Chapter 5 - Miss Understood

A/N: Lurve you all.

Disclaimer: I’m not worth suing, so let me save you and your lawyer the trouble. I don’t own Naruto and co.

Background:

Every day after school, The Group gathers in the office of their current Guidance Counselor to help them deal with their messed up lives and messed up problems. Naruto, the self-proclaimed leader and worst behaved of the six outcasts, always takes the job of scaring away the counselor that was sent there to help them. But when Sasuke takes the position, the blond is given a run for his money.

-xxXXlXXxx-

M I S F I T

Miss Understood

-xxXXlXXxx-

“…Then, after he told me he wasn’t paying for the ramen, ‘cause I spilled it, he slammed the door in my face! Can you believe that bastard? Old man Sarutobi took the money out of my paycheck, too, and now I’ll have to cut down on eating at Ichiraku’s, and buying instant at the supermarket, and-“

“Uzumaki. Shut. Up. I can hear your ranting from down the hall.”

Sasuke enters his office, rubbing his temples. Naruto crosses his arms from where he stands next to Kiba, who looks thankful for the interruption.

“Well, it’s the truth!”

“I know. I was there. I don’t need to hear it again, and I’m sure the little mutt over there doesn’t want a migraine either. Dog’s have rather sensitive hearing.”

Kiba bares his teeth and growls. He blinks for a moment and settles for a glare instead when he realizes just how canine-like the actions were.

“Who’re you calling a dog?”

Sasuke points towards Kiba’s backpack in the corner.

It’s squirming.

As if on cue, Akamaru’s head pops out, eyes squinting and grinning obliviously.

Naruto laughs as his friend desperately scrambles for an explanation.

“I only brought him here today! My sister Hana’s away at college, and my mom had to go to a conference in America! I didn’t have any other choice, I swear!”

Sasuke’s sitting on the edge of the desk again, not even paying attention. A tug at the bottom of his slacks alerts him that Kiba’s done talking.

The raven looks down and blinks.

The boy is now kneeling on the floor, his hands clasped together and his eyes pleading.

“Please don’t take Akamaru away! I’ll do anything, just don’t take him away!”

“Why would I want your mutt, Inuzuka?”

The brunette’s face lights up with a smile and he quickly stands, bowing.

“Arigato! Thanks a bunch, I don’t know what I would’ve done if Jiraiya confiscated him again.”

“Right, right,” murmured the Uchiha.

Naruto glares from the Uchiha to his best friend, gritting his teeth.

Sasuke slightly jumps as a small buzzing noise fills the room. Cursing quietly, he reaches into the pocket of his pants and pulls out his small black cell phone.

His brow furrows when he looks at the number flashing on the screen and he presses the receive button warily.

Ignoring the inquisitive stares of the two students in front of him, he greets the caller.

“Kakashi? It’s not like you to call this early. Especially when you know-“

His brow stays knitted as he’s interrupted on the other line.

Naruto and Kiba watch in fascination as all color drains from his pale face and his eyes widen.

“I…when?”

He stares with wide eyes at the ground and fists his dark hair in a mixture of frustration and astonishment.

“No, I…” he has to pause to take a shaky breath before continuing, “I’ll tell her…I-it’s safer that way, I think. I don’t want him to…”

He seems to suddenly remember the presence of the two other boys, who are practically gaping at him now. His eyes snap up, and with a nod of his head that Kakashi can’t see, he snaps the sleek phone shut.

Naruto can see that Sasuke’s hands are shaking violently as he runs one through his hair.

The counselor takes a deep breath before speaking.

“Inuzuka, Uzumaki, just…. wait here. Do not move. I’ll be back before the period’s over and Ino’s right outside if you need anything. Got it?”

They nod slowly and Sasuke walks briskly out of the room.

They hear Ino call out his name questioningly and Sasuke give her a curt, muted response.

The door slams behind him.

Kiba turns towards Naruto, who’s still looking at the door that their counselor had just walked out of moments before.

“What the frack was that about?”

“I…don’t know.”

The blond’s brow furrows further.

-xxXXlXXxx-

It’s ten minutes later, and Naruto’s already gone through Sasuke’s entire desk.

Kiba is still working at the lock on the faculty filing cabinet, where all employee records are kept.

“Oi, Naruto. Did you find anything in the desk?”

The blond shakes his head. “No. Nothing good, anyway.”

Kiba grunts in a frustrated manner, twisting the lock at an impossible angle and yanking at it violently.

“Not even a key?”

Naruto laughs and lifts up something small and silver. It’s on a similarly colored ring, which rests around his finger as the blond spins it.

“You mean like this?”

“You @$$! Why didn’t you tell me you found it?”

Naruto shrugs. “I was bored. Your struggling was entertaining.”

He throws Kiba the key as the brunet grumbles. “Sadist.”

“Your welcome.”

His dog-like friend replies by giving him the finger. He slips the key into the lock, turns it, and smirks when he hears the small click.

“Yosh!”

Naruto grins as he stands from Sasuke’s seldom-used chair. He walks towards the door as he speaks.

“I’m gonna go ask Ino if she knows when Uchiha is coming back.”

Kiba nods and yanks the drawer open with the enthusiasm of a five-year-old in a candy shop.

Naruto steps out of Sasuke’s office and into the tiled waiting room. The receptionist desk is empty.

“That’s weird,” he murmurs. He walks farther out.

Ino’s phone is off the hook; a container of open nail polish is tipped over. The metallic pink sits in a puddle around the small brush.

“That’s really weird,” he whispers, his eyes slightly wide. Ino wasn’t the type to drop everything and run. Especially when it came to gossip and manicures.

He turns, fully expecting to go back into the Guidance counselor’s office, when he hears an unfamiliar voice.

“Excuse me?” it asks. The voice is deep and dull.

Naruto turns, eyeing the man warily.

He is tall and slim, his hair dark and tied into a small tail at the nape of his neck. His eyes are dead and black. He has two identical tired lines under each and his skin is pale.

He looks kinda like Uchiha.

“Er…yes?”

“Do you happen to know where Uchiha Sasuke is at the moment? It’s rather urgent.”

The blond’s eyes narrow, because this new guy seems like a sketchy character.

“Who wants to know?” he asks rudely.

The taller man doesn’t blink. “His older brother.”

“Oh. Really?”

Before Naruto can take a nervous breath, the new guy is in front of him.

“Really.”

The shorter gulps, and tries to hide the fear coiling in the pit of his stomach. He nearly pees his pants.

“Well, if-if he’s your family, shouldn’t you know where he is?”

“I should, shouldn’t I? But, the truth is…”

Naruto blinks as he looks up at the man.

The stranger smirks.

“I’m afraid my younger brother isn’t very…fond of me.”

“Er…okay, then.”

The blond reaches over to Ino’s desk, grabbing a sheet of white paper and her favorite pen (purple, feathers, glitter and googly-eyes cover it).

He scribbles down the address to Sasuke’s apartment, from his ramen delivery last night.

He knows this man is a stranger, and therefore potentially dangerous, but he looks like Sasuke, and knows where Sasuke works, and says he’s Sasuke’s brother. Why not believe him?

And, in truth, Naruto just wants this guy to leave.

Besides, family members were safe people. It’s not like Sasuke’s own brother would hurt him.

“Here you go,” the blond says, handing the man the address. He can’t explain exactly why at the moment, but he feels as though he’s done something wrong when the dark stranger grips the paper with a smirk.

“Thank you, Uzumaki-kun.”

Before Naruto can ask him how he knows his name, the man is gone.

-xxXXlXXxx-

Kiba’s eyes widen as they pass over the Uchiha’s file.

Naruto walks back into the office, looking bewildered and shaking his head.

“Dude! Come over here!”

Out of his stupor, the blond walks over to his friend.

“What?”

The brunet shoves the papers into his face impatiently.

“Read,” he commands.

Naruto looks down. His eyes move across the paper quickly, and he sits back down in Sasuke’s seat as he reads.

By the time he’s done going through each line and every word, down to the last punctuation mark, he is jumping out of the chair.

“Kuso, kuso, kuso, kuso! Why am I such an idiot?!”

The papers fall slowly to the ground.

Kiba’s brow furrows as he picks them up, places the back into the folder, and back into the faculty cabinet.

“What do you mean?” he asks.

Naruto’s breathing is ragged as he responds.

“I…he… His brother just came in here! I just gave him his address!”

Kiba’s eyes are wider than ever. His voice sounds small. “You…what?”

“And Sakura-chan is probably home by now, and Uchiha probably just got some call telling him his wacko brother escaped, and now he’s probably gonna be home, too, and his brother’s gonna be going there…Kuso!”

He races out of the room, Kiba close behind.

“What’re we gonna do?” the brunet asks, his voice scared.

“What do you think? We have to warn them!”

-xxXXlXXxx-

Sakura places the grocery bags down, in front of her door. Knowing she has to hurry, considering her lunch break ends soon, she searches desperately for her keys.

She pats her back pockets, and looks through every section of her pocketbook.

“Where did I put them?”

She blinks as the door suddenly creeks open on its own.

That’s weird. I know I locked it this morning.

Leaving the groceries where they are, she takes a tentative step into her apartment.

“Sasuke-kun?” she calls, “Are you there?”

The only sound she can hear is the slow drip of a leaky faucet.

She flips the light switch on, wishing she had left the blinds open earlier.

“Hello, Sakura-chan.”

Her viridian eyes widen.

-xxXXlXXxx-

Next Chapter…

(In which relief and distrust ensue tragedy)

“Naruto,” Sasuke says wearily, “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

The blond’s eyes remained trained on the ground.

-xxXXlXXxx-

A/N: So, yeah, not as good as it could’ve been.

Gah, I’ve recently become obsessed with Bleach. Anyone else eagerly awaiting The DiamondDust Rebellion?

Things will be (mostly) cleared up next chapter, so don’t despair.

Oh, time for some shameless advertising. If you haven’t already checked it out, go read my newest oneshot. Called Glow, SasuSaku (naturally), and fluffy as marshmallows.

I happen to like it.

Reviews?

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment