There was only one store Naruto knew of that would sell him his groceries without raising the prices to stupid heights. Him and the shopkeeper had an unspoken agreement, however - if someone saw him in the shop, he would get kicked out. That was why, just after 10pm, when most of the streets were clear, an orange-clad gennin was stealthily making his way down the street.
He breathed a sigh of relief as he slipped through the door into the fluorescent-lit shop. The old man grinned at him from behind the counter. Half an hour after closing time. He had been expected.
"Hey, Haruki-san," Naruto said, grinning. The old man look at him, but didn't reply. Naruto got the message, and said nothing more. If he replied, the old man would be acknowledging Naruto's presence. Still, there was a twinkle in his eye. No matter how much he pretended to hate him, Naruto knew that there was a soft spot somewhere in Haruki-san's heart for him.
Maybe.
He skipped the vegetables, heading straight for the ramen instead. The crates of fruit and veg leered at him as he walked past - Naruto knew that they weren't really, but he could feel it all the same. Cold, cold eyes again. The third hokage had sat him down once he was given his own apartment, and had explained to him the importance of eating healthily, etc, etc. For once, he had listened, eager to please and not wanting his new home taken away from him. He wouldn't be able to stand the orphanage again.
The next day, clutching his allowance, he had gone to the grocers. He had explained the situation to the kind lady behind the counter, and she had told him that she would pick out some good ones for him.
It had costed him nearly half of his month's allowance and they were all rotten; he stuck to tinned foods and ramen after that.
And that was were he was headed now - ramen, ramen, ramen. Cheap and delicious. What better food was there?
He grabbed two pints of milk out of the chilled shelves as he walked past.
And there it was.
The ramen shelf.
After checking for new flavours, an action that bore fruit very occasionally, he picked out his old favourites. Miso ramen (of course, but it wasn't a patch on Ichiraku's). Chicken ramen. Pork ramen. All his favourites. He dug to the back of the shelves - he had acquired a habit after a villager had told him that the world was going to end when he was young. He had been terrified for a while until finding a solution. He would pick the ones with the use-by dates that were furthest away. The world couldn't end if his ramen was still in date. He knew it wouldn't end, now, but it was too deeply ingrained in him for him to stop. And it was comforting, the tradition he had made of doing this now.
If he hadn't done it, he wouldn't have seen the pot at the back. Blue and white, unlike the others, which were green and white or red and white or yellow and white.
His heart skipped. A new flavour?
But when he pulled it off the shelf, careful not to knock any others off in the process, he read the top label with confusion. It didn't say Nissen Instant Ramen, like the others did.
It said 'Instant Family'.
A misprint? A really weird one, if that. Under ingredients, it just said 'Up to you'. No nutritional values, no storage information. It had a use-by date (one week from use? How did that work?), however, and instructions for use. Where the others told you how to cook it, this one was different.
"Remove lid. Pour in lukewarm water up to the measurement (make sure it isn't boiling; you don't want to burn your new relatives), and then mix in a drop of your blood for each family member. Let it cool for 3 minutes. Be sure to leave room for your new family to emerge."
His heart sped up. Could it be...shaking his head, he dismissed any thoughts of it actually working from his mind. He held on to it, however, and looked at the back of the shelves for more. He found one other.
Before he could think it through, he gathered up the rest of his shopping and took it to the counter. Haruki-san didn't spare the Instant Family containers a second glance as he scanned them, and they came up the same price as the normal ramen.
Clutching the bag as if it would fly away, Naruto walked back to his apartment, deep in thought. If this worked, if this worked, he wouldn't have to be alone any more.
It took him longer than usual to get to sleep that night.
A/N - Damn it. This was supposed to be a one shot, but I guess that isn't happening XD If you have any ideas for how this could go, please review, because I'm flying blind here.
