Alright well, update will be the 25th. This chapter is very interesting to me, but I had a lot of fun with it. Then next chapter will be more focused on an assortment of things, instead of seemingly random events. I'm looking forward to it ;) especially Sai. Anyway, plz review and let me know what you think. Also, I'm trying to establish more communication with Sasuke and the others, let me know how that's going. I need your help :D, alright shutting up now.

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Chapter 10: Flipping a Token

There are two sides to every coin, something we are familiar with, but we often forget that this applies to many aspects of life. However we have never even bothered to consider one concept.

Sometimes there are more than two as well.

Naruto always has a habit of breaking my rules, especially this one.

I woke up today with his face once again nuzzled in my neck, this time thought I didn't freak out because I have learned that Naruto cuddles with random things in his sleep. Usually his pillow, but since I have the long types of pillows, and he would have to dig it from behind my head, it means he has no pillow to snuggle with.

So now I'm a fucking pillow.

I tried poking him in the side, "Naruto." He hugged me tighter, moaning a little, maybe he's waking up?

I poked him again and he moaned, "No more.", his face flushed, and his legs shifting beneath the sheets. I began to wonder what kind of dream he was having. As if to answer my question, Naruto nuzzled closer to my neck and started sucking on the skin. I froze with shock at first, then a bit of pleasure as he began to suck and kiss harder on my neck. Something lower down….

Wait pleasure? Oh hell no. I snapped out of it and shoved him completely off the bed. "Sasuke!" I heard Naruto groan in pain with his sleepy voice as I stumbled to the bathroom, the next room in the small hallway, "What was that for?"

I couldn't even answer him as I slammed the door shut and examined myself in the mirror. Please god…...please god….there is no god. I wanted to smash my face in on the mirror. There was a hickey covering my neck now even though it didn't seem that it went on for that long.

I leaned against the wall, and covered my face with my hands. What can I do? I can wear a turtle neck? But I don't own any, or make up either of course. "Sasuke." Naruto called through the door, "What's wrong?"

That idiot, if he wasn't so retarded this would have never happened, in all my anger I stood up and swung open the door. Naruto's face turned pink as he examined me, "Is that…a hickey?"

"Yes you idiot!" I said, stepping closer, "I have a hickey and we have to go to a party where tons of people know me, and I have absolutely no way of covering it up!"

To my horror Naruto started to laugh madly, clutching his stomach as tears formed in his eyes, "It's just a hickey, it's not that big of a deal just say some girl you know did it."

"Naruto…" I growled, grabbing his shoulders, leaning my head down till my lips made contact with the small of his neck. Naruto tried to push me away, whining and moaning to my pleasure. I was winning and I loved it. I sank my teeth in to his skin and he yelped in pain shoving me completely off and into the doorframe. Damn, my shoulder.

"S…S…Sa…Sadist!" Naruto stuttered, his face a bright red, one hand covering his neck, "Wha…what was that for?"

"Revenge." I answered, oh this feeling, what was it? Victory? I love it. "Now we both have the same problem, not so easy to laugh not is it?"

Naruto pouted while I forced my brain to think of options, unfortunately there was only one solution I could possibly come up with. Without saying a word I walked out of the apartment and knocked on the neighbors….Itachi's… door while covering my neck with my hand, wondering if he would really be up at 10 in the morning. I….hate…this….so much, but Itachi is in a band, and in his band they wear makeup, so naturally he might be able to help right?

Itachi opened the door with a bright smirk on his face, asshole. "What is it?"

"I….I need…." Shit, I can't say it.

"Does it start with an H or a C?" Itachi asked, leaning into the door frame. I clutched my free fist in anger.

"H." I replied through gritted teeth.

"Do you need help or handling?" Itachi asked again, this guy is so annoying, what the hell is handling even supposed to mean?

"I need help damn it!" I yelled, shaking my fist at him while keeping my hand steady on my neck.

"That wasn't so hard was it Sasuke?" Itachi said, his smirk growing wider. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him. Maybe I could kill him and then get what I needed.

"Shut-up. What was the C thing about anyway?" I said, shoving past him with one hand and stepping through the door way.

"Well, if you said C then I was going to ask you if you meant church or counseling, then I would ask you why and your only answer in the end would be help, same thing with handling only a little more talking would be involved." Itachi said matter-of-factly, while shutting the door and following me into the home some, "I just wanted to hear you say it."

I growled, about to open my mouth when someone started pounding on the door, who else but Naruto screaming, "HELP ITATCHI I CANT FIND SASUKE!"

Itachi through me a look before opening the door, standing so that I would be in clear view, "First off, Sasuke is right here. Second, my name is Itachi."

"Sorry" Naruto said quietly as he walked in the house and stood a little ways from me, it was then that it dawned on me that his hickey marks and the bite mark were in full view. I looked over at Itachi who was smirking at me again. Bastard.

"Well Sasuke, I've known you to be strange since you were little, but I never foresaw you being a Sadist." Itachi beamed at me, point to Naruto who blushed significantly while covering his neck.

"Shut-up!" I said, not even bothering to cover up my neck now, "Just help me figure this out!"

One trip to where ever Itachi buys his make-up, bundles of name calling fun, and a hundred mistakes later, the hickey's were covered with make-up. Itachi explained tons of other ways to help with the hickeys, but all of them were too time consuming.

So wearing make-up was our last shot.

The next two hours we rushed to eat and get ready for the party which starts at 1, so that means that of course we were going to be late.

Because Naruto is an idiot.

"Hurry up and get in the car, we're late!" I barked at him, he glared at me shoving the wrapped gift in the trunk, slamming the door shut extra loudly as he slid in the passenger seat.

"Well we wouldn't be running so late if somebody didn't spend so much time in the bathroom taking a shower and cooking breakfast instead of just having cereal." Naruto said, sending me a glare.

I growled back, "Oh shut up, you took just as long in the bathroom, we were out of milk, and you spent even more time getting dressed than I did in the kitchen and shower put together, especially with asking me all different kinds of things about your clothes. Does this look good Sasuke? Do you think Sakura will like my hair? BLAH BLAH BLAH, AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN YOUR CLOTHES! ITS ALL ORANGE! ORANGE! ORANGE NEVER LOOKS GOOD!"

Of course everyone in their fucking cars thinks it's fine to go just a few miles below the speed limit right now, only making me feel ten times more annoyed than usual when Naruto growled right back, "YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO COOK ANYTHING! I COULD HAVE HAD SOME FUCKING TOAST AND I WOULD BE ON CLOUD NINE RIGHT NOW! AND ORANGE IS A FUCKING BEAUTIFUL COLOR EMO BOY!"

"OH CLOUD NINE! WHAT A FUCKING ADVANCED WAY OF SAYING HAPPY NARUTO! I'M SO FUCKING SURPRISED. GOD DAMN IT I WILL NOT BE LIKE KAKASHI! MOVE YOUR ASS PEOPLE!" I honked my horn a few times, taking a deep breath and cutting off Naruto before he can say anything, "Orange is a horrible color, and I am not emo."

"Stop talking like I'm stupid I'm not stupid." Naruto said, crossing his arms and leaning back in the seat. I honked my horn again, this is just so frustrating.

"Yeah you're right, you're just an idiot." I replied curtly, there was a silence that filled the area it was the type of silence that happens when everyone is thinking to deeply to speak. I clutched the steering wheel, guilt eating away at the pit of my stomach, only growing when I looked to the side to see Naruto facing the other direction, staring out his window as his shoulders quivered slightly.

I wasn't even mad at him, what did I do?

It's a good thing that Naruto gave me the directions yesterday, a conversation right now doesn't seem like the best thing. I was trapped in one of those hesitating moments when you know you should apologize but the words just won't come out. Ugh, it's so stupid.

We parked along the side of the sidewalk at Shikamaru's house because the driveway was full, I sighed into my seat peeking over at Naruto, he was still looking out the window but his shoulders weren't shaking anymore. Tapping the steering wheel one finger at a time I opened my mouth to say something, but then Naruto got out of the car slamming the door behind him.

Sakura had come out of the house; Naruto greeted her warmly with a fake smile plastered on his face as he pulled her into a hug but she bonked him on the head and called him an idiot. I clutched the steering wheel, gritting my teeth before I got out of the car and focused on getting the gift out. Naruto really likes Sakura, so why is she always so mean? I don't like it.

Sakura approached me, a smile on her face but I ignored her and carried the gift inside.

The moment I walked through the door Ino ambushed me from the living room, throwing her arms around my neck from behind. I couldn't pull away without dropping the gift, so I just kept walking as I dragged her along. I could hear voices in the back of the house.

The house itself was nice enough, two story with a dining room and apparently two living room areas. I walked into living room number two; gifts were stationed on the center coffee table. Kiba, the guy I recognized to be Neji, some chick with her hair tied into buns and that one guy who was nagging Shikamaru about skipping PE awhile back were sitting on one couch. Across the way on another couch sat Choji, Shikamaru, and Hinata. In an arm chair next to that couch sat Shino fiddling with a nicely wrapped present.

"Well look who's here?" Shikamaru said, "It's alright that your late, we are all still trying to figure out what it is we want to do. I was supposed to plan the party, but I didn't see a reason to not let everyone decide randomly."

"Hn." I replied leaning against the wall closest to me, Ino let go and stood beside me; I really don't feel up to forming sentences at the moment. Everyone went back to talking about what we were going to do.

"Let's go to an amusement park!"

"How about we go out to eat?"

"We could go to the movies?"

""Let's go swimming!"

"I really don't care what we do, but I am not going to be stuck in a movie theater watching something stupid." Thank god Neji.

"I think we should just have Shikamaru pick." Ino said, "But he's so boring he would just say to stay here."

All of a sudden I feel like a loser sitting here in a living room listening to arguing over a stupid party, but finally Choji offered another option besides food, "What about Juogo's, Shikamaru likes that?"

"Yeah!" echoed around the room, everyone buzzed with excitement. Shikamaru laughed, "Yeah we were already going to go there, I got a discount from Kakashi because I go there with all of you so much. I just need a way that wasn't troublesome to keep you guys busy until Temari and Gaara could get here with our transportation."

"Oh you're an asshole." Kiba said, but Shikamaru's mom had just walked into the room sending a glare in his direction. "I….I…I'm really sorry Mrs. Nara….please don't call my mother."

"Shikamaru, Temari called and said she was almost here." Mrs. Nara said, crossing her arms and sending Shikamaru a threatening glare, "No drinking, no drugs, no sex, and no cursing."

"Sorry Kiba you have to leave." Shikamaru said, a smile plastered on his face letting us all know he was joking, everyone, well mostly everyone, laughed and Kiba grinned back, shaking his head.

"Shikamaru…." Mrs. Nara said with a warning tone.

"Yeah-Yeah I get it." Shikamaru said, "No sex, drugs or alcohol."

"Cursing?" She further warned,

Shikamaru shrugged and said, "Not making any promises mom, you never really know what's going to happen when this group gets together."

"You are lucky it's your birthday." Mrs. Nara said, shaking a finger at him, "and sharpen your manners, I will have Kakashi spying."

"Yes mom." Shikamaru said, as she exited the room, Shikamaru leaned in toward Choji and said, "Tomorrow is going to be hell for me, but somehow I really don't care. She's so mad."

Just then Naruto entered the room, "Gaara's here come on let's go!"

"Wait, are we taking the gifts? What's going on?" Said Hinata, I could barely here her as everyone began to file out of the house.

"Nah, we'll come back and I'll open them then." Shikamaru said, "Kakashi didn't want our cars everywhere, so he said for us just to rent two vans that seat six each. Temari did that for me, well Gaara to, and now she is on her way to pick us up."

"Oh." Hinata said, following the crowd, I hung back for a while not wanting to mix with the crowd. Naruto is going to avoid me the whole time, and the girls are going to hang all over me. It's so annoying. Why did I even come again?

Oh that's right for Naruto.

"Are you coming Sasuke?" Shikamaru said, I didn't even realize I had spaced out, "Distracted?"

It was a rhetorical question, but I answered with a "Hn.", and followed everyone out of the door way. It's such a long day already.

I ended up in a car with Naruto, just because he want to be with Sakura and Sakura wanted to be with me, then Ino wanted to be with me as well and Choji followed Shikamaru, because Shikamaru's girlfriend was driving. It was actually very irritating to be squished in between the two girls in the very back, with Naruto directly in from of me with Choji on his left and Lee on his right. Naruto glared at me with every glance he made in the back, but it was no problem for him to talk animatedly with Lee. It was slightly pissing me off to be honest. I know I did an asshole thing. I am an asshole, I suck ass. Yeah, I get it! But at the same time I would rather you not pretend like I don't exist while at the same time acknowledge my presence, Naruto.

I wish that I didn't exist because it would have made the whole ride way more pleasant. But instead I do exist, so that means girls get to pull on my arms if they want to. Or force me into doing things I don't want to in general. I was so damn pissed by the time I got out of the vehicle I could swear I was shaking. "Hey, why don't you and Sakura do me a favor Ino, and back off Sasuke for a night? He looks like he's going to explode."

I think that the girls took that in a different way as they giggled madly, rushing ahead of me so that I would no longer be bothered. "Thanks." I mumbled to Shikamaru, Naruto shoved past me talking with Lee about some game, Choji went to go stand with Shikamaru.

Shikamaru's eyebrow lifted, and I had to force myself not to look in Naruto's direction, "Hey, this isn't really any of my business, but are you and Naruto fighting or something? I mean you guys are usually attached at the hip what happened?"

I shook my head, wanting to come up with a good sarcastic answer but failing in my own misery, this is enough. I've had enough. ""I want to go home now."

"Well...you never know how things are going to turn out, especially with this crowd. Just stick around; maybe it'll work out for the best." It was a nice offer, so I didn't bombard him with a rude comment, and just followed the others in the building. Kakashi was there, but he was watching me intently instead of doing that stupid face he does when he is enjoying something of a private joke. Now it looks like I finally know something he doesn't, that I'm screwed.

Kiba also seemed to notice the behavior and tried to show some sort of comfort by buying me a game, it was a stupid fighting game and I heard Naruto say somewhere behind me "I am the best at that game! I even have the highest score!"

I couldn't help it, I had to have some sort of contact even if it was negative, and I've gotten to the point where I can't stand the silence without him, it's pathetic "Then I can defiantly beat it."

"Like hell you can!" Naruto said, stepping up and shoving a token in the slot, he glared at me and I glared right back.

I beat him in the first round, but he took me out the second, we were in our last round throwing insults at each other, "You're cheating asshole!" Naruto said trying to shove my hands away from the controller.

"If anyone is cheating it's you Dobe." I said shoving his hands away as my fingers danced with the controls, my person jumped through the air and landed a kick on Naruto's characters face sending the dumb cartoonish figure into a KO. I won.

But there was a problem; Naruto could have dodged it like he did before. "Why didn't you block?"

"Sasuke." Naruto said quietly, his blue eyes shone brightly in the mist of the colorful lights blaring all around as I looked into them, I felt myself become smaller somehow. In that moment, I just wasn't completely myself as I knew me, I was someone else.

"Yeah." I answered, ignoring the games pleas for more coins, and the chaotic sound of Choji playing ping ball across the way.

"In the car earlier…" Naruto trailed off, scratching the back of his head, but before he could continue, I interrupted him.

"You're a fool." I said my voice surging with sudden confidence, "and I am a rude idiot. We make a good pair right?" Naruto cracked a smile, but I felt out of place admitting that so freely. I will pay him back later with a good smack or something.

"You forgot asshole, you're also that to." Naruto said laughing harder, it was fair to say that I guess, but he's still an idiot.

A few girls from school pointed me out, giggling, I could hear them behind my back, panicking I grabbed Naruto's shoulder and whispered, "Help, the girls, I need to get away."

Naruto looked past my shoulder, I could hear heels clacking, whispers beneath the swarming noises of the machines as people took victories and walked away from loses, "Come on!" I grabbed his wrist and lead him through a small crowd, searching for anyone nearby that we know. Suddenly Kiba's head peaked out from somewhere up ahead he waved us over and I pushed forward; this place was much bigger when you really entered the arcade area.

I let go of Naruto's wrist as we got closer to Kiba who beckoned us into an enclosed room that I had never noticed before, granted I've only ever been in the restaurant area in the front door. In the room, everyone was sitting at a round table playing cards and laughing; Naruto and I were last again.

Apparently this room is specifically for Shikamaru's party, I wouldn't know. I haven't been to a birthday party since I was eight.

Naruto and I took a seat at the end of table, Shikamaru at my side with his girlfriend and Choji sat with Naruto who sat across from me. At least we were talking now, and sadly it was thanks to Kiba. Speaking of Kiba, he was rather enthusiastic howling as he began standing on the end of the table, throwing his arms wide open he said to us all, "Who wants a beer? Liquor? Wine cooler? No Lee put your hands down remember last year."

Wow, they are really going to drink but I have a feeling it's not something they do often. "Oi! Forgetting something?" Shikamaru said beside me, Kiba smirked back reaching into his coat and pulling out a huge box of cigarettes. I'm learning a lot today.

"Sasuke there are rules to this, Shikamaru himself came up with them." Kiba said as he reached into a cooler nearby throwing Ino a wine cooler which she surprisingly caught with ease. "Rule one, no getting drunk unless its New Year's because going home drunk in the middle of the day with mothers like ours would be stupid. Rule two; we don't talk about it outside of this room. Rule three, I don't do drugs. But I do condoms when some of us or desperate, alcohol, and cigarettes on occasion and I only ever get these things for birthdays, holidays, and break-ups. Rule four, you get caught no ratting out anyone. Rule five…..well I don't know, I really don't remember they are written down somewhere at Naruto's house. Anyway you get the point right?"

"Yeah." I replied, it seemed pretty simple and at least the rules made some sense. Still, I never thought that Naruto and his friends did this kind of stuff, even if It is every once in a while. I looked over at Naruto, who surprisingly didn't order anything from Kiba. "You're not getting anything?"

"No, I don't do that." Naruto said shaking his head, "The most I ever drink is a soda or two."

Then I won't be the only guy around not drinking, that's good, "So what are we going to do in here?"

"We could play cards, or we could go back to the arcade. It really doesn't matter." Naruto said smiling widely, "but I really want to play at least one game of cards."

"Fine, but you know you're not going to win any of them right?" I replied, knowing full well that Naruto has the worst luck when it comes to games most of the time.

"Wow, a little harsh Sasuke." Kiba said, standing behind Naruto, "Can't you be a little nicer?"

"It's not his fault; did you know that Sasuke is a sadist?" Naruto said laughing, idiot.

"I AM NOT A SADIST DAMN IT" I replied, pounding the table.

"You're a sadist." Kiba said, nodding his head as if to confirm Naruto's statement, other people around the table did the same, even Gaara. I will kill him but in cards, not with an axe in the conventional methods.

So that's what we did, we played cards, mostly everyone indulged in at least on drink but no more than that, and everything was going just fine again. Until Kiba, who at the time was leaning over watching everyone's cards with interest, tipped his beer bottle a little too much and poured its contents all over the top of Naruto's head, it dripped from his cheeks to his neck and I foresaw the worst.

I mean anyone could guess.

Without thinking, Naruto accepted a few napkins from Choji and proceeded to wipe away at his face….and neck. I had to close my eyes and squeeze my mouth together to keep myself from saying something I shouldn't.

"What! Naruto is that what I think it is!" Ino gasped pointing so that everyone noticed.

"Did someone try to eat you?"

"Was it Sai?"

"Was it even a girl?"

Naruto tried desperately to cover up his neck and deny everyone, blushing like crazy. Gaara spoke up surprisingly enough, "Who was it?"

"I…." Naruto mumbled, looking around the entire table, pausing only to stare at me. "Umm…"

"Well we know one thing it wasn't a girl, otherwise you would be bragging, not covering it up." Shikamaru said, clearly interested, he sent a glance toward me and I stared right back. Don't tell me… he couldn't have.

"Well…it was….I…" It's no good Naruto is beginning to falter.

"I did it." I said, Ino and Sakura let out horrified noises, and all eyes were focused on me, "I did it in my sleep, that's why he thinks I'm a sadist, because I tried to eat him this morning."

"You owe me 10 bucks, Shikamaru. You to Shino and Hinata. Gaara?" Kiba said, smiling wide at Shikamaru who sent me a glance before reaching for his wallet. I bet he already knows the whole damn truth, but more specifically I wondered what they had betted on exactly.

Everyone busted out laughing, and sending teases my way, except Ino and Sakura who were strangely silent on the matter. Naruto sent me a look that said "thank you" but I didn't reply. I just looked away. The rest of the party went by pretty quickly, and before long we were exiting the place. That's when I had the most fun.

On the way out, to have Naruto make it up to me for earlier I satisfied my ego by tripping him. It was the highlight of my entire day.

I beginning to think I really might be a sadist.