Title: Kremlin Dusk

Author: sky75rk

A/N: After three long months of dormancy, I've finally risen again. I'm sorry if this took so long to upload. To be honest, I've been nothing but lazy, though at some point during my three month absence, I've also been busy doing my projects and other extra-curricular that I've had no time to update. Anyway, vacation is finally here… and I'm really happy that I passed the university I wanted to pass on. And thanks to all who still reviewed this story…

Standard disclaimers apply.

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Eighth Channel: Born in a world of…

Shizune paced across the living room. Tsunade was watching her, carefully moving as the hangover caused several headaches in her head.

Last night had been a disaster. The brunette woman learned that Tsunade made another futile attempt at covering their expenses by gambling whatever money they had stashed for emergency purposes. She knew that they were short of budget, that they needed to pay the tuition of the other children; however, she also knew that she should never gamble. She just wasn't good at that.

But no! She had to take the risk because she was feeling like she wasn't doing enough. That she wanted to help Naruto with the expenses and the intention was noble, that Shizune couldn't just blame Tsunade for trying.

"Did you go to Neji already?" Tsunade broke the silence and Shizune's pacing stopped. The brunette looked at her and sighed.

"No, not yet. I'm still debating with myself whether I should go or not. Naruto wouldn't be happy if we did. He hates having debts. On the other hand, if he learns about this, who knows what he will do in the act of desperation,"

"I'm sorry,"

Shizune sighed yet again. "I know that you just wanted to help. But what were you thinking?" she almost shouted that part out loud due to her exasperation. "You do know that if you won't be able to pay within the next month, they will ship you off and the house will lose its head…" Shizune trailed off.

Tsunade hung her head and put her hands on her face. "… And without someone running this..." the brunette trailed again, taking a deep breath before continuing. "The children will be transferred to another orphanage. And they will lose a home they only ever had,"

Silence reigned.

It was the consequence of her thoughtless actions. Her noble intentions of helping them out of poverty was thrown out the window and discarded the moment she started losing in the casino. It wasn't that Tsunade was dumb. She was one of the best doctors that ever came out of the medical school, and she knew that they wouldn't be this desperate if only she didn't waste her life when the love of life died. Instead of being a successful doctor in her field, she became the head of an orphanage, but she didn't regret anything. She had grown to love these kids, and would do anything for them.

Behind the façade of a rich, happy family living on a perfect house with a perfect landscaped garden, there were problems they have to deal with; secrets that they have to keep from a certain blonde boy; actions that they have to be careful of.

At that time, Tsunade hated herself and Shizune was weary.

---

Naruto went to school quite late that day. His actions were sluggish as he did not have ample time to completely rest to regain his energy for the next day. He worked until dawn at the construction site and when he went home, he was surprised to see Tsunade sleeping at the couch on the living room. She never did that unless she was drunk.

Again. He thought. Tsunade rarely gets drunk nowadays and his gut feeling tells him that something is terribly wrong. He did not see Shizune that morning as well, he had to get up and deliver newspapers. After his morning job, he fell asleep on his bed and hwne he woke up, he was already thirty minutes late for his first class. He then, decided not to attend that class and proceeded to get ready for his second class instead.

He still hasn't seen Neji or any other people he was acquainted with, not that there were many. He was friendly, yes. But he didn't stop to stay and make friends with them. He was too afraid that they will know the secret that he was harboring for several years now. He didn't want that. It was not that he was ashamed of his family. They were his family! But it was hard. For the first time, he wanted to fit in; only, he was pushing other people away. What happened to accepting people huh?

There it was again; the feeling that something was very wrong right that time. He looked around as if trying to find the source of the problem, but there was none. He wanted to think that it was just a fluke… however; it was too strong to ignore.

Stop it! You're being paranoid! He scolded himself. He suddenly wished that Neji was there distracting him from whatever he was thinking of.

You're being dependent on him again. Of course, he wouldn't remember a time wherein he was dependent on the Hyuuga. After all, he never had been dependent on him. Everything was only on his mind; it is what he feeds himself when he wanted to lean on someone. It was his fear. He never wanted to rely on anybody.

He sighed. He shook his head to rid himself o f this thoughts. But the feeling remained. He decided to talk to Shizune or Tsunade the moment he gets home.

Yes, I'll talk to them later.

Just as he was getting used to the idea, he remembered about the array of jobs that he has and wondered when he will have the time to talk to them at all.

---

Neji sat across Shizune. The woman he knew for years now was bearing a troubled look on her face.

"What do you need to talk to me about, Shizune-san?" he asked politely, and he could see the internal struggle that woman was having with herself.

He left for Naruto when he noticed that he was around for the first class they were sharing that day. He was worried that something ha happened to the blonde that immediately after his class; he rushed towards his car and drove to his home.

What he found was not a sick Naruto, but a very troubled Shizune who seemed alarmed to see him there. Just as he was about to ask about the blonde, he was interrupted, and he fell silent as he was led into the dining room. Shizune just asked to talk to him and it was serious.

"Shizune-san?" he tried and the brunette snapped out of her self-induced stupor.

"Hyuuga-san," it was serious talk, Neji decided then and there. For Shizune never used his surname when talking to him.

---

"Dobe," a voice shook him from his thoughts and Naruto came face to face with the person he did not want to see that time.

"What are you doing here?" his blue eyes narrowed at him and the black orbs just stared at him with amusement.

"Nothing. I saw you moping around and decided to cheer you up," the way he spoke was confusing. Naruto didn't know whether he was kidding or not. And the look in his eyes did not help him otherwise. Though he decided not to believe him. After all, he is a bastard. Cheer me up my ass. He thought rudely, but remained quiet and stood up to walk away. He was not in the mood for this.

A hand on his wrist stopped him and the blonde tried to jerk back his hand. Sasuke held it firmly.

"Come with me," was the only thing he said before dragging Naruto away.

-Continued-

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