Hello lovely people! How are you this fine afternoon? Here's the next installment of "You're Here?"!
Honestly, I had no idea what to title it when I first started working on this. That was the best I could think of. I saw a list of some of the most tear-jerking scenes in anime and it had breakfast from Erased. I couldn't get the scene out of my head but I had Naruto having a meal with his parents for the first time after getting them back as a child. This fic will lead up to that and go a little beyond. Consequences of Minato's and Kushina's comas need to be addressed. I don't know how far into the series I'll go or if this will stay pre-series. Also a quick rundown of some things I am using in this fic: a line break denotes a relatively short passage of time (from an hour to a few days) to scene changes, bold text indicates a specific passage of time, and italicized text are thoughts (who's thoughts should be obvious, tell me it isn't).
Anyway, enjoy the first chapter!
I own nothing but my OCs.
Chapter 1: A Little Boy's Woes
April, four and a half years later
A little boy of four years old bounded through Konohagakure no Sato, Konoha for short. He sloshed paint everywhere from the bucket he held behind him. Chunin chased after the boy.
"NARUTO!"
The same little boy, Naruto, panted in the alley he found to hide from the angry chunin. Believing himself safe, he left the paint and brush in the alley and made his way back to the orphanage. He knew the caretakers would be angry. They always were. No matter what he did to please them, they always favored the other children. He had no idea why. He hated it. But that was the one place willing to care for him. The other orphanages refused and no one qualified wanted to adopt. So there he was stuck.
Naruto found his bedroom window, thankfully open, and climbed back inside the plain building. Less than a minute later, the head caretaker was in his room - glaring.
"Oh, uh, hi Fubatsu-san." Naruto's voice quivered.
"And where have you been this afternoon, hm?"
"...nowhere…"
"Mhm. Then would you like to explain the missing paint supplies, the newly-colored village, and the commotion from the chunins about half an hour ago?"
"Um...well...uh...you see...well...you know-"
A frustrated groan cut off Naruto's stuttering. Naruto looked at Fubatsu with surprise and fear. She returned his gaze with one of ice and hatred. I should have done this the day he turned four.
Fubatsu closed and locked the window before leaving the room. Naruto was confused before she returned with a small bag. She pushed him away from the dresser then stuffed what little clothes he had in the bag.
"Um...Fubatsu-san," Naruto asked nervously, "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" She shot back. Naruto flinched.
"But, why?"
Naruto was scared. The orphans normally didn't get turned out until their third year in school, when they're eight. He feared what would happen. The old man he met in the forest, jiji, was nice but Naruto wasn't sure if he would help. Naruto stood stock still while Fubatsu finished her work. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the front door.
Fubatsu shoved the bag of clothes into Naruto's hands before almost literally throwing him out the door. She closed and locked it before Naruto could reach. The boy pounded on the door as hard as his little arms could, begging, crying to be allowed back in. He pleaded with tears streaming down his face. Eventually, he gave up and sobbed while trudging down the street.
Up in the trees, an ANBU with the mask of a dog watched the boy walk. Another ANBU appeared next to Dog. Dog remained silent but inclined his head in questioning.
"Hokage-sama wishes to see the boy. You are to bring him there immediately."
Dog nodded. The other ANBU vanished. Dog watched Naruto walk a little further before jumping and landing in front of him. Naruto gasped and jumped back, making fists while looking up to see who this person was. He was surprised to see an ANBU.
"ANBU-san?"
"Hokage-sama wishes to see you immediately. I am to bring you there."
"But, I'm-"
Naruto's reply was cut off when Dog lifted him up and jumped from the street. Naruto instinctively wrapped his arms around Dog's neck and held on to his waist with his legs. He started smiling and enjoying the ride when the initial shock wore off.
Hiruzen sighed. Naruto had just left his office with Dog a few minutes ago. He knew the employees of the orphanage were reaching their limit, but he never imagined they would throw Naruto out. He'll need to stay with Dog for a few days while Hiruzen secures an apartment for the four-year-old. Hiruzen sighed again. He sometimes hated the civilians' attitudes.
Naruto followed his jiji through the door of the apartment. He wanted to stay with Dog but knew that he couldn't. Dog had duties. He couldn't take care of Naruto.
Naruto looked around. The apartment was small, with only a main room, bathroom, and bedroom. He didn't mind. He didn't need all that much room anyway.
"This is yours," Hiruzen explained, "Take care of it. You will receive an allowance from the village to cover rent, groceries, and any other things you may need." He handed a set of keys to the boy.
Naruto looked up at Hiruzen. "Thank you, jiji," and took the offered keys.