Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. I'm only borrowing characters for my own entertainment.
Blue-Eyed Blonde
Navy: The Color of Sasuke's Bed
The news buzzed round Konohagakure like a swarm of bees, and probably just about as quickly. The very much sought after Uchiha Sasuke has been taken by none other than the brained beauty Haruno Sakura, leaving both males and females mourning at the loss of two very attractive individuals.
Many people didn't believe the news at first, thinking that the young Uchiha would have accepted the pink-haired kunoichi's affections had he been interested from the start, but there were many sightings of the happy couple, and soon even the most stubborn suitors were convinced.
By evening, nearly all the villagers were talking about the new couple, wondering what happened to Sasuke's obvious fondness for the "demon boy", or so they called him. Not that they cared whether or not Naruto was happy. In their eyes, the Uchiha survivor deserves better than the host of the kyuubi.
As the villagers were gossiping among themselves, a blonde boy was holed up in his small apartment, lying on the bed as he stared at the ceiling and gathered his thoughts. Baka! Why did I say that I'm interested in Sasuke? That's not true... I may not like Sakura-chan anymore, but I don't think I like Sasuke either. I mean... I like Sasuke the most out of everyone, but does that mean that I like him? But it's not as if it matters anymore, so I'm not going to care! Ha! Now I can go for ramen.
The brunette tensed up as he saw a flash of blonde hair and leaned closer to his female teammate to peck her on the cheek.
"Oi oi, don't you do that in front of me!"
"Che, it's just Ino," Sasuke said, leaning back. The blonde grinned and sat down, pulling Shikamaru down beside her. "It's Ino-sama to you. He hasn't arrived?"
"Obviously not."
"Well, I asked Lee to keep a look-out for us. When Naruto's coming, he'll dash over to inform us, so you can relax."
"Smart move."
"Of course! Being in the same team as Shika-chan in the past had a good influence on me."
Just as Ino was about to place her order, a green figure dashed by. "Incoming!"
"There's your cue. Shikamaru and I shall leave now. We'll be watching."
"Voyuers," muttered Sasuke. Ino made a face at him before pulling her boyfriend away. "Have fun!"
When Naruto arrived at Ichiraku, only his two teammates were there. He watched from behind them as Sasuke reached over to grab the girl's hand gently. Seeing them there, the blonde suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore. He turned to make his escape, but was called back by the young kunoichi. "Aa, Naruto! Why are you standing there? Come join us!"
"Aa, I- I don't want to bother you two, since you guys are dating and all. I'll just... go find... Shikamaru!"
"He's with Ino, dobe, so you're going to be a third wheel either way. You might as well join us instead."
"I don't want to. I'll go find someone else then... Like Neji! He's supposed to treat me to ramen, he promised! I'll go find him now! I'll see you two tomorrow!"
Sakura caught the blonde's arm before he could run off, pulling him to a quiet corner. She smiled at him. "Ne Naruto, you don't like me anymore right? If you do, you should give up. There's always someone out there for you, but you won't be able to find her if you only look at me."
"It's all right, Sakura-chan. I just realized that you're more like a sister to me."
"That's good. And since you're Sasuke-kun's good friend, I really wish that you would give us your blessings."
Naruto suddenly felt tears pooling up in his eyes as he smiled. "Of course, I wish both of you luck. It's good for you ne Sakura-chan? You've liked Sasuke for so long, and now your efforts finally paid off."
"Naruto, is that how you really feel?"
"Of course!"
"If that's so, then why are you crying?"
"Ehehe, it's just that I'm so happy for you two," the blonde said, grinning sheepishly.
"Aa, I'm glad."
"You better go back to Sasuke. I'm going home."
"Eh? You're not eating?"
"I'm not that hungry suddenly. And if I do get hungry, my cup ramen's expiring soon so I should try to finish it up," he managed to choke out before turning and running off. He stopped at the bridge, panting slightly and sniffing. Leaning against the railing, he curled up with his arms around his knees. "Why am I crying? Do I really like Sasuke more than I thought I do? Let's see... I've noticed him since the academy days and always tried to made him notice me, but that was because Sakura-chan liked him, so I thought of him as my rival..."
"Ahou," a voice said silently behind him. After a loud yell which caused birds to fly from nearby trees, Naruto turned to face the person behind him. "Gaara! What are you trying to do? Scare me half-dead? And why are you here anyway?"
"Baka. Think about what made you start crying. Then you'll find the answer of whether or not you like Uchiha."
"Erm... It was when Sakura-chan asked for my blessing that I started crying, I think," the blonde said, frowning as he tried to remember.
Gaara sat down beside the kyuubi host. "It's because you want Sasuke for yourself that you can't give them your blessing. Idiot, at least know how you feel about others. Sakura is just an excuse because you were denying your attraction to Sasuke subconciously."
"But what's the use? Sasuke already has Sakura-chan. He doesn't want me anymore."
"That doesn't mean you can't fight for him. If you don't fight, I'll bring you back to Sunagakure with me. I'm going to be the Kazekage, and I want you to be by my side."
The younger boy perked up, wiping the tears from his eyes. "So that's why you're here! Gaara, you like me as well?"
"Che, don't ask stupid questions. Come, we're going to talk to Uchiha. If it doesn't work out, I'll take you back with me," Gaara said, pulling a reluctant blonde behind him. Then he pulled the boy close, hushing him as he saw the couple ahead. Naruto frowned as he realized what Sakura was wearing. "That's... the jacket I gave Sasuke. That bastard! He agreed that only the two of us could wear that."
The two demon hosts watched as the brunette pulled at the jacket, tightening it for the kunoichi. Smiling at his teammate, Sasuke bent down and kissed her on the lips gently.
"Gaara."
"Hn?"
"I'll go with you to Sunagakure. I don't want to stay here and watch them anymore. Just give me some time."
He covered his mouth as a soft sob escaped and ran off before Gaara could say anything. The couple, hearing Naruto's words, the sob, and the following footsteps, turned to see the blonde's retreating back. Removing the jacket and putting it in the brunette's hands, Sakura smiled at her teammate. "Go after him, Sasuke-kun. And I won't forgive you if you fail this time!"
Gaara watched, not knowing whether to be surprised or amused that it was all a setup. Sakura looked up at him and smiled sadly. "They're made for each other. However people try, they only notice each other. It's always been like that."
The redhead gave the kunoichi an assessing glance before giving her a pained smile. "I know. Just like I know that liking Naruto is hopeless, but I did anyway."
Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but the demon host merely turned and walked away.
The moonlight shone gently on golden hair as Naruto sat under a tree, sobbing softly. Wiping his tears on his sleeve, he glared at the tree trunk. "That bastard... Dating Sakura so soon after I rejected him. He doesn't like me at all. That liar!"
"I wasn't lying."
Even without turning, the blonde could recognize the familiar voice. "Go away, bastard."
Ignoring the boy, Sasuke sat down beside him. He put the jacket on Naruto's small frame. "You're shivering. Where's your jacket?"
"Left it at the apartment," the boy said as he shrugged the jacket off, making it drop onto the grass. . "I don't want to wear this."
Ignoring the fallen jacket, the Uchiha wrapped his arms round the protesting blonde and pulled the shorter boy to lean against his chest. "Is this warmer then?"
"Let me go, you bastard!" The kyuubi host pushed at him, wanting to be free of the restraining arms. The brunette tightened his grip as much as he could without hurting the blonde. "I won't let you go, Naru-chan. Not when you've finally realized your own feelings. Stay in Konohagakure with me. Don't go with him."
Naruto started crying again, and Sasuke pulled the boy close to his chest. A small whimper was heard from the blonde. "I want to be with Sasuke. I want to be Sasuke's Naru-chan. I... I like Sasuke. I don't care if you're playing games with me. I don't care if you have Saku-"
The blonde was cut off as his teammate shut him up with a gentle kiss. As they pulled away, Naruto looked up uncertainly. "Sasuke...?"
"Urusai, dobe." Two cutting words, said in an affectionate tone. "I don't want you to be my Naru-chan."
Tears threatened to fall again as the boy stared at his tanned hands. "Of course. Who would like a demon anyway? Especially not Sasuke. You're so well-liked by the girls, and you have Sakura-chan. She's much prettier and smarter than me. Anyone would choose her over me, and of course, that would include you."
A hand whacked the back of the blonde head gently. "I told you! Never speak about yourself like that! Besides, I like to be different. I want you to be my Naru-koi."
"But... Sakura-chan..."
"I don't like Sakura."
"But you were kissing her!"
"If I didn't, how would you ever realize your feelings?"
"Ah! Sasuke, you bastard!"
"I was jealous... Kakashi kept flirting with you and then there was Shikamaru, so when Sakura offered her help, I accepted."
"Heh. Stupid Sasuke."
"Like you didn't get jealous over me and Sakura," the Uchiha wiped the dried-up tears from Naruto's face with his thumb as he spoke. The blonde pouted. "But what matters most is that I'm your Naru-koi now. Who cares about who got jealous over what?"
"That's probably one of the smartest things you've ever said."
"I always say smart things."
"Dobe," Sasuke scolded affectionately before bending down to kiss the blonde's cheek. "You're shivering again. We better go somewhere warmer. Let's go."
He pulled the smaller boy up, not letting go of the tanned hand. The boy looked up at him questioningly. The brunette smiled. "I want to hold your hand. I want the village to know that you are mine. I want them to know that they can't push you around anymore."
Naruto smiled brightly at him and hesitantly leaned forward to give the taller boy a peck on the cheek. "I like you, Sasuke. Very very much."
Sasuke separated his hands from Naruto's to put the jacket on the boy's shoulders again. This time, the boy accepted it with a smile. The pale hand took the smaller hand again. "Let's go then. It's getting colder and your shivering is getting worse."
The two boys left happily, both absorbed in one another. Neither of them noticed the redhead watching them. "Hn. Seems like Naruto won't be coming with me then. As long as he's happy, that's fine with me. That's the most important thing."
"You should go warm up. Take a hot shower if you have to. Stupid kyuubi. For all the trouble it's causing you, it could at least try to keep you warm," Sasuke muttered as they entered his apartment. He pulled the blonde to his room and pushed him down to sit on the bed before wrapping the navy blue blanket around him. Naruto grabbed his hand and pulled him down onto the bed, climbing onto his lap and snuggling close.
"Naruto?"
"It's warm here. And your bed reminds me of you. The sheets, the pillows, the blankets... They're all navy blue!"
Sasuke smiled, finally understanding what the other boy was doing. He wrapped his arms round the smaller figure, causing the blonde to emit a contented sigh. He looked down at the kyuubi host. "Naru-koi?"
"What?"
"Are you still going to Sunagakure with Gaara?"
"Yeah. I told him I would."
"I'll go with you then."
Naruto started laughing at that. "Baka! I was just joking with you. But if I go, you'll really go with me? Do you mean that?"
"Of course. I'll follow you wherever you go. Now that I have you, I won't be letting you go so easily."
"Mou, it's not like I'll be running off to find another lover."
"I'm not taking any chances."
"Then you must have been very angry about Shikamaru and Kakashi-sensei helping me to make you jealous, even if I didn't know what they were up to."
"Of course."
"Sorry. For making you jealous... And also for not realizing my feelings earlier. I think I liked you even before you left, maybe even from the academy days. Why else would I want your acknowledgement so badly? I mistook my brotherly fondness for Sakura-chan, thinking it was love. And in doing that, I nearly lose my true love. Naa, I'm an idiot ne?"
"But you're my idiot."
"And you're my bastard."
"That's all that matters. Isn't that what you said earlier?"
"Yeah, so shut up and kiss me."
"Not until you give me a proper answer. Are you going to Sunagakure?"
"I'm not. Now can you kiss me?"
"Make sure to tell Gaara that tomorrow. I don't want him to come and kidnap you, claiming that you agreed to follow him to his village," Sasuke reminded the shorter boy before leaning down to kiss his blue-eyed blonde gently on the lips.
End
Kyaa, I've finally completed it! Yay! First fanfic I've completed naaa... This chapter is shorter than the others though... Ah... But I liked it, and I hope you did too... Thanks everyone, for reviewing all the way and supporting me through the fic even if I'm a really really slow writer. Now, we shall wait for the sequel.