Hello everyone and welcome to another one of my fan fictions. This one is a bit different from my usual fanfics. It has absolutely nothing to do with the anime other than the characters, so yes, I am trying something new. I hope for some positive feed-back. This will most definitely be a SasuNaru pairing, with maybe some ItaNaru as well, and eventually IrukaXKakashi. Okay. I'm gonna be quiet and let you all read now. Hope you all like this. Oh yeah, there will be swearing and mentioning of intense things like rape, abuse...hence the rated T warning. If you are uncomfortable reading content like this, then please don't read it.

Disclaimer: Naruto and all other characters are licensed to Masashi Kishimoto. Sadly, this includes both Itachi Uchiha and Gaara. Oh well.

Chapter 1. Lonely

Winter was approaching fast in Konoha City. Many of the citizens in the area had already strung up their festive lights and were enjoying the time of the year. A heavy snowstorm was expected to bear its tremendous weight down upon Konoha in several days, completely whiting out the area. It promised to be the coldest winter season ever. Despite the foreboding chill in the air, the small town was still hustling and bustling with activity.

Adults wrapped up in layers of clothes traveled slowly through the streets. Some walked slower than others; their arms laden with heavy bags and boxes. Near the center of the town was a park. Although it was only fifty degrees outside, many parents had still brought their children to play at the playground. The sound of childish laughter filled the air with music. All of the noise brought warmth to the scene, which could not have been done by the soft rays of sunshine cast down by a colorless orb high in the pale blue sky.

A sharp, bitter wind rattled the bare tree limbs; long gray trunks extending to the sky like skeletal fingers. The only color in the otherwise bleak city came from the playground. Slides of various heights and shades of red, green, yellow, and purple stood in a sea of gravel. Metal bars connected them all in different ways. There were several swing sets, long, heavy pipes on the ground that provided perfect places for children to play hide-and-seek in, and deep blue teeter-totters in the far corner nearest the fence. Benches near the teeter-totters gave the adults a clear view of the entire playground.

"Come on! It's your turn to be "It!"

"Ha-ha! You can't get me! Na na na na na!"

"Weeee!"

The gleeful sounds rose up from a little school of children flocked around the slide area. They all seemed to be having a grand time, judging from the shouts of laughter that floated up from the group. Suddenly, a black-and-white soccer ball was kicked up high into the air. The children were playing a game of soccer.

From one of the benches lining the inside of the fence, a man sat, hands shoved deeply in his pockets, watching the young girls and boys run around kicking a ball. He looked to be in his early twenties, with chocolate brown hair tied back in a small ponytail and kind brown eyes the exact same color as his hair. He was wearing dark blue jeans , a gray sweatshirt, and a large, dark green jacket. A strange scar crossed the bridge of his nose.

The man turned to his right to see another man approaching. This man had silver hair, but he was obviously young although he appeared to be at least two years older than the one with the green jacket.

"Hello there, Iruka. Didn't think I'd find you out here." the silver-haired man said.

He crossed in front of Iruka and sat down next to him.

"Hello, Kakashi. What brings you to the playground?"

"Meh. Boredom." the older man said.

The man with the scar on his nose suddenly turned a brilliant shade of pink as his friend pulled out a small, orange-colored book and flipped it open. The cover held a picture of a curvy women in an impossibly small red dress clutching the arm of a man wearing a suit and tie.

"Kakashi!!" the man hissed, trying to snatch the book away even as Kakashi held it up beyond his reach. "You can't read that here. This a park! There are children!!"

"I doubt any of these little brats can even read. And besides...I never said I was reading..." Kakashi said with a strange grin on his face.

"You mean that's-!" Iruka started but was cut off by a hand over his mouth.

"So. How is life?"

Iruka was thrown off by the sudden question. With a sigh, he let his hand fall in his lap and stared at the ground, a mixture of emotions written on his face. Kakashi saw this and put his book away. He knew the answer almost immediately. Whenever his friend looked like that, it was a sure sign that something was wrong.

"I had to visit a foster home yesterday...check on two of the children the system recently placed. One of them, Tobias, is having some problems adjusting. The parents are really good people, but they say that he just won't listen. Sometimes he isolates himself in his room...doesn't let anyone in. I don't think its going to work out even though they said they'd keep trying." Iruka finished.

"Hey, it's alright. You know, it takes a very special person to be a social worker, Iruka. Frankly, I don't see how you can do it. You put yourself in danger almost every day. Meanwhile, the most danger I ever have at my office is trying to make sure the paper shredder doesn't eat my fingers."

This brought a smile to Iruka's face. Kakashi chuckled and grinned as well.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me." Iruka turned, knowing his friend was right, and watched the children play again.

The two companions sat in silence and watched as a group of little boys and girls chased a soccer ball around the yard. Eventually, Iruka started up a conversation again. They talked amiably about many things; the weather, jobs, money troubles, housing, and ridiculous television commercials were just a few of them. Somehow their conversation ended and they watched in the silence again.

Kakashi watched Iruka with a smile on his face. He knew that many times the man tended to be so hard on himself. He put his heart and soul on the line every day to do what he loved most: helping children. It was a shame to think that Iruka could never have children of his own. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Iruka did want to have a child of his own some day, but, for that, he needed to find a special someone.

'Iruka.' he thought. 'If you only knew how special you were to me. If you knew how I felt about you...would you feel the same way?'

He took out his little orange novel again and began to read, but when Iruka didn't notice, he raised an eyebrow and stared, waiting for a reaction.

"I'll be right back." the younger man said quite abruptly. He stood up and walked out into the playground.

'Something must have caught his eye. Oh well...Its probably something he'd be better handling anyways.' Kakashi reasoned. He returned his attention to the book in his hand.

Iruka headed in the direction of the swing set, where a lone child sat on a swing. He looked small and almost unhealthily thin for his nine years of age. Spikes of bright blond hair stuck up in all directions, giving the boy an almost angelic appearance as the sun broke free from a patch of clouds to shine its weak light over him.

His outfit consisted of thin blue jeans riddled with holes, a black t-shirt that hung loose on his small frame, and a much-too-large but well-worn orange jacket zipped all the way up. His sneakers were on the verge of being sandals; the soles flapped open to reveal a glimpse of dirty socks. When the child looked up at the sun, one could see that his eyes were as blue as the azure skies themselves, but filled with immense sorrow and pain.

The boy was alone in the park, far away from the other children, and it seemed much too cold for him to be outside on his own in just that light jacket. Snow was expected to fall that night, proving that the weather was only going to get worse. Grubby fingers reached out, grasped the metal chains of the swing, and he began pumping his feet back and forth vigorously.

He went higher and higher and higher still. Back and forth, back and forth. The cold air whizzed by him each time he swung forward, causing him to break out in goosebumps. He pushed the shivers aside and continued to swing.

An entire hour had gone by since Iruka first noticed the child out of the corner of his eye. He supposed his profession as a social worker had something to do with it. Every now and then he'd looked up from his conversation with Kakashi to check on him. Not once had the kid moved from his spot or even tried to join the other children.

"Hey, there. You look like you're pretty good at swinging. Mind if you show me how?" Iruka asked in the friendly voice he commonly used when he was on the job.

He figured a gentle approach would be best in the situation, not knowing what the child would do or say. After all, he was a stranger and most children were taught growing up not to talk to strangers. The blond stopped moving his feet, just letting them hang loosely until the weight slowed him down enough to stop.

"You're a grown-up already. You have parents. Why didn't they teach you?" the little boy's voice came out cold and flat.

Iruka was genuinely surprised at the amount of raw bitterness in his voice. Never in all of his seven years as a social worker had he ever seen a child as young as him so jaded before. The boy's words struck a nerve though he tried not to show it.

"Well, actually...You know, my parents died when I was little. A bit younger than you, I bet." Iruka replied.

'What I want to do now is see where his fear level is at and what his comfort zone is. If I can earn his trust, maybe he'll answer my questions.'

"Not everyone was born lucky." the kid replied, slowly starting to swing again.

"And what do you mean by that. Where are your parents?"

For the first time, the child's gaze met Iruka's. He could see that his eyes were a deep blue, like the sky, but inside they held nothing but walls and mental guards. They reminded him of chips of ice.

"It depends on what you call a parent. Is it someone who keeps you warm when you are cold? Someone who punishes you when you've been bad? Someone who reads you a story at night before bed and tucks you in and takes you to play at the park. Is a parent someone who says they love you? Does a parent ever leave you?"

'Well. He's looking directly at me, so he isn't too afraid of close contact. What did he mean by the last question?'

"You named all the things that a good parent does. I'm afraid I don't understand your last question, though."

"Does a good parent ever leave you? When they die, and they go to wherever they go, do their spirits watch over you and keep you safe?"

"Well..." Iruka wasn't sure how to answer the question. He was rather surprised that the boy he was talking to looked no older than ten at the most was so casually asking a question about something like death. It seemed too morbid for a child so young to talk about.

"A good parent would watch over you, even when they aren't here with you. Is that what your parents are doing? Are they watching you from Heaven?"

"..." silence was all that Iruka received as a reply.

"Do you have anything to eat?" he said, dodging the question effectively while he jumped off the swing set.

Now that he was closer, Iruka could see that the boy was absolutely filthy. His hair was messily clumped while a few stray ends fell down over his forehead. A large streak of dirt stretched across both of his cheeks and his jacket was stained with it as well. He was also very thin. Too thin for Iruka's taste. The black shirt looked like it could have been a small and still hung quite loosely on his frame.

"I don't have anything with me right now, but it is getting dark. Will someone come to pick you up soon?"

"Yes." the boy replied softly, shoving his hands deep into his jacket pockets.

Iruka was slightly confused by the answer, but made sure to maintain a smile. He was well aware that his previous question about the boy's parents had been avoided, but he didn't want to say anything that might damage the fragile bond between himself and the child.

"Well then. How about if I stay here until they come to pick you up?"

"No. It's okay. It won't be much longer."

Iruka nodded but sat down on the swing set beside the boy anyway. 'So he does have a guardian. I want to meet with them and see why they left there kid here all alone. How long has he been sitting here at the park.'

"So...what's your name?"

He really didn't want to leave the child at the park by himself. He was way too young to be out alone, but something told him that this was nothing new for the kid.

"He-he. I'm Naruto. What's your name?" Naruto laughed and wriggled in the seat.

"Hello there, Naruto. My name is Mr. Umino, but you can call me Iruka, okay?"

"Okay, Iruka. It was nice meeting you...I hope that we can talk soon again. You know. I'll probably be here tomorrow to! Will you be here too? Maybe we can play on the swings together!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully.

Iruka blinked. The change in the boy's demeanor was sudden. One moment he was evasive and the next he was bright and cheerful.

"Sure."

He left the child at the swing set and walked back over to where Kakashi was sitting. The older man looked at him questioningly, waiting for an explanation. He couldn't help but give a chuckle. Helping people was in his nature, and having grown up an orphan himself for nearly half of his life, it gave him the ability to connect with other children who had problems.

"He was lonely, so I thought I'd see if he was alright. Now will you put that filthy book away?!"

"And how would you know the contents are dirty if you've never read it before, hmmm?" Kakashi asked as he flipped another page.

Iruka turned a bright shade of pink and Kakashi laughed. 'Its so easy to make him blush. He-he. I wonder if he knows how cute he looks when he blushes.'

"N-n-nevermind that!" he shouted, angry at Kakashi's implications. "I want to stay here until someone comes to pick him up. I will be honest with you. I don't think he has a home." he finished softly.

"I'll stay here with you then. Its not like I have work today anyways. Highways into town are mostly iced over."

Kakashi continued to read his book while Iruka sat silently, torn between sorrow for the dirty, lonely little boy on the swings and slight frustration at Kakashi's childish antics. 'I know you're doing this on purpose, Kakashi, to cheer me up...'

"And it's working too." he admitted under his breath.

"Excuse me? What's working? Is it a good thing?" Kakashi questioned over the top of his book.

Iruka burst out laughing while Kakashi watched with a bemused expression on his face. He laughed so hard tears were rolling down his cheeks. Coughing, he wiped them away and sat up, only to find himself face to face with a blond-haired boy.

"Naruto?"

The child looked up at him with wide blue eyes, brimming with tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry...Mr. Umino...but...I-I k-k-kind of l-lied t-t-to you. Sopleasedon'ytbemadeI'msorry!" the little boy said the last part quickly and dropped to the ground as if expecting to be hit.

Iruka looked down at the small child curled up into a ball defensively and sobbing quite loudly. His heart ached with deep sorrow for the blond-haired boy.

"Naruto. I'm not mad and I'm not going to hurt you." he said as he gently scooped Naruto into his arms.

He was shocked at how light the child was. He hardly weighed anything, and what was worse was the trembles that shook his small, thin frame. 'Is he getting sick from being out here in the cold for so long?'

"Shhhh. Naruto. Its okay. I promise I'm not to hurt you. Its okay. Its okay." Iruka cradled the boy in his arms, trying to comfort him.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry." Naruto repeated over and over again.

He brought his knees to his chest and pushed himself against Iruka's chest, trying to get as close to the warmth as he could. He was still shaking, but at least he had stopped crying.

Kakashi watched as Iruka tended to the small child in his lap. 'He has always been good with children. Is this what he deals with every day at work?'

"I'm sorry..."Naruto sniffed into the folds of Iruka's jacket.

Two cerulean eyes looked up at Iruka, slightly unfocused and over bright. Concerned, he placed a hand on the little boy's forehead to check his temperature.

"Kakashi. Naruto has a very high temperature right now. We need to get him someplace warm and dry. There's no telling how long he's been out here like this."

The silver-haired man let himself be commandeered by Iruka's stern voice. It was ridiculous to argue with him, he already knew that. Without so much as a protest, he led his friend to a parked car on the opposite side of the street and began to drive.

Several minutes later, thanks to a few broken speed limits and several ignored stop lights despite the icy weather, the trio arrived at Kakashi's home. The moment they walked in the door, Iruka handed the now-sleeping Naruto to his friend and began to give orders.

"Kakashi. Please go start a bath. Make sure the water is nice and warm, but not too hot. I'll go get some blankets from the closet and set up a bed on the couch."

With a sigh, he set off to do as he was told. He couldn't help but feel that Iruka was letting his emotions get the best of him. However, he knew that his friend was going to have to calm down and unwind as his own pace. Nothing Kakashi said would change his mind so there was nothing left for him to do except what he was told.

He shifted Naruto until he was only being held with one arm and used his other to open the bathroom door. He retrieved a bath towel from a shelf from the closet and, spotting a shirt, decided to grab it as well. The kid would need something to wear after he was finished with his bath, and as for the clothes he wore currently, they could be tossed. There was no telling how old they were or how long he'd been wearing them.

Kakashi plugged the stopper into the bath drain and turned on the water. He tested the water's temperature by putting a few drops on his wrist. Perfect. He was a little uneasy about undressing Naruto though. 'What if he wakes up and thinks something bad is happening to him? What if he's been raped or abused or something and...?'

"Damn it, Kakashi. Get a grip. Quit being so paranoid!! He's just a kid. He's just a kid." he admonished himself.

Sighing again, he laid the kid gently on the floor and unzipped his orange jacket. He held up Naruto's body with one hand so he could pull it off, but stopped when he felt something strange. Rubbing it carefully, he ran his hand over what felt like an indent. He pushed the jacket aside and carefully slid Naruto's shirt up.

"Holy fucking shit." the words were out of Kakashi's mouth before he could stop them. "Iruka!" he called loudly. "Get over here and take a look at this!"

Alright everyone. I end this chapter there. If I continued, no one would review and want more. The next update will more than likely be delayed. This idea has been sitting in my brain for a while, and I kept toying with the idea of making Iruka a social worker. I mean, he is really good with kids in the anime so I figured, why not? Ya know. I hope for some feed-back on this. I really want to know what you guys all think.