Title: He's My Son
Author: Bam-There You Go
Word Count: 2,835
Summary: He felt the soft, gental gesture of hair being pushed out of his face and heard a soothing voice comfort him as he fell back to sleep.
"He's a monster!!" A man yelled while throwing his fist into the air, trying to rile up the group, "He doesn't deserve to live!!"
"Let's go kill him right now!" A man with a sharp knife in his hand yelled back to the first man.
"He killed my only child! Let's torture him until begs us for mercy!!" A woman carrying a flaming torch added her own comment.
"Yeah!" The rest of the group chorused, agreeing with the idea.
The date was October ninth, the day before the festival celebrating Kyuubi's defeat, the day before so many of the villager's loved ones had died. As every year, villagers and ninja alike gathered and planned to beat the demon container untill he was barely alive. Ninjas in the crowd sharpened their kunai, preparing, while their faces contorted with hate and vengeance. Villagers gathered glass bottles, rocks, kitchen knives, fire, and rope; they searched the village finally finding the pitiful, young boy who housed the demon. They laughed. He screamed. They threw rocks and broken glass at the jinchuriki. The boy whimpered and silently cried while curling into a ball, his only source of protection as the projectiles hit and dug deep into his skin. One man kicked the boy causing him to fall over, sprawled out on the ground. He walked up to the boy who tried to crawl away and roughly grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt. He held him in the air grinning madly while his buddy walked over and threw his fist in the boys face, knocking him to the ground. The boy cried. Several ninja grabbed the boy, they gagged him and tied his hands and feet behind his back, partially cutting off the circulation, while the villagers came at him with fire and knives, threatening him, scaring him, burning and cutting him.
"STOP! Leave Naruto alone!" A man shouted running to the boy who lay helplessly on the ground. The man stopped in between the boy and the villagers, facing the angry mob. He held his arms out wide, trying to keep harm from coming to the boy, "Don't come any closer, don't harm Naruto!" He desperately screamed and tears began to form in his eyes, his words taking no effect as the mob continued forward, "He hasn't done anything! He's not the demon, he's only a boy!" Still they didn't listen, couldn't, their ears never heard the mans voice, only the shrieking of the wind, the laughs and taunts of their fellow villagers, and the cries of the cursed demon child; their eyes didn't, couldn't see the man, they only saw, through hate filled eyes, the Kyuubi, the demon, tied up on the ground, struggling in a futile attempt to get away. Tears fell from the man's eyes as the villagers passed him and began beating the boy again. He turned around, walking over to the boy and fell to his knees, tears covering his pale, transparent cheeks. He leaned down, and hugged the boy, shielding him with his body. "I'm sorry Naruto, I couldn't stop them, they didn't hear me, they didn't see me in front of them. I'm sorry, so sorry." He whispered into the crying, trembling boy's ear. He touched the boys hair, trying in an unavailing attempt to push it out of the boys eyes. He brushed the boys cheek, trying desperately to wipe away the never ending tears. "I shouldn't have done this to you, I shouldn't have cursed you with the Nine Tails. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please forgive me Naruto, I'm sorry."
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Sarutobi knew it would happen, he knew the villagers would rile together and beat the poor Kyuubi container, Naruto. He saw them, though he could do nothing about it except send his personal ANBU to retrieve the boy once the villagers were done with him. He had no power to help the boy, the council forbade it and the ninja would not comply with his commands. So he watched through his crystal ball, waited while the mob died down then called one of his personal ANBU, Dog.
"Hai, Hokage-sama." An ANBU landed infront of the Third's desk, crouched to the floor.
Sarutobi sighed heavily, "Remove your mask, Kakashi."
Kakashi did so, attaching his mask to his waist and raising to his full height.
"Naruto...Please get Naruto and take him to his home. Cure his injuries and stay with him in case any more villagers decide to attack."
"Hai."
Kakashi adjusted his mask on his face and left instantly. He arrived in front of Naruto's beaten, barely conscious form a few minutes later. The crowd had went home, their revenge satisfied for the moment, and had left Naruto lying on the ground still tied up and bleeding from many different wounds.
Kakashi was often the one that would take Naruto home and care for him, he was the only one who would. This was his sensei's son, he had the responsibility to look after him, and although he wasn't always there, he would always come and take Naruto home, care for him and protect him until the festival had passed.
Kakashi observed the damage done to Naruto as he slowly walked forward, his body was bruised and covered in dirt and blood; his shirt could barely be considered a shirt, but rather a rag; his pants had been left hanging at the boys ankles, his body exposed; his face was streaked and caked with dirt, tears still sliding down his face. Naruto's breathing came in short, painful sounding bursts, evidence of a collapsed or ruptured lung. His eyes were barely open, scanning for more danger. Their eyes locked and he could feel the pain, the sadness, the helplessness through them. Naruto's eyes were fearful, terrified, that Kakashi would also hurt him. The boy whimpered and turned his head, trying to hide himself, but could not.
The man looked up from Naruto, his blue eyes puffy, red, and blurry. He saw a ninja, an ANBU, arrive several feet away but could not tell who or what his intention was. "No," he weakly cried, watching the man slowly walk towards them, "Please, stay away, stay away from my son." The man was only a few feet away now, he felt Naruto try to hide himself and he heard the small whimpers that escaped his mouth. "Can you hear me?! Are you listening? You're scaring my son, don't hurt him anymore!" The ninja stopped walking and just stared at Naruto. The man could see the ninja's mask now, it seemed vaguely familiar. "Ka...Kakashi-kun? Kakashi, is it really you?" The man asked and he sat up and looked at his former student, hope surfacing in his demeanor. "Kakashi, thank goodnes, please, please help Naruto!"
Kakashi stopped walking when he saw the young boy turn his head and close his eyes in an attempt to hide. He lowered himself into a squatting position and spoke gently and quietly, trying to be as unalarming as possible, "Naruto, I'm here to help you. It's me, Dog, I'm going to take you home." At the mention of the ANBU's name, Naruto turned back to look at the ninja, relief flashing through his eyes as he recognized the familiar mask. Kakashi walked over to the boy and slowly slid out a kunai, he noticed as the boy eyed him and a look of fear crossed over his face at the sight of the weapon. "It's ok, I'm just going to cut the ropes." Kakshi moved slowly so as not to scare the little boy more. He cut the ropes on the boys hands and his feet, careful not to nick him in the process, he untied the cloth that covered the boys mouth and nose; Naruto's breathing was softer and lighter now that his oxygen wasn't constricted. Naruto lay on the ground, pain defeating his brain and not allowing him to move. Kakashi pulled up Naruto's pants then wiped the new tears from Naruto's face, "Shhh, it's alright, everything is fine now." He scooped the boy up in his arms and jumped up to the rooftops as he began to make his way towards Naruto's foster house, smiling down at the boy as he noticed Naruto lean into his chest and close his eyes.
Minato jumped up to the rooftops and followed Kakashi. He smiled, glad that someone had come to bring his son home, glad that his son had someone to trust and rely on. He followed Kakashi and Naruto, unseen, unheard to a mediun sized, two-story house on the opposite side of town.
Kakashi didn't want to take Naruto back to his foster parents, he knew they were just as bad as the villagers. He assumed that they had kicked Naruto out of the house so he would be beaten up and not be able to hide in his room. He wanted to take Naruto to his own home, but was not allowed to, it would bend the rules of the ANBU code and the council's rules. If the council found out, he would be removed of his ANBU captain rank and would receive any other punishment deemed necessary by the council for being involved with the jinchuriki. Kakashi arrived at Naruto's temporary house a few minutes later and knocked at the door. A woman answered and scowled when she saw Naruto. "Hn, why did you bring him back? You should have left him out there, he's got to learn to grow up and fend for himself." She scoffed but backed up to let the ANBU and Naruto enter the house. Kakashi started walking up the stairs toward Naruto's bedroom, he knew were it was, he had brought Naruto back many times before. "Better yet, you should have killed him where you found him!" The lady called up the stairs towards the ANBU's back. Kakashi felt felt Naruto shift; he looked down and noticed Naruto's eyes open and saddened at his caretaker's words.
Minato followed Kakashi through he door and stopped in front of the lady who had said those rude words to his son. He gave her a dirty scowl, "Now you listen here,"he said sternly, shaking his finger in her face as she watched Kakashi slowly carry Naruto up the stairs, "Naruto deserves none of this and--"the lady closed the door and it passed through Minato as he was standing in the door. "Ah! That was very rude, you know I was standing right there--" She shouted more hateful words up to Kakashi. Minato's scowl deepened and he growled in irritation. He waved his arms around in the air to get her attention, "Listen Obasan, I'm the Hokage so when I say not to do something, you better not do it!" he yelled at her as she walked off towards the kitchen, muttering under her breath "Hey!! I'm still talking to you! Don't walk away from me!" Minato sighed, defeated, as his shoulders slumped over. He slowly walked up the steps with his head hung low, going the direction Kakashi had went a moment ago. He walked into Naruto's room and stood next the bed, watching Kakashi treat Naruto's smaller injuries with bandages and bigger injuries with chakra. He sighed somewhat depressed that Kakashi, Naruto, and, heck, even the grumpy old lady downstairs couldn't see him or talk to him. Kakashi finished bandaging Naruto and paused, "You should get some rest, son, you've had a long day. I'll stay right here beside you to protect you."Minato said as he sat down on the bed, looking lovingly at his son.
Kakashi used chakra and healed Naruto's ruptured lung with what little medical jutsu he knew; he made a splint out of a few sticks he had picked up outside and wrapped Naruto's fractured right arm up tightly, positioning it correctly so Kyuubi could heal it later. He took out some rolls of bandages from one of the many pouches on his uniform and started wrapping Naruto's smaller injuries, knowing that the Kyuubi's chakra would heal them by the next morning. He paused a second then said, "You should get some sleep." Kakashi stood up and started to walk away but was stopped when a small hand grabbed his sleeve. "Dog," Naruto said, almost whispered, voice small and hoarse. His expression was sad, lonely, betrayed.
"What?" Dog turned back to face Naruto.
"What's wrong Naruto?" Minato asked in a worried voice as he leaned in.
"Don't leave." Naruto managed to say through his dry throat.
Kakashi smiled, although it went unseen to Naruto, "It's alright, I'll stay here all night; I'm just getting your pajamas for you to change into."
"I wont leave, I'll stay with you forever; I'll never leave you."
Naruto's body relaxed from it's tense position, he felt safe with Dog staying to watch over him.
Kakashi helped Naruto change into his pajamas and then tucked him into bed. He then grabbed the chair from the corner of the bedroom that was kept there for occasions like this. He sat down and watched Naruto's little chest rise and fall with the steady rhythm of his breath. He watched Naruto's face carefully just in case he would need to wake the boy up if he were to have a bad dream. "Sensei, I'm sorry." Kakashi spoke out loud to himself after Naruto had fallen fast asleep.
Minato heard Kakashi begin to speak and wondered why he was talking to Naruto since he was sleeping. 'Wait a second...Sensei? Is he talking to me?' Minato turned to look at Kakashi with a confused and surprised expression in his face.
"I'm doing the best I can, I hope you understand. I feel so helpless though, I can barely do anything to help him. He's almost five now, he's only been treated worse and worse. I watch him, I help him and care for him, but I can't make his life any better." Kakashi paused leaning forward in his chair and resting his head on his hands, deep in thought.
Minato had been listening to every word very intently, nodding his head in understanding. He noticed as Kakashi's voice faltered towards the end and realized that Kakashi was starting to get emotional. Minato stood up and walked over to Kakashi, he kneeled down in front of his former student and hugged him, giving him all the comfort he could, "It's okay, Kakashi-kun, it's not your fault, it's mine. I'm the one who sealed Kyuubi inside of him."
"He tries so hard; he ignores the villager's stares, he forgets their comments, when they knock him down, he jumps right back up and brushes the dirt off of himself." Kakashi laughed to himself, "He's becoming a lot like you. He's just lonely and scared. I don't know how to help him, how to make his burden easier to carry."
Minato released his embrace and looked at Kakashi, gathering his thoughts, "Kakashi-kun, you've done more than enough, you don't have to blame yourself for his hardships." Minato paused waiting for a reply, making sure he was heard, "Can you hear me? Do you understand? It's not your fault, I know your trying your best to make him feel alright, that's more than enough." Minato stood up and walked over to Naruto "I just want to take his place somehow, see, he's not just anyone, he's my son."
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Naruto woke with a start late that night, he had a bad dream; the events earlier that day kept repeating and repeating, never stopping. He was breathing fast, his heart racing.
Minato turned from were he was standing in front of the window in the moon's calming glow to look at Naruto, "Are you alright, Naruto? Did you have a Nightmare?"
Naruto looked over to Dog who was sitting back in his chair next to his bed watching over him just as he had promiced. "I'm fine, it was just a bad dream." He said to the ANBU's unmoving body as he layed back down. He pulled the covers up to his neck and closed his eyes. He felt as his hair was pushed from on top of his eyes to the side of his face in a comforting gesture.
"It's alright now, go back to sleep; Tousan will be right here with you, and I'll never, ever leave."
A/N: okay so how did you like it? yeah, yeah it was amazing right? that's what i thought. i actually was inspired to write this story because i heard the song He's my Son by Mark Schultz on the radio and this story just immediately played out in my head. i used some of the lyrics from the song in here so if you can find them, kudos. click the little button on the bottom left of the page cause i would really like to know what you thought about it. i stayed up all night/morning to finish this little sucker so the least you could do is write a few words and tell me what you think of it
now, for those of you who are picky readers, 1.) i know in the cannon that kakashi doesn't act like that, but lets just say he feels bad for the kid and hes a little more free w/ his emotions since naruto doesn't know who he is. 2.) whatever you say, do not mention that minato's emotions are outta wack like a pregnant woman; HE.IS.A.GHOST, his emotions are fleeting. thats how he can go from sad and crying, to happy, to mad (which i thought was kinda funny, dont know 'bout you), to caring, to serious, to comforting; thats just how he rolls.