Hey, everyone, I can't thank you all enough for following and adding this story to your favourites, it really brightened my day.
Before we start I would like to give a big shout out to the guest review. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to review. I really appreciate your feedback. As for a few of your questions Sasuke and Naruto's virginity I'll be answering one of those questions in this chapter.
Warning: First part of the chapter has a death scene and mentions of self-harm. (Just in case)
Reaching Out
The small room was so still and quite. Even when two officers lead Naruto handcuffed into the death chamber.
While family members began to weep, Sasuke didn't take his eyes off his former roommate. "It's almost ironic that he's wearing orange, how do you like the colour now?" The teenager's amusement didn't last long, Sasuke swallowed hard when he stared into the empty azure eyes. A few people in the room began shouting some sobbed.
Naruto offered up little resistance when he was restrained to the gurney. Naruto didn't even wince when the two IV lines were inserted into his arms. From where Sasuke sat he could see them inject the first drug into his suspect's arm. Sasuke noticed Naruto was looking straight at him. "Why is he looking at me like that?" He wondered. "Just hurry up and fall asleep already." It took only seconds for Naruto feel the effects of the powerful sedative. Moments after the blond shut his eyes his tense body, slumped and relaxed on the gurney.
At last Sasuke let out the breath he'd been holding. "At least that's over," he thought to himself. Unlike most of the spectators in the room, Sasuke knew what steps would come next. "Any second now they'll administer two more injections," he told himself. "The next injection will cause muscle paralysis and respiratory arrest. The last one will stop his heart." From Sasuke heard someone grunt, when he turned he saw both Kabuto and Orochimaru sitting next to him. The man looked years younger. The dark circles under his eyes were gone, his long black hair looked clean and healthy again. "When did these two get here?" He wondered.
As Sasuke pondered this question, the teen noticed that both detectives seemed displeased. Orochimaru leant towards Kabuto and whispered to his partner. "It doesn't seem very fair that murders are given a painless death." He murmured.
Kabuto nodded in an agreement. "Yes, it's almost disappointing," he agreed.
Unlike his mentor, Sasuke took no pleasure from watching this, while Kiba's family stared at him in anger. Somehow Sasuke could feel Naruto's despair. "It's all so pointless."
When Sasuke looked back into the room, Naruto started to jerk on the table. Everyone could hear the blond choking for air and fight against his restraints. "Something's gone wrong, he shouldn't even be conscious," he realised. The two guards that escorted Naruto into the room frantically tried to fix the IV line. Before Naruto's eyes were empty now when he stared into those deep pools Sasuke saw fear and pain.
Sasuke's heart pounded in his chest as he watched the horrifying ordeal unfold.
From behind him, Sasuke heard what sounded like a chuckle. "Oh please don't tell me." He begged and prayed he'd imagined the cold laugh, but when Sasuke turned his fears were confirmed when he saw Orochimaru smiling. While everyone looked on in horror and confusion, the detective wasn't even trying to hide his enjoyment. "It can't be, how can he stand by and watch Naruto suffer like this?" Sasuke questioned. he didn't want to some scared child in front of his idol.
For the first Orochimaru averted his gaze from Naruto. "Just look Sasuke, thanks to you justice has been served," he praised.
Immediately after Orochimaru's claim, Sasuke began shaking his head. "No, No, No I didn't want this?" he yelled.
The blood vessels in Naruto's eyes had burst turning his vibrant blue eyes red. A trickle of red froth started to leak from the boy's mouth.
By now Sasuke was used to the feeling, From the moment Sasuke opened his eyes he started counting until he got his breathing under control. Just recently, he found himself relying on his breathing exercises more and more. Sasuke rubbed his eyes tiredly and turned on the lamp. Nothing in the room seemed out of place and yet Sasuke felt uneasy.
"Maybe I made a mistake Sasuke's closed his eyes for a second when the teenager finally realised what was missing. "It's way too quiet in here," the teen realised. No matter what time of night Sasuke woke up he'd always hear Naruto's thunderous snoring. At first, the teenager wondered if Naruto was even in the room, but turned to face the other bed he saw Naruto lying under the covers. He was too still and quiet. "What's wrong with that idiot, usually he's a lot more restless at night," he noted.
Sasuke wasn't sure how long he lay there waiting for his suspect to move. As the seconds turned into minutes without an even the slightest twitch, the Uchiha slowly approached the other bed. Using his index finger, Sasuke poked his sleeping roommate hoping would make Naruto moan or turn over. When Naruto didn't even flinch after the teenager could feel his heart slamming inside his ribcage.
"Oi, wake up," Sasuke called, this time the boy didn't care if Naruto woke up."That should definitely have woken him up, what's wrong with him?" All Sasuke started shaking the blond. "Naruto wake up!" He yelled.
Just as Sasuke pressed the first digit Naruto's eyes fluttered open. "Sasu, what's wrong?" The sleepy blond asked groggily.
While his clueless roommate stared at him without care in the world Sasuke spotted what looked like a plaster on the bridge of Naruto's nose. "A nasal strip that's why I couldn't hear him snoring?"
A normal person might have laughed with relief, but after suffering two panic attacks in one night, Sasuke's patience had run out. "What's wrong, what's wrong?" he seethed. "I've been standing here trying to wake you up for the last few minutes. When you didn't move I thought you were de..." Sasuke found he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. "Forget it, breathe deeper next time." Now that he knew Naruto was alive and well, Sasuke returned to his bed before Naruto's half conscious brain could process what happened.
For the second time that night, Sasuke pulled the covers over himself and tried to sleep, but once again his mind refused to shut down. Sasuke grimaced when he pictured the smug look on Kabuto's face. There were at least a dozen different ways he could have checked on Naruto without making a fool of himself. "If I'd just stayed calm then I could have used a mirror," Sasuke told himself. This should have been Sasuke's main concern, but that fear was drowned out by something else. "If he's still awake I'll ask him?" Sasuke reasoned. Once again the Uchiha rolled over to face Naruto's side of the room he could tell from the teen's breathing he was still awake.
"Naruto are you awake?" He asked.
Sasuke heard the teenager groan before he answered. "What is it this time, oh wait don't tell me I'm breathing too loud now?" Naruto guessed.
"Who's Sasu?" Sasuke demanded.
Naruto blinked at him for a moment before answering. "What are you..." Sasuke had the pleasure of watching the blond's eyes widened while his face turned crimson. In a blink of an eye Naruto turned his back on the Uchiha. "Will...you please... just go back to sleep." The blond stammered pulling the covers tightly around himself.
After weeks of planning, the school trip was only hours away. While Kakashi wasn't showing it, he too was excited to revisit the old training ground.
"We're expecting it to rain tonight and tomorrow so don't forget to pack your waterproofs." The instructor warned. Kakashi had spent the last two years teaching by now he'd been around teenagers long enough to know most of them weren't paying attention to him. It hadn't escaped Kakashi's attention that some of his students weren't paying attention more noticeably a certain blond looked half asleep in his class. "I wonder how long Naruto's going to stay awake this time."
At the front of the class, Naruto yawned for what might have been the twentieth time in that lesson. "
Try as he might Naruto's eyes were becoming heavier the longer he stared at the board. Kakashi smooth voice wasn't helping him stay awake. "Damn I swear Kakashi speaks like that on purpose." Determined to stay awake Naruto shook his head trying to wake himself up.
For the past few weeks, Naruto was woken up by Sasuke waking up from a bad dream. Sometimes he'd be woken up three or four times by his roommate's distressed cries. No matter how many times Sasuke woke him from the blond longed to comfort him. "Maybe Sasuke's having nightmares about the attack," he thought. "But if that's the case, what can I do to help?" He thought tiredly.
While Naruto could barely keep his eyes open in class, Sasuke wasn't showing even the slightest hint of sleep deprivation. Not even a single lock of his raven hair stood out of place. Despite his exhaustion, Naruto couldn't help but eye Sasuke with envy. "How does he do that, Sasuke must be just as tired as me but he still looks just as handsome?"
Sasuke's looks weren't the only thing distracting the teen. "Last night was different, I've never seen Sasuke act like that before." While Naruto's sleep deprived brain tried woke up, he'd accidentally called Sasuke by his nickname. The exhausted teenager didn't even realise what he'd said until Sasuke questioned him about it. "After last what I said last night I'm surprised Sasuke hasn't brought it up again," he thought. If his actions last night had bothered Sasuke he wasn't showing it.
When Naruto turned his attention back to the board he saw most of it was covered in writing. "What I only turned my back for a minute, I have no idea what page we're on. Damn you Sasuke and your handsomeness." The teen barely wrote down half of the notes when Kakashi started cleaning the board. Naruto slumped in his chair as he watched his instructor wipe out the diagrams. "There's no way I can catch up now," he sighed sadly.
Just as Naruto was about to admit defeat, something unexpected happened. Sasuke pushed his notebook towards the blond. At first, the teenager couldn't understand what his rival was up to then it hit him. "Is Sasuke letting me copy his notes?" Once it was clear what his roommate's intentions were Naruto couldn't believe what he was happening, Sasuke Uchiha was letting him copy. "Ok, that's it I must be dreaming," he reasoned. Thanks to Sasuke's notes Naruto caught up with the class in no time.
Another shock came his way when Sasuke slipped him a piece of paper. Naruto gave the teen a raised an eyebrow. Sasuke mouthed open it.
"Now he's passing notes in class, maybe Iruka was right when he said I'm a bad influence," the orange-clad thought. Naruto tried not to laugh at his roommate's lack of experience. "From the way Sasuke passed that note, I doubt he's done this before." Naruto waited until Kakashi turned his back until he carefully unfolded the note. "Neat as always," he smiled.
Since when did you start wearing nasal strips at night?
Unlike Sasuke, Naruto was an expert in the art of passing messages in class. Between himself Kiba, Shimakru and Choji they could spend an entire lesson have a conversation without being detected. "Good thing we're not in Iruka's class, I swear that guy has eyes in the back of his head." Before Naruto wrote back he waited until a student asked Kakashi a question.
You said my snoring kept you up at night, I would hate to come between you and your beauty sleep.
Without making the slightest sound Naruto passed the note back to Sasuke never taking his eyes off the board. From the corner of his eye Naruto saw the Uchiha's mouth curve into a smile. After a frantic scribble, Sasuke handed the piece of paper back. "What the hell this guy doing? There's no way Kakashi didn't see that," he panicked.
Neji text me this morning about the dinner reservations. It's that new place that just opened it's called the Le Bernardin do you know it?
Even with all his years of experience at passing notes, Naruto almost cried out when he saw the name of the restaurant. "That place is fancy as hell not to mention expensive." He thought. This time the teen was a little careless when he responded.
Yeah, I know it, but can your friend afford to pay for all that?
Naruto heard Sasuke let out a loud sigh.
Never mind about the money, just make sure you clean up a bit. I'll meet you there I have to go to my house to pick up a few things for tomorrow and don't be late.
Kakashi put down his book to dismiss his class. "Ok class that's all today, now make sure you all get a good night sleep and don't be late to coaches." he finished.
Naruto couldn't stop himself from laughing at his instructor's hypocrisy. "As long as you don't get lost on the path of life again sensei." He teased.
Most teachers would have scolded the student for his rudeness but Kakashi's laid back attitude Kakashi actually smiled at him. "Ah, I can't promise that Naruto, the path of life has many twists and turns." He said. "Oh and one more thing before you leave, tell your accomplice that the next time he wants to pass secret messages in my class, use a pencil not only does it rub out but it's also quieter."
Naruto winced. "So he did notice, it's not my fault Sasuke's an amateur." The blond couldn't just walk out the class with his pride wounded. "Hey Sensei,"
"Yeah,"
"Jiraiya wanted me to let you know that he's almost finished writing his new book," Just like every student in the school, everyone knew about their teachers love for adult literature. "Now that I think of it, he let me have a sneak peek awhile back." He saw Kakashi's eye widen with horror. "At the end of the book..." Kakashi cut him off before the blond could finish the sentence.
"No, don't you dare tell me!" Kakashi yelled covering his ears.
The teenager smiled at his teacher's misery. "Be on time or I'll put it up everywhere," he promised. Naruto fled before his teacher could grab him. "Luckily for Kakashi-Sensei, I couldn't even get past the first chapter." He was still smiling all the way back to his room.
Sasuke ended up sitting in his car a lot longer than he originally planned. he'd been sitting outside the house for almost an hour debating whether or not he should go inside. Nether sibling had spoken since the incident in the restaurant. "There's nothing to worry about," he told himself. "Itachi's at the office today and Izumi's probably too busy planning her precious wedding." He thought darkly.
At last Sasuke walked out the car and walked up to his front door. As he went to put the key into the lock he hesitated. When the key and it slotted into place without resistance. "Looks like Itachi didn't change the locks after all," he noted. The Uchiha barely took two steps into the house when he heard a familiar voice call from the kitchen.
"Itachi is that you, is everything alright?" She froze when she saw Sasuke at the door.
Neither one looked like they wanted to be there. "Sorry to disappoint you, don't worry I'm not stopping, I just came to pick up a few things and then I'll be out of your hair." He promised. When his brother's fiance didn't move to stop him, Sasuke walked up the stairs and into his bedroom. The place looked exactly the same as he left it the day he moved out. The book he'd been reading still lay open on the same page, his bed was neatly made.
Before "The sooner I get out of here the better," he told himself. The last thing on his list. He walked into his cupboard and pulled out his tuxedo. Like everything else in the wardrobe it was neatly pressed the day he collected it from the dry cleaners.
With everything collected Sasuke went downstairs and headed straight for the door but a sharp voice stopped him.
"Sasuke please wait," Izumi begged.
Sasuke let out a sigh when he heard her voice. "I knew it was too good to be true, I'll bet she'd been waiting to gloat for weeks." When Sasuke turned to face his nemesis he expected to see the woman smiling like the wicked step mother, but around to see Izumi sitting on the chair. She wasn't smiling or crying like he thought she would. She looked exhausted.
"You and I have never seen eye to eye and I doubt we'll ever will, but you and I do have one thing in common. We both love your brother." She said. "I know you don't believe it, but I love Itachi more than anything. I've loved him ever since I first laid eyes on him at school. It took Itachi awhile to notice me at first, I know he loves, me but the one thing he loves more than anything is you." She stated, "even when we were kids he was always talking about his little brother. On our first date, he stood me up because you came down with the flu."
"What do you want from me?" Sasuke spat. "Haven't you done enough?" He demanded.
"Nothing, I just want you to talk to Itachi. It's killing him not seeing you, he's been going out of his mind for days." She recalled.
Sasuke laughed sceptically at the statement. "Really?" He accused "If Itachi misses me that much why he hasn't called me." He pointed out.
Izumi flinched at the question. "After what happened the last time you spoke, Itachi doesn't know what to say to you," she explained.
An awkward silence fell between the pair. Izumi noticed his dinner jacket in his hands. "Are you going to dinner with someone?" She asked.
Sasuke came up with an answer. "Hn, just going out with a few friends," he replied. He didn't think it was a good idea to mention he was meeting with Neji. "If I told her the truth she'd just go running to Itachi." He reasoned.
"Well enjoy your evening and take care on your school trip." She said at last.
Before his brothers' finace could pry anymore Sasuke walked out the door.
Sasuke didn't drive off, something that Izumi said rang a bell. "No, she couldn't possibly be talking about that day," he told himself.
Of course, when Sasuke was younger Itachi often took care of him when he was sick. On one particular day, his father was supposed to take him to school. Sasuke always looked forward to spending with his father even if it was just a few minutes, but that morning something felt different. The seven-year-old felt tired and achy. Perhaps his father might not have let him go to school when he noticed his son barely touched his breakfast.
Fukga picked up his phone Sasuke threw away the rest of his untouched cereal. "Sasuke, Itachi was about your age when I let him walk home on his own," he said. "You know the rules don't you."
"Don't talk to strangers, look both ways before crossing the road." Sasuke resisted.
"I'll be busy today, so I'm trusting you to walk yourself home today."
As the day progressed Sasuke began to feel worse, his schoolbag felt like it weighed a tonne. But the hope that his father might actually notice spurred Sasuke on. "Father will finally notice me, for once and not Itachi," he prayed. At last Sasuke made it home the boy could hardly walk. Sasuke dragged himself up the stairs and walked passed brothers' room Sasuke saw he was dressed in a shirt and jeans.
Itachi glanced away from the mirror and smiled. "Oh hey there Sasuke how was school?" Itachi's smile turned into a frown when he laid eyes on him. The older brother knelt down until he was standing eye level with his sibling. Itachi placed his hand on Sasuke's forehead and jumped back. "Sasuke you're sick, why didn't the school call mother or father," he demanded, taking his phone out of his pocket.
Sasuke weakly grabbed the phone before his brother could press the first number. "No you can't, dad said he was busy today and not to bother him," Sasuke mumbled quietly. "It's ok I know the way home." He defended.
Itachi's onyx eyes widened. "You walked home by yourself!" His older brother exclaimed. Sasuke gave a weak nod to the question.
Itachi gently scooped his sickly brother into his arms and carried him to the bed. "Lie still, I'll be back in a minute," Itachi promised. Sasuke tried to stay awake was already half asleep when he felt something cool was placed on his head. "Nisan," he rasped quietly. Calling out to his older robbed the last of Sasuke's strength.
"How long was I asleep?" Sasuke's aching muscles screamed when he rolled over to look at the clock. when he spotted something green next to him. "Roary," Sasuke couldn't recall grabbing his dinosaur plush, he nuzzled the soft toy affectionately. With his favourite toy by his side, Sasuke began to drift off again when he heard raised voices.
"Where have you been, I've been trying to call you for hours?"
"That sounds like Itachi."
Sasuke's curiosity spurred him on and he ignored his pain and pulled himself out of the bed. Dizziness threatened to stop his plan but he used the door to steady himself. Once the dizzy spell passed, Sasuke carefully opened the door just enough to see who was talking. Just as the teen suspected his brother and his father standing on the landing. "Father looks tired if he finds out I'm sick he'll be disappointed in me again." He winced.
Fukga rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Itachi, you know I can't come home every time there's a little problem." He pointed out.
His father's lack of concern sent the twelve-year-old over the edge. "What could be more important than your sick son!" Unaccustomed to Itachi's loud voice Sasuke covered his ears. The seven-year-old never heard his brother shout at anyone let alone his father. "My little brother walked a mile with a fever by himself, anything could have happened to him." Itachi scolded. "If you couldn't pick Sasuke up from school you should have phoned me."
Before the argument could escalate any further Sasuke stumbled onto the landing. "Ni-San, I'm not a baby I can walk home from school by myself." To prove his point, Sasuke tried to stand up tall but lost his balance. Before he hit the ground a pair of hands steadied him. When Sasuke recovered he saw it was Itachi who'd caught him in time.
His brother's eyes softened as he picked him up. "Forgive me Sasuke, I didn't mean to wake you. How about you sleep next to me tonight?" He offered. As much as Sasuke wanted to prove to his brother he could be independent the promise of a warm bed and comfort was too tempting. Sasuke snuggled into his brother's neck.
His brother laughed at his sibling's adorable affection. "I'll take that as a yes shall I?" Itachi joked.
"Itachi I...didn't know Sasuke was sick, he didn't tell me." Sasuke caught a glimpse of his father's disappointed face.
Itachi's soft demeanour changed in an instant. "How dare you...how dare you to try and blame a seven-year-old for your incompetence." Itachi snapped. When he felt Sasuke flinch in his arms the older sibling tightened his grip to reassure his brother.
As Itachi put him back into bed, Sasuke noticed Itachi was still wearing his smart clothes from before. "Why were you dressed up like that, were you going to meet someone?" Sasuke asked timidly. The Uchiha felt bad he'd ruined his brother's plans. "Sorry I didn't mean to ruin everything." He apologised.
Itachi used his thumb to wipe away Sasuke's tears. "It's ok, I can always go out with my friends another time." He reassured,
Sasuke leant into his brother's chest for relief from the heat before he fell asleep Sasuke wanted to get something off his chest. "It wasn't father's fault, I didn't tell him I felt ill." he mumbled.
Sasuke's childhood memories continued to plague him even as he made his way the restaurant a few hours later. Just when Sasuke thought he'd finally escaped from his past, more memories rose to the surface. This time Sasuke could vividly recall every dinner he'd attended with his family. The warm smile his mother had given him the first time he wore a tuxedo, his father's approving nod whenever he remembered his manners and all the times Sasuke fallen asleep in the car his brother dutifully carried him to bed and tucked him in.
"No not now, I need to focus or I'll miss something," he told himself.
Sasuke began to question his former lovers choice. "Maybe I should have convinced Neji to pick a different restaurant. There's no telling what trouble Naruto will do in here." Sasuke spotted a number of dignitaries spread all over the restaurant. Sasuke's unease turned to joy when he saw Neji sitting at the table.
"Will our other guest be joining us soon?" Neji inquired.
"I offered him a lift but said he'd make his own way here," Sasuke explained.
"You seem tense this evening, is everything alright?" Neji asked.
"How does Neji do that?" He wondered. As much as Sasuke wanted to confined in Neji he restrained himself. "It's nothing, we better start odering while we wait for Naruto to show up." He said as he read the menu. After glancing at the courses and picking his meal Sasuke realised Neji was still looking at him. "What is it?"
Neji smiled warmly at him. "I was just wondering what the bathrooms are like in here." That comment nearly made Sasuke choke on his drink. "You know if the dinner bores you we could always sneak off." He purred. During one of their passionate moments, they'd snuck off to the bathroom together. While Izumi reamined oblivious, Itachi spent the rest of the evening glaring at Neji.
When Neji looked up his mouth was open and staring into the distance. What Sasuke saw almost made his leap out of his seat. "This can't possibly be Naruto." He thought to himself. Naruto was dressed in a simple black tux with his blond locks combed back neatly. The bright lights made his azure eyes looked even more dazzling. If Sasuke hadn't seen the amazing transformation with his own eyes he wouldn't have believed it.
"Is there something wrong?" Naruto asked.
Although Naruto was doing a good job hiding it, Sasuke could feel his suspect's unease. "That idiot, he looks like a looks a rabbit in the headlights," he thought. Sasuke found himself feeling sorry for him. "Relax you look fine, except for one thing." Without warning, Sasuke ruffled Naruto's tidy hair until it was all spiked up again. "There that's much better."
"What are you doing, do you have any idea how long it took me to get my hair to stay down?" Naruto cried as he desperately tried to flatten his unruly hair without success.
"Don't show them fear or they'll eat you alive," Sasuke warned.
The restaurant was everything Naruto imagined it would be which didn't lessen the blond's unease. To prepare himself for the evening, Naruto spent most of the afternoon watching videos about table etiquette. "Good thing I watched all those videos, I wonder if Sasuke will appreciate all the work I did." He wondered.
Even Sasuke seemed impressed that he'd known where the napkin went.
Both Sasuke and Naruto decided to stick water while Neji ordered himself a bottle of champagne. "Are you sure I can't tempt you both to have a glass?" The teen asked.
"Thanks but I can't, I want to look my best tomorrow," Naruto explained.
"That's a shame, well more for me," Neji, on the other hand, had no such obligation and was on his third wine glass by the time the first course arrived. While the menu didn't have ramen, Naruto settled on a simple fish dinner while both Neji and Sasuke had a salad. "This food looks like it belongs in an art museum," he exclaimed. "You know, I almost feel bad for eating it." It might have been a trick of the light, but Naruto swore he saw Sasuke smile.
The conversation flowed smoothly Neji talked about his phycology course Although Naruto had no clue what he was talking about most of the time. "And I thought my homework was hard, id I'd done his course I'd probably need a counsellor." He thought. "Hey, Sasuke what were you like at school?" He asked.
"Nothing much to tell," he answered.
"Stop being so modest Sasuke," Neji told him turning to Naruto. "Sasuke was an honour student." He boasted.
This information didn't surprise to Naruto. "That sounds about right, I can't say the same I just about scraped by at school," he admitted rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"You earned a scholarship isn't that right, they don't give those out to just anyone." Sasuke pointed out. "So Naruto, what made you want to be a cop."
"So Naruto, what made you want to be a cop?" Neji asked.
Naruto was taken aback by Neji sudden interest. "Oh yeah, these two know everything about each other," Naruto remembered. "It's nothing special really, My dad was a cop, ever since I was a little kid I always wanted to be like him." He answered. Naruto's mother often found her son sleeping by the door waiting for his father to come home. The shifts would be difficult at times but Naruto loved his father.
"That can't have been easy on your mother, what did she think of your career path?" Neji asked.
At times the blond missed his father but Naruto could recall nothing but happy memories with his mother. "No, actually my mum practically jumped for joy when I told her. She was always hoped I might go to Kohana that's where she met my dad." He told them noticing the look of surprise on Sasuke's face.
"I'll bet they're so proud of you." Neji assumed.
Naruto's smile dropped a little. "Yeah they would be, I hope," he murmured. When Naruto looked up he saw both his roommate and Neji were giving him an odd look. "Oh sorry, they died when I was small." He revealed.
Neji swallowed hard. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," he apologised.
Naruto gave Neji a small smile, by now the blond as used to this. Whenever the difficult subject came up, there would always be apologies followed by an awkward silence. As the years went by, Naruto learned how to deal with these situations. "No it's alright, my godfather took me in. He's pretty awesome." While describing his guardian, it occurred to the blond that he couldn't remember the last time he spoke to his godfather. "Maybe I should call him when I get home," he thought to himself.
Right on cue, Neji quickly changed the subject. "To protect and to serve, not many people realise what that means. The life of a cop is a dangerous one, it's always good to have a backup plan in case something goes wrong." He stated.
Not a day went by that a teacher didn't tell the class to keep their options open. But unlike the rest of his peers, Naruto knew exactly what he wanted to do. "I've already gotten that figured out, one day I'm going to become the next headmaster at the University." He revealed. Over the years, many people laughed at the teenager's ambition, but to Naruto's surprise and disbelief it wasn't Sasuke laughing at him.
"Oh sorry, I thought you were joking." It still took Neji a minute to regain his composer.
Naruto clenched his fists to hold back his anger. "Just let it go, don't make a fool of yourself now, not in front of Sasuke," he told himself. just couldn't help himself. "What's so funny about that?" Naruto asked. "After Saratobi-Samma retired he went into teaching," he pointed out gently.
The teenager shot Naruto a cold look. "Before Hiruzen became the headmaster, he was a world class officer with an unblemished record. Tobirama Senju chose him to be his successor. The headmaster has seen a lot in his time and do you know who Saratobi's trained under?" He asked with a hint of mockery.
In class Naruto hardly ever raised his hand unless to crack a joke or provoke Iruka-Sensei. The blond had never wanted to answer a question so badly in his life. "Hiruzen Saratobi trained under Hashirama Senju who later became one of the founders of the university. A few years later Hashirama was made the first headmaster. After his death, his brother, Tobirama Senju, took over as headmaster, when he retired he appointed Hiruzen Saratobi became the third headmaster."
Neither Sasuke or Neji spoke.
"Don't underestimate me, one day you'll see my picture hanging next to all the headmaster's before me," he declared. Naruto growled. Naruto took out his wallet and threw a few notes on the table, before storming out of the restaurant.
Sasuke eyed Neji carefully. " so much about the university's history."
Neji wasn't fooled through his hands up in the air. "I think I upset him a little," He said at last.
Neji's cold remark stopped Sasuke in his tracks. Like always Naruto's dream job surprised him Sasuke shook this thought for his head. "No it's fine he'll forget about it tomorrow?" Sasuke said gently. "You really don't think Naruto has what it takes?" He asked. The Uchiha already suspected he already knew why but the teen wanted to hear his former lover say it.
Neji took another sip from his wine glass before he answered. "This is only the second time I've met Naruto, but I've heard rumours about your classmate," he began. "Let's just say he's not known for his school work, he probably decided to become a cop to please his family." He suspected. "I noticed our guest avoided talking about his childhood. Considering what I've already seen and heard, I bet he was the trouble maker at school." Neji took a deep breath before he continued." I've never understood why the headmaster allows dreamers like him to attend the university in the first place."
"I see," As harsh as Neji sounded, Sasuke could see his point. "Even though Naruto looked the part, he stuck out like a sore thumb tonight." While most children enjoyed eating at fast food restaurants without a care in the world, Sasuke spent his childhood learning table etiquette. Whenever someone important came to the house everyone needed to look their best. "Why let someone pursue a goal when they never stood a chance in the first place?" He thought.
The phycology student grabbed Sasuke's hand. "If you're worried about going back to yours, you can come stay in my room tonight," he offered.
If it wasn't for his case Sasuke might have tried to rekindle their bond, but one look into Neji's eyes Sasuke saw Itachi's staring at him. "No, I can't, not tonight. My teacher's planned some team building exercise for us all tomorrow." He saw the hurt look in Neji's eyes. "Sorry, if things had gone differently then maybe..."
Neji pressed his finger against Sasuke's soft lips. "It's alright, I don't blame you," he reassured. "If this is something you want, then maybe you should consider my offer again, if you lived with me, you wouldn't have to worry about your brother's opinion," Neji pointed out.
Whenever Sasuke even considered leaving his brother, he'd this time Sasuke his brother watching over him all night. "Let's get graduation out of the way first, then we'll talk about it." Sasuke's chest fluttered when he saw Neji's smile.
While Sasuke was touched by the kind offer, it seemed a little strange for Neji to ask him again, then an idea struck him."Wait, you're not jealous of Naruto are you?" Sasuke teased.
Neji stared at him bewildered. "You know I wouldn't lower myself like that," he denied. "However I couldn't help but notice that you couldn't take your eyes off our guest ever since he walked into the restaurant."
Blood travelled to Sasuke's face until his face resembled a beetroot. "It wasn't like that, I just didn't expect him to make such an effort," The tightness in his chest only increased. "What's wrong with me, I'm so hot all of a sudden?" Sasuke clenched his fists until the strange feeling passed. Sasuke went back over the last weeks trying to pinpoint exactly when things went wrong. "Just when did Neji to come to that conclusion?" He'd never considered the possibility that Neji could uncover his secret.
"I need to get back,"
During the short drive back, to the University, the light shower had turned into a downpour. As Sasuke drove up to the front gate the Uchiha remembered that Naruto had walked home. "I wonder if Naruto's back by now." Sasuke forced his concern from his thoughts. "That idiot better not catch a cold. I don't want to step on all his disgusting tissues." Sasuke parked his car trying not to think about Naruto in the rain.
Just as the teen ran towards his dorm, Sasuke spotted something tied to the railings. Up until a few weeks ago, the spot had been a temporary memorial for Kiba. "No one's put anything there for weeks, who'd be leave something there now?" Curious, the teenager went to investigate. Sure enough, someone had left a fresh bouquet tied to the railings.
The card read; Sorry I let you down.
While Sasuke wasn't an expert in handwriting there was no mistaking who had left the note. "That's defiantly Naruto's handwriting, maybe that's why he was late for dinner." Before he could think about Naruto's motivations anymore, Sasuke pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the card before the writing was washed away by the rain water. "But why now, it's been months he doesn't even keep a picture of Kiba on his desk."
A clap of thunder above his head reminded Sasuke it was raining and his clothes were already soaked through. Sasuke made a dash for his dormitory after an eventful evening, Sasuke longed for his warm bed. Strangely enough, Sasuke also longed to see his roommate. "I'll bet he's up there now making himself a pot of ramen," he guessed.
Just when the teenager's dorm came into view, Sasuke caught a glimpse of someone leaving the building. "Who's crazy enough to risk being out in this downpour?" He thought.
The heavy downpour made it difficult to identify the person at first, but when Sasuke strained his eyes he noticed the orange hoodie. "Naruto, what's he doing at this time of night?" He wondered. This time there was nothing to stop Sasuke from following his suspect. "So that's where he's been going," he realised.
Naruto took the ramen cup in his other hand while he reached into his pocket and pulled out a key and ran inside. "How did he get that, only instructors are allowed keys to the gym?" Sasuke waited a few seconds before he followed him, to Sasuke's relief the door opened. "Good thing Naruto's too stupid to lock the door behind him." He smirked.
Naruto took off the hoodie and put it in the corner. His arms were toned. Sasuke covered his mouth to muffle his gasping. Even in the gloom, Sasuke could see his bulging muscles. Never in the Uchiha's wildest dreams did he think Naruto was hiding such a physique under those baggy clothes. "It must have taken Naruto months, no years to get to that level of fitness." He deduced.
More shocks were to come when Naruto stepped into the light. "What the fuck!" From his hiding place, Sasuke could see the marks all over the orange clad's chest.
For months Sasuke wondered why Naruto wore so many layers. After so many failed attempts to catch Naruto he'd all but given up uncovering the truth. Now that Sasuke uncovered his roommate's secret the teen wished he could go into his mind and erase the gruesome image. Sasuke couldn't even handle a paper cut without feeling sick, he didn't even begin to imagine why anyone would deliberately to cut themselves. Just thinking about it made the teenager nauseous.
Sasuke shook his head. "It's not important right now," he told himself. "Even though that usuratonkachi ruined dinner, I've learned more about him in one night than I have since I got involved in this case." Sasuke didn't know how it happened, but Naruto had let his guard down and showed his true colours. For the first time Sasuke had seen the anger in Naruto's eyes. "If I hadn't been there tonight who knows what he would have done to Neji."
Whilst Sasuke remembered all this new information his thoughts always led back to the scars. "Just how long has he been hurting himself?" The teen wondered. "Did the self-harming start before or after Kiba's death?" With so many questions bouncing around in Sasuke 's head, the teen wished he'd stayed a little longer. "It's was too dark to see how fresh those wounds were, maybe if I'd moved to a different position then maybe I could have...," when a horrible thought crossed his mind. "Damn it I should have taken pictures." In his anger, Sasuke slammed his fist on the table. The force of the impact knocked something on the floor.
As Sasuke went to pick it up, he realised it was a wallet. "Is this Naruto's?" Forcing down his apprehension, Sasuke opened old wallet.
Everything he expected to find, a coupon for ramen, an ID card and few crumpled up notes. As Sasuke inspected the wallet he found an old photo inside one of the pockets. Sasuke's hands began to shake when he studied the photograph the tall man blond man standing next to Naruto. The picture showed a much younger Naruto cuddling a stuffed fox. Standing next to the young blond were two adults. Unlike the photo Naruto kept on his the desk, Sasuke could see that Naruto got his smile from the slender woman with red hair.
But it was the tall blond man with the same blue eyes that interested Sasuke the most. "No, that's impossible it can't possibly be him," the teen told himself. But he'd seen that face many times before inside the headmasters' office.
At the start of the investigation, Sasuke wondered if Naruto had been connected to any other unsolved murders. But when Sasuke typed Naruto's name into the search engine and came away empty handed. But as the Uchiha frantically typed Minato Namikaze's name, something inside Sasuke told him he would get results this time. Just as he thought he got dozens of hits.
Sasuke could have spent hours reading about the man. The first website he clicked on covered most of the man's life. He sighed when saw the amount of text. "This is getting me nowhere, at this rate, it will take me hours to read all this." He told himself. After a few minutes, Sasuke found the news article he'd been looking for. Unlike the previous website, Sasuke took his time reading the old news clipping. More shocks were to come when he saw the white haired man again. "Jiraiya is Naruto's guardian." He exclaimed.
Hero cop dies with wife in Horror Smash
Minato Namikaze and his devoted wife Kushina tragically died when they lost control of their car, it is believed that both parents died instantly. Their seven-year-old son, who was also injured in the accident, was rescued and rushed to the hospital and remains in critical condition, but is expected to make a full recovery. He is being taken care of by relatives.
"How could I not know who Naruto's parents were?" He asked himself. "Why would Naruto change his last name?"
Sasuke popped the two sleeping pills into his mouth and swallowed them dry. "That should keep those damn nightmares at bay, once I clear my head I'll finally be able to make sense of this in the morning." Sasuke when he's eyes already began to feel heavy got comfortable when he fell into a dreamless sleep.
Sasuke crawled out from under the blanket. Out of habit, the teen glanced the window. A grey cloudy sky greeted him. "Looks like it's going to rain again," he sighed. A soft snore caught Sasuke's attention towards the bed. Naruto asleep sprawled out on top of the sheets still wearing his gym clothes. "At least I can hear him breathing this time," he mused. "That explains why he can't stay awake in class."
"Sorry Neji, but you've got it wrong this time," his thought made Sasuke chuckle a little.
Even though they had an hour to get ready, Sasuke wasn't taking any chances. The Uchiha gave Naruto a gentle shake. "Hey Naruto, come on we need to get ready." He said softly. Just like the night before, Naruto barely twitched at the movement and continued to sleep. "So much for the gentle approach, time to use more reasonable force." With a gentle shove, Naruto rolled off the bed with a loud crash. As the teen lay on the ground his shirt exposing his scars on his abdomen.
Luckily for Sasuke, Naruto was too busy waking up to notice his grim expression. "I'm starting to wonder if you have something against sleeping?" The blond grumbled.
"No, I don't," Sasuke answered the teenager didn't know what else to say to his roommate. "Hurry up and shower. At this rate Kakashi's going to get there before we do," he stated.
Kakashi saw his two students racing towards him. "Well this is a surprise, I don't think I've seen Sasuke late for class before," He joked.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, someone hadn't gone back to sleep," Sasuke apologised.
Naruto glared at his rival. "Wouldn't have fallen asleep if you didn't hog the bathroom," the teen defended.
"Save that youth for the obstacle courses." Guy stated.
"You two better get on the bus, I don't want to keep Guy waiting any longer." Kakashi advised. "Oh and Naruto I hope this means that you won't spoil my books for me." Kakashi winked.
Once on the coach, the pair found most of the seats had been taken. The only seats left were at the back sitting next to each other weeks ago the pair would have refused to breathe the same air as each other let alone sit together. But now it didn't feel as daunting as it used to.
Naruto just got comfortable when he noticed Choji was sitting right next to him. What surprised the orange-clad, even more, was seeing his gentle friend sitting with someone else. "Oi, Choji where's Shikamaru?" The teen asked.
Choji turned to face Naruto. "His mum called called last night, she's sprained her ankle and he's gone to take care of her," the boy explained.
Naruto didn't need to ask what was making his friend so glum. Kakashi had already told them that they'd be working in teams. Choji had never been good at sports even when they were kids. Whenever the class had to pick teams no one wanted to pick the slowest kid in school. "Hey don't look so down, when they pick teams I'll make sure to pick you first." Naruto promised.
Choji's face brightened at this. "Thanks, Naruto, do you think they'll be a fast food place?" he asked.
Sitting next to Naruto, Sasuke had already put his earphones to block everyone's mindless chatter. There were a number of new factors he needed to consider. "With a body like that, it wouldn't be difficult for Naruto to strangle Kiba," he reasoned. Sasuke could see the grizzly death unfold with his mind's eye. "They'd been drinking that night, did Naruto confess his feelings and fly into a rage when Kiba laughed at him?" "Until I can prove Naruto had feelings for Kiba."
Weeks had passed since he'd shared his theory with Orochimaru and yet he was still no closer to finding out the truth. There just never seemed to be the right moment to bring it up in a conversation. "There's no telling how he'll react if I mention Kiba." At worst the blond would never speak to him again, or worse his suspect could become suspicious and blow his cover.
Not a day went by when Sasuke didn't hear his classmate yell at someone in the corridors, but last night Sasuke saw something different in Naruto's eyes. "Once Naruto's provoked there's no stopping him, he barely restrained himself after Neji laughed at his dream." One-by-one Sasuke processed each and every factor. By the time the Uchiha completed his task his head felt much clearer. Even so, there were a few details that bothered Sasuke. "If only I knew what that last message Kiba left meant and why did Naruto save me that one time?" He thought.
Before Sasuke could think about it any longer the coach came to a sudden stop. The scenery had changed dramatically, Sasuke saw a forest that stretched for miles. "Kakashi wasn't kidding when he said this place was secretive." When Sasuke tried to sit up he noticed he was carrying extra weight. His onyx eyes widened when he saw a mop of blond hair leaning against his shoulder. "How long has he been sleeping on me?" He asked himself. "I didn't even feel Naruto lean into me." Learning from his past mistake Sasuke gave a gentle shake. "Oi, we're here." Instead of waking up, Naruto snuggled into the crook of his rival's neck. "Stop doing that," he ordered.
Naruto slowly lifted his head he looked just as embarrassed as he did. "S..orry, Sasuke. Are we there?" His voice groggy.
A huge lake that went on for miles.
Thanks for reading everyone hope you enjoyed this chapter please review.
