Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Therefore I own nada and make nada.

Inspiration: A Passing Grade by The Petulant Prodigy. Though this one will be longer, I wanted to give credit where credit is due.

Parent-Teacher Meeting

Everybody warned him teaching high school wouldn't be a cake walk but had he known it'd be this frustrating, he would've done law school. Sasuke has been teaching for about seven years and never in his entire career has he had as much trouble out of a student as he was with this child. She was a bright young girl, possibly one of the smartest in her class when it came to Ethics and Economics, Calculus l and Honors English. However from the way that neon green skirt was riding her legs to reveal more of her fish net stockings and leather black boots, no one would ever guess Sakura Haruno Uzumaki was a straight A student. She stayed in and out the principal's office for her smart ass comments and disrupting class.

Sakura was entering into her third offense this month after being caught sneaking notes under her desk to one of the young girls name Ino Yamanaka. She was currently setting in the seat next to Sakura with a less than confident expression, blue eyes glued to the floor as if the carpet would know a way for her to get out of trouble. She was more conservative in her fashion, wearing a purple V-neck t-shirt, acid washed grey jeans and her blonde hair falling in curly ringlets around her shoulder. Sasuke cast another look over Sakura's chest wondering if that yellow tank top could get any lower.

He sighed, leaning back in his chair, folding his arms, "How do you expect to succeed in life by causing so much trouble?" Sasuke said to both students but more towards Sakura. "I've given you enough chances to redeem yourselves but you prove me wrong every time. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Ino opened and closed her mouth, thinly pressing her lips together. Sakura whipped out her cell phone and started tapping her manicured nails across the screen.

Sasuke's left eyebrow twitched, "Ms. Uzumaki, have you anything to say?"

"Nope," She said right off. "What's there to say? If I say I didn't do it, you'll say I did. If I say peach, you'll say cream. Pecan is Pecun. Why bother? Teachers always win." She suddenly giggled at something on her cell and music started beeping from the back speaker.

"I'm offering you an opportunity of getting out of another trip to Mr. Umino's office. Do you really want to risk being expelled?"

Ino's face turned white at the two sheets of paper placed on Sasuke's desk.

Sakura hardly spared him a glance, continuing to tap away at her IPhone.

Patience was a virtue. Sasuke was slowly losing his. The only reason he even attempted to give this girl a chance was because she wasn't all that bad. She offered to help other students with their assignments when asked and always turned in her homework. It seemed such a waste to punish good intelligence but an example needed to be made.

When Sakura let out another giggle, Sasuke couldn't resist asking, "Why do you have your cell phone out?"

Sakura's mouth casually wound around the stick of gum in her mouth, green eyes lazily sizing Sasuke like he was three inches tall. Her face was a mix between bored and irritated. Ino nervously glanced between her best friend and her teacher like she wished she could be anywhere else but there.

"I'm texting my friends on Facebook," Sakura popped her gum and went back to staring at her phone. "You're borin' me to death so I'm inviting them to my funeral."

"I see," Sasuke shook his head slowly, pushing their papers forward. "This is the third time I've caught you two cheating in class and passing notes—"

"I don't cheat," Sakura snapped without looking. "I'm the smartest person in here. What the crap I look like cheatin'?"

"Then explain why you and Ms. Yamanaka's answers are identical from number one thru thirteen. Numbers fourteen, nineteen and twenty six are answers made by your handwriting."

"That's," Sakura's fingers slowed on her phone. She finally glanced up from her phone, the first sign of regret mirroring in her eyes. "It's not cheatin'. Ino didn't understand the answer that's all. If she didn't pass, she was gonna have to downgrade to regular classes. She needs this class to get her softball scholarship." Then she turned to Sasuke with renewed anger. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. You only care about trying to ruin her life."

Sasuke's demeanor somewhat softened. He lowered his arms to cross over his desk, leaning toward the fifteen year old girls, "Be that as it may, Ino should've approached me if she was having troubles with her lessons. I offer tutor sessions after class every Tuesday and Thursday."

"The way you do it sucks Mr. Uchiha," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. "She understands it better when I show her."

"Then offer to assist her studies after classes Ms. Uzumaki, not during," Sasuke voice took a steely hint when Sakura returned to texting on her phone. Her attitude would make the Pope cuss in tongues. "So you wouldn't care if Ms. Yamanaka's suspended for interrupting class and cheating on her test."

Sakura's eyes grew impossibly wide.

"Mr. Uchiha!" Ino gasped worriedly. "Please sir, I promise I won't do it again. I swear. I really needed the help. I couldn't understand any of it. If I get suspended, I'll have to drop from the team. Please, I'm so sorry."

"Now hold on!" Sakura popped from her chair so abruptly, the chair crashed against one of the front row desks. "Why you gotta involve Ino in this? I'm the one who did wrong. She didn't do anything. If you're gonna suspend anybody, it should be me. Leave her out of this!"

Sasuke shook his head, "I can't do that. You've been warned, both of you have, and you went against my rules. I've already contacted Mr. Umino to schedule a meeting with your parents this evening."

"That's not fair!" Sakura shouted, slamming her hands down flat on his desk. "You're the biggest dick ever Mr. Uchiha!"

Sasuke stared at her unfazed at her outburst, or moved at the stressed look in her bright eyes. Out the corner of his eye he saw Ino crumbling in her chair, fingers ash white as she gripped the bottom of her seat. Tears glossed over her eyes and suddenly streamed down her face, streaking the mascara over her cheeks. She went to cover her eyes, all of her blonde hair curtaining around her as she leaned forward to cry in her hands. Heaving sobs racked her slender frame over and over.

Sasuke knew Ino's situation all too well. Her father had taught him when he was in elementary school. He'd fell ill recently to Leukemia and been bedridden ever since. She was the only family he had and going to school was the only way to support their necessities. She even had a part time job at Five Guys and Fries during the week and did extra school cleaning after school. Sasuke was hardly the kind of man to be so cruel. That'd be the last thing he'd ever do.

"Well," he started slowly, eyeballing Sakura until she retook her chair, lips poked out, looking every bit of a five year old. "What do you propose we do Ms. Uzumaki?"

Sakura reached out to grab Ino's hand, softly squeezing her fingers. Her other hand brushed aside Ino's banes, soft as touching a newborn baby, "I'll take the rep Teach."

"No," Ino shook her head. "No, no Sakura you don't have too. Please, we both did wrong."

"Ino, its fine. Who's gonna care?" She chuckled. "I could care less what happens to me. Hell, I hate school anyway. With luck I'll be kicked out for good. But you," Sakura cupped her cheek. "You got a whole future ahead of you. I don't wanna see you waste it 'cause of me." Sakura lowered her lips to kiss Ino's hand and turned a solemn look at Mr. Uchiha.

A genuine honest expression that held something to make Sasuke relent in his decision, "Ino step outside a moment please."

"Yes sir," Ino stood, holding on as long as she could to Sakura's hand before distance tore them apart and left the teacher and student in the classroom alone.

With Ino gone, some of Sakura's flare returned but nowhere as spry as it had been in the beginning. Sasuke knew a thing about puppy love. Hell, he'd been there and done that too when he'd been in high school. "Sakura, I'm glad to see you care about Ino's future but what about yours? Where's your ambition? You wrote an excellent report last semester in Ethics about wanting to become a Pediatric Nurse."

"I'm being realistic Teach," Sakura said. "I'm no good with this school stuff. It's boring, you're boring and all I do is get in trouble anyway."

"The last I checked troublemakers had the ability to change their ways and improve their records. Your grades are flawless Sakura," Sasuke stressed softly. "You have the drive somewhere to become a nurse, to be whatever you want." Silence followed after his statement. When another moment passed without a reply, Sasuke's fingers drummed over the disciplinary forms on his desk. "Sakura."

Sea greens rose to meet his own.

"I'm willing to overlook this on one condition. You and Ino separate in all your classes until the end of the year, you retake your tests and I have a meeting with your parents."

Sakura frowned hard, "And Ino? You'll leave her alone?"

"I will but only if you follow my conditions. One slip up and you both go to Mr. Umino's office. Do you understand?"

Sakura leaned her chair back on the back legs, hands shoved in the pockets of her skirt, slowly smacking on her gum, "My mom's a loss cause. The bitch doesn't care what I do." She grumbled to herself. "But I can call my dad. He gets off work at six thirty."

Sasuke nodded, pulling both forms into his top desk drawer, "That'll do. You can go for now. Have your homework ready in the morning."

The pink haired girl grimly nodded before dropping her chair in place and standing. She swallowed the gum in her mouth, all the fire melted off her shoulders as she stared at the floor, walking to her desk to grab her book bag. The entire time Sasuke watched his top and most troubled student gather her things with a new pair of eyes. The subject of her mother must've been difficult.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

"Hello," Her voice was unusually gentle and her smile so foreign. "Hey daddy. No sir, no sir. Yeah I'm done with classes. I. . . I'm sorry daddy. I got in trouble and . . ." Sakura nodded against the receiver. "Yes. I know. Mr. Uchiha wants to speak with you when you get off work. You can? Ok. No daddy damn. It's not about boys. Ugh, you're so stupid sometimes," she giggled. "Sure, I'll have dinner ready when you come home. Spaghetti and green beans good? Alright, I love you too. Bye." All the power behind her confidence zapped out of her as soon as she hung up.

So he had a daddy's little girl in his midst. Sasuke made a secret note of that in the back of his mind.

"He says he'll come by after work Mr. Uchiha. See ya," She murmured before walking out the door. Before it closed behind her, Sasuke saw when Ino wrapped her arms around Sakura's shoulders, lips clued to her ear. Judging by the feather strokes of Sakura's fingers on Ino's face and the sparkle in the blonde's eyes, there seemed to be more to their relationship then friendship. Sakura pressed a kiss to Ino's cheek and draped her arm across her shoulder as they walked down the hall together to reach the buses.

Seeing them so close, it only made Sasuke more comfortable with the fact he gave the girls a second chance. Only time would tell whether or not they deserved it.

Now with them gone, he had time to prepare for the meeting with Sakura's father. What the hell could he do besides clean the mark board? It was just a parent meeting. He'd done this plenty of times before with his other student's parents, most of them usually good meetings and the few occasions he had with the bad apples.

Well . . . now that he thought about it, Sakura's father never attended any of the parent-teacher meetings. He had no clue what the man looked like, whether he was truly involved in the girl's life at all or cared what she did in school. For all Sasuke knew the man could be one of those deadbeat, beer belly fathers who'd rather scratch their dicks in front of the television, then care if their child got another A. He sure as hell didn't give a damn that his daughter came out the house looking like a dime store hooker.

Sasuke went around the classroom, gathering sheets of paper off the floor, excess erasers and pencils sticking out of places. The textbooks aligned the wall were straightened, the floor vacuumed, the chalkboard washed, the mark board given a new facelift for tomorrow's lessons and then he began grading today's chapter tests.

All the cleaning took up less time than expected and he quickly grew bored of grading papers. He marked enough red to make Dexter think a murder was committed. Sasuke checked the wall clock behind him. It read 6:03. Mr. Uzumaki wouldn't get off work until later anyway. Sasuke could have a cup of coffee and come back in time to meet with the man.

Making his way down the hall, Sasuke saw one of the senior teachers, Shikamaru Nara speaking with the art teacher, Ms. Temari. He waved, they waved back, continuing with their conversation. The teacher's lounge was everything anyone would imagine it to be.

A boring plain, room with three brown tables, some desk chairs, two microwaves, a large refrigerator and a flat screen television plastered on the back wall. Sasuke found the school's only Geography teacher sitting in the same spot, eating the same dinner, watching the television show, with the same expression. If no one really knew Gaara the way Sasuke did they'd swear the man was a zombie from the Walking Dead.

Sasuke retrieved his coffee mug from the top cabinet, and filled it with the stale coffee. It tasted like ground dirt but hell beggars can't be choosers. He pulled up the chair across from Gaara, whose pale sage eyes were clued to a rerun of Andy Griffith. "What's up Gaara?" He asked.

Gaara screwed his turkey sandwich and sipped his sweet tea without a word.

Sasuke sipped his coffee again, "Today's been another unbelievable event after another. Had nothing but problems out of Sakura again. I set up a conference with her father, but God knows how that's going to turn out."

Gaara nodded, taking another bite from his sandwich.

"What's up ladies!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes to the ceiling. The school's basketball coach, Kiba Inuzuka, came bouncing in as loud and obnoxious as always with a basketball under his armpit and the school's logo printed on his red hoodie and snap back. It was no secret amongst the colleagues who had a thing for who. Kiba didn't bother hiding it either when it came to who wanted to date.

The doggish coach came tumbling in, shitty grin eating up his face as he flopped down in a chair next to Gaara, "So baby," Kiba started sexily. "When ya gonna let me blow my dynamite in your cave?"

Sasuke choked on his coffee.

Gaara kept looking at the TV.

"Alright, s'cool. Play hard to get," Kiba wouldn't be deterred. He'd try again later. He always tried again. "What's up Sasuke. Sakura givin' ya hell again?"

"HmMmm," He nodded around the rim of his mug. "Got a parent-teacher conference in a few." As a matter of fact—Sasuke checked the wall clock—it was 6: 37 now. He might as well make the trip back. Hopefully the man would be there by the time he arrived to the classroom. Sasuke poured out the rest of his coffee, not bothering to say goodbye since Kiba was busy trying to figure out the next lame ass come on. Something about him being Barney and needing love or some shit.

As Sasuke strolled down the hallway, hands in his pockets, he heard a tremor similar to a punch against a wall coming from outside. The bumps became loud beats and the beats eventually blended into music. Sasuke paused next one of the windows to look outside, wondering where the hell all that loud noise was coming from.

He spied a 1995 gunmetal Cadillac Eldorado pulling into the school visitor parking lot. The windows were tinted black as quill ink, and polished hub caps the color of underwater treasure on white wall tires. Loud speakers in the back of the car were drumming the bass to music Sasuke hadn't heard since he was a child.

Return of the mack,
It is,
Return of the mack,
Come on,
Return of the mack,
Oh, my god,
You know that I'll be back,
Here I am.
Return of the mack,
Once again,
Return of the mack,
Top of the world,
Return of the mack,
Watch my flow,
You know that I'll be back,
Here I go.

How many times had his daddy wore the hell out of Mark Morrison? Sasuke shook his head and kept on walking to class. The things folks listened to these days still amazed him. He rounded the hall to his class, expecting to see someone waiting for him in the class.

No parent. No Sakura. There was no one.

Fine, no problem. The guy did get off at 6:30. Sasuke couldn't expect him to be here right off the back. So he went about doing some last minute nit picking at various parts of the class. The textbooks were reorganized, he made sure the desks were parallel each other and around the time he reached the stand for the wall projector he heard a shrill squeal and a rough snarl boom in C Hall.

"Kyuubi! Stop runnin' 'round like ya got any house trainin'!"

"Daddddddy, I wanna p'ay!"

"What did I say?"

Well.

Sasuke viewed his clock. 7:18. Not perfect timing but reasonable enough. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go China Town for some take out and the couch at home. He stopped at the corner of his desk to take a seat on top, thought better of how unprofessional that'd appear and went around to take his leather chair.

The door gaped open.

In bounced a young child no taller than Sasuke's thigh and enough red hair to leave a blood trail. He twirled around in a circle on, arms spread wide, making small air engine noise with his lips before coming to a brief stop and falling backwards on the floor. Something must've been amusing about suddenly dropping to the floor, because the kid couldn't stop giggling and his bright blue eyes danced with child filled merriment.

"Kyuubi, don't make me take off my belt!"

The child, whom Sasuke assumed to be Kyuubi, snapped to attention faster than a deer caught in the headlights. "I s'rry Daddy."

"Don't be sorry lil' boy. Just do what I say." The door opened wider and the last man Sasuke ever expected walked in.

The first thing he noticed right off the back was the head of saffron hair and Italian tan skin. The next to follow were eyes the color of cornflowers, a smile for days and a fine face to match. This man—Sasuke's inner beast was raging—had to be have been about an inch or two shorter than he was with a bulky body that wore caramel muscles like saran wrap. He was absolutely mouthwatering. Sasuke counted the steps it too for this man's street long legs to reach him and stretch out his hand to shake.

Sasuke was sure his twenty nine years was pushing up on him, if he couldn't do a simple handshake. Either that, or he was catching a serious case of not having any ass in a while.

This man's chest was thick as a barrel, encased inside a sky blue polo with the logo for All American Homes printed over his right pectoral in white letters. The collar was flipped up and the three buttons undone down to reveal a peek of this man's forbidden ozone. Brown dirt marks dusted over his grey mans and some of his elbow, he could've been covered in red paint and pink leather and still rock it better than Prince.

"How ya doin'? Naruto Uzumaki," The blond man introduced with a voice dripping sinful promises.

At least they did in Sasuke's ears. His exterior revealed not a thing, but shit if his inner self wasn't catapulting from side to side.

"I guess you're my daughter's teacher. Mr. Uchiha, right?"

Sasuke's face remained blank and so did the space between him and Naruto's hand. A billion assumptions were running through his mind at once. For starters, this guy barely looked old enough for pull ups and here he was saying Sakura was his daughter? She was fifteen years old. He barely looked twenty five.

Naruto frowned, "You are her teacher aren't ya?"

No reply. Sasuke wished that foot in his mouth would come out.

The blond retracted his hand, reaching around to scratch behind his head, "Sorry, guess I'm in da' wrong place. The kid said this was the place," Naruto gave the school room a look around, searching for clues. "I could've sworn she said Room 419."

Sasuke still hadn't said a word because his eyes fell down where the hem of Naruto's sleeves pulled back over his vein induced biceps. There had to be at least three different rows of these lines meeting and separating on this guy's arms. Then there was the smell of soil, sweat and musk whisking across Sasuke's nose.

"Yo, can't ya point me in the right direction? I need to hurry this shit along. Gotta have dinner ready for my brats and they're fuckin' hellions when they don't eat."

Common sense dropped in Sasuke's head, heavy as an anvil. He cleared his throat and gave himself a few mental knock outs before putting his hand forth, "Excuse me Mr. Uzumaki. Yes I'm Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura's honors teacher. It's been a long day you realize, so excuse my absent mindedness. Please, have a seat." Sasuke waved a hand around to one of the desks in front of his.

Naruto spared Sasuke a critical look, eyebrow sneaking up to his hairline, "Right," he slowly murmured, taking the offered seat. "You." He pointed and snapped at the little child currently doing a handstand on his head. "There, now." The little firecracker righted himself and hopped in the chair next to his father, his chin leveled just enough to reach the top. "Don't move." Naruto tapped the boy's nose and turned to face Sasuke with a very familiar scowl.

Now Sasuke saw where Sakura got it from.

"So lay it on me, Teach. What's my brat lookin' like in your class? She gonna make it or am I lookin' at transferrin' her?" The blonde father closed his eyes, the lines on his cheeks stretching wider. "Keep it straight with me."

Sasuke had barely gotten in his chair before Naruto asked for the four one, one.

Another trait inherited it seemed. Sakura grew bored easily with explanations when wanting the straight facts. But that both worked and failed in her favor. Sasuke retrieved his quarter average grades from the second cabinet of his cherry wood desk and leafed through until finding Sakura towards the end. He pulled it out and flipped it open to the current year's grades. "Sakura's got one of the best scores recorded in Calculus l, Honors English and Ethics and Economics in her grade. If she applies herself enough, chances are she could be valedictorian." Sasuke pushed the manila folder forward for Naruto to read himself.

But the father didn't bother looking at it. In fact, he slid it right back to Sasuke like it was an empty plate for the servant to pick up. "You're tellin' me shit I already know. I know she's smart. What I'm askin' is if my kid's got a chance of passin' your class?"

"She does. However it takes more than good marks," Sasuke flipped to another page for attendance and disciplinary actions taken in the pass quarter. "I've written her up several times for detention, she's seen Mr. Umino numerous occasions for bad conduct and overly disrupting the class with random outbursts."

"Hmm," Naruto nodded slowly, crossing his feet at the ankles, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. The position left his neck on full view, slender and yet firm. His Adam apple bobbed when he spoke, catching Sasuke's dark eyes the way a hawk zeros in on prey. "How long has the brat been showin' her ass?"

Sasuke thought a moment, "Since the beginning of the year. Four months, nearly five."

"Shit, figures. She must've saw that bitch again," Naruto sighed, straightening himself in the seat. "Alright, what else?"

A moment passed with tensed silence. The thin patience extruded seemed limited, from what Sasuke could see. He didn't press it, and went on to discuss today's interruption, "Today was the final strike against your daughter. Sakura and Ino were caught cheating in class as well as passing notes during lessons and—"

Sasuke blinked hard, and then slowly lifted his gaze up to his student's parent, stunned. Naruto let off a sudden laugh that tore and rebounded off the walls of the room like pin pong balls. The tenor rose with a sudden loud boom and wheeze, back loud, then deep. A frown pinched Sasuke's forehead. Whatever the joke was he failed to catch it, but apparently Naruto thought it was the funniest punch line in the universe.

"Oh God, that little brat. I knew her ass was lyin'." Naruto barked in between laughs. "Studyin' my ass. Ya know when my boy here walked in her room and told me he saw his sister neckin' with that Ino girl, I thought he was shittin' me. But this here? Oh yeah, I knew it. Definitely knew that!" He continued laughing and shaking his head.

His laugh was . . . disgustingly contagious. Sasuke's lips split into the smallest smirk as he watched the blond man animate into a whole new person. This face he liked much better. A frown did nothing to enhance his good lucks. "I discovered it myself after some time. They're always partnering together for projects and walking together to classes. Not to mention their love letters."

Naruto finally somber up enough to speak, "Love letters eh? I'm gonna remember to add that to my shit list when I get home. Girl's been a fast one since she hit thirteen. Whew," Naruto's chuckled died away complete, expression slowly distancing to something that left a smile on his face. "She's always been a handful, even when she was a little baby. I was scared as hell ya know? When her mama came and told me she was pregnant before we even knew what pregnant was."

"I can imagine," Sasuke said without thinking. It was already out there, so might as well carry on the conversation since it is technically about Sakura. No rules were being broken. "You seem so young to be a father with two children."

"Thirty one's not all that young."

So he was older. Interesting.

"I didn't think age was anything when I was fifteen. All I cared about about was flippin' skirts and catchin' a dick in my mouth. And then there came Jackie Haruno. Sweetest piece of ass in school. We knocked boots and she got knocked up," Naruto blinked at Sasuke's face. There was a confusion there he recognized. "I know what you're thinkin'. The pink hair and green eyes, right? How the hell can a blond hair, blue eyed man create that? I thought the same thing when I saw Sakura. I sure as hell didn't think she was mine. Jackie had green eyes but where the fuck did that pink hair come from? I just knew she wasn't mine, but when our folks took us to the clinic for a test, DANA came back positive."

Naruto took a deep breath, continuing his story, "Well after that I planned on leavin' her with her mother because hey, what's a fifteen year old boy to do with a baby eh? I was young, still wet behind the ears and on my way up with a basketball scholarship to University."

The manila folder was forgotten all together as Sasuke leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the top of his desk, entranced with the tale unfolding, "But you didn't leave her."

"I planned too," Naruto said. "I wanted to so bad, but then I heard through the grapevine all the crazy shit Jackie was gettin' herself into. Drugs, the drinkin', different men, just flat outta control. I caught her stupid ass out one night with Sakura outside one of the clubs downtown. She was scorin' a dime bag with my four month old baby girl under her arm like a purse." Naruto dragged a hand over his head of spiny hair, everything in his child's life pouring out like a faucet. "Sakura's head was greasy and full of dirt. Her skin was ashy and cracked, her gums were white and when she started cryin' that about did it for me. I took her away and told Jackie if she came near my child again I'd kill her ass. That's why I think Sakura's been actin' up lately. She saw the nasty tramp around that time in Walmart and hadn't been straight since."

An involuntary shiver hooked Sasuke's spine like pirate hooks. The way Naruto's voice deepened about that woman—damn what did he sound like when in the mood? Sasuke cleared his throat, "I never knew how much she's been through. Sakura's normally hard as stone."

"My baby girl is—wait, don't think I'm tellin' ya this for sympathy, but," Naruto scratched behind his head again, a habit duly noted. "Never mind, why tell you a whole piss sad story in the first place right?" He chuckled nervously. "S'ppose ya think I'm a lil' nuts huh?"

"Not at all Mr. Uzumaki—"

"Naruto."

"I'm sorry?"

"Call me Naruto. My dad was Mr. Uzumaki. I just told you my sob story so I think we're past formalities. I'm Naruto, you're Sasuke, cool?"

"I'm your daughter's teacher."

"And I'm her old man."

"It's unprofessional."

"It's necessary if I think you're kinda cute."

Sasuke's mouth clamped shut on what he had planned to say next. The ammo swallowed back in his throat, trapped. Straight forward indeed. "Mr. Uzuma— Naruto" Sasuke corrected himself at Naruto's scowl. "With all due respect, I think you're an attractive man—"

"Ya don't have to return the compliment sweetheart," Naruto winked. "I get around enough ta' know I'm sexy."

Sasuke was gradually losing his edge. The wall built between parent and teacher was crumbling like bread crumbs. It was so troublesome. Here was this gloriously handsome father of two, with mood swings like a fifty year old woman in heat, a wicked smile and a stone hard fact lying between them. Sasuke was the teacher, Naruto the parent. Would he really break that barrier?

"Ya know," Naruto sat up slowly and stretched out his legs in front of him, folding his arms across his chest. "You damn near have the prettiest face I've ever seen. And trust, I've seen lots."

Sasuke couldn't help it. His chuckle bubbled off his lips faint as music and twice as sultry. This man was a wonder, openly flirting with him in front of his son—who happened to be asleep under the desk, thank goodness—and with a gleam of lust clearly evident in his blue eyes. "Are you flirting with me to save your daughter's record, Mr. Uzumaki?" He let the formality slip with a delicate flick.

"Hell no, this is grown folk's business here. Whatever ya plan to do with Sakura, don't let what I'm doin' ruin it." Naruto leaned back, some of his parenting back in check. "If you give her a second chance, sure I'll appreciate it, but if you think she deserves suspension, nothing I say will change your mind." Silence, then a warm grin. "You look like the type of man who does what he wants, when he wants too."

If possible, Sasuke's gaze grew intensely dark, "I've been told I can be aggressive when I wanna be."

Yeah right. No one's told him that in about two years.

"Is that right?" Naruto eased out of the desk and stood tall, leaning forward to plant his palms flat on Sasuke's desk. "So if we're done talkin' about my daughter, lemme ask you this. What is it ya want right now Mr. Uchiha?"

Did he really have to ask? Sasuke knew when he was being challenged and answered with one of his own. He too stood up, shadowing Naruto by an inch as he closed in some of the gape between them, "What is it you want me to do?"

Naruto smiled, "How's about givin' me your number and a date? Sound good, yeah?"

"It does." Holy hell he was going to get fired, but Sasuke would be damned to hell if he let this sexy son of a gun go without having a taste. "Six o'clock Saturday. Your place or mine?"

"Wherever ya want me."

"My place it is then." Sasuke was looking at Naruto's sharply bright blue eyes, the high arch of his cheek bones, the clean map of caramel skin, his plump bottom lip and the dipping V that showed off his chest.

He'd been busily scoping out the tiny blond curls on Naruto's chest when the blonde's outdoor scent fanned his nose and his breath breezed across his ear, "It's a date then."

And the warmth vanished. Naruto took the whole atmosphere with him as he went to retrieve his sleeping son. Sasuke watched him head for the door.

"By the way," Naruto started when he reached the door. "Just so we're clear, I ain't anybody's bottom bitch."

Sasuke smiled wide and lustful, "What a coincidence, neither am I."

"Hn, we'll see."

And then he left. Leaving the classroom empty of his presence and Sasuke wondering what the hell he'd just gotten himself into.

"Bwhahahahahahaha I fuckin' knew it!"

"Alright, alright daddy enough. I get it, ha ha laugh at me, shit."

Naruto had arrived home to find his daughter finishing up with tonight's dinner. Kyuubi had woken up long enough to eat a little, take a bath and head to bed for school tomorrow. Sakura was at the kitchen sink, dressed in one of Naruto's oversized red tees and black jersey shorts, all her pink hair pulled up a shaggy ponytail. As soon as Naruto came back from the shower, he told her how the meeting went with her teacher.

Her touch screen IPhone sat on the counter next to the dish rack playing Va Va Boom by Nicki Minaj. It was a habit she'd gotten from Naruto years ago. He couldn't stand washing dishes in silence, and she couldn't either. She used her phone and he was a little more primitive using a little radio turned to 98.3 the R&B station.

He'd changed in a black wife beater, a pair of paint stained grey sweats and an orange bandana tied around his forehead and forearm.

"Just who were ya tryin' ta' fool lil' girl? I played that game enough to know how it works." Naruto said from the dining table, straddling one of the chairs. "If you were bumpin' rugs ya should've told me."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Like I wanna tell my old man I'm fuckin' my best friend."

"What'd I say about droppin' the F bomb in here?"

"Whatever, you outta practice what you preach. If you don't want me cussin' you shouldn't either."

"I'm a grown ass man."

"And I'm a teenage girl." Sakura turned around with a bit of soap suds and water on her left cheek. "So I'm grounded for how long?"

"Till I can figure out what's better." Naruto chuckled. "You know better than to cut up in school. Your teacher's a nice man. Pretty cute too."

"No!" Sakura swirled around with a soggy spatula in her hand. "Don't touch him. Don't you dare. I mean it Daddy. I'll castrate you in your sleep."

Naruto paled, hands raised in mock surrender, "Hey, hey, I get it, hands off. If you like him so much, why ya giving him such a hard time?"

"I don't like Mr. Uchiha. He's boring, he always smells like lemons, his voice sounds like a dehydrated android and don't get me started on his sense of fashion. Ugh you should see him on Fridays. He always wears that same stupid black polo, black jeans and black shoes. Daddy he swears Reeboks. Reeboks daddy!"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "So why can't I like him too? I like a man in black."

"You like a man in anything you can take off," Sakura sighed dramatically, wiping her wrist across her forehead. "Daddy pleassssssse, if you love me, you won't go deep dicking my teacher! That's fuckin' gross!"

"Sakura what'd I say?"

"Daddy!"

"Ok, ok, I already said I wouldn't lay hands on him."

"That includes feet, dicks, tongues, teeth, lips, eyes and toes." Sakura cast a sage glare over her shoulder to show how serious she was.

Naruto sighed long and frustrated, "Did ya ever think your old man was tired of bein' alone?"

"I'm not sayin' you can't go out and have a couple'a fucks," Sakura felt as well as heard her father's warning growl. "Ok, ok I mean dates. So long as it's not my teacher. S' just weird knowing you and him are doin' stuff. And," Sakura paused with a glass plate in her hand. "Mr. Uchiha's not used to guys like you."

"What do ya mean guys like me?"

"Ya know, hard, tough guys. Mr. Uchiha's sort of borin' so he's gonna like boring things. You can't wanna do the deed without going all out."

"What, ya mean like flowers, candy and shit?"

"I dunno, I do it for Ino sometimes, she says she likes it," Sakura slowly turned around with a cup in her hand, dripping water on the floor. "Daddy do you like really like Mr. Uchiha?"

Naruto nodded without hesitation, "Yeah, he's just got this something about 'em I wanna try out."

Sakura sighed a final time, placing the cup in the bin to dry before wiping her hands on the t-shirt and letting the water drain out of the sink. She pulled a chair from beneath the table and straddled the same way as Naruto, "Then ya gotta act like you mean it. Don't treat this like its going to be a one night stand. If you really like him, you'll show him."

"Ya think so?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head thinking. He'd been out the dating game for about seven months since his last relationship. He'd thought things between him and Sora would work out but they just couldn't meet in the middle when it came the smallest issues. "So whatcha think I should do?"

Sakura smiled wide and bright, "I know just the thing." She surged up from her chair and hurried to her room, coming back just as quickly with a Cosmopolitan Magazine in her hands. "Here, on page 96 it talks about dating for men. Try some of these ideas. They're romantic, sweet and guarantee long relationships."

Naruto took the magazine, scanning some of the contents with a quick eye. Some of these, well, they seemed sort of off for his tastes, "You're sure?"

"Trust me Daddy," Sakura said confidently. "I tried all of these with Ino. I got laid three times in the same day."

"Ugh seriously Sakura have a heart will ya? I'm still your father. I don't wanna hear about you bumpin' kitties. Shit," Naruto took another look over the articles and nodded. "Alright, I'll give these a try. You go finish up your homework. And gimme your phone."

"Huh? Why?"

"What'd think this is? This ain't twenty one questions. Gimme your phone, wallet, and everything else you can search the internet on. You're still on punishment."

When Sakura didn't move, Naruto raised his hand about to swat her leg but she jolted up before he could reach her. "Daddy. . ." She pouted sadly. "Please?"

"Stuff, now. You're still grounded Sakura and your curfew's jacked up to nine o'clock."

"NINE?!"

"You wanna try eight thirty?"

"Ugh!" Sakura threw her hands in the air, stomping angrily to her room. "I hate you so much!"

"And bring me your Wii!" Naruto laughed quietly to himself, returning his gaze back to the magazine in his hand. There were at least several different things explaining the steps to take for dating the man of your dreams.

There was no guarantee Sasuke was that kind of man, but Naruto would just have to see.

TBC: Sooooo . . . . how's that? Not bad for a sick girl in bed lol.