you are home

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21

Since the start of the school year, two empty desks were pushed to the very back row, shuffled into a corner together. For the longest time, Kakashi saw no use for those desks; they were empty for months. Until last week, the two desks were ridden in dust and an intricate cobweb joining the desks by adjacent legs.

Kakashi felt bad for the hardworking spider. Its home was forever demolished when the janitor came in to finally sanitize the neglected desks. The poor spider's body was squished under someone's (probably the janitor's) foot, left to rot on the floor next to the now-clean empty desks.

He thought he'd miss the spider. It did its best to protect the classroom from ants and roaches. 

"Gaara Sabaku?" Kakashi called out.

Gaara raised his hand, earning a nod of acknowledgement from his homeroom teacher.

"Sasuke Uchiha?" Kakashi moved on.

No response. Not even a hand in the air indicated that Sasuke was present.

Kakashi raised his head, taking his eyes off of the roll sheet. He scanned the classroom, sorting through each of his students in his mind. The back of the classroom sported an empty desk—once filled only yesterday.

Not two empty desks. Just one now.

Yesterday, there were no empty desks. 

Eventually, he asked, "Is Sasuke here today?"

Gaara looked next to him—at the empty seat that Sasuke sat in yesterday. There was no sign of Sasuke. 

If he shows up by the end of homeroom, I'll mark him present, Kakashi reasoned to himself, scratching the back of his head.

The man sighed, staring back down at the roll sheet in his hands. His hand itched to mark 'absent' next to Sasuke's name; those were the rules.

But tons of students showed up late. One student in particular was never on time for anything—much less early. He made many allowances for that student, even when knowing there was a chance the student probably wouldn't show up until the end of the school day.

Kakashi forced his eyes to move onto the next name on the roll sheet, leaving the spot next to Sasuke's blank.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" he called out.

"He said he'd be late," the girl in the front explained.

"Again?" Kakashi sighed, knowing subconsciously that he'd still make an exception for this student, because he always did. "This is the second time this week—"

Suddenly, the doors to the classroom burst open, rattling the hinges that they clung to. The noise itself startled Gaara; he looked over at the offending source. An unironed and wrinkled school uniform hung off the body of a blond. Sticks and leaves poking out of his hair messily. His shoes were battered and muddy, leaving tracks as he walked into the classroom.

"I'm...!" The blond panted, hunching over to catch his breath. "I'm here!"

"So it seems," Kakashi deadpanned.

A woman walked up from behind the blond, striding towards Kakashi. She handed the man a slip of paper—her movements rigid and tense in annoyance. Gaara recognized her; he met her on his first day of school. The principal was a calm and confident woman, but standing in front of the classroom, Gaara could only imagine what made her so...

...irritated.

"He was with me," Tsunade said.

Kakashi took the slip of paper. "What did he do this time?"

"You know exactly what he did."

Gaara looked back at the blond, watching as he took a seat beside the girl that vouched for him a while ago. She started to pick off a few leaves in his hair, seemingly scolding him for being so messy. 

"I appreciate you walking him to class, Ms. Senju," Kakashi thanked. "I assure you he's in good hands now."

"He better be," Tsunade scowled. "We don't have it in our budget to repaint our school another ten times."

The woman walked away and slammed the classroom door behind her, nearly as furiously (if not more) as how the blond student opened the door. The classroom became silent—quiet enough to hear a feather drop. Kakashi took a few moments to scan the note he was handed by the principal, only putting it down when he faced the blond that walked in late.

"Naruto," he started to say, massaging the bridge of his nose in frustration, "What exactly did you—"

"It wasn't me!" Naruto shouted, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation. "I swear!"

"Alright, then what didn't you do?"

"Granny made me repaint over someone else's graffiti! I mean, sure, I admit doing some of it," Naruto rambled, huffing and folding his arms across his chest, "But I sure as hell don't take credit for every bit that was done! Why do I get punished for someone else's mistake?! On top of that, she told me to go find the person who did it—since she doesn't believe me in the first place!"

"Is that so?"

"I mean, seriously, Kakashi, I would never paint a stupid bird! It was ugly too! You should've seen it! Now, all I need to do is get my hands on the bastard that made me repaint an entire wall, and then I'll—"

"So," Kakashi interrupted, talking over Naruto as he continued to rant. "It looks like most of you are here. If more show up, I'll mark them present. Naruto, please take care to tidy your appearance a bit—"

"I fell off a ladder, Kakashi! The bastard spray painted the stupid bird so high up that I had to use a ladder! Give me a break!"

"—The rest of the period is for you to decide how best to manage your time. If you need me, I'm right here."

Kakashi could still hear Naruto complaining about something—this time, to a friend that always seemed to make time for him out of her schedule. He'd seen them attached at the hip since they were younger; it was still a miracle how that girl ever put up with Naruto. 

He put down the roll sheet, staring at the empty space left next to Sasuke's name. The rest of the class was here, surprisingly. Even Naruto arrived much earlier than he usually would have.

There was still an empty desk in the back of the classroom, but it wasn't his problem anymore. Kakashi did his part; he already took count of all the students in his homeroom.

The classroom erupted with conversations left and right. Gaara looked around once more; there was still no sign of Sasuke.

Gaara wondered if it was something he did yesterday. He knew, logically, it wouldn't make sense for someone to not show up to school simply because of him. He knew he wasn't too big of a factor to cause an absence.

Perhaps he was sick. That was plausible.

Gaara stared into his backpack, taking a long look at the contents within. Next to the small tin can of sand he kept with him (and the bottle of sun cream Temari insisted he had to use), his neatly-organized notebooks and binders took up the majority of space.

Temari mentioned that Sasuke had taken notes for him yesterday. It would make sense to share them, since they had the exact same schedule.

He had to return the favor somehow. With Sasuke absent (from the looks of it, at least), Gaara knew what he had to do.

No, not had to. Wanted to.

Gaara knew what he wanted to do. 

Itachi watched the clock tick by. The time grew closer to when he needed to leave. He already packed up his bag and left breakfast in the fridge for Sasuke. He supposed he could write a note, telling his brother to check the fridge for food.

Maybe he should leave money on the counter too, just in case. It would be a waste of food, but if Sasuke wanted to order take out instead...

At least he'll be eating something, Itachi reasoned in his mind.

The older Uchiha reached into his backpack, pulling out a post-it note and pen. He scribbled out a simple message and stuck it the surface of the dining table—not too far from where he was sitting. He then reached back into his backpack, pulling out his wallet and taking out a few notes of cash, placing them near the note he wrote for Sasuke.

Stuffing the materials he took out back into his bag, Itachi double-checked to make sure he had everything he needed. He got up from his seat, tucking in the dining table chair. 

To his knowledge, Sasuke was still asleep. The man walked towards the boy's room, knocking three times and waiting for a response.

There was still none.

"Sasuke," Itachi said through the door, hoping his younger brother was lucid enough to hear him, "I'm going to class. I left you a note and some money on the dining table. There's food in the fridge."

Yet again, there was no response.

"Text me if you need anything," Itachi continued. "I'll be home in a few hours."

Not expecting a response in return, Itachi walked away from the door, making sure to keep his footsteps light just in case Sasuke called out to him (unlikely, though there was a possibility). He grabbed his backpack and jacket, looking back towards the direction of Sasuke's bedroom.

Itachi knew he couldn't afford to miss the bus. He had a midterm to take today, and it weighed on his grade heavily.

Still, he was hoping for some response from his younger brother before he left.

Homeroom had long adjourned, and Kakashi was left in an empty classroom. He had some time to kill before it was his turn to teach physical education; his coworker insisted on taking the first half of the day. Kakashi didn't mind much; it left his mornings open for his personal desires.

As a matter of fact, it let him read his books as much as he wanted. The book he picked up more recently peaked his interests enough to keep his attention. He enjoyed having time to himself.

And even so, Kakashi wasn't much of a morning person anyway.

He'd rather stay home, lay in bed with his multiple dogs by his side. He'd rather use his blackout curtains to hide any remnants of sunlight, even at noon—when the sun was loud and proud, and the citizen of Konoha were already halfway through their day. He'd rather cozy up under his reading light, sipping on something warm (or iced, if the summer's weather called for it) as he read his favorite series.

Kakashi mused to himself, picking up his book and scanning the classroom once more to make sure no one was inside. Tucking himself into his desk, he tried to remain as neutral as possible on the outside as he read how...

...the lights dimmed. She looked around the room, taking in the fairy lights strung on the walls. They displayed a pleasant glow, enough for her eyes alone.

"You like them?" he asked her.

She, without a glance in his direction, mused in wonder. They were beautiful.

Footsteps behind her made their way towards her. She looked ahead, keeping watch of the fairy lights. Ahead laid a bed, covered in carnation petals. 

"You remembered my favorite flower," she observed, gasping when she felt a hand cover her eyes.

"Tell me, Lady Nishimiya," he whispered into her ear, "Would you like me to show you what else I remember about you?"

She gulped, feeling his hard chest press against her. His hand traced at the curvature of her hips and waist—all while the other hand rested against her eyes. Nishimiya let out a shuddered breath, feeling the hand tracing her body travel higher towards her chest. She pawed at his arm, stopping his ministrations. 

"I can stop," he told her. "Just say the word, and I'll leave you be, my lady."

She gulped. His deep whispers in her ear did the opposite of wanting him to leave.

"I-I never said I wanted you to go," Nishimiya stuttered, trying to keep her composure. "I just..."

"You just what, my lady?"

"...I just want to look at you."

The hand on her eyes lowered, pulling away completely. Nishimiya turned to face the knight, holding her head high as she made eye contact with him. He did not falter; only a smirk danced on his lips.

"Jiraiya," she began, keeping careful watch of the way his eyes lingered on her body. "My father would not appreciate his daughter bedding a knight."

"Your father is a fool," Jiraiya argued playfully. "Why should he get a say in who you love?"

"I'm an heiress. To this empire. To my people."

"And to me. You are mine, as much as you are to others. Perhaps even more, if that’s something you are comfortable with.”

He cupped both hands to her face, letting one tangle ever so gently in her hair.

"Let this lowly knight show you," he begged, looking into her eyes as he leaned closer to her lips, "just how much you mean to him, Lady Nishimiya."

The heiress leaned forward, keeping a small distance between their lips. He waited for her to close the gap, not expecting to be startled by her touching him. Her hands, delicate and smooth like those raised in nobility, glided on the ample peaks of his bare skin. They traced the scars he had worn in many battles, and then they went lower—

"Lady Nishi—" Jiraiya groaned, fighting himself internally from touching the heiress without her permission.

"I'll let you show me a lot more," she said, closing the gap between their lips, keeping her hand cupped at his—

A loud series of knocks echoed at his classroom door. Kakashi slammed the book on his desk, pulling random paperwork over novel to cover it. He cleared his throat, telling whoever it was to come in as he hurriedly fixed his appearance.

In walked Shizune.

"Hi," she greeted. "Just coming in to collect attendance sheets."

"Oh, right," Kakashi said, picking up the sheet on his desk and handing it over to the vice principal. "Everyone was here, except one student."

"Really? Which student?"

"Sasuke Uchiha. Not sure if he showed up to his other classes, but he wasn't here for homeroom."

Shizune snapped her fingers as the realization came to her head. Kakashi wondered where her mind went—if she had been informed of his absence.

"His guardian called in to excuse his absence," she confirmed his suspicions. "Apparently he's not feeling too well today."

Kakashi settled into his chair, folding his hands over his lap. The time he spent waiting for the empty desk in the back corner of the classroom to fill was all for nothing. He reasoned that he would've waited for any of his students to show up to his class, but...

"I'll get this to the front office," she said, waving the attendance sheet and walking back out the classroom. "Thank you!"

Kakashi bid her farewell, watching the door close behind the woman. He got up from his desk to lock the door, making sure no one else could come in. The man raced back to his desk, digging through files before he landed on one he was given.

Not necessarily given, he would say. Four days before Sasuke showed up to the school, Kakashi found the file in his letter box. He didn't know why the principal or vice principal would put it in there for him to see; teachers never quite got information on the students they would receive—other than the bare minimum notes they should watch for.

He flipped through it, landing on the page he doggy-eared a while ago. 

Leave of Absence, it read.

TEMPORARY SUSPENSION — January 4 to January 6 — Vandalism of School Property, Graffiti

TEMPORARY SUSPENSION — February 8 to February 10 — Vandalism of School Property, Graffiti

EXCUSED ABSENCE — February 15 to March 30 — Cited Personal Loss ; Excused By Guardian

TEMPORARY SUSPENSION — April 9 to April 14 — Threat of Inflicting Bodily Injury To Another Student 

TEMPORARY SUSPENSION — April 19 to April 24 — Threat of Inflicting Bodily Injury To Another Student

TEMPORARY SUSPENSION — April 30 to May 4 — Threat of Inflicting Bodily Injury To Teacher

TEMPORARY SUSPENSION — May 15 to May 20 — Threat of Inflicting Bodily Injury To Another Student

TEMPORARY SUSPENSION — May 21 to May 30 — Inflicting Bodily Injury To Another Student ; Victim Retained Minor Injuries, Cared For By School Aid

PERMANENT EXPULSION — October 5 — Inflicting Bodily Injury To Teacher ; Victim Retained Major Injuries, Need For Immediate Hospitalization

The file he received only cited the current year's dates. The rest of the record was missing. He knew, in the back of his mind, there was more that wasn't on the report.

And thinking back to the events that happened yesterday...

Kakashi didn't know if he was in the right. Sure, he wanted answers. Sure, he was curious. Sure, he was an educator and he had a right to know what kind of students he was working with. Sure, he wanted to know how best to serve his students.

But something about Sasuke's reaction yesterday—the numbness on his face, the way his feet dragged him out of the room—meant that there was more to the story. There was more than what met the eye.

He would've asked the boy today. He would've apologized.

Yet Sasuke never showed up to school, and Kakashi wondered if he should be blamed for that.

Itachi leaned against a wall, adjusting the shoulder straps of his backpack. He stood outside of his classroom, flipping through the photo gallery on his phone. He made sure to snap a few pictures of the material he wanted to review. There were still a few minutes before the test began; he just wanted to be prepared. 

A crowd of students near him stood in the same predicament. Last minute cramming wasn't uncommon, but Itachi felt as though he wasn't as stressed out as others were. In hindsight, he understood the material he'd be tested on.

The sound of other students panicking and complaining about the midterm didn't bother him. He was too absorbed in looking over the pictures of his notes that he drowned out any background noise. He didn't hear anyone clear their throat to get his attention, not until they tapped him on the shoulder.

It startled him. Itachi looked up, only to realize he needed to look higher to meet the person's eyes. 

"You wouldn't happen to have a spare pencil, would you?" the stranger asked with a sheepish grin.

"A pencil?" Itachi repeated.

"Or a pen," the stranger clarified, chuckling deeply. "I'm not picky. Anything will do."

Itachi nodded, slinging his backpack forward and digging through it to find his pencil case. He pulled out an extra pen and pencil, handing them both to the stranger.

"Thanks," the stranger said, taking ahold of both the pen and pencil. "I only needed one..."

"Well," Itachi said, noticing the hoard of students near him entering the classroom, "Now you have two."

Itachi slung his backpack behind him, walking into the classroom behind the other students. He heard the stranger thank him again, a little louder to have it be acknowledged among the soaring noise of the crowd around them. The older Uchiha looked back, raising his hand and waving at the stranger as a sign to show that he heard them.

But really, it was just a pen and pencil. Itachi had loads of them.

It didn't quite matter to him at all, to be honest.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21

[ three years and one month before current day ]

It started in middle school—a friendship that would’ve lasted a lifetime. 

Students were scattered in every part of the common grounds in his school. Sasuke looked around for a place to sit. He held a wrapped bento close to his chest, not knowing where he should eat. If worse came to worst, he could eat in the bathroom. Spending his lunch break in one of the bathroom stalls wasn't too bad; it was working out for him so far. 

Part of him didn’t want to eat, if he was being honest with himself. Itachi packed him his lunch. He wasn’t too fond of Itachi.

But he promised his parents he’d get along with his older brother. That was years ago, but a part of him didn’t want to break that promise. It was one of the only things he had left of them.

As he looked around the campus, trying to find an empty spot just for himself, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Sasuke turned, noticing it was a classmate that shared a science class with him. 

"You got any fruits or veggies?" the classmate asked.

Sasuke shrugged, quirking an eyebrow at the other boy.

His classmate sighed, pointing at Sasuke's bento. "What's inside?"

"Not sure," Sasuke said.

"Can you check if there's anything not-meat? I can trade you my lunch."

"What do you have for lunch?"

"Takoyaki. You want it?"

"That depends," Sasuke said suspiciously. "Why don't you want it?"

"Because takoyaki isn't a fruit or a veggie."

Sasuke nodded, as though it made sense (it didn't). 

"Well?" his classmate pestered. "Aren't you going to open your lunch? See what's inside!"

Sasuke eyed the common grounds again. There wasn't any space open for him to sit, nor was there anyway for him to escape this unwanted conversation.

His classmate followed his gaze. "What are you looking for?"

"A place to sit," Sasuke answered truthfully.

"Oh. Why didn't you just say so? Come on."

The raven felt his arm being tugged onward, leading him across campus unwillingly. He didn’t have a choice other than to let himself be dragged by his classmate, not knowing why it was happening in the first place—or how to stop it. Narrowly, they avoided stepping over a few legs of other students loitering on the ground. Every complaint Sasuke had about being dragged from one point to another was held back. Curiosity was getting the better of him.

They stopped by a spot in the grass, where two more students sat. 

"He's joining us," his classmate announced.

"Why?" A girl looked over at Sasuke, adjusting her thick-brimmed glasses and taking in his appearance. "Who are you?"

"Sasuke," the raven answered. 

He's never seen the girl before. He figured she wasn't in any of his classes.

"I'm Juugo," the boy next to her said, smiling up at Sasuke. "Nice to meet you."

"And that's Karin," his classmate from before said, pointing to the redheaded girl. "And I'm Suigetsu, but you already know that. We sit together in science!"

"Right," Sasuke confirmed.

He was terrible with names. He didn't tell his classmate—Suigetsu—that he forgot his name. 

"Well, go on," Suigetsu insisted, pointing to an empty spot in the grass. "You wanted a place to sit, right?"

Sasuke watched as Suigetsu sat down next to Karin, leaving a spot for him next to Juugo. The raven sat down reluctantly, knowing that if he left, it would be rude. He didn’t want to be rude. 

"So what do you have for lunch?" Suigetsu asked, looking expectantly at Sasuke's bento.

The raven opened his lunchbox, showing his classmate the content inside. It was a simple tomato-egg salad, packed with a side of mini sausages and two pieces of onigiri. 

"What's in the onigiri?" Suigetsu wondered aloud.

Sasuke broke up one of the two with his hands, showing the open half to his classmate. It was natto.

"It's not meat," Sasuke confirmed. "You want it?"

"Yeah, I'll trade you my takoyaki!" Suigetsu said, handing over a tupperware filled with nine pieces of the food item he promised. 

The boys exchanged parts of their lunch. Soon enough, Sasuke was biting into savory takoyaki, watching as Suigetsu devoured the natto onigiri he was given. He must've been very hungry; both pieces of the onigiri was nearly gone by the time Sasuke was on the third piece of takoyaki.

"Is this why you invited him over?" Karin scolded Suigetsu. "So you could steal his food?"

"It's not stealing if he gave it to me!" Suigetsu argued back. "We traded!"

"Why trade though? Didn't your mom make you that?"

”So? I’m a vegan.”

Karin nearly spit out her food when she heard the statement. ”Since when were you vegan?!”

Suigetsu shrugged, looking very much unbothered. ”Since today.”

”Congratulations!” Juugo cheered. 

”Don’t praise him, Juugo!” Karin said. “He’s going to go back to eating meat again tomorrow! Just watch!”

”No, I’m not!” Suigetsu argued back, sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry at the girl (very maturely, he might add). “I found out sharks have meat in them. There’s no way I’d eat meat after that!”

”...At your age?” Sasuke asked, visibly concerned for the boy that sat next to him in their science class.

Karin snorted, shaking her head. ”Next thing you know, he’s going to stop celebrating Christmas because he finds out Santa’s not real.”

Suigetsu looked at the Karin, then at Sasuke, before turning to Juugo to ask, ”...Santa’s not real?”

Juugo didn't answer, only offering a nervous smile in return. He didn't want to break his best friend's heart.

“I don’t get it,” Karin said, trying to wrap her head around the concept. “Just don’t eat sharks. Isn’t that simple? Why are you giving up meat in general?”

”Because sharks have meat in them,” Suigetsu sighed, rolling his eyes. “Jesus Christ, Karin, it’s like you don’t even listen to me.”

”Okay, but not all meat has shark in it.”

”And how would you know?!”

”Suigetsu really likes sharks,” Juugo whispered, leaning closer to Sasuke and putting his hand near his mouth to convey his message in secrecy.

”I can tell,” Sasuke whispered back, covering his mouth to convey the same level of secrecy Juugo insisted they share. 

The arguing between Karin and Suigetsu went on for a while. Sasuke took the time to enjoy the takoyaki he was given. Juugo was also nearly done with his food. By the time Sasuke picked up a bite of the tomato-egg salad he was packed, he felt Juugo nudge him to get his attention. The boy subtly pointed towards the direction of Karin and Suigetsu, causing Sasuke to look over and see both pairs of eyes directly on him.

”Well?” Suigetsu asked impatiently. “What do you think?”

Sasuke swallowed the bite of his tomato-egg salad, clarifying in uncertainty, “What?”

”You think he’s stupid too, huh,” Karin egged on. “Don’t worry. I agree.”

”He obviously thinks I’m not stupid!” Suigetsu shouted at Karin, all before looking back at Sasuke and lowly mouthing the words, “Right, Sasuke?”

Sasuke looked towards Juugo for help. The boy next to him shrugged, not offering much help to begin with. Sasuke wasn't even sure that Juugo knew what to do; he kind of felt bad for looking towards the boy for help. 

The raven turned Karin and Suigetsu, alternating between staring at the two. He had to come up with a reply, but he couldn't help but want to voice out how he quite literally didn't care.

Nor did he know what was going on, to be honest.

Sasuke shrugged, looking at his food to avoid taking any responsibility for his next words. ”Do what you want.”

”See?!" Suigetsu exclaimed, pointing at Karin to emphasize his point. "He supports me!”

”He could literally care less about you,” Karin deadpanned, going back to her food.

The argument seemed more so one-sided this time around—with Karin deflecting and Suigetsu trying to get a reaction out of her. It was loud, but it seemed comfortable. Sasuke took the time to look up from his food, taking a bite of his salad and eyeing the situation. He looked to his side, at Juugo, to see how the boy next to him was taking the interaction. 

Juugo held a shy thumbs-up toward Sasuke, which the raven returned.

The dynamic he was introduced to continued throughout lunch, not once stopping, even when the bell dismissed them for their next class. Sasuke was invited back for lunch the next day. He didn't know why he looked forward to it so much.

The next day, Suigetsu came to school with a tuna-mayo sandwich. He refused to share it. Karin gave him hell for it. Juugo stayed out of their dramatics. Sasuke decided to side with Juugo; he seemed to know what he was doing.

Suigetsu’s venture into veganism only lasted a couple of hours, but the friendship that was established that day could’ve lasted a lifetime.

...Could’ve.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21

[ present timeline ]

Sasuke woke up, squinting when he felt a painful ache in his eyes. He rubbed them with the back of his hand, hissing as the ache wore out. 

The skin around his eyes felt dry. He knew, from the ache in his eyes, that he had cried at some point in his sleep.

Not to mention the stupid sun—

—blaring out from the smallest opening of his curtain, the noon sky showed him no mercy. Shining right into his aching eyes, the sun welcomed him (harshly). Sasuke pulled his covers over his head, mumbling something too irrelevant to remember. He shuffled around, sticking out of his arm to tap his bedside desk. 

The moment he blindly located his phone, he snapped the charger off of the device and snuck it under his covers. The time told him he was late for school.

He could care less if he had the ability to. He wondered why Itachi didn't bother to wake him up.

Rubbing his eyes again, he half-expected the back of his hand to come back a little wet.

Yet his eyes were dry—not a single remain of a tear drop. 

Odd.

Maybe I’m going crazy, Sasuke thought to himself.

Naruto sat on an empty desk, complaining to his best friend as she straightened his school uniform.

”I mean, what gives?!” Naruto yelled in frustration. “How come I’m the onlyone that repainted the wall?! I know I messed up and spray painted again, but come on! Clearly there was a difference in art style!”

Only a few minutes remained in their lunch period, but Naruto showed no sign of stopping his ranting. Sakura sighed, running her hair straightener against the collar of Naruto’s uniform. It was the only thing she had that could effectively iron out the wrinkles in his jacket; thankfully, she remembered to bring it today in case Ino needed to borrow it.

”You’d think that granny would be smart enough to spot the difference, but no! I guess old age does do things do your eyesight! Not that she’d ever admit it—“

”You know,” Sakura interrupted, handing Naruto his uniform, “She’s still the principal. You shouldn’t be insulting her so carelessly.”

”Whatever,” Naruto muttered, taking ahold of his uniform.

”And besides, who else in this school vandalizes? If you were the principal, who would you suspect?”

”I’d do some detective work instead of blindly falling into assumptions! That’s what I’d do!”

”Okay, let’s build on that," Sakura offered, "You know a student keeps doing the one thing they shouldn’t be doing. You have no other suspects. What does your detective work point to?”

Naruto thought for a while, refusing to admit his thoughts out loud. He put on his uniform, straightening out the jacket his best friend just ironed out.

”See?” Sakura sighed. “Ms. Senju said she didn’t believe there was another student, but she also gave you a chance to find out who framed you.”

”They didn’t exactly frame me,” Naruto grumbled. “I technically did vandalize the wall; just not all of it.”

”Even so, you know there’s someone out there. Ms. Senju gave you a chance to prove it.”

”You believe me, Sakura?”

”Someone’s got to. You’re my best friend; I’d believe you before I believe anyone else,” Sakura admitted, putting her hair straightener back in her backpack. "I know you wouldn’t lie to me over things like this. Not unless you have a good reason.”

Naruto got up off the empty desk he sat on, patting himself down to clear invisible dust. He spent his entire lunch break to wash and tidy his appearance—even asking Sakura for help.

”Thanks for helping me out, by the way,” Naruto mentioned, smiling widely at the girl. “And I appreciate you listening to me. I really do.”

”Yeah, well, I don’t exactly have anything better to do,” Sakura joked.

”Oh, come on! You love me!”

”Don’t push it.”

The few minutes they had of their lunch break was spent rapidly stuffing their faces with food. They cleared their lunch boxes just as the bell rang, signaling that their next classes would begin soon enough.

Unfortunately for them, their next class was physical education, and Kakashi decided that it was the perfect day to have his students run from one end of the school to the other end until people started vomiting.

The food they gobbled down last minute tried to make an appearance on the track field multiple times. 

It was Naruto’s and Sakura’s personal hell, and it seemed that Kakashi knew exactly what he was doing.

Sasuke exited his room, looking around the apartment hallway for any sign of Itachi. When he confirmed that the coast of clear, the raven walked out into the kitchen, looking around for something to eat. 

He knew he had been sleeping for hours today. He even missed school. He had managed to stay in bed for a couple more hours after waking up, until he heard his stomach growl in hunger. He knew he had to eat soon.

He just didn’t want to see Itachi.

Sasuke spotted a note on the dining room. He walked towards it, looking down and reading the post-it that contained Itachi’s handwriting.

Gone to class. Called school to excuse your absence. Food in the fridge. Money on the table to order out. Take care. 

Sasuke noticed notes of cash laying near the post-it note. He shook his head, not wanting to touch it. 

Itachi’s blood money, Sasuke called it internally. 

The younger Uchiha went to the kitchen, opening up the fridge. He looked inside, noticing a tupperware container, knowing that it was the food Itachi prepared for him. 

Sasuke opened it up; the contents inside nearly made his heart drop to his stomach. If he wasn’t so hungry, he would have put it back in the fridge.

It was takoyaki—the first meal Suigetsu traded with him. 

Itachi had made it from scratch.

Of all people…, Sasuke thought to himself, shaking in anger and pent up frustration as he stared at exactly nine pieces of takoyaki in the tupperware contained.

It felt worse than a slap to the face.

Itachi exited the classroom, feeling quite confident about the midterm he finished. He didn't have any other classes for the day; he supposed he could go to the library to get ahead with any assignments and such. Perhaps he could go back home to make sure Sasuke was alright.

He doubted that his younger brother was still asleep. Yet there was worry plaguing his mind.

As Itachi started on the path out of the campus building, his eyes wandered over to a person watching him from across the hallway. He stopped to stare, taking in their appearance.

It was the stranger from before—standing in the same spot.

The stranger in question was dressed in a navy blue t-shirt that hugged his upper body. He had black sweatpants and an unzipped jacket to match, tied to his waist. Only one of the shoelaces on his steel-toe sneakers was tied; the other shoelace was left unraveling—unnoticed or purposefully neglected. A shark tooth necklace was worn proudly around his neck. His muscled arms were crossed over his chest, and in one hand, he held the pen and pencil Itachi loaned over.

The stranger nodded his head upward at him, smiling widely. Itachi decided to go over to the man, taking slow strides towards him.

"Your pen and pencil," the stranger said when Itachi was close enough, holding up the writing utensils. "I thought I should return them."

"You could keep them," Itachi offered. "I have extras."

"No, I insist. Thanks again for letting me borrow them."

"Are you sure?"

"They're yours, man. Here, take them."

Itachi grabbed the pen and pencil, looking at the stranger to ask for certainty. When all he received back was a smile, the raven pocketed the writing utensils, thanking the stranger for returning them. 

"I didn't expect you to return it," Itachi admitted. "College isn't exactly a place where things get returned."

The stranger snorted, laughing silently as if it was the best joke he's ever heard.

"You don't have to tell me twice," the stranger related back, shaking his head as he thought back to the absurdity of it all. "I've lost way too much on campus. I don't think I'll ever see it again."

Small talk wasn't his favorite pastime, but with the stranger's unusually easygoing attitude, Itachi couldn't help but add, "...Like pens and pencils?"

"Like pens and pencils."

Itachi took note of the way the stranger's eyes lingered on him. He realized he’s never seen any as silver-grey as the ones staring back at him. 

"Well, anyway, thank you for returning these..." Itachi paused, waiting for the stranger to fill in the blank.

"The name's Kisame," the stranger replied. He winked as he looked down at Itachi. "Kisame Hoshigaki. And you are?"

"Itachi."

"Itachi, huh?" Kisame pushed for more, "Just Itachi?"

"No," he said, surprisingly himself when he voluntary answered, "Itachi Uchiha."

After all, there was no harm in telling someone his name—a stranger, no doubt. There was also no need to tell anyone, but...

...Well.

"Itachi Uchiha," Kisame repeated to himself, nodding at the way it sounded. "Nice name."

Simple words never made him sputter (note: liar). With something bubbling in his mind, his tongue was too heavy to continue the conversation. Itachi remembered why he wasn't too fond of small talk, but the meaningless conversation he had with the stranger—no, Kisame—didn't feel like small talk.

"Thank you," Itachi hurriedly said, turning around to leave. "Take care, Kisame."

"You too, Itachi Uchiha."

Itachi walked away, trying to keep his smile at bay. He failed—albeit, not miserably.

He could only scold himself. He ended the conversation horribly. Perhaps he should've told Kisame he had a nice name, too, but why on God's good Earth would he ever compliment someone's name?

To be polite?

Dammit, it was too late. It would be weird to turn back around, and even if it wasn't, one look behind him told him that Kisame was long gone.

In the end, he decided not to tell Kisame about his untied shoelace. 

Why would he? They were only strangers, after all.