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Chapter Thirty-Six

Be life long or short, its completeness depends on what it was lived for. - David Starr Jordan

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12:24

I decided to take the legal route there and walk, I knocked on his door, and the creepy spider-man opened it. In my mind he got another 4 legs attached to his body, I quickly shook my head to get rid of that image.

"I'm here to see Sasuke, is he in?"

"Sorry, I'm not allowed to let girls into see Sasuke." He said, blandly. "His orders."

"No! I'm his friend, seriously!"

"Sure, you know how many people say that?"

"No! I am! Just let him see me!"

"Go away kid."

"Come on! Is he in or not?"

"Can't tell you."

I start to get pissed off, and remind myself to tell him to damn well tell his bouncer to let short blonde girls in. As a group of highschoolers walk by, they look at me sympathetically. "It's impossible, we've tried." They say.

"Exactly, so get lost." He went to shut the door, but I put my foot in it.

"Oi!" I say, outraged, until I then shout as loud as I could. "SASUKECOMEOUTHEREANDTELLSPIDDLYMANHERETOLETMEIN!" I scream.

I hear the shower that was running in the background stop, and he came out in only a towel, hair wet, I could seriously see girls melt around me, I glare at them and Sasuke says "She's allowed in." and the spiddly-man let's me in.

"Finally." I mutter at him.

Sasuke puts on jeans and (I hope) some form on undies on under his towel and chucks it back in the bathroom. "Why you here?"

"Why has Naruto been here the last day?"

"How'd you know?" he asks, putting the kettle on.

"It was just an educated guess."

He smiles. "I see."

"Whatcha think on the whole matter?" I ask, propping my head on my hands, and grabbing a stool to sit down on.

"He's gonna fall hard when you leave, oh, by the way, why are you still here?"

"You heard about Kimimaro?"

"Oh… you're kidding me right!?" he says, glaring. "You lost your best chance ever at getting away to care for him!? He's in and out of hospital every fortnight!"

I glare. "Yeah, I know, but he hasn't been for the last four months or so, and you know what?"

"What?" Sasuke said, still glaring.

"He's my friend, and I can't leave him right now, knowing he's fragile."

"So is Naruto!"

"Yeah, but he has you, who does Kimimaro have? The school nurses?"

Sasuke sighs. "Fine, but as long as you know that you're and idiot. A selfless idiot."

"Not really…" I grin. "Not according to Naruto anyway, now, I need a reason to stay angry at him for a week or so, tell me everything he's been saying."

Sasuke laughs. "Only you'd say that, that just proves my point."

I roll my eyes and pour the boiled water into cups with coffee. "Who cares, now, spill!" I pause. "But first put a top on, your making me jealous. You have a nicer stomach then me."

Sasuke laughs again and pulls on a familiar navy-blue top. I stare. "That's awful familiar."

He looks down. "It was the first thing I saw."

"Why the hell does it still fit you?"

"No clue. Maybe it was too big then."

"Weird." I smile. "Now, go on, what'd Naruto say?" I hand coffee to him.

"Just about how selfish you are, and why you don't see how much you rely on him, and how you'll never realize how much he does to keep you safe… ect, ect."

I start to get angry, and launch into my bitch speech, by the sigh from Sasuke I can tell he's really heard enough about the whole thing from Naruto.

I spend the rest of the morning there, until I hear a 'Hey, let me in!' from the door, where Spiddly man is restraining somebody who's voice is too familiar for my liking. I sigh.

"Naruto." We both say, I grin.

"I better go, you know, I don't think you'd like a dead boyfriend." I drain the last bit of my second coffee and put the mug on the counter. "I hear bloodstains are hell to get out of carpets."

He glares. "Not so loud. And get out of here; I'm not supposed to be talking to you."

"I've done all of the talking anyway." I grin, and walk to his room, where I jump on the bedside table and scramble into the vent, just in time too, as I hear Naruto grumble.

"What took you so long? Seriously. And I'd think your bodyguard'd know who I am by now."

"Yeah, maybe."

"You want coffee?"

"Er, no…" I cover my mouth, trying not to laugh, Sasuke was never a coffee fan, and I'd just made him drink several cups of it.

"Sure?"

"Yes. Sure."

"Oh. You already had some." I heard him say, I assume that he was looking at my mug.

"Oh, yeah."

"I thought you didn't like coffee…"

"Er, I don't."

"Then why'd you drink some?"

"Um," he starts, I start throwing my fist into my mouth to cover my laughing. "Coz, er, um, I was, er… tired. And caffeine wakes you up."

"So does a morning jog, as you tell me in the morning?" In my mind I could see him eyeing off Sasuke in the 'what the hell is going on?' kinda way.

"I slept in. It's the last day of holidays! I can do what I want."

In my mind, I saw Naruto shrug, and I took a few deep breaths to stop my laughing, once I was sure I could control myself, I shuffled closer to the vent and put my ear to it.

"…Has Sora been 'round here?"

"Nah, knowing her she's still sleeping."

"Probably." He said, kinda bitterly.

"What's your problem anyway?"

"She ran away!"

"She's also a grown woman."

"She's nineteen. Not really a grown woman."

"She's also older then you."

"By a couple of months."

"Still, whatever." I could mentally see Sasuke shrug. "Just maybe you should let her live."

"She'd die."

I hear the tone of annoyance in Sasuke's voice. "No, Naruto, she wouldn't. She'd live quite a long happy fulfilling life, and you know the only reason you'd have a problem with it?"

"Why?"

"Because for that to happen, it wouldn't involve you." Sasuke snapped, I put my hands to my mouth again, but this time I wasn't laughing. No! Naruto and Sasuke couldn't fight! Naruto relying on Sasuke was the only hope I had that he wouldn't apologize until Kimimaro was well enough so I could leave! They couldn't fight! Nooo!

I felt like crashing my way down there, telling them both to stay out of my life and running off to go camp in Kimimaro's room and never leave until he's better.

But then I realized:

Naruto not staying out of my life is the problem

Sasuke'd then have to explain why he lied about the four coffee cups there.

Kimimaro is in Naruto's dorm, so it'd be kinda pointless.

Instead I go out, turn right so I am above the living room and tap on the grates, then wriggle silently out of sight. Sasuke got the point, Naruto was suspicious.

"Was that…?"

"Dunno. I'll check, she can't get away that fast." And he wandered to his room, stood on the bedside table and took off the grate and looked in, I motioned for him to say nothing, and he nodded, before yelling. "Nothing. Musta been a rat."

And motions for me to scramble away. Naruto, at the bottom goes "You sure? Let me have a look." And I scramble faster, once I'm around the corner I stop to make things go quiet.

Once I hear their voices die down, I crawl off to my dorm, and jump down onto my bed. Mmmm. Bed.

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3:26

Spent a while at Kimimaro's, after a nap. I don't wanna start school. But maybe it'll be good, maybe it'll be something to keep my mind off everything. I stopped by the office ladies, keeping my head down so they wouldn't recognise me and tell me to get stuffed because I wasn't switching classes again.

I changed to Kimimaro's classes, which he seemed glad about, even if his math is about 100 times harder, he said he'd help me. Sasuke said he'd change back to my Visual Arts if I wanted, at which I leaped on him and hugged him half to death, asking what other classes Naruto hadn't taken over.

"…Wonder how much weight you gain by eating this…" I say, looking at the back of the massive block of chocolate I had brought with me to Kimimaro's.

He shrugged. "Not like you have to worry, you're tiny."

"Thanks." I say bitterly. "I am still trying to grow, you know." I mutter.

"Like that'll help."

"Sure, if chocolate doesn't, what will?" I ask, rolling onto my back and looking up at him.

"Exercise, especially in the morning," he said promptly. "Releases growth hormones."

I glare "So that's how Sasuke has been getting so tall…" I mutter. "He used to be my height, you know."

Kimimaro raised an eyebrow in disbelief, he'd also grown used to the fact I knew Sasuke previously. "Sure."

"He was! He used to be short! But now he's a giant." I grumble and take more chocolate, but that was a passion Kimimaro didn't share with me, he preferred sticking to healthy foods. Kimimaro shook his head, muttering something under his breath, I sigh and sit up. "When do we get our test results?"

"Soon." Kimimaro was studying again, as always. I really don't think he does anything else.

"Do you ever get out?" I mutter, glaring at his textbooks.

"Sure."

"On non-Sound Four business?"

"Well…"

"Didn't think so…" I grumble, and sigh and lie back down; Kimimaro was no fun when he was studying.

"Why don't you go visit Sasuke?" He suggested, guessing my boredom.

"Naruto's there." I say glumly.

"Oh…How can you tell?"

"He's not here."

"Who says he's not somewhere else?"

"Like Sasuke's?"

"No, somewhere different…" he trailed off, frowning at a particular passage in the text and muttering 'really? So that's why he marked me wrong…'

"It's Naruto; he's either here, or at Sasuke's. No exceptions."

"Okay then."

"Come on! Do you ever do anything fun?"

Kimimaro looked up and glared. "What do you call 'fun'?"

"You know, getting out, doing something exciting." I say, looking out the window at the rainy sky.

"I'm not allowed excitement, remember?" He said bitterly.

I sigh "Oh… yeah, that." And resign to staring once again out the window and eating more chocolate.

"Why don't you just go for a walk? You're obviously bored with me."

"Rather be with you bored then on my own having fun."

"That makes no sense." He said, looking up, confused.

"It does to me, and that's all that matters."

Kimimaro shakes his head and mutters "No sense… none at all…"

I sigh. "You know what?" I say, sitting up again. "We're going out. Anywhere. Have you ever seen the forests around here?"

"No. I haven't really been out of this place."

I nod then. "Well, let's go see them."

"Not allowed."

"Why?!" I cry, now getting annoyed. "Come on! They have to let you live!"

"Forests is private property, the school doesn't own it."

"Even better." I say firmly. "Come on, let's go!"

"It's raining."

"Who cares?"

"Me." He says, glaring, he'd been extra-short with me ever since I found out; I sigh and go back to staring out the window. His stare softens. "Sorry."

"Its fine… probably shouldn't get kicked out of here…" I say, and trace the patterns on the white and cream bedspread.

And that's how the afternoon passed, Kimimaro is afraid; it never really had occurred to me that he'd be scared. He's always been kinda indifferent to everything. He shouldn't be scared… Has he really been couped up for so long that he is afraid to go out? To take a risk or two? My mum always said 'Quality over Quantity.' And I think that applies to life too, I'd rather live a short, full life, then a long drawn-out fearful one.

I reach for another piece of chocolate, and find only one there. "You know, after I eat this I'll have eaten a full count of three family size blocks of chocolate in two days."

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Tuesday 30/5/18 – 7:38am

I don't wannnaa lleaaaaaaarnnn

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5:47pm

Hahahaha. I think Kimimaro was determined to make today better then yesterday's boredom fest. In English I threw a paper aeroplane at the Sensei's over-large hair in a last attempt to tell her her fly was undone, but she ignored the big 'YOUR FLY'S UNDONE!' on the plane and instead sent me straight to detention.

Now, that is perfectly normal, but the fact Kimimaro spoke up and said "Sorry miss." Was what shocked me, I turned to him, stunned, and the Sensei grimaced.

"Well, you both go." She grumbled. And ripped off the slip and we both walked off. Private education sucks. It's like highschool, they can blackmail you to obey rules, coz if your kicked out there are scholarship students who would adore the chance to be here.

Kimimaro is kinda safe, when I asked him why the hell he did that, he said "I thought you might be bored in detention."

I smile and link my arm with his. "Saving fair lady from the terrors of boredom, what a hero!" I swoon, but he just keeps walking and I fall on the stairs.

With this I run after him and glare. "Hey, when a girl swoons, you catch her!" I reprimand him. "You deserve detention."

He laughed and bowed. "Sorry madam, care to try again?"

I curtsey with invisible skirts, since I only ever wear jeans. "Of course." and I fall backwards, but this time he catches me. I laugh. "I'm surprised you can hold me, after the three family sized chocolate blocks I consumed in the last days of holidays."

He pushed me back up to a standing position. "You're too short to really gain that much weight, that's probably why your hairs so thick."

And this, at the time, I found hilarious. Really, you had to be there, I had to sit down because I was laughing too much."

"HAHAHAHAHA I HAVE FAT HAIR!" I laugh, holding my belly. Kimimaro, since this was really the first time he'd sent me into a really huge laughing fit, seemed to be proud, but soon the novelty wore off, as always, and he just glared.

"Come on, up."

"FATTYHAIR! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"You know, she'll double our detention if she gets there before us."

"Hahahahahahhahahaha!"

"Oh, come on! Seriously, it wasn't even that funny!" and he puts his arms under mine and lifts me up, dragging me along as I laugh until I cry.

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31/5/18 – Wednesday

You know how nice it is to have Sasuke back in my VA? None of his Fangirls picked Visual Arts because none of them thought he would, so he considers it safe to talk to me. I had made him stop smiling at me in the halls as I was receiving death threats.

"…Your apple is weird." He says, raising his eyebrows at my page, still life was always a dodgy topic with both of us.

"…Your apple is too perfect." I reply "It doesn't look like that apple at all!"

"You sound like Tsnuade." He said, grimacing.

"I should be proud, then." I muttered as the art sensei told us to shoosh.

"Not really. Plus you'll need to get boob implants if you wanna be like her anyway." I gape at him. He shrugs. "What?"

I cover my chest. "I'm still developing, thank-you-very-much."

He raises his eyebrows at me. "Still?"

I nod and shuffle over and keep working, hurt. It's not my fault my boobs weren't as big as all his fanclub, if I was this short and had huge boobs I would look like an anorexic baby hooker. And that's not a look that's hot-right-now.

Eventually I got bored and forgave him; he raised his eyebrows at me again. "Accepted the truth yet?"

I went back into brooding-hen mode and shuffled back. Stupid Sasuke.

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Helloooo!! Hope you like it, just to say, for all those who are going 'Buuut I wannna see Gaaarraa…..' YOU WILL! Patience, my child, patience…. Those who sit through my rambling on about things that don't really matter, shall be the ones who are rewarded most by a happy ending…

Not really, but I like to think of it that way.

LOOOOVEEEEEEEEEEEEE to-love-is-to-lie

p.s. I LOVE YOU FOR REVEWING!!