Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
CANDYBARS... :Twitch:
Sai leaned forward and ran a pale hand through his neat black locks, looking at the golden cat with expressionless eyes. He usually held a smile, whether it be fake or not, but this time he didn't, his jaw slack. He had on a nice pair of clothes, but his shoes were gone, his feet bare and covered in what looked like ashes and mud.
Naruto scurried close to the dumpster, his small fingers on the dirty edge. He stared up at the other pet with curious eyes and attempted to climb up, only to slip and almost stumble backwards over an empty can of corn. He pouted and his ears perked up at the sound of Sai letting out a whisp of laughter.
"What are you trying to do?" the tiger asked, the rain pelting down over the city now.
"Climb up there with you," Naruto replied with his arms crossed.
"I'm sure your father's waiting for you," Sai leaned back against the filthy brick wall, wiggling his toes as they became numb. "I doubt he'd like you hanging out with me. I am a street stray, after all," his smile was small.
"No you're not. Yamato-san's your owner, isn't he?"
Sai nodded. "I meant street stray as in my behavior, my habits."
Naruto became confused, his head tilting to the side, golden locks brushing against his smooth cheeks. But his name being called from across the street broke him from his confusion and he turned quickly, watched as Sasuke looked around frantically. Naruto gave Sai an apologizing smile.
"I'll sneak back here tomorrow, so make sure you're here, same time!" he exclaimed, then ran off.
Sasuke looked into the street as Naruto ran toward him, leaping onto the sidewalk and into a puddle of water. The rain had gotten heavier and the leopard sighed, taking in his son's drenched appearance. He shook his head and pulled Naruto in front him, trying to keep him from getting soaked even more.
"I guess there was no point in buying an umbrella? And what exactly were you doing over there?"
"Um, I thought I saw a kitten..." the blond lied with a lopsided grin.
Sasuke snorted and pressed Naruto forward, leading him down the sidewalk and around the corner. "It seems as though you have my same habit of picking up strays," he smiled and ruffled the boy's wet and messy hair, not noticing how Naruto glanced back at the dark alley way.
xXxXx
Kakashi walked back into the house after having left two hours before to go to the police headquarters. He folded up his wet umbrella and put it in the coat closet, leaning it against the wall, then shrugged of his coat. He glanced around the dark home and raised his silver brow, wondering where his pet and house guests were.
Before he'd left, he had a talk with Lukki after the blond became furious with Itachi and threatened to just take the fox and go back to Africa to abort the cubs. Of course, that had upset Kyuubi and angered Itachi, but after a chat with the man, Kakashi had managed to calm him down and place him in a more reasonable state of mind.
"Lukki-san?" he called out. The only answer he got was silence. Kicking off his boots, he walked through the quiet house and peaked into Lukki's room, finding the younger man asleep on his bed in only a pair of jeans and unmatching socks. Moving back, he continued on to Itachi bedroom, where he found both of the pets on his bed.
He was surprised to find that they weren't having sex like horny bunnies, but lying there in comfort as the small television was playing a Disney film. Kyuubi was asleep, nestled in the messy blankets with his shirt pulled up. Itachi was beside him, gently rubbing his mate's stomach.
It was definitely a surprising site, but he knew from experience that even the roughest and coldest of pets became kind and gentle to the mother of their children. Even when there wasn't a deep love between them, the father would care for his mate and be very protective of the babies until they were old enough to be sold.
Kakashi cleared his throat and Itachi let his dark gaze wander to his owner. He gave him a look that clearly said "leave us alone or I'll gut you. I don't care if you're my owner or not."
Doing as he was told (in order to keep his insides intact), the scarecrow sauntered back into the living room and turned the television on, knowing how Naruto liked to watch cartoons before bed. He then made his way to the kitchen and pulled out the meal he'd made the blond. It consisted of a few of the foods mentioned on Tsunade's list to help with Naruto's stunted growth.
Heating it up in the microwave, he heard the front door open, the sound of shows being thrown into the coat closet, then the patter of small feet.
"Aboji!" Naruto chirped as entered the kitchen, starving. He sniffed the air and licked his pink lips. "What's that smell? Celery?"
"It's a soup I made to help with your growth," Kakashi pulled the soup from the microwave and sat it on the counter, placing a spoon in there. "Make sure you eat all of it, I'm going to go have a word with your father."
Sasuke glanced at Naruto one last time before following Sasuke into the living room. He crossed his arms and waited for the silver-haired man to speak.
"They have pictures of Kabuto, one of the doctors who tried to kill Naruto-kun. They say he's somewhere here in Japan, but they lost track of him. He was with a few other men and one they say is Orochimaru, a snake-like man," Kakashi stated. "They're going to search for them, but they said they can't guarentee a capture."
Sasuke growled. "They kill innocent animals, Kakashi, why would the police not try to capture them with all they have?"
"They basically could care less about the slaughter of Impures. That's how things are this day in age, only Pureblood's are important, you know that. If you Orochimaru dead, then chase after him yourself, that's the best you can do."
Scowling, Sasuke looked into the kitchen, watching as Naruto finished up his meal and put the bowl in the sink, his tail fluttering around. He was singing a little song he'd taught him a while back, a big smile on his childish face.
"If it comes down to that, I will."
Kakashi chuckled beneath his mask. "I never would've thought of you'd be such a good father. With all of your other cubs, you just ignored them and let Tsunade-san handle them. But with Naruto, you take on the roles of both mother and father. Maa, I hope Itachi can be like you."
Sasuke snorted and smirked. "Hn, I highly doubt it."
"Susu Oppa, can we watch cartoons now? There's a new episode of Poupuu-chan on tonight!" the blond came hurtling into the living room, flopping into the couch and curling up in the corner, hugging a soft crimson pillow. He grinned up at his father and Kakashi, expecting them to stop their conversation for him.
Kakashi chuckled and patted the boy on the head. "I'm going to head off to bed. I promised Lukki I would show him around the city tomorrow morning," he sighed and scratched the back of his neck where a misquito had bitten him earlier. "Ah, and I called Jiraiya this afternoon. I thought that Naruto should be trained a bit more before the next Showcase. Now that he's won once, he'll need to be better. The judges will be looking at how far he's gotten since his first Showcase win."
Sasuke nodded and sat down beside Naruto, letting the pet snuggle into his side.
xXxXx
The next day around six, Sasuke was outside with Kakashi in the garden, Itachi and Kyuubi were out doing who-knows-what, and Jiraiya was asleep on the couch, his perverted Icha Icha book over his face as he snored loudly. Naruto was sitting in the middle of the living room floor, thinking of how he'd escape from the home in order to see Sai in the city.
Aboji and Susu Oppa definitely wouldn't let me go and Ero-sennin's too lazy... he pouted and stood up, going into his and Sasuke's room. He sat on the open window sill and looked out over the land, seeing the Aburame residence right below, along with a few more backyards beside theirs. He blinked suddenly, hit with an idea.
Crawling out of the window, he slid down and grabbed onto the flag pole that jutted from the cement wall. It had the flag of Japan on it, not because Kakashi loved his country, but because it was mandatory for every home to have it flying for the public to see. He leaped to the ground and made sure to walk downwind of Sasuke and Kakashi, so his father wouldn't catch his scent.
Running into the woods, he avoided the smell of tuna and other fish, knowing that it'd just be another trap. He walked for about ten minutes, finally reaching the fenced backyard of the Aburame residence. Climbing over the wooden fence, he leaped into the grassy yard and sniffed the air, catching the distinct scent of the chinchilla, Hinata.
There was a loud sound of metal creaking, then Kiba (in his dog form) ran from the screened porch, fangs bared. Naruto squeaked and closed his eyes, waiting to be attacked, but it never happened. He peeked through one eye and then, sighed in relief when he saw Kiba just standing there, recognition in his slitted eyes.
The brown, shaggy dog changed into his human form and raised a brow.
"I thought I apologized for molesting you," he grunted. "I don't like doing things twice, Blondie."
Naruto shook his head. "No! I just wanted to ask a favor of you!"
"..."
The blond blushed and wringed his hands together. "I-I need someone to take me into the city, so I can see a friend. My owner's busy..."
Kiba grinned. "Snuck out of the house, didn't you? You're just like that damn Uchiha," he tapped his chin in thought. "Hmm, well, I suppose I could take you."
Naruto's ears perked up.
"Shino lets me go out on my own without him, just as long as I tell him first... But what do I get out of this, huh? What could a little brat like you give me for my services?"
"Um, I could..." Naruto pouted.
"I was kidding," the canine rolled his eyes. "There's nothin' a twerp like you could give me. Let me just go tell Shino and I'll be right back. Get your ass out front," then Kiba went back onto the porch, going into the house.
Naruto smiled and hurried to the front yard, stopping, though, when he saw Kiba talking to his owner through one of the small windows on the side of the large home. He blushed prettily when he saw them kiss, wondering if it was ok for an owner to kiss their pet like that...
He shook his head and rushed to the front of the house, passing Hinata, who was picking flowers from the yard and putting them in a blue vase. She saw him and her cheeks turned a light pink.
"G-Good evening..." she spoke quietly. "Y-you're Naruto-kun, yes?" she smiled sweetly. "Y-You were very lovely during the Showcase th-the other day..."
Naruto brightened up. "Thank you! I think you were very beautiful, Hinata-chan!"
The blue-haired chinchilla clutched the vase to her chest and thanked him, squeaking when the front door almost right behind her opened quickly, Kiba running out with a huge grin. He patted the girl on the head and told her he was leaving.
"Have fun," she told them both, then went back to picking various wild flowers.
Kiba stuffed his hands on his pockets as they passed the neighborhood sign, heading into the city. "So where are we headin'? Where's this friend of yours at?"
"Across from a shop called Saenagi's," Naruto answered, looking around. He knew it was close by because it didn't take long for them to return home after purchasing the dark red umbrella the previous evening. He turned the corner and his blue eyes brightened when he saw the store, running across the street with Kiba right behind him. He peaked into the alley and saw Sai leaning against the wall, tracing the brick with his claws.
"Another Showcase pet, huh?" Kiba sighed. "And a veteran, too."
"Sai!" Naruto ran to his friend, looking down at his feet. "Ano sa, you're feet are all cut up..." he spoke, worried.
Sai smiled a bit, just a crack of the lips. "I'm fine. I run around in my bare feet all of the time."
Naruto thought about that, then spoke up, wanting to know what the tiger had meant the previous night. He looked up at the other animal with big ocean blue eyes, his pupils getting bigger as the sun finally lowered behind the buildings.
"Ne, what did you mean yesterday...? About how you act..." he saw Kiba lean against the other brick wall across from him, going through names in the cellphone Shino had given to him as a gift. The Aburame male was very kind to his pets, treating them as if they were humans, like everyone else.
"You do know how Uchiha called me a street stray at the Showcase, right?" Sai lifted Naruto up onto the dumpster, then climbed up there himself, ignoring the phonecall Kiba was making. When Naruto nodded, he continued. "Well, I, myself, am a Pureblood animal, but my habits are that of an Impure animal. You want to go outside and just explore sometimes, don't you?" he asked.
Naruto thought about it and realized that yes, on occasions he did just want to run away and explore in the wild like he would do with his family in Korea. He missed all of the insects, the birds flying around him, the other animals that just roamed around... In Kakashi's home, he was inside being pampered all of the time. It's not that he didn't like it, he did, it was just that he wasn't like them.
"I was born a clone of my father, but I was the only one that was handicapped. My other siblings were perfect and normal, but the doctors found that my blood was somewhat different, that it closely resembled that of an Impure animal. Luckily for me, Yamato-san, my father's owner, refused to have me put to sleep and kept me," Sai smiled at the memory. "I grew up and acted like an Impure, but he never treated me like one. Even to this day, he lets me run around like some wild animal," he laughed lightly.
"Yamato-san must really love you," Naruto smiled, knowing that Kakashi would've done the same for him in that type of situation.
"I hope your cubs aren't born with handicaps," Sai said suddenly. "You went to have clones created yesterday, didn't you, Naruto-kun?"
The golden cat nodded and leaned forward, his ears twitching. "If something's wrong with one of them, I'll just keep it," he smiled. "I'd like to be a daddy. I think it'd be nice. And maybe Susu Oppa would like to be the daddy, too..." he blushed cutely and puffed out his cheeks, causing Sai to laugh.
"You're beautiful, Naruto-kun, if he refuses to fall in love with you, then you deserve better."
"Like you?" the cat gave him a suspicious look, but smiled.
"If anything goes wrong, I'd be happy to accept you and make you my mate," Sai chuckled.
"Hey," Kiba broke them up. "Blondie, I'd like to stop by the store before it gets dark, so hurry it up."
Naruto pouted and leaped off of the dumpster. "I'll see you soon? You should ask Yamato-san if you can come over sometime," he smiled.
"I'll ask," Sai replied kindly.
"Ok, then! I'll see you sometime soon! I have to go before Susu Oppa and Aboji find out I snuck out! Bye!" he rushed out of the alley with Kiba right behind him, mumbling about being yanked around.
Sai climbed off of the metal dumpster and brushed his pants off, feeling like walking in the forest. He looked back, but Naruto was already gone. He smiled to himself.
He'd love to have the cute blond as his mate, but that would only happen if Sasuke didn't return Naruto's feelings.
So I suppose I'll just have to find someone even cuter.
Please review! Get me to a thousand:Hearts: