Family Matters
Author: AnimaAmore
Genre(s): Family, Humour, Hurt/Comfort, Action
Full Summary: Kakashi Hatake was just fourteen when he lost his best friends and only family, Rin and Obito, in less than a week due to a horrific car crash. Scarred both physically and emotionally by the incident, the shock and the despair, he swore he'd never let anyone get close to him again. Years later, now an adult and accomplished professional, he encounters a trio of misfit orphans living in the streets for fear that they would be separated in the orphanage. Their names are Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke; and they are only nine - five years younger than Kakashi when he lost his family. Unable to find it within himself to let the same fate befall the three youngsters, he decides to take them in. Little did he know how much the three would change his life - or he theirs. But life is never fair, and challenges must be overcome.
Rating: T, mainly for language and some slightly darker themes later on
Type of Fanfic: modern AU
Pairing(s): KakashixTeam 7 family; romantic pairings undecided (if any)
Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfic and its plot, however, are mine.
Author Comment(s): This originated as a sort of preview, but I decided to leave it as my first chapter. My first attempt at writing from a male POV - and Kakashi's, no less! So here it is. Please read, enjoy and review!
I couldn't believe my eyes.
There before me, the two little brats who dared to pickpocket me and couldn't be older than ten, crouched protectively over a smaller, cowering figure in the middle of a dark alley, glaring defiantly at the much bigger and much older boys who looked like they belonged in a gang. And from the sneers on those boys' faces, they couldn't care less that they were mugging inoffensive little kids who appeared to not have had a proper meal in days.
"Come off it, ya little pest," one of the older boys – and the ugliest, too – sneered at the little blonde boy who stood half crouched over the little figure and half standing, as if he was ready to maim anyone who got near. The dark-haired boy stood just a step ahead of him, his eyes carefully sizing up the gang members. "We were just havin` a little fun. Weren't we, boys?" The ugly boy's croons snorted with laughter, and it was the kind of laugh that sent unpleasant shivers down your spine. It was nasally, bitter, and dark.
The two little boys didn't even blink. In fact, their eyes narrowed in anger.
"Just stay away from us, you jerks!" the blonde kid yelled at them, baring his teeth like a dog. The gang members' laughter subsided and I saw a glint of evil malice shine in the leader's eyes. He pinned the little group with his beady gaze, slowly moving his arm to swipe away his leather jacket, revealing his belt and a gun tucked securely in it.
"Whatdya say to me, you punk?" the gangster snarled, and I had had enough.
"Hey! What's going on here?" I demanded as I stepped into the prohibited alley. The heads of all those in it whipped my way, and the expressions from the gang members, which were five in total, ranged from surprise, to annoyance, to irritation, and to cruel smugness. The children's faces were almost unreadable, but I did see a flicker of utter surprise and horror. I turned my attention back towards the gangsters, specifically the one with the gun.
"None of your business, gramps," he sneered at me. "Now I suggest ya turn `round an` head back right the way ya came from and not breathe a word of this t` anyone. Got it?"
I quickly gave him a once-over, assessing what kind of opponent he was in a second before boldly walking closer to the two little groups as I stuffed my hands in my pant pockets. "Actually," I said, "it is my business. I know those kids." Yeah, they're my pickpockets.
"And I told ya to buzz off!" He gestured towards one of his companions and a big, burly guy charged at me, whipping out a shine of silver as he got close to me. I sighed and timed myself for my move. At the last possible second, I sidestepped the guy and tripped him easily, grabbing his arm which I saw whip out the flash of silver and throwing him towards the wall without so much as a glance. I heard a satisfying crack and a pain-filled moan before I looked at my victim. He was sprawled unconsciously on the ground, a switch blade by his hip.
"What the hell, man!" the gang leader shouted, forgetting about his original target as he found a new threat with me. "Get `im!"
All four remaining gangsters rushed at me, and I sighed, shaking my head. All bulk no brains. Classic little criminals. Don't even know how to work together; which was proved true when they started throwing punches at me, which I dodged skilfully, but ended up getting in each others' way. I didn't have the patience to deal with these punks, plus I was worried about those kids, so with a few simple moves I had knocked them all out except the leader. When I disarmed him from his gun and fixed him with a glare, he ran away as fast as he could while throwing threats about revenge and warnings to watch my back from now on every time I get near this place. I rolled my eyes as I saw him disappear behind a corner, then snorted in disgust as I saw his lackeys lay unconscious or semi-conscious about my feet.
"Honestly," I muttered. "Those who don't follow the rules are trash; but those who leave their comrades behind are worse than trash." I felt a familiar pang of pain tug at my heart, but I pushed it away as I turned back towards the small assembly of kids who were still in the alley. The little blonde, who was still in the same defensive stance as when I stumbled upon them, looked up at me with what I could only describe as a mix of awe, shock, and respect. The dark haired boy was a bit more reserved, but I saw his eyes reveal the same emotions as his blonde friend, though I saw suspicion in there too.
I paused. What was I going to do now?
After a couple seconds of awkward silence, I finally spoke. "Yo. I'm Kakashi. What did you guys do to get a bunch of gangsters after you?"
The two boys hesitated, the blonde looking at the dark haired one but he refused to take his eyes off of me. Seeing that he was alone on this issue, the blonde boy wet his lips and muttered his answer. "We didn't do anything. They started it."
He spoke so softly I almost didn't catch what he said. I raised an eyebrow at him. "What did they do?"
The boy didn't answer, and instead he turned back towards the small figure he and the other boy seemed to be protecting. I heard soft soothing, crooning noises murmured by the blonde to whomever was crouched in a little ball by a corner, and soon enough a pale, thin little face emerged from beneath a ratty brown baseball cap and a few wisps of pink hair.
Hold up. Pink hair?
I blinked my eyes several times, deciding against rubbing them in case any sudden movement startled the kids. Yup, I wasn't hallucinating. The third kid did indeed have pink hair.
The pink-haired kid was helped to his feet by the blonde, and the dark-haired boy stepped next to him so they formed a tight little group. The pinky was sandwiched and partially hidden by the other boys. It was evident they were being very cautious, even with me who had just saved them. I wondered what kind of life they'd led so far to make them so wary of people.
I stared at them as they stared at me, and for a brief moment I got the sensation of curiosity. It had been a long time since I felt curious about anyone.
"They were making fun of my sister," the blonde boy said, and I snapped my attention to him, not having expected him to answer my question. Truthfully, I kind of expected them to just turn around and disappear. "And they were planning to hurt her." The dark haired boy shot the blonde a warning look.
I let that process. "Your…sister?" I asked in confusion. The blonde, ignoring the other boy's look, nodded once, stiffly, before gently tugging the hand of the third member forward and pulling the cap off his head. The third boy hesitated, and froze when the cap came off. That's when I realized that he was in fact a she. Behind the messy pink bangs that covered half of her face, I saw the distinct details that belonged only to a female. Taking a quick look at her body, I noticed that while she was thin like the other two boys she was also built a little differently.
I approached them, slowly, and I could feel the intensity of their looks on me as I did so. But they didn't move away or made any move to indicate such action, and for some reason I was grateful for that. I stopped just a few feet from them and crouched, resting my forearms on my knees. "I'm sorry to say this," I said, slowly, carefully. "But you three look nothing alike."
It was true. The varied hair color among the three wasn't the only distinction. Starting with the girl, I have never seen pink hair in my life. Her skin was almost unhealthily pale underneath all the dirt and grime that covered the three of them, and her wide, light emerald-coloured eyes looked at me with a mixture of fear and wonder; seemingly way to innocent for the kind of life they seemed to lead. The blonde boy had tanned skinned and shinning sapphire eyes which shined with determination, and three lines on each of his cheeks resembling whiskers. I couldn't tell if they were scars or some weird birth marks. The last boy had the darkest hair and eyes I had ever seen, and though he also had pale skin it wasn't as pale as the girl's which made me all the more concerned for her health. The look he gave me was one I can't describe. It was by no means friendly, but it wasn't hostile either. Cautious, more than anything.
"That's because we're not blood-related," he said, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. He was so quiet it was almost unnatural; the last thing I expected for him was to talk.
Quickly getting my erratically beating heart under control, I nodded once with my head, telling them I understood. "Okay. Where do you guys live? I'll walk you there; you never know what other thugs might be lurking around here."
All three visibly flinched at my words but their faces showed different emotions. The dark-haired boy showed anger and hatred; while he blonde showed disgust, and the girl bitter sadness. I knew I had hit a sore point, but before I could come up with an apology, they rushed towards me and knocked me over. I felt each of them wrap their arms around a certain part of me to accomplish this feat; one around my neck, the other around my waist, and the last around my legs. It was obvious they had done this before.
"Thank you," I heard a soft, feminine and childish voice whisper in my ear after I hit the ground, and the weights around me disappeared with only the light echo of shoes resounding around me as an indication to where they might have gone.
I pushed myself up on my shoulders, hopping to catch at least a glimpse of where the three kids had gone, but there was no trace of any of them. Even the silence shielded them, as I couldn't make out any sound that didn't belong there. I looked around me, and the only things that proved that any of this had actually happened were the four unconscious scoundrels on the ground behind me, and my wallet, which had been pick pocketed earlier that day by the little rascals, safe and sound in my jacket pocket.
