Chapter 11

Come Little Children

"I killed my mother," Naruto spoke mechanically needing to fill the silence with something. "When I was born...I killed her. There was a choice...my father wanted the doctors to save my mother...and my mother wanted them to save me. You can say my mother won their last argument."

It was Saturday morning and sunlight filtered through the window. Everything was still. Everything was calm. It didn't make sense how the world could continue to move forward without so much as a hiccup, without so much as a pause when a crime was committed. Naruto barely realized what was happening...until he heard Haku saying the words. Child Prostitution.

pros·ti·tu·tion (noun) the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment

Naruto's hair was wet and droplets of water rolled down the sides of his face. He smelled of expensive shampoos and soaps which the Tree Leaves hotel stocked the penthouse bathrooms with. Irregardless it didn't mask the rot and infection that had been ravaging within him. Naruto could feel the rot, smell the sick. No matter how much soap he but on his body no matter how much he scrubbed his skin raw it remained. The rot. The sick. Festering.

Haku sat besides him with equally wet hair that clumped together, his makeup washed away, and wearing the same plush white robe as his blonde companion. Both empty. Both spent. Both numb.

They hadn't slept. Alone in the hotel room. Check out was 11:00AM.

Naruto was putting pieces of his reality together to form a coherent picture, attempting to make sense of the world that had shattered into a tiny million pieces.

"I had a thought last night...if I could kill my own mother...maybe it wouldn't be the worse thing if I killed Zabuza," Naruto continued to speak in the same mechanical voice. "I'm pretty sick aren't I?"

It was then when Haku turned to look at Naruto and offered his own explanation, "Only if I'm sick for wishing my father killed me too." Naruto was just a stupid, bratty kid and didn't have the right words to say, and there was something broken deep inside, and he couldn't even make up any pretty words, or string together beautifully masterful lies to make Haku, or himself, feel better. So he didn't.

The only way Naruto could respond was to hug Haku, and so he did.

Naruto's eyes trailed to the stack of money that was left on the coffee table, and then to the bullet hole that was still embedded in the suede couch across from them. Naruto still had a ringing sound in his right eardrum he didn't know if it was real or if he was just imagining it. It was all evidence that a crime had taken place. A crime against children. A crime that for all intents and purposes simply did not happen. Because they wouldn't tell. Because they would keep the secret. Because Haku would die.

"Now what?" Naruto asked with half lidded eyes as he released Haku and sank back down into the coach. Wanting nothing more than to sleep, but was too terrified to close his eyes and dream.

"Now...we keep each other's secrets...and take some medicine to help take the edge off..."

Naruto was dancing on top his bed with the stereo blaring electronica. Shikamaru was standing in the middle of his room lecturing him. Blah. Blah. Blah. Naruto had tuned him out choosing to press the volume of the stereo higher with the remote in hand. Higher and higher. The music drowned out his conscience. The door flung open and three men wearing kitsune masks appeared. Swords attached at their backs.

Ah fuck. The party was over.

Naruto stretched his arms out and dropped himself down until he was sitting at the edge of his bed, he clapped his palms together and bowed his head proclaiming, "I am really sorry. I will repent!" Shikamaru had grabbed the remote angrily and turned the stereo off. Silence.

"Christ Naruto!" Shikamaru yelled as he threw the remote on the floor, spun on his heels, and immediately left the room. Naruto watched Shikamaru apathetically, not bothering to acknowledge him in the least bit, before turning his attention back to the three Anbu members.

"Naruto...Yondaime is requesting your presence immediately, "the masked man in the middle spoke. Naruto threw his arms back on his bed supporting his weight and stared from one masked man to the next. The Anbu were the Hokage's personal bodyguards, black operatives, and they were dispatched specifically to retrieve Naruto. It was laughable, which caused Naruto to snort in protest. They were acting like Naruto was some armed and dangerous fiend. Honestly.

"My father can't even come himself? I don't see why I need to see him, we don't have anything to discuss...I missed the dinner...and I am honestly feeling so remorseful..." Naruto spoke sarcastically as he bobbed his head up and down.

"You're gravely mistaken. It's a formality, really. It wasn't a request. You have the choice of coming willingly...or the choice of us dragging you out," The middle masked man continued in a dignified voice, and he then pulled the white fox mask back to reveal his face. The man was young in his 20's. Too young. He must be pretty good to be in the Anbu.

"I am Uchiha Shisui, Naruto. And I don't think you want me making a scene. But I am fully prepared to make the biggest most exaggerated scene imaginable. Your classmates are still here after all...what do you say? Wanna make a scene with me?"

Naruto heartbeat quickened, and stared from the inky blackness of Shisui's eyes to the smirk on his lips. Registering the man wasn't bluffing, and had every intention of following through. "Ah...Shit."

Naruto began pulling on his orange bomber jacket to which Shisui raised his eyebrows, "You do have a warmer jacket, right...you feral child. It's snowing outside." Naruto scowled at the man before violently zipping the jacket up. "I'm not giving my father the satisfaction of seeing me dressed warmly."

"You really are a feral child," Shisui commented with mocked surprise as he went to Naruto's open closet. Shisui easily found a knit scarf and matching knit hat, before throwing the scarf around Naruto's neck and pulling the hat over his head in one fluid movement.

"Stop it! I can dress myself!" Naruto yelled as he swatted the man's hands away. "Clearly you cannot." Shisui continued as he tied the scarf around the blonde's neck all while Naruto continued to scowl at him.

"Such a petulant feral child," Shisui commented at Naruto's expression. Shisui turned over his shoulder and looked at his team members.

"Go start the car I want to debrief Naruto before the meeting with the Yondaime," Shisui ordered, and with a bow the two masked men left shutting the door behind him. Not only was he young but he was also the commander? Interesting.

Shisui stared at the door for several seconds before turning his attention back to Naruto. The older man definitely had the features of a Uchiha. Genetics were astronomical in this family. 'Fuck me' Naruto thought even this man was attractive. Wild thick black hair, long eye lashes, and a cream complexion.

Shisui brought his attention back to Naruto, gripping Naruto's face with his hand, and moving closer to him moving his head to the left and then to the right as if examining fruit at the market. Eyes narrowed into slits.

"What are you currently on? Cocaine? Callisto?" Shisui asked. "Your pupils are so dilated it's like a goddamn eclipse!" Naruto swatted Shisui's hand away and shrugged nonchalantly as the older man continued his tirade, "They're reports of you going into a hotel last night with another student…a male student, and staying in the hotel overnight."

Naruto threw his head back and laughed, "Yes...let me see the Yondaime...I want to tell him personally that his only son is gay and is addicted to drugs...or…" Naruto's eyes glittered with knowledge and a glint of malevolence, "...should I tell him that Uchiha Itachi was the one who sold me the drugs?"

"What did you say?" Shisui asked with confusion, the real confusion, eyebrows furrowing together, and searching Naruto to see if he was lying or being truthful. The conclusion was Naruto was being honest. Shisui could always tell if somebody was lying.

"Yes...that Uchiha Itachi sold me Callisto behind the Consignment shop in downtown Konoha." Naruto repeated his voice lowering and becoming more serious. "Hn." Shisui murmured as he began weighing the new information with the old information to make an informed decision.

"Fine. We'll go with this...as an act of rebellion you turned your cell phone off and stayed at a classmate's dorm. The reports about the drugs and entering hotels at night were deemed unsubstantiated...and because you're such a feral child you're just throwing a tantrum so it was better to leave you sulking in your bedroom than it was to bring you to the Yondaime."

Naruto smiled a triumph smile, "It was a pleasure doing business with you."

Shisui patted Naruto condescendingly on the cheek and smiled cooly, "Do not fret we will see each other real soon. I do not think living by yourself is good for you, feral child...you have to socialize with other humans."

"Wait...wait a minute..." Naruto balked. He didn't like any of the words he spoke. The smile left Naruto's face as he read between the lines.

"Yes...I think I'll bring it up with the Director of Residential Services, and strongly encourage them to move you into a dorm with a roommate. Sooner rather than later...we all know what happened with Mowgli, my dear feral child."

"NARUTO!" Sakura's voice was hot and angry causing Naruto to flinch instinctively. The blonde threw up both palms to show the bubble-gum haired girl he was apologetic. "Sorry! Sorry!" Naruto spoke ruefully, but it wasn't enough and he was met with a punch to his shoulder that felt like he was hit with a baseball bat. Sakura's monstrosity of a strength only intensified as she grew older, and the pain erupted told Naruto he was going to be tender if not bruised over the next few days.

"Ow! Ow! Sakura! Please!" Naruto begged as he easily dodged her next attack, by swinging his legs over the bench to the table and moving to his feet. Naruto had abandoned his bowl of ramen and was now in flight mode.

"You turned your cellphone off and vanished, Naruto!" Sakura continued her voice raising with anger as she made moves to punch Naruto again, but he rolled over one of the dining room tables in the mess hall and placed both his hands up defensively.

Sakura slammed both palms on the table demanding, "Where were you? Do you know how worried we all were! So. Where. Were. You?" Naruto felt other eyes watching him, inspecting him, ready to dissect his every move and every word. Fucking always living in a glass fishbowl. The panicky feeling was in his stomach. His heartbeat quickened. The cranks and reels within his brain working in overtime. 'Gotta come up with a good explanation.'

Naruto didn't want to lie and wasn't going to lie to one of his best friends.

"I was...kinda...on a date…" Naruto spoke sheepishly as he brought one hand to scratch the back of his head nervously, while the other went limp at his side. "...and kinda fell asleep there."

The indignation on Sakura's face melted away and she went quiet and still rather astonishingly. "With who?" Sakura asked dropping her voice to a whisper, her eyes flickering to see no students were in the immediate vicinity. However they still gave them sideways glances of curiosity. Naruto could tell she was going through the rolodex of names and faces of everybody at the academy in her mind.

"He's really quiet and doesn't stand out too much...I don't think you know him," Naruto spoke matching his pitch with Sakura's.

"He?!" Sakura exclaimed and Naruto held up his hands at her, looking distressed and nervous, "Can you please not out me in front of everybody right now...Sakura? 'Kay? Thanks."

Naruto then moved back around the table now that he assessed his life wasn't in danger anymore, and returned to his seat bringing the bowl of shoyu beef ramen closer to him and picking up the abandoned chopsticks. Naruto began picking up the noodles and moving it around the bowl making sure the miso soup was even over the noodles before bringing the noodles to his mouth.

Sakura slid into the bench parallel from him and lowered her head staring at Naruto's face intensely, "So...when...when did you know?"

"We're really going to talk about this...right now? Aren't you angry with me?" Naruto asked as he swallowed the noodles and brought more noodles to his mouth. "Well...yeah! You can't just drop this on me and expect me not to talk about it!"

"Well?" Naruto glanced up at Sakura before focusing on the bowl in front of him, ignoring her. "Who is it?" Sakura asked her eyes searching Naruto's face for any indication. The blonde remained tight-lipped. "...is it Sasuke?"

It was then when Naruto began choking, he dropped the chopsticks, and grabbed the cup of water, bringing the cup to his lips, and swallowing. Air was then inhaled sharply back into his lungs, and only then did he shoot a look of indignation back at Sakura.

"I assure you Sasuke is not gay." Naruto spoke as he took another chug of water, but avoided her eyes nonetheless. Somethings should be left unsaid...like telling your female best friend you sometimes have vivid sexual fantasies involving your male best friend, or your first sexual experience took place in the smelly boy's locker room, or what you really did on Friday night...

"Well...that was a bit dramatic, Naruto. You can't deny that he is attractive...and he hasn't paid attention to any girls..." Sakura concluded as she brought her hand up to prop her head up her emerald eyes scanning the cafeteria; lingering at each girl in the room.

"Give it a year...he's probably just a late bloomer," Naruto concluded as he began putting more noodles back into his mouth. Only saying the words caused his chest to ache, and he immediately regretted it afraid it would really happen. Afraid his words would turn prophecy.

"Uzumaki Naruto," a male voice boomed out causing both Naruto and Sakura to jump out of their skins and snap their heads to the side. Both afraid it was Sasuke. It wasn't. Relief. Instead it was the Residential Director Umino Iruka.

"I received the most unusual request," Iruka had a very large noticeable scar that cut across his face horizontally. Iruka's eyes scanned the sprawling letters on the room change request packet, "You will be switching rooms with Hozuki Suigetsu tomorrow and will soon be boarding with Uchiha Sasuke," Iruka explained as he looked at the thick packet in his hands and then looked at Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widened and he shook his head with a violent 'no' before holding his hand out, "I refuse!" It worked for Sakura all these years so he wondered if it would work for him. It didn't.

Iruka rolled the packet into a cone and struck Naruto across the head, "I do not care if you are the Hokage's son you will be treated the same as everybody else, and will be changing rooms effective tomorrow!"

"I refuse. Can't Sasuke and I just switch rooms and I can room with Suigetsu?" Naruto pressed as he brought his hands to cover his head just as Iruka struck him again with the rolled up request packet.

"They both had requested individual rooms, and so I let them decide on who would get the single room...turns out Suigetsu won, so you'll be rooming with Sasuke." Iruka continued as he raised his arm, poised to strike Naruto again if he continued to disagree.

"You don't understand Iruka...Sasuke and I just became friends again and he'll hate me if we room together!" Naruto began to whine and Sakura quirked an eyebrow asking, "How so?"

"Y'know...enemies who live together eventually become friends...friends who live together become enemies!" Naruto explained breathlessly turning from Sakura to Iruka both they were both deadpanned and not sympathetic.

"Naruto...what kind of backwards logic is that?" Sakura asked.

"Effective tomorrow, Naruto!" Iruka continued, "I will personally be overseeing the room change. Have a good night."

Fuck.

"Hinata...will be so depressed when she finds out." Sakura murmured. "What?" Naruto asked upset that Sakura wasn't matching his panic, or even trying to sympathize. "Nothing."