Soooooo, this is my first attempt at a Naruto fanfiction and also the first one written completely in English (to my German readers: there will probably be a German version as well soon). It's a make-up story I thought about while listening to Breaking Benjamin's Ashes of Eden. Honestly guys, if haven't heard the song yet, open youtube and do so!

Now to the story… what can I tell you… hmm… I can assure you that I hate sad endings, so there will be a happy ending, even if it takes a while to get there. I can also promise that it won't be too angsty! The next chapter will give some insight into Sasuke's feelings and after that you'll probably know what's going on. This chapter however, will focus solely on Naruto and the way he feels about what happened. I also wanted to use this chapter to introduce some of the Rookie Nine and their relationships with each other, which was quite challenging, I have to admit. Staying in-character isn't always easy.

What else…? Ah, yes. The first five chapters have already been written, so even if my real life keeps me from writing sometimes, I'm enough chapters ahead to keep updating for a while. The next chapter will probably be posted on Monday or Tuesday, depending on when I get back home from this weekend's convention.
Unfortunately I don't have an English beta yet. If you find mistakes, feel free to contact me via PM. So far this story is planned to have 33 chapters plus an epilogue I'm really looking forward to.

Now for the warnings: Yaoi, BoyxBoy, mature content! Don't like, don't read!

Pairings: main SasuNaruSasu, mentioned HinaKiba, SakuLee, ShikaTema maybe others later

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Ashes of Eden

Will the faithful be rewarded
When we come to the end
Will I miss the final warning
From the lie that I have lived

Chapter 1 The Joy in the Sadness

„You really should throw that into the lake, you know"

Blue eyes snapped up from the surface of the water below him and with one fluent movement he put the small trinket he had been turning over and over in his hands, back on his right hand before he turned around to face the man who had so rudely ripped him from his thoughts.
"You know, I can't do that", he said with a sigh and felt the weight of the ring on his right hand a thousand times heavier than it actually was.
He had been standing on the small bridge for what felt like hours, playing with the small golden ring while thinking about what it meant that he still wore it after all those years. He had thought about just throwing it into the lake, but had found himself unable to do so in the end. Too many feelings were still connected to the trinket and he had not yet given up hope that things would turn for the better, even if he should have.

"Yes, I know. Doesn't change the fact that you should though", the other man replied. He did not smile and his clear eyes did not betray any kind of emotion, yet Naruto knew, deep down he worried about him and that left the blond man quite affectionate when it came to Gaara.
"It was a promise of a lifetime after all and I don't go back on my word", Naruto said, playing with the trinket in question, the way he always did when feeling nervous. He could see Gaara arch one hairless eyebrow with a somehow questioning look in his clear green eyes.
"Only for you, as it seems", he remarked, taking a step towards Naruto while he lowered his gaze to the man's right hand where the tiny golden ring glistened in the light of a nearby street lantern that illuminated the bridge they were standing on.

In the background, Naruto could hear the music and laughter emanating from the festivity in the high class hotel behind them. He tried to shut out the memories of a very similar hotel and occasion.
"You are hurting", Gaara stated matter-of-factly and made Naruto swallow hard as his breath caught in his throat.
"I knew it would be painful, but I promised to come. How could I miss Kiba's and Hinata's wedding, anyway?", he answered with a smile that would not quite stick to his lips.
Gaara made no afford to hide his disapproval for he could not stand it, when his best friend was hurting like that and if he could, he would gladly take it out on the person he blamed for Naruto's suffering. But he could not. "Do you want me to take you home?", he offered, hoping beyond hope Naruto would agree and let himself be taken away from the scenery that caused so many unbidden memories to resurface.

"No, it's okay. I just needed some fresh air, that's all", Naruto said trying hard to stop playing with the trinket that meant everything in the world and yet nothing at all.
Gaara sighed and shook his head. "Whatever. Just let me know if… well… if you want to go home".
"You know what; it might just be time for me to have a drink tonight. I'm not going to spoil Hinata's and Kiba's big day and some tequila shots or cocktails will surly get me into the right mood to celebrate". Naruto grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
"You think that's a good idea? To get wasted?", Gaara asked, catching him by the wrist as Naruto started to walk over to the hotel.

"I didn't say anything about getting wasted, Gaara. I just don't want to spoil the good mood by sulking the entire evening", he explained, twisting his hand to break free from Gaara's iron hard grip that had become almost painful.

He knew, Gaara worried about him and he appreciated it, but he also knew there was a roughness inside the man, he could not escape from. But Naruto had never feared that side of Gaara. He knew how to deal with his best friend and believed in his ability to control himself. They had known each other for five years by now and Naruto had never once believed the other man would snap during a confrontation. A knowledge making him stay calm, even when he knew that his wrists would be bruised by morning.

"I'm not going to let him get under your skin from hundreds of miles away", Gaara proclaimed, releasing Naruto, who rubbed the now sensitive skin of his right wrist.
"I'll be careful and reasonable, I promise", Naruto said with a smile on his lips. Gaara's expression softened a bit as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Those are an awful lot of promises for one evening", his voice was still emotionless, but Naruto knew better than to assume that they did not exist beneath the seldom slipping cold mask.

Naruto shrugged and buried his hands in the pockets of his formal dress pants. "So far, I kept all of them", he said and knew Gaara to understand the stress on the first promise they had spoken about this evening. He had not broken his vows in more than five years and although he knew, had he met Gaara under different circumstances, the two of them might have become more than just best friends. However, Naruto's heart already belonged to another and as long as there was the slightest hope for things to turn for the better, he would not break the vows he had made eight years ago.

Gaara simply nodded. "That you have indeed. Let's go back inside, before Kiba sends his beast of a dog to get us". Naruto smiled at his best friend before leaving the bridge and crossing the lawn to go back to the hotel.

It was by far warmer inside and Naruto took off his jacket, leaving him only in his orange dress shirt with the black tie. Gaara on the other hand did not even look like being uncomfortable in his formal clothes. Sometimes Naruto wondered, how anybody could be so self-controlled, but then again he thought back and remembered a different person, who had been quite as perfect in public as Gaara was. The thought alone tightened his chest painfully and made his breath catch in his throat.

He walked over to the bar and ordered a Gin Tonic hoping that the alcohol would help him relax and make him forget all the bad memories from the past. Or better, the memories which had been quite happy at the time and only turned out to bad after five years of replaying them in his mind.
He savoured the taste of the drink on his tongue and turned, to find Kiba approaching him.
"Hey, there you are, mate! I thought you'd gone home already", he said, his voice slightly slurred. Naruto guessed the drink Kiba was holding was not the first one that night, nor the last.

"Naaaahhh, of course not. I would never leave without properly celebrating with you and Hinata. I'm so happy for you guys", Naruto replied with a wide grin on his face, masking whatever else might be going through his head.

"Well, you're certainly doing a better job at it than him at least", Kiba grumbled, pointing towards a handsome dark haired man with pale eyes, standing in a corner of the large room with his arms crossed in front of his chest, looking sour. Naruto shrugged at the sight of him, although he felt sorry for Hinata for having that man as a cousin.
"No one would ever have been good enough for her when you ask Neji. Don't let him spoil your big day".

Kiba took another sip from his drink. "I'm not bothered really, but I think it bothers Hinata. No one from her family came but him and he keeps looking like someone pissed in his beer".

"Maybe someone should", Gaara's dry voice came from Naruto's other side. He turned his head and smiled. There was absolutely no way of guessing whether the statement was meant as a joke or if Gaara really was serious.
Kiba started to snigger. "Not a bad idea. Maybe that would get the big fat stick that's shoved up his ass, out".
"Would absolutely be an improvement", Naruto agreed, taking another sip from his Gin and Tonic.

"Hey Kiba, have you seen my siblings?", Gaara asked, holding his soda. Someone had to stay sober, at least to make sure a certain blonde would find his house tonight without getting lost on the way.
"I think I saw Temari dance with Shikamaru and Kankuro tried to get the DJ to play something other than that 'romantic stuff'. Apparently he has forgotten where he is", Kiba replied giving the blond bartender a hint that he wanted another drink for himself as well as a new GinTonic for Naruto.
Gaara raised one hairless brow in question. "I'll go safe the DJ from Kankuro. But I warn you Kiba, if you get Naruto drunk, I'll make sure your bride will have a quite unsatisfying wedding night", he said with one last glance at Kiba's lower regions before leaving the two men alone at the bar in order to find his trouble causing brother.
"He doesn't really mean that, does he?", Kiba asked, his voice a little too high pitched.

Naruto chuckled upon taking a sip from his new drink. "You shouldn't bet on it being a joke. But don't worry, I'm a big boy and I know what I'm doing".
Kiba nodded in relief before turning to an overly energetic Rock Lee, who had just appeared behind him, determined that the groom had to dance with his bride as a celebration of the spirit of youth.

Left alone, Naruto stared into his drink. He had tried to avoid thinking about the past the entire day and at first he had been successful in blocking out the memories of the happiest day of his life that now was nothing more than a faint glimpse at a different life. He downed the rest of his drink in one go and ordered yet another one, knowing he had promised Gaara not to get drunk, but finding himself increasingly unable to keep the past at bay if stayed sober.

"Gaara's gonna kick your ass, when he finds you passed out at the bar", Shikamaru said, as he suddenly appeared at his elbow and took the seat next to Naruto.
"I bet he will. But I think, it's worth the risk", Naruto answered, before grinning at the man next to him. "And shouldn't you be dancing with Temari, anyway?".
"Nah, she's helping Gaara with Kankuro. Seems has had one drink too many and is now bothering the poor DJ. Too troublesome if you ask me".
"Poor Kankuro. Gaara and Temari are going to give him a hard time", Naruto said with a chuckle, before taking a large gulp from the GinTonic.

"And you? Getting drunk to keep the demons at bay?"

Naruto sighed. One could really not keep anything from Shikamaru, who always seemed to see right through everyone with his analytic mind. "Probably. But it's still better than sulking the entire night. It took Kiba and Hinata so long, to come to this point. I want to celebrate it without the memories of my own wedding pulling me down".

"Did you ever consider calling him? I mean, he is not beyond your reach, he just moved to Tokyo without any explanation"

"Yeah and that's the problem. He never explained why he left and he never answered any of the letters I sent him and by the time I realised he wasn't coming back, I felt too afraid of the answer, to ask for the reason". Blue eyes stared into the depth of the drink as if it held all the answers to the questions Naruto had repeated over and over again in his mind for the past five years.
Why did he leave? Did I do something wrong? Why did he never explain? Did I hurt him in any way? And most of all: Is he ever going to come back?

"Hey! Are you listening?", Shikamaru waved his hand in front of Naruto's face making him snap out of his thoughts. "Ah sorry, got a bit carried away", Naruto answered with an apologetic smile.
"I said you should talk to him. Make him explain, so you can go on and live your life afterwards. You'd be free of him and the lingering question of why he left you after all those years together", Shikamaru explained. As ever since his former mentor Asuma had died, the man sounded like the voice of reason, making Naruto wonder about the way he dealt with the shit in his life. Shikamaru, always right, always calling for responsibility.

"You know what? I will! I'll call him, and make him explain, why the bastard left and then I'll find myself a partner who isn't a total asshole and runs off without saying a word", Naruto agreed with a shit eating grin on his face, downing his drink. "And now I'm gonna find Sakura and ask her for a dance".
Shikamaru smiled a little and nodded, glad that Naruto was back to his usual exuberant self. It was rare to see him brooding like that, but tonight, who could blame him? Shikamaru remembered Naruto's own wedding all too well, the constant grin on his face and the joy radiating off him. Who would have guessed, it would end with a broken heart?

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Do you think Lee would give up his claim and allow me one dance with you?", Naruto asked the pink haired woman sitting at one of the richly decorated tables the wedding guests had had their dinner served at earlier that day.
Sakura smiled at him, seemingly relieved to find him in such a good mood. "He certainly will, if he doesn't want to spend the night on the couch… again. Let's go!", she said with a giggle, linking arms with Naruto while they walked over to the dancefloor. The DJ had not changed his choice of music so far, proofing Kankuro's attempts to be futile. Naruto smiled at Sakura when they reached the dance floor. Both knew Naruto to be a little clumsy and not the best dancer, but neither of them cared. Sakura just wanted her best friend to have a good time and Naruto was poised enough to see himself as the greatest dancer that ever lived, despite the fact that Sakura had to avoid his steps every now and then so he wouldn't accidently step on her toes.

Dancing with his elementary school crush lightened Naruto's mood more than any drink could do. For the first time this day he totally forgot about all the reasons he had, to be sad and hurting. Sakura had been one of his closest friends for almost his entire life, or at least since he had outgrown his childish crush on her at the age of thirteen, when he had found himself more interested in boys than girls. It had come to the both of them as quite a relief and, with all the awkwardness gone, Naruto and Sakura had been able to become real and close friends. Naruto almost loved her like a sister and he was forever grateful to know her.

Sakura on the other hand had taken longer to overcome her own teenage crush, but as soon as she had finally realized the truth about the boy she had fallen for, things had become blissfully easy between all of them and Sakura had been free to finally find someone who would reciprocate her feelings. Naruto had been more than happy when she had finally gotten together with her first boyfriend back in High School. Although he had to admit, it had come as quite a surprise to him that the boy in question had been and still was none other than Rock Lee. However, Naruto was happy for his two friends, even though their combined tempers sometimes were a bit of a challenge for all of their peers.

Right now, dancing with Sakura and spinning her around while she tried to avoid Naruto's mislead feet, made him feel safe, as if nothing had changed at all since their teenage days. Her light green eyes shone brightly, in the warm, glittering light on the dancefloor and she laughed at him, clutching his shoulder with one hand.
"You really can't dance, Naruto, but it's so much fun anyway", she uttered slightly out of breath, throwing her head back in an attempt to free her face from a loose strand of hair without using her hands.
Naruto joined into her laughter, feeling free and excited. "Hey, you knew what you were getting yourself into".

Sakura smiled and took a step closer to him as the music changed to the next song, making Naruto freeze where he stood – X Japan's Forever Love. Naruto loved the song; he hated it. He had danced to it once before with someone else. Someone, who had abandoned him and had left him broken. Sakura sensed his change in mood and closed the gap between their bodies, forcing him to move slowly with the rhythm of the song.

"Don't let it get under your skin, Naruto. Drown the old memories and let's make new ones tonight. Next time you hear that song, I want you to think of this dance with me, understood?", she whispered close to his ear, her breath warm on his skin and her voice low and caring. She was indeed like a sister to him.
Without a word he nodded and continued to move slowly with the music, his eyes closed, trying to keep the memories at bay and to focus on Sakura, the way she felt in his arms and the fragrance of her perfume.
After a while the old pictures seemed to fade from his mind and by the time the song had ended, Naruto felt calmer and more relaxed.
"Feeling better?", Sakura asked, her hand resting on his biceps.

"Yeah, better. Thanks, Sakura-chan"

"You know he's not worth your tears, right?"

"Gaara keeps telling me the same. But I'm good, I really am. That was just a small flashback, nothing to worry about", by the end of the sentence Naruto was back to his usual happy smile, blue eyes bright with life and mischief.
Upon seeing her best friend back in a cheerful mood, Sakura nodded contentedly. "Good. I'm heading back to Lee, before he challenges someone to do push-ups with him or something like that".
"Right. I'm gonna find Gaara, guess he needs some help with Kankuro again", Naruto said, waving at Sakura before he took off and left the dancefloor.

On his way back to the room with the bar though, he came face to face with a beautiful woman clad all in white. Her dress was chaste but elegant, and fit her slim form perfectly. The pale eyes looked fondly at him, while she tucked a strand of dark black-blue hair behind her ear, a faint blush on her cheeks - Hinata. She had had a crush on Naruto all through Middle School and it had taken quite a lot of convincing not only from him, to make her go on a date with Kiba, who had been crushing on her for years by then, but had never grown the balls to ask her out himself.
"Naruto-kun", she whispered shyly with a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Hey, Hinata", he said, taking in the sight of her, the beautiful, happy bride she was. He was glad to see her like that, on her wedding day. Back at High School he had felt bad at times, for not feeling the same for her as she did for him, because she really was a sweet girl, and if he were into girls he would fall for her, but unfortunately his heart had always belonged to only one person. Almost ten years later she was the one marrying the man she loved, while he looked back at five years of loneliness and he really felt happy for her. "You look great! Kiba really is one lucky guy", he added with a big grin.

She took a step forward without warning and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun", she said in her soft voice. Naruto sighed softly, wrapping his arms around Hinata's slender form while rubbing her back reassuringly. "There is nothing to thank me for", he said, without letting go. He knew he had hurt her badly during their Middle School days, being absolutely oblivious about her feelings for him.
"But I want to thank you for being there for me, when my family didn't approve of Kiba and me. You gave me strength to go through with my plan of being with him, even if that means I'm not really on speaking terms with my family right now", she explained, her voice not one bit sad, only stating the facts.
"That's what friends are for", Naruto told her, stepping a few inches away from her, with one hand know resting on her shoulder.
"You are the best. Thank you. I hope the day is not too painful for you", she said, placing one hand over his in comfort.
Naruto shook his head and showed her a grin. "I'm fine. It's been eight years since and maybe we were too young to find true love that would last forever. It was but a nice dream".
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"
"It's alright. Stop worrying, Hinata. I'm going to look for Gaara now and you will go and find your newlywed husband and dance with him. Enjoy every second of today, it's the best day of your life after all", he said, showed her another far too wide grin, before letting go of her shoulder and leaving her, so she could go and find Kiba.

However, instead of looking for Gaara, he headed straight for the bar, ordering the sweetest drink they could offer. He had started to go for Gin and Tonic some years ago, as an attempt to proof that he did not only like sweet and sticky stuff. But tonight he wanted to get rid of all memories connected to the person, to whom he had proven the ability to stomach bitter stuff as well. Sweet drinks it was then.

He took a seat at the bar and began sipping his drink, feeling his mind go blank. After a while he looked up at the bartender. As far as Naruto knew, the man worked fulltime at the hotel. He was in his late twenties with dark blond hair and bright blue eyes – well, at least with one blue eye, for the other one lay hidden behind a thick strand of long hair covering almost half of the guy's face.

"Hey, uhm…", Naruto glanced at the man's nametag. "… Deidara, what's that cocktail called?". He pointed at the drink in front of him and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"It's called Sweet Temptation, yeah", the bartender named Deidara, replied.
Naruto chuckled, toying with his drinking straw. "Well, that's certainly a fitting name".
"Why? Because you're looking for a temptation or something sweet?", Deidara asked in a playful but also flirtatious tone. He was amused to say the least.
"Maybe both", Naruto answered, taking another sip, carefully wrapping his tongue around the drinking straw. The cocktail really was almost too sweet and at that moment drinking it made Naruto feel like a rebellious child stealing forbidden cookies although the parents told him it was time for his vegetables.

"Well, I can help you with the temptation, yeah", while still talking, Deidara started to write something down on a paper tissue before handing it over to Naruto. "His name is Sasori. I used to work with him some time ago. If you're still up for a temptation, give him a call, yeah", he added with a wink of his one visible eye.
Naruto took the tissue and looked at the phone number written on it. What was he to do with it? Was he really looking for some kind of temptation? Well, he usual was an outgoing person. He loved to interact with others and meet new people and if he had not fallen in love far too deep at far too young an age, he might have enjoyed going to bars and face one or another temptation.

"The only way to get rid of a temptation, is to yield to it, yeah", Deidara said, watching Naruto as he turned the tissue in his hand.

"Did you just make that up?"

"No. It's art, yeah. Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray", the bartender explained with a grin while simultaneously shaking his head at Naruto's supposed ignorance when it came to classic literature.
"You are into literature?", Naruto wanted to know, chuckling. The other man looked too fashionable with his strange hairstyle and dark eyeliner that he had not suspected him to be so literate.
"I'm not into literature; I'm into art, yeah. That's a difference, blondie".
"Sure it is", Naruto laughed. He really thought the guy was strange, but not in an all bad way, just a little eccentric. "If you're so into art, why are you working as a bartender in a hotel?"
"I majored in art, but it takes a while before you own a gallery and a man has to live off something", Deidara explained with a shrug, exchanging Naruto's empty drink with a new one.
"Thanks", Naruto said, looking at the drink. He knew he had already had more than he probably should, feeling his mind go dizzy, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Deidara shrugged again, before turning to a man Naruto didn't know, to take his order.

It was not until Naruto had also finished his second Sweet Temptation and was happily babbling to Chouji, who balanced a plate full of food on his knees, listening to Naruto's constant flow of slurred words that Gaara and Temari managed to come back to the bar. They had apparently convinced their drunken brother to let go of the poor DJ who would certainly not play Dir en Grey on a wedding, but stick to what Kankuro called 'Songs from the The-Vampire-Diaries Soundtrack'.
Back at the bar, Gaara took one look at his drunken best friend, trying to determine whether to hit him or not. Naruto had promised not to get wasted, and usually he was a man of his word, but it seemed tonight had just been a little too much even for a joyful person like him.
Gaara could sympathize.
He had dreaded this day on Naruto's behalf ever since they had received the invitation. It had taken Kiba and Hinata a long time to get together and form a bond, strong enough to last under the pressure of the Hyuuga family. The similarity between Kiba's and Hinata's wedding and Naurto's own were too big to be ignored. And so Gaara had known this day to be quite challenging for his best friend and didn't blame him for finding a distraction from his own thoughts by having a drink too many. He would just make sure that Naruto got home safely and didn't suffer too much from the hangover the next day.

"Hey, Naruto. It's time I took you home. You've had enough fun for one night", Gaara said, taking a sip from the drink in front of Naruto, which Deidara had replaced again only minutes ago, but felt rather disgusted by the taste. "That's gross! How can you even drink that? It's awfully sweet".
Naruto just laughed at him whole heatedly. "Yeah, that's the whole point of it, you know? The sweeter, the better. Just like me!".

Gaara raised a hairless brow. "Well, I don't care how sweet you are, but I do care about getting you into bed – alone that is!"
"But Gaara, Chouji and I are having fun. I don't want to go home", Naruto complained, swinging the glass in his hand without caring that its content spilled over the bar.
"You can have fun together next time. Now we're going home and you will sleep this off", Gaara said in an apodictic voice, making Naruto swallow his objection, while a pale hand closed around his wrist.
"Yes, yes. I'm coming", Naruto sighed, almost stumbling as he tried to get off his stool. Gaara however caught him and shook his head disapprovingly.
"See, you can barely stand".
"Hey, I'm not that drunk! Come on, I'll drive us home", Naruto grinned, fishing for his car keys in the pockets of his jacket.
"Oh no, we are walking home. You're in no condition to drive", Gaara took the keys from Naruto's hands to make sure he wouldn't use his car. The other man pouted but gave in anyway. He knew better than to argue with Gaara about something like that and he really was too drunk to come up with good arguments.

The air outside was fresh and slightly cold, but no longer freezing. It was early May and the temperatures would still drop below 15° with the fading sun, but Gaara was quite happy about the cool air. Naruto put one arm around his best friend's shoulder and grinned. "You know what? You're the best friend a man can have!".

"Yeah, whatever. You're drunk"

"Noooooooo. I mean it. You never let me down. You're always worried. You don't just abandon me without an explanation", the last words were almost a whisper and for the first time that night Gaara could hear the hurt in Naruto's voice. He had supressed those emotions for Kiba's and Hinata's sake, but with the alcohol loosening his tongue and his feelings, he could no longer outrun the past he had tried to forget for five years. Usually he was able to keep these feelings locked away and to just go on with his life, but today was different.

"I will never leave you behind", Gaara answered, his voice calm and steady. They had almost reached Naruto's house, so it wouldn't be long now before he could go to sleep.
"Do you think, he'll ever come back?", Naruto asked, leaning heavily on Gaara, who had one arm around his best friend's waist.
"I don't know. But if he does, I hope he'll have a very good reason for what he did. Otherwise I might have to break some bones", Gaara replied dead serious.
Naruto chuckled. "Get in line. Sakura promised the same five years ago".

"Yeah, she's frightening sometimes"

"Says the most frightening person I've ever met"

Gaara raised one eyebrow, searching Naruto's pockets of the keys to his house as they on the steps in front of the door.
"Stop groping me", Naruto giggled.
"I'm not groping you. I'm looking for your keys, damn it", Gaara sounded a little annoyed, but eventually found what he was looking for and unlocked the front door. He knew his way through the house well enough to find everything he needed and get his friend into bed, without even switching on the lights.

While Naruto headed for the bathroom, Gaara drew the curtains in front of the windows to make sure, waking up would be as comfortable as it could get after a night of heavy drinking.
A few minutes later a slightly swaying Naruto clad in nothing but an awful orange T-Shirt re-entered his bedroom. "Oh fuck, I'm tired", he mumbled.
"You better be. It's been a long night", Gaara replied, placing a glass of water on the bedside cabinet.
"Hey Gaara, the bartender, Deidara, slipped me the phone number of one of his friends", Naruto chirped and sat down on the edge of the king-sized bed.

"You're not going to call him anyway, so why bother telling me?"

Naruto shrugged, suddenly looking sad instead of cheerful. "Well, everybody keeps telling me to let go and move on. Maybe I should. He's not coming back, that's what you all think. What if you're right? I should keep that number and call the guy".
Gaara shook his head patiently. "No, you should go to sleep". He grabbed the cover and shoved Naruto into the mattress, before covering him with it.
"Yes, mom", Naruto pouted, fisting the cover anyway.
"I'm leaving now. I'll come back before noon to make sure you're okay". With a last glance back at his best friend, Gaara left the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Naruto watched him leave before burying his face in the soft pillow. The room was spinning and he started to feel sick. In an attempt to block out the nausea he closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. Lying on the soft bed in the darkness, Naruto could feel sleep approaching. He sighed heavily, knowing that his thoughts would drift to the one person he always thought of at night before finally falling asleep.

"Sasuke…", he whispered as his mind drifted into blissful nothingness.

To be continued...