A/N: This chapter is in celebration of summer vacation! (Rhyme not intended)
Makoto strode at a leisurely pace, towards his favorite ramen stand. 'Ah, ramen,' his face took on a dreamy expression, as a small stream of drool trickled down his chin. 'The food of the gods… So delicious and heavenly…Maybe-' "Oof!"
He was cut off from his thoughts as he collided with something. Or rather, someone. He looked down to see a small boy, no older than six, with sunny blonde hair, and six whisker marks adorning his face. His blue eyes looked up at Makoto with mistrust uncommon for people his age. But what stuck out the most about his appearance were not his ragged clothes, or the grime spread over him like a second layer of skin, but how skinny he was. An Akimichi would probably faint at the sight.
'I'm pretty sure no human should be that skinny. Especially not a child!' thought Makoto with a frown. Then his face lit up again. 'I know! I'll treat him to some ramen! That'll put a grin on his face!' He cleared his throat.
"Little boy," the child flinched, as though he were about to be struck. "Would you like to come have ramen with me?"
He looked at Makoto as though he'd just proposed to jump to the moon. His expression shifted from disbelief, to confusion, and finally to suspicion.
"….Why?"
"Because I'm going to get ramen and unless you eat something fast you'll die," Makoto stated matter-of-factly. Naruto (the blonde boy, as I'm sure you've all guessed) eyed him warily. There must be a catch. There was always a catch. But the pain in his stomach was overwhelming his brain so he couldn't think properly. And the brown haired man was right; at this rate, he would starve.
"Well……." Naruto started to say, only to be cut off by a loud rumble from his stomach. Makoto took that as a yes to his offer and was instantly propelling the boy towards the ramen stand, chattering all the way.
"So, do you like ramen?"
"I don't know." Makoto could hardly believe his ears. There were only two possibilities behind this answer, but the first was strange and the second……the second was inconceivable!
"…you mean you're indecisive about it right?" 'Choice one…'
"No, it's just; I've never had it before." Makoto nearly had a stroke. 'Not choice two!!'
"N-never had r-ramen! Oh, you poor, underprivileged child! You have suffered so much! Imagine….not having ramen…" he shuddered and started muttering incomprehensibly. Naruto, on the other hand, was beginning to feel uneasy about this. It looked like the man was one of those whack-shack escapees. Figures, the only person who was nice to him besides the Hokage turned out to be a nut. The blonde wondered idly whether people carrying long needles and fancy jackets would come to take the brown haired man away.
"Here we are!" said the now-recovered Makoto cheerfully, oblivious to the child's not-so-nice thoughts about him.
"Oi! Old man!" he called to the stand owner. "Two miso ramens for me and…."
He grinned sheepishly when he realized he didn't know his young companion's name.
"Er…. I'm Makoto. What's your name?"
"…Uzimaki Naruto."
"Well, Naruto-san, you're about to have the best food on the planet! Food fit for emperors, even gods! Food that you can't live a good life without! If I were to die choking on ramen, then I'd die a happy man!"
Naruto raised his eyebrows, but made no comment. 'Crazy ramen addict.'
"Here you are, two miso ramens," said the old man, before he went to tend to the other customers. The blonde shifted uncomfortably as Makoto intently watched him pick up his chopsticks and take a small bite of ramen.
"Well?" Makoto questioned eagerly. Naruto thought for a second before answering.
"I don't really like it."
Makoto gasped. "You…don't…like…ramen!" His breathing speed up, until suddenly he collapsed onto the counter. Naruto sweat dropped.
'He fainted just because I don't like ramen…'
"Um, Makoto-san," he said, gently prodding the man's shoulder. The ramen guy walked over, and calmly surveyed his number one customer.
'Not again,' he thought. "So, are you going to bring him home?"
"Eh?"
"Makoto-san needs someone to bring him home. I'll give you another ramen for free if you do it for me."
Naruto readily agreed. Even if he didn't particularly like ramen, he still wanted something to eat. After devouring another bowl of ramen and receiving directions to Makoto's house, he set off, dragging the man's unconscious body with him.
--
"Now where did the ramen guy say his house is?" Naruto grunted as he hauled Makoto along. "Damn, this guy's heavy! I had better get some kind of extra reward for this!"
Night would fall soon, and he still couldn't find the house! The blonde shivered unconsciously.
"It must look like I'm trying to hide a dead body or something! The things I do for food," he grumbled.
Suddenly, he stumbled back in surprise, as two masked figures barred his way.
"Uzimaki Naruto," said the first, in a flat emotionless voice. "You are hereby under arrest. Do not attempt to resist, we will use force if necessary."
Naruto gulped.
A/N: I just love to torture you guys! This first chapter was mainly humor, but the story gets more serious as it goes on. R&R, please!