Naruto stared at Sasuke with wide eyes.

'Because I care about you..'
Over and over again, his mind would whisper to him.

"So, nothing for you then?" Sasuke asked, as walked into the other room.

"er.."
Naruto returned to earth, and noticed the raven-haired male was gone

'Did.. did that just happen?'

Naruto looked around, slipped his shoes back on and grabbed his bag

"Hey, I just realized I promised Kakashi-sensei I'd help him with moving some things around" Naruto called "I'll see ya later!"

Naruto ddint bother waiting for a reply, and just bolted out the front door.

Sasuke slid down the stairs, and groaned. Itachi walked by, and stared at him. His gaze said everything.

"You're an idiot"

"So, what happened yesterday?"

Sasuke rose to his feet and rubbed his head. It was going to be an off day.

"He ran off" Sasuke replied

Itachi frowned a little, glancing at Sasuke's feet with a small smirk ruining the stoic expression. Sasuke, cluing in, glanced down. His eyes widened, then he glared at Itachi

"Seriously?"

Itachi walked away, biting his lip when Sasuke wasnt looking.

"Purple doesnt suit you, little brother" Itachi mumbled

Sasuke sighed, now sitting at his desk.

"Yo, Sasuke! I just got my history thing back!" Kiba smiled excitedly

Sasuke raised a brow

"Lemme guess.. D+"

Kiba smirked

"Give me a break! It's a C-" He bragged

Sasuke closed his eyes. At least he could hide his laughter better than his brother.

"Congrats on going up by 3 percentage points" Sasuke murmured sarcastically

He looked around and frowned. It was almost lunch time and no sight of Naruto.

'Did I really scare him off?'

Sensei set a paper in front of Sasuke, and moved on to search out the next. It was the second to last day before winter break. Naruto hadnt been seen in a few weeks. Exams were tomorrow. He went over to his house not to long ago, but he didnt answer.

Sasuke turned his grayish eyes onto the paper before him and his eyes widened. It was an A-! This was before he even started to help the timid blond out.

'Was he.. trying to...?'

"Sasuke" Kakashi called "I'd like to see you please"

Said teen stood up and met the teacher outside the classroom
"Well, it seems Naruto got an A-" Kakashi crossed his arms "How id that possible?"

"Who knows. I didnt put a single thing on that paper, so he must've done it himself"
Kakashi sighed and let the silence drag on for a few moments

"Where is Naruto?"

"Who knows.." The teen replied.
Sasuke frowned slightly, and walked back into the classroom, easily blending in with the many other students.

Kiba sat patiently, remembering when he found out Sasuke was helping Naruto. It sure wasnt something he expected when he walked into the library just down the street.

'Something about that... was strange. It was as if..'

"What as that all about?" Kiba asked.

Sasuke shrugged

"Just wondering why I didnt take credit for the project"

"Why didnt you?" Kiba asked, raising his brows

"I didnt do anything" Sasuke simply replied. Kiba was staring out the window, and Sasuke just stared.

'Did.. did he even hear me?'

He grabbed his things, swearing to himself Kiba was ADHD or something. That guy had the attention span of a fish.

The bell rang and Sasuke was the first out. He wasnt hungry for food. He was hungry for information. He walked out the front doors, and walked down the street ignoring Tsunade's screeching and screaming. He disappeared from sight, heading toward Naruto's apartment.

'Its hard to believe Naruto lives on his own. His parents must worry a lot' The raven-haired teen thought 'He really needs a cell phone though... this is just ridiculous. If that moron isnt deathly sick, I swear I'm gonna beat his ass'

Sasuke walked through town, people giving him strange looks, and the subtle whispers he heard: shouldn't he be in school?, he skipped, why is he here?, irritated him to no end. He reached his destination, and knocked obnoxiously loud on the door

"Naruto! Answer the damn door!" He finally shouted after no response or signs of life after minutes of impatiences.

The door cracked opened, and a small voice showed their was life in there.

"What..."

Sasuke slammed the door opened, and glared at the blond.

"What the hell is your problem? Exams are tomorrow and you've been gone for two weeks!"

Naruto never looked at Sasuke, but before he could even form a reply, Sasuke snapped at him again

"If you're not at school tomorrow, I will beat your ass!"

With that, Sasuke left.

Naruto stood there, trying to form an idea of what to do. He was scared. It had been to dark in his room for Sasuke to even actually see Naruto.

Naruto woke up the next morning, and stared at the door.

'If you're not at school tomorrow, I will beat your ass!'

Naruto knew Sasuke was dead serious. He lifted his head from his pillow and stretched. A book fell off the bed, as well as a few papers. He had studied all night, read everything he needed to know and worked his ass off. Just to prepare for the exams. He discovered that school was actually quite easy, because of Sasuke. He felt, and believed that he could do anything he wanted to. He just had to open his mind, and put his heart in it.

The blond was an outcast his whole life. People made fun of him, and he would cry so easily. He was young, and nobody loved him. They hated him, and made fun of him because he was so different.

'yet Sasuke... still helped me'

Naruto focused on getting ready for school, but still thought of every possible thing to distract himself. He looked in the mirror and frowned. Sasuke never missed a detail. He could only hope...