We had always been rivals. Always. From the moment we'd first laid eyes on each other, we had been competing against each other. He was a loser, dead last. Whereas I was an Uchiha, above the others, above everyone. So what was drawing me to him? It couldn't be his loud, endearing personality. It wasn't the open smile. It definitely wasn't the way he displayed his emotions. I didn't want to be able to do that. Really I didn't. Showing emotion was weakness, that was what I had been taught by my father.

He was different. He was too loud, too obnoxious, and the way he dressed grated on my nerves, but there was that something that I couldn't describe. Maybe it was the way he treated me normally, not making any special allowances because I was an Uchiha. The way he always spoke his mind. The way he always screamed at Kakashi-sensei for being late nearly made me smile. He was so predictable. I don't know what to do, I'm not even sure of what I'm feeling.

I couldn't afford to be like this, he's a distraction. I need to focus. I try, I train alone, always leave straight after training with Kakashi-sensei, Sakura and HIM. Never accepted the invitations to go eat Ramen with him.

It happened before Kakashi-sensei and Sakura turned up for training. I'm always the first here at the bridge. I like the quietness of the morning, when the sun's only just rising, and there's noone around. He came up as quietly as he could, but he's a loser, so I could hear him. He didn't say anything. That was unusual for him, plus he's never here this early. He wasn't acting like he should be.

What he did next totally caught me off guard. He moved quickly, with a speed I never knew he had. One minute he was stood across from me, the next… he was right THERE…in my face. One hand was on my neck, the other on my hip. And then…well, I'm not entirely sure; my brain was still trying to catch up. His lips on mine felt completely right, like they had on that one-day in class when we'd accidentally kissed. Then, they were gone, and his forehead was against mine, and he was smiling. And for the first time since the day I'd lost practically my whole family, I smiled back