That meeting had been...educational to put it politely. Sasuke followed Naruto from behind, watching the teen slowly calm down and release his anger. He had noticed a lot of things since entering the gates of the school, but nothing had been more helpful yet confusing than his interaction with Naruto.

When he had walked into the classroom, his first view of Uzumaki had been the typical delinquent. The teacher had not bothered trying to lecture him to put his desk into the correct spot, nor did he scold the teen for not standing and bowing. He concluded that it was typical behavior from the teen and the teacher had tired of fighting it or did not care. Sitting in the class, Sasuke had leaned towards the later.

Uzumaki's initial reaction to recognizing him had been amusing and rather expected. A combination of panic, disbelief, and uncertainty. That was within the norm. As was Uzumaki's panic when he left the classroom towards the roof. What began to derail from his expectations was when Uzumaki had injured himself.

He shouldn't be feeling hungry. Sasuke had fed twice in the past week, yet with just a whiff of the metallic smell his teeth had ached to bite. With the close proximity, he had felt Uzumaki's heart beating out of control beneath the palm of his hand. Fear was a wonderful intoxicant. Adrenaline especially made the blood strengthen in flavor while cortisol made the blood sweeter.

Uzumaki's blood had been different. His blood was full of flavor, but without the overpowering sweetness to match. It was like his adrenaline was always going, but the stress didn't seem to come along with it. As Sasuke wasn't a fan of the sweet things, the flavor without the drawback was welcomed, but realistically not possible, until now that was.

Perhaps that was the source of why he ached to drink more when the scent was caught by him, but it only raised more questions.

The second thing that derailed everything was Uzumaki breaking his skin with his bare nails. Vampire skin was soft, but it wasn't quite as fragile as human skin. A knife he could understand, nails were another story. Nevertheless, the slight sting had brought him out of his trance, and he had taken the opportunity to collect himself and reign in his hunger and thoughts.

The third thing was unexpected. As the teen removed his tie, the fear the teen had exhibited vanished, replaced with a cold persona, lacking the fear and anxiety he had exuberated moments before. He had looked down at Sasuke at the end of his nose as if he was nothing more than an insect. At that moment, he was a different person altogether. The change had left as quickly as it had come, ending when Uzumaki slouched, shoved his hands in his pockets, and turned to leave.

The fourth thing however was not something he could easily ignore. He had not lied about needing to speak with him but simply saying he would accompany Uzumaki to the hospital had the teenager become more viscous than when his own life had been in jeopardy. It was within that heat of anger, that for a moment, Uzumaki's physical appearance changed. It was a flash, hard to notice by a normal human. Fiery red irises and sharpened nails. A fraction of a second, but Sasuke had caught it. He was beginning to see why Uzumaki was in that class.

Now, as they were making their way through the school, Sasuke observed the way other students made an effort to avoid Uzumaki, one even going so far as to stop and change directions. Uzumaki was becoming more and more of an enigma every passing second.

"It's your first day of school. Won't you get in trouble for skipping?"

Uzumaki's question came seemingly out of nowhere. He had stopped and was now facing him. With his sleeves rolled up, his tie missing, top shirt buttons undone, blond hair, and his slouched posture, Uzumaki fit the image of a stereotype delinquent, a stark contrast to Sasuke's perfectly pressed uniform and neat and tidy appearance, yet Uzumaki's face was one mixed with annoyance and genuine worry.

"I have already made an arrangement with the school regarding my frequent absences. As long as I keep up with my school work, I can come and go as I please."

Uzumaki's nose scrunched up in distaste. "I don't even think you realize how stuck up you sound. How old are you anyway? You sound like the rich old guys who fund this place." Sasuke frowned, sending a glare at Uzumaki who snickered. "I'm guessing pretty damn old."

Uzumaki was still snickering as they descended to the first floor of the building. The school was divided into an east wing and west wing with a connecting walkway on the south end, forming a u-shape from an aerial view. The third-year classes occupied the west wing's second floor. A line of cherry trees led from the gate of the school to the connecting walkway where the school's shoe lockers resided. Sasuke could imagine how gorgeous it probably was at the beginning of the school year with the cherry trees in bloom and their petals raining down in a gentle flurry. Now as winter approached, the trees had turned into a path lined with various orange and reds.

Uzumaki hadn't stopped by the classroom to pick up his school bag. As it was his first day, Sasuke had not purchased his books, so he had nothing to really bring, Uzumaki, in contrast, most likely didn't care. He didn't seem like he was much for school. As he waited for Uzumaki to put on his street shoes, Sasuke watched the trees sway in the wind, the orange-tinted sunlight, streaming through the glass entrance that took up the entire wall.

"Leaving already?"

Uzumaki nearly jumped out of his skin when the voice had spoken up from behind them. Sasuke however turned much more leisurely. The class representative Nara, Shikamaru stood with his hands in his pockets staring at Sasuke with a disinterested expression, but his gaze was focused on him with unusual attention for the usually laid-back teen.

Sasuke smiled politely. "Yes, I already notified the principal about my early dismissals for my job."

Nara didn't respond to him, instead looking at Uzumaki. "What's your excuse?"

Uzumaki smiled guiltily. "Can you not tell Baa-chan? Just this once?"

Nara gave a half shrug. "It's none of my business if you leave or not," his eyes shot over to Sasuke, "Only him." Scratching the back of his neck, he muttered, "Being class rep is a pain."

Uzumaki smiled. "Then stop being so good at it," he threw in teasingly.

Nara snorted, the beginnings of a smile twitching on his lips. "Give my regards to Inuzuka-san."

"I will."

Nara shot another look towards Sasuke, bowing his head just slightly. "Uchiha-san."

"Nara-san," the vampire responded. Despite saying their goodbyes, Nara watched them leave, his eyes never leaving him.

"I wonder what's up with him," Uzumaki said, thinking out loud. "He's never actually done his job seriously as long as I've known him."

Sasuke didn't answer, instead pulling out his cellphone.

When they reached the gate, Uzumaki was turning left when Sasuke grabbed his arm. "We'll take my car."

Uzumaki growled at the rough treatment, yanking his arm away. "What car?"

Just as he asked the question, a stretch limo pulled up. Uzumaki's eyes went wide, lighting up. "We're taking this?"

Sasuke just raised an eyebrow, opening the car door. "After you."

Uzumaki's eyes shifted, signaling his hesitance to get into the vehicle. It seemed he wasn't completely airheaded, thinking of the consequences of getting into a stranger's car, especially one as dangerous as Sasuke. However, there was a glint of eagerness in his eyes, and that part of Uzumaki appear to win over his doubts, getting in. Sasuke slid in after him.

"Master, are you okay? You called sooner than I expected."

"I'm fine, Tobi," Sasuke said, watching Uzumaki observe his surroundings including his driver. Tobi had a face of a man in his early twenties, his hair styled as a young businessman would. There were no traits that would have set him apart from normal Japanese society if it wasn't for the scar over the right side of his face. His right eye was closed, showing that the injury hadn't missed his eye and most likely damaged or lost. "Take us to the hospital."

"Hospital?" Tobi's right eye glanced at Uzumaki with a curious gaze. "Sure thing."

Not even five minutes had passed before Uzumaki was constantly fidgeting, shifting in his seat and shaking his leg. If it was a normal person, it would be out of anxiety, but Uzumaki's constant glancing at the buttons, juice bar, and driver gave away how excited he was, like a child wanting to explore.

"Haven't you been in a limo before?"

Uzumaki's face flushed at being caught. "It's not like everyone is born rich, bastard."

"It's a safe bet with the high school tuition. I highly doubt you're in on scholarship."

Glaring, Uzumaki leaned forward to play with the buttons after all, testing each and every one to Sasuke's annoyance. "Well, I'm not. Neither is Kiba, and we aren't exactly popular. Gaara has money, but he'd rather chew off his arm than use it. The most he lets us use is the private car, but it's still just a car. Not any different than getting a ride from Baa-chan."

"I have a hard time believing that, Naruto-kun. I've only just met you and you seem like a nice boy. I'm sure you're more popular than you think," Tobi chimed in.

Shock overtook Uzumaki's features followed by disbelief. "Really?" Adjusting himself, he scooted closer to the divider, resting his arms on opening. "You must not have met many people."

Tobi chuckled. "On the contrary, I have met many people throughout my lifetime. Uchiha-sama especially has some, shall we say, very unique acquaintances."

"Really? What's it like working for such an asshole anyway?"

"Well," Tobi's voice dropped into a stage whisper, taking his eyes off the winding mountain road. "Not as bad as you probably think. If you don't consider his temper... or that time he used me as a hostage... or that time he used me as bait... or that time," Tobi was cut off by a wine glass shattering next to his head against the windshield, causing both Tobi and Uzumaki to duck and protect their eyes. More amazingly, Tobi hadn't even jerked the wheel at the sudden attack, merely leaning forward and wiping off the broken glass from the dashboard.

Uzumaki turned, glaring holes at Sasuke who didn't have a single hair out of place. "Are you crazy! You could have killed us!"

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. A little thing like that wouldn't distract me," he laughed as if it was just a small prank. "Besides, I get my revenge during our sparring matches."

"Sparring matches?"

Naruto took a liking to Tobi. He was funny, lighthearted, and interesting. During their conversation, Tobi had told him of his rather impressive weapons collection, ranging from medieval Europe to modern guns, as well as the different martial arts he had picked up in his travels. There was plenty of time to go into detail about the topic. While there was a clinic in Konoha, Kiba had been sent to the hospital on the other side of the island. Located on this side of the island was the tourist spots. A bustling coastal city with shiny, new buildings, brand named stores and hotels, and sandy beaches, it was where Konoha made most of its revenue minus the school. Most locals only traveled to this side to work. Likewise, very few tourists wandered into the smaller city on the other side. It was an hour's drive between the two, which allowed Naruto plenty of time for his questions.

However, the moment the limo came to a stop in front of the hospital, Naruto bolted from the car, not bothering to even close the limo door in his haste, heading inside. Sasuke followed at a slower pace, not that Naruto cared. If he could lose him, the better.

Naruto only paused long enough to ask for the patient room. The nurse smiled at him politely, but Naruto didn't miss the glance at his blond hair and the strain in her smile as the result. He never had to dress like a delinquent for people to assume he was one. With slight hesitation, as if considering whether or not he would cause trouble if she told him, she gave him Kiba's room number.

Used to the treatment, he just gave her a large smile, bowing fully and almost hitting his head on the service counter in his haste, thanking her. As he turned, he missed the slight blush on the nurse's face.

Kiba's room was near the end of the hallway in one of the private rooms. That in itself was strange since the Inuzuka family was on the lower end of the income spectrum, so it was understandable that Naruto assumed that perhaps he had misheard the information. That was until he saw a very familiar dog, peeking out of the doorway, staring at him with what Naruto was sure was malice.

Naruto chuckled nervously, approaching with exaggerated slowness. "Akamaru," Naruto said as the dog began to growl. "We're friends, right?" Akamaru was a large Akita. A very large Akita. He bordered on nearly 80cm tall, making it as tall as any wolf with the thickness and strength of an Akita to back it up. His pure white fur added more to his intimidating figure as Naruto more than once swore he had caught specks of blood marring it in the past. Even so, Naruto loved animals, it just seemed Akamaru didn't share the sentiment. Narrowing his eyes, Akamaru disappeared into the room, and Naruto let a soft sigh, entering the room as well.

Akamaru had moved to the foot of Kiba's bed, sitting straight up and at attention as if on guard duty. In the bed, Kiba was propped up with a PSP in his hands. His head was wrapped with bandages, his left cheek was scratched up and skinned and his arm was in a sling, but overall, he was okay. Naruto released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Kiba was okay.

Kiba wasn't aware of Naruto's presence immediately, too preoccupied with his game, so Naruto moved further into the room, sitting in the chair provided. "And here I was wondering whether I should be worried about you or pissed that you didn't seem to come back for me."

The sound of Naruto's voice startled Kiba where an indecent, high-pitched squeak left his throat, and Naruto's pseudo angry face morphed into a smile.

"Shit, you're alive!" The blankets were tangled around Kiba's legs as he tried to kick them off to get closer and failing.

"Calm down, Kiba. I'm fine," he lied. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Pausing, Kiba looked over Naruto carefully until he cautiously leaned back against his pillows. "What happened last night?" he asked. The tone of Kiba's voice was one of uncertainty. "I thought you were captured by that psycho."

"He let me go. It was just a prank set up by Nijima," Naruto leaned back in his chair, attempting to look calm though he didn't feel like it. He couldn't let Kiba worry unnecessarily. Kiba was loyal, just like Gaara, but just like a dog, he would try to protect Naruto without thinking. Naruto didn't know what Uchiha's intention was, so it was best not to get Kiba further involved. "How are you affording this room anyway?"

Kiba's face turned sour like he had just sucked a lemon. "Tsunade-san, I think. I was a bit out of it when they brought me here. There aren't many Americans on the island."

That was true. Despite being a foreigner, his godmother held a lot of power and authority on the island, knowing everyone and having a lot of power even over the police. It had been common since he was young. He would get in trouble, and Tsunade would make it all go away. He never really thought of it as strange until Kiba continued. "Hey, Naruto, why are we even at that school?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's the only high school on the island. Where else are we going to go?"

"Yeah, but it's still one of the top schools in the country. The exam to get in is ridiculously hard and the tuition alone is enough to keep the town going. Gaara's smart, so I know why he's there despite causing problems, but me and you don't make sense."

Silence followed as Naruto thought. "What brought this on?" he asked avoiding eye contact with his friend, staring at nothing in particular.

"I'm sitting in a private hospital room with Akamaru two meters away," he gestured widely with his uninjured arm. "I mean it's cool, but it's just too weird."

Naruto struggled to keep his face passive. He knew what Kiba was hinting at, that both he and Kiba were only getting by thanks to Tsunade, making them no different than the other elite students. No, they were worse. They had connections to the one woman who could change the rules on the island, even bypassing the exam, reducing tuition, and eliminating their extensive records when she saw fit. "Tsunade does what she wants. It's not like I can tell her to stop."

"I know that." Kiba looked down at his bedsheets, rubbing his injured shoulder. "Sorry. It's not my place to bring it up."

"No, I appreciate your honesty. You, Gaara, and Hyuuga's group are probably the only ones who don't talk your way around things or ignore them."

"Yeah, well we aren't exactly model Japanese citizens either." Kiba shot him a small smile which Naruto returned, easing the tension that had formed during the conversation.

Eager to talk about something else, Naruto looked over to Akamaru who was still at attention. "What do you feed that thing? I swear it got bigger since the last time I saw it."

Kiba watched Akamaru as well, tilting his head slightly to the left. "No... he's still the same size."

Akamaru had started following Kiba about a year ago one night when Kiba almost drowned in the river after stumbling in when walking home drunk. It had been a cold night and the shock of the cold water had made him inhale the water. Kiba wasn't sure of the specifics, but he was told Akamaru had pulled him out and brought someone to give him CPR. Afterwards, Akamaru kept following Kiba. Being obviously trained, Kiba had asked around, but not one person came forward to claim him. The dog also didn't eat dog food. In fact, Kiba had no clue what he ate. Akamaru would disappear occasionally and come back as if nothing happened. Since he didn't lose or gain weight, they both assumed he ate during the times he was missing.

"He still gives me the creeps," Naruto muttered under his breath. A strange sound that came from Akamaru had Naruto wiping his head around to look. Did Akamaru just laugh at him?

"You're overthinking. He just looks intimidating." Kiba assured, defending Akamaru as always.

"Bullshit."

Suddenly, Akamaru was growling at the door, bearing his large, sharp, pure white teeth, his tail raised and stiff, and body lowered and ready for an attack. The reaction was so unexpected, Naruto jumped out of his chair and backed away in fear, but he wasn't the target of the dog's malice. Uchiha walked through the door only a few seconds later.

Kiba's reaction was quite similar to Naruto's except it was to who had walked through the door. "What the hell?! What is he doing here?!"

Uchiha didn't pay the humans any mind, instead staring at the dog. His expression was hard to read. It was blank, but there was something else too. Not fear or annoyance. More like wariness. "I'm not here to hurt anyone," Uchiha said in a tone that resembled annoyance. While it seemed like he was talking to Kiba, his eyes were still on Akamaru.

"Bastard, I should kick your ass for what you did to us last night! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Kiba was beginning to go on the offensive when Naruto pushed him back down on the bed.

"Calm down, I invited him. He just gave me a ride. He wanted to apologize."

Uchiha broke eye contact with the dog to look over at them with a raised eyebrow that left no translation to what he was thinking. I did?

"As nice as this all is," Uchiha easily brushed off Naruto's assurances, "We need to go. I'm late for my job."

"Great, go ahead and leave then." Naruto was already sitting back down when the hair on the back of Naruto's neck began to rise.

"If you don't mind, Inuzuka-san, I would like to borrow Uzumaki-san. He promised to help me with my job earlier in exchange for a ride." It sounded polite, but there was something underneath it that sounded like a threat.

They were located towards the back of the hospital, and it was rather isolated. If Uchiha decided to cause havoc, no one would be able to come in time.

"He's right. Totally forgot." Naruto grinned goofily at his friend, punching his good shoulder. "Don't hit on the nurses too much. I know you have a thing for them."

There was still suspicion written over Kiba's face, but the last comment caused the teen to blush with embarrassment. You promised never to bring that up," he whispered harshly. "And that was two years ago."

"Ah, that's right. You're into the artificial girlfriend games now."

"Th-there is nothing wrong with a guy my age playing those games!"

Successful in distracting his friend, Naruto waved, backing out of the room, promising gifts with his next visit. Kiba was easy to distract thankfully. If it had been Gaara, there would have been no escape.

Sulking, Naruto followed behind Uchiha reluctantly, shoving his hands into his pocket with more force than necessary. He walked slowly to annoy Uchiha; however, he didn't expect Uchiha to take him by the elbow and force him to walk faster. Out of pure stubbornness, Naruto leaned back and tried to dig his heels, but he might as well have been on wheels by how easily Uchiha pulled him along. "Dammit, that hurts!" he complained. Uchiha didn't seem to care, so giving in, Naruto walked the pace Uchiha was setting. "What's the rush anyway?"

"As I said before, I am late for my job."

"I thought you were kidding." Naruto tried to feign disinterest, but he was quite surprised. "Why's a rich guy like you need a job?"

"Relieves the boredom," he replied dryly. Naruto wasn't sure if he was kidding or not but given what he knew about the guy so far, it was probably not a joke. "The studio is just down the block."

He released Naruto, allowing him to walk ahead as they exited the hospital. Since Naruto was leading, he did not see Uchiha looking up towards Kiba's hospital room, watching the raven, which had been perched in the tree across from the window, taking flight.