lily: the chapter names may not make sense to some, but if you hear them, it'll make sense... or not.

Aishiteru, Naruto
Chapter Two
Girl Next Green Door

Naruto's reaction to being told Sasuke was going to live with him was not favorable,
That asshole?! Live with me?! Uh-uh, no way, not gonna happen! he shrieked at Kakashi. Kakashi sighed, something he was doing more often lately.
It's not yours to decide, Naruto. Sasuke needs a place to stay before we can find him a new home and you're his school clan-member and my student, under my jurisdiction, so you will let Sasuke stay with you.
Naruto grumbled angrily, Stupid, hentai-sensei.
I heard that! Sasuke will be coming down to your apartment in a little while, as soon as I'm finished talking to him. So you get a place ready for him.
Right! I'll go fix up the garbage cans, then!

All right, all right! I'll fix up the fold out couch. Man...


Sasuke seemed just as upset by the news, but took it more quietly,
I have to stay with that idiot? I think not...
said Kakashi in a warning tone, it's only until you get a new house. He's your school clan-member and it's his duty to help you and your duty to accept that help.
Fine, I just hope I don't get fleas from that mangy slob. Sasuke gave Kakashi an icy stare with his emotionless, inky looking eyes.


Sasuke looked at the slip of paper with Naruto's address on it. He was at the right building, it was a small dingy place with three stories and a roof top garden, but he could see no way to get into Naruto's apartment. there was only one door that led straight into someone else's apartment and a stair case on the side that led to a third floor window, but nothing to reach Naruto's second story apartment. Sasuke spotted a gray rope ladder that he hadn't noticed before, because it had blended in with the side of the building. This couldn't be it, but there was no other way.

Sasuke grabbed the bottom of the ladder, it was soft with age, tattered from frequent use and bleached from countless days in the sun; Sasuke hoped it would hold him. Sasuke hauled himself up the ladder and pulled himself in through Naruto's window, landing softly on the floor. Sasuke stood, brushed himself off and took in his new surroundings.

The whole house appeared to be in the more manageable western style. The carpet deep forest green with innumerable stains and splotches and the walls and ceilings were pale gray, with bits of white showing through. A large, squashy looking, burgundy sofa had been folded out into a bed, green sheets and a white pillow were neatly arranged on it. Sasuke could see into the next room, which was the kitchen, and into the hallway, where there were three doors. One opened to a small washroom, the second to Naruto's room and the third, into another hallway which led into another apartment.

Sasuke heard a loud clanging and hissing sound coming from the kitchen and he stepped cautiously in.

Naruto stood at the stove. He was wearing his orange shorts, a navy undershirt, his Hitai-Ate headband was pushed back to keep his bangs out of the way and an overly large, stained apron with the words, stamped across it, was tied loosely around his wiry frame.

Naruto was in the process of stirring a pot of something, thick, soupy and yellowish with small pink things in it. Sasuke would not be eating that. Naruto glanced up at Sasuke.
Hey, you could knock, he said, sounding annoyed.
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm used to knocking on doors, not windows, said Sasuke scornfully.
Naruto snorted, Whatever. Anyway, I just finished making dinner. Let me get you a bowl and a drink.

Naruto pulled down two chipped and scratched bowls with cartoon pictures of fish swimming around the rims. He ladled some of the soup-stuff into the bowls and took two cans of soda out of the fridge. He handed a bowl and a drink to Sasuke, motioning him to sit down at the table that was in the living room.

Naruto happily dug into the food, his spoon scraping the bowl. He caught Sasuke looking incredulously at the food and spoke,
It's shrimp alfredo, dumb ass.
Shrimp alfredo?
Yeah, it's a western dish, in case you didn't know-
I know what it is, idiot. I'm just surprised that someone as stupid as yourself would even know what it was, much less know how to cook it.

Sasuke smirked at the anger that flared up in Naruto's eyes. Sasuke loved to get Naruto angry. Sasuke liked the way that Naruto's eyes would darken from sky blue to velvety purple, the way that little blotches of red would appear on his cheeks, accenting his pale skin, the way that he would duck his head down, glaring up at Sasuke from under his pale lashes. But what Sasuke liked most of all, Naruto was paying attention to him for some reason other than Sakura's affections. Anger may not have been the emotion that Sasuke wanted to see blazing in Naruto's eyes, but it was better than nothing.

In that way, Naruto and Sasuke were very much alike. Naruto didn't care what kind of attention he got, as long as he got it. In his mind attention equaled affection, something that he had so rarely received in his life. Naruto didn't care who paid attention to him as long as they did. Sasuke liked to make Naruto angry because it meant that Naruto was paying attention to him, not the way Sakura was acting towards him. As with Naruto, Sasuke believed that any attention was good attention as long as he got it.

Naruto growled, Well, that proves you wrong. I mean, some one might learn how to cook, especially if they had never had parents to do it for them. At least you had yours until you were eight.
Sasuke growled, just as menacingly as Naruto, Shut up about my parents. They loved me. Unlike yours, who probably dumped you in a ditch somewhere.

Naruto stopped, his mouth open. Sasuke saw the look of hurt in his eyes. He hadn't meant to be that cruel to Naruto, but he had lost his temper with that crack about his parents and now regretted his words.

Naruto lowered his head and glared at his empty bowl.
You don't know anything, he whispered.

Sasuke finished his bowl in silence and Naruto took the dishes to wash them. He turned to Sasuke when he was done.
You can sleep on the fold out couch, he said impassively, my room's at the end of the hall, bathroom in the middle. Make sure you don't go through the third door. You'll end up in Tsuyoshi's apartment.
I don't have any clothes, said Sasuke, they were all in my house and I don't want to sleep in the clothes that I'm wearing.
We'll go to the market tomorrow. Until then you can wear my clothes. Let me get them. Naruto disappeared into his room but quickly reappeared with a pair of gray sweat pants and an undershirt. He handed them wordlessly to Sasuke and went back to his room.