Chapter 10

Disclaimer: The title Naruto and anything that has to with it belongs to Kishimoto-sensei. But Uzumaki Naruto's ass belongs solely and wholly to the great Uchiha Sasuke.

For every 99.9 percent of certainty, lingers the 0.1 percent chance of failure.

Three pairs of eyes watched as the blonde closed on to the pink-haired girl. They were fairly sure of what would next occur once the boy breached Sakura's personal space, which includes about half of the classroom. It always happened so there was no space for doubts. The three waited for the inevitable.

But the inevitable decided to use the laws of probability, leaning towards the 0.1 percent of sure failure and evaded their expectations.

"That's weird," Shikamaru commented. He scratched his chin as he observed Naruto's close proximity and normal interaction with Sakura.

"What?" Kiba asked while twirling his thoroughly chewed pen in his right hand. "The floor not kissing Naruto's bum? Sakura not pummeling him to death? Sasuke the stalker missing in action? Or the loony man by the school gates proclaiming that the world will end tomorrow although a month had already passed since he started doing that?"

"The first three. That old man is a lunatic so it's not strange. And you being observant."

The dog-lover glared at the obvious insult. The genius simply yawned at the other and continued his sleepy observation of the two students. The well-oiled cogs of his mind reeled smoothly, thoughts mainly running around Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. The sudden closeness, the Uchiha missing on classes, and what transpired during the time the three of them were alone in the laboratory.

Suddenly the room's door opened with a loud 'bam!' The Nara prodigy felt the hairs of his nape stood up, signaling that trouble was waiting to cross the line of the room. This was no ordinary trouble for it was directed at the man who was avoiding trouble the most; himself.

He remembered that time a month ago when he missed school and refused to get out of the house. He had a nightmare, a very vivid nightmare that seemed so real that he didn't want to step out to the world to make sure whether it was fantasy or not. If what scared him beyond shit lies on the other side of the room, he'd rather remain it where it was.

If he believed in fate, he could tell that invisible force never agreed on giving him the least of nuisances. And Fate decided to be the actual bitch that she was.

His nightmare appeared, heels of her high-cut shoes tapping the shiny cement floor. She wore a baby blue tank top and faded denim jeans with rips. With hands on her hips, she scanned the four-cornered classroom. The intruder grinned when she locked on her target and she grinned.

Shikamaru didn't like this one bit. He never did like it when someone's mouth stretches from side to side showing that she had plans that she alone knows. The genius' chair moved backed an inch when the blonde actress confidently approached him.

"Nara Shikamaru? I'm your future wife, Sabaku Temari." She swooped down and kissed the soul out of the student. All watched amazingly as the kiss went on for a minute, breaking up with a very satisfied Temari and a very pale Shikamaru.

"Listen up, bitches. This," the blonde woman rudely pointed her right thumb at the still-not talking boy, "is mine. I'll be the one who would continue his lineage."

Shikamaru never admired cowards; he could not understand the logic of a real man running from what he fears the most. You could just face it directly and be end with it. But being faced with your worst fear was not a joke. And so, the genius decided to be a coward.

He stood up from his seat and dashed out of the room like a madman.

Why does his life have to this troublesome?

ooooo

Sasuke brooded as he watched the clouds passed him by in the blue sky. The blue reminded him of the eyes that showed hatred and guilt once again gnaw at his heart. He sighed, his forehead creasing with that stupid thing eating his heart out insistently reminding him of what he did. He knows that he would have to face Naruto sooner or later and apologize for his rough mistake. But instead of being a real man and face the consequences of his actions, he decided to be a coward and hide in the school's rooftop which luckily was inhabited.

In his brooding/hiding time, he reflected deeply on the after-effects of his stupi—mistake. Uchiha Sasuke would never do stupid things but he might have done something without properly thinking. It was just a case of his heart taking over his brain and urging him to be that reckless.

Denial was such a good thing. You could simply play ignorant of the obvious.

His control had simply snapped when he saw Naruto smiling at that woman. Sasuke saw was an ugly green-eyed monster with a horrid pink hair. All he had ever received from the blonde boy was insults and discouraging words that pushed his perfect Uchiha control into pieces.

There were so many events in his life that had not exactly given him the time to decide upon.

It was not his choice to shoot that damn movie in this school.

It was not his choice to be kissed by a boy.

And it was definitely not his choice that his that the fist-sized blood-pumping organ pretext of a heart decided to go gay and fall in love with Naruto.

In the end he was the one to suffer from all of this.

Sasuke ignored his rational part that was telling him that it might not be in his options that these things happened but he had control of his actions.

Who cares about proper reasoning when he's jealous, dejected, bitter, angry and depressed as an emo? Listening to logical bullshits would make him feel worst because as always, logic is always right. And Sasuke being wrong was unacceptable.

Facing everything like a real man is not plausible every time. For now, the raven-haired actor was a coward.

Cowards run and hide to preserve their own skin rather than face what would hurt them.

He didn't want to look at the person with hatred reflected on those eyes.

ooooo

"Kakashi-sensei…"

"Yes, Iruka-chan?" the masked teacher gazed dreamily at the Literature teacher with his visible eye. Iruka silently thanked the table separating them. Whoever knows what might happen if that piece of wooden barrier was removed though the brown-haired man had a very good idea of what will happen, 100 percent. And he rather that it remain as an idea on his head and Kakashi's hands remain on his side of the table.

"Look at the –" he tried to continued but was stopped again.

"But I'm already looking at your face my love," the white-haired man's mask crinkled and his eye formed an inverted 'u' shape, meaning that he was smiling.

"I mean, I want to look –"

"Why didn't you say so!" the English teacher excitedly stood up and removed the dark green vest and lifted his black sleeveless shirt off his torso, leaving an A-shirt that fitted very well in his muscular upper extremity. Iruka couldn't help but admire the outlines of the man's chest and washboard abdomen. He was sure that the teacher would look even more gorgeous naked. Realizing where his thoughts were going, the blood rose up to his cheeks and decorated it with a scarlet hue.

The younger brown-haired man gathered his wits and stepped on the older man's left foot hard enough to leave a deep impression on the brown leather shoe. He glared and convinced himself that he was angry for that highly-indecent act. Umino Iruka is angry because it was not proper of Kakashi-sensei to strip in front of him and the action was definitely uninvited. Believe his words, okay?

"Ouch! Wha-Oh! So you also want my pants out of the way. I didn't know you were that naughty Iruka-sensei," Kakashi said while his hand moved to his belt. Before he could undo it, a hardbound book flew and his face. His nose hurt. His darling was getting more and more violent this past few days.

Iruka stood up and forced Kakashi's head to the direction of the window. He pointed the second finger of his left hand at two quickly moving objects on the school grounds.

"Well if you look at that," the white-haired teacher shook his head mirthfully. His resident genius student was being chased around by a blonde girl. And he thought that clouds and pillows were the only thing that makes the boy happy. He peered more closely on the glass window, recognizing the girl.

"Isn't that Temari, the girl that plays opposite Sasuke on the movie?" Iruka asked with a worried voice. There ought to be something wrong when it's a girl doing the chasing.

"Yup. Looks like she found someone to be finally interested for real and for keeps," Kakashi answered,

"For real? Aren't they a bit too young for that?"

"Age doesn't matter, as the cliché goes. Temari's already nineteen years old so she knows what she's doing. She's relatively harmless."

Harmless as a squirrel until its precious nut would be taken away, he thought but the other man didn't need to know that.

"This would be good for both of them," he said in a reassuring voice, laying his own hands on top of Iruka's that were still on his face. The worrying look from the latter's face disappeared and even smiled a little. Both of their eyes met and they became fully aware of each other, the understanding hypnotizing them.

Faces were coming closer and closer…

They both leaned towards the door when they heard footsteps. A young student was standing in the halfway opened door. He looked at the scene and he apologized like crazy.

"S-sorry! I didn't know that Iruka-sensei was b-busy…" he looked at the scattered clothing on the floor. The teacher had been very busy.

Iruka immediately removed his hands and started to panicked.

'This is not what you t-think Konohamaru! Right, Kakashi-sensei?"

"We were just getting on with it. And everyone thinks I have a lousy sense of timing."

The boy blushed and averted his eyes, embarrassed with the situation.

"I'm really sorry! I d-didn't know. I won't tell anyone so I'llbegoingbacktomyroomrightnow!. I'll forget this," Konohamaru ran out of the room.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

The man's self preservation instinct kicked in and grabbing his shirt, he fled out of the room. Iruka got a hold of a metal T-square which now looked very deadly with the menacing intent coming out from its holder.

"See you later, honey!" Kakashi laughed and slipped into his shirt. He took a right turn and slid on the railings of the stairs. Retreat was necessary if he wanted to face tomorrow with a bright sunshine.

Running was cowardly but there are instances that a man needs to use his brains rather than his brawn.

He needed to do that since he still haven't reach the future with Iruka by his side.

ooooo

"I didn't know that lazy boy's girl was pretty and famous," Kiba whistled at his friend's pot of gold girl.

Naruto nodded. Their classmates were all in a buzz with the appearance of another star. People tend to go gaga over famous people.

"That sneaky genius! I never thought he had a girlfriend,"

"A Temari girlfriend. No wonder he makes no efforts with the girls."

"That was so cute! Just like in a movie."

The blonde listened to the different commentaries, his mind digressing from his real after-school plan. It was hard to believe that his friend would be in a relationship with someone well-known. Hell, it was even hard to confirm if Shikamaru was even in a relationship.

"Sharing half of what you are with another person is too troublesome if you ask me."

He remembered those words with the brunette's view about love.

He sighed and unintentionally, his sight landed on the empty seat behind him. His anger on the earlier incident bubbled up again. What was that guy trying to prove when he did that? Naruto still didn't get what were Uchiha's intentions with him despite the blonde boy's obvious dislike. The only thing that he could conclude was that the actor simply liked to mess with him, confusing his already disarrayed mentality.

But he had doubts since he saw the hurt on Sasuke's eyes before he proceeded to kiss the boy roughly. He wanted to understand the reason why he did that but at the same time, Naruto wanted to leave him alone.

"My head," he rubbed his temples. Over-thinking always makes his head hurt. Life was too complicated for him to ponder on so he didn't want to kill his mind with that. He'd rather think about what flavor of ramen to eat later.

Besides, he still has to talk to Sakura after class. He didn't want to appear as an idiot especially that their ruined friendship was returning back. Naruto hesitated if he was willing to risk this again. Maybe the two of them were simply better off as friends.

The teacher at the front called all their attention but it missed the blonde student's.

He looked at the vacant seat again and his resolve became firm. He definitely won't lose to a bastard like him, especially when it concerns love. He already decided to make things easier and clearer for himself.

He was going to take it like a real man and confess to Sakura.

TBC

School's killing me. I have to fall in a very loooong line so I could get my grades for the second semester. Tch.

Anyways, review ^^