On Saturday, I get a text from Gaara saying he'll be in Konoha later in the day. Apparently Temari is coming to visit Shikamaru, so Gaara is tagging along for the trip. I met Gaara when I was twelve. His father does business for the company my dad works for. I thought he was really sour at first, but he grew on me. He's kind of like Sasuke in that way, I suppose.

He shows up on my doorstep around late noon. "Hey," I greet the familiar little redhead, opening my door and allowing him to step inside.

"Hello, Naruto," he greets in return, entering and slipping his shoes off.

"What'cha wanna do?"

"Whatever you'd like," he says carelessly. "Unfortunately, I'm only able to spend a few hours with you tonight."

"Aw, why?"

"I have a date," he reveals.

"Really?" I ask, my interest peaked. He nods in response and I pry, "Who is she?"

"Neji," he says and my eyes just about bulge out of my skull.

"Neji Hyuga?" I gape. "Hinata's scary older cousin?"

He nods once more.

"He's a dude," I state.

"Astute observation, Naruto," Gaara says. "I didn't know you were so bright."

"Ah, sarcasm," I sigh. "You're greatest weapon." He smiles faintly. He doesn't smile often. Usually he just smiles when I do something harmlessly stupid. I guess this is one of those cherished moments. "I didn't think you liked people at all," I add.

"Me neither," he admits.

"Wow," I murmur. "Well, congratulations."

"Yes," he says. "Neji gets off work around seven, but until then, I am all yours."

"Okay, great," I chuckle. Now everyone really is dating somebody. I guess it's a good thing. It's nice to have someone to care about like that.

Me and Gaara settle in the living room and decide to watch a movie. Well, neither of us are really paying attention. I'm talking about what's been happening in Konoha lately. I tell him I broke up with Sakura. He simply nods sagely. He's not surprised. Then again, nothing really surprises Gaara.

"Is there anyone new?" he asks after a thoughtful pause.

"I don't think so," I tell him.

"Are you sure?" he pries, not quite believing me.

"I think," I say.

He squints at me. "Vague answers, Naruto."

"Says you," I snort. "You're the king of vague answers."

"I have little to tell," he admits, "but I have a feeling the same does not apply to you."

"Well," I start, "I'm hooking up with someone... and I'll admit that I care a lot about this person, but it's not quite like that."

"Oh, really?" he murmurs. "If you say so."

"Don't sound so unconvinced," I mutter.

"Only if you stop sounding like you're telling lies," he retorts.

"I'm not," I insist.

"You said this person rather than her," he points out. "Why did you use a gender-ambiguous term?"

I groan, rubbing my palms over my face. "Fine, it's a guy."

"Is it Sasuke?" Gaara asks nonchalantly, causing me to nearly choke on my own spit.

"What?" I exclaim. "Why would you assume I'm fucking the bastard?"

"Because," he sighs, "it would be the most obvious choice, would it not?"

"No!" I shout. "Not at all...!"

He sighs again. "Stop raising your voice, Naruto. This is not a contest."

I let out a long whine, mildly annoyed at the fact that he can read me so easily. It makes me wonder if anyone else can read me this easily. I don't want people to know about me and Sasuke. How fucking humiliating would that be? "It's not Sasuke," I tell Gaara.

"You are an awful liar," he states. "Now I know it is Sasuke."

"Fuck," I groan. "How do you always figure these things out?"

"It's a gift," he says sagely.

I roll my eyes at him and say, "Don't tell anyone, yeah?"

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" he asks, bemused.

Gaara never tells secrets. He knows all of mine and he keeps them to himself. "Right," I chuckle. "Thanks."

He nods. "So, do you want to talk about it?"

I shake my head. "Not really," I say. "The whole thing is just weird. I don't really know how to handle it half the time... Well, by it I mean Sasuke. I don't know how to handle him."

"He's a boy," Gaara says. "He's a person and people don't need to be handled. They need to be treated with respect, especially by whoever is under or over them. Do that and you'll be fine."

"Yeah," I murmur. "I try to... but he's got a lot of things going on right now."

"What's wrong with him?" Gaara asks bluntly. "Is he depressive?"

"Manic depressive," I correct with a frown. "He's got bipolar."

"Oh," he says. "That is quite serious."

"Yeah, tell me about it," I snort. "I feel kind of bad for him. I never know what to do. I mean, is there even anything I can do? I don't know."

"Educate yourself," Gaara suggests.

"Trust me," I sigh, "I have been."

He nods. "Sometimes, it's true that there is nothing you can do. Instead, simply be there. When he's at his lowest, let him know you are there. Do not treat him too gingerly. Sasuke has a lot of pride, that much is obvious. Whether or not it's a coping mechanism, he will spite you if he sees pity in your gaze."

"Okay," I murmur, taking what he says to heart.

||XxXx||

A few hours later, after an intense caring-and-sharing session, Gaara's phone beeps and he says, "Ah, Neji is here. You should come and say hi."

"Yeah, I will," I say as we both stand up and head towards the door. Gaara slips his shoes back on and we leave the house.

Neji is parked in the driveway, looking classy as ever. He's in university, but he works at a fancy restaurant as a waiter. He wears a sleek outfit and he keeps his long hair in a bun atop his head. He's got that tall and slender build, so he can wear just about anything and make it look good. Once he spots us, he steps out of his car and politely says, "It's good to see you, Naruto."

I smile slyly. "Hey, Neji. It's been a while!"

"What is that shit-eating look for?" he asks dryly.

I grin. "I heard you and Gaara are together."

"You heard right," he says.

"Ain't that cute," I coo at them and Gaara grimaces at me. We make polite conversation for a few more minutes and when the conversation melts away, they depart. Neji returns to the driver's seat while Gaara gets in the passenger's seat. I see them exchange a few words and they both soften. It's somethin' to see – two incredibly emotionally stifled guys looking lovey-dovey. I wave as they pull out of the driveway and once they're gone I return inside, debating on what I should do for the rest of the night. I could call Sasuke and see if he wants to hang out. By hang out, I don't necessarily mean fucking. I mean, we're friends now and by being friends we're basically obligated to do dumb stuff like watch movies and play video games. It doesn't always have to end in fucking.

I retreat to my room and grab my cellphone off my nightstand, dialling his number. He doesn't pick up, so I call again a few minutes later and finally –

"H-hello?" he answers, sounding strained.

"Uh..." I pause. "Are you okay?"

"Naruto?" he asks, giving a breathless laugh. "Y-yeah, I'm fine... Fine!" He repeats the word and it comes out shrill.

"You sound like you're getting a work out," I mention. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I'm... ah..." he lets out a poorly stifled moan.

"Oh," I mutter. "That's what you're doing." I'm so fucking slow sometimes I deserve to be put down. I should have known. Seriously.

"Hhh...ahh..."

"Hell damn!" I belt out, irritated.

"What do you need, N-Naruto?" he asks, practically moaning my name.

"I was gonna see if you wanted to hang out, but clearly you're busy gettin' dick," I joke bitterly. "You go, Sasuke. Congratulations."

He hangs up a second later, not bothering to respond to my final comment. I guess it was catty of me. I'm just jealous. He's got all these partners and all I have is him. It doesn't really seem fair.

I flop onto my bed, setting my phone on my nightstand. I should get a fucking job. Then maybe I won't be so damn bored all the time. All my friends are dating and I hate feeling like the third wheel. Ever since me and Sakura broke up, I've had a lot of free time. I don't like it. I don't want me life to end up revolving around the bastard Sasuke. That would just be pathetic, especially because no parts of his life revolves around me. I'm trying to figure out why it bothers me so much. It shouldn't. We're friends, the end. I should be happy for him and happy he has something he enjoys, but instead I'm just bitter. I wish I wasn't.

||XxXx||

After an hour of doing nothing productive, my phone rings. "Hello?" I answer it with a sigh.

"Naruto," comes Sasuke's familiar monotone.

"Oh, hey," I greet carelessly.

"I just got home. Want to come over?" he offers.

I guess he has time for me now. "Sure," I mutter, hating myself for it.

I grab a sweater and leave, walking down the street as slow as I can. I don't want to look like I'm eager or anything. Jeez. When he opens the door, he takes one look at me and laughs. His eyes squint and he looks incredibly happy, though I know it's probably at my expense. Still, my stomach tightens at the sound.

"What's so funny?" I ask with a knowing sigh.

"When you called me," he starts once he sobers, "You sounded so fucking angry."

"Well," I mutter. "I wasn't exactly excited to be talking to you while you were getting railed. It's weird when I'm not the one railing you, to be frank."

His lips part and he lets out another short laugh. "Oh, wow..." he says, opening the door wider. "Well, come in. I can ease your jealously, if you'd like."

"No," I frown. "I'm not jealous and I'm not going to use you like that. I seriously just wanted to hang out. Gaara left and so I decided to fuckin' call you but you were busy. I didn't call you because I got horny and wanted to fuck."

I'm not jealous? Hah. What a crock of shit.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, slamming the front door behind me. "Naruto, you're such a nice guy."

"Don't say it so distastefully," I murmur.

He wrinkles his nose at me. "I've never met a nice guy. Don't pretend you're going to be here to treat me right and be my knight in shiny armour, or my fucking solace, or anything stupid like that because I know in the end you're probably just going to be another disappointment. So, stop pretending. Start acting like the jerk you are beneath the happy façade."

"What?" I frown. "Where's all this coming from?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," he starts. "It doesn't make sense to me why you want to spend time with me when all I do is cause you grief. You have lots of friends and they aren't like me. They're normal. They make you laugh. I don't."

"I don't fucking care about that," I groan, exasperated. "I care about you. I'm not trying to use you."

"It's okay if you are," he says. "I just want you to admit it."

"But why?" I snap, irritated that nothing I say is getting through to him.

"I like you, Naruto," he says. "That's why we need to be so fucking careful, okay?"

"I don't get what you mean," I murmur.

He sighs, raising a hand and flicking me on the nose. "You're dumb as a rock," he tells me in an almost endearing tone. "Lucky for you I enjoy stupid guys."

He's confusing as hell. "So, uh... you're parents are gone out, right?"

"Right," he confirms.

"Thought so," I murmur. "Otherwise, you probably wouldn't be acting like this."

He scoffs at me. "Like what?"

"Like a brat," I specify.

He shakes his head at me. "Itachi is home, but he's locked himself in his room."

"Oh," I say. "Has he like... done anything recently?"

I don't know how Sasuke can be in the same house as his brother and not feel like he's walking on glass. I don't understand how Mikoto and Fugaku can leave them alone and keep trying to play happy family.

"No," Sasuke says. "He's been perfectly fine this week. He even apologized to me... but I think he did it mostly because he knew he was supposed to, not necessarily because he felt remorse... Then again, maybe remorse comes and goes. I'm not sure anymore."

"Ah..." I give a long nod.

"It's like he thinks I'm evil or something," Sasuke murmurs, "but he also knows that if he tries to hurt me he'll be sent back to the hospital and he doesn't want to go back there."

"Sorry," I sympathize, "but you know... I think he genuinely did feel bad when he said sorry to you the other week. Like you said, it probably comes and goes and the voices in his head mess him up."

Sasuke rolls his eyes, giving me a look of impatience. "Just because you're fucking me it doesn't mean you have to be nice to me!" he snaps.

"Fine," I say moodily. "I'll just act like a dick, then. Would you prefer that?"

"Yes," he mutters. "Then there won't be any surprises when you finally realize I'm expendable."

"Fucking hell," I sigh.

He turns around and wanders into the kitchen. I follow him, watching as he fetches himself a glass of water. "Do you want anything?" he offers, sounding short-tempered.

"No, thanks," I decline.

He sips it slowly like he's drinking fine wine. Everything he does is so damn dainty. It's the Uchiha way, I guess. "There's no such thing as a nice guy," he insists once he's finished. He slams the cup onto the counter like he's just finished a shot glass of hard liquor. "The guys who say they're nice guys are the ones you really need to watch out for. They're the ones who are full of surprises. They'll lead you on and when they've got you, they'll tear you down and they won't leave a piece untouched. All that is left is an ugly mess."

I frown at how much certainty is in his tone. "Is that how you see me?"

"No, that's how I see me," he says with a bitter laugh. "This is a warning, Naruto. Get out while you still can."

There's humour in his tone and I can't be sure whether or not he's kidding around with me. "You're my friend," I say. "That won't change. Too much has happened."

"I get it," he says. "You want me. Lots of people do."

"You're so cocky," I scoff in disbelief. "I don't want you like that." Fuck, I'm lying. I'll admit it. I'm fucking lying. There's no use in pretending if he can see right through me, but I've got a stupid amount of pride and if he's going to be like this there's no way I'll say it out loud.

"Yeah, you do," he says surely. "Maybe you're trying to deny that part of yourself, but once you open your fucking eyes you'll realize it. You want me all to yourself and you're angry that I don't feel the same towards you."

"You're tripping," I insist, crossing my arms. "I don't want you. Who would? You're high maintenance."

"Yeah?" he asks, urging me to continue.

"Yeah," I continue bad-mouthing him. "You're so self-destructive it makes me want to scream. It literally makes me so fucking frustrated when you act like this and I need to force myself not to punch you! You're either super cocky, or you hate yourself. You're either really fun to be around, or a total fucking drag."

"Wow, I wonder why," he spits cynically. "It's not like I'm fucking bipolar or anything."

"I know you can't help it, but it's still annoying!" And I know I'm saying all the worst shit, but I can't stop now that I've started. "You do so many things that make no sense. I don't think you even put any thought to the things you do. You just roll with it. You fuck yourself over and you pretend not to care. You push away people who have gotten too close and that's why you're pushing me away."

For a moment, he's perfectly silent and blank-faced. He picks up his empty glass cup, staring at it for a moment before whirling it at the wall. With a loud crash, it smashes into countless pieces and they scatter on the floor.

"What the fuck?" I shout at him.

"That's what I think about what you just said," he tells me, blank faced.

"Boo fucking hoo," I snap. "You're being so childish. Something doesn't go your way, so what? You throw a fit? You break something?"

"You're not supposed to talk to me this way," he says angrily.

"Like I even care!" I shout some more.

"Oh, how sad," he sneers. "Naruto's feelings are hurt."

I grit my teeth. "You're the one who just fucking challenged me. Here I am, Sasuke! I'm acting like a complete asshole. Nothing gets through to you, so what's the point of being nice, right? All you are is a dumb slut, so I guess it doesn't matter how I treat you!" I'm too angry to think rationally. I feel like I haven't been this frustrated in a long time. I feel like I might start crying I'm so mad. I can already feel the lump forming in my throat. No matter how many times I swallow, it keeps coming back.

"Yeah," is all he says and his lack of response pisses me off even more. Before I can stop myself, I raise my hand and bring it across his face. I know it's a hard hit because my palm stings, but he barely reacts as his head swings to the side. He closes his eyes and sighs.

"Shit!" I shout. "I'm sorry!" He turns around and leans over the counter, refusing to look at me. I lightly touch one of his shoulders. "Sorry..." I say again and his shoulders tremble as he lets out the first sob.

"Fuck," he whispers, bringing his hands up and covering his face as he cries into his palms.

I screwed up. "Sorry..." I repeat weakly.

He turns around and shoves me. "This is why I hate people!" he screams, each word coming out ragged and distraught. "Everyone pretends to be patient and understanding, but they all get tired of it! No one fucking understands and no one tries to!" He sinks into the floor and continues bawling his eyes out.

I kneel down next to him and pull him into my chest. "You're right," I say. He continues sobbing, angrily clawing at my chest and murmuring hate-words. I let him and eventually he goes limp in my arms, his crying turns to sniffling and he goes silent. Even after he's finished, we stay sitting like this for a few more minutes until he finally draws away from me.

"Don't look at me," he murmurs, wiping his cheeks and eyes dry. "I look like shit."

"Nah," I insist. "You look perfectly fine."

"Fuck," he sighs, standing up.

I follow him to his feet and ask, "What now? How do you feel?"

"I don't know," he admits.

Suddenly, the front door opens and a moment later, Mikoto and Fugaku stroll into the kitchen. Mikoto frowns when she spots the state of her son. Fugaku is always frowning, so you never really know what's on his mind.

"Baby, what's wrong?" she asks softly, approaching him and cupping his face in her hands. She notices the palm print on his cheek and rubs her thumb over it lightly before giving me a look of immense disapproval.

"I was being a dick," I admit. "Sorry."

"Tsk," Mikoto clicks her tongue at the both of us, wrapping her arms around her son and pulling him close. "And I thought you were finally learning to get along."

"Old habits die hard," I say stupidly.

"It's fine, Mom," Sasuke finally speaks. His voice is hoarse, probably from all the crying. "I broke a glass."

Mikoto allows her hands to fall and Sasuke strolls out of the room a moment later. She sighs, sharing a look of uncertainty with her husband. Without another word, I follow Sasuke out. I half expect Fugaku to pull me aside and threaten me, but he doesn't. He lets me leave.

"Sorry for making you cry again," I whisper to Sasuke once we're far enough away.

"Shut up," is all he says, crossing his arms and looking unimpressed.

"M'kay," I mumble as we slowly walk down the hallway. "Want me to leave now?"

"I don't care," he says as we reach the front door.

I let out a sigh. "Just say what you want." He eyes me for a moment, not saying anything. Slowly, I reach a hand up and touch the palm-print on his cheek. "Does it hurt?" I ask.

"It's fine," he murmurs. "You've given me way worse than a slap."

"I guess," I admit. "But it's different now. Friends aren't supposed to hit friends... and if we're going to have the kind of friendship we have, I most definitely shouldn't be hurting you."

"I'll get over it," he insists. "Stop making a big deal out of everything."

"Fine," I say with a sigh. I grab his face and kiss the top of his head. "I'm sorry. I'll try to be better."

"You kiss me a lot," he mentions. "More than other people do... More than my own mother does these days."

"Yeah, so?" I shrug.

"You care?" he asks bitterly.

"I told you already," I start, "I do care. You're my friend."

"So fucking weird," he murmurs and I can't really disagree with him. It is pretty weird. "Anyway, go home. You've ruined everything and I don't want to see you anymore tonight."

I roll my eyes. "Right... fair enough. See yah around."

I let myself out, shutting the door behind me. When I leave, I spot Kisame leaning against a parked car, which I assume is his. I hold up a hand and give an awkward wave.

"Oh, hey," he greets, taking a long puff of the cigarette in between his fingers. "You're Sasuke's friend, right?"

"Loose term, but yeah..." I say.

"He's a fuckin' handful, that kid," he laughs hoarsely.

"I know," I murmur.

"I'll let you in on a little secret," he says. "You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped, okay? It's pretty obvious Sasuke isn't ready for it. You're not going to be able to swoop in and save him. Sasuke is the only person who can save Sasuke. This heroic shit gets so hyped up, but to be honest... it's not real. This is why they make movies and write books. It's not real. Sure, it's a sweet idea... save your friend from himself... but it's not true. Maybe Sasuke won't ever give himself a break. Maybe one day he'll wake up and he'll realize he doesn't want to be a part of the world anymore. He'll kill himself. He'll be gone. That's the fucking reality of this. It's dark. It's not happy. It's not fun. It sucks and so many kids are affected by this shit. Why? Who the hell knows. Welcome to this shitty world. We're in the Prozac Nation."

"Well, fuck," I mutter once he's finished speaking.

"So," he flicks the ash off his cigarette, "You gotta ask yourself something, kid. You gotta ask yourself what you're gonna do if you lose him. Prepare yourself."

"You're too negative," I tell him.

"I'm realistic," he insists. "Itachi tried to kill his brother. He tried to kill himself before, too. Someday he might succeed. I'm prepared for that. Yeah, I'll admit it... I love that crazy fuck, but I'm still prepared to let him go. If you truly love someone, you need to be able to do at least that much... for your sake and for their sake as well."

"It won't happen," I say.

Kisame chuckles. "Answer the question. What'll you do if he dies?"

"I don't know," I admit. "I feel like, in a way, I just met him... Even though I've known him my whole life, I'm only now getting to know who he really is."

"He'll draw you in," Kisame says. "That's the Uchiha way. Sometimes I think that whole family is cursed."

"Yeah," I murmur. I've met a few other Uchihas. They're all a bit strange. It's like none of them are really all that happy. Maybe it's bad genetics. I don't know. Maybe they just work too hard. That can be a killer. Either way, they're creepy. It's like they have a secret – a dangerous secret. I just hope I never have to find out for sure what it might be.

"Sasuke and Itachi are both two extreme cases," he says. "Schizophrenia... it can be manageable for lots of people, but for Itachi it is harder. And Sasuke... that poor bastard has PTSD on top of being bipolar."

"I know," I sigh. Plus, there's the illegal drugs.

Kisame pats my shoulder roughly. "There's nothing you can do, all right? Keep reminding yourself that. You're not going to be a hero. I've heard stories of your infamous hero-complex, but it won't come in handy this time. It might just be your downfall. You'll try too hard and you'll get angry that nothing is working. There's nothing you can do."

"There are some things I can do," I say. "I can be there when he's upset, or when he wants to talk... I can be there when he's angry. I don't mind being a target for his emotions."

"How altruistic," Kisame says and it sounds like he's mocking me. Nonetheless, I'm not swayed.

"Yeah, yeah..." I murmur. I don't want to keep screwing up and hurting Sasuke. I feel really fucking awful for making him so upset. It's weird. I never pegged him for the emotional type, but he spends so much time trying to suppress himself. That's why he comes off as such a jerk. Deep down, he feels too much. It kills him.

"You better be careful," he warns. "Kids like you always end up getting hurt because you're stupid and you don't know when to sit down."

I laugh at that. "Yeah, I know. I've been hurt lots of times, but I always bounce back."

"The same can't be said for everyone," he adds. "Some people just dig themselves into deeper holes. You know... the same could happen to you one day. Something might happen and it'll be too much for you to handle. You'll snap. You'll hurt yourself or someone else."

I frown at him. "Why are you analysing me?"

He shrugs, chuckling darkly. "I'm good at reading people. Itachi was once like that, too. I was a TA when I met him, y'know. I taught the first year labs at the forensics department at the university. He was still a student back then. I was still working to become a DNA profiler. I was good with research... good with the human body, but bad with the human mind. Maybe he somehow influenced me to open my eyes a bit. Because of him, I understand people a little more than I used to."

"You're idea of humanity is warped," I tell him.

"No, I think yours is," he says. "You see the good, but I see the truth. Humans are inherently evil and inflicting pain on another living creature gives most people a sick thrill." He tosses the cigarette onto the ground, stepping on it. "Anyway, I'm going to head in for a visit."

"See you around," I murmur.

"Remember what I told you," he calls as he strolls past me and up the driveway.

I turn away and begin heading home. There's no fucking way I'd forget what he said. How grim. I wish I could.