Chapter 2: Coffee, Tea, and Sandwiches

I woke up to the sound of my alarm screeching and a dog barking like the world was ending.

I rolled onto my stomach, shoved my face in my pillow and screamed joining the symphony nicely. If I'm lucky I'll end up suffocating.

I shut off my alarm and stalled for a couple of minutes before getting out of bed.

Today will be my first day at Konoha University. One of the most prestigious universities in all of Japan and through sheer dumb luck I managed to successfully enroll. Attending Konoha University was definitely not in my plans after finishing high school. If I hadn't gotten a scholarship, there was no way I'd even be able to attend, but even the scholarship wasn't enough to convince me. This is Jiraiya's doing. He was convinced that I couldn't pass up an opportunity like this and maybe he's right, I should be happy, but I-

THUD

Muffled sounds came through the wall. The wall connecting mine and that...that assholes' apartment to be exact. I glared at the door connecting our two apartments willing it to disappear.

Refusing to let my mood dampen further, I made my way to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and wiggled out of my nightclothes. A nice warm shower sounded great right about now.

This apartment was thankfully rented out to me semi-furnished, which meant I had the essentials. I'm not sure how Jiraiya and I would have been able to furnish it otherwise, we hardly have the money. I didn't mind the lack of fancy or decorative furniture though, It's not like I got a lot of stuff anyway.

I finished showering quickly and wrapped a towel tightly around my waist while I dried my hair with a smaller one. My suitcase was still completely unpacked except for some toiletries and my nightclothes I used the night before. I had been too physically and emotionally tired yesterday to unpack and settle in. I was tempted to not deal with it right now, but since we're being responsible now…hmph

I grunted as I dumped everything in my suitcase onto my bed. It wasn't hard to locate today's outfit; a pair of loose blue jeans, a black long sleeve, and an orange t-shirt with the iconic Konaha swirl to go over it (A gift from Jiraiya, because school spirit or something stupid along those lines). After getting dressed, and managing to organize all my clothes into my small wardrobe and closet, I turned around to the only thing left on the bed.

My box.

Well, in reality, it was just an old shoebox but it was the contents inside that really mattered to me. I opened it carefully. Inside was my birth certificate, a beat-up manuscript of Jiraiya's first book, The tales of a Gutsy Ninja, a coupon from Ichiraku Ramen, the best ramen place from back home, and most precious of all, a few photographs of my parents.

There was one of my parents on their wedding day, one where I'm a baby and all three of us are smiling for the camera, their arms around me. The last photograph even has Jariaya in it, along with some strangers I've never met. Everyone in that picture is dressed so fancily, even my parents.

I ran my finger lovingly along the curve of mom's face and closed my eyes. One day, I'll gather enough courage to ask Jiraiya for more. More pictures, more details, just more of anything having to do with my parents…

I sighed and carefully put away everything back into my box the exact same way I had it and set it down on my nightstand. I should really get a nicer box, espe-

I glanced at the clock. 8:50 A.M.

My class started at 10:00 A.M

There was currently no food in my fridge right now, If I left now and catch the bus early enough, then maybe I'd find a coffee shop or something close to the University. It is right in the middle of the city after all.

The prospect of possibly missing breakfast was enough to motivate me into action.

I scrambled around until I found my old black chucks and shoved them onto my feet. I only had two pairs of shoes. My chucks and a pair of dress shoes I had to buy for my high school graduation. I frowned. I'll need to get a job soon, this pair won't last very long.

I scooped up my bookbag and was out the door.

The hallway on floor 7 was quiet as I speed walked to the elevator, but not before flipping off the dark wooden front door of apartment 7B. Take that. I did it one more time just because. And this!

Unfortunately, victory was short-lived because I forgot the whole elevator is not working thing Shikamaru warned me about. Sure enough, a big sign was tacked up on it reading: OUT OF ORDER, SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

"Damnit." I whispered. Sorry my ass.

I heard a soft snort behind me. I turned around in time to see HIM roll his eyes at ME and make HIS way towards the stairs. Grinding my teeth, I resisted the urge to yell and stalked after him.

Descending seven flights of stairs in tense mutual silence was probably at the top of my list of most awkward situations to find yourself in. It was pure relief once we reached the lobby and went our separate ways.

I didn't have to wait long at the bus stop. I managed to find a window seat on the bus and rummaged through my bookbag for my headphones. I connected them to my phone and slid them onto my head letting them pull my hair back from my forehead. It wasn't until then that I finally allowed myself to relax. The intro song to Cowboy Bebop is pretty good.

Finding a coffee shop wasn't hard. The hard part was deciding which one to go to. The city center of Konoha was positively buzzing. So many shops had giant glass walls and sparkling lights. It was all so modern and new, everything conveniently within walking distance of school.

A specific coffee shop caught my eye despite being tucked away at the corner of the block. It was rather small and instead of glass and bright lights, it was made of dulled red brick with a small sign hanging from the door reading: Coffee, Tea, and Sandwiches. I ducked inside and instantly loved it.

I ordered a coffee and a breakfast sandwich and gave my name for the lady to call out once they were ready to give it to me. The coffee shop was quiet but not silent, the perfect background noise. The door let out a soft tinkle as customers came in and out and the lady at the cashier was so nice, she even called me sweetie. I wonder if mom ever-

"Order for Naruto and… order for Sasuke ready for pick up at the counter!"

I stood up from the table where I had been waiting comfortably and picked up my order. "Thank you so much." Determined to get back to the table before anyone else stole it, I didn't notice someone right behind me also getting their order and bumped right into them.

"Unf, Sorry about that." I fumbled.

"Why are you following me?"

Huh?

I looked up questioningly. "Wha-"

oh.

End Ch 2

Mysteryturtle here...

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