I stood before the gates of Saint Madara Academy. I'm sorry Sasuke, but my friend needs me.

I took a deep breath and ran into the open school to find Naori. I ran around the halls, checked the stairs, and even passed by the building that looked like their gym, but she was no where to be found.

"Naori!" I yelled while running. If I had to run somewhere to avoid everyone, where would I go...?

A light bulb went off in my head. I quickly turned around and ran outside to the field. I noticed the small equipment shack that stood at the end of the field and I knew she had to be in there. I ran through the rain, stepping in puddles to reach the shack.

Once I reached the shack, I noticed the handle had been tampered with. That has to be her.

I slid the door open and saw Naori crying to herself. "Naori...? What're you doing in here...?"

She slowly lifted her face from behind her hands and stared at me with sorrow. "Naruko...?"

I shut the door behind me, walking up to her as I bent down before her. "Sakura told me what happened...Why'd you suddenly go off on your own?"

"It's complicated..." she whispered with tears.

Sasuke says the same thing...why can't anyone trust me?! Ugh, relax Naruko, don't take out your frustration on her. 

"Naori, I'm your friend. You know you can tell me these things, right?"

"No...you wouldn't understand," she mumbled.

"Try me." I sat besides her, waiting for her to give me an answer.

She let out a sad sigh before cracking to her feelings. "...About three weeks ago, my family told me they had set me up for an arranged marriage...I was angry and unable to believe that my family would stoop so low to arrange my future just for the sake of keeping our family name..."

"So that's why you're fighting your family name...I guess being a rich girl is hard," I said as I realized her situation. 

She nodded her head while trying to wipe away her tears. "Heh, it is pretty hard being in a family with power, and that's why I hate it...I hate my family name and the hatred they carry for anyone outside of our clan..."

I took her hand in mine as she continued to release tears from her eyes. I guess it really was a situation I wouldn't understand...Is that why Sasuke won't tell me what happens in the future? Is our future really that complicated?

"Thank you Naruko...you really are a great friend...I'm sorry for worring you two," she whispered as her grip tightens around mine.

"Don't sweat it, Naori. Friends always worry about each other...But I still don't understand something: why did you run off?"

"That is...that is because I fear my fiance." 

"Huh?! Is he really that bad?" I asked in concern. 

"In all honesty, I haven't met him yet...Because the following week when I was suppose to meet him, I ran off to a mixer out of rebellion. That day I overheard a few girls talking about going to a mixer. They were complaining about being short one girl, so I took the chance to go. That's when I met Sakura. She was kind to me...Being around her helped take my thoughts off of my situation, but like every other girl in my school, she fell in love with my fiance."

"Wait, so you're jealous of Sakura?"

"No! Of course not! She could have him for all I care. It's just...the way he looks at me whenever we meet...it sends fear down my spine...He hates me...he hates me so much it scares me to even imagine living with him!" She then began to tremble at the thought of her fiance. "Today during the dance, I saw him...He never goes to school events, so when my eyes met his, I couldn't help but stare in fear...His eyes showed his hatred for me and the words he mouthed threatened to kill me!"

Huh?! What kind of guy would do that?!

"Naruko, I don't want to marry him!" Her body was trembling from the rain that soaked her clothes. The fear she felt about her fiance didn't help her situation, so I did the one thing I could do to help, I hugged her.

"I'm here..." I whispered as I held her in my arms, "I got you, believe it."

***

Sasuke P.O.V

I paced around the room in fear. How does she know Naori?! The future Naruko never even knew about Naori, so how did this even happen?!

I was beginning to panic. I raced to my room to find the small journal I had brought with me from the future. Before coming here, I had created a timeline of events while I was expirementing with the time machine gadget. I had visited mutiple time periods and recorded the events as I watched from afar. 

After months of experimenting, I had created a perfect plan to make sure her life never came into contact with mine, yet now, for some reason, she had met my ex-fiance, Naori. Not only did they meet, but they're also friends. How did this even happen? The timeline is changing, but is it changing for the better? 

In the first timeline, Naruko never met Naori. She knew that she was my fiance, but we eloped together, not giving her the opportunity to ever met her. Yet somehow in this timeline, they're friends. What could have gone wrong? What happened that didn't happen before--?

My eyes widened in shock as I realized my mistake. I stopped her from going to the mixer with Sakura...Does that mean Naori took her place and didn't meet me...?

"Oh no...this is all wrong...at this rate she's going to end up meeting me one way or another..." Sweat rolled down my forehead from fear. This isn't good...I can't let us meet.

I quickly picked up my small journal and looked for the next major event: the school trip. Konoha Highschool ended up going on their trip to the land of hot water the exact same week as Saint Madara academy, and that was how Naruko and I first met.

My heart waivered in my chest as I thought about ruining our first encounter. If it wasn't for that trip, I would have never met her...

Tears filled my eyes as I thought about ruining that precious memory that saved me from a life of control and hatred, but I had to ruine it. Beause I love you...I have to let you go...

***

Naruko was still not home. It was still pouring and an hour had already passed by. I twiddled my thumbs in anxiousness as I sat on the couch in the living room. After today, she's going to find out about me...but Naori was not the type of person to let ones name leave her mouth so easily...she won't tell her about me. 

And if this timeline is even a little similar to what had happened before, Naori and I should not be interested in each other but only be friends.

I sighed as I closed my journal, setting it back in my bag. I have to make sure that Naruko and I never meet on that school trip. This is the most important event and it cannot end with with us.

Naruko always had a nack for making me worry about her, and over the years I've learned to trust her and all she did. Therefore, there was no point in worrying about her now because I knew she would be alright. She was a strong-hearted individual, stronger than I could ever be; nevertheless, it never stopped me from worrying about her.

Out of worry, I decided to try and nap to calm my nerves. I walked back into my room, closed the door, then laid down on my bed. As my eyes closed, my head was filled with precious memories of my wife. I miss you, Naruko...

That night I dreamed about the day we met. How I saved her from the men who tried to mug her, and how she sprayed my eyes with pepper spray by accident when I saved her.

Her clumsiness had us talking for hours on the steps of the hot spring temple as she tried to tend to my eyes. Bottles of water, milk, and eyedrops circled us while she rotated through each item to help my eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," she whined while she sprayed my eyes with water.

"Tch."

During this point in my life, I had become hateful towards people who were not in my family. The Uchiha family carried hatred for outsiders, and that was why we were only allowed to marry within the family name. I was willing to do whatever my family asked of me, so I had no complaints when they arranged me to meet Naori. I wanted my parents to be proud of me and how I continued our heritage, but as soon as I met Naruko, my thoughts began to change.

Her hair was a golden color and her eyes blue as the ocean. Her face carried expressions I had never seen before; her tone was casual, rude, and honest. It was clear she lived life by the beat of her own drum, and I condoned that because it was something my family frowned upon.

"This is why us Uchihas stay away from people like you, because you idiots are always causing problems."

"Huh?! Look, I get I burned your eyes and your pissed, but I'm doing what I can to help you. I knew I should've just left you! Stupid Saint Madara brat..."

"Brat?!"

"Did I stutter?" She mocked. "I already apologized and I'm helping you out, so the least you can do is say thank you!"

"Hn."

'Dumb girl...but I guess I do owe her my thanks...'

I looked away from her direction and stared at the ground. I felt my cheeks warm up from embarrassment as I mumbled my thanks to her.

"What?" she asked loudly.

"I said thanks..." I mumbled a little louder.

"Huh-?!"

"I said thank you!" For the first time I had risen my voice to someone. I was always calm, cool, and collected, but something about her brought out my childish temper.

Her frown slowly became a smile. She wrapped her arm around me and began to teasingly poke my cheek. "So you're a tsundare, huh~?"

My cheeks blushed pink at her closeness. "G-get off me, idiot!" I pushed her away while she laughed at me.

"You're cute, but your personality total destroys what ya got going on."

I blushed at her words, turning around like a child so she wouldn't see my face. "Whatever..."

An hour passed by and my eyes were finally better. We walked back up the stairs of the hot spring's temple, carrying the bottles of trash in our arms.

"So I guess this is goodbye, huh?" she asked while throwing away the bottles into the nearest trash can.

"Yeah..."

In all honestly, I didn't want the girl I had just met to leave yet. She was expressionate and honest unlike anyone I had met inside my bubble known as the Uchiha estate.

"Well...hopefully we'll never meet again, Uchiha snob," she said playfully.

"Shut up, Konoha's loser..." A small smile crossed my face as we stared into each others eyes. Being with her made me feel as if I could truly be myself and not the fake Sasuke I was with everyone else.

Eventhough we said our goodbyes, neither of us could find the strength to actually leave. We stood at the top of the stair case, waiting for one of us to make the first move.

"Uh so...Imma go now," she said akwardly with a laugh.

"Yeah..."

She waved one last time to me, but as she stepped to walk away, a drunk man passed by and pushed her towards me. She was falling quickly towards me, and I was shocked by the sudden turn of events.

In seconds, her lips were placed upon mine and my first kiss was stolen by the girl who later became my wife.

Her face turned mutiple shades of red before she ran away with a loud apology. Watching her run away in embarrassment was the cutest thing I had ever seen, and I knew no one from the Uchiha estate could ever be like her: free.

I didn't know it back then, but that feeling I felt in my chest when we first met was love.

The light from the morning sun shined brightly on my eyes. I slowly sat up, scratching my eyes with the palms of my hands. Did I really sleep the whole night?

I felt a smile cross my face as I thought about the dream I just had. I wish I could experience that moment again...

I closed my eyes to take in the memory once more before it was time for me to say goodbye. I sighed, knowing that once I returned to the future, this memory would no longer exist between us, but only me.

It's better this way...she'll be happier without me.

I was about to get out of my bed when I saw Naruko sleeping on the floor at my side. W-what is she doing here? Did Naori tell her...?

I shook my head so I could clear my mind from the nervousness I felt. Focus Sasuke...just go make breakfast and act like everything's okay. If she asks, then you'll just tell her the truth...

I slowly stood up from the bed, tip-toeing around her so I wouldn't wake her up. I slowly opened the door, waiting until it was wide enough for me to slip by. I have to get out of here--

"Sasuke..."

My heart skipped in my chest at the sound of her voice. Quickly, I turned my head in her direction and saw her sleeping. Phew...she's only dreaming...wait. She's dreaming about me...?

No, there's no way...she's in love with her senpai now...I should probably leave before I overstep my boundaries, again...

I ran my finger over the skin of lips, feeling guilty for that day I had taken advantage of her. I shouldn't have kissed her yesterday...what was wrong with me?

A sigh escaped my lips, leading me to head out the room. But what came next from the conversation in her sleep, made it even harder for me to leave her.

"Sasuke, please don't make me forget you..."

My eyes widened at the words that came from her sleep talk. Wh-what is she saying...?

"Please...I don't want to forget you...because I love you..."