Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Summary: Naruto had failed, but the cursed war was over. With nothing left, he watched his world be filled with fallen comrades at every turn, but before he lost himself to madness Kurama gave him a second chance. Though everything comes at a price.

Beta'd by Artemis-no-Subaku

The Price of Flames

- Chapter 1 -

A Place Called Home

1

It's all my fault.

Naruto stood at the centre of the grievous battlefield looking down at the thousand of corpses scattered around his feet. His eyes gazed long and hard at his fallen comrades who were unfairly stripped of life. It brought him great pain just looking at them, but he must bear it. He must not turn away, but burn the image of their death into his mind- after all it was truly his fault. He caused their deaths, so he must watch in agony their last moments, their last breath. It was his duty as a friend. To abandon them was something he could never do. This was his punishment. This was a chance to redeem himself for what he had done, but will he be forgiven?

It's all my fault.

The metallic blood of the decaying ninjas filled the musty air and stained the grounds crimson. This made the smell attack his nose making him gag and cough until tears welled in his eyes. It was too strong, but he did not care. All the things he had cared for was gone, and that he could not handle. Tears started cascading down his cheeks, but he took no notice. Naruto did not even notice himself dropping to his knees, unable to bear the weight of so many lives. It took to much of a toll, but he had no choice but to look at death in the eye and carry on living no matter how much it hurt. If not for himself, but for his friends.

Sasuke. Sakura. Kakashi-sensei. Everyone.

It hurt. It hurt, God damn it. Naruto felt an outburst of hundreds of emotions that flowed through his aching heart because not matter what he did now, no matter how badly he wanted to see them he could never bring them back. They were all gone, and it was all his fault. He should have tried harder. He should have done his best, but he had failed.

Naruto gasped and began choking on his tears. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

The memories of happier times seemed so distant. It was like he was grasping at straws when he tried to remember everyone's smiles, but all he could now remember was their bloodied faces and lifeless bodies on the cold, hard ground. It killed him the inside he couldn't live without his friends. He couldn't live without his family, his souls. So let them haunt him, let them drive him mad, as long as they are by his side. He had been the one to essentially murdered them all, so let him come after him; let them curse him. Anything, anything at all, but don't leave him in this abyss, don't leave him in this hell.

Kit, calm down.

A deep, intimidating voice suddenly called out from the depths of his mind. It was a voice Naruto knew well. A voice he use to hate. Naruto tried to wipe his eyes, but more tears seemed to appear.

Kit, the voice repeated in a soft tone, I know you are upset, but you can't let this bring you down.

Naruto said nothing in reply, his eyes still on dead bodies of his friends in front of him. His mind wandering on the fact that he could do nothing to save them.

Listen, the voice boomed, pulling Naruto out of his thoughts, do you think that everyone would want you to be this way? Do you think that everyone wanted to watch you pull yourself apart? No, they did not. The voice turned soft again. Everyone sacrificed their lives for you. Live only for them.

Kurama's words hit him hard, causing Naruto to hide his face in his hands in shame. He knew that. He knew that he had to live. He had promised them, but how could he get over the fact that they were gone? That he would never see them again?

Kit, I have watched you grow. I have seen your pain. Don't let everyone's life go to waste. They died so you can live. Treasure that.

Kurama, Naruto thought, his own voice shaky, I'm sorry. I let everyone die.

Stop apologising brat. I've already forgiven you.

Naruto blinked, the pain starting to fade away with every word. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Hn.

Naruto felt Kurama's embarrassment and this made his lips turn upwards in a small smile. He realised that he could count on Kurama for moral support and this made him feel stupid for feeling alone. He forgot that he had someone else to protect and that someone was also protecting him.

Kurama cleared his throat to get rid of the embarrassment. Kit, he began, I'm sorry to say this, but you must of realised this by now that you have nothing else to look forward to here. In this word.

Naruto look around the area. Everything and everyone was dead, making him come to the realisation that what Kurama said was true, but before Naruto could reply, Kurama said suddenly, I can change that. I can give you a second chance to live again.

Naruto's eyes widen in shock. You can?! How?!

Kurama ignored his question. Kit, do you trust me?

Yes, Naruto said with a beat.

Then close your eyes, he ordered.

And as Naruto closed his eyes, he thought of his friends in their final moments. They had died protecting him, so now he must live for them. He will now carry their wills no matter how heavy they were. This was his ninja way.

Then he finally remembered. He remembered everyone's beautiful smiles that were aimed at him and he could hear their joyful laughter beckoning him forwards towards them. The sky around them was not an ash grey like it was on the battlefield but a bright blue and the blazing sun was at the highest point in the sky. Naruto smiled back at them.

Gaara. Shika. Lee. Neji.

He could remember them all. Pulling himself up, Naruto began to walked to them. Every step he took he could hear the laughing getting louder and saw their smiles getting brighter. When he reached them Sasuke held out his hand and Naruto took it. Then his whole world went dark.

2

It's warm.

This was the first time Naruto felt this way in a long time. It filled his entire body and made him feel safe. Feel protected. Even though he was held in a restrictive, tight space with neither the ability to move or speak. He couldn't even open his eyes. Naruto knew that he should be freaking out instead, he felt cosy. He did not know how long he had been in this space for, but he did not care. All he knew was that he did not want to leave.

On occasion he would sense something or someone next to him trying to move closer to him. It was a weird feeling he would admit, but at the same time it was as if the thing wanted to hold him. This caused Naruto to allow it because he detected no harm from it. Sometimes he would feel its small hand on top of his trying to clutch it tightly, but it was not just that.

Naruto would also hear soft voices murmuring in a tone with something that sounded like love and affection when ever he was wake, which filled him with a feeling of happiness just to know that there were people that surrounded him. That he was not alone. One voice that stood out the most was a female voice that always sounded like she was singing to him and the thing next to him.

But one day the warmth disappeared and the cold hit him, causing him to start using his voice for the first time as if he was in pain, but it was not just his shriek that pierced his ears there was another and Naruto found himself covered in a slimy substance.

Then Naruto was being wrapped in something warm after the slimy gunk was cleaned from him with something like a cloth, allowing him to breath and hear properly. This quieten him down and the other shrieking instantly turned into whimpers. Afterwards he was held in something similar to large muscular arms when he heard a loud, clear voice speaking in Japanese.

"I'm sorry, Hibari-san, but she's dead," said a high-pitched feminine voice.

Then there was nothing but silence except from the whimpers next to him. This caused Naruto to try and open his eyes to see what was going on, but it felt as if he was too weak to open them. But before he could hear the rest of the conversation exhaustion fell over him, causing him to snuggle into the person's chest in order to find a comfortable position. Naruto then drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

3

Naruto did not know how long has passed, but he if were to guess it he would say a few months and it was during that time that he had found out a few interesting and slightly disturbing things. One being that he was currently a helpless baby in a light blue crib next to another baby who he assumed to be his twin, as he remembered that they were born on the same day. This surprised Naruto to find out that he had been reincarnated into a child, but it filled him with glee to know that he had a family. An alive family, not dead.

Another thing was because he was a baby he no longer had control of his bowels, which was highly embarrassing because he would have to cry to get his diapers changed by his new father. Speaking of his father, Naruto absolutely loved him as the man would always act kindly and affectionately towards him and his twin by playing with them whenever they wanted attention.

This was something Naruto was deprived of in his other life and he was grateful for experiencing it now. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. He was looking forward to a happy life with his family, but one thing that he noticed was that there was no mother.

When Naruto was finally able to properly see, he observed only his father coming into feed them or change their diapers, not their mother. Naruto tried not to worry about that, but it kept on bugging him. Then he remembered the day he was born. His mother died that day, and Naruto did not know what to feel. Sure he felt sad that he would never know her, but Naruto had the rest of his family with him, so as long as they were there for him he was okay. Though he wondered how his twin would handle the news when he was older because Naruto had a feeling that their father would not tell them the truth until they could handle it.

Ridding himself of these thought, Naruto proceeded to look around the room he was currently in. The room was large but comfortable with dark blue walls that had pictures of different birds on it . Plus it was nice furnished for children, like having soft toys at the corners of the room and carpeted floors in case they fell. One toy was currently in the crib with him and his twin. It was a toy of a cuddly Panda with black beady eyes that stared hard at him. Naruto stared back curiously as he tried grab the toy with his wobbly, weak hands, but before Naruto could pull it closer to inspect it, other hands grabbed it causing Naruto to turn towards his twin.

His sibling smiled at him with a gleeful expression on his small chubby face while his pudgy hands were clutching Panda's right foot as if he was interested in playing a game. Naruto complied. He will play this game with his twin, after all they were family and Naruto would do anything to make his new family happy.

Suddenly, Naruto heard the door opening. It was his father that came through the door making Naruto turn his attention towards him.

Treading carefully across the floor as if not to disturb Naruto and his twin, his father moved towards them with a soft smile filling his face till his stopped in front of their crib. This is when noticed his father's appearance for the first time as Naruto look up at him. The man had short black hair with pale skin and steel grey eyes. He was clad in a white shirt and black trousers. He also wore a kind expression.

"Good morning, Kyoya, Ryota," his father said in calm, loving voice.

Naruto opened his mouth, letting out a sweet giggle in reply and his twin followed his lead. This made their father's eyes brighten with joy. Then he reached down to gently pick them both up, holding Naruto in one arm and his twin in the other.

"Come my sons, it's time to feed you."

Naruto carried on giggling happily, grateful that he had such a caring father. And as his father walked out of the room with both of them in arms, Naruto couldn't help but think of Kurama. He had been the one to give him a new life. A new family. Another chance at life. He will live a happy life for his friends, but at the same time, Naruto hoped that he would see Kurama again.

4

Four months blurred by, and Naruto was getting used to the idea that he was a child again, but this time with his memories of his past life intact. This made life a whole lot easier because he was able to understand the new, strange world around him, like how this world had no chakra. As a child, Naruto knew that he should be sensitive to chakra, but even since he was born he felt nothing, which scared him.

Does this mean that I have no chakra? He wondered.

This prompted Naruto to close his eyes and search for his chakra core. After what seemed like hours Naruto felt a small, warm ball of chakra deep within him, which made him breathe a sigh of relief. He still had it. Naruto knew that because his body was growing his chakra was still developing and would soon become something larger. Digging deeper, Naruto felt something else, something bigger, something uncontrollable, almost wild. It was Kurama.

Naruto almost wanted to cry out of happiness, but he held it back. It filled his heart with so much joy to know that he was still with him. Naruto tried and contact him in the depths of his mind by calling out to him, but he failed and this left him exhausted. So he fell asleep and woke up in the afternoon. It was during this time that Naruto made a huge achievement of finally being able to sit up unaided for a few minutes, which was better than rolling around all the time.

Now Naruto was currently sat next to his brother on a comfy mat that was laid out for them by their father with various amounts of soft toys in what seemed to be his father's home office. And while his brother was absorbed with the animal toys, trying to bit them and throwing them around, Naruto observed his father who was filling out papers on his desk at the back of the room. This made Naruto wonder what his father did for a living, as there were probably no ninjas in this world, but it looked like a job that involved a lot of writing.

After an hour his father got up out of his seat with something in hand that he pulled out from his desk and sat down next to him and his brother on the floor. It looked like his father was down with paperwork and wanted to spend time with them. This excited Naruto as he let his childlike instincts of wanting attention take over his adult mind.

In his father's hands was a children's book with the title The Tale of the Little Fox written on it and for the next hour his father read the picture book to him and his brother until they fell asleep.

5

Naruto (or shall he call himself Ryota) and his brother, Kyoya, were now 18 months old making them old enough to crawl around or even try to walk. This gave Naruto a new sense of freedom, as he was able to move around with ease, exploring new places in their home and he was sure his brother felt the same.

One place they were able to explored was the back garden that looked like it ran on for miles, filling Naruto was a sense of adventure. All he knew was that he wanted feel the grass beneath his feet and the wind in his small head of hair.

With an blue pacifier in his mouth and wearing a tiger onesie with ears and a tail just like his brother, Naruto rolled around in the grass laughing, making his father chuckle along with him as he was feeding Kyoya milk. Naruto was already fed, so he could do what he wanted, and Naruto wanted to try something new, something that would surprise his father.

Naruto dug deep to find his chakra core which grew bigger over time and coaxing out his chakra into his legs, Naruto slowly pulled himself to his feet, but found himself fall back down. Ignoring the pain, he tried for the second time, then a third. It was on the fourth time that Naruto stood on his feet, he was wobbly and unbalanced, but he took a step forward.

"Dada," he called out, causing the pacifier to fall out of his mouth and make his father's attention turn to him with a stunned expression.

Naruto took another uneasy step forwards his father with his arms stretched out. And another. And another. Soon he found himself colliding with the floor. Tears welling in his eyes unable to handle the pain any longer. Naruto started to cry out to his father and with an unnatural speed, Naruto found himself quickly wrapped in his father's warm arms.

"Shhh, Ryota," his father said while rocking him softly and wiping the tears away.

Naruto's wail turned into sniffles after a few minutes of being in his father's warmth. His father looked at him with utter adoration and pride.

"I'm so proud of you," he cooed, his loving eyes firmly fixed onto Naruto's. "You're so young, but you learn so quickly. "

Naruto snuggled into his father's arms wanting comfort, which made his father smile. But Naruto didn't just want his father, he wanted someone else too.

"Koko!" Naruto called out hoping his father would get the message.

His father looked at him with confusion for a second then realisation dawned on his face.

"Oh, you mean Kyoya? Do you want to play with him?" His father asked.

"Koko!" Naruto repeated in answer.

As his father began to walk, he suddenly stopped and looked down onto the ground then smiled.

"It seems that we don't have to walk to Kyoya." His father laughed. "Kyoya is coming to us."

Naruto turned his head to look down in interest and saw Kyoya crawling towards them. This caused Naruto to struggle out of his father's arms as he wanted to be placed on the ground. His father compiled putting him softly onto the floor and what Naruto noticed about his brother was instead of the normal determined looking face he usually wore as if he was ready to take on the world, he looked worried.

Can babies even look worried at this age? Naruto thought.

When Kyoya finally reached him he grabbed his hand in comfort and then pulled him in some sort of a hug. Naruto hugged him back wrapping his tiny arms around him, happy that his brother cared for him.

Maybe... Just maybe this life would be a good one.

After all, I found a place to call home.

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