Bruises & Bitemarks (SasuNaru)

97.

Sasuke becomes moody and quiet as the days go by. Gloomy winter gives way to cheery spring, but it's like Sasuke has absorbed all the depression into himself. I do what I can, and he responds to my affections with fervour, but it doesn't change his mood.

I go to the name twins for help first. They brush it off as a phase to begin with, but with the days dissolving into weeks and no change in sight, they soon begin to worry too. They try all they can to cheer him up, with their usual antics and even some new ideas, but even when they do get a laugh out of him, the happiness is only situational and temporary. The source of his melancholy lies deeper, and I know what it is.

—

It's an unusually warm day towards the end of February when I'm heading up to Sasuke's room with my homework tucked under my arm, wishing I could go outside instead of having to do work. I enter to find Sasuke with his eyes glued to his computer screen, clicking and scrolling frantically.

"Sasuke. What're you up to?" I ask, setting down my books on his desk.

"Sorry, Naru, busy," he mumbles, not once taking his eyes off the screen.

I go stand behind him to look over his shoulder, but he switches off the screen and turns around to look at me with annoyance written across his features. "Do you mind?"

"What? I just wanted to know what you're doing."

"It's personal," he says tersely.

I'm taken aback by this. "Um, Sasuke, but to be honest, what 'personal' issues does either of us have that need to be hidden from each other? I mean, short of, I dunno, gross bodily functions, or maybe surprises. Is it a surprise?"

"No," he snaps. "Can't you ask Shiroi for help or something? I really need to do this, and I need to concentrate."

I frown. "Can I just sit here and work on it on my own? Would you mind if I just kept you company?"

"Yeah, I would. I really can't have any disruptions, and I know you'll end up asking me for help anyway."

"Hey, you said yourself I'm getting better," I retort. His words are still true, but his attitude is ticking me off. "What's gotten into you?"

"Naruto, please. I don't have time for this."

"Well, fine then," I growl. I pick up my books and leave.

I can't find Shiroi anywhere – nor Takeshi, so I assume they're probably hiding somewhere making out or something like that. So I sit at my own desk and struggle through my English homework, wishing Sasuke were here to help me. I don't really get any of this when I'm doing it on my own; I've gotten used to Sasuke's roundabout way of trying to teach me things, and it helps with a more thorough understanding in the end even if it's not the most efficient method. But this is a new grammar unit and I haven't quite got the hang of it yet, and nothing seems to be making any sense. What's the use in being able to pronounce English Rs and Ls when you can't even put your words in the right verb tense?

I text with Kiba while I work. He's got his own troubles, with dogs running all over the place and puppies jumping on him at every chance they can get. We toss complaints back and forth until I finally give up. I text him goodbye, then run back upstairs a little early to get Sasuke for dinner, but he's gone – Takeshi and Takeshi are there instead, playing some two-player video game on Shiroi's computer.

"Did Sasuke already go to dinner?" I ask, a little annoyed that he went without me.

"Dinner?" repeats Shiroi. "He was gone when we got here, and that was over an hour ago."

That's weird. Where could Sasuke have gone? Maybe he's writing a story, and he wants help from Ero-Sennin. Doesn't sound very much like Sasuke, but then I don't know if he's made any friends in the writing club. Maybe he's found someone to relate to, someone who writes the same kind of stuff or is interested in his work. That'd be nice. But why wouldn't he show me? Maybe he wants to wait until it's done?