Learn to be Lonely Chapter 3: Veiled in Darkness and Disease, a naruto fanfic

Title: Learn to be Lonely.
Summary: "There is no worse pain than that of a broken heart," Naruto explained with a vulpine grin. Breaking Sasuke Uchiha's heart should be a piece of cake. Right?

Disclaimer: I don't really own Naruto but a girl can dream, right?

Note: The first part of the story is a flashback/Sasuke's dream about past events. The rest of the story is set in the present day.

November

I caress flesh with severed nerves, I go veiled in darkness and disease. This November swallows me whole.

:: 5 years ago ::

Sasuke had never seen Naruto look so alive before. The blonde was so happy it was almost painful to witness, knowing what he was about to do. His fox-like grin was blinding and his eyes sparkled bright with energy and un-shed tears of joy. Acceptance - that's what Naruto must have felt, sat amongst so many friends and celebrating his twelfth birthday together with them. Naruto was made to be popular, it was easy to see. He was always smiling, always cheerful and his heart was the purest that Sasuke had ever known. But he wouldn't be smiling or cheerful much longer. He wouldn't be popular anymore. Because Sasuke was going to take all that away from him, rip away all traces of acceptance before Naruto even had the chance to fully embrace the new feeling.

"-Happy birthday, dear Naruto, happy birthday to youuuuu!"

Naruto's bottom lip trembled ever so slightly and Sasuke knew him well enough to know he was struggling to hold back tears. "Thanks guys. This is the best birthday ever, you'd best believe it!" He exclaimed, scratching the back of his neck nervously as so many people watched him. He just wished Sasuke - his best friend - was there.

Kiba nudged his arm with a playful smile. "Dude, this is the part where you blow out the candles!"

Naruto too a deep breath, closed his eyes and extinguished all twelve candles in one try. Everybody cheered but Sasuke stayed silent, watching in the shadows and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Naruto's eyes stayed closed for a long time and his face was scrunched up in concentration as he focussed on making his wish. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder what the blonde was wishing for so desperately. "W-What did you wish for, N-Naruto?" A timid girl called Hinata asked, unknowingly voicing his question. A bright pink blush stained her cheeks as Naruto's eyes opened and gazed directly at her.

Leaning back on his chair with a content smile, Naruto poked his tongue out at her and replied, "I can't tell you that! My wish won't come true if I tell anybody."

Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw Neji give a small nod. It was time. He stepped forward out of the shadows and immediately Naruto's eyes landed on him. "Teme!" He said happily, obviously pleased to see him. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show." His blue eyes quickly found the present in Sasuke's hands and they widened in shock. "You even got me a present?" He asked, surprised. His voice was soft and his eyes were filled with an emotion Sasuke wasn't familiar with. Suddenly he was reluctant to hand over the so-called present. He didn't want to be the one to ruin everything, he didn't want to lose Naruto as a friend forever. But what could he do? Neji hadn't left him with much of a choice.

Naruto jumped up out of his seat and trotted over towards Sasuke. He snatched the present out of his hands and examined it, tilting his head to the side curiously. "You got me a book?" He guessed with a loud groan as he felt the familiar shape under his fingers.

Sasuke glanced over at Neji who was watching their interaction carefully, a pleased smile on his lips. He turned back to the blonde and muttered, "Open it."

Naruto didn't need to be told twice. With a small, indifferent shrug he began to tear off the orange paper. A small crowd gathered around him, all eager to see what the rich Uchiha heir had bought for his best friend's birthday. Dropping the ruined paper to the floor, Naruto's eyes scanned the title of the book and he paled. When he looked up at Sasuke there was a clear question of 'why?' in his eyes. "Sasuke," he whispered sadly. "I thought you were my f-friend."

Sasuke directed a glare towards a smirking Nejoi before staring at the ground. He wanted to take it all back or stop now before he ruined their friendship beyond repair but he just couldn't allow himself to suffer the consequences of disobeying Neji's orders. He was being selfish. "You thought wrong, Uzumaki."

Kiba looked over Naruto's shoulder at the book. "Um, Naruto why has he given you a book about the Kitsune Killer?" He asked.

Another student pointed out, "Isn't your last name Namikaze? Why is Sasuke calling you Uzumaki?"

A horror-filled gasp from Ino. "Uzumaki is the last name of the Kitsune Killer! Kushina Uzumaki, it says so on the cover! Look!"

Naruto didn't reply, his eyes met with Sasuke's and he drew in a shuddering breath. "Why are you doing this to me?" He whispered brokenly. Sasuke was his best friend, the only person he trusted enough to reveal his past to but now he was being betrayed in the worst possible way. Condemned to a life of being branded the son of a murderor all because he was stupid enough to put his trust in someone he loved more than anyone else. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Sasuke wanted nothing more than to embrace the now-shaking blonde but he knew the action wouldn't be welcome. Not after the information he'd just revealed. "Because I don't want to be friends with a demon. That's why."

Naruto slowly walked away from his own party, ignoring the whispers that followed him. His friends - most of whom knew people who'd been killed by the Kitsune Killer - glared at him and called him names. They weren't his friends now they knew the truth. Tears slid down his whiskered cheeks but he didn't bother to wipe them away. It was the first time he'd ever cried because of Sasuke and - he swore to himself - it would be the last time.

He would never forget. He would never forgive.

Monster.

Killer.

Demon.

Ino was a wreck. Normally she would spend hours in front of a mirror, primping and making herself up to look perfect for the day ahead. It didn't matter if she was going out or just heading to school; she needed to look perfect because that was what people expected of her. Today, however, her blonde hair was greasy and scraped back into a messy bun and her eyes were red-rimmed and sore from crying.

She had woken up alone in her bed that morning. The marks on her body, bruises on her hips and bite marks near her neck, were proof of the night she'd shared with Sasuke but, instead of feeling happy like she thought she would, she felt... Cheap. Used. Stupid.

Sure, she'd achieved her goal of sleeping with Sasuke but that didn't make him hers. He didn't care about her. He certainly didn't love her. The name which he cried out in the throes of passion wasn't hers.

But even if it was... Would it even make a difference? She had fallen in love with the image of Sasuke that she'd created in her head. Not the real Sasuke. Nothing like the real Sasuke.

Shikamaru would call her an idiot for acting like a common whore. She knew he wouldn't mean it to sound insulting. He loved her - like she loved the not-so-real Sasuke - and he expected her to wake up one day and realise that she loved him too. Part of her wished that she could. He was like an older brother to her; protective and always there to pick her up off the ground when she needed him the most. Only, he wasn't there for her now. She was completely alone. Lost. She had spent so long chasing after Sasuke she could barely remember who she was without him.

Shattered glass fell to the floor around her and Ino sobbed, clutching her bloody hand to her chest and clenching her eyes tightly shut. She didn't want to look at the person she'd become for even a moment longer. She didn't want to see the short skirt, the bleached hair or the spray-on tan. It wasn't her. It was all so fake. And all for him. "Fuck you, Sasuke Uchiha," she cried out to the empty room, "Fuck you!"

She felt a little better.

When Shikamaru woke up his head was pounding and his back was sore from the position he'd slept in. Looking around his surroundings he recognised it as being Gaara's house - had the red-head took him home last night then? Shika couldn't remember much of what happened. Normally he was a lot smarter than this. He wasn't the type to drink. Like so much else in the world, it was too troublesome for him to bother with.

"There's a glass of water and some pain killers on the coffee table next to you."

"Huh?" Shikamaru looked up and found a golden-haired girl smirking at him. Temari. He vaguely recognised her from last night and the few other times she'd visited Gaara.

Temari rolled her eyes at him and repeated, "Water. Pain killers. Table."

Shikamaru was tempted to comment on how troublesome women could be but thought better of it. His gaze shifted to the table where - sure enough - a glass of water and two small pills were waiting for him. Placing both pills on his tongue he tilted his head back and swallowed them with a large mouthful of water. "Done." He said to the girl who was watching him intently.

"Did you have a good night then?" Temari questioned him, walking over to the sofa and pushing his legs off so she could sit down. Shikamaru grumbled about it but reluctantly made room for her.

"Not really. Parties aren't really my thing," Shikamaru replied dismissively.

"You were only there for Ino, right?" Temari smiled at his suspicious gaze. "You talk a lot when you're drunk," she explained.

"What else did I tell you?"

"Not much else."

There was a few minutes of awkward silence. Shikamaru pressed the cool glass against his forehead in an attempt relieve himself of the throbbing headache while he waited for the pain killers to kick in. Finally he spoke softly, "I think I was wrong."

Temari looked at him curiously. "Wrong about what?" She pressed.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed. "Ino. I always thought that I loved her but..." He furrowed his brow, trying to find a way to explain his thoughts.

Placing a comforting hand on his arm, Temari said simply, "I understand."

Shikamaru didn't know how she could possibly understand when he didn't even understand it himself. But the comforting hand on his arm felt nice and he didn't want to push Temari away, so he let her pretend to understand how he felt even though he knew she didn't.

Not at all.

Hinata was sat at a table on her own, reading through a book that she'd borrowed from Neji a long time ago. Back when her cousin had been nice and kind and not cruel and twisted. It was scary what love could do to change a person. It really wasn't how most people imagined it to be. Love could be light and beautiful and amazing but it could also be dark and jealous and deceitful. But they didn't write about that sort of love in fairytales.

"Um... " Hinata looked up, pale eyes meeting warm brown. Kiba ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair and swallowed. "Is somebody sitting there?" He asked, nodding to the empty place next to her. Hinata opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted. "I mean, of course there's no one sat there right now - I can see that! Unless the person sitting there was invisible or something. That would be kinda creepy, right?" Kiba's voice trailed off and he gave a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

Hinata smiled. There was something about the sheepish grin that reminded her of Naruto. The old Naruto. The Naruto that was lost to revenge and hatred. Her smile slowly faded and her heart clenched painfully at the memory. "You can sit there," she said softly.

Kiba dropped down into the seat. "Hinata, right?"

"Yes..."

A hand was shoved in front of her and Kiba's smile was bright and happy when she looked up at him. "Kiba Inuzuka at your service!"

It was beyond Naruto how a girl with bright pink hair could be so difficult to find during the school day. He needed to talk to Sakura and let her know he couldn't attend their scheduled tutor session after school. His 'grandma' Tsunade - despite being rich enough to pay for Naruto's apartment and food easily - wanted him to get a job and stop being such a 'free-loading brat'. That afternoon would be his first shift working at Ichiraku's cafe. Naruto couldn't wait for the discounts on all his favourite foods!

"Finally," Naruto muttered to himself as he caught a glimpse of pink in the distance.

Sakura was chatting away happily to her friends, Karin and Ino when Naruto started to approach. Her green eyes glared at him warningly but Naruto didn't heed her warning and instead smiled brightly. "Hi, Sakura. Can I talk to you for a minute?" He recognised the red-head as the girl who'd flirted with him - badly - at Ino's party last week. Ino, normally the first to insult him, was surprisingly quiet.

Karin was more than happy to take lead. "Why does the demon want to talk to you, Sakura?" She demanded, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the pinkette. "You aren't friends with it are you?"

Sakura opened her mouth and closed it again. For a few moments she looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Or a goldfish. It was almost amusing but Naruto knew better than to laugh. It was the moment of truth. Would she choose Naruto or her popularity? Finally, Sakura scoffed and shifted her green-eyed gaze to Karin and Ino. "Pft, like I would ever be friends with a demon like him!"

Naruto swallowed his disappointment. Sakura had the decency to look ashamed while Karin and Ino simply looked amused. "Run along little monster. Don't you have some poor innocent victims to kill?" Karin cackled.

Sakura looked at him, her eyes sympathetic but her voice cold. "Yeah. Run along little monster."

Naruto gave her a sad smile and walked away, hands shoved in his pockets. He thought that Sakura had matured but now he could see she was still the same silly little girl that had jumped into bed with Sasuke all those months ago. He was sad to have lost her friendship but the insults barely hurt him now. He'd heard them so many times before in the past.

As he walked past Sasuke on the way out of the school building he could've sworn he heard him mutter the word, "Sorry."

He must have only imagined it.

Naruto was happy to be working in the cafe. It made a nice change to sitting at home all night alone. Most people went home to families but Naruto only had his own thoughts for company. Sometimes he wished he had a family - a brother or sister perhaps - who he could talk to and they would understand him. They would've shared the misery and the blame and that way maybe life wouldn't be so bad. But Naruto was Kushina's only child and he shouldered all the misery and the blame for her actions - there was nothing he could do about it.

When Naruto looked up from the table he was cleaning, Teuchi was stood in front him with an amused smile. He tilted his head to the side curiously and waited for the man - his boss - to explain himself. "There's a gentleman at table 3 that won't stop staring over here. Do me a favour and go find out what he wants?"

Following Teuchi's gaze towards table 3, Naruto frowned as he recognised the red-haired man sat there. Kyuubi. Picking up his cloth, Naruto weaved through the cafe until he was standing in front of Kyuubi's table, cleaning half-heartedly. "What do you want?" He hissed.

Kyuubi gave a low, amused chuckle and raised an eyebrow. "To order or in general?" He quizzed.

Naruto glared at him, blue eyes icy cold, but he brandished his notepad and pencil all the same. "First you can tell me your order and then you can tell me what you're doing here."

Kyuubi nodded and glanced at the menu. "I'll have two- no, actually I'll have three bowls of miso ramen."

Naruto stared at him in shock. "You're gunna eat three bowls of miso ramen by yourself?" He exclaimed. Up until now he was the only person he knew who liked ramen enough to eat it in such large quantities.

Kyuubi looked embarrassed, scractching the back of his neck and flushing bright red. "Shut up, kid. I've liked it for as long as I can remember," he muttered defensively, staring out of the window.

Naruto slumped down in the seat across from him, grinning widely from ear to ear. "No way! I like it too. I once ate nine bowls in a single sitting," he boasted, puffing out his chest with pride and patting his flat stomach at the memory.

Coolly, Kyuubi replied, "Really? I once at twelve bowls in a single sitting."

With a disgruntled scowl, Naruto muttered under his breath, "Yeah well at least now I can see why you're so fat."

Hazel eyes narrowed. "I'm not fat."

"Are too!" Naruto sing-songed.

"It's all muscle, you stupid little brat!"

"Whatever you say, old man!"

"I'm not old."

"Are too!"

Kyuubi released a small growl of frustration under his breath but chose not to respond. He had a feeling if he continued the argument with the brat it would last for hours - they were both incredibly stubborn, it would seem. He turned back to gaze out the window, watching in awe as fireworks exploded in the darkening sky and coloured it with green, red and purple. "There's a fireworks show next week. Are you going?" Kyuubi asked out of the blue.

Naruto eyed him warily. "Are you asking me out on a date? Firstly, I'm not gay. Secondly, I don't dig older men. Thirdly-"

"Naruto," Kyuubi groaned, barely resisting the urge to face-palm. "I don't want to have sex with you and I certainly don't want to date you. So are you going to the show?"

The blonde shrugged his shoulders and stared out of the window, watching as the bright colours lit up the sky. "My dad told me that watching fireworks is more special when you watch them with a special person," he said softly. He couldn't remember his father - he was too young - but Jiraiya had told him countless stories and, in a way, it felt like Naruto did know him.

Kyuubi allowed a soft smile to grace his lips. "My dad used to tell me the same thing. So are you going to watch the fireworks with someone special this year?"

Naruto chewed down on his bottom lip and replied honestly, "Probably not." He quickly scribbled down the order Kyuubi had given him almost ten minutes ago and stood up from the seat. "I need to go and give Teuchi your order..."

Nodding, Kyuubi said, "I guess I'll see you around, kid."

Naruto had always loved fireworks. There was something so beautiful about them, the way they soared up into the night sky and then burst into a thousand different colours, suspended in air for all to see and admire with their special person. Gaara was a special person to him - as a close friend - but he knew, somehow, that his dad didn't mean a friend when he spoke about finding a special person. He meant love. True, honest, like-what-you-read-in-fairytales love. Once upon a time, Naruto might have believed in that type of love. Now? He had a rather cynical view of things.

A small smile played on the blonde's lips as he looked around his surroundings. The show was to be a small one - Konoha was hardly the biggest of towns - and people were sprawled out on blankets, staring up at the starry sky and waiting for it to start. Naruto watched as Gaara laid their blanket out across the floor. The red-head was being quiet tonight - even more so than usual. When they were both settled on the blanket Naruto turned to him. "What's up, Gaara?" He asked, straight to the point.

Gaara pursed his lips, reluctant to answer. It didn't matter. The first firework exploded in the air and Gaara literally trembled. Naruto stared at him in horror - Gaara wasn't ever scared of anything! Reading Naruto's expression, Gaara muttered, "I'm not scared. I just don't see how damaging your ear-drums and looking at pretty lights can be considered fun."

Naruto smiled and leant back on his elbows, watching the colours paint the sky like a canvas. "It's beautiful. Just relax."

Gaara couldn't appreciate the beauty, nor could he relax. Each time a firework was released he would stiffen, shoulders rigid and wait for the inevitable bang. No matter how prepared he was for the noise he couldn't help but shake like a leaf. It was humiliating! When the first half of the show was over, Gaara turned to Naruto and said simply, "I can't stay here."

Naruto almost pouted at the thought of being left alone but he didn't try and put up a fight. He knew Gaara was scared and he couldn't expect the red-head to sit there in fear while he enjoyed himself. He forced a bright smile. "Maybe you could go see Shika? He's been spending a lot of time round your place lately."

Gaara nodded stiffly and Naruto watched him leave. The last thing he expected when the second half began was for Sasuke Uchiha to sit down next to him without saying a word of greeting. Naruto stared at the pale boy for several minutes in shock before his attention was captured by the fireworks once again. A content smile found its way onto his lips and the rest of the evening passed by in a blur of colour and cheers.

When the last firework shot up into the sky, Sasuke turned to face Naruto. He seemed troubled. "You haven't been in the library for a while. I thought you might be ill or something." That wasn't the reason he wanted to see Naruto. The dream he'd had a couple of weeks ago had left him shaken up. He wasn't sure why but he thought seeing the blonde would help somehow.

Naruto watched as all the people around them began packing up their things and leaving. He hadn't been focussed on the plan for the past few weeks as his exam date was fast approaching. "I have an exam next week. Sa-" He paused, remembering the pink-haired girl didn't want anybody to know. "I've been spending most of my time studying for it and stuff..."

"I didn't miss you or anything," Sasuke said gruffly.

"I know," Naruto replied with a barely-there smile.

"Good."

There was a beat of silence before Sasuke spoke again. He seemed to do a lot of the talking when he was around Naruto. Five years ago Naruto had been the biggest loud-mouth that Sasuke had ever met and now... He was more mature. Sasuke found himself missing the childish side of him. "There's a new game in the Konoha arcade... I bet I could kick your ass at it."

Naruto seemed genuinely surprised. Sasuke wanted to hang out? This was all happening a lot easier than he thought it would. In his plan he didn't see Sasuke accepting him as a 'sort-of friend' until a couple more months had passed. But the opportunity was there and Naruto wasn't one to let it slip by. "Yeah right, teme! I always win - you'll soon see!"

Sasuke raised an amused eyebrow. "I will? When?"

Naruto thought about it for a moment. "After my exam?" He suggested.

Sasuke stood up and gave a small nod of his head. "Sure. I'll see you around, dobe."

Naruto watched as Sasuke disappeared off into the crowd. He felt strangely numb, empty. Shaking off the feeling he began to fold up the blanket, struggling slightly. "Why don't you let me help you with that?"

Looking up in surprise, Naruto scowled at the male Hyuuga. "I wouldn't want a princess to break a nail on my behalf." He felt a little triumphant when Neji glared at him for the comment. Folding over the blanket one last time he held it under his arm and glanced back at the long-haired boy. "Do you want something?" He asked, not caring how rude he sounded.

Neji smirked, he'd obviously been waiting for Naruto to ask before he spoke. "It's fascinating. How you're suddenly spending so much time around the same boy who broke your heart five years ago."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the choice of words. "Broke my heart? Don't talk about me like I was one of his fan-girls, Princess. I never loved him."

"You might not have been a fan-girl but you were worse than one in many ways. You worshipped the very ground he walked on, looked up to him and told him everything he wanted to know. Because he was special to you," Neji pointed out.

"I know how the story goes," Naruto muttered. The last thing he needed was someone reminding him of the worst day of his life. "Are you quite finished?"

Neji chuckled. "I know that you're up to something. You want to know how I know? You're just like me, Naruto. You don't forgive and you certainly don't forget. I know that you still hate Uchiha for what he did to you... So why are you set on making him think otherwise?" Naruto stayed quiet, realising it was a rhetorical question. "I'll tell you why - because your heart is turning black from all the hate it harbours and you want him to pay for what he did to you. You might tell yourself you're doing this for my dear cousin Hinata or Sakura or the thousand other girls he's ripped to shreds but the truth is you're doing this for one person. You."

Naruto stared calmly at the other boy, barely reacting to the words. "That's quite a nice theory you've got there. You must've put a lot of thought into it, huh?"

Neji shrugged his shoulders. "He broke your heart, Uzumaki - not in the sense where you loved him and he crushed you like a bug under his shoe. He broke your trust and made you hate him. You're now incapable of love because you daren't let another person into your heart again. Am I right?"

Naruto pursed his lips into a tight line. "Like I said, it's a nice theory."

Sakura and Naruto sat across from each other at the table. Neither one of them was sure what to say. It was the last tutor session before Naruto's exam and the first one since the incident at school as Naruto had been busy with his new job most days. Naruto shifted slightly on the uncomfortable wooden seat, normally they would relax on the sofa but that felt too informal after everything that had happened. Just as he was about to open his mouth and suggest they get started, Sakura blurted, "I'm so sorry, Naruto! I didn't mean what I said about you being a demon or a monster."

Naruto shifted his gaze away from her. The comments didn't bother him but the fact it was Sakura - a supposed friend - saying them did bother him a little. But what annoyed him the most was her reasons for saying them - her popularity and her so-called friends. Didn't she see she would be so much better off without it all? "I don't blame you for what you said. I'm just... I thought you were over all that popularity stuff," Naruto mumbled, still avoiding eye-contact with the pink-haired girl.

"I... I am over it," Sakura said softly and her brows furrowed as she realised she meant it. It had been a long time since she'd cared what Ino and Karin thought of her and the things she'd said to Naruto in front of them had been out of habit more than fear. But she wouldn't hide herself any longer. What did it matter if she wasn't popular? What did it matter if she hung out with Naruto? She liked him. He wasn't a demon in her eyes.

Naruto looked at her dubiously, obviously not believing she was serious.

Sakura stood up from her chair and wandered around Naruto's flat, searching. Finally she found what she was looking for - scissors. "Do you remember me telling you how I grew my hair long because Sasuke liked girls with long hair?" Naruto nodded mutely. Sakura held out the scissors. "I... I want to move on from him Naruto. Will you cut my hair for me?"

Naruto looked from Sakura to the scissors and back again. He gave a small smile and nodded. "Sure."

As Sakura watched the pink locks fall to the floor at her feet she felt relieved. It was like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders and suddenly she felt so much lighter, like she was finally free.

The day of the exam came much to quickly for Naruto's liking. He was thankful that Sakura was there with him, keeping her head held high as students judged her for being seen hanging around with the demon. She caught Naruto looking at her and smiled softly. "What?"

Naruto scratched the back of his neck nervously and smiled sheepishly. "Thanks for all this. You... You're a real friend."

Sakura found the glares of the other students didn't matter so much when Naruto smiled so brightly. The doors to the exam room opened and Naruto's smile morphed into a look of horror. The pink-haired girl chuckled. "You'll do great - you had me as a tutor after all. I'm going to head to class. Tell me how it goes!" With a little wave she began walking down the corridor, not even glancing at Sasuke Uchiha as she passed him.

Naruto was about to enter the hall when he caught sight of Sasuke. "What are you doing here? You don't need to do this exam..."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "I... Just wanted to say good luck."

Naruto stared at him before accepting his answer. "Oh, well thanks. I guess. Are we still going to the arcade after this?" He asked, wondering if Sasuke even remembered what they'd arranged last week.

Sasuke nodded and the corners of his lips lifted up into a smirk. "Hn. I look forward to beating you, dobe."

Naruto was about to come up with a witty retort when he noticed the exam was about to start. Eyes widening, he darted past Sasuke into the hall, glaring at the other boy over his shoulder.

Sasuke snorted.

The blonde was still as stupid as ever.

"I'm curious, Uchiha. Do you think he grows more attractive with age? Enlighten me, I really do want to know."

"Hyuuga," Sasuke snarled, turning to face the long-haired boy. "What do you want?"

Neji ignored his question and continued speaking, "I think the years have definitely treated him kindly. I still despise him, though, of course. What do you think, Uchiha?"

"Any... Attraction... I might have had towards the dobe back then was nothing but hormones. That's all."

"Sure," Neji drawled out in obvious disbelief. "If you believe that you probably believe that Naruto forgives you and actually wants to be your friend!" Neji couldn't wait to see the look on Sasuke's face when he told him otherwise.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Unlike you, Naruto is actually capable of forgiving people. When are you going to forgive him? It's been, what, three years? He doesn't even remember for fuck's sake!"

Neji's eyes hardened. As much as he hated Naruto, he hated Sasuke more and perhaps it would be fun to let Naruto go through with his little act of revenge. If Neji was lucky it would backfire and both of them would be hurt by it. If not he would find some way to make Naruto pay for what he did. Neji meant what he said to the blonde about the two of them being similar - Naruto could hold a grudge and so could he. "Maybe I'll suddenly find it in my heart to forgive him in another two years," he mocked before turning on his heel and leaving.

Ino chewed on her bottom lip nervously. She was beginning to think this was a bad idea. Her foot tapped lightly against the floor and she wondered how she'd ended up here - in a tattoo parlour of all places - in her attempt to move on from Sasuke. She had always wanted a tattoo but had never dared to take the risk of having something permanently marked onto her skin. What if she didn't like it in a year? What if it didn't turn out right at all?

Just as she was about to stand up and run for the door, a man - who couldn't be much older than her - called her name. "Ino?"

Ino stood up and followed him through to the back room. She couldn't help but admire the man - he looked similar to Sasuke but his hair was shorter and his skin was paler. He was attractive. Definitely. Ino took a seat on one of the chairs and continued to watch the man as he got everything ready. On the wall there were thousands of designs, all very beautiful and artistic, and she found her attention being drawn to them. "Do you like them? I design most of them myself..."

"Really? Wow. I don't have an artistic bone in my body," Ino muttered.

"Well, that's why you're so beautiful then. A perfect canvas for an artist to make his own," the man said with a smile. Ino's cheeks turned pink. "So any design in particular?"

Ino shook her head. "I want something to represent the beginning of a new chapter, a new life. Does that make sense?"

The man quickly sketched a design on a piece of rough paper and handed it to her. "How about this?" He suggested.

"That's brilliant!" Ino exclaimed. "Do you mind if I ask you what your name is?"

"Not at all. My name's Sai," he replied. "Do you mind if I take you out to dinner?" He asked cheekily.

A simple 'no' was on the tip of Ino's tongue but it never quite left her lips. She wasn't the sort of person to do things like this spontaneously but maybe - just this once - it would be fun to take a little risk. Sai was handsome and he seemed like a nice guy too. What was the harm? "Not at all," she said with a smile that Sai returned.

Naruto grinned triumphantly as his name finally appeared as first-place. Next to him, Sasuke scowled and glared at the screen as though he wanted nothing more than to smash it to pieces for callling him a loser. "I win! I win!" Naruto cheered, rubbing it in the other boy's face and doing a little victory dance which earned him a few odd looks from the other people in the arcade.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You won one game out of ten - it hardly counts for anything."

Naruto shook his head. "Nuh-huh! You said I wouldn't beat you and I did so hah!" He prodded Sasuke's chest and smiled. He was - though he daren't admit it, not even to himself - having fun. It reminded him of the old days when they would compete over every little thing... But thinking about the old days reminded Naruto of the betrayal and the desire to get revenge. But he had all the time in the world to get revenge - why couldn't he have a little fun for now? "You owe me ramen!"

A groan escaped the lips of the Uchiha. "C'mon Naruto, anything but ramen - I might be rich but I'm not that rich!"

Naruto huffed. "I don't eat that much, teme!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He could remember having to pay for almost ten bowls of ramen once. "Sure you don't, loser." He sighed, knowing he was going to lose the battle eventually and he might as well give up now. "Fine but I'm not paying for more than two bowls..."

Naruto grinned, whooping in victory.

Sasuke felt his heart clench painfully as he thought about how much he'd missed this. What he wouldn't give to go back in time and stop himself from ruining their friendship so that they could regain the five years they'd lost. But even if he did go back it wouldn't change anything. Neji would get what he wanted either way but at least Sasuke would feel less guilty.

"Hurry up, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, tugging on his arm and pulling him from his thoughts. "I'm starving!"

"You? Starving? Impossible. You eat enough for a family of five," Sasuke replied coolly with a smirk.

"You're such a bastard!" Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, but there was amusement which shone clear in his eyes.

end chapter 3

A/N: Hi guys! I think I've been doing pretty well at updating quickly. This chapter didn't have much about Sasuke and Naruto - well, it had a bit - and I decided that we could visit some of the minor characters to see how they're dealing. As for side-pairings, I didn't want there to be too much gay romance in this story because, in most schools, not every couple is gay so most side pairings will be het but I won't mention them much anyway. Until next time, folks!

Q. Why is Sasuke opening up to Naruto so quickly?

A. Because, as this chapter tells you, he still cares for him. He used to be best friends with him 5 years ago until *something* happened. Sasuke has no reason to hate Naruto so the feelings of friendship - long dead as far as Naruto is concerned and replaced with hate - are still alive for him. So it's easy for Sasuke to just pick up where they left off. As for Naruto? He's just pretending. Naruto still hates Sasuke but he is amazed by how easy it is to slip into old habits of friendship - like the little scene between 'em at the end.

I would love a review or two.

Hey, I'm a poet and I didn't know it! ^_^