"That little BRAT!" The shout echoed into the open air of the hot summer day, though not many seemed to take notice to the distressed cry. The young blond man stood at the entrance of his own home, soaking wet and glaring down at the empty bucket in front of him. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Hey! Naruto!" A familiar voice called from down the hallway before he heard their footsteps approaching quickly.

"Not now, Shikamaru!" He growled as he threw his vest into his house before closing the door. "I've got a bone to pick with someone."

"Again?" the question carried a distinct indignant tone that he chose to ignore. "Why do you let him do this?"

"What the hell makes you think I let him do this?" Naruto shouted as he whirled around to face his friend, knowing that he probably looked less threatening with his hair completely matted and wet. "You don't think I've told him time and time again to knock it off?"

"Well, I certainly hope you approach him a lot calmer than you are now. How have these past few weeks been for you anyway? I feel like I haven't seen you in a while."

"It's because I'm too busy chasing this kid all over the goddamn village!" Naruto shouted into his hands in an attempt to calm his anger. Of course he never shouted at Sasuke, but at the same time he never had the chance to reprimand him before he would disappear altogether. "I am up to my neck in reports and complaints! What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"That's not something I can quite tell you, Naruto. It's your job to keep an eye on him. You are supposed to work with him to get him out of the red zone."

"If the kid would just give me a chance!" Naruto admitted with one last cry before running his fingers through his cool damp locks.

Another moment of silence passed before Shikamaru approached the disgruntled blond. "I came here for those incident reports you mentioned earlier. They're due today. May I?"

Naruto bit his lip to calm himself before he could let his rage grow into something worse, nodding slightly to let Shikamaru enter his apartment. "I don't know if I filled them out correctly..."

"I think you did fine," the brunette assured him as he flipped through the 6 page packet with studious eyes. "I see you've had some issues with insubordination, as expected."

"You have no idea," came the exasperated groan as Naruto threw the bucket into the hallway. "The day he accepts me as his superior is the day hell freezes over."

"Well, I suggest you find a way to make that happen before Hokage-sama decides to intervene. I don't think anyone wants that," Shikamaru explained as he tucked the packet under his arm. "Besides... I didn't think he was the type to pull off such childish pranks."

"I doubt that's what this is. Some sort of way to test me, I'm sure," Naruto mumbled bitterly. "Whether to test my skills or my patience is beyond me. I never can sit him still long enough to ask."

"If he has trouble with you approaching him as a superior, approach him as something else." Naruto stood in utter silence as Shikamaru led them both to the door. "Now that you seem a bit calmer, I'm okay with letting you go."

"That was just one elaborate distraction to calm me down, wasn't it?"

"You caught me."

The blond ninja rolled his eyes before the two took off from the complex's ledge and on their separate ways. The air whipped past him as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop toward the eastern side of town. At least one thing remained consistent through his short weeks of hell, and that was that he could always find Sasuke in the same place down by the lake. He went up against exploding tags, trap doors, water buckets, missing equipment and paperwork, and brief one line conversations before he was back on the chase again. If he was going to stop this hectic pattern he had to try something new. He halted at the top of the hill, staring down at the boy sitting alone on the dock, staring out onto the water peacefully. If only he could appear this serene when they were actually talking, if they talked, everything would be so much easier.

With one great leap Naruto landed beside the raven, bringing those dark hues to look back at him in disinterest. "Saaaasssuuuuke," he cooed sardonically, feeling the irritation get the better of him as he leaned down to talk to the boy. "I wonder who set up such a clever trap on my front door this afternoon. Do you have any idea who it could be?"

Sasuke's gaze turned into a sudden glare as he snapped, "For a jounin, you really are an idiot, aren't you? If you really are as skilled as you're supposed to be you shouldn't be caught in such an obvious trap."

"If I place my trust in someone, I should be comfortable in the belief that they won't pull such jokes on me," he retorted as he crossed his arms. This was the most that Sasuke would say to him before he decided it was time to leave, right before he could be scolded. Something different...

"And that is why you will continue to end up like," Sasuke paused to stare at Naruto's disheveled and damp appearance before a small smirk played on his lips, "that."

"I don't think so. This ends right now!" Naruto's tone became more firm before he could realize that he had taken on an authoritative tone.

"Says you," the raven muttered as he stood, reclaiming his cold demeanor. "I don't recall ever agreeing to have you as my teacher."

"I don't recall you ever having a choice," Naruto blurted before wincing with regret. That would definitely set the boy off.

"If that's all, I'll be leaving now," Sasuke spat as he pushed past the blond aggressively.

"No, you're not." The statement was more demanding than it was suggestive, and Sasuke couldn't help but look back at him with mild curiosity. "I'm not playing this game with you anymore, Sasuke-kun! Why are you so insistent on fighting with me on everything?"

"What does it take for an idiot like you to understand that I don't want you around?" Sasuke replied, his fits clenching at his sides with a more hostile expression furrowing his brow. "Haven't I made that quite clear?"

"What does it take for you to realize that it's not up to either of us?" Naruto's voice was rising, though he was trying his best to keep his anger from flaring like it had earlier.

"Get lost then if you don't want to be here!" the younger boy snarled before turning back towards the hill to escape.

"Not this time, Uchiha!" Naruto shouted as he lunged forward, managing to take hold of the other's arm, twisting it behind his back as they went toppling down into the grass.

"Get off me!" The raven wheezed as the blond pressed his knee into his back to keep him pinned to the ground. "Now!"

"Not until you listen to me!" Naruto replied, finally feeling a sense of relief for having control of the situation. "I'm not sure how you and your team worked together, but you're stuck with me whether you like it or not!"

"Or not!" Sasuke seethed with a pained wince as Naruto kept his firm hold on his arm. "You're an incompetent idiot who can't even manage to get out of the simplest traps! I don't know how you could manage to be a jounin while I can't even be a chuunin! Why the hell should I listen to you?"

"I don't bother with your stupid traps because I don't view you as a threat, Sasuke-kun." He tried to speak to him more gently, to be more approachable as Shikamaru had suggested, but it was proving to be easier said than done.

A sudden buck of the young boy's hips sent him falling forward, temporarily making him lose his balance and giving the boy his perfect opportunity. Naruto's back hit the ground hard, winding him slightly as Sasuke slammed his elbow into his chest while his free hand grabbed a kunai from the jounin's pouch. The cool metal of the blade pressed against his neck firmly, and Naruto put his hands up against the grass in silent surrender, his eyes never leaving the other's dark gaze.

"Maybe that's your problem. Maybe you should start treating me like I'm a threat," he hissed, his eyes reflecting more anger than he had seen in the few weeks they had spent together in useless bickering.

"I'm not everybody else, Sasuke-kun," Naruto answered gently, his expression remained placid, even when the boy pressed the knife against him harder. There was no sense in losing his composure; he just simply had to take control of the situation... somehow.

"You're annoying," he mumbled in reply, not once lifting his guard and leaving no room for Naruto to plan an escape. "Why can't you just get lost?"

"Because my sole purpose is to annoy the living hell out of you," he answered the rhetorical question with a playful chuckle before wheezing at the increased pressure of the boy's arm.

"Stop joking around! Maybe if you took your job a little more seriously you wouldn't be stuck babysitting."

"Is that what I'm doing, Sasuke-kun? Am I babysitting you?"

"I..." the raven stumbled over his words, something that was different from his usual solemn conduct. "I didn't say that!"

"Is that so?" Naruto sighed with a faint hint of a smile curving his lips.

"Don't treat me like a child!" he shouted, lifting the blade and sinking it into the Earth beside the jounin's cheek, lightly grazing the skin, making him flinch. "I think you got into this without knowing who you were dealing with!"

"The same could be said for you, Sasuke-kun," he replied as his fingers lightly wiped away the blood that trailed down his jaw.

The younger boy opened his mouth to reply, but seemed to hesitate for a moment as his breath seemed to be caught up in his throat. "Sasuke-kun?" His body trembled violently, and he could clearly see every muscle in his boy begin to tense and he rose to his feet slowly, and somewhat reluctantly.

"Are you alright, Naruto?"

The blond propped himself up on his elbows to look back up at the speaker. A long, dark shadow trailed down the hill, connecting with Sasuke's almost perfectly, making it hard to discern where their shadows disconnected or became one. "What are you doing here, Shikamaru?"

"After I dropped off some paperwork I was told to take the rest of the day off; I figured you'd want to join Neji and me for dinner," He explained nonchalantly while holding the sign for his jutsu in place.

"Really? I'd love to," he replied with a smile as he stood to brush the dirt and grass from his damp clothes. "Do we have room for one more?"

"Am I going to have to keep this up all night?"

Naruto looked back at Sasuke, who met his gaze with a livid glare before answering. "No, I think everything will be under control, right Sasuke-kun?"

"Alright, he can come."

The shadow retracted, making the raven stumble forward with a grunt as he fell to his knees. "Why in the hell would I—"

"Don't be rude," Naruto shot back as he pulled the kunai from the soft soil. "Nara-san has been gracious enough to let you come along," he added as his arm swung around the boy's shoulder to guide him back up the hill.

"Don't touch me so familiarly, baka," he grumbled with detest as he pushed away from the blond, but made no sudden move to run away. This is a first.

"You're bleeding, Naruto," Shikamaru pointed out as he dug in his pouch for a small bandage, "let me see that."

"Oh this? This was nothing, just some take down practices!" He laughed it off, though the brunette continued to treat the small cut. "Sasuke-kun, you're really improving on your skills, aren't you?"

The raven remained silent, his heated gaze dropped to the ground in annoyance as he put his hands in his pockets. "Hn."

They met up with Neji who already held their booth at a small restaurant which, regrettably, did not serve any ramen much to the blond jounin's dismay. As they took their seats, the usually calm and disinterested Hyuuga's pale hues were drawn to the young Uchiha who chose to sit across from Naruto rather than next to him.

"I didn't know you were bringing a guest, Naruto," he stated with slight interest as they settled into their seats.

"If you don't want me here, all you have to do is say so," Sasuke's interruption bit into the calm stillness that they had grown accustomed to, but his hostility still hadn't seemed to calm itself on their trek into town.

"When I don't want you here, I'll let you know," Neji's reply kept his usual monotone that made everything about his actions seem deliberate and calm. It would take a lot more than an outburst from Sasuke to throw someone like him off. "I believe I was talking to your sensei."

"He's not my sensei."

"If that's the case then you're not a brat," Naruto muttered under his breath loud enough for the raven to hear, earning a glare. "This is Uchiha Sasuke. He has decided that he is well-mannered enough to come to dinner with three jounin."

"Two and a half maybe."

The blond glared back at the boy with a mild temper before looking down at his menu. "I haven't seen you in a while, Neji. You've been away on a mission for a while. A few months, right?"

"Yeah, I didn't get to properly congratulate you for becoming a jounin, Naruto, so I wanted to treat you to dinner to celebrate," his friend stated with a small smile.

"You're the best! I knew there was a reason you were my best friend!"

"Best friend for buying you dinner? What am I at this point? God?" Shikamaru asked sarcastically with a cynical grin.

"Maybe if your meals weren't just bribes to get me to work, I'd consider it."

"Baka," the word was spoken so softly, Naruto was sure that he was the only one who heard it.

"What are you going to order, Sasuke? Your meal will be on me tonight."

"I'm not hungry. I'd rather not spend an evening with you," his answer was harsh, but didn't seem to disturb the others as Naruto coughed to clear his throat, and gather his rebuttal.

"Well, you're here now, so might as well get something to eat."

"You want to buy dinner for the guy that did that to your face?"

"That is generally what I am getting at," Naruto continued the conversation though it felt as if it was steadily turning into another argument.

"Just let it go! I don't want to be here with you!" Sasuke barked as he stood up angrily.

"Why are you here?" Shikamaru's question cut them both off before the fight could restart again.

Naruto looked to his friend and then back to Sasuke to see that he was at a complete loss for words. It would have been easy for Sasuke to make a hasty escape while they were walking there, but he chose to listen to him for once and made it this far before his resentment became more apparent than before. What was it that he had to do to keep the boy in one spot?

"I... I don't know," he admitted with a grimace before storming out of the restaurant, the young jounin was too tired to pursue him, however.

Naruto's forehead hit the table with a distressed groan. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong! What am I supposed to do?"

"You do know that you're going to have to fill out another report for that cut on your face, right?" Shikamaru pointed out before taking a drink from his glass of water.

"I'm not too worried about it."

"Remember that Sasuke is on critical observation for his behavior. They need to be informed of everything he does that is uncooperative or dangerous, Naruto. Don't leave something like this out."

"I thought I was doing the right thing by going down to his level, but it seems I can't reach him no matter what I do," he complained with a small whine before hitting his head against the table once more. The thought of having to do more paperwork was more discouraging than anything else.

"I think you're missing the point, Naruto. This was a complete success, it seems," Neji added, his eyes never moving from the menu as he spoke. "He actually listened to you, even if it was for a brief moment."

He remained quiet. When he thought about it, it was the most time he had spent with Sasuke since they had met. Though he seemed to want to push him away, Sasuke responded differently to him when Naruto began to level with and talk to him as he would to his friends. He had a feeling that if he could manage to have more time with the boy, then any remaining issues could be resolved if he tried harder.

"Where is the Uchiha village, exactly?"


A/N: It seems to take me forever to read through these chapters for editing. I always feel like I'm reading the same line over and over XD I think that's because it's my writing and I already know what to expect. Haha!

Kataomoi is supposed to be relatively short too. Short as in... Not 15594769812 chapters long XD But who knows. If I keep adding things like I am, we'll see.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think if you have the time :)