Alas! Naruto and all of the characters from Naruto belong to someone who is not myself. I try to claim them, but I cannot, and I must say... I am not talented enough to create something so lovely as Naruto.

A/N: Okay everybody! Welcome to chapter 6. I would just like to say, I am not very happy with this chapter, and I don't think it's very well written, but I tried. I had quite a bit of trouble with all of this, so please forgive me. There are warnings, too. They are the following: rough language, though not in this chapter, OOC, especially in this chapter, and future SASUNARU. AKA shounen-ai. This means: hot (okay, maybe no that hot) boy on boy action is going to be occurring in the near future. If this bothers you, then I'll say it again. Fuck you. Get Out. Thanks for reading y'all, and thanks for reviewing. I like responding to reviews. It's very fun. And so, I will do it now!

Kaiou-hime: I'm glad you like it even though it's Americanized, and I do indeed plan on keeping it consistent, even if that means consistently wrong, as in the case of Kakashi's name. do you like sno-cones? What flavor is you favorite? Because –whips out sno-cone stand complete with cream and a hundred different flavors- I just happen to have a shaved ice stand laying around, and I would love to make you a few as a thankyou for your lovel review. ;) Thanks for the review!

Juu: I'm so glad you like it! I personally enjoy high school fics as well, for some totally unknown reason! I just love to read them. Also! I'm terribly happy that you enjoyed my poems, and I really appreciate you telling me you like them. I sort of like the first few lines of Naruto's and then the last few lines of Sasuke's. ;) Anyways, thanks for reviewing. As your reward, I will give you an economy sized box of your favorite candies. Mixed variety!

SasuNaru-kun I am indeed a girl! A rabid fan type girl. I'm so glad you liked it, and I do try to make my chapters long, but it doesn't seem that I've really written one of any substance. Oh well. Thanks so much for your review. Here are some lemon squares for you! (If you don't like those, then you can change them into something else!)

Kyuubi-kun: I think ditto is a pretty cool word too, and even though it's OOC for Sasuke to use it, I thought that was kind of the whole point of the scene. You know, two OOC moments that create a certain level of peace between our soon-to-be-slashed boys. Thanks for reviewing, and since you love ramen so much, I bestow upon you the beauty that is lifetime supply!

ewon: I know I hate it when I have to wait forever for an update, so I like to update quickly. I've kind of quit editing because of that, but I'm glad you think it's well written anyway. It's good to know my speed is appreciated. ;) So! What haven't I given you yet? Pocky! Here is a lifetime supply of Pocky for you! Thanks for all your reviews.

And now, after multiple paragraphs of thank yous, on with the fic!

But Home Is Nowhere...: The Sleeping Mouth

When Sasuke walked outside, he found himself wishing he could be surprised when a timid voice called out to him, "Hey, Sasuke! Can I talk to you?" He turned, to face the brave girl and half wanted to just say no. Something held him back, though.

Sakura was standing there looking so hopeful, and there was something about her eyes that he just couldn't refuse. This girl was genuinely nice. "Sure." He said quietly, and they began walking. He knew this conversation was going some place he didn't want to be, but he also knew he'd have to deal with it eventually.

Sakura was blushing a brilliant shade of red as she launched into a jumbled speech that she'd obviously been practicing. Sasuke felt his mouth twitch upwards a fraction. "So, I know you're new here and everything, and you probably have tons of girls hitting on you, and you're probably really annoyed already, but I was just wondering if maybe, sometime, you might..." Her voice was unsteady and she sounded as if she wanted Sasuke to finish the sentence for her. Upon realizing that he wasn't going to, she continued, "I was wondering I you might be interestedinadate." The last part was rushed and utterly incoherent, and, had Sasuke not known what she was going to say already, he wouldn't have had any idea what was coming out of her mouth.

He sighed. Sakura really did seem like a good person. She was someone he could get along with if he wanted to, and if she had a dick instead of boobs, he could even date her. But alas, Sasuke was quite sure that she was a female fully equipped with breasts and a vagina. He shook his head and looked her straight in the eye. They had stopped walking by now, and they were standing alone in the middle of the school courtyard. "Sakura," he said gently, trying not to sound as if he was rejecting her. "You really seem like a nice person, and I might even consider dating you. But, the thing is..." Sasuke was the one who sounded nervous now, and he had no idea why he was even telling this girl his secret, but now that he'd started he had to go through with it.

"The thing is, I'm not really interested." Her face fell, and he hurried to continue before she ran off crying. "It's not you, though! It's girls in general. I just...don't..." He was fidgeting, twisting the hem of his shirt. "I like boys instead. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone." Sasuke gave a timid half smile.

Sakura's eyes had widened a bit, but she seemed okay otherwise. For a moment she just stood silently gaping, and then she said, "Of course I won't tell anyone." She was smiling now. "Thanks for telling me. I would have felt really bad if I thought you just hated me."

Sasuke let out a long breath and nodded, a wave of relief washing over him. "Maybe," he replied. "We could be friends. You know, hang out and stuff." He could definitely like this girl. She was sweet, and her face was currently lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"Of course!" Her voice was cheerful now, almost excited, and Sasuke was a little shocked when she pulled him into a tight hug. "That is, if you don't mind having a friend who'll spend a fair amount of time ogling you behind your back."

He returned her smile softly and replied, "Not at all." He felt as if some kind of horrible weight had been lifted off of him now that someone knew, and while it had been a risk telling her, he was glad he had. It would seem he was going to get a new friend out of it. "That is, as long as you don't mind having a friend who talks about guys all the time, because you're the only one who knows he's queer."

"Not at all." Sakura turned and began walking back in the direction from which they'd come. When they'd reached the front of the school again, they both noticed their rides, and with a short hug, they parted ways. Sasuke was smiling when he slipped into the passenger seat of Itachi's Porsche. His brother just smirked at him as they drove off, speeding horrendously through the school zone.

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Naruto fumbled with his key as he pulled it out of the lock. The damned door was jammed again, and the key was refusing to turn. He let out an exasperated sigh and plopped down on the front steps, attempting to calm his frazzled nerves. He had been happy when he'd left the school forty-five minutes earlier, but somehow, his journey home had managed to return him to the supremely agitated mental state he'd been in that morning.

Remembering that he needed groceries, he'd stopped at the convenient store on the way home and picked up forty cups of Ramen, some fresh milk, and two liters of soda. He had then proceeded to fight with cashier for ten minutes about how much ramen, he had. It was apparently against the rules to buy out the entire stock, and the cashier had given him a look of sheer hatred when he'd grabbed one of the cups and returned it to the shelf. He had merely glared at her. He was so sick of people hating him for something he had no control over.

When he finally left the store, bags in hand, someone had rushed past him with a cup of hot coffee and viciously drenched him in the scalding, smelly liquid. As he trudged up his street, clothes stinking and arms aching with the weight of the milk and soda, the woman who lived three doors down had commented maliciously about his orphaned state and then sprayed him with her hose, saying harshly,

"I'll give you a free bath you mangy stray! I can't afford to have you tracking dirt on my sidewalk" She had been smiling, and he flipped her off, his pace quickening. He was now sitting on his front step dripping wet and smelly with six bags of groceries and milk that would go bad if he were stuck outside as long as he had been last time.

He wanted to cry, and he felt his eyes watering as a lump rose in the back of his throat. For some reason, no matter how often things like this happened, he couldn't get used to it. He was sick and tired of being treated like crap, but there was nothing he could do about it. Every day, the world insisted on bearing down on him and pushing all of it's hatred onto him as if he were some kind of giant garbage can. By now, he was exhausted with all of it, and he often found himself ready to break down, as he was right now. He barely even noticed when the tears started falling down his cheeks.

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Sasuke was lying on his bed counting the bumps on the ceiling when the phone rang. The shrill noise pierced through his concentration, and he practically fell off his bed in surprise, picking up the portable from his bed table.

"Hello?"

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds and Sasuke was about to speak again when a happy voice replied, "Sasuke?" He smiled. It was Sakura.

"Yeah, is this Sakura?"

"Uh Huh." Sasuke lay back down on his bed, the phone resting on his shoulder and the girl continued speaking, "I was just calling to talk. Are you busy?"

"Nope. I was just counting the bumps on my ceiling."

He heard Sakura laugh. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I called. You might have lulled yourself into a coma if you'd kept doing that for too long."

Sasuke nodded, and then, realizing she couldn't sheep him, said, "Yeah, I guess so. So what's up?"

"Not much, I was just sitting here doing my math and I got bored, so I called. Your number was in the phonebook." He could here her smiling. "How lame is it that we have homework on the first day of school?"

"Pretty lame." His smile grew a little. "So how do you like our teachers?"

"They're okay, but my classes aren't very interesting this year. There aren't really any trouble makers in any of them except for English."

"Who's that?" He was a little confused since they were in the same English class. He hadn't really thought anyone was that bad. Except-

"Naruto. You know? The kid who you have to share a locker with." Her voice was tainted with the same heated disgust that seemed so common in everyone when it came to the blonde. Sasuke once again found himself wondering what the boy had done.

"He's not that bad, though. Maybe a little annoying, but that's it. Unless there's something I don't know?" He said the last part as a question, hoping Sakura would enlighten him. He was disappointed when all she said was,

"There are things, but you don't want to hear about those."

Actually, he did. "Sure I do. What things?"

Sakura didn't reply for a very long time. "I'm sorry Sasuke. I can't say. It's not something anyone likes to talk about. Maybe you should just look at the local newspapers from twelve years ago." Sasuke frowned. He was really interested now. How could Naruto have done something twelve years ago? He wouldn't have been more than a toddler.

All he said was, "Okay." He would drop the subject for now. It obviously made Sakura uncomfortable.

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Naruto hung his head between his knees, slipping his hand under his shirt and finger the marking he had there. It was a blemish he'd always despised, the red ink swirling in dizzying ugly pattern, spreading out across his entire stomach. The stupid spiral caused him pain every day, marking him for life. He would never be able to get rid of it, and because of that, he would be despised for the rest of his life.

The thought of this made him cry even harder. The tears were falling faster, and his sobs became louder, and all he could hope was that no one would see him. He had nowhere to run, and he really didn't think he was in any condition to be fighting.

TBC...

A/N: Don't kill me. I'm completely aware of how horrible this chapter went and how mean I am to Naruto. I'm very sorry. Not to mention how nice I am to Sakura and how completely OOC Sasuke is. With all the smiling and everything. I don't know what I'm thinking! I'm sorry. I would rewrite it, but I didn't think this thing would ever end. It took me hours to write this chapter, and it was even harder than chapter two was for me. Arrrgggghhhhh. I hope you liked some part of it. If you did, please tell me, and if you didn't also please tell me. (That was some not so subtle begging for reviews. ;)) I hope the next chapter will turn out better, although, I do think OOC Sasuke might be here to stay. Maybe not. I hope not. But even I can't tell. TT

Tootly Doo.