Uh…I may just be receiving some glares, due to the fact that I've neglected posting this chapter. The reason is – I was grounded from the computer for quite some time. It was unfortunate, but we all have to deal with this age and all the shit that comes along with it. So… as long as this new chapter is here… enjoy it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. The Collision of Light and Dark.
"Oi, Sasuke, why are you here so early?"
Sasuke was sitting at his desk, his face hidden behind his folded arms. He was just dozing off, trying to catch some sleep, like any other normal person who'd be foolish enough to set their alarm clock time to four in the morning and come to school at five by accident. The tired Uchiha looked up wearily.
"Usuratonkachi?" he asked, rubbing his eyes with his palms and yawning. "I could ask you the same question."
Ignoring the challenge to get mad at the nickname, Naruto crossed his arms. "Because I stayed here for the night, of course. I just woke up right now, and it's not like I did any of my homework, so I better use this time as… why are you looking at me like that?"
"Are you sure you're allowed to get out yet? Did you get approval from the nurse?"
Naruto stared at Sasuke. Since when did the Uchiha worry about his rival? "I uh… Actually, I snuck out. But I'm alright now. I swear. All of my bruises are healed." He smiled reassuringly, but the way Sasuke was staring at him was just plain freaky. It was like he knew everything… "Oh, by the way, I meant to tell you about what happened yesterday…"
Sasuke cast Naruto a startled glance.
"… You see, you probably suspected it, and so… I got into a really nasty fistfight. I really was sort of stupid to do it." Naruto forced a laugh. "But you know me, uh…"
Sasuke lowered his head, hiding his eyes from view again. He didn't respond.
Liar. You don't need to do that. Idiot.
Naruto stared at the floor, allowing himself to frown, knowing Sasuke wouldn't be looking anyway. Of course, why would the great Uchiha care for him? They stayed in this position for quite some time, in the classroom alone, the darkness of the early morning bathing each of them in shadows. Sasuke made no move to try to acknowledge Naruto's odd acts, and Naruto allowed himself to relax, just standing there, looking at Sasuke. He'd found it a good sport lately; staring at Sasuke. Analyzing him. Comparing him to other boys. This was all natural, of course, he was a rival, and Naruto had learned to respect his rivals. There was nothing wrong with staring. Nothing at all.
But there was something wrong with actually having his heart's pace speed up every time he caught sight of those dark eyes.
It's not like that. Naruto screamed inside his head. It's just because he's a damn well idiot, and you hate him so much, it actually makes you want to die when you look at him. That's all.
But that wasn't it. It was no use lying; Naruto didn't hate Sasuke. A deep sigh escaped his throat. Stupid. He was stupid.
"Hey, Uzumaki." Came the mumble.
Naruto looked up.
"Sit down and get your homework done, baka, isn't that what you came here for?" Sasuke didn't even look up when he spoke, so Naruto was allowed the courtesy of walking right up to the desk, and then taking his seat right behind the Uchiha while keeping his eyes steadily trained. It was, somewhat satisfying to be so close to the boy even during lessons.
Sasuke peered out carefully as Naruto walked by. What were these absences? Naruto didn't even return the 'baka' comment as he usually would. Sasuke's heart thudded against his chest.
Oh, god… Maybe he knows about how I almost kissed him yesterday…
Sasuke pushed the thought away. Ridiculous. If he'd known, he'd have a fit by now, screaming, cursing and all, calling Sasuke gay... Sasuke groaned, and immediately regretted it, because he felt Naruto stop scribbling just behind him.
"What?" the blonde asked.
"Nothing. I just forgot to turn my paper in, that's all."
"So even the legendary Uchiha has flaws of his own."
Sasuke grunted something in return. This was so damn frustrating. He couldn't even talk normally now, could no longer act as a rival. Flaws. Yeah, flaws. The one single major flaw. Falling in love with a guy, not to mention someone as clumsy, careless, hyperactive and knuckleheaded as Naruto.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it was just his hormones. Hormones can make you think crazy stuff, wasn't that right? If that was so, he was just in that little stage. And maybe sometime soon, maybe even tomorrow, he'd be hitting himself on the head for being so stupid as to think he'd fallen in love – haha – of all people – haha – with Naruto.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
Maybe.
Oh, how much he hated all of this.
Jumping as if he'd just been shocked, Sasuke spun around to discover that the odd sensation only came from Naruto's poking of his back with a pen.
"Jeezum, Uchiha, you don't have to freak out like that. I just wanted to see if you could let me borrow your language book." The blonde mumbled, sounding hurt at Sasuke reaction. The older boy glared at him.
"No, get you own book." He snarled, turning back around. He immediately regretted at, as the silence from behind his back thickened. Had he really hurt Naruto's feelings this time? He really was a baka. Why couldn't he just keep his big mouth shut—
"You don't have to be that bitchy about it." Naruto stood up right in front of Sasuke's desk, his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed in anger and pain. "Just because you're the great ice prince of the school doesn't mean you can do anything you want. I was trying to be nice, but I guess I shouldn't expect a return of feelings."
Sasuke's heart missed a beat. Return of feelings.
"Here are you feelings!" the raven-haired one stood up so suddenly his desk nearly fell over. Facing Naruto, he scowled, not caring just how much his face was burning up right now. Maybe it was already crimson. Who cared? Naruto would assume it was rage. "Fuck. Off."
The punch came unexpectedly, and before Sasuke could dodge, he felt his face being pushed to the left with the force of the blow. Stumbling back, he gasped, holding his aching jaw, then gazed up to Naruto. Maybe his vision was blurred, but did it look like Naruto was blushing? Were those tears glistening in his eyes?
"You're just a selfish bastard." Gasped Naruto. Sasuke leapt on top of him, and in moments the two were tangled up in one of the worst fights ever, trying to bring each other as much pain as humanly possible, punching, kicking, tearing, and even biting. At the same time, though, their hearts stung with confusion of their own feelings.
Sasuke's knee came out, making contact with Naruto's hip. The blonde let out a startled gasp, all breath escaping from him. Pain twisted his face, and before even realizing it, Sasuke backed off, his brain being infested with memories of yesterday. Of what he'd heard… Of what Naruto went through…
What kind of a monster are you, Sasuke, to be doing something like this?
Naruto slowly opened one eye, noticing that the rain of fists had stopped. His azure eyes caught Sasuke's opal ones, only half a meter away from his own face. Slowly, the aching in his hip bone wore away. But why did Sasuke cease the fight? Did he see Naruto's reaction? Was he taking pity?
"S-Sasuke?" mumbled Naruto, sitting up and rubbing his new bruises. "What's wrong?"
The Uchiha's face was pale, his hair messed up. His eyes were darker than before, shallower. He was trembling lightly, clutching his own arms, as if he had just done something completely horrible, just beaten up a helpless puppy.
"I'm sorry." Came the choked whisper.
Naruto gulped. "Hu-huh? What do you mean you're sorry? We were fighting, you dolt. When you're fighting, you're not supposed to say sorry, you're supposed to beat the stuffing out of each other." With relief, he noticed that his words had some effect – Sasuke was looking up at him, the color returning to his skin.
"I guess you'd know best." He said.
Naruto chuckled, wiping the blood off of a scratch. Noticing that his shirt had been unbuttoned during their battle, he put it back into its normal state again. Sasuke was doing the same, attempting to get his hair to lie down. "You look like a scarecrow."
Sasuke cast him a glare, but this glare - unlike so many others he'd gotten this morning, was soaked through with silent, warm laughter. "You're not too good yourself, dobe."
"Teme." Retorted Naruto.
"Usuratonkachi."
"Baka."
They smiled in spite of each other, and allowed some silent peace to pass through. At last, Sasuke sighed, looking at Naruto.
"Are you alright?"
"I told you, idiot, this was a fight, and in fights--"
"Just shut up and answer the question already, you're as stubborn as a mule." Sasuke leaned closer, and Naruto prayed silently he wouldn't see the blush that was creeping it's way onto his cheeks.
"Uh… I'm… yeah."
"Good." Sasuke pushed himself to his feet, but Naruto didn't get up from the floor. Maybe he'd just imagined it, but for a second back there, when Sasuke's hand drifted past his face, did it really stroke his forehead gently? Naruto blinked. Even Sasuke, with his acts of superiority wouldn't stoop down low enough to ruffle Naruto's hair… would he?
At last, Naruto decided that it was stupid to bother himself over it, and besides, he'd liked the feeling. It wasn't exactly what he'd wanted, but it was a lot more than he could have ever hoped for. Sasuke probably thought of him as a little brother by now. Ah well. It was better than nothing. A lot better than nothing. Maybe Sasuke would even let Naruto hug him –
The blonde stopped short, realizing what he was thinking about.
"Are you gonna sit on the floor all day long?" Sasuke was sitting at his desk, resting his chin on top of his hands, smirking in Naruto's direction. Uzumaki stuck out his tongue in that cute immature way he had.
"Shuddup." And with that, he rose and walked back to his desk.
The sun slowly began to rise over the city of Tokyo. Sasuke, engulfed in his work, forgot to care about why Naruto was being so quiet, and didn't even notice anything until he heard the soft mumbling from behind him. Turning around in his chair, Sasuke watched the sleeping boy's face light up by the rays of the sunshine. Soft shadows ran along the frame of his face. The Uchiha watched these shadows move as the minutes passed by and the sun climbed higher. Orange light flooded the room. Sighing inaudibly, Sasuke leaned in closer to Naruto's face, stopping his breathing in order to keep the annoying baka asleep.
Naruto's lips parted slightly, and he shifted his folded hands to make a better pillow. Before anything else could change, Sasuke touched Naruto's forehead lightly with his lips. When he pulled back, he saw that Naruto was smiling, his eyes shut tight. He probably thought Sasuke was Sakura… Or someone else important to him.
But this only depressed him even more, and he turned away and back to his desk to return to his work, not even noticing how right behind his back, Naruto's eyes parted slightly and he smiled up at the back of Sasuke's head.
XxX
Is it just me or is Naruto glaring in this general direction?
"Sasuke-kun, you're acting really odd again today, are you sure you got enough sleep last night?" Sakura was latched on to his arm like a leech. They were walking down the hall towards the exit, deciding to have lunch outside today. Sasuke had gotten used to her hanging around him so much, and even clinging to him physically on occasions, and he really didn't mind that much, but it seemed like Naruto did mind. Very much.
Great going, Sasuke, now he hates you utterly and completely, because you've taken Sakura away from him, as well. Sasuke scowled, taking a seat in the shade of a tree in the school yard. He opened his lunchbox and began eating, sulkily ignoring Sakura's constant babble right beside him. The only time he glanced up was when he noticed a certain blonde baka heading in his direction.
Sakura had also seen him. "Do you need, something, Naruto?" she asked, as if he was annoying her by simply standing there.
"No. Sorry, am I interrupting your date?" Uzumaki's voice was incredibly cold. Sasuke almost flinched. Almost.
Red flooded Sakura's face. "Get outta here." She hissed irritably. Sasuke met Naruto's blue eyes and caught them flooded in naked envy. He raised his eyebrows questionably.
"Well…?" he asked. Naruto huffed angrily, turned on his heel and stomped away. The two watched him go, each of them wondering what was going on inside that blonde head of hair.
Sakura frowned. "Come to think of it, even the baka had been acting weirder than usual, and that's saying something." She turned to Sasuke. "Did you two have a fight?"
He looked away. "Not… exactly."
"Sasuke-kun…"
Sasuke turned back to her, only to be even more surprised, for the great Sakura, known to be his number-one fan, was glaring at him openly. He blinked at her blankly.
"I understand this might be rude, but… You shouldn't try lying to me, Sasuke-kun. I can see something is wrong. You also shouldn't underestimate a woman's intuition. You two have been acting really edgy around each other lately. Every time you cross paths, your eyes meet, and the atmosphere tenses up. Everyone's aware of it, Sasuke-kun. It's clear as day. You two are like magnets, repelled by each other because..." Sakura bit her lip, not wanting to say the next phrase.
Thankfully, Sasuke had it figured out. "Because we're so similar." Voiced he dryly.
"Well, yes, in a way." Sakura was blushing again. "Not so much, really, it's just because you two can see your goals so clearly ahead of you. You know what you want, and you give it your all. You can both be stubborn, and nothing can get in your way… But oh, Sasuke-kun, you're different, of course, too, because you're such a gentleman, and Naruto-kun, well, he's… He's not."
Sasuke nodded, not wanting to meet her gaze. She'd figured it out well enough, and once again, he was right to have faith in her intelligence. But what did it help? It only unnerved him more.
Two magnets, repelling each other because we're so similar. Sasuke blinked, the gears in his head turning cautiously. But aren't magnets that have different poles attracted to each other?
This thought was the most troubling of all.
Maybe…When we show each other our alternative sides… we are attracted as well.
Sasuke's eyes rose to the tall figure on the other side of the yard. Naruto was laying on a tree-branch, looking down at some others and laughing at a joke. His face lit up with his smile. Looking at it, Sasuke felt warmth spreading through his body.
This is all too crazy to comprehend.
"Sasuke-kun? You know… you still haven't given me an answer about Thursday." Sakura's voice crept into his ear.
"Nani?" Sasuke snapped out of his daze. "Oh, Thursday, I um… I think I have to stay late to help with the preparations on Thursday." He closed his empty lunchbox and wrapped it back up. "I'm in charge of construction, props management and organization… and besides, I'm also on the publishing and planning committee."
"Oh, that's right. You do so much, Sasuke-kun, it amazes me." Sakura did the same as him and stood up, getting ready to head back to fifth period. "And you're going to be a relay runner for your team, aren't you?"
"Yeah, but it's no big deal. Thing might get a bit hectic, though." Sasuke began walking back towards the school. The cold November wind blew about them noisily, rushing them back inside. In the soft shade of it all, Sasuke didn't notice two blue eyes fixed on his back.
But Naruto could only sigh.
XxX
The soft lines of his face, the curve of his cheekbone. The slant of his dark eyes, like pools of deep water. The wisps of black hair that falls over his face, casting soft shadows. The grace of his hand as it runs over the lines in his notebook, summoning lines to form words, symbols.
Thank god for super-fast reaction skills. By the time Sasuke glanced over to the windowsill, Naruto had already made sure he was looking the other way. The Uchiha cleared his throat.
"Tell me again why you're here?"
The harmless question was probably meant to drive Naruto away, but he didn't budge.
"Because I dunwanna go home. It's cold outside." He shrugged.
"Yes well, the school closes at 8 pm, that's only an hour off. I'm gonna leave soon and you better, too, because you don't have the keys to lock the classroom door." Sasuke tapped his watch with his index finger.
"Fine." Scoffed Naruto, jumping down and grabbing his book-bag. "I just wanted to hang out here."
"And bother me?" Sasuke suggested quietly but casually.
"Have I been bothering you so far?" growled Naruto.
"Well…" Sasuke paused to come up with a better answer to that question than the obvious, but failed. "No."
"Correct. Finally, you realize just how much of an asshole you can be."
"You didn't seem to think so this morning." Sasuke mumbled, but Naruto heard him and bit his lip.
"Well, you were…uh… nicer this morning. For some reason…" he felt his face warm up and caught sight of Sasuke staring at him.
"Uzumaki? Are you…" an amused smile found its way onto his lips. "blushing?"
"No, why would I be?" Naruto set his jaw, but he couldn't stop his face from growing red. "I'm not… I gotta go!" he spun around and made for the door, but Sasuke caught a hold on his shirt collar, pulling him backwards.
"Hold on a second, let me see your face."
"No, goddamnit, let go of me, you bastard!" Naruto struggled wildly, flailing in the dark-haired boy's tight grip. A random kick in the knee made Sasuke let go with a gasp of pain, and Naruto dashed outside into the hallway, panting slightly, his face still hot. As he ran down, heading for the exit, however, he saw that Sasuke was actually chasing after him.
"What do you want?" Naruto yelled desperately. "Can't you just leave me alone?"
"Just stop running away for a minute, you baka!" came the angry response, in rhythm with the thudding of footsteps on the school floors.
Naruto slid into another hallway, connected to the main one and ran. He could only hope to lose Sasuke in the maze of the school classrooms now. Being such a wonderer, he knew the layout of the building much better, so he had the trump card. But Sasuke was a fast runner, and determination seemed to keep him on Naruto's tail.
Naruto risked another look over his shoulder, to see how he was keeping up – and that was his big mistake. Going at such a speed didn't give him enough time to see the turn of the halls, and he nearly crashed into the nearest wall. Turning around quickly and getting ready to run away once again. He found out that he was too late. Sasuke was way too close.
Before he knew what was going on, Sasuke's palm came to rest on the wall right above Naruto's right shoulder, and his body blocked out the only escape route. Naruto, breathing heavily, refused to meet the boy's gaze. He pressed himself tighter to the wall, sensing Sasuke so close. His face grew hotter still.
"Good. Now that I've got you cornered, we can have a proper talk." Sasuke was panting lightly, too, worn out by the race. "Why the hell did you run?"
Naruto refused to talk. His lips pressed together, he finally had the courage to send a killer glare up into the boy's dark opal eyes.
"You were blushing, too. Are you mad at me for stealing your crush away from you?"
"Wha…?" Naruto blinked up at him, seeming completely lost.
"Sakura." Sasuke reminded him.
"Oh, Sakura-chan. Well, she's uh…" Naruto blushed a bit more. "She's not…"
"Are you trying to tell me you don't like Sakura-chan anymore?" Sasuke stared at him suspiciously.
"Well I don't… I do, but…"
"Do you like somebody else now? Who is it? Maybe it's Hyuuga? That shy girl? I heard she likes you."
"No, it's not like that, she's nice, but…"
"Than whom?"
Naruto suddenly realized something. "Why do you even care, anyways?" he snapped back.
Sasuke didn't flinch. "Just interested."
But despite his cool act, Naruto saw the hint of nervousness in his actions. The way he shifted from one foot to another to regain his balance slightly. Only someone who'd been studying Sasuke's actions so carefully, with so much devotion, would have noticed. And Naruto noticed.
"Are you? Maybe you like Sakura now? You've finally come to a compromise with her affections? Is that it? Or…"
"Why are you so nosy?" snarled Sasuke.
"Just giving you a taste of your own medicine." Naruto felt back in charge. But as Sasuke leaned in even closer, he was reminded that he was actually the one that was trapped, backed up against the wall with no escape.
"Right. Well, isn't that nice of you?"
Naruto gulped, but didn't let his courage slip away from him.
"Indeed it is nice of me, even nicer than that time when I stopped myself from telling the whole school about the time you nearly kissed Sakura." He said, taking the risk.
Sasuke's expression hardened. He seemed to be paralyzed with rage. This time, Naruto actually decided to listen to his consciousness and stop getting himself into more trouble.
"You didn't seem too keen on it yourself." Whispered Sasuke coldly. "You seemed pretty depressed."
"Yeah, well, I'm not the one who goes around making out with everyone he sees. You think you're so great, but you're not, Sasuke, you're not. Sakura-chan just fell for you because you're the great Uchiha, she has no idea of your own personality. She's just going for you because everyone else is. You've blinded her, and then made her cry, and you're… you're just a really sick bastard, and I really hate you, Sasuke, I--"
Naruto's eyes flashed open. Drifting out of his angry complaints, he suddenly felt just how close Sasuke really was.
How can I control this? I feel like someone else is taking possession of my body. This is impossible to control - this impulse, that longing for him…
Naruto leaned foreword, pressing his lips against Sasuke's. He shut his eyes, refusing to realize the stupidity of his actions. He knew, deep inside, that any second now, Sasuke would jump away, startled and disgusted. Any second… Any minute…
But it didn't come. As a matter of fact, after some time, Naruto felt Sasuke pull towards him even more, deepening their kiss. Naruto's heart did back flips.
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, what am I doing?
I'm standing in a school hallway, kissing Uchiha Sasuke. THE Uchiha Sasuke.
Finally, Naruto pulled away with a little squeak that he couldn't suppress. His eyes stubbornly locked on his shoes.
Now what?
"You know, if you wanted to kiss me, all you had to do was ask." Sasuke's voice was really so uncaring, Naruto felt like punching him. He felt out of breath already, blushing furiously, wishing with all his heart this wasn't a dream. And Sasuke…
The azure eyes found Sasuke's face. He was completely calm, not at all surprised or disgusted.
"I… I… What? You…" His fingers flew to his lips, trying to remember the sensation.
"You did like it, then." Sasuke shook his head, smiling mysteriously. "Well, whatever. It was a lot better than the first time." He pulled away, stepping aside and, at last, clearing the way for Naruto. But the blonde didn't move.
"Wait… What do you mean? Why did you do it?" Naruto was still blushing, feeling so completely lost.
"Why? Isn't it obvious?" Sasuke shrugged. "Well, if you don't get it…" he turned his back to Uzumaki and began to stroll away. A smirk formed on his lips.
"Wait a second! Come back here and explain this to me! Sasuke!" Naruto didn't know what to do. He was happy beyond words, confused, startled, scared and angry all at the same time. What was he supposed to do! What did Sasuke expect?
"Sasuke, you god forsaken bastard asshole!" yelled Naruto at the top of his lungs. But this didn't have any desired affect. Instead, the only thing he got in return was a soft laugh, and a phrase which only confused him even more.
"I love you too, dobe."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YES, finished. This took longer than I expected. I had to re-write the last part a couple of times until I felt satisfied with it. As you can tell, I really love evening scenes. I'll try to alternate the settings a bit more in the next few chapters. Anyways, Sasuke and Naruto's relationship finally lifts up off of the ground. The confession might have seemed a bit rough along the edges, but I think the boys acted on their instincts, and that's what matters. I really love an angry and frustrated Naruto. see ya next time!
