Misery Loves Company

Author: Ladelle

Rating: eh.

Comments: Wow, well considering most of my reviews involved potential heart attacks and fangirl spasms I decided to update early...! Please don't die on me!

Thank you so much for reviewing; I always appreciate it very much. I love hearing what my readers have to say and it makes me feel close with all of you. Thank you again, and enjoy!

PS. My beta and I were both excited for this little guy and at one am I can hardly claim to be the best double-checker-error-finder. Sorry. lol

Chapter 13:

"You're not taking him anywhere," Suigetsu's voice was loud and firm, and a few people that surrounded them paused to see what the commotion was. Naruto jumped at the sound, having not expected anyone to stand in Kimimaro's way. And if someone had, he least it expected it to be Suigetsu.

"Ho ho," Kimimaro smiled, glancing between both Naruto and the club owner. "He's new, right? Is that why you're being so protective?"

Suigetsu stepped forward in front of Naruto defensively and his sense of authority overwhelmed Naruto. "You should know better than to approach my new employees anyhow," he stated dangerously. Kimimaro laughed.

"You should tell them not to ask for it then," his words were smooth and Naruto narrowed his eyes, flushing a bit. He glanced around the room, eyes searching for Sai. Where had he gone, anyhow?

There was a stand-off silence in their small crowd, and Naruto felt a weight on his shoulders.

There was a stand-off silence as people began to swarm the small scene, guests of the club effectively siding with Suigetsu as they attempted to evaluate the situation. The music seemed to dim as well, and a silent chaos crept over the crowd, a heavy weight riding on Naruto's shoulders.

Obviously he had done something wrong. Or else Suigetsu wouldn't have come out from hiding in order to bail him out—but in the same light, in Naruto's mind, this first meeting with Kimimaro meant everything. If this potential relationship turned sour, the chances of him getting information now or later would be impossible.

He let out a deep breath and jumped into action, holding his hand up calmly.

"Suigetsu, I appreciate this, but it was my fault," he stepped out from his protected position and made brief eye contact with the club owner before glancing at Kimimaro.

"I didn't mean to cause such a commotion. I'd be happy to get a drink for you though, and you're welcome to enjoy my company here," he said smoothly. He felt Suigetsu stiffen from beside him and ignored it. He felt yet another presence approach disdainfully and positive it was Sasuke, standing with an aura of irritation bubbling around him.

Kimimaro narrowed his eyes at Suigetsu before turning back to Naruto, and then he smiled. He was observably aware that the offer didn't sit well with Hebi's stubborn manager, and Naruto took advantage of the fact he had agreed to his proposition. He nodded towards table nineteen and Kimimaro took the hint, butting through the gathered crowd to go to his table.

Naruto stepped forward to follow, determined, only to pause when Suigetsu grabbed his arm. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, irate. Naruto was correct in assuming that Sasuke had been the one to approach, and the sleek-attired business man merely narrowed his eyes in something torn between anger and irritation from beside Suigetsu.

"The job you gave me," he bit out and he shook his arm free, not bothering to gauge either of the two men's reactions as he cut between them in order to make his way to where Kimimaro had seated himself. When he arrived at the table a chair was already pulled out for him and he sat down, opening his mouth to speak.

"You don't have to apologize," Kimimaro said suddenly and he raised his hand to attract a bottle server. "After all, you were trying to get my attention, weren't you?"

Naruto wondered momentarily where the man named Orochimaru had disappeared to, but the thought didn't linger for long. Instead his attention jumped up to Kimimaro, feeling slightly embarrassed but hiding it well. "Yes."

A server approached them and Naruto worked on tucking his shirt in before flashing his snake pin and ordering another beer for himself. Kimimaro requested a hard liquor Naruto hadn't heard of before and the waiter glanced between them both of them with weary eyes.

Dangerous.

That's exactly what the man was thinking. Naruto could tell.

"Although I have to admit, usually it's me who is the pursuer…" Kimimaro smiled almost wantonly, "so it is intriguing that you would work so hard to catch my eye."

Naruto raised and eyebrow and let out a silent breath of anxiety. Of course it seemed suspicious to Kimimaro—Naruto was a traveler, after all.

"Well, you've got me," Naruto admitted and he shrugged his shoulders. "I would be lying if I said I had no intentions of ending up at this table."

Kimimaro's smile formed an eerie crease across his face and the bottle server returned with their drinks. He set them down slowly and with an alarming delicacy—trying to hear the conversation, no doubt. Most likely on Suigetsu's orders.

Naruto glared up and the server seemed startled by the action, nodding politely before he ducked away and into the crowd. Kimimaro looked fascinated.

"Hm. A new employee here—a traveler, no less—and apparently one with ulterior motives," he deducted and seemed extremely pleased with his presumption.

Naruto smirked. "I guess you could say that." He nursed his blister-brown bottle of beer and swallowed it slowly, enjoying the cool sensation of liquid barely wetting his throat.

"So, what would make an intelligent traveler such as yourself approach a dangerous man like me?" Kimimaro asked and Naruto had a miniature mental debate on how to answer. The situation felt exactly the same as the previous one with Kisame, only this time, he didn't feel entitled to lie. Kimimaro knew he wanted something.

And so, valuing his honesty over anything else, Naruto confessed.

"I want to know where I can find Itachi Uchiha," he stated, and the comment seemed to be the last thing Kimimaro expected him to say. The older man's pale eyes widened a fraction before narrowing, even keener with interest. He grinned and the change in demeanor made Naruto shift in his seat.

"That's a new one," Kimimaro let out a smooth laugh, one that sounded too gentle for the strangled feeling that his person emanated.

Naruto took another drink and raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"

The man nodded and downed some of his own liquor, wiping away a small trickle that has missed his lips. "Why do you want to know?"

Naruto debated on how to answer, after he realized that Kimimaro probably doubted his integrity. After all, he worked in a place where Sasuke Uchiha had the potential of putting him up to the dubious task of asking, and Kimimaro probably assumed that Naruto had no interest in Itachi at all. Naruto worked to remedy those thoughts.

"Itachi owes me something," he said sternly, and in his head he thought, 'yeah, jail time'.

"It's easier to try and get information on him working here, because his younger brother's always around," God Naruto hated talking about Sasuke like he was a pawn, but a white lie never hurt anyone.

"Mm," Kimimaro said. "Well, unfortunately, "I'm not the right person to ask," he took another sip of his drink.

Lights flashed and the music changed and for a split second, as the darkness that had been clouding them cleared, Naruto saw that Kimimaro had soft blue eyes and small red tattoos on his face. He didn't look as threatening as he felt—but Naruto could see his mind churning their conversation like butter, trying to smooth it out and read all of Naruto's intentions.

It made Naruto grateful he had chosen to be honest.

"You don't know where he is?" Naruto asked and he jumped when a shadow turned to flesh beside him, a figure surprising him with a silent approach. Naruto immediately recognized the man as Orochimaru—with pale skin that was placid and clammy, and eyes unnaturally unwrinkled from the age the man most definitely had.

"To think that the infamous Naruto Uzumaki would end up here," his words were like a liquid vapor, disappearing almost as quickly as they had escaped the old man's smooth lips. Naruto felt a chill run up his spine and his eyes fall downcast, wondering just how on earth he was known.

Orochimaru laughed before seating himself at the table, and he leaned over and wrapped his bony fingers around Kimimaro's drink, claiming it for himself. He seemed confident and aware, and was an overbearing presence compared to Kimimaro.

"Don't seem so surprised," he said mutely and he gargled down a shot-sized portion of the clear liquor. Naruto frowned.

"That's asking for a lot," he replied because as far as he knew, only a select few knew him by name. Most people seemed to only know of 'a traveler' that had screwed things up nearly a year ago. And it was rich that this person, above all others, seemed to have an inkling about his identity.

"Is it?" Orochimaru asked, and he ran a hand through a tangled bit of hair on his shoulder, weaving it behind his ear afterwards. "Jiraiya told me an awful lot about you, although I never imagined I would meet you myself."

Naruto froze, his insides turning like a sheet of his ice before his heart jumped against his lungs in an attempt to keep him calm and breathing. Jiraiya was someone he hadn't thought about for a very long time. And how Orochimaru knew him was something Naruto couldn't begin to guess.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto managed, and Orochimaru set the bottle down, now empty, before turning his face upward and catching a stray ray of light from the bar a level above. It made him look waxen and menacing, and almost senile.

"Hm. How rude of him to never even mention me," he resolved, and Naruto wondered if he was drunk. The whites of his eyes were still piercing though, contrasting the pitch black bulbs of iris and pupil that glimmered like dirty coins on white fabric.

"How do you know Jiraiya?" Naruto asked, and his tone was clipped. Even though he had come to ask questions, his patience was dwindling. This man struck a chord inside of him that he couldn't quite hold down, and he sat forward in his seat, an aggression beginning to eat away at his nerves.

"You think he built the Gamabunta on his own? That man is an idiot," Orochimaru said, a bit too loud for comfort. Naruto's eyes widened at the insinuation and then his lips pursed at the insult.

"He's a genius," Naruto remedied, and Orochimaru laughed. From beside him Kimimaro sat back in his seat, looking intrigued by the conversation. Naruto didn't have the chance to wonder if he knew any of what they were talking about.

"Whatever you want to believe," Orochimaru said. "Just like—"

"I'm sorry to cut this short, but Naruto has other duties he needs to attend to tonight."

Was the music really so loud and the lights so distracting that Naruto honestly couldn't see when people approached the table? Suigetsu had ghosted in like a poltergeist, the sharp look in his eyes eating away at Orochimaru like an animal.

"Hmm?" The old man glared up, but he looked bemused. Naruto however, wondered what the rush was to get him away.

"Now." Suigetsu commanded and he swung his arm down and yanked Naruto up by the wrist, pulling him aggressively out of his seat. Orochimaru smirked and Kimimaro sat forward, obviously feeling his strong distaste for the club owner from earlier.

"What, you don't want him to hear the truth?" Orochimaru said, and Naruto's ears perked, feeling like Orochimaru was about to say something important. He held his ground as Suigetsu tugged for a moment, and Orochimaru chuckled and spoke.

"After all, it's not secret that Sasuke's been seeking me out. He's here tonight, isn't he? Or are you intending to keep him all for yourself?" A dark tongue wetted those eerily pursed lips and Naruto saw the challenge that Orochimaru was giving Suigetsu. And inadvertently giving him. The suggestion in his words was obvious.

"It's not as if he doesn't have room for another lover in his life," Orochimaru went on, and Naruto felt his fist tighten as he grew angry, wanting more than ever to stop those lips from moving. Whatever was going to come out of them wasn't going to be good.

"First he fucked that traveler girl just to get his hands on a thesis, then there was, oh, you," Orochimaru grinned up to Naruto wickedly, "all for the sake of keeping his company afloat," Naruto bit back a growl. Was he really implying that Sasuke only got close to people to use them? Or even worse… that Sasuke was some sort of whore?

"And then Suigetsu, your story's even more rich," Orochimaru glanced up at the man still gripping Naruto Suigetsu wasn't brewing with heated frustration like Naruto, in fact, his grip hadn't even tightened. Naruto ground his teeth.

Wasn't Suigetsu going to say something? Was he really going to let the older man finish what he was about to say…?

"He's still got you under his thumb in order to get to me," he laughed, "He'll do anything to further his own agenda, if you'll pardon the pun. So send him over. I'll definitely show him a good time—"

Naruto had never punched anyone so hard in his life.

His fist made such a powerful impact with the old man's cheek that his knuckles seared and his fingers felt numb and buzzed. Orochimaru had probably never been hit that hard either, because he flew backwards with such a force that his chair toppled over and he rolled out of it with a groan, grasping at a well of blood that was beginning to trickle from a split lip.

"Say something else," Naruto was furious, and he stepped forward, Suigetsu so stunned at the action that he inadvertently released his grip on Naruto's wrist. "Say something else, and I'll kill you."

Even Kimimaro sat still in his chair as Naruto spoke, and he clenched his fingers at his side as they throbbed. Orochimaru's eyes narrowed after the initial look of bewildered surprise faded and frowned, his disposition turning more threatening than Naruto imagined possible.

"Don't say stupid things," he ground out, and he spit a clump of blood onto the floor beside him. "Sasuke needs me. He needs me to find Itachi."

Naruto brought himself a couple of steps closer and glared down at the older man, infuriated. "He doesn't need anything from you. Don't' ever go near him. If you touch him, I'll make sure you regret it. If you talk to him, I'll make you regret it. If you—"

"Naruto."

Really, Naruto should have expected it. With both him and Suigetsu getting into a brawl with Orochimaru, it made sense that Sasuke would come, stoic as ever, to find out just what was going on. Naruto didn't turn to look at him though, only searched Orochimaru's eyes for some sort of understanding—and after black eyes narrowed, one was reached.

Suigetsu's hands tightened on his wrist and whipped Naruto around, and Sasuke was standing behind him, his eyes lowered as though he had heard everything and wasn't sure quite what to say.

Naruto snapped his attention up to Suigetsu, who was livid, and that fact put Naruto off even more.

"That was stupid—you don't ever—" Suigetsu was cut off when Naruto yanked his arm out of the grip, glaring.

"Don't' ever what?" he challenged. "You're dating him aren't you? Or did you forget how to speak?" Naruto was baffled as to why Suigetsu hadn't made any effort to defend Sasuke.

Kimimaro had jumped out of his chair to help his ringleader and another crowd had begun to build, and all of Naruto's own pent up aggravation exploded when he finally met eyes with Sasuke.

"Why would you ever ask someone like him for help?" he demanded, and before Sasuke even looked to make an effort to speak he cut past Suigetsu to stand more evenly with the person he loved so much.

"Why would you ask him when you have me!?" His wrist stung as his blood got flowing and he winced, taking it into his other hand. He shook his head. "This is ridiculous."

Naruto pushed past Sasuke and weaved his way through the crowd of onlookers that had gathered, keeping his attention focused on the hallways that would lead back to the employee lounge.

He was infuriated. He was sad and confused and his head was pounding almost as much as his hand was pulsating. When he entered the room he ran a hand through his hair, inhaling deeply, trying to let go of the culmination of frustration that was overwhelming him. The carpet was too colorful and the room was too quiet.

He glanced to the other end and saw the exit and glanced back, noting how no one had followed him. He was going to take the rest of the night off, and damn Suigetsu if he used it against him.

The door that read 'exit' swung open in front of him as he misjudged how heavy it would be and he flinched briefly as it slammed against a metal railing outside. It wasn't a far ride by astro-car to the police department but he assumed the walk back would take some time. And he wasn't upset about it because he needed that time to cool off.

He glanced up at the skyways and mentally gauged which direction he had come from. He recognized the larger of the two airway roads and immediately took a step to the right, keeping to himself on the sidewalk. He was reminded of when he had very first arrived in the future—and how the fashion had seemed so bright and flamboyant to him. The sidewalks were crammed tight with people, and the strange outfits barely caught his eye.

Now the bright button-ups and tight-leg denims seemed normal in his eyes, and he even fit in with his ruffled collared shirt and professional-looking trousers. He made his way through the crowds and kept his attention focused in front of him, although it didn't take much effort to avoid passing glances as his mind became more and more occupied.

In fact, he was frowning.

Why exactly all of his patience had gone out of the window, he had no idea. Well, he could take an educated guess, and that would put him in a train of thought he wasn't sure he could handle. But seeing as he had nearly an hour before he reached any type of destination that looked familiar to him, he let his mind cross that thin line.

Was everything he had done for nothing?

It was the worst feeling he had ever felt. Like there were invisible walls closing in around him, or like he could feel himself drifting further and further away from the things he truly wanted. And above making him feel cold and obsolete, it made him extremely angry. In fact, he couldn't even believe what had happened in the short amount of time he had been in the future and how many things had happened in the year that he had been gone.

It was never a matter of Ju, although the rumor he had heard did make him frustrated. It wasn't even a matter of anything, unless that thing was Sasuke. That's all that he had wanted. That's all he felt obligated to fight for. And deep down he knew that Sasuke was the one thing he could never let go.

It took a deep breath to come to terms with the fact that Sasuke had sought to ask for Orochimaru's help in finding Itachi. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The first time he had seen Sasuke at the convenience store he had been looking for someone, and now Naruto knew who it was.

Naruto was convinced that the way everything had turned out this night had been a fluke. In his head, he tried to make sense of it.

Orochimaru probably rarely came out into public, and Suigetsu, being close to Sasuke, saw Naruto's presence as an excuse to get some much needed information from the older man. He had probably told Sasuke that Orochimaru was there, and that was probably the only reason Sasuke had showed up. But then Naruto had bumped into Sai and everything had gone berserk.

Sasuke had been jealous.

Nothing in Naruto's mind doubted that fact as he recalled that possessive and feral look in his narrowed charcoal black eyes. The way Sasuke had stood beside him—or even the way he had approached him was something far from a person who had the desire to be distant, although it was a far cry from the forward business owner he had known so long ago.

Just what was going on?

The thought popped into Naruto's head like a balloon exploding under pressure, so much that Naruto slowed in his steps and ducked against the glass inset of a building lining the sidewalk. He glanced back and forth, as though following an invisible thread between his thoughts, and frowned.

Was Sasuke… protecting him?

The thought had never even crossed his mind before. But the iciness, the distance, and everything else that seemed so foreign to Naruto almost seemed to light up, hoping more than wondering that he had hit the nail on the head.

There was no doubt in Naruto's mind, now more than ever, that he was in a dangerous situation. He had been naïve to think that one year had blown away the storm he had caused, and he hadn't even made an effort to think about it until now.

And now cryogenics had been eliminated and Itachi was still on the loose, and Naruto had even managed to be apart of capturing Kisame and now even had some sort of sour connection to Orochimaru. He was slowly digging himself holes he couldn't get out of, and where he and Sasuke's relationship fit into all of that was becoming a mystery to him.

He sighed and shook his head, still angry but slightly calmer. When someone came up beside him he simply frowned, having not expected anyone to seek him out after his outburst at Hebi.

"Let's get a drink," Sasuke's voice wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't as derisive as it had been either. Naruto didn't budge, or even bother to try and catch a glimpse of the other man through his peripheral vision.

"No?" Sasuke asked, and his tone dropped. Naruto snorted.

"I want to be completely sober when we have this discussion," he said flatly and he tucked his hands in his pockets before pushing himself off the wall and stepping forward into the crowd, anxious to get away, hopeful to be followed, and prepared to be the angriest he had been in a long time. And for the most part, his agenda was met.

Slender fingers gripped his arm and Sasuke was in front of him, pulling him through the crowd like some owner of a wild dog, the same frustration Naruto felt bubbling inside obviously affecting him as well. He stumbled to the side as Sasuke made for a gated alleyway—one a bit better lit than the others.

"Don't make me regret following you all the way here," Sasuke said and he pushed Naruto ahead of him. The force wasn't much though, or maybe Naruto was just that much stronger this time around. He turned around and glared up at Sasuke, finally making eye contact.

"You didn't have to follow me," he bit out. He could feel his veins throbbing with pent up aggression and he could see Sasuke's eyes narrowing as well, both of them like volcanoes about to explode.

"Of course I did. It's in your nature to be completely unable to avoid causing trouble," he said smartly. And Naruto finally lost his cool.

"Is that all you came here to say?" he crossed his hands over his chest. An apology would have been nice, or even something a bit more direct than insinuating that he needed a babysitter. Sasuke raised an eyebrow as if he had expected a different reaction and Naruto rolled his eyes. "Right."

He turned heel to leave the alleyway, but Sasuke grabbed him again, and this time his strength caught Naruto off guard. He stumbled back into the alleyway and found himself slammed back against the wall, Sasuke's hand clutching at the fabric at his neck, their faces only inches away.

"Don't turn your back on me," Sasuke warned and Naruto only glared, his own hands reaching to curl around Sasuke's wrists.

"I'm not a little kid anymore, Sasuke," he warned and he pushed forward, moving his feet so that he switched their positions. Sasuke let out an undignified huff as he was pressed against the rough slabs of concrete siding, and Naruto was practically willing himself to keep a distance between them.

"I don't think you have the right to lecture me," he started and his hands successfully pinned Sasuke's up against the wall behind him. "You have no idea what I've gone through to get here or what I've sacrificed and if all you came here to say was that you hate me and that I'm an idiot, I'm damn well going to punch you—"

And Sasuke kissed him.

Naruto hadn't even realized that their lips had gotten so close—close enough that Sasuke only had to lean forward slightly to take Naruto's in his own. And in a moment where he should have been shocked and pulled away, he simply growled against the other man, fighting almost wildly to claim his own sort of dominance.

Tongues clashed and hands fumbled for cloth, and the entire passing crowd seemed to fade from sight and mind as the sounds of heavy breathing and the long-felt culmination of need, want, fear and anger swelled into an unstoppable heat.

And surprisingly enough, it was Naruto that pulled away.

He stumbled backwards and brought his fingers to his lips, his entire being tingling with the wave of sensations, everything so familiar and yet so completely brand new making him speechless, drowning his anger in something more like confusion.

Sasuke's chest was rising and falling with each breath he worked to pull in, and his eyes had fallen half-lidded with a desperation that didn't look natural on his normally stoic features. Naruto rested against the wall opposite of him, licking his lips, tasting the sweet taste of carnal satisfaction he had almost forgotten.

"You shouldn't have done that," Naruto stated, although his voice was weak and unconvincing. Despite the fact he wanted Sasuke more than anything, there was no way he was going to settle for being the 'other man'. And it settled in his mind that it was cruel of Sasuke to dangle that in front of him, especially when Naruto had admitted how he felt not a day previous.

"Yes I should have," Sasuke answered. There was a long pause and Naruto felt his heart beating too quickly for him, making him anxious and uncertain. He finally had Sasuke in front of him, wanting him, and he himself didn't want to take what was being offered.

There was guilt, there was confusion, there were too many words left unsaid and too many words being said without lips moving at all. The feeling carved away at his senses until Sasuke finally stepped forward, carefully straightening his shirt.

"Why… did you come back? The truth," Sasuke asked, and his voice was so low and demanding that Naruto felt as though the wrong answer would send him to some place he couldn't escape. He let out a breath as his heart began to settle in his chest.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he said, and for the first time, the words felt true to him. Sasuke didn't look pleased though and he glared.

"Of course it does!" he shouted, and Naruto saw his features change, that calm and collected nature dwindling down to something almost frantic. It struck Naruto that Sasuke was probably just as confused as he was.

It made Naruto angry because it was Sasuke who was putting him in an awkward position.

"What do you want me to say?" he questioned. "I came back for you—for us. Because I made a promise to you and swore I'd keep it. It doesn't matter now—I'm more than willing to compete with Suigetsu but…" Sasuke raised an eyebrow and Naruto was blatantly upfront.

"I don't know if I can trust you anymore. I don't even feel like you're the same person, and I feel like you're hiding things and that you don't even know what you want." And as if everything he had said struck a chord in Sasuke, the pale-skinned corporate mogul narrowed his eyes.

"Is that how you feel." It wasn't even a question.

"You told me a couple of days ago that I was wasting my time, and now you want all of it? How can you even begin to tell me what I should and shouldn't believe?"

Naruto felt like he was fighting a battle against himself. His conscience was screaming for him to shut up, to just take everything Sasuke was willing to give and gobble it up to fill the hunger he had needed to fill for the past two years of his life. But the other side of him couldn't make sense of things.

Sasuke was too hot and cold. Too much of a mystery. To preoccupied with whatever he had decided to devote his time to after Naruto had left. And suddenly, Naruto's confidence flared and he frowned, pulling himself to the best conclusion he could make at the moment.

"Sasuke," he said. "If you want me, you'll have to come and get me," and as cheesy as it sounded it was the best offer Naruto had. It was his way of telling Sasuke to make up his mind.

And then Sasuke was gone. As quickly as he had come he had left, hurt or determined Naruto wasn't sure.

And Naruto didn't know what to think.

He felt like an idiot. Like he had said too much and not enough all at the same time. But as much as he wanted to be the guy that was aggressive and demanding… he couldn't settle the uneasy feeling in his chest.

He didn't want Sasuke to want him. He wanted Sasuke to love him. And until now, he hadn't even known there was a difference.

Naruto jerked when his icon buzzed against his arm and pulled it up under a light to read who was calling him. After a sigh he clicked the 'talk' button.

"Hey, Neji," he said calmly, and Neji was quick to respond.

"Naruto? Where are you? They said that something happened at Hebi and—"

"I'm just down the street. I was headed home," he interrupted, and there was a brief period of silence.

"Are you okay?" Neji finally asked, and Naruto couldn't answer because he wasn't sure. The night had left him numb and bitter and questioning his own motives.

"Hey, can you come give me a lift?" he asked instead. After meeting with Sasuke, the prospect of leaving himself an hour to think about it didn't sit well with him.

"…yeah… Where are you?"

Naruto halfheartedly named some businesses he saw in the area and it was only a few minutes before Neji was there, looking concerned and curious all in the same.

Naruto climbed into the car and nearly collapsed into the seat, and Neji took off after another vehicle beeped for him to get moving. The car managed to get a good ways down the upper highway before Naruto spoke, needing for someone, anyone to help him figure things out.

"I don't' know what to do anymore, Neji," he explained, and he briefly gave details about his encounter with Orochimaru and concluded his recap of events with, "…and I just can't tell what Sasuke is thinking, and I'd give anything to be the person that I was…"

Neji had been listening quietly, nodding, and had slowly pulled his car into the reserved lot of the station. Naruto didn't really expect Neji to be able to give him much advice because he knew that his situation was more than complicated. And until Itachi was out of the picture, it always would be.

Naruto was about to reach for the handle of his door when Neji spoke, and his words were soft, almost inaudible. Naruto turned back, and eyebrow raised. "What?"

"Why does it have to be him?" Neji asked a little louder, and his ice blue eyes stared out of the front window, almost dazed in thought, or maybe paralyzed by the fact he had said those words out loud.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, although he felt, in this one small moment, everything change around him. Even though he had asked the question, he was nervous for Neji's answer. So much that his heart felt uneasy again, and his chest felt constricted.

Neji turned to him, and Naruto would have sworn that he had never seen those eyes as serious as they were in that moment, level, focused, honest.

"I'm saying that you shouldn't have to wait for him," Neji stated. Naruto breathed in and Neji spoke again.

"You shouldn't have to wait for him, Naruto, when I am right in front of you."

a/n: So, the songs I listened to for this chapter were 'Say Goodbye' by Skillet, Usher's 'Moving Mountains', and then Tickle Me Pink's 'Beside the Others'. I've seen a lot of authors doing this soundtrack thing and decided to be corny and jump on the bandwagon. Hahaha. Gotta love random inspiration.

I'd write more but I am completely exhausted.

Love you all. Over and out.