The Lemonade Stand

Disclaimer: Yeah, Naruto isn’t mine. Wish it was; I’d like to be in Masashi Kishimoto’s shoes right about now.

Reviewers:

Po1zenedtear5, Heart Br0ken, makebelievegirl, sonic-stage, inu-kikki demonic, Elichi, CrimsonBlood363, Lyra Su, Oro-sama, TehShan, dragonfly loves axel, roboguy45, Peachi Bunni, The Faded Guardian, dreamsraven, Xeni-Princess of Shadows, AlphaOmegaPsi, Namida Kuran

Warnings: Same as chapter one. Not much to worry about in this one… just violence and blood. Oh, not proofread by anyone but myself. Excuse any errors.

Ch. 3: New Friends and Old Memories

A day went by since the trial, and still, Naruto was waiting for his best friend’s visit. They used to be a daily occurrence, but now they just weren’t happening anymore.

It wouldn’t take long until he realized it would never come.

The blond was sitting on his windowsill, watching with earnest for a head of black, uniquely styled hair. He’d been there for over an hour, his eyes never seeming to waver from the path Sasuke usually took. He didn’t even hear his stomach’s pleads for food, he was so determined to see him. “Where are you… Sasuke-san?” he asked himself despairingly.

“Naruto, lunch is ready.” Iruka walked into the living room, hoping that his cheery announcement would motivate his son to move. It didn’t seem to do the trick, because Naruto didn’t budge. He had a backup plan, though. “I made ramen. Miso ramen….”

Nothing.

The brunet sighed sadly; he wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with his son’s loss. What could he possibly do? He couldn’t explain things to him, the truth was too gruesome for a nine-year old to handle. And besides… he doubted if his son could grasp onto the truth anyway. And he couldn’t very well give his son false hopes of Sasuke returning, that would be cruel of him. “Naruto… come eat. You can’t just starve yourself.” He moved so he was standing by Naruto’s side now, his face solemn. That trial had aged him, no doubt. (Not to mention the cause of the trial)

The blond looked up to him, his sky blue eyes shimmering with confusion. Just where had Sasuke-san gone? Did he leave him…? Nothing was making any sense. Ever since that weird court-thing had started, his whole routine had basically been distorted.

“Daddy, when’s Sasuke-san coming to visit me again?”

Iruka closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. Might as well tell him the semi-truth. What other option did he have? He couldn’t avoid telling Naruto forever. “Naruto… Sasuke-kun…” He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, finding it difficult to say. But eventually, he managed to get it out, though it was said slowly. “He’s not coming back, Naruto… not for a long time.” He dared to open his eyes, and as he expected: immediately regretting it. The look his son wore was enough to make any parent break down.

The nine-year-old stared at his father in disbelief, his eyes wide with horror and loss. No… Sasuke-san wouldn’t leave him…. He promised they would be together forever. Sasuke-san wouldn’t break his promise… would he? Naruto had a hard time thinking positively. Tears began to prickle at his eyes, his heartbeat increasing with alarm. “But… why?” he croaked, sounding almost desperate.

Iruka looked off to the side, his brown eyes locking onto the white drapes. He wouldn't dare look into those expressive blue eyes now… he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back anymore if he did. “Because… he did something very bad, Naruto. He needs to pay for his crime.”

“But… w-what did he do?” Tears began pouring from the child’s blue eyes, his nose starting to run.

“You’ll understand when you’re older, Naruto.” He rubbed his son’s back sympathetically, that being the only form of comfort he could think of. He could only imagine what it would be like when Naruto realized the whole truth. “Now come on, you don’t want to eat cold ramen, do ya?” The blond shook his head, sniffling. He’d rather eat warm ramen than cold ramen. But… he doubted if he could really bring himself to eat something. He now seemed to realize that Sasuke-san was out of his life. The best thing that ever happened to him (besides Iruka) was gone. How could he just accept that? He didn’t think he could….

... ...

That night, about two hours after Iruka tried getting Naruto to eat lunch; there was a loud beeping noise outside. Naruto, curious, got up from the torn and beaten couch and craned his neck out the smoggy window. It was then he realized two things: one: it was raining and two: there was a moving truck outside.

How could he not have noticed the rain? It wasn’t exactly a light sprinkle.

He squinted his eyes, trying to make out who these people were through the downpour. Eventually, he was able to safely say he saw three people: two women and a boy that looked to be around his age. And there were the movers of course. By the time he pulled back inside, his whole head was soaking wet, his hair clinging to his face and neck. With a shiver, he closed the window and made his way back over to the couch. He was tempted to go pay these people a visit… but he was more scared than anything. It wasn’t too often that people took a liking to him; Sasuke had been a rare exception.

Sasuke’s name managed to make the child’s mood falter even more, a terrible longing enveloping him. Just how long was a “long time” anyway? He was almost afraid to find out.

Naruto jumped at hearing a loud crash just outside his apartment door, loud voices quick to follow. “Hey! Careful with that! Can you not read?! It says fragile!” Whoever this person was, she had good vocal chords.

“Sorry, Ms. Inuzuka,” a male voice quickly grumbled.

Now Naruto’s interest was peaked to its highest. These people were moving in next to him, he was sure of that. With all the trials and the whole Sasuke-thing, Naruto forgot that his neighbors moved out and some new people were moving in. And with this unlikely thought of maybe making a friend, Naruto managed to get off the couch in a hurry. “Naruto, where are you going? And why is your head all wet?” the blonde’s father asked a bit worriedly. Iruka approached his son, trying to brush off some of the icy water from Naruto’s sun kissed hair.

Another loud crash made both Iruka and Naruto jump. “My dishes!” a familiarly-loud, apprehensive voice exclaimed.

The brunet nudged his son back a bit and dared to open the door, his curiosity getting the best of him. “You stay here, Naruto.”

“But-”

“No buts. Stay here.” Naruto knew not to protest any more. The brunet stepped out of his apartment and into the hallway, closing the door quietly behind him.

About ten minutes had passed before he returned. He didn’t come back alone though. “Naruto, come here, I want you to meet someone,” the boy’s father beckoned. Naruto was cautious getting off the couch, a little hesitant of meeting this “someone”. Where had his bravery gone to? He took a deep, steadying breath and made his way back to the door, instantaneously spotting the boy he saw earlier. “Naruto, this is our new neighbor, Kiba Inuzuka.” Before Naruto even had time to react, the strange boy was quick to make himself known.

“Nice to meet ya!” The boy exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Naruto’s hand and shaking it relentlessly. Apparently he was a little… rough. “And this is my puppy, Akamaru!” A white dog popped out of the boy’s jacket suddenly, and it was then that his fluffy hood fell down, revealing his face a little better. He had short, brown hair, sharp eyes, large red, upside-down triangle tattoos on each of his cheeks, and he stood a few inches taller than Naruto. He seemed nice enough….

“He-he… nice to meet you too,” Naruto said with a bit of embarrassment. He wasn’t very good with intros. Not to mention, this boy’s kindness was a little overwhelming. It was the first time someone had actually reached out to him, actually seemed excited about making his acquaintance. It was a bit strange… not even Sasuke had gone this far to be nice the first time they met.

“Naruto, will you keep Kiba occupied for a bit? I’m gonna go help his family move their stuff in.” He was more than a little relieved when Naruto agreed. Perhaps Kiba would help him move on from Sasuke…. That’s what he hoped, anyway. Naruto needed to move on without Sasuke being there.

Once Iruka was gone, Kiba let Akamaru down and began taking a look around the apartment. He had no shame; Kiba was a bold kid, Naruto would quickly learn. “So, Naruto, how old are ya? I’m nine,” he said while looking stuff over.

Naruto looked up to the boy, unable to suppress a grin. “Me too!” What were the chances of that? A new neighbor that was his age, and the fact that he was nice seemed even less likely to him.

“That’s cool…. Hey, maybe we’ll get the same teacher! You’re going to Konoha Elementary, right?” Naruto nodded. “Well, I’ve got some dude named Kakashi….” Naruto’s grin widened. Things seemed to be going his way now. What a drastic change from earlier. Someone up there must’ve taken notice of him and were working hard to make up for their absence.

“Yeah, that’s my teacher. He’s pretty cool, my dad’s good friends with him. He’s a little late to class sometimes though….” Naruto was having a hard time believing that Kiba was actually socializing with him. Hell, he hadn’t even cracked one joke about him yet.

Maybe he made another friend after all?

“Say umm… do you wanna show me around town tomorrow? I mean… I saw a little bit of it, but not much.”

“Sure.”

Kiba was quick to react. He even did a little jump for joy he was so happy. “Great! So umm… got any toys we can play with?” Naruto nodded and gestured for Kiba to follow him.

The brunet grinned, his fang-like teeth showing in the process. “Come on, Akamaru!” The white puppy caught up with them quickly. Naruto led them over to his bedroom; happy to see that Kiba looked excited when he saw the toys. “Ooh, this one looks cool! What is it… a fox?” The brunet had picked up a little stuffed plushie from Naruto’s bed.

“Yeah… my friend got it for me.”

“Who, you’re girlfriend?” Kiba joked, grinning again.

Naruto’s smile seemed to completely diminish then. It seemed as though every time that man’s name was merely mentioned or thought of; the brutal, gruesome reality would come crashing back to him. His best friend was… no more. “No. He was my best friend, Sasuke-san. See?” Naruto plucked a picture from his desk and handed it to Kiba. “We took that picture at my birthday party.”

Kiba seemed to notice the boy’s sudden sad-state. Had he said something wrong? “Where is he?”

“Away… I’m not sure where. But, I have a feeling that I’ll see him again.” The blond smiled a little. I know I’ll see him again.

It was 2:10 PM, which was Sai’s accustomed time to remind Sasuke of his lunch break. However, when he got to Sasuke’s cubical, the raven was nowhere to be found. That’s strange… Sasuke is always here when I come to remind him. He tilted his head slightly in thought. Is he avoiding me or something? Sai gave the place one last confused look before he left.

Perhaps they could talk about it later.

On the other hand, just outside the building, Sasuke was on his way to his lunch break. That day he had done something out of the blue: he was actually leaving on time for lunch. One reason was obvious: to get away from Sai. He still wasn’t very happy with the guy for pulling that little stunt earlier with his brother. What was their problems anyway? But the other reason, remained unclear. Well at least… he didn’t understand why he wanted it. He was hoping to see Naruto outside again. That was the mystery. The only people he ever hoped to see were his fallen family members. Other than that… well… let’s just say he could careless whether or not he saw anyone else again. Even Sai, who, he shamefully admitted, was his friend.

The entirety of it was, though, that he wanted to talk to him about something… he just wasn’t sure about what exactly…. Maybe he just wanted to provide some companionship for him or something? After he witnessed that scene earlier that morning, he couldn’t help but feel for the child. He could relate with him all too well when it came to loneliness. Maybe, if Naruto wanted to, he’d take him out to lunch with him. It just felt like something he should do. It wouldn’t be much, but he was certain that Naruto would appreciate the gesture.

A small smile dared to make itself known on his otherwise stoic face. This child was bringing change to his repetitive life. He seemed to be welcoming it with open arms, even if he hadn’t admitted it so boldly.

But, things did not go according to plan.

He had just arrived on Naruto’s street, when he heard a loud racket not too far ahead. But, what managed to send chills up his spine; was the sound of a decipherable scream.

That’s what had got him running.

Instinctively, he ran towards the spot Naruto had his lemonade stand placed. It was the right move to make, for the racket had come from that very spot.

As he got close enough to make out just what was happening, it managed to get his body to do all kinds of foreign things. His heart seemed to stop, his eyes (always set half-lidded) went wide, and his stomach clenched in anxiety as his fingers curled into a panicked, livid fist. Naruto!

He was quick to get to the lemonade stand. There was a group of kids there, seemingly older (or at least bigger) than Naruto was. And they obviously weren’t there to get a cup of lemonade.

They were hovered around in a circle, their bodies pressed together side-by-side as they chanted encouraging fighting words, making it so Sasuke could briefly make out that bright head of blonde hair. He could hear what sounded like punches, kicks and smacks.

Another scream got him the rest of the way there in a hurry.

He pushed through the compacted circle, apparently in such a panic, not realizing he was yelling. “Get off him! Get off him!” the raven shouted warningly. The ringleader (who was the one doing the beating) was quick to drop the warn blond to the ground, unfortunately, with no thought.

The child’s head collided with the ground in a painful crash, a ‘thump’ sounding and blood splattering on the cement in droplets. The group of kids quickly dispersed, and the ringleader was sure to run away without turning back.

Sasuke wouldn’t have taken him lightly if he had, that was for sure.

The raven watched the kids go and was sure to glare down any bystanders that were staring. Naruto had been through enough; he didn’t need an audience to mock his defeat. When seemingly everyone was gone, onyx eyes turned to blue, and a shaking body crouched down beside a listless one. Sasuke’s tender hands made their way to the boy’s bleeding face, wiping away the tears and blood with a soft swipe. Naruto could only stare in disbelief. Sure, he appreciated the man saving him… he was just shocked that someone actually took the time of day to help him. His pleads for help fell on deaf ears with all the other people who were around to see it. Why had Sasuke been any different?

The blond opened his mouth to speak, but found his voice to be incoherent. He was still crying after all, and his throat had gone raw from his endless screaming. So, instead, Sasuke spoke first. “Naruto… what the hell happened?” When the blond tried to speak again, nothing seemed to form into sentences. The raven took the hint. “Here, give me your key and I’ll take you to your apartment, alright?” Naruto nodded and his tanned hand, smeared with crimson, took a key from his pant’s pocket. Sasuke took it with earnest and was quick to scoop the bleeding child up in his arms. The thought of his clothes getting dirty didn’t even seem to cross his mind.

Oh yeah, Naruto was definitely changing him.

He briefly took note of the apartment number etched onto the key and just followed the apartment numbers, grateful that it was on the first floor and that the apartment was only number 17. So, he didn’t have to wander around long before he found it. Once he reached it, he had Naruto confirm that it was the right one. “This it?” He felt Naruto nod against his chest.

That’s all it took for him to stick the key in the lock and push open the door.

Living in a mansion, he expected a gush of air-conditioning to greet him, but instead, got more heat. The warmth didn’t seem to bother him nearly as much as it normally would’ve, though, and he quickly stepped inside the apartment, kicking the door shut behind him.

Normally, Sasuke would’ve done the customary thing of taking his shoes off before stepping inside, but thought better of it. Naruto was more important than carrying out his manners. “Where’s the bathroom?”

Naruto pointed to the hall adjacent to them, and Sasuke figured the rest out once he walked through it. Once inside, he placed Naruto on the sink and started searching the drawers and cabinets for medical material. He eventually found them.

“This’ll sting a little, Naruto,” he said gently. Naruto bit his lip and squeezed his eyes tightly to prepare himself for it. He’d been through it plenty of times, and yet, the sting from the disinfectant never seemed to waver.

Sasuke dabbed at all the cuts he could find, and cleaned up the blood from Naruto until there was no more red splotches left on him. Then to finish up, he put band-aids on most of the cuts. It took a good fifteen minutes for him to finish doing all of it.

When he was done, he lifted Naruto off the sink and set him on the floor. “Can you walk all right?”

Naruto nodded in response. He would’ve said something, if he still didn’t have a cottonmouth. He needed to take care of that problem too.

Sasuke watched the eight-year-old walk into the hall, having somewhat of a limp to his step, and began following him until they got to the kitchen. The first thing Naruto did was grab a cup from the sink and fill it all the way to the top with water. The raven watched him gulp it down within a matter of seconds.

Naruto finished up and smiled a little, feeling relieved. “Aww… that’s better.”

Sasuke stared at him in disbelief. How the hell is he smiling after getting the shit beaten out of him? It didn’t matter though, so long as Naruto was smiling again, that meant that he must’ve been somewhat all right. That or he was a tough kid. Maybe it was both.

“You okay, Naruto?”

The blond looked up, giving Sasuke a small smile. “Yeah… I-I’ll be ok.” Sasuke was just about to say something, but swallowed his words quickly. He was in too big of a shock to speak.

Naruto was… hugging him.

He looked down to the boy, his face twisted with all types of emotions. This feeling of gratitude Naruto was giving him… it was making him feel strange. But, he couldn’t deny that it was in a good way. “Naruto-”

“Thank you so much, Sasuke-san,” the child murmured against him.

The raven couldn’t help but smile when he heard that.

A bit reluctantly (not really used to responding to hugs) he bent down and draped both arms around Naruto’s small back and pulled him closer, squeezing him lightly. It felt so nice holding someone like that again, and actually wanting it. Those hugs with Sai meant little or nothing to him. But he couldn’t so easily say that about this hug, about Naruto’s hugs in general.

The blonde’s small hands gripped Sasuke’s work shirt and he rubbed his face back and forth on the young man's middle, marveling the comfort. He giggled a little before pulling back, a small blush illuminating his tanned cheeks. “Sasuke-san… are you gonna stay with me?” the child all but whined. He was so desperate to have someone there with him then. It was understandable; he was probably paranoid of those kids coming back.

Sasuke sighed, having a difficult time coming up with an answer. He could easily stay… he hadn’t missed a single day of work since the day he began. And he was sure Itachi could carry on without him, considering he had a legitimate reason for not returning. On the other hand, he’d have to make up work later that night. It was something he never looked forward to. Home was somewhat his time off. But… that would mean saying no to Naruto…. He looked down to Naruto, and that’s all it took for him to agree. Those big, pleading, blue eyes lured him in instantly.

“I’ll stay with you, Naruto. Only until your dad comes home, then I really got to get going.”

Naruto gave Sasuke another quick hug. “Oh thank you, Sasuke-san!” The raven plastered on a forced smile.

Itachi’s going to chew my ass out for this one….

... ...

Almost as soon as Sasuke agreed to stay, he called work and informed them that he would be out for the rest of the day. He was grateful that Itachi didn’t pick up the phone (not that he expected him to, since that was the secretary’s job) he wanted to avoid that conversation for as long as possible.

Once he had finished doing that, Naruto was asking him to do things with him left and right. He was smiling so much that Sasuke thought his face would never have any other expression. What baffled him most though, was Naruto’s attitude. Shouldn’t the child be sulking or something? He just got the shit beaten out of him and yet here he was; acting as if nothing happened. He supposed that was good in a way, but he couldn’t understand how Naruto managed to pull it off. The kid was an odd one.

After playing around with Naruto’s toys for nearly an hour, the blond finally agreed to take a break and get something to eat. Neither of them had had lunch yet, so it was sounding pretty good right about then.

“What do you have to eat around here, kid?” Sasuke asked once they got to the kitchen.

“Well… there’s some stuff in the fridge. But you know what’s my favorite and we got lots of!?” Naruto asked with a grin.

“What?”

“Ramen!”

Figures that greasy crap would be his favorite food…. “Eh, it’s alright. Whatever floats your boat, kid. Go ahead and get some and I’ll cook it.” Naruto quickly complied and raided the cabinets for the dried noodles. He eventually found a couple of packets and handed them to Sasuke.

Within ten minutes they were done and Sasuke served two bowls of it. He had given Naruto his bowl first, and was about to sit down and eat when an empty bowl was shoved in his face. “More please!”

The raven blinked in surprise. “Already?”

“Yup!”

“O-k…” He looked the child over a few times in utter shock before going back to get more. He filled Naruto’s bowl up and walked back to the table and handed it to him.

“Think this is enough, Porky?”

“Hey! Daddy says I’m just growing!” The blond giggled a little before starting to slurp down his second bowl.

Sasuke ‘hmphed’ and took a seat, beginning to eat some of the ramen.

In the end, he ended up eating half of it and gave the rest of it to Naruto, including the remainders in the pot. The child sure had a healthy appetite, he’d noted.

“So… wanna watch TV or something?” the raven asked, putting all the dishes in the sink.

“Ooh, we can watch a movie!” the blond suggested excitedly, wailing his tiny arms about.

“Sure….” He finished with the dishes and followed Naruto out into the living room, noting that he was still limping. He hoped his leg was just sore and wasn’t anything too severe. Regardless, he’d leave that to the boy’s father.

Sasuke stood and watched the blond dig through multiple movies until he finally settled on something. He was grinning uncontrollably when he handed it to the older man. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. “The Lion King?” Naruto nodded vigorously. “Alright, if that’s what you want,” he said, giving in with a sigh.

By the time the tape was popped in and rewound to the beginning, Naruto was already curled on the corner of the couch, watching earnestly at the TV. This movie was his all-time favorite. Simba reminded him of himself, being the reason.

But Naruto seemed to pull himself out of his staring frenzy when he realized Sasuke hadn’t sat down yet. He looked up to the older, noting how he was smiling lightly at him. “Come sit down, Sasuke-san!”

That seemed to get the raven out of his thoughts and wiped the rare smile from his face. “Oh… right….” He settled next to the blond, keeping his eyes to the screen, until he felt something on his lap.

Dark eyes glanced down curiously, nearly widening at the site. Was Naruto… lying in his lap? “What are you-”

Naruto snuggled against the silky material of Sasuke’s pants and smiled contently, watching the movie once again. A small blush rose to the Uchiha’s cheeks at the innocent contact. Never had he received this much attention from anyone, and he’d just met this boy a day ago. He’d never experienced something so trivial yet sweet. Sure, he’d been that way with his mother, and occasionally his father, but never had been on the receiving end. It was… nice.

Carefully, Sasuke reached a hand out and rested it on the boy’s blonde locks, running long fingers through the soft hair. Naruto’s hair was so soft he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

Things stayed that way, not even once did the two of them move, too content with the moment. Sasuke hadn’t even noticed the other’s soft snoring, or the boy’s sudden giggles over the movie disappearing.

Not until he heard the sound of the door being opened, at least. He barely had enough time to turn his head before he heard the sound of another’s voice, one that he’d heard earlier that day. “Naruto! I’m home! You forgot your lemonade-” The brunet’s words died out at seeing an unfamiliar person, in his home no less. All Iruka could do was stand there and stare at the man and Sasuke could only stare back with just as much loss as the other.

But Iruka was never one to jump to conclusions and didn’t act impulsively. Instead he walked over to the raven and stopped a few feet short of the couch. “What… are you doing…?” He couldn’t think of much else to say.

“I… umm….” Never before had Sasuke been at such a loss for words. How to explain this…?

There was a groan and rustling coming from the couch suddenly. When a blond head popped up for Iruka to see was when the man lost his wary composure.

He practically ran to the couch and snatched his son from Sasuke’s lap, teeth gritting, eyes squinted, and all. “What the hell are you doing in my house with my son?!” Iruka demanded, holding Naruto tightly against him.

Sasuke flinched. “Careful, he’s hurt.”

Iruka looked down to the child to see all the band-aids, scrapes, and bruises. “What’d you do to him?!”

“I didn’t-”

“He saved me!” Naruto cut in, finally fully awake.

The brunet looked down at his son in question. “He what?”

“He saved me! See… he cleaned me all up!” Naruto pointed out a band-aid on his left cheek.

Iruka still looked at a loss over the whole thing, but seemed to get the initial point down. This man wasn’t here to hurt anyone… or so he hoped, anyway. “Oh… well… that’s different then, huh?” He smiled a little embarrassedly and looked back to the raven. “I’m… sorry about this. I mean… I guess I jumped to conclusions when I saw Naruto. It’s the parent in me.” Sasuke shook his head to excuse the whole thing. Naruto’s father had all the right in the world to think like that. After all, he wasn’t expecting him to be there and he was a complete stranger, at least to him.

“Don’t worry, I understand. I just felt like I should stay here with him, since he was hurt. I would’ve felt bad just leaving him.” He forgot to mention Naruto’s persuasion. That had played a big part in his decision to stay.

“So… what happened?” Iruka took a seat on the couch with Naruto in his hold still.

Sasuke made eye contact with the boy briefly before explaining. “I was on my lunch break and I saw Naruto’s stand was knocked over and I heard a fight. So I went over and broke it up. A bunch of kids were beating him up, so I took care of them, and then I helped Naruto. I’m not sure how or why it started… I wasn’t there for that.” Iruka nodded, and closed his eyes in understanding, a pained sigh leaving him.

“Well… thanks for that. I don’t know how to repay you.”

“It isn’t necessary.”

“Would you like to stay for dinner… umm…?”

The raven seemed to understand the question. “Sasuke Uchiha. And no thank you. I better be heading home.” No way was he going back to work, especially since he already said he would be out the rest of the day.

Iruka couldn’t help the surprised face that took over when he learned the other’s name. So… Naruto was right. The raven had been his customer. He figured that much at Sasuke’s familiarity with the lemonade stand. “Oh, alright then. Thank you so much. How about tomorrow then?”

Once again, black eyes met blue. He just couldn’t say no to them. “I’d like that.”

“Great. Dinner should be ready around seven. Feel free to stop by whenever you’d like though.” Iruka stopped to smile at his son. “Naruto appreciates the company.” The blond nodded at that.

“Thanks, I’ll be here. See you tomorrow then.” Sasuke was nearly at the door when he felt two tiny arms wrap around his legs. He stopped and looked down to see none other than Naruto.

The hold tightened. “Goodbye, Sasuke-san….” Sasuke patted the boy’s head and smiled to him kindly.

“See you tomorrow, Naruto-kun.”

Holy crap… what’s this, an update? I know… what the hell, right? Honestly, no excuse for lack of updates. I guess I just lost inspiration, too absorbed in my other fics and AkuRoku. I was actually in the middle of writing another fanfic when this popped into my head somehow and I just had the urge to finish long-lost chapter three. So yeah… I’m sorry. If there are still any reviewers out there for this, know that it wasn’t intentional. And reviews would be nice, perhaps will make my day…. And yes, that means updates lol

Next chapter: Sasuke finally talks to Gaara and dinner at Naruto’s house.