Yo. Please enjoy~

Rain had always seemed to be what brought the two together. That day was no different. The day had been terrible for Naruto. His hopes were tumbling down a horrific spiral. His emotions were a tumultuous storm he could not tame. Naruto's head was full of thoughts of him. Sasuke Uchiha in his eyes had always been a know-it-all asshole but as the years passed his feelings toward him changed. Sasuke became irritatingly attractive with his dark eyes and contrasting pale skin. Naruto stood under an ancient evergreen that offered comforting dryness. With a heavy hood pulled up over his head no one could recognize him. His eyes peeked out from the protection of the hood. He scanned the faces of people who passed. Naruto counted dozens of people, but the one he was searching for never showed. As time passed and his jacket grew wet, Naruto's eyes seemed to dim with the sad realization of the harshness of love. It had been two months since he graduated high school and during that time he had stayed in contact with Sasuke via telephone or computer. With the heightened fear that Naruto would never see Sasuke again he urged Sasuke to meet him one more time before they set off toward their destined colleges. The pain Naruto felt was so real and so sharp that he felt as though he needed to cry. Maybe it was all in his head, he thought. Maybe Sasuke really didn't have the same feelings for Naruto that Naruto had so blatantly shared with him. When nearly all his hope had vanished and Naruto was about to push away from the tree and leave Sasuke Uchiha behind him forever something , more like someone caught his eye. The someone was different from the masses of people under umbrellas and hoods, he wore none. His black hair was slicked to his head as he jogged toward the tree in the small park at which Naruto stood. He watched, transfixed as Sasuke weaved his way around people quickly and with a graceful ease Naruto had to admire. Suddenly, without Naruto even realizing it, Sasuke was there. He stood before Naruto, the rain water still rushing down from his hair.

"You came." Was all Naruto could sputter. Sasuke smiled with chattering lips.

"I'm sorry I'm late." He said. Naruto only shrugged. All was forgiven because he was there. Naruto had made it plain what he wanted to say and Sasuke knew that.

"I—" Sasuke started.

"You—" Naruto began.

"You first." Sasuke ordered softly. Naruto swallowed hard. He knew what was going to follow was going to be one of the hardest things he would ever have to do in his life.

"Sasuke, I…uh…well…" Naruto tried and was failing terribly. Sasuke laughed gently and moved closer, only causing Naruto's breath to quicken.

"I know, Naruto." Sasuke raised a hand to slowly lower Naruto's hood. Dark irises on blue, the two looked deep into the other for a long while.

"Can I?" Naruto asked lightly, meaningfully. When Sasuke did not object Naruto leaned in to press his lips to Sasuke's cold ones. Instead of the resistance Naruto always had nightmares about, Sasuke did not shy away. Naruto felt Sasuke's hands on his sides, gripping his jacket while he ran a hand through Sasuke soaked black hair. They did not care that they were in public and in view for any and all to see. It was only the other that mattered. That moment, the most perfect one ended too soon and neither could forget about it through the following years.

?

"You two know each other?" Minoru asked loudly. By that point Sasuke had been invited to join the gathering and was seated uncomfortably close to Naruto. Their thighs touched every time Naruto moved, Sasuke noticed. Sasuke shrugged a vague affirmative and glanced at Naruto, seeing him chatting things up with the cute girl beside him. Other than the painfully awkward hello Sasuke had given and Naruto answered with a jovial reply neither had spoken.

"You own this bar?" Asked one woman. She had a glowing smile on her pretty face.

"Yeah. You sound surprised." Sasuke said lightly. The girl chuckled loudly, causing Naruto to glance over his shoulder at the two. Though Naruto did not show it his mind was a flurry of activity. Not only was Sasuke beside him, he was wearing the sweatshirt Naruto had given him years back.

"I'm not surprised at your capabilities but mostly about your age. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking." The girl asked interestedly. Sasuke laughed, causing Naruto to wheel around instantly.

"I'm 23." Sasuke answered. He looked past the face of the woman to see Keisuke sending horrified expressions of desperation toward Sasuke. He paid no attention to the flirts the woman was sending in his direction when he suddenly interrupted her. "I'm so sorry but I need to get back to work." Sasuke said with a sincere voice. "It was nice meeting you, Maki." He stood and gave her a smooth smile to match the tact with which he had delivered his last sentence. Maki reddened because she had been sure Sasuke was not listening to her.

"You too." Sasuke began to walk toward the bar when he felt Maki's hand on his wrist. He looked back at her quickly with eyebrows raised. "When do you get off?" Sasuke's eyes immediately found the back of Naruto's head before he answered.

"After everyone leaves." Sasuke said casually as he gently pulled away his arm. When Sasuke turned away from Maki, his gaze passed over Naruto and he was shocked to see his blue eyes staring hard at him.

"Okay, I hope to see you then." Maki said in a suggestive tone that called for Sasuke's attention. He smiled warmly toward her before avoiding Naruto's eyes.

"You've never joined a goukon before, Sasuke." Keisuke said as Sasuke appeared behind the counter. "What's so special about them?" Keisuke asked lightly.

"Nothing!" Sasuke snapped. Keisuke's eyes widened in surprise. Sasuke rarely raised his voice.

Over the next hour, Sasuke served the bar's patrons with a passion. He had never been so forward with his advice and remarks that bordered on caustic. Even the regular, Harumi was surprised by his demeanor. Sasuke's eyes never stayed away from the table Naruto and the others were seated at for long. He had not seen Naruto's smiling face in years and spotting it just feet from him was nearly too much for him.

His fingers shook and Sasuke stepped out for a break. He pressed his forehead to the cool brick wall with his eyes squeezed shut. His hands were fists and he bit his lip. Sasuke's mind was blown. The day Sasuke last saw Naruto did not end well. Naruto's last words had been, "You'll never have to see me again." Even though it was the last thing Sasuke wanted, Naruto disappeared from his life after that.

Sasuke flashed back to the sight of Naruto's face. It was different than he remembered from their time in schooling. His eyes were dark and without expression. As the door whispered shut behind him, Naruto had shuddered from the cold. He had been looking past the stunned Sasuke and toward the gathering of businesspeople at the table. Naruto stepped forward and he dipped his head politely to Sasuke as he moved to pass him. He looked up briefly and froze when he saw Sasuke.

"He could have at least said something." Sasuke hissed under his breath. He was still in the back alley with a fist on the wall. His fingers were cold from the air and surface of the bricks. He pulled his hand to him and massaged warmth back into circulation as he opened the door and stepped into the building.

Inside, Sasuke looked away from Naruto and catered to his customers at the bar. He listened interestedly to their tales of woe or thrill and poured them drinks while watching the tab. Jazz was playing; the Japanese hip-hop from earlier had been switched off for something softer. Even if jazz was not a favorite, its dulcet measures and almost imperceptible melodies was enough to calm down Sasuke's busy mind.

"What's with you, Sasuke-kun?" Harumi asked in a familiar tone, a seductive smile tugging at the corners of her painted lips. Sasuke set down the glass he was cleaning and rested an elbow on the counter.

"What makes you think anything is wrong?" He replied with an equally teasing expression. Harumi only shrugged and drank her final swallow.

"I already paid the cutie over there." She said while pulling on her elegant overcoat. Sasuke glanced over to see Keisuke cleaning glasses and small dishes quietly. Sasuke nodded. "Oh and before I go, Sasuke-kun," Harumi spoke loudly and with a finger pointed in his direction. "I think I may have found someone for you."

"Oh?" Sasuke arched an eyebrow. He could not stop himself from glancing over her shoulder see Naruto already looking in his direction.

"He's cute, has a good job and connections to America. He has a great family. Did I mention, he's cute?" Harumi was eager when selling this mystery man. Sasuke only nodded mindlessly as he did his best to look away from Naruto. Harumi left the bar with a brief smile and Sasuke turned to lean his back against the counter of the bar. He pressed a finger to his temple and shut his eyes tight. As he let his mind go numb, the jazz softly faded away like Sasuke sometimes wished he himself would.

Maki was not leaving any time soon. Naruto sat at the edge of his bed with his eyes narrowed. The girl was naked and sleeping on his bed. Her breasts were visible and her long hair was scattered across the white pillows. Naruto was dressed in his customary suit and tie and he was ready to go. He sighed regretfully before placing a gentle hand on Maki's bare shoulder. He whispered her name, hoping she would stir. When she did not, Naruto moved her once more. Her eyes fluttered open and Naruto felt guilt. He was not in the right state of mind the night before.

Naruto had been in love with Sasuke for the longest time. It was only during that fateful day six years ago that he realized it. In Sasuke's elusive way, he showed how much he really cared.

Upon seeing Sasuke the night before in his sweatshirt and with his dark eyes and alarmed expression, Naruto was still stunned. He never thought he would see him again, especially not in a place like that. He looked like he always did, empty. A spark of intrigue and horror was ignited in Naruto and he could not stop watching his former lover. Naruto let the drinks keep coming and he downed them one after another. As the people at the table around him discussed the case at hand, Naruto's brain was in a haze of distortion and confusion. On the outside, his expression was calm. People in his line of work had to be able to control their emotions.

"Last night was a lot of fun." Maki said as Naruto locked the door behind him. She had showered and gotten dressed. Maki pushed a lock of hair behind an ear as she regarded Naruto meaningfully.

"About last night," Naruto paused. He was irritated by the hackneyed saying before his rejection was to be given. "Please don't get the wrong idea. This was just a one-time thing." Naruto said. The smile vanished from Maki's face and she straightened. "I'm saying this so there won't be any awkwardness at work." Maki nodded. Naruto could see the growing shine over her eyes. If Naruto had a weakness, it was for crying women.

"I understand." She spoke before pulling her purse higher onto her shoulder. Maki turned and quickly walked away. Naruto rested his back against the door to his room and waited. The phone in his pocket vibrated. Once he answered it, Naruto's head focused on his job.

He was a narcotics agent assigned to the area. Naruto glanced back at the door to the room before walking away. This was sure to be his last time seeing the place before going undercover with his partner, Sai. Naruto would miss the ties and looking somewhat presentable but duty always came first.

!

It had not been Naruto's intention to leave Sasuke. In truth, he was starting university life and Sasuke was growing distant naturally. Naruto spent more time at the school libraries and studying became his love. The more Naruto focused on his schooling, the less he noticed. During that time, Sasuke had been going through a more than rough time. He was learning things about his brother he was not sure how to comprehend. Sasuke skipped classes more often than not and began to fall in with the wrong crowd.

One night, with the high of finishing his last final, Naruto sprinted across the campus to Sasuke's dorm. The atmosphere was heightened and Naruto felt nothing but excitement to see his boyfriend's face. Thankfully, Sasuke's roommate was out when Naruto burst in. Sasuke was lying on his bed with an arm draped over his eyes. He had headphones on and did not hear Naruto's entrance. Naruto stood awkwardly before Sasuke's bed thinking about what to say when something caught his eye. Beside Sasuke a piece of paper rested. When Naruto was younger, he was curious and could not contain himself. He reached out for the sheet. It looked as though it had been crumpled and uncrumpled many times. The handwriting was crimped and tight together. The words ran into one another like a confused race. Naruto's eyes flew across the letter many times. It was addressed to Sasuke from his brother. There were many things Naruto did not understand in the message but the final line stood out.

Times are tough and brother, I'm done.

Sasuke moved and Naruto knew he was caught. Sasuke's eyes were glistening with tears yet to be unleashed. He regarded Naruto coolly for a long moment before reaching up and snatching the letter out of Naruto's hand.

"S-Sasuke! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have read it!" Naruto blurted with red cheeks. Sasuke lowered the headphones down to loop around his neck. Band of Horses played softly and Naruto felt a guilty pain in his throat.

"No, you shouldn't have." Sasuke murmured as he got up from the bed. His eyes never looked at Naruto.

"I finished my finals." Naruto said in a forced voice. Sasuke didn't react. "Sasuke, I'm so—"

"Naruto, please leave." Sasuke said. His voice was no louder than a whisper. Naruto wanted to speak, to say he was sorry for what he seen. Instead, Naruto silently slipped out.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." Naruto mumbled to himself as he closed the door behind him.

!

During undercover work, Naruto and Sai always had to dress like bums. Fortunately, Naruto slipped into the persona much better than the awkward Sai did. The two had been all over Japan to bring underground drug rings to justice. The pair was the best in the business but Naruto was steadily losing interest in the career. No matter how much he pushed away the hunger, Naruto was always starving for something stable. He wanted to come home to a loving partner in a home they still owed a heavy mortgage on. He wanted a dog. He wanted neighbors to have small talk with. He wanted it all.

"I heard you went out with some of the locals last night." Sai said softly. The two were loitering alongside a leisurely river in the late afternoon.

"Yeah." Naruto grumbled back. He was seated at the concrete edge of the river while Sai stood beside him. The thick hoodie Naruto had been given was sufficient enough against the harsh cold. He buried his nose into its soft fabric as a rush of biting air passed by. He narrowed his eyes to focus on a young couple walking along the path on the other side of the river. The girl was looking up at the boy with eyes so full of fascination Naruto felt a slight twinge of embarrassment for her. The boy was typing swiftly on his cell phone and not paying the girl any attention. Stabbing memories of regarding Sasuke with the same unmet interest when he was younger came back to him.

"Was it because it was your birthday?" Sai asked.

"What?" Naruto turned from the pitiable girl and her disregarding boyfriend.

"You and that girl, Maki had sex last night didn't you?" Sai said.

"Jesus, Sai." Naruto said with a roll of his eyes. Sai was not known to be tactful in his choice of words or when to say them. "How could you tell?" Naruto tossed a nearby rock toward the river.

"She couldn't stop looking at you during the debriefing this morning and you did not even seem to notice her." He paused and Naruto noticed. Sai rarely stopped mid-observation unless something important had taken precedence. "She's here." Sai said.

She was their handler for this assignment and she had pink hair and a usually sour disposition; she terrified Naruto and most narcotics agents. She was Sakura Haruno.

Like them, Sakura was dressed in inconspicuous clothing. A lollipop stick hung out of her mouth and while she walked, she swiped through her phone. Meaningless charms and other crap dangled from her pink phone. The charms swung with her movement. Naruto decided to concentrate on them rather than their owner. Once Sakura reached them, she lowered herself to Naruto's level.

"Sai, get down here." She ordered. He was soon seated next to Naruto with his dull eyes on Sakura's face. She pulled her lollipop out of her mouth and flashed a quick smile. "It's been a while, guys." Her teeth glowed and she stuck out a red tongue.

"Not long enough." Sai said bluntly. Sakura's jaw tightened but she did not lash out. She seemed to have gotten control of herself.

"I've only heard good things about you guys. You get results and that is what I desperately need." Sakura put the lollipop back into her mouth before continuing. "Even though this place looks like a pretty normal town outside the big city, there is definitely some tough shit going on here."

"Tough shit?" Naruto asked. The smell of Sakura's lollipop was almost overwhelming. He was feeling like a kid again by wanting one of his own.

"By that do you mean, K, ruffie, forget-me-pill, yellow sunshine, angel? What are we dealing with here?" Sai asked with a straight face. Both Sakura and Naruto regarded Sai with questioning eyes. "We are narcotics agents. We should know the slang, shouldn't we?" Naruto shrugged. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him before continuing.

"Only a couple school kids have been brought in with the stuff but based on the intel we are gathering from them, this is a whole lot bigger than it looks. Here are some of the main people we are sure are involved." Sakura reached into her oversized jacket to pull out folded slips of paper. Sai took one and Naruto held the other. "This one here is called Kisame." Sakura said, putting a finger on the picture Naruto had. He stared at the image for a long moment. He had seen his fair share of strange people but this Kisame character was on a whole other level. His eyes were tiny and he had a wide smile that made Naruto feel uncomfortable. Naruto couldn't be sure but he believed the man's skin was of an odd shade of blue.

"He's one weird looking guy." Naruto remarked.

"This one goes by the name Tobi. In all photographs of the man, we have never been able to capture his whole face. It's pretty annoying. However, he seems to be the leader of whatever they have going on here." Sakura said. The image she as pointing to was the one Sai was holding. "There are more but I will introduce them later. What is most important now is getting you guys jobs at local restaurants and bars."

"Jobs." Naruto mumbled glumly.

"Yes, jobs. From informants, we have heard they do a good deal of their work out of bars and restaurants. If it makes you feel better, Naruto I have you interviewing at a ramen shop for a part-time position. Here is the list of places. You guys divvy them up and decide who wants to work where. Meet back at the house around 6 if possible." Sakura gave each a piece of paper before standing. She wiped any dirt from her pants before walking away without another word.

"She's good." Naruto said with a sigh.

"She thinks too highly of herself." Sai noted.

"That's true. So," Naruto got up and stretched his arms above his head. "We'll just try to tackle these places for part-time positions."

"Tackle?" Sai wondered aloud. Naruto only rolled his eyes before beginning in the opposite direction than Sakura took.

The list of restaurants and bars was not long but one name stood out among the rest, The Bond. Naruto's chest galloped with excitement and he tried to keep his smile hidden as he walked along. He was supposed to be mature now. He was supposed to be a man Sasuke would fall for. But now, he was nothing more than a giddy young man.

Sasuke hated surprises. He really hated them after nights of no sleep. He then hated them even more to come into the bar and find Naruto talking it up with his staff. Naruto looked completely different than he had the night before. He wore an aged jacket and faded jeans. His messy blond hair brought back memories of steamy afternoons spent on beds far too small for the both of them. Sasuke was suddenly flashing through his internal scrapbook as he remembered everything. His voice, his eyes, his smile, each and every damn thing; it was all coming back.

The staff of five stopped laughing instantly when they saw Sasuke enter. Naruto turned to look around and when he saw Sasuke he gave a small grin. Sasuke neither frowned nor smiled. He walked back behind the bar and slipped into the kitchen. The room was still dark and Sasuke flicked on the lights with a free hand as he began to pull the scarf from his neck. Sasuke breathed out through his nose and was startled when Karin touched him lightly on the shoulder. He flinched away from her but faced her with a blank face.

"I hired him." She said. Her arms were crossed over her chest. Karin had cut her hair but Sasuke did not notice.

"Who?"

"Him."

"Him who?"

"Jesus, Naruto! Who else?" Karin snapped. Sasuke looked past her through the small window in the kitchen door. Naruto was listening to something Keisuke was saying with interest.

"Why? I never said you could hire anyone." Sasuke groaned. He rarely hired people. Sasuke did not like change. Karin only rolled her eyes.

"I've been going on and on about getting another server. I know you hate it so I gave it to him. He's willing to take low pay. Not to mention, he's pretty hot." Karin said meaningfully while feigning a glance toward the window. She hoped Sasuke would catch her tone and suddenly be struck by a wave of intense jealousy. When she looked back, Sasuke was already walking away. "Asshole." She hissed under her breath.

Don't expect them this quickly. I've got school and ugh.

Currently listening to ~ Big Blue Wave - Hey Ocean!