Sasuke told his driver to pull into the car park of the address Naruto had given him. He had opted not to drive himself as the area wasn't exactly safe and all of the cars he owned had a price tag only the wealthy could afford. The idea of one of them being stolen or damaged made him cringe; his cars were his babies. He eyed the building as he got out of the car and was surprised to see how far spread it was. Sasuke had assumed it was the shelter Naruto volunteered at so he was expecting a small, run down space. What was in front him though look large with numerous wings, newly renovated and up kept. Sasuke wondered how such a feat of keeping the place secure and maintained was in such an area.
Sasuke waved his driver off and made his way towards the door. He was quickly greeted by an excited Naruto who was rocking on the balls of his feet. Naruto was obviously proud of the establishment and it made Sasuke want to explore the facility to see why the blonde was so invested in the place. Naruto held the door out for him and Sasuke stopped in his tracks. To the left side of the entrance was a reception with a pleasant looking woman sitting behind it. Across the room was what looked like a modern waiting room and Sasuke felt as if he was entering a doctor's room. What struck Sasuke though was how secure the building was. Security cameras were placed in each corner so blind spots were eliminated and before a plain looking door stood a security check point with a casual looking guard standing beside it.
"I know, it can be a bit intimidating but we have to take precautions" Naruto shrugged. Sasuke watched as Naruto greeted the receptionist and a buzz was heard. He assumed that was signifying the door into the shelter had been unlocked. "Don't worry, you won't need to go through the procedures. They are there for visitors. A lot of the children here have suffered abuse in some form so we need to ensure visitors mean no harm to them. Also we have very strict rules about weapons and drugs on the premises"
"How often do you catch people with those…items" Sasuke asked. He felt intimidated as he walked past the guard who Naruto introduced as Asuma. The man gave him a friendly smile as he passed but he kept a close eye on him.
"Not often. The fact is a lot of the kids choose to be here. They know the rules and abide by them. We do have an area though for those dealing with addiction, sort of like a rehab centre but smaller. Also a lot of parents just give up their children to our care. They feel that this is a better place for them" Sasuke felt his gut drop. He knew what it was like to be alone. Yes he had his brother but they had lost their parent's in an assassination and the pain from that trauma affected them both deeply. Sasuke hadn't even seen past the hallway and he already could see why Naruto was so passionate about his cause and why he spent so much time here. "These kids…their good kids who have just been dealt a shit hand and here we try give them a better future. It's hard though. Were at capacity and have been turning down people. I've tried to convince Tsunade to take them in but with all the building codes and regulations it would be a health risk"
"Why don't you expand?" Sasuke followed Naruto through a door and he felt uncomfortable as all eyes turned to them. He became aware of the messy area. About 10 young girls were in various areas of what looked like a communal lounge. A rather large kitchen was off to the left and a hallway lead further down to what Sasuke assumed was bedrooms. The room was bright though, filled with the noise of laughing babies.
"We don't have the money. The only reason this place is so big now is because I invested half my inheritance into it" Naruto made his way over to one of the girls. A bright smile on his face as he cooed over a rather young baby. Sasuke observed each girl, putting their ages eighteen and under. "This wing was my idea"
"There all so young" Naruto gave him a weak smile and motioned for him to follow him. He led him to an empty room that had a small bed and a cot with various items for a baby ranging from toys, clothes and nappies.
"Some parent's turn their backs on them. The girls here now were kicked out of home after telling their families they were pregnant and they had nowhere to go and no money to provide. We created this wing to help them. They can stay until their child is two and then they move into another area. Before that happens though we try to get them into apprenticeship programmes, jobs or even study so that they can find somewhere to rent and support themselves. On top of that we offer them free childcare so they can focus on setting themselves up for the future without that expense" Sasuke was in awe. He had never heard of such a plan before. The free childcare was expensive enough let alone the funds to provide start up items. "The only regret I have is we can only take in twelve girls at a time"
"This is incredible! How do you fund all this!" Naruto let out a laugh. It pulled Sasuke out of his stupor and he focused on the enchanting man. Naruto was really one of a kind.
"I told you. I invested half my inheritance. This area was completely funded by me because the rest of the areas have slight government subsidies" Naruto took his hand and pulled him out of the room. Sasuke felt the warmth of the other man's grip spread up his arm and he felt the need to embrace Naruto. He didn't though, he was an Uchiha after all and to lose his composure would be undignified. "Come on, I have plenty more to show you"
…..
Naruto got enjoyment out of seeing Sasuke speechless time after time. Each area he took him to left the composed man stumped and asking questions. Sasuke was actively participating in every room as well. Even joining in to play a game of stuck in the mud in the hall with the younger kids. That moment had made Naruto's heart flutter. The more time he spent with Sasuke the more he saw his first opinion of him was wrong. Yes he was an arrogant man but he also had a softer side to him. Naruto found his company enjoyable and wondered if he could spend more time with him in the future. Naruto shook his head quickly, he hadn't even handed Nagato the divorce papers yet and he was thinking about spending time with a rather attractive man.
"So where are we going now?" Naruto gave Sasuke a cheshire cat grin. Naruto had shown him every area there was. Each area was spilt into age group, sex and special conditions a child may have with the exception of communal areas. In reality the shelter was more like a boarding school. Naruto had been saving Tsunade for last. Knowing that the woman could be extremely intimidating and he wanted to make sure he had gotten Sasuke's attention enough before introducing him.
"To see Tsunade. She run's this shelter" He held back a chuckle. Naruto assumed Sasuke would think he was meeting a pleasant, grandmother like figure which was far from the truth. Tsunade was a no nonsense woman who liked her drink and gambling. Although she was terrible at the latter. Naruto knocked on her office door and entered when he heard a gruff acknowledgement. "Hey granny, I brought a visitor!"
"How many times do I have to tell you brat! Don't call me that!" He ducked as a heavy paper weight flew past his head and hit the wall behind him. Naruto knew from experience how much the weight hurt, it had connected on a few occasions. "Who are you?"
"Sasuke Uchiha…" Naruto could hear the uncertainty in the raven haired male's voice. Sasuke was scared and he should be.
"Well, you wanted to know what you could do to help right?" Naruto put his hands behind his back and began to rock on his heels. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously and Naruto winked at him. "We need a long term benefactor…"
"Brat! What do you think you're doing! You can't just bring someone into my office and try hustle him into helping!" Tsunade stood up and slammed her hands down on the desk in front of her.
"He said he wanted to help!" Naruto glared back. Tsunade tried to stare him down and eventually she swayed and fell back into her chair defeated.
"You…Uchiha" Sasuke stepped forward, his face turning hard and eyes determined. "You interested?"
"I'll have to talk it over with my brother but from what Naruto has showed me this is exactly the kind of establishment we would be interested in supporting. Although we would have terms" Naruto ran a hand through his hair. He suddenly became very awkward. Of course the man would want something in return.
"We have nothing to give Uchiha" Tsunade spat out, her glare piercing.
"You misunderstand. Sharingan Corporation is into expansion. When we see something as unique as this we see an opportunity for growth. For example Naruto pointed out a number of areas that needed more space. We would look into expanding these areas. Also we would like to use the plan you have and take it into other areas of the city. All charity of course, we would never seek to make money from a cause like this" Naruto was frozen. His eyes as wide as an owls and mouth dropped open. Sasuke was talking about taking Naruto's dream and spreading it. He had spent years with Tsunade building the shelter up into a strong foundation for future shelters to take on their example.
"Don't play games with me Uchiha. What do you get out of this, no one is that generous" Naruto eyed Tsunade carefully. If she had her back up about it then maybe he should to. After all it did sound too good to be true.
"My brother and I have been searching a long time for a charity such as this to support. We are very particular and if it doesn't have a high chance of success then we see no point in entertaining the idea. But this place...this place is revolutionary" Naruto sighed. There it was. Sasuke wanted to take the credit for all the hard work Tsunade's team had put in. "We would only be in the background though"
"Here" Tsunade chucked a folder at Sasuke and Naruto watch him catch it with ease. "Those are all our documents, our framework for the shelter, programmes and future plans. Also included is the cost to run this place which I'm sure your financial team will want to look over"
"Thank you. I will have my brother look over it tonight and we will get back to you once we have made our decision" Sasuke gave the short yet intimidating woman a small bow to show his respect then turned to Naruto. "I have to be going now, will you show me the way out?"
"Oh…yeah, follow me" Naruto bid Tsunade farewell then made his way to the front door. He went to apologise to Sasuke about putting him on the spot like that but the words wouldn't form.
"That was a bit underhanded of you, Dobe" Sasuke chided. Naruto shrugged his shoulders. He felt an unwelcomed guilt wash over him. He really didn't mean to bulldoze Sasuke, he only wanted him to think about the idea of becoming a benefactor. "I'm impressed"
"What?" Naruto cocked his head to the side and took in Sasuke's expression. Something glistened in the onyx pools. Admiration maybe? "You're not mad?"
"Why would I be? Everything I said in there was the truth. This facility is exactly the kind of charity Itachi and I have been looking for" Naruto bit his lip as his guilt subsided. "And if I admit it…it was kind of sexy seeing you be so devilish"
"What the hell Teme!" Naruto stumbled over his feet. A blush creeping up his cheeks as he spluttered over his words. Sasuke smirked at him wolfishly then pulled out his cell phone.
"We need to make an appointment. Itachi will need to discuss this with you before we make a decision. Say dinner? Friday night?" Naruto became aware of how close Sasuke was standing to him. His warm breath grazed the side of his face and the paler man's nose was almost touching his. Naruto found himself nodding slowly, his breath quickening as his eyes flicked down to Sasuke's lips. He didn't dare move that inch to connect their lips together, even if his mind was screaming at him to do it. It wasn't right. Even after everything Nagato had put him through he couldn't entertain the idea of being with another man until the red haired man knew Naruto had left him. In Naruto's mind until he handed over the divorce papers it would be cheating.
"That should be alright…" Naruto finally managed to force out. Sasuke took a step back and handed Naruto his cell phone.
"Put your number in so I can call you with the details" Naruto moved his fingers, having to delete a few number here and there as his hands were shaking from the intensity he felt before. He had a feeling Sasuke knew how he affected Naruto in that moment; the smugness was rolling off him in waves. "See you around Naruto" Sasuke was gone in an instant. Leaving Naruto to compose his thoughts. He didn't know how but in a matter of minutes the man had left him flustered and he hadn't even touched him. On the other hand though he may have secured the shelters future. A wide smile crept up onto his face. Finally he was making a difference.