The Uchiha sighed with a roll of his eyes. "You have history with Iruka-sensei next, correct?"
"Yeah," he answered, feeling a bit more alert. How did he remember that?
The bell rang, making Naruto jump. Sasuke put his own quiz and textbook in his bag before beckoning for the blond to stand. "I'll walk you there. I don't think you can be trusted around stairs," he stated with a familiar smirk.
"Shut up, asshole! I don't need your help!" he snapped.
"Can you two go three days without giving me a headache?" Neji sighed as he approached them.
Naruto forced a smile in order to appease the disgruntled Hyuuga. "I was kidding of course! Right, Sasuke?" The older boy looked at him guardedly before giving a short nod. "He was actually going to walk with me to my next class," he added nervously. "No trouble here!"
Neji raised a brow with an inquisitive look to Sasuke. "Is he now?"
Sasuke glared at him irately while clenching a fist at his side while grabbing the blond with the other hand. "Let's go."
Again, Naruto was left feeling as if he had just missed something but was too busy trying to keep up to dwell on it. "Seriously, what the hell is going on between you two?" He asked as he pulled his arm away.
"Nothing that is any concern of yours."
"But... I just don't understand what you could possibly hate about Neji."
"What's there to like?" the Uchiha spat bitterly as they shuffled down the stairs.
"Well, I know he can come off as uncaring or indifferent, but when you spend more time with him you realize that he's actually a genuinely good guy. I just don't know why he hides it." He paused thoughtfully to glance at Sasuke who was now glowering at him. I think I missed something again.
"I don't think anyone who holds him in such high esteem would understand."
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" he shot back, offended by the scornful tone.
"This conversation doesn't interest me," Sasuke replied, maintaining a cold expression.
"Whatever," Naruto grouched as he folded his arms crossly. His head was starting to feel weightless as his body heat only continued to rise. He closed his eyes, hoping to regain his focus while feeling the world shift.
"Hey!" Sasuke's shout made his eyes shoot open as he stumbled off the steps, only to be caught by the raven's arm wrapping around his waist. "Idiot! Stop falling all over the damn place!"
Why did this always happen around him? What was that annoying feeling that made him lose track of his thoughts and allow him to become completely captivated by him? I want it to stop!
"Naruto?" Shikamaru called out from down the hall as he rushed to his side. "What happened?"
"I'm just not feeling like myself right now..." Ain't that the fucking truth!
"I got him. Thanks Sasuke," Shikamaru nodded to the senior before supporting most of Naruto's weight and leading him to the classroom. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I have to be," he mumbled. "It's bad enough I deal with the humility from Neji and Sasuke; I just want to survive the day."
"Those boys have plenty of issues of their own. You can't blame them for taking it out on the only person who stirs any kind of reaction from them."
"What does that mean?" He inquired as they took their seats, still having ten minutes before class started.
"Neji and Sasuke are the geniuses of the school, they both come from important families that hold incredible influence as corporations, and do exceedingly well in everything they do. Then, you show up and everybody starts to see slight, but noticeable, differences in their behavior, especially when you're around."
"That's bullshit," Naruto argued, trying to forget how the class had been staring at the two of them during calc. "They act differently enough when they're together. They have some serious issues."
"I'm not sure what Sasuke deals with, but it's not surprising that Neji would be annoyed with everyone."
"Why?"
"He's destined to be in his cousin's shadow," Shikamaru explained, amused by the perplexity on Naruto's face. "His father and Hinata's father are twin brothers that were sons of the man who founded the General Communications Corporation. He only wanted one son to inherit the leadership position, and that was the eldest."
"Who was that?"
"Hinata's father," he answered. "Hinata is the next one in line to take over the whole thing."
"Wow," Naruto mumbled. He couldn't even picture her in a leadership position, it seemed against her nature. That was a lot of pressure for a 16 year old girl to handle. "And what happened to Neji's dad?"
"They became known as the branch family. They hold a lot of management positions but essentially cater to the needs of the main family."
"But... Neji seems much more capable."
"I can imagine him being the ideal choice for the head position, but Hinata is viewed as having the birthright to it. So, he is expected to watch over her and make sure that she succeeds."
He fell into a thoughtful silence as he wondered how that must have made Neji feel. Neji knew that Naruto had no aspirations, but Naruto knew nothing of what they Hyuuga wanted. He and Sasuke were top of their class, and at times he seemed to be ambitious enough to have higher goals, however reluctant. Was that because he could never do too much? He could never do what he wanted?
"That's... awful..."
He was quick to depart after the bell rang. Too many troubled thoughts clouded his mind. Neji had his future written out for him before he was even born and to this day seemed to heed to that arrangement. But how did any of that affect Sasuke? Why did he hold so much contempt for the Hyuuga when their circumstances were different? There had to be something else that had happened.
For the time being he felt as if he understood Neji's actions a bit more. He did what he was told because it had been expected of him since birth. What would be like if he actually did what he wanted?
His head began to pound as he tried to reflect over the young Uchiha. In such little time he uncovered so much about his past that said little to nothing about who he was today. When he looked long enough there was something more kind and gentle about his eyes that went against what one would expect a boy who lost his father to be like.
He shook his head frantically trying not to think about those eyes... He stood at the door to his dorm while inhaling through his nose before he turned the knob. Sasuke was on the couch, holding onto his left wrist with his eyes shut tightly. The air in the room was hot which probably meant that the stove was on not that long ago. It wasn't until he approached the center of the room that he noticed the deep red skin that had spread on the other boy's wrist.
"Christ! Did you burn yourself?!" he exclaimed as he dropped his bag and knelt by the older boy.
"It's not a big deal," he muttered with a cruel glare. "I wasn't paying attention."
"Like hell!" he retorted as he forcefully took Sasuke's hand. "It goes halfway up your forearm!"
"It doesn't matter," Sasuke snapped as he wrenched his arm away from Naruto, the slight tremor in his fingers was the only indication that he was in any pain. "Get lost. You're annoying me already."
"Shut up," he grumbled as he rushed to get a wet rag from the kitchen. "Now is not the time to act like a hardass."
"What the hell do you care?" the Uchiha spat. "I do nothing but fuck everything up for you, right? What should you care if something bad happens to me?"
Naruto flinched in guilt as he knelt down in front of Sasuke again. "I... I didn't mean that... I was just angry."
"About what? Your girlfriend?"
"W-what?" he stammered as he took hold of Sasuke's arm with less resistance. "I don't know what you're talking about." But he did. He just didn't want to think about how Hinata seemed so interested in him, but was the one who asked Sasuke to be her partner.
"FUCK!" Sasuke seethed as the cold cloth came in contact with his burnt skin. Naruto jumped, not used to his roommate being so loud, or cursing much for that matter.
"She's your partner," he continued cautiously, afraid that he was about to be punched. He dabbed the rag as gently as he could, dismayed that there was some blood in spots.
"And?"
He could feel the exasperation quickly outgrowing his patience and he rolled his eyes. "It's obvious who she'd want to be with."
"You have no idea."
Naruto ignored the remark. "If it came down to you or me, it's obvious who would be picked." He bit his lip to quell his anger. "I don't get it; you could have anyone you wanted, but you insist on interfering with me. It's annoying."
"Anyone, huh?" Sasuke's voice drew the blond's eyes to meet his. I don't think I like that look.
He was confused with that expression. It was new, and strange. It lost the hostility but replaced it with an unfathomable misery that even Naruto could detect. What was mortifying was that it made him want to reach out to him.
As if taking the cue, Sasuke's right hand took firm hold of Naruto's chin, tilting his face up slightly to get a better view of him. The younger boy completely froze, unprepared to handle the foreign situation as Sasuke put his forehead to his own.
Don't... He couldn't hear a thing beyond the violent hammering in his chest. His vision became a warm haze as his skin started to burn. I don't know what to do... Sasuke's breath was warm against his lips as he leaned slightly closer. It was intoxicating. He couldn't breathe. He wanted to move, to say something, but he couldn't. The anticipation ached his muscles as they tensed while his heartbeat continued to beat rapidly. Don't come any closer!
Why was he so close? What was being said? None of it mattered for that brief instant that seemed to agonize him for an eternity. I don't want you to hear this pounding too! He shut his eyes tightly to try and imagine himself somewhere else like studying in the library or in the dining hall with Shikamaru and Kiba. Another moment passed so briefly he wondered if it had really happened. Something soft gently grazed his lips for a fleeting second before he felt himself being pushed away.
He fell back onto his hands, feeling his arms begin to tremble visibly as he looked back up at Sasuke. His charcoal locks fell in front of his face, hiding any kind of readable expression for Naruto to be able assess what the hell had just happened. Without another word Sasuke wrapped the rag around his arm before he stood and walked out the door, leaving the confused Naruto to a bitter silence.
He wouldn't have...
His elbows soon gave way and he fell onto his back completely while finally allowing himself to breathe. He put his index finger to his lips as he tried to ascertain whether or not he even felt anything at all. For some reason he felt as if he had brought it upon himself. Sasuke didn't want his help to begin with but he persisted and did it anyways; it wasn't like Sasuke to be so careless, and he thought something may have been wrong. Why does that even matter?! He hit his head against the floor with a groan of annoyance.
But there was no shaking it. He couldn't tell if he was supposed to be angry or concerned. The image itself made him feel so embarrassed that he could die. He covered his face with a vigorous shake of his head. The question lingered in his thoughts even after he believed he was about to fall unconscious from how many times he hit his head against the floor.
Was I about to let him?
"No goddamnit!" he shouted into his palms with another hit to his head. There's no way...
He peered through his fingers at the ceiling. Was there no more denying the strange relationship they had developed, or was he just creating reasons to satisfy his own conscience? Damnit. This wasn't what he wanted. His heartbeat had not ceased its erratic beating even long after the Uchiha left the room and no matter how hard he concentrated his body wouldn't stop shaking.
"What did you do to me?"