In the following hours that proceeded, three main objectives became clear as the night sky became clouded with...well, clouds.
One- Naruto didn't have a home anymore.
Two- Everything in the apartment-including the homework, the laptop, the ramen packages-all were swept away by the fire's wraped claws.
Three- He had to call his grandma. There was no way he could survive in conditions like this, and even if Sasuke was kind enough to lent him a room in his Giant compound, Naruto would be shoo-ed out sooner or later.
There was always the possibility he'd be thrown into an adoption center.
Things weren't looking so cool just then (oh the irony). Naruto was surprised he even felt so calm. He thought he'd be screaming his voice out, yelling at the world at its cruelty. At least the fire had done a decent clean up job.
He wondered if he should become a trash man. He heard they recieved twenty dollars per hour for their hard and dedicated work. Imagine that-Naruto the mighty Trash Hokage, Leader of all things foul and disgusting. Nope, he was leaning towards the adoption idea.
He borrowed a phone from a policemen, gave Sasuke a pathetic smile and went for a walk out into the streets. On the last ring he didn't bother hanging up, his grandma thought it was dangerous to pick up phone calls unless the caller left a message, so with a sigh he began to tell his sorrowful tale 'after the tone', even cracking his voice once or twice to make it sound even more angst.
Just when he was about to run out of things to cry about his grandma picked up. "ENOUGH, BRAT!" She hollered into the phone and waited for him to slowly digest the two words she had thrown at him. She still thought he was a three-year old child with a fat face and a stupid grin.
The stupid grin was still there, he reminded himself. How bad can it be? He swallowed. "Hello Baa-chan." He said in a weak voice and Granny Tsunade took a moment to drink some sake, he imagined. "Who the hell was stupid enough to burn his own home down except for you?" She asked rhetorically and Naruto waited.
"I'll fly to your city by Saturday, I was going to visit that slimy old toad anyways." granny said with a sigh. "What do I do until then?" He asked apprehensively and Tsunade paused. "Go to parties, get drunk, kill yourself so I don't have to come over." She suggested and he laughed a bit more high pitched than necessary. "No thank you Baa-chan, I think I'll be fine." He attempted to smile at her voice but failed miserably, the awkward stretching on his face made him feel like he was grimacing.
"You asked. I suggested. Take it or not, that's your decision. Don't come here and tell me I didn't offer you any ideas later, you hear me?" Baa-chan said as if he had hurt her feelings and hung up.
"I honestly didn't think it'd be that bad..." Naruto sighed as he came back to the completely drenched lawn and handed the phone back to the policemen. "What is it, sonny?" The man asked and he shrugged. "It'll be okay, we'll somehow take care of you." He said with a touch of sympathy and Naruto twitched his lips up just a bit.
Sasuke appeared next to him just then, almost scaring Naruto out of his skin. "I saw my Ex before I saw the fire...I think she did something."
Naruto groaned. "Thanks." He needed to know that Karin was behind this, because he could totally just go up to her and kick the flying whore out of her. Now he was getting pissed off.
As he watched the flames finally die with a weak sputter the apartment manager nodded at him. "Since you weren't there when this happened you're not going to be charged and held responsible. I'll give you a room for the night, you'll have to find somewhere else to live in a day or two."
Naruto nodded, grateful. He wanted to go to bed.
Sasuke waited outside Naruto's temporarily made home with keys in his hands. The sky was already at its darkest and would continue to stay dark for a few more hours. All he could feel was numb, smoke, and images of fire.
He wished there would be no tomorrow. For now, he let Sasuke in the room, a dead expression on his face as he went to the restroom, located his bearings and cleaned up decently. Well, without anything to clean up with except a bar of soap.
Why did this have to happen to him? HIM? Of all people? Was this a punishment from whoever was above for Naruto? What did he do to deserve that punishment? His mind couldn't stop buzzing with noise, but eventually he nodded off to sleep.
He didn't check to see if Sasuke was situated.
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NEXT DAY
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When he returned to school, the news about him and the fire spread like the fire itself. There were also 'suspicious sightings' of the hottest male in school around the 'crime scene', and Naruto kept far, FAR away from Sasuke. He didn't want more gossip to build up.
There was also talk that a certain actress was coming to town. The current 'Hokage', 'Queen of Fire', etc. Naruto kept his lips shut and tried to stay even further from those rumors. Of course they were true, but he didn't want a constant reminder that his...grandma was the 'hottest' female actress in her 90s-excuse me, 30's.
As for Sasuke? He lent Naruto a pair of keys to his house and told him to bring his 'peasant butt'-Not 'Pleasant, but Peasant' butt over to his magnificent palace by the sea. Naruto snorted but obeyed. There was no other option. From Wednesday on to Friday, he avoid Sasuke at the hallways, in the lunch room-and tried to avoid him in the swimming pool for gym. That was unacceptable to Guy Sensei and he was forced with Sasuke like two magnets facing their polar sides.
To put it bluntly-it didn't work out well. Sasuke didn't seem to mind the avoiding, he actually seemed to breathe easier when Naruto hurried past him during Math. As for the after school, Naruto stayed over for basketball games and waited till the games ended to get into his mustang and drive to Sasuke's house.
The first day he did that he was not even surprised. The giant place was cold, sinister, and silent. Faded Uchiha fans adorn the walls and the paint were starting to peel off, and inside was almost no better.
There was so little furniture it felt like a mental institution. Naruto gulped and reminded himself to buy the sadistic ravenette some decorations for Christmas. Or maybe even tomorrow. There was no one in at the time, so of course Naruto explored.
There were imprints of picture frames on the wall, gone but scarred the room with its sad empty feelings. Naruto walked in front of what he thought was the living room, well, the third living room he saw and saw a lock padded in the front, preventing him from going in. He poked the paper-like binds and then resorted to grabbing a kitchen knife in hopes of opening the blinds just a little.
Guess who decided to pop up behind him?
Naruto screeched-sorry, yelled-in surprise before throwing the knife at the intruder.
Sasuke caught the handle and gave him a deadpanned expression. "Really?" He asked and Naruto took a deep breath. He had overreacted...probably because this place felt insane.
"How did you-Why are you-" He started asking before Sasuke sighed. "I kind of live here, dobe." Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. Right. I knew that..." He cleared his throat. "This place is so empty!" He cracked another grin at Sasuke, then frowned.
Why was he trying to look good in front of Sasuke? He was Sasuke's enemy. Sasuke gave him a look that said 'you don't say, idiot' and walked away slowly, looking at the kitchen knife in his hands as he headed towards the kitchen.
Naruto didn't like that expression on his face. "Oi, Uchiha?" Sasuke gave a 'hm', not even pausing. Naruto walked behind him. "Why are there only two Uchihas here when this place was evidently designed for more than two?" He asked and knew instantly how bad of a question it was. His past wasn't the only one marred, he reminded himself.
He saw Sasuke flinch before he landed on the floor, the kitchen knife to his throat. "It's...a family thing." Sasuke answered, face rid of every expression except slight annoyance. His actions contradicted his voice so completely that Naruto laughed, stunned and confused. Sasuke looked at him also with confusion and he felt the moment get awkward. "Get that thing away from my throat." Naruto said when the ravenette refused to move and Sasuke shook his head. "Let me do this a little longer, I'd have to practice."
Naruto stared at him but Sasuke's eyes were hidden by his bangs. "For what? My death?" He tried to joke but Sasuke didn't even move. "Mmmm." Sasuke said distractedly as he slowly brought the knife closer to Naruto's neck, actually poking him with it. Naruto's eyes widened and he grabbed the Uchiha's wrists before flipping over, their positions switched. "What the hell, Uchiha?" He asked and felt something warm creep down his neck before the red color splattered onto Sasuke's cheek.
He had managed to cut Naruto while he was in shock, and suddenly Sasuke's eyes flared red and he arched his back, his lips meeting Naruto's neck and his mouth sucking the blood. Naruto felt his heart clench painfully and he cried out, gripping Sasuke's hair as he felt the Uchiha swallow his own blood, panting on his skin and licking the fresh wound clean before sucking on the bright red liquid again.
"U-uchiha, stop it!" Naruto breathed out quicker and felt his vision flicker, black dots swarming over his head. But it felt so good...Sasuke suddenly stopped and stared up at Naruto, his brow furrowed and his eyes full of unspoken desires before the blond collapsed on top of the ravenette, already blacked out.
When Naruto woke again he was on a bed, covers on him. With a yawn he tried to sit up and grab the alarm clock, then felt something painful throbbing on his neck. With a surprised cry he landed back on the bed, but this time it was warm and had shape.
His eyes widened and he stared at Sasuke, his chest bare and eyes barely open. "Uzumaki-" He yawned but Naruto screamed and covered his body, feeling terribly violated. "Wh-what-" Sasuke looked at him, annoyed. "This is what I get as as 'thank-you'?" He rubbed his eyes and fell back onto the bed, and Naruto glared at him. "Why am I in the same bed as you?! Where did most of my clothing go?!" Naruto said in a high pitched voice and Sasuke suddenly sat up, alert. "...I don't know either..." He mused and Naruto screeched. "WHAT?!"
"Sorry, my memory's been fuzzy ever since you threw that knife at me." Sasuke apologized sheepishly. Naruto gaped. "What knife...?" He was starting to remember, and it wasn't good. Sasuke frowned. "You know, you were trying to poke a hole in that room. You could have just asked for the keys." He yawned again. "It's so early in the morning, you want to go to a guest room and sleep?" He offered and Naruto shrugged.
"Why are you so calm?" Naruto asked and the Uchiha stared at him. "What?" Naruto shook his head. "Nevermind. I'm going to a guest room." Sasuke nodded. "Suit yourself. Night."
"Night." Naruto paused at the door. "Hey, you might not remember this, but ah-um...did we...do anything...ah..weird?"
Sasuke looked at him lazily. "Define 'weird'." Naruto felt his eyebrows twitch. "You know...well, nevermind." Sasuke grinned at him. "Good night."
Naruto nodded and left the room, feeling strange. Where did the wound come from? He gingerly touched his neck, wincing when it proved to be too much pressure. Why was Sasuke so calm? DId something happen? The most he could remember was when Sasuke caught him trying to destroy his property.