Chapter 8

Naruto grimaced as alcohol was applied to his knee.

That stupid bastard, if he wasn't so stubborn this never would have happened, thought Naruto, wincing as a really sensitive part was lathered in disinfectant.

"Ow, Shizune-san! That hurts!" Naruto whined to the school nurse, whom he just met.

Shizune's black eyes locked onto Naruto's blue, tear-filled ones. Softening up, she dabbed a bit gentler.

"So, Naruto, right?" She asked, trying to start a conversation.

Naruto nodded as his eyes looked back to his knee, which was shining red and orange.

"You're new here, right? I've never seen you before," Shizune scrunched up her eyes, trying to get a piece of dirt off his glistening knee.

"Yeah, started yesterday."

Yesterday...Naruto thought. It seemed like a whole bunch of stuff had happened since then.

"How do you like the school so far?"

Naruto pondered that for a while. "I guess its okay. Kinda weird though. It's so hard to make friends here. Well, compared to my old school, not really, but over, it's still kinda hard."

Shizune smiled at the kid. "Have you made a friend yet?"

"Yeah!" Naruto instantly brightened up. "His name's Inuzuka Kiba. He's awesome! And he's got the cutest dog!"

Nodding, Shizune searched in her medical bag for a block of gouge. "Anyone else?"

She was kind of feeling like his therapist or something.

"Um...sort of, I guess," Naruto said slowly, wondering if Neji was considered a friend yet. He hadn't really talked to him that much... and they had just met today...

"H-Hyuuga Neji."

At this news, Shizune felt a bit surprised. Kiba, whom she had the impression of a loner who no one liked (he always visited the infirmary, poor thing), and Neji, a perfect gentleman whom everyone liked? That sure was a strange combination of friends...

"How'd this happen?" She asked, gesturing towards Naruto's knee. He wasn't involved in a tug-o-war between friends, was he? Or worse, what if Kiba and his dog attacked Neji, but Naruto, being the heroic person he was (she assumed), he would jump in front of Neji, protecting him, and saying dramatically, "Stop! I will be both your friends, so please stop fighting!" And then he'd tear up and both boys would feel warmed to the bottom of their hearts and then—

"Tch, tripped on my shoelace during basketball practice," Naruto pouted embarrassingly, interrupting Shizune's wandering mind. She shook her head a bit, clearing any straying thoughts, and looked up at the cute kid. He had his arms folded defiantly across his chest, his cheeks puffed up indignantly. Awwwww, it was hard to believe he was a high school student; he seemed more like a little kid, all adorable and sugar-coated and as pure as can be.

Naruto winced as Shizune pulled hard on the bandages, securing the gouge pad over his knee.

"There, you're all patched up."

She gave Naruto's leg a pat and stood up, walking back to her desk. "You can stay here 'til the bell rings. School's almost over anyways."

Naruto nodded just as the door slid open.

"Shizune-sensei. Lee got hurt again," said a smooth, familiar voice.

Naruto looked over to the doorway and was pleasantly surprised. There stood Neji, in all his pretty-boy glory, who was supporting a boy with an awful bowl haircut...and huge eyebrows...though not as huge as Guy-sensei's. Actually, other than the absence of that green jumper (because of school uniform codes), he looked quite like Guy-sensei...almost like his kid or something.

Naruto shivered. Two Might Guys...hopefully this one's personality wasn't as weird and... flamboyant as Guy's.

Neji set the boy down on a bed. Lee, as Neji had called him, seemed to be bleeding from his knuckles, which looked pretty beaten up already since he already had bandages wrapped around them. Shizune quickly brought more medical equipment and started working on Lee, scolding him for "acting rashly" and stuff.

Neji spotted Naruto and smiled, walking over to the blond.

"What a coincidence, Naruto-kun. Fancy meeting you here. What happened to the awesome guy who beat off four bullies at once?" Neji joked, glancing at Naruto's bandaged knee.

"Hey! I had help from Kiba too! And...I tripped, that's why! Skinned my knee," Naruto pouted, looking quite adorable. Neji smirked, taking notice of how Naruto obtained a most delectable shade of pink on his cheeks. The kid was so easy to tease.

"Tripped. Over nothing?" he inquired further.

Naruto's blush deepened. He mumbled something incoherent, twisting the bed fabric between his fingers. "Pardon?" Neji smirked wider, enjoying the full out blush on his face.

"No..." said Naruto, a little bit louder.

"Oh? And what, may I ask, was it that you tripped on?" Neji could tell the memory was embarrassing him.

"...my shoelaces, okay?" Naruto sulked, turning away to shield his tomato of a face from Neji. Tch, the guy probably enjoyed making him embarrassed. He just had to make him admit his clumsy mistake. Neji chuckled, seeing the red on Naruto's ear.

"I hope you didn't crash into anyone; with your grace, that might be fateful. Good thing I survived our previous collision," Neji teased, not realizing he had hit a sore spot.

Naruto flinched.

"So what if I knocked that bastard over? He deserves it! How dare he say that it served me right? One day, I'm gonna kick his sorry ass and he'll be...sorry! That feelingless... no good...stupid...bastard...felt me up...bastard...call me a loser...tch...bastard..." Naruto trailed off, grumbling to himself.

Neji's ears stopped functioning at "felt me up". Some guy...felt Naruto up? He wanted to get to him first, dammit!

"Who uh...felt you up?" he asked, trying to make his intentions as subtle as possible.

"W-wha?" Naruto asked, snapping from his reverie. He had been plotting the many ways to prank the pants off of Uchiha...no...That's too polite; he's going to call him...Sasuke-bastard. Yes. That was just an expression, by the way.

"Who felt you up?" Neji repeated, eyes blazing (on the inside). He was going to have a talk with whoever did; he saw Naruto first. Naruto was his new target.

"Oh uh um..." Naruto stuttered, feeling a bit discomfited.

"Um...Uchiha Sasuke. I don't think he meant for it though..." Naruto squirmed.

Uchiha Sasuke... Neji completely stopped listening after Naruto had said the name. Hmph, never took him to be that kind of person, but whatever. I'll make sure he doesn't get to Naruto first...

Far from the infirmary, still on the bench of the basketball course, Sasuke felt a chill run up his spine. Someone was plotting behind his back...

But in this case, it was two. One to "prank his pants off" and one to stop him from "getting to Naruto first". Not that he wanted to get to Naruto.

For now.

...

Still the original writings of xXCabbageXx.

Review please!