Author's Notes:
Don't have a lot to say this time really, just thanks for all of the support you all are giving me ^_^. I loved reading the reviews. And thanks to my Beta, XxDreaming of RealityxX, for her work on editing this chapter. I'll leave you now to read to your heart's content! Enjoy~
"Oh my God, Naruto! What the hell happened to you?"
Naruto gave his best friend a smile assuring her that nothing had happened to him and that he was perfectly fine. But from the look of her big horrified eyes, his smile wasn't doing the job he assigned it to do.
"I'm fine, Sakura-chan, calm down."
"How do you want me to calm down when you've all these bruises on your body?! What on earth happened?!"
"Well," he started thinking of the right words to tell her without having the whole subject blow up on his face, "I had a small fight with my roommate."
"What? Your roommate? The expensive-named guy?"
"I really do not like you remembering him like that. And yes, him."
Sakura scowled and took a sip from the cocktail she was having, already calming down that the reason wasn't some rapist thinking that her beautiful boy's ass needed his big fat dick. "Why were you fighting with him? You haven't even spent one single week together!"
"Yeah, that's the point; he wanted to kick me out. It seems like he didn't want a roommate to being with, but by rule, the dorm doesn't allow boys to room alone. Everyone needs to have a roommate. So, he wanted me to leave, and I refused…which led us to fighting."
Her scowl deepened and her cocktail remained on the table, untouched. "That's a very silly reason for your fight. Can't he just buy the whole room if he wanted it? Like pay your share and his. He can save himself the trouble of kicking you out then."
Naruto nodded at her and smiled when his pizza was brought. "Apparently, the dormitory doesn't work like that, either. You can't buy the other's share. You either have a room with a roommate or no room at all."
"Then he should just go to another dorm if he doesn't like this one's rules. Not to fight you!"
"I can't argue with you there, since I don't know his reasons for staying in a dorm that he doesn't like. But it's not like he was the first one igniting the fight…I had a hand in it, too."
"Naruto," she sighed, "You know better than to get yourself into fights. Remember what the doctor said? Your legs are functioning normally for now, but you must refrain from all sorts of hard training if you want them to recover fully."
The blond took a bite from his pizza, "Yes, I understand that, but he was just making me so mad, Sakura! I know it's not something to feel proud of, but when I was fighting him, I momentarily had the pleasure to block the world out and focus only on beating his snobbish ass off. Which, by the way, felt extremely good!"
"But you're not going to do it again…right?"
He shrugged unable to assure her of that. "I don't know. If he becomes determined on trying to get me out, I won't hold anything on my part."
Sakura sighed putting her hands on her face. "This is why I didn't want you to be out there by yourself. On your first day, you're starting a fight."
"It' not that big of a deal, Sakura. You may think that I'm looking bad, but you should see his condition!" A proud Naruto munched happily.
She groaned, slapping him softly on a sauce-covered cheek. "That's what all the idiots say after a fight."
"But you know I'm telling the truth."
"Yeah, yeah…"
Their conversation was cut off as the waiter came back with Naruto's soda, he left with a bow and Sakura helped herself with some of the pizza.
"Um…Sakura-chan, I want to ask you something, have you ever felt like you know a person when you haven't met them before?"
"You mean, like déjà vu?"
"It can be close to it, but no. This obnoxious Uchiha Sasuke I've been telling you about, well…you see, I think I've met him somewhere before…in some kind of distant past, but I just can't remember where, or when."
"You sure or just speculating?"
"It's just a feeling, so…I'm speculating. But…it's a very strong feeling."
"Maybe you saw him in a bus or he was walking beside you on the street, or something?"
Naruto dismissed the words with his hands, taking cover when the sauce was about to drip on his new jeans. "I don't think so, 'cause if I did, I wouldn't have this feeling. I don't think I would even be remembering it. But the feeling I have is that of a person knowing another. Like we've met, talked, and on some level connected together."
"But you can't remember him."
"Exactly. At these times, I resent my bad memory."
Sakura released a coy smile. "I resented it more at the exams."
"Yeah, but I passed in the end."
"No thanks to your memory. We were just lucky that most of their questions relied on understanding more than memorizing. Anyway, why can't you just ask him about it?"
Naruto took a sip from his soda and looked at his female friend as if she was the dumbest person alive. "Sakura, I just told you we had a fight two days ago, and ever since he only releases curse words at my face! Do you honestly believe he's going to listen to a fucking word I say?! And also, if he really does remember me, would his attitude towards me be of one seeing filth under his shoes?!"
"Hmmm…you have a point there."
The blue-eye male released a sigh and got back to his soda. "I want to have a normal conversation with him. But he doesn't want it. What do you think I should do?"
"Let me think…is he hot?"
He raised a blond, think brow at her, not seeing the benefit of such a question. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Just answer me!"
"Okay. Well, I didn't get the time to stare at him to see if he was hot or not, because stuff always come thrown at me whenever I do, b-"
"Glad to see you've tried. Are you still emphasizing that you're not bi, my dear Naru?"
The blond flicked his friend on the forehead with a roll to his beautiful orbs. "I'm as straight as an arrow, Saku. And you know it! Remember the years I've been crushing on you? And may I remind you also, in third year, elementary school, I was head over heels for Mrs. Howatari? Not to forget other examples, like the nurses in the hospital and-"
"You're missing the point, I said bi, not gay. Bi people swing both ways."
"When did I ever gloat over a guy to have you get this impression?!"
Sakura released a hidden smile and chuckled to herself. "Let me answer this later on, Naru-chan. Now, tell me already, is he hot?"
Frustrated that apparently his best friend thought he was best chasing pants instead of skirts, Naruto answered grumpily. "He could be."
"Then, it's settled. I'm going to introduce myself!"
"Sakura!" He whined. "I asked for a reason to have a decent conversation with him and you're plotting to make him your next boyfriend!"
The pink haired girl winked. "Think of it this way, Naruto. If he becomes my boyfriend, he'll have to be nice to you since you're my best friend and ally, which will mean the solution to all of your troubles!"
"I don't want him to act nice towards me; I want to have one conversation without watching my back for the next object that will be thrown at me from God knows where."
"Then sorry there, bumpkin, that's the best I could think of."
"It's not helping."
She smirked; taking another piece of his pizza and having small daggers sink into her hand from his eyes. Sakura stuck her tongue out. "This is a problem you'll have to figure out the answer to yourself. And think of it as a good training time, for the big, huge, upsetting problems that will surely come flying your way in this independence life you want so much to lead."
And Naruto released a groan that he'd to shush the next minute because the people around him in the cozy diner were looking at him with eyes disapproving the way he showed his emotions so publicly.
Naruto forced his blue orbs to open up at the noise that was coming from his front door. He tried so hard to ignore it and continue back to sleep, but his little plan wasn't working. Sighing, he got up and, headed to the door. With a pair of annoyed eyes, he clicked the door open. Upon the lump that came falling on his unprepared body, Naruto steadied himself with the wall so that his fall won't hurt as much as it should. With an aching head, he looked at the mess on his lap.
"What the hell?"
A clearly dishevelled Sasuke was straddling him. And the strong smell of liquor was resonating from him. Naruto quickly clammed a hand on his nostrils and tried to shift the drunk away from him. He was taken aback when strong pale arms circled around his midsection; forbidding his movement.
"U-Uchiha-san?"
"Unnmmm…let me…sleep, Naruto."
Naruto felt a lump form in his throat. He had no idea that the other knew exactly what his name was – judging from the fact that they were only insulting each other, besides, there was no nameplate for him, yet. Naruto was keen that he was known to the other as 'The Roommate I Need to Kick Out', not by his definite name. He shook his head, pushing the small, happy feeling he got to the trashcan of his inner mind as his hands worked on the iron bars called hands circulating his midsection.
It was a helpless fight, because apparently, Uchiha here had Superman strength when he was drunk. Ignoring the sane action, Naruto tried to at least deliver them towards the bed, because as much as he liked to just fucking kill the raven and call it an accident, he couldn't, and he had to wake up early tomorrow, so his interrupted sleep had to be compensated for.
He crawled his way to the nearest bed – after closing the door in the fit of a struggle, which to his bad luck was Sasuke's, and tried to climb there again. But, failing the first five times, he gave up and pulled down the pillows alongside the bed sheet and Sasuke's blanket. He tried to reach for his own, but couldn't survive another round of crawling. So, figuring out that Sasuke's blanket would be enough to cover the raven while he makes due with the bed sheet, Naruto lay on the ground, with The Hulk on his midsection.
The hard floor wasn't a comfortable place and sleep was a very hard battle to have won. Naruto heard groaning sounds coming from the male beside him and sighed.
"Okay, I'm going to try doing this only one more time. Because sleeping here is impossible, no matter how much you think it is!" He whispered to an already sleeping raven.
Naruto used all of his extra energy to push himself and Sasuke on top of the bed. He succeeded into getting their upper part on, and only the lower part was left. Mustering yet another gush of energy, Naruto pulled himself up and then Sasuke on the bed. And now did he realize what a bad idea it was, for the bed was extremely narrow to hold them both.
Sasuke's whole length was over Naruto's body, and he was being suffocated, so he tried to move Sasuke, but the body over him started sliding out of the bed, Naruto sweat dropped and quickly returned their former position back. He sighed. It was either being smothered to death, or wake the ass up by having him hit the floor hard.
And even though his nerves were hating the raven, Naruto couldn't find it in his heart to do that to him. So, he ignored his own hidden irritation and started calculating methods in which both of them would be allowed to sleep in peace. And he didn't appreciate the thought that crossed his mind.
"Why must this happen to me?" Naruto glared and spared a soft smack to the sleeping raven, "Why the hell did you decide to get drunk on me tonight?!"
Having only the sound snoring as his answer, Naruto cursed under his breath and fixed them into the only position that would have him sleep tonight. He turned Sasuke to the side next to the wall, getting him to lay on his right side, while he lay on his left side close to the bed's end. And due to the arms around him, he was drawn into an unneeded close proximity to the other.
Sapphire eyes looked with interest at the male sleeping beside them. And it was the first time Naruto got the luxury to see the other this up-close. His tan hands couldn't help but wander to touch. The black hair that had always looked too hard and spiky to the naked eye was in fact really smooth and silky, which informed Naruto how hard it must've been for Sasuke to spike it up the way he did every morning. He removed a lock of hair to get himself the pleasure of looking into Sasuke's face and a warm breeze blew.
Naruto had to hold still when a moan fell from Sasuke's lips and in fear of the other awaking, he retreated his hand. But he'd already removed the locks away; making room for his eyes to gaze without interruption from the other. As he was slowly getting familiar with Sasuke's face, he was struck again with a reminiscing feeling. This was a face he'd seen before. He knew these features. That nose, the curves of the eyes, and the lips. He knew all of them.
But for the love of him, he couldn't remember where he'd seen them before.
The hands holding him drew him closer, and Naruto felt his blood rush to decorate his face as a fine, pink tint resided there; he blinked, finding himself gazing straight into black orbs.
"Naruto…"
"Y-Yes?" Cursing his cracking voice, Naruto cleared, hoping that the other doesn't notice what their close proximity was doing to him. "You need something?"
"Naruto."
"I'm here."
"Bathroom!"
Before the blond could know what's up, he was pushed aside as Sasuke made a wild dash towards the bathroom, leaving a dumbfounded Naruto to do the math. About half an hour later, a grumbling Sasuke came out of the bathroom. He disregarded his clothes and left only his boxers and sneaked back into his own bed.
A second later, he emerged exasperated from the lack of temperature. "Why did you leave?"
Naruto ignored the voice coming from the other bed, and tried to keep his own irritation to a minimum. "I thought you wanted nothing more than to have me leave."
"Stop being a smartass. Why are you on your bed?"
"It's where I should be."
The tan ears picked up on movement from the other side of the room. He tried to act cool and ignore it, but when another body was invading his own territory, Naruto was called to action.
"What are you doing?"
"Sleeping in the same bed with you."
"Why?"
"Heat."
And apparently Sasuke thought that that was a good enough reason to give. Naruto scowled at the way he was being pushed back against the wall in, to have a half-naked Sasuke fit himself beside him.
"There's no need to do this. If it's heat you're seeking, I can warm up your bed for you and then you return there."
"No. it will take time, and I'm already half asleep."
Naruto puffed his cheeks and tried to reason again. "Then at least put on some clothes if you're not planning on returning to your own bed."
"I always sleep without them."
"And you always sleep on your bed."
"Your point?"
"You either go sleep on your bed in your current condition, or sleep here with some clothes on!"
"No and no."
Feeling the other make himself comfortable on his own bed got Naruto's nerves flaring, and the control he was trying to hold on his nerves, loosened. "Why not? It's my bed! I get a say in who sleeps in it and who doesn't!"
"Truthfully speaking, you don't, since this is my room, and you're intruding."
"God! Would you see reality already?! This is my room! You're my roommate! That's your bed, this is mine! Go back to it and leave me alone!"
Naruto was jerked back into the bed when he tried to leave after Sasuke had totally ignored his little fit, causing him to release a loud groan at the tight hold and again, he tried to no avail to break free.
"Why are you doing this?" He said with a surrendering tone.
"I told you, heat."
Naruto snorted. "You want heat, yet you're sleeping naked…don't you see any contradiction there?"
"No. I'm hot. And I want your heat. A few minutes ago, I was sleeping peacefully, which I haven't in a while. And mysteriously, it's due to you."
"So, you're using me merely as your pillow?"
"Correct you are."
"And you think I'll just allow you to do that?"
"Yes, I do."
A vein inside Naruto's forehead popped. "Teme, just who the fuck do you think you are?"
"Uchiha Sasuke. The one and only."
"That means shit in my dictionary!"
The blond felt the grip around his body tighten as he was drawn closer to the other. In the dark of the night, he could sense his blood moving in that same direction it did a few minutes ago. He pushed back against what he thought to be the other's chest, and all he could get himself was a small distance where his body wouldn't be glued to Sasuke's.
He released a sigh and allowed himself to turn into Sasuke's warming pillow. But as the male beside him began drifting off to sleep and the sound voice talking to him ceased to be, Naruto felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lips; because the last thing his eyes saw before he too drifted into heavenly sleep, was the handsome face of his annoying roommate.
"Fart and you're dead…!"
He whispered to the dark.
Naruto pushed the door open and stepped inside the dorm. He didn't stop the happy grin that flashed on his face when the cold flow of the AC hit his hot body, nor did he stop the little happy-dance he felt obligate to give when feeling it. These days, summer was really killing him. It was what now, March? And the sun was only getting hotter and hotter. He blocked all the heat as his stomach grumbled, clearly asking for food, and thus headed to the cafeteria.
There, his eyes spotted a mop of redhead and, smiling, he identified it as Gaara's hair. Over the last few days, he'd come to find out certain things about this Gaara. Firstly, he was a person of few words; secondly, he was studying Fine Arts. To Naruto, he'd no idea how the other was going to make a living with that career in this harsh world, but as long as Gaara was pleased with what he was doing, Naruto couldn't say a thing. Upon reaching the table Gaara was in, Naruto saw black hair sprayed on the redhead's lap, connecting to the long haired female he knew as Neji. Naruto grinned at the sweet picture, and said in a lovely tone.
"Hello."
"Hi."
As not to wake up the apparently still sleeping girl, Naruto asked with a quiet tone. "How did her exam go?"
It was all extremely too quiet for a second, in which Gaara had given him some strange looks while blinking his eyes that had finally returned to their normal status of passiveness after a while. The jade orbs asked a question that was verbalized in a very refined way by the pink, rosy lips.
"'Her'?"
Naruto nodded, not understanding what was going on, he pointed to the human being on Gaara's lap. "Yes. Her exam. I remember her barging into our room that other day complaining that she couldn't study with Sasuke and I fighting."
"Sasuke? You're calling him Sasuke? Since when?" Before Naruto could answer, Gaara held up his hands stopping him. "But before you answer me those questions, first thing's first, 'she' is a 'he'. Neji is a male." The shock was evident on Naruto's eyes, but Gaara continued. "If I were you, I wouldn't publicly call him a 'she', Neji may not look it, but when he gets pissed, nothing can stop him."
"…I…I thought…because of the hair, his eyes…and because he is-"
"Beautiful?" Naruto nodded. "Yes, we've all made that mistake once in the past. But Neji doesn't like to be mistaken for a girl. Even though with his hair, it's misleading as hell. He still doesn't like it."
"Thanks for the warning. I'll make sure not to mention it again."
Gaara nodded at the blond as he left to his own path, and the raven lying on his lap opened a pair of closed eyes.
"Why didn't you tell him I was awake?"
"Why didn't you act as if you were awake?"
"I didn't want to spook him seeing as how you've portrayed me as nothing but a monster." Neji retorted, not liking the words his friend had chosen to describe him.
"And I didn't want him to get the wrong idea about you. You are a monster, Neji."
The long haired male removed himself off of the other and rolled his eyes. "Would you at least try to hide it? Even if that's the truth, don't tell it to my face."
"Yet, the reason you like me so much is because I never tell lies."
"That doesn't mean I appreciate your truths always."
"Sure you do."
Neji stopped trying to reason with the other, because he'd known from the first day he'd met Gaara in that trying to have reason in a conversation with the latter was close to impossible. The only way to function around Gaara was to throw away both your mind and sanity and enter his realm. For that was how you could interact with a genius.
"Anyway, don't you think that Sasuke's been quiet this past week?"
"I thought you wanted him to quiet down?"
"Yeah…but it's a fishy-quietness. Even Uzumaki Naruto hasn't said anything about being pestered to get out of the room. Something just isn't sitting right with me on this one."
"Would it be unbelievable to assume that Sasuke has finally met up with his match?"
Neji pondered this for a second then hopped out of the chair. "It could be a possibility, nothing is impossible if you're alive."
"Where're you going?"
"There is something I have to check. It's bugging me for a while. You want to tag along?"
Gaara shook his head uninterested. "I'll have to pass on your wild goose chase this time, Neji."
"Suit yourself."
"Don't be late."
"Missing me?"
"Certainly, I won't. It's irrational to miss you when I know you're going to return."
Neji smiled at his best friend and circled an arm around his neck drawing their faces close. "Gaara, darling, why haven't you learned anything from all of these years we've been together? The chances of my return will always be fifty-fifty. So, you shouldn't hook your feelings on probabilities."
"No, it's perfectly fine to hook them on probabilities. Since with this, the chances of me missing you are fifty-fifty. Which is better than the initial zero."
The raven pulled his hand away after stealing a kiss from Gaara's lips; sticking his tongue out when there was no change in the other's features.
"You know, it would be nice if your face changed a little."
"What for? You merely touched my lips."
"Precisely, that's why you have to feel…well, tell you what, we're going to discuss this when I get back, I'm running late. See you later, darling~"
Gaara rose from the chair he was occupying and headed towards his room, muttering in a hushed tone.
"Back to zero again, Neji."
A pair of blue orbs looked with suspicion at the other black orbs watching him. Naruto crossed his arms, alarmed when the other male known as Sasuke heaved a sigh and walked with calm steps towards his puzzled self. With a pair of aggravating eyes, he asked.
"Do you know how to play Tennis?"
"Huh?"
"Tennis, yes or no?"
"Umm…I have only played Table Tennis before."
Sasuke looked Naruto up and down and another sigh escaped his mouth. "There's no other way around it. Get ready, you're tagging along in a Tennis match with me."
"But…But I've never played it before."
"It's the same as Table Tennis; just hit the ball when you get it as hard as you can. Never mind about the other rules, just abide by one rule only, try to hit the ball right into the other team member's face."
Naruto frowned at the words and something inside him told him that that's not how Tennis was played, but to be invited to spend a day with Uchiha Sasuke –regardless of what he was meant to do, was progress enough telling him that he wouldn't be thrown out the next minute he lowered his guard down.
"Where are we going?" The blond questioned as he followed behind Sasuke into what seemed like a very expensive looking BMW. Naruto gaped like a fish out of water. "I-Is this yours?"
"Get in, Dobe."
"Yes, sir!" Naruto's eyes sparkled at the leathery seats and he stopped his mouth from drooling, just how could a person as bad as Sasuke get a beautiful ride as fantastic as a BMW?! It was past his comprehension.
"Okay, listen here, Blondie. We'll be going to a place I hate, and will mingle with people I hate, but it's a must. And you'll act as my assistant, I repeat, not my friend, not my colleague, but my assistant. Everything you're asked, you're going to answer with a platonic 'everything will be explained later' or if the other party is persistent, you just show them a business-like smile and try to wriggle free with a change of topics! Understand me?"
"…Umm…where are we going again?"
Sasuke's eyes burned with a feeling that had Naruto hold tight to his seat belt and he said. "To a place where demons are conceived. A business party."
Naruto's 'eep' was ignored alongside his demand to be released from the car and his wish to not get mixed with the other's troubles.
Tanned hands shook as their owner put them close to his face, still shivering. The whole day was a complete disaster in his sight. He was totally ill prepared for the party Sasuke had dragged him into and without any intention on his part, he had hit the ball too hard and in fact caused a certain businessman to break his nose and fracture his leg. Naruto shook the memory away.
"Here." A cold beverage was put on his cheek; Naruto nodded his thanks and took it. "You did perfect today."
"I hurt a person. What's perfect in that?"
"That fat pig wasn't even human. He deserved it."
Naruto frowned at the male sitting beside him and took a look at where they were. In fact, after the incident with the man being taken to the hospital and the group of foreign people that he'd no idea about were looking at him with disapproving eyes at the public display of animosity, Naruto had entered himself into a coma initiated by his anxiety attack. He didn't get one per say, but he'd come up with a mechanism to stop it before it hit, and that was through the blockage of everything around him and remaining oblivious to the world.
So, when was he taken out? And where was he currently at? All of the answers to these questions were held by the male beside him. As his cerulean eyes scanned the area, he saw a green grass and a fountain behind them, Naruto came up with the conclusion that they were in some kind of a park. But still, he needed to confirm.
"Where are we, anyway?"
"On the local park, three blocks behind the dorm. And from your reaction, I'd say this is your first time coming here."
"Yes it is…I don't really go out all that much."
"Hn. I presumed so."
"…Sasuke, mind if I ask you something?"
"Yes, I do. Because, Uzumaki, it's Uchiha to you, not Sasuke. Don't get too familiar just because I took you with me for entertainment."
Naruto crossed his arms with a roll to his eyes. "Look here, Uchiha, you were the first one who broke the first barrier calling me 'Naruto', without any honorifics whatsoever. Not to forget the fact that I had just injured another human being for your ass's sake! The least you can do is act nice!"
Black orbs frowned as their owner raised a thin brow at the mess beside him. "When, on fuck's sake, did I drop the honorifics between us?"
"When you were passed out fucking drunk three nights back! I had to care for your petty wimps and what I got was a big fat barf on my bed the next morning!"
Naruto felt chills run down his spine upon remembering the events that had taken place. That day was a part of his history that he wanted to wipe clean. The view to wake up on a stinky bed with his half side all drenched in Sasuke's stomach's leftovers was one that had him on the verge of releasing his own stomach's leftovers, as well.
On the other side, Sasuke had no memory whatsoever about this. All he could remember was him getting forced to accompany a work associate on a drinking spree to lighten the airs around them and then he was driven back. The rest was complete darkness. He did remember waking up on Naruto's bed, but he was too late and had to run to his late classes before he missed them, so, he didn't think too hard about it.
But now that he did, maybe there was a trace of barf on his face…and Naruto's bed.
"Just, what did I do that night?"
Naruto looked up at the other and the moonlight had his heart go 'thump, thump'. Sasuke was standing in a way, leaning forward to catch his words, with the hair that he'd come to realize as silky soft hugging both his cheeks in a way that made the creature beside him look extremely attractive. Suddenly, the events of that night came rushing through his veins and Naruto felt his tips grow cold, and his face start to flare.
"…Nothing."
Sasuke blinked when the blond started to clearly shy away from him. His desire to find out about what had happened had only increased.
"That reaction of yours tells me that it wasn't a 'nothing'."
Naruto turned his head away and clicked open the cold beverage on his hands that was starting to match the temperature of his own tips, trying to distract himself from the sudden change of atmosphere.
"Yes it was. The only thing you did was call me by my given name and drop any barriers between us…"
"Are you sure that's all there's to it?"
"Perfectly sure!"
"Then, what was I doing on your bed?"
Naruto took a sip from the can in hand and answered. "…You came there to sleep."
Sasuke raised a brow. "Sleep?"
"Yes."
"I have my own bed for that purpose."
"Don't you think I know that, asshole?"
"Then why did you leave me in your bed?"
Naruto, frustrated by all of these questions, stood up and looked the raven straight in the eyes. "I tried to push you back to your bed, reason with your drunken ass, but it didn't help anything. You were as stubborn as a mule! Claiming to want heat and how it's impossible to sleep without heat or whatever…so, from the goodness of my heart and the fact that it was too late to fight with a drunken ass, I allowed you to sleep on my fucking bed! Just to wake the next morning seeing how bad of an act that was."
Sasuke was taken aback by the sudden blow up and blinked the words to absorb them. By the time he came to it, the blond was out of his sight. He started searching for him having not settled yet with what was said to him and had to stop his own anger at being walked away from to have confusion settle in its place at the blond that was sprayed on the fresh green grass, pouting.
"What are you doing?"
"Mowing the lawn! What do you think I'm doing?!"
"At this particular point, I have no idea." Sasuke heard a sound close to Naruto blowing some air, and continued in a straight face. "What are you doing?"
"…Help me up."
At the faint, soft tone, Sasuke's mouth closed from all smartass comments and swiftly he carried Naruto up from the ground bridal style. The blond gulped at the sudden movement and when sounds from people passing them reached his ears alongside some giggles, he opened his mouth to object.
"I will drop you when we get to the car, so shut it."
And that was the reply he got.
Naruto held his tongue until they arrived to the fancy BMW and when he was put inside the passenger's seat, with Sasuke taking the driver's seat, he said in a strained voice that didn't appreciate being seen in such a situation.
"I strained a muscle."
"I didn't ask."
"I don't want you to think that I tripped or something. Since I didn't."
"I still didn't ask. And you don't have to justify anything to me. Even if you did trip."
Naruto didn't know why those words were like knives being stabbed right into his heart or why he felt like smashing Sasuke's face for this cold shoulder he was giving him, but he did, and he'd no way into explaining it. He took a deep breath, trying to ease all of these emotions running through him at the moment, and released it out.
"Uchiha…about the question I wanted to ask earlier and you threw a big tantrum over it, like a three year old-"
"I'd say you were the one throwing tantrums."
"Anyhow, did we meet before? I can't shake off the feeling that I had met you in a place before now…" Naruto said with his eyes furrowing together. He wasn't prepared though when the car's breaks made an abrupt stop and the sounds of horns going off was reaching his ears. He blinked.
"…I can't believe it, you really don't remember."
"Remember what?"
"Never mind," Sasuke started the car again and continued back to the highway, lowering his window to shout some curse words back to the other drivers who thought that only them were taught the language of streets. "If you don't remember, it wasn't important enough."
Putting the small malice aside, Naruto frowned at the other male. "Wait here just a second. Are you saying that we have met?"
"No, we haven't. Keep on forgetting."
"Your words and behaviour indicates that we have an-"
"We haven't! End of subject, Uzumaki!"
"To hell with me shutting up! Had we met before and I'm forgetting it, tell me! It's not like I have a perfect memory to remember everything that had happened or every person I've had met!"
"Would you can it already?! It obviously wasn't important enough of a memory to have store inside your stupid, airheaded, happy-go-lucky-ideas-filled brain! So, stop saying anything!"
"Bu-"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
At this, Naruto pouted and kept his mouth shut. Apparently whatever he'd forgotten was something important to Sasuke…err…Uchiha. And now that he'd made sure that he had indeed crossed paths with the asshole at some point in his past, he'd just have to identify which point in history that was, and how hard could that be? He was trapped within the hospital walls for over two years, then one and a half year after in Sakura's house. And before, he was living with his father…'till the stupid accident took place.
So, he just needed to think back logically into one of those periods and Google his brain for Uchiha.
Naruto moaned at the idea.
"I still can't understand what I'm doing here." Gaara voiced as soon as he'd arrived into the cozy looking café.
Naruto smiled truthfully to him and handed the other the menu. "You see, I'm kinda new in the area, and I only have female friends close by. But, as much as I love them, none of them would be interested into coming with me to check out the fine cafés here."
"And I would be?"
"Umm…you seemed like you would. Just look at this café, I chose it especially because you're coming with me! It has different paintings by different painters, and even the layout is attractive, you can't tell me you're not fascinated by it?!" Naruto exclaimed in excitement.
Gaara spared a glance to the place he was currently in then responded to Naruto's enthusiasm. "Certainly, it's very catching. But was this the only reason you brought me along? I can't bring myself to believe that."
Naruto looked sideways and then to the sharp green orbs before him. "Well…there is also another reason."
"Carry on."
"I want you to tell me about Uchiha Sasuke."
"Do you want to change rooms?"
Naruto raised a thin brow. "Change rooms? Who mentioned anything about that?"
"I just assumed…but…never mind, why do you want to know about him?"
"Well, I knew you were going to ask me that…and even though I had planned a series of well-webbed lies, I can't bring myself to lie to you," Naruto played with the napkins on the table, "So, here's the truth. It appears I've met Uchiha Sasuke in a point of my life, which I still can't define. He knows this and remembers me. But unfortunately, I don't, which for some strange reason pisses him off…"
Gaara was silent for a while, then he spoke in a clam tone. "Do you feel like you've met him before?"
"Yes. A nostalgic feeling. But as I said, my head can't remember him."
"And you said he is pissed because of this?"
"Yes. Yesterday, we had an extremely stupid fight."
"The whole floor knows."
Naruto sweat dropped at the remark and nodded shyly. "Yeah, sorry about that. But, the reason for the fight was very silly, you see, Sasuke has left the iron on without switching it off, I switched it off, but he came back and started yelling on how it wasn't my right to touch his stuff, I rationalized that I didn't want us to burn to death alive because of his stupid slip…one thing led to another, and we ended up fighting."
"A silly reason indeed."
"See! It was his fault! I was only trying to help him a little and all I got was his stinking breath shouting up my face!"
"Naruto-san, may-"
"Naruto is alright, we're about the same age, there's no need for honorifics here."
"Then as I stated in our first meeting, call me Gaara."
"That I will!" Naruto beamed at him.
"So, as I was saying, Naruto, the information I know about Sasuke Uchiha isn't that much and I don't think they can help your memory, if that is what you want them to do."
"Well, at this point, I really just need basic knowledge about him. Like how old he is, what major he is and why he's so determined on having the whole room to himself?!"
Gaara nodded and spoke his order to the waitress who beamed at being given the table with the two hot guys, and then returned to his conversation with Naruto after the blond's demand has been taken also.
"He is twenty years old. A third year in Management School. He was extremely brilliant that he could combine his first and second years into one year and pass it with flying colours. As far as I know, he runs his own company on the side, and therefore, he is excused from attending some classes…"
"Wait, he has his own company?"
"It appears so."
Naruto scowled putting his hands under his chain to support his head as he leaned forward. "Then, he's rich?"
"Yes."
"If he's so rich, why not get a house somewhere or a Villa for all I care instead of trying to smother me out of this tiny room?! Why is he so persistent on staying here if he can afford better?"
"I can only tell you a theory I have developed, but the solid truth is something he only can say. What I believe is that Uchiha Sasuke is afraid of big empty spaces. He can't stand living in a big place by himself, so, he booked himself this room in the dorm, to be surrounded by people twenty four seven."
"If he likes people so much, why try to axe every person who wants to roommate with him?"
"I didn't say he likes people; I said he is afraid of remaining in big places by himself. His reasons for trying to kick you and his previous roommates out is because, and again I'm only speculating here, he can't trust anyone. And you can't live with people you can't trust."
"But how can he know that he can't trust a person when he never gave anyone a chance?"
"In the past, he did. About three times actually, and they'll had turned out to be wanting either him doing them a favour or to get some of his money. It was hard for him to trust after that, so, he turned to the alternative, which was distrusting and trying to eliminate the enemy before the enemy could eliminate him."
"And the enemy is his roommate?"
"In a sense, yes."
Naruto rolled his eyes at the messed up psych and thanked the cute waitress as she placed his Jamaican Mocha on the table before him. "He can't judge me based on what they've done. I'm different!"
"He doesn't know that."
"He didn't even give me a chance to demonstrate my good will! From day one, he was kicking and screaming."
"And you didn't shut up, either." Naruto grimaced at this, Gaara continued. "Look, I may be coming off as forceful here, but I think you're the only person able to help him, help Sasuke out of the little, scary, distrustful world he is living in."
"I…I don't think I can. He hates me."
"He doesn't hate you. If he did, he wouldn't get pissed off that you'd forgotten all about him."
Something inside the blond flew at those words and he tried to hide the small happy smile that tried so hard to appear on his lips but it was a case lost miserably.
"Naruto. Stop me here if I'm incorrect, but do you want to get closer to him? Regardless of what we want you to do."
"Get closer to him?"
"Yes. For starters, becoming friends, and we'll see from there…"
"I…well, the idea itself doesn't sound so bad, but, it will be very hard to stop him from viewing me as the enemy enough to want to be friends with me."
"On that notion, have no fear. I have a plan that will assure us that Uchiha Sasuke will cease to view you as someone that needs to be killed!"
At the evil smirk that suddenly came over the always nonchalant face, Naruto felt his blood that was now scented with the sweet scent of Mocha shudder at the plan that was sure, to change something inside of Sasuke…and on some level; he knew he was going to be changed, as well.
Alrightie~ Chapter two is done! Review, I'll be waiting! :D
