Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Temporary Custody
The next morning Lee waits outside his apartment door, looking for any sign of life from his new neighbors. He doesn't know what startled that mother so much last night, but he has concluded that as a leaf shinobi it is his responsibility to make sure that every Konoha civilian feels safe in his or her home. With determination Lee pumps his fist up. He must befriend that mother, and prove that he's a very neighborly man who has all of the best intentions when it comes to the village's youth, and civilians. Lee nods his head. Yes, his plan is clear to him now!
Seconds tick by before a child's terrified yell, "Mommy", sounds from his neighbors' apartment. Lee is on his feet in a blink of an eye. A few strides, and Lee is at their door. With one kick he's in their apartment.
With Natsumi in first person
Last night, after I escaped the man clad in green, I couldn't go back to sleep. I spent the rest of the night crouched next to the foot of Hiroshi's bed with a kitchen knife in my hands, fully ready to fend off any other intruder that might decide to enter our apartment.
By the time dawn comes my eye lids feel like they weigh a thousand pounds, I can't keep a steady hand, and there's this empty nauseating feeling in my stomach. The only thing I wanted to do was not move for the rest of the day. But I have a small child that needs to eat, and a job that I need to do.
Climbing to my feet with wobbly balance, I walk over to the kitchen counter and place the knife on it before heading off to wake Hiroshi. Although a bit groggy he jumps to action fairly quickly. Smiling at him I say, "Go wash up, I'll make your breakfast".
He hops off the bed, but pauses a few seconds later. "What about your breakfast?"
I grimace at the thought of food but quickly turn it into a smile. "I already ate", I lied before turning away from my son. With this growing nauseating feeling in my stomach I don't think I'd be able to even swallow a signal bite of food.
Hiroshi scampers off to do what I asked as I head to the to the fridge to retrieve an egg. Yesterday he had fruit, which is a simple sugar so he will have some protein this morning an egg is perfect.
Quickly I scrambled the egg in a cheap frying pan on the stove, and set the finished product on the table all before Hiroshi comes back from cleaning up.
With a pleasant mood Hiroshi climbs onto one of the chairs at the table, and eagerly attacks his breakfast with his chopsticks. Though whenever he goes to take a bite, the egg slips right out of his chopstick's grasp. My lips twitch at what an adorable scene this makes. Though perhaps I should invest in some forks and knives as well. "Slow down sweetheart. It'll be easier to eat if you take your time", I inform him with a tired smile.
Hiroshi nods before trying again, as I stand over him. The aroma of egg flies up my nose, and makes my stomach turn. I wrap my arms around my self as a wave of monstrous hunger hits me with full force. It would be wonderful to eat, but not at the risk of seeing Kairi's face again, even if it is just a memory. Having to recall all of the events that happened in that hellhole of an apartment isn't worth having a full stomach. Thinking about such horrid things causes my head to spin. Clutching myself tighter, as if to hold myself together, I stare at Hiroshi as a point of balance. I can't be weak like this, I think while willing this spell of dizziness to go away. A sudden flash of one of Kairi's leering expression causes a dry heave to work it's way up my throat. For a few seconds the world spins, and I can't make heads or tails of anything. A crash soon follows, one that seems to bounce around my entire head before complete nothingness.
Third Person
Lee charges in to find a dumbstruck three-year-old crouching next to a corpse looking woman that is the terrified mother he encountered last night. Letting his training take over, Lee quickly scans the apartment. Looking to see if there is any force nearby that could be responsible for the past out mother that's sprawled out on the kitchen floor. Not sensing or seeing any threat Lee squats down next to the child, and presses two fingers against the mother's neck. As Lee works to feel a pulse he looks over to Hiroshi to witness the young boy's helpless, fearful expression, and the beginning of tears forming in his crystal blue eyes. Lee smiles reassuringly. "She'll be fine". He reaches out, and grasps Hiroshi's hand. With a gentle pull he moves Hiroshi's hand until the boy's fingers are pressed against his mother's neck. "Can you feel that?" Lee asks after a few seconds.
Hiroshi slowly nods, sniffling a bit.
"It's her heart beating. As long as you can feel that your mom will be fine", Lee said as he let go of the toddler's hand. Hiroshi holds his hand on Natsumi's neck until Lee speaks up again. "We need to take her to the person that can help your mom". He began as he lifted Natsumi's upper half up so that he could get an arm around her shoulders. "This person can make your mom feel better" Lee slips his other arm under Natsumi's legs before he stands up being careful not to jostle the civilian. "Can you go put your shoes on Hiroshi?"
Hiroshi nods and quickly obeys before Lee asks him something else. "Do you know why your mom was sleeping outside last night?" Lee pauses in the doorway, standing on the knocked over door, waiting for a response.
Hiroshi shrugs as he scampers over the door and in front of Lee. "Mommy doesn't like to be inside. I don't either, but mommy says that it's to cold for me to sleep outside."
Lee walks forward, with Hiroshi close on his heels. He leads them down the apartment building stairs and towards the direction of the hokage tower where he hopes he can find Tsunade. Just like yesterday he and his neighbors are up long before any other soul. That's why Lee said that they would have to go see a person instead of merely taking Natsumi to the hospital. If he can find Tsunade then she can open the hospital early. As the three of them travel Lee asks, "Why don't you guys like being inside?"
Keeping his eyes on the path in front of them Hiroshi said, "Because in our old home we couldn't go outside".
Lee's brow crinkles as he looks down at the toddler next to him. Hiroshi is taking two steps to match one of Lee's. "Why couldn't you go outside?"
"Because only Kairi could open the door, and Kairi didn't want us to leave", Hiroshi answered as they turned a corner.
"Who's Kairi?"
Hiroshi frowns as his disposition suddenly turns into a grumpy one. "Kairi is a mean man who does bad things to mommy. But when he's with us I have to call him father". Once he's done answering Hiroshi scuffs the ground with the tip of his shoe like there's a sudden gloom hanging over his shoulder.
Lee glances down at the women in his arms as he tries to make a connection between her odd behavior and her son's words. "What bad things did he do to her?"
Hiroshi sighs as they take a right turn. "I don't know. Whenever he came I had to hide in the bathroom, and ignore everything that I heard." Hiroshi shakes his head as if he's trying to rid him self of something. "You sure ask a lot of questions mister", Hiroshi states. Lee nods to himself, and keeps his mouth shut; taking Hiroshi's last sentence as a sign that any more questions might push the boy a bit to far. Tightening his grip on Natsumi, Lee promises himself that he will get to know this new family, and work to keep anyone under the name of Kairi out of the village. But for now he would have to settle with getting the mother to Tsunade.
Later On
Lee was in luck as Tsunade was still in her office having past out after a long night of paper work and drinking. After being woken up Tsunade, although a bit groggy and irritated, quickly traveled with Lee and his neighbors to the hospital. And not long after she had Natsumi in a bed and attached to an IV as she listened to Lee tell story about how he broke down his neighbors' door when he heard Hiroshi scream only to find the mother to be knock out. Tsunade nods as she looks down at Natsumi, pursing her lips as soon as Lee is done talking.
A few minutes past with Tsunade lost in her own thoughts, Lee staring at her as he waits for her to say something, and Hiroshi is shifting his weight from one foot to the other, unsure of what he should be thinking about all this. Finally Tsunade sighs to her self and turns to face Lee. "Well I can't tell you how long she'll need to stay here", she started, gesturing to Natsumi, "But she'll at least be here for the rest of the day so I'm giving you temporary custody of the boy". Tsunade said to Lee as she flick her hand at Hiroshi.
"Yes Tsunade-sama", Lee answered, "But why me?" He loved the idea of having the chance to past on his wisdom to another generation, even if it was just for a limited time, but surely there was another adult in the village that Hiroshi would feel more comfortable with than a man that he had just meet the other day.
Tsunade sighs again, feeling the beginnings of a headache. "Because you're the only one here. Now get out".
Realizing that something was going on that he didn't like Hiroshi speaks up, "I want to stay with mommy!"
A vein in Tsunade's forehead starts to pulsate, and Lee quickly steps forward to keep the hokage from saying something that could possible traumatize the child. "Hiroshi if you stay here it'll be very boring. Your mom is just going to be resting today so if you stay with her you'll just be sitting around all day. But if you come with me I will make sure that we do some thing fun". Lee finished with a wide grin, and standing in his thumbs up stance.
Hiroshi bits his lip, a habit that he picked up from watch his mother. Having some fun sounds great to him, but at what cost? "Will I get to see mommy again?"
Lee nods his head hurriedly. "Yes, once she gets out of the hospital you'll stay with her again." He said as he holds out his hand to the toddler. With one last glance towards his mother Hiroshi slowly wraps his hand around two of Lee's fingers and allowed himself to be pulled to the exit.
"Lee", Tsunade called after them, "Fix the door that you broke!"
