Ok....so next chapter....

Hi guys!

I'm glad my amazing reviewers of awesome have returned! Thanks to , CleverBast and genderless-but-straight

Oh...and that plot bunny before....is throughly beating me up....it wants to be used....but I will focus...or this may never be finished.....

and life is generally craptastic right now....so I don't really know if this is remotely angsty-meh-mood...but if it is...I hope it works.

I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto. I'm not rich. I go to school still. It starts the 8th.

But either way....please enjoy

thoughts

japanese

'silent communication'

Sasuke yawned slightly as he plopped into an armchair in the common room, Naruto right behind him. They were waiting for Harry and Ginny before heading to breakfast and another day of oh-so-'joyful' classes. Absentmindly he began checking his bag to make sure he had all of his books and homework. (after all, with free time before his first class, who knew what Naruto would make him do.) After a moment he frowned, picked up a few papers, his eyes narrowing, and swore loudly and venomously, sending several first and second year students scurrying away.

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, turning towards him, "You okay?"

Sasuke growled to himself. "Fine...but dammit. Of course the first classes I have today are Transfiguration and Arithmacy....and of course I still have half a damn essay and twenty something problems by the time those classes start."

Naruto began to laugh, waving at Harry as the boy came down the steps from the dorms. "Really now, homework? That's what has you so worried?"

Sasuke glared at him. "Thanks to Harry...I'm not always on her good student list....he just loves sneaking out to the kitchens...." The glare shifted to Harry for a moment, then back to Naruto. "And McGonagall can be a bitch. Arithmacy....is just generally a pain in the ass too."

Naruto grinned, managing to stop laughing "So you're fucked?" A nod, "Well my friend...here's my advice. Bend over....and take it like a man." The grin grew wider. "I'm sure you're used to it, right?"

Sasukes eyes narrowed, in an instant his wand was out, and Naruto was ducking in a vain attempt to dodge the burst of water that shot from it. Sputtering indignantly, Naruto glared at Sasuke, shaking his head and spraying water across the room. "Stupid Sasuke-teme...." He mused breifly that the other boys heart didn't seem to be in the insult.

Ginny chose that moment to come downstairs, and sadly, right behind her was Hermione. The red head grinned upon reaching them, "What'd he do to piss you off, Sasuke?"

Before Sasuke could answer, Hermione was all but storming over, apparently furious at the misuse of magic so early in the morning. Sasuke merely wondered what would happen if he were to put an irreversible stain on that nice and shiny head girl badge.

As she opened her mouth to maybe take points or give out detention, Sasuke grinned at Naruto, any earlier rage on his features replaced with mischief. He caught Naruto's eye and winked, his grin turning to the slightest of smirks. "I'm so sorry for the mess, Hermione. But I was just trying to clean up our 'mess' from earlier." As he spoke, Sasuke moved closer to Naruto, "I must've lost my concentration....I blame the thought of Naruto being...nice....and....wet." He slid an arm around Naruto's shoulders, his face completely composed, as he hoped Naruto could do the same.

It grew more difficult however, as Hermione froze, the meaning of his words dawning upon her. Her face flushed rapidly, turning her the darkest shade of red possible, so much that Sasuke wondered if it was even healthy, before backing away, and walking out the portrait hole.

Sasuke grinned, releasing Naruto. "Well I think that went rather nicely." He commented, drying off Naruto and his now damp arm with a flick off his wand.

Naruto just stared at Sasuke for a moment, dazed. "Umm...."

Sasuke shrugged, motioning for the others to follow as he guided Naruto to the portrait hole, "What...figured you wouldn't mind pretending to be gay with me....not like we are....and it was worth the look on her face."

Thankfully, breakfast passed without much of an incident. That is, if one ignored Naruto's complaints about the lack of ramen, and his inability to sit with Shino. The only problem occured when the morning post came, hundreds of owls entering the Great Hall at once, newspaper owls mixing with family owls and school owls, worried parents checking in on their children, the paranoia from the war having yet to end completely.

Naruto's response was fairly expected, as his eyes widened, a soft murmur of 'Fucking hell' escaping him in Japanese as he shifted towards Sasuke, the sheer number of birds obviously unnerving him.

Sasuke had patted the boys arm absently, with the hand that had been scrawling his essay "You get used to it...I spazzed too..." he informed the boy, before returning to his essay, nibbling on a piece of toast.

He'd felt Naruto's gaze on him for several more moments, but thought nothing of it, forcing himself to focus on the annoyance that was his essay. Admittedly, it was harder to focus on something other than Naruto's prescence, which seemed loud, even when he was quiet, and therefore it was that much harder to ignore him than it was to ignore the Quidditch talk. Of course, it was made even more difficult by the throbbing headache that was forming once more.

Naruto was ready to dance for joy as he and Sasuke entered the Room of Requirement. The day had just begun and it was turning out great, aside from Sasuke's minor homework issue that is.

The verbal teasing with Sasuke, despite the fact it had barely existed, brought back the old Sasuke in Naruto's mind. The one who taunted him, forcing him to get better, but who'd then turn around and do something unexpected, like save his life. The acting thing, which was so random, so unexpected, but so damn fun, had put this new Sasuke into perspective. He hadn't expected it to be like this, to see the other so damn happy. Naruto realized the other boy might never have truly been happy.

He'd been in the village before yes, sure, he'd had friends who cared about him. But he'd been surrounded by memories, memories of a dead family and a traitor brother. Naruto realized he didn't even know where the Uchiha had stayed, if he'd had an appartment, or did he go back there? Did he sleep in that same compound that had been bathed in the blood and bodies of his relatives?

Then there was his time in Sound, Naruto knew the other boy hadn't been happy there. He'd been free of the memories, he'd had his power, but there'd been no one there to support him, to care for him and mean it. Sure, Naruto knew their team was a bit disfunctional, but they'd all cared, and that really did matter.

His gaze darted to the door as in walked that Lexi-girl, followed by Shino. Before the other boy could say so much as a word of greeting to Sasuke, who sat working furiously on the neglected homework, Naruto was grabbing him and dragging him away, towards a table that held a stack of paper and pens.

Shoving Shino into the chair, Naruto took the other and he began to write, his words a messy scrawl. He needed no explanation, Shino could figure it out

'Any new information? I haven't gotten much yet, aside from the fact security sucks around here.....'

'A bit, magic and chakra have quite a few similarities. Any chakra use will probably be confused with magic, I can't see them noticing it without a prompt. Security isn't tense around here now, but it can be intensified without much notice, and it's fairly drastic. Apparently just about everything here has a defense purpose. The forest is apparently full of threats as well, man eating creatures and those who just don't like us. They might have demons here, but if so, they aren't like the Bijuu, and I don't think they can be sealed...'

'Just how similar are chakra and magic? Similar enough if I use some shadow clones no one will know? And what are their demons like?'

'They won't notice if they aren't near you. But obviously if you're in the same room, they'll probably want the spell. Put it this way, it's similar enough that the Kikai could feed off of Lexi with not a lot of difficulties. There hasn't been a complication that I know of. And these demons are more like...a variety of an entity. Like the summons almost. They aren't just normal creatures, but they aren't just masses of energy. They're something in between.'

'Wow...that could be pretty interesting. But, how'd you learn this stuff?'

'A book. I think it's one at least. Or a person in a book. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it. I found it in the hospital wing, with the broken wands. I was asking who or whatever it was questions last night.'

'Of course...lets actually ask the books for answers now. Let's do it literally now.....'

That whole scene with Hermione...originally never existed. But then my net crashed....and stole my writing with it. So next thing I know...I'm rewriting it....and my inner Sasuke jumps up with my muse....and that happens.

Remember...constructive critism is appreciated. I accept Anonymous reviews. And all reviewers are awesome and loved. They get cookies too!

Hope you enjoyed the story and see you in two weeks ^_^

~CP