Title: My Closest Enemy

Rating: T (high, sexual situations)

Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto

Notes: Dedicated to my crush that I "despised".

Summary: Naruto's life really isn't that shabby. It's just fate that's cruel.

A Chance Call and The First Encounter

Naruto got home that evening to an empty house and cabinets full of food. Most evenings, his parents didn't get home until eight at night. Instead of learning how to cook dinner, though, he just makes instant ramen every night. When Kushina asks, Naruto tells her that he ate a sandwich and a bowl of carrots and celery. It is not like Naruto will pass up the opportunity for ramen every night of the weekday just because he has to walk a few blocks to the convenience store to buy it.

The old man, Teuchi, who owns the place often times gives Naruto the ramen for free. Naruto keeps the business going, in a sense, because whenever he goes there he tends to stick around. At school, this would have the opposite affect, but at the store, the blond teen's presence draws in children, their mothers and the occasional granny. Naruto always has interesting stories to tell and he is polite and friendly to all of the customers. Teuchi's daughter also loves the boy, and an almost sibling-like relationship formed between them over the years.

No one at school knows that Naruto frequents this store because if they saw him, it was likely that they would spread bad rumours about him to the customers. Also, Naruto lives on the other side of town compared to most students at Konoha High School. Naruto's parents didn't know any better when they moved to Konoha that all the kids lived near the older part of town where their past generations of lingeage had settled in. That alone was the main cause of the blond's alienation. If you did not share a street, and a childhood, you were an outsider. In fact, you were considered temporary. But Naruto never felt temporary. He knew that Konoha was his home, no matter where he came from. He loved it here, but he especially loved it compared to the city.

When he and his mom go driving to get groceries, there is never traffic. Back in Shippuden, going to the store would mean an hour of just sitting in the car, waiting for the green light in the right spot. Naruto cannot remember much else about living in the city, though. He has never thought fondly of the place or considered it his place of origin.

That is why as Naruto waits the dreaded three minutes for the water to boil, he is a bit annoyed when the phone starts to screech in its high-pitched way of informing him of a call. He grumbles, pushing off from the spot on the counter in which he was leaning, and marches over to check the tiny screen that says who is calling. The number reads 008-345-444, Unknown. Naruto usually never answers the phone if it is not a number he knows. Who wants to talk to the twenty telemarketers that call every day? No one, that's who.

But 008 is a local area code. And it could be someone from school. The school phonebook is a terrible idea for those who want to stay away from the torments of their classmates. In fact, there have been several prank calls to Naruto's house, which thankfully occoured when his parents weren't home, but nothing too bad. Other kids don't want to go out of their way to make Naruto's life hell. They do when it is convenient, but not if it requires effort. Naruto clicks the green button.

"Hello?"

"…Sorry, wrong number," says a deep, curt voice.

"Wha—how do you know? I didn't even say my name yet," the blond boy leans back on the counter, examining the kettle of water. Tendrils of smoke coil out throught the tiny hole in the spout.

"…bye," the voice sounds unsure.

"Hold up one minute," Naruto raises his voice, "if you know me you should at least tell me who you are."

"Why should I?" The voice responds, suddenly. Obviously a knee-jerk reaction to my statement, but the angry tone is immediately cut off. "Why am I still on the phone wasting time? Goodbye, Naruto."

The phone clicks dead. Blue eyes stare at the grey box. They really did know who he was. Naruto was just joking. Holy crap! Someone out there knows his number now! Whether it really was a wrong number or not is still up to debate...Oh god. What if this guy decides that abusing the amount of calls to the house number just to annoy Naruto is a good idea? What will he tell his parents? He has kept his unpopularity a secret thus far, but he cannot outright lie if they ask why someone is harassing him.

The teenager's frantic thoughts are cut off by the whistling of the water, which brings his attention to turning the stove off and pouring the water into the cup. Dinner is silent, as usual. The rest of the night consists of staring at school assignments and deciding that it is best if Naruto doesn't prepare a speech about his best qualities that he has to read in front of the class tomorrow, and playing video games. Good ol' video games can keep a guy busy for more than ten hours straight. Of course, there are always the insane lunatics who can play for days on end without stopping. Naruto falls asleep at eleven at night, face pressed against the controller along with a bunch of drool. Minato checks on him before he goes to bed, smilling and kissing his hair before retiring to his own room.

The next morning proves that routine is quickly moulding itself into the body of everyday life. Wake up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, put on school uniform and walk to school. The blond boy with whisker-like markings on his face rises with the sun, knowing that the same will not be the case come winter when there is no sun. He is certainly not a morning person, but getting to school early is kind of important. In fact, he makes great time on the walk to school, not being distracted by any little kids who get to start school a week later than the high schoolers.

One in particular, Konohamaru, often challenges Naruto to fights to the death. Those really slow the blond down on his way to school. But, today he got there with a decent amount of time to spare. In fact, today he found Shikamaru louging against the concrete building wall out back by the water fountains for gym class. The weather was still warm enough that the lazy boy could lie in the shadow of the building, on the grass and not feel cold.

Naruto approaches the boy, making to attack him from behind, but Shikamaru stands up, clocking Naruto in the chin.

"Fuck!" He shouts, cradling his jaw and teeth. Shikamaru shrugs, unaffected.

"What are you doing here, Naruto?"

"I'm here every morning, dummy," Naruto counters.

"Oh," the other boy muses, waving a hand around. "I just assumed that you were suspended."

"Oh, thank you for having so much faith in me, Shika."

"Anytime."

"You jerk," Naruto bites.

Shikamaru shrugs and sits down on the bench, fists resting under his chin. Naruto sits too, leaning back and looking at the sky. There are some clouds today, but nothing threatening. Just puffy, white, large, mash-like clouds. Naruto feels hungry already. Out in the distance, someone is running on the red rubber track.

"He runs every morning before school," says a bored-sounding voice. Naruto follows Shikamaru's gaze, looking out into the distance and squinting to make out the runner. Damn near-sightedness. Black spikes….pale as fuck legs…

"Uchiha?" Naruto spits, turning to his friend.

"I guess some guys think they have to stay in shape," Shikamaru comments, chin moving in his hand. "I would not even bother. Besides, I am plenty thin already."

Naruto snorts, "Being thin doesn't mean you are healthy. But I really couldn't see you being an athlete, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru nods, relaxing back as well and looking up to the endless blue. They sit in silence for quite a while, Sasuke passing by twice before more kids start filing around. Mostly girls who want to watch Sasuke.

"Why would a guy like him want to run, anyway?" Naruto muses, glaring at the black shorts and white shirt blur that runs alone. "Doesn't he have school crap to do? It isn't like he is fat."

Shikamaru snorts. "I don't get guys like him. Guys like Sasuke have too many conflicts and too many thoughts. It is better to just relax when you can."

"Pretty much," Naruto nods, mostly agreeing with his friend. But there is definitely something else. It is just wrong in general. Sasuke really doesn't need to be showing off by running when he knows all of those girls will only pay attention to him. Especially Sakura. Over years of observing her, Naruto noticed that she makes a reason to hang out wherever Sasuke is. The blond boy see her now, pink hair and blond hair sitting under a maple tree. There is no reason for her to be back here. In fact, most students hang around inside the school. But it is that jerk that she is so enamored with. She still will not give up, even after rejection.

She must really love him.

"Naruto? Naruto, you idiot?"

"Huh?" Naruto turns, surprised that he didn't hear Shikamaru.

"I asked what happened with Jiraya-sensei?"

"Oh," Naruto points his finger at his lip, "I got a punishment."

"What is it?" Shikamaru asks, staring at the soles of his shoes.

"Cleaning the caf after lunch," Naruto replies, frowning already.

"Ugh, gross," Shikamaru shrugs, setting his arms in a fold on his knees.

"Tell me about it," Naruto grumbles, wishing that the thought of his punishment didn't bring about the bad memories of Jiraya-sensei telling him that he was essentially mentally disabled. It isn't like the blond has not been hearing that his whole life; Iruka-sensei was especially fond of ignoring Naruto's purposeful screw-ups or just shrugging him off when he had a question in class. Of course, it was always Sasuke who raised his hand and answered the question just to impress the teacher and the other students as well as make Naruto look bad.

That bastard is one of the main reasons why Naruto gets so angry about school work and his bad grades. He was always trying to one-up Naruto by giving a better answer or getting praised by the teacher. He even called Naruto a dead-last loser in front of the whole class once. Everyone cracked up. It was probably one of the worst school days of Naruto's life.

Thank god, lately that has not happened. In fact, for the past two years, that bastard has not spoken a word directly to Naruto. He probably feels too important to talk to the most loser-y of losers in the entire school.

The bell rings and Naruto and Shikamaru separate, the former going to find Choji and tell him something important. Choji's father and Shikamaru's father are essentially close friends, so often times Shikamaru or Choji will have a message from one father to another. Naruto is used to Shikamaru or Choji just leaving him with a word. It's not like Naruto is a girl; he can handle not receiving an excuse or a goodbye.

Classes go by, but Naruto does not pay attention, as usual. There really is no point whether he tries to break his brain over math equations or not. There is just no way he will ever understand school subjects. It doesn't help that no teacher will answer his questions or encourage him to learn. Naruto sits in the back of every class and doodles on papers. It only took a few years before he became a decent artist. He wraps his arms in a circle around the drawings to ensure that other kids don't look over and see what he is drawing. Most of his drawings or sketches are of Sakura. She would beat his brains out if she ever saw.

Naruto only sketches in class out of boredom; he is in no way considered an art freak at his school. He also doesn't take any art classes. Those are just not Naruto's style. Music is out as well because after a month of fruitless recorder practice, Naruto's parents made him give it up lest they loose their hearing. Naruto just cannot see himself being all technical about his art. Art should just come from whatever materials and images you have in your head. If you try to force it, it will not be any good.

Now, it isn't as if Naruto never pays attention in class. In fact, he is always listening or looking when required. Teachers call on the student who appears to not be paying attention, so Naruto tries to be prepared with a decent attempt at answering. It usually flops, but Naruto still feels like he is trying. He will never stop trying to learn. It is just kind of pointless to expect him to be able to take tests or do assignments when he doesn't learn that way. He learns by doing.

By eleventh year, most of the teachers do not expect much of Naruto and most of the other students don't rush to be Naruto's partner with assignments. Choji and Naruto always end up as a team because Shikamaru is too lazy to actually do work at school and probably too smart to waste his time on stupid worksheets, anyway.

Choji and Naruto get on alright, though they have practically nothing in common. Naruto takes interest in what is happening around school. Choji could care less about anything except for food and assignments. Both he and Shikamaru are uninterested in girls for different reasons.

For Shikamaru, 'Girls are annoying and a bother to date. I will just marry some lady when I'm done with college.' For Choji, 'Girls….I don't really understand them at all. I won't waste my effort pining away about a certain one if she isn't going to like me'.

The thought of seeing Sakura during lunch brightened Naruto's mood, despite the fact that the trio now had to sit at a previously empty table, far from their original location. The blond grumbled the whole time, mumbling under his breath about such things as popularity hierarchies and student body psychology.

Perhaps it was Choji wolfing down six school hamburgers, or maybe it was the way Shikamaru pointed out depressing things about other students, but Naruto was not feeling hungry at all. He picked at the three school-made onigiri, but mostly stared boredly into space.

"What's eating you, blondie?" Shikamaru asks, causing Naruto to start at the semi-aggressive tone.

"Nothing. Why would anything be eating me?"

"You idiot," the lazy kid says mildly, "is it about your cleaning duty after lunch?"

Fuck. Naruto forgot about that. Dammit. Shit. Not only will he have to miss important lectures in math, but he has to spend thirty minutes cleaning after his jerky peers who trashed the place to begin with.

"Y-yeah," Naruto chuckles, rubbing the back of his head. "Stupid cleaning duty. It's so fucking unfair!"

A few girls nearby stop giggling and glare at Naruto's general direction.

Shikamaru nods. "That's a better reaction."

"Yeah," Choji mumbles with rice in his mouth, "that Jiraya-sensei is really strict. I'm sure he would have let Sasuke off on that one as long as he promised to keep getting good state test scores."

Naruto clenches his fist and then explodes. "Yeah. Damn bastard Uchiha Sasuke. He thinks he rules the school! Every year he makes class president! Even if I give out food people won't acknowledge me as a candidate!"

"Well…" Choji says carefully, "Sasuke is very popular. And he is the smartest student in school. It isn't really a bad thing that he gets…"

Shikamaru is signaling rapidly to his friend with a hand slicing across his neck. Too bad Choji caught on too late.

"Oh yeah? Well what is wrong with me for president, fatty?" Naruto yells.

An ominous aura seeps out of Choji from every pore. "Don't. Call. Me. FATTY!"

"N-no, Choji, I didn't mean it," Naruto cowers under his hands from where the kid towers above him, hands in threatening fists.

Shikamaru sighs and shrugs his shoulders. Those two are always at it. Such a bother.

Lunch ends and Shikamaru and Choji clear out with the vein-like bloodflow of children going to class. Naruto is left standing awkwardly by the door to the backroom where the cafeteria prepares the lunches. He waits for a few minutes, unsure whether or not they forgot about him.

It turns out that they didn't because not long later, a lady with puffy grey hair in a purple hairnet and a frog-like appearance shows up and calls Naruto's name.

"Yes!" Naruto turns, saluting.

The lady narrows her eyes, but starts giving the rundown on the cleaning. The tools are a rag, a bucket, soap, a mop, and various other cleaning fluids for specific messes. Naruto tries to listen, but he mostly figures that when he gets to it, it will all make sense.

Naruto has all of thirty minutes to scrub the entire cafeteria, so he gets to it. Fifteen minutes in, he is halfway done with the floors and finished with the tables. He also stacked the tables against the back walls. He has to go dump the bad water and get new water from the outside water tap, but when he gets back, he is greeted with about twenty wooden easels.

"What the fuck?" Naruto asks himself, running carefully with the full bucket back to his previous spot. He sets the bucket down, feeling twenty pairs of eyes also on him. Apparently art class had moved into here?

"Naruto," said a surprised, feminine voice. "You're supposed to be in class."

Kurenai-sensei. That must mean this is her painting class. By the position of their easels, Naruto can only guess that they are painting the landscape outside through the window.

"I'm doing my punishment, sensei," Naruto exclaimed, knowing that she was used to him having punishments to do.

"Ah, I see," Kurenai nods to her class, "just do not disturb the students, please. Carry on."

Naruto dislikes being ordered to do things like he is a dog, but he goes back to it. After all, what else can he do? He still has fifteen minutes.

A few moments later finds the blond teenager coming closer to the group as he goes down the row of unclean floor. He's about to turn around and go the other direction when he spots something over the easel. Black and blue spikes stick out above white canvas.

A rush of emotion fills Naruto's veins. "Bastard? Why the heck do I have to do this when you have class in here!"
"Uzumaki Naruto!" Exclaims the usually clam art teacher. "Please,"

"I can't take this, sensei!" Naruto tears at his hair, then points behind him to Sasuke. "Why do I have to have punishment at the same time this guy is in the room? He's the one who made it so I have to clean, anyway!"

The black spikes bristled. "Well, it's no picnic having you here, dumbass."

Naruto screeches out an odd noise. "See, sensei? He's a bastard!"

"ENOUGH," Kurenai shouts, surprising Naruto greatly. She sure can sound scary when she wants to. "Naruto please do not disrupt my class any longer. If this ever happens again, I will take you to Jiraya-sensei and he can decide your fate."

Naruto turns sharply, crossing his arms and marching back to his bucket. He picks up the mop and furiously dunks it in the bucket, splashing the canvas that Sasuke was sketching on in pencil.

A black brow twitches. "You idiot! You got my canvas wet. The whole thing is ruined, now."

"Well, good," Naruto bites, sweeping the mop forward like he was going to start dancing.

"Naruto, this is your absolute last warning. No talking."

"Yes, ma'm."

Sometimes, to survive, you have to please the ones who wear the big shoes. Even when bastards are making you seem like a dumb class clown. Stupid Sasuke. He thinks he can get whatever he wants if he just turns his gaze at it. Guys like him who do not know what it's like to work hard for something are worthless.

The dumb black-haired bastard kept sketching self-righteously as Naruto completed the last square foot of floor and slumped onto the wet ground.

For the love of Kami. There is only so long Naruto can last in the presence of that guy. This punishment is going to kill him.

A/N: Well, this chapter was fun! I hope you enjoyed it~ More interesting things should start to happen soon. Who was the caller? Well, that isn't too mysterious, is it? Sometimes it takes a certain event to trigger another. Review? (starry eyes)