Year of the Fox

Author's notes:
OMG! I'm THREE WEEKS late! ;____; I'm so sorry!
There's a perfectly good explanation for this: Sasuke's way of functioning. He nearly killed me. x_x
And also, summer made me kinda reluctant to sit inside... *rubs neck*
But here I am. And this chapter is the longest so far, so be happy!
Also, chapter 7 is well on it's way!

I want to thank those who came with ideas on how to fill the chapters. ^____^ You guys rock!
I also finally got a beta! *happy* I don't want to swamp her though, so for now she's only looked at two chapters. I'll be editing according to her notes in the near future. ^.^

Yosh! Originally this was the 'May' or 'Gogatsu' chapter. But I made some huge mistake, and decided it was smarter to just prolong April, rather than rewrite the whole thing. ^^;;
Also, I'm a bit uncertain... Are kids in Japan allowed to drive when they're 18? O.O
I hope so... In any case, this is an AU, so I can alter the rules a bit.
Sssh.
I can. *shifty eyes*

Finally, there'll be some bonding between our boys! ^3^
I hope you all enjoy this chapter too! ^____^ Please leave me some words!
*********


Shigatsu,
part 2:

There, he'd asked.
And he wanted to kick his own ass for sounding so inferior and uncertain.

The group stared in slight disbelief.
Uchiha Sasuke was standing before them, asking to come with them.
Kiba's mouth dropped open.
Hinata played with the zipper of her jacket.
Ino and Sakura lit up in huge smiles.
"Of course!"
"We'd love to! I mean....Sure you can!"

Naruto remained silent.
Sasuke looked at him.
And though he had been determined to act civil, if he had thought anything at all when he decided to come over to them, he couldn't help himself: "You got a problem dobe?"
"Yeah, your attitude bastard."
"Naruto!" Sakura hissed.

Any further argument that might have followed was prevented by Kakashi entering the classroom. "Sasuke, can I have a word with you?"
The Uchiha nodded quietly, exchanged glances with the group and left the class room, walking behind Kakashi.

Sakura and Ino looked at each other and simultaneously burst into an ecstatic squeal.
For once when it came to Sasuke, they seemed to be agreeing with each other, because they gripped each other's hands, jumping up and down; "We're going out with Sasuke-kun!"
Some of the other girls in class glanced over at them with looks of annoyance and badly hidden jealousy.
"Ugh," Kiba frowned. "That's bound to be interesting..."
"To say the least." Shikamaru joined in.
"Why do you all have to be so negative?! I think it'll be fun!"
Ino stared daggers at Kiba; "Just try not to make an ass of yourself like you did with Gaara!"
Naruto laughed. Gaara had told him about the awkward silence after Kiba had attempted to strike up a conversation with the red.
But he felt the slight insecurity gnaw at him, and also a tinge of excitement. If they could only try to see past the differences that had surfaced between them, then maybe they could have a civilized conversation which could lead to...
He mentally smacked himself in the head. He was too much of a dreamer.
There was no way Uchiha Sasuke would put away his hostile attitude to sit down and reminisce about old times.
Although...He had seemed less hostile just now.
Hadn't he?
It wasn't like him. That's for sure.
Naruto nodded to himself. He would talk to him.
There was no way Sasuke didn't remember him. Because he'd shown little to no interest in any of the others, meaning the reason he'd asked....
Was him.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked promptly as he sat down on a chair in Kakashi's office.
"I talked to Anko."
"And?"
"Where were you yesterday?"
"Why do you care?"
"Sasuke, there is no use in acting hostile towards me. You know very well that the only reason they allowed you to transfer was that you agreed to see her twice a week."
The teen stared back at the teacher. Defiance dominated his dark glare.
"If you keep skipping the appointments, they might send you back."
Sasuke didn't answer.

His life had been a web of tragedies and he hated talking about it to other people.
Sadly this was exactly what he had to do.
Not only was he constantly surrounded by people asking him questions, and pretending to know everything about him, always bringing up the topic he loathed most of all; his life.
Oh no, he had to see a psychologist twice a week too.
Anko was her name. This woman, Sasuke had thought upon their first meeting, was a very unconventional person. She didn't seem like your average psychologist at all; she was brash, short-tempered, somewhat sadistic, and most likely in need of therapy herself.
Despite all of these traits, she still was capable of dull phrases and lame questions, to which Sasuke never gave much of an answer, and spent most of their sessions glaring at the clock, as if trying to make time go faster.

"Do you realize that your freedom can be taken away?" Kakashi probed. He knew that Sasuke had felt at his old school that he was in a prison.
If he didn't follow the path his old guidance counselor had lain out for him, he risked being taken out of his classes at Konoha high and sent back to the other school.
"Yes." Sasuke finally ground out.
"Good. Then I expect you to show for the next appointment."
He couldn't help but feel like he had a responsibility for the boy in the chair before him.
He was the one who had gone to the meeting with Sasuke's former principal and teachers, and he was the one who had guided him around school grounds. He was the one who'd made sure he had all the things he needed, and he'd appointed himself as the person Sasuke could come to if there was anything.
Of course, Sasuke never did.
And it worried him.
He looked at Iruka, and the way he interacted with Naruto. Of course he wished to have the same connection with Sasuke, or else it would be impossible for him to spot the warning signals... He'd seen the boy's file after all.
But Iruka had been there for Naruto for so many years, it was no way to compare.
Sasuke was a stubborn kid, who knew what he wanted.
And what the proud Uchiha did not want, was help, of any kind.
He was aware that it might be a hopeless case, but he wanted to be there for Sasuke, if he could. Not only because he himself felt a strong bond to the Uchiha clan...But because he knew that when Sasuke himself realized that he needed someone there, he wanted to be ready for it.

Now the Uchiha finally said something again: "You don't need to worry. They are all overreacting. I don't need to see her."
"If you don't-"
"What? If I miss out on fifty-five minutes of small-talk and staring at the clock twice a week, my life is over?"
"You know why they want you to see her."
"Yeah. They think I'm crazy."
"No. They think you might want to air your thoughts sometimes. Especially after-"
"I know what happened." Sasuke snarled. "I was there. On all the occasions. And I'm fine."
It was pointless.
He sighed. There was no need to stress the matter anymore at the moment.
Kakashi knew that Sasuke would wind up going to see Anko in two days anyway, because he hated having nothing to do.

Changing the subject he said; "I see you're getting friendlier with the class? That's good."
"If that's what you want to call it." the raven muttered.
The teacher shook his head. "There's no shame in having friends Sasuke."
Sasuke looked at him as if he was retarded.
Kakashi went on completely unaffected: "Sakura and Ino looked happy?"
Sasuke shrugged. "I guess."
"Why?" he probed.
"I'm going out with them on Friday."
Kakashi arched an eyebrow. "With both? My, my Sasuke, aren't you quite the ladiesman?"
Sasuke frowned. "With the whole group idiot."
"You know, that's no way to talk to a teacher."
"Can I go now?"
The man sighed. "Yes. You can go. But remember that Anko expects you to show next time."
Sasuke grabbed his backpack, brushing Kakashi off, and disappeared through the door.

Walking down the hall he glared straight forward, rather than looking back at the girls that were ogling him, or the guys who were also looking.
It seemed there was always a reason to stare at Uchiha Sasuke.
He was not amused.
The whispers behind him were pretty much like nails on a blackboard; screeching, annoying.
If it could be classified as whispering at all; squealing girls usually weren't very good at whispering.
It caused Sasuke to remember once again that he hated girls.

He turned a corner, stopping outside his locker.
Sasuke really didn't feel like going to class.
His schedule told him his next class was chemistry, which made him even more reluctant.
The chemistry teacher was to say the least freaky.
The first thing you'd notice about him was his pale skin and narrow, snake-like eyes. His hair was long and pitch black, which made his skin look even more sickly pallid than it already was.
The there was his tongue; it was long and just as snake-like. Now and then he'd flick it out and lick his lips or something, while looking at a student.
But that was nothing compared to how he looked at them in general.
Especially the boys.
And especially him.
Sasuke shuddered.
Whenever he entered the classroom, Orochimaru would inevitably stare at him, holding his gaze, licking his lips until he had some sort of excuse to drag him up to the front of the class.
Sasuke had always been good at chemistry, so he was used to being up there, but not like in Orochimaru's classes, where the man was constantly trying to grope him.

His first chemistry lesson at Konoha High was burned into his memory. The teacher had entered the classroom, spotted him and immediately come over to his desk.
"Well..." he'd said. "Who might you be?"
His skeletal hand had reached out, touching Sasuke's hair. He'd jerked away, scowling at the man. "Uchiha Sasuke."
"Ah, soyou're Uchiha Sasuke."
Well duh. Wasn't that obvious?
"I've seen your grades. Nice." his gaze wandered up and down, lingering a little too long at all the wrong places.
Again he licked his lips. "Very nice..."

Sasuke slammed his locker shut.
He was absolutely not going back to class today.
A freaky pervert and girls fawning all over him. Not his scene.
In any case, his old school still wanted to keep him, so he could just tell them he'd been confused on which lessons to show up for.
Nodding to himself he headed for the exit.
And as he went through the door, refused to admit to himself that a small part of him didn't want to show because of his pride. He felt humiliated. Although there shouldn't be anything wrong with asking to go out with someone.
Unless you were Uchiha Sasuke.


Sakura looked around with disappointment. "I wonder where Sasuke went?"
Chouji pulled a chocolate bar out of his bag. "Maybe he went to eat?"
"In the middle of class?" Ino sighed.
"Maybe Orochimaru freaked him out?" Kiba suggested. "I know I want to flee his classes..."
Shikamaru led the way out the door. "Or maybe his pride couldn't take having to ask to accompany us."
"Probably."
"Why do you guys have to be so mean?!"
"They're just jealous." Ino said. "I wonder what I should wear...."
"Wanna go shopping after school?" Sakura asked her.
"Absolutely! You're coming too, right Hinata?"
"I guess..." the girl replied meekly, nodding.


Hinata wasn't the only one who wound up coming along that afternoon.
"Remind me why I'm here again?" Shikamaru groaned.
"Because being social is a good thing." Ino patted him on the shoulder. "And, because we need some strong and manly men to carry the bags!"
Sakura giggled.
"I don't see what the big deal is," Naruto said. "I think it's pretty cool to be out with everyone like this!"
The brunette shook his head, rolling his eyes.
"Actually, I agree!" Chouji exclaimed. "Look! Free candy!" he helped himself to a few more of the peppermint-chocolate candy in a porcelain bowl on a round table besides them.
"I...I don't think those are free Chouji...." Hinata pointed out.
"Oh?" the boy wondered, mouth full of sweets.
"Yeah, it says right here moron:" Kiba started, reading the little sign next to the bowl out loud. "One free for each of our customers."
"So what?" Couji shrugged, smiling. "Those two are shopping enough for the entire town! I deserve these!"
"Somehow, that makes no sense." the doglover said, sticking himself a piece of candy as well.
"Naruto!" Sakura chirped. "Get over here! Try this on!"
The blonde turned to look at her.
She was holding a button-up shirt, smiling sweetly.
"Orange?!" Kiba burst out. "Who the hell wears orange these days?!"
"Or at all..."
Naruto grinned, running over to the girl.
"Awesome!"
"Try it on!" she said again.
Naruto turned his back, letting her help him get it on over his black tee.
"What do you think?" he grinned, striking a pose.
"Lookin' good!" Ino admitted.
"Yeah?" he struck another pose, this time watching himself in the mirror. "Hey, it does look good!"
"It's settled then, no one wears orange like Uzumaki Naruto!"
Sakura adjusted the collar, smiling. "You should get it."
Naruto's smile faded.
He took the shirt off.
"I don't really have any money on me..."
Sakura bit her lip.
Everyone knew that Naruto wasn't exactly rich. At the orphanage, all costs were barely covered, there wasn't much left for the kids to spend on themselves.
She hadn't considered that. All of a sudden she felt really bad, and cursed herself for not thinking.
"You know what," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll pay for it."
"Sakura-chan...You don't have to..."
"Don't mention it. You look totally cool in it!"
Ino came over with the same shirt, only in black. "Let's get this one too while we're at it."
Sakura smiled. "Yeah. You'll need a spare."
"But...I can't...You..." Naruto protested.
"Don't worry about it, it's two for one!"
"But...I'm gonna have to pay you back..."
"Don't worry about it." she assured. "They're not that expensive, and besides, I can wait."
"I should pay you back." he insisted.
"You could always promise her a dance or something." Ino nudged him.
"Yeah! The next time we go out, you have to dance with me."
Naruto wiggled his eyebrows; "Are you flirting with me?"
The girl stuck her tongue out and headed for the cashier.

After having paid, the group headed for a nearby bakery.
They sat at a table by the window, ordering a slice of cake each.
It was coated in whipped cream, with strawberry filling.
They ate and talked.

Inevitably though, it had to come up:
"What's the deal with Sasuke anyway?"
"What do you mean Kiba?"
"I mean, why would he want to go out with us all of a sudden?"
"He's probably just playing hard to get." Ino smirked. "Even guys are allowed to do that you know."
"Still, why would we want to hang out with us now? He never seemed interested before."
Kiba took another bite from his cake. "Why would he want to hang with us when he's just as much of an asshole as Sai is?"
"He's not that bad!"
"Really?" Kiba glared at Sakura. "When was the last time he said something nice to Naruto for example?"
"I..." Sakura bit her lip, staring down at her plate.
"You know..." Naruto started. "I think that Sasuke's just being Sasuke...."
"What do you mean?"
"We all know the story right?" Naruto said, an iron claw gripping his heart as he thought of what Iruka had told him. "Anyone who lived through that would end up a little withdrawn, don't you think? So maybe it's just hard for him to approach people?"
"That doesn't defend acting like a bastard."
"Naruto, you say that so easily...But you..."
Azure orbs looked away for a second, then focused at his friends again. "That's precisely why. I can relate to him. I mean I didn't live through it the way he did...But the loneliness is still the same. The feeling of not belonging."
His words were raw.
None of the others said anything. Their looks became uncertain, and wandered.
It was strange to hear Naruto himself talk about it, rather than hearing about his life from others.
"We know nothing about him." Naruto continued. "We don't know what's happened to him before he came back here."
"But I'm gonna find out." he told himself.
"You're right Naruto-kun..." Hinata said meekly. "We should d-do our best to m-make him feel i-integrated..."
"Even if he acts like a jerk." Kiba growled.
"It's probably just uncertainty." Ino added.
"Somehow I doubt that. But whatever it is, I guess we'll just have to live with him..." Shikamaru sighed.
Naruto smiled.
"I'm sure he'll appreciate our effort."
"I'm already on it." Ino said, smiling confidently. "I'm asking him out."
"You already got turned down!" Sakura protested.
"So did you, but that doesn't stop you and your large forehead from..."
The boys frowned losing interest as the two girls started arguing on which of them Sasuke would marry, while Hinata tried to make them stop arguing, by reminding them that Sasuke hadn't seemed interested in either of them. Unfortunately, her soft voice was drowned out by the two others'.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Naruto grabbed his bag and dug around in it, pulling out a book.
"Does anyone know what's our homework for tomorrow?"
Shino pointed at two pages full of questions.
"ALL OF THESE?!" Naruto shrilled. "I'm dead."
"Unless..." Kiba jerked his head at the brunette sitting at his side.
Naruto's eyes glowed. "Shika! Please!"
"What?" the boy barely spared him a glance, over his coffee cup.
Naruto didn't understand how he could drink that stuff.
"Let me copy your answers! Please!"
"Why?"
"We're friends! It's normal!"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, but decided not to waste time arguing with the blonde. "Fine." he reached for his own book, and handed it to Naruto.
"Thanks Shika!" Naruto beamed, immediately starting to copy Shikamaru's answers.
"Don't call m- whatever..." Shikamaru went back to his coffee.
"How can you take pride in delivering something you didn't write?" it seemed Sakura was done fighting with Ino.
"But I do write myself! Most of the time...." Naruto rubbed his neck. "I just...make Gaara think of the answers for me..."
Sakura smacked him in the head with one of the books. "Naruto!"
"What? Who needs brains when they've got beauty?" he flashed a grin.
"You're talking to the wrong person." Ino smirked. "Sakura wouldn't know anything about neither."
"And you do, pig?!"
"Excuse me, kids?" a waitress, probably in her mid-forties, came over to their table. "You're going to have to keep it down."
Some of the other customers glared at them over their newspapers and shook their heads.
Naruto stuck out his tongue, still grinning. "We're sorry..."
Hinata turned bright red, and the other girls blushed as well.
When the woman turned her back they all burst into laughter.

"Where've you been?"
Naruto kicked his shoes off, staring at his friend.
A girl with pig-tails was hanging from Gaara's arm.
"I went to a bakery with some friends... Here!" Naruto gave him a small plastic box. "I brought you some cake."
"Cake?"
"Yeah. We had cake. And did homework."
"Who did you copy?" Gaara rolled his eyes.
Naruto laughed. "Oh shut up. It saves you a lot of trouble, doesn't it?"
Gaara shrugged. "I don't mind."
There was something slightly different in his tone, but it was gone in the next second.
He followed Gaara into the kitchen, and watched him as he got out a plate, and sat down to eat the cake.
"Is it someone's birthday Gaara-nii?" the girl asked, still clinging to him.
Gaara shook his head.
"Why do you ask?" Naruto inquired.
"We never have cake, unless it's someone's special day."
Naruto bit his lip. He'd forgotten that it wasn't fair to the kids to bring home a treat like this when there wasn't enough for everyone.
The kids here lived a pretty good life, but they didn't have the same luxury that other kids took for granted.
He forced himself to smile, touching his hand to her head. "That's pretty often though, we're not exactly few who live here!"
She grinned. "You're right! We had cake just last week!"
"That's right." Naruto nodded. "And since Gaara didn't want any then, I'm just giving him his share now. You understand?"
She nodded, and ran back into the living room.

"What's in the bag?" Gaara jerked his head.
"Oh! Shirts."
"Shirts?"
"Yeah, Sakua got them for me."
"Sakura?" Gaara looked at him curiously.
"Yeah. She insisted. But I'm gonna pay her back. Somehow."
The red gave him an inquiring look, but said nothing. He brought the last piece of cake to his lips. Naruto watched him.
Gaara stood, cleaned off his plate and headed upstairs.

The blonde was left in the kitchen. He sighed, Gaara would forever be someone it was impossible to understand.
Most people would think he was mad, the way he just left. But Naruto knew that it wasn't like that. Gaara was just being Gaara.
Grabbing a glass of juice, he went into the living room, joining the kids who were playing video games.


Sasuke glared fiercely at the clock, as if thinking that if he only stared hard enough, time would go faster. It didn't.
Anko looked at him over her notepad.
"Why are you so angry?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
"You know, just because I want to see you twice a week and talk, it doesn't mean you're crazy. Just..."
"Emotionally unbalanced." he said hollowly. He'd heard it far too many times.
"It's good for you to talk a little, and no one is judging you. You're allowed to say whatever you want."
"Or don't want."
She sighed. He was so stubborn.
"Don't you feel that it's nice, to get to air your thoughts? I know you don't talk to a lot of people..."
"Oh really? You do?" Sasuke turned to look at her so quickly and with a glare so fierce Anko almost jumped in her chair. "You know who I talk to or not?! What are you, stalking me?"
He regretted that last part the minute it left his lips; now she'd label him as paranoid as well.
"You have to admit, you're not the most social..."
"Really? What if I told you I'm going out with my classmates on Friday?"
Her face lit up. "You are?!"
Sasuke looked at the clock. "Time's up. See you next week." He slipped out through the door, and slammed it shut.
Anko stared at the door.
She shook her head, but smirked.
She scribbled on her notepad: "Progress."

As Sasuke walked out into the waiting area, heading for the front door, he wondered if it had been wise of him to let Anko know.
She'd probably wind up stressing it way to much during the next appointment.
Honestly, that woman did not know when to shut up. Or maybe she just didn't know how.
He rolled his eyes.

While he was waiting for the lady at the counter to sign his card, and put up the next appointment, his gaze wandered.
He thought he saw someone familiar down the hall, following a blonde woman.
The boy himself had short, red hair.
Sasuke squinted. "Naruto's friend?"
"Here you go Sasuke, see you next week."
He accepted the card, and noticed that he could no longer see the red.

The rain was pouring.
Naruto looked at the alarm clock on the desk.
They had agreed to meet in an hour, but the weather made it pretty impossible to do any of the things they'd planned. At least Naruto wasn't tempted to go outside.
A cheerful ringing filled the room.
"Hello?"
"Naruto? It's Ino. Have you looked outside?"
He glanced out the window again. "Yeah."
"Then you know that the weather kinda..."
"Sucks? Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing."
"We all were. So we've decided to just stay here instead. If that's ok with you?"
"Sure." he nodded, well-aware that she couldn't see it.
"I just wanted to let you know. Sakura is calling the others. You know where I live, right?"
"Yup." Naruto plopped down on the bed.
"Good! Oh! Can you drop by the store on the way here? We need some more soda! And you live closer than any of us." her tone was almost apologetic.
"No problem. I'll go."
"Thanks! See you at seven then!"
"Alright. Bye!" he hung up.

Half an hour later he was getting ready to go.
He was just about to put his shoes on, when Gaara came into the hall. "Where are you going?" he asked.
Naruto looked up at the red; his arms were crossed over his chest.
"Over to Ino's. You wanna come?"
Gaara shook his head. "Not really."
"Didn't think so."
"Who's gonna be there?"
"Sakura, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba...Shino and Hinata." Naruto listed. "Oh, and Sasuke."
"Sasuke?" Gaara's voice was sounding more than slightly surprised.
"Yeah... He asked if it was ok if he came."
"Doesn't sound like him."
Naruto shrugged. "As long as he behaves."
"I guess."
Naruto placed his hand gently on Gaara's shoulder. "You sure you don't want to come?"
Gaara offered him a small smile. "I'm sure. Don't worry about me."
"Alright. I'll be home later."
"Have fun." Gaara turned and went back inside.

Even with his jacket on, Naruto was convinced he'd be soaked before he even got to Ino's house. Cursing, he made his way up to the store.
He picked out four large bottles of soda, and headed for the counter. He was about to pay, but a voice cut him off: "I'll take it."
He turned around. "Sasuke?"
"Is there a problem?" the cashier asked.
"No. No problem." Naruto stuttered.
Sasuke paid with his credit card, and handed one of the bags to Naruto.

They exited the store.
"What was that all about?"
"What?" Sasuke looked at him.
"Why'd you pay?"
Sasuke shrugged. "You mind?"
"Actually-" Naruto stopped himself. Although it was true that he wanted to spend as little of his money as possible, he didn't like having to depend on everyone else. The whole town didn't need to know that he was broke.
"Forget it." the raven said. "We're both going the same way, right? So who cares who paid?"
This was strange; talking to Sasuke like this.
And the Uchiha was actually acting normal. Naruto smiled to himself. Maybe this was it?
A chance?
"Who called you?"
"Shino." Sasuke replied.
"Figures that he'd have your number. That guy knows so much it's freaky." Naruto chuckled.
He was amazed at how calm he was.
"Hey," Sasuke said. "You know where Ino lives?"
"Yeah. Of course." Naruto smiled. "I can show you?"
"Thanks. Get in the car."
"Car?!" Naruto's eyes widened.
Sasuke said nothing. He headed for a dark, sleek car at the end of the parking lot.
Naruto's mouth almost dropped open.
Everyone knew that Sasuke probably was the sole heir to a huge fortune. But none of Naruto's friends drove, even though they were allowed to. It had never occurred to him that Sasuke did.

Two short beeps sounded as Sasuke turned off the alarm and got in. He gestured for Naruto to get in too.
This was even stranger.
Not only the fact that Sasuke was acting this way. But the two of them alone like this, for the first time in years. Except for that time when Gaara had shown up.
He swallowed. He didn't know what to say next.
"Tell me where to drive." Sasuke said, steering the car out on the road.
"Straight ahead and to the left." Naruto replied.
The radio was playing quietly.
When Naruto listened carefully, he could tell it was 'Dirty little secret' by that American band that was playing.
What were they called again..? All-American Rejects?
He glanced over at Sasuke, as if trying to spot something that could reveal that he remembered.
But the raven kept his eyes fixated on the road.
"Left again." Naruto said.
Sasuke turned to the left. He still didn't spare Naruto a glance.
The blonde wished he would say something. He didn't like this silence.
Still, Sasuke made no effort to strike up a conversation. Had he expected otherwise?
No.
Naruto sighed mentally.
Maybe this was a bad time, but at least there was no one else around, and Sasuke wasn't acting like an ass. He took a deep breath.
"S-Sasuke?"
"Yeah?"
"To the right..."Naruto gestured and swallowed again. "Do you..."
"What?" his voice was impatient.
"Do you re-"
In the next second Naruto's heart had leaped into his throat, as Sasuke stepped hard on the brakes.
"Shit!"
Regaining his breath, Naruto blinked twice looking over at Sasuke.
The car had stopped aslant in the middle of the road.
Sasuke leaned back in the seat, taking a deep breath.
"You didn't see it?"
"See what?"
"The cat."
Naruto glanced out the window on Sasuke's side.
A dark shadow was staring back at him from the side of the road. It's eyes were gleaming in the light from the headlights.
"At least you didn't hit it..."
"Damn idiotic animal." Sasuke muttered, starting up the car again.

Well that was a disaster.
In the depth of his mind, Naruto wondered if Sasuke had stopped so abruptly because he had been about to ask him if he remembered. But that was unlikely.
He'd seen the cat after all.
It was probably just a coincidence. But just in case, he kept his mouth shut about it for now.

He didn't say anything for the rest of the drive. Just guided Sasuke through the streets, until they finally arrived at Ino's house.

Sasuke parked in the driveway.
He finally looked over at Naruto.
"You're wet." he stated.
Naruto looked down at himself. His jacket was soaked from the rain earlier, and his sweater was wet underneath it.
The Uchiha leaned over him, fumbling for something in the floor.
Naruto's heart beat slightly faster for some reason.
Sasuke came back up with a bag. He opened it, and pulled out a dark sweater. "Wear this." he said, throwing it at Naruto.
The blonde stared at the sweater.
"Come on. Hurry." Sasuke ordered.
Naruto nodded, getting rid of the jacket, pulling his own sweater over his head.
Sasuke's sweater was a bit too big, but it was warm and comfortable.
"Thanks."
Sasuke nodded in response, and got out of the car, taking the bags of soda with him.

Ino's face was an entire big smile when she opened the door.
"Hey Naruto! Sasuke-kun!" her voice dissolved in a squeal.
She shooed them inside.
"The others are already here." She chirped. "Let me take those." she took the bags from Sasuke. "We're in the living room!"
Their hands touched for a moment when she took the bags. She blushed.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What am I doing?"

Ino's house was neat and tidy with various flowers everywhere.
In the living room, Chouji, Kiba and Shino were sitting on the couch looking at the tv screen. A music video was playing, a cheery pop tune filling the room.
"Where's Shika?" Naruto slouched next to Kiba.
"In the kitchen with the girls." he replied. "They're making him help with the pizza."
"Pizza?"
"Homemade."
"Sakura's making pizza?" Naruto's lip twitched. "Are you sure that's safe!"
"I heard that Naruto!" she barked from the kitchen.
He laughed.
Sasuke sat in a chair. He figured that he wouldn't have to be squished in-between the two clingy girls this way.

"What are we watching?" Naruto asked.
Hinata placed the third pizza on the table. "I'm n-not s-sure..."
"I was thinking a horror movie..." Ino said.
Of course. What better excuse to cling onto the Uchiha?
"Hey! You guys have Kung-Pow!" Kiba exclaimed over by the tv.
"Would you stop raiding the video cabinet?!"
"Can we watch this? Pleeeaaase?"
"I wanna see it too!" Naruto jumped to his feet.
"But it sucks!"
"It's a classic!" Kiba insisted.
"It's a tragic, bad example of a parody!" Sakura glared at the dvd in his hand.
"Can't we just w-watch both m-movies?"
Ino sighed with resignation. "Fine fine. Shikamaru, go check on the pizza!"
The boy muttered, but went into the kitchen.

With Sasuke sitting in the chair, Sakura and Ino's plan failed, but all in all the night was still a success.
Naruto had to laugh at Hinata, she flinched at everything throughout the horror movie.
He offered to sit next to her, but she shook her head violently, and mumbled something incoherent. He had to admit the movie was pretty freaky though.
But Shino and Sasuke still seemed indifferent. Shino's face was expressionless, and Sasuke... He was plain impossible to read.
Was he bored?
Did he regret coming here?

The boy seemed annoyed at how the girls were all over him once the movies were done, but it didn't seem like he was going to pick up and leave just yet.
He didn't participate much in any of the conversations they had, but he offered his opinion now and again.
When Ino got out her camera and went all paparazzi, he wasn't pleased with all the attention he got, but still allowed her to make him join in on the group photo.

"She's gonna use these pictures as evidence that Sasuke was really in her house..." Kiba whispered to Chouji.
The girl glared.
"You have to send me the photos!" Sakura demanded. "I forgot my camera!"

Right before midnight, Naruto's phone rang.
The conversation lasted only a minute or so.
"Who was that?" Kiba asked.
"Shizune. I have to go. Curfew."
"Awwh, that's too bad!"
"I'm sure I can stay a bit longer..."
Sasuke stood. "Let's go dobe."
"Huh?"
"I'm driving you home."
"I just said I can stay!"
"You'll get into trouble. Let's go."
Naruto stared at Sasuke. "What's with the bossy attitude?!"
"I'm offering you a ride moron."
"If you want to go home, just go. I'm staying longer."
"Fine." Sasuke shrugged. "Walk in the rain."
It struck Naruto how childish the Uchiha was acting. He had to smile.
Childish meant normal.
He caught a glimpse out the window, and saw the enormous masses of water pouring down.
"Uh...Sasuke?" he grinned sheepishly.
Sasuke gave a short nod again. "Hurry up then."

Both Ino and Sakura were ready to jump Sasuke, and hug him goodbye, but he easily brushed past them.
"It was great you guys!" Naruto smiled.
"Yeah!"
"I'll call you tomorrow." Kiba said.
"Okay. Bye you guys!"
"Bye!"
"Bye Sasuke-kun!"
Sasuke mumbled a quiet "Bye."
Naruto hugged all three girls, and ran to the car.
"Sasuke-teme! Hurry up! I'm drowning!"
Sasuke walked down the driveway and got in the car.

They drove in silence.
The radio was just as low as before. A man was reading the news in a frightfully boring, monotonous and dry voice.
Naruto broke the silence.
"You don't have to drive me all the way to the orphanage. Just drop me off somewhere."
"Don't worry about it. I'm driving you."
"As long as I don't have to spend too much time in that house."
"Alright then." Naruto shrugged.
"Up here right?"
"Yeah."
"Woah," Naruto thought. "It's starting to sound like a real conversation!"
"Left?"
"Yup." he nodded. "Hey, you wanna go with us tomorrow?"
"No." Sasuke's answer came. "I can't. I have some things to do."
"Sunday?"
"Sorry."
"Damn it! Why are you so cold?!"
"See you at school then."
Sasuke pulled up at the gate. "Yeah."
Naruto reached for his wet clothes.
"Keep the sweater."
"Thanks." Naruto grabbed the door handle.
"Whatever. Now get out."
Sasuke was back to being cold and slightly hostile, but Naruto knew it wasn't full heartedly this time. He was sure of it, because the Sasuke he'd sat in the car with, was almost a little like the Sasuke he remembered from years ago.
He slammed the car door shut, and smiled.
Sasuke had already averted his eyes though.
Seconds later, the engine started up and Sasuke drove down the road.
He'd been cold. But Naruto'd seen something there. Something he recognized.
"You're loosing it!" he called down the street, after the car.

"Had fun?" Gaara asked.
"Yeah. You should've been there."
"Nah, I'm not much for social gatherings. You know that."
"That's why you're sitting alone in the dark?"
Gaara smiled. "Someone had to wait up for you."
"I'm surprised miss manager didn't take care of that herself."
"Leave it to the boy with insomnia." Gaara still had a mischievous smile on his lips. "Now lock the door and go to bed."
"What about you?"
"Do I look sleepy to you?"
"You look dead tired, as always."
"What do you want me to do? Come upstairs with you and read you a bedtime story?"
Naruto stuck his tongue out at the redhead.
"Sakura got you the sweater too?"
Naruto looked down his own body. "Oh...It's Sasuke's."
Gaara furrowed his brow. "Sasuke's?"
"He lent it to me. Since mine was wet from the rain."
"Sasuke did?" Gaara didn't sound convinced at all.
"He did. I think he's improving!"
"Really?" Gaara shook his head. "I find that doubtful."
Naruto stared at him.
"Come on, let's go upstairs. Curfew, you know."
The blonde nodded, following his friend upstairs.
"You're wrong about Sasuke, Gaara."


Monday morning came, and the class was met by Tsunade and Kakashi.
"Before we begin today's lesson, Tsunade just wanted to inform you of something." Kakashi stared.
The class groaned in response. That rarely meant anything good.
"From today on, and two months ahead, the Study Hours on Monday will be replaced by art lessons."
"Art?!"
"I thought art was only an extra curricular?!"
"Yes, we've entered a program together with other schools in the district, it's to make youths like yourself show an interest in art. And after the two months are over, the products of the lessons will be used to decorate the new cultural center."
Some of the students seemed excited, others yawned or rolled their eyes. Sasuke was indifferent. Naruto was barely awake.
Shikamaru muttered about how it was all troublesome.

No matter what the students thought, the program had already started.
When the fifth period started, they were all assembled in the largest of the classrooms, the art room. It was normally only used after school, by the art club. Or when there was a shortage of rooms. Instead of normal desks, the room was filled up by big, round tables.
Shikamaru's group was seated at one of them, in the middle of the classroom. Sasuke was sitting with them too, more because he'd been pulled down by Sakura the minute he walked in than anything else.
"Just wait..." Kiba whispered. "Now she's coming."
"Who?"
"The new art teacher!"
Naruto remembered Kiba talking about some hot new art teacher.
He shook his head.
"I'm telling you. Just wait till you see her!" Kiba grinned. "Even you, Uchiha Sasuke the ice prince, will react!"
Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.
They stared at the door with anticipation. It slid open slowly, and Tsunade came in, along with Jiraiya and what they presumed was their new teacher.
Kiba nudged Naruto and Shikamaru, his eyes focused on the unknown person, who was surprisingly young, and blonde.
"Class, this is the new art teacher. Deidara."
The blonde nodded, looking at them with one sky-blue eye, the other was hidden behind a curtain of golden hair.
A buzz went through the student crowd:
"Young!"
"Cute!"
"Look! Look!"
Jiraiya nonchalantly walked up to the young teacher. "She just graduated from the Art Academy, and will be joining us for a few months. She'll both be teaching, as well as observing our routines, getting practice in the teacher profession. Be nice to her, alright?" He smirked, wrapping his arm around the art teacher's shoulder. "If these brats cause you any trouble, just let me know, alright my dear?"
The art teacher glared at him with one blue eye. A vein popped on Deidara's forehead.
"I. Am. A. GUY, yeah!" 'she' snarled, pulling away from the biology teacher.
"What?! But...You...Y-you're..."
"This is why I told you to read his papers!" Tsunade rubbed her temple. "But you just looked at the picture...Didn't you?!"
The class jawdropped.
The gorgeous blonde standing before them was a man.
A guy.
A he.
Kiba stared in disbelief. "No...way...."
Naruto burst out laughing. "Ahahaha! Nice going Kiba!" he slapped him on the back. "I knew you'd come out of the closet some day!"
He laughed so hard he was almost crying.
Soon after pretty much all the girls in class joined in. While the guys were still dumbstruck.
"Calm down!" Tsunade thundered. "With the exception of his gender, Jiraiya managed to give you the right announcement. I'm impressed."
A few of the students laughed.
"For the first month he won't be alone with you. There will be a teacher with you to supervise him at all times. But what he says is law, just like with other teachers. Please respect him."
With that, the principal left the room, leaving Jiraiya to look after the rookie and his new class.
The white-haired man looked at the class, sighed, looked at Deidara, then at the class again and then back at the art teacher. "Are you sure you're a..."
Deidara scowled. "YES, yeah!"
Jiraiya held up his hands in front of himself. "Alright. Alright. Just asking."

The first art lesson was spent sketching still-life: Apples, books, bowls and anything else that lay around the room.
Naruto found it frightfully boring.
He glanced over at Sasuke. The raven was doing the finishing touches on his drawing of the plant on the table before them. Although the sketch was really good, Naruto doubted he was enjoying it any more than any of the others at the table.
Kiba seemed to have given up completely, and had resorted to scribbling puppies and stick figures on his piece of paper instead.
Shikamaru had drawn one line, and then given up.

Deidara was at the front of the classroom yelling at someone for not taking the subject seriously.
"The world is nothing without art! It needs to be loved and respected! Only then can it grow to be appreciated! Now start over, yeah!"
Naruto frowned. The guy was a total maniac.
Then again, weren't all geniuses?
Worse than anything else, was the fact that the young teacher had been captivated by one student in particular. It was no surprise. But to hear a teacher actually praising Sai was more than unusual.

An hour later the class finally came to an end.
"Next week we'll be working more on still life, and maybe even move on to portraits!" Deidara announced. It seemed he'd accustomed quickly to his role as a teacher.
"There are no classes next week!"
"Yeah, it's Golden Week!"
Deidara almost looked insulted. "Then rehearse at home, yeah? Art never rests! It must be nurtured!"
His voice was drowned out as the bell rang.
The class started rushing past him, out the door.

Naruto stuffed his pencil case into his backpack.
"Jeez, what a complete psycho!" Someone muttered as they passed him.
"I believe it's called enthusiasm..."

"I'll be damned," Sai was there, next to him. "It's hard for me to admit this, but I think I finally found someone who's even more dickless than you are!"
Naruto opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off.
"I'm sure you'll get plenty of chances to find out. He seems to like you."
"Keep your nose out of this Uchiha."
Sasuke didn't grace the young artist with an answer.
He merely brushed past him, uttering a quiet 'hn', as he left.
Naruto threw his backpack over his shoulder. "Dammit! Sasuke-teme!" he yelled, chasing after him. "I can deal with him myself!"

Deidara arched an eyebrow, smirking. "So that's Uchiha Sasuke..."
***TBC**


Replies to reviews:

Reno's_Lover: Hahaha. But being Sasuke he probably suppressed it as best he could xD

HumanInfiltrator: Thank you! ^____^ I try really hard to make their emotions as fitting and believeable as possible. Glad you think I'm doing well! Here's a continuation!

Nusku: *updates and loves*

Hello: Hehe. Yeah. Even Sasuke has insecurities. But damn! They are close to impossible to write! O.o
Yeah... Gaara just has that...thing that makes everyone love him! ;p

Kaa-san: Maybe a little? I think though, that he tried not to. It is Sasuke after all. xp

Momoiro_Usagi: ^_______^ That's all I have to say! *luffs on you*

blank: Thank so much for the ideas! *squishes you* Don't worry. That's one cliche I'm totally avoiding! O.O If I do put them in a project together, it will be the kind of thing you work on for 45 minutes in class, and most likely after they've really bonded. ^.^
Thanks again!

Blue_genjutsu: Ehehehe...*smirks* I'll reveal it later ;p

Vex: Wahahaha. I knooow! Sasuke really bugs me sometimes. Don't worry. There'll be progress very soon now. Startign with this chappie. ^___^
Psycho!Gaara is love! *huggles him*
Thanks! Keep your eyes open, ne? I won't use half an eternity to update this time! @__@

PansyLane: *loves on you* Thanks again! Psyco!Gaara is popular these days? ;p I know, I love him too. *laughs* Hehehe... Your wish just might come true. I have plans for Sai. Xp

Kagomegirl: Thank you! ^___^ Here's an update!