Hello! I started to write this a couple days ago, but then I read the newest installment of Naruto and I went crazy! Haha, if you haven't read it, then you have to! I was wicked sad after I read it, because I didn't really think it justified the main character of the chapter well. It was just too quick and it made me really really sad –sniffles- so this chapter is dedicated to her! And you guys, of course. Blood Zephyr, thanks for my first review! You sure were fast. Pebbles of the Sand (haha wouldn't you like to know? And yea, sorry bout that slip up, thanks for the compliments), kat10788 (I'm glad you liked that line! Finally some of my little humor gets recognized =P), miskie27 (haha, poor Naru doesn't even realize hes the submissive one even as he reads a girly magazine), zerofangirl (I'm glad you're enjoying both of my stories, it makes me happy to know I can write two diff stories and still catch your attention!), CassieDoesntJumpXD (yea, the bike guy is a very observant man that can apparently predict the future), Kazanrai (haha he shouldn't be selling stuff on the street, he should be playing matchmaker with that eye!), a rather slytherin griffindor (haha don't stress yourself If you don't get to them right away, I know you're reading them and it makes me happy either way), XxFirexDance (I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter and I'm hoping that this one is just as good!), xSasuxNaruxForeverX (haha this is going to be a cuter story compared to Therapy, so don't worry about that!), jeeniebeenie (poor Naru, he'll be in the middle of it with Sasu and he'll be trying to find the spots, and Sasu's going to jus t roll his eyes and take over anyways), CoffeeNerotic (yay, I'm creating a sweet/informative story all in one! I'm very happy you like the story so far), Disgruntled Minion (yea I never got it either, which is why it was so easy for me to write Naru's opinion on it. And yea, that poor guy was only trying to make people feel welcome and started trouble without even realizing it), norway22 (haha poor you, I didn't meant to distract you from your studies! But yea, let's hope our two not-knowing love birds find their way to that 'spot' XD), Chipfest (even if he doesn't want to admit it, he knows they would make sure a hot couple!), Searafina (oh please, Naruto could run but Sasuke's faster and would deff catch up to him…well, if he put the effort into actually chasing the dobe), Meiyachi (thanks for the compliment! I'm trying to keep Sasuke like how he is normally, but when you're doing romance its pretty damn hard haha), Black-Sky-Loves-Me (Well you know that no matter what they do, they have to make it into a damn competition), Sakurananachan(yea, they are going to be a hard relationship to actually get together, but I'm going to try my damnest! And I don't know, do you think he threw them in? –grins-), hollowsmile (thanks for the review! And I'm not telling if he did or didn't, but theres a clue as to how much Italian our little Sasu knows in this chapter), adsf (Naru's going to need a lot of hints to get it through his thick head that he wants Sasu haha), Exorsist-Miranda (haha I'm glad that you liked my title and how the pace of the story is going, and I just find it funny how much the Romans stole from the Greeks so I thought 'eh, why not'), Itooshi Koneko (haha lazy reviewer! xD anyways, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll neeever tell who else knows what the Italian guy said…well, not till the end of the story), cluelessninja65 (haha yea, looking at a half naked guy when theres a woman in skimy undergarments should be proof that something in your head is a little different), Chiru-lili (Well yea, I'm planning on having some hints about Kakashi and Iruka, just because they're fun to use! There's a lot of minor pairings, but it'll be like only if you really read it you'll get it =) so be on the lookout) Chiaki Megumi (haha when strangers are calling you a couple, you should know that something is off…and I only know a tiny bit of Italian, I mainly double check with other people), Akiru chan (oh I know, last lines are always so friggen annoying! Haha but I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and there's more chaos where that came from!), ISpeakSquirrelSqueak, (haha I love you name! It's too cute. And thanks, I'm glad that you like the story!), Lydia-chan (yea, leave it to Naruto to think he's a superhero. Only he would get in an argument about a cape or naru-senses haha!), blue-nuriel (well honestly, could you see any of the other guys doing that and somehow still being in character? I think not =P), and lemonseatmybrain (haha I'm sure there are others out there that are better than me, but thanks so much for the compliment!)
Okay, not onto the actual story! Thanks again to Rachel-Chan for checking my crappy grammar and stuff.
Warning: Definition of sexy: marked by or tending to arouse sexual desire or interest…-glances to Sasuke and Naruto) hmm…yup yup, deff boyxboy sexiness!
Disclaimer: -glares to glitch screen- damnit…not only do I not own Naruto, but I can't even pretend now -gnaws on computer screen-
Pizza, Pups, Pompeii, Oi Vey!
"Sasuke! Get your ass out of the bathroom before I come in there and drag you out!" How did I end up getting the last shower twice in a row? I banged my fist onto the door when I heard him snort. "Damnit teme!"
"Stop waking up so late." He said through the door, and I scrunched my nose in irritation. So I wasn't a morning person, big deal. That didn't mean I should always get shafted with the last shower. And if either of my roommates had any type of conscious in them, they'd wake me up!
"The bus leaves in fifteen minutes!" I whined out, trying to annoy him to the point that he would open the door. The door remained closed, showing my attempt had failed.
"You're not going to get anywhere." I sent a glance to Shikamaru, who had already taken his shower and was leaning back on his bed. Even the lazy kid got up before me. Actually, he had gotten up after Sasuke, but for some reason, Sasuke had let Shikamaru go before him. I swear the kid had a page full of ways to torture me during this trip.
"I'll just blame it on Sasuke if I'm late. He takes longer than a girl. I knew that duck-butt hairdo wasn't normal." I rattled the doorknob, not that it really mattered. The privacy freak made sure the door was locked no matter what he did in there. Which could be very, as Shikamaru would say, 'troublesome' when I had to take a leak. Seriously, who locked the door to brush their teeth anyways? I glared down at the small lock that taunted me, and I continued to stare until I got an idea. Oh yea, and it was positively evil.
"What are you doing?" I ignored Shikamaru's question as I moved over to my bag, searching through my bag until I found a bottle of toothpicks I had brought. The most annoying thing was getting food stuck in my teeth after eating. And now, they became much more useful. I practically beamed with evil intent while I moved toward the door, pressing the toothpick into the small hole in the doorknob. Really, they made these locks way too easy to break into. As it was, the key was only a piece of cylinder copper with a small hoop at the end to keep it from getting stuck in the lock. Cheap bastards actually paid off, especially when I heard the click of the door unlocking.
"Success!" I shouted, shoving the door open in order to knock the teme out. Unfortunately, I was not planning on walking in on what I did. I mean I should have, since it was a bathroom, but I was more focused on getting my shower done than realizing my own stupidity. A dripping mane of black jerked up, giving a steam flushed face the ability to look at me. A scantily small towel barely clung to slim hips. The rest of the teme was bare. And wet. My eyes widened as I tripped over my feet from shock, hitting into the door and knocking it wide open while I fell into the ground. His hand quickly gripped onto the knot holding onto the towel, probably to make sure that it wouldn't fall. I shivered a bit at the small trail of water that dripped down his stomach. A stomach that I had seen 100 times between summer parties and after gym class. A stomach that never bothered me before. A stomach that was now making my face flush when the line of water disappeared into a white terry cloth.
Yeah, seeing Sasuke practically naked in the morning was not something I stenciled into my planner. Quickly I covered my face to keep myself from going blind... or showing my blush. Something like that. For some reason, my brain didn't feel like working.
"Well that was a site I could have gone without." I heard Shikamaru from the other room, but I was too scarred from the earlier sight to look.
"What are you doing?"
"What am I doing? What are you doing naked?!"
"I just took a shower, dobe."
"That's no excuse!" He arched an eyebrow slowly, or he probably did. I still had my hands on my face.
"Get out." Suddenly, that didn't seem like a bad idea. I shoved myself onto my feet and ran from the room, a shower being the last thing I wanted to think of. I didn't stop until I had my face buried into the pillow of my temporary bed and I heard the sharp bang of the door behind me. The room fell silent for a minute, but my heartbeat filled my ears. It was stupid, really. I had seen guys naked before. I mean honestly, I had been on several sports teams. Seeing Sasuke like that shouldn't have been a big deal, but apparently, this trip wasn't about what 'shouldn't' happen.
"Smooth, Naruto." Shikamaru said, flipping the page of his book. "Real smooth."
"Shut up Shika!"
"Next time you plan to peep on Sasuke, give me a warning. I don't need to start my day off like that." Even though I was angry, my cheeks wouldn't obey my command to stop changing colors. Seriously, I felt like I had blushed more in the past 24 hours that I had in my entire life. The gods were out to get me.
"Trust me it won't be happening again," I muttered, barely understandable through the pillow.
"Whatever." I could hear Shikamaru move from the bed, probably to grab his bag. I wasn't lifting my head until my body was back under control. I ended up taking the quickest shower of my life, making sure to keep my gaze completely off of Sasuke when he emerged from the bathroom. And they two didn't even wait for me to get changed before they headed to the bus. You'd think the jerk would actually wait for me, since he was the reason I was going to be late.
Luckily, Iruka was too distracted with trying to talk to the bus driver that I managed to get on without getting yelled at. I got a warning look from Kakashi, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he continued to read from the 'educational' book he had brought onto the bus. Yeah, like he was really fooling anyone with that.
"It's about time you got here; I thought you had drowned yourself in the shower." I sat down in the bus seat and looked back to Kiba, who was currently fiddling with his CD player.
"Believe me, after seeing what I saw today, the idea was pretty damn tempting," I muttered, sending a glare to Sasuke. Unfortunately he wasn't paying attention, his interest focused on the window. Fine, two people could play that game. I turned my attention to Kiba and Shikamaru. "Anybody know where we're going today?"
"Pompeii," Shikamaru mumbled. I thought I remembered that place from history class. I felt the bus move under me and I turned back to face forward while Iruka rambled about our plans for the day. Really I was too busy trying to remember the ancient city to actually pay attention. The plans must not have been long because the bus easily jerked forward, driving us to wherever Pompeii was. The ride was long, much longer than I actually anticipated. The bus was quiet, mainly because the earliness of our trip made most people fall asleep twenty minutes into the trip. I was never really able to sleep when we were moving, because I had nothing to lean on. Well, there was one thing, but there was no way I was going to do that. Like he'd ever let me anyways. Said person was still looking out the window, his CD player resting on his lap. Why the heck wasn't he listening to it anyways?
"You want something, dobe?" I jumped a bit, but quickly covered myself with a stretch of my arms over my head.
"What's the point of bringing a CD player if you aren't going to listen to it? And what type of music do you listen to anyways? Unless it's the Italian CD." He looked down at the device on his lap and sighed.
"Better to be prepared than needful." I pouted a bit at the truth of his words. I had forgotten mine on my bed because I was in a rush. By the way Sasuke looked at me; it was obvious he knew that. Jerk.
"Doesn't explain why you keep it off."
"I don't need it."
"How are you not bored?!" He sent me a glare and immediately I realized why. My voice went straight through the room, but luckily nobody woke up.
"Because, I can keep myself occupied without noise." His voice was barely above a murmur as he looked up at the window again.
"Funny," I whispered sarcastically. We fell quiet while the landscape passed by our speeding bus. It was beautiful really; much different than our hometown. It took me a moment to realize it was the first time I had really left Konoha. Sure I went out to the other towns at night, but I always ended up back home. Italy was my first big step into the world. "Hey Sasuke?"
"What?"
"Is this your first time leaving home?" Sasuke shook his head quietly, which shocked me. When the heck did Sasuke leave? I tried to think back to a time when Sasuke wasn't in Konoha, but an unsettling fact came to my head. Besides school and the occasional event, I never saw Sasuke. Well, I guess it made sense. We were enemies after all. Right?
"No, it's not."
"Wow really? Where else have you gone?"
"I've been to Paris." My eyes shot open while Sasuke shrugged. "I went for a summer with my art group."
"Art group?" Since when did he do art? Any time I had seen him, he was completely lacking paintbrushes or sketches.
"Outside of school."
"When did you get into art, teme?" Another shrug and bored stare out the window was his answer. "How many art classes have you taken?"
"Why do you care?" He seemed easily irritated with my probing, but it didn't stop my curiosity.
"Why didn't you ever say anything?"
"Why should I? It's my life, not yours." He turned, and it almost felt like a sheet of ice went between us. I could see him, yeah. And sure, if he spoke again I could hear him fine, but…I felt like I couldn't feel him. Like somehow, he was out of reach for me. How much of Uchiha Sasuke was hiding? It set off some restlessness in my stomach while I looked to my lap. Well, I knew he was my age. He lived in Konoha with me all of our lives. He didn't like junk food, from his obvious distaste in my ramen. People liked him, but I couldn't figure out why. He liked art apparently. And…was that really it? I winced and glanced over to him from the corner of my eye. Why did I feel like he knew so much more about me, than I did him? I guess I could blame it on the fact I spoke more. Plus, I didn't hide things I was good at. So what made Sasuke stay so reserved?
I didn't speak to Sasuke again until we entered the modern city of Pompeii. I guess there was a difference between ancient and modern Pompeii, but I couldn't remember why. The lively city was small, but not boring, because hovering in the horizon was a huge mountain. I stared while we drove toward it, and my excitement grew as I started to shake Sasuke.
"Hey, what's that?"
"You don't even know what Mt. Vesuvius is? You really are an idiot."
"Aw come on teme! Don't be a jerk and just tell me!" When he ignored my request, I growled and turned to face my second source of information. My eye twitched a bit when I realized Shikamaru was still sleeping. "Wake up you lazy ass! It's been three hours!"
"Why…are you yelling?" I tensed a bit as I slowly turned my head to look at Neji, who had one pale eye trained on me. I swallowed weakly before I smiled, waving a bit.
"Good morning Neji. How was your catnap?" He continued to stare at me, and sometimes I wondered if I enjoyed to playing with my life. "I'll make you some blueberry pancakes for breakfast, sweetie."
"Sometimes I wonder how stupid you can become." I ignored the insult as I grinned, leaning over the armrest of my seat to tap his forehead. Yup, I was the kind of guy who would play ding-dong-ditch at the grim reaper's door.
"You get a wrinkle right here when you grimace like that."
"There is a reason Pompeii is called 'The lost city'. People can disappear without anyone knowing." Neji's fact instantly scared me, and I jumped a bit despite my need to brush it off. You would, too, if you had spooky eyes staring at you! I already could see my funeral flashing through my head…oh wait, they wouldn't have a damn body to bury! Well, I'm sure somebody had a picture of me or something. A ramen cup, perhaps?
"Stop scaring him. That's not why it's called 'The lost city' and you know it. Now he's going to have nightmares and keep me up all night." I perked and peeked over my seat at Shikamaru, who seemed to waken from the conversation. Then again, the only person who seemed to sleep through it was Lee. Which was odd, since he was sitting right next to Neji.
"Finally you're awake! You people sleep way too much."
"Did you ever think you-"
"Don't care! Tell me about Mt. Vesuvius!" Shikamaru looked out to where I was pointing, obvious irritated with my interruption. Still, the last thing I needed was to be lectured.
"That's the volcano that buried the city of ancient Pompeii in 79A.D.. It's said that the eruption lasted almost 20 hours, and completely covered the city and encased anything inside of it with ash. Mouth Vesuvius didn't fall dormant. It continued to erupt sporadically. One eruption, in 1631, killed just as many people as the Pompeii incident. Back in Ancient times, the skies were completely blackened with the smoke and ash. It took several days for all of it to clear, and now the stupid volcano is just rebuilding again for another explosion, probably a lot smaller and a long way from now."
"That's awesome! The entire sky?" Kiba asked. Shikamaru nodded, and I probably would have felt the same excitement that Kiba did except a morbid thought came to mind.
"Wow…so how many people died?" I asked slowly. Shikamaru sighed and closed his eyes.
"They attribute about 3500 deaths with the actual explosion. Most were killed from suffocating on the ash, but the people who hide in their houses probably got crushed by the collapsing of their roofs." I stared in shock at Shika's explanation, and turned my head to look back at the dangerous creation. All of that death came from just one explosion? I closed my eyes and tried to picture what it would have felt like to be there. No matter where the people went, they were probably doomed. I closed my eyes tighter for a minute before opening them to gaze at the now silent killer.
"Does anyone know when it's going to explode again?"
"It could be several hundred years. We'll all probably be gone by the time it comes back around," Shikamaru said, shrugging.
"Alright, enough with the death stuff. I can't wait to get to the pizza shop." Kiba's barking tone caught my interest and helped shake away some of the sadness I was feeling.
"Pizza? When are we going there?"
"Didn't you listen to Iruka? He said we were going to grab lunch before we went to see Pompeii, and then we'd have dinner at the hotel tonight." I laughed while scratching behind my ear.
"Of course I heard him! I just forgot, is all."
"Sure ya did kit." I closed my eyes when Kiba hit my forehead with his palm. Stupid dog breath and his dumb nick names. But I didn't have time to comment back before the bus came to a slow stop in the middle of a street. We glanced around in excitement at the town around us because it was strange and yet welcoming. Sure, Rome was filled with huge monuments and stuff, but this town seemed to be a tiny part of Italy that didn't always see the hustle of the big city. You'd think when you went to another country, everything would change. In reality, the places and scenery is just different. But if you put the name Los Angeles in place of Rome, and my town in the place of modern Pompeii, there wouldn't be much difference in the atmosphere.
"Alright class, we're at the pizza parlor that we will be having our first Italian pizza! Now please stay on the bus while Kakashi and I go talk to the owners of the shop to make sure everything is set up for us. We'll be back in a few minutes." Iruka waved while Kakashi gently nudged him down the stairs. The silver haired man gave one last look to our group, as if silently repeating what Iruka had said. Man, did everyone think we were going to break the rules? I huffed and looked back out the window, glancing at the small area we were in.
In no time I found myself sitting at a long table that went across the entire restaurant. Our bus sat at this one, while the other bus sat at a table on the other side of the restaurant. Sasuke was to my left, Kiba to my right, and Shikamaru and Neji in front of me. Somehow Lee managed to score a spot between the girls, and the four of them continued to laugh and talk about a topic too quiet for me to listen in on. Our side of the table seemed to be quiet, which seriously bugged me. I was lucky enough to sit with such chatty people.
"Damnit, why didn't I sit with the girls? I could be having a blast right now." I only looked down for a second before a sharp pain jerked my head forward. I glared quickly between the two people next to me, trying to figure out which one had actually hit me. Of course with Kiba laughing and Sasuke cockily smirking, it became quite clear. "Teme!"
"Stop making stupid remarks. People with intelligence need the air." I grumbled under my breath about the brain cells he had killed, but my anger was quickly overshadowed at the smell of something intoxicating being placed in front of me. I glanced down and practically drooled at the first sight of food I had seen all day. The cheese looked heavenly, and it took all of my will power not to shove the entire thing into my mouth. Instead, I grinned up at the server who was giving it to me.
"Grazie," I said, and I seemed to shock the old man. He instantly broke out into a smile and grabbed my hand, laughing deeply. His happiness seemed to rub off of me, because I smiled and started to laugh too. He repeated the action once Sasuke used the native language to thank him, and the two actually shared a few words I couldn't completely follow. I knew from what the CD had taught me that the guy had complimented Sasuke, but I couldn't remember exactly what he said. Still, the stoic boy nodded silently while the joyous man continued to pass out of the food down the table.
"Since when did you two learn Italian?" Kiba asked, pulling an Uchiha and lifting his eyebrow. I tried to brush it off while to took a bite from the pizza and savored the excellent taste. Apparently The U.S.A had nothing on Italy when it came to pizza.
"Some CD Sasuke brought on the plane." Was my intelligent answer while I continued to shove my face with pizza.
"So that's how you got him to quiet down, Uchiha." But even Neji's comment couldn't take my concentration away from the food in my mouth. Easily the pizza was devoured, and I sighed in pure contentment. Really, it should be illegal to taste that good. Now if they made a Ramen pizza….my heart skipped a beat.
"Oh look, the gracious owner is bringing out more pizzas for us to enjoy." At Lee's excited cry, I glanced up to watch another round of pizzas come from the kitchen, I shouted my thank you before the pizza was even placed on the table, and it was a good thing I did too. I nearly cursed in shock from the strange creation that sat in front of us. The pizza was the same, except it was now decorated with bright green leaves and chunks of tomatoes. I pressed my lips together at the strange food in front of me, but nobody seemed to mind the disgusting vegetables on their food. Sasuke actually seemed to enjoy the second piece much more than the first. Well, I always knew there was something wrong with him.
"What's the matter kit? Scared of a little greenery?" I shot my gaze over to Kiba, who didn't seem to have any issue with biting into the exotic pizza. Somehow I made a face that caused him to grin. "You know, it's pretty damn good. Then again, your lack of anything healthy would probably make you sprout leaves if you ate vegetables."
"It would not! And I'm not scared of any stupid leaves or tomatoes. That'd just be dumb." Still he seemed to take pleasure in biting nice and slow into the gross looking vegetables. Well, tomatoes were actually a fruit (Shikamaru said so), but they were still gross.
"So then eat. I know you're not full yet." I pulled back a bit at the challenge, looking down at the pizza in front of me. I had to really eat it? But it…was green! And were those leaves even edible? I remember my parents telling me to not eat the leaves off the trees, so shouldn't the same rule apply to my pizza? Still, the taunting grin that Kiba was sending me made my mouth operate without my brain's consent.
"I'll eat the whole damn piece!" Apparently thinking wasn't on the agenda today, either, because I took the pizza by the crust and shoved it into my mouth. As in, the whole piece. Quickly I learned that you have to chew, or else the food gets permanently lodged into your throat. I started to choke, which was hilarious to anyone but the chocking boy. Kiba was practically in tears, while Neji smirked and Shikamaru sighed. And yet none of them friggen helped me!
"Idiot." I felt a few hard hits on my back, and it caused the now mushy food (yea, try eating with that image in your head!) to rip apart. Half flew down my throat while I spit the other half into my napkin. The hand on my back slowly unclenched and rested along my spine, as if checking for any more distress signs. I chugged down the water in front of me to clean out any food left in my throat. There was no way I was going to risk my life again for a stupid bet!
Well, not today anyways.
"Aw Sasuke, you should have waited until he turned blue!" If I wasn't so shocked about hearing who had just saved me, I would have attacked Kiba. I glanced over to Sasuke, my eyes staying wide while his hand slipped away from my back to rest back on the table. He didn't look me in the eye, settling for a quiet glare to Kiba before he started to drink his water. Out of all the people at the table, Sasuke was the last one I would have guessed to save me. Then again, I didn't expect Kiba to think me dying was comedic relief. I was just learning a whole bunch of crap today!
"Uh…thanks teme." Sasuke didn't acknowledge my gratitude, instead, opting for annoying silence. It was only a few seconds later that Iruka called us back to the bus, and we were finally on our way to the frozen part of Pompeii. It didn't take long to get there, and the ruins were easy to distinguish from the modern city. The moss crept along the edges of the broken buildings, the only living part of the dead city. The bus stopped near the gate toward the city, and Iruka and Kakashi moved off the bus again. They said something about waiting for the tour guide, but I was too distracted with the semi visible ruins to really pay attention. One of the guys could fill me in if I needed them to.
Even though I was interested in the hidden city, my eyes darted over to a small moving object in the middle of the road.
"Hey…is that a puppy?" No sooner did the words leave my mouth than a rush of wind went past me. I looked in the seats in front of me to see the girls all huddled in the window, instantly drawn to the dirty looking mutt. I didn't mean to make a scene, but I knew I should have kept my mouth shut as soon as Sakura started to coo.
"Aw, isn't he so cute?!"
"I wanna take him home with me!"
"H-He's so ti-tiny…" Even Hinata seemed to admire the scrawny little thing in front of us. I scrunched my nose a bit when I looked at what could probably be considered an oversized rat. Its fur was matted and old, while the little thing could only weigh five pounds. In fact, I bet the fur made it seem bigger than how wimpy the little rat-pup actually was.
"I forgot Pompeii had so many stray dogs. Normally they hang around the old city looking for scarps and stuff. Most of them are people friendly, because of all of the tourists. Even in Ancient Pompeii, there was a large sum of dogs kept in the village. It's almost a connection between the past and present." Shikamaru explained, seeming to be genuinely interested in the pup on the street.
"Poor thing, it's a stray." Hearing the slight sadness in Sakura's voice, I sighed.
"Well, that's a part of life. Sometimes the tough only get tough by not getting all their cards dealt to them. But I bet that pup is getting strong and learning how to fend on its own with any support from other people. I bet it even likes being alone now!" And of course, the gods saw this as an opportunity to make my life cruel. As soon as the words slipped from my mouth, the little pup wobbled and fell onto its side. The bus fell silent, and I stared in shock when the dog did not get back up.
"Oh…oh…oh my god!!" Sakura screamed, with the highest pitched allowed on planet earth. Ino was quick to imitate.
"Naruto killed the dog!"
"I what?! I'm in the bus!"
"You jinxed it Naruto! Now the puppy is dying and nobody is going to take care of it. It's going to get hit by a car and die!" Ino shouted. I panicked slightly when I saw tears start to enter my pink haired friend's eyes. Ino practically sobbed for the dog that I 'killed', and Hinata's eyes were wide with fear. Trying to settle the girls down, I quickly threw my hands up in an easing motion.
"N-No! The dog isn't dead! It's just sleeping, right Shikamaru?"
"Looks dead to me."
"Nara!!" I hissed, cringing when both Sakura and Ino wailed. The brunette sighed and rolled his eyes, as if somehow I was the one that made them cry. Instantly my attention was back of the distressed girls. "I'll go wake him up and he'll be good as new, okay? Don't worry, I've got it!" I practically stumbled over my feet to get out of the bus. Stupid Shikamaru and his damn lack of help. And the teme didn't even say a word! Guess he only did had Good Samaritan act per year.
I slowly glanced along the road to check for cars before creeping over to the dog. Slowly I knelt next to it, almost convincing myself that it was dead. But really, dogs don't just drop dead, right? They had that sense to go curl up into a corner or something before they died. Or was that cats? Right now, I just wanted to get the girls to stop crying. So slowly I placed my hand onto the dog's side, closing my eyes in fear. All sense of doubt disappeared when I felt his belly start to fall and rise underneath my hand. Great, it wasn't dead. Just really, really stupid.
"Naruto!" Ino's cry made me casually lift my head to signal the dog was alive. My actions were distracted by the now speeding car that was barreling down the street.
"Damnit!" I barely had time to scoop the dog up before I leapt to the other side of the street and rolled a few feet. The car didn't even slow down while it whizzed past me. What the heck was wrong with these people?! I panted and looked down to the fuzzball on my shirt, which now wagged his tail and barked happily at me. Oh sure, now he wakes up. I groaned and hit my forehead while I dropped back onto the sidewalk. It wasn't until two shadows lurked over me that I realized maybe getting hit by the car would have been a better idea.
"Naruto, what are you doing out of the bus?" When Kakashi sounded happy, that was when you needed to run, and hide somewhere in the next galaxy. I forced my eyes open to look up at the two counselors who were staring at me in confusion.
"The…dog…" I mumbled, only to realize that said dog had disappeared. I glanced around quickly, desperate to find the missing culprit. Unfortunately, it decided that my reward for saving its life was to have mine terminated. "There really was a dog!"
"Naruto, you know how I feel about lying!" Iruka said, and I winced before quickly shaking my head.
"No no! He was here! He was small and dirty and shit!...Stuff. I meant stuff." It was then I spotted a pair of big brown eyes staring at me from behind the counselors. Without thinking I crawled through Kakashi's legs, barely grabbing its scruff before it could run away. Quickly I held it up to show the counselors with a smile. "This guy was in the road! I had to save him."
"Well isn't he a dirty pup." Kakashi crouched in front of me, gently taking the dog from my hand. Though completely dirty and probably carrying some type of disease, the dog's entire body shook from its excitement. Kakashi stared down at the puppy for a few seconds before looking up to Iruka and smiling. "It's very handsome. I've always had a thing for dark eyes."
"Huh?" I blinked once when Iruka suddenly blushed, and whatever punishment he planned to give me was thrown out of the window. In fact, the two seemed to completely forget I was there as they walked toward the bus with the puppy in tow. Why the heck did everyone always forget about me?! I really thought the blonde hair and blue eyes stuck out like a sore thumb! I crossed my arms and huffed, but instantly drew them back once I realized the dumb dog left muddy paw prints on my shirt. And I really liked this one too!
"Naruto!" I jumped when I felt two sets of arms around my neck. I glanced between the pink and blond, who were both giggling about something. I grinned despite not knowing what I did. "You saved that puppy from getting killed!"
"You really didn't kill the dog." I laughed at the blue eyes that stared up at me in admiration. Oh yeah, I could get used to this. Even though I was embarrassed by the attention, I couldn't help but play it off as nothing.
"Well duh Ino, I told you I was in the bus. Don't worry, Kakashi's got him now."
"Na-Naruto-kun?" At the quiet voice, I looked over to Hinata. She fidgeted a bit, and I could tell that she was embarrassed by the fact she wouldn't look me in the eye. But then again, when had she ever? "Th-Thank you for…for ch-checking on the dog."
"Sure Hinata! Anything to keep my friends happy." I laughed and waited until my two new appendages let go of me to walk toward the rest of the group.
"A monkey could have done that trick. Probably with more skill too." I growled at Sasuke despite the good mood I was in. Leave it to an Uchiha to rain on my parade.
"Has anyone told you how much of an ass you are?" It was almost comical how dark Hinata's face got at my language. Another big thing with Huuygas was their need for clean mouths. I had no set boundaries.
"Alright boys, enough bickering." Kakashi moved between us, placing his hands on our backs and forcing us to walk toward the gates. I decided I wasn't going to let Sasuke bother me when I walked into the quiet scenery of the ruined city. My eyes instantly lit up while our feet made the only noise in the entire area. Normally the silence would bother me to force a conversation. But as we moved into the frozen city, I couldn't move my lips. I gazed upon the ruins in front of me, my heart slowing to a point where I almost thought it would stop. How could I not remember learning of something like this? I winced at the guilt that ate away at my stomach. Shikamaru said over 3,000 people lost their lives here, and I couldn't even give them the right to a sliver of my memory?
"It's scary, isn't it?" I weakly looked up to Kakashi, who stared at the volcano that peeked over what I assumed was the green of the city. Broken Roman columns and crumbling arches lay just under the quiet beast, as if reminding the volcano of what it did. The pat on my shoulder felt more comforting than scolding. "Pompeii may have been ruined, but the volcano's ash preserved what little it had left. So now that archeologists have uncovered it, we can come here and say peace for these people. Yes, it's a tragedy that so many were lost. But if you come here in order to remember the people that once lived here, it's not as painful."
"Yea…" We stayed still, even though I could hear Sakura's excited chatter somewhere to the right of me. I wasn't quite ready to go back to my reality yet. Kakashi didn't seem to mind though. "Do you think they knew they were going to die? Do you think it was painful?"
"Sadly, yes. Sometimes knowing you are going to die is harder than physically dying. But it's a part of life Naruto. Bad things can happen to people who don't deserve it." His hand rested on my head and gently ruffled the hair in a way that didn't seem so irritating. "So let's honor their deaths today, and let their souls rest in peace."
"Right." I nodded once, and turned my determined gaze up to him. "I'll make sure of it!"
"I'm glad to hear that. Now try not to fight with Sasuke today, alright?" He smiled and moved away from me, waving to a slightly frazzled Iruka. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but Kakashi continued to smile even when Iruka's panic grew. Sometimes I wondered about him.
"Naruto! Are you coming or not?" I jerked my head up to look at the frustrated girl that I had heard earlier. Instantly I laughed, sending one last glance to Mt. Vesuvius before running toward the group. In front of us stood the crazy lady with the umbrella, who had started to walk us through the pathways of Pompeii. Her voice seemed to echo down the alleyways we walked, her stupid umbrella knocking into things that made me scowl. Really, for a tour guide she was not very considerate of her surroundings. I sighed weakly before turning to face Konoha's own tour guide.
"Hey Shika?"
"What?" I pointed down to the cobble stone street next to our sidewalk to draw his attention away from the buildings.
"These roads are strange. Every couple of yards there are some weird stones sticking out of the ground. How the heck did people use 'em?" He scratched the side of his head as if he didn't know. I knew it was a misleading gesture. Really he just did it out of habit to try and fool people. The less people knew about his intelligence, the better. For him at least.
"The roads weren't used for walking on. The only things that ever touched the roads were horse carriages. Mainly because the streets were created as sewage systems, and so bath and toilet water would be running down the streets. The rocks standing out were stepping stones in order for people to get across the sewage. The spacing had indents because the constant pressure of wheels left imprints into the stone." I was pretty grossed out with the idea of sewage flowing through the city, but I didn't say anything. Actually, I hadn't even known that people back in these times even had sewage systems. Just how advanced were they?
"Didn't the smell get to the people?" Kiba easily moved from his spot behind us to walk in between.
"Probably," Shikamaru replied, shrugging. Our conversation stopped when the tour guide stopped at something ahead of us, pointing down at the ground again. We had taken a turn somewhere; the road was slightly different here. Whatever they were looking at I couldn't see, but the girls had somehow slipped ahead of us and were staring in mixed emotions. Sakura seemed to be stunned, Ino continuously laughing while Hinata's face matched the color of a fire truck. Whatever they were looking seemed to be quite interesting. Once some of the other kids left to glance around the new area, I quickly found myself staring down at something I never expected to see on a school field trip.
"Is that a penis drawing?!" That only caused Ino to crack up harder while Hinata continued to blush. "What the hell is a penis doing on the stone?!"
"The red light district." I jerked my head up when Shika walked over, not seeming to be affected by the random marking. Instead he looked around the building in a quiet manner before speaking again. "The phallus stone was used in order to direct people to the red light district. Amsterdam is known for theirs, but Pompeii was one of the originals. It was a very sexual city that had no problem in encouraging prostitution."
"These people rocked! Damn, I wish they were still around." Kiba laughed while I continued to gawk at the stone. Suddenly a foot appeared on it, and I winced while cupping the front of my jeans. Glancing up, I saw Sakura glancing at the girl in front of her.
"Let's get out of here. I really want to see the theatre." She still hadn't removed her foot. I could tell even Shikamaru was slightly affected by the heel pressed into the drawing, so I moved forward to nudge Sakura off of it. Since she hadn't been expecting the push, she knocked straight into Ino, who in turn hit Hinata. The shy girl would have stumbled into the ground, but Kiba was quick to catch her against his chest.
"Whoops! Sorry guys." I hesitantly smiled to the two fuming girls next to me, praying that they wouldn't repeat Sakura's foot stomp on another phallus. But all anger disappeared when Hinata opened her eyes to realize she wasn't on the ground. I watched, completely confused when she looked up to Kiba and instantly gained all of her flush back. It seemed the blush was contagious, because Kiba soon caught the same redness in his cheeks. Strange, these two always seemed to get weird whenever they were near each other. I could hear faint giggling between the once angry girls, and it took me a moment longer before I suddenly caught on to why they were so excited. "Oh! Do Hinata and Kiba like each other?"
"Naruto!" Okay, so maybe shouting that out wasn't my brightest idea. But luckily the girls could only glare at me for a moment because Hinata broke away from lover-boy to run down the street toward the rest of the group. Ino's head jerked toward the girl in a quickness I never knew she possessed. "It's okay Hinata! Don't be embarrassed!"
"Come on Ino, we've got to go calm her down before she faints." I got one more scalding look before the two girls disappeared from our group, leaving me to deal with only one pair of angry eyes.
"What's up Kiba?"
"You idiot!" I narrowly missed a hit aimed for my head, and caught the second fist coming my way. I may have been scared if it was Sasuke, but the blushing dog boy had nothing on Uchiha. So it was easy to avoid the sloppy movements while I laughed.
"It's not a big deal. Hinata's a really nice girl; I think you two are cool together." I grunted when his foot hit into my side. Damn, forgot about his feet. I finally managed to push him away from me to nurse my side with my hand, slightly scowling at him. "Hey, you shouldn't be mad! It's not like it was a secret or anything."
"If anything, Naruto's the only one who couldn't figure it out until now."
"Yeah that—hey! Shika, are you calling me dumb?" The slight smirk said enough for him. I growled in an attempt to ignore the comment and to focus on Kiba.
"You're still stupid for saying it out loud like that! Hinata gets embarrassed easily." I blinked once at the tone of his voice before grinning.
"So this isn't even about you? You're just mad I embarrassed Hinata?" Kiba crossed his arms over his chest, probably to tell me my answer without having to say it. I scratched the back of my neck when I walked over to him, sheepishly smiling to try and set down the defense. "Alright, so maybe I wasn't using my head. Didn't mean to make Hinata embarrassed or anything, just…sometimes my mouth just, ya know…"
"Opens when it should stay shut?"
"You know, you kind of sound like the teme when you say that." The twitch in his eye was too hard to ignore. My laugher came out even though I tried to hold back, and it soon rubbed off of Kiba. Once I was sure he wasn't angry anymore, I jogged ahead of them. "I'm going to go find Hinata now and apologize! See ya later!"
If I had thought the idea through, maybe I would have asked them to come with me. After all, Pompeii was huge. The fact that nobody was given a map of the city didn't help much. I wandered through the ruins alone for a bit, taking my time to admire the quiet buildings and art that was left behind. In some houses there were artifacts like bowls or tables. Some even had incarcerated people that had been completely preserved by the ash. I couldn't seem to look at them long before I was quickly moving on to another area of the ruins. Lots of it was roped off, but either way I could see inside of the little houses. I tried to picture living in a time with no electricity or digital services; where computers and cell phones were non-existent. It made me realize how good I truly had it.
I finally found Hinata as well as the other girls at a huge circle arena. The seats rose up like a football stadium, but were made of stone and were one consecutive slab. The inside of the area was covered in areas where the moss and plants had started to grow in, but the circular shape of the theatre was able to be seen. The girls, joined by Sasuke (I couldn't even remember when he slipped away), were sitting on the seats and staring down in amazement at something in the middle of the arena. I turned my gaze to what sat in front of me, and my eyes must have shot open in pure shock. There in the area where plays and performances were once done, Neji and Lee were fighting. Not in the sense of how me and Sasuke fight. Their moves were calculated and precise, and sometimes it was hard to see who was attacking and who was defending.
Neji's movements were sharp, but moved in a way that almost compared to water. His face was emotionless and he didn't pay any attention to the people around him. Several on-lookers were now staring in interest as the two sparred in a way I'm sure most people didn't get to see every day. Neji was a known master of karate, and had been practicing as long as he could stand. He was trained to become a lethal weapon if he had to, which was probably why so many people were scared of him. In fact, seeing him move like he was now made me realize how easily he could have taken care of me on the bus.
But, Neji was certainly not dominating by any means. If it was anyone else he was fighting, I would automatically place my bets on Neji. But Lee was a completely different story. Lee was not a fighter by nature, but did enjoy his occasional spar with Neji. He was trained completely differently than Neji's flowing sharpness. Lee's abilities were speed and power. His accuracy only added to how dangerous he could be. Even when someone blocked Lee's kicks, it was a good hit. Normally Gai sensei, who had been training Lee since he first stepped foot into the school, would have slight bruising on his hands from all of the attacks he had blocked. It was Gai's personal martial arts that he had never taught anyone, other than his devoted student. It was another reason why Lee's attacks could be trouble even for a skilled fighter like Neji.
The two sparred a lot after school, mainly because nobody else was a real competition for them. Lee struggled with how easily Neji's attacks moved together in a consecutive path while his were scattered and required force. Neji had to adjust to how powerful one shot of Lee's training could be, while his were a steady build up. If you ever asked who won, neither would know the answer. Somehow their fights always ended up in a civil draw. If me and the teme ever tried that, the world would probably end. But Neji knew when his body had enough and Lee was more than happy to admit that Neji was a formidable fighter.
It was probably why Gai seemed so proud, sitting next to the girls and crying. Really, the emotional state of that guy would never lead you to believe he was known for his fighting skills. Heck, he practically balled his eyes out when we watched Bambi in class before we left for February vacation. I didn't know why he had a collection of Disney movies in his closet, but apparently he was an avid fan of a happy ending. It was probably why Lee was such a romantic. I could just picture the two staying late into the night while watching Prince Charming slip a glass slipper onto Cinderella's foot. I bet they even made popcorn and wore matching pajamas. Now that was a thought I didn't need. I tried to shake the image while I jogged up the stairs to sit with the girls.
"So how long have they been going at it?" I asked, plopping down next to Sasuke. Sakura leaned over her lap to glance at me.
"About ten minutes. They should be finishing up soon though." I nodded and turned back to watch Sakura's prediction come true. There was a moment of space between them, and even from the high elevation you could see their bodies rising and falling with their heavy breathing. Lee seemed to wait until Neji lowered his arms to his side and nodded to move. Instantly the stoic face of bushy brows turned into a grin. The over affectionate boy hugged his sparring partner, who rolled his eyes but didn't completely shove him away. Then Lee turned his gaze up at up and waved, smiling goofily like always.
"Did you enjoy the show?" we clapped in appreciation, and Lee practically melted when he saw Sakura giggle. For him, that was probably better than any applause.
"You were fantastic guys! I should charge people next time!" I shouted, getting one loud laugh and one silent glare. Well, you win some and lose some.
"Very impressive boys! I could see the youthful sparks soaring through your punches and kicks, and it was an emotional battle that even I could not suppress." The entire group sweat-dropped at the overdramatic teacher that Lee was now staring at in awe. Neji sighed and crossed his arms, showing his obvious irritation. Still he didn't speak, because the Huuyga clan taught their children to respect anyone older. But to say Neji admired his proctor as much as bushy brows would be like saying I wanted to marry the teme. Not possible.
"Thank you Gai-sensei! I did my best for you!" Bushy brows saluted his proctor, making us all laugh. If anything else, Lee was dedicated. I glanced over to Sasuke, who no longer bothered to listen to our conversation. Instead, his eyes seemed to be starting at the scenery around us. It was strange to see Sasuke so relaxed, actually. Whenever I was around his shoulders were tense, eyes always moving. For some reason, he didn't seem to have the concept of enjoying something. But here, he seemed like a completely different teme. And every time I looked at him for the rest of the tour in Pompeii, he still had that same look about him.
It instantly changed once we got back to the bus. As we drove away from Pompeii, I turned my gaze from the disappearing ruins to let my eyes start to close. We had been walking all day, and now that it was quickly changing into night, my body wanted to sleep. I tried to keep my head from dipping, but found myself easily letting the blackness take over. I knew I couldn't fall asleep on bus rides, but my body was trying to ignore that fact. It wanted rest.
"Hn." I barely resisted the warmth that I felt against my cheek, which guided my head to rest on something else. It wasn't really comfortable, but it was better than letting my head hang in the air. I buried my head closer to the heat source, succumbing to the darkness for the first time in my life. I didn't wake up again until we were back at the hotel. I sat up and blinked when I felt the sheets slide off of my body to pool at my waist. When did I get under my covers? I looked around to see the other two were asleep, and the clock showed that I had somehow slept through dinner and went straight into the early morning hours. I yawned once, and laid back to stare up at my ceiling. All I remembered was falling asleep on the bus. Maybe Kakashi brought me up here? Probably, since I doubted Kiba or Shikamaru would bother to move me off the bus. And Sasuke? I mentally snorted at the thought before I snuggled back into the sheets to sleep.
Like he'd ever do something nice for me.
And that's the end of Chapter three! I hope that you enjoyed it, because it was pretty fun to write. So the romance ball is starting to roll, and some pairings are becoming clear, yes? Well theres one pairing I haven't really shown yet, but it'll be coming up. Anyways, hope that you found it educational and a good read! And a review would be really appreciated. Oh, and go read 'Therapy' if you like the pace this story is going at! =) Thanks!
Chapter Four: Something Fishy in Vatican City