Hero
Naru turned around slowly, shivering a little, hoping he was hearing things.
�I must say, I never expected you do be in a place like this.� Sure enough, Sasuke was leaning in the doorway.
�What are you doing here?� Naru asked, his voice quivering. He didn�t know how he had gone from slightly scared to this angry in such a short period of time.
�The kind you sent brought me here. I thought for sure when I came here that him and I were thinking of a different Naruto��
�Naru! You call me Naru!� Naru interrupted angrily.
�But then I saw your photo in the lobby, and I figured only you could look that idiotic in a picture,� Sasuke said, continuing as though he never heard Naru speak in the first place. �I�ve never been in an orphanage before.�
Naru clicked his tongue once angrily, then turned away from Sasuke and back to his slightly-dismantled bed. �I don�t see why you would. Now that you�re here, come help me with my stuff.�
�Sasuke�s not here today?� Sakura asked, taking a bite out of her sandwich and looking at the girl across from her.
�No. Neither is Naru. There�s a rumor going around that they skipped together,� the girl said, seemingly oblivious of the food clasped in her own hand.
�What? Naru wasn�t here yesterday, either though!� Sakura exclaimed. �Besides, why would Sasuke want anything to do with an idiot like that? He failed the math test we had on Monday!�
�Yeah, but Naru came to fifth yesterday and he seemed healthy, if a little tired. Besides, didn�t you see?� the girl leaned closer to Sauke, falling silent.
Sakura leaned in close as well. �What?�
�They kissed in the cafeteria Tuesday,� she grinned.
�What?!� Sakura yelped, shooting up and slamming the palms of her hands on the table.
�Yep,� she said. �I�m serious. I saw it myself!�
�Hitomi!� The girl looked over at a group of girls. �Are you coming?�
The girl, Hitomi, smiled at Sakura. �I�m going to the mall. See you in math,� she said, before running after her friends.
The smile and words were lost on Sakura.
Naru, the boy who hadn�t missed one day of school until three days ago, and Sasuke, the boy who rarely missed school were both absent that day.
And they had kissed three days ago.
Naru placed the metal structure poles from his bed in a medium sized cardboard box while Sasuke packed away smaller items in one.
�Why are you moving, anyway?� Sasuke asked, looking at a small picture of Naru, Iruka and Konahamaru before packing it into the box.
�Why are you asking?� Naru countered, placing one of the pieces in the box a little more forcefully than he intended.
�No reason,� Sasuke said, not missing a beat in packing. �Just curious as to what was so important that you couldn�t wait until the weekend to move, like a normal person.�
He looked at a few CD�s that lay under his fingers. �Mozart? Beethoven? Mendeleev? What are you doing with CD�s like this?�
Naru looked over his shoulder while closing the box. He suddenly jumped up and grabbed the CD�s from Sasuke before he could get them even an inch off of the ground. �Don�t touch them!�
Sasuke got up slowly, looking Naru in the eye as he did so. �I�ve helped you so far, yet you�re being extremely difficult. Now I can�t even touch your things. Find someone else to get your stuff over to where ever the hell it is you�re moving,� Sasuke said coldly.
He walked towards the door and before Naru could say anything was out of it.
Naru glared at the box that Sasuke was packing as though it were it�s fault. He bit his lip before placing the CD�s carefully on his mattress and running after him.
�Sasuke! Wait!� Naru called.
Sasuke stopped, then turned around. A couple of young kids who were playing in the lobby � any games from chess to snakes and ladders � turned to look at them, too.
�Listen, I�m sor � the CD�s are important to me and I don�t let anyone touch them, not even Konahamaru. I�ll try not to snap at you anymore, I�m just � I�ve never really done this before.�
Sasuke rolled his eyes before heading back towards Naru. �You�ve obviously never apologized before, either. You�re lucky I�m going to stick around.�
Naru smiled in relief, and the two of them headed back towards his room.
They had just rounded the corner when Konahamaru came running full speed around the corner, two of his friends directly behind him.
He ran into Naru, the two of them falling onto the ground.
�Naruto-niichan!� Konahamaru cried, wrapping his arms around Naru�s waist and burying his face into Naru�s shirt.
Naru sat up, rubbing his head tenderly. �What is it?� he asked.
�Why are your things packed up?!� Konahamaru asked, looking into Naru�s eyes.
The other kids in the lobby jumped up and ran closer, curious whisperings being exchanged between them.
�Well... uhm...� Naru said, looking up as if the ceiling would spit out an answer for him.
�You mean you didn�t know?� Sasuke asked, confused. If these kids were as close as Konahamaru made them seem, it seemed strange that Naru wouldn�t have told them.
�No! What don�t I know?� Konahamaru asked, his gaze turning to Sasuke now.
Sasuke looked at them cooly. �Naru�s moving out. He didn�t tell you?�
The whispers grew into cries of surprise, and the kids moved closer to Naru.
�Did you get adopted?�
�No! Why would someone want to adopt a seventeen year old?�
�Why are you leaving?�
�Because ��
�Where are you going?�
�Will you come and visit?�
Naru stood up quickly, making them step backwards. �I�m moving because I�m sick of it here! I�m sick of having to take care of everyone of you every time to old man goes out of town for something. I�m sick of everyone of you asking me for this and that. That is why I�m leaving!� Naru said angrily, before stomping towards his room. The kids cleared a path for him.
Sasuke looked at them. Konahamaru watched Naru leave, obviously completely stunned. A red-headed girl who had been running with him broke out crying, and Sasuke finally followed Naru.
When Sasuke entered Naru�s room, Naru was already on his hands and knees, frantically packing everything away.
Sasuke kneeled beside him and helped.
Naru sat down, leaning backwards as he and Sasuke finally finished packing the last box. �Man, that was a lot more work than I thought it would be,� Naru said, smiling.
�Why didn�t you pack before hand?� Sasuke growled, sitting on the opposite side of the room from Naru.
Naru looked out the doorway into the hallway which was empty. �I really didn�t want any of the to know I was moving until I had moved,� he said, closing his eyes a little. Then he grinned. �Let�s pack my mattress onto the truck now, okay?�
He stood up, picked his CD�s off of the bed and put them carefully in a corner and then lifted the bed so it was on it�s side.
Sasuke didn�t move.
�Are you going to help me or not?� Naru snapped, glaring.
�You�re not really moving because you�re sick of them, are you?� Sasuke asked quietly.
Naru blinked, then grinned again. �What was that? I couldn�t hear you. You�re so quiet!�
�Nothing. Nevermind,� Sasuke said. He finally stood up and grabbed the other side of the mattress, and the two of them carried it out together.
The lobby was silent as the two of them carried the bed. Naru kept his face hidden from everyone, and Sasuke knew it was deliberate.
A couple of kids wearing elementary school uniforms walked in, then jumped out of Naru�s and Sasuke�s way as they came through the door. One of them blinked, then walked over to the other kids. �Where�s Naruto-niichan going?� he asked.
�Why are you worried about a jerk like him?� Konahamaru snapped from the sofa. The kids who had just gotten there from class looked at the two of them questioningly, and Sasuke watched Konahamaru, too.
Naru made a noise and Sasuke turned to look, only to see Naru�s chin tucked into his chest and his eyes covered in shadow.
He didn�t even pause while he moved through the doorway.
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