Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but if I did, there wouldn't be so many filler episodes.

A/N: Please don't forget to review, if you like it. It's full of drama and texture, so be ready to invest in the characters!

Thirst Academy

Chapter One: Twelve Years Ago

With her thumb and index finger, Ino pointed to cloudless, evening sky with the threat of a pretend gun. With a small "pow!" here and a "zap!" there, Ino almost got each firefly within the backyard of Yamanaka Manor. Her partner in "crime" Sakura could barely contain her giggles as she chased the fireflies with an empty jar that used to be filled with grape jam.

That day had nearly been the most perfect day of Ino Yamanaka's summer. Though she was only nine autumns old, she knew fun as intimately as any child in Konohagakure Village of the Hidden Leaf. However, that day of 'perfection' had never been truly perfect though she had woken up to the first day of summer, ran to Sakura Haruno's home with the intent to play all day and actually got to play all day and eat tasty treats. There had yet to be one more interaction to forever change the course of Ino's life.

With a rap at the backdoor, both girls knew what was coming. Ino's mother's head stuck out of the door. "I'm so sorry, but Sakura I think your parents are expecting you back before dark. I wouldn't want to give them any more worries."

Ino's shoulder slumped, before the prospect of an entirely free summer day tomorrow would be waiting came to mind, "Mom, can she come over tomorrow?"

Ino's mother's eyes gleamed with honesty as she said: "Sakura is welcome any time, you know that, Ino."

Ino squeezed Sakura in a hug, before allowing her to head on home. Smelly from a day in the toils and spoils of dirt, Ino nearly stepped into the house. Ino's mother caught her by the back of the collar. "I have one last delivery to make, would you like to be the hero to complete the mission for me?"

Ino's body swam with excite, "You've got it, Captain Mom!" Ino snatched the bouquet of lilies and white roses from her mother's right hand, and read the tag: Uchiha Manor. Before her mother could even say 'goodbye', Ino slipped from her fingers and raced out of the open back gate.

Sasuke had enough of Itachi's saliva in his ear to last him a lifetime. Itachi was sure to get away with it, after all, both sons had promised their mother they would not fight on her special day. Sasuke struggled not to get frustrated when the adults and teens shoved their way past to get a few words in to his father, who Sasuke was standing next to. It wasn't the head of the Police Force's birthday, it was Mom's. How could he take that from her? No one seemed to notice. Soon, it wouldn't even matter, four days later almost every Uchiha would be dead.

Itachi clamped him on the back, "Did you place the order for Mom's birthday on time?"

"Of course," Sasuke scoffed. "I did it a week in advance."

"Then where are they?" Itachi asked, trying not to draw attention to himself, but it was hard with the fawning girls itching for him to stop talking to that little kid and start gracing them with his presence. "They're late."

Sasuke knew where Itachi was going—he had to get them himself. Go all the way to the Flower Shop, and then, if he was lucky, make it back before cake cutting. Sasuke grumbled about the incompetence of that Yamanaka clan. He had felt so important placing an order, and they didn't even take him seriously.

However, he had to swallow his words when a red faced, sweating little girl met him at the steps just outside the gate. One hand rested on her knee and the other shoved the bouquet of flowers at his chest. Her voice was breathy and choppy as she straggled, "Thank you for purchasing Yamanaka Flowers, we hope you enjoyed both our service," she took a mighty gasp for air, "and the flowers. Happy birthday, Sasuke."

Sasuke accepted the flowers, pleased he didn't have to go all the way down there after all. It wasn't so late, anyway, the sun was still up and it barely was a tick tock over five in the afternoon. It put him in a pretty good mood, if you asked him. So good, he might even invite the girl in. She looked to be a ninja, for he hadn't seen her canine teeth elongated to prove vampirism, and she had a pleasant attitude that lifted his spirits.

"It's not my birthday," he didn't smile or frown, "but thank you."

Neither of them knew that someday they wouldn't be able to stand the sight of each other in the years to come. That was one of the rare days that Sasuke Uchiha and Ino Yamanaka would ever want anything to do with each other.

Ino couldn't stay much longer without worrying her mother, "Have a nice day, defeat over all vampires!" she waved, and dove back down the numerous steps.

Sasuke was pleased, she came from a good home to denounce those vampire fiends—historical enemies to the ninjas and shinigamis, even the werewolves were a step above those blood-thirsty, inhumane creatures. "Death to all vampires!" he called after her.

Kiba stared at the veins of dark yellow and blood red across a darkening canvas. His head rested on his hands as he lay against the warmth, the comfort of the grass—the first day of summer. His cheek still stung from the slap his older sister gave him. How could he have been so careless?

His eyes tightened as he remembered her words and fought to memorize them.

Do not associate with those creatures, those vampires, do you hear me? We werewolves have had to crawl our way up to society—to prove that we're better than them, don't you go messing that up! Byakuya won't hire me as anything, if he sees you with a vampire; you're an Inuzuka, not some common rat. If you need a friend, find it in a book, or a nice ninja…

How could he have been so careless? He wondered again.

He was far better than that fat kid Choji. He was just overeager to be out of school that was all. He should've known all vampires are dirty, even the ones that offer snacks—no—especially ones that offer snacks. He should've taken off when he read the notes in that fat kid's diary. All of it was gross, full of poems about nature at first, then people that walk the streets of Konoha, and the rest about boys—boys! Gosh was he feeling stupid. He closed his eyes and prayed he would never make such a mistake again.

The next day came with a start for Choji Akimichi. He had been promised by a real human to be allowed to play a game of kickball with them. He didn't even think it might be a trick, a false promise just to get the annoying, chubby kid out of the way. However, Ichigo swore as true as anything, even gave him the location and time on a napkin, that Choji could play with them.

His mother cried out of happiness and packed him a big lunch so he wouldn't wear himself out and could have the energy back, if he did. Choji made sure he got there early at Keno Field. He sat himself down and chowed down on a bag of chips, scribbling a few bits of poetry about his new friend: Ichigo.

The sun rose high and made Choji's skin all red and blotchy by the time Ichigo got the other kids to stick around and play with a vampire. Most were bewildered that there even was such a thing as a fat vampire, but Choji was prove enough. So, they got into lines, with Ichigo as captain and Neji as the other captain.

Choji tried not to cry immediately, he was always the last one to be picked for these sorts of things. He would be the first to get hit, but never one to get the ball passed to. There was no teacher to make sure everyone got a fair shot—this was street kickball.

Choji got in line, squishing a smaller kid on his left against another kid. He waved to Kiba, but Kiba didn't even spare him a glance. He tried to talk with him, but Kiba kept avoiding him. Choji shrugged, hoping it was just a change of mood, not a change of heart. They were still friends, weren't they?

Ichigo made sure Choji wasn't the last to be picked, though he got a lot of looks and a few snickers of victory from the members of Neji's team. However, Choji just couldn't be any dead weight. He would have to be active, worthy enough to be put on Ichigo Kurosaki's team. So, Choji played outfield, making sure to jump after any stray balls, or catch the ones that deflected off his stomach. At first, he was doing really well, until lunch time hit and no one wanted to eat until the score was nice and even—it was more exciting that way.

Still, an hour passed and Choji felt like he was going to pass out. The other kids yelled at him, a few told Ichigo to kick him off the team, literally, but Ichigo never wavered. He only shouted and got on Choji to pick things up.

The sun was hot, so hot…and here Choji was, doing all this difficult work. He hadn't even heard: "Watch out!" when a fast ball from Neji himself was sent straight at him.

The red ball slid over the sunlight and Choji's eyes widened, but he stood frozen in fear as time itself slowed down just to torture him. He couldn't have been more thankful when Shikamaru's hand shot out and pushed the ball away—and straight to Rukia Kuchiki's face.

Only the humming bugs dared to make sound as Byakuya's younger sister had been hit in the face. The gut feeling to run away overwhelmed a few, but most were too shocked to do much.

"Great going, Nara!" Ichigo yelled, anger making his words spit, "If only you could've used that when we really needed you."

Shikamaru stood with his head resting in his hands behind his head, nonchalantly he shrugged, "I move when it's necessary. I didn't ask you to pick me, alright?"

Ichigo stormed over, not even concerned with Rukia as much as the other girls who flew to her aid. He grabbed a fistful of Shikamaru's shirt. "You're going to pay for hitting her."

"I'll let you know when I get a job." Shikamaru said, bringing tears to Choji's eyes. Was this all for him? Could Shikamaru truly be risking his stature for the likes of him, a chubby vampire?

Shikamaru spat out blood and a tooth by the time Ichigo had gotten his round of blows through. Ichigo heaved with rage and he barely knew why. Life had been treating him like crap ever since Mom died, and that lazy kid hadn't made it any better by hitting Rukia in the face. It reminded him of the jerk who killed his Mom without so much as an explanation, or a care in God's green world.

Shikamaru hadn't let himself get beat up, though; he got two fists to Ichigo, though he mostly missed. One straight to the temple, and another across the lips, however, Ichigo had done far more damage.

Rukia put an ice pack to her head, and held one to Ichigo's own wound. "You're completely silly, you know that?"

"Silly?" Ichigo asked, steading her shaking arm. The idiot had gotten her straight in her right eye. "How am I silly? You're the one who hadn't been watching the ball! First rule of kickball: keep your eyes on the ball at all times. Warning: you might just get hit the eye, if you don't." Ichigo spat into the garbage can near his bed.

Rukia had been at the Kurosaki household for all of ten minutes, and Byakuya had already found out about her injury. Ichigo's dad downstairs was speaking with him.

Rukia glared at Ichigo, before she softened. "Why'd you do it?" she caught the confusion that swept his face early. "Why'd you hit him?"

Ichigo was only nine, but he knew what a blush felt like, and what it usually meant. "Nothing, really, just that he was acting like it was alright to hit someone and say nothing about it, no sorry or anything."

Rukia nodded understandingly, she had heard the same hurt in his voice before: at his mother's funeral. She lifted the ice pack and replaced it with her lips, holding his cheek to help get a feel for where his temple was. Though her lips landed harsher than she planned, she still whispered. "Thank you for protecting me."

Ichigo wiped his nose with his finger to keep from showing his blush. "Protecting you? Is that what you thought it was? Whatever keeps you sane, sure."

Rukia missed. She tried to strike him, but her fist landed against the air next to his ear. Ichigo jumped up fast, "What are you, nuts?"

Rukia didn't need both eyes to reach across and up to snatch off his Band-Aid, making him yelp so loud, her ears were ringing after.

Naruto walked around Kisuke's Convenience-Grocery Shop. Though his pockets were empty, and his clothes were filthier than his hair (which was major competition), he felt different than he had in other shops. At other places, they would kick him out before he tried to enter. If he tried to defend himself, he called the cops. If they actually let him in, then he was watched so closely, even a sneeze was a ploy to steal.

However, here, Kisuke was nose deep in the afternoon paper, caring less that an orphan with no way to pay just entered his shop. His sun hat was worn, but kept the light off his face. He didn't need to watch Naruto, he could just feel when a thief was about, and he didn't feel it there.

So, unless his senses needed sharpening up, the kid was good to read comics as long as he liked. Naruto adjusted his large shirt, careful not to seem like he hid anything beneath it. He wasn't there to steal. Most people threw money at him at night to avoid being mugged, even though he was only eight and three-fourths. He just picks up dinner at the diner across his apartment.

Kisuke yawned. "You can keep the one you're reading."

Naruto jumped; alert that the man with the young face, but silver hair was now watching him directly. "Why? Don't want my filthy hands all over the pages?"

Kisuke's eyes widened. "What? No, obviously not, it's outdated and unpopular. I was ripped off by some want-to-be art seller. You always read the series, so keep it. I know that particular one's your favorite."

Naruto examined the man: he had a fitting, athletic long-sleeves shirt on and matching black pants that went into sandals, but he didn't look to be a ninja. In fact, he didn't look like anything, besides chill. "Do you want it, or not?"

Naruto tucked the comic under his arm, before nodding. "Yes, please."

"Then keep it." The man repeated, before yawning again.

Without warning, a woman appeared on the window sill. She made Naruto's cheeks flame at the sight of her as she climbed down, her shape was accentuated by a dark orange shirt that hugged her tightly and pumped up her full breasts. Naruto would've peed his pants if he saw a woman like her go over to a man like him—chill, slightly boring—and kiss him.

She didn't. Instead, she pulled a fast one and hit him so hard in the face; he fell backwards onto the mat he was just sitting on. The newspapers flew everywhere, one of them swayed before the wrathful woman's face. "Really? You're just going to hand away my favorite comic books to some random kid who just waltzes in here?"

So she heard, but Naruto would've noticed if he saw a sexy woman like that in the same room as him. All he saw was a black cat sleeping on the steps of the entrance. He couldn't stop staring, but checked so see if he was drooling—yes, he was most definitely drooling. Her dark skin looked brilliant in contrast with her radiant golden orbs that shimmered like setting suns. "Answer me!"

Kisuke rubbed the blood off the corner of his mouth, "Yoruichi—"so that what the fine vixen's name is. "Please understand, how was I supposed to know?"

"That's all I ever read around here, everything else is pretty much crap!" she shouted, throwing a stray magazine at him. "I work so hard around here—"

"Work?" Kisuke got up to his feet, "Yoruichi, when's the last time I've ever asked you to do work around here?"

"And I won't! Until you start treating me like—"please don't say wife, Naruto prayed, thinking he'd someday grow up and have a chance, "a valued member of this shop, and not a day earlier!"

Kisuke soothed her with his hands rubbing over hers, making Naruto wonder if they really were married. Like everyone else, Naruto thought that they had forgotten all about him. It was bound to happen soon enough. So, he made ready to leave.

"You got a home, kid?" the woman's first words to him. Her words seemed harsh, but her face was soft, and her tone as concerned as any mother—which Naruto hoped wouldn't be the relationship that would grow between them.

"Well, yeah…"Naruto fumbled, trying to sound manly. "I've got my own place, my own apartment west of here."

Kisuke looked impressed, but Yoruichi wasn't fooled. "Anyone at this apartment to take care of you, though, like-like a mom, sister, cousin maybe?"

Naruto crossed his arms. "I don't need anyone to take care of me. In fact, I could take care of you, I'd get a job and—"

Kisuke burst into laughter and it took a few seconds of wide-eyes for Yoruichi to realize this kid was flirting with her. If she had a thousand bucks for how many multiples of his age she could fit into hers, the sum would give her chills.

"You can have a job here, starting tomorrow," Kisuke said when he recovered from his fits of laughter. "Then you can provide all the wealth, love, and care for this young lady."

Naruto, at first, was skeptical of this guy's kindness—until he spotted the tiny evidences that the man didn't like cleaning and Yoruichi clearly wasn't going to be his maid. He couldn't turn it down, so he said, "You've got a worker."

"And Yoruichi has just become a cougar, with a brand new diamond to flash her," Kisuke responded, earning a jab to his own jewels. Naruto laughed, but didn't dare to do it for long, Yoruichi was glaring. She crossed her arms and headed out with her head held high.

A/N: Please review! I know there are a lot of stories, but I hope to make it all work. Tell me what you think, please!