I know, it's been long...but I've picked up this story again. Have 4 more chapters already written, so stay tuned. Un-beta'd again, but hope that's okay. Please review!
He barely exited the car, but has already been swarmed by girls. It was way beyond him how they could get there so suddenly, or where from, actually, but they were definitely annoying. He couldn't deny the fact that the whole situation has been awfully familiar to him for quite a while now: mostly because of his brother, but lately more and more because of himself as well. They were both blessed, or in Sasuke's case, cursed, by divine good looks; however, only Itachi could be perverted enough not only to enjoy, but also abuse it. Beyond that, they were really filthy rich, and their family was the oldest, most respected one in the whole city. The pack of feral fan girls was like a bundle.
"Sasuke-kun... You don't just want to leave us here like that, do you?" wailed one with a blonde ponytail, latching herself onto the boy's arm.
"Ino, what I want is totally irrelevant. Either this, or guardians," the Uchiha replied. 'In which case, I rather opt for this confinement,' he added mentally, not fancying the snuggling face at his arm the slightest bit.
"Hmm, but my parents wouldn't mind taking care of you, you do know that, right? Not to mention me..."
"Oh, bugger off, Ino, like moving in with you was the exact thing Sasuke would be dying for...?"
"Yeah, 'cuz he'd be so much better off at your place, huh, Sakura?"
The two girls were just about to jump at each other's neck when bright lights started to flash up, blinding everyone. Indeed: the flashes and the sounds of photos being snapped were bundles as well, just like the journalists and the few cameras, which, in some mysterious way that Sasuke would have very much liked to learn, managed to make the army of fans disappear. He was just checking out the place: the brick floor, the flowerbeds, the benches, the giant fountain, the trees - all made up a nice atmosphere. Or, would have, had he been able to decide whether the flashes, or the giggling-turned-whispers were getting more on his nerves. Or if at least he could have shrugged off the thought of how lucky those other students over there were: just headed towards their school, without having to worry about stupid groupies, or having to battle the media. Because, despite his all-time worn accessory, the mask of ignorance, he has been going insane about these bundles.
"Uchiha-san, is it true that your brother was arrested?"
"Did he really get into some sort of drug business?"
"Have you indeed come here to evade guardianship?"
'...if I'm kept away from these, it's already more than worth it.'
He sighed, taking the luggage from his driver, who succeeded in obtaining it from the trunk even in the middle of the crowd, and set off towards the entrance.
"No comment" he spat, sparking a burst of objections of course: they painfully wanted some information from the teen. He however, only adjusted the band of his notebook case on his shoulder, and walked away flipping them the bird.
The light of the flashes bounced back from his perfectly polished, black nail, and somehow the noises died down.
- x -
The glass door slid to the side as he approached it, and when he entered the building, the thing he spotted immediately was the emptiness: although a few students were walking around, he didn't see anyone who could point newcomers or guests in the right direction. What he did see, though, were security cameras, not only here, but outside above the door as well. Beyond the door, was a wide staircase leading up to a quite big-looking hall; next to the stairs, a digital bulletin board was flashing its 'Offline' text; while long corridors reached into the distance on his left and right. He looked around, a bit helpless and worried.
"Hey, you, redhead!" He yelled to a boy with flaming red hair, just passing in front of him. The redhead turned towards him slowly. He was wearing red leather pants and a red tee, and it seemed he went just a bit over the edge with the black eyeliner around his pale jade-green eyes. Sasuke however, didn't comment on his appearance, he'd seen much stranger things.
"Hm?"
"Could you please tell me where I can find the principal?"
The redhead raised his arm and pointed straight towards the corridor on the left.
"At the very end, on your left."
"Thanks."
"Welcome," the redhead nodded before turning on his heels and walking away.
'If only all of them was that talkative...' Sasuke thought. The doors looked awfully simple after all the high-tech stuffs, not to mention the foreyard: painted plain white, most of them only with a number on them. Only a select few had distinctive names: Offices I, Library, Offices II, Common Room... The door he was looking for, lacked the number, for a change, with only one word letting the world know whom it belonged to: Principal. He sighed and knocked.
"Come in!" came the not too nice invitation.
Stepping inside, he was pleasantly disappointed: the mostly beige and black pieces of furniture made quite a cozy impression, the calligraphies and the only painting of a lake scene, plus the thriving plant in the only corner of the room that wasn't occupied by filing cabinets, all emanated the feeling of a study room of a posh manor. Or at least, they would have, had it not been for the huge desk, with the even huger chaos on it. Even the name-plate disappeared under the piles of papers and dossiers.
"Well, take a seat" the woman behind the desk pointed at the chair in front of her. She had blonde hair, and blatantly big boobs, and seemed to be totally absorbed in what looked like a contract, so much so that she didn't even want to glance up from behind the paper.
Sasuke complied: he plopped down into the surprisingly comfortable chair and pulled his luggage beside himself. And he waited. For a whole five minutes.
"So, Uchiha Sasuke..." the principal murmured finally, having placed the writing on top of one of the piles and started searching for something. "Welcome to Konoha Boys' Academy, my name's Tsunade…oh, here it is! Your ID card will be ready in two or three days, you can only leave the campus with that during the term and of course it'll also be the key to your suite… here's the school rules, your schedule… classes from 8 to 9.30 and from 10 to 11.30 in the morning, from 1 to 2.30 and from 3 to 4.30 in the afternoon, and erm… please go and visit our doc as soon as you can. Just routine, nothing special. Oh, and grab your uniform from the cloakroom, obviously. As for the accommodation, well… you'll be getting your own suite, of course, but… everything's happened way too sudden and we have to take care of a few things first. Usually we get notices of… students of your level, weeks ahead, you see, but in your case, it was just days that… well… yeah," she went on, basically without even breathing, while she handed over the documents, and looking at Sasuke with such pity that the boy felt like throwing up. She leant to the mic on her table, pressed a button and shouted "Uzumaki Naruto, to my office, now!"
Sasuke eyed her questioningly.
"He's going to be your dorm mate until your suite is ready… if it's okay?"
"I can live with it," Sasuke answered without any interest, his eyes scanning the papers in his hands.
"Yes, well…"
'At least he might rub off well on that idiot while they're together…' the principal thought hopefully. She was pulled back to reality by the knock on her door.
"Come in!"
"You called me, Tsunade-sama?" Asked the blonde head that popped in the door.
"Come on in, Naruto… This here is Uchiha Sasuke, you're going to share your room with him for a short while," she said nodding towards the raven-haired teen, "please show him there?"
"Sure thing, Tsunade-sama… follow me, Sasuke!" Naruto grinned as he tried to pull his new roommate up from the seat by his arm. "I'll take that!" He added when he noticed the hand reaching for the luggage.
"If you insist…" Sasuke said, standing up.
"Any question, Sasuke?"
"Actually… we do have internet access here, right?"
"Oh, of course, of course… hang on, it's got to be here somewhere too…"
She was rummaging through the drawers of her desk, but when she got to the third or fourth one, she sighed, giving up, and scratched her head.
"I'm sorry, I guess you'll have to find our system admin… Naruto can help you there as well; it seems the chaos here is bigger than I thought… is that all?"
"Hn… yes, that's all."
"Well, then… I hope it won't be as bad as you probably have been expecting… and Naruto?" She called out to the boy already standing outside in front of the door.
"Y-yes, Tsunade-sama?"
"Change into your uniform!"
"Y-y-yes, Tsunade-sama… come on, Sasuke!"
The Uchiha had serious doubts about his roommate. Somehow he had the impression that the boy was loud, obnoxious, silly, and inappropriate: in general, his polar opposite. Although the simple white tee and orange shorts made him look quite normal, there was something in his grin, or maybe in his giant cerulean eyes, that sent a nervous tingling in his stomach, which was totally new to him.
'Meh. Give him a chance, Sasuke… he probably isn't any better off with a complete stranger,' he concluded.
- x -
Naruto should have been used to battling his own emotions, but this time, the battle against his excitement was more difficult than any time before. Uchiha Sasuke was stranger to no one, well, considering his identity, anyway, and he couldn't believe that the boy was now there, what's more: they were going to be roommates. The fact that he was even more of a heartthrob in person than in TV or photos only amplified the intensity of the situation. Naruto's eyes were drawn to Sasuke's neck by the fan-medallion he wore on what looked like black velvet choker; the tight black tee, also sporting the same fan on the back, basically showcasing his upper body; the faded grey denims emphasized his butt in such a way that the blonde could hardly keep himself from drooling literally.
"Ooof…" he grunted as he tripped over a step. Luckily for him, Sasuke was quick to react and caught him before he could have fallen over. The way he grabbed his upper arm wasn't exactly painless, but he was grateful nonetheless.
"Look where you step, hm?
"S-sure, I was just…um…hehe, thanks for catching me…" Naruto babbled, scratching his head nervously.
"Hn."
- x -
They climbed four flights of steps before Naruto turned into a corridor.
"The toilets," he pointed to the first door on the left then started walking in the opposite direction, "and the showers here… Thought you'd've asked that anyway… hehe…"
"Hn."
"It's only dorms on this floor by the way, forty altogether… People who… um… weeellll, people who can't afford all the extras… like… me…" the blonde went on chatting, but when he got to the money issues, he couldn't fight the blush that crept on his face. He sped up, hoping to get ahead of Sasuke so that he wouldn't notice his shame.
"You mean those who didn't buy their way in but actually worked for it?" The raven mused, rewording the situation and didn't stop at all, contrary to Naruto whose legs seemed to have acquired a mind of their own and decided not to move, allowing Sasuke to pass by him. "Maybe I should stay here permanently… Aren't you coming?" He turned back.
Naruto's face was even redder now, but not from shame: he felt good at the implicit compliment, and he wasn't used to it.
"I … err … ugh, right," he gulped, "let's go…"
It was only a few doors they proceeded when Sasuke heard the beeping sound that was the acceptance of Naruto's card.
"Here you go!" He said, opening his door wide, grinning again. "No big, but there's enough room… Well, do enter!"
It wasn't big indeed: a window opposite to the door; a bed in each corner with a small end table next to both of them; a wardrobe at the end of each bed; a bookshelf to the left of the door, with a few books stacked on it; a desk and a chair on the right. An incense cone was filling the place with the scent of sandalwood.
"Hn… at least there are no cameras in here," Sasuke muttered.
"Hehe, what's on your mind, Sasuke?"
"Nothing, dobe, I just prefer not to have an audience."
"Oi, I have a name, you know?"
"I know, dobe."
"Then… then would you mind calling me by that?" Naruto snapped, trying to emphasize his point by flailing his arms, which only managed to make him look childish in Sasuke's eyes.
"Hn."
"Gah… which bed do you want, teme? I've…"
"Doesn't matter, so since you've already occupied that one, I'll take this…"
Sasuke stepped to the bed on the right and put down his laptop case while Naruto pulled the luggage to the wardrobe.
"Look, I hate asking for favors, but I do have some things to take care of, and I've no idea of the layout of the place, so-…"
"No worries, I have to show you around anyways, right?" Naruto grinned. "But er… I thought I'd change first, if that's okay, the old hag's too adamant on those stupid uniforms, I swear…"
"Suit yourself."
The Uchiha walked to the window and stared out: the limousine was long gone, so were the vultures of the media as well, only a few stray girls were still hanging around the fountain.
Although he's never really been bashful, Naruto was now somehow embarrassed by the other boy's presence, so when he practically turned his back to him, he felt relieved. Even more so when said other boy's phone rang.
"…the hell needs me at this time?" Sasuke mumbled as he fished his cell out of his pocket. A glance at the display – a huff at the information there: it was Itachi's lawyer. He lifted it to his ear.
"Hn? … Yeah … yeah … yeah, I guess, I mean … well, he didn't say..? Great. Right … Tomorrow? Half past eleven … definitely … alright … tomorrow then."
As much as he tried to listen in on the conversation while he put on the dark green pants and the graphite colored shirt, he couldn't make much sense of his roommate's words. His mind was too much occupied with the sad fact that even after a year, he absolutely hated the uniform. Tying his shoelaces, he decided against the necktie: it would have been too much for the few hours that were left of the day, so it ended up thrown on his bed.
"Shall we…?"
Sasuke turned around and was about to utter a yes when he looked at Naruto.
"That's the uniform?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Um, actually, there's the tie and it has a jacket too, but I can't be fucked about them… don't like it?"
"Pfeh…uniform," he shrugged as he walked to the door.
"Er, where are we going to by the way?"
The Uchiha glanced at his phone again before pocketing it: 4.03. He hadn't the slightest about what could be done and until when, but he certainly hoped he could get everything done before the end of the day.
"A visit to the doc, grab my uniform, and a visit to the admin too, I hate not being able to access all my stuff properly. And I have a feeling that by the time I'm done with all this, we might as well have dinner."
"Oh, don't worry about dinner, cafeteria's open 'til 8, and the snack bar's 'til curfew… that's ten o'clock by the way… c'mon!"
- x -
C'mon – the phrase was echoing in Sasuke's head when he could finally sit down to his dinner: he felt like a dog who had to follow his master, no matter what. Not that he wanted to be cruel, but truth be told, Naruto made his head ache, however unintentionally. The blonde couldn't know that Sasuke's never been able to endure energy bombs like him. He just wanted to make a good impression by being helpful, which he actually managed to, if only with a bit of a side effect.
Eventually, Sasuke couldn't retrieve a uniform but at least his measurements were taken ("It'll be ready in a few days, Uchiha-san!"); the school doctor was actually a woman whose niceness was on the edge of having a detrimental effect on her knowledge and authority – though she didn't seem to be aware of it, or just didn't care: Sasuke couldn't decide; the system admin was reluctant at first to add a cell phone to the network, but the Uchiha's stare convinced him in no time.
Contrary to their room, the school itself was rather huge. There was a northern and a southern building, five stories each plus the basements of course, separated by a large yard which had a few trees here and there, and some chairs and tables in one of its corners, with a roofed pool on one side and a tennis-and-basketball court on the other. The cafeteria was available from the streets for the public as well, and it looked quite decent: several meals, two menus, from which, Sasuke assumed, everyone attending the school and not willing or able to pay on their own could choose from, and of course, occupied tables and excited chatters that grew into general noise.
A few tables away Sasuke noticed the redhead he'd asked directions for earlier: he was with a guy who seemed to have white eyes and who seemed to be kissing the redhead on the mouth – seeing the scene, the chopsticks stopped in his hands as he stared intently.
"…Sasuke? Hullo?" he suddenly heard the blonde's voice from his right as he too arrived with a tray. Naruto sat down and looked the same direction as the Uchiha.
"Hn? What?"
"Eheh… it's not polite to stare, Sasuke…" Naruto giggled and winked at the other teen.
"Tsk… I wasn't staring, dobe," he stated and returned to his food.
"Sure, sure, Sasuke… Hum… how odd, Gaara and Neji… Although, thinking of it… maybe not…"
"That redhead had seemed kinda strange…"
"Eeeeh? Wh-wh-what do you mean? You know him?" Naruto panicked, not really being able to put his finger on the reason however.
"Hn… Just stumbled into him when I arrived," Sasuke shrugged, "I had to know where to find the principal. And compared to these," he added, nodding towards the crowd around them, "it's like he doesn't even fit in at all. Not very talkative."
Once again, Naruto realized he was fighting the blood flooding his cheeks. It wasn't clear if Sasuke simply stated a fact, or was at the same time also hinting at the fact that the blonde couldn't really shut up. He didn't want to annoy the boy, and was scared that he's already managed to. He seemed to shrink in his seat.
"Um, well, you know… Many of us here have quite the stories to tell and Gaara's no exception either. But… he's not a bad guy, really, just… probably took the breakup more serious than I'd've thought. Ummm…"
Realizing he let things slip out his mouth again that he definitely did not want slipped, he quickly tucked in the bowl of steaming ramen in front of him. He hoped that Sasuke wouldn't catch the point, or if he does, he won't be interested in the details, but he had no such luck.
"Breakup?"
"Euhm… wellll… you know…"
"So the two of you were together…for how long?"
"Errr…"
"And why did you break up?"
"ARGH! WHAT'S WITH THE INTERROGATION? IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, ALRIGHT?" Naruto jumped up suddenly, yelling just a bit louder than he intended to, resulting in several pairs of eyes now focusing on him. "I mean… well…" he mumbled as he sat back, totally defeated now, by his emotions as well as the blush. Sasuke just raised his eyebrows again but remained silent: his onyx stare piercing through Naruto with interest. "If you really want to know, it was just a summer fling, we broke up last week. Because it just didn't work."
"Hn… No wonder, he doesn't seem like the type that's into kids," Sasuke said, smirking.
"I'm not a kid!"
"Sure…"
"Am not, whatever you say!" Naruto stated, pouting and crossing his arms on his chest.
- x -
It was past eleven-thirty when Naruto finally turned the lights off. Sasuke sighed: he felt exhausted, mainly because of his new roommate. He felt that it wasn't intentional: it was part of Naruto's personality, and it was either too hard to control or the blonde was just sick of the continuous acting. He really did know how tough it could be…
"Sasuke?" He heard his name from the other bed. "You asleep?"
"Ngh… no, not yet… what do you want?"
"Just… um… sorry… I didn't mean to snap like that at dinner, you know. I guess that breakup's also been weighing down more on me than it should… I dunno."
The Uchiha was surprised by Naruto's words. After all, he didn't commit a crime, he didn't hurt or offend him, and he certainly didn't see any problem with people losing their temper – even if he himself was not one of those.
"Think nothing of it, dobe. Don't be stressed about it."
"Sasuke?"
"…Hn?"
"I'm glad that you're here. I mean… I've never had a roommate before, and I've always been anxious about… you know, getting a jerk to be my first… but I think you're a nice guy."
"…good night, dobe."
"Mmhm… sleep well, Sasuke."