Chapter 2 : Behavior


The entire drive home from Java's, Naruto can't help but ponder what Sasuke said about him. While it did incite anger initially, he can't help but agree with most of Sasuke's perception of him. He is rather impulsive and brash; when he gets an idea about what to do or say, it tends to just… Happen. It's not that he means to make stupid decisions. He just doesn't believe in waiting around for perfect moments or figuring things out and overthinking everything. That tends to be just as bad, if not worse, as acting instinctively as he does.

And what was with that last remark? Was Sasuke saying it's a good thing people like Naruto? It seems like a strange comment to make. Of course it's good to be well liked! Naruto glumly thinks back to a time when it seemed like no one wanted to have anything to do with him… He much prefers the way things are now.

He tries to shake these thoughts as he starts to go up his driveway. No reason to worry about things of the past; they can't be changed or fixed at this point. All Naruto can do now is try to make the best future for himself possible.

As Naruto slowly winds his way up the long drive leading to his house, he's greeted by a surprise. Well, maybe more of a shock. He thinks he might be getting robbed. Not a strange thought to have when you live in the middle of nowhere, and in a state of the art house. There's a lamp on in the main living room. A light Naruto knows he turned off.

He always thought it was a bad idea to build this place so far out of town; if someone did want to rob them, the offenders would be long gone by the time the cops were called.

On the defensive, Naruto edges his way along the dark lot. He didn't want to park in the garage tonight, in fear of disturbing whoever might be in his house and alerting them to his presence.

He pries the door open, praying it doesn't squeak. The place was just built around ten years ago, so if it's already making noise, there's a problem. Thankfully though, all is silent. As Naruto sneaks around his own house, it dawns on him that he doesn't really have a plan in mind if he does come across a robber. Not that this realization makes him think of one…

He spots an empty vase on a nearby table and picks it up, testing the weight of it. Well, he's got a weapon now, anyways. He takes a deep breath and then quickly rounds the corner into the living room.

Upon spotting a figure near the floor in the dim glow of the lamp, Naruto lets out a battle cry and raises the vase as he comes flying towards the intruder.

As Naruto gets closer, he notices the figure seems to be sitting quite comfortably at the kotatsu, the blanket laid out and everything. There's only one other person who knows how to put that table together. Naruto abruptly stops his mid-motion attack and really looks at the person in the low light.

"Hey, old man. What are you doing here?" Naruto pads around the couch and to the table, setting the vase down as he gets there.

Jiraiya snorts. "I own the place, brat." He reaches up and ruffles Naruto's hair, much to the blonde's chagrin.

"You could have warned me you were comin' back." Naruto mutters out.

"Nah, element of surprise is always best."

Naruto snorts this time but sits down under the warm blanket as well. He takes in the white haired man sitting to the side of him. A crushing sense of happiness overcomes him. Naruto never really feels like solitude bothers him, until Jiraiya comes back home. Then he realizes how much he misses having the old man around.

Jiraiya is Naruto's guardian, but a fairly absent one. Originally, he was just supposed to be his godfather, but there was a drastic change of plans when both of Naruto's parents died in a car crash shortly after his birth. It was a bit of a challenge for Jiraiya to adjust to raising a child – which is to say, he didn't. He never had any children of his own, and Naruto's father, Minato, was about as close as he came. Though that relationship was established when Minato was already a teen.

"How did the tour go?" Naruto asks conversationally. The reason Jiraiya is often away is due to his books. Being a big time smut writer requires quite a bit of travelling, for one reason or the other.

This doesn't bother Naruto much, really. He understands that Jiraiya didn't ask to be saddled with him. Sure, the old man thought he would have to show up for the occasional birthday or two. Maybe bring a present. But raise the kid? That wasn't in the cards.

When he was younger and Jiraiya would take off, Tsunade would watch him. That was always interesting. Not being much of a parental figure, but definitely an authoritative one, Naruto quickly learned how to sweet talk her and avoid trouble.

Which worked out quite well, considering she's the principal of Kasai Private School.

"It went pretty well. Gotta head back out in a month or so, but figured I could hang out with my favorite runt for a while."

Naruto rolls his eyes. "If you wanna spend time with me, gramps, you just gotta say so." Naruto flashes him a smile. "I know I'm the best thing in your life."

Jiraiya laughs loudly. "At least you're not shy about it." He ruffles Naruto's hair again. "I'm gonna head off to bed, kid. It's late. You should do the same."

"Nah," Naruto shrugs his shoulders. "I have some homework I need to do."

Jiraiya raises a skeptical eyebrow at this. "You're actually doing your homework these days?" He brings a hand to Naruto's forehead. "Are you sick?"

Naruto bats the laughing man away from him, pouting. "My teachers are giving me a shit ton of work to do! If I even remotely slack, I'm gonna fall behind and fail."

"Well, I'm glad to see you're taking your last semester of high school seriously." For a moment, Naruto thinks he sees something spark in Jiraiya's eyes.

He's almost positive the man is going to say something else, but he just gives him a wide grin and heads off towards his bedroom. "Don't stay up too late, brat."

Naruto rolls his eyes, but agrees with the advice. Best to just get it done quickly and get some sleep. Today has been long enough.


If Naruto didn't know better, he'd say Sasuke is purposefully avoiding him. During homeroom Naruto got into a friendly argument with Kiba. Typically, Sasuke would take the opportunity to insult the blonde, but today… He was silent.

Naruto decides to test this theory in the only way he knows how: Piss Sasuke off. It seems to come so naturally anyways, so why not?

As soon as third period begins, Naruto was ready. All he has to do is ask questions. The bastard won't be able to resist! He never misses an opportunity to tell Naruto he's wrong.

Except he does.

The entire period, Naruto asks any questions he can think of concerning the material. And what does he get for it? Nothing. Sure, Kakashi answers the questions in short, roundabout ways, but what use is that? Naruto doesn't want answers. He wants Sasuke's attention! But nope. Not a single word.

By the end of class, Naruto is completely puzzled. Why is he ignoring me so steadfastly? It's really all Naruto can think. Give his one track mind and lack of ability to focus on multiple things, this is the only thing he can wrap his mind around today. This doesn't really concern him; when he locks onto something, he stays that way till it gets resolved.

So naturally, by the end of the day, Naruto is more than upset by this. Not so much that Sasuke won't speak to him, but more the reason of why? Did he really offend the Uchiha last night with his opinion of him?

Naruto sighs and roughly shoves his books in his locker. Why does he care so much anyways? It's just that bastard! It's not like he's never hurt Naruto's feelings.

The blonde frowns at the thought. It doesn't sit right with him. He hasn't, has he? Whenever him and Sasuke argue, it's just senseless bickering. Sure, it feels important to win the fight in the heat of the moment, but then it's over. That's it. Nothing left to worry himself with about it. Naruto doesn't go around fuming at what he says for the rest of the day. Of course at this point in time, Naruto associates Sasuke with an oncoming argument. Ever since he came to this school as a freshman all they've done is gone at each other's throats. Despite this, he doesn't feel any legitimate resentment towards the guy. He was honest last night; the only problem he has with Sasuke is how high and mighty he acts.

Naruto isn't going to get any answers tonight, though. It's as if all his teachers teamed up to make his night miserable, because he has an essay to write in three different classes, and four different assignments to complete. One of those essays and assignments has to be written in Japanese. Kanji. Not even the nice and easy hiragana; no. The full deal. Jesus, why did he let Jiraiya guilt trip him into taking that language?

One saving grace is he's off from work tonight, so he can go straight home and just do homework. Though that idea makes him want to just start crying. Naruto is starting to realize he came totally unprepared for his last semester of school. Here he was thinking, it was going to be so easy. That's hardly been the case so far, and he's only three days in!

"Hey, gramps, I'm home." Naruto calls out into the seemingly empty house. Even when Jiraiya is around, he tends to lock himself up in his study and focus on writing. Not that he gets much work done. No, in order for Jiraiya to really get into his writing, "the muses have to speak to him with great motivations", as he would tell Naruto time and time again. What this really means, is he has to think of something pretty perverted to get the creative forces going. And if he can't think of it? Why, he would just pop himself down to the local strip club and let it walk in front of his face.

Naruto snorts at the thought; that man may be pushing his 50's but he's got more energy and perverted desires than a 16-year-old boy. Naruto knows this from experience. For his sixteenth birthday, Jiraiya's great plan was to take him to a strip club for the first time, and when Naruto refused, he was sat down and given a lecture about how sexual urges were nothing to shy away from.

Jiraiya didn't want to hear it when Naruto pointed out that 1) it was illegal to take him into a strip club at 16, and 2) Naruto was much more interested in going over to Shikamaru's house and hanging out with some of the guys. At that, Jiraiya dropped his head in defeat and waved Naruto out of his house, saying he was a lost cause to the wiles of women.

Whatever. Naruto was so not interested in messing around with a bunch of girls. Now, if Sakura would just agree to go out on a date with him… That would be heaven, Naruto thinks.

When Naruto's eighteenth birthday came around just this last year, he was sure Jiraiya was going to be up to his old tricks again. But surprisingly, he left the blonde alone. He took him out to his favorite ramen restaurant, got tickets to see an action movie, and pretty much acted like a normal guardian. It was pretty strange, to be honest. Jiraiya is far from a normal guardian.

"Hey, brat," Jiraiya calls back out in response, "how about ordering a pizza for dinner?" Naruto smiles. Sometimes it's nice to have him around though.

"We need to meet for the project again." Naruto confusingly turns around to stare up at Sasuke. The hell did he even come from? One minute Naruto was standing at his locker, alone in a deserted hallway because he got to school a bit too early, and the next he has this phantom voice making demands from him. As usual.

Oh, and now that the project is suddenly important again, Sasuke relearns how to acknowledge the blonde's existence? Naruto rolls his eyes. "I work tonight, teme. And tomorrow and Saturday."

Sasuke doesn't seem to be taking no for an answer. "What time do you get off tonight?"

Naruto looks at Sasuke; really looks at him. The raven seems annoyed that he has to be standing there, forcing an answer out of Naruto, but he doesn't seem to be angry. He has that typical blank expression that holds just a trace of contempt, but that's usual for Sasuke. Naruto doesn't see any sign that he wants to lash out, which calms the blonde down quite a bit. Maybe Sasuke just didn't care yesterday, and Naruto was blowing things out of proportion.

"I'm supposed to get off at 8. Sometimes I stay over…" Naruto seems to be talking more to himself than to Sasuke at the moment. "But I guess I can sit down for a bit and do the assignment with you, and then go back to work."

Sasuke nods briefly and starts to walk away. "Then I'll be there at 8. Don't forget and get sidetracked, dobe."

"Teme!" The blonde calls rashly at Sasuke's retreating figure. I take it all back, Naruto thinks. The guy does piss me off!

Java's is packed. It seems an art seminar just let out at a nearby theater, and several of the college students decided to drop in. A steady stream of people keeps coming through the door, leaving Naruto with no option of moving from his post. AJ likes for him to take orders during rushes, since he's such a natural people person.

Naruto smiles widely at the pretty girl in front of him as he greets her, though he's just hoping she orders quickly and he can get this lined thinned out. It's nearly eight o'clock, and Naruto really doesn't want to keep Sasuke waiting. He'll never hear the end of it. He keeps eyeing the entrance warily, waiting for any sign of the jerk.

"Naruto, do you think we could trade? I can't keep up." The anxious voice of the barista comes from the espresso machine. Naruto's eyes shift to her, noting the panic on her face.

"Sure, Hotaru." Naruto moves for her to come and take his place, while he starts making all the orders she hasn't gotten to yet. Thankfully, she isn't really behind. The order she was working on just had four specialized coffees and sweets.

It takes Naruto another twenty minutes of preparing orders before everyone is finally sitting down and out of his damn line. Thank God. His joy is short-lived though, when he realizes it's twenty minutes past eight.

He scans the room, trying to find a familiar face. There's no sign of Sasuke, though. Maybe he came in and got tired of waiting, and so he left again? The onset of disappointment Naruto feels startles him. Why should he be upset that the bastard didn't stay to do the assignment? He should be happy that he got out of it!

"Hey kid, wipe that expression of your face. He's here." Naruto, shocked, looks up to see AJ standing in front of him with a hand on her hip. "He came in about half an hour ago. He's sitting back at the alcove. Why don't you make him a double shot and clock out?"

So, Naruto does just that. He carries two mugs towards the alcove booth, and sure enough, Sasuke is sitting there. "Hey," Naruto says nervously. "Sorry for taking so long."

"Figured you would." The smug expression on Sasuke's face needs to be knocked right off.

"Come on, you see how many people are here! It's not like I had a choice!" But even as he says it, Naruto can see there is no real anger on Sasuke's face. He's slightly smirking at the blonde, but there's no hostility.

As Naruto is setting out his notebook to get this done and over with, he feels himself being watched. Glancing up, he gives Sasuke's inquisitive expression a glare. "What?"

"You don't change out of your school uniform for work?"

Naruto unceremoniously glances down at his outfit. He's still wearing the white collared shirt and navy blue tie that makes up part of the dress code. He ditched the matching jacket in his car before he came in. Shrugging his shoulders, he replies, "AJ says it looks good on me, so I don't waste my time changing."

Sasuke scoffs and rolls his eyes, but doesn't comment further. This whole topic though has drawn Naruto's attention to the raven's attire. He did happen to change, and it dawns on Naruto this is the first time he's ever seen him out of the school outfit.

Naruto has to begrudgingly admit, Sasuke looks good in the maroon sweater. Really good. It looks suspiciously like Sasuke simply threw the sweater over his school shirt, because there's a white collar peeking out from the top. He bets half the girls at Kasai would blow their top to see the raven right now. Especially Sakura.

That thought causes Naruto to scowl. "Let's just get this done, okay?" If Sasuke is insulted by the biting tone, he doesn't show it.

"These questions seem to leave off from the first assignment. First," Sasuke clicks his pen open and glances up to Naruto, "what is the difference between society and culture?"

"Am I supposed to know the answer to that?"

Sasuke scowls. "You're not going to learn anything if you expect me to answer everything."

"I don't! It's just, it's not like all this is common sense! Isn't there a book or something that we should be following along with?"

Sasuke just barely shrugs his shoulders. "Probably. But Kakashi isn't the kind of teacher to hand out books when he thinks you can figure it out yourself."

"Yeah, well, he needs to rethink his strategy." Naruto mutters angrily and crosses his arms over his chest in a huff.

"Would you even use the book if you had one?"

Naruto opens his mouth to say of course he would! But… He knows better than that. "Probably not. But the reasoning still stands!"

Sasuke scoffs and rolls his eyes. Naruto swears if Sasuke does that any more often, his eyes will roll back in his head and stay there.

"Better start writing, dobe. Society is, by definition, a group of people living together under a certain set of rules and regulations. Society operates in organized communities. On the other hand, culture is a collection of human beliefs and practices that can be found throughout society. Typically, when someone speaks of society, they are just talking about a large, general amount of people. Culture is the manifestation of customs and traditions found throughout society."

"Next, how does Social Psychology play a role in culture, as opposed to society?" Again, Sasuke looks to Naruto, seeing if he might have the answer.

Naruto lets out a low, annoyed groan under his breath. "I guess… in culture, it's a lot more rigid, right? Like, because of traditions and stuff, people don't have as much free will to think and do whatever they want. I mean, society is pretty opinionated as well, but there's a blend of all sorts of beliefs, so more things get accepted. For example, each religion has its own set of rules and beliefs. And if you consider yourself a part of that religion, then you're kind of stuck with having to follow what is expected, as opposed to what you really feel."

Sasuke nods his head. "Agreed. The answer will suffice. Third question, and don't let this fry your brain." Sasuke gives Naruto a small smirk, earning him an angry pout. "Once someone begins to observe a subject, doesn't that which is being observed change?"

The gears in Naruto's head start to turn at that. Is that a trick question? "Wouldn't it kind of depend?" He starts musing out loud. "Like, whether or not the subject knows they're being studied? If someone just decided to randomly start watching people and making observations based on what they see, then nothing is really going to change, because no one is aware."

"And if the subject does know they're being watched?

"Well, I suppose maybe the person or group of people might try to change how they at, to maybe appear better or more… Good. But I don't think it would last for long, before they revert back to their actual personalities."

"What does that mean for the data collected?"

Naruto sighs. Why is he the only one answering these things? Oh, right. Because Sasuke thinks he already knows everything, and he's wanting to torment Naruto. "For the first situation, I think the data would be pretty unaffected and good to go. For the second, I think some of it would be biased. Though that could factor into the study as well, how it's like, human nature to want to seem better than you are."

Sasuke nods in agreement again. "I'll answer the last one. How can we think sociologically?" It's about time he decides to help out, Naruto thinks.

"Don't judge things by your assumptions. The last question on the assignment last week was an example of this. We were asked to give our opinions of each other. To sociologist, opinions are worthless. Data and evidence from a pool of subjects is needed. You can't really say why a person does the things they do, just by assuming you know their life."

Was it just Naruto imagination, or did Sasuke's voice get a little bitter there at the end?

"Question everything you think you know about society. Just because something seems right to you, or familiar or correct, doesn't mean it is. Question the things that go on around you, especially if it's a cultural norm. These are typically beliefs that have been passed down through tradition, and might not have any value to them. Just because it's been that way in the past, doesn't mean it's the way it should be.

"Also, to be human is to err. When you decide to start seeing the world from a sociological standpoint, you're going to end up getting confused about a lot of things you once thought you understood. We are prone to believing that our own beliefs are the correct ones; when we find that others exist, we tend to push them aside or refute them. Sociologists try to understand all viewpoints and figure out a theory."

With that, Sasuke starts to put his things away, while Naruto is still trying to quickly jot down everything he just heard. "When do you work next week?" At this, Naruto's attention snaps up to Sasuke, a little confused.

"Um, I won't know until Friday when AJ hands out the schedules. Why?" Naruto watches as Sasuke writes something down on one of the thick napkins he brought to the table.

"My number." He holds the folded paper out to Naruto, who takes it like it might burn him. "Text me what days you're off, and we can meet here." His eyes narrow for a moment at the blonde. "Only text me for that. I don't want my phone going off all the time for no reason, dobe."

Naruto scoffs. "As if I would text you for any reason other than that, teme! I'm surprised you're not afraid I'll give this number out to all your fangirls."

Sasuke slides out of the booth, journal in tow. "You're not intentionally stupid."

Well, Naruto has to think about that one. Is that a compliment or an insult? I mean, the jerk is still calling him stupid one way or another, so it's not really flattering. But Naruto has no time to argue with the raven about the state of his intelligence, because he's already heading out the door. Does that guy even know how to do greetings and goodbyes?


The weekend flew by in a blur of coffee mugs and textbooks. Between doing closing shifts and more homework than Naruto ever wants to see again, he had no time for such frivolities as socializing. So when he was throwing all his brought home textbooks and notebooks in his bag Monday morning, he was surprised to see the forgotten number drift out of the notebook he used at the café last.

He stared at it in horror for a moment, before letting out a loud curse. Sasuke is probably pissed off that he didn't get back to him in a timely manner. And the last thing Naruto wants to do today is go into school and deal with an annoyed bastard.

So, he drops his bag in the passenger seat of the jeep and quickly jots the number into his phone. Hey, he types quickly, I work all week but I have the weekend off. We can meet Fri-Sun? He hits send and then wonders if he should have said who it was that was texting… Oh well. If Sasuke can't figure it out, he's not the genius that Naruto has him pegged to be.

Waiting around has never been the blondes strong suit, so he drops the phone in the seat next to him and starts the trek to school. Really, Jiraiya? You just had to build ten miles outside of town, didn't you? Naruto thinks ruefully. Not that he doesn't love the privacy, and the woods are gorgeous in the summer. During the winter though, it's a long, bleak drive down icy roads that never see a plow. What takes fifteen or so minutes during the summer, takes thirty in the winter. Naruto doesn't like one bit of that.

When he finally pulls into the Kasai student lot, he grabs his phone that just started going off. Good timing, teme, Naruto thinks as he opens the text.

Friday and Sunday. I have a council and debate meeting Saturday. He wants me to come into town just for him on Sunday? Come on… The jeep doesn't get good enough gas mileage for a waste of trip like that.

Wouldn't it be easier to just do both assignments Friday? Naruto replies back hastily.

No. I'm not dealing with you for more than an hour. Naruto scoffs at the rude text. He can just imagine the smirk that's probably gracing the bastards face.

Whatever, teme. Naruto drops his phone in his pocket and grabs his bag. Maybe next time he'll just demand gas money. Naruto snickers to himself as he imagines the expression on Sasuke's face at such a request.

"Naruto!" Broken out of his thoughts, the blonde looks up to see a familiar mutt propping the glass door to the lobby open, waving to him from inside the building. Shikamaru is standing next to him with his hands in his pockets, and Choji is making friends with a vending machine just inside the school doors. A grin breaks out on Naruto's face, and he stalks over to Kiba. Something about today just feels like it'll be a good one.

That Monday ends up being the only good day. His teachers seem to think that adding one more assignment each week is the best way to make everyone hate life. And it's working, by Naruto's standards.

Not only that, but Noriko-sensei busted out the rule that they must speak Japanese in class at all times. Just because he's in Japanese II, doesn't mean he has the knowledge to be in Japanese II… He simply got lucky enough to pass the exam last year.

And for some reason, his cooking game has been off all week. Every recipe they've been assigned to make he's managed to mess up! That never happens; cooking is one area of life that Naruto excels at. But not this week, no sir. This week he bombed.

When Friday afternoon finally came around, he thought he was home free. He's just got out of his cooking class and is throwing his books in his locker when he sees someone walking over to him. At first he thinks it's Sasuke, coming to confirm their meeting. But when he glances up, he isn't greeted with a scowling raven, but a smiling pinkette.

"Oh, hey Sakura," Naruto straightens up hurriedly. "What's up?"

"Hey, Naruto. Um, I was just wondering…" She trails off and bites her lip, but seems to find her words rather quickly again. "Did you ask Sasuke? Because he hasn't said anything to me, but I was thinking he might ask tomorrow after the council meeting." She's looking up at Naruto like he might hold the answers to her universe.

Unfortunately for him, he doesn't have any idea what she's talking about. "Sorry Sakura, but what was I supposed to ask Sasuke?" He does seem to dimly recall something she had asked about once before, but damn… It just isn't coming to him. Had he been busy at the time and not paid her much attention?

Sakura sighs in irritation and stamps her foot. "You were supposed to ask him to ask me out on a date!"

Naruto stares blankly at her. Really? Fucking really? She legitimately expected him to do that? "Sakura," Naruto starts slowly, not even sure what he wants to say. His emotions aren't even responding the way he expected them to. He's not angry that she's so obviously not interested in him. He gets that. But he is angry that she thinks she can use him to get what she wants. Why would Naruto ask someone else to ask the girl he's crushing on, to take her out on a date? "Sakura, I think you're really delusional." There. He said it.

"Between the idea that Sasuke is interested in you, because he's never returned a single one of your advances, and the idea that I would get him to ask you out?" Naruto shakes his head and backs away from the girl who looks like she's about to cry. "I'm sorry, but you can't really expect me to do that. And you can't expect me to feel sorry for you, after asking such a shitty thing." And with that, Naruto walks away from her before she can say anything, down the stairs to the main lobby, and out to the parking lot.

At which point, he starts to have a mental breakdown.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Did I really just say that to Sakura? Naruto's internal dialogue screams at him. Fuck, she's never going to speak to me again! Bye, all my dreams of taking her out on dates. Goodbye, my entire fantasy life of being her boyfriend. All gone. All because Uzumaki Naruto can't hold his feelings in when he's been hurt. Oh no, that would be too wise of an action. Naruto leans his head against the door of his jeep and closes his eyes. What was he thinking, going off like that to her? If anyone knows how to hold a grudge, it's that girl. Hell, her and Ino used to hate each other because of Sasuke. Of course, then Ino came in to Java's one day while Sai was working, and her interest quickly switched to a different raven. At which point, the girls began to tolerate each other again.

If Naruto thought he had any hope with Sakura, it was gone now. What disturbs Naruto most is… He doesn't care. Not really. Sure, he's going through the motions of being torn up about it, but his chest doesn't ache with the pain of a broken heart. His mind isn't jumbling up in ways to get her to speak to him again. And he's certainly not crying over the loss. If anything he feels… Liberated. Like somehow, by accepting that crush was never going to work out, he's freed a part of himself.

How the blonde feels about that little revelation is a concern for another day. He opens his eyes and sees the dash of his jeep blinking out 2:00PM. He wasted twenty minutes - of what he's sure Sasuke considers his time - messing around at his locker and out here in the parking lot, instead of at Java's doing stupid psychological studies.

He pries the door open and slams it loudly, venting off a little frustration. Just because he's not mourning the loss of his four-year crush doesn't mean he's not annoyed by the conversation.

"You know, teme, I don't know what's so fantastic about you," Naruto immediately lets in when he gets to the booth the raven is sitting at, "but it really pisses me off." He drops his bag on the floor and slides into the opposite seat from Sasuke in a fit of pique.

Sasuke manages to scowl incredulously and raise an eyebrow at the fuming blonde. "What is this about?"

"You! All about you! As always!" Naruto hopes his glare is as harsh as he wants it to be.

"That really narrows it down, dobe."

"Sakura wants you to take her out on a date." Naruto all but spits the words out.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and loses some of the venom in his expression. "Tell me something I don't know." Maybe he realized that none of Naruto's seething anger has subsided, because he adds "why does that have you so worked up?"

"She asked me to tell you. She's expecting an offer tomorrow at the meeting." Naruto really can't help how annoyed he is. He doesn't even understand why he's as annoyed as he is. He's not jealous over Sakura wanting to go out with Sasuke and not him. He's jealous… that Sasuke might want to go out with her. But that doesn't make any sense, Naruto muses to himself. If he doesn't care about one, he shouldn't care about the other, right? So why is the idea working itself under his skin so badly?

"She won't be getting one. Now, if you don't mind, can we start the assignment?"

As if a defuse button is hit in Naruto's brain, he calms down instantly. There's really no point in getting so angry with Sasuke for something he had nothing to do with. The raven certainly never asks Sakura to bother him; quite the contrary. Naruto chuckles sheepishly, all the annoyance suddenly flooding out of his body in one great sigh. It's amazing how fast one person can switch emotions. "Sure, teme. Just let me get a drink and something to eat first, yeah?"

Sasuke rolls his eyes but makes no complaints. Now that he's calming down, Naruto notices that Sasuke already has a cup of his own in front of him, though it's empty. "Want another?" Naruto motions to the cup as he stands up. At the slight nod from Sasuke, he takes the mug up to the counter with him.

"Hey AJ, where's the help?" Naruto leans against the counter and peers around to the office door. AJ has it propped so she can see any customers that come up to the counter. At the sound of Naruto, she gets up, stretches, and comes out of her space.

"Sai called in. Said he wasn't feeling well and needed the night off. He's the only one I schedules because he's usually pretty capable on his own."

Naruto snorts. "Of course. Everyone gets sick on Fridays, right?" But his features soften when he realizes the implications of her being alone on Friday. "Do you want me to stay? I gotta do this assignment with Sasuke, but then I'm free."

She smiles at him sweetly. "Sure, if you want to. By no means have to if you have plans."

"Nah, it's alright! I can always use the money." Especially if that bastard is going to expect him to make weekend trips into town for no good reason.

"Alright. What can I get for you while you're up here?"

"I want a mocha today. And get that jerk a refill of whatever he had, please. And also a piece of chocolate cake!" Naruto speaks enthusiastically and pushes the mug towards his laughing manager.

"Alright, kid. Go sit down and I'll have this out in a moment."

Sitting back down again, Naruto awkwardly peers up at Sasuke. "Sorry about blowing up at you."

Sasuke barely spares Naruto any attention before replying. "I'm used to it from you, dobe. You speak first and think later."

"If you actually cared about anything, you would get upset over certain things too."

"You have no idea what sort of things I care about." At the leveled gaze, Naruto pipes down. It feels like he might be hitting sensitive territory, and one argument with Sasuke per day is enough.

Thankfully, this is when AJ decides to drop by and set down all the promised refreshments. Naruto beams at her like she brought him heaven on a plate, and Sasuke quietly thanks her.

"Let's just do today's part of the project, alright?" Naruto sighs happily as he bites into a forkful of chocolate cake. A few crumbs fall onto his third assignment sheet as he looks it over. "Question one," he begins roughly, "How do personal opinions and attitudes influence how we respond to people?"

Sasuke sends a pointed glance at Naruto. "I think you just finished displaying a physical answer to this."

"Whatever, teme. We'll skip it. It seems like a pretty obvious questions anyways."

"Are people built with lie detectors? Can you tell when someone is lying to you?" Sasuke narrows his eyes at the paper, but Naruto decides to just get it over with.

"I don't think everyone can tell when people are lying; if they could, we wouldn't need jury's during court. I think I can tell when people are lying. They usually do something shady while they're lying, giving them away."

"The second part of the question is, ask six questions total and see if you can tell if your partner is lying. Have these questions pertain to a social context."

Both boys stare blankly at each other. Naruto diverts his eyes and runs a hand through his hair. "I don't know what kind of questions you'll come up with, but I'm not really fond of discussing my life."

This gets a new kind of look from Sasuke. A sort of smirking, raised eyebrow, how-can-I-torture-you-with-this-info sort of look. Naruto doesn't like it one bit.

"I'll ask the first one." Naruto tries to rapidly think of some sort of socially inclined question he can ask. Well, how do we get our first insight into culture? Naruto ponders that for a moment. "Who all is in your family?"

Unexpectedly, Naruto gets a scowl at this. What's so wrong with that question? Even Naruto isn't bothered to answer it, and he has every right to be. Hell, his family is dead.

"My family life is unimportant," is the clipped response Naruto gets.

"Come on, teme. That's not an answer. Hell, I can't even call it a lie. You're just refusing to answer." Naruto sighs and decides to just take the plunge. "I'll answer first, okay? My parents passed away a long time ago. Never had any siblings. My god father took custody of me almost immediately, so I've never seen an orphanage."

There's something akin to understanding in Sasuke's eyes; something Naruto is not used to receiving from his peers. Usually when he tells people this, they get a look of shocked horror on their faces and start apologizing left and right. Naruto has come to hate that response. It makes him feel guilty for sharing his past with people.

"You're not lying. You're too open about what you say, and show no signs of discomfort while talking about it."

Naruto grins. "I don't lie! It's not good for the soul." This gets a scoff from the raven.

"My question: Have you always been so carefree and foolishly open?"

Naruto's smile falters as he thinks back to… No, he doesn't want to go there. Dammit. How did that bastard manage to hit down on the one sort of topic he didn't want to do?

"No, I haven't. Next question." Naruto glares at Sasuke when he looks like he's about to demand a better explanation. "You won't talk about your family; I'm not talking about that." Naruto runs a hand through his hair and tries to think of another question. "Are you happy with your life?" He asks as he looks back to Sasuke inquisitively.

"I'm happy with who I am and the goals I've accomplished, and the goals I know I will accomplish in the future."

"That doesn't really answer the question," Naruto says slowly. "I get that you would be pleased with yourself; you're good academically, and can't even complain on a physical side. But are you happy with the way your life is? The things that go on around you, and not just because of you?"

"Are you?" The sharp edge of Sasuke's voice takes Naruto aback.

"I'm…. Not happy with the past. But I have no complaints about the here and now. And I think my future looks pretty bright."

"What do you plan on doing in the future?" Sasuke asks suddenly. If Naruto didn't know better, he'd say he was trying to change the topic.

"Is that your next question?" Sasuke nods, and waits for Naruto to go on. "I want to own and operate my own restaurant. It's why I work here. I like the experience. Baking is my favorite thing to do when it comes to cooking."

"Then why not open a bakery, instead of a full restaurant?"

"Mm," Naruto has to think how to answer to make it understandable. It's a question he's asked himself before when considering which one he wants to do. "I want a place that families can come and spend time together. Actually sit down over a meal and have fun. Not just quickly drop in to grab a snack and head back out to the streets or to work or wherever. What about you? What are your plans?"

Sasuke turns his gaze to the window and takes a moment to answer. "I'm going to university for Criminal Psychology and Forensic Science."

Naruto's eyes widen considerably. "Oh, wow. Isn't that a lot to take on?"

"Not for me." There's that smirk again.

"What do you want to do with a double major like that?"

"There would be several different career options, but Forensic Scientist is what I'm interested in, with the ability assist law enforcement and profile criminals."

"What made you want to do that? It sounds overwhelming to me." The thought of having to mess with crime scene evidence and talk to probably-psychotic perps is not one of interest to Naruto.

"Events in my life turned me to that profession."

Naruto eyes Sasuke questionably for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders and letting the topic drop. The blonde is beginning to be able to tell what things Sasuke does or doesn't want to speak of. "It's your turn."

"Why are you interested in Sakura?"

At first, Naruto does a double take and repeats the question in his head to make sure he understood correctly. Then he openly gapes. "What? That's what you want to waste your last question on?" When he gets nothing but a pointed, raised eyebrow, he shakes his head and sighs.

"Well, prior to today, I thought she was the most beautiful, intelligent, and sweet girl I had ever met. Sure, she's a little hard headed and difficult to deal with sometimes, but I just knew underneath it, she was perfect."

"Prior to today?"

Naruto nods. "After she asked me… Well," Naruto has the decency to blush at the memory of his tantrum, "I kind of realized that I've been caring less and less about being with her."

Sasuke tilts his head to the side and studies Naruto. "Then why did you get so upset with me?"

"Just because I'm letting that crush go, doesn't change the fact that it pisses me off how everyone treats you."

"I didn't ask for them to treat me in any certain way, dobe. People will do what they want. I have no interest in having a fan club, or girls falling all over me, or dobe's starting fights because they're jealous." Naruto sticks his tongue out at the teasing lilt of Sasuke's insult.

"I get that… But it doesn't make it any easier, ya know."

A change of topic must be in order for Sasuke, because he promptly says "I think we've done more than enough impromptu questions."

The blonde isn't going to deny that. "Damn right," Naruto agrees. "I think this turned into a small game of hard mode twenty questions, instead of seeing if we can tell who's lying."

"I have no reason to lie. If I don't want to answer something truthfully, I just won't answer."

"Yeah, I noticed that," Naruto replies dryly. He receives a small smirk, before Sasuke gets back to business.

"How do you perceive social norms in society?"

"If by social norms, you mean how everyone plays follow the leader on topics, then I perceive them all as stupid, but extremely… Compelling. It's hard to go against what everyone else in your life thinks is right."

"I agree; social norms are senseless. Everything becomes a flock mentality. Do you follow social norms or follow personal beliefs?" Again, Sasuke waits for Naruto to answer first.

"I have a lot of personal beliefs, and I think I adhere to them pretty well. And I'm pretty stubborn and have a hard time accepting other people's views, I do know that. But I don't feel like I follow social norms?" Naruto ends off in a question, not really sure he's convinced of that last part. In fact, he knows he's not. When he was younger, he would get into a lot of trouble by being "different" from everyone else, and that caused him a bit of hell for several years. So when he finally realized he just had to act like everyone else – and switch schools – things got much better.

"I follow my own beliefs. Social norms do not concern me. Last question: What do you feel your social identity is?"

"What? How do you ever answer that? What is a social identity?" If Kakashi's goal with this project was to have a very confused blonde, he certainly excelled.

"It means, what do you take pride in? What gives you a sense of self-esteem as far as society is concerned?"

"Oh," is the bleak reply from Naruto. "I… Don't really think I have anything like that. I'm proud to be who I am, because I've dealt with things that a lot of other people haven't, but they're not things I'm proud to have happened."

Sasuke gives a simple "hn" in response. It seems he's already noticed when to not push a conversation, too. "I take pride in my family ancestry and my own personal accomplishments."

"Are you ever gonna tell me about your family?" No harm in trying one more time, is there.

But instead of an answer, Sasuke starts to pack up his belongings. Naruto rolls his eyes and leans back in his seat to watch. Even with something as simple as putting school supplies back in his bag, Sasuke is extremely methodical. He has a designated compartment for everything.

"My family has been broken for many years." Naruto snaps his attention to Sasuke, but he's already pushing off from the booth and heading for the exit. "Don't forget Sunday, dobe."

Naruto thinks about the way he phrased that answer for a moment longer, but his thoughts gets quickly cut off. A group of teenage girls just walked into the café, giggling and whispering to each other while they point back towards the door. Naruto can just imagine they're talking about Sasuke.

He shakes his head but stands up to start his inadvertent shift. It's going to be a long night.


While Naruto didn't forget about Sunday, he had no idea what time he was supposed to meet up with the raven. They might have set a date, but forgot about the time part of the equation. He groans and rolls over in his bed, cuddling into his pillow. All he really wants is one weekend to himself. Is that too much to ask? No homework, no socializing… Just him and his bed, reacquainting themselves for a few hours.

He doesn't think Sasuke is gonna go for that, though. Naruto reaches out a blind hand to feel around for his phone. He knows it's somewhere near the edge of his bed. Ahah! His hand closes around the metal case and he pulls it towards his body, rolling back again to face the ceiling.

What time? Was the quick message he sent Sasuke. Blunt, concise, and to the point.

Dear lord, if he says any time within the hour… Naruto checks the time. Ten in the morning. If he wants to do anything before noon, his ass might just be waiting till Naruto decides to show up. Nobody should have to do anything before noon on a Sunday.

His phone vibrates from an incoming message, and he flicks it on to see the verdict.

If you come to Akimichi's by noon, I'll buy lunch. Otherwise, 1 at Java's.

Naruto stares at the text disbelievingly. The teme is offering to buy him lunch? Naruto is starting to wonder if he ever even really woke up, or if he's still dreaming.

Whatever. Naruto can roll with it. Offerings of free food are always a good way to get him out and about. Akimichi's is one of the best restaurants in Konoha, and the owner always gives him a pretty nice discount when he does go, for being friends with his son. It might also help that Naruto always praises the food to no end; the Akimichi's really know how to serve a good meal!

I'm down for lunch. Dropping his phone back on his bed, Naruto slides off his bed quickly and starts padding around his room. No sense in lying there for the next hour and then rushing to get prepared. He grabs a casual outfit of a black shirt and old jeans before heading into the shower.

Oh, the shower. The best part of any winter morning; at least once you get to the hot water part. He will be damned if he'll ever admit it, but the blonde can stay in the shower for an hour, so long as the hot water keeps coming.

That can't happen today though, oh no. Today he has a lunch date with Sasuke. Naruto's eyes widen at the context of the thought. Jesus, why does his heart speed up when he thinks of it like that? Of course it's not a real date! It's just… lunch. With Sasuke. No big deal.

But it is a big deal, his mind whispers to him. How often do you think Sasuke invites people out with him? Probably not often, to be honest. Naruto wasn't even aware the guy knew how to ask someone out socially to begin with.

That's still no reason to get worked up over it, he reasons. Maybe Naruto has just provided such amazing company these last couple weeks, that Sasuke is finally coming around to see how wonderful he is. Naruto wonders if hanging around with Uchiha's contributes to inflated egos.

What can he even do about it, though? So what if he gets a little wound up at the idea of spending actual social time with Sasuke, and not just academic time. Chalk it up to nerves. Sasuke is not the typical person Naruto would choose to spend any time with, at school or anywhere else. So this sudden change in their dynamic is naturally going to make him out of sorts! No deeper meaning to it than that.

It's on this mindset that Naruto finishes his morning activities and heads into town.

Businesses and restaurants are fairly centralized in Konoha; if you find one, you're bound to find lots of others. For this reason, everything in town tries to specialize so as not to deal with major competition. For Akimichi's, they specialize in Japanese cuisine; a culture that, whether or not he liked it, Naruto was immersed in from a young age.

While the blonde was raised in the good ol' USA, Jiraiya is from Japan. In fact, Naruto's father was too. When he was in his early 20's, he moved to Los Angeles, where he met Naruto's mother. When his parents decided they were definitely going to settle down there, they offered to let Jiraiya come stay with them for a while, and see how he liked the US.

He loved it.

As such, he decided to just stay here. Though, he wasn't interested in staying in one place. He wanted to travel everywhere, though Naruto firmly believes Las Vegas is his heaven on earth. When Naruto's parents passed, Jiraiya did stay for a while in one place. He moved them up to Konoha, Washington, though. Something about L.A being no place to raise a child.

One of Naruto's earliest memories is Jiraiya taking him to Akimichi's. He told him he was going to teach Naruto a thing or two about his culture by introducing him to one of the greatest uniters: Food. To this day, Naruto has never disagreed with him about that. Japanese food is amazing. Especially ramen. Oh sweet gods, ramen. There's nothing else like it.

Naruto pulls into the parking lot of the restaurant about ten minutes early, and lets out a sigh of relief when he sees Sasuke's Camaro in the front row. It's not like he was afraid Sasuke was just messing with him, not at all. He might have been a little afraid though that he changed his mind. The blonde parks his jeep next to Sasuke's car, and decides it's now or never. He pulls his phone from his pocket as it starts vibrating, and lo and behold, Sasuke is calling him. Naruto stares at the phone dubiously. Should he even answer it? He sighs and slides the bar to the right. The guy is about to buy him lunch; the least he can do is answer a call.

"What's up?" Naruto walks and talks at the same time, trying to not nervously glance up to the building.

"Stop dawdling outside and hurry up." Sasuke's snarky voice comes through crystal clear.

Naruto snorts and rolls his eyes. "It's a little creepy that you're watching me, teme."

"Hn. Just tell the waiter to seat you with me." And with that, he hangs up. That jerk really doesn't know how to say goodbye. I'm gonna have to take it upon myself to teach him manners, Naruto thinks. Of course, no one has ever particularly complimented his manners either.

When he steps inside the warm building, a waiter is quick to greet him politely, until she realizes who it is.

"Naruto! What are you doing here?" TenTen, a girl a year older than Naruto, who he had been good friends with while she was still going to Kasai, happily hugs him quickly before stepping back.

"I was offered a free lunch!" He gives her a bright smile. "Speaking of which, can you take me to Sasuke?"

TenTen stops in the middle of gathering a menu and silverware, and just stares at Naruto in shock. "You're here… With Sasuke?" She pauses for moment. Naruto can tell the poor girl is just absolutely lost. "But you guys never got along! You were constantly pushing each other's buttons! What the heck happened in the last semester?"

"Well," Naruto chuckles sheepishly and rubs the back of his neck, "it wasn't the last semester. More like the last two weeks. Kakashi gave us a project together, so we've been around each other a lot. He's not so bad, I guess," Naruto begrudgingly admits.

"Wow. Never thought I would hear you say that." TenTen motions for him to follow her, and takes him around the lobby and towards a row of booths.

"How are you and Neji?" At the question, TenTen blushes but can't contain a smile.

"We're doing really good. He's actually pretty easy to live with."

Naruto laughs and shakes his head. "I can't imagine that. The guy can be so difficult." They round a corner, and now Naruto can see the raven he's been thinking about since waking up. Once again, Naruto is struck by how good he looks in street clothes. It's not really fair to give one mortal man so many striking traits.

"Hey." Naruto tries to sound casual, but he's afraid too many of his nerves seep into his tone. The smirk on Sasuke's face and slight nod of his head do nothing to ease his fears.

"What can I get you to drink Naruto?" TenTen has her waitress face back on, and the casual relationship between them is replaced with the polite service.

"Ah, tea please." Naruto glances to Sasuke to see he already has a glass in front of him, but no food.

"Okay and in the meantime, I'll leave you to decide what you want."

"What made you want to come here?" Naruto opens the simple but attractive menu, honing in on the ramen selection immediately.

"It's been awhile since I came." Naruto internally snorts. Hello Sasuke, king of responses that don't directly answer the question at hand.

"Well, I'm not gonna argue with your choice of place. I love Akimichi's."

"We used to come here often."

Oh, this is new. Who is this "we" he speaks of? What better way to find out then to ask? So Naruto does just that.

Sasuke doesn't say anything immediately, so Naruto goes back to reading his menu. Best way to work with Sasuke is to not push.

"My brother and I used to come here, when he still lived at home."

Again, the fact that he's getting a response causes Naruto's attention to snap up. "I didn't know you had any siblings!"

Sasuke nods. "Only my brother."

Wow, how many other things was Naruto missing out knowing about Sasuke?

Questions would have to wait till later though, because at this time, TenTen comes back over with Naruto's tea. "Are you boys ready to order?"

"Um, I am." Naruto can't tell if Sasuke has found anything to eat yet, and isn't sure whether to start ordering. But with a short nod from Sasuke, he immediately brightens up and turns his attention to TenTen. "I want the original spicy miso ramen, with all the toppings!"

TenTen jots his order down, and turns her attention to Sasuke. "Katsuobushi Onigiri." She nods once, finishes writing, and then smiles warmly at them.

"Okay, I'll get this in."

"All the toppings, dobe?"

Naruto laughs and leans back in his seat. "Don't worry, it won't cost you much! The owner will give us a pretty nice discount." At this, Naruto gets a raised eyebrow and the obvious wish for him to explain more. Naruto shrugs his shoulders, the good humored smile still in place. "I'm friends with Choji, and so his dad is always pretty generous towards me."

"Everyone adores you, it seems."

The blonde's smile falters, and he shrugs his shoulders morosely. "Wasn't always like that." Naruto hopes Sasuke doesn't push this topic, but he knows if he doesn't give some form of answer, it will only strengthen the raven's resolve to get him to talk. "It used to be pretty rough, when I went to school on the east side of town." Naruto tries to put on a bright smile again, but just can't seem to manage it. "But things are different now. Better." Naruto breathes in a deep sigh and decides to change the subject. "How did your meetings go yesterday?"

Sasuke surveys Naruto for a moment, seeming to debate on what to say. "The girls want to do a bake sale to raise funds for prom."

"Prom? But that's already school funded. Why do we need more?"

"Exactly my point." Sasuke sighs and scowls. "They want to go overboard because it's our senior year."

"Oh… Well, I could help out if you decide to do it."

"It's a bit cliché, though, isn't it?"

"It's a classic! A time honored tradition!"

Sasuke's mouth tugs up at the side in a way Naruto has never seen before. Almost like he's… smiling. "Your opinion is a little biased."

"I won't disagree." Naruto gives a cheeky grin.

"We're having a meeting Wednesday and vote then. I'll let you know the outcome."

"Awesome!" Naruto's heart skips a beat; did Sasuke really just say that he will purposefully contact him? For something that doesn't include their forced project? Then Naruto remembers that he is indeed on a lunch date with Sasuke, and this shouldn't be such strange news.

Naruto shivers a bit and shakes the whole situation from his mind. "And the debate team? Naruto scrunches his nose in distaste. "What does a debate team even do?"

"There's no real purpose to it. A topic is chosen, we choose which side we're on, then build a case. After about a week of preparation, we start the actual debate."

"Is that to help with your Forensic Detective career? To be able to build a good case that would hold up in court?"

Sasuke arches an eyebrow. "Very insightful, dobe."

Naruto beams. "I just remember things you tell me." The expression on Sasuke's face at this statement is a cross between smugness and uncertainty. As if something about the statement pleases him, but it also makes him upset.

Naruto quickly decides that the more he learns about Sasuke, the more confused he gets. The guy seems to fluctuate between different emotions, but Naruto can't pin a single one of them down. The blonde is usually pretty good about figuring people out; freakishly so. He's very in tune with other people's emotions and knowing how to help them. But not Sasuke. Not in the least.

"Here's your food." TenTen suddenly pops up out of nowhere with a tray of food. Oh, Naruto can feel his mouth salivating at the delicious aroma emanating from that bowl.

All conversation ceases as they begin to eat. That one track mind is running in full at the moment, and the only thing on it is ramen.

"Is everything good?" Naruto nods at TenTen as he gulps down his mouthful of noodles. "Do you need any refills?" Both boys tell her no, and she sets the ticket platter down. Sasuke is already prepared, and immediately slips a black card onto the tray. TenTen walks off to get things taken care of.

"So good!" Naruto leans back happily in his seat as he sets down his chopsticks. "Thank you," he says sincerely. Sasuke nods in return.

TenTen returns momentarily and exchanges a quick goodbye with Naruto, giving Sasuke a suggestive glance on her way off.

It doesn't seem to faze the raven, and he gives his attention to Naruto. "Are you ready to do this next assignment?"

"Eh, I guess so," Naruto sighs heavily. "They give me headaches." Both boys push out of the booth.

"You're not used to thinking of concepts in a psychological way."

Naruto scoffs. "Most people aren't, teme." Stepping out into the bright afternoon comes as a shocking contrast to the dim atmosphere of the restaurant, earning a groan of irritation from Naruto. "Does it have to be so bright all the time?"

Apparently Sasuke doesn't realize this is a rhetorical question, because he responds with "I wonder that about you often."

But before Naruto can respond to the unprecedented retort, Sasuke is shutting his car door. Oh well, he can bother him some more at the coffee shop.