On Thursday morning, he felt like the alarm clock rang noisier than ever. He had spent all Wednesday evening checking out the documents Itachi had sent - he had even printed out a copy and hung it up on his wall. That most likely did not speed up the learning process, though, but it helped him have a clearer conscience.
"A-i-u-e-o," he repeated to himself like some sort of mantra as he tied up his sneakers.
"Hm?"
"The Japanese alphabet, Mom. It's for school."
"Oh," Kushina laughed heartily. "I was starting to worry, honestly. You didn't tell me you're taking Japanese." She was in one of the many dresses she had. This one was an adorable knee-length, polka-dot one, the beige fabric made her straight red hair seem prominent as it cascaded down to her shoulders and reached her belt's level. As far as Naruto remembered, his mother had always had long hair. He was so used to seeing the crystal pendant she had around her neck that he didn't think whether or not it matched the outfit, knowing that even if it didn't, Kushina would not take it off.
He licked his lips. "Yeah. I'm taking Japanese."
"Good! The others? Are they taking Japanese as well? I bet Sakura is."
"Uh. No, she's in French. Nobody else is taking Japanese."
Kushina leaned against the door frame. "Hmm."
He shrugged, standing up at the front door. "Yeah."
"How's it going so far?"
"Alright, I guess? It's only the first week. So far so good."
"Yeah?" She looked genuinely happy to have heard it. "Maybe you'll speak Japanese by the time you graduate. How cool would that be?"
"Mhm. I wish. They assigned Itachi to substitute until they find a proper teacher. Come to think of it, isn't it a little weird they didn't look for someone before the semester started?"
"They're probably making excuses. They already have a teacher who speaks the language, why pay someone else extra?" She hummed to herself in thought. "Itachi, huh. As expected of him." Kushina had talked to Itachi only once or twice, but Naruto suspected she was becoming one of the fangirls of his… which was pretty gross to think about, so he cast the thought aside.
"Thanks, Mom," he faked offense as he grabbed the keys to the garage.
"Don't worry, you're not half bad."
Naruto stuck out his tongue. "I'm off."
"Bye. I might be late tonight, newly arrived books are supposed to be categorized and shelved."
"I know!" he shouted, since he had already stepped outside. He took his bike out of the garage and checked the brakes. The bike itself had collected a little dust over the Summer break, but all was fine after he cleaned the seat with his bare hand. His dark red sweatshirt caught attention as he biked through the streets. The thought of it made him grin. He was a teenage boy, after all. It was typical that he liked the attention.
The bike sheds at school had all been occupied, so he chose a random pole to lock his bike, just like many others had done. When he was finished, he started walking in the direction of the school building.
"Red! Over here!"
He stopped in his tracks and looked around, and when he finally noticed a hand waving at him near a tree bark, he walked over.
Neji and Lee had their backs against a wall, and Neji was smoking nonchalantly, slim fingers keeping the cigarette in place.
"It was hard to see you from all the trees. Your tracksuit's like a disguise," he commented on the brown tracksuit Lee had on. He didn't remember ever seeing Lee in normal clothing before.
"I didn't notice," Lee checked out his outfit with wide eyes. "I like the idea of it."
"I thought you quit," he said to Neji while Lee was busy with examining how he could hide between trees.
Neji shrugged a shoulder and blew out some smoke. "I did."
Lee made a confused gesture, back to reality. "Why are you smoking then?"
"This one's expensive. Father left it in the living room. Probably forgot about it, too. It would be a waste not to."
"Hah!"
"Lee, you're in Literature?" asked Naruto, checking the time on his watch.
"Yup."
"It's almost time."
Neji dropped his cigarette on the ground and smashed it with his shoe. "You make it sound like a mission or something."
Lee sighed. "Wouldn't it be cool if we were all ninjas? I want to be physically active. All we ever do is sit."
"How was the basketball meeting yesterday?" Naruto put his hands in the pockets of his coat. "I kinda wanna join the team, but I'm not sure if I'm capable. Did Chouji get in?"
"Not yet. He's not very good, but I'm sure Gai will let him if he practices hard enough. You should come!" He sniffed. "We did some practice, too. Someone had their phone in their pocket and it fell during practice. It was smashed by a youthful jump landing on it."
Neji raised a brow. "Smashed entirely?"
"Thankfully, no," Lee looked at him in melodramatic relief. "The screen cracked but it's still working. It didn't even have a case on! They got away lucky."
Naruto and Lee showed each other their phone cases, discussing the durability. Lee's looked tough, but was an ugly shade of green. His own was an ugly shade of yellow. Guess he did not have the right to say anything about it.
"Hey," Neji piped up, greeting someone, earning himself two pairs of bewildered eyes. It didn't take long for Naruto and Lee to realize who he was talking to. Naruto stood right next to Lee so they were lined up now, and the other person was fully in their sight.
It was Sasuke, holding a single cigarette between his fingers. From head to toe, he wore black, The Smiths t-shirt he wore was probably too thin for the season. He did not have a jacket on, his pale arms bare to the blowing morning wind. He acknowledged the presence of them, taking a place across Neji, right next to the tree, and borrowed a lighter from the other boy to light up his cigarette.
"You look a little pale," was the single comment Lee made.
"Hn," he inhaled the smoke. "I always look like this."
Lee didn't budge. "Even worse. I'd get tests done if I was you."
A couple of minutes passed with unremarkable conversation.
"Umm. We better get goin', by the way. Two minutes to class," Naruto hopped out of the grass field. Lee and Neji followed him, and he felt obliged to turn around and ask, "You coming, Sasuke?"
Sasuke sniffed, inspecting the butt of his almost burned-out cigarette and not meeting Naruto's eye. "Go ahead."
"...Fine," he gave a dismissive shrug, casually bumping his shoulder into Lee's as they made their way toward the school building.
Later on that day, one hand occupied by a red Starbucks tumbler, and the other one some papers, Itachi walked inside the classroom. He left his belongings on the desk and looked around, mentally counting the students. "Good afternoon," he said, appearing pleased.
Hummed replies were left hanging in the air, as Itachi made a sudden introduction to the day's topic, walking all the way to the front of his desk and resting against it. "Anyone who's satisfied with their pace at learning the alphabets? Did everyone take a look at them?"
Shikamaru raised a hand. "It was certainly easier than I thought."
This time, Naruto was sitting in the first row, so it was much easier to see the board as well as the teacher.
"Excellent. If you did familiarize yourself with it, now it's time to learn how to write," he smiled, and it grew wider as the students made troubled noises. "It'll help you to remember how to read as well. Don't fret, I'll go easy on you. You don't need to be fluent. Just show some effort and that's enough for me."
"How many weeks are reserved for the alphabet in the curriculum?"
"There is no set curriculum," explained Itachi with an excited look in his eye. "I have a textbook that is commonly used in teaching. Other than that, you're completely at my mercy."
Chouji's water bottle cap made a disturbing sound as it was closed, distracting Itachi for a mere second.
"But that's also why I'm going to need you to cooperate. If there's anything, in particular, you want to learn about, I'm open to proposals. Otherwise, I'll be teaching as I see fit."
"Can we skip the writing? It'll go faster that way," Shino said. "I don't think they'll expect us to write in Japanese even if we go to Japan anyway. Because we're foreigners."
Itachi seemed to give it some thought, looking back down at the papers he had brought. "I don't think it'll take too much of our time to learn how to write hiragana and katakana. You'll be able to recognize the characters much more easily if you study the lines. We can leave out kanji, though." He started chewing on his bottom lip, deep in thought.
"Let's do that," Naruto uttered. "I've studied hiragana. I can't say I know everything yet, but it doesn't look that bad, honestly."
"Anyone against the idea?"
The atmosphere got heavier when Sasuke opened the door to the classroom, looking as laid-back as one could be.
"Come in. We were just starting," Itachi ushered him to the seat next to Naruto. Sasuke, however, walked past it, heading for the back row. "Will you be able to see the board from there?"
"In a classroom this size? Perfectly."
"If you say so." He started handing out the papers he had brought. "No one seemed opposed to it just now, so we'll be learning how to write hiragana this week. Next week will be katakana, and then you're off the hook. Also, Naruto and Sasuke, you both have a strike for being late. Don't repeat it."
The expression of disgruntle Sasuke had on was almost palpable. Naruto shrugged it off, bringing out a turquoise blue mechanical pencil and an eraser, as well as his notebook.
"In Japanese, you have to know the stroke order to write something. The characters are not randomly drawn."
"Whoa. I didn't know that."
"Now that you do, Chouji, do your best to remember them."
Naruto thought he heard Sasuke snicker cynically. He was starting to think Sasuke could not bear Itachi talking to other people and tried to sabotage whenever he felt like it. Funny thing, he didn't look over the moon when Itachi talked to himself either. Naruto didn't have any siblings, so he didn't know how the chemistry worked between them, but was it really this way? He did not think so.
They spent the first period trying to learn how to write down the characters, and repeating them over and over again. He thought his notebook looked decent enough, but he cheated every once in a while by checking out the paper to remember the stroke order.
Most of the class was already done with their work, already moved onto the second paper, which consisted of some sentences completely in hiragana.
"How do you pronounce this t-s-u sound?" Shino quietly groaned, probably meaning it to be heard only himself, but Shikamaru turned around, brows furrowed. "It's tsu. Tsu ." Naruto didn't have an idea if that was the correct way to say it or not. "Ugh. What a drag," Shikamaru said before facing his own desk again.
Itachi looked concerned. "Maybe we should learn a few words first. It'll help you remember." He hovered over the textbook before he listed some phrases, changing the board marker from blue to black when he started writing out sentences instead. Naruto could recognize the symbols, and although slow as a turtle, read them, but he did not understand what they meant. And there were no spaces between any characters, too.
"First word, gakusei , means student - don't bother taking notes, I'll hand out more papers. As you probably noticed, there are two small lines on top of ka . Which makes it ga . And if we want to use it in a sentence, we could say, watashi wa gakusei desu . Want to guess what it means?"
Gaara, as a matter of fact-ly, replied. " I am a student ."
"Yes, exactly. Watashi is the formal way to say me . We will be learning formal Japanese here, just so you know. Wa is…." He raked a hand through the top of his hair, careful not to loosen the tie. "We'll call it the topic particle. So the word right before wa is the topic, In this example, it's there because the topic is me. And desu is the state of being. Similar to to be in English. Is it clear enough?"
Some girl Naruto didn't know spoke up. "Sort of… but not really." The other students confirmed the statement, except for the two in the back row.
When he stole a glance, he saw Gaara watch out the window, and Sasuke seemed completely in trance, doodling something on the corner of the sheet Itachi had given them.
The following period was a little different. Itachi had seemed to accept that the first class was way too soon to wrap their head around some of the grammar concepts, or start reading beginners material. They had covered a few basic grammar rules and moved on to vocabulary. Naruto was starting to get hungry, though, and had grown tired from trying to concentrate.
"Enough for today, I think. I'll make sure the material for next week will be in your hands by tomorrow, so don't forget to study. And one more thing," he added, "I want to hand out some assignments so you actually use what you've learned."
"Like what?"
"Well. I know you are all busy with other classes, too. Small things, like, writing a self-introduction."
Chouji groaned. "That'll take forever."
"We could do it in class instead."
"Let's do that," Gaara seemed bored of the argument.
"He speaks!" Itachi smiled. "Good enough. If that's the case, I want you all to pair up. One of you may have three members in the group."
He wished he had a close friend in the class. When they were together with his friends, if the teacher had allowed them to choose a partner themselves, he had always paired up with Kiba (before Hinata came into the picture). Also, Lee was fun to work with, and he was always enthusiastic to try out new things.
He watched the people around closely, trying to find someone he could approach to. Gaara would be his first choice ideally, because he knew by experience that the guy was easy to work with, but Shino had acted first. Everyone seemed to have paired already. Sasuke was still sitting unaccompanied, but before he could make eye contact, someone took the seat next to himself.
"We should pair up."
He frowned, recognizing the pale face from the previous class. "Umm. Sai, was it?"
"Yes." The other boy smiled – Naruto felt goosebumps rise on his arm. "Unless you have someone else in mind."
"Ah. No," he rubbed his right arm to soothe the feeling. "Of course."
By the time Itachi's attention was back on the class, the only person left out was Sasuke, who had not even bothered to ask any team if he could join them. "I can do it on my own," he declared unenthusiastically when people started staring at him.
Itachi tapped his fingers on the desk. "Anyone who wants Sasuke in their team?"
Nobody spoke up. It was when Sasuke let out a breath that Naruto hesitantly lifted a hand. "You can join us, if you want to." On second thought, he also asked Sai, "It's okay, right?"
Sai seemed completely indifferent. "Sure."
All eyes were on Sasuke now. He reluctantly nodded after a moment.
"It's settled then," Itachi started picking his things up. "I have to be somewhere else, so you're dismissed. Don't make noise in the corridors."
After packing his possessions and putting on his jacket, he went out into the yard, walking toward the basketball court. There was an idle ball on the ground, so he picked it up once he dropped his bag beside the pole where he could see. He bounced it a couple of times before shooting it. The ball took a turn on the hoop and fell down without entering into the net.
About ten minutes later, the bell rang, and students started filling the yard. Some people he had seen during basketball matches were practicing on the other side of the court. Soon, Sakura arrived, rocking from one side to the other and rattling on about the wind. The denim skirt she had on didn't keep her warm enough, Naruto presumed.
"You okay?" He asked, sending the ball to the freshman kids waiting for their turn at the sides. "You look a little down."
Sakura shut her eyes tightly. A small yawn followed that. "Yeah. Just tired. I had advanced placement Biology."
"Wait a sec, don't they overlap with French?"
"They do. I had to write a letter to be exempt from attendance for French. As long as I score high on tests, they don't mind."
"You're amazing, Sakura," he grinned. "I should've made you fall in love with me when I had the chance to."
"Who says you still don't have a chance?" She poked at Naruto's chest.
" Tease . Oh, right!" He took off his jacket and handed it out for Sakura to put on.
Sakura seemed moved. "You don't have to."
"Nah. It's too hot out here for me anyway." Sakura put it on, and he jokingly eyed her from head to toe, then catcalled. "Now you look even hotter."
"Green doesn't even suit me. But it's warm so. Thank you." She sniffed the collar. "Smells like you."
Naruto picked up his bag and they started walking toward the exit. "Shit. Does it smell bad?"
Sakura shook her head. "No. All I smell is your perfume."
"Ah. I've been using the same perfume since middle school," he chuckled, linking his arm with Sakura's. "Hey, wanna go to that new bubble tea place?"
Taking her time to think, Sakura kept playing with a lock of pink hair with her free hand. "I don't know. I have things to do."
"I actually have something I want to talk to you about," he murmured. "Promise, it won't take that long."
"Hm? Is there something wrong?" She squeezed Naruto's arm softly.
"Kinda. I mean, it's not that big of a deal, I guess. But it's been bothering me. I can't think of anyone else to turn to."
Sakura smiled. "Okay. Let's have a talk then."
However, it was difficult to sneak out of the school without being seen by their other friends. So they separately made excuses and met up at the café. Naruto had already ordered his passion fruit-flavored drink, and taken out the snacks he had bought at the convenience store on the way. Sakura opted for kiwi flavored bubble tea for a change.
"So, what's up?" she asked, looking directly into Naruto's eyes. The parallel leather couches were a bit far from each other, and she had been hunching forward to hear more clearly.
Naruto watched around for a moment, studying the wall decorations and the windows. In the end, he took a sip from his drink. "It's Kiba," he admitted, "He's been acting strange."
"Kiba? How?"
"It's hard to explain. Uhh, I feel like he's… changed," Naruto said, crossing and uncrossing his legs a couple of times to find a comfortable position. Finally, he settled for a posture similar to Sakura's. "Ever since he's started out going out with Hinata. He's been… ignoring me – or something like that. Sort of."
She frowned, playing with the hem of Naruto's jacket she had on. "He's been ignoring you," she repeated. Naruto could imagine gears turning inside her head. "What exactly made you think that?"
"See, I thought I was imagining things until that thing happened."
"What thing?"
"Remember when they announced we'd be taking mandatory language classes? The second they told us the options, Kiba was all like let's take Japanese, it'll be fun, oh my god . He worked his ass off to persuade me."
Sakura was biting on her lower lip. "Isn't he in Spanish, though, with Hinata?"
"Exactly. He ditched me and took Spanish instead! I had told him that I preferred Spanish over Japanese, even. And he didn't even take the trouble to tell me about it when he changed his mind."
"That's awkward," Sakura commented. "Did you talk to him about this? Maybe he forgot to?"
"Yeah, no. I don't know. I will, eventually. I just… feel so… cast out. 'specially when Hinata's around." He stirred his drink. "Don't get me wrong. I love Hinata. It's just—"
"No, of course."
"You get it, right? He's just so into her that he forgets about me. Is that normal? Am I exaggerating?"
Sakura swiped her bangs to the side. "I think it's a perfectly legitimate reason to get upset over."
"Mhm. He's my best friend. And I feel like he's growin' away from me. I never received an apology. I mean, it's fine, I don't mind. It's whatever. But he didn't even try to make amends."
"Seems like he needs a kick in the butt, Naruto. You won't know what's going through his head without talking to him. You guys seem to get along at school, though. To me, at least."
He popped the tapioca inside his mouth. "It's not like we fight or anythin'. It's just like, I don't know. I feel bad for feeling bad." He deeply breathed in, trying to find a better way to explain himself, and ending up failing. He felt like shit, and that was it.
"You're adorable," Sakura laughed. "Sorry. It just feels different having you open up about stuff. Guess we're all susceptible when it comes to things we care about."
Naruto rubbed an eye. "We're human after all. That any good?" He pointed at Sakura's drink.
"Meh. Not bad, but I've had better."
"Hmm. Mine's too sweet." He touched the nape of his neck, rubbing the tense muscles. "How are things with you?"
Sakura pouted cutely. "You know. Same old."
"Any progress with Sasuke? He's in one of your AP classes, no?"
"He is. Chemistry. But sadly, no," she shook her head. "He's just, well. A little distant."
"When you start up a conversation?"
"He replies, but it doesn't last long until we're out of things to say. I don't think he sees me as a potential partner," she admitted, staring at the floorboards.
Naruto reclined in his seat. "I wonder if he's into someone else. I don't think so, though. He likes being aloof, doesn't he? It must be hard to pick up the conversation from where he's looking down on us."
"He's not like that," Sakura argued with composure. "Really. I'm not saying this out of affection." Her cheeks were slightly blushed, and Naruto was sure it was not just her make-up.
"Seems like that to me, honestly. He acts like he's not one of us," he elucidated.
"That's what I thought, too. Before having a chance to talk to him. It's true that he's a little cold. But I wouldn't say stuck-up."
Naruto put his empty cup on the table, grabbing for one of the granola bars. "…If you say so."
"Aren't you two taking Japanese together? Maybe go talk to him?"
"Maybe. Itachi put us in groups and he didn't have a group, so I asked him to join me and Sai."
"You asked him? I thought you didn't like him?"
He shook his head. "I have no reason to. But nobody else asked, so. I didn't want him to feel left out."
Sakura's expression softened, and the right side of her mouth lifted up slightly. She reached for a bar wordlessly and unwrapped it before taking a bite.
"I'm gonna have to talk to him whether I want to or not, now. Heh. We'll see if it's as you say, Sakura," he offered a small smile. "If not, will you write one of my literature essays?"
"...No. That's plagiarism. Oh, I wanted to ask earlier. Why is Itachi teaching Japanese anyway?"
"He's substituting until they find someone."
Sakura nodded slowly. "I see. He's substituting for Math as well, isn't he. Must be tiring."
"I'm sure it is. I'd wanna change bodies with him for a day, though. To see what it's like to be so smart."
"Stop saying that. You're just as smart as anyone. What you lack is the awareness that you can't do everything last minute," she said, giggling when Naruto pouted. "But if you ever struggle with anything I can help, I'm here, you know."
"Sakuraaa. You're so good to me," he threw his head back. "How can I ever repay you?"
"Walk me home?"
He followed Sakura off the couch. "That's all? Wow, I got off cheap."
"Heh. I might ask for more later."
"Jesus. Women are foxy." He pulled the hood of his jacket up, messing up Sakura's hair. He received a slap on the hand for that, but he deserved it.
Naruto didn't get a chance to catch Kiba alone until next Tuesday. They both had World History afternoon, and after having lunch with the others, they both grabbed their cans of coke and started walking around the yard in circles.
"I need to take Akamaru to the vet," Kiba muttered, occasionally stealing a glance at his brand-new Adidas sneakers. "His vaccine for rabies is long overdue. You wanna come with me, man?"
"When are you taking him?" Naruto asked, fingers damp from the cold can between his fingers.
"Uhh. Saturday, I think. I've nothin' else to do."
"I dunno. I think I'm free on Saturday," Naruto replied. He looked at Kiba, who seemed very keen on taking Naruto with him. "Yeah. I'll come with you."
"Awesome!" Kiba laughed joyfully. "Hey, we can grab somethin' to eat later. It'll be awesome. Awesome ."
Unable to keep himself from snickering, Naruto asked. "Why are you so psyched about it?"
"Do I need a reason? 'cause I love you, man. I like hangin' out with you." He finished his coke in one go and attempted to throw the can into the container from a good distance. The can clashed into the metal container and fell to the ground.
Naruto felt a sting in his heart. Kiba was… his best friend, dammit. But he was not sure if opening up to him about his worries would resolve everything or start a quarrel. Was it okay to keep his mouth shut for his friend's sake? He could endure it alright, precisely because Kiba loved him , and he believed there were no ill intentions behind his actions. But he kept getting hurt, over and over again, and Kiba seemed unaware of everything.
"I wish you would've told me sooner about the Japanese thing," he finally breathed out, trying to sound as normal as possible.
Kiba stopped walking. "Shit. Dude, yeah. I'm really sorry about not telling you," he mumbled. "I changed it because Hinata did. It was really last minute – you wouldn't be able to even if you wanted to."
"I see," Naruto replied. He should have not changed it at all if it meant Naruto was going to be alone. If he were in Kiba's shoes, that's what he would do. Did Hinata mean more to Kiba than he did?
He quickly shrugged off the thought, getting angry at himself for even thinking such thing. The girlfriend and best friend were in different categories. It wouldn't be fair to compare them. "You could've told me later, though. But I guess what's done is done." He patted Kiba on the shoulder.
"Now you're guilt-tripping me!" Kiba cried. "What should I do to be forgiven?!"
"Nothing."
"Great," he rolled his eyes, kicking a stone on the ground.
"I'm in the mood for some ice cream," he stretched his back, taking a deep breath. "How nice would it be if someone treated me."
Kiba looked at him, then started laughing. "Duuude." He wrapped his arm around Naruto's shoulder. "Let's go get some. My treat."
The weather had been getting colder, so they ate their lunch at the cafeteria on Friday. The usual gang was there, a familiar conversation going on.
Karin was as talkative as usual. "Kakashi's on leave. Again. Guess who's surprised, not me!"
"Maybe he has a condition. Or something," Sakura made a guess. "Or else he'd be fired already."
"Oh, don't get me wrong. I have no complaints. I'd prefer Itachi any day," Karin said.
"Yeah. Kakashi's alright. He's a decent teacher, I think, as long as he's in class. But he's a dreadful person."
"Hm." Karin seemed to be thinking. "I don't know about Kakashi, but. You know the theory about older brothers? I think Itachi's proof of its accuracy."
Neji, who always kept quiet when there was a talk about men, interfered all of a sudden. "What theory?"
"You don't know?" Karin seemed excited to tell. "Older brothers are always hotter. In this case, we're analyzing Sasuke as the little brother – who's, like, super-hot," she claimed boldly, completely ignoring the disgusted expressions the male population of the table had on. "But his older brother, Itachi. He's, like, perfect. Gah! He should be a model instead. It's a felony to keep him to ourselves in this tiny school."
Lee seemed uncomfortable with the topic. "I-uh, have practice," he fled from the table, almost knocking over a petite student as he tried to exit the cafeteria.
"What's wrong with him?"
"He's fine. What wrong with you, Karin," Neji retorted.
Naruto butted in. "She fell down the stairs and hit her head when she was a kid."
"Ah, that explains some things."
Karin crossed her arms, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "You'd have to drop out if I revealed your… secrets here."
"What secrets? I want to know!" Hinata laughed, covering her mouth with a hand.
Kiba leaned into the table. "Does he have a third nipple?"
"What?" Naruto gasped.
"He doesn't. As far as I know," Karin smirked.
"She's bluffing."
Neji sighed. "About the theory though, none of us have an older brother, right?"
"I think so," Naruto agreed.
"We only have one example of it, then."
"It's one out of one. Which would make hundred out of hundred. The theory is a hundred percent accurate."
"That's not how statistics work," Neji seemed ready to bash his head against the table.
Sakura tittered, then leaned back, eyeing the desert on her plate, probably considering whether or not she should eat it. "Anyone have plans for the weekend?"
"I should go shopping. I need new boots," Karin mused, pushing her glasses back.
"Mind if I tag along? My parents are away to visit some relatives."
"Sure! It'll be fun. Hinata, you want to join?"
"Sorry," she apologetically shook her head. "I already promised Kiba I'd go to the Sci-Fi exhibition with him."
"Another time then."
Naruto fixed his gaze on Hinata, trying not to bother the shy girl too much with the disturbance in his eyes. "Uhh. When are you guys…?"
"The exhibition's on Saturday," Hinata sweetly said, looking a bit confused. "Did you want to go? We can find an extra ticket if we hurry."
"No, no, Hinata. Thank you, really."
She paused picking at her nails, seeming slightly concerned, but did not probe further. "Okay then."
Kiba was scowling at the table. "I thought the exhibition was on Sunday."
"Huh? Didn't you check while you bought the tickets?" Sakura asked.
"I did. I thought I did," Kiba spoke under his breath while he furiously typed something on his phone. "It really is on Saturday," he finally confirmed.
"Are you going?" Naruto inquired.
Kiba, appearing dumbfounded, stayed silent.
"What is it?" checked Hinata, looking back and forth at two boys.
"I'm just," Naruto shook his head. "Never mind. I'm going."
Sakura watched with narrowed eyes as Naruto grabbed his tray and took it to the designated spot. Hinata stood up, only to be asked to sit back down by Kiba, who then followed Naruto and grabbed him by the arm before he could leave the cafeteria.
"Nards. Naruto. I'm, fuck, I'm sorry," Kiba spat in a rush. His eyes were wild and muddled as he apologized again and again. "I'm so dumb."
"I know, Kiba. Stop it," he said. His mouth had gone dry. "How many more times do I need to be put in the back seat?"
"Come on. It's not like that," Kiba shook his head speedily. "I didn't mean to—"
"I know you didn't mean to. But you're hurting me."
"It was an honest mistake. Anyone could've made it – consider yourself in my situation!" He seemed desperate.
Naruto took a deep breath, stepping aside when he realized they were blocking the entrance. "Kiba, just. Just let me be for a while, okay? I don't wanna talk to you right now."
"Are you mad?"
"No. Yes, I don't – I don't know."
Kiba's eyes narrowed. "Come on, man. It was a mistake. Why are you even hurt by this?"
"Will you stop deciding what I get hurt by?" He felt his veins throbbing. "I don't like it. Can you let go?" He stared at his arm.
"Fine. Fine," Kiba repeated, letting go of his grip on Naruto. His gaze turned cold. "Whatever you want."
" Thank you ."
As he walked out of the cafeteria, he could feel Kiba's gaze stabbing into his back. The sensation lingered on long after he left, prickling his skin.
-TBC-
A/N: How's self-quarantine going for you guys? I'm writing stuff to avoid going stir-crazy. Heh.
I'm not sure how often I should be updating this, so it might be a little inconsistent. Also, reviews are always appreciated!