How orphan boys play

Phew. Sorry for the long awaited update. Blame real life. It dosen't cooperate with fictional life. But i've been getting some very thoughtful reviews for this fic and i wanted to get an update ASAP but still have some good quality in it. Hopefull i've acheived that ^^; This will be a two parter chapter, mostly because i'm still writing it and i figured it would be too long release as one chapter. So, please enjoy. Thanks again for the reviews so far. They are my drugs.

How Orphan Boys play.

CH2

Welcome house. part 1

Kurenia Sensei always manages to pick the right moments to call on someone. It’s either during dinner because she always eats later than everyone else, during T.V privilege time, or during game hour and occasionally bath time. If she called you during that one then it’s either stay in and get in trouble for being late or get out and start walking. After one or two little ones taking that opportunity up, Kurenia started taking more consideration about what others were doing during the day when she called on them. All those considerations were thrown out the window today when she pressed the house intercom button. Luckily for her it was study hall hour for the three boys she requested. As their names echoed throughout the study hall, three pencils dropped almost simultaneously. Their owners cared very little if they were in trouble, anything was better than algebra lessons.

“Do you think Kurenia knows about the toad?” Naruto asked. Not really the smartest thing to do in front of the Headmistress’ office door.

“I do now, Naruto” The blonde waved his hands frantically as if he could just wipe away his words. The other two just sighed at another one of their friend’s ‘moments’. Another one for the book. “Come on in boys. I have some news for you.” As the door closed and three backsides parked themselves into empty seats, Naruto asked, “Good or bad?” Kurenia rested her chin on her right hand, trying to look as casual as possible.

“Both, I guess. I’m not sure which is which though. I’ll cut straight to it” The Headmistress took her left fist and extended three fingers in the boys direction. “You’re all being adopted” Three pairs of eyes widened. None of them uttered a single noise, they just appeared to be frozen with fish eyes. The first move came from Sai. He plucked the black marker from his cut-offs and then quickly scribbled along his wrist. He showed Kurenia three arrows, each one pointing in a different direction. She nodded. “Yes, Sai. This does mean you will all be separated. But, I managed to come up with a compromise which, I hope you’ll take as the good news” Little Gaara was already on the edge of his seat, gripping his knees tightly.

“Even though you’ll all be living in different homes, coincidentally, you’ll all be living in the same street”, she beamed, hoping with all her heart that might attract them to the idea. Barely a moment before she could think of something else to say, Naruto spoke again,

“What are they like?” He said firmly. This was the chance Kurenia had been hoping for. She had to tred carefully though and not overwhelm them. She took deep breadth to prepare herself.

“Sai. You’re adopters name is Yamato. He’s a botanist, a plant scientist. He’s quiet and mostly keeps to himself most of the time so, I thought that would give all the peace you’d like to draw” Her gaze shifted. “Naruto, you’ll be living with Iruka. He’s the kindergarten teacher at the academy. I’ve known him since he was your age and I can honestly say he’s very friendly. Plus, he’s not a bad cook either so your bottomless pit shouldn’t have any complaints” These would seem like bribing techniques to any normal individual and maybe they were in some way but, when it came to these boys, they needed something more than a roof over their head. There had to be something they could look forward to and expect. However, this wasn’t going to be an easy task with Gaara. What he had to look forward too was everything that pretty much scared him. “Gai is your adopter, Gaara. He’s a bit loud and….weird at times but he’s full of love. His nephew Lee lives with him too so, you’ll technically be getting a brother too”

Her little red head’s face suddenly contorted. Oh dear, she hit something. Kurenia’s lips tightened and her teeth clenched. Two hands, one from each side, slowly reached into the middle and took hold of Gaara’s tight fists. Bright blue eyes looked at Kurenia pleadingly. “Kurenia-Sensei, can we have five?”

“Sure!” She wasted no time in leaving her own office.

XXXX

Is it possible to feel the a heart attack without the inevitable death at the end? The tightening of the chest, shooting pains through the upper limbs, the air being choked from the lungs and an almost metallic taste of the tongue? Not a heart attack, no. Just your common symptoms associated with a frantic and protective teacher. Kurenia’s nails were suffering the brunt of her worrying nerves.

The moment was just too much to bare. Two choices. One would give these boys the chance to lead a normal life, see what it’s like to be part of a family that wants them and one day begin families of their own. The other? Who knows where they might end up if they make that decision. She just knew it wouldn’t be the life they deserved. Naruto seemed to be taking the whole situation in a lot better than Kurenia expected than little Gaara. The red looked absolutely outraged by the whole idea. She knew this might scare him a little but, she really had expected Naruto to be making more of a fuss since he’s been though this system before and failed. Sai was as passive as expected at least. But even that, was worrying her a little now. She almost feel off her heels when the sound of the door clicked. Three little heads popped out; one plain, one in a temper and the other looked so serious Kurenia nearly thought she left a forth boy in there.

“We’ll do it”

PART 2

Somehow, even though it had been well established that he’d be moving to a new house, Naruto still felt like he was just visiting the place. Like some really boring field trip. Naruto’s back pack was full of bits and bobs and very few clothes. All he really wore were his orange dungarees. Whenever they needed cleaned, the blonde would sit in front of the washer and dryer for nearly two hours until they were done. It gave Kurenia the occasional opportunity to get some paper work done without worrying what certain little ones were up to.

When Naruto arrived at his new place of living, he suddenly wondered if Iruka took them to the school by mistake; this place was covered in bits of paper written with chicken scratches, marked with red lettering, smiley stickers and the odd crude drawing. Every wall and bookstand had some sort of scribble covered piece pinned to them. The blonde just stood in the door way.

“I….have a habit off keeping my students work,” Iruka smiled sheepishly, “even if they don’t like it that much”

“You’re a bit weird aren’t you?” As far as first impressions go, this could be going better. Iruka had been told this little blonde sour puss was probably a jumping bean in past life but, from Iruka could see, Naruto seemed pretty closed up. Well, that should be expected right. Iruka could vaguely remember going through the experience himself and how intimidating it was. He definitely remembered not wanting sympathy. So, it was time to get into gear.

“You hungry?” Iruka asked while closing the door.

“Starving!” Came a loud and relieved whine. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast ‘cause I’ve been packing all day” Poor kid was clutching his tummy and slouching forward. Iruka just smiled, thinking to himself that the kid would probably be just as hungry even if he had had lunch.

“Well lets get something fixed up then. How’s ramen sound?” The light from the fridge beamed in every direction, casting silhouettes of the food inside.

“Never had it before” Iruka’s head shot up over the top of the fridge door and peered down with shocked eyes at the blonde top staring back up at him. It shouldn’t have really came as a surprise though. Kurenia was strict about healthy eating in the orphanage. Ramen would have been a rare luxury. It wasn’t exactly unhealthy but kids eat tons of what they like and ramen could really mess up your stomach of you had too much. “Well, this’ll be a nice treat then. Want me to show you how to make it?” Now it was blue eyes turn to widen in shock but were accompanied with a broad smile.

“Really?” he beamed brightly.

“Sure” The evening seemed to be going smoothly for of them. After Iruka showed Naruto how everything worked he let the kid cook the noodles to start off simple. The pair soon made two large bowls of pork ramen. The bowls were laid, stools tucked in and the chopsticks were snapped.

Man, the kid must have really been hungry. Half of Naruto’s bowl was gone before Iruka had even tucked into his. Good thing they made extra. There was a loud slurp from Naruto before he spoke.

“Hey, how come your kitchen is in the living room? Did they forget to build the wall or something?” Iruka snorted, almost blowing noodles out his nose. He stopped when he caught eye of that look Naruto was darting his way. The kid didn’t seem to be friendly with sarcasm.

“No, they didn’t. It’s built this way to save money and space. I got it when I was a student teacher and it just grew on me. Plus, now that I’m a full time teacher the rent’s a whole lot easier to keep up with” All Iruka got in response was a blank stare. Must have used too many terms Naruto wasn’t familiar with. “Um…how’s the food?” Changing the subject got him a relieving grin.

“Great. I’m almost done!” Both hands clutched the base of the bowl and practically threw it in the blonde’s face.

“Naruto! Careful!” Too late. Bowl plus force, plus unstable stool equals one knuckle head on the floor with soup from head to chest. Iruka nearly jumped over the counter top.

“You okay?” he yelled. Naruto used his right thumb to push the white dome from his fore head. Those strange whickers curved around his cheeks as he smiled. The frowning bronze took it as an apology and just sighed heavily. “You drink your cereal like that too?” He helped Naruto pick a few of the gooey strands of noodles from his hair.

“Sorry” he said, wiping the soup stains from his face, “it was just really good. Can we have it again?” Good thing a certain person was a sucker for flattery. Suddenly the two started laughing, like they were sharing some sort of inside joke. Iruka finally stood, taking the upturned bowl and nearly winded stomach with him. He took a deep breadth and helped Naruto up.

“Well, nothing’s broken. So it’s okay. Next time, just use a spoon” He dumped their dishes in the sink. “I’ll go run you a bath, okay? How about you go put your things in your room. It’s the second door over there” He pointed to a corner as he strolled off to the bath room.

Now, if a certain someone had indulged an innocent bronze teacher with all the information about his new little resident, he might have been better prepared for the rest of the evening that awaited him

“Bath’s ready, Naruto!” When you spend the majority of your day surrounded by the often shrilling voice of young children, things like silence become awkward to handle. One thing Iruka looked forward to most with having Naruto around would be the end to the eerie quiet that filled Iruka’s apartment. So, when the only noise he could hear after calling out was the dripping of the tap behind him, Iruka felt a little disturbed.

There was no sign of Naruto in his room. In fact, there was no sign he’d even been in it to begin with. The living room turned up empty too apart from the old, dusty green backpack that had been left near the door. “You even here?” It was meant a joke to himself until it erupted a horrible thought inside his head. NO, he declared inwardly. He would have heard the door open if Naruto ran off. The damn thing was old and often had a voice of its own. So where could that blonde mop top have disappeared to? Iruka stood stiffly in the middle of his small living room, unconsciously scratching his noise to the point of giving a fresh scar. Naruto was hiding, but why? And more annoyingly, where? There weren’t exactly many places to hide here. The beds were too close to the floor to hide under. There’s no way he’d fit in any of the drawers and the oven could barely fit a whole chicken inside it, let alone at pre-teen boy. When the erratic thump of panic started surging it’s way through his chest, poor Iruka collapsed onto the couch in an attempt to get his thoughts together. Tanned hands covered his worrying face while he propped his feet heavily on the coffee table. Suddenly, there was a massive THUD against the floor. “OW!” Either the table decided to eat Naruto and spit him out or someone has watched ‘Matilda’ too many times.

“What on earth, Naruto? You nearly gave me a heart attack. Hurry up and take your bath before the water gets cold.” And just when Iruka thought he could relax…..

“NO WAY!” A blonde and orange blur flew from underneath the table and darted straight for the kitchen cupboards. Iruka was starting to understand why this kid was such a handful. It was now a wrestling match with Naruto and a set of cupboard handles.

“Naruto, get out of there and get in the bath!” Why did it feel like he was suddenly yelling at a six year old? Well, as the old saying goes; act like it, get treated like it. “Fine” he acclaimed, letting go of the handles and settling himself down on the floor with his arms folded. “Forget the bath. You can stay in there all night” A lot quicker than Iruka expected, the doors swung open with blonde spikes popping out.

“Really?” Iruka nearly missed his chance it came that quickly but he managed lunge forward and yank the kid out by the forearms before he could dive away again. With more force than what he would have really liked to use on a small kid, Iruka pinned the pest under one arm and struggled like hell to get to his feet.

“What the hell is wrong with you?! It’s only a bath!” All there was to hear in reply were incoherent grunts and screeches. For the first time, Iruka just thought ‘Fuck it’. The second they reached the bathroom, Naruto was dumped right into the tub. Water splashed everywhere from ceiling to floor and limbs flailed like crazy but, he was in the tub. Clothed regardless, he was in the tub. That’s all that mattered at this point.

“You done being a fish yet?” Iruka growled fiercely. He hadn’t been this vexed in a long time. It wasn’t something he liked to do on a regular basis but this kid was ploughing through all his calming techniques. Naruto finally caught himself on the edge of the tub and thrust his soaked torso up.

“This is abuse!” Came a shrieking fish from the water.

“I call it being a brat!” Came a thundering roar that nearly sent Naruto into the deep once more. Iruka rolled his left sleeve up.

“Now, is this going to be difficult?” A blonde brow furrowed in fury. Naruto threw a handful of water in Iruka’s direction and loudly stood up.

“I’m not baby! I can clean myself!” Iruka nearly threw his whole body forward in anger, arms spread wide as if someone was holding him back.

“Then what the fuck was that all about?! Jesus, no wonder that family kicked you-” Oh crap, no!

Iruka immediately slammed a hand over his mouth but it was too late. The look on Naruto’s face just couldn’t be described. A drowning fox looked happier right now. Before Iruka could dig himself a deeper hole, he slowly left the bath room. He couldn’t bare that look for a moment longer. The look of someone who just had their soul torn from their heart. Worst part was, Iruka felt like he was the one who ripped it out.

XXXX

An hour and a half passed by with not a sound made throughout the apartment. Iruka couldn’t believe what he’d done. He’d taken the one thing that must have hurt Naruto the most in his life and he threw it in the poor kid’s face. Iruka paced the small ‘L’ interior of his kitchen, one hand tucked beneath his arm pit while the other rubbed against his nose vigorously. After making what must be his thirtieth lap of the kitchen floor it suddenly hit him that Naruto hadn’t even left the bath, from what he could tell. Fears of pneumonia swept over him like a tsunami and quickly dragged him back into the dangerous deep. Knees shook like weak braches on an old tree but even a mighty gust of wind wouldn’t push Iruka through that door; he had to do it himself. When he summoned the courage to nudge that door open and peer inside, he was met with Naruto’s hunched back. He had scrunched himself up into a shape that fought against the tub’s anatomy design and he was shivering frantically. He must have figured Iruka would come back and didn’t want to face him again. Even if that meant sitting in cold water all night.

First day. First day and Iruka felt like the biggest screw up in history. How could he say something like that? It didn’t matter if he had been pissed off. It was no excuse to say something that horrible. Naruto would probably want to run away from here for sure now. Iruka couldn’t blame him either.

“I ruined it” Huh? Was that Iruka’s voice. He didn’t think so. “I’ve…I’ve ruined everything for them” Dark brown eye brows arched curiously.

“Who?” Naruto twitched. Iruka stiffened, thinking maybe Naruto had been having a private conversation.

“Gaara….and Sai. I’ve ruined everything for them. You’re going to send me back and when they find out they’ll want to go back too” His voice sounded so hurt but not for himself like Iruka had expected. It caught him off guard enough to take a few steps forward and sit on the floor with his back against the tub, parallel to Naruto.

“Naruto I-”

“They’ve never known what it’s like!” he yelled into his knees.

“What what’s like?” Iruka stretched his neck back, wanting to look Naruto in the eye if that would somehow help but the blonde just kept making himself smaller.

“To have a family”, came a croaked voice. “They’ve never known. I fucked it up for myself once. I don’t care though. They just adopted me to look good” They what? Did Kurenia-Sensei know about this? No wonder he rebelled like the report said. “But I…..I want them to have that so much. They need it”

“What about you?” Glazed blue eyes shot up to face Iruka eye to eye. The question seemed to startle him somehow. “Naruto, I’m not taking you back there. I’m not taking away your chance to have what you need too” Iruka kept a firm stare while Naruto continued to shiver. God dammit! Get him out of that thing before he freezes to death.

Suddenly the whole apartment echoed with a loud ringing. Out of sheer habit, Iruka got up and ran to answer it. He almost swore again when he picked up the receiver. Honestly, he’d barely swore a day in his life before tonight.

“Hello, Iruka?” The voice was familiar.

“Kurenia-Sensei? Uh…hi. It’s a bit late to calling isn’t it? Is something wrong?” There was a light cough on the other end.

“You could say that” That usually meant something a lot more serious in Iruka’s experience. “Some of the papers from Naruto’s file fell out. I feel so stupid for not noticing them sooner and there’s stuff in them I really should have told you at the interview but they’re the kind of details that become so regular to us that I often forget-”

“Kurenia-Sensei! What the matter?” He’d never raised his voice to her before? Maybe next he should kill someone and call this night a hat trick.

“Oh, sorry”, she giggled. “It’s Naruto. You see…he’s….afraid of baths“. Say what?

“You mean, he’s an aqua phobic?” OH perfect!

“Oh no. That’s not it at all. Give him a river and he’ll frolic like a fish. It’s just baths” If Iruka was aware of the face he was making, he might have laughed. “I know it sounds ridiculous but it’s true. He’s been that way ever since I’ve known him. I’ve never been able to figure it out myself or get him over it either. So, when it comes to cleaning himself, mind letting him just use the sink and a wash cloth?” It was like having an anvil both lift and crash down on him at the same time. Regardless, he smiled though clenched teeth and cheered down the phone.

“Thanks for letting me know that. But really Kurenia-Sensei, don’t worry so much. We’re doing fine” There was a relieved sigh from Kurenia’s end.

“That’s good. Well, I have a few more things to check out before I can call it quits for the night but you two have a good night” Click. Where’s a baseball bat when you need one? Iruka felt like someone should be whacking him over the head until his skull cracked. This wasn’t even a case of bad luck. This was some unseen forces way of messing with you. ARRGGHHH! Why hadn’t Naruto just told him? Oh Crap, Naruto! He’s still in the tub! He was about to turn around and bolt for the bathroom but was stopped when something cold and wet slammed into his stomach.

“Naruto? What’s-”

“Thank you!” Iruka froze for a moment. His hands hovered in the air until he heard the muffled cries being buried inside his soaked jumper. Ice water pooled at their feet, blonde hair was soaked like a wet dog and thin arms shivered and clung to Iruka tightly. Cold and damp were easily ignored against the forgiveness they shared in that hug. “Aaachooo!” Cold, damp and snot. A little harder to ignore.

For anyone who struggled to visualise Iruka's apartment layout, (don't feel bad, i had trouble myself) think of the layout JD and Turk's apartment is like in Scrubs. That's the best way i can describe it, sorry ^^; thanks again guys. i'll do my best to upload soon but college projects are a bitch. Especially when you're writing fanfiction instead.