Chapter 4

When Sasuke woke, his entire body felt heavy and he ached everywhere. It was a dull ache, like it was either old or someone gave him painkillers. Even breathing hurt. He attempted to test his paws on if they were broken and softly grunted when his back right leg flared. It was broken. He had enough broken bones in the past to know what one felt like. He also suspected a concussion based on the throbbing of his head.

The last thing he remembered after escaping the warehouse was running across the street and then intense pain. He hadn't been shot since he hurt in more than one places, so possibly a car hit him. Just what he needed. He escaped the hellhole just to be hit by a car. Fate clearly loved him.

He heard the sounds of other animals around him, so it was probable that he was in a veterinary clinic. It took a while to even open his eyes. When he did, the first thing he saw was the bars of a dog cage. He was definitely in someone's dog house. Taking a deep breathe, he smelled aniseptic, other animals and citrus. The last was an odd smell for a veterinary clinic. An air freshener maybe?

At least it was better than the fight ring. He could tell that it was no hole-in-the-wall, low budget clinic. The walls were a pristine white and the cage he was in was clean. The food in the dish left in the cage didn't have mold or smell funny and the water was clean. All he needed to do now was wait until he was healed and escape of here.

He heard the door open and the citrus smell increased.

"Oh, you're awake!"

Sasuke turned and huffed in surprise. Standing infront of him in a horrid orange muscle shirt wearing the biggest smile Sasuke had ever seen was Naruto Uzumaki. He was holding a brown paper bag in one hand. He was also the source of the citrus smell.

Naruto had changed some since Sasuke had last saw him ten years ago. He filled out from the skinny gangly dork to muscles nearly ripping out of his shirt. Sasuke didn't know what sport he was playing to get that much muscle, but it wasn't soccer. The wide stupid grin was still the same and he still had the same six whisker like scars on either side of his face. Sasuke never learned how he got those. The jeans he wore did not hide his well shaped thighs as he bent down infront of Sasuke's cage. Sasuke didn't think his mind could take how the blonde's rear looked.

A secondary scent was coming off him under the citrus and Sasuke wrinkled his nose. He didn't know Naruto was a dog person.

"Sorry about last night," said Naruto sitting crosslegged on the floor outside of the cage. "I'm the one who hit you with me car."

'Who the hell taught you how to drive? The devil,' thought Sasuke, since he couldn't speak out loud.

"My dog was kind of distracting me, so I didn't see you," continued Naruto, obviously not hearing Sasuke sarcasm. "But I've brought you some goodies as an apology. I made them myself."

'So, they're poison?'

Naruto grinned as he reached into the bag and pulled out what looked to be a cookie. He carefully reached toward the cage to give it to Sasuke.

"Naruto!" Naruto jumped, dropping the cookie in the cage accidently, and spilling half the bag on the floor. Both human and canine looked up to see a man with brown hair, brown eyes and two fang like tattooes on both his cheeks glaring at Naruto. He was wearing a white lab coat over a blue shirt and blue jeans.

"What have I told you about sticking your hands in cages?!" he said.

"He's not going to bite me, Kiba," said Naruto.

The name instantly registered to Sasuke. Kiba Inuzuka, he was the youngest son of the Inuzuka family famous for breeding and training police and military dogs. With the money they made, he could have gone to Konoha Academy with Sasuke, but instead he went to school with Naruto and both were best friends.

"He's a fight dog," said Kiba. "The only thing he knows how to do is tear a creature's throat out. I don't want you added to the list."

Sasuke snorted.

'It's not like I volunteered.'

"Stop it, Kiba, he can hear you," said Naruto. "Besides, it's not like he volunteered. He might be nice."

Sasuke looked at Naruto in surprise. Did he actually just say that? Sasuke nice? Like that would ever happen.

"I'm gonna adopt him!"

Sasuke yelped in surprise as Kiba's mouth dropped open.

"Are...are you crazy?!"

Sasuke would have to agree with the dog-lover. Why would anyone want to adopt a former pit dog? Not that Sasuke would, but he had seen what a fight dog could do to the human body. Gato had a Rottwieler that he kept close to starving to terrify his dealers, or tear apart opposition or people he believed betrayed him.

He did try to use Sasuke, but no matter how much Gato starved him, Sasuke never attacked any human being. He may have been starving close to death, but he never harmed anybody. If Naruto had made that declaration about any dog other than Sasuke, the blonde would possibly become seriously injured or dead trying to domesticate any fight dog.

"Naruto, you can't domesticate fight dogs," said Kiba. "At least not ones that have been fighting as long as he has. Look at his scars."

Sasuke didn't deny that he had a lot of scars. It was impossible to be in any physical confrontation and not get out unscathed.

"But look at him, Kiba," said Naruto. "Is he acting like any dog that just got out of the pit? He's not growling or snapping at the bars. He's just watching us."

"That's because he's heavily sedated."

Sasuke had to disagree. The sedatives were wearing off and the pain in his ribs and legs were increasing. He didn't make a sound though. One thing his father taught him that stuck was to not show anyone how in pain he was. Inside, he boxed the pain away in the corner of his mind. Putting it off until he could get an extra dose of sedatives.

"There's something about him, though," said Naruto turning back to Sasuke and looking at him. "I can't put my finger on it. It's almost like he's watching me. Waiting for me to make a move."

'Put one in the idea jar. The idiot actually thought of something,' thought Sasuke.

"Naruto, I know you're upset about Kyuubi, but you can't replace him with the first dog you see," said Kiba.

Sasuke had a momentary curious thought on who Kyuubi was but shook it off. It made no difference to him who Naruto hung out with.

"I'm not replacing him," said Naruto. "But I hate to just kill an animal off without giving him a chance. I know what that's like."

Naruto said the last part softly, and Sasuke didn't miss the sadness in the tone. Why would Naruto feel sad about being alone? At the school games, he was always so loud and boisterous, getting the attention of everyone around him. It only made sense that he had a lot of friends, but why would Sasuke be getting an air of loneliness from him.

"Naruto, you know I'm more than willing to give a dog a second chance," said Kiba, "but this one, there's something off about him. I don't trust him."

'Point to the mutt."

"Than trust me," said Naruto pleading.

Kiba looked at his friend and groaned. He never could win argument when Naruto pulled out the puppy-dog look. Not many people could.

"Fine, but he's your responsibility," said Kiba. "I don't want you to blame me if he bites your hand off."

"He won't," said Naruto happily. "Thanks, Kiba!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Kiba walking back out. "I'm fucking going soft."

Naruto smiled and turned to the dog.

"Here that, boy! We're together now."

'Great, just what I needed. An idiot for an owner.'

"Now I just need to name you," said Naruto and paused in thought. Sasuke prayed it wasn't some stupid oximoronic, cliché dog name like Spike or Fido. That was the last thing he needed.

"You know, you kind of remind me of a guy I know. He was the most arrogant annoying prick I ever meet, but he was also the most honest guy I had ever meet."

Sasuke looked up, curious. Was the idiot talking about him?

"According to the papers, he just disappeared one day," said Naruto. "I mean, I know the guy was a dick, but even he's not that heartless. He would have called his family or something. He's not dead, I know it."

Sasuke looked at him in surprise. Naruto was talking about him. He never though that anyone would believe in him after all this time. He thought even his family had given up on him. There was hardly anything about him in the newspaper anymore. He had heard that Itachi had kept a hotline open in case there was any information on him. There was even a reward. Sasuke didn't want to know how many times a day the phone rang.

"I'm helping them find him." Sasuke looked at the blonde in shock. "I know it's impossible. The guy was a genius so he could easily become a ghost if he wanted to, but he was my first friend. When everyone else ignored me or hurt me, he was the only one who treated me as a person. Sure, he degrated my intelligience and everything, but he didn't make me feel bad about myself. He pushed me to be better. It's because of him I'm here today."

Sasuke put his head back on his paws. He never considered the blonde as friend. An annoyance, yes, but never a friend. He didn't like how easily Naruto trusted people or how easily he could make friends. Like Sasuke, he had been captain of his soccer team, and everyone in the city knew about the rivalry between the two schools, and especially of the two captains. Sasuke wanted more than anything to beat the blonde knucklehead and he had a few times, but then Naruto had beaten him more times than that.

"Can't call you Sasuke. That's too weird."

'Why not? It's my name, idiot,' thought Sasuke.

"How about..." Naruto thought for a moment. He wasn't very original when it came to naming pets, which was why he named Kyuubi after the legendary fox from his favorite story. Looking at the dog, he saw his completely black coat. Not one speck of white in his fur. It reminded him of Sasuke's hair. Black as night.

"Kurogane."

Sasuke looked up at the man and mentally shrugged. It was better than Butch that was for sure. Gato wasn't bad at the naming department, but names like "Akuma", "Yoru", and "Shinigami" were not really original for fighting dogs.

"Well, you're not growling, so I guess you like the name," said Naruto with a grin. He then looked at the feeding tray thoughtfully. "What's wrong? Aren't you hungry?"

Sasuke was actually starving, but he wasn't going to eat Kibbles&Bits. He maybe a dog, but he would never eat like one. Plus he wasn't really interested in eating anything the blonde prepared.

"Hold on. I'll be right back."

Naruto got up off the floor and ran out of the door. Sasuke watched him leave before snorting. That idiot can't stay still for two seconds. He hoped whatever job he got was enough to tire him out at the end of the day. Even as a teenager, the man was a bundle of energy that never seemed to run out.

Naruto returned a minute later unwrapping a sandwich. Taking the complete sandwich, he reached through the bars and set the meal on the cage bottom. Sasuke looked at the idiot. Kiba was right. This guy had no common sense at all. Only someone either completely trusting or suicidal would put their hand in a cage holding a wild dog.

But Sasuke was hungry, and the sandwich looked good. He took a small bite of the bread and chewed.

He paused in surprise. The sandwich was actually good. The meat tasted hand carved and there was some sort of dressing. He was surprised because all throughout the games, Naruto always talked about his love for ramen, instant or freshly made. For him to eat anything other than that was surprising.

Naruto grinned like an idiot.

"Good, huh?" he said. "One of my exes was a chef. He got tired of me eating instant meals all the time and taught me a couple recipes. Strangely enough, I actually got into and became a better chef than him."

Sasuke was surprised anybody would date this oaf, let alone a guy. He was a little surprised Naruto dated a guy. He always bragged about wanting to marry Sakura Haruno, the prettiest and smartest girl in the Konoha District. Sasuke guessed he finally grew out of the childish fantasy and started dating in the real world.

Absently, Sasuke wondered if he was dating anyone now. Probably that Kyuubi guy they were talking about earlier. Weird name for a guy, but then so was Naruto.

"Then he left me for his culinary instructor. Love sucks."

So single. Sasuke doubted that he would jump into a relationship after that.

"That's why I love dogs so much. They're uncomplicated. Just give them so food and loving, and they're loyal for the rest of their lives."

Sasuke scoffed. Not this dog. He was perfectly happy with his freedom. As soon as he was healed, he'd escape the first opportunity he got.

"Now that Kyuubi's retired, I don't know what I'm going to do," continued Naruto. "He's been my partner for ten years, before I joined the academy and the K-9 unit. We trained together, made the perfect team. Not the stupid captain says he has to retire because of his age. Doesn't matter that he's the best damn drug-sniffing dog on the force. Better than even Kin Tsuchi and her dog Senbon. Girl brags about her dog like no tomorrow, but they hardly bring anything in."

The conversation had just gotten interesting. Kyuubi was his dog. He had never seen Naruto as a dog person.

"I was going to show in in this years K-9 Dog Show, but with a new partner, I need to train with it before I can place it in the show, and that'll take at least a year."

Sasuke had finished the sandwich and looked up at Naruto, and was surprised to find Naruto looking at him.

"I know you won't be a K-9 dog," said Naruto almost sadly. "I can see that you have too much pride to be owned by anyone. Probably escape as soon as you're healed."

Sasuke was surprised at the statements Naruto was giving. It was like he could read Sasuke's mind, or maybe he was that in tuned with a dog's mind. Either way, it still didn't change Sasuke's mind on leaving.

"Still, nothing's impossible, right?" said Naruto smiling at him. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

Sasuke had a sudden feeling of deja-vu ten years ago and his body shivered.

TBC