In Your Dreams! (AU SasuNaru)

ch. 2

The sound of Naruto's alarm screeched incessantly where it sat on the nightstand next to the bed, bathed in the light that crept through the window where it continued to be ignored by it's owner.

Naruto just sat there, too distracted by his own thoughts to bother with his alarm clock, growling frustratedly to himself.  He slipped from underneath the blankets, shedding his nightcap and pajama top before slamming a hand down onto his alarm clock to finally silence it. He sat like that for a few moments, sulking to himself. 

It had been nearly a week since he'd had the dream where he finally saw the stranger's face... and he hadn't had a single dream since. They'd grown fairly consistent up until just the week prior, and Naruto had to wonder if he was doing something different that would cause him not to dream.

Naruto was shocked by it initially, seeing as his stranger turned out to be a guy, but Naruto seriously had to wonder if maybe he was mistaken. He liked girls, after all, although it didn't seem like they liked him very much.

"You like it that much..?"

'No, the voice was definitely from a guy...' Naruto thought, coming to stand to get ready for the school day, wincing at the harsh sun rays from the window that entered his line of sight.

Naruto couldn't help but wish he'd had a few moments longer to--.....

'To do what..??' His mind demanded, and he paused to look back at himself from the mirror's reflection.

Naruto groaned aloud, face red and head lowered as he struggled to remain focused on his morning tasks, fumbling with the buttons of his collared shirt. He looked up briefly to cringe at his reflection, embarrassed for being so hot and bothered over something like this.

It wasn't like anything that went on in his dreams actually happened anyways, and the stranger was probably just something his mind made up for some reason...

Besides, he didn't have time to worry about that, as he had a real shot of making it to class before attendance was called. However, not having any dreams seemed to make him feel exhausted all the time now, despite allowing himself plenty of rest.

Naruto looked back at the clock before rushing out the door, making sure he'd have plenty of time to make it before the bell rang. 

He ran into some trouble along the way; the hall monitor Lee, with his bowl cut and sash, trying to flag Naruto down to scold him for running through the halls, but Naruto ignored him. The sound of the school bell rang, forcing him to pick up the pace.

Naruto finally made it into the classroom, hand raised yelling at the top of his lungs, "I made it!!", only to realize his classmates were up and about, chatting and goofing off with one another while Iruka-sensei's podium sat empty.

"Iruka-sensei's not here yet," Sakura's voice chimed, sitting at her desk with a magazine sprawled across her desk. "Too bad, since you're actually on time for once," She added with a giggle.

"R.. really..?" Naruto asked, too surprised to acknowledge her mean-spiritedness. He deflated against the wall, realizing she was right. "Damn it," he muttered, head lowered.

"Maybe he's skipping school," Kiba joked, sending the paper plane he'd made across the room.

"Kakashi-sensei maybe... but never Iruka-sensei," Sakura replied confidently, crossing her arms.

"He's probably just sick er'something," Ino said with an uninterested shrug, inspecting the polish on her nails for any flaws.

Naruto sat down at his desk with a disappointed sigh, crossing his arms and staring at the clock.