Character Information:
All current to present time of story:
Iruka Umino:
Age: 7 soon to be 8
Mother: Hikari Umino
Father: Sano Umino
Hikari Umino:
Age: 35
Mother: Marian Pomfrey
Father: Saito Uchiha
James Potter and friends:
Age: 21
Kakashi Hatake:
Age: Very soon to be 14
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or their fantastic worlds in which they were made. If anyone thinks they can write a better story with my general ideas, please do so. I would love read what you come up with. If you think this is a really bad story please tell me. I could not live with the humiliation of it being horrible, while still writing because no one has told me. If you like it or have suggestions, I am all ears. This story has come after many brainstorms.
There will be a Kakashi/Iruka pairing and maybe others. I love this pairing so much!
Chapter 1:
Iruka Umino's day was not going according to schedule. First he was informed by his that he could not attend the academy, then he went to tell his father who agreed with his mother, and finally he could not speak to Sandaime because he was in a meeting with the Fourth. At seven years old, soon to be eight in three months, the world seemed dead set against him ever becoming a shinobi. Already, he could pass the genin test with ease, but no one cared about this, they were all to wrapped up in their own lives to even bother with him.
Sighing, Iruka journeyed back to the Umino compound and began to practice gathering his chakra and walking on water. It was not to difficult, after all he had been taught by his mother such exercises since he was five. Sometimes he wished his parents would pay more attention to him besides training sessions, where they were distant in providing any feeling that parents should show to their children. That was not to say he did not understand, he did, but being a ninja should only take up so much of one's own life and not extend into the family. Perhaps this all was due to the letter from his mother's half-brother and most annoying male in existence, James Potter, that had recently been delivered yesterday.
As far back as he could remember, not one meeting with his uncle was ever pleasant. His first encounter with the horrible man was when he was visiting with his grandma a year and a half ago during the winter months in her mansion located in the lowlands of Scotland.
Their visit with Grandma happened to be in the winter and everyone was making a big fuss about a celebration called Christmas. Sano Umino, Iruka's father, knew no English and was doing his best to make himself scarce as people rushed about hanging odd red and green colored ornaments all over the mansion. Thus, leaving Iruka to the mercy of several Potter women, who kept remarking on what an adorable girl he was, even through his protests of trying to tell them he was not a girl, but a boy. Just as things were starting to trickle down, his uncle and step-grandfather made an exuberant entrance through the fireplace, closely followed by two other boys around his uncle's age.
Flashback:
Mr. Potter and his son James Potter crashed through the living room out of the fireplace with a loud bang that was heard through out the mansion.
" Merlin, can't either of you two make it through the floo system without causing a catastrophe?", exclaimed Mrs. Potter.
"No, my dear! Whatever gave you the idea that Potters could travel through the floo with grace. Why, it is a known fact, that no Potter can travel the floo system without excessive clumsiness and no sense of direction. I remember when little James here first used floo by himself and instead of reaching The Leaky Caldron, he ended up in Mongolia." Mr. Potter cried out with much waving of hands as he steadied himself upright after having flipped over the long couch in the Parlor room.
"Father, no need to tell everyone. I am sure they have all heard the story a number of times. Oh bugger, here comes Sirius and Remus, best to clear the way."
After saying this, the fireplace once again spat out two people, although their entrance was more subdued and less disastrous than the previous two. The taller one, had black hair, very expensive looking robes, and appeared to be of noble bearing, although the grin on his face contradicted this. His companion's hair was a honey brown, he wore shabby, but comfortable clothes and in his hands, he held a bag.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite family in the world! The Potters! Hello, Mrs. Potter. You seem to get younger every time I see you. Have you been drinking any de-aging potions while we've been at school." Sirius Black's charm was on full power today as he addressed the matriarch.
"Sirius and Remus how good of you boys to join us for Christmas. You aren't the only visitors, Hikari is here also with her family all the way from Japan. Oh! This is my grandson Iruka he's six years old and just keeps growing to look more and more like his mother.", Mrs. Potter said, while grabbing a hold of Iruka and shoving him in front of his uncle's friends. Both Sirius and Remus were surprised that James sister, Hikari had a son, as far as they knew, she was only married.
"Well Prongs, I did not know that you had a nephew, although he looks more like a girl to me. Good Merlin, what happened to your face! It looks like someone missed trying to take your head off."
" I do not look like a girl and don't make fun of my scar its not my fault its there, blame the stupid-"
"Now, now Iruka.", his grandmother said, "No, need to be so hostile to James's friends, they haven't done anything to you. Why don't you go out with them and learn how to ride a broom. All boys your age want to learn. Sirius, go get the brooms from the equipment room. Iruka's been cooped up since he got here, maybe some fresh air and a change of scenery will do him good." shooing the boys out onto one of the balconies, Mrs. Potter went back inside to continue decorating, leaving Iruka to face his uncle and two friends.
"Well, Iruka seeing as how I am your wonderful and ever so intelligent uncle, why don't you let me show you the ropes."
"I would rather not, there is no need for me to "ride a broom".", Iruka said while using his hands to make quotation marks in the air.
"Ah! But we insist my good boy.", said Sirius said "We insist. What kind of sick, demented person does not wish to learn the joys of flying a broom."
"Apparently," said Remus in return, " someone who is related to Lily, not James. Then again Lily sees no sense in riding a broom either. Tell me James. How is it that your own flesh and blood does not want to fly? It is quit preposterous."
"Moony, don't use such big words, I do not have your oh, so powerful vocabulary.
Iruka, my dear nephew, you are learning how to fly on a broom whether you think it is necessary or not. You can either have a joyous time, or", he said while his face grew dark, "you can scream to the top of your lungs as we instruct you on the proper way to fly on the broomstick. Understand. Good." James said, wasting no time in manhandling his nephew, as Sirius retrieved the broomsticks.
And so, Iruka spent the entire afternoon learning to use the broom and flying with all his skill at hand to escape the spells being hurled at him. If his mother had not threatened him to not use any ninjitsu, he would have gotten away from the three mentally unstable teens.
End Flashback
Just thinking about his uncle made Iruka angry, for the entire time he was there they played pranks on him and he could in no way retaliate. Although his mother did not like her brother either, Hikari never said a word against James for fear of losing any inheritance from her mother or step-father. Both held a great amount of wealth and tended to spend it on James to appease any of his childish wants or needs.
Iruka's other grandfather was never mentioned because, he was an Uchiha, and as such his name was taboo among the adults. After all, he defied the clan and traveled around until in London, he met Iruka's grandmother Marian Pomfrey, a witch recently graduated from Hogwarts. They both connected with each other immediately and were married with Hikari on the way within four months. Living happily in the suburbs of London, Hikari learned all of her skills from both parents, but it did not last for very long. When his mother was ten, hunter-nins found the family and killed his grandfather, taking Hikari with them, Marian was left behind to grieve by herself. She did not know if her daughter was alive and spent two years looking for her until giving up and marrying Harold Potter an old schoolmate and love from Hogwarts, who had been aiding her in her search.
Harold was the heir of the Potter fortune and provided everything for Marian and ensuring her an easy life. Of course Hikari did find her mother again, but it was many years later, in fact two years after Iruka was born. By then both mother and daughter had changed drastically, one finding she was a grandmother and the other a sister. They continued to visit each other, but Iruka had never seen James until that December and his first impression of his uncle had not been entirely promising. Nor were any of his encounters with his uncle and his friends, Sirius and Remus.
Straying to another thought as he slid across the water performing the next stance of his kata, the recent letter carried a dark feeling with it. The usual date to see Grandmother was coming up shortly and he felt a sense of dread. It had been a while since he had seen her. The Umino clan had been invited to James's wedding to Lily Evans six months after he first saw his uncle, but the war with Stone had not entirely died down, even after the treaty had been signed years ago. Although unable to make it, his mother had sent a wedding present consisting of some local crafts from one of the towns near the southern border. Of course, Iruka had been pleasantly surprised when he received a "Christmas present" from his uncle, though seriously considering it was due in part to his new Aunt Lily.