-o-o-o- Blueberry Hill -o-o-o-

Disclaimer: I don't own 'Naruto' and I don't make any money from these writings.
Warnings: AU, bullying, eventually yaoi.
Pairing: Kankuro x Naruto.

Summary: One day Naruto is being bullied in the bus terminal and he escapes into a wrong bus. What happens when he meets a strange but good looking brunette in there? KankuroxNaruto/AU/Bullying/Yaoi.

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A/N: I started writing this exact story in the summer 2008 but back then, my laptop suddenly died and the original story was erased. Now three and a half years later, I'm ready to rewrite this story. Because this is a story I want to tell you. I want to believe in kind people. Yet I constantly see the cruelness of this world, and it depresses me.

I also wanted to portray Kankuro as a nice guy for once, because in my other stories, he's a monster of some sort.

UPDATE Jan 27th 2018: I've revised the chapters: there has been (and probably still are) grammatical errors and such. So if you notice subtle changes, it's because of that. I've also restored the original author's notes that were in the beginning/end of the chapters. I took them off earlier, don't really know why, but now they're back. ^^

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Chapter 1: A Rainy Friday

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This Friday was like any other September's day: rainy and chilly. The sky had cocooned itself in grey nimbuses which were trickling small and cold water drops to the ground. It was even blowing a bit, increasing the chilliness of the air. After a long, colorful and overall warm summer the current weather felt depressing, at least to a blond boy who was standing in the yard of the bus terminal in the centre of Konoha, under the open sky, without having an umbrella with him.

The bullies had broken his light green frog umbrella just this morning. He was getting wetter minute by minute and the wind that blew through his thin clothes made him shiver involuntarily.

"Hey, there he is!" somebody shouted. And that somebody the blond knew all too well.

"Let's get him," a friend of the shouter's said, as a small gang started coming closer to the quivering blond.

"Hey Naruto, how's it going?" a brown haired boy asked, entwining his arm around the blond's shoulders like they were the best of buddies. But Naruto knew they were far from friends.

"Let go of me, Kiba," Naruto said defensively, not wanting this boy so close to him. The gang had gathered around him, preventing him from leaving easily.

"Ooh, he's so defensive today!" Kiba goaded, and the gang around him laughed.

The blond tried to wrench himself free of the brown haired boy's half-hug, knowing that he had to get out of the situation as fast as he could.

"What happened to your umbrella?" Kiba asked, even though he remembered very well how they had broken the stupid, childish thing in the morning.

"Let go of me, now!" Naruto said, and pushed the other boy away from him. He tried to break free from the wall of people around him, but somebody grabbed him from behind as someone else tackled him, and so he fell down on the puddle beneath him.

The gang let out gales of laughter because of this, and somebody even kicked the wet clothed blond on the side as he tried to get up. The blow wasn't too hard but it wasn't gentle, either, and it made Naruto's body hurt.

When the blond was finally back on his feet, the gang closed in on him again, letting Kiba face their victim. "I'm sick of you," the brown haired boy spat, and took hold of Naruto by the front of his shirt.

"Hit him!" somebody suggested, and this caused the gang to cheer.

Encouraged, Kiba looked at his prey with a feral look in his eyes. He was smirking, his fangs clearly showing, and to Naruto, he looked like a hungry wolf. And with one, quick movement, he hit the blond to the cheek.

Naruto let out a yelp and fell backwards, noticing how the members of the gang had moved away from behind his back in one smooth movement, letting him sway to the ground. With his butt first, he fell to the water puddle again, feeling his clothes get even wetter.

This chain of events got the gang's applause, and the people once again closed in on the blond. As Naruto tried to get up, somebody from behind him got an idea and pulled the blond's blue pants down, revealing his orange underpants which had a teddy bear pattern on them. The gang hooted at the embarrassing piece of clothing, and somebody gave Naruto a push, making the blond stagger.

As Naruto thought that it couldn't get any more embarrassing, somebody who was behind him wrenched his underpants down, too, leaving him naked from the hem of his shirt to his knees, where the waistbands of the both of his pants were.

"He's shaving!" one member of the gang shouted, noticing how hairless Naruto was down there.

"You disgusting fag!" Kiba spat, and pushed Naruto to the puddle again, smirking as the blond's naked butt hit the cold water.

"Who are you shaving yourself for?" somebody yelled, as a blushing Naruto tried to get up again, pulling up his water dripping pants.

"Maybe he has a boyfriend, somebody who's as faggot as he is!" another voice shouted.

"Let's take him to the bathroom," Kiba said evilly, smirking as he watched his victim.

Scared at the threat, Naruto's eyes widened. He didn't want to go to the bus terminal's bathroom, not with these guys! Only god knew what they could come up with. With new-found courage and strength, Naruto pushed past the people that had so far kept him inside the circle. Some hands were clenching to his clothes but he wrenched them off.

As he was finally free from the gang, he started to run away, knowing that they would follow him. Near him was a bus, its door open, and without thinking anything else but his escape, he burst into the vehicle, knowing that his bullies wouldn't dare to follow him in there. With shaking hands, he took out his little, plump frog purse and handed the driver some coins.

With that done, he started to walk down the hallway of the bus, trying to find a seat in the crowded place. The driver shouted after him that he had given too much money, but the blond didn't hear him. He was too shocked because of the recent happenings to pay attention to things like that. The only thing he could hear was the loud thumping of his frightened heart.

The first free seat was next to a brown haired man.

"Can I sit here?" Naruto asked politely, his voice quivering from shock and coldness.

"Sure," the man answered, not even bothering to look at the blond.

Thankful, Naruto sat down and put his schoolbag to his lap. He took a wavering breath and ran a hand though his damp hair, relieved that he was safe now.

Safe until the next time…

He was afraid of what he would've been put through if he hadn't made a desperate escape. As he recalled the moment when the bullies had pulled his pants down, he blushed brilliant red, ashamed that they had seen his childish underwear, ashamed that they had revealed his secret: that he indeed shaved himself. It was a secret he would've liked to keep. But now that the bullies knew about it, it wouldn't take longer than the next weekday until the whole school knew about it.

As if it hadn't been bad enough that the bullies knew he was gay.

Shivering because his clothes were wet and cold, Naruto tried to get his breathing even. As he couldn't rid his mind from the recent events, and how much they had hurt him, he felt like crying. He didn't cry often but now the shame and the experience of being violated in such a disgusting way felt like they were too much to bear. Besides, his cheek hurt and he feared there would appear a bruise. Once single tear escaped his eye, and he quickly dried it away. What if somebody on this bus had seen them bullying him and would now see him crying? That would look so sissy!

Naruto glanced around, but no one was looking at him. The brunette next to him was looking out of the bus window, seemingly deep in thought. From what Naruto had time to notice, the man had lined his eyes with black kohl, and had stylishly messy short brown hair and black clothes.

The blond blushed. He had a thing for brunettes, and this particular brown haired man wasn't bad looking at all. But so what? It wasn't like Naruto had any chances for this guy. The bullying had really crumbled down his self-confidence and self-respect. Why would anybody be interested in him, anyway? And now that he was all wet, he was hardly attractive.

Right then the engine of the bus fired, indicating that the bus was going to leave the terminal. That got Naruto starting out of his thoughts, for he realized now that he was now going somewhere—but he had no idea where exactly.

"Excuse me," the blond asked the brunette next to him, "But where is this bus going?"

The brunette had been peacefully enjoying his solitude so far, and the delicate voice brought him out of his musings. He turned to look at the blond boy next to him, who had a kind yet questioning look in his eyes. Somehow, the blue eyes of the boy looked sad to him, and he wondered what had made the boy so miserable. It was then he noticed that the boy's cheek was a bit swollen, and inwardly, he frowned because of this.

"Don't you know?" the brunette then asked, wondering why the blond was on the bus, if he had no idea of its destination.

"Well obviously I don't," Naruto answered, forcing a smile to his face. He knew that he most likely appeared as a very stupid person for being on a bus and not knowing where it was going. But he couldn't help it, the bullies had literally driven him here.

"This one goes to the northern Konoha," the brunette answered in a short way. He stared at the blond, who still had a polite smile on his face.

Naruto stared back at the black eyes of the brunette. Those kohl-rimmed eyes somehow appealed to the blond, for they were calm and peaceful, yet at the same time confidence shone through them. Not only to brunettes but Naruto was also drawn to confident guys. He had tried to explain to himself why that was, and he had come to a conclusion that it was because he himself was so insecure. He often masked his insecurity by smiling and laughing, and for the most of the time, it worked.

"Come again?" Naruto asked, as he noticed that he hadn't really paid attention to what the brunette had been saying but instead to the man's looks.

The brunette raised an eyebrow at the question. Hadn't he just clearly said where this bus was going to? He had noticed that the blond boy had kept on staring at him, and zoning out. "Northern Konoha, that's where we're going. This is the bus 18G," he then said, hoping that the weird blond would register his words this time.

"To the north?" Naruto seemed to wake up from his thoughts. He himself lived in the south-east side of Konoha, and knowing that he was now going to the opposite direction, made his spirits sink. How long would it take him to finally get home?

"Where would you have been going then?" the brunette asked. Now, he wasn't worried about this boy, that wasn't the case. He just felt… something else than worry, something he couldn't quite put his finger to. The blond smelled like muddy water and had obviously wet clothes. His hair also seemed damp. Added to that, he had seen from the corner of his eye how the blond had at first been shaking, from what, he didn't know, and then the boy had also wiped his eye, as if there had been tears. Not to mention his swollen cheek. This all made him a bit worried. Worried? Was he really feeling like that? This boy was a complete stranger, after all.

"I live in the south-east side," Naruto answered. He usually took the line 32M to get home, for it drove just past his house.

"Oh," the brunette replied. So this little boy was going far away from home. Somehow, he felt sorry for the guy.

"Where are you going?" Naruto had the courage to ask. For some reason, he wanted to know more of this mysterious and good looking brunette.

"Why do you ask?" the man asked back, cautious. Just because he felt a little sympathy for this stranger, it didn't mean that they were friends or something.

"Uh… I'm just trying to keep the conversation going," the blond said uneasily, taken aback by the brunette's question.

"Ah," the brown haired man said, understanding. "I'm heading home."

"Isn't it boring when it has been raining the whole week?" Naruto changed the topic. He missed summer so much. Mostly because then, there was no school or bullying.

"No. I like rain," the brunette said, and it was true. He preferred autumn and winter over summer. He hailed from a desert city, and in his childhood, he had gotten enough of hotness and sunshine. But now in Konoha, there were four clearly different seasons and he liked that. It brought nice variety to the year.

"Man, how can anyone like rain? It's so depressing!" Naruto argued, really not understanding how this guy here could like the current weather.

"I come from Suna, where there was always so little rain," the brunette explained. Now that he was chatting with the blond, it felt rather nice. Usually, he didn't talk to the co-passengers on busses or on trains, but now he didn't mind speaking with the communicative boy.

"Well that explains it," Naruto said. Then, he had the courage to ask, "How long have you lived here, then?"

"About five years," the man replied, surprised how easy it was to open up about his life to this stranger. "Are you from somewhere else?"

"No, I've always lived here," the blond answered. He was about to ask a question when he saw the other male push the STOP button.

The bus stopped, and Naruto got up from his seat in order to let the brunette to the hallway and out of the vehicle. Just when the man moved past the blond, a scent of some expensive hair wax wafted into Naruto's nose. The scent had musk in it and some other manly tinge, which appealed to the blond.

"Hey, wait!" Naruto shouted after the brunette, and got also out of the bus. It was still raining. The man had unfurled his black umbrella, and was already walking away from the stop.

"Wait!" the blond shouted again, running after the pleasant-scented brunette.

Surprised, the man turned to look at the boy, raising his eyebrow. "What is it?"

"How can I get home?" Naruto asked, hopelessness in his voice, even though he tried to hide it. He didn't want to appear desperate, for the least of all he wanted this strange man's pity.

"Well the next bus leaves after an hour and a half," the brunette said. It really surprised him that the boy had followed him. Was the boy really so desperate? Somehow, he felt sympathy for him.

"Whaat? But…" Naruto sounded disappointed. He was standing there in the rain, getting more soaked second by second, looking down to his shoes. "Well," he then started, his inborn optimism coming to the surface, "Is there any café nearby or some library, where I could spend time?"

"No, there isn't," the brunette was sorry to tell. "There is only a residential area here." He watched as the blond's orange shirt got darker and darker, because of the water soaking it. Hadn't this guy even an umbrella?

"Oh man…" Naruto sighed, looking crestfallen even though he tried his best to keep his face blank.

"Well," the man began, not sure what to say. The boy in front of him looked so pitiful, so small and so fragile. He felt sympathy for him, even though he rarely felt that for any strangers. This boy was an exception, however, and something quivered in his heart as he saw the spiky blond hair getting down because of the downpour wetting them.

"You can come to my place," he then suddenly said, surprising himself, too. Had he really said that aloud?

"W-What?" Naruto asked, totally astonished. Was this stranger really offering his kindness to him?

"Come on," the brunette said and turned to walk forward. He kept on telling himself that this was the least he could do to help the blond. He was just being kind, that's all.

"Oh, okay!" Naruto exclaimed and ran after the man.

"Come under the umbrella," the brunette offered, and draped the thing so that it covered the blond, too. Even though he doubted that it would help, because the boy was already soaked.

"Thanks…" Naruto muttered, not used to this kind of kindness. This was new to him, yet he knew that he would've done the same to any stranger, too.

The brunette didn't say a word. He felt discomfort already because of his offering.

They walked ahead to the direction where the brunette led them. Soon the blacktopping of the road ended and a grit road began. On the both sides of the road, there was a thick conifer forest. When near the bus stop there had been some houses and even blocks of flats in view, there was now no settlement in sight. On they walked, and eventually, a narrow footpath diverged from the grit road, into the deep forest.

"This way," the brunette guided.

With ingenuousness, Naruto followed him. He wasn't scared at all, for his instincts told him that he could trust the older man.

They walked the footpath for some time, until a small cabin came into view. It was a light yellow wooden house with green window frames. The front door was surprisingly red. Next to the door, chimes were hung up, and they played their bright melody in the gusts of wind.

"The color of the door is pretty eye-catching," Naruto pointed out, as the brunette searched for his keys.

"I know. But as they teach in Feng Shui, a red front door is viewed as fortunate," the older man explained.

"Feng what?" Naruto asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Feng Shui, haven't you heard of it? It's a philosophy from the east," the brunette explained patiently, clearly not surprised that the blond hadn't been familiar with the term. Finally, the man found his keys and opened the door, walking in first and letting the blond boy follow him.

Once inside, Naruto took in his surroundings. Currently he was standing in a two-room apartment, which seemed to have a separate bathroom in it. The first, smaller room had all kind of renovating stuff like rolls on wallpapers, paint pots and some sort of tools on the floor. Clearly, the room wasn't finished and it was empty apart from the just mentioned things.

The second, bigger room was furnished and it was clear that this was the space where the brunette lived in. The first impression of the room was a bit saturnine, thanks to the walls that were painted violet. Black net curtains were almost completely in front of the window, and rays of setting sun percolated through them into the room. On the other side of the room there was a kitchenette with a refrigerator, whereas on the other side there was a bed with black sheets and a television.

The room lacked a sofa and a table with chairs, Naruto noticed, and wondered why that was.

The man had already taken off his shoes and jacket and spread the umbrella to dry in the bathroom. Naruto took his orange shoes off, too, and put his bag on the ground. A jacket he didn't even have, because he had forgotten it home this morning. He had overslept again, and he had left to school in a hurry.

The brunette was in the kitchen corner, taking some kitchen wares out of the cabinet. Then, he went to the refrigerator. As chill ran through Naruto's body and he suddenly sneezed, getting the attention of the man.

"I think you caught a cold," the brunette pointed out. It was no wonder, given how the blond had soaked in the cold rain. Again, he felt something akin to sympathy in his heart. He didn't know what it was exactly in the blond that made him feel that way. Maybe it was the blue eyes that looked sad whenever the boy thought no one was looking. Or maybe it was the boy's fragile presence, or his thin form. Either way, the brunette couldn't help but be kind to this blond.

"Maybe I did," Naruto answered with a smile, not caring that he had probably just fallen ill.

'Maybe the blond should change into dry clothes', the brunette thought, for it was still over an hour before the bus to south-east side would arrive.

"Go take a hot shower. I'll give you some dry clothes," the brunette said, leaving the kitchen corner and heading to the drawer that was positioned against the wall.

"What?" Naruto exclaimed, totally surprised. He couldn't go to the shower. That would be just too kind of the man. "But I c-can't!"

"Nonsense. Besides, I don't want you to wet my floors," the brunette said. And if the blond would sit on his bed, like he most likely would, given that the other option was the floor, he wouldn't appreciate it if the sheets would get wet. He opened one of the drawer chests and took out a black T-shirt, grey sweatpants, black socks and a dark purple towel. Then, he gave the pile to the blond, who looked dumbfounded.

"T-Thanks," Naruto stuttered. He hadn't expected this kind of kindness, not at all. He was used to being bullied and ridiculed, and now that somebody treated him like this, he felt surprised.

"No problem," the brunette said and watched as the blond went into the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Naruto furled the black umbrella so that he would have more room. Not knowing where to put it, he chose to place it on top of the washing machine. He locked the door, to feel safer, even though the brunette wasn't threatening at all. Then he stripped himself of his clothes. As he looked at his childish underpants, he remembered the bullies and the emotional hurt was present in his heart again.

Looking down to himself, he saw a bruise on his side, where the kick had landed on him. He could recall the moment when somebody had pulled his underpants down, revealing his most private parts to the gang of bullies. He blushed, and his eyes started to glisten from unshed tears. He could also remember how he had been pushed to the puddle of water right after that. He still felt dirty because of that. A sniff escaped his lips and he felt so violated all over again.

Closing his eyes, Naruto forced the happenings out of his mind. He didn't want to think about his life now. Not now when somebody was being this kind to him. He didn't want to let his bullies ruin even this moment now, too. It was enough that his late afternoon had been hellish.

He stepped into the shower space and let warm water embrace him. Oh how good it felt.

Once showered, Naruto was drying himself on the towel. It was so soft and smelled nice. As he slid it along his skin, it felt like a caress. He then put the dry clothes on, and hung the wet ones into the clothes hooks on the wall. He then exited the bathroom and felt much more comfortable in the borrowed clothes, even though they were too big for him.

"I warmed us some soup," the brunette said. He was hungry, and he had figured that it would've been rude to prepare food only for himself.

"You wouldn't have had to," Naruto said, once again astonished. And right then, his stomach rumbled.

"I see you're hungry, too," the man commented, smiling a little.

To that, the blond only blushed and looked down to his toes. He didn't really know how he should take the stranger's kindness. On the other hand, he was more than thankful but then again, he felt ashamed.

"Oh, what's your name, by the way," Naruto suddenly asked. He wanted to know the name of his helper. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

"I'm Kankuro," the brunette said and gave a bowl of soup to the blond. "Let's sit down on the bed, since I have no chairs. Sorry about that…"

"No, no! It's me who should be sorry. After all, I'm intruding your home," Naruto apologized as he sat down with the man. He really didn't see himself worthy of the brunette's kindness.

"But it was me who invited you," Kankuro pointed out, already eating the food.

They ate the mushroom soup in silence. Kankuro had finished first, and he got up, taking the now empty bowl to the sink. He had heard the one single sniff that the boy had let out while being in the bathroom, thanks to the paper thin walls, and he wondered what could have possibly caused the blond to cry. The blond had acted like that first on the bus, and now in here, and it made Kankuro wonder what on earth had happened. With these thoughts, he sat down to the bed again, next to the blond.

"Thanks," Naruto said as his bowl was finally empty. He took it to the sink and then got back sitting on the bed, not knowing what to do. There was still time until his bus would arrive.

"You're welcome," Kankuro replied, wondering what he should do next. Then, an idea came to him. "We can watch television."

Without hesitation, he then turned on the device. Some comedy show was on, and for a moment, they both watched it. Naruto yawned. The dry clothes, the safe atmosphere and the warm soup were relaxing him. This place was so unlike his home, he had to admit. And Kankuro's company was so nice. It sure felt nice to be accepted and taken care of. Naruto had no friends at the moment, and that's why he craved even more of the attention of this mysterious brunette. To the blond, it almost felt like they were friends already.

He yawned again but this time, his eyes started to droop. His back was against the wall, giving him support, and so he could feel more relaxed. He let his eyes close momentarily. He wouldn't sleep, he would just rest his eyes. With even breaths, he concentrated fully on how good and safe he felt at the moment. He heard Kankuro snort at some joke on the TV show and it made him smile a happy smile. Oh, how life was good at the moment. Without him noticing it, he was asleep in no time.

Kankuro liked the TV show that he was watching. It had situation comic in it and that genre always made him laugh. Suddenly, he glanced at the clock and noticed it was 19:32 already. The boy's bus would leave soon!

"Hey Naruto," Kankuro started and turned to look at the blond. The boy, however, was already in a deep sleep, given how he didn't react to what the brunette was saying. Kankuro was about to shake the boy awake, when his eyes hit the swollen and now even a bit bruised cheek. He frowned, wondering what on earth had happened to the blond. Who had the guts to hit such a fragile and petite person? What if something was going on at the blond's home? Would it be better to let the boy spend the night in here, for who knew in what kind of environment he would end up?

Asleep, Naruto started to slide down into a lying position. Once he was lying, he sleepily scratched his side. As his hand slipped down, the oversized, borrowed T-shirt he was wearing revealed a little part of the tanned skin on his side, due to the movement. And on that part, there showed a glimmer of that nasty bruise from the kick he had received earlier that day. Kankuro noticed this and moved the hem of the shirt up a bit more, thus revealing the disgusting bruise in all its horridness.

The black eyes darkened, and the brunette's frown deepened. Who the hell was beating this innocent boy? Deciding that he would call to a child welfare inspector the first thing in the morning, to report a case of violence towards child, he got up from the bed, turned off the television and went to the bathroom.

There, he removed the make-up from his eyes, brushed his teeth and washed his face. He then went to the drawer to take a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, and back in the bathroom, he changed them on. Looking himself in the mirror, Kankuro could see dark half-circles under his eyes. He had some sort of insomnia and during the last few nights, he hadn't really slept. It was taking its toll on him now, and he yawned.

He left the bathroom and saw the blond still sleeping, right next to the wall. He took a spare blanket that had been folded on the end of the bed, for the boy was sleeping on his made bed, on top of his usual blanket, and he couldn't move him without waking him up. So he spread the spare blanket on top of the blond, who breathed deep, even breaths.

Kankuro wondered where he would sleep. The floor wasn't a very tempting place to spend a night on but did he have a choice? He couldn't sleep next to a stranger! And besides, what would the boy think if he were to wake up in the middle of the night, and find that he, Kankuro, had chosen to invade the personal space and sleep next to him? Wouldn't the boy be scared? Or disgusted?

Besides, Kankuro knew he was a cuddling type, at least all his previous girlfriends had told him so, and it wouldn't give a good impression if he woke up in the morning and found himself cuddling the stranger. And this boy, he was just a kid, wouldn't he found it also a bit pedophilic?

Shaking the unpleasant thought out of his mind, Kankuro decided to sleep on the floor. He would lean on the wall next to the drawer. Too bad he hadn't got a spare pillow.

Sleep came to the brunette surprisingly well that evening, despite the miserable sleeping position.

-o-o-o-

It was hunger that woke him up. Slowly, the blue eyes opened and blinked lazily. A fresh scent of clean bedclothes wafted into his nose. Everything felt so soft and comfortable. It was then his eyes blinked fully open. Where on earth was he?

Sitting up, Naruto realized that he wasn't in his own familiar bed but instead on the man's he had met only yesterday.

Talking about the man, the blond noticed that the brunette was still asleep, sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall. Because of this, Naruto felt a bit bad: the man had let him sleep on the bed, while the brunette had been forced to stay on the floor. And it was then the blond realized that he had been given a spare blanket, whereas Kankuro hadn't even a pillow. Just… wasn't there an end to the kindness of this man, Naruto wondered. Even though he knew that he would've done the exact same thing, if he were to host a stranger, or anybody else for that matter.

Had he really fallen asleep last night? He could only remember the good feeling of being in a nice company and how his stomach had been full. And the warmth, that had been remarkable, too. In his home, it was never this warm, and his bed, well, his old, lumpy and thin mattress wasn't even comparable to Kankuro's.

Glancing at the clock, Naruto noticed it was 6:04. He wondered on what time the buses would go to the area where he lived in. Deciding that he would ask the brunette once he was awake, Naruto went to the bathroom. His bladder would've killed him, if he hadn't gone.

Kankuro woke up to the sound of somebody pulling the plug. Yawning, he blinked his eyes, knowing that it was probably time to get up. As he moved into a standing position, he couldn't help but wince: his muscles hurt from sitting on the floor for so long. But it was nothing he couldn't handle. After stretching, he was beginning to feel a bit better.

"Oh, good morning," Naruto said happily, smiling, as he emerged from the bathroom. "Sorry if I woke you up."

"Never mind. I had slept long enough anyway," Kankuro lied. In reality, he would've liked to sleep at least a couple of hours longer.

The blond boy sat down on the bed, watching as the older male started to fix some food.

"Do you drink coffee?" Kankuro asked, his back turned to the boy.

"No," was the short reply. Naruto was only sixteen, and he thought he wasn't supposed to be a caffeine addict just yet. Talking about age, the blond wondered how old the brunette was. To him, it looked like he was 18 or 19 but he couldn't be sure.

"How old are you, by the way?" Naruto then asked, feeling that he should fill the silence with talking.

Kankuro stopped at what he was doing, and then turned to face the blond. He didn't like telling people his age, for he felt so old already. This crisis had started when he had turned twenty.

"Why would you ask?" he then said, a mysterious expression on his face.

"Well… I just thought that would be a suitable thing to ask," Naruto concluded. "I'm sixteen."

The brunette had already suspected that the boy would be so young. A kid, that's what the blond was. "Let's just say that I'm older than you," Kankuro said finally, turning his back again in order to get back to what he had been doing.

"I think you're eighteen and a half years old," Naruto guessed, scratching his head.

"That's fine for me," Kankuro just said, happy that he probably didn't look older.

"No but please, tell me your real age," Naruto pleaded. He wanted to get to know this brunette better.

"It's eighteen and half years, just as you said," Kankuro answered, smiling to himself.

"No you're not. I never guess people's age right," Naruto said stubbornly.

As the brunette didn't reply but started to make coffee instead, the conversation died. Naruto found this awkward, and so he opened his mouth again, to fill the silence with noise.

"What do you do for a living?" he asked, hoping he would get an answer this time.

Kankuro was silent, so deeply concentrated into making them breakfast. He had heard the question, however, but wasn't on the mood of telling the truth. Instead, he only said, "Aren't you talkative today."

"But I want to get to know you," the blond defended, "How else are we going to be friends?"

"Friends?" Kankuro had to ask. He was dumbfounded. Did this kid really want to be friends with him? They were strangers to each other, for god's sake! Besides, he had bad experience about getting friends, or rather, losing them. He knew why he hadn't any friends left.

"Yeah," Naruto assured. To him, it was only natural to try and befriend this man. His inborn optimism always encouraged him to seek out for new friends and acquaintances.

"I don't know about that…" Kankuro hesitated. "Shouldn't you be telling me things about yourself, too, not just asking me questions?" he then pointed out. He hadn't forgotten about the bruises.

"Like what?" Naruto asked. In his opinion, there was nothing interesting to tell about his life. He was, after all, being bullied and he had no friends. But those things, he was careful at not to tell anyone.

"Like where you got that bruise on your cheek," Kankuro said, worry clear in his voice. Now, the breakfast was ready.

"Uh?" Naruto was surprised. Then he cast his eyes downwards and sadness overtook his features. He didn't want to tell… "It's nothing. I just hit my face on the doorframe."

"Oh," Kankuro replied. Like he would believe a word that had been said. "Won't your parents be worried when you didn't go home last night?" he then asked, as he gave a bowl of porridge and a glass of strawberry-kiwi juice to the boy.

"No they won't," Naruto only said, accepting the food. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell this man about his parents. But then again, if he told the brunette about them, the man might tell something about himself in exchange. "They're dead."

"Huh?" Kankuro said, his black eyes on the blue ones. "So you're an orphan, then?"

"Pretty much so," Naruto replied, eating his food already.

"But who takes care of you, then?" Kankuro asked. He just couldn't believe that this boy would survive all by himself.

"Me myself," Naruto said, forcing a grin to his face. He didn't feel like smiling but he also didn't want this man to get worried because he was an orphan.

"Is that even legally possible?" Kankuro wondered, thinking about the laws of their society.

"Well there's a state official who checks on me every month," Naruto assured, wolfing down his breakfast. The strawberry-kiwi juice was tasty, too.

"I see," Kankuro replied, now eating porridge, too. He had sat down on the bed, next to the blond.

As they ate, the conversation died and a natural silence fell over them. Kankuro couldn't help but wonder what a strange case this boy was. But if the kid didn't have any parents, who was behind those bruises? Kankuro hadn't forgotten about his idea of calling to a child welfare inspector. Should he really inform the authorities? What could they do? There was already some state official checking on the boy, so maybe the situation was under control. What if the boy had really been as clumsy as he claimed to, and had really hit his head on the doorframe? But then again, what about the bruise on the boy's side? Even though his instincts were telling him that everything was not okay, Kankuro decided to postpone the phone call.

"Thanks, it was delicious," Naruto said, his bowl and glass already empty. He hadn't eaten this good food for a long time.

"It was just porridge," Kankuro pointed out, looking amusedly at the boy.

"Never undervalue food," Naruto only said, smiling a bright smile. He hadn't much money, and that was the reason why he often had so little food back home. Hunger was a daily companion for him, but he had gotten used to it.

"True words," Kankuro mumbled as he took their bowls and glasses to the sink. He would wash the dishes later.

"When will my bus leave?" Naruto asked, remembering again that at some point, he would have to leave this nice place. The thought saddened him. At home, there would be no one waiting for him.

Kankuro glanced at the clock, and then scratched his head, trying to remember the schedules of the buses. "I'd say after a half an hour."

"I better change clothes, then," Naruto realized and went into the bathroom.

Fortunately, his own clothes had gotten dry over the night. It would've been unpleasant to get dressed in damp things. In silence, Naruto changed the clothes and put the borrowed ones on top of the washing machine, next to the furled umbrella. He then left the bathroom, and found Kankuro in front of the mirror, on the hallway, putting on some kohl.

"You like to make up, huh?" Naruto asked. He thought it was weird that this man used kohl. It wasn't girly in his opinion, just... strange.

"Yep. It sharpens the look," Kankuro explained. He had learned this habit when he had been 17 or 18, he couldn't quite remember. But since then, he had lined his eyes with a thin black line every morning.

Naruto knew that if he were to wear any kind of make-up, his bullies would most certainly pick on him even more because of that. Yep, he would just end up face first into a water puddle.

"I have to change clothes, too," Kankuro explained as he was done.

Naruto blushed slightly as he looked at the brunette now: the eyeliner really made the man look more intimidating. Without the blackness, the brunette looked much nicer and more casual. Naruto couldn't decide which he liked more: with or without kohl. And he blushed more as he realized that he was once again zoning out because he had thought about the man's good looks.

Meanwhile, Kankuro had gone to the bathroom, unaware of the blond's thoughts. After he was done changing clothes, he stylized his hair a little. Finally content with how he looked, he came out and glanced at the clock once more.

"We better get going so that you'll be in time," Kankuro said, already putting on his black Converse shoes.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, as he, too, started lacing up his orange sneakers.

Before they left the house, Kankuro fetched his umbrella: it was still raining heavily.

Once outside, Kankuro held the umbrella so that they both could fit under it. Naruto blushed again as he had to walk so close to this good-scented brunette. The musk wafted into the blond's nose and for a fleeting moment, he felt his knees getting weak. It was silly, he kept on telling himself. He shouldn't react to him like this, yet he did and couldn't help it. There was just something in this man that appealed to him so much.

Naruto was so deep in thought that he didn't notice how long they had already walked. Suddenly, Kankuro stopped and the blond turned to look at him, surprised.

"We're at the bus stop," Kankuro answered to the questioning stare. Had the boy been zoning out again, like yesterday on the bus?

"Oh," Naruto said as realization hit him. Then, he suddenly understood that he wanted to see this man again. He somehow needed this guy's company. Besides, he was eager to make a friend. "What's your phone number?"

Kankuro raised his eyebrow at the question. After a moment of silent surprise, he said, "Why do you need that?"

"So that we can meet again!" Naruto exclaimed, smiling his trademark smile.

Kankuro wasn't sure if he wanted to meet this boy again. Sure, the bruises worried him but he really didn't want to form a friendship, not to mention any deeper bond, because… What the hell was he just thinking? A deeper bond, with this guy? But Naruto was just a kid, for god's sake! And a guy at that! But friendship? That he might be able to manage.

"You give me your number, and I'll call you if I feel like it," Kankuro offered, looking at the boy. He wasn't too keen on giving his number to just anybody.

"Okay, that's fine for me," Naruto accepted. He then recited his number and watched as the man entered the information into his black cell phone.

"I got it," Kankuro said, putting his cell away.

"When will you call me?" Naruto asked, very eager to know. The truth was, he had very little to do in his free time, and something like meeting this man again made him excited.

"I don't know," Kankuro replied, and it was the truth. If he was going to call, that is. He wasn't sure what he would do with the kid if they met again: would they just… hang around? Or what?

Right then, the bus number 67 came on the horizon.

"Oh so 67 goes from the north side to the south-east side," Naruto said, understanding.

"Yes, it stops in the centre, in the bus terminal, but goes from there to the south-east area," Kankuro explained. "Does this drive past your house?" he then asked, realizing that the blond hadn't an umbrella with him.

"Pretty much so," Naruto said. In reality, he would have to walk about 500 meters until he would be home.

"That's good," Kankuro said and watched as the blond waved at the bus to stop.

"See you again!" Naruto said cheerfully as the bus stopped, opening its door.

"Yeah," Kankuro replied curtly.

The blond stepped into the vehicle, gave the driver some money and then, the door closed again. And just as quickly, the bus was moving, taking the strange blond away.

'How weird that we met,' Kankuro thought, and turned to walk back home.

-o-o-o-

A/N: I know for sure that there are people in this world who would give dry clothes to you, and be kind like that. I know there are people with whom you feel strangely connected right from the beginning, unable to explain what that strange chemistry is. So, from these points of view, I think this chapter wasn't very unrealistic, was it?

Also, I drew a picture of this chapter (see my profile for link).