Thanks to everyone who reviewed that last chapter! I am really happy this story is being followed and favorited.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Beta'd by ImperfectSnow
Naruto really didn't want to go to school today.
After his fight Hidan the day before, he cringed at the thought of what rumors were flying around about him. He didn't normally care what people thought about him, but he most certainly did not what to draw attention to himself.
The blonde freshman looked in his bathroom mirror as he adjusted his red tie. He still had a black eye and the swelling had not gone down yet. He sighed, feeling quite dejected. He had two very good reasons not to skip school: one, he had detention (which is never a good reason to go to school but missing it would result in much worse punishment), and two, he wanted to see Gaara.
Naruto blushed when he remembered the kiss his crush gave him. He still couldn't believe it happened. How long had the student wanted to kiss his gorgeous redhead tutor on the lips? It was a dream come true.
As he commuted to school, Naruto thought about Gaara and what the kiss meant for them. It was now obvious to the young blonde that his tutor really did reciprocate his feelings-but what happens after? Are they considered dating now? Will they have to keep a secret from the whole school? The endless questions flooded his mind as he got off the bus and walked to his dreaded school.
The Dead-Lasts were sitting on the front steps, idly chatting until they saw their friend approach. Kiba immediately jumped up and gave Naruto a bone-crushing hug. The blonde patted the dog lover on the back and chuckled.
"Dude, your face!" Kiba cried when he pulled away. "Does it hurt still?"
"Not really," Naruto replied, shrugging.
Shino, Choji, and Shikamaru surrounded him, giving him reassuring pats on the back.
"You okay now, Naruto?" Shino asked as the five friends headed inside.
"Uh, yeah. My head got pretty banged up," the blonde said, scratching the back of said banged up head. He didn't want to talk about his traumatizing flashback, and his friends thankfully dropped the subject.
As Naruto approached his locker he noticed a crowd of students surrounding it, pointing with shocked and frightened faces. The freshmen frowned, and the onlookers went quiet as they parted the way. His jaw dropped.
Someone had spray-painted a red cloud on his locker. It was strange, but the most disturbing thing was the red handprint that descended from the cloud, like the owner of the hand fell to the ground, swiping the paint along with it. It was very obvious to Naruto that it was meant to look like blood.
"What the hell! Who did this?" He snapped, glaring at the surrounding students. He saw Neji, Sakura, Sasuke, and Ino among the onlookers. The girls looked on with weary yet fascinated expressions, while Neji gave a knowing smirk.
Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, and Shino pushed through and their faces immediately paled.
"Holy fucking shit." Kiba said in disbelief.
Naruto looked around in angered confusion as the students backed away, avoiding looking him in the face. He turned to his friends, who suddenly looked very uncomfortable.
"T-this is bad. Really, really bad," Choji mumbled.
"What are you talking about?" His blonde friend demanded irritably.
Shino cleared his throat and adjusted his sunglasses. "Naruto, that red cloud is the symbol for the Akatsuki," he said.
Naruto froze. "Oh, fuck," he said in realization. He looked at graffiti-ed locker.
"It means that they're coming after you," Shikamaru said ominously.
"So, what do I do?" The panicked blonde asked.
"Get out of town." Shino replied, completely serious. Judging by the depressed look on their faces, that was the only reasonable course of action.
Naruto ran a shaky hand through his golden hair, trying his best not to cry and have a panic attack.
This is bad, really bad. How was he ever going to survive his freshman year?
"Naruto."
The student turned around to see the Sabaku siblings standing behind Shikamaru and Shino. They all stared at his locker with wide eyes.
Kankuro let out a low whistle. "Nice knowing ya, Uzumaki," he said. Gaara shot his older brother a death glare. "I'm kidding!" The brunette said, raising his hands in defense. Temari slapped him upside the head.
Gaara turned around and Naruto was taken aback by the redhead's dark expression. He looked livid, like he was ready to kill someone. His friends backed away slightly, sensing tension. The junior grabbed the freshmen's hand and stormed away, not before growling, "clean this up," to his friends.
Naruto allowed himself to be helplessly dragged away by his Senpai, earning strange looks from the students they passed. Gaara marched right up to a random door before wrenching it open and pulling the younger teen inside.
The blonde turned to look at the youngest Sabaku, who raised his hands awkwardly, uncertain what to do with them, and placed them on Naruto's shoulders.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
Naruto had never seen Gaara look so...expressive. He changed from pissed to concerned in a heartbeat.
"Um, I-I don't know..." He murmured, hypnotized by his crush's green eyes, "not really, I guess...This day got fucked really quickly."
Pale hands squeezed his shoulders and he couldn't help the shiver that went up his spine. Gaara came closer, his warm breath ghosting over his skin.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise you that," he proclaimed.
Naruto blushed, looking away awkwardly. "You can't make promises like that," he said sadly.
Gaara lifted the blonde's chin so their eyes could meet. "I can and I am. Remember when I said I wanted to help you in every way possible? Well, this is one way. I'm doing it whether you want me to or not." He said, leaving no room for argument. All Naruto could do was nod in concession.
Satisfied, the redhead pulled the young freshman into a soft kiss. The blonde felt like he would melt into a love-sick pile of mush. Gaara pulled away slightly before kissing him again, bringing him closer so their bodies were flush together.
The warning bell rang, signaling ten minutes before first period. Naruto groaned and buried his face into the junior's shoulder.
"We should go," Gaara whispered into his ear.
"I don't wanna!" Naruto replied childishly, holding onto the green blazer tighter.
"You came to school for a reason, right?"
The blonde pulled away and pouted. "Mainly to see you," he admitted with a blush, looking to the side.
Gaara smirked and kissed his forehead, "I'm happy to hear that."
Naruto smiled sheepishly, "Really?"
"Yes, really. Now let's go before we're late for class," he said, pulling the blonde along.
The Uzumaki couldn't help the warm fuzzy feeling that spread through him.
The rest of the day was complete shit.
He had to go to the Vice Principal's office again to report his defaced locker. Danzo seemed quite familiar with the Akatsuki, and promised to investigate who painted the marking. It did not sound promising at all, but it didn't even matter at that point. It would be worse if the culprit were found, because that would just drive another nail in his coffin.
News of what happened to Naruto's locker spread like wildfire, and by second period there was no doubt that each and every student knew. The students avoided him like the plague, not wanting to associate with an Akatsuki target. Everywhere he went, people whispered about him openly, but never had the balls to look him in the eye. Despite it all, Naruto reasoned that he didn't care, he didn't want to be friends with those pompous assholes anyway.
At lunchtime, the blonde freshman found himself alone. He didn't see his friends outside, so he went into the cafeteria to sit by himself. He tried in vain, to ignore the feeling of everyone staring at him. The blonde pushed his lunch to the side and put his head down.
The Dead-Lasts, along with Hinata, walked in soon after, spotting their friend sitting alone. They looked at each other with guilty faces before walking to Naruto's table. He looked up just as they approached.
"Are you guys gonna avoid me too?" He asked sullenly.
"We kinda thought about it at first...but that would have been really shitty of us, especially since the reason you're in this mess is because you defended me," Kiba said.
"You have to understand though, the only reason why we thought about it is because we don't want to get targeted by them just for being around you. The Akatsuki is dangerous like that." Shino added hastily.
Shikamaru took a seat next to him. "But you see, that's what they want. They'll mark you just so everyone will keep their distance, which will make you vulnerable, and then they'll strike. That alone made us realize we'd be assholes for abandoning you."
Naruto looked at all his friends, who gave him reassuring smiles. He felt like bursting into tears of gratitude. Choji sat on the other side of him and gave him a pat on his back. "We're here for you, Naruto. You're one of us and we look out for our own," he said, smiling brightly.
They all nodded in agreement.
The blonde couldn't contain his smile. "Thanks you guys!" He croaked, his emotions trying to break through.
Kiba, Hinata, and Shino took a seat from across him. He noticed how the dog lover placed a gentle hand on the young Hyuuga's back as she sat down.
"So!" Choji began, opening up his large, 3-tier bento box, "where did you and Sabaku-senpai run off to this morning?"
Kiba furrowed his brow, "oh yeah, I was wondering that too. That dude is normally so blank and yet he looked pissed when he saw your locker."
Naruto scratched the back of his head, realizing he forgot to update his friends on the new development. "Um, well, he wanted to see if I was okay," he began.
His friends raised their eyebrows, knowing there had to be more.
The freshman couldn't contain his smile as he blushed. "He, uh, came to see me last night. He hung out for a little while and before he left...h-he kissed me."
"WHAT?" They all asked, nearly choking on their food.
Hinata held her hands against her chest. "That's wonderful, Naruto!"
"So Sabaku-senpai does like guys?" Kiba asked.
Shino shook his head at the dog lover's question. "More importantly, does this mean you're dating?" He asked.
Naruto fidgeted nervously. "Um, maybe? He hasn't officially asked me out yet."
"Maybe he's 'testing the waters' before he dives in. Get it?" Kiba raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Or maybe he's trying to take it slow. I'm pretty sure Sabaku-senpai likes you a lot, or else he wouldn't have reacted like that today. In all the years I've known that guy I have never seen him show even the slightest bit of emotion," he said. The Nara rested his head in one hand while eating dried mackerel with the other.
"I'm sure it will go well," Hinata said happily. Naruto grinned.
"Speaking of Sabakus… hey Shikamaru, when you gonna confess to Sabaku Temari-senpai?" Choji asked, grinning at his friend.
Shikamaru turned red but looked at the wall. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said as nonchalantly as he could.
Naruto whipped his head to gape at the ponytailed freshman. "What? You like Gaara's sister?" He grinned.
"I do not! We hang out sometimes, and that's only 'cause we're partners in Physics," he argued.
"You're in the same class?" The blonde asked.
"I got placed in Advanced Physics," he replied lazily, as if it was no big deal, "I didn't even want to take it, but my mom threatened to castrate me if I didn't get a perfect score on the entrance exam, and that's what put me in advanced classes. It's way too troublesome." He complained.
"Wait, can we go back to you liking Sabaku Temari-senpai?" Shino asked.
Shikamaru groaned in irritation. "I don't like her! She bitchy, and bossy, and just annoys the hell out of me!"
"Don't forget she has a totally hot bod-" Kiba began, then cough when he realized Hinata was listening. "Um, I mean, she has a nice figure, I hear." He muttered, looking to the side.
"You should totally ask her out." Naruto chimed.
"Sometimes you guys can be really troublesome. Why do I even bother hanging out with you?" The lazy genius asked rhetorically.
"Cause you're a dead-last, that's why!" They all laughed. Although irritated, Shikamaru couldn't help but smile too.
When Study Hall came around, Naruto entered the library with trepidation. He wanted to sit as far away from the popular kids as possible. Today, however, the group was sitting at a table closest to the entrance, forcing the blonde freshman to pass them on his way in. He cursed under his breath, but remained calm as he tried to pass them quickly.
"So, when is the funeral, Uzumaki?" Neji asked a little too loudly. Sakura and Ino snickered.
Naruto, who was almost passed them, scowled as he gave the upperclassman the finger.
The Hyuuga looked even more amused. "Hey, Sasuke, how long do you think the Akatsuki will take before they go after him? Two days, maybe?"
Sasuke, who looked cool and disinterested as ever, shrugged. "A week, tops," he said in a voice which oozed boredom.
The freshman could not believe they would talk about his death so casually, as if they were discussing the weather. He clenched his fists in anger. He really wanted to dive across the table and smash Neji's pretty face into the hard surface several times.
"I should send them a thank you card when they're done with him. It will sure make my life easier," Neji said, smirking arrogantly.
"You're just saying that cause you want Gaara all to yourself," the Uchiha complained, rolling his eyes.
"It's really too bad. He's kinda cute, too," Sai said, flashing Naruto a fake smile. Ino and Sakura giggled uncontrollably.
"You guys are so mean!" Sakura said, even though she clearly did not sound like she meant it.
"Fuck all of you," Naruto spat before turning around to leave the library. Now he couldn't even be in the same room as those assholes.
Just as he approached the door, Gaara strolled in. The two teens nearly bumped into each other.
"Where are you going?" The redhead asked.
Naruto tried not to scowl, but failed, which made his face hurt. "I don't want to be here anymore," he mumbled.
The youngest Sabaku frowned before looking past the boy's shoulder and at the group sitting behind him. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Let's go, then," he said, grabbing Naruto's arm. He shot the group a cold, dark look before turning around and pulling the freshman along with him.
"Hey, where are we going?" He asked.
"Somewhere we can be alone." Gaara said simply.
Naruto blushed at the thought. They had been alone plenty of times, but for some reason that statement gave off a strange connotation. Maybe he was just imagining it.
The two students walked down to the ground floor of the school, three floors down from the library, turned a corner, and stopped in front of the double doors to the auditorium. The seating area was dark, but the stage at the front was partially lit. Naruto raised his eyebrows as Gaara lead him to the very first row of cushioned red seats. They put their bags down on the floor and sat next to each other.
"What happened?" It was a question, but came across as a very forceful statement.
Naruto balled up his fists against his thighs, trying to control the torrent of his emotions. "They were making fun of me. Neji asked me when my funeral was and then he and Sasuke debated when the Akatsuki were going to kill me. They laughed at me," he said, gritting his teeth.
Gaara was unreadable as he narrowed his eyes. "That is beyond horrendous. Neji went too far," he said.
"It kinda scared me though," the blonde said, frowning. "I mean, will they really try to kill me?"
"No," the redhead said. He turned Naruto's face to look at him. "They're not not even going to get near you."
"But Gaara, you can't be with me twenty-four seven!"
Gaara gave him a defiant glare that said, Oh yeah? Watch me.
"I will make sure you get a ride to and from school so you don't have to take the bus. You can stay with me at my house and vice versa. I will even hire you a bodyguard if I have to," he said seriously.
Naruto stared at his Senpai as if he lost his mind. "Gaara-"
"Don't you even dare say it," Gaara commanded fiercely. He let out a frustrated sigh and he frowned as he tried to articulate his thoughts.
"I understand now why you are not used to someone wanting to take care of you. I didn't have the most caring childhood either, so I know how you...how you feel," he said, as if he was not used to the word. He looked Naruto in the eyes again, "it's just so frustrating when you try to refuse me. You should know that I would never hurt you, so you have nothing to fear when it comes to me. Can you understand that?"
Naruto felt tears in his eyes, moved by Gaara's words. He also felt a little bad that he given the impression that he didn't trust his friend. It was a dream come true to have his crush care for him so much, almost too good to be true. He felt so lucky to have such a great person in his life. Naruto smiled.
"I can understand. I'm sorry I made you feel that way," he said. He took a deep breath and made a bold move to hold the redhead's hand. Gaara's eyes widened at the gesture.
"I'm happy that you're willing to do all this for me. I promise to be more accepting," he said, blushing.
The redhead's lips quirked up in a slight smirk. "Good. So you won't complain if I take you home after school?"
"No, I won't-oh! I have detention after school today. Then my uncle is coming back to Konoha today, so I gotta text him when to come get me."
"Your uncle is visiting?" Gaara asked curiously.
Naruto beamed and nodded. "Yeah! He gets worried about me being by myself so he comes to see me at least once a month. He's gonna buy me ramen for dinner!"
This made redhead smile slightly. "You get too much ramen," he stated, almost as if he was complaining. Naruto pouted playfully.
Gaara leaned in, his lips close to Naruto's.
"Alright, I'll let you go this time. But expect me at your front door tomorrow at seven in the morning." He murmured.
The blonde instinctively opened his mouth to protest, but then he quickly stopped himself. He nodded.
The upperclassman seemed to pick up on this, for he smirked smugly. His pale hand, which was still being held by the blonde, reached up to hold his tie. Naruto could feel his heart hammering rapidly in his chest, and he parted his lips to draw in an audible breath. Gaara pulled him by his tie into an open-mouthed kiss.
The freshman panicked when he felt his tutor's warm tongue slip inside his mouth. He pulled away, his face reddening.
Gaara looked briefly confused before Naruto hastily explained, "S-sorry. It's just that, well," he looked away, embarrassed. "I-I've never kissed anyone like that before and I don't want you to be disappointed if...if I suck."
The redhead's sea foam green eyes softened. He tugged on Naruto's tie to get his attention.
"Don't worry. I can teach you, if you want." he said softly.
Oh my fucking God!
"U-um, yeah...okay."
Gaara gave one of his smug, satisfied smirks. "Just open your mouth and do what I do," his tutor instructed.
Naruto nodded and nervously leaned in to kiss him. He parted his lips and felt the redhead's smooth tongue enter his mouth. Tentatively, the blonde slipped his own tongue into Gaara's mouth. The upperclassman pulled Naruto even closer to deepen the kiss.
Their tongues rubbed against one another and the freshman hummed in approval. He felt incredibly naughty. He was making out with Gaara! In the school auditorium!
The two teens pulled away, both breathing heavily. The sight of Gaara's flush face and darkened gaze made Naruto want to kiss him even more. He licked his kiss-swollen lips.
"You're not such a bad kisser, you know," his tutor breathed.
"R-really?"
"Yes. How was it for you?"
The blonde smiled. "It was...really great. C-could we do it again?" He asked, feeling uncharacteristically shy.
Gaara smirked, twisting the blonde's tie in his hand. "What about your homework?" He asked nonchalantly.
"Are you kidding? You expect me to concentrate after that?" The freshman asked, incredulous.
The redhead shrugged, but still held into the tie, using it to pull the younger teen closer.
"I suppose we can take a break from Math today," he conceded. "I much rather kiss you more, anyway."
Their lips eagerly met once more. Naruto moved his hand to rest at Gaara's side while Gaara slid his hand up from the blonde student's tie to his tan neck. Making out with Gaara filled him with emotions that he never felt before. He felt incredibly hot and yearned to feel the redhead's skin against his own. He wanted to touch him everywhere with his hands and his mouth. The desire he had for Gaara overwhelmed him and created a strain in his pants.
The bell rang, but the two teens were so engrossed in each other they almost didn't hear it. Gaara pulled away first, not before biting Naruto's lower lip and softly pulling it between his teeth. The blonde freshman shuddered and reluctantly moved away. He look a few moments to regain his composure. The Sabaku stood with his backpack already on one shoulder. He loosened his tie. Naruto grabbed his backpack and stood up on shaky legs. Smirking, Gaara reached over to fix the young student's tie as well.
"So, make sure you get your homework done and call me if you need help. Text me if your uncle is not going to pick you up. Alright?"
Naruto nodded obediently.
"Good. I'll walk you to class. Come," the upperclassman said.
The blonde followed in a daze. He just spent his free period making out with Sabaku Gaara!
He was definitely not going to able to concentrate for the rest of the day.
After school, detention was held on the first floor, in a room the Vice Principal had designated specifically for that purpose. It was windowless and furnished with six rows of six chairs each. The supervising teacher for the day was Saturobi Asuma, one of the Advanced Physics teachers and son of the mayor of Konoha. He was already sitting at the front desk when Naruto walked in.
"Name," Asuma said.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
The Physics teacher checked his name on the attendance list and motioned for the student to take a seat. Naruto took a random seat in the middle room. Other students filed in as the blonde took out his Math homework. At two thirty exactly, Asuma took the rest of attendance and shut the door. He strolled to back to his desk.
The door opened and two students walked in. Naruto glanced up at them and dropped his pencil.
It was Kakuzu and his other friend, Deidara. Deidara was also a senior and unfortunately for the freshman, also a member of Akatsuki.
"You're late," Asuma grumbled.
"Sue me" Kakuzu replied arrogantly
"Just sit down."
"Oh no, we're just gonna stand here, un." Deidara replied sarcastically, earning a glare from the older man.
Pleasedontsitnextme, Pleasedontsitnextme, Naruto thought, squeezing his eyes shut as if that could make him invisible.
It was all for naught, however, because the two gang members sat on either side of him.
"Alright. For those of you who don't know, this is detention. You're here for one hour, no more no less. There is no talking, sleeping, playing games, or using your cellphone. If you don't have work to do, then do nothing. Quietly. Your time starts now." Asuma announced before he sat down behind the front desk. He leaned back on his chair, propped up his feet on the desk, and pulled out a parenting magazine.
Fuck! Naruto tried to ignore the heightened sense of nervousness as he read his Math problems. From the corner of his eye he could see Kakuzu idly spinning a coin on his desk. He glanced at Deidara, who was busying drawing in a sketchbook with colored pencils.
The blonde freshman wasn't sure if he should be relieved that they weren't staring him down. He wanted to believe they weren't going to bother him, but they didn't just sit next to him by accident. He wished Gaara was there with him.
Naruto tried hard to concentrate on his homework, but he kept getting the feeling he was being watched. Then he'd glance at both of them, only to find they weren't paying attention him at all.
It was the longest hour of his life.
When there was five minutes left, Naruto put his binder away, preparing for a hasty exit. He kept his blue eyes locked on the overhead clock.
"Uzumaki, un."
The blonde pointedly ignored Deidara. He heard the upperclassman chuckle.
"Look, Uzumaki. I made you something," he said, slipping a folded piece of sketchbook paper in front of the freshman.
"It's my latest masterpiece. Good ahead, look, un."
Naruto tried to control his boiling anger and trepidation as he hesitantly opened the piece of paper.
It was a very well drawn, but rather grotesque picture of a giant red fox devouring a small child. What was most disturbing was that the child looked just like him. He was even wearing a orange shirt. How did they even know he liked wearing orange?
"Isn't it beautiful? You should put that in your locker, un." Deidara said with a malicious smirk. Kakuzu snickered.
Naruto stared at the blonde gang member in disbelief. That bastard was the one who drew on his locker! Horrified, he tore the drawing to pieces.
Asuma looked at his watch and swung his feet off the desk. "Time's up. You're all free to go," he intoned gruffly.
Naruto shot up from his desk and dashed right out the door and down the hall. He ran as fast as he could to the front doors and out the school. A honk caught his attention to a sage-green Jeep. His uncle waved. The blonde ran to the door, swung the door open, and nearly dived into the passenger seat.
"Geez, Naruto, the school on fire or something?" Jiraiya asked, staring at his nephew strangely.
"Just...drive...will explain...later..." The freshman panted heavily.
The author lifted an eyebrow quizzically but started the car and pulled out of his parking spot. Naruto freed himself of his blazer and tie, tossing them in the back seat. He opened his dress shirt by the first four buttons before putting on his seatbelt.
When he had caught his breath, the teen turned and smiled at his uncle. He hadn't seen Jiraiya since his last monthly visit. The man looked the same as always in his sage-green long sleeve shirt, burgundy denim vest, and gray jeans.
"So, you mind telling me what that was all about?" Jiraiya asked as he made a left turn.
"You're not gonna like it," Naruto warned.
"Are you in some kind of trouble?"
The blonde student scratched the back of his head. "I, uh, may have pissed off the Akatsuki."
His uncle parked on a side street before turning to look at his nephew in disbelief.
"What did you do?" He asked accusingly.
"I didn't do anything! If Hidan hadn't punched me, he would have never gotten suspended!"
Jiraiya frowned as he inspected Naruto's black eye. "He sure did a number on you, kid," he said disapprovingly. "So, how did they react?"
Naruto described finding the graffiti on his locker, everyone's reaction, and finally the awful drawing Deidara gave him as the two got out of the car.
Jiraiya took his nephew to a small restaurant aptly named 'Noodle Bar'. They seated themselves and a waitress brought them their menus. His uncle did not look happy.
"Look, kid. This sounds serious, and it's only going to get worse. Maybe you should transfer out of that school."
Naruto couldn't believe what the author just said. Leave the Hidden Leaf Academy? He couldn't even consider that, not after all the hard work he did just to get in.
"You can't be serious, Jiraiya! How can you say that?" He protested loudly.
His uncle sighed. "Because these problems aren't going to go away. What, you think the Akatsuki are gonna harass you for a few weeks and then leave you alone? We're talking the most dangerous gang in all of Konoha. They won't stop until you're seriously hurt - or worse, dead."
Naruto looked at his menu sadly as he listened to Jiraiya. As much as he didn't want to acknowledge it, his uncle was right. He could be living out the rest of his freshman year, and maybe even the rest his life, constantly looking over his shoulder. He had enough to worry about with his former foster father out in the world. The teen could never be safe with the Akatsuki having a vendetta against him.
"I know what you're saying...but if I don't want to leave," the student admitted. "I finally have friends now and it may not sound like it, but I really do like going to the Hidden Leaf. And I...I don't want to leave Gaara."
The very idea brought tears to the young blonde's eyes, but he quickly wiped them away.
"Please don't make me leave, Uncle Jiraiya."
His uncle sighed, hating the sight of his only nephew cry. He placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.
The waitress came to take their orders. Jiraiya ordered seafood ramen with a cup of warm sake (his nephew frowned in disapproval) and Naruto ordered beef ramen. The waitress collected their menus and left.
"Listen, Naruto. You are your own man so I can't make you do anything. All I can do is give you some strong advice, but ultimately it's up to you to take it or not. Either way, I won't hold it against you."
Naruto nodded sullenly.
"All I want is for you to be happy and safe. Your father would never forgive me if he knew how much I've let you get hurt."
Jiraiya still felt guilty about not being there for Naruto after his parents died. At the time he was out of the country on one of his many travels. It several years before he found out about his relative's son.
Overwhelmed with the love he had for his uncle, the Uzumaki hugged the older man around his torso. Jiraiya chuckled and patted his nephew's blonde head.
"Promise me one thing, kid. If things get to be too much for you, you get the hell out of there and call me," the writer said, slightly concerned.
The blonde student nodded and pulled away to smile. Jiraiya was happy to Naruto smiling again and grinned.
"So! Tell me, what's going on with you and this Sabaku kid? Sounds like something!"
At the sound of his crush's name Naruto blushed and his smile brightened. "Ah, well, he kissed me today. And yesterday," he said shyly.
His uncle gave him a big slap on the back, causing the teen jerk forward into the bar table.
"Thatta boy! So you finally confessed, huh?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head, "um, well, no. See, he came over last night-"
"I already like where this is going."
The freshman glared at his perverted uncle. "Not like that! He came over to see if I was okay-"
"That's how it always starts."
"What? No! We did homework and he bought me dinner. Before he left he… uh... kissed me."
The waitress came with two large bowls of hot, steaming ramen. Naruto forgot how hungry he was and nearly burnt his tongue off diving into his meal. Jiraiya took a sip of his sake and made an unpleasant face, the drink not up to par with his standards.
"So, does this mean you guys are boyfriend and boyfriend now?" he asked, picking up some noodles with his chopsticks.
Naruto slurped up his own noodles. "People don't even say that anymore, you pervert!" He squawked amusedly before continuing, "I'm not really sure. He didn't actually ask me to be his boyfriend."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Is he planning a friends-with-benefits sort of thing? I hope he isn't playing with you. Teenage boys these days only have one thing on their minds," he said disapprovingly.
"Uncle Jiraiya, Gaara isn't like that! He's amazing and he looks out for me! I know he cares about me, too. He even offered to hire me a bodyguard to protect me against the Akatsuki!" Naruto cried. He never wanted his uncle to think badly of his crush.
The perverted author seemed surprised. "Did he now? Well, that's something. Either he's in love with you or this is an elaborate plot to get in your pants."
The blonde teenager nearly choked on his ramen, eliciting a guffaw from Jiraiya. His nephew glared at him.
"Stop saying things like that. I swear your mind has been twisted writing all those perverted books," he grumbled.
The writer let out a huge, exaggerated sigh. "It hasn't been twisted enough lately. Everything I write has been complete crap. My editor says I need to change things up a bit..." Then he suddenly smiled as a light bulb went off in his head.
"Hmmm, I've never written a boy's love novel before..."
Naruto reddened in embarrassment. "Don't you think even think about it! I told you not to write about me in your books!"
"It's not about you, it's inspired by you," he corrected before deepening his voice and continuing dramatically, "I can see it now. Two boys from different worlds fall in love at their private boarding school. Ah! This will be a hit! I gotta write this down!"
"That sounds exactly like me!" The boy protested loudly, drawing the attention of the other diners.
Naruto watched in horror as his uncle pulled out a notepad and a pen to scribble down his ideas.
"You should be honored, kid. Now, hurry up so I can get back and start writing!"
Jiraiya was lucky the ramen-lover was hungry it else he would have eaten slow on purpose. Once they were done, the writer drove Naruto back to his apartment get some of his things. His uncle was staying at one of the best hotels within the city, a few blocks away from Naruto's school, so he invited his nephew to stay with him for the week he was in town. It gave Naruto the opportunity to live in luxury he was not normally used to. Jiraiya would even drive him to and from work.
The room had two full beds, a private bathroom with a shower and bath, a balcony and a flat screen TV with cable. The blonde student made himself right at home, relaxing on the bed while he finished his homework. He noticed that his phone had died while he was out to dinner and plugged it in on the night table. The phone buzzed to life and Naruto saw he received a text from Gaara asking that he call when he was safe at home. Smiling, he called his crush back.
"Naruto," the redhead greeted.
"Hi Gaara!" The blonde replied happily.
"I assume you've returned home now?"
"Yeah! Well, no, I'm actually staying with my uncle at his hotel room in the city! It's super nice here," Naruto babbled.
"Good. Now I don't have to think about you being alone." Gaara said.
The freshman felt his heart leap at that statement. Gaara thinks about me!
"Y-yeah, I'm okay," he mumbled.
"Have you done your Math homework yet?"
"I just finished it, actually. It was weird doing it without you." Naruto immediately blushed, completely embarrassed. He face palmed.
The redhead, however, let out a breath that closely resembled a laugh. "Is that right? Well, I'm sure you did well. Did you?"
The student looked at his answers. He really did try his best, although he still wasn't confident in his Math skills. He scratched the back of his head.
"Um, actually, I don't really know. I tried though. I really did," Naruto admitted.
"How about you read me the questions and your answers?"
The blonde grinned, "O-okay!"
Laying down on his stomach, the freshman read out his homework to his tutor with a bright smile on his face. All the stress from the drama at school melted away as the sound of Gaara's soothing voice over the phone.
He loved how the redhead made him forget everything.
"How soon can we get this done?"
Deidara shrugged. "Depends on when it needs to be done, un."
The man in front of him leaned back in his leather chair. "Sooner rather than later, even though there is a few more things we need to take care of first."
"Fuck that kid! Let's just take him out already!" Hidan said loudly. Kakuzu merely snorted as he meticulously counted wads of money and placed them in a black metal lockbox. Hidan snatched a hundred dollar bill from the pile, rolled it up, and proceeded to snort up two lines of cocaine he had previously cut.
"Asshole! How many times have I told you not to do that! I fucking lost count," the treasurer of the Akatsuki said.
The silver-haired gang member flipped him off.
Deidara and his lover, Sasori, watched the scene with amused eyes.
The man behind the large oak desk cleared his throat, immediately grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. Only the leader of the Akatsuki had the power to do that.
"Let's not waste time. Keep an eye on Uzumaki until the preparations are set. Once we have a time and a place, we get this job done cleanly, understand?"
"Yes, sir," Deidara and Saori said in unison, both bowing simultaneously.
The man before them, Yahiko, placed a cigarette in between his pierced lips and lit it with a red Zippo lighter. He took a drag and exhaled smoke threw his nose, a satisfied smile on his face.
"I look forward to a job well done."
I hope you liked the chapter! Please drop me a review 3
