Matriculate This >.

Chapter 6


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Even Kiba could tell something was wrong with his new friend when he was quiet and surly all through first period the next morning. The boy had waved mutely to Shino, who he'd met briefly on the first day, and had barely managed a smile when Kiba had introduced him to Sakura. The boy was running out of things he could think of to cheer the blond up though, so he eventually just gave up, returning to doodle in the margins of his science notebook until the teacher was done exploding about the wonders of biology in the springtime of their youth.


Naruto just stared down at his desk the whole time, after raising his hand when Gai-sensei had called his name during roll. He hadn't gotten much actual sleep the night before, too many things running through his mind. So it turned out Gaara wasn't involved with Sasuke in any way, in fact there was a certain animosity between the two of them. He was a little happy about this, really, because it meant that if he ever did manage to get close to the younger Uchiha, he wouldn't be hurting his roommate's feelings in any way. Still, now he was back to square one, trying to figure out who could possibly be the pale boy's lover, and if he was this unhappy with it why didn't he just leave the other boy.


He hadn't seen Sasuke since lunchtime yesterday, and he was a little worried, even at Kiba's rather weak assurance that the boy did this all the time. he'd seen Shika's face after that remark, and had a feeling his new friend was lying to him. Still, it was only to make him feel better, so he figured there wasn't much harm in it. He'd tried to smile at Kiba's attempts to cheer him up that morning as well, but he didn't really have the ability to focus that much.


Then there was the thing with Gaara that had happened yesterday night. He had been a little depressed to start with, but he felt like he really shouldn't have even gone there. Now he felt weird around his roommate, which he didn't want, like there was something unresolved, floating around them now. He'd rushed out of the room this morning as fast as he could, not wanting to talk to the red haired boy, and he dreaded the time when his next class came, and he'd have to face him.


He sighed, turning to stare glazedly out the window. It was going to be a long day.

X

Sasuke had felt a lot better the next morning, when he'd awoken in Deidara's bed, without the other boy in it. He'd been a bit confused at first but then he'd glanced over to Sasori's bed, where both boys were tightly cuddled together. It had been so peaceful he couldn't bear to wake them up, so he'd slipped out, returning to his own room to get ready for his first class of the day.


That had gone by rather quickly, even though he'd spent most of the time staring at the clock. Chemistry had never been his favorite subject, but the class was small, with no one in it he was particularly well acquainted with, even if one of those girls who would giggle at him obnoxiously in the hallways had waved to him from the back of the room. He managed a small smile, but he could tell it had still been rather cold. He thought it was probably better that way anyway. She didn't come any closer.


The bell signaling the end of the period rang loudly, startling him, but he didn't waste any time, scooping his notebook back into his bag and heading out the door before anyone could even think to stop and speak with him.


He was in the mood to be alone, and there was one place on campus that pretty much guaranteed he wouldn't be bothered. He popped into the elevator and pressed 10, the top floor. He wrapped his fingers around the smooth metal of the key in his pocket. When he got out, the corridors were empty, but he still looked both ways before unlocking the little door a couple rooms down. It looked suspiciously like a broom closet, but for the tarnished bras plate that was fixed to the front, which read "roof access."


The key had been given to him by one of Itachi's friends who had graduated last year, a boy named Tobi. He was quiet, and kept to himself a lot, and Sasuke had never really understood why he and Zetsu had ever hung out with his brother in the first place. But they had been nice, and they had given him a sanctuary up here, a place to go when he wanted to be alone.


He walked to the edge of the building, looking down on the students spread out across the grassy lawn of the classroom buildings, some spreading out lunches in front of them, others hurrying to their cars in small groups, ready to run off campus for a bite to eat. Sasuke rarely actually ate at lunch time, he didn't like sitting down among the people he didn't really get along with. Besides, eating in front of people had always made him rather nervous, though he had no idea why.


It didn't really matter though. His mind took him back to that lazy morning he'd eaten out on the lawn with Naruto, which seemed like forever ago even though he knew it was really only a couple of days in the past. It made him want to smile to think about how relaxed he'd felt with the other boy, it had seemed so right just laying sprawled out under the trees of the then deserted common, eating pastries and reading. He regretted not talking to him more then, he regretted not sinking his claws into the boy in some way that would have left him with more than the brief sketch of Naruto he carried in his head now.


It hurt him that he didn't know the blond better, because he wanted to. For the first time since he'd come here there was someone he really wanted to know, really wanted to get close to, and he'd let the chance slip through his fingers. He really hoped that somehow he could get another shot at being friends with Naruto. He wanted to be so much more than friends, but he would take what he could get really. He didn't think he'd have another chance in the end though, between his stupidity earlier and Gaara's claim on the boy, he felt like his opportunity to have someone in his life, really in his life, with no relation to his brother was growing over now, like a healing wound.


He felt like there was an emptiness around him now though, a palpable absence of some kind, and he knew what would fit there, like a missing jigsaw puzzle piece. Only now he'd kicked that piece under the furniture, down the heating duct, and he could never really see what things would have looked like. But he could imagine it.

X

Gaara watched his roommate throw away the remains of his lunch from the school doorway, loitering on the stoop just waiting. He'd been thinking about the boy, and every single time he'd always end on one note: this was Sasuke's fault. It was painfully obvious that the close friend he'd spoken of the night before was the younger Uchiha. The thought was almost enough to make Gaara laugh, the Uchiha wasn't anybody's close friend, the boy had somehow had all of his social skills removed and replaced with a pound or two of stoic teenage angst. It made him mad that Sasuke was still interfering like that, even once he'd been warned off of the subject.


It was becoming clear though that more than the Uchiha's passivity would be needed. There needed to be some action that would sever the two of them, pull them apart until they couldn't fit back together. These thoughts swam around in the back of Gaara's head as he saw Naruto approaching the doors. Lunch was pretty much over now, and it was time to head to class. Gaara was looking forward to this, actually, it was the first class he had had with the blond boy all week, indeed the only class they had together. He'd heard that Neji was also in the class, which he was ambivelant about.


He'd like to have a class with Naruto in which he was the only friend the boy had, in which he could be the center of his universe, if only until the bell rang. He smiled slightly at the thought, and fell into step beside Naruto as he entered the building, pushing down a grin when their eyes met and a little blush bloomed over Naruto's cheeks.


"Hello Uzumaki. Going to Japanese now?" The boy nodded silently, which made Gaara's eyes narrow a little. The distant, unresponsiveness was not what he wanted, this was not how Naruto was supposed to be. He hiked his bag up on his shoulder a little uncomfortably.


"Hey, listen Uzumaki, about last night. I - well, I didn't mean to freak you out or anything, we're still friends, right?" Gaara forced the words out of his mouth. He knew Naruto would appreciate them, a caring guesture, reaching out. The boy smiled a little, and Gaara felt himself relax.


"Yeah, we're fine. I'm just a little bit of a mess right now, I don't think I've quite acclimated with the school environment here yet. It's so different here..." He trailed off, and Gaara almost smiled, pushing the door to their japanese classroom open, holding it for Naruto, who smiled sheepishly. Gaara followed him up to the middle row of desks, plopping down into the desk next to the blond's as soon as he sat. Naruto proceeded to stare out the window though, leaving Gaara feeling almost awkward, not exactly sure of what to do. It was rather peaceful though, and he settled easily into just sitting next to his roommate, watching him breathe out of the corner of his eyes. It was almost enough to make him smile, knowing that the blond was oblivious to his eyes. At 30 seconds till the class bell though, a familiar figure staggered in the door, causing Gaara's eyes to narrow distastefully.

X

Sasuke rushed down the stairs after a glance at his watch. Shit, shit, shit, he'd already skipped or been late to every single other class he had this week, he wanted to be there and on time for something. Besides, three hours of Japanese would certainly do something to take his mind off of Gaara and Naruto. His stomach growled a little, he hadn't actually eaten much of anything, choosing instead to stare longingly down at the boys below him, and pointlessly fantasize. He winced at how that sounded in his mind, like he was some love sick high school fan girl or something. Ah well, he could make it until dinner tonight.


He hadn't seen Itachi since Sunday night, so he knew he would be getting a visit from his brother tonight, and at least he could drag a decent meal out of the boy before they got down to whatever business Itachi planned for them. He didn't want to think about that now though.


He skidded to a stop outside his Japanese classroom, taking a moment to breathe deeply, trying to calm his racing heart. He glanced at his watch and cursed quietly, he had less than a minute now. He pulled open the door and stepped inside, moving towards a desk in the front row, the teacher would usually pull him down to the front if he wasn't there already anyways.


His breath caught in his throat though, when his gaze past over the middle row of desks, over by the window. Gaara and Naruto, just the people he was trying to avoid thinking of. Naruto was staring out the window, looking distant and depressed, and his stomach fell a little. That wasn't right. Then Gaara caught his eyes, and the glare was hateful enough to make paint curl. He swallowed, watching the boy extend one pale arm and drape it over the back of the blond's chair protectivly, not quite touching the boy's back, not drawing attention. Suddenly Sasuke was glad he hadn't eaten much of anything because his stomach was turning over, he was sure he was going to be sick. He sat down heavily, turning towards the front, trying to ignore the gaze he could still feel, like daggers to his back.


The scene was interrupted though, when the door was slammed open and in walked the teacher, presumably. He smiled at the class from behind a black fabric breathing mask. Sasuke blinked, raising an eyebrow. Weird. The man tucked an orange book into the front pocket of his vest and turned to the class. This wasn't going to go well, Sasuke could already feel it.

X

Itachi smirked into his pillow. He didn't have any classes until tomorrow, so he hadn't actually peeled himself out of bed yet. He yawned, and glanced over at the clock. The blinking numbers read 1:35. He yawned again, thinking he really should get up, but it felt so nice all curled up in his silk sheets and warm blankets. Still, he had things to do. His stomach rumbled and he blushed slightly. Eating should probably be first on the list.


He swung his feet over the side of the bed and sat up, stretching his arms high above his head. He glanced around the room on instinct, but found it empty. He was still getting used to having a single room. He'd gotten one last semester, and it had been nice, but he missed having a roommate around sometimes. Especially when that roommate had been Kisame.


He stood, and slouched over to the desk, looking at the schedule taped to the wall beside his own. He frowned. Sasuke had class until 4, that was no fun. His lips curved up into a smile when he read the teacher's name, Hatake Kakashi. It would be easy to bust his brother out.


He let the gears in his mind start working, trying to come up with an excuse to steal his brother while he stepped into the shower. He groaned as the hot water trailed down his skin, a little too hot to be comfortable, but the sting was nice in its own way, pleasurable on his sleepy skin, pulling him awake.


He still yawned under the almost burning water, rolling pleasantly sore shoulders, reaching one arm back to massage the muscles on his right side free of knots. He still winced a little at the tougher ones, but it was a satisfying pain. He'd been caught up in his work out yesterday, and it had swallowed his entire day.


At his father's insistence he had started taking martial arts at a very young age, and he was quite good by now. He never took it seriously enough to get beyond a single black belt, but it had taught him a lot about control and movement, it had made him strong. He didn't really believe most of the things he was taught there, none of the emotional and psychological rules agreed with him. He kept at it for the physical aspects though, and it had helped him sculpt his body to perfection. He liked it that way.


Sasuke had done it when they were younger, but he had dropped out of it before highschool. Not that he needed it really, his body was always lithe and slim, and Itachi enjoyed the physcial advantage that gave him with the boy. He could bend his brother like a stick, push him over backwards and make him yeil whenever he wanted. The though made him hard, he hadn't seen his little brother in a couple of days, let alone fucked him, and it was starting to effect him.


He let his hand slide over his slicked muscles, scratching the skin a little, just enough to be able to feel the slight burn there. He wrapped his fingers around himself tightly, and started to move. He smiled as he friction burned slightly, and went a couple pumps before he slid his hand off and slicked it with soap, pulling it back then to slide against his flesh more smoothly.


The motions sent little sparks of pleasure down his sides, and he let his eyes fall close, thinking of the younger Uchiha kneeling before him. He loved it when Sasuke sucked him off, those soft lips around him, the eyes screwed shut in concentration and disgust. He was beautiful like that, and utterly submissive, a study in regret and self loathing. the picture was perfect.


The image in his head made him pump harder, drawing close. He considered drawing out his pleasure now, but reminded himself that he would have time for that later, with Sasuke. Now he could just ignore everything but the feelings licking up his spine like fire, the sweet slick of the fist he almost couldn't stop himself from bucking up into. He could feel himself getting closer, he could see the boy in his head, lips bobbing sweetly around him.


The wave building around him crested, and he sighed his completion, letting the hot water still falling around him gently wash away all signs of the act, leaving him clean again, with only the slight weakness of the aftershocks. He was always that much more sensitive after he came, the water seemed warmer, the tiles he leaned against smoother, his own skin softer and that much more tender. He couldn't keep from running his hands over his own chest then, shivering at the echoed sensations.


He just leaned there for awhile, he had no idea how long, until the water started cooling around him. He sighed, twisting the tap off before grabbing a towel from the shelf above the sink. He wrapped it around himself quickly, the air in the room was cold compared to the stream of water he had been under, and it made him shiver slightly, still a bit more sensitive than usual. He stepped out of the shower and proceeded to finish drying off. A glance at the clock told him he couldn't dawdle too much, he had an appointment to keep after all, and then he had to find his darling little brother. He smiled, tonight would be fun.

X

Gaara sat quietly in the back of their Japanese classroom, darting nervous little glances at the boy next to him, who was staring resolutly out the window, ignoring the test set before him. He had seen Naruto put down a few answers before he had sighed and went back to being entirely to distracted. He'd been like this the whole one and a half hours of class that had already ticked by, even if it did seem to drag on to infinity still.


Although it was preferable to the quick, hidden glances at Sasuke that the boy usually filled his time with, it still made Gaara worried. It wasn't like he cared that much, but he still wished Naruto would pay some attention to the classwork in front of him. He told himself it was because he wanted Naruto to do well, but the squirming little feelings in his gut told him it was more because he knew Naruto was still thinking about the Uchiha, even if he'd stopped staring at him.


There wasn't much he could do though, and he returned his mind to his own test, filling in the last blank before flipping the packet upside down on his desk and setting his pencil down. He stretched his hands high above his head, and yawned, as quietly as he could. He was tired, he hadn't gotten that much sleep the last couple of days, not that that was in any way unusual. He never got much sleep, but he didn't really complain about it. He'd learned to deal with it by now.


He glanced up at the clock and scowled. They still had a whole hour and a half left of class. He hoped Kakashi-sensei would let them out early if they finished. He didn't relish having to do any more work the first day, knowing there would be plenty of that later. Itachi had told him that Kakashi-sensei was a tough teacher, but fair, and he counted effort and attitude higher than all else. Itachi loved Kakashi-sensei, and they were friends in a way. He'd said that man was the only teacher he'd miss when he left, but Gaara assumed that had more to do with the fact that Kakashi-sensei was more perverted than Itachi could ever hope to become, and that was saying something. The thought alone made Gaara grin softly, something he didn't do very often at all.


He turned his head when he heard the door opening, and the smile stayed on his face. Speak of the devil, he watched Itachi stick his head in and wave at Kakashi with a little smile. The man grinned widely, only the general gesture of the expression visible underneath his mask.


"Why Uchiha-san, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?" Gaara smirked harder in satisfaction as he saw Sasuke stiffen in the front row. Served him right, fucking brat. He only looked more uncomfortable when his brother spoke, his voice thick and deep, soft like honey.


"I've actually come to borrow my otouto. I have some things I need to ... discuss with him right now." Kakashi nodded.


"Well feel free to take him away, he's done with his test, and he can get the rest of the information from one of the other students. Or you could swing by and pick it up for him sometime, my office is always open to you, Itachi-san!" Gaara glanced at Naruto and almost scowled when he saw the boy's blue eyes once again trained on the pale little boy down front. He had a sudden urge to pull him closer, to force those eyes onto himself, away from that bastard.


When he looked back he saw Itachi smirking up at him a little, eyes showing that he knew exactly what was going on, and that it amused him. If it had been anyone else down there, giving him that look, they would no longer have any use for their eyes, but it was Itachi, so all he could do was forced a small smile, violent and twisted on his face. It got the point across anyways, and Itachi nodded at him, draping one arm over his brother's shoulders when the boy stood, steering him towards the door. He turned back at the last moment, smirking over his shoulder.


"Good afternoon, Kakashi-sensei." His gaze shifted up to the back then, "You two as well, Gaara-kun, Naruto-chan." Sasuke stiffened under his arm visibly, but it was so quick that anyone not looking for it would have missed it. Gaara, however, was always looking for it, and it made him wave down at the Uchihas in the doorway brightly, letting his arm drape around the back of Naruto's chair once more, catching both sets of dark eyes as they left.

X

Neji fidgeted uncharacteristically with his pen, glancing at the door the two Uchihas had just exited through, then back at Gaara and Naruto, seated up in the back of the classroom. Something had happened between them, or at least between Gaara and Sasuke. Neji was pretty sure that Naruto was involved, but he didn't seem to be playing an active part in this, so he assumed he wasn't a participant in whatever had happened. He wasn't so sure about Itachi, he'd learned long ago that Itachi had his hands everywhere, behind the scenes, making things happen as he wanted them to. He sighed heavily, turning back to the man sitting at the head of the class, reading a little orange book.


Itachi had seemed quite familiar with this teacher, but considering the older Uchiha's ... reputation, Neji knew that could be expected. Kakashi-sensei had a bit of a reputation himself, really. He had the kind of reputation written in bathroom stalls though, while Itachi's reputation was the kind whispered in hushed voices in hallways and on subway cars.


Still, it was an enigma to Neji what had happened between his classmates in the short time they'd spent together. He knew Gaara and Sasuke hadn't really gotten along ever. They were never quite this hostile and cold though, always distantly polite and passive aggressive when put together, like silk over steel. Generally that wasn't done though, because the static between them was enough to start fires.


Neji looked down at the test in front of him, the plain white back of the packet staring back up at him. He was finished, had been for quite a while, but Kakashi didn't seem to care much, really. He just stared down at his little orange book, giggling every once and awhile. It was giving Neji a headache. He couldn't wait for the weekend to come, so he could sleep in, and forget about all of this drama for a couple days. He knew Itachi was having a party this weekend, and he had of course been invited, but he wouldn't go. He never went.


This time he was almost tempted though, knowing Gaara would go, and Sasuke would be forced to go, his brother always dragged him to his parties, calling him personal entertainment when he was in a good mood, a backup plan when he was feeling bitchy. He could almost picture the fight in his head, and he guiltily hoped that someone was thrown through a window or something, anything to relieve some of this awkward tension.


He shot a glance back up at Gaara, whose arm was still laying across the back of Naruto's chair. The blond, however, was quite oblivious, sighing heavily and staring out the window. What was between those two at this point? Neji had no clue, though he doubted they were any sort of an item, even though Gaara's body language suggested he thought they should be. That was probably a big part of his disagreement with Sasuke then, because the blond obviously liked the younger Uchiha. He liked the boy a lot, more than would be comfortable to any rival for his affections.


Neji slouched in his seat then, crossing his arms on the desk in front of him and laying his head down on top of them. He had a feeling this would be a long, horrible week. He wasn't looking forwards to it at all. Maybe he was hanging out with Shika too much, but he was finding this situation entirely too troublesome right now.

X

Itachi was more than a little annoyed with his brother's distant, depressed attitude. Well, a little bit of that was normal, he was Sasuke after all, but this was too much. The boy was staring out the window of the sleek black car, watching the scenery fly by. His silence was normal, but somehow it still annoyed Itachi to no end, because he knew there was something wrong this time, even if he really didn't know what.


He opened his mouth to say something to his little brother, but he really wasn't sure what to say so he closed it again, wracking his mind for anything that might break through the tension. He scowled when he found nothing. This wasn't good, and Itachi didn't like it. Sasuke was supposed to be focused on him when they were together, like he'd always been. Whether it was in fear or loathing or pleasure, Sasuke was always supposed to be focused on him.


He pulled up to the little restaurant and slammed on the parking break, a cloud of seething anger forming above his head. He'd have to re-arrange the situation a little, he'd have to refocus the boy sitting next to him, but he couldn't do that in public. At least, he couldn't do that in public using the methods he was thinking of. The thought made him shiver slightly, and an evil little smirk formed on his lips, the cloud of anger around him ebbing a little, but staying put.


He jumped out of the car and shut the door behind him a little louder than he'd meant to. His smirk melted away though, when he looked back and saw that Sasuke still hadn't gotten out of the car. He scowled deeply, stomping around the car to rip the boy's door open, leaning in over him. One pale hand, deathly smooth came up to grab his brother's cheek, twisting the boy's face until those slightly glazed eyes were looking straight at him. He felt the flinch, slight and repressed as it was, and it caused his anger to lessen a bit. Sasuke still knew who was in charge. He slammed the seat belt release with his other hand, lowering it then to wrap tightly around one pale wrist, smaller than his but still almost identical.


"Focus, otouto. You can sulk later, but for now get your whiny little ass, as cute as it may be, out of this fucking car and into the restaurant before you force me to do something to you to deserve that fucking pout." Sasuke flinched again, this time more noticeably and Itachi backed up, satisfied that, for the moment, his brother was back on planet earth once more.


He started towards the door way, pausing at the curb until he heard the door shut quietly, lifting up the keys to remotely lock the expensive car before continuing inside. Sasuke followed with obedient, downcast eyes.

X

Shika sighed as he slouched lower in his seat. He'd taken over on of the study tables in the back of the library, spreading his notes and books out over it. He was smart enough that most of the time he didn't really need to study, but he found himself studying anyways, most days. By studying he usually meant spreading out his books on a table and then promptly falling asleep atop them, but it was mostly the same thing. He would always smirk a little when Kiba complained at him for it, telling the boy he absorbed the information into his head better in an hour with his eyes closed than Kiba could in an entire week of all those stupid note taking methods they taught in freshman workshop. That was a class that Shika had thankfully tested out of last semester, giving him an hour more of free time in his schedule. It said study hall on the sheet, but he took it as more of a nap time really.


It was like this that Neji found him, although the boy was suprisingly not asleep, just staring at the paper in front of him with a bored expression, head pillowed in his crossed arms on the table top. Neji couldn't help but smirk.


"I see you're being productive as usual, Nara. What happened to the award winning study-by-nap method we've all heard so much about?" Shika glared over at him as the boy settled into the chair across from him. He sighed when he figured out Neji wasn't leaving and sat up, rubbing one eye thoughtfully.


"Can't focus." Neji cocked an eyebrow at him, a quizical smile spreading across his lips.


"And why ever would that be, Nara-kun?" Shika scowled at the playful tone. He sat back in his chair, stretching until he heard the satisfying crack of his spine, his face settling back into a smirk at his new companion's wince.


"This school is entirely too troublesome. What are those guys, fucking drama queens?" Neji let his face remain calm and neutral, like he had no idea what Shika was talking about, which only earned him a glare in return.


"You know exactly what I mean, don't pretend you don't. I'm not giving you any more gossip to spread around."


Neji pouted.