Chapter 2

Naruto almost looked behind himself to see who was being pointed at, but the kid was looking right at him. "Him," he said again, in a firmer voice. "He's the one I want. Him, right there."

There was a collective ahh from the other children, then silence. The kid who'd chosen him didn't seem to notice. Naruto did, though. He never took his eyes off the kid, but he was aware of the stares coming his way.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Iruka and Hinata beaming at him, before exchanging an emotional glance. He knew what they were thinking. Volunteers never chose him. Prospective parents never chose him. No one ever chose him, so this was a positive turn of events. He should therefore be happy.

Whatever.

Naruto watched as the kid was handed a clipboard of his own. He knew, from having watched countless other volunteers over the years, that it was full of questions aimed at the older residents of the home. In other words, people like him. Iruka explained to the kid how he was to ask Naruto the questions, note the answers, then formulate a plan of action to help his charge for the duration of his service in the home. The kid looked at the clipboard, skimmed the contents, then looked up at him again. Naruto looked back. The other kids and Hinata were staring at them both.

"Introduce yourself," Iruka muttered at the kid.

"Sasuke," the kid said. This was accompanied by a toss of his blue bangs.

Naruto glanced at Iruka as if to say, Are you kidding me?

Iruka caught the look, and clapped his hands together briskly. The awkward tension in the room was broken as he spoke to Sasuke in a tone of forced cheer. "Right, well. That's Naruto you've chosen. I'm sure you'll want to get started on those questions right away. I think the backyard will be quietest. The children are about to have afternoon snack, so-"

Naruto watched as this Sasuke tuned out Iruka's words and walked toward him. He was tall and lanky, able to look him in the eye. "Lead the way," Sasuke said.

He didn't budge. Instead, Naruto made a point of letting his eyes rove up and down Sasuke's body. I'm not one of the babies here who hop whenever some volunteer says jump, the look said. Oddly enough, Sasuke seemed to interpret the once-over correctly, and gave a tight smile in response.

The backyard was a large stretch of land, Sasuke saw. A tall wooden fence surrounded it. The grass was just as dead as in the front yard, but there was a trampoline, a bouncy castle, and a jungle gym. Naruto walked the entire length of the yard, to where a lone tree of gigantic proportions stood in a back corner, at the juncture where two lengths of the fence met. Close to, Sasuke could see sawed off wooden planks nailed to the trunk in a crude ladder. Naruto scrambled up nimbly, and disappeared in the leaves. After looking around and putting the clipboard in his teeth, Sasuke clumsily followed suit.

-oOo-

There was a sprawling tree house hidden in the branches. Naruto was parked on the floor, his back against one wall, in the largest room. Waiting for him. Sasuke dropped down across from him and spat the clipboard onto the floor. "Dude," he gasped. "I hate climbing and shit."

Naruto said nothing. Only watched him from unblinking eyes.

Sasuke stared right back. He studied the blond spikes, the black hoodie, and dark blue jeans. Rundown sneakers finished off the look. He approved. "You going to talk or just stare at me all night?"

More silence.

Sasuke picked up the clipboard. The questions were lame as hell, but he had to crack the fucker somehow if they were to have any fun. "Okay, uh…what do you want to get out of our partnership?" He took up the pen secured in the clipboard and prepared to write.

Naruto's eyes moved down to the clipboard, then back to Sasuke's face. He finally looked away, to where late afternoon light gilded the leaves outside the tree house's window.

Oh, I can do angst better than you, bitch, Sasuke thought. He leaned back against the wall opposite Naruto, and adopted his position of one bent knee. He wouldn't say another fucking thing unless this jerk spoke first.

The children had apparently finished their snack, and had been turned loose in the yard by the time Naruto did speak. His voice was deep, deeper than Sasuke would have expected. He spoke while still looking out the window. "Why'd you choose me?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Seemed like the person I could relate to most."

That had the blond head turning enough to regard him with an eye. Caught in a shaft of slanting sunlight as it was, the eye looked green. "Relate how?"

"Dunno, man. Was thinking we could hang. You down?"

"What?" Naruto turned to look at him properly.

"Are you game."

Naruto was a few minutes answering. "You want to…be...friends?"

Great. A retard. Sasuke was rethinking his choice in residents, but shrugged again in reply. Let the idiot make of it what he would. He'd ask Iruka if he could switch. Naruto was staring at him at him again.

When the silence stretched out, Naruto nodded at the clipboard. "I'm supposed to answer that I hope to get valuable lessons on life and insight to myself from this partnership."

Sasuke snorted. Then he squinted at Naruto. Maybe not a complete retard. "What do you really hope to get?"

"I don't know," Naruto said carefully. His eyes were still thoughtful on Sasuke's face. "Never been chosen before."

"Serious?"

"Yeah. What do you hope to get? From me?"

"A ticket to an easy ride with this garbage." He scribbled Naruto's first answer on the questionnaire.

"What garbage?"

"Being here? What, you think I willingly signed up for this?"

"Didn't you?"

"Please." Sasuke looked over the remaining questions. When he glanced up to ask one of them, he saw the frown of puzzlement on Naruto's face. "What?"

"You don't want to be here."

"Yeah, well, from the looks of you, you don't either."

"I don't have a choice. And you're wrong."

"I don't have a choice either. How'm I wrong?"

"Forget it." Naruto turned back to the window.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Pussy."

Naruto turned his head with stunning slowness this time, giving Sasuke that blue dagger look again. "You think you know me? That you got me figured out?"

"I don't give a fuck what you're about. We got a chance to have some fun here and you're shitting on it." He stood to brave the ladder again.

"Fun? Fun? You have a home to go to once you're done whatever criminal sentence this is for you. I've been stuck here my whole life, watching everyone else get adopted or chosen by volunteers, only to be told now that I'll have to leave in four months, when I turn eighteen. Where's the fun in that?"

"I'm stuck coming here or risk being Jack Nicholson-ed in Greenbud," Sasuke retorted, as he spun around. "That, or sucked into Ninja 'R' Us at the Academy. Anything's more fun than that."

"But you have a home."

"And you get to chill here with no one telling you what to do!"

"Is that what you think it's like here? Being an orphan sucks!"

They glared at each other, breathing heavily, until Naruto moodily looked at the floor. Sasuke threw the clipboard down and kicked it. "Look," he grated. "This sitch blows, but I figure we can at least make it bearable for each other."

"Yeah? Spare me. I've seen your type. You're forced to come here for whatever reason, pretend to be helping or doing your service, then you skip out first chance you get. Let's just cut to the chase; leave now and find somewhere else to have your fun. I'm not your charity case."

Sasuke watched as Naruto leapt up suddenly and swung right out the window and into the leaves. There was a moment of shock for him, but only a moment. "You fucking fuck!" he screamed after him.

Naruto banged into the kitchen through the backdoor, and nearly collided with someone.

"Whoa," Iruka said as he sidestepped. "Done so soon?"

Naruto rounded on him and leveled a finger toward the backyard. "I hate that kid. I hate him. He's a fucking asshole."

Iruka smiled.

"The fuck are you laughing at!"

"You," Iruka said gently. He sipped from a glass of iced tea that Naruto hadn't noticed in his hand. "You're scared."

Naruto turned his back, raising his hands in the air, and shook his head. "No. No, you don't get to shrink me today. You may be the director, and a counselor, but you-"

"Seventeen years here, Naruto. And in walks a thug off the street and chooses you first thing."

"That punk-"

"Chose you. It's scary, I know. How many years have you dreamed of being chosen? For anything?" When Naruto didn't answer, Iruka nodded. "All your life. And it's never happened. You've given up. Gave up a long time ago. Stopped pretending to be happy whenever visitors or volunteers came by in the hopes they'd choose you. Just gave up and gave in to hating everyone. And he chose you." He sipped again. "What'd he say to you to make you hate him?"

Naruto had to swallow before he could answer. "That…he thought we could have fun."

Iruka was glad Naruto's back was to him. If the kid saw the sudden tears that flooded his eyes just then, he'd tease him for a week. But he set his glass on the table and walked up behind him to squeeze Naruto's shoulder. He was able to feel the violent tremors in that lean body, and his tears spilled over. "There, see? This has been a long time coming. He could turn out to be a friend. It's never too late to hope, Naruto. I've always said that. It's never too late."

"But I'm leaving here soon."

The scratchy quality of Naruto's voice, and the increase in his tremors, caused Iruka to put his other hand on Naruto's other shoulder. "And he's here now. Give him a chance, Naruto. He might surprise you. Might surprise both of us."

Sasuke was trying to cram every slur and curse he knew onto the lines the questionnaire allocated to his plan of action. Naruto scared the shit out of him by vaulting into the room through the same window he'd flown out of. He landed with a thud.

Naruto eyed the blade that appeared in Sasuke's hand, but spoke before his nerve could fail him. "Okay. Let's try this again. Can we start over?"

It was on the tip of Sasuke's tongue to tell him to fuck himself. It was, and Naruto's belligerent tone and challenging stare said he didn't particularly want to try again. Sasuke spent several moments fantasizing about burying the knife in Naruto's eye socket.

He closed the blade instead. "Whatever."

Naruto relaxed a bit and rubbed his sweating palms over his thighs. "Surprised you didn't leave."

Sasuke looked at his watch. "Got five more hours in this hellhole." He scribbled a final epithet so hard that the paper ripped, then tossed the clipboard to Naruto. He waited until Naruto glanced over his handiwork and met his eyes again. "Well, what do you think? An accurate assessment of your character?"

Naruto set the clipboard aside. "What'd you mean about having fun?"

Sasuke studied him a moment. Naruto didn't seem upset about the insults. He shrugged. "Exactly what it sounds like. You and me, it could be sweet."

"Like?"

"Dude, chill. I'm not about to take you to the park or the rink, so quit worrying."

Naruto deflated a bit. He wouldn't have minded going to the rink. He'd only been once, and that was years ago. "What do you like to do, then?"

"What's with the inquisition of a sudden?" When Naruto only blinked at him, he snorted. Seeking to impress, he said, "My fun ain't exactly legal. Can't go blabbing about it around here."

"I won't tell." Naruto's eyes were wide now, and his voice had dropped to a whisper. "I promise."

"I don't know. Maybe we should stick to you. What do you like doing in this shitty place?"

"Me? Nothing. I hang out here."

"In this tree house?"

"Yeah."

"That sucks."

"I built it."

"Still sucks."

"It's my favorite place."

"You suck."

Naruto frowned, then looked down. "You don't have to be a jerk, you know."

"Aw, I hurt your wittle feewings? What, you got a favorite food and a favorite color too? Are you seriously that lame?" Sasuke sniggered.

"There aren't a lot of things to do here," Naruto snapped. "I built this tree house. What can you do, besides mouth off and act like a badass you're probably not? If you're so fucking cool, bring it."

For a few tense moments, they sat glaring at each other much as they had before. Then Sasuke gave a grudging smile. "Better. S'long as you don't act like a pussy, we'll get along great. I'll do my time with no fuss, and you'll get to do shit besides jerk off up here."

"What the-! I never said I-"

"Now." Sasuke reached for the clipboard and picked up the pen. "In order to have the most freedom, I want that jackass Iruka off my back. He'll cramp my style, I can tell, so it's probably best if I actually do this stupid thing. How do you feel about your time here so far?"

Nonplussed by this sudden change in their conversation, Naruto stammered. "Um. I hate it."

Sasuke nodded. "And if you could change something about your circumstances, what would it be? How would you go about it?"

Naruto answered this too, his anger fading now that he wasn't being attacked anymore. The questionnaire was a full three pages long. Sasuke asked every question on it without once looking at the clipboard or writing anything down. He only held it. When Naruto asked if he planned on recording his answers, Sasuke only waved an impatient hand and moved to the next question.

"Last one. How would you like me to help you?" Sasuke said. By now evening had fallen.

"I don't know," Naruto shrugged. "I mean, I don't know anything about you."

"So ask." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"All right…do you have family?"

"A brother."

"What's he like?"

"An asshole."

"Oh. What about parents? Are they-"

"That's enough Q&A." Sasuke got to his feet. "I can't sit here another second. I'll tell Iruka my extra hours have to be done some other time." He climbed awkwardly down the plank ladder.

Naruto left from the window again and landed in front of Sasuke just as he made it to the ground. "Is it me?" he asked once Sasuke had stopped cursing in fright. "If it's me-"

"Would you please shut up? Fuck, if I'd known you were going to talk me into a stupor I wouldn't have bitched about your silence. Outta my way."

"What time will you be here tomorrow?" Naruto asked. He kept pace as Sasuke almost ran to the house. "Do we have a field trip? Will you-"

Sasuke whirled on him. "I get it, okay? You pathetic little retard, I get it. I get that you've never been chosen, so you're having some kind of spaz attack now, but I swear to God, if you don't get out of my ass I will choose someone else. Not another word. We clear on that?"

Naruto's lips were sealed. He nodded.

"Good. Don't make me regret this anymore than I already do."

There was a flash of anger in those blue eyes, and his cheeks went a dull red, but Naruto said nothing. Sasuke grinned. Might be hope for the idiot yet.

Inside, Iruka looked up from washing a sink full of dishes. Listened while drying his hands on a dish towel, as Sasuke said he'd serve his remaining hours another time. Went to his office to retrieve another questionnaire, and handed it over when Sasuke said the one he'd had suffered an accident. Sasuke leaned against the narrow counter and began filling in Naruto's answers.

Iruka watched, frowned in Naruto's direction, then moved to see what was being written. He read over Sasuke's shoulder as the lines were filled in quickly and concisely.

Thirty minutes later, Sasuke shoved the clipboard at Iruka and left. No goodbye, no nothing. He and Naruto heard Hinata saying she'd see him tomorrow, to which there was no reply. The front door slammed shut.

Iruka went to his office and saw that Sasuke had even remembered to sign out. He'd logged three hours today. Looking at the clipboard again, he slowly sat on the edge of his desk.

Naruto had followed him as far as the doorway. "What does it say?"

"When asked what your greatest wish was for your future, did you say that it was to be anything but useless?"

"Um…yeah, I guess?"

"Then I guess these are really your answers, and not things he made up. Funny. He was able to recall them without asking you. Did he seem strange to you?"

"Besides being the biggest dick this side of Hell?"

Iruka shook his head. "I don't know. Something is off about him."

"Off how?"

"Can't put my finger on it…but listen to what his assessment of you is. 'Naruto has a debilitating sense of insecurity no doubt exacerbated by the lack of age-appropriate residents in the home, and his constant rejection by visitors to same. He protects himself with anger, and hides his lack of self-esteem behind a façade of indifference. Proposed plan of action is prolonged contact, and engagement in activities suitable for young adults. Outings to venues that cater to his natural athleticism, and obvious love of sports. Though a solitary creature, it is my belief that Naruto would open up a lot more if given the kind of attention he craves.'"

Iruka read this several more times in silence. It was no more believable on the tenth reading than it was on the first.

"Wow," Naruto managed after a while. "That sounds nothing like him. I don't even understand all those words. Is...is any of it true, do you think? Do you think he assessed me right? I mean, I didn't even tell him I liked sports."

"I couldn't have done a better job myself," Iruka admitted. He finally set the clipboard behind him and looked up. "That assessment could have come from a licensed psychologist. Whoever he is, this Sasuke is far from as stupid as he would have us believe. That troubles me. And you say he isn't particularly pleasant. If you want, I will assign him someone else-"

"No. He chose me. He's mine."

Iruka gazed at him for a long time, but eventually nodded. "All right. I understand. But Naruto, I have to warn you. He was sent here as penance for delinquency. He's trouble, and strikes me as decidedly unstable. I don't want you getting hurt."

"I won't," Naruto said quickly, feeling his panic subside. He remembered the blade he'd seen in Sasuke's hand. "I mean I won't let him hurt me. I'll be careful. Just don't assign him to anyone else."

"I give you my word. But I'll be keeping an eye on him. The first field trip isn't until next week, so for the next few days he'll likely be spending his twelve hours with you. His negativity might get in the way after awhile."

"I can handle him. What time's he supposed to be here?"

"Ten." The look of determination and hope on Naruto's face was too much. "Look, I know I asked you to give him a chance…"

"I promise," Naruto promised. "I'll be careful."

"If he does anything-"

"I'll report it right away." At seeing the way Iruka picked up the clipboard again and shook his head at it, he went to him and placed his hand over the papers. Iruka looked up at him with troubled eyes. "I'm not going to let him hurt me or anyone else here. I swear."

-oOo-

Later, Iruka went out to the tree house in search of the original questionnaire, and found it in a corner of the structure's main room. It was covered in slurs and caustic writing that nonetheless confirmed his fears. The kind of mind that could write these things was not one he wanted around his kids.

First thing in the morning, he intended to call the contact numbers on Sasuke's form and find out exactly who he was.