A/N: So, that didn't take too long, did it? Nine days... Ten, tops. Sorry you guys have to wait for this one :sweatdrop: I'll try and speed it up...
Disclaimer: Kiba argued with K. Masashi for close to an hour, but the man still wouldn't admit that I own Kiba.
FYI: Everything in bold is when they're talking over their radios.
"Woo, that was a waste of time." Kotetsu exclaimed as he took off his helmet, jumping out of Truck Ten. "I hate it when old women see a spark and scream 'fire'."
"Kind of like the boy who cried 'wolf', huh?" Izumo asked as he jumped out after Kotetsu, slamming the door to the Truck.
"Yeah, something like that." The other firefighter grinned.
"Come on, guys, get out of your gear." Kakashi called as he slammed the passenger side door of Engine Seven. "Calm down and get the adrenaline out of your system so we're ready for our next call." The speaker clicked.
"Speaking of our next call." Genma smirked as they waited.
A call came in for Station Twelve and Fourteen and Naruto almost yelled at the others to hurry up until he remembered he was in Station Seven.
"Man, this is gonna take some getting used to." Naruto grumbled as he climbed out of the Engine.
"Took me a while, too." Kiba admitted as he followed him out. "I was a transfer from Four. Of course, when I got here, Genma and Raidou were still over in Sixteen. 'Course, the bastards found out I was coming here and decided to make my life a living hell."
"Heard that, Inuzuka!" Genma hollered.
"Bite me, Shiranui."
"Gladly."
"Sick, man!" Kiba made a face.
"You knew Genma and Raidou before this?" Naruto asked as he shrugged off his coat.
"Oh yeah. Family friends. The parents have them over every Christmas for dinner." Kiba frowned in thought. "Come to think of it, Genma always eats all the mashed potatoes."
"I do not!"
"Stop eavesdropping, asshole!" Kiba hollered angrily. "I swear, you can never have a private conversation with that man close-by."
Naruto just smirked as the two of them entered the main room. Most of the guys had settled in front of the television, Sasuke and Kakashi sitting at the table reading. Sasuke had a newspaper and Kakashi had an orange novel in hand that Naruto recognized only too well.
"Icha Icha Paradise, huh?" Kakashi looked up at him. "I know the author. My dad was good friends with him."
Naruto almost flew off his feet because Kakashi had grabbed the front of his shirt, his hands shaking.
"Yo-you know the famous Jiraiya Sannin?.!" he asked incredulously.
"Uh, yeah. He raised me. And if you had half a brain, you'd have noticed that the Battalion Chief for this sector is named Tsunade Sannin, and also happens to be the old pervert's sister."
Kakashi almost fainted and Kiba managed to push a chair under his ass before the Captain fell to the ground. Kiba laughed, shaking his head before wrapping a friendly arm around Naruto's shoulder and leading him towards the bunk-room.
Kiba fell down on his new bed and let out a groan. "Man, sometimes I hate this job." Naruto sat down on his own bed, staring down at his hands as he picked at the skin around his thumb. "So, you're an Uzumaki." Naruto looked up before sighing and nodding.
"Yeah. The last one."
"Hm. Sorry."
"Not your fault." Naruto insisted. "Wasn't really anybody's fault."
"That, my friend, is where you are wrong." Naruto looked up at Kiba, confused. "It was the fire's fault, and we both know it. Man, that bitch is alive. It knows where you're going and what you're doing to put it out, and it'll do everything in its power to stop you. It's what it did to your dad, but he overcame it for a short time and managed to get you out of the house."
"Yeah." Naruto smiled bitterly. "Too bad he couldn't do the same for himself or my mom."
"Man, Naruto." (1) Kiba sighed and sat up. "I didn't know your dad, so I won't pretend I did, but that man was a wicked firefighter. He was the most well-known firefighter in the country, and I'm not just saying that. He was fucking good. Everyone knew about him."
"Yeah. And that's why everyone knows about me." Naruto spat angrily. "Oh, poor little orphan child, his parents died in a fire. Too bad for him. Isn't it weird his dad was a firefighter and he died? It's a shame only Naruto lived. Blah, blah, blah." The blond stood up and began to pace. "The press used me like some kind of child trophy or something." Naruto waved his hands about slightly. "The kid of the famous firefighter survives awful fire that claims dad's life. What a story! Fuck, I was six!" Naruto rounded on Kiba. "I was six fucking years old when I was told I'd never see my parents again! People used my life as a huge story! My parents died in the house I currently live in, and I still get people from the press hounding me. Did the entire camera crew of channel three come to your graduation from the fire academy, cause they sure fucking came to mine!"
The door suddenly opened and Naruto turned to see Gaara in the doorway. He calmly walked into the room, closing the door behind him, and sat down on Naruto's bed. The blond sighed, rubbing his hands over his face before turning back to Kiba.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to explode like that."
"It's cool, man." Kiba insisted. "Seems like you needed to get that off your chest for a while." Naruto laughed slightly.
"Yeah."
"Are you all right, Uzumaki?" Naruto looked at Gaara.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine man. It's cool." He held out his fist and Gaara hit it lightly with his own. "I'm cool."
"Do I need to call Hyuuga?"
"Nah, man. Leave Neji alone. He's on a call right now, remember? Station Twelve." Gaara nodded.
"If you need me, you know I'm here."
"Hey, man, I'm here, too." Kiba raised his hand, catching both men's attention. "I like you, I'm willing to put up with some yelling if it'll make you feel better."
Naruto laughed, shaking his head. "You rock, Kiba. I'm gonna have to buy you a beer."
"Sold." Kiba grinned. "My friend, you just sealed our friendship."
"Never utter the word 'beer' and 'free' to Kiba in the same sentence." Gaara stated calmly. "You'll regret it."
"You can come, too, Raccoon-Eyes." Naruto teased, using the nickname he'd given Gaara back in high school.
"Only if you pay, Fox-Face." Gaara countered.
"Come on, guys, let's move it!" Kakashi hollered as he jumped out of Engine Seven, rushing towards the large building before them. It was engulfed in flames, acrid black smoke emitting from the building. Fire had long since broken all the windows and the glass crunched under the firefighter's feet as they ran towards the building. There were already three Engines and a Telesquirt (2) at the scene (3), which meant the Battalion Chief (4) was already present and giving out orders.
Engine Seven's team got their Scott Packs (5) in place, getting ready to enter the scene. Naruto checked to ensure he had a full tank of air, which would allow him approximately half an hour of air. They all checked that their radios were working before Kakashi waved them over and told them where they were headed. They were told not to go in too far in case the top floors collapsed, but they wanted to try and get the fire out on the first floor. The Captain would stay outside and watch the panel to check on water levels.
"Rookie, get the hose." Sasuke called to him.
"I'm not a fucking rookie!" Naruto hollered, the hose already on his shoulder as he jogged towards the burning building, letting loop by loop fall to the ground. He reached the door and Sasuke took the end of the hose from him.
"Moron." Sasuke breathed.
"Bastard!" Naruto hollered.
"Is this really the time?.!" Kiba demanded as he clicked his regulator into place and followed Sasuke inside, getting on his hands and knees. Naruto grumbled under his breath as he did the same, grabbing the hose with one hand to follow it through the smoke.
More than once, the blond reached out and grabbed Kiba's foot to gauge how close he was to the brunette. As the air rushed past his face, Naruto forced himself to breathe in the stale air. One thing he hated about the Scott packs was how it felt like you were breathing recycled air, which technically, you were.
Breathing from a Scott pack was harder than regular breathing. When you breathed normally, all you had to do was inhale and exhale as you pleased. With a Scott pack, there was always a pause before the air came to you, almost as if the tank was asking if you were sure you wanted to take a breath. The resistance the air gave always annoyed Naruto.
When the air came, it wasn't there to use as one pleased, it was forced to be used. The regulator was almost breathing for him as opposed to Naruto breathing calmly by himself. The first time Naruto had put on a Scott pack and gone into a real fire, he'd felt like he would suffocate because he didn't have control of when the air would come and allow him to breathe.
Naruto's head bumped into Kiba and he realized the other man had stopped. Sasuke was now crouched down, the hose in hand. Kiba leaned into the raven, giving him support while Naruto raised the hose in his hands.
"Charge the line (6)." Naruto heard Sasuke say over his radio above the roar of the fire.
Naruto braced himself against Kiba to help give the other man more support when the hose was opened. The second he did, Kiba jerked back into him slightly, a spray of water emitting from the nozzle Sasuke held in his hands.
Naruto felt his heart-rate increasing as adrenaline pumped through his body. He loved the rush of the job, even though he knew it was dangerous. Fire had always fascinated him, and in a way, he'd always felt guilty about it since his parents died. It was normal for him to feel guilty for liking fire so much.
Sasuke aimed the stream of water at the ceiling closest to them, trying to force the fire back into a corner. Water was instantly turned to steam as the temperature of the fire met with the water. The room suddenly felt a thousand degrees hotter to Naruto.
Their radios all crackled before Kakashi's voice screamed into their ears. "Wolfgang, we need you back out here. I'm sending Blade in."
"Roger that." Kiba said.
Naruto was confused, but he let it slide as Kiba shifted behind him. Sasuke turned the hose off for a second as Kiba turned around and crawled past Naruto, the blond moving forward quickly to take his place. Naruto moulded to Sasuke's back, bracing himself as the raven opened the nozzle again, Sasuke bucking back into him. The blond shifted to better support his coworker from the back pressure. What felt like hours later, Naruto felt someone leaning against him to help relieve the pressure, and Naruto didn't have to turn to know it was Zabuza. The size alone alerted him.
As the three of them made their way forward, chasing the fire back into a corner, Naruto caught a glimpse of the back of Sasuke's jacket. He'd noticed something at the back of Kakashi's during their earlier call, but had thought nothing of it. Now that he was literally millimetres away from the other man's jacket, he realized it was writing. He squinted in the darkness to read what it said, noting it was a word. Death.
Well, how nice, Naruto thought bitterly. This guy needs to get out more.
Suddenly, Naruto's mask began to vibrate again his face and he checked his air. He was running low. He had five minutes, tops. And just as he checked his air, he fell forward onto Sasuke, who'd turned off the hose because he, too, was running out of air.
"Blade, the rookie and I are running out of air."
I'm not a fucking rookie! Naruto thought angrily.
"Roger that, Death. Turn off the hose. Scarecrow, you read?"
"I'm sending in Arrow and Scarface." Kakashi's voice crackled down the line. "Death, you and the rookie come back out. Blade, stay where you are until the others come. Come out when they're set up. You've got more air, enough time to hose down a bit more."
"Roger that."
"Can you handle the hose alone?" Naruto asked Zabuza, concerned. In Station Twelve, they'd never left one man inside by himself.
"Don't worry about me. Go get some air before you run out." Zabuza patted Naruto's shoulder. The blond hesitated but Sasuke hit him from behind as the raven turned around.
"Let's go, dumbass."
"Bite me!" Naruto snapped back over his radio as he turned as well, one hand on the hose.
He and Sasuke made their way back towards the door as their masks began to beep, warning them they had less than two minutes of air left. Naruto always hated the last five minutes with a Scott pack, because it always felt like the air wasn't coming out as easily as before, and considering it was already hard enough at the beginning, the end was just awful. Also, when they entered the building, the air had been somewhat cool and refreshing. Now, it was just like walking outside on a hot summer day. The air in his mask was making Naruto sweat more than the fire was.
As they crawled, they bumped into Genma and Raidou, the former saluting them as he continued merrily on his way towards the nozzle. Naruto had the feeling Genma was crazy.
Naruto didn't even know they'd approached the door until the gloom disappeared and he could see light through his fogged-up mask. He got to the door and felt someone hauling him to his feet, pulling off his helmet and mask before leading him out of the way so someone else could help Sasuke.
The blond shook his head, sweat flying around as he breathed in a lungful of clean air. He let it out slowly as he closed his eyes, facing up towards the sky. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes again and turned to look up at the burning building. The top floors had been put out, and it seemed the only fire left now was the one inside. That would be gone soon, too.
"Good job, guys." Kakashi appeared beside them. "Head over to Rehab (7)."
"I have a complaint before I do." Naruto said as he breathed in another lungful of air.
"What's that, dumbass?" Sasuke grumbled. Naruto turned to glare at him.
"First, I'm not a dumbass, asshole. Second," he turned to Kakashi, "I'm not a fucking rookie! I don't mind newbie, but rookie pisses me the fuck off!"
"Then don't act like one." Sasuke smirked as he headed towards Engine Seven to get something to drink.
"What the fuck is that guy's problem?.!" Naruto exploded, motioning Sasuke.
"Ignore him, he's just grouchy." Kakashi insisted. "Go cool off. Hopefully, we'll be done soon." Kakashi turned back to the building and Naruto stalked off after Sasuke, grumbling under his breath.
"Yo, man!" Kiba appeared beside Naruto, wrapping one arm around the blond's shoulders. "How was your first scorcher with Engine Seven? Pretty sweet, huh? Better than Twelve, huh?" He grinned toothily at Naruto.
"At least everyone on Twelve isn't an asshole!" Naruto said, not bothering to be quieter about it as they reached Engine Seven. Sasuke was leaning against it, staring at the building with a cup in his hand. He'd removed his Nomex hood and coat, the latter hanging on the handle of Engine Seven's driver-side door.
Naruto grabbed one of the cups and filled it with water, downing it before refilling it. He drank his second cup before putting it down and shrugging out of his coat, pulling his own Nomex hood off and running the back of his hand across his forehead.
"So, what's with the names?" Naruto asked as he refilled his cup and leaned back against the Engine as well—far away from Sasuke.
"It was Kakashi's idea." Kiba shrugged. "We gave them to each other. You're not allowed to choose your own. If you stay, man, we'll get you one." Kiba grinned at him.
"Why, though? Why bother with the nicknames?"
"In the heat of the moment, your brain can blank sometimes." Kiba shrugged as he leaned back beside Naruto, standing on the side Sasuke was, effectively separating the two of them. "Having codenames is just an easier way to talk to people, I guess." Kiba shrugged. "When we're working with another Engine, we'll try to stick to our real names, but when we're all located in one area and not mixing and matching firefighters, we'll stick with the codenames. I find I can blurt out everyone's codename faster than their real name." He grinned at Naruto, running his hand through his brown hair. It had darkened with his sweat, and Naruto was sure his didn't look any better.
"I guess. So, you're Wolfgang, then?"
"Yup." Kiba crossed his arms as he stared at the building, Genma and Raidou emerging from within, the perverted firefighter hollering something about 'taming the beast'. "Zabuza is Blade, Kakashi is Scarecrow, and Sasuke is—"
"Death. I saw." Naruto interrupted. "Kind of gloomy."
"He's a gloomy guy." Kiba shrugged. "I'm sure you can guess Raidou's and Genma's. I heard them being called over the radio."
"Yeah. Arrow and Scarface."
"Yeah. Gaara's Sandman, Izumo is Godd, and Kotetsu is Magna."
"So, how did these names come about?"
"Well, most of them are obvious. Kakashi's got the scar." He nodded his head in their captain's direction, Naruto turning to see the older man talking with the Batt Chief, who happened to be Tsunade Sannin, someone who'd raised Naruto. "We associated it with a scarecrow's eyes, thus the name. Gaara I'm sure you know."
"Guy loves making sandcastles." Naruto grinned. "We used to go to the beach every summer to make them. I heard from his sister he still does it."
"Yup. Drags some of us out sometimes. Now that you mention it, he did always complain that we weren't as much fun as one of his old friends." Naruto laughed.
"Yeah, that'd be me. He hasn't asked me to go with him for a few years, now. I think he figured I didn't like spending time with him. I might have to remind him he is one of my best friends." Naruto grinned at Kiba, who grinned back.
"Anyway, moving on." Kiba motioned Sasuke. "He's Death, mostly because he wanted to be. He insists he brings death upon everyone who gets close to him." Kiba grinned at the blond. "I'm not dead yet. Every time I remind him, he says he wishes I was."
"That's kind of harsh considering our line of work." Naruto scowled in disapproval.
"Nah, I know he doesn't mean it. The guy's a bastard, but he ain't heartless."
"What about you?"
"Me? I'm Wolfgang, mostly because I love wolves. I have a bunch of dogs, and they look like wolves themselves. They didn't want to call me 'werewolf' cause it was too cliche, so they decided on Wolfgang. As for Izumo, he's Godd 'cause his last name has the word 'Kami' in it. Kami is basically God in Japanese. He didn't want to offend the big guy, though, so he added another 'd' to it."
"Is he Japanese?" Naruto inquired as he looked over at the RIT team individual.
"Half. So's Kotetsu. S'why his name is Magna. We were gonna call him Magnesium, but it was too long. Hagane means 'metal' in Japanese."
"Oh, cool." Naruto looked at Kotetsu before turning back to Kiba. "Raidou's is obvious, but what about Genma and Zabuza?"
"Well, for Genma, it's was actually a mistake." Kiba laughed as he recalled the event. "Kotetsu and Izumo were teasing him about being 'ero' which means something akin to 'perverted' in Japanese. He mistook them for saying 'arrow' and put it on his coat before we could stop him. He likes it, mostly because of his," Kiba coughed, "anatomy." Naruto laughed, shaking his head.
"And Zabuza?"
"Just wait until we eat." Kiba shuddered. "The man's got the most wicked knives you've ever seen. I almost wet myself every time I see them. Don't ever piss him off, cause I'm sure he's got those sharp teeth for a reason, man."
Naruto paled as he imagined Zabuza cutting him into pieces and feasting on his flesh like some kind of cannibal.
"Yo." Naruto screamed before turning to look at Kakashi, the Captain cocking a confused eyebrow. "What did you say, Kiba?"
The other man was too busy laughing to reply, only remaining standing because he was holding onto the Engine with one hand, the other wrapped around his middle. Kakashi sighed and shook his head.
"Come on, let's get you all back inside. Time to earn your paychecks."
"Aw, man! Do I have to do overhaul (8)?" Kiba demanded. "Why can't Izumo and Kotetsu do it? They didn't even go in!"
"Shut up and do it." Sasuke snapped as he brushed past Kiba and Naruto, his coat back on.
"Screw you, Uchiha!" Kiba hollered.
"Time and place, Kiba. Time and place."
"Gross, man!"
Iruka Umino and Shikamaru Nara wandered into the building, looking around at all the firefighters still tearing down walls.
"Iruka." The older Arson Investigator turned, and smiled.
"Captain Hatake. Good to see you again."
"Please." Kakashi sighed. "You've known me for years. It's Kakashi."
Iruka smiled. "I'm fine with calling you Captain Hatake. What have we got?"
The Captain let out a small sigh as he pushed his helmet further up on his forehead, looking around at his men. "It was a real scorcher. It was out of control, but the building was said to be empty, so we're not looking at any casualties."
"That's good. Any theories on how it started? Arson, perhaps?"
"Isn't that your job?" Kakashi grinned at Iruka, the other man blushing.
"Well, yes, but—"
"Iruka!" The two men turned as Shikamaru called out to his superior, standing in a corner and motioning the floor. "I found traces here. It looks like—" The other man paled. "Shit! It's The Fan!"
Heads whipped around as they heard this and Kakashi had his radio in his hand instantly.
"Everyone out of the building! The arsonist behind this fire was The Fan! Everyone out of the building, now!" The Captain was already rushing towards the exit as he spoke, Iruka right behind him.
Firefighters were running from the building, some of them confused, others terrified. Not everyone was up-to-date with all the arsonists in the world, but the most famous one currently was known as 'The Fan', thusly named due to his signature. Every time he started a fire, he left a burn mark that resembled a fan somewhere where it was sure to be seen if the fire was put out. And after the fire was out, he had a little surprise for everyone.
"Fucking Itachi." Sasuke growled as he bolted from the building, rushing towards Engine Seven. Gaara was already behind the wheel, starting it up.
"Come on, Kiba! Naruto! Let's go!" Kakashi hollered as he jumped into the passenger seat, the other two running towards the Engine. They'd been on a higher level.
The other Engines were already leaving, along with the Telesquirt and Truck Ten. Engine Seven was the only one left. Kakashi also noticed Iruka and Shikamaru peeling out in a silver Volvo.
Kiba and Naruto jumped into the Engine, Gaara peeling away from the building before they'd even closed the door.
"Faster. Faster!" Kiba exclaimed, hitting the back of Gaara's seat while looking behind himself at the building. "Faster, man!"
"Calm down!" Sasuke snapped angrily.
"What the hell's going on?" Naruto demanded. "Who's The Fan?"
"Itachi Uchiha." Kakashi stated. Naruto cast a glance at Sasuke, but the raven just continued to stare out the window at the building. "He's one of the worst arsonists alive."
"Why? Besides starting fires, what does he do?"
The second the words left his mouth, the building they'd just been in exploded, Engine Seven rocking slightly from the shockwave caused by the blast.
"He kills firefighters." Kakashi answered Naruto.
"Man, what a fire." Kiba groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck, his helmet in his hand as he walked through the main room of Station Seven. "First we put out the fire, then we overhaul, then we put out another fire that we'd just finished putting out. I swear, Uchiha, your brother's got it in for us."
"Obviously." Sasuke snapped angrily, storming past Kiba to head to the bunk-room and a much-needed shower.
"Whew." Naruto grinned as he pulled off his coat and draped it across the back of one of the chairs. "That was some fire. Never got scorchers like that back at Twelve."
"The Fan doesn't hit any other districts." Kotetsu informed as he sat down at the table.
"How come?"
"He only wants to kill one specific firefighter." Zabuza stated.
"Who?"
"Sasuke." Kakashi said as he walked up to the table and sat down, a cup of coffee in-hand.
"Sasuke?" Naruto asked incredulously. "Why the fuck is he a firefighter, then? Isn't he just endangering people?"
"No." Kakashi stated simply. "I've known Sasuke since he was a kid. He grew up with me, actually. My parents were his guardian after his own parents died." The Captain took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "His brother was burning places down left, right and center back then, too. It's why Sasuke decided to become a firefighter, and when he found out I made it, he knew it would be a piece of cake for him." Kakashi smirked. "Even if he failed the exam four times, and I only failed it once."
Naruto burst out laughing. "Four times?.!" He continued to laugh.
"What, you're saying you never failed it?" Kiba asked with a frown, having failed the exam six times, himself.
"No, I never said that. I failed it nine or ten times, myself. It's just—fuck, he acts so perfect, and he failed the exam four times!" Naruto continued to laugh.
"Anyway," Kakashi said loudly to be heard over Naruto, "Sasuke joined to stop his brother. When Itachi found out, he decided to target Sasuke. No more Sasuke, no more Uchihas."
"Yeah, I guess." Naruto shrugged. "Anyway, I smell like fire. I'm gonna go shower."
"Uh, I wouldn't if I were you." Kiba informed as the blond headed for the bunk-room.
"Why not?" he asked, looking around. Now that he was actually paying attention, he noticed that no one had gone to shower yet other than Sasuke, Gaara, Genma and Raidou.
"Genma's showering. No one showers when he's in there other than Gaara, Sasuke and Raidou. Genma won't mess with Gaara and Sasuke 'cause he knows they'll kill him, and Raidou is his lover, so it doesn't matter so much if he gets molested." Kiba explained with a shrug.
"You can go on ahead if you want." Kotetsu shot in. "No one will stop you. We just don't advise it."
"I'll be fine." Naruto insisted as he entered the bunk-room.
"Don't say we didn't warn you!" Kotetsu called after him.
The blond ignored him as he proceeded to strip, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist as he entered the bathroom. He dropped his towel on the bench as he passed it before walking into the communal showers.
Genma and Raidou were occupying two showers on the right. Gaara was on the left and Sasuke was at the far wall. Naruto walked over beside Gaara, nodding to his friend as he turned on the shower and let warm water run down his back.
"Oh, this feels good." Naruto breathed.
"You're brave." Gaara said as he washed his hair. Naruto turned to him, cocking an eyebrow in inquiry. "Coming in here with Genma."
"Everyone's saying that." Naruto grinned. "I'll be fine."
Sasuke turned upon hearing the blond's voice. He was standing next to Gaara on Sasuke's side, so the Uchiha could see him perfectly. He frowned, slightly irritated when he noticed the blond was tanned all over. When he'd first met him, he'd assumed it was just a suntan, but now that he saw the other man naked, it was clear his skin was naturally dark. The Uchiha was jealous as he looked at his own body, noting how white he looked.
Other things about Naruto bothered him, too. The fact that he had bright blond hair and gorgeous blue eyes just pissed him off. Sasuke hated his black hair and black eyes, and he felt like Naruto was shoving it in his face that he was a blond. And a natural blond at that, Sasuke thought bitterly before turning away. Well-endowed, too!
He grumbled under his breath as he continued to wash himself, continuously casting glances at Naruto. He was tanned, blond, well-endowed—and he was buff. Sasuke himself prided his muscles. He felt he was strong, and was only second to probably Zabuza and Kakashi. Now, Naruto easily outdid him, and it pissed Sasuke off.
The raven suppressed a smirk as he noticed Genma sneaking towards the blond. Serves him right, Sasuke thought, turning back to face the wall.
Naruto never saw it coming. One second, he was washing his hair and chatting with Gaara, and the next, he was plastered against the wall with something poking him in the butt.
"I wonder how tight you are."
"Genma!" Raidou hollered. "Get the fuck off him!"
"What? Just one little thrust won't hurt!"
"Get the fuck off me!" Naruto hollered hysterically.
Gaara appeared beside Genma as the older man began to reach around Naruto's front. Gaara caught the wandering hand, causing Genma to look him in the eyes. The pervert shrank back at the intensity in the redhead's green eyes, pulling away from the blond and tugging his hand from Gaara's grip.
"Never do that again." Gaara said, his voice cold enough to chill Satan. "It'll be the last thing you ever do."
"S-sure, Gaara." Genma laughed nervously as Raidou grabbed his arm and wrenched him back to his own shower.
For his own part, Naruto rushed out of the showers, almost slipping as he went, and grabbed his towel. He wrapped it around his waist and rushed out of the bathroom and through the bunk-room.
All heads turned towards the door as a flustered Naruto exited, clad in nothing more than a short white towel. He sat down at the table, dripping water onto it and leaving a small puddle on the floor.
"I'll wait."
The others all burst out laughing and began to tease him, telling him they'd warned him but he hadn't listened. He just began to turn red, burying his face in his arms while he waited for the pervert to leave the showers.
All their heads snapped up and towards the speaker as a call came in for their district. An automatic alarm (9) at one of the office buildings in their district.
"Guess the shower can wait." Naruto mumbled to himself as he rushed back to the bunk-room to grab some clothes. This was going to be a long day.
(1) Those of you who have read "Roommates" remember Kiba and his word "solid" and the way he always said "fuck". Well, in this fic, I've changed it to "Man".
(2) A Telesquirt is a combination of an Engine and a Truck. It has a hose, but its ladder is shorter than that of a Truck's. It's basically used to try and put out fires from the outside at higher levels if it's not possible for someone to get inside and start lessening the damage there.
(3) From the research I did, I found out that big fires generally call in five Engines and a Truck, but it varied depending on the place. I talked to a friend who said sometimes it's five Engines and two Trucks. Since this one's a scorcher, I'm going with a Telesquirt and a Truck, since we have to have Kakashi's team there :P
(4) The Battalion Chief is kind of like the man-in-charge. This is the person who directs who goes where and what Engines are needed where and so on and so forth. They're also generally the ones who will call for backup if it's needed.
(5) Someone I got references off of said that the Scott Company manufactures the most popular brands of Self Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBA), the masks firefighters wear to help them breathe, and so they're usually just called Scott packs. I'll take her word for it, lol.
(6) Basically, "turn on the water, bitch, cause it's fuckin' hot in here!"
(7) Rehab is basically what happens after a firefighter comes out of a fire. They move away from the building and cool down and drink and stuff. It's kind of a way for them to cool off in case they're required to go back inside cause, really, it would suck if you came out, stayed hot, and then went back inside to die of heatstroke. Literally.
(8) Overhaul is basically when the firefighters rip out ceilings and walls to look for any fire they may have missed, or embers which may restart the fire while Arson Investigators are looking around.
(9) You should all know what an automatic alarm is. You have one in your house. It's those pesky fire alarms that'll ring at seven in the morning and wake you up for no apparent reason, causing you to leave the comfort of your bed and wait outside for a firetruck to come and tell you it was nothing. Can you tell I'm bitter about those damn things? They went off ALL the time in my dorm! Pissed the hell out of me. And how many of them were real fires? NONE! Most of the time when these go off, it's someone smoking or burned food, or even a malfunction. But there's also the times where it's a real fire.