"The Courting of Uzumaki Naruto"

by The Carpet Shampoo

Author's Commentary: Sometimes, to get a story out, you simply must sit down and do it.

Chapter 14: Something like that…

"Aren't little kids in love the sweetest thing?"

"Who's in love here?" Iruka folded his arms together and turned to stare at the older jounin seated next to him.

"I am in love." Kakashi always said things bluntly, in a way that could make Iruka blush. The chuunin did just that and gently pushed the older man away.

"Stop it. No wonder these kids are acting weird – they have you as an example! I meant the kids. Who among these kids is in love?" Iruka turned and stared at the kids waiting in the hospital to visit the healers. Tsunade refused to believe any of them

"Oh, I have no idea. I was making conversation about children and love in general."

Iruka sighed and looked out over the children. What a strange bunch they all were. Iruka had always known how special Naruto was…it seemed the others had finally figured this out as well. Shikamaru still spent his days staring at the clouds. Iruka had decided he was much to lazy to ever be with Naruto. Naruto wanted to run and jump and play and have dreams and ambition, but Shikamaru wanted his average attention free life.

No. Naruto and Shikamaru could be good friends, perfect to compliment each other, but Shikamaru would never be able summon enough energy to keep up his energy.

Iruka shook his head. Not Shikamaru. Not for Naruto.

It was well known that the pink-haired Haruno Sakura had always been the object of Naruto's affection. It was also well known she had long despised him. It warmed Kakashi's heart to see those two finally getting along, but it was easy to see any infatuation between the two of them had faded. Sakura was smart – and she would need someone smart to keep up with her. She would never be strong; she would never be talented. But she would be intelligence and Kakashi knew that she enjoyed carrying on intelligent conversations; she liked someone she could view as her equal in that matter.

Naruto was sweet, strong, and caring, but he was far from intelligent. The only thing he really knew a lot about was ramen and all the flavors it came in.

"Not Sakura" he confided in Iruka. The dark haired chuunin nodded. Naruto was much too good for someone like Sakura anyway – in Iruka's mind, she had treated him far too badly for far too long.

"Hinata…?" Iruka asked looking over at Kakashi. The silver haired jounin was already shaking his head. Hinata was sweet and shy and loving, but Naruto would never understand her. Shy wasn't even in his vocabulary. Naruto was loud and obnoxious and never knew when to quit. He would probably end up embarrassing poor Hinata to her death.

Plus, Naruto needed someone who would take care of him. Hinata needed taking care of. Both of them needed someone who would love them for who they were, because neither was quite sure how to love. In the end, they would both end up feeling unloved and unsatisfied with any sort of relationship.

"Ino?" Kakashi asked looking over at Iruka. The two of them looked at Ino then laughed. The blond haired girl was very pretty, quite strong, and was stubborn enough to go head to head with Naruto and would be bossy enough to stop him whenever he tried to do something stupid. Ino would keep Naruto in line.

But Naruto could be stubborn and annoying about it too. He didn't like taking orders, and he and Ino would end up fighting. Not too mention…and this is probably the most important thing of all – Ino was barely paying attention to Naruto. She was talking to Sakura instead and the two of them were looking at Shino more often then they should. Kakashi sighed under his breath. Girl ninjas – always competing over something, whether they wanted it or not.

Shino may or may not have been paying attention to Naruto. Iruka figured it was almost a similar problem with Shino that they saw in Hinata. Shino just…wasn't open. He was almost too serious for Naruto. Shino had a lot of good qualities and Naruto would probably be the best to bring them out, but he was still quiet and serious. He wouldn't appreciate Naruto's loudness and his laughter.

Gaara was an interesting one. Gaara and Naruto would probably understand each other better than anyone else because of the demons they shared. Their love would be deep and soulful and they would be good for each other. Both were very much in need of love and could easily find it in each other.

However…Naruto was not a deep and soulful person. Gaara's eyes held an intense sadness in them, a pain that Naruto's eyes were free from. Anything with Gaara would be full of pain before they ever found love in each other…if they ever found love.

Kakashi decided he couldn't bear to see Naruto in pain. It would be like watching a puppy with a broken leg try to chase a ball.

And speaking of puppies, there was still Kiba to consider. Kiba and Naruto were very alike. Both were loud with big ambitions. But its hard to like someone who reminds you so much of yourself. Very hard indeed. Kiba and Naruto were loud, obnoxious, determined, and both were that way to cover up a sensitive heart. No. Naruto and Kiba were too alike.

But then again, he and Hyuuga Neji were too different. Neji was serious, too serious and too different from Naruto. The two always failed to see eye to eye.

That left of course, one person. That one Uchiha Sasuke. Yes, you could argue that Sasuke was never really a part of the courting of Uzumaki Naruto - but what fun was that?

Sasuke provided that competition for Naruto, it brought out the drive in him that brought him to be a great ninja. Sasuke understood Naruto, but not exactly the way Gaara did. But Sasuke knew loneliness. It was a different type of loneliness than Naruto experienced, but all the emptiness would still be there.

Love is a strange thing. But it is also quite simple when looked at correctly. Love is, in short, when you care about someone very much. Naruto and Sasuke both cared about each other. Love comes in varying degrees however - the deepest love, the kind that makes two people want to be near each other always comes only with a price.

"Gah! Sasuke, you, you, you…"

"What? Are you attempting to speak dobe?"

"AH! I hate you!" Sasuke only smirked arrogantly in response.

And that's the price of true love. The one you truly love will be the one who drives you crazy the most. Because only those people that you truly care about - the ones who's every action drives you; who's every move you watch - they will effect you like nothing ever has before. Everything they do will get under your skin and itch. Everything will affect your every move, the way you breathe.

Because after all, if you didn't care about the person -

"FINE! I'll forgive you, but only if you buy me ramen."

-then why would you even acknowledge their behavior in the first place?

"Whatever. I'll buy you your ramen, but only because the high salt content will kill you and put you out of my life even sooner."

"Wha?! Sasuke!!!"

- Even if you leave behind paradise, you can still find happiness on Earth.

Author's Commentary: And that's it. The very end. Thank you all for reading. Yes - that's really it. Why is that it? I wrote this story as a challenge - one that could be read by both shounen-ai fans and non shounen-ai fans. And so - I leave this one up to your imagination dear readers. Are Naruto and Sasuke on their way to their first date which will lead to love and happiness? Or, would you like to imagine Sakura and Hinata or perhaps Gaara interrupt and they end up happily with Naruto? The choice is yours, and I hope you understand why I wrote the ending the way I did.