FicWad

Fences- Paramore

Men in Tights- Robin Hood: Men in Tights

On the radio- Regina Spektor

Coconut Skins- Damien Rice

High Voltage- Electric 6

Shiver

Three: It was an accident

I was in a basement. There was sand in it; red and dusty, on the floor, in the air, my lungs, teeth, nails, capillaries. The walls and ceiling and floor were made out of bricks.

The only thing in the room besides me was a radio.

It was old fashioned, wire netting in the middle, protruding and eerie song I had never heard before. Strings, slightly out of tune, cracked by static and underlined by a whispering, /na,na,na/, that was the source of the deep fear I was feeling, like a gun to my head.

I was still, tense, waiting. Something bad was going to happen. But I never had to wait long.

Suddenly, the volume of the radio went up.

"You like music, don't you, Naruto?" Someone asked out of the nothingness. The air stopped and splintered in my throat. I knew that voice. It was part of me now.

I said nothing.

There was someone behind me. My shadow. My past.

"Don't you, Naruto?" it edged on, getting closer, one sound at a time. "Come on, Birdie, sing me a song," a hand at the back of my neck. "Sing me a song, Naruto. Come on," nails against my cheeks, digging, digging.

Every night he dug a little deeper.

OoO

I turned on my MP3, watching as it greeted me, /good music, good day. /I chose a song, and put only one earphone in my ear as the lyrics started.

I'm sitting in a room,

Made up of only big white walls and in the halls there's

People looking through...

I was in the common room, crossed-legged on a chair at the end of lunch, watching Ino and Sakura as if I were following a tennis match. Kiba was doing the same, and I should have known from the very start that he and I were going to hit it off from the start. He was blunt, reckless, rather vulgar and filthy-minded. Icould have asked for little more, really.

"Don't blame me for your mistakes. You're the one who filled in the boxes wrong, Iwasn't /distracting /you," Sakura was saying in annoyance, taking a bite from her apple. Ino snorted.

"Oh well so-/rry, /I don't have a giant forehead to store all that crap in,"she huffed. Sakura narrowed her eyes as soon as the forbidden F-word was mentioned.

"Can it, piggy. And trust me, it's not the size of your over-inflated head that's causing the retardation," she snarled. I scooted away slightly from the battle scene.

"Woah! Bitch fight!" Kiba hooted. I laughed.

"Yeah, man. I take off the clothes, you throw in the mud!" we high fived, but immediately backed off as we found ourselves at the receiving end of woman's wrath.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru sighed. I had found out he did that a lot, as well as sit around staring into space or talking to Choji. By what I had heard and asked, though, he used to be much lazier. Genius by birth, slacker through profession, he had gathered enough motivation in the last year to take extra courses and curricular activities to show off that intelligence.

"Come on, youth! Move forwards in the path of life!" A teacher started bellowing as lunch ended. I took out my only plugged earphone and turned around to see avery frightening image. It was a tall, broad-shouldered man dressed all in green. Tight, tight, green. The only exceptions to the colour were orange legwarmers over his jade skinny jeans. The picture was completed by a black-haired bowl-cut and thick eyebrowsin the manly, squared-jawed face.

"Woah, what's with the get-up?" I asked. Sakura glanced over and giggled as the man started doing star-jumps for reasons unknown to me and probably everybody else. Suddenly another boy, of the year above and dressed in a similar fashion and hair-do, joined in the exercise.

"Oh, that's professor Gai and Lee. They're...fun," she laughed. I stared.

"I...like what they're wearing. Where do you think they buy those tight jeans?" I asked truthfully. It was original. And it was the perfect opportunity to sing things like, we're men in tights! Tight tights!

"Are you serious!?" Sakura exclaimed, practically screeching. I winced.

"Yeah. It's cool." Sakura looked baffled and then smiled, shaking her head, looking like she was going to say something but was cut off as a voice said behind us,

"We're gonna be late." Sakura and I turned in our seats to face the front again and saw Sasuke standing there, bored looking, a sleeveless black top and denim shorts reaching his knees. I popped my earphone out, not being able to help letting my eyes trail across slightly sun-touched shoulders, over strong-looking arms.

No matter how big of a jerk he was, the guy was hot.

I had realised I liked both genders a couple of years before, little after I had met Haku. What turned out to be a boy he showed me that I simply didn't care; aperson was a person. I wouldn't have even called myself bisexual, as if the label was too constricting, too defining. I just didn't discriminate.

"Like it'll matter," I snorted, getting up nevertheless. I was right in my complaint, however, as by the time Kakashi arrived in the set classroom we had been waiting for 15 minutes; half the time mentoring should have taken.

"You're late!" Sakura and I accused at the same time as the teacher entered. Kakashi looked at us in his usual nonchalant way.

"A year seven was lost. I had to teach her the ways of the world," he replied. Iwrinkled my nose.

"That just sounds wrong."

Kakashi coughed as Sakura eeeeewed loudly.

"Well, moving on. I have your assignment here, which will last the whole of the next term, until Christmas," he said, sitting on the front of the desk, facing us. Ileaned forwards eagerly.

"The whole term? What is it what is it what is it!?" I shouted, excited. Maybe we would get to do magic tricks and I could saw Sasuke in half by 'accident'.

"Maybe if you shut up for a second, dobe, he would be able to explain," Sasuke commented from the side. I turned to see him lounge coolie in the plastic chair and scowled.

"Girls, please," Kakashi drawled before I could say anything. I turned my glare to the front as Sakura muttered something about 'sexist perverts'.

"Now. The assignment I am setting is mostly up to you," he warned. Ilistened keenly, smiling daftly. "I want you," he paused dramatically. I tipped my chair farther forwards.

"Yeah? What, what, what?" I breathed. Kakashi surveyed us.

"To collect information on Konoha."

I fell off my chair with a thump.

"Whaaaat? That's crap," I shouted, immensely disappointed as I pulled myself on the chair. Even Sakura looked crestfallen at the anticlimax.

"Let me finish," Kakashi sighed. I rolled my eyes. Why did he take so many pauses?

"This project is going to depend on your skills, imagination, but most importantly, team work." He looked at all of us. "You can do whatever you want as long as it is about Konoha, but I want it to be varied. Each one has to serve a purpose and no sectioning it. You have to help each other and, trust me, I'll notice if people haven't helped," he looked pointedly at me.

"Hey!Why are you looking at /me/!?" I protested loudly. Sasuke snorted and I glared at him loathingly. "Shut it, teme."

"Calm down, Naruto, I meant nothing by it. My eyes just drifted," Kakashi replied. Isnorted. Fat chance.

"Now, you can do something like a historical background-"

"/Bo/-ring."

"You can do a map. You can draw, make graphs, make- a soundtrack," I perked up. That actually sounded pretty cool. "It just has to be presentable, well thought-out and, if possible, interesting. I have to read it after all," he finished lazily. I hummed thoughtfully, ideas racing through my mind. Anything on Konoha. We could go from writing a fictional story to a set of pictures with information to...

"That's pretty cool! We get to spend time outside and stuff don't we!?" I didn't wait for an answer. "Yeah!" I swivelled to look at Sakura and beside her Sasuke, one looking casually enthusiastic whilst the latter looked sceptic. Before I could say anything else the bell rung.

"Think about ideas tonight, kids. Later," Kakashi suggested as he walked out of the door. I grunted after him as the three of us picked ourselves up and started exiting as well.

"What do you guys think?" Sakura asked. "Should we meet somewhere soon to brainstorm?Tomorrow at mine maybe?" she offered, looking from Sasuke to me. I grinned.

"That sounds great! We'll be there!" I enthused and she smiled back, probably gathering that me accepting for the other boy would be an easier feat that convincing the ass to curve his probably tight routine into something more enjoyable.

"Great!"she replied and trotted off, skirt swishing back and forth. I looked at Sasuke to find him glaring at me. My smile widened.

"Oh come on Saucy, it'll be fun. And cheer up, we have our first music lesson next!" I said loudly. Sasuke rolled his eyes but only muttered /dobe/, which I took as I good sign. Even though the relationship between him and me could hardly be called healthy, I enjoyed his sarcastic company, as if he had something I could get with no one but him. That was why, when I had learnt he had also chosen Music for A-level, I had been happy. Iwanted to know what his skills in the subject were; what his voice could do to a song, his fingers to an instrument.

Walking together with my chatter as the main attraction and the sounds of the school as background music, I noticed how the girls walking down the hall glanced or stared at Sasuke he in return paying heed to the attention. I sighed and scowled slightly as we entered the art building. It was the ungrateful ones who always got what others wanted, I mused. I glanced at Sasuke's good looks.

Dickhead.

We reached the studio by walking down some white, creaky stairs, past a patio and into a room, half of it shut by a soundproofed wall with a large window in it, where supposedly one would be recorded, and then an area with machinery and Macs on old, rickety tables, one octave keyboards and earphones attacked to each.

"Cool!"I exclaimed, eyes wide, taking it all in. Music would be, without a doubt, my favourite subject and to see all the machinery set out in such an organized mess of cables and amps and computer towers...it was a dream come true. In my last school I had been lucky to find a working microphone and amp, let alone Macs and compressors.

We were the only ones in the room and I lunged into it as Sasuke closed the door from the hotness and sunshine of outside to the air-conditioned room as the running computers balanced it out with their projecting heat. I inspected the knobs and buttons and screensavers, afraid to touch something and make it break under my fingertips.

"Avoid from slobbering over the keyboards, dobe. Haven't you seen a studio before?"Sasuke said from behind me and I snapped straight, turning to look at him with a glare at having ruined my moment.

"No, actually, I haven't. Got a problem with that?" I growled irritably. His only response was to raise an eyebrow and my growl increased. Though age seemed to have flattered Sakura, it seemed to have had some reverse effect on Sasuke in the kindness department which had apparently shut down, feelings abandoning empathy town.

"Jerk,"I mumbled and he shrugged his exposed shoulders, making the semi-long hair brush against them. My eyes flickered over him again.

Damn him to hell. If I were Major I would definitely make it illegal for men that hot to be that insensitive. Great, now he was making me sound like a girl.

"Shut your pussy-hole, Jiroubou, you fat fag," a voice reached us as the door opened. I turned, startled at the sudden torrent of cursing to see a short, skinny girl with dirty red hair under a backwards black cap enter, followed by a large guy with an orange Mohican and two triangles of hair above his ears.

"I've told you a million times, Tayuya, not to curse so much. It's not ladylike,"Jiroubou said.

"I don't give a shagging rat's ass what you think is ladylike," the girl spat. Igaped at them. Apparently, those were my music partners, along with the winter princess.

Joy.

"Jiroubou is right. If I hear any more of that language in my classroom, Tayuya, you will be kicked off the course. No questions asked," a semi-hard, semi-passive voice was heard and then the door closed and all the class was present.

"Kakashi!? You're the music teacher?" I accused as he entered. The newcomers looked at me.

"No, blondie, he's here to f- prance about with us. What do you think?" Tayuya growled sarcastically. I glared at her but before I could reply Kakashi was cutting us off with a sighed instruction to sit down on one of the seats in the small room, ringed by the high tables with computers, a recording set pushed against the plastered bottom-half of the glassed wall, leaving a small space for walking in the middle. With grumbles we all pulled out wheeled chairs and turned to face Kakashi, who was sitting on an amp at the front of the room.

"Ok. This is how this year is going to work. Technology and music exams in summer, but most of your grade will depend on coursework. You will have to work. You will have to work hard. I will give you all the resources and help you need, but I will not chase after you to complete your projects..." for the next few minutes Kakashi, turned suddenly and quite surprisingly into teacher-mode, explained the high difficulty of the following year, how we wouldn't make it if we didn't put our individual skills and work into our projects. I sarcastically thought about how motivating all the teachers were being, drilling into us that hell on earth was to come.

Apparently, music coursework constituted of three sections; a mash-up, which consisted of joining two pop songs together to create one with a correlative beat, aMulti-track, which consisted of re-doing a pop song using only eight tracks, and finally a composition based on Pachabells Cannon, being more than eight tracks.

"This sucks," Tayuya complained as Kakshi finished explaining. "I don't like the genre of pop. It's too...happy," she scowled. I rolled my eyes.

"It's'pop' as in 'popular'. So any genre that's been popular at any given time, which is every genre really, is valid," I said. Kakashi looked at me and his eyes closed in what the outline of his mask revealed was a smile.

"That's right. And a track means one instrument or vocal recording, though if you can manage it I'll teach you how to compress various in one," Kakashi clarified. We all nodded, except Sasuke who looked bored with the whole ordeal. I guessed he already knew everything we were talking about.

"Right, anymore questions?" Kakashi asked. Silence prevailed. "Ok, good. Well then, since we still have time left, let's do an exercise," he suggested, his little smile appearing again. My interest was caught once again as I rolled closer to him in my chair. Even Sasuke seemed to be listening.

"I want all of you to play me a piece. You can use whatever instrument you want, including your voice. Any genre," he looked at Tayuya, "and it can be any song, including originals if you so wish to share."

My mind raced. Out of all the songs I knew, pick one? I tried to think of a simple one. A piano piece, maybe. I hummed.

"Fine,"Tayuya said and opened the case she had been carrying with her, revealing astandard C foot orchestra flute. "Can I go first?" she more stated than asked, to which Kakashi nodded. Without ceremony or hesitation she brought the embouchure hole to her lips and began playing a fast, cutting tune that wove around us like red threads. Her fingers flittered over keys and holes, sound after sound after sound filtering through in an intricately woven mass that conquered air and space. She reached the climax, closing her eyes as notes raised, raised, hanging there for a second before plunging down with precision and skill.

She was amazing.

Finally, with a sudden slash, the song ended. I opened my eyes and, amazed, clapped.

"Wow. That was great," I complimented. The petit girl looked at me smugly.

"Yeah, I know." I stopped clapping abruptly, a perverse feeling coming over me, as if by her boasting words she had ruined her music, tainted the notes with a sort of triviality. I snorted at her and looked away as she sat down, packing away her instrument.

"Very good. Jiroubou?"Kakashi prompted. The large boy nodded and we all moved to the insulated side of the room to reach the drums. As I entered the room I froze, amazed.

"Oh my God. A Grand Piano.Fuck. This is so cool!" I exclaimed, running over the sleek, black figure, running my hands carefully over the surface, lifting the lid as if through worship to reveal the notes that hid beneath it. Softly I pressed a G and the noise tinkled in the room.

"Sweet,"I breathed, closing the lid in awe. A Grand Piano. I couldn't believe it. They were worth thousands. They were /priceless/, in my eyes.

"Naruto,"Kakashi called and as I looked at them I saw the girl rolling her eyes whilst Jiroubou sat in front of the drum set, shifting them around slightly so they were in appropriate reach. Sasuke, however, was looking at me with his dark eyes as if I were a complicated equation he was attempting to resolve. I looked back at it, slightly taken aback at being the target of such intense concentration.

I was pulled away from him, however, as Jiroubou started playing expertly, rolling the drums, smashing the clash symbol and hi-hat as the snare shivered alongside the bass drum. Even though some people would have considered it noise, I appreciated the sounds, so synchronised and understanding of each other, but with a final roll he finished.

"Whoo!" I enthused, clapping again. He, however, didn't look at me, but I didn't care. It was the good music I was complimenting as Kakashi praised him shortly as well.

"Ok, ok, me next!" I demanded, walking towards the piano, sliding the lid back again, sitting down against the great beast that was the Grand Piano.

I didn't look at my audience. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes for a second and when I opened them I decided;

Happy song.

"On The Radio, Regina Spektor."

I started playing, my fingers over the simple, staccato cords in the introduction, zoning everything else out. This was my world; the land of sounds that transformed into feelings. I opened my mouth and sang.

This is how it works
It feels a little worse
Than when we drove our hearse
Right through that screaming crowd

I started; a clear, practiced sound without rough edges.
While laughing up a storm
Until we were just bone
Until it got so warm
That none of us could sleep
And all the Styrofoam
Began to melt away

I raised my voice, feeling the words in my throat, in my lungs.
We tried to find some worms
To aid in the decay
But none of them were home
Inside their catacomb,

I breathed,
A million ancient bees
Began to sting our knees
While we were on our knees
Praying that disease
Would leave the ones we love
And never come again
I paused for a second, slowed down.
On the radio
We heard November Rain
That solo's really long
But it's a pretty song
We listened to it twice
'Cause the DJ was asleep
I elongated, finishing with a /bu bu bum bu bum bum /before another deep breath, another lunge.
This is how it works
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't

I squeezed my eyes shut, singing deeper, more than the original composer.
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath
Another breath as I slowed down, my fingertips on the soft keyboard.
No, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took

I sweetened my tone.
And then you take that love you made
And stick it into some,
Someone else's heart
Pumping someone else's blood

I sang deeply, my favourite line.Then softly
And walking arm in arm
You hope it don't get harmed
But even if it does
You'll just do it all again

I smiled for a second, closing my eyes.
And on the radio
You hear November Rain
That solo's awful long
But it's a good refrain

I smiled,
You listen to it twice
'Cause the DJ is asleep
On the radio
oh oh oh, I imitated the harmony.
On the radio
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio

I hummed, playing joyously as I bu-bumed and just let my voice carry as Ileft the last note hanging with the peddle and clapping a tune as a ah-ed in staccato. With a final clap I stopped. Isat still for a second in the aftermath of the song before slowly lifting my foot from the pedal and looking over to my observers. I grinned.

"Whatcha think?" I asked, scratching the back of my head with a slight blush. I wasn't anormally shy person but...this was my music. My voice.My feelings.

"Not bad, runt," Tayuya smirked. Kakashi looked thoughtful and nodded as Jiroubou grunted. I chuckled, half-embarrassed, and as I moved away from the piano, shutting it with a lingering touch, I couldn't help but glance as Sasuke. He was looking away but as I stared he glanced towards me and in those eyes was the same deepness as before. My smile widened.

"You turn, Saucy," I grinned. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, grunted, turning to one of the guitars.

"Don't call me that, dobe," he replied as he sat on a stool. I smirked.

"Don't call me dobe, teme."

"Any time now, ladies," Tayuya growled, looking like she was holding something far more hurting to the ear back. I shrugged.

Sasuke settled his guitar strap and his position, trying a few cords to make sure it was in the right key before saying "Coconut Skins," and he began to play, fingertips against strings, pressing and strumming in a surprisingly upbeat song. Ismiled, enjoying the fact that he hadn't chosen a slow, depressive tune to fit with the image that people had of him; cold and melancholic. Like me, he had his own world and preferred to stay there instead of venturing near the dangers of other people.

Suddenly, however, my thoughts were cut short as his deep, rich voice filled the room.

You can hold her hand
And show her how you cry
Explain to her your weakness
So she understands
And then roll over and die
He called, looking down, his voice wavering slightly at the end of some words, adding a pleasant edge to the emotion.
You can brave decisions
Before you crumble up inside
Spend your time asking everyone else's permission
Then run away and hide
he reprimanded, taking a deep breath as he went into the chorus.
Or you can sit on chimneys
Put some fire up your ass
No need to know what you're doing or waiting for
But if anyone should ask

He paused, a smirk across his lips.
Tell them I've been licking coconut skins
And we've been hanging out
Tell them God just dropped by to forgive our sins
And relieve us our doubt

Another deep breath, rasping against his teeth. His strumming increased in force,as he /lalala-ed /to the tune, a strength behind the sounds.
Oh you can hold her eggs

He slowed down,
But your basket has a hole
You can lie between her legs and go looking for
Tell her you're searching for her soul

His eyes flickered upwards and touched mine
You can wait for ages
Watch your compost turn to coal
Time is contagious
Everybody's getting old

He said unhurriedly, letting the words drip from his tongue.
So you can sit on chimneys
Put some fire up your ass
No need to know what you're doing or looking for
But if anyone should ask
Tell them I've been cooking coconut skins

He closed his eyes, frowning slightly as he felt the impact of the words
And we've been hanging out
Tell them God just dropped by to forgive our sins
And relieve us our doubt

He went into the final verse, fingers going up and down, up and down, dancing over the strings, lalala-ing again but with a final, impacting strum, the song ended.

Silence fell and I found myself missing his voice in the air.

"Well done," Kakashi said as he smirked slightly. I coughed and Sasuke grunted, removing the guitar and moving away from the stool.

"Yeah man...well done," I put in. Sasuke glanced at me and smirked in a way that could have almost, almost been a smile.

"Let's go back to the other room," Kakashi instructed, and we all filed through. Iplayfully punched Sasuke in the shoulder as I passed by,sitting in my seat and making it spin as he rolled his eyes at me.

Not soon after, the bell rung to indicate the end of the school day. Kakashi dismissed us with a wave of his hand and in the time it took me to collect all the books we had been given, Jiroubou and Tayuya had disappeared from the classroom. I exited with a wave to Kakashi who smiled at us, walking beside Sasuke who was not paying me much attention as I, in turn, retracted to my own thoughts. I was actually glad to have Kakashi as a teacher. Despite the fact that at times it seemed hard to respect him he was the best balance of strict and fair.

"That was pretty good, huh?" I asked Sasuke, breaking the silence as we walked down an empty, narrow hallway with wide windows streaming sunshine in.

"It was fine," Sasuke conceded and I smiled, walking a pace behind him.

"And you're pretty good, Sassy. After me, of course," I joked with a grin. Sasuke looked over his shoulders, eyes meeting mine before looking forwards again. We climbed another set of stairs and entered another thin, unoccupied hallway.

"Well, I'm sure it's easy to please you," he responded. My smile dropped as I frowned.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" I growl warningly. Sasuke just kept walking in his passive step.

"Well, what would a poor orphan know about music?"

Before I could even think I yanked back his shoulder, spinning him so that Icould slam him against the wall, his shoulder bag twisting awkwardly. He grunted in surprise but quickly composed himself, fisting my shirt as I was doing his, pushing me away, but my anger was much greater than his and Ipressed closer, digging the length of my arm against his chest.

"What the fuck do you think you're saying? How can you even pretend to know me, or my life, you fucking bastard," I snarled. Sasuke glared back.

"Let me go." His voice was cold and calm. Dangerous. I pushed harder.

"No,"I spat. "Not until you tell me the reason behind the shit you just spouted. How would my parents dying/," I was ready to rip his head off, "or the money I have, affect my appreciation for music? Do you have any idea how much Idepend on it?" The orchestra in my mind shrieked in agreement, my consuming, relieving insanity. "Where the /fuck do you come off, saying something like that?" I was so /angry/. That someone, Sasuke of all people, may even suggest that all I had left was /nothing, /that Iwasn't worthy to have it...

Sasuke stared at me, our faces so close I could make every detail; every eyelash and almost invisible sun-freckle on his nose, despite the paleness of his skin.

"I didn't mean it," he said lowly, slowly. He wasn't trying to push anymore, just held me in place, hand still clutching my blue shirt.

"What?"I said, startled. I hadn't actually expected any type of concession off him. Sasuke's glare deepened.

"I said I didn't mean it. Now get the fuck off me," he grinded, but I pushed him back again, baffled.

"They why the hell did you say it?" I asked, searching his face. I noticed that even though he was pushing slightly against my arm he could have tried a lot harder.

"Shit, Naruto, I was teasing you. I know you're good at music, I know you like it. We all saw you practically molest that piano. Now: get, the fuck, off me." He seemed to grow angrier as if to counter the vulnerability of his words, and Iwould have let him escape if not for the unfortunate event that took place.

Sasuke pushed against my chest and I, letting him, took a step back but was interrupted in my movement as, one foot lifted from the ground, I was hit on the back by an opening door, causing me to topple forwards. By some strange positioning of Sasuke's slightly slouched position as he pushed against me, our lips met. For what seemed like an overly long moment I stared into wide dark eyes as mine shot open. I was suddenly very aware of my body and my tongue, both of which were touching him. Pelvis to pelvis, we were still clutching each other and as my brain died I didn't know what to do. I tried to move my mouth to speak, already open against his in consequence of my startled cry, but that only caused more friction, more electricity, more feeling between us. My tongue was brushing the seam of his lips, the hand fisting against his neck /burning/from the touch as every pressure he put on me screamed for attention. His mouth, for a sliver of a second, opened against mine and our breath was one hot, wet edge of air.

Ridiculously, the line /Fire in the disco. Fire in the, gates of hell/, slid through my mind like high voltage and we wretched apart, me pulling, him pushing, coughing and spluttering. I clutched my throat as if something toxic had scorched my throat and maybe it was true because I was suffering from strange side effects.

The girl who had opened the door was staring.

"That was so hot," she breathed and I turned to glare at her.

"No it wasn't!" I howled. I hitched up the bag on my back, my face flaming. Even Sasuke was slightly flushed as he hissed,

"You /moron/."

"Me!Me?" I shrieked and, not being able to take even one second more of Sasuke's disturbing presence, stomped off, wishing desperately that it was the day the earth would swallow me whole.

As I rounded the corner I lifted my fingers to my lips, flushed, and cursed.

Damn him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N

The girl with the door, by the way, is totally me. And damn right it was hot.

Whoo, some narusasu action. I like character development as much as the next person but sometimes I just have to sweeten things up a bit before the main meal. :3

I wouldn't normally use such a clich