riing riing "Huh...? Oh, DANG IT!" Naruto quickly ran downstairs nearly tripping on his own feet.
"You're a little late, Naruto-kun," said Iruka, Naruto's uncle. "I think you have a few minutes to at least chew your food."
"If I don't hurry I'll get scolded again," whined Naruto as he stuffed himself.
"You'll be fine. I am your boss after all." Iruka gave a non-chalant smile and Naruto started up the stairs to get changed into his work uniform. ''Start opening up and I'll be there by noon. I have a business matter to attend to," stated Iruka. A brief moment of silence fell into the room, then suddenly broken by their laughter.
"Haha, you own a small cafe, what kind of 'business' could you possibly have?" Naruto still laughed when he came back down stairs. "Oh, you'll see soon enough, Naruto-kun, soon enough," whispered Iruka to himself.
"What was that?"
"Uh, nothing.."
Naruto headed out the door towards a small building with light peach coloring, inside and out. "It's finally summer," he thought to himself, "and I can just focus on my work now without any interruptions.." He unlocked the door of Kono Cafe and went inside. He turn the "closed" sign to "open" and prepared tables. It was a normal day with the usual customers. Naruto works as the only waiter in the cafe. A few hours later, all of this so-called "peace" was about to change when Iruka entered the cafe with a couple of suave, refined looking men.
"Welcome to-- Oh, Iruka-san. Back so soon?" Naruto trailed off in his sentence when his eyes met the other eyes of a young, sophisticated man standing behind Iruka. "Naruto-kun, I'd like you to meet the new waiter and show him around. I'll be in the meeting room if you need anything." Iruka and the other middle-aged man walked into the back room of the cafe, leaving the other two behind.
"Uh, well, I am Uzumaki Naruto, but you can call me by my first name if you like." The young boy just stood there making Naruto feel uncomfortable. As he showed the mysterious boy the cafe, the girls stared in awe by the handsome face of this black-haired stranger. It became very dense as they walked around, but they managed to make it through the first day.
"Who the heck is that kid?!" said Naruto in a rather rude manner. Naruto and Iruka sat quietly at the dining room table in their house with rather competent faces. "He's the son of a childhood friend." Iruka gave a sad grin and leaned back in his chair. "Apparently, his father wanted him to take a job since they're in a small financial crunch." Naruto made a vulgur face and mumbled, "He sure needs an attitude check.." Both of them smiled and went off to bed since the new kid needed to be trained early tomorrow.
The next day at the cafe, it dawned on Naruto that he didn't even know the other boy's name. When they were setting up the place, Naruto bluntly asked, "Why didn't you tell me your name yesterday?" Blank stares were exchanged and a questionable aura was between them.
"You didn't ask," said the boy with a conceited tone. Naruto grunted and gave a sarcastic smirk. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke."
"Well, Sasuke-kun, your sche--"
"I never acknowledged that you could call me by my first name," interrupted Sasuke. "Geesh, you didn't have to snap at me about it.." said Naruto. "Okay then, 'Uchiha-kun', your schedule is in the back. If you need help with a customer then come and get me." "I'll be fine, so don't get your hopes up, Uzumaki-senpai," snickered Sasuke. There was a small, intense moment that rushed the room.
"Well, it seems that you two are getting along?" questioned Iruka. It was both silent and intense at the same time. The shift was also quiet. Iruka tried to break the silence by inviting Sasuke over for dinner, but Naruto wasn't very fond of that idea. Later that night, Sasuke went to their house in a long-sleeved t-shirt and black blazer pants, unaware that this wasn't a very formal dinner.
"Uhm, nice clothes, Uchiha-kun, but you didn't have to dress up just to eat," mocked Naruto. Naruto was wearing a black t-shirt with tan pants and had ruffles blonde hair. Iruka didn't bother to change and was still in his work clothes. As he walked in he exchanged glances with Naruto that made them both feel a little wierd inside. They both also blushed a multitude of pink.
"So, how was your real first day, Uchiha-kun?" asked Iruka. "It was all right," replied Sasuke. Iruka leaned in to tell Sasuke of when he was going to give him his "special" payment. Naruto was too busy chugging down ramen to listen in on their small talk.
"Well, I guess I'll be leaving now." "Would you like me to take you home?" added Iruka. Sasuke stayed quiet, bowed, and just left.
Naruto and Iruka looked at each other puzzled. "I told you he needs an attitude adjustment. I mean, did you see how he just left like that? You have to admit that that was a bit rude.." mumbled Naruto. With a deep face, Iruka sighed, stood up, and cleaned the table. "His parents could have raised him to be a little more nicer. What kind of family did he grow up with. He rea--" "Naruto-kun, that's not something you should talk about so lightly," Iruka said as he cut off Naruto's sentence. "You two are somewhat similar in how you grew up. I don't appreciate you treating him like some spoiled rich kid." Faces became gloom, and Naruto's energy seemed to disappear.
The next day, they seemed very distant and emotionless. On their break, Naruto asked Sasuke about his childhood, but he didn't reply. "Why do you act so distant from people? Your father acted bett--" He was cutt off by Sasuke's angry glare. "Don't EVER talk about that man to me!" "Geesh, I was just--" "You can't imagine what I've gone through!!" Sasuke stormed away, on the verge of tears. Naruto tried to look for him, but had to get back to work.
The rest of the day kept getting worse, since Naruto had to serve twice as many people since Sasuke ran away. His shift finally ended, and he searched all of the town for Sasuke. Thinking he was never going to find him, he stopped by an alley where someone sat with their face buried in their knees. He slowly approached him and realized it was Sasuke. "Sa.. Sasuke? I'm sorry that I talked to you like that back there. But you know you can tell me what the heck is going on with you, Sas-, I-I mean, Uchiha-kun." He looked up with a sullen face and tears down his cheeks. Naruto looked at the ground with a sad face. All of the sudden, the dark blue and orange sky turned gray with thick clouds. Both of them looked up as it started pouring down on them.