When Sasuke Met Naruto (SasuNaru)

- Chapter 50 -

Of course, Sasuke only wished that his dreams were the extent of his problems. Gazing out his window to the snowy landscape below, however, it became increasingly clear that other pressing matters needed to be dealt with. Exams would be coming up before too long, with Christmas following not far behind. The exams were an easy enough fix – he just actually had to sit down and study for an hour or so per subject, and he'd pass with flying colors. Christmas was another matter entirely, though – Sasuke had realized the week before that he would have to enlist some help, and since he had yet to talk with Gaara about their little fight, he figured he could kill two birds with one stone.

Sitting up in bed, Sasuke gazed around the freshly painted bedroom. He had done a decent job of making it a close replica of his old room in the Uchiha mansion. Blue walls, blue bedspread, speakers in the corners, sword on the wall – it felt like home. Throwing his legs over the side, Sasuke scratched his bare midriff and adjusted his black boxers as he stood up. It was only then that he actually looked at the time on his clock – it was 12:30.

Shit! I was supposed to meet Gaara half an hour ago!

Hurriedly, Sasuke threw on some clothes and picked up his cell phone. Not surprisingly, there were several texts from Gaara, each less polite than the last, with the last message simply reading "...". Cringing, Sasuke pocketed the phone and rushed out of his room, where he nearly ran headfirst into the very redhead in question.

"You're late, Uchiha," Gaara said, his arms crossed impatiently.

"Umm... sorry about that. I didn't sleep well last night," Sasuke admitted embarrassedly. "Hope you weren't waiting too long."

"It's okay – I really wanted to spend my Saturday sitting at the bus stop," the redhead said before turning towards the stairs. "I finally decided to come over to see if you were alive."

"Didn't mean to worry you," the Uchiha replied as he followed Gaara down the stairs.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Gaara raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about being worried?"

Sasuke felt a sinking feeling in his gut. If he hadn't been sure about Gaara's feelings towards him before, he certainly was now. He wondered why he was even bothering trying to make peace with the other teen. For all Sasuke knew, Gaara would always view him as a rival in love and nothing other than that. He felt that he'd never be anything but an obstacle for Gaara to overcome on his way to Naruto – either that, or he just really, really hated Sasuke. Both were distinct possibilities.

After they had bundled up with their winter gear – a black jacket, boots, and a blue scarf for Sasuke, and a red coat with a matching stocking cap for Gaara – they stepped outside, the snow crunching under their feet. At first, Sasuke wasn't sure what to say, so he instead observed the scenery of Konoha in December. There were a few rabbit tracks in the middle of the yard, their imprint just visible on the dusty snow as the sun shined down above. A bitter wind blew by, causing Sasuke to wrap the scarf around his neck more tightly as he and Gaara stepped onto the slushy sidewalk.

To Sasuke's surprise, it was then that Gaara broke the silence with a forced cough. "Uchiha... I'm sorry. About what happened at the party, that is..."

"That's partly why I wanted to meet you today... I wanted to apologize, too. It was wrong of me to play with your emotions like that," Sasuke said, staring down at the path before him. "I know it can't be easy for you... I mean, I got jealous just at the thought of you taking Naruto from me. For you to have to sit by and watch, though... it can't be easy."

Gaara chuckled. "It's easier than you'd think. Lee helps."

"You love him, don't you?"

"More than I'd like to admit," Gaara replied, staring skyward. "I guess it's hardly fair of me to want them both, isn't it?"