Chapter 9

Naruto strolled aimlessly through the soundless streets, allowing his feet full permission to take him wherever they may. He was in a neighborhood far from home but close to a place he visited way more often than he should. His heels ached from the long walk. He stared at the house before him and desperation washed over him like a heavy flood, tearing apart the dam of security he had built around himself.

He had never needed Kiba's affection as much as he did in that moment.

The chill of the growing night caused a shiver down his spine as he rang the doorbell. When there's no response, Naruto knocked loudly against the door. He leaned his head against it, emotionally and physically exhausted, he started to feel faint. He moved his head from the door when he heard a muffled voice getting closer. The door's wrenched open and the cold air swiftly invade.

"It's about fucking time man." Kiba stood at the door towering, his wallet in hand and a frown on his face. "What the hell are you doing here?" He clenched his jaw as he stepped forward, partially closing the door behind him.

Naruto stepped back, his voice meek as he asked Kiba softly if he could spend the night. The hard shove to his chest forced him off the porch and he nearly fell back as he slightly tripped over his feet.

"Get the fuck out of here. My friends are inside." Kiba glanced back when he heard their loud voices. He diverted his eyes back to Naruto and his dark jaded eyes narrowed dangerously. "Seriously, you need to leave now."

Naruto can't say he's surprised, yet he's still rendered speechless. This was nothing new. Just another incident where he needed Kiba the most and like always, Kiba would rather put everything and everyone else above him. All without once considering how it made him feel. That was the part that hurt the most. He wiped his beneath his eyes, cursing softly when the unwilling tears ran down his face.

"For fuck's sake." Kiba snatched a random jacket by the door and swung it on. He yelled to his friends that he was going to check on something before he quickly slammed the door shut, not saying a word as he walked up to Naruto and yanked him around to the side of the house.

Naruto ignored the ache on his forearm when he's let go. He wiped away the persistent tears sliding down his face.

Kiba ran his fingers through his wild curls as he began to pace.

"What happened?" He watched Naruto, waiting for a response and he's genuinely concerned when Naruto quietly shook his head, not looking up at him.

Kiba's unfamiliar with this person in front of him. Naruto never cried, at least not in front him. Within all their arguments, Naruto never once shed a tear not even when he was ruthless with his insults. With all the bullshit he and his friends have put Naruto through, nothing ever seemed to faze him. Kiba's genuinely concerned and he's not sure what to do.

"Look at me." He tilted Naruto's head up, looked him straight in his teary eyes. "You had another fight with your brother?" Naruto meekly shook his head. Kiba sighed, in a deeper voice he asked. "Did someone hurt you?"

"Yeah." Naruto exhaled. "You. All the fucking time." He hated how weak he sounded. He wasn't this kind of person. "I should've never came here." He turned to leave, stopping when his arm was grabbed.

"What happened?" Kiba asked urgently. He forcefully pulled back Naruto when he tried to walk away, glared down at him with cold eyes. "What fucking happened?"

Kiba heard the sudden shout of his name. He loosened his grip, said nothing as Naruto quietly walked away. His eyes lingered helplessly, truly concerned but unable to do anything. He let out a sigh as he walked back around to his house. Just as he rounded the corner, he came face to face with a confused Neji.

"Dude, what the hell?" Neji's long black hair fell down his back. "Where did you go?"

"What are you, my fucking mother?" Kiba grinned, bringing Neji into a headlock.

"Fuck off." Neji playfully shoved Kiba away, fixing the material of his large T-shirt. "Seriously, what the hell were you doing?" He walked beside Kiba.

"Thought I saw a stray cat."

"A stray cat?" Neji asked skeptically. "Fucking weirdo." He dodged the kick thrown at him, laughing as he followed Kiba inside.

—

The night grew darker.

Naruto continued to walk aimlessly through the streets, his eyes refusing to leave the ground. The chill of the night has his hands tucked deeply inside his pockets, the hood of his sweater keeping his ears warm. It was quiet. He listened to the songs of the crickets hiding in the dark.

Sasuke's words replayed over and over in his head like a broken record. He realized what an amazing liar Sasuke really was. It sent goosebumps all over his body. He had finally figure out Sasuke's motives, his objective.

Kyuubi.

Sasuke's very first visit to their place, the caution and urgency in his voice when he had asked to see Kyuubi. It was strange and it still was. But, now it made sense. It made perfect sense. Sasuke was supposed to stay away. Kyuubi forced him to stay away. The fucking mastermind. Since the very second Kyuubi forced them to pack their bags and leave everything behind, he's always been the one pulling strings. Even now, he was still pulling the strings, controlling his life, keeping Sasuke away from him.

Naruto stopped, stood in the middle of the pavement. He turned his head up to the sky, eyes mesmerized by the countless stars above him. His mind pulled him back to a time he never wanted to remember again. A time when Kyuubi had said something that his naïve mind at the time could not comprehend.

As long as I am alive, I will never allow him anywhere near you.

That day, it had been a calm night just as tonight was. He could still practically smell the strong scent of alcohol that always lingered in the small unkept house. Little Jay was a happy baby crawling around the living room, babbling and giggling. Naruto was in the kitchen warming up his nephew's formula. Every now and then, he would make noises to let Jay know he was nearby.

The timer of the microwave lets him know the formula is ready. He's reaching over the counter for a towel when suddenly someone's behind him. Naruto swiftly turned around and saw his aunt's drunken boyfriend standing behind him. The man is large and burly. His intimidating stature and the reeking scent of liquor has Naruto cringing back against the counter.

"Where's that feisty brother of yours?" His voice was gruff, unpleasant. "Or should I say sister." He has a twisted smirk on his face, his body too close for Naruto's liking.

Naruto was tall for a thirteen year old, standing almost eye level with the man. He tried to move away, frightened when his face was gripped tightly.

"I asked you a question." His body moved closer, trapping Naruto underneath him.

"He's at work," Naruto stuttered out nervously. He could feel the man's weight on him as he pressed closer against him. He's quivering with fear. He looked away when the man neared his face.

"How old are you?"

He was so close Naruto could feel his warm breath on his face. He shuddered, answering softly. "Thirteen."

"Thirteen, huh?" There's an unsettling way in which he said the word as if contemplating, convincing himself of his intentions. His cold hand reached underneath Naruto's shirt, caressing the warm skin beneath. "Why's it that you look like a pretty girl, huh?"

Naruto's hand searched blindly behind him over the counter. He's frustrated when nothing comes in contact with his hand. "No, no, don't touch me." He's afraid. "Please, if you do this, Tsunade will be angry."

"She's asleep." His stubble was rough against Naruto's face. "Just be a good little boy and shut the fuck up." He forced Naruto around, his hands roaming the small waist and soft skin.

Naruto was able to channel up some courage, swiftly bringing his elbow up to deliver a powerful blow to the man's chin, a move he's thankful his brother taught him. Naruto's able to escape the kitchen into the living room. He's frantic as he lifted little Jay into his arms. He's reaching for the blue blanket laid over the couch when a frightening voice has him turning around and backing away into a corner with baby Jay tucked protectively into his body.

"You fucking brat, you're going to regret what you just did." He rubbed his jaw, his eyes rimmed red. In his hand, an empty glass bottle of whiskey swayed dangerously.

"I'll scream if you touch me!"

"I'll make sure you do more than scream, you little shit." His snarl was terrifying.

"Get away from me!"

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut when the glass bottle was lifted in the air. The anticipated strike doesn't come and instead the noise of a loud thud sounds eerily through the quiet house. Naruto peeled his eyes open and slowly turned around to find his brother standing above the man, a table lamp in his hand. Naruto smiled. He's never been so grateful for his big brother.

Kyuubi had hit the man with enough force to have him flat on the ground but conscious. He threw the lamp aside, anger violent in his eyes. He soundlessly moved around the writhing man on the ground as he shrugged off his jacket.

"You fucking bitch." The man groaned, struggling to speak. "I'll kill you." He's attempting to get up but could barely see through his blurred vision. He forced his torso off the ground, his hands on either side of his head supporting his weight.

Rummaging could be heard in the kitchen and within seconds, Kyuubi returned with an opened can of beer in his right hand and a knife in the other. Naruto eyed the knife nervously. Kyuubi stood beside the man and tilted the bottle, the liquid pouring freely and drenching the man.

Kyuubi kicked him in his protruding stomach. He savagely continued his assault, his anger for the past year of living in the wretched house expressed in his relentless kicks. Kyuubi ignored his little brother's pleas for him to stop, Jay's cries fueling his anger. He couldn't stop, not even as the blood began to leak out of the man's mouth.

Naruto's too scared to physically stop his brother. He's afraid of his own brother. For the past year, he's noticed a dangerous change in Kyuubi's behavior. A change that frightened him and kept him distant from Kyuubi. They had never really been close as siblings. Kyuubi has always been very mature for his age. He spent most of his time ignoring his annoying little brother and instead around Itachi and friends around his age.

Naruto never felt a connection with his brother. He was everything opposite Kyuubi, reckless, playful, carefree. Even so, Naruto never questioned Kyuubi's nature. He always knew his brother was a good person. Except now, it was different. Naruto began to question just who Kyuubi really was. Seeing the brutal assault before his eyes, he was terrified and when Kyuubi raised the knife, Naruto screamed out helplessly for him to stop.

Kyuubi looked up, eyes filled with shock seeing the horrifying look on his brother's face.

The ongoing commotion had managed to reach Tsunade's room. Their aunt came running into the living room, tired and groggy. Her blonde hair was disheveled and her robe partially opened, exposing her naked chest. She stared in horror at the scene before her. Her boyfriend was on the ground, bloodied and barely conscious. Her eyes fiercely averted to Kyuubi, her veins almost popping out of her neck.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Kyuubi silently stalked towards her. "You stupid whore."

"Excuse me?"

"I warned you about this bastard coming over here when I'm not around, didn't I?" He pointed the sharp knife up at her and the woman backed away as it neared her face. "I told you that I didn't want him around the fucking house when I'm not here. Do you have any idea what he would've done to Naruto had I not arrived when I did?" He clenched his jaw when she said nothing. "I asked you a question, you fucking bitch!"

"Kyuubi, stop."

Silence filled the room.

Kyuubi flinched, seeming to come out of his blind rage. He stepped back, lowered his hand with the knife to his side. He looked up and his head swiftly turned to the side, Tsunade's hand print ripe on his cheek.

"You're the one who called me, crying and begging for me to take you in." There's a deepness in her voice that's foreign to the brothers. "You, your brother, and your bastard son can all get the fuck out of my house right now."

Naruto rushed over to his aunt and began pleading. "No, Tsunade please, he didn't mean what he said. He just had a bad day. Please, forgive him."

Tsunade shoved past a stricken Kyuubi and knelt beside her battered boyfriend. She tenderly lifted his head over her lap, her hand combing through his damp hair. She became furious, again shouting for the brothers to leave her house.

"Naruto, let's go."

"Where?!" Naruto cried. "Where else can we fucking go? We have no one else thanks to you."

Kyuubi closed his eyes, accepting the harsh words thrown at him. He was on his knees the next second, surprising both himself and his brother. It doesn't seem to faze Tsunade who deliberately ignored him.

"I'm sorry. I spoke out of line. Please forgive me."

Tsunade left the room. She came back throwing the boys' clothes on the floor. "Out of my fucking house."

"I'll go," Kyuubi said. "I have been disrespectful to you even after you were generous enough to take us in. I'll go. Just please allow Naruto to stay. Please, he's been good to you. He does all your chores, take care of the house. He doesn't deserve to be on the streets just because of me."

"No, you can't leave me." Naruto eagerly chimed in. "Kyuubi, you can't leave me here alone."

"Get the hell out of my house." Tsunade said lastly before proceeding to her room. She doesn't return and Kyuubi has a moment to breathe from a long day's work.

Jaron had settled down but Naruto continued to rock him as he swayed him back and forth. "You're not leaving."

"Give him to me." Kyuubi brought his son into his arms. "Hi, papa. I'm sorry I made you cry." He cooed softly. He pressed a kiss to his son's cheek. "Shh.. it's okay." He watched his baby stir in his arms, his small fists pulling softly at his hair.

"Kyuubi, you're not leaving me."

Kyuubi looked at his brother. He was now almost as tall as him. He frowned. What would've happened had he arrived just a few minutes later? He pulled Naruto into a hug. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" He began inspecting his body.

Naruto shrugged his hands away. "I'm fine. I'm not staying here alone."

"You'll be okay."

"No, I won't. You can't leave me here by myself with them." Tears began to blur his vision. "Besides, where would you go?"

"Doesn't matter. Listen, I'll be close by. Don't worry about them. He won't touch you. I'll make sure of it."

Naruto didn't want to hear any of it. He was young. He was scared to be alone. He had already lost both of his parents. He lost his best friend and now he was losing his brother. His body was also going through physical changes he can't explain. There's no one he can go to for advice or an explanation. He's left wondering why he's becoming curvy like a female, why he's not as masculine as the other boys in his class, why he's bullied and teased by his peers.

"Naruto, you have to promise me you'll take care of Jay for me." Kyuubi hugged his son to his chest. "I know it's not your responsibility but I need you to do this for me. Please, I'm begging you."

Naruto simply nodded.

Kyuubi noticed the apprehension on his face. "Naruto," he reached out and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, "you'll be okay."

Naruto shook his head. "No, I wont."

"As long as I am alive, I will never allow him anywhere near you."

Nothing else Naruto could say would convince Kyuubi to stay. Naruto heard Kyuubi speaking but he's not listening. He just wanted the night to end. He wanted to wake up and find out it was all just a bad dream.

The next day, Naruto woke up to find Kyuubi gone. His belongings still remained but he was gone. Jay was still asleep and so he took the opportunity to prepare himself for school. He woke up baby Jaron and prepared him for daycare. He fed him his breakfast and packed his daycare bag. He did this routinely for the next few months. Kyuubi would come by here and there to check up on him. True to Kyuubi's words, Tsunade's boyfriend never bothered Naruto again. He wasn't sure what Kyuubi did or said, but he was thankful for it.

After a while, Kyuubi just stopped showing up. Some weeks later, he returned. He made Naruto once again leave everything behind and brought him to a new town, to a large apartment furnished expensively. Kyuubi never told him where he was or what he did to get the money, but this was Naruto's new start and he'd take advantage of it. Living alone in that home, playing parent at just thirteen, being a housemaid while also trying to figure out his own life, Naruto matured quickly. There was countless times where he felt hopeless and just wanted to give up.

The thought of one day reuniting with Sasuke kept him trying when he felt like dying.

—

The bright light of the cafe was harsh against his eyes compared to the darkness outside. He's a usual here, often coming here when he couldn't stand to be around Kyuubi. Naruto looked around at the familiar scenery. The delicious smell of pastries and coffee were strong and delightful. It's cozy and relaxing. He's in his usual seat, the isolated booth in the back. This particular night, it was fairly vacant, a few people around here and there.

Eyes focusing on nothing in particular, he's snapped out of his thoughts by a familiar voice. He looked up at his math teacher, a wide smile on the man's face. Naruto stood up and respectfully greeted him with a bow.

"I thought it was you."

Naruto mustered a weak smile.

The young teacher invited himself to sit down and a companion of his sat beside him. "I see you have a thing for wolves."

"I'm sorry?" Naruto has a dazed look in his eyes.

"Your necklace." He gestured to the object around Naruto's neck. "Looks expensive."

Naruto frowned. He had hoped they would share a greeting and the teacher would've kept it moving. "Uh, yeah, it was my dad's."

"He had good taste. Wolves represent endurance, they can survive almost any environment. They're strong but not only that they have very keen senses. Also very loyal."

Naruto scoffed. "Thanks for the lesson."

The teacher chuckled. "How are you holding up by the way? Were you able to get yourself checked out?"

Naruto shrugged. "Just a few bruises."

"A few bruises still shouldn't be something to take lightly. They got off with a few days of detention, still I think what they did warranted suspension. But the lesson of life is that favoritism exist everywhere. Especially, when the principal invest the reputation of his school on a soccer team full of troubled kids rather than an actual safe environment for students of all kind."

"Honey," the teacher's partner scolded softly.

Naruto pressed his lips together. His hand played with the silver pendant between his fingers. It's an antique design, a crafted wolf pendant on a silver chain. It's a necklace given to him by Kyuubi to keep in memory of their late father.

"It gets better," said the teacher softly." You just have to learn to accept yourself for who you are."

"I'm not your friend, and you're not a counselor." Naruto stared up at the man he'd shown nothing but respect to until now.

"That wasn't my intention," said the teacher calmly. "I just want you to know that I was in your position once and I went through exactly what you're going through. Not being other boys, desperately wanting to be accepted by everyone else. It gets lonely, I know."

"You don't know me." Naruto can't bring himself to accept the consoling words, not from a stranger who knew close to little about him.

"Iruka, we should get going."

From the loving gesture the other man showed his teacher, Naruto figured they were together romantically. Either way, he really didn't give a damn and he wanted them both to get up and leave him the hell alone.

"I know you're probably thinking I'm just a teacher who's way out of line, but I just want you to know that you are not alone." Iruka's voice wavered. "I was in your shoes at one point in my life. Because I wanted someone desperately to want me, I allowed people to treat me horribly because at least I had their attention. Once you accept yourself and start loving yourself for who you are, you start to realize just how much strength you have on your own."

The air grew thick with tension. Iruka's not sure if he should make his exit, having had said all he wanted to say from the moment he first met Naruto. Now that it was all said and done, there was a feeling of regret he couldn't shake off. Had he crossed a line? Had he ventured onto a lane he had no business being in.

Naruto leaned back in his seat, refrained from making eye contact with either man across from him. "Thank you," he said softly.

Iruka smiled. His words would mean something to Naruto later on in life. He's hopeful it will. His fingers intertwined with his partner's as he said goodbye.

Naruto ran a hand down his face. He's tired. He stood up, ready to leave when Iruka returned and was next to him again with the same wide smile on his face.

"Oh, by the way, this is my husband, Kakashi. It was rude of me not to introduce you to him."

Naruto truly didn't care. He had already figured it out that they were together. Nonetheless, he smiled as he shook the hand offered to him.

"I'm sorry about him. You probably deal with him enough at school." Kakashi received a smack to the arm for his sly remark.

Naruto chuckled courteously. Their slight banter reminded him of his parents, they acted the same way. He touched the necklace around his neck, felt the cool metal against his fingertips, embraced the image of his parents behind his eyes.

—

The chill air is a good feeling against his warm skin. Naruto removed the hood from his head, exposing his messy hair. He doesn't have the energy to care. He looked around, a frown on his face when he spotted Kiba's car. Strutting down the street, he met up with him by the car. Kiba's wearing a black jacket and grey sweats.

"Hey."

Naruto doesn't respond.

"I'm sorry." Kiba has a small smile on his face as he caressed Naruto's face. "Don't be mad at me."

Naruto leaned into Kiba, his shorter stature allowing his head to lay perfectly over Kiba's chest. He felt Kiba's arms warmly embrace him and he felt protected within them. He allowed himself to again forget his frustration towards Kiba and instead settle for the affection only Kiba could give him.

"I got you something." Kiba held out the small box of pocky and sour patch kids in his hands.

"Chocolate and sour candy?" Naruto scoffed. "What makes you think I want that?"

"You said they were your favorite snacks."

Naruto leaned up and pecked him for the nice gesture. "Thank you."

"You should've said that first." Kiba grabbed a hold of the strings on Naruto's hoodie, pulled him forward. "Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

Naruto shoved the snacks inside his pockets. "Where are your friends?"

"One of the guys from the team is throwing a party." Kiba leaned against the side of his car, held Naruto close to his body. "Decided not to go with them since someone else was more of a priority." He leaned down, combined his lips with Naruto's in a sensual kiss. "Don't scare me like that ever again. I really thought someone did something you."

"Like what?"

"I thought someone hurt you."

"Like you and your friends do." Naruto saw the dangerous change in Kiba's eyes, that haunting look when he said something he didn't like. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that."

Kiba cleared his throat. "We should go."

Naruto brought Kiba's face down into another kiss, pressing himself firmly against Kiba's larger body. He slowly pulled away, looked him in the eyes, saw that he had calmed down.

"Can I stay over your place tonight?" He walked around to the passenger side and looked over to see Kiba staring at him with a newfound desire in his eyes.

"You won't get much sleep."

"Good."

Naruto sat in the passenger seat and swung on his seat belt. The faint smell of vanilla invaded his nose and he's reminded a jock like Kiba had appreciation for such a soft scent.

"Tell me what was up with you earlier." Kiba glanced over at Naruto. From what he could tell, Naruto seemed to be unharmed physically which left him to wonder what could have made him so emotionally riled up.

Naruto can't bring himself to go through the whole ordeal again, even if it's just simply talking about it.

"Doesn't matter now."

"Okay," Kiba said dismissively. "Next time, don't fucking show up to my house crying."

And maybe it did hurt a little what Kiba said, the fact he didn't care enough to encourage Naruto to tell him what had happened. Then again, how could he blame Kiba. Their relationship wasn't a relationship. They weren't even on the friends with benefits terms, they would have to be friends to do that. It was weird, an occasional slip up where they ended up caring too much and investing too much into this weird thing they had going. He should be happy Kiba did not persist for him to open up about what had happened between him and Sasuke.

But what if, just this one time, he had?

—

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