Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. –Closes his eyes and waits ten seconds–. Nope, still don't. Damn.

Warning: There is a very light scene between Naruto and Sasuke, but it's a Yaoi story, so you should expect it. Don't go crying to the people because you don't like it.

Author's Note: I'm sorry that this is late…I was on a long holiday for Columbus Day weekend, and I didn't write. Then when I got back, it took a while to write this, mostly because this is the first chapter in Sasuke's point of view.

I didn't have this chapter pre-written for a weird reason. I had originally planned to write a second fic, which would be this fic in Sasuke's POV, but I finally fleshed out how this story will end, and it'll be too long for me to do that, so I decided to put some other POV in the story to show what else was going on.

I've only written one other chapter outside of Naruto's point of view, but there might…scratch that…probably will be more, so I'll be sure to tell you when it's someone else's point of view. This one is in Sasuke's POV, which is a bit unusual, but I liked it.

I'd like to stress that this is NOT AU. There is a flashback to times in the academy, but for all we know, it could have happened. Sorry for the long Author's Note. Just read and enjoy (and review?)

Chapter Seven:

I had never really known anybody intimately outside of my family. I had never even really known my family that intimately. My brother Itachi was always distant, and my father always shut me out in favor of him. I knew my mom the best, but even she sometimes felt like a stranger.

That's why when we passed a spiky haired blond kid on the street and she shuffled me away from him, I was very surprised.

"Sasuke," she said, "that boy is your age and will be in your class at the academy. I want your word that you will never speak or interact with him. Do you understand me?"

I nodded, a bit curious as to why she asked.

"He's a monster," she told me after I voiced my curiosity.

A monster. How could he be a monster? He wasn't any older than me. If he did anything illegal, he'd be in jail. What was so bad. I mean, the most monstrous thing about him was his scars that shadowed his face like whiskers.

But no matter what I thought, I nodded, and agreed to never speak to this boy.

But after Itachi killed my parents, I began to question life.

I sat by myself during recess, everybody else playing some sport. Everyone but the spiky haired blond kid.

I was never really one to socialize, even before my parent's deaths. But I was in no particular mood to have anything to do with anyone so soon after the Uchiha massacre. Eventually, Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru and Kiba stopped trying to convince me to play with them. That's alright. I didn't need them anyway.

That's how recess – and any free time, really – went for months. I would sit and be consumed by my thoughts. It was quite unhealthy, looking back on it now. But I needed to escape my world.

"Hey," a voice said from behind me. "What are you doing here all alone?" I turned to face the voice, and saw the spiky haired blond kid.

"What are you doing here all alone?" I asked.

"I don't have anyone to play with," he said with a sad look on his face. "Do you want to play with me?"

"My mom told me not to talk to you," I said. "She called you a monster." I saw his face fall. The prospect of losing a friend, shattered. The possibility of normalcy, gone. He turned to walk away, before I continued. "But she was wrong about…someone else...so she might be wrong about you."

He stood up straighter, and I couldn't tell, but I'm pretty sure he wiped a tear from his eye. Even then, seeing him that upset had an effect on me. I've made countless people cry, but he was the worst.

"My name's Sasuke Uchiha," I said. "Who are you?"

"My names Naruto Uzumaki," he said, a grin overcoming his face. "And I'm going to be Hokage someday."

"Yeah, right," I scoffed. "Only the best of the best gets to become Hokage. And I need to be the best."

We talked, and talked, and talked some more. We spent an entire year just talking during recess. But then, when we began to mature, girls started to notice me. I didn't like them, but they fawned all over me. Naruto was obviously jealous of me. He stopped sitting with me when Sakura, Ino, and a bunch of other girls began to crowd me all the time. I couldn't care less…about them, that is.

Even then, I knew that I had deep feelings for Naruto.

When we eventually got on the same genin team, I remembered his animosity towards me for getting the attention. And I hated that he hated me. So I chose to hate him back.

If only it were that simple.

As I was on the edge of death in the Land of Waves, I realized that my feelings for Naruto went deeper than affection. I was alright with dying, if it meant he was safe. When I finally woke up, it took a while for me to realize exactly what I felt for him.

After his fight with Gaara during the invasion of the Hidden Leaf Village, we went on a few missions – just him, Sakura and I. One of them took us to a town in the Land of Fire, outside the village. We ended up using a hotel, and I shared a room with Naruto.

As he slept, I watched him. His chest rising and falling. He looked so peaceful. I knew I loved him then, and I couldn't let go of him. I felt a bubbling inside that I had never felt, and lust began to pour out for the first time in my life.

I am Sasuke Uchiha. I don't submit. I don't show my feelings. I make sure that I am the only one who knows my true feelings. If someone else knew, they could hurt me.

I had loved before, and Itachi took it away from me. I couldn't help but love again, but I vowed that no one would ever know. No one could ever take Naruto away from me. Not Gaara. Not Orochimaru. Not Itachi. Nobody.

He shifted in his sleep, and it knocked the covers off of him, revealing a flat chest. The lust inside me took over, and for the first time since my parents died, I was not in control of myself or the situation.

I crept over to his bed, and saw him resting comfortably. His features looked softer, more relaxed. I felt so powerless, and I hated it. He had the control, and he didn't even know it. He would never know it.

I am Sasuke Uchiha. I get what I want. I want Naruto Uzumaki. That is what was going through my mind as I touched his chest. I slid my fingers down his toned torso towards his belly button. He shivered under my touch, making me stop. I couldn't let him see me like this.

I slid my fingers back up towards his nipple, and I squeezed it. Naruto let out a gasp and a moan before turning to face me, still sleeping. His face was mere inches from mine, and the animal desire began to come out.

I pressed my lips against his. The kiss was nowhere near what I needed it to be, but I couldn't go further without waking the blond. He turned back on his back when I pulled away, and I noticed an obvious tent in his pants, even with the blanket over it.

He began to stir, so I made my way back to my bed, feigning sleep when he woke up. I told myself that I would never lose control like that again.

OoOoOoOoO

"So, Sasuke," he said, "do you wannna talk?" The grey haired jonin was seriously getting on my nerves. How the hell did he know when something is bothering me?

"No thanks, Kakashi," I said, "I'm fine.

"Really? Because I don't think you're fine," he said with a smile. "And I think I know the reason why."

"Believe me, Kakashi," I said, walking away. "You don't."

"Naruto," he said, stopping me in my tracks.

"I don't…I mean, I…what do you…what's Naruto have to do with anything?" I stuttered.

We were inside the Uchiha mansion after the mission, and I made it a point not to come out. Kakashi was just doing his thing – leaning against a priceless portrait of my father as if it was an ordinary wall. Sometimes I wonder if the man has any boundries.

"By the way you stutter, I'm sure that I'm right," he said. Damn, his smile was even visible under his mask.

"I don't stutter," I said. The shock of Kakashi knowing something was up with me and Naruto finally faded, and I had my mask on again. I was really slipping if that's all it took to shake me out of it. "And my problems have nothing to do with Naruto."

"So you do have problems?" he asked. Damn. I was so focused on making sure I sounded convincing that I didn't think about what I was saying. "Care to share?"

"No." Plain and simple. Let's see him break through that.

"Fine," he said, throwing his hands up in surrender. "If you won't tell me, maybe Naruto will have more luck."

"Don't you dare send him here to try to talk to me," I said with as much venom as I could muster.

"Well," he said, "you're going to tell someone, and you won't tell me, so Naruto seems like the best option."

"Why do you even care?" I yelled.

"Because I care about you. You're my student, and my friend. I've seen you grow up Sasuke. It bothers me when something is bothering you and you try to shut out the whole world. It doesn't help anyone."

Kakashi wouldn't tell anyone, right? Not if I told him not to. And it's better than him sending Naruto over. I know I can't control myself as easily around him. Something might slip out. Maybe telling Kakashi is the easiest option.

"I…I think…" I couldn't muster up the courage to tell him. For the first time, I was…scared? Scared of what? Scared of what Kakashi thinks? Scared that if I say it, it'll be real? Scared of being rejected. Scared of being a failure. Scared of being alone.

"Wow," Kakashi said with a frown, "this must really be tearing you up. I've never seen you like this." He sat down next to me.

"Kakashi, I…I think…I might be…" I clenched my fists. There was no way that that tear would be allowed to fall. I might be having a nervous breakdown right now, but there was no way in hell I was going to cry.

"What?" Kakashi pushed. "What do you think you are?"

"I'm…" I took in a deep breath. "Gay."

"I know."

With all of the training that I've given myself at not showing facial expression, you wouldn't believe how easily those two words got me to lose that mask. I looked at him in a pure mixture of shock, confusion, and worst of all, fear. If he could tell, could Naruto? Probably not, because he's a dumbass, but could somebody else? Sakura? Ino? Shikamaru?

"What do you mean, you know?" I asked.

"I knew that you're gay, and I know that you have a crush on Naruto."

I know that you're supposed to respect your elders, and I usually do. But this situation called for extremes. That's why I let instincts take over, and I punched him square in the jaw, sending him falling to the floor.

He picked himself up, blood staining his mask. I must have hit harder than I thought. But how dare he describe any feelings I had towards the blond idiot as something as girly as a crush. Just thinking about it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

"Was that really necessary?" Kakashi asked. "I know you're confused, but don't take it out on me."

"I don't have a crush on Naruto," I said with my patented Uchiha glare sent straight towards the gray haired man. How he brushed it off, I don't know.

"Whatever you say, Sasuke," he said. "If you ever need to talk about it, though, come find me." He left, just like that, leaving me alone to deal with my feelings.

"I don't have a crush on Naruto," I spat towards no one in particular. "I…I love him."

OoOoOoOoO

From that day on, anytime I needed to talk to someone about Naruto, I talked to Kakashi. He was helpful at first, but then he started to try and play matchmaker. He'd pair us up, him and Sakura and me and Naruto to practice. He'd make sure Naruto and I got stuck alone. Naruto didn't notice any of this, but I did.

He began to push me to talk to Naruto about it. He'd tell me Naruto might return my feelings. No matter how silly it sounded, part of me would believe him, but I knew that I was wrong. Naruto was just as much a pervert as Kakashi and Lord Hokage. He came up with the sexy and harem jutsu for pete's sake!

Naruto would drool over Sakura. Well, he'd drool over anyone in a skirt, but he had a special place in his heart for her. He'd never get her, though, because she was too into me. How fucked up that was. The guy I was in love with had a major crush on the girl who's been practically stalking me for years. What could possibly complicate things further?

Oh, right. If they started going out. I tried as best as I could, but when they started dating, I couldn't handle being on the same team. My jealousy could easily take over, and I could hurt Sakura, or come onto Naruto. It was hard enough before they started going out, but being the third wheel added to it, and I couldn't stand it.

I knew Kakashi would understand why, so I didn't really blink twice when he just accepted me leaving. I knew Naruto and Sakura would try to stop me, but I didn't care. I just let them make their point and sent them on their way.

Kakashi still saw me daily. He told me that he wished I was still on the team, but I'd just 'hn', and leave it at that. I really wasn't surprised when he arranged for Sakura to leave the group with some BS excuse about distractions. I mean, he didn't have any problem with me being distracted by my feelings for Naruto. But he'd brush it off any time I tried to talk to him about it.

Underneath all of that, I had also lost to Itachi again. I needed to grow stronger. That's why I asked Naruto about learning the shadow clone jutsu, but he told me he only learned it illegally. Just my luck.

We went on a mission and we ended up fighting Orochimaru, and Kisame Hoshigaki's brother, Ishichi. We all survived, but it took a toll on us. It was during the mission that Kakashi decided to approach me about Naruto.

"Tell him, Sasuke," he said. It was three words, but I knew exactly what he meant.

"We've been through this, Kakashi," I said. "I won't tell Naruto how I fell. He doesn't feel the same way. He's as straight as they come."

"I wouldn't be so sure," he said.

"Really?" I asked. "He developed the sexy jutsu. What gay kid spends his time studying naked women?"

"He might have done it because of its effect on other people. He's successfully used it on the Third and Fifth Hokages, as well as Ebisu."

"If you think he made it to mess with you perverts, you're dumber than he is," I scoffed.

"You're not focused on the truth behind it," he said. "Just because he did that a year ago doesn't mean he'd do it again. A year ago, did you know you were gay?"

"Hn."

"Exactly," he said. "Look, it shouldn't be so hard for you to talk to Naruto alone. Sakura's not on the team anymore."

"Because of your manipulations," I pointed out. "This is exactly why I didn't want to be part of this team! It's too hard. Look at what happened today! I lost control because of what they did!"

Even Kakashi couldn't deny that. When Orochimaru had hurt Naruto, I had an overwhelming urge to protect him, and I unleashed power that I've never experienced. I could have killed anyone with that power.

"Sasuke," he said, ignoring my very good point. "I think if you just tell Naruto –"

"He's with Sakura," I said. "She had to leave the team because you were 'afraid her feelings would get in the way'. The exact same thing happened today! How can you be encouraging this?"

"Listen, Sasuke, I don't think Naruto and Sakura will be together for long. I think he likes the idea of dating her, but he doesn't really feel anything deep for her. I saw them on a date – he kept her at arm's length. They barely kissed. I doubt it's gone further, and I doubt it ever will."

"It doesn't matter," I said. "You might be wrong." He sent me a look that said I know what I'm talking about. "But even if you're not, there's no guarantee that –"

"There's never a guarantee in life, Sasuke," he told me. He came closer and put his hand on my shoulder. "You have to take chances, especially in love."

"What do you know about love, Kakashi?" I demanded. "How can you even talk about love? You don't understand. It's a moot point. Even if you were completely right about Naruto and I, we wouldn't be able to be on the same team according to your rules if we…"

"That's not true," he said.

"It was true with Sakura," I said. "What's the difference?"

"Sakura isn't apt at battle," he said. "Before we left, I approached her and told her she might want to talk to Tsunade about being a medical ninja. Her chakra control would be good for it, but she's never been good at battling. You and Naruto complement each other in battle. You saw that today. Sakura knows chakra control and basic jutsu, but she doesn't know any advanced techniques or specialized ninjutsu. She doesn't battle well, yet."

"He keeps saving me," I said. I don't know why, but I was determined to beat Kakashi. But even now, I knew he was right. I should tell Naruto.

"There are worse things in life than being saved," he said.

"He's always there. I'll never grow strong enough to defeat Itachi if Naruto always ends up saving me!"

"Why can't you defeat Itachi together?" he asked. I sent him a glare. He knew damn well why!

"I have to do it. I have to avenge my clan." I stopped my glare and looked to the ground. "By myself," I added.

"I think you should tell Naruto, anyhow," he said.

"How can I tell him? He's with Sakura, and we're on a mission together. We wouldn't be able to work together if he knew that I love him!"

"Love?" he asked. I blushed, unconsciously. What was it about loving Naruto that made me lose myself? I blush, I lose my mask, my glares have lost their effect. I was really losing it. "You've never said love before."

"Well, I love him," I said. "And he doesn't love me back." I began to walk back to the camp, Kakashi following me.

Of course we couldn't find Naruto. He must have gone somewhere. All of us – Lee, Ino, Neji, and I – went to look for him. We left Kiba and Kakashi at the camp in case he came back. We eventually found him, but his location raised some flags.

He was in the same spot that Kakashi and I had talked about him earlier. Ino had also said that he left camp much earlier – while Kakashi and I were gone. Did he hear us? Did he know? He certainly looked distracted.

I spent the next few hours talking to him until I was pretty satisfied that he didn't overhear my conversation with Kakashi. We continued our mission, and nothing big happened between Naruto and I, but I still wondered, deep down, if it would have been better if Naruto heard me and Kakashi after all.