This chapter is 16 pages, minus the notes and stuff, so please, for heavens' sake, appreciate it for me! I spent ages putting this together. I'm so tired I can't bother to check through for errors, so if there are any, please inform me. I'll try to correct them, if I can find the bloody time…
Okay! You must've forgotten everything in this story already, right? don't worry. We'll have the usual, 'last chapter' and 'this chapter'. And I have a sneak preview of Chapter 13 at the end of the story, so go check it out to excite your nerves…
Last Chapter: A lot of fluff and corny stuff. I apologize for it, honestly. I'll try to cut down on those things. Anyway, it was mainly a test of faith for Neji, and lots of recap.
This Chapter: Yay! Now, all of you who guessed Sasuke's roommate… want to know? Read the chapter! Okay, lots of things happen in the chapter. Naruto is properly introduced, and he has a not-so-happy meeting with Kakashi for the second time. Neji discloses a bit of information to Naruto about Sasuke, and that's about it. Oh…and there's a little special, dead-father-to-live-son interaction and a small amount of fluff between Naruto and Sasuke.
Hope to enjoy it!
Please don't forget to review at the end of the chapter, ne?
-- -- -- First SightSasuke didn't understand why Neji was leaving him in this dark, confined room. He felt himself panicking, as Neji whispered a few more words that Sasuke didn't even bother to register, before going out of the room.
Panic hit Sasuke like icy water from a bucket being flung.
He whirled around, seeing only the half-open windows, and the slightly billowing white curtains. He bit his lip and forced himself not to let out a whimper. He was terrified. Where did Neji go? Why did he leave him here? Where was Kakashi? Where was Yashamaru? The room was nothing but silence. It scared and frightened him.
He clutched the blankets around him. He unconsciously let out a low, whining sound. He wished Neji would come back and hold him, he wished Kakashi would appear and give him that familiar sense of safety and comfort.
The silence of the room was full of foreboding, and thick with danger and a sense of insecurity. Sasuke whimpered and forced himself to lie down again. Neji had not left Sasuke here by accident – he'd left him here on purpose. He probably wanted Sasuke to spend a night by himself. But Sasuke's simple-minded, childlike mind wondered why. Neither Neji and most definitely not Kakashi had ever left him on his own before, unless they were back at their old home, the home Sasuke knew for so long, but was suddenly whisked far away from it.
He pulled the blankets over his head and tried to imagine his old room, the room he was so comfortable sleeping alone in.
But it was no use. He found himself shivering from the cold. Neji had forgotten to adjust the heater properly. It was almost at its lowest setting. He trembled from fear. The blankets lying thickly around him provided him neither warmth nor shelter. He whimpered and pulled the blankets over his head, curling up into a little ball underneath, trying to keep his body warmth even when the chill of the room was freezing him into his bones.
He slipped in and out of consciousness as time passed. He was unaware of anything except his overwhelming fear, and the extreme chill – so unaware that he didn't notice the open and close of the bedroom door.
Uzumaki Naruto was furious, tired, cold, annoyed and exasperated. He wasn't due to arrive at his boarding high school on Monday. He'd expected to be here on Tuesday, or even Wednesday.
But it was all because of a serious mix of miscommunication and bad planning that he'd been dumped in the school grounds earlier than he'd expected.
Uzumaki Naruto cursed angrily as he walked down the dimly lit corridor of Konohagakure High School. Even if it was nighttime, they left some of the lights on just in case. Naruto was momentarily thankful for this, as he dragged his suitcase along to his designated room. He was sure everyone was asleep by now.
Naruto didn't feel any particular sense of joy or happiness at being back in school. He didn't feel dread either. He had nothing to look forward here, nor anything to look forward at home but a monotonous life, a life that simply repeated itself in cycles.
Naruto lived with his guardian, Iruka. To everyone, he seemed a happy-go-lucky, carefree guy who was always there for everybody, making jokes and causing laughter. He had many friends, needless to say.
But none of them were actually close. Not that it mattered. Naruto was fine by himself, and he would stay that way. Each time he came to Konohagakure for school term, he always had a room to himself, thus he was isolated and alone except in classes.
Which was why he was furious at the thought of having a roommate.
Moreover, a mentally unstable roommate.
"Just give in for once," Jiraiya had said, exasperated from Naruto's attitude. His irritation was increased as he had been forcefully awaken by Naruto's arrival. "For God's sake, Naruto – just this once. Just this term. There's nowhere else he can go, and I only trust you with him." Naruto rolled his eyes. My, what a desirable honor, he thought sarcastically.
"You listen and listen up good, Ero-sennin!" Naruto snapped back, equally annoyed and tired from his stolen hours of sleep. "I am a student, not some freaking counselor! That boy – whoever he is – can go bunk in with someone else!"
"Naruto!" Jiraiya growled, promptly shutting the boy up. "This boy didn't ask for any of this. You don't have to be with him during class. The teachers will watch him. It's only outside class you must watch him. Naruto, that boy is…never mind! Just make sure you watch him right, okay? Don't…don't let him do anything foolish, and once in a while, he might…get…unstable or something like that…but just do your best, okay? And if that thing happens, take him to Megumi."
Megumi. The new school counselor. Naruto grudgingly nodded and gave in. He was much too tired already for an argument with Jiraiya. They could finish this up tomorrow.
Naruto growled as he pushed his way past the last few doors.
I'm not going to have a roommate anymore by the end of tomorrow.
Neji tossed and turned in bed. Somehow the night didn't feel right. He supposed it was only because he had left Sasuke just like that. He wasn't even sure if Sasuke had been paying attention to him. If the boy was actually listening, as Neji learned from a month's experience, he would actually cock his head slightly, and look at you directly in the eyes. But Sasuke had been turning his head left and right when Neji explained to him the situation as gently as he could. All students had to be in their own rooms by 10pm, the rules stated. They hadn't had this rule last year. Last year anyone could return to their rooms whatever time they wanted, as long as they woke up on time for classes the next morning, so Neji guessed this was mainly because of Sasuke's presence, and the Akatsuki's sudden activities.
Though Neji knew the school was safe, and that Akatsuki couldn't possibly be here so fast, he still felt a strange dread feeling his heart.
Naruto growled as he jammed the keys into the keyhole with vigor. He knew this was the last step. A bit more, and he could get to lie on his comfy bed, and sleep the night away. He could wake up late tomorrow morning, as school wouldn't start till a week later.
He twisted the key violently, and shoved the door open, not given a hoot about the fact that his new roommate might be lost in la-la land. He practically kicked the door aside as he hauled his suitcase into the room, yawning all the way.
The room was pitch-black. So his roommate was fast asleep. Judging from the fact that his roommate was still sleeping even after Naruto had banged his way to the corridor, destroyed the insides of the keyhole, and whacked the door open and practically tumbled his suitcase in, his roommate was most definitely a heavy sleeper.
However, Naruto was more pissed at another thing.
WHY THE HELL IS THE ROOM SO DAMN COLD!! He mentally screamed to himself. The room was even chillier than the corridors! And it was supposed to be the other way around! He was freezing! What the hell was his new roommate! An Eskimo? The room was freezing completely! And Konohagakure was a school known for the individually installed heaters of each room!
Naruto cursed under his breath and dragged his suitcase hurriedly to his bed, and digging inside for an extra coat. He yanked it over himself and looked for the small heater device. Though after it was switched on – even to its fullest setting – it would take a while for the heat to circulate through the horribly cold, chilly air.
Naruto glared at the little bundle on the bed. What the hell is he thinking!
For as long as Naruto knew, he never really was the inconsiderate person. He only bothered less about other people if he was in a really foul mood. Most of the time, he was respectful of other people's needs, and never really did anything that might disturb them. Unfortunately, for this case, where Naruto was tired, sleepy, furious and annoyed(which literally equaled to 'foul mood'), he was not exactly in his most thoughtful personality.
He banged over to the switch first, making sure he kicked his roommate's side table hard enough to cause a bang, then he angrily shot the lights on.
A brilliant white shot to all corners of the room. It was filled with light, and Naruto could see. The damn heater was almost at its lowest setting. And it was exceptionally chilling tonight!
He immediately turned the heater on to the proper setting for a night like this – of course not at its fullest. He would regret it later, when the room became stiflingly hot.
I have plenty of coats and jackets. Bother this roommate of mine – let him freeze! Who asked him not to check the heater before going to bed?
But Naruto, being a relatively kind person, softened when he saw that the bundle of closely bunched blankets was shaking violently.
It must be cold, huh? Naruto walked over and stared at his roommate – well, not really his roommate – the bundle of blankets his roommate was currently hiding under. The entire thing was trembling like no tomorrow. He must've forgotten about the heater by accident…hell, he's freezing! Naruto furrowed his brows for a moment, before reaching out a hand to pull the blankets backwards, to reveal his roommate's face.
There was a sudden knock on the door. Naruto jerked away from the bed and went to answer the call.
He blinked at the sight.
A boy around his age had obviously just thrown on random, disheveled clothes and ran all the way here.
A tall, black-haired, white-eyed boy was standing at the doorway, in a white long-sleeved shirt that wasn't even buttoned properly, and careless long white cotton trousers and black sports shoes with dangling shoelaces.
"Err, Neji" Naruto asked nervously, glancing at his friend. One trouble after another – I'm dying to sleep, damn it!
"N…N-Naruto! Sorry," the boy muttered quickly. "I…uh, I was worried about…um," he pointed to the bundle on the bed. "Sasuke. I realized…realized I forgot to adjust the heater before I left."
So you are the culprit, Naruto thought, but surprisingly, he felt no spite against the boy. Neji looked ever so sincere, so gentle. How can anyone possibly get mad at him? Naruto found himself flashing a smile despite his weariness. "Oh. It's alright, Neji. Besides, I've already adjusted it. Sorry you had to run all the way down here for nothing."
Neji blinked and smiled, too. "Oh, thanks." He felt the cold air gushing from the room. "It is cold! What have I done?" he mumbled to himself before rushing past Naruto and into the room.
He seemed to be checking on the boy who was still hidden under the blankets. Naruto decided not to invade Neji's privacy. Frankly speaking, Naruto had never seen Neji so flustered before. Neji hasn't bothered about anything ever since Hinata…
Naruto watched as Neji seemed to be whispering a few words. He saw the blankets rustle, and then Neji went back to Naruto.
"Sorry to bother you so late in the night…" Neji murmured. He perked up a bit. "Speaking of which, I thought you weren't coming till Wednesday?"
Naruto folded his arms sulkily. "What do you think? Iruka and Ero-sennin and Tsunade-no-baachaan gave all the wrong information, and I'm stuck here earlier than I wanted to be. And Neji – do you know that boy?" he pointed a finger to his roommate's bed meaningfully. "Err, Sasuke, was it?"
Neji nodded. "He's a friend I met on the coach. He's from another part of Japan and he's never been to school, so I thought I helped him out a little."
Never been to school? Lucky kid! Naruto thought enviously. He looked at the bed, and then turned to Neji again. "Maybe you should get back to your room. It's getting late."
Neji nodded. "Um, Naruto?"
"Yeah?"
"Could I ask a favor?"
Naruto blinked. Since when did the great Hyuuga Neji ask a favor
"Err, sure."
"Sasuke," Neji looked away. "Look after Sasuke for me. Um, don't rush him to wake up in the morning or anything. If he doesn't want to wake up…it's best you don't force him. And uh, could you…could you get him whatever he needs?"
Naruto blinked again. Am I hearing right…?
"Um, that's all!" Neji said. "See you…see you tomorrow, N-Naruto!" with that, he dashed away down the corridor.
Naruto stared after him. Neji had never acted like that since Hinata. Really…what effect was Sasuke having on the usually emotionless 14-year-old?
Naruto yawned and decided it was time for his much deprived sleep. Feeling that the room temperature was getting back to normal, Naruto closed the door and shrugged off his coat. He switched off the lights and was about to go back to his bed when he found that Sasuke was still shivering.
Naruto thought for a moment, looked down at his coat and thought again.
He walked over to the bed, and draped the coat over the mound of blankets before going to his own bed.
Sasuke yawned and pushed the blankets off his body, using the back of his hands to rub his eyes gently. He was feeling a lot better. Last night had been freezing cold, but for some strange reason, it seemed that the temperature had changed overnight. The air was gently cool, and Sasuke, for some strange reason, felt safe.
He could hear soft breathing, but his childish instinct didn't really care about others right now. He was more intent on rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
Sasuke didn't even hear the rustle of the blankets in the bed against the opposite wall.
Naruto yawned and half-opened his eyes, running a hand through his hair and looking away as bright morning sunlight poured in onto his face.
He sat up, slowly registering the things around him.
He blinked and turned to his left by instinct, after hearing some movement.
He nearly had a nosebleed.
A small boy who barely looked 13 sat on the bed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands like a child. His soft ebony hair fell around his face, gently framing his pale features. He was a thin boy, as far as Naruto could see, but so very beautiful.
Not to mention the fact that the boy was facing him, obviously having planned on getting out of bed. Naruto's heart almost stopped beating when a pair of deep, and beautiful coal-black eyes started to look up at him. His breath got hitched in his throat as the boy removed his hands slowly from his eyes to look at him properly.
The boy blinked once.
Twice.
Thrice.
And then he yawned and went on rubbing his eyes as if he had not seen Naruto.
Sasuke didn't know why.
He had just caught a hint of sunshine and he had removed his hands to see properly.
Sitting on the opposite bed with a rather stupid look on his face was a boy around his age, with sunny-blond hair, and bright baby-blue eyes. He had a rather masculine figure to go along, as well as mildly tanned skin. Sasuke thought he looked something like Neji. Although the facial features were completely different – where Neji had black hair, and this guy had blond, Neji with white eyes, this guy with blue, Neji stark white and this guy tanned – the look in their eyes were the same. A glint of kindness and compassion, the will not to hurt him.
So Sasuke simply pushed him out of his little world and went about rubbing his eyes, which were itching mildly.
When he deemed his eyes better, he slipped out of bed and looked around, feeling an emotion of calm in the air. He didn't feel threatened, for some strange reason.
Why? Sasuke questioned himself. But this boy…could it be because of his presence? His comforting being?
Sasuke, being in his usual childlike manner, and even more so because it was early in the morning, decided not to crack his head over it. He walked to the bathroom and began to do his daily necessities like brushing his teeth and combing his hair. He was sleepy, and he wondered when Neji would come see him.
When he finished, he trotted out of the room and pattered to his bed. He realized that the sunny-haired boy was still sitting on the bed, looking at him in a strange way. Sasuke blinked at him, before going about making his bed. Really, that boy was strange, but oddly, Sasuke felt no threat towards him. It was almost as if the very air around him was calm. That this boy, no matter what, was not a violent person.
Sasuke absently wondered if it was because of his eyes. Even with that rather dumb look on his face, his eyes were still bright, still brilliant. They shone. They seemed to be even brighter than the stars. They seemed to shine with a thousand different emotions. They looked so blinding, yet filled with a dim sorrow. They seemed to be laughing, but they seemed to be crying, too. Sasuke found it weird that anyone could have eyes like that.
When Sasuke finished making his bed, he padded over to the other boy and looked at him.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked curiously.
The boy seemed to snap out of his stupor. "Oh, um…nothing. Err…" he changed the subject abruptly. "I'm…I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Pleased to meet you." He held out a hand.
Sasuke looked at it. Why does everyone do this?
Sasuke put his hand in Naruto's. He knew that this was what the other boy wanted.
Naruto shook it, grinning rather foxily at Sasuke. The smaller boy noticed the six scars on his face and wondered if he should ask Naruto where he got them from, but decided against it. Kakashi always told him that he should not ask such abrupt questions that might make others feel uncomfortable. It would leave that person with a bad impression of you, and it was very rude to ask things like that anyway.
"Err, I already know your name," Naruto said. "Sasuke…right?"
Sasuke nodded.
"Neji came in last night," Naruto said. "I think he forgot to adjust the heater. It was cold for you last night, right?" he smiled – a smile so comforting and safe that Sasuke, for once, felt completely unthreatened. "Neji ran all the way here after he realized it." He scratched the back of his head guiltily. "But, ha – I already adjusted it."
Sasuke blinked at him.
"You must be wondering why I'm here, right?" Naruto grinned. "Oh, well…it's all because of lots of miscommunications in the house! Y'know, I live with Iruka. He's my guardian! Always been ever since my dad got it from the law…and my mom, well…went to a mental institution. Anyway, I was supposed to be here on, like, maybe today or Wednesday, but I ended up coming here last night. Real yuck, I know. I hate it. You know, frankly, I was bent on kicking you out, but I guess, that you're not such a bad guy. And you actually made Neji care about something except his damn self! You are really something, aren't you?"
Sasuke blinked at him again. Why does he talk so much? Why does everyone like to talk so much?
Naruto smiled sheepishly. "You must think I'm some sort of talkative, spoilt brat from the way I'm ranting, right? But, hey – you are a pretty strange fellow yourself. Why are you so silent? I can't imagine how you actually earned Neji's high-and-mighty care if you don't talk at all."
"Neji?" Sasuke found himself asking.
Naruto shook his head. "Neji probably didn't tell you. He wouldn't like me to tell you either, I suppose. But forget it. Neji doesn't really care if anybody talks about it right in his face…that guy's pride is unbelievable. He probably acts differently when he's with you, right? Sigh…you should've seen the guy last night. I almost dropped dead of a heart attack. I mean, he wasn't even that devoted with Hinata."
"Hina…ta?" Sasuke tilted his head.
"Neji's second cousin," Naruto answered. "Hinata's a weird girl. I mean, she's not like Sakura-chan – all noisy and bossy but still gets the attention of so many guys…but Sakura-chan tells me she's only with Geji-mayruu! Yuck! Sakura-chan is so adorable but she chooses to date Geji-mayruu of all people! Oh, Geji-mayruu is Rock Lee. He's in our year, too. You're Neji's friend, right? I suppose you're the same age as us. Hey, maybe we can get classes together…"
The sunny-haired boy was still chatting away about his friends, and about the school. Sasuke just stared at him, half in awe, half in content. He didn't know why the other hadn't let go his hand. But he didn't know when he had begun to sit on the bed next to Naruto, listening. And listening. Listening to that strong, masculine voice full of cheer and strength.
Listening to Naruto.
Kakashi yawned and climbed out of bed.
First day at this noisy, banging high school…wonder if it's going to be a nightmare…He heard extremely loud snoring and turned to look sheepishly at Izumo, snoring away on his bed, sleeping in the most unpleasant fashion.
Yes…already a bad start.
"Up already, Kakashi?" Kotetsu came out of the bathroom, a towel around his neck. He looked at Izumo. "Forget the guy. He sleeps like a log, remember?" the officer winked.
Kakashi chuckled. "Yes. I remember."
Kotetsu gestured to the bathroom. "It's all yours, Kakashi. Just make sure you don't take as long as a girl."
Kakashi grabbed his clothes and went in, but not before whacking Kotetsu hard.
Naruto never thought he'd meet anyone like Sasuke.
The boy listened to him for a whole half hour. He was obviously listening, and not just pretending to. He was the picture of innocent perfection.
When Naruto realized that they had to be going for breakfast, he gently eased Sasuke off his lap(all the while wondering how Sasuke got from the bed to his lap) and made his way to the bathroom. Sasuke was already in a white Adidas shirt that had a hood and three black stripes running down each sleeve thinly, and black Capri trousers with three stripes running down each side boldly.
Naruto grabbed a glaring orange shirt and slid on long white trousers. He grabbed his wallet and room keys and strolled out of the room. He was too lazy to look for his cell phone in the mass of clothes and books in his suitcase. Sasuke stood at the doorway, waiting for him.
"Anou," Naruto trailed off as he locked the door and turned to Sasuke. "Don't have you to wait for Neji?"
Sasuke yawned and shrugged slightly, rubbing his eyes again.
Naruto stuffed his hands into his pockets and chuckled and started down the corridor, Sasuke following him like a puppy.
He's still sleepy…Kakashi grabbed on a white shirt and long black trousers, reached for his keys and wallet, and left the room.
He met Yashamaru along the way to Sasuke's room. The young man was sharing a room with a gruff man who was only known as Baku (as far as Kakashi could find out), and a very explosive, hyperactive man called Maito Gai, whose eyebrows Kakashi felt seemed to be glaring out of his tanned forehead. The man's haircut was not exactly on top of the fashion list either.
"Ah, Kakashi," Yashamaru smiled. "Going to see Sasuke?"
"Yeah," Kakashi answered. I wonder if he's getting along all right…
"You probably shouldn't worry about him," Yashamaru chuckled. "He'll be fine."
"Yeah, I just hope he hasn't wondered away from the room…"
"Nah," Yashamaru said. "You know him. It was tiring yesterday for him. And he probably stayed up a while because Neji left him alone. He'll probably still be sleeping, or walk around half-asleep."
"Hmm," Kakashi answered. "So, are you going down for breakfast?"
Yashamaru shook his head. "Not just yet. Gai-san insisted on showing me his homeroom before breakfast. But he took off just a while ago after seeing some student. I swear that student's like a smaller version of Gai-san!"
Kakashi shuddered at the thought.
"He hasn't come back since," Yashamaru said. "And I don't think he'll be happy if I just went off for breakfast first…"
"Oh, well," Kakashi chuckled. "Happy searching!"
Yashamaru gave him a look before smiling and going off alone again.
Kakashi walked down the still unfamiliar corridors to Aki. He took the elevator up to the topmost floor, and was surprised to almost hit Neji square in the face as he walked distractedly out of the elevator.
"K…Kakashi-san!" Neji yelped, pulling away.
"Oh, Neji," Kakashi exclaimed. "Sorry…I wasn't…wasn't looking where I was going."
"Never mind," Neji said, brushing away a stray lock of hair from his eyes. "Err…going to see Sasuke?"
"Yeah," Kakashi said. "Is he in?"
Neji shrugged. "I just came here, too. I wanted to throw away some trash I found in my pocket."
"Oh," Kakashi said.
They went on their way to the room. Neji was twiddling with his thumbs all the way. Kakashi was getting agitated about it, but decided to say nothing yet. He pushed the doorbell and waited for Sasuke to open the door.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Four seconds.
Five seconds.
Kakashi pressed again.
They waited and waited for another ten seconds, before Neji blurted out.
"N…Naruto…!"
Kakashi blinked and looked at him as if he were mad.
"What?"
"N…NarutoisSasuke'sroommate," Neji blurted.
"What?" Kakashi looked at Neji strangely. What on earth is he trying to say…?
Neji took a deep breath and said in what was more like a squeak, "Naruto is Sasuke's roommate."
Several seconds passed.
"Naruto?" The first picture that came into Kakashi's mind was brilliant blue eyes.
"Well, yeah."
"How do you know?"
"I, err," Neji guiltily bit his lip. "Forgot to adjust the heater when I left Sasuke's room last night. When I realized my mistake, I went to his room immediately. But Naruto was there packing his bags. I…I wasn't sure why he was there. He was supposed to come either today or even tomorrow. But he said something about miscommunications in his house, so he had to come earlier. But…but I don't think he might do anything to Sasuke…he's not a bad person."
Kakashi took several minutes to take this in. When he finally did, he rammed his fist into the door.
Neji let out a small squeak. "K…K-Kakashi-san?"
"What the hell did Naruto do to Sasuke?" Kakashi growled out. "Why aren't they in their room?"
"M…maybe Sasuke went with Naruto…to breakfast," Neji suggested timidly.
"Sasuke won't just follow anyone he knows for only one night," Kakashi snapped.
"We should c-check the cafeteria, still," Neji winced at the sound of Kakashi's voice.
Kakashi growled and stormed straight for the cafeteria.
Naruto chuckled.
Sasuke had fallen asleep on the table, a plate of toast and a bowl of ramen in front of him. Naruto had noticed him struggling with the long, thick ramen noodles earlier on, so he decided he should get a pair of scissors to help Sasuke cut them.
He slid out of his seat and went to ask one of the shopkeepers for a pair of scissors.
Kakashi ran to the cafeteria with Neji hot on his heels.
"K-Kakashi-san – you shouldn't make a scene…!"
But Kakashi had already banged the cafeteria doors open. There was a loud gasp from Neji and a growl reverberated from Kakashi.
A tall, tanned, sunny-haired boy was holding a pair of scissors and walking up to a familiar boy.
The boy was seemingly fast asleep, his head on the table, his arms wrapped around. And Naruto was creeping up on him with a pair of scissors.
Kakashi didn't know when he'd gone from standing at the cafeteria doorway, to ramming Naruto into the ground. He didn't know when his grip had changed from being on the cafeteria door to on Naruto's shoulders, digging in deeply, holding the boy still. He didn't know when Neji had arrived behind him, frantic in pulling him away from Naruto.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Kakashi growled, shaking Naruto violently. "Huh! What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"K-Kakashi-san, get off him, please!" Neji pleaded, making feeble attempts to pull the strong, heavy man away from Naruto. "Kakashi-san!"
"Get off me!" Naruto kicked wildly but Kakashi, being much stronger, pushed him down.
"What were you thinking?" Kakashi growled out.
"What the hell are you talking about!" Naruto demanded angrily.
Kakashi gestured wildly to the still sleeping Sasuke. "Explain why you were walking towards him with a pair of scissors, you murderer!"
"What the hell!" Naruto snapped. "What are you talking about! I wasn't going to do anything to Sasuke…"
"What does it look like from my point of view!" Kakashi snapped. "You were creeping up on him while he was sleeping!"
"I was going to cut his noodles, not him!" Naruto yelled angrily.
Kakashi's grip slackened for a moment, and Neji yanked him off while Naruto gave him a gentle kick to shove him away.
"Kakashi-san!" Neji exclaimed.
Luckily, there weren't any other students in the cafeteria yet. Only one shop was opened, and the shopkeeper had thankfully gone away to the washroom earlier on.
"What the hell is your idea!" Naruto yelled, furious and trying to strike at Kakashi. Neji immediately came in between them.
"Both of you, shut up," Neji hissed. He gestured wildly at Sasuke. "Don't wake him up and see us like this!"
They both shut up immediately. Sasuke was still asleep, his head resting on the table. He was snoring softly, his lips slightly parted. Neji glared at Kakashi and Naruto, gesturing wildly for them to move to a corner of the canteen, at least.
Once they were that, Naruto angrily whispered, "What the hell is going on?" he glared at Kakashi. "What the heck were you doing, you crazy old man?"
"Naruto, shush!" Neji snapped. "Kakashi-san mistook your actions, alright?"
"What!" Kakashi interrupted at once. "He was trying to kill Sasuke!"
"I was going to cut his noodles, not him!" Naruto shot back.
"Give me proof of that," Kakashi growled harshly. "You were walking up from behind, playing with a pair of scissors, while he's sleeping like some sort of kitten…"
"So what!"
"So what would I think?" Kakashi's voice rose.
"Shush!" Neji reminded him.
"I wasn't planning on anything, alright?" Naruto snapped. "So don't judge people without using that empty brain of yours, sensei!"
"Kakashi! Naruto! It was a misunderstand, okay?" Neji pulled them apart firmly. "It's nobody fault! Look, the students are coming soon. We can't let them see your quarrel. Kakashi-san! Naruto! Calm down already!" the black-haired boy dragged the both of them back to the table and shoved them onto the seats. Sasuke was awakened by the thump made by the tall man and the slightly buff teenager and he lifted his head sleepily, rubbing his eyes.
When he saw Kakashi, his face seemed to light up and he ran out of his seat, running to Kakashi, throwing his arms around the older man, somehow getting onto his lap at the same time.
Kakashi, as pissed as he might've been earlier, still smiled, ruffling his head up. "Hey, kiddo. How are you?"
Sasuke tilted his head. "Where did you go?"
"Why, I was in my room, of course," Kakashi explained, stroking the boy's hair.
"Why did you go?"
"Because I can't stay with you, Sasuke," Kakashi answered. "Was it scary last night?"
"It was. And it was cold."
"Yes, I heard," Kakashi chuckled. "Neji forgot to adjust the heater for you, didn't he?" Neji turned slightly red.
"I don't know," Sasuke replied. "But it got better."
"What got better?"
"It wasn't cold anymore," Sasuke said.
"Oh?"
"Naruto adjusted it," Neji explained to Sasuke, knowing full well Kakashi would happily neglect this little detail. "Don't you have to thank Naruto, Sasuke?"
"Na…ru…to?"
"Yes," Neji smiled gently at the smaller boy.
"Yo!" Naruto grinned, holding up a hand to wave.
Sasuke looked at Naruto for several moments, before he turned back to Kakashi.
"But…he doesn't look like a naruto to me."
Sasuke's awakening seemed to somehow ease the tension between Kakashi and Naruto, though they were still visibly fighting for the smaller boy's attention. Neji shook his head and sighed in exasperation.
These two…are getting even more childish than Sasuke.
As the cafeteria began to get crowded, Kakashi led Sasuke out of the place so that he wouldn't be too frightened.
"Naruto!" Sasuke latched onto Naruto like they'd known each other for years and the blonde grinned, ruffling his hair.
"Yes, yes – stop that!" Naruto laughed, pushing Sasuke gently away.
"Naruto!" Sasuke called again.
They were back in Naruto and Sasuke's room. The two boys were currently in the middle of a pillow fight, in sync with a gentle one-sided fistfight.
"Amazing…" Neji murmured. "He's really got his way with Sasuke…"
Kakashi sighed. 'Got his way' was the understatement of the year. Naruto practically had Sasuke in the palm of his hand.
"If you don't mind," Naruto said poisonously, suddenly appearing in front of them. "This is our room. Are you going to sit there all day?"
Kakashi growled, jumping to his feet at once. He walked to Sasuke, ruffled his hair and smiled, saying he'd be back later, and stormed out of the room. Neji sighed and gave Naruto a look. "You didn't have to push it."
Naruto just scowled. "What about you? Are you going to stay here all day? Don't you have to go see Gaara or something?"
"Don't you?"
"Not yet. He's still mad at me," Naruto shot back. "For taking that book back too early."
Neji sighed and walked out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
Sasuke cocked his head slightly, when he saw Kakashi and Neji leave the room, one after the other. He got out of Naruto's bed and ran to the door, trying to open it. But it wouldn't budge.
"Sasuke," Naruto called. "Don't go there."
"Where did they go?" Sasuke asked, turning back to face the sunny-haired boy.
"They just left. I expect they'll be back soon."
"Really?"
"Really."
Sasuke seemed contented with that. He went away from the door and climbed back up Naruto's bed. The blonde had got out his laptop and was currently amusing himself by chatting with his friends using MSN.
"What…what is that?" Sasuke asked.
"Oh, this?" Naruto grinned. "I guess having Kakashi as some sort of father for you really makes things…less interesting." He began to explain. "This is called MSN. It's where you can add friends, and chat with them over the net. It's like a super instant emailing system. You know what email is, right?" Sasuke nodded. Kakashi had explained to him before.
"K-Kakashi…always does that," Sasuke whispered.
"I bet he does," Naruto smiled. "He must be a busy man, seeing he's so smart."
"Naruto doesn't like Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, a little confused. There was a bit of bitter edge lacing Naruto's words.
"No, not that," Naruto answered softly. Sasuke shrugged it off. He walked over to his bed and picked up Candy, hugging the animal close.
Yawning quietly, he snuggled up against Naruto, curled up on his side and fell asleep again.
Naruto look at Sasuke strangely.
Does he like me that much?Naruto leaned returned his attention to his computer. He watched with mild interest as a little pop-up that read, 'Neji has signed in'.
Naruto sighed and started a conversation.
Naruto-the-Great says: Hey, Neji.
Neji says: Hello, Naruto.
Naruto-the-Great says: I think you owe me several explanations.
Neji says: And so I do. Where do you want to start?
Naruto-the-Great says: Like why Sasuke is so weird?
Neji says: I wouldn't call him weird.
Naruto-the-Great says: Whatever. So he's not weird. But what's wrong with him? Is he sick?
Neji says: Physically, no. Mentally, yes.
Naruto-the-Great says: Oooookay. And what's up with that sensei?
Neji says: Oh, you mean Kakashi-sensei?
Naruto-the-Great says: If it's that stuck-up silver-haired guy, then yes.
Neji says: Naruto…
Naruto-the-Great says: What? It's the truth. Who the hell did he think he was?
Neji says: Whatever. But it was you who made your actions so suspicious.
Naruto-the-Great says: So I am supposed to shout out to the whole cafeteria that I'm just going to cut Sasuke's noodles, nothing suspicious?
Neji says: What I tell you about Kakashi, you mustn't tell anyone else. Okay?
Naruto-the-Great says: You can trust me, Neji. I thought you knew that already.
Neji says: You better. If you break the promise, I'll break your neck.
Naruto-the-Great says: I'm bleeding inside, Neji. That hurt.
Neji says: Go get a life, Uzumaki.
Naruto-the-Great says: Whatever. Just get along with the grandmother story.
Neji says: You moron. Kakashi is just a little protective of Sasuke, okay? That's because Kakashi is Sasuke's guardian, and they've been together for like, what? – nine years? It's obvious that Kakashi is kind of overly attached.
Naruto-the-Great says: Why so protective? It's not like anyone wants to kill Sasuke.
Neji says: You have no idea, Naruto…
Naruto-the-Great says: What? There is somebody who wants to kill Sasuke?
Neji says: Nah. Just joking. I got to go. See you.
Naruto-the-Great says: Bye.
'Neji has left the conversation' was seen. Naruto sighed and dwelled a bit on what Neji had said and started to switch off his computer. He looked down at Sasuke, who had somehow managed to get almost half of his body onto the larger boy's lap. He was curled up into a little ball, and snoring softly. Naruto brushed some ebony hair away from his eyes.
I can't believe I was thinking of getting rid of you…Naruto reached into the bag next to him and pulled out a photo. A photo of a man with spiky yellow hair of an improbable shade, wearing a naughty grin on his face. Naruto sighed, shaking his head.
Sighing to himself, he picked up the photo and slipped it back into his bag. He laid down onto his side, bringing Sasuke up against his chest and he looked down at the peacefully sleeping boy.
Does somebody want to kill you, too?--
--
--
How was that! Was it a bit too cheesy again? Or corny, maybe? Sorry about the MSN, full-sentence, perfect grammar thing. I'm too lazy to shorten all the words because I'm mainly a fast typist, and typing short stuff is a bit of a brain-wreck for me, because I have to think on what kind of short formed words I want to use.
For those of you who don't catch the 'naruto' joke, 'naruto' actually means 'fishcake'. Sasuke was introduced to Naruto, and when he was told of Naruto's name, the first thing he thought of was a fishcake. Very childish, right? But I want to make Sasuke as childish as possible for his age.
I'm hurt! Yashamaru wasn't in this chapter at all. But he'll be in soon enough! Okay! Now for the sneak preview…
Sneak Preview of Chapter 13: Silent Reflections
"How do you expect me to believe you! Arashi's son?" Kakashi yelled angrily, pointing an accusing finger at Naruto. "Your father killed my best friend!"
"Kakashi!" Yashamaru exclaimed.
"Let me finish!" Kakashi snapped. "You are all the same! You take other people's trust, and then you betray it! All of you Uzumaki! All of you are the same! You're no different from your father! So, listen up and listen up good: stay away from Sasuke. You hear me? I won't lose him like I lost Rin! He's the only thing I have left!"
"I would never do anything to Sasuke!" Naruto shouted back in rage. "How can you think that? Just because I'm the son of the guy who killed your girlfriend, you take it out on me!"
"My what!" Kakashi hollered. "You brat, she was more than a friend! She was like my sister! Your father killed her! He murdered her! You know what? She looked up to him! And in the end, he killed her! Your mother betrayed her friends, your relatives and cousins and grandparents all did that kind of thing! Sucking up to somebody, then hurting them! Killing them! Do you know how painful it is to lose a precious person? You've never felt it! And I saw my friend go to hell and back, just because of her death! And I had to feel that pain! That pain of loss that she will never be coming back!"
"I've lost my father! I've lost everyone except my mother! And she's in an institution!" Kakashi looked ready to bark back some hurtful remark.
"The both of you! Calm down!" Yashamaru shouted.
Both Kakashi and Naruto spun around to glare at him. Neji shook his head and felt completely helpless.
I can't believe…how bad this turned out… End of Sneak Preview of Chapter 13: Silent ReflectionsHow is it? Does it make you simply yearn for Chapter 13? Well, that's all folks. I hope you don't forget to review! And if you have any good advice to give, I'll be happy to take it. And another note: FLAMES WILL BE COMPLETELY IGNORED. So you remember that well, if you are planning to flame me.
Love y'all!
Ja!