BEHOLD! The last chapter of this short story.

Isn't it wonderful?

Anyway, not much to say... other than ENJOY!

~Old Sayings~

Iruka continued to gaze at me, and I felt myself getting a bit unsettled. What was his plan? What sort of test was he going to make me do? Why was he staring at me?

"So, Sasuke...why are you searching for this person?" Iruka asked.

I blinked. That was unexpected...

"Well sir...I..." I paused, thinking. Was my reason really all that good? I'm searching for him because I love him, even though I knew nothing about him save for his appearance?

Taking a deep breath, I looked Iruka straight in the eye. "Because I want to know him. I want to get to know him, and become a part of his life. I...do you believe in love at first sight, sir?"

Iruka looked surprised, while at the same time, expecting. As if he had heard this all before. He nodded slowly. "I believe it can happen, when it involves those that are truly meant to be. However..." he gave me a stern look, "I also believe that people mistake lust at first sight for love at first sight. After all, all that happens in that is we see someone we consider exceptionally gorgeous, and we want them. But we don't realize that that is all it truly is. Want. Lust."

The old shop owner placed two bowls of ramen in front of us and smiled. "Here we go. Enjoy!" and he left, but not before sending a knowing smirk in my direction.

Iruka turned to his bowel, snapping his chopsticks apart. Looking at me from the corner of his eyes, he spoke. "Sasuke, please enjoy your meal. And while you do so, I want you to think very hard about this. Think and make sure that your reasons for searching for him are not purely on a skin deep level. I don't want either of you two getting into something insincere."

I gulped and looked down at the ramen. It was miso and pork.

Snapping my chopsticks apart and murmuring a thanks, I slowly started eating, while doing exactly what Iruka asked.

How sure was I that I was in love?

Okay, true, time did stop. And not figuratively, I mean literally. But...perhaps it was all just some weird trick of my mind? Maybe I had drunk more than I thought, and that plus my thoughts of that ridiculous old saying were the cause of the strange phenomenon.

And that aside, Iruka had a point. I had no idea who this person was. I knew him by appearance, I knew his favourite colour and animal, and I knew he was an orphan who enjoyed sports. That was the basic summary I could come up with.

Honestly, the deepest bit of information in that was the fact he was an orphan, but even then, I didn't know anything more significant. Why was he an orphan? What happened to his parents? What type of accident were they in? Why wasn't he adopted? What is he doing now? What are his interests? Who is he?

I felt my shoulders slump as I ate. I didn't know this person. Hell, I didn't even know his name!

Maybe I was just desperate for something. Maybe the thought of being in love was actually something I'd wanted subconsciously for ages, and therefore jumped at the first pretty face I saw and claimed it was love.

These thoughts spiralled in my head, sending me further into question about my motives.

I stared at the contents of my bowl, not really seeing anything. Iruka was still eating beside me, his eyes watching me carefully.

"Maybe...Maybe I..." I murmured softly.

Iruka turned to me slightly, waiting. "Maybe you...what?"

I could hear Suigetsu and Chouji muttering to each other, but I wasn't focused on them. I turned to Iruka and opened my mouth to speak. However, before I could say a word, a flash of deep, ocean blue and gold caught my eye.

I spun around in my seat, my eyes searching. They found a large butterfly.

It had deep blue wings with golden tips, and it seemed to glow in the sunlight. I found myself staring at it, watching as it fluttered down and landed on a rose bush, its wings shifting a bit as it rested.

I stared at it, taking in the colours. They immediately reminded me of my blonde angel, and I couldn't stop the warm feeling that spread through my chest just at the thought of him. However, this time, when I imagined him, it was not just his face.

I saw him on a field, wearing an orange t-shirt and blue jeans. He was sleeping, and a thin sheen of sweat covered his face and neck. A few feet away was a ball, and I knew he had been playing sports. His hair swayed in a breeze and he sniffed the air in his sleep, reminding me of a large fox in human form.

And while seeing this image in my mind, I realized that I was admiring his beauty, but I was also admiring the surroundings. The sight of the ball made me feel...competitive. I wanted to wake him up and challenge him, prove myself to him. And the colour of his shirt. It made me scoff, and think of how weird he was for liking such an outrageous colour, and yet I was fine with it.

I wasn't sure why, or how to explain myself...but I just knew that what I felt couldn't be skin deep. I only knew a few things about him, yet I was deeper in love because of that. I was eager to know more about who he was inside.

Smiling, I turned back to Iruka. The man was watching me, and his eyes seemed a bit warmer.

"Sir, I have no idea how to explain this. I've never felt anything like this before, and honestly, that fact alone scares the living shit out of me." Iruka graciously let my bad language slide. "But...I just can't help it. I hardly know him...I don't know him at all, really. But I want to. Just from the little details, the seemingly stupid and insignificant things that I have learned about him, I want more. I want to know him as a person; I want him to know me. I would like to be the one to make him laugh and smile, because I want him to be happy. I know this sounds ridiculous, since I've never even heard his voice...but...I just..." I struggled for words, trying to convey the fact that I was sincere.

Suigetsu was once again recording, while whispering encouragement. "Come on Uchiha! You do your thing!"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair before staring at Iruka intensely, straightening up slightly. "Sir, I love him. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. I am in love with him, and I won't stop looking for him. Even if you don't give me any help, I will continue searching for him and I won't give up." I said firmly.

Iruka studied me for a long time, but I kept his gaze, showing my determination.

Suddenly, there was a clapping sound. We both turned to see the old ramen man standing there, clapping. He grinned at me. "Great speech. Sounds like something he would say, doesn't it Iruka-san?" he asked.

Iruka broke out into a grin and nodded. "Ah. It sounds just like something he would say. Completely irrational, makes no real sense and is brimming with determination. Just like him." He turned to face me fully and smiled warmly. "That was very nice Sasuke. But now for a very important question."

He turned serious. "What do you think of ramen?"

I blinked. That's an important question? "Uh, it's okay. It's not something I would eat every single day, but once in a while is fine." I said slowly, not sure where he was going with this.

Iruka nodded. "So, if someone close to you wanted to eat ramen every day, what would you do?"

"I'd suggest they stop, since that can't be very healthy."

"And if they didn't listen to you?"

"I'd make them stop." I deadpanned.

Iruka chuckled, but Suigetsu slung an arm over my shoulder. "He's not kidding sir! I used to be addicted to smoothies, and I was hardly eating because of it. Then Sasuke came and literally ordered every smoothie stand in the city to stop giving me smoothies and he forced me to eat other stuff until I was eating normal again. He's really weird that way."

Iruka smiled. "That's good. You've passed my tests." He said and clapped along with the ramen man.

I stared at him, lost. "What? That was your test?" I questioned. Iruka nodded, turning back to his ramen.

"Yes. The first was to see whether you were serious about this, and that you weren't just in it for the looks. The second was to see if you'd be willing to help him out of his ramen addiction." He explained.

"Ramen addiction?"

"That boy can eat ten to fifteen bowls in one sitting." The old man explained, leaning on the counter. "And although it's great business for me, it's not healthy for him, so I want him to slow down."

Iruka agreed. "I asked you that question to see if you would do something about that."

I nodded in understanding, looking down at the dregs of ramen in my bowl. "So, I take it ramen is his favourite food?"

Iruka laughed. "Yes it is. Now then, time for your reward for passing." He looked at me. "His dream is to become Hokage. Do you know what that is?"

I thought about it. "The Hokage is the greatest actor/actress in Konoha. You gain the title by public vote, I believe?"

"That's right. He wants to make everyone recognize him, and has wanted to be Hokage since a young age. He is working now to become a brilliant actor and claim that title for himself." Iruka said.

I smiled. "So that's his dream, huh?" I murmured.

Iruka smiled. "Yes. Now then, for your next clue, head over to the park near the west end of the campus. Someone is waiting there for you. Oh, and could you please take this little puppy with you?" Iruka asked, picking up the small white fur ball and holding it out to me.

Gingerly, I reached out and took it. The little critter sniffed me, barked once, and peed on my leg.

Suigetsu burst out laughing, falling off his chair and banging his fist on the ground. "Ahaha! Oh that's priceless! Holy shit! Ahahaha!" he howled.

I growled, but cradled the small animal in my arms anyway. "Stupid fuzz ball." I muttered angrily, standing up and shaking my leg to try and rid it of the dripping liquid.

Making sure to stand on Suigetsu on my way out, I bid farewell to Iruka and the old man and headed towards the park, uncaring if Suigetsu followed or not.

Unfortunately, it seemed he was intent on watching me suffer, as quickly pulled himself up and chased after me, phone at the ready. "Wait for me lover boy!"

The park was not all that far from the ramen stand. The weather was great today, and there were several students gathered around relaxing under the shady trees, sitting on benches or hanging around the pond and feeding the ducks.

The small dog in my arms had been well behaved since the peeing incident, and I wasn't at all worried about it running off, as it was fast asleep in my arms.

Suigetsu was chatting away about someone in his other class, but I wasn't paying attention. I was trying to look for someone who would be waiting for me.

"Hey, Suigetsu help me look."

"Huh? Oh right."

We stood in the centre of the park, looking around, but I couldn't see any teachers anywhere. Maybe they were late? Or maybe I was late?

Before I could make a choice to go back to Iruka and ask him about it, the fluffy thing in my arms woke up and barked before jumping down and running off. I cursed and chased after it.

"Oi! Come back here little flea-ball! Here boy!" I called, trying to get the tiny thing to stop, but it only barked and kept going.

Insolent little twit.

Suigetsu chased after me, recording and laughing. "Oh man this whole day has been awesome! I get to see Uchiha Sasuke act like a total moron! Great!"

I silently vowed to dismember him once the day was over.

I followed the tiny runt of an animal all the way passed the pond, then a small archway and finally to a set of benches.

The dog barked happily and ran up to a boy sitting on the bench. It jumped into his lap, startling him.

"I'm sorry! He got away from me!" I apologized, rushing forwards.

However, the boy only grinned. "No problem. I was waiting here for him anyway, so this is fine."

I stopped, blinking. I'd seen him before. "Hey...You're the guy from earlier, with the photocopies." I said slowly.

He nodded and stood up, setting the small animal on the ground and holding out his hand. "The name's Inuzuka Kiba, and this is my dog Akamaru." He said.

I shook his hand, as did Suigetsu, and we sat down on the bench. Kiba looked me over, and immediately noticed the large wet stain on my jeans. "Oh, did Akamaru pee on you?" he asked, curiously.

I sighed and nodded. "But it's fine...I never liked these pants anyway." I murmured. Kiba laughed loudly, and I glared at him.

After a moment, he calmed down and grinned at me. "You should count yourself lucky."

"Excuse me?"

"Akamaru only pees on people he trusts. I know, it's weird, but it's his way of showing he likes and trusts you. And since he peed on you, he trusts you which means that I can trust you too." Kiba explained, stroking the small animal.

I tilted my head. "And that is important, why?"

"Because I'm the best friend of the guy you're searching for."

I blanched, staring at the boy. This was my blonde's best friend? This guy?

"Uh..."

"I see that you are at a loss for words. Don't worry, I kind of knew you'd be an asshole from our encounter earler." Kiba said with a shrug.

I growled. "Idiot."

"See? We're getting along already!" Kiba grinned. I groaned and let my head fall back.

"What's your task?"

"My what?"

"What must I do for the information and clue?"

"Oh! Well, actually this test is split in two halves. My half, and another half. You've already passed my test."

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow in question. He smiled and pointed to his dog.

"If Akamaru didn't trust you, neither would I and I can't let someone I don't trust near my best friend now can I?" he said.

I smirked. "Hn. I guess so. So what's the next part?"

He looked at his watch. "Well, my girlfriend is the one who wants to handle the next part. We're waiting for her to show up." He said.

Just then, there were footsteps, and they turned to see a girl walking towards them. Her long brown hair was flowing over her shoulders, almost like water. She wore a short black dress that showed off her long legs and curves. Her breasts were huge, and jiggled with every step she took. Her lips were painted a deep red and her eyes were accentuated with dark liner and thick lashes.

She walked with a slight sway to her hips, and her dark eyes immediately honed in on me.

I wouldn't deny that she was a very beautiful girl, but dammit, I didn't have time for a fan girl.

"Well, hello there." She said, walking over to us and standing over me. Her voice was soft, almost like a purr.

Kiba was staring at her, utter shock on his face. Suigetsu was filming her, holding a hand over his mouth. Most likely to hold in the drool.

I stared up at her coolly. "Good day." I said curtly.

She smiled and fluttered her eyes before slowly settling herself on my lap. What the hell? Bold...

"What's your name, hot stuff?" she asked, letting a hand trace my chest.

Kiba was looking between me and her, his eyes sharp and seeming to calculate something. Akamaru was making curious whimpers and nudging his master's side.

I glared at the girl. "My name is none of your business. Now get off me."

She giggled, fluttering her lashes again. "Aw, don't be like that. I'm sure me and you can have a lot of fun together. What do you say we go on a date, hmm?" she asked seductively, practically crushing me under her huge breasts.

I increased my glare. "No."

"We could head over to my place afterwards..."

"No."

"And I'm sure I could give you plenty of reasons to stay."

"Are you deaf? I'm not interest, so piss off."

She sighed and leant back a bit before smirking. "Are you absolutely sure?" she said. Her fingers slid down until they were hovering over my crotch.

Without a second thought, I stood up. She let out a surprised squeak and fell to the floor. I glared down at her coldly. "You're lucky you're a girl, or else I'd punch you for touching me so familiarly. Now I'm not interested in you, so leave me the hell alone." I snapped.

She stared up at me, seeming to think before she sighed and got up, brushing herself off. "If that's really how you feel then..." she reached up and tugged on her hair.

I gaped as the brown locks fell away, revealing short black hair styled in a Hime style. The girl used her other hand to reach up to her eyes, and removed the contact lenses residing there. Under the dark brown irises were pale lavender eyes and she smiled at me. "You pass. G-Good work, Sasuke."

Suigetsu cried out in surprise, pointing at her in shock. "Y-You're...Neji's cousin! Hinata!" he gasped.

Hinata nodded and turned to Kiba. "I-I'm sorry it took me so l-long to get here, but I had to m-make sure he wouldn't recognize me." She explained.

Kiba grinned, waving his hand. "No problem babe. I have to say that was a very convincing performance! I didn't realize it was you until you spoke, and even then I wasn't sure." He stood up and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You're a brilliant actress, as always." He said.

Hinata blushed and giggled sweetly.

I was just in shock. What the hell was that all about? "Uh..."

Hinata turned to me. "I'm s-sorry for deceiving you, but I-I needed to for the sake of the t-task." She explained.

Slowly, the pieces clicked, and I smirked. "You were testing to see if I'd give in to temptation?"

She nodded shyly. Suigetsu laughed and clapped me on the back. "Phew, you're really serious. I would've jumped at that offer!"

"That's because you're a horny pervert." I said evenly, slapping his hand away. He growled and crossed his arms.

"And you're an asshole. I feel sorry for the guy you're chasing."

Kiba chuckled, his arm hung around Hinata's shoulders. "Well, it's been fun. But we have a date and you have another clue to follow." He said.

I nodded and turned, waiting.

Kiba spoke first. "He's a real idiot. It's not that he's academically stupid. His grades are average and he's a fast learner, but he never thinks things through. He's the type who just dives headfirst into everything, consequences be damned. He's been known around the Art Department as the 'Number One Knuckleheaded Ninja.'"

"Ninja?"

"He was the lead character in a play where everyone was a ninja, and he made one of the biggest stage screw-ups during that performance, but somehow he managed to turn it around and fit it into the play."

"Ah..."

Hinata cleared her throat and spoke up. "H-He's very emotional. People say he wears his heart on his sleeve and he always speaks his mind." She looked at the floor. "But that's not entirely true. He's had a r-rough life, but he h-hides his pain behind a big smile and pretends he's okay. He's a g-great actor, after all." She finished with a sad smile.

I looked at my feet, letting this settle. So he wore a mask too? He hid his pain and sorrow around others, choosing a mask of cheer and bright smiles instead?

He was closer to me than I thought.

"Thank you." I said softly. They nodded and Kiba pointed toward one of the school buildings.

"Go to Art Room 3 in that building over there. There's a painter in there who will give you your next task. Good luck." They turned and began walking away, but before they were completely gone, Kiba turned and called "Oh, and try not to kill him! Bye!"

I watched them leave with a frown before turning to Suigetsu. "What did he mean by that?"

Suigetsu shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we'll see though."

I nodded and we walked towards the building.

My eyebrow twitched continually. It was almost painful how much it twitched in the space of a few seconds. From the muffled laughter to my left, I knew Suigetsu was also experiencing some form discomfort.

"...Is...That...A..." Suigetsu choked, pointing to the large canvas.

"A penis? Why yes, yes it is." Said the pale boy in front of us.

I swallowed, not at all enjoying this. Great, I was going to get a task from some pale wannabe-me who was painting a giant dick. How lovely.

"So, which one of you is Sasuke?" the boy asked, wearing a huge smile that was so fake.

I reluctantly nodded. "I am."

He turned to me, giving me a once over. "Well, not bad. I never imagined Dickless would get someone like you chasing him. I guess miracles do happen." He said.

Suigetsu snorted. "Dickless?"

"It's my nickname for the blonde idiot. Frankly, since he's so girly sometimes, I can' imagine he actually has a dick." The boy explained.

I growled and stepped forwards. "Just tell me what the next task is." I demanded. I really didn't like this guy. Something about him grated on my nerves, and I wanted to hurry up and get away from him.

He smiled that damn fake smile and motioned to a chair. "Please sit down. All I need you to do is sort out some photographs for me." He said sweetly. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Sai."

"Whatever." I said and sat down reaching for the album on the table. "How do you want them sorted?"

"By size. Biggest first."

"Fine." I said and pulled open the album. I gasped at what met me.

Ocean blue eyes, tan skin and golden hair.

There were tons of pictures of the blonde! I gaped, staring at the page in a mix of awe and surprise. Glancing up at Sai, he smiled. "Get to work, Sasuke."

Swallowing back the insults I was dying to throw at him, I slowly began sorting through the photos.

Suigetsu was surveying the several paintings scattered around. "These are really good! Did you do all of these?" he asked Sai.

The pale boy nodded, not looking away from his current 'masterpiece'.

Suigetsu began making small talk, occasionally commenting on the giant picture being created. I wasn't paying attention, too focused on the pictures in front of me.

In the large ones, it showed the blonde doing different activities. One was him eating ramen, and sure enough I saw at least eight empty bowls sitting beside him. The next was of him running, his hair blowing in the wind and a huge grin on his face. I smiled, easily picturing him streaking across the ground in a race.

The next showed him in a swimming pool, still grinning at the camera.

I placed them in order and then moved onto the next size. These ones were a few inches smaller. I saw the first one was of the blonde's back. He was reaching for something on a shelf, looking away from the camera. I took the time to admire his ass. It was a fine ass indeed.

Placing it in its spot, I moved onto the next. Another backside shot.

I looked at the next one and saw it too was a back shot. Frowning slightly, I shuffled through the remaining pictures in that size, and found that in every single one, his back was to the camera.

Confused, I placed them in their spot and moved onto the next.

I froze. There were no longer full body shots. These photos were only the size of a head and shoulder shot. Except instead of a head and shoulder, there was a crotch to the knee shot.

And they were all like that.

Growling at the stalker-like tendencies of these photos, I sharply looked up at Sai, who was watching me carefully. "Who took these pictures?" I demanded.

He blinked slowly before smiling widely. "Why, I did of course."

I jumped across the room and aimed a punch at his head. With surprisingly fast reflexes, he jumped back and grabbed my fist, stopping the impact. He was still smiling.

"You bastard!" I growled and swung my other arm. He caught that one too.

Suigetsu was standing in the corner, phone at the ready and muttering "Holy shit this is going to be a huge hit!"

I glared at Sai, trying to pull my hands away. "What the hell is with all those pictures? Huh?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"They're all crotch shots for hell's sake! You perverted asshole!"

"Oh? But I happen to find his crotch very interesting."

That was it. I roared and swung my leg around. It collided with his side and he went stumbling to the side.

Without giving him a chance to recover, I lunged forward and punched him in the gut. "Stay the hell away from him." I growled fiercly.

Sai slumped and coughed, a hand on his stomach. He blinked up at me. "Why should I?"

"Because I said so!"

"And?"

"And I'm not letting your pervy ass near him!"

"Why?"

"Because he's mine dammit!" I yelled.

Sai stared at me, his face blank. Then, he laughed. Loudly.

I watched him as he regained control over his chuckles, with Suigetsu beside me, still filming.

Sai pulled himself up and turned to me. "Good work. You passed my test." He said cheerfully.

I blinked. "I what?"

"You passed."

"You're test?"

"That's right."

"...What did I do?"

"You beat me up."

Okay, now I was sure this guy was out of his mind. How was my beating him up a good thing?

Sai seemed to know what I was thinking. "The reason that passed you was because you proved that you were possessive, and would not tolerate someone else looking at him in that way. He needs someone possessive, as he's such a clueless moron he won't realize someone is flirting with him until it is too far along." He explained.

I took a breath, calming myself down. Looking at the bruise forming on his side, I felt a bit bad. He had expected me to attack, which meant he was willing to get hurt. He must be a very good friend of my blonde.

"Sorry about attacking you." I murmured, but Sai waved away my apology.

"It's no issue. I was planning on it anyway. If you hadn't, you'd have to be as big a pervert as me, and that wouldn't do for our blonde now would it?"

I growled. "He's my blonde."

Sai chuckled. "Oh right, sorry. Anyway, your next clue is simple. Go to the third floor classroom by the stairs to the roof. And as for your information well..." he looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "Dickless isn't actually dickless at all. He's actually very nicely endowed." Sai smiled at us. "I've had the pleasure of confirming that with my own two eyes, so you can trust me."

It took all of Suigetsu's strength to stop me from tearing the pale bastard apart limb. By. Bloody. Limb.

The walk to the next location was filled with my low murmurs of death threats. That pale assed dickhead is going to die...Next time I see him, he's going to be so dead!

"Oi, Sasuke. We're here." Suigetsu said tapping me on the shoulder to snap me out of my inner musings of Sai's untimely demise.

Looking up at the sign above the door, I sighed. It was getting late. The sun was going to set soon. I had spent the entire day running over campus and doing the weirdest things. Would this continue tomorrow? And the day after? Just how long would I have to do this?

With a heavy arm, I pulled the door open and stepped inside.

The light turned on, and revealed none other than Gaara. He was sitting on a table, arms crossed as he stared at me impassively.

I glared back. "Gaara."

"Sasuke."

We stared each other down, Suigetsu standing off to the side nervously.

Finally, Gaara raised his hands and...clapped.

I blinked at the sudden action. "What?"

Even though he was clapping, there was no praise in his eyes. "I figure since you came here, that you passed every single test they gave you. Congratulations on earning all that information." He drawled.

I smirked. "Yeah well, Uchiha's tend to go the distance to get what they want."

Gaara snorted and jumped off of the table. He glanced at his watch, then at me. "So, it's almost sunset. You should take the time to rest now. I'll give you your next clue at a certain time." He said slowly, and crossed his arms.

I stared at him. "So, no task?"

Gaara smirked. "You've been doing my task all along."

"What?"

"My task was for you to complete all the other tasks that the other's set for you. And since you're here, you must have done just that. Therefore, my task is also complete." He elaborated.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "So you were behind it all."

His smirk widened. "Naturally. Why do you think I bothered to give you the first piece of information at all? Although, I had to admit it was hard to get Temari and Shikamaru to play along. But they agreed in the end."

I couldn't believe it. From the very start of the day, this had been planned. Once again, I was amazed at how quickly Gaara operated. He managed to convince everyone here to take part in his game in such a short amount of time.

"Can I ask one question?"

"Sure."

"Why?" I asked. "Why go through all this trouble instead of just telling me who he is?"

Gaara shifted, his eyes glancing at his watch again. "Because the person you're looking for happens to be someone very important to me. He practically saved my life a few years back, and I've owed him a lot since then. So when you said you were in love, I decided to make sure it was real. He needs someone to love him. He deserves the real deal. So, I was going to see just how serious you were. But..." he smiled, the sight scaring me a bit, "You obviously really love him. I didn't think you'd get past Kakashi, since you hate taking orders. But the real clincher was definitely Iruka. If you hadn't gained his approval, then it would've been over."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Gaara told them to enter, and the door slid open again. It revealed another red head, who greatly resembled Gaara. However, his hair was one shade lighter and his eyes were a pale brown.

And he actually had eyebrows.

"Sasori...I take it he's finished?" Gaara asked.

Sasori nodded. "Like you asked, I followed him around, as well as checking up on Sasuke occasionally. They both passed. He's getting his debriefing now." He said, his voice monotone.

I was very confused as to what the hell was going on, so I decided to ask. "What the hell is going on?"

Gaara sighed and closed his eyes. "Sasuke." He called. I turned to him. He took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eye. "His name is Uzumaki Naruto, and he's going to meet you on the roof in five minutes." He said.

My world slowed down as my brain registered.

I knew his name now. I knew his name and I was supposed to meet him.

His name was... "Naruto."

Gaara nodded.

Without another word, I turned and fled the room, heading for the stairs that lead to the roof.

My heart was racing as I climbed the stairs, trying to take them two at a time but occasionally failing. The efforts of the day were taking their toll on me, dragging me down, but I kept going.

"Naruto...Naruto..." I repeated the name like a mantra, using as a force to keep me moving.

I would get to see him. I would get to talk to him. I would get to be with him.

The door was so close.

I pushed myself to go faster, shooting up the stairs and slamming into the door.

It opened a millisecond before I hit it, and there came a shout from the other side. "Holy shit!"

I barrelled into someone else, getting the wind knocked out of me as an elbow hit my stomach accidentally.

In a tangle of limbs, I fell to the ground, landing on top of whoever was unfortunate enough to get in my way. There came a cough and a small whine of pain from below me before a voice that made me freeze in my tracks sounded.

"What the hell?"

I turned my head sharply and found myself staring into deep ocean blue eyes. And once again, time seemed to slow down dramatically.

There wasn't a sound as we stared at each other, and even the sunset seemed to go slower than a snail.

Finally I found my voice again, but it came out so soft. "N-Naru...to?"

"...Sasu...ke?"

I leant forwards, crashing my lips against his and devouring his taste. He moaned, opening his mouth and letting me explore with my tongue.

I raised my arms and placed them behind his head, giving him a makeshift pillow as our tongues glided together.

Time resumed its pace in the form of Suigetsu bursting through the door, phone already recording. He almost tripped over us and stumbled a bit to regain his balance. "Whoa! Ladies and Gents behold! The soon to be lovers unite at last!" he cried, zooming in on us as we kissed.

I ignored him, my entire focus on the boy below me. I was resting between his legs, and the fit was so perfect. His arms were wrapped around my chest, holding me close while his tongue massaged mine eagerly.

When the need for air began clawing at our lungs, we pulled apart with a wet smack and panted into each other's mouths, eyes locked.

Then, Naruto smiled, a bright, happy smile that took my breath away and made my heart swell. "Hey there Sasuke. It's nice to finally meet you."

I smirked. "Likewise, Naruto."

~A few months later~

The sound of my cell phone ringing woke me from a pleasant slumber, and I groaned loudly.

Reaching blindly, I slapped my hand against the wooden surface of my nightstand, searching for the small object which was soon going to be nothing but a bunch of plastic and metal pieces on the floor.

Finally getting a hold of the infernal contraption, I snapped it open and tiredly snarled into it. "What?"

"Do you always answer your phone that way?" Shikamaru asked tiredly.

"Maybe it's because you always call me so bloody early!" I snapped back, cracking open one eye. It was still dark in my room, seeing as my curtains were closed. It took a while for my eye to adjust to the dim light.

"Well, maybe it wouldn't seem so early to you if you weren't up so late at night banging your blonde." Shikamaru countered.

I smirked, now able to see the body lying on the other side of the bed. Naruto was still fast asleep, his bare back facing me. I gently lifted the covers a bit and snickered when I saw his ass.

Such a fine ass.

"Stop perving over your boyfriend and listen to me." Shikamaru sighed. I grumbled but let him continue anyway. "Sakura is throwing a party to celebrate the end of semester. She said that you and Naruto have to come. It's at the club, like last time."

I yawned and groaned. "Okay fine. Now if that's all, I have a blonde to molest."

Shikamaru sighed, said 'Troublesome' and hung up.

Tossing the phone across the room where, to my displeasure, it landed safely on a pair of Naruto's jeans, I scooted closer to the blonde, wrapping my arm over him and pulling him flush against me.

He woke up with a grunt and turned his bleary eyes to me. "Sasuke? What are you-haaah-" he yawned, covering his mouth with one hand before continuing, "-what are you doing up so early?"

I sighed, nuzzling into his neck. "It's not my fault. Shikamaru called to tell me there's a party Sakura wants us to go to.

He perked up at this, twisting around and grinning. "A party? Really? Sweet!" he said excitedly.

I shook my head, chuckling before pulling him in for a kiss.

He responded eagerly, wrapping his arm around my neck and pulling me on top of him.

We kissed tenderly at first, but slowly it grew more passionate until our hands were roaming, our tongues were tying together and I was reaching to the side for some lube.

"Ready dobe?"

"Heh. Bring it on teme."

As it turned out, I was not the only one Gaara had sent on a long day of tasks and clue hunting.

On our first date, Naruto had told me that Gaara had sent him on a long hunt of clues as to who I was. When I told him the same thing had happened with me, he had been surprised.

"Really? B-But...why were you searching for me?"

I told him about what I had experienced at the club, and he had been silent for a long time. At first, I'd been worried that he thought I was insane.

"The same thing...happened to me. I saw you when I was about to leave and everything just...stopped. You were sitting at the bar, just looking around. I don't know what happened but I decided to leave. I looked back one last time, but you were gone so I left."

We had talked about it, trying to figure out what it meant. Finally, I told Naruto about the old saying I knew.

" 'When you see your true love for the first time, time itself comes to a halt?'" he repeated.

I nodded.

Tapping his chin, Naruto thought about it, only to smile. "Well, I guess that's what happened then."

We had been going steady since then.

Now, I looked at the blonde as he pulled on his favourite orange shirt. It was the one with the spiral on the stomach.

I smiled.

Maybe the old saying wasn't all that ridiculous after all.

AND THAT'S A WRAP!

Hope you enjoyed it, and reviews would be wonderful.

See you in my other stories~! (hopefully :P)