Watching

Wow… so many reviews for the first chapter. That’s one way to get me writing sooner. Thanks to everyone for all your ideas, too. I really only got one comment on the title, so I guess I’ll just leave it as is until something better strikes me. Review responses will be at the end of the chapter, by the way.

Something interesting about this chapter (well, to me, anyway…), I looked up Naruto’s birthday so that it would be accurate in the story, and it’s only three days before mine, which is on October 13th. I swear, I almost went all fangirly on that one.

Ah! Another thing I meant to put before the first chapter. I will not be using Japanese honorifics or terms outside of normal names. Meaning I’m not changing the character’s names, but I won’t be using “Sakura-chan,” either. This is really only because… I’m not Japanese. Therefore, I would surely, at some point, screw up and put an honorific where it didn’t belong or use a Japanese word in the wrong place. I don’t feel like worrying about that, so as you saw in the previous chapter, I will not be using “-sensei” or the words “dobe” or “teme” or any other Japanese insults (loving nicknames) that Sasuke and Naruto have for each other. I just thought I’d clear that up.

By the way, I’m not putting a disclaimer at the beginning of every chapter. The disclaimer from the first chapter stands for the entire fic.

…So there.

Finally, be warned: this has NOT been beta’ed. Beware of grammar and spelling mistakes, typos, and general suckiness.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and am making no profit from this story.


***

See? Do you see how this is all Sasuke’s fault? I mean, first of all, he’s a creepy stalker. Watching me all the time… And then he drags me to his house!

I mean, I do put some of the blame on Kakashi, because somehow I have the feeling that he just knew this would happen. I mean, a project to “get to know each other”? How stupid is that?! That weird eye of his has psychic powers or something. Or mind control powers! That would explain why I--… well, you’ll just have to find out on your own.

But it’s mostly Sasuke’s fault. I mean, so far he’s just been his usual bastardly self, but you’ll see. I swear, he had this planned. I bet he and Kakashi planned it together! They got together one day and thought, ‘Hey, I wonder how we could scar Naruto for life and make him question his sexuality…’

Jerks.

***

Naruto seriously considered lying. ‘Oh yes, I have a wonderful life. My parents love me, buy me lots and lots of presents, and then we start the sing-along while the cast of the Brady Bunch dances in the background.’

That’s pretty believable, right?

But that wouldn’t work, because Kakashi was old enough that he’d know all about Naruto’s past, and would recognize the lies if Sasuke and Sakura included them in their reports. Naruto really didn’t have that many options… maybe he could be really vague?

“I’ve lived in Konoha all of my life, I think it’s boring as hell, and if I ever manage to graduate I’m moving away and never coming back. Next?” That should do it. Naruto plastered a smile on his face and yanked his own notebook out of his shabby book bag, grabbing a pen and uncapping it with his teeth, nervously spitting the top somewhere on Sasuke’s bed.

Why wasn’t anyone else starting? He said “Next” didn’t he? He looked pleadingly from Sakura to Sasuke, inwardly begging one of them to start talking.

Sakura looked decidedly annoyed. “We need a little more than that, Naruto. This is supposed to be a basis from which we will begin our research on each other. We need to know something about your life.”

“Okay. Uh… My birthday is October 10th.”

“Good.” Sakura nodded, jotting that down. “And…?”

“And…” She was just not gonna let him out of this, was she? “IlivealoneandmyfatherisinKonohaprison.”

Both Sasuke and Sakura leaned closer, Sakura raising her eyebrow curiously. “Slow it down a little. What?”

Naruto fiddled with a loose string on Sasuke’s comforter. “I live by myself, and my father is in Konoha prison. Serving multiple life sentences. Anything else?”

Sakura dropped her pen and then broke the uncomfortable silence that had followed Naruto’s announcement, laughing nervously and picking it up. Sasuke was staring at Naruto again, something in his eyes almost… sympathetic? No way, couldn’t be. He probably just needed to change his contacts (Naruto had decided long ago that Sasuke must wear contacts, because no one could have black eyes naturally).

Sakura straightened, holding her pen again, and smoothed her hands over her skirt nervously. She looked like she wanted to ask something, but wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it.

Naruto sighed and flopped back on Sasuke’s bed, grinning at the annoyed look the boy gave him. “If you have a question, Sakura, you can ask it.” He actually felt a lot better now that he’d gotten his past out into the open with someone his own age, and they hadn’t called him Satan… well, yet.

“Um, yes…” She paused, twirling a few strands of pink hair around her pen. “That’s why everyone…”

“Hates me? Yeah. My dad was supposed to have killed a bunch of people. That’s why he’s in prison.” Naruto kicked his legs childishly over the edge of the bed.

Sasuke nodded as if a great mystery had been explained to him. He still hadn’t written anything down. Naruto supposed the bastard thought his memory to be infallible. Well, if he forgot anything it was his own fault; Naruto certainly wasn’t going to retell this story.

“That’s horrible…” Sakura murmured under her breath, and Naruto felt distinctly uncomfortable, ceasing the carefree swinging of his legs, sure that she was referring to what his father had done. “I mean, it’s not your fault… I always just assumed everyone hated you because you’re so annoying.”

Naruto blinked several times, then sat up and glared. “Hey!”

Sakura ignored him, nodding resolutely as she came to a decision. From now on, she would not be rude to Naruto because everyone else was, but because he was so damn annoying. …And maybe a little bit more tolerance was in order. It was strange, their first day into the project and already she had learned something very important about Naruto that changed her entire outlook on him. Had Kakashi known this would happen? Was there a specific reason he had chosen the three of them for this project?

Sakura cleared her throat to get the boys’ attention, simultaneously clearing away any stray thoughts. She had a lot to think about, but that could come later. Right now they needed to focus on their project.

“Sasuke, why don’t you go next?”

Endless black eyes focused on her for one fleeting moment before turning to regard Naruto. Sakura felt a surge of jealousy before pushing it away, intent on what Sasuke was going to say.

“I have no parents,” Sasuke stated blandly.

Naruto stared. Sakura stared. Sasuke didn’t seem to have anything else to say.

Naruto decided that with the way things were going, Sakura’s parents must have been abducted by aliens or something equally disturbing.

It was going to be a long afternoon.

***

Naruto shook his head, stubbornly clinging to Sakura’s arm. “No! Don’t leave me here with him!” He pointed with one hand, shaking finger directed at Sasuke.

Shoving him off with surprising strength, Sakura turned to the door. “I’m not making my parents drive you home just because you didn’t think about the fact that you’d need a ride back from Sasuke’s. You should have asked Shikamaru or Kiba’s parents. And feeling me up while pretending to beg for a ride is not the way to get in my good graces,” she added with a pointed look.

Naruto grinned sheepishly from his spot on the floor where Sakura had shoved him, scratching the back of his head. “You noticed that, huh?”

“I’ll drive you home.” Sasuke's low voice sounded from behind Naruto, and the blonde jumped in surprise.

“See?” Sakura said, opening the door. “Problem solved.” She put on her perkiest smile and directed it at Sasuke, giving a cute wave. “See you at school tomorrow, Sasuke!”

With those words and a swirl of pink hair, Sakura was gone, leaving Naruto to face Sasuke and possible death/molestation/freakish boredom.

“Get off of the floor, idiot.” Sasuke turned and walked towards what Naruto had learned earlier in the evening was the kitchen.

Naruto stood, dusting himself off (he hadn’t seen any dirt on Sasuke’s floor, but something had obviously crawled up the dark haired boy’s ass at some point, and Naruto didn’t want it to get him, as well. Better safe than sorry, after all; whatever it was had probably come from this house), and followed Sasuke curiously.

“Do you want something to drink?”

Plopping down on a stool at a bar connected to the kitchen, Naruto nodded wisely and replied, “Scotch on the rocks. Oh, and with a twisty straw.”

Sasuke grunted and tossed him a soda, grabbing one for himself before sitting down on the stool next to Naruto. The blonde opened his drink and took several gulps before burping loudly and grinning at the boy beside him, who looked positively disgusted.

“Hey, you said you were going to drive me home. Let’s go, already.”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

The Uchiha’s voice was low, and something about the way it sounded at the moment made Naruto’s cheeks feel warm. “Talk about what? Ya know, just because we’re working on the project together, that doesn’t make us best friends… Kakashi tricked me into doing this, something about the laws of time and space and summer school… it’s not like I wanted to--”

“How is it that you live by yourself?”

Naruto paused in his rant, blinking slowly, then answering out of habit. “My grandparents never really liked my dad. When he was sent to jail, I was sent to live with them. They kept me until I was old enough to take care of myself. Now they give me enough money every month to pay the rent and buy food. Why?”

“Curiosity,” the other boy replied, idly wiping a drop of condensation off of the side of his soda can with his thumb.

“Uh… can we go now?” Naruto was growing nervous. The silence in the house, the two of them sitting so close, the way Sasuke had just turned to look at him, dark eyes strangely intense, seeming to look into and through him… it was all making him feel strange.

“One more thing.” Sasuke’s hand left his drink, setting it on the counter so that one cold finger could trace one of the whisker marks on Naruto’s cheek. “How did you get these marks?”

Naruto shivered, though whether it was because Sasuke’s hand was cold or for some other reason, he wasn’t sure. “…They’re birth marks, I guess. I’ve always had ‘em.”

Sasuke nodded, hand cupping Naruto’s cheek for a moment before he pulled away and stood. Naruto stared up at him, in shock.

“Well?” Sasuke was looking down at Naruto as if nothing had happened. “Do you want a ride home or not?”

Finally regaining his wits, Naruto pointed flamboyantly at him, nearly hitting him between the eyes with his finger. “Not with a pervert like you! Guys don’t touch each other like that! What’s wrong with you?! I wouldn’t get a ride with you if you payed me!”

The other boy shrugged. “Then you can walk.”

Naruto paused as he processed that. He thought about the fifteen miles between his apartment and Sasuke’s house. He thought about the oppressive heat outside that always seemed to be present, even in the dead of night. He thought really, really hard.

“Why Sasuke, I’d love to ride with you!”

“Uh huh.” Sasuke grabbed his keys.

***

Naruto walked into his dark apartment, shutting the door behind him and groping around for the light switch. Light flooded the entryway after he found it, and he kicked his shoes off and locked the door before walking further inside.

The place was obviously empty, and even more obviously lacked parental influence. Clothes and various soda cans littered every available surface, and there was a distinct odor permeating the air, the source of which Naruto had yet to locate.

He dropped his keys on the old wooden coffee table in front of his shabby couch and headed to his room. He’d get a shower in the morning, at the moment he was exhausted. He peeled his shirt off and dropped it on the floor, not bothering to remove his pants or socks.

Despite his exhaustion, Naruto couldn’t seem to get his mind to be still long enough for him to fall asleep. It kept moving from one thought to another, all related to why Sasuke had possibly touched him as he had right before they’d left his house. Naruto didn’t have much contact with other guys his age, but surely that wasn’t normal. Shikamaru had never done something like that to him, and the idea of Kiba or Chouji doing so was laughable.

And if one of them had, Naruto was sure it wouldn’t have made him feel so… He shook his head. It hadn’t made him feel anything but freaked out. Of course it hadn’t. The very idea of him feeling anything else because that bastard had touched his cheek was just stupid. And gross. Really, really gross.

Yeah.

After assuring himself several more times of his straight as an arrow sexuality and fantasizing about Sakura as a cheerleader with an extremely short skirt (definitely not Sasuke in an extremely short skirt. Definitely not), Naruto finally drifted off to sleep.

***

End Chapter Two
Page 7
oOKeairaOo

I know, I know, a lot shorter than the last chapter, but if I get into the next part right now (which you’ll be happy to know is already partly written out), this chapter will end up being really long. So, as a result, I’ve split things up and this chapter and the next will be slightly shorter than the first one was.

Thanks for all of the reviews and input. I’ve decided to do review responses, but there’s no guarantee I’ll keep at it. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m extremely lazy.



Cenotin: My first reviewer! I’m glad you liked Naruto’s point of view, I was trying to get inside his head to show exactly the kind of thing that a teenage Naruto would say if he had been molested by Sasuke. The end result was ditzy, rambly Naruto. Ah well.

Ariane: You’re so enthusiastic, I like that! I’m glad you enjoyed the story, and I hope you keep reading.

Anon: Well, I didn’t wait a month to update, but I think I did wait a week or two. The nearly thirty reviews did help speed things along, I’ll admit. Good suggestion for$Naruto’s past, that’s pretty much exactly what I was planning. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

natty: Glad you liked the story, and I hope you enjoy this update!

Maelik: I’m glad you like the way I write. I find it difficult to add in the description necessary to make the story really vivid. I always want to get to the good parts, and often skimp on the important things, I hope I’ve done alright so far. I’m glad you liked the title, your comment was actually the only one I got on it, I think. I couldn’t think of a good one, so that was really a spur of the moment thing. Enjoy the rest of the story!

macy: Stalker!Sasuke is fun, isn’t he? I always enjoy making Sasuke unbalanced for some reason. He’ll get even worse next chapter. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. Enjoy the rest of the story!

redfox9t: Glad you enjoyed it, I hope you like this chapter just as much as the last one!

jinx: Thanks for the review, enjoy the chapter!

Tatemshope: Your idea was actually close, his father just wasn’t executed. I have an idea to use him later in the story, but I’ll have to look up prison visits and such to make it really accurate. It would actually be helpful if anyone who knows anything about that could help me out. Glad you liked the story!

kitsunke: No, I didn’t mention their exact ages, but I implied it. They’re old enough to drive, because Sasuke has a car, and I mentioned that Itachi is twenty-two. That would make them all around seventeen, since Itachi is five years older than Sasuke ^^

MultifacetedTune: I hope I didn’t spell your name wrong, it’s late at night and I’m seeing double ^^; I’m glad you like the title! I was so nervous about posting it, I thought it sounded corny. I know how you feel about laughing at random times. I love humor fan fiction, and my parents have probably decided I’m seriously unbalanced from all the times I burst out laughing for no apparent reason. I hope you enjoy the update!

YaoiloverS: I’m glad you liked stalker Sasuke. Doesn’t he seem like the type? Anyway, I fulfilled your wish and had Sakura leave before Naruto. No doing of the nasty yet, though, just fluff. I’ve gotta work on that…

yukiko: Short but sweet review. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the story!

Athea: It’s alright, I already had a rough idea, and your review helped spur me on! Thanks, and enjoy the chapter!

dark mousy: It grabbed your attention? Aw, that makes me feel special XD I’m sorry if the last chapter seemed like a bit of a cliffhanger, to tell the truth I just got lazy and decided to end it right there, not to mention I hadn’t finished with my idea of Naruto’s past. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

blisblop: I recognize you from the reviews on my other story, thanks for reading this one, as well! As I’ve said before, you gotta love unstable Sasuke. Itachi is hot, but not necessarily pissy. Just jealous of his little brother’s attention to Naruto. Sakura doesn’t think that knowing parents’ names and birthdates will mean she knows Naruto and Sasuke, she was just looking for a starting point on the project, and that’s basic information. They’re going to be researching each other for weeks, so they’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other better.

Sora Jr: I take it you’re a Kingdom Hearts fan, from your name? Great idea for Naruto’s past!

Sasuke Fan girl #343: I love your name. I wonder what number Sasuke fan girl I am. *sigh* I really loved your review, it was one of those well written and constructive ones that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Good idea for Naruto’s past, are you psychic? :P

balafeo: Glad you liked Sasuke, he’s so hard to keep in character. Naruto’s easy, but Sasuke can be complicated at times. It’s hard to portray him in any sort of relationship, because he’s very cold, and he never really shows any definite interest in anyone during the series. Enjoy the rest of the story!

Horizont: I thought it best to start out with something cliché. No risk involved, if it sucks I can blame it on the overused plot instead of my mediocre writing ability, hooray! Enjoy the rest of the story!

silver fox: My evil word processor split your name. Ah well. Glad you liked the first chapter, enjoy the rest!

Gold Silk: Great idea for Naruto’s past! No, he doesn’t live with Iruka, but everyone’s favorite Chuunin will make an appearance, I promise. I personally love Iruka, so I couldn’t possibly leave him out.

gallatica: Dude. I updated. Enjoy. :D

evil: Lovin’ the name. Yep, Sasuke is very, very gay. I mean, I think it’s practically canon. Have you SEEN his curse seal form. Two words. Drag. Queen. I couldn’t make a story without making Sasuke gay, it just wouldn’t be right.

Nora Shu: I LOVE Spiral Falling, but unfortunately, I don’t remember much from some of the earlier chapters. I really hoped I wasn’t making this too much like that one. I liked it so much, I was afraid a few elements of that story might bleed into my own, and I’d hate for it to seem like I was plagiarizing. Maybe, as a fellow fan of Spiral Falling, you could let me know if my story gets too much like it? That would be very helpful, it’s always good to have another opinion.

instert_fetchy_name_here: I’m loving your name. Good idea for Naruto’s past, it’s actually very close to what I did. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Fan: I’m about to post this, and I’ll try to remember to e-mail you when I do. If I forget… maybe you’ll see it on the site? Thanks for the review!


There! Whew, all done. Well, I don’t know when I’ll get the next chapter out, I’m moving into my dorm room Sunday, so things will be a bit hectic until I’m settled. I’m also having computer problems, so if my computer dies (which I think it’s about to) that’ll delay things, too.

Anyway, until next time! And, in closing, has anyone noticed that I’m a rabid Shikamaru fan? …Well, I am.

EDIT: Went to check this morning and saw that the star rating had gone down, so I've gone through and fixed every error I could find. Still don't have a beta, but that's the best I can manage, folks.