Sorry for the late update. Thank you so much for reviewing and favouriting! Hope this chapter's to your liking.

-x-

"One day they'll have secrets... one day they'll have dreams."

[Dr. Alfred Lanning, I, Robot]

-x-

It had taken Naruto a while, two weeks or so, for simple details to start coming back. He was finally allowed back into his own apartment when deemed mentally stable. He was used to it, it had happened to him many, many times before. He had been reset a startling amount of forty six times in his life span of 22 years. At least twice per year. To Naruto, it seemed like no one wanted him. But he still held the hope that someday, someone would truly appreciate him for who he was. He never gave up hope because if he did, he would never find that person. A cyborg is attached to their activator in a way that cannot be described by mere words. For Naruto and Sasuke, this bond between cyborg and activator runs so much deeper. Sasuke has simply not taken the time to notice.

-x-

"Ino... is that Naruto?" Sakura asked, narrowing her eyes at a young man a couple feet ahead. "Looks like it. He looks so miserable without Sasuke though." She answered, smirking at the strangled yell her best friend gave.

"W-without S-Sasuke? Wh-what? When did they become friends?" Sakura questioned, her eyes widening in surprise and expertly concealed distress. Ino nodded, but kept her eyes trained on Naruto. He was sitting alone at a picnic table, with his back facing them.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it friendship... " Ino trailed off, leaving her words hanging in mid air. She started walking towards him, ignoring Sakura's protests. Sitting down in front of him, she leaned forward.

"Hey, Naru. Where's Sasuke?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. Naruto lifted his gaze, but otherwise gave no other reaction. Ino tapped her chin in mock thought before saying, "I've looked everywhere for him, but it seems he's vanished into thin air. I figured you would know..."

"Ino." Naruto muttered. Ino arched a brow. "Anyways, I was actually wondering where he was. I thought the obvious place would be his apartment, but he wasn't there. Then I checked your apartment and the library... so now I've come to you."

"I don't know, Ino. He doesn't want anything to do with me." Naruto sluggishly ran his hands through his hair, a clear sign of his misery. Ino frowned at the reaction, while Sakura, standing behind her, remained motionless.

"Yeah, and?" Ino said, cradling her chin with her hands. Naruto shook his head in exasperation.

"Why are you not with him, insisting on conversation?"

He sighed in defeat before replying, "I told you already, he wants nothing to do with me. He thinks I'm some sort of...freak."

"Frankly, it'll take a while to get used to. I'm sure he'll come around soon enough." She grinned, nodding in encouragement. Naruto's features softened, and he slumped in his seat. Ino reached over and patted his cheek reassuringly. The male blonde leaned into the gesture as if it were a lifeline. "Hey, hey. Cheer up! Where's that killer smile?" She murmured. Naruto pursed his lips in silent contemplation before his face broke out in the smile that could replace the sun if ever needed. Ino stood up, gesturing towards the pinkette lingering in the background. She heard Sakura grumble beneath her breath, but chose to ignore it, like usual.

"Well, I'm going to head off now. Hang in there, Naru." She reached over the table to wrap her arms around the blonde's shoulders. While Sakura grimaced whenever she had contact with Naruto, Ino was already accustomed to the feverish warmth of his skin.

"Ino! Come on!" Sakura called. Ino ruffled Naruto's hair affectionately and turned to Sakura. "Ready?"

"Sure..." Sakura mumbled, frowning at her best friend. Ino seemed to notice this, but didn't comment. She would let Sakura tell her when she was ready. She walked beside Sakura, enjoying the silence between them.

"What was that?" The pinkette asked. She crossed her arms over her chest in attempted intimidation.

"What was what?" Ino repeated. Her best friend could be such a drama queen. She had to admit that she sometimes wondered if their friendship was worth all of the effort.

"Let's just say your flirting was very obvious." Sakura sneered. She typically wasn't a bad person. She tried to tolerate people, but some people just set her off without even trying. Ino was one of those people, and ironically, was one of her best friends.

"My flirting? What flirting?" Ino asked in surprise. Naruto was adorable, and she wasn't ashamed to say it, but she would never feel that way for him. Sakura should know that better than anybody else. As a matter of fact, she'd told Sakura who had caught her eye a while ago. Unfortunately for Ino, this seemingly minor detail was a serious risk to her relationship with Naruto. She didn't want to lose the blonde for anything, he was one of her numerous best friends, and she took great pride in her friends. Without a moment's hesitation, Ino would do anything to help her friends.

Sakura scoffed before walking in the opposite direction. "I don't understand!" Ino yelled after her. Sighing in frustration, she continued on her way home. She was sure Sakura would get over herself eventually. She wouldn't expect an apology from her.

When the blonde was a block away from her house, she heard footsteps catching up to her. Glancing back, she was surprised when she saw none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

"A-Ah. Hey, Sasuke!" Ino stuttered. Despite how hard she tried to shake off the butterflies in her stomach whenever she talked to him, her efforts were futile. He was still the only man she knew that could send her into a turmoil.

"Hello, Ino." Sasuke greeted with a nod of his head. He seemed to be in high spirits, which was a rarity.

"How's your day been so far?" Ino frantically searched for a conversation topic.

"It's been..." Sasuke struggled to find the word that could perfectly describe his day. He vaguely recalled that the term for forgetting a word or phrase was Lethologica.

"Long?" Ino suggested helpfully. Sasuke very nearly shook his head, but decided that if he wanted to end the conversation quickly, he should let it slide.

"Long." Sasuke said.

"Aren't they always?" Ino said with ease. She spoke as if she was entrusting Sasuke with an important word of advice.

"Not always." The Uchiha disagreed. "I've found that some days feel shorter than others."

"Of course, I know exactly how you feel." Ino brushed off the sense of urgency growing in her stomach.

"Hn." Sasuke muttered.

"So..." She began, aware that she was treading on thin ice. "I heard that you found Shikamaru's childhood friend unconscious in a snow bank."

Sasuke growled in irritation.

"Yeah, I did." His words were clipped.

"Uh, so how is he? Is he okay?" Ino asked, scrambling to keep the conversation going. To be honest, Sasuke wasn't giving her much to work with. She knew that the Uchiha had never been particularly good at conversation, but this was an absolute understatement.

"Shikamaru would know more than I would." Sasuke replied. Ino found herself leading them down an alley. It wasn't the alley; however, that was sending her into a panic. What was sending her into a panic was what was sitting at a picnic table at the end of the alley. Naruto. She could already see his mop of blonde hair shining in the sunlight.

"But Shikamaru's so lazy! He'd never tell me anything!" Her voice was reaching a squeal, effectively gaining the attention of the people surrounding them, including the gang's golden boy, Naruto. Ino caught the blonde's gaze and violently shook her head, hoping Naruto would understand the meaning behind it. Fortunately, he did, stopping himself from yelling Ino's name and instead yelling Sasuke's.

"This must be a joke." Sasuke hissed beneath his breath.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto tilted his head in that odd way of his and flashed his signature grin.

"Hello, Naruto." Sasuke's lip curled up in distaste. The game was in Naruto's hands now. He gestured towards Ino.

"Who's this?" He asked as he stood.

"Ino Yamanaka. She's a friend. Ino, this is Naruto..." Sasuke prodded his mind for the last name.

"Uzumaki." Naruto finished for him. His eyes lost their spark for a moment, but he hid it with a cheeky smile. Not before Sasuke saw, of course. Those few seconds of raw emotion left Sasuke curious.

"It's nice to meet you, Ino." Naruto reached out for her hand and raised it to his lips. Ino could barely hold in a giggle of embarrassment.

"The pleasure is mine, Naruto." Ino smirked.

"Oh no, Ino. It's all mine."

"What are you talking about? It's an honour to have met you!"

"That must be an exaggeration! I'm honoured to be in your presence!"

"Will you two idiots stop fooling around and get off the road?" Sasuke deadpanned. The blondes chuckled nervously, their eyes following the infinite line of cars that had piled up at the intersection due to their bickering.

"Sorry, Sasuke." Naruto apologized. Sasuke turned to face him, finally looking him dead in the eyes.

"Be more careful." That was all he got as Sasuke and Ino left on their merry way. He could feel his cheeks heating up, and assumed they were a cherry red. To anybody else, it would have seemed like a simple warning from the pale man, but to Naruto, he took it as a sign of friendship. He's worried about me, Naruto gushed to himself.

-x-

The blonde was still shaking with excitement when he arrived home. Glancing at the clock, Naruto estimated that he could have a 15 minute shower before Shikamaru came over. He hurriedly abandoned his clothes in his bedroom, leaving only his boxers on as he strolled towards the bathroom. Shutting the door behind him, he made a point to force all 5 locks closed. This would generally bring about panic, having five locks on a bathroom door, but this was merely a precaution. He lazily pulled down his boxers, in no way ashamed of his body. He frowned as he scrolled through the settings on the control panel by the shower door. There were six different water settings he could choose from, of which two he'd never touched and one had been an experiment gone wrong. He decided to go with one of his regulars, Rainforest.

He watched as the water slowly began to spray from the ceiling. He chose not to turn on the radio as he stepped into the steamy glass container. The water was light and moderately warm. He could already feel his skin fibres reacting to the steady stream. Finishing up in a dazzling display of speed, Naruto leaped out of the shower and stood beneath the dryers installed into the ceiling. With a quick flick of his wrist, the hot air swept through every nook and cranny of his body. Ruffling his hair in front of the mirror, Naruto could only shake his head in amusement.

"I'm way too hot."

"Naruto?" Shikamaru called.

"Shikamaru! How in the hell did you get in my apartment?" Naruto yelled back.

"I've always had a key." The brunette said from outside the bathroom door. Naruto could hear something being pushed and turned inside each lock, and the blonde scrambled to cover himself before it was too late.

"I'm naked, man!" Naruto cried. Shikamaru opened the door as far as he could without exposing Naruto. Shutting his eyes, he blindly extended a pair of boxers and a set of clothes through the crack in the door.

"A-ah, thanks, Shika." Naruto stuttered, his previous confidence zapped away.

"We've been through this multiple times, Naruto. Towels exist for a reason." Shikamaru muttered. "I'm taking a nap in your living room."

"And privacy exists for a reason too!" Naruto retorted. He slipped into the plaid boxers and the baggy fluorescent orange T-shirt Shikamaru had handed him. He carried the folded jeans into the living room, where he set on the table before falling into a bean bag chair.

"You're not wearing any pants." Shikamaru stated without opening his eyes.

"Nah." Naruto agreed.

The brunette half opened an eye before inquiring, "Why are you not wearing any pants?"

"It's uncomfortable." The blonde managed to find a comfortable spot in his bean bag.

Shikamaru shook his head, now fully awake. "You never used to do that."

"I met this one girl who doesn't put pants on for a while after she comes out of the shower, so I figured I'd try it." Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's weird and troublesome." Shikamaru muttered.

"Everyone has weird habits, right? I needed one, and there it is!" Naruto reasoned.

"I don't have a weird habit." Shikamaru growled. He didn't like when Naruto did this. To be honest, Naruto had been doing it all his life. Adopting other people's habits and personality types so he could fit in. Shikamaru figured it was just his way of finding his own persona, but he'd been doing it too frequently now.

"You fall asleep with your eyes open." Naruto growled. He was mildly irritated by Shikamaru's persistence.

"Alright, alright. You win. Just don't go adopting anymore weird habits, okay? I like you just the way you are." The brunette's head lolled in exhaustion.

"Okay, Shika. You can put your head down, I know you're tired." Naruto chuckled.

"Thanks, Naruto. Before I do that, though, I wanted to know how Sasuke's been treating you." Shikamaru said. The blonde's eyes averted to the side, his face flushed a deep red, and he twiddled his thumbs. Shikamaru had hit the jack pot.

"Uh," Naruto began, debating whether to tell Shikamaru about their encounter today or not. "I ran into him today, actually."

"Did you? What did he say?" The brunette asked. He raised his eyebrows in interest.

"Well, he introduced me to his friend, which happened to be Ino, so Ino and I had to pretend we'd never met. We had... quite the conversation. We didn't notice we'd strayed onto the road until Sasuke yelled at us for it. So... I apologized, and you know, he warned me to be... more c-careful, and st-stuff." Naruto couldn't control the tremor in his voice even if he wanted to. Shikamaru noticed this as well.

"So, would you say he's finally beginning to accept you?" Shikamaru asked. He leaned his head against the velvet pillow nearest to him, wincing softly when his eye, who was still tender from Sasuke's punch, rubbed against it.

"The thing is," Naruto said, completely ignoring the brunette's question for the time being, "I don't understand why he's so repulsed by me. I mean, he probably has an inkling of what I am, but I doubt he'd know for sure. Unless someone told him, that is. Which I highly doubt. I don't... look any different now, do I? I can remember getting anything I wanted with a well-timed pout, and if not that, I was a smooth talker, according to Ino. So why doesn't he like me? Is there really something so off about me?"

Shikamaru sighed. Naruto would rant for hours and hours if he had the time.

"He just thinks you're strange, that's all. Who wouldn't? It's the truth, Naruto... don't give me that look. You know it is. He just needs some time to get used to it. He hasn't figured it out yet. I don't think he's reached the point where he's morbidly curious. It took me a while to reach that point. And yes, my laziness did slow the process. However, he is exceptionally stubborn, which I'm sure you've noticed. He's going to take more time than anyone else has, including myself. There's nothing strange about your appearance, Naruto. Nothing negative, at least. It's rare to see someone as attractive as you in these parts. Tch, genetics." He added that last compliment for the sake of seeing Naruto flush a brilliant red. It was almost too easy to embarrass the blonde.

"Oh, shut up. I'm just as average as anybody else. I suppose I'll have to wait out his stubbornness then?" Naruto's lips curled in distaste.

"Yup. Anyways, I'm going out for dinner with the girls..."

"Like, Ino and Sakura?" Naruto questioned.

"Yeah. Temari and Ten-ten too." Shikamaru nodded.

"Shikamaru Nara... ladies man."

"Naruto Uzumaki... too lazy to think of a comeback. Later."

"Bye, Shika!"

-x-

Naruto was left alone in his apartment. He realized he had some things to think through. However, he wasn't looking forward to clearing up the muddle of thoughts in his mind, as this would only leave room for more confusing thoughts. His psychologist had told him to list things he knew, gradually working up to the bigger things he was still unsure about.

1. I am a product of Artificial Intelligence.

2. My name is Naruto Uzumaki.

3. I am 22 years old.

4. My best friends are Ino Yamanaka and Shikamaru Nara.

5. My parents are Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.

6. I was found by Sasuke Uchiha, unconscious in a snow bank.

7. Sasuke Uchiha reset me.

8. Sasuke Uchiha is repulsed by me.

9. Sasuke Uchiha is worried about me.

10. I've taken a liking to Sasuke Uchiha.

P.S. The irony of it all is that Sasuke Uchiha is the root of my problems.

-x-

Hope you enjoyed it! I love you guys. The whole concept is supposed to be explained as the story moves forward. So it wouldn't be a surprise if you didn't understand certain details.