Back to School

A/N: and the b*tch is back! Yeah, got bored and decided to write... I should've been studying, but who cares? ..I'm pretty sure you don't care as long as I got this chapter up. Which reminds me: THANK YOU for everyone who has read the story! Even if you don't review (which is also always appreciated) it feels good to know someone has read it. Anyway, to the reply-section!

Tokyo-Princess: you're here again! I feel so loved! And the compliments, they mean so much to me... it's always so much fun to read your reviews, they give me a fuzzy feeling inside. *sniff* ...anyway, you'll know what will happen soon enough. *kukuku*

Kurai Kisu: but but but my perverted brain wasn't made for thinking, it was made for reacting! ...to perverted fanfics about sasuke and naruto... and I tried to read one of your fics but I just couldn't imagine Naruto with anyone else than Sasuke. Then I tried to read ”I Found Me” but it said it had a sad ending and I got about halfway through but then they started fighting and I had to quit and then I cried because I couldn't read it and... I'm so disappointed in myself. Sorry... and yes, Sasuke is a real whore, just don't tell him that :D

ShikaChouFan4Life: well, if you have Naruto, obeying your every whim, and you just HAPPEN to have a cd player, what do you do? YOU MAKE HIM DANCE! ...AND STRIP. And thank you, I try to take good care of them. ...the daisies, I mean.

(thoughts)

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Naruto was carefully making his way through the corridor, pressed against the wall and checking around every corner with a small mirror he snatched from Ino.

Earlier he was trying to come up with a stragedy on how to go about avoiding eye contact with Uchiha Sasuke, but after a deep self-reflect session, Naruto had come to terms with the fact that he liked staring at the dark eyes. (come on, they're mesmerizing! ...it's not just me, I swear.)

So he decided to go with a different plan, plan B being to avoid the raven completely.

Plan C would have been to poke his eyes out and to hope it works.

Thus, Naruto was moving as close to the wall as possible and looking around corners. He was also getting weird glances from the students and some of the staff. Others from the rookie 9 had long since grown accustomed to the blond shinobi's antics, so they all ignored him, maybe letting out a chuckle or two.

Naruto Uzumaki did not feel like laughing. Yes, he looked stupid and yes, he might be overexaggerating, but he did not want to be molested, yet again, not by Sasuke or anyone else.

He stopped to take a breather (constantly being on the edge did wear you out) and leaned against the wall, letting his hands drop to his sides. He began replaying the events that had taken place during the last few days, trying to find a clue as to why it had all happened.

He shortly wondered is he was partly to blame, but quickly shrugged it off, raising the mirror to check the next corner.

When he was satisfied that there were only few students in the next hallway, Naruto put the mirror to his pocket and started to go around it when he felt a tap on his shoulder, making him turn around as a reflex.

”Dobe.”

Naruto's jaw dropped and he stared at the onyx eyes, not being able to stop himself.

”Hn, looking flustered there.” He didn't even have to look at his mouth, Naruto could hear the smug smirk in Sasuke's voice.

Regaining his senses, Naruto quickly dropped his eyes, intently staring at the clothed chest that was far too close to his face. There was an awkward silence between them, or at least Naruto thought it was awkward, Sasuke was probably enjoying it as a sadistic bastard like him would.

Then Naruto realized that nothing had happened. He knit his eyesbrows together, baffled, and dared to steal a glance of the pale face. Sasuke was still just standing there, face expressionless, though there was a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Sasuke exhaled, the corner of his eye twitching in irritation. ”Are you going to just stand there-” He was cut off as Naruto took the moment's distraction to break into a dead run.

The Uchiha felt an evil tug in his stomach but ignored it, getting back to avoiding Karin. ”Idiot.”

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Silence.

Complete, total silence.

Everything was well in Shikamaru's small world, nothing there to bother him, no mentors telling him what to do and no best friends telling him what NOT to do. He could smoke as much as he wanted, not that there were many cigs left, he'd lost most of them already to Chouji.

And especially there were no loud-mouthed, half-naked, irritating blonds asking him to solve their petty little problems-

”SHIKAMARU!”

And how the HELL did he find him?! (...and why is he dressed?)

Shikamaru quickly stumped the cigarette butt on the rough bark and looked down at Naruto from the branch he was currently lounging on. The blur of orange and black was looking surprisingly un-molested, but his eyes were still full of questions unanswered. (Why am I the one doing this, it's not like I volunteered.) He turned back to stare at the cloudless sky and motioned for Naruto to come up to join him.

Naruto climbed up and situated himself on the branch next to the Nara, slightly higher. ”It can't be his eyes, I bumped into him and stared at them and nothing happened!”

Shikamaru closed his eyes, contemplating on lighting another smoke but there was a larger possibility of getting caught by his teammate now that Naruto was there, the blond seemed to always pull people towards him, friends and enemies alike. ”You have an interesting way of avoiding people.”

Naruto scowled at the remark, but decided to keep his mouth shut, the brunet was trying to help him after all. ”I didn't mean to, it just happened. And it was his fault, it's not like I have eyes on the back of my head-”

Shikamaru raised his hands to silence the blond, his headache was returning with full force. ”How long were you around him?”

Naruto's face grew crimson. ”Not that long! Why would we just stand there, what do you mean?!” The blond suddenly realized how obvious he was being and put his hands on his temples, banging his forehead to the tree numerous times.

”Too troublesome.” Shikamaru absently scratched his chin. ”Maa, it could be that he didn't feel like controlling you at the time. Next time you should check his hands, it might be some new jutsu he's testing.”

Naruto was appalled. ”What, I'm just a test dummy?! That's harsh, even coming from you!”

Shikamaru opened his eyes and arched his brow. ”Once again, I'm not the one you should be talking to.” He sat up and forced a distraught expression on his face, dramatically pointing towards the building. ”Go to the source, Naruto, confront the menace that is Sasuke Uchiha. Find out the way he is spreading destruction onto the innocent minds of the children, onto you!” Shika let his hand drop to his side and he leaned to the bark, breathing heavily. ”Now go, before it's too late.”

Naruto stared at the brunet in awe before jumping down and storming to the doors, letting out a determined ”Dattebayo!”

Shikamaru let out a smug smile, getting back to laying on the branch, fishing out one of his cigs from the hidden compartment. He was silently congratulating himself for getting rid of Naruto so stylishly, when a shadow was cast over him, forcing him to open his eyes.

There was a fairly large figure standing right in front of his sun, a bright halo surrounding it, making it hard to recognize. The problem solved itself when the shadow spoke.

”Shikamaru, is that a smoke?”

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Naruto was running through the hallways, Shikamaru's encouraging words still echoing in his head. Find the source, find Sasuke.

His quest ended when he turned a corner and ran straight into the raven, who was coming from the classroom, carefully wiping his hand to a napkin. They both staggered back from the force of the impact.

Sasuke quickly steadied himself, getting ready to death glare anyone who had the guts to almost make him fall down, but let out an evil smile when realized who it had been.

Naruto huffed as he found his balance. ”Teme, watch where you're go-” Everything slowed down around Naruto and his brain froze, making it hard to finish the sentence. Sasuke smirked and grabbed the tan arm, pulling them towards an empty classroom.

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A/N: what is this? Be it a cliffhanger?! ah, I'm ever so evil! *fufufufu* though I think all of them have ended to a cliffie, that's just the way I roll. ...ugh, I gotta get some sleep :D