Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own the characters that I continue to manipulate.
Warnings: Boy love, sassy girls, and language
Sometimes they fall apart pt. 2
Tuesday afternoon
"Two days in a row now? And you haven't heard from anyone yet?" Naruto asked with ample hand movements.
"Don't you think I have enough to worry about around here as is? Tracking down a student that's been out for two days isn't really a priority to me. Especially not when his siblings are here and just fine. Besides, Shizune is in charge of absences." Tsunade shifted the blame without bothering to look up from her reading. She was preparing to go out of town for a school conference that weekend so she really wasn't concerned about Gaara right now.
"Oh, uhhhhh..." Shizune nervously flipped through the attendance listing for each homeroom class. "I spoke with Temari yesterday, she assured me Gaara was fine and I presumed he would be back today."
"But he's not." Naruto confirmed.
Tsunade shrugged.
"Well we don't have a number on file for the house hold." Shizune said switching books in her hands.
"OK, give me his address. I'll go check on em before work today." Naruto bargained so he could get back to class.
"Naruto, that information is supposed to be confidential..." Shizune said shaking her head.
"Ahhhh come on! I'm just gonna drop by, take him some soup or something in case he's really sick and that's it...it's not like I'm gonna egg bomb his house or anything." Naruto insisted thinking back to a time when he actually would have done that to a classmate's house.
"I don't know..." Shizune debated still.
Both parties looked to Tsunade for a final reply. She hadn't looked up since Naruto entered the office. Noticing both people were waiting for her, she raised a hand and waved them both off. Signaling to Naruto, whatever it was, get it and go.
"YESSSSS!" He hollered.
Shizune made a face as she copied the address onto a sheet of paper. "You win." She said handing him the slip.
"Haahahahaha!" He laughed as he dashed out the office.
In the school lounge
"No one to share free period with today huh?" Neji asked taking a seat next to Naruto.
"Well, now I have you here." Naruto said with a smile.
"Yea, where's your posse? Kiba or the red head kid?" Neji asked with a raised eyebrow thinking that Kiba would pop up at any moment and insult him.
"Well Gaara is MIA and Kiba is, well...he got put out." Naruto said with a grin. "It really was yet another classic Kiba moment." Naruto recalled the incident. The sharp tongued boy quickly looked around before busting a dirty joke; well someone over heard him anyway and they didn't think what he said was funny at all.
"Oh well I just got finished in the guidance office. I mailed out more college apps today. Have you gotten all yours out yet?" Neji asked waving a few brochures around.
"Well, I did a couple local schools so far." Naruto said with low confidence. He was just getting used to this high school stuff. To think he would be off to college soon was a little over whelming.
"Have you at least tried KU? It's the closest university if you want to stay local. They offered me a full scholarship but I'm just waiting to gauge all my options. Suna has a great university too and so does Kiri." Neji said.
"Nope haven't gotten my KU out yet but I expect too. I didn't really explore the out of area schools yet either." Naruto confessed.
"Well you better hurry and find out what school is a good fit for you. They'll be filling up soon. If you want, I know a few tours going on over the next couple weeks...maybe we could go together that way you could get a better feel for the right school." Neji suggested.
"That sounds cool. I like road trips. Just lemme know when." The blonde agreed.
"Will do." Neji confirmed. The whole let's just be friends approach was definitely working out for the better but still Neji had alternate agendas.
"So we still on for tonight?" Naruto asked as Neji stood.
"Of course." Neji nodded. "See you then." He assured Naruto as he made his way to the door.
Naruto watched the other male leave. There was really nothing left for them to study. The language teacher had let Naruto and Shizune know that he'd passed the last few quizzes and tests with flying colors. Still, Naruto had fun with Neji despite what people thought he was a good friend.
As Naruto noted the time he took out a manga and began flipping through the pages before his next class started.
"Sakura! Aren't you listening?" Ino complained as the two entered the student lounge loudly.
Sakura gazed in Naruto's direction. She felt her face warm. She was highly embarrassed about the previous day. So much so that she never told Ino what happened; and probably never would. As she followed the other Kunoichi girls to their fav spot, she watched the blonde who was into his comic.
"Sakura-chan?" Ten-ten called as she nudged the pink haired girl in the arm.
Sakura's mouth was slightly open but no words came out.
Suddenly Naruto looked up and caught her eye.
Immediately she broke their eye contact and engaged her friends. "Uhm, you guys are right?" She tried to pretend like she was focused.
The Kunoichi's looked at her oddly.
She must be mad. Naruto thought to himself. He wondered if he should approach her. And talk about what? He was convinced it would be more trouble then what it was worth. She'd have too many questions and he wasn't ready to provide any answers. Taking a deep breath he zeroed back in on his book.
"I've only been talking to you for the last 10 minutes. What's your problem?" Ino asked as she dropped down onto the cushiony seat below.
Sakura took one more glance in his direction as she paused the world around her. She was tempted to go over but the damage was done. "What do you mean? I'm fine." She commented.
After school
Naruto waited patiently for something to happen. He looked down at his wrist watch and patted his hand on his pants leg. Thank goodness this stop was on the way to the shop. Naruto had stopped to get soup, crackers and throat drops from the local store. He was prepared to be the best friend anyone could ever ask for; even if they didn't want him to be.
Suddenly the door creaked open slowly revealing a set of serious looking eyes.
"Uh, hello. My names Naruto Uzumaki and I go to Konoha high with Gaara." He spoke nervously.
Looking down at the boy before him there was a long hiatus before the male on the other side of the door spoke. "And?" Asked the tall statuesque figure.
Naruto peeked over his shoulder momentarily and took note of the dark filled home. It was 3 in the afternoon and yet it looked like midnight inside. Why so dark? "Well, he hasn't been in school in two days, so I was wondering if he was ok. I don't have his number."
The man at the door looked Naruto up and down. What type of game was he playing? "He's fine." The man said going to shut the door in the blonde's face.
"Wait-" Naruto said placing his foot in the door to stop it from closing. "Can you at least give this to him and let him know Naruto stopped by?" He said holding out the bag of goods he had collected.
The man over looked the bag suspiciously before taking it. Without a single word he shut the door.
Naruto turned and examined his watch. "Dammit…" He whispered before taking off down the street.
...
Gaara watched the teen as he dissipated down the street. He released the curtain from his hand letting it fall back into place, once again cloaking the room in darkness. Gaara stood before the window momentarily still trying to decipher the feeling he got as he watched Naruto leave.
"He brought this for you." The tall man said as he lightly nudged the door open and moved toward the distant red head.
With his arms folded securely across his chest, Gaara turns to face the man. His body language demanded to be left alone as he studied the bag that had made its way onto his bed.
Baki nodded his head towards Gaara as he backed out of the room to leave the boy to his thoughts.
Later
"So I decided that I missed you over our weekend apart." Sai said as Naruto warmed a pastry for a customer.
"You decided this all on your own?" Naruto asked with a sly smile trying to be a smart ass.
"Indeed I did. I thought about you well over 4 times. So that pretty much qualified me as missing you." Sai spoke stone faced.
"Gee thanks...I guess." Naruto said while passing the bagged roll off in exchange for money.
"Did you think about me any?" Sai asked as he watched Naruto's every move.
Naruto started to tell the truth. He started to admit he did think about Sai a couple times when he was with Sasuke. When they kissed, when they touched. He still wanted to know what happened between them but he was also afraid of details. "Actually, no. But it's only because I had a wicked good weekend. Nothing personal." Naruto shooting the other male a big grin.
Sai was quiet for a moment. He was going to ask about Sasuke but he knew it would be hard to hold back any scorn he felt. Surely it would show. Even though he hated the Sasuke he knew, the one that broke his heart and stomped all over it, he was interested in finding out why Naruto was so fond of him. Sasuke must have done a lot of growing up in the last year.
Naruto bent down to pick up trash from the floor allowing the chain he wore to spill out of his tee shirt.
Immediately Sai knew what that was. He had seen Sasuke with that chain plenty of times. He knew it once belonged to Mrs. Uchiha. Something that meaningful on a person you've only known since September? Sai asked himself as he re-counted the year and a half he spent chasing Sasuke to the ends of hell and back. If only you knew Naruto... Sai recited mentally still coldly reminiscing on all the harsh moments he'd spent with Sasuke. Their relationship was anything but sane.
Naruto stood and emptied the dust pan into the trash. He wondered why Sai had gotten so quiet suddenly. Could he have been thinking about Sasuke?
Sai nodded he needed to change the subject. "Oh how was my weekend you ask? Pretty boring actually. I spent most my time in my dorm studying. I had a killer exam today that I was still ill prepared for."
"Tell me about it. We're getting tested like crazy too." Naruto cosigned.
"How unfortunate..." Sai grumbled.
"I am looking forward to the dance next Friday though." Naruto said smiling on the inside.
"Huhm." Sai hummed to let the blonde know he was still paying attention.
"I've never been to an actual school dance before." Naruto confessed.
"Is that right…" Sai stated rather than asked.
"Did you go when you went to Konoha?" Naruto asked taking a seat at the counter.
Sai rolled his eyes toward the blonde. He nearly laughed. "Yes, but I wasn't there to dance. I was doing some, live reporting." He said returning back to his drawing. He recalled the time Sasuke made an appearance at one of the school dances just to shut Sakura up. He was furious about the situation as he paced back and forth behind the school that night in the freezing cold waiting for Sasuke to come out.
FLASH
"Listen, you know I'm only here to save face. She's been really bitchy these past few days...I just need her for a little while longer. Then it's me and you all summer. I'll take you where ever you want to go." Sasuke tried to convince Sai as he took notice to the scowl on his face.
End flash back
"Sai?" Naruto called out breaking the pale adolescent from his memories.
"Yes Naruto?" Sai asked calmly. He began to grow warm. He never did get that trip to Amegakure like he was promised.
"I asked if they have dances at KU." Naruto repeated.
"Oh, yeah they do. I haven't gone though. They have home comings and frat parties and such. All frivolous college blockhead activities."
"Tssst. You sound like Sasuke." Naruto thought out loud.
Sai looked at the boy's pleasant expression. He must really like Sasuke.
"Uh, black coffee, extra sweet." Says a lady walking in with her son.
Naruto gets the order together. "Have a good day." He says as he pockets the change the lady left behind. "Speaking of KU, Neji was telling me to hurry and put in an app. He wants me to take a tour with him to see if it's the right choice." Naruto announced.
"I could take you on a tour." Sai spoke up. "If you want."
Naruto thought about the offer. "Deal."
"I think you would like it there. It's way too bright and chipper for me. You should fit in great though." Sai deduced causing Naruto to laugh out.
Later
Neji opened the door with a smile.
Naruto batted his eyes he thought he was seeing things. "So apparently you're in a great mood." He said as he walked around the light eyed boy warily and kicked his shoes off.
"Welllll, I wanted to surprise you and I think it was a success." Neji stated as he placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders and guided him into the kitchen.
"Surprise me?" Naruto asked cluelessly as he came up to a cake.
"Yes. Surprise." Neji said in a ta-dah manner.
"Neji...wow...what's the occasion?" Naruto asked with wide eyes as he took in the scene.
"Well I figured I'd do something nice for you since you passed language." Neji stated proudly.
Naruto stood quiet for a moment. "I don't know what to say. I mean, you're awesome for this. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." Naruto dropped his book bag and threw his arms around Neji. Small gestures like these would always make the orphan happy.
Neji inhaled deeply as he returned the hug. This was what he was hoping for.
"Thank you." Naruto said finally releasing the brown haired teen after a few minutes. Taking his index finger the blonde scooped a bit of frosting off the cake top and popped it in his mouth.
"You're more than welcome. Really it's me who should be thanking you. We've become such good friends now and that means a lot to me because, I have so few." Neji explained.
"I'm happy about that too. You were one of the first people to befriend me here so...the feeling is mutual. Now, let's dig in!" Naruto said as he scooped more frosting and placed it on the tip of Neji's nose.
Wednesday
"Kakashi says good things about Sasuke." Iruka threw in as he and his student discussed their favorite topic.
Naruto smiled. "Does he?"
"Give yourself some credit. You're a wonderful influence on him." Iruka brought up. He and Kakashi had talked about that fact several times over. "I see you have good friendships here with the other students too: Kiba, Shikamaru, Neji."
"It's really strange cause all my life that's all I ever really wanted was to be happy and have friends." Naruto spoke of old days again. He had confided in Iruka as he did with Sasuke and Kakashi. He trusted him with prime information. "I still feel left out sometimes, cause the guys have all known each other so long."
"I know that can be a bummer sometimes. But honestly I think it's your background that gives you such a strong personality. You have a real heart Naruto. I can see that you love and cherish your relationships more. That's probably because you never had a chance to form them in your previous homes. That should be something that you are very proud of." Iruka said smiling.
Sensei always made his day. He knew exactly what to say and how to say it. It was almost like he was reading straight out of a book.
Ringgggggggggg
"Thanks for the talk Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said gathering himself as Iruka's new class began to trample in.
"No problem Naruto. Hope to talk again soon." He said seeing the blonde off. He really didn't mind spending his lunch breaks with Naruto. He was easily his favorite student.
In AP math
"Now, given f(x)=(x-1)(x-2)(x+1), find c so that the only real zero of f(x)+c is -2. Who wants to solve for this problem?" Asked Kurenai who was the pre-calc teacher for AP classes.
"C=12." Sasuke said without even looking up.
Neji lowered his hand as he threw daggers at Sasuke with his eyes.
"Sasuke, excellent." Kurenai said turning to the black board to fill in the answers and show the rest of the class how the raven developed the problem. "Next, find x so (x,9) is 12." She said beginning to draw a graph out.
"When x=12.6332 or x=-0.6332, the distance is 12." Neji said triumphantly before Kurenai could finish drawing the table out.
At those words, Sasuke's head popped up. He looked over at Neji and grunted. He smelled a challenge.
"Okay...very good Neji. Now..." the instructor continued as she moved to draw up more equations.
"The center of the circle is (3,-1) and the radius is 4." Sasuke stated surely before Kurenai could ask for an answer.
"Right." Kurenai agreed moving on.
"The function is one-to-one. The inverse of the function f(x) is the same as f(x)." Neji called out which warranted a glare from an angry Uchiha.
"Ok." Kurenai said beginning the next question.
Everyone in the class watched as the two most gifted students went at each other's necks; as they sometimes did.
"Class we should all be trying to solve these equations too. Don't just let Neji and Sasuke do all the work." Kurenai commented as she continued to write up problems.
Sasuke sat up straight in his seat. He was not going to be beaten. "'The function f(x) is an even function."
"The domain of the functions are all numbers x2; the range of the function consists of all real numbers!" Neji yelled.
"There will be approx. 76,753 in the year 3008!" Sasuke shouted.
"The domain that makes both equations to be equivalent is x6!" Neji pressed.
"The common domain of the two functions is 6x8!" Sasuke contended.
"Wrong." Neji commented under his breath.
Sasuke jumped from his seat knocking it to the floor. "You got something to say?"
Neji stood abruptly, causing his chair to fly back.
"Boys, boys..." Kurenai said waving her hands in an easy motion seeing that both Sasuke and Neji were prepared to fight. She moved between them almost being burnt alive from the glare she was deflecting. "Let's just calm down for a moment."
RRRIIINNNGGGGGGGG!
The bell sounded and everyone filed out the class. Kurenai dropped her head in exhaustion.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sasuke asked Neji who was on his way to his locker.
"Asserting myself as best student. Wasn't that obvious?" Neji questioned in response.
"No, I mean with Naruto. You were in the lounge with him earlier, why?" Sasuke asked snobbishly. He was on his way to Tsunade's office earlier when he stopped to look for Naruto. He found him sitting in the lounge with Neji close by. Instead of making a scene Sasuke decided to wait till a later time and address Naruto privately. Unfortunately it came out in class.
Neji smirked which irritated the raven to no end. Neji thought long and hard about what to say. He didn't want to make Naruto upset with him but he just had to burst Sasuke's conceited bubble. "Well, Naruto and I were actually discussing our last meeting."
"What?" Sasuke sizzled before Neji's eyes.
"Weren't you aware? I've been tutoring him all semester." Neji said arrogantly knowing he was dropping a bomb on the raven. "I'm sure your boyfriend told you."
Sasuke stood in awe. He didn't know what to say to that. He wanted to respond with major violence against Neji however, the semester was still in session and he couldn't risk Tsunade giving him another semester of detention. Swallowing hard and turning, Sasuke bit his tongue as he moved quickly. He was pissed with Naruto.
...
Naruto and Kiba roamed the hallway. Kiba was in need of a cigarette and Naruto was in no way able to accommodate him.
"So you wanna help me clean Tsunade's garage this weekend or what?" Naruto asked for the third time.
"Dude, nice try but I'm gonna keep shutting you down." Kiba said with a chuckle. As much as Tsunade locked him up in detention and screamed and yelled at him, please. He was NOT about to clean her garage. He could care less where she parked her car. "Mannnn, I need a smoke bad."
"Good luck finding that." Naruto commented as the two came to a stop.
Kiba began searching his locker. He was hoping to find a loose cig or a piece or a butt or something. "Damnnnn..." he cursed coming up empty handed.
Naruto took out his calendar and crossed out another day. He was counting down till the dance. He was so excited. Now all he needed was an outfit.
"I don't even know why you bother Ten-ten honestly. Neji is hot but he's way outta your league." Ino spoke as the Kunoichi's made their way down the hall by-passing Naruto and Kiba in the process.
Naruto stared away. Sakura wasn't with them; that was good.
Kiba pretended not to feel Ino's eyes on his back. He waited till the girls were gone before turning around. "This shit is super awkward dude. Now every freakin where I go, I see Ino."
Naruto made a face.
"And what's up with you and Sakura? I noticed she totally eye screwed you yesterday and you ig'ed her." Kiba inquired.
"Long story..." Naruto said exasperatedly.
"Deets man. I have nothing else to do." Kiba leaned against the lockers.
"I guess you were right. When she asked me to walk her home Monday, she totally came on to me." Naruto admitted.
"What? Whoa! What do you mean? How could you not tell me this?" Kiba asked with much enthusiasm.
"I don't know man. She had it planned out. She jumped on my lap and like popped open her shirt. Kissing and touching, I had no idea what to do..." Naruto practically complained to Kiba.
"Awww bro, I would pay good money to have a hot chick rubbing up on my junk." Kiba said with a sigh as he gazed off into the ceiling.
"Yea, I would have been excited if I wasn't already in a relationship." Naruto said picking up his books. "Anyway, I pushed her off and I think now she's mad at me or something..."
"Join the club. I don't even care anymore." Kiba said closing his locker in defeat.
"Yo, I was thinking, maybe a gathering at my house this weekend?" Naruto said ready to change the subject.
"Dude that sounds freakin awesome. I need to drink all my troubles away." Kiba threw in. "And smoke."
"Awesome. Pervy's goin outta town with Granny. So Friday night." Naruto said raising his fist.
"Word." Kiba responded as he knocked fists with the blonde.
"I'm goin to find Sasuke." Naruto said beginning to walk.
"Check ya later bro." Kiba said waving his friend off.
Naruto hit the stairway in hopes of meeting the raven. They had a secret spot near the roof top exit were they'd meet at various times of the day. That day the plan was to meet by 1:40pm. Sasuke would just be getting out of phys ed. and Naruto would be on his free period.
Naruto cocked one eyebrow up as he check and re-checked his watch. It was 1:49pm the raven was almost 10 minutes late. Instead of wasting any more free time Naruto decided to go look for Sasuke. First stop was the gym.
"NARUTO!" Maito Gai sounded off as the blonde entered the facility.
"Gai-sensei, uhm have you seen Sasuke?" Naruto asked looking around the near empty gymnasium.
"Uchiha ehh? No, he never made it to class today. Speaking of which, if you see hit tell him to come to me right away, he owes me some laps. I would definitely appreciate it, Naruto." Gai said patting Naruto on the head.
"Sure no problem." Naruto agreed headed for the door.
"O by the way, did you hear the good news? I'm sure that blabber mouth Kakashi is telling everyone all over campus." Gai plotted as he rubbed his hands together.
"Uhmmm good news?" Naruto questioned as he pace backwards toward the door still.
"Yes, my protégé will be starting here with me next semester. You guys are going to see what a real lad in training can do!" Gai said excitedly.
"Ok thanks for the warning!" Naruto said hitting the gym door; hard.
He began to call Sasuke on his phone but he decided against it. Sasuke was a big boy and Naruto wasn't into playing guardian. He knew he'd see him soon anyway, so what he missed one make out session. Naruto maneuvered through the hall and decided to head to his last class early. He exhaled deeply as he entered the room. He hoped Sasuke wasn't in any trouble.
Hallway
"Gawwwd I'm like sooo embarrassed." Sakura admitted to Ten-ten.
"Wow so he shut you down just like that huh?" Ten-ten shrugged. "Don't worry about it...do you have any idea how many times Neji's shut me down? I wish I could get that close to him."
"But it's crazy. I mean we were going out a lot, we would talk on the phone...he even defended me against Sasuke. All the signs were there." Sakura concluded. She was having a hard time being rejected. Again. First by Sasuke now by his best friend.
"But I mean with all that said he has to like you..." Ten-ten bartered. "Look he said he had a girlfriend right? He never said he didn't like you."
"I guess." Sakura continued sulking.
"Think hard. Who have you seen him talking to around here?" Ten-ten asked.
"Just his guy friends. I've never even seen him with a girl that's the strange part." Sakura was puzzled.
"Right so the chick must not go here. She's gotta be from his old school or something!" Ten-ten exclaimed.
"And?" Sakura asked not getting why her friend was happy about this news.
"Duh! That means that you still have a strong chance hello! Who can resist a girl that's right here in your face versus a girlfriend that's like miles and miles away? Long distance relationships don't do well. Trust me..." Ten-ten reassured her friend.
"Hey? You know...that makes total sense!" Sakura said enthusiastically. "Ten, you have to promise not to tell Ino. No matter what."
"Ok, sure. But why not?" Ten-ten asked.
"You know she makes everything 10 times worst." Sakura said shaking her head. "She would never let me live this down."
After school
"Wow...so he cut without a word huh?" Shikamaru asked as the crew stood at the school's main entrance.
"Yea and skipped his last class too so I can only imagine what his teacher told Tsunade." Naruto said.
"Was he pissed about something?" Kiba asked as he puffed on his long awaited cigarette.
"Not as far as I know. He was cool this morning." Naruto reflected.
"Have you tried calling him?" Shikamaru asked as Choji walked up.
"I did. Right after I got outta class." Naruto confessed. He didn't want to but he was starting to worry.
"I'll see if I can catch up with him in a little bit. I got this final tutor group today so I'll be around the school in case he shows up for detention." Shikamaru said dryly.
"Thanks man. Hit my cell and let me know what's up." Naruto stated as he took off. Sasuke had broken some really bad habits lately and Naruto hoped to help him keep it that way.
"What do you think?" Kiba asked Shikamaru as the two turned and began back into the building.
"I don't know. He said nothing happened. But you know Sasuke." Shikamaru deduced. "Maybe he got a call from Ibiki or something."
"I doubt Ibiki would pull Sasuke out of school." Choji interjected.
"You're right Choj. I'll get with you guys later." Shikamaru said stepping off towards the library.
"Coo." Kiba said slapping a chip out of Choji's hand before quickly disappearing into the dark abyss that was detention hall.
Later
Naruto opened and closed his phone. It had been a couple hours and neither Sasuke nor Shikamaru had called him. He was sure detention was over. He just hoped that Shikamaru had reached the dark haired teen like promised.
"Tall cup, light and sweet my good man!" Kiba shouted as he entered the coffee shop.
"Hey dingus, did you see Sasuke?" Were Naruto's first words to his friend as the boy approached the counter.
"Dawg this is how you greet me? A not so paying customer?" Kiba asked with open arms. "Anyways your-" He caught himself sensing another set of eyes on him. "Sasuke, was just with me as a matter of fact." He said as he looked Sai up and down.
Sai lowered his eyes. He never liked Kiba much.
"Did he say where he went? Or why he left school?" Naruto asked wanting to know what the deal was.
"I don't know. He prolly went off to lift some weights or something...dude we totally got high after detention I can't even remember where I left my book bag." Kiba said patting his own shoulder to make sure the sack wasn't there.
"Nice Kiba...but that still doesn't tell me anything. Did he seem mad? Cause he still hasn't called me back." Naruto said to the boy a little bit peeved. How was it that Sasuke had enough energy to get high with Kiba but couldn't muster up the strength the call him.
"Dude he seemed high. Hahaha! But check it, I don't think he's mad anymore. Uhm, Shikamaru talked to him." Kiba said hunched over the counter as he attempted to keep Sai from hearing his conversation. "I forget what about."
"O yeah? Well I need you to remember!" Naruto said whacking him over the head with a partially rolled newspaper. "What'd he say baka?" Naruto inquired further.
Kiba gestured for him to get closer. "Sasuke you don't really think Naruto would do that do you?" Kiba mocked Shikamaru as he placed an empty cup on his head to symbolize a pony tail.
"Uhhh ok. I'm lost...and Sasuke?" Naruto asked.
"Everyone knows how I feel about Neji; including Naruto." Kiba said now imitating Sasuke by brushing his hair downward over his forehead. "Wait did I get the bangs right?"
Naruto was scared to ask anything else. "Ok just stop please." Naruto turned his lips into a frown. "What the hell does he think I did with Neji?"
"Seems like he found out that you guys were butt buddies, I mean- study buddies that's as much as I remember though." Kiba said sipping the coffee Naruto had poured for him.
"I wonder how that happened." Naruto said pretty sure Neji had something to do with it.
Just then the door opened and a customer strolled in.
"It's not that big a deal but of course for Sasuke it's a pride thing." Kiba shook his head.
Sai shifted in his seat.
Naruto began to take the customer's order and then sent him on his way.
"See something you like?" Kiba snapped at Sai obnoxiously as the pale skinned boy looked him over.
Sai returned back to his drawing.
"Be nice." Naruto said whacking Kiba again.
"Owww, whatever. Just what the hell does he do anyway while you serve all the orders?" Kiba barked.
"Man it's so close to closing time who cares." Naruto declared as he folded his arms across his chest. He was thinking about Sasuke.
"Huhm." Kiba grunted.
Sai looked up at the clock on the wall and blinked twice.
FLASH
"Look this isn't working. It's over." Sasuke said as if he were dismissing an old sweater.
"What? What do you mean Sasuke?" Sai asked through a confused expression from across the room.
"Exactly what it sounds like. I'm done." Sasuke said without an inch of remorse in his voice.
Sai felt his chest tighten. "So is it that easy for you?"
Sasuke glared at the other male. "Don't make this harder than it has to be." He said before turning up a bottle of Jack Daniels to his lips.
Sai thought he was delusional. Yes his 'relationship' with Sasuke was riddled with bullet holes but he never thought the raven would just end things on a sunny afternoon out of the clear blue sky. "Sasuke, I-" Sai paused to compose his emotional state. "I've stood by you for the last year and a half watching you destroy yourself with drugs and alcohol and l never once turned my back on you. I kept quiet about this secret relationship with you while you flashed around town with that bitch, Sakura and slept with the biggest drug dealer in four counties." Sai spat in Sasuke's direction. "I think I deserve better than this."
"You deserve?" The raven asked standing from his seated position. He needed to get rid of all the excess baggage in his life. He started by dropping Sakura and now Sai had to go as well. Sasuke decided he needed to focus. He was on a quest for self. A quest for revenge. All he could think about for the last two weeks was his fallen family. There was no way he was going to let relationships keep him side tracked and ruin his chances at reprisal.
Knowing that when Sasuke made up his mind, it was made up for good Sai resorted to low blows. "I love you Sasuke."
"It's done, Sai." The raven said turning away from the pitiful sight he was seeing.
End flash
"Is that alright Sai?" Naruto asked.
"Huh?" Sai questioned with a tired expression.
"I wanted to know if you minded me leaving now?" Naruto repeated.
"O sure. Go ahead." Sai said lightly.
"Cool see you tomorrow." The blonde said grabbing his note book and heading out with Kiba.
…
"Of course it would start raining right now..." Naruto scoffed placing his note book on top of his head. Kiba was probably tucked tightly away in his bed by now. The two boys decided to walk home from the coffee shop that night and Kiba's stop came up first. "Maybe I should have waited for his sister after all." Naruto complained. Kiba had offered to drive Naruto home once his sister or mother got there, but Naruto figured he could walk faster.
As rain drops fell, blanketing the streets of Konoha with glistening moisture, Naruto picked up the pace. The dark sky and erratic flashes of light played host to ominous shadows which lurked behind the blonde as he delved on in deep though. After an evening of feeling confused and guilty about Sasuke and Neji, Naruto had decided that he was not going to disown his friends for Sasuke. If their relationship was strong, it would forge forward and Sasuke would trust him to make the right decisions and vice versa.
Looking both ways before crossing, Naruto noticed a dark figure a few feet back then shifted focus back to oncoming traffic. Of course he thought nothing of it.
"Stupid Sasuke..." He cursed under his breath darting between cars. "This is all his stupid fault I'm out here in the rain..." Naruto contested. He thought about calling his boyfriend again but quickly dismissed the idea on a count of stubbornness.
Naruto thought back to his first few weeks in town. Sasuke was so cold to him, however he still had that draw. Neji, on the other hand was one of the nicest people he'd ever met. Naruto thought about the kiss the chestnut haired boy had planted on him in his car then again in the basement then again at his house. A smile crept across his face. Why didn't he choose Neji? Neji was level headed, he was consistent and he was caring. Sasuke on the other hand was rude, indifferent and definitely snobbish. Yet, something about him screamed out. Naruto was wondered how different things would be if he were with Neji instead?
Rounding the corner near his street Naruto sparked an idea. "I'm gonna tell Sasuke to accept my friends, or we're over." Naruto threatened. Easier said than done he thought. "Who am I kidding…" He said out loud. Just as he finished his sentence he realized the man behind him rounded the exact same corner he did. Naruto huffed and took a look over his shoulder. The figure shrouded in darkness seemed to have disappeared.
Getting back to the matter at hand, Naruto continued to muse about his mountainous problems. "Now what about Sai and Sakura?" He asked himself. Just as Naruto was about to step onto the side walk he stopped in his tracks and turned to face the guy that was tailing him.
Coming to a halt, the stranger in the shady garbs stood staring at the young boy across from him. "I was obvious." He stated.
"Pretty much, I could have been home 20 minutes ago. I kept going in circles cause you were following me. What's your deal anyway? I don't have any money if that's what you're thinking." Naruto lied as he held a pocket full of tips.
"I don't want your money. You know someone very close to me." The tall figure stated so blandly that it felt familiar.
"Like who?" Naruto asked.
"How is Sasuke?" The male questioned after a short pause.
Naruto cranked his head to one side. "How do you know em?"
The stranger stood quiet. Naruto noted how his eyes seemed to glow red. It was pretty freakish.
"I mean he's good and all but who are you?" The boy asked.
There was silence for a few moments as a rumble of thunder passed over. "You're very important to him I see."
Naruto tightened his eyes. "And how would you know that?" He asked in a smart guy tone. He didn't know this guy but he gave him the instant creeps.
"You're wearing his chain." An even mannered voice said from behind a high collar.
Naruto looked down at the dangling piece that hung from his neck then at the stranger. This guy was weird; he had tired looking eyes and long dark hair. Naruto couldn't make out anything else as the remainder of his face was hidden. "How do you know about it?" He asked tucking the piece back into his shirt.
"Because, he has never stopped being important to me..." The figure said turning on his heels.
"What? Wait who are you?" Naruto called out to no avail.
A large crackle of thunder accompanied by a bright strike of light proved as cover as the cloaked gentleman made his retreat.
Thursday
"GAARA!" Naruto exclaimed as he turned the corner and spotted the boy standing next to his locker aimlessly.
"Oh look at that, your puppy found his way back huh?" Kiba poked fun.
Gaara rolled his eyes toward the big mouth kid sending a shiver down his spine.
Kiba looked the other way.
"Get over it Kiba. Gaara where you been?" Naruto inquired all smiles.
Gaara furrowed his brows. He wanted to speak but Kiba's unnecessary presence hindered him.
"Anyway, glad to have you back. Hope you liked the stuff I dropped off for you Tuesday." Naruto said throwing all his books into his locker.
"Why do they even make us come here if there isn't shit to do? I mean we pretty much took all the midterms. The only thing left is the freakin' dance." Kiba sulked as he realized he still had another week in school before mid-year break.
"Yeah we definitely aren't learning anything." Naruto yawned. "You still down for the mall Saturday morning or what? I needa get a nice shirt."
"Man, I don't think I'm coming to the dance no more. But I will come with to the mall. Maybe scam on some tail while I'm there." Kiba said with a twisted grin.
"You can't bail on me now." Naruto said as the three some began to walk.
"I don't know dude. I'm NOT in the party mood." Kiba griped.
"Gaara what about you? All you guys can't leave me hangin!" Naruto exclaimed. "Am I the only one excited?"
"You are. So what's all the ruckus?" Asked Ino from behind.
Naruto looked over his shoulder to find the Kunoichi's in full effect.
"I'm out." Kiba says making a b-line.
"Wait! Kiba, can I talk to you for a sec?" Ino says in her best attempt at sweet.
Kiba makes a face that looks a lot like pain then the two sashay off together.
Sakura approaches Naruto as he stands by idly. "Hey." She says nervously.
Naruto addresses the girl. "Hi, Sakura."
Sakura gives Ten-ten the eye. "Naruto, I just wanted to say...I'm sorry for how I reacted the other day. I'm really sorry." She said sincerely.
"Sakura it's cool. You don't have to apologize for anything." Naruto interjected.
"No, I really do. I-I came on really strongly without even caring about your situation." Sakura said with a fake grin.
"It's ok really. I understand." He accepted. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. It's my fault."
"Great!" She exhaled. "I've been freaking out for the last 2 days thinking you hated me."
"Of course I don't hate you. I just didn't think you wanted me to say anything to you after...you know." He said with a nod.
"Whew, since that's settled...when do I get to meet her?" She asked looking over his shoulder as if she were in his back pocket or something.
"O, uhm her? S-soon; maybe..." Naruto stuttered tensely.
"Ok. I'll see you later then, Naruto." She rubbed her hand on his arm.
"Sure." Naruto agreed as the girls stepped away. "One down, one to go." He said to Gaara who was quite baffled.
Lunch
"She's a total psycho path yo. A real lunatic. Idk what to do. It's like by agreeing to take her to the dance I also agreed to a lobotomy." Kiba debated letting the guys know he officially had a date.
The boys all shared in a chuckle.
"Isn't that what you wanted?" Shino asked from his end of the table.
Just then Naruto noticed, Sasuke stroll into the cafeteria. He watched quietly as Sasuke made his way to the table with a shiny red apple in hand.
"What? Hell no I'm not gonna turn her down!" Kiba blurted out in regards to something smart Shikamaru had to say.
Naruto kept his eye on Sasuke who didn't even acknowledge his presence.
"Guess who has a date." Shikamaru joked to Sasuke.
"Not you." The raven commented biting into his lunch.
"That's original. But seriously I'm talking about your good friend Kiba over here. He's taking a Kunoichi." Shikamaru said with amusement. He couldn't believe this, Kiba did nothing but nonstop bitching about the Kunoichis now he was dating one?
Choji waved his hands around Kiba.
Kiba batted him away.
"Hn. Good luck with that." Sasuke commented.
Naruto knew Shikamaru and the others were trying to keep things as normal as possible but he couldn't take Sasuke ignoring him any longer. He was acting like a brat just like before. If this was the way Sasuke wanted it to be then so be it. "I'm out." He said rising from his seat.
Kiba threw his arms open. "Dude I need assistance?"
Seconds of silence went by.
"So are you gonna talk to him or what?" Shikamaru asked. He and Sasuke had had a long talk the day before about his attitude.
Everyone awaited the ravens move. Sasuke took his time and finished his apple. He was convinced that he was right. Yes Naruto had called him several times the night before, maybe to even apologize. But that was not going to make things any better. He felt defeated. He hated Neji, but could Naruto really cheat? Deep down he knew the dobe didn't have it in him. Finishing his apple, Sasuke dumped the core on to Kiba's tray and walked off. He was going to find Naruto.
"Ass-" Kiba shouted in response.
Sasuke hit the halls and thought about what he should say as he made his way to Tsunade's office. He'd already checked Naruto's locker and Iruka's class and both places were bare. Chances were he was in with the principal. Naruto was the only kid Sasuke knew that actually liked being in there with her.
Knock, Knock
Everyone in the office looked towards the door.
"Sent to the principal's office eh?" Tsunade spoke up from behind folded hands.
"Not even. Naruto, can I talk to you?" Sasuke replied in a baritone voice.
The blonde adjusted his face and moved towards the door. "See ya granny." He said making an exit.
Sasuke grabs Naruto by the hand and pulls him into a nearby restroom.
"Sasuke why-" Naruto started only to be pushed against the wall roughly.
Sasuke began to tongue the other boy down right on the spot.
"Sasu..." Naruto mouthed when he had a chance to come up for air.
"Hahahahaaa! That was hilarious!" A voice sounded from the other side of the door.
Quickly Sasuke pulled Naruto by the arm into one of the stalls and slammed it shut.
"That wasn't funny. Kakashi sucks." Another student declared as he and a friend entered the restroom. "Check this out." The male says as he carves the words: Kakashi is a perv… into the window sill.
Sasuke placed his finger over Naruto's lips then feels him up. Naruto licked the tip of the raven's finger which did nothing but turn him on even more. Sasuke then puts his forehead on Naruto's and pulls at his pants. He was very horny. Naruto then ran his hands up the raven's clothes causing Sasuke to stepped back and rest flat against the wall. Naruto pulled down his zipper unleashing a throbbing erection. Placing the package into his mouth Naruto did what any normal person would do; he licked and sucked until Sasuke couldn't hold back any longer.
"Let's get out of here." The boys outside the stall said as they exited.
"Ahhhhhh..." The dark heir cried out as the bathroom became silent again. "Fuck…"
Naruto continued to move below as his boyfriend squirmed with pleasure.
"HAAAA, haaaa….." Sasuke exhaled with hard sighs as he released. Sasuke pulled Naruto up and took his face between his hands and placed his nose right on the blondes. He could stay in that position forever.
Naruto looked into Sasuke's face. He wasn't upset any more. He smiled at the pink tint that painted the raven's white features. He was really cute when he was flustered. "I had this whole thing planned out that I wanted to say to you." Naruto said earnestly.
Sasuke kissed Naruto's forehead before letting go. He adjusted his clothing. "He doesn't want to be FRIENDS Naruto. He's doing it to piss me off." Sasuke spoke; he knew exactly what was running through Naruto's mind.
"Don't you think that's a little paranoid on your part? I mean for him to pretend to be my friend just to make you mad." Naruto concluded.
"It's not paranoia. Is that what you think? I'm some kind of irrational schizo?" Sasuke asked flinging the stall door open at full force.
"No that's not what I'm saying at all." Naruto countered. He could see Sasuke getting angry.
"Then what is it? Cus that's what it sounds like to me!" Sasuke yelled.
"Look calm down. I'm just saying when we were studying he never mentioned you at all." Naruto assured the brooding teen.
"It's over anyway. He made me look like a loser and that's all that matters." Sasuke prattled on.
"Sasuke, he didn't make you look like anything-"
"He got you to lie to me. How easy was that?" Sasuke shot back.
"It wasn't easy at all. I felt bad I couldn't tell you." Naruto said as another teen entered the bathroom.
Sasuke made a prompt exit.
"It's not something I had a choice in. I didn't choose Neji. He was assigned to me you know that."
"Just leave it alone Naruto." The raven cautioned.
"Sasuke-"
"Look," Sasuke said kissing the blonde's lips. "It's done."
"You're still mad." Naruto assessed.
"I'm not." Sasuke said as he started to walk away.
"We're friends Sasuke that's it." Naruto said not following the other.
Sasuke continued to walk. "I don't care." He shrugged.
That night
"So Ino is pretty stoked huh?" Naruto asked across the line to Sakura.
"Yeah she is. She acts like it's not a big deal though. She had a dress picked out and planned weeks ago. She thought for sure he was going to ask her but obviously he wasn't." Sakura said with a light snicker. Any Ino angst was music to her ears.
"Don't laugh." Naruto said with a chuckle himself.
"Hey so who are you going with again?" She threw in.
"Uh, I guess the guys for now." Naruto said hoping she wouldn't invite herself along with him.
"O well that makes two of us. I'll be there with Ten since she's too scared to ask Neji. I'm sure he won't be asking her either."
"Yea." Naruto curved his words to the best of his ability.
"Ok I'll see you at school tomorrow then. Goodnight." She said with a smile.
"K, night Sakura." Naruto said hanging up.
Sasuke poked Naruto in the side.
"Ne." The blonde said softly.
"I suppose you're gonna tell me you're just friends with her too." Sasuke said sarcastically.
"Why are you so cynical?" Naruto asked as a shirtless raven crossed the room and sat on the couch.
After picking Naruto up from Two Gs, the duo returned to Naruto's where they saw Jiraiya and Tsunade off for. He was accompanying her to her conference out of town for the weekend. When Sasuke saw them holding hands, he gagged a little.
"Wii?" Asked Naruto as he draped himself over the back of the couch.
"No." Sasuke said quietly as he flipped the channels. Naruto always got way too hyper when playing that game.
Naruto stood still for a second then he remembered something. "Oi, teme I ran into an old friend of yours too."
"Hn." Sasuke grunted. He wondered what now? First Kabuto stalked him constantly now strangers did too apparently.
"Well actually he followed me for about 20 blocks." Naruto continued as Sasuke pretended to listen. "He knew about the chain you gave me too." Naruto said twisting the crystal piece between his fingers.
"What?" Sasuke asked as he turned to the blonde.
"He was saying I must be important to you cause I have the chain or something." Naruto recalled.
Sasuke climbed over the couch and gripped Naruto by his arms. "Naruto what did he look like?"
"Uhhh, he was dressed in like all black and maybe red clouds, I don't know it was dark." Naruto said getting a little spooked.
"His face- what did his face look like?" Sasuke asked tightening his grip on the boy.
"I-I don't know." Naruto said slowly sensing something serious was afoot.
"Try to remember Naruto! What did his face look like?"
Naruto struggled with his memory. The only other thing was… "Uhmm, his eyes they kinda were red and shiny like."
Sasuke's eyes grew in size. "Get dressed."
...
"And that was all he said. That Sasuke never stopped being important to him. I kept asking who he was but he never answered." Naruto explained to Sasuke and Ibiki.
Ibiki looked at Sasuke. "Besides him who else would know about the chain?"
Sasuke cut his eyes to the ground. "One other person...but I'm 100% positive it was not him." Sasuke said referencing Sai who did not carry the trait eye of the Uchiha clan.
Naruto swallowed.
"I'm sure it was him." Sasuke added. "Why don't you know this Ibiki?" He asked as his fists got tight.
"We've been tracking him for the last 4 weeks plus. There's no way he could have gotten into Konoha undetected." Ibiki assured Sasuke although he couldn't provide a solid answer.
"Some how he did." Sasuke said as he stood gazing out a window. If Itachi had done something to Naruto…
"I'll send an emergency email out at once." Ibiki said as he hopped on his blackberry. "What is it that you would like to do?" The VP asked the teen noting that Sasuke's attitude towards Itachi was a bit different. A few months ago, Sasuke would be going door to door with a shotgun till he located his estranged brother.
Sasuke almost laughed at the question. What did he want to do? "I don't know."
"Sasuke..." Naruto said feeling confusion cut through the air.
"I don't know what I want to do anymore." The raven admitted. "The blocked calls? Were you able to trace them?"
"No, the phone company doesn't decipher blocked or unknowns just the local area of coverage they come out of. And unfortunately whoever it is is using a cell which makes it almost impossible to place the locale." Ibiki said right away as he hit send from his personal device. "What are you thinking? A connection maybe?"
"I've been having these feelings, like I'm being watched. Then suddenly my phone will ring. There has to be a connection to him." Sasuke concocted. He originally thought Orochimaru had someone following him. Now he wasn't so sure it was Orochimaru at all.
"Maybe he just wants to check in on you." Naruto suggested he didn't really take the man he saw the night before as a threat.
"He could do that by picking up any local paper or browsing the stock markets. It's something else. You have to be careful Naruto. You should have told me this before. He is dangerous." Sasuke clarified.
"The best thing to do is to get some rest tonight. I have people working on it right now. You guys can stay here if you'd like. Sasuke you know where the guest room is." Ibiki said picking up another line to make a phone call.
Sasuke's fists tightened as he anticipated confronting Itachi. He needed desperately to find out why. Why everyone was killed? Why he was left alone? Why didn't Itachi take him along?
Friday
After school
"Call me if you see anything strange or if anyone say's anything to you out of the ordinary." Sasuke warned Naruto.
"Sasuke chill out. I'll be fine." Naruto said as he rubbed his beau on the arm.
"Naruto this is serious. I don't know Itachi's intentions here yet. He's a killer. Don't doubt that. I need you to promise me you will be careful." Sasuke asked of him on a serious note.
Naruto swallowed hard. Sasuke was gripping the steering wheel firmly with both hands and staring straight ahead eerily. "Sasuke, if he wanted to hurt me, he had the chance the other night. I don't know but maybe that's not why he's here."
"Naruto, promise me." Sasuke repeated. He wouldn't forgive his self if something happened to the blonde.
"Ok Sasuke. I promise." Naruto said stepping out the car and into the coffee shop.
Sasuke watched Naruto enter work. He looked around then headed back to school. He had told Kakashi what happened and that he needed 10 minutes to drop Naruto off downtown as a safety precaution. Kakashi excused him from the beginning of detention. Kiba also threw in that he would go along to escort Naruto as he had an extensive karate background and could be useful. Kakashi denied this request.
"Dropped off aye? Well, I was dropped off too. Only I had to pay the guy who did it." Sai joked as Naruto dropped his books and flopped down. "Something the matter?"
Naruto voted against talking to Sai about anything Sasuke. "Nah, everything's cool. I'm just tired. Can't wait for next Friday then break."
"O right." Sai lowered his head. Something told him that wasn't the truth. "So word on the street is that Hebi is back this Monday."
"Taka..." Naruto corrected.
"That's right, Taka." Sai nodded.
"Are you coming down?" Naruto asked out of curiosity.
"I used to but that's kinda not my scene anymore." Sai admitted knowing full well the only reason he hadn't seen a performance in ages was cause he and Sasuke broke up.
"O well me and the guys are gonna be there in case you wanna stop by." Naruto invited.
Sai tightened his lips. "Thanks but I'm pretty sure I won't be going. You can let me know how awesome it is." Sai said remembering how great Sasuke was on a guitar.
"Cool take my number. Call me if you change your mind." Naruto said handing his cell phone over.
Sai held the object in one hand and jotted down the numbers before him with the other. When Naruto ducked into the back for a second, Sai hit the call button bringing up the last few #'s dialed. He saw Sasuke's new number and wrote the first three digits before stopping himself.
"What am I doing?" He asked lightly. Did he really want to call Sasuke? And say what? They had ended on such bad terms that Sasuke changed his # and cut all communication between them off. Sai would send flowers to his home and office; he would leave messages with Ibiki, show up at Konoha high, all to be ignored by the raven. It had taken a while but finally he was over Sasuke, or so he told himself. Was he ready to travel back down that road? Could he handle it?
"Are you ok?" Naruto asked rejoining the other male.
"Yep. I'm good." Sai said passing the phone back. He sat and stared at the three digits of Sasuke's number he managed to copy. "You know…I might be free Monday night after all." Sai added.
"Rad." Naruto cosigned.
Later that night
"I'm going out for some more beer." Sasuke said to Naruto as he and Kiba made their way to the basement door.
"Cool." Naruto said as he tossed the Wii remote towards the telly.
He and Choji were battling in bowling.
Shikamaru sat on the sofa behind. "Naruto you're cheating." He commented.
"What? No way!" Naruto responded as he purposely bumped into Choji as he went to roll.
"I'm pretty sure you are." Shikamaru announced.
"CHEATER, CHEATER!" Choji protested.
Doododoooooo
"Game Over." The TV sounded in Choji's favor.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Naruto yelled falling backwards into the waiting sofa below.
"I win, I win! Even after you cheated!" Choji danced.
"Good try Naruto." Shino said from close by.
"Epic fail..." Naruto mumbled.
Knock knock
Naruto looked towards the door.
"You hear that?" Shikamaru asked over the music.
"Yea, maybe Sasuke or Kiba forgot something." The blonde said making his way to the door. He was a little cautious now that he knew Sasuke's brother was back in town. He wondered what exactly it was that Itachi wanted. Naruto gripped the knob firmly as he anticipated the worst.
Opening slowly he found an empty doorway. He stood and looked for a second. Nothing.
"Ok so we were just hearing things apparently." Naruto said closing the door. "Now you owe me a rematch. Shikamaru and his smarty guy comments threw me off back there." Naruto said snatching up his remote as he prepared to do battle once again with his portly friend.
"If you insist." Choji smiled.
Blocks away
"So you're done? Like as in finished forever, as in no more?" Kiba asked Sasuke in reference to Orochimaru.
"He's been calling me all week. But I'm done with that." Sasuke said sounding like he was still convincing his self.
"And you never told Naruto anything?" Kiba inquired further.
"There's no need...it's over; I'm sure this time." Sasuke stated as they approached the house.
"What about Sai?" He proposed seemingly out the blue.
That was a good question. Sasuke hadn't given Sai much thought. But the couple of times he saw him at the cafe prompted memories. "What about him?" Sasuke asked as clips and pieces of a dead relationship fluttered around his mind.
"You ever told Naruto about that either huh?"
Sasuke didn't speak.
"The only reason I ask is cause, well I mean they are working together and if they happen to start talking..." Kiba began to trail off figuring Sasuke could imagine the rest himself.
"I didn't know he was there till I went to pick up Naruto one time. I'm not going to tell him that either. If he finds out fine but I'm not going to make it awkward. He seems to like it for some reason. I asked him to quit but he won't." Sasuke responded.
Kiba shook his head in reply. Sasuke was really good at getting the blame off himself. Of course he would make it seem like he was protecting Naruto in both cases. The less Naruto knew about his past the more he would like him. However Sasuke had led such a crazy life these past 17 years that Kiba knew he couldn't keep things under wraps for too much longer. He just didn't want to be in the middle when that shit blew up. "Whatever." He mumbled.
The two boys stepped out the car with liquor in tow.
"I'm surprising him before the dance. I told him I wasn't going but I'm going to come pick him up. You don't know anything though." Sasuke said reaching for the door knob.
"You're right, I don't know anything." Kiba wished he didn't.
"Heyyyyy! Look who's back with booze." Naruto yelled as Sasuke came through the door.
"Stop yelling." The raven advised.
Outside the house
Gaara stood at the corner of the house wondering if he should knock again and maybe this time actually wait and say something. He had no idea what the hell had drug him all the way over to Naruto's. After all, his last attempt at making friends so long ago did NOT go over very well. No one understood him which prompted feelings of fear. However, Naruto was different, he wasn't afraid.
Gaara stepped over to the door and raised his fist in mid air as he prepared the strike the object before him.
"Argghhh..." He choked and grabbed his temple in pain.
Maybe this isn't such a good idea. He thought looking up at the full moon. Not tonight. He decided making his way to the sidewalk.
Saturday
"This shirt?" Naruto asked as he and his friends stormed the local stores.
"Nice." Shino said dryly.
"I was hoping to find it in orange maybe?" Naruto smiled.
"You need help?" Asked the shop girl with dark pretty eyes.
"Yea as a matter of fact I do." Naruto began as he and the girl started to make laps around the store.
…
"I'm confused." Shikamaru said as he stood next to Naruto at the checkout stand.
"Hum, must be serious that doesn't happen to you often." Kiba cracked.
"Why is it that we're doing this again?" The group intellectual asked as he scratched his head.
"Doing what?" Naruto wondered.
"Forcing ourselves to participate in such an ancient practice. Look at us, we're acting as if we are going to be graded on this dance or something." Shika over thought as he sometimes did.
"We'll I am trying to get laid. Idk what's in it for the rest of you losers." Kiba smirked while taking his bag and receipt.
Everyone headed out the store.
"That's it. I'm out." Shika declared.
"C'mon! I just went through this with Kiba!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Ahhhhhh..." Shikamaru breathed as he threw his hands behind his head feeling a repeat of Ino's party all over again.
"Temari." Choji said randomly.
"I'm not acknowledging that comment." Shikamaru stated as he refused to look at the boy.
"No, Temari." Choji pointed out as he crunched away on chips.
"O dammit." Shikamaru said peeping over his shoulder. "Can we go the other way?"
"Ohhh no. She's your reason for going to the dance." Naruto said walking towards the blond girl.
"NARUTO-" Shikamaru called.
"Would you look at that…twerps are allowed in the mall?" Kankuro laughed.
"Bite me." Kiba said.
"Play nice." Temari wagged a finger at the boys. "Naruto, hi." She winked.
"Hey, where's Gaara?" He asked.
"Well he wasn't feeling too good." Temari stated.
"Temari-" Kankuro said with a nudge.
"Anyway, shopping?" She asked peeking into Naruto's bag.
"Yep for the dance." Naruto said in return. "You going?"
Temari shrugged with a quick grin. "Hi there." She said waving to Shikamaru who looked like he was hiding out behind Choji.
The boy pulled his head out the ceiling and spoke. "Hello."
She watched him as she spoke to Naruto. "I might go. What's in it for me?" She debated with him.
"Naruto-" Shikamaru warned.
"Heheeh…guess we oughta go. See ya." Naruto said with a smile.
"Jeez, it's about time." Kankuro commented as he pulled Temari away.
Kiba snarled at the boy in return.
"Bye guys." Temari smiled.
"She's so pretty…" Choji said as the crew headed out.
Shikamaru grimaced. "I am going to kill you Naruto."
That night
"Dinner was great." Naruto said as he tossed boxes of empty take out into the trash. He was pretty tired. He had spent the morning at the mall with the guys then the afternoon in Tsunade's garage digging and moving. Sasuke had invited him to his band practice that night but he was way too beat to go. So after practice was done Sasuke came and picked him up and they ordered in for the evening at the Uchiha manor.
Sasuke walked up from behind. "Are you ready for bed?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist.
"Uhmm is that considered dessert?" Naruto asked knowing EXACTLY what Sasuke was in the mood for.
"Of course." Sasuke said kissing the blondes neck before disappearing into the next room.
Naruto crept through the halls of the Uchiha mansion and examined his surroundings closely. He was pretty used to being here now but there was one thing he seemed to have over looked.
Stepping back into the living room, Naruto watched as Sasuke poked at the fireplace. "Sasuke?" He called his attention.
"Yes dobe?" Sasuke said as he took a seat on the floor and closing his eyes for a moment of reflection.
"You don't have any photos around here." Naruto stated. He waited a moment for a response. He surveyed the area again. "None." He concluded.
Sasuke maintained his disposition.
"Well? How bout it?" The blonde pressed further as he took a seat directly across from his beau.
Sasuke looked at the bare mantle then into blue eyes. He was so glad to have Naruto there with him, but he was in no mood to play show and tell. "And who do you suppose I keep pictures of?" Sasuke asked out of curiosity.
Naruto didn't know why Sasuke was so hard on himself sometimes. His temperament was so whimsical. One minute he was on, the next off. "Your friends, family..." He began to suggest.
"Don't be stupid. My family is dead." The raven retorted coldly.
There was a silence.
"I just thought, maybe, if you wanted..." Naruto began.
"No." Sasuke grunted roughly from behind shut eyes.
Naruto moved quietly as he got a brilliant idea. He removed his brand new digital camera from his hoodie pocket and focused in on Sasuke.
Sasuke peeked one eye open as he heard a beep that he wasn't too sure of. "Stop dobe, don't take pictures of me." He said raising his hand in front of his face.
"Come on, why not?" Naruto said smiling from behind his eye piece. "It'll be fun."
"It's dumb." Sasuke said not looking up for fear of being captured.
Naruto's smile faded. He was silent again. He lowered his camera. He thought of how much he and Sasuke had in common yet how different they were. "Sasuke?"
"What?" Sasuke asked beginning to become annoyed.
"I'd like to have a picture of you." Naruto stated firmly.
Sasuke looked at him curiously this time. He studied Naruto's face. He knew the boy didn't mean any harm. He didn't want to turn Naruto away like he did every other person. "One picture." He consented rigidly while folding his arms and lowering his head in surrender.
Naruto smiled. He raised his camera and stopped. "I know!" He said placing his body next to the raven's. Naruto held out the camera, smiled big and snapped. He reviewed the photo. He was satisfied, even if Sasuke didn't smile or face the camera or have his eyes open. Naruto couldn't have cared less; all he cared about was being there with Sasuke.
"Are you happy now?" Sasuke asked.
"Yeah. I'm happy. Look-" Naruto said showing Sasuke the screen.
Sasuke looked at himself and Naruto who was beaming ear to ear in the picture. He looked sincerely happy. Sasuke moved over. He touched his lips to Naruto's. This kiss was well deserved.
Monday at School
"Sunday was so relaxing." Naruto said to Sasuke. The couple had taken a day to themselves just to hang out together and Naruto was ecstatic.
"Yea it was fun." Sasuke admitted. He did need a day to kick back and not think about Itachi or business or even Orochimaru who was still calling like crazy.
"See ya later." Naruto said as Kiba joined the pair.
"Ok." Sasuke said as he breezed away.
"What's his problem?" Kiba asked.
"Problem?" Naruto questioned.
"Yeah he looks totally constipated when he's happy." Kiba responded.
Naruto shook his head.
"So check it. I think if everything goes well Friday, I'm gonna ask Ino to go steady." Kiba spoke up. It had been on his mind all weekend.
"Go steady?" Naruto asked with a perplexed face. "Where the hell did u go this weekend? The museum? Who uses that term anymore?" He laughed.
"Ha-ha don't be a douche. You know what I mean. Obviously she likes me or she would have never asked me to the dance, right? What do you think? Should I or do u think I'll suffer mass humiliation?" Kiba asked in panic.
"Sure ask her. The worst that could happen is her saying no." Naruto imagined.
"I know..." Kiba said dreading the fabled shut down.
"I can't wait for tonight." Naruto said as he and his best friend stepped into homeroom. "Sasuke played me the melody for their new song last night, it sounds so bad ass."
"Word? Awww man, I can't wait either. It's gonna be crazy in the Dungeon. We needa get there early cause people are gonna be lined up around the freakin corner." Kiba said expanding his arms.
On the third floor
"Am I to assume your phone is out of order?" Kabuto asked Sasuke as he was shutting his locker.
"No, actually my phone works perfectly." Sasuke said defiantly.
"Ok that's good I'll just have to make sure Orochimaru-sama knows that." Kabuto said turning.
"He told me to leave. I was serious when I made that decision." Sasuke reassured Kabuto. He was sure Orochimaru thought this was like the other times Sasuke had "left him". This time though, he was 100%.
"I see. Well I'm just a messenger after all. Believe me, no one wants to see you further away from Orochimaru than I. Alas that isn't his wish." Kabuto revealed.
"I'm not coming back. I'm done." Sasuke said with a stone face. He knew this would happen. He was off the drugs and now he was off Orochimaru. He had no reason to visit him anymore.
Kabuto smiled when he really wanted to laugh. "Ok you're done. No problem..."
Sasuke was finished talking as well, he turned to walk away.
"Oh also, tell Naruto I said hello." Kabuto slid in.
Boooooom!
Seconds later the thin four eyed boy found himself slammed into the wall behind him.
"Aaahhh..." He coughed.
"Don't even say his name." Sasuke said as he pressed his elbow deeper into the boy's chest.
"Bra-vo-Sasu-ke." Kabuto whispered in shallow breathes as he felt his lungs depleting of air.
Sasuke cut his eyes at the male then released his victim. He walked into homeroom just as the bell sounded. He had wondered what the next move was.
Later the Dungeon
"I invited Gaara to come down so in case you guys see him lemme know." Naruto yelled over the crowd as he and his friends clambered for their reserved table.
"Fat chance." Kiba issued warranting a mean look from Naruto.
"This place is so packed. I have such a headache already." Shikamaru warned as he sat down and gripped his skull.
"Calm down fairy. We've been waiting for his for weeks! No complaints now!" Kiba demanded.
"Whatever, just order me a beer." Shikamaru responded.
After a few minutes the table was littered with snacks, wings, curly fries and definitely alcoholic beverages.
Tap tap tap
"Is this thing on?" Asked Karin as she spoke into the mic all smiles.
The audience roared with excitement.
"Just in time!" Kiba exclaimed as he was being handed his shots from the waitress. He wanted to be wrecked while he enjoyed the show that night.
Everyone focused their attention towards the stage as Karin played around with the microphone. "You guys don't know how good it feels to be back up here." She said pausing. "We meaning you all, the band and myself have been through a lot in the last couple months. We want to thank each and every one of you for sticking by us."
The crowd applauded giving themselves a pat on the back and thanking Kami that the band was still together.
"One more thing before we get started. We, uh, worked through some issues and we grew as a team. Due to the change of schematics behind the scenes, we've decided to go with a name change signifying our rebirth as artists and friends. So without further ado: TAKA!" She yells as the other members come pouring onto stage.
They don't bother with introductions as they were too anxious to play. The crew starts out with some old music that gets Naruto to reminiscing on the first time he saw the raven and the first time he heard him play guitar.
Sasuke played with a smirk on his face. Sober guitar wasn't really all that bad. He hadn't had a drink or even a joint all day. He wanted to get his high off the music something he loved; something he was so good at.
As the band played 'Kingdom of hope', one of Sasuke's first songs inspired by Naruto, Karin looked over at the dark haired teen as she recited her favorite line. "You're the one I want...you're the one I crave...the only one worth another day... Every step I take, every breath I make I wish you knew you were the one..."
In the back of the club, standing flush against the wall, a pasty skinned college freshman stood by and listened closely to music as it blasted through several speakers all around him. He had not been here since his break up with the lead guitarist. Looking around the pub caused him remember a lot of suppressed pain. He wasn't fully over Sasuke. He didn't even know if that would ever be possible. Coming here was a mistake. He admitted to himself as he peeled off the wall and headed for the door. He should have known he wasn't ready the moment he tried to recover Sasuke's new number from Naruto's phone. What a mess...He thought lifting his gaze from the floor. As Sai made his way to the exit he bumped into Mizuki who was tailed closely behind by Sasori.
Sai's listless eyes met the other males for a moment then traveled to his partners.
"Boo." Sasori said to the straight faced young adult. He hadn't seen Sai around in ages. He figured when Sasuke got rid of him he disappeared off the face of the earth.
Sai maintained his composure and continued to the door. He wasn't trying to get anymore sucked in than necessary. As he reached the exit, his eyes rolled over the raven's figure once more before he passed through the threshold.
"And now before we let you guys go till next week. We have a special treat. A new song that was written by our resident genius, Sasuke Uchiha." Karin said to the crowd and gave them a minute to swoon. "Moment of truth."
The lights dim as the band prepares to do the final song of the night.
Sasuke starts off with a light guitar opening.
"Flashes of light, break the darkness of night and the sight of your smile dries the tears that I cry...every word I said m-makes me sit and regret...v-v-v-visions of past, make for memories last, I'm finally moving on in life but cast in your shadow there's no wrong or right...I'm busting at the seams and I'm wanting to be, something I've never known, someone I've never seen; it's clear what you've shown, just the thought of us, m-m-m-makes me miss what once was..."
"Dude this song rocks!" Kiba yelled looking over at Naruto.
"Yea it's hot." Naruto commented focused on Sasuke.
"I think I'm gonna go up to her." Kiba said waiting for a response from his friend. Kiba had been eying Ino since she and the other Kunoichi's arrived.
Naruto broke his stare on Sasuke and looked at the brown haired boy. "Ok. But be nice." He said with a nod.
"Do you guys think it's too much?" Kiba asked knowing that they already had a rendezvous planned for Friday at the dance. He didn't want to look too desperate by stalking her.
"No man, just be cool." Naruto commented.
"It doesn't hurt that she looks pretty wasted either." Shikamaru chimed in. He was annoyed that he was missing music for Kiba and his ego issues.
"Aight, wish me luck." Kiba said with a sharp smile as he walked towards the Kunoichi's, willingly; something he once vowed he'd never do.
Naruto looked back towards the stage.
"My moments of truth, come a dime a dozen...d-d-d-demons stay on the loose, when I can't fight temptation the feelings I'm needing...the less that I move, I hope I don't hurt you but this f-fascinationnnnnn...my greatest fault is addiction; I'm busting at the seams oh can you hear my screams? I'm wanting to be, something I've never known, and someone I've never seen; oh it's clear what you have shown, just the thought of us, m-m-m-makes me misssss...what once was...this is my moment of truuuth." Karin finished up and dropped the mic signifying they were done till next time.
The crowd blacked out.
…
"That new song you guys did was solid." Naruto said patting the drummer on the back.
"Oh thanks man!" Jugo said turning to shake Naruto's hand. "Hey thank Sasuke, he's an amazing writer." The buff guy added signaling the bartender. "Two gins."
Naruto leaned forward on to the counter. "I guess all the extra practicing you guys did really paid off." He said nonchalantly.
"Extra practice?" Jugo questioned sliding Naruto one of the two drinks he'd just ordered.
"Yea late nights, extra days…" Naruto said cautiously seeing the bewilderment on Jugo's face.
"No way man, just the regular nights. We were so in tune with each other that we didn't even need extra days. Just Saturday and Wednesday like normal. We came together and knocked out this new song just like that!" Jugo said with a snap throwing back his gin.
Naruto's face twisted in anger.
"Do you want something else?" Jugo asked shrouded in confusion as he pointed to Naruto's drink which hadn't disappeared yet.
Suddenly Naruto wasn't in the partying mood. "No thanks bro, matter of fact, have mine. I'll check you later." Naruto said bumping fists with Jugo.
Jugo nodded as groupies approached on his right.
Just as Sasuke was walking out of the back, he looked around the crowded room till he spotted Naruto talking to Kiba.
"What? Nah, I have no idea man." Kiba said with a hard swallow. His heart was beating so fast right now.
"Cause if he wasn't practicing all that time where was he?" Naruto questioned his friend about the whereabouts of a certain raven.
"But that wasn't like recently right?" Kiba asked double checking whether or not Sasuke really stopped seeing Orochimaru like he promised.
"No he's been normal these last few days but all before he was disappearing like crazy every night of the week saying he was at practice. Now I'm like WTF that wasn't true?" Naruto probed. He was extremely frustrated.
"You know, it was probably some stuff with Ibiki, I wouldn't even worry about it." Kiba offered up.
"Yea but if it was why couldn't he just say that? It doesn't make sense Kiba." Naruto stated as hands joined his shoulders.
"What's up?" Sasuke asked.
Kiba looked like his head was about to explode.
"Nothing. Good show." Naruto said not yet willing to discuss the info he just received.
"Thanks. You ready?" Sasuke asked Naruto looking in Kiba's direction as he mimed a slit throat behind Naruto's back.
"Sure lemme tell Sakura I'm leaving." Naruto said moving away from the two.
"Sick dude." Kiba said through tight lips.
"What?" Sasuke questioned.
"I knew you should have told him!" Kiba said as though he were the one being cheated on.
"What are you talking about?" Sasuke was baffled.
"He knows you weren't at practice every time you said you were." Kiba shot.
"And you said?" Sasuke asked.
"Wha-? I said some shit about Ibiki but seriously you're kinda fucked here dude." Kiba was a little upset. He knew he would end up in this mess and he was getting proved right.
"I'll take care of it." Sasuke confirmed walking off.
"Jerk..." Kiba huffed. That totally ruined his buzz.