Title: Precious Person
Author: Ashley
Summary: It was as hopeless as it would ever be, he thought to himself as he turned down another side street. No matter how many hours he spent walking the streets of Konoha, he would never be lucky enough to stumble upon the only precious person he had left in the world.
Genre: Family
Disclaimer: I don't own the sandbox, I am just playing in it.
Warning: Mentions of neglect, vague child abuse. If you squint, hints at preslash.
Pairing/Characters: Kakashi, Sandaime (mentioned only), Naruto, Iruka
Rating: K+
Authors note:Okay, going off the ages from the databooks, Kakashi would have been fifteen during the Kyuubi attack, and Iruka would have been 11 or 12. So that's where I got my timeline. So, I hope you like this cute little oneshot! Not sure where in the world it came from. But I was watching the end of the battle with Pain last night, and the part where Kakashi appears and catches Naruto and carries him back to Konoha might be where this came from. Still unbeta'd and I still know I need to update Unexpected Journey. I'm working on chapter 7. I promise! Please read and review! Much love to you! (OH and I am STILL looking for a beta reader. If you are interested, please message me!)
Kakashi stuffed his hand deep into his pockets as he walked down the streets to his Jounin apartment. It had been four years to the day since the nine-tails attack and subsequent defeat, but instead of spending the rare day away from ANBU missions with friends and family he was walking around the back alley ways of the village lost in his own depressing thoughts.
He had lost the last people that cared about him that day. His sensei and his wife had given their all to protect their village and their son, and had left him alone in the world once again. Alone, except out there somewhere in the village was the son of his Sensei that would be turning four today. The little boy his sensei that had named Naruto, and that Kakashi had promised he would protect. It was a promise he had made shortly before the child had been born, and one that he still held close to his heart.
"If I can ever find the boy," he muttered angrily under his breath. He had spent every free moment in the village searing for the boy that had been born four years ago. He had kept track of the child from afar for two years. He had wanted to take custody of the boy when he first found out his sensei had died, and had all but begged the Hokage to allow him to. But he was underage, and the Hokage had told him to be patient, to just wait until his chance came when he was older. "Damn it," he whispered.
He had been patient. He had watched Naruto's care givers flinch every time they had to tend to the child's needs. He had watched two birthdays pass and watched no one but himself acknowledge the small boy that looked so much like the Fourth. Finally, the day before his eighteenth birthday Kakashi had everything in place to claim the almost three year old. But again, the Hokage had stopped him. ANBU soldiers weren't in the village enough to tend to the needs of a toddler, he had explained, and Naruto was being taken care of now by a family who didn't know of his history.
Kakashi had watched then, as the boy had his first every birthday party. It'd been small, nothing but a cupcake with a candle and a small figurine, but a birthday none the less. Kakashi had decided then that the boy was better off. He accepted the position of ANBU captain, and had been assigned a mission to leave the village for over ten months.
When he returned, Naruto was gone.
His care givers had found out about the child's past, and thrown the barely three year old child out of their home. Kakashi had been willing to retire from ANBU immediately and take care of the child, but the Hokage was out of the village and no one seemed to know where his sensei's son was.
And now he was nineteen years old, more than willing to walk away from ANBU and take care of his sensei's son. If he could ever find the boy, that was. It had been almost a year since he had seen him, and the though made his heart drop. It was hard to look for the small child when he was constantly on missions. But, Kakashi swore if he could find the boy he would even resign as a Shinobi if that was what it took to take care of the boy. He had more money than he knew what to do with, and the entire Hatake compound that belonged to only him. He didn't need to work at all until Naruto was old enough to become a Shinobi, if he even needed to work then.
Kakashi sighed again and stomped down the sidewalk, turning as if on instinct, glancing down alleys and into open window and hoping, praying to catch of the glimpse of the little boy he had come to love so much. It was as hopeless as it would ever be, he thought to himself as he turned down another side street. No matter how many hours he spent walking the streets of Konoha, he would never be lucky enough to stumble upon the only precious person he had left in the world.
"Hey kid, why are you out here all alone?" Kakashi's head shot up at the voice that carried down the street on the wind. He knew that voice, he had taken missions a handful of times from the newly appointed Chuunin that it belonged to. He hurried his pace towards the familiar voice. As he neared the source of the sound, he heard a slight shuffling and a small voice respond. But even he couldn't make out what was being said.
"Say that again, I can't hear you kid." Kakashi rounded the corner, and saw Umino Iruka crouched down in front of a brick wall, but he couldn't see who he was talking to.
"I said I don't have no where to go," the small voice sniffed out. Kakashi could actually see the Chuunin's shoulders slumping and his body sagging.
"Where are your parents?" the dark haired man asked softly. "What's your name, kid?" Iruka raised a hand and it disappeared in front of him.
"Dunno, dead I guess," the boy, for even though the child was obviously young the silver haired Shinobi standing I the shadows could tell it was a little boy, whispered softly.
"I know how hard that is. My parents are dead too. They died when I was eleven." Kakashi contemplated turning around and walking in the opposite direction, before the other man spoke again. "It's been four years today since they died." The boy started to cry, and Kakashi watched Iruka wrap him in a hug. "Why are you crying, kid?"
"Today's my birthday, but everyone is always sad on my birthday," he sobbed. Kakashi's heart started to pound in his chest. It can't be, he thought, could I really be this lucky? To find Naruto today of all days?
"I'm sorry kid. How about I take you for some Ramen? My treat!" The chuunin announced happily, standing and offering a hand to the child in front of him. Kakashi smiled at the ear piercing screech of delight and finally stepped into view of the Chuunin and the child he desperately hoped was Minato's son.
"How about I take you both for Ramen?" He asked quietly, knowing the chuunin would hear him at least. He did, and Iruka jumped and spun around, pushing the child behind him.
"Hatake-san! You don't have to do that really! I am going to take the boy to eat, and then take him to the Hokage. He's obviously not being cared for properly if he is out here wandering the streets by himself in this part of town." The blush that was forming across the scar on Iruka's nose was adorable, Kakashi decided. He needed to pay more attention to this young chuunin in the future. He knew little about the man, only that he was a new chuunin, and worked a lot of shifts in the mission room with the Hokage.
"Maa, I insist Umino-San." Kakashi thrummed his fingers against cloth covered lips. "On one condition," he added quickly, "The child needs to tell me his name." Iruka's eyes widened comically, and he shrugged his shoulders. The child peeked his head from around Iruka's legs, clinging onto the pants leg of the brunette's shinobi uniform.
Kakashi's breath caught in his throat and he dropped to his knees. Six whisker marks marred the young child's bruised, thin, and dirty face. Bright blue eyes that were too large for the small face widened in anticipation and the promise of food. Blonde hair stood in short spikes around the child's and head. "Naruto," he whispered, barely holding himself back from snatching the young boy into his arms. The third had lied to him. The child wasn't being taken care of at all. His tattered clothes were too small, and offered little protection from the creeping winter chill. His entire body was much too thin, and he was covered in bruises. Anger boiled up in Kakashi's chest, and Iruka took a protective step back dragging Naruto with him.
He may only be a chuunin, but he could feel the killing intent radiating from the older nin in front of him. He would fight the man to the death, if it meant protecting the child behind him. Naruto, Iruka thought quickly, so this is the jinchuriki and son of the fourth. Instead of feeling disgust and hatred like he had thought he would, feelings of protectiveness towards the child raised in him. He opened his mouth to tell Kakashi to back off, when the Copy Ninja did something Iruka had never expected.
Kakashi let out a quiet almost-sob, and yanked his mask down. "Who did this to you, Naruto-kun?" Iruka stared in shock at his comrades handsome and usually hidden features. Naruto stepped out from behind Iruka a little and looked at Kakashi with an assessing eye.
"The villagers did," Naruto whispered, tentatively looking between the horror struck Iruka and Kakashi. "They all hate me." Kakashi gave in to temptation and suddenly leapt forward to pull the fragile four year old into his arms, almost knocking Iruka over in the process.
Naruto stood stone still for a moment, but it didn't too long for the blonde to melt into Kakashi's near-bone-crushing embrace. Kakashi buried his nose into the filthy blonde hair, and tightened his hold minutely. "I can't believe I finally found you, Naruto. I found you." Tear started to drip off of Kakashi's face to land on Naruto's head, while Iruka watched from beside them with tears pouring down his own face.
Watching the legendary Sharingan no Kakashi fall to pieces was not something Iruka had ever thought he would see. Watching it happen because of a small frail four year old was almost laughable. All anyone knew about Naruto was that he was a nuisance and the Jincuriki. But he obviously meant something much more to Kakashi. Iruka vowed to do whatever he could to help the two.
"I'm not going to let any of the villagers hurt you again Naruto-kun. I swear it on my life. I promised your parents before you were born that I would always look after you, and I never break my word." Kakashi pulled away from the boy but kept a grip on the child's arms as he spoke. Naruto awarded him with a dazzling smile and threw his arms around Kakashi's neck.
Iruka smiled at the sight before him and stepped forward to place a hand on each of their shoulders. He was only fifteen, but again, he was a fully-fledged Konoha Shinobi, and he was going to help this child and his fellow Shinobi. Even if he only knew said Shinobi in passing and reputation. He smiled down at the pair that looked back up at them.
"Hatake-san? How about we take Naruto back to my apartment and get him cleaned up? I think I might have some of my old clothes that should fit him." Naruto smiled his dazzling smile again that brightened his face no matter how dirty it was. "And then we can go out to get ramen!" He added somewhat happily. Naruto pulled away from Kakashi and threw his hands in the air.
"YOSH! Ramen!" The child screeched happily. Iruka held a hand out to Kakashi and the older man took it, allowing himself to be pulled up. He was stunned by this stranger's generosity.
As the two younger men in front of him joined hands and started off down the street, Kakashi started following behind, hands stuffed in his pocket again after he had yanked his mask back up. The change in him now though, was palpable. He radiated peace underneath the killing intent that was still swirling below the surface. He doubted that the Sandaime knew about Naruto's treatment, but he was going to make sure the older man knew. And that the older man knew he was resigning from ANBU and taking care of the child from now on. But as he listened to Naruto cheerfully babbling on incessantly to Iruka, he knew it could wait several hours. He finally had his last precious person back.
And when Iruka turned and smiled at him, he decided he might have one more person to include to that list someday soon.