When Sasuke Met Naruto (SasuNaru)

- Chapter 22 -

"Sasuke! There you are!"

The Uchiha snapped out of his reverie and spun around on his seat to find Ino and Sakura looming over him, their eyes glimmering with hunger. "What do you want?"

"What do you mean, 'what do we want?' We came to see you, of course! Everyone's been so depressed the past few days – it's like you've completely abandoned us!" Ino squealed, throwing her arms around her beloved.

"Is that so?" Sasuke replied with a roll of his eyes. "Why did you wait so long to express your sorrow?'

"Well, the truth is, we thought you were only hanging out with Naruto because of that project. I know you got stuck with him, so I told everyone to leave you alone while you worked on it. After all, it was probably hard enough without your fan club breathing down your neck," Sakura explained, nodding her head approvingly.

She's not as dumb as she looks... I mean, she's still dumb, just not as much as she looks...

"Yeah, Little Miss Forehead's right – it wouldn't be fair to be pressuring you into dates when you had Naruto to deal with. But still... now that the project's over, we're just a little curious," Ino continued, pushing Sakura out of the way.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, almost daring Ino to continue. "Yes?"

"Well, why are you still hanging out with them?" the blonde said simply, extending a hand towards the rest of the table in disgust.

How much does she know? Did Gaara already say something to them? Better play it safe...

"They're my friends," Sasuke said calmly, taking a sip of his soda.

"Friends? But they're... well, them!" Ino exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Is that a problem?

Ino was flabbergasted, sputtering random syllables as she tried to comprehend this bizarre turn of events. "But... and... Nar- you? I..."

"Let's go, Ino-pig. If Naruto's Sasuke's friend, then that's all there is to it," Sakura interrupted, dragging the other girl back by the ponytail. "Sorry to disturb your lunch, Sasuke."

With that, the two girls left, arguing loudly with one another as they disappeared into the crowded cafeteria. Sasuke eyed Sakura suspiciously as she walked away, however, feeling that everything had ended far too smoothly.

She knows something... not much, but she's suspicious. I'll have to keep an eye on her...

"Well, that shut them up," Choji commented with a grin before shoving another handful of chips into his mouth.

"They were bound to find out sooner or later," Sasuke replied, shrugging his shoulders.

The rest of the lunch period was awkward and generally quiet. Kiba tried to carry on a conversation with those around him, but it was an uphill battle – both Naruto and Gaara offered only half-hearted, monosyllabic responses. It was starting to get on Sasuke's nerves – what the hell was going on?

Moments later, the lunch bell rang, and the students began to shuffle out of the cafeteria like zombies. Sasuke, however, marched right over to his boyfriend and placed a firm hand on his shoulder, bringing the blond to an abrupt halt. Once the herd of students passed by, the Uchiha walked in front of Naruto and stared him straight in the eye.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

Naruto gazed at the floor a few feet to the right. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Something happened between you and Gaara, didn't it?" Sasuke asked, staring intently at the other teen. "Well, am I right?"