Chapter 3. The Hallway

The bell to signal the end of lunch rang, so Sasuke marked his page with a bookmark, shoved the book into his bag, and got up to leave. He pulled off the hair clip and shook his fringe out, then put away his reading glasses in their case. He glanced around again to make sure nobody had seen.

On his way out of the library, he saw a book about foxes lying on the ground, as if someone had forgotten about it. He picked it up to put it back on the shelf, running his fingers along the spines of the books to find where it went.

The sound of panting and feet stomping made Sasuke turn to see Naruto running toward him. Sasuke held up the book in defense, expecting Naruto to crash into him.

Naruto managed to bring himself to a halt, but only just in time. He was standing almost nose to nose with Sasuke, and Sasuke could feel Naruto's panting on his cheeks.

"Sorry," Naruto said, "I forgot it". And with that, he gently plucked the book out of Sasuke's hands.

Both of the boys stood there, staring into each other's eyes, Sasuke shocked still by the abruptness of Naruto's appearance. Sasuke noticed that dirt was smeared on Naruto's cheek and palms and knees. He must have been playing soccer at lunch.

Naruto looked at Sasuke with worry for a moment, as if debating whether or not to say something.

"I... uh..." Naruto stuttered. He swallowed. "We're going to be late for class."

After Naruto had checked his book out, the two boys wandered to class together through the emptying hallway.

Sasuke noticed that Naruto was quieter than normal, and he walked slowly, as if his mind was preoccupied. Naruto's gaze was directed at his feet, occasionally looking up at Sasuke.

"Hurry up!" Sasuke told him, "We don't want to get caught in the corridors by Principal Tsunade! She's scary when she's mad!"

He grabbed hold of Naruto's hand and pulled him along behind. Sasuke noticed that where his hand was in contact with Naruto's, it felt like electricity was pulsing into him. He felt that swirling in his gut again and wondered what it could be – knowing this time that it wasn't frustration or annoyance. He felt his nose and ears blushing, and tried to concentrate on weaving through the corridors to class.

But the warmth of Naruto's hand in his was distracting, and he looked down at it, only to notice how much more tan Naruto's skin was than his. Sasuke felt his steps slowing, bringing them to a halt.

Sasuke looked up at Naruto's face and saw his large, energetic, light blue eyes. The sight of the eyes pulled Sasuke in like a whirlpool, and calmed him like the sound of rain.

And his face, thin and shaped with softly curving bones, was framed with bright blonde hair that struck out in all directions like a firework.

And in that moment, in the hallway, late for class, Sasuke realised that he had feelings for Naruto. Strong feelings – stronger than he had ever experienced before – and more enormous than he could comprehend.

"Do you remember when we met, Naruto?" Sasuke suddenly heard himself asking.

"Yeah" said Naruto, "first day of kindergarten."

Next time - "The Memory."