A.N.: Uh...another SasuNaru story...in a AU. Yep. This, HOPEFULLY, will be a short story, of about 3 to 4 chappies. Yes. This story came to me a lil while ago...inspired by something that happened to me. Don't ask me what...

Either way...hope you enjoy this...I know this story makes no sense at all... so yeah. --;;;;,,,,,

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Poor me... T.T I really wanted to play with them...

Warning: Boy on boy situation. Don't like it, don't read it. Simple. I you FLAME, you'll have a very slow and painful death. Yeah. Oh, beware of some OCCnes too, and some grammar mistakes, since this is unbetaed. I really want a beta... T.T Anyone offers...?

Tangles of Feelings

By Aya Honey

Chapter 1: The beginning…

She was pissed, pissed, pissed, pissed, utterly pissed. Beyond pissed, was the word. If she could, if she was able to—argh! Life's so unfair… Why…?

Lies. That was all he had told to her. Lies. Lies, lies, and more lies. She was trying to figure it out if he did it unconsciously, or if he was fully aware of the situation… Really, she'd have thought…

She felt envious also. She felt that black shameful feeling cooling up within her system, blinding her good reasoning. Because in that moment, all she wanted to do was to maim the two of them… because, well… he hadn't picked her. And the other girl… well, it wasn't that unexpected, really—they were rivals, after all. It was expected that at the first chance offered, she would immediately have taken it. She herself would have done the same thing.

But still. She was still pissed. She was pissed because it was all wrong. Because just when she thought she was over him, when she thought she had finally moved on… this had to happen. She began to feel that jealousness all over again. And…the person she had grown to like, in that fashion, just when it was becoming stronger than what she felt for her former crush, he had to tell her…that in truth, he liked another person. That he only liked her as a brother does to a sister.

Naruto…told Sakura…that he in truth…liked Sasuke.

…It didn't take a genius to notice it, she thought now.

…all those glances…his behaviour…all of it…all of it spoke volumes of that truth.

Damn, she had been blind.

...SO blind.

…And he just had to tell her of that…in their date…

Sakura remembered that she was friends with Naruto for a long time, since they could barely walk. They were neighbours, and always played together. They went to school together. Naruto lived with his father (his mother had died giving birth to him) and she lived with her parents.

Then, when she was barely eight, Naruto's father died in a car accident. And, he was his only relative. In the end, he went to live for a while with their former elementary school teacher (who happened to be very fond of the blond boy), Iruka-sensei, before the blond decided to live on his own, next to that said teacher's apartment room. She remembered how the blond, after a while, refused any kind of help, and began to work in part-time jobs to pay for his rent.

But it still was amazing, how after all of that that had happened to him, he still managed to smile that brightly, he still managed to act (it was really just an act?) that brightly at school.

And it was…unnecessary to say that she…and Naruto, continued being best friends.

All was fine and well, till he was transferred.

Uchiha Sasuke.

He was transferred in the middle of last year of elementary school. Needless to say that the instant he got there, it was the instant he drew attention. The instant he drew the attention of fanning and squealing and almost drooling girls, and the attention of envious and jealous boys.

Yep, that was what happened. It was natural; he was good-looking, and it didn't pass much time for everyone to see that he had the perfect grades too.

In other words, he was perfect.

And so, that last day of elementary school, she told him…that she liked him. Really really liked him. And even as he coldly refused her, she still claimed to like him.

What she didn't know, till a long while, was that Naruto had witnessed the whole thing. And so, when she had started middle school, she discovered Naruto went to the same as hers. She was glad for it, for her friend was going to be her side. But she was more than glad when she discovered that Sasuke-kun was in the same middle school as hers. And that was what seemed to snap Naruto.

And so, by the half of said first day, he began to claim that he liked her, as well.

She tried to be patient, to understand his feelings, to refuse him in the gentlest way possible, that she didn't like him. He was crest-fallen. And he was angry that the reason was that she still liked that asshole.

And that just seemed to spark the dislike he had to Sasuke-kun all the more.

Not that Sasuke-kun liked Naruto either.

But… that really didn't deter Naruto. He just kept asked her out. And she just kept refusing him. And that kept on until she couldn't take it anymore. More and more, she began to avoid the blond blue-eyed boy. More and more, she began to be more violent to him.

More and more, they were falling apart.

More and more, a wall began to separate them.

More and more, they didn't feel nor act like the close friends they were, anymore.

More and more, she failed to notice how much Naruto had changed.

To her, Naruto was obnoxious. An idiot. A rush-idiot who never thought before acting or opening his mouth to say something really idiotic. Yeah. Naruto was a fool. Nothing compared to Sasuke-kun.

And so, just as Naruto didn't give up asking Sakura-chan out, she didn't give up trying and catching Sasuke-kun's attention to her, once and for all.

They wouldn't give up.

They always ended being rejected. Naruto was always rejected by Sakura, and Sakura was always rejected by Sasuke. And so, the fragile new balance created, continued. Even if it was more like a vicious cycle.

Sasuke-kun never seemed to be interested in anyone. He was always alone, even when he was always stalked by his group of raging and almost-always drooling fan-girls. He was always by himself, and had always that air of coldness surrounding him.

He was close to no-one.

But…the only person who seemed able to disturb him, to shake him up, was Naruto.

Naruto was always trying to get a fight out of the teme, because everything the teme did seemed to unnerve him. No, 'seemed' was not the right word; everything the teme did, did unnerve him. It was like…he did that on purpose. Yes! That's it! The asshole did that on purpose, just to piss him off.

But Naruto forgot a little fact: it was most unlikely for someone like Sasuke to act that way, just to piss one person off. That was the most logical explanation.

And so, that was what everyone thought when seeing those to at it; Naruto was always the one looking for a fight, and Sasuke acted the cool and mature way that he was, ignoring him. Naruto was the one who couldn't leave Sasuke-kun alone, because he was envious of him. Okay, that was what the female population thought when seeing the two of them at it.

The boys…they didn't like Sasuke that much. He acted way too arrogant for their tastes. He acted as if he was superior, as if he knew everything there was to know. He acted as if everyone else was insignificant, and didn't even deserve to spare a second look.

But…no-one seemed to notice that, to the only person that he did pay attention…was to Naruto.

Weird.

And that was everyday, until the end of the third year.

At the end of that third year, Sakura, once again, declared her undying feelings for the raven. Even if she knew she was going to be rejected (because after so many years to stalk him, to try to understand him, to try and get him open to her, she was one of the few people that were able understand him, even if just a little)—because that look in his eyes told him so, because she knew she did nothing but to despise him—she had to tell him what she felt, for the last time. Tears building up with tears, she waited for his answer.

A flat "no" was all she needed to know. She truly, really tried to not to cry, and even as she smiled at him, the tears wouldn't stop flowing from her pretty emerald eyes and down her cheeks, dark-staining them with the residues of her eyes' makeup—she had wanted to make herself pretty for him, if even for the last time. She then turned to leave, but just a couple of steps from the object of her rejection, she stopped. Her back to him, she quietly said, "Sasuke-kun…I…I really really liked you. I…even if you don't believe it, or don't care, I really did." She tried to suppress a sob that tried to escape through her throat and out her mouth, before continuing, "I…I don't really know what happened for you to be this cold…or this untruthful of people, but… I do hope that, someday…you get someone. Someone that'll heal you; someone that'll get dear to your heart…someone that can make you happy. Even…even if it isn't me." After saying that, she couldn't get a proper more hold of her emotions, and so she ran, ran far away from him.

She needed to be as far away from him, at least for the moment. At least till she healed, at least till she forgot him.

And her moisty-tears-stained eyes weren't able to notice the sight of a familiar blond-haired presence, frowning.

That was the day things started to change, somewhat.

After that day on…Sasuke and Naruto were still seen fighting. After day on…Naruto still asked Sakura out.

And this is when things changed somewhat; she'd said yes.

A.N.: Uh... hopes it didn't get confused enough... I will continue with the next chappie soon, right after I finish the hopefully final one of another SasuNaru ficcie of mine... AND if people like this story enought. Yep. I have a knack of feeling discouraged at the lack of reviews...

Any comment, constructive criticism, question you might have or pointing out, just let me know, ne? I'll be more than glad than to answer them. ;D

Ja!