AN: Yo!

Readers: YOU'RE LATE!

AN: Ahhaha… -sheepish grin- You see, I got lost on the road of life…

Readers: LIAR!

AN: I'm sorry for that lame opening! I just HAD to do that. –blinks- Okay… Never mind.

Anyway, thank you for the reviews! I got quite a few people dissing Sasuke and rooting for Neji and stuff. But, HA! I am a sucker for bittersweet endings, so Naruto won't be running off and seeking solace in Neji's arms anytime soon. Yeah, but don't worry Sasuke-haters, he'll get a thorough ass-whooping courtesy of our favorite Hyuuga: Neji! Yay! This is a idea from MissNaye. Thanks for the idea! Oh Gods, an action scene… I'm scared…

Disclaimer: No, Santa didn't get Naruto for me for Christmas. –sulk- I am a good girl this year! Well, apart from reading and watching yaoi… You think, Santa's holding that against me? Nah. Santa's just misplaced my Christmas list that's all, un!

-

Never Ever

Sasuke walked towards the huge front gates of Konoha, the moonlight illuminating his figure. Nostalgia, he snorted wryly, this scene is exactly like the one in the past 3 years, when he left Konoha to seek power from the snake-sennin. Except this time Sakura was not there seeing him off.

Foolish girl tried to stop me from leaving, when she failed, she wanted me to bring her along. Pleaded, begged even.

Strangely enough, the other day, the dobe declared to Sasuke that he was going to help him kill Itachi.

"Itachi's part of Akatsuki. They'll be coming for me, so why not attack when they least expect it? They would expect me to hide, or maybe run away to a remote place where they will have difficulties finding me. The last thing they would expect me to do is to look for them. So, when the time comes, I'll be going with you. And you got no say in this. None at all, 'cause I'm doing this for myself, see? I'm definitely not doing this to help you avenge your brother. You can't stop me from tagging along either, I'm coming with you and I don't give a rat's ass whether you like it or not. "

Sasuke initially felt gratitude and another strange warm feeling emerging in his chest. Then he squashed it down, deep into his mental abyss. He didn't need to feel like that. Any feeling he felt that was not hatred or the likes, should be suppressed and thrown away. To succeed in killing his brother, he must only have extreme hatred, nothing else. Other feelings will only serve to distract him. He needs to get rid of distractions. Naruto was the biggest one.

"Hn, don't flatter yourself dobe. You will only get in my way. Besides, only I can kill Itachi, no one else. I will face Itachi alone and I will not return until I have his head in my hands."

Sasuke is an avenger. He was born to avenge the massacre of his clan. He lives to kill Itachi. Nothing else mattered. Anyone standing in his way will be decimated as well. That is all.

As he reached the gates, he sensed something moving, sure enough, a kunai was thrown powerfully towards his throat. If not for his fast reflexes, he would have been impaled through the throat, with the metal sticking out on the other side, gauging by the chakra covering the kunai.

Looks like someone did come to see me off after all.

A figure appeared, a baritone barely suppressing his fury barked out, "Where do you think you are going in the dead of the night, Uchiha?"

The Hyuuga's white eyes are flashing with ire and under the moonlight's ghostly touch, appeared even more threatening. Not that Sasuke was affected, he wasn't looking particularly friendly either. He knew how his own eyes looked like: cold hard obsidian depths, eerily empty and freezing. He idly wondered why the Hyuuga was behaving so out of character. He was usually calm and stoic. Why would Hyuuga be so angry over Sasuke being a missing-nin? Hyuuga should be relieved, overjoyed even. Hyuuga always disliked him and with him out of the picture, Hyuuga would have no difficulty wooing the dobe…

The dobe… This was something to do with the dobe.

"Get out of my way, Hyuuga."

"Aren't you aware that I could alert the ANBU now? Your attempts to desert will be foiled."

"You could. But you won't. Not until you have done what you actually came here to do."

Sasuke saw the Hyuuga stiffening and knew that he has won the verbal spar.

The dobe makes people weak. He rendered the powerful Hyuuga to a pathetic lovesick fool.

"What did you say?" A harsh voice jolted him from his musings, "Naruto makes people stronger. It is you who is the fool for deriving that nonsensical theory."

Sasuke didn't realize he had spoken out loud.

"Dobe is a idiot who dreams of what he can never achieve. He is a burden and a distraction to me."

Sasuke noticed that his control over his feelings is slipping, his voice sound bitter and sullen. This is what he meant by Naruto being a distraction. The dobe was an obstacle, preventing him from reaching his goal. Only Naruto can dredge up unwanted feelings like that, making him waver from his vows for vengeance, making him actually dare to dream of what life could offer him if he did not extract his vengeance. That angered him. He hated losing control.

Kill Itachi! Kill Itachi! That is what you live for. This is the mantra you must imprint in your mind.

"The dobe is nothing. He offers a faraway dream of paradise, which he can never fulfill. Naruto is nothing, remember that Hyuuga."

"Like I would take advice from the likes of you!" Hyuuga roared, lunging his body forwards to attack.

So his control has finally snapped.

Sasuke dodged the hit meant for his tenkutsu, lifting his lips in a humorless smirk.

And he's being serious too. Using gentle fist with chakra. I have no time to fight. Hyuuga's foremost reason for approaching me was not to prevent me from deserting Konoha. He came here for a fight, probably to release his anger on me for mistreating Naruto. Whatever the outcome of the spar, the ANBU would be alerted. I have no chances of defeating or escaping from the ANBU, the best from Konoha's elites. I have to either kill Hyuuga or knock him out.

Sasuke's hands moved in rapid seals, Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu, and spat flames at the Hyuuga. The Hyuuga leaped, avoided the barrage of angry flames and landed gracefully on the ground.

The pair engaged in a deadly dance of death, each move poised to perfection, each strike carried out at the exact measured timing. Both were equally skilled, causing the spar to transit to a deadlock. As the spar dragged on, both of them grew wearier. The adrenaline present at the beginning of the spar faded off and their bodies felt the strain.

Eventually, both decided that enough was enough and brought up their strongest move to conclude the spar.

"You are in my field of Hakke! Hakke Hyaku Nijūhachi Shō!"

"Chidori!"

Time seem to slow to a standstill, both attacks were completed at the same time and it seemed that the outcome of the spar would depend on the power of their attacks.

The surreal moment ended when two tan hand clasped onto their arms, the attacks diverted to the forest.

Cornflower blue eyes glared at the pair, a whirlpool of emotions overrode each other, confusion, anger, disbelief, anxiety, fear.

Fear?

"What in the nine fucking hells are the both of you doing?" Naruto gashed out, his body trembling in anger.

There didn't seem to be a appropriate answer to that simple question. Both were thankfully sensible enough to remain silent at the raging blonde.

Naruto caught sight of the Sasuke's pack, woefully lying on the ground, contents spilled out. Army rations, a roll of bandages, soldier pills, spare clothings, the likes. Basic travel necessities for shinobi expecting long missions. Naruto's eyes narrowed. He knew that jounins normally take missions in pairs and Neji didn't had a pack with him. And that althought both of them had mutual dislike for the other, they would never compromise the status of the mission just to engage in petty quarrels. There was thus no mission. There was only another reason for Sasuke leaving Konoha: Itachi.

"So that's what happened. Should have guessed. Wondered why Neji didn't get the ANBU though."

Neji lowered his eyes, knowing that Naruto was right. First priority is to prevent Uchiha from deserting and commiting treason. His violent hostility against the Uchiha should not affect his duty as a shinobi of Konoha.

Naruto gave a humorless grin at Uchiha, extracting a summoning scroll from his pocket. He drew a line of blood across the kanji written on it. A small "poof" sound sounded, smoke slowly diminishing into the darkness.

Naruto was holding a travel pack of his own.

"Knew that you're gonna leave without me. So I always had this handy by my side in case you suddenly decide to bolt off by your lonesome self, Sasuke-teme."

Sasuke again felt the strange surging emotion in his chest and his lips twitching up to form a smile. He tried to subdue both, but only half succeeded. He felt the corner of his mouth quirking up to a smirk, a hint of the hot emotion burning his chest.

"Naruto, open your eyes! Uchiha never loved you. He never cared! Why are you doing this for him?"

Uchiha never loved you. He never cared! Why are you doing this for him?

Naruto's grin faltered, his impossibly blue eyes darkened.

Why indeed? I always did wonder. Why are you doing this, dobe?

A myriad of past events run by Naruto's eyes.

-

Squatting infront of Sasuke-teme, both trying to outglare him.

Loosing balance and met Sasuke's lips.

Our shocked reaction when our lips connected.

-

Competitons.

Be it physical spars, verbal spars, silent rivialry.

Heated and intense feelings instigated by the other.

-

Fear.

Can't move.

Attacks from enemy nin.

Sasuke-teme fights back, he's not afraid.

Why?

Kakashi-sensei kill enemy.

Sasuke-teme.

Annoying smirk.

Hey, are you hurt, scaredy-cat?

-

Kakashi-sensei trapped in water prision by Zabuza.

We won't run. Shinobi who betray their comrades are worse then trash.

Kage-bunshin. Lots.

Windmill Shuriken.

Throws to Sasuke-teme.

Sasuke-teme knows what I'm doing. Smirks.

Zabuza forced to release Kakashi-sensei.

Success.

-

"Why did you save me? Why!"

"I don't know. My body just moved."

That sickening dread when Sasuke closed his eyes.

NOOOOOOO!

-

The Chuunin Exams.

Forbidden forest.

Sasuke stricken with fear, handing the heaven scroll to the grass nin.

Anger. Lots.

Red charka.

Snake.

Hey, are you hurt, scaredy-cat?

-

Valley of the end.

Sasuke-teme.

Me.

Anger.

He said I am his best friend.

Told him he is my brother.

Red charka.

Fox boy.

Seals on Sasuke-teme.

Purple ugly bat thing.

Rasengan.

Chidori.

To the headband.

Not chest.

Never wanted to kill him.

But he...

Heart?

Pain.

Why Sasuke-teme?

Blackout.

-

Naruto shook his head and laughed softly. A small real smile on his face as he gazed at the two men.

Uchiha never loved you. He never cared! Why are you doing this for him?

"Do you even have to ask? Is the reason not clear enough? Aren't the both of you supposed to be geniuses? I will gladly do it over and over again 'cause I love you, Sasuke-teme. I can't help it. I can't stop loving you."

Two things cracked.

Neji's heart and Sasuke's resolute.

Neji was the first to react. In a swift motion, he pressed Naruto's tenkutsu, causing Naruto to be unconscious. His arms carrying Naruto as he fell.

Sasuke was standing there dumbfounded. Naruto's second blatant confession despite him already being painfully rejected the last time and Neji attacking Naruto was too much a shock to take in.

"He is merely unconscious, not that you would care."

Sasuke stiffened.

I do care.

"Go. Didn't you intend to desert the village? Go now. Get lost. Never come to Konoha again. Never seek out Naruto again."

Sasuke had a suspicious glint in his eyes, his body tensed, ready for any incoming attacks.

"What's the matter? I'll let you have a head start. The ANBU will come later. Make sure you don't get caught. Never come here again."

Sasuke growled. He understood what Hyuuga was trying to do. Trying to remove Sasuke from Naruto's sight and hopefully get Naruto to forget about him.

So why am I angry? What is this insurmountable rage I'm feeling right now?

"Aren't you leaving Uchiha? Do I need to get the ANBU for you to encourage you to leave?"

Logic flooded Sasuke's senses. That's right. Itachi came first. Itachi needed to be killed first. He didn't understand this strange feeling he felt for Naruto but whatever it is, killing Itachi was priority. Other things can wait. Itachi first.

Always first.

He etched the sight of the unconscious Naruto into his mind.

Messy blonde shoulder-length hair gleaming silver in the moonlight, half-lidded startlingly blue eyes staring into emptiness, three scars on each tanned skin, the overall wiry but strong body sprawled limply, parted pink lips…

Sasuke's body reacted before his mind caught up. His fingers were reaching towards those lips…

Only to be knocked away by Hyuuga's hand, the latter snarling at him.

Sasuke sneered back and disappeared into the dark forest.

Neji held Naruto protectively close to his chest, and breathed in Naruto's scent. He kissed the blonde gently, pale fingers trailing the marks on his cheeks.

"Don't worry, Naruto. I'll make sure he'll never come back again."

He hugged Naruto harder and narrowed his pale eyes.

"Never ever."

-END-

Translation

Hakke Hyaku Nijūhachi Shō: Divination Field, Divine One Hundred-Twenty Eight Strikes

AN: Yes, I finally finished this monster! Over a period of four days… Man, writing Sasuke is hard. I find it easier to write Naruto. Sasuke is a bitch to deal with.

Sorry for the lame-ass fighting scene. How things don't make sense, like how the hell can Hakke Hyaku Nijūhachi Shō and chidori occur at the same time.

But it's appropriate how Sasuke would try to ignore his feelings for Naruto, aye? I love the scene where he trys to touch Naruto's lips and Neji snarls at him XD

Awww… Picture Neji hugging unconscious Naruto in the moonlight. So cute…

Anyway, the whole thing turned out quite sappy, huh? Damn. And it's supposed to be angst… Oh well. Reviews! Oh, did anyone notice that every chapter is named after the last dialogue of the main character for that chapter? Yes, it was done on purpose. Cool, huh? -starry eyed-

Shameless self-advertisement: Read my other fics! Domo!