Another one, I apologize for being a little light on SasuNaru, but you will get that Chapter8 and on!

I also apologize for any major misspelled words, I'm half-dead and my laptops word is not correcting because its lazy day! Just let me know if u spot something

Chapter Six: Pondering Forgiveness

I watched Iruka as he cleaned off the stove for probably about the fourth time today, working nights only has turned him into some type of housewife. I watch Iruka often, I don't really know why but I find it comforting I guess.

"You remember Sasuke Uchiha?" I asked seeking his guidance; he paused putting on a thinking face.

"Is that the kid who bumped into you at lunch last year, making you spill all of that food all over brand new clothes? Then you were so embarrassed because of the amount of kids who laughed, you ran to the bathroom and then called me crying, and then I had to come pick you up." I wanted him to stop at that point but he only continued on, "It was the day after Jiraiya's funeral, you didn't even want to go back to school but I made you. If I had known that little bastard was messing with you at the time I would have let you. Man I hate that kid! Wait, why did something happen again? Did he do something already?! Is it getting worse?!"

"I didn't cry…." I commented, taking Iruka away from his questions. He patted my back, taking a seat at the table with me as I continued to cut carrots for dinner.

"It's okay, you were in mourning still." He reached out and grasped my wrist, preventing me from chopping, "Naruto, you can tell me anything. Did he do something?"

"Well….kind of…." I don't want Iruka to get so angry I get embarrassed, but I really don't have anyone else to talk with about this. "He apologized to me."

"Really?! Well that's great!" Iruka said, I was expecting it but come on, cant anyone cut me some slack and say that bastard has no right to be making apologizes now, and it's a little late for that! "What's the problem then?"

"Why is he apologizing to me after all this time? Iruka come on the guy's a bastard!" I complained, my voice echoing loudly throughout the kitchen. He pinched my ear for language before releasing it just as quickly as it came.

"An apologetic bastard." Iruka said, with a slight shrug, "Kiba wasn't always your friend, he was more of the opposite remember, and now you guys hang out all the time. The point is you never know what the future has in store for you, and you never know everything that was going on at the time. Maybe there is something else going on that you aren't aware of."

"What if I don't want to know?" I replied with a pout, he sighed rubbing his forehead, before regaining eye contact with me.

"Then that's your choice, Naruto. But forgiveness is important in life. If you want to have a bright future, be happy, live your dreams, then the first step is learning how to forgive others and yourself when you are hurt." He said, I loved it when Iruka got like this. Sometimes I think he should have been a priest or something. Or maybe a bartender.

"Alright….I'll think about it." I answered; he smiled pointing to the carrots for me to work again. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I didn't have Iruka.

Probably dark, depressing and homicidal.

"What are you going to do?" Shikamaru asked through the phone, I could hear suspicious noises in the background and I didn't have to ask to know that his parents were out and he was taking advantage by counting his "supply". Why does he call it that anyway? Why not stash? Or, I don't know, medication?

Either way, it was rare to talk to him like this so I just decided to go with it even with his suspicious activates. "I…I don't know…..Iruka told me that forgiveness is my choice, but it's the best choice. Not like that but it was implied."

There was a pause, like he was thinking and I felt relieved. As long as he wasn't high and was thinking about helping me out of the dilemma anything was fine by me. My bed felt comfier behind my back instead of stony and uncomfortable at the thought of having his aid to cushion me, "Can I come over?"

"Huh? Why?" I asked surprise, it's already ten at night so if he's asking to come over then it must be for something important. But I didn't want either one of us to get in trouble, but it's not like Shikamaru would ever put himself in that situation right? Indecisiveness is a curse.

"Naruto?" Shikamaru's voice reached from the phone, I hadn't realized that I zoned out. Maybe I'm the one on drugs? "Are you there?"

"Huh-uh, yeah I'm still here just thinking!" I replied sitting up and getting off my bed to pace, ignoring his comment on how rare it was for me to think, "I guess you can come over, Iruka is working and he doesn't get off until the morning. What about you? Won't your parents be home? "

"Nah, it's their anniversary. They went on a trip to some place somewhere; I don't know I wasn't paying attention. I just know they won't be back until next week." Shikamaru replied, I could hear things being shuffled and the loud bang of something falling on the ground, "I'm going to hang up now and see you in a bit. I'm having a troublesome time here."

He showed up on my doorstep about ten minutes to quickly, meaning in the amount of time it took me to walk from my room to the kitchen area, which was around 40 seconds. I heard a knock on my door and cautiously approached. "It's me stupid, let me in. This crap is heavy!"

I opened the door; Shikamaru was standing there with two separate duffle bags and a panicked look on his face. What did he get himself into? Reading the atmosphere, I moved to let him in checking to see if there was anyone or anything around but the street was as dead as ever.

"What the hell Shika!" I immediately questioned, gesturing to the bags. He sighed in relief while placing them on my dining table.

"Okay, my crazy uncle is coming over to sit the house tomorrow after school. But he always does this thing where he conducts strip searches on my room while I'm gone…..so….will you hide my drugs for me?" Shikamaru panted taking a seat; I stood there in shock for a second before regaining my composure and taking a seat with him. He continued on, having regained the proper air levels to function, "Please just for a few days, not even the whole week! You are the only one I can trust with them, I would ask Kiba but I know what he would do and I can't risk that. Come on Naruto!"

I should say no, especially considering that he has two duffle bags filled with his grand supply, which made me wonder just how many of these things he's taking on average a day. If I allow him to continue am I really being a friend? I stared at Shikamaru, a person who has done me tons of favors and never asked me for anything in return and sighed, "Fine. Put them in my room."

He left to go hide them while I heated up the dinner left for me by Iruka, Shika wouldn't want any because he almost never eats. When he came back he immediately decided to shift the focus on my problems instead of his habits. "Look, I hate the guy but Iruka has a point. Grudges arent always a good thing to hold on to. How about you give him a trail basis, find out more about him and if you get to know him, still hate him, want vengence, then you will be in the perfect position to do that."

I looked at him, a little bit scared at his words, "You're scary."

"What?" He shrugged, as I sat back down with my new hot plate of food,"Just giving suggestions. Besides that's what I did when you and Kiba were beginning your friendship."

I always wondered how Shika managed to deal with our relationship in the very beginning but when I asked him he always shrugged me off either literally or figuritively. I groaned thinking about it, "Well, it couldn't hurt me to bad right?"

"If it does we will be right behind you to back you up." Shikamaru stated, there was a slight silence between us after that as I finished my dinner and he dozed off into the ceiling. The quiet would remain through the rest of the night until he passed out on my couch and I was stuck alone and sighing into my bed. Something in the stuffed frog from my childhood sitting on my dresser called out to me.

"Give the bastard a shot." It said, stupid stuffed frog.

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