Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Just borrowed him. Here, you can have him back. Sorry about the stains.

A flashback too fluffy to include in the story it started out in (The Space in Between), that story being WAAAY too long already, and scares the faint of heart off in the first chapter anyway...

ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo

When he heard the commotion and saw the little boy cowering in a tight defensive ball, he shot forward, using the cast on his arm to deflect the whipping tree branch the men were using as a switch. He landed a sharp kick on the man attempting to drive a boot into the boy's side, and his brown eyes flamed with such intensity that the attackers ran the minute they saw it.

Still shaking in the sudden rage and adrenaline, he squatted down and pulled at the orange sleeve with his good arm, trying to see the hidden face. He knew who this boy was, everyone knew who he was. He'd avoided interacting with him for fear he'd kill the little kid in anger at the demon who'd taken everything from him. But it was a kid, just a little kid. Iruka never saw him behaving in an evil possessed way. Kill him when the demon comes out, well, maybe that was too much of a risk. Then just execute him, dammit, don't let everyone torture the little kid like this.

The teary blue eyes peered up when it became apparent that onslaught was over. He stared silently and didn't move from his defensive position.

"Kid, you…come on, get up. They're gone." Iruka tugged at his sleeve. The blue eyes looked at him with a tired understanding. He didn't move. "Are you hurt?"

No answer. "Is there someone I can take you to? Who do you live with?" Iruka had heard that the boy was abandoned by his parents because of his innate evil.

"There isn't anybody," the boy said tightly. "So whatever it is you're gonna do, get it over with."

"I'm not doing anything to you. But I'm not leaving you here, as soon as I leave they might come back. Where do you live? I'll walk you home."

Great. Another pervert. His dingy public-housing-department room was his only sanctuary, and so far he had managed to keep it a secret from his would-be "admirers". He was keeping it that way.

"I don't have a home. Go away."

Iruka watched as the boy slowly uncurled, saw the evidence of the beating he had just taken and the thinness of the wary face. Something way, way deep inside clicked. He had to help him.

"Come with me, then. You need to clean those up, you'll get infected."

"No I won't. I don't get infected."

"Yes, you will. Come with me and I'll make you something to eat. You look like you could use some food. You'll be safe at my place; nobody screws with me, believe it." Iruka gave him a smile.

Naruto peered into the dark eyes, assessing. A bargainer. Food, he wanted food all right. If he could get the food first he could get away before the guy did whatever. If he wanted the whatever first, well, it depended. He looked trustworthy and they were always the worst.

His stomach grumbled and made the decision for him. He let the teen pull him up, wordlessly noting the cast from neck to wrist and the bruised chin. Iruka followed his eyes.

"My reward for taking a walk at night near the falls," he explained sheepishly. "Or so they tell me. I was out for a couple of days, I don't really remember."

Hm. Is this guy for real? Naruto followed him, limping, pushing his hand away when he went to help him walk by his side. When they got to his small apartment, Naruto moved through the rooms as quickly as he could, taking in the layout and checking for rooms with no windows. As long as there was a window he could get away. Even the bathroom had a transom; nowhere would he be trapped.

Iruka followed him, hanging back, watching him search. "There aren't any monsters here, honest."

He was about to suggest that the boy take a seat on the couch but in a flash he'd already crawled up onto it, pawing at the tattered lap quilt to cover up with.

"Hey, no shoes on the couch." Naruto flipped his shoes off with two quick digs of his toes and they flew across the room. Well, he looked comfortable enough. Bolder now, the curious blue eyes watched him disappear into the kitchen and smiled as he heard pans rattle.

Yes! Not just food, HOT food. He couldn't stand it. As comfy as the couch was, he just had to go see what was happening in the kitchen. He saw raw noodles on the counter and nearly fainted. Udon, udon, udon! he thought excitedly. He started to grin, and he noticed the older brown-haired boy looking at him again. Not leering. Not disgusted. Not angry. So far so good. He forgot every wound, hooking his fingers over the edge of the counter to pull up and peer over the side to get a better view.

"You wanna watch?" He drug a chair to the cabinet. "Here, stand on this. But be careful. And don't touch that, it'll be boiling soon."

That was it. He crawled up on the chair, up onto the counter and sat swinging his legs, banging his heels into the cabinet doors, watching the activity and totally unable to hold still.

Iruka sighed. "Hey, don't kick the cabinets. Why are you - do you have to go to the bathroom or something?"

He shook his head, but he looked too antsy to be trusted. Iruka worked part-time at the academy with the first-year students and he was pretty sure from unfortunate experience that he was right about his.

"Do it anyway. You need to wash those hands. And that face. Oh, wait, I should help you with that, so we can put something on those scrapes. Um - go wash your hands anyway."

He jumped down with a thump and pounded out of the kitchen into the bathroom, slamming the door like as shot.

Iruka smiled, shaking his head. Little kids were so awesome, they were always so full of life. The only people he could really relate to comfortably. He dumped the noodles into the boiling water and began chopping the vegetables one-handed without any particular difficulty.

Miniature thunder approached and in a flash of orange his supervisor was back, flinging water from his wet hands, and bouncing up and down on his seat on the counter before settling to stare at him determinedly.

"Vegetables?" frowned the skeptical boy.

"They'll taste good. You just have to drown 'em in something that tastes better." As he began cooking the smells filled the room and they did smell darn good.

Naruto was dying, he hadn't eaten since early the day before. He started to reach into the boiling water to snatch a noodle. A larger hand darted out and caught him, and the sad look startled him.

"You're starving, huh, little guy?" Iruka pulled open a drawer and fished out a package. His own treat, a package of pocky, he allowed himself the indulgence of buying them once in a while when he could scrape up the money. Then doled them out to himself one a day until they were gone. There were three left, and he handed them to the gaping blond. He barely retained all of his fingers as they were snatched and gobbled in a flash of grinning teeth.

"You!" the boy squealed. "Who are you?"

"My name's Iruka. What's yours?"

"Uzumaki Naruto! You should remember that name! When I'm boss I'll give you a good job, and I'll give you extra pocky every day!"

"Oooo-kay," he shook his head, truly amused. This kid was a head rush! Not an evil bone in his little body. He drained the noodles and tossed everything together, waving back the hovering fingers. He gave up and dumped some into a bowl, just handing it straight over to the kid still sitting on the counter. Chopsticks flew and the bowl was empty in seconds.

"So good! Vegetables! No way." he held out the bowl for more.

"Hey, don't get sick. Here, have some milk tea and let that settle first."

He sniffed the milk tea, instincts reawakened. He hadn't seen it prepared, it came straight out of the fridge. Is this where the payment came in? Something to knock him out in the tea? He paused with it just shy of his lips and sniffed.

Iruka saw the distrust and suddenly felt ashamed of himself for expecting such trust from a helpless little boy. He, of all people, should know better. He gently removed the glass from Naruto's surprised hand and drank a good third of it.

"It's good. I made it and I put real milk in it." He smiled, a big smile that hurt because he knew too well what he was being suspected of, and handed the glass back.

It was swallowed with great relish and a swipe of a sleeve across his mouth.

"You could have used a towel." He tentatively scruffled the thick blond hair. "We'll eat in a minute. At the table. Let's see to your wounds." He guided Naruto off of the counter into the bathroom, fishing for ointment and bandages as the water ran to warm it. Naruto stretched to reach and wiggled his fingers under the water and looked up curiously as the warm wet washcloth began swiping across his face. That smile. Still no sign of what his host was planning. He felt gentle touches applying the medicine.

"Sorry. Does that hurt?"

"Nope. So, is that it?"

"Do you hurt anywhere else? You were limping, I should…"

Naruto went to drop his pants and Iruka blushed, grabbing his waistband. "Hey, hang on! You can't just…geeze, kid. You need to learn a few things or you're not going to survive out there."

Naruto already knew and he already survived "out there" daily. But he also knew the signs and so far this guy was not that kind of a threat.

"You won't fix my leg?"

Iruka grimaced and let go of the pants, and they slid down to reveal a badly swollen knee. Moreover, the general impression was that a bath was weeks overdue.

"Tell you what," Iruka said quietly, tugging the pants back up carefully. "Do you still want more food?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically.

"Lets sit and eat, NOT INHALE so you have some prayer of digesting properly; then you can use my tub and have a bath. When you get out we'll put something cold on your knee for a while, then we'll wrap it. That should feel better, ne?"

Blue eyes blinked in disbelief. Was this an angel or something? The warm hand patted his shoulder, encouraging him to button up and come along.

o0o0o00o0o0

When he came out of the bath the door was closed, a towel and oversized t-shirt laid out, he grew cautious again. Where were his clothes? He clutched the towel and stuck his head out the door, listening intently as he carelessly dried his torso. He peered through the hallway and saw Iruka humming as he wrung the orange pants out in the kitchen sink for the fifth time, watching the water finally run clear - no small feat considering the arm in the cast. There, the whole mess was clean.

"I had to. Seriously, they stunk."

Naruto jumped back. How did he know I was watching him?

Iruka chuckled. "I'm a ninja, little guy."

A ninja that falls off cliffs? And feeds street kids? It puzzled Naruto, and worried him for the guy a little. He ducked back and pulled on the shirt, padding out so Iruka could go in and drain the tub (what a ring!) and hang up his clothes to dry. The older boy took the towel and scruffled it though his soggy hair.

"You really don't have a home? Well, you can camp on the couch tonight." He fished a pillow and sheet from the closet, assembled the makeshift bed. "You should try and remember where I live, okay? So you have a place to go if you get in trouble again. And maybe we can see about getting you signed up for classes. You should be in school, you know."

The resourceful boy had already locked the location in memory. If nothing bad happened he'd already planned on coming back. Covered, clean and comfortable he was snoring in minutes, oblivious to his benefactor scrubbing the bathtub while humming to himself.

o0o0o0o0o0o

In the dark of the early morning hours, he woke and gathered his wits, remembering the kind treatment and the generous person who helped him.

The sound that awoke him was a soft huff-huffing sound interspersed with small cries. He dropped down onto the floor and followed the sound to the figure on the tatami, shaking slightly under a blanket.

Naruto reached out and traced the tears on the sleeping face. Maybe seeing the beating the men had given him today was causing a nightmare. Guiltily he took a shoulder and shook, if he caused this he had to make it stop. Eyes flew wide and a moment of blind terror flashed in them, replaced by relief, supplanted by embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" Iruka sat up awkwardly and one-arm hugged the unsuspecting boy. Stunned, he didn't move. A hug. Nothing followed it but a pat on the head. "Go back to sleep. I just had a stupid dream."

A hug from someone just to be nice. It felt so warm and nourishing to his heart. He wandered back to the couch in a daze.

Ninja were magical people and he wanted to be the best of any of them, on his way to becoming Hokage. So a good ninja made everyone feel safe and important, even though they were more fierce and powerful… that's what his new Iruka-ninja friend did. He snuggled down into the couch and basked in the new feeling he had no name for yet, serenaded by the soft snores of companionship.