Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Hope you guys haven't forgotten the whole plot of this story! It's been some time…

Chapter 6: Mixed Feelings

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Naruto had grown.

Ten years had changed quite a lot. Sasuke observed the boy with calm eyes. The chubby cheeks had disappeared and the whisker-like markings on each of his cheeks had become a bit more pronounced. He was tall, though not quite as tall as himself, and his body had just enough muscle. The only things that hadn't changed about him were the unruly, bright blonde hair and his piercing blue eyes.

He shifted a bit, awkwardly.

"So…" Naruto began, "how have you been?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Good."

Naruto couldn't help but let out a small smile. It appeared ten years had done nothing really to Sasuke's social skills.

"Ah, well, how have your parents been?" He continued.

Sasuke thrust his hands into his pockets. "They're dead."

Naruto's eyes widened and he bit his lip. Sasuke's tone had been even, but Naruto could just tell that it was a very sensitive topic, as it should have been.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"It's ok," Sasuke interrupted smoothly, signifying to the blonde that the topic had been closed for discussion. "What about you?"

Naruto's smile brightened a bit. "I've been working at the greenhouse for a while now. It can get a little tedious and boring sometimes, but it's something I love to do and I wouldn't trade it for anything. And Iruka's been good too! He recently got transferred to a new department and—" he suddenly bit his lip.

"I'm sorry," grinning rather sheepishly, "you probably think I talk way too much, huh?"

Sasuke allowed the corners of his mouth to tilt upwards just the slightest bit.

"But let's go back to you then. I'm sure your life is pretty amazing right now. I never dreamed you would become a famous singer one day." Naruto's eyes lit up with wonder and Sasuke felt something ignite within him, even if it was just a little spark.

"Yeah, I never would've thought it either," he responded. There was a slight pause before he continued. "I remember your body wasn't doing too well when we were younger. Have you improved?"

Maybe it was simply Sasuke's imagination that Naruto's eyes dulled the slightest bit.

"It's been the same. I mean I've gotten a little better I guess. I've been taking it pretty easy." And with that, he smiled warmly.

Sasuke nodded. "I'm sure your boyfriend will be able to take care of you."

Naruto's eyes turned towards a look of confusion. "Boyfriend? What are you talking about…I don't have a boyfriend."

"I saw you once," Sasuke replied, frowning, "with a guy. You two looked pretty close. The redhead." At that, the blonde let out a mild chuckle of amusement.

"Gaara? He works with me in the greenhouse. You could say he's like my boss kind of. We're close as friends, but it's nothing more than that." Naruto cocked his head to side.

"Oh…I'm sorry to have assumed then." There was a bit of an awkward feeling in the air around the two of them.

"So," Naruto let out, breaking the slightly uncomfortable silence, "what about you?"

Sasuke said nothing at first, almost as if he was debating about something in his head. Finally, he let out a small sigh.

"There is someone. She's back in America."

With those words, Naruto felt his insides begin to crumble. He clenched his fists together and shifted his eyes downwards. It wasn't as though he had really expected Sasuke to be single, being the gorgeous star that he was. And ten years really was a long time…but still, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment.

"Oh…" The blonde tried to keep his voice normal sounding. "I bet…I bet she's really pretty."

Sasuke's eyes had a far-off look to them. "In America…some unfortunate things happened. And she was the one who stuck by me the whole time and got me through it."

I could have been there for you…but you had to leave.

A slight tension began to crowd the atmosphere. Sasuke looked over at the blonde who was refusing to make eye contact with him. When the girlfriend issue had been brought up, it seemed that Naruto's energy level seemed to have plummeted. But…no. It couldn't have been about that…could it?

"Well, let's go. I'll take you home." Naruto's eyes darted up as though he had forgotten Sasuke was even there. He nodded his head.

"Wait. Before we go, give me your cell phone."

Naruto reached for his phone inside of his pocket and handed it to him. He watched as Sasuke began typing in numbers and then finally, his name. He handed it back to him.

"This is my cell phone number. We're only old classmates, Naruto. I don't want to get you involved with the press. If they bother you again, give me a call and I'll help you fix the problem." He began to walk away. Naruto stared at the back of the figure leaving. He clenched his hand tightly around his phone.

We're only old classmates.

He couldn't help the pain he felt in his heart upon hearing those words.

---

Gaara straightened out a flowerpot along the row of the windowsill. It was then that he actually looked outside the window to see a single man standing near one of the large oak trees. In his hand was a camera.

Damn fucking paparazzi…don't get the fucking point…Gaara's mind let out a whole string of curses before he went outside the greet the man. He decided that he would get him to leave, once and for all, whether that involved strangling him to death hanging him from a tree branch.

When the man saw the redhead come towards him, he let out a yell before running to meet him. "Oiy!"

"What the hell do you want?" Gaara asked, rather coldly. The man grinned before slinging an arm around his shoulder.

"Don't. Touch. Me." Gaara bit out, and the man quickly retracted his arm.

"Well, I was just wondering if you'd be ever so kind enough to answer just a few questions. I mean, yesterday was Naruto's birthday right? And then Sharingan goes on live and wishes him 'happy birthday'…do you know where they want afterwards? There were rumored reports that they were seen together!"

The man let out a whimper as Gaara's arm lashed out and grabbed his collar. "You don't know what you're fucking talking about," he all but snarled.

"Hey, hey! Take it easy man! Don't get so riled up—"

"Gaara!" Both men turned to see Naruto walking towards them, completely oblivious to who the man was that Gaara was about to pummel.

"So the figures from this month were a little off and I was just wondering—" Before he could finish, Gaara had grabbed him from the shoulders and was leading him off in the opposite direction. The man behind rushed after them.

"Wait! Uzumaki Naruto! Did you spend your birthday yesterday with Sharingan? Are you two together—"

It was then the blonde realized who the man was and, thinking back to the other day and the man's question, he felt something inside him snap.

"No! I wasn't with him yesterday!" Naruto responded hotly, the words leaving his mouth before he could even think about them.

"But people said they spotted the two of you together!"

Naruto shook his head, almost violently. "That wasn't me! I-it must've been someone else."

The reporter let out an exasperated sigh. He could clearly tell that the blonde was lying, but it didn't seem like there was anything he could do to make him change his mind about giving away any information. And from the looks of it, he was going to have even worse luck trying to convince the redhead.

"Alright, I just need to know if you two are together or not—"

"Stop asking questions! We're not together, ok?! He…he has a girlfriend! We-we're only elementary school friends. Please…don't come back here again." The rage that had once consumed him now seemed to diminish and he could feel nothing except weariness.

The man left without another word, clearly becoming disinterested after hearing that Naruto had no real affiliation with Sharingan. Gaara watched him go with a scowl. Turning around, he saw the blonde standing there, kicking at a rock on the ground, a rather sad expression on his face.

"Naruto…"

---

Sasuke sat with his guitar in hand and pencil in his mouth, music sheets spread all over his desk. The news was on in the background, but he hadn't been paying it much attention until he heard something that immediately made him focus.

"—And it has been said that Hatake Kakashi, world's best record producer, has stopped in Tokyo for the next few months, in order to witness a traditional music festival and see if he can find some new talent. It is said that—"

Sasuke threw everything down, grabbed his phone, and dialed Sai's number.

"Meet me at the company in twenty minutes."

Once the two of them had gotten there and settled themselves in, Sasuke began.

"Did you know that Hatake Kakashi was in town?"

"Ah," Sai smiled brightly. "Yes, I was about to inform you in case you missed it."

"I want to meet with him," Sasuke expressed, deadpanned.

"Hmm…that could be hard to do. Hardly anyone gets to see him now, you know? He's that exclusive."

"Sai—"

"Tomorrow. 9 o'clock. I've already booked it."

If he hadn't been taught to maintain his composure at all times, the Uchiha's jaw would have most definitely dropped.

"Don't be late!" Sai let out with a cheery wave before walking out of the room.

Sasuke sat in a stunned silence.

Sai had almost really messed with him.

Sasuke fought extremely hard to suppress the urge to laugh.

---

It was 9:52.

What the fuck?

Sasuke sat in the chair, irritated beyond belief. He had been here for almost a whole hour waiting for Kakashi, and the man was nowhere to be seen. He could feel his insides beginning to eat away at his final strand of patience.

Sai sat next to him, gingerly glancing at the clock on the wall every so often and then back to Sasuke. He tapped his fingers lightly.

"Maybe…I'll just go see if he's coming…"

Sai approached the door, but before he could open it, it was opened from the other end and both Sasuke and Sai turned to see, none other than, the legendary Hatake Kakashi.

The man was very tall and slim with pointy, white-gray hair that seemed to defy gravity and bangs that covered his right eye. The bottom half of his face was covered with a mask, his trademark. His suit was pressed clean and overall, he looked very cool, calm, and collected, with a strong presence.

Settling himself down a chair, he glanced over the Uchiha for about a full two seconds before turning away, uninterested.

A shot of annoyance rang through Sasuke.

"Mr. Hatake, thank you so much for taking the time to see us," Sai began. "I know your schedule is very full and we appreciate it so very much that—"

"You have five minutes."

Sai seemed to have blanched a little. "F-five minutes? Well, five minutes is alright. It's more than enough time to listen to some good music." With that, he produced a cd. Placing it upon the cd player, he waited for the song to load.

A classical song began to play, one with strings and the piano and a light melody. It seemed to bring an air of calm throughout the whole room.

Kakashi drummed his fingers on his desk. "So…you're Sharingan?"

Sasuke nodded.

"This song was one that Sasuke wrote himself," Sai admitted proudly. "And this song is only a sample, his music taste is very diverse and he can…" He stopped once he realized he was more than likely ruining the mood, being the only one that was talking.

The song continued to play.

Kakashi stared at Sasuke.

Sasuke stared right back.

The older man sighed. Without another word, he pushed himself out of his chair and began to leave.

"Wait!" Sai pushed himself out of his chair. "There are other songs on the cd that you could listen to! The ones after that…"

Sasuke tuned him out as he bolted out the door and after Kakashi. He caught the man just as the he was approaching the elevators.

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" Sasuke let out, barely able to keep his voice level.

Kakashi only continued to stare at him, his dark eyes piercing into Sasuke's own. The raven took a step toward him.

"Is my music not good?" He questioned coldly.

It was Kakashi's turn to take a step toward him.

"That kind of music," he stated in the calm, bored manner he had been talking in all night, "is not even worth my time." And with that, he turned around and pressed the elevator button.

Sasuke felt as though he had been punched in the gut. How dare he!

"And why not?!" He was beginning to lose his temper real fast.

Kakashi gave him a critical look before responding. "Have you ever experienced true love?"

Sasuke's anger turned toward confusion. Where the hell did that come from? "What are you talking about?"

Kakashi sighed, once again, clearly getting tired of this. "Your kind of music, music without expression or passion behind it, is a complete waste of my time."

Sasuke's jaw slackened and he felt his back hit the wall behind him. He barely registered hearing the ding signaling the arrival of the elevator and the doors opening and closing.

It must've been a good half hour before he left the hall.

---

Downing another can of beer and crumpling it into trash, Sasuke tossed it somewhere with the rest of the litter on the floor. His fingers itched for another one. Which bottle was he on again? 6th? 7th? He had lost count.

He looked over at his desk with all his unfinished music. He swallowed thickly.

Walking towards it, a little unstable, he gripped the pages of paper between his hands.

What's the point…just fuck it all.

And slowly, he burned every single sheet.

---

Neji placed a brown package of Gaara's desk. It was early in the morning and he had decided it would be a nice idea to get Gaara some breakfast. He had never seen the redhead really eat during the day and although he felt a little girly for doing it, he couldn't help but smile. Just then he felt someone tap him on his shoulder and he turned around to see none other than Naruto.

"Morning, Neji!" The blonde greeted him cheerfully. Neji swallowed the lump in his throat. It wasn't very often he was caught off-guard but he hadn't expected Naruto to show up for at least another half hour.

"M-morning Naruto." And before another word was spoken, he took off.

"Neji…?" Naruto shrugged it off. Perhaps the longhaired boy simply had to go to the bathroom or something. Glancing at Gaara's desk, he noticed the package. Now, normally, he was not a nosy person and didn't go snooping around in other people's things. But, for some reason, he couldn't really resist…and it wasn't like Gaara was going to show up anytime soon. Hopefully.

Taking a quick peek, Naruto realized it was breakfast food.

Now, Naruto might've been a tad bit thick, but it didn't take him that long to connect the food with the flustered Neji.

His eyes widened.

Neji…likes Gaara?

---

"Oiy. Naruto." The blonde turned to see Gaara running up toward him.

"Hey, Gaara. What's up?"

"My dad gave me these two tickets for this exhibition tonight. It looks pretty cool. I was wondering if you'd go check it out with me?"

"Hmm, tonight? Ah, I can't Gaara, Iruka said he wanted me to do something important and—"

"Aw come on Naruto," Gaara pleaded, "these tickets are the last of the bunch and I heard this show was supposed to be awesome."

"Gaara—" Two tickets were thrust into his hands.

"See you at 8 o'clock sharp, don't forget! You'd better be there!" Gaara yelled before waving and walking off.

Naruto sighed. As much as he wanted to go, he really didn't think he would able to. Turning around, he realized that Neji had been standing behind them the whole time and see the whole thing take place. When Naruto caught his eye though, he looked away.

It didn't take long for Naruto to reach a conclusion.

"Neji!" The boy stopped arranging the flowerpot he was working on, but did not turn around.

"Hey…so Gaara gave me these tickets and I was wondering if you wanted them?"

"No. It's fine," Neji replied rather stiffly. "He gave them to you. He wants you to go."

Naruto ran a hand through his hair. "Argh, but I have plans tonight and he gave these to me…now I'm giving them to you. It doesn't really make a difference does it? Take them."

Before Neji could respond, the tickets were in his hand. He opened his mouth to protest but it seemed pretty clear that Naruto wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Oh, and Neji?"

"Hm?"

"Good luck." The blonde flashed him a big smile.

Neji placed the tickets down on the table and let out a small smile.

---

Gaara paced around the steps of the building, getting a little impatient. He glanced at his watch. It was nearly 8. Where was Naruto? He reached into his pocket and dialed his number, but it was forwarded straight to voicemail. He sighed. Maybe forcing those tickets on him was a bad idea.

He sat around for another fifteen minutes or so, pretty close to deciding that Naruto wasn't about to show. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a voice call out his name.

"Gaara! I'm so sorry I'm late!" The redhead turned to see Neji running toward him, two tickets in hand.

Gaara frowned in confusion. "It's you? Where's Naruto?"

Neji pretended those words didn't bother him. "Naruto isn't coming tonight. He gave the tickets to me instead though."

The frown deepened and his voice became annoyed. "Gave them to you? Why would he do that? It's him I want to see! God!"

Neji cast his eyes to the ground. "Do…do you really have to say it like that?"

Gaara bit his lip, suddenly aware of how awful his words had sounded. "No—I mean…it's not like that. I just…"

"The food on your desk this morning, that was me!" Neji let out.

"You?! Neji, you don't have to do stuff like that!" If this were any other day, he would've been grateful and said thanks. He would've been glad someone cared enough about him to prepare him breakfast. But just the fact that Naruto wasn't here standing with him, he felt the need to vent his frustration out on someone.

"Why? You didn't like it?" Neji questioned sadly.

"It was unnecessary." Gaara replied in a clipped tone.

Neji clenched his fists. "You're just upset that the person who did that…wasn't who you wanted it to be." His eyes were starting to sting. Gaara, upon seeing Neji's hurt expression, felt like such an asshole.

Great.

Now what the fuck was he supposed to do?

---

Sasuke ordered another round from the bartender. He was probably drunk beyond belief right now, but he couldn't care less. There was nowhere he needed to be. Why not just waste away?

A glass was placed before him. Sasuke peered to see it and, although he didn't exactly trust his vision at the moment, he could swear that it wasn't alcohol, but instead—

"Water."

Looking up, he noticed the bartender with a friendly smile on his face.

"You look like you could use it."

The Uchiha took a quick gulp before putting it back down. Normally, he was bad at socializing with people, but tonight…

"Do you have someone you love?"

The bartender looked surprise. Then, his smile returned.

"Yes, yes I do," he answered quietly. Sasuke took notice of a picture frame behind some bottles of alcohol and noticed a cute, little girl in it.

"Is it her?" He pointed to the picture.

Once again, the bartender looked surprise, but knew what Sasuke was pointing without even turning around.

"That's a picture of my daughter." He bent down to clean a glass. "She always wanted me to take her to the zoo to see the elephants and watch the giraffes. I told her I would if I ever had the time."

"Where is she now?" Sasuke asked.

"Dead. Died in a car accident two years ago. I never did ever get a chance to take her to the zoo…" The smile faded a bit.

Sasuke shifted on his seat. "I—I'm sorry."

The bartender looked at him, as though contemplating something. "You young people these days. Sometimes it only takes a day to turn you into an old man."

"Just some advice, feel free to take it or leave it. If you do have someone you care for, protect him or her with all your heart. Never let them go."

The person I care most about…

Doesn't have the best health.

Doesn't like sticking up for himself.

Won't have anyone to protect him.

With a nod, Sasuke got off his stool and left.

---

Naruto walked around the street aimlessly. Iruka had simply wanted him to meet with an old friend of his, which hadn't taken long at all and now, he was off to get some fresh air.

Before he knew it though, it had begun to rain. Naruto mopped up his wet hair. He had never really minded the rain, it didn't make much of a difference to him whether he was walking wet or dry.

Passing by a store, he saw a poster of Sharingan on the window. The rain, now coming down harder, was making the sign not stick as well. The ends were already curling and it looked as though it was about to fall down any second.

Before he even knew what was stopping him, he reached down and tugged the ends of the tape back in place, securing its position. Taking a step back, he stared at the picture. He knew he was, by now, getting thoroughly soaked, but he didn't seem to care.

"Sasuke…" he sighed. "I don't want to think of you…but I do."

He didn't know how much time had passed but, suddenly, the rain seemed to have stopped. He frowned. That didn't make sense though; it was clearly still raining. He looked up.

An umbrella.

Looking behind, he felt his breath hitch.

Sasuke.

The raven shrugged, a little uncomfortably. "I was just driving by…when I saw you. You're going to catch a cold if you don't get out of this."

"And why should you care?" Naruto asked, a bit weaker than he intended. Sasuke bit his lip just then and almost felt like laughing.

He was making the great Uchiha Sasuke uncomfortable.

"I'm going home," said Naruto shortly. He began to walk away, praying that Sasuke would get the hint and just leave, but he wasn't so lucky.

"Let me take you home."

"That won't be needed, thanks." He tried to get a car but there didn't seem to be any on the street at this time.

Sasuke grabbed his arm gently. "Naruto…there aren't any cars out right now. Let me just take you home, ok?"

Wrenching out of his grasp, Naruto moved a little further up, knowing that it wasn't going to help him get a car, but at least it would put a little more distance between himself and Sasuke.

With a small growl of frustration, Sasuke tossed the umbrella aside completely, feeling the rainwater begin to drench him. He peeled off his thick, black jacket before wrapping it securely around Naruto's shoulders.

"Let me take you home."

---

Inside the car, Naruto patted himself dry with a spare towel. Sasuke watched him, amusement evident in his eyes. The blonde rubbed himself off sloppily, missing patches here and there. Sasuke snatched the towel from him.

"Idiot," he smiled softly before wiping away the excess water in a more efficient way.

Naruto couldn't help but blush. He looked at Sasuke's hand, the one holding the towel.

"Sasuke!" He cried out in horror, "you're hurt!"

Sasuke blinked at him before looking down at his own hand. There was a large, red cut there. Oh. That must've been his whole 'punching random objects around the house' phase, the one right before the drinking. He must've been so angry, he didn't even feel it.

Naruto lifted his hand gingerly. "Does it hurt?"

"No," Sasuke answered quietly. He could've retracted his hand…but something inside was stopping him.

Why're you crying? It's not like you got hurt…

The memory flashed through both of their minds in the same moment. Both were silent before Sasuke broke the silence.

"What're you doing wandering around so late anyways?"

Naruto grinned. "Iruka's got the night shift tonight at the hospital so I decided to go—" Before he could finish that thought, he let out a sneeze.

Sasuke chuckled. "My place isn't too far from here. Why don't we stop by there first…at least until you get a little more dry."

Naruto nodded lightly. It had felt so good to finally hear Sasuke laugh again.

Pressing the gas pedal, the car began to drive.

If Naruto hadn't been so preoccupied with his own thoughts, he would've seen Gaara's car come whooshing by, going in the opposite direction.

---

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