Disclaimer:I don't own Naruto. Seriously, people. I don't.

Okaaay. End of our two lovebird's first week! They finally get to enjoy their first weekend, two blissful days of peace before Kakashi gets his hands one them once more... Basically, this is a transition chapter. I thought I'd delete it, but it's important to the plot, so...Sigh. Enjoy it, try to review...

For the first time since we had arrived here, I was woken from a deep slumber by Sasuke's cell-phone alarm. I groaned, turning away from the sound and wishing myself back to the hazy world of dreams. But my brain switched to its awaken mode, and I grudgingly lifted my eyelids.

As usual, I was in the teme's bed. But for once, I wasn't alone. Apparently unaware that I was awake, Sasuke straightened, groaned, and leaned over me to grab the source of the alarm. His chest brushed against my shoulder slightly, and it took all of my will not to flatten myself on the mattress -thus revealing my conscious state- and flush into various shades of red.

Only when Sasuke carefully lifted my head did I realize I had been using his arm as a pillow. And since my foggy mind was unable to answer the first of the many questions I was asking myself, I rose brutally and scattered away o the opposite side of the bed.

"What the hell is going on?" I cried, cheeks flaring when I realized the teme was...Well, okay, he wasn't naked. But I could barely see his boxers from where I was; the sheets covered most of his waist, and the only thing that poked out from beneath them (aside from his upper body) was three-quarters of his left leg, all of it bare.

"Don't you remember?" he asked dryly, rubbing his eyes. Then he looked up and smirked. "I told you you were schizophrenic."

"Teme!" I vainly tried to retrieve the missing information from my brain. "Tell me what happened!"

"I can't," he replied. More quietly, he added, "I didn't dream."

And then the memories came back. Of course. For some reason, the teme had left me enough space to let me sit on his bed instead of his armchair. So naturally I had installed myself there, and he'd felt me sit next to him. His hand had blindly reached for mine, like every other night, and I had allowed myself to lean back and relax.

Despite the fact that I was a light sleeper, he hadn't woken me at all. Which meant his nightmares had stopped.

"It's the first time this happened, right?"

There was a slight frown on his face when he nodded. "I almost slept normally," he remarked, mostly to himself.

"Do they always happen?" I asked, mostly curious. "The nightmares, I mean." I had only witnessed them when I had invited him over, which had been, needless to say, rare occasions. But after one week of consecutive thrashing, I was beginning to wonder if this was more than a hazardous strike.

He looked away. "Only when I'm not at home."

I frowned. "But how do you do when no one's around?"

He didn't answer. Perhaps he knew he didn't need to. Because, deep down, I didn't need him to.

Something in my chest tightened painfully. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" I asked weakly. "What about Itachi? Does he know?"

He shook his head, and got to his feet, rummaging through the drawers in order to find some clothes. "It's my business."

For the first time in all of our discussions, I was speechless. There was no way I could find a word strong enough to describe how much of an idiot I thought he was.

"Put some clothes on," he ordered me carelessly. "You haven't exercised in the entire week. Keep this up and they won't want you back on the team once we return."

He was good at distracting me. Alarmed, I had immediately retreated to my own rooms to put on something I could run with. By the time I was dressed, the teme looked as fresh as he did during a normal day, and I took it as a signal not to pursue the uncomfortable subject.

We reached the track several minutes later, and Sasuke checked his watch. "Three hours should do," he remarked. "Let's go."

We took off effortlessly, running in a much slower fashion than we'd done on the first day.

"You ran during the week?" I inquired after a while.

"Yes, dobe," Sasuke replied, speaking as though he were speaking to a very slow child. "It's called staying in shape." Before I could reply, he accelerated, and ran ahead of me. I didn't follow, knowing he was enjoying speed before his legs started complaining. I'd catch up eventually.

Dust blew around our feet as we stepped onto it, and our footsteps resonated against the studio's walls, making up the only sound of the area. We ran, and I soon lost track of how long we'd gone, or how much was left. Adrenaline eventually flooded my veins, easing my previously aching muscles. It was one of those times where the world just stopped turning, where all of my thoughts vanished and I fell into complete oblivion while my legs worked.

I didn't need to think. The air whipped my face harshly at times, and I focused solely on the wind hitting my face, the sound of our footsteps, and the sight of the teme running silently ahead. I could also smell the nearby pines that surrounded part of the track, and let the scent fill my nostrils. My mind was empty. I didn't think. I felt.

Finally Sasuke slowed. I had caught up with him at some point, although I could never remember when. To me, this was different than waking up from a dream. I blinked, and suddenly realized we had an audience.

"What are you doing here?" I nearly yelled at Sai, who stood exactly where he'd been on our first encounter.

"It's good to see you on the track again," he remarked, ignoring my question. "You're never quite so breathtaking as when you run. Your eyes are marvelous."

I felt blood rush to my cheeks as he smiled, but I suddenly remembered Sasuke's advice. "I'm straight," I told the guy. "I'm not interested in guys."

He kept smiling. "I don't believe 'Kit' is, though. I'm glad you kept the nickname."

My flush only deepened, when a low voice suddenly growled, "Kit's in love with me. He's not on the market."

I turned, slightly surprised to hear Raven's voice, and so angry to boot. Of course he'd switched to possessive bastard mode, but that in itself was unusual. Put shortly, he never, ever pulled an act when we weren't onstage or completely alone.

Sai, however, didn't seem too surprised. "My bad, then," he replied with another smile. "Shall we get going, then? Otherwise Kit won't have time to shower before he eats."

My wrist was abruptly seized and tugged, and I followed a wordless Raven back to the hotel, trying my best to ignore the other man, whose eyes did not leave me until we vanished from his view.

* * *

"I won't be eating with you," Sasuke announced when I stepped out of the bathroom, clean and almost dry. "I have" -he paused, hesitating slightly- "an interview."

Just as he expected, I crackled with laughter. "You? You mean you actually know how to interact with people? Man, I've got to see this."

"You won't. They don't want anyone who isn't participating. Meaning that even if I ask, and be sure that I won't, they'll keep you locked out."

"But teme..." I pouted, then realized something. "You mean I'm eating by myself?" Oh, yeah. My brain was definitely slowing down these days.

He sighed, hitting my head lightly. "Dobe, it's only two hours." Looking at me, he paused, then reluctantly added, "Ask Sai. I'm sure he'll be glad to eat with you."

"But-"

"I'd rather have you eat with him than eat alone," he snapped, suddenly angry. "The second option will render you useless for the rest of the day."

God, how did he know that? How was he aware of the fact that my stomach twisted in anguish at the simple thought of eating by myself? I had been alone during my childhood. Despite my loving parents, something had kept me from building any kind of relationship before I entered middle school, and met Sasuke. It had turned out to be the greatest rivalry any of our peers had ever witnessed. Only when we'd realized we were off to different high school did we notice we were going to miss each other. On the following year, the teme had returned, and against all odds a friendship had formed.

Looking at him, I finally shrugged my acceptance, and he walked out without a word. Before I could call after him he had vanished.

"You know, you'll get cramps if you keep your mouth open like that."

I jumped, startled, and turned. Sai was standing under the connecting door's arch.

"What are you doing here?" Why did I always ask the same things to people? It was getting redundant.

"Uchiha called me while you were washing. The discussion you just had was only meant to dress things up." Sai smiled at my outrageous expression. "He's angrier than you," he then remarked. "Angry to leave you with me."

There was no denying the matter. "He can get like that," I admitted. "So keep your hands to yourself."

To my surprise, I saw that he was taking my advice seriously. "I got the hint," Sai assured me. "Your boyfriend doesn't want to see us too close" -I opened my mouth- "And apparently you don't want either, so" -he clapped his hands together- "I hope we can still get along."

Sighing, I shrugged, then finally smiled. The guy was weird. Admit it, move on. I extended my hand. "So do I."

* * *

I soon learned that once you got past his strange behavior, Sai was one interesting dude. He was in medical school, learning psychology, more specifically, and painted in his free time. His work as a model was occasional, done more to please than to actually make a living out of it.

"So your relationship with Sasuke began with a fight?" he asked as I finished telling him how I had met the teme.

"A kiss, actually." Somehow, it was impossible to feel embarrassed. "It was an accident, and the fight we had afterward proved neither of us appreciated it."

"When did you realize you liked him?"

"Don't say it like that," I protested. "I'm not in love with him or anything."

"I saw the pictures they took," Sai replied smoothly. "You looked in love."

"That was Kit," I said patiently. "Ever heard of acting? I've taken theater courses, for Pete's sake."

"You're good."

I waved the compliment away. "I've trained. There was a time where I couldn't keep myself from laughing during the play. But I worked hard, and it paid off. Like you with painting, I suppose."

"I'm not that good," he immediately said. "What I do is very classic."

I gave him a playful shove. "Stop fishing for compliments, I'm not giving them. Why don't you let me see for myself? Do you have some here?"

He nodded. "I take them with me wherever I go. But we don't have time now for you to appreciate them fully." He checked his watch. "Your friend will be here in ten minutes, and I have to leave this afternoon." He smiled. "The weekend's the only time I have to visit my living family."

"You shouldn't miss it, then," I replied with a grin. "The teme said we'd go back on the second weekend to see ours. So right now I'm stuck here."

"With Sasuke," Sai reminded me. Thoughtful, he added, "Next Friday we're getting the afternoon -that is, the whole day for you- off. You could come then."

I frowned. "How come?"

"Hatake's taking us to Paris. He should announce it on Monday, and he'll allow us to leave earlier to say goodbye to our families and friends. Though next week I'll be staying here."

"We're going to Paris?" I had almost yelled. Sai winced, and nodded. "The last two weeks are devoted to themed pictures. The French capital is one of Hatake's first choices. That, and the fact that he has to attend to a mundane party, where some of his most important associates will be. He can't miss it, and he can't miss us. So we're coming with him."

"And he only gives us a week's notice?"

Sai shrugged. "It won't change much, except for the scenery and language. The schedules remain unmodified."

I gave him an odd look. "How do you know all this?" I finally asked.

He smiled sweetly. "I listen."

Yeah, so sorry about that. So next chapter's going to be a lot more fun (I promise) for you, my dear readers, as well as our protagonists, and myself (can you hear my evil crackling?). Do you all feel ready for week number two? And whatever lays waiting for them once they cross the Altantic? Muahahahaha...I can't wait.

Reviewz! I live for them! (That, and cookies and chocolate)...