Embracing Dreams

Warnings: crack, dialog, dash of confusion

Part 28

Kiba was the first to notice. He'd been dazing off, staring blankly in the direction of the entrance, listening to a thin commentary from Akamaru, who was exploring the parking lot, and blocking out the conversation going on around him. He wasn't interested in hearing about the kids Naruto went to school with, or listening to the girls scope out the teenagers seated at nearby tables, or watching Lee squirm with impatience as he took in everything they said. He'd seen and heard more than enough. There were people here. Very few according to Naruto, who was used to big cities; the normal amount according to Sakura, who'd grown up in towns just like this one; a huge number according to Lee, who'd barely made it through the parking lot of the mall because he'd never seen so many cars in one spot in his life. Most of those people knew Naruto. The ones his age didn't like him because he was a mutant. The adults condescended to him because he was a charity case, Iruka's case, and everyone liked Iruka. Naruto took it to be a matter of course and didn't understand why the girls were so outraged on his behalf. Lee was as confused as Naruto, asking constant questions about what was 'normal' and why. Kiba had long since decided that normal was whatever he became accustomed to. He didn't care what sort of attitudes people here had regarding mutants. All he wanted was to take off into the fields before Akamaru answered the call without him. Even a loyal partner like Akamaru couldn't be expected to sit around a stinking parking lot when there was all that fresh green just begging to be explored.

So he was staring off into the distance, feeling more antsy the further away Akamaru got. The images, their conversation, grew disjointed over distance. Akamaru was determined he should stay right where he was, with his own kind, whether he liked it or not. He wasn't comfortable. He should stay until he got comfortable, accustomed to it. Then he could revert to form and come play with him outside. If he left now, he'd be running away. Kiba tried to explain that he was bored and disinterested, not scared or uncomfortable. Akamaru wasn't buying it. The thready connection weakened suddenly, leaving him a faint image of the dog trotting after a figure across the street from the mall. Kiba blinked, focused on his surroundings, and was halfway out of his seat before he realized it. That was when he noticed. A soft click off to the left, scritching sounds of a pencil flying over paper, the sensation of being stared at, a sudden lull where there had been quiet murmurs a moment ago.

He glanced over at the mostly empty table next to theirs. Two people were seated there, a teenager with jagged reddish orange hair and a lopsided bandana, and an old man with wild gray hair and glasses slid to the tip of his nose. The boy was holding a small camera, the man a pencil, which sketched rapidly over the pad in front of him. Both were staring at them. The boy caught his stare and flashed a guileless smile before snapping another picture of their table. Kiba completed his interrupted rise. In a moment he was standing in front of the two, and looking down at a horribly vivid sketch of...a monster?

"Kiba?" Naruto called worriedly.

Sakura turned, looking over her shoulder, "What is it?"

Lee wasn't nearly as restrained. He hurried over to see what interesting sight had drawn Kiba's attention. The sketch caught his eye immediately. "Oh, that's very creative!"

"Thank you," the old man smiled. "Would you like to see yours?"

"Mine?"

"Of course." He flipped back two pages, turning the pad for Lee to see. "Your back was to me, so I couldn't get the eyes," he said, in a self-depreciating tone.

"That's me?" Lee asked doubtfully. The clothing was similar, but the hair was standing straight up in spikes, with swirling lines and rough marks surrounding the figure as if he were standing in the middle of a bonfire. There were ruins of a building surrounding him. And, as the man had said, the eyes were entirely in shadow.

"Mh," the man nodded. He smiled pleasantly at the others, pausing longest on Naruto. "Why don't you join us. We were just passing through and happened to notice the five of you. It isn't often we see so many mutants in one place."

"Is it that obvious?" Ino grimaced.

"How did you know?" asked Naruto.

"I didn't, actually. I was just sketching some of the locals." He flipped through the pad until he came to a normal scene that might have been drawn mere moments ago.

Naruto leaned over him quickly, pointing to one of the teenagers captured in the sketch. "That's Hinata!" He glanced at the others, "She's the one I told you about." Then he frowned suspiciously at the old man. "Why are you drawing pictures of people?"

"It's my hobby."

"And what's his," Kiba snorted, jerking his head at the orange-haired boy, "photography?"

"Sit down," the boy smirked back. "The ladies, too." He waved a hand at the seat closest to him and leered at Ino, "You can sit by me."

"Oh, goodie," Ino drawled. She did take the offered seat, though, if only to keep Sakura from being within groping range of the guy. She already knew what would happen. One grope and the guy's face would be embedded in the table. Then Sakura would spend the rest of the week beating herself up for letting that monster personality of hers get out of hand. She was so predictable. Her gaze flicked to Naruto, who was still staring at the sketch. "Do you get many mutants 'passing through' here?"

"Not till just lately," Naruto admitted. He immediately thought of the perverted stalker who'd left him those photos. And he recalled what Kiba had said a moment ago. His eyes widened. "Photography?" He turned a furious glare on the orange-haired boy, eyes flicking from the camera to his face. "Was it you...? FS?"

"Um...don't think so." The boy glanced around the table, his smile faltering a hair. "The name's Lavi. Nice to meet you. This is Tiedoll."

"Why were you taking pictures of us?" demanded Kiba.

Sakura jumped, "He was what-?"

"Isn't that illegal?" Lee blinked worriedly. He could have sworn that was one of those nonsensical laws he'd been told about during his travels. "You'll get in trouble."

"There's no harm intended," said Lavi. "It's just record keeping. We like to keep track of any interesting mutants we encounter. So, with that in mind," and he grinned at Ino again, waggling the camera, "how about a close up? Your back was to me earlier. I could get a much better shot at this angle," and his eyes dipped appreciatively.

"Knock it off," Naruto scowled. "Pervert."

Ino quirked an eyebrow at having Naruto defend her virtue. He was rather cute when he got all protective. Especially considering the 'pervert' was a good foot taller and at least two years older.

The old man cleared his throat, earning him an apologetic wince from the boy. He tapped his sketch pad pointedly. "I burn the sketches after I've finished them. You have my word they will never fall into the wrong hands."

As the man was staring directly at him, Naruto fidgeted. He suddenly wished Kyuubi were awake. "What do you mean?"

"This," and he turned the pad, flipping back to the first page. He gave no reaction to the way Naruto paled, or how curiously the other kids looked at the sketch. "This is my portrait of you."

"It's very creative," Lee said again.

Naruto barely heard him. His stomach churned at the image. It was as if someone had gone right into his head and photographed Kyuubi at his worst. The fox filled the page, tails fanning and writhing behind him, his teeth bared and dripping, smears marring his fur, crouching over a tiny shadowed body. The body and the expression were what hit him the hardest. If he had to pick one word to describe the Kyuubi portrayed here, it was 'evil'. Rabid. And his eyes kept going back to that body because the longer he looked at it, the more he was sure that was his body lying there. The thought of Kyuubi outside of him, evil, rabid, sent a shudder down his spine. He grabbed for the sketch.

"Easy!" Lavi said quickly, snatching the pad before Naruto could mutilate it. "This is past, not future. Calm down. Destroying it won't change anything."

"True," the old man stated. He retrieved the pad and slipped it into a faded bag. "As I said, I burn the sketches. I would do it immediately, but this isn't the place."

"It's illegal to start fires in public buildings," Lee nodded sagely.

"Precisely," the man smiled. "As for the photographs-"

"Yeah," Kiba glared. "About those. You going to burn those, too?"

"No way," Lavi grimaced. "These are for the record. We need these."' He slipped the camera into a pocket. "Besides, even if you got the film, it'd just be blank for you. Only a few people get to see my photos," and he winked his right eye at Ino.

The two made to leave, the man tossing a tip on the table. Naruto lurched to his feet. "Wait!"

"We'll be in touch," said Tiedoll. "If necessary. Should things go well, you'll never hear from us again."

"Fat chance of that," the boy scoffed.

"A thirty-three percent chance," Tiedoll corrected firmly. "Three possibilities, only two of which are dire. Do try to keep things in perspective." He turned to Naruto, catching his hand in both of his. "You are a wild card, young fellow. An unknown. The last thing I expected to find in this part of the world." He patted Naruto's hand. "Would that such as you can turn the tide. But I'm an optimist. Keep your head down, boy. Things will be better that way."

Naruto took two steps after them, "What are you talking about!"

"Nothing that need concern you," the man waved carelessly. "If you're lucky, it won't."

"What was that about?" Sakura asked quietly.

Ino frowned at Naruto, thinking of the sketch, "Are you a shape-shifter?"

With a dull shake of his head, Naruto went back to sit at their original table. He wanted to chase after the pair. But they were mutants. Without Kyuubi to help him track them, there was no telling if he'd find them. Or if they would be dangerous if he did find them. What did the kid mean by 'past not future'? Was it the attack? When Kyuubi had killed people? If he'd been outside of him then, why had he gone back to sleep? What was to stop him from coming out again? How was he going to keep control over Kyuubi if he were capable of manifesting outside of him? He already couldn't control him when he was only in his head. All he had to do was fall asleep or get distracted. Should he be scared? No, not yet. Worried, concerned, but not scared. He just needed to talk to Kyuubi. Kyuubi, who a glance found still curled where he'd collapsed, as dead as he'd ever seen him. More than ever he wished he'd wake up.

Sakura put a light hand on his shoulder. "Naruto? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Naruto winced. "Um," he glanced at the others, "maybe we should talk about our talents." He didn't want to, oh, how he didn't want to. But after that sketch, they'd demand an explanation. With that sketch they'd already seen Kyuubi more vividly than even Iruka had. He was suddenly glad Sasuke hadn't come with them. He never wanted Sasuke to see Kyuubi depicted that way.

"So you're a shape-shifter?" asked Ino.

"No." Naruto frowned and shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing like that. I'm just-"

"I have to go," Kiba said suddenly. "There's something wrong with Akamaru."

Naruto jumped at the chance to postpone this confessional. "I'll come with you!"

"Then we're all going," Ino sighed. "So much for lunch."

Sakura scoffed at that, pushing on Ino's back to make her move faster. "You said you wouldn't eat the food here, anyway. Too fattening, remember?"

"Greasy, I said, not fattening. I have a wonderful metabolism, unlike some people."

"Whatever."

.-.

Sasuke ignored the dog for blocks before he began to get nervous. He was nearing the house now. That was the last possibility. He couldn't check the hospital, no matter how much he knew he should. He'd tried. He hadn't made it any further than the front steps before he'd caught himself panicking. Kabuto wouldn't be hiding in there, anyway. The whole point of the phone call was to let him know that the man was lurking about town somewhere. Ask him yourself. So Kabuto had to be waiting for him to do just that. He wouldn't be waiting in the one place he knew Sasuke couldn't step foot in. That left the house. And he didn't dare approach it with that dog following him.

He stopped in his tracks, turning a sharp glare on the dog. He'd seen it in the kitchen when Kakashi had called him in earlier, sitting on the floor next to its apparent owner. Both boy and dog had wrinkled their noses at him, as if they could smell the blood he'd washed off outside. He hadn't paid them any attention. Now he wished he'd at least gotten the dog's name so he knew what to yell at it to drive it away.

"Get lost!" Sasuke snapped. He made a lunge at the dog, sending it scurrying back a few feet. The thing grinned at him, tail wagging, as if they were playing a very interesting game. How intelligent could it be? At least Pakkun understood threats. "Stop following me!"

The dog chuffed at him, front to the ground, butt in the air, tail wagging faster than ever. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. This was not a mutant dog. It was a pet. He took a deep breath. Then he pointed at the sidewalk and said sternly, "Sit." It sat with a tongue-lolling smile. Sasuke nodded, "Stay." His eyebrows rose when it chuffed again as if it understood the order perfectly. "Good boy."

He crossed the street, the walled yard of the house looming ahead. The moment he stepped onto the sidewalk, he heard the thing trotting after him again. It was all he could do not to whip around and kick it. He didn't need this. He couldn't afford to be distracted like this. The hairs on the back of his neck were rising and he hadn't even stepped foot into the yard. He set the sharingan to combing the trees closest to the stone wall. "Stupid dog," he muttered under his breath. Then he ignored it the way he would a rat in an alley. If it got in the way and died, it was not his problem.

The house and yard looked the same as the last time he'd been here. He didn't see any mutant energy signatures, not that he'd have recognized Kabuto's if he did see it. He hadn't learned to read them until after he'd met Kakashi. He stopped at the edge of the walkway, his hand falling to rest on the stone wall. Just once he wished his premonitions would be wrong. He didn't want go in there any more than he had the hospital. It wasn't as if he cared why Kabuto was here. But he knew if he didn't seek him out, Kabuto would come to him. He couldn't let him do that, not while he was staying in Iruka's house. His right hand curled slightly, ready to act if he were ambushed. He took a step onto the walk. There was a rush from behind him, and then that dog was in front of him, growling and blocking his way.

Sasuke hissed at the thing, his eyes flying over the dark windows of the house, watching for any movement. He started to dart past the dog and, as if reading his thoughts, the mutt started barking. His stomach twisted. So much for the element of surprise. He swore if he lived through this he was going to kill that bushy haired owner of the thing for not keeping it on a leash. This was a thousand times worse than Pakkun. A poof of smoke later, Sasuke decided the damn dog really could read his thoughts. Either that, or the whole dog species was out to get him.

Pakkun, who'd been called by the very upset pup, took one sweeping look from the house, to the furious Akamaru, to the livid Sasuke, and quivered. "Oh, hell, no. You leave me out of this, pup." He butted his shoulder against Akamaru, who reacted by barking louder than ever, hopping as if to drive Sasuke back out of the yard. "Cut it out!" Pakkun growled. He sent a panicky, pleading, look at Sasuke. "Don't kill him. He's just a pup. Stop barking, you moron!" he hissed at Akamaru. "Do you want to get us both-" A tingle on the back of his left ear had him growling as well. He promptly turned and sent a whiplash of energy at Akamaru, forcing him back onto the sidewalk. The pup retaliated with confusion and anger, struggling to get back into a defensive position. Pakkun blocked him, his own instinctive growls drowning him out. Leave it to Sasuke to go looking for this one.

"You really are consorting with canines," Kabuto drawled. "I thought it was just a nasty rumor." He slipped out the door, eyes glinting over the two dogs and pausing on Pakkun in particular. His smile faltered. "It's been a while. How's Fay?"

Sasuke sent Pakkun a startled look, taking in his panicky shaking, and the way he was choking on his own growls. The other dog stopped barking. It crouched low to the ground, soft whines cutting through its growl. Kabuto continued to approach, sights set on the dogs, and Sasuke took a smooth step to the side to block his view.

"I don't suppose you'd mind waiting a moment?" Kabuto asked politely. He sighed when Sasuke took off his sunglasses. "I didn't think so. Well, then, right to the point. Have you seen your brother lately?"

"Why? How did you get the number?"

"Oh, we've had the number for a while now. We like to keep track of failed experiments." His pale eyes flicked past Sasuke to Pakkun again. "Some of them are easier to track than others."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Leave him alone."

"Who?" Kabuto asked. "The dog? Or the one you're living with...?" He took a breath and held it calmly. Sasuke was in front of him suddenly, a knife edging into his neck. He stared down his nose at the boy. "Really, now. You don't think I came here alone, do you?"

"No," Sasuke spat. He'd marked the one watching from the trees the moment Kabuto came out of the house. The distance was too far for an intervention. They both knew that.

"You don't want to be touching me," Kabuto reminded him.

"I want to kill you," Sasuke admitted. He'd never been this close to him when he wasn't already incapacitated. So many times he'd woken up to find this man touching him, healing him, and more than anything, watching him with the same vague smile he was wearing now. Voyeur. He wanted to kill him. "I've wanted to for years."

"But you won't. You only kill in self defense. I'm not threatening you. I never have. And so you really shouldn't be touching me." He flicked the fingers of his left hand and smiled when Sasuke couldn't get away from him fast enough. A waft of amputated orange energy curled about his hand before slowly dissipating.

Sasuke recoiled, clutching his right arm, barely resisting the urge to rub at it furiously. He hated him. Hated his talent. For all the mutants he'd encountered, he'd never met anyone whose mere touch could make him feel so disgustingly filthy. His stomach was twisting, sickening reminder of all the times he'd been forced to endure this sensation at length. He wanted to kill him. He didn't need to touch him to do so. Kabuto's talents required contact, energy contact, if not physical. He didn't need self defense as a reason, either. Revenge was reason enough in his mind.

"You should be careful about things like this," Kabuto commented, as he flicked the remaining orange off his fingers. "Your brother would be very upset if he were to see you...tainted...with someone else's energy. He might decide to get rid of the source. Come to me if it happens again. I'll be more than happy to remove it for you."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke risked a glance at the figure watching from the trees. He hadn't moved. White hair, blank eyes, dark energy throwing more shadows over him than the foliage did. Kabuto had pulled a cloth from his shirt and was dabbing at the slice on his neck. The wound knitted itself closed in a throb of that energy he hated so much. Sasuke's mouth twisted at the sight.

"We're looking for Itachi. If you intend to stay here, he'll come to you or send someone to you. Naturally, the best way to find him is to keep an eye on you. Suigetsu did inform you that Itachi's followers in Japan have been murdered?" Kabuto paused to allow Sasuke some emotional response to that news. He wasn't surprised to get none. "You've lost to them in the past. You should know what sort of rogue it would take to wipe them out this easily. Someone capable of sending Itachi on the run?"

Sasuke showed no response. Inside, he scoffed at that. More likely Itachi had been the one to kill them off once they'd lost their usefulness. Even if someone else had done the job, Itachi wouldn't have run. He'd have stalked the one responsible and taken his talents or died trying. "You can't stay here."

"Or you'll kill me?" Kabuto gave a dismissive wave, his eyes glinting when Sasuke flinched at the flick of his razor sharp energy. They'd never fought and likely never would. For very good reason. He didn't intend to die and he couldn't risk killing Itachi's little brother. Itachi was dangerous enough without that. "I'm not interfering with you. I'm not going to interfere with you, or the mutants you're living with. As usual, I'll be spending most of my time in the hospital."

Sasuke shot another look at the trees.

Kabuto shrugged, "Insurance only, I assure you. He's here for Itachi. Orochimaru would like to see him dead."

"Is he here as well?"

"No," Kabuto said sharply. His expression tightened into something cold, taunting. "Itachi's already killed him once, thanks to you." Sasuke's suspicious look was confirmation enough. They'd long suspected the sharingan was capable of altering memories as well as perception. There was no other explanation for the boy having survived Itachi's unique brand of 'strengthening' without losing his mind. After so many failed experiments, Itachi had finally done it right. And here he was, off limits. Kabuto forced his face to ease back into the vague smile he was known for. He had his orders. "We had Suigetsu call you so that you'd have some warning. If Itachi sends someone in his place, we'd like you to leave him alive long enough for us to question him."

"No."

Of course, no. As if he'd ever cooperate with them. As if he'd risk his own life fighting with hopes of sparing his opponent. Anyone Itachi sent would expect him to fight all out. If he held back even a little, he'd be killed. He wouldn't do that for anyone. Of course he wouldn't do it for Kabuto.

Kabuto let out a soft snort. "No, I didn't expect cooperation from you. And at the rate Itachi's followers are being slain across the world, I doubt he has any left to send who are capable of challenging you. He'll come himself. You'll be glad we're here when he does. Or maybe you won't be. You do have your own brand of loyalty." Sasuke sneered, but he waved it aside. "That isn't the only reason I wanted to meet with you. There's a new group going around. Testing and recording. And killing. They're looking for Itachi as well." He gave a small laugh. "Your brother is very popular these days. Like us, they know the best way to find him is through you. A word of advice, if I may?"

Sasuke tensed as the mutant in the trees finally came down. He was taller than he'd looked, lanky, with an unnatural pallor. He was carrying a sheath, which he tossed at Sasuke's feet. Kabuto nodded, and the mutant turned back to lean against the tree.

"Take it," said Kabuto. "You'll need it. And if you're invited to join, turn them down. Orochimaru has plans for them. Believe me, you don't want any part of that."

Akamaru barked suddenly. He gave one more growl and then took off down the sidewalk. Pakkun poofed out immediately, only having stayed to keep the fool pup from getting himself killed. The mutant by the tree shifted off, moving quickly enough to blur even Sasuke's eyes.

Kabuto turned for the house, with one more wave at the sword. "Be sure to take that with you. I don't think you'd appreciate having it delivered to your room. And don't bother to come here again. I only picked this meeting spot because I know how terrified you are of hospitals." He paused, running a hand over the frame of the door and flicking a knowing look at Sasuke. "There's something sordid about this house. I'm sure Itachi will be drawn here as well."

That worried him more than anything Kabuto had implied. Bad enough to imagine being in that house with a normal psychopath. The thought of being in there with Itachi... He snatched up the sword. No sense giving them a reason to come near Iruka's house. As much as he hated Kabuto, he knew the man wouldn't bother to lie. Dropping bits of the truth did far more damage. Just knowing he'd be in this town was going to drive him crazy. He didn't believe they'd be able to do anything to Itachi, aside from make him even stronger once he'd stolen whatever talents that rogue of Kabuto's had. But they might be useful to him, if they distracted Itachi long enough for him to get away. He hadn't met with his brother in over two years. He wanted to keep it that way.

Sasuke spotted the cavalry coming and blocked them before they could cross the street. He ignored Naruto's worried greeting, marching past them so that they turned and followed him away from the house. He could feel Kabuto's rogue watching them from somewhere in that yard. The further away they were, the better.

"What did you do to Akamaru?" Kiba demanded. Minding his business when the kid had come into the kitchen reeking of Naruto's blood was one thing. He wouldn't let anyone mess with his partner. "Answer me! What did you do to him?"

"Nothing," said Sasuke. He didn't even glance around. "You can thank Pakkun for saving his life."

Akamaru sent Kiba a vivid image of a white-haired mutant, scented heavily of dirt and rot, as if it were a corpse come to life. Anger at something that shouldn't be, instinctive fear, his furious attempt to keep Sasuke from going any closer to it. Pakkun's intervention came as an afterthought, still tinged with Akamaru's confusion. He was supposed to protect people, not be protected himself. He didn't understand why Pakkun had driven him back. Kiba stopped in his tracks, turning a furious glare on the house, now blocks in the distance.

Sasuke stopped, aware that the others were looking at the house as well. His teeth gnashed, "Leave it."

"Shut up," Kiba snapped, absentmindedly, his entire attention on the house and the images Akamaru had given him. "He's still there, isn't he." Akamaru whined. "Two?" The other one hadn't scared him as much, but he'd been the one to send Pakkun panicking. Akamaru felt that fear, even without knowing the reason for it. Kiba nodded thoughtfully. He couldn't communicate with Pakkun the way he could with normal animals. Akamaru respected Pakkun's judgement. That was enough for Kiba. "Bad stuff, then."

Ino huffed in annoyance at this one-sided conversation. She didn't appreciate the way they'd taken off running earlier, either. Her shoes were so loose on her feet she'd almost fallen three times. The fact that Sakura was faster than her didn't make her mood any better. She turned her attention on Sasuke, who was much more interesting than participating in some Lassie rerun. He looked human today, not at all psychotic if one ignored the sword he was holding. That was hard to ignore considering how long the thing was, but she did her best. His sunglasses were very dated. She didn't think that brand had ever been in style. The rest of him, though...

Naruto jolted when Ino suddenly draped herself on Sasuke. His first instinct was to get ready to catch her when Sasuke flung her off violently. His second was to fling her off himself. "Hey-!"

"I never had a chance to apologize for the other night," Ino sighed. Her fingers curled on his shirt as she leaned into him, not minding that he was as motionless as a statue. "We got off to such a bad start. I do hope you'll forgive me."

How the girl had gone from being terrified of him to hanging on him like one of those painted street women, Sasuke would never understand. It took every bit of his control not to lash out. He removed her with as little contact as possible, his expression one of comical distaste. "Don't do that."

Sakura assisted in the removal by shoving Ino away with all the violence Naruto had expected from Sasuke. It was enough to distract even Kiba, who was the only one to notice when Sasuke quietly edged away.

"What's wrong with you!" Sakura exclaimed. "You can't do things like that!"

Flicking imaginary taint off the spot where Sakura had touched her, Ino sniffed, "The rule was no using talents. We never said anything about petting in public."

Sakura blushed bright red. "Shut up!"

"What the hell?" muttered Kiba. "Are you two fighting over him?"

"No!" yelped Sakura.

"Yes," Ino stated calmly.

"No way!" Naruto blurted. "I thought you were lesbians!" Three flabbergasted stares turned on him. He blushed redder than Sakura. "Well, after the bathroom-"

Ino raised an eyebrow. "You really are a pervert." She sniffed condescendingly at Sakura. "And you wanted to target him first. Hah."

"Shut up!" Sakura hissed. "What's wrong with you!"

"You're after him, too?" Kiba grimaced, flicking a thumb at Naruto.

Naruto started, "Huh? No way-"

"No!" Sakura cried, pulling at her hair. "Damn it, Ino. Why did you have to-"

"What's a lesbian?" asked Lee. He blinked in honest confusion when he was suddenly the center of attention.

"Wow," Kiba sighed. "That's just sad, man." He shook his head and frowned at the two girls. "You're wasting your time. They're both taken." Then he turned and went after Sasuke, determined to get more info on the strange mutants who'd upset Akamaru.

"Yeah," Naruto blurted at the girls, blushing but firm. "Sasuke's mine. And I'm not interested." Kyuubi would have been, but they didn't need to know that. He gave a sharp nod of warning at Ino, "Don't touch him again."

Ino huffed moodily as Naruto beat a hasty retreat. With her hands on her hips, she frowned at Sakura. "Now look what you did."

"Me?" Sakura demanded. "I can't believe you! You acted like a total slut!"

"There's a difference between being a slut and being forward about what you want."

"But you don't even want him. Either of them!"

Ino gave an exasperated sigh. "That's not the point. You're never going to learn how to-"

"Excuse me," Lee interrupted, his tone ever so polite. "What is a lesbian?"

Sakura blushed and flashed him a painful look. "Shouldn't you be following the other guys?"

"Oh," Lee said, "I would have. But there's a very powerful mutant watching from those trees over there," and he pointed at the man, noting the way those pale eyes narrowed in response to his stare. "It wouldn't be proper to leave you ladies alone without ascertaining that he poses no threat to your safety. So I have remained to see to it you return to Iruka-san's house unmolested. In the meantime, if you would be so kind as to explain this lesbian thing to me, perhaps I won't be left out of future conversations."

"Someone's watching us...?" Sakura whispered. She threw a startled look behind her. All she could see were heavy trees in an overgrown yard three blocks back.

"Right," Ino said sharply, not sparing so much as a peek at whoever Lee was talking about. She caught Sakura's shoulder and prodded her in the direction the others had gone. The look she gave Lee was slightly more forgiving than the appalled stare she'd gifted him with upon first sight of him. Clearly the boy wasn't as insane as his appearance suggested. "Lesbian is a slang term for a homosexual woman, a woman who prefers having sex with other women. Not to be confused with bisexuals, who enjoy both male and female partners."

Sakura blushed furiously, unable to look at either of them. She knew from their time trapped in the same body together that Ino spoke her mind regardless of things like modesty, or even decency. Being audience to it was still disturbing. And Lee was so sheltered. Ino was the last 'teacher' someone like him should be listening to.

.-.
TBC

-notes-
Yes, yes, the drawing guy is connected to a certain Naruto character. No, that character will not be obsessing over the size of Naruto's penis when he makes his appearance. Yes, Lavi and Tiedoll are from D.Gray-man. No, they will not be stealing attention away from the Naruto cast. Yes, this chapter is short and I expect a lot of complaints about the content. No, I don't care. There'll be a lot of dialog in the next part, namely NaruSasu. They're past due for a little heart to heart.