"You.. what?" With eyes as wide as saucers, and his mouth agape, Naruto states at the bloodstained Sasuke in disbelief. For so long, he's been waiting for this, even if it doesn't come as planned. Nothing ever seems to go as planned for him, but this is one surprise he's actually excited about. He stays silent, waiting for Sasuke to tell him it's all some joke to lighten the mood- that never happens.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? I love you." The words slide off his tongue in the most beautiful, yet heart crushing way. Mostly because he always expected Sasuke to keep his feelings, if they were there, all bottled in, but now they're spilling out as fast as the tide on the shore, threatening to disrupt the balance of friendship Naruto has tried to keep. He loves Sasuke so much, wants him so much, more than anything else. Still, he doesn't speak. Sasuke's hopeful face, streaked with tears, now only looks crestfallen.

"I may not be the best person, or the most... stable. You should know that better than anyone. But one thing I refuse to do is lie. My feelings are real, and I know I haven't made the wrong decision." He hesitates, before swallowing and putting on his confident look again. "You should always tell someone you love them, before it's too late. I've lost Karin, Suigetsu, my whole family. Yet, here I am, still living even though every single day is a struggle. There's just one thing I can't live without."

And the fool leans in, and kisses him.

It's his first kiss, and Naruto doesn't know what to do. He feels like he should be nervous, wondering if he's gonna mess up or ruin it. Since its Sasuke, he doesn't feel that way though. Everything feels right when he tilts his head and they pin each other against the creaking walls, chest to chest and soft lips pressed against his own. It isn't like the chaste kisses he sees on TV. It's rough, raw, and both of them fumble once or twice.

It's absolutely perfect.

At some point, he's aware there are people out there, seeing two boys kiss from their monitored silver screens, and they're positively horrified. That doesn't stop him from deepening the kiss, and enjoying the taste of the man he loves for awhile longer. When they pull away, both of them are breathless, and smiling despite the circumstances. There's bloodshed happening outside, bloodshed happening in their minds, but for now, it's only them, smiling at each other like a couple of love struck idiots.

It's been awhile since he's seen Sasuke smile, for real. When they were considerably younger, Sasuke would always shyly smile at his older brother, the kind of smile that comes naturally and doesn't have to be forced. A content sort of smile. Over time, those grew rarer, and now he only got a grin every once in a blue moon. The last time he remembers Sasuke smiling is so long ago, the image has almost faded. Now, it's more beautiful that he remembers. Sure, he's rough around the edges, and his expression manages to still look angry even if his lips are twisted into a crooked smile, but it's the most incredible thing Naruto has ever seen.

"I've done bad things, terrible things." And just like that, the smile fades. Sasuke hangs his head, and lets his fists clench by his side. "I wouldn't be surprised if the weight of my mistakes is too much for you to carry. I killed Karin, because I didn't want to see her suffer at the hands of another." Naruto knows that Sasuke has done things, before this weekend. He got in fights, he smuggled drugs, but all of Sasuke's actions weren't unjust. He wanted a better world, and he told Naruto that often, because he was the only one who seemed to understand. Not Sakura, not Suigetsu, just Naruto.

Even if the truth of Karin's death shocks him, Naruto places a rough hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and the other underneath his chin to hold his head up. "I may not agree, but that doesn't mean I don't understand. You did what ya had to do, and it's okay to cry. I don't like to see you cry, or have to do things like this, but I'm gonna make sure you never have to kill anyone again. I don't want to see you hurt, cause it hurts me too. I don't just like you, I really do love you, and I'll make you so happy."

He sees just what Itachi meant when he told him to put light into Sasuke's life of darkness again. Almost immediately, the raven relaxes, although the guilt and weight of his actions will probably stay on his mind for the rest of his life. All Sasuke wanted was acceptance from Naruto, forgiveness even, and most importantly, love.

"You asshole.. getting all sentimental." Sasuke sighs, but his tone is playful. It's the only joke he manages to crack, because the extent of his injuries is getting to him once again, and he returns to his makeshift bed. Naruto isn't sure what they are now. Friends? Boyfriends? That doesn't stop him from staying by Sasuke's side. He doesn't touch him yet, because he's still trying to process the fact that Sasuke really did kiss him, and he really feels the same, and suddenly Naruto's feelings aren't just a one sided crush.

"Why don't you sleep with me?"

"Wait, what?" Of course, that question is taken the entirely wrong way. They just now confessed, they're in the middle of the woods, so that kinda stuff isn't on his mind right now.

"I forgot just how much of a dead last you really are." Sasuke rolls his tired eyes and pats the blankets beside him. "I meant in the literal sense."

"Ohh..." The blonde rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, feeling totally dumb as he crawls down beside his lover. It's the first real time they've done anything like this, and maybe it isn't the right time, but it won't hurt to waste a little time sleeping, right? Sakura would wake them up eventually. "I figured I'd kick you outta bed or something and you'd get all pissy."

"No. I feel better when you're with me." Sasuke says sleepily, before rolling over and draping an arm across the other's waist.

"Why?"

"To know you're alive." Both of them scoot closer to each other, and in a very un-Sasuke like fashion, he makes the first move and lets his head rest on the other's chest, right under the nape of his neck. It makes Naruto feel oddly warm, happy, and somewhat flustered. This is what he wants, but they're going so fast. When he looks down again, Sasuke is asleep, curled up snugly against him. He looks exhausted, tired, and weak, but Naruto knows now more than ever that this is what he wants to protect. This broken, fucked up, mess of a boy, who rushes their love along because he's never known it before.

Maybe it isn't true love, since they're still young and stupid, but Naruto considers it pretty damn close.


Ever since she was in diapers and placed in the shitty daycare that every kid in the city made their rounds through at some point, Sakura was utterly smitten with Sasuke Uchiha. She followed him on the playground, during lunch, any moment she could spare to catch his attention. She loved her short, pastel pink hair, and had always kept it short enough to brush behind her ears until she'd heard a playground rumor that Sasuke only liked long haired girls. From that day on, she did everything she could to grow her hair out long, dress more feminine, (although the city had a dress code for every citizen.) and generally be the kind of girl she hated the most.

Her feistiness was replaced with cowardice, as she always tried to converse with the girls she picked flowers with about how much she liked Sasuke. Eventually, they all stopped picking flowers with her, and Sakura was left in her primary school years to make daisy chains alone and wonder why she wasn't good enough for anyone. The girls tripped her in the hall, put gum in her shoe locker, and went as far in middle school as to make her out to be a run of the mill slut. Ino was the only one who made her school life tolerable, the one who fought all her battles for her.

Sometimes, Ino would kick her straight to the dirt and decide she wasn't good enough. That she had a disgusting forehead and flat chest, and that it was no wonder everyone called her a tramp. It was around that time, that Sakura realized she had more problems to face than her love dilemma. So, she didn't talk about Sasuke anymore. Ino tried to push her, tried to rekindle that flame when they got into high school, but Sakura didn't budge. She still cared about him, however she wouldn't dedicate her life to Sasuke. He was her friend first, and love interest second.

Over time, her mindless crush faded. She dressed for herself, acted like herself, and felt a new kind of freedom from breaking the barrier that was expected of her in this society. To devote herself to a well standing man and spend the rest of her life kissing his ass, and reviving his clan. No, she'd do things the thing she wanted to do. She kept her hair long, until one day after home room, something struck her in the back of her head. To her horror, it was sticky, rubbery and pink, glued to her perfect tresses. She spent the rest of the day in the girls bathroom, having to cut off her gorgeous hair that her classmates had destroyed. When she emerged, she bumped right into her new teacher, muttering a shoddy apology before trying to walk away.

"Sakura?" Kakashi asked. That didn't keep her from trudging on, despite his protests. "I heard you didn't show up to any of your classes today."

"I missed the bus, so I don't have time to talk right now." She snapped, not caring that it was a teacher she'd just raised her voice at. Kakashi rose an eyebrow, no doubt wearing an amused expression under his mask.

"Did you cut your hair?"

"So what if I did?"

"It may not be my place to tell you this, but short hair suits you." His words make her stop in her tracks, and for the first time in a long time Sakura feels less insecure about her appearance. Kakashi liked her hair? Of course, it was a shallow thing for her to get fixated over, yet it made her cheer on the inside.

"I had no choice, anyway." She says sadly, choosing to lean against the wall to face him, rather than walking home to the inevitable fight between her parents.

"And why is that?" He asks, tone laced with amusement. Kakashi sure was a weird guy.

"Someone put gum in my hair, so I couldn't do anything but chop it off." The girl shrugs, and Kakashi's strange expression turns into mild concern.

"You seem used to these kinds of things." He treads around the subject carefully, not expecting her to be so open about it.

"Well, yeah. They find any reason to make my life hell, over dumb things that only high school girls get petty over."

"You shouldn't have to be used to these things, Sakura. You're a very bright girl."

"Yeah right. See you around, sensei, I have to go." She waves goodbye to him, and departs down the long hallway, not missing a beat when he tells her to just call him Kakashi.


Over the course of the year, Sakura and Kakashi's after school conversations became frequent. He went from the weird teacher who was lazy and had no interest in anything, to a man who had a house full of dogs and loved dirty romance novels. It certainly wasn't what she was expecting. She told him about Naruto, her parents, vague details of her past with Sasuke, how much she loved flowers, and the color red. In return, he listened and told her more about his own life. He was young, almost too young to be a teacher, but he'd been exceptionally smart and made it past college in record time. He didn't have a wife, only a girlfriend who'd died during a miscarriage a few years ago.

Somehow, her heart ached for him in more ways than one. He was her teacher though, and off limits. Sakura had never been the best at keeping to the rules though. She knew if their friendship went to something more, they'd be arrested, maybe even killed if the circumstances got bad enough. That didn't stop her from spending time with him, and even going on for coffee once or twice. She told him about her dreams of being a world renowned doctor, while he told her about his dreams of a family, complete with an arsenal of dogs.

Ino was the first one to catch the two out together, and naively believed Sakura's excuse that she was going for tutoring despite her near perfect grades. That satisfied Ino's curiosity for awhile, until she caught Sakura's in his office, smiling at him and leaning on the desk. Ino had been holding the secret over her head for months, making Sakura downright sick. The words hot for teacher came up all the time, and Ino was convinced they were involved. She had no idea that Sakura's feelings were her own selfish desire, and Kakashi had nothing to do with it. But when the guilt got too much, she had to spill her feelings. Which was how she ended up rushing into his office on a cold winter day, promptly slamming the door behind her and closing the blinds hurriedly.

Kakashi jolted up from his desk with a start, glancing at Sakura with concern.

"Sakura? What are you doing here this late?"

In one breath, she managed to get out a- "Damnit, I really like you, but you're my teacher and I'm just a hopeless school girl who will only drag you down and ruin your career, not to mention your life, and I wish I didn't feel this way but I can't help that I like you, okay?!"

The outburst startles him, and she half expects him to tell her to leave, or that she's disgusting and needs to switch to another homeroom immediately. Instead, his face flushes scarlet, he clears his throat, and stands up from his desk chair to look her straight in the eye.

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same." Her face falls, before he continues. "I'm just a hopeless teacher in love with my student. I haven't found a way to tell her yet, but I was thinking a trip the ramen stand a bouquet of flowers will suffice?"

She lets out a relieved sigh, before darting over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You scared me, you ass!"

"Now, about those flowers..."


29 students remaining


Author's note: Consider this a development chapter 33