Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Threadbare

By Cosmogyral

Thread 10:

Two sets of eyes looked at the old building across the city street. It was a patched together mosaic of crumbling brick. The checkerboard brick was scrunched between a slightly more handsome structure and an anorexic alley. It had a simple face of rusty red with a single glass door. While the building mimicked the styles of neighboring units, it was no beauty by anyone's standards.

But Naruto loved it.

It was amazing what time away could do to one's perceptions. The man at his side probably helped, too.

"This is your solution?" Sasuke asked, slightly amused.

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Naruto beamed. "Now you won't feel as guilty. You're giving back to the community!"

"Hn," was Sasuke's enthusiastic response. "It'll be awkward seeing things from the other side of the counter."

"Don't worry," Naruto tried to reassure, "it won't be bad." Grabbing the long, pale fingers of his companion, Naruto jogged across the lazy street, maneuvering into the narrow alleyway with his taller partner. It didn't take them long to reach their destination. The faded door in front of them was branded in chipping paint, Konoha Soup Kitchen: Employees Only.

Grabbing the old brass handle, Naruto strode in.

People were bustling around in a practiced sort of chaos. So many things were happening at once, but everybody knew what they were doing. Out of the movement, a pink head of hair stopped to look at the open door. Her bright green eyes locked onto a pair of purest blue and a smile spread across her features.

"Naruto!"

All movement stopped for a heartbeat as the kitchen came to a halt. Many pairs of eyes took in the five-foot-eight blond sporting a retina burning orange jacket. Instead of shrinking from the scrutiny, Naruto just scratched the back of his head as his smile wrinkled his scarred cheeks.

Letting out a little chuckled and shutting the door he greeted the others cheerfully, "Hey, guys."

"Naruto!!!" was the joyous exclamation from all. Then all noise stopped as the kitchen noticed the blonde's well-dressed shadow. Nobody was exactly sure what to say.

Finally, Sakura stepped forward, again. Her green eyes hinted at guilt, but they held a shaky yet stubborn willingness.

"It's good to have you back, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked at the girl in front of him. She was testing him, weighing his actions. Finally, he responded, "Thank you, Sakura." The double-meaning of the phrase threw the girl. It seemed that was the last thing she had expected and she was fumbling on how to react.

Naruto just smiled as he looked between the awkward pair.

"Naruto!" Iruka's voice cut through the rising hustle and bustle of the kitchen. Tossing two almost-white aprons at the blonde, the tall, scarred man ordered, "Show Sasuke the ropes. You two are serving today."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Naruto shouted. Reaching back, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and drug him forward, snickering.

"What?" The black-eyed man demanded.

"I bet you'll look cute in an apron, Teme," the shorter man teased.

Sasuke's simultaneous blush and glare evoked a peal of laughter from the blonde.

Shaking his head, Sasuke could only reply, "Idiot."

A/N: Whew! That was a doozy. Well…this is my first Naruto fanfiction. This is actually the first fanfiction that I've ever completed. I hope that it was worthwhile. I know that the characters are a little OOC, that's something I'm still working on. I just needed to get this on paper. It had been eating at me for a while and I was determined to finish it during my spring break. So, after six days, and a couple months of revision, this is what was produced.

Let's see. There was one part that a reader asked me to clarify: why Orochimaru attacked Naruto. The reasoning I put behind it was that Naruto was basically handing Sasuke a way out of the streets—Sasuke didn't even have to try. Orochimaru and his cronies thought that was unfair, and were jealous; so they decided to take out their aggressions (while simultaneously hurting Sasuke) on poor Naruto. Hopefully that explanation clears things up. ^_^ If not, feel free to tell me and I'll try to explain it in my profile or in an e-mail.

Thank you all SO much! All of your comments on my story have surpassed any of my previous expectations. You all make writing worthwhile! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Hopefully these reviews won't be the last I hear from you. I have another story I'm writing! Yay! I don't know when I'll start posting it, but I'm working hard on it. I hope you will all enjoy it as much as this one. ^_^

Once again, thank you all for your support. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Cosmogyral, over and out.