It was hopeless. No matter what he did he could not get Hinata to even spare him a brief glance. When he asked for help she just hid behind her book or pretended that she was too engrossed in her notes to notice him. By the time class had ended he had already buried his face in his arms in defeat. If Sasuke hadn't just waltzed in and scared her away he would have had something nice going for him. That prick!

"Naruto, class is over," Shikamaru interrupted his troubled thoughts with a light pat. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Quite the opposite," he hissed with a glare towards the Uchiha who walked past their table without so much as a fleeting glimpse to him or Hinata. What was he hoping to accomplish? "I swear if I get the chance I'm going to kick him in the teeth."

"How oddly specific," Shikamaru mused as he waved to Hinata who hastily gathered her things and shuffled along with all the other students. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I have calc next class," he grumbled miserably, remembering that Sasuke was in that class too.

"That's not what I asked."

"You mean ditch?" he inquired warily as he put his notes away. "It's only my second day."

"I don't hear a no," his classmate smirked as he leaned against the table. "Come on, it's not like you really want to go in there and learn about derivatives of nonlinear functions."

"What language is that?"

"Exactly. Follow me." The blond looked around uncertainly as they made their way down the steps instead of him going to the third floor to his math class. Should I really be doing this? I haven't even known Shikamaru for that long. "So, what's on your mind?"

They stepped outside to see that not many students were out since class was about to start. Instead of walking on the designated path to the main building Shikamaru led him around back and into the uneven terrain of the woods behind the campus. Naruto thought about the question hesitantly as they weaved through the thin trail between the massive Ashe trees and scattered pine.

"I got Hinata to agree to get together for a study session with me," he explained with a lax smile.

"That was quick," Shikamaru commented, "it usually takes her longer to warm up to anyone."

"It was going well until Sasuke randomly popped in and fucked everything up," he added sulkily with a scowl.

"Pardon?" Shikamaru chuckled as if it were some kind of joke.

"I was about to set up a date when Sasuke showed up out of nowhere and started talking to Hinata, and she took her shit and booked it." The thought of it alone was enough to make him want to go to his math class and punch the Uchiha.

"Wow," Shikamaru said with a knowing smile, "sounds like you got cock-blocked big time."

He shook his head to dismiss the thought but the more he mulled it over the more true it sounded. Sasuke ruined something that he had no business interrupting in the first place. "I did... Didn't I?"

"Afraid so," Shikamaru laughed as he leaned against the trunk of a tree while digging through his bag. "Here, eat this."

Naruto caught the red apple that was tossed his way before sitting at the base of another tree. "Thanks. Why are you doing this for me?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "It looked like you could use someone to talk to. You seemed to be in good spirits until you had a freak out and fell down the stairs."

He could feel the heat against his face again. Maybe Neji and Sakura were right. It couldn't hurt to put his faith in someone, right? "Well, to be honest I met Sasuke's brother after we got back from detention... It went a little fuzzy after that," he mumbled before taking a bite of the apple, enjoying the sweet juices against his tongue.

"Yikes," Shikamaru winced in sympathy. "That couldn't have been pleasant. He can be a bit intimidating when you first meet him."

"Just a tad," Naruto added derisively. "I didn't know what to do. My mind wanted to be anywhere but there and my legs kind of moved on their own."

"Okay. So what happened at Neji's?"

You tell me. "What do you mean?"

"When we got back, you were by yourself and you seemed a bit flustered, not to mention Neji seemed perturbed when he got back with Sasuke."

"I wish I knew," he muttered as he stared down at the half eaten fruit. "I guess I was being a bit difficult to handle, but only because I hate feeling like I'm bothering him because he has to watch after me. He's a really interesting guy I just wish..."

"That he did that stuff because he wanted to?"

His eyes went wide as he looked up to Shikamaru who retained a tranquil expression. That was a really blunt way to put it but it didn't sound wrong. "I... I guess so..."

"Sounds like you like him."

"What?!" He choked on a small piece of apple and began to cough desperately. "Are you crazy?"

"I'm not here to judge; I'm just stating what it seems like," the other boy shrugged again, seeming truly indifferent about the matter.

When he thought about it, he did feel different when he was around Neji. He always felt like he was getting hotter when he was around, especially when the boy got so close to him. Anyone with eyes could tell that Neji was attractive, but he was also intelligent and though he tried to make it seem like he was unconcerned there were subtle hints that told Naruto that he was a truly compassionate person. How did Shikamaru notice this before he did?

"Maybe I do... I don't know," his voice trailed off nervously as he hoped that the other boy would change the subject.

"It doesn't mean you're gay, if that's what bothers you." Naruto frowned at the mention. It's not that he rejected the idea; he just didn't like the thought of being labeled like that. "The fact that you attempted to make a move on Hinata is proof enough of that."

"Which brings me back to the thought of hating Sasuke," he grumbled with another bite in an attempt to shift the subject from his sexuality.

"Really? That bad?"

Naruto bit his lip as he exhaled deeply through his nose. He thought about their very first encounter and how they talked to each other earlier this morning. There was no doubt that there had been a drastic change in the way they talked to each other, but it was not enough to ignore the fact that they still got on each others' nerves.

"He is pretentious, but everybody loves him while he could care less about their feelings. There is very little that exists in his world that doesn't revolve around his own motives. He's an asshole at times and he pisses me off, but when I start to think that he might not be that bad of a guy, he does shit like that to make me hate him all over again." 'That' was referring to the apparent cock block that had taken place before macroeconomics.

Shikamaru nodded thoughtfully as he looked up through the tree branches. "That sounds a lot more like it. Do you feel better?"

Now that he thought about it, it actually felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Y-yeah... How did you do that?"

The other boy smiled faintly with another yawn, "I told you, you looked like you needed someone to talk to."

"Thanks doc, what do I owe you?" He joked, trying to lighten to mood now that he felt a lot better.

"Don't ever hesitate to talk to me," he stated and the two boys smiled at each other.

"So, this is where you've been hiding."

The sudden voice made them jump, and Naruto dropped his apple. A boy, about the same height as Naruto, emerged from behind a tree with a smile that held nothing resembling actual happiness. Naruto noticed him as the freakishly pale boy that Neji was talking to in calc the other day.

"Sai?" Shikamaru inquired. "What are you doing here?"

"Kurenai and Neji were wondering where Naruto had disappeared to, and I offered to help track him down."

Fuck. He had forgotten that Neji was also in his math class; of course he would notice that he was gone. Why did he never think these things through?

"I'm so relieved to know that you're okay, Naruto," Sai said, feigning relief expertly, though Naruto was not deceived. Who the hell was this prick? "If you are feeling well enough, would you like to accompany me back to the classroom?"

Something about this guy was unsettling. Though his actions, at a glance, would seem genuine there was a slight undertone that negated all of that smiling. "Sure..." He muttered guiltily as he stood and the two boys followed close behind him.

The bell had rung as soon as they arrived back at the classroom, and Kurenai seemed anything but pleased.

"Ditching on your second day, Naruto?" She scolded. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

"N-no," he whispered as he bowed his head in shame.

The class exited the room slowly, taking in the sight of Naruto being lectured by the teacher. Sasuke walked by him with a quizzical look before turning out the door along with the rest of the class.

"This was my fault," Shikamaru cut in before she could issue a punishment. "I pressured Naruto into ditching with me because I had nothing better to do. I knew he'd say yes because he's new."

What are you doing, fool?! Naruto gaped at him in disbelief. Did he really just take all the blame?

Kurenai pursed her lips together in thought as her gaze shifted between the two boys. "I guess that's believable. But I won't tolerate ditching from you another time," she pointed her finger at Naruto accusingly. "As for you, Nara. Detention after school. You can help our janitors scrub the hallways. You are both dismissed."

They bowed their heads in apology before they exited the room without a word.

As he felt that they had walked a safe distance Naruto turned to Shikamaru in anger. "What the hell was that?!"

"You already had detention yesterday. I don't mind," came the indolent answer.

"But... why would you do that for me?" He croaked.

There was a brief silence as they made their way down to the first for to prepare for history class. "It's what friends do, I suppose."

Friend? He never thought he would live to see the day where someone would use that word in reference to him. But considering all the trouble Shikamaru had just gone through to make sure that he was okay the title was appropriate.

And for a moment, nothing really mattered. He momentarily forgot about Sasuke and Hinata. He forgot about Neji. He forgot about his feeling towards this school. Because Naruto Uzumaki had made a friend, and for a moment, he was truly content.