Chapter 16

Naruto had made himself a promise once, a few months into his freshman year when he had experienced the full extent of Kiba's insecurities, just how far Kiba would go to protect his status quo. On that very day when his peers stood by as Kiba beat him unconscious, Naruto had promised himself that he would never go out of his way to do anything good for the students at his school.

That was then, and quickly he came to realize it wasn't in him to sit idly by when someone needed his help. He may have been the school's proclaimed freak, but he was a lot better than those who looked down on him.

Naruto shrugged off his backpack as he sat down at the secluded table in the back of the cafeteria. The loud chatter of his peers filled his ears as he looked around, a smug smile on his face as he watched the hyper students.

"Congratulations," Tsukasa said. "Your hard work paid off."

"Our hard work," Naruto said as a matter of fact. "Don't go leaving me hanging just because you're scared we'll get in trouble."

Tsukasa had planned to simply stand by, do nothing. But Naruto had a way with words, and before he knew it, he was willingly assisting in what the school could easily claim as an act of trespassing and violation of property. The principal had already called in Hinata for questioning, and Naruto hadn't thrown out the possibility that she would crack under pressure and rat him out.

"Thing is," Tsukasa said, "You don't seem all that concerned about getting caught." He looked youthful in his black T-shirt and blue jeans. He eyed the trio of female students watching him flirtatiously from across the room. His eyes met their gaze and he smiled as they burst into a fit of giggles. "Something like this can easily get you expelled." He turned to Naruto.

"It was for a good cause. I doubt they'll go that far."

"You mean, Sasuke, won't allow them to go that far." Tsukasa rubbed the red apple he had snatched from the food court on his shirt. "Just as, had it been anybody else, he wouldn't have allowed..." He gestured around to the commotion. "...all of this to happen." He bit into the apple with a loud crunch.

"What can I say, he has a soft spot for me."

"I wonder if that's where it ends."

Naruto raised his brow. "What do you mean by that?"

Tsukasa took another bite of the apple, his tongue dashing out to lick the juice that slipped past the corner of his lips. He made it clear he had no further interest in continuing the conversation as he continued to silently eat his apple, deliberately ignoring Naruto's questioning glare.

Naruto prompted both of his elbows on the table. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"No," Tsukasa replied sternly. "Asking questions lead to more questions. That's how people get in trouble. They start running their mouth and say things they shouldn't say."

"I don't remember you being this stiff when I was younger."

Naruto recalled the times when he would see Tsukasa running around with a younger Sasuke. Although, he didn't recall much of his time in the manor, Naruto specifically remembered Tsukasa and Suigetsu, the two guards who were often by Sasuke's side.

"I'm not your friend, kid. I'm here to protect you, not to make conversation."

"Just out of curiosity, how much does Sasuke's father pay you for this job?" He smiled nervously when Tsukasa turned to face him. "How much money is worth risking your own life for someone else's?"

"Didn't you risk suspension for someone else's sake? How much was that worth?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm just saying, whatever he's paying you, I can pay you the same amount. Maybe even more."

"I highly doubt that, kid. What exactly do you want?"

"I want you to work for me. You can do it on the side for extra cash. I don't really care. What do you say?"

Tsukasa chuckled. "Take that up with Sasuke, then we'll talk."

"That's another thing," Naruto said, leaning forward. "This little agenda of ours has to stay between us. Sasuke doesn't find out about any of it. That's our only form of agreement. What do you say?"

"I say, you are trying to get me in trouble."

"Is that a yes or no?"

Tsukasa was silent as he thought over the offer. "You got my interest."

"Good." Naruto opened the small compartment of his backpack and pulled out a small card. "This card is sketchy. I don't know what it is but the message that's on it creeps me out. And with all that's happening, I know it has something to do with Shisui."

Tsukasa analyzed the card he's given. "Where did you get this?"

"It came with some flowers that was sent to my brother," Naruto replied. "The address of the florist is on the back. I want you to check it out and see if you can find out who requested it."

Tsukasa toyed with the card before shoving it inside his back pocket. "Is that all?"

"That's it," Naruto replied. "Think you can handle that, partner?" The note of mockery in his voice did not go unnoticed by Tsukasa.

"Watch yourself, kid." Tsukasa snatched a napkin from the abandoned tray of food, wiped his mouth clean. "You need to eat something. You haven't eaten all day."

"Didn't think you cared so much, Tsukasa." Naruto glanced down disdainfully at the mush rice and watery soup. For the amount tuition cost at the school, the chefs should be ashamed of themselves to present what he could only describe as jail food as delicious cuisine. "I'm not eating this crap."

"It doesn't look that bad." Tsukasa stared oddly at the food. He would be lying to himself if he said the food looked appetizing. "You want an apple?"

"I'll pass, I'm not that hungry."

Across the cafeteria, Naruto watched the crowd of students. The entire cafeteria was in a buzz. Word had gotten around that a student from the school was affiliated with the famous Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto was appreciative his hard work didn't go to waste. It took him all night to finish editing and printing those pictures. He also sacrificed his sleep to wake up early and post them around school before the teachers and students arrived. He can't remember a time he dedicated this much of his time and effort into helping someone, and of all people, it had to be someone related to that son of a bitch.

As Naruto had expected, Neji didn't waste any time taking credit for his hard work. After all, the person of the morning was his sister, and with her newfound popularity came an increase in his, and boy was he basking in the glory. Naruto couldn't even bring himself to be angry. At this point, it was just comical.

He rested his head over the table, yawned softly in his hand. He closed his eyes, just needing a few minutes of rest.

"Kid, I was being serious. You gotta eat something," scolded Tsukasa. He sounded more like a concerned parent rather than the highly skilled bodyguard he was trained to be.

"I told you, I'm not hungry." His stomach growled objectively. Last night, he didn't eat dinner. How could he? With everything that was going on, it was no surprise that he had lost his appetite.

"You need something in your stomach," Tsukasa argued. "Sasuke trusts me to look after you. If a single strand of hair is out of place when we return, I'm the one who's going to be in deep shit. How about you tell me what you wouldn't mind eating and I'll go get it for you."

Naruto wanted to argue for Tsukasa to just leave him alone, but he also understood the reason for Tsukasa's concern. He knew just how overprotective Sasuke was, especially now with their current predicament.

"Spicy rice cakes," Naruto muttered, laying his head back down on the table. He heard Tsukasa stand up beside him. "Do you want me to give you money?"

"No, it's alright. Should I buy some for your friends?"

Naruto glanced up at Tsukasa. He turned his head when Tsukasa nodded in the direction behind him to the group of students approaching him. "Yeah, sure, why not. Get enough for them."

Tsukasa silently took his leave.

Choji was the first to approach the table. He grinned cheerfully. "Hey Naruto, you mind if we sit with you?" He sat his tray down and quickly made himself comfortable.

The trio of friends that followed him were hesitant, unsure if it was wise to sit and be associated with the kid that's known around school for being problematic.

"Is this a joke or something?" Naruto said, hostility in his voice. "Are we friends? Who said you could sit here?" His glare fell over the students, his cold stare focusing on Hinata who stared back at him oddly. "Get lost, all of you."

Choji looked over to his friends and they silently urged him to stand up. He grabbed his tray, ready to stand up and do as he's told when Naruto's abrupt laugh has him and the rest shocked and confused.

"Sit down, you idiots. The table doesn't belong to me. You can sit wherever the hell you want."

They all gathered around the table. Naruto noticed how they all appeared tense except for Choji and Hinata. He looked over to the other two students, one of them being the girl he recalled was with Choji during that one incident with Neji. The boy that sat beside Hinata seemed familiar. Naruto's sure he's seen him around before.

"Naruto, who was that guy that just left?" Choji brought a spoonful of rice to his mouth. He looked up to meet Naruto's piercing gaze. "He's been with you all morning."

Naruto leaned forward, a playful grin on his face. "You've been following me again, haven't you, Choji?"

"No, I was just - well we have a lot of classes together so..." Choji felt his face warm up as he toyed with the silver spoon in his hand. "I wasn't following you, honestly."

"He's a security guard," Naruto replied. "Turns out when you fuck the principal, his wife would try to get revenge."

Choji dropped his spoon, the utensil smacking loudly against the tray. They all looked as if they had seen a ghost.

"Wait, did you really, Naruto?" Hinata asked softly, blushing from the embarrassment. "You didn't actually do that, did you?"

Naruto turned towards her, an innocent smile on his face. "No, Hinata. I'm not that much of a slut." He winked at her and she shied away.

They all seemed to relax now to his company. They were definitely an interesting bunch. He wouldn't mind having them around from time to time.

"Hinata." They all turned towards the female student running towards them. "You mind if I add one more person to my reservation for tomorrow?" When Hinata assured her it was alright, she squealed excitedly before rushing off to her friends waiting not too far away.

"Don't start getting a big head, sweet Hinata." Naruto pinched her cheek playfully. "Let me ask you something. What did you tell Sarutobi when he called you into his office?"

"I told him that it wasn't me who spread the pictures. Told him that I had it on my social media so anyone could have gotten access to it. From what I heard, the cameras weren't operating at the time the pictures were spread around school so they're going to let everyone off the hook with a warning. I think he's going to make an announcement after lunch."

Naruto was shocked. He truly thought she would squeal on him. But it made sense why she didn't. Why would she bite the hand that was feeding her. Naruto noticed the sudden tension around the table, the nervous looks around him.

Choji lowered his head, his eyes focusing on his food. "Crap, Kiba's coming," he mumbled.

"Come on guys, he's not that bad," Hinata said, smiling up at Kiba. "Hey Ki," she greeted him tenderly.

"Sup' Hinata." Kiba pulled his Ray-Bans off his face and crowned it on top of his curls. He sat down beside Naruto. "Hey." He reached for the bottle of juice on Choji's tray, twisted the cap open. He moved his mouth close to Naruto'e ear. "Hello, anyone home?"

Naruto looked up at him, stunned. "You're talking to me?"

Kiba scoffed. "Who else would I be talking to?"

"Uh… hi." Naruto watched him down half the juice before sliding it back to Choji. He suddenly felt guilty seeing the white cloth bandage wrapped around Kiba's forehead. "How's your head?"

"Thanks to you, I had to get a couple of stitches," Kiba said, a frown on his face. "I'm so doped up on painkillers right now, I didn't even think I'd come to school. Don't even know why I bothered to come."

"Go back home," Naruto said. "I can give you the notes."

"Do you take notes?" They both knew the answer to that. Kiba had stared secretly at Naruto enough times to know all he did in class was daydream or sleep. "Anyway, I can't miss practice today so whether I like it or not, I'm stuck here until-"

"Kiss me," Naruto said suddenly, effectively cutting off Kiba and gaining everyone's attention on him. He smiled, his eyes daring Kiba to do it. "Kiss me."

Kiba allowed his eyes to trail down to Naruto's full lips. For a moment, he considered leaning forward, but then he looked up and caught a glimpse of his friends. "Wouldn't it come off a little desperate? After all, you did hit me over the head with a liquor bottle."

"You gave just as good as you received."

They stared at each other, shared a moment, then almost as if witnessing something in each other for the first time, they both turned away. Kiba looked around the table, the flabbergasted faces unwilling to meet his eyes directly.

"You actually do have friends." He playfully nudged Naruto's arm. "You should introduce me."

"As an asshole? Trust me you don't need any introduction there."

"You think you're pretty funny, huh?"

Hinata's face flushed red as she observed the pair. "What's going on?" She looked between her equally confused friends doing their best to hide their expressions. "Are you two-"

She doesn't get the chance to finish her sentence when she's roughly grabbed by her arm and forced up to her feet.

"What did I tell you about hanging out with these losers?" Neji shoved her aside, a disapproving frown on his face as he looked over the group sat around the small table.

"What's your problem?" Hinata shouted, her timid voice gone as she now sounded like a completely different person. "Who are you to tell me who I can and cannot hang out with?"

"Shut up." Neji grabbed her bag and shoved her in the direction of his table. "Go sit down."

"And what if I don't want to sit with your obnoxious friends?" She stood her ground, not backing down even as Neji threateningly got in her face. "Leave me alone or I'll tell mom and dad all about your little escapade with Lee last night."

"Dude, why am I being dragged into this?" Lee stood beside Kiba, shaking the remaining bottle of juice he had snatched from Choji's tray. "Just let her sit with her friends."

"You stay the fuck out of it." Neji waited for Hinata's small act of defiance to subside but to his surprise, she showed no signs of backing down. He leaned forward until he's eye level with his sister. "Go sit the fuck down before you really piss me off."

"I really hate you, you know that?"

"Yeah, I do since you tell me every chance you get."

Hinata frowned as she walked across the room to the opposite side of the cafeteria where the so-called popular kids were bunched up in their cliques and carrying on like wild animals.

"She's so hot when she's upset." Lee regretted the words the second Neji looked at him. "Joke. Joke. Joke." He held up his hands defensively when Neji started towards him with the scariest expression he's ever seen. "Neji, I'm joking." Lee grabbed Kiba, using him as a shield. "Come on Kiba, help me out."

"Don't drag me in your mess."

Lee laughed nervously when Neji grabbed him by his collar only to shove him away. "Good to know I can always count on you, Ki."

"Whatever, man."

"What's up with you? Are you high or something? And what's with the bandage?" Lee reached out to touch it, wincing when Kiba smacked his hand away.

"I got a liquor bottle smashed over my head. They got me on like three different painkillers."

Neji threw his arm around Kiba. "Well, don't be selfish. Slide one over here."

Kiba shrugged him off, an amused smile on his face. "How much you gon' pay me for it?"

"You're a drug dealer now?" Naruto said quietly, unintentionally getting the attention of everyone around him. He looked at Kiba, expecting him to frown at him, warn him with a look.

Instead, he's taken aback when Kiba simply chuckled, licked over his lips as he flirtatiously looked him up and down in front of everyone.

Neji's confused by the expression on Kiba's face. He imagined it was probably the influence of the drugs Kiba was taking. Still, he could feel the tension between them, the pair unable to tear their eyes off each other. He felt his skin crawl when his eyes again fell on Naruto.

"Dude, calm down. You look like you're about to kill someone." Lee swung his arm around Neji's shoulder, playfully moved him around. "What's up with you?"

Neji shrugged him off, walked over to Naruto and sat down in front of him. "What are you looking at?"

Naruto forced himself to tear his eyes away from Kiba. "What?"

Neji planted his foot down on Naruto's thigh. "Who do you think you're staring at?"

"Get your foot off me."

Neji swiftly moved forward, tightly gripping Naruto's hair in his fist. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"

"Neji!" Lee rushed over to pull away his friend. He shoved Neji back, making himself a shield between the two. "Chill out, remember what Guy said. We mess with him again and we're done for the season."

"Move." Neji tried to get past him.

"You think now's the time to get suspended? We have a big game coming up. You need to chill the fuck out."

"I heard you, shut up!" Neji snarled as he shoved Lee away from him. "I'm not gonna touch him." He looked down at the abandoned tray of food in front of Naruto. He grabbed the bowl of soup, a wide grin on his face.

"Neji!"

Lee watched as the silver dish was tilted and the liquid poured down on Naruto's head. He balled his fist. This time they were really done for, all three of them. Coach was going to have them running suicides until their legs fell off.

Naruto gasped as he felt the warm liquid drench his hair and rush down his face, his clothes. He coughed, some of the soup getting into his nose as he wiped the vegetables off his face. He winced when the tin bowl was dropped on his head before crashing loudly to the ground.

"Anything else, you wanna look at?" When Naruto said nothing, Neji scoffed. "That's what I thought."

"What the fuck, man?" Lee shouted.

The cafeteria quieted down hearing the commotion, everyone's attention now on the secluded table in the back of the room.

"You didn't have to do that, Neji!"

"Calm the fuck down. It was funny."

The soup splashed over Neji's face in an instant, slicking his long hair back as he gasped for air. The entire cafeteria froze in shock. Everyone was in utter disbelief but not as much as Neji who looked at Kiba with the pain of betrayal in his eyes. He watched Kiba lower the empty bowl to the table.

"Still funny?" Kiba mocked him.

Lee saw the motion of Kiba's hand and he thought he would make it in time to stop him. Kiba's fist sent Neji crashing into the table, the students stood up alarmed, moving out of the way to not get hurt. Neji and Kiba's bodies clashed and rolled onto the floor, fists flying at each other. Lee tried to intervene but alone he could not stop the force of two strong teenage boys really intent on hurting one another. Some students ran to get help while Lee struggled to stop his two best friends from possibly killing each other.

—

In the bathroom, Naruto washed his face with the tap water from the sink. He washed the soup out of his hair, squeezing out the excess water. He shut off the pipe and reached for a paper towel from the dispenser. He wiped his hands dry, leaving his wet hair to air dry. He ignored the opened bathroom door and Kiba who had walked inside.

Kiba leaned against the wall and watched as Naruto unbuttoned his shirt. "Are you okay?" He shrugged off his blazer, then his clean shirt and handed it over to Naruto.

"Thanks." Naruto threw his dirty shirt aside and swung on Kiba's larger shirt. "I didn't need you to defend me. I never asked you to."

"You're welcome," Kiba slid on his blazer, his chest and abs exposed underneath. He winced as his tongue swept over the cut on his lips. "Haven't fought this bad with Neji since middle school when he found out I asked his crush to the dance behind his back."

Naruto abruptly turned to face him. "Why did you do that?" he asked softly. "I thought you said you wouldn't turn your life around for me."

"Why?" Kiba pulled himself off the wall, coming to stand face to face with Naruto. "Same reason I chose to drive you four hours to and back from Konoha. Same reason I chose to give up going to a frat party just so I could make sure you were okay after you came to my house crying. Same reason I chose to stop fooling around with random girls because I know how much you hated it when I did. Same reason why I just fought my best friend. All because of you."

Kiba leaned in closer to Naruto, wrapped his arm around Naruto's waist. "Same reason why, after you cracked a bottle on my head, I started to feel guilty. Guilty that I pushed you that far to do something like that. How many more reasons do you need until you finally understand how I feel about you?"

"What you said last night, did you mean it?" Naruto's eyes were desperate. "If you really meant it, say it again."

"I love you, you fucking psychopath." He leaned down and kissed Naruto's lips. "I fucking love you."

Naruto felt the same butterflies he felt that night return, except this time it's not the same soft fluttering. He felt as if they were buzzing, warning him against the danger. Not the danger of loving someone like Kiba, but the danger that was the consequences if he did choose to love someone like Kiba.

Sasuke.

He couldn't love Kiba. He shouldn't, but he did, and he loved that Kiba loved him too. But Sasuke wouldn't rest until Kiba was out of his life.

Naruto rested his head against Kiba's bare chest, felt the vibration against his head as Kiba laughed. He felt Kiba's strong arms wrap around him, pull him closer until their bodies were pressed tightly against one another. He felt the motion of Kiba's breathing, the comfort of his arms. He didn't want to let go and he knew neither did Kiba. He felt himself becoming emotional, his body trembling as he held back his tears.

"What's the matter?" Kiba pulled Naruto back by his shoulders. He grew more concerned as he watched Naruto wipe under his eyes. "Are you crying?"

Naruto roughly shoved Kiba away from him.

"Hey," Kiba protested while still keeping his distance. "The fuck is wrong with you?"

"How fucking stupid do you think I am?" Naruto shouted. "What, you think you're some hero because you defended me? You're the reason why this shit happened in the first place!"

"How exactly is this my fault?"

"You have made my life fucking hell since I've been in this school! Ever since that day freshman year when I kissed you, and you, you beat me up so badly, I passed out. You made them think it was okay to hurt me, and each day, I've had to endure their bullying and yours just because you're too much of a pussy to come out."

"I'm not gay," Kiba stated firmly.

"No, you just happen to love a guy who looks like a girl." Naruto laughed. "Love," he whispered, "what the fuck could you possibly know about love? Your own mother tried to kill you. Your father would rather be anywhere else in the world just to avoid raising you. You don't know what fucking love is, how can you?"

Naruto saw the pain that flashed through Kiba's eyes, the pain stricken look on his face. He knew he hit a nerve. He knew he went too far. Kiba would have hit him, punched him so hard he would have collapsed on the floor. But he stood there still registering the words, still comprehending how Naruto could have said such an awful thing to him.

"We're done, Kiba. Stay the hell away from me."

Naruto rushed past Kiba into the hallway. He's biting his cheek so hard, he's afraid any harder and he'll start bleeding. Suddenly, his arm was grabbed and he's roughly pulled away into an empty classroom. He caught his footing, nearly falling when he's shoved inside.

"If I didn't understand by now how that twisted mind of yours work, I probably would've killed you just now for what you said." Kiba reached inside his pocket and pulled out the crumpled poster of Sasuke and Hinata. "This is because of him?"

"Let me out." Naruto tried to get past Kiba only to be pushed away. He felt his stomach twist into knots as he watched Kiba lock the door.

"You're not going anywhere until you answer my question," Kiba said calmly, too calmly. A calm Kiba was more terrifying than when he was lashing out. "You asked me what he said to me downstairs after you left."

"Kiba, please," Naruto begged, helpless as Kiba started towards him.

"He told me to stay away from you. Threatened that he'd personally deal with me if I didn't." He closed in on Naruto, Naruto's back against the wall as Kiba towered over him. "You said he was just a friend."

"He is," Naruto said softly. "Unlike you, I'm not a liar."

Naruto felt the brute force of Kiba's fist as it collided with his face. He hadn't seen it coming so he had no chance to brace for the impact.

"Keep thinking I'm messing around and I'll make sure the next punch knocks you out."

Naruto spat out the blood inside his mouth. He moved his nose around to make sure it's not broken. He leaned his back against the blackboard, his eyes unwilling to meet Kiba's glare.

"Why would Sasuke Uchiha give a fuck if we're fucking?" Kiba asked him. "Why would he care if he's just a friend?"

"You promised you'd never hit me again." Naruto's voice shook as he did his best to keep in the tears. "You promised."

Kiba sighed. "Why do you always have to make shit difficult? I'm... I'm trying to change, I am. But then, you go around doing all these things, messing around with my fucking head-"

"I didn't do anything!"

"It's taking everything in me to not fucking beat the shit out of you right now!" Kiba groaned as he fought the physical urge to lash out and do something he'll later regret. "Fuck, I swear you bring the worst out of me!"

Naruto felt his throat swell from the sob he desperately tried to hold back. "Don't you dare try to pin this on me or Sasuke. He hasn't done anything-"

"See, this is what I'm talking about." Kiba's fist slammed against the wall, instantly silencing Naruto who flinched away from him. "You get in my head and twist everything around, make me constantly the bad guy. I just fought my best friend for you. What the fuck did I do wrong?!"

Naruto tried to stop his body from trembling. "Nothing."

"Look me in the eyes and tell me he is just a friend," Kiba demanded, a firm grip on Naruto's arm. "Tell me!"

"Don't you see how fucked up this is," Naruto whispered through the fear. "I have a guy as a friend and you wanna beat me up because of it."

Kiba pulled Naruto from the wall and threw him into the tables lined in the classroom, the chairs screeching and tables falling as Naruto collided into them. Naruto shut his eyes from the impact, his body screaming in pain. He felt himself tremble as Kiba neared him.

"He's more than just a friend and you know it." Kiba seethed with anger. "Don't fucking lie to me."

"He has a girlfriend." Naruto moved his arms up to protect himself when Kiba abruptly got in his face.

"I had a girlfriend!" Kiba retaliated. "Before I met you, remember? But it's always different when it comes to you, isn't it?"

"You need to calm down."

"Shut up! I'm not fucking stupid." Kiba straddled him, his fists balled. "If he's just a friend, why did he threaten me? Why are you trying to leave me for him?"

"I love you," Naruto whispered, a muffled cry escaping him. He looked past the terrifying anger, remembered the good memories they shared. It wasn't a lot but they were there. He couldn't let them go just yet. "I fucking love you."

"Liar." There was a dangerous look in his eyes as his emotions hit him all at once. "You're telling me what I want to hear because you're scared. Were you just using me this whole time? Until he came back? Was that the plan?"

Naruto shook his head, too afraid to speak.

"Then, why?" Kiba cried. "Why are you leaving me? I was going to give up everything for you."

"Everyday we are together, I have to love myself a little less just so I could make room to love you a little more. When you beat me so bad that I got a concussion, I forgave you. I looked past all the shit you put me through Kiba, because of how much I cared about you. How much I loved you. And all I asked in return was for you to love me a little more but you couldn't even do that. I had to put up with your version of love and fists for two years. Two fucking years!"

Naruto felt Kiba's tears drip on his face, Kiba's trembling hands against his chest. He reached up and wiped his tears, saw the desperation in Kiba's eyes, felt it through the aching hold Kiba had on his collar.

"Let me go, Kiba."

"I'm trying."

"It's too late."

Kiba frowned, baring his teeth. "You're not fucking leaving me." He raised up his fist. "Say you're sorry and we can move past this. Like we always do. Just say it, please."

"It's too late." Naruto closed his eyes and prepared himself for what he knew was about to come.

—

Tsukasa aimed the car keys to the parked car, locking the doors. He shifted the takeout bag properly in his hand as he rounded the corner of the large school building to the front of the main entrance. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Naruto hunched over at the bottom of the staircase, bloodied and trembling.

"What the fuck happened?" He ran over to Naruto and held him in his arms. He scanned the area with frantic eyes. "Who did this to you?"

Naruto gripped Tsukasa's arms and slowly lifted himself up to his feet. The front of his hair was matted with dried blood, the collar of his white shirt stained with red. He groaned in pain as he leaned into Tsukasa, his left eye swollen and blood shut. The bottom of his lip was busted and oozing blood.

"Can you take me home?" He could barely speak from how terribly his jaw ached, his swollen cheek that looked oddly deformed. "Can you help me, please?"

Tsukasa wrapped his strong arms around Naruto's body and supported him as they walked to the parking lot.

"Who did this to you?"

"Don't worry, it wasn't Shisui." Naruto held on tightly as he was carefully led to the car. "Remember, when I said... Sasuke can't find out... about what happens between us?"

"Quit messing around, kid. This is serious. Enough to cost me my fucking job." Tsukasa helped Naruto inside the car, made sure Naruto was as comfortable as he could possibly be before he rounded the car to the driver's side.

"Tsukasa, Sasuke can't know about this. Please. You know how he'll react."

"If I take you home looking the way you do, well I shouldn't have to tell you what he'll do to me." Tsukasa pulled out of the parking lot, urgency in his actions. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

Naruto winced as he turned and looked up pleadingly at Tsukasa. "Sasuke will kill him."

Tsukasa gave Naruto an odd look, wondering why Naruto cared to protect someone who was capable of hurting him this badly. He couldn't even bear to look at Naruto for too long without becoming enraged himself.

"The only reason why I haven't hopped out of this car to find the person who did this to you is because I need to get you to the hospital. Why you're trying to protect this guy is between you and Sasuke. As for me, I'm doing my job."

Naruto curled his fingers in his lap, felt his racing heartbeat throughout his entire body. "Sasuke will kill him."

"Naruto, I'm not messing around." That was the first time Naruto heard Sasuke's voice that deep, that frightening. "If he lays a finger on you again, I will put a bullet through his head."

Naruto's shoulders shook as he cried silently. Of all the fucking people I could've fallen in love with, why did it have to be you?

—

Inside the school, the students were in an uproar over the terrifying sight of Naruto. The students who had seen Naruto limp through the halls and cafeteria had wasted no time in spreading the news throughout the school and social media. Soon, the entire student body was in a commotion trying to figure out the person responsible. They suspected Kiba, same person who had been responsible two years back.

Neji and Lee roamed the halls looking for their friend. When Naruto had walked into the cafeteria looking the way he did, Neji and Lee immediately knew who had done it.

"He's really done it this time," Lee whispered, his eyes trailing the hall. "This time we're really done for."

"Shut up!" Neji stopped and grabbed Lee by the collar. "You keep saying that shit and I'll-"

"You'll what?" Lee cut him off, pushing Neji's hand away. "Last time he went that far, he nearly got expelled. What the hell do you think is gonna happen this time around, huh? He's our star player. You'd think he'll give enough shit about the team to control himself. We have-"

"Shut the fuck up, Lee!"

"Whatever."

"Shit, where the hell is he?" Neji clenched and unclenched his fist as his quick feet rushed through the halls.

Some of the students had already reported the incident to faculty. There was no doubt in Neji's mind that the three prime suspects would be them. He cursed under his breath as he followed after Lee who peered through each and every classroom ahead of them.

"He's in here." Lee waved Neji over as he pushed the classroom door open.

Immediately, he froze and stretched out his hand to keep Neji from walking any closer. It was the same as last time when Kiba had completely lost himself. The same kind of fear that kept Lee from wanting to get too close to him.

"Hey bud, we've been looking all over for you." Lee spoke so softly it was as if he was talking to a lion uncaged.

Kiba sat on the ground, his long arms sprawled over his bent knees. The bright light exposed his bloody knuckles, the skin beneath bruised. "I didn't mean it. I didn't. I tried to stop, I did, but I couldn't." His curls fell over his face, hiding his eyes.

"What happened, Kiba?" Neji shoved past Lee inside the classroom. He stood in front of Lee who remained by the door. Neji saw the blood splattered on the floor, Kiba's knuckles. It was like something out of a damn horror movie.

Kiba lifted his hand and ran his bloodied fingers through his dark hair. His shoulders shook, and for a second, his friends believed he was crying. Instead, Kiba began laughing, sounding maniacal with a deranged look on his face.

Lee and Neji glanced at each other, sharing a concerned look as if silently communicating to each other that their friend, for whatever reason, had finally snapped.

—

As always guys, thank you for reading. Leave a few words and let me know how you like the story so far. I'm open to criticism, I got tough skin. That doesn't give you permission to be an asshole. Relax, it's just a fanfiction.