A/N: Yep, it's me and, yes, I am posting a new story. I feel the need to apologize to my fans, I posted a few stories which I have since taken down because I wasn't able to continue with the muse on them. I will continue to work on them and hopefully finish them, if I do I will repost them but I didn't think it fair to keep them up in their incomplete state. I sincerely am sorry thought.

This is a little story about Sasuke and (Fem) Naruto and how they first met, grew-up, and fell in love!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. *looks at Kishimoto-san* Are you sure? But he's so adorable! *clutches Naruto's arm and refuses to let go* Oh, Shit! *gets thrown out by big, burly security guards* Kuso! I was sooo CLOSE!

Friendship and Love

Chapter 1

He hear the quiet sobs coming from the bush as he was passing by it on the way home, frowning he peered at the bush but didn't get any closer. He tried to see through the leaves and branches for the source of the sad sound that was making his heart hurt as he listened to it. He thought that he saw a glint of blue but couldn't be sure as the bush rustled and the sounds moved deeper and farther away.

"Hey, are you alright?" he felt sort of silly talking to the bush and hoped that no one was looking at him weirdly. He reluctantly took a step closer to the bush and reached out a hand only to jerk it back when a huge black spider dropped right onto the bush in front of him. He wrinkled his nose and shuddered at the creature. Argh! He hated spiders!

"Hey," he called again, "you should come out of there! There are big spiders all over the place!" He shifted his weight from side to side unable to decide what to do. He wanted to run from the creepy thing that was getting closer but he also wanted to know who was in the bush crying.

"I'm not afraid of them," said the wet voice along with a huge sniffle.

"Yeah, I'm not either, but they are creepy," he said back. "Why are you in there in the first place, don't you know that school is going to start soon? We need to get to school!"

He couldn't imagine anything worse than to be late for school. His father would hear about it and then he would be grounded from going with his brother while he trained. That would be really, really bad if he couldn't go watch his brother as he trained. And even worse would be if his father yelled at him because he had been late to school.

"Who cares?" called the voice, "No one cares if I'm not there. And if I wasn't there then no one could pick on me. You can just leave me here and go!'

He took a step in the direction of the school only to stop and look back at the bush. He sighed heavily knowing that he was going to be in so much trouble but he couldn't bring himself to leave the occupant of the bush, whoever it was.

"Fine, then if you won't come to school, then I just have to stay here," he told the bush but didn't get any closer, glad that the spider that had been threatening him earlier had disappeared but he kept a close eye out for it just in case. He sat down on the ground, pulled the tote that held his school supplies in, and pulled out his reading book. It was one of his favorites, about a boy that made friends with a fox, he briefly wondered if they grew up and got married, then laughed at the fantasy because humans didn't marry animals.

"How about I read you a story?" he asked as he opened the book to the first page. He began reading hesitating over some of the harder words and sounding more unfamiliar ones out as he read out loud. He heard the rustling in the bushes getting closer but ignored it only to smile to himself and continue the story, coaxing the person out of the bush. He got to the part where the fox was shot by a hunter and heard a gasp from his left. He looked up into huge sky blue eyes surrounded by a halo of long yellow hair. He blinked at the small angel that had immerged from the bush.

Cupid's bow lips were upturned into a large grin which made him want to smile back at her also. She was tanned and mussed with leaves and sticks in her messy pigtails and she started to pull the debris from it wincing every now and then. She had high rounded cheek bones and three vertical lines that marred the skin on each one giving her the distinctly exotic look of a fox.

"Well, what happens next," she demanded loudly as she pulled herself from the bush, swiping at a spider that was hanging from the end of her pigtail. He shivered at the thought of that thing being on him but didn't look away from the vision. She crawled over to sit next to him and peered at the picture in the book her shoulder knocking softly against his breaking him out of his trance.

He looked back at the book and tried to find his place. "Um," he said scanning the page for the last sentence he read. "Well, the hunter…" he continued feeling his body become hot as he face went pink. He continued with the story of how the heart broken boy nursed the injured fox back to health only to have to give the fox up to the wilderness because that was where wild animals belonged, living free.

"Wow, that was a good story!" the little cherub said when he finished and closed the book. "Is there another story with them in it?"

"No," he said as he put the book back in the tote that held the rest of his school stuff. He got to his feet and brushed the dirt from his butt. "Why were you in there?"

"Because Kiba pushed me down and ripped my new skirt," she pouted showing him the rather large rip in the orange skirt that she was wearing along with a bright orange shirt. She fingered the edges looking forlornly at the ruined material. She too had a tote but hers was that same bright orange as her shirt.

"Can't your mom sew it up?" he asked.

"I don't have a mom," she said looking up at him with those wide eyes that made his heart hammer in his chest.

"What about your dad?"

She laughed. "Iruka wouldn't know how!"

"You call your dad, Iruka?"

"He's not really my dad, he adopted me when I was really little," she informed him.

He couldn't really imagine not having a mother or a father that would be worse than not being able to watch his brother train. He felt a small ache for the girl in front of him. "I have a safety pin in my bag I can use it to hold the two sides together and then it won't rip any further."

"Okay," she said.

Finding the pin, he carefully closed the rip and pinned it together. "Well, we really need to get to school as it is I'm going to be in so much trouble. I'm sure that they've called my parents and probably your Iruka as well."

The girl looked down at the ground suddenly sad again but she nodded reluctantly. He led the way down the last couple blocks to the school and held the door open for her so that they could enter the now silent hallway.

"What class do you have?" he asked as he walked down the corridor.

"Mrs. Johnson's" she muttered quietly.

He frowned at the down turned head wanting to cheer her up again but he didn't know how and he didn't know how shy she was, so sad when she had been very animated earlier.

"I know where that is, um, how about I go to class with you?" he suggested then stepped back when the girl suddenly slung slender arms around his neck.

"You would do that? Oh, thank you!" Then she was pulling him down the hallway and through a classroom door.

"Naruto! Where have you been?" the teacher asked as she sternly looked at the girl.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Johnson! This is…um, what is your name?' she asked looking at the tousled boy who was had pulled himself to his full height after the sudden loss of his dignity to the small cherub.

"I'm Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke," he said brushing his clothing off and straightening the wrinkles.

"Really? You're the boy that all the girls are always mooning over?" Naruto asked peering closely at him ignoring the sudden giggles that were coming from a group of girls in the front row.

"Hn."

"Oh! Mrs. Johnson! This is Sasuke and he said that he would like to be in our class today, do you mind?" the girl exclaimed in a rush.

"Fine, Naruto, will you please take Mr. Uchiha and go find a seat. You've disrupted class enough for one day,' the teacher said in exasperation as she rubbed her temples as if trying to ward off a headache.

Naruto pulled him to the back of the room to a conspicuously empty table and sat down. She sighed when a rough looking boy with unkempt brown hair chucked a small wad of paper at her hitting her in the forehead. She rolled her eyes as she picked up the ball and flattened it out to reveal a picture of a stick monster with pigtails picking up the stick kids and eating them.

"Why did he do that?" Sasuke asked looking at the picture over her shoulder. "He's not very good, is he?"

Naruto giggled lightly but couldn't dismiss the first question. "They think that I'm going to turn into a demon and eat them." She waved in the direction of the other students in the class who were casting fearful looks over their shoulders at Naruto.

"Why would they think that?"

"I don't know."

She waded up the ball again setting it on the corner of her desk, and then pulled up her own tote up to the table and pulled out a pencil and a wrinkled sheet of paper to begin practicing the words that the teacher was writing on the wall dismissing the conversation. Sasuke followed suit when he noticed that they were on the same lesson.

A couple of hours later, the bell rang signaling the end of class and beginning of lunch and Naruto stood up. "Hey, if we hurry then we can get in line first!' she again latched onto his hand a pulled him out of the class. Once in the hallway they were jostled about going with the flow of the traffic. Naruto glanced back once then she abruptly came to halt and bent over clutching her stomach as a taller boy stood in front of her.

Sasuke at once realized that the boy had just punch Naruto and he came up to her side glaring his best Uchiha glare at the boy who immediately took a step back.

"Sasuke!"

"What are you doing?" he asked in his best imitation of his father even managing to look down his nose at the boy.

The boy quelled under the Uchiha's stare and backed away hands up in surrender. "I didn't know she was a friend of yours, Sasuke." The boy turned a fled up the hallway away from the pair and the students surrounding them moved away quickly before they drew Sasuke's attention to them. The noise level resumed as the children swarmed towards the cafeteria for lunch.

He turned back to the girl who was now kneeling on the floor holding her stomach and staring up at him with wide eyes.

"You're scary when you glare," she whispered as she stumbled to her feet. She winced and gasped when Sasuke took her hand and pulled her into the boys' restroom. "Hey, I can't be in here!"

"Shut up," he muttered then pulled the hem of her shirt up so that he could see her belly and the red mark that was forming. She squawked and tried to shove him away but being a boy had some distinct advantages when it comes to strength. And he was able to keep his hold on her and ignore her struggles long enough to assess the damage to her and deem her fit enough not to need the nurse. She lifted a foot and set it into his tummy pushing with all her strength getting him to step back. He rolled his eyes, "you'll be fine," he muttered before pushing her foot off him.

They made it back out into the hallway without anyone discovering Naruto being in a male only place and down to the cafeteria. They were the last in line much to Naruto's disappointment because all the good desserts would be taken. Seeing that the chocolate pudding with whipped cream was gone leaving only the green gelatin with grapes she sighed forlornly and took a seat at table only to have the other students quickly get up and move to another.

Sasuke blinked at them and sat down next to his new friend in puzzlement at the behavior of the kids. He had seen it before but before he didn't know the girl and he really didn't see the reasons that the boys and girls his age treated her this way. He'd hear the whispers that she had been abandoned by her parents so there must be something wrong with her, but he'd never really paid attention enough to care. He frowned when he saw Neji wave at him from across the cafeteria surprise in his pink eyes when Sasuke shook his head then sat down next to Naruto.

"It's alright, Sasuke, you can go eat with your friends," Naruto shrugged having seen the boy wave at Sasuke. She smiled slightly but it didn't reach her eyes and she looked back down at her tray pushing the food around before taking a small bite and wrinkling her nose.

"But I agreed to be with you today," Sasuke said, "and when an Uchiha gives a promise he sticks with it." He nodded for emphasis as if that were enough to prove his point.

Naruto eyed him from under a fringe of fluffy yellow bangs looking for any sign to say that he felt pity for her, but she grinned widely at him not seeing any and nodded back. She took another bite of the instant potatoes grimaced again before dumping ketchup over them and resumed eating.

Sasuke watched in disgust before he tasted his own potatoes and agreed with Naruto that they tasted gross and dumped ketchup over them also because that was the only way he was going to be able to eat them. Once the ketchup was mixed in they weren't half bad and more tolerable then before. Naruto noticed this and continued eating smugly the ketchup flavored potatoes and the dried out meatloaf.

"What's your favorite food?" Naruto suddenly asked as she fished slimy grapes out of the gelatin turning what was left into a thick, lumpy, slim.

"Hn?" he asked distracted as she used her spoon to pull a grape from the green mess and place it to the side of her tray.

"Favorite food! I love ramen it's the best especially when Iruka takes me out to Ichiraku's Ramen Shop! We go every Friday!"

"Oh, um, I like tomatoes."

"Tomatoes! That's not a food!" Naruto scrunched up her nose at that. "How can you eat those, there like slimy and yucky?"

"I just do! My mom slices them up and shakes a little sugar on them and they're good!" Sasuke exclaimed.

Naruto subsided knowing that any remark about his mom allowing him to eat tomatoes would probably lose her, her only friend. She just eyed him from under her bangs again thinking about tomatoes in disgust.

"You should come with us to Ichiraku's tomorrow," Naruto suggested before pushing her gelatin away because she was done and waited for Sasuke to finish.

"You'll have to get your Iruka's permission and I have to ask my parents but after today I'm probably going to be grounded and won't be able to go anyway."

"Oh," Naruto felt bad for causing him so much trouble earlier, but she didn't know that she was going to make a friend today if she had she certainly wouldn't have made him wait for her to come out of the bush. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be. I'm the one who waited; I could have gone to school and left you there."

"Yeah, but if you had you wouldn't have a new friend."

"Yeah."

They picked up their trays when the teachers dismissed them and went back to the classroom where the teacher told them to take out their crayons, scissors, and glue because they were going to start an art project.

Naruto squinted at her fingers as she tried to pry them apart. Sasuke walked along side her watching in bemusement as she sneered at her fingers as if she was trying to scare them into doing what she wanted.

"I told you to be careful or you would glue something together other than the picture," he smirked before taking her hand in his and prying them apart himself. She wrinkled her nose even more then shrugging her small shoulders and skipping up the sidewalk.

"Finally!" she grinned back at him in jubilation as she flung her arms out and twirled in a little dance happy to be out of the school and the confining classroom. "Hey, I can show you my special place!"

"No, I have to get home," Sasuke said rolling his eyes at the girl's antics then picking up his pace so that he could catch up to her skipping.

"Aw, really?" Naruto stopped skipping and looked at him with sad eyes.

"Yeah, but you could come over to my house," he suggested and saw her eyes light up. For some reason he really liked seeing her like this if gave him a warm feeling in his chest to make her happy.

"I can? Are you sure?" she nervously fingered the rip on her dress then looked down at it. "I—I don't think…"

"You're coming to my house," he said sternly. "When we get there you can call your Iruka and let him know where you are. Besides, my mom can fix that rip in no time."

Naruto looked up at him with hopeful eyes then flung her arms around him again burying her face in his shoulder. He felt hot tears soak into his shirt and he felt horrible for making her cry even though he had no idea how he had done it. "Thank you, Sasuke!"

When she pulled back he took a step away unsure whether he should apologize to her for causing her to cry again. But she scrubbed her face to get rid of the lingering tears and smiled at him. He shook his head completely baffled by this small cherubic creature. Naruto tucked her hand in his and they set off again in the direction of his house.

Naruto paused at the white gate that opened up to his front yard and gaped at the house that occupied a large amount of space. She stumbled back, blinking in fear as Sasuke gripped her hand tighter to keep her from running off. "Sa—Sasuke, I—I can't go in there!" She tugged at her hand to get him to release her but he refused to let go.

"Why not?"

"Because, you're like a prince or a king or something!"

"I'm not either," he pulled her along with him up the front steps and through the large front door. "There you're inside now." He toed his shoes off leaving them by the door then pulled his tote over his head and dropped it onto the marbled floor of the foyer.

Naruto sat down and pulled her own shiny orange shoes off then set them carefully by the door as she had been taught by Iruka then pulled off her tote and set it by them so that she would know where they were when she needed to leave.

Sasuke led her through several rooms then into the kitchen where a dark haired woman who looked a lot like Sasuke was busy mixing something in a bowl. She wore a white ruffled apron that reminded Naruto of Iruka's when he cooked and a wide smile as her son clambered onto a stool at the counter.

"Sasuke, dear! How was school today?" she asked then caught sight of the girl who was peering around her son. "Oh! Who is this?" She set the bowl down and wiped her hands on a near by towel before coming around the counter.

"Mom, this is Naruto. I met her today and went to her class," Sasuke introduced them. "Naruto, this is my mom, Mikoto."

"Naruto, it a pleasure to meet you. Sasuke doesn't bring home friends very often so you're welcome any time!" Sasuke's mom held out her hand to Naruto who hesitantly took it allowed it to be shaken with a small smile at the woman.

"Thank you," Naruto said feeling better instantly at the warmth that Sasuke's mom was showing her.

"What's your last name, dear?"

"Uzumaki."

"Oh, really! Was your mother named Kushina?" Mikoto looked down at the girl in surprise at the girl's last name.

"Yes," Naruto responded confused by the question because no one usually asked who her parents were.

"That's wonderful. I knew your mother, we went to school together! How is she?" Mikoto moved back to the bowl to continue mixing what ever was inside it.

"I…don't know, she went away and didn't come back." Naruto hung her head waiting for the woman to kick her out now that she knew.

"Oh, Naruto! I'm so sorry," Mikoto quickly came back and hugged the small girl to her.

Naruto looked at Sasuke in surprise but didn't pull away from the embrace. Sasuke looked at the ceiling in exasperation at his mom and Naruto's confusion then grinned at her behind his mother's back.

"Mom, Naruto's dress was ripped and her Iruka won't be able to fix it so could you do it?" Sasuke asked remembering his promise to Naruto.

"Of course, dear. Why don't you show Naruto your room and get her a pair of pants so that I can get the skirt and sew it up properly? You should have some shorts left from last summer, they'll be too big but they'll fit better than this years," Mikoto suggested as she shooed them out of the kitchen. 'I just have to put the cake in and then I'll be able to do it." She turned away to do just that dismissing her son and his friend.

Naruto followed Sasuke through the house still awed by the size and niceness of it. There were framed pictures everywhere and little table with vase that held flowers, it was just so pretty that she was afraid that she would knock something over and Sasuke would have to tell her to leave. They went up a staircase then down a corridor that held several rooms before Sasuke finally opened the door to one of them. She peaked inside and saw that the walls were painted a lovely deep shade of blue and there were stars glued to the walls and ceiling, several clustered together to create patterns that mystified Naruto.

"Come on," Sasuke said then took her hand once more and pulled her into the room to shut the door behind them.

Naruto stood in the middle of the room and took in everything as Sasuke rummaged in her drawers looking for the short his mother suggested. Sasuke's bed had four long posts at each corner but the bedspread was the same deep blue but with planets strewn across it in a bright pattern and a telescope was set up so that he could look out his window and into the heavens. He had his own computer which took up one wall along with a TV and brand new games system. There were various posters hung all over the walls, depicting some famous people, wolves, and several that where of space itself. She had a hard time matching up the Sasuke she'd hung out with all day to a person whose room had dirty clothes scattered across it, the bed was rumpled and several balls as well as a bat was shoved into a corner. Sasuke wasn't a very neat house keeper and Naruto envied him that freedom because Iruka always made her clean her room, put her dirty clothed in the clothes hamper and make her bed before she had to go to school in the morning.

"Here," Sasuke said finally emerging from the draw holding up a pair of black short for Naruto. He tossed them to her before shuffling some of the clothes into a corner with his feet. "You can change in the bathroom."

"Where's the bathroom?" Naruto asked when he made no move to show her it.

"Heh, it's through there," he said and pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room.

Naruto nodded then remembered. "Oh, I have to call Iruka!"

"Right," Sasuke said then began to dig around the room coming up with a cord then pulling on it he found the phone.

"You have your own phone!" Naruto exclaimed taking the instrument from him.

"Yeah, don't you?"

"No!" She quickly dialed her phone number and waited for Iruka to answer.

"Naruto! I expected you home half an hour ago!" Iruka exclaimed in a loud shout which cause the girl to pull the phone away from her ear. "Where are you?"

"Iuka! Guess what? I made a friend today and he invited me over to his house. His mom is going to fix my skirt and I'm going to show him my secret place tomorrow if he's not in trouble." Naruto blurted almost all at once. The words seemed to run together in Naruto's rush to get them out.

Iruka calmed down enough and began the task of deciphering her words. "You made a friend?"

"Yes!"

"That's wonderful, honey! Why is his mom fixing your skirt, it was brand new?"

"Kiba pushed me down and it ripped! I couldn't go to school with a ripped skirt so I hid in the bushes."

"Then how did you meet this new friend?"

"He came and told me a story so that I would come out of the bushes. He used a pin to put the rip together so that it didn't get bigger and he came to class with me!"

"Oh, and your at his house? Who is he and who are his parents?"

"His name is Uchiha Sasuke and his mom is Mikoto. She says that she knew my mom a long time ago."

"Ahh, so she's fixing you skirt?"

"Yes, I have to go put on some shorts so that she can have the skirt and fix it properly." Naruto told him. "So is it alright if I stay for a while?"

"I suppose so, but you need to come home in an hour and a half. Kakashi is coming over for dinner tonight!"

Naruto groaned, "Iruka-a-a, he's always coming over."

"That's because we are family! Now unless you want to get on my bad side young woman I don't want to hear another word about it."

"Yes, sir. I'll come home in an hour and a half." She hung up the phone before he could say anything more and looked at Sasuke with a look that twisted up her lips in a cute little grimace.

"My Iruka has a crush on Kakashi and so he comes over nearly every night!" She groused.

"Is that bad?" Sasuke asked.

"No, but he's kind of…different. He always seems to be reading and when he isn't he pulls Iruka into the kitchen and kisses him." Naruto shuddered at the grossness of this before bouncing to the bathroom. "I've got to put these on so that your mom can fix my skirt." She disappeared only to emerge a few minutes later sans skirt and holding the top of the shorts up so that they didn't slip down. In the other hand was the skirt that Sasuke took and quickly ran down to his mom who had just finished getting the cake in.

"Sasuke." Sasuke halted at the sound of his father's voice coming from the direction of the study where he usually was working. Sasuke swallow his trepidation before shuffling his feet towards the room and the lecture that he had been dreading. Naruto had followed the boy and stood in the kitchen watching as Sasuke's shoulder drooped and a worried expression covered his face. She followed after him and listened at the door that he had shut behind him. Pressing her ear to the wood she held her breath so that she could hear better.

"I got a phone call from the school today. They said that you were late." A stern voice, in deep tones was speaking and the anger in it made Naruto really nervous for her Sasuke.

"Yes, sir."

"Why were you late?"

"I met a girl; she was hiding in the bushes because another boy had pushed her down and ripped her skirt. She didn't come out and I just couldn't leave her there." Sasuke explained with a surge of hope. Surely his father would understand.

"Nothing should stand in the way of your studies, boy, you know this. You should have just left the girl there and gone to school. Your schooling is more important than a piece of trash girl."

Naruto gasped and without thinking threw the door open and ran inside coming to a halt next to Sasuke.

"He was helping me!" she exclaimed as she drew up to her full height and squared her shoulders. "I was unhappy and he helped me! People should help each other!"

"Who is this?" the man at the desk said very aggrieved at the interruption.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto and Sasuke is my friend and my Iruka has always told me that friends help each other out!" She shouted at the man clearly incensed for being called trash.

"Quiet!" the man shouted then stood as Mikoto moved into the room to see why her husband was shouting. She saw a red faced Naruto who was nearly standing in front of her son like she was about to defend him. Naruto's jaw hardened but she kept her mouth closed.

Sasuke had never seen his dad shout before, usually his lectures were delivered with calm but stern messages that never fail to tell Sasuke just how disappointing he was, but his dad had shouted at Naruto and the girl didn't back down to his amazement.

"Uzumaki?" he asked the girl sitting back down in the chair. He studied the little chit who was glaring at him from wide blue eyes.

"Yes, dear, you remember I mentioned Uzumaki Kushina to you on several occasions. She married that Namikaze guy, Minato."

"Minato!" Sasuke's father studied the girl even more finally seeing the resemblance. "I haven't seen Minato since we graduated from school. He used to be my best friend. How is your father, girl?"

"He and my mother left and didn't come back," Naruto told him then looked back at him defiantly.

"What do you mean; he left and didn't come back? Is he dead?" Fugaku asked in irritation at the riddle the girl had just spewed.

"No, they aren't dead. They just left."

"That is ridiculous. Who is your guardian now? I would like to talk to him."

"Umino Iruka."

"Hn."

Naruto could now see where he got his grunt from because his dad sounded just like him when he did that. She nearly smiled but not quite because the man was still quite intimidating.

"I'll take you home when its time," Fugaku said in an unquestionable tone then turned away.

Sasuke knowing that the lecture was over and his dad had just dismissed them quickly pulled Naruto out of the door and back into the kitchen.

"You shouldn't have done that," he told her.

"Well, he shouldn't have called me trash. I'm not something that should just be thrown away!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hn."

"Hey! I'm not, Teme!"

"Well, then you shouldn't act like it by being so noisy all the time."

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed hurt then her fist flew out and connected with his chin solidly sending him sprawling. She turned and ran up the stairs. She would have run out the door except that his mom was fixing her skirt and she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to find the front door in this huge place. She made it to his room and into the bathroom where she closed and locked the door.

"Naruto!" Sasuke said from the other side of the door.

"Go away! I don't want to talk to someone who thinks that I'm trash!" Naruto yelled then jumped when he hammered on the door.

"Naruto, you can't stay in there."

"Then you should apo—appi—say your sorry!"

"I didn't call you trash so I don't need to say I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, you agreed with your dad!"

"I didn't."

"You said that I sh—shouldn't ac—act like it!" Naruto said then opened the door to peak out at him tear awash in her eyes showing him her misery.

Sasuke sighed knowing that those tears had won. He shrugged then held out his hand to her. She glared at him but took the hand anyway. He pulled her out of the bathroom and over to his bed where he sat down and pulled her down next to him so that he could hug her.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, I was angry and worried that my dad would yell at you some more so I said something I shouldn't have," he apologized then wiped her tears away.

She nodded but still looked dejected with her head down and her breath hitching in her chest as she tried to control her crying. Her hair was falling out of the hair bands and Sasuke tucked a couple of strands behind her ear. Then got an idea.

"Hey, would you like me to put you hair back up?" he asked.

She looked at him in surprise. The only one who did that was Iruka and only because she begged him to everyday before school, on the weekends she would just leave it in a tangled mess because it was easier than trying to brush all the knots and snarls out herself.

"O—okay," she hiccupped then shifted off the bed so that she was sitting between his feet on the floor to allow him to reach her head easier. Sasuke pulled the elastics out and picked up a comb then began working on getting the snarls out of her hair. He worked gently until it was smooth them gathered it up and parting it so that there were two halves. He combed the halves to the side then deftly put the elastics back in. Satisfied with the results he led her over to the mirror. She studied them then grinned at him making that warm feeling return.

"You're better at this than Iruka!" She hugged him tightly before letting go. "What are we going to do now?"

"Let's play go fish."

"Alright!'

They played several hands and Sasuke won every time much to Naruto's dismay.

"You're cheating," she accused after he had gathered up the cards after the last round.

"Uchiha's don't cheat," Sasuke said haughtily shuffling the cards once more.

"Naruto!" Mikoto called. "It's time for you to go home."

"Oh! Um," Naruto looked nervous as she stood. She went to the door and looked back at Sasuke. "Um…"

"Do you want me to go with you?" Sasuke asked amused at the uncertainty that was shadowing her face.

"Yes!" Naruto exclaimed before taking his hand and pulling him down the stairs. In the kitchen she looked at Fugaku who was waiting for her and said, "Sasuke is coming with me. I want to show him where I live." It was said in as firm a voice as she could make having heard the tone enough times from her Iruka.

The man smiled, rolled his eyes and nodded before turning away and striding through the house with Sasuke and his impertinent friend following. Sasuke just knew that his dad was going to yell at Naruto again and he didn't want that to happen so he whispered in her ear.

"Be nice. Talk to him like you do your teacher," he advised.

Naruto nodded knowing that she was being disrespectful and ducking her head. She definitely didn't want to get on Sasuke's dad's bad side because that would probably mean that Sasuke couldn't be her friends any more.

The drive to Iruka's took very little time and Naruto was stunned most of the way since she had been ushered into the limo. Her eyes became saucers and she tried her best to see everything at once. There was a small TV with a portable DVD player hooked up to it. Fugaku opened a small fridge and pulled out couple of sodas and handed them to Naruto and Sasuke and the whole thing was large and spacious leaving Naruto speechless.

Naruto led them up the stairs to her and Iruka's apartment feeling a little trepidation as she opened the door to let them in. She knew that her apartment was in no way able to compete with there place so she wasn't sure how to feel about it. Iruka was setting the table when they entered.

"Iruka!" Naruto chimed up and ran to him for a hug which he barely had time to turn and catch the girl in his arms for a squeeze back. He looked up in surprise seeing the two people hovering in the doorway.

"Oh! Hi, I wasn't expecting Naruto to bring home visitors," he said moving him and his clingy charge to toward the two.

"This is Sasuke!' Naruto immediately took up the mantle of introducing them. She grabbed his hand and pulled him forward so that he could be greeted by Iruka who shook his other unoccupied hand.

"Very pleased to meet you, Sasuke" Iruka said shaking his hand then looked up at the man who had to be his father. "You must be Sasuke's father."

The two shook hands, "Yes, I'm Uchiha Fugaku. Naruto was telling me about her family and it turns out that Minato and I were very good friends years ago and I was wondering if I could talk to you about that?"

Iruka studied the man carefully before nodding. "Let's talk in the kitchen where we can have some privacy." The two moved away and Naruto watched in irritation. She made to follow but Sasuke grabbed her before she got too far.

"I think that you shouldn't eavesdrop," he said keeping her next to him as they waited.

"Probably a good idea!" a voice came from behind them causing them to jump.

Naruto spun around and glared up at the silver haired annoyance. "Kakashi! Don't sneak up on me!"

"Naruto, you should pay attention to your surroundings more," he said.

Sasuke studied the newcomer with an up lifted eye brow. He was casually dressed in a black turtle neck and black slacks and he wore a black cloth mask that covered the lower half of his face. He had to agree with Naruto, the man seemed really weird to him. The guys eyes closed and squinted at them in a happy look and he held up his hand.

"Yo, I am Hatake Kakashi and you are?" he addressed Sasuke.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Uchiha, huh? Well, that's good. Naruto, I'm so happy that you made a friend and one that is so prestigious!" Kakashi wandered to an arm chair and sitting down he drew out a small orange novel.

"Icha Icha Paradise?" Naruto said looking at the title. "Didn't you read that last week?"

"Yes, and it's my favorite," Kakashi muttered not looking up from the book.

She threw Sasuke a look that clearly said 'see, weird.'

Sasuke nodded then turned back as Iruka and his father came back into the room.

"Oh, Kakashi you're here!" Iruka exclaimed clearly flustered by his presence and scrambling to get dinner ready.

"Sasuke, we should leave now. Naruto, it was a pleasure to meet you and you're welcome at our home any time," Fugaku said then ushered his son out the door.

Naruto felt a little lost now that Sasuke was gone she stood at the window and watched as he got into their car and drove away.

"Its okay, Naruto, you'll see him tomorrow," Kakashi comforted coming up to stand beside the small girl and placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded but didn't feel any better about him being gone. "Well, Iruka has made spaghetti so let us go and eat."

A/N: Well there it is in all its black and white glory! Wow, that is possibly the longest chapter that I have ever written, so far! I hope that you liked it. Please let me know by leaving a review or you can PM me, I don't mind. I love hearing from my fans and it helps to jump start that muse I was talking about earlier! But please don't flame, it hurts my feelers and I don't want to send Kakashi's ninja hounds after you. Also CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is okay (though sometimes it hurts, but I won't bite your head off for it--maybe :D--)

Well, I am going on vacation tomorrow and I won't be able to respond to review until Sunday. Please pray for me so that I don't get bitten by a snake, fall off a cliff, lost in a bottomless pit, or sunburnt (because I can be a complete idiot and forget the sunscreen). Oh, and I have started a new job so I probably won't be able to update as quickly as everyone is used to but I will try! Again, reviews help (hint, hint).

Thanks and Goodnight!

ZEN