In which Sasuke lies to himself.
O-O-O-O-O
After Naruto ran off the training field, Sasuke returned to work, fury burning in his stomach. How could Naruto dare to lecture him about his family? How could he even begin to guess what his mother and father would have thought?
Alone in the training grounds, Sasuke swung his sword, grunting each time, as the sun made its trek over the sky.
But less than an hour later, his fury ebbed. Naruto had looked close to tears at the end. Had he been too harsh?
Sasuke shook his head. It didn't matter. Kenjutsu was more important. And Naruto had the memory of a goldfish. His friend would forget their argument and show up at his apartment later to watch The Steel Samurai. Sasuke was sure of it.
Sasuke continued his katas, although they were still not as clean and smooth as he would have wished.
The sun began to set. Defeated, Sasuke groaned and slid the sword back into its sheath. He could have sworn he was getting worse. Didn't practice make perfect? Adults were full of lies.
As Sasuke left, he kicked one of the training posts out of sheer frustration. All it got him was a stubbed toe. Furious once again, he limped back home.
When Sasuke arrived, his apartment was empty. Despite their fight, he had been half expecting Naruto to let himself in with his spare key. But he hadn't.
Sasuke ignored his absence. He prepared dinner for himself then cleaned up alone. He took a bath before tucking into bed, his apartment much quieter than usual. He read through his kenjutsu manuals with no interruptions.
But the new silence was almost creepy.
On other Fridays, Naruto would be stomping around and saying whatever inane thing came to mind. Even while asleep, Naruto had a tendency to mumble and snore.
But without him... Sasuke groaned as he crawled under the covers.
With only the sounds of wind rustling trees outside, he tossed and turned. He tried to reassure himself that Naruto would be there in the morning. There was no TV in Naruto's apartment so the only way for him to watch The Steel Samurai was with Sasuke. Naruto would never miss a new episode, right?
A few hours later, he fell into a fitful sleep.
But when Sasuke woke up, Naruto was not there. He waited, preparing breakfast for two just in case his friend was late. But after eating and despite their favorite show starting, no one came to his door.
Alone, Sasuke watched the newest episode, muddled thoughts bouncing through his mind. Was Naruto still angry at him? Angry enough to miss The Steel Samurai?
Well, at least he now had enough leftovers for lunch.
Sasuke spent the rest of the weekend bored and alone, going out only for kenjutsu practice and food. Naruto never came to his apartment and Sasuke didn't catch a single glimpse of him.
Naruto always forgave and forgot any and all infractions people committed against him. He had even forgiven Iruka despite their teacher ignoring him for so long. Forgiveness was in his nature.
Part of Sasuke considered visiting Naruto to talk, but what was the point? Sasuke didn't need Naruto. He might enjoy his friend's company but the most important thing was revenge. Always revenge.
Besides. The man he had vowed to kill... He—
Sasuke shook his head to push the thought of that man away. He would never be tempted by his challenge.
Yet, he missed Naruto's company so much it hurt. Every time he saw one of the smiling pictures of Naruto on the wall, it was like a nail driven into his gut. But Sasuke still refused to seek out Naruto.
I don't need anyone anyway, he thought as his slashes became wild and sloppy.
The Sunday night before school, he stared at his bedroom ceiling as he struggled to fall asleep. At the Academy, they would sit together in class and during lunch and talk like any other day. Sooner or later, things would go back to normal.
And if they didn't? Well, Sasuke had said it himself. He didn't need anyone.
O-O-O-O-O
Despite his self reassurances, Sasuke struggled to fall asleep and woke up late. Rushing through his morning routine, he arrived at school later than usual, although the class had yet to start.
Hands in his pockets, he entered the classroom. Naruto was already sitting at the desk in the front. On his left next to the window were Ino and Sakura while on his right was Hinata. They stopped talking as soon as Sasuke entered.
Naruto glanced at him before turning and staring pointedly at the world outside. Ino scowled and gave him a glare that could curdle milk and Sakura bit her lip as she looked down at her lap. Hinata's eyes were the least hateful, and she gave him a wan smile.
Figures he'd hold a grudge this time.
With a sigh, Sasuke headed toward them. "Hey."
"Um... good morning, Sasuke-kun." Hinata greeted him with a tiny wave, eyes darting to the other three sitting with her.
Ino snorted like a bull while Sakura looked at Naruto in concern. Naruto kept his body turned away from him, eyes on the window.
"Morning," Sasuke greeted, waiting for one of them to move to sit down.
"Uh..." Hinata pushed the tips of her fingertips together, glancing at the other three. Ino and Sakura shook their heads while Naruto continued to glare out the window. Their reactions solidified her choice and she turned back to Sasuke. "Um, because Ino-chan and Sakura-chan wanted to sit here, we don't have any more room. Sorry."
Considering the desks were meant for three, they were already crowded. If Ino and Sakura moved to their normal place, he could sit with Hinata and Naruto like usual. But with class starting soon, there was no time to argue.
"Fine," Sasuke huffed in disbelief and walked away.
Annoyed, he sat at one of the few empty seats available. It was next to a kid sleeping on his crossed arms on the desk, a tiny puppy on his head. He glared at the four children sitting at the front, a heavy feeling settling into his stomach.
Seconds later, Iruka arrived to start the class, smiling like every other day. "Ready to start, students?" he asked as he set his materials on the table.
His eyes darted to the front where Naruto and the girls sat and then to Sasuke, alone at the back of the classroom. A frown appeared on his face but he said nothing. With one last greeting, he began the class.
Sasuke drifted in and out of Iruka's lecture, his eyes focused on Naruto's back. The feeling in his stomach, which was definitely not jealousy, grew bigger and bigger. By the time Iruka let them out for lunch, it had become painfully heavy in his stomach.
As soon as Iruka called for break, Naruto and the girls left the classroom, only Hinata glancing back at him. Grimacing, he followed after them, his own bento box in his hands.
At least they can't pretend there's no space for me to sit with them this time.
They were easy to follow— bright yellow and pink stood out amongst brown and black. Still, they moved fast and Sasuke refused to rush after them. By the time he caught up, they were setting up their lunchboxes under the shade of a large cherry blossom tree.
"Oh, um... hello, Sasuke-kun." Hinata noticed his approach first, giving him a strained smile.
"Hi." Sasuke knelt next to Hinata.
Ino threw him a murderous glare while Naruto and Sakura looked away. He ignored them. Why had the girls taken Naruto's side anyway?
"Um... Sasuke, we just..." Hinata pushed her fingertips together and looked down at her lap. "It's just... uh..."
"You said some really mean things to Naruto," Ino interrupted, placing one hand on Hinata's shoulder.
"So?" Sasuke opened his bento box
"So that's against the friendship rules and you can't sit with us," Ino declared, arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Whatever. Those rules aren't real." Sasuke took his chopsticks out.
"They've always been real!" Ino raised her voice.
Peeking out from behind Ino, Sakura nodded, meeting Sasuke's eyes for the first time. "Always. And one of the friendship rules is that you apologize when you say something wrong." She bit her lip.
Sasuke stared at each of the other kids in turn. While the girls were glaring at him with various degrees of anger, Naruto had his back turned to him. But the shaking fists clenched over his lap revealed his true feelings.
Sasuke snorted. "I have nothing to apologize for." Not after Naruto had used his own family against him.
Those words were his last strike, because Naruto bolted to his feet.
"You can't sit with us!" he shouted, entire body shaking.
Sasuke met his furious eyes with a scowl of his own. The area under the tree grew cold as the girls' eyes darted back and forth between them. The two boys ignored them as they stared at each other, waiting for the other to give up.
But Sasuke was outnumbered and Naruto wouldn't budge.
"Fine." Sasuke closed his bento box back and placed his chopsticks back in their case. "You can eat without me then, idiots."
Lunch in his hands, he stomped away in search of a place to eat alone. A few minutes later, he found a windowsill hidden behind the back of the Academy building. There, he sat down and ate.
Whatever, I don't need them. Sasuke took a large bite out of his riceball. Without Naruto and the girls, he could train as long as he wanted with no distractions. He could practice all day and no one would stop him. He could become stronger. Faster.
I don't need anyone.
When he finished his meal, he sat on the sill waiting for their break to end. As the cherry blossom petals drifted through the air, he ignored the heavy weight in his stomach and the pressure behind his eyes.
O-O-O-O-O
Kenjutsu practice was impossible.
Sasuke lost against imaginary enemies. He missed easy strokes that he thought he had perfected. He slid and fell more times than he could count.
Despite having no one to distract him, his own thoughts kept wandering to Naruto. Why was it easier to practice with a loud voice shouting advice at him anyway? Wasn't Sasuke the one that had said he needed no one?
Whatever the case, his performance was worse than ever.
It was only after he tripped for what must have been the hundredth time that he gave up for the day. The sun was still high in the sky and dinner was hours away. But there was nothing left to gain so he left the training grounds and headed home.
Same as the past three days, his apartment was deathly silent when he arrived. He had grown so used to Naruto that the silence was eerie. Once again, doubt wormed its way into his stomach. Was it a bad idea to break ties with Naruto and their friends over a sword?
The picture frames on the wall and on the altar reminded him of the truth. His mother, father, and other relatives stared at him from the wall. All of them dead. They would have wanted themselves avenged, no matter the cost.
He ignored Naruto's face among them.
Sasuke needed no one. He was an avenger. He could obtain his revenge without anyone's help and especially without Naruto's.
I can do anything alone.
His conviction renewed, he made dinner before taking a shower and going to bed.
The next morning, he woke up early and headed to school. Naruto and Hinata had yet to arrive, but judging by the glare Ino threw at him, they still wanted nothing to do with him.
With a huff, he headed to the same seat as the day before. Once again, the boy with the puppy slept on, head resting over his crossed arms. Chin resting on steepled fingers, Sasuke looked out the window.
A few minutes later, a loud voice announced Naruto's arrival. Despite telling himself to ignore him, Sasuke's eyes wandered to Naruto's back. The other boy walked toward the three girls, not sparing Sasuke a single glance. Hinata said something, making him laugh as he joined their group.
Sasuke's hands clenched into tight fists and his gaze returned to looking out the window.
I don't need them, he thought. Even to his own ears, it was starting to sound like a lie.
O-O-O-O-O
The rest of the week passed by in a blur.
Sasuke woke up at the same time in the morning. Ate the same thing. Prepared the same bento box. Arrived to school at the same time. Ate his lunch alone at the back of the Academy. Spent hours practicing kenjutsu and failing. Returned home for dinner, a shower, and bed only to repeat the cycle all over again the next day.
Naruto and the rest of his friends still refused to talk to him. In addition, Ino kept glaring at him while Sakura gave him stern frowns. Even Hinata had taken Naruto's side, although he thought some of her glances were sympathetic.
But it didn't matter what they thought of him. The only thing he needed was revenge. And to do that, he needed to become strong.
Strength is the most important thing.
Yet, the more times he repeated the mantra to himself, the less believable it seemed. He missed Naruto. His easy laughter. His cooking. His energy. Without him, the world was... muted.
He missed the girls too, even if they had taken Naruto's side.
Sasuke was becoming so lonely that when someone talked to him, he almost jumped in surprise.
"Hey, Sasuke, you had a fight with that idiot Naruto or what?"
Sasuke spun in his seat to look at the boy sitting next to him. The other boy still had his arms crossed over the desk, his chin resting on top of them. The tiny puppy on top of his head slumbered on, snores blowing the boy's hair to and fro.
In a flash, Sasuke remembered the other boy's name as Kiba— Iruka shouted it often. Plus, they had fought each other once during their training sessions.
"What?" Sasuke blinked, still processing the fact someone was speaking to him.
Kiba rolled his eyes and repeated his question. "I said you had a fight with that idiot Naruto or what?"
"Or what." Sasuke would never share the details of his argument with anyone, least of all a boy he barely knew.
His reaction was enough to get Kiba to snort, a lopsided grin on his face. "Well, me and the boys are gonna eat lunch on the roof," he said. "Wanna come?"
On the roof? Wasn't the area off limits? Would they get in trouble for being there? A faint voice that sounded like his mother scolded him for even considering the proposal. But...
Naruto and the girls were spending their time talking, laughing, and playing. Together, they had excluded Sasuke. The reminder that Naruto had made friends drowned out any objections. Why could Naruto make new friends while Sasuke was alone? It wasn't fair.
"Why not?" Sasuke grabbed onto his bento box and followed Kiba to the roof.
O-O-O-O-O
Iruka sighed, arms crossed as he shook his head. "Sasuke, is there something you wish to explain?"
Sasuke was silent, meeting his teacher's eyes without flinching.
His teacher pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why'd you throw water balloons from the top of the school building?"
Sasuke said nothing.
"Will you at least tell me who else was involved?"
Sasuke opened his mouth before reconsidering and shaking his head. What would be the point?
Iruka glanced up at the clock on the wall and sighed again. "Well, I don't have time to deal with this. The break is about to end." He looked down at Sasuke again. "Sit down. Stay after class. We need to talk."
"Fine." Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and collapsed back into his new seat with a huff. He glared out the window, unsure if he should be angrier with Kiba for roping him or with himself for going along with it.
After eating with Kiba and his friends, Shikamaru and Chouji, they had decided to have fun. Kiba suggested throwing water balloons from the rooftop.
And while Shikamaru and Chouji were lazy observers, Kiba and Sasuke went all out. Kiba had a strong throw and managed to get his balloon to soar over the treeline. But Sasuke would not be outdone. He threw hard, making his balloons soar past the treeline and reach the neighboring building.
It was the most fun Sasuke had experienced in the entire week until one of Kiba's balloons hit someone on the street. Used to running away, Chouji, Kiba, and Shikamaru dispersed as soon as they heard the first angry shout.
But Sasuke was too slow to act.
By the time he thought about running, their victim, a shinobi with dark hair and a bandana over his nose, had him by the ear. After a thorough scolding, he had escorted Sasuke to Iruka's office for yet another round of scolding. It was annoying, but at least it broke up the monotony of the past week.
With only a few minutes before class, Sasuke watched the world outside, glancing down only when Naruto stepped into the classroom. The other boy was surrounded by the girls, laughing at something Ino said. He looked so happy and carefree that it hurt.
Sasuke looked away again, blinking rapidly out the window. Why was he angry at Naruto again? It was becoming difficult to remember. He took a deep breath in and out, clenching his hands into tight fists over his lap. Was it his imagination, or were the trees becoming blurry?
"Oh, hey... Sasuke?"
Kiba's voice broke Sasuke out of his self pity and he spun to look up at the other boy. "What?"
Kiba sat at his usual seat next to Sasuke, scratching the back of his neck. He glanced down at Iruka still at his desk before speaking again.
"Sorry we got you into trouble," he began, an apologetic smile on his face. "Didn't mean to just..." He waved his hand through the air as if searching for the right word.
"Run away?" Sasuke scowled, glad Kiba's presence had distracted him. He would rather die than cry in the middle of class.
Kiba squirmed, making the puppy on his head yawn and stretch before falling asleep again. "Yeah, sorry. And Chouji and Shikamaru are sorry, too."
Kiba gestured with his head at the two boys sitting at the back corner of the classroom. Chouji and Shikamaru bowed, their hands clenched together in apology.
Sasuke grunted in response before turning his full attention back to Kiba. "Is that all?" He glanced at the clock on the wall. Only a minute was left before the class began.
"Uh, well..." Kiba shifted again, avoiding Sasuke's eyes. "I was wondering if you had... um... if you had... uh..."
"If I told Iruka-sensei who else was with me?" Sasuke guessed, arms crossed in front of his chest.
Kiba at least had the decency to blush. "Um... yeah. So did you—?"
Sasuke huffed, meeting the other boy straight in the eyes. "I'm not a snitch."
"Oh!" Kiba's eyes widened in surprise before letting out a small chuckle and sitting back in his seat. "Guess you didn't mind getting grilled, then?"
Sasuke grunted. "It was my decision to go along with the plan."
Kiba chuckled again, louder than before. "I always thought you had a stick up your butt," he admitted, making Sasuke's frown deepen. "But I guess you're pretty cool after all."
Sasuke blinked, meeting Kiba's eyes. "Cool?"
Kiba rolled his eyes, sliding closer to grin at Sasuke. "Well, yeah!" he said. "Not just anyone would take the blame for something that wasn't their idea. You're a cool guy though."
Sasuke huffed and looked back out the window, face warm and a smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks, I guess."
Kiba snorted before placing his head back on the desk and immediately falling asleep.
O-O-O-O-O
As ordered, Sasuke stayed behind when the class ended. He watched the other students leave first before walking to the front. To his surprise Kiba and his friends waved and grinned before they walked out.
Standing at the front, Iruka waved goodbye with a gentle smile before turning his full attention toward Sasuke. In an instant, his expression transformed from that of a lovable teacher to a furious disciplinarian.
Impressive.
"Well?" Iruka crossed his arms, a vein popping on his forehead. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Sasuke grunted and looked out the window, hands in his pockets. A month ago he had stood in front of the Mizukage and her guards. Iruka was a harmless kitten in comparison.
Iruka groaned and Sasuke imagined his popping vein getting bigger and bigger. "Why'd you throw balloons from the top of the rooftop?"
Because it was fun.
"Who else was with you?"
Chouji, Kiba, and Shikamaru. They were varying levels of rude and lazy, but surprisingly fun to spend time with.
"Where did you get the water balloons from anyway?"
From Chouji. He uses them to help visualize and practice some kind of clan jutsu.
Iruka sighed. "Sasuke, can you please talk to me? I know it doesn't look like it, but I'm only trying to help."
Still, Sasuke said nothing, his eyes trained on the window and the world outside. What was there to say?
"If you don't answer me, I'm going to have to tell the Hokage about this!" Iruka used his final trump card.
Sasuke turned back to his teacher, meeting him square in the eyes. "Then tell him," he dared. With his mother and father gone, an old man had no power over him.
Iruka's eyes widened and he gaped at Sasuke for a few seconds before becoming furious once more. "That's it!" he shouted. "You're staying for detention today!"
"Tch. Fine." He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets as he glared at his teacher. "What do I have to do?" If he had to run laps or practice a jutsu it might almost be worth it.
Iruka smirked and the first twinge of fear ran down Sasuke's back. "You're going to copy kanji," the teacher declared.
The fear disappeared. "Kanji?" Sasuke sighed before sitting at the nearest desk and resting one cheek inside his hand. "Fine."
Iruka's smirk widened and the vein in his forehead started to pop again. He said nothing as he headed to his desk and took out a stack of manuscript pages. With a pen, he wrote a character at the corner of each page before dropping the stack alongside a pencil at Sasuke's desk.
"You can't go home until you fill out every single square with the character I wrote," Iruka declared. "And you better write them all correctly or I'll make you start again from the beginning."
Sasuke gaped at the stack in dismay. Iruka had handed over a stack of at least twenty pages, each with at least two hundred squares. Shifting through the pages, he noticed they were all long and difficult kanji with over fifteen strokes each.
"Every space?" He hoped his voice didn't sound as defeated as he felt.
Iruka nodded with a satisfied smirk. "Every one. And I'll be watching, so don't try to get up to any tricks."
Sasuke sighed, picking up the pencil. "Fine."
Letting out a sigh of his own, Iruka walked away and sat behind his desk. With one final glare, he began to scribble something at his desk.
Sasuke ignored his teacher as best as he could. The faster he finished, the faster he could get to kenjutsu practice.
It was a tedious and boring task, worse than running laps or doing push ups. After five pages, he was still only a quarter of the way done and his hand began to ache. Five more later, his hand was cramped and his fingers were stained black. Still less than halfway finished, he switched to his left hand, finding immediate relief.
"The characters have to be written correctly, Sasuke," Iruka yelled from his seat. "Otherwise, you have to start all over."
"They are written correctly," Sasuke grumbled. "I know how to write with my left hand, too." Better, in fact. He had taught himself to write and throw with the right only because Itachi—
Sasuke paused, pencil tip hovering over the paper. His body froze and his sight grew blurry. When was the last time he had thought of his bro— Itachi?
"Sasuke?" To his annoyance, Iruka's voice became full of genuine concern.
With a huff and a shake of his head, Sasuke turned his attention to the task at hand. Fittingly, the character of 'depression' taunted him as he began to copy it stroke by stroke.
"Sasuke?" Ignoring Sasuke's reaction, Iruka stood and walked to him.
Grimacing, Sasuke refused to look up as he copied the kanji. Who does he think he is?
"Sasuke!"
Sasuke continued to ignore his teacher, the lines beginning to look crooked.
Getting no response, Iruka yanked the pencil away. "Listen to me when I'm speaking, Sasuke!" His expression was a combination of angry and concerned and Sasuke hated it.
"What?" The question didn't come out as angry as he had hoped and to his dismay his vision remained blurry.
Iruka's anger left and he sat next to Sasuke at the desk. "Sasuke?"
Sasuke slid away, turning his whole body away to stare out the window.
Iruka sighed but remained at his side. "What happened between you and Naruto?"
Sasuke grunted, sliding further away. "Nothing," he grumbled. "I don't need him. Anyone. I'm happy alone."
Iruka slid closer. "It doesn't really look like it. Considering how you spend most of class staring at Naruto and the girls."
"No, I don't!" Sasuke protested, turning to scowl at his teacher. "I don't stare at anything."
His teacher sighed again, one hand reaching forward as if to pat his head before reconsidering. Considering Sasuke would have swatted it away, it was probably a good call.
"I don't know why you two had a fight," Iruka tried again. "Or the details of said fight. But I suspect a certain someone refused to apologize."
Sasuke grunted, meeting his teacher's eyes. "I don't have to apologize to anyone."
Iruka closed his eyes and took a deep breath in and out as he prayed for patience. "If we hurt our friend's feelings, we need to apologize for that, Sasuke," the man continued. "It's one of the rules of friendship."
"The rules of friendship don't exist." Sasuke looked away again.
"They do."
"They don't."
Iruka refused to retort. "Whether friendship rules exist or not, treating our friends well is the only way to keep them." He slid closer to Sasuke. "One of my best friends was there for me after my own parents died, Sasuke," he continued.
Sasuke glanced at Iruka from the corner of his eye. Iruka didn't have parents either?
"And his presence helped me in some of the most difficult moments of my life."
Sasuke still said nothing, forcing his eyes to stare at the tree leaves fluttering in the wind.
"We can't do everything by ourselves, Sasuke," Iruka continued. "We need our friends."
"I don't need anyone," Sasuke mumbled, his back still turned to his teacher.
"Your reaction tells me otherwise."
In an instant, tears welled up in Sasuke's eyes and his throat grew tight. He swallowed down a sob. He refused to cry, especially in front of his teacher.
"I don't... need anyone," Sasuke repeated while glaring at the manuscript pages on the desk. The protests sounded weak to his own ears.
Iruka sighed again. "We all need other people sometimes, Sasuke." He reached over and patted the top of Sasuke's head. The action brought back memories of his mother doing the same thing and the tears almost spilled over
"I don't." The kanji were impossible to make out now.
"One person can't take on the whole world alone, Sasuke," Iruka insisted. "So why don't you talk to Naruto and make up? You two are friends, aren't you?"
They were, weren't they? Sasuke gave a small nod, swallowing down another sob. "My best friend," he admitted in a soft voice.
Iruka hummed, reaching over to pat his head again. "Wouldn't it be better if you two went back to spending time like you used to?"
Sasuke bit his lip. "I guess."
"So why don't you?"
Why indeed?
"I..." Sasuke swallowed, turning to blink at Iruka from the corner of his eye. "I guess there's no reason why."
Iruka smiled and for an instant everything was right in the world. "Then you know what to do, Sasuke."
Sasuke looked away again to glare at the manuscript pages again. After a short pause he nodded.
At his side, Iruka sighed, placing his hand on top of Sasuke's head one last time before standing up.
"Well, I just remembered I promised to get dinner with one of my friends," he said. "So why don't we end this detention early. As long as you write everything at home and give it to me by Monday, it's fine."
Surprised, Sasuke turned his eyes up to meet Iruka's eyes. "It's fine?"
"Yeah, it's fine." Iruka smiled, scratching the back of his neck with a slight blush. "I have a life outside of school, too."
"Oh." Sasuke turned his head down and wiped his eyes with his forearm. Since when was Iruka such a reasonable teacher? "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Iruka chuckled before his voice became stern again. "Just make sure you write them all correctly by Monday or I'll give you another set to work through!"
Sasuke hummed as he collected the manuscript pages and placed them inside his bag. "I will."
"Good." Iruka crossed his arms. "You can go home now if you want."
Sasuke stared up at his teacher. Despite Iruka's stern glare, the corners of his mouth betrayed his true feelings.
Sasuke responded with a small smile of his own. He stood up and headed to the exit, pausing only when he reached the door. Turning his eyes back to his teacher, he bowed.
"Thank you, sensei," he said before sliding the door open and walking out.
O-O-O-O-O
After leaving the Academy, Sasuke passed by his apartment to drop off his things.
As he walked to Naruto's place, he practiced what he would say to his friend, worry gnawing at his stomach. Would Naruto even want to forgive him? What if he didn't want or need Sasuke anymore? It had been a week since they last spent time together...
Sasuke arrived at the door of Naruto's apartment and knocked. He took a deep breath in and out to calm his nerves as he waited. But when no one answered despite knocking again, he realized there was no one home.
For a moment, Sasuke considered using his copy of Naruto's key to enter but shook his head. What if it made the other boy angrier instead? With a sigh, he sat on the ground, his back pressed against Naruto's door in wait.
To his relief, he had to wait only half an hour more before Naruto arrived.
As soon as the shadow of his friend neared, Sasuke bolted up, meeting Naruto's eyes. "Naruto!"
"Sasuke?" A mix of emotions crossed through Naruto's face before settling on cautious. "What are you doing here?"
"Uh..." Everything he had practiced on his way vanished and he was left gaping at his friend.
Panicking, he stared Naruto up and down. It had been only a week since they had seen each other up close but it felt like forever. Except for the suspicious frown on Naruto's face, he remained unchanged but for one thing.
"Did you paint your nails?" Sasuke pointed at Naruto's hand.
"Huh?" Naruto jumped, bringing his hand up to inspect. "Y-yeah, what of it?" Grimacing, he hid his hands behind his back.
"It..." Sasuke swallowed. "It looks nice."
Naruto turned his head to look down the hall. Was he blushing? "Thanks, ya know."
"Hn." Sasuke shoved his hands inside his pockets. His mind was still blank but the initial tension had eased. "So..."
"Yeah..." Naruto continued to avoid his eyes.
Sasuke swallowed. What was he supposed to say again? The silence continued until it was almost unbearable.
"Anyway, Naruto?"
Naruto turned to meet Sasuke's eyes. "Yeah?"
Sasuke took a deep breath in and out. "Wanna get ramen? From Ichiraku."
"R-ramen?" Naruto's eyes widened and Sasuke swore he was drooling at the thought.
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, ramen." He shuffled his feet. "I'll... I'll pay."
"You will?" Most of Naruto's wariness disappeared and he took a step closer.
"Yeah, I will." Sasuke forced himself to meet Naruto's eyes. "It's..." He clenched his hands into fists as he forced the words out. "It's an apology."
"Apology?"
"I'm..." Sasuke's face burned and he wished the ground would swallow him whole. "I'm sorry for what I said to you. I... don't actually think I can do everything on my own. You're my friend, ya know." He suppressed a wince.
"Hn. You're my friend, too." Naruto turned to Sasuke, a grin on his face. "And I'm sorry, too."
"Sorry? For what?"
"For thinking I knew what Auntie and Uchiha-san would say." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "It's not like I knew them for that long, ya know."
Sasuke shook his head. "I think you were right," he confessed. "I don't think Mom would have wanted me to be alone." A memory of sitting on his mother's lap as he made a promise flashed through his mind. I want you to have people you love and trust by your side.
"You think so?" A thoughtful frown formed on Naruto's face.
Sasuke nodded. "I know so."
Naruto's frown turned into a grin and in an instant everything returned to normal. "Well, I'm glad I'm your friend, ya know."
"Me, too." Sasuke smiled back, a weight lifted off his shoulders.
Naruto leaped forward, one arm wrapped around Sasuke's shoulders. "Now let's go to Ichiraku before the dinner rush starts!" He pointed to the end of the corridor and the stairs.
Sasuke sighed, walking away and breaking the hug. "What do you have painted on your nails anyway?"
Naruto's eyes became bright and he splayed his fingers out as they started to walk side by side. Each fingernail was different, although orange, frogs, and spirals seemed to be the most common themes.
"Ino-chan painted the frogs for me," Naruto began to ramble, showing each drawing one by one. "And Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan helped with the others. Do you like it?" His voice became momentarily nervous.
Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes. "I already said I did, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did." Naruto giggled and his smile turned mischievous. "I'm gonna hang out with the girls tomorrow again. Should we get the girls to paint your nails too? They're good at it. Better than me at least,."
Sasuke huffed. Would the girls forgive him as easily as Naruto? He hoped so. "Sure, why not?"
Naruto's grin widened and he broke out into a jog as they neared the stairs. Sasuke followed after, a smile on his own lips. With the world back to normal, they ran to Ichiraku Ramen.
O-O-O-O-O
A/N: Fun fact! Sasuke subconsciously thinks of "that man" and "his brother" as separate people. In a way, his brother died the day of the massacre alongside the rest of his family.
Morket is a wonderful beta reader because they're good at checking my work. But they're a terrible beta reader because they bought me Stardew Valley. Blame them for the lack of updates.