1.1
It was a cold night; Naruto lay awake staring up at the stars above his head. He knew he shouldn't be out on the roof, but at the same time, he didn't feel like listening to his parents fight either. It seemed to happen more and more here lately, small arguments over nothing that turned into something major. If Naruto was being honest with himself, he didn't even know why they bothered staying together if all they were going to do was going to fight.
Hearing a door slam, Naruto grimaced and sat up, and watched as his father stormed out of the house and headed toward his car. Naruto shook his head, he could only imagine where his father was going now, very likely to a bar to get drunk. He didn't understand how the mayor of Konoha could so easily forget about the people that he promised to clean up. His father when he'd been elected had promised to clean up the streets of Konoha, that drugs and alcohol would be limited, and that the chances of getting mugged while walking the streets would be less than what they were at the time. Well, for the most part, his father had cleaned up the streets, but with the way things were going now, they were going to go back to being as bad as they were before if not worse.
His mother was a doctor, one of the best surgeons in Konoha in fact, well at least one of the best next to Tsunade Sannin, whom Naruto was certain that no one could ever top her abilities. So not only was she not home a lot, but she was also busy. But when she was home, she and Dad were arguing because she often had to take off people that had been hurt on the streets that Minato Uzumaki had promised to clean up. This left Naruto to deal with the absence of both of his parents and not only that he had to listen to people make fun of his father had school, but most people also considered Minato to be a joke, and he had made no real progress as mayor. Naruto felt sorry for his parents, even if they were absent a lot, they were both hard workers and at least tried to gain people's respect.
"Kami help me," Naruto murmured. "I don't want to have to keep dealing with the drama all the time. Let mom and dad work out their differences already and either get a divorce or figure out a way to stay together."
"Talking to yourself again." Naruto turned his head to see Sasuke Uchiha, his best friend sitting on the roof of his house, which was directly next to Naruto's. As per usual Sasuke was dressed in a dark shirt and white shorts and his hair was combed into what most people would call a perfect duck butt.
"Of course," Naruto said offering Sasuke a grin. "I need expert advice every now and again."
"I heard your parents fighting again," Sasuke said. "It seemed pretty serious this time."
"I heard them too; I don't want to know what it was over." Naruto shook his head. His parents fighting like that always made him feel so helpless and torn apart. He just wished that they would figure out a way that they could live in peace.
"If you want to spend the night at my house, I'm sure Mom and Dad won't mind." Sasuke offered. They heard Naruto's parents fighting often enough and offered for Naruto to spend the night to get away from it.
"I'll be alright," Naruto told him. "I've spent enough time over there this week as it is."
"You know Mom and Dad don't care about that." Sasuke pointed out. "They only care that you get some peace in all of that noise." Naruto chuckled; he had his own ways of finding peace
"I don't want to keep infringing on you. I know Itachi is going to be home from college soon. I don't want to keep taking up his space."
"Itachi can sleep on the couch." Sasuke snorted. "I don't care about him."
"He's your brother you should care," Naruto said. "I know my life would be better if I had someone that I cared about like that."
"It's not that I don't care, I think that with what you must live with, you should come before him. I love Itachi and he knows it." Sasuke said shrugging. "I'm not saying you have a bad home life either when your parents are getting along, but every now and then you need a break from all of that. It's not fair to you to have to keep listening to all those fights. I don't think your parents realize how hard their fighting is on you." Naruto shrugged, even if they did realize, he doubted that either of them would care they both had the tendency to be selfish and only care about what they each wanted.
"Still Itachi is family, and he needs a place to lay his head when he comes home," Naruto said. "He shouldn't have to sleep on the couch just because I can't listen to the two of them arguing."
"I don't know how you do it all the time," Sasuke said as he sat down on the roof. "I would have run away by now. If that didn't get your parent's attention, I don't know what would."
"I would rather have a roof over my head, even if I do have to listen to them fight," Naruto replied. "I could never run away. I don't know if that makes me smart or stupid."
"Have they ever raised their hands to you?" Sasuke asked, and Naruto could hear the hesitance in his friend's voice.
"No. Not even when they're drunk." Naruto replied honestly. He wouldn't put it past his father though, especially if Naruto tried to get the two of them to stop fighting.
"Promise me that if they ever do, you'll tell Mom and Dad," Sasuke said. His father was chief of police and Sasuke knew that he would make sure that Naruto was taken care of.
"I promise you that," Naruto told him. "But I don't think that will ever happen."
"Never say never," Sasuke said shaking his head. "I've seen how much your father has been drinking lately, anyone can do anything with that much alcohol in their system."
"I don't think he would." Naruto disagreed. "Deep down I think he realizes how much he loves us."
"I just want you to be safe," Sasuke said. "I don't want to see you get hurt because of their inability to work their problems out in a healthy manner."
"I promise I'm going to be okay," Naruto told his friend. "You don't have to worry about me."
"Someone needs to." Sasuke shook his head. "You don't worry about yourself."
"I'm going to stick around for a while," Naruto replied. "No worries. Besides, If I want something to happen with Hinata, I'm going to have to stick around."
"Good luck getting around Hinata's father, he's pretty strict about whom she can date," Sasuke said. "She's a nice girl and all and I think the two of you would make a good couple though. I know Sakura thinks highly of her."
"That's high praise coming from Sakura," Naruto said. "I know that she doesn't like me, and she doesn't like you spending time with me."
"I don't know what her issue with you is," Sasuke said frowning, knowing that Naruto was right, Sakura was really possessive of him, and of the time they spent together.
"That's one of the reasons I don't want to bother you so much at home. I know she's going to come over every once in a while." Naruto said.
"Yes, but she needs to understand that you're my best friend and nothing is going to change that," Sasuke replied. "Maybe the two of you just need to spend some time together."
"No thank you." Naruto shook his head. "She seems kind of stuck up to me, but I'm glad that you ended up with the girl of your dreams." Sasuke had crushed on Sakura for as long as Naruto could remember, he'd started to wonder if Sasuke would ever grow the balls to even ask her out.
"Well, maybe if you can get past Hinata's father to ask her out, we can go out on a double date sometime," Sasuke said.
"That might be fun." Naruto agreed. "Once I get past her father." Hiashi Hyuga was a protective father, not just anyone got to date her, and Naruto doubted that Hiashi would even let someone like himself date her. He might be the mayor's son, and the son of a highly respected surgeon but that didn't mean that much to some people.
"I guess I better get back inside, if Mom or Dad find me out here, they are going to skin me alive," Sasuke said as he pushed himself to his feet. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."
"I'm fine, but I appreciate your concern," Naruto said as he slowly stood up. "I figure I better get inside too, if Dad gets home and I'm still up here, he'll have a cow."
"If he ever lays a hand on you, you had better let me or my dad know," Sasuke warned. "I don't care if he is the mayor, he's not going to get by with child abuse."
"You don't have to worry about that, I can assure you." Naruto offered Sasuke a reassuring grin. Sasuke shook his head and disappeared back through the window he had climbed out of. Naruto chuckled and started moving towards the window he'd climbed out of. He liked sitting out on the roof watching the stars, he brought him peace when his parents were fighting.
Shutting the window behind him, Naruto walked over to his dresser and grabbed a clean pair of shorts to wear to bed. undressing, he tossed his clothes to the waste basket before pulling the shorts on.
1.2
After getting dressed, Naruto heard a car door slam and grimaced his father was likely back to cause more trouble. Exiting his bedroom, Naruto headed into the kitchen where he found his mother standing at the sink and staring out the window at the backyard. He hoped that if he was in the room that meant that his father would just leave his mother alone and wouldn't cause too much trouble.
"Mom, are you all, right?" Naruto asked softly. "You and Dad have been fighting a lot lately."
"I'm okay," Kushina said softly as she turned to look at Naruto, he frowned he could see tears in her eyes.
"Why don't you just get divorced if the two of you are so unhappy," Naruto said quietly. "It would be easier on all of us that way."
"We don't want to do that," Kushina said. "We might be having our problems right now, but we still love each other. Getting a divorce would mean that we don't love each other anymore."
"Still there must be something you can do. Maybe try going into therapy or something, it's not right to fight with Dad all the time." Naruto said.
"I know it's not easy on you, and I promise you that I'm going to try to keep all the fighting away from you," Kushina murmured, grimacing at the sound of the door slamming shut.
"Kushina?" Both Naruto and Kushina heard Minato bellow. "Where the hell are you."
"I'm in the kitchen," Kushina called out.
"He's drunk again," Naruto murmured.
"Get out of here, you don't want to be around him when he's drunk," Kushina warned.
"You shouldn't have to deal with him either. Sasuke already suspects that Dad's an angry drunk." Naruto whispered.
"You can't tell him the truth," Kushina shook her head. "You have to promise."
"I do promise," Naruto said. "But maybe if you told someone, then something could be done."
"What happens in the family stays in the family." Kushina said, "And that's the way that it's going to stay."
"Kushina!" Minato boomed again. Naruto glared at his father as the man entered the room, his eyes were bloodshot, and Naruto could tell that his temper was flaring.
"Leave Mom alone," Naruto ordered. "And go somewhere else to sleep tonight."
"Why you little prick. Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like that?" Minato slurred glaring at Naruto.
"Someone who's tired of listening to you screaming, and beating up on Mother," Naruto replied. "If you don't get out of here, I'll call the police and see you taken to jail."
"You would like that wouldn't you?" Minato asked, coming to a stop in front of Naruto, who was blocking Minato's path to Kushina.
"I think it's time that you start learning what respect is." Minato hissed as he reached and slapped Naruto hard across the face. "Now get out of the way."
"I will not." Naruto hissed. "I won't let you lay a hand on Mother, not again. Not ever again."
"Then maybe I'm going to have to teach you a lesson," Minato reached out and shoved Naruto hard enough that Naruto fell backward, he used his hands to break his fall. He watched as Minato pulled his belt out of the loops of his jeans and folded it over.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on him!" Kushina said as she lunged towards Minato. Minto pulled his hand back and punched her in the face causing her to fall back and drop to her knees. With Kushina out of the way, Minato took his belt and slammed it down onto Naruto's stomach, across the bare flesh that was showing from his shirt being pulled up when he fell. Crying out in pain Naruto tried to scoot back, but his father stomped down hard on his chest, and Naruto cried out as he felt his ribs snap under the pressure. With his body in absolute agony, Minato shoved Naruto onto his back and pulled Naruto's shirt the rest of the way up before he continued slamming the belt down on Naruto's back.
"Stop!" Naruto pleaded; his voice filled with pain.
"Not until you learn a lesson," Minato said as he slammed the belt down harder and harder until Naruto's back was bloodied, and Naruto was unconscious. Turning Naruto onto his stomach, Minato grabbed Naruto by the throat and started squeezing. Naruto's death would be easy, he wasn't even conscious, and he wouldn't know that his life was over until Minato had managed to squeeze the last breath out of him.
"Stop it!" Kushina cried out. "You're killing him."
"That's the point." Minato hissed. "He's not my child, and you and I both know it. So, if you don't want your precious baby to die, you better tell me who his father is."
"It doesn't matter, he's not even in Konoha anymore." Kushina cried out. "I won't tell you who he is."
"Then he won't mind burying his son," Minato said his fingers tightening around Naruto's throat. "Because this little bastard is no son of mine."
"I told you I was sorry for what happened," Kushina said, wiping at her bloodied nose. "I never meant to have an affair, it just happened."
"Your apologies mean nothing to me." Minato hissed, "And Naruto's life must mean nothing to you."
"But it means something to us." A harsh voice stated from the doorway. "And if you value your own life, you'll step away from him."
Minato slowly released his grip on Naruto's throat and stood up. He scowled wondering how the police had managed to get here so quickly, neither Naruto nor Kushina had been able to call them.
He felt his wrists get jerked behind him and handcuffs being slapped on his wrists.
"Just know that this isn't finished yet. I'll be out of jail before you know it." Minato hissed as he was jerked away from Naruto's unconscious form. "And that little bastard will pay for everything you have done."
TBC? Thanks for reading and reviewing Liz