When Sasuke Met Naruto (SasuNaru)

- Chapter 13 -

Sasuke Uchiha stood alongside Naruto Uzumaki just outside the blond's apartment, feeling unusually anxious about his current situation. While Naruto appeared rather calm, fumbling with his keys that glinted in the afternoon sun, Sasuke found his hands were jittery, and a slight sweat was forming on his brow. It was such an unusual feeling for the Uchiha that this nervousness only grew with every passing second.

It was an understandable reaction, really. In the past, Sasuke had always been forced into contact with Naruto through unfortunate circumstances, but now he had sought out the blond's company on his own. He had acknowledged that he did not want Naruto entirely out of his life, but what exactly did that mean? Sasuke had made a similar decision with Shikamaru a few years before, but he couldn't remember ever feeling this apprehensive about it. In a way, he had resigned himself to that friendship, just like he had with Orochimaru and Kakashi. This new connection with Naruto, though, was something he was actively pursuing. He wanted it, and not even Sasuke could deny that this was significant.

"There it is!"

Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts and looked to the side to find Naruto holding a key triumphantly in the air. In a flash, the vulpine boy had the door unlocked, and together he and Sasuke entered the apartment, removing their shoes in the entryway.

"Wait here a minute, okay? I'll go grab your stuff before I forget," Naruto said, holding up a finger as he turned the corner.

"Yeah, sure," the Uchiha replied to no one in particular as he stepped onto the beige carpeting.

It was strange, but even though Sasuke had just been in the apartment the night before, he felt as if he was seeing it for the first time. Details that he had completely ignored now carried special significance, and as a result he wandered around as if in a trance, examining everything with unusual interest.

So this is Naruto's apartment... well, his and Kiba's, I guess. And that damn dog... I wonder whose movies these are? Pulp Fiction? Star Wars? That could be either of them. What do I even know about Naruto? Here, I'm supposed to know everything about him for this project, and I can't think of anything he likes other than ramen and the color orange...

"Sasuke? What's up?"

The Uchiha spun his head around to find Naruto standing in the hallway, tilting his head quizzically to the side. Looking down, Sasuke found that he was holding a handful of DVDs he'd taken off the shelf, which he hurriedly put back, a blush crossing his features.

"Oh, uh, sorry. It's nothing."

"Did you want to watch a movie or something? Oh, let's see... do you like Monty Python and the Holy Grail? How about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" Naruto prodded, placing Sasuke's damp clothes and backpack in a pile by the couch.

"No, no... I was just trying to learn a bit about you... for our project, you know," Sasuke interrupted, scratching his head sheepishly.

Get a hold of yourself, Sasuke. This is nothing to get so worked up over. He's just a friend...

"Oh, why don't I give you the grand tour, then? I didn't get a chance to show you around yesterday," Naruto replied, grabbing onto the Uchiha's arm.

"Wait a second, maybe we should just sit down. I mean, you have to rest with those injuries..."

"I'm fine," Naruto said, rolling his eyes in an exaggerated manner. "I recover from this kind of stuff pretty quickly. Just look."

Naruto peeled off one of the bandages on his cheek at that moment to reveal a thin, white scar, the cut already healed. "So would you quit being such a worrywart and let me show you around?'