By your side

by Miri-Ann

Naruto lives with his grandparents and cousin Konohamaru near an elite college/High school:Koden which of rich people attend. when Naruto tries to return a coat to one of his grandparent's costumers he witnesses a tragic event. BO: Hana Yori Dango

2. Feelings

A/N: I suck, I know this. If there is anyone that still believes in this story, please enjoy. Sorry for being awful at updating.

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Chapter II: These feelings

His heart was beating erratically. He was having a hard time trying to get oxygen into his body, he was frozen. His mind screamed for him to move, to do anything. It was all fruitless. He felt Suigetsu take a hold of his arms and bend them behind his back. It seemed that Juugo got closer the longer Naruto stared at those red-orange eyes. How was it possible that he could not move? Why couldn't he get himself free from Suigetsu?

He could see the dangerous glint in Juugo's eyes. He opened his mouth to yell, however, all that left him was air. He was scared shitless and he couldn't bring himself to do anything.

It wasn't until he felt another pair of hands on him that finally, his breathing came. His eyes shifted and were met with spectacles, Kabuto. The silver haired teen smiled as his hand reached for his jersey. Naruto began to move his shoulders so that he could free himself from Suigetsu's hold. The bleach haired teen held on to his wrists even tighter. "No, no, no, you're not going anywhere blonde, not until Juugo gets what he came for."

His heart pounded in his ears, all his blood was going up his head, he could feel sweat run down his neck. He needed to get free, to run away. His blue eyes watched as Juugo's smile widened, his hands travelling down his body and to his black pants, his fingertips hovering over the zipper. "Wonder exactly how tight and warm you are down there. You a screamer, Kitsune?"

Blue eyes widened as Juugo got closer to his face, feeling the muscular teen's hot breath. This was not happening. This shouldn't be happening! He wriggled as much as he could, moving from side to side with all the strength he could gather. He just needed to get away. He kicked Suigetsu as hard as he could, making the teen loosen his hold because of the pain. At that moment, Naruto shoved Suigetsu and Kabuto away and made a run for it. "Kabuto, grab him!" the other teen was too slow, Naruto got away.

It was difficult for him to run with just his socks, however, all that was on his mind was to escape- to hide somewhere. He ran out the small corridor that led to the pool and made a right. It was another large hall, the sports building had endless halls and very little students in the first floor. He ran as fast as he could with socks on but it was too slippery, the oil from before was now running down his legs and soaking his orange socks. Naruto fell on his stomach. He groaned at the feeling, the air being pushed out from his stomach. "Come out, Kitsune." He heard Juugo's chuckle from a distance. "You can't out-run me."

He needed to get up, his mind urgently reminded him to just get up and to hurry. He scrambled to his feet, his breathing uneven. Oh Kami-sama, mom, dad, someone help me! He tripped again, this time, his head hit hard against the lockers. He groaned at the hard impact. Of all the times… Naruto tried to soothe the pain by pressing on the bump, the pain on his head was stinging.

"Found you." He stared up and saw Juugo standing in front of him, a wide smirk in place. Just as fast, Suigetsu and Kabuto held his arms and feet- this time, there was no escape. Naruto closed his eyes, not wanting to see what Juugo was capable of. "Let's see what color you are down there, shall we?"

"Am I interrupting something?"

Everything stopped. Before Naruto could interpret who that voice belonged to, all his mind did was praised his savior. Oh, thank you. Whoever you are, I owe you a big bowl of ramen. He opened his eyes and saw that it was Sasuke's brother, Gaara.

Gaara was staring, he did not show much emotion as he stared at the three that held him. The redhead waited for an explanation. "Uchiha Prince, please excuse us." Kabuto spoke. "We have orders from your brother."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Let him go." The three other teens blinked.

"But… your brother…"

"Either let him go, or Sasuke won't be your only problem." Gaara's glare was intense, it even made Naruto tense. The three teens let go of him just as quickly. As they left, all three bowed silently at the redhead. Naruto could feel his cheeks burn as Gaara's eyes focused on him. He was embarrassed. How was it possible that he couldn't defend himself?! Why did he not defend himself?!

"You didn't have to do that, I had it under control." Gaara said nothing, his eyes still set on Naruto. Naruto frowned and punched the floor. "I could have taken them. I could have…" Naruto looked away, too angry and ashamed to look at Gaara in the eye.

"It was three against one." Naruto looked up again and saw Gaara's eyes still on him. After a couple of seconds, the redhead walked toward him and sat next to him. "It was an unfair fight considering Juugo's size. Normally speaking he's very calm, however, he has a very extreme personality."

Naruto hit his head against the lockers softly and sighed deeply. "I still could have taken him."

"Hn. Many have tried and failed." There was a moment of silence before Gaara spoke once more. "Your so called remedy didn't work."

"Eh? Really? My Obaa-chan said she tried it once on my cousin, helped really well too." Naruto stared at Gaara. The redhead was staring at him, the ends of his lips pulling upward. Naruto smiled and leaned back into the lockers again. "Thanks… for saving me, I mean."

"I didn't save you, you could have taken care of them yourself." Naruto gave a small laugh. All the fright from before was slowly fading. "It's just annoying, seeing how childish Sasuke is. He takes is too far sometimes."

"Sasuke?" Gaara sighed and looked away.

"Sasuke… is difficult to understand. I'll try and talk to him" Gaara got up and gave Naruto one last look before turning and walking off. Naruto looked down once more and stared at him hands.

That bastard, you've messed with the wrong person this time! Believe it!

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

His bōgu* was soaked with sweat as his shinai* hit the torso of the large dummy. There was the clank sound once the bamboo slats connected with the wood. By the door there were three teens, bowing silently. He ignored them as Iruka walked and brought him a bottle of water. Once he was done, he gave the young man the water bottle back and walked silently toward the three teens, bamboo sword still in hand.

"You useless tools, how can the three of you fail?" Their heads lowered even more to the floor, their apologies were mumbled. Sasuke exhaled sharply as his glare turned even more intense, out of anger, he hit the bamboo sword against the floor. The three teens tensed.

"It was our mistake, Uchiha-san. Gaara-sama, he-"

"Gaara?" Suigetsu was staring at him with widened eyes, nodding quickly and repeatedly. Sasuke frowned. "And who the hell told you to go and do that?!" he yelled in anger, his voice resonated in the large room. Suigetsu tensed at the tone of Sasuke's voice and dropped his head down once more.

"Sasuke-sama, you told us-" It was Juugo who spoke, Sasuke only hit the floor with his bamboo sword once more.

"I told you to scare the idiot! You're lucky it was Gaara that stopped you, for god's sake, you two know how Juugo gets!" Kabuto and Suigetsu apologized once more, Juugo stared at the raven haired teen and bowed.

"We're sorry Sasuke-sama, we won't make that mistake again." Sasuke glared at Juugo's red-orange eyes.

"Leave, I don't want to see your faces, they infuriate me." The three teens got up, bowed and left silently. "Those idiots!" Sasuke turned and saw the dummy that was in the middle of the room, he frowned and hit the dummy, causing the bamboo sword to break.

By the corner of the room, brown eyes watched as the bamboo sword broke in two. His eyes widened and he immediately walked to where the tall teen stood. "Sasuke…"

"I'll need another shinai." The brown haired man nodded.

"As you wish, Uchiha-san." Sasuke only frowned at the thought of that blond being held by the three teens, he threw the rest of the bamboo sword and frowned. He didn't want that, didn't want the blond to go through that. He would have never taken it that far.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

He was fuming. It wasn't the normal angry as before. The whole taking-the-Uchiha's-shit kind of mad, no, this time, that bastard had gone too far. He made up his mind, he didn't care if he was in Koden on scholarship. He wanted to show that smug bastard what he was capable of, he wanted to give that arrogant asshat a taste of his own medicine.

He breathed out loudly as he continued to skateboard leisurely back home. Work had been a bit of a slow day. Lee had been loud and energetic as always along with their mentor, Gai-sensei. Shikamaru and Chouji had come to the restaurant and visited, had even ordered some food made by Lee. All three teens had asked him about school. Shikamaru had asked him about the classes, Chouji-about the food, Lee asked about the wonderful sport of basketball and how amazingly happy he was that Naruto had joined the sport once more. Hinata had asked about Haku and his classmates. All Naruto could do was lie. Lie about everything so that was going on in Koden. He didn't want his friends to find out that he was miserable, that everything that happened in Konoha Gakuen was now happening in Koden.

He clenched his teeth at the anger that was slowly building once more. If it hadn't been for that Uchiha-bastard, he wouldn't be having this problem at all. He passed through main street, a crowded area where a large teleprompter was showing commercials and news.

"In recent news, Yamanaka-san has taken her bar exam in Osaka, Japan. Her fashion line has been extended to places such as Lilai, South Korea and Argentina..."

Naruto stopped as he looked up at the teleprompter. The news anchor was very pretty, however, once the picture of Yamanaka-san was shown, all Naruto could do was stare in awe. "Yamanaka… " A wide smile formed as his blue eyes continued to stare at the images of the woman. "I can stare at you for hours." Naruto sighed, however, as his eyes lowered, he saw familiar red hair. Naruto furrowed his brows and skated slowly to the teen. At the close proximity, Naruto could see that it was in fact Gaara Uchiha, staring up at the same teleprompter he had been looking at. "Ino Yamanaka is one of the prettiest models I know."

Gaara jumped at hearing his voice. Instantly, Naruto was being glared down by teal colored eyes. Naruto only blinked slowly at seeing the redhead glare at him.

"You were looking at Yamanaka-san, right?" Gaara still said nothing as he continued to glare at him. The more Gaara stared at him, the more uncomfortable he was getting. Whenever Naruto felt uncomfortable, he would start to talk, babble without fillers. "Not a lot of people know this, but Ino Yamanaka is of American and Japanese descent. Most people just think she's American but she's not, she was born here. She's also one of the youngest females to graduate from law school." Gaara still said nothing, Naruto continued. "You know, she goes to third world countries every year to help build homes and donates her money to homeless shelters and orphanages. She's… she's pretty great."

After a couple of minutes of silence, Naruto finally saw the ends of Gaara's lips lift upward as he breathed out. "You know a lot about her."

This time, it was Naruto's turn to stare at the redhead, a burning feeling developing on his cheeks. "Actually… My-my family," he was stumbling over his words once more and it only made Naruto's cheeks feel even warmer. "we like Ino Yamanaka a lot, so, we watch a lot about her. I'd be great if she were to date some good-looking actor or something, right?" instantly, Gaara frowned and the glare was back in place.

"She's just a model. There's nothing great about it." Naruto was taken aback by the livid comment. Gaara seemed rather angered and Naruto couldn't understand why.

"I mean… you never know, right? Things can happen, She could probably marry some rich guy with her beauty." Gaara's glare intensified, Naruto was slowly starting to feel small under the gaze.

"How would you know? Everything you say is annoying." With one last look, Gaara walked off, leaving Naruto stunned and confused.

Was it something I said?

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

His home was small even if his family owned a strip club. There were times when his grandparents would put someone else in charge so that both had time for him and Konohamaru. His grandparents' first priority was always family and Naruto believed in that too. He was taught to always be true to himself and to be honest with everyone else, which was now very difficult for him considering what was going on.

"Anything new at school, Konohamaru?" he had a plan, of course, a way so that he wouldn't be hassled. His solution- he would stuff his mouth with as much food as he could before his grandmother pried him of any information.

"The gaming club is having a tournament next week. I think we can beat Suna this year for sure. So I have to get serious, I've got to spend more time on the computer and practice!" Konohamaru ate from his bowl as fast as he could and just as fast, reached for his laptop. His grandfather had raised a brow in question, Tsunade had only thrown her napkin at the young brunette.

"You little shit, don't lie to me just so you can be on that thing more." Konohamaru had frowned.

"Maa! It's not a lie! It's for our tournament! Obaa-chan, if we win, we'll be able to go on that trip to Kyoto!"

"You better be careful, Kono, you keep staring at that contraption too long and you'll go blind." The younger teen only rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I'll try, Ojii-chan*" Jiraiya nodded with a small smile.

"And you, Naruto? How's school?"

At the question, Naruto's blue eyes widened slightly, a small tint of red slowly spreading across his cheeks. He lowered his head so that his grandparents would not question his appearance. "Fine." He stuffed his mouth with sticky rice before his grandfather could ask another question. He did not see the narrowed eyes that his grandmother directed at him.

"You want to give more detail?"

Naruto looked away with a shake of his head. Tsunade only seemed to frown. "It's all the same at that school." He chuckled nervously, causing his grandmother to him, however, she said nothing more. Naruto swallowed his food with a bit of struggle. He tried to soothe his throat with some water.

"Nii-san, is it true that you kissed the Uchiha-Prince?" Naruto spit all the water in his mouth once he felt the water go down the wrong tube. He coughed as he struggled for breath. "So it's true?"

"Where... Where did you hear that?!" his ears felt too warm, his heart pounding hard enough to make his throat feel enclosed. Konohamaru only took a piece of fried pickles and shrugged.

"Moegi told me that she heard some Koden girls whispering about it." Their grandmother stared at him with a raised brow.

They knew that Naruto had suffered at Konoha because of rumors. He had even come out to all three of them, explaining to them that he really didn't see the gender but the inside of them, their personality. His grandmother had only hugged Naruto and told him that as long as he was happy she didn't care. Jiraiya had patted Naruto's back and told him to use a condom, which had been embarrassing. Konohamaru had only shrugged and told him that whoever he liked was none of his business as long as that person was nice enough to play video games with him.

"Uchiha-Prince?" Tsunade stared at Naruto, brown eyes staring him down. Naruto had said nothing but lowered his head. He could still feel his cheeks warm up.

"It... It was an accident. He's a dick and I confronted him but someone pushed us and it was an accident."

"You confronted him? Naruto, what did I say about fights?!" Naruto's face fell as he saw his grandmother's angered expression. He was always one for fights, didn't like backing down. However, now that he was in Koden, things were different. He didn't want to risk expulsion if it meant disappointing his grandparents. "But Obaa-chan, that Sasuke-bastard is a dick!"

"Language!" cut off his grandmother, brown eyes still narrowed, Naruto only pouted.

"Obaa-chan!" Naruto whined in a childish manner. The blond had even puffed up his cheeks and closed his eyes, making him look like a small fox. "Just let me go back to Konoha Gakuen! At least I belonged there, at least I had my friends with me when people whispered behind my back."

"And what are they talking about in Koden? I thought you said everything was fine!" Naruto could feel his cheeks warm at the small slip of the tongue. It was now that his grandparents and cousin stared at him with a curious stare. "What's going on at school?" his grandmother was becoming impatient, protective as ever whenever Naruto had a problem.

"Nothing!" he didn't want his grandparents to worry about him. Especially not because of some arrogant a-hole who thought he could just do anything he wanted. "Look, Obaa-chan it's nothing, okay? I just miss my old school is all." Tsunade said nothing more of the matter, however, her brown eyes didn't leave Naruto's for a second. He knew sooner or later he would have to tell them the truth, he just preferred later for now. "It's nothing." he tried to reassure her. Tsunade had frowned but nodded either way, Naruto relaxed at the gesture. He could handle the rumors in Koden.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

He was much more cautious when he was in school, wary that he might face Juugo in one of his moods. People whispered behind his back or called him "Juugo's little bitch" as he passed by. He tried hard to ignore them, tried hard to swallow his pride and not talk back.

"Heard he was whining like a little bitch before Juugo even touched him."

"Uzumaki can't even take it from behind, he really is a prude." he clenched his hands into tight fists, feeling that anger pool in his stomach. He wanted all of them to shut up, wanted to tell them off, to shut up and die.

The blond reached his locker only to find the newly written words painted in red on top of the old painted white. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he opened the locker door and placed his belongings in. The students in this school were very creative in their vocabulary that was for sure.

He reached his second class and was met with judging stares. He could feel himself sink lower into the pool of self-loathing and hate this school more. He silently walked to his assigned seat, hoping to Kami that their sensei came at this very minute.

"Disgusting piece of filth. Is that why you kissed our prince? To taint him!?" Karin was calling out from her seat. Naruto said nothing as he stared at his desk. On his desk was a pile of condoms, lube and a pink dildo. The pink dildo had a red ribbon and a small card with the words "Uke" written in black ink. Naruto only felt his anger seep out as he clenched his hands.

Fuck them all to hell.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

His first class had been economics, a class he shared with the rest of the F4. It was a class that was supposed to help them in the future with their own family companies, their teachers varied day to day. After their long class, he would excuse himself as well as the rest of his friends and head to their own little lounge room where tea and a light breakfast were served for them.

He was currently drinking a cup of tea as his mind wandered and thought of the blond. His mind had been occupied more than once by that blond, wondered if the blond was alright, then questioning to himself as to why he was so preoccupied by someone's feelings not his own. He tried to shake his head to make the blond disappear from his mind.

"How strange," Sasuke's eyes turned to look at the source of the voice, Neji. He had known the long haired brunette before he could even utter a single comprehensive word. They were cousins, and although he was not expressive with family, Neji understood him and his family situations. Along with understanding Sasuke, the young Hyūga also knew how to get a rise out of him as well. As dark onyx eyes stared at his cousin, Sasuke could see the small playful smile on Neji's lips. "As of late our halls would be filled with chatter of that interesting blond. Maybe he left the school."

"Left the school?" Kiba scoffed as if insulted "I don't think Whiskers would leave so easily." Neji's smile still maintained as he rolled his eyes.

"You want another bet, Inuzuka?"

"Quiet." Sasuke was staring at the entrance, holding his cup in both hands. "If that idiot is ready to see he was in the wrong, he'll have to come crawling back here first." Sasuke smirked at the thought of that blond coming back to him, outraged and yelling profanities at him. It was quite the amusement seeing him so angry.

"What have you done to him this time, Sasuke?" Gaara gave no sign of emotion, however, it did not stop the Uchiha from glaring at his brother.

"What do you care, Gaara? You've never been interested with my targets before." Sasuke stared at the redhead with a lot of scrutiny. Even under his intense gaze, Gaara gave no sort of emotion. "Will you be coming to his rescue again?" Gaara frowned at the accusation, Sasuke felt his anger rise.

"Am I the only one who's lost?" Neji shook his head and shrugged with a half frown. Both brunettes stared at the other two as they continued to glare at each other.

"Your little acts of revenge go too far and one day, Sasuke, you'll mess with the wrong person." Sasuke scowled, his anger rose as he remembered what Suigetsu had told him.

"Started looking out for that idiot?" Gaara said nothing but looked away with a blank expression. Sasuke huffed confidently, knowing he won. "If you're not going to help me destroy him, the least you could do is mind your damn business."

"Yarou!*"

Sasuke smirked at the yell. He could feel his chest feel lighter at the angry yell that was coming from the hallway. He took another small drink from his cup, he needed to hide that smirk as his eyes shifted to the door.

As Sasuke looked up toward the door he saw that Naruto was already standing there. Naruto was gritting his teeth, holding the little pink gift that he had left on the blonde's desk. Sasuke put down his cup of tea as a satisfying smile was placed on his face. "Look who's here to grovel for forgiveness."

Kiba snickered as he quietly answered with a - "Doubt it." Sasuke turned and scowled at the short haired brunette before looking back at the angry blond.

"Too late to beg for forgiveness, Dobe."

"Teme, what makes you think that I'd ever ask for forgiveness from you." Naruto walked up to Sasuke, the rest stared at Naruto with curiosity. "You think some little pranks and rumors are ganna keep me down?" The blond scoffed in disbelief. "You've messed with the wrong person, Yarou, if you think my scholarship will hold me back from retaliating." Naruto threw what he had been holding in his hand. Sasuke shifted his arms to protect his face, however, the object landed on his lap. Sasuke, as the rest of the F4, looked down and heard that the object was vibrating. What had landed on Sasuke's lap was the pink toy that Sasuke had left on his desk.

Sasuke raised a brow and looked at the small blond in front of him. "Your retaliation is… this?" Sasuke stared at the blond and then at the pink toy once more before a laugh erupted. It was short and filled with mockery towards the blond.

Naruto began to get angry as he saw that Sasuke was mocking him, laughing at him. He wanted to show this a-hole who he was messing with. His hands clenched tightly as he continued to stare at the dark haired teen. Instead of punching the Uchiha, Naruto tackled Sasuke- making the sofa where Sasuke sat, fall down.

Sasuke was fast enough to grab Naruto's hands before the blond could land a punch. The two of them tackled each other on the floor, the rest in the room only continued to watch with wide eyes.

"You think you're the big shit just cause you're pretty, huh? You don't know me Uchiha! You don't know what I like!" Naruto punched Sasuke's face, his hand hit the Uchiha's right eye. Naruto felt a punch to the side and was then pushed to the floor with Sasuke's weight.

Sasuke seemed to have more strength than Naruto thought, for the Uchiha had pinned Naruto's hands above his head without so much of an effort. Naruto's eyes were wide once he was staring at a smirking Sasuke, his head high in pride. "I can do whatever I want because I'm an Uchiha. You want to fight back, that's fine."

Sasuke gave a wide smile that demonstrated nothing remotely to friendliness. Naruto tried to struggle free as anger pumped through his body. He was angry at hearing those words, angry at looking at that haughty face. He could feel his face turn red with anger, wanted to punch the Uchiha once more on that pretty face all the girls like Sakura kept swooning for.

Sasuke leaned closer toward Naruto, seeing just how blue Naruto's eyes were, seeing that Naruto was a natural blond considering his eyelashes were fair-haired. He whispered to Naruto as his eyes stared at those very deep blue. "But know this, Uchiha's always win and I don't intent to break that promise."

Naruto was angry even more at hearing all that reassurance in Sasuke's voice. It was official, he truly hated Sasuke Uchiha with his unblemished complexion and dark eyes that he was staring at this very moment.

There was a standstill once Naruto's forehead hit Sasuke's forehead hard. Sasuke was stunned, Naruto took the opportunity to back away. He could feel eyes on him as he continued to glare at Sasuke. "You'll regret that, Dobe." Sasuke had gotten up, rubbing at his forehead. Naruto only stared as he too got up. Sasuke walked fast toward the blond, taking hold of his uniform. "This means war, Dobe."

Naruto was now too fed up to keep his mouth shut. He was not going to stay quiet anymore, his scholarship be damned. Naruto smiled at the Uchiha in a challenging manner. "Bring it on, Uchiha." with those being his final words, Naruto turned and left. Sasuke was only left glaring at empty space.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Naruto was still fuming by the time Naruto was going home. His classmates were all horrible people towards him just because he "challenged" the Uchiha prince. The harassment did not end even after his second class, if anything, it had gotten worse.

Haku had given him her bento as a way of making him feel better. It had worked, somewhat. That was until he needed to head back to class along with Sakura and Kin. Sakura had stared at him from time to time, however, when his eyes would meet hers, she would frown, glare and look away.

He was miserable being in that forsaken place he was supposed to call school. He hated Sasuke Uchiha, hated him and everything around him!

Except for one person…

Naruto looked down at the concrete and frowned. He didn't hate Gaara Subaku.

If anything, he wanted to befriend the redhead, wanted to confide in him. He knew he could trust Gaara. Gaara was different, he was quiet but there was something about him that made Naruto curious, something that made Gaara attractive.

Wait…

Was… was he attracted to Gaara?!

Naruto stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and just stared at the space in front of him. He couldn't of… could he? It didn't make sense, he barely knew Gaara. He didn't know what kind if person Gaara was like… then again, he was different from Sasuke. He was quiet and seemed nice.

Did that mean that he had feelings for Gaara?

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Eyes stared at nothing in particular, he was replaying the event that had just happened. It made him feel almost giddy. He liked pushing the blonde's buttons, not only because it resulted in seeing the blond but because Naruto's attention was on him.

"Sasuke, you alright there, buddy?" Sasuke did not move from the armchair. Neji and Gaara paid no mind, both very concentrated in a game of chess. The only response from Sasuke was a small smile. Kiba furrowed his brows, shock evident on his face. "Did… Did you just smile at me, Uchiha?!" Kiba turned to look at the other two. "Guys, Sasuke just smiled at me!"

Neji chuckled as he moved his knight. "Thinking about the blond, Sasuke?" Sasuke frowned and looked away, color showing on his cheeks

"And, what if I was?" Neji turned to look at Sasuke and raised a brow to show his interest in this new information.

"Forming a little crush?"

Sasuke huffed. "Don't be ridiculous, if anything, that idiot has a crush on me." Neji tried hard not to laugh, Kiba on the other hand, did not. This only annoyed Sasuke. "What's so funny Inuzuka?"

Kiba shook his head, placing a hand on his mouth. "No, it's just… why would Blonde have a crush on you again?"

"Isn't it obvious? The idiot kissed me."

"So, that's what you're going by with? Because he kissed you?" there was silence for a while before Neji spoke, trying hard to hide the growing smile.

"Let's say we agree with your logic and Naruto does like you, what's your strategy with this new information, Sasuke?" Sasuke seemed to look rather pleased, his eyes practically lit up.

The Uchiha smiled slightly "I'm never going to let him live it down. I might have some fun with the idiot." Neji and Kiba were highly amused at the comment Sasuke made, knowing well that the Uchiha had misinterpreted the whole situation. Maybe they could have some fun as well. Who knew?

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Naruto was slightly wary of coming to school. He could swear that someone was following him, watching his every move. It wasn't like he was scared or anything but after confronting someone like Sasuke Uchiha, he believed he had the right to be cautious.

He was on his way to his third class when he realized that Sasuke had not even shown up to school. He had seen the others from the F4, but not Sasuke. Naruto knew he should have felt relieved but he didn't.

"Naruto? Naruto Uzumaki?" Naruto looked up from his mental panic and saw three teens in black sweaters stand in front of him. He never saw them before and they certainly looked older than him. His defensive instinct kicked in, being cautious of what these guys wanted.

"What's it to ya?" responded the blond harshly. One of the males scoffed, looking at his companions and smiling mockingly

"We got orders to take you to our boss. Why not make it easy for you and just come with us, huh?" Naruto glared.

"And if I say no?" all three chuckled, and eventually walked towards the blond. Naruto began to walk away, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Did Sasuke hire these guys? Were they going to beat him up?

"Come on, blonde, we don't have all day." The bulkiest of the three exclaimed as his beefy hand reached for Naruto's arm. Naruto tried to move away but the guy's grip was strong. Naruto flinched at the pain. "Let's go blonde, boss wants to have a word with you." Naruto tried hard to pull away, only for his actions to be futile. The one holding him bent his arm and grabbed for the other. In the position he was in, he could not stop the other male that walked closer toward him with a black cloth on his hand.

"Say night night, blonde" Naruto was about to speak but one smell at the cloth and he was out.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

The moment he woke up, Naruto felt nauseous and feeble. He fluttered his eyes open and quickly covered them with his arm. His mind was running on overdrive, wondering where he was, if he was even safe.

With a deep breath, Naruto, again, tried to open his eyes and got up slowly. His eyes wandered around the spacious room only to stop at the clothing that hung in front of him. There was a note attached to the hanger that read Wear me. Naruto made a face of displeasure as he looked at the garments. The black dress pants were ironed perfectly while the white buttoned up shirt was exactly his size and already layered with the yellow sweater vest.

"Our master would appreciate it if you were to wear those, he is downstairs waiting for you." Naruto turned quickly and was met with a young looking man in a suit. The man was tan in color, his hair a brown in color and tied in a small ponytail. The man looked at him with a kind smile, his hands holding polished dress shoes. "My apologies for scaring you. My name is Iruka Umino." The man bowed. "These are also yours, size 9 I believe?" Naruto nodded slowly, wondering whether to run or just go along with this man.

"Why…" he hesitated, still wary that something might happen to him. "Why am I here?" the man's small smile lingered.

"It seems our young master has taken a liking to you, he wishes to speak to you in private."

"Your… master?" at the title, Naruto could already imagine an old pervy man propositioning him for sex… or worse. Naruto shuddered at the thought.

Iruka seemed to have read his mind, laughing seconds later. "Do not worry, Naruto-san, our young master is about the same age as you." The mention of the age made Naruto's mood lighted up for the better. "The clothes are for you Uzumaki-san, please let us know if you'd like a different size. I shall be waiting outside if you need any assistance."

Naruto was astounded by the way the clothing had fitted him so well. He didn't want to admit it but he looked damn amazing. With a small smile, Naruto walked towards the door and turned the knob to open. Outside the door frame stood the man that had talked to him minutes ago, the man turned and smiled at Naruto.

"All done, Naruto-san?" Naruto nodded his head doubtfully. "Well, I'm sure that our master will be happy to see you. Let's proceed, shall we?"

"About that…" Naruto was hesitant at first, the man stopped and turned to stare at the blond with a questioning look on his face. Naruto started to rub the back of his neck out of nervousness. "Who am I meeting exactly, Iruka-san? How is he like?"

Iruka laughed "Our young master is very unique in his own manner. He's certainly a mystery." Naruto furrowed his brows. "Do not fret, Naruto-san, our young master isn't as scary as he likes to make out, he's very tame and caring in his own manner." Naruto was still unsure of what to make of 'the young master', in any case, Naruto followed two steps behind.

Whomever this 'young master' was Naruto could certainly see that he was rich. He had passed different rooms, all decorated in fancy silks and with polished furniture. There were maids running around with sheets in hand or with brooms and dusters. Blue eyes landed on the man in front of him, his eyes narrowing slowly. "Iruka-san, are you a butler?" he saw Iruka turn and smile.

"One could say that, yes." There was a small pause before Iruka spoke again "I do other tasks as well."

Naruto's eyes lit up and his lips stretched to a wide smile. "Does that mean… Iruka-san, am I meeting Batman?" Iruka laughed but composed himself immediately so as not to hurt the blonde's feelings.

"I'm afraid not, Naruto-san." Naruto's shoulders slumped. Iruka smiled sympathetically, facing the blond as he placed his hand on the teen's shoulder. "He's right inside that room if you'd like to meet him."

Suddenly, Naruto could feel his stomach churn, the realization that he was going to talk to this 'young master'. His mind tried to figure out who it was, who wanted to see him. A small part of him hoped that it was Gaara. The redhead was quiet but he knew he could trust Gaara.

"Finally decided to show up, Dead-last?" his stomach dropped at the familiar voice. There was just no way. "Kept me waiting for a while, don't you know I have better things to do?" how was it possible that he was face to face to his enemy.

"What… Why did you kidnap me, you asshole?!" he could feel anger boiling, his cheeks burning.

Sasuke only seemed to blink at him with a confused look on his face. "You don't have to hide it anymore, Dobe. There's no one around for you to hide it."

Naruto furrowed his brows, confused at what the older teen was spewing about. "Wha-What the hell are you talking about? Hide it? Hide what?"

"I'm talking about your feelings for me, of course."

Naruto was in disbelief at the statement Sasuke made. "My-my what?! Feelings for you? What feelings for you?"

Sasuke scoffed, moving closer towards the blond "Idiot, I told you, there's no one around, you can say it out loud." Naruto was still too shocked to say anything in return. His mind was trying to think of a manner in which Sasuke thought that he had actually liked the bastard. "How about this."

The sudden statement from the taller teen made Naruto's train of thought come to a full stop and put his attention on the Uchiha once more.

"I will let you wait on my beck and call and in return I will agree to treat you as my lover in private." Sasuke got closer, staring very intently at Naruto. Naruto's confused face made Sasuke want to smile. Maybe it was the light, but the idiot looked somewhat cute. "What do you say, Usuratonkachi?"

"You think… me and you?" Naruto was angry. After everything Sasuke had done to him… after what he had told his lackeys to do to him, and the bastard just wanted him to forget that? "Have you gone crazy?" Sasuke furrowed his eyes in a mix of confusion and slight anger at Naruto's retort. "After everything you put me through, all the insults, the paintballs, and the beatings and you think I'll agree to something as ridiculous as that?"

Sasuke tried to brush the comment away with a small laugh "I must have not heard you right, but, did you just refuse my offer?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the teen only making Sasuke even more confused. "Do you know how big of an opportunity this is?"

"Big opportunity? Being with a cold hearted asshole like you? After all the shit you put me through?!" Naruto was angry, all the events that he went through, all the mocking, all because of Sasuke. "Do you really think anyone would be with someone as cruel as you? Newsflash, Uchiha, you're not that great. Every time I see you, I have the urge to beat the living crap out of you. You want me to follow you around like one of your groupies? You must be insane."

Sasuke was fuming. He was gritting his teeth, controlling himself as much as he could so not to grab the blond from the shirt and just punch him. "Get out." He whispered, his heart beating erratically at the anger flowing through him. "Get out of my house!"

Naruto was taken back for a mere second before glaring at the older teen and scowling "Gladly!"

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

He got out of that house as fast as he could. Iruka had looked at him with a small sympathetic smile and bowed to him. Naruto had felt uncomfortable at the gesture but tried to smile back at the man none the less. He couldn't even understand what had just happened inside that house. How was it that the Uchiha came to the conclusion of him liking such a cold hearted bastard like him?

"Do you really think I'm that desperate for human companion, you asshole?"

"I didn't know you thought of me that way, Uzumaki-san"

Naruto was spooked at the sudden remark, he turned and saw Gaara staring at him. The redhead was on his motorcycle, his helmet placed on in front of him. His hair looked damp and pushed down. Naruto kept on staring, baffled to see the redhead in front of him. Gaara simply continued to stare, his head tilting to the side.

"I came to visit Sasuke" it was a statement that made Naruto realize that this encounter was a mere coincidence. That Gaara and Sasuke were friends, that they were brothers.

"Oh" it was all that came out of Naruto's mouth. Naruto could feel the awkwardness settle between the two the more Gaara stared.

"Did I- If I interrupted something between the two of you…" the blond furrowed his brows at the statement. Gaara simply stared down at the blond and back up at his blue eyes. Naruto mirrored Gaara and realized what it was that Gaara was staring at all this time.

He had forgotten to take it all off. He was in such a rush to leave and so angry that he had left with everything, down to the expensive polished shoes. He could feel his cheeks redden at the sudden situation he was in. Naruto's eyes shifted back to Gaara, who was still staring at him with a curious look. "I… I was in such a rush that- There's nothing between me and that bastard." Gaara looked mildly surprised at the sudden outburst. Naruto realized how angry he sounded and felt guilty immediately. "I'm sorry... I-I didn't meant to sound so- I know he's your family- I-"

Gaara let out a bit of air, as if trying to hide his amusement. "No, I know how he is." Naruto sighed.

"Here," Naruto began to take off the sweater vest and the white shirt as well as the shoes, leaving him in only socks and the ironed dress pants. Gaara took them silently and saved them inside the seat of the motorcycle.

"If you walk around the streets like that, you'd be stopped by the cops" Naruto looked down and frowned. He didn't even ask for his uniform back. He was too angry with Sasuke to think properly. "Take this." Gaara had taken off his beige jacket and handed it to the blond. Naruto was hesitant at first, however, he took it eventually.

"Thanks, Gaara" The redhead merely stared and turned his motorcycle on. The engine's roar was loud at first and then subdued. Naruto watched as Gaara went the opposite way and only stared back at the jacket. "Thanks." He didn't want to admit it, and yet, the way his heart beat erratically was more than enough for him to know how he truly felt for the redhead.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

He wasn't focusing on anything. Konohamaru had pleaded with him to play a game on his computer and he had been beaten in a matter of seconds. His mind was replaying his encounter with Sasuke which, of course, made him angry. The encounter with Gaara replayed in his mind as well. That encounter seemed to make him feel better than the former.

He had asked his grandmother to take very good care of the pants, who knew how much that piece of clothing cost to a common person like him. Tsunade had asked him about the jacket that he was wearing and had offered to send that to the cleaners as well only for Naruto to refuse quickly. He hung it in front of his door so that he could return it the next time he would see the redhead. In the end, he had decided to return the clothing in the early morning before classes.

He didn't know whether or not to speak his feelings for Gaara out loud to his friends but he did know that they had grown. It wasn't as if he was going to pursue his feelings for Gaara, especially since the young teen was related to a certain Uchiha.

Naruto was by the door of the F4 lounge when he noticed that the room was empty. There was no noise to indicate anyone inside, the lights were off as well. Naruto frowned, looking down at the clothing in his hands. He didn't want to carry the clothing all day and he certainly didn't want to keep them in his locker. God only knew what would happen if the people that broke into his locker would do to the clothing.

He was contemplating whether or not to wait for Gaara. He was suddenly spooked by a touch on his shoulder. The blond let out a small gasp and turned. He was eye to eye with brown colored eyes. Naruto recognized the brunette in front of him, those red tattoos on his cheeks were hard to forget. Behind the teen was another brunette, one with long, refined hair.

"What a surprise seeing you here, Whiskers!" Naruto grimaced at the comment but said nothing yet. "You looking for Sasuke?"

"No!" Naruto had responded fast in defense, both brunettes seemed amused at the reaction. "Why would I be looking for that asshole?" Naruto could already feel his cheeks heat with slight anger. The short haired brunette's smile only seemed to widen.

"Oh, no reason." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the brunette, not believing a word he said.

"Hey, dog-breath, do you think you can give this to Subaku-san?" Kiba blinked and looked down at what Naruto was shoving towards him. It was Gaara's jacket.

"Gaara's jacket? Where you get this?" Naruto didn't know what to say, but the panic in his eyes was evident to both teens in front of him.

"Uzumaki-san, would you like to have breakfast with us?" Naruto shifted his attention to the brunette behind Kiba. The young teen seemed to have the same aristocratic aura as Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto could recall that he was the prodigy of the Hyūga clan, Neji Hyūga.

"I… I already ate, I might be late to class if I stay too long" Neji gave a gentle smile, it still made Naruto uneasy.

"Don't worry, we'll let your teacher know you're with us. Just a cup of tea, Uzumaki-san."

"Naruto" muttered the blond, Neji's gentle smile remained. They both accepted that as a yes.

They not only had tea on hand, Naruto had the option of also drinking hot chocolate or coffee. Apparently, Neji was a tea man, Kiba preferred the taste of coffee with cream. Naruto felt awkward being seated with both teens that were very close friends with his worst enemy and his new found… 'friend'.

"Got to tell you, Blonde, You have some set of balls to talk to Uchiha like that." Kiba grabbed a scone from a plate and chewed loudly. Naruto only looked down at his drink, trying to hide his small smile at the praise. "It's pretty fun seeing you and Uchiha fight."

"Yeah, what fun" commented the blond teen flatly. Neji made a small sound after drinking his tea, his eyes fixated on the mute television that was in front of them. Naruto looked up at the television and saw the image of a young blond female.

"Hey, Nee-san is coming here soon." Commented Kiba excitedly. Neji hummed in agreement. The television demonstrated someone familiar to Naruto, Ino Yamanaka.

"Gaara will be happy about that" commented the young Hyūga, Kiba patted Neji's arm sympathetically.

"So…" Kiba and Neji stared at the blond who was pointing at the television screen. "You guys and Ino Yamanaka…" Kiba smiled widely.

"Yeah, we've known her since we were practically babies."

"And Gaara?" Neji and Kiba looked at each other and sighed.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

"Ino-san has been a great friend to all of us." The words echoed in his mind, as he walked back home from school. "She meant so much more to Gaara. He had such a difficult childhood after the death of his parents. He never got over it, however, Ino-nee was always by his side."

"I'm home!" called out the blond, as he took off his shoes and placed them by the door. He did not hear any response back, however, he did hear the television at a high volume. As the blond made his way further inside, he could clearly see his grandparents and cousin sitting by the table and eating as they watched the television screen in front of them.

"Look at her, so elegant and poised. She has a bright future ahead of her." Jiraiya commented as he took a bite of his food. Tsunade looked at the girl on the television and narrowed her eyes.

"Ino Yamanaka, right? She's so beautiful." Naruto's eyes shifted to the television and saw the same young blond that he had been talking to Kiba and Neji earlier that day.

"To Gaara, Ino was more than just a friend. She was his friend, his savior and his first love." Naruto could feel his stomach churn at the words that were repeating in his head. He could understand the feeling of needing someone by his side. Wanting someone to hear him out, to understand what he was feeling.

"-uto. Naruto!" the blond snapped back to attention and saw his grandmother look at him with an angered look on her face. Naruto blinked foolishly, it only made Tsunade more annoyed. "Stop standing there and come eat. Your food is getting cold!"

Naruto looked back at the screen and saw the blond female. Her smile was stunning, her milky skin was flawless, and her blue eyes were just as captivating as his. They were not the same sky blue, they were softer, warmer. Just by looking at her, it made Naruto's stomach flip once more. He frowned, why was it that he was feeling this way?

"I… I'm not hungry." It was the only thing he said as he took one last look at the television screen and headed to his room.

All three looked at one another as they saw the young blond walk into his room. Konohamaru looked back at the food and smiled as his hand reached for the plate that belonged to Naruto. Tsunade slapped the hand away. Konohamaru only frowned.

"Maa, Obaa-chan, why'd you do that for? Nii-chan said he wasn't hungry!"

"Then we'll save that for later! Don't take food that isn't yours, boy."

"Oh, Hime, don't worry, there's plenty of food for Naruto." Jiraiya was reaching for Naruto's food as well, however, Tsunade took the plate before anyone could take it. At leaving with the plate, Jiraiya could see several papers that were sticking out. Jiraiya frowned. "Oh, Hime, are those what I think those are?" the older man sounded disappointed. Tsunade seemed to flush but tried to compose herself with a frown.

"It's nothing to worry about!" Tsunade commented defensively. Jiraiya frowned and sighed.

"I trust you, my love."

Naruto rested on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. The last time he had felt this way was when he had been crushing on a girl from his last school. This time, however, it was different. It was not Ino that he was crushing on, it was someone that had been on his mind in small moments like this.

Naruto sighed as he closed his eyes, immediately auburn red hair made his way into his head. Green eyes that stared at him exquisitely, it made his heart palpitate fast. He knew very well what this feeling was, that what he felt right now was a close bond. A small bond that he wanted to strengthen.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

"Hey, pay attention, Uzumaki!" he was shoved aggressively by a classmate. Naruto turned to stare at the culprit only to see that the guy was glaring at him. Naruto frowned.

"Watch it freshman!" he was pushed again as a senior passed. This time, he was hit from the side. It was a hard shove.

"The fuck is wrong with you, Uzumaki! You want us to lose?!" he was shoved from the chest by Suigetsu, he fell on the ground. Naruto glared and got up.

"What the fuck is wrong with me? What the fuck is wrong with you!" he shoved Suigetsu as well, it surprised the bleach haired teen.

"Oh, you wanna go, peasant trash!"

"What did you call me, asshole?" Everyone made a circle around Naruto and Suigetsu, wanting to see the outcome. Yamato-sensei thought it good to have an outdoor game of American Football, however, he had been called to the office for an important message. That was when all the tackles began.

"Know your place, faggot!" Naruto clenched his hands. In a flash, Naruto could feel his arm extend and punch Suigetsu in the face. Suigetsu fell, in mere seconds Naruto heard gasps and was tackled to the ground by large mass. He was dropped hard, all he saw was orange colored eyes and heard a hazy voice.

"Night night, Kitsune." It was the last thing he heard before passing out.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Naruto woke up from time to time. He knew he heard Haku-chan faintly at one point arguing with the nurse, Kurenai-san.

"Are you sure he's okay?" she sounded worried, as if she had been crying.

"Oh, sweetie, don't worry" Kurenai-san talked to her in a soft-spoken manner. She sounded reassuring, kind. "It was a bit of a scare and those boys will be punished for their actions. Uzumaki-san just needs his rest right now, please head back to class."

"But, Kurenai-sensei…" The older woman tsk-ed in a lecturing manner at the young girl's protests.

"No but's missy, you head to class right now." With that small conversation, Naruto realized that he was in the infirmary. He wondered who had brought him in and why his head was hurting him so damn much. He decided to close his eyes once more.

He was awoken once more when he heard the door slam. The blond groaned slightly and placed his arm over his eyes, trying hard to avoid the brightness of the lights. He tried to breathe slow, tried to calm himself from all the problems that were his life. His grandparents thought that he could start fresh in this school, they believed it so much that he thought so too. He was wrong. He was so wrong. It was the same as Konoha Gakuen, the insults, the glares. The mere difference this time was that his friends weren't here to comfort him, he was alone.

At the realization of being alone, of being hated in this school, it was just too much for the blond. He couldn't help the lump in his throat, the tears that were building at the ends of his eyes.

He was quiet enough not to disturb the blond when he opened the curtain to his bed. He had brought him to the infirmary after seeing what Juugo had done to him. He was in a frenzy when he had seen the blond passed out on the ground. He wanted those involved punished, he wanted to stay and know if he was alright. He saw the opportunity when the nurse had left the room and sneaked in to see if Naruto was alright. He was surprised to see that Naruto was crying silently.

He had a bad feeling in his gut at seeing the blond that way. Without even thinking, his hand reached the blonde's face, trying to wipe away the tears that were slowly streaming down. He felt the blond tense under his touch.

"It's okay, it's only me." He wanted to reassure the young blond that he was under good care, that he was not going to hurt him under any circumstances. Naruto took his arm from his eyes and saw the glare that was directed towards him.

"The hell are you doing here, Teme!" Naruto sounded angry, he pushed the arm away, sitting up at the same time. Sasuke was confused. He had personally taken the blond to the infirmary, he had even gone and checked up on him. Why was it that Naruto wasn't thankful for that.

"Hn. Stop your crying, it doesn't suit you, Usuratonkachi." If anything, that made the blond even more upset. Sasuke could see the pure anger, the hatred in Naruto's eyes.

"Are you deaf? What are you doing here?" Sasuke frowned. The way Naruto was talking to him was getting a rise out of him. "Get out!"

"I brought you here and you want me to get out? You should be thanking me!" Naruto was between astounded and furious. His irises were turning orange-red, his features much sharper.

"Thanking you?!" Naruto scoffed, he pushed away the covers and stood up, Sasuke stood as well to get to the blonde's level. "After all the shit you put me through?!" Naruto was more than furious. He wanted to punch the guy in the face just to show him how appreciative he really was. "Do you not realize that you're the reason I'm in this position in the first place? You started this Uchiha!" Sasuke furrowed his brows.

Sasuke couldn't think of anything to say. He admitted to himself that maybe the blond was right. Maybe he did have something to do with all the bullying and torments towards the blond.

"Well?!" the Uchiha was brought back from his internal debate and saw that Naruto was staring at him, anger still evident on his face. "You ganna leave, or what?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Not until I get my thank you." Naruto was simply appalled at the retort. Was he insane?!

"Are you fucking insane?! Listen here Uchiha, thank you will be the last thing I will ever say to you, got that?! Everyone here might think you're a god, but I know better. I'll never stoop so low as to kiss up to you!" Naruto's words, he didn't know why, were affecting him so much. He didn't know why he wanted Naruto to like him, why he wanted the blond to appreciate him. Sasuke couldn't let out any words as Naruto's annoyance seemed to increase. "Screw you, Uchiha."

His head was still hurting and his side was sore, but that didn't stop the blond as he pushed Sasuke and made his way towards the door. He didn't want to be anywhere near the Uchiha for more than a second longer.

Sasuke was left alone, standing in a stupefied manner. He was both angry and hurt. How was it that the blond was getting the better of him? The young dark haired teen clenched his teeth and kicked one of the bed's legs.

His anger continued for the rest of the day. He was in a foul mood and his teacher sensed it by just his stare. The teachers turned a blind eye to his anger as well as his friends. They knew what Sasuke was like when he saw angry, there was no way they were going to pick a fight with the young Uchiha.

His friends watched in concerned silence as Sasuke was face to face with a sparring partner. He had hoped to calm his raging storm at the dojo in the school, but it seemed pointless. With every kick he made, every punch that his opponent received, all he could hear were Naruto's words. The blond hated him. He shouldn't be this upset about it, it wasn't like the blond was the only one to feel this way towards him. He yelled as he jumped kicked his opponent. The other blocked and grabbed his foot. Sasuke lost his balance and fell to the ground. There was a silence. The other was too scared to say anything. He merely bowed and left in a hurry. Sasuke was left staring at the ceiling.

"You okay Sasuke?" brown colored eyes stared down at him. Kiba offered a hand but Sasuke ignored it, picking himself up and making his way to the showers. He just couldn't get Naruto out of his head. The bright blond hair, those pools of blue that he wanted to stare at.

Sasuke hit his head against the wall as warm water hit his skin. He could feel his muscles ease at the water. He closed his eyes and immediately the image of him and Naruto kissing came to his mind. He could easily remember the feel of those plush lips pressing against his. He had been shocked at the feel of lips against his, yet, he was even more surprised at how much he enjoyed the warm contact. He would remember in small moments and would have the urge to feel that contact once more. It was internal struggle, because, he didn't like guys, did he?

Sasuke continued to debate with himself as he made his way to the exit of the school where his friends were waiting for him. He never had an interest in anyone, at least, his father made it his mission to not let that happen. Girls always seemed to have an interest in him since he was a small child, there were some male admirers as well, yet no one ever got his attention, not like Naruto. Naruto, on the other hand, was a different story…

With just small quarrels with the blond, it pleased him. If he got to see Naruto just once in the day, he could tell that his day was going to be okay. His eyes wandered around the hall, seeing that there was no one in sight. His dark eyes set on a flier by the wall. It was a paper about the school filed trip. He remembered agreeing to make the trip possible, he was the one who had suggested they all go to Iceland to see the Northern lights in June. He had remembered going long ago and he absolutely loved the sight so much that he wouldn't have minding going again. He could certainly afford it and he knew that everyone else could too. Well, almost everyone else. He had forgotten that the blond was from a different side of the spectrum. With that in mind, a plan formed and a smile slowly appeared.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Blue eyes gawked at the piece of paper that was flat on the table. His eyes would read each line carefully yet his brain would not believe the words. He remembered his sensei talking about the field trip. At first, he had been excited and raised his hopes up at how amazing the trip sounded. Going to Iceland and seeing the Northern lights, he could take pictures and tell his cousin about it. When he heard how much the flight alone cost, it made his heart sink and he merely stopped listening afterwards. The trip was too expensive for his family to even consider it, they had bills to pay and now that he knew that his grandmother was back to her old gambling habit, there was no way they could scourge up the money.

He had forgotten about it after that, not bothering to mention it to his family or his friends. That Monday morning, nonetheless, his sensei gave him something that brought up the idea of going. His sensei had asked to speak to him in private and followed up with questioning whether or not he was considering of going to Iceland with the rest of the student body. He had frowned and shook his head, telling him in confidence that his family just did not have the money for such luxuries such as that. His sensei seemed to nod in understanding.

"You could have come to me about the matter, Uzumaki-san. We do have a program that can help with financial situations such as yours." Naruto shook his head one more, his sensei frowned.

"No, there would be no point in going, sensei. My family needs me and leaving for that long wouldn't be fair to my family." His sensei looked slightly concerned.

"Well, that might be a bit of a problem then…" his sensei trailed off as he handed the blond a piece of paper that had been inside a manila folder. "It seems someone was generous enough to pay for your admission. The flight was paid as well as for food and commodity. The individual even paid for a whole room for yourself at the hotel."

Naruto's eyes had widen at what the teacher was saying to him. Someone… someone had paid for his trip? He was at a loss of words as his mind tried to wrap around the information. He couldn't understand why someone, anyone, in Koden would do that for him. Everyone in the school seemed to dislike him, so why…

"So, you going to go or what?" Naruto looked up from the paper and saw Shikamaru standing in front of him. The tall dark haired teen pulled up a chair and sat across from him. Chouji followed seconds later, a plate of meat in hand. Naruto sighed and looked back at the paper.

"I'd be stupid of me not to, huh?" Shikamaru let out a breathy laugh and shook his head.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to. The stupid one is the one who paid for your admission. That person doesn't seem to know you very well." Naruto looked away with a rouge color apparent on his cheeks. He felt a soft touch on his shoulder and saw Hinata smile at him timidly.

"Shika's right, Naruto. You're not one to take anything for free."

"He probably thinks it's out of pity, right?" Shikamaru stared at the blond with a smug look, Naruto lightly glared at the implication and puffed his cheeks.

"Shut up, Nara." Shikamaru smiled, making the blond smile as well. Naruto's eyes wandered around the ramen shop. Lee was in the kitchen, helping Gai with the cooking, Shikamaru and Chouji were waiting for their shift to end and Hinata was cleaning some of the dirtier tables. "Where's Shino?"

"Believe it or not, Abrume has a date." Shikamaru pondered for a minute before sighing and scratching his neck. "Actually, this is his ninth date" Naruto raised his brows in surprise, the dark haired teen smiled. "You miss a lot when you're at another school, Naruto" Naruto looked down and frowned.

"I know."

"Uhm.. Na-Naruto-kun, if…" Hinata swallowed hard as she looked down with a large blush, her hands clenching at the apron as a crutch. "If you don't want to go to your school field trip…" she looked up, the red on her cheeks spreading all over her face. "We-we can go fishing in the east instead. A distant aunt gave me a big sum of-of money. We-we can all go." The shy girl finished her sentence with a small smile, nervous at the stared directed toward her.

"Fishing?! Yosh! I'm in!" Lee came out of nowhere, as his booming voice chipped in. Shikamaru turned to look at Chouji, both shrugged their shoulders, they all stared at Naruto for his answer.

The blue eyed teen thought about it for a minute. Shikamaru did speak the truth when he said that whoever paid for his trip was probably doing it out of pity. He hated being treated like that, he didn't want to owe anyone anything. He looked back down at the paper. He wondered who it that payed for his trip. Could it have been Haku? The thought left just as fast as it had entered. Haku had said that she wasn't going to attend, due to the fact that she had family matters to attend.

He wanted to go at least somewhere outside of Japan, maybe Iceland would have been nice, then again, he knew he wouldn't have enjoyed himself there when everyone in the student body hated him. He looked back at his friends, they still said nothing. Naruto breathed in and nodded his head in acceptance. "Yeah, count me in too, Hinata-chan." Everyone smiled. He was finally going to enjoy himself without any problems.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

There was a problem.

He had taken everything into account except for this. He frowned as he looked down at his watch once more. There were whispers in the background, as well as giggling. It was annoying him to say the very least. His friends watched him with slight amusement, he tried hard to ignore them. He tapped his foot, his patience wearing thin.

"So, Sasuke, why did you want to board with the rest of the class?" he looked at Kiba who was smiling rather proudly. What an asshole.

"None of your business." Was the only thing Sasuke could think of saying. He focused his attention at the short redhead that was pacing silently. He raised a brow at the view in front of him. He turned to Neji, who looked rather miffed. "What's with Gaara? He looks more uneasy than usual." Neji crossed his arms.

"How should I know?" Sasuke only blinked at the long haired brunette and looked back at his watch. It was almost time to board the plane and there was still someone missing.

"Hey, Sasuke, you deaf? Come on, it's time to go!" Sasuke looked back and saw everyone, including his friends, walk toward the stewardess that was looking though passports. Sasuke frowned looking back one last time where the entrance door were.

"Damn it, Dobe. Where the hell are you?"

Light green eyes watched as his brother followed the rest of the student body. He stayed behind, wanting to greet the familiar face he had anticipated to see for more than a month. He made his way to the other side of the airport. He wasn't planning on going to Iceland with the rest of his classmates, not when she was coming to visit.

If anything, now that Sasuke was going to Iceland, it gave him a chance to spend more time with her. She would focus more on him than the Uchiha. He knew that Ino always preferred spending time with Sasuke than with him. They all knew she fancied Sasuke since young. Sasuke, however, always ignored her advances. He tolerated Ino to say the least.

He sat patiently by the door where her plane was supposed to arrive. She had called him before her plane left and he had promised her that he would greet her upon her arrival. She sounded grateful for that.

"Sugoi, Yamakana-san!" he heard a young girl whisper beside him, he followed her gaze and saw a tall blond walking his way. She was graceful, her hair up in a ponytail. She sported black leggings and a blue top that hugged her body well her eyes could not be seen because of the sunglasses she wore. She smiled at him fondly and brushed her bangs away from her face. Gaara saw the girl that had been standing beside him, run towards the blond and stare at her with wide, hopeful eyes. "Yamanaka-san," the girl bowed. "would you please take a picture with me?" the blond smiled, her smile was different from the one that she had directed towards Gaara. She nodded and posed with the small child.

Once done, the girl bowed once more and ran to find her guardian. Gaara stayed in place, watching the scene silently. All his past memories with the blond woman resurfaced into his mind. As the tall blond walked closer to Gaara, her smile widened and her arms stretched out for a hug.

Gaara kept his arms at his side, not at all comfortable at the gesture. The warmth of the young woman made his heart beat much faster than normal. He could feel his skin heat up at the mere scent of the blond, she smelled alluring. "Gaara, it's been so long" Her voice was gentle, comforting. She let go of him and took off her sunglasses, showing off baby blue eyes. Her gaze was soft, loving. Her right hand reached up to touch at the redhead's cheek. "I've missed you."

Gaara breathed out, trying hard to hide the smile that wanted to show. His feelings were going haywire at the mere touch. Her hand on his cheek made him feel strange, light. "Long flight?"

The woman smiled. "It was bearable. What about you? Are you doing well?" Gaara rolled his eyes. He could hear the concern in her voice even though she was smiling.

"You should stop worrying about me, Ino." Ino scoffed with a playful pout on her lips.

"Never." The innocent comment meant more to Gaara than anything Ino could imagine. "C'mon, let's go." She gave another easy smile and pulled at the redhead's arm as she walked to the direction he came from.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Sasuke's eyes didn't leave the entrance door once. He kept hoping that the mop of blond hair would show up. He thought that maybe the idiot was running late and he would come running all disheveled any minute now. He could hear Neji's soft chuckle in the background. Once on board, Neji and Kiba had been approached by the stewardess' and immediately, both worked their charm. The young Uchiha looked down at his watch again and frowned. They were going to leave in 15 minutes, what the hell was taking Naruto so long?

He heard his phone ring, recognizing the number instantly. "Where is he?" he was agitated to say the very least. The whole reason why he even wanted to board with the rest of the student body was so that he could see the blond during their flight. He had even gone so far as to pay for the idiot's fee in the first place! "What do you mean he isn't coming?! His fee was paid!"

"Excuse me, sir" Sasuke stared at the source of the voice, he saw a stewardess bow at him and look rather apologetic. Sasuke glared which made the woman look rather scared. "I-I I'm sorry, sir. We are about depart, would you please put the phone away?" Sasuke glared at the woman a bit more before going back to his phone.

"Well, where the hell is he?!" Sasuke heard the woman beside him call out to him, he continued to ignore her. "What do you mean east?!"

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

"Fishes, fishes in the water. Fishes, fishes in the water." Naruto, Lee and Hinata sang as Shikamaru rested to the side with a book covering his face. They could hear Shikamaru snoring lightly, he had fallen asleep half an hour after placing their rods. Unfortunately, Chouji couldn't come since the teen got sea-sick easily and Shino… well Shino was out with his mystery girlfriend. "Fishes that are tiny. Fishes that are round. Fishes in a silent world who never make a sound!"

Naruto couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face as they continued to sing the song they had learned when they were young. With all the problems that were going on in his new school, he seemed appreciate his friends even more. Just being with them in a small boat made the young blond realize how much he truly missed his friends.

By dusk they had caught an abundance of fish that they could take back home for their families and even some left over. Shikamaru looked inside the bucket and back at his sleeping friends. Hinata and Lee had their heads resting on the blonde's shoulder, all three of them breathing in sync. Shikamaru gave an airy laugh, and went back to his spot, resuming his reading.

He was on the second paragraph of his book when the tall teen heard a distant sound of a horn. Shikamaru furrowed his brows at the noise, were they not the only once in the water? He turned and saw the distant image of a boat. Even from a distance, Shikamaru could tell that the boat was enormous. He quickly got up and tried to shake the blond awake. "Naruto, I really think you should wake up!" the boat was getting closer at an increasing rate, it made Shikamaru worry just a bit.

"Shika…" the blond blinked slowly, still groggy from his nap. He could barely make out the lazy teen, feeling weight on both his shoulders and quickly realizing that it was Hinata and Lee resting on him. "What's up?"

Shikamaru only seemed to frown and pointed behind him. "That." Blue eyes tried hard to look behind him. He couldn't see very well but the sound of the boat gave it away.

"Usuratonkachi!" he tensed at the familiar voice that called out. It wasn't possible. It shouldn't be possible for him to hear him, not here. "I know you can hear me, Usuratonkachi!" He was supposed to be in Iceland for kami's sake!

Naruto got up quickly and turned, waking both Hinata and Lee. His eyes widened in horror at the sight before him. How could this be happening! They weren't supposed to be here! "No! No!" Naruto turned to look back at Shikamaru who was staring at the direction of the boat, a frown on his face. Tan hands took hold of the taller teen's arms and shook. "Tell me I'm hallucinating! Tell me that the boat isn't real!" the look that Shikamaru was giving him made his hopes deteriorate. It just couldn't be possible. "You're supposed to be in Iceland!" he screamed on the top of his lungs so even the heavens could hear.

"The Northern Lights are so underrated, been there more than enough times." The Uchiha commented lightly through a megaphone. The whole student body was aboard the boat, all looking down at the small one that Naruto was on. The comment only seemed to peeve Naruto even more.

"Why are you here!?" he could feel his cheeks heat up because of the anger that was slowly building. He had wanted a day for just him and his friends, at least a moment where he didn't have to worry about Koden, about him, Sasuke-fucking-Uchiha. Naruto saw the dark haired teen grin.

"We're just passing by." Naruto furrowed his brows. Before he could question what Sasuke meant, the large boat moved. Water splashed them all and moved them so rough that Naruto lost his footing.

"TEME!" it was official, he very much hated Sasuke Uchiha.

By the time all four of them had got off their small boat, they were shivering from the cold water and could feel their muscles feel sore. Farther from the dock were all the Koden students. There was a huge crowd surrounding a small white car with tinted windows. Naruto dropped the bucket full of fish that we was holding and gaped at the distant scene.

The door opened, a familiar redhead stepping out. Naruto couldn't help but notice that Gaara seemed to look calmer than usual. The source of his demeanor came out of the car seconds later. His eyes widened at the woman that had come out.

"Is that…?" Naruto swallowed as he saw the blond woman smile. Her smile was wide and bright. She immediately walked to Sasuke and gave him a long hug. Gaara seemed to frown at the act, Sasuke looked annoyed.

"Naruto-kun, I-I think that's, Yamanaka, Ino."

"Yeah." Naruto was stunned at not only seeing his idol but also for seeing how content Gaara seemed. Blue eyes looked up and made contact with him. Naruto could feel his stomach churn by the look that the young blond woman gave. Naruto saw Sasuke turn as well and raised a brow at the blond. It looked like he said something to Yamanaka-san and walked towards him.

Naruto backed away once Sasuke was in front of him. Dark eyes scanned the other three teens before finally settling on Naruto and smirking. "We're throwing Ino a welcoming party, I'm allowing you and your friends to come." Naruto furrowed his yellow brows, peeved at the manner Sasuke was speaking to him.

"I didn't ask for your permission, Yarou. Who even said I wanted to come anyway!"

"Hn. Do what you want, Dobe." Sasuke gave Naruto one last smug look before turning and heading back. He stopped, however, once he saw that Gaara was walking his way as well. Like everyone else, Sasuke knew what Ino's presence did to Gaara's demeanor. The redhead would be more pleased, everyone and everything else didn't seem to matter to him, there was only Ino in his tunnel vision. It was annoying, especially since the blond female gave him more attention than he thought necessary.

"If you'd like to come and meet Ino, we're having a party a couple of blocks away. There will be food." Naruto looked at Gaara stupidly, not being able to speak. Gaara seemed to have a small smile placed on his lips. Blue eyes shifted to look back at Ino Yamanaka and saw that she was greeting both Kiba and Neji with hugs as well. He looked back at Gaara and saw that those teal colored eyes were still staring at him. Not knowing what to say, the blond only nodded slowly. Gaara's smile widened for a small moment before nodding as well and turning to walk away.

Sasuke was more than pissed at what he had just witnessed. How was Gaara able to get Naruto to come when the tan skinned teen had just denied him and insulted him. He balled his hands into fists as he watched Gaara walk past him, that stupid smile still on the redhead's face. That was it, he was not going to lose to Gaara. He followed close behind.

"What was that?" Naruto jumped, realizing that Shikamaru, Hinata and Lee were still with him. Naruto turned, facing his friends with a guilty look on his face. Shikamaru only raised his brow. "We don't even have the proper clothes for a party." Naruto frowned and looked away, rubbing at his arm as a nervous tick.

"I'm sorry guys, it just came out." Shikamaru only scoffed and shook his head.

"Not like we had anything else planned anyway, right?" Hinata and Lee nodded.

"S-sounds like fun, Naruto-kun."

"Yosh! We'll get to dance with pretty girls!" Naruto gave a small smile, still feeling guilty. However, the longer he stared at Lee's fired up behavior, he too felt fired up to go to the party. Who knew, maybe it would be fun.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

There was an instrumental band playing classy music. It seemed that everyone was prepared for the sudden party considering the fancy suits and the wonderfully colored dresses. The room was big enough to fit the student body and then some.

He was feeling confident during their walk to the building, they were all hype just thinking of the food and just being together. Once they were at the front doors, he felt his confidence die just a bit, particularly when the doormen looked at the four of them with judgmental eyes and deep frowns. Now that he was inside in the middle of the ballroom, all cold, hungry and damp, Naruto knew that he made a mistake. He felt Hinata shift, making herself smaller, too nervous around the large group of people. Shikamaru's eyes shifted back and forth only to sigh and mutter a "Troublesome." Lee, on the other hand, sparkled with joy as his gaze set on a small group in front of them.

"Naruto-kun, she's the most beautiful lotus flower I have had the fortune to see!" Naruto furrowed his brows and tried to follow the tall teen's gaze. He was staring at Sakura, Karin and Kin who were huddled together, laughing. The bond grimaced. If it wasn't for the fact that those three girls made his life a living hell, he would have brushed the comment off with a smile.

"Bushy-brows, no. That girl is the devil's mistress. Karin only has eyes for Sasuke-kun" Naruto said the name in a mocking voice. It hurt him to even utter the name, even if it was out of mock. Lee looked confused.

"Is that what the pink haired beauty is named?" he pointed to Sakura who was giggling against her hand. She wore a pink frill dress that exposed her shoulders. Her hair was in a bun, only her short bangs cascading down. Naruto sustained his frown. He could admit that the first time he saw Sakura, he too thought that she was pretty. She did seem to show more mercy towards him than Karin and Kin too.

"Nah, that's Sakura Haruno. She's…" Naruto sighed, ruffling his hair as he searched for the right words to describe the pink haired female. "She's okay, I guess." Lee smiled widely, his eyes sparkling with joy. Hinata smiled seeing how happy Lee looked, Shikamaru said nothing.

"Yosh! I shall try and learn more about Haruno-san if she lets me!" Before Naruto could say anything else the green dressed teen ran to where Sakura and her friends were and tried to get the girl's attention.

"Told you he'd show up." The gruff voice was familiar to Naruto. He turned and saw Neji and Kiba smiling, both sporting their own fancy outerwear.

"Naruto-san, a pleasure to see you." Neji gave a polite smile, his gaze then shifted to the remaining two teen beside the blond. "Welcome, my name is Neji Hyūga and this is Kiba Inuzuka." Kiba gave a wide playful grin. It made Hinata blush and Shikamaru raise a brow at the gesture.

"Ah, Neji, Dog-breath, these are my friends, Harusuji Hinata" the dark haired girl bowed respectfully, a large rouge color coating her cheeks. Neji mirrored the action, Kiba only raised a brow in interest. "and this is Nara Shikamaru." Shikamaru only raised his hand as acknowledgement. Blue eyes searched the room, seeing that Lee was talking to a rather uncomfortable Sakura. "Uhm, the one in green over there is my friend Maito Lee, he's harmless." Both brunettes smiled and nodded.

"Cool to see some of Whisker's friend's. You guys came a little underdressed for a party, don't you think?" Kiba's comment made Naruto look down in embarrassment. They didn't bother going back home to change considering how it was so far away. The clothes they had on were already wet from Sasuke's little pass by the docks.

"Yeah, well, that asshole didn't really help out when he passed by us with that huge boat." Neji and Kiba smiled in amusement. Naruto narrowed his eyes and looked around once more. "Where is that bastard anyway?"

"Oh, he paid for a room upstairs. Guess he's still getting ready." Naruto seemed to relax by the comment, not really in the mood to have another quarrel with the Uchiha.

"And what-" he felt awkward wanting to ask about Gaara. Before he could finish his sentence, there was silence throughout the whole room. Everyone was looking at the entrance, there stood the guest of honor and Gaara. Ino Yamanaka wore a purple dress, the top half covered in sequence, while the bottom half puffed out in ruffles. Her hair was not in the high ponytail it had been earlier but was loose and long. Beside her was Gaara, wearing black pants with maroon colored converse and an equally colored jacket. Compared to Ino, Gaara was a couple inches shorter, nonetheless, they still seemed to complement each other.

At the sudden presence of Ino and Gaara, Naruto suddenly felt extremely self-conscious. He could feel his cheeks heat up as soon as foam-green eyes set on him. He could feel his heart jump to his throat as Gaara whispered something to Ino's ear. Ino seemed to smile and nod then stared at his direction. He stopped breathing once he saw that both teens made their way towards his path.

"Neji, Kiba, where's Sasuke-kun?" Ino's voice was soft, all three teens stared at the new arrival. Gaara seemed to frown a bit at Ino's question. Kiba and Neji looked slightly uncomfortable at the question. Her baby blue's stared at his own blue. Ino made a small oh noise. "My apologies, you must think I'm rude."

"What? Rude? You? Never! I-I'm sorry!" Naruto didn't know why he was apologizing when he did nothing wrong, but seeing that his idol was in front of him, in the flesh, he couldn't help his stumbling self. Ino seemed to smile in amusement at his bashfulness, it just made his cheeks heat up even more. "Nice to meet you, Yamanaka-san! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! This is Harusuji Hinata and Nara Shikamaru!"

"Nice to meet you Uzumaki-san, Harusuji-san, Nara-san" the other two teens bowed. Once the greetings were done, Ino frowned in slight concern. "I don't mean to impose, but your clothing…" the blond female trailed off, Naruto looked down in shame.

"It was my fault." Gaara had spoken up in a soft voice, Ino turned to look at Gaara and tilted her head. "I invited Naruto-san and his friends at the last minute, they didn't have time to prepare." Ino smiled widely, her eyes sparkling.

"If that's the case, please, let me help you and your friends with the appropriate clothes." Naruto's mouth opened slightly. Shocked blue eyes looked back at his friends who looked equally stunned.

"I-It's okay, you shouldn't go through the trouble." Naruto tried to decline, desperately wanting Neji, Kiba or even Gaara to agree with him. They did no such thing, it made the blond even more nervous.

"Oh please, it's no trouble whatsoever. It'll be my pleasure. Kiba and Neji can help your friends find something. Harusuji-san can even borrow something of mine. I'll be in charge of your wardrobe. I won't take no for an answer, Uzumaki-san." There was no way he could get out of this, was there? Naruto looked back at his friends and gave them a worried look. With a silent sigh, Naruto looked back at the expecting female and nodded. Ino only smiled and clapped her hands with joy.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

"Tell me, Naruto-san, how do you know Gaara?" the question caught him off guard. He was in a small separate room from Ino, trying out the pants that he was given to try on. He knew that Ino couldn't see him, yet he still tried to hide his nervousness.

"We-we don't know each other very well. We're just classmates, is all." Naruto heard Ino laugh whimsically. She really had a wonderful laugh.

"I highly doubt that, Naruto-san. Even Sasuke-kun seems to have an interest in you." The comment made Naruto's cheeks feel warm. He felt awkward having this kind of conversation with the blond female. He said nothing, shuffling in place as an excuse. Ino continued. "I heard that Sasuke-san has been teasing you and that you even stood up to him." Naruto looked down, trying to hide the smile that was slowly forming. This was the first time he actually felt like he did the right thing for standing up to the stuck-up Uchiha.

"Is…" Naruto had put on the pants and was now sitting on the floor. He rubbed his neck in anticipation. "Is there a reason why he's like that?" there had to be a reason why Sasuke was such an asshole, why there were times he looked as if he were lonely.

There was a long silence where Ino looked down at her hands. Ino could clearly see that Sasuke developed a certain interest to this blond. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't jealous at all.

She had a small crush on Sasuke since she could remember, always wanting to get the Uchiha's attention. Now, seeing the change in Sasuke as he interacted with the blond, she could clearly see that she never really had a chance with Sasuke. She felt her heart sink just a bit at thinking of this blond making Sasuke happy, maybe that's what Sasuke needed. She gave a small smile at looked at the door where Naruto was behind.

"You should understand, Naruto-san, all four of them have lived a hard life. Sasuke has a very strict father that always expects perfection. He's the second son of his family, always living under the shadow of his older brother. He always felt alone because of the expectations that were set on him, never really meeting his father's approval. His father never paid as much attention to him as he did with Sasuke's elder brother, his mother always out of the country with work. He was raised by the staff in his house, and if it wasn't for Kiba, Neji and Gaara, Sasuke would have been much worse. He acts cold and distant to show he's strong. He's been hurt before by someone he trusted, so he puts up a barrier up so that he doesn't get hurt again."

Naruto could feel the guilt building up as Ino's words hit him hard. Sasuke was alone, that loneliness that was hidden in his eyes. He knew what that felt like. Being alone, not having anyone to confide in. Having to put a barrier, to pretend you were happy, to mask away how you really felt. Now he felt like he was the asshole for hating Sasuke so much.

"Don't feel at fault, Naruto-san. There are times when Sasuke-kun really is cruel, sometimes he does go over the line and he may be hardheaded and stubborn, but I know now that you can shape him to place." Her voice became light by the end of her sentence, it made Naruto smile slightly. "Please do me the favor of keeping an eye on him for me." Naruto stood up and opened the door from the dressing room. Ino stared at him with hopeful blue eyes, Naruto's smile widened. "Will you promise me, Naruto-san?"

Naruto nodded. "Better believe it, Yamanaka-san." Ino smiled.

"Ino." Naruto nodded timidly once more. Ino clapped her hands together, happy at both the promise and at how Naruto looked with the black slacks, the white buttoned up shirt and the orange colored vest. "C'mon," the tall blond took hold of the younger teen and led him towards the door. "let's join everyone else."

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Sasuke was waiting silently alongside Gaara. During times when Ino was visiting, both of them didn't seem to get along much. With Ino trying hard to get Sasuke's attention, it would make Gaara jealous. Before, Sasuke would voice his own opinions about Ino to Gaara, telling him how blind he was and how much time he was wasting trying to chase someone like Ino. As years went by, however, Sasuke learned that Gaara just wouldn't listen to anything he had to say about the blond, he gave up trying to rationalize with the redhead. Now, however, he knew exactly how Gaara felt. The way Naruto acted with Sasuke and Gaara differed greatly, it upset Sasuke.

He didn't want Naruto's attention to be focused on anyone else but him. He knew it sounded selfish, but he couldn't help it. Even if the attention that Naruto was giving him was negative, he didn't mind… at first. Now all he wanted was positive attention, now all he seemed to think of was see Naruto smile. He sighed at his way of thinking. If his father could see him right now, the man would put him on lockdown, denying him any kind of interaction with his friends. At a young age, Sasuke had only wanted his father's approval, did everything he could to please his father. As the years went by and as his father's critiques continued, Sasuke gave up on the idea of pleasing his father. The illusion of his wonderful father was destroyed and he finally saw what kind of person his father was like. He shook his head, not wanting to think any more of his father. He was supposed to enjoy himself.

Sasuke turned to speak to Gaara, wanting to know where Neji and Kiba were only to see that Gaara was staring wide eyed at the entrance. Sasuke furrowed his brows in concern and followed his direction.

By the entrance stood Ino and beside her was Naruto. Sasuke felt his heart beat hard against his chest. He gaped at how good Naruto looked. He was smiling, making Sasuke want to smile as well, it was contagious. Blue eyes locked with his own black. Maybe it was the smile, or maybe it was the wardrobe that complemented the blond very well, but as those blue eyes continued to stare at his own onyx, he could feel himself feel light.

Something inside him clicked. He now realized, at this very moment, that he had feelings for Naruto Uzumaki.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

*Bōgu- a bōgu is the traditional "armor" used during kendo training. Kendo is the Japanese martial art/sport of sword training.

*Shinai- is a practice sword used for Kendo or other martial arts.

*Ojii-chan- translates to "Grandpa" in a loving manner.

*Yarou- Translates to bastard.

*Sugoi- Amazing.

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A/N: Any comments please let me know. I also have a tumblr, if anyone wants to contact me through that. It's under the username pb-n-jess. I am tired. thank you everyone for your support and I apologize for my horrible updates. *sigh* I'm sorry.