Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It is a wonderful anime and manga and I command that you go purchase it now. 'Kay? 'Kay. This is strictly fan-made and no profit is being earned from it—it is just for the purpose of getting an honest writing critique (and to be some of my favorite characters … and maybe some not-so-favorite ones). So without further ado, please enjoy!

PLEASE READ THE INTRODUCTION. I mean, it's not REQUIRED but … ceiling cat would like it very much if you did.

INTRODUCTION: Alright, so first off, this story was originally supposed to be a one-shot. This is not an explanatory statement, it is a warning. Because it was originally designed for it to be only one chapter, expanding the story might lead to great catastrophe. Therefore, brace yourself, and do not be afraid to give criticism—if all goes to hell in a hand-basket from here on in this story, I could use all the help I can get. Basically, I plan to introduce a bunch of my favorite characters as the main ones, as well as involve others that I don't like so much and use their presences effectively to generate the right feel that I want for the story. You will notice that since this is an alternate universe, some things are fitted with humanized explanations, such as Naruto and Gaara being Jinchuuriki and the Akatsuki's purpose, methods, and member qualities (if I decide for sure that I want to add them). The way they'll come together is predictable, yet it's strange how it seems almost like it's not. But you'll see after you read this chapter. I plan to do large portions of chapters or perhaps even whole chapters and devote them to individual characters so you can get a better feel of the situation. Don't worry: I won't leave you hanging with just this. Rate and review, and tell me if I'm doing well!

(XXX)

"Iruka, I'm going to become a therapist," Kakashi stated. It was like a point-blank shot had been fired off into Iruka's head. He blinked and tried to gather his thoughts from the shock of it.

"You … what?"

"Part of the reason that I came over so late—and had so many breakups—was because I went back to college with a schedule set for the hours I had open after work. I'm going to become a therapist, and hopefully be able to offer group sessions for teens and young adults."

The only reason it shocked Iruka so much was because out of all the things Kakashi had divulged to him over the couple of years they'd spent working together and building a friendship, he'd never told him once about anything pertaining to hobbies, dreams, goals, and especially not going back to college to get an education.

"But … how did you juggle a job like that and an education? You work really long hours, right?"

"Yeah, but it's not too bad. There's not too much take-home work so that leaves me pretty free."

"But how are you going to hold it down in addition to being a therapist? That kind of profession involves much more work than that of an office job or going to college, I'm sure you know!"

"I know. But you have to believe me, Iruka, when I say I can do it."

"… How long have you been working on your degree?"

"…Longer than the two years we've known each other."

"… And how far along are you?"

"I'm nearly there. I'll be able to get into the practice legitimately by the end of this year."

"… You must've been working hard for this for a really long time, huh?"

"… Yeah."

"But why are you telling me all of this now?"

"I need to ask a favor of you to help my dream be complete."

"Oh … What is it?"

"I want to have sessions at your place."

There was a long pause, the whole time during which Iruka stared at him blankly. "… Use your own damn house."

"Iruka …"

"Kakashi, things are really tight for me right now. The last thing I want is to take on something else in the midst of my financial troubles!"

"Won't you listen to my reason before you decide?"

"Fine. What is your reason for choosing my home?"

"… Your refrigerator is always full."

"… Kakashi, I am about this close to—"

"It's not like that, just hold on a second! Whenever I come over, this place is like a happy home. I know that there will always be a carton of milk in the fridge for us to share, and a person I can count on to listen to my troubles. I want the environment to be like that. The only place I can think of like that is your house. I already am taking advantage of your kindness a lot, but this is the best option I can think of, and I want to give it a shot before settling for any less."

On one hand, Iruka was extremely concerned about the situation. He knew nothing about Kakashi's emotional stability, and if it was not very stable, having a job like that could tear him down from the inside out. He had a bit of an advantage against that from the education he was getting, but other than that, the road of a therapist was a dark one to travel down, because if you got lost in the problems of others and in your own emotions, you might not manage to return. He was also irritated at Kakashi for bringing up something like that on such short notice.

But on the other hand, it felt like the whole situation was a Godsend. Whatever being lived up in the sky and usually tormented him daily with boring office work he now swore to never curse again.

Taking care of Naruto had been tough from the get-go. Not only had Iruka already spent over a month sorting out all kinds of issues with the adoption agency, but he also had to get the boy his vaccinations—which he clearly did not have, defined by common sense if you believed his story—had to teach him how to mow lawns for some extra cash that could be used to buy his helping of the food, and rustle up even more money to buy clothes.

In addition to that, they'd had a very serious incident within the first week of living together—Iruka had heard loud sounds like things were being thrown about, dropped, and smashed, and growls and yells coming from the second floor. He'd rushed up to see what had happened and found Naruto curled in a ball on the floor, pupils dilated, teeth clenched, with various broken items lying around him as he growled continuously to himself.

After a long and gruesome process and three nights spent in a mental hospital, Naruto returned home with a container of pills and a diagnosis—schizophrenia. While the condition was mild, when the alternate persona (which Naruto simply referred to as the "Kyuubi") flared up, the reaction was very violent and extreme. The hospital had had a file on Naruto and his condition for quite some time, but because of interference from his biological family and foster family, who insisted that it was something different than what it was and private, the doctors had not been allowed to declare a diagnosis. There had been some threatening from some pretty good lawyers, and because the facility couldn't afford the risk of losing a lot of money to a lawsuit they left it at that. It made Iruka wonder what kind of families Naruto lived in that they could make an entire organization back down.

After Iruka thought about it for a while, he came to the conclusion that Naruto's condition might have been part of the reason he was abandoned by his previous foster family. And while Naruto was generally very docile—although Iruka had discovered he was loud-mouthed and silly—Iruka worried about what might happen if he was not around when Naruto started having problems. Certainly medication helped, but it might not be enough. Iruka had been thinking for while about trying to find a way to scrape some more money together to get Naruto a therapist as a way to help him open up and stay relaxed, but he was still paying off the damages from the "Kyuubi's" first appearance, and could not afford such a luxury.

Therefore, he had something Kakashi wanted, and Kakashi had something he could give in exchange. So even though Iruka disliked the idea of a lot of strangers being in his house, he sighed and settled for a trade.

"Fine. But on one condition."

(XXX)

"What? That weird masked man is gonna be my therapist?! He's creepy as hell, and I don't even need a therapist anyway!" Naruto squawked in indignation. "I don't know how you and he are such good friends!"

Iruka sighed. Naruto might have been literally living off the land for a large portion of his life but his mannerisms had quickly evolved into those of a modern teenager—and apparently he'd grown up to be just as stubborn and independent as one also, however ironic that might've been.

"We're not really that close," Iruka said. "He just shows up at my house and at work and we talk a little bit. It just so happened that this time he had an idea that was of use to me—it has nothing to do with being close."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said, slurping on his bowl of ramen, which he'd insisted on having even though it was only breakfast. "You guys are so lovey-dovey that it makes me wanna hurl."

"Lovey-dovey?"

"Ouch! Iruka-sensei, let go of my ear—!"

"Why should I? Maybe you'll learn to watch that mouth of yours if I discipline you every now and again."

"You're a terrible host! You don't deserve to have mask-man's sessions in your home!"

"Weren't you the one complaining about it not two seconds ago?"

"That was before I found out that your grip stings like a—ouch!"

"Watch your language!"

Iruka gave one last tug on Naruto's ear before releasing him and resuming his position across the table from him. Naruto rubbed his ear gingerly, pouting.

"But still … I mean, I would be fine if it were just one-on-one sessions, but there's a whole group, right? That's just a pain in the a—" Iruka looked at him sharply, "…butt."

"You shouldn't have any complaints about that—since you're behind in your education and can't go to a normal high school this would be a great opportunity for you to meet kids close to your age," Iruka pointed out. "And Kakashi's always been kind to you, as far as I can remember."

"I just hate first impressions! I don't want to be stuck with a bunch of people who will look at me funny if I make a bad first impression. That would be awful."

Iruka looked at Naruto's expression for a moment. It was lonely and scared, an expression belonging to a child who'd never been able to function properly in relationships for all of his life. He stood and walked over, patting his head gently, surprised ocean-blue eyes lifting up to meet his.

"No one is going to look at you strangely, Naruto. If they're in therapy, they will all be in the same boat," Iruka assured him, smiling warmly. "You have to be more confident in yourself. Even if you're not accepted at first, you have to keep working at it, and if you give it your all and continue to work hard, someday you will be acknowledged by everyone. So don't be afraid."

Naruto's eyes shone in adoration, a goofy smile spreading across his face that he couldn't stop. He set his chopsticks down, completely abandoning his bowl of ramen—something Iruka hadn't seen the boy do whenever a bowl of it was in front of him—and wrapped his arms around Iruka's midsection, hugging him.

"… Iruka-sensei, I think I understand now … why Kakashi-sensei chose your place."

(XXX)

The end of the year had come quickly for Naruto, who had been studying like all hell and working just the same. While Iruka was very kind to him, he was also very strict and very frank—especially when it came to telling him that he'd have to start making his own money and study hard if he wanted to stay. Luckily the manager of an eatery called Ichiraku, a kind old chef, upon hearing Iruka come into his shop and lament over his bowl of ramen, told him that the restaurant was hiring on some more waiters because their hours of operation had been extended. Naruto was hired, and best of all got to work around the food he loved the most and have a bowl of the heavenly meal during his break (although the cost was taken out of his salary).

His hours were not very desirable, as they started late in the evening and ended in the early morning, and then he had to cram studying into the time between when he woke up and when he went to work, but to him it was worth it. His determination had paid off when he'd finally earned enough to get a nice new set of clothes for himself, in what seemed to be his favorite colors—orange, black, and blue.

Every day when he awoke and the time during studies after the elder had returned from work he got to sit and talk with Iruka. He had admired the man ever since the night he'd broken into his house when they first met and by now considering him as family was as natural to him as breathing. Things had been progressing wonderfully for the blonde boy, and he knew by Iruka's smile that he was happy for him. But Naruto was not an idiot—he knew that even with him earning his keep, things were getting tough on his housemate. More than one time he'd gone down in the middle of the night to grab a snack and saw Iruka at the kitchen table, his head lying on his arms, scraps of paper with dollar signs scribbled all about.

He was getting worried about him, but he couldn't say or do much of anything—he knew that if he brought it up Iruka would tell him not to worry about it and then turn right back around and suffer more. Yet while there was nothing he could do …

Naruto and Iruka usually both were woken up sometime during a few nights by Kakashi's bustling about the kitchen, so by now they were used to automatically getting up and heading downstairs at about the same time to go greet him. However, tonight, Iruka had been too tired and too deeply asleep to awaken at the correct time, which was perfect for Naruto. He wanted a chance to talk to Kakashi alone. So he crept out of his room, through the hall, down the steps, and peeked into the kitchen, watching and listening for signs of the white-haired man.

It wasn't long before he saw a bent figure illuminated by the light of the refrigerator. Gray-white hair lifted from where it had been in the fridge and two eyes of high contrast—the right dark, and the left red—look at him in what almost seemed like mild surprise. There was a scar running down the left eye, and it folded slightly as he smiled in recognition at Naruto. He kind of wanted to ask how the man had gotten that scar …

"Evening, Naruto," Kakashi companionably called out to him. He grabbed a mug of hot chocolate already prepared from the countertop and sat down at the table, patting a chair next to him. "Come sit, I won't bite."

Naruto scuttled over to the chair and plopped down in it. He immediately provided the reason for Iruka's absence, which was an obvious question that Kakashi's eyes asked. "Iruka-sensei was really tired, so he didn't wake up, and I didn't try to wake him up either. There's something I need to talk to you about, Kakashi-sensei … as friends of his."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that, a little sparkle dancing in his eyes. "Oh?"

Naruto nodded. "Since you're good friends with Iruka-sensei and all, you've probably already noticed this … but he is having trouble, and I can tell."

"… Financial trouble, you mean."

"Yeah … and I know it's 'cause of me. I work real hard, but it's never enough. That paycheck barely covers two-thirds of my expenses, and Iruka-sensei is left to pick up the slack. I can't take on another shift because he's making me study, and every time I try to talk to him about it, he just brushes it off like I'm imagining things."

"… Yeah. Iruka … is the kind of person who will completely disregard all of his problems for the sake of another."

"I want it to stop! There's gotta be some way to help him! That's what I want to talk to you about!"

"Me? What can I do? Even if I tell him to do something, he probably won't listen."

"Move in with him!"

Kakashi nearly fell out of his chair. "Move in with him? What are you talking about?"

"Well you're here all the time anyway!" Naruto said in exasperation. "He even wakes up in the middle of the night every night so that you have someone to talk to! And if you moved in, you would both be paying for only one bill, not two—that should even leave money to spare!"

Something in Kakashi's head finally clicked. The suggestion had seemed sudden at first, but he realized that Naruto had thought deeply about it, and had actually come up with a very good idea. Convincing Iruka of that, however, was another matter entirely.

"Naruto, you really don't know Iruka …"

"No, I don't," the young boy admitted glumly. "But one thing I know is he's suffering because of me. I don't want to be the reason he can't be happy." He looked up at the older man beseechingly, vigor renewed. "You're the only option that I can think of! If asking won't pay off, sneak your way in! Don't just give up—this is your friend … no, our friend we're talking about here!"

"Don't get all melodramatic on me, Naruto."

"… Kakashi-sensei … after all that Iruka-sensei has done for you … are you really satisfied with just giving up?"

"…"

"… Look me straight in the eye … and tell me that you will abandon him because he's a stubborn man."

"… That's not what I'm doing."

"You're wrong. It is. Any way you look at it, that's what you're doing. You've come up with a clever disguise and excuse—at heart you're a lazy man. Is Iruka-sensei not important enough for you to give it all you have?"

"… Stop talking to me like I'm some jerk. I was only warning you—I wasn't saying I'd abandon Iruka."

"So then you'll try to convince him?!" Naruto's eyes shone with excitement.

Kakashi just sighed deeply before he gave in completely. "It will definitely take some work … but I've pulled off greater before. I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei! You're the greatest! You're not gonna regret it, I promise!"

Kakashi sighed again, already mulling over half-formed plans in his head, but his eyes quickly curved into a smile. "… Yeah. We'll definitely break Iruka."

Then he smiled and gestured for Naruto to lend his ear.

(XXX)

Iruka's world was in a whirlwind. Nothing had gone according to plan. Although not all of it was bad, all of it was irritating, and some of it even felt insulting after a while. He sat at his desk, his head in his hands, as he silently complained to himself, and wondered how everything had just blown right over his head. Some of the irritation was due to his inability to come up with enough funds to take care of both himself and his foster son. But most of the irritation was due to a certain snowy-haired coworker of his …

Over the period of a couple of weeks, Kakashi had completely moved in on him and cornered him. He'd started coming every day—even during the daytime, which he didn't usually do—and drove home with Iruka from work. Then he began asking to spend the night first only one night, then for nights at a time. One day Iruka had told him that his house was not a hotel, and Kakashi had looked at him very seriously before pulling out a roll of bills, suddenly stating that he'd left his apartment and would pay for a place to stay.

Since Iruka had been preoccupied with so many other things, he didn't have the patience to fight with Kakashi—and he desperately needed the roll of bills. So after some negotiation, they'd settled on paying the bills half and half, as well as agreeing to save up all the money left over for Naruto's education, Kakashi's future as a therapist, and Iruka's unfulfilled and long-overdue hobbies. Only after some of his stress had evaporated did he realize that it was extremely unfair the way Kakashi had pushed his way into his home … and not to mention his life.

He lifted his head as he heard familiar footsteps approach and stop in front of his desk. A cup of coffee was set down on his desk by the masked man he'd become so accustomed to seeing now every day of his life. He never thought he could get used it … but here they were. It left him a little awed. Kakashi pulled a chair over and sat on it facing backwards towards Iruka with his own cup of coffee in his hands.

"Thanks," Iruka said.

"No problem," Kakashi replied. Iruka took a sip of his coffee and let the bitter warmth seep into his chest. The space between them was deathly silent for a while—something it hadn't been in quite some time. Then Kakashi spoke very seriously and almost meekly. "… Look, Iruka, I really do apologize. I know you're upset because of me. But now that I'm on the inside, I can finally let you know why I did what I did."

"… So, you really have a sensible reason other than to mooch off of me, do you…?"

"You're so harsh, Iruka."

"Well, since you seem so confident, I'll hear you out."

"Thanks. You probably won't believe me … but I'll give it a try anyway."

"You can't just give it up, can you?"

Kakashi's eyes curved into a peculiar, warm little smile. "That's right."

Then he began to tell Iruka the whole story.

(XXX)

An early morning, started by the sound of a body falling out of bed, cursing and tripping over objects in a dark room. The click of a light switch that illuminates the room, and leads the person to the hall. The sound of hot water running and washing away the grime of the previous day's hard work and current hidden troubles. A yelp when the toilet is flushed and the hot water burns the skin with an invisible fire. The soft thud of clothes being thrown out of the bureau drawers after he returns to the place from whence he awoke, and a huff of content when just the right combination is found. The sound of friendly footsteps in the kitchen, and the smell of bitter coffee and sweet syrup in his cereal. The clanking of the spoon in the empty bowl, and the screech of the chair as he stands. The crinkling of the newspaper he opens as he heads out the door, and the sudden absence of the head of hair that resembles a mountain's peak. A key turning, an engine rumbling, and neighbors cursing as the tires' squealing fades into the distance.

A bed to make, clothes to sort. A shower to clean and a wet floor to mop. Dishes to wash and food items to put away. A chair to push back under the table, where it rightfully belongs. A newspaper gone, never to be returned—another one to buy. A door left open to be closed. A bike to ride, neighbors to console. Work to be done, a break accompanied with his happy atmosphere, a cup of coffee to share. A time to stand up for one another in front of the manager.

The end of the day. A ride home in the car that had disappeared, the bike riding contently on the back. The sound of boiling ramen in the kitchen, and the happy smile of a blonde boy welcoming them back. Chatter about the pleasantness of work being over is accompanied by the slurping of flavored noodles. Then with a curt goodbye and received with a well-intentioned "good luck," that snow-cap of a man disappears to spend another day finishing up school.

A late night, a door slamming. Heavy footsteps ascending the stairs and proceeding through the hall. The opening and closing of the door to the room once awoken in and the click of the light being turned off, immediately followed by the obvious sounds of someone tripping. More cursing, more grumbling. Then there is silence, giving way to a restful night.

This is the daily routine in a happy "family" of three.

Through this, Iruka quickly discovered just how it felt to live with Kakashi.