I would just like to announce that the next update will be January 25 so hang around that day if you want to read chapter 5.

Chapter Four: A Thousand Judgments

A thousand judgments do not make up a soul.

People are who they are, despite what you make think of them, despite thoughts you treat as fact, there are just things you will never know, or don't know to start. We all judge, we all analyze each other, but what makes the difference in being judgmental and just curious in understanding others is how we treat the thoughts that we have.

That is what makes getting to know others an experience to remember.

I pounded my head against the front door, 1. Because it's Monday, and everyone knows Monday's suck, 2. Because I was actually going to do something that I would regret for the rest of my life.

I was going to befriend the one person I hated most….well… besides Sakura and Ino. Naruto Uzumaki, the kid always annoying me about random crap.

But he wasn't that kid anymore.

So now on to the real question, why was I doing this?

Well…I spent a whole Sunday by myself and….it sucked. Images of Naruto laughing with his friends and smiling around my house flashed through my mind all day, it's amazing that I even got sleep. But it was really the walk to school that was dreadful.

Sakura found me.

Because guess what? I forgot all about my freaking route system and took the most commonly used route to school, but still Sakura was better than Ino because she kept her hands to herself for the most part while Ino hung all over me, so even if it sucked it could be worse.

Ino could have found me.

"Do you know anything about Naruto?" I asked Sakura whose eyes widened in surprise as she smiled, that's when I realized it was the first time I've talked to her since around two weeks ago when I told her she was "being a dumbass" and to basically go away in so many words.

Wow, did I really do that? Oh wait of course I did, but to be fair I was in a bad mood from Naruto spilling hot coffee on me in the previous class while he was handing it to Shikamaru, forever staining my favorite shirt or at least in my mind that day. The stain came out no problem.

"Of course I know Naruto!" She exclaimed a smile appearing on her face I've never witnessed before, "He's been my friend since elementary school! Well…we sort of had a huge argument in middle school, but we rekindled our relationship freshmen year."

"Really?" I said trying to keep the surprised tone in my voice down. I never really pay that much attention to people, unless they annoy me and only then do I collect just enough information about them to successfully avoid them. My "no life" alarm bells started ringing and I had to shove down the urge to feel sorry for myself.

That would just be pathetic.

"Why do you ask?" Sakura questioned, sounding slightly worried. I almost told her it was because I wanted to make a list of all the people he knew and send them to hell to be tortured in the worst ways possible for thousands of years, because apparently I'm the devil and am capable of such things.

But I said almost.

"Just wondering." I somewhat answered, shifting my backpack around hoping it would become more comfortable for me. If only it was actually my backpack that was making me uncomfortable or the fact that I had to go to a complete loser to find "a life" which was currently absent.

How is it that I can have everything and nothing at the same damn time? It just doesn't make any sense, well actually now that I think about it Naruto only has one thing that I don't.

Companionship.

The rest of the walk was silent on my end of conversation, when we arrived at the school I managed to ditch Sakura by ducking into the bathroom and waiting her out, making me almost late for first period, but how could I possibly be almost late for a class with a teacher who is always late?

I couldn't.

Luckily, or maybe unluckily it was hard to tell at this point, the only seat left was smack dab in the middle of Naruto and his friends. At this rate Naruto would be beside me, Shikamaru in front, Choji in front of Naruto (next to Shikamaru), Kiba behind Naruto and Shino behind me beside Kiba.

It could be worse, I could be the devil.

Sitting next to Naruto was more awkward than I thought it would be, mostly because this was the first time in my entire experience of interacting with Naruto that I managed to not argue with him about something. Normally one of us would start it and Kakashi would finish it with his appearance, but today we both came to some sort of silent agreement that it wouldn't be worth it on a Monday morning after being handcuffed for a day and nearly all out brawling for two.

Yeah that's great, but we also weren't talking either, his friends just sat around making conversation while throwing looks in my direction every once in a while.

Never mind it is worse, I am the devil.

I let out a sigh, groaning dramatically inwardly. How the hell was I going to admit after being such an asshole the other day that Naruto was right, something I would never do, and try to hang out with him?

Well first step is talking to him right? So I scribbled a note.

Hey Dobe,

Meet me for lunch if you don't mind, I want to talk to you about the other day, about what you were saying. I really wouldn't mind giving it a shot.

I didn't really bother signing it or anything, I just reached over and plopped it on his desk, though Kiba was staring at me the entire time which really made the whole thing more awkward than it had to be. Making this day even more awkward than it already was, and it was all just awkward. Naruto looked down and read the note thoughtfully, not noticing the canine lover behind him trying to catch a glimpse of the note but failing.

Blue eyes focused on mine before he looked down scribbling his reply.

Don't call me Dobe Teme. Is it okay to meet after school instead, I have plans at lunch with my friends?

I merely nodded at Naruto, realizing I would have to find another way of escaping Ino and Sakura at lunch, he got the message without having to confirm with me what I meant. I shifted uncomfortably resisting the urge to groan with impatience.

Did I happen to mention that today is really awkward for me?

Today I managed to eat lunch alone by staying longer than necessary to talk to my teacher Asuma and then ducking in a bathroom nearby. (Authors note* I am aware that most students, where I am from, address their teachers by their last name, however Kakashi once mentioned that Sasuke can be disrespectful when addressing others by neglecting formalities and I really wanted to use this, I hope no one minds.) So that left me plenty of time to contemplate exactly what I was going to say to Naruto.

I know I'm always throwing the things I have in your face, because you don't have them, but I am really actually just a really well known guy without a real life so there we go? No, no, I am not going to say that, never mind.

How about, I really am crazy for saying this but you were right and I really want to try to have friends of some kind even if they are a complete loser like you. No, no, that doesn't work either.

I lightly pounded my head on the side of the bathroom stall, praying to god no one caught me in here, because then it really would become an awkward day and then where would I be? Crazed and the devil.

The end of the day couldn't have come sooner.

I paced outside the school, not caring that I looked like a total idiot, waiting for Naruto to come out. Kids rushed by, Sakura and Ino tried to attach but I literally shoved them off, and Kiba walked by staring at me the entire time.

What's up with that guy?

It occurred to me that Kiba was probably having the same exact thought, and I carried on without thinking any further on it. FINALLY, finally a blonde head came weaving out of the crowd, dragging me into a nearby alleyway.

I really don't get dragged very often, but lately it seemed to be happening all the time, but then again a lot of things are happening to me recently that never have before. We stopped and Naruto turned, hues of blue spun my head round and round, all I could do was stare and wait, "Yesterday I was going to say that maybe…"

"You were wrong." I said cutting him off again and taking a step closer, " You are absolutely wrong, I am an asshole, but…I'm….alone…."

Admitting it took everything out of me and I looked away in a distant direction, Naruto stared at me blankly, with what I'm guessing was really his thinking face. Inside my head I was screaming at myself for my stupidity. What the hell am I doing?

But it was too late; I already admitted something I could never take back.

"So….are you saying that you wouldn't mind hanging out sometimes." Naruto replied suddenly, a grin spreading across his face almost forming a full blown smile. Images of Naruto smiling in my kitchen, smirking in front of me flooded my mind drowning me into silence.

Trying to get over the chocking in my throat I nodded my head in agreement. I can't believe I'm doing this, if I had been told I would do this a week ago I would have punched the messenger out.

At least I wouldn't have killed them; just brutally beaten them into inches within Death's grasp.

"How about right now!" The blonde exclaimed excitedly, jumping into the air with excitement suddenly, "Want to hang out at my house?"

My eyes threatened to pop out of my skull and I had to take a moment to blink a few times to compose myself before replying. "Alright, but I don't have all day Dobe."

"DON'T CALL ME DOBE, TEME!" I rolled my eyes, following him down the alleyway toward his house I guess, I wouldn't know I've never been. After a brief moment of silence, Naruto opened his mouth again to speak. "Hey Sasuke."

"Yeah." I answered, looking over at Naruto who was walking at my side.

"Did you know that you have a piece of toilet paper on the back of your pants?" I froze feeling blood rush up to my cheeks as Naruto pointed and laughed beside me, you have got to be kidding me. As I hurriedly took the toilet paper out, cursing my escapes to the bathroom to eat lunch, Naruto added, "I don't think anyone noticed and besides I do that all the time."

Oh god.

What's wrong with me! I glared at Naruto crossing my arms and stomping forward, this sort of stuff never happened to me.

Ever.

Ten minutes later I was sitting in Dobe's house, which was disgusting with dirty dishes and laundry scattered everywhere, I couldn't even find a couch to sit on if I tried. "Do you ever clean?"

No I thought in my head, "Yes sometimes." Naruto replied countering my inner thoughts. Sometimes for him must be once in a blue moon.

I watched Naruto looking around his own house, something in his tone had fallen since we arrived, and he seemed to observe the room with a coldness I've never even felt. This is saying something considering my reputation for being an "Ice Prince" if anything I thought I was the one with the most renowned prominent glare, but Naruto's came in close enough to send a cool shiver down my spine.

But this look was fleeting and once again he was smiling at me, moving things around for me to sit at the kitchen table for him, he offered me food and drink which I accepted with silent shock. There was something defiantly wrong here, wrong with Naruto.

I stared at him from the corners of my eye as he roamed around the kitchen making himself a cup of ramen and tossing me a bag of chips. "Don't you eat anything else? "

It seemed like a common question, something people probably asked him all the time, "No, I eat other stuff to, but ramen is all I know how to cook that I actually like."

"You mean all that you can heat up in a microwave that you enjoy eating." I stated, "Heating up isn't really cooking."

Naruto glared at me,"Are you telling me that you cook Sasuke, I wonder what people would think about that at school and the toilet paper to. "

I glared back and we fell into another momentary silence as Naruto retrieved his ramen and sat across from me at the dining table, the one only clean place really out of the whole apartment now that I'm looking. "Are you sure you don't want anything else?"

"Yeah, I'm more than sure." I said, wrinkling my nose as I looked around the apartment, my eyes settling on the cup of ramen in front of me.

Naruto seemed to glare, it was almost normal now, and I felt myself relax oddly enough despite the tension. "That's why I don't like you. It's like you above everyone else but you're not."

All the normalcy washed away for a second in understanding, I realized that he had everything that I didn't while the same was true the other way around. So perhaps we could find some balance, even though we are opposites.

Opposites balance all the time.

I don't know why, but I was feeling unusually open with Naruto, more so than I have ever been with any other person, "You want to know what I really have. I have an empty apartment, no one to ever hang out with, I spend my weekends cleaning and doing homework, I have girls trying to rip me apart and everyone seems to think I'm some sort of devil and I really always screw up because I get really stupid sometimes.. and "but then I ran out of "ands" I just couldn't say anything more humiliating than I already did. I had to stop myself from telling him every little thing about myself, even though he was an annoying kid and I have a deep annoyance for him. Did I happen to mention "annoying" anywhere in there?

It was just too easy to talk to him.

There was more silence than before, but I could feel blue eyes staring at me as I wordlessly opened my backpack and pulled out homework for Iruka. "Do you need help with math idiot?"

"HEY!" Naruto spat, grumbling at me "DON'T MAKE ME KICK YOU OUT!"

"Whatever Dobe." I smirked, flashing the homework with all the answers already written in his face. "Do you need help are not?"

"I don't need help." Naruto insisted, "I can do that stuff myself."

"Whatever, I just thought you needed help because I always hear Sakura complaining about it. Naruto cant do this, Naruto cant do that, do you know what score Naruto got in Math today? It was horrible" I prodded, trying to push him into a position that would stop making me look like a complete idiot and make things more normal. Putting me at me top and him in his usual place, below me….. you know maybe he did have a point about looking down on people.

Oh well.

The rest of the evening was spent with me hitting Naruto every five seconds for being an idiot and then him hitting me back, resulting in a mini war of some kind and then everything would revert back in a cycle of helping and violence. It wasn't that bad.

Aside from all the weird happenings lately, I mean toilet paper? Really?

"Its time for me to go Dobe, see you later." I smirked, gathering all my things and heading towards the front door. Naruto followed closely, and when I turned to say goodbye the smirk fell from my face.

Naruto had look, once again fleeting, of fear that was quickly replaced with a small fake smile as he addressed me. "Bye."

I paused before turning around, "bye" slipping through lips while my mind processed. What's wrong with him? I can feel it, I can see it, I can hear it and the answer is on the tip of his very tongue just waiting for me to understand. But what can I do?

I was about a foot away from the door when Naruto called out to me, "Hey Sasuke! Want to eat lunch together tomorrow?"

Ino and Sakura escaping without involving a bathroom, did that even require a verbal answer? "Yeah." I said, holding down an exclamation.

"Okay." Naruto said with a small smile, retreating back into his house. I wonder if Naruto's friends have noticed anything? They probably have, but the real question is what have they noticed. Maybe eating lunch with Naruto will help with breaking the ice with the others and then I can talk to them about it.

That wasn't a bad idea.

But, not to copy Shikamaru, my current status as Devil could make the entire idea time consuming on top of just plain old troublesome and was Naruto really all that worth it?

Naruto's real, genuine smile flashed in my eyes and I frowned at the thought I just had. Friends are supposed to be worth it right, so if he is supposed to be something of a friend then of course it's worth it to find out what's going on no matter what it takes.

But at the end of the day there was one question I still couldn't answer.

Why did I even begin to care?