Author's note: third chapter finally up. my apologies to those who agonized over the long wait. still, i'd love to receive feedback.

Chapter 3

Crushing and Eavesdropping and Crushing in the Figurative Sense

Next morning found Nara Shikamaru entering the classroom at seven o' clock, a good one hour earlier than the usual morning bell. It was not unusual as this had been his habit since freshman year to go to school earlier than most.

His home was a definite 'ugh' in every sense of the word. His mother would yell from the bottom of the stairs (insert warning cry of 'SHIKAMARU!') for him to 'get his lazy ass off the bed and get ready for school'. At exactly 5:45 a.m. which was in turn two hours and fifteen goddamn minutes before the morning bell.

He, in turn, would grumble and get up (because not getting up would mean a cold reality check, which was a bucketful of cold water in the face) and take a fifteen – minute shower. At exactly six, he was expected to be down and seated at the dining table, ready to eat breakfast, just like a perfect little boy. How troublesome. While his father read the morning paper (because even the Nara patriarch was not exempted from the good morning call), his mother puttered around the kitchen, he was supposed to dutifully scarf down his serving of eggs and chug down his glass of milk. His mother seemed to never have gotten the note saying that his son now has an eight o' clock start, and he's a teenager. Who sure as hell doesn't need to eat eggs and drink milk 'to grow properly'. But still, Shikamaru would obey, because disobeying would result in his mother harping about it and everything else, and listening to her mother's rant was such a pain.

So every morning he would leave the house at 6:30 and catch the downtown bus to Konoha Academy, and be the first among his classmates to arrive. In a way it suited him; it gave him about an hour (thirty minutes at the least) of relative peace and quiet (without the usual rowdy morning buzz and, most importantly, Naruto's loud voice). As an added bonus, he could also nap without his mother's nagging.

Shikamaru was in for a big surprise though. Because that morning, as he stepped into the room that was Class 2F, he found himself amidst a disarray that consisted of chairs, desks, more chairs and desks as well as—surprise, surprise—Naruto. No doubt he was orchestrating the entire inane mess. "What," Shikamaru asked crossly, "is the meaning of this?"

Naruto looked up, surprised. "Oh, it's just you, Shikamaru. I'm rearranging the seats. See?"

Shikamaru stalked to his own usual spot (which, thankfully, remained untouched). "Troublesome," he muttered. "Just don't make a lot of noise, alright?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically before dragging a steel – footed desk (legacy of Class E), creating a horrible grating noise. Shikamaru winced. "What's with you today?" he asked irritably.

"I –uh, well, Sakura – chan looked like she's allergic to dust, and so I'm rearranging these chairs to get those stuffy chairs away from the back row."

Shikamaru studied his longtime seatmate with great interest. If arranging chairs for an allergic girl was a weak indicator of Naruto's budding crush, then the fact that he wore the school uniform wasn't.

Like all rebellious teenagers who eschewed restrictions, Naruto was obstinate about wearing uniform. Sure, Ebisu – sensei had long since instilled the basic sense of obedience in him, Naruto retained, however, the art of compromising to perfection— assed versions of the school uniform were his trademark. Today, however, he was in full regalia. Although his white polo shirt with the chest pocket on the left was a little bit rumpled and not perfectly tucked into his pants, and his collar was crooked, Naruto was proudly wearing the standard charcoal gray three – piece suit. His tie was of acceptable colors (somber gray and maroon—none of his wacky My Melody ties). Even his black dress shoes were polished to a sheen. He also even managed to locate his name pin and fasten it, albeit crookedly, on top of his pocket. Shikamaru had to admit, he was impressed.

Amused by the sudden transition, Shikamaru couldn't help the urge to take a dig at him. "Why are you the wearing uniform, Naruto?"

To his credit, Naruto did not blush. Nope. Instead, he turned red all over, from the tips of his ears to the base of his neck, like a ripe angry, tomato. "Uh, I noticed Sakura – chan was wearing full uniform yesterday, and, erm, Sakura – chan's a good role model? Yeah, yeah, that's it! So there, I thought I ought to be like her."

"You seem to notice a lot about Haruno – san, huh?"

"I do?" Naruto's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and then he caught himself. "I mean, I don't. Of course I don't!"

Shikamaru closed his eyes lazily, but not before adding, "You have a crush on her, don't you?"

"I do not!" Naruto declared hotly. With a stomp and a huff, he pushed the last bit of the desk into its proper position. "I'm just being nice, is all!" He huffed and fell backwards into his seat, which was now a rather uncomfortable plastic, high – backed chair. After a while, he sighed. "Well maybe just a little," he amended in a whisper.

Shikamaru, who had been lightly napping, opened one eye, and regarded his classmate seriously. "You better stop that foolish infatuation now, while it's still early," he said. "The likes of Haruno Sakura ain't suited for this place. Or you, for that matter."

"I know that," Naruto replied mutinously. "I'm not stupid."

"Your actions this morning beg to contradict," Shikamaru argued reasonably, "and your exam grades second the motion."

Naruto barked in irritation. At that moment he could have happily strangled Shikamaru without a single regret.

By the end of the day, Naruto was ready to admit defeat to whoever was willing to claim victory. Sakura had shown up wearing the barest minimum of the required uniform for the female—she had opted to tie her light gray blazer (with a red zip and a red bar over the pocket) around the waist, and wear her white blouse—with two buttons undone over a sky-blue tee—untucked over charcoal gray pleated skirt. Her black socks were ankle – length, and her brown buckle – up dress shoes were scruffed. The school emblem (a stylized leaf), embossed in silver, was the only decoration over her left breast pocket; her name pin she did not wear.

And even if Naruto didn't rue the fact that he and Sakura – chan did not look like a couple with matching uniform (because really, no one in Class F bothered to wear the proper uniform; even Shikamaru ditched his coat for survival)—which he did indeed—Naruto had forgotten one important fact. Their class's air conditioning unit was a very contrary appliance. And so he was forced to endure a very hot, sweltering day, complete with the ribbings of his classmates, who obviously enjoyed his suffering.

Rubbing salt into the wound was the fact that nobody—not even Sakura—noticed the change in the seats.

So, at the end of the last period, Naruto was more than ready to be the first one to bolt from the class, and have a good sulk at Ichiraku Ramen. He was, however, beaten to the door by a streak of pale pink, unmistakably Sakura's hair. There was no other way; Naruto followed her, very much like a stalker obsessing over his idol. He followed her carefully, until they reached the rooftop.

He had barely opened the heavy metal door a crack when he heard a voice, deep and dark—a voice he knew so well—speak, "What are you doing here?"

Naruto clearly heard Sakura's reply, "I surmised you'd be here, so I went up."

"Why do you need to go look for me?"

"I – I – I wanted to tell you that I got sick on the day of the exam, and—"

Naruto's heart clenched at the uncertainty in Sakura's voice.

"I don't need your explanation," came the cold reprimand. "Is there anything else? If you don't have anything important to say, then take your leave."

"I'm – I'm sorry, Sasuke – kun."

"I don't need you to apologize either. You are annoying."

No response from Sakura. Instead she came flying through the metal door. It was a good thing that Naruto was hidden in the shadows; he had a good vantage point without being caught. For a moment, time froze. He saw with terrible clarity the tears that tracked down Sakura's pale cheeks as she paused for a moment to catch her breath. He saw the agony in her eyes as she clutched at the place her heart was located, as if wishing she could tear it out, right then and there. He was transfixed by her eyes, eyes that had darkened into a deep jade. His own heart thudded painfully. It was a crime, for someone to make a girl like Sakura cry. Sakura should never have to cry, to have her heart broken by such callous words.

And so Naruto glanced sharply through the small crack in the door, glimpsing the silhouette of Uchiha Sasuke standing with his hands in his pockets, as if making Sakura cry was an everyday thing. And, as his own heart cracked with his first unrequited crush, he made a vow. When the summons war draws to a close, Uchiha Sasuke will go down. Very painfully.

And so Kami help him, he would crush Uchiha Sasuke, or his name wasn't Uzumaki Naruto.

such a drastic turn from the last two chapters, no? i had to establish this twisted love triangle (that never really existed-tsk, your sense of imagination knows no boundaries, lyssanja) first. next chapter's gonna be all action. or plans. for the first skirmish. my knees are already shaking.

and that's because i don't know how to write action scenes. haha.

my tremors just got worse.