Author's Note!: Let me know if you guys have any twists to the story that you would like to see and I may adjust the story to satisfy your NaruSasu feels. This is all for you guys! xoxo

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters therein- they all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However, this story is entirely my own.

-Thanks for sticking with The Will Of Fire and I, as it is my first multi-chapter work and is likely not the best story you've come across thus far. I promise to do my best for you. Leave a review on how I'm doing!

~Ja ne!

Ino wipes away my tears and guides me home.

I sit on the fold out couch and sigh, my eyes are dry and I feel slightly ashamed that my best friend witnessed me losing my composure, but overall, I feel better for it.

"I'm sorry. You didn't deserve for me blowing up on you like that," I apologize.

"It's fine Naruto. It's obvious that you've been holding that in for awhile now..." she said before she disappeared into the kitchen and came back a few minutes later with a huge steaming bowl of ramen.

"Do you want to explain to me what is going on with you?" She gave me a hard look. "What is all this about you being in love with someone?"

I stared out the window, watching the sun rise and took a deep breath to steady my nerves. I'm not sure I should have opened my mouth at all, but damn it, I can't shut her out now that she's looking for answers.

'Fuck.'

After inhaling the delicious aroma of the pork miso ramen, I set the bowl down and lean back. Agitated, I scrub my hands over my face and sigh, feeling somewhat useless.

"To begin with.. No. I'm not in love with Gaara. That's why you came looking for me at the crack of dawn, right?" She nodded.

Slightly annoyed at the older boy's antics, I growl, " Kankuro shouldn't jump to conclusions. We were letting off some steam to satisfy Gaara's curiosity. It's not like they can control what he does. Since they've never even been interested in his business before, why should now be any different? I don't understand them on that.. but I'm sorry for being the reason they disturbed your household this morning and I'm sorry Temari threatened you. However, there's no need to worry about fidelity when there is no relationship to start with."

"Alright, Naruto. I'm with you there, but.. about that other stuff you told me.." My friend's tone got gentler and I recall the words that jumped out of my mouth earlier.

I tilt my head up to the ceiling and ponder for a moment how I can best explain myself. Feeling a steady hand on my jawline guiding me to face her, I meet her questioning blue eyes with an apprehensive set of my own.

"C'mon honey. You can trust me, I just need to know whats going on with you," her coaxing always works on me. Not once has she ever had to use her mind transportation jutsu to see into my thoughts.

Meeting her gaze, I hope she wont judge me too harshly. "I guess I just lost my head earlier when I heard Kankuro's accusation of Gaara and I being in love.. because, I really do care about someone.. but the idea of the person I like finding out about "me and Gaara" and them thinking I love anyone else would shoot down any last possible hope I might hold for us to work out our differences."

My cheeks flame for a moment when I realize I cried insanely hard in front of her and I continue, "My unbidden tears came from the fact that I don't want to feel guilty about what I do on my own time, because it gets me through. It's what little bit of happiness I keep for myself when things seem to get low."

"I won't be getting any affection or love from the one person who makes me crave it.. and that hurts." I admit, running my long fingers through my shaggy unkempt hair.

Ino thought for a second, biting her bottom lip, "How do you know that for sure? Have you ever tried to see if they are interested?"

I look at her as if she has grown a second head, wondering if over the years I had truly hid my obsession so well, since my friend doesn't seem to have a clue who I'm going crazy for.

"Its not hard to tell when no matter what I do, he won't give me the time of day. I've tried to be there as a friend, and even as more than that.. but I get the cold shoulder and he pushes me away... Hell, I'm lucky these days if he even acknowledges my presence." I sigh, dejectedly.

I watch understanding fill her eyes as if she finally knows exactly who I'm talking about. I wouldn't be surprised if she does.

Ino leans back against the cushions and watches me intently, trying to judge my response.

"Then why do you love him?"

l don't have to think about it before the words just roll off my tongue. "It wasn't always this way. We used to be best friends. He would pick me up when I was down and we pushed each other to be better. I tried to understand his goals and he tried to understand my logic.. Sometimes we pissed each other the hell off," I laugh at the memories that come to mind, "but we were all the better for it... I love him because his soul is like mine. He has felt the hurt of being alone. He understands the desire to be acknowledged and the drive of a goal that many people tell you is unattainable. He understood me and stood by me in times I thought I had lost myself. I love him for the rare smiles he used to share with me late at night when I would join him down at the lake. I love him for not coddling me when I'm hurt even though he is clearly worried. I love the way he gets that faraway look in his eye, because I know he is thinking about the past, and it gives me a sign, an opening to catch him off guard and direct him onto lighter thoughts so that they don't consume his soul, bit by bit..."

"I have always loved him, Ino."

A solitary tear trails down my tanned cheek.

Leaning forward, Ino wipes the tear with her knuckle before I could raise my own hand. I could see she was trying to understand and accept that I've been dealing with these unrequited feelings that she had had no idea about until today.

I'm sure this is not what she had in mind when she stormed across Konoha at dawn looking for me this morning.

"Naruto, what changed between you two?" Ino tilted her head to the side as if to get a new view of the situation, "If you were so close, why didn't you tell him?"

I smiled sadly, feeling regret at those words. If I had told Sasuke back then that I love him so much it makes my soul hurt, maybe things would've been different right now.. but all the same, he might just have shut me out sooner.

"Honestly? In the past, he always came across as asexual. I was too scared to talk to him about my feelings.." I trailed off.

"Well, there were a few close calls, like that time our hands were stuck together when we were hunting down the guys who kidnapped Sakura and we accidentally kissed in the waterfall.. after that mission I was determined to tell him, but I got cold feet at the last second and just started a fight with him out of nowhere instead... and not long after that, Sasuke basically changed overnight." I reminisced.

I really wished I had gone for all or nothing while I had the opportunity.

"Sometimes he was so volatile and angry, you had to be careful just so that you wouldn't lose an arm around him when you had a reason to be in his presence," I wince at the memory of me and Kakashi trying to talk sense into him the first time he went on a rampage. Kakashi had almost needed to lift his Hitai-ate before Sasuke calmed down and left."

"Other times, he was in a daze. I used to watch him for hours from up in the trees when he would sit on the walls of the abandoned Uchiha precinct and he looked almost.. broken," a painful shiver ran down my spine recalling the scene but I inhaled deeply and continued.

"This went on for months. I made the mistake of thinking it was safe to approach him at one such time and he blew his top. You'd think I had insulted his sharingan or something." Tears clouding my vision prevented me from looking Ino in the eye but a squeeze to my hand told me I have her support. "He damn near broke my heart that day.. the things he said about the village citizens, shinobi, the elders.. about Kurama and I.. It really struck home for me. That's when I decided to back off."

I leveled my gaze at Ino so that I could see her reaction to the next reveal.

I spoke quietly then.

"I don't know what changed in Sasuke.. but he won't let me in anymore.. and I can't handle that kind of rejection." My voice rang out clear and certain, wanting her to know that I trust her with the name of my most beloved.

That I trust her with my biggest secret.

Ino surprises me and draws me into a bone crushing hug.

"Its gonna be okay honey, I know what it's like to feel rejected by him.. but you have to hang in there. Clearly something has come up to cloud his thoughts and make him feel so tortured that he pushes you away. But besides that, you were the first person he let in. Naruto, you were the first friend Sasuke ever made and the only person he has ever truly cared about- I think you really have a shot!"

She pulled back a bit and looked me in the eyes as she said, "If you're willing to hold onto that hope of changing him back to his old self, then what you need is a different tactic!"

I dropped my head down in despair and groaned aloud, "Ino! Argh. I'm telling you it won't work."

Ino stayed over for most of the day. She laid beside me as I slept, and when I awoke she gave me some advice on how to deal with Sasuke pushing me away.

She kissed me on the crown of my head and made me blush before she left out the front door.

I've never been properly kissed. I've never even had anyone's mouth on my body... that has always been off limits for me. The closest would be when Sasuke and I had all those accidental encounters where our lips touched... but they were not real kisses.

Ridiculous as it may sound, I'm still hoping Sasuke will be my first in that department.

I have a feeling Kankuro and Temari are going to have knots on their heads and an earful about treating their little brother better before too long.

After all, someone had to correct that loudmouth and stop those rumors in their tracks.

'I have a long mission coming up so I guess I need to start cleaning the house by dusting and getting rid of perishables while I still have the time to spare. Maybe I can take a couple hours to plan my interactions with Sasuke over this mission.. we will be gone for around three months. That's a lot of time for me and Sasuke to possibly reconcile while we are alone together.'

My thoughts wandered back to Sasuke as I jumped into action.

I had just finished cleaning the bed sheets when Kiba dropped by to wish me well on my next mission and return the clothes I had left at his house. For some reason, it felt like there was a wall up between us once again, and I couldn't place my finger on exactly why that was.

He helped me pack and I found out that Ino told him she was in on the "secret". Apparently they've decided that the two of them are going to do anything they can to help my cause.

I was told to get a bath and that Kiba had heard Kakashi would be coming over soon to pick me up for some ramen as a celebration for my first "B" ranked mission.

Understandably, I was thrilled. Not two seconds after he told me that I shooed him away so I could scrub up and be presentable for dinner, only I wasn't aware that Kakashi was practically already on my doorstep.

As I'm rinsing my hair and body in the tin, I hear someone bang on my door and Kakashi's voice hollering, "Get up, you lazy knucklehead. I won't treat you to free ramen if I have to come wake you up!"

"Ahhh! No way. Two seconds, sensei! I'm coming," I exclaim as I run to the door.

I grab a towel off the edge of my bed, not bothering to actually be dry but just aiming for a smidgen of modesty when I throw upon the door and the beginnings of a laugh die in my throat.

Next to my favorite jonin Is the object of my every waking thought.

Sasuke Uchiha.

The guy I'm in love with is standing right in front of me and I'm caught off guard, practically naked.

The short squeal that left my throat is nothing short of embarrassing.

"Well, I see you've been productive today, Naruto. Are you going to invite us in?"

I swallow a hard lump in my throat, fully aware that Sasuke has been staring me down and I'm so fucking confused as to why he's here that all I can manage is a brief nod before mumbling something about getting some clothes on.

I teleport back to my room and I'm a mess. In ten seconds flat Sasuke has managed to do nothing but look at me and suddenly I'm flushed and panting with a raging boner and I'm full of questions.

'Why is Sasuke here?'

'Is he going out to eat with us?' 'He hates ramen!'

'Is he maybe here to spend some time with me?'

'No, surely not. He was probably roped into it by Kakashi. I'm sure they were in the middle of something else when Kakashi decided to take me out. He probably just talked Sasuke into tagging along...'

'Why did Sasuke agree? Is he finally snapping out of that funky mood he was lost in?'

'Why in the world was Sasuke staring so intently at me in that way?'

I dig out the only pair of dark blue pants I own and pull on the standard black chunin top I borrowed from Iruka sensei last year when he and Kakashi went on their honeymoon outside the village and he let me cover his classes for a few days.

It's the best I can do on short notice without going shopping for better clothes and I hope if Sasuke notices, he will approve.

When I walk back into the living room, Kakashi has closed all the drapes since he knows Sasuke and I are headed off on a long mission soon and won't be here so the neighborhood kids will be trying to peep in and mess up the apartment for fun, as always.

"Are you ready?"

The deep and even tone shocks me down to my core. I hadn't expected to hear his voice at all except for the standard "Hn".

Sad as it is, it's the only thing he or I have said to each other since that last fight. But when I look into his eyes, they are sharp and focused.

Instead of drowning in those onyx orbs which are focused on me for the first time in forever, I nervously walk right past him and slip on my sandals.

With slightly less excitement than usual, I respond as if to myself, "I'm ready," and walk out the door ahead of the other two with butterflies in my stomach that feel like warfare.

To be continued... xxx