AN: Apologies, I have no idea what brought on this bout of insanity but here you go. Enjoy. Any questions regarding anything you might find in this or later chapters, just PM me and I'll try to get back to you at least semi-promptly.

Warning: SasuNaru. First person POV, multi-character fic. I will be oscillating between Sasuke's POV and Naruto's POV, aiming to alternate chapters. To avoid confusion, each chapter will simply have a number and the person who's POV I'm currently writing in as the chapter title.

Initial grammar check completed but it was only a quickie. If you happen to spot anything that bothers you, just let me know.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

1: Sasuke

When Ibiki smirks like that, I know that we're in for a tough time. Normally, his face is pressed into a rigid mask of boredom as he repeats for what must be the hundredth time the important information we'll need to make it through the Biology exam gradually looming before us like an island in a misty sea. He has only smiled like this a handful of times, one memorable occasion being when Sabaku Gaara burnt off his eyebrows following a particularly terrifying incident with a highly unstable chemical formula and a Bunsen burner.

So yes, the following proceedings are probably going to inspire nightmares.

"I thought we'd have a little change of pace today," Ibiki begins, allowing his smirk to widen as he watches some of the students at the front of the class cringe. Gaara pointedly covers his forehead where his eyebrows have still failed to grow back.

"Instead of continuing on our current course, because I'm sure all of you are more or less over-prepared for this exam by now, I thought we'd look into something fascinating."

Oh God.

"Love."

The word rolls off of his lips like something rich, delicious and velvety, inspiring a ripple of curiosity and, yes, excitement amongst my peers. I breathe in slowly, allowing the air to circulate through my system before I relax and fix Ibiki with a disapproving scowl.

Love.

I haven't even heard what he has planned and already, with just the mention of that word, I've dismissed this lesson as completely pointless. If only Ibiki had thought to give us prior warning of the topic, I would have skipped out in a heartbeat.

Love.

This is a science class and I can define love in its scientific terms, spout off the chemicals that are released to promote the feeling of 'love' between two enamoured people. Aside from that, how is this topic relevant to my studies? If Ibiki is doing this to be nice before we're thrown into our exam, I'd have rather continued with the usual gruelling course material thank you very much.

"Now, first off, who here believes in love at first sight?"

There's a pause and a few people raise their hands. Interestingly, Gaara is one of the people that allows his hand to grace the air but then I suppose it's to be expected considering he has the character for love tattooed on his forehead like a statement. I pointedly keep my hand down.

I believe in lust at first sight.

That is something completely different.

And, if left uncontrolled, completely moronic.

Ibiki's eyes lock with mine and I feel dread pooling in my system. What could he possibly want to call me out on because lets face it, if a teacher meets your eyes, he's going to call you out for something?

"I see that Sasuke doesn't believe in love at first sight, care to tell us why?"

I stare at him and he merely beams back at me, his eyes endlessly amused. If the threat of expulsion didn't hang over my head, I'd be tempted to head to the front of the class just to backhand him for such ridiculousness.

Harsh? Yes, but I don't tolerate nonsense well.

"Love is simply the onset of various chemicals in our system to produce a reaction and encourage us to pro-create," I spew out heartlessly, not missing a beat. "I believe that one person can feel attracted to another during a first encounter but it can hardly be called 'love at first sight'"

Ibiki's nodding like he agrees with me but he's smirking like he's about to explain why I'm wrong.

I'm never wrong.

"Very well put Sasuke," Ibiki concedes. "It's true that the chemical reactions present when we first lay eyes on someone we are attracted to are important in defining love. The onset of lust, the inciting reaction leading to 'love' is supposed to occur between the first 60 seconds and the first 4 minutes of setting eyes on someone. The onset of 'love' generally takes more time."

He pauses to write something on the board and despite myself, I find that I'm absorbing this information like a sponge. Can it really only take 4 minutes to establish whether or not you want to screw somebody? Judging by how fast the scandals in this particular institution erupt, I suppose there is adequate evidence to support that theory.

"Obviously lust is a very potent and personal thing," Ibiki continues, his unnerving smile widening as he glances over at the enraptured class, a class normally pitted by drooling students, those frantically taking notes and a few bold people that choose to talk or text through Ibiki's lessons. Considering this is a university class, it's not Ibiki's job to ensure we pay attention but considering this particular subject matter, he seems to be enjoying the uncharacteristic attention.

"But," his voice lowers to a mere whisper and he leans forward, a glint in the dark depths of his eyes that reeks of mischievousness. "I can tell you the perfect formula for attracting the right kind of attention."

There's a pause literally long enough for the class to inhale as one before the disbelief erupts out of them like bubbling magma from a volcano top.

"Really?"

"What? What's this got to do with Biology?"

I couldn't agree more.

"This isn't going to involve further damage to my eyebrows is it?"

"I thought making date rape drugs was generally an illegal practice."

Ibiki chuckles, the laugh rumbling up from somewhere deep in his gut and his eyes crease slightly at the corners, the puckered skin of his scars bunching up in a rare way.

"I can assure you, we're not going to be manufacturing anything illegal today Mr Inuzuka," Ibiki confirms to a dumbstruck Kiba. I roll my eyes at the fool's back.

"No, what I'm talking about is the implication of a few secret techniques aimed to stimulate the correct responses from the person you so admire. What you have to keep in mind is these three things, that when someone is looking at you they will react to your body language primarily, second, the tone of your voice and only when attraction is established through these first two factors, the content of your speech or what you're actually saying."

A few people are looking dubious as he finishes his little revelatory speech and somehow, the class has been divided into those that have obviously experienced what Ibiki is talking about, looking wistful or empathetic, and those that honestly can't imagine being caught up in stuff outside of the content of someone's speech. Surely if someone were to say something stupid, that would put you off wanting to associate with them, right?

"To give you some idea of how important body language and tone of voice are to initiating lust, I'll give you a statistical example. Research has shown that a favourable reaction is garnered through: 55% body language, 38% tone of voice and only 7% speech content."

There are a few muffled comments quickly stifled rippling around the room and Ibiki's eyes are sharp, cutting into me as he passes back towards the board.

"What you have to remember my dear naïve pupils is that love is first and foremost a cocktail of chemicals, a drug – a physical response to something physical so of course it's the physical factors that are going to make the difference."

Ibiki pauses, allowing his eyes to rove across the room, pausing on Gaara who is looking somewhat defiant at the front of the class and then skimming back to me. Both of us, Gaara and I, are well known for our…less than hospitable natures. My acerbic, stand-offish attitude is something I've taken great pleasure in cultivating, a barrier that I've managed to erect between myself and the student body. Ibiki knows this and he knows exactly why I've chosen to erect such a barrier.

So why he's chosen today to change his usually passive attitude to the whole affair is beyond me but his eyes are like well-placed knives in my neck and I have to fight with everything I have to hold his gaze as defiantly as I can.

"With that in mind, I'd like you to consider the fact that no matter how immune a person may appear to the effects of the 'love drug', absolutely no-one, no-one is safe. Love is potentially the most dangerous drug known to man because unlike external, recreational drugs, people have no control over when this particular mix is let into their system. You are all, each and every one of you, a ticking time bomb."

There's a pregnant pause as the full weight of this statement is absorbed.

My eyes stay firmly fixed on Ibiki's even though I desperately have to fight the urge to blink and little coloured spots are starting to pop in my peripheral vision. I won't lose this particular staring match, he has to know that I think this is all a load of bullshit. Someone that succumbs to the drug like effects of lust has absolutely no self control whatsoever.

I am an Uchiha and Uchihas have perfect self control.

Ibiki breaks eye contact.

"Now, who can tell me the specific chemicals used to make up the love drug?"

I was right, the following proceedings are truly going to inspire nightmares.

I stare into the bathroom mirror, fixing myself with the same callous expression I fix everyone else with, hoping to see my practiced nonchalance from a third party perspective to insure I'm giving off the right signals. It's more important that people understand how much I do not care about them or what they have to say if I'm really going to make an appearance at this party.

Dead black eyes stare at me from the mirror's reflective surface, pleasingly shaped and pleasingly uninviting. My mouth is set in a non-committal line, neither betraying discomfort or eagerness, only confirming my complete passiveness to the on-going train wreck that is sure to be this evening.

Ibiki's comment about body language in our science class floats around my head like a poisonous parasite as I regard myself, thinking about the messages I'm sending to the general populace.

55% body language.

Letting my eyes rove downwards, I meticulously begin to check my outfit and by semi-subconscious extension, the set of my shoulders, purposefully shifting them so they don't appear too stiff. Stiffness in the shoulders would probably make me seem uncomfortable, uncommonly alert, flustered.

Uchihas are never flustered.

The fabric of my navy blue shirt sits well on my torso and I move experimentally to make sure I'm not going to give any of the fan girls that are sure to show up something to squeal about.

Words cannot express how much I loathe those fan girls.

It's not like I can help the way I look or my completely hostile nature, a turn on to the female populace according to the sociology book I borrowed from the library last year to read up on why I was being stalked by the rabid female masses. The more I fling out biting comments or pointedly ignore whoever dares approach me, the more these girls seem to lay on the sickening charm, it's infuriating. The sociology book explained that, to women, my stoic demeanour can appear cool and that through condescending comments and general nonchalance; I'm presenting a challenge for the girls to try and delve beneath this hostility to find the sensitive truth. The girl that gets me to open up is ultimately the winner and in the process of getting me to open up, they form a strong emotional bond with me, something that they, as females, naturally crave.

Either the book was written by a maniac or I need to start acting less stoic.

…I should write a strongly worded letter to the university library service about lending out books written by maniacs.

Glancing down at my hands in the mirror, I allow my nose to wrinkle in mild annoyance, noting that they're balled at my sides, my arms pinned rigidly to the edge of my torso like I'm about to march out in a military parade. I suppose, thinking about body language, that this would give off the impression, to someone with no sense, that I might want to brawl…or something…

Uchihas don't brawl.

If we did, I probably would have gotten into many more altercations during my time at university. With the love of the insolent fan girls, the other guys that might have been perfectly amiable to me otherwise tend to greet me with scowls and whispered comments about my sexuality.

Just because I don't particularly want to associate myself with any of those dithering, twittering little girls…or anyone for that matter…they all think I'm some sort of closet gay.

Having briefly pondered the nature of my sexuality during high school, because to waste any more than a brief amount of time on something so meaningless is somewhat beneath me, I came to the respectable conclusion that I am asexual.

I do not and will not care for anyone.

I have my own goals to accomplish, more important things to occupy myself with.

With that in mind, I'd like you to consider the fact that no matter how immune a person may appear to the effects of the 'love drug', absolutely no-one, no-one is safe.

Perhaps I am truly the only 'safe' person on the planet.

A knock on the bathroom door disturbs my musings and, deeming myself presentable enough, I trudge forward to open the door to my housemate. Suigetsu is wearing the same sort of smile that Ibiki was wearing earlier.

I think for today especially, it would not be an over-exaggeration to state that this smile is the harbinger of doom. I really should look into taking life insurance.

"Do you know how long you've been in that bathroom?"

In answer to that question, I give Suigestu a pointed glare and make to close the bathroom door in his face but at the last possible moment, Tobi lunges forward, hopping from one foot to the other and cupping his crotch animatedly.

Suigestsu's usually stoic façade morphs into a cruel smirk.

"If you don't let him pee now, he'll only do it somewhere else in the house and I for one have no qualms about directing him towards your bed."

I open my mouth to argue but thankfully, the irksomely loud sound of a zip being opened alerts me to the fact that Tobi is preparing to pee regardless of whether or not I remain in the bathroom and I slam the door shut behind me as I give in, shuddering involuntarily as Tobi starts whistling from inside the bathroom.

"Just what did I do to deserve housemates like you weirdos?" I ask rhetorically, listening to the inflections apparent in my voice as I address the only person I have ever really been able to tolerate for more than a few minutes.

38% tone of voice.

Interestingly enough, a frown creases Suigetsu's pale eyebrows, his lips turning down at the corners slightly as he contemplates what I've just said, innocent enough words but my voice was a little sharp.

Alright, I admit it, I'm experimenting a little.

"What's got you so grumpy?" Suigetsu asks, his own voice sounding as belligerent as usual. He smirks again as something seems to come to light in his mind.

"Could it be because of the party this evening?"

I feel my mood darken considerably at being reminded of this evening's heinous activities and it takes every effort not to let my face drop into a full on scowl, something that's sure to reflect a reaction I don't want Suigetsu to know about.

When his smirk falters slightly, I know I've managed to pull off apathy.

"No," I say curtly, stalking to my room to finish my preparations for this evening, namely checking the angle of my hair and finding a belt to keep my dark trousers in place.

I have only a few minutes of blissful peace before Tobi throws the door open, bouncing into my room uninvited and throwing himself on my bed, bouncing up and down. I wince inwardly.

Both Suigestu and Tobi are inherited housemates that I found via the notice board at university at the end of my first year. Suigetsu, like me, is a second year that didn't want to board with his course mates so opted to go for a random room whereas Tobi is technically our senior, a previous third year staying on to do his Masters in God only knows what and his friends have all graduated, leaving him to fend for himself.

For a few days after the initial move, my life was a wonderful cacophony of beautiful silence but then Tobi broached the verbal barrier over breakfast one morning and has been bothering me with his unique brand of insanity ever since.

"Remind me again why I agreed to this?" I hiss at Suigestu, who has come to stand beside me, out of the corner of my mouth as he watches Tobi slip over the edge of my bed so his head is hanging upside down and his feet are pointed up towards my Artexed ceiling.

"Because Tobi threatened to start stalking you in earnest if you refused," Suigetsu reminds me instantly, keeping his eyes fixed on Tobi's giggling form.

"Among other things," he adds ominously, evoking another shudder on my part as the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I briefly indulge myself in the idea of feigning a migraine and crawling under the covers of my bed to drop into the blissful oblivion of stress induced sleep but the thought of having to see Tobi all the time, everywhere…listening to that inane chatter…putting up with the stupid little songs he insists on making up…all the time…

"Let's go already," I snap in a prickly manner, grabbing my formal black shoes and heading for the door.

Tobi promptly squeals like one of those God awful fan girls and surges forward at inhuman speeds and I don't need to have eyes in the back of my head to know that Suigetsu's expression is highly amused.

It takes me less than 2 minutes to lose both Suigetsu, the one person I was planning on staying attached to all night, and Tobi, thankfully. On arrival, I'm immediately ambushed by a couple of waiting fan girls who promptly set about complimenting my clothes:

"I found these at the back of my closet and threw them on."

My hair:

"It always looks like this."

My skin:

"Stop staring at me like that or I will eviscerate you."

And my physique:

"Touch me again and I will eviscerate you."

When they're not trying to butter me up with compliments, they're dithering uselessly at the edge of the crowd twirling loose strands of hair in their fingers or talking animatedly about the weather which has been the same for the last 3 weeks straight. I fix them all with the iciest look I can manage, hoping to fend them off a little but as usual, this doesn't work and neither does outright ignoring them.

Weirdly enough, Ibiki's words from today's science class are still circling in my head like some sort of thought vulture, waiting to prey on any other, much more useful, thoughts I might have today.

'No-one is safe.'

For perhaps the first time ever, I take a good long look at the girls that usually swamp me and after a few seconds of serious analysing, watching the way one of them will bite their lip or avert their eyes shyly, I feel my nose wrinkle in vague disgust.

If I was ever in danger of falling in 'love' with any of them, I think I'd shoot myself.

No, really.

"So Sasuke are…are you prepared for the exams?"

I give a cursory glance to the girl in front of me, noting that it's a girl from my class called Sakura. Although I have to dig deep into the recesses of my memory to extract the necessary information on this girl (they all blur into one when they flock me), I recall that she's actually quite intelligent, always answering questions in class.

I open my mouth to give her a pretty acerbic answer, something aimed to shut her down from further conversation when something happens.

The world shifts.

My breath hitches.

My heart thuds in my chest like an explosion, pressing uncomfortably tight against my rib cage and I'm suddenly painfully aware of the fabric against my tingling skin.

My eyes are transfixed on the person before me, weaving through the crowd with a couple of drinks and a vaguely irritated look on his face.

55% body language.

He walks with sure steps, planting his feet solidly before angling himself forward, creating a path for himself where there may not have necessarily been a path. His hands are wrapped firmly around the drinks he's carrying, keeping them perfectly balanced as he moves, no mean feat in this heavy crowd. His eyes are the most vibrant shade of blue I have ever seen, alight with a challenging gaze directed at anyone that tries to get in his way. Every time someone steps too close to his feet, his lip quirks up in a half snarl, revealing a brief glimpse of his teeth. His hair is a bright, almost obnoxious shade of blonde and if not for the eyebrows adorning the lower edge of his forehead, I might have gone so far as to say that it couldn't be natural. As he makes it to the edge of the crowd, I can just make out three thin lines adorning each tanned cheek like whisker marks equally spaced.

"Yo, Sakura!" He calls out, his expression morphing from vague annoyance into genuine glee. The change is so fast and his expression is so sincere, I actually stagger back a little to the general anxious cooing of the females around me.

Without really thinking about it, I clutch at my chest where my heart seems to be trying to escape.

38% tone of voice.

The way he says her name with the eager inflection on the 'a' makes heat burn through my system. Before I can stop myself, I'm imagining the way he might say my name, with that same eager inflection on the 'e' at the end. Could I perhaps coax him to say my name in a different way? Could I provoke him to let my name out as a sigh, a breath with the hint of my name running through it like it's been woven into the air? Could I make him stutter it as I explore his sensiti-

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Sakura throws me a concerned look as she watches me go so painfully still, turning as she hears him calling and grinning as he hands her the drink.

"Thanks Naruto," she says and takes a long gulp of alcohol.

Naruto.

Naruto.

Naruto.

I open my mouth to say something but realise I have no reason to speak. I don't know this guy, I wouldn't normally talk to him.

How the hell do I normally talk anyway?

Naruto slings his arm around Sakura's shoulders, the grin on his face broad. I can't help but notice the set of the muscles on his arm, lean but sturdy and as he angles himself in towards Sakura, the shirt he's wearing rides up slightly, revealing the edge of a tanned torso.

Its like magnets have been attached to my eyes and that tiny, naked edge has the only polar opposite to those magnets in the world.

Somewhere in my addled mind, I realise that this blatant staring has got to be creepy.

Somewhere else in my addled mind, I wonder if someone managed to slip me drugs before we left the house.

"Who's your friend?" Naruto asks and for the first time, his eyes find mine.

Endless, limitless blue.

Like looking at the sky in high summer.

So vivid I can almost feel the heat rolling out of those eyes, encompassing me.

For a few seconds, I'm only aware of those azure pools, not the lights around us, not the people and then some synapse fires in the recesses of my brain and I am suddenly painfully aware of my face and how it must look to this…this…

Luckily, I'm not a naturally expressive person. Aside from the fact that my eyes are slightly wide and my lips are parted, I don't look much different from normal. Somehow, I'm able to drag the mask of nonchalance back in place, focussing on making sure that my lips are set in the usual indefinite line.

I wonder if my acerbic nature will have the same effect on this walking work of art as it usually does on the petty fan girls.

Wait…why should I care?

The onset of lust, the inciting reaction leading to 'love' is supposed to occur between the first 60 seconds and the first 4 minutes of setting eyes on someone.

How long has it been since I set eyes on this guy? Why do I feel this way? If I avert my gaze now, will I stop feeling like this? Can I save myself?

No-one is safe.

"Oh, Naruto, this is Sasuke Uchiha, Sasuke, this is my friend Naruto Uzumaki."

I'm trying to tear my eyes away from those brilliant blue eyes but despite my self-control, I'm completely unable to, held fast. His eyes widen slightly as Sakura says my name, almost as though he's realised something.

"So this is the famous Sasuke Uchiha," he says, his expression turning playful as he elbows Sakura in the ribs. She flushes bright crimson and stares pointedly at the floor, her shoulders stiffening considerably. The colour clashes horrendously with the pastel pink of her hair.

Not that I notice.

He said my name.

It echoes through my empty head, on a loop like a broken record. The sound of it sends shivers from the tip of my spine to the small of my back.

"Naruto," Sakura hisses, shooting me horrified looks from beneath her lashes.

Naruto chuckles amiably and it's like the Goddamn sun's come out. His happiness is infectious and before I can help myself, I can feel a small smile tugging at the corners of my own mouth, pulling my face into an entirely foreign expression.

What the hell is wrong with me?

"Ah sorry, it's nice to finally meet you Sasuke, Sakura talks about you all the time."

In a sudden display of brutal rage, Sakura lifts her leg and stamps on his foot. I wince slightly when I realise she's wearing heels and Naruto's face contorts slightly before the yelp escapes his lips and he recoils from his overly familiar stance by her shoulder.

"Ow, geez Sakura," he complains openly, hopping gingerly on one foot.

I blink at the whole thing…

…and inwardly face palm.

He's an idiot.

A tactless idiot.

7% speech content.

"Tch, moron," I mutter disbelievingly under my breath, alarmed when the word falls in the air between us like a lead weight. Naruto looks like he's about to lay on the melodrama thick because Sakura's looking slightly apologetic but he pauses when he hears the word and his eyes…

…they burn.

"What did you just say?" he asks in a warning tone and the deeper tenor of his voice causes a stirring of something powerful inside me, my gut squirms in an entirely new sensation.

I want to take it back, panicking slightly that he'll get the wrong impression because of one misplaced word, the only thing I've been able to say but I'm an Uchiha.

I can't take it back.

Which means the only thing I can do now is plough on forward.

"I said you were a moron."

Why? Why am I saying these things? My mouth is running off by itself! Someone stop me, Suigetsu, Tobi…anyone!

Naruto snarls at me, dropping his injured foot back onto the ground with ease and squaring his shoulders so I can follow the line of his defined physique beneath his T-shirt. As he bares his teeth, the whisker marks on his cheeks tilt up and in the light, they seem more defined, wider.

"Where the hell did that come from? I just met you, bastard!"

He's being overly defensive. If I was in my right mind right now, I might have been able to pick up on why but my breath is starting to come in shallow little gasps, I can feel a film of sweat coating my forehead. This anger that he's directing towards me is both intensely thrilling and at the same time terrifying.

Sakura is glancing from both me to Naruto with a seriously confused look on her face.

I don't blame her.

I feel like I'm watching through my own eyes as someone else takes control. I can feel my facial expression contort until I'm fixing Naruto with the look of superiority I only ever save for Suigetsu when he's done something particularly stupid.

"I take it Sakura is a good friend of yours and you just openly embarrassed her. If that is not a moronic thing to do then I don't know what is," I reel off easily, waiting until I can see he's really steamed before adding cruelly:

"Ultimate moron."

The next few moments seem to happen in slow motion. The anger that erupts from him is raw, feral, animalistic and completely explosive. In an instant he's dropped his stance and has thrown out a punch and the only thing I have time to register is the slightly golden hue of his skin as his knuckles crash against the side of my cheek. Bones connect and stars burst behind my eyes as I'm thrown backwards, hurled into a few of the fan girls still standing behind me.

Silence falls over the group, punctuated by the rhythmic pulse of the music behind us. I blink through the crippling pain throbbing through my cheek.

I'm going to have a black eye tomorrow.

Naruto is glaring at me and his eyes are hard making those endless pools of blue into azure sapphires.

He really is a moron.

Who gets so heated up at a few rude words at a party?

Maybe I hit a nerve?

I know I should be furious with him. I guess I am, a complete stranger having the gall to hit me after only exchanging a few words with me. So brash, so powerful…

So exciting.

His breath is hard and heavy as he stands above me and I'm able to watch as the fury dissipates, the expression of intense anger washing away into one of serious regret and fright.

"Oh, Sasuke, I'm so sorr-

"You punch like a fucking girl."

Seriously, who is controlling my Goddamn vocal chords because it sure as hell isn't me! Never in a million years would I respond to an apology like that, with apathy maybe, with a curt nod if I'm feeling forgiving but…but with a taunt? And since when do I swear?

I feel a brief flare of sadistic satisfaction as the fire re-kindles in his eyes and despite Sakura's strangled pleas, he strides forwards until he's straddling my legs. His tan hand reaches down to grip the front of my shirt, hauling me up so his hot, slightly alcohol tinged breath rushes over my face.

The scent of him makes my thoughts scramble, like my brain's been put in a blender.

"What the hell is your problem asshole?" he growls out and the low, guttural tone in his throat makes me shiver.

For a few seconds more we're locked in this stalemate, him watching me with barely controlled rage and me watching him with a look of disdain. The world around us has dissolved and warped until there's no-one but me and him, no beginning and no end to this confrontation – we're like the two sides of the yin and yang.

Then, as I catch a glimpse of Suigetsu in my peripheral vision, the spell is broken. Naruto is dragged off of me and his fist relinquishes my shirt.

I can do nothing but speculate as Naruto squirms in Suigetsu's grasp, still angry enough to want to threaten me, his expression murderous.

"Oi, calm down will you?" Suigetsu's voice seems amplified somehow and I wonder if it's because the bruising on my face is already starting to warp the way sound is interpreted in my damaged hearing system.

Naruto manages to throw him off but doesn't come for me again, his eyes averting.

"He started it," Naruto says and his voice is childish.

Hm, can't argue with him though.

I make a point of struggling to sit up, preparing to continue this verbal sparring, to fight for my pride but before we can get into it, he's pivoted on one foot and stormed off into the weaving crowd.

My eyes widen slightly in shock.

No…don't go…

I've frozen in place, utterly dumbstruck. Time has paused as he retreats and somehow I just can't understand how he could have left like that.

It's weird, I mean…just because I've…reacted to him the way I have, doesn't mean I've now got him on some sort of leash. If I was going to pick on what is obviously a sore subject with him then obviously, at some point in time, he was going to leave.

Will I ever see him again?

I can feel Suigetsu's hands under my arms, hauling me up. The back of my trousers is sticky from the residue of alcohol spilled over the hard floor during the evening and my cheek is thrumming.

I can still remember the feel of his hand as it impacted my face, the heat of skin before the shock of the collision took over everything else and pain drowned out the sensation.

"Oi Sasuke, did he give you a concussion or something?" Suigetsu is asking, snapping fingers in front of my face and simultaneously fending off the fan girls desperate to make sure I'm okay.

My eyes are trained to the last place I saw him and the whole thing is like some amped up, over-emotional nightmare.

"Something…" I mutter indefinitely, bringing one of my hands to my cheek to feel at the puffy flesh.

No-one is safe.

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, if you have the time, please do drop a review. I always appreciate it.

Thanks!