Watching

Wow… so much to say. First of all, I’m SO sorry that this took so long. Honestly, this update should be fifty pages long for all the time it took me to get it out. But first I had finals, and then after finals all I wanted to do was rest, and finally, after resting I had a bunch of family stuff going on. So yeah… really, really sorry.

Next, to everyone wanting ItaNaru: I’m really sorry about this as well, but there won’t be any deliberate ItaNaru in this fic, mostly because I hate the pairing with a passion. I honestly have no real reason for hating it—the pairing itself DOES have basis-- but I just love ItaSasu so much (even though this is a SasuNaru fic, ItaSasu will forever be my favorite Naruto pairing) that I honestly can’t stand for Itachi to willingly be with any character other than Sasuke. I don’t know why that doesn’t go both ways, because I can obviously put Sasuke with other characters. It could be because I roleplay Sasuke, so if Itachi’s with someone else, it feels like he’s cheating on my character ^^; …I know, that’s weird. But anyway, there will be no deliberate ItaNaru, but if you see something that you want to take as hinting, feel free. There will probably be some in there, even if I’m not doing it on purpose. And, once again, as for the ItaSasu, I will be putting little hints of it in there, but if you want to take it as brotherly love, it won’t be too strong for you to do so. It shouldn’t be noticeable as anything other than a very protective older brother.

By the way, I wrote half of this chapter while thoroughly drugged up on cold medicine, so please forgive any… o.o craziness.

Disclaimer: Don’t own it. Not making any money. Blah.

***

Okay, so I’m learning to tolerate Sasuke. That doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t. I’m still not gay. Liking one guy doesn’t make you gay. I’m very, very straight. Sakura’s hot, really.

And it’s not like I really like Sasuke, anyway. I tolerate him. Maybe a little more than tolerate him sometimes. But not often. He’s still annoying. And he’s still a bastard. And I’m still better than him in every possible way.

Oh yeah. I’m awesome.

***


“What is he doing here?”

Sasuke stared at Shikamaru. Shikamaru stared at Sasuke. Naruto hopped in between them to get their attention.

“Shikamaru always comes to my house after school, stupid. I’m pretty sure I’ve told you that…”

“No.”

“Well, you’re the stalker. You should’ve known that already.”

The ponytailed boy smirked. “Falling down on the job, Uchiha?”

Sasuke calmly chose to ignore that comment, instead focusing his attention on Naruto and pointing vaguely in Shikamaru’s direction. “He is a lazy, smart aleck, useless waste of space, and I will not have him anywhere near me.”

Shikamaru flopped down on Naruto’s couch and turned on the television.

“Well… it looks like he’s gonna be here for a while, so maybe you can just get used to him?” Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, eyes closing to fox-like slits. “You’re the one that wanted to come to my place… we could’ve gone to yours.”

Sasuke was not going to tell the other boy that he liked this small apartment better than his huge, three story mansion. He was most certainly not going to tell him that it smelled very… Naruto-ish, but in a good way, and that he felt relaxed and at home while within these walls. No. That would not be a very Sasuke thing to do. He settled on a more in-character explanation.

“My brother is annoying.”

“Yes, yes he is, but it’s a big house. We could avoid him.”

“I wanted to molest you.”

Naruto smiled brightly. “Then I guess it’s a good thing Shikamaru’s here, so you can’t!”

“You do have a bedroom,” Shikamaru added over his shoulder, attention focused on a gaudy game show on the television screen.

The Uchiha’s dark eyes lit up with mischief, and Naruto glared at Shikamaru. “Aren’t you good for anything?!”

The response was instant. “No.”

As he was dragged off to his doom, Naruto made sure to convey his feelings of betrayal to his friend with the presentation of both middle fingers, a gesture which Shikamaru calmly returned to him without ever taking his eyes off of the screen.

Once inside, the Uchiha shut and locked the door, then stood in front of it, blocking the blonde’s only escape route. Seeing that his fate was sealed, Naruto relented and plopped down on his bed. “No molesting, Uchiha. I had a long day.”

Sasuke sat down next to him. “Slacking off takes that much effort, hm?”

That comment earned him a punch in the shoulder, and the dark haired boy didn’t complain. He was too busy trying to decide how to phrase his next comment. Finally deciding that the direct approach was the best approach, he leaned back on his hands and murmured, “You owe me a date.”

Blue eyes widened, then regarded him suspiciously. “For what, that thing at lunch the other day? I didn’t have a chance to kiss you, so I don’t owe you anything.”

“Doesn’t matter. You didn’t do it, so you owe me a date.”

“But Sasuke…!” the blonde whined, clutching at the sleeve of the other boy’s dark blue t-shirt and trying to look as pitiful as possible. Really, if Naruto had been totally against the idea, he could just refuse to go. He wasn’t going to blindly do whatever Sasuke said just because the two were getting… closer. The idea of a real date might have frightened him beyond all human reason, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t vaguely pleased that Sasuke actually wanted to be seen with him in public. He might agree to the date, but he wouldn’t make it easy.

The whining only seemed to annoy Sasuke, who pulled his arm away without so much as glancing at Naruto. “Are you doing it or not?”

Naruto grinned. “If you come out of here and watch TV with Shikamaru, then yeah, I’ll do it.”

Sasuke, always thinking of everything, instantly demanded, “For how long?”

Good question.

After much arguing and a few awkward, forgiving kisses, Sasuke marched out of Naruto’s room with a grinning blonde at his heels and sat down heavily next to Shikamaru. Naruto leaned against the armrest of the couch, looking pleased with himself.

To Shikamaru’s credit, the ponytailed boy waited until a commercial before calmly looking over at his company. “What are you doing?”

“I have to watch television with you for thirty minutes,” was the curt response.

“Troublesome.”

“Tell me about it.”

Naruto decided that it was very strange for Sasuke and Shikamaru to dislike each other so much. They probably spoke the exact same amount during any given day.

The commercial ended and the game show returned to the screen, bright lights flashing and audience screaming. Sasuke squinted, expression disgusted.

“Why is that man being slathered in oil?”

Shikamaru’s eyebrow twitched. Speaking while watching tv was so troublesome. One should engage in one activity or the other, not both at the same time. “Because he answered all but one question correctly.”

“And being covered in oil is his reward?”

“Yes. It’s much easier to catch the flying money when it sticks to you.”

Sasuke scowled. He decided that he’d rather the show go back to the question and answer rounds. When it did, he was even less pleased. Shikamaru tended to answer the questions out loud, making Sasuke feel very, very stupid.

How the hell did that idiot know the location of the natural environment of the pygmy marmoset?

Sasuke concluded that game shows asked stupid, irrelevant questions. And that the one they were currently watching was a rerun, the obvious explanation for how Shikamaru could possibly know the answer to every single question.

Naruto smiled in sadistic glee.

***

Casually cracking one eye open, Naruto peeked out the window of Sasuke’s car, then yelped as the dark haired boy smacked his hand.

“I said keep your eyes closed.”

“Shouldn’t you be watching the road?!” Naruto shut his eyes again.

“I am.”

“You can’t be if you’re watching me!”

“I can do both at the same time.” The car came to a stop, and Naruto heard the click of Sasuke unbuttoning his seatbelt.

Naruto’s bottom lip jutted out. “Well, aren’t you talented?” he mumbled petulantly.

“Yes.” There was the distinct sound of the driver’s side door being opened and then closed again, and Naruto tilted his head.

“Sasuke?” Had that jerk just left him alone in the car? He didn’t dare open his eyes yet, in case it was just a trick.

He heard the passenger door beside him open. “Can I open my eyes?”

“No.” Warm hands brushed his side as they unbuckled his seatbelt, then slid under his arm and around his waist to help him stand.

“How about now?”

They walked a short distance over rough pavement, the sound of it crunching under their feet louder than normal in Naruto’s ears. He remembered reading something about a person’s other senses compensating for the loss of one, and wondered if that could happen in so short a time.

“What about now?”

Sasuke gave an annoyed sigh. “Fine. Go ahead.”

Naruto blinked open his eyes, instantly squinting against the newly revealed sunlight as his eyes adjusted. They were standing in front of a large stand with a sign hung on the front reading “Ichiraku Ramen.” The blonde’s eyes lit up, and he bounced a few times on his toes.

“How did you know I love ramen?!”

“You call me your stalker enough, isn’t that something a stalker should know?”

Eyes narrowing suspiciously, Naruto poked the other boy in the chest. “You really are a stalker! Pervert! Do you watch me take showers?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “There are old ramen packages everywhere in your apartment. It was the only obvious explanation.”

Naruto didn’t fail to notice that Sasuke hadn’t actually answered his question, but decided that ramen made up for any possible peeping-tom tendencies. Bouncing over to the stand, he began voicing his possible ordering choices. His companion joined him with much less enthusiasm, but a small, reluctant smile gracing his lips.

The first date went off without a hitch. Naruto found himself gradually relaxing as he came to the conclusion that sitting at a ramen stand eating with Sasuke wasn’t much different from grabbing a bite to eat with a friend. It wouldn’t necessarily look like a date to anyone watching, especially since the two were both male. Naruto suspected that Sasuke was using those circumstances to warm the blonde up to the idea of the two of them being a “couple” in public, but didn’t really mind. He liked that Sasuke was taking things slowly.

Naruto was a bit annoyed when Sasuke payed for the food, and protested loudly that he was not a girl. Sasuke had scowled at the outburst, calmly informing Naruto that if he had been a girl, he wouldn’t be wasting his time with the idiot in the first place.

They argued good-naturedly on the way back, each barb aimed at the other carefully delivered with an almost playful tone. Naruto insisted that since Sasuke had payed for the food, Naruto should get to walk the other boy to his door. After all, Sasuke didn’t get to hog all of the manliness. Sasuke reminded him that if they went to Sasuke’s house, Naruto would have to walk home. Naruto demanded that a cab be called, and Sasuke agreed--flipping open his cell phone as he drove-- if only so that he could get a goodnight kiss on his doorstep.

And so it was that, with a bright orange cab looking decidedly conspicuous waiting behind Sasuke’s sleek black sports car, Naruto took Sasuke’s hand and marched them both up to the Uchiha’s front door.

Sasuke smirked, keeping his fingers linked with the other boy’s as he turned to face him. Naruto seemed to choose that exact moment to get nervous, and Sasuke made sure to get plenty of sadistic amusement from his discomfort.

“So… uh… I guess I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Yes. You will.”

Naruto glared at the Uchiha, then forcibly pushed aside his nervousness and leaned forward, pressing their lips together in a clumsy kiss. The other boy was vaguely surprised at Naruto’s forcefulness, but responded to the kiss after gathering his wits, wrapping one arm around the blonde’s neck and coaxing him into something slightly less clumsy.

Itachi found them in a similar position when he opened the front door after hearing a thump from outside, which turned out to have been the sound of Naruto pressing the more slender Uchiha against the column next to the door. The sound of Itachi carefully clearing his throat caused the two younger boys to jump apart, Naruto’s expression flushed and guilty, Sasuke’s immensely pleased.

“I see you have a cab waiting, Naruto,” Itachi began coldly. “It’s rather late. I suggest you head home.”

Wilting in the face of the older Uchiha’s wrath, Naruto nodded and gave Sasuke one last look before hurrying off to the cab, quickly getting inside and shutting the door. The two brothers were silent as they watched the cab pull away from the house, rumbling off down the long driveway, then turning and disappearing down the road.

Itachi turned and walked back inside, knowing Sasuke would follow. “You and Naruto are getting very close.”

“Yes.” Sasuke followed, his brother shutting the door and locking it behind him.

“It’s a mistake.”

We’ll see.

***

End Chapter Eight
Page 7
oOKeairaOo

Once again, tried to extend that chapter a bit. Next chapter, you can expect more community service work courtesy of Kakashi, and another attempt at a date.

::Review Responses::

fyredevyl: I’m basically giving Sasuke a sort of indifference to Itachi’s actions towards him. I’m going for the feeling that it’s something he’s used to and tolerates, but something that really bothers him deep down. I’m sorry you ended up needing a break from The Emerald Isle, but it’s such an awesome story that I don’t mind waiting as long as it takes for an update. Sometimes you just need to step back from a story for a bit, ne? It’ll probably benefit your writing in the long run. If you’re forcing it, it won’t be nearly as good. In the meantime, I’m LOVING your other story!

I remembered after posting the last chapter that I don’t even HAVE a YIM ID, but I’d love to talk to Houseki and any other Naruto fans that wanted to talk to me. All I have is AIM, though.

Once again, getting reviews from you makes me squee, and always inspires me to put more effort into my writing. Thanks for reading!

Questofdreams: You dropped me another review! Ah, you just keep making my day. I’m glad you like it so far, and yeah, I’m trying to keep their relationship as normal as possible. They don’t have to be all over each other all the time. I can’t see Naruto and Sasuke ever just completely dropping their rivalry, so they can’t be all mushy every second they’re together XD

I’m glad you like Naruto’s thoughts at the beginning of each chapter. They’re getting increasingly difficult to write for some reason, but I intend to have one at the beginning of every chapter.

Once again, thanks SO much for the review, and I hope you keep reading!

Kai22: I’m honored that my fic was your very first Naruto fic! If you’re ever looking for any good ones, I can recommend quite a few on this site. In fact, go check my Rec list if you ever get the time! *laughs* And I enjoyed your versions of Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura’s final papers. Those WOULD be accurate, wouldn’t they? XD

Twistedneko: Thanks so much! I’m really trying to keep them in character. And yes, that is basically what I’m going for.

Reyn: I’m sorry if I haven’t been responding to you! I try to respond to as many as I can, but I get at least thirty reviews per chapter. I’d respond to every one of them, but as I’m sure you know, I’ve been getting complaints about that, so I’m trying to cut down. I’m really glad you like the story, though! If you want me to respond more often, I’ll just let you know that I tend to respond to reviews that ask really original or specific questions, or that point out specific aspects of the story that they like. Anyway, thanks so much for the review, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

MultifacetedTune: College IS a bitch. I ended up with one C, but because it was in a 3-hour class and my A’s were in 1-hour classes, it dragged my GPA down below a 3.0. I nearly cried, because I need a 3.0 to keep my scholarship and stay in honors. But ANYWAY… yeah, all of my friends find the whole upside-down ANBU thing amusing. They constantly joke around about it, and I’ve decided that the tattoo wouldn’t be nearly as interesting without that little element. Anyway, thanks so much for the review!

Nathaniel: Yeah, the way that people tend to turn Naruto into a completely submissive character just surprises me to no end because, in both the anime and the manga, Naruto is in NO WAY submissive. And… hm, are you not from the US? I just assumed that anyone from here would know what cooties are, but I could be wrong. I used that as a joke, really. Cooties are a sort of game among small children. Usually girls will say boys have “cooties” and boys will say girls have “cooties.” They’re basically a pretend bug or sickness that one doesn’t want to catch from the other.

Zane: Well, as for Further From Hell, I wish that it could be updated, but I was writing it with my girlfriend. She was writing one chapter, I’d write the next, and so on. I have my next two chapters done, but the next one has to be done by her, and she hasn’t even started it. ^^; We actually had a huge argument over it, because I’m one of those people that really dislikes leaving a story hanging. She insisted that she would finish it, and I told her that no, she obviously wasn’t going to. Anyway, if it’s going to be updated, she’ll have to finish her chapter first.

By the way, did you get your name from the book Hawksong? I just finished reading it, and loved it.

Gamergirl: The review responses are actually not longer than the story. I checked with the last chapter, and the review responses were MAYBE one fifth of the overall page. As for the part about “some people” thinking I’m spending more time on the review responses than the story itself, anyone who had ever written a story would know that the story itself, if done correctly, takes a lot more effort than simply sitting down and responding to comments. I put a lot of work into my writing, and really don’t appreciate someone insinuating that I don’t. Still, I’m glad you like the story, and hope you will continue reading.

Penguin: I really liked that your review is very honest. ^^ I can settle for my writing style not being your favorite, but still interesting. I, personally, hate my writing style, so getting any compliment on it at all is great. And I’d love to talk to you sometime! Yeah, I do tend to just say what I think, which seems to have gotten me in trouble with a number of people here. I’m trying to tone it down, but that’s really just how I am. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope to get another review from you!

Shadows_call: Heee, you reviewed me again! I love you. And yes, you do love to inflict cliffies on your readers, you evil, evil… person you. And yeah… I wish I didn’t have to tone down the Uchihacest, but you and I both know that I’m a pushover. ^^; *licks* Love ya, and thanks for reading! The Gwench shall always be my favorite reviewer.

Justajester: Lame jokes are the best jokes. Besides, who am I to criticize my brain’s fiancé? XD

Puuulin: Thanks a lot for the support! It’s good to know that there are some people on my side on that issue. I’m really glad you like the story, and I hope you keep reading!

::End Review Responses::

NOTICE: I have finally gotten a beta, so, as she helps me find and correct various mistakes within the story (including older chapters), the story will be bumped back up to the top of the page. This will probably happen several times. If I actually add a new chapter, I will let you all know by changing the Update notice in the summary to say that chapter nine has been added. Sorry for any confusion this may cause.