Wow…It's been forever since I've tried to write a story. I don't know if I'm any good at it anymore, but I figured I'd give it a shot again. Since it's been a while, I decided to go out of order when it came to how I was going to write these stories. I am in a huge Taylor Swift mood, so that's why I started with this song. So I hope that you all still like me!

I need to give a BIG BIG BIG thanks to Akiru-chan, Acex14, and YuukoUchiha for their help in getting me back in the game! –hugs-

Disclaimer: Oh…this…yeah, no matter how long it's been, I don't own Naruto

Warning: Just like all of my other stories, there is male/male relations that go a little farther than kissing…you have been warned. 0.0

You Belong With Me

Since I was young, I had very little stability in my life. My parents were killed in a car accident when I was three, and I was handed off to different relatives for years until I ended up settling with Iruka at the age of ten. Friends were hard to come by for the first half of my life, because I was never in one place for too long. I tried not to act like the lack of control in my own life bothered me, since it was all I ever knew, but the idea of having something solid next to me was always something I was determined to find. Who or what it was, I didn't really care. Beggers can't be choosers, right? I just needed to feel like there was something out there for me that…was made for the sole purpose of finding me. Of being mine.

Maybe it was why, at the age of twelve, I had decided that I, Naruto Uzumaki , was going to marry the prettiest girl in my class. Between her eccentric (but natural, or so she said) pink hair, her bright green eyes, and her explosive anger, I had fallen head over heels in love with Sakura Haruno. No matter what my classmates said, I was determined to make her fall just as hard for me. Every Christmas, I agonized for hours to find the perfect present that would make her see me for the amazing guy I was. Valentine's day was twice as important. Chocolates, perfumes, jewelry; I tried every trick in the guy's manual for winning over a girl's heart.

And after six years of desperate attempts, I had absolutely nothing to show for it. No matter what I bought, made, baked, or even sung, Sakura would always accept the present from her 'close friend'. Every year, the knife dug slightly deeper into my back. It wasn't Sakura's fault that I constantly tortured myself by continuing to chase her like a lost puppy looking for his owner. All of my friends had told me to give up on her years ago.

"What are you doing?" The biggest pessimist was the jerk whose balcony I was currently climbing onto. I managed to hope onto the floor before grinning at the arched eyebrow in front of me, pumping my hand into the air.

"Ha! I told you putting a ladder between our balconies would work! And you said I'd fall off." The guy in front of me took time to sigh before turning back to his computer desk, continuing to type whatever school essay he was most likely working on.

"One can hope."

"Hey! You're just mad that my plan worked." He was definitely the jealous type, but it must have been hard to be friends with such an amazing guy like myself.

"And your reasoning for simply not walking across your yard and into mine was…?"

"Aw comon Sasuke! Where's your craving for adventure? Where is your need to get your heart racing and your blood rushing in your ears?" Yeah, right. The last thing that Sasuke had done that would even be considered 'daring' was give a presentation on the student council's budget for the school board last year. He did nothing unless the risks were explained in thorough descriptions, and even then it was doubtful he'd go for it.

"What are you doing here? I'm doubtful that you finished your half of the project for our civics class." He was right, of course. I expected nothing else from my best friend. Grinning sheepishly, I held up our civics book, my assignment paper shoved in the middle along with a few notes I had scribbled illegibly.

"About that…" I quickened the pace of my speech when he paused in his typing, knowing I had ten seconds to keep my head. "It's just that I don't get the point of this whole common law thing-"

"Did you read?" At the scolding tone he used I scoffed.

"Yeah, dad, I did. It's just pointless. If you're gonna be forced to be married anyways, why not make it official and get a wedding out of it? I mean, you don't even get a honeymoon or nothing with this crap. And marriage shouldn't be forced to begin with! Isn't a decision made between two people who love each other, not by the state?" At my argument, Sasuke sighed and turned completely to face me again. By now I had plopped on his bed, stretching to get comfortable.

"It's simply the way that government runs."

"Yeah, but only when it favors the government's ideals." Sasuke didn't respond, but I could tell from the way his shoulders slacked that I had his attention. Mentally I grinned at how much easier it was to talk to Sasuke when it was just the two of us. In a group or at school, it was like Sasuke's voice box froze up. It wasn't uncommon for him to be silent for hours. But when it was just us, it was different. He didn't completely relax like I did, but he was able to dislodge the stick that seemed to reside in his ass. I opened the book, ignoring my papers flying everywhere to read. "Look, right here! It says that Wisconsin had some sort of protest against homosexuals getting the benefits of common-law marriage because it didn't allow actual gay marriage. So they made some rule stating that 'any union without benefits of marriage' was illegal. What the hell is that anyways?"

"We live in what people like to call a 'democracy'. In reality, it's not a true democracy because of the electoral votes, but the point of it is that people are able to vote for what they think is right or wrong. Even if we live in a state that allows common law marriage for different relations, not all do. That's why there is no technical federal law concerning gay marriage."

"Well I think the whole thing is crap." I tossed the book on the floor, turning on my side to face him while I kicked his sheets down. "Marry whoever you want, whenever you want. The government should just butt out."

"You say that because you're a romanticist." He scowled when I pulled the covers over myself, making myself cozy in his bed. It really shouldn't have bothered him as much as he let on; I had done it enough before for it to be considered 'expected'. The kid had a big enough bed to fit three people, so it wasn't like he was cramped for space the times I did fall asleep in his bed. Hell, I left a pillow on his bed just for me. And I knew it was only be, because it was obvious the tight-ass hadn't gotten laid yet. I paused at my own thought, a blush coming to my face when I realized I was in the same boat as him. Yanking the covers over my face to hide it, I responded to his claim.

"So what? The world would be better with more of me."

"No, the average cholesterol rating would go up about the same time intelligence would disappear from our species." That asshole! He turned back to his computer despite the death glare I sent straight into his back. Once the typing resumed, I turned my attention back to the bleak room around me. It was tidy, unlike the dump that I called my room. He didn't have a lot of furniture in it, but Sasuke said it was because he only kept things that were necessary to live. So besides the bed and the computer desk, the only extra piece of furniture was the dresser drawer that held most of his clothes. If you didn't know him, you would expect the room to belong to a 40-year old guy who had no wife or kids. Almost nothing screamed teenager. The walls had paintings from people's names who I couldn't even pronounce, and the color was a bleak tan that probably came with the house. The only thing that identified that anyone even lived in the room was his computer desk, which I had personally designed while he was at work one night. Using my amazing arts and crafts skills, I glued pictures that I had thought best framed his life. Sure I had to cut some of the pictures out of his newspaper (which I blamed on him when his dad asked why his recycle bin had been left a complete mess), and a few I had to beg the school to give me. And the final piece, which I placed right in the middle of the desk, was a picture that the two of us had taken during junior prom. Both had gone stag, despite my best attempts to get Sakura to be my date. Still, Iruka had given me money to get pictures, which I wasn't doing alone. So instead, I convinced the stiff jerk to pose with me, my arm wrapped tightly around his neck while he sent me a patented Uchiha glare. And even though I knew his mom had the picture hanging somewhere in the house, I couldn't resist making it the centerpiece of my handiwork.

In all honestly, the idea took a whole week to put together. I had to promise to join the photography club the next year (which wasn't a bad thing in the end) in exchange for the pictures. Just putting all the pictures and news clippings up took an hour. And yes, maybe at one point I glued my hand into my hair from running it through my hair in frustration. Still, seeing the completely shocked face that Sasuke let slip when he came into his room that night was totally worth it.

Why he had never taken down the pictures, I never knew. It must have bugged him, since none of it was aligned or in order. Clutter was one of Sasuke's biggest pet peeves. I leaned up on my elbow to look at the desk, seeing that every picture was still intact. I was tempted to ask him why he left it up, but I decided against it. It was unlikely I'd get a real answer, and putting it out in the open would probably make him take it all down just out of pride. And I didn't want that. Despite my naturally flaky personality, I had put a lot of time into it. And deep down, it warmed a part of me to know he had kept it up. The manly, completely self-confident part of course.

"You do understand the presentation is tomorrow, right?" I jumped at how close Sasuke's voice was, only to realize that he was standing in front of me. I leaned back quickly, giving me enough distance to look at his scowl.

"Yeah, and you know I do my best work at the last minute! Plus, I always nail presentations. When have we ever gotten lower than an A on our civics projects? We're like governmental gods!" I flexed my arm to emphasis how, in the right light, I could be a replica of Hercules. He stared at me in silence for a second before raising his hand to rub his right temple.

"I should have worked with Neji." I whinned at his insult, then sat up completely when he started to turn away from me.

"Come on, don't say that! I'm way better than that kid. You wouldn't really turn me in like that would you? We're best friends!" I swiped to capture his arm, falling off the side of the bed when he moved it away from my reach. "You jerk! You did that on purpose!"

"Stop being stupid, and I wouldn't have to." He pushed the book towards me with his foot on his way back to his computer. "And finish your part so you can get out of my room."

"Man, you're about as much fun as a wet blanket. Would it kill you to show you like my company?" I mumbled, climbing back into the bed and flipping the book back open to the page I had been reading before. He didn't respond to my question, even though I knew he heard me. He had always been weird like that. Sometimes during the middle of a conversation he would stop talking until I got annoyed by the silence and left. Eventually, throughout the six years I had known him, I had gotten used to the annoying behavior and chose to ignore it.

We stayed like that for a while, though I didn't actually keep track of how long. I knew it was long enough that by the time I finished with my half of the project, Sasuke had already showered, changed, and was currently reading through Hamlet for English. I closed the book loudly, letting it drop to the floor before I buried my head into my pillow.

"Thank god! One more word and I thought my brain was going to explode!"

"What brain?" I hated when I set him up for a good insult. I turned my head to glare at him, though I didn't move my head from my pillow. He didn't look at me despite the hole I was burning into the side of his head, flipping the page and continuing to ignore me.

"One of these days…"

"You'll agree that two men sleeping in the same bed is absurd?" Finally he looked over to me, just in time to catch my flustered look. I quickly replaced it with anger, growling at him.

"I've told you one hundred times before this, it's fine if we're best friends! Ino and Sakura do it all the time, and they're both girls. It's basically the same thing."

"And yet Shikamaru and Chouji refused to bunk together during the school trip last winter."

"Th-That's cause they couldn't fit in one bunk bed! Chouji barely fit in one on his own, never mind with Shikamaru. Plus, they're just not as comfortable as us."

"I'm not comfortable, so get out." He kicked my leg underneath the blanket, which only made me hold tighter onto the comforter.

"What are you; scared you're going to get morning wood while I'm here? It happens to the best of us!" I grinned when Sasuke nearly dropped his book, glaring over at me at my blunt comment.

"Naruto…"

"Just tell me and I'll give you some privacy to take care of it."

"No." I could hear that he forced the word through clenched teeth, despite how calm he seemed. Just a little more…

"What, you want me to stay and help out?" I ducked when he swung at me, mentally cheering in triumph that I had broken his composed features. The embarrassment was evident on his face by the slight discoloration of his face. Most people wouldn't even notice, but being around Sasuke long enough made me special.

"Get out now."

"No way, your mom is gonna make pancakes tomorrow!" I could see the visible twitch in his eye when he moved back to his side of the bed. I blinked at my own thought, wondering when I had divided his bed into sections.

"When did you talk to my mother?"

"On the way over! She was in the kitchen and saw me climbing over. She asked if I was staying the night." It was obvious that Sasuke's family had accepted my into the family way before he even acknowledged I was his friend. His father had been a harder sell, but eventually even he couldn't resist my charming smile. In fact, the only people who weren't smitten with me were the two most important people in my life; Sakura and the guy now glaring at me.

"Stop allowing my mother to make you food. She's not your maid."

"I'd never treat your mom like a maid! She's like a second-" I stopped, the normal saying suddenly falling dead on my lips. He watched while I looked away from him, feeling a slight pain despite how many years ago the accident had been. A mom was still a mom. It was probably why I felt at such ease over Sasuke's house. His mom filled part of the hole that was still left in my heart. Iruka did his best to take care of me, but he didn't have the same maternal instincts Sasuke's mom did. He was simply beat out by experience.

I closed my eyes when he pressed his knuckles into my forehead, though not enough to actually hurt.

"Shut up and go to sleep. The last thing we need is what little brain you have to be asleep tomorrow." I blinked my eyes open and looked back to Sasuke, watching him turn away from me to sleep. Despite his cold demeanor, I couldn't stop the grin from twisting my lips. I hadn't said a word, and yet he knew exactly how I was feeling. And he actually cared, otherwise he would have continued to pressure me to leave. The slight flutter in the pit of my stomach only increased when he turned to face me, glaring until I laid down.

"Thanks," I said quietly. The only response I got was the dimming of the lights, which made me smile before I closed my eyes to sleep.

"I don't know how you don't manage to get kicked out of class from the sheer stupidity that is you." Ah, the confidence my friends had in me was amazing. Said friend in question stared at me with pale eyes that looked straight out of a horror movie. Add that to the long black hair, and Neji Hyuga could be mistaken for the ring girl.

"I don't know…I kinda like having Naruto around in class." At the positive feedback from my only ally at the lunch table, I grinned and threw my arm around her.

"Thanks Tenten! I knew you were a good friend."

"She only says that because your antics let her text her friends during class," Neji replied, looking at Tenten as if he could read her mind. In response she nervously laughed before glancing between the two of us.

"Why split hairs? Does it really matter why I like him in class?" I groaned while she sheepishly smiled, banging my head into the table.

"Why do none of my friends actually like me?"

"Don't leave such a tempting question open." A voice above me said, making my head shoot up. Normally I would be angry, but the beautiful smile that greeted me made my heart skip. Sakura didn't seem to notice, placing her tray next to mine to sit. I ran my hand through my hair once, trying to work my good looks before I spoke.

"Sakura, what are you doing at this lunch? Not that I mind! But…don't you normally have the lunch before this?" She tried to answer my question, but blushed when she realized she was mid chew. I felt my smile widen at how cute she was when she was embarrassed. She hurried to swallow then answered the question.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys! We're doing a raffle for the cheerleading squad. You know how Ino's dad is a music producer? Well he pulled a few strings and was able to get two pairs of tickets to see Taylor Swift for her special Valentine's day concert!" The excitement was apparent on her face, which didn't surprise me. She had been in love with that girl since we were fifteen. I had bought her the last two CDs for the following two Christmases.

"Wow, that's amazing. I'm surprised that you and Ino didn't keep the tickets for yourself," Tenten said, Sakura sighing as she slouched against her arm.

"I know, but it's for the good of the team. We can't even enter the contest because we don't want people to think we rigged it."

"Why not get your lapdog to enter for you?" I glared at Neji, who was obviously talking about me. He had showed no interest in my pursuit for Sakura's heart until a few months ago, when he suddenly jumped ship onto Sasuke's negative wave. Now, whenever he was talking to Sakura, he would call me lapdog.

"Shut up, Neji!" He ignored my yelling, focusing back on whatever homework he was doing before. I looked back at Sakura, smiling brightly when she blinked. "I'll enter it for you!"

"Naruto, you don't have to do that. You don't even listen to Taylor Swift."

"Well uh…what better time than the present right? She can't be that hard to listen to. Besides, if it's for you, then I don't mind." Her smile grew despite her best effort to pretend she didn't like the idea.

"Well…it wouldn't be fair to tell you that you're not allowed to enter the contest. And I guess there's no harm if you do enter, since so many people are already in the raffle. The chances of you winning are slim." Even with her negative outlook, my heard was set by the hopeful look in her eyes. What better way to spend valentine's day then with Sakura at a Taylor Swift concert which I got for her? That would definitely show her how much I do for her! After a matter of time, she'd fall in love with me. I was so caught up in my own world that I almost missed the bob of black that sat in front of me.

"What's wrong with him?" Sasuke was the only one who could catch my attention when daydreaming about Sakura. I never understand why my brain could register his voice so easily, especially since I even had trouble recognizing Sakura's voice. But whether I was dozing off in class, or across the room at a party, I always could pick out Sasuke's voice.

"He's in lala land because Sakura came to visit us," Tenten said, which I thought was obvious since she was sitting right-

"Hey, where did she go?"

"She said she'd had to go, didn't you hear her? She said bye to you and everything." I glanced around me quickly while Tenten spoke, Sasuke dampening my mood instantly when Sasuke sat in Sakura's previous spot.

"How did I miss it?"

"You were probably too busy daydreaming about fetching bones for your owner." Again with the dog reference! I glared at Neji, who showed about as much interest as I had in trigonometry.

"You're lucky you look like a girl, or I'd knock your teeth out." That was a lie, of course. Neji was one of the most intimidating people in our school. He was skilled in several types of martial arts, and worked at a dojo almost every day after school. Anyone who messed with Neji was simply asking to be put into a hospital. Still, I couldn't let my pride suffer by admitting he was stronger than me.

"So, Naruto-" Tenten interjected into the conversation before my threat was taken literally by the serious guy in front of me. "Are you really going to try and score those tickets for Sakura? Don't you think that's a long shot?"

"Not if I get some of my best friends to help me out! Right Sasuke?" I threw my arm around his shoulder, ignoring how quickly he tensed when I pulled him flush against my side.

"Get off of me, and stop involving me in your ridiculous plans." Despite the vemon in his voice, Sasuke made no move to get out from my hold. At his negative shut down, I pouted very similarly to a five year old in a toy store.

"Aw come on! You don't even know what it is yet!" He sent me a look that showed how little he cared. I still pressed forward with my ingenious idea. "So I figured that if I bought like, ten of the raffle tickets for that Taylor Swift concert, then I have a much higher chance of getting the prize. That works, right?"

"There is no way you would spend that much money for a date with Sakura." Whether Neji meant to or not, I took his statement as a challenge. The look on Ino's face was priceless when I slapped fifty bucks onto the table the next day, looking for no change back. She almost hesitated to give them to me, asking me twice if I was sure. The only way I could convince her I was legit was when I promised I'd give her the other two tickets when I won. Really I didn't care what anyone thought about my decision, I needed to win.

"Well here you go, Naruto. We'll call the number of the ticket that wins at the end of the day. Good luck!"

"Who needs luck when you have the advantage? I'll definitely win!"

I didn't win. My head banged against the desk I was sitting at when I heard the number called out. How could I have lost? My whole plan relied on getting those tickets. Sure I could still ask Sakura to dinner or something, but it would pale in comparison to going to see her idol perform. And there was nothing that coule compare to seeing Sakura's smile when showing her my surprise. But that dream had quickly been shattered.

"I'm sorry about the tickets, Naruto, I really am." I tried to shrug off Tenten's sympathy while I stared at the photo we were working on for the yearbook. The one bonus to joining the photography club (besides threatening my friends to ruin their senior photos) was that Tenten was there. She had volunteered to do the yearbook, so she had to work a lot with the photography club.

"It's just yet another obstacle in winning over Sakura's heart. But I won't give up, no matter what is thrown my way!" She laughed as I threw my fist into the air, Tenten leaning her head in her hand.

"You're pretty determined to make your relationship possible, huh?"

"Well yeah. Nothings gonna stop me from being with her!" I blinked once when Tenten looked away from me, fixing the photo into the spot on the page we were working on before moving to the next photo. Her eyes widened and her hand froze on the mouth, making me look at the screen. I felt my own heart shudder looking at the picture of the president and vice president of the martial arts club. That would have been none other than Neji and Tenten, the picture taking one month before they broke up. The smile on her face could have rivaled mine, which was probably produced from the fact that Neji had an arm securely wrapped around her waist. Despite the stony look in her eye, a content smile marred his stoic composure. I looked back to Tenten, who had yet to look away from the photo.

"This feels so long ago. Like a dream, really," She whispered, a sad smile making my heart hurt for her. Neji really wasn an idiot. Sure, I had no clue why people talked about pie during a math class, or how any war could be considered 'civil'. But he was the one who was distancing himself from his most important person! And I knew he still kept an eye on her alone all the time. They were around each other everyday, between academics and after school activities. And Tenten continued to smile, even though inside she wasn't happy at all.

"Tenten, did Neji ever say why?" She didn't need to ask when I was talking about, we both knew.

"Just said that our relationship wasn't in the cards. He said it much more formally, but that pretty much wraps it up. If there was a problem then we could fix it, but….well, I guess this is what will make him happy, and that's all I want." She tried to smile, but it would be impossible with the reminder of their relationship sitting literally in front of her.

"You could want to be happy too, Tenten."

"Well what I want for the moment is to get this page done so we can get home." She must have seen the concerned frown, because she gave me a smile and tapped my nose. "Don't worry about me. I may be a girl, but I'm stronger than most guys. Including you."

"What? No way! I just go easy on you cause you're a girl." And cause I knew Neji would make me face him if I ever hurt Tenten. I also knew he would not play nice. Because even if he had ended the relationship, even if he was being an idiot, Tenten was still his special person. And I was determined to find out what Neji was really up to.

"Sasuke!" So I went to my secret source. Leaning out my window, I used the ladder that I had left between our balconies to tap his door. When nothing happened, I growled before starting my trek over the ladder to personally knock. I almost fell off the ladder when he finally opened the door, almost knocking the ladder off its post.

"What do you want?"

"To not die!" I snapped, trying not to wobble the ladder as I slowly moved the rest of the way across. Once my feet were planted on the solid ground, I glared up at him. "Why didn't you answer me earlier?"

"I was busy." His short answer made me raise an eyebrow before I grinned, poking his arm.

"Ah I see, having some 'alone time' with J-i-l-l?" I traced the letters my fingers made while I spelt it out loud to him, barely finishing before Sasuke smacked my hand down.

"Stop acting childish and tell me what you needed." I rubbed the back of my hand while I scowled at him, pointing to the rooftop above him.

"We need to talk about something serious." It was tradition (in my eyes at least) to sit on Sasuke's roof when we needed to 'talk'. Don't ask why we never did it inside, or on my roof for that matter. It was just always Sasuke's. Maybe because Iruka would blow a load if he saw us perched up on the roof…he was always a worry wart.

"Now?"

"No, six years from now, I'm just making a reservation," I said sarcastically, seething when he turned to walk back in the house. Groaning I moved after him, dragging him to side of the balcony so we could climb to the short roof. "Just get up here; it's about Neji and Tenten.

"It's not our business to interfere." But he followed me, because he knew I wasn't going to give up on the subject just yet. I waited until both of us were settled on the roof, letting out a slow breath before speaking.

"So why did Neji really break up with Tenten? We both know he's still in love with her! You two call me the idiot—"

"Because you are."

"-And yet even I can see what he's doing is dumb. He's not helping anyone. Why is he doing all of this?" Sasuke sighed slowly, as if the question was completely outrageous to ask.

"Neji's goal isn't to hurt anyone, especially Tenten. There's more to this situation than meets the eye." I let out a long breath, not liking Sasuke's answer. It was far too abstract for my liking.

"The fact that you know more than Tenten about the situation should bother you as much as it does me. See, I won't have any of these problems when me and Sakura start going out. We're going to be happy and truthful, no matter what."

"Why do you continue to drool over Sakura? She's made it quite obvious that she's not interest in you romantically." Mr. Negative sure found ways to dampen my mood. I glared at the dream killer, hoping he could feel me burning holes into his skull.

"She's going to think differently this Valentine 's Day!"

"Oh? You won the tickets?" He arched his eyebrow, making my puff my cheeks before looking away.

"I…well no, but I'll think of something else!" What that is, I'm not sure. I had already been tossing the idea around for hours. In comparison to the concert, nothing seemed right. Taylor Swift would have sealed the deal. And just like every other great plan I had made, I watched it blow up in my face.

"Do you know who won them?" I shook my head, not lifting my head when I heard him sigh. He moved beside me, but I didn't look. Mentally I wondered how the conversation about Tenten had ended up being about my failure to get the tickets. Despite how much I boasted this was going to be the year I won Sakura, I was starting to doubt myself for the first time since sophomore year. And I wasn't sure Sasuke could help me this time around. "I shouldn't have bothered asking that. If you did, you would have come to my house much sooner."

"What?" I blinked when something was pressed to my forehead, the object too close for my eyes to focus. I shook my head before I pulled back, staring in absolute shock at what was in front of me. "How…did you get these?"

"I won them." He stated it so casually, as if he wasn't holding the key to my happiness in his hands.

"Yo-you don't even like Taylor Swift!" I shouted, looking over to him in pure confusion. Why the hell would Sasuke enter to win tickets to the concert when he didn't even listen to the girl? Hell, I didn't even think he liked girls, nevermind pay to see one of them. Sure it was only five bucks for him (and fifty for some unfortunate soul who shall not be named), but it was pointless for him to spend the money.

"They're not for me," he answered, holding them out for me to take. To say I was shocked was an understatement. In fact, I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped open without my permission.

"You…got them for me?" He nodded quietly, dropping the tickets into my lap as he looked away from me, not saying anything. But I couldn't keep my mouth shut. "Why did you do this? I mean…you hate whenever I talk about Sakura!" If it had been anyone but me, they wouldn't have noticed the narrowing of his eyes as he stared at the night sky.

"Why do you keep chasing Sakura?" The question came off with more emotion than I'm sure he wanted to show. The stare made me nervously laugh and look out to where he was staring.

"What do you mean? You know how I feel about her. I tell you like, everyday!" He didn't answer me, but I knew that there was something on his mind. Trying to alleviate the stressful tension, I laughed and shook my head. "You're just mad because when me and Sakura get together, I'm not gonna be around here as much. But don't sweat it, you're still gonna be my best friend!"

"You act like that's a prize," He mumbled, his scowl increasing when I messed up his hair and laughed.

"Come on Sasuke, don't be like that. We're like two peas in a pod; like we were made for each other!" I paused, my hand in his hair, slightly surprised at my own wording. For years it had been common for me to call Sakura my love, my future wife, and all that other stuff that made Sasuke scoff or roll his eyes. But Sasuke was my other half He was my best friend, my safe haven, my… "soul mate."

"What?" He finally pushed my hand out of his hand, flaring at the strands that were falling in his eyesight. I passed up the need to make fun of his obsession over tidiness in order to grin at him.

"Me and you are kinda made for each other, you know? I'm bright, sunny, all the good things in the world. And your all moody and dark, the complete opposite of me. We're yin and yang. Made for each other, right?"

The air got quiet after my sudden observation. Sasuke stared at me in a way that looked like I had just punched him in the stomach. He seemed like he was in pain, but hid it pretty well. The look bothered me, but I wasn't sure what it was that set off the unusual reaction from Sasuke. He turned away from me, staring out at the night sky. The only way he showed he was still breathing was the slight shiver that he produced when the chilled wind whipped past us. I worried the bottom of my lip, knowing that Sasuke was not as immune to sickness as myself. In fact, he had almost died when we were younger cause of how weak his body was at fighting illness. It was why, no matter how strong he truly was, I always worried about him just disappearing from my life. I had already lost my parents, I didn't want to lose Sasuke without putting up a fight. He wasn't making any movements to get off the roof despite how cold it was outside. Sighing in irriation, I moved closer to him and put my hand on his shoulder, pulling him closer to me. I was told I was like a human furnace, just another opposite between us.

"You know you're not even wearing a jacket? If we stay out here much longer, you're gonna get sick again. And we both know I'd be stuck taking care of you!" That was my reasoning for placing my arm around him, pulling his body to mine. I felt him tense against me, but I didn't look at him. Instead I tightened my hold, breathing out a white cloud as if to prove how cold the air was. When he didn't pull away, I snuck a glance just in time to feel his bangs brush my neck. The weight on my shoulder was not heavy, but still made my breath shudder. Me being forward with physical contact was completely normal, since I had no comfort bubble to pop. Sasuke's bubble was the size of Manhattan. But where that barrier was now, with him pressing so intimately against me, I wasn't sure. He said nothing about the cold, but it was clear he was shivering. The bastard's pride knew no bounds.

"You idiot, you should have said something to me…you're like a Popsicle." I rubber my hands against his chilled arm, trying to warm the skin.

"Hn." Well wasn't he a thankful friend? He didn't lift his head from my shoulder, giving me time to really look at his face. Honestly he looked exhausted, which didn't surprise me much. It's gotta be hard to be a straight-a student, work full time, and still squeeze in being the president of student council. It was rare to see Sasuke home before ten.

"You gonna fall asleep on me?" I mumbled, playing with the strands of hair that draped over his eyes. He snorted, though I could clearly hear his fatigue in his voice.

"Not on you."

"Hey I didn't make you lean on me! You did that on your own." I growled when he shrugged, not verbally responding. I thought about shaking him off and leaving him there. Instead I grinned and leaned down to his ear. "You gonna let me carry you down to your bed, sleeping beauty?" I laughed when he quickly moved away from me, leaving my side much colder than before.

"Idiot." That was his way of saying bye to me, so I waved while he climbed off the roof, sending me a final glare before disappearing. It wasn't until he was completely gone that my laughing slowly died. I furrowed my brows together when my smile left, the feeling of loneliness blooming in my chest. Without reason, my thoughts went back to Sakura. When did I ever laugh like that with her? Or even smile? I mean, seeing her happy made me happy. But when I was with Sasuke…it just came naturally. Even when he was pissing me off, I still felt good. I didn't have to try. Even now, thinking about him made a grin come back to my face.

...What the hell was that? I shook my head, trying to ignore the feeling as I climbed back into my bedroom. Why would I care if Sasuke went home? He was a pain in the ass anyways. And totally unsupportive of me!

Well…that wasn't true. He was supportive of me. Just not with Sakura. But he was probably the only reason why I was still in school. Depression had hit me like a ton of bricks in my sophomore year, and I had wanted to quit everything, especially school. I didn't see the point in trying when there was nobody to care. But after skipping almost a week of school, it was Sasuke who had come to my house with every piece of make-up work that I had accumulated. Without a word he grabbed my arm, yanked me out of bed, and forced me to sit at my table. I had cursed at him the entire time, making sure he knew exactly what I thought of him at the time. He ignored every insult, waiting until I had finished every piece of work before he stood next to me, placing his hand on my head. I wanted to break his wrist until he spoke, completely shattering my anger.

"Keep moving forward, idiot, for the ones who are still here with you." Like a final crack in a damn, Sasuke's words broke me. The tears that dripped down my cheeks were soon absorbed by the middle of Sasuke's shirt when I buried my face into his stomach and sobbed. He did nothing, keeping his hand on my head while I fell apart against him. And when Monday came, I was the first one to class.

Sasuke had always pushed me after that, never giving me time to think that nobody cared. He'd never say it was because he cared, he continued to say it was because he wouldn't talk to a drop-out. Or that his mom worried when I was sad. Each time he had a different excuse. But really, he did it to show me that there was at least one person in this world who cared. So in a way, Sasuke was my reason for living.

That was probably the day I started to think of Sasuke as something other than just a friend. It had been a while, now that I took the time to think of it. I mean, I wasn't in love with him! But…having a slight attraction to him wasn't so crazy. Sasuke wasn't the ugliest guys I had seen by any means. And we had been best friends forever. He was my yin, right? It wasn't weird to be attracted to my other half! And anyone who said it was would be getting a piece of my mind about the same time as my fist hit their face. It wasn't my fault that he ended up being a guy. Life just worked out that way.

But Sakura was the woman I loved, right? So there was no room for the infactuation I had for Sasuke. Tomorrow I was going to ask Sakura on a date, using the tickets Sasuke had scored for me, and I was going to try and show her how much I loved her. The rush of feelings I let swarm my head made it much harder than normal to sleep that night. I refused to let it bother me when I searched for Sakura the next day.

"Sakura!" She looked so pretty with her hair pulled back. She didn't bother looking up from the textbook she was reading.

"Naruto, don't be so loud in the morning," She scolded, scribbling something into her notepad. It hindered my smile for a moment, but I tried to press on with my excitement.

"Ah, sorry , sorry," I said, laughing while I rubbed the back of my neck. She sighed softly before she stopped writing, looking up at me. She blinked once, seeming to now actually focus on our conversation.

"Why do you look like you haven't gotten any sleep? You fight with Sasuke again?"

"Don't worry about us, we're fine. But I have good news! Guess what we're doing on Valentine 's Day?" At my question, I watch her panic in trying to answer me.

"Naruto, I don't think we should-"

"We're going to see Taylor Swift!" I flashed the tickets in front of her face, her previous sentence dropping from her mind.

"Ho-How did you get those?"

"I have my ways." Grinning, I wiggled my eyebrows. "So what do you say, Sakura? Will you spend your Valentine's Day with me?"

"This is amazing! Of course I want to go to the concert! Oh I have to tell Ino that we're going to see Taylor Swift!" She squealed before she grabbed her bag, piling her books into her arms before smiling up at me. "Pick me up at my house at seven on Friday. Thank you so much, Naruto!"

"Anything for—" I stopped when I realized that Sakura had already left, making a straight b-line for the group of cheerleaders Ino had been in. She sure moved fast. And she didn't even bother to say bye…but it was okay! Because she had been excited to go with me, right? That was a good thing. And I couldn't wait to tell Sasuke!

Except I didn't see Sasuke in class. Or even during lunch. I had searched for him at the table, in line, at him locker, and everywhere else the bastard would have hidden. It wasn't until third block that I found out that Sasuke had gotten sick and gone home early. The thought pissed me off. Hadn't I told him he was going to get sick? Why hadn't he worn a damn jacket? Or at least told me he was cold! Did he want to put himself in danger of getting really sick again?

The idiot had gotten me so annoyed by his idiotic move, I couldn't focus in class. Halfway through my English class I stood up, barely saying bye to the teacher before I walked out. I signed myself out of school, fuming at how the only one who could ruin my day of euphoric bliss was sick. I made it from the school to our neighborhood in record time, skidding into the almost empty driveway of Sasuke's house. I stormed up to the house, using my key (Sasuke's mom always said I should have a key to my second home) to get into the house and jogged up the stairs.

"Sasuke!" I pushed his door open, thinking of every possible insult I could use to describe him. I had a few set automatically, but none came out when I saw the curled lump that sat in Sasuke's bed. I knew how Sasuke slept and that wasn't it. He wasn't even facing the right wall. His head peeked out of the blankets, a troublesome flush covering his face. I winced at the strange pain in my heart while I walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed while he tried to scowl at me.

"What are you doing here? You should be in-" He paused to look at his alarm, running my school schedule through his head. "English."

"How the heck can I focus on school when I know that you're half dead?" I yelled, and then mentally scolded myself when I saw his eyes close.

"I'm not halfdead, drama queen. I'm just sick. Everyone gets sick." Despite his logic, I shook my head.

"But I'm not yelling at other people. I'm yelling at you. I don't have to worry about other people because they're not you!" I frowned when he rolled to face away from me, pulling the blanket closer to himself. My concern was instantly triggered. "Are you cold?"

"Hn." My left eye twitched at his attempt to brush me off.

"See this is why you get sick; you don't take care of yourself! You're too busy with school and work, you never even stop to worry about how much your body can take. So if you wanna run yourself down, then be an idiot. But I'm gonna take care of you when you do. So tell me if you're cold or not so I can look after you!"

There was a long minute of silence, neither one of us backing down. I had left school because of him; I wasn't going to surrender and leave! Why he didn't want to let me help him was probably because he was so damn stubborn. I still refused to leave, and finally the lump in the bed spoke.

"Blankets are in the closet." My scowl instantly vanished as I moved, turning into the best (and most annoying for Sasuke) helper around. I had stayed for the rest of the day and well into the night. His mom was more than willing to help me make soup, which I forced Sasuke to eat. I would keep him company when he was awake, and did my homework when he'd stop responding to me. It was amazing how silent I could be when I needed to. Normally I couldn't get through five minutes in class without speaking up. But with Sasuke's well being on the line, I was keeping my mouth shut. It was weird how much I changed when it came to Sasuke.

I only left when his mother told me that it was almost midnight, and I had school in the morning. Sasuke had been asleep for hours, and I was starting to fall asleep at his desk. I waved goodbye to her as I trekked across their lawn to my own house, hoping that I would see the annoying jerk at school the next day.

For some reason, I had totally forgotten about Sakura when I saw Sasuke sick.

And that's it for chapter one! There is one more part to this story that I will put up ooooonce I finish it…So! What has gotten Sasuke so sick? What secrets could Sasuke be hiding from Naruto? Will Naruto end up with Sakura? GASP! Well you'll have to review and let me know what you think of it, and then wait for the second part! Thanks for reading! =D