"Why can't we be friends?"

"Why haven't you told him to shut up already?" You rub your temples as Shisui's loud voice carries from the kitchen to the dining room where you and Itachi are sitting.

"Because — " Itachi says, flipping to the next page of the newspaper. " — I think he has a nice singing voice."

You stare at him incredulously and he lowers the newspaper enough for you to see the smirk on his face.

"Very funny." You say flatly and put down your fork. All the noise Shisui's making kills your appetite just as quickly as Sakura's hummus. "This is ridiculous." You snap and you hope Itachi will see reason.

"I seen you walkin' down in Chinatown.."

You grit your teeth and glare pointedly at your brother.

Itachi only sighs and takes a sip from his coffee. You notice that the coffee pot is almost empty.

"We need some of this in this house." He says. You try to understand what "this'" is. Maybe it's Shisui's disgusting cheerfulness? His lack of understanding of people's personal space and privacy? His absolute lack of mouth filter and tact, which he desperately needs, considering the stuff that come out of his mouth.

"I called you but you could not look around.."

"You, maybe. I don't need any of "this"." You say and push your chair back.

"Where are you going?" Itachi asks and for once, his face isn't calm. He's frowning at you.

"Naruto's." You reply and leave before Shisui comes back in the dining room and sees you leaving.

"Why can't we be — "

You slam the front door shut and effectively cut off Shisui in mid sentence. You march to your car, which is parked in the driveway in front of the garage door and get in. You fish your phone out of your pockets and dial Naruto, hoping he'll be home.

Just as you are about to give up, he picks up.

"Whoever this is, speak quickly and to the point." His voice sounds rushed and distracted. You feel your eyebrows raise.

"Idiot. What are you doing?"

"Dude, I'm playing Halo. What do you want?"

"I'm coming over."

"Cool. I'll tell mum to open the gate for you."

And he hangs up. You give your phone a hard stare and then shake your head.

Naruto and his video games.

...

You are playing Champions of Norrath with Naruto when the door slams open and Sakura pirouettes in, quite literary. She lands gracefully on her feet and looks expectantly at you and Naruto. Naruto usually indulges her but at the moment he is too preoccupied with the game and you're not the type of person to express your appreciation out loud. Her shoulders slump and she glares at you, putting her hands on her waist. You face the TV again so she won't be able to see your smirk and focus on the game, wondering what she'll do if you two continue to ignore her.

"You guys suck." She says and flops on the bed behind you.

"We love you too, Sakura-chan." Naruto replies cheerfully, his eyes never leaving the TV screen and thus, he is unable to dodge the upcoming cushion that hit the back of his head. "Ow! What the fuck?"

"Are you swearing at me, Namikaze Naruto?"

This makes him look away from the game. "Of course not, Sakura-chan."

"Good. Come on, guys, pay me a bit attention, will you? I'm leaving in half an hour anyway and I'll leave you to obsess over your games for the rest of the day."

"Why?" You ask and she directs a slightly awkward smile in your direction. You know that she's thinking of your ride home yesterday and you wish you are someone who is more sociable and able to defuse the tension.

Thankfully, she answers you. "Ino's having one of her "Ino the Fashionista" episodes and I'm the special guest start. Again. Why's it always me?" The tortured question is not directed you but at the Heavens and you hear Naruto chuckle.

"You're her best friend, Sakura-chan. She likes spending time with you."

Sakura sits up sharply to look at Naruto and shakes her head. "No. She likes to use me as her real life doll."

Naruto pauses and then shrugs. "I s'pose. But then you have all those new pretty clothes and isn't that enough to make a girl happy?"

You resist the urge to facepalm. You do not simply say things like that in front of Sakura.

Another cushion hits Naruto, but this time with more force and nails him in the face. He drops the controller and you know that you're gaming time is over. You turn off the game and cross your legs, turning so you can look at both Naruto and Sakura.

"What are women to you, Namikaze Naruto?" Sakura asks in a dangerously low voice, grabbing Naruto's pillow. "Do you think that only clothes and glittery stuff makes us happy? That this is all we think about? Well, do you? Do you?"

Sakura has gone into what Naruto affectionately (and with a healthy dose of fear) calls "The Hulk Mode". You do not make sharp and sudden movements, you keep quiet and only speak when spoken to and you do not — under any circumstances — tell her to calm down. This, according to Naruto, is a fatal mistake that may cost you your life or your manhood, depending on Sakura's mood.

You've never had to endure this type of attitude from Sakura and you're not worried that you ever will. This is why you watch with mild amusement as Naruto cowers and Sakura starts smacking him mercilessly with the pillow, all the while telling him how unfairly oppressed women were for centuries and how this type of behaviour is the equivalent of spitting on centuries worth of effort on women's part. You watch her grin once and you know she isn't nearly as miffed as she pretends to be.

"I yield! I yield!" Naruto shouts with his arms over his head. Sakura pauses and stares down at him. Slowly, Naruto removes his arms and stares solemnly at Sakura. "I admire women, Sakura-chan. I think they are beautiful, strong creatures and I meant no disrespect towards them. Will you forgive me now?"

Sakura crosses her arms over her chest, the pillow hanging from the tips of her fingers. "I suppose." She says. "But if you ever say something like this again - " She raises the pillow wordlessly and Naruto nods quickly.

Sakura nods and then relaxes, throwing the pillow back on the bed. Naruto lets an enormous sigh of relief and flops back on the carpet. "Thanks for the help, traitor." He spits at you, rubbing his neck.

You shrug. "It was your own fault."

"Sasuke's right." Sakura said, plopping down on the ground next to you. Her perfume invades your senses and you feel the tension leave your body."Uncle Jirayia says hi, by the way."

Naruto makes a face. "Why do you keep calling that pervert, Uncle? And, if he wants to say hi, he should come here and say it. I can't believe he went to your house first."

"Well.. do you have sex with him?"

"Ew, no! Sakura-chan!" Naruto shudders dramatically and stares at her in disgust.

Sakura rolls her eyes. "Well, there you have it. I thought I should leave him and Auntie alone today. She's taken a day off and I'm pretty sure it's not for me. I'll ask Ino if I could sleep over tonight, too. I feel awkward sleeping in the house, knowing what they are doing just down the hall."

"I imagine how that might keep you up all night." Naruto mutters and still looks grossed out.

Sakura grins and kicks his shin lightly. "So, are you two going to spend your entire day indoors playing video games and eating junk food to sustain yourselves?" She sounds like she already knows the answer.

"You're jealous you're missing on, aren't you?" Naruto says with a grin.

Sakura nods. "Extremely. But seriously, when I think of the day filled with shopping, beauty salons, etc.. I'm almost jealous."

Naruto shrugs. "You can always ditch."

"I can't ditch Ino, Naruto. She's one of my best friends. How would you feel if I ditched you so I could hang out with her?"

Naruto gasps dramatically. "You wouldn't!"

Sakura sticks her tongue out. "I'm considering it."

Naruto pouts. "You're a meanie, Sakura-chan, and do you know how we punish the meanies?"

"Huh.. oh, no don't you dare!" Sakura scrambles backwards but she's too late. Naruto pounces on her and starts tickling her sides.

"Too late!" He shouts gleefully and straddles her hips as she starts to trash around in attempt to escape. The room is filled with Sakura's hysterical laughter and Naruto's gleeful cackles. You watch as Naruto's hands go up and down Sakura's body and there's a stab of something in your chest. You recognise the emotion but you're not ready to accept it.

"Sa — Sasuke." She gasps. "Help!"

"The bastard won't help you!" Naruto shouts and continues to tickle, clearly unaware of his slip. You don't mind as much as you thought you would but you do grab the pillow Sakura used to beat Naruto earlier with and throw it at Naruto's head. The momentary surprise gives Sakura enough time to crawl from underneath Naruto and get on her unsteady feet. She stumbles over to you and collapses on the ground. She leans against your arm as she tries to take deep breaths to calm herself. Her cheeks are pink and hair is messy but there is healthy glow to the look that makes your lips soften slightly in something resembling a smile.

"That's so not fair! You didn't help me when I needed your help." Naruto shouts and points an accusing finger at you.

"He just likes me better, Naruto." Sakura says with a laugh. "Get over it."

"Yeah, I bet he does." Naruto mutters and you shoot him a look that says 'shut up'. You don't know why you're so defensive and Naruto seems to be surprised, too.

The awkward silence that descends is broken by Sakura's phone ringing. She takes it out and rolls her eyes.

"Ino." She tells you and then picks up. "What is it, porker?"

You can hear Ino's voice loud and clear but you can't understand what she's saying. Whatever it is, it makes Sakura's eyes widen and causes her to laugh.

"Only you, porker. Yeah, I'm here already. Okay. Of course not, who do you think I am? Okay. Alright. I'll see you in a few." She hangs up and laughs in disbelief. "Apparently, Ino cat-called Asuma-sensei."

"What?" Naruto asks, his jaw dropping in shock.

Even you don't expect something like that and stare at Sakura for further explanation.

Sakura laughs and speaks again. "She didn't know it was him, at first. She was stuck waiting for the red light and she saw this incredibly fit guy bending over to pick up his cigarettes, so naturally, she cat-called him. When he turned around and she saw his face, she — in her words: "dislocated my fucking shoulder trying to become invisible. It hurts. Fuck. But Asuma-sensei has a nice ass, gotta admit." end of quote."

Naruto snorts and then laughs, a full-blown laughter that makes him shake all over. Your way of showing your amusement is a smirk and a slight shake of your head. Ino really knows how to get herself in an awkward situation.

Sakura giggles. "I know, right? She has some luck. Do you think he saw her? Imagine how awkward that'd be, especially considering he is friends with her dad and all."

"You kidding?" Naruto says through his laughter. "That's hilarious. I so want to have been there to see Asuma-sensei's reaction."

Sakura snorts. "Yeah, I imagine he doesn't get cat called often and by one of his students, no less."

"Priceless." Naruto says after he's regained some control.

Sakura nods, a grin still on her face. "Anyway, she said she's close, so I'll go and wait outside. No point in opening the gate for her." She stands up and smooths down her hair and shirt. "I'll see you guys tomorrow?"

"Sure." Naruto says. "Have fun, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura groans dramatically. "Thanks, I'd try." Her eyes flick over to you.

"Bye." You say rather lamely, but she accepts it with a smile and pirouettes out of the room. This time, Naruto claps for her.

Her head pokes from the doorway so she can blow you both a kiss and then she disappears again, humming a tune you're sure you've heard on the radio at some point. Once her footsteps and humming have died out, you look away from the door. You catch Naruto's eyes and you realise he's been staring at you for a while.

"Do you like Sakura-chan?" He asks you. He's never been one to beat around the bush.

You roll your eyes and throw his controller at him. "Let's play." You say.

"You're avoiding the question." Naruto says with a frown but he picks up his controller. "You always avoid the question when you don't want me to know the answer. You like her, don't you? Why don't you tell her? She clearly likes you back." You detect some bitterness in voice and scowl.

"Shut up." You say. It's a childish way to deal with a situation like this but it's effective, nonetheless. Naruto shuts up and twists his body so he's facing the TV again.

"Have you thought of visiting him?" He suddenly asks. You sigh in mild annoyance and turn to look at him. You raise an eyebrow inquiringly. You don't read minds, surely Naruto knows that. "Their killer." He elaborates and you freeze. He doesn't avert his eyes or apologises like Sakura for bringing up the forbidden subject. He stares at you and his eyes demand your answer. When he realises you have no intention of answering — honestly, what does he expect? — he continues. "Cause if it were me, I would have gone and asked that son of a bitch why he did it." He shrugs. "I mean, he owes you at least that, doesn't he?"

"Well, you're not me." You say curtly and hope he'll drop the subject.

"Clearly." Naruto replies with sarcasm that surprises you. "I'm just trying to help you. I think it'll help if you talked with him. You're not really doing anything to move on and heal, to be honest. You're bottling it in you and you refuse to talk about it. That won't make the pain go away, you know."

"And talking to the fucker who killed my parents will help me get over their deaths?" You snap angrily, clutching the controller tightly. "Naruto, just drop it."

"I'm not saying it'll help you heal right away but it's still something. I'm sure you want to know why he did it. Not knowing it's killing you." He pauses. "And I'm not going to drop it because all Sakura-chan and I have done this past few months is drop it or tip toe around the subject and that's obviously not helping. Look, I can't imagine what it's like — "

"Then stop talking!" You shout. You feel so angry, your hands start shaking. You don't want to talk about this, not with Naruto, not with anyone. Your hands ball in fists and you shoot Naruto a glare that you hope it's enough to shut him up. "This is why I left my house today. I didn't come here to talk about them or their killer or anything related to them. I came here to hang out him you and do something that will make me stop thinking about it for just a few hours." You take a deep breath. "But if you can't do that, I better leave." You start to raise but Naruto voice stops you.

"Stay." He says. "But don't think I won't be talking to you about this again. I won't forget. But.." He sighs. "Sasuke, I think you should talk with your brother about this. If not with me or Sakura-chan or those therapist you were sent to, then with your brother. He understands what you're going through the best. After all, he's going through the same thing."

"Are you done?" You ask and you've calmed somehow, though your shoulders are still extremely tense and your fingers start hurting from clutching the controller so tightly.

"For now." He says and puts emphasis on the word.

You settle down on the ground again and pick up the controller.

"Let's kill some zombies." He mutters and stands up to change the video game.

As he does this, you sit silently and ponder over his words. Maybe, he has a point but you're not ready for something of this magnitude. You don't trust yourself to not attack the guy when you see him.

Naruto returns to your side and grins. "Let's beat the shit out of those motherfuckers."