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The next few weeks passed awkwardly, with Sasuke and Naruto speaking about three words on average per day. Usually these words were "I hate you" or "You're an asshole", leaving their relationship the same as ever. However, Sasuke had wordlessly handed the empty mug back to the blonde the day after his nightmare, and from then on, the blonde would leave to get him one every time he woke up in the middle of the night.
During the day Naruto was hardly in the room anymore, instead choosing to spend his time with his new friends. Kiba's roommate, Shikamaru, had finally woken up long enough to tell him his name and help him bypass the school's internet security, which automatically made them best friends against his will. Kiba now dragged him with him whenever he went out, and though the other boy protested, he went along willingly enough.
A girl named Hinata had also joined their group, after Naruto had saved her from being hit on by two repulsive pigs. She was a soft-spoken, timid girl, but upon witnessing Kiba blush during their first introduction, Naruto had insisted that she come along with them wherever they went (though he remained mysterious oblivious to the way she blushed whenever he spoke to her). Her friends Sakura and Ino usually accompanied them as well, but they did so with the air of older sisters who wanted to protect their young from being polluted by the opposite sex.
Two guys, Shino and Choji, were also often around since they lived in the same dorm, but they were a little hard to interact with because of their eccentric personalities. Shino preferred to spend his time with insects rather than with people, while Choji preferred the companionship of anything that he could stuff in his mouth. It was fortunate for Shino that Choji abhorred the taste of insects, or else he would have had to apply for a new roommate immediately.
There were many other students that Naruto had become acquainted with, but he quickly found out that he disliked most of them. It became apparent over the weeks that though he had managed to make friends, many students at the school still thought of him as inferior because of his background, which they made no effort to conceal.
"Stick and stones, man." Naruto told Kiba as he held him back from attacking some students who had mouthed off to him while passing by.
"How can you stand it?" the wolf-lover scowled, shrugging off Naruto's hand. "It makes my blood boil, and they're not even talking to me!"
"I usually can't, that's why I've been kicked out of so many schools. Remember?" the blonde grinned, grabbing his bag from the patch of grass that it had been thrown onto earlier. "This place is my last chance. If I don't make it through here, I'm screwed."
"It's funny that you say that this school is your last chance, when it's so difficult for most people to get into." Shikamaru spoke up from the side, where he had watched all of the events unravel.
"I'm a funny guy, Shika." Naruto dusted himself off and offered the boy a crooked grin. It was harder to get things past the spikey-haired boy, who had proven himself infinitely brighter than the average student (and his roommate). The blonde could tell that his friend had questions that he wanted to ask, but the boy was smart enough to know that he wouldn't get answers even if he tried.
"You guys are talking about weird stuff again." Kiba sighed, practically pouting as he retrieved his bag from the floor as well. "How are things between you and the princess?" he asked, as the three boys made their way the auditorium. The school had called for a mandatory meeting, where the candidates for the next student council president were to be announced and give their introductory speeches.
"The same as always." Naruto replied nonchalantly. He hadn't told anybody about what had occurred that night a few weeks ago, nor did he mean to. "I say hi and he tells me to fuck off, so we've resorted to just not talking at all."
"No wonder you spend so much time in our room." Kiba winced. "Ah well, not like I don't know how you feel – this guy's always sleeping, which leaves me pretty lonely." He pointed in Shikamaru's direction, who was in the middle of large yawn. "Why do you sleep so much, anyways?" Kiba demanded rather crossly.
"I like to sleep." Came Shikamaru's straightforward reply. "It doesn't require motivation, effort, or the act of moving."
"He's got a point." Naruto laughed, inwardly admiring Shikamaru a bit. He was the kind of guy who slept through all of his classes but still aced every test, moving through life with minimal effort. Naruto would kill to have his intelligence, but he supposed he had to make do with what he had.
Kiba shook his head. "You've got no survival instincts, man." He lectured his roommate. "Wolves get up every day because they know they gotta eat – it's how nature works. You ever see an animal use an alarm clock? Hell no!"
"I'm glad I'm human then." Was the lazy response. "Though my life has been a lot more chaotic recently since you've started to drag me out of my bed." He pointed out with mild irritation.
"You know you've secretly been waiting for somebody to do that your entire life." Kiba retorted, rolling his eyes.
"Strangely enough, I always thought it would be a woman."
"I don't think most girls have the muscle power. I literally have to throw him on the floor before he finally registers that he's not in his bed anymore." Kiba muttered under his breath while Naruto stood back and chuckled at the friendly banter.
Together, the three guys searched out seats in the auditorium, and Naruto caught sight of Hinata waving at them from across the room. They made their way there, where the girl had saved a couple of seats for all of their friends.
"Thanks, Hinata!" Kiba exclaimed eagerly, running to take the seat next to her. Naruto and Shikamaru followed behind, both of them smiling knowingly as Kiba instantly engaged her in conversation.
"That guy's easier to read than a book." Shikamaru commented with a sigh, sliding into the seat next to Kiba. Naruto followed suit, slouching slightly and putting his hands in his pocket. "He might as well paint a giant billboard on his forehead."
"It's a good thing Hinata's more oblivious than a deaf mouse, then." Naruto chuckled. "Or else things would have been way too easy, and not half as interesting to watch."
The lights in the auditorium dimmed, causing the murmurs of conversation to die away. A tall blonde woman stepped onto the stage, her strides full of purpose as she approached the podium.
"As you all know, I am Tsunade, your headmaster." She spoke, her voice clear and piercing. "Tonight, we have gathered to introduce the candidates for student council president. They will each give a speech to introduce themselves, with our current president speaking last since you are all well acquainted with him already."
"I wish life had a fast forward button." Kiba whispered, Naruto nodding in agreement. Shikamaru would have probably agreed as well, had he not already passed out cold in his seat.
The next hour was pure and utter boredom, as student after student got on stage and all said pretty much the same exact thing. Some of them offered useless information like what they liked to eat and who their favorite singers were, and by the end of the hour, Naruto and Kiba had already completed about fifty games of tic-tac-toe and twenty games of hangman.
"This shit doesn't even matter." Kiba muttered, shaking his head as another candidate finished his speech. "They're all going to be weeded out before the actual election anyways."
Naruto made his move. "What do you mean?" he asked, choosing the letter 'Y'. Kiba drew a head and Naruto cursed softly. It was never the god damn letter Y!
"I mean that there's usually around twenty to thirty candidates at first, and usually all but five mysteriously drop out in the next few weeks. By the time we vote, I predict there will only be three or four guys left – and the class prez, of course." The wolf-lover replied. "Politics is a dangerous life style here at Konoha Academy."
"Hmmmm." Naruto hummed, for the most part unconcerned. He thought it was wrong, of course, but it didn't have anything to do with him – he was not, in any shape or form, a justice fighter, and he preferred to stay as background noise to people like those on the stage. Unless the current class president was planning to stop serving sweet potato fries in the dining hall, Naruto had no qualms with him except for the fact that he was a cruel human being.
Kiba looked up as Naruto contemplated his next letter, and the blonde could feel him tense.
"Oh man, you're not going to like this."
The blonde glanced up, and his face paled as the next candidate strode on stage. Sasuke looked as well groomed as ever as he stood on the podium, and while girls all around him swooned, Naruto could feel his heart drop to his stomach as his roommate began his speech.
He had to be kidding.
"I'm Sasuke Uchiha." The boy spoke, his voice carrying through the room and seducing the audience with its low baritone. "And I'm campaigning to be your next student council president."
"Did you know about this?" Kiba whispered.
"Do you think I knew about this?" Naruto hissed back, his pencil dropping onto the ground where it lay forgotten.
Even Shikamaru was awake as all three boys stared up at the student currently speaking, Naruto's eyes wide as his roommate continued with his speech.
"I won't repeat the things that everybody before me said." The raven-haired boy spoke quietly. "Yes, I want to improve the school, and yes, I have many ideas for innovation, but I think the greatest issue that has to be addressed first is the student elections themselves – and I'm sure all of you know exactly what I'm talking about."
"He's a dead man." Kiba gasped. "Seriously. He's dead."
"I will say this now and it will carry throughout my entire campaign." Sasuke asserted, his face radiating with determination. "I will not run a crooked election. If I do win this election, let it be known that I won fair and square, without any underhanded negotiations or…disappearing opponents. I'm sure that many will come after me for saying this, but if I prevail, I want everybody who supports a clean election to vote for me so that we can resolve this issue for good. Thank you."
The auditorium erupted into a roar of applause, while Naruto stayed glue to his chair with shock.
"Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Kiba." Shikamaru spoke up, patting Naruto on the shoulder. "Naruto, your roommate is dead."
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