5. Friendship Causes Pain

Naruto Uzumaki arrived at Konoha High the next day with a single goal in mind: talk to Sasuke. He felt that their get-together at Ichiraku Ramen had gone quite well; far better than the blond could ever have hoped, anyway. He could not figure out what exactly had happened, but he knew that he and the Uchiha had formed some sort of connection. They had even talked about Sasuke's parents, if only for a second, without having the conversation break down into a nasty argument. It was almost as if he and Sasuke understood one another, even though their interactions over the years were limited to a few chance encounters.

I have to find him… to talk to him. It's a longshot, but maybe we can actually be friends…

Of course, Naruto had a great deal of doubt lingering in the back of his mind. As well as their excursion had gone, he could not be certain if Sasuke was simply humoring the blond. Sasuke had wanted to apologize, after all; what if he was ignoring his true feelings just so the two of them would be square?

No… no, if Sasuke really felt that way, he wouldn't have apologized to begin with. He felt guilty… that's got to mean something, right?

It was enough evidence for Naruto to deem his search worthwhile, and thus the blond kept an eye out for Sasuke for much of the day. Not that he was difficult to find; Naruto only had to follow the banshee calls of the Uchiha's fanclub to find his target. Getting a chance to speak to Sasuke was another story, however, as there was never a moment when he was not swarmed by the popularity leeches of Konoha High.

Thus, when lunchtime came around, Naruto knew that he would have to act fast if he was going to beat the fangirls to the Uchiha. Unfortunately, as he weaved through the crowds of the cafeteria, Naruto found that his target was nowhere to be seen. He noticed that Sakura and Ino were having a similar problem as they wandered the lunchroom aimlessly in search for their beloved. It was quite puzzling, but the blond was by no means about to give up his quest.

Hm… maybe Shikamaru knows where he is. They usually hang out, right?

Naruto did not even bother to scan the cafeteria for the aforementioned lazy genius, for he knew from past experience that the Nara would only come inside once it became too "troublesome" to go cloud gazing. Thus, the vulpine boy slipped outside and started for the hills near the tennis courts, which he remembered as being one of Shikamaru's favorite spots. As he drew closer to the hill, though, Naruto recognized the voice of a familiar, raven-haired boy, which caused him to freeze in his tracks.

"I took him to some ramen shop."

"You treated Naruto to ramen? What are you, a masochist?"

Hey, I don't eat that much…

"Maybe, but it was actually pretty good."

"Ah, you two hit it off, then?"

"I meant the food."

"Touchy, touchy… but really, how did it go between the two of you?"

Moment of truth…

"I don't know… it was all right, I guess…"

Naruto's heart sunk a little at this conclusion. He could have sworn it was more than just "all right."

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"Well, I mean, I guess he's a good enough guy. He asked me about my parents…"

"And how did that go over?"

"It was fine. I told them they were murdered, and he didn't ask about them again. He… surprised me, actually."

"You can't judge a book by its cover, Sasuke. Naruto's a pretty complicated guy, once you get to know him."

Complicated? Is that a good thing?

"Yeah, and I don't want to get to know him."

What did he say?

"Come on, Sasuke. You wouldn't have brought this up today if Naruto hadn't affected you somehow…"

"You know, you said that same thing yesterday, and I'm sick of it."

"Why, because it's true?"

"No, because you're trying to force these friendships on me, when you know damn well how I feel about them. You're just as bad as Kakashi."

"You can't just force everyone out of your life, Sasuke."

"Watch me! Just keep that blond bastard out of my sight, okay!"

Naruto could hear the duo continuing in this manner for a while as he started walking in the opposite direction, but he no longer cared to listen to their words. It was too much for the blond to handle, this sudden revelation, and thus he took off running for his apartment, feeling like an idiot for thinking that Sasuke might actually be his friend.

xxxxx

Kiba spent the rest of his school day in a mild panic. He knew he was probably just being paranoid, but the fact was he hadn't seen Naruto since lunchtime, and the dog-boy was a bit worried about his friend. Sure, it was possible that Naruto was just playing hooky – he did have a tendency to do that from time to time – but Kiba somehow felt that this wasn't the case. After all, they usually skipped class together, and even if the blond had run off on his own, wouldn't he have stopped to tell his best friend? No, something was up, and Kiba knew he would not be able to concentrate until he found out what.

"Ms. Yuhi, may I be excused?" the Inuzuka asked, cutting his teacher off mid-sentence.

"What is it this time, Kiba?" Kurenai asked, giving the boy a skeptical glance as she set down her chalk. "Forget to feed Akamaru again?"

Damn, she caught on to that one…

"No, umm… I had Mexican for lunch, and –"

"Fine, go ahead," the brunette sighed as she turned to face the blackboard. "Interrupt my class like this again, though, and it's detention, got it?"

"Thank you, Ms. Yuhi," Kiba said, as he gathered his things and rushed out the door.

That went better than expected. I'll have to remember to write that one down…

With this obstacle out of the way, Kiba had only to run back home, which was only a few minutes away if he hurried. As he darted through the outskirts of Konoha, he tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut, hoping that logic might satisfy his concerns. Naruto probably went home sick. That was possible, right? Then again, Naruto never really got sick; the kid had an insane immune system, and stamina to boot.

Something's up… it's the only explanation. What could it be, though? He was so happy last night…

It was not long after this thought crossed his mind that Kiba arrived at his apartment complex, where he quickly rushed up the stairs to the third floor. He had made excellent time, taking every shortcut he could think of. It didn't hurt that most people were still either at school or work, leaving the streets wide open for excessive jaywalking. Thus, with his breathing heavy and sweat running down his face, the dog-boy arrived outside his apartment, where he found a familiar blond sitting on the floor, staring helplessly at the ground.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" Kiba asked, rushing to his roommate's side.

Naruto glanced at his friend, an embarrassed grin upon his face. "I forgot my key."

Kiba laughed and fumbled in his pocket for his set of keys. "Don't scare me like that, you jerk. I thought you were hurt or something…"

"Oh, sorry," Naruto replied, his voice somewhat distant. "What are you doing back so soon?"

Okay, something's definitely wrong, here. Better play it cool for now, though…

"I cut class," Kiba replied, flashing a cocky smile, "I got worried when I didn't see you after lunch."

"I see," the blond said, averting his eyes to the ground once more.

Kiba scrutinized his friend for a second as he threw open the door, trying to imagine just what was going through the vulpine boy's mind. "Well, are you coming?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Naruto mumbled, shaking his head briefly as he rose off the ground.

With that, the duo stepped into the apartment, kicking off their shoes by the door before taking a seat on the couch. Kiba rested his head on his hand, giving the blond a sidelong glance as he tried to figure out what exactly to say. Naruto, meanwhile, curled his legs up underneath him, staring vacantly at the blank TV, apparently awaiting the inevitable interrogation from his roommate.

No sense in keeping him waiting, then…

"Naruto… you mind telling me what's going on?"

"I don't know," Naruto replied with a heavy sigh, as a concerned Akamaru hopped into his lap. "It's nothing, I guess…"

"Do you really think I'm gonna buy that?" Kiba asked, giving the blond a skeptical glance. "Look, something happened, and I want to know what it is. Does it have anything to do with that Uchiha bastard? 'Cause if he –"

"It has nothing to do with Sasuke," Naruto snapped before realizing his sudden outburst. "I'm sorry… I mean it's not his fault, is all."

"But it's about him, isn't it?"

Naruto's hesitation was all the evidence Kiba needed to confirm his suspicions. "What did he do? Tell me."

"Well, I heard him talking with Shikamaru at lunch today. I guess they were discussing our dinner at Ichiraku Ramen last night, and Sasuke said… well, he said that he didn't want to get to know me. He doesn't want me to intrude on his life, I guess…"

Hmm…

"Is that all he said?" Kiba asked, feeling that some piece was missing to this puzzle. "Nothing about Kyuubi or anything?"

"No," Naruto replied, stroking Akamaru's fur with an almost robotic monotony. "That's just it, he didn't say anything personal… he just doesn't want anything to do with me. Like I said, it's not his fault, he just wants to be left alone…"

"And yet you're taking it personally," the dog-boy concluded with a pensive nod.

"Yes!" the blond exclaimed with an exasperated sigh, "I don't know what the hell's wrong with me, Kiba. I guess I just need to shut up and move on…"

He doesn't get it himself? I never even thought of that. Could it be…?

"Naruto, I don't think you should give up just yet," the dog-boy said quite suddenly, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"What do you mean? He doesn't want anything to do with me, so why should I force him?"

"Because this is clearly important to you, and I don't think you should ignore that fact just 'cause that asshole has issues."

"You're sure?" Naruto asked after a moment, removing his eyes from the dog in his lap to glance at his friend.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Kiba replied, rising from his seat. "But before you try talking to Sasuke again, I want you to figure out just why this matters so much to you."

Naruto gave a quick nod in response, but the look in his eyes betrayed his true feelings: he was scared. Kiba had apparently hit the nail on the head by pointing out Naruto's confusion, a fact that made the Inuzuka quite satisfied as he disappeared into the kitchen.

That might've been a little harsh, but he knows I'm right. He doesn't know why the hell Sasuke matters to him… I wish I did. I have a guess, but I'll just have to wait to see if I'm right.

By the time he returned to the living room, Naruto had already turned on the TV, apparently deciding to set his worries aside, if only for the moment. Kiba was perfectly fine with this, feeling that it was best to let the blond deal with these problems at his own pace, and thus contented himself to sit beside his friend and pretend that everything was all right.

He'll figure it out eventually, I'm sure…