Art and Artifice

Art and Artifice
chapter 8

The next morning Haku was waiting by the lockers for Naruto. When the blond showed up, his friend practically pounced on him.

"So?" he demanded excitedly.

"So what?" Naruto answered, feigning ignorance. Haku punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"So how did it go with 'Uchiha the elder'? Did he ask you out?"

"Not really. We just had a very nice talk."

"Sure, a 'very nice talk', and what did you talk about?"

"Oh..this and that..." Naruto turned to his friend and smiled broadly. "Did you know the Bastard was a bed wetter?" Haku's eyes widened and both boys broke down into helpless giggles at the youngest Uchiha's expense.

"Aha..heheh..ha..aah, but no seriously, c'mon, I'm dying here! What happened? I know he was totally hot for you." Pulling back one edge of Naruto's hood, Haku confirmed to his satisfaction, that the blond was blushing under there. "Hah! and you like him too! I knew it! Tell me what he said. You know what I want to hear. Skip to the good parts."

"I don't know," the blond boy teased. "I think you deserve some punishment for abandoning me like that." Haku gave him a look that said; "As if you're upset about that!" and Naruto quickly broke down.

"Ok, I like him. We had a lot in common. He was really nice and a great listener. I actually felt really comfortable around him. It's kind of weird how he's nothing like his brother... Well, almost. They do both have the same smirk." Haku laughed at this. "But it doesn't bother me when Itachi does it. I guess he's just, less malicious about it, and he's got this quiet, natural confidence while Sasuke acts like more of a show off, like he's got something to prove. Anyway, no he didn't ask me out Haku. Though I guess he did imply..a few times, that he was interested."

"Ooh really?" Haku was bouncing on his toes. "Like what? What did he say? Give me an example." The embarrassed blond gave Haku an account of his time with Itachi.

"Did he ask for your number?" Haku asked

"Yeah, we exchanged numbers before we left, and he said he wanted to see me whenever he comes home for the weekend."

"Hey! You said he didn't ask you out!"

"He didn't."

"He wants you're number. He's planning to call you. He wants to see you whenever he can make it up here." Haku was ticking things off on his fingers. "He's basically asked you out at an unspecified time," the brunet nodded sagely.

"You don't think that's a stretch?" Naruto asked sceptically.

"I'm definitely right... Kyuubi chan has an admirer!" With just a little more teasing, which Naruto found totally unnecessary, the talk finally turned to their impressions on the university.

"It was so cool! Now I'm going to be even more devastated if I don't get in."

"Would you stop that," Haku admonished. "Just think positive."

"Ok, you're right. I won't say it again. It's just hard not to be nervous when so much is riding on this one little envelope you're waiting for. Is this the definition of 'putting all your eggs in one basket'?" he joked

"Probably, but never mind that. Now that we've seen the place isn't it a lot easier to picture yourself there on a daily basis?"

"Yeah I can totally imagine it!" Naruto got a far off look on his face as he did just that.

"What, making out with your Uchiha boyfriend on the couch in the student lounge?" said Haku wickedly.

"Shut up. Don't intrude on my dreamscape," the blond retorted, his expression never changing. Haku cracked up and Naruto joined him a moment later when he couldn't hold the expression any longer.

"All the people we met yesterday were really nice weren't they? I hope we get to see them again," said Naruto "It was great to be in a group of people who all have similar interests. They all understood what I was talking about. It was like being at Shuriken. It felt like 'home' somehow, you know?"

"Hmm, profound..." Suddenly Haku caught sight of something from the corner of his eye and instantly stiffened. "Uh oh, Uchiha junior at nine o'clock!" he hissed in warning.

"Oh for God's sake!" Naruto whispered under his breath. Sure enough, in the next moment a pale hand slammed against the locker next to his, right by his head. Naruto supposed this was meant to startle him. "Oh my! How intimidating!" he though sarcastically. He didn't even bother to look up as he was stuffed bodily into his own locker hearing the lock click behind him. Not for the first time, he thought about how this joke would be more effective if the bastard had shoved him in somebody else's locker, to which he didn't actually know the combination. Didn't that damn bastard ever get tired of this stuff anyway. It had been three years! The novelty should have worn off at some point right? He hadn't come up with any new material in ages either. Whatever. He could already hear the laughter receding outside.

Haku hated having to stand by and let these things happen to his friend without a word, but Naruto refused to allow him to interfere. It had been this way from the beginning. Naruto always insisted that it would make him feel worse if his friend were to end up being persecuted as well and that he'd rather not start some kind of stupid war. The stakes would likely just keep getting higher and it would only attract more unwanted attention from other people. So Haku was left to watch and wait for it to be over. He heaved a sigh as the Uchiha walked off with his laughing minions. Oh well, at least this way he could help Naruto out of there instead of possibly being locked up in 'his own' locker. He noticed that Kiba had stopped and was looking back at Naruto's locker with concerned frown. Haku moved to begin working the combination and waved Kiba off with a reassuring smile. Kiba nodded silently and followed after his friends.

"Thanks Haku," said the newly freed blond.

"No problem. You don't think Itachi might be hiding some of these sadistic tendencies do you?"

"Nope, I don't think so. From what I heard, they seem to come from a nice enough family."

"I wonder how they managed to screw up on one son so badly?" wondered Haku.

"Who knows? Maybe he's just got a really..'really' bad case of youngest-child syndrome? He could be hiding some 'decent' qualities for all we know. It's not as if either of us has ever had a real conversation with him."

"You're probably just being overly generous,"

"Yeah, maybe." Naruto's good mood had been somewhat dampened as they continued on to class under the 'gentle serenade' of the first bell.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Oooh, now what have we here?"

Naruto, who had been quiet and thoughtful as they left the class on their way to lunch, lifted his head at these words to look at Haku questioningly. Haku pointed off in front of them and the blond redirected his gaze obediently. As it was lunch hour, there was a lot of activity in the hall and it took him a moment to realize what he was supposed to be looking at.

There, just outside of the biology room was Kiba...talking to Hinata. Naruto could see why Haku's gossip radar had been alerted. Kiba did appear to be awfully focussed and poor Hinata, who being prone to painful shyness, was blushing very noticeably. Some of the dog lover's usual group of buddies were on their way out. Catching sight of Kiba they slowed and veered toward him. Naruto heard one of them ask if he was coming. Kiba waved them off saying he'd be there in a minute. The group moved off a ways but didn't leave, deciding to wait. Kiba continued to talk to the silver eyed girl, drawing some quiet giggles out of her and even getting her to talk back to him quite a bit. His friends were getting impatient and asked once again if he was coming. He seemed a bit reluctant but he politely said goodbye to Hinata, giving her a smile and a wink that made her blush even deeper.

Haku and Naruto shared a sly grin and approached their friend who was still staring after Kiba. Naruto tapped her shoulder and she jumped in surprise and turned around. Seeing who was there she smiled and greeted the two boys. All three walked together toward the exit.

"So Hinata chan," Haku started in a subtle tone that spelled trouble, "we noticed you seem to have made yourself a friend there. You sure had a lot to talk about." Poor Hinata was as red as an apple again. It was just too easy.

"W-well K-Kiba is going to be my partner for our biology lab. We have to d-dissect a fetal pig." Hinata's eye twitched noticeably at the word 'dissect'. "He promised that he would do all the...manual work, while I could just write up the report."

"Oh, is that all?" Haku needled a bit. "You looked like you were having so much fun though. I saw a lot of laughing going on. Why I could have 'sworn' that was flirting." The grin stretching unchecked across his face now.

"Haku leave her alone," Naruto cut in with a chuckle. "She looks like she might burst a vessel." Haku stuck out his tongue at him and crossed his arms, giving a mock haughty look.

"Spoil my fun..." Then his sly grin returned. "Don't worry about it Hinata. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Kyuubi's found himself a man too. Go ahead and ask him about it."

"Haku!" The blond took a swipe at his friend but missed as he danced away laughing.

"Oh no," Hinata answered quietly. "I don't think he likes me like that. Kiba kun is just a nice person."

"He is a nice person isn't he? I shall give my blessing to this union whole heartedly!" Poor Hinata. Normally she would never dream of making anyone else feel uncomfortable, but she was beginning to feel kind of desperate so she took the 'out' that had been presented before.

"Kyuubi kun, is it true that you've found someone?" she asked even as she mentally apologized.

"Oh yeah! Wait 'til you hear 'this' story."

"Damn it Haku!"

A/N; Ok, I know not much happened here. This chapter is kind of just serving as linkage and I thought that this would be as good a place as any to into a little kiba/hina. The next one will be better. Cross my heart and hope to die.