'Ok… papa.'
To hear anyone say that to him, let alone a little boy who looked so much like Sakura, was shocking to say the least. He had no words. In the end, he bid Sakura a silent farewell and waited until she firmly shut her door before he turned away.
A dad? Him? It was a silly thought. Naruto rubbed his head bashfully, he'd never admit out loud how his heart jumped out of his chest with what seemed like joy. Why would he be so happy over a confused little boy accidently calling him 'papa'?
Naruto paused and turned toward the clear sky. The stars were clearly visible, but the moon seemed to be hiding.
"Bah, he's just confused''ttebayo."
As soon the words left his mouth, he felt a clench in his chest. That only happened when he told a lie.
Sakura helped him undress and bathed him. Shina was sweaty and dusty from the events of the day. Normally, he'd love to play with some bubbles or splash the water, but his whole body felt heavy and everything seemed so cloudy. But his mother always told him being clean made you feel better, and she was right.
Sakura didn't have clothes that would fit a child, but she managed to find one of the smallest shirts and shorts she had. They still hung off of his body. The scene made her chuckle.
"How do you feel, Shina?" She gently took his hand and lead him through the house to the living room. She prepared him a comfortable mat to sleep on with plenty of blankets. She looked down at him when he failed to answer. Shina's eyes were shut and his feet dragging. Sakura leaned down, taking the boy into her arms again.
"Tired huh?" She carried him over the bedding and laid him down. He looked at her with half lidded eyes as she pulled the blanket up to his chest. "How is that?"
"... It's warm." Shina reached up and pulled the cover up to his neck. He felt her hand rest on his forehead, prompting him to open his eyes a little more to watch her. The woman looked just like his mom, but he hadn't seen his mother wear her hair like that except in pictures. The man that looked like his papa said she lived here, but this wasn't their house. Their house was bigger, and he had his own room and his own bed. Shina blinked sleepily, noticing that the strange lady was staring at him as much as he was staring at her. He raised the blanket higher, covering most of his face in embarrassment.
"Get some rest, " Sakura chuckled. She gently pet his head and prepared to leave him alone when he suddenly pulled the covers back down*
"Where… where is Naruto?" He asked carefully. Saying his father's name felt strange, but he wasn't sure if the man was really his father.
Sakura paused. 'No "papa" this time?'
When Shina uttered 'papa' at the door, Naruto and Sakura halted in surprise. Sakura assumed Naruto had been telling the kid to call him that, but Naruto silently shook his hands in protest. Shina must have slipped up and called him that by mistake, or that's what she thought. The boy looked awkward calling Naruto by his name, maybe even a little ashamed?
"Don't worry, you'll see him in the morning." Sakura rubbed his head in reassurance. He looked pleased. His half lidded eyes threatened to close.
"Can you stay until I go to sleep?"
"Of course."
Sakura waited patiently, rubbing the boy's head as he tossed and turned under the sheets. Eventually she resorted to rubbing his back and that did the trick. He finally settled down into a deeper sleep. Sakura gently touched his forehead, checking for fever. Sweat beaded up on his forehead. She stood and grabbed a cloth from the closet to wipe his forehead. She swept the hair back and dabbed it dry. It was then she noticed the size of his forehead. His hair seemed to cover it naturally. She snorted softly. Somehow, it made him a little more adorable. She placed the towel firmly onto his forehead, it would probably stay there most of the night.
She left him there and got ready for bed. Even on her day off, she obtained a patient. In this case, she didn't mind. She rested her head on her pillow and quickly turned off the lamp beside her bed. She had hoped sleep would take her quickly, but she was never the lucky type.
She hadn't expected Naruto to show his face. They hadn't spoken in months, and she avoided him like a plague. At some point, he got the picture and left her alone. Things couldn't be like they were before. He had a new path to follow and so did she.
She woke early that morning and got ready for work as usual. She felt sluggish and wanted to sleep in, but work had to be done. She stepped out into the living room and stumbled in surprise. She nearly forgot that she was taking care of Shina for the night. Going to work early was out of the question.
Sakura approached him quietly, gently feeling his forehead. The cloth had fallen off, but it wasn't soaked. He sweat very little through the night and looked rested. His bandages were still on and no blood to be seen. Fantastic, but it would be best to stick around and make him some breakfast. She removed her lab coat and entered the kitchen. A little soup would do him well, and it didn't take long to make it either.
When someone grabbed her shoulder, instinct took over. She turned, ramming her elbow into their ribs. It wouldn't kill the intruder, but it would stun them long enough for her to-
"Urrgggg…" That groan was all too familiar. She turned around, finding Naruto crouched on the floor holding his chest.
"Sakura-channnn, what was that for?!"
"What are you doing in my house?!" She raised her hand, covering an embarrassed blush. "I told you about coming into my house without permission!"
"I was coming to check on Shina." Naruto got to his feet, holding his abdomen. "I didn't want to wake you up. Or him up by knocking or something."
"Naruto, you can't just enter my house like that anymore, people will get the wrong idea. Idiot." Sakura refocused on her task at hand, preparing a pot for the soup. She narrowed her eyes when Naruto came and stood beside her.
"Get the wrong idea of what? That we're friends? I don't remember that changing."
"Friends don't enter each other's houses without permission."
"Ino comes in here all the time when-" Sakura slammed the pot onto the stove. Naruto jerked back, glancing back into the living room where Shina slept. The noise didn't stir him. Naruto looked to Sakura who had also turned to check on Shina, she looked a little guilty. Naruto huffed and ran a hand through his hair, deciding to change the topic.
"Not sure what I said last night, but I guess I should tell you the whole story'ttebayo."
"Yes, you should." She instructed, focused on the warming pot.
"So, I was about to eat out with Shikamaru right? All the sudden Shina runs into me. He looked so spooked and confused and ran away before I could catch him. He's real quick." Naruto leaned against the counter as Sakura stirred the breakfast broth.
"A few minutes later, some hospital staff rushed in saying they were looking for him. So I went out looking for him myself. He looked… lost. I caught him and took him back to the hospital. They said he had a concussion and he doesn't know how, but they found him unconscious right outside the village."
"But why did you bring him here? What was that all about?"
"I uh… asked what his mother and father looked like. He said his mom had green eyes like him. Pink hair, really strong… a doctor…."
"I'm not his mother obviously."
"I know'ttebayo. But it's not like I had any other clues. And… he does look like you."
Sakura frowned and turned to dispute his claim. He was staring at her, the intensity silenced her. She cleared her throat and turned back to the pot.
"Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?" She could see his concentrated gaze from the corner of her eye.
"Go wake up Shina. The soup is done."
"I wanted to talk some more while I have the chance since you never let me in here anymore." Naruto leaned further into the counter, trying to meet her eyes. "We barely hang out now."
"Why would we? You should be spending that time with your girlfriend."
"Saku-"
"Girlfriend?"
Naruto and Sakura turned, finding Shina standing just outside the kitchen. His eyes were wide, as if he had heard the strangest news imaginable.
"Ah, you're awake! Great, I don't have to do it." Naruto glanced at Sakura before he leaned away, approaching the sleepy child.
"Go help him get dressed so he can eat." Sakura pointed the spoon toward bathroom, not that Naruto needed directions in the first place.
"Uh, well, alright." Naruto picked him up and walked down the small hall. He stopped suddenly, backing up into Sakura was in view again. "Wait, what clothes will he wear?"
"I washed his. They're hanging up in the bathroom" Sakura called out as she poured the steaming soup into a bowl.
Naruto entered the bathroom, carefully putting the boy on his feet. His clothes were hanging on the towel rack. They even looked ironed out. Naruto grabbed the clothes and handed them over.
"Here you go."
Shina took the clothes, but promptly placed them on the ground. He reached for his large borrowed shirt and tried to pull it off, but he became entangled. Shina struggled and grunted for a few moments before Naruto helped pull off the shirt. He held in a laugh, but didn't hide his chuckling. Shina reached for his own shirt and started to pull it over his head, but once again, he struggled. Naruto held in his snort and helped him pull the shirt over his large head. Who knew watching a child try to dress himself could be so hilarious.
Naruto didn't wait to help the boy get on his pants. He held them open as Shina used his forearms to balance himself and step inside. Naruto assumed he was used to someone helping him get dressed rather than dressing himself. Naruto buttoned up the pants and straightened his shirt.
"Ok, to the kitchen table." Naruto ushered him out of the bathroom back to the kitchen. Sakura already prepared him with a seat, including a pillow to boost him up. She picked him up and placed him in the chair.
"Eat carefully, the soup is still hot." She gave him a spoon and sat in a seat next to him. Naruto sat in another seat and flashed her a smile. Sakura narrowed her eyes and focused on the little child in the seat as he ate the soup. Naruto blinked. What did he did to make her mad now?
"So Shina-chan, today Naruto will help you find your home, right?"
He tilted the spoon before it managed to reach his mouth, causing the liquid to spill onto the clean table. These people aren't his mom and dad. This isn't his house. The strange events from the previous day flooded into his mind.
"Are you alright?" Sakura gently turned his face towards words. He met his mother's eyes, except… this lady wasn't his mother.
"If you keep holding your mouth wide like that, people are gonna think you fell in love." Shina closed his mouth and turned. His dad was smirking at him. Annoyed, he turned back to the warm soup, quickly consuming a few spoonfuls before he slowed down. Naruto laughed loudly before he suddenly stopped, gripping his leg under the table.
"Shina, " Sakura gently turned his head in her direction again, seemingly oblivious to Naruto's sudden aliment. "Don't let this fool distract you today, alright? I'm sure your parents really want you to go home, so do your best."
"Sooo, today is the day." Naruto carried Shina on his shoulders and spun playfully, earning a laugh from the boy. At least he was easily entertained. "Where do you want to start?"
Shina rested his head on Naruto's. They already searched so much yesterday and they still didn't find his house. He KNEW his mom and dad would come looking for him, but there was no sight of them. Well… except the people who looked a lot like his parents, but they didn't recognize him at all. What was going on? He couldn't wrap his head around it.
"Uh…. I don't know," He finally answered.
"What? You don't know?" Naruto looked up, meeting Shina's eyes.
"... This place is weird'ttebaro." Naruto tripped over his own feet, but stayed upright. Shina gasped, holding Naruto's head tightly.
"Ah, sorry." Naruto assured. In the hospital, he thought it was a mistake or he misheard. "'ttebaro" he said? He hadn't heard anyone else with a tic like that. Well, except himself… and his mother. He saw younger fans copying him , saying "ttebayo!" after every sentence they spoke. It made him a little self conscious, he didn't say it that often, did he?
But Shina… "ttebaro". He heard it twice now, and he clearly wasn't doing it on purpose. It flowed out naturally, and it was of his own flavor.
But… what did that mean?
"Papa."
"Huh?" He answered by mistake. He started to correct himself, but noticed Shina pointing into the distance.
"I know that place!"
Naruto quickly jogged over and stopped before entering a less traveled street. All the houses looked well taken care of and crisp. His parents must be moderately well off. Shina wiggled on Naruto's shoulders, wanting to be placed down. Naruto granted his wish, but held onto his hand just in case.
"This… looks like it. Sorta."
"This looks like your street?"
Shina looked up, his dad looked curious and … pleased? Was he happy that he found his own house? Or, if this was a trick, was the person happy that he pointed out his own house to do bad things?
"Maybe… it's not."
Naruto frowned. Shina had looked so certain a moment before until he looked at his face. Did his face give the boy that much uncertainty?
"Wouldn't hurt to look, right? Let's walk around a bit'ttebayo." Naruto lead the boy across the street, keeping a firm grip on his hand. Shina kept pace as they walked.
The neighborhood was quiet and clean. Some of the houses looked strikingly familiar. He passed by that house every day, but he didn't remember there being such a large tree in the front yard. He remembered that house, but the fence in the front yard was missing.
And finally, there was his house. He hardly recognized it. The house looked like it had once been painted white, but the faded coloring made it hard to tell. There wasn't a fence in the backyard like there used to be, but he could easy see the familiar tree in the backyard. The branches twisted and turned in strange ways; it was unlike any of the other trees in the neighborhood. His father told him someone must have twisted the tree in many strange ways when it was really little.
"Is this your house?"
Shina startled and looked up to the tall man beside him. Naruto glanced down at him encouragingly.
"... No…" Shina turned to the house again, doubtful.
"Do you want to have a closer look?" Naruto gently pulled the boy closer to the house. The house looked abandoned. Not run down, but uas if it hadn't been lived in in years. The ward was a little unkept and the house needed a paint job badly.
Naruto looked up the stairs that led on the porch. As soon as he took the first step, the rotted would creaked loudly. Deciding to be safe, Naruto took Shina into his arms and ascended the stairs. Curtains covered the window from the inside, but some of the inside could be seen. The room was empty except for large furniture pushed against the walls.
"Can I see?" Naruto still held Shina in his arms, but he was unable to see inside. Naruto put him closer to the window.
Hands pressed against the window, he peered inside. The inside look like his house too… but none of their stuff was inside. In his house, pictures were on every wall. There were various bookshelves of all of his mother's medical books, and some of his own books. His dad hid all his manga under the couch so that his mother wouldn't throw them away.
"You sure this isn't your house?" Naruto asked again.
"... It's not.
"We'll keep looking tomorrow."
"I know." Shina kicked the ground as he walked. Their elongated shadows shifted and bounced as they walked down the street. There were still many people out despite the evening approaching so quickly.
Naruto wasn't blind. Shina's face displayed disappointment and confusion. Shina definitely believed that to be his house. It was empty and looked empty for years… but Naruto noted its address anyway. They walked aimlessly longer before Naruto grew tired of the silence. He picked the child up and spun him around like he did earlier.
"Come on, cheer up'ttebayo!" Naruto was rewarded with hesitant giggles. "Tomorrow, we'll find it for sure. Naruto poked and prodded, easily finding the most ticklish parts of Shina's body. His giggles quickly evolved into laughter.
"S-stop it!" Shina screamed. It drew the attention of some people that walked by. Naruto stopped, allowing the boy to catch his breath. Naruto waited, but held us his hand threatening. Shina flinched and giggled, preparing to defend his ticklish parts.
"For now, it might be best to get back to Sakura's. She's probably off work by now... " Naruto looked up to the sky, trying to determine what time it was.
Shina looked, but something else caught his eye.
"Papa!"
Naruto's eyes widened. He looked around, expecting to find a man whom Shina resembled approaching them. Instead, he met Shina's eager emerald eyes. Shina called him 'papa' again.
"Uh-"
"Can we go get some ramen?" Shina pointed off in the distance where the ramen stand stood.
"Yeah but Shina..." Naruto let the 'papa' slip quite a lot. At first he thought the boy was confused and disoriented from the concussion, but now it seemed like Shina ACTUALLY confused him for his father.
"Huh?" Shina looked at him questioningly. He expected an excited enthusiastic response, his dad always enjoyed ramen. Even for breakfast.
"... Ah nothing. Alright, let's go get some ramen." Naruto set the boy on his feet and followed him through the crowd to the ramen stand. He wanted to correct the boy, before he got anymore confused… but something held him back. He didn't particularly hate being called 'dad' though. He definitely had to have a good talk with the Shina real soon.
They came into the small building, greeted with the smiling face of Teuchi.
"Ah, Naruto! Welcome. And with a guest?"
"Good to see you old man." Naruto decided to eat at the bar and helped Shina into a seat of his own. "What do you want Shina?"
"Miso please!" Shina held the menu in his hands, glancing over the options as he gently swung his feet. He couldn't read all the menu options, but the pictures looked delicious. He always ordered the same meal as his dad, though he couldn't eat nearly as much.
"Alright, two Miso's please!"
Teuchi immediately started working on the order. "Only two? Usually you eat so much Naruto. On a diet?"
"Ah, I guess. People keep telling me I should eat Hinata's food instead."
Shina stopped swinging his feet. Hinata?
"I see, but I don't want to lose my best paying customer."
"Don't worry don't worry, I'll still come at least once a day at least'ttebayo." Naruto chuckled, but turned when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Shina held his jacket firmly in his grasp.
"She didn't tell you that." Shina remembered his mother berating his dad about eating ramen right before dinner or eating it for breakfast. He would listen, but eventually he fell back into eating it as a snack. His dad always asked him to keep it a secret when he caught him snacking on ramen, but Shina enjoyed tattling on him sometimes. One thing was clear, it wasn't Hinata that told him that. Hinata was his father's friend but…
Naruto chuckled again, ruffling the boy's hair. "Of course she did. How would you know Shina?"
"I just know it." He insisted, brushing Naruto's hand from his head. "… Mom that said that…" Shinachiku trailed off, realizing his mistake. They locked eyes, both surprised by Shina's words. He knew it, he had forgotten. This mystery man wasn't his father. And… the lady he stayed with wasn't his mother. But why did they act so similar? It confused him.
"Shina… I'm… I'm not your dad, right?"
"Here you are." Teuchi placed the bowls on the countertop, letting them escape from the tense atmosphere between them. Shinachiku stood on the barstool and looked into the fresh bowl of steaming ramen. Something was missing. His favorite part of ramen were the freshly chopped carrots sprinkled around. Teuchi always put extra carrots in his ramen, he didn't have to ask anymore because Teuchi knew to do it. This bowl lacked it.
Shina blinked, he wasn't sure how long he had been staring at the bowl of ramen, but the distinct feeling of tears overwhelmed his senses. He couldn't hold them back anymore. He cried. He wanted to since he woke up in the hospital. Everything flipped upside down when he wasn't paying attention.
Naruto tried to comfort him, but he didn't want to be comforted. Not by him. He wanted to go home, to his mom and dad. He wanted to lay in his own bed, in his own house, with his real parents.
Why couldn't he go home?
Sakura paced by the door impatiently. She didn't even know if Naruto was going to come back, he probably helped the boy find his place… right?
She sighed, rubbing her head. The signs of a headache stormed underneath the surface. Work tired her out. There were plans to expand the hospital, a department for children services. Tsunade told her it would be a handful, and she was right. The amount of scrambling around stressed her out.
Sakura plopped onto her couch, trying to relax. It was well into the evening now. She felt strangely… disappointed. She didn't get to spend much time with Shina, but he was so well behaved. Cute too. She wouldn't mind meeting his parents or seeing him once in awhile to make sure he was ok.
A knock at the door startled her from a daze. Ino would have barged in already. She had a key. They knocked again, more frantic this time. Sakura rolled her eyes, only Naruto would be so impatient. She approached the door, carefully unlocking it and peeking outside.
"Can I come in?" Naruto stood outside holding Shina. He looked stressed and exhausted.
"What? You didn't f-"
"Sakura-chan, please. I can explain inside."
Sakura stepped aside and allowed him inside. It was then she heard the soft sniffles coming from the boy in his arms.
"What happened?"
"Uh well… I guess we didn't find his house'ttebayo."
"What do you mean 'you guess'?"
"The house he thought was his was completely empty."
"What…" Sakura looked down when Shina shifted in Naruto's arm. Shina turned and met her eyes. He reached out to her, almost desperately. She took him into her arms without a second thought. Shina held onto her tightly, like he was scared she would disappear. She rubbed his back gently. "Naruto, what happened?"
"I was going to take him home… but I don't think he would like that." Naruto avoided her eyes and looked at everything but her. "So, I figured he could stay here again and we'd go to the Hokage's office tomorrow."
"I don't think that's a good idea." Naruto finally looked at her in surprise.
"Why not?"
"This is stressing him out. I'm going to take work off tomorrow to get him clothes and something to do until we figure this out." Sakura walked down the hall towards the bathroom. Before she entered the door, Naruto blocked her way with his arm. "? What are you doing?"
"Sakura, it's going to stress him out more if we keep him for too long right? We can take him to the Hokage's office tomorrow and… and-"
"And what Naruto? They'll figure it out? I'm sure they will, but they'll keep him somewhere even more unfamiliar while they search." Sakura brushed him aside and help the boy undress. She inwardly congratulated herself on washing the pajamas he used the night prior. Her mother's strict attitude on cleanliness started to pay off.
Naruto silently stood outside of the door as she washed and dressed Shina for bed. He hadn't been very talkative the night before, but he spoke more than this. When she finally laid him down in the bed she made up, he fell asleep quickly without her assistance. She left the room and switched off the light. She watched him for a while to make sure he didn't wake up, there were bags under his eyes. Even if his sleep, his face held great tension.
She turned, looking for Naruto, but he was no longer in the hall. She almost called out for him, but heard clanking in the kitchen. When she entered it, Naruto sat at the table and had helped himself to her milk.
"Naruto, what happened? It looks like he's been crying for a while." He shrugged, hesitant to answer. "... Naruto." She growled.
"We looked around and apparently he recognized this street. So we went to have a look and there's this house. He looked so convinced that it was his house but he kept saying it wasn't. So... we looked a bit more and I decided we'd stop for the day."
"And?"
"And so, I offered to take him for some ramen and me and Teuchi were joking around and it seems like… Shina got really upset."
"What were you joking about?"
"Just… stuff about Hinata not wanting me to eat ramen and stuff. The usual'ttebayo."
"And why did that make him upset?"
"Sakura, I don't really know. … For some reason, Shina is confusing us for his parents so he got really upset when I talked about my girlfriend. That's it."
"Well, why did you have to talk about her in front of him anyway? He's all confused and lost, you probably made it worse for him." Sakura crossed her arms.
"How am I supposed to know something like that would make him upset? I didn't bring her up."
"Well next time, maybe you should watch your mouth and what you do or say around him until we find him his place."
She saw sweat starting to bead around his forehead. He loosened his jacket and held the glass of milk tightly.
"Look, I'm sorry ok? I'll… make it up to him when we go shopping tomorrow."
"'We'? I don't remember inviting you. You can't shop even if your life depended on it."
"What? But S-"
"It's about time you left, right? I'm going to take care of him tomorrow and you're going to… go do whatever you do with Hinata."
"I never said I was going to do something with Hinata tomorrow." Naruto straightened in his seat.
"But you should. She's your girlfriend afterall. Now go." Sakura walked to the door and held it open. She tried to hold it back, but discussions about Hinata always made her antsy. She helped them get together, or more like, she forced Naruto in Hinata's direction, but that is how it should be. Right? … The less they spoke about his… relationship, the better.
"Sakura, Hinata and I… We hang out sometimes. She understands ok? I want to keep helping Shina and hang out with you-"
"No, YOU don't get it. She doesn't 'understand', she's too shy to speak her mind you dunce! Every moment you're trying to hang out with me you should want to spend with her!"
Naruto stood from his chair, but his eyes never left hers. He wanted to say something, but held himself back. What would he say? Would he be upset?
"Sakura-chan. It's… not like that."
"... Naruto, please leave." Sakura looked to the floor. He gave her THAT look again, the that made her heart sink. She could practically read his mind. Sometimes she enjoyed being one of the few people who could, but she didn't want to be tonight.
He stood there for a bit longer before he finally left the table. He stopped before walking through the door. She curseed silently at how it makes her heart jump.
"Sakura-chan, I… want us to be like before. Why can't we do that? What happened?"
"It can't be like before." Sakura gulped, finally having the courage to look him in the eye again. She hoped she looked stubborn and not regretful. "I already told you this… so please leave when I ask you to.
Normally, Naruto wouldn't back down, especially if he thought he was right. But tonight he did. She closed the door and slumped against it, trying to regain her composure. It always ended up like this. They talked, then they 'argued', and finally, Sakura had to force herself to kick him out in fear of what might happened if they were left alone for too long.
Sakura peeked into the living room to make sure their talking didn't wake Shina from his sleep. His face was relaxed now, maybe he found peace in a nice dream.
She didn't want to think about Naruto, she'd focus on Shina instead. Get him clothes, maybe a toy or two. Enough to keep him busy until she could figure out his parents' identity and where he lived.
Yes, that would keep her distracted enough. Enough to ignore how much Shina looked Naruto while he slept.