A/N: On chapter 3. How swell. Due to a minor set back with my sister crashing the laptop... as well as the main computer as well, I had forgotten some things I wanted to add to this chapter. But d'oh well. And thank you to the reviewers who commented on this. I appreciate all the feedback!
Chapter 3. Watching Over
The creek of the opening door was not all that had greeted him upon that night. Naruto veered his head from left to right, his jaw clenched. The restless neighboring villagers were circled only feet from the boy. Foreheads creasing with animosity. Lips stretched all the way to the sides of their wrinkled faces with a snarl; their moles seemed to reach to the other side of their profiles. He had just deprived them of a well rested sleep and he didn't feel the need to deny his act. He didn't even need to take notice of their hostile faces. He already knew.
"Naruto!" A startled, but worried voice had called out from the neighboring circle. Through the low murmurs of the elder villagers, one was maneuvering through the little speck of people and found their way towards the young fox. Naruto found himself lifting his head towards the crowd, only to see a familiar man just feet away from his own being. He was slightly taller than the boy, his facial structure more in tone than the boy's. Though his scar had marred over his upper nose had shown greatly, it didn't take off the way he presented himself. Though he was usually seen with his Chuunin uniform, he was only clothed in the undergarments of his usual attire. His leaf headband had shined a streak of light over the boy from the illuminating night, his eyes squinting lightly through his stained vision. The only positive outcome was that he didn't need to bare the empathy the man had shown him through his profile. Through his blocked line of perception, Naruto could only see the silhouette of the man's frown.
Well this certainly made things better.
Naruto lowered his head, unable to let the man see him in this state. He wanted nothing more than for the others close to him to never see him at his worst. But in this case, it did not favor him.
The man had looked towards the others, no motioning his hands softly to ease away. "Gomen, I'll handle this," He said aloud. "You all just... try and get some sleep." And through the uncalled intervention, the neighbors had all agreed and retreated back to the comforts of their home. When all was cleared, the man had lowered his arms to his sides, now looking down at the boy. His brows lowered somberly, brown pupils saddened at the condition of the boy.
"Iruka-sensei," Naruto had began, his voice calm. "It wasn't my intention for this to happen."
"Naruto," Iruka had smiled sadly, placing his large hand over the boy's shoulder. It seemed to cover all his shoulder space as he gave it a comforting pat. "Let's go." He spoke with reassurance, averting the hostility he had caused his neighbors. In a random thought, this reminded him of Naruto's past mischief towards the villagers, and with that in mind, he smiled inwardly.
Naruto's eyebrows rose in surprise at the man's reaction, and his head surged up at the man with parted lips. This was the last thing he had expected from the trouble he had caused. But to keep the tension from growing any further, he took Iruka up to his offer and began to join his side when he noticed the Chuunin looking past the blond to the indoors of his apartment. His eyebrows surfaced greatly, lips pressed together.
With a great sigh, he reached over the blond's shoulder to close the door. "We'll deal with the mess later."
- - - - - - - - - -
The walk through the village had lasted only in an eerie silence. Naurto had not once looked for an opportunity to speak to his former teacher for any kind of simple conversation. He felt the comfort of the silence follow suit in between the two. To him, he felt the need to let it remain it as it was. But the Chuunin had thought otherwise. With his hands dug into the pockets of his uniform, he sighed inwardly, not seeming to find a right approach to talk to the blond. Through each step descending down the concrete stairs, his hands had stirred within the fabric of his pockets, keeping him occupied with some sense. It was as if this walk between close friends had emerged into an encounter in a deli supermarket.
You take a number.
You wait back in line.
No glances, no exchange of words.
And the process would only repeat throughout. This could only continue for so long for the older man. And he drew in a deep breath and said, "Naruto," But as he turned to face the blond, he wasn't present beside him. With a puzzled expression, he craned his neck over slightly, searching for his whereabouts. On the first glance, he spotted the boy steps above his own, his gaze elsewhere. "Naruto." He called out once more, his voice more audible to him, but he did not turn to meet his stare. So with one sigh, Iruka turned heel. His brown eyes had took notice of Naruto overlooking the building above, and with his own eyes, they trailed up to his spot of glare.
The general shop.
Iruka blinked, ceasing the shuffling of his pockets. He had expected Naruto to gawk more at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop then at the tiny general store, but he digressed, and he traveled back just the steps to join his former student, now looking down at him.
"Just wait one second." Naruto had said, now walking through the glass doors of the store, the shrill chimes of the bell had sprung to life as it was opened. Iruka watched his slouched figure proceed through the isles until he turned away from sheer sight. Iruka shook his head with an inward smile. Naruto has never ceased to amaze the man, even in times such at such hardship. With that mental note said, the lofty man lounged against the rough building, his eyes fixed upon the sign above. The neon sign flickering on and off.
On
...and then off.
And it would repeat the same notion over and over. The colored light of the sign had reflected over the man's tawny irises, his pupils contracting with the artificial lights above. As transfixing as it was to bear, he didn't forget the absence of his former pupil within the store. The man blinked, now turning his head towards the entrance of the shop, and as if it was well rehearsed, Naruto had opened the door, in his hand he held a double bound popsicle stick, his fingers wrapped around one of the two wooden sticks.
Naruto turned towards the man, meeting his stare, and smiled weakly, and said, "Let's go."
Though Iruka was taken aback by the blond, he had asked no questions and only followed the boy suit.
- - - - - - - - - -
It was under a street lamp where the two males had taken place under. Seated on opposites of the wooden bench, Iruka had kept his eyes on the fox. Naruto had seemed to not take notice of his glare, and for minutes, cerulean irises seemed glue to the ground. And he did not even touch his own popsicle, nor did he look away from his perception of view.
He was almost like a doll.
And through the eyes of the broken boy, he could only retrospect on the popsicle as the substance of the treat had dripped down his tan fingertips.
He remembered the smile he had given the young boy when he broke off the bonding food to share with him after a day of long training. It was those little things that he had done for the young fox to help guide him through the years.
The drops had now extended to the concrete floor.
And it was the simple things such as the ice cream that had brought about the unwanted memories in him. Naruto shook his head lightly, tossing out the lingering past behind his head. This wasn't the time for this. This wasn't the time...
"I heard about Jiraiya-sama."
The sudden call of Iruka's voice had broke the blond out of his trance. And finally being able to digest the words he had said, he cringed; his body rigid as stone, muscles tensed.
Oh how it stung to hear his name.
"Yeah..." Naruto finally admitted. That itself, had took a lot to say.
The dark haired man lowered his eyes, shifting his weight under the bench. One arm leaning against the railing, the other perched on his knee. Iruka exhaled lightly, tearing his eyes off the kitsune and stared to the vast space into nothing in particular. Naruto's blunt words weren't any easier to speak to him.
"I wanted him to keep watching me." Naruto solemnly spoke out, shaking out the drips of the ice cream unto the concrete ground. Iruka paused, eyebrows perked up in surprise. "I wanted him to be here when I became Hokage." Naruto continued, this time, with no hesitation. "To have him see me do more than screw up." He ended the note with a faint chuckle. When there was nothing more to be said from the boy, Iruka smiled weakly, now closing the empty space between Naruto and his own.
"Jiraiya-sama had nothing but praise for you. He'd brag constantly about you, how you were practically his grandson." Iruka replied gently. Unlike Naruto's tone, his was more reassuring. And in the midst of all the anguish, Naruto had found himself staring at the man before him, his lips parted. "How you were a man who inherited his spirit. He never doubted for a minute that'd you grow to be a wonderful Hokage." It was at that last word that Iruka had returned his stare and immediately smiled. The vivid scar planted on his nose seemed to lift slightly as he did so.
Naruto leaned back against the bench, blinking several times. With his lips shut, he swallowed hard, finding it a surprise that he could withstand a talk of his former sensei.
In past tense.
In ways where he didn't need to struggle to forget.
Iruka lifted his lofty frame off the bench, now gently grabbing hold of the dripping popsicle stick from Naruto's grasp. The kitsune shifted his eyes to the man's, letting his hands limp over his knee. "Jiraiya-sama will always be watching over you. I'm sure he's looking down at you now, wherever he is." Iruka continued calmly, now taking steps in front of the blond, bending his his knees over to see eye to eye with him. It was tawny irises against those of cerulean. "Don't stop being the person who earned all that praise. Be yourself...cheer up!" He ended the note with a smile, his cheek bones stretched slightly to reveal a smile of sincerity.
With a snap of the popsicle, the brunette handed one of the split ice cream to Naruto, his eyes following the frozen treat as it was passed to him. The Chunnin's smile grew, now baring his teeth lightly. Naruto lifted his hand, grabbing hold of the stick and shifted his eyes back to his former sensei.
"Now c'mon, Naurto." Iruka motioned with one hand, his mouth stuffed with the frozen ice cream. It was only with a stuffed mouth where you spoke in mumbles. "I think it's time that we deal with your apartment."
And through the eyes of the broken boy, he did not picture the great Sannin, Jiraiya like he thought he would. In that moment, he only saw Iruka as himself, and no one else.
- - - - - - - - - -
Sundays. They were a day of bliss and relaxation. It was those days where there was hope of a better seven days ahead. Sundays were the hours of lounging and not even second guessing to do otherwise. And it was always those Sundays where the sun seemed to shine its brightest in the mornings. And in the brightest morning of all week, Naruto stirred awake from his sleep from the shining light. The first vision of day had blinded his eyes incredibly; now shutting his eyes tightly.
It was too tiring.
Now with much more ease, Naruto reopened his eyes slowly, taking in the sunlight casting through his window. Blinking several times, he lifted his upper frame off the comforts of the soft velvet pillows and sheets.
Pinched eyebrows. Vision a broken haze. A stain of drool seeping from the corners of his lips.
He wanted nothing more than to slump back into the domain of his slumber for a couple more hours. Jus' a couple more...
A sudden shift of something had changed his entire plans for the day. Naruto swayed his upper body over to the incoming sound beneath the towering mattress. Upon the wooden floor boards rested Iruka; his lofty frame sprawled over the floor. The blankets wrinkled and grasped gently within the man's large hands. His dark hair was out of the usual ponytail he usually wore it in, and strands of his tossled hair were spread across his face. And in that moment, Naruto recognized what the Chunnin meant when he said that he saw himself in Naruto.
Naruto's cerulean eyes now flickered to the furnishings of his apartment, recalling the night before when Iruka tirelessly helped him to pick up the mess of the destruction he had made. Beside the corner of the wall slumped a bag of the broken wood and glass remains, next to it stood a broom lounging against the trash bag. Naruto remembered Iruka's straining eyes as he collected the mess with the broom. And when he was done with one pile, it would lead to another.
Naruto withdrew his eyes from the bags and went back to the man.
'Don't stop being the person who earned all that praise. Be yourself... cheer up!'
The blond shut his eyes briefly, the first smile of morning escaping his lips. Yeah, yeah... I'm trying.
He dismissed the memory and scratched his head, scooting his body towards the edge of the bed. He planted his feet firmly on the floor boards, careful not to stir the dark haired man. He reopened his eyes, staring into the kitchen room ahead of him. He stood up, ignoring the urge to stretch and proceeded towards the kitchen. Though he felt the motions not to eat, he ignored the neutral signs and decided to do so for the sake of his health, and possibly not to regret it during the day.
He sauntered through the kitchen slowly, taking his time to reach the old handles of his refrigerator, and upon opening it, there was nothing more than the usual spoiled milk and seasoning condiments. With twirling fingers, Naruto reached for the spoiled carton, peering into the inside of the box. It's thick texture rolled to the other side of the box, sending a long face running through the boy's lips. But it couldn't be helped. With the other hand, he shut the door softly, now straightening his posture. But through the morning sluggishness of his being, he merely slumped over once again.
And just like an eerie pinch of intuition, Naruto's irises darted toward the left of him, now eying the presence of Kakashi across from him. With acts of teleportation, there was no such definition of privacy anymore.
"How are you holding up, Naruto?" The man had asked inquisitively, his frame lounged against the nearest wall beside him. Through his masked face, Naruto could see the somber creases planted behind the fabricated threading.
"Just fine." Naruto managed to say, trying his best to hide the bitterness in his tone. His hand had shook the thick milk inside the carton slowly, letting out a foreboding hush with only the sound of the sploshing milk to leave the two in an uncomfortable silence, though what it seemed to the Jonin.
Kakashi tore his eyes off him, now shifting towards the broken table lying in the corner, to the expiration date on the milk carton. "Well... that's good to hear." He cleared his throat. "Tsunade-sama has ordered us back to her office."
Naruto blinked lazily, wrinkling his nose. "Granny again?"
Kakashi lifted his brow to the blond's response. He expected of a more angered answer, but it left the man at ease to have to not deal with a tempered student. He sat there, unplayed, waiting for the boy to say more, but he only took a sip of the stale milk, resulting the Jonin to wince slightly. He had no idea how the blond could even think of settling for the fetid substance like he did. And in the back of his mind, he wished not to even know. "Well get ready quickly." Kakashi digressed, throwing out the thought.
Naruto smacked his lips together, regretting the small taste of the milk and looked down, observing his night clothes; the usual simple white shirt baring the whirlpool symbol, along with his black calf lengthen pants. He shrugged his shoulders, seeing no sense into changing and exchanged glances with Kakashi. "I think this is fine." He said, now placing the milk upon the counter top of the kitchen and mumbled, "But I'm going to use the bathroom first, so hold on." He turned, now proceeding out of the kitchen.
Upon hearing the echo of the door shut through the hallway, Iruka had entered the kitchen, tying his hair into the usual ponytail. His eyes were in a lazy daze, and his mouth hung open slightly. And it was when his eyes saw the presence of the Jonin, he immediately perked, coming to a halt.
"When did you get here?" Iruka inquired, stretching his arms with his eyes locked on the other man. Kakashi pushed his body off the wall, placing both hands in the pockets of his dark pants.
"Not too long ago." He said simply, taking his eye off the Chunnin and to the trash bags lying around the floor boards. "I might have stepped on some trash here and there when I arrived though..." Kakashi's voice now drifted off as he pushed some bags over lightly with one foot. "He did quite a lot of damage inside." Iruka shrugged, a light tug of his lip shaping into a smile.
"Naruto can be a bit reckless sometimes." The brunette replied, indecisive to the last word spoken.
And it was those words that Kakashi had lowered his brow in a somber tone. " He isn't doing too well, isn't he?" He questioned softly.
"No... just give him time. He'll recover from all of this, he always does." Iruka reassured.
"Perhaps it may be best to save those words after he comes back from the fifth's." Kakashi spoke dolefully, the creases of his mask showing a firm line imprinted. Immediately Iruka paused, perplexed by his words.
"What do you mean?" Iruka inquired softly, now crossing his arms in a curious manner. Kakashi withdrew his sight from the man in response. "What is the meeting about, Kakashi?"
Footsteps were heard leaving the room ahead and Iruka immediately closed his mouth, not taking his eyes off the Jonin in front of him. The answer had came to a halt, and it seemed whatever they had in store for the blond would only bring nothing of more hurt. Iruka did not turn when Naruto had crossed him by. His tawny eyes seemed engraved into those dismal eye of Kakashi's.
"Iruka?" It was the sudden voice of Naruto's that had broke the hushed tension between the two men. Iruka blinked,withdrawing his gaze from the other man and look down at the boy, uncrossing his arms. "We're off to granny Tsunade's." Naruto informed him, exchanging glances with Kakashi who merely nodded his head. Iruka's lips were parted slightly, now seeing a slight smile on the boy's face. "Thank you for everything yesterday."
"Yeah... sure." Iruka replied slowly, watching as the boy made his way towards the door now, Kakashi's eye trailing his figure before coming back to Iruka's.
"Take care." He bid to the Chunnin before turning his back on him follow Naruto suit.
The brunette stood rigid in the kitchen floor boards of Naruto's home. The smile he witnessed on the fox's face was feared to be the last he would ever see in time to come. Iruka sighed deeply; shoulders lowered in a slight manner, arms hanging limp to his sides. He could only pray for Naruto's sake of the long day awaiting him.
- - - - - - - - - -
Kakashi had shut the door behind him gently, turning the knob slightly to avoid the click of the side locks for it was still early and he didn't want to trouble any neighbors beside the blond's home... as if the night before wasn't considerably stressful enough for them, but that fact was unknowable to Kakashi.
He turned, seeing Naruto leaning his frame against the rails of the complex. His vision was obscured by the morning light that dove into his irises the moment he stepped foot outside. And all he could do for the moment was wait until the sight grew into him.
"Naruto," The blond immediately turned to him, his brows perked up. "We must get there quickly, everyone is waiting for us."
Naruto turned his attention away from the Jonin and back to the landscape ahead of him. Pursing his lips slightly in thought, he shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Nah... I think I'm going to walk. Granny can wait." In that abrupt answer, Kakashi sighed, shutting his eye.
It can't be helped with him... And with that thought in mind Kakashi's hands rose forward, proceeding to conjure hands signs to depart. "Just... try and make an attempt come in time." The statement had sounded one of a question, and Naruto nodded his head with a faint smirk before the man had disappeared. The trail of smoke was the only remnant left behind, and as soon as it cleared, the blond composed his body and began to take slow strides through the village.
A/N: It took my awhile to finish this one, but I liked how it played out and hopefully you all did as well. Now in all honesty, it's going to be awhile before I get to finish the fourth chapter, so give me time! But until then, throw in those reviews? That'll be great.