Im BACK!! Sorry its been so long u'...... So, story is starting to get quicker paced (I think) but then again, the rest of it is still in my head, so it might only seem like that for me XD. BTW: I would sell my soul to have Kadaj's hair. Problem being it has already been stollen by my pyromaniac ghey luva! hmm.... so sad, so sadd....

Naruto allowed himself collapse inside a cave. He wheezed for a few moments, before peering over his shoulder, and let a sigh of relief escape him when he couldn't see his two friends.

Friends… thought Naruto, cautiously. He rolled the word over his tongue, as if he could taste it. Normally friends don't think like that about each other, right? He continued.

Running a shaky hand through his damp hair, Naruto allowed the wall of the cave to support him, and slid to the floor.

We haven't been here ten minutes and I'm already screwing things up. Sasuke probably thinks I'm being an idiot, and Sakura… oh god. If she knew what I had been thinking back there, all my dignity would be forfeit. Hell, I messed this up before we even got here!

Head now between his knees, Naruto rocked forward, groaning from thinking too hard, and let his eyelids fall shut.

Pretending he hadn't just resorted to fetal position, the boy composed himself with a simple it was nothing, I'm probably just sick.

Naruto decided to ignore everything and shove everything that had happened in the past hour to the back of his head. Looking around his newfound shelter, his blue eyes grew in the darkness to absorb the little light needed to see it was fairly spacious and would fit all three of his group comfortably. They could even put a fire towards the opening.

As he looked around, nothing else was note-worthy. He decided to do something useful until his comrades caught up with him, and left the cave to go find some firewood, and possibly a way to light it.

...

Sasuke and Sakura walked into a small cave. They had assumed this is where Naruto would be, but when they went inside, they found it empty. To one side, they did find a pile of ramen bowls, evidence that Naruto had been there.

Sakura was adding hers to the pile when Sasuke said, "Man, where did that idiot go in a storm like this? He's going to get sick, lost, or fall off a cliff and die. And why did he just run off like that? What the hell…"

Sakura stared at Sasuke for a moment, wordlessly. The boy began to pace nervously, and if she stared hard enough, the air seemed to shimmer with his agitation. Sasuke's eyes flicked quickly over to her, "What?" he spat dully.

Sakura blinked and shook her head a bit before replying, "I think that's the largest amount of words I've ever heard you say at one time."
Sasuke's rhythm faltered for a moment, but he recovered and walked across the cave to sit adjacent from her. "Was it?" he asked, simply to fill the silence.

Sakura drew her knees up under her chin, and looked at him for a moment, as if she was trying to mentally force him to get something.

"Stop looking at me like that. I'M not the idiot in this three-some," said Sasuke sharply, drawing a grin from Sakura.

"You really have no idea do you?"

"About what?"

"Why Naruto ran off like that. Why he's probably out in the rain right now. Did you really not see him?" now Sakura was beginning to inch forward with excitement.

"If you have something to say just say it" scoffed Sasuke, but his voice was less confident than before. Had there been something obvious he had missed?

With a giggle, the pink-haired girl re-situated herself against the cave wall, satisfied with his response. "This is great. You really don't know anything. Then again, Naruto himself probably doesn't know either…" Sakura paused to think, drawing a confused look from Sasuke. "Well first of all, ever since he went running off you haven't shut up about him."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "what are you implying?"

Sakura made an exasperated noise and waved her hand in the air, as if to wipe it clean. "Never mind. Just shut up and let me sleep until Naruto gets back. Wake me up then, though, because I want to see what happens!"

Before Sasuke could reply, she lay down and rolled over so her back was facing him. She just told ME to shut up. Isn't she supposed to be in love with me or something? One would think a girl who 'loves' them would treat them better.

Sasuke looked out the opening of the cave into the rainstorm and thought, Jesus, you idiot, look what you've done? Sakura is acting strange, so you better hurry your ass up so you can explain them to me!

As if summoned by telepathy, Naruto walked into the cave. He was carrying an armful of dry sticks, kept out of the rain by his jacket, which was covering them. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, inquiring what he was doing.

"I thought we could make a fire," said Naruto, grinning like an idiot. He dumped his find onto the floor in the center of the cave, and stood back. "The only problem," he continued, "is that I don't have a way to light them."

Sasuke fished in his back pocket and drew out a lighter. Naruto gave an interrogating look, and knowing he probably shouldn't ask, did anyway. "Sasuke, why do you have a lighter in your pocket?"

Sasuke gave him a blank face, that was definitely NOT reassuring, then stood up and handed it to him, leaving the question unanswered. "No" said Naruto, giving it back to him. "I don't want to burn myself, you do it." Sasuke took the lighter wordlessly.

Naruto watched as Sasuke started arranging the sticks into a pile. Then he took one smaller stick out of the pile, and flipped open the lighter.

"What are you doing?" asked Naruto, who was now sitting.

Sasuke's eyes flicked to him, but only for a moment. "Lighting it," he said, but his voice was strangely dark, and sounded like he would enjoy it.

"What are you going to do with the rest?" asked Naruto, a little more afraid.

"Light 'em," replied Sasuke, without any glance this time, a sadistic grin spreading over his face.

Naruto swallowed hard before saying, "shouldn't we save some to add to the fire later?"

Sasuke paused in the middle of lighting the piece of severed shrub, and glared at him…hard.

"Oh my god. You are a freaking pyro and we're all going to die!" shrieked the blonde, as he stood up, pointing an accusatory finger at Sasuke.

Sakura, who had miraculously slept through this, sat up to see Naruto pointing and shouting at Sasuke, who was holding fire and a stick.

"I thought I told you to wake me up," she said, a bit annoyed but mostly watching the two boys in front of her.

"You were only out about two seconds before this one showed up with a load of firewood. Trust me. You haven't missed anything."

Sakura shrugged and stood up, yawning, and poked Naruto in the temple. "Ow! What the hell was that for?!" he demanded.

"Shut up and let him light the fire," she said, and walked toward the entrance of the cave. "I'm going to pee. I'll be right back."

"Too much information," mumbled Naruto, still watching Sasuke, who was lighting each stick, branch and log individually.

"So…" said Naruto. The boy began to rock back and forth on his heels, not sure what to start a conversation about.

"Did you say anything to Sakura?" asked Sasuke, vision still honed on the fire he was building.

"… What do you mean?"

"Did you tell her something that would give her strange ideas?"

"Sasuke, you've been with her since we got here. When would I have had an opportunity to say anything you wouldn't have heard?"

Sasuke sat back, admiring his twisted creation, and remembered Sakura mentioning Naruto running off.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you run off?"

The two boys stared at each other through the flames, Naruto having sat down, causing orange light and shadows to dance over their faces.

"Uhh… Because… Because I promised Sakura I'd give you two some 'alone time' while we were here?" he replied too quickly.

Sasuke, not buying the blatant lie, chose to ignore it and lay down to sleep.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

No answer.

The blonde rested his head against the cold, damp floor of the cave, assuming Sasuke had simply been tired and fallen asleep quickly.

A few minutes later, in a low voice, he whispered to himself, "The truth is, I ran away because I love you."

Sasuke, who had actually still been awake, drew in a sharp breath, having heard Naruto's ellipses. His face was burning up, and not because of the fire. The loquacious little blonde and him had only recently become friends. Not to mention they were both men.

Thoughts racing through his head, sleep couldn't find Sasuke. Hours passed as the fire died down, and though he wasn't even sure it was night yet, the exhaustion from the day suddenly swept him into a dreamless slumber.

Dont worry! we are getting closer to something ACTUALLY happening! Plot will pick up in next chapter (which i will make sure takes less than a month to post XD). Meanwhile, Ill be listening to the Constantinople song and dancing around my room in my underwear. What else is there to do with the weekend??