Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto -.-

A/N: Ciaossu! Sorry it took me forever to update but here I am. Just wanted to let you guys know that I didn't die haha. I just didn't think about these stories til now. But I'm working really hard to get some updates up for this and Feed Me to the Forest. It's just that I have had these extremely severe case of writers block once I realized how long i had been since I've updated. I was going to wait a little longer and get it beta'd cause I'm horrible with grammatical errors and spelling as you all know -_-; But I decided that you all have waited long enough. So just bear with the mistakes please


Naruto sighed as he walked up the stairs of his apartment building, two people walking nervously in front of him. This was probably one of the worst plans Tsunade could have concocted in her evil and devious mind. How in the world could he take care of two people while he has a loud and extremely infuriating roommate, a horse sized dog, and a rabid cat vicious to anything living and breathing other than him? Not to mention that these people he was supposed to be "taking care of" have a huge history of running away and somehow Tsunade expected him to break that. So between going to work, beating the shit out of his roommate everyday, keeping his bear- sized dog away from his killer cat, and making sure Kyuubi doesn't eat anything that would have to force Naruto to put him down, Naruto had to also care for and babysit a five year old child and her father.

The blonde quickly flashed the two a uncertain smile before he turned to unlock his apartment door. The apartment was pretty empty and his roommate got his note about cleaning before he returned from the hospital. After Tsunade had nearly forced him to take in the two runaways Naruto returned home and told his roommate about the arrangement. His roommate agreed to stay at the apartment to make sure Satsuki and Sasuke didn't try to run while Naruto was gone for work and Naruto agreed that Kiba could leave whenever he returned from work. They also planned a schedule so that they could each take shifts and make sure the father and daughter didn't try to leave while they were asleep. So two and a half weeks later, when Sasuke was finally released from the hospital, Naruto and Kiba were ready.

Naruto opened the door wide and allowed the two to walk in. Sasuke walked in first, looking at the apartment as if it were the most horrible place in the world. Naruto shut the door behind them as he also looked around. His apartment wasn't bad, small, but not bad. As soon as they walked in they saw a small couch with a small t.v in fron tof it. On the other side was a kitchenette and a small closet. In the back of the apartment were the two bedrooms in which Naruto and Kiba slept in and both contained their own bathroom and closet. There was also a bathroom in the hallway and a small animal cage which Naruto put Kyuubi in when the ginger cat began to work his nerves. Naruto looked back at Sasuke who just closed his eyes. His eyebrows were furrowed and it looked like he was trying to calm his breath. Naruto looked down at the young girl clinging to his clothes and barely contained a smile.

Unlike her father, Satsuki looked at his apartment with a child-like curiosity. Naruto thought she looked as though she wanted to run and explore the rest but she stayed attached to her father's hip. Naruto let a soft smile slip onto his face as he stared at the five year old child. He felt really attached to her even though they only spent a short time together. The two weeks it took Sasuke to get better Naruto secretly visited their room and brought her small gifts like hair pins and snacks he had stolen from Tsunade's desk. The young girl looked so guilty taking the things from him but on the inside Naruto knew she was happy. She was ready to trust them. Naruto looked up at Sasuke who had reopened his eyes and seemed to be more calm. It was her father that was going to take some work. The blonde took a deep breath before letting it out in a loud huff. Well it was either now or never.

"So..." the blonde drawled which forced Sasuke to turn toward him. Sasuke stared at him as if he were an idiot and Naruto's heart jumped despite the look his was receiving. Even though Sasuke didn't trust him and probably hated his very being, Naruto couldn't help but feel a sort of attraction toward him. Sasuke was beautiful. His skin was a pale color, probably a little more pale than it should have been. His hair was as black as a raven but under Naruto's apartment's light it seemed to have a blue tint. His eyes were a deep obsidian color that looked like they were piercing through Naruto's very soul. His body was lean and a little skinny but Naruto assumed that was because of his life style. All of those things caused a physical attraction toward Sasuke but there was one that that made the connection even deeper. Naruto thought back to the night he saved their lives. Just when he heard Satsuki's scream and that moment their eyes connected, Naruto felt something pull at his heart. He didn't know how to explain it or how to even comprehend what it was but he knew that he felt it and he knew that if he grew to know Sasuke better, he could feel it again.

Naruto forced a small smile. "How do you like it?" he asked, hoping to at least get a vocal reaction from Sasuke even if it wasn't a good one. Sasuke scoffed at the question as he took another glance around the apartment. One thing he could say about Orochimaru was that he took good care of the material side of Sasuke. He was a slimy, disgusting, and evil bastard but because of that Sasuke got whatever despite the evil intentions behind them. Once Satsuki was born, Orochimaru moved them into a huge mansion. Satsuki got all of the toys and games she could ask for and her room looked like something from a fairytale. Sasuke had maids and butlers who would wait on him, call them "Master Sasuke" and "Mistress Satsuki", and bend to their every beck and call. If it weren't for the fact that it was Orochimaru they were living with and the torture he was putting them through, Sasuke would have called his life a dream. But because it was Orochimaru it was nothing but a nightmare. A nightmare he had finally escaped only to be dumped in a place like this with some idiot who thought he was going to keep them living there. Sasuke trusted no one. And the longer he stayed there, the faster they were going to get caught.

Sasuke realized that Naruto was waiting on him to answer his question so the brunette simply grunted in reply. Before Sasuke knew it a stab of something pierced his heart as he saw the life in Naruto's blue eyes dim and his shoulder slump in disappointment. What was that? Was it...guilt? Why should Sasuke feel guilty about anything? He didn't care. He shouldn't care. Yet even though those thoughts ran through his head, Sasuke felt his mouth open to give a true response, anything to take that defeated look off of the blonde's face. However, before he could speak Naruto turned around, mumbling something about showing them where they were sleeping. Sasuke swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat and wrapped his arms Satsuki as he followed Naruto to the back of the apartment.

They came upon a room and Sasuke's lips lifted up in disgust at the sight of the bright orange that covered everything. From the ceiling to the floor and everything in between there was nothing left untouched by the horrid color. Posters were lined up and covered the walls completely. The floor was clean of any mess, much to Sasuke's surprise. There was a desk sitting against one wall that had papers strewn everywhere. The trash bin that sat beside the desk was overfilled with paper balls. Sitting on top of the orange comforter on the bed was a stuffed ginger cat and a stuffed fox, that looked like it was spray painted orange, with nine tails coming from the back of it. Satsuki looked all around the room and Sasuke could tell that if he didn't have his arm around her she would have bolted from his side and into the room. Sasuke also noticed that Naruto didn't ask whether or not they liked the room. As much as it pained him to admit it, the thought bothered him more than he liked.

"It's not much to take in but it'll have to do for now," Naruto said rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. Naruto turned toward the two and saw that Sasuke had an angry look upon his face. His heart sank when he realized it must be because of his room. Naruto quickly diverted his eyes and launched himself into explaining. "I've emptied out everything in my closets and dressers so you can unpack your things if you want. I-if anything makes you uncomfortable I can take it down." The two stood at the doorway of the room letting the blonde's words soak into their brain before Satsuki turned sharply toward Naruto once realization dawned on her.

"This is your room?" She asked softly. Sasuke looked down at her in shock that she would speak so freely to this stranger. Naruto just nodded to Satsuki's question. Sasuke immediately got over his shock when he realized exactly what was going on. Coal black eyes narrowed and Naruto felt a shiver flow through his spine once again.

"If we are sleeping in you room then where are you sleeping?" Naruto almost wanted to close his eyes and wanted to float in the sound waves of the voice that echoed around his room. However the silence that followed the beautiful melody brought Naruto back down to earth. The blonde smiled toothily and rubbed the back of his head once again. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Uh well," he stammered, "I knew that you to would definitely want to sleep together and since we have no guest room..."Naruto trailed off noticing the look on Sasuke's face. The brunette had finally pieced two and two together. Naruto was letting them sleep in his room because he wouldn't be sleeping. He would be watching, waiting, and making sure that they didn't try and run. Sasuke felt a sneer cross his features and he glared distastefully at the blonde before turning away sharply and pulling Satsuki into the room. He couldn't believe that he actually felt sorry for that guy at one point. He was just like every other person out there. Well, it didn't matter. Sasuke was not a person to be deterred from his goal and his goal was to get as far away from the city as he could. In fact, he wanted to leave the state of Vermont altogether. He wanted to fly somewhere north, south, west, east, just not close. This "host" of his would just be a minor obstacle in his way.

Sasuke grabbed his and Satsuki's bags and threw them unceremoniously on the bed, smacking the stupid looking stuffed animals. A sharp yowl pierced the air and on reflex Sasuke grabbed Satsuki and pulled her away from the loud noise. Naruto raced into the room and grabbed the stuffed ginger cat that wasn't really stuffed at all. Sasuke looked in horror as the ginger cat turned it's amber eyes upon him, hatred and a promise of future pain swimming in the golden irises. Naruto lightly stroked the cat's fur that was bristled with anger, trying to soothe the offended animal. The blonde turned toward the scared couple with an apologetic look in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I honestly forgot that this varmint even existed. This is Kyuubi, my cat," the blonde explained, holding that cat out which only made Sasuke shrink back in fright (though he would never admit it) when the cat hissed venomously at him. Naruto immediately retracted Kyuubi from Sasuke's face and raced out of the room. Sasuke stayed rooted in the same spot until Naruto came back, his arms completely free of the ginger-haired demon.

"I'm sorry." Naruto apologized once more, rubbing the back of his neck. Sasuke thought in the back of his mind how cute the action was becoming but when he opened his mouth all that came out was:

"Next time why don't you try thinking idiot." Naruto felt the sneering words pull at a string in his chest and he couldn't help but return the glare he was receiving.

"Hey I forgot okay? Kyuubi likes to curl up on my bed sometimes and it's easy to overlook him. And I said I was sorry." Naruto hissed back, feeling insulted about being called an idiot. Sasuke, on the other hand, was feeling insulted by the fact that the blonde had the nerve to talk back to him. The raven put on his full Uchiha Death Glare and put as much anger as he could fit in his words.

"Well maybe your sorrys aren't good enough. It's already bad enough that you're locking us up in this orange colored hell-hole but you have the nerve to "forget to mention" you demonic rodent? Is there anything else you have failed to mention? Maybe a murderer in your closet? Or a rapist in your bathroom?" Satsuki looked at the exchange between the two men with a mixture of fright, wonder, and slight entertainment. However the fright was taking over for the look on Naruto's face at her father's spiteful comment was darkening to an almost inhuman level. If Satsuki didn't know any better, he was almost looking like that demonic cat of his.

"Look, I invited you into my home and even gave up my bed for you and this is the thanks I get. I even saved you and Satsuki's life and you can't even go ten seconds without sending me a disgusted look or a dismissive comment that makes me feel lower than low and quite frankly I'm getting sick of it! If you don't like my hell-hole than maybe you should just go back to the one you came from!" Naruto knew immediately that was the wrong thing to say for twin expressions of horror crossed over both Sasuke and Satsuki's faces. Satsuki clutched her father's clothes tighter the poor child's knuckles were turning white. Large tears filled her eyes as she stared up and Naruto with an almost pleading expression. Naruto noticed even Sasuke's grip got tighter on his own daughter though the expression on his face was no longer just horror but also disappointment and what seemed like a knowing expression. Naruto immediately wanted to take his words back but the damage was done. He had successfully made the pair distrust him to the point of almost no return. Naruto sighed heavily and ran a hand through his golden locks, slightly pulling at them in frustration.

"Look I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean what I said I was just angry and frustrated. I just, I don't know how to explain it. I-" the sound of bags droppping to the floor interrupted Naruto from his speech. Naruto looked up to see Sasuke had turned around and began to unpack their things. Naruto looked on with a desperate expression upon his face. This isn't what he wanted. This isn't what he needed! Sasuke was shutting him out and Lord only knew how long it would take Naruto to get him to open up, let alone get him to even trust him a fraction of a bit. Naruto moved toward to kneeling brunette, bent on doing something, anything that would ease the tension he created between them.

"Sasuke I-" Naruto started but was once again interrupted by a simple,

"Get out."

Naruto faulted in his steps but didn't move toward the door any. He wouldn't leave until he-

"Get OUT! What don't you understand about that?" Sasuke shouted turning around to face the blonde. "You're sick of me giving you wrong looks and saying the wrong things so I'll keep my space away from you. We'll just stay here in this room and act like you don't exist and when your back is turned we'll be gone back to the hell-hole we came from!" Naruto felt his heart sink. His words really did more damage than he thought. Apparently the place they came from was far worse than anyone thought. Naruto shook his head desperately.

"Sasuke I didn't mean that! I...I don't have a filter on my mouth when I'm angry okay? I don't control what I say and I'm sorry! I truly am sorry. I didn't mean any of that I just wanted you to notice me I suppose. I want you to stay here and I want it to be pleasant and fun. I want to gain your trust and learn a lot more about you and Satsuki. Please," Naruto whispered, hoping the words were getting to the irritated brunette. Sasuke just narrowed his eyes and placed his hands upon his hips.

"How do you know my name?" He hissed sightly under his breath and Naruto almost had to strain to hear. The blonde paled considerably. He had forgotten that Sasuke had no idea that Tsunade knew everything about him. He forgot that he sneaked into their hospital room only when Sasuke was asleep and that the brunette hadn't said a word to him much less introduce himself properly. The blonde stammered for an answer when suddenly he felt a small hand wrap itself into his own. Both Naruto and Sasuke looked down at Satsuki in surprise but the young girl's eyes never left her father's.

"I told him Papa." She said softly and Sasuke looked so taken aback that Naruto almost wanted to confess everything just to get the look off of his face.

"Satsuki..." Sasuke stumbled, so shocked he couldn't form words. Satsuki blushed lightly at the defiance she was showing to her father.

"I'm sorry Papa. I don't mean any harm to you and I'm not going against you. I just really think that we can trust Naruto. He was kind to me in the hospital and he did save our lives. He's even literally giving us his bed to sleep in and despite what he said I know he won't take us back to that horrible place." Satsuki moved closer to her father and took his hand, still keeping her grip on Naruto's. The blonde and the teen looked down at the child before looking up into each others eyes. Cerulean met onyx and it almost felt as if they were really seeing each other for the first time.

"Papa could we please at least try to trust him, trust them?" Sasuke looked down at his little girl and felt his heart flood with so many different emotions. Pride that his daughter was so smart and so brave. Anger at the blonde before him and his earlier words. Distrust, confusion, indifference. It was all driving him crazy. However Sasuke knew what he had to do for the best of them, so he took his other hand and placed it upon Satsuki's before removing the child's hands from his own. Satsuki looked up at him with a saddened sort of surprise. But the worry was washed away when Sasuke knelt down and placed a kiss upon her silky black hair.

"I make no promises for myself Satsuki but if you want to trust him then I trust your opinion." Satsuki beamed up at her father but Sasuke was glaring slightly at Naruto who was fidgeting uncomfortably. "However I sense even a sliver of betrayal not only will we leave but I willdestroy you." Naruto gulped loudly as Sasuke left the threat hanging in the air like a thick curtain. The blonde slowly withdrew his hand and made his way toward his bedroom doorway.

"Well I'll leave you two to unpack. If you need anything just...ask." The blonde said awkwardly before leaving, closing the door loudly behind him. Sasuke turned to Satsuki with a serious expression on his face once the blonde was completely gone. Satsuki just raised herself to her tiptoes, a sign for Sasuke to bend down which he did. The raven-haired girl placed a kiss on top of her father's silky hair before standing back on her feet.

"Don't worry Papa. I know we can trust him." She said softly before skipping toward her things to unpack. Sasuke looked at his daughter and hoped that the five-year-old was right.


Okay so this chapter turned out nothing like I thought it would but at least I wrote it haha. I don't know exactly where this story is headed but I guess I'll know when I get there. Thank you for being so patient with me and my slow reviews. It's just I had such a severe case of writer's block. I listened to the song a million times I reread the story but to no avail. I just couldn't type. But here it is and I promise I'll update faster. This is the longest I will ever take on updating a chapter. Please review if you fell like it haha =)