AIYH

Author: Ladelle

Rating: M

Comments: Sorry! I know I said Sunday but I was sooooooo tired.

Enjoy!

Chapter 4:

Sasuke twisted underneath his down comforter, pulling it closer around his shoulders as he heard the door to his bedroom open. It was early morning, he could tell, and the sun shot through a faded window curtain above his bed with a practiced integrity.

He groaned and tugged himself even further into the warm recesses of the bedding, his eyes flicking with irritation as he heard the spare dresser in the corner of his room grunting as drawers opened and closed. After a few moments he unburied his head and glared at the silhouette responsible for the commotion.

"Excuse me. Is what you're doing completely necessary?" He tried to contain the hostility in his voice, but in all truth he felt like the victim. In his experience, strangers didn't invite themselves into other peoples' rooms and begin digging through their drawers. Even though he hadn't even managed to unpack yet, the fact anyone in the house would rummage through his potential belongings so freely made him narrow his eyes in annoyance.

"Considering the fact my clothes are inside, yes, I would definitely deem this necessary."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and blinked, focusing his small amount of waking energy on the figure crouched across the room from him. Even through teary eyes he was able to make out a bright bundle of orange sweatshirt and he frowned. No one he had ever known wore such an obnoxious shade of the color, and as the figure maneuvered around the artificial oak dresser Sasuke began to compare it to a melting pumpkin.

"Why are your clothes in my room?" Sasuke questioned, curious as to why the vacant room wasn't as unoccupied as he had been informed. He heard the question come out bitter and he didn't correct himself. He wasn't a morning person by any means, and he wasn't content in having been awoken by the loud clang of grinding oak lacquer.

"Look, if you want to play twenty questions, you're going to have to wait. I'm late enough as it is…"

Sasuke watched as the figure heaved a bundle of clothing into his hands and stalked towards the joint bathroom, disappearing into the shadows of the connected room. He frowned as he glanced at his clock, noting that it was only seven in the morning.

Late? Late for what?

From behind him, he heard his bedroom door whip open and slam against the wall.

"Sasuke, man." It was Kiba, and Sasuke felt his temper flare. Did anyone in the household respect privacy? He grunted and peered out at the boy who looked flushed and intimidated.

"Uh, yeah, hate me later…but we need to leave for school. I guess Kakashi didn't tell you, huh?"

Sasuke felt his insides stiffen. He watched as Kiba ran a hand through his untamed hair and frowned, obviously caught off guard himself by the situation. It took a moment but the realization finally hit him, and he slid out of his bedding with a scowl plastered on his pale features.

"You're joking, right?" His face was cold and collected, and Kiba seemed to bite his lip nervously.

"Ah, no…"

Sasuke cursed and dodged up, making a mental note to give Kakashi an earful when he saw him next. From the door, Kiba turned to leave. A car horn honked from outside and Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Sakura." Kiba stated. He glanced impatiently at a watch on his wrist and shook his head.

"Can you be ready in ten? I'll go distract her in the meantime." He smiled somewhat devilishly before disappearing into the outer hall, and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

In all of the first day experiences he had ever encountered this one was proving to be the worst. Not only was it his first impression at a brand new school, but it was also the first day in an entirely new town with a dependence on complete strangers as his only comfort.

As he shrugged on a pressed pair of jeans and a loose sleeved shirt he reluctantly thanked the heavens that he had showered the night before. He jogged into the joint bathroom and attempted to construct a decent spike in his hair, pleased to discover an almost completely untouched bottle of gel on the counter. His hair fell into place with practiced ease and he ran his fingers deftly through it, pulling the back high and tightening the front to fit the more gentle features of his face. It was always a dangerous look—one that implied he was perfectly capable of handling himself, and above that, preferred it.

He returned to his room and rummaged through his suitcase to find a familiar bottle of cologne and applied it to his chest modestly, all before grabbing his wallet and drifting to the main area where everyone seemed to be gathering.

"Oh, thank God. I'm so sorry—Kakashi is such a flake sometimes." Sakura turned to him as she gathered an array of items from a lower bookshelf cabinet. She pushed them into a dark backpack hastily and kept making nervous glances to her watch. After she seemed satisfied she stood up, weaving past a conversing Kiba and Hinata to hand it to him.

"That should be enough for today. A couple notebooks, pens, folders…I'm sure you'll end up in classes with us anyway. If you need anything, just ask." She paused and turned towards Kiba.

"Did you tell Naruto to hurry?" She sounded pressed for time, and Kiba nodded before taking a generous bite of an overcooked bagel.

"Naruto is always late." He said, and from beside him, Hinata laughed. Sakura opened her mouth to comment, but a voice broke through as a slim figure descended the staircase.

"It isn't like you to gossip, Fido."

Sasuke turned to meet the new voice, surprised when it met none of the images he had imagined before. No longer clad in a flashy orange sweatshirt was an unusually tanned boy who stifled his sarcastic comment with a long yawn. He casually pulled a backpack around his shoulder and glanced around the group, his bright lazuli eyes pausing on Sasuke.

"You must be the roommate."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, surprised at how such a playful expression could exist over such a boyish face. Though he wasn't one to be social, Sasuke extended his hand in formal greeting.

"My name is Sasuke." What the blonde did next was completely unexpected and caught even Sakura and Kiba off guard. Like a small mongoose from a snake he snapped backwards, dodging Sasuke's hand carefully and eyeing it skeptically. Blue eyes glanced up from the lonely hand to Sasuke's offended eyes and he looked embarrassed by his evasive maneuver. He smiled sheepishly and kept his hands to his sides.

"Ah, Naruto. It's nice to meet you."

Sasuke kept his hand extended momentarily before he concluded that this Naruto character was not going to touch it, and he felt extremely offended. He had never met someone so rude before, and before he had a chance to manage a witty retort, Sakura smacked Naruto on the head.

"That was rude, Naruto. He's your roommate!"

From behind her, even Kiba had an eyebrow raised. Sasuke watched as Naruto met eyes with Hinata, and was surprised when she opened her mouth to speak. Before any words could leave her lips, a familiar voice overtook the room.

"Ah, so you did come back."

Like a dark shadow Sai's voice enveloped the room, and Sasuke saw the blonde boy visibly tense in front of him. The lean figure appeared from the dining area wearing all black and carrying a low-strapped messenger bag. As he approached the group, Sakura frowned.

"Sai, don't say a word."

Sasuke watched as she drifted in between the two, and Kiba moved closer to Sasuke with a scowl on his face.

"It's like this every morning." He said, and he turned towards the door. His action seemed to motion everyone out, and Hinata followed quietly, glancing back between the blonde and black haired boy.

"Don't worry. He's not worth me fighting." Sai glared at Sakura and then turned towards Sasuke, his expression smooth and canine.

"You, on the other hand…"

Sasuke stepped backwards and Sakura grabbed him, pulling him out of the door with one hand and trailing Naruto with the other. She shook her head as she led them to her car, frowning the entire way.

"Ugh. Every frickin' morning."

As soon as they reached the small vehicle, Sakura turned her attention to Kiba and Hinata who were already prepared to leave.

"We need to divide cars today. Half with me, half with Sai." She glanced between all of the housemates before Kiba threw his hands in the air.

"Alright, Sasuke m' boy, guess we'll be the dream team today." The boy grinned animatedly before he wrapped an arm around Sasuke's shoulder and weaved him around to a hedge that separated the two garages attached to the house. Sasuke glanced back in irritation as he wondered why he and Kiba had to be sacrificed to Sai's wrath. As if reading his thoughts, Kiba spoke.

"Sai and Naruto are never to be left alone together. Bad things happen. The first time they drove together, the car got totaled. The second time they didn't speak for weeks—which was actually kind of nice. The third time, man, Naruto nearly skipped town."

Sasuke climbed into the backseat of Sai's car with Kiba, wondering where the older boy was. Sakura's car slid out onto the main street in front of them and Sasuke hoped that Kiba wouldn't be too late for his morning classes.

"Why don't they get along?" He asked quickly, trying to extend the conversation. From what he had seen of Naruto, the boy wasn't much to be intimidated by. He was thin and playful, hardly anything that would make a person like Sai angry or jealous. Unless he refused to shake hands with him, as well. Thinking back, Sasuke frowned. The more he thought about it, the more his first impression of Naruto seemed extremely negative.

"You know, I don't know. Naruto doesn't really do much, you know?" Kiba said and from behind the car both boys heard Sai approaching. The untamed boy knelt forward and spoke to Sasuke in a low whisper.

"But between you and me, I heard Kakashi and Iruka arguing once. It was before Naruto came…Kakashi said he didn't want a murderer living here."

Sasuke's eyes widened as the front door opened and Kiba leaned back casually. Sai revved the engine and veered out onto the main street, more quiet than usual. Sasuke breathed in deeply. Did that mean Naruto had killed someone?

"Did Kakashi talk with you?" Kiba questioned, all while looking out of the window. The boy's voice was serious and Sasuke could only imagine that the question related to the Advil incident. After Sai pulled onto a wing of the highway, he answered.

"Kakashi trusts me." He replied, and in the rear view mirror, Sasuke saw him smirk. He narrowed his eyes and looked out the window himself, not quite sure what inner workings were happening in the household. It seemed as though there were a lot of mishaps and few people to explain them. After a minute, he decided to change the subject.

"Where is the front office?" He asked coolly. He knew that he could find it on his own, but he preferred to hear something relevant rather than the ridiculous psychic battle occurring between the two rude housemates—neither of which he liked. From beside him, Kiba spoke up.

"Oh, yeah. I'll point it out. It's a smaller school than what you're used to, I bet."

And Kiba wasn't joking. When Sai's car rounded the parking lot Sasuke glanced around the small campus, his eyes feigning humor when he read the introductory sign.

Sunny Oaks High School

Home of the Sunny Oak Gnats

"Gnats?" Sasuke wasn't amused.

"Yeah, I don't know." Kiba looked skeptical himself as Sai parked, and Sasuke noted how few cars there were in the lot. The school itself resembled a small square—a far cry from the busy and maze-like campus of his previous private school. He realized as Kiba exited the car that the school didn't even require uniforms, something he hadn't thought of until the moment.

Sasuke pulled himself out of the car and tugged his backpack around his shoulder, drifting at his own pace beside Kiba. The sun was out and beat down hard on the thick black pavement beneath him, and he narrowed his eyes as a tough looking group of kids harassed what appeared to be an underclassman. As they got closer, Kiba slowed down to walk beside him, standing taller as one of the ring leaders glanced their direction.

"What's this, Inuzuka? A new buddy?" The figure was butch and wide eyed with an overbite that revealed sharp canine teeth.

"Yeah." Kiba said, his voice threatening. "Make note."

Kiba immediately turned his attention away and Sasuke glared at the stranger, not intimidated at all. He had dealt with worse, and he was well aware that he wasn't as weak as his exterior implied. As they entered the main doors, Kiba turned to him and shook his head.

"They call him the Shark. His real name is Kisame—he's half Japanese and half German. He looks like Schwarzenegger on crack and he acts it, too. He's a bad seed."

Sasuke nodded and silently agreed with Kiba's description. They older student had looked very crazy, but in the same light, Sasuke wasn't afraid. He could defend himself if the time ever called for it.

"So this is the main office. I'm already late so I'm going to leave you here—but find us at lunch, okay?"

Sasuke noticed that the hallways were beginning to taper down as students hurried to class and he glanced up as a bell rang overhead. Kiba cursed.

"One minute bell. Damn." With that as his departing statement Kiba disappeared into the thinning crowds and Sasuke turned into the office, surprised when he was met by a very old woman with an alarmingly happy disposition.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, and Sasuke spoke minimally.

"I'm new. Sasuke Uchiha." The woman raised an eyebrow, surprised by his short answer, but turned to a file cabinet beside her to rifle through an assortment of colored folders.

"Ah, here you are." She looked at the schedule through thick spectacles before glancing up to him, her eyes wide like a deer's.

"Do you need any help finding your way around?"

Sasuke snorted. The school was like a square—did people actually get lost in it? He shook his head and took the paper from her, eager to get the arduous day over with. He tried to shake the rushed feeling from his hurried morning before venturing out to find room 401, not at all excited for Honors English.

It wasn't long before the lunch bell tolled, and Sasuke was surprised to admit it. He had always been a good student but that hardly meant he enjoyed school. He recalled how long the classes were at his private school and even grimaced as he remembered how much homework he had slaved over in the past.

It wasn't until now that he drifted out from his Physics class that he realized just how different the public school system was and in his mind he couldn't decide whether he approved or not. He would have more free time, yes. But he really didn't feel like he had learned anything at all.

He shrugged off the feeling as he followed a wave of students to what he hoped to be the cafeteria, only to be called aside but a very annoying yet familiar voice. Turning to the side, he raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, newbie. Where's Inuzuka?" The Schwarzenegger look-alike hovered by a nook with bathrooms, the expression on his face wide and playful. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and shrugged, not bothering to stop for the tall and bulky figure.

"Does it look like I have his leash?"

The figure named Kisame's expression soured, obviously not used to people talking back to him. He licked his lips and Sasuke thought it was a wonder his butchered teeth didn't rake open the wet muscle.

"You've got a mouth on you." He said, and Sasuke continued to ignore him, even as the beefy upperclassman trailed him.

"It makes me want to shut you up." The figure said and Sasuke finally stopped. It was normally easy to anger him, or even make him acknowledge people who claimed to be threatening. But Sasuke felt his fists tremble slightly, the reality of the day and his new school weighing on his nerves. He had been bothered since the moment he woke up, rejected by his so-called roommate, forced to sit through classes he could pass in his sleep—and now, being threatened by a mammoth of an individual for something as menial as not knowing where Kiba was. He bit his lips and smirked, somewhat excited for a way to vent his frustration.

"And what makes you think you can?" He said, and from the corner of his eyes he saw the last few drifters from the hall slide past him and into the double-doored entryway to the cafeteria. The Shark smiled, and Sasuke felt annoyed.

That, and something else.

As Kisame cracked his fists against his palms, Sasuke pulled his left foot backwards, all while battling a familiar cold sensation that was rippling through his mind. He had fought before and he was good at it, and he pushed with all of his energy to avoid the flickering blackness that was taking over his consciousness.

Why now…?

He blinked and the world felt hazy. The vision was going to be a short one, he could tell, but as his attempted to focus on the looming figure above him he desperately wondered if he had the time.

Kisame knelt down like a quarterback about to rush forward and Sasuke saw the smirk play on his lips. He blinked and saw black. And then…

Red eyes. Looming, fiery, dangerous. There was a terse growl, as if the creature who owned the eyes was chuckling wickedly, and as Sasuke blinked back to reality he saw the Shark's fist merely inches from his face. He clenched his eyes closed, mentally cursing.

But the blow never came.

Instead, he heard the sound of skin against skin—the type of rough grinding when one person holds another tightly. He opened his eyes, surprised to see that a strong arm was holding back the meaty flesh of the so called Shark, and he twisted to the side, surprised to see the one person he would have never imagined it being.

"Keep it to yourself, fish bait." Naruto's voice sounded, and Sasuke noted that his eyes were viciously narrow and that his lips were curved in a dangerous u-shape. Kisame even seemed taken aback and stumbled backwards, trying to get the blonde to release his firm grip.

"L-Let go of me!"

Naruto held on though, sliding across the floor as the bully yanked backwards, his eyes wide and fearful.

"I've told you once and I'll tell you again." He smiled almost playfully, and Sasuke watched in fascination.

"Touch anyone from my house with your slimy hands and I'll cut you into sushi myself."

Sasuke felt his breath catch at the comment and Naruto released the stumbling man, allowing him to dodge off towards the science halls. It was seconds before Naruto turned to Sasuke, his expression condescending.

"Well, well. Sai not enough for you, huh?"

Sasuke stared for a moment before Naruto shook his head and turned away, leaving an opportunity for him to follow. The blonde haired boy laughed as they entered the lunch room, and turned his head to the side, giving Sasuke a nice view of jaded cerulean eyes.

"And here I bet Kiba that you got lost."

Sasuke frowned as Naruto walked towards the table of his peers and let his eyes narrow. No one in their right mind scared a person as big as Kisame with nothing more than a grip and a few childish threats. He narrowed his eyes and licked his lips.

No matter what Kiba or anyone else thought, he had decided that Naruto was a lot more trouble than anyone gave him credit for.

A/N--

Okay, I hate writing high school scenes so there will be few times when they're at Sunny Oak. Classes are boring enough in real life; there's no need to re-iterate through fanfictions, ne?

Also, thank you for all of the reviews! Man...there are so many...

Until the next! (Let's say next Sunday or Monday, okay?)

:D