Naruto leaned back, his head spinning with a rush of drugs. Whatever the hell he had gotten from his old hookup in his last school as a going away present was some strong stuff. His ceiling was spinning, distorting as it made lazy rotations. He could see his face in the convulsing images on the ceiling for a moment before he sat up—head rushing even more due to moving so quickly—and turned on his T.V. He hadn't wanted to play any video games but he felt like looking at his face would just be too hard right now.

Naruto had a theory that, when in some 'other' mind, he became five times better at Halo 3. He never dared to play rank when in 'another' mind but he seemed to pone a lot more than usual.

Nerds have a tendency to be totally bitching at video games anyway.

The ping of his microwave going off in the kitchen two doors down had Naruto rushing out of his room (in the middle of a team slayer game) to nab the Hot Pocket before Jiraiya could decide that he had been the one to put it in the microwave. Naruto practically moaned with the first bite, his body tingling with delight as his munchies were met with the most wonderful treat in the world. Well second most but eating ramen had been something he had done with him and he just couldn't stomach that food anymore. The burn of the hot meat in the Hot Pocket made him moan for real, the scolding heat sending tremors down his body.

Naruto attacked his Hot Pocket hungrily in the kitchen, sitting on the cold linoleum floor that was oddly so comfortable that he felt like lying down and taking a nap. He finished his burning Hot Pocket and considered the blue carpet—more like navy in Naruto's opinion but Jiraiya's maid insisted that it was a regular blue—for a moment before slowly laying down. He shifted his weight, trying to get comfortable on the thin carpet. He rolled around until he eventually fell off of the carpet and found himself face down on the linoleum, freezing suddenly. The blonde stood, his boxers too exposing as he rushed to his room and jumped into his bed. He crawled rapidly under the covers and shivered for a couple of minutes before letting himself take a quick nap.

Naruto jerked awake when his cell phone screeched Chocolate Disco—by a Japanese techno band called Perfume—at him, announcing Jiraiya's call loudly.

"What?" he asked gruffly, his voice thick with sleep as he rubbed his eyes. The clock said it was almost eleven; his high was gone.

"Where the hell is Katrine?"

"How the hell should I know, she's your maid?"

There was a long pause and then a groan, "Never mind, I found her." He hung up without warning, the dialing tone annoying in Naruto's ear as he sat up and shoved his blankets away from his body. Tonight was most definitely going to be one of those.

He creped out of his bed, his legs stiff from being in the fetal position for three hours, and stumbled across the hall to his bathroom. Without flicking on the light he lifted the seat and pissed into the orange bowl with a relish while simultaneously picking his nose. He wiped the buggers on some toilet paper when he finished peeing and he flushed the toilet, watching the yellow pee and soaked toilet paper twirl in the bowl until it was gone. Naruto sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, his eyes baggy with his exhausted state of mind.

He couldn't stop thinking about him.

The one that had left him behind.

The one that had stabbed him—trying to get him in the heart but missing and puncturing the area right above it.

The one that had stolen his heart and ripped it to pieces because he had felt like it.

Because Naruto hadn't even really meant anything to him: not even in the end of it all.

The blonde's depressing thoughts spiraled out of control until he finally realized that he was standing in his bathroom, door wide open, with his boxers around his knees. Katrine would not appreciate such a sight after all. He pulled up his bland boxers and stumbled over something in the dark, cursing loudly as he kicked whatever it was into a distant corner before stomping back to his room.

The clock now read midnight and Naruto felt so stupid for standing in the bathroom for almost thirty minutes. Time had flown by very quickly as it usually did when he thought about him. Nights had always been their thing: they would always sneak out, cause trouble, get high. He had introduced weed and other substances of the same nature to Naruto in the first place which the blonde found highly ironic now. It seemed to make him smarter the more he did it.

He grumbled something about cleaning his room when a shoe caught his pinky toe and made him fall face first onto the ground. His tired body wanted to just stay there and sleep on the carpet but he just knew that was a horrible idea: the most perfect way to get killer cramps in the morning too.

Slowly, very, very slowly, Naruto kneeled and literally climbed into his bed where he barely bothered to cover his feet before falling back into the world of dreams.


Sai was smiling at Naruto when the teen walked into homeroom.

"What's so funny?"

"You look like shit," he smiled even more, "Maybe I should call you Shit-Head…?"

Naruto twitched as he sat down next to Sai. After knowing the teen for three weeks he knew about how he had been cut off from the world when this really old guy adopted him—whose name Naruto couldn't pronounce to save his life—and he had no clue how to handle people. He didn't even know how to nickname someone: he believed that you should call them by 'actual observations of their personality' or some shit like that. Naruto couldn't care less.

"No, Sai, that is a very bad nickname."

"Oh," his smile never wavered as he went back to reading a self-help book he had found in the library. He read about three a day from what Naruto could tell—where he kept getting new ones he had no idea—and yet he never seemed to learn anything new from them. Nothing useful or appropriate anyway. Once Naruto had come to school looking sad and Sai had tried kissing him on the lips because a book about couples (though he hadn't known about 'couples' at the time) had told him it was the right thing to do to cheer up your 'significant other'.

"Just call me Naruto, Sai." The black haired teen had dropped the '-kun' at the end of his name a while ago because (yet another) book had told him it would bring him closer and show familiarity and companionship between two people.

Whatever.

"Sure, sure," Sai waved a hand before snapping his thick book shut, already beyond one hundred pages after getting it just an hour before. He read fast and absorbed a lot. "How are you and Kimimaro-kun?"

Naruto groaned in annoyance, "There's nothing like that between us. I have no feelings like that for him."

Sai snorted very uncharacteristically, "I have seen the way he looks at you and you him, there's something there whether you want to admit it or not."

His words disturbed Naruto as the bell rang for the end of homeroom and the beginning of weight training (AKA torture). Taking a deep breath he steeled himself over to take on the torrent of physical activities he would have to complete today. Gai-sensei was completely smitten with Naruto and the fact that he had already completed three of his ten assignments, which was second best only to Rock Lee's crazy score of getting three or more done a day. At one a week Naruto would be out of that class by next semester. Hopefully…

The weights resting on his ankles tied down his feet, making his leaps over the higher and higher beams so utterly difficult that Naruto almost screamed with frustration. He hated this class, and it wasn't just because it was hard either: he hated it because these tasks were challenges and he loved challenges…just not ones that could get him seriously hurt.

"Yosh!" cried Gai as the boisterous man ran up and did his good-guy pose, thumb in the air, teeth shinning brilliantly with a one sided smile—though it touched both sides of his face—and feet spread apart to ground him because of all the 'glorious and youthful energy' that Naruto radiated with his curses. "It is wonderful to see a student so focused on his tasks!"

Naruto grunted as he tried lifting his foot off of the ground. His weights had started off at eight pounds—so weak compared to the eighty that Lee ran around with—and now he had thirty pounds on each ankle. The blonde had barely had time to adjust to the twenty when Gai had become too enthused and had added on some more weight so that Naruto would be lugging around sixty extra pounds for the rest of the day. Apparently weight lifting teachers could give homework and Naruto's was to wear those at all times save for when he was sleeping and doing anything with water around the ankles. If he took one step without them on the ultra smart weights would know and Naruto's grade would be obliterated with five huge zeros.

"Gather students!" cried the teacher and the other boys in the class walked up stiffly. Naruto noticed that a freshman was limping badly and he felt bad for the kid. "You have ten minutes to shower and get out of here! Last one out has an extra activity added to their list."

The class scrambled to get out of their stinky gym clothes and into the showers to wash off the sheen of sweat from their bodies. Naruto kept his eyes to himself as he ran a hand over his body swiftly, swiping over everything before jumping out and towel drying very, very quickly while almost simultaneously pulling on his regular clothes. He was the fifth person to dart out of the weight lifting room so he waited for Sai impatiently outside.

Lately the old Naruto had found his way out more than his Naruto and the blonde in question was beginning to get worried. Why had moving to the other side of the country helped him to revert back to his old self? He had thought his happy side had died when his only chance at joy and happiness had left him—rather violently too—yet here he was, bubbling up and greeting the world with wide, innocent eyes that had seen so much more than any teen or person should.

Naruto jumped when he heard a grunt coming from the left side of the building, facing away from the school. He looked around but no one else seemed to have heard. He debated for a moment before slinking over to the corner and—taking a deep breath—he peeked around the bricks and saw two guys, one with white hair cutting his companion with a wicked looking knife as he fucked him. A pair of black eyes caught him starring but, instead of telling his partner, he just pushed back with his hips, letting the other teen in deeper and he hissed with pain as the knife's serrated edge slid along his stomach. He moaned quietly, his eyes holding Naruto's as his pale skin broke out in a light sweat with effort.

It was Sai.

Naruto stumbled back, his eyes wide, before he took off running, not caring about how he looked, not caring about anything other than getting far, far away from that scene. He knew Sai hadn't meant to but he had hurt him terribly by… Naruto shoved the thought away and continued to run all the way to his next class, uncaring of his burning legs from the sixty extra pounds, uncaring that he looked like a fool.


Naruto didn't want to see this; he didn't need to see it in order to remember why he hurt on the inside, why the beast of pain lived firmly in his heart. But he knew there would be no escaping this torture now that he was in his own mind.

He was standing there, as gorgeous as Naruto remembered and all the more ugly for it. Dark eyes glared at Naruto, his face twisted into a sneer.

"Why the fuck are you here?"

"Why else?" asked Naruto, his voice dull and broken. His being no longer mattered.

"Take off your clothes and come here then," he commanded as he stood to remove his boxers. He seemed to think better of it though. "Take off my boxers when you're done with yourself."

Naruto complied without complaint, his naked body firm but wary. He had never liked being under his scrutiny and now, as he removed his clothes he felt all the more awkward. Naruto's hands trembled as he finished pulling off his shirt, the last item of his person to be removed before he walked over to him. He didn't move as Naruto pulled off his boxers, his erection was obvious and it stood proudly, pale along with the rest of him. Naruto loved his pale skin, even if it held a horrid beauty, cold and unwelcome.

And he had thought he returned his love…

He grabbed Naruto and threw him onto his bed, crawling on top of him instantly and positioning himself at Naruto's puckered entrance. They had stopped using lube after their first ten or so times, Naruto stretched enough to accommodate him comfortably. What Naruto wanted or liked had never really mattered, it hadn't even come to mind for either of them in that time.

Naruto bit his bottom lip as he began to push in…

"Uzumaki Naruto," snapped a teacher, her eyes blazing when she realized that one of her students had gone to sleep in the middle of her lecture.

Naruto snapped awake, his eyes wide with fear as he quickly assessed his situation. His heart was pounding, blood thrumming in his ears as he waited for the sting of his member inside of him but there would be no pain. He was free now; he just kept forgetting that.

He mumbled a quick apology to Kurenai before putting his mind back together, it wouldn't do to have a strange melt down because he had decided to dream about him in the middle of school.

"I know in ninth grade we read Romeo and Juliet but I was thinking that we should do so again, since most of you in this class have transferred from another school." Many groans of protest buffeted Kurenai but she shushed them, her red contacts flashing, but she was unable to stop a certain outburst:

"But we're all guys, whoever is Romeo and Juliet is gonna be considered homo."

Her red eyes narrowed at some random guy that Naruto did not know in the least. "That will be their problem, I can assure you, Mr. Takumashii, that your part is short and insignificant." The implications of her words were very clear and Takumashii shrank into his seat. "I will announce who plays what now:

"Takumashii is Sampson while Juromi is Gregory." She went one with naming the lesser parts and Naruto was eternally grateful when he wasn't named Romeo but he wanted to scream when Kurenai announced he would be Juliet.

"Why do I have to be her?"

"Because you are the cutest guy in here," she winked at him—every straight guy in the room glared at Naruto for the special attention from the extremely hot teacher—before she announced that Romie—the single most hyper person Naruto had ever met—would be playing Juliet's nurse, a strange and boisterous woman to put her mildly.

"Gee, thanks," Naruto slumped in his seat while Kimimaro—who had decided to sit next to Naruto—chuckled briefly.

"It seems you and Shino will be lovers for the next few weeks."

Naruto shook his head, the almost silent kid—he had said maybe three words the entire time Naruto had known him and that isn't an exaggeration—sitting beside him hid behind a high collar and black sunglasses. Naruto was amazed at how much people could get away with in such a strict school; there were more dress code violations than kids in the school.

"The bell's about to ring so we will start tomorrow, read over your lines if you have problems reading aloud so you don't make a fool of yourself when we recite." At the end of her sentence the bell rang loud and clear, releasing a torrent of students from their classes, eager to get to their cars or buses, wanting nothing more than to get home.

Naruto spotted Kimimaro leaning casually against Kit, talking quietly to the car. He fell silent when Naruto approached.

"How did you get out here before me?"

"Magic," he smiled, teeth white and perfectly straight. Could he be any more like him? Well, yeah, if he didn't smile…ever.

"Oh, right, how could I forget?" Kimimaro pushed off from Kit and opened Naruto's door. Naruto paused just before climbing into the car, his body close to the senior. "You know, it's been a while since you called me…ethereal, right?"

Kimimaro raised a delicate eyebrow, "You remembered that then?"

"Yeah," Naruto rolled his eyes, "I was kinda hoping you would have made something of it by now." Their bodies were very close and Kimimaro watched Naruto press a little more.

"Really?" he dropped his raised brow and smirked, "But why would I do that?"

"Why wouldn't you? I'm hot and desperate for a good lay, maybe boyfriend, and you're sexy so…what's the problem?"

Kimimaro laughed, "You have changed over the past few weeks." When Naruto asked him what he meant the white haired teen explained, "It's just that when I first saw you, you seemed very…dark, all depressed and stuff. But you're happier now."

Naruto nodded his head, he was happier but he needed something more, something substantial. He needed someone to lean on, someone to share his every thought with, someone to trust with his heart, and Kimimaro wasn't a bad choice in the least. He was insanely loyal to Orochimaru—his adopted father—and his click never got fucked with because he had a reputation and balls enough to back it up, and he had never hurt anyone he dated.

With a heavy sigh Naruto slid into his car, ready to tell it about what he had seen outside of weight training when Kimimaro leaned down and put his face near Naruto's.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Probably smoking some green before playing videogames in my room, alone." Naruto smiled goofily.

"Interesting," Kimimaro, "How about you and I smoke some weed and see where that leads us, maybe to a pool…"

"Sure, sounds like fun."

"Cool, can you have someone pick up your car?"

"If I can afford to come to this school, I can afford to have someone pick up Kit. But I'd rather not risk him so I'll bring a different car."

"See you then," Kimimaro stood back and shut the car door gently, his fingers would leave greasy prints but a little wax would fix it up easily enough.

Naruto is a total nut about his Kit.


Naruto stared at his next lines in Romeo and Juliet, dreading even the mention of those words having to come from him. There would be no living this down, especially since Kurenai wanted him to 'get into character'. This particular line wasn't so bad but ones to come would be horrendously embarrassing.

"I'll look to like, if looking liking move;

"But no more deep will I endart mine eye

"Than your consent gives strength to make it fly."

Kurenai applauded Naruto with a smile, very happy with the fact that he hadn't stumbled over those tricky lines.

Another student in the class—who had been dubbed the Servingman—spoke next:

"Madam, the guests are come, supper served up, you

"called, my young lady asked for, the nurse cursed in the pantry,

"and everything in extremity. I must hence to wait. I beseech you

"follow straight."

Naruto chuckled to himself when Kimimaro straightened to speak, the role of Lady Capulet having been assigned to him.

"We follow thee. Juliet, the County stays."

Romie excitedly yelled his part:

"Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days."

Kurenai called for Shino to say his part and he—seemed to—stared at her. "Do you want a zero?"

"What, shall this speech be spoke for our excuse?

"Or shall we on without apology?"

His voice was bland but he had pleased Kurenai. "Ok, who agrees with me that that is enough for the day?" the class agreed fervently. "Well too bad, because that's not nearly enough!" she laughed lightly, covering her mouth with her hand as the entire class groaned with annoyance.

(AN: the next few lines are going to be pure Romeo and Juliet so you can skip it if you want also those who don't have a name beside them are just random students I don't feel like naming)

Kiba/Benvolio: "The date is out of such prolixity.

"We'll have no Cupid hoodwinked with a scarf,

"Bearing a Tartar's painted bow of lath,

"Scaring the ladies like a crowkeeper,

"Nor no without-book prologue, faintly spoke

"After the prompter, for our entrance;

"But, let them measure us by what they will,

"We'll measure them a measure and be gone."

Shino/Romeo: "Give me a torch. I am not for this ambling,

"Being but heavy, I will bear the light."

Mercutio: "Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance."

Shino/Romeo: "Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes

"With nimble soles; I have a soul of lead

"So stakes me to the ground I cannot move."

Mercutio: "You are a lover. Borrow Cupid's wings

"And soar with them above a common bound."

Shino/Romeo: "I am too sore enpeirced with his shaft

"To soar with his light feathers; and so bound

"I cannot bound a pitch above dull woe.

"Under love's heavy burden do I sink."

Mercutio: "And, to sink in it, should you burden love—

"Too great oppression for a tender thing."

Shino/Romeo: "Is love a tender thing? It is too rough,

"Too rude, too boist'rous, and it pricks like thorn."

Mercutio: "If love be rough with you, be rough with love.

"Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.

"Give me a case to put my visage in.

"A visor for a visor! What care I

"What curious eye doth quote before me."

Kiba/Benvolio: "Come, knock and enter; and no sooner in

"But every man betake him to his legs."

They continued on in this fashion, firing off line after line until the poor sole with Mercutio's part had to read about a whole page worth of difficult lines. Kurenai stopped them after Mercutio's rant and had them work on some other lit things that Naruto did at a monotonous pace, struggling with the verbs and such but flying through the vocabulary and spelling like it was nothing.

Kimimaro leaned over, "Hey, you still coming over?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged his thin shoulders, "Cold feet?"

Naruto snorted, "I think you would have to propose to me before we jumped a plain to Vegas." Kimimaro chuckled, his pale lips pulled into a thin smile that Naruto had never seen pulled off by anyone else. "On a more serious note; what are we doing?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"Not in detail."

"True, true," his dark green eyes shined as he thought it over, "What would you like to do, other than the obvious thing?"

"Bah," Naruto threw his hands up in exasperation, "Why would I know?"

"Uzumaki Naruto-san," Kurenai snapped, her red eyes blazing with anger, "Is there something you should share with the class?"

"Not that I know of," Naruto stared directly at the woman, his blue eyes defiant as his-Naruto took over for a moment.

She hmphed before turning her back to him and helping a student that was in dire need. The ignorant fool didn't know what tumult was. Naruto watched her ass for a moment before deciding that, no matter how hot she was he would never butt-fuck her: That activity was strictly for his gay tendencies.