So, I've finally put the first chapter of that story I've been promising up.

I must say that the seemingly made up characters that you will meet are very not made up.

Events in this story have a tendency to be very similar to events in my life...anyway...

Enjoy!

Chapter 1: School Life

I know all about loneliness.

But I grew up an orphan, so what do you expect? I've been bounced around so much that the closest friend I have is my former social worker, who happens to be my current guardian.

Throughout my entire, nearly pathetic existence, Iruka has become my only constant. After every failed attempt at finding a home and a family, I have always been able to count on him.

So, when I arrived at his home after my latest family finding failure, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the brown haired man was trying to adopt me. Although 'trying' wasn't exactly the right word. He was fighting tooth and nail.

So why was I thinking about being alone?

Because this was be the first time in a long time that when I switched homes, I was still in the same school. I knew the building. I knew the teachers. I knew the other students. I was honestly relieved. I wasn't alone.

When I got off the morning bus, I was greeted by some people I knew.

They were the closest I came to friends. I had finally learned, after nearly sixteen years, that making friends and leaving them soon after wasn't easy. So I opted for just acquaintances. Just some people to talk with and get along with.

Now, though, maybe we could be actual friends.

"I thought you left Friday afternoon." Shikamaru Nara said, waiting lazily for me to say something.

"I might be staying here a while. I may be staying here forever, actually. Iruka's trying to adopt me."

"Th-that's great, Naruto." That was Hinata Hyuuga, shy as always, but willing to offer her congratulations.

"You have no idea how great! I've been waiting my entire life for someone to want me. Now I might get that chance. And it's Iruka! He's been like a father to me for as long as I could remember."

"Your whole life?" Shikamaru looked surprised.

While I had known these two for a while, I'd never really spoken about my past with them.

"Yeah. I never knew my parents. But that doesn't bother me."

"It doesn't bother you?"

"No. Not really."

Shikamaru was saved from having to respond by the bell for first period ringing. We all went to our separate classes. I went to math, Shikamaru went to global studies, and Hinata went to French.

My math teacher was out, as she had been for the last three months. She was on maternity leave, and we'd had alternating subs since she'd left. Supposedly, she was going to be back in two or three weeks. I hoped so, because the newest sub didn't teach. She just put a whole lot of examples on the board. She was a lot better than the sub from the week before, though, who could barely speak English. Anyway, today's class was just as boring as Fridays', and I learned just about as much. In translation, that meant I hadn't learned anything that I didn't already know.

I left my classroom and hurried upstairs to my locker. When I saw Shikamaru walking down the hall past me, I smiled, but didn't stop to talk. I dodged a few stragglers and almost ran into my bio classroom. I dropped into my seat and thought:

Five…four…three…two…one…bzzzzzz.

The bell rang five seconds after I sat down, without fail, every day.

"Why didn't you get your packets yet?" My teacher asked as he walked through the door. I wasn't fair. How come teachers could come in late for class?

I shuffled to the front of the classroom and grabbed a packet. When I sat down, I flipped through it and groaned.

It was seventy-three questions long, almost half of which were essays and short answer.

Oh well. I guess I'll have something to do tonight.

When my teacher had decided we'd spent enough time on our packets (only five minutes) he began his lesson for the day. Now I was forced to sit through forty minutes of boredom. I'd be willing to swear that my bio class makes people fall asleep. Everyone leaves it looking like some sort of crazed, half asleep zombie. I found out a while ago that pinching the flesh between my thumb and index finger or pinching just behind my ear can keep me mostly aware throughout the lesson. Actually, this just keeps my mind awake. My eyes refuse to stay open.

Every day, I almost cheer when the bell goes off, and today was no different. I jumped out of my seat and hurried down the hall to my locker. Then I slowly walked to my English class, which was only four doors down. Actually, I should say two doors down, because bathrooms don't count, do they?

I entered my classroom and sat down at my desk, folding my arms. I rested my chin on my wrists and watched the door.

About a minute later, Shikamaru walked in, Hinata by his side. They took their seats on either side of me, and we started to talk.

When the bell rang, I looked up and frowned.

"I say twenty minutes. And it'll be something really random. Like last week. Pillows."

"Really?" Shikamaru asked. "You give him too much credit, although I agree with the random bit. I think thirty-no. Thirty-five-minutes."

Hinata shook her head.

"Alright then, what do you think?"

"Twenty-five minutes and an 'I got lost on the path of life'."

Shikamaru blinked.

"You're pretty sure today, huh? Good for you."

Hinata blushed deeply.

What, you may ask, are we talking about?

Our English teacher, Kakashi Hatake. The man always comes in late for no real reason. Despite this, the three of us love him. He is the best teacher I've ever had. And I've had a lot of teachers.

We waited, talking and watching the clock.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Fifteen minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Twenty-one minutes

"I lost." I announced.

Twenty-five minutes.

The door creaked open and we saw Kakashi shuffling in, his nose buried in a bright orange book.

He glanced up, as though he'd just realized he was in his classroom, and sighed, snapping his book shut and tucking away in his pocket.

"Sorry. I got lost on the path of life. Take out Old Man and start reading (1). I want pages forty to eighty-eight done for tomorrow. You'll have a quiz."

A moan was emitted from the throats of twenty-one students.

Three didn't groan, because they knew that it would be predictably easy and that Kakashi wouldn't let them fail, even if they surprised him and did horribly.

Shikamaru looked sour and I smiled at Hinata.

"You won, time and reason."

She smiled shyly at me and opened up her book to start reading.

I opened mine and leafed through it. I had already finished reading it, because I'd been bored. Now I was a little bored in class, and I tried to get Shikamaru to play hangman or tic-tac-toe, but he just waved a hand at me and put his head down to sleep.

When the bell rang, I got up and ran to my locker, and then proceeded to run to the other side of the building to get to French on time.

Throughout the entire period, I wished I was anywhere but French. It bored me, because I'd already learned everything in this schools foreign language curriculum.

However, the teacher still had the ability to scare you out f your mind with his quizzes and tests. His final would probably be long and torturous.

Next was gym. There's not much I can say about it. We ran laps the entire time.

After that bit of exercise, I got some quality naptime in during my study hall.

After this, I ran back across the building and upstairs to my locker. I waited there with my back against the cold metal for Shikamaru and Hinata. We we're lucky, because the three of us shared a lunch period. The bell signaling the beginning of the period rang, and still I waited.

Finally, they appeared, slowly walking toward me. Together, we slowly walked down the hall, talking.

A group of three girls and a single guy were walking just ahead of us, talking quietly and laughing out loud.

Several security guards gave us all dirty looks. The faculty hated it when students were late to class.

One of the girls looked over at the security guards and gave them a shrug and a smile.

"Hey, if we're going to be late to one class, it might as well be to lunch, right?"

I had to agree with this view. And apparently, the security guards did to.

When we entered the cafeteria, we deposited our bags, watching as the group of friends disappeared into the kitchen. We followed them in shortly after.

As we pushed through the crowd, I saw two of the girls, one leading, the other holding the back of her friends' shirt and following. I smiled when the one following made a face, looking at the day's meal.

"Good God. That's supposed to be food?" She looked at her friend, who had turned to face her. "Pizza!" She announced cheerfully. "Ja! See you in a minute."

I lost sight of them as I got in line for something that looked like a wrap. After paying, I headed to the table I normally sat at, taking my customary seat.

"And so it begins," Shikamaru said, looking at the next table over. The girl who had gone and gotten pizza had just sat down and begun to eat.

Before you ask, Shikamaru, Hinata, and I don't sit and watch this girl eat every day.

No. Every day we like to sit and listen to what she and her friends talk about.

Her name is Rhiannon. Her friends are Alexis, Elina, and Niel.

On occasion, a girl with very curly, long blonde hair named Gwen will show up and torture Niel.

But usually it's just the first four.

"Rhe-chan!" That announced Alexis's arrival. "Niel, move your backpack."

Niel grabbed his backpack and unceremoniously dropped it on the floor. Rhiannon had a large, wicked grin on her face.

"The Pervert Club is now in session! Guess what! Fox made an addition to The Silo."

"He did?" Alexis asked in surprise.

I can only guess, but from all the times we've listened to them talking, Fox is Rhiannon's brother.

"Yeah. Here." Rhiannon flipped through a small notebook that was placed neatly on top of her multiple, very large, very full binders. She then handed it to Alexis, who eagerly hunched over it, reading and slowly picking at her lunch.

She stated laughing a minute later.

"Am-Gay? What the…"

And then a little later:

"An emo watermelon and a cheerful orange? What the hell." (2) She continued reading and laughing after Rhiannon just shrugged. Niel shook his head and peered over her shoulder.

"They're gay?!" Alexis almost shouted.

"Yup. He's got a twisted mind." Rhiannon commented.

I so wanted to read The Silo.

Every single day, they would pass around some loose leaf, writing new portions of it.

"Wait until we get in the bedroom?!" Alexis screeched, drawing the attention of at least ten other cafeteria-goers. "Fox really is a yaoi fangirl!"

Rhiannon smiled.

"I'm always on Gaia looking up new pictures, and he comes in and watches over my shoulder. If he drools on me, I swear…"

The group focused on their meals chattering about random things. I turned to my friends and we talked a little bit, waiting for something interesting to happen.

It was granted to us about ten minutes later.

"Niel! Where is your notebook? I want to draw you with your hot anime lover again!" That was Alexis. She held out her hands expectantly. Niel's eye gave a single twitch, but he dug around in his backpack until he found a notebook and gave it to her.

"Why do you insist that I'm gay?" He asked. "Why? And why am I always the uke?"

Rhiannon grinned at him.

"There was that one picture where you were molesting Jimmy. You weren't the uke there."

"But why do you always say I'm gay?"

The girls' expression changed, all hints of her grin gone. She stared at Niel flatly, but I could see the laughter in her eyes. When she spoke, it was in a very calm voice.

"You announced to us yesterday that you were acting strangely because you had your period. Your 'gay voice' is exceptional. You have a tendency to act like a girl. No-I don't mean that you wear makeup, although that would be interesting. All your friends are girls, except for Jimmy. But we think that the two of you are secretly seeing each other, so that doesn't matter. Shut up! Don't interrupt me! You let Alexis draw the two guys doggy style on your arm (3). You always look when anyone says 'Oooo…yaoi!'. Now, should I continue? Because I can, if you want."

Niel shook his head furiously.

"No! And I'm not gay!"

Rhiannon's lip twitched. Then she turned to me. I quickly turned my eyes away, as did Shikamaru and Hinata. Hopefully, she hadn't noticed us watching them.

"Hey, you. The blonde guy. Do you think he's gay?" She asked.

I turned to the Pervert Club, pretending I hadn't been listening to them.

"Do I think he's gay?" I asked, pointing at Niel. "Quite possibly."

I studied the boy. He had very blue eyes, almost like mine, and very short brown hair.

I turned my eyes on Rhiannon, studying her. She had eyes that were strangely blue at this angle and grey at that angle, and very long, straight, thick brown hair.

"And I know you didn't ask this, but yes…I would date him, too."

My mind exploded into a chorus of 'Where the hell did that come from?!'.

Rhiannon's huge, wicked grin returned and Niel's head hit the table. He put his arms over his head, and I swear he started murmuring something along the lines of: Not happening. That didn't just happen.

Alexis looked up from her drawing, smiling, her dark eyes glittering mischievously.

"What's you name?" She asked.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

I held out my hand and shook Rhiannon's as she introduced herself and Alexis' as she did the same.

Rhiannon pointed at the teen with his forehead pressed against the table.

"That's Niel." She indicated the other dark haired girl over her shoulder. "And the quiet one over there is Elina."

Very suddenly, I noticed that Alexis was staring intently at me. As soon as I started fidgeting, she tore her eyes away and continued drawing.

Rhiannon leaned against the table, resting her chin on her folded arms and watching her friend draw, commenting on something every once in a while.

Niel slowly recovered. Five minutes later, he was in a sitting position, chatting away about nothing. It wasn't a new idea, but it occurred to me that he liked to hear himself speak.

Ten minutes after we had deemed the Pervert Club to be done for the afternoon, my friends and I turned back to the other table, our interest regained.

Rhiannon had jumped, hissing. She pulled back her feet and I knew she was kicking someone very hard under the table. It was now Niel's turn to jump with a loud yelp.

"What the…!"

"Foot rape! Stop running you foot up my leg or I'll have Anjelica help me write a descriptive Jimmy/Niel!"

Niel paled.

"I was just stretching…" He whimpered, just before the bell rang.

"Ohhh…I hate it when lunch ends." Rhiannon said with a small pout. Niel gave her a strange look, as though asking 'What's with the bipolarity?'

"Come on, Alexis. We have to go."

The dark haired girl quickly crossed something out then scribbled something across the top of her page. Carefully, she tore it out, then held it up to show her female friends. Rhiannon nodded, smiling, before Alexis shoved the picture into Niel's hands.

I had finished gathering my things by this time, so I turned and started to walk away with Shikamaru and Hinata.

"Don't you dare look at it, Niel!" I heard Alexis calling.

And then someone grabbed me by the arm.

"They told me to give this to you."

It was Niel. He handed me the paper and then scurried back to his friends.

I glanced at the picture briefly and then stopped. I stared.

It was good.

Very, very good.

I could easily tell that it was two boys, one quite obviously Niel, the other oddly familiar. They were holding each other tightly, kissing. I studied the picture a little more and frowned. I looked at what had been written across the top of the page.

The words 'Niel and his sexy, hot, random, male anime lover' had been crossed out and replaced with the words 'Niel and Naruto. You can't have him, but you can have this.'.

I glanced over my shoulder as I started walking. Alexis and Rhiannon smiled, waving. Niel looked confused.

I offered the two girls a smile and small nod just before I left the cafeteria.

I parted from Shikamaru and Hinata moments later.

Both had tried to get a look at my picture, but I hadn't let them see it.

All throughout global, I was thinking about what happened during lunch.

I had never dated anyone before.

Whenever someone would point out a good looking girl, I found I wasn't…interested.

No one had ever pointed out a hot guy to me before, so I didn't know if they would be more interesting to look at.

… I would date him…

Where had that come from?

Was I gay?

This honestly didn't bother me much. What did bother me was not knowing.

The final bell of the day rang and I slowly gathered my things, still thinking. I didn't need to wait for anyone, because Hinata and Shikamaru didn't take the bus, like I did. I grabbed a few books from my locker, then slammed it shut and walked down the hall.

My thoughts were interrupted when I crashed into someone.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" I caught sight of a bright orange book. "Mr. Hatake! I'm sorry!"

My teacher snapped his book shut.

"No problem, Naruto. And just call me Kakashi. I hate it when people call me 'Mr. Hatake'. It makes me feel old."

"Alright…Kakashi." An idea suddenly blossomed in my mind. The only trouble…was it any good?

I considered my options.

Unfortunately, it would seem my mouth and mind worked on separate circuits, because I'd just blurted out the words 'Kakashi, sir, how do I know if I'm gay?'

My eyes widened and I clapped a hand over my disobedient mouth. I could feel my cheeks burning in what must have been a lovely shade of scarlet.

"Huh?" Half of my teachers face was covered by a mask, but I knew he was smiling. "You're asking me? Does that mean you think I am?"

I shook my head wildly. "Oh…uh…I…"

Kakashi smiled, putting an arm around my shoulders, making me continue walking.

"Good."

I almost stopped walking, but my teacher wouldn't let me.

"You're going to the bus, right?"

I nodded.

"You're…you're…"

"Gay? Quite. So you want to know if you are too, huh? Have you ever been on a date before?"

"No."

"That could complicate things." Kakashi looked thoughtful, peering at some of the people leaving the building. "I think that if you really like someone, it shouldn't matter what gender they are."

I considered his words. "I suppose."

"So does it matter to you if you are?"

"No."

"Did I help you at all?"

I thought again.

"Yes." I said, slightly relieved.

"I'm glad. Now, go home and think of some other life changing thing. Get back to me if you come up with anything good."

I nodded, hurrying off to get onto my bus.

I sat in my seat, pondering Kakashi's parting words.

"…go home and think of some other life changing thing…"

What could be life changing?

I looked out my window as the bus started moving, and something caught my eye.

There, sitting hunched up against the brick wall of the school, was a small, dark haired figure.

I tried my best to get a better look, but couldn't because the bus had just turned a sharp corner and trees hid the school building from my sight.

I turned forward, thinking hard.

I hadn't gotten a good look, but I couldn't recall ever seeing that person before.

Who was it?

(1) Old Man is a shortened name for The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway.

(2) This bit that Alexis is talking about is actually a little SasuNaru. I coudn't have it in a SasuNaru (NaruSau, actually...) story, so I left the facts out. I had an excerpt from The Silo at the bottom of the page, but I think it scared people away. So, if you want to know what it's about, send me a message, and I'll send it to you.

(3) This picture was an abstract SasuNaru, which was drawn on a napkin before it was drawn on Niel's arm. I still have that napkin, too…

I would like to say in advance that I will be sporadic when putting up the new chapters. I've been typing a lot, but my parents only let me use the internet when they feel like it, and for as long as they feel like. So, please, stick with me. The next chapter, which is called 'A Plan and Complications', will be up as soon as I finish correcting it and am allowed online.

Oh. By the way...

I live off of reviews!