AN: Checked this once but I have an awful feeling that I just fell into reading it without checking for mistakes half way through…apologies if you find things.

A huge thank you to everybody that reviewed last chapter!


2: Chemically Unbalanced

I have to suppress a disgusted look as Naruto drops down next to me in Chemistry once more, fixing me with an openly inappropriate snarl. The top button of his shirt has come undone since this morning and in light of the atrociously warm weather, he's rolled up his sleeves to reveal the tan skin of his arms. I make a point of straightening my own pristinely white shirt, irked that his appearance is so unruly but unable to pinpoint why this should bother me.

"I can't believe you managed to get me in trouble already bastard," he hisses out of the corner of his mouth, a pout forming on his lips as he recalls this morning's disastrous form room episode. "I've only been back for 5 minutes, why the hell do you hate me so much?"

"Tch, ultimate moron," I respond fluidly, the fall back response I would have used to one of Naruto's particularly irksome comments back in year 8. I am purposefully avoiding picking up on his own initiation of the topic of where the hell he's been these last 3 years.

Because I don't care.

"Bastard," he feels the need to re-iterate and I'm forced to grind my teeth to stop myself from doing something I might regret as our teacher for this year enters the room, on time unlike Kakashi.

Our attention is directed towards the front of the room where our newest teacher is writing something on the board in silence and I can't help but suppress a shudder as I watch him moving, his hand drawing with expert, slip-streamed grace. He shuffles himself from side to side as he works, his feet moving in perfect time with each other to create a never-ending series of perfectly calculated fluid movements and the effect is almost like watching a snake waiting to strike.

When he eventually turns to face the class, I'm reminded even more of a snake. He has pale skin, a long face, a wide smile and eyes such a light shade of brown they almost look yellow. Automatically, they fix on me and he licks his lips with a long, wayward tongue. A strand of heavy black hair falls over his face and he tucks it behind his ear on a reflex.

"Good morning students. My name is Professor Orochimaru," he says in a voice like smoke, unnervingly husky and light. The voice fits his appearance, disconcertingly creepy.

It's been such a long time since I've sat next to someone in class that Naruto's stiffening frame beside me pulls me out of the staring match I'm starting to have with this new teacher, my eyes flicking to his position on the seat next to me where he's being uncharacteristically quiet. I guess he has been away for a while, maybe he cultivated a more studious approach to school while he was wherever he was.

Thank God for small miracles if that's the case.

Professor Orochimaru moves along the desks, his eyes still fixed on me as he slides forward. No one makes a sound, the atmosphere in this classroom is oppressive.

"I do not particularly care for preconceptions cultivated based on the difficulty of last year's work," Orochimaru begins, grinding us down from the get go, showing he's a no nonsense kind of teacher. I doubt anyone would dare to slack off in his class anyway, judging by the expressions on the various faces of my classmates, they don't want to be alone in a room with him anymore than I do should they get caught and receive a detention.

"I will tell you now that working at 6th form level is a much more challenging prospect and some of you will struggle."

His eyes move from mine to Naruto beside me and I wonder if he's just saying that some of us will struggle for Naruto's benefit. Aside from being the most hated guy in school, Naruto was also pretty famous for being the biggest dunce back in the day. If it was academic, Naruto was sure to have trouble understanding and sure enough, even though he's quiet, he gulps as Professor Orochimaru confirms that some people will be struggling, the bulge of his Adam's apple falling and rising comically.

"With that in mind, you should all be prepared to listen acutely to everything I say with the intent to make notes. The final exams this year will account for 70% of your final grade, the coursework completed throughout the year will accumulate and account for 30% of your grade. Any questions so far?"

A deafening silence falls over us like a black cloud as Professor Orochimaru waits for someone to ask a question and absolutely no-one dares to put up their hand. He waits for just a little too long before turning back to the board with a brief, flickering smile and gesturing with his too pale hand to the diagram that he's drawn there.

"Electrolysis," he snaps, his eyes flashing electric yellow for a fraction of a second.

"What would happen if I was to pass a current of electricity through a copper chloride solution?" he asks and his eyes pass slowly along the line of students, resting on the one person that probably doesn't know the answer in this class.

I can practically hear the idiot's thoughts as he sits next to me, begging some deity that he's not the one that has to answer first.

Clearly he's having a worse day than I am today.

"U-zu-ma-ki Na-ru-to," Professor Orochimaru recites, seeming to take pleasure from sounding out the syllables of Naruto's name.

The class stills, a sudden sea of thirty statues.

Normally in a situation like this, people tend to turn towards the victim, watching the decimation of their soul like someone might play witness to a car crash, it's unavoidable, human nature to watch each other suffer, I know this more than anyone and yet this time, the class stays resolutely facing the front, all of them watching the twisted face of our newest teacher as he regards Naruto through victorious eyes.

"Uh…" Naruto begins, breaking the silence with a faltering voice as he thinks about it, staring resolutely at the board in front of us. I can see the cogs of his mind turning as he tries to work out the answer and in this particular class, with this particularly sadistic teacher, it's painful to watch.

"An answer sometime today would be nice," Orochimaru comments idly, staring Naruto down.

Naruto simply glares at him, his eyes radiating underlying ire. I wonder if Orochimaru's goal with this exercise is to make his student flustered. Naruto was never the type to be shot down easily.

"You're just gonna have to wait a moment," Naruto retorts evenly. "I have to work it out."

And it's like a light has been switched on for the rest of the class.

30 statues seem to wake up from whatever spell it was that kept them immobile, each of them shuffling, blinking, a few of them whispering to their neighbour about Naruto's blatant disrespect for authority. Professor Orochimaru takes a respite from his relentless staring to take in the reactions of the rest of the class, his mouth turning down at the corners as he realises the air of fear is starting to disperse.

He's losing the complete control he had a moment ago over his students.

"Uzumaki," he begins quietly, though it's not like he needs to have a loud voice to command attention. The people that had chanced a quickly hissed comment immediately clam up to watch the proceedings.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you the time to work out this relatively simple answer. If you are unable to answer this question off of the bat then you are technically not at a high enough level to be in this class. Frankly, given the grades we have on record for you in year 8, I'm surprised you even made it to 6th form education."

This comment is met with stunned silence.

Even I can feel my normally stoic expression giving way to mild surprise.

I don't think I've ever heard a teacher be so disheartening before, so out-rightly rude to a pupil. I guess if you don't have the parents to file a complaint, it doesn't matter how you're treated.

I wonder if this will be the straw that breaks the camel's back, as the saying goes, my eyes twitching over my shoulder to Naruto despite myself, expecting to see a broken expression - a mortification that's sure to follow him for the rest of the school year.

But…

"Heh, if that's the case sir, you need to get some up to date records coz here I am."

I can almost feel my head turning towards him so I can take in the full dynamic visual of the expression on his face right now. He's grinning, that much is clear, in a completely self confident, defiant way that just screams of boisterous arrogance. His eyes are wide and alight with the adrenaline rush of rebelliousness, his hands are crossed against his chest, like he's trying to tell the professor he doesn't particularly care about such a cutting comment, brushing it off as irrelevant.

It is a brash, foolhardy statement of body language and back talk.

So very much like Naruto and so very much like an idiot.

"Being deliberately argumentative," Professor Orochimaru says in a precisely cool voice, his lips quirking up once more. "Will not be tolerated in my class. You have just earned yourself a detention Uzumaki after school with me today and I'd be careful, if I were you, about how many of those you dare to accumulate on your first day back if you're hoping to make a good impression."

This time, Naruto doesn't say anything back but his arms tighten over his chest, cutting into his white school shirt. His face is tinted red as he fumes beside me, practically vibrating with rage.

"Nara, answer the question," Professor Orochimaru snaps when he's sure that Naruto's done for now and Shikamaru doesn't hesitate to give the right answer, pouring in only the necessary detail to get this insane teacher off of his back.

The rest of the lesson continues in a similar vein with Orochimaru throwing out various high level questions from last year, most of the time picking on Naruto to answer them, sickeningly gleeful every time Naruto fails to produce the right answer. If the idiot ever had a chance at redeeming his previous status as the moron of the school, Orochimaru has made sure that small hope is dead and buried by the end of this lesson.

As the bell rings and Orochimaru gives us the first homework of the year, Naruto makes quite a show of packing up loudly and storming forward, slamming the door closed behind him as he high tails it out there without even a quip at me for being slow to pack up or whatever it is he likes to pretend to be better at than me.

The rest of the class follows at a human pace and I dig the schedule out of my satchel, glancing down to see that I have Biology next with Jiraiya. As I make my way forward, sauntering past Professor Orochimaru's desk, I feel a sort of distortion on the air, like the feel of skin getting too close and automatically flinch back a bit, turning to face the professor who has a cruel smirk in place on his face.

"Mr Uchiha, I would like a word with you before you leave," he says, his voice low and rich, somewhat sensual. A fleeting feeling wriggles through my system as I nod and step out of the way of the others but I keep my mask of indifference in place. Suigetsu throws me a look of alarm as he leaves but I just raise my shoulders ever so slightly in a half shrug.

Out of all the people in class, there are only two people that I can stand for an extended amount of time, one of them being Suigetsu who is able to read what sort of mood I'm in quite uncannily and reacts accordingly, leaving me alone when I really feel like being alone and providing a sort of human shield from those that might approach me if I just want to make it through the school day without too much interaction. The other is Jugo, a student from the year above who appreciates silence and also takes self defence. The two of us can communicate through 'types of silence' as Suigetsu has affectionately dubbed it.

People could learn a lot from watching Jugo.

An eerie quiet falls over the empty classroom as the last of the students leave and door clicks shut. Orochimaru observes me through those flashing eyes with a look bordering on pleased though I've done nothing to merit this man's approval. I wonder vaguely if he's going to try something sexual, the look he's giving me is not far from the expressions on the faces of the fan girls that tend to try and follow me round and I make a point of fixing him with a defiant expression.

"Well what is it?" I snap impatiently, uncaring that I sound disrespectful.

I'm expecting Professor Orochimaru's expression to falter, not to widen. His eyes spark jovially and he opens his mouth to run a pointed tongue over his bottom lip. The action has me suppressing a shudder.

"If you kept me back so you could have a staring contest with me, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you sir," I say stiffly, shifting so my feet are pointing towards the door. "I have more important things to be getting on with."

Orochimaru doesn't speak until I'm half way towards the door, my shoes making an unpleasant clacking sound as I stalk forward.

What he says, though, steals my breath and makes me freeze in place.

My heart thuds violently in my ears.

"Itachi Uchiha."

Itachi Uchiha.

Something's wrong, there's a weird smell permeating the usual aromas that I associate with home, a vague metallic taint that seems to have spread through the whole house as I come home from school, dropping my book bag in the entrance way as quietly as possible. Instinct is telling me not to make as much noise as usual, that there is something inherently bad about the way my parents won't answer my usual greeting.

Itachi Uchiha.

My hands are shaking as they fall on the banister of the stairwell, my feet fall silent on the soft carpet as I ascend to see…

To see…

My mother's dark hair strewn across the floor like black tendrils, her face open and lax and pale and-father with his eyes wide in surprise, a dark trail running from the corner of his mouth to his chin. Both of them have had their necks-NO NO NO NO NO-Itachi standing over them with that mask of indiffere-they're dead, dead, dead, dead and Itachi's hands are covered in-

"Foolish little brother."

My breath is coming thick and fast, rasping. My hands are clenched beside me. For a moment, I'm forced to focus on controlling myself, irritated beyond measure when tiny tremors run through my frame like static pulses. When I'm sure I'm in full control of myself, I turn smartly to face Orochimaru who honestly looks like Christmas has come early.

"What do you know of my brother?" I ask in a dark, sure voice, moving a pace back towards him.

Orochimaru takes his time replying, leaning forward on his desk so his fingers interlace, creating a steeple for him to rest his white cheek on if he so wishes. Long black tresses fall forward to partly cover one of his eyes.

"I have information that I know you will be interested in Mr Uchiha," Orochimaru tells me calmly. "I am well aware of your mission for revenge."

Over the years since the incident, I have told only a handful of people my true goal, the reason that I never went through with the suicide that occasionally crossed my mind after my parent's death.

Revenge.

At first, the people I told tried to help me let go of this goal, my hatred which is why I still have to report to a councillor every Monday and Friday after school.

Needless to say, I didn't let it go. How could I let go of the only thing keeping me alive?

"What do you know?" I repeat in a demanding tone, losing patience.

Orochimaru simply shakes his head, closing his eyes to savour this moment, the power he has over me.

The damn snake.

"Oh no Mr Uchiha, I can't just give you the information, you're going to have to earn it."

A snarl tugs at my lips, my eyes heat in wretched anger. It takes all of my impressive self control not to march forward and punch that smug smile off of his face, to beat him until he's spilling all the information I will ever need.

My brother.

He knows my brother, I could go after him now.

No, I'm not ready. I haven't completed my self defence course, I haven't determined every possibility, haven't factored in how much he would have grown and matured over the years. I wasn't expecting to encounter him until I'd completed my studies, until I'd been a part of the police force for a number of years, until I had the necessary know-how to find him.

I'm not ready.

But if this freak-show of a professor has information pertaining to his current whereabouts, I can be.

"Where is he?" I growl out, baring my teeth in a show of barely suppressed emotion, something most unlike me.

Orochimaru clucks derisively and wags a finger at me. Oh what I wouldn't give to be able to bite it off.

"Patience, Uchiha, is a virtue. The purpose of today's little talk was to get your attention which I've obviously succeeded in doing. Now I suggest you go to your next class and focus on calming yourself. We wouldn't want you to get expelled through doing something regretful because your anger was too much to handle now would we?"

For just a fraction of a second, I see nothing but red, like the world has been bathed in a hostile, sanguine taint but as I breathe in through my nose and hold the air in my lungs, the haze dissipates and I'm able to control the growing, molten ball of anger sitting inside me.

Orochimaru is watching me with far too sharp eyes, he nods his approval as I visibly calm, my shoulders sinking slightly as I face him.

"We will talk again when I feel you are ready. In the meantime, if you try to go to the authorities about this, then I will not hesitate to disappear and you will lose this fragile connection to your…loose cannon of a brother. Do you understand?"

The fury is trying to build back up inside me, clawing at my insides as I fight to control it but I nod stiffly. As if he needed to tell me that, I'm not Uzumaki fucking Naruto, I don't need to be spoon fed.

"Good, don't forget to hand in your homework next lesson. I will expect nothing but top marks from you Uchiha," he finishes, as though we've simply been discussing my mundane school work rather than a topic that could literally mean life or death.

His eyes avert back to the desk to show that the conversation is over and it takes me a moment to spur my burning limbs into action, pivoting on my heel and walking with brisk steps to the door.

I make a point of slamming it shut behind me and try to block out the sounds of Orochimaru's callous laughter as it follows me down the hall.


Ever had one of those teachers that just really hates you? (shudder)