Well, guys, I know it's been a while, but I finally have the next chapter ready. It's quite a bit longer than the other ones, so hopefully that extra content will make up for its lateness. Also, with this chapter, this story's officially over 50,000 words long. Yay!
As usual, I thank you all for reading, and I send a special thanks to those who've reviewed. Now, on with the chapter!
15. And After It Rains, There's a Rainbow
Shikamaru Nara lay on the couch in his apartment with his head on the armrest, gazing vacantly at the softly glowing television before him. There wasn't anything good on at four in the morning, so he had resigned himself to watching the fifth straight Billy Mays infomercial of the hour. Sure, he probably had better things to do with his time – he had school in a few hours, and would need at least a few hours of sleep to make it through the day – but Shikamaru knew that, even if he tried to go to bed, he would just end up staring at the ceiling.
The reason for the Nara's insomnia was quite simple – he was expecting a call from Sasuke. Earlier that day, he'd been jerked out of his mid-afternoon nap by someone banging on his front door. He'd tried ignoring this unexpected guest, hoping that Choji would greet the pest, but he soon remembered that his roommate had left for the day. So, with a groan, Shikamaru had picked himself off the couch and ambled over to the door, where he was greeted by a smirking Kiba.
Yes, Kiba had looked quite smug, standing there with Akamaru cradled in his arms. He had been out on a walk, he said, when he decided to pay the Nara a visit, to give him a quick heads up. 'Just thought I'd tell you to expect a call from Sasuke later tonight – call it a hunch.'
With that, the Inuzuka had started back on his way, jogging alongside Akamaru down the path. Of course, this strange intrusion had presented a nice puzzle for Shikamaru, which soon absorbed his full attention. Now, having put all the pieces together, the Nara could only wait for that call to confirm his suspicions. However, as the clock continued to tick away, he began to rap his fingers on his leg anxiously.
Damn you, Kiba… you couldn't have left me alone, could you? That would've made things too easy. Dammit! Why are you so nervous about this, Shikamaru? Just, calm down – there's nothing to be so worked up about. Just because it's your best friend doesn't mean you have to freak out.
Think about it rationally, for a minute. Is there any other possibility? Let's go over it again: Kiba came over unexpectedly with information regarding Sasuke, meaning that something happened between him and Naruto. Given the fact that Kiba didn't call, I'd say that he must've left the apartment quickly, and only decided to talk to me as an afterthought. That means he probably saw something there, and given that stupid grin of his, it must've been something good. There's only one explanation: he walked in on the two of them kissing.
Shikamaru sighed and shut the television off, having heard enough about the wonders of Mighty Putty. It was incredibly frustrating, being left in the dark like this. Sasuke was his best friend, after all, and no amount of reasoning could possibly calm this anxiety. On the one hand, Shikamaru was almost positive that he was right – all the data pointed to a kiss – but what if he was wrong? What if something terrible had happened, and Kiba didn't even know it? Naruto might've been pushing Sasuke too far – it wasn't exactly hard to do – and Kiba could've misinterpreted it.
That lingering uncertainty was enough to drive the Nara crazy. He tried everything he could think of to shake those thoughts from his head – counting in doubles, playing a game of chess in his head – but it was useless. No matter how hard he tried, Shikamaru's thoughts always jumped to the worst possible conclusion, and soon his beloved logic was working against him.
Why else would he be waiting this long? I mean, I know Sasuke was opposed to this from the beginning, but if he willingly kissed Naruto, then that must mean he's accepted it, right? So why the hell hasn't he called? Naruto must've forced himself on Sasuke. It's the only explanation – Sasuke feels violated, ashamed – that's why he hasn't called yet. So help me, Naruto, if you hurt him I'll… I'll…
At that very moment in his thought process, Shikamaru heard the phone ring beside him, snapping him back to reality. He waited a moment, his hand hovering tentatively over the phone. Knowing that he would only raise suspicion if he answered immediately, the Nara waited several rings before picking the phone up with a feigned yawn.
"H-hello?" he answered, trying to sound somewhat groggy.
"Shikamaru?"
"Sasuke? Is that you? W-what's up?"
"Sorry to call you late at night like this, but there's something I have to tell you."
"What? Did something happen?" Shikamaru continued, struggling to mask his anxiety.
"Sort of… you see, I went over to Naruto's last night to work on that one project for Kakashi's class."
Way to beat around the bush, Sasuke…
"Okay, so? How did that go?"
"Well, that's just it. I don't know how it happened exactly – it was probably all my fault – but he ended up telling me all about Kyuubi."
There was a noticeable pause as Shikamaru let this new information sink in. Naruto told Sasuke about Kyuubi? That meant Naruto trusted him enough to share that kind of information, and since Sasuke decided to bring it up, he was clearly aware of this fact.
"I see, so… how did he react? I'd imagine that was hard for him, reliving that kind of experience."
"He tried to stay strong, but by the end he was a sobbing mess. I felt terrible."
"But you didn't force him to talk about Kyuubi, right?" Shikamaru continued, twisting the phone cord with his finger.
"N-no, of course not."
"You've never been a good liar, Sasuke," the Nara said sternly, sitting up in his seat. "What really happened?"
"Fine… before we started on our project, Naruto was showing me around the apartment, to give me some ideas for the paper. At one point he showed me this picture of his parents, and I guess it stuck with me. I tried to change the subject, but everything came back to Kyuubi. It might've been some subconscious thing, I don't know…"
Hmm… so Sasuke wanted to know about Naruto's past, huh? He's made a lot more progress than I thought, then.
"All right, anyway, so he told you about Kyuubi and then broke down. What happened then? You didn't just leave him like that, did you?"
"I was going to, but then he started calling after me. It was so pathetic, seeing him like that, so I stayed with him for a few hours. He fell asleep on my lap."
"Ha, I never pictured you being much of a softie, Sasuke. Guess you've really warmed up to him, then, huh?"
"I guess you could say that," Sasuke continued on the other end, his voice sounding much fainter all of a sudden. "You see… when he was lying there in my lap, I didn't have much else to do, so I just watched him for a bit and… well… I kissed him."
What? He kissed him before? Why didn't he tell me about this sooner?
"You kissed him? Did he notice?" Shikamaru asked, furrowing his brow in thought. This most recent revelation was quite unexpected, and he was now struggling to fit it into his previous theory.
"Yeah, he woke up right away. I couldn't very well talk my way out of that, so I… I panicked and started out of the room."
"And if I know Naruto, he stopped you before you could even get to the door."
"Yeah, and then kissed me back."
Wait, so he was kissed twice last night? Then what did Kiba see? Just calm down, Shikamaru – hear the guy out.
"I see… did you like it?"
"W-what kind of question is that?" Sasuke asked defensively.
"Come on, Sasuke, admit it – you kissed Naruto Uzumaki, and you liked it. You wouldn't have called me unless you did, and you know it."
Again, silence dominated both ends of the line, a fact that pleased Shikamaru greatly. He thoroughly enjoyed forcing his friend to answer these difficult questions, especially when it was for his own good.
"Fine – I liked it, all right? That's not why I called you, though."
Shikamaru was momentarily stunned, "Really? What else did I miss in the past twenty-four hours?"
"Well, we met again today, to talk everything over. I guess neither one of us really wanted to bring it up, but he finally mentioned the kiss. He wanted to know what it meant and… to make a long story short, we're… boyfriends."
It was clearly quite difficult for Sasuke to make that confession, and for a few seconds Shikamaru wasn't sure what he should say. This was huge for Sasuke, to acknowledge such a strong connection with Naruto, and the Nara had to be careful not to mess it all up. After all, he and Kakashi had done everything in their power to set this relationship up – it would be a shame to put all that effort to waste.
"How do you feel about that? Having Naruto as your boyfriend, I mean."
"It's… different."
"Well, that's nice and vague, isn't it? Come on, give me something to work with, Sasuke."
"I don't know how to explain it, all right?" Sasuke exclaimed on the other end of the line. "I mean, it's not like how I feel with you or Kakashi… or O even. I don't mean that you guys don't matter, because you're really the only friends I have, but Naruto… I guess that feeling's just more… intense."
"Intense? So… is it just a sense of novelty? Don't take this the wrong way, but I just want to make sure you understand your own feelings. You've only known him – really known him – for about a week, right?"
"I know, I know… but I don't think it's just this shallow connection. You know, I don't even think I recognized that attraction until after I got to know him. I mean… I thought he was interesting, the way he apologized to me, even when I acted like a… like a…"
"Cold bastard?" Shikamaru offered with a chuckle.
"Yes, thank you," Sasuke continued, acknowledging his past mistakes. "He didn't really care that I was a jerk, but did what he thought was right. I guess I thought that was… noble? Is that the right word? Whatever – he was interesting, and the more I learned, the more I wanted to know."
"Hmm… it's funny – Naruto said the same thing about you the other day. He saw something about you that he identified with, and his feelings grew from there."
"See! You know what I mean, then, right?"
"Oh, I know what you mean. The question is, do you know what you mean?" Shikamaru replied with his usual sagely wisdom. "Look, Sasuke, I don't expect you to figure this all out right away. You should enjoy this good thing you've found, but I want to make sure you don't get hurt. Naruto's clearly important to you, and as long as you understand this, then I'll only be happy for you."
Maybe that was a bit too much…
"Thank you, Shikamaru," Sasuke said after letting his friend's words sink in for a moment. "But you should know better than anyone that I've already been analyzing this to death."
"Oh, I know. You wouldn't have called me unless you had some doubts. I'm just reassuring you that it's okay to be cautious. You've been through a lot, and no one wants you to suffer another loss like that. Take your time to move forward with Naruto – he understands your feelings, I'm sure. You'll be fine."
"You're sure?"
Shikamaru couldn't help but smile, hearing that slight tremble in his friend's voice. Sasuke was always trying so hard to mask his feelings, but the Nara always found a way to make those true colors shine through eventually. Despite the Uchiha's claims to insecurity with this new relationship, the truth was quite simple: he was scared. That idea of a new bond, another emotional connection that risked being severed, was terrifying, and it was up to Shikamaru to alleviate those fears, if only slightly.
"Yes, I'm sure. Naruto's not the type to let go of something once he's grown attached to it. If anything, I'd be worried that you can't get rid of him. Now go to sleep – I'll see you later today."
"Right… that whole 'school' thing. Well, good night, Shikamaru."
"Night, Sasuke."
With a click, Shikamaru placed the phone back on the receiver and collapsed back onto the couch. For a brief moment he considered walking over to his room, but he decided that exerting that much effort would be too troublesome. Thus, lying with one foot dangling off the edge of the cushion, the lazy genius fell asleep shortly, his own anxiety having been satisfied.
xxxxxxx
When Sasuke Uchiha woke up later that morning, after a scant three hours of sleep, he felt surprisingly refreshed. Sure, he knew that he would regret staying up so late as the day went on, but for the moment he was content. Shikamaru had put his mind at ease – at least, as much as was possible given the situation.
Of course, he was still concerned about this relationship with Naruto. How he got sucked into that still escaped him, but Sasuke now knew that it would be painful to sever his ties with the blond at this point. Still, even though knew that he wanted to be close to Naruto, this fact only brought up a new set of worries.
What if Naruto lost interest and left him? What if some unforeseen circumstances broke them up? And what happened after high school? Naruto would have his own path to follow –he couldn't possibly expect them to stay together after that, could he? Then again, the same idea applied to Shikamaru – once he graduated, he'd probably leave Konoha for good.
Even in these cases, though, Sasuke knew deep down that he would be able to see his cherished friends again. Despite whatever obstacles may get in his way, the Uchiha would always be able to talk to Naruto or Shikamaru in the future – they'd be there for him, even if they couldn't physically with him.
No, what Sasuke truly feared was something more dramatic: death. What if, overnight, Naruto died in a car accident? What if he was diagnosed with some incurable disease? While Sasuke tried to shake the thought from his head, it always managed to creep back into his thoughts – what would he do if Naruto died?
It wasn't just Naruto, either. Kakashi, Shikamaru, O – they were all dangling by a thread, waiting for that blade of fate to cut their ties to this world. No matter what Sasuke did, their lives would be beyond his control. In an instant, they could meet their end, and leave the Uchiha utterly alone.
I don't want to be alone again… not now. Not after I've started letting people back into my life. Please, don't take them away from me…
Now that Sasuke had talked to Shikamaru, though, these fears were at least somewhat allayed. Sure, it would be incredibly painful to lose Naruto, but it would be worse to try and live without him. To try and end their relationship now, when it was just getting off the ground – Sasuke probably could've done it if he'd wanted to. He could hand a bit of emotional suffering, if it meant saving him pain in the long run. But Naruto – he'd be crushed, and Sasuke knew there was no way he could do anything to intentionally hurt that gentle soul.
Maybe Shikamaru's right… maybe I have gone soft…
Thus, with slight smirk, Sasuke kicked the sheets off his bed and headed for the bathroom across the hall. There, he showered, tidied his raven-hair, and brushed his teeth before walking back to his bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. After briefly drying himself off, the Uchiha tossed the towel in the laundry hamper in the corner and walked over to his dresser. He didn't particularly care what he wore on that day, so he simply grabbed the first few articles he found – a plain black t-shirt, khaki shorts, and a pair of black boxer briefs – and started downstairs.
Unfortunately for Sasuke, his good mood came to an immediate end when he found his brother sitting at the breakfast table, dressed in his black bathrobe with the red Akatsuki cloud and munching absentmindedly on a piece of toast. Sasuke tried to slip unnoticed into the kitchen, hoping that he could avoid a conversation with Itachi if at all possible, but was spotted almost as soon as he stepped foot on the white tiles.
"Ah, there you are, dear brother," the elder Uchiha said, his eyes focused on the morning paper.
"Morning, Itachi," Sasuke said with a sigh as he pulled a box of cornflakes from the cupboard.
"Tell me, Sasuke, are you planning to come home after school today? Or were you going to visit your boyfriend?" Itachi continued before taking a swig of orange juice. "I don't care either way, but I need to know whether I should have the chef prepare dinner for two."
"I'll be home…"
"Hmm, so it's official, then? Congratulations," Itachi replied, turning finally to face his brother. Sasuke tried to look unfazed by the elder Uchiha's deduction as he poured milk over his cereal, but he knew he'd been caught. "Oh, don't look so surprised, Sasuke. I knew you had a thing for that boy – Naruto, was it? – since he first showed up last week. I was just waiting for you to figure it out yourself."
"Well, good for you."
"Don't be like that, brother. I'm happy for you, really. You should introduce me to him sometime."
"I'd rather not scare him off," Sasuke said, before shoving a spoonful of cornflakes into his mouth.
"Ah, cold as ever. Well, do what you like – just remember to use a condom, all right?"
Sasuke almost spat out a mouthful of orange juice at this last bit of advice. This did not go unnoticed by Itachi, of course, who turned back to his paper with an amused chuckle.
Damn you, Itachi… you won this battle.
"Well, Sasuke, I'm going to go get dressed. We're leaving in five."
Sasuke gave a grunt in response as he finished off his breakfast. Even though he had learned to tolerate his brother a while ago, Itachi still managed to piss the raven-haired boy off every now and then. He was just so difficult to read – what was he really thinking? Some days he couldn't care less about Sasuke, then the next he was nosing into his social life? Did he really care for Sasuke, or was it all an act?
When it came to the heart of the matter, though, Sasuke didn't really care how Itachi felt. As far as the young Uchiha was concerned, his brother had died along with his parents that night, and was replaced by this manipulative bastard of a doppelganger. Itachi had never once talked about their parents after then – it was almost as if it hadn't happened for him. Even if Itachi was just traumatized and wanted to avoid the subject, Sasuke thought it was inexcusable. It was the older brother's job to comfort and protect his siblings, not to become a callous jerk.
"Sasuke! If you're not here in ten seconds I'm leaving without you, all right?"
Shit – you have to stop daydreaming like this, Sasuke!
Dropping his dishes into the sink, Sasuke headed for the door, where he found Itachi, now dressed in his three-piece suit and twirling his keys on his finger. In a matter of moments, the Uchihas locked up and clambered into the silver Lamborghini and pulled out of the driveway. As usual, they drove for a few minutes before arriving at Kisame Hoshigaki's residence, where they found the bluish shark-man standing out by the edge of the road. He quickly hopped into the passenger seat, his eyes looking red and bleary in the rear-view mirror.
"Dammit… I can't wait until I get my license back. I had to take a taxi back last night – the thing reeked like vomit!"
"How much did you drink, Kisame?" Itachi asked, glancing over to his coworker. "Are you sure you didn't throw up?"
"Hmm… maybe that's why that cabbie was yelling at me… whatever! So how was your weekend? Any news in the Uchiha household? How about you, Sasuke?"
"Well, as a matter of fact, Sasuke and his boyfriend are official now," Itachi said, nodding his head towards his brother. "Isn't that right, Sasuke?"
"Is that so? Well, way to go, kiddo! I'm tellin' ya, you Uchihas always were smooth talkers. Like that one time when we went down to Suna on business to talk to Sasori. Did I ever tell you about that, Sasuke?"
"No," Sasuke replied as he stared out the window. There was no point in trying to dissuade Kisame once he started talking anyway, so he decided not to even try.
"Well, our boss wanted us to talk to this Sasori guy – he owned a robotic weapons business, and we wanted to talk about having him merge with our company. Anyway, this Sasori guy was being a whiny little bitch, saying that he was happy just where he was. I thought we were gonna have to go home empty handed – and our boss would've ripped us a new one if that happened – but your brother had it all under control," Kisame explained, giving Itachi a hearty pat on the back.
"Is that so?"
"Oh yeah. He just looked Sasori straight and the eye, and explained that we were giving him the opportunity of a lifetime. The way he saw it, Sasori's business would be swallowed up in a few short years unless he expanded, and the easiest way to do that was to join us at Akatsuki. We could keep his operations going in Suna, but just give his products the Akatsuki brand. I'm tellin' ya, that Sasori folded faster than… than…"
"Superman on laundry day?" Itachi interrupted, sounding as if he had helped the shark-man out in a similar manner many times before.
"Yeah, that's it! So, like I was sayin', I'm not surprised you won that new boyfriend of yours over so quickly. It's all about the charisma. Me? I got none – I'm an ugly, alcoholic jerk and I'm proud of it. But you Uchihas – you got people skills. You'll go far, kiddo."
"If you say so," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes as they pulled up to the school.
Does he ever shut up? When did he become an expert on business, anyway? I thought Akatsuki only merged with Hoshigaki Industries because they needed a naval expert in their ranks. How does someone like him become the head of a big company, anyway? Some guys have all the luck, I guess…
"Have a nice day at school, brother. Try not to get distracted by your boy-t –"
Sasuke slammed the car door shut before Itachi could finish his statement. Fortunately, no one had heard the elder Uchiha's taunt, and Sasuke heaved a sigh of relief before marching into the school. It was one thing to have a boyfriend – he could deal with that. It was something completely different, though, to have that news broadcast around the school. Even though he didn't particularly care what his peers thought, Sasuke simply wanted to make it through his high school career with as little difficulty as possible. The way he saw it, the longer he could avoid the drama of gossip and romance, the better.
Once he actually arrived at his first class, though, Sasuke's thoughts quickly drifted from these concerns to his studies, pushing even that grinning blond from his mind. Since Ms. Yuhi was not the kind to tolerate talking in class, the Uchiha did not even have to worry about being swarmed by his fanclub, though he could feel their eyes on him throughout the hour. All in all, though, it was a surprisingly peaceful period, and the moment the bell rang he packed up his belongings and started down the hall without a care.
Sasuke did not make it very far, however, before he heard a distinct, enthusiastic voice calling his name from behind. Spinning around on his heel, he found Naruto weaving through the crowds, waving his arm in the air in hopes of grabbing the Uchiha's attention. With an amused smirk, Sasuke leaned against a nearby locker and waited for his boyfriend. When the blond finally stumbled out of the torrent of students, he took a moment to catch his breath before looking up to the raven-haired boy with his usual grin.
"Hey, Sasuke. How's it going?"
"You came running all this way just to ask me that?" Sasuke said in disbelief.
"Well, yeah. Is that a bad thing?" Naruto asked, looking suddenly frightened.
"No, not really. You just don't have to go out of your way to do that, you know? I won't be offended if you don't come running to see me at the first opportunity. I mean… we both have our own lives, right?"
"But… what if I want to?"
Sasuke stared down at his boyfriend – not that he was that much taller than him, but Naruto was looking at his feet, making him seem so much smaller. He found it amazing, how such a simple statement could somehow carry so much meaning coming from that blond's precious lips.
"Well, if it makes you happy, then that's good enough for me," Sasuke said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"Great! I'll see you later, then!"
With that, Naruto darted off down the hallway, leaving the Uchiha feeling rather stunned in his wake. Before he had time to consider the vulpine boy's unpredictable nature, however, Sasuke felt a pair of hands grab his shoulder, causing him to spin around in shock. There, he found a particular, pink-haired girl standing a few mere inches from his face, a wide grin on her face.
"Hi~ Sasuke!" she said, stepping back to give her idol room to breathe. "I'm so glad to see you here after what happened with Gaara on Saturday. I was so worried that you were hurt, or that Principal Tsunade would suspend you. I mean, it's bad enough that I don't get to see you on the weekends, not to mention vacation, but if you were expelled… I don't know what I'd do! I think I'd have to switch schools, just so I could see you again!"
"Oh, shut up, Sakura!" another girl with a blonde ponytail interrupted, shoving her pink-haired rival's face into the adjacent locker. "She's exaggerating, Sasuke. Now me, on the other hand – you have no idea how worried I was when I heard about the fight. At least Sakura got to see what happened – I only got to hear the rumors. By the time it got to me, they were saying you were in the hospital, and that Naruto had killed Gaara in revenge."
"Yeah, what was up with that, anyway? I didn't expect Naruto of all people to step in to help you. Not that I don't think you could've handled it by yourself, of course," Sakura replied, shoving Ino back into the crowd as she giggled nervously. "I mean, I knew you two were working together for Mr. Hatake's project, but I never expected Naruto to fight with you."
"Wait, so you mean Naruto really did fight Gaara? Did he get hurt at all? He looked fine just now," Ino exclaimed, forcing herself back into the conversation.
"Oh, you really didn't know Ino? Well, apparently Gaara got a few cheap shots in on Sasuke, and was about to kick him while he was down, but Naruto came out of nowhere and started kicking the crap out of him," Sakura continued, punching the air for emphasis. "I swear, it was like he was a completely different person. He managed to bring Gaara to the ground, and then he gave him this big headbutt – it hurt just to watch. Yeah, they had to bring an ambulance for Gaara, and Naruto was in pretty bad shape too – all bloody and stuff – but I guess he's all right now."
"What about Gaara?" Sasuke asked, suddenly entering the conversation for the first time.
"Oh, Sasuke! What were we thinking? We completely left you out!" Ino exclaimed, putting a hand to her mouth dramatically. "Well, I'm not sure how he recovered so fast, but I just saw him in my first hour. He has bandages all over his body – he looks kinda like a mummy, really – but he's here."
"You're joking! Sasuke, you should stay low! I'll bet Gaara's gonna be looking for revenge," the pink-haired teen replied, placing a firm hand on the Uchiha's shoulder. "You should probably tell Naruto, too. I know he's just an idiot, but… well, I wouldn't want him to get hurt after he helped you out the other day."
"Yeah, Little Miss Forehead has a point. Be careful, Sasuke. None of us want to see you get hurt."
"I'll keep that in mind," Sasuke said, waving briefly to the girls as he started off for his next class.
Gaara… I hadn't even considered that. I'll have to keep an eye on him for a while. It's one thing if he attacks me, but if he so much as lays a finger on Naruto…
It was with this thought on his mind that Sasuke suffered through Asuma's statistics class. He tried to focus, he tried to tell himself that he was overreacting – but, naturally, his paranoia won out in the end. While Asuma wrote a wide array of numbers on the board, Sasuke could only scan the room, searching for his antagonist. Unfortunately, Gaara was nowhere to be found.
What if he and Naruto were in the same class? Would Gaara make a move so quickly? Maybe he was planning to let his cronies do his dirty work – no, that wasn't Gaara's style. This was revenge, after all; if Gaara was planning to make Naruto pay, he'd do it with his own two fists. But, then again, maybe Gaara was still too injured to fight. Naruto might be safe for now – if not, he could easily hold his own against that murderous redhead.
What's the use in worrying anyway? There's nothing I can do about it right now. I'll just have to tell Naruto to be on the lookout for Gaara when I see him in PE…
Fortunately for Sasuke, as he anxiously stared up at the clock, ignoring Asuma's lecture, the instructor was also eagerly anticipating the end of class. His free hand was inching towards his shirt pocket, where he kept a pack of cigarettes. Seeing as it had been several hours since his last smoke, Asuma was now having terrible cravings for some fresh nicotine, and thus was oblivious to Sasuke's daydreaming, as well as several other students who were fast asleep.
When the bell finally rang, Mr. Sarutobi was the first out the door, fumbling with his cigarettes as he ran. Sasuke followed shortly after, hurrying to the gymnasium in hopes that he could catch Naruto before class started. Upon entering the locker room and changing into his simple blue and white gym uniform, though, Sasuke realized that Naruto wasn't there.
Calm down, Sasuke. He's probably just running a bit behind. This is Naruto, after all – he's late almost as much as Kakashi…
However, when Maito Gai ushered all of the boys out of the locker room, saying that it was time to put their youth to use, Naruto was still nowhere to be found. He sat down on the gym's wooden floor among the other students, looking about restlessly for that particular patch of bright, yellow hair, praying that he'd somehow overlooked Naruto in the chaotic locker room.
"He's fine, Sasuke."
The Uchiha snapped his head to the side, startled by the sudden statement, to find Shikamaru sitting beside him, his eyes appearing rather red. "Don't scare me like that! But… what do you mean 'he's fine?'"
"I mean Naruto," the Nara said with a yawn. "You're worried about him running into Gaara, right?"
"Well, yeah… how did you know?"
"I've heard the rumors – it doesn't look very good. But I asked Choji to keep an eye on him between classes. He'll be fine."
"I appreciate that," Sasuke said, heaving a sigh of relief – at least Naruto was safe, for now. "Did you not sleep well last night, or something?"
"You could say that," Shikamaru replied, sliding a hand down his face. "I was expecting you to call all night."
"What? But how did you know I'd call?"
"Oh, Kiba'd stopped by earlier. He said to expect a call at some point – I figured he'd seen the two of you kissing."
Sasuke laughed, shaking his head in disbelief, "Only you could come to that conclusion so easily."
"It's a gift, and a curse. So, yeah, I got about two hours of sleep. It was worth it, though," Shikamaru continued, a tired smile crossing his features. "Now, I should get going. It looks like Choji's and Naruto are here."
Sasuke spun in his seat and, much to his relief, found the two aforementioned teens stepping out of the locker room, with Naruto scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"S-sorry we're late…"
"Unacceptable!" Gai exclaimed, approaching the two tardy teens with his arms flailing. "You're in the springtime of youth! This is the time for you to push your bodies to the limit and experience the joys the come with such vigor! If anything, you should be early for this class everyday. Right, Lee?"
"Right, Sensei!" A boy with a moptop and thick-eyebrows exclaimed, giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up as he leapt to his feet.
"Now, you guys lead the class out to the track! I want you to use your youth to run five extra laps! Go!"
With a deafening blow of Gai's whistle, the class formed a line and "jogged" out to the track. To be honest, it was more of a sprint, but Gai's standards were quite high. In less than a minute, the entire class had convened on the track, many already winded from the short trek.
"Why are you stopping? Run! Use your youth!" Gai shouted before blowing his whistle repeatedly while waving his arm in a windmill fashion.
Sasuke did not need to be told twice, but took off running, leading the pack around the track with the morning breeze running through his raven hair. It was nice, having this chance to clear his thoughts and focus entirely on his exercising. Behind him, he could hear Naruto's laughter as he and Kiba began a little footrace, apparently oblivious to the danger he was in.
Is he really in any danger, though? Shikamaru's having Choji watch his back – and that's more of a precaution than anything else. Maybe Gaara won't do anything… maybe he's afraid of Naruto! After all, Naruto did kick his ass quite thoroughly on Saturday.
"Hey, Sasuke! On your right!"
Glancing over his shoulder, Sasuke was suddenly forced to dodge to the side as Naruto and Kiba came sprinting past, each determined to reach the finish line first. Once he was out of danger, the Uchiha could only watch with an amused smile as the blond came to a halt, pumping his fists in the air triumphantly.
He'll be fine… I need to stop worrying so much. Nothing can stop Naruto…
After running a few more laps, Sasuke heard Gai blow his whistle, signaling the end of class. It was a surprise for the raven-haired boy – to him, it seemed as if class had only begun a few minutes before. Thus, it was with a sense of disappointment that the Uchiha trudged back to the locker room, arriving a few minutes before the other, exhausted students.
Once in the locker room, Sasuke walked over to his locker and began to strip off, throwing his clothing inside piece by piece. When he was completely naked, he replaced the lock on his little compartment and headed towards the showers just as some of his peers began to file in. With his bare feet slapping against the tiled floor, he crossed the room and entered the open shower area, where he picked a head against the back wall.
Throwing the handle to the left, Sasuke waited a moment for the water to warm up before stepping under the fixture, letting the now-steaming water rush over his bare form. He always liked the feel of showering-off after a workout – there was simply something satisfying about letting the sweat run off him, a reward almost for his efforts.
After soaking in the water for a few moments, the Uchiha reached for a nearby soap dispenser and took a handful of the liquid, which he proceeded to work into a lather. This he used to scrub his entire body, starting at his neck and working down, covering his arms, legs, torso, as well as his more intimate areas. It was just as he was finishing this particular area, in fact, that Sasuke suddenly heard a distinct voice approaching from behind, causing him to freeze instantly.
"I don't care what you say, I beat you fair and square!"
"I told you before, Naruto, I'm a sprinter! I can do these long-distance races, all right?"
"Oh, excuses, excuses. Just admit it, Kiba – you ate my dust."
Sasuke glanced over his suds-covered shoulder to find Naruto and Kiba entering the now-crowded shower area. Of course, the Uchiha's mind focused on one particular detail about the duo – they were naked and, more importantly, Naruto was naked.
How long Sasuke stood staring at the nude blond, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that his eyes seemed to travel down Naruto's bare body at a crawl. Everything about the teen was simply beautiful: his well-defined chest, his lean arms, his flat stomach, and…
My God… control yourself, Sasuke. Keep your eyes above the belt… or, where the belt would be…
Sasuke couldn't help but gawk at the blond, though – he did have some impressive tackle, after all. It wasn't like it was enormous or anything – it was probably average, maybe a little bit above that – but Sasuke didn't really care about size or anything like that. It was Naruto's most intimate part, and that was all that really mattered to the Uchiha.
Shit! I'm blushing!
Thinking quickly, Sasuke snapped his head back to the shower, letting the water wash the remaining suds off him. Soon, however, he realized that seeing his boyfriend completely naked was having some undesired side effects. Glancing down, he found that he was growing. For now, it was barely noticeable – he simply stuck out a touch more than before. Sasuke knew, though, that if he didn't act quickly, he'd be in a very embarrassing predicament.
Shutting the water off with a quick motion, the Uchiha spun around on his heel and started out of the shower room, praying he could control his rebellious organ for a little while longer. As he passed Naruto, Sasuke suddenly wondered if the shower room had been extended by a mile in the past few minutes – it certainly felt like it, at least.
Soon, though, he made it past the running showers to the laundry bin, where he quickly grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist. He made it not a moment too soon – already he could feel himself hardening, and he did his best to conceal his awkward condition with the towel as he crossed the room to his locker.
After unlocking his little compartment with one hand, Sasuke pulled his street clothes out and set them on the wooden bench, keeping a tight grip on the towel as he did so. This accomplished, he briefly scanned the area, making sure there was no one around that might walk by and see his hardened state. Seeing that the coast was clear, he tentatively removed the towel and dried off quickly, keeping his front to the wall as a precaution. He only wiped the towel along his limbs once, and decided that it was better to get dressed while slightly damp then be dry and humiliated. Thus, he quickly snatched up his boxer briefs, along with the rest of his clothes, and threw them on at a record pace.
Now that he was finally dressed, the Uchiha collapsed on the bench and placed his face in his hands, feeling quite ashamed of himself. Even though he hadn't been caught, the fact of the matter was that he had lost control of himself – he'd been gawking at Naruto, without even thinking once of looking away.
He's really got a hold on me, I guess…
Rather than sit around and wait for class to end, Sasuke rose and walked towards the laundry bin to deposit his towel. It was a simple task, and he did not meet with any problems along the way. Already he could feel himself calming down – a welcomed relief, as he did not want to constantly be aware of the slightest stirring in his pants. Thus, feeling at least somewhat better, the Uchiha made his way over to the sinks just around the corner, where he began to tidy his raven-hair.
There, as he ran his hands through his locks to give them that perfect shape in the mirror, Sasuke noticed for the first time that day the slight, reddish mark on the underside of his jaw. He rubbed it briefly, out of reflex more than anything else, and thought back to the previous day's make out session.
They hadn't really kissed all that long – maybe ten minutes, five before Kiba arrived, five more afterward – but it had all been so surreal. One week – that's how long he'd know Naruto, and already he'd been making out with the blond on his couch. Maybe Kisame was right: maybe the Uchihas are just smooth operators.
Oh, who am I kidding? If anything, I fell for him. He was the one that led the way – I might've kissed him first, but he let me know it was okay. He returned the favor, he wanted to do it again. And… even if that was all a little awkward… he cares for me. I had nothing to do with it – I was just won over by his goofy charm.
Suddenly, Sasuke heard that distinct, slapping of feet against water, causing him to snap out of his reverie. He hoped no one else had noticed him admiring that little love mark on his neck, and realized that he would have to be more careful about such things in the future.
Meanwhile, gazing into the reflection before him, the Uchiha found several of his peers walking towards the lockers, many with a towel around their waist – though some had it slung over their shoulders – with water dripping from their limbs. Among them, he noticed, was Naruto, who was rubbing the towel through his blond hair while walking alongside Kiba to his locker. As he turned down his particular row of lockers, Naruto inadvertently flashed his bare backside to Sasuke, who felt that familiar blush return in an instant.
Dammit, Naruto! You would have a perfect ass too, wouldn't you?
Realizing that he would have problems if he stuck around much longer, Sasuke hurried out of the locker room and sat down in the hallway outside, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself.
I've got to talk to him about this. I'm not sure if I can do this every day…
He waited there for a few minutes with his back up against the wall until the bell rang, at which point the hall was promptly inundated with restless students. Sasuke rose to his feet and waited for Naruto to emerge from the locker room, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently. Soon, he caught sight of that bright flash of yellow and orange, and he reached out to grab his boyfriend's arm, yanking him out of line.
"Geez, what the hell, Sasuke? Are you trying to rip my arm off, or something?" Naruto asked, rubbing his shoulder indignantly.
"We need to talk, Naruto."
"Really? Why? What's up?"
"Look, I don't know how to put this exactly, so I'll just come right out and say it: I don't want everyone to know about us," Sasuke said with a sigh.
"What do you mean? Are you ashamed of me or something?" the blond replied, his eyes narrowing with his accusation.
"No, no, it's not that! It's just… I think it would be easier for both of us if we didn't let the whole world know about our relationship."
"Don't give me that! Just admit it: you don't want to be associated with someone like me. I get it!" Naruto snapped, turning around in a huff.
"Naruto, I'm serious! Don't be like this," Sasuke pleaded, running forward to cut the blond off. "Just think about it for a second: if word got out that we were seeing each other, it would only lead to all kinds of drama. I'm fine with telling our friends about it – in fact, I want them to know – but think about what Sakura and Ino would say. They'd probably devote their lives to breaking us up, hoping that they could win me over to their side, or something."
Naruto considered this for a moment, placing a hand to his chin, "All right, I guess you have a point. But, I was never really planning to announce it to the whole world, or anything. Can't we just act like normal?"
"Sure, just, no public displays of affection, okay?" Sasuke said, relieved that he'd won the blond over. "I'm hoping we can ease the others into this, so it won't come as such a shock."
"Fine, fine – I guess that wouldn't be school appropriate anyway," Naruto said with a cheeky grin. "So, what brought this up all of a sudden?"
"Well, that was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about," Sasuke said, a touch of color coming to his face. "You see… I was thinking we should coordinate our times in the showers…"
"Why? Did I do something wrong today?" Naruto began, though he stopped upon seeing the Uchiha's blush. "I get it… you were spying on me, weren't you?"
"I was not spying! I just heard you coming in, and I happened to turn and see… well, all of you…"
"Hmm… sure you did. Come on, Sasuke, you can be honest with me. You just couldn't resist sneaking a peek at me, could you?"
"That's not funny, Naruto!" the raven-haired teen replied, his blush deepening noticeably.
"Oh, yes it is! Let me guess, you got a little bit excited, didn't you? A little turned on seeing me naked like that? This is too good! Wait 'til I tell Kiba about this!"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Of course not," Naruto laughed, slinging his arm around the Uchiha's shoulder. "Had you going there for a minute, didn't I?"
"That wasn't very nice," Sasuke said, trying to mask his embarrassment.
"Sorry, but I couldn't resist. In all seriousness, though – was I… I dunno… attractive?" the blond asked, scratching his cheek sheepishly.
"Well… yeah. That's why I want to make sure we have this all coordinated. I don't want to draw any unnecessary attention by… reacting… to you."
"All right, then. I'll wait by my locker and talk to Kiba until you get dressed. Deal?"
"Deal," Sasuke concluded, a relieved smile crossing his lips.
Okay, that went well. This'll work… it won't be easy, but it'll work…
Having finished their private conversation, the boyfriends started down the hall towards the cafeteria, where a large crowd had already gathered for lunch. There, they waited in line and grabbed that day's slop, which apparently the school board considered to be 'spaghetti.' By the time Sasuke had piled on a few more semi-edible substances, Naruto had already found a spot alongside Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, and Lee, and was currently waving his hand frantically in the air.
"Sasuke! Over here!"
So much for keeping things subtle…
Heaving an irritated sigh, Sasuke started across the room, ignoring the sad puppy faces of numerous hopeful fangirls as he took a seat beside the blond. He tried to act naturally and pretend that no one else was there, but before he could even take a bite of his spaghetti, Sasuke suddenly felt the weight of several eyes resting on his skull. Glancing up, he found that the entire table was staring at him expectantly, satisfied smirks on their faces.
"Well, well… looks like you made more progress than I thought, Naruto," Kiba said, glancing over to his roommate.
"What kind of greeting is that?" Shikamaru interrupted, rolling his eyes briefly. "I think what he's trying to say is, 'welcome aboard.'"
"Yes! We are glad to have the great Sasuke Uchiha among our ranks!" Lee exclaimed, climbing on top of his seat as he pumped his fist into the air.
The next minute or so was spent trying to get Lee to calm down, a fact which Sasuke found quite embarrassing. Sure, he knew all about the moptop's antics, but to actually be the cause of one of his outbursts was somewhat unsettling. Naruto seemed to have a similar feeling, as he had a nervous grin as he sat back down.
"Look, Sasuke… we're just glad that you've decided to give us a chance. I don't want you to feel pressured into joining us, though, unless you really want to… what with all the changes and everything."
"I appreciate the concern, Naruto," the Uchiha replied, twirling the spaghetti with his fork. "But these are your friends. If they're important to you, then they're important to me, okay?"
"All right, all right already. Can we just hurry up and eat?" Choji exclaimed before digging into one of several plates of food, not waiting for the consent of his friends.
"He's got a point. We only have one lunch hour," Shikamaru concluded, taking a tentative bite of his own pasta.
With that, the rest of the table commenced eating, murmuring little bits of conversation to one another between bites. Sasuke didn't join in any of these discussions, opting instead to watch, at least for the time being.
This isn't that big of a deal. Just because I'm sitting with them doesn't mean that I'm dependent on them all of a sudden. They're just friends… acquaintances, really… maybe somewhere in between. Either way, I can handle this.
It was shortly after this thought crossed his mind that Sasuke noticed the serious look on Shikamaru, Kiba, and Choji's faces as a shadow approached the table. To his right, Naruto was too enamored with his lunch to sense the tension around the table, and Lee was apparently clueless about the situation. Turning around, Sasuke immediately understood the source of the darkened mood, for there he found a redheaded teen wrapped in bandages, with a rather grim look on his face.
"Gaara…"
"Uzumaki," Gaara said in a level tone, completely ignoring the Uchiha.
"Hold on, asshole. If you plan to fight Naruto, you'll have to get through us first," Kiba snapped as he rose from his seat.
"Wait a second, Kiba. Let's hear what he has to say first," Naruto interrupted, holding up his hand for silence. "So, what is it, Gaara?"
"I need to know… on Saturday… why did you help Uchiha?"
No one spoke for a little while, as they were all stunned by the redhead's question. It wasn't so much the question itself, but Gaara's tone when he asked it – something about it sounded almost frightened. Sure, he was perfectly fine in asking the question – Gaara wasn't exactly the kind of person to fear consequences – but there was that slight hesitation in his voice that betrayed a hidden doubt. It was almost as if Gaara already knew the answer, and was simply afraid that it would reveal some aspect of himself that he had locked away.
"What do you mean? He needed help, so I helped him. It's as simple as that."
"No, that's not why you fought for him. If you were just trying to intervene, you would've broken up the fight. But you… you put your own life at risk. Why would you do that for anyone but yourself? Why did you treat Uchiha like he mattered that much to you?"
"Because he does matter that much to me," Naruto answered simply, staring into the redhead's emerald eyes with unwavering resolve. "Sasuke's my friend… I care about him. If I had stood by and watched you beat him to a pulp, whether or not he deserved it… I'd never be able to forgive myself. I had no choice in the matter."
"You mean… he's worth dying for?" Gaara continued, his eyes wide in disbelief.
Naruto gave no response, but simply turned back to his food, feeling as if he'd offered enough information for one conversation. Before he could take another bite, however, he heard the redhead speak once more, bringing him to an abrupt halt.
"I'd like to join you, if I could."
"What? Are you crazy?" Kiba exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table.
"Sure."
Sasuke froze. "Are you serious, Naruto? Think about what he did to you the other day."
"I know, trust me," Naruto said, rubbing one of the faint scratches on his forehead. "Look, I think he deserves a chance. If he wants to join our little circle, then why shouldn't we let him? The more the merrier, right?"
Shikamaru and the others looked to one another for a moment, each communicating their thoughts wordlessly before finally turning back to the blond.
"All right, if you're sure," Kiba concluded with a slight scowl. "But at the first sign of trouble, he's out, got it?"
"Sure, sure. Now, have a seat, Gaara," Naruto replied, patting the chair to his right.
Gaara nodded and sat down, watching the others talk for a few minutes. Kiba remained silent, watching the redhead suspiciously across the table, but the other eventually resumed their conversation. Sasuke, however, still felt a bit skeptical.
"Are you sure about this, Naruto?"
"Yes, I'm sure. What if I had decided not to talk to you again after our little fight last week? Just trust me, okay?"
Sasuke watched that pitiful, pleading look in the blond's eyes for a minute, trying hard not to give in, only to finally crumble completely. "Fine, you win."
"Are you two boyfriends?"
Naruto and Sasuke snapped their attention to their new arrival, who had apparently been watching the two with great interest.
"I-I'm sorry?" the blond replied, having been caught off guard.
"You and Uchiha. Are you boyfriends?"
"Well… yes, we are," Naruto asked, giving Sasuke an apologetic look.
"I see… how very interesting…"
Sitting back in his chair in satisfaction, the redhead flashed an ever so slight smile before standing up and starting for class just as the lunch bell ring. As Sasuke gathered his belongings and began walking out of the cafeteria, he suddenly realized that Gaara could be far more trouble than he'd anticipated.
Well, there you have it. Hope you enjoyed it, and I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible. It might be a little while, though, since I have midterms coming up. Anyway, thanks for reading, and remember: review!