A/N:This chapter is quite short but they will get longer, I promise. Please enjoy it anyway!
WARNING:Like the previous chapters there is yaoi which is boyxboy so if you don't like, please don't read and no flaming please. Strong language and eventual sexual content.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.
Chapter 4 – Friends?
Three days later
Naruto walked through the empty hallways of Konoha high. It was the first time this week he had been in school. He had had the day before off to finish an important painting for a rather rich buyer and Tsunade being his Godfather's wife and the principal, he got the day off authorised and wasn't phoned constantly by the school receptionist to find out where he was. Jiraiya – his Godfather – had arrived late yesterday night to collect the painting so he could ship it off to its new owner as well as to see how his godchild was handling himself. That had been a rather eventful experience. It wasn't that he hated seeing his godfather, it was more of the fact that Jiraiya was a pervert and he found it absolutely hilarious to try to spy on the three young girls two floors below Naruto despite having a woman like Tsunade for a wife. He knew Jiraiya would never cheat on his wife and that it was all just for fun – or as he'd put it, research for his porn books – but sometimes, it got too much sometimes especially when he had little sleep.
He made his way towards the receptionist's desk to sign in so Tsunade knew he wasn't trying to skive another day off her so he could catch up on sleep (no matter how tempting that was). Shizune – the receptionist – smiled at him as he approached the desk. She greeted him yet he could only manage half a groan as his reply. He was just so damn tired. Her dark eyebrows creased in worry at his fatigued figure but before she could ask if he was alright, he had already left the office. He had also left before she could write out a late slip for him. She shook her head and quickly wrote one out and dashed after the tired student.
He felt so tired. It was a miracle he was even still standing let alone walking. He stifled a yawn as he turned down another hallway towards his art class. Hopefully Deidera-sensei will be alight with him being nearly 20 minutes late. Well if he wasn't, he could always butter up the blonde girly teacher by giving him the picture he took of his latest masterpiece – as least that's what Jiraiya had called it. He stopped in front of the classroom door and couldn't stifle his yawn this time as he slid the door open and stumbled in. The class fell silent at his abrupt entrance and he blinked sluggishly. He still wasn't used to so much attention.
"Naru-"
"Naruto-kun!" Deidera-sensei began but Shizune's voice calling out in the hallway cut him off.
"Hm?" Naruto half turned round towards the dark haired woman. She smiled at him and handed him a piece of paper.
"You forgot your late note." Naruto nodded his thanks. She nodded at the teacher and let the class to their...er class. Naruto handed the piece of paper to his teacher and hunted through his pockets for the photo he regularly took of his finished paintings to give to his teacher who seemed to have a fascination (perhaps an obsession) with his artwork. The slightly taller blonde teacher eagerly accepted the two objects and almost gushed at the beauty of the photo.
"Oh my Naru-chan, this has got to be your best work so far." he complimented and if Naruto hadn't been so tired, he possibly would have blushed but as it were, he was too tired to really take anything said to him in. As if propelled from their seats, most of the students in the room launched room their seats and tried to look at the small Polaroid picture that their teacher held in his hands. Unfortunately, their teacher was just as possessive of the pictures as he were with his own artwork and forced the students back to their seats. They pouted and whined at him but he refused to show them. The tired blonde shuffled to hit seat and could have fallen asleep if it wasn't for someone tapping his shoulder.
"You okay Naruto?" Ino asked worriedly. He waved her away with his hand just as Deidera-sensei continued with his lesson.
Naruto could barely keep his eyes open as he walked towards the cafeteria. He was currently on his own, the rest of his friends were already at their second place to be during lunch – the art room. He was going to see if the dinner ladies had anything that could possibly boost up his energy levels so he could stay awake for the rest of the day. It was a long shot considering the food mainly served in the cafeteria looked more like piles of sewage slime than actual food and it didn't help it tasted the same as well. One of the upsides to eating in the cafeteria were the many vending machines that dispensed nutritious snacks and everyone's favourite – the sugary confectionery that just begged to be able to rot your teeth out and make you gain weight. That was what Naruto needed right now. Something full of sugar, anything that'd give him energy.
He stopped in front of a vending machine and looked at the contents. With slow movements, he placed his money into the machine and punched in the numbers for a chocolate bar and a packet of sugary sweets. Perfect. He bent to pick them up from the place they fell to and nearly fell into the vending machine when he spotted two pairs of shoes behind him. He straightened up and looked over his shoulder and sighed in relief. It was only Sasuke and his friend Neji. He offered them a tired smile.
"Hey teme." he greeted after yawning widely. His eyes teared up as he stared at the two taller males from his yawn.
"Dobe." Sasuke replied, smirking at the tired blonde.
"Don't call me that teme!" Naruto groaned as he moved over to the next vending machine and paid for an energy drink. "Can I help you two?" Neji stared at him blankly while Sasuke rolled his eyes at the oblivious blonde. Naruto waited for them to respond so he opened his drink and took large gulps.
"Well if you aren't going to answer then I'm off to see my friends." Naruto walked past them and said over his shoulder "You're free to join me if you want or are you two still in a different league to me despite being friends?" He didn't stop to see if the two were following him but he could hear their footsteps echoing his own.
He led them to the art room that Deidera-sensei had claimed as his classroom. As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by a bear hug from Kiba for some unknown reason.
"Yo Foxy, where were you? Huh?" The dark haired male laughed as he crushed Naruto within his arms. The blonde moaned and weakly struggled to release himself from the grip. He was still tired so what did you expect? Kiba let him go but not before he ruffled the already unkempt hair. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped dead at the sight of Sasuke and Neji. His eyes immediately narrowed.
"What are you two doing here?" he hissed at the two people he grew up with and were friends with up till high school. His question gained the attention of the rest of the occupants of the room and they all had similar reactions to their dog loving friend. Naruto frowned at their judgemental ways and stood in between the two separate groups of people, now suddenly more awake.
"What's it to you dog breath?" Sasuke retorted, the superior smirk on his lips made Kiba's blood boil.
"Guys! Stop fighting. Could you both try to get along please?" Naruto asked them both. Dark eyes locked with determined blue eyes and after a few moments, Kiba backed down and returned to his seat beside Shino. Sasuke snorted but entered all the same and took a seat away from everyone else but still close enough to hear what they were saying. Neji followed him and said nothing or even made any motion of noticing his cousin being in the same room as him.
"Why are they in here Naruto?" Ino snapped causing the male blonde to frown again.
"They're here because Sasuke-teme is my friend and a friend of teme's is a friend of mine and I was hoping you could do the same and settle your differences and try to get along." he explained smiling softly at his friends. The blonde female eyed the two newcomers suspiciously before wielding to her friend. She just couldn't say no to Naruto. Not when it made him happy. One by one, the rest of the small group agreed and carried on with their lunch.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 5 - Feeling? Is currently being written and hopefully shall be uploaded soon ^-^ Please review though, it would make me very happy ^o^
