Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the storyline and situations are mine.
Naruto was not a morning person. He liked sleeping in, curled up in his cocoon of blankets, warm and comfortable. He liked waking up gradually, first hearing the sounds around him, then stretching his limbs before finally opening his eyes. So when he bolted upright the next morning at nine o'clock, he felt befuddled and disoriented. What the hell had woken him up? His mom knew to let him sleep in, especially since he'd stayed up till the early hours of the morning unpacking his things. He frowned, yawning and stretching. For whatever reason, he was properly awake now and he knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.
The doorbell rang and his eyebrows furrowed. Who could that possibly be? They didn't know anyone here except for Gran, and he doubted she'd show up at their house so early on a Saturday morning. An image of dark hair, pale skin and black eyes flashed through his mind and Naruto immediately bolted out of bed. He quickly brushed his teeth and pulled on a t-shirt, now able to hear his mother speaking to someone at the door. Not sparing a thought for how ridiculous his behaviour was, Naruto dashed down the stairs, tripping on the last one since he wasn't quite used to them yet. He heard his mother's shout of concern, and braced himself for impact with the floor, but it never came. Slightly calloused hands gripped his shoulders, steadying him, and he let out a sheepish chuckle as he stepped back, expecting to see the boy from yesterday when he looked up. His eyebrows furrowed slightly and he felt a bizarre sense of disappointment when he realised he had been wrong. His visitor was not who he had expected. Naruto gave the stranger a quick once-over and deduced that he had to be related to the boy he had seen yesterday.
Black eyes were just as intense as the other boy's had been, but this man was older, his skin a shade darker and hair straight and long, tied back in a low ponytail. He was just a bit taller than Naruto, and offered the blond a slight smile not unlike the one he'd received yesterday. "Naruto, I presume."
Naruto's eyes widened, "Whoa, wait, how do you know my name?"
"My brother and I heard your mother scolding you yesterday." The man explained, his voice low, tone polite and pleasant, "I'm Itachi Uchiha."
Brother. That must have been who he saw yesterday, Naruto concluded. Before he could say anything Kushina hit him on the back of his head and he groaned, his hand going back to rub the spot, "What the hell, Mom?"
"Language. What the hell were you thinking barrelling down the stairs like that?! You could have been hurt!"
Naruto managed not to roll his eyes. Only his mother would scold him for language and then use the same language directed at him. "I was just excited to meet the neighbours I guess." He looked up to meet Itachi's gaze, noting how observant it was, "I think I saw your brother yesterday evening. He's my age, right?"
"Sasuke will be a senior at Konoha High this year." Itachi confirmed, "The invitation is from both of us, I discussed it with him last night. He isn't really a morning person though, so he's still in bed."
Naruto perked up slightly, "Invitation?"
"Itachi and his brother have invited us over for lunch today. Isn't that nice of them?" Kushina said, grinning widely.
Naruto grinned as well. He didn't know why but he'd felt a kinship with the boy as soon as he'd locked gazes with him the day before. He wanted to know him, be his friend, and this seemed to be the first step towards that. "We're going, right?"
"Of course we are." Minato appeared from the kitchen, smiling warmly, "What time would you like us over, Itachi?"
"Around noon? The cook comes in at eleven thirty so the meal should be ready by half past twelve. This way we will have time for introductions." Itachi said, directing his words to Minato, but keeping his eyes on Naruto.
"Sounds awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning, "We'll be there!"
Itachi chuckled. It wasn't hard to see why this boy had sparked his brother's interest. He was Sasuke's opposite, the warm and cheerful sun to his dark and silent moon. Itachi could tell that Naruto was going to impact the Uchihas' lives in ways they would not be able to quite comprehend yet. "We look forward to seeing you all then." He said, nodding to Minato and smiling at Kushina before leaving the house. He went straight to his study when he got home, waiting till eleven before going up to wake his brother.
Sasuke grumbled, turning over and smothering his face in his pillow, "Go away."
"Sasuke, the Namikazes will be here in an hour. I need you to be awake and presentable by then." Itachi said, sitting down on the bed beside his little brother.
Sasuke's eyes snapped open, "You went and invited them already?" He sounded disgruntled.
"Naruto seemed to have been disappointed that you weren't with me. Do you want to disappoint him again?" Itachi arched a single brow and Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his brother, "You are up to something."
Itachi stood and turned away, "I support you in every endeavour, little brother. I know you want to be the boy's friend, so I'm helping make that happen. Are you complaining?"
"No." Sasuke conceded, yawning and stretching, "You said they'd be here at twelve? I'll be ready."
"Good." Itachi began walking away, "I'll have your coffee sent up to you."
"Thanks."
Forty five minutes later, Sasuke was downstairs on the living room couch, scrolling through his messages. His somewhat cold personality and quiet manner didn't lend itself to socialising, but his quick wit and sarcastic sense of humour had won him a few loyal friends. Shikamaru, Ino and Sakura were his closest friends, but they were part of a larger group of nine people who he hung out with occasionally outside of school. None of them could be classified as his best friend and that suited him just fine. He had never understood the need to share every bit of your life with another person; it was probably why he'd also never been in a romantic relationship.
His phone chimed with a new message from Ino. We're heading out for a movie in the evening. You in?
Sasuke considered the question before typing his response, Can I bring someone?
Ooh. A date? Sure! Bring her along.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. He should have guessed her mind would go there. Not a date.
Who is it?
New neighbour. He's our age - seems interesting.
You're voluntarily making a new friend? Sasuke could practically hear the incredulity in the words.
Am I really that bad?
Do you really need me to answer that? Bring him along. Is he cute?
You're asking the wrong person. Besides, you have a boyfriend. Sasuke responded, shaking his head. He supposed Naruto was fairly attractive, with his tan skin, sunny blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was certainly going to stand out at Konoha High where a majority of the students had dark hair and eyes.
Shikamaru knows I love him. Doesn't mean I can't look.
"Sasuke." He looked up to meet his brother's gaze, "They should be here any minute."
"Okay." He said, standing and sending a final message, Have to go. What time and where?
Five. Shinobi Cinema.
The doorbell rang and Sasuke moved to the foyer, standing just behind his brother as he opened the door. He felt oddly nervous as he faced the Namikazes for the first time, "Hello, I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I'm sorry I wasn't with my brother this morning." He said politely, looking from Minato to Kushina before meeting Naruto's gaze.
"Oh, don't worry honey, Naruto is a late riser too. God help whoever disturbs his beauty sleep." Kushina said cheerfully, leading the way into the house while her husband and son followed behind. Naruto groaned, his ears reddening in a way that intrigued Sasuke, "Mom!"
"Kushina, maybe we'll wait to embarrass Naruto until after he's made friends with Sasuke." Minato suggested gently, giving Sasuke a knowing grin that reminded the Uchiha of Itachi all at once.
"Where's the fun in that?" Kushina wondered, making Itachi and Sasuke exchange amused looks.
"Why don't we sit down in the living room? The cook will come get us when lunch is ready." Itachi suggested, gesturing in the direction of the room before walking towards it.
Minato and Kushina followed, but Naruto hung back, waiting until the other three were out of sight before holding out his right hand. "We haven't officially met. I'm Naruto Namikaze. I'm seventeen, new here and would really like to be friends because I don't want to be that weird new kid everyone stares at on the first day of school."
Sasuke's lips quirked, but he managed not to smile, "Sasuke Uchiha. I'm eighteen, lived here all my life, and I'll put your request under consideration."
Naruto blinked for a second then burst out laughing, his blue eyes lighting up, warmth surrounding the very air around him, "You're a funny bastard."
"And you're a cheerful idiot." Sasuke countered, smirking slightly as he turned to follow after Itachi and Naruto's parents, "I think we'll get along just fine."
Naruto watched Sasuke's back for a moment with a stupidly huge grin on his face before scampering after him. It had been barely twenty four hours and already he was glad his family had made the move to Konoha. Sasuke Uchiha - he was someone Naruto was meant to know, he could feel that in his bones, and he couldn't wait to see what lay ahead for them.
"No way! You're the team captain?!" Naruto asked, eyes wide with surprise.
"Why is that so hard to believe, idiot?" Sasuke asked, eyes narrowed, a scowl on his face.
"Whoa, chill out! I didn't mean to offend you or anything. It's just, I'm planning to try out for the team! What are the chances I run into the team captain like this?" Naruto cried, excitedly.
"Naruto's been playing basketball since he was five. Minato taught him." Kushina said, looking between the two boys, glad that Naruto was already making new friends.
"Dad was good enough to go professional at one point. Now he's losing his touch though." Naruto said, sending his father a teasing look.
"From what I saw yesterday, he can still thrash you. Which begs the question, do you even have what it takes to make the team?" Sasuke asked, arching a single brow.
Blue eyes burned with determination, "I bet I can beat your pale ass."
"Naruto, Sasuke is the team captain of the best basketball team in the Land of Fire. I really don't know if it's a good idea to—"
"Are you saying you don't think I can?!" Naruto turned on his father, looking outraged.
Minato held up his hands in surrender, "I've never seen Sasuke play, so I can't really judge that. I'm just saying you might want to hold off on making grandiose statements like that."
"It's not just a statement, it's fact. What do you say, bastard? One-on-one, each basket counts as one point, the first to five wins." Naruto smirked at Sasuke, noting his annoyed expression at being underestimated.
"You're on. If you lose, I get to call you 'usuratonkachi' for the rest of your life." Sasuke said, standing despite the fact that they weren't done with the meal yet.
Indignation flared within Naruto, "I am not an usu-usura—whatever that word is!"
Sasuke snickered, "Do you even know what it means?"
"He's basically calling you a loser, Naruto." Itachi supplied, unable to hide his amusement at the way the afternoon had unfolded so far. He had expected Naruto and Sasuke to awkwardly transition from strangers to possible friends, but the boys had skipped ahead to a level of comfort he'd never seen Sasuke show with anyone other than himself.
"I am not a loser." Naruto said heatedly, "And you're on, asshole. If I win, I automatically make the team as part of the starting five."
"I would normally protest this because you're being abominably rude to our hosts, Naruto, but seeing as one of our hosts is provoking you and the other is enjoying himself, I'm going to join the bandwagon and offer to referee the match." Minato said, grinning.
"I'll cover up the food for now, and join you boys outside." Kushina said, waving away Itachi's half-hearted protest, "It's no problem! Go on outside, I'll be there in a few minutes. All the best, Naruto!"
"Are we playing with what we have on now or changing?" Naruto asked as they made their way outside.
"That depends. Are you going to use your clothes as an excuse for your bad performance when you lose?" Sasuke asked cockily.
"Ohhh. I'm so going to thrash you on the court." Naruto said, his blood boiling.
Minato exchanged a bemused look with Itachi, "I can't tell anymore. Do you think they're getting along or beginning to hate each other?"
Itachi looked between the two younger boys exchanging heated insults and shrugged, "I think we're seeing the start of a relationship we're never going to be able to make sense of."
Minato chuckled, "You're probably right."
The four of them came to a stop at the Namikaze's driveway-cum-court. Minato opened the garage door allowing Naruto to grab the basketball from inside. Once both boys were satisfied with the amount of air in the ball, the game started.
It was intense, and both of them were evenly matched, being of similar height and build. Itachi was surprised by how on par with Sasuke Naruto was. After all, as Minato had pointed out, Sasuke was the captain of the best basketball team in the Land of Fire. Naruto had been well-trained though, that much was obvious, what he lacked in skill he made up for with sheer determination. Every time Sasuke made it close to the basket, Naruto managed to intercept the ball, and vice versa. Both boys had managed a two points each by the time Kushina joined them.
"How old are you, Itachi?"
Itachi blinked, not expecting the question at all, "I'm twenty three."
"So young!" Kushina exclaimed, wrapping an arm around the boy's waist in a motherly fashion, "It must be hard running a household all on your own."
Alarm coursed through Itachi as blood rushed to his face, "Um, I—" He looked to Minato, wide-eyed, and the older man came to his rescue.
"Kushina, don't treat the boy like a child. He's been responsible for Sasuke since he was thirteen. He knows how to take care of himself."
"I'm not saying he doesn't, I'm saying he shouldn't have to." Kushina said firmly, taking one of Itachi's hands in both of hers and squeezing, "Anything you or Sasuke need, our door is always open, alright? So if you need to stay late at work or go out of town, don't worry a hair on your head, Sasuke can stay with us. If you need a home-cooked meal or want some company, just come over whenever you want. It's clear that those two are going to be joined at the hip," She said, gesturing to the two boys on the court exchanging insults as they played, "I want you to know you're welcome too. You and Sasuke are now unofficial members of the Namikaze household."
Itachi's eyes widened as a lump formed in his throat. He tried to swallow around it and find his voice, but gave up after a few tries. Kushina seemed to understand his plight because she gave him a warm, cheerful grin before wrapping him up in a hug. Itachi froze for a moment before slowly thawing. How long had it been since he'd been hugged? He didn't think he could remember the last time.
He had arranged this lunch so Naruto could become a part of Sasuke's life, because he didn't want Sasuke to become as unused to shows of affection as he was, but he didn't dream he'd gain something as well.
The three of them stood watching the boys play for the better part of an hour before finally growing bored. Minato shook his head, "They're too evenly matched. They've been at four points each for the last half hour. What say we head back and finish lunch? I've built up an appetite watching them go at it."
Kushina and Itachi agreed, making their way back to the Uchihas' home, leaving Naruto and Sasuke still playing. The boys lasted another fifteen minutes before they called a truce and fell over in exhaustion. They lay on the pavement side by side, close enough that their fingers brushed, but neither was bothered by the contact, both too focused on trying to breathe normally again.
"You're not bad, for an usuratonkachi." Sasuke said, when he finally managed to get his heart rate back to normal.
Naruto turned his head and narrowed those blue eyes, "I didn't lose."
Sasuke turned to face him, smirking, "You didn't win either."
Naruto considered that for a moment, and his face brightened, "Does that mean I'm on the team?"
Sasuke snorted, "Usuratonkachi. You managed to draw with me, and I'm the best on the team. Of course you're in."
"Yes!" Naruto threw his hands up in a cheer and then groaned, "Oh fuck, that hurts."
"I'm hungry." Sasuke observed, placing a hand over his grumbling stomach.
"Me too. But we stink." Naruto said with a grimace, sniffing the air around them.
"Five-minute shower then we'll go eat. Do you have plans for the evening?" Sasuke asked, looking up at the sky.
Naruto gave him a dry look, "I don't know anyone here besides you, your brother and Gran."
"Gran?" Sasuke raised a single brow.
"She's kind of my god-grandmother."
It was Sasuke's turn to give him a dry look, "There's no such thing as a god-grandmother."
"Who died and made you king?" Naruto grumbled, "There is."
"Naruto."
"Sasuke." The blond gave the younger Uchiha an exasperated look, "Wasn't the entire point of this conversation you asking me if I had plans for the evening?"
Sasuke frowned, "Oh, right. Well, if you don't, I'm meeting a few friends for a movie. Come with me."
Naruto sat up quickly, moaning at the pain of the sudden movement, "Yes. I'll come. Just please tell me it doesn't involve any walking."
Sasuke huffed an amused breath, slowly sitting up, managing to hide his pain better than Naruto, "I have a car. We'll take that." He forced himself to his feet and held out a hand, "Get up."
Naruto sighed dramatically before taking the Uchiha's hand and allowing himself to be pulled up. The two froze for a moment with their faces inches from one another, their hands linked between their chests. Blue eyes searched black for a moment before the hands parted and Naruto took a step back. Sasuke turned and began making his way back to his house, "If you aren't there in five minutes, I'm eating your share."
"You're such a fucking bastard." There was no heat to the insult though, instead it was said with a tone of fondness.
I went with 'usuratonkachi' instead of 'dobe' because it's the nickname that stands out the most for me from the anime. :) Anyway, here's the next chapter. I'm going to try to keep the characters as original as possible - hopefully I succeed.
Leave a review! I love hearing from you guys :)
~Living to Laugh and Love