Authors Note: God I take forever!! I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


"You can do it Tetsuko!" A nine year old girl hollered from the side lines of the Konoha elementary Soccer Team Try-outs. They were being held at the High School foot-ball field. The actual soccer field was undergoing maintenance.

"Make it…!" Tetsuko kicked the black and white ball as hard as she could between two experienced High School Soccer players who were helping with the kiddy try-outs. With amazing force the soccer ball blew right by the two soccer players and in between the goal posts. "Alright!!" she squealed and threw her fist up in the air. She turned to look at her friend who was sitting in on the metal bleachers near the edge of the field. "Did you see that kick!?" She hollered proudly. The teenagers laughed a little at the enthusiasm she held.

"Yea! You're awesome Tetsuko!" the girl stood and threw her fist in the air as well, her long black pony-tail flowing behind her. She giggled, the sun reflecting beautifully in her onyx eyes.

"Alright, thank you, Tetsuko, Samii Yoru, you're up!" Tetsuko ran off the field and threw her arms around her friend as she climbed down from the bleachers.

"You definitely made the team Tetsuko!" Samii smiled, returning the embrace.

"Yea, so you better make it to Samii!" Samii nodded. Tetsuko climbed into the bleachers and watched excitedly as her friend bounced the ball on her knees and then off her forehead. She pressed her cleats down on the ball when it landed on the ground.

Samii had been her best friend since she left the kids her age to join the older class a few years ago. They were both Soccer nuts and exceptionally smart as well.

"Alright, Samii, you have to get the ball through the High School team as best you can, if you can make a goal, then you're most likely going to have the privilege of calling yourself a Konoha Hawk," the team coach informed her.

"Yes Coach!" Samii saluted her and jogged to the end of the bright green grass. Her father was a fairly successful military captain and so Samii had grown up using terms like 'Sir' and using salutes when speaking to authority figures.

"You can do it Samii!" Tetsuko cheered from the sidelines as she dodged the High school kids who were advancing on her. One surprised girl squealed when Samii kicked the ball between her legs and speedily ran around her to catch up to it.

When she was about three quarters of the way down the field, one of the boys (this was a co-ed team) kicked the ball away from her and she jumped after it, skillfully stealing back from another player who wasn't paying attention.

"Go Samii Go!" Tetsuko cheered the loudest over the many other kids on the bleachers. She made to kick the ball past defense and into the goal, but one of the defenders stopped it and kicked it into the air, head butting it to one of the girls behind Samii.

The coach blew the whistle. "Times up!"

Samii growled at them and jogged over to meet Tetsuko at the bleachers. "I lost the ball twice! I'll never make the team now!" she complained, clutching her head.

"Sure you will! You got it back the first time and if you had a little more time you would have gotten it back again! Most of the kids here didn't even get that close to the goal!" she encouraged her pulling her ponytail behind her shoulders.

"Yea, but you didn't lose the ball once and you scored a goal too! I suck compared to you!" Samii pointed out crossing her arms with a sigh.

"So? That's just 'cause I have lots of pent up energy, you did awesome, I'd stake my life on it, you definitely made the team!" the two of the hugged each other and jumped up and down laughing loudly.

They squealed as water splashed over the two of them. "Pipe down you two!"

The girls looked up to see one of the boys glaring down at them with blue eyes from behind black bangs. "You'll pay for that later Andii! When you least expect it I'll get you!" Samii threatened. Tetsuko reimbursed her with a 'YEA!' and vigorous nod of her head.

"Now I'm all wet!" she looked down. She wore Naruto's old Soccer Jersey from when he was on the team in the fourth grade. It had been baggy on her, but now it clung to her shoulders like a second skin. She was also wearing his old hand-me-down shorts and some cleats that were falling apart. "These shoes are gonna fall apart if they get wet,"

"Well that sucks for you!" Andii glared down at her. "AH!" he yelped when a pebble made contact with his head.

"That's what you get for being mean to my friends!" Samii stuck her tongue out at him. "And you got me all wet too!" Samii gestured to her Konoha Hawk uniform from last year. It consisted of a nylon black jersey with a red Hawk that had eyes drawn like leaves. Her brand new black and red cleats glistened from the water.

"Andii Toru, you're up!" the female coach called, checking off a name on her clip-board.

"You win this round Samii," he glared before jumping down from the bleachers to go try out.


"Where's Tetsuko today? She's late," Kyto pointed out as they stood loading their arms with packs of napkins and a bucket of ketchup to reload the dispensers.

"I told her two weeks ago that she could try out for soccer, and that I'd pay for it if she made the team," he sighed. He was getting farther and farther behind in his rent and his bills and he was really low on food too.

"That will set you back if she makes it won't it?" he asked picking up the bucket of ketchup with both hands clutching the handle.

"You mean when she makes the team, she's a great soccer player." He said. With two boxes of napkins under his arms, he backed up into the door to open it. Kyto walked past him, struggling slightly with his ketchup bucket. "But yea it will, it's a fifteen dollar registration fee, twenty bucks for a uniform and forty for a pair of cleats."

"Damn," Kyto said lugging the bucket to the counter and lifting it with a grunt on to the metal surface. "Are you gonna be able to buy food?"

"I don't know, I hope so," he said, putting his napkin cases on the ground and opening the ketchup pump so Kyto could refill it.

"I could-ugh, this thing is heavy-cover your dinners here for a while if you need me to," he finished filling the pump and put the bucket down to re-cap it.

"That'd be great but you know I'd never be able to pay you back," he looked over at him as he open the napkin dispenser a shoved in a few piles.

"No problem, I don't mind, besides, when I get done with college in a couple of years, I'll have a job as a lawyer and it won't matter," he said as he started off to the back room to rid himself of the ketchup bucket.

"You haven't even applied to a college yet, have you?" Naruto called after him.

"I will!" he replied before he disappeared into the back room.

Naruto rolled his eyes and carried his napkin boxes around to various tables to fill the napkin dispensers on them. He saw that Sasuke was sitting at one of the booths and noticed that, thankfully, most of the dispensers in that area were filled.

Business was steady, but there weren't huge numbers of people there that day. Hinata, Sakura, Tenten and Ino weren't there. For the past two weeks they had come in nearly every day, either together or separately. They were probably at home studying for their math exam. Naruto was in that class as well, but he couldn't exactly find a study group somewhere.

Mirii had come back to work. She had been out for a week due to a bad fever. But she was currently covering for Naruto while he helped Kyto restock various things. She was a short and petite but fiery girl. She had spiky brown hair and emerald eyes. She was also the record holder for the most piercings among the employees. She had seven in her right ear, five in her left, three nose rings, two in her right eye brow and one in her lower lip. To top it all off her left arm was almost completely covered in tattoos.

"Oi, Naruto, hurry it up ok, I still don't feel all that great and I'm not in the mood to cover for you all night." She said as she passed him to clip up four orders.

"I'll be done in a second Mirii," he replied, picking up his napkin boxes and heading for the back room. Kyto held the door open for him on his way out and then went to do something else.

"Yes, yes, YES!!" Tetsuko burst through the door excitedly and looked around enthusiastically for Naruto. When she didn't see him right away, she looked for someone else to dump her news on. Kyto was no where to be found and Mirii looked busy, and she didn't really know anyone behind the counter other then Rika, but Rika kind of freaked her out. Her metal mouth was blinding. Then she saw Sasuke. She hadn't seen or spoken with him in a while but she still considered him her friend, and dubbed him suitable to talk to.

"Sasuke, Sasuke, SASUKE!" she jogged over to him excitedly and jumped up and down in front of him, her hair and damp clothes swinging around her. "You'll never guess what happened!!"

Sasuke was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't spoken to the red-head in a year or two. He'd once considered her to be his little sister just as much as he thought of Naruto as his brother. She was always at his house, usually spending the night with Naruto. He didn't really know if he wanted to say anything to her at all, but she was so ecstatic, he may as well humor her. Shunning Tetsuko never ended well. "…What?"

"I made the soccer team! I'm a Konoha Hawk just like you and nii-chan used to be!" she squealed, tugging on his t-shirt sleeve. He didn't try to pull from her grip, but wasn't that keen on having her hanging off his arm. "Isn't that amazing?! Don't you think Naruto will be proud of me?! The High School team didn't take the ball from me once and I scored a goal!"

"That's…great…" he said, rather awkwardly.

"What's she doing now," Naruto raised an eyebrow as he heard Tetsuko's giggle/yell. He opened the door to find her talking to Sasuke. Great, this would end well. He walked over to join them. He stood behind her, hands on his hips. "Tetsuko, leave him alone,"

She whirled around with a huge grin plastered on her face and tackled him, nearly toppling him over. "I made the team Naruto!! Aren't you so proud of me?!"

"Y-yea, Tetsuko that's awesome!" he congratulated her with a hug. "Now go get started on your homework okay? You can tell me all about it over dinner when I take my break, alright?" he put her down on her feet.

"Uh-huh!" she skipped to her booth chanting "I'm a Konoha Hawk!" over and over, barely able to contain herself..

"Sorry about that." Naruto nodded to him and turned to leave, never making eye contact.

"Naruto," Sasuke started.

Naruto sighed heavily. Being a waiter, and Sasuke being a customer, he had no choice but to turn around and listen. "Do you want to order something?" he asked, lifting his order pad and pen. He was attempting to put on a smile.

"No, I was wondering if…" he paused, sighed gruffly and then continued. "Never mind, just get me a soda." Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from the blond for a moment, feeling very idiotic.

"Yea sure," He didn't bother to ask what kind he wanted. He already knew that from past experience, Coke with no ice, large.


Tetsuko rolled over in her bed. She was excited to have made the soccer team, but when the tryouts were over, she was left alone again. All of her friends were picked up by their parents. Sometimes even their siblings. But no one was going to come and pick her up. She'd watched people with their families before. She'd always wondered what it would be like if her mother had never left. She could barely remember what the woman looked like. And she'd never even met her father.

What would it be like if her Mommy and Daddy had stayed with her, or if they'd loved her? Naruto loved her. She knew that, and she loved him to. But she still felt empty, because her mother had never really cared for her. After all, what kind of mother would give her the name she had? Tetsuko, it was a horrible name. 'But she's my mommy! Of course she loves me, Andii is a mean little brat and his mommy loves him!' No. Yako didn't love her. Hell, the woman could barely look at her without an expression of annoyance or distain. She didn't even like her daughter.

Tetsuko sighed. She needed Naruto. "Nii-chan," The young red-head yawned and held her old, thread-bare blanket tightly around her as she walked into the living room. Naruto had two brown, hot chocolate scented Yankee candles in front of him. "Why are you still awake?"

"Hm," he looked up at her from his spot on the floor. In front of him was his math book and notes. "I didn't have enough time to finish my homework in lunch today, so I have to do it now, and I don't get it."

She sighed, Naruto was actually very smart, but he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. He could only grasp so much with all the other things he had on his mind. "Let me see it," Tetsuko sat herself in his lap. He laughed quickly.

"No offense, but you're in fourth grade, you won't get it anymore then I do," he said. She elbowed him in the stomach as she looked at the book. He rubbed his sore gut, looking over the shoulder of the eight year old. "What was that for?"

"What's the problem type called?" she asked, ready to flip the page if necessary. She was barely able to keep her eyes open.

"It's called-" he was cut off when she pointed to a section on the page.

"Never mind," she yawned. Tetsuko rubbed her eyes. "It tells you how to do it right here, nii-chan, your eyes are probably just to tired to notice." She sighed and twisted around in his lap. "Nii-chan…" she paused. She was contemplating weather or not she should finish asking her question. "…Where did Mommy go…? When she left us I mean," she shifted uncomfortably. Parents were a touchy subject for Naruto, she could never get anything out of him when she asked him about his own parents, why they'd left him with Yako. He always said he didn't want to talk about it and then find something to busy himself with.

Naruto froze for a moment, and then wrapped his arms around her. "Yako," he paused. He knew she'd want to know about her mother eventually. He also knew he was the only one who knew where she was and therefore the only one who would be able to tell her. "Yako went to New York City,"

"That's on the East Coast right?" she looked up at him. "Where Haamonii is gonna go to school?" Haamonii was one of the waitresses that Tetsuko had grown up around. She was going to go to college at Harvard. She was currently taking her classes online while she waited for the manager to find a replacement for her.

"Yea," he nodded. "But a little farther north, a different state then where Haamonii is going."

"Oh," she tried to be alert but her eyelids closed quickly. It never took long for her to fall asleep, she was always very tired. Naruto kept her in his lap as he continued his homework.

He wasn't cut out for this. He loved Tetsuko more then anything in the world, and he would die before he'd let anything happen to her. But the quiet, responsible, hard working person he had been trying to be wasn't at all who he was. It was who he needed to be. He had to keep the two of them together. That was something that was getting harder and harder to do.


The next morning Hinata woke up before her alarm clock and turned it off before it could start with its wretched beeping. She hadn't been to see Naruto in two days, and she had lunch with him today! She giggled and grabbed a blue t-shirt and jeans to change into. She never showered in the morning, she didn't enjoy fighting Neji for it, and he took a while anyway.

She retrieved her iPod from her desk and pocketed her purple cell phone before she rushed downstairs. She'd made it her job to prepare breakfast for herself and Neji, as they were the early risers. Her father and younger sister preferred to sleep in. She considered it a blessing. Hinata was a very patient person, but to much time around her family early in the morning was enough to drive even her insane.

"Hm," she cracked a few eggs into her frying pan and started to scramble them with a stainless steel spatula. "Maybe I could i-invite him to sit with u-us,"

"Who?" Neji walked into the room, his long chestnut hair completely askew and his drawstring sweats hanging a bit low.

"Eh?" she jumped and nearly knocked the cast iron pan onto her foot. "N-Neji n-nii-san, w-what a-are y-you," she stuttered out, utterly humiliated at how easily she had been scared.

"Waiting for my food," he raised an eyebrow. "So who are you going to sit with today?"

She added a pinch of pepper her eggs before turning to face him, trying hard to keep from turning red. "I-it's n-none of y-your-"

"Ah, so it's Naruto," he smirked when Hinata blushed furiously and whirled around to return her attention to her cooking. "You shouldn't hang out with him, Hinata,"

"W-why is th-that?" she asked, her face still beat red.

"Because, he's on something, I can tell," Neji said. "He lives in the shitty part of town, he works all the time but never has any money, he always looks sickly and tired, and he can't run half a lap without running out of breathe,"

"You d-don't know a-anything a-about him." She defended timidly.

"Hinata, listen to me, don't bother with him, I don't want him pushing any of that crap on you," Neji replied stretching his arms over his head. She brought him his breakfast with an attempt at a glare plastered on her face. "Thank you,"

She considered Neji's words. Naruto wasn't at all like Neji made him out to be, was he? Hinata wondered silently. No, he cared far too much for Tetsuko to be doing drugs. She didn't know why, but, it seemed as though everything Naruto did was for her. It appeared as though he didn't do anything for himself, nothing, and that was something you did not see everyday. Someone like that was not the type of person who you'd see getting high off of some drug. Forget Neji, she was inviting Naruto to sit with them.


"Nii-chan, I'm so tired today," Tetsuko yawned. She was riding on Naruto's back, and he had his bag hanging from his neck as he carried her to school.

"Well you should've stayed in bed last night instead of getting up." He resolved. "You don't get enough sleep as it is,"

"I get plenty of sleep, it's you who doesn't sleep," she replied hotly. For someone so young, she'd already developed a motherly instinct. "Put me down, I'll walk inside myself," she jumped down and stuck her tongue out at him before quickly crossing the street and joining Samii to go inside.

"Heh," Naruto relieved his neck of his bag and threw it over his shoulder. When he had the High School in his sights, he heard laughs from behind him and turned his head just in time to be pushed into the bone dry dirt on the edge of the side walk.

"Watch your step Uzumaki!" Kiba called back as he continued walking.

Naruto inhaled a cloud of dust. "Fuck," he clutched the cracked ground and the painful feeling in his chest and the itching feeling in his made him cough.

Kiba's laughing slowed. "Heh…heh…" he swallowed when he realized Naruto's coughing fit wasn't letting up. "Are you, ok?" he slowly walked back to where the blond was lying. Naruto had begun pounding on his chest. Kiba was genuinely concerned at that moment.

"W-cough-water," he panted as he reached for his bag and grabbed his water bottle frantically and chugged about half of it. "Fuck," the coughing stopped after he took another sip of water. He remained on his knees, catching his breathe as he screwed the top back on the bottle and replaced it in his bag and slowly, almost shakily, returned to a standing position.

"Uh," Kiba stood there dumbly. Various other students were walking past, fixing their uniforms, applying a little make-up, or adjusting their hair styles. They were not really interested in the exchange. Being preoccupied with other activities or people, they all figured that Kiba had just punched him or something of the sort. A happening like that was not uncommon.

"Fuck, off," Naruto shot him a half-hearted death glare and continued on his journey to the front doors of the school, still wheezing slightly.

Kiba resolved that nothing had happened. Naruto was fine, and he wouldn't get into trouble of any sort. He saw Shikamaru and Temari walking past on the opposite side of the street. "Oi, Shikamaru!" he rushed over to him, barely dodging a car that stopped abruptly, horn honking and driver yelling.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Shikamaru asked, the question wasn't really directed towards Kiba.

The trio stopped to wait for the remainder of their group beneath an old tree with low, thick branches. It was ten feet or so from the doors and not much farther from the student parking lot behind them or the main entrance to the campus in front.

Shikamaru jumped onto one of the branches, lying down on it's nearly flat surface. He could see the clouds pretty clearly through the bright green leaves. He crossed his legs, which were parallel with the rough, almost black trunk

"Did you just get into a fight with the Uzumaki kid again?" Temari raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips. She considered herself above petty bullying. She didn't bother with that type of thing unless it would result in a fight of real stature. However that didn't mean she would try to stop others from being bullies, they could do whatever the hell they wanted, unless they were after someone she knew and was close to.

"Yea, what's it to you?" Kiba crossed his arms and turned to Shikamaru. The Nara had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He lit it with a red lighter, pocketed it and folded his arms behind his head. "So, when I pushed Uzumaki onto the ground, he started coughing. It was kind of weird. Do you think there's something wrong with him?" he asked the carefree teen.

"So now you give a damn?" Temari rolled her eyes, dropping her bag on the ground and sitting on it, her back against the tree. Her glance was caught by the cigarette. "Don't smoke those cancer sticks around me, coat your lungs as thickly as you like with tar but leave me the hell out of it." She stood again momentarily and ripped it from his mouth, tossing it in the dirt where she smothered it with the heel of her shoe.

"What the hell woman!" he growled, tilting his head to glare at her. "Ugh, how troublesome," He decided he'd had enough of the two of them, and jumped down to the ground, picking up his bag. Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets and pushed on ahead mumbling something about 'troublesome women'.

"What a crybaby he is," Temari sighed gruffly. She watched Sasuke brush by Kiba, stalking forward looking a little more pissed off then usual. "Hey, Uchiha, what's your problem, still unemployed?" she smirked.

"Shut up Temari," he said. He stopped, but never took his eyes off the dirty cement path in front of him.

"Touchy are we?" she laughed, running a hand through her blonde bangs.

"Eh, leave him alone, he's just pissed because daddy cut him off," Kiba snickered, shifting the wait of his bag so it was displaced to his right shoulder. "Ah! What the hell!" he tenderly rubbed the back of his head where the heel of Neji's hand had made contact. He was always bruising due to the Hyuuga's abusive habits.

"Don't be an idiot Kiba," Neji sighed, seating himself on Shikamaru's abandoned branch. "How's the job hunt coming?"

Sasuke turned to face them.

"Sasuke!" One of the annoying girls spotted him. "Neji, Kiba!" came the cry of their fan club as they rushed over squealing. "Sasuke, hi!" The men in their group were recognized among females of all ages in the school, and pined after as they were the best looking. Temari especially disliked them. She couldn't stand ditsy fan girls. They were very annoying.

"Fine," Sasuke replied while shrinking out of the grip of one of the girls that surrounded them. Kiba and Neji seemed not to notice. Temari was a bit angry.

"HEY, all of you!" her voice rang out. "Get the hell away before I beat your asses!"

The ever present fear of Temari caused the girls to back away for a moment, a few of them left. The majority of them decided to just stand there and stare at the attractive teenage males, totally aware of Temari's hawk eyes.

"Not getting anywhere huh?" Neji continued the conversation. His pearl eyes were focused elsewhere, on Hinata, as she found Tenten, Ino and Sakura. His gaze gravitated slightly more towards Tenten then the other girls.

"His emo-face behavior probably scares people to much." He yelped when Neji's foot hit him. "Will you stop that?" Kiba backed away a little.

"Did you have anywhere in mind?" Temari asked. She rested her chin in her hands.

"There's only one place that has an opening." Sasuke answered.


"You all remembered your research papers didn't you?" the History teacher, a red-eyed woman with long curly drown hair asked. A nod from the class told her yes. "Alright pass them forward." She went from row to row collecting the stacks of paper. She saw that Naruto had rested his head on his desk, his eye lids drooping. She walked over to him, and with a snap of her fingers he sat up, looking at her face for a moment. "You will stay awake, and you will pay attention, you will not fall asleep in my class, lest I haunt your dreams," she said solemnly. The class snickered at him.

The odd thing about this teacher was that when she threatened to haunt the dreams of a sleeping student, she really, truly did. The superstitious students, (which included all but one or two) believed she had 'special abilities'. There were rumors flying around that if you had detention with her she would mess with your mind, and you'd come out shaking with fear.

"Y-yes," he nodded. He couldn't afford detention, let alone one with the creepiest teacher in school.

Hinata was watching him intently, tapping her pencil's eraser on her desk quietly, her pearl eyes resting on Naruto, who sat in the opposite corner of the room. The rest of the class involved some review of Hitler's conquest for world domination, and a few worksheets, which were to be completed in pairs. This was common occurrence in History, one of the many methods to improve 'team work' among students. Usually it backfired and became a social hour.

The class immediately divided, mostly into groups of three or four as opposed to two, as was customary. The red-eyed teacher had ceased to care in early September, as long as the work was completed.

Hinata didn't have a partner yet. Normally she'd group with two of her long time friends. She'd been trying to get up the courage to work with Naruto all through first semester. Who knows, maybe she'd be able to do it this time, she'd more or less befriended him at this point. If she couldn't, how could she ever sit with him at lunch? She'd certainly take abuse for that, much more then if she completed a few worksheets with him.

'Naruto doesn't h-have a partner, m-maybe I c-could…' Hinata took a deep breathe, and a moment to compose herself before she finally worked up the courage to ask him to work with her.

He had already begun on his sheet, not expecting anyone to want to work with him. Sure, he knew Hinata, but he was her waiter of choice at McDonalds, nothing more. Besides, two of her close friends were in their class, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. They were better choices then he.

"U-um," Hinata gulped, she could feel a blush creeping up her neck and into her face as she stood behind Naruto. She had her pencil clenched so tight in her hands that her knuckles were turning white. He turned his head to look up at her, a hint of curiosity in his bloodshot blue eyes. "W-would you," she swallowed again, hard. The hand that held her pencil had started to shake a bit. "Do y-you, um," Her eyes flickered to the ground and then back to his.

"Hey Hinata, come work with us!" Kiba grabbed her wrist and ushered her over to the three desks he and Shino had put together.

"Ok?" on the inside she was in tears. 'I was s-so close!! K-Kiba! You r-ruin everything!' She sat down in her seat, resting her head on the desk, sighing heavily. It felt good against her blush stained cheek. She ignored the conversation Kiba was trying to start with her and scribbled down the answers to her fill in the blank.

Naruto turned back around and sighed, he continued to work, barely completing half of the first sheet when the teacher hollered for them to get back in their seats. Great, he'd failed to finish again. It shouldn't have surprised him at all. It didn't. What did surprise him was that Hinata Hyuuga had just tried to partner up with him. Or, so it seemed. His lips twitched upward in a small, momentary, rare, smile.


"Did, you find her yet?" a husky, monotonous voice questioned. He breathed in deeply the toxic fumes of the cigarette in his mouth, tapping the glowing end in an ash tray. Several smoldering embers fell into the thickly coated bottom of the glass tray, quickly burning out.

"Almost, the little fucker is pretty evasive, it's hard to track a girl with no permanent residence. We've checked every damn box in the lower west side, and she hasn't turned up just yet." An irritated tone laced the voice of the speaker on the other end of the phone line. "Fuck," a curse was heard, following the crash of what sounded like metal.

"Idiot," a slick, oily voice sighed. He could be heard picking up the metal object.

"Get her soon. It's been two god damned years that you've been trying to find her, I'm getting sick of waiting. I want my money, and I am not a patient man." Green, ringed eyes fluoresced in the pitch blackness of the room. He ran his fingers gingerly over the red, cloud shaped piece of metal that hung around his neck.

"We'll get the little bitch as soon as fucking possible. I hate this city, too many fucking idiots for its own fucking good." More metal crashes.

"What if she does not have the money?" the slick voice questioned seriously, a slight grunt accompanying the sound of a closing van door.

"If she can't pay up, do what you like with her. After all, she has two others who may be able to pay off her debt to me." His gaze flickered to a figure that was silently shuffling back and forth behind where he was seated in his wooden chair. "I trust you have kept an eye on them?"

"Yea, I won't let the brats out of my sight."

"Good, after all, I do love children," White teeth with a slight yellow tint could be seen as this man's lips curled into a rancid smile.


"One day, when you're rich, and I'm poor, will you give me a job?" Naruto asked. He had busied his hands with Tetsuko's long red locks. She was maybe a year old.

"What makes you think you'll be poor?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, watching Naruto's skilled hands as he gently brushed the hair of the half-sleeping toddler. "Maybe you'll be rich,"

"But today was career day, and you're dad came in and told us all about his awesome job, and he said that his sons will be rich like him when they get big, that means you too," he sighed. "My mom and dad weren't rich, they didn't even want me, they just handed me off. Plus, Aunt Yako says I'll never get rich, cuz' I'll have to take care of Tetsuko,"

"She's just stupid. Why should you have to take care of Tetsuko forever anyway? She's her mom, not you." Sasuke crossed his arms. "Sides, you're prolly gonna be richer then me, I don't want to be a business man, I don't think Itachi nii-san does either."

Naruto smiled and laughed slightly. "How 'bout if I get rich, I'll give you a job, and if you get rich you give me a job," he suggested. He knotted his eyebrows, his gaze focused on the tangled red in his hands.

"Sure, it's a deal," Sasuke looked at Tetsuko's hair a little confused as well.

"I think I'm doing it wrong," Naruto pouted. The hair on the top of her head was a mess of knots. "Can you get your mom to show me how again?" he looked up hopefully. Tetsuko squirmed in his lap, twisting to rest against his chest.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and jumped down from the short brick wall they were sitting on in the park. "Just make sure you don't forget to give me a job," he gave one of his smiles and rushed to find his mother.

"I won't!"


Sasuke sighed as he remembered the promise he and Naruto had made when they were nine. He was sitting on his favorite branch of the tree, downing a green Monster energy drink. They could rot your teeth in a New York minute, but he had an addiction that he couldn't beat.

As much as it would hurt his pride, that he'd need to ask for a job from the pathetic loser that had once been his friend, he may need to cash in on that deal, as there were no real job openings anywhere else. His dearest father had officially cut him off. He was sixteen now and as a 'proper young man' should get his own job and pay for his own gas. After all, his father had been working since he was fourteen, and never would've gotten where he was now if he hadn't. Bla, bla, bla, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

He'd resented his father more and more after his mother had passed. Now, he was forcing him to get a job, oh, joy. But, he supposed it was his only option if he ever wanted to spend cash again, or be able to fill up the gas tank in his car.


"You did what?" Sakura asked with a gaping smile as they entered the lunch line.

"I, I tried to t-talk to him," Hinata said, her cheeks flaring with embarrassment. "I-In History, Kiba ruined it though." She looked down in despair.

"Why?" Ino asked, still unable to process that one of her close friends had a crush on the school trash. "He's so…ugh,"

"Come on Ino you can't hate him that much, you do go to McDonalds with us like every day." Tenten pointed out. She grabbed a one of the flimsy foam trays from the pile and made herself a salad of assorted greens and the occasional fruit or vegetable. Something was still missing though, oh, right. Dressing, how could she forget the most important addition the every day salad?

"Only because you guys are going, if it wasn't for that I'd never go at all." She created a very small, limited salad, no dressing. Tenten looked at the dry collection of greens and shook her head. "Their salads are horrible anyway."

"No they aren't, Ino-pig. Besides if you don't like them maybe you should try wolfing down a burger like Hinata." Sakura huffed. She entered her pin number in the keypad and handed the old cashier her money.

"I d-do not w-wolf them down!" Hinata defended. "I, I just e-eat them q-quickly is a-all." She closed her eyes briefly.

"Whatever." Ino stalked over to their usual lunch table and pushed her pink bag onto the floor. "I still stand by my decision that he's gross. How can you even stand to talk to him Hinata?"

"What did you actually say to him anyway?" Tenten asked, raising an eyebrow. She and Sakura both looked at the Hyuuga expectantly.

"Well, I m-mostly j-just s-stuttered a-a lot s-so n-not m-much…" she sighed.

"You need to be less nervous around him, If you stutter too much, Then he might think you're weird." said Sakura. He wasn't her favorite person, and agreed that Hinata could do better, but Hinata liked him, that was all that mattered to her.

"I still can't believe you talked to him, I mean next you'll be sitting with him at lunch, and then, well, you'll sink to the bottom of the social food-chain, and I won't be able to talk to you anymore." Ino shook her head. "If only you liked someone more popular, like oh, Sasuke, or maybe Shikamaru, he's so cute," she giggled, her blue eyes glistening.

"Oh please he's such a lazy ass." Tenten rolled her eyes. "Besides I'm pretty sure he's with Temari."

"Y-you know what I-Ino, m-maybe I w-will sit with h-him." Hinata crossed her arms.

"H-Hinata! You can't do that! Everyone's going to eat you alive! It'll be a catastrophe!" Ino warned.

"Leave her alone." Sakura nudged Ino with her elbow while picking up a peace of lettuce to shove into her mouth.

"I'm just warning her," Ino resolved, sticking her nose in the air.

"You are so shallow," Tenten shook her head again.

"Uh! Am not! How could you say that?" Ino looked absolutely bewildered that Tenten would say such a thing about her. She did not find herself the least bit shallow.

"Because," Tenten started, looking over at the blonde, "It's true," she stated bluntly.

'I, I will sit with him I said this morning that I would,'Hinata thought, ignoring the argument her friends were having. 'I,' she clutched her tray, rising slightly from her chair. Tenten and Ino stopped bickering and looked at her alongside Sakura in amazement. 'I'll do it! I, I……' she slammed her tray back down, pushed it away and rested her face in her arms as she folded them on the table. "I c-can't do it! I-I'll faint!" she groaned, beating her feet on the ground repeatedly for a moment.

"It's ok!" Sakura put a hand on her friends shoulder. "You're just nervous, you'll get it eventually!" she comforted, glaring over at Tenten and Ino, who were about to start up again. Don't you dare say anything! Was what she was screaming through her emerald eyes.


"I hate school food, it's so gross," Naruto glared, disgusted, at the lasagna on his lunch tray. "It's so greasy and, and, ugh it's just nasty."

"Oh get over it." Sasuke rolled his eyes. He didn't like it much either. "You can make up for it when you come to my house for dinner tonight. I think my mom's making chicken soup,"

"Mm, yea, you're mom's a good cook," he laughed. "So, is she making me a cake this year?" The past several years, every time Naruto had his birthday, he'd always had no one to celebrate with, save for Sasuke. So, the lady Uchiha always made him a double chocolate cake. "Ten candles this year!"

"Probably, sheesh dobe," Sasuke shook his head. "I could swear that you lived more at my house then your own." He followed the blond boy as they walked to locate a table.

"I'd rather live at your house, so would Tetsuko I'm sure," he smiled.

"Well happy birthday anyway," Sasuke smiled for a brief moment. Just then Kiba walked past Naruto, pushing the Uzumaki's food tray into his face and chest and knocking him over.

Laughs floated around the cafeteria as the tray slopped off Naruto's shirt. Naruto said nothing, simply wiped sauce from his face.

"Hey!" Sasuke growled. He slammed his tray down on the closest table and grabbed the shorter boy by the collar of his shirt. "What the heck was that for!?" He questioned angrily.

"Heh, just having some fun Uchiha," Kiba smirked, unperturbed. Sasuke pulled back a fist and punched him in the gut. Kiba yelped, and clutched his abdominals as Sasuke dropped him.

"Have fun somewhere else." He watched as Kiba rushed away. Naruto was on the ground, trying to rid himself of the lunch special that was all over him. The other kids in the cafeteria continued to laugh at the forth grader. "What are you all looking at?" Sasuke stared at them and they cleared their throats, looking away. He kneeled down next to his friend, handing him the pile of napkins from his tray. "You ok?"

"Yea, I'm fine," he sat up, removing noodle and sauce from his face. "This was my favorite shirt to!" he complained, gesturing to the ruined fox T-shirt.

"Come on," Sasuke pulled him up and led him to the bathroom. "Here," he removed his black button down shirt, leaving himself in a navy T-shirt. "You can't walk around smellin' like tomatoes all day,"

"Thanks," he trashed his own shirt and replaced it with Sasuke's after washing the food from himself. "What did I ever do to him anyway?" he wondered aloud.

"Prolly nothin', he's just a jerk." Sasuke resolved. "Come on, I still want to eat,"


Naruto sighed; dizzily walking across the Middle school cafeteria with a tray of…well he wasn't sure what was on the tray. It was his fifteenth birthday, and he would celebrate by going to work at McDonalds. He was nearly to his table when, slam. His lunch was all over the front of him. Sasuke stood beside him as he lay on the ground. He looked up, confused.

"Happy Birthday," Sasuke smirked, and walked away, leaving Naruto on the ground, hurt and humiliated.

The laughing had ensued. He stood up slowly, turning to look at Sasuke, who was standing with his snickering friends. He shook his head a little disbelieving. He left his tray there on the floor of the High School cafeteria and as stably as he could, escaped the cafeteria. Hot tears burned his eyes, but he would not cry.

"What did I ever do to you?" he asked no one, as he stood over a bathroom sink. "What, huh?"


Authors Note: Well, we finally visit the bad guys of this story. Some other stuff happened, Tetsuko made the team! Woot! By the way has anyone figured out why her name is so horrible? Tee-hee. I hope you liked it!

REVIEW!

-Wicka