I don't own Naruto. There. Said it. Done with. You made me admit it. Happy now?

::pouts::

I have no idea where this idea came from…scary what my mind thinks of at 2:00 in the morning. Not that my mind isn't scary anyway…

Well, this is shounen-ai. Don't like, don't read.

I don't think I use any Japanese words in it except for "-sensei" (which means teacher), and "dobe" (dead-last).

Once again, it's Sasuke x Naruto pairing. And a bitchy Sakura. You have been warned.

Edited/fixed. There used to be a second chapter, but because it seemed to disturb quite a lot of people and I, myself, wasn't too happy with it, I took it down.

Because I Love You

Naruto nervously walked to the bridge, but without his green vest on. Yes, he was a Jounin now. At 16, he had grown taller and his muscles stood out a little more. He was still a bit wild and brash, but not as much as before. Surprisingly, he had been the first on Team 7 to be promoted to Chuunin, and again at Jounin level.

Everyone had expected Sasuke would end up one before him…Naruto guessed it had something to do with bringing the boy back four years ago when he went out after Orochimaru. That, and when Naruto organized a search party when Sasuke disappeared to go find his brother.

Naruto sighed and raked a hand through his still spiky, blond hair. That had almost ended in disaster. They found Sasuke, alive by a thread, laying near the dead body of one Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke never spoke of what happened, and despite his curious nature, Naruto never asked. Instead, he tried to get the boy to open up more.

Sasuke thought he was going to die fighting his brother…and couldn't see anything past it. It was Naruto that brought him out of the empty void he had been living in for months after that battle by reminding him that there were other things to live for.

That was two years ago, when the two of them were Chuunin. Following the mission to retrieve Sasuke from Itachi, Naruto was promoted to Jounin by Tsunade. Half a year later, the Jounin exams rolled around and Sasuke passed that. By that time, Sakura had finally managed to make Chuunin…mostly because Tsunade started to train her in healing and it were those skills that impressed the judges.

Sakura had no ambitions to become a Jounin. She wanted to be a healer instead. So, she trained for that…and passed. The amount of field-medic-nins were at an all time low, so everyone was grateful to have another. Her mother was so proud that she invited the old Team 7 for dinner as a celebration since Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto had helped her train for the medic exam.

That was what Naruto was nervous about.

He had been out to eat many times…but that was with Iruka, and at the Ichiraku Ramen House.

Now, he was wearing a maroon t-shirt haphazardly tucked into baggy khaki pants with a black belt holding them up.

"You're early."

Naruto looked up and saw Sasuke approach.

The other boy hadn't grown as much as Naruto had; they were at the same eyelevel now. His hair was still the same, and he wore a deep blue button down shirt with black pants. He had his arms crossed and sat himself on the rail of the bridge with a bored expression. The only visible sign of his battle with Itachi was a scar on the back of his left hand from overuse of the Chidori.

"Yea…well…" Naruto shrugged, then hoisted himself up on the rail as well.

"I wasn't aware that you owned anything but orange." Sasuke grunted. "You even wear an orange outfit under your vest."

Naruto scowled at him, but all in good nature. The two had become more of friends since the 'Itachi incident'. Naruto had even explained to the dark-haired boy about the Kyuubi being sealed in him during an attempt to get the teen to open up after Itachi's death. He figured having Sasuke hate him was better than the boy walking around in a zombie-like state. Surprisingly, Sasuke didn't hate him for it. Naruto was actually grateful.

"Yo."

"You're…on time?" Naruto pointed at the owner of the new voice. "And why are you wearing your Jounin stuff! We're going to Sakura's house for dinner as a celebration!"

"Actually, a mission came up," Kakashi said casually, "So I can't make it. I already told Sakura. She didn't mind, actually…"

Naruto rolled his eyes, and then saw Sasuke do the same.

"Ja!" Kakashi smiled, and poofed.

Naruto glared at the spot. "So…we've been waiting here for the past hour for him to show, only to have him tell us that he isn't coming?"

"You heard him." Sasuke hopped off the railing and stuck his hands in his pockets as he started to walk to Sakura's house. "He has a mission…"

Naruto rolled his eyes and followed the other teen. "Oh, yea…like I'm believing that after what I saw last week…" he immediately clamped his mouth shut.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him.

Naruto cleared his throat and tried to change the topic of conversation. "So…are you taking the ANBU test?"

"I don't know, and don't change the subject. What do you mean, 'after what I saw'?"

Naruto laughed nervously. "Nothing, nothing!"

"Spill it."

"Since when do you go into gossip?"

"Since when do you have secrets?"

"Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei will kill me if I tell!" Naruto shot back, then gulped and looked frightened. "Oops…"

Sasuke stared at him. "So…it concerns them…together?" He frowned in thought, then glanced at the blushing blond. "Let me guess. As a couple."

Naruto blushed deeper and whimpered. "Don't tell anyone? They'll really kill me!"

Sasuke smirked. "Hmm…"

"Sasuke~!" Naruto whined.

"I won't tell, idiot." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Naruto pouted, then the nervousness crept into his eyes once more as they reached Sakura's house.

Sasuke looked at Naruto expectantly, only to find that the boy had frozen for some reason. With a sigh, he knocked on the door.

A slightly plump, kind looking woman with long rose-colored hair wearing a dress opened the door and smiled at them. "Ah! I was wondering when you two were coming!"

"Sorry we're late," Sasuke stated, then entered the house and removed his shoes at the woman's inviting gesture. "…but our sensei had something to take care of, and came late to tell us."

The woman, obviously Sakura's mother, nodded. "I heard…" she glared a little past Sasuke at Naruto, but then smiled. "Come in!"

Naruto smiled nervously back and nearly tripped over the doorway, then removed his shoes with a blush of embarrassment. Okay…so she glared at me. She knows I've got the Kyuubi…I wonder if Sakura meant that she'd really kill me if I messed up this dinner when she invited us earlier this week…

Mrs. Haruna invited them in and offered them to sit at the table. Sakura was already seated there, talking excitedly to her father.

Sakura stopped and smiled radiantly at the two boys. "Sasuke-kun! Naruto! Good evening!"

Sasuke nodded in response.

Naruto stammered out his, "G-good evening…"

Sasuke took a seat across from Mrs. Haruna, while Naruto took the seat next to him, across from Sakura. Sakura's father sat at the head of the table. After a little speech and a toast, Mrs. Haruna served the meal.

Naruto tried to make some jokes, but they were quickly shot down by glares and Sakura's shouts. A couple were deemed 'inappropriate for the table'. Naruto didn't understand why. He talked to Iruka about the mating habits of frogs all the time since the frogs just about forced him to learn about it.

Sakura was talking animatedly, and throwing loving looks at Sasuke once in a while (which he pointedly ignored). She had grown older, yes, but hadn't given up on Sasuke as a loved one. When she confronted him about it, he had said he loved someone else. She thought it was just him playing 'hard to get' or trying to get her off his back like always, so she just doubled her efforts.

"…and then, Hinata had a brilliant idea of how to…!" Sakura was chatting, occasionally eating at her salad.

Mrs. Haruna was glaring at Naruto. "Is there something wrong with the food, young man?"

"Er…no, no!" Naruto shook his hands wildly…and knocked his glass off the table. With a yelp and reflexes he could only pull off as a Jounin, he managed to catch it before it hit the ground.

Sakura was sending him a glare that was almost as deadly as the one Mrs. Haruna held. Mr. Haruna didn't look too pleased, either, and pointedly ignored Naruto's presence altogether.

"S-sorry…" Naruto gulped, then shifted nervously and put the glass back on the table as he went back to the reason he wasn't eating: There were at least three different forks, two different spoons, and two different knives sitting on the table on either side of his plate. And for the life of him, he didn't know which fork to pick up to use for the salad.

"The small one."

Naruto blinked and looked over at Sasuke when the whisper came.

Sasuke discretely showed Naruto the small fork he was using for the salad.

Naruto smiled in thanks and picked up his small fork, then stabbed a piece of lettuce. Then, he discovered he had another problem. He wasn't exactly known to have perfect eating habits…not to mention that he didn't like fruits and vegetables. To make matters worse, Mrs. Haruna was looking like she was going to kill him. Gulping, Naruto nibbled on the lettuce, then just gave up and put the thing in his mouth, trying not to make a face as he chewed and swallowed it. Everyone was staring at him.

"Have you no table manners?" Mrs. Haruna barked.

Naruto blinked. "U-um…?"

Sakura sighed. "Naruto…chew your food with your mouth closed!"

Naruto turned red and nodded, quickly doing what he was told even though he could feel himself rapidly losing his appetite. In fact, he felt a little sick and wished everyone would stop staring at him…or glaring, in the case of the Haruna family.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto jumped, then looked at Sakura. "Y-yea?"

"I said, pass the juice!" Sakura huffed.

"S-sorry!" Naruto yelped, and shakily went to do so…

…but ended up spilling it in his haste, splashing grape juice all over the white table cloth.

"Gyaa!" Naruto yelped. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…! I'll clean it up…!" He grabbed his napkin to stop it from oozing all over the place, which just made Sakura shout at him more.

Something about special, decorative white napkins and stains…

Sasuke buried his head in his hand. I don't believe this…it's like he's never eaten over someone else's house before…

Sakura's shouting was only outmatched by her mother's. Her father was still ignoring Naruto, though his jaw was turning slightly white from clenching his teeth so tightly.

In Naruto's haste to fix the damage, he tripped over the chair and flailed, whacking Sasuke in the arm which caused the boy to lose his grip on his fork, which nearly impaled Mrs. Haruna like one of his kunai would. Instead, it got stuck in the back wall as Naruto fell onto the ground, but not before making one last attempt to not fall over. He ended up grabbing the table cloth. Well…one can only imagine what happened after that. Everything went crashing down onto the poor boy while everyone else jumped away from the table so as not to get food on them…though it was certainly too late to avoid all damages. One word could be heard for miles.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto sat on the porch outside, his knees drawn to his chest. After he had been (none too nicely) kicked out of the house, he waited in hopes that they would invite him back in. They wouldn't just leave him out there, would they? He sighed and buried his head in his arms. He had never seen Sakura so angry. He cursed his stupid luck for making him an orphan. For not knowing how to properly act at the table. Tears ran down his cheeks, and he bit his lip. He didn't even hear the door open and close again.

"You still out here, dumbass?"

"Sh-shut up, Sasuke." Naruto gulped back tears unsuccessfully. "I don't wanna deal with you right now."

Sasuke frowned and walked over to where the trembling boy sat, then just stood there, his gaze upward at the starry night sky.

"I thought I told you to go away." Naruto sniffled.

"It's a free world…I can do what I want." Sasuke shrugged.

"Bastard."

"So you'd rather sulk out here?" Sasuke looked at the boy.

"I'm not welcome inside. You saw how they glared at me."

"Well, you did cause a mess…"

"I didn't mean to…I was nervous…they kept staring at me like I was a monster…and I'd never been to a dinner with anyone before! Nothing fancy, at least!"

"Never?"

"Didn't you hear me the first time?" Naruto wiped his eyes in a futile effort.

"Hn."

"Why are you out here, anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Felt like it." Sasuke shrugged. "Besides…Sakura was starting to annoy me. Her mother actually suggested we get married."

It was said with such disgust that Naruto looked up. "You…said 'no'?"

"I walked out." Sasuke grunted, then sat down next to the boy.

"Won't she go after you?" Naruto asked.

"Not after the way I glared at her. Not to mention that they know you're here, and they won't go near you."

Naruto let a few more tears slip down his face before replying, "You could have hurt her feelings…"

"She hurt yours, and she doesn't give a damn," Sasuke pointed out.

"Yea, but…"

"Che…you're such an idiot. Worrying about other people…" Sasuke grunted.

Naruto pouted, then wiped his eyes again and stared up at the sky. "Sasuke…?"

"What?"

"Isn't there anyone you…ya know…like?"

Sasuke didn't answer right away.

"Sasuke…?"

"Yea…there is," Sasuke replied. "That person may not like me back…but yea."

Naruto gazed somewhat sullenly at the ground. "Oh."

Sasuke frowned. "What's with that tone?"

"N-nothing…"

Silence again.

"Who do you like?"

Naruto nearly choked. "E-eh!"

"You obviously don't love Sakura anymore…"

"That was just puppy love…"

"…and you aren't interested in Hinata…"

"She's with Kiba now, remember…?"

"…yet you sigh like some lovesick fool sometimes."

"You were spying on me?"

"I was training in the forest, and you happened to be just a little bit away."

Naruto scowled, but it was half-heartedly as he put his head in his arms that rested on his knees. "What does it matter? The person I like already likes someone else."

"Hn…who does this person like?"

"Dunno…but it definitely can't be me. Nobody would love me."

Sasuke looked taken aback. "What did you say? Since when do you fall into self-pity!"

"It's true, isn't it?" Naruto looked at him with watery eyes. "As soon as anyone would find out about the Kyuubi, they'd run away. Look at what Sakura did when she found out. She avoided me for weeks on end. Hinata was almost afraid to talk to me."

Sasuke stood up. "Come with me."

"Eh?"

Sasuke held out his hand. "I want to show you something."

Naruto frowned, then glanced back at the house.

"They aren't going to let you back in," Sasuke stated, "And I have no intention of going back in there. Are you coming, or not?" He had retracted his hand, and started to walk away.

Naruto wiped his eyes and got to his feet, curiosity winning. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

They stopped at the edge of a lake in the forest.

"This place is pretty cool…there's a bigger lake on the other side…" Naruto said absently.

"I used to come here a lot when I was younger." Sasuke idly dipped his hand into the water, sitting on the bank, a lost look in his eyes. "…with Itachi."

Naruto instantly quieted down and took a seat near the normally stoic boy.

"When I was little…I had slipped into the lake. I couldn't swim. Itachi was the one who saved me," Sasuke whispered, and pulled his hand out of the water. "Then, he brought me back here…and taught me how to swim." Tears pooled at the edges of his eyes.

Naruto listened quietly, not trusting his voice…not knowing what to say.

"I looked up to him so much…" Sasuke whispered. "…but then…he killed everyone. He made me hate him…made me strive to get stronger…that's why he did it. That's what he told me that day when I should have died. My final battle with him."

Naruto had edged closer when he saw a tear roll down Sasuke's cheek.

"He was dying," Sasuke continued, "Since before then…from a disease."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"That's why he joined Akatsuki. To find a powerful Jutsu or something to cure him. That's why he wanted the Kyuubi…because it may cure him. But he couldn't…so he continued to get me to hate him, every time we met…like that time in the city when they came after you…"

Sasuke's voice cracked, but he ploughed on. "…And I never knew. He wanted to die fighting. And he wanted someone worthy to fight…someone who could match his Menge Sharingan. He told me that I was the only one who could do that. That day…the day you found us…we fought to the death. I didn't know…as I drove my kunai into his chest…but he told me. He told me everything."

The tears were now rolling steadily down Sasuke's face. "His last words to me…the last words he said…the last thing he said to me was… 'I love you…and thank you'."

Tears in his eyes, Naruto slowly wrapped his arms around Sasuke. When he met with no resistance, he held the boy in a tight embrace, not knowing what to say, and not daring to say anything even if he did. He just held the trembling teen, despite his own tears that ran down his face.

After a while, Sasuke pulled apart…but just slightly.

"Why are you crying?" Sasuke asked.

"Because…it's not fair." Naruto wipes his eyes, then looked at the other boy. "It's not fair that he was terminally sick. It's not fair that he chose you to be the one to kill him in a battle…it's not fair that he destroyed your family to do that. It's not fair…cause…you still had him…and he was never pretending…that he really did care about you. All those years you did nothing but hate him…it's not fair…"

Sasuke looked surprised, then slowly reached out and touched one of the tears running down Naruto's face. "But why are you crying? Why do you cry for me?"

"Because…I love you," Naruto whispered, and squeezed his eyes shut while he bowed his head. "Because…you're the most important person to me…"

He was sure, in the following silence, that he had just lost his best friend and the one he loved. He was sure Sasuke hated him now, and was about ready to stand up and leave when he found himself in a tight embrace. He blinked in confusion. "Sasuke…?"

"Remember…when I said that there was someone I liked?" Sasuke seemed to be whispering, his breath tickling Naruto's ear as it came out.

Naruto could only nod dumbly.

"And I asked you who you liked…because…it is you who I like…" Sasuke confessed, and pulled apart to look into Naruto's baby blue eyes. "But I didn't know if you felt the same…I wanted to know."

Naruto felt a smile creep onto his face. "Sasuke…for real?" His eyes widened, and whatever else he was going to say was cut off when Sasuke's lips met his.

Sasuke drew back, a smile playing on his lips for the first time in may years. "Does that answer your question…dumbass?"

"I…" Naruto touched his lips, then blinked and scowled. "I am not a dumbass, bastard!" He crossed his arms and pouted, then grinned suddenly and held out his hand. "No name calling, kay?"

Sasuke frowned. "But that takes all the fun out of it…" he smirked, but took Naruto's hand anyway…and soon found himself thrown into the pond. He surfaced with a sputter, and shook water out of his now wet hair as he stared agape at the laughing blond.

"You…should…see…your…face!" Naruto managed between laughs.

Sasuke scowled, then smirked and grabbed Naruto by the back of his shirt.

"Hey…hey! What're you do…blurrrrbbblll!"

Sasuke snickered when he finally let Naruto come above the water.

"Asshole!" Naruto sputtered. "You coulda killed me, ya know!"

"But I didn't."

"Bastard!" Naruto tackled Sasuke playfully.

"Hmph." Sasuke smirked, and easily dunked the other boy again. "I win."

"You do not, you…!"

Once again, Naruto found Sasuke's lips pressed against his, and felt the kiss deepen.

Sasuke pulled away and smirked. "I win."

Naruto blinked for a few moments, before he lunged and kissed Sasuke back, then drew apart with a wide grin, "I don't give up so easily."

"Good…" Sasuke grinned, and kissed Naruto again.

It would be a long time before either of them got out of the wooded area.

THE END