Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its characters and/or ideas. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

13: Rumors Have It

O-0-O-0-O

Hurried feet connected to the athletic legs of one Sasuke Uchiha ambled through the near empty hallway, the mass of students were either on their way to the cafeteria or they were already there. Sasuke couldn't have cared less about anybody else though; he only wanted to see one person. Naruto...

Glancing down at his wristwatch to see the time, Sasuke then scowled in annoyance, hurrying his walking even more. He had already missed half of his lunch break conversing with one of his more obsessive teachers who had called him back to class to praise him on another intricate project. As though he needed to be told how great he was every other second of the day.

As he reached the double doors to the auditorium, Sasuke could feel pairs of eyes watching him, almost scrutinizing him. Peering to his right, the black haired male noticed a few girls staring at him, whispering to each other in hushed voices. The girls were real quick in shutting their mouths once Sasuke gave them the maximum Uchiha glare.

Satisfied with their reactions, Sasuke then opened the door and came into the cafeteria. An unsettling silence suddenly overcame the entire dining hall at his entrance. Sasuke frowned at the quiet, making his way to the table where most of the Rookie Twelve were seated. The Rookies' faces were multitudes of different emotions—ranging from disbelief to anxious, and yet all Sasuke could focus on was that there was one face missing among the group.

Sasuke's eyebrow rose in intrigue as he witnessed Sakura, Ino, and Tenten consoling a teary eyed Hinata. "Hn, where's Naruto?" he asked rather coolly, disregarding the various looks shot in his direction.

Hinata released a choked sob, but it was Ino who opened her mouth. "Didn't you hear?" she inquired to Sasuke, overlooking his question. He gave her a blank stare as she took a long pause, his eyebrow rising higher. "Naruto lost his virginity to some girl named Tayuya on his birthday, and Hinata's clearly upset over it. Poor thing," she cooed to Hyuuga girl, rubbing her back. "She's liked Naruto for years."

Clenching his teeth at the mention of Hinata's crush on Naruto and that someone was making up rumors about his boyfriend, Sasuke hissed, "That doesn't answer my question. Where. Is. Naruto?"

Ino appeared disgruntled with the raven's tone, yet this time it was Kiba who replied. "Foxy disappeared with that hot Tayuya chick a couple of minutes ago. They probably went to go make out or something." Both Sakura and Ino socked the dog boy in the head for his insensitivity.

Sasuke spun on his heel at the Inuzuka's admittance, ignoring the many things that were being said about him as he exited the cafeteria. Turning two corners on the north side of the cafeteria, Sasuke found Naruto sitting against the far wall, his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. The raven was glad that no other girl was present, but the thought that some slut might have been near disturbed him.

"So, this is where you decided to hide?" the Uchiha said, stopping in front of his blond.

"I wasn't hiding," Naruto grumbled, his usually boisterous voice more subdued.

"Right," Sasuke quipped, bending down so that he was at eye level with the other. "Tell me who Tayuya is," he demanded hotly, getting straight to the point. "Is she that bitch that was humping you on the dance floor?"

Naruto looked back at the older, sadly. "So you know, huh? Are you mad at me? I told you nothing happened—"

"I know nothing happened. I saw how she and those two followers of hers cornered you in the restroom."

"Oh. Then why are you even asking?"

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache beginning to form. "I want to know who was stupid enough to spread such a rumor about you. Was it her?"

"I followed her and those other guys here and tried to ask, but they just smiled at me. It was really creepy, especially since she mentioned you before she walked away."

"What she say?" questioned Sasuke with a frown on his face. Why would that Tayuya girl even mention him? Was she secretly another fan girl of his?

"Something about you and your family, and how she plans to bring you down. You didn't do anything to her, did you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke felt an unreasonable anger bubble up in his chest. How dare the blond ask him such a thing! "Do?" he repeated curtly. "I didn't do anything! I don't even know the girl. The first time I became aware of her existence was the night of your party."

"You don't have to bite my head off; I was just asking!"

Sasuke counted to ten in his head, trying to decrease his anger. If he was to blow up now, someone might come to investigate, and he didn't want that. "I know," he accepted grudgingly, as close to a sorry as the blond was going to get. "I'm just annoyed." And I'm a bit peeved that some nobody is threatening me, he decided to keep that thought to himself.

Like I haven't heard that before, Naruto mused in his head. "You're not the only one," the blond agreed. "I went from having a good day to having a...well, more sucky one."

"If this is about the rumors, they'll die down so enough—"

"It's not just the rumors, Sasuke."

The raven took a long look at his boyfriend, noticing how utterly defeated he appeared. "Tell me what's bothering you then," he seemed to demand for a second time.

"Sasuke," Naruto started, almost shyly, cheeks flushing a healthy crimson. "Did you know that Hinata likes me?"

Sasuke froze in outrage with the younger's words. He didn't want to have this conversation. "That's why you're sulking like a baby? Because of some pathetic girl's alledge crush on you?"

Naruto glared at him. "Not the time to be jealous, bastard. Hinata doesn't deserve your wrath. She's a nice girl. And, no, I'm not sulking, or hiding, or doing any of that. I just came here to think." Sasuke was about to speak, a smug look on his countenance. "And yes, I actually am capable of thinking!"

Sasuke kept the same superior look for several seconds before his expressionless mask appeared. "I'm sure that girl—Hinata will be fine. Time will heal her." He really didn't want to have this conversation again, ever. His...nice words pertaining to the Hyuuga made him cringe.

Naruto snorted. "That doesn't answer my question, but I know you too well. You knew, just like everybody else. Am I really that oblivious?

"Yes," came the automatic answer.

"Way to make me feel better," the tanned teen pouted. "As if Sakura, Ino, and Tenten hadn't made me feel worse."

"I take it they were the ones who told you before I came?"

"More like Tenten yelled at me before Sakura and Ino hit me over the head."

"Hn, dope."

"But seriously," Naruto continued, rising from his sitting position. "How was I supposed to know that Hinata likes me? She was rooting for me when you and I started the bet. Why would she—?"

"I'm tired of talking about that girl, Naruto," Sasuke interrupted icily, standing up as well. "Just leave it alone. It's over with."

Naruto quaked in indignation, ready to give the Uchiha a piece of his mind. His train of thought changed, however once he saw the crossed look on Sasuke's face. "I'm sorry," he finally stated, feeling reasonably bad. "I didn't mean to rub it in your face."

Seeing the blond and his blue eyes filled with genuine remorse and adoration, Sasuke relaxed his body and mind. "It's fine. I know you weren't doing it on purpose. And...if it's really bothering you that much, take the time to talk to her."

It pained Sasuke to say these things, but fact of the matter was, Sasuke had been very aware of Hinata's crush on Naruto. Yet, since the purple haired girl had never made a move, and Sasuke had ignored her otherwise, he figured he had all the right in the world to make Naruto his.

Internally gushing at the rising flush on Sasuke's face, Naruto leaned forward and chastely kissed the other's lips, unable to help himself. Sasuke had looked too cute just then. Sasuke was startled with the movement, his onyx eyes glinting with an unknown emotion.

"I couldn't resist," Naruto said with a chuckle, answering Sasuke's unspoken question. "Even under that bastard exterior, you can still be such a sweetheart."

Sasuke had an urge to roll his eyes. "Be aware of your surroundings next time, moron."

Naruto felt too giddy to rise to Sasuke's insult like he normally would. "Nobody's around, so it's okay. Besides, weren't you the one who groped me in the middle of the hallway that one time?"

Sasuke smirked, sauntering away from the wall. "Be aware of your surroundings," he reiterated before changing the subject. "Let's go finish lunch. I need to have food in my system for football practice later today."

"Am I invited again?" the blond teased, falling in step with Sasuke.

"Be my guest."

And with that, the two made their way back to the cafeteria. They still had their worries, but for the time being the couple pushed them to the back of their minds. Unbeknownst to the teens, there had been someone around, hiding behind a corner. The said person hadn't seen the kiss, but had heard most of the boys' conversation.

O-0-O-0-O

The falling lights from the football field hit Naruto's back at an angle that would cause him to feel its heat. Naruto didn't mind the heat despite that. The October breeze blowing in the wind more than made up for the hot temperature on his body.

Leaning forward in his chair, Naruto watched as the players went from their typical drills to a play-by-play strategy. Seasonal Leaf's team, from what Naruto had heard, was practicing for one of their last games of the season, against a team three cities away.

Eyes riveted on the movement of the players, the Uzumaki tried and failed to ignore the various giggles that would at times be directed at him. Since he had entered the stadium, the girls that had been in attendance had paid too much attention to him. What was worse was that Ino and Sakura were sitting behind him, shaking their heads in disappointment. It got to the point that Naruto was ready to scream.

"You would think you would like the attention," a familiar voice teased on the other side of him.

Naruto gave a half smile as Karin came around to sit next to him. "You would think so, yeah," he agreed amicably. "I thought you weren't going to show up. You're usually here earlier than this."

Squirming in her chair a bit to get more comfortable, Karin responded, "I almost didn't. I haven't been feeling all that well in the last couple of weeks."

Taking a good look at the redheaded girl, Naruto did note that she appeared paler than usual and that the uniform she was wearing wasn't quite fitting her properly. "You do look tired."

Karin nodded her head, yet even that seemed too much for her. "I've even been throwing up lately, how weird is that?" A horrible realization started appearing in her mind as she said the words.

"Ew, Karin, T-M-I," Naruto wrinkled his nose, his joking tone clear. "Not that I'm happy to see you sick." Giving a quick glance at the girl, he was surprised to see that she had paled further. How that was possible, Naruto didn't know. "Are you okay?"

Gaining her composure after a tense couple of minutes, Karin smirked shakily at him. "Yeah, sure."

Naruto gave her an incredulous look. "I hope so. Maybe you should go see a doctor."

"Maybe..." she concurred absentmindedly.

Momentarily frowning at Karin's reply, Naruto then glanced back at the players on the field, although his mind was on other things. What Karin didn't know was that Naruto had come to the same conclusion that she had about her strange ailments. And the thought was bothersome; Naruto just hoped he was wrong about this one.

During their exchange, Ino and Sakura watched them very closely. Somehow, Naruto had gotten friendly with the redhead over the last several weeks, and for one reason or another, it irritated the pink haired girl and her blonde haired friend. He was more open with Karin than he had been with either one of them.

After a whole five minutes of silence, Karin spoke up with a question. "So...the rumor about you and Tayuya, true or false?"

Naruto sputtered at the unexpected query, causing Karin to giggle behind her hand. "What-Why...Why would you ask me such a thing?!" He pointed his finger at her for good measure.

The bespectacled teen just shook her head. "Just curious."

"Can't you be curious about something else?" he whined, aware that all the girls, minus Ino and Sakura, were watching them with amusement.

"That's a false, then," she concluded to herself, smirking again.

"What? I didn't tell you whether it was true or false!"

"Didn't have to."

Naruto muttered to himself, crossing his arms over his chest before an idea settled in his head. With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, the teen asked a question of his own. "So...if you're not Sasuke's fan girl anymore, why do you still come to his games?" Karin gasped, turning her head to see the blond put on a thoughtful pose. "Unless...you're here for someone else?"

"Get real," Karin uttered with a blush, pushing on Naruto's arm playfully. "I just enjoy the games, that's all." Naruto laughed at her in response.

Still watching Naruto and Karin banter, Ino leaned over to Sakura, whispering in her ear. "I wonder if they like each other." The pinkette grimaced at this statement; she wasn't sure why, but she was annoyed with this observation. What if the girl he had lost his virginity to hadn't been Tayuya, but had in fact been Karin...?

O-0-O-0-O

It was a little after eight o'clock at night when Sasuke and Naruto walked their way to the latter's dorm room; Sasuke's goal was to walk his blond to the front of his door. Most of the students were in their own dorms, but the few that weren't were swift in giving Naruto their approval, winks and knowing looks thrown at him.

Naruto sighed as they stalked passed a walk way. "I'm so glad this day is almost over."

"You still have the rest of this week to worry about, possibly next week too," the raven nonchalantly voiced.

The whiskered teen sighed again, even louder this time. "Why me?" he asked to no one in particular.

Sasuke rose an eyebrow in disbelief. "I figured you'd welcome this. It'll probably be the only time you will beat me in anything, and it's still over a rumor."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. "Jerk."

Sasuke didn't deign the other with a response; he just continued trekking, a haughty air to his walk. When the two were about six feet away from Naruto's dorm, the Uchiha's mouth curled in a sneer, noticing the unwanted visitor leaning against the blond's door.

Tayuya was staring at the boys as they came closer, a wicked smile adorning her otherwise pretty face. Pushing off away from the door, the redhead met them closer to the edge of the stairwell.

Naruto's eyes widened as his color went pallid. "Oh, shit." He was even more horrified to see that neither one of her cohorts were around.

"About time you showed, Uzumaki," said Tayuya, her eyes wandering to a fuming Sasuke. "Uchiha." Her lips gave their own sneer.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Sasuke snapped, his eyes flashing heatedly. Naruto head whipped at the older's harsh tone.

The brown eyed Tayuya scoffed. "I didn't know you knew such language, Mr. Perfect."

Sasuke disregarded her sarcasm. "You're the one that started the rumor," he wasn't questioning her.

Tayuya's countenance slowly released a smirk. "I think we should continue this conversation inside. Wouldn't want anyone listening in now, would we?"

"But my roommate Lee's probably inside!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Then get rid of him," the girl hissed back.

Rummaging in his back pocket clumsily, Naruto afterward took out his card key, using the card to slide through the slot. He opened the barrier a tad, concealing Sasuke and Tayuya from Lee's sight. A shout of 'Youthful Naruto! How are you this fine evening?' was thwarted when Naruto said he needed the room for a half an hour.

Lee bounced his way out of the door, completely missing the two people on the other side of him. Naruto was just grateful that Lee was both kind hearted and absentminded.

Ushering the two inside to avoid any noisy neighbors, Naruto speedily shut the door behind them. "Are you going to tell us what you're doing here now?" The blond teen repeated, his teeth gritting.

Tayuya cackled. "Getting straight to the point. Good," she said licking her lips. Naruto and Sasuke blanched at the sexual display. "Actually, I'm glad I get to talk to the both of you."

"I take it you plan to coerce us with some such nonsense?" asked the Uchiha.

"Of course," Tayuya spoke with a wave of her hand. "But it's not nonsense, it's a proposition. Tit for tat, if you catch my meaning."

Naruto and Sasuke couldn't imagine what the girl had in store for them; all they knew was that whatever she had on her mind couldn't be any good.

Three things...

1. I am awfully sorry that it took yet another year for me to update this, but like I mentioned on my other story 'Breathless', I have been really sick. And this is the first time in a while that I haven't been working, schooling, and/or in the hospital. Unfortunately, I'll be back to work in a few weeks so I'm trying to update all of my current stories before then.

2. This cliffhanger was NOT intentional; I have rewritten this chapter so many times, it's ridiculous.

3. This will NOT become a NaruKari or a NaruTayu for that matter; these two characters are just moving things along.