Wow. Well, hopefully this makes up for the late-ness of Shed and, well... this... Heh. :) Hope you enjoy it- I loved writing it! I think it turned out nicely... Please review and tell me your opinion :]
Disclaimer- If I owned Naruto, this would of actually been in the Manga. :)
Broken
The nine-year-old wasn't sleeping. Oh, he was pretending too- that much was obvious. But Minato knew better- the way the boy shifted around uncomfortably, the way a small sob-like sound would escape his mouth, his shuddering shoulders... just because he was a top-rated ninja didn't mean he was a good actor. At least, not good enough to convince his long-time sensei that he was asleep.
And Minato didn't blame him. Nobody should have to go through what the boy just experienced-heck, no nine-year should even be a full-fledged ninja yet.
But that was Minato's fault.
Everyone saw his student as the most promising Ninja in Konoha- a ninja at four, chunin at six, jonin at nine. But Minato knew that Kakashi was his biggest failure.
Everyone has a right to childhood. Every child has a right to play, to laugh. Minato doubted that Kakashi knew how.
And before him the child laid, trying to contain his sobs, holding strongly to one of the most strongly enforced ninja rule: Shinobi do not show emotions.
He was only nine, and yet he had just witnessed his best and possibly his only true friend, die.
And that was Minato's fault.
By the time most boys are running from cootie-filled girls, and just starting to be playing ninja, Kakashi had killed his first enemy.
Minato remembered it well- the blood that stained Kakashi's clothes, the fallen enemy nin that was shown no mercy... the gleam of anger in Kakashi's eyes as he stabbed him once, twice.
He remembered thinking that maybe, just maybe, he was training a monster.
He shifted his eyes away from Kakashi. Not a monster. Just misguided.
That was also Minato's fault.
He glanced over to Rin, who also wasn't asleep, but at least wasn't pretending. She had already cried all her tears, and could only now look at the sky with empty eyes.
Rin had the same opinion of Kakashi as the rest of the Village- a hero, strong, brave, the best example of shinobi that one could hope to be.
But Minato knew better.
He remembered that when he first started training the prodigy, he had held to the same opinion- until the monster in Kakashi was revealed.
Killing, death. It never fazed the boy. He took it as it come. It was expected.
Now Minato could see Kakashi for what he really was- a child.
The moonlight produced shadows, shadows that would flicker and vanish, shadows that would stretch and grow, that seemed to be reaching for the boy.
Minato shook his head. All imaginary. He looked up to the clouds, which where moving at a fast pace thanks to the strong wind that night.
His eyes where drawn back to Kakashi, who's form had grown still. Maybe he had finally gotten to sleep. He needed the rest for the long road home.
"Minato-sensei?" a small voice asked.
Minato snapped out of his daydreaming. Kakashi sounded like the child he was... small, anything but innocent, but hurting. "What is it, Kakashi?" He asked softly.
"You need to get your sleep," said the young ninja, his child-like composure completely gone. He was an accomplished ninja again, totally unaffected by the disaster he had just witnessed. "I'll take guard."
"That's not necessary-" started Minato.
Kakashi interrupted, "I insist, we can't have our leader dying of exhaustion."
The irony of Kakashi's sentence hit Minato like a hard rock. Without another word, he laid down and watched as Kakashi slowly stood up and faced the sky. Kakashi wouldn't of been getting any sleep anyway... but now he wouldn't get any rest, either.
That was Minato's fault.
-/-/-/-
The moon shone brightly above them, illuminating Kakashi's silver hair and Rin's bandages. Minato had decided, after a hour or so of tossing and turning, that since nobody was getting any sleep, they might as well head to Konoha and rest in more familiar territory.
"Rin, I want you to go on ahead- we'll be right there. I want to talk to Kakashi alone for a minute. " Minato instructed.
Rin nodded and reluctantly shot off towards the Village. Minato knew she would need some time to herself.
Kakashi crossed his arms and looked down at the ground, intently interested in the dirt surrounding his sandal. Minato took on a similar pose, but stared his student in the eye.
The youngest started the conversation. "I'll do better next time. Rin- I promised Obito I'll protect her. I-I won't let anything happen to her, like I did..." he took in a quick sigh, and his eyes switched up to Minato. "I promise next time I'll do better. "
Minato looked at Kakashi, completely dumbfounded. Before he could stop himself, he drew the ninj- no, child- into a tight hug. Kakashi's arms flopped around, unsure of what to do.
Minato finally released him and held Kakashi by his shoulders. "It wasn't your fault."
A sudden gust of wind whistled through the trees, ruffling their clothes, trying to blow them down.
"Maybe," Kakashi said after a long moment. "and maybe not. " His voice cracked at the last sentence, and he looked back at the ground again, ashamed for showing emotion.
Before Minato could stop him, Kakashi lept off into the trees after Rin, his small nine-year-old body swinging this way and that.
He was too young. Really, he was too young.
Minato stood under the moon, looking at the vanishing back of the ninja he created. He had torn away his childhood, labeled him a monster, and placed him in charge of a mission that, ultimately, was his downfall.
Kakashi wouldn't ever get the chance the play- he would never know how. He wouldn't ever have the excuse to hide under his bedsheets during a storm- ninja's did not show fear. He would never have a day completely to himself and a friend- he now had no more friends.
That's what happened when you became a ninja- you where stripped of your innocence, of the few joys in life. All of your friends, your companions, could be killed before you blinked.
And why was Kakashi a ninja? Because Minato and the others insisted that Kakashi was ready, because he was exceptionally skilled.
But that was before they took away of his childhood, before Kakashi killed mercilessly and without second thought. That was before Minato recognized him for what he was.
And now, it all crashed down on Minato, everything that he had done that he had thought was in Kakashi's favor, everything he tried to do to help him become a better ninja... he was only destroying Kakashi.
With that last thought, Minato leaped into the trees after his two students. Maybe he could help Kakashi, maybe he could remedy some of the harm...
But as he came upon the two figures, as Kakashi turned around, ready to attack in case of a enemy, his eyes flashing with anger, Minato knew he could never fix him. Kakashi was too far broken.