Opening: It's a whim fic that I'm starting. Hope you like it, I might continue it, I might not, depending on the feedback I get.

Warning: Main pairing Sasu/Naru. Side pairings, A lot/Naru Lee/Saku

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. (Pity Party)

High School's a Drag when Everyone Thinks you're dead

Prologue: Car Crashes and Crash Downs

Pain. That was the first thing Naruto felt. It was agonizing pain that ripped through him, causing him to cry like an infant. He pounded desperately on the car pinning him down with the only hand he had free. This wasn't how he was supposed to die. He could hear the deafening shouts for help and screaming women and children on the street around him. Not really helping; just letting the people who didn't hear the cataclysmic impact and see the raging fire know that, "Hey, someone just got in a wreck."

Naruto experimentally moved his legs and immediately regretted it as he bellowed in pain again. Both of his legs were trapped under both his motorcycle and the car above him. He could feel fresh blood stick and burn to his fingers as he uncomfortably wriggled them from their confined location under the motorcycle.

He commended himself on being so calm about this for so long, but now he just wanted to claw his way out.

Breathing was getting very difficult for him as his helmet smothered him and the fire around him wasn't helping either. Was anyone going to help him? Did anyone even know that he was still here?

The visor on his helmet limited his vision, the tinted frame slowly developed a thin film of soot. Whoever said that helmets will always help in a crash was full of more shit than a diaper in an old folk's home. His sleek black motorcycle was twisted and malformed from the impact. The bright red flames danced off of whatever shiny parts were left on it.

He became very composed for a moment and tried to listen over the roar of the flames and the noises outside. He couldn't hear sirens. They weren't even close. He started back to life, thrashing about, pushing with all he was to maybe jar his legs from their prison and wrestle his arm out from under his bike.

What did he do wrong? He went through a yellow light and last time he checked that was still perfectly legal. Why then, oh why, was he now staring death in the face? Oh, he was so gonna haunt somebody's ass.

"Someone get me the fuck out of here!!" He yelled, hoping against all hope that someone would hear him.

Terror. Raw, unrestrained terror owned him now. The pain was forgotten as he realized that his life was now in danger. He panicked.

"This can't be fucking happening! I've got finals today! I actually fucking studied!! You can't be fucking serious!" He was flailing about under the wreckage. Then, the scariest noise he had ever heard came. Silence. He could hear the crackling of the flames but no people. Did they really think that he would die so easily? Did they really give up on him? Wasn't tragedy supposed to magnetize people to its source?

"Don't fucking leave me! I'm a human being! I have a God-damned future!!" Naruto was bawling now.

His strength was leaving him. His pounding on the car weakened. His breathing was labored and he gave a final punch to the engine, defeated. "No… this isn't fair… someone… please help…me…"

With those final words, Naruto was dragged, mentally kicking and screaming, into unconsciousness.

The school was hustling and bustling, as per usual, on a testing day. Everyone was chatting animatedly; either socially or last minute studying with friends.

Teachers smiled fondly at the students that they've helped mold over the years. Iruka was obviously the proudest teacher of them all. He grinned, unrepressed at his active students. In the back of his mind he noted one of them missing; his favorite, Naruto.

It wasn't abnormal for the boy to be late, especially on test day, but he had a gut-wrenching feeling today. His grin shrunk a bit as he uneasily took a sip of his morning coffee.

The first bell sounded and everyone rushed to their other classrooms or made their way to their seats in Iruka's class. The door to the class opened and he opened his mouth to scold Naruto for almost being late when he saw Kakashi, his expression looking worse-for-wear.

"Is anything wrong, Kakashi? You look like you just got hit by a train." The brunette was suddenly concerned about the other teacher's condition.

"It's Naruto," the other teacher cringed as the name left his mouth, "there's been an accident." Iruka looked broken.

Iruka's coffee fell from his hands, breaking and scattering across the floor. This startled the class and everyone looked to the front of the room. "Kakashi, don't tell me… It can't be true..." Tears were already surfacing in his eyes.

School policy be damned, he ran to the television perched up on the cradle in the top corner of the room. He had to know that it wasn't true and pushed the power button; Kakashi was doing nothing to stop him.

After a second or two of flickering, the T.V. showed the channel 4 news. The students became very quiet; some started crying immediately.

On the screen was a visual of an inferno, engulfing what could have once been a car; a black motorcycle was peeking out below it. The reporter made gestures behind her, retelling the happening with a few eyewitnesses. In the top corner of the screen, a picture of Naruto was pasted; it was him smiling cheekily after he had won the swim meet. His sunshine hair was plastered to his face and head and his goggles were messily pushed above his forehead. He was still in the pool, gripping on the edge and grinning ear-to-ear.

Along the bottom danced a caption to the disaster. 'Uzumaki, Naruto. Age: 16. Killed this morning in an automobile accident. Eyewitnesses say that the boy turned through a yellow light, fifteen miles over the speed-limit when an oncoming car from across the intersection collided with him. Connie Linel, reporting, live, on the scene.'

Iruka collapsed into an empty seat, his breath leaving him. "Naruto," he whispered, "no."

The tears welling in his eyes fell freely now. He looked down and, almost horror stricken, realized that he was in Naruto's seat.

"Oh God! It's my fault! It's all my fault!! He was just trying to get to school on time because I nagged him so much!" Iruka slumped onto the desk and sobbed himself hoarse. Kakashi was behind him, soothingly rubbing his back. "It wasn't your fault Iruka. It wasn't," he whispered.

Students in the room were equally traumatized. Kiba, Shikamaru, Sakura and Neji were a few of Naruto's close knit friends that had this class with him. They cried loudly, trying as best as they could to consol each other with no success.

Naruto was dead. That was the only thing floating through anyone's mind. Depression clouded the room. No doubt the tests would be canceled because of this, but no one dared to see it as a blessing.

The sun had officially died.

An alarm clock buzzed, its incessant screaming alerting the person in the room that it was time to wake up.

Sheets shifted awkwardly as the boy moved to get up. He turned and put his bare feet on the cold ground, shivering a little as he did so. Walking mechanically, his muscles stiff and his joints popping in protest, he made his way to his kitchen. He looked to the floor in front of his door but found no sign of a newspaper. 'Slackers' he thought jadedly.

With much distain, he got up and threw a random pair of jeans on and a faded, orange, long-sleeved shirt. He shuffled out of his apartment and down the metal stairs, feeling the sharp edges push against his feet, trying to break skin as he ignored it.

He rounded a corner and stopped at a newspaper stand. Digging in his pocket, he found the fifty-one cents and inserted them into the change accepter. He pushed the button, opened the door and took out one of today's newspapers.

As he walked up the stairs again he tried to read the paper but with no such luck since the hall lights were off. He made it into his apartment again and turned the lights on. A few strands of long blonde hair fell in his face as he tried to read what day of the week it was, hoping that it was a weekend. He brushed them away with the back of his hand, leaving a mental note to go get a hair-cut and read it.

Warning sirens went off in his head as he read the date which read; Wednesday; February 19, 2009. His eyes widened comically and his mouth hung agape.

"Where have I been the last year?" Naruto questioned aloud, just starring at the paper in his hands.

TBC…

I hope you liked it. It was a way for me to avoid doing my project that it due in… 19 hours. ;; Thank you for the opportunity. If you like it, please give me feedback.

Later Gators!!