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Sasuke glanced over at Naruto. For some reason the blonde seemed subdued, almost like a puppy who had been scolded. It wasn't easy to tell, because Naruto seemed to have only two emotions of yet, cocky and… lifeless. Lifeless, such an odd term to describe someone, yet it fit the blonde perfectly. The blonde showed little to no emotion, even worse than himself.
He sighed, looking back at Kakashi-sensei. The lesson was about imaginary numbers and such, a topic his tutor had already educated him on. The rest of class though seemed to be struggling a great deal. Oh well, that was their fault. It was rather simple once you got the principle of the idea down, until then it was a bit difficult. Of course, judging by the questions the class was asking, it was a bit more than 'difficult' for them.
Great, nothing to do. There was still another half hour before their English test and he had already finished all of tonight's homework. He could always read, but for some reason he didn't feel like reading Masukgami. So out of the lack of any other activities, he turned his attention back to Naruto.
Naruto was looking at the teacher, arms folded on the desk with his head resting on them. So far Naruto hadn't even looked around once, giving him the confidence to watch the blonde without fear of being caught. He found himself focusing on the broken look in Naruto's eyes, and the defeat in his posture. What the hell had happened to the blonde? Yesterday Naruto had completely done in those two thugs.
He mentally cringed at the remembrance of Naruto's assault. Even though he hadn't let himself show any interest at all in the fight he had been a nervous wreck. When Naruto was younger he had been so defenseless, too kind to hurt anyone. He had thought Naruto to be a goner. Instead, Naruto had shown that he could take care of himself. Even though that should be a good thing he was kind of sad too. That meant that Naruto didn't need his protection anymore, completely negating the promise that he had made so long ago.
He was brought back to real world by Naruto burying his face in his arms. This time he caught himself studying the three scratches on Naruto's cheek that looked like whiskers. Or, at least, he thought those were scratches, until he looked closer. They were burn marks, the skin blackened by it. Once again he wondered what had happened to Naruto since he had left. It was all so bizarre. The change in behavior, the looks, the aura Naruto now gave off; they all seemed the complete opposite of how Naruto had been as a child. When they were kids he remembered Naruto as being the ray of sunlight in his life. After Naruto had gotten to know him they had become the best of friends. A smile always lit up the blonde's face whenever they saw each other. Of course that wasn't very often because he had his studies and Naruto's parents, foster parents, wouldn't let him out of the house very often. But their times together were the highlight of his childhood. And now… now Naruto didn't even remember him.
He had always feared being forgotten by his parents. As a child he would cry himself to sleep, sure that his parents would leave him and never return. Naruto had been the one person whom he knew would never forget him. The one person who he had thought would never forget him had. He did not miss the irony in that.
"Please clear your desk," Kakashi-sensei ordered. "It's time for the English test."
He did as he was told, tuning out the rest of the sensei's instructions, he had heard it all before. A blank test was handed to him. He read over the first few questions as he waited for the sensei to tell them when to begin, which was only a few moments later.
It was all fairly easy, just going over the structure of a sentence and reading comprehension. The sound of a chair scooting across the floor broke his concentration, forcing to look up to spot the executer of the noise. It was Naruto, who was currently heading to the front of the class. He watched as Naruto handed in the test. As the blonde did so he caught a glimpse at it. The test was blank. A blank test! The idiot hadn't even tried. A blank test was going to bring the class average down by a lot, unless everyone else got full credit, which he doubted. A blank test, how dare that fool.
Growling silently he turned back to his own test, determined to get full credit and make up the blank test. Great, now because that idiot did something stupid he was going to have to make up for that.
He finished his test way before everyone else and turned it in to Kakashi- sensei. While the others finished their test he drummed angrily on his desk, resisting the urge to mutter in frustration. One by one everyone finished and handed their test in. The last person finished just thirty seconds before the bell was to ring.
"Alright everyone, have a great lunch," Kakashi-sensei said just as the bell rang.
While everyone began milling around he noticed Naruto heading out of the classroom. He rose gracefully from his seat and followed the blonde. He followed Naruto down the hallway and into the boy's bathroom. Naruto was at the sink, lighting a cigarette when he burst in.
"What the hell?" he asked, letting the door swing shut behind him.
"I could ask you the same thing," Naruto snapped before taking a drag.
After making sure they were the only ones in the bathroom he glowered at Naruto.
"Why did you turn in a blank test?" he asked. "Do you know how much that is going to lower our class average? We're only beating class B by so much."
"And why do you care?" Naruto replied. He coughed slightly as the blonde exhaled a stream of smoke.
"I care because the kids who come from the class with the best averages usually get the scholarships." He retorted, getting even more infuriated by Naruto's nonchalant charade.
"Can you not pay for college?" Naruto asked, leaning against the stall wall.
"I can," he snapped. "But it looks much better for a CEO to be a scholarship student."
"A CEO?" Naruto mused. "Sounds like you've already got a set job for the future."
"I'm taking over my parents company," he muttered. Something about Naruto's tone made him feel a bit guilty, knowing that Naruto would have to find a job the old fashioned way.
"I see," Naruto exhaled another huff of smoke. "Tell me, do you love that company?"
"What?" He asked, confused by the turned in this conversation.
Naruto pushed himself off the wall, dropping the cigarette to the ground and crushing it underneath. "I asked, do you love that company? Would you die for it?"
"No, but what does that have to do with anything?" he asked, not understanding how the conversation had gotten to this point.
"Good, then I won't feel bad about denying you control over my study habits and test skills." Naruto grabbed a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and shook another one out of the box.
"Sorry, I would offer you one," Naruto said as he lit one up and took a drag. "But a future CEO like you shouldn't be picking up such harmful habits." Naruto said on the exhale.
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded.
"I'm just saying that I don't want someone as important as you to learn such dirty habits," Naruto said with much sarcasm. "Especially from someone like me,"
Even though the words weren't, it sounded like an insult. A well-disguised insult, but an insult nonetheless.
"Alright," he said, sighing through clenched teeth. "Just say whatever you want to say and get it out of your system,"
"Oh, I'm not trying to say anything," Naruto said innocently, then rolled his eyes disgracefully. "But if you think I am, and then go tell a teacher."
"I could get you in trouble," he warned, knowing that it was a weak threat, but all that was he had. "Last time I checked you weren't allowed to smoke on school grounds."
"Oh, apparently I've been a bad boy," Naruto mocked. "I'm sorry sir, but I don't give a damn. Go tell a teacher, I'm sure to get expelled if you do, after my little stunt with that teacher and everything."
"You are…" he trailed off, anger choking his words. No one has ever gotten him this riled up, no one, except for this idiot!
"Oh, I'm sorry; we've never had a formal introduction. Or rather, I'm sure we had but you've probably forgotten," something flickered behind Naruto's eyes that he couldn't read. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. And you are?"
"Sasuke Uchiha," he muttered absentmindedly. What did Naruto mean by that last comment, the one about them already being introduced? Did that mean that Naruto actually remember? No, that couldn't be it… could it?
"Nice to meet you," Naruto said. "Now if you wouldn't mind, would you please excuse me? I would really prefer to enjoy the rest of my lunch undisturbed by people like you,"
"People like me?" he asked in disbelief. "What about people like you?"
"What about people like mean?" Naruto asked, leaning back against the wall, eyes narrowing dangerously.
Emboldened by Naruto's attitude he continued, "Yeah, people just like you!"
"Oh, Naruto said, eyes narrowing even more. "So you mean foster children who now not of love. People, who have criminal records, are mentally disturbed, reckless, and practically unfit for society. People who do not know how to love or even how to interact with the law abiding citizen.
"Just cut the crap, I've hear it all before. There is nothing you can throw at me that I haven't had to deal with already. If it makes you feel better believe I'm a heartless bastard, everyone else does."
He blinked, stunned by the venom in Naruto's voice, before shouting back, "Maybe those accusations are right. You certainly act like it."
Naruto shrugged. "I've been told that my entire life. It must be true." Naruto then flashed a dark grin. "Or maybe it's all a lie. We can never know for sure, can we?"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked, not able to follow Naruto's demented logic.
"There are many things wrong with me," Naruto said. "But isn't a better question, what is wrong with you?"
"What?" he asked in utter shock.
"Yup," Naruto nodded. "I mean, here you are, top of the class, future owner of a big company, probably the only person in the school with a fan club, yet, you still seek out reasons just to talk to me. Just to show a lowlife like me how much better you are than me. Just to make you feel good about yourself."
"What are you talking about?" he growled. Did Naruto not understand anything? He was just chewing the blonde out for lowering the class average. How did Naruto come to that sort of conclusion?
"You tell me," Naruto said. "There's an alternative motive for you seeking me out."
"And why would you think that?" he asked, putting on a steely face to hide all emotions.
"No reason, just the fact that you picked the lowest of the low to take interest in when you don't even take an interest to whatever the teacher is saying."
"Excuse me for caring about my life," he said rudely
"You already said that you can pay for college so why bother. You've already said that you don't love this company you're becoming the CEO for. Why put yourself through all this extra hassle."
He clenched he fist, deciding to tell the truth, because that was probably the only thing that would get through to that idiot. "I put myself through all this hassle because I want to show to make my parents proud," the last part came unbidden, escaping through unguarded lips, "Because I want them to love me…"
"So, you're saying the only way to get your parents love is to prove yourself to them?" Naruto asked incredulously. "Bullshit. Last time I checked, love doesn't work that way."
He glared into those blue eyes, filled with a murderous hatred. "And what the hell would you know about love? Huh? You're an orphan, thrown to family to family. I doubt you can even love. And if you can, you the hell would ever love someone like you!?" he forced himself to stop, panting heavily.
The fleeting shadows of betrayal passed over Naruto's blue eyes before it disappeared into a blank sea, those eyes once again lifeless. "What was I thinking?" there was no more emotion in Naruto's voice, just a hollow echo. "I must have forgotten that someone like me couldn't love, or be loved." Naruto made his way to the door, throwing the butt of a cigarette on the ground.
"Wait…" he whispered, appalled but what he had just said. "I'm sorry,"
"No, no," Naruto said. This time there was emotion in the blonde's voce; self-hatred. "I'm sorry, for forgetting that I was a monster." With that Naruto was gone, disappearing down the hallway, leaving him to listen to those echoing steps.
"No," he moaned. What had he just done? He had let his emotions run away with him and now this had happened. He was an idiot, probably the biggest one yet.
The warning bell rang and he trudged his way back to class, filled with a despairing gloom that refused to be dispelled.
How could he have said something like that? How? He knew the lie in his words. He had known Naruto as a child, had fallen in love with Naruto as a child, and now he had gone and thrown that back into the face of the blonde. Great, Naruto probably hated him now. With that thought it brought a heavy sorrow that seemed to drape around him, dragging his shoulders down.
He took his seat just a couple of seconds before the bell. He was too caught up in his gloom to see if Naruto was here. Right now, he just couldn't face the blonde, not after what he had said.
"Alright," Kakashi-sensei called for their attention. "Today we are going to check your blood types. There is going to be a blood drive in a week from now. Everyone who is under sixteen will have to get a parents or guardians permission. Now can I have a volunteer pass out the barbs and another to pass out the slides." Two people were picked and they began to do their respective job.
"So," Kakashi-sensei said. "This is a fairly simple procedure. Just prick your finger with the barb and squeeze out a couple of drops of blood on the slide. From there look at the slide underneath the microscope. Pretty simple. I'll come around and make sure you're all doing alright." Kakashi- sensei said. "Oh, before I forget, I'm going to pair you off because we don't have enough for one person to a microscope."
As the volunteers passed out the supplies Kakashi-sensei pulled together pairs. He waited, listening for his name.
"Uchiha, Sasuke and Uzumaki, Naruto," Kakashi-sensei said before continuing on. He froze before daring to look at Naruto.
Naruto was staring stony faced at the board. He took a deep breath and got up, walking over to the blonde. Naruto said nothing as he approached, or as he pulled a chair up to the desk.
The classroom was soon filled with squeals as people pricked their fingers. Neji handed them both a slide while Ino supplied the barb.
"Well," he said, breaking the silence, "We better get started."
Naruto, for the first time, moved, turning to look at him.
"Are you alright?" he asked, noticing how pale the blonde was.
"Yeah," Naruto muttered angrily, snapping out of whatever daze he had been in. "Let's just get this over with."
He nodded and grabbed a barb, freeing it from its package. It was small, like the tip of a syringe. Just as he was about to prick his finger he looked over at Naruto. Naruto was pale and trembling, both hands clenched tight, eyes unfocused.
"Oi, Naruto, you okay?" he asked again.
"I'm fine…" Naruto said weakly, looking as though he was about to be sick.
Suddenly he remembered the first time he had met Naruto, how Naruto had reacted to the syringe.
"Shit," he muttered under his breath. This was bad, he knew Naruto was terrified of needles, and a barb looked just like a mini needle, but what was he supposed to do?
"Is everything alright?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he walked up.
"Yeah," Naruto said, sounding stronger than he looked.
"Then why haven't you pricked your finer yet?" Kakashi-sensei asked.
"Oh," Naruto said, laughing tensely. "Sorry about that."
"Here," Kakashi-sensei smiled. "Let me to do. It's easier if someone else does it." Naruto froze as Kakashi-sensei grabbed the blonde's hand. Kakashi-sensei grabbed the barb in the other and made to prick Naruto's finger.
"Naruto," he yelled out in alarm as Naruto's eyes rolled into his head and his body fell. He grabbed Naruto, catching the blonde before he hit the ground.
"There's always one," Kakashi-sensei sighed. "Sasuke, will you take him to the nurse's office for me."
He nodded, lifting Naruto bridal style. He walked quickly wanting to get Naruto to the nurse as soon as possible. Naruto moaned softly, then whimpered. He was surprised at how little Naruto weighed. Yeah, the blonde was shorter than him, but Naruto felt like he was barely over a hundred.
"Excuse me," he said as he walked into the nurse's office. "He fainted during class."
"Blood testing?" a lady in a white uniform, the nurse, asked.
Yeah," he nodded.
She sighed. "There's always one," she gestured for him to place Naruto on the bed.
"I'll give him a brief checkup to make sure he's alright." She walked over to Naruto. "You can stay if you walk," she said to him.
He nodded and sat in a chair next to Naruto's bed. The nurse felt Naruto's neck and shone a flashlight in those blue eyes. Then she made to remove Naruto's hoodie. He froze, remembering Naruto's ears. She couldn't see them!
Just as he was about to come up with some wild excuse the door to the office crashed open and a panting teen ran in.
"Nurse, I think Choji broke his arm." The student said.
"Where is he?" the nurse demanded, grabbing a bag near the door. She turned back to look at him. "You stay here and watch over that boy," she said, meaning Naruto. He nodded, waiting until she had disappeared before closing the door again.
He went back to Naruto and sighed, relieved that she hadn't completed her checkup, yet moody because Naruto was doing so badly.
He turned his attention to the sleeping boy. When Naruto was like this he could see the little boy he had befriended and fallen in love with as a child. Even though Naruto seemed different he still was that little boy, wasn't he.
Naruto shifted in his forced slumber, whimpering slightly. He leaned forward, wondering if anything was wrong. Naruto fell still again, a name slowly being released from his lips.
"Sasuke…"
His eyes widened in shock and his breath caught. Why was Naruto whispering his name in his sleep? He leaned closer in; trying to hear anything else Naruto might say. Naruto stayed silent but he found himself otherwise occupied, having noticed how close he was to Naruto's lips.
Not many had enough will power to surpass an opportunity like this. He wished he could say he was one of those few, but seeing how much Naruto looked like the person he had originally fell in love with and how soft his lips looked he couldn't. Instead he leaned in even closer, slowly closing his eyes before dropping a feather light kiss onto Naruto's lips. He pulled back surprised that he had actually done it, and slightly blushing at the fact that he had actually kissed a boy.
When you kiss a boy when you're young it's okay because you don't know the implications of such a thing. When you kiss a boy when you're older and you happen to be a boy too, that's usually called wrong. He should be disgusted with the fact that he had just kissed another boy. Maybe he wasn't because he had a gay brother, maybe it was because he wasn't like other kids, but it was probably because he had liked it so much.
"Naruto," he whispered. He stared at that angelic face for a moment more before slumping back into his seat.
Great, this was just great. He had fallen in love. He had fallen in fucking love. And with a boy nonetheless. Maybe if it was a girl it would be okay. His parent's would approve of a girl because then he could produce an heir. That's all they cared about, was an heir. But since he was in love with a boy they would never approve of that. His brother was already gay, he couldn't be too, and they wouldn't allow it. On top of that person probably hated him now because of his spiteful words. Why? Why was this happening to him?
He let his head collapse into his hands, sighing heavily.
He had fallen in love. Him, Sasuke Uchiha, had fallen in love. And what was the worst part. He would never be allowed to be with the one he loved.
A heartbroken whisper escaped his lips, "Naruto…"

Description
Sasuke glanced over at Naruto. For some reason the blonde seemed subdued, almost like a puppy who had been scolded. It wasn't easy to tell, because Naruto seemed to have only two emotions of yet, cocky and… lifeless. Lifeless, such an odd term to describe someone, yet it fit the blonde perfectly. The blonde showed little to no emotion, even worse than himself.
He sighed, looking back at Kakashi-sensei. The lesson was about imaginary numbers and such, a topic his tutor had already educated him on. The rest of class though seemed to be struggling a great deal. Oh well, that was their fault. It was rather simple once you got the principle of the idea down, until then it was a bit difficult. Of course, judging by the questions the class was asking, it was a bit more than 'difficult' for them.
Great, nothing to do. There was still another half hour before their English test and he had already finished all of tonight's homework. He could always read, but for some reason he didn't feel like reading Masukgami. So out of the lack of any other activities, he turned his attention back to Naruto.
Naruto was looking at the teacher, arms folded on the desk with his head resting on them. So far Naruto hadn't even looked around once, giving him the confidence to watch the blonde without fear of being caught. He found himself focusing on the broken look in Naruto's eyes, and the defeat in his posture. What the hell had happened to the blonde? Yesterday Naruto had completely done in those two thugs.
He mentally cringed at the remembrance of Naruto's assault. Even though he hadn't let himself show any interest at all in the fight he had been a nervous wreck. When Naruto was younger he had been so defenseless, too kind to hurt anyone. He had thought Naruto to be a goner. Instead, Naruto had shown that he could take care of himself. Even though that should be a good thing he was kind of sad too. That meant that Naruto didn't need his protection anymore, completely negating the promise that he had made so long ago.
He was brought back to real world by Naruto burying his face in his arms. This time he caught himself studying the three scratches on Naruto's cheek that looked like whiskers. Or, at least, he thought those were scratches, until he looked closer. They were burn marks, the skin blackened by it. Once again he wondered what had happened to Naruto since he had left. It was all so bizarre. The change in behavior, the looks, the aura Naruto now gave off; they all seemed the complete opposite of how Naruto had been as a child. When they were kids he remembered Naruto as being the ray of sunlight in his life. After Naruto had gotten to know him they had become the best of friends. A smile always lit up the blonde's face whenever they saw each other. Of course that wasn't very often because he had his studies and Naruto's parents, foster parents, wouldn't let him out of the house very often. But their times together were the highlight of his childhood. And now… now Naruto didn't even remember him.
He had always feared being forgotten by his parents. As a child he would cry himself to sleep, sure that his parents would leave him and never return. Naruto had been the one person whom he knew would never forget him. The one person who he had thought would never forget him had. He did not miss the irony in that.
"Please clear your desk," Kakashi-sensei ordered. "It's time for the English test."
He did as he was told, tuning out the rest of the sensei's instructions, he had heard it all before. A blank test was handed to him. He read over the first few questions as he waited for the sensei to tell them when to begin, which was only a few moments later.
It was all fairly easy, just going over the structure of a sentence and reading comprehension. The sound of a chair scooting across the floor broke his concentration, forcing to look up to spot the executer of the noise. It was Naruto, who was currently heading to the front of the class. He watched as Naruto handed in the test. As the blonde did so he caught a glimpse at it. The test was blank. A blank test! The idiot hadn't even tried. A blank test was going to bring the class average down by a lot, unless everyone else got full credit, which he doubted. A blank test, how dare that fool.
Growling silently he turned back to his own test, determined to get full credit and make up the blank test. Great, now because that idiot did something stupid he was going to have to make up for that.
He finished his test way before everyone else and turned it in to Kakashi- sensei. While the others finished their test he drummed angrily on his desk, resisting the urge to mutter in frustration. One by one everyone finished and handed their test in. The last person finished just thirty seconds before the bell was to ring.
"Alright everyone, have a great lunch," Kakashi-sensei said just as the bell rang.
While everyone began milling around he noticed Naruto heading out of the classroom. He rose gracefully from his seat and followed the blonde. He followed Naruto down the hallway and into the boy's bathroom. Naruto was at the sink, lighting a cigarette when he burst in.
"What the hell?" he asked, letting the door swing shut behind him.
"I could ask you the same thing," Naruto snapped before taking a drag.
After making sure they were the only ones in the bathroom he glowered at Naruto.
"Why did you turn in a blank test?" he asked. "Do you know how much that is going to lower our class average? We're only beating class B by so much."
"And why do you care?" Naruto replied. He coughed slightly as the blonde exhaled a stream of smoke.
"I care because the kids who come from the class with the best averages usually get the scholarships." He retorted, getting even more infuriated by Naruto's nonchalant charade.
"Can you not pay for college?" Naruto asked, leaning against the stall wall.
"I can," he snapped. "But it looks much better for a CEO to be a scholarship student."
"A CEO?" Naruto mused. "Sounds like you've already got a set job for the future."
"I'm taking over my parents company," he muttered. Something about Naruto's tone made him feel a bit guilty, knowing that Naruto would have to find a job the old fashioned way.
"I see," Naruto exhaled another huff of smoke. "Tell me, do you love that company?"
"What?" He asked, confused by the turned in this conversation.
Naruto pushed himself off the wall, dropping the cigarette to the ground and crushing it underneath. "I asked, do you love that company? Would you die for it?"
"No, but what does that have to do with anything?" he asked, not understanding how the conversation had gotten to this point.
"Good, then I won't feel bad about denying you control over my study habits and test skills." Naruto grabbed a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and shook another one out of the box.
"Sorry, I would offer you one," Naruto said as he lit one up and took a drag. "But a future CEO like you shouldn't be picking up such harmful habits." Naruto said on the exhale.
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded.
"I'm just saying that I don't want someone as important as you to learn such dirty habits," Naruto said with much sarcasm. "Especially from someone like me,"
Even though the words weren't, it sounded like an insult. A well-disguised insult, but an insult nonetheless.
"Alright," he said, sighing through clenched teeth. "Just say whatever you want to say and get it out of your system,"
"Oh, I'm not trying to say anything," Naruto said innocently, then rolled his eyes disgracefully. "But if you think I am, and then go tell a teacher."
"I could get you in trouble," he warned, knowing that it was a weak threat, but all that was he had. "Last time I checked you weren't allowed to smoke on school grounds."
"Oh, apparently I've been a bad boy," Naruto mocked. "I'm sorry sir, but I don't give a damn. Go tell a teacher, I'm sure to get expelled if you do, after my little stunt with that teacher and everything."
"You are…" he trailed off, anger choking his words. No one has ever gotten him this riled up, no one, except for this idiot!
"Oh, I'm sorry; we've never had a formal introduction. Or rather, I'm sure we had but you've probably forgotten," something flickered behind Naruto's eyes that he couldn't read. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. And you are?"
"Sasuke Uchiha," he muttered absentmindedly. What did Naruto mean by that last comment, the one about them already being introduced? Did that mean that Naruto actually remember? No, that couldn't be it… could it?
"Nice to meet you," Naruto said. "Now if you wouldn't mind, would you please excuse me? I would really prefer to enjoy the rest of my lunch undisturbed by people like you,"
"People like me?" he asked in disbelief. "What about people like you?"
"What about people like mean?" Naruto asked, leaning back against the wall, eyes narrowing dangerously.
Emboldened by Naruto's attitude he continued, "Yeah, people just like you!"
"Oh, Naruto said, eyes narrowing even more. "So you mean foster children who now not of love. People, who have criminal records, are mentally disturbed, reckless, and practically unfit for society. People who do not know how to love or even how to interact with the law abiding citizen.
"Just cut the crap, I've hear it all before. There is nothing you can throw at me that I haven't had to deal with already. If it makes you feel better believe I'm a heartless bastard, everyone else does."
He blinked, stunned by the venom in Naruto's voice, before shouting back, "Maybe those accusations are right. You certainly act like it."
Naruto shrugged. "I've been told that my entire life. It must be true." Naruto then flashed a dark grin. "Or maybe it's all a lie. We can never know for sure, can we?"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked, not able to follow Naruto's demented logic.
"There are many things wrong with me," Naruto said. "But isn't a better question, what is wrong with you?"
"What?" he asked in utter shock.
"Yup," Naruto nodded. "I mean, here you are, top of the class, future owner of a big company, probably the only person in the school with a fan club, yet, you still seek out reasons just to talk to me. Just to show a lowlife like me how much better you are than me. Just to make you feel good about yourself."
"What are you talking about?" he growled. Did Naruto not understand anything? He was just chewing the blonde out for lowering the class average. How did Naruto come to that sort of conclusion?
"You tell me," Naruto said. "There's an alternative motive for you seeking me out."
"And why would you think that?" he asked, putting on a steely face to hide all emotions.
"No reason, just the fact that you picked the lowest of the low to take interest in when you don't even take an interest to whatever the teacher is saying."
"Excuse me for caring about my life," he said rudely
"You already said that you can pay for college so why bother. You've already said that you don't love this company you're becoming the CEO for. Why put yourself through all this extra hassle."
He clenched he fist, deciding to tell the truth, because that was probably the only thing that would get through to that idiot. "I put myself through all this hassle because I want to show to make my parents proud," the last part came unbidden, escaping through unguarded lips, "Because I want them to love me…"
"So, you're saying the only way to get your parents love is to prove yourself to them?" Naruto asked incredulously. "Bullshit. Last time I checked, love doesn't work that way."
He glared into those blue eyes, filled with a murderous hatred. "And what the hell would you know about love? Huh? You're an orphan, thrown to family to family. I doubt you can even love. And if you can, you the hell would ever love someone like you!?" he forced himself to stop, panting heavily.
The fleeting shadows of betrayal passed over Naruto's blue eyes before it disappeared into a blank sea, those eyes once again lifeless. "What was I thinking?" there was no more emotion in Naruto's voice, just a hollow echo. "I must have forgotten that someone like me couldn't love, or be loved." Naruto made his way to the door, throwing the butt of a cigarette on the ground.
"Wait…" he whispered, appalled but what he had just said. "I'm sorry,"
"No, no," Naruto said. This time there was emotion in the blonde's voce; self-hatred. "I'm sorry, for forgetting that I was a monster." With that Naruto was gone, disappearing down the hallway, leaving him to listen to those echoing steps.
"No," he moaned. What had he just done? He had let his emotions run away with him and now this had happened. He was an idiot, probably the biggest one yet.
The warning bell rang and he trudged his way back to class, filled with a despairing gloom that refused to be dispelled.
How could he have said something like that? How? He knew the lie in his words. He had known Naruto as a child, had fallen in love with Naruto as a child, and now he had gone and thrown that back into the face of the blonde. Great, Naruto probably hated him now. With that thought it brought a heavy sorrow that seemed to drape around him, dragging his shoulders down.
He took his seat just a couple of seconds before the bell. He was too caught up in his gloom to see if Naruto was here. Right now, he just couldn't face the blonde, not after what he had said.
"Alright," Kakashi-sensei called for their attention. "Today we are going to check your blood types. There is going to be a blood drive in a week from now. Everyone who is under sixteen will have to get a parents or guardians permission. Now can I have a volunteer pass out the barbs and another to pass out the slides." Two people were picked and they began to do their respective job.
"So," Kakashi-sensei said. "This is a fairly simple procedure. Just prick your finger with the barb and squeeze out a couple of drops of blood on the slide. From there look at the slide underneath the microscope. Pretty simple. I'll come around and make sure you're all doing alright." Kakashi- sensei said. "Oh, before I forget, I'm going to pair you off because we don't have enough for one person to a microscope."
As the volunteers passed out the supplies Kakashi-sensei pulled together pairs. He waited, listening for his name.
"Uchiha, Sasuke and Uzumaki, Naruto," Kakashi-sensei said before continuing on. He froze before daring to look at Naruto.
Naruto was staring stony faced at the board. He took a deep breath and got up, walking over to the blonde. Naruto said nothing as he approached, or as he pulled a chair up to the desk.
The classroom was soon filled with squeals as people pricked their fingers. Neji handed them both a slide while Ino supplied the barb.
"Well," he said, breaking the silence, "We better get started."
Naruto, for the first time, moved, turning to look at him.
"Are you alright?" he asked, noticing how pale the blonde was.
"Yeah," Naruto muttered angrily, snapping out of whatever daze he had been in. "Let's just get this over with."
He nodded and grabbed a barb, freeing it from its package. It was small, like the tip of a syringe. Just as he was about to prick his finger he looked over at Naruto. Naruto was pale and trembling, both hands clenched tight, eyes unfocused.
"Oi, Naruto, you okay?" he asked again.
"I'm fine…" Naruto said weakly, looking as though he was about to be sick.
Suddenly he remembered the first time he had met Naruto, how Naruto had reacted to the syringe.
"Shit," he muttered under his breath. This was bad, he knew Naruto was terrified of needles, and a barb looked just like a mini needle, but what was he supposed to do?
"Is everything alright?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he walked up.
"Yeah," Naruto said, sounding stronger than he looked.
"Then why haven't you pricked your finer yet?" Kakashi-sensei asked.
"Oh," Naruto said, laughing tensely. "Sorry about that."
"Here," Kakashi-sensei smiled. "Let me to do. It's easier if someone else does it." Naruto froze as Kakashi-sensei grabbed the blonde's hand. Kakashi-sensei grabbed the barb in the other and made to prick Naruto's finger.
"Naruto," he yelled out in alarm as Naruto's eyes rolled into his head and his body fell. He grabbed Naruto, catching the blonde before he hit the ground.
"There's always one," Kakashi-sensei sighed. "Sasuke, will you take him to the nurse's office for me."
He nodded, lifting Naruto bridal style. He walked quickly wanting to get Naruto to the nurse as soon as possible. Naruto moaned softly, then whimpered. He was surprised at how little Naruto weighed. Yeah, the blonde was shorter than him, but Naruto felt like he was barely over a hundred.
"Excuse me," he said as he walked into the nurse's office. "He fainted during class."
"Blood testing?" a lady in a white uniform, the nurse, asked.
Yeah," he nodded.
She sighed. "There's always one," she gestured for him to place Naruto on the bed.
"I'll give him a brief checkup to make sure he's alright." She walked over to Naruto. "You can stay if you walk," she said to him.
He nodded and sat in a chair next to Naruto's bed. The nurse felt Naruto's neck and shone a flashlight in those blue eyes. Then she made to remove Naruto's hoodie. He froze, remembering Naruto's ears. She couldn't see them!
Just as he was about to come up with some wild excuse the door to the office crashed open and a panting teen ran in.
"Nurse, I think Choji broke his arm." The student said.
"Where is he?" the nurse demanded, grabbing a bag near the door. She turned back to look at him. "You stay here and watch over that boy," she said, meaning Naruto. He nodded, waiting until she had disappeared before closing the door again.
He went back to Naruto and sighed, relieved that she hadn't completed her checkup, yet moody because Naruto was doing so badly.
He turned his attention to the sleeping boy. When Naruto was like this he could see the little boy he had befriended and fallen in love with as a child. Even though Naruto seemed different he still was that little boy, wasn't he.
Naruto shifted in his forced slumber, whimpering slightly. He leaned forward, wondering if anything was wrong. Naruto fell still again, a name slowly being released from his lips.
"Sasuke…"
His eyes widened in shock and his breath caught. Why was Naruto whispering his name in his sleep? He leaned closer in; trying to hear anything else Naruto might say. Naruto stayed silent but he found himself otherwise occupied, having noticed how close he was to Naruto's lips.
Not many had enough will power to surpass an opportunity like this. He wished he could say he was one of those few, but seeing how much Naruto looked like the person he had originally fell in love with and how soft his lips looked he couldn't. Instead he leaned in even closer, slowly closing his eyes before dropping a feather light kiss onto Naruto's lips. He pulled back surprised that he had actually done it, and slightly blushing at the fact that he had actually kissed a boy.
When you kiss a boy when you're young it's okay because you don't know the implications of such a thing. When you kiss a boy when you're older and you happen to be a boy too, that's usually called wrong. He should be disgusted with the fact that he had just kissed another boy. Maybe he wasn't because he had a gay brother, maybe it was because he wasn't like other kids, but it was probably because he had liked it so much.
"Naruto," he whispered. He stared at that angelic face for a moment more before slumping back into his seat.
Great, this was just great. He had fallen in love. He had fallen in fucking love. And with a boy nonetheless. Maybe if it was a girl it would be okay. His parent's would approve of a girl because then he could produce an heir. That's all they cared about, was an heir. But since he was in love with a boy they would never approve of that. His brother was already gay, he couldn't be too, and they wouldn't allow it. On top of that person probably hated him now because of his spiteful words. Why? Why was this happening to him?
He let his head collapse into his hands, sighing heavily.
He had fallen in love. Him, Sasuke Uchiha, had fallen in love. And what was the worst part. He would never be allowed to be with the one he loved.
A heartbroken whisper escaped his lips, "Naruto…"