Author's note: Shorter than the previous chapter, I know, but I felt that the ending of this chapter was a good way to end the chapter.

Thanks to the following reviewers: KitsuneJen; SehunsBae37; 666snoopy; Nellana; sasunaru1214; Kaoribirdy81; richon; Iraheta 127; leighd1314; Kalos; Atari 9; Gloria

Warnings: Some minor time skips; minor angst

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.

I hope you'll like this part!


Chapter 3: Rumination

Changing the name from Uzumaki to Naruto in his phone was what really drove home that something monumentally had occurred. His contact list had been very limited from the start – Kakashi's, Gaara's and Temari's numbers the only ones taking up space before Naruto's had been added – and when he had added Naruto's number, he had considered the number to remain saved on his phone only for the duration of their project.

The number had remained saved, however, and instead of pulling away as he had done so many times before, he had only become closer to Naruto to the point where they were on first name basis. When was the last time he'd been on a first name basis with anyone around his age? Probably before his family had been murdered and even back then, he hadn't been close to that many people either.

There was still a part of him – an insistent part that was hard to ignore – that insisted he shouldn't get too involved with Naruto. Because getting involved meant becoming closer, meant opening himself up to the other boy, and that was risky. The less people he cared about, the less it would hurt when they would eventually leave him. Adding someone to that count was just stupid; it was basically setting himself up for heartache all over again. Did he risk potentially getting hurt again?

The chances of Naruto being taken away from him in such a gruesome manner as his parents and Itachi had been were low, naturally, but not impossible. Anything could happen, especially when he remembered those vulgar bastards who'd tried to take advantage of Naruto before. When he thought about how bad things could have become for Naruto if he hadn't shown up on time, his stomach cramped up violently. With both his parents being part of the police – or at least his father still being a part of it – would Naruto have had some form of defence lessons? He might have, but perhaps not aimed at taking out multiple people. Being incapacitated partly because of a heat didn't help matters either.

Should Sasuke invite him over to Gaara's dojo? Would that be overstepping a line? He didn't want Naruto to think that his invitation implied he thought the blond was weak, far from it. But extra lessons wouldn't hurt. And hadn't Naruto said he was interested in martial arts lessons after he had heard that Sasuke spent a lot of time at the dojo?

Would Gaara even want to take on someone new? Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, leaning back in his desk chair. He had no idea whether the Sand siblings had put a stop to their client list and didn't want to show up with Naruto out of the blue either.

Me 09.16 a.m.

Are you still accepting new people at the dojo?

He considered the hour with a slight grimace. It being a Saturday he might actually be left waiting for several hours before he would receive an answer, as the weekends were always busy at the dojo.

Surprisingly it only took five minutes before he received a reply.

Gaara 09.21 a.m.

Yes, why? You bringing anyone with you?

Sasuke hesitated briefly, wondering if he should go through with this before hearing Naruto's input, but the other one had said he was interested …

Me 09.23 a.m.

Yeah, if that's okay with you

This time the reply didn't even take a minute.

Gaara 09.23 a.m.

Of course, who are you bringing with you?

Something told Sasuke he was going to regret this once Temari heard about it, but he pressed on regardless. In for a penny, in for a pound as they said.

Me 09.24 a.m.

Naruto

The lull falling in the exchange had Sasuke assuming that Gaara had become too busy to reply, but right as he wanted to put his phone down and focus back on the chapter he had started to read before he'd started messing around with the contact list, his phone buzzed with a new incoming message.

Gaara 09.30 a.m.

Uzumaki Naruto? The new guy in your class? The one you did that project with?!

The last exclamation had Sasuke becoming suspicious, because Gaara wasn't prone to such outbursts in written form.

Me 09.30 a.m.

Temari, did you steal his phone?

Gaara 09.31 a.m.

It's not stealing when it's lying on the desk! So, is it that guy?!

Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. There went the idea of keeping it from Temari for as long as possible. No doubt she was getting all worked up about at this moment and most likely only the busy day ahead at the dojo kept her from calling him instead of simply texting.

Me 09.32 a.m.

Yes, it's him. Don't make things weird

She most likely had something to say about that warning, but the next text confirmed that Gaara had saved his phone from his sister.

Gaara 09.34 a.m.

Sorry about that. When will you bring him around?

Sasuke considered the question, taking a look at the calendar hanging above his desk. Only a couple of weeks were left before the summer holidays would start; he could take Naruto with him then, so that the Omega could get used to the martial arts lessons without having to worry about homework.

Me 09.36 a.m.

First day of the summer holidays if that's okay with you

He got an emoji in the form of a thumb's up, which made him snort quietly, wondering if Temari had stolen the phone again or whether her use of emojis was influencing Gaara after all.

With the lessons for his new friend arranged, Sasuke put his phone down and returned his attention to the book in front of him, finding it inexplicably easier to concentrate on it now.


Sasuke was pocketing his wallet, reaching for his car key next when Kakashi shuffled into the hallway, rubbing his hand over his hair, which looked like a bird had nested in it. Bleary, black eyes stared at him befuddled before Kakashi grabbed his phone out of the pocket of his low slung pyjama trousers, checking it briefly.

"Where are you off to so early?" he asked curiously.

"Going to the dojo like always," Sasuke answered dryly. "Your memory failing you already, old man?"

Kakashi didn't react to the light taunt. "You're leaving earlier than usual. You rescheduled your training?"

Sasuke considered going along with that excuse, but Kakashi would most likely keep pestering about why all of a sudden he was changing his schedule. For an adult supposedly in charge of a minor, Kakashi could act quite childish.

"I'm going to pick someone up who's going to join me at the dojo," he reluctantly answered.

Kakashi's eyes widened a notch. "Oh, I wasn't aware you'd finally made a friend."

Instinctively Sasuke wanted to deny that, but really, was there any other way to describe what he and Naruto were, when they were on first name basis with each other and had been hanging out for weeks now?

His silence had Kakashi straightening up, definitely intrigued now. "Wait, you really made a friend?"

His incredulous tone of voice would be insulting if Sasuke hadn't kept others at a distance for years.

"What of it?" he grumbled, snatching his bag with a fresh set of clothes from the floor after exchanging his house slippers for his shoes.

"I feel the need to remind you that your friend is always welcome to come over here," Kakashi said lightly.

"I'll keep that in mind," Sasuke said sarcastically before closing the door behind him.

It would definitely be a while yet before he would introduce Naruto to Kakashi. Knowing the older man like he did, the guy was definitely just waiting to act as embarrassing as possible. He had never been able to do that before, considering Sasuke never brought anyone over, so he was like a ticking timebomb waiting to explode.

Naruto's mother opened the door after he'd rung the doorbell, looking a bit surprised, but smiling nonetheless. Her long red hair was done up in a high ponytail this morning; some strands escaping it and already sticking to her temples as the temperature slowly but steadily rose, promising another hot summer's day. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun. You here for Naruto?"

"Good morning, Uzumaki-san. Yes, is he up already?" Sasuke asked, belatedly realising that he hadn't texted Naruto about his plan for today.

It wasn't that abnormally early, though, but on the other hand, it was the summer holidays and perhaps Naruto preferred to take advantage of that fact and sleep longer?

If Naruto had been planning such a thing, clearly his mother wasn't on board with that, because she took a step back in the direction of the staircase and called out, "Naruto! Sasuke-kun is here! Get your butt out of your bed and get down here!"

She turned back towards and beckoned him to come in. "Come on, it's a bit cooler inside and I don't know how long you'll be stuck waiting here," she said, stepping out of the way.

He walked inside, noting that it was definitely cooler here as she closed the door behind him. If she thought anything about his clothing choice, she didn't mention it. She simply turned back towards the stairs when stumbling noises announced Naruto's arrival.

Naruto had clearly still been in bed, because his hair looked a lot more out of control than usual and he was only wearing orange shorts, presumably the ones he'd slept in. His clothing choice offered Sasuke a view of his naked torso, showing off his flat stomach and some vague reddish spots; probably from when he had lain in one position for too long. His blue eyes were half lidded, casting Sasuke a bemused look.

"You couldn't have put on a shirt at least?" Naruto's mother asked with a sigh, shaking her head in disapproval. She rested her hands on her hips, pursing her mouth.

"It's warm," was Naruto's snarky retort. His gaze slid back to Sasuke and he cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his head. "Yo, Sasuke, did we plan to meet up today?"

Yes, he probably should have texted Naruto about his plan last night, but well, he was here now. "I thought you might want to join me for my martial arts class," he answered and cocked his head to the right. "You mentioned you were interested in that, no?"

"Eh, yeah, I did," Naruto said, looking surprised as if he hadn't expected Sasuke to remember that titbit.

That particular conversation had only taken place a couple of weeks ago, why would Sasuke have forgotten about it? Especially when it meant that Naruto would learn how to properly defend himself, just in case Sasuke wouldn't be able to help him out if something were to happen again. Sasuke dearly hoped that Naruto would never again be put in a situation where he would have to defend himself, but it was better to be safe than sorry as they said.

"So, you interested?"

Naruto nodded, jerking his thumb backwards at the stairs. "Sure, let me go change quickly and eat something and then we can go."

Naruto's mother had a calculating look in her eyes, but when she caught Sasuke looking, she simply grinned and clasped her hands together while Naruto hurried back upstairs. "In the mood for some cold tea before you two leave?"

Well, if Naruto still had to eat breakfast, Sasuke might as well have something to drink in the meantime.


The dojo was already buzzing with several people working through their forms, including Hana; a young woman from this neighbourhood who threw her much larger opponent over her shoulder without even the slightest bit of effort exerted. Sasuke had sparred with her before and while she had a rather petite stature, her small frame belied just how ruthless and strong she actually was. Truly an example of 'never judge a book by its cover'. She nodded at him in greeting as he and Naruto walked past her mat before getting back into position, motioning for her partner to get up.

"Uchiha, you brought someone with you this time?"

It was an inane question to ask, especially when Sasuke had said he would be showing up with Naruto, but one look at Gaara's face told him the question was said more in jest. Perhaps a little bit of disbelief as well. People who didn't know Gaara that well would consider his low voice to be rather monotone, but Sasuke caught the slight hint of surprise in it. Even though it had been Sasuke himself who had proposed to take Naruto with him, Gaara still seemed to have thought he wouldn't go through with it in the end. His green eyes had that peculiar shine to them that said he was highly amused and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Gaara and Temari were making way too much of a big deal out of this. He supposed he should count himself lucky that Temari was stuck doing the accountancy in the back.

"Naruto's my friend," he introduced Naruto, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Ah, he supposed Gaara could appear rather intimidating to people who didn't know him. "Naruto, this is Gaara, he runs this place."

"How old are you?" Naruto blurted out, colouring red the very second the question left his mouth.

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk, even as Gaara's eyes flicked a warning at him. Not his fault the red haired Alpha looked several years younger than he actually was. Naruto's question was valid, considering Gaara barely appeared older than they were.

"Twenty-one," Gaara answered flatly. "Been running this place for three years now, but I've been working here since I was sixteen and been training here since I was eight."

"That's quite the long history you have with this place," Naruto squeaked, hunching his shoulders slightly.

Gaara narrowed his eyes in return, studying the blond with more intent this time.

Sasuke snorted amused and said lightly, "Naruto's interested in martial arts. I figured you could show him some techniques."

Gaara had been the one to teach Sasuke back when he'd found him raging about on the streets. With so many years of experience, it made the red haired man perfect for teaching Naruto how to defend himself properly. He would also know which techniques would work best considering Naruto's Class.

Sasuke watched Naruto straighten up as Gaara assessed him carefully; his eyes running with a critical gaze over Naruto's body. Unlike that Otsutsuki bastard or those three arseholes before, his gaze was respectful, but it still had Sasuke shifting his feet, growing annoyed with himself. He knew Gaara would never do anything funny to Naruto; the few times some douchebag had thought he could cop a feel in the dojo, Gaara had made it quite clear what he thought about that particular behaviour.

Still, he relaxed fully when Gaara stopped his perusal, asking for confirmation, "Omega, right?"

That appeared to be the wrong question for some reason as Naruto frowned and bit out sharply, "Yeah, what of it? You don't work with Omega?"

Gaara raised an eyebrow, completely unbothered by the sharp tone. "Relax, we don't tolerate discrimination here," he retorted calmly.

Naruto deflated as if he was a balloon that had a needle stuck through it.

"Just asking to be sure. There are some techniques that will work better for you, that's all," Gaara went on and motioned to the tatami mats. "You ready for your first lesson?"

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, appearing uncertain for some reason, and before Sasuke could think about what he was doing, he gave the other one an encouraging nod, which had Naruto nodding slowly in return. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"All right, the changing rooms are right around the corner; you can choose a cubicle and leave your bag there," Gaara instructed him, pointing him in the right direction. "Once you're ready, you can come join me on the mat and we'll begin."

"Okay, thanks, I'll be right back," Naruto said and disappeared behind the corner, casting one more glance at Sasuke.

"Thanks for taking him on, I know you're busy," Sasuke said, pulling Gaara's attention back on him.

The older man raised an eyebrow again. "Sure, I don't mind. He's the one who you helped out during that attack, right?"

"That's him," Sasuke confirmed, stretching and clenching his fingers. Sometimes, a dark part of him wondered whether he shouldn't have beaten them harder than he had. But that thought process was a slippery slope he shouldn't go down at.

"I'll make sure he knows how to defend himself," Gaara murmured, very briefly touching Sasuke's elbow. "Don't worry."

That was the thing, though, Sasuke considered as he made his way to his tatami mat. It wasn't so easy to simply 'stop worrying'. Unfortunately it wasn't a switch he could simply flip off.


While Sasuke had met Naruto's mother several times before, even spending time with her and her son, the same couldn't be said for Naruto's father. He had met the man a few times before and while Sasuke had initially been worried that his own status as an Alpha would be considered problematic by Naruto's father, the older blond didn't appear to have any issue with the fact that his only Omega son was hanging out regularly with an Alpha. The only matter that had made him frown was the fact that Sasuke already drove a car, especially when he found out that Sasuke regularly dropped off Naruto at his house.

Aside from that – which Sasuke had explained that he'd been allowed an exception – Naruto's father was jovial every time he happened to come home when Sasuke was still there, proving that Naruto's light-hearted, cheery nature was clearly taking after both his mother's and father's temperament.

As the weeks progressed, Sasuke found himself hanging out more and more often at Naruto's place, soaking up the feeling of home that clung to every surface. It was stupid, really, because it wasn't as if Kakashi was this coldblooded arsehole turning their house into a terrible prison, but there was undeniably a difference between Sasuke's house and that of Naruto's. Maybe it was in the way Naruto teased and ribbed him good-naturedly, fully at ease even with Sasuke still remaining rather reticent. Perhaps it was how much Naruto's mother painfully reminded him of his own mother; the way she would enthusiastically welcome the both of them home as if Sasuke following Naruto into the house was something completely normal.

Maybe it was how even Naruto's father treated Sasuke's presence at their home as if it was expected, never making the young Alpha feel out of place.

Perhaps the homey feeling came from the evening they celebrated Sasuke's birthday belatedly after Naruto had realised they hadn't asked each other's birthday dates yet and had then proceeded to have an absolute freakout when Sasuke had told him his birthday had been a week before. Sasuke had insisted it had been fine, to not worry about it, because it wasn't as if he still celebrated his birthday – he'd made it quite clear to Kakashi that he did not want a party at all and the man had taken to celebrating his birthdays by leaving his present on Sasuke's desk instead – but Naruto had been adamant that they celebrated it nonetheless.

"Sasuke, you can't just not celebrate your birthday!" Naruto had exclaimed exasperatedly, insisting they had to do something to acknowledge Sasuke having turned a year older.

So one week after his birthday, Sasuke found himself seated at the kitchen table in the Namikaze-Uzumaki home with Naruto's mother having made all his favourite food, courtesy of Naruto feeding her all the information, and even Naruto's father present, having taken off a few hours earlier to be here.

"You really shouldn't have," Sasuke insisted to the both of them; his cheeks oddly heated.

Just like their son, however, the both of them waved off his insistence.

"Sasuke-kun, really, this isn't any trouble whatsoever," Naruto's mother soothed, placing the bowl with a freshly made salad – sporting a suspiciously large amount of cherry tomatoes – on the table before taking her seat. "We can't just ignore your birthday; that wouldn't be right."

"I hope your family is okay with the fact that you're staying over longer tonight," Naruto's father commented, reaching out for the bottle of juice so that he could fill everyone's glass.

The remark was almost said offhandedly, but it hit Sasuke like a slap in the face and he stilled for a moment, staring down at the tablecloth. They didn't know, of course. They had no idea that his family had been killed when he'd been barely twelve; they had no clue that his so-called family was only a guardian, who'd taken this role as a favour to his older brother.

After so many weeks he had expected Naruto to start asking about his parents, maybe wonder why he hadn't met anyone of his family, but the blond boy remained surprisingly silent about that subject, allowing Sasuke to deflect whenever their conversation did stray into that direction.

Sasuke had no idea why. Their other classmates had certainly been curious enough, some of them having gone as far as badgering him about it until he had told them in no uncertain terms that he wasn't interested in talking about his family.

Naruto was the only one who had come closest to Sasuke in all these years, yet he never pushed to know more about his family. Sasuke had no idea why.

"Yeah, it's okay," he settled on reassuring instead. Kakashi, at least, had been warned that Sasuke would be coming home later today.

"That's good then," Naruto's father grinned. "I hope you have a sweet tooth; there's a dessert with your name waiting still after this."

"Dad! Don't ruin the surprise!" Naruto exclaimed with a huff, rapping him on his hand in reproach.

The older blond snorted. "Right, as if a birthday cake really is that much of a surprise."

As the two started to bicker good-naturedly, with Naruto's mother occasionally chiming in to egg them on, Sasuke sat there and listened and for the first time in years, celebrating his birthday – belated or not – didn't seem such a horrible prospect anymore.


Later that night, he sat cross-legged on his bed, staring at the gifts he'd received from Naruto's parents and Naruto himself. He hadn't even expected any presents, considering the birthday dinner to already be more than enough when he normally didn't even celebrate his birthday anymore, but the family had been persistent. Naruto's mother had given him a mug with the image of a black cat on it; the ear of it formed by the cat's tail. She'd grinned at him, saying she had noticed how he always seemed to draw in the cats in their neighbourhood. It was a silly gift, but something that still warmed him inside. Both Naruto's father and Naruto had gifted him a couple of history books with Naruto jokingly adding that he hadn't been able to find one about the history of tomatoes.

Having the presents laid out in front of him – more than he had received in years – made him ache, because it reminded him of everything he'd lost: the love, the laughter, the jokes, everything he and his family had shared together. It was scarily easy to forget that aching gap inside of him, even if it was just temporary, when he was with Naruto and his family. Frighteningly simple to fall back in the rhythm of a family, to bask in the cosiness of it all.

He hadn't had that feeling, that sensation of belonging, in years and it only served as a reminder of just how far he'd fallen by now. Because it wasn't just Naruto who he worried about now, it was Kushina and Minato too; the pair who accepted him as if doing so was as easy as breathing. Rationally he knew there was nothing to worry about; they were adults, they could handle themselves. Naruto's father was a policeman to boot, so not entirely defenceless either. His wife had been part of the police force as well before she'd quit her job to take care of Naruto. They weren't defenceless. They weren't weak.

And yet … And yet …


"Have you always worked in the police force?" Sasuke asked Naruto's father, during the rare times he was home earlier than usual.

Naruto was in the kitchen with his mother, trying to coax her into letting him grab some biscuits still before dinner.

Naruto's father – "Call me Minato, it's fine." – looked up from the newspaper and smiled. "Yeah, since I graduated," he confirmed. "Kushina as well, up until she got pregnant and decided to leave the force to take care of Naruto."

Sasuke nodded slowly, glancing around himself in the living room. In all the time he had been here, he hadn't encountered anything that looked similar to a safe, but he supposed Minato would know better than to keep a gun in plain view. Unless his job involved no guns at all? He could be working a desk job, not necessarily in the field.

"Do you know how to handle a gun then?"

That made Minato pause and regard him calculatingly. His hands came to rest on the open newspaper and both Alpha gazed at each other for a little while.

"Yes, I do," Minato eventually answered and tilted his head to the left; his blue eyes catching the light. "Why?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I was just curious. I don't think everybody knows how to handle one, right?"

"Right."

Minato was still eyeing him carefully, but Sasuke didn't care. Minato could handle a gun, which meant he was perfectly capable of keeping his family safe if shit ever hit the fan. It was a meagre comfort, especially when his own family hadn't been that helpless either, but it was something.

Something that lessened the weight of the stone which had taken up residence in his stomach ever since that night.


AN2: You know what's going to happen next chapter? We're diving into Sasuke's past once more, yes indeed.

Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.

I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!

Cuddles

Melissa

P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.