Uhh yeah I don't know why, but here it is; chapter 2. I had not planned on finishing two chapters in one day, but I'm pretty happy about it. Neither of the chapters are beta'ed or anything and if word didn't catch my mistakes they'll still be there. English is my second language so any advice is welcomed. Enjoy!

It was weird. Why it was so, he couldn't exactly put his finger on. Normally Sasuke didn't care much about others. So why was the image of Naruto's back, as he ran back to wherever he came from, stuck in his mind? Of course he knew that as the upright citizen he was, he should have tried to stop the boy. He should have contacted the police to hear about run away kids or at least forced the boy to the hospital. But in his usual uncaring fashion he decided not to. Had it been any other boy it wouldn't have bothered him afterwards. Christ the kid was 16, which in his opinion was old enough to make their own decisions. He had simple driven the blond back to the west end of the town, and let him go, when they reached the scene of the accident. Afterwards he had returned to his work as if nothing had happened. A week had already gone by, and the brat should definitely have something else to do instead of haunting him. The place of the accident was quite close to his apartment and he couldn't help but watch out for a teen with blond hair, blue eyes and a cheeky grin. Not only was the spot close to his apartment, it was also on his daily route from said apartment to his office, which resulted in him constantly being reminded of the whole incident.

He must be living on the streets. Why else would he choose to lie, avoid the hospital and look like a hobo?

When he had gone shopping for groceries, he had chosen to go to another supermarket than his regular, just so he could pass through "the area" as he called it in his mind. He caught himself buying a sandwich from one of the coolers filled with already prepared food. He usually never bought sandwiches, or other ready-made products, when he could just as easily make it at home himself. Unless it was to bring it to work, but today was a Saturday… When he even stopped in front of the shelves with snacks and candy the peaceful obliviousness of the situation could no longer stick with him.

What the hell am I doing? Thinking about whether he would like chocolate or jelly beans the best. This is getting ridiculous, I hate sweet.

Sasuke wasn't much for self analysis, but had to admit that it had gotten to a point where it might be a good idea. The shock of the accident was probably the reason why he suddenly felt like he had… bonded? No, no, connected, yes he had connected with the boy, bonded made it sound like some awful chick-flick. He had heard about how strong friendships and such could suddenly develop after someone met under circumstances where the adrenaline ran full force in their blood. He might behave quite coldly towards others in his daily life, but it did not equal to him being emotionless. Maybe he felt compassion with the boy , because he had also tried to be an orphan. Yes that had to be it. Certainly it was not because Naruto had made him feel like he wasn't that much different from anyone else. He had just treated him like a normal person although it had been obvious that he was loaded. Neither was it because he had finally met a person he could genuinely care for and found satisfaction in doing so. No both of these sounded like something coming from his earlier therapist. Ughh… my therapist would have had a field day with this.

When he reached the cashier, he looked around absently while waiting for all his items to be scanned. His eyes reached the shelves next to the cashier with the condoms, cough drops, and chocolate. For some reason he let one of the chocolate bars make its way onto the conveyor and it settled nicely in between his other groceries. When it got scanned in together with everything else he didn't complain, he just paid for it all and left.

The only thing I need now is a van with graffiti on it, and then I'll be the stereotype for a pedophile. Damnit.

He didn't meet Naruto again. Or well more like he didn't meet him where he expected to, and when almost two weeks had gone by, he had stopped having ridiculous inner conversations with himself about the brat. He decided to return to his usual habits and would have succeeded had he not seen a mop of blond hair in the crowd as he got out of his car the next day. He was supposed to visit one of the company's suppliers and was in a bit of a hurry, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the familiar color. Naruto was standing on the other side of the street in front of a little shop.

I should just leave him be, he seems to fine. The gauze is gone, and- Oh he's even talking to someone… Wait is that a police officer?

Without further ado he crossed the street and went straight over to the teen and grabbed his arm. Naruto jerked around with a frightened look on his face, until he recognized Sasuke.

"Naruto, where have you been? I have a meeting now so lunch will have to wait an hour or so. Hope that's okay." He still held onto his arm and played his role as concerned family member well, much to his own surprise. Naruto was gaping at him, totally lost at the strange turn of events.

"You know this young man?" the police officer asked suspiciously.

"Yes. We were just going to lunch but it seems like I'll be a little delayed for that. Why, is there some sort of problem?"

The police officer grunted in displeasure. "He has been wandering around this area alone quite often. In the school time I might add." He said with a sour voice.

"Hn. I'll make sure to discuss this with him later." Sasuke answered with the proper amount of sternness in his voice, as if he really intended to give Naruto a scolding. "Thank you for your trouble officer." Then he turned to Naruto, who finally had caught unto that he was being saved here. "At the same place as last time, okay? I'll meet you there in an hour." He looked Naruto straight in the eye as he said this and the blond head gave a slight nod in agreement. The officer left and Sasuke nodded goodbye and turned back to the building he should have gone into from the beginning. His heart was still pounding as stepped into the elevator. The whole ordeal had taken less than five minutes so he wasn't even late for his meeting. He hadn't exactly lied to the officer, but he had withheld some of truth. It was just scary how naturally it had come to him.

What in god's name am I getting myself into?

As he stood in front of the sandwich shop an hour later he wondered whether Naruto would actually come. It was a little far from where they had meet earlier, but it was the only place he could think of in the heat of the moment.

He had managed to get a table this time and tapped his fingers against the surface of it impatiently. He raised his eyes to look out the window and they meet with a pair of blue on the other side. Naruto broke into a huge smile and poked at the glass just in front of Sasuke's face. Sasuke waved for him to come inside, and brought a hand up to cover his smile. Naruto plopped down in the chair across from him, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Will you give me free food again?"

The brunet closed his eyes in exasperation. "Is food the only thing you care about?"

Naruto closed one eye and scratched the back of his head, as if it was a difficult question. "No?"

"Shouldn't you at least thank me, before you try to get free food out of me? Have some manners."

"Thaaank you Sasuke." He sing-songed. Then he looked at him expectantly. "Free food now?"

"Yes, yes I'll give you food. What do you want?"

"Ah! That one I got last time, with the triple ham and cheese and red pepper and salad and that really good dressing and…"

They ordered and ate in companionable silence, only interrupted by Naruto's satisfied hums and occasional praise for the food. When they finished Sasuke got some paper napkins and tried to clean Naruto's face, again to much protest from the blond. He knew it was a little childish of him to annoy Naruto, but he couldn't help it. It was almost like a game. When they at last came to a truce, Sasuke noticed something that made him frown.

"Why are you wearing your torn clothes again?"

Naruto shrugged and didn't answer.

"As far as I recall I gave you new clothes last time and even let you get that weird patterned shirt."

"Well, yeah, I know that. It's just… I mean they were brand new and, yeah I didn't want them to get all worn and ruin them." He glanced at Sasuke. "You probably don't get it do you?"

"Not really to be honest. Clothes are meant to be worn after all. What is the purpose of me giving them to you if you don't use them?"

"It's just…" Naruto grimaced. "I haven't really had such nice clothes before, you know." Now Sasuke could see what the grimace was supposed to cover; Naruto was ashamed of his poverty. "All my usual stuff are hands me down, and most of it doesn't fit very well, so I thought I would save the set you gave me for when I really need it. Like a job interview or something…" He muttered.

"Hn. There's no way you'll still be able to fit those when you get old enough for that."

"I'm old enough to work you know!"

"Yes, but when applying for a job you need an official address."

Naruto just scowled at him. "You are a mean man…"

Sasuke snorted at that statement. "Would you still say that if, let's say, I offered you lunch again next time we meet?"

Rubbing his chin and narrowing his eyes replied. "I'll change that to crafty. We have a deal Sasuke." He reached out his hand and gave the older male a firm handshake.

After their second meeting, they bumped into each other quite often. It was no longer just Sasuke who was on the lookout for the other, Naruto was surprisingly eager to meet up as well. Sasuke had strong suspicions that the food might be the crucial factor. Since he now knew what to use as bait it was easy to catch the fish cake. Sometimes he would catch sight of the blond and other times he would suddenly feel a tug at his sleeve, turn around and be presented with a bright smile. Naruto wolfed down whatever was put in front of him, and always left with a full stomach.

Sasuke enjoyed their small meetings as they gave him more than just the physical satisfaction of being full. It was like something within him got satisfied as well. Replacing his boring lunch breaks in the cafeteria in the office, with those small outings together with Naruto was one of his best ideas.

He didn't mind that they didn't always talk much, and never touched the subject of Naruto's lack of home and schooling. Naruto still had the curiosity of a child and after a handful of meetings, Sasuke had earned his trust. So the blond asked away about everything. Sasuke often wondered where the endless stream of questions came from. Then thought about how there might not have been many people in Naruto's life that had been willing to answer all those questions as he grew up.

He answered the best he could, about his work, how to drive a car, about the earth and the universe, and sometimes simple questions about the people they saw walking by on the street. At one point he had been unable to answer thoroughly and decided to bring his laptop the next time. Apparently Google was nothing new to Naruto. "They have it on the library computers" he explained one day.

"Hn, didn't think you would be the reading type."

"I'm not, but it's nice and warm on rainy days. The ladies there don't really mind me, and I like the books with pictures in them. The rest just gives me headaches."

Picture books? For how long had Naruto been on the streets?

At first he had thought him to be just another runaway teen, but small things like this clued him in on, that Naruto might have been alone for much longer than that.

Has he even learned to read properly? He is 16 for crying out loud! And those scars on his cheeks are definitely not from an accident, they are almost identical on each side and perfectly straight.

What kind of life have you lived Naruto?

"Oooh you have games on it! Can I play? Pretty please!"

"It's just solitaire and pre-installed games but knock yourself out."

If Sasuke could give him these little pleasures that he had been denied, he certainly would. It might be a little too late considering his age, but better late than never. Being around Naruto and his childish antics made him feel young in a way Sasuke never had before. He had been way too serious as a teenager, and the death of his parents had forced Itachi and him to grow up quickly. It was like having a friend a year younger or so in school, and he was the older one who was looked up to, and could answer all the questions about the world.

Being able to make Naruto happy made him feel … important. He returned from his breaks feeling lighter and with a bounce to his steps. Sometimes he was almost giddy, but he refused to acknowledge this, as it was inappropriate Uchiha behavior.

It was raining. Not just the light dribble you often encountered, no it was pouring down. Sasuke was on his way home and listened to the emergency weather forecast telling him to get his ass home 'cause the rain was just the beginning. The air had been chilly for a while and this would just be the first in a series of autumn storms. It was like this every year. He had the wipers on full speed, but did still have difficulty seeing out the front window. The traffic was painfully slow, as everyone was being extra cautious. At his right he saw a long line of colorful small figures; it was kindergarten kids in raincoats hurrying home.

What is Naruto going to do in this weather?

The thought had struck him before, most often when he was lying in bed late at night and heard the wind howling outside. He always pushed the thoughts away, knowing that the boy didn't want anyone to get involved with his life. The rain turned into hail and he got an almost desperate urge to go looking for Naruto. He knew there was no way he would be in a shelter for homeless people. He was too young to be out on the streets alone, and would be taken to the social services immediately. Which left him out there in this storm, alone, cold and wet.

Forget it. There's no way I could find him anyway, we rarely meet in the same place. I wouldn't even know where to start.

When his car finally snailed its way up to the intersection, his body won over his mind and he turned right instead of going straight ahead as he should have. He tried to look out for the blond as he slowly made his way around town, driving to every place he could remember having met him. Nothing. All the people still out on the streets were running home or closing up their shops.

I'm an idiot. No homeless person would be out where you can see them at this point. They would have found some kind of shelter. Hmm, all shops are closing; the library is definitely closed as well. Public restrooms?

He shuddered at the thought of spending the night in such a place. He and his brother might have been orphans, but they had always been well off. Sasuke went through all the possibilities; dark alleys, old warehouses, cardboard boxes… What was it Naruto had said about the back alley of some restaurant? It had been one of the few times he actually mentioned something about his lifestyle. Something about the owners being nice to him, even though the place was really fancy.

He set his course towards the better part of town and wracked his brain, trying to remember. At the first three places he drove to there was no back alley connected to the restaurant, or said ally was empty. At the fourth place he pulled into the small parking lot reserved for restaurant guest and turned off the engine. Annoyed with himself and the entire situation he hit the steering wheel.

During his time with Naruto he had come to see himself as a person whom Naruto could depend on. Now it was glaringly obvious how wrong he had been, and he felt like a fool. Though Naruto's crude behavior could annoy him at times and they still had small banters when Sasuke tried to do his napkin routine, deep down he wanted what was best for the brat.

He put the car in gear and was just about to pull out on the street when he noticed that what he at first glance had thought to be a small backyard to an apartment complex was actually an alley. An alley with a big cardboard box in it, and half an umbrella sticking out from it and covering the top.

No way.

He stepped out and got drenched in the time it took him to open the back of his car to get his own umbrella. The rain and hail was one thing but it was the wind that was the worst and it almost tore the umbrella out of his hands. Quickly he stepped over to the cardboard house and lifted the umbrella to peek in. He had half expected some crazy hobo to scream at him in anger, but what met him was the shocked face of a blond boy with blue eyes.

"Sasuke?! Why are you here?"

"Later. Just come with me." Ha answered and pulled Naruto up. Then he saw the plastic bags hadn't just covered Naruto from the rain. Some of them had things in them and there was also the little backpack.

"Get your stuff."

"What?"

"Just get it. Come on, we're getting soaked!"

"Okay, okay! Give me a moment." Naruto tried to gather all his stuff in his arms but the black plastic bags he had used as a raincoat hampered his movement. Getting impatient, Sasuke scooped half of it into his arms and carried it back to the car. Naruto looked absolutely confused, but followed him as quickly as possible, not wanting to leave the cover of the umbrella. They shoved all the things in the trunk of the car and got in themselves.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"What are you doing? I'm pretty sure you just destroyed my house, so you better have a good reason for this. If you just came to have a chat I'm going to be pretty pissed off at you."

"I'm taking you to my place." He answered with a neutral voice, although he felt turmoil inside. What was he indeed doing? He drove out the parking lot before Naruto could get any second thoughts.

"Okaaay… Why?"

"Because there is a storm coming."

"No, I'm pretty sure it's already here actually." Naruto said and looked out the window. Then he folded his hands and bowed his head as if in prayer.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Praying that there won't be any more kindergarten children out there who need me to save them. You're going faster than the speed limit you know. "

Sasuke felt his cheeks heat up as he got told off. He should never have thought the brat the basics of driving. In the time it had taken him finding Naruto most people had gotten home and the streets were mostly empty now. The excitement of actually finding him and the need to get home right the fuck now, had made him hurry. He sighed and calmed himself down. It was a little weird that Naruto didn't put up more of a fight at getting kidnapped this way. On the other hand, who in their right mind would pass up an opportunity to get inside a proper building right now?

"Where do you live Sasuke?"

"At the West end." He said and smirked.

"Haha you think you're so funny, don't you."

"It's true though, just around the corner of where you used to live."

"Bastard."

Sasuke didn't take the insult to heart, because he could see the smile forming on Naruto's lips and couldn't help smiling a little too.