Title: Lullaby

Author: RoslinTheWerwolf

Rating: K

Pairing: Naruto/OC

Disclaimer: I don't own Naturo, but I do own Yumi and Elu.

Characters: Naruto ("Pads"), Yumi, Elu

Author's Note: Yes, I realize that there aren't any canon characters out there named Yumi or Elu. These two are purely my own characters to dote and love upon in my stories.

Be aware that this is a one-shot of a story I'm in the process of trying to figure out how to type out. I've got all the events in the story laid out in my mind, but I just can't seem to figure out how to write out the beginning. So, no, this isn't part of my main story, but rather something like an overly adorable deleted scene. Yumi and Elu are kind of self-explanatory after reading this, so, yeah, I'm NOT going to explain.

Throughout the course of the days in which he patrols, soothes the vicious tempers of the angry townsfolk, and smoothes over issues between the residents who see the trouble-making dogs of the grounds as, well, trouble, Pads struggles to make time for his little family. More specifically, he is well aware of the gaping holes within him left behind in the absence of his parents and, as such, he makes sure to spend as much time with little Elu as he can. His wife, on the other hand, is with him to the point that they are almost an inseparable pair, leaving him to his own devices only when she's assured that he is with their infant son or that he won't be in any trouble. The term 'doting daddy' doesn't even begin to describe how he acts around three-year-old Elu.

Every night, after he's had dinner in the dining hall and has managed to grab a moment of alone time with his wife in the personal bathroom at the end of hall, he tucks the small red-haired boy into the bed that's more of a mound of pillows and dolls than an actual place to sleep. He'll stand by the door, lulled to a sleepy mush by his wife's singing, until there's a hand in his, leading him back down the hallway to the bedroom the two of them share. By this point in the day, he's spent and offers the warm body curled close to him a satisfied purr that rumbles deep in his chest before he drops off to sleep, happy at last.

It's on one particularly cool night that he wakes suddenly, coming to full-alert silently so as to not give himself away to the intruder. The hand that rubs his shoulder relaxes him. Yumi is awake too, aware of the intruder, but obviously not threatened by whoever it is.

"Elu," she says, leaning over her half-asleep husband, covering his eyes with her hand as she goes. The raven-haired woman knows from past conversations with the child that, while he loves his 'doting daddy', Elu is terrified of the white eyes of his father.* "Did you have a bad dream?"

Her son reaches up over the edge of the bed, grabbing on to the strong forearm of his sire, who curls his arm back toward his bare chest. Elu slides up and over, giggling wildly and squirrels beneath the covers between his parents. Pads, completely used to this weekly routine, rolls over, trapping the red-head between himself and his wife, who is stroking the boy's feathery crimson locks.

"Wus lonely!" For all the caution that he put into sneaking into their room, the blonde man muses, his son doesn't sound the least bit remorseful for waking them. He doesn't care one way or another, but the thought elicits a chuckle from him and he kisses the top of his son's head.

"I see," his wife continues, amused and sleepy. "Well then, my little fox, it's off to sleep. You're father was sleeping."

"Was not."

"Hush, you!"

He chuckles, reaching over the body between them to pull her wonderful heat closer. If not for Yumi, he doubts that he would get any sleep at all between the nightmares that often plague him and the insomnia that follows swiftly. Tonight, it seems, he won't suffer either, with two of the most important people in his life wrapped safely in his arms. His happiness is sure to be short-lived, as it almost always is, but he can't find the energy to care as he nods off again, the puffs of Elu's breath against his neck and the lingering warmth of his wife's kiss lingering on his lips doing wonders to push him away to a most restful sleep.

In the morning, he'll fight all over again to prove he's worthy of the position he's been bestowed and be forced to enforce decisions that he wishes he won't have to. He'll remember his past and run the patrols alone to escape it for as long as he can, pretending that the memories aren't as close to the surface as he'd like to believe they are. For now, though, he's afforded a moment of peace with a lingering kiss on his lips and a lullaby leading him to some very sweet dreams indeed.

Cliff Notes: *In the main story, Naruto ("Pads") was involved in a situation that left him blinded. Despite it, though, he is mostly self-reliant. I can't give you much more than that without going into the main story, though.

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