Pairings: KakaIru and SasuNaru

Rated M For: Strong language. Descriptive touching and (maybe) Lemon in later chapters. If you would like something more explicit, please go to my profile page (Though I don't have many stories as of right now) I imagine that will be rectified soon.

On with the show!

This story starts about the same time as the manga, but plot points from the manga/Anime will be only mentioned in passing. There will also be time gaps. Let's face it; we all know that Naruto pines for Sasuke for three years; though that won't be until the end - this story is supposed to be humorous after all!

Iruka is in denial about how he feels about a certain white haired Jonin, and can't seem to admit it to himself, let alone to the object of his affection.

After their accidental kiss, Sasuke wants to pursue Naruto romantically, but Naruto's hard headedness makes things difficult.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Damn it.

This chapter (and I imagine a few others soon) have been edited for grammar and flow. This chapter has ended up with an extra thousand words plus. I wonder how that happened *shifts eyes*.

Naruto's pov

The familiar feeling of isolation prodded at me as I sat on the rope swing, not too far from the entrance to the academy. I waited for the other students and their parents to leave so that I could walk home without encountering the even more familiar stares and whispers.

There were quite a few people milling around. Moms and dads were collecting their children from a long day at school; smiling and asking them how their days had been, what they wanted for dinner and if they had been set any homework. I saw the occasional big brother or sister ruffling the hair of their siblings and laughing along with them.

No one came over to me and asked me how my day was; I had been orphaned when I was a baby. I had never known anything about my parents, but I had always felt sure that they had been good, kind people; maybe even ninjas. I found that I quite liked that thought; I wanted to become a shinobi myself, after all. Unfortunately, none of the village residents wanted to come anywhere near me, so it's not like I could ask anyone about them. It was something I didn't like but had grown used to.

Children and adults alike steered well clear of me; it had always been that way. I was a pariah in this world. Still, I tried not to let it bother me. I knew that one day I would be strong; a ninja worthy of their respect and adoration. One day, I would be the ninja that finally changed the way that ordinary people thought of shinobi. First though, I had to graduate and become a Genin, which at the moment seemed impossible; I couldn't even produce a single clone. I sighed and pushed the swing back a little with my foot, then let it go to swing forward again, lost in thought.

After a little while I looked back up again; there were fewer people around now, so I knew that it wouldn't be long before it was near silent and I could head home in peace, to finally relax.

In all honesty there were probably few enough people around for me to begin to walk home but I hesitated, still consumed with my thoughts. I pushed myself back again with my right foot and let go, swinging back and forth until I almost came to a stop. I dug my toes into the gravel to halt my movement when I realised that I wasn't alone.

From where I was sat I could see Sakura-Chan drooling over that guy Sasuke again; despite the fact that he continued to completely ignore her and walk in my general direction. When he reached a point about two metres away from where I was, she stopped, huffed, and then turned around to run off in the other direction; muttering; "Sorry, I have to go help my mom with some housework!" as though it had been her idea to suddenly leave, and not Sasuke's constant rejection and annoyance at her presence as to why she really left.

Sasuke walked slowly walked past the swing I was sitting on and turned to look right at me. I stared straight back at him, my temper flaring. I wasn't sure why, but the guy really pissed me off.

There is no way a dick like him is gonna intimidate me!

I could kick his ass any time I wanted, I assured myself; that is, if I didn't have to worry about the fact that every girl in my class would kill me for laying even a single finger on him. Especially Sakura. They loved him because of the way he looked; he was dark haired, dark eyed and brooding. I was anything but. I almost flinched at the mere memory of what had happened when I had gotten accidentally knocked into Sasuke, as we were glaring at each other the other day. That was not a kiss, that was soo not a kiss…but Sakura just wouldn't listen, and then she and the other girls had hit me...

As he turned to leave, I thought I saw Sasuke smile at me, or smirk, but I shook it off, pushing the swing back with my foot again before letting go. Asshole…

After a few more minutes, most of the people were gone, and I started to look around, waiting for the last of the stragglers to head off.

In one of the academy's windows, that I recognised as my own classroom, I spotted Iruka sensei piling a load of books up on his desk before looking around; probably to make sure all was nice and tidy before he left. I looked up at his face and smiled to myself. He had caught me painting graffiti on the Hokage faces, that had been carved into the Cliffside at the head of the village, a couple of weeks ago and had made me scrub it all off as he supervised. I hadn't liked him much before that, but as he had sat there watching me clean up the mess that I had made, he had actually spoken to me like I was a real person. It was something that I hadn't been used to. He was probably the first person in Konoha to do so and I had found myself answering his questions calmly and honestly; rather than shouting and running away as I normally would have.

After I had finished cleaning the graffiti from the stone faces he had offered to take me to Ichiraku and treat me to a bowl of ramen. I had gladly accepted. Our new found friendship and camaraderie hadn't stopped him from yelling at me when I misbehaved, of course; but I was happy to have been able to chat with someone for once, without them calling me a demon or simply shunning me out of fear. We had talked a few times since then too, and he had even taken me to Ichiraku again.

I wondered for a moment if that was what it was like to have an older brother. Iruka sensei was young enough, after all. He was probably still under twenty-five, but I couldn't be sure. I knew that his parents had died when the nine tailed fox had attacked the village; I had still been just a baby then though. I assumed that that was when my parents had died too. It was just a shame that someone couldn't have sealed away the demon before it had killed both of our parents. Maybe then it wouldn't have been so bad being made into a vessel for the fox spirit. I sighed and refocused my attention back on the window of my classroom.

I saw another guy come into my line of sight through the glass. The grin that spread so readily across what I could see of Iruka sensei's face shocked me a little. I was used to his expression being stern and displeased in school, usually because of me, I thought with more than a little chagrin. I had always been quite the trouble maker.

He walked to his desk and, presumably, opened up a draw; handing the masked man a green coloured book before crossing his arms over his chest and leaning a hip casually against his desk. The smile on his face was replaced almost too smoothly with the stern expression that I knew so well; as though Iruka sensei had done it a little too often.

The white haired, mask wearing, man began to promptly hug the book and dance from foot to foot with apparent joy, then stopped and dived for Iruka sensei; knocking him to the floor in his haste and following him down clumsily.

Well...that was more than a little creepy, I thought; finally taking my eyes off the window. I began to swing back and forth once again, looking elsewhere for entertainment.

Sasuke's Pov

I smirked at Naruto as I passed by where he was sat on the swing, hoping that my expression was contemptuous. Something about the blond made me want to be mean to him. I wondered briefly whether it was his short fuse or his hot headed attitude. I knew that the whole village seemed to have something against him; but I also knew that that wasn't why I wanted to rile him up. Something about him made me feel a little more sadistic.

Last week he had been knocked into me while we were glaring at each other, as usual, and his mouth had locked on to mine accidently; the idiot had ended up stealing my first kiss. Before that day I hadn't thought that I would ever kiss anyone; I had never even imagined wanting to do such a thing. Since then however, I had found myself looking at him from the corner of my eye; drawn to him whenever I heard him raising his voice or making a fuss.

I knew that I had a mission. I knew that I had to kill my brother and avenge my clan; but when I looked at him, it all seemed somehow less important. I wanted to hang around him and make him laugh; but mostly I wanted to tease him and make him angry. I couldn't seem to help myself; I quite liked the way he scowled and stomped around when his temper was flared. He still annoys me though, I assured myself.

What was it about him that made me want to be around him so suddenly?

I answered myself almost immediately; it was just the way he was. That infuriating personality of his. He was so self-assured. He was so certain that he would become the leader of the village; the Hokage. I wanted to scoff at the idea, I really did, but somehow I found that I couldn't. He was almost useless at the moment; that much I knew. But I found that I had faith that he wouldn't always be so. I found myself believing that he would one day actually achieve his ridiculous dream. Why? Because he had said so. I shook my head.

I had never met anyone that had true, unending, faith in themselves. The idea itself was probably laughable; but Naruto had it. He had faith in himself when no one else did; he always had done. At the moment, most of Konoha's denizens believed that he was the demon that he housed within himself.

That was from where their fear of him most likely stemmed. He had already proved them wrong in my eyes; he behaved nothing like a demon.

I had only recently discovered that my classmate was a Jinchuriki. I had never feared him either, despite the whispers of demon and monster that I had heard frequently from others about him, and directed towards him, whilst I was growing up. I couldn't judge him. I had heard plenty of whispers about myself too; the last of the Uchiha clan. I was 'cursed' and I was 'odd'. I was 'the last of a great clan', according to a few of the villagers; a boy who lived alone in a part of the village that was now devoid of my own, now dead, kin. The houses of the Uchiha complex had long now since stood empty and the people of Konoha had decided that they were haunted, cursed even.

They had even decided that my eyes themselves were cursed, because of my clan's ocular kekei genkei. I didn't even know if it was true, and honestly, I wanted to doubt it; but I couldn't be certain. To the village, I was known as that 'strange boy' because of my heritage or just 'that poor Uchiha boy'. I knew that Naruto wouldn't care though. He didn't even know his own heritage. What did it matter to him that I had the Sharingan?

He was probably the only person that could understand my feelings, even despite the fact that he had no recollection of his family. Of course, he knew nothing; I was just a fellow pupil. Dense as he was, I could probably flaunt my eyesight and he wouldn't notice anything, except that my eyes turned red on occasion. He really was an idiot. And, somehow, I needed his acknowledgement more than he would probably ever know. I almost smiled.

I carried on walking, past where he was sat on the swing; hoping in vein that his gaze would follow me and yet knowing that it was unlikely. I felt a scowl contort my face as I continued on. I was just going to have to make him pay attention to me. But how?