Here's few answers:

To Haruko: Why, very much thank you for saying that. But I was just playing with words, you know? Oo Just because Akatsuki and Akai Tsuki are quite similar… please.

To Kari: Thank you for your words.  Here's an update.

And equal thanks to Myrdschaem, Sha, cfox and all the others. You made my day.

( And… shygirl: Upeaa. Kiitoksia. : D )

Naruto's second week started without much interruption, although he was informed that Genma Shiranui, that man who had killed cops, was no longer there, he had been moved to other place…and he had been replaced with another. Also, Asuma and Mizuki had been released, since they no longer seemed to be having any illusions flying around their heads or something equally dangerous. Naruto wasn't exactly sad to see them leave, since he had felt uncomfortable every time one of them laid their eyes on him.

Oh, wait. Scratch the last part. The world 'uncomfortable' didn't even belong in Naruto Uzumaki's vocabulary, it was more like a feeling of being a little, miserable ant.

Naruto sighed as he stepped inside of Akai Tsuki again. He didn't sigh because he was depressed, or even sad. He sighed because he just felt like. He did a lot of things just because 'he felt like it.' Many people had learned that the hard way. Naruto grinned inwardly as he walked down the corridor to the office. He had always been a troublemaker, never really caring what others think. Even today he was wearing a bright orange t-shirt with the words 'Beauty and intelligence hand in hand' written in black, and light brown baggy pants, which were only knee-high. And of course his favourite dark blue shoes. If that outfit perhaps had been wore by someone else, it would have looked stupid. But Naruto somehow made it look really cool. Completed with a loose red tie, he truly was a image of Rebellion. The tall blonde now had reached his destination and knocked.

"Iruka-sensei?"

"Naruto? Oh, come in." Naruto opened the door and put his bag on the nearest chair. He waved and grinned to Izumo, who walked by.

"Nee, sensei? What do we do today? Is the baba still away or has she returned?" Naruto slid next to Iruka, where the man was working with his computer. His questions earned him a sharp glance from the usually gentle-hearted man.

"Naruto, please. Don't call Tsunade that. You know she doesn't like it. And by the way, it's just rude." Naruto sighed.

"Argh… don't be so boring. What's wrong with calling her old hag? Because she is one…" Iruka glanced at him again and sighed.

"You're just impossible." Naruto grinned and patted Iruka's back.

"That I am." Iruka just sighed again.

"Go fool around with Izumo and Kotetsu, okay? They should be just giving early lunch to the patients we have left. Kurenai is sick, she called this morning, so not to worry. I'll be done in a minute."

"'kay." Naruto said, grinned and left without another word, singing a random song. A song with lyrics that should never be published. Iruka blushed again and started writing with his computer a little more quickly.

As Naruto stepped inside the small lunchroom, he first saw that it seemed to be quite empty. Shizune was humming to herself again in the corner, still clutching the pig-plushie to her chest. At times, she would say something and smile awkwardly. Naruto smiled. He had really liked her the first time he saw her, Shizune just seemed to be the time to be liked by everyone. Naruto waited before waving at her. Shizune took her time to notice him and smiled that awkward smile of hers as she waved back. Izumo was blabbering happily with Kakashi in the right corner, while Kotetsu was glaring daggers at his partner, for forgetting his work. Kabuto was reading a newspaper, but Naruto felt his annoying smirk even without seeing the man.

Kotetsu's sour look immediately brightened, as he noticed Naruto.

"Yo, Naruto!" Naruto waved.

"What's up, anything drastic happened here?" Kotetsu shrugged.

"Nothing much. Just happy that that creepy Shiranui guy was moved. He just scared me…" And then Kotetsu stared at Naruto again.

"I heard that you visited our poor raven boy down there last week, didn't ya?" A knowing smirk appeared on Kotetsu's face.

"Huh? So?" Naruto blinked. Kotetsu poked his forehead and suddenly his smirk wasn't a smirk, but a smile, a quite sad one.

"Miserable sight, isn't he?" Naruto smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Now that you mention him, I think he…"

"….you mentioned him first…"

"…he caused a real havoc last night. Must have been a real bad nightmare, or something…" Kotetsu continued without even listening to Naruto, who now frowned.

"Nightmare?" Kotetsu looked guilty.

"Actually…only Iruka knows. Or only he's supposed to now. Uchiha sees a lot of nightmares… Iruka's really the only one the Uchiha kid accepts even near his room. No wonder, Iruka's a real mother hen when it comes to young people needing help..." And Naruto couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Awwwh, but Iruka-sensei!" Kakashi was once again teasing the brownhaired man, who had appeared just a moment ago. You just could see a vein throbbing in Iruka's forehead.

"It's a no. A definite NO." He said in a dangerously low voice. Even if Kakashi tried his wonderful puppy face at him, it wouldn't work. Iruka just smacked him in the head with the papers he was holding. Shizune giggled at the sight and went back to her dream world, Sasori just sighed – he seemed to be sighing all the time – and Kabuto just ignored them and buried himself behind a mountain of books he had somehow gotten his hands on. Izumo and Kotetsu were obviously trying to prevent themselves from laughing, without much result. Iruka glared at them angrily.

"All of you, back to work. Naruto, come."

"'Kay, sensei." Naruto said in a innocent tone and followed Iruka, waving happily at Kakashi, who winked.

Corridors seemed to be empty. Akai Tsuki wasn't that big, but the walk to the criminal yard seemed to take so much time. To Naruto's surprise, he saw a tall – well, not as tall as he – blackhaired girl – or was it a girl, actually, Naruto could see a little smirk on pretty lips – walking besides them.

"Haku-kun! Leaving already?" Iruka stopped. Naruto raised his eyebrows. The girly boy – he still wasn't that sure – stopped too and smiled, nodding. Haku was dressed in white trousers and light blue t-shirt that really did gave away his gender – and his pale beauty very much. Naruto blushed. He had really thought that Haku was a girl for a moment. Iruka introduced him. Haku smiled at him too, before turning back to Iruka.

"Zabuza-san was very kind,there was noproblem at all.I'll be back next week, I'm going on a trip with my aunt. It was nice to meet you, Naruto-kun." Haku said – his voice was really gentle -, nodded at Naruto and left. He moved with such gracefulness that Naruto almost wondered why people weren't falling at his feet. It was almost cruel for a boy to be that pretty. If Naruto had met Haku at a different time, he would have thought so. But now his thoughts were on a different boy with raven black hair.

They approached the last door and Iruka sighed.

"He has been quite reckless for the last few days…I think he misses somebody. Just talk to him, please. I must be going." Iruka blabbered, looked uncertain for a second before he left down the corridor. Naruto waved and looked around, before setting his gaze on the blank white door. He sat down on a chair that was next to it and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Yo." He started. He felt kind of stupid to be talking like this, since he was absolutely certain that he wasn't going to get an answer from the silent boy behind the door.

"You're probably wondering who the hell I am. Well… my name is Naruto Uzumaki, 17 years of age, a student at the Raikiri High School, I have always been a troublemaker and a problem child, I'm an orphan so I live in the dorms. I get money because I work two jobs, four times a week – now I'm on a summer break so it's just one job -, now here too so it makes three jobs, although I really don't do much around here, just sit around and joke with Kakashi. He's a funny guy, have you seen him?" Naruto hesitated.

"Err…maybe you haven't. Yeah, but Iruka has been inside the room, hasn't he?" Naruto just continued, knowing, that maybe he was never going to hear an answer.

"Iruka's such a sweet guy. If I had a father, I would like it to be someone like him." Naruto smiled to himself.

"Don't you think so too, Sasuke? Well, you probably do. He said he's the only one you don't…attack." Blonde's smile faded.

"I don't like it, Sasuke. Not one bit! It' just weird to see someone like you, somebody at the same age as me, just locked inside, with no chance to go anywhere. It makes me feel weird. Just…weird! There's not other word for it, no." Naruto was quiet for a while and his smile just came back, suddenly, but it was a little, sad one. He hadn't even noticed that he had actually called Sasuke by his first name.

"I guess you can't actually go out, huh? Must be really boring. I love to be outside, in the sunshine, in the rain. Everyday. I couldn't even think about how it would feel to be locked inside all day, all night. Heh, well, I'm flamboyant and outgoing and friends with almost everybody at my school – I'm not telling lies, believe me – and teachers don't know what to do with me because I blabber and blabber and blabber. Err… yeah. Like now." Naruto's laughter got stuck in his throat when all the hair in his neck suddenly rose and a tingling feeling entered his head.

'Stop.' Naruto wasn't even sure if he really had even heard something. That surely hadn't been his thought. His heart had suddenly frozen in his chest. He didn't like the feeling one bit. He rose and turned to see inside the dark room. His eyes widened. Sasuke was standing in the middle of the little room and his head was turned towards the door. Naruto froze again. He knew – oh God, he knew! – that under than blindfold those emotionless blood red eyes were staring straight at him.

"Uchiha?" Long, silent moment they just stared blindly at each other, before Sasuke turned away and lay down on his bed, the sound of handcuffs ringing in Naruto's ears like thunder. Even as loud and cheerful person as Naruto felt like crying. What the fuck? Why the hell world felt so cruel at the moment. Maybe that kid was really a murderer; maybe it had been his hands, his hands holding the sword that went trough Itachi Uchiha's chest. But it felt just so cruel to see a young person like him…locked up.

"Ahhahhh. I guess you don't like me talking too much. Sorry." Naruto grinned sheepishly and started walking away. He just couldn't bear be near that room any longer. With his head bowed, he didn't see Zabuza staring straight at him, like the man knew everything and everyone. That man scared him, really. Naruto rushed to where Iruka – looking really tired – was serving lunch to the few that were left. Sasori wasn't interested; he was playing with his dolls again. But he smiled his sleepy smile at Naruto before forgot that the boy was even there. Shizune hummed to herself again. To Naruto's surprise, he saw Kakashi standing beside one window, smug grin on his face. Naruto held back laughter. It hadn't been long since the man had been released, but he seemed to like coming back. The gaze of those mismatched - the other was a shade of stunning reddish brown, the other was black – eyes was quite firmly staring at poor Iruka, who was doing all he could to ignore the Scarecrow. Kakashi grinned even widely when he saw Naruto.

"Hey there, Naruto! What's up?" Naruto waved and went to him.

"Nothing much, Kakashi-sensei. You seem to be having quite much fun teasing Iruka-sensei, don't cha?" Kakashi laughed and ruffled Naruto's sunshine-blond hair.

"You're right 'bout that, kid. He's so much fun to tease. And blushes so easily…whaaat a cutie." Kakashi grinned mischievously. They weren't actually whispering and Iruka heard everything. He blushed furiously – again – and straightened instantly. Naruto and Kakashi laughed loudly as Iruka almost dropped Deidara's half empty plate that the blonde bomber hadn't like to eat.

"H-Hatake-san! Please, don't speak like that! You…you…put those weird thoughts in Naruto's head too!" Iruka sounded almost concerned about the boy and Kakashi stepped closer and bowed, grin still tucking his lips.

"Well, I'm sorry. And I have told you to call me Kakashi. You don't have to be so formal all the time." Kakashi grinned. Iruka raised his eyebrows.

"But, I have to go now." Iruka sighed. 'What in the world am I going to do with this guy?' Iruka barely had time to even wince when Kakashi suddenly flashed an evil smile, slapped poor Iruka's ass and ran away before Iruka could throw something too heavy at him. Naruto had real trouble holding back his laughter. Even Deidara, who rarely was interested in the outside world, had seen the event and was grinning. Naruto grinned at the other blonde and then tried to calm poor, angry, teased Iruka down. While giggling Kurenai and smirking Izumo and Kotetsu – the two of them were rarely seen without each other – too the patients to their rooms, Naruto's grin faded.

He turned to Iruka.

"Nee, sensei…could I someday go to Sasuke's room? He hasn't done anything drastic, actually." Iruka blinked.

"To his room? Why?" Naruto grinned awkwardly.

"Because I do believe he wouldn't do anything to me. Do you ever take his blindfold off, by the way?" Iruka shook his head.

"N-no… we wouldn't dare…and Tsunade-sensei has forbid it. And we don't want to make her angry, she's one scary woman she is at rage." He said in a serious tone, looking at Naruto.

"I don't know, really. I don't like to see someone as fragile as Uchiha-san sitting in that room all by himself. But I can't do anything about it, I am sorry." Iruka shivered.

"He speaks so little and when he does, all the words are so cold, like he really doesn't feel anything anymore. It's truthfully spoken, a little scary." Iruka's voice faded and a blush appeared on his face when he realized just how much he had just talked. Naruto grinned and patted the man's back.

"Awwh. I wish that Sasuke would speak to me sometimes, too." The tall and obnoxious blonde wasn't usually awkward or uncertain, no, that word didn't even exist in his vocabulary. But Naruto wasn't that sure about himself.

When had Sasuke Uchiha's fate started to affect him so much?

Naruto's train of thought was leaving on it's own ways so he didn't quite catch that Iruka had spoken to him.

"…uto...?"

"Naruto? Are you okay?" Naruto blinked. He saw Iruka looking at him, concern in his brown eyes. Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head.

"Err…I was just thinking…no need to worry, sensei. I'm okay." Iruka smiled almost shyly.

"It's good, then."

"Heh. But, I must be on my way now. Dorm is lonely and empty without me. It's just a sad thing that I have to live in the dorms even in the summer." Naruto bowed, flashed a sunny smile and went on his way. Iruka sighed and shook his head. And oh, he saw that it was time to feed those poor bastards on the criminal ward. Few minutes later he walked down the corridor pushing the trolley, together with tired-looking Izumo, who yawned. Iruka stopped by different doors and every time the patient looked at him behind their bars, Kisame grinning his shark-like grin and insulting Iruka. That earned a sharp glance from both Izumo and Iruka.

It didn't take long for them to reach the final door and the aura of darkness around it. Izumo stayed back.

"Ya know, Iruka…I don't like him." The man said without even blinking his eyes. Iruka sighed.

"Alright, alright. Just wait a minute." When Iruka pushed the food plate through the little hole in the door, a voice suddenly spoke. Izumo looked away but Iruka could see that the other man shivered.

"Umino." No formalities, not a hint of innocence that young boys still should have.

"H-hai, Uchiha-san?" Iruka was suddenly afraid. He even admitted to himtself, that really, he had always been scared of Sasuke Uchiha, that dry, chilling cold voice that spoke words of murder and death so easily. Sasuke was quiet for a long time, before he spoke again.

"Where…is he?"

"W-who are you talking about?" Iruka didn't hear an answer, only soft whisper that sounded something like 'damn you all.'

"That boy…the fox…boy…." Sasuke's voice faded. This time Iruka was really surprised. Had that been uncertainty that he had heard in that quiet, cold voice?

"He…must come back." And after that, Sasuke fell silent and didn't speak again.

Naruto didn't come the next day. Nor did he come the day after. And the day after that. Whole week was spent without him. Sasuke growled at Iruka and asked always where the sunny boy was, his voice trembling. Sasuke saw more nightmares that week that even in the last year. Iruka was worried about him and Naruto. Blonde had been here everyday, blabbering on and on about nothing and – how it seemed to be to Iruka -, slowly, slowly melting the ice around Sasuke Uchiha's icy cold heart. Or so Iruka believed, wanted to believe, that there was some life left in Sasuke and that someone could make that will of fire burn strongly like it did when Sasuke was still a kid.

Iruka sighed as he sat in the staff room. He felt so tired, so damn tired. He didn't even notice tears on his cheeks. He sniffed. Why? Why was he crying? He had really grown fond of both Naruto and Sasuke. Iruka couldn't even understand why his gentle heart burned with fear, with sorrow that made him cry even harder.

"Iruka-sensei?" A voice suddenly spoke and Iruka's head snapped up. When his brown eyes spotted Kakashi standing by the door, he flinched. Iruka stood up and wiped his tears away, cheeks burning with embarrassment. How could he have cried in front of someone like Kakashi.

"Iruka-sensei, why were you crying?" Kakashi's voice was surprisingly gentle. Iruka took a deep breath and tried to walk past him.

"N-nothing, it's nothing…"

"I don't believe you." Kakashi grabbed his hand. Iruka still stared at the floor, feeling tears burning in his eyes again.

"Let me go, please."

"No."

Iruka started trembling. He didn't see the sad smile that rose on Kakashi's face and the next thing Iruka knew was those strong arms that pulled him against a warm chest. And he couldn't help but start to cry again, silently, his face buried on Kakashi's shoulder. Silverhaired man didn't say anything, he just stood there, offering silent comfort. And Iruka cried and cried, just because the world was just too unfair.

A/N: Err. I love Iruka. I just love the man. And I love Haku too. I felt like killing Kishimoto for killing Haku. Such a sweet boy, he was. Yeah. Nothing much to say about this chapter, bored me. I'm tired. And sorry for taking so much time before updating.