"Expectations"
Sasuke (plus) Naruto
AU, OOC, fluff, shonen ai, MATH!
Rated: R (Language and such)
Scenario: Naruto and Sasuke are about 15 years old in good ol' Algebra 2. (Sophomores in high school) Their teacher is Kakashi. Naruto's got a hard life at home thanks to his Dad. Yah...
Howdy howdy howdy. Katsuya here. Jeez.. this is the first story I've posted on in years, literally. Okey dokey - this is Naruto and Sasuke. It was going to be a yaoi/lemon.. but I changed my mind. It would lose its whole effect. Now it's just shonen ai lime-ness Enjoi!! Oh - there's math language in here - but you don't have to be able to understand it. Just skip over the lines if you want to. I don't care. (This is the second posting of this chapter - just to fix some math errors that were pointed out lol)
Expectations - Chapter One: Make Me!
"So, by taking the value of X you found in the first equation and substituting it back into the second equation, you're left with nothing but Y values, so you can solve. This is really the simplest method."
Naruto stared at the whiteboard in pure confusion. His teacher, Kakashi, had just finished explaining systems of equations to the class. However, instead of making things simpler, the lesson had merely made Naruto feel worse off than when it had begun.
Naruto was a quick-tempered, not-too-bright boy of fifteen years. His slouched form in class hid his lean, well-shaped body. Crystal blue eyes blinked perplexingly around under a mess of spiked-up, blonde hair, which Naruto was currently fidgeting with.
"Okay, now I want everyone to try an example. I'll call on someone in a few minutes, so be ready," Kakashi said, writing the example on the board.
Naruto copied the two equations onto his paper and stared at them blankly.
2x (plus) 5y (equals) 4
4x (plus) 12y (equals) 8
He continued to stare, clueless as to even the first step. Glancing around he noticed the other students scribbling away. Sasuke, Naruto's arch-nemesis, had already finished and his pencil was resting quietly back on his desk. Naruto looked over to Sakura to see that she had just finished as well.
Naruto rubbed his head. Math was his worst subject, but he had somehow managed to squirm into an honors class. All for Sakura. He couldn't live without sharing at least one class with her.
"All right. Now why don't you tell us how you solved this problem, Naruto?"
Naruto looked up nervously, "I dunno."
Kakashi crossed his arms, "Give it a try. How do you think you would do this?"
"Umm... you would... times the two thingies by two? No! By a negative two!"
"Not quite... just focus on the bottom equation for now. It seems the most logical to solve first."
"Umm... divide by two? No, by a negative two! Yeah-"
"It's very easy." Sasuke interrupted, "looking at the bottom equation, you would pull 12y to the other side by subtraction, and then divide by four. X is then isolated."
"Right," Kakashi said, jotting something on his clipboard, "Why don't you come to the board and finish the problem up for us, Sasuke?"
Sasuke gradually made his way to the board. He wrote quickly, the numbers flowing together smoothly seeming to create a foreign language that Naruto obviously wasn't fluent in.
Sasuke capped the marker and turned around, "X equals two, Y equals zero. Child's play," he scoffed, "You'd have to be an idiot not to understand how to do that."
Naruto, feeling discouraged and stupid, slumped back in his chair. He felt even worse as he watched Sasuke ignore a compliment and smile from Sakura.
Sasuke was a very attractive boy. Sharp, violet eyes pierced through anyone who dared to challenge him. His jet-black hair was arranged in a seemingly messy, but strategically arranged style. He stood strongly, at nearly six feet. His figure was lean, yet naturally muscular, which many of his fellow male-classmates were quite jealous of. Not to mention the many girls that swooned over him. Namely Sakura.
"That's correct, very good. Naruto, you and Sasuke see me after class."
Naruto groaned and put his head in his hands. Sasuke muttered something under his breath, and class went on.
Eventually (approximately ten minutes later) Naruto grew bored of numbers and fell asleep, face buried in the soft orange cloth of his hoodie. He awoke roughly an hour later to the generous insults of Sasuke.
"... no freaking way! He's a complete idiot! You can't teach that moron anything unless there's a prize offered. Usually Sakura."
Kakashi spoke up, "You're being unfair, Sasuke. Naruto's a fellow student. You should be eager to help. He's-"
"How the hell did he make an honors class, anyway? He's probably making a thirty."
"Watch your language. He has a sixty-seven, actually."
Naruto sat up, angry that Kakashi would discuss his grade so openly with Sasuke.
Kakashi looked over, "Oh, Naruto. We were just about to wake you u-"
"Yeah, after that asshole finished insulting me, right?"
"Wrong. Sasuke - apologize." Kakashi commanded.
Sasuke crossed his arms defiantly, "No."
Naruto stuck out his tongue, "Sasuke's too good to apologize. His parents brought him up to be a dick and think he's the best even though he's NOT and won't ever be!"
"Hello? I'm your teacher! Cool the language, Naruto. I could write you-"
"Then who's the best if I'm not?" Sasuke shot back.
"I am!" Naruto shouted, jumping up.
"Ha! Don't make me laugh, Mr. Sixty-seven!"
"Shut up, Mr. Must-please-Daddy-so-I'm-not-disowned! You know that's the only reason he likes you! If you weren't a giant brain with legs, he wouldn't even give you a second glance! So-"
"Ladies! Not one more word or I'm assigning both of you detention!" Kakashi said, pausing the quarrel for the moment.
Naruto stuck his tongue out once more for good measure, feeling a little bad when he caught sight of the hurt look on Sasuke's face. He brushed the guilt aside as he sat back down.
"Okay, Naruto - listen up. Sasuke is your new tutor." Kakashi held a hand up to silence Naruto as he began to complain, "I've paired the highest grade with the lowest grade. You slept through half the class today, Naruto. You need help, which Sasuke has agreed to-"
"No I didn't."
"For the chance to drop his lowest grade, Sasuke has agreed to provide the help. If your test grades don't improve, I'll stop the peer tutoring and-"
"Just when are we supposed to find the time to do this?!" Naruto asked angrily.
"Make time. Naruto, if you don't make an 85 or higher on your next test... I'm dropping you from honors."
"What?! An 85??! I've never made an 85 in my entire life!"
"Well, I suppose that is now your problem and Sasuke's problem. Our next test is Thursday the twelfth. That gives you a little over a week. You're welcome to use the classroom before and after school for as long as reasonably needed," Kakashi said, taking his leave, "Oh, and good luck."
Naruto flipped the finger at the door as he watched it shut behind Kakashi. He was now trapped in his least favorite place with his least favorite person.
"Okay, dunce. Let's get started. We'll stay after an hour every day and come an hour early every morning until the test. I'll waste my time to help you." Sasuke said, sliding into the chair next to Naruto and flipping open the algebra book in front of them, "I don't even know why I'm doing this. Dropping my lowest grade won't help me at all. You're a waste of everyone's time, Naruto. Honestly."
Naruto looked down.
"You're a waste of a perfectly good existence!" ... "I should have put you up when I found out you weren't mine!" ... "There's nothing about you I don't hate!" ... "Why don't you just do us all a favor and DIE?!"
Sasuke glanced over and noticed a difference in the way Naruto looked. Instead of the determined, confident sneer he usually wore, Naruto looked lost and hurt. His eyes looked empty and his lips were set in a frown. Sasuke actually felt a little bad for his insult, but brushed his feelings aside quickly.
"Okay, let's start with something a ten year-old could understand," Sasuke sighed, pulling some notebook paper and a few pencils from his bag. He wrote two simple equations onto the paper.
x (equals) 2y
x (plus) y (equals) 3
"Now. Do you see how the top equation has X all alone?" Sasuke paused as Naruto nodded, "Okay. You take 2y - that's what X is equal to - and plug it into the bottom equation. In other words, you take what X is equal to and replace the X on the bottom equation with that value. Which gives you...?" Sasuke inched the paper over to Naruto.
Naruto wrote "x (plus) 2y (equals) 3" without hesitation and gave the paper back to Sasuke.
Sasuke looked at Naruto's answer, "How the hell did you get that, idiot?!"
Naruto huffed, "From the top equation, where else!?"
Sasuke pointed down, "No. You plug the x (equals) 2y in for X. You don't just randomly add another Y. You would do it like this: "2y (plus) y (equals) 3" Do you see?"
Naruto nodded feebly, feeling more stupid with each passing pencil stroke.
"Alright, that leaves you with "3y (equals) 3," so you would divide, which leaves you with "y (equals) 1." Then you use the same substitution method with the Y value and the top equation. So, "x (equals) 2(1)" or "x (equals) 2." Got it?"
"Uh-huh." Naruto breathed, hating how easy this was for Sasuke and how difficult it was for him.
"So, y (equals) 1 and x (equals) 2. Simple, right?"
Naruto sighed, "Yeah, sure. Whatever."
Sasuke wrote a harder set of equations down and Naruto settled in for an extra hour of fun time."
As soon as the clock read 3:30, Naruto jumped up and gathered his things.
"See ya!" he said as he raced for the door. Naruto rounded the corner and hurried for the exit, bursting through the doors.
It felt so much better to be out in the fresh air than inside with calculators and Sasuke. Naruto felt himself grin under the sunshine.
Naruto glanced down at his watch and felt his smile crack right off his face. Of course he knew it was 3:30. That's what the clock inside had said. However, while in the confines of the classroom walls, he didn't realize exactly what 3:30 meant.
He didn't realize that 3:30 was fifteen minutes from 3:45, the time his dad got home. He didn't realize that the house wasn't clean and that his father would accept no excuses.
Or, rather, he didn't realize any of that until now.
"Shit..." Naruto cursed under his breath as he broke out in a sprint that many Olympic athletes would kill for.
He dodged kids on bikes, old women walking their dogs and even a few cars. He darted through yards, utilizing any and all shortcuts he could think of. There was no way he could let his dad beat him home.
Not if he enjoyed residing in the land of the living.
Naruto grit his teeth as he came upon the final stretch. His book bag wasn't helping him at all. But, he had turned a thirty-minute walk into a ten-minute dash. But would it be enough?
Apparently Naruto hadn't thought this through very well. Even if he managed to beat his father home, he would have less than five minutes to clean the entire bottom floor of his house. In other words: Accomplish the impossible. On top of the house not being cleaned, he would be exhausted from the run and vulnerable to any attacks, physical or verbal, his father was ready to throw at him.
Naruto's father, named Des, was no man to mess with. He was tall, nearly six and a half feet, and was built like a wrestler. His thick brown hair was cut short, neatly and consistently. He dressed crisply, like someone straight from the military.
Definitely not someone you wanted to mess with.
But, alas, fate danced against Naruto yet again. As he neared his house, his father's green mustang was unmistakably parked in the driveway.
Naruto stopped cold in his tracks.
"Sure, this is fair." Naruto mumbled, "First too much math.. now too much, way too much trouble... ugh..." he sighed.
He regained his composure a few seconds later and walked slowly towards his house. As he walked, he 'cheerfully' tried to plan the words he wanted inscribed on his tombstone, which, surely, would be carved the next day.
However, he was unable to come up with anything that wouldn't make his mother cry, so he gave up as he stepped inside his house.
The door had barely even shut when the fury was upon him.
"Where the fuck have you been?!" a thunderous voice yelled. Naruto wasn't surprised to hear this.
However, he winced, bracing himself for the strike that came seconds later. No matter how many times he was beaten or how much he prepared himself, Naruto found that it always hurt.
He stumbled back to the door and clutched his jaw. Blood trickled down his busted lip.
"You little ingrate. You think you can just waltz in whenever you want?! Well, I've got news for-"
"I'm being tutored," Naruto interrupted.
"What the hell does that have to do with anything?!"
"I have to stay after school for an hour everyday so my grades'll improve."
"Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen. How many times do I have to tell you you're a lost cause!? I want this house clean before I get home, every day. No questions asked. That means no hour-long tutoring. I hope I won't have to enforce this."
Naruto glared at the ground, "What don't you enforce?"
"That should have been a smart-ass comment, but it was the truth, so I'll let it slide." Naruto's father now wore a smug grin, "I don't give a fuck how you waste your existence, so long as you keep my house clean and stay the hell away from me."
Naruto moved to walk off, but was shoved back. He felt the doorknob digging into his back and grit his teeth, trying to ignore the pain.
"I didn't hear any acknowledgement. Maybe you didn't understand what I said. Here. Let me dumb it down for your primitive-"
"Yes, sir. The house will be clean every day."
"That's better," his father gave a sickening smile.
Naruto broke loose of his grip and sulked off. He rubbed his back gingerly. He was going to be bruised there, no doubt.
He discarded his book bag in his room and stepped into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. His reflection in the mirror caused him to flinch. His lip was split wide open on the right side. Dried blood caked his jaw like cheap Halloween makeup. He saw a large bruise near the corner of his mouth already forming.
"Mom's gonna flip..." he sighed, peeling his clothes off.
He was used to bruises and cuts, but his mother's tears hurt the most. But she could cry all she wanted. She never did anything more than that. Naruto's thoughts turned bitter. No matter what he did to Naruto, she would always forgive her husband. She was weak, and Naruto's father seemed to be the only pillar to hold onto.
Yoko, Naruto's mother, was a very beautiful woman. She had long flowing blond hair that reached the middle of her back. She had a slim figure and her heart-shaped face showed no signs of aging. She stood barely under six feet tall, but always walked timidly. Her bright green eyes always seemed to dart around nervously. These were the effects of being married to the ruffian she called a husband. She could easily find a nice, more attractive mate, but something was holding her back. Fear.
Naruto turned the shower's nozzle to full heat and his thoughts trailed from his parents to Sakura. His angel. The prettiest girl in his grade. Her round green eyes complimented her soft, cherry-tinted hair. She had a humble, yet well shaped form, which was the object of many of her classmates' desires. She stood just under Naruto's height, nearly five and a half feet tall. Her presence around Naruto was enough to make him feel as if he were in Heaven, even if she could be quite rude to him.
Naruto felt his thoughts shifting positions again to the heat building up in the small room. Before long he felt the steam wrap around his body. He shut his eyes and slipped under the scorching rain, feeling it singe away his worries, roll them over his body and down the endless drain.
End Chapter One
Please review!!! It boosts my ego and makes me update more often!! XD
