So, my evilness has abandonned my concious mind (though hasn't retired entirely). Here is, for all of you, the much awaited new chapter. Note to my readers, I do not tolerate suicides caused by a failure from authors to update. You have been warned. Oh, and I promise, I won't do the cliffie-hangie-hanger thing again. But the last chapter might take time to come out (since I don't like it), so please be patient. And enjoy.

Disclaimer No, no, no, I do not own Naruto.

Message to Kursisutaru (your name's difficult to write ^^ ) since I don't have a reply URL: Thanks for all the reviews ! For the name Raven, I also know it from T.T., but I guess boys can take it as well right (In French, raven is a masculine word, so...)? I'm glad I've converted you to Rave/Kit (how many more of you are out there?), though I'm sorry to say they won't be the final couple...Oh, and I think the reason authors are being mean with Sasuke these days is because he's acting like a complete jerk in canon; Masashi Kishimoto is screwing up on this. Anyways, please enjoy!

Last Note Before You Read: I wanted to post this for Valentine's day. I think it fits.

For the Love of Friends

I didn't sleep. I remained slumped against the door the entire night, listening. I heard Sasuke's screams, heard him get up three additional times to throw up. I listened, cursing myself over and over. I hadn't been there to hear him the first time. Now he let me hear the rest. As a punishment I wholeheartedly agreed I deserved.

Morning dawned. I didn't move, and only when the clicking of Sasuke's lock sounded did I weakly get to my feet. He opened the door, allowing me to see the night's work. He was even paler now. Deep shadows lay beneath his eyes and his gaze was completely denied of heat. "I'm leaving," he said icily, and closed the door.

Morosely I went to get my bag, shoving in anything I could call mine. Suddenly my eyes fell on the box Sai had given me the previous evening. I hesitated. But after all, none of this was his fault. And he had worked hard to help me please Sasuke. Doubting the present would ever find its way into the right hands, I dropped it in my bag nonetheless. Just in case.

The journey home was the quietest thing I had ever done with the teme. Neither of us made a sound, and we didn't look at each other throughout the ride. When we finally arrived at my parents' house, he waited for me to climb out and shut the door, leaving as soon as I stepped away from the vehicle.

I slept most of the day. Partly because I was exhausted, partly because it was the only way I'd stop thinking. My parents left me alone once they realized I wasn't in any state to hold a decent conversation, but my friends didn't bother to wait. Ino and Sakura called, reminding me I still had to come to their party, and assuring me they'd already convinced Sasuke. I had been about to tell them I didn't give a damn when something in Sakura's voice told me she wasn't in her best state either.

"What happened?" I asked her. "Did Sasuke say something?"

"No, no," she replied honestly. "It's...complicated. I'd rather not talk about it on the phone." She paused."Could I come over?"

As much as I wanted to, I was too exhausted. "Sakura, if you want me to be in any state to listen, you'll have to wait tomorrow morning. Please," I begged, feeling my voice strain. "I'm not avoiding this, just-"

"Naruto, what's the matter?" Her voice lost all gloom, suddenly worried.

I swallowed, but figured that if I didn't tell someone soon, I would never be able to face myself in the mirror again. "It's Sasuke," I began quietly. I told her the events of the previous evening, though I didn't mention the teme's present.

"Was it bad?" Sakura asked once I was done.

"Yeah. And he's furious." It was hard to keep my voice under control. "Because I wasn't there. He was counting on me."

"He'll forgive you," Sakura said softly. "He'll see how bad you feel about it. We'll try to reason him tomorrow night," she promised. "Don't worry. You just have to apologize."

I nodded, unable to withhold a yawn. "I'll try. Call me in the morning?"

"Yeah." She laughed softly. "Get as much sleep as you can."

"You bet," I replied, yawning again, harder this time. "But feel free to wake me up, tomorrow."

Her chuckle was the last thing I heard before she hung up. I stared at my cellphone thoughtfully. I was back home. Here Kit didn't have his place, didn't even exist. Sasuke was just a friend and a rival. And I loved Sakura.

Somehow, it felt strange. After two weeks of playing gay, could I still love a girl? And why was I feeling sorry that Kit would be leaving for two days? He was fun, I had to admit. Different, and yet his character came naturally; perhaps it was because it did remain a lot like my own...I dove back into my pillows, with one last thought for the teme before I fell asleep.

* * *

People rarely call you at three a.m. to give you good news. But I made sure to make myself clear when I flipped my cellphone open. "You better have a fucking good reason to call else-"

"Sasuke's delirious." Itachi had never sounded so grave. "I've sent a car for you; it should be arriving any minute at your place."

I shot out of bed, not bothering to change as I raced out of my house, jumping into the car that awaited me on the driveway. "How is he?" I asked Itachi.

"Bad." The elder Uchiha's voice was tight. "He's hallucinating and I can't wake him. I've sent for a doctor."

"Why did you call me?" My logical side had just caught up.

"He's been asking for you," was the quiet reply.

* * *

I raced barefoot across the pavement that led to the Uchiha mansion. A butler waited for me at the door, and led me to Sasuke's room.

Screams reached my ears as soon as we stepped on the second floor. Sasuke was still on his bed, thrashing and shaking more violently than I had ever seen him. The lights were lit, his eyes wide open and terrified. Itachi stood next to him, along with several maids, all of them trying desperately to ease his panic. He answered to none, voicing something that took me several seconds to understand. My name.

I didn't hesitate. Rushing forward, I leaped onto the bed and caught his arms, forcing him up. He resisted, but I held him firmly, pressing his overheated body against my chest, my arms snaking around his back. "I'm here, Sasuke, it's over," I whispered, feeling his body tremble in my arms. "I'm right here. I'm not leaving anymore." I tightened my hold, praying with all my might he'd recognize me.

"Naruto?" His voice was hoarse, weak. Numbly his hands reached for my back, then my shoulders, eyes still blind.

" Don't speak," I ordered softly. "It's okay, now, I'm here. I'm right here. I won't leave. I promise." I choked out the last sentence, and hid my face in his neck to hide my tears. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm so fucking sorry..." My shoulders shook, but I did my best to cry silently, feeling Sasuke's hold tighten around my back.

Still, he didn't wake up, and eventually I made him lay back on the mattress, silently acknowledging the fact that worry was the only think keeping Itachi from besieging me with questions. Sasuke caught my hand, clutching it tightly, and I lay down next to him, wrapping my other arm around his waist to prove him I was still there. Sighing softly, he pressed my trapped hand against his chest, and fell back into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

"Dream catcher," Itachi repeated thoughtfully as I recounted the entire two weeks. I hadn't told him of Kit and Raven's offstage activities, knowing the teme wouldn't want his older sibling to know about this particular detail. Things were complicated enough. "You're telling me he's become dependent of you?"

The maids had left, shutting down most of the lights in the process, but Itachi had wanted to clear things up before we both went back to sleep. He sat beside the bed, observing me like he'd never really seen me before.

"I'm not sure," I told him. "I think this was more of a reaction to last night. But I'd rather sleep here again tomorrow to make sure it's just that."

Itachi gave a small laugh. "I'm not taking the risk either. Tonight was enough."

I nodded. "You scared me," I admitted.

"I did?" He sounded surprised. Then he sighed. "Well, I was beside myself. Sasuke's never done this at home before, and since he didn't think it useful to warn me he had nightmares..." He shook his head. "What an idiot."

"He's an Uchiha," I remarked, quoting what had been the teme's favorite sentence when we were still in middle school.

"Uchihas are idiots," Itachi growled. He then sighed, and added, "But don't worry." A smirk spread on his face, and his voice resumed its usual tone. "Hopefully you won't hear me speak like that again." He ruffled my hair, and looked at his sleeping sibling. "So have you two kissed yet?"

Instantly, I flushed. "What?"

"You'll wake him up," he remarked, still grinning. "From what you've told me, he seems pretty jealous of this Sai. And that little display you did five minutes ago has triggered my imagination" -my cheeks darkened even more- "so I've started to wonder." He paused, smirking, then added more seriously, "You say you were with Sai the entire evening?"

I nodded, and he shook his head, placing a pale hand on his brother's face.

"Sasuke..." he said, his voice sadly amused. "I wondered what he imagined you two did."

Just when I thought my face couldn't get redder. "We didn't do anything!"

"Nothing worth reprimanding, I admit. Although having one guy draw you nude isn't what I usually recommend when you're interested in another."

"The drawing was for him." Why did my mouth work on its own? Didn't it realize the considerable damage it made?

Itachi looked up. "And then you tell me you're not interested in my brother?"

"It had a...an artful purpose," I protested weakly. "Sai only draws nudes. He told me it was one of his best."

"Did you see it?"

I shook my head. "I'll let the teme look at it first."

The elder Uchiha smiled, and finally got to his feet. "You should get some sleep," he advised. "I'll call your parents in the morning to tell them you haven't run away or anything."

I nodded my thanks, and lay back against the mattress. As soon as I had settled, Sasuke inched towards my body, and I decided it wouldn't kill us to cuddle a little. After all, we'd wake up in some embarrassing position no matter what the original one was. And I had a feeling the teme needed the proximity just as much as I did.

* * *

I figured my cellphone was happy to be home. I mean, it had hardly stopped ringing ever since we'd arrived. I sprung up as soon as the melody rang inside the room, trying not to wake the teme as I lowered myself back on his chest and flipped the object open. I knew I had forgotten something.

"Sakura?" I asked quietly.

"Naruto, where are you? Your house is empty!"

"My parents are gone?" I asked, puzzled. "But it's Sunday!"

She sighed. "Your dad goes to his political meetings on Sundays," she reminded me. "And your mom had to visit mine. How come I know this and you don't?"

"Hey, I just woke up here. And I'm in no state to remember that kind of thing."

There was a pause. "Where are you?" Sakura asked again.

"At the teme's." I suddenly felt a slight shifting beneath me, and mentally cursed.

"What are you doing there?"

"Nightmares again," I supplied. "Scared his brother sick; they couldn't wake him" -I felt her cringe on the other side of the line- "But he's fine now."

"Thank God," she sighed. "Do you think he'll mind if we come over?"

"Of course not," I assured. Then frowned. "We?"

"Ino's with me." Sakura's voice had suddenly become a lot quieter. "I'll explain once we get there." With that, she hung up.

At the same moment, the teme decided to wake completely, and straightened, forcing me off him.

"What are you doing here?" And he didn't look too pleased to see me, either.

I gave him a blank look. "You don't remember?"

His eyes shadowed, and I guessed that he did, at least in part.

"I don't want to think about it."

"Itachi called me," I explained. When his frown deepened, I sighed, and got off the bed.

Instantly, his eyes snapped up at me. "Where are you going?"

I shrugged. "I thought you wanted me to leave."

"I didn't say that," he snapped.

"You don't look that happy to see me," I retorted.

He remained silent, and I turned back towards him. "I'm sorry for Friday night," I told him.

"I don't care about Friday night."

"We didn't do anything."

"That's not my problem."

"Sai's just a friend."

"Obviously." This time sarcasm was clear in the teme's voice.

I placed myself in front of him, making sure he could see that I felt hurt. "You don't believe me, do you?"

He looked up at me. "You're hard to believe."

I leaped at him. Weakened by the two previous nights, the teme was no match for me, and I pinned him down against the mattress. I observed his heated glare for several seconds, then leaned down and kissed him.

I knew he had already switched. It was Kit's boyfriend that felt betrayed, after all. And somehow Raven had slowly taken over the real Sasuke. He struggled a little, never one to willingly let me take the lead, then finally seemed to decide it didn't matter, and pulled me against his chest.

I made sure I bruised his lips hard enough to make my point before pulling up a little and glared at him.

"There isn't anyone but you," I growled angrily. "Can't you get that? There isn't, there never will be anyone else. Never. Do I have to rip my skin off again to prove it?" When he said nothing, I sighed and pushed myself off, heading towards the bathroom connected to his room.

A hand caught mine just before I reached the door. "Don't." Raven's voice was quiet as he trapped my waist with his arms. "Don't hurt yourself for me."

Perhaps things would have edged on to one of those accidental situations I had been fantasizing about. Perhaps Raven felt like he needed it, and perhaps I wasn't so different. But whatever might have happened was interrupted as the hall door opened, allowing Sakura and Ino to enter. Of course they froze, and I flushed nearly as hard as they, Kit shying away from the unknown gender.

Sasuke merely ignored the two girls and let go of me, heading to one of his drawers, from which he removed articles of clothing, and threw me half. Seeing a fresh pair of boxers was included, I hurried to the bathroom, showered quickly and changed, soon returning to my three silent friends.

Sasuke walked past me as I entered the room, whispering "It's you they want to talk to." before closing the door again.

The girls had barely moved. Both looked tired, and nervous. I promptly dropped myself on Sasuke's bed, beckoning them over. "There's enough room for the three of us," I assured, handing them an encouraging smile.

Hesitantly they joined me, and I frowned, silently waiting for them to settle.

"What happened to you?" I finally asked, realizing they'd need help to spit things out.

Ino was the first to talk. "You know it's the first time you both left?" she asked.

I shook my head, not seeing what she meant.

"When Sasuke left for his model jobs, you usually hung out with us," she explained.

I nodded slowly.

"So either he was here and we were both paying attention to him, either he wasn't, and we had fun with you."

I still had no idea of where this was going, so Sakura decided to help. "When neither of you were there, we had to stay with each other," she offered.

This time I gulped. Ino's and Sakura's relationship was, of course, very akin to the teme's and mine; a constant rivalry. And if no one had been there to stop them... "Was it bad?" I asked.

Sakura blinked. "No, not at all. Actually, it went a lot better than expected." She gave a small smile to Ino, and the blonde grinned back. I kept frowning, getting more puzzled by the minute. But instead of adding anything, they simply looked at each other, and under my widening eyes, Sakura's hand reached for Ino's, and the two girls intertwined their fingers in a manner that could not have been taken in any other way than what it meant.

I backed up. "Sakura, you-"

She sent me a pleading look. "We thought you would understand! After what you've been doing with Sasuke..."

That was so not the problem. I felt my voice choke as the next words came out. "But you- But I-" A wound that had never truly healed, because I had dared to hope, was now devouring me from the inside. This was it. The moment where I had to admit Sakura Haruno could never love me. Any guy, for that matter.

"Why is the dobe crying?" The bathroom door was open, and Sasuke's bored tone did not match the frown on his face.

"I'm not crying," I snapped at him.

"You look like you're about to." He approached the bed, and one quick glance at the locked hands was enough for him to deduce everything. "So you've finally come to your senses," he remarked, smirking slightly. I had yet to guess exactly what was so funny. But they smiled back at him.

"We decided to give up on you, seeing" -Sakura hesitated- "Seeing there was a risk you might like girls anymore after this. And we realized how we felt for each other."

"What about him?" he asked, jerking his head in my direction.

It was Sakura's turn to take a pained expression. "Naruto, I had already told you I only liked you as a friend. I'm sorry, but this is how I feel. Please understand."

I understood. But it still hurt like hell. I had loved Sakura since the first day I had met her, and every time she'd turned me down, some part of me kept believing I'd eventually manage to please her. And now things were definitely over.

"So that means I can keep him to myself, right?" A pale arm caught me into a headlock, and the two girls stared.

"He's joking," I supplied with a low growl. "Rave, get the hell out of the teme."

Ino sighed. "We were wondering if you had really fallen in love," she remarked, caressing her girlfriend's hand absentmindedly. "But you even got separate names for your characters, right?" She and Sakura smiled in unison.

I turned my head, hiding my eyes in the crook of Sasuke's elbow.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked, worried.

"I need a moment." I would not cry. I was not about to show weakness in front of two girls -one of which I had loved- and the teme. I felt my lips tighten to the point I thought they would bruise, but didn't make a single sound. At the same time, a cool hand reached for the side of my face and started playing with my earlobe.

"You didn't tell anyone else?" Sasuke asked, distracting them from me.

Ino must have shaken her head. "We wanted to tell some people at the party, but..."

"Your fanclub will be there," Sakura finished, making us both wince. Of course. Those girls weren't people, they were leeches. They sucked on every inch of Sasuke first, anything related to him second, and any information out of the ordinary third. So it wasn't entirely false to say Ino and Sakura had hit the jackpot (think of it this way; they were giving up on -and therefore betraying- Sasuke).

"What are you going to do?" the teme asked. "People will eventually become aware of this."

I slowly straightened, and Sasuke's arm slid down, staying loosely wrapped around my neck. "We'll help you avoid drawing attention at the party," I said quietly. "But if you want us to be there when you tell people, it's going to be tonight of two weeks from now."

Sakura nodded, and I noticed tears had formed in her eyes. She threw herself into my arms. "Naruto, I'm so sorry!" she cried, hugging me in an almost desperate manner.

"Don't be." My voice was light, and I forced myself to look at her straight into the eye. "Don't be sorry to be with someone you love. Don't ever regret the choices you've made."

"I didn't want to hurt you," she said softly.

"It's my fault. You warned me, and I didn't listen." I attempted a smile. "I'll get over it. Now hurry back to Ino before she gets jealous and murders me."

She gave me a watery chuckle and released me. I noticed that Sasuke still hadn't let go of me. So did Ino.

"You're really going out, are you?"

Using the question as a distraction from more painful thoughts, I laughed, and wrapped my arm around Sasuke's bare chest. "Isn't it obvious?" I asked, my voice merry. Then I became serious again, and let go of the teme. "Ino, it's just an act." I felt the arm slip off my shoulders as I spoke, and the blonde in front of me nodded. I turned to Sasuke. "You could get dressed, you know."

He had only bothered to pull on his jeans. The same low-waist pair he'd worn last Tuesday, for our Shirts-a-tossing session. Technically, he didn't look any different from that particular day; his hips were just as exposed.

What astounded me was the girls' complete lack of reaction; normally they would have squealed as soon as the teme had come into view, and yet now they merely eyed him appreciatively, with the same interest one would give a piece of art.

That gave me an idea. "Wear these tonight," I told him. "With an open shirt. The fanclub won't be able to take their eyes off you."

* * *

And the teme actually obeyed. He even let Ino and Sakura put some finishing touches -like the thin silver chain that now shimmered against his throat-, organize and announce his arrival.

And boy did it work. You'd have though an international star was coming from the commotion he created. Some girls actually fainted when he stepped out of his car, and I could only force myself not to roll my eyes as dozens of cellphones came out to take pictures. My low sigh was imitated by the teme. This was going to be a long night.

The only advantage I had on him was that I wasn't the center of attention. That meant I could talk to people without being constantly disrupted. My party companions were Kiba and Hinata, whom had also discovered their love for each other while the teme and I were away. I felt secretly relieved upon hearing the news, glad to see some people had decided to stay straight.

Trouble began around ten o'clock. Both Sasuke and I kept an eye on our two ladies as the evening went by, as well as the fanclub. Well, truthfully, the teme took care of the latter alone, since he did have a strategic proximity with the enemy, and we tried to make sure no one noticed that Sakura and Ino disappeared from time to time.

But at some point Sasuke extracted himself from his admirers' grasp and pulled me away from Kiba's jokes. "I've got five of them missing," he said quietly. "Do you know where the girls are?"

"They went outside a few minutes ago," I replied, heading towards the porch. The teme stopped me.

"Think before you act, idiot," he told me in a low voice. "If they've been spotted, what do you plan to do?"

I shrugged. "Butt in. I'll stop them." Unfamiliar female voices could be heard from the exterior. I made for the door again, but Sasuke was faster. He stepped on the threshold, and turned back to me after having glanced on both sides. He held the door for me, and I realized he'd only done so to speak without anyone noticing. "Slip into character," he whispered, and crushed his lips against mine.

The world froze. Literally. Absolute silence reigned, and I forced myself to focus on the kiss as the first fangirls came to their senses. Squeals immediately attacked our ears, and both cameras and cellphones were taken out, blinding us a split-second later.

Kisses couldn't take too long. Our manager had mentioned viewers getting bored after several seconds, so Raven drew back, and buried his face into my neck, whispering in a barely audible manner. "They're behind you. We need to give them time." His lips, of course, being conveniently hidden by the pale arms trapping my neck. I sighed my acceptance and immediately attacked his collarbone.

My move caused him to throw his head back, and I swear some of the girls were fainting all over again. It wasn't just any day Sasuke Uchiha indicated something felt good.

I was fairly certain everyone's attention was on us by now. Everyone save the two female individuals whose discreet gettaway we were permitting; something told me the teme would never have arched like that if he hadn't needed a clear view of what was going on behind me. A soft pressing on my back told me Ino and Sakura were gone. I drummed my fingers on his waist -my fingers had gotten past his shirt- telling him to wait. The girls needed time to reach someplace in which they could lock themselves up.

I pulled back once I deemed they were securely hidden, and forced a smile upon my lips. Sasuke looked at me with what could have easily been taken for lust, though personally I read 'now you get us out of this'.

I gave the teme a playful shove. "I told you we'd pull it!" My voice was normal. Wow. "They all have pictures to prove it, too!" Turning to the female audience as Sasuke only hn'ed, I asked, "So did you like it? Imported straight from Chidori Inc.!"

Most of the girls rushed forward. I avoided the live tsunami by stepping away from the teme, letting him deal with his side of the mess. And fell right onto Kiba, Hinata, Shikamaru and Neji. Shit.

"Impressive diversion," Shika remarked in his usual drawl. "And people don't believe me when I say women are troublesome."

Neji's quiet smile was as intimidating as always. "Nice acting," he remarked. "I see you haven't forgotten your old skills." Neji had been in the theater club with me. "Though how you managed to convince the Uchiha to play along, I wonder..."

"He's the one that started this," I snapped. "He wanted to draw attention away from-" I stopped, biting my lip.

"We'll wait for them to explain," Shika supplied, and the Hyuuga siblings nodded.

"What diversion?" I wasn't surprised that dog-breath hadn't been either aware or told about anything. Before any of us could answer, he caught my arm and dragged me away from the group, and out of the house.

He took me all the way down to the street, shoved me into his car, and climbed on the other side.

"What the hell just happened?" He was angrier than I'd ever seen him. His glare was hostile, as though he had just discovered my true nature.

"It's a long story," I sighed.

"A long story?" His voice cracked. "Naruto, I've known you since the beginning of high school, and ever since we've started hanging out together you've been chasing after skirts! What about Sakura?"

"Sakura doesn't love me," I grumbled.

"That never stopped you before."

"Except she liked Sasuke."

Kiba blinked. "And?"

"She doesn't anymore. Neither does Ino."

"Sorry dude, but I seriously doubt that. And even if it was the case, why would it matter?"

"Didn't you notice they weren't on the front line of the fanclub tonight?" I finally snapped. "Didn't you notice we barely saw them, even though they're the ones who threw this party? Who do you think we were distracting everyone from?"

Kiba blinked again, then put two and two together. "Sakura and Ino?" he asked, thunderstruck.

I nodded.

"But...But what about you?"

I made a silent motion of throwing something out the window. "It's over."

"Man, I'm sorry." Kiba leaned back on his seat. The news hurt him nearly as much as me; I'd told him everything about my undying passion for the pink-haired girl. He had supported me throughout the years, cheering me up and motivating me each time she turned me down, certain I'd win her heart someday. "And you're not alone, either."

I turned. "Huh?"

"There was Lee," he reminded me. "Who also loved Sakura. And-" he swore, making me jump. "What about Shika?"

I echoed him, realizing I had forgotten the lazy genius spent most of his time daydreaming about the blonde girl. He was hurting too, and I hadn't even noticed.

I started opening the door, but Kiba stopped me. "We're not done," he growled. "Shika can take care of himself; the last thing he'll want is pity."

I agreed to that, and warily returned to my previous position.

Kiba's words had trouble coming out. "Were you acting back there?" he finally asked.

"Did you listen?" I said, rolling my eyes. "I thought you had good ears."

"I heard what you said, and what Neji said. I still want an answer."

"Of course it was acting, dog-breath," I sighed angrily. "Do you think I enjoy kissing the teme?"

He turned away from me. "You looked like it," he replied, his voice quiet.

"It's just that I'm good." Inside, my stomach had twisted abruptly. "I kissed Ino last year too, remember? For Romeo and Juliet. And you see? No sequels."

"There are," Kiba denied, momentarily recovering his humor. "You definitely advised her against men." Then he was serious again. "You didn't touch her like that."

"We didn't do anything," I said carelessly.

Kiba glared. "Shit, Naruto, that wasn't nothing! Your hands were under his fucking shirt! You were playing with-" He shut up, unable to continue.

"It's part of what we learned," I stammered, knowing I was starting to blush. "We had to look...intimate, for some of the pictures."

"You've posed naked?"

I shook my head. "Itachi won't allow it."

"Would you?"

I hesitated a second too long, reason being I almost had. Sai's drawing was probable past the limits set by the elder Uchiha. Though he hadn't commented upon it. "Not...not with the teme," I finally said. "But I've been drawn."

Kiba stared, then finally shook his head. "That's your problem, then. But what did you do with Uchiha?"

My blush deepened. "Don't say it like that," I grumbled. "It sounds perverted."

"Perverted?" he repeated, incredulous. "You make out with that guy in front of everyone and I'm perverted?"

"I told you it was an act! We didn't mean it!"

"Maybe not this time," he said darkly. "Have you kissed him before? I'm sure they don't make you kiss like that onstage."

I glared at him. "That's none of your business."

"Really?" His voice dripped with sarcasm. "Since when do your love affairs not concern me? Did you ever hide anything from me before?"

I needed to kill that guy. "They are not love affairs!" I roared. "It's only an act!"

There was a pause. In the face of the sudden outburst, Kiba said nothing, and I waited, fuming, for his next verbal attack. When it didn't come, I decided to go on offense.

"What if I said I was?"

He blinked again. "What?"

"In love with the teme. What if I said I just realized I liked guys better, and didn't give a damn about people's opinion? What would you say?"

He stared at me, unable to answer.

I narrowed my eyes. "Are you homophobic?"

"Are you in love with him?" he shot back.

Dead end. Because the answers to both questions were both clear; of course dog-breath wasn't a homophobe. And of course I didn't love the teme. So why did I feel like there was a catch for both of us?

"It's just weird, considering you as gay," Kiba finally admitted, scratching his head. "I mean, it didn't look wrong back there. Just...unusual." He threw me an unsure look. "I mean, if you want to try guys, Uchiha's obviously your best choice; you two look great togethe-"

"You only saw us kiss once!" I protested. "How can you say that, all the girls were in the front; you can't have gotten a proper look!"

It was his turn to flush. "Hinata showed me some pictures," he admitted grudgingly. "They're not all horrible, from an artistical point of view."

"They're already published?" I asked, my voice strangled. "We finished two days ago!"

He shrugged. "Time's money." Then frowned. "You said I only saw you 'kiss once'?" he repeated slowly. "That means you've done it before?"

I became tomato red, and didn't have the courage to deny. Followed a very long pause.

Kiba finally sighed. "I'll get used to it," he said. "I'll admit you're not the worst couple on the planet. Complementary or whatever. So if that's the path you choose, then I'm right here to help. Just remember that I'm straight, and already taken." He gave me a sheepish grin. "Still buds then?"

I grinned and nodded, smacking his hand with mine, and followed him out of the car. We walked back to the crowded house, and just before we went back inside I realized something.

"It was hypothetical," I told the dog boy. "I never said I liked the teme."

He grinned back at me. "Perhaps," he said with a shrug. "But you took your time before remembering to deny it."

Anyone noticed Naru switched back in the middle of the making out scene? Well, in any case, now you know. Maybe I should switch the title's name to Denial, seeing how little Naru's behaving...

Um...Bit of swearing, sorry, but the characters were stressed, and it's still a safe way to let some steam out, so...

Oh, and Sakura-haters, please don't share your views with me. The Sakura in canon is what Kishimoto makes her, and he is, sadly, quite sexist. As an author I believe it's my duty to straighten her character out.

Apart from that, reviews remain hugely appreciated.