Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 7: The Red Fox Dorm


Sasuke stared at the unoccupied seat in the back of the classroom. Actually, the two seats in the back that currently remained empty. He faced the front again and chewed his bottom lip.

Maybe they're skipping. . .

When lunch rolled around Sasuke stood with his tray in the middle of the floor. The only person who occupied their usual seating was Hinata. Walking over, the raven sat down next to her.

"Hinata?" he asked. The girl looked up from her meal and smiled.

"O-Oh! Sasuke-san, how are you?" she asked. Sasuke's frown only deepened.

"Where. . . Is everyone?" He asked her. Hinata dropped her smile and looked to her side, physically drooping. Sure enough, some boys from the blue table were watching them. Sasuke happened to notice and covered up his worry with a smile. He ate his lunch and whispered to the girl.

"Let's talk later," he said lowly. Hinata nodded, relieved. It was unnerving really, like eyes were everywhere on his body. Hinata was hunched low in her seat as Sasuke frowned at the whispers all around them. Becoming agitated, Sasuke looked right over at the blue table, who were indeed still staring at them. The raven gave them a nasty look, one he didn't pull out unless something really bothered him, his brother's famous Uchiha glare. Setting his face and narrowing his eyes, he raised the side of his lip up and exposed his clenched teeth at them.

"Can I help you?" He asked them, voice low and harsh. Many of them turned away quickly while others stared in surprise or fear. Sasuke then looked at Hinata, who sat up a little straighter now.

"T-Thank you," she whispered in relief. Sasuke nodded and smiled as some of the whispers stopped, and some of the blue uniformed kids left the lunch room.

"No problem," he said.

When lunch ended, Hinata led him to a quiet hiding spot behind some stairs near the entrance. Looking around, Sasuke made sure that no one noticed them.

"Hinata, what is going on? Where is Naruto and the others?" Sasuke asked her. The girl fidgeted in her yellow school uniform, tugging at the bottom of her skirt.

"Well...Something...Some thing happened last night...Um...Maybe...maybe you should go to the red dorm and see for yourself. I-I shouldn't just blurt it out," she mumbled, tapping her index fingers in front of her in a gesture of nervousness. Sasuke gave her a look of confusion and watched her play with her fingers for a moment.

"What? Why? Is something wrong?" He asked. Hinata shrugged and started to fiddle with her hair instead.

"I-I think Naruto would just like to see you...He isn't. . . He isn't feeling well," she said quietly. Sasuke gave her a slow nod but still not understanding. He was a little uncomfortable about how cryptic the girl was and all her nervous gestures. Her pale eyes met his for a moment before quickly dropping back to her feet. Sasuke shifted and sighed, watching some students go past him.

"I guess...I guess then I'll just go to red dorms," Sasuke said.


School ended as Sasuke grabbed his bags and made the track to the red fox building. Going through the plaza and past the gate, he stopped in front of the wreck he had seen upon first coming to Konoha Academy. The lawn was still that ugly shade of brown and it seemed the basketball hoop had completely fallen off and now sat propped up against the building. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the gate and walked up the drive way. The place looked even worse up close. He cringed as the porch creaked and felt like it could give way under him at any moment. When he did reach the door, he stopped and realized something.

Was there some kind of etiquette for entering another dorm?

Staring blankly at the door, he prayed that he wouldn't be booted out.

I wish I had Naruto's phone number or something...

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke approached and knocked on the door loudly. He cringed when a piece of the siding immediately fell off the side panel close to the door. Staring in horror at the dislodged tile, he took his hand back quickly.

Holy...This place is really falling apart!

The door creaked open and to Sasuke's immense relief, Shikamaru opened the door. He looked at Sasuke, almost in surprise before he noticed the siding near his feet that had fallen off. Staring at it for a moment, he sighed and reached up to scratch his head near his ponytail.

"Troublesome house. . . " He muttered. He stood up straighter and fully opened the door. He looked a shell-shocked Sasuke up and down before leaning against the door jam, crossing his arms.

"Sasuke...What brings you here?" he asked, sounding bored. Sasuke swallowed, unsure as to why he was suddenly so nervous.

"Uh...I-I..Ah...Is...Is Naruto here?" He asked, clearing his throat. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the raven's behavior.

"Yeah, you wanna see him?" He asked. Sasuke nodded slowly.

"Yeah, he wasn't in class and...Hinata said that he wasn't feeling well? That...That...Something happened?" Sasuke asked carefully, sounding unsure. Shikamaru only stared at him, as if reading him physically. The silence stretched before Sasuke sighed and took the hint.

"Look, if you don't want me here, I understand. I know you probably only put up with me because of Naruto...But, just tell Naruto that I was worried because he wasn't in class okay? I'll do you a favor and get my stupid blue self off your browning lawn," he said in defeat. While Sasuke looked down at his feet to the rotting porch, Shikamaru suddenly smirked and shook his head.

"Sasuke, relax. You can come in, but you got to take off your jacket," he gestured. Sasuke's eyes widened and then he winced.

"Is it...Really that bad? The rivalry of blue and red?" He asked. Shikamaru gave him a serious stare.

"You have no idea," he said lowly. Sasuke nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Okay," he said. Sasuke took off his blue jacket and handed it to Shikamaru. The boy invited Sasuke in and stashed the school jacket in the hallway closet before anyone saw. Standing in just slacks and a white shirt, Sasuke took a look at the inside of the red dorm. A simple carpet lined the hallway leading to the main room. Several worn sofas's littered the room that faced a large faced TV with aluminum foil coating the pathetic antenna at the top. He followed Shikamaru past the den into another hallway where shouting and laughter were heard. They walked by a room full of boys; many crowded around the foos-ball table to watch other's play. Some boys just leaned against the wall, talking while a pair in the corner arm wrestled as other's shouted and cheered. The walls looked like old-style wood as they passed dusty shelf after shelf of trophies and pictures of past dorm inhabitants. Something reached Sasuke's nose and he inhaled, almost gagging.

"What is that smell?" He asked, plugging his nose. Shikamaru shrugged and kept walking.

"We think its mold...We're not sure. I haven't found the source of it yet," he explained. Sasuke remained horrified and silent about the words. Shikamaru led him up to a pair of creaky steps to the second floor where the smell almost became unbearable.

"This can't be healthy," Sasuke whispered under his breath. Just as they went down the hall, a loud belch startled Sasuke, and he spun around. A few doors away, a very large teen leaned against the wall, holding a can of something in his hand. He caught sight of Sasuke and frowned, crushing the can in his hold and dropping it into the trash bin next to him. Sasuke froze as the teen approached him and seemed to grow larger with every step. He reached Sasuke and stood in front of him, at least a good head taller. He smirked down at the shocked raven.

"Who's this? A visitor?" He asked, voice full of sarcasm and curiosity. Messy brown hair fell everywhere atop his head like a mop, spiked and familiar. His face was broad and muscular while his eyes slanted just like cats, high on his face. He looked down at Sasuke through his wide features as if he had come across something strange. He appeared intimidating in his black muscle shirt, showing off sculpted arms of an athlete and high shoulders. The larger teen suddenly reached out as if to touch Sasuke and the boy flinched back in surprise, making a sound in the back of his throat. The older teen raised an eyebrow in curiosity at the boy and the sound he made.

"Leave him alone Kankuro," another voice, deeper replied. Looking past the larger boy, Sasuke spied Gaara coming down the hallway at them.

"Gaara?" Sasuke said in relief. The boy named Kankuro only smiled back at the red head.

"I wasn't going to do anything. I was just curious about baby face here," he inclined toward Sasuke with his head. The raven's eyes went wide.

Baby face?

Kankuro turned back toward Sasuke and smiled widely.

"He's kind of cute, like he could fit in my pocket," he said with a wider grin, all teeth. He reached out again as if to touch Sasuke when Kankuro was suddenly knocked to the side as Gaara gave him a sneer.

"Fuck off! He's probably here for Naruto you pervert!" He snarled. Kankuro straightened out and gave the red head the middle finger.

"Relax little brother, sheesh," he huffed. Gaara's words finally hit him, and he narrowed his eyes at the small raven.

"Wait...Is he...Sasuke Uchi–Hey!" he started to ask. Sasuke was suddenly grabbed by the wrist by Shikamaru. The teen pulled Sasuke down the hallway, missing the look Gaara shot at his older brother.

"Shut your mouth. You wanna get him killed in here?" The red head hissed at the older boy. Kankuro clammed up if only in reluctance.

"Yeah fine. I guess it would be a shame to see such a cute face get bruised," he admitted. Gaara ignored his brother and followed the pair down the hallway.

"So you just showed up on our doorstep? You suicidal?" Gaara asked the raven, stuffing his hands into his jeans. Sasuke still seemed in a state of shock.

"What?" He asked, coming out of his stupor. Gaara rolled his green eyes.

"Never mind," he muttered. Shikamaru led them to a room at the very end of the hallway. Reaching up, he knocked a couple of times on the door.

"I SAID I DON'T NEED ANYTHING DAMMIT!" A voice shouted. Sasuke flinched as a familiar rough tone came slightly muffled through the door.

"I know Naruto, now open your door. You have a visitor," Shikamaru announced.

"WHAT? WHO?" Naruto shouted. Footsteps stomped across the floor as the door in front of Sasuke flew open inwardly and slammed against the wall.

Sasuke wasn't prepared for what he saw.

The blond froze as he came face to face with the one person he didn't expect to see. Ebony eyes trailed the blond up and down, mouth hanging open as Shikamaru and Gaara stood on either side of him.

"S-SASUKE! NANI!" the blond shouted and pointed.

Naruto's face looked to be the same shade as a plum. One eye was swollen completely closed, a large almost black ring around the whole socket. Scratches and marks adorned his neck as a bloody top lip threatened to split back open by his nose. Sasuke's mouth opened and closed as nothing but a small air filled squeak came out.

"N-Naruto? What...Ah!"

Before he could react, the door was suddenly slammed in his face, and he woke up. As if his legs had become jelly, Sasuke would have collapsed had it not been for the two teens on either side of him.

"YOU GUYS LET SASUKE INTO THE DORM!" Naruto shouted on the other side of the door.

"Shikamaru let him in," Gaara pointed out. The lazy boy shrugged.

"He looked so pathetic, standing there on our front porch, like a beggar," he said. Sasuke ignored them as he pounded on Naruto's door.

"Naruto! Open the door! What the hell happened?" He shouted. Gaara and Shikamaru looked at each other but said nothing.

"NOTHING HAPPENED! I'M FINE! JUST . . . JUST GO BACK TO YOUR DORM!"

Sasuke knocked harder on the door.

"You're covered in bruises! We have to tell someone!" He said.

"IT'S NOTHING! GO AWAY!"

"Naruto please!" Sasuke said pleadingly, throwing his body against the door.

"BEAT IT UCHIHA!"

Sasuke winced at the way Naruto shouted his last name. It was said with such coldness, not ever in a way that one friend should speak to another. Everything Itachi had warned him about the blond suddenly felt extremely true at that very moment. How Naruto seemed to have this side of him that showed his true colors, making his friendly face look like a facade.

He'll pretend to be your friend so you'll defend what he does Sasuke. He'll hurt you; I've seen him do it constantly.

Sasuke backed up from the door, feeling defeated and confused. He bit his bottom lip and clenched his fists by his side. He suddenly raised his head and gave a nasty smack with his fist on the door, the bang resonating down the hall.

"FINE! You know what? Everything my brother said about you was true! You pretend to be my friend and when I come running you slam a door in my face! I JUST HEARD THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED, AND I WAS WORRIED! You–You!" Sasuke shook his head as he searched for his words.

"STUPID DOBE!" He yelled. He was met with silence as Sasuke struggled to hold back the moisture in his eyes.

Did that kiss really mean nothing?

Out of the blue, the ghostly feeling of lips crossed his own, and he covered his mouth with his hands.

"Sasuke," Shikamaru began. The raven shook his head as a stubborn tear made its way down his face, he quickly wiped it away.

"I'm going back to my dorm. I don't belong here. I should just go back to the blue dorm where everyone says I belong and hide behind my brother," he said in accusation. Sasuke was no idiot; he knew how people at this academy talked. He just wasn't destined to make friends outside of his uniform color. Gaara took pity on him and set a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, I'll walk you to the door so no one bothers you," he said. Sasuke wiped at his eyes as he tried to hold his dignity and seem presentable.

"Yeah," he said weakly. He gave Naruto's door one last look before he turned from it.

So much for that...

He didn't get an inch from the door before it slammed back open, and a bruised Naruto stood there. Shikamaru and Gaara watched in shock as the blond, scowled and reached out, grabbing Sasuke by the arm and pulling him into the room.

"I got this guys," he said to them before slamming the door shut. Sasuke blinked as a funky smell came to his nose. The door slammed behind him as he collided into the blond's chest and remained there. He stared at the far wall as the body in front of him breathed deeply and muttered a few words. Arms came up and enveloped Sasuke into a hug as the pale boy's chin rested on one of Naruto's shoulders.

"I'm sorry! It's just everyone kept bugging me today, and I was up most of the night! The aspirin hasn't kicked in yet, and I can't have any ramen because my jaw hurts, and I have a ton of homework that's due tomorrow!" The blond rushed out all at once. Sasuke stood still as his mind tried to absorb both the warmth of the other and the words he quickly spewed out.

"I didn't mean to yell at you like that . . .I'm sorry," the fair haired said softly this time, right next to the raven's ear. The arms around Sasuke tightened as color came to the pale boy's cheeks. He ignored the awful state of the room as he closed his eyes and raised his arms to hug Naruto back.

Naruto...

He was released and came to stand in front of Naruto. The blond looked even worse up close.

"Forgive me?" the blond said in a wince. Sasuke blinked and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Y-Yeah...Yeah okay," he said softly back. Naruto tried to smile, but it didn't work.

"Ow," he said. Sasuke broke from his trance and raised a hand as if to touch Naruto's face but hesitated.

"What happened to you? You weren't in school today," he said worriedly. The blond, shrugged and rubbed the back of his head.

"I decided to take a holiday! The guys didn't need to take the day off with me, but they insisted. They've been hovering around me all day! I just managed to kick them out so I could have some peace," he sighed. Sasuke instead frowned.

"Naruto, you're dodging my question," he said. The blond seemed to muse something before he threw his hands up and turned to go sit on his bed.

"It's no big deal! I get in these fights all the time! There were just more jocks then usual this time, but you should see the other guys! If you see a green bull with a shiner, it was Naruto Uzumaki, who did it baby!" The blond shouted, giving Sasuke the peace sign. It would have been cute really, if not for the giant black eye that the other sported.

"Naruto you need to report this! This is serious! Let me talk to my brother. He's a prefect! He can find and punish whoever did this to you!? Sasuke pleaded; hands spread out and beseeching. Naruto opened his mouth as if to say something, but he closed it and smiled instead.

"Nah, it's a pride thing ya know? I can't just squeal on the other guys. It's unmanly!" He said. Sasuke gave out a growl of frustration.

"No I don't know about pride! And its not squealing if some guys beat you up and leave bruises like this! What if it was worse? What if you had to be hospitalized Naruto? It's just. . . I just . . ." Sasuke looked all around the filthy room as if it would give him the answer he needed.

"I just don't like to see you this way," he finished softly. He turned from the blond and covered his eyes with one of his hands.

"Sasuke," Naruto started softly. Sasuke lowered his hand when the blond stood up and approached him. Through all the purple skin, Naruto managed a small smile and set a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"I'm fine...Really. I promise it's no big deal, because if it was, you would be the first person I called to come save me, okay?" He said. The words comforted the raven a little but not much.

"You promise to call me?" The raven asked softly.

"Like a damsel in distress!" He grinned. Sasuke gave a small laugh and on impulse, set his hand on the one on his shoulder.

"Good."

Their fingers brushed as they stared at one another warmly. Suddenly realizing what they were doing, Sasuke blinked and blushed deeply in embarrassment. He coughed and quickly dropped his hand from atop Naruto's.

"Oh, sorry I...Ah," he mumbled. Naruto said nothing as he came closer to the blushing raven. Sasuke picked up his head as the blond stared at him in a way he couldn't identify.

"Naruto?" He said softly. The blond said nothing as he came up on Sasuke and lowered his head, kissing the raven full on the mouth. The sound Sasuke made was muffled as tan lips captured his and made him melt. Arms wrapped around him, one around his waist and the other a hand on the back of his neck to press him closer. Like the night before, Sasuke was lost in the warmth that was purely Naruto Uzumaki. Tilting his head, Sasuke fit them more together and set his hands-on Naruto's back. The fair-haired made a pain filled sound and Sasuke's eyes popped open, realizing something. He looked at Naruto's face to see the flaxen lick his lip, right over the cut he had there and winced.

"Naruto, your lips–We shouldn't—" the raven said, making to pull away. Naruto quickly shook his head and pulled Sasuke back.

"Forget my lip, I don't care," he said sternly. He kissed Sasuke another time, pulling him close and leaving the other no chance to pull away again. Sasuke forgot all about the lip as a taste he couldn't place assaulted him. Both teens, inexperienced but enthusiastic continued to kiss. Breathing hard through his nose, Sasuke let Naruto pull him toward his bed and sat him down before pushing him down. In the back of his mind, Sasuke worried about the other boys in the building, any moment someone could walk right in and see them. He pushed those thoughts aside as Naruto gently crawled over him and pulled away to kiss his chin before re capturing his mouth. Sasuke breathed deeply as a hand pulled his shirt free from his pants and moved under the fabric. Sasuke hitched a breath and squirmed as a warm palm ran up his back and downward in a stroking motion. They made out this way for several minutes, just tasting one another and breathing the same air. When the blond finally did pull away, he too had red mingled with his purple, hair mussed from where Sasuke had been running his fingers through it. They breathed heavily as Sasuke realized that his shirt had been pulled up past his stomach, and a hand lay on his chest. The heat was incredible and the little raven never wanted it to go away. Blue eyes stared down at Sasuke, determined and fuzzy.

"Sasuke..." he mumbled, leaning back down. The raven, more than willing, closed his eyes as his lips were once again captured. The door behind them slammed open suddenly, startling them both. Naruto sat up and so did Sasuke, his shirt falling back down and hair mussed. Blue and ebony eyes took in the figure at the door as the other person froze at their positions.

"What the fuck?" Kiba Inuzuka yelled, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. Sasuke blushed this time in deep embarrassment as he took in Kiba's naked muscular chest. Naruto sighed and slapped his forehead.

"Shit...Busted," he groaned. Sasuke remained surprised but silent, not knowing what to do. Kiba didn't look the least bit happy, especially at seeing Sasuke in their room.

"Naruto, your lip is bleeding," Kiba growled. The blond reached up and winced as indeed, his lip was bleeding.

"Yeah yeah," he sighed. Sasuke reached up and touched the lip tenderly.

"Told you," he said. The blond only gave him a smirk instead.

"Naruto, what the hell is Sasuke doing here? This is the red dorm! If the others find out we have a blue here, they'll lynch him!" Kiba hissed, pointing at the raven.

"Yeah well, they'd have to get through me first. Sasuke isn't like all those other pricks!" The blond clarified. Kiba threw his hands up in frustration.

"You know what? I don't care! Just make sure you don't get beat up over this too!" He announced, walking to his dresser. Naruto hissed at Kiba and gave him a look. Sasuke blinked in confusion.

"Naruto, what did he mean by that?" The raven asked. Naruto quickly shrugged and shook his head.

"Ignore Kiba! Showers make him loose in the mouth!" He said frantically. Kiba mumbled something as he dug through his dresser, looking for clothing. The Inuzuka suddenly dropped his towel, and Sasuke quickly covered his eyes to keep from seeing Kiba in his full glory.

"Kiba!" Naruto growled. The brunette turned toward him with a look of confusion.

"What? Oh, uh, sorry. I forgot Sasuke was the company," he mumbled. He quickly pulled on his boxers and grabbed a shirt. Naruto continued to glare as Kiba landed on his bed.

"So, what are you doing here?" Kiba asked, gesturing to the raven. Sasuke sat up fully and fixed his rumpled appearance.

"I heard something happened to Naruto. Hinata told me at lunch, and that I should see for myself," the raven explained. Naruto, not caring that Kiba was in the room, wrapped an arm around Sasuke.

"And I'm glad he did!" The blond gushed. Kiba rolled his eyes at the display as he sat up on his messy bed.

"So what. . . ? You just wanted to see Naruto to make sure he was okay?" He asked. Sasuke nodded.

"Yeah, I did. Why does that seem to bother everyone?" He asked. Kiba shook his head and crossed his hands behind him, reclining backwards on his bed.

"Doesn't bother me," he said lightly. Sasuke frowned at the other's carefree attitude to the whole thing. He turned back to Naruto who was now thumbing his lip. Sasuke caught the hand and stilled it.

"Don't play with it!" he scolded. Naruto grinned and winked with his good eye.

"Then give me something else to play with," he teased. Sasuke blushed and pushed the blond off of him.

"Don't be gross!" he hissed. Naruto laughed but still thumbed his lip. Sasuke's face relaxed as he stared at Naruto's injuries.

"So . . .You said the jocks did this?" He asked. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, why?" The blond asked. Kiba watched the pair closely. Sasuke chewed his lip as he quickly thought to himself.

"What if you had a way to get revenge . . . And keep your pride?" The raven asked. Naruto raised an eyebrow, but he leaned toward the raven.

"Oh yeah? How?" He asked. Sasuke smiled, proud of himself.

"If it was the jocks, then you need to hit them where it hurts the most," he explained to them.

"Where?" Kiba asked this time, sitting up. Sasuke smiled at the brunette.

"Their pride...On the football field."


TBC