Longest chapter yet, probably. Idk I might wake up tomorrow and feel an incredible urge to rewrite the second half but... *shrugs*
I know I'm behind on replies, sorry about that. Have fun with the chapter. It's not entirely proofread so I'll fix mistakes later.
Chapter 19: Three's a crowd
xxx
"I'm going that way," Naruto said, pausing at an intersection and watching Sasuke carefully through the semi-darkness.
"Alright."
"Yeah."
"Great."
"So umm…"
"See you tomorrow," Sasuke said and continued walking.
"Hey! You can't just leave!"
"Well why not?" There was an annoyed scowl on Sasuke's face, his hands shoved down his pockets. "I need a shower and we can talk tomorrow."
"Well yeah but…" Honestly Naruto wasn't sure what he wanted to say. It just didn't feel right to separate so suddenly, when Sasuke had just woken up and everything. "I'll come over after I've checked everything with Iruka?"
Sasuke stared at him for a few long seconds, then sighed and turned around again.
"Do whatever you want."
Grinning to himself, Naruto headed in the direction of the orphanage instead. He felt immensely better now that Sasuke was okay again and there was nothing wrong with him.
Yeah, now you just need to worry about yourself.
"Yeah yeah," he muttered, irritated that Kurama would always break his good mood with those little comments of his.
Of course there were lots of things to worry about, he knew that. But with Sasuke back at full power everything seemed much easier to solve. And if Sasuke didn't have any barriers to his emotions anymore, maybe Naruto could actually make him laugh for real. He really wanted that. It sucked that Sasuke wasn't as expressive as he'd been when they were younger, because it felt like he was always holding back, afraid of getting hurt again. Naruto wanted Sasuke to be happy, so yeah the crying part hadn't been that great to watch but at least he seemed less in pain and more at peace with things.
He grinned again. Sasuke was his best friend so anything that meant less pain for him meant less pain for Naruto.
Sure, you keep telling yourself that.
"What the fuck?"
But Kurama ignored him after that, so he only shrugged and hurried up a little.
The orphanage wasn't far away, squeezed in between tall buildings but with a decently sized yard behind it from what he could see. It was a three-storey building with a homely, inviting feel about it, enclosed by a nice wooden fence and with a slightly cracked stone path leading up to the front door.
He liked it already.
His thoughts had been so occupied with Sasuke that he hadn't reflected much on his new workplace – and home, he supposed. But the fact that this Konoha had an orphanage run by Iruka of all people was really nice. Sometimes he'd imagined growing up in an orphanage instead of alone, and of course Sasuke would have been there, too. And now, standing just outside the wooden gate, looking into the warm light streaming out from the windows, his heart ached a little for that fantasy.
Swallowing with some difficulty, he stepped inside and carefully closed the gate behind him. He hoped this place was as inviting on the inside as it was on the outside, and that Iruka wouldn't have changed too much.
xxx
Sasuke knocked politely on the door, choosing to wait for someone to open rather than just waltz right in. He couldn't shake off a slightly nervous feeling, because he had just spent three days out cold in the hospital, and must have caused a lot of trouble for his parents already.
No, not his parents.
He listened intently as footsteps approached the door, guessing they belonged to Mikoto. Sure enough the door flung open to reveal her, and before he knew it he was enveloped in a tight hug.
"I'm so glad you're alright," she told him, her tone of voice heartfelt as she held him close.
He took a deep, shaky breath, nose filled with her sweet scent and the unmistakable smell of food. She must be in the middle of cooking, and his stomach growled at the thought.
"Hungry?" she asked as she pulled away, still holding his arms and looking at him in concern. "I can't believe they don't feed their patients enough at the hospital. Come in, sweetie, dinner's almost ready but I have some fruit if you want, it'll still be a couple of minutes."
Slightly overwhelmed by the emotions this dragged out of him, he nodded rather than trusting his voice and followed her. Taking off his shoes he pulled on a pair of guest slippers, timidly returning her warm smile when she linked her arm with his and led him into the kitchen.
"We were all so worried about you," she continued, squeezing his arm. "Poor Naruto barely slept at all! And none of the medics could tell what was wrong with you, what a mess! Are you sure you're feeling well enough to be up and running? You look a little pale."
She caressed his cheek with her free hand, again looking at him with deep concern in her pretty eyes.
"I'm fine," he automatically told her, biting the inside of his cheek as he tried to make sense of the conflicting feelings of relief and guilt.
It was a relief to see her care about him, but at the same time that made him feel guilty for making her worry. Yes, that was it.
"Let's get you some dinner, then a nice bath and off to bed. I'll make sure Fugaku won't make you work until you're perfectly fine again."
He nodded, feeling very tired all of a sudden. That didn't sound so bad in his opinion.
xxx
Iruka had given him a brilliant smile after opening the door and was now eagerly showing him around the house.
"This is the living room, as you can see it doubles as a playroom too. I haven't had time to clean it yet after today so it's a little messy. The kids have to help with cleaning but they're not always that good at it."
The older man chuckled fondly, and Naruto couldn't help but smile as he saw a toy duck on the large sofa and a picture book thrown onto a small play table.
"We keep the toys in the boxes over there, everything is shared but of course they all have their favorites. Come on, the room for the older kids is through here."
Iruka had explained that there were seven kids currently residing at the orphanage, the youngest a three-year-old and the oldest being eleven. All the kids were or would be studying at the Academy, so once they turned twelve they would be living with their jounin instructor instead. If they passed the test, that is. But generally the kids at the orphanage showed good results.
In an adjoining room, there were study desks and bookcases with cozy armchairs next to them.
"They all use the same TV, but the older ones can stay up longer and get to watch it after the younger ones. But this is where they can get some quiet for studying, if they don't feel like studying in their rooms. I try to help them as much as I can, but luckily I've got a couple older kids coming back here to help them. Sai, for example. You know him, right?"
"Yeah, I do."
Nodding, Iruka took him out through another door that led into the corridor where the kitchen was also located. Currently the kids were finishing their dinner and then the younger ones would be sent to bed, and the older ones could have some free time.
"He and Shin were always hanging out here even after they got too old and moved out, but now Shin is busy with work so it's mostly just Sai."
Naruto blinked in recognition of the name, then smiled a little to himself. It was good to know that at least in this reality, Sai and his sort-of brother were able to grow up normally together.
Instead of heading into the kitchen, they walked upstairs to the second floor (the top one held spare rooms in case more children would arrive) and Iruka showed him the kids' rooms. They all shared rooms, two and two, but the oldest had one to herself. He still hadn't been introduced to them, and he was a little nervous of what they'd think of him. It's not like he had much experience with kids besides Konohamaru and his gang, and that was ages ago. He really hoped Iruka wouldn't leave him alone with all of them and expect him to know what to do.
"Natsuko and Daisuke are in this one, it's next to mine since they're the youngest."
The room was rather small but cute, and the beds had safety railings. Iruka had told him they were the only siblings, and that they were finally settling in to their new life here. Naruto wondered what had happened to their parents, but didn't ask. Instead he glanced at the drawings covering the wall between the beds.
"Katsumi is teaching them to draw, so they hung up every drawing in the order they made them. Cute, isn't it?"
Naruto nodded, smiling back when Iruka beamed at him. It was very obvious that the other man cared a lot for the kids, and it made Naruto feel both warmth and a slight sadness. He tried to push the thought down, but there had been many instances when he was a kid where he'd wondered why he couldn't live with Iruka, since they were both alone.
"Alright then," Iruka continued as they exited the room again. "The one back there is mine, and then in order is Katsumi and Yoshie's, Takumi and Mitsuru's, and opposite is Asuna's. Yours is downstairs, so you don't need to be woken up by the kids during the night. Of course if something happens I'll need your help but usually they're pretty well-behaved."
"Okay, sure, no problem."
Well, that was a relief. Not that he minded helping but he really wouldn't know what to do with a kid waking him up in the middle of the night. Now he just needed to somehow learn their names and, well, how to care for them.
"Let's go say hi to them and then I'll show you your room, I'm sure you're tired after everything that happened with Sasuke and want to settle in. Have you had dinner?"
He shook his head, and Iruka immediately frowned, though he started walking back downstairs.
"Well we can't have you go to bed hungry, can we?" Then he smiled, and patted Naruto's shoulder in a friendly gesture. "You never need to be hungry as long as you live here, just take whatever you want in the kitchen as long as it's not the ingredients for that day's meals, okay? You'll eat breakfast and lunch with us, and dinner on weekends. You get weekday evenings off so you can choose if you want to eat with us or somewhere else, okay? I'll write down your schedule properly later."
Honestly, Naruto was just happy to have a job that would distract him from everything else happening, and having most evenings off meant he could spend the time with Sasuke which was nice. It was a whole lot better than just being bored like his first days here when Sasuke had been working.
"Thanks," he said, meaning it because free meals at work meant he didn't need to feel like he was leeching off someone.
"You do look a bit tired though, why don't you rest tomorrow morning and you can start around lunch? Only Daisuke and Natsuko are home during the day, everyone else is at the Academy so it's pretty calm then and we can go over everything."
"Really? I mean I don't mind starting right away but…"
Iruka smiled, pausing outside the kitchen.
"I wouldn't want to overwork you on the first day already! I know the kids can be a handful but I hope you get along well. They're a little sad that the previous helper had to quit early."
"I'll do my best!" Naruto promised, grinning and giving Iruka his most reassuring thumbs up. He might not know much about kids, but it couldn't be that hard, could it?
The other man chuckled, looking very much the same as the Iruka Naruto knew back home, the scar present across his nose and hair in its usual spiky ponytail. It made him miss him, and he wondered what he was doing. He hadn't thought much of everyone left at home, too preoccupied with worrying about Sasuke. Now he wondered if they were alright, if they thought he and Sasuke had disappeared intentionally or if they were trying to find them. Sure, it hadn't been very long, but still. He'd missed his birthday and the one year anniversary. Sakura was going to kill him when they got back for leaving her without a date for the evening party.
"Naruto, is everything alright?"
He hadn't noticed how his smile had faltered, and that he'd been staring off into the distance.
"Ah, sorry," he quickly apologized, rubbing his neck. "You just seem really similar to Iruka at home so I…"
"Oh, I do? Tsunade mentioned things were slightly different here."
"Well, yeah, I guess. But never mind, I'm starving so let's eat!"
Iruka's worried glance lingered for a bit, but was then erased by another smile.
"Great, the kids really want to meet you!"
Taking a deep breath, Naruto followed him into the kitchen.
xxx
Sasuke sat by the kitchen table, resting his chin in one hand as he listened to the muffled sounds of his mother's voice and what had to be the other Sasuke's. Did he really sound like that? Well, soon he'd find out properly. Pouting, he flicked at a crumb on the tabletop, thinking that it really wasn't fair how much everyone had worried about this other Sasuke. And they wouldn't stop talking about him, either. If someone told him how childish he acted compared to his counterpart one more time he'd break something. Probably that person's nose. That wouldn't count as unnecessary fighting, would it?
He tensed, listening intently as they neared the kitchen.
"Let's get you some dinner, then a nice bath and off to bed. I'll make sure Fugaku won't make you work until you're perfectly fine again," his mother said, the other Sasuke not replying verbally.
Then they rounded the corner, and Sasuke's eyes instantly narrowed. He could only hope they really looked identical because the copy meeting his eyes certainly didn't seem eighteen. No, he looked mature and serious and he was wearing a standard ninja shirt with standard ninja pants and Sasuke hated him already.
He also looked exhausted but he could ignore that in favor of glaring at him. Who did he think he was, coming here and nestling into his family?!
"Sweetie, why don't you sit down a bit, here's an apple if you want."
His mother was smiling, one hand resting caringly on the other Sasuke's arm while she handed him the fruit. What the hell, he was never allowed to eat fruit before dinner!
"Thank you," the other Sasuke replied quietly, accepting it and walking over to sit down opposite of him.
He kept up his glare. He'd been looking forward to meeting him at first, but after the past days of hearing nothing but Sasuke this, Sasuke that, none of it in relation to himself, he thought he had a right to be a little pissed at this copy.
Okay fine he'd promised to be nice but that was before the whole thing with Sasuke knocking out the kyuubi with seemingly no effort, and everybody and their mother fangirling over it. So what if he couldn't do the same? He wasn't some freakishly strong copy from another dimension.
…damn that shirt was tight. He'd been observing the other Sasuke and for some unfathomable reason his eyes had traveled downwards to his chest, lingering there as the other Sasuke took a bite of the apple. Naruto's muscles had been drool-worthy for sure and this other Sasuke didn't look much worse off, from what he could see through the thin material hugging his chest. Who the hell allowed this copy of him to have a chest like that?!
Dismayed, he raised his eyes again only to cringe at dark ones watching him with one eyebrow cocked in a questioning manner. He didn't seem to have caught him ogling though, and appeared to be curios more than anything else.
"What," he asked flatly, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair.
The other Sasuke didn't reply, averting his eyes with a shrug and continuing to eat. Why did he have to look so cool? He was supposed to have been asleep for three days, you don't wake up from that looking cool, but this guy seemed to have this air around him that demanded attention and respect, and honestly Sasuke was a little in awe. There was just something about his body language that was both dangerous, calming, and quite a bit alluring.
He was going crazy, wasn't he? That's what happens when you don't get laid for three days, he thought sullenly to himself.
"Sasuke, can you bring me an oven mitt?" Mikoto asked, and both of them stiffened.
The other Sasuke glanced at him, appearing to hesitate, and letting out a groan Sasuke got up to find it.
"Oh dear," Mikoto said, turning towards them with a small smile. "It's going to be quiet difficult to separate you, isn't it?"
"Whatever," he muttered, ignoring the disapproving look she gave him as she accepted the oven mitt.
"Hey guys!" Shisui greeted them, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. "Oh, Sasuke, you're back!"
The other Sasuke nodded, and he wondered if he'd forgotten how to talk or was just too good for words.
Wait, that came out wrong.
Sending another glare at the copy when Shisui sank into a chair next to him he decided not to greet him back, not that he noticed.
"You two don't look as similar now that you're next to each other," Shisui commented, and Sasuke increased his glare.
"Like I'd want us to be," he muttered, and the other Sasuke glanced at him again.
"Still, they're not that easy to separate, especially with the same name and everything," Mikoto chimed in. "Honey, would you help me set the table?" she added towards Sasuke.
Suppressing another groan he got up again, trying to tune out Shisui as he happily started telling the other Sasuke what he'd missed while he was in the hospital. There wasn't much to tell, but he still didn't like how everyone was so cozy around him. No one seemed to think the whole thing was suspicious, at least not besides Menma. Not that he was sure he believed Menma's theories, but if they were as strong as they said he couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated by it.
He'd always been the weak one in the clan, and now some random copy of him shows up and is ten times stronger than even Obito? No, that definitely wasn't fair.
Soon Itachi and Fugaku joined them as well, both expressing their concern over the other Sasuke's health. It irked him how he always replied so quietly, almost as if he was hesitant to talk to them. And he would keep glancing at Sasuke throughout dinner, staying quiet for most of it. He tried to ignore him and focus on his brother instead, because while he'd been home for three days now, it was pretty rare for them to spend time together and he wanted to hear more about his travels with Akatsuki.
"With all those questions, I'm starting to wonder if you're planning to join them, Sasu-chan," Shisui said teasingly after a while, earning himself a murderous glare.
"Why are you even still here, you've got your own apartment," he snapped back, not appreciating the nickname and the jab at his abilities.
No one realistically expected him to be able to join them, he was nothing compared to Shisui or Itachi, and it wasn't fun to constantly be reminded of that.
"Be nice, Shisui," Itachi murmured, but Shisui laughed a little and pecked his cheek.
Ugh, Sasuke could throw up for less than the sappy way they looked at each other. As nice as it was that they were back together, he was trying to eat.
"Still, it's a good nickname, I think it suits him," Shisui continued, throwing an amused look at him.
"I'd say he's a little old for it," his father disagreed, but his smile was slightly amused too.
Why did they always have to pick on him?!
"I don't need a nickname," he complained, poking at the food with his chopsticks.
"We can come up with something later," Itachi tried to mediate, and Sasuke pouted at him.
He could also feel the other Sasuke's eyes on him, but once he turned to meet them they went back to focus on the plate in front of him. It was a little unnerving that he was so quiet, because it was impossible to guess what he was thinking. He'd already finished eating, faster than the rest of them since he wasn't talking, and Sasuke wondered if maybe he really was tired.
Which brought him to a question he'd been meaning to ask.
"Where's he going to sleep?"
Everyone became silent and looked at him, then at Mikoto.
"Well," she started slowly, "Shisui's apartment isn't available right now but in a week or so he and Itachi will move in there so that leaves Itachi's room empty."
"I can't just throw out the guy renting it from me," Shisui explained, scratching his chin. "It's pretty nice living here, though," he added with a bright smile towards Mikoto.
"Flatter won't get you dessert," she teased, and Sasuke rolled his eyes because she still hadn't answered his question.
"Well? We don't have a guest room."
The other Sasuke was finally showing some real interest, watching her intently but not appearing to have anything to say.
"Sorry," she said with an apologetic grimace, "you'll have to share for a short while. At least the bed is big enough for two and-"
"What?!" he shouted, not sure he could believe his ears.
"Sasuke," Fugaku said in a warning tone, and he instantly deflated.
Great. Just great. Not only was the guy the new family favorite, he had to share a bed with him too?!
"And you're okay with this?" he asked the other Sasuke, who was still staring at Mikoto but now forced his gaze away from her to settle on him instead.
For a few moments they simply stared at each other, the other Sasuke's expression completely blank as if he didn't want to show exactly how he felt about it. Then he raised an eyebrow, as if mocking his reaction to their sleeping arrangements.
"It's just sleeping," he said, and Sasuke had no idea how he did it but his voice managed to sound both arrogant and amused and irritated at the same time.
Gritting his teeth he ignored Shisui's obnoxious laughter, feeling very sorry for himself. Maybe tomorrow he could go ask Tsunade for another long mission.
xxx
Seven pairs of eyes locked on him the moment he entered the kitchen. It was all he could do not to squirm, he'd never enjoyed having people stare at him after all. At least these kids only looked curious, and maybe a little suspicious. One of the older ones was grinning openly at him, his light brown fluffy hair sticking every which way, his plate neatly cleaned except for the vegetables.
"Your clothes look funny," he said, and Naruto immediately went on the defensive.
"Oh yeah? Well your-"
Iruka stopped him by none too gently elbowing him in the ribs.
"Mitsuru, be nice to Naruto! What have I told you about saying bad things to people?"
"I'm sorry," Mitsuru said, looking down onto his plate, but the moment Iruka looked away he stuck his tongue out at Naruto.
What the hell was up with this brat?! It hadn't even been a minute and Naruto already disliked him.
"Okay kids, time for introductions! This is Naruto, he'll be with us for a while, so try to get along."
"He looks like Menma," one of the girls piped up, her face small and round with thin braids on each side.
"Yes, Yoshie, that's because he's from an alternate dimension where everything is almost the same as here."
All the kids immediately widened their eyes, watching him in awe now. Well, except for the tiniest boy who was busy drinking from his cup. Naruto wasn't so sure it was a good idea to tell them that, but it's not like he had a choice anymore, so he simply smiled at them and nodded, trying to act natural.
"So you're actually Menma?" It was Yoshie again, and she was practically jumping up and down in her chair.
"Uh, no, I'm Naruto," he replied, wondering how the hell he was supposed to explain this.
"They just look the same but they're different persons. Like twins," Iruka explained, and Naruto almost cringed at the thought of having Menma as his twin.
Like hell he was related to that rude pervert!
"Well then, why don't you introduce yourselves to Naruto? Asuna, you can start."
Asuna was sitting by the end of the table, nodding happily at Iruka. Her hair fell in short, dark curls and her skin was several shades darker than Naruto's, and she leaned slightly forwards before talking.
"I'm Asuna, I'm eleven years old and I study at the Academy. When I grow up, I want to do missions all over the world!"
Naruto grinned at her, because it was impossible not to since she looked so excited about it. He could remember how excited he'd been on his first mission outside the village… wait, that was when they went to the Land of Waves. Never mind.
"That sounds cool," he said anyway, and she gave him a pleased smile.
"My turn!" Yoshie shouted and waved her hand at them, which made Mitsuru make funny faces at her causing the tiny boy that Naruto guessed had to be Daisuke to giggle. "I'm Yoshie, I'm seven, and I'm gonna be stronger than everyone else! Let's have a match tomorrow!"
"Yoshie, don't fight the new helper," Iruka sighed, and Naruto wondered if this was something that happened often. "And please wait for your turn next time. Okay, Takumi you're next."
The boy named Takumi blushed, hiding his face behind chin-length light blond hair.
"I'm Takumi," he started, mumbling so quietly that Naruto barely heard him. "I'm ten, I study at the Academy too."
Naruto smiled encouragingly at him, thinking he reminded him of Hinata when they were kids. He'd used to think she was pretty weird, but this kid seemed sweet. At least less loud compared to the others.
"Mitsuru," Iruka said, and the boy who apparently held a dislike for orange crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
"I'm Mitsuru, I'm ten, and I think you look stupid."
Naruto bit back a retort as Iruka chastised him, again. What the hell was up with this kid, huh?
"But he's a ninja, why is he wearing orange!" Mitsuru defended himself with, looking annoyed now.
"Oh shut up, Mitsuru!" Yoshie snapped, but quieted down when Iruka sent her a look.
"Hmph, I'll tell you why!" Naruto spoke up, not going to listen to kids talking shit about his clothes anymore. "It's because I'm the strongest ninja ever, so I don't need to hide because no one can beat me anyway!"
It was a lie, obviously – Sasuke could probably beat him if he really tried. He didn't expect the kids to laugh though, Mitsuru looking at him like he was an idiot.
"Calm down, everyone." Iruka wasn't looking pleased, and Naruto hoped he hadn't done something bad. "Mitsuru, introduce yourself again and this time you better behave."
He didn't look nearly as scary as the Iruka at home, however, and Naruto had to clench his fists when Mitsuru scoffed and sank even lower in his chair.
"Fine, I'm Mitsuru, I'm ten, I study at the Academy and my favorite subject is to study on my own because the lectures are so boring."
Iruka cleared his throat threateningly, but Mitsuru only rolled his eyes and ignored him.
"Katsumi," he sighed, then blinked at the empty chair next to the little girl he'd just addressed. "Where's Natsuko?"
"I'm here!"
Naruto looked up at the voice coming from above somewhere, finding a small ginger-haired girl perched on top of the fridge.
"How many times have I told you not to climb things indoors?!" Iruka asked her, exasperated, and Naruto wondered when the hell she got up there because he certainly didn't notice anything. "Come down right now!"
"Don't wanna!" she pouted, pulling her legs up when Iruka walked over to her.
"Please?" Iruka's arms were stretched out towards her, but she shook her head, freckled face scrunched up stubbornly.
"I'll get her," Naruto offered, easily slipping into bijuu mode and stretching a chakra arm towards her, quickly grabbing her in a secure hold and plopping her down on the chair.
She gaped at him, wonder in her eyes, and Naruto suddenly felt a little embarrassed because everyone was staring at him again but this time with definite surprise and awe.
"Well, that was certainly a handy technique," Iruka broke the sudden silence with, placing his hands on his hips and giving him a slightly amused look.
Natsuko immediately scrambled off her chair again and ran for the fridge, but Iruka stopped her halfway there and lifted her into his arms.
"I wanna do it again!" she complained, squirming, but Iruka shifted his grip to hold her tighter.
"Oh no you don't," he said, sitting down on her chair and placing her securely in his lap. "Why don't you tell Naruto about yourself, instead?"
She pouted, looking to the side without replying. Iruka sighed again, but there was fondness in his eyes that tugged at Naruto's heart.
"This is Natsuko, she's four years old and as you've already seen, she's very good at climbing things." The small girl in his arms blushed a little at the praise, not fighting his hold anymore. "And that's Daisuke, her little brother."
Daisuke blinked slowly at Iruka, tilting his head to the side cutely.
"I'm thwee!" he exclaimed, proudly holding out three fingers at Iruka and giggling when the man nodded at him with a smile.
He had the same ginger hair as his sister but cropped very short, his eyes bright and excited now that everyone's attention was turned towards him. Despite the bad start, Naruto couldn't help but think that they all seemed like good kids, and that it was obvious how much they all liked Iruka.
"Can I finally talk now?"
It was Katsumi, and Naruto realized that he'd barely noticed her. Her dark eyes were large as they looked at him pointedly, and there was an intensity to them that reminded him of Sasuke.
"Of course, Katsumi."
At Iruka's go-ahead, Katsumi took a deep breath and glanced at Asuna before she started.
"I'm six years old, I study at the Academy, I like drawing and when I grow up, I'm going to marry Asuna."
She recited the sentence almost as if she'd been rehearsing it before, and well, it was possible they'd all practiced this but either way the last part sent Naruto into a coughing fit. Asuna was looking thoroughly embarrassed but not angry, while Mitsuru rolled his eyes again, none of the other kids looking as if this was a strange thing to say for her.
"Great," Iruka said, clapping his hands together which was instantly copied by Daisuke. "Why don't we call it a night and get to know each other better tomorrow!"
Naruto stopped coughing, blinking and feeling a tiny bit disoriented. Was everyone gay in this world or something? Even the kids?!
"Naruto, the food's still on the stove so please help yourself, I'll get these little troublemakers into bed."
He got up, still holding Natsuko but letting her down when she started squirming again, instead grabbing some tissues to clean up Daisuke who had somehow managed to smear sauce over most of himself.
"Okay, sure," he agreed, standing awkwardly in his spot as the children trooped out of the room, some of them ignoring him and some staring openly until they were out of sight.
He wasn't sure what to think, feeling a little overwhelmed as he found himself a plate and started eating. Apparently he'd been hungrier than he thought, because three big helpings later he still wasn't entirely satisfied. He didn't want to finish all of what was left, though, so he heaved a sigh and stretched his legs underneath the table, absentmindedly playing with his glass.
Everything had felt strange ever since they came here, and now it was finally starting to sink in. They were stuck here for an indefinite amount of time, and expected to settle in and play regular citizens. He couldn't say he minded working, but it was such a stark contrast from his job at home, and the expectations that came with it. Here, people weren't treating him as a hero. No one expected him to have any special powers, and no one would probably believe that he was next in line to be Hokage. Especially since they had elections here… he wondered if they'd stay long enough to take part in that. If Itachi was chosen, he wondered how Sasuke would take it.
It was all so very different from home, and if he was to be honest with himself, he couldn't truly say that things weren't better here and that was painful to think about. He'd barely even thought of everyone at home. Shouldn't that make him feel guilty?
Instead, he'd initially felt relieved that Sasuke could get a break from everything, and then he'd been too worried about him to deal with anything else.
You went from Hokage trainee to babysitter in one week, congratulations, Kurama said, snickering a bit.
"Whatever," he sighed, letting his upper body fall forwards until his forehead connected with the table.
But maybe now you'll actually learn something useful.
Naruto snorted. Kurama shared his burning hatred for paperwork, and there had been a lot of paperwork the past year. It had gotten to the point where Naruto considered resigning simply out of boredom.
He could hear Iruka returning and sat up again, rubbing his face tiredly. He probably needed more sleep.
"All finished?"
He nodded, and Iruka smiled that sweet smile of his, that had always made Naruto ache for his parents even before he'd known them.
"Come on then, I'll show you your room. You can leave the dishes to me."
Following him, Naruto hoped he could take a shower. He had a feeling he was starting to smell, and there was no way in hell Sasuke would let him stay over if he did. Personally Naruto thought he was being a bit silly about it, after all they'd been smelling like crap together several times. The last time Naruto had shown up after a training session without showering, however, Sasuke had thrown him out and told him to either shower or get lost. Being lazy was no excuse to be smelly, apparently.
Naruto didn't mind it if Sasuke was smelly, though. He kind of liked it, actually.
You have weird taste.
I didn't mean it like that! Naruto thought back, listening with half a mind to Iruka's instructions. It's just nice to know that even perfect bastards can be smelly.
I'm going to ignore that.
Naruto huffed, but quickly covered it with a smile when Iruka gave him a strange look. Kurama just didn't get it.
xxx
He'd been asked to change the sheets on his bed so the other Sasuke would be more comfortable. Seriously. What about him being comfortable?!
With angry movements he did as told, mumbling curses under his breath as he tucked down the corners of the sheet, gritting his teeth as he went over to a small closet over by the laundry room to grab an extra pillow and blanket, throwing death glares at the neat bed once he'd finished the job. It really wasn't fair and he couldn't even go sleep at Menma's place because they'd had an argument in the morning and he really didn't want to talk to him right now.
Maybe the other Sasuke was slightly better than a prissy Menma, but only very slightly.
He could hear the faint sound of water running from the bathroom across the hallway, indicating the jerk was still in there. How long did he need, anyway? He'd left the table earlier, Sasuke staying behind and hoping he wouldn't have to see him again until he'd fallen asleep.
Of course his mother had ruined that for him, and now he sat on the bed with crossed arms and lips thinned into a line as he waited for the other Sasuke to finish up. It was still early, but he didn't think there was a point in staying up and sneak into bed later. If anything, his family would just be talking about the guy so he might as well try to catch up on some sleep.
Another five minutes later he was ready to throw the other Sasuke out of the bathroom because no one took that long to brush their teeth and pee. He knocked on the door, not entirely expecting a reply.
"Yes?" came the other Sasuke's quiet, low voice.
"Are you done yet?"
"Do you need me to be?"
Taking several deep breaths, Sasuke tried to convince himself it wasn't said to annoy him.
"What are you doing anyway," he complained, not hearing anything that would give him a clue.
"Brushing my teeth."
Okay that was it. He opened the door, which wasn't difficult since there was no lock on it. There hadn't been since he was five and locked himself in there whenever his parents tried to take him to the Academy. Needless to say he hadn't enjoyed his first time there.
"Do you mind?" the other Sasuke asked with a toothbrush in hand, one eyebrow tilted in clear irritation as he waltzed inside.
"What, you're just brushing your teeth. If you're gonna live here you might as well get used to sharing space."
He'd expected an angry retort, but strangely enough the other Sasuke only stared at him before slowly raising his hand again to resume his brushing. It was, honestly, a little unnerving. There was just something too raw in his eyes that told Sasuke his seemingly innocent words had hit something inside the other man.
He found his own toothbrush, trying his best not to look in the mirror as he squirted some toothpaste onto it after wetting it. Fixating his gaze on the bar of soap resting on the sink instead, he did his best to relax in the awkward silence that followed. Too late he realized that the other Sasuke wasn't wearing his shirt anymore. He'd somehow managed to miss that small fact as he barged inside, but there was no way he could as a bare arm entered his vision, pale fingers so similar to his own twisting the tap to turn on the water.
As the other Sasuke spit into the sink and proceeded to rinse his mouth, he couldn't stop himself from glancing over at his back. It was, most definitely, much better-looking than his own in terms of muscular definition.
There were a few scars there however that weren't present on his own, and he couldn't help a small sigh in relief that they weren't entirely identical. And maybe this other Sasuke was a bit thinner than him, too.
When the other Sasuke straightened up again he was caught staring, trying in vain to fight down an angry blush as he turned his head to the side.
"If you have something to say to me, just spit it out. I don't want to sleep having you glaring holes into my back."
Biting down on his toothbrush he sent a sideways glare at the other man, only receiving a bored look in return. Making a decision, he leaned forwards to spit and then glared at the mirror instead, showing their near identical reflections.
The other Sasuke had slightly longer hair, and he had darker bags under his eyes. Other than that, the only difference was that one was dressed while the other was not.
"Are you always this pampered?" he blurted out before he could help himself.
The other Sasuke froze, but met his gaze in the mirror. He seemed to struggle for a few seconds, and Sasuke had time to notice that while they certainly had the same face, the expressions on the other's weren't ones he necessarily recognized.
"They didn't tell you anything about me, did they?"
It was more a statement than a question, and the absolute lack of mockery threw him off slightly. There was no smugness, no enjoyment nor denial at hearing Sasuke's question. He hesitated slightly before replying.
"Well, just that you're from a different dimension and no one knows why you're here, and I- I mean we have to be nice to you."
"And you don't want to be nice to me."
He opened his mouth but snapped it shut again, because now he was being made fun of.
"I'm not particularly fond of you either, so I couldn't care less what you think of me. Focus on Naruto instead, he might actually be offended if you don't like him."
"Wow, you really are a jerk." He couldn't believe this. Who the hell did the other think he was, acting like he was so much better than him! "At least Naruto didn't seem like a pompous ass last time he was here."
"And at least Menma is slightly less childish than you."
Glaring daggers at the other, Sasuke was seething. The line wasn't even delivered with any feeling but he still felt like he'd lost the argument. Retorting would only prove his point. Gritting his teeth he continued brushing, almost hard enough to be uncomfortable. And why was the other Sasuke still there, staring at him like he was torn between pity and disgust.
"Fuck off," he spat around his toothbrush, wondering if maybe Menma would let him sleep in his bed if he really begged.
"Just tell me what's wrong, I'm too tired and I don't have the patience for you glaring at me all the time. Normally I wouldn't give a shit but…"
He raised his eyebrows at the other Sasuke, wondering why he looked so hesitant. It wasn't good if he looked like an okay person. It was better if he remained a jerk.
"But?"
"But this isn't a normal situation. For either of us. And I really just want to sleep. My head is still a mess after the shit I went through while unconscious."
Lowering the toothbrush he gave the other Sasuke a dubious look before spitting out the excess paste, wondering why he so badly wanted to know exactly what kind of shit one might go through while unconscious. Even if it was a peace offering it was a rather strained one, as if the other Sasuke wasn't used to talking about stuff like that.
Thinking of what to say, however, he felt a bit silly about the whole thing. Probably, if he ended up in a completely different dimension with no idea how he got there or how he would get home, he'd act a little weird too. And do what others told him to.
Still, he wasn't about to tell him he was envious. Something about the other man told him he would never be able to live that down.
"No, you're right. I was acting childish. I'm tired too, I've had a couple stressful days."
Well, it wasn't a complete lie, even if it was met with slight doubt.
"I guess we should stick together since we're the same person and all," he joked, not that the other Sasuke looked amused.
In fact, he looked a little upset as he reached for the shirt he'd left on top of the toilet lid.
"I hope you don't snore," was all he said as he left the bathroom, leaving a slightly confused and definitely annoyed Sasuke behind.
xxx
Naruto was walking into his new room after a shower and somehow magically entered the realm of the ramen god instead. There was ramen everywhere, in bowls and floating through the air, tempting him with the amazing smell. He could feel himself drooling, but it didn't matter. He would gladly lose himself in this illusion forev-
Wait.
Gathering up some chakra he soon managed to dispel the genjutsu, finding none other than Mitsuru perched on his bed and snickering loudly.
"What the hell?" he exclaimed, stomach growling slightly which only threw the kid into another fit of laughter. "What are you doing in my room?! And how did you know I love ramen?!"
"You were talking to yourself before you went showering. Do you always do that?"
Well, to be fair, he had mentioned to Kurama that he wished he could go for some ramen.
"I wasn't talking to myself," he retorted, throwing his dirty clothes on the floor and grabbing some that Iruka had so nicely lent him. "And shouldn't you be in bed?"
"No," Mitsuru scoffed. "I'm not one of the younger kids."
Naruto wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh at the insulted way he said it or simply throw him out. Though, he supposed, that wouldn't exactly be a good start between the two of them.
"Okay, well, you had your fun and I gotta go, so let's play more tomorrow."
Mitsuru's eyes narrowed at him, but he didn't move from his spot.
"I'll leave if you beat me at a game of cards."
"Uh, no, you're leaving now."
"I'll tell Iruka you tried to hit me."
"I'll hit you for real if you-"
Naruto took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Things were different here. This Iruka didn't seem like he'd appreciate it if he clogged Mitsuru over the head, even if he was being a brat.
"Fine," he relented. "But only one round, and then I need to go check on Sasuke."
Almost two hours and an endless row of defeat later, Iruka took pity on him and forced Mitsuru to go sleep.
"Children's card game my ass," he muttered to himself as he teleported himself into Sasuke's room, ignoring yet another one of Kurama's amused comments.
xxx
Sasuke's bed was pretty wide. He'd saved up to it with his own money, because if there was one thing important to him, it was his beauty sleep. Now, especially, he was incredibly thankful for it since he and the other Sasuke had no problem sharing with a decent amount of space between them.
Not that he was really able to sleep, though.
"So, how long do you think you'll be staying?" he asked after about an hour with no sleep in sight.
"Why do you ask, I'm trying to sleep."
"I'm just making conversation. I guess you don't know then."
A muffled noise was his only reply.
"Are you always this sociable?" he asked drily, ignoring that he'd been the one glaring and ignoring the other for most of the evening.
"No, I'm usually less sociable. Now shut up."
The other Sasuke turned on his side, facing away from him. Well, maybe he shouldn't have expected them to patch things up after the shaky start but… wait, why did he even want to patch things up. Well, possibly because he'd overheard Itachi and Shisui on his way out of the bathroom. They'd been discussing the sleeping arrangements, and at first he'd been annoyed that they seemed more worried that Sasuke would bother the other one rather than the opposite. But then they'd said something that definitely changed his view on the matter.
Shisui had expressed his concern, but Itachi had reassured him with the fact that this was his little brother they were talking about, and if there was anyone who might possibly be able to manage getting close to the other dimension's Sasuke, it was him.
Not that they said why he needed to get close to him, but hey, he'd prove to them that he could. And then he'd refuse to tell them whatever they needed to know because as always, they were keeping him in the dark so maybe now they'd know how that felt.
Petty, but Sasuke was tired of being babied.
Mimicking the other Sasuke he settled on his side, contemplating what to ask next. He probably shouldn't push his luck, but sometimes people let things slip when they were tired and annoyed that they wouldn't normally reveal.
"What's the deal with that bandage? I mean, your hand didn't exactly look damaged."
"It's nothing," the other Sasuke grunted.
"If it was nothing you could tell me about it."
"If I cared about your opinion I might tell you about it."
Ah, looks like he was back to being a jerk.
"If you're so tired, how come you're not asleep yet?"
There was silence for a few seconds, then Sasuke turned onto his back again so that he could watch him through the semi-darkness.
"You'll see why soon enough."
Well, definitely not the answer he'd been expecting, but the other didn't seem inclined to elaborate. Deciding to give up he sighed, closing his eyes and trying to distract himself by imagining going on a date with one of his favorite actresses.
He must have started to nod off, because the sudden additional presence in the room startled him as it climbed onto the end of the bed.
"Stupid kids and their stupid games, making me fucking late," a very familiar voice muttered, and for a second Sasuke's heartbeat fluttered thinking it was Menma who had come to see him.
"Oi, teme are you awake?"
Not Menma then.
"You sure took your time," the other Sasuke said, yawning as he spoke.
"Hey, that wasn't my fault, I was-" He made an abrupt pause, patting the right side of the bed. Then he patted the left side, incidentally patting Sasuke's legs in the process. "Why are there two people in the bed?" he asked, confused, apparently not expecting to have company.
"Because it's my bed?" Sasuke's tone was dry, and he rolled his eyes as Naruto let out a surprised noise.
"You're sharing?!"
"Evidently."
"Okay, that's so creepy, can we turn on the light? You sound exactly the same."
Sasuke turned on the bedside lamp, blinking against the light, unable to help his amusement as Naruto's eyes darted between the two of them. He was dressed in a simple black t-shirt and dark blue sweat pants, looking an awful lot like Menma did, if Menma had actually lowered himself to look cute. There was just something about the complete mess of a state his hair was in coupled with the widened blue eyes staring intently at him.
"Okay yeah, that's better when I can see you," he continued, not explaining exactly what kind of difference the light made.
Obviously he must be able to separate them even in the darkness, because he was a lot closer to the other Sasuke than him.
"You should just go back and sleep," the other Sasuke mumbled, sounding tired now. Maybe he'd been on the verge of falling asleep as well.
"But I'm already here," Naruto whined, poking at the other Sasuke's arm, and instantly Sasuke's mood soured.
"If you're staying, you better not talk. I'm not going to listen to you being lovey-dovey all night."
This seemed to hit a nerve, because Naruto immediately squawked and stared at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"Being what?!" he screeched, and Sasuke winced.
"Shut up, you'll wake up the others!" he hissed, sitting up and making sure Naruto could see the warning expression on his face clearly.
"We're not-" he seemed to catch himself, lowering his voice as he continued. "We're not like that. Maybe you and Menma are all over each other but we're not. No way!"
He couldn't help but give him a highly doubtful look, considering how close Naruto was to the other Sasuke, as well as the pale hand curled around his wrist.
"Either sleep or go back to your own bed," the other Sasuke chastised him with, but Naruto kept up his angry stare for a couple more seconds before grumbling something to himself about bastards looking way too alike each other.
Too late Sasuke realized that Naruto was now making himself comfortable between them, meaning much less space for him. At least Naruto seemed content with sharing Sasuke's pillow and blanket, even though there was a brief scuffle first to determine how much he was allowed to share.
Turning off the lamp again, Sasuke wished he knew where Naruto's bed was so he could sleep there instead. Sure, he could go sleep on the couch, but it was a sake of principle to sleep in his own bed in his own house.
This better not happen again.
Who's in favor of this SasuNaruSasu bed sandwich happening again? I honestly feel like this chapter was a bit messy and Charasuke turned out slightly different than I expected, but he has some issues to go through before we can have more fun with him.
Also, it's very annoying to have to write "the other Sasuke" all the time, so if you wanna come up with a good nickname for Charasuke to us in descriptions of him I'd appreciate it. Goodnight!