Hello everyone sorry for the long wait, really I do mean it. Things just have been a little bit to much for my first year at Uni and I needed to focus on that. Sadly I was working so hard with minimal breaks that I managed to injure my wrists (twice at that). Carpel-tunnel, at the early stages.
Since then I had been stressed with meeting deadlines and work. So much so that I was making myself physically ill. When the summer holiday came along I had so much work to catch up on, all of my writing took a (very long) back seat. But now I'm back and hopefully I should be able to handle the updates more regularly, but I really do apologies for taking so long to update. Please do forgive me.
Beta read by Kuro Mitsu (formerly Laine12777)
Some had requested mpreg, and I have thought about it I just don't think it would right in this fic. The thing is that being pregnant would make Naruto really vulnerable like in the prequel. I want to give our feisty blonde a back-bone in this one, and make him less simpering. But I am willing to make another Yakuza fic that includes mpreg if people would like that.
Chapter 3: Childish delights
The day started off pretty bad for Sasuke; when he woke up that morning on the fifth day of their separation he did the usual thing. Half-asleep he reached out beside him on the large king-sized bed only to find the area cold and not slept in. After staring at the empty spot his lover used occupied for a while, he would finally decide to get out of bed. A task he hated doing since it would mean leaving the bed that still lingered with Naruto's scent.
Then almost robotically he would get himself washed and cleaned up, before getting dressed. By now Naruto would have made him breakfast; staying home a lot meant he had to keep himself busy, he taught himself how to cook, and it turned out he was pretty good at it as well. Since then he was used to coming home to a warm home cooked meal. A weary sigh left Sasuke's body as he picked up his cup of coffee; he hadn't heard from Naruto since that short phone call, and to say that the loneliness was getting to him was an understatement.
Everything just felt too cold.
Draining his coffee, he put the empty cup in the sink, reminding himself to wash it when he got back. With one last look at his empty apartment he closed the door behind him, not surprised to find Kakashi waiting for him on the other side. The older man nodded at him, the surgical mask still covering half his face.
"Morning Kakashi, anything new?"
"If you're talking about Naruto, it seems today is his first day at his new job."
Ah yes, the damned 'job', the reason the whole fight started. Sasuke's already rotten mood just got worse. "Did you finally find out what it is?"
"Kindergarten teacher," Kakashi replied.
Something inside Sasuke stuttered, and instantly the guilt he felt went tenfold. Naruto loved working with children, that was the reason he went to 'help out' Iruka at school. Since the blonde himself had a less than happy childhood he wanted to make children happy. Sasuke had almost denied him that.
"Is there anything else?" he asked as they got inside the lift, making their way down to the car park.
"I got a message from Zabuza that the Ryuusaki group has been moving in on our territory. He caught a couple of them trying to do business with our dealers. "
Sasuke frowned at this news; Ryuusaki was a small gang of wannabe yakuza, a bunch of idiots; no real threat, but recently they had been getting quite courageous, well it was either that or they were stupider than he first thought. Breaching another's territory was an act of war, trying to sell their stuff on it was even worse. People had died for less than that. Obviously he couldn't go out there guns blazing; no need to have the authorities on his back, like that fool Idate.
Talking about that persistent cop, Idate had been following him a lot more than usual, and that comment about him 'joining' with his brother only managed to fuel his paranoia. Sasuke didn't want his dealings to be so 'obvious' that even an idiot like Idate can figure it out. If this continued he would have to take care of that problem.
"Take care of it and be discreet, use just enough force for them all to know not to mess with me," Sasuke replied, stepping inside the waiting black BMW.
Kakashi nodded at him as he got into the driver's seat, and they drove off.
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Naruto flicked a piece of lint from his shirt while appraising himself in the mirror; he was wearing semi-casual clothes, a dark blue shirt and black slacks. Today was his first day, and he was beyond nervous, would the kids like him? Would his supervisor be nice and fair? All these questions cluttered his mind, but what worried him the most is what Sasuke would have said.
He hadn't talked to the other since that short phone call, and things had been hell. Lack of sleep, worry, and anger had kept him from relaxing or making another phone call. By now Naruto guessed it was also a battle about who was right and wrong, a battle of a man's pride. Something Naruto hadn't really felt since he became Sasuke's lover.
It was complicated to explain.
While on the one hand he loved how he was taken care of, free of responsibilities, away from stress, away from daily worries, about the next job (if he even had one), paying rent, and somehow saving up enough to buy his ramen. All those worries went away being with Sasuke; he was taken care of.
But then there was this other part of him, the part that grew up on the streets, learned how tough life was, and that things didn't come easy. That part of him didn't like who he was, like some pampered pet pooch; he felt owned, and that's the last way he wanted to feel with Sasuke. Because he did love the other, he loved him so much that it hurt at times, but not being at equal footing with him made him feel like a possession.
Having a job wasn't just about making money, it was about independence, it brought a part of him back. Reminding him that he wasn't just Sasuke's lover, it gave him an identity.
From today onwards he would be Naruto, kindergarten teacher.
"If you're done admiring yourself we need to leave. You won't make a good impression if you come late on your first day," said Iruka, snapping him out of his musings.
He blushed slightly, before straightening out his shirt, "Sorry, just a bit nervous."
"It will be fine, now c'mon; a quick breakfast, and then I'll accompany you."
"You don't need to do that Iruka," Naruto said sitting down at the breakfast table, where a bowl of cereal was waiting for him.
"But I want to, this will be your first day at your first full-time job, and I want to be there to support you."
"Thanks, Iruka," Naruto replied, taking a spoonful of his cereal. He couldn't help but sigh; he wished Sasuke had been this supportive.
The happy feeling within him was instantly replaced by bitterness.
Iruka seemed to notice the sudden change in mood; he put a supportive hand on his shoulder. They finished their breakfast in silence before Iruka noticed the time. He ushered Naruto towards the front door, snatching his satchel from the couch and handing it to the blonde.
"I already packed you a lunch."
"Geez, it's like being in school again."
Iruka laughed and closed the door behind him. The way to 'Ritoru Sakura Yōchien' was filled with encouraging chatter, well from Iruka, while Naruto was nervously quiet. None of the brunette's attempts at distracting him where working. It just made him realise how wrong things could go. His supervisor could be a complete ass, the kids could end up hating him, it could end up ruining everything.
"We're here."
Huh, Naruto blinked himself out of his thoughts when he saw the flowery sign of 'Ritoru Sakura Yōchien' towered above him. For some reason it looked like a sign for a death sentence. Why did it seem so difficult?
"Go on," Iruka urged, giving him a nudge towards the open doors. "Call me when you get off and we'll have lunch," he said, waving goodbye.
Naruto gave him a solemn look; he tried to smile, but it came out more as a grimace. He turned to look at the wide open doors and went inside the building. Instantly he was met with colours, boards with pictures from little children with wonky scrawls saying 'mum' and 'dad'. Favourite pets, magical beings, rainbow blobs and glitter explosions that literally overwhelmed him. These childish scrawls seemed to calm him a little, reminding him again why he wanted to take this job in the first place. He loved children!
His first trip was to the teacher's lounge where he would officially meet the other staff. After passing through the hallway of paintings he finally reached the door marked 'staff room'; knocking twice, he entered and was instantly greeted by a mass of kind women. The greeted him kindly, offering morning tea, before a young woman named Keiko, about his age with straight black hair, who introduced herself as the secretary.
"Ah look at the cutie, you must be Uzumaki Naruto, the principal told us you would be starting today," she said. "I'll introduce you to everyone."
She pointed to the first woman, a kind-faced elderly woman with greying brown hair, wearing a light green cardigan and slacks. "This is Abe Hakura-senpei, and will be your supervisor, you both will be teaching the year 1 class." The older woman nodded at him.
"Now that's Ishikawa Chisako-san, she teaches year 2," this woman was a little younger than Hakura-san, about the same age as Iruka if he had to guess. She dressed a little bit more formal, but also gave him a kind smile.
"And that's Nakashi Mikami-san, she takes care of the year 3 group with Ogawa Satoshi-san," Mikami was a young blonde and peppy-looking, with an ensemble that was mostly pink, with Satoshi being the only other male. He was a couple of years older than Sasuke, with dark brown hair, and a smart shirt and black slacks.
"So tell us about yourself, Naruto-san. What made you want to be a kindergarten teacher?" Chisako asked, taking a sip of her tea.
Naruto sat down in his chair thoughtfully, "I would say my foster father Iruka was a great inspiration, he is also a teacher and has been there for me when I needed him."
There was a short silence that overtook the lounge making the blonde uncomfortable, before Hakura spoke up.
"That's quite something, Naruto-san, and very brave of you to follow in his footsteps," she said kindly, giving him a wink that instantly dissolved the awkward atmosphere. He could tell he was going to like her.
A loud shrill suddenly rang, instantly reminding him of his own school. The other teachers stood up, putting their own cups in the sink. Hakura gently wound their arms together and led him out of the lounge and down the hall.
"Don't worry about them dear, they're just a little surprised. Let's go to my class; I'll introduce you to the kids, you'll love them. Oh and do call me Hakura, we will be working together after all," she smiled and gave a good-natured tap on his shoulder.
The blonde smiled back as the older woman steered him into a room. It was a typical kindergarten classroom, with carpeted floors and little round tables that could seat five children each. Colourful posters hung on the wall, with a board of pictures from the students themselves. A corner was cleared out with cushions on the floor to make a reading area. Mats were stored in named shelves for each student for when it came to nap time.
Students slowly started pouring in, taking off their shoes and putting on their indoor shoes; a couple looked at Naruto in confusion as they entered the room while others didn't notice him until they had sat down. When they had all sat down Hakura finally had their attention. The class was very well behaved, their cherub faces looking up at them.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, minasan," Hakura greeted.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Abe-san!" the children replied, and their cuteness was just overwhelming.
"And this is our new teacher, Uzumaki Naruto," she introduced.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Uzumaki-san," they all said.
"Morning," he replied, giving a slight wave.
"He'll be helping me teach from now on, so please be polite and treat him kindly."
"Hai, Abe-san!"
Naruto couldn't help but smile.
The blonde man ached, but it was a good ache, a sign of a successful day. He had done so much in a single day; all together there were 15 children. At first the children were asked to draw their fantasy pet, before being moved together near a board where different kanji were marked down and the children were asked to repeat after Hakura. Then came lunch and play time; after that it took a while for the children to settle down to story time and then a nap. At that time Hakura and Naruto would sit down for tea, with the older woman showing him how to fill out forms. Each child had their own file where boxes had to be ticked, with a small note made at the bottom if the teachers had any worries about the children, such as underlying learning difficulties.
The children seemed to like him which he was glad of; Naruto had been worried they would hate him. But he must have made a good impression with how the children acted towards him.
Saying goodbye had actually been difficult; even though he knew that he would see the children tomorrow again, it still brought a little ache in his chest when he waved them goodbye. At least he got a chance to introduce himself to the parents, and hopefully also make a good impression with them as well.
After the last parents had left Naruto turned around, thinking everyone had gone, when he noticed one little boy sitting quietly down on the steps by the door. He was a mousy little thing; Naruto remembered him since he had been smaller than the other children in the class. He had wavy brown hair crowning a round face with rosy cheeks and big honey-coloured eyes. Kiyoshi was the little boy's name, and Naruto couldn't help but wonder where his parents were.
Naruto spotted Hakura standing behind the door, occasionally looking down sadly at Kiyoshi while holding her attendance form in her hands. When Kiyoshi spotted him looking at him, Naruto quickly gave him a reassuring smile and went inside to talk to Hakura. She already seemed to know what it was about.
"His father is a detective and a single parent," she started. "Sadly he often comes late to pick the poor boy up. He's a good man though, a hard-working man."
Naruto nodded and bit his lip uncertainly, until he came up with an idea. "Well it is already late, and you could go home. I don't mind staying with him Hakura-san until his father comes to pick him up."
"That would be wonderful Naruto-san, here," she said, handing him the attendance form. "Please sign him out when his father comes, and thank you."
They bowed to each other in thanks and Naruto watched her pick up her things and leave. The blonde took a deep breath, steeling his nerve, suddenly feeling very nervous. He went outside and sat down beside the Kiyoshi.
"Uzumaki-san?" came the little boy's voice.
"Call me Naruto; is your daddy coming soon?" he asked.
Kiyoshi looked down, his little hands wrung together nervously. "Daddy works a lot so he's always late."
"Well he does that because he cares about you."
"I wish he wouldn't," he replied solemnly.
Naruto couldn't help but wince; although Iruka was his only true father figure he had never 'abandoned' him, but Naruto still knew what it felt like. When he had been in the orphanage it hadn't been easy, with being either ignored or being ridiculed; it had hurt, especially when he had been so young. So he had the experience and knew how to deal with it, with some distraction.
Naruto spotted Kiyoshi's bag, and couldn't help but grin. "Oh wow, you have an Ultra Man bag!"
The brunet looked up, surprised. "You like Ultra Man?" his honey-coloured eyes shining with wonder.
"Sure I do, he's the best with his laser gun. Phew, phew, phew!" he said, folding his fingers into 'gun' shapes and started shooting randomly in the air, and making Kiyoshi giggle.
"Oh, did you see that episode where Ultra Man took down the v-vu-vultu-rian cybers?"
"That's my favourite episode! Like how he stormed his way through past the pod people, and rescued Lady PeiPei by giving that evil Sato a round-house kick to the face!" he said back enthusiastically.
"So many explosions!" Kiyoshi said, throwing his hands up in reference to the scene. "Although Lady PeiPei always gets kid-ki-kidnapp-ed a lot," Kiyoshi said struggling with the bigger words. "It ruins it!"
The blonde couldn't help but laugh at the cute pout on his little face. "Haha, she can be annoying!"
They talked a bit more, simply enjoying themselves, when Naruto noticed that he hadn't gotten his own bags. He told Kiyoshi to wait for him while he went inside; when he reached the classroom he went behind the teacher's desk where his bag was stored. He glanced towards the window when he saw a tall dark-haired man walk through the gates and towards the doors. For a moment he panicked until he saw Kiyoshi jump up excitedly and run towards the older man.
He obviously knew him, so that meant he was Kiyoshi's father.
He watched how the dark-haired man picked his little boy up, swinging him around before bringing him into a hug. Naruto couldn't help but smile at the sight. Kiyoshi was saying something, pointing towards the building; the man shook his head and the boy frowned before he looked slightly dejected. Kiyoshi wiggled out of his father's grip and ran to pick his bag up, then went back to his father and they both left.
Naruto smiled and picked up the attendance and ticked the little brunet off the list; he picked up his bag and went to the front office to hand in the form before calling Iruka to meet him for a very late lunch.
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Hope you all enjoyed it. I think there really is a character called 'Ultra Man' out there, but what I have in here is completely made up! Just wanted to show the interaction between Naruto and Kiyoshi, I wanted it so that Kiyoshi would adore Naruto. Not a lot about Sasuke in this one then next one will be more about him.
Thank you for reading, now review and join the dark side we have cookies!
