Chapter Four

The Letter

"Why don't you just go say you're sorry?"

"Because! I don't think I have to, she was just as mean as I was!"

"You're so stubborn . . ."

The bell for lunch had just sounded throughout the school, allowing students to leave their classes and meander in any which way they saw fit, but only for an hour. Naruto and Sasuke packed up their book bags and departed their english seminar, following a certain pink-haired girl to the cafeteria. All the while, Sasuke was murmuring things into his friend's ear, pleading for him to apologize so they could eventually be friends with the girl.

"If you say your sorry . . . I'll do your homework for the rest of the month!" Sasuke said, his eyes lighting up when Naruto turned to him.

"First of all, the month ends in a week, and second; you don't even do your own homework." Naruto answered as the two rounded a corner into the staircase leading to the first floor.

The pair found themselves in the lunch room a minute or so later, the whole time bickering back and forth like two pigeons. Naruto spotted an empty table at the far end of the hall, big enough to fit all of his friends. The blonde and black-haired fellows sat down at it, not even bothering to get a lunch. Instead, they sat in silence as the pink-haired girl found herself in the same predicament as the first day of school: finding a proper seat to sit at. She look perplexed, nearly dancing in circles as she looked around the crowded cafeteria. Naruto almost felt bad for her, but then he remembered her barking at him and the feelings of sympathy quickly died out. He turned his head and instead watched as Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuuga entered the hall.

These two girls were very pretty. In fact, in sophomore year, Sasuke had a list of girls whom he found the most attractive at the school, and these two were at the very top of the list. Ino had long, flowing blonde haired, almost the same color as Naruto, and Hinata's was dark and tamed, much like Sasuke's. They were both wearing the school colors of green and yellow atop their Konoha Academy cheer leading uniforms. Ino was the head cheer leader and Hinata was a close-to-that underling, or, as Naruto associated her, a minion.

"Hey Sakura!" Ino called out, waving a hand when her and Hinata found a suitable table. "Come sit with us!"

Sakura's head perked up, a smile playing at her lips. She slowly began walking towards the two popular girls, her lunch in hand.

"Looks like pinky has found some new friends." Kiba Inuzuka said as he sat down at the table with Naruto and Sasuke, the lazy, pessimistic, Shikamaru following close behind.

"Yeah . . ." Sasuke murmured. "That's not the right crowd to be hanging around with . . ."

"But they're all roommates in the same dorm. Naturally, they are going to form a bond, in some way or another." Sai, the pale, and oddly friendly roommate of Sasuke and Naruto said. He was standing behind Shikamaru, looking down onto the table. He had an apple in his hand, the color of a ruby, and notebook in the other.

"Jeez man, you scared the crap out of me!" Shikamaru cried, his hands hovering over his head.

"I'm sorry for the fright." Sai said in what sounded like a genuine voice, yet, Naruto couldn't be too sure. "But, I really must go . . . I have a date . . ."

"What?" Naruto and Kiba both exclaimed at the same time, Kiba spurting milk out of his mouth. "Youhave a date?"

"Don't be mean!" Sasuke said, nudging the blonde in the rib cage.

"I take it from your intonation that you don't believe me." Sai said, ignoring Naruto's insult. "I can understand why you wouldn't believe me, after all, I am a new student . . ." He trailed off. Ending the topic rather quickly, Sai stalked off, walking through the double doors of the lunch room and out of sight.

"Hm . . ." Kiba said, watching the pale brunette make his exit. "I wonder who he's meeting . . ."

"Like it matters." Naruto huffed.

"You just hate to see anyone happy." Sasuke said flatly.

In the following hours of the school day Sasuke and Naruto went their separate ways, met up again, and separated once more. Naruto found himself sitting alone in his dorm while the raven-haired boy finished up one of his classes. He sat on his bed, scribbling a couple of notes on a paper for his Algebra class. He wasn't the best student in the world, and certainly not the most studious, but something had just come over him. A small wave of wanting to do something other than nothing overcame his defiance against school.

It was starting to get late, around seven o' clock, he supposed. Sasuke surely wasn't still in class . . . he was probably just fraternizing with another one of his girls. Where did he find these females? It was like they just came out of the woodwork, half of them, Naruto had never even seen before. It must have been Sasuke's philosophy, which was plainly: to be approachable. Whatever that meant . . . Naruto shrugged the thought away, and put away his notes.

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone's was tapping on his door. It couldn't have been anyone he was all that friendly with, otherwise the door would have already been opened and someone would have already walked in by now. Naruto waited for this occurrence, hoping Kiba was trying to be polite for once in his life. A minute passed and no one entered. He even called out for the person to come in, but still, nothing. Naruto threw his legs out of bed and strode to the door, intending on scolding whoever it was for ignoring him. But . . . no one was there. Instead, lay a note upon the floor, swirly writing keeping Naruto practically entranced.

He picked the small leaflet up, a tingling sensation running up his arm as he did. It was enveloped, and sealed with candle wax. In other words, it looked very formal, and a little unsettling to the confused blonde.

"Hello?" He muscled up.

No answer.

He shut the door behind himself after he walked back into his room. The door opened again, this time not by Naruto. Sasuke, the raven-haired neanderthal came bounding under the threshold, his shirt ripped at the collar, and the brightest smile on his face.

"You wouldn't believe what happened to me-" He tried to continue but Naruto cut him off with an aloof hand.

"Did you just leave this for me at the door?" Naruto asked, holding the letter out for Sasuke to see.

"No. Why would I write you a letter? Anyways-" Sasuke tried again.

"Are you sure? Because I wouldn't be surprised if it were you." Naruto said, sitting on his bed.

Sasuke let out a deep, defeated sounding sigh. He flopped down on his bed, letting his head hit against a soft pillow. "No, Naruto. I'm sure I didn't write you a letter. I'm only trying to tell you the best story in the world."

"I'm-" Now it was Sasuke's turn to cut Naruto off.

"You know, you've been acting very strange ever since that night with Sakura. And here I was thinking you were actually a good person . . ."

"I'm still a good person . . . I wouldn't have done what I did that night if I weren't." Naruto said bleakly.

"If you really were a good person, then you'd apologize to her. But, we all know Naruto is too-" Sasuke didn't get cut off this time. Actually, he never had a chance to finish his sentence before Naruto dashed out of the room, letter in hand. Sasuke let out another defeated sigh. "There he goes again . . . stubborn as a mule . . ."

There was a knock on her door. She silently stood up, obliging to Ino and Hinata's plea to answer it. She let out a tiny gasp before realizing it was only Naruto at the door. He was huffing and puffing, his chest heaving up and down.

"Sakura, who's at the door?" Hinata whined.

Naruto moved past Sakura and entered the room. He waved at the other two girls with a half-smile attached. Ino and Hinata returned his wave with confused looks. "Sakura." Naruto said urgently. "Can I talk to you outside, please?" He added when he saw her face.

"I have nothing to say to you!" Sakura spat, her pink hair on the verge of turning red with rage.

"C'mon! It's important." He then grabbed her by the wrist and whisked her away outside the door, closing it behind himself.

Ino raised an eyebrow to Hinata, who fixed her an I-wanna-know-what's-going-on-right-now look. Sakura and Naruto? The new girl and the school's burnout? Ino asked herself. So that's what she was doing the other night, waiting for Naruto.

"You know." Hinata began. "He wouldn't even be noticed if it weren't for Sasuke."

"You have a point." Ino replied.

"I came here to apologize . . ." Naruto said softly. He scratched his soft, spiky blonde hair and put his head down, waiting for a reply.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you." Sakura said, her hands on her hips. "Say it louder."

"Hey, I didn't come here to be ridiculed, I'm apologizing, isn't that what you want?"

"No. I want you to mean it!"

"But you were at fault too!" Naruto tried.

"No I wasn't! A woman is never at fault. You should know this by now. Didn't your parents teach you anything?"

"I'm sure they would have if they weren't dead!" Naruto snapped back.

Sakura went stark white. Her face tensed up and her body went as straight as a board. Naruto turned away from her. He hadn't mentioned his parents in years. Sure, they were with him for a short while, all the way up until he turned four. They were only around long enough for Naruto to have known about them, to get attached, for them to be missed.

"I- I'm so-"

"Sorry?" Naruto said lowly. "That's what I've been trying to say this whole time . . ."

"I didn't know . . . I wouldn't have said anything . . ." Sakura tried, but Naruto only held up a hand to stop her.

"I don't want you to pity me, I'm getting along fine without them. You were right, too. I was out of line the other night. That's no way to treat a lady . . ."

"It's okay. I was just- just- I don't know . . ."

Naruto smiled weakly at her. He held out a hand, offering peace between the two. She graciously took it, shaking it loosely. "I'm sorry." She finally murmured after a minute of silence.

"Really, don't worry about it . . ." Naruto replied, his smile broader than before.

"What's that in your hand?" Sakura asked, a little too enthusiastically. She was trying to diffuse the situation by changing the subject.

"That was the other reason I came over here." Naruto said, bringing the unopened letter into the light. "I was going to ask if you were the one who left it by my door, but I guess you just answered that."

"Someone just left it for you?" She asked. Naruto nodded. "That's kinda creepy . . ."

"Tell me about!" Naruto said. He had already forgotten about the situation from before. "They just knocked and left."

"I wouldn't do something like that. I'm more of a head-on kind of girl."

"Yeah I noticed." Naruto said sarcastically, eliciting a laugh from Sakura. "But, do you know someone who would."

Ino and Hinata ran through her mind the second this question was proposed. They seemed just the type to hide behind a letter. She thought it best not to say their names however, she was finally making friends, after two weeks at this school. "I have no idea." She said flatly. "What does it say?"

Naruto ripped open the envelope, trying to save from the dramatics, but he couldn't stop his heart from pounding in his chest. He pulled out the paper from inside and unfolded it, unveiling only a few words in more swirly writing.

I know your secret.