"The journey of a thousand miles,
begins with a single step."
-Confucius


"I give up on you, you useless child. Go bother someone else so I can finish my work."

Naruto winced as the cook tossed him the knife. He forced himself to catch it, nearly slicing off his fingers in the process. He was more afraid of what would happen if he didn't. Gingerly putting the knife back in its place, Naruto slipped out of the kitchen before the cook decided to throw something more hazardous his way.

He had woken up that morning, shaking with fever and a cough. Miserable, he had asked for some medicine and attempted to go about his usual morning chores before going to school. After knocking over a few pans and nearly upending the Haruno's breakfast, he was finally allowed to wallow in self-pity in the bathroom.

"Hey."

Naruto blinked against the white porcelain, where he had rested his forehead to cool. Sakura stood by the doorway, frowning at him.

"I have to use the bathroom."

Sakura was using the bathroom? That meant…

"Wh-what time is it?"

"Time for you to get out."

Naruto stumbled out of the bathroom, wincing as the slamming door made his head protest. He had to put on his uniform… shit.

"It hasn't dried properly." Naruto sighed, plucking at the green blazer hanging in his room. He barely had time to wash it yesterday, and now it hadn't had time to dry. This was officially turning into a very sucky day.

His white button-up at least was wearable, and he quickly put it on, stopping for a moment to grab his one jacket and his bag, before rushing out of the house. He should be able to make it. Please, oh please, don't let her leave yet—

"Sakura!"

Naruto managed to catch the tail end of the black sedan as it rolled out of the driveway.

"Fuck!" Naruto fumed, kicking at the dust left behind. "She totally did that on purpose. FUCK YOU, SAKURA!"

He just lost his ride to school and he had no idea where Konoha Academy was. Biting back the urge to shout out more expletives, he hunched his shoulder and set off outside the black gates. He was getting to that school, even if he had to fucking walk all the way to the other side of the city.

He tried to keep track of his route so he could at least find his way back to the house, but after his third or fourth turn, the gray buildings all began to look the same.

"Watch it." Someone groused as they bumped into him.

"I'm walking here!" Naruto snapped automatically, scowling at the person who didn't even look at him. Naruto blinked. These people were rude, but… they weren't rude to him specifically.

Gradually, he realized that there was an odd, yet gratifying change in the atmosphere. The people here weren't glaring at him, there were no village kids trying to trip him with their foot. There was no whispering, or catcalls. In fact, Naruto braved approaching a middle aged woman and asked for directions, half expecting a disapproving glare and a stern word; but was pleasantly surprised when she smiled kindly at him and pointed southwards.

It was crazy, he knew. But despite being hopelessly lost in this new and unfamiliar city, he felt the stirrings of hope in his heart that maybe, just maybe, this could work after all.

And on that high note, he saw someone wearing a familiar uniform walking across the street.

"Wait!" He immediately broke into a run, determined not to lose the figure. "You! In the uniform! Stop!"

The boy must have heard him since he stopped to turned around, but Naruto was so intent on getting to him that did not notice the speeding car as he scampered across the road.

"Watch out!"

Naruto yelped as he was yanked forward, the blaring horns and angry yells roaring past him as he met the painful taste of concrete on his knees.

"Do you have a death wish?" came the tight, angry voice from above.

Naruto blinked up at a pair of impossibly gray eyes. For a second, he was struck dumb at the thought of how pretty they were (like pearls), before he registered the glare of disapproval in them. An instinctive defensive retort was halfway out his mouth before he realized the death grip on his arm was shaking.

"Um… I'm… I'm sorry," Naruto said instead, thrown at the confusing mix of signals he was receiving. "I wasn't thinking, and I just—"

"You should value your life more." The boy replied, visibly reining his control and Naruto felt a sinking disappointment as he saw a mask slide firmly into place. "And look both ways when crossing."

Naruto knew that was an insult, but he couldn't find himself to care.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

The boy looked slightly taken aback. "I was not the one nearly hit by a car."

"Did I fall on you? Did I wrinkle your shirt?" Naruto insisted, gripping at the hand on his arm, trying to get back the spark back in the eyes that now looked halfway dead. "I'm Naruto, by the way. I'm new here. I'm sorry if I upset you."

The boy stared at him and Naruto was once again distracted by the pale gray of his eyes. He was not admittedly the sharpest tool in the box, but somehow… he couldn't describe it… he knew this person was extraordinary.

"Neji." He finally replied, helping him up. He hesitated. "Hyuuga Neji."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Naruto." Naruto shuffled his feet, feeling the on-set of a mild panic attack. He was having his first non-threatening conversation with a stranger he desperately wanted to like him. He was badly out of practice. "Um… which way to Konoha Academy?"

Neji frowned at his jacket. "Are you a student at our school?"

"Yes," Naruto deflated. "Er, I mean, I'm new. I just moved into town yesterday."

"I see." Neji turned to walk. "It's not far from here. Walk with me, if you like."

Naruto tried to swallow the ear-splitting grin as he fell into step with the taller boy. He hadn't been told to fuck off—that was a win in his book.

"Um, so… Tell me about the school?" Naruto began, admiring the wealth of dark hair of his companion. It sat well against the smooth paleness of his skin. Neji looked something right out of a Japanese painting.

"It is a very prestigious school dedicated to the holistic education of its students." came the cool reply and Naruto couldn't help the sting of rejection. "It demands high academic achievements from its students and well-rounded with various extra-curricular activities."

"Okay," Naruto replied in a small voice and they fell into silence.

"…what year are you?" The taller boy finally, hesitantly reached out.

"Freshmen!" Naruto replied, visibly perking. "And you, Neji?"

"…Sophomore."

"Aw, that means we won't be classmates at all. That sucks."

"…why would you want to be my classmate?"

"Why not? You're pretty cool." Naruto hesitated. "Would you want to be my classmate?"

Neji regarded him for a moment, as if trying to decide what do answer.

"I'm not very good company." He finally replied.

"No, you're good." Naruto hurriedly assured him "You're the best company, Neji. Believe it—OW!"

He had been so busy trying to assure Neji of his awesomeness that he walked face-first into a lamp post.

Neji stared down at him in bewilderment.

"Ow, ow, ow…!" Naruto clutched his head in pain. "Motherfu—!"

"…mph." Neji slapped a hand to his mouth. "Your face… that was the most ridiculous…" He gave up and threw his head back and laughed.

"Shut up!"

"Who slams into a post like that?" Neji's shoulders shook with mirth. "That was like a one-man gag show, are you for real?"

"Well, at least you laughed." Naruto chuckled ruefully, rubbing at the red blooming on his forehead. "Ah-choo!"

Neji's face was much more relaxed now as he once again helped Naruto to his feet.

"A cold?"

"Yes, on top of everything else." Naruto sniffed, rubbing his nose. "Man, this day sucks."

"You have a habit of causing injury to yourself." Neji observed. "That's twice already today."

"It's not on purpose!" Naruto replied exasperatedly. "Trouble just finds me. It's evil. I'm cursed."

"I shall guard you from further harm until we reach the Academy." Neji replied solemnly.

"My hero." Naruto muttered as they continued walking. Still, Naruto felt a warmth in his belly as the silence now was much more comfortable than before. He wasn't too bad at this after all.

Neji wasn't lying, Konoha Academy was barely a ten-minute walk and Naruto felt the butterflies returning as he saw more and more people wearing the Konoha uniform. He plucked at the garish orange of his jacket as he spiraled into dark thoughts. Who was he kidding? He was not ready for this. They were going to hate him. He was going to fuck this up. Nothing was going to change. Fuck. He should just turn back now. He should just—

"We're here."

Naruto jerked back into reality. Neji looked at him intently for a few seconds before nodding his head imperceptibly.

"You're new here. I'll show you to your room."

"Th-thanks." Naruto forced his feet to follow as Neji led him into the school premises. He was probably imagining things, but people were staring at him. Naruto felt the familiar curl of dread in his belly and hunched his shoulders, trying to make himself as small as possible. His headache was making itself known again with a vengeance, and the uncomfortable roil in his stomach made him realize with a pang that he had not had any breakfast.

"This is the freshmen floor." Neji said, glancing down at him. "Which class are you in?"

"Um, Class D."

"This is the one."

Naruto did not reply, busy staring at the floor and trying not to hurl. Neji watched him for a few moments, noticing the clammy pallor and white-knuckled grip he had on the strap of his bag.

"Naruto."

Naruto jumped, hearing his name being called out for the first time.

"Uh, yes—"

Neji reached over and flicked him on the forehead, where he had bumped into the pole earlier. Naruto cried out and clutched his abused forehead in indignation.

"You'll be fine." Said Neji. "Take a deep breath and put on that big smile of yours. They're going to love you."

"D-do you think so, really?"

"No," Neji admitted. "They'll probably think you're strange, loud and annoying."

Naruto's expression crumpled.

"…but there will also be others who will think you're..." Neji gave a wry smile. "Pretty cool."

Naruto stared at him for a heartbeat before choking on a fit of giggles.

"You're unexpectedly hilarious." Naruto slapped him on the back. "I like you!"

"Lucky me."

"Okay, smart mouth." Naruto took a deep breath, feeling braver. "I'm ready. Naruto Uzumaki is going in."

Neji gave a small nod. "Good luck."

He began to walk away.

"Hey, Neji?"

Neji glanced back as Naruto gave him a sheepish smile.

"Thanks."

And with a last, small wave, the blonde head slipped into the classroom. Neji stood in the hallway for a brief second longer before continuing his way towards his own classroom. He allowed himself a small smile before carefully slipping on his usual, blank expression.

After all, he was Neji Hyuuga, the proclaimed genius of the Hyuuga-clan and the youngest student council president in the history of Konoha. He had no business smiling in hallways when he had an image to keep up.