The Scent of Cologne & Libraries

Chapter 1

The room was empty. Perhaps this should have been some relief to Naruto, but this heart was beating too fast to really tell if he was happy for this turn of events, or if it just made him more nervous. On second thought, the later sounded more accurate. He let out a loud sigh as he tossed the heavy box in his hands onto the bed on his left. Both beds were empty, but his bed at home was the left… might as well have some sort of reminder of home, right?

As you might have noticed, college wasn't exactly Naruto's first choice. In fact, he was hoping to skip it all together and go straight into work. Maybe start as a dishwasher and go from there. His father had other plans for him, however. He shouldn't be surprised, though. His father was an elementary school teacher and always believed that education was the most important step into adulthood. Naruto didn't agree. On a good day, Naruto would rather jump off a waterfall into a boiling pit of piranhas; his grades were a perfect example of this.

However, Naruto also had a soft spot for anything his father wanted. His father had adopted him when he was 6. The way Naruto always saw it, he owed the man his life. So, what was another 4 years of scholastic hell and demon-teachers that forced their students to slave over pointless tests and essays until their hands bled and they went blind? Okay, it was a slight exaggeration, but not by much...

"Well, this isn't so bad." Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his father's voice suddenly behind him.

"Ah! Uh, well, no one's here yet, so…" he trailed off, a shaky hand brushing back golden blonde hair from his damp forehead.

"Nervous?"

"N-no, I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

Naruto glared back at the older man, noticing the knowing smirk gleaming on his face. "Iruka. I'm fine."

"Well, then I should head back. I still need to finish grading those papers from yesterday." He chuckled to himself, setting the rest of Naruto's items on the floor next to the bed Naruto had chosen. "You're sure you don't want me to stay the night?"

"What?! No!" Naruto's face paled, knowing his father was only half joking. "No, you should head home. You're right. Lots of things to grade!" With an awkward grin, he shooed Iruka out of the room, shutting the door behind them.


It wasn't until a few hours later that his father actually started on his drive home. Iruka insisted that they eat dinner together and talk about everything the older man could think of, as if it was the last time he would see Naruto for years. Even after Naruto told him he would come home every holiday and maybe even visit some weekends, it still didn't seem to sink. If Naruto didn't know any better, he would think he was leaving the country for a decade, not going to the college only about a 7-hour-drive from home.

He walked back from the parking lot slowly, pulling out his cell phone to distract himself. Classes started the day after tomorrow, so he had only one more day to cherish his freedom. The freedom from homework, that is.

His worn sneakers practically dragged on the ground as he made his way up the steps to Leaf Hall, his melancholy demeanor a stark contrast to the excited, running freshman that ran around the halls from room to room. Paper planes flew over his head as he continued to browse whatever social media he could in the short amount of time before he reached his own room. He wasn't sure what he was going to face, or, more accurately, who he was going to face, but he knew he wasn't entirely looking forward to it.


The room was empty. Okay, now he was a bit creeped out. He double checked the room, closing the door behind him before looking all around, but no mysterious boxes or personal belongings beside his own were in the room. Maybe he wasn't coming today? Maybe he got sick and died? Naruto reached into one of the open boxes to pull out a folder of papers before sitting at his desk. Looking through the paperwork, he ran into the one that mentioned his roommate.

"Sasuke Uchiha," he mumbled to himself, curiosity eating at him as he tried to imagine who this person could be.

"Yes?" Naruto nearly jumped out of his seat at the second time a voice appeared behind him in the god-forsaken room. However, this time it was someone else; this time it was someone with ebony hair and fair skin. "Do you normally whisper your roommates name to yourself in the dark, or am I special?"

Shit.