The Companion

Flibber T. Gibbet

Rating: M

Disclaimer: the same as pretty much any other Naruto fanfiction you've ever read or ever will read

Author's Notes: I am soooooo sorry for the long delay. Feel free to think horrible things about me. I deserve it. This chapter seems disjointed, so if you have any ideas on how to smooth out future chapters, tell me please! If anyone went to the People to People World Leadership Forum during the week of October 9 to 15, 2006, and was on Bus 3 in Group 1, hi! I still have no idea what this entire story is about, so any and all ideas will be adored. iyfanatic, sorry if the mall scene is not to your liking. It seems rushed to me and I feel like I haven't done it justice, but the clothes are revealing… we just haven't seen them all yet. To dead edged blade and nusku, thank you for ideas! I'll try to incorporate them, or maybe something else… but thank you again! If anyone else gave me ideas and I haven't mentioned you, thank you and sorry! Ideas are very welcome, so keep them coming please! If the beginning freaks you out, I understand. I like it but it's just kind of… random. Eh… I hope I won't let anyone down, So read and hopefully enjoy!

Sasuke woke up and cursed his cell phone. Its stupid vibration woke him up from a very nice dream where he was pounding a sweaty Naruto into a mattress. He groaned as he discovered his morning problem. His cell phone forgotten, Sasuke pondered on how to solve his perplexing dilemma.

He really needed to get rid of his problem,

He really didn't want to leave the warmth of his new bed, and

If he relieved himself of his hard on in bed, he was bound to make some noise, and that would wake Naruto, which he didn't want, because Naruto looked incredibly molestable in his sleep.

Oh dear God

Sasuke gasped involuntarily as Naruto flung a hand over his erection and began unconsciously pumping it up and down.

Bloody fucking hell!

"Milk the pretty cow…" murmured a still sleeping Naruto. Sasuke turned a furious shade of red.

So that's what the dobe dreams about… Figures.

He was surprised; that was a complex thought given the circumstances. A very complex thought. Suddenly Naruto's hand stopped and he woke up abruptly. The blond groggily stared at his traitorous hand and shook his head defiantly.

"No… no, I'm not gonna wonder why my hand is currently wrapped around your cock… I'm just not going there…" Naruto tried to whistle unconcernedly but failed miserably.

"So, as much as I'm enjoying this – and I'm reaaaalllly enjoying this, are you going to take your hand off anytime soon?" asked Sasuke lazily. Naruto's sapphire eyes widened adorably and he snatched his hand away as if it burned. A bright blush colored his tanned cheeks.

Sasuke leered at him. "You're cute when you blush," he whispered seductively and made to grab the flushing blond. Naruto squealed and leapt out of bed, tumbling onto the white carpet.

"Stay away from me, you… you... teme!" He ran into the bathroom and loudly closed and locked the door. The sound of falling water crept into the dim room. Sasuke shuddered as he tried valiantly to block images of a nude Naruto standing in the marble shower… glistening with water droplets…

Oh crap

Half an hour later, Sasuke came down to the room in which they ate the night before. His parents were at work, which meant they were in some fancy room somewhere in the palace, being royal. Itachi was casually sipping his Irish coffee, covertly watching the blond devouring ramen. He coughed slightly, warning Naruto of Sasuke's arrival. Naruto meeped and hid behind Itachi, hoping the older Uchiha son would protect him from the more evil younger brother.

"Naruto-kun… why are you hiding from me now?" called out Sasuke playfully. "We seemed so close this morning."

"Naruto, is there something you aren't telling me?" Itachi raised a single, curious eyebrow.

"Erm…"

"Right. Anyway, Mom and Dad said you two are free for the day."

"What about you, 'Tachi-san?" asked Naruto, fear evident in his azure eyes.

Nooooo… don't leave me with scary Sasuke-teme

"I have an art exhibit in a couple of weeks and I have to finish my main entry."

"You paint?' asked Naruto eagerly.

"Yes…"

"Cool. I draw in ink."

"Really now… Maybe you would like to create something for the art show?"

Naruto's face beamed with a childish pleasure. "Could I…?" he asked almost reverently. A pang of jealousy surged through Sasuke; he wanted to be thee one to make Naruto look that way.

Itachi smirked. "Naruto, you're part of the royal household. You can do pretty much anything you want to."

"Whoa…" His eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"Fascinating. Itachi, go away and do whatever. Naruto, let's go."

"Sasuke-teme, you can't boss me around!"

"Just watch" Sasuke grabbed Naruto unceremoniously and dragged him out of the palace. Itachi cheerily waved goodbye.

"Okay. You can boss me around. So what now, Sasuke?" The taller teen stared at him curiously. "What? You're freaking me out with that weird stare of yours."

"You called me Sasuke…" He thought for a while. "I like the way you say my name. Say it like that more often."

"Only if you stop calling me dobe."

"But dobe is my affectionate nickname for you."

"Oh yes, I'm drowning in the obvious love," retorted Naruto sarcastically.

Sasuke glanced at him appraisingly. "Well, well, well, it seems you've improved your sarcasm skills overnight."

Naruto ignored his last comment. "Where are we going, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, Sasuke's name rolling fluidly off his tongue. That scared him. He wasn't supposed to feel so comfortable calling Sasuke Sasuke. The same way Sasuke's arms weren't supposed to feel so damn good wrapped around him. Life grew more complicated with Sasuke around.

"You need to go shopping first. Then I suppose you can show around the city."

"Me? Show you around the city? Aren't you like the prince or some crap like that?"

Sasuke glared at him. "Shut up." But Naruto just wouldn't let go.

"Oooooh…. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," taunted the oblivious blond.

Sasuke smirked in victory. "And her I was thinking you didn't want to discuss this morning." The blond blushed and ducked his head quickly. They walked across the rest of the palace grounds to the private exit. There a sleek, black stretch limousine awaited the two teens.

"No way! We aren't going around the city in a freaking limo!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Dobe, I'm the prince. There's no fucking way I'm not going in a limousine," retorted Sasuke.

"Sasuke. I'm trying to be reasonable here. If you're going to let me take you around town, we'll be going to places where the people don't give a damn if you're God. A limo is money and that's all that matters to them. Do you want to die?" Naruto's blue eyes were solemn and there was no hint of playfulness in his voice.

Sasuke waited for Naruto to ell him he was joking. When no such sign came, he conceded. "Alright, we'll take the limo to the mall and then we can… whatever to wherever. Deal?" He felt empty when Naruto wasn't smiling.

"Deal." And Naruto suddenly felt very small and shy. Why hadn't he noticed how beautiful Sasuke was? And dinner the night before didn't count.

"Okay then, let's go." Sasuke held the door open for Naruto and slid smoothly after him. The driver paused abruptly, unsure of what to do now that the prince had done his job. Who the hell was the blond kid? The Prince Sasuke he knew opened doors for no one. He walked back confusedly to the front of the limousine.

"To the mall."

Naruto rolled his eyes and added, "Please."

"I don't say please."

"Well, now you do." And they bickered continuously over polite mannerisms the entire trip to the Nobelle Mall of Konoha. Naruto kept on arguing as Sasuke dragged him around once again. When the blond finally fell silent, Sasuke had pulled him into some expensive clothing store and had picked out a small mountain of clothes for him to try out.

"Go," commanded Sasuke, pushing Naruto towards an empty changing room and shoving the clothes in the stall before the door swung shut.

"Er… right…" Naruto took off his well worn faded jeans and his favorite orange hoodie and started trying on some of the clothes Sasuke had picked out for him.

I wonder if he's gay. No straight guy I know has this good taste in clothes.

"Are you done yet?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

"Yah, yah, almost…" Naruto emerged from the stall. "Do I look that bad?" he asked curiously when Sasuke stared blankly at the blond.

"Eh…" Sasuke was speechless. Naruto looked heavenly and…

Omigod. There is no way for an arse to look that sinfully delicious… Damn, I feel like a fangirl

Naruto slowly turned around, presenting Sasuke with a stunning 360 degree view of his attractive body. His golden hair fell playfully into mischievous cerulean eyes. A blinding grin flashed white teeth against evenly tanned, smooth, unmarred skin. A fitting, dark blue, long sleeved shirt showed off broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a chest that Michelangelo could have sculpted. The jeans Sasuke had chosen seemed to be like a second skin, revealing leanly muscled legs and a tight ass Sasuke was currently eying hungrily. Naruto always thought himself as ugly.

Naruto was afraid and with good cause. "Sasuke… are you okay? You're all red and staring at me weird… like I'm a piece… of… meat…" He squealed and raced back into the stall when Sasuke tried to grab him.

Great. Sasuke the giant pervert is back.

Once Naruto was out of sight, Sasuke composed himself and damned hormones for what seemed like the nth time in the past twenty-four hours. Naruto went through the rest of the clothes in relative haste, not wanting a repeat of Sasuke's odd behavior. As Naruto stacked up the clothes to be bought, Sasuke discreetly added a few items he thought it might be interesting to see Naruto wear. Interesting obviously translating to unbelievably revealing. A high pitched screech stopped Sasuke and Naruto in their tracks, wincing at the pain of their perforated eardrums. A blond girl ran out from the counter and latched onto Sasuke's arm.

"Sasuke-kun! I didn't know you were going to be here. I would have tidied up a bit."

And I still would have found you as irritating as hell, so don't waste your time.

"P…p…pretty…" stuttered Naruto when a pink haired girl appeared.

"Hello. I'm Sakura. Whoever ever you are, can you get out of my way so I can see Sasuke?" Naruto nodded mutely. Sasuke's possessive streak flared wildly and he plotted ways to murder the pink haired fangirl whom he normally ignored. He purchased the clothes with both girls still clinging onto him and Naruto still gazing dreamily at Sakura.

What the hell does he see in her anyway?

Sasuke briefly wondered how Ino managed to ring up his purchases without ever letting go of him and still carrying on half of a conversation.

The prince had had enough. It was time to employ blackmail. He loved this part!

"If you two don't shut the fuck up and unhand me this instant, your parents hear of your new jobs here." He paused for his words to process through their thick skulls. Once their faces registered their shock, he continued, "I'm quite sure I heard your parents say that no daughters of theirs would ever work in a mall. Right then, that will be all. Unfortunately, I have to see you two at school tomorrow." He grabbed Naruto and sped out of the store. Sakura and Ino shook themselves out f their shocked daze and swooned. He had actually talked to them!

Naruto had to jog lightly to keep up with Sasuke's furious tread.

"Did I do something?"

Sasuke stopped abruptly and glanced wearily at Naruto's innocently worried face. "No. Just don't spend more time than necessary with those girls. They are shitty examples of human beings." He paused, searching for words that described his immense dislike for them. When he found none that came anywhere close, he just shrugged and asked, "Where are we going now?"

"Just one more question and I'll tell you."

"Hn."

"Why did they look so surprised when you talked to them? It was almost as if you had never said so many words in a row before to them or something like that," Naruto said, completely oblivious to how close to the truth he had been.

Sasuke cracked a small smile, huge by his standards. "Or something like that… Now tell me where we're going."

"Okay. We're going to visit one of my best friends, then I'm gonna show you my old home, and then we're gonna eat." Naruto was bubbling with excitement and Sasuke was shocked not to feel his usual urge to pop his bubble. Odd. But he still couldn't hold back a sarcastic comment.

"That sounds fascinating."

"Really? Cool!"

Sweatdrop. That was the guy Sasuke was going insane over? Damn hormones to a fucking bloody hell.

"Um… Sasuke, why is your butt vibrating?' asked Naruto timidly.

Nix that. Damn cell phones to a fucking bloody hell. Unexplainably pissed off, Sasuke flipped open his phone and uttered a short and sweet "What the hell do you need?"

A smooth voice replied dryly, "Hello to you too."

"I reiterate. What the hell do you need?"

"Hinata is worried about some orphan who has apparently vanished."

"And?" asked Sasuke impatiently.

"She was wondering if you could find out where he is."

Sasuke couldn't refuse; Hinata had done him too many favors. He sighed. "A name and description would be helpful."

"Hold on. Hinata, who exactly is this plebe you are infatuated with?" Through the phone, Sasuke heard the girl stutter a quiet reply.

"Okay. Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"Blond, blue eyes, wears orange, eats ramen, name… Uzumaki Naruto."

Silence.

"Sasuke?"

"He's fine. Tell Hinata I'll explain further tomorrow," Sasuke said, ending the unexpected call before the caller could reply.

"Who was that?" asked Naruto curiously.

"A friend." And he ended the brief conversation.

Geez… I wonder what's pissed him off… again

Naruto walked next to Sasuke, pushing him at times in a certain direction. Slowly, the expensive, modern buildings that Sasuke was used to gave way to older, shabbier structures. He stared around in disbelief. Both the inhabitants and the buildings seemed to give off a startling sense of poverty and hopelessness. Despite Naruto's efforts to shield him from view, Sasuke still felt imploring pleads and glares of distrust and hatred follow him as he walked through this unexplored part of his city. A throbbing ache tore through his mind. How could he have not known about this other side of Konoha? Did his parents know? How could they have not known? What have they done to change this? And why did he feel so responsible for every single starving soul in this godforsaken hellhole?

Is this what being a prince is about? Understanding the troubles of others and doing something about it?

Naruto tugged on his arm insistently and pulled him through the dusty streets. Once out the main part of the housing community, the blond stopped and turned to Sasuke, an apology in his bright eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Naruto whispered. "I didn't realize they would act like that. They were always just so kind to me…"he trailed off, old wounds reopening. The dark haired boy's breath caught in his throat as he finally realized the shocking, obvious fact. How could he have not known? Naruto used to live here. Naruto gently steered the still surprised Sasuke to a once magnificent building on the edge of Lake Hokage. Naruto glanced at Sasuke before pushing a large door open.

"Kyuubi," called out Naruto clearly and loudly into the dusty, formal room, A blonde girl walked down the spiral staircase in the middle of the foyer and appraised the two teens. Suddenly, she smiled warmly and gave Naruto a loving one armed hug.

"Good to see you again, Naruto. We were all worried about you when we didn't see you for a while."

"Even…?" asked Naruto, afraid to mention a certain person in the presence of a prince.

"Especially him," nodded the blonde girl. "You know he loves you."

Naruto blushed. He wasn't familiar with the sensation of being loved. "Can I go se him?"

She nodded again. "You know where he is."

"Thanks Temari," and Naruto leapt up the stairs with an obviously practiced ease that made Sasuke wonder how familiar Naruto was with this place. He choked as he felt a wire press against his vulnerable throat. Thoughts tumbled in his mind. He hadn't even heard the blonde girl move, but it was her who whispered threateningly.

"So, Prince Sasuke, how does it feel to be powerless? I hold the power now." Temari mentally scolded herself.

What kind of lame phrase was that?

It may have been lame, but it served its purpose. Sasuke tensed visibly, his jaw tightening and his pale hands clenched into fists. Careful not to make any sudden movements that might press his soft neck against the deadly cable, he asked the girl, Temari, as calmly as he could, "How do you know Naruto?"

She smiled slightly though her firm grip never wavered. "My youngest brother met Naruto first. We had just moved in here and he was looking out over the lake when he saw this orange speck in the blue water and heard a faint cry for help. For reasons still unknown to me today, he want to see what it was. And the rest of story should be blindingly obvious."

"Fascinating."

"I should kill you right now, you little piece of shit," she hissed.

Sasuke fell silent, the prospect of death looming before him.

"Temari!" cried a shocked, beautifully familiar voice. "Don't hurt him!"

"Do what Naruto says," said a new voice. Sasuke looked up and saw his, yes his, Naruto and a new teen walking down the stairs. The newcomer had red hair and kohl rimmed green eyes. A tattoo was inked onto his temple. Whoever this teen was, he had a great power over the murderous blonde girl.

"Yes, Gaara," she whispered unhappily.

So Gaara it is…

Sasuke felt somewhat normal once the slight pressure of the wire disappeared. "Regicide is a crime punishable by death."

"I have no qualms about killing you and throwing your lifeless body in Lake Hokage. And I will do so, no matter what Naruto says, if you don't keep quiet," replied Gaara calmly, as if merely stating his opinion about the weather.

"Gaara, don't," pleaded Naruto. The red head turned to the blond and gazed at him deeply.

He asked, "Why are you so fiercely defending the same person you called an asshole and wished to kill just a few weeks ago?" He said this softly, so Sasuke could only see a slight movement of his lips and hear no sounds. Naruto replied the same way.

"Sasuke's not what he seems like! He's been nice to me," begged Naruto. Gaara uncharacteristically hesitated before replying. It hurt to shatter the pure innocence that was Naruto.

"Are… are you sure he doesn't just want you for your body?"

Naruto gasped, a pained, broken expression crossing his normally joyful face. "He wouldn't… would he?" Gaara shrugged noncommittally. Naruto glanced briefly at the captive Sasuke and turned away quickly as if the sight burned. An uncomfortable silence settled through the room.

"Let him go, "Gaara said softly. Temari scowled but released her grip on Sasuke. He wavered between rushing toward Naruto and holding him tightly and keeping his distance from the intimidating Gaara.

"Naruto?" he asked. Naruto jumped at Sasuke's voice and opened his mouth to reply but no sound came out.

"Naruto…" whispered Temari, a sisterly urge to protect him from the big, bad world that she never felt an inkling of with the seemingly self sufficient Kankuro and the cold, uncaring Gaara suddenly awakening.

"Where are Kankuro and the rest?" asked Naruto unexpectedly, in a false brightness.

"Out," replied Gaara cryptically. Both Temari and Naruto fidgeted uncomfortably at his word, understanding its full implications.

"Sasuke won't snitch. I swear," Naruto promised for the clueless prince. Gaara shrugged uncaringly, but a careful eye could notice a slight tension alleviate from his clenched fists and rigid posture.

"I think we should be going now," announced Naruto Sasuke nodded vehemently. The blond hugged Gaara tightly and the taller teen froze. Temari snickered but hugged Naruto back when her turn to be embraced came. Naruto poked Sasuke in the back to push him out of the ld building, waving a final goodbye with his free hand. Temari smiled slightly and Gaara just nodded in reply. The door opened, letting a slender sliver of sunlight in and shut behind the two boys with a soft thud.

Once they were gone, Temari had to choke back laughter and even Gaara smirked amusedly. "I can't believe the idiot didn't recognize us," she tried to say while laughing. Her brother nodded and mentally prepared himself for the next day and its excitement.

Sasuke and Naruto walked around the lake in silence.

"Gaara and Temari and their brother Kankuro have always welcomed me into their home. They have been my family," offered Naruto pathetically.

"What do they do?" asked Sasuke bluntly.

"Erm… they've been called Robin Hood…"

"Whatever."

Awkward silence.

"Are you mad at me?" Sasuke looked at the pleading boy and tried to remember what had made him so irritated at the blue boy blond. He sighed when he could find nothing.

"No, Naruto… I'm not."

Naruto smiled hesitantly. "I'm glad. Do you want to go… home now?" asked Naruto, the word "home" spoken almost worshipfully. Sasuke glanced at his expensive, black diamond studded watch and shook his head. It was only two in the afternoon. "Where to next?"

"For the second time today," Naruto mock sighed, "we're going to see my old home, meet a very good friend of mine,…" At Sasuke's stricken look, Naruto laughed and added, "This friend is less violent. Anyway, and then we're going to eat my second favorite food."

"After ramen?" Naruto nodded happily. Sasuke sighed again.

"Let's go then." He felt very out of place in Naruto's element but anything to make the dobe smile like he was right now. A bright smile that made Sasuke feel a little less lonely. He mentally shuddered. Stop the sappiness! Sasuke walked along, following Naruto's gentle pressure on his hand and listening to the blond chatter nonstop. He felt content.

"We're here," declared Naruto. Sasuke took in his surroundings. They were shabbier than before, if that was even possible. "Home, sweet home," whispered the Companion bitterly. Sasuke squeezed his hand in what he hoped was a comforting manner. He had no experience in these types of matters. He had never cared enough before to even want to comfort. A sigh escaped from his lips. Feelings were confusing.

Naruto on the dark haired teen's arm and asked, "Ready to go in?" Sasuke was surprised. No one had ever asked if he was ready for anything. They just dragged him in. He nodded and Naruto knocked on the door of a large, brick building. After a few minutes and some more knocking, the door creaked open and a dark haired man with a scar curving across his face appeared. A smile crossed his face when he saw them and he hugged Naruto tightly. Sasuke flinched. He would go insane if got that many hugs in one day.

"Sorry for leaving you yesterday. You took too long,' the man scolded Naruto while still holding him in a one armed hug. "Is this…?" asked the as of yet nameless man. Naruto nodded. The older man hurriedly let go of the blond bowed respectfully to Sasuke.

Not him too…

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I am Umino Iruka, Naruto's former guardian."

"Do you normally speak so formally?" asked Sasuke curiously. Naruto snickered while Iruka looked flustered.

"Erm… not usually." Iruka desperately hoped honesty was the best policy in this situation.

"Then talk normally. You're giving me a headache with your formality," said Sasuke curtly.

"Is that a royal decree?" asked Naruto, speaking for the first time since Iruka arrived.

"No, but telling you to shut up is," retorted Sasuke.

"Iruuuukaaaa!" whined Naruto, hiding behind the older man. "Sasuke is so mean…" He peeked at the said teen from behind his hiding spot and stuck his tongue out. Impulsively, Sasuke flipped the blond off who just snickered in reply. Iruka smiled slightly. Sasuke had loosened up considerably since Naruto's arrival. The last time Iruka had visited the palace for reasons currently unknown Sasuke had been cold and solitary. So Naruto was actually good for something who would have thought? Iruka shook himself out of his dreamland. He shooed the still bickering teens in the building, telling Naruto someone was waiting. Naruto's azure eyes widened in eagerness and he began to fidget.

"Really?" Iruka nodded and Sasuke snorted. It was just so easy to please the blond teen. Maybe he could use that to his advantage…

Iruka rubbed his temples once the pair disappeared.

I wonder if they know they bicker like a married couple.

Oblivious to Iruka's thoughts on them, Sasuke and Naruto walked through narrow hallways, following Iruka's directions. They arrived at a sober door, lacking the personalized embellishments that adorned the nearby doors of the orphanage. Before Naruto's hand touched the door, a voice invited them to enter. Sasuke glanced at Naruto and uncertainly and they entered the room.

A girl lay on the floor, facing away from the door. A cot with a thin pillow and sheet sat in one corner. A ragged black mat covered part of the wood floor. The walls appeared to be a white with multicolored splotches. The girl turned over and coolly stared at the two teens. Black hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, revealing piercing grey eyes framed by dark lashes. With pale skin, a finely structured face, and a slim figure, she looked a lot like Sasuke.

"What is he doing here?" She had a soft voice with a permanently sarcastic tinge to it.

"Meeting you," answered Naruto, unfazed by her coolness. Sasuke was in deep thought.

Am I like her?

"No shit, Sherlock," replied the pale child.

"Aimee…" said Naruto, begging her to be nice.

"Naruto…" mimicked Aimee, refusing his silent plea.

He sighed. "Sasuke meet Aimee, my little sister. Aimee, meet Sasuke, the Prince of Konoha."

"Thank you, Mr. Obvious."

"Can I have a hug?" asked Naruto meekly. Aimee rolled her eyes and made a great show of getting up and walking over to the doorway where Naruto and Sasuke still stood. But she wrapped her slim arms around Naruto tightly as if she was afraid of him leaving and nestled her heard in the warm area between his neck and shoulder. Jealously flared once again through Sasuke. Naruto and Aimee didn't look like siblings.

"It should be obvious to any idiots with eyes and a brain that Naru-chan and I aren't blood siblings by birth," drawled the immensely infuriating Aimee. Sasuke glared at the girl who seemed to be a little shorter that even Naruto.

"You're short for a sixteen year old," said Sasuke coldly. To his chagrin, Aimee just smirked.

"Maybe because I'm… twelve?" She smiled sweetly.

"I don't like you," growled Sasuke. The change in the room was startling though Sasuke was too furious to notice. How dare anyone talk back to him… Naruto shook his head fiercely and tried to retain his calming hold on the unpredictable girl to no avail. She snaked out of his grasp and walked away from the two teens. With her back still facing them, she spoke again.

Her voice remained unchanged but her hidden expressive eyes told a different story. "Not many people do… in fact, I think Naruto here is the only one who can stand my presence for more than a few minutes at a time."

"That's not true!" exclaimed Naruto. "Iruka-sensei cares about you too!"

"Nah," she said, self-mockingly. "He's too scared of me to care."

"Have you ever wondered why no one can stand you? You shouldn't. You're a total bitch," said Sasuke cruelly.

"No, Sasuke, don't!" cried Naruto helplessly. This wasn't going as planned. Aimee spun around abruptly and stalked over to the pale teen.

"Would you like me dead?' she asked calmly.

Sasuke answered without thinking of any repercussions his words might have. "Yes, I'm sure the world would be much happier without you."

"Hn… maybe you'll get your wish," she whispered and went to look out the window.

"Sasuke. That was mean and uncalled for." Naruto glared at him and tried to comfort the young girl. Sasuke only heard indistinguishable whispers and quiet cries. Naruto and Aimee walked back to the confused Sasuke. One of Naruto's arms was clasped protectively around Aimee's shoulders.

"It was nice meeting you, Prince Sasuke, though I can't say I 'm overly eager to do it again."

"Hn."

Aimee smiled genuinely, an action that made her look her actual age, instead of much older.

"Bye, Naruto."

"Aimee… will you be okay?"

"Stop worrying. You're worse than Iruka-sensei."

That brought a small smile to Naruto's lips. But his worry was still there. "Aimee…" he sighed. "Love you."

She hugged him again and murmured a "love ya too."

"Bye," she called out again when Naruto and Sasuke finally left. They waved farewell to Iruka. Once they were outside, Naruto stopped suddenly.

"What?" asked Sasuke, mere moments before Naruto punched him. He cried out in pain, cupping his hands under his nose to stop the flow of blood. "What the hell was that for?" spluttered Sasuke.

"I thought you would be nice to her for my sake at least. But you had to go and call her a bitch. She's twelve years old! And then you told her to die. You have no fucking idea what she's been through. And no one, even if you're a goddamn prince, insults someone I love and gets away with it. You're such a self centered, arrogant, selfish, stuck up… Maybe Gaara was right about you after all…" fumed an irate blond. His feet carried him away from the unmoving Sasuke. Aimee may be sarcastic and all, but he had no reason to call her a bitch after just meeting her. A wide array of emotions simmered within Naruto, ranging from a protective fury to a brotherly worry. Would Aimee be okay or would she fall back into the depression Naruto had worked so hard to pull her out of? And it was all the bastard Sasuke's fault… but Naruto knew that, despite all his anger, if Sasuke came up to him and apologized, he would be forgiven instantly.

Sasuke still stood frozen at the spot where Naruto had so unexpectedly punched him. Naruto had stalked off after his rant, which Sasuke supposed he had deserved. The taller teen glanced warily at his Companion, deep in thought on a bench. He knew he should apologize, but how? Would a simple "sorry" suffice? Sasuke sighed and walked over to the blond.

"Naruto… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called her that… and I deserved the punch," he said, hoping it would be enough.

"Apology accepted," murmured Naruto. "Though it's not really me you should be apologizing to." Sasuke nodded humbly. Naruto smiled slightly. Sasuke just looked so weird trying to be humble. Pride seemed to be in his blood. "Do you want to eat now?" Sasuke shrugged, pleased that Naruto wasn't mad anymore. "Oh and you might want to do something about the blood. I pack quite a punch, don't I?" noted Naruto carelessly. He grinned when Sasuke scowled and tried to rub away the dark red stain. Naruto pulled him along.

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at a brightly colored building. KONOHA'S BEST was written in red letters on the glass doors.

"I'm not going in," stated Sasuke firmly.

Naruto rolled his eyes and muttered, "Scaredy cat." He entered, a chime sounding, and came back out a few minutes later, the chime sounding again. A oily, brown bag rested in his arms. "Let's go back."

"Won't your food get cold by the time we get home?" asked Sasuke, not really caring about the answer.

"Nah… c'mon," and Naruto pulled Sasuke into a steady jog. A mere ten minutes later, they arrived at the palace doors.

"For a dobe, you know your way around Konoha."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," answered Naruto lightly. They walked through the palace to the first dining area they found.

"So what poison are you trying to murder me with?" asked Sasuke when Naruto pulled a large box from the oily bag.

He opened the box and took a deep breath. Showing the box to Sasuke, he said, "French fries and ranch dressing." He selected a long, golden fry, drenched it liberally with the creamy dressing and brought it to his lips. Luxuriously, he licked off all of the dressing. Sasuke's breath grew ragged. Naruto then bit off the tip of the fry and smiled languidly. "Try one." Sasuke nodded faintly and followed Naruto's example.

An entire hour passed with the two teens consuming the rest of the french fries with the rest of the ranch dressing. Sasuke had to admit.

They tasted much better than he had expected.

That's it. All comment, questions, compliments, thoughts, etc. are welcome. I just finished A Tale of Two Cities for English class. I didn't like the ending. I wish my favorite characters didn't always die in the end. Eh. I also just finished Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. Pretty good book. Sorry if you think I portrayed Sakura and Ino as total bimbos. They'll probably change through the story. I hope you people like Aimee. I had so many things I wanted to say, and now I can't remember any of it. Bah humbug. Well, hopefully, you've read and enjoyed, so please review!

flib forever