AN: I don't like this chapter. At all. 'SUP BBY?

Author: scandalousss

Warnings: some harmless Ino bashing...which is okay since I love Ino...: GULP: swearing...duh...you must be patient for the smut, beautifulllll

Song: Cancer by My Chemical Romance. I cried. The song is so fucking beautiful and it means so much to me. To think I've heard it live in concert ugh sob -wipes tears- please excuse me

Disclaimer: "Naruto bby! Be mine!"

"NO DAMNIT SASUKE! I'M KISHIMOTO'S, FUCK OFF!"

Un-beta'd. So please feel free to bitch at my mistakes, there's bound to be some lololol derp

Hope you like my shit.

The dobe hadn't shown up all day. Lunch was deathly quiet, which was highly unusual considering Naruto's loudness made it so fucking impossible to think to point where you can't even pick up a plastic fork - and Kakashi-sensei even remarked about his absence. I mean the dobe was always at school, despite his barely acceptable grades. He wasn't exactly Uchiha book smart, but when shit happened he was always the first one with a plan, right?

If something had happened, he'd be okay, wouldn't he?

This led me to point where I was pacing back and forth like some moron, my friends watching me like a fucking soap opera. You always catch what you can, me showing some kind of concern for anything is like that Ino chick actually showing up to school wearing pants. It was quite rare.

Sakura wasn't too worried, "He's probably just sick." While the rest of the gang had agreed, (well, Shikamaru gave a mumble and went back to sleep on the desk) I most definitely was not so easily appeased.

Naruto would have at least called and told me. He was a moron with no sense of self-survival - honestly, he ate ramen all day for god's sake. Without parents to stuff vegetables and nutrients in his mouth, how else does he even live?

I snorted; He's probably passed out on the floor or something.

And don't you just hate it when you turn out to be right about certain things?

Naruto stared at his phone, fingers softly tracing Sasuke's number on the screen. He desperately hoped Kyuubi was asleep.

He didn't want to feel worse than he already did.

At least the couch gave off a better scent; smelled like himself, lavender, probably a result from him sleeping on it so much. Soft moonlight illuminated wet, scarred cheeks.

It was an almost a laughable situation, if you thought about it. After a painful three years of ignoring Sasuke - no matter how much he didn't want to - some goddess in heaven had decided to grace him…

Or of course, some fucking demon.

Guilt started bubbling in his stomach, the guilt that he had tried so hard to bury, and Naruto let out a broken, pathetic sob – finally breaking the facade he had determinedly set for Sasuke.

Goddamnit!

Tears dropped onto the screen, smearing the numbers; his vision blurred. Naruto covered his eyes with his hand, shaking his head violently.

This was so fucking unfair!

What about all those ignored phone calls? The deleted voice mails, emails, everything – did he really expect Sasuke to answer him?

Like he hadn't?

Did Naruto even deserve that? Why the fuck did Sasuke give him his number in the first place?

"Why am I so fucking selfish..." Naruto gripped his phone tightly.

The look on Sasuke's face as they walked down Dansel Street, completely unperturbed by the fact they haven't even spoken in years - was deeply disconcerting.

It's almost as if they were complete strangers.

With a frustrated cry, Naruto uncaringly chucked his phone and it skidded across the coffee table, and thunked against the wall.

The normally silent air was thick with angry, heavy sobs. They crept down to occasional sniffs, and Naruto finally lost his battle with sleep, resting his head on the damp pillow.

He didn't notice the tall figure watching angrily from the dark corner, with narrowed red eyes.

Sasuke scrambled with his phone, fumbling with it for a couple agonizing seconds before finally getting a grip on it. A rock dropped into the pit of his stomach when he saw the caller ID. For all we knew, with a glare like that he was probably trying to melt the thing.

Smacking the damn mobile to his ear, he spat, "What the fuck, Neji?"

"Why so vulgar, Uchiha? Did Itachi-"

"Just tell me what the hell you want." Sasuke's patience was already running dangerously thin.

"Calm down, I just wanted to ask you something."

Silence.

The Uchiha's voice was pure venom, "Well?"

You could almost hear the damn Hyuuga smirking.

"I stopped by the cafe down on Dansel Street you see," his voice was mockingly curious, "and there were an excited set of waitresses gossiping about the oh so famous, Sasuke Uchiha, and how he was spotted leaving the cafe with a certain blonde man."

Sasuke's face drained of all color. Vampire skin officially achieved.

He answered defiantly, "So?"

"Who was it then?" Sasuke was positive. The bastard was smirking on the other side, probably twiddling with his precious hair between his fingers. If he weren't so angry as he was now, he wouldn't have spat out the words that made everything that much more obvious.

"Who the fuck do you think?"

"Aa, so you finally caught Naruto-kun, huh?" A snort came from the Hyuuga, "The blonde one? Did he remember his old lover?"

He could almost hear Neji's bones breaking in his fingers.

Now that was going too far. Voice dropping, Sasuke murmured quietly.

"He never loved me, we were never lovers, idiot." Sasuke's grip on the phone loosened.

Neji stayed quiet for a couple moments, then said much less mocking than before, "...Well of course. Excuse my idiocy," a ruffling came from the line, "but I must be going. I do thank you for more of the latest Uchiha gossip."

He gritted his teeth, "Anytime." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at hesitant silence, when the line didn't click. He was about to cut the call, but quiet, serious murmuring made him freeze in his bed.

Neji's voice came softly, sincerely, and would've shocked Sasuke out of his mind if the words that were spoken hadn't shocked him more.

"Do you? ...Still?"

Sasuke shifted on his bed, and squeezed the phone between his ear and his shoulder and started twiddling with his fingers. It wasn't like Neji to be so, well, is there any other word for it – caring? Or was it just pure curiosity? Sure, he was one of those 'close' acquaintances, but that's as close as Sasuke ever got to people. Friends meant sacrifice, and he just did not have time for that type of nonsense anymore. He let out a defeated sigh, and mumbled, "I don't know what you're talking about, Neji."

Then he hung up.

Something was gently prodding Naruto's shoulder. Apparently, it got impatient so it poked his face instead – resulting in the stabbing of Naruto's cheek. The blonde irritably opened his eyes, letting out a groggy groan. In the fogginess of his eyes he saw a mass of red – red hair.

Naruto took a deep breath and started panicking. Did he do something wrong? Kyuubi never speaks to him in the mornings – no more touch him, unless it was for some meaningless fuck – so what the hell was he doing now?

A rough, quiet voice woke him up from his morning daze, "Relax. It's just me."

Almost as if those words commanded his body, Naruto let out a held breath and his eyes fell closed again. His shoulders loosened into the pillow, and he sighed, "How'd you get in here?"

The figure above him knelt down until he was at eye level with the blonde, and hard jade collided with half-open blue. The red-haired man crossed his arms above his knees, and answered, "The door was unlocked."

He didn't even bother to lock it when he left the apartment?

Naruto cringed as he got off the couch, back bent and sore. The green-eyed man watched with silent eyes as Naruto lazily dragged himself to the kitchen, past him, slightly limping with a hand on his lower back.

"You're limping." He stated, arms still crossed over his chest.

"It's just because of the couch." The blonde's voice came from behind the refrigerator door, as he pretended to sift through its contents. What was he supposed to tell him? My boyfriend threw me onto the floor last night?

I'm sorry I lied again?

"You hungry, Gaara?" Naruto asked, head still in the fridge. He took slow, steady breaths, until his back leg couldn't take it anymore and he collapsed on the floor, face contorted in pain.

Gaara was by his side in a flash, picking him up and carrying him back to the couch, avoiding eye contact. "I'll order." Carefully, with the utmost care – the green-eyed placed a pillow under the blonde's right leg. Naruto watched him as he did it, without uttering a word.

"My wallet's in the bedside drawer in the bedroom…can we get some ramen? Please?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Gaara said emotionlessly, sitting on the floor and looking at Naruto with raised eyebrows.

Naruto pouted. "I haven't had ramen in days, c'mon…"

"That isn't what I meant…" Gaara rose from his spot on the floor, "Where's your phone?"

Looking sheepish, Naruto pointed the wall across the couch, "It's over there…I think…" He laughed awkwardly while Gaara stalked over to the gestured spot and picked it up.

"Why is it cracked?" Gaara asked, staring at the phone like it was some unknown specimen.

Naruto put on his most innocent face, "I threw it."

"And why did you throw something you spent four months saving for?" Gaara did not look amused.

"I got mad…fuck, ouch," Gaara's eyes darted to Naruto's leg then back to his face. Naruto shifted himself to a sitting position, craning his neck to look at Gaara, "But it's no big deal. And anyway, I bet the stupid thing still works, let me see it."

Gaara made no move to, and instead stood there stubbornly and muttered, "I'll just buy you a new one."

"Don't be ridiculous," Naruto mocked, grinning, "You don't need to. And…" The blonde gulped, and turned away and stared at his lap, terror settling within his stomach. Sasuke's number is still in it.

"So don't throw it away! It still has my contacts…"

"You can get them back."

Giving the redhead a brief glance, Naruto spoke quietly, twiddling his fingers: "You remember Sasuke Uchiha, Gaara?"

There was a silence before Gaara spoke again venomously, "Sasuke?Uchiha?

That guy you always used to talk about?

The one you spent days in bed crying for?

How could think I don't remember?

"Wasn't he your best friend through high school?" Gaara sat back down on the floor; there weren't any seats other than the couch which Naruto was currently occupying.

"Since second grade…" Naruto smiled a bittersweet smile at the memories that popped into his mind, images of a young teenager Sasuke...smirking, calling him names…It was almost unreal how much it had all changed…he just couldn't brush it off like he used to. He propped himself up on his uninjured leg and straightened his back.

"You talk about him a lot," Gaara grumbled," and he's famous, right?"

"He'll inherit all of Uchiha Corp in a few years, yeah…I saw him yesterday." Naruto mumbled, eyes still on his lap. He was still horribly confused about it all – he didn't think he'd ever speak to Sasuke again; he wasn't mentally prepared for this. You can't expect the very bane of your existence to show up completely…unexpected.

Not now. I won't do this right now. I can't do this.

"What are you going to do, then…?" The redhead set the cracked phone on the kitchen counter, and leaned against it, holding the side of his face in his hand. He glared at Naruto's bare back, tracing the bruises with angry eyes.

"Well I guess I…" Naruto fidgeted under the hard gaze, still avoiding eye contact, "I can't ignore him anymore. I miss –"

Gaara suddenly interrupted, "Yes you can. Stay away from him, Naruto."

I don't like this. I don't like this at all. He doesn't need another one.

I don't like it.

I have a bad feeling.

I have to stop it as soon as I can.

Naruto spat angrily, surprised and highly annoyed, "The hell? Why?"

"He can't do this to you." Gaara's spoke softly, "Not again."

Naruto stiffened, but his hard voice remained. He gritted his teeth."Who the fuck said you can tell me what to do? And it's Sasuke…I can't just –"

"Don't make it harder than it already is."

There was another silence. Feelings from last night came rushing back, clouding Naruto's insides and blurring his eyes. There was only one word for it.

Unfair.

Unfair.

Unfair.

As Gaara turned on his heel wordlessly, Naruto said softly, "It hurts…"

Gaara looked at Naruto's sprawled out form on the couch, looking almost dejected. Then he opened the front door, and closed it quietly, hoping he could forget the picture of Naruto with tears running down his cheeks.

Why couldn't it have been me?

Am I not rich enough?

Am I not beautiful enough?

Not caring enough?

What more could you want?

So you may be wondering why Naruto ignored Sasuke in the first place, after being best friends for so long. THIS WILL BE REVEALED

AT SOME TIME IN THE FUTURE

Anyway, like I said my updates will be completely sporadic like that one chick in my history class lololol YEAH WELL

-stares pointedly at review button thing-

AS THE TITLE IMPLIES.

UNTIL NEXT TIME.

© scandalousss