Hey guys! Thank you especially to Sasunaru N Ichihitsu, Miss Light Bright, Akirakun17, LurvirsLuvvie, & gothpandaotaku for writing wonderful reviews! You all made me supremely happy to say such delightful and funny things! And I won't forget everyone else who favorited and story alerted, thank you!
Really I meant to get this up sooner to make up for the lateness of the pervious chapter but… oh well! Here it is now!
(Sasuke POV) – at school, 9:01 am
"So when were you going to tell me you had foreigner blood in you, Sasuke?"
"What?" Sasuke looked up from his trance on blowing leaves of the trees outside to see Shikamaru sitting on top of the desk next to him.
It was just after first period, and Naruto, in front of him, had slept through the entire class, the teacher being unsuccessful in waking him up. He was still lying there against his desk, snoozing away.
Shikamaru smirked. "I just hear the strangest thing. You and blondie are distant relations or something and have just discovered your kinship recently." He then burst out laughing at Sasuke's expression of blunt disbelief.
"You're serious?"
"No joke," said Shikamaru, still chuckling. "The girls in my class weren't shutting up about it. Apparently this newly found foreign blood in you explains your tall height, which makes the whole situation increasingly strange since blondie is probably around average height." He leaned forward a little, his grin wide and devilish. "So? What brought on these new showers of rumors? It doesn't seem like the boy himself had much to contribute to this," he said motioning to Naruto's sleeping form.
"Nothing." God, imaginations here are over active. Where on earth did they get 'related' from our conversation?
"You surrree?"
Shikamaru's voice was really starting to piss Sasuke off.
He laughed evilly again. "What happened while he was at your house anyway? You never said anything. Did you find everlasting friendship or something?"
Sasuke could kick him. "You're getting way too much enjoyment over this."
"Yes, I am." Shikamaru leaned back on the desk, his wicked smile disappearing. "Really, I can imagine all that really happened was you said hello or something. This school really knows how to dramatize events."
"Basically, that's what happened."
"Well," he sighed. "It's all boring in the end. I just wanted to see your reaction. I thought it was ridiculous when I first heard it too, but it's pretty rare for you to talk to anyone voluntarily. They're all probably delusional over the shock."
"Shut up, Shikamaru."
"Yeah, yeah." Then bell rang for second period, and Shikamaru hopped down from the desk. "Do something else like talk to him for another couple of seconds during class. I want to hear what they'll say next."
"Just get out of here." Sasuke tried to kick Shikamaru's leg, but he moved out of the way so that Sasuke hit Naruto's chair instead.
Naruto leaped from his chair at the sudden jolt and yelled, "I SAID PORK RAMEN, YOU BASTARDS!"
The class had a lot of trouble calming down after that.
…
Naruto jumped up and stretched. "Lunch! Finally!"
Sasuke had to chuckle a little at his enthusiasm. "Hungry?"
He turned and smiled at Sasuke. The lights in the classroom suddenly seemed brighter than they were before. "I'm always hungry."
"Hard to imagine. You're so thin. If you're hungry all the time, then you should eat more."
A mini rage lit up in the blue eyes. "I'm not thin! You're just… bigger."
Sasuke laughed, and all the heads in the room turned towards him. "Ok, ok. Well, go eat your pork ramen," and he grinned with a definite devilish spark in his eye.
Naruto smiled angrily back. "You bastard."
(Naruto POV) – at school, lunch
In the cafeteria, Naruto glanced around, wondering where Sasuke sat.
"Uchiha-kun eats lunch on the roof," a voice said behind him.
Naruto turned around to find the pretty class rep. "Sakura-san!" Her shiny hair was in braids, and her eyes sparked with an emotion that he could not read. "Come sit with us! Kiba-kun and the rest are still getting lunch." He smiled. "I was first in line."
Sakura-san sat down next to Naruto and faced him. It wasn't until then that Naruto recognized the emotion in her eyes: anger. "Naruto-kun! You told me that you didn't know Uchiha-kun! There's no way you don't. He never talks to anyone except Nara-kun! Anyone."
Naruto scouted a little further away from her anger. "I wasn't lying then. I didn't know him. I don't even know him too well now. He just took care of my while I was sick."
She looked taken back. "Huh? How?"
He hadn't really wanted to talk about this in case any other details got out, but Sakura-san was actually, Naruto was now discovering, a person who always got an answer if she wanted it.
"Naruto-kun!"
"Alright!" He held up his hands to defend himself. "I had a fever, and I was coming back from work. I collapsed, and Sasuke found me." The instant Naruto said Sasuke's name he regretted it.
Sakura-san's eyes narrowed, and she didn't look as pretty anymore. "Really, how did you get to be such good friends after a couple of nights being ill?"
"Hey! Why the serious faces?" Kiba-kun dropped down his tray across from Naruto with Shino-kun and Choji-kun following soon afterwards.
Naruto breathed out quietly. Saved.
However Sakura-san didn't quite agree with that. "Naruto-kun was just telling me that Uchiha-kun, Uchiha-kun, took care of Naruto-kun after he found him collapsed with fever."
Kiba-kun looked at Naruto sympathetically. "Rough. You didn't look sick when you left. Lucky he found you, huh?"
Naruto was glad for someone a little more rational around. "Yeah, who knows what would have happened if he didn't."
"You're missing the point!" Sakura-san slammed down her hand on the table. "Uchiha-kun, the completely serious, nonsocial guy, helped Naruto-kun and is now all buddy-buddy with him!"
This time Shino-kun came to Naruto's defense. "What does it matter Sakura-san? Uchiha can help whomever he wants, and Naruto-kun can be friends with whomever he wants. We all know you're just jealous."
Sakura-san turned red with anger and embarrassment. "Ugh! All you boys are so clueless and insensitive!" And with a huff, she flounced away from the table to drag Ino-san to another empty one.
They all watched her go in silence until Naruto turned back towards them. "Does everyone know she likes Sasuke?"
Choji-kun took a big bite of his hamburger and said with full cheeks, "Pretty much."
"She's been trying to get his attention for years. She doesn't do that much, but it's painfully obvious to everyone but her that he isn't interested. Still, she gets oddly aggressive when someone else gets close to him anyway," said Kiba-kun, and he reached over and patted Naruto's shoulder. "Don't let it worry you. She's mainly just mad you got him to laugh. I can't really remember that last time I saw Uchiha laugh."
"Really?" Naruto was fairly surprised by this. "Sure he seems serious, but he plays around a fair amount too." He thought of their continuous battles the other day and how much Sasuke laughed.
At this comment, all three of the other boys looked up at Naruto in a sort of puzzled way.
"What?"
"Known Uchiha a long time," Choji-kun said around the food in his mouth. "Doesn't play around too much."
"Oh." Naruto looked down on his cooling ramen and picked up his spoon to take a bite.
…
The final bell rang just when Naruto was sure he couldn't handle a second longer of school. He turned to Sasuke just as he was slipping his books in his bag.
"Track today?"
"Today and everyday," sighed Sasuke.
"Surely not the weekends."
"No, no weekend practice," Sasuke nodded, "But there can be meets on Saturday." He stood up and picked up his bag, swinging it over his shoulder.
Without saying anything, Naruto followed as Sasuke headed out of the classroom feeling Sakura-san glare on his back but ignoring it. "When is your next meet?"
"This Saturday. Why? Want to cheer me on?"
"Do you want me to?" Naruto returned.
Sasuke looked forward and away from Naruto's face. "I won't mind if you came."
Naruto felt his face split into a wide grin and a ticklish feeling was in the pit of his stomach.
Sasuke grabbed one of his cheeks and pulled. "Don't look so damn happy, idiot."
He laughed and pushed Sasuke's hand away. "You're the one who is smiling!"
Sasuke touched his mouth like he hadn't even been aware of it, and Naruto's eyes were drawn to his lips.
He blinked a couple times and quickly changed the subject as he felt a blush rise to his cheeks. "So you want me to go first today with the fact?"
Sasuke looked slightly surprised like he had forgotten about it, but nodded.
"I've been thinking up facts all Sunday for this," Naruto grinned. "My favorite animals are frogs."
"Frogs?"
Naruto nodded.
"Really? Hmm…" Sasuke looked away with an odd expression on his face.
"Hey! What were you thinking just now?"
He still didn't look back to Naruto, but Naruto could see a slight smile. "Nothing."
"You were thinking I'm weird, right? And that frogs are totally lame to be a favorite animal but let me tell you! Frogs are awesome and thoroughly underappreciated!"
Sasuke burst out laughing.
Naruto had really no idea what Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, and Choji-kun were talking about. Sasuke laughed all the time.
"Frogs," he said chuckling. "That is so you."
"How so?" Naruto loved it when Sasuke laughed. It always seemed to make him happier.
"I don't know. It's just so you to love those weird creatures."
"They're not weird!" Naruto said indignantly, "They're cool."
But Sasuke continued chuckling.
"So! Then what's your favorite animal? Plain dogs or something? Unoriginal!"
"Does this count as your question to me?"
"Sure!" Naruto eyes challenged Sasuke with his question, but he was full of happiness. He couldn't ever remember having this much fun with someone his age.
"Hmm… I'll have to think. I don't really have a favorite animal," and he meet Naruto penetrating glaze again and chuckled. "Ok fine, I know when I was little I liked snakes the best."
"Ha! Reptiles! You no right to talk to me about what's weird or not! Our favorite animals are in the same group!"
"No, you idiot, frogs are amphibians."
"Same thing!"
"No, not the same, plus frogs are slimy and gross. Snakes are powerful. They can attack and swallow their prey whole."
"Frogs can do that too! Think about all the flies they eat! And the oily skin is so that they can escape predators. Frogs win!"
They both looked at each other and started to crack up. They were causing a fair amount of noise in the halls, and the students and teachers were all watching them, obviously surprised at the pair making the racket.
"God," Sasuke said more quietly and put a hand to his forehead. "You make me feel like such a kid again."
Naruto grinned. "That's good! You act too serious at school."
"What do you know?" And Sasuke ruffled Naruto hair with a grin on his face.
"Stuff from other kids at school."
"Everything they say is heightened ten times to how things actually are. You can never except concrete information to come from their mouths."
"Fine. Fact. Tell me concrete information about you."
"I'm pretty sure this is basically the same as you asking a question," Sasuke said teasingly.
"So? It wasn't exactly a question, and you don't have talk about that if you don't want to."
"I don't care idiot. Let's see. Uchiha Sasuke. Seventeen."
Naruto gave a quiet 'damn' at that.
Sasuke raised his eyebrows but continued. "Born July 23rd. Blood: AB. Height: 5 ft 10 in. Weight: 156 lbs. Best subject: Everything."
Naruto snorted.
"Was that enough?" asked Sasuke, smiling.
"Yeah fine."
"You?"
"Your question?"
Sasuke nodded.
"Ok. Uzumaki Naruto. Sixteen."
Sasuke grinned understanding Naruto's earlier remark, and Naruto frowned.
"Born… October 10th. Blood: B. Height: 5ft… 4 in. Weight: 108 lbs. Best subject… PE."
Sasuke laughed. "That's not a subject."
"Yes it is! We can't all be perfect, tall, and handsome like you!"
There was a pause for a moment. "Wait, you think I'm handsome?"
Naruto was sure he blushed redder than a tomato, and Sasuke grinned wickedly. Naruto looked at Sasuke and thought he needs to pay. And sometimes the oldest tricks in the book work perfectly. Naruto suddenly pointed out the window, "Woo, look!"
Sasuke turned, and Naruto neatly placed his foot in front of Sasuke's.
Sasuke crashed to the floor. He slowly looked up with an expression of dumb shock, and Naruto couldn't hold it in. He roared with laughter.
"I'm just an 'idiot,' huh? Well, look who fell for the 'idiot's' trick?"
Sasuke's eyes sparked with a playful anger. "Run like hell. I'm going to get you for this."
Naruto sprinted off at top speed, laughing and barely breathing the whole while. The longer he ran, the closer he could feel Sasuke getting to him. He giggled in amusement and fright when he could his breath on his neck.
A hand suddenly reached out, and Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm.
"Aak! No Sasuke!" shouted Naruto still half laughing.
Sasuke swung him around holding both of Naruto's hands above him and pressed him up against a wall until their faces were only inches apart.
For all the people wondering about the heights, weights, etc and are bothered by what I put them as, no worries. Just put in whatever you wish to imagine, but remember 5ft 10in is fairly tall (I think) for where they live (but maybe not).
A super-special thanks to Sasunaru N Ichihitsu for suggesting the Naruto tripping Sasuke scene! It was really fun to write!
E/N: Oh snap! Love the ending? Potential kiss maybe? Cute!
Cute chapter just for you all so please, please review!