The Top Floor

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn’t belong to us. *wail*

Onward.


Previously:

Ten Ten glanced down the hall quickly and then back into the room. “Well, he’s here now, so there’s not much we can do. Just…be nice ok?” she pleaded.

“Of course…” Naruto’s voice trailed off as she disappeared from the door.

A few seconds later, the door swung wide open. Ten Ten walked back in, holding a few suitcases, and heading to Neji’s empty room with them. Their attention was suddenly brought back to the door, their eyes widened in fear when a voice called out:

“Ah! Your eyes are so wide and full of spirit! Such a radiant expression of YOUTH!”

The room was dead silent, save for the shuffling of Ten Ten’s feet from Neji’s old room and muffled curses when there was a loud thud, which Sasuke could only assume was a suitcase hitting one of Ten Ten’s feet. Sasuke was completely stunned at the new roommate’s appearance. The boy was staring wide-eyed at them, mouth stretched in a blindingly absurd grin. He was covered in what could only be termed a onesie gone wrong. Sasuke supposed the color had been intended to be the soothing green of a pine tree but had rather turned out as, or perhaps faded to, the color of mold growing on cheese. Sasuke shuddered as he looked at the boy’s face again. There was far too much happiness there to be normal.

Then suddenly Sasuke realized something: he had never been on this side of the situation before. He had been the new guy coming in, seeing things from the perspective of an outsider, so he could understand what Lee was feeling in this new environment.

Well, maybe not, Sasuke thought with a grimace.

He had certainly not been this...radiant upon entering the wing. But this was new. This time he could see things from the other side, from the outlook of a veteran. And, even more interestingly, he could see how the others truly reacted to newcomers, now that he was one of them. He turned to observe his fellow roommates.

Sasuke’s eyes fell first on the most obvious reaction of the group. Kiba was openly staring in shock and clutching his new toy to his chest as if to protect it, his mouth hanging wide open in a silent gasp. Naruto sat behind him on the couch with a hand on his shoulder to steady him. His expression was slightly more tactful than Kiba’s, although his eyes were still a little rounder than normal. Shikamaru was glaring daggers at the new boy. Sasuke almost laughed at his predictable behavior but quickly sobered at the realization that with a stranger replacing Neji amongst them, there was the potential for some serious tension in the next few weeks.

Ten Ten walked out of the bedroom with a slight limp, effectively breaking up the tense silence that had pervaded the common room when she left it.

“So, you guys, this is Rock Lee.” Rock Lee waved maniacally at them upon his introduction, causing Sasuke to shudder. He stifled a smile as he saw Kiba’s mouth drop even further.

“He’s thirteen and a half--” the sound of a throat being cleared noisily interrupted Ten Ten. “I’m sorry, I guess he’s just thirteen.” She looked at the young man a little strangely before continuing. “He’s new to this sort of facility, so I hope you guys will help him get adjusted,” she said with a meaningful glance around the room. Sasuke saw Naruto nodded and quickly looked away, snorting audibly this time. Really, the boy could be such a brown-noser sometimes...

Naruto glared slightly in Sasuke’s direction before turning his attention to the new boy who was still standing in front of them expectantly.

“Hi, Lee, I’m Naruto.”

Naruto jumped visibly as the green-clad boy bounded up to him with a hand outstretched tautly in front of him.

“Hi Naruto! I’m Lee! I’m incredibly pleased to meet you!”

“Um, yeah, alright,” said Naruto nervously. He looked around him to find something to distract Lee.

“And this is Sasuke!” exclaimed Naruto, seizing Sasuke by the arm and proceeding to haul him from his seat.

“Uh, hi, I’m Sasuke,” said Sasuke less than enthusiastically. It seemed Lee was more than willing to make up for his lack of excitement.

“Hi Sasuke!” he greeted loudly.

Sasuke sat back down quickly, hoping his part was done, but Naruto had taken his moment of opportunity and raced to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Sasuke sighed.

“This is Kiba,” he gestured towards the boy still sitting on the floor with no change in facial expression. Lee knelt down and leaned towards him, ruffling his hair.

“Hi Kiba!”

Kiba wrinkled his nose in distaste at Lee’s patronizing tone. Sasuke laughed then quickly coughed, hoping he had fooled at least Lee.

“And this is Shikamaru,” said Sasuke, turning to where Shika had been sitting only to find an empty chair. The sound of a door slamming reverberated loudly through the room.

“...was Shikamaru,” amended Sasuke. Lee seemed unfazed by the boy’s abrupt departure. He ran up to the closed door and hollered,

“It was excellent to meet you Shika!” Lee’s manners were greeted with what sounded like a menacing growl and something hitting the other side of the door. Poor Nar-Nar, thought Sasuke.

Lee looked over his shoulder at Sasuke. “Is he feeling sick?” he asked loudly. Something else hit the door and Sasuke decided that now would be a good time to get Lee away from Shikamaru’s door and out of harm’s way.

“Here, Lee, I’ll show you your room.” He lead him over to the room next to Shika’s and stepped inside, Lee close on his heels.

“Huh, I’d forgotten it was empty. I suppose they’ll bring a bed in later,” mused Sasuke out loud.

Lee clasped his hands in front of him, giving the impression of an excited schoolgirl. “No bed? That means SLEEPOVER!”

Sasuke’s eyes went wider than he thought possible. There was no way he was spending a night trapped in the same room with this guy, let alone a bed. No way in hell! But before he could inform Lee of his wishes or lack thereof, Lee was jumping up and down and bounding in circles around him, clapping loudly. Sasuke saw Naruto peek his head in the open doorway, then with a high-pitched “eep!” run the other way.

“Hey!” he yelled after Naruto.

Lee stopped his gleeful bouncing and looked tearfully at Sasuke. “What?”

“Oh, uh,” Sasuke stuttered. He had forgotten about him in his haste to prevent Naruto from escaping once again. “Uh, no, I don’t think we can have sleepovers. In fact, I don’t think they’re allowed,” he invented wildly. Upon seeing Lee’s crestfallen look he awkwardly patted the boy on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll ask Ten Ten when she brings us dinner.”

Lee’s eyes broadened in anticipation. “About a sleepover?”

“No, no,” Sasuke hastily corrected, “about your bed.” Lee nodded, then abruptly leaned against the wall and slid down it to sit on the floor. Silence reigned for a full minute until Sasuke cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Well, I’m going to let you get unpa--” he stopped upon realizing that there was nowhere for Lee to put his things. “...let you get to know your room,” he finished lamely, beating a hasty retreat.

“Thanks a lot,” he whispered fiercely to Naruto as he passed him. Naruto looked up from his position on the couch and laughed.

“It’s not funny!” hissed Sasuke as he plopped down on the couch next to the blonde.

“I respectfully disagree,” chuckled Naruto. Sasuke glared.

“Since when do you ‘respectfully disagree’? That’s giving you far too much credit,” he retorted.

“Sasuke,” Kiba spoke up, turning around from where he was sitting on the floor to face the bickering boys.

“Yes Kiba.”

“Naruto is right. It was funny.”

Sasuke glared like he had never glared before, which only caused Naruto and Kiba to look at each other and giggle loudly. “You two could have helped, you know.”

Naruto stubbornly shook his head. “Nuh-uh, no way. I had to deal with the last new one.”

“Hey! The last new one was me!” Sasuke exclaimed heatedly.

Naruto nodded. “So you will understand why I don’t want to handle this one.”

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. Very unbecoming of an Uchiha. And suddenly he could see hear his father, chastising him about duties and responsibilities to the family name.

Naruto’s gentle fingers forcing his chin to move woke him from his reverie.

“What?”

Sasuke shook his head slightly, looking at the blue eyes that showed mild concern. “Just remembering someone.”

Naruto traced Sasuke’s jaw with his thumb thoughtfully, then dropped his hands and stood suddenly. Grabbing Sasuke by the wrists he wrested him from the sofa.

“Come on. We’re going to color,” he told Sasuke firmly. “Kiba!”

“OKAY!” Kiba yelled, already running to the table with the markers and paper. Naruto followed him, still dragging Sasuke lightly behind him. Sasuke allowed a grateful smile to surface.

Thank you, Naruto.

Naruto just squeezed his wrist.

~

The breeze felt cool against Sasuke’s skin, and he savored the feeling. He sat down on the grass, his arms resting on his knees. He eyes were drawn to their newcomer, Lee, as he took his first steps outside.

Lee’s chest expanded wildly as he sucked in a deep breath. “Ahhhh!” he exclaimed as he exhaled. “The air is so FRESH! It makes me want to-“

Sasuke had stopped listening at this point. The kid scared him. He turned his attention to Naruto, who was goading Kiba into a race with taunts like, “Come on, slowpoke!” and “Oooh, are you scared?”.

That Kiba would fall for such a blatant attempt to tire him out…

Kiba obviously gave into the bait, and he accepted. Lee bounded over to Naruto and tapped his shoulder. Naruto turned quickly, and jumped when he saw Lee’s blinking face a few inches from his own.

“Y-yes, Lee?”

Lee’s grin grew. “I was wondering if I could officiate your race!” He posed in such a way that Sasuke was sure he’d never be able to claw the image out of his mind.

Naruto smiled politely, obviously trying to be nice. “Um…sure, Lee. Kiba and I were just going to run to the wall and back…-“

“Nonsense!” Lee cut him off, shoving a wagging finger in Naruto’s face. “Why have such a boring race? Now, what a TRUE CHAMPION would want in a race is-…”

Sasuke watched, barely suppressing a smirk as he watched Naruto trail after Lee, who was marking the track of their “champion worthy” race, with a dubious look on his face. Kiba stalked after Naruto, his expression a scowl. His game face. Oh, it was on.

After Lee had marked their course, which included cartwheels, jumps in the air, and hurdles, he lined Naruto and Kiba up at the starting line.

Sasuke laughed. The look on Naruto’s face was priceless, and it was time for some payback for earlier. Naruto heard his laugh and glared. Lee was about to start the race, when Naruto leaned up and whispered something in his ear. Lee’s eyes narrowed for a moment, before widening with excitement. It was only when Sasuke saw Lee waltzing towards him (and the evil look on Naruto’s face), when he realized Lee’s intentions.

“Sasuke!”

Sasuke winced.

“You must partake in our race!”

Sasuke felt cornered. “Um…well-…My, uh, ankle! My ankle hurts!”

Lee’s eyes widened with awe. “Sasuke,” he breathed in reverence. “You are so fast that you would lie so you didn’t have to embarrass your fellow comrades?” Sasuke was alarmed to see that Lee was almost in tears. “So noble…”

Sasuke was slowly inching away from the unstable boy. Soon, though, the novelty of his excuse seemed to wear off, and Lee hauled him to his feet.

“Uh-AH! My ANKLE!” Sasuke exclaimed, falling to the ground with a dramatic flail.

“Get up you pansy-ass!”

Naruto’s shout caused Sasuke’s head to snap up. Naruto met his eyes, and raised his eyebrows.

“You’re that slow? That you’re afraid that Kiba and I can beat you?”

Sasuke felt his anger rise, but in the back of his mind, he reminded himself not to fall for the same tricks Kiba did. He settled for a scowl in Naruto’s direction.

“Ahh!” Lee exclaimed excitedly. “Trash talk! You must accept his challenge now!”

Before Sasuke could protest any further, Lee pulled him to his feet again (ignoring the “My ankle hurts!” cries coming from Sasuke), and dragged him off towards the starting line. Naruto gave a satisfied snort when Sasuke lined up next to him, and Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

“Ready?” Lee raised his hand in the air. “BEGIN!” he screamed, letting his arm fall.

Kiba and Naruto took like rockets, both sprinting their way down the path, and taking a sharp left where Lee had marked. Sasuke sighed and began to jog down the track, watching with mocking eyes as Naruto and Kiba all out sprinted. He has just made it to the first corner when he heard a resounding cry from behind him. He turned to see Lee, SPRINTING at him with all his might, a competitive gleam in his eyes.

The sight alone made Sasuke’s stomach drop with fright. He let out a sound that was definitely not befitting of an Uchiha, and he scrambled into a sprint, trying to put distance between the livid boy and himself.

He surprised himself with his speed as he took off after Naruto and Kiba, even gaining on them. But those two didn’t have a rabid psycho spurring them on. A quick glance back confirmed that Lee was indeed, still in chase.

He had caught up to the boys in the cartwheel station. Naruto and Kiba were both surprised to see him so competitive, and Naruto looked slightly happy with his participation. It was only when Naruto saw him give a quick glance back during his last cartwheel that Naruto looked to see the Uchiha’s motivation.

Lee was gaining on them, his arms pumping at his sides, his mouth in a tight “o” of concentration. The look in his eyes forced Naruto into a faster pace as he tried to even up with Sasuke. A scream heard from behind him confirmed that Kiba had seen Lee.

Lee watched with happy satisfaction as the boys before him scurried frantically towards the end of the race. Such competitors! In his zeal for officiating, he failed to watch were he was running. His feet collided with a pair of outstretched legs, causing him to hit the ground head first and roll a few times before coming to a stop. Seemingly unhurt, he bounced to his feet and turned to the person who had tripped him.

“I apologize for running into you! But I must race-“

Shikamaru grabbed his shoulders and with a growl slammed the boy into the wall. “Do not cross me,” he growled. Shika held him for a few moments, giving a last glare for good measure, before releasing him, shoving him as he did.

Lee gave him a wild look before turning and sprinting after the other racers.

By now, Sasuke and Naruto were neck and neck as the finish line approached. Their legs ached, as did their lungs as they both surged ahead, trying to beat the other. They were a mere three feet away from the finish line when Naruto tripped and fell to the ground, his flailing arm pulling Sasuke down with him.

Sasuke let out a squeak as his body hit the ground at what seemed like a hundred miles an hour. Their bodies rolled as one, stopping sharply after a few rolls.

Naruto lay fully on top of Sasuke, his hands on either side of Sasuke’s shoulders to hold himself up. His arm shook, and then gave as he collapsed on Sasuke’s chest. He laughed softly and Sasuke could feel Naruto’s frantic heartbeat and his own together. Naruto’s ragged breath brushed against his ear.

Naruto pulled back after a moment, his eyes locking with Sasuke’s. “I haven’t run like that in a while,” he commented wheezily, a lazy grin covering his face. “Guess I’m a little out of shape.”

Sasuke felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth. “Yeah, me too.”

They sat there for a moment, just looking into each others eyes. Kiba’s shout of victory as he crossed the finish line broke them out of their trance, and Naruto quickly stood up, pulling Sasuke to his feet as he did. They stood side by side, their shoulders touching as they watched an exuberant Lee congratulate Kiba, who was concerned with the boy’s proximity, but proud of himself all the same.

Kiba looked back at Naruto, and Naruto gave him a big thumbs up and a smile. A bashful grin settled on Kiba’s face as he turned back to Lee who was still bowing in front of him, in awe of his amazing running skills.

Sasuke watched Naruto for a moment. He was surprised at how comfortable he had been with their previous position. He was confused as to why he had wanted to wrap his arms around the boy.

Why he had wanted more.

~

Guilt was racking his mind without mercy. Sasuke blinked resolutely, determined that he would not be so cliché as to cry in his therapist’s office; but this feeling was worse than tears. He couldn’t block it out of his mind or force it down, like he could his anger, at least not now that he had bared everything to Shizune.

This was his second time in this room, and it certainly wasn’t any easier this time around. Shizune had asked him to disclose every detail he could remember about the night his parents had died.

“I want you to tell me everything you are thinking, Sasuke,” she had told him. “Everything. Even if your thoughts aren’t coherent.”

Sasuke had agreed, although he couldn’t understand the point of her instructions. However, as he proceeded to talk he realized what she was doing. He hadn’t counted on saying everything out loud being this difficult, and he knew she was trying to break his habit of internalizing his thoughts and emotions.

So the session had continued, albeit a bit bumpy at the beginning. Sasuke spoke of what actually happened in the most efficient way possible (which, for him, meant using as few words as he could), and Shizune would stop him and ask him to describe the room, or the color of the carpet, or the noises coming from the kitchen. By the end of Sasuke’s rehashing, Shizune knew every detail of the night, down to which pajamas Sasuke was wearing and the number of roses in the vase on top of his mother’s dresser.

Sasuke was thoroughly exhausted by that point. He had hoped he was finished, but then Shizune continued her interrogation on a much more personal note.

“What did you think the noises were?”

“How long did it take you to get out of bed and to their bedroom?”

“Did you think about saying anything to your brother?”

Sasuke was now at his metaphorical rope’s end. Never had he been confronted with this much emotion and actually had to deal with it. Each question brought him closer to breaking. He leaned forward and rested his face in his hands, elbows supported by his knees.

“Shizune, I can’t...”

“Why did you let Itachi leave?” she continued ruthlessly.

A lone tear streaked down Sasuke’s cheek, despite his best efforts. He shook his head, unwilling to answer.

“Why did you let him kill your parents?”

At that his anger finally welled up. He raised his head slowly, all signs of guilt and sorrow now nonexistent. Furious black eyes met his doctor’s and held the gaze.

“I was half-asleep,” he seethed. “I was on the other side of the house!” Shizune continued to stare at him emotionlessly, only incensing him more. He jumped out of his chair and leaned over the desk in her face.

“How was I supposed to know what those noises meant?!” he screamed, pounding a fist on the wood of the desk. “I was a kid! I AM A KID!”

And then he stopped yelling. He snapped back upright and backed away from the desk. His countenance changed to one of rage to one of realization.

“It’s not my fault,” he said softly. Shizune leaned back in her chair and nodded, a self-pleased smile lighting up her previously antagonizing face.

Silence reigned in the office as Sasuke allowed his new-found truth to sink in. Finally, he released a shaky breath as he ran a hand through his hair. Relief flooded his being as he accepted his new mantra.

It’s not my fault.

~

It was weird for it to be so quiet.

Kiba was down for a nap, and Naruto was quietly making origami cranes for Kiba. Shikamaru sat on the floor playing solitaire, and Lee was in his room unpacking.

Naruto cursed softly when he got a paper cut.

The door to Lee’s room swung open and he stepped out with his arms held wide. “I am finished,” he said with a glinting smile. “I am moved in!”

No one looked up from their activities. Lee looked slightly disappointed, but he perked up when he saw Shikamaru playing cards. He waddled over to where the boy sat and he plopped to the floor.

Shika paused slightly, giving an irritable glance towards Lee before continuing in his game. Lee fidgeted for a moment, before speaking.

“I love cards.”

Shikamaru didn’t answer.

“Perhaps…” Lee prompted, “We could play a game of cards together! As friends!”

Shikamaru looked up from his game, venom in his eyes. “We are not friends.”

But Lee couldn’t be deterred. “Here!” he said, picking some of the cards off the floor. “This is how you play King in the-“

Shikamaru had slapped away Lee’s hand so quickly that the cards had flown from his hand to the floor once again. His eyes were furious as he glared at Lee. “First you take over his room? His place? Then you expect me to play cards with you?! As if you could replace him in that too?”

Anyone who didn’t know about Neji would be completely lost at that point, and it was obvious that Lee was. Naruto was in between them in a moment, hissing softly.

“You guys! Kiba is sleeping!”

But Shika looked far from appeased. “You cannot come here and try to replace him! You don’t even know what I’m talking about, do you?” He was practically spitting by now.

Lee was backing away, and he looked severely confused. Naruto put a hand on Shikamaru’s shoulder, trying to calm the boy but knowing it would be futile.

“Oh, they didn’t tell you?” Shikamaru hissed. “They didn’t tell you that the boy before you was my best fucking friend? That he lived in that room-,” he pointed to Lee’s door. “-and that he played cards with me? They didn’t tell you that, huh? They didn’t tell you that I was having problems ‘letting go’, as Shizune likes to say? That I might be a tiny bit upset at your arrival? They didn’t fucking tell you that?”

Lee shook his head slowly, his eyes widening when Shikamaru took a step forward towards him, menacingly. Naruto quickly stepped between them and spoke to Shika in a calm voice.

“Shikamaru, you do anything more and I will have to call a nurse in.”

Shika looked like he was about to protest, but he resigned with slumping to the floor and setting up his cards again. He gave Lee one last glare before turning back to his game. Naruto went to Lee’s side to console him, but he was cut off by the door opening.

Had the nurses heard…?

He was relieved to hear a familiar voice.

“What’s going on here?”

Sasuke moved next to Naruto, touching his back lightly. “What is this?” he asked again, looking around apprehensively, sensing the tension in the room.

“Lee, why don’t you go unpack some more?” Naruto suggested quietly.

“But I’m done-“

“Lee, just do it. Please.”

Lee eyed Naruto for a moment, before resigning and walking off to his room, the door closing behind him. Naruto turned warily to Shikamaru.

“Shika,” he started, hesitatingly.

“I can’t deal with you yet, Naruto!” Shikamaru interrupted loudly.

“Maybe not,” retorted Naruto, “but this isn’t about me, this is about Lee. Regardless of what happened to Neji, Lee had nothing to with it. You know that.”

Shikamaru glared up at Naruto. “And you?” he asked Sasuke suddenly. “I suppose you’re on his side, aren’t you?”

Sasuke looked between both boys. “I really don’t know what’s going on, so--”

“Of course he’s on my side,” interrupted Naruto. “I’m right.”

“Hey!” protested Sasuke indignantly. “Don’t answer for me!”

“You’re not right,” seethed Shikamaru, ignoring Sasuke completely now. “What would you know anyhow?”

“Don’t tell me I’m not right!”

“Well clearly I’m not needed here,” Sasuke butted in, startling both boys who had forgotten him. He quickly disappeared into his room before Naruto could pull him back in. Naruto sighed, watching his retreating back.

Sense seemed to prevail then as Shikamaru returned to his solitaire game. Naruto knelt down in front of him.

“Shika, I know you’re mad at me. And you should be. You have every right to hate me for forever. But this thing between us has nothing to do with Lee. Please, don’t make his life miserable for something he had no control over.”

Shika paused in his game, then looked pointedly at Naruto.

“I don’t like him.”

Naruto stood up. “You don’t have to like him, you just have to tolerate him.” Shikamaru huffed and bent back over his cards, effectively ending the conversation. Naruto would just have to take what he could get.

~

Sasuke opened his eyes when he heard the door open and close softly, praying it wasn’t Kiba or Lee. A familiar shock of blonde worked its way into his field of vision and he sighed in relief.

“You still in one piece?”

“Yeah.”

“So what happened?”

Naruto sighed. “Shika politely informed Lee that he hated him because he was sleeping in Neji’s room. Lee didn’t know what hit him.”

Sasuke snorted and closed his eyes wearily. “I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard Shika say in one sitting.”

Naruto stood beside the bed and nudged at Sasuke lightly. Sasuke made a small sound of protest.

“Come on, Sasuke,” whined Naruto. “I’m tired! I had to chase those Kiba and Lee all day.”

Sasuke grumbled something but moved over anyway, making enough room for Naruto. Naruto laid down on his side facing the brunette. Sasuke could feel his breath wash over his face and smiled. Naruto’s presence was a constant source of comfort to him.

“How was it with Shizune today?”

Sasuke opened his eyes and turned his head to the side to look at his friend. “Really good, actually. Exhausting, but good.”

“Exhausting how?” asked Naruto, tracing invisible patterns with his index finger on the bedspread between them. Sasuke stayed silent for a minute, pondering how to sum up the entire hour he had spent with her.

“She made me talk more than I think I ever have before,” he finally answered. “And about things I never talk about normally.”

“Liiike?” Naruto drew out slowly, prodding the boy to keep going.

Sasuke sighed. “Liiike, my thoughts, and how I felt about stuff.” Silence filled the air around them.

“So, are you going to start to talk to me like that?” Naruto finally asked, finger stilling it’s movements on the bed.

“I’m going to try,” said Sasuke after a moment. “But it might be hard to do sometimes.”

Naruto laughed. “That’s okay, I’ll just yell at you until you do.”

Sasuke smirked, then turned his body so he was laying on his side. Oynx eyes held azure steadily.

“I know now that they didn’t die because of me. It’s not my fault after all,” he informed the blonde seriously, which earned him a wide grin.

Just then the door opened and a mop of short black hair poked itself in. Upon seeing the two boys, Lee’s eyes went wide and a huge smile appeared on his face. He backed out of the doorway while puckering his lips and holding a finger to them. The door closed, and Sasuke glanced at Naruto questioningly.

“I don’t know...”

They both laughed lightly, then settled into easy silence as drowsiness began to overtake them. Within minutes they were both asleep.

Asleep, that is, until some scuffling was heard outside the door, followed by a timid knock.

“No Kiba!” Sasuke could hear Lee’s voice muffled slightly.

“What? I just want to see Naruto!”

“You CAN’T!”

Naruto stirred awake at the increasing volume of the voices outside the room. Sasuke was already on his way to the door.

“But why?”

“You must not interrupt! They must satiate their young desires for companionship by--”

“Alright! Enough!” yelled Sasuke as he wrenched the door open. Lee looked at Sasuke, then over his shoulder to Naruto who was sitting up groggily, then back to Sasuke, clearly disappointed.

“Let’s not scar young Kiba for life, shall we?” Sasuke hissed at Lee, who finally understood. He bowed silently to Sasuke and retreated, leaving a bewildered Uchiha in his wake.

Sasuke turned to regard Naruto, who currently had a lapful of Kiba and was still blinking blearily. Kiba clung to his neck.

“What were you doing?” he asked Naruto.

Naruto hugged Kiba tightly and responded, “Just napping.”

Kiba pulled back to see Naruto’s face, looking confused. “But Lee said I couldn’t interrupt.”

“Yeah, he didn’t want you to wake us up.”

Kiba shook his head adamantly. “No, no, he said you had to sash...sachur...do something with young desires...” he said, struggling with Lee’s complex dialogue. Naruto looked up at Sasuke, puzzled. Sasuke immediately blushed and dropped his gaze to his shoe which was busily scuffing at the carpet. Really, if the idiot didn’t get it by now...

Then Naruto gasped. Eyes grew wide as cheeks blossomed pink with embarrassment. And there it is, thought Sasuke. Naruto looked positively mortified. Kiba was poking him repeatedly, trying to get a response but Naruto was, it would seem, speechless.

Sasuke spoke up. “We were napping, Kiba.” Kiba looked like he was about to argue, but at looking at Sasuke’s face appeared to think twice. Instead he just sighed noisily and sunk further into Naruto’s embrace. Awkward silence filled the room as two boys looked at everything but each other and hastily tried to lower the temperature of their overheated faces.

“DINNER!”

Lee’s overly loud voice broke the tension as Kiba leapt from Naruto’s lap and sprinted through the door, making little excited noises. Naruto slowly rose from his position on the bed and made his way towards the door. Nervously he met Sasuke’s gaze, then dropped his once more as he drew near. Sasuke cursed Lee furiously in his mind for screwing up the closest thing he had ever known to friendship. He swore, if Naruto wasn’t going to treat him normally anymore because of this, he would tear Lee from limb to limb...

But just as Sasuke was sure all was lost he felt a small hand brush along the length of his arm. He looked at the hand, then at Naruto, his face held in a blank expression that can only be attained from years of practice. Naruto looked up shyly through blonde lashes at the slightly taller boy and smiled a bit. Sasuke raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Then Naruto grasped Sasuke’s wrist with his thumb and forefinger and started towards the door, tugging Sasuke behind him. The other eyebrow joined the first high on Sasuke’s forehead. Then Sasuke smiled in relief. He willingly followed Naruto out of the bedroom to join the other boys for dinner.

They pulled up chairs around the table and Naruto distributed the trays of food out. Kiba glowered unhappily at the presence of steamed carrots on his tray.

“Shikamaru!” Naruto called absently, handing Sasuke his tray.

A door creaked open and Shikamaru walked to Naruto, stopping by his side. He held out his hand and wiggled his fingers, asking for his tray, giving a sidelong glare to Lee.

Naruto nervously cleared his throat. “Well, Shika, I was wondering if you wanted to eat out here with us.”

Shikamaru snatched the tray away from him, spilling his juice on Naruto’s shirt as he did. “I don’t want to,” he replied again, tossing another angry look in Lee’s direction before retreating to his room and slamming the door.

Naruto looked crushed.

“Naruto…” Sasuke said, touching his shoulder. “Don’t let him bother you.”

He could see the struggle in the boy as Naruto forced his happy smile back on his face. “I’m going to go change into another shirt.”

Sasuke resisted the urge to follow him as he walked silently to his room to change. Instead, he turned to Lee, who was watching the scene intently while chewing his macaroni.

He was dumbfounded at how the boy could take all of the glares and snide remarks and not take it personally.

Lee, oblivious to Sasuke’s observing gaze, dug into his dinner with zealous abandon, shoveling green beans into his mouth. Kiba stared at him incredulously.

“How can you stand those?” came the inevitable question. Lee took it in stride, responding around a mouthful of the vegetables,

“Because they make me STRONG!”

Kiba wrinkled his nose at that. “I hate beans. I don’t eat them, and I’m strong!”

Lee gave Kiba a huge grin. “But you’re not as strong as me!” he exclaimed, taking a huge mouthful to emphasize his point.

Kiba jumped up speedily to defend his name, knocking over his chair in the process. Sasuke proceeded to look on as the boys hastily shoved aside their trays and set up for the arm-wrestling match of the century.

“The winner shall be declared the STRONGEST of us all!” shouted Lee, pumping a fist in the air boisterously. Kiba grinned and furrowed his brows, trying to concentrate all of his body’s might into his right arm. Naruto walked out of his room in a fresh shirt just as Lee screamed,

“COMMENCE!”

Naruto watched for a few seconds as the two boys seemed to hold each other’s arms in place, Kiba’s face waxing red and Lee’s eyes turning darker in extreme concentration.

“What’s going on--”

“Shh!” hushed Sasuke, patting the empty chair next to him absently without taking his eyes off of the fight. Naruto sat down quietly.

“I must prove to you the strength of my youth!” Lee was now screaming.

“Huh?!” screamed Kiba back. “What’s ‘youth’ anyways?”

This drew a huge gasp from Lee, who almost lost the war right then because of his seemingly utter surprise. Quickly he realized his mistake and took up the slack, bringing both forearms back to their original upright positions.

“What is youth? YOUTH? Youth is the essence of you and me! The vigor of youth is priceless!” Lee began ranting to a bewildered looking Kiba. Shikamaru poked his head out of his bedroom.

“Would you tell the freak to SHUT UP?” he hissed. “Really, this is ridicu--”

But Sasuke’s loud “shh!”-ing and Naruto’s hand motioning him to an empty chair drew him out of his room and onto the quickly escalating scene. Well, almost out of his room...A slightly devious look crossed his face before he ducked back into his room and returned with his dinner tray. He sat down incopiously next to the other spectators, sliding his tray next to Kiba’s discarded one.

By now Lee and Kiba had stopped speaking coherently and were apparently trying to intimidate each other with loud grunts and bellows. Naruto leaned slightly towards Sasuke and with a hand covering his mouth muttered,

“So they aren’t allowed to play unsupervised.”

“Agreed,” came Sasuke’s hasty reply.

Suddenly it was over. Lee slammed Kiba’s fist harshly to the table, causing everything on it to jump an inch. Kiba howled and Lee squealed. Naruto rolled his eyes. Sasuke smirked. Shikamaru sat back in his chair, having just hastily finished the contents of his dinner.

“So you see, young Kiba, vegetables are important. They make you STRONG, like ME!”

Kiba growled at Lee and slunk back to his chair. Dragging his tray harshly towards him, he looked down to glare at the contents, until...

Suddenly he grinned back at Lee. “You know what? You’re right. I’ll eat my vegetables, just so I can beat you. And soon.” Kiba pointed at Lee with one finger defiantly, then turned back to his dinner and began to rapidly shovel mushrooms in his mouth.

Lee made a triumphant noise from his side of the table. Sasuke watched as Kiba finished his mushrooms with a final slurping noise, then patted his stomach and smirked arrogantly at his new rival.

Then Sasuke remembered...

And he looked quickly back at Shikamaru, who was leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. At the accusing glance, Shikamaru just shrugged and shot Sasuke a lazy smile, then went back to staring at nothing.

“Look, Naruto! I ate them all!” exclaimed Kiba.

“Yup, that’s great Kiba,” said Naruto distractedly. At the uncustomary tone of voice from the blonde, Sasuke and Kiba both swung their heads to find Naruto fixedly staring at Lee.

Lee was staring down at the remnants of his beans, pushing them around with his fork. His expression had turned from ridiculously happy to blank to monumentally dejected within the space of seconds.

Naruto was the first to say something.

“Lee?”

Nothing.

“Lee?”

Blank black eyes looked up from Lee’s tray to Naruto’s questioning gaze. Suddenly they were filled with tears, and with no warning Lee began to wail.

“Lee, what’s wrong?” exclaimed Naruto, jumping up from his seat. He hastened to Lee’s side and soothingly rubbed his shoulders. Lee gestured at Kiba, who looked exceedingly confused, and spluttered incoherently. Naruto leaned closer to Lee’s face, trying to make sense of the babbling.

“What?” he asked finally. At this Lee proceeded to howl in agony. He threw his arms down on the table and slammed his head into them, causing everything once again to jump. Kiba’s juice tipped on its side and sloshed over the table. Lee looked up at the slight noise and, upon seeing the juice, pointed at it and wailed,

“And now this!” This was, of course, followed by even more insistent sobbing.

Naruto still stood beside the shaking Lee, rubbing his shoulders but looking at Sasuke in utter astonishment. It was clear he had no idea what to do with this boy who had been one moment so bent on happiness that he made Naruto look slightly cynical.

And suddenly it was over. Lee sat up straight, and not even bothering to wipe his eyes began to eat again. The room was blanketed in the most awkward, tense silence imaginable. The other boys remained completely motionless until Lee finished his dinner and calmly rose from the table and walked into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him.

Shikamaru’s sigh broke the silence finally. Sasuke slowly turned back from staring at the closed bathroom door to peer incredulously at Naruto.

“What the hell was that?”

Naruto just shook his head, still looking astonished and bewildered and shocked all rolled into one. Kiba was still staring at the door, dumbfounded.

Shikamaru stood and stretched, then went to his room. He returned a few moments later with a file in hand.

Naruto glared slightly at him, but reached out and took it. He read a few lines, then gasped.

“What?” asked Sasuke expectantly.

Naruto looked up at Shikamaru for confirmation.

Shikamaru nodded. “All the symptoms fit so far.”

“What?” tried Sasuke again.

Naruto looked worried. “Wasn’t--”

“Yup.” Shikamaru nodded again.

“What?” Sasuke was getting impatient, and quickly.

Naruto shuddered. He turned to Kiba.

“Remember Gaara?”

Kiba paled as his eyes widened. Then he looked again at the closed bathroom door and a look of complete horror crossed his face. “Oh no...”

Sasuke slammed his fist on the table. “Naruto, so help me...”

Naruto looked reluctant to even talk about this Gaara, but one look at the irate Uchiha seemed to convince him that it would be beneficial to start explaining.

“Before you came here,” he began shakily, “this one boy, Gaara,” Kiba visibly trembled at the name, “lived here with us. He... had crazy mood swings. One minute he was deathly quiet, looking like he wanted to kill all of us, and quite convincingly too.”

Sasuke’s eyes started to get a little bigger.

“Oh, no, believe me, that was the good side. He’d switch without any warning. Suddenly he’d be sickeningly happy. He’d literally make me feel nauseous.”

“I threw up once,” volunteered Shikamaru, raising his hand.

“He would have so much energy during those bouts. He would want to take us all on in any kind of physical competition, which usually resulted in one of us getting really hurt because he was so aggressive. He would get so...so excited about anything and everything.” Naruto shook his head. “Let’s just say it wasn’t good when Gaara was happy.”

Sasuke was stunned into silence for a few seconds, busily putting pieces together in his head.

“So, Lee is...”

“Bipolar,” Shikamaru supplied.

Kiba made a small whimpering noise when the bathroom door opened, revealing a perfectly calm Lee. The boy walked back into the common room, plopped down on the sofa, and lazily flicked on the television with the remote control.

Sasuke slowly circled around the sofa until he was looking at Lee’s face.

“Lee?” he asked slowly. Lee looked at him blankly. Sasuke swallowed.

“You feeling okay?” he put as delicately as possible.

Lee gazed at Sasuke quizzically. “Yes, of course,” he replied evenly and turned his attention back to the TV, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened in the last ten minutes.

Sasuke looked back at the other boys, completely stunned. This Lee was neither hyper and sunny nor wailing like a pms-ing woman. How many sides of Lee would they be forced to endure?

Sasuke walked back to the table where Naruto had started to gather the dinner trays together. Shikamaru huddled up close to them and whispered,

“When he’s happy he doesn’t seem as bad as Gaara was. Maybe his down swings won’t be so bad.”

Naruto looked at Shikamaru hopefully. “You think so?”

Shikamaru shrugged. “I hope so. I hope that was the worst.”

Sasuke winced slightly. “I don’t think I can deal with...that...all the time.”

Shikamaru snorted. “Seriously. He needs to grow a freaking pair.”

“A pair of what?”

All eyes swung quickly to the innocent gaze of Kiba, who had joined their huddle at some point.

“Nothing, Kiba,” Naruto said quickly, shooting daggers at Shikamaru.

“No, really, a pair of what?” Kiba demanded as he was led away before the lazy genius could corrupt him more. Sasuke and Shika shared a significant look and a few suspicious coughs.

~

Naruto was shaken out of his light slumber when Lee waved a hand a few inches from his face and whistled a “Woohoo”. He blinked slowly, sitting upright and running his hand through his hair.

“What can I help you with, Lee?”

Lee’s eyes sparkled. “I was hoping you could teach me how to do origami,” his voice enthusiastic. “I’ve seen the birds you have made, and I wish to train myself in the patience it takes to make such delicate creatures.” He was surprisingly solemn as he made his pitch.

Naruto coughed slightly, before standing. “Sure, Lee,” he said, smiling at him. “Let me go get some paper.”

Lee dumped a pile on the table before them.

“Ah, you’re prepared, I see,” Naruto said, sitting again. He was a bit hesitant, but the concentrated look on Lee’s face gave him courage. The boy deserved a bit of kindness anyhow. “Now,” he began, picking up a sheet of paper, and handing one to Lee. “You start by folding the page in half…”

Kiba looked up from his toys, Nar-Nar and Garfield (“Kiba, Garfield is a cat’s name”, Naruto had tried to explain. “Garfield is DOG, not a CAT!” Kiba shouted, clutching the dog to his chest. That had been the end of that), to watch Naruto show Lee how to create a flower. His face turned to a slight pout. He stood and marched over to the table, his fist slamming into the table a little harder than necessary. They both looked up, startled.

“Naruto, come play with Nar-Nar, Garfield and me,” he commanded.

“Kiba, Lee and I are doing something. You will have to wait till we’re through,” Naruto scolded softly, turning back to Lee.

Kiba stomped his foot on the ground. “I want to play right now!”

Naruto gave Kiba a warning glance. “Stop it, Kiba. Now go play nicely, and I’ll be with you when I’m done here.”

Kiba let out an angry shriek, shoving the pile of papers to the floor. Naruto was on his feet.

“Inuzuka Kiba!” he exclaimed. “That is inappropriate behavior, now pick up these papers!” he said, angrily motioning to the papers spread all over the floor.

Kiba glared at Naruto, then to Lee before getting on his hands and knees, gathering the papers in his arms. He dropped the messy stack on the table before stalking off to his room. The door slammed behind him.

Naruto let out a sigh, turning to Lee. “I’m sorry, Lee, where were we?”

Lee just stared at Kiba’s closed door.

Naruto nudged his shoulder, gaining his attention. “Don’t mind him Lee, it was just a little temper tantrum. Oh! That’s an awesome flower!” Naruto exclaimed, examining the folded paper before him. In one try, the boy was almost as good as he was.

“I’m ready for a challenge!” Lee proclaimed, reaching for another sheet of paper.

“Oh-ok then,” Naruto was still a little dumbfounded. “You sure you’ve never done this before?”

Lee’s face turned to horror. “It isn’t that obvious is it? I tried my best, really I did!”

“No, no, Lee!” Naruto assured him. “This is a very good flower. So good, it seems like you have done origami before…But anyways! Time to teach you to how to make a crane!”

Lee looked delighted as Naruto began a model crane so Lee could see how it was done. He nodded and watched with narrowed eyes, as to not miss a single step.

In the back round, Kiba slipped out of his room and stealthily into Sasuke’s. After a few minutes, he emerged again, with Nar-Nar and Garfield on his arms, and a very tired looking Sasuke in tow. Kiba went to a corner, sat down and thrust Garfield into Sasuke’s lap. (He had become rather protective of Nar-Nar after Shikamaru had returned him.) He swung Nar-Nar through the air, as if he was flying, and Sasuke humored the boy, swinging Garfield in time with the sock monkey.

Naruto was conscious of the frequent glances Kiba was shooting at him and Lee. Whenever he was caught looking by Kiba, the boy made an exaggerated show of the play, making Nar-Nar back flip while making happy ‘whooshing’ sounds. Naruto returned his attention to Lee, who was already half way done with his bird.

“That’s very good Lee-,”

Naruto was cut off by Kiba’s wail when he dropped Nar-Nar, causing the monkey to fall head first to the floor. Kiba hurriedly put his head close to Nar-Nar’s limp body. “Nar-Nar! Are you ok?! Nar-Nar!”

Sasuke looked half amused, half annoyed by the screaming.

“HE’S NOT TALKING!”

Gods, Naruto just wanted the day to be over…

~

Lee stared at the pile of cranes before him with pride. “I have made two hundred!” he announced happily.

Naruto looked at the stack in disbelief. He had taught Lee how to make the birds, and then he had left the boy to his work. He retreated to his room to block out Kiba’s frantic cries to Nar-Nar, who was in traction, and Kleenex wrapped around his neck as a brace. Only a half an hour later, Lee had knocked on his door, summoning him to the common room once again.

He had made two hundred cranes. Good cranes. In a half an hour. This boy was a machine.

“Wow, Lee. You are fantastic at this,” he commented, inspecting one between his thumb and forefinger. “You’re almost better than me…”

Lee perked up visibly. “My new goal is to surpass my master in the art of the papier-mâché!” he cried, thrusting his fist in the air.

Naruto let out a shaky laugh. “Ok, Lee, whatever makes you happy…”

Lee inhaled deeply. “Indeed! Competition fuels the mind and the body!” This was accompanied by a hearty chest thump.

Naruto smiled weakly, and was about to make an excuse to retreat to his room again when a knock sounded on the door leading to the hall. Lee bounded to the door and was about to open it when Naruto stopped him, taking his place and opening the door slightly.

“Yes?” he asked the nurse standing outside. She held a large box in her arms, and she seemed to be struggling under its weight.

“I have a package for Uchiha Sasuke,” she wheezed, the box slipping in her grasp.

Naruto swung the door open quickly and grabbed the box from her, to keep her from falling on her face. He walked back into their room, dropping the box gently on the table. The nurse followed him in.

“I need to see that he gets it personally…” she said, looking around the common room.

“Sasuke!” Naruto called out, pushing Lee’s hands away from the lid of the box.

Sasuke’s head popped out of his door, and he walked out, seeing the box, and running his hands over it.

“It’s for you,” the nurse supplied, seeing his confused look. “From Obito.”

Kiba sprinted out of his room, reaching for the box. “Giiiiiift!”

“No, Kiba,” Naruto reprimanded softly, pulling him back. He was concerned by the look on Sasuke’s face.

Sasuke’s eyes were soft and confused and he took the box in his arms, walking to his room. His kicked the door shut behind him.

“I wanted to see what was inside…” Kiba pouted, folding his arms over his chest.

Naruto shushed him absently, his eyes still trained on Sasuke’s door.

~

Naruto knocked tentatively on Sasuke’s door. It had been over an hour since he had gone in his room, and Naruto was worried.

“Sasuke?” he called softly. He received no reply, and he slowly cracked the door open.

He ignored the voices in his head screaming at him to give Sasuke his privacy, and stepped in, the door clicking softly shut behind him. He froze when he heard soft sounds, coming from behind the foot of the bed. Was it-…? Naruto’s eyes widened and he dashed forward, rounding the corner of the bed and halting at the sight before him.

Sasuke sat on the floor, the box beside him, with pictures scattered in a wake around him. Sasuke sat in a heap, holding a picture in his hands, tears pouring steadily down my face. He looked up when he saw Naruto. Their eyes met.

“I-…I can’t seem to stop crying. Weird huh?” he said, his face cracking into a shaky smile.

Naruto’s mind wasn’t caught up with his actions as he fell to his knees and pulled the boy into his arms roughly. He held the boy to him tightly and he felt Sasuke slowly wrap his arms around his waist. Naruto felt Sasuke begin to sob, his face pressed into Naruto’s shoulder. Naruto had never felt more helpless in his life, so he held the boy tighter, his nose in Sasuke’s hair as he rubbed the boys back as soothingly as he could.

It took a few minutes, but Sasuke eventually pulled back, wiping his eyes embarrassedly.

“Sorry…” he muttered quietly, his eyes on the floor.

Naruto was suddenly very aware that he was sitting on Sasuke’s pictures and he scrambled to the empty space beside the boy. Naruto’s eyes followed Sasuke’s to glance at the pictures that littered the floor. Pictures of Sasuke as a boy…and his family…

Oh...god…

Sasuke picked one up, showing it to Naruto. “This is our Christmas picture from last year…”

Sasuke’s father stood behind Sasuke with his hands on Sasuke’s shoulders, and his mother stood next to his father, her arms linked with those of a tall boy…

“That’s him,“ Sasuke murmured softly, pointing to the tall boy. “That’s Itachi.”

Naruto let his gaze fall on the boy in the picture. He was tall, and looked to be around 20 years of age. It scared him how this boy looked very much what he had imagined Sasuke would look like when he got older. Sasuke’s voice broke him out of his reverie.

“I hate him Naruto. I hate him for what he did to me.”

Naruto nodded, his eyebrows furrowed. For the first time in his life, he didn’t know the magic words to make everything better.

“But…” Sasuke let out a shaky breath. “This is…the first time I’ve ever really cried about it…at their funeral, I couldn’t…-I couldn’t even cry at my parent’s funeral.”

Naruto was silent. His eyes were busy washing over the various snap shots: Sasuke’s first steps, a family picnic, Itachi’s graduation.

No one should have to go through this…

Sasuke saw the frown in his features. “This…this is good though right? I mean, I can finally grieve. It’s like…it’s finally sunk in. They’re not coming back…”

Sasuke turned to look when again, Naruto said nothing. Sasuke suddenly felt embarrassed again. “I-I’m sorry. This must be really awkward for you-“

“No, Sasuke…” Naruto silenced him, shaking his head. “I’m just…I’m just so sorry. That this happened.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, Naruto leaning slightly on Sasuke’s shoulder. They could hear fits of giggles coming from the common room, and Sasuke let the corners of his mouth twitch up.

“It’s nice here, isn’t it?”

Naruto laughed softly. “I guess you could say so, yeah. It’s home.”

They heard Kiba’s cry of “ATTACK OF THE PAPER BIRDS!” and the sound of fluttering paper followed by a high pitched scream from Lee (“My CRANES!), followed by the sound of Lee’s door slamming shut.

This really is…home.

“You know Sasuke…” Naruto started, his fingers playing with the hem of his sleeve. “Everything will be alright in the end.”

Sasuke paused.

“And if it’s not alright, then you just know it’s not the end.”

Sasuke felt Naruto snuggle closer to his side and heard him let out a quiet sigh.

It’s not the end.



Hey readers. So, how do you like Lee? He was insanely (haha) fun to write. A lot of people thought we would put Gaara in. First off, WAY to obvious! Second of all, he’s…boring. He’s kind a just another Sasuke, and we wanted something to mix it up. We needed some humor anyway.

I (Mirandler) was thinking that I’d offer some kind of alert service, if anyone is interested. I get frustrated because the story gets pushed off that front page so quickly and I worry that some readers won’t see that it’s updated. Soooo, if you want an email telling you that we updated our story, give it to us in a review and we’ll be sure to send an alert your way!

Reviews are awesome guys, keep them up.

Briryan: Thanks! Sasuke is patching up really quickly, which will lead to…well I’m not going to say. :p But you’ll find out soon.
Fuyu ni Kodomo: Haha! Yeah, we’re glad to have Lee in the mix. KandKL wasn’t sure about him, but I convinced her and MAN are we happy we decided to add him.
Kedo: (KandKL pats Kedo on the back) No worries, there will be more Neji later.
dengrymme: Aw, thanks! And yeah, things with the new patient shall be…interesting.
Naruto: Haha! Yay, we caught you off guard! (mirandler43 and KandKL high five) And you hit the Shika problems on the proverbial head of the nail. We’ve got more Sasuke and Naruto action coming your way, hang in there!
Artemis: Haha, thanks.
Houseki: Wow, four reviews! That’s awesome. Sasuke *does* heart Naruto so much. And yeah, chapter three was really dramatic and four was pretty angsty too, so we decided that for our sanities as much as anyone else’s we needed some humor. Enter Lee. :p
ladygizarme: Nah, you’re not messed up for wanting a vulnerable Sasuke! I loved writing all of the fluff in last chapter. It was like an unveiling, and it opened the doors for a lot more stuff to happen between Sasuke and Naruto. I love creating new opportunities. :p
Trollmia: Haha, wow thanks!
yaoigurl91: Haha, yes I think crazy is a good way to describe it.
loveless: First of all, *big* points on your name. (KandKL: It’s mirandler’s guilty pleasure. Mirandler43: *blushes*) Yeah, poor Kiba. He turned out to be a lot more forgiving than I would have been.
Rei: Patience, patience, Neji shall appear again, I assure you.
Germaine: Very flattered. And I’m with you on missing the good ole’ fics. Hard to find sometimes.
Jay: Yeah! *fist pump*
Fatkat: It *is* lee, so I guess we have a loyal reader and reviewer then! :p He isn’t included in a lot of stories, and I find that the ones he is in are very limited. I see almost no scope in his character. So we’re trying really hard to go outside of that box, but not so much that it’s unbelievable. You’ll have to tell us how we did on that. *bites nails*
Shadow Walker: Wow, thanks! What a compliment! I hope Lee turned out believable too.
Punkin02: Haha, interesting indeed.
Rasengan22: I totally agree with what you said about Naruto not being perfect, and I’m working to make him a little more childlike. Hopefully that will start coming through soon. I had a roommate my first year of college and we were just like how you described. It wasn’t a good situation, I can see that now that I am separated from it. But at the time…
losthimagain: Haha! *KandKL shakes losthimagain* WAKE UP! I actually read up on the symptoms of bipolar disorder and I was like, wow…there’s Lee. Mr. Extreme. If he can be ridiculously happy, then he can be ridiculously depressed too. (And then I thought of Gaara and his extreme anger, and I thought, well…let’s have him go the other way too! So I had a little fun at his expense.)
Reno’s_Lover: Haha, you’re review made me laugh. “You’ve made me EMO!!” Well, you are right about Neji in that he won’t be coming back to live with the boys. I mean, realistically, what hospital would allow him back in the same situation? But he will appear again, I promise.
kaze uzumaki: Thanks!
sango2sakura: Lemons are on the way. We’re just trying to keep things believable. I don’t see two crazy but innocent boys jumping each other immediately, you know?
Lemo: Oh dear lord is right. We thought there would be too much glaring if we brought in Gaara, and we really don’t need more angst in this story. I think we’re set. Glad you approve.
Erin: Haha! I mean… oh, sorry about that…At least this one isn’t such a hanger, right?
Disgraceful_Soul: Yeah, Shika is having…issues, to say the least. But I promise, he’ll come around, and the good times will roll!


Next Chapter: What you’ve all been waiting for. That’s all I’m going to say. :)

Reviews are lovely.

Peace and love y’all