Shelly note: I'm happy because I just finished writing chapter 19, making me 8 chapters ahead of what I'm posting. I'm trying to get to being at least 10 so since I have tomorrow off I may try to write 2 chapters tonight…I may not be able to post tomorrow, which after you read the chapter may make some people mad/annoyed…however, if I can't post tomorrow I will try to post 2 the next day….
I went back through when I was rereading it and added a few sentences, so if there are a few errors that may be why…
The last chapter really ended on a down note, this chapter will somewhat continue that and obviously by the title, this chapter settles the journal issue…
As usual I own nothing enjoy and please review
Chapter 11: The Journal
It had been a week since the day Suigetsu had missed class and yet he had yet to hear what had happened to Sasuke the day he was absent from class. He knew not to push, but he was worried. He tried asking, but Sasuke avoided the topic at all costs. "You have to talk about it sooner or later," Suigetsu said as they sat in the school's cafeteria for residents.
"I don't want to talk about it, nothing happened," Sasuke said as he played with his food. He had been even quieter than usual the past week, closing himself off from everyone, including Suigetsu.
"Obviously something did," Suigetsu said. "You're hardly eating and you won't talk to anyone except to respond." He was starting to get really worried about his friend and had truly wished that he had gone to class that day. He was thinking that he should have known better than to let Sasuke go to Orochimaru's class alone.
"Look, just leave me alone. I'm fine, okay?" Sasuke said, shoving a piece of food in his mouth as if to prove his point. Suigetsu wasn't convinced, he knew Sasuke better than that.
Suigetsu didn't push it any further; he knew if he did Sasuke would just leave. He knew that Sasuke would come to him when he was ready. "Okay, but I'm here for you if you need me," was all he said. Sasuke just looked at him, before looking back down at his plate. They both knew that the conversation had ended there.
NS
Naruto was going crazy, he was pacing back and fourth in his dorm. Ever since the incident a week earlier, Sasuke had been more distant than ever. No one would tell him why either, or more specifically, neither Suigetsu nor Sasuke would tell him. He knew that those were the only two that knew what was going on with the raven, well them and that stupid journal he was always writing in.
Naruto paused in his pacing, 'I could read the journal. Sasuke wouldn't have to know, I could just put it back and he'd be none the wiser. It would answer all of my questions.' Naruto looked to where he knew the journal was hidden. He bit his bottom lip, 'No I can't do it, can I?'
He walked over, pulling out the journal. He looked at it, knowing this was something Sasuke would probably guard with his life. He was actually surprised that dark haired teen didn't keep it on him at all times. 'To read it or not to read it, that is the question. If I read it, I'll know everything. But then I invade his privacy. However, I would know why he's been so distant, I could finally understand. But don't I want him to tell me that? Damn it this is so confusing,' as Naruto thought, he was once again pacing back and fourth.
He figured he had plenty of time because Sasuke was hanging out with Suigetsu for the day and wouldn't be back for a while. The problem was deciding on if it was worth it to know what was inside the journal. Suigetsu had said that Sasuke had a reason he didn't trust people, he wanted to know the reason. Even Naruto knew that reading someone's journal wasn't the right way to find out what they were hiding.
He sighed as he stopped pacing and made his decision. He knew that if Sasuke wanted him to know, then he would tell him and he was just going to have to live with that. He couldn't break his trust when the guy obviously already had trust issues.
The blonde walked over to put the journal back just as Sasuke had left it when he heard the door, which had swore that he locked, open. 'Shit,' he thought, feeling that it could only possibly be one person.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke asked as he saw his journal in the blonde's hands.
"Uhhh," Naruto tried to look for an excuse, but he found none. It probably wasn't the best idea to lie when Sasuke already looked furious. "Look I can explain," Naruto tried, but he could tell that Sasuke didn't want to hear it.
"Explain? Explain what your total disregard for my privacy?" Sasuke growled.
"It's not what it looks like," Naruto started, but he knew it partly was exactly what it looks like.
"It looks like your putting back my journal after taking it out without me knowing," Sasuke said. Naruto sighed, 'So maybe it's exactly what it looks like.' Sasuke continued to glare as he stared at the blonde, "Let me guess, you just thought you could read it while I was gone. Did you get the information you wanted?"
"But Sasuke," Naruto tried to interrupt him.
"Don't even, you listen to me closely. I will no longer talk to you; tutor you, or so much as look at you. You are dead to me," Sasuke said, his voice cutting through him like a knife. This fight was worse than any fist fight they got in during high school. Naruto never thought Sasuke saying those words would hurt so much.
"Can't you just hit me instead?" Naruto pleaded. "Please, hit me and we'll call it even."
"Are you kidding me?" Sasuke's face was a mix of emotions; he was looking at him as if he were a moron, but also with rage. He wondered how after reading his journal he could even bring up hitting. "Go to hell," was all Sasuke could say as he walked out of the room, slamming the door in the process.
NS
Shino didn't want to be in the middle of campus. In fact that was one of the last places he wanted to be, yet he was there. His good friend Kiba dragged him there him there. The middle of campus was loud because of all the fast food places that were located there. He knew that the only reason they were there is because Hinata was there helping out with one of the school events.
"She's so helpful," he said as she handed out fliers for the school.
"Just ask her out already," Shino said. "You're acting like a stalker." Shino didn't often voice his opinion, but once he was in a situation he clearly didn't want to be in, he was going to speak up.
"Shut up, she might hear you," Kiba said quietly as she walked their way.
"Hi Kiba, hi Shino," Hinata said as she walked up to them and smiled, timidly. "You should come to the school's play," she smiled as she handed them both fliers.
"Are you going?" Kiba asked.
"Probably," she said. She played with her fingers a moment before asking, "Why?"
"Just wondering," He said. The brunette didn't want to make it obvious that he liked her, everyone knew except Hinata it seemed. Shino just rolled his eyes at the two of them, wondering why Kiba didn't ask her out when he clearly had the perfect opportunity.
"Oh," she smiled. "Well I'll see you around." She walked away, going off to hand out fliers to other students in the area.
Shino just shook his head. "What?" Kiba asked as he saw how his friend reacted.
"You're stupid sometimes," Shino replied.
"Why do you say that?" Kiba asked. He hated that anyone would call him stupid that was supposed to be Naruto's job. They had always joked with him how dense the guy was because he had never realized Hinata liked him.
"She wanted you to ask her to go," he said, as if it were obvious. He thought that Hinata might like him too; either that or she had just seen him as a really good friend. He hoped for Kiba's sake that she liked him because he didn't want to see him get hurt and because he'd have to hear about it for weeks if she did reject him.
"How would you know, it's not like you spend your day with girls, you spend your days with the creepy insects you secretly keep in the room," Kiba rolls his eyes.
"It was obvious," he said. He hoped with how much he was pushing it that he was right, he'd feel a little bad if he were wrong. She'd definitely go with him at least as a friend, but as a date he wasn't one hundred percent sure.
Before Kiba could respond, Naruto ran up to them, "I'm glad that I found you. I've been looking seriously everywhere. Sakura finally told me that Hinata was here so I put two and two together."
"It's not like I stalk her," Kiba said, annoyed with his friends acting like it was a daily occurrence
"You're like a puppy that follows her," Naruto teased, Shino just chuckled.
"I'm not going to help you if you just sit there and make fun of me," he crossed his arms.
"Okay, I'm sorry, you're right you're not a stalker," Naruto said quickly.
"You must really need help," Kiba's eyes widened. He knew Naruto would never take back teasing him unless he truly needed help.
"I do," Naruto was practically begging at this point. "Please help me," he added.
"What happened?" Kiba asked. Naruto should have known that the brunette wasn't going to deny helping a friend, especially his best friend.
"So I was alone in my room right. It was driving me crazy about what was going on with Sasuke," Naruto started.
"Should have known it was a Sasuke problem," Kiba interrupted.
"Anyway," Naruto said, annoyed by his friend's interruption. "So you know how he keeps that journal? Well I was thinking that if I read it maybe then I would understand more why he was acting like that," Naruto said.
"You're a moron," Kiba said. He couldn't believe the blonde's logic sometimes. He knew Naruto knew better than to read someone's journal so he must have really wanted to know what was going on.
"I didn't actually read it was thinking about it, but when he came in I was putting it back and now he thinks I read it. He won't even talk to me. He hates me, says I'm dead to him," Naruto finished.
"Just apologize," Kiba shrugged as Hinata came back into view.
"That's the best you've got?" Naruto asked. He wondered where the friend that helped him make and get out of trouble went. The blonde then followed his eye line and saw exactly who he was looking at. "God you're useless when she's around, you know that. What was it you said to me? Would you just make out with her, or fuck her, or whatever it is you want to do with her so I can get my friend back," Naruto smirked.
"Something along those lines," Kiba rolled his eyes. "I don't want to rush things with her."
"Trust me, you're not," he laughed. "And right now, you're no help."
"Look, just go ask Suigetsu, he knows how to deal with Sasuke way better than I do. I don't have advice for this shit," Kiba said.
"Obviously," Naruto mumbled.
NS
Sasuke was furious; he couldn't believe that Naruto would actually read his journal. He walked around campus for a while, trying to calm himself down, before he headed to Suigetsu's dorm.
"Sasuke?" Suigetsu said as he opened the door. "What's up?" he asked as he could tell he other was mad.
"I just can't believe it," Sasuke said as he walked in and sat on the bed closest to the door. Juugo was out so it really didn't matter what bed he sat on.
Suigetsu sat next to him and asked, "Can't believe what?"
"He actually had the nerve to read my journal," Sasuke ran his hands through his hair.
"Are you sure?" Suigetsu asked. He was trying to be the one with the clear mind because he was certain that Sasuke wasn't at the moment. He knew no one got away with touching the journal and was able to be on Sasuke's good list.
"He had it in his fucking hand when I walked in," Sasuke said. "So yeah I'm pretty sure." Sasuke sounded infuriated as he spoke; Suigetsu hadn't seen him so angry in a long time.
"Did he say anything to you about it? I mean he was caught red-handed right? You would think if he read it then he would at least talk to you about it," Suigetsu reasoned.
"No," Sasuke said.
"That doesn't really sound like Naruto," Suigetsu pointed out. He was thinking it didn't add up if Naruto actually did read the journal.
"He had it in his hand," Sasuke argued.
"Did you let him explain?" Suigetsu asked. He knew the answer was probably no, so he didn't even know why he bothered asking the question.
"Why are you taking his side?" Sasuke got angry. "You're supposed to be my friend."
"I'm not, I'm just saying, when I heard about it, I was furious at Orochimaru. I wanted to go rip that guy a new one. I wanted him to be locked up, you know? I talked to you about it, hell I try to make you talk about things you don't want talk about even now," Suigetsu said. "Naruto just doesn't really seem like the kind of guy that if he got a hold of that information, he'd be able to not say anything to you."
Sasuke paused, as he looked at the floor and Suigetsu knew he was about to tell him something important. "There's stuff in that journal that I haven't even told you," Sasuke sighed as he put his head in his hands. He had calmed down only a little.
"About what?" Suigetsu asked, seeing that wasn't the only thing bothering his friend. "If you don't mind telling me that is," he quickly added, not wanting to make Sasuke feel pressured.
"Remember when you were absent?" Sasuke asked after taking a deep breath as he looked at him. Suigetsu knew this kind of stuff was difficult for Sasuke to talk about.
"Yeah," Suigetsu said, having a feeling something about this day was coming.
"Orochimaru got me alone," Sasuke said. He didn't make eye contact and his voice went quiet as he spoke.
"Did he hurt you?" Suigetsu asked, having the feeling the answer would be yes. Suigetsu frowned, wishing even more that he had been there that day.
"Mostly just mentally, I got away before he could do anything," Sasuke sighed. He hated feeling so vulnerable. He knew that he had to tell someone though, keeping it bottled up was doing him no good.
"You'll be okay Sasuke, we'll make sure he can't get you anymore," Suigetsu said. He had to try to reassure his best friend, it was all he could do.
"It's like he's trying to break me or something," Sasuke said, still looking at the floor.
"I don't care what it takes, you'll never go back to that house, or be alone with that man again," Suigetsu said.
"You can't possibly know that," Sasuke said, knowing Suigetsu was only saying those words to comfort him.
"But we can sure as hell try to make it possible," Suigetsu smiled.
TBC…?
