Rated M for language and future sexual situations.

Disclaimer: I do not own the original concept of Naruto, that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Beta'd by ImperfectSnow

Time to wake up! Time to wake up!

Naruto groaned as his alarm started blaring and noisily rolled around on the floor. It was the type of alarm that didn't stop ringing until the user got out of bed and actually caught it. It was perfect for Naruto, who was not a morning person at all, so he was forced to get up. But at the same time he absolutely hated it.

He rolled out of bed and stumbled around trying to find the source of his misery. It had rolled under his dresser where it was repeatedly slamming into the wall. Great. He got on his hands and knees to snatch the alarm and shut it off.

It was 5:30 in the morning.

Yawning, Naruto began his morning routine of showering, brushing his teeth, and getting dressed. He had exactly twenty minutes to do this and eat breakfast.

He looked in the mirror as he adjusted his tie on his school uniform. He hated wearing uniforms. It made him look super preppy, which was definitely not his style. And he was a little disappointed that he couldn't wear orange everyday. The uniform consisted of a forest-green blazer over a white dress shirt with a red tie, black slacks, and black dress shoes. On colder days he could wear a dark grey sweater vest, but he chose not to because that would be overdoing it.

Breakfast consisted of toast and orange juice. He didn't really have the time or the motivation to properly prepare his meal. But he did note that his cabinets were looking pretty scarce; he'll have to go shopping after school.

By 5:50 am Naruto was out the door and walked ten minutes to the nearest bus stop to catch the 6:05 bus (more like the 6:00 am bus, it always ran early due to lack of traffic). The bus ride took just about twenty minutes to get to the bus terminal, where Naruto had to transfer to another bus to get to the city center where he attended school. That ride could take at least an hour.

Naruto didn't complain. Well, not that much. The hour and a half commute was worth it, for he was attending one of the most prestigious private schools in all of Konoha. Never would he have imagined being able to go to a school like the Hidden Leaf Academy. It was the best and most expensive school in the city.

He was by no means rich. As a matter of fact, he considered himself between middle and lower class. He was an orphan who lived on his own after getting himself emancipated from his abusive foster father. Fortunately, he was able to get himself on his feet with the help of a distant uncle by the name of Jiraiya. His uncle was a famous author of erotic novels, so he lived quite comfortably. He supported Naruto by paying for his apartment and tuition as long as he got good grades and didn't get into trouble. That was all Naruto could take from him, though. He didn't like the idea of depending on someone financially. He got a part time job to pay for all his other expenses. Jiraiya wanted Naruto to make something of himself and get a good education, so he was more than willing to pay for school so Naruto didn't have to drop out and get a full-time job.

Naruto lived outside of the city in a small apartment complex. The rent was reasonable because living in the city cost way too much, and Naruto didn't like the idea of making his uncle pay $3,000 a month when he could easily pay $800 somewhere else. Hence the hour and a half commute to school.

The bus dropped Naruto off three blocks away from school. It was 7:30 am and class started at 8:00 am sharp.

"Oi, dead-last!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and turned to see his friends Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, and Shino approach. Since he started going to Hidden Leaf the four teens had become his best friends. Prior to meeting them the group was referred to as "The Dead-Lasts" by the more popular students. But the boys had taken a liking to the name and decided to own it as their official group name. In the world of the social cliques that dominated the Hidden Leaf, the boys were considered to be the lowest. Naruto thought it was strange for a school with upper-class students to have such a rigid social hierarchy. He thought all rich kids were the same.

Despite being warmly accepted into the group, Naruto was aware that his friends' families definitely had more money that he did. Inuzuka Kiba's family were famous dog breeders that owned a chain of the best puppy stores in the city, Akimichi Choji's family owned a chain of Japanese BBQ restaurants (the best Naruto ever had), Nara Shikamaru's parents were doctors that owned their own private practice, and Aburame Shino's parents were entomologists who came from a family that pretty much discovered every insect in Konoha and wrote a ton of books on them.

While they knew Naruto didn't come from some prestigious, well-known family (and frankly they didn't care), Naruto was self-conscious about his own financial status. That was the biggest culture shock when he started going to the school. No matter what he always felt uncomfortable being around people who had considerably more money than him.

Kiba clasped a hand on Naruto's shoulder as the blonde fell in line with his friends.

"Hey Naruto, my buddy, did you do last night's Math homework?" Kiba asked, giving Naruto's shoulders a little shake.

Naruto laughed and shook his head. "Yeah Kiba, you can copy my notes."

Kiba feigned mock offense. "Why do you assume I'm going to copy your homework? I could just be making sure you did it."

"Cause you always ask to copy my homework, even though all my answers are probably wrong." Naruto laughed.

Kiba sighed and clasped his hands behind his head. "Oh Naruto, you know me so well..."

The boys made their way up the steps into the school where they proceeded to get what they needed from their lockers. Naruto's locker was right next to Kiba's. He handed him his Math binder.

"Thanks man!" Kiba sat down on the floor to copy the notes. Naruto looked around nervously. "Shouldn't you do that somewhere else? A teacher could see you..."

"It will take me like, two minutes."

Naruto leaned against the wall and casually looked around to make sure a teacher wasn't walking by. His blue eyes wandered and fell on the sight in front of him.

His heart skipped a beat.

Walking down the hall were the Sabaku Siblings: Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara. They came front the most wealthy and powerful family in Konoha next to the Uchihas. Their father was a very well known politician.

Temari and Kankuro were both seniors while Gaara was a junior. Naruto tried very hard not to stare at the redhead. In his humble opinion, the youngest Sabaku was one of the most attractive boys in school. Not only was he incredibly good looking but he was also very mysterious. He didn't understand why, but Naruto found Gaara's apathetic aloofness to be incredibly sexy.

As the siblings passed by Gaara gave Naruto a curt nod of acknowledgement. Naruto smiled and waved. He internally squealed over the encounter. It felt like a huge honor to have someone like Gaara notice him, a lowly freshman.

Oh, how he wished it could be so much more! Gaara being romantically interested in him was but a mere pipe dream.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice that his three friends approached and Kiba was whacking his legs with his binder to get his attention.

"God Naruto, you're blushing like a horny schoolgirl. What's got you all hot and bothered?" Kiba teased. Naruto blushed even more and snatched his binder. "I am not blushing! It's hot in here, that's all." He mumbled.

Choji and Kiba laughed, Shikamaru shook his head, and Shino tilted his head in curiosity.

His friends had long since known that Naruto was gay. They were also well aware that Naruto had a crush on Gaara (just by seeing how flustered he got whenever Gaara would walk past him). He wasn't ashamed of being gay but that didn't mean he was going to broadcast it to the whole school. He heard rumors of the hazing that went on and Naruto decided for once it was not a good idea to draw attention to himself.

The warning bell rang alerting the students that there was ten minutes before classes started. The four teens chatted as they walked to Home Room.

So far the day had been very typical for Naruto. The first four periods of the day seem to drag and it felt as if class was two hours instead of forty-five minutes. So he was ready for a break when fifth period lunch came around.

The five teens sat under a tree in the courtyard during lunch. Naruto realized he forgot his meal (or rather he didn't have enough food to even make one) and cringed at the idea of forking over his precious cash to buy over-priced food. Choji graciously offered Naruto some of his lunch, which was big enough to feed all five of his friends. Naruto sheepishly accepted the large bento box made of the Akimichi's famous food.

"Um, m-may I join you guys?" A timid voice asked.

The boys looked up to see Hyuuga Hinata. Her lavender eyes were cast down and a pretty pink blush graced her cheeks. Hinata was also a freshman that came from a wealthy and prominent family. She was a very pretty girl who was so painfully shy it was almost adorable. Her cousin, the handsome and popular Neji, was a junior.

"Sure Hinata-chan! You can sit next to me!" Kiba said. He grinned and patted the space next to him. Hinata thanked him. "Here, I'll get that for you!" He exclaimed and took the small pink blanket Hinata was holding her hands. He placed it on the ground in front of her and smiled. She smiled back and knelt down on the blanket that she used to prevent her white knee-high socks from getting dirty.

Naruto smirked as he watched Kiba interact with Hinata. They were close childhood friends and it was obvious Kiba had a crush on her (which he adamantly and repeatedly denies).

He was so absorbed in his conversation with Hinata that he did even notice the apple that was pelted at him until it hit his head.

"Argh! What the hell?" Kiba growled. Hinata gasped as the apple bounced by. Rubbing his head, Kiba turned, ready to curse out the jerk that dared to throw something at him. His face immediately fell.

Towering behind him with a rather sadistic smirk was Hidan. He was a senior and one of the worst bullies in the school. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest and the sleeves of his blazer and shirt were rolled up to his elbows. He was so rebellious that he didn't even attempt to wear a tie.

Behind him was his friend Kakuzu, also a senior. He and Hidan were always together. They were a part of the biggest crime families and the most dangerous gang, the Akatsuki. This gave them a higher sense of self-entitled than the other students. No one dared to mess with them or else they would incur the wrath of the Akatsuki. The Dead-Lasts were harassed by these two at least once a day.

"Aww, it seems we upset the little puppy." Hidan taunted in a fake sympathetic voice. Kakuzu sniggered behind him.

"Fuck you, man!" Kiba fumed.

"Sorry, I don't do guys." Hidan taunted.

Kiba stood up, "Yeah, well you will after I throw your ass in jail!"

"K-Kiba..." Hinata gasped and covered her mouth in shock. Choji audibly gulped. Shikamaru face palmed. Shino pretended to be interested in some ants that were climbing up a tree. Naruto slowly placed his bento box on the ground.

Hidan stepped closer to Kiba, who in turn stepped back right in his lunch. Hidan narrowed his eyed and sneered, "Are you threatening me, mutt?"

Kiba gulped. No one threatened Akatsuki members with jail time and lived to talk about it.

Naruto gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He couldn't stand the sight of innocent people being harassed and abused. He already experienced enough of that in his life and he vowed to never let himself or anyone else he cared about experience that again.

"N-no! I-I was just j-joking Hidan! I-I swear! Right g-guys? Ha ha..." Kiba replied, his voice getting higher and shakier.

Hidan grabbed Kiba's shirt. "That wasn't fucking funny, mutt. I'll fucking put you down," He snarled.

Before Hidan could even raise his fist, Naruto was right in front of him, blocking Kiba, "Back off Hidan," He warned.

"What did you just say, dead-last?"

By this time the other studies in the courtyard were cautiously watching the exchange. One of the Dead-Lasts were standing up to Hidan?

Kiba tried to push Naruto out of the way. "Do you have a death wish?" He hissed in his ear. Naruto ignored him.

"I said back off," He warned the Akatsuki member, "And don't call me that."

Hidan let go of Kiba, who was already forgotten. He stared Naruto down. The blonde freshman held his ground and glared right back. "You better watch it, Uzumaki. You're asking for trouble."

"Don't mess with my friends. Or else I'll show you want trouble looks like," Naruto shot back. Truthfully, he was talking a big game and a small part of him was terrified. It was like being confronted by his foster father all over again - but he had to be strong after coming this far.

The tension increased as Hidan cracked his knuckles. Naruto hoped he wouldn't get beat up too badly...

"Is there a problem gentlemen?" A cheerful voice asked.

Naruto had to contain his sigh of relief. Hatake Kakashi, the English Literature teacher and fifth period lunch monitor, had approached the scene. He always had a habit of popping up out of nowhere whenever a fight was about to break out.

Hidan backed away but he still gave Naruto a death glare. "There's no problem, sensei," He replied sarcastically. Kakashi peered at him with his one eye as Hidan and Kakuzu stalked away. The tension dissipated and the whispering onlookers went back to their business.

Kakashi gave Naruto a warm smile and a reassuring pat of the arm. "Stay outta trouble kids," He said and walked away. Naruto and Kiba sat back so they didn't draw more attention to themselves.

"Holy shit Naruto, that was crazy! What were you thinking?" Kiba wailed as he unhappily cleaned the remnants of his lunch off his shoes. Hinata offered to share hers with him.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "I, uh, don't really know. I guess I was just fed up or something."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Troublesome." Choji nodded vigorously.

"You should be careful, Naruto. No one stands up to Hidan and gets away it." Shino warned. Naruto shrugged and continued with his lunch.

Nevertheless, Naruto made a mental note to heed Shino's warning.

Naruto groaned in frustration as he erased his answer. He was in the library during his free period trying to get most of his homework done. He almost decided to crumple up his Math homework and throw it out the window. The blonde had been stuck on the same problem for ten minutes.

Math was his worst subject and his only class that was not Honors. He was a good student because he worked his ass off to get good grades. Naruto was by no means a logical thinker, which was probably why he couldn't understand the damn subject. His grades in the class were mediocre at best; he never really got anything above a seventy-five. He really should go to extra help but he didn't normally have time after school due to his job.

Naruto sighed and leaned his elbows on the desk, his hands clutching his unruly blonde hair. He absentmindedly looked up at the group of students two tables ahead of him. Seated there was a group of the most popular students in the school.

Uchiha Sasuke was sitting at the middle of the table in all his rich-boy glory. The Uchiha clan was another one of the most richest and well-known families. They also seemed to be the subject of a lot of media gossip, for Naruto was always reading headlines about them in the papers. Sasuke, a sophomore, was practically a celebrity.

To the right of him was Haruno Sakura, Sasuke's on again, off again girlfriend. Currently they seemed to be on again since Sasuke had his arm around her. She was very beautiful and seemed nice, but all Naruto knew about her was that she was obsessed with Sasuke. Her parents were surgeons or something like that. Next to Sakura was Yamanka Ino, Sakura's best friend. Ino was one of those girls who developed early and flaunted it. Half the male students (and male teachers) lusted after her. Her family owned a very popular botanical garden and flower shop. Naruto didn't really know how someone could be rich selling flowers, but apparently people from all over the world ordered them. Even the mayor was a frequent customer.

Hyuuga Neji was also part of the group. He was gorgeous, mature and a bit arrogant, which for some reason made him even more appealing. Naruto's gaydar definitely went off with this one. Next to Neji was Sai, who was a male model and a talented artist. He was also most definitely gay. The last person, who seemed the odd one out and popular only by association, was Karin. She was a junior and Naruto didn't know much about her other than the fact that she did and sold a lot of drugs. Rumor has it that she was involved with a dangerous drug lord by the name of Orochimaru. She was also part of the Sasuke Fan Club, a name Naruto gave the group of girls who were all in love with Sasuke. He wondered if he and Sakura were always breaking up because he was secretly having sex with the members of said fan club.

Naruto sighed, looking away from the group that he'd never be apart of. He tried reading the problem again but at this point it looked like a foreign language to him.

"Uzumaki."

Naruto quickly sat up in his seat. Gaara stood on the other side of the table, staring at him with sea-foam green eyes. Oh my God, those eyes...and black lines surrounding them made him more mysterious - from afar it looked like he was wearing heavy eye liner. The beautiful red kanji tattoo on his forehead stood out against his pale skin. He wasn't sporting his blazer and his tie hung loosely around his neck.

"Um, hello Sabaku-senpai..." Naruto said. He could feel himself blushing. For some reason the redhead made him feel uncharacteristically shy. Gaara peered down at Naruto's book.

"You're doing Math homework," He observed. Naruto nodded, scratching the back of his head.

"You look like you're struggling," Gaara stated. If it were anyone else was talking to Naruto and stating the obvious he would have gotten annoyed - but with Gaara, well, the redhead was taking special notice in him!

Gaara tilted his head, "Need some help?"

Naruto blushed even more and waved his hands in front of him. "O-oh no S-Sabaku-senpai, that's okay. I don't want to bother you..." He ended up mumbling that last sentence, but Gaara had already walked around the table and seated himself next to Naruto. He pulled the Math textbook closer to himself and began reading the problem. Naruto was having an internal freak out. Sabaku Gaara was voluntarily sitting next to him! And he was voluntarily helping him with his homework! Naruto started thanking the God he didn't even believe in.

"This here is an inequality," Gaara murmured, pointing to the problem, "I assume you know what that is." Naruto nodded, trying very hard not to be distracted by Gaara's low voice in his ear. He leaned a little closer, pretending to look at the problem.

"And what must you do with an inequality?" Gaara asked.

"Um, well...you have to get x by itself. But, uh, there are two x's..." Naruto replied.

The redhead nodded and reached over to grab Naruto's binder. Naruto's nose was blessed with his musky scent. He handed the blonde freshman a pencil and began guiding him through solving the problem. Naruto found Gaara to be much better than his actual Math teacher. How did he make it seem so easy?

The end of the period Naruto had successfully completed all the required Math problems. Gaara even showed him how to graph the equations.

"Thank you so much Sabaku-senpai! Really, I don't know how I could have done it without you..." Naruto said as he put his books in his backpack. Gaara stood up.

"If you ever need help again just ask," he said. Naruto blushed again.

"Um, I appreciate that. But I don't want to bother you all the time. I should really get a tutor..." He mumbled.

"I can do it," Gaara said.

Naruto blinked, "Do what?"

"Be your Math tutor," he said simply.

Naruto eyes widened, "S-seriously? You would do that?" This was too good to be true.

Gaara nodded, "It's no problem. I can help you during Study Hall." The way he talked made it seem as if it was an obvious plan. He took the pencil and wrote his number on the paper upon which Naruto had done his homework. Naruto's eyes widened even more and his jaw dropped. Holy shit.

"You can call me if you need help outside of school," the redhead said.

The bell rang. Naruto never thought he could hear such a devastating sound in his life. He stood up and bowed, "Thanks Sabaku-senpai!"

Gaara nodded and turned to leave. Then he stopped and looked back, "You can just call me Gaara."

Naruto beamed. "Okay Gaara-senpai! You can call me Naruto!"

"No…just Gaara, Naruto," the junior all but commanded and then seemed to smile ever so slightly before leaving.

The blonde gulped somewhat before a goofy grin spread across his handsome face. He mouthed 'Gaara' and felt his smile widen. He felt dancing in joy. This was officially the best day of his life. He beamed even more as he walked down the hall to his next class.

Thanks for reading :) Reviews are always appreciated.