Chapter 25

"Naruto! Stop fidgeting! It's annoying!" Kiba sighed exasperatedly for the umpteenth time.

But Naruto couldn't. It was Monday at long last! The first day of the Interschool Competitions! How could Naruto stop fidgeting with this knowledge at hand? It wasn't possible!

"But Kiiibbbbaaaaaa… I hate waiting!" Naruto whined pitifully, wiggling around like he had to pee.

"The morning bell hasn't even rung yet, idiot. You've been waiting all of 2 minutes," the brown haired boy rolled his eyes.

"That's just way too long!"

"You're too excitable!" Sai laughed as he came up behind the duo in the gym. All the students had to sit in the benches in the gym in the morning so they could be organized into their event groups for the day.

"I just wanna go compete! I wanna have fun and kick people's butts! Yeah!" he pumped his fist into the air.

A cute giggle beside him made the blonde look over. Sakura was coming up to sit with him, followed by Ino, Ten-Ten, Shikamaru, Chouji and Hinata. "You're gonna do great, Naruto!" she encouraged him as she sat right next to him.

"You're gonna come watch me today, right Sakura-chan?" he asked excitedly. At her nod, he pulled the pink-haired girl into a hug. It was so nice having friends around who supported him.

Tsunade staggered into the gym a little while later in all her large chested glory with a flushed face. "Listen up, brats! This's thuh Innersc'l Competions… Today's events er Bask-ball an' Baseball… Those uf you who aren't competin', go home er stick aroun' an' fin' out who loses… Teams are up on the wall… Bask-ball firs… baseball this affernoon…"

The principal stumbled and Shizune pityingly rushed to her side to keep her up on her feet. The blonde woman was so drunk Shizune, and many others, were surprised she was still standing. Naruto shook his head sadly as he watched her shoo away Shizune and tried standing on her own. That woman seriously needed help.

"Well! Get movin' you lil maggots!" she shouted at the students in the room. Immediately, a swarm of people rushed forward to go read the team sheets to see who would be competing.

Caught up in the excitement, Naruto rushed forward with them and crowded around the sheets. He shoved his way through to the front without suffocating and eagerly scanned the sheet. Basketball listed a few people and Naruto didn't really recognize any except three: Rock Lee, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered, leaping through the crowd to reach his friends who had hung back to avoid getting trampled. "I'm in the Basketball team! I'm the best!"

"Dummy, you didn't check the baseball sheet to see if I was in?" Kiba growled.

Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Heh, sorry Kiba… I was just too excited." It turned out that Kiba, Neji and Shikamaru were all nominated for the baseball team. "I'll come to your game if you come to mine!"

"Of course!"

In the change rooms, Naruto bounced around as he tried to pull off his clothes. He was much too bubbly and preoccupied to notice that the ice prince himself had come in to change too. But he stumbled pulling his pants off and knocked into Sasuke who had been standing next to him. "Oh! Sorry… are you alright?" Naruto asked cautiously.

He finally noticed who he had bumped into and tried very hard to tread on eggshells. The blonde still wasn't very sure what to make of the not-so-hostile Sasuke. The Uchiha constantly looked confused and angry and a little lost as of late and even more so towards Naruto. Like Sasuke was confused about Naruto himself. But what was it that the stoic teenager was pondering?

This close, Naruto couldn't help but notice how chiselled and smooth Sasuke looked. A flush crossed his tan cheeks again as he realised, not for the first time, that the Uchiha was actually really quite attractive. The pale, flawless skin, the sharp features, black eyes and hair, thin, lithe… Naruto had the urge to reach out and just touch Sasuke. To feel how smooth that skin actually was. It looked so… inviting…

Sasuke on the other hand was thinking almost along the same lines. Naruto was almost completely naked, only wearing his boxer briefs which were very flattering… His muscle tone was quite impressive for how small Naruto looked. His tanned skin was scarred, however. Though that did nothing to detract from the over all sexiness. In fact, it only added character. Naruto looked so warm and appealing. Like a hot chocolate on a cold winter day. Or a cold lemonade on a hot summer day. The teen was a refreshing retreat.

"I'm fine, dobe," Sasuke murmured, pulling a t-shirt on and leaving the locker rooms before Naruto could notice the faint blush on his pale cheeks. This tame Sasuke was really weirding the Uzumaki boy out.

On the courts, they took up positions. There was a small, fleeting moment of dread when Naruto recognized Gaara on the other team. They were playing against Suna. Most of the kids looked fierce and angry and determined.

Then Naruto glanced around his own team and the uncertainty dissipated. They had Rock Lee, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto of course! They were unstoppable!

The whistle blew, Sasuke grabbed the ball first and like a bullet he darted through the people trying to block him. Naruto ran on the opposite end of the court and followed, making sure he stayed open to help Sasuke. They had to win!

Sasuke got blocked by two larger boys and looked for an opening. Naruto jumped clear of his guard and shouted, "I'm open!"

Without hesitating, Sasuke passed the ball to Naruto who easily jumped and hit a 2 point shot. "Yes!" he cheered and looked over at Sasuke as he was getting patted on the back and offered high fives for the first score in the game. The stoic bastard was even smirking a little. Was it possible? That the ice prince might even be warming up to him?

The game restarted. This time Gaara grabbed the ball first and knocked over several people as he ran straight toward the basket. He was definitely a force to be reckoned with. But then, so was Naruto. Though, despite his best efforts, Gaara had managed to score his own 2 point shot. Tied game within the first few minutes.

Back and forth the game went and the more he played, the more in sync he was with Sasuke. The two dominated the court, taking control of the ball and working together. Sasuke and Naruto worked so well together on the court that most of their teammates just stood aside or passed the ball directly to them. They were unstoppable.

Naruto had zoned out most of what else was going on. His sole focus was on Sasuke. They weaved, they passed, and they called and twisted and turned as if there were some invisible string constantly linking them. Sasuke was the center of his vision and his world. And keeping his focus on Sasuke helped him get over the hesitation and reluctance he felt around Gaara. Sasuke, whether he knew it or not, was the distraction and focus of his attention.

Sasuke was in much the same boat. While he paid a little more attention to the court than Naruto, he still focused almost entirely on Naruto. He would smirk when they scored and his eyes would soften when they locked eyes. He would only grit his teeth and convey, through body language and small facial ticks, that they had to try harder when Suna scored. And Naruto recognised it all. It actually (almost) impressed him (almost) how much Naruto could read him and respond to him despite them hating each other only a short time ago. What had happened? What had changed?

"Sasuke, heads!" Naruto called. His tanned face was screwed up in frustration as a Suna kid bigger than him blocked him from the net. Sasuke wove around his own guard and caught the tossed ball and barrelled down the court dribbling the orange ball.

Just at the top of the key, he was about to step and take a shot but suddenly Gaara was there, fiercely blocking his way. Sasuke sneered and tried to get around him but Gaara wouldn't budge. Desperate, with only a few minutes left to decide the near tied game, Sasuke's onyx eyes looked over the red hair for an open teammate.

Naruto was there. Naruto always seemed to be there. The Uchiha spun around and feinted to the side then to the other side and used the opening to toss the ball to Naruto. He caught it easily and made a 3 point shot. "Yeah!" the blonde cheered and looked over at Sasuke. He did that a lot. Every time a score was made, Naruto glanced over at Sasuke to see his reaction. So Sasuke gave him a smirk and tiny, almost indiscernible, nod of his dark haired head. The blonde smiled wider and was swept away by other cheering teammates, including an embarrassingly enthusiastic Lee.

"The youth is strong in this one!" Lee shouted, patting Naruto in the back hard enough to make him stumble forward. The smirk was still in place on Sasuke's pale face as the game reset. The game ended with a score of 23-20 for Konoha. They won! Gaara's team sulked off to lick their wounds while Konoha's team cheered and yelled and got swept up in frantic fans.

Sakura, Ino, Kiba and a few others hugged Naruto. "You guys mopped the floor with them!" Ino laughed, slinging an arm around Naruto's neck, despite him being taller.

"You did great, Naruto!" Sakura smiled and laughed, hugging him gently.

"It wasn't just me," Naruto insisted, though loving the attention. "The whole team did it! And I couldn't have done it without Sasuke!" he looked over at the silently observing Uchiha. Those blue eyes were calm and respectful as he gazed at Sasuke. The Uchiha stared back, his own obsidian eyes equally respectful and accepting.

The team, and friends, went out after the basketball game to celebrate their victory. The first interschool competition was over! Konoha had won the basketball game! They made their way down to main street and all piled into a little smoothie place to hang out. Lee, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Ino, Sakura, Hinata, Tenten, Shino, Sai and a few various others were all crammed into one space chatting animatedly.

For a while, Naruto happily inserted himself into the conversation and told funny stories and listened excitedly while Lee recounted the game from his point of view. But when the conversation turned to more high school like subjects and what people were doing for the summer after school let out. Sakura and Ino bickered over the most popular thing to do during the summer. Shikamaru and Chouji chatted quietly to themselves. Lee, Tenten and Shino were all discussing the benefits of going to a camp. Sai was teasing poor Hinata shamelessly while she tried her best to join in a conversation with Kiba while he glared at Sai.

Naruto glanced around at everyone, a content smile on his face. He had friends here. It was such a nice feeling. Just seeing them all together and happy and accepting him… well, there was nothing more the blonde could possible ask for. Everything he had wanted was right here in front of him.

But then his sky blue eyes came to rest on a stoic, quiet, and sad looking dark haired boy. He was a little further away from everyone else and watching the spectacle with dull eyes. Feeling drawn to him, Naruto moved closer to Sasuke and sat beside him with a peaceful smile, showing he wasn't there to bicker or fight.

Immediately, Sasuke tensed but Naruto kept smiling and sipped his smoothie. "Great game, huh?" the teen asked casually.

"Hn," was the reply but Naruto could see that the corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched upwards.

"So, you're pretty good at basketball," Naruto persisted, trying to make the iceblock talk.

"I know. You're not too horrible," Sasuke teased, wanting to see Naruto pout. And pout he did.

"Bastard! I try and compliment you and make peace and you're still so mean to me!" he whined but it was a lot more light hearted than it would have been before. Before? Before what?

Sasuke scoffed and looked away but kept the blonde in his peripheral vision. His heart started pumping a few beats faster of its own accord, his stomach starting to constrict painfully. He didn't want Naruto to stop talking to him. He actually felt like a normal person when Naruto talked to him but he might stop if Sasuke kept treating him so poorly. So he tried to push aside his snarky side for the time being. At least it didn't look like anyone else was paying attention to them so his reputation wasn't at stake.

"You did good today…" Sasuke finally admitted, fighting incredibly hard to keep the faint tinge of pink from showing on his cheeks. He sipped his smoothie to distract himself and provide an excuse to not look at Naruto right away.

The blonde grinned widely and chuckled. "Thanks, Sasuke! So, do you have any plans for the summer?" He just bounced back like nothing fazed him in the slightest. It baffled Sasuke. But it also drew him in. This creature known as Uzumaki Naruto intrigued him and he wanted to know more.

The two engaged in their first conversation together. Their first real conversation together. Without insulting each other (much) or getting angry at each other, they actually had a delightful, meaningful conversation. Each found that the other had a lot to offer, more than just the childish, competitive bickering they seemed compelled to do. Sasuke even found himself inexplicably admitting his foolish hatred for his older brother. For some reason, he felt he could open up and talk to Naruto without being judged or ignored. It was… pleasant.

Naruto was blown away by the fact that Sasuke was talking to him at all. But he also figured that Sasuke just needed a friend. A real friend that would treat him like a person and not some prize to be won like female population at school did. He found that Sasuke was really a down-to-earth person with deep, underlying emotions that he couldn't express. Naruto could understand that.

"So my parents are coming back at the end of the week and things will go back to normal," Sasuke shrugged and played with the now empty foam cup.

"That sucks. Well, you should get out of the house more. Hang out with people!" Naruto insisted, nudging the other boys' arm playfully.

"Maybe. I don't have people to hang out with."

"Sure you do. You've got everyone here at the table! And me," Naruto flushed slightly as he said that but he didn't hesitate. He really wanted to be Sasuke's friend.

Sasuke paused and looked at the boy, black eyes fractionally wider than normal. Tempting. Very tempting. Maybe he would leave the house if it was to see Naruto. But he cast those thoughts aside. It wouldn't do him any good to jump to conclusions. "What about your parents? I've told you all about mine."

For the first time since they started talking, Naruto looked sad. Genuinely sad. "I don't know much about them, actually. I was only 3 when they died. I was adopted by my godfather, Jiraiya and moved to Suna and grew up there."

A pang of sympathy coursed through Sasuke and he felt guilty. "I'm sorry…" He shouldn't have asked.

Naruto shook his head and tried to put on a brave smile. "It's ok. It was a long time ago."

Sasuke opened his mouth to say 'it's not ok,' or 'you don't need to fake it in front of me' or something equally reassuring but he suddenly felt watched. He closed his mouth and looked around to find 10+ pairs of eyes on him, staring intensely.

"What?" he asked uncertainly. He felt himself growing tense again, uncomfortable with the unnecessary attention.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, noticing all his friends' stares.

"Naruto, you broke him!" Ino cried, slapping his palms to her face in comical horror. Naruto frowned, not understanding.

"What's this? It talks?!" Sakura gasped, one hand over her mouth, other hand poking at Sasuke's mouth. This earned her a glare and a growl which made her stop immediately.

"Of course he talks!" Naruto threw his arms up exasperatedly. What were his friends talking about?

"He never talks… not like that!" Lee added, looking from Naruto to Sasuke and back again.

Sai just viewed the situation a little nervously. What did that mean? That Sasuke was warming up to Naruto? Not good…

Kiba was staring with equal shock and disbelief. "Naruto, did you drug him or something?"

Naruto shook his head and looked back at Sasuke who was growling at the table, hating the fact that people we talking about him like he wasn't there, like some alien who couldn't communicate. "I've done nothing to him! We were just talking, right Sasuke?" Naruto nudged the angry boy.

"Hn."

"See, he's back to normal now!" Ino sighed.

"No, that's not normal! You guys are just being silly!" Naruto pouted, looking back at Sasuke. "Bastard, tell them! We were having a decent conversation!"

The Uchiha just looked away, arms folded over his chest. Angry, Naruto lunged at Sasuke, knocking them both to the ground with Naruto on top. "Teme! Why won't you tell them? What's wrong with you?!" he demanded, pinning the pale boy underneath him.

"I don't need to prove anything to anyone, moron!" Sasuke snapped back, trying to push Naruto off.

"Ok you two, no need to brawl. We should head back to school for the baseball game, right?" Sai suggested, pulling Naruto up off the glaring Uchiha. In agreement, they all left the store but Naruto and Sasuke stayed behind.

"Are you going home now?" the blonde asked, feeling like the tension they had just fought down was right back up where it was. This made him sad.

"Yes. I have no reason to stick around."

"Come to the game with me," he offered hopefully.

"No." Abruptly, the teen left the shop and headed home, leaving a sad and confused Naruto behind. Close. Naruto had been so close to tearing down that wall. What happened? Why did Sasuke close off again?

…

Later that day the brooding blonde made his way home. Konoha had lost the baseball game. Though that hadn't disheartened them. This was only the first day. There would be more days to come and Konoha could come out on top.

Naruto had other reasons to brood. And as he plopped himself down on his couch beside Kyuubi, he sighed. "What's up, buttercup?" Kyuubi purred, leaning against Naruto.

So Naruto explained how his day had went. Telling the red head about how well he and Sasuke seemed to work together during the game, being able to read each other and respond. How they connected in the smoothie shop and then the resulting kind-of-sort-of-not-really-but-still-happened tension 'fight' they had.

"Sounds like he just wants to connect with you. He was finally able to but then other people got involved. People he's not interested in. People who don't see him or accept him the way you do, sport. He's a recluse. You're gonna have to work harder if you want him," Kyuubi offered with a shrug.

"Want him?"

"Well, it's obvious you two want each other. I don't know why you don't just ask him out already," the adult replied flippantly. Naruto flushed dark red and made noises of disbelief and denial. "Just calling it as I see it," Kyuubi chuckled and ruffled Naruto's blonde hair.

"Tch…well…whatever. You don't know anything," Naruto pouted and crossed his arms.

"I know a lot actually," Kyuubi pouted back, insulted.

"Like what?"

"Like… stuff and things! But that's beside the point! Since the topic has come up… I could tell you about your parents… or, our parents…" the red haired con man murmured sadly.

That got Naruto's attention. "What?" his blue eyes widened and he frowned. "What do you mean you know about them? And why did you say 'our' parents? I didn't meet you till Suna…"

Kyuubi sighed and closed his eyes. "It's a long story, Naruto… but please believe me when I say I'm telling the truth. I'll tell you everything I remember…." After confirming that Naruto looked like he would listen willingly, he continued. "Minato and Kushina had adopted me before you were born… they thought they couldn't have kids because they tried but never got pregnant. I was 2. We were a happy family for a couple years until I was about 4. Mum got pregnant… with you," Kyuubi smiled sadly, recalling the memory.

"I remember mum and dad bringing you home that first day… I was so excited to have a little brother. We were all so happy together. It was awesome. Nothing could go wrong. You and I played and I tried to look after you. Dad taught me cool things like how to climb trees and play bows and arrows. But then, a year or so later, mum got sick. Really sick. She got a tumour in her brain. It took a while for her to get in to see a doctor and then a while more for them to decide to operate on her. I was 8, you were 3. The operation was successful and things were getting better. For a week or so we were so sure things would be ok…"

At his hesitation, Naruto prodded for more, tears in his eyes, "What happened?" his voice quivered.

"It was an old house, Naruto. The… the furnace went haywire and exploded. The explosion tumbled the foundation and started an uncontrollable fire… you were just a baby… you were crying, curled up with mum in bed. She was still recovering and couldn't move on her own. Dad grabbed me and you and raced outside, bringing us to safety…" tears stung his own eyes as he recounted the painful memory of that day.

"'Stay here and don't move, I'll be right back,' he said. He kissed us both and told us he loved us and everything would be ok. Then he went back inside to save mum only… no matter how long we waited… no matter how much I called or the firefighters tried to put out the fires and get inside… dad never came back…" The man looked at Naruto finally and sniffed when he saw the tears pouring down the boy's tanned face.

"Dad… died… saving us and trying to save mum?" he murmured, not even trying to hide his tears. He didn't care. If what Kyuubi was saying was true, he had no reason to hide.

Kyuubi nodded. "After that, we were split up and sent to different relatives. We lost contact. I couldn't see you anymore. The one I went to wasn't very nice to me and after a few years of abuse, I ran away from home. But because I didn't have a real family, I was picked up by an orphanage and for years I went from foster home to foster home. I was in the 7th grade when I finally moved to Suna and found you. I knew it was you the second I saw you. You looked the same as you did when we were younger," Kyuubi smiled, his eyes light. "I was so happy I found you again… you were comfort in a world of hurt. I guess I didn't really show you how much you meant to me but when you told me you didn't know me… well, I guess I was kind of hurt. I just wanted to be the big brother I was supposed to be."

"Kyuubi…" Naruto breathed, holding back a sob. "Oh gods, I had no idea…I…I don't know what to say…" His heart constricted painfully, his chest hurt, his stomach dropped and his mind had come to a crashing halt.

The older male just shrugged and wiped the tears from his own face. "You don't need to say anything, Naruto…But I'm sorry I didn't tell you until now and I'm sorry for treating you the way I did back then…"

Naruto wanted to be mad or upset about it, get all fired up the way he used to when thinking about how mean Kyuubi was to him. But now, knowing the truth, Naruto only felt guilt and yet…happy? He finally knew how his parents died, finally understood so much all at once. He could only accept it. Nothing else needed to be said, nothing else needed to be explained. But Naruto couldn't help the sudden feeling of love that bubbled up inside him. They were brothers! Not blood brothers but that didn't matter. Naruto finally had a family to hold onto.

With a satisfied smile on his still wet face, the teen leaned over and hugged his big brother, trying to convey everything he was feeling. "Kyuubi…"

"I know, kid… I know."

…

Oh dear! A busy chapter. Interschool competitions, bonding with Sasuke, fighting with Sasuke, learning the truth behind Kyuubi and their parents… not to mention this chapter is two times longer than previous chapters! You're welcome…

Thank you to those who reviewed my last chapter! You're awesome and this is for you!

PLEASE READ & REVIEW!

Stay tuned for more excitement to come!

All my love,

GMF