Author's Note : Okay, so. We're going to start PHWNS back up, as it was, and continue from Chapter 18. I haven't changed or gotten rid of any of my plotting for this, so it's really just a matter of picking it back up.
If you recall previously, I had written up to chapter 18 and then stopped.
I've had some stuff happen in my life to where I'm not going to be studying abroad in Japan this fall now, but instead England (most likely). With that being said, I really don't have the motivation to re-write this story set in a culture that I'm not going to experience first-hand. And, if I'm not mistaken, many of you enjoyed this story as I had it. So, I'm sorry I didn't update for so long and then took it down for even longer... But here you go!
Also also, I want to set up a tumblr for my writing where ya'll can ask me questions or suggest stuff and whatnot. I shalll be looking into it. Tumblr is one of those platforms that I enjoy looking at posts but other than that have no idea how the thing functions. Only 25 but feel like I'm in my 80's when it comes to some of these things! Does anybody have any suggestions on how this works?

Main Pairing : Uchiha Sasuke x Uzumaki Naruto (Yaoi)

Disclaimer : I do not own the Naruto characters; I am simply using them for my own enjoyment. And I hope, yours. I do own the story line, plot, and any locations mentioned in the plot that are not canon to the Naruto-Verse.

Part I : Discover

Chapter 1 : Psychology

The first day back to class after the winter vacations. Not as lighthearted as the first day back from summer, but still. The students are still excited and not quite filled with disgust at the prospect of learning. Yet. That will come tomorrow.

The silver-haired teacher warily eyes the door from over the top of his book as the students begin filing into his classroom for 3rd period. He's already gone over the roster and knows what to expect. Which is to say, nothing good. He has Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. Never a good combination. One doesn't speak much at all, and the other could learn to speak less. In fact, he would pay good money to see Naruto go a whole class period without uttering a single word – and not be taking a nap for any amount of time.

Ah, and in walks the boy in question. He raises an eyebrow and gives a slight shake of his head. That boy never changes. His blonde mop of hair is as untamed as always, the spring in his step is still strong, he didn't manage to gain any weight with holiday dinners, and God did not bless them over winter vacations by removing that hazardous color from Naruto's wardrobe.

"Hi, Kakashi! Did you have a good break?" Naruto tilts his head and throws that 100-watt smile at Kakashi. The man just shakes his head and gives Naruto his signature eye-smile. Though the boy may be loud and brazen, he is very friendly. Which might be his one saving grace. Now, the Uchiha child doesn't have the word "friendly" introduced to his vocabulary.

"Maa, thank you for asking. I did, indeed."

He sees Naruto looking at the cover of his book, and watches in some amusement as he shakes his head in mock disgust. "Those books are horrible, Kakashi. Besides, I'm not even sure they're allowed on school property, being full of smut."

"I think they're quite good, and I'm careful about not being caught with them." Kakashi winks at the blonde, who returns with a laugh.

"Well, then you'll be happy to know that the next installation in the series should be coming out this summer."

"Oh?" This is news to Kakashi; there hasn't been any word or advertising for a new installation to his favorite series.

"Yeah, he's been working on it for a while now. Writer's block and all." Before Kakashi can question Naruto further on how he's privy to this information, the blonde's best friend comes waltzing into the room and strikes up an immediate conversation with him. Behind Kiba comes the second problem child he's concerned about having in his class.

Kakashi watches as the youngest Uchiha makes his way into the room, taking a seat at the front of the class. This doesn't come as a surprise to Kakashi; Sasuke is always at the top of the class and spares no frivolities with trying to "fit in" to school norms. The raven holds himself with an air of dignity and pride, and is probably one of the most socially closed off people the silver haired teacher has ever seen.

With no small amount of amusement, Kakashi watches Naruto scrunch up his nose and stick his tongue out at the dark haired boys back. Almost as if he could sense this slight, Sasuke turns around and glares at the blonde in the back of the class. Naruto crosses his arms over his chest and flicks his head to the side, not sparing the Uchiha another glance. That is, until he turns around. Then Naruto's eyes slowly trail back to him, where they stay, glaring.

Kakashi sighs and leans his head on his lightly fisted hand. Maybe, just maybe, if he gets lucky this period, that will be all that happens. It's only the first day back from classes. Certainly some of that hostility has ebbed out over the break.

It doesn't seem so, however. The scowl on Naruto's face stays in place and focused on Sasuke, while the raven stares blankly out the window he's next to.

The bell rings, signaling the official start of class. Kakashi looks over his class, doing an internal head count before proceeding to talk. "Good morning. Glad to see you all made it. As you should know, this is World History with a focus on African history." Immediately, there is a raised hand. Kakashi sighs and motions for the student to talk.

"If this is World History, why are we focusing on Africa? Wouldn't that make it an African History class?" The kid, who Kakashi wasn't all that familiar with, was sitting smugly in his seat, staring up at Kakashi.

"Because the majority of history as you know it, has its roots in Africa. Between England invading and the U.S slave trade, it is a very good place to start when trying to understand how the world has come to what it is." This answer seems to satisfy the brat into being quiet. Kakashi sighs and returns to his original speech.

By the time he finishes the course intro and starts the first lesson, there's only half the class time left. Thankfully, the class seems to be going smooth. Almost too smooth for Kakashi's weary soul to handle.

Which is why, when he hears Naruto ask a question concerning the "plight of underprivileged African Americans in a dominantly and racist white world" he wasn't at all surprised with the stoic and intellectually inclined response of Sasuke. Apparently, Naruto did not like what he heard come from Sasuke's mouth, and the blonde quickly goes off into a rant.

It's at moments like this that Kakashi is so pleased with his ability to tune people out, and also that the boys choose to sit so far from each other. Otherwise, he's sure some punches would be thrown at this point, if the look on Naruto's face is anything to go by.

"Alright, let's all calm down." Kakashi waves both his hands in a downwards manner, hoping for once, the boys will listen. Unfortunately, listening is not in Naruto's arsenal of strong abilities, and Sasuke has too much pride to back down.

Naruto looks angrily from Sasuke to Kakashi. "Tell him to stop being such a stuck up, know-it-all git, and then I might calm down!"

Sasuke scoffs and barely glances over his shoulder to eye the blonde. "It's not my fault you're more focused on personal concepts than actual history." Naruto looks ready to blow a top, so Kakashi quickly intervenes. Again.

"We are entitled to our opinions." He shoots a look to the Uchiha. "But this is also a class, where I will try to teach you why things have happened as they have. If you'll focus long enough to let me do so." This time, the sharp look shifts to Naruto. "Is that understood?"

Naruto falls back into the chair he has been leaning out of, and crosses his arms over his chest in anger. "Yeah, whatever." He then proceeds to petulantly pout, which if he didn't look so ready to hit someone, would almost be cute.

Sasuke on the other hand, already has his attention back on Kakashi. He raises one eyebrow at Kakashi's final glance before the exasperated teacher turns back to the board. Why can't these brats just get along? It's the very first day of the Spring semester. Very first. It should be calm demeanors and lack of attitudes.

Kakashi closes his eyes and sends a silent prayer to the heavens; please don't let this be the semester that I quit my eight-year career. From behind his back, he can hear another argument starting up, instigated by a question from the blonde.

Oh yeah, this semester is going to be fun. It's safe to say that when the class dismissal bell goes off, Kakashi is out of that room right along with the students. He needs some of the cool, fresh air that only the teachers' lounge can provide. Free of students, free of disruptive blondes and ravens, but most importantly, he can pull out his Icha Icha and read in peace.

Or so he thinks.

"Kakashi, you look a bit amused. Something happen, old friend?" Might Guy, Kasai's esteemed gym and sports coach, pats his old friend on the back. Hard.

"Just a couple students that never learn", Kakashi manages to choke out between a few coughs. Guy has more strength than necessary, not that Kakashi would mention that.

"Oh? Would these students be Uzumaki and Uchiha?" Guy gives a knowing chuckle. "Those two are always brimming with fiery youth! They give me such motivation."

Kakashi did his best not to roll his eyes. There's not much in this world that doesn't give Guy motivation. "Well, I think they need to learn to get along with each other." It would certainly make Kakashi's life easier. Naruto and Sasuke have been placed in his homeroom class this semester, as well as two course periods. Judging from how just one class has gone- and on the very first day of the Spring Semester- it was going to be a rough ride.

"Those two just need to let their energy out in a more constructive manner! They're both healthy, young eighteen year olds! They should have girlfriends." Kakashi stares at his green clad friend and wonders if he has ever even met these boys. Naruto clearly has virgin stamped on him, what with the way he interacts with the female race- either painfully blind to their come-ons, or all-out determination in lost causes. Sasuke… Well, Kakashi is almost certain that the Uchiha is asexual, or extremely close. The only person he could ever recall watching the boy willingly speak to is the blonde idiot also in question.

Kakashi debates on what opinion to voice to Guy, not sure how he would take any bit of information. He decides on short and subtle. "I don't think that will happen."

"Why not? Everybody want's someone in their life." Guy beams at him like this is common knowledge.

"While that may be true, I know that Naruto is interested in someone that will not return his feelings, and Sasuke is only interested in everyone else leaving him alone."

"Our little raven friend doesn't mind Naruto bothering him! Maybe they need to redirect their attention for each other in a more positive outlet!"

Well, now. There's an idea. Kakashi's eyes widen at the implication, and he just barely contains a smile. If the raven does have an interest in romantic complications, then why wouldn't it be with the only person he seems to pay any attention? The fact that Naruto can elicit any sort of emotion and remarks from Sasuke has to account for something.

Unfortunately for him, a second colleague of his joins into their conversation.

"I don't believe for a minute that you can get those boys to even be friends, let alone start dating." Anko smirks at her colleague over the top of her coffee cup. To an outsider, it would seem that she has the upper hand in this conversation, and is flouncing that information. However, Kakashi knows from the subtle way her lip quirks up on the right side, and the sardonic merriment in her eyes, that she's trying to goad him into a challenge.

One that he is willing to take.

"Maa, I'm sure that all that fighting they do is misplaced sexual tension. Guy is onto something here." Kakashi tilts his head to the side and smiles at Anko, waiting to see how far she will take this.

"You know what, I bet you $100 you can't get them together, and I'll also throw in vouchers to Akimichi's restaurant." Anko smirks and leans against the table. "What do you say, Kashi? Wanna go for it?"

"I could certainly use $100 to buy some new reading material." Kakashi's smile only shows amusement at their conversation, furthering Anko's flare.

"Ha!" Anko slams her hand down on the table, causing a salt shaker to spill over. "Then you're on! You get those brats together by the end of the semester, then you win. If not, then I win the luxury of knowing there's something not even the great Hatake can accomplish!"

"Sounds like a deal." And with that, they shake hands. Kakashi's spring semester just got much more interesting, and perhaps lethal if either boy finds out what he's up to. He would have to find some sneaky method to get this done…

And like that, Kakashi knew how to get the boys together. Not just them, but several students he could see being in a relationship with each other, given the right push.

So much for relaxing in the teachers' lounge, he has a whole class to replan.

"This semester we are going to be performing an experiment pertaining to social psychology. This will be a project among two people to learn how their individual social settings and dynamics have affected their lives and the way they perceive the world. I will be handing out the assignment sheets before the end of class. For now, we are going to discuss how this class operates." Hatake Kakashi, one of the more normal teachers at Kasai Private School, speaks in the laziest tone Naruto has ever heard. He swears if he talks with any less enthusiasm, he'll fall asleep from boredom. Naruto's eyes sleepily follow Kakashi's movements as he comes around to lean against his desk. Naruto has already gotten into it once today with him, so he figures he'll go easy during this class. His eyes narrow and trail to the jerk who got a rise out of him earlier. Of course he would have the last class of the day with him.

"We have four months to enjoy this experiment. There will be two assignments per week, with five questions per assignment. These assignments will all pertain to the same topic for one whole month. Then, the next month will switch to a new topic. You must answer these questions to the full capacity. I don't want any simple answers that require no thought. You are here to analyze the social structures and how they affect a person's psychology. Basically, you should be able to write me an essay for each assignment. Understood so far?" A few lazy nods from around the room signal Kakashi to continue.

"Since this will focus solely on each pairing, class attendance is not necessary. In fact, there's no point in coming to class because I won't be here." A collective gasp sounds from around the room, and Naruto's ears immediately perk up. He's been letting most of his words go in one ear and out the other, but this just got interesting.

"I do request that you and your partner meet twice a week to go over the assignments together. During the next four months, you will be collecting information on your partner and analyzing how this information fits into a psychological profile of them. A profile that you will turn in to me at the end of the semester. Still following?" You can practically hear everyone's brains rattling in their skulls. The excitement in the air is tangible. Kakashi is basically giving them a free period, and considering this is the last class of the day, that's pretty awesome.

"Alright, now that's settled. Let's move on to the actual course work. As you hear your name called, come and take a folder. Do not break the seal until everyone has one. Then, we'll go around and see who's been paired up. Sound good?" Naruto's excitement has him bouncing in his seat. Maybe, if he gets lucky - and he typically does- he'll be paired with Sakura. His eyes fall onto the girl of his dreams. How anyone could be so gorgeous is beyond him. He watches as she tosses her head back to laugh at something a friend just told her. Her shoulder length bubblegum pink hair bounces, and Naruto can see the mirth in her emerald green eyes. Just watching her causes him to smile. Sakura is the most beautiful girl in school, and also the most popular. She's on the cheerleading team and the student council. If he had it his way, she would be his girlfriend already.

Unfortunately, she only has eyes for Sasuke. At that thought, Naruto's eyes narrow and slide to the raven in question. It's not like Sasuke is anything fantastic. Sure, he's attractive, if you can look past his shitty personality. All the girls in school fawn over him like he's God's gift to earth. Naruto doesn't see why he should receive any special attention just because he's tall, dark, and handsome.

And yeah, okay, maybe he's extremely intelligent along with the good looks, but that doesn't give him a reason to be such a stuck up, arrogant asshole! Who cares if he's the leader of the student council, as well as the debate team. And he plays baseball during season as the co-captain. Naruto falls back farther in his seat and huffs at the injustice of it all. Why does a guy like that get to have it all, when there's guys like him busting their chops to have it?

Well, okay, maybe he doesn't really try that hard academically, but this stuff is boring! And besides, it's hardly what counts at the end of the day. He's the captain of the soccer team and can rock the shit out of any play the drama society puts on. Oh yeah; Uzumaki Naruto can act. It's actually the best stress and energy relief he's come across.

It seems like ages before Naruto is finally called to get his folder. He stares at the white packet with mixed excitement and apprehension. There are 20 students in this social psychology class. He could be paired up with any one of them. Luck will only get him so far in this.

"Alright, everyone has been pre-paired on my judgment. So, I only need one person from each group to say their partner's name. Let's begin with Akimichi Choji." Naruto snorts to himself as Choji doesn't even bother to put his chips down to open his folder.

"My partner is Yamanaka Ino." Damn, he got Naruto's second choice. Ino is a cheerleader as well, and a sometime friend, but mostly rival of Sakura. She's a fairly good friend of Naruto's, as they run in the same circles. She has a headstrong, fiery personality like Naruto. Blondes do it best! He would have had a fair chance to be around Sakura more if she had been his partner.

"Fukui Haru, who is your partner?"

"Um, Tsukino Natsuki, sir." He barely glances at the two people he doesn't know. For a private school, there's a large student population.

His ears do perk up at the next name called; Haruno Sakura. Please, he internally begs, let it be me.

"My partner is Rock Lee." Fortunately, his groan of misery cannot be heard over Lee's whoop of joy.

"I will not let you down, Sakura. I will be the best partner you could have!" Psh, Naruto sincerely doubts that. He glowers at Lee for a few more moments before proceeding to listen to the match-ups.

He listens to six more pairings without hearing his name called. Even he's getting worried now. He tries thinking of who hasn't been called yet, before it dawns on him. Oh God, this can't be happening. He cannot be partnered to-

"Uchiha Sasuke, will you please state your partner's name?"

Onyx eyes narrow at Naruto, and that haughty voice clearly says his name.

This semester is going to be hell.

The moment the bell rings, Naruto makes a beeline for the door. Hopefully he can avoid that Uchiha jerk and get to the parking lot before anyone can stop him. The last thing he wants is to have his evening ruined.

Apparently everyone else had the same idea, because the hallway is jam-packed when Naruto gets into it. He groans in frustration and start pushing his way through people towards his locker, earning himself a few irritated glares and verbal lashes. They'll get over it.

"Really, Naruto. You couldn't wait a few more minutes?" He glances up from throwing his books haphazardly in his locker. Ino's locker is right next to Naruto's, and as fortune would have it, her and Sakura share more often than not, so they can get from class to practice quicker.

"Come on, Ino! You know I have to get to Java's before four! AJ gets scary when her employees are late." Naruto shudders and cringes at the idea. The last time he came in late coincided with a huge, random rush. The owner, AJ, nearly ripped him a new asshole. Since then, he's gotten to work about 20 minutes early every shift.

"That's no excuse to be so rude. God, Naruto." This time the reprimand comes from Sakura. He opens his mouth to defend himself, but he's cut off by another voice.

"Dobe." Naruto's back tenses as the insult reaches his ears. There's only one person who calls him that. Great, just what he needed. Of course this jerk would show up just when he was about to have a wonderful conversation with Sakura.

Looking over his shoulder, he sends a glare to the Uchiha behind him. "What do you want?" Dammit, why does Sasuke have to be so tall? He's at least a good three inches taller than the blonde, and that just adds to the list of reasons to hate him.

Sasuke scoffs and glares down at Naruto. "You may slack when it comes to school, but I don't. We need to set a meeting time for this project."

"Like I want to meet with you!" Is the shouted response. God, this guy grinds Naruto's nerves in no time at all. Why can't he just disappear?

Before Sasuke can retort, he's interrupted by the sweetest voice. "You know, Sasuke, if you want, we can always switch partners." Naruto glances in pain to Sakura, who's slightly blushing and running a hand through her hair. She never looks so cutely nervous when talking to Naruto! Mostly just annoyed. She timidly looks up to give Sasuke hopeful eyes, but her hope quickly gets shot down.

"No." One simple word from Sasuke, and she's down for the count. Part of Naruto is pleased that he said no, but another part is pissed off. Who the hell does he think he is? Sakura is the number one catch in this school, and he's stupid and demented for not wanting to go out with her! Even though his refusal gives Naruto some edge in his plight…

But that's hardly the point here. "Why do you have to be such an asshole?" Naruto thrust a finger into his chest a few times, just for emphasis. "Did anyone ever teach you manners?" The blondes shoots him a heated glare, not really wanting a response.

Sasuke stares down in disgust at the offending digit. "Unlike you, yes." He brings a hand up and quickly swats Naruto's away from him. Well, that only sets him off further.

"I have manners! A hell of a lot more than you! I would never turn a gorgeous girl like Sakura down!"

"You could never get a girl to willingly speak to you, dobe." Naruto wants to bust the smirk on his face right off, and he's beginning to think he might do just that. The blonde would get a sick sort of satisfaction at watching that jerk's nose break.

A locker door slamming shut brings his attention back to the girls next to me. Ino glares at Naruto and then at Sasuke, before huffing and pulling on Sakura's arm. "Come on, we have to get to practice."

Naruto groans in frustration. "Great, so now I'm going to be late for work and my conversation with Sakura was ruined." He shoots a nasty glare at Sasuke. "This is your fault."

"Hardly. Meet me outside the classroom tomorrow, we can discuss things then." And with that, the stoic bastard saunters down the hall and away from Naruto. He glares after him and slams his locker shut. For a moment, he just stands there and seethes. Naruto thought his Spring semester was going to be awesome- filled with easy classes, pretty girls, prom, and then graduation. Instead, he now has to deal with Sasuke biting his head off for the rest of the semester, being late for work, and the girl of his dreams fawning over him.

Wait…. Late for work…. Dammit! He hurriedly throws his bag over his shoulder and books it down the hall. The café is 20 minutes away from the school. Even if he races there, he'll likely be late for his shift. Can this day get any worse?

Apparently, it seems it can. Naruto skids into the café 10 minutes late, shouting out apologies to anyone that will listen. That's when AJ pops out her office, shooting him a glare. Oh boy. This is good already. She's either had a bad day or he missed a rush, because the place is dead. Usually though, the café doesn't get busy till around 6pm.

See, Java's Café and Bakery is a local spot for "writers and insomniacs to come and enjoy their evening and night when everything else has closed", according to AJ. Really, Naruto thinks she just doesn't like to be up in the morning. Because of this, the café is open from noon to whenever customers stop coming in. AJ's apartment is right above the café, and she told Naruto once that she doesn't mind hosting alone after midnight, if it helps someone else have a good night.

Unlike most businesses, she's open all week. Something about not needing a break when her job is exactly what she wants to do with her life. For someone who's open so often, she keeps a minimal staff, though. If Naruto's count is correct, he only has about three other coworkers. She only keeps staff on till 10pm, but sometimes on the weekends, Naruto will offer to stay later.

"You're late." She taps her nails against the door post while she watches him clock in.

"I'm sorry, but I got held up at school. I have to do this project with some creep and he detained me." The keys of the computer click harshly as he lets some of his earlier irritation seep back.

"Eh, it's alright. Today hasn't been busy. Biggest problem is I can't get my damn cake to turn out right…" AJ trails off and stares distantly towards the kitchen. At this, Naruto perks up.

"Do you need help?" Naruto loves to cook, but baking is a talent that he's thankfully gifted with. He begged AJ to hire him when she didn't even need anyone, purely for the experience of working in a kitchen that he would enjoy. Sure, he could have gotten a job at a fast food place or as a waiter, but there's no love in that. As he walks into the kitchen, AJ trailing behind him, he can already feel all of his stress falling away. There's just something about knowing he's going to create something that is so…. Soothing.

"I want to make this recipe I found online, but I've done 2 attempts so far, and they don't hold up properly." AJ comes to stand next to Naruto and shows him a yummy looking cake. Damn, Naruto thinks, I want to make this thing and eat it all for myself. To hell with selling it! "It's called a hummingbird cake."

Naruto nods his head and takes the phone from her to look over the ingredients. Pineapples, bananas, pecans, cinnamon… "You're probably putting too much of something in it, and it can't hold up because of it." He grabs an apron and starts bustling around the kitchen, pulling ingredients from the shelves and grabbing utensils as he goes. He hears AJ chuckle behind him and he turns to see her smiling and shaking her head.

"You seem to be in your zone, so I'll leave you to it, okay?" She wraps her knuckles on the table before turn to leave him on his own. Naruto can't help but smile adoringly at her retreating figure. AJ acknowledges his talent, and instead of trying to put a leash on him and tell him what he can and cannot do in her bakery, she lets him have free reign. Someday when he owns his own restaurant, he will strive to be an awesome owner like her.

Naruto hums happily to himself as he works, completely forgetting all of the worries of the day. He lets himself sink into the comforting task at hand, and enjoy the rest of his night.

Classes have been flying by today, and then lunch came up and seems to be lasting forever. Just the way Naruto likes it. He even managed to ignore Sasuke during homeroom and History; a personal achievement, if he may say so. Of course, he was also way too tired today to even care about anyone else. By the time he got out of the café, damn near midnight – the cake turned out really well and they ended up selling quite a bit, leading to Naruto staying over to show AJ how to do it – he still had to come home and do some homework. Leading to about 4 hours of sleep. He's been looking forward to the hour long free time since he woke up. It's during this relaxing lunch period - that he's spending napping in an empty classroom - that his favorite person comes and finds him.

"Naruto, make sure you meet up with Sasuke after class. I don't want you blemishing his perfect academic record." Before Naruto stands a pink haired goddess. He stares dreamily up at her and gives her a smile that could melt ice caps. How is it that the girl from his dreams actually manifested before him? It must be fate. A higher being must have wanted them to be together, so He sent her to Naruto as a sign. He giggles to himself as visions of him and Sakura holding hands and kissing enters his mind.

"Naruto, you better be listening to me!" A hand slams down on his desk, snapping him out of his daydream and leaving him with a pout.

"Of course I'm listening. I just don't get why I have to do a project with him." Naruto crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in the seat. Stupid Kakashi making him partner with stupid Sasuke for a stupid project…. This is such a waste of his time!

"Naruto, this class is required to graduate. It's one of your final credits. You should be happy you have Sasuke as your partner. If you just work with him, there's no way you can fail." Naruto looks up at Sakura in pity. The poor girl just doesn't understand. That Uchiha is evil, and he'll find a way to make Naruto fail. Probably by being a total jerk and sabotaging the whole project.

Of course, voicing this to Sakura would earn Naruto a few beatings, so he keeps that opinion to himself. "Sure, whatever." He turns his head stiffly to the side and juts out his lip in a half pout half glare. He hears Sakura sigh and glances at her from the corner of his eye. She seems pretty annoyed, but she's not walking away.

"Um, do you need something?" He's almost afraid to even ask the question. Sakura never beats around about things. She's very… Upfront.

Sakura looks down at him, an unknown emotion swimming in her eyes. While Naruto can't pinpoint what exactly she's thinking, he does know it makes him uncomfortable. He squirms a bit in his seat and wishes she would stop looking at him like that. Nothing good can come from this.

"Do you think, maybe, you could get Sasuke to ask me on a date? Since you'll be spending so much time with him?" With one simple question, this girl breaks his heart down a little bit more. He sighs and refuses to look at her.

"There's nothing great about him. I don't see why you're so interested." Naruto can't help it if his voice sounds petty and he can't look her in the eye. The anger that seems to fill his entire being won't be shaken.

"Sasuke is everything I want, Naruto!" Sakura stamps her foot on the ground and moves her hands against her waist.

Naruto finally looks full on at the girl he's been crushing on since freshman year. The girl he's told himself would be the perfect girlfriend. He's chased after her so hard, and gone through so many harsh rejections, but he always gets back up and tries again. But something about this time; the way she sounds like she is just wanting to use Naruto to get close to him…

That breaks Naruto's spirit a tiny bit. Whether or not she reciprocates his feelings, he's given a lot for this girl. That's gotta count for something, right? And the spiteful words are escaping his mouth before he can stop them. "Yeah, but he doesn't want you." Naruto cringes back from the look of shock on her face. Not for long though, because as soon as she registers what he said, the shock turns to anger and she bangs him upside the head with her purse.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you are a horrible person! I can't believe I thought I could count on you!" She spins around on her heels and storms out of the room. As quickly as the encounter happened, it was over.

And strangely enough, Naruto hardly feels bad for it. His sleep hazed mind wonders vaguely what it is that he likes about her. He goes over the usual reasons he gives himself. She's kind - when she wants something-, she's gorgeous - when she's not scowling or screaming, which is always-, she's intelligent - which seems to make her think she's better than everyone else-, and she's the most popular girl in school; the one you're supposed to crush on. It doesn't matter if her personality could use some work, right?

But Naruto's mind doesn't agree with him right now. She's not worth it, he thinks. Not worth the rejections and certainly not with the effort. He vaguely thinks to himself that he should just give up on her, but he's too tired to think of what that actually entails. In fact, he's too tired to mess with any of this right now.

His eyes sleepily glide to the clock at the front of the room. Perfect. Now that he's back to just himself and his daydreams, he has 20 more minutes that belong to a nap. Pushing all thoughts of pinkettes and ravens from his mind, he drifts back into sleep.

The sudden sharp ringing of the bell jolts Naruto out of his chair. He groans as he stretches his back out and yawns. Jeez, naps go by way too quickly. He plops back down in the seat and waits for the students to come trickling in. He often finds himself napping at lunch time, and came to the fairly smart decision, if he may say so himself, to sleep in the classroom that he has to attend after lunch.

Naruto has just settled in and closed his eyes once more when something whacks him on the back of the head. "You can't sleep, idiot." Naruto turns his head to look over his shoulder and sneer at the grinning boy behind him. Inuzuka Kiba is one of his close friends, and a giant pain in the ass.

"I can do whatever I want, dog breath." Naruto leans back in his chair roughly, making his annoyance evident.

Kiba kicks the back of Naruto's chair a couple times. "You don't wanna make Noriko-sensei angry, do you?" Ugh. Naruto cringes at the thought. Noriko-sensei is the Japanese teacher. She's very tiny, very pretty, and very easily angered. If she sees anyone doing anything less than giving her full on attention, she will be in front of your desk and speaking in rapid, angry Japanese before you even have time to realize she's on to you. Naruto took Japanese I last year, and had plenty of fun in detention numerous times from "smarting off to the teacher".

"I don't care if she gets mad." But he straightens up anyways. It's only the second day of classes. Does he really need to make enemies of teachers already?

"So, have you and pretty boy talked about the project yet?" The question makes Naruto think back to what Sakura had asked just a short time before, causing an instant scowl to cover his face.

"No. I'm supposed to meet up with him today to figure it out. I think Kakashi has decided he hates me and wants me to suffer through the last semester." While Naruto doesn't really think the teacher has it out for him, it certainly seems so. I mean, come on. He so obviously knows they don't get along. Why would he purposefully pair them up? Anybody would have been better. Hell, Lee would have been better!

"Tough luck, man. Hinata and I are gonna hang out after school a couple times a week, given the free time." Kiba, like Naruto, works after school. Though his job isn't half as enjoyable from what Naruto hears. He helps his mom run the family veterinary clinic and shelter. Which translates to, he cleans out kennels and feeds the animals.

"Hey, haven't you had a crush on that girl since Freshman year?" Naruto turns around to look at Kiba, who to his surprise, is blushing as red as a tomato. Naruto breaks out in a grin and nudges Kiba's arm. "I'm right, aren't I? You gonna try to get her to go out on a date with you?"

"Shut up, Naruto. Class is starting." Sure enough, the bell has just gone off and Noriko-sensei is busy writing something on the board. Oh well.

"I'm more interested in your love affairs." Naruto waggles his eyebrows in what is supposed to be a seductive manner, but considering the snort and grin he gets from Kiba, is just comical.

"I might ask her out." He has the decency to almost blush. Before Naruto can prod him any further, one of their mutual friends sits down across from Naruto, and Kiba immediately starts talking to him. "Hey, Shika, who's the chick you got paired with? Never seen her before."

Now that Naruto thinks about it, Shikamaru did get paired with a blonde that he's never really noticed before. Sure, he knows what she looks like. She's a bombshell blonde, anyone would notice her. But Naruto has no idea anything else about her. His curiosity is piqued. "Yeah, who is she?"

He sighs and glances at them before looking back up at the ceiling. "Her name is Temari. She's from Suna." Suna is a neighboring city of Konoha, but Kasai doesn't have many students from there because the distance is still a bit steep.

"You already met up with her?" Shikamaru drags his eyes back to Naruto, almost seeming insulted at the incredulous nature of his tone. It's not Naruto's fault he has poor faith in the guy's ability to do work. Shikamaru is a genius; he's always at the top of the class. Even ahead of Sasuke. But Shika is also really lazy and hates to do anything that requires energy. While he's got the skill and talent, he doesn't have the time and energy – in his opinion, at least.

"We worked on a project last year together in chemistry, so I know a bit about her." He shrugs his shoulders like that answers everything, and unfortunately, it's going to have to. Noriko-sensei just turned her attention to Naruto and is shooting him daggers with that glare. He turns around in his seat and gives her his biggest and brightest smile. She shakes her head but turns back to the board.

Looks like it'll be a silent period.

Naruto is in a fairly happy mood as he walks to the room that is supposed to host his Social Psychology course. He just finished his Culinary Arts class for the day, which is already turning out to be pretty good. The teacher this year really believes in hands on learning and not just reading recipes from a book and speculating how they would work out. Naruto cringes at the memories of last year's useless class. Anything can manage to be better than that.

His happy mood slowly starts to drift away from him as he rounds the corner leading to his destination. There, leaning next to the doorway like he owns the place, is that jerk. Even when he's got nothing there to annoy him, he still glowers. Though when his attention turns to Naruto, that scowl intensifies.

Well, it's not like Naruto is pleased to see him either. Not one bit. Before Naruto actually reaches the room, Sasuke rights himself and disappears into the empty classroom. Naruto follows him into the space, not liking the idea of being alone with him. Typically, they're always in a room full of people, so if their "discussions" do get a little heated, someone is always there to calm it down. With no one around to dissipate the action, would they actually get into a fight?

Only time will tell. And they have four months of shared time to find out.

Naruto unconsciously moves to stand next to the window, away from Sasuke's perch against a table in the front row. It's been one of those super sunny January days; there's a ton of snow on the ground and the suns out, causing the reflection to light up the room. How he wishes he could be anywhere else right now…

"We'll do the meetings at your house." Sasuke looks over at Naruto like this is not something he's going to argue with. Naruto swears, this guy is way too damn conceited for his own good. He's so used to his fangirls falling all over him, he just thinks Naruto is going to as well.

"Why mine? Your place would be easier to get to." Naruto don't know if this is true or not, but he thinks it's safe to assume so. He lives in the middle of the woods. Naruto begrudgingly scuffs his foot against the floor and casts a longing glance out the window. He could be down at the café, enjoying a hot chocolate and a muffin... But nooo…. He has to be talking to this creep.

"I don't bring anyone to my house." Sasuke says this so deathly serious, Naruto can't help but snort.

"What, afraid a fangirl or two might molest you?" Naruto rolls his eyes. "It's not like I would give out your address." The last thing he wants to do is encourage girls to be even more all over this douche.

"I'm not taking you to my house; you'll break something." Sasuke glares at him and cuts him off before he can retort. "Just give me your address."

Naruto clenches his fist at the demand. "No! I don't want to!" Why does he think he can just make demands and get whatever he wants? Naruto doesn't know how things work in Uchiha world, but in Naruto world, you ask nicely for things.

Most of the time. Terms and conditions may vary when dealing with assholes.

"You're such a child." Sasuke brings a hand to his face and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Fine. We can either meet here during the scheduled class time, or we can meet at your work."

Naruto gawks at him. Is he serious? He can't be serious. "My work?! You want me to let everyone I know see me with you?" He's lost his mind, it's the only answer.

"I'm the one who should be offended." He sends Naruto another glare. "You work at a café; it'll be a quiet area with room to study."

Naruto's incredulous expression turns to one of surprise. "How do you know where I work?"

Sasuke sighs and looks like he just wants to strangle him. Good, the feeling is mutual. "Ino mentioned it."

"When were you talking about me to Ino?" This is news to Naruto. While they do get along, and she does know where he works because she stops by a lot, Naruto wasn't aware she would talk about him in passing.

"Can you stay on subject?" Naruto resists the urge to stick his tongue out at him. Last thing he needs is more ammo to call him immature.

Given some consideration, Naruto guesses it would be best to just go to the café. He doesn't really want to give Sasuke his address, if only because he won't give Naruto his. And Naruto is sure AJ will enjoy ogling him; it'll probably earn him a free drink and a snack, actually!

"Alright, Teme. We can go to the café and do this thing." Naruto huffs melodramatically, as if the whole thing is just causing him so much turmoil. Sasuke rolls his eyes, but pushes his bag up his shoulder again and starts walking out of the room.

"You'll have to follow me there." Naruto says quickly while following behind him. Well, if he wants to do this stupid thing, he sure will. It's not like he knows where Java's is. In response, he hears a slight "hn" noise come from Sasuke. It's more than the scoff he typically gets, but no less annoying.

The walk to the parking lot and the ride to the café is fairly uneventful. There's very little traffic due to it being such a strange time to be out – School isn't out for another hour and most businesses are in session. Naruto can see Sasuke's matte black Camaro every time he glances in the rearview mirror. Jeez, the guy just had to get one of the flashier cars, didn't he? Naruto knows his jeep isn't a bad vehicle to have, in fact, he knows he can do more with his jeep than Sasuke can with his car, but still... It's a damn nice car and would inspire jealousy into the best of them.

"Didn't have any trouble keeping along?" Naruto asks after they've parked and stepped out into the back lot reserved for employees.

"I had an atrocious orange beacon to follow; it wasn't difficult."

"Hey!" Naruto instantly exclaims, coming to his car's defense. "Orange is a perfectly wonderful color; I'll have you know!"

Sasuke gives him a look that clearly demonstrates his distaste in Naruto's color choice and opinion, but it's not like he cares what this bastard thinks.

Naruto leads them into the side door of the café, bringing them next to the coffee display and bakery case. At their entrance, a small bell above the door rings out softly. The dark haired boy behind the counter looks up and gives Naruto a fake smile.

"Hello, Naruto. I didn't think you worked today." The boy, Sai, keeps that smile plastered to his face, making Naruto want to cringe. When he first started working with Sai, it became quickly apparent they were not going to get along. So much in fact, AJ makes sure to never schedule them together unless she has no other choice.

"I don't. I'm in as a customer today." Naruto glances over to Sasuke, realizing what it might look like that he came in with him. Naruto has never come into work with another person, let alone a guy.

They're such a contrast to each other, no one could actually expect that they're together, right? Sasuke is tall – Naruto has estimated about 5'11" – and built lean but strong due to his athletic nature. He's also really pale; not like Sai, though. Sai has a sallow, almost sickly pale tone while Sasuke's is more of a milky smooth, marble-like color. And the constant blank expression on his face alludes to his anti-social nature.

Naruto on the other hand, is a nice 5'8", and even though he's fairly small for a boy of his age, it just makes him that much more agile. Sure, he's almost unhealthily thin for the amount of muscle he puts on, but it's not on purpose. He's just built a bit less bulkily then he should be. And where Sasuke is pale as can be, Naruto is a natural tan that makes girls jealous year round. Not to mention, the blonde has a smile plastered to his face nearly at all times.

Mostly, all the time. Except when he's dealing with sociopaths.

"Ah, so is this your boyfriend?" Yep. He knew it. The sickeningly sweet smile on Sai's face needs to be knocked right off. Naruto immediately blushes at the words, embarrassed beyond measure that anyone would think he would go out with this jerk. He does have some standards, and assholes don't make it.

More importantly, the last time he checked, he was pretty damn straight. He's never checked out a guy or ogled over someone of the same gender. He reserves that behavior for pretty ladies.

"Of course not! Jesus, Sai! Don't say such stupid things!" Naruto is glad there aren't any customers in the shop, because his voice raises a bit more than he meant for it to. As it is, AJ steps out of her office to see what's going on. Momentary shock flashes across her face upon seeing Naruto, but turns to one of interest when her eyes shift to the boy standing next to him.

"Naruto? What brings you here?" By this time, AJ has stepped out her office and behind the counter, shooing Sai towards the espresso maker. Thank God for understanding managers.

"I have a school project to work on, figured this would be the easiest place to do it at."

AJ rolls her eyes. "I bet you also think you're gonna milk free drinks and snacks out of me, don't you?" She leans an elbow on the counter and gives Naruto a bogus glare. At his pout, it quickly turns into a grin and a laugh. "You're more than welcome to study here, and have a free drink or two." She shakes her head. "So what'll it be?"

"Hot chocolate and a muffin!" Naruto shouts out without even thinking twice. Hadn't he just been daydreaming about this earlier? And know it's coming true. He could jump for joy if not for the raven standing next to him.

When Naruto remembers he's there, he glances to him quickly before nodding back to AJ. "Do you want anything to drink or eat?"

Naruto follows his gaze and notices he's reading the menu board. They have three blackboards hanging on the wall behind the counter, listing all the coffees that are available, and the general price of sweets. While the coffee's offered always stay the same, the sweets don't. AJ and Naruto both like to experiment, so a set list doesn't really work.

Sasuke moves towards the counter while reaching a hand into his pocket. "A double shot latte, please." AJ waves her hand in a dismissing manner when Sasuke begins to pull money out of his wallet.

"Any friend of Naruto's will get treated the same as he does." She winks at Sasuke. "Don't worry about it. You boys go sit down and I'll bring these over when they're done."

Naruto smiles brightly at her as he gives a quick tug to Sasuke's sleeve, silently telling him to follow. He chooses the booth in the back of the café, seated in a small alcove. It should be private enough to get work done, and not be too loud to any other customers that come in.

"Okay, so, how are we going to do this? Just ask the question and write down the other person's answer?" Naruto speaks as he rummages about in his bag, trying to locate the folder containing all the paperwork.

"That sounds fine." Naruto pulls back up to see Sasuke already set up with his assignment, an expensive looking journal, and a fountain pen. Naruto tries not to scowl. Why does this guy have to be so perfect at everything? Could he have come unprepared, with a normal notebook and a pencil?

"Isn't that a bit of overkill?" Naruto nods to the journal, causing Sasuke to look down, a bored expression painted on his face.

"I find that journals hold up better than spiral notebooks." Yeah, I bet he does, Naruto thinks. An academic achiever like Sasuke would worry about something like that.

Naruto sighs and decides to not push his luck. He needs to get through this, and it shouldn't take too long, right?

"First question," Sasuke starts without warning. "What is Social Psychology?" He begins jotting something down, and Naruto stares perplexed at him. Sasuke must have felt that he was being watched, because he glances up to meet Naruto's eyes. "What?"

"Umm," Naruto laughs sheepishly. "Mind filling me in?"

Sasuke sighs and rolls his eyes. "You don't know what Social Psychology is?"

Naruto glares heatedly at the raven. "Obviously, teme. I wouldn't have asked otherwise!"

Sasuke looks like he might retort, but surprises Naruto when he just answers the question. "Simply put, Social Psychology is the study of human behavior as it's influenced by society. This includes human interactions, cultural norms, and how this influences the way we interact with the world around us." Sasuke pauses for a moment to see if Naruto is writing this all down. Seeing that he is, Sasuke continues. "Social Psychology can account for certain topics such as group influence, discrimination and racism, attitudes, and stereotypes. Among many other topics that are influenced by society."

Naruto mutters under his breath as he tries to keep up with Sasuke's description. "You call that simple?" But doesn't say more. He can't really complain too much when the guy is giving him the answers. "Can you repeat the last bit, with all the examples?"

As Sasuke is listing off things again, AJ stops by their table to hand out the drinks and food. "You didn't specify what kind of muffin, so I just brought you guys banana nut." She gives a hurried glance to Sasuke. "Not allergic, are you?"

Sasuke shakes his head no and quietly thanks her. So, the asshole has manners with other people, and just not me? Naruto thinks with no lack of annoyance. Figures.

"Okay! Got that one done!" Naruto perks up as he finally gets to eat something. Skipping lunch to sleep isn't really the best idea he ever came up with, but hey. It's better than falling asleep during class and getting detention.

"Question two. How is Social Psychology studied?" Sasuke watches Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Naruto isn't quite fond of being watched like this. He feels far too nervous being under the scrutiny of the Uchiha.

"Do you know the answer?"

Naruto scrunches up his nose and thinks for a moment before replying. "Well… I suppose the only way to really study this is to observe people, right? In groups and as individuals?"

Sasuke nods in agreement. "That's right. It's difficult to pinpoint one perfect way to study it, because it relies solely on human behavior. Just by sitting here and interacting with each other, we are in a way studying Social Psychology, never mind the project. If we were to stop and observe in detail the way we communicate with others, and then apply certain questions and concepts to our actions and motive for behavior, we would technically be putting together a study."

"Uh huh." Naruto seems a bit confused; not that it's anything new. "What's the point of wasting your time with studying something like this? Isn't it kind of pointless?"

"To someone like you, I'm sure it seems so. However, for people who wish to pursue careers in territories that require knowledge of the human mentality and behavior patterns as influenced by social interactions, it is very important to understand why we react to things the way we do."

Naruto holds back a moan of pain. All this talk is making his head hurt. He never thought that just having a personality could be made so difficult.

For the next two questions – how does Social Psychology play a role in your life, and in society - Sasuke gives the answers to Naruto with no prodding. Naruto is by no means going to complain about this, and figures Sasuke just wants to be done with this meeting as much as he does. But the thought makes Naruto look up at Sasuke, as if studying him for the first time. This is the longest they've ever been together and not fought. Sure, they've made the odd quip here and there, but no shouting matches.

"Alright, what's the last question?" Naruto roams his eyes over his paper till he reaches the fifth and final question. "How do you think it affects your partner?" Naruto's eyes widen with shock. He's supposed to answer on behalf of Sasuke? He darts his eyes up to gauge Sasuke's reaction, but he's simply staring out the window blankly.

What is he supposed to do, tell Sasuke he thinks that society has turned him into an egotistic asshole by praising his intelligence and looks too much? While it's the truth of what he feels, Naruto doesn't think that is going to go over so well.

"We don't have to answer this one right now," Naruto speaks up nervously. "It's a little presuming…"

"What do you think of me?" Sasuke says suddenly, but with no hesitancy. He stares at Naruto with a firm resolve in his features; one that makes Naruto so nervous, it's unreal.

"I think…" God, what is he even supposed to say? Never before has Naruto been uncertain about telling the raven exactly what he thinks about him. He does it on damn near a daily basis. But it's always provoked, in Naruto's opinion. This is different. This is almost… personal. And that confuses him. Naruto is not an intentionally cruel person; he doesn't strive to put people down or make them feel shitty. Sure, if you anger him, he'll be quick to say things that are rude. That's his basic flight or fight response. Uzumaki never backs down from a fight.

This question, though. There's no fight warranted. Leaving Naruto with a sincere lack of response. "You come off pretty arrogant, and it's annoying how everyone fawns over you. Like you're God's gift to earth or something…" Naruto tries to gauge Sasuke's reaction, but when he comes up blank he just continues. "You act like no one else's opinion matters, and that nothing can touch you. You're just… Unapproachable and too perfect."

For a while, Sasuke just stares at Naruto, causing the poor boy to fidget in his seat. Naruto isn't sure if he messed up, and just pissed the raven off. Honestly, Naruto isn't sure why it bothers him so much. It wouldn't be the first time he made Sasuke mad.

"My opinion of you," Sasuke's quiet but firm voice causes Naruto's attention to come back to him, "is that you're too impulsive in your actions. You don't think twice before you do or say anything, and you're quick to act without considering the outcomes." Naruto can feel his temper rising, but doesn't have time to say anything as Sasuke continues. "People seem to gravitate towards you though, and something has to be said for that."

Sasuke stands up abruptly, gathering all his supplies and putting them in his bag. He doesn't cast Naruto another glance as he walks out the same door they came through, leaving Naruto dumbfounded and alone.