Homecoming

Summary: Three friends, one map, eleven dollars and fifty cents, two days worth of food, and three paper bags of clothes. Can ten-year-olds Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha find a place where they can stay together and not get separated by the law? Along the way, they make friends, meet with disturbing farmers, go on the road with the circus, and run into trouble with police. Based off the book 'Homecoming.'

AN: Umm ya, this was stuck on my mind for a while. I just needed to figure out which characters to use, so I chose Team 7.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt.

Prologue: What can we do?

The crackle of lightning could be heard five miles away from the house they were staying at for the time being. It was only a light rain, but they knew that in a matter of minutes, it would start to pour down cats and dogs.

From outside, you could see a small, two-story house with four windows on each side. A dim light flickered from the second floor window as the house shook from the pounding wind and rain. Inside the room, there was a small dresser with three drawers, one for each person. On top of that dresser were two combs, a brush, extra hair ties and ribbons. In a tray that was close to the edge of the dresser held some spare change, lose buttons, and bits of odds and ends that were found in and outside of the house.

Across the room from the dresser was a closet. Inside were three pairs of rain boots, sneakers, and slippers. The rest were jackets and sweaters that couldn't fit in the small drawers. To the side, under the windowsill was where two beds were pushed together to make a joint bed. All in all, the room was pretty much plain. The only things that could be found there were the bare necessities.

On the bed were three dark silhouettes. From the difference in hair length, you could tell that the one in the middle was a girl and the two to her left and right were boys. A pair of bright emerald green eyes stared out into the dark and empty streets below. Her body shivered as a huge gust of wind blew in from the slightly open window. Her friends looked at her and quickly wrapped her in whatever blankets they could spare.

A pair of cerulean blue and onyx eyes looked onto her concerned until she finally stopped shivering. They really didn't mind; it wasn't her fault that the sides of the window were uneven to the actual frames. Iruka had told them that the agency had cut back on funds because of the recent fires. So they had to save whatever money they could for food, clothes, and the bills for DWP.

Not wanting her friends to catch a cold because of her, she made it so the blankets wrapped around all of them. None of them spoke because they were depressed. Neither of them knew what to say or what to do about the upcoming week.

Flashback

Sasuke and Naruto hurriedly ran to the best hiding places they could find that was near base. Unfortunately, you could still see Naruto's spiky blonde hair popping out from the top of the bushes. Sasuke could be heard calling him an idiot from his place behind a nearby tree. Both of them knew Sakura would be able to find them. She always had this uncanny ability to find the two even when they didn't want to be found. But it was hard for them because she always chose to hide in the flowerbeds. This way, her natural pink hair and green and red clothes camouflaged her from their vision easily.

'One-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-'

The young girl was then interrupted from her counting when she heard someone from behind calling her name.

'Sakura-chan? Can you come with me to my office? There's some people I'd like you to meet.'

Knowing that she hadn't done anything wrong, Sakura walked with Iruka to his office. When she saw Naruto and Sasuke come out to see what was happening, she smiled and waved, explaining that she would come back to play as soon as she finished whatever it was that she had to do.

Not knowing what else they could do for the time being, Naruto challenged Sasuke to a race.

An hour later, the two had come to fetch her so they could go to the creek and catch frogs. But the minute she had stepped out of the office, they had seen the tears that were building up in her eyes. Before either of the boys could ask what was wrong, she burst into tears and ran outside.

It took them half an hour to find her among the cherry blossom trees. When they finally did, they couldn't help but feel concerned when they saw her crying silently. Her face was looking down at the single flower she held as her tears continued to drip onto it. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and they both sat down in front of her. For a minute, she didn't even notice their presence. But as soon as she did, she rubbed the tears out of her eyes with the sleeve from her shirt.

Sakura hated it when they saw her cry. It made her feel like a baby whenever she did. So when she looked up at them, she smiled her best 'I'm all right because I'm a big girl and big girls don't cry' smile. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other again and then turned back to Sakura.

"We knows something's wrong Sakura," Naruto blurted out loudly.

"The baka's right. We've all known each other since we were four. So we can tell when you have on fake smiles."

At that remark, the boys got her to smile a real smile. I was true, what Sasuke said. They all knew the different mannerisms and habits of the other two even if they didn't know their own that well. Like how Naruto would steal the blanket from them whenever he had a good day. Or when Sasuke laughs, it comes out soft and cut up at first, but then flows out smoothly and a little louder. Seven years of sharing the same room and living in the same house could do that to you.

"Spill Sakura, you know you can't hide it from us forever..."

Naruto squinted his eyes and crossed his arms nodding because he knew it was true. Secrets didn't stay secrets for long between the three of them. Sasuke nodded along with him, staring at Sakura, waiting for her to explain what was happening.

Deciding they were right, she looked up from the flower in her hands and rested her gaze on her friends.

"I'm...I'm getting adopted next week..."

Blink

"WHAT! Why are you crying about that Sakura? That's great that you're getting adopted! You'll be able to get a real home, parents, your own room, real fri-"

But then Naruto was cut off by a sob from Sakura.

"That's just it Naruto! I'm happy that someone out there would want to adopt me, but I don't want to be adopted anymore! I don't want a real home, parents, my own room or real friends! My real home is here with you two! You guys are my real friends and all the family I could ever hope for! You guys are like the brothers I never had..."

Both of the boys were silent as they stared blankly at her. She was crying uncontrollably and her shoulders shook from her sobs. The flower she was once holding with the utmost care was now crushed in a fist at her lap. Neither of them thought that the day would come where one of them would be separated from the other two. They had all agreed to just live each day to it's fullest and not worry about the future.

None of them knew what to do. So they just sat there lost in their thoughts until Iruka called them in to have dinner.

-

As the three of them ate their dinner quietly, Iruka looked at them concerned. It was never this quiet at the table before. That last time it was this quiet was when Naruto had caught pneumonia two years back. He had barely pulled out of it when it was in its most fatal stage.

He was about to ask them what was wrong when the phone rang.

Standing up, he left to answer it. From the dining room, they could hear Iruka's voice. It was the happy teacher like voice they were used to hearing. Instead, his voice came out in a blank tone with no emotion sewn into it whatsoever.

"I see...yes...you'll be coming by on Tuesday? I'm not sure he'll be happy with this-yes I know that Orochimaru-sama is his legal guardian, it was stated in their will-yes but is there some other way we could do this? You know that he was traumatized by the time he came to us, police reports say that he had something to do with the massacre..."

Sasuke dropped his fork onto the plate with a loud Clink. His body had become rigid and his shoulders shook slightly. The second he heard the name of the freak, he knew everything that came after would be terrible. And he was right. Sakura and Naruto had stopped eating when they heard the name as well.

Both knew that today was turning out to be terrible.

Iruka came back and sat down with a sigh. Looking around at the three faces that looked back at him, he felt even worse. He was now aware that they had heard his conversation with children's custody and about Orochimaru. Naruto and Sakura weren't oblivious to Sasuke's past. They knew each other too well to keep secrets from the other two. 'I might as well just tell them right now...'

"Sasuke? Sasuke can you look up for a sec?"

Listening to his request, Sasuke looked up slowly, his bangs falling into his eyes.

"That was Sarutobi-sama from children's custody...Orochimaru has been cleared of all charges and is now your legal guardian. He'll be coming by next Tuesday with a lawyer to drop off the final paperwork...He'll be your new father."

Not knowing what to expect from the small Uchiha, he was surprised when he saw him nod a little.

"May I be excused? I'm kinda' sleepy..."

Translation: I feel sick and want to leave now. I can't finish eating knowing that HE'LL be coming here...

"Yes, don't forget to bring your plate to the sink though."

3

2

1

"May we be excused too," came Naruto and Sakura's voice simultaneously.

Smiling at the two, he nodded his head. Watching them scurry off after their friend, he sighed again and drooped against the table. Of all the people this had to happen to, it had to happen to those three. Those three would have to pay for the mistakes made by their parents the day they became orphans. And by some twist of fate, their fates would always intertwine with each other's.

"The universe hates me," mumbled Iruka as he got up and cleared the rest of the table.

End Flashback

Crash

The three continued staring out of the window. Lightning had finally gotten closer to their house and would illuminate their faces every time it flashed. By some unknown signal, Sasuke bent forward, and blew out the candle in front of them. Unwrapping the blankets, Sakura and Naruto fixed them so that it made a nest of some sorts. Taking the pillows, they surrounded the 'nest' with them to make walls. Lying down, with Sakura sandwiched in the middle, they pulled a spare blanket on top of them.

Knowing that they wouldn't fall asleep for another hour, Naruto called out to the others. When he got their attention, he asked the inescapable question that had been in their minds since dinner.

"What can we do?"

End Chapter

Preview:

Sasuke looked up from his place on their bedroom floor. He had no idea what he was doing. All the little red lines that criss-crossed across the paper looked the same to him. And it didn't help with the different scales on the bottom left corner or the numbers of highways and small towns in between.

"Sakura, can you read a map?"

"Yeah I can, it's like an atlas right?"

"No atlas' are different aren't they," Naruto asked as he scratched his nose.

"I don't know, they look the same to me," Sasuke replied crossing his arms as he tried to think.

"...Ano, Sakura, what's an atlas?"

AN: Please review. I know I still have other storie that I have yet to update, but I can't think about what to do with them. It's summer so something should come to me sooner or later. NEWAYZ, tell me what you think, give me pointers, tell me you hate it, what your favorite Ice-cream flavor is...okay scratch that last one. But flames are excepted because they will come in use when I make my s'mores.