Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Underneath it All ❯ Play the Game ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

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Warning(s): Mild cursing…


Naruto forced a strained smile under the scrutinizing gazes he received as he made his way to his locker the following morning. The idea of him being looked up to like this felt so surreal and consequently he was having a hard time getting around it. When he reached and opened the compartment he kept his books in a small white envelope slipped out hitting the floor feather-lightly. He bend and picked it up. There was no name at the front or the back of it though it did smell funny. Opening it he realized it was a love letter…a love letter describing all the naughty things the inciter would do to him, using whipped cream and an assortment of fruits, in perfect detail. He blushed beet red. Who would do such shameless thing?! Nervous that someone would be able to read the indecency he crumpled the letter and hid it well behind his books at the very back of the locker.

Grabbing his books for his first period class he shut the door closed and locked it. The tall dark-haired figure of Sasuke leaning against the locker right next to his with his arms crossed on his chest came to immediate view. Naruto growled. When did he get here? Had he been there all this time? Did he have to look so damn cool?
“You again?” bright blonde brows crinkled in suspicion. “Was it you who slipped that letter in my locker?” Sasuke scowled at him.
“Idiot, if I have something to say to you, I won’t go writing letters behind your back.” Naruto mentally kicked himself. That was a good point, considering the conversations they had had, Sasuke had always been brutally honest. Bastard! He hated when the football jock was right!
“What do you want?” Naruto asked taking off without minding whether Sasuke would follow. Sasuke, of course, did and the blonde felt his heart jump though he suppressed the smile creeping up his features; he didn’t want to give Sasuke the benefit of seeing him get excited a la fan girl-mode. The two walked together side by side the hallways suddenly seeming too narrow to fit both of them. If it wasn’t their shoulders brushing it was their knuckles and if it wasn’t their knuckles it was the side of their hips. Every feathery touch seem to ignite every nerve of their body. Of course, being as stubborn and proud as they were, on the outside it was as if a storm of emotions wasn’t going on at all.
“I told you already. You,” Sasuke responded passively. Naruto rolled his eyes though the blush he fought hard to keep undersurface instantly adorned his cheekbones.
“Bastard,” he murmured. “Besides that, what are you doing here? Don’t you have fans to tend to?” the last question was asked in mockery making Sasuke arch a brow.
“I don’t tend to fans,” he explained slow and perfectly clear emphasizing on the words ‘tend to’ in case the idea dared toy with Naruto’s mind ever again.
“You should,” said Naruto. “Aren’t you a hotshot because of them?” Sasuke snorted.
“Who ever said I wanted to be a hotshot in the first place?” he asked suddenly confused at what he had just asked. He’d never admitted resentment for the life he lived before, not out loud, not in secret, not even to himself though it was somehow exactly how he felt. Why was it so easy to trust Naruto? Why was it hard not to?
“Yeah,” he heard Naruto speak softly beside him. “Well I didn’t want to be rich and look at me, right?” though he was grinning wide as if he was thanking the gods for just letting him be alive there was a certain sadness to his smile that Sasuke couldn’t help noticing. “My godmother accepts a job offer and I move to a house 30 acres big, I get a brand new European car and I sign up for private school.” His point was bold and clear in big capital letters: we don’t always get what we wish for.

Sasuke didn’t have to ask, for the reason why Naruto was so different from the people he had always known hit him like a full-speed train wreck. Naruto wasn’t born to the world he-Sasuke was born to. Naruto’s misconceptions of the people around here and lack for better judgment, it all made perfect sense. Naruto didn’t know high-class hypocrisy because he wasn’t born surrounded by it. He didn’t know that those who smiled at him could and most likely would stab him in the back if he let his guard down. He didn’t know money came first to anything around here. He didn’t know that this was all a big ‘everything’ competition, the more of everything you could have, the more you could show off and the better you fit in this pathetic shithole they liked to call the cream of society. He didn’t know and he didn’t care. There were other things he valued in life, things that had nothing to do with birthrights and bank trusts and corporate wills.

And godmother?

Sasuke unbelievably found himself wanting to know more about Naruto. He couldn’t explain such impractical urge and he felt trepidation. Never had something slipped so out of his control. Yet the thought of getting to know Naruto was like standing in front of a door that led to the unknown. You didn’t know what to expect but you were yearning to find out the kind of world it would draw you to. What had Naruto done to him?

“Hey big shot,” Naruto’s melodious voice brought him back to earth. “Are you gonna stand there all day or are you gonna answer me?” Sasuke fixed his eyes on him. “Which way?” the latter asked. The former realized they had stopped at an intersection. Each hallway looked exactly the same.
“Uzumaki, Uchiha,” Neiji joined them giving them a surprised-to-see-you--together--but-not-really sort of look. “Shall we get to class?” he hung an arm around Naruto’s shoulders loosely setting off a chain reaction. Naruto stiffened, murder flickered in dark obsidian eyes and lavender eyes danced victoriously. Before Sasuke could act and thus make a fool of himself he was thankful Naruto himself wriggled free from Neiji’s embrace.
“Isn’t Gaara the jealous type of boyfriend?” the blonde asked on inoffensive terms.
“Sometimes,” Neiji looked thoughtful. “Yeah, I guess he can be when he wants to,” he agreed calmly. Naruto was dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe Neiji was so serene about it almost as if he liked that his boyfriend got jealous from time to time. “Bell’s about to ring. Are you coming?” the threesome scrammed Sasuke settling in between Naruto and Neiji in case Neiji felt daring enough to pull another one of his antics…

Geography was an uncomplicated course, so much that it was borderline boring. Geography next to a very warm Sasuke, overwhelmingly smelling of a soft manly musk, too close for comfort oblivious to the fact that he was too close for comfort, was the hardest thing that Naruto had ever dealt with. Naruto found himself the current victim of the dark-haired boy‘s appeal and he mentally cursed all bookstores around the area for not having the class’ text when he and his godfather had gone to buy it yesterday. Once again their sensei had chosen Sasuke as the best partner to share books with. Must everything work for Sasuke and against him around here?

Sasuke was trying to read but having Naruto near had his thoughts going haywire. He couldn’t concentrate if his life depended on it. The way Naruto breathed and shifted on his chair from time to time, the way he played with the bright spikes of hair close to his forehead while he read, the way he tapped the eraser part of his pencil against the desk, Sasuke felt like watching him all period long. It wasn’t interest, no, it was simple curiosity. Naruto was so…different. Neiji smiled but his smiles made people cower away, they didn’t brighten up a whole room, like Naruto’s did. And Kiba was loud, obnoxiously loud, unlike Naruto whose tuneful voice was like sweet music to his ears. Shikamaru was quiet, but his quiet was deafening and irksome not comfortable. Naruto’s quietness was soothing. And Gaara could say so much with his eyes but Naruto’s eyes brought him to life. It was as illogical an idea could be yet he couldn’t deny its truth.

“Alright everyone we’ll pick up where we left off next week,” the Geology teacher, a tall man with scary robust features who went by the name of Yamato Mokuton, spoke up and Sasuke felt like he was slowly floating back to earth. “Remember football has the year’s first scrimmage this weekend in preparation for their upcoming season starting two weeks from now. It’s free admittance. Come and support your Eagles!” cheers and whistles broke out in excitement and Naruto was unsurprised to see Kiba supporting all the commotion by adding his share of loud whistles. He was a bit…lively. The bell rang and everybody shot to their feet shuffling towards the exit on cue.

“How many times do I have to turn you down so you stop following me?” Naruto asked as he strolled down the school hallways in the company of none other than Sasuke Uchiha himself. His I’ve-had-enough-of-you act was deserving of an Oscar yet if Sasuke were to comply and leave him right now he wasn’t sure he could control himself from pouting 3 year-old style.
“Tch, I’m not following you. You’re following me,” said Sasuke making Naruto stare at him incredulously.
“Really?” Naruto stopped dead on his tracks and Sasuke walked by him stopping a few steps ahead. He turned so they were facing each other. Their smirks were battling to outdo the other yet they refused to make the first move towards each other choosing dignity over accommodating their raging desires to be close. After what seemed like forever Naruto thought he saw Sasuke take a step. He couldn’t be sure, however, for as soon as girls saw Sasuke on his own they fled to his side and clung to his arms and his waist and his neck blocking Naruto‘s range of vision. A second that seemed to last a lifetime where being pulled here and there and earsplitting screeching seemed to fade into the background, Sasuke watched Naruto’s smirk widen in satisfaction. Blue eyes shined with amusement as Naruto mouthed the words ‘tend to’ before he left. Charcoal eyes darkened with anger in return. He’d get Naruto back for this…

There was about a minute left by the time Naruto had switched books from his locker. By then five new ‘love’ letters had been delivered, two requests to be his date for the football scrimmage were offered and a racy picture of a blonde girl two grades below him with just as racy of a message had fallen to the floor. Naruto was at a loss. Though he wasn’t followed around by girls like Sasuke was he was starting to see things from Sasuke’s point of view even when he still didn’t agree of Sasuke’s treatment towards them. He didn’t necessarily agree with their behavior either.

The golden blonde latest addition to Konoha High strolled down its hallways enjoying the peace and quiet that came when a certain dark-haired heartthrob wasn’t around. He could hear the football clique enjoying themselves to a maximum nearby and decided to deviate not in the mood to deal with ‘them’ at the moment. There was something about the looks the guys gave him, as if they knew something he didn’t, and the fact made him feel uncomfortable. Stretching his neck a little by letting his ear touch a shoulder then the other one he let out a long and dragged breath. One was definitely the loneliest number. When he was alone he was a prisoner of his own inhibitions and those damn eyes following his every movement made him feel even more self-conscious and insecure. Maybe deep within the almighty Uchiha was just as self-conscious and insecure as everybody else was hence the reason he had taken a sudden liking to walking down the hallways together with him. When they were together they could get out of their head and they could keep their insecurities at bay. But why him?
“Hey runt,” he heard someone call in a cold and sturdy womanly voice and felt his realization dissolve into nothingness before he could give it any more thought. Blonde curls swirled in his face before he could ever turn to the call. In front of him stood Shikamaru his hand entangled in Gaara’s younger sister, Temari’s, both looking as dead serious as always. Naruto almost bowed but remembered they didn’t do that sort of greeting in America. He opted for giving them one of his heart-fluttering grins. “Met Sasuke already?” Temari’s question made his grin falter. Of all the things she could ask about it just had to be the bastard.
“Temari,” Shikamaru clicked his tongue his tone condescending. “Don’t mind her, Naruto.” Naruto shrugged a shoulder while she smirked knowingly at him despite being scowled at by her boyfriend. “You coming to the football scrimmage Saturday?” the brunette decided it was best to switch topics.
“I…” Naruto stalled. At first he thought it’d be great to watch the guys play and all, even if it wasn’t a popular sport back in Leaf, he was still a fan. Then he realized he was the only one from their pack that wouldn’t be playing as he was the only one from the pack that wasn’t on the football team. He didn’t want to go on his own. From experience, the repercussions were never good. “I wasn’t planning on it--”
“Why not?” Temari quickly interrupted. “You can sit with us. There’s an area for the guy’s significant others. There‘ll be extra spaces.” While it was true that enough chairs were left unoccupied in the VIP section of the football dome, which was solely offered to the players’ relatives and other halves, Shikamaru knew the reason behind Temari’s idea. She was playing matchmaker. He shook his head. Women, no matter what anyone told him, there wasn’t a being alive or dead that could understand them.

The bell rang and they waited for the noise to recede some before they started conversation again.
“Some of the teachers are gonna be there Naruto. You won’t be alone,” Shikamaru pointed out. “There’s a party afterwards for the football team but we’re thinking of bailing and going to Shisui’s. It‘s more private and laid back,” he added. Naruto nodded. He’d never heard the guys mention Shisui before but assumed he was a teammate and that they were going to his house. “We have Languages now so we should go. You know how Anko gets.” The threesome proceeded to drop Temari off in her classroom like Naruto had now gotten used to since it was an every break activity. Temari dispatched her boyfriend with a kiss, soap-opera style, her arms wrapped around his neck while Shikamaru lifted her off the ground barely. Naruto distanced himself if only a little and waited inevitably feeling like the third wheel. Who wouldn’t under such circumstances? A familiar scent suddenly filled his nostrils and he turned to the side where he was greeted with the tall and muscular figure of Sasuke looking none-too-pleased.
“Had fun?” Naruto asked grasping composure by its tail before it was able to leave him a stuttering mess. With Sasuke around this seemed to happen quite frequently.
“Lots,” Sasuke replied with a forced smile and obvious sarcasm making Naruto chuckle. They took off towards the classroom silently agreeing to leave Temari and Shikamaru with their tongues down their throats behind.
“Who are you playing Saturday?” Naruto asked breaking the cozy silence that had settled between them.
“Amegakure Cougars. Last year’s sub-champions,” said Sasuke letting his hands curl inside the pockets of his letterman jacket. “Are you gonna come watch me play?” a smirk spread on his lips seeing as he had successfully slapped Naruto in the face with his question. Naruto frowned.
“I might drop by to watch all of you play,” he rectified leaving no room for misunderstandings.
“Pity. I was looking forward to scoring for you,” Sasuke almost chuckled watching the way tanned cheeks flushed with faint pink in a beautiful blush.
“S-Stupid,” the blonde pouted childishly. “Is that what you say to get people in bed with you?” Sasuke arched a brow.
“They‘re usually ready and willing.” Predatory eyes settled on his refusing to budge and Naruto could’ve sworn he was staring at the devil himself for all it was worth.
“Should I be flattered?” the blonde asked as they came to stop at the classroom’s doorway. Sasuke gave him the trademark arrogant Uchiha smirk.
“Maybe…”

If you were early, you were on time and if you were on time you were late. Anko followed the saying precisely and began class exactly when the bell rang despite students being here, ready or not. As a result students learned to cut their break short and be on their seats with their books open and their notebooks spread a pencil on hand ready to begin taking notes. As she had explained at the beginning of the course the first language they were going to practice was Spanish followed by French, Portuguese and finally Japanese. Groans in protest let Anko know her students disapproved of the languages she had chosen to teach this year. Naruto wasn’t any less disaccording. His knowledge of Spanish, French and Portuguese languages was that of a baby’s but with being taught classes in Japanese all his life the last part of the course would be a breeze. Hopefully.

“Donde estan los hombres porfavor?” Neiji asked Naruto. For pronunciation practice Anko paired students up and had them talk to each other in the language they were studying at the time.
“Wait,” Naruto began searching his book to match up Neiji’s chosen words with their meaning in English and finally find what he was asking. Gaara, on the other hand, was glowering at his boyfriend. He knew Spanish and all the other languages having been born to highly respected Entrepreneurs who handled International Affairs for basically every corporation in the area. “Did you just ask ‘where are all the men please’?” the redhead questioned crossing his arms on his chest. Naruto looked up from his book and Kiba who had been practicing with Gaara along with Shikamaru and Sasuke who had been practicing with each other, turned their attention to the about-to-begin fight.
“That’s all the Spanish I know. Quite frankly, I think it’s enough,” Neiji replied with a smirk. Wrong answer. Gaara growled.
“Vete al carajo you stupid fuck,” he left the classroom headed towards the bathroom to cool off. Asking for a pass was not required, at least in Anko’s class, as the teacher had let known. Kiba scratched his the side of his head.
“I don’t know a whole lot of Spanish,” he started. “But I think he just told you to go to hell, Hyuuga.” Shikamaru looked away tired of his two close friends fighting all the time. Sasuke and Kiba smirked. No one told the Hyuga to go to hell and lived to tell the tale…unless it was Gaara, of course. Naruto let out an exasperated sigh.
“Why do you provoke him all the time?” he asked in a voice low enough to indicate the conversation was meant to be kept between the two of them.
“He looks fucking hot when he’s angry,” Neiji responded lightheartedly. “Why else would I?” Naruto blushed regretting his decision to ask in the first place. Freaking perverts, was he forever doomed to be among them!?
“What about you?” the blonde fixed his ocean gaze in the questioning lavender one before him.
“What about me?”
“Why do you like to get Uchiha worked up?” Naruto shifted his gaze towards the book and pretended to read while he answered.
“I don’t,” he lied. Though he didn’t like to aggravate Sasuke just for the sake of it, Sasuke was definitely a sight to behold when he was pissed off and he did like that. Naruto could only imagine what the raven would look like if he blew a gasket like Gaara had just few moments ago.
“Liar,” Neiji darkly grinned at him and Naruto looked up for a second before he pretended to read some more. “Don’t worry,” he heard Neiji speak again. “Looks like Uchiha likes you too.” The revelation left Naruto stunned. So Sasuke had made clear such feelings for him numerously, it still wasn’t the same as somebody else telling him, let alone someone who had known Sasuke all his life. Neiji telling him was like a confirmation of Sasuke‘s feelings towards him.
“I gotta go.”
“Where to?” Naruto asked seeing as Neiji had left his seat.
“I have to go get my boyfriend. He’ll break up with me again and I don’t really like that,” with that said, he left, peacefully and quiet. Naruto was baffled. That had to be the weirdest relationship he’d ever known…

When the bell rang Naruto along with everybody else were quick to find Sasuke in the middle of a mosh pit-like circle his fan club had created much to the blonde’s dismay. From this break forth it continued to be the same. Then Naruto was informed what all the commotion was about. If the football scrimmage was a big thing in Konoha High, sitting in the VIP area as one of the football player’s date was an even bigger deal. Sitting in the VIP area as Sasuke Uchiha’s date was on an entirely different level. The chosen girl would probably climb to a new social status; she would become the new ‘it’ girl, other girls would envy her while at the same time they’d try to be her, guys would fall head over feet for her because if Sasuke showed interest in her there just had to be something about her.

Of course, that would all be possible if Sasuke chose a girl but Sasuke never picked anyone. Still, the fact didn’t dampen their spirits.

They were at lunch by the time Sasuke was able to rejoin his friends at their usual table. He sat beside Naruto who had seated beside Kiba with Neiji, Gaara beside him and Shikamaru and the table’s new additions Temari and Hinata, who had been unable to join them yesterday because of their schedule’s differences, in front of them. When Naruto saw Neiji’s cousin he thought being siblings was more suitable than being cousins. They looked the same with eyes bearing the same color, their skin perfectly pale and clear. Except for their hair, which Hinata had inherited in a dark shade of blue though in the same length of Neiji‘s, and the obvious gender differences, their resemblance was so strikingly obvious. Then Naruto saw how quiet and shy the girl was and instead started to wonder if they were actually related at all.
“Girls getting scary?” Temari asked downing water from her SMARTwater bottle.
“Talk about it,” Kiba murmured taking a bite off his tuna sandwich. “They won’t leave us alone.” Yes, Sasuke wasn’t the only one fans pursued. In situations such as the scrimmage the fans’ candidates included only the best of players among the football team for dates. Gaara and Neiji being taken didn’t suffer their wrath but only because they would pretty much bark at whoever dared approach their other half. Shikamaru was also saved but only because girls were scared of Temari which only left Kiba and Sasuke.
“You have a date already Inuzuka?” Neiji arched a fine copper brow. Kiba almost choked.
“No,” for the briefest second known to human life he spared a glance at Hinata before he continued with his food. The only ones who noticed were Gaara and Naruto and both decided to say nothing. While the former had plans involving blackmail going for him the latter felt sorry for the guy. Having to get through someone like Neiji in order to be with the one he loved was hard to stomach. Thankfully Neiji would think Hinata was there because of him and not because of Kiba.
“You better hurry,” Neiji urged. “Everyone’s got theirs. That leaves you and…” lavender orbs fell on Naruto then Sasuke. Everybody else did the exact same. Naruto swallowed his chicken bite fast while Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Neiji. If looks could kill the older Hyuga would be lying in a pool of his own blood.
“I’m not going to the game,” Naruto announced breaking the sudden tense silence that had submerged the whole table and had left it deadly quiet. Though something prickled at the corner of Sasuke’s chest he ignored it having to work hard enough as it was to keep immune at the news as was expected of him. Naruto continued. “We just moved in and I just remembered my father and I have to work on things around the house…” he trailed off noticing everyone seemed to have gotten the point. Everyone but Sasuke though Sasuke remained his cold and detached self.
“Well we’re going to Shisui’s after the game. If you wanna join us when you’re done,” said Kiba and the rest nodded.
“I’ll see if I can make it…”


When lunch was over the guys moved to the school outfields in order to finish with their last class for the day: P.E. Naruto never thought he’d find himself in a predicament like the one he was in right now. One second they’re in the locker room, the next he’s dressed in borrowed football gear waiting on the field for their little 3-on-3 to begin. Being the first day of class the ball of energy they had for a teacher, who went by the name of Might Guy, declared the period as free period. The guys decided to do what they were used to doing when they had the choice: play football. The six had then split into two groups of three: one was Sasuke’s team with Gaara and Naruto and the other was Neiji’s team with Kiba and Shikamaru. The two teams huddled up at opposing sides of the field leaving a fair good distance between each other.
“Rules,” Sasuke started and both Gaara and Naruto listened closely. “There are none. How fast are you?” Naruto looked up and found dark eyes hungry for competition staring straight at him through the metal bars of his helmet.
“I’m pretty fast,” the blonde responded.
“Can you outrun Kiba?” asked Gaara his kryptonite eyes as hungry as Sasuke‘s. Naruto swallowed. He didn’t know how fast Kiba was but he knew he was fast enough to get complimented on it back at Leaf. For him to get complimented at all back there was damn near impossible.
“Yes,” the blonde replied sure of himself.
“Hn,” with the chance at the offense first Sasuke thought of a play to run that could score. “We’ll do I-Right, z-post, on one. Gaara stay on Neiji. Ready--”
“Wait!” Naruto interrupted. “What the hell is that?” Sasuke frowned.
“I thought you said you’ve played before.”
“Yeah but not with plays and shit! You have to break it down for me--”
“Let’s go Sasuke! We‘re gonna beat your ass either way!” Kiba called mockingly his team already done with their meeting. Sasuke grunted but turned his attention to Naruto fully again.
“Penetrate as far as you can, outrun Kiba, catch the ball and get it in the end zone. Can you do that?” if it wasn’t for the serious connotation Naruto would’ve thought Sasuke was belittling him. Nevertheless he nodded. “Okay, ready, break!”

When Sasuke gave the signal, a strong and loud ‘hut, hut’, Naruto took off as if some malign force was hot on his heels. The other five were instantly dumbfounded. He was fast, faster than they all thought he would be. Naruto ran straight for Kiba until he was a good ten feet in front of him at which time he turned left and started another sprint to get as far from Kiba as possible also to open up a shot for Sasuke. Gaara had taken Neiji down. Sasuke watched Kiba from the corner of his eye keeping his full eyesight on his target which was Naruto. The brunette was closing in, Naruto had to either catch a shorter range pass, go around Kiba and score or go farther left and score though the latter was a rather difficult shot.

What would Naruto do?

The short couple of seconds Sasuke could afford to waste in his thinking were spent. He had to make a choice, now, or Kiba would tackle Naruto. Without thinking twice he let the diamond-shaped ball soar the skies, high so it entangled in far away clouds, fast so it became a blur, a ray of light. Relief washed over him as Naruto continued left at the same time going for the dangerous catch rather than the complicated one. Exactly what he had decided. Naruto finally knew why Sasuke was a master at what he did. His throws were perfect, precise with the right balance of speed and height. Tanned arms raised in the air, hands open wide waiting to feel the leathery object burn his fingertips because of its force and speed. When it did Naruto pulled the ball to his chest and ran a couple of more steps to cross the line they had appointed to signal the end zone. Touchdown.

It was a beautiful play.

The game kept going and Naruto kept scoring though Kiba scored too; he was damn good. Shikamaru’s throws weren’t as steady as Sasuke’s but what he lacked in pure talent he made up for in brains. He knew Kiba’s strengths, his faster reaction to left side movements and he used that to his advantage in order to put the ball where he knew Kiba could get to it. Naruto found it hard to keep up. It didn’t help that Kiba was one of the lucky few who could stop completely and gain full momentum the moment he started running again. He was quick, he was strong and he definitely had good stamina.

When Naruto managed to score again everyone but Sasuke and Naruto seemed to realize something. Sasuke and Naruto were a good team, the perfect quarterback-wide receiver combination, they knew what the other was going to do without having to say a word.
“Tied to six. Next touchdown wins,” Neiji announced and the other team agreed.
“Slot-left, drive, on one,” said Sasuke in the team huddle. They had the advantage, the offense, the ball was on their court. This pass. They couldn’t miss this pass. The game came down to this pass. There was no room for mistakes.
“But--” Naruto was about to protest but was cut off by Gaara.
“Drive in Naruto. He’ll get you the ball.” They spread about to their respective positions. The moment had arrived. At Sasuke’s call Naruto dashed and crossed the infield. He kept going left, Kiba mirroring his moves, following just as fast. Keep going, Naruto’s mind chanted over and over again more to Kiba than to himself.

Sasuke released the ball.

This is it.

Naruto stopped dead cold and changed directions completely now running right as fast as his legs would allow him. His quads were burning, his calves were hard, his lungs were tightening to a point breathing was becoming difficult but he didn’t care. Kiba was right on his ass. He had to catch the ball zooming in, rippling through the air, ready for his taking. Exhilaration rushed through him seeing the pass was perfect, low so he could cross the touchdown zone fast and accurate cutting off exactly where he stood.

Touchdown.

Naruto tumbled on the grass and the dirt as Kiba had tackled him a second too late. He held on to the ball for dear life. And they won.

His team had won…

“Hey blondie,” Kiba caught up with Naruto as they treaded off the field. “I didn’t know you could run,” he said impressed his helmet hanging loose at the side of his body clutched tightly in his hand. Naruto chuckled taking off his own helmet.
“You too,” he told Kiba.
“I didn’t know you could play,” Gaara said from behind.
“Yeah, not bad Naruto,” Shikamaru added. Naruto grinned feeling sheepish.
“Thanks.” Behind them remained Neiji and Sasuke. Sasuke didn’t say anything as he was entranced with Naruto’s lithe compact body drenched in sweat but it wasn’t about how wet he was or how dirty even. It was his body in spandex. The spandex hugged his legs so his muscles bulged beneath the material barely. Dark bottomless eyes burned a trail from the beginning of sun-kissed calves all the way to his well-built ass, his small waist, and lowered back to his ass to settle there. If he hadn’t been an Uchiha he would’ve salivated.
“That’s a nice ass,” Sasuke frowned when he found Neiji staring at Naruto’s ass as well. What was more, Neiji tilted his head to the side trying to get a better view. “Yeah, that’s a nice little ass.” The Hyuga smirked at the murderous aura the man beside him was suddenly emanating. He knew it was enough to get Sasuke going…after Naruto, of course…

The guys bid their goodbyes to Naruto taking off towards the real football field as their official team practice started in half an hour. Naruto approached his car and because he was busy searching the bottom of his bag for the keys he didn’t notice the lone pale figure locking the silver latest edition Audi R8 parked next to his BMW with a sports bag draped over his shoulder a pair of cleats hanging off to one side. Sasuke arched a fine brow when he spotted Naruto cursing under his breath yet to find the damn keys so oblivious to everything around him. How convenient, the perfect prey with his guard down. Did he know he looked like an angel draped in gold under the rays of the sun?

Naruto’s car beeped and Sasuke realized the blonde had finally found what he had been looking for.
“Get off my car, bastard,” Naruto ordered without preamble at the same time pleasantly surprised to see the raven calmly leaning against his sports sedan as if it were his own.
“Make me.” Sasuke leered devilishly when Naruto muttered something but failed to come back with a retort. The blonde walked around his limited edition transport ignoring the dark vulturious eyes following him. He opened the driver’s side door and placed his bag on the backseat.
“Don‘t you have practice now?” Sasuke straightened up at the question and walked around the open door so he could stand in front of and close to Naruto.
“Practice can wait.” Naruto held his ground firmly though his insides were slowly melting with the low and husky tone his provoker had used under a smoldering dizzying stare. Sasuke hung his left arm loosely atop the border of the door while his right arm found rest on the roof panel of the car imprisoning Naruto in his current position. Naruto felt warm breath trail his face, tease his hair, travel against his suddenly dry lips. “You lied about your godparents.” The statement stopped Naruto from drifting into dreamland and made sunshine brows bunch in a frown. He remembered he had called Jiraiya his father at lunch, in front of everyone, when he had made up that excuse to not come to the game. Damn Uchiha, was he always so observant?
“That’s not your business,” he stated simply.
“Why did you?” Sasuke asked mentally hitting himself over the head.
“Why do you care?” Naruto asked in reply and he agreed wholeheartedly. Why did he care? When did he start giving a shit? Was it still curiosity at this point? “Does it bother you that I’m different? That I don’t have parents like you do? That I don’t have a family? Does it disgust you that I‘m an orphan?” Sasuke blinked. Orphan? When he focused his eyes in front of him again it was as if he was seeing Naruto for the first time. He was so calm but his innocent sapphire eyes gave way to a dark and battered soul. “Because I don’t want to be different anymore. That’s why,” Naruto was about to sit in the driver’s seat and do away with this conversation when Sasuke held him back by his elbow. He didn’t know why he reached out but like all outbursts he’d suffered ever since he had met Naruto he preferred not to question himself.
“You want to be a clone like everybody else?” he dipped his head to talk on the other’s lips and Naruto swallowed at their closeness. “Clones disgust me,” strong blue eyes widened. “You’re…”

Perfect.

Pale fingers lifted to trace the fine lines of his scars one by one. They fixed their gazes on each other shortly before Sasuke’s eyes traveled to his flush and warm awaiting lips.
“Should I take you seriously Uchiha?” Naruto asked in nothing more than a whisper. He could feel more than see that trademark smirk taking over.
“Mayb--” Naruto shook his head cupping the other‘s face in between his hands.
“Yes or no?” they stared.
“Practice starts in fifteen, Sasuke,” a merry voice snapped both of them out of their short-lived stupor. Sasuke growled recognizing the tone and looked over his shoulder to indeed find his silver-haired coach walking by them his nose buried in one of those coaching books he enjoyed reading so much. The raven cursed inwards. Of all days the older man could get to practice early it had to be today!? What kind of sadistic god allowed such a miracle to take place right now of all times?
“I’m coming,” said Sasuke.
“Sure,” the coach responded suggestively but nevertheless left them to themselves again. Sasuke frowned at the man‘s buffoonery but all his anger seemed to evaporate when Naruto placed a small hand on his chest gently.
“Have a good practice,” with that said he entered his car. Sasuke stepped away and watched him turn on the engine and take off.

“Did I ruin your punchline?” Kakashi asked humorously once the team’s football captain entered the locker-room. Sasuke gave him a ha-ha-real-fucking-funny sort of scowl that Kakashi seemed to understand but remained firm against. “I need you in my office before we start practice,” he shifted into more serious matters. “There’s a video of Amegakure you need to watch so you know your open shots and so you can identify our opponent’s blind spots. That’s what we’ll use against them. Their good defensive ends graduated last year and the rookies don’t seem as good so you can use slot-left in…” his voice became indistinct when Sasuke came to a realization. He couldn’t escape Naruto’s truthful cerulean eyes. Even with his eyes open he could still see them. Then again, how do you escape the sky? How do you escape the ocean? How do you escape the only thing real in a mass of sugarcoated lies?


End of Ch.2. I just want to let you guys know that all of my football plays will be strictly out of the movie called ‘Varsity Blues.’ Those of you that know a bit about football please don’t bite my head off if they call a play and what they end up performing is entirely different. I’m keeping the game simple for both of our sakes because I know it would suck if those of you that don’t know crap about football read this long ass complicated piece you don’t understand. I’m open to suggestions, however, so if you have any you know where to reach me. Ok, so that said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wanted to make the football scene longer but since it’s only a 3 on 3 it doesn’t make sense. Games will be much longer and exciting plus there‘ll be other stuffs involved so. I didn’t know where to end it because I wanted more Kakashi action on it. Unfortunately that’s all you get for now. I hope it was ok, though.

Love,

LilyU23