I'd really like to thank you guys for the heartwarming feedback I received. I'll do my best to complete that story as quickly as I can :)
9:27.
Sasuke shook his head, annoyed at himself. There was nothing to be done : all hope of being able to concentrate again on what Mr. Sarutobi was telling had definitely vanished almost half an hour ago, when a certain blond head had finally made his noteworthy arrival. His last bit of coherent notes somehow proved it : the tip of his pen had dramatically crashed onto the sheet of paper, leaving a huge blotch of blue ink on top of it.
But no matter how much he was struggling, his onyx eyes were literally hypnotized by the psychedelic motif of the one Kiba who had called out (with way too much familiarity to his liking) 'Hey Naruto, here !'.
No one in the auditorium had seemed the least surprised to see Rasengan bursting out in their class like that.
No one had made the slightest remark about this unusual interruption.
And worse than that - no one had flinched (or even giggled) at the sight of that awful washed out t-shirt.
The class had resumed straight-away as if nothing had happened for everyone, except for Sasuke, who couldn't take his eyes off the curious pair only located a few rows away.
Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto.
Naruto.
It must have been his real name as he immediately turned towards the insufferable brown-haired boy before settling down beside him, a big grin on both of their faces.
So Rasengan's real name was Naruto.
Naruto.
A strange name, but one that rolled almost pleasantly on the tongue.
Na-ru-to.
A name that months of search online had not been able to find.
Damn it - was it really like that? Rasengan just showed up one morning in the middle of their class and the teacher, without even batting an eyelid, let him sit next to... Kiba ?
... Just like that?
Kiba Inuzuka was dissipated, noisy and frankly dumb. If Rasengan really had just joined their class, wouldn't it have been more appropriate to have him sit next to someone more serious? Someone who could at least explain to him what this class was all about? Someone reliable, rigorous.
Well - someone like him, for instance.
Tss - why did things never turn out like in a damn manga?
The next two days confirmed what Sasuke had understood. 'Naruto' had really joined them in the middle of October. Incidentally, it had came to his knowledge that the blonde had previously taken a distance learning course.
Unfortunately, the black-haired man had not yet found a way to get in direct contact with the newcomer - even though, judging by the familiarity with which his classmates were already addressing him, it didn't seem like that much of a challenge. Naruto seemed to be one of those people who didn't need to be integrated: all he had to do was to jump into someone's conversation after hearing them talk about music or a tv-show - and that was it, he was one of them. He didn't care if he was interfering something or being intrusive - and no one seemed to mind: everyone welcomed his companionship with open arms.
In less than a week, Rasengan had become the complete idol of Konohamaru Sarutobi (who was trying in to follow him wherever he went), he had also managed to make the shy Hinata come out of her shell for a bit, and - more incredibly !, her cousin even seemed to tolerate his presence in class. And God knew how hard it was to be tolerated by Neji Hyuuga.
In short - it had taken Naruto less than a week to truly became one of them. It wasn't just Inuzuka now - no, even that would have been too easy in comparison -, Rasengan was always surrounded by people.
Whether it was in class, during break time, in the cafeteria, at the washrooms, and even on the way to the subway, Rasengan was never alone. It was as if fate has decided to take away from Sasuke any possibility to talk to him.
His happy-go-lucky attitude, the honesty gleaming if his eyes, that damn smile that never seemed to leave him, even his laugh seemed to be contagious. There was something in Naruto, as in Rasengan, that you couldn't help but notice, that made you wanting to be closer to him.
And just like Shino, who had mysteriously started to hand out more and more band stickers, Sasuke Uchiha had started to spend more and more time in the cafeteria, a place that Naruto and his clique seemed to be particularly fond of. It was their headquarters to him, Inuzuka, Nara, Sakura and many others.
And it was there that their very first interaction took place.
For once, Sasuke wasn't even listening to their conversation: the hot drink machine had just been replaced and he was just trying to order a coffee.
« Yeah, you may not know it but it's been six years since Mister Naruto has gone into that Youtube thing. »
The black-haired man's sixth sense leapt up and, now paying way more attention to the conversation, pressed whatever first button within his reach.
« Ah, you say that, Kiba, but I might have a fan here ! »
Boom, boom.
It seemed to Sasuke that all eyes in the room had just laid on him - as if his moment to enter the stage had finally arrived.
But no: no one - literally no one - not even that harpy Ino or even Sakura were paying the slightest attention to him.
Everyone was watching Naruto.
« Pffft if it's true, I'll pay you lunch - Kiba giggled and turned towards the other tables of the cafeteria - Hey people, a star is among us! Does anyone recognize him? »
The entire cafeteria turned towards the blond videomaker who, not in the slightest embarrassed, had even stood up with a big grin on his face.
Sasuke hesitated for a moment before daring to do the same and looked at Rasengan.
A few seconds passed without a single voice being heard.
« Come on, nobody? - Kiba laughed - Ino dear? Saku darling? »
The two young women rolled their eyes before the nickname but ultimately shook their heads.
« Mr. Hatake perhaps? »
The teacher, who had come inside to get a snack, scratched his cheek before answering in the negative too. His knowledge in terms of videos were of a completely different kind.
With a triumphal grin, Kiba's eyes wandered over all the students facing them, one by one, before stopping on the only one who hadn't reacted yet.. - the opportunity was way too good.
« Well now, Sasuke? I think you're his last hope. »
That was it.
His moment had finally arrived.
All eyes, including Rasengan's, instantly laid upon him. They were hung upon his every word.
But Sasuke, once again, had just drowned into the silent contemplation of the blonde. But that time - it wasn't about those blue, blue eyes, it was because of beautifully tanned skin.
They were now near the end of October, but it was as if he had just come back from vacation. It was almost indecent.
Luckily for him, the group had no idea of what was really going inside his head. They've all known Sasuke for most of their teenage years so the reason why he was looking at Naruto up and down was only because of that perfect opportunity to grow his momentum.
He was such a smart ass.
« Mhh no, I never saw your face before. »
Boom, boom.
Sasuke cursed himself for being such a coward, but there was no way he could make such a confession in front of the others - and certainly not in front of that stupid Inuzuka.
The group laughed as they saw Naruto's sulky face.
« Hey ! - the student with the tousled blond hair tried in vain to defend himself - you can laugh all ya want! In the meantime, my channel is really growing ya know. I almost have four hundred thousand subscribers. That's near half a million! »
The laughter doubled in intensity. Defeated, Naruto finally sat down with a sigh.
« You won't say the same in a few months, you'll see! »
The coffee machine made a jingling sound behind Sasuke, still under the shock of what had just happened, he took the cup of disgusting green tea and promptly left the cafeteria. He tried his best to keep a steady walk.
He still couldn't believe it : he had just talked to Rasengan.
And it hadn't went that bad.
Ting.
Sasuke took another sip of tomato juice before lowering his word processor window to open his web browser. He had this annoying habit of always leaving a facebook tab open, just in case.
Shino Aburame invites you to the following event...
Shino Aburame?
Uchiha arched an eyebrow, puzzled - he didn't even know how that guy had ended up in his friends list. He clicked on the notification and almost choked when he saw what it was all about:
Shino Aburame invites you to the following event: Radioactive Worms concert on November 5th 8:30pm - Coffee Rokudaime.
…
Thanks, but no thanks.
The mouse pointer was about to click on the "Ignore" button on its' own initiative when a crucial piece of information suddenly jumped out at him: 13 of your contacts are interested.
Well.
Before refusing for good, he could at least do a quick check.
A satisfied smile stretched his lips as he recognized among those names that of Kiba Inuzuka - a first.
Because if 'Naruto Uzumaki' was nowhere to be find on Facebook, Sasuke knew at least where to find him in town: always in company of that loser.
Sasuke was late, fashionably late - the concert had already started for at least fifteen minutes. Suigetsu, who was dragging his feet behind him, cursed as soon as the first notes of music reached their ears. Well, to his defense, Sasuke had left him little choice - he had come to fetch his old fencing buddy at home, claiming a sudden urge to go for a drink and insisted on not going to the bar that was just in his street, choosing instead to make him walk three kilometers.
And the least that could be said was that Radioactive Worms was a very appropriate name.
Sasuke promised Suigetsu to buy him a drink as they soon as they could reach the counter. He somewhat felt quite sorry for the silver-haired young man, knowing how much he liked electro music, but - hey, he really needed an alibi.
There was no way he could look like a geek with no social life when he'd run into the entire Uzumaki gang -no.
Sacrifices had to be made.
And the gang really couldn't get unnoticed : Kiba, Konohamaru and Lee (what the hell was Lee Rock doing here?), glued to the front of the stage, were already doing some weird kind of pogo dancing.
Sasuke squinted his eyes - there was no trace of the characteristic blonde hair he was looking for.
« Woh Sasuke, I can't believe it! Is that Rasengan at the bar? »
This news had the effect of a bomb for Sasuke who promptly followed Suigetsu's finger... to see Naruto ordering a mug of beer. The dark-haired young man took a deep breath before he walked with a decided step towards the videomaker, without even taking the time to answer his friend. He had finally managed to get rid of the dimwits, it was now or never!
« Oh, hey Sasuke! - Naruto was finally the one who started the discussion when he sensed a presence behind him - I didn't know you were a fan of metal! »
'I didn't either', he failed to retort in time, while Suigetsu (who obviously felt obliged to follow him) was looking at him in awe.
The Hozuki was one of the few people who knew about Sasuke's special appeal... to the blond guy's videos. In fact, he'd had that bad habit of teasing him about so-called crush for a really long time. It happened so much that the upset Uchiha had swore never to confide in him again.
Suigetsu was therefore too shocked to learn that Sasuke knew freaking Rasengan to realize that he'd been shamelessly used.
« Yeah... - Sasuke cleared his throat, still uncomfortable in his company. You're not with the others?
- Well, I'll join them - the azure eyes looked at his friends and he laughed heartily when he saw them form a scramble - but first, I'm enjoying the happy-hour: a half a pint for barely three dollars, can you believe it? »
Naruto finally seemed to notice the presence of Suigetsu who had been staring at him for a good thirty seconds.
« You two should hurry and order now! There's only two minutes left - Naruto took a long sip before continuing - I'll finish mine quickly to take another one in time!
- Oh cool, replied Sasuke distractedly, as he couldn't take his eyes off the beer-soaked lips of his interlocutor. »
The dark-haired man tried his best to ignore his friend's mocking look when he obeyed the blond's recommendations and ordered a pint for himself. Suigetsu knew how much the brunette hated beer, he was more the type to order only expensive cocktails.
Well - now he really had to get rid of him too.
Sasuke's prayers were answered when a vaguely familiar face appeared, almost providentially.
« Suig," he raised his head to follow his friend's gaze. Isn't it Karin ?
- Oh, Suigetsu leapt up to his feet. I'll be right back. »
'Liar,' thought Sasuke, noticing that his fencing companion had taken the time do disappear with his own mug.
Well, at least Suigetsu had been taking cared of.
« His girlfriend?, asked a surprised Naruto as he looked at the pair in the distance, talking with animation.
- Or his ex, I don't know. It's hard to follow.
- Pfff! - the blonde snorted and took another sip - Girls...
- Yeah... »
Sasuke felt like slapping himself. Girls, yeah - as if he knew that sort of things.
Fortunately, Naruto didn't seem to notice his discomfort and he started to list with great passion the reasons why he preferred beer to any other alcohol.
« And what's more... Well - without beer... There wouldn't be beer-pong!, he concluded proudly. »
If the brunette had been listening to his interlocutor's account with an almost religious attention until then - for fuck's sake, he was having a drink with Rasengan! - the latter point made him raise an eyebrow.
It was completely stupid.
All you had to do was replace the beer with vodka in the cups.
For a long had he been drinking?
Well - Sasuke chose not to share that last thought with the blond guy. To be fair, he wouldn't have had the time anyway: Kiba Inuzuka had just arrived at their level and slapped Naruto in the back.
« What are you waiting for ?, the student was out of breath: his cheeks were red and he oozed of transpiration. »
Sasuke wrinkled his nose but once again wisely refrained himself from making a comment.
« I'm coming! Let me finish my drink and... -
- Nah, too late - his friend cut him off. I'm tired, let me rest for a bit... »
The gifted dancer was about to slump on the seat left vacant by Suigetsu when Naruto put his arm forward to block his way.
He looked at his friend up and down :
« Sorry, Kiba, it's hotties only. »
…
Needless to say, Sasuke was over the moon.
Unfortunately, it was just a joke and Kiba ended up joining them.
The next morning, Sasuke woke up with an awful headache. It wasn't caused by any alcohol abuse (Kiba and Naruto had fought to finish his beer), but by the performance of Radioactive Worms.
Holy crap - Shino.
The latter had ended up shirtless on stage while Naruto had dragged him into what turned out to be their first pogo-dance to the both of them.
The young man stretched out his hand on his bedside table to retrieve his cell phone. It was blinking: a facebook notification.
Menma Namikaze would like to add you to his list of friends.
Rightfully, Sasuke was about to decline the invitation when his pulse quickened: that damn smile - he was just getting to know it too well.
Click.
Sasuke Uchiha now had the honor of counting Rasengan among his Facebook contacts. And in order to celebrate it, he logically began to analyze every single piece of information available.
Menma Namikaze (what the hell was that fake name) had nearly eight hundred friends, was from Uzushio and had entered Konoha as his 'current city' two weeks earlier. He was born on October 10th and his profile was full of selfies and embarrassing stuff.
But it was his profile picture, in particular, that caught Sasuke's attention: sunglasses, a straw hat, longer hair, a luscious tan and a cocktail glass in his hand : Kiba's comment summed it up nicely - 'god, you're such a poser' - although the ocean in the background was absolutely breathtaking, the only thing that Sasuke could focus on was the stunning smile on his new contact's face.
As well as the fact that he was shirtless.
'why's your name menma now' - Sasuke was scrolling through the various messages under the publication (almost all of them were trying to make fun of the blond's selfie) when he stopped on this one.
Excellent question.
Fortunately, Kiba had the perfect answer:
'mister naruto is afraid his fans could find his account'
'yeah, he's got a big head now that's what the hat's for!'
...
Ah.
Ting.
That new notification wasn't from Naruto, but from Rasengan. He had just uploaded a new video and Sasuke, like the dutiful fan he was, closed his spreadsheet to put Youtube in full screen.
« Heyyyy everyone! »
It was much less personal than 'Sasuke'.
« I made that promise long ago, so let's get back to this cult game! Let's see if Kyuubi will come first in the agility race this time. »
What the.
Nintendogs.
A video about Nintendogs.
A forty-minute video about Nintendogs.
As strange as it may seem, it was precisely for this kind of thing that Sasuke had started following the video maker. It was impossible to predict what he had in mind and what he was about to do or say. Deep down, as long as Rasengan kept making him laugh, telling crappy jokes and yelling stupidly whenever something took him by surprise, Sasuke didn't care about what was the video. Rasengan wasn't necessarily there to please his fans, he was there to have fun.
The first time he had came across his channel, about five years ago, it was by pure chance: Sasuke wanted to buy an indie game that nobody had taken the time to test so he had clicked on the first horrendous orange thumbnail he had seen. At that time, Rasengan wasn't doing any face-cam and Sasuke would have closed the page if the idiot making the video hadn't started screaming from the first second. The sound was really saturated, he must have lost some of his hearing that day, but at least the video was in his language.
So he had stayed. And without realizing it - he had started commenting out loud on what the video maker was doing. Criticizing him for not paying enough attention to the the npc, advising him to save before getting into new fights.
Yelling at him to be more careful and to stop rushing into the heap like an fucking moron.
A few days later, he had returned to the then-two thousand subscribers' page with to see if he had made progress in the story.
The following days, too. But not for the same game.
Still - it had taken him almost two years of weekly visits to subscribe.
Months after, Rasengan had finally agreed to show his face to the camera to celebrate his 10,000 subscribers - and all the comments in that video were still to that day about how cute he looked.
And that was when Sasuke had mysteriously became a very regular viewer.
In the end, the forty minutes of the video went by way too quickly.
That's it for now. I hope you guys enjoyed it. The story will only have 4 or 5 chapters by the way!