A/N: Yay!! Finally, a longer chapter that I DIDN'T have to combine several smaller ones to make!! ^-^ I feel proud. WOOTeth. Oh, and please leave a review and tell me what you think!! I'll really appreciate it if you do… and you'll be taken off my list, too ~smarmy, slightly creepy smile~ so it works out for all of us!!

Disclaimer: I do not, in any shape or form, own or associate with the author of, the publishers of, or anything else to do with the series Naruto. If I did.. well, I probably wouldn't be stuck writing fanfics now, would I?

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Three weeks had passed since that first incident in the hall. Naruto was of two minds about the "Uchiha-bastard", as he liked to call him. Half the time he wanted to beat that superior look off the brunette's face-- other times, Naruto caught that glimpse of fear and pain before it was covered by that carefully-crafted mask of indifference.

Naruto slammed his locker shut, refusing to wonder were the other boy was at. Instead, he drifted over to Sakura and her friends. No luck. They were twittering worriedly about Sasuke. Naruto swore under his breath and stalked off to rant in the classroom of his favorite teacher. Since it was lunch time, he knew Iruka would be there.

Sasuke saw the blonde walk in. He quietly followed, stopping outside the door. He didn't know why he was eavesdropping-- he just felt this urge to know more about Naruto.

"-- I can't tell what's so goddamned special about him!!" Naruto slammed his bookbag down on a desk, his voice becoming more and more heated. Iruka shot him a warning glance.

"Naruto, I realize you're upset, but please refrain from swearing in my classroom." The teacher sighed. He'd known the boy for nearly five years-- Naruto's older brother Kyuubi had also been a student of his. Still, Iruka couldn't help but think that he'd never before seen the blonde so agitated.

"I can't help it, Iruka-sensei." Naruto scowled, but he did lower his volume slightly. "I can't see what the girls are so obsessed about. Yeah, he's kinda good-looking--" he blushed, almost not believing those words just came out of his mouth. Iruka smild faintly. Naruto continued. "I mean, that high and mighty attitude of his!! Does Sasuke think he's so important, so infamous, just because his brother's a murderer?!! He's nothing but a--" A scuffling noise outside the door made him stop. Exchanging a look with his teacher, they both went and looked, just in time to see Sasuke disappear around a corner. With a sinking feeling, Naruto looked back at Iruka.

"... You should probably go talk to him." The teacher raised an eyebrow at Naruto when the blonde shook his head furiously. "No, Naruto. You need to go talk to him." Naruto's shoulders slumped as he nodded in unhappy agreement. Iruka shooed him out the door. "He's been hiding in the library lately. Go check there first. And, Naruto?" The blonde looked up, already halfway down the hall. The teacher locked eyes with him to make sure the blonde was listening. ".. I don't want to hear you say things like that about his brother any more, okay? And make sure to apologize." Iruka closed the door. Naruto had no choice but to go after the brunette.

Naruto sighed. Setting his chin resolutely, he headed for the library.

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It took him a few minutes to find the younger Uchiha. Finally, Naruto spotted that wierd, spikey hair at a table in the back of the reference section. The brunette had his back to Naruto, looking for all the world that he was absorbed in the book in front of him. In truth, he was trying desperately not to cry. A sniffle escaped, making Naruto feel instantly guilty.

The blonde stopped a few feet away, scratching his head awkwardly. "H-hey... I'm sorry about what I said.." Naruto waited for other's answer, but it didn't come. He reached out to shake the brunette by the shoulder, opening his mouth to repeat the apology. Sasuke jerked away.

"Don't touch me!!" The Uchiha hissed, scooting as far away from Naruto as was possible without falling out of his chair. "Leave me alone!!" Naruto's face went blank in bewilderment, then he started feeling angry. After all, Naruto was just trying to say sorry!! Why was the bastard biting his head off like that?!!

"Damnit, Sasuke!!" Naruto snarled, yanking the brunette out of his chair by his wrists and shoving him up against the wall. "It's your fault I came over to talk to you in the first place!! If you hadn't gone and..." His voice died out as tears started running down Sasuke's face. The Uchiha was shivering uncontrolably, shrinking back against the wall and closing his eyes against the streams pouring out.

"P-please.. just l-leave m-me alone.." The hint of hysteria in the brunette's voice hit Naruto like a board to the back of the head. He numbly let go of Sasuke's arms, stepping back as the slightly shorter boy slumped to the ground. Yet again, Naruto was feeling like a total asshole. He stood there, looking down at Sasuke as two parts of his mind warred against each other. One side said: "Run away!!!"; the other preached: "Comfort him.. don't ask what's wrong, just offer safety.."

Before Sasuke could react, two warm, strong arms wrapped themselves about his shoulders. Naruto pulled the brunette to his chest, holding him protectively and whispering soothing nonsense into Sasuke's ears. The tears flowed more than ever, then slowly dissippated. For a long time, they just sat there in the renewed silence of the library, the shelves of books forming a protective barrier against the outside world.

An hour passed. The bell for the next period rang, but it went unnoticed by Naruto and Sasuke. Some time before, Naruto had realized Sasuke had fallen asleep against him, but the blonde didn't have the heart to wake him up from what was probably the first restful sleep the brunette had had in a while, judging by the dark circles under those closed eyelids.

He looks so fragile.. Naruto smiled softly, brushing a stray piece of hair out of the Uchiha's face. Then the smile flatlined; he frowned, thinking of how Sasuke had reacted to physical contact. Naruto couldn't help but wonder why the brunette had gone nearly insane with fear when he'd pinned him against the wall. It did not bode well. Looking back at Sasuke's face, the blonde smiled again as the slightly smaller boy snuggled unconsciously up against him.

The questions would have to wait.