Thanks to: Brandon, ReaperofDarkness, KinkyK and JazzyJ, and Shimaki-33

DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!

"Talking"

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How Naruto ended up in this mess, he did not know. One second he was sitting in the classroom intently listening, okay "resting his eyes" for a bit, to the wonderful lecture Ibiki-sensei was giving until the melodic bell rang. Next thing he knew he was sitting in a dressing room at one of the mall's department stores waiting for…guess who? Sakura.

"Are you ready yet?" Naruto groaned at one of the closed curtains.

"Just one more dress! Please Naruto, and I swear I'll be done," Sakura begged for the last half hour. Naruto was pacing around the hall waiting for Sakura to finally come out of the room for the millionth time in the last two hours. He could handle an hour with the bubblegum haired teen, but Naruto had other things to do like finish up an English paper due for Kakashi's class or possibly sculpt more limbs for his dismembered fox head adorned with a makeshift crown he had made last class.

As Naruto turned around for another round of pacing, Sakura came out wearing the most gorgeous cocktail dress fit for no one else but Sakura. The sea foam-colored strapless satin bubble dress curved into every little asset she owned. A low fitted waistband with a small, black ribbon bow accentuated her petite height as she walked down the imaginary cat-walk. The slight bounce in her step told Naruto that this was the one.

"Sakura, I believe you must be the most enchanting being to grace this Earth right now," Naruto smirked charmingly.

Sakura blushed at the modest comment and stuttered uncharacteristically, "T-Thanks Naruto but since I look so amazingly hot, I believe it's your turn to get some sort of make over!"

"You got to be kidding me! I spent all this time on this escapade, and you can't even let me stay away from Sasuke for one minute can you," Naruto whined with his snappy remark. It seemed that anything Sasuke related would make his blood boil and body hot. It was like everyone was trying to… he damn every one of his so called "precious people" to hell and back.

"You need to fix things out with him Naruto or else-"

"Or else what? His fan girls will attack me for not loving their deity? I believe that they will be even happier if that were the case," Naruto waved off with a disgusted grunt.

"No. That is not what I was talking… whatever let's just find that outfit of yours so you don't look so untamed tomorrow night," Sakura exasperated as she slammed the dressing room door in the blonde's face. Women.

Another century or so later, Sakura came out of the dressing room and threw all of the unlucky dresses that the girl denied at Naruto. There were so many that Naruto was practically stumbling his way over to the room attendant and gave the woman an apologetic look as the boy was laughing his ass off inside. The girl's horrified face was absolutely priceless. Sakura was finishing up her purchase at the counter and Naruto's jaw dropped at how much one little dress costs.

9,469.63 YEN!

Where the hell did this woman get all her money? Okay so her father was a plastic surgeon who owned his own private practice while her mother ran a at-home business so that she could "take care of the house" while everyone was away.

"Isn't that a bit much for the teme?"

"It never is. I'm surprised I didn't spend more on that cute little thing, but I'm here to help you with your…wardrobe malfunction today," Sakura said as she looked at Naruto's school uniform in disgust.

"What? You didn't let me change."

"Even if you did, all of your clothing is either torn unfashionably or stained from work. I think it's about time for a change don't you think," Sakura chaise.

"Sakura, when was the last time you actually put that thinking into good use?"

"NARUTO!" Naruto ran out of the department store laughing until he was on the opposite side of the mall with Sakura pulling his ear to the closest male outfitter.

This ultimately made Naruto hate Fridays. Now he was stuck changing in a small dressing room where too many outfits for one person to own littered the ground. Each outfit just so happened to fit perfectly each time by mere coincidence…just what exactly has Sakura been staring at? He had tried on leather, cotton, silk, satin and many more fabrics that Naruto didn't feel like pronouncing.

The latest combination consisted of a black-and-white stripped jacket with torn jeans and a very tight black tank top. None of his outfits contained any trances of a bright orange usually associated with his mask. He needed that color to survive.

Every last person, girl or guy, stopped to stare at the nicely form fitting clothes Naruto tried on which soon grew into a small crowd. Naruto always thought orange would be a good attention grabber but now... Sakura squealed every time he came out as strangers just eye-raped every noticeable crease and contour of his slim physique. Unfortunately, Naruto knew how good he looked. That's why he always avoided tasteful colors and stuck with a baggier image.

Just to avoid all of this attention.

He used to melt under all of this attention when he was little and groveled at the feet of public's image just so he could be recognized. Now all he wanted to do was to scream at everyone to go away and mind their own business. He hated to attract the eye of anyone nowadays to prevent a repeat of a certain incident that will never be discussed.

At the last outfit, all the girls around seemed to sigh in content over Naruto's party look for Sasuke. It was basically simple, so why was everyone so happy about this one outfit? Nothing interesting to look at. Even his body wasn't worth taking a peek at. Nothing special at all.

The ride home was extremely quiet and tension filled the air. Naruto hadn't been too happy about how much all of his new wardrobe costed Sakura, but the girl kept insisting that he didn't need to pay her back. He knew better. She had to have something up her sleeve that involved a certain raven.

At Sakura's command, Naruto drove her cute little, pink vehicle consider Sakura could not be far from new iPhone texting and talking to random people about the party this weekend. Sakura, like many other people, can text and drive without getting in a crash by some magical reason that Naruto couldn't put his finger on, but he still didn't trust her behind the wheel of the car.

She was basically one word. A maniac.

One second you're on the left side of the road, and the next you're on the right side trying to avoid heavy-trucker collisions and digging your fingers into the vinyl of the seat. As Sakura babbled to Ino, he turned to an American broadcasting station with all the latest music trends but quickly turned it to the j-rock station.

It wasn't like he was listening anyways. His anger blinded everything from the outside world with the exception the road and its traffic. All of who he was before no longer mattered. Sure, he looked like an idiot in the beginning, but now everything was changing too fast for him to comprehend. Everything had its place and was suppose to stay there.

No more.

No more grinning all day just to make others happy. Just this. Naruto didn't care now. Little by little, Naruto's heart changed from a blockade to just him. Maybe he should leak a little more of his real self out just to see what others thought instead of holding in all the anger and anguish until he exploded one day. No one cared, so why waste the energy to complain? Not him. Not anymore.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura asked as the blonde glanced over at the girl while still focusing on the road ahead, "Is everything all right? You haven't spoken a word since we left."

"I'm fine. Is Ino going to come?"

"Of course she is! She may be going out with Choji, but that still doesn't mean that she doesn't care about Sasuke!"

"You don't have to scream, I am driving you know."

"Whatever. It's your fault we're like this anyways," Sakura said as she waited for the outburst sure to come. None came.

"My fault? You're the one to spend all that money on me. What are you playing at?"

"ME? Nothing at all. Why are you so bent on ignoring Sasuke? He left Naruto, but now he's back. Why aren't you happy?"

The car came to a sudden stop with a shrieking Sakura screaming. "We're here." The girl didn't make a move as they made it in front of Naruto's apartment. She just kept staring. Not as effective as the Uchiha glare, but the same concept was to be applied. Naruto looked her and battled himself on how he felt… how did he feel? Happy or angry? Both? Too many questions for one night.

"I don't know anymore Sakura. I just don't. I'll see you tomorrow. Come pick me up if you want but call first," Naruto said as he grabbed all of his bags from the trunk that Sakura silently popped open for him.

As Naruto climbed up the stairs of his apartment building, he heard Sakura cry out a good night and drive away past a stop sign. By some miracle, the blond was able to get to the door and pull his keys from his pocket before he stopped at the figure leaning against the door frame. Black eyes focused on cerulean as deep as the ocean.

"Hey."

"Dobe."

Seconds seemed to turned into minutes as minutes to turn into hours, though time only stretched for about twenty seconds. Naruto couldn't help but take a glance at Sasuke's figure as he just stood there. A studded belt hugged his hips held up black slacks with matching black Converses. More black laced its way around Sasuke's chest and down his arms in a cozy zipped-up jacket. The moonlight seemed to fit the foreboding atmosphere Sasuke seemed to radiate when he was a grumpy mood. The light glinted off of his hair while different hues of blue and black melded together that perfectly shape Sasuke's pale face. He was perfect.

"Instead of just leaning there 'like the almightly god you are', why don't you help me open my door," Naruto asked as he glared at the other.

"You seemed to be enjoying the view," Sasuke smirked as Naruto's cheeks turn a light shade of pink. Sasuke took this time to move forward and lean towards the blond. Naruto just stood there with the keys resting in his right hand while his shopping bags bit into his writs. Sasuke grabbed the keys from his hand and shivers ran up Naruto's spine at the cold trances Sasuke's touch left behind.

The raven finally unlocked the heavy door and moved to the side to let Naruto in first, "You need my help idiot?"