Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other products created by Masashi Kishimoto

A Book by Its Cover

Chapter 1

The raven slipped his street shoes into his locker as he stepped into his indoor shoes, sighing deeply at the wave of drowsiness that threatened to take over. Sasuke was never a morning person, but he arrived at school 30 minutes before the crowd so he didn't have to deal with his annoying fangirls at his locker trying to flirt with him. His dark hair laid gracefully over his face as he bent over to slip his shoes on more comfortably. Straightening up again, he tapped his toes on the ground to adjust the shoes, as he did routinely in the morning.

It was the same thing every morning. Get up, get dressed, grab a slice of toast, rush out the door, walk briskly to school, arrive at school, and slip into his indoor shoes. Honestly, he didn't know how he managed to bear it, the same thing every morning, but it seemed to work for him.

Leisurely, Sasuke grabbed his bag that rested on the ground before he turned to leave the lockers… and that was when he saw him: Uzumaki Naruto. Today was one of the rare occasions Uzumaki came to school early, usually to sneak in and disappear to who-knows-where in the school until the first bell rang.

Uzumaki was such a loser, wearing that gaudy, orange scarf around his neck, even though the school guidelines clearly state that you are not allowed to wear anything other than the school uniform: a white, button-up, long-sleeved shirt and navy, crisp pants. The girls wore a navy, plaid skirt, and they wore a large, blue ribbon around their neck. Both genders were allowed to wear the school blazer, but most waited until winter to wear them. Since it was just the beginning of autumn, nobody wore them yet… But Uzumaki always wore that bright, hideous orange scarf.

He couldn't help but glare at the sight of the flaxen blond, the boy's hair tousled as if he just woke up. "Usuratonkachi.(1)" He growled, tilting his head up to look down at Uzumaki.

Naruto trudged slowly towards the school gates. Usually, he loved the mornings; the crisp air, the moist, dewy grass, the calm, peaceful streets. It was as if Naruto was the last person on the world, and it was only him and nature. Even the cold, concrete streets beneath looked beautiful.

However, this morning, Naruto wasn't in his usual, happy mood. There had been a thunderstorm last night, and Naruto was scared was thunder. Of course, he would never admit this to anyone else, but he was terrified of the dark.

Sadly, the flaxen blond walked into the school, strolling towards the lockers in the front room… and that was when he saw him: Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto hated the Uchiha with a passion. That perfect face, raven hair, perfect grades, and perfect athletic abilities. Of course, that wasn't why he hated the Uchiha so much. It was the fact that the Uchiha rubbed it in Naruto's face all the time, that he looked down on Naruto so much, and how everyone loved Sasuke no matter what the raven did. It wasn't fair. Here Naruto was, just being himself and trying to stay out of everyone's way, and still- everyone hated him.

With the greatest ferocity he could muster, Naruto glared at the raven, hate filling his gaze as he spat at the raven, "Bakayaro!(2)" Then, faster then he spoke, Naruto stomped to a different isle, wishing he hadn't seen the Uchiha this morning, making his bad mood even nastier.

Author's note:

{1}"Usuratonkachi" translates to "thin hammer," which is equivalent to saying "useless."

{2}"Bakayaro" means moron, idiot, a** hole… you get the drift. The familiar form, and the conugational tense implies that the person referenced is willfully being a jackass and making a spectacle of himself.

So, this is going to be a very intimate and realistic plot about the raven and blond. They wont be OOC very much, which will make the story much more fun! It will be very accurate, and maybe you'll learn some things about Japanese culture as you read! If you have any ideas or comments about Japanese culture, or would like to correct me, go ahead! I'll really appreciate it! :)