking, his feet took small cautious steps towards the Uchiha, who stood firmly rooted to the same spot. Here.When he was finally within reach, Naruto raised his arm, his fingers stretching to touch a part of other. Here. Just one small touch, Sasuke. Just to make sure it is...its really...

"Fuck off, dead last."

And it was gone. Automatically, Naruto pulled his arm back, letting it swing to the side of his body. His legs stopped moving. For that time, the blond must've held his breath, because he had to take deeper breathes this time. Must be an allergic reaction, he thought amusingly, from being too close to the bastard. The corners of his mouth tugged up at the small joke. Blue eyes looked at the back of the head, boring holes through the spiky black locks that defied gravity. He wasn't sure what just happened; everything seemed to have happened by a switch of his subconscious. The arrogant Uchiha must've felt it too, judging by how tense he looked underneath the heavy trench coat. But it had scared him, for Naruto to be that close to touching him without any intent to harm or fight. It wasn't something the pale boy was used to. Judging by his trembling hand and the dryness in his tongue, Naruto wasn't either.

So close, but still holding back. What a strange feeling.

The blue-eyed boy suddenly remembered his senses and straightened his back. The ends of his mouth lifted upwards. Just barely. "Fuck you, bastard," he replied, if only to continue the tradition of retort. In one step, Naruto found himself standing firmly at the other's side, never intending to leave before the Uchiha's. He had doubted beforehand, but this time he had more than enough reason to stay put.

Nothing was exchanged between the two. What words were left? Even if Naruto was articulate enough, he wouldn't want to clutter up the air with empty shallow conversation. For one minute or one eternity, they waited. Not used to being so still, the shorter teen shifted his knees and swayed the muscles of his neck. Every once in a while, he'd peek at the Uchiha, if only to see if he was actually alive, and see the same damn unchanging pose. The pale boy must be part rock or something. The only difference the shorter boy could see was in the eyes; there was a newfound warmness to those coal eyes as if a minute flame had been lit. Of course, it could be the trick of the light since the sun was dipping rather low. Surely, it was a combination of that and the blue-eyed teen's wishful thinking. Most likely, in fact.

And yet his smile grew larger at the idea; it actually started to ache a bit. After all, there were weirder things than being unexplainably happy standing next to your blood rival in a cemetery in front of his dead family. If that annoying but pleasant bubbling in his stomach would stop for a minute, than Naruto swore he could think a dozens of different scenarios. The silver haired man from earlier arrived a short time later, smiling pleasantly at the sight of them. " Aren't you the guy from earlier? From the bookstore?" he asked cheerfully, recognizing the red work vest. Hesitantly, the whiskered teen nodded. "Are you a friend?" Before he could think of a suitable reply, Sasuke interrupted.

"No, he's just another visitor." The shorter male felt a tinge of disappointment at being regarded so thoughtlessly but he swallowed his pride and stayed silent. The silver haired man cocked an eyebrow at the quick answer, suspicion evident in his face. However, one quick look at a wrist watch made it obvious that he was pressed for time. He motioned for Sasuke that it was time to go, pointing at the timepiece and jabbing his thumb back towards the parking lot. The pale teen let out a scowl but trudged off to the cobblestone path, sparing one last fleeting look at Naruto. The older man chuckled good-naturedly at the glare he received as the Uchiha passed by. When Sasuke was out of earshot, the man strayed behind and faced the blond for one last time.

"Whatever you are...thanks," he started, smiling warmly at the blue-eyed boy, "He really needed that." With the archaic parting, he left the blond, a baffled look on rounded features. Only when they disappeared from his vision did the teen thought of asking the many questions he had burning an his tongue. He cursed at the missed opportunity. But maybe it was better this way; he didn't want to know too much about his rival. The whiskered teen released a long tired sigh, stretched his stiff muscles, and took a long last look around the empty cemetery. Sakura was still waiting at the store.

He better not make her wait any longer.

Feeling alleviated, Naruto made his way to his bicycle on lighter steps, crushing developing dewdrops on the grass around the graves. The orange bike was still where he left it, between a cross and a praying angel. After shaking a few beads of water from the frayed seat, he took off, respectfully apologizing to the dead underneath the speeding tires. He relished the speed at which he pedaled when he reached the cement of the sidewalk. Since it was getting darker, there weren't as many people to dodge around. The blond loved the exhilaration it took on his body, even the sting of his bangs whipping the side of his face. He grinned madly at the wind, sitting up on the pedals for a few seconds in-between bursts of pedaling to reach the greatest height manageable.

Needing a rest, he stopped two blocks shy of the bookstore in the middle of a Laundromat's deserted parking lot. His hair was a messier than usual, mussed up and hopelessly tangled. The signature red work vest had come undone and the pin of his nametag poked through his jean pocket. Sakura would undoubtedly chastise him for looking so unprofessional after she finished squeezing every detail of the day from him. The thought of it made Naruto sigh inwardly. Though he didn't owe the bastard anything, the blond would keep the whole cemetery thing a secret for now. Sakura, of course, would be relieved at his insistence that it wasn't another girl but he would refuse to divulge much else. Of course, he would need to think of some plausible line to feed to her since she could be rather relentless in getting information. The next few days would be, as Shika would say, troublesome.

A sharp ray of light suddenly caught his eye and directed him towards the clear horizon, dashed with rippling colors of an approaching evening. The tanned boy never was the one to romanticize sunsets but he felt deserving today. In the distance, Naruto could hear a combination of rustling trees from the nearby park and moving cars from the highway behind him; the song of the city. It was a satisfying finale to the day.

Briefly, he wondered if Sasuke was seeing the same thing. Even someone as cold and serious as him could appreciate something like this once in a while. The candy colors of the sky. The complete calm. The soul-soothing peace. Everything was simply too nice to be ignored.

Naruto took a deep breath. Closed his eyes. A small memory of the day floated to the front of his mind: new bruises and a bleeding lip, a comfortable quiet among graves, and a shaky barely noticeable smile on a pale face. He exhaled and opened his eyes to catch the last bit of sun sinking below the ground, leaving only traces of the brilliance it briefly held in the day.

Yeah. It really was nice.

-to be continued-

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Special's A/N: To start, I beg a thousand forgiveness's for being so horribly late but, believe me, I did have a very good explanation involving the trials of moving to another state, temporary homelessness, and many many cousins. All of which lead to my physical impossibility to be near a computer (-weeps-) save for fleeting moments at the local library. Currently, I'm able to type up the chapters but the only way for me to actually upload it onto is to save it on a disc and hand it to my younger sister who has a computer class with internet access. Hopefully, I'll be able to get something at home within the next week or two.

All in all, this chapter...is rushed. Absolutely. Positively. I started it right when I was able to once I get my computer up and running after so many weeks in storage. If there are any mistakes(I'm really...really sure there are), whether in grammar or storyline, please leave a review and I'll try to fix it as soon as I can. Speaking of which, though I didn't have time to reply, I did have time to read the first page of reviews in my inbox and I'm very very grateful for the encouragements so far. I really hope I didn't cause too much anxiety over the sudden hiatus. All of you are too awesome for words! The first thing I'll do once the internet guy leaves is send replies to the ones who had questions and comments concerning the story; I hope you guys didn't feel too ignored at my silence. Really, I didn't think the move would be so chaotic. -flails arms-

As for my feelings for this chapter, I'm content with how it turned out considering the circumstances but I do think it was a little draggy in some parts and choppy in others. Urgh. I need to revamp it as soon as possible. Its just...leaps everywhere to me. Introducing Sakura and Kakashi was the main point of the chapter but I guess the scene between Sasuke and Naruto kinda stole it away. Amazing what three months of pent-up inspiration would do... So, what do you think? I welcome any amount of comment and critic so please don't be shy! 8D

Hopefully, the next chapter won't be as long to update. Again, I'm really really sorry for being so late. The extra long chapter length is an apology gift...;;