Disclaimer – Why Naru-chan?! WHHHYYY?! Sobs uncontrollably whilst hugging Naruto plushy and gazing at last ever Naruto chapter.

Warnings – This is KakaIru, which means shounenai (boy love) yaoi (guy on guy sex). Get that? SEX. Between GUYS. Just letting you know.

Also, serious angst is apparently a thing. Whoops.

Again, all mistakes are my own, as this chapter is unbeta-ed. Reading through past writings, I realised there may be some confusion as the numbers kept changing. Naruto was taken at 6, was with Orochimaru for a year and has been with Iruka 5 years, so he's 12. Hope this clears things up! Hopefully I've fixed it.

On with the story! :D

Naruto POV!

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"Hello, Naruto. You've grown so big!" She spoke gently, a soft smile on her lips as tears clouded her green eyes.

Kami, she was beautiful. More so than I remembered her being. And her smile! She- she was smiling at me! Her son!

"Okásan!" I breathed out, unable to look away.

"Do you- Do you remember me?" She stepped closer before halting suddenly, as if afraid she would frighten me off.

I nodded slowly, feeling as if I were in a daze. How was I supposed to act? What was I supposed to say? "Yeah, I- I remember some things. Not much. But" I steeled myself, looking down to the floor. "I remember seeing you running after me, and then there was this massive snake and-" my fingers clenched so hard into fists on my lap that I lost feeling in them.

"Gomen" I whispered, pretending not to feel the tears in my eyes. "Gomen, gomen gomen-!"

Suddenly I was no longer sitting in the chair by Iruka's bed. I was standing and enveloped in warmth, red and the most amazing scent in the world. The world was shaking but I couldn't find it in me to care when there were two thin arms wrapped so tightly around me I felt I would never breathe again. If asphyxiation meant I could stay in this embrace, I would have gladly starved myself of air.

Our sobs were indistinguishable. "Baka!" I heard in my ear as she pressed me impossibly closer. "I love you, you baka!" I hesitantly reached my arms around her, resting my hands cautiously on her waist.

"Okásan?" The top of my head felt wet, and concern rose in me at realising that was due to my mother's tears.

"Don't mind me, I'm just so happy!" She pulled back slightly and cupped my face in her slim hands. "I think I'm allowed to cry on the happiest day of my life!" And didn't that just set me off crying all over again.

"Look at me, being selfish!" The red head put one arm over my shoulders, using her other hand to wipe at her tears. "There's someone else who's been waiting for you." She turned us towards the door, turning to me as she tightened her grip over my shoulders.

"Do you want to meet him?" I knew she was talking about my father. There was a second where I felt nervous, and scared. What if Orochimaru hadn't been lying? Why did I remember thinking 'everyone lies' whenever I thought of the blonde man who raised me – who swore to protect me?

But then I saw her smiling at me. So open, so honest. She was genuinely happy and excited, but through all that I could see absolute awe when she looked at me.

If there was even a chance that my father felt the same way . . . wouldn't it be worth the risk?

I raised my hand to grasp the one she had laid over my shoulders, gripping it tightly, whilst my other hand reached back for Iruka's – who offered it wordlessly.

Kakashi was stood leaning against the bottom of Iruka's bed, the brunette himself saying nothing but acting as silent support when I needed him. Another look at my mother's face, and I had all the courage I needed.

"Can I- O-Otósan?" I called, body tense as I waited for the door to open again.

The seconds it took for the handle to turn and the door to swing open were filled with nothing but the pounding of my heart and the last-second doubts in my head.

'Everyone lies. He lied. He said He'd protect me. Where is He?'

Familiar blue eyes, the same shade of mine. Blonde hair, as bright as I remembered it being. All striking features, but none more so than the nervous, joyful smile.

"Naruto." His voice was strong, calm. I felt so safe when I heard it. A second passed in which all it seemed he could do was drink in my features, before his eyes closed and his smile grew.

"Welcome home."

The air was punched out of my gut. I'd waited, for so long . . . all those cold, dark nights where I could do nothing but beg and hope . . . 'I wanna g-go home! Ok-kásan! Otósan! P-please! Gom-men!'

Distantly I could hear my mother, yelling at him; "Mina-chan, you baka! Is that it? Show some compassion!" It was beyond me to pay any more attention.

I'd stumbled forward before I could think, crashing into his shoulder and gripping his coat tightly. "I'm home!" There was nothing I could do but tremble and cry as his arms wrapped around my shoulders.

He leaned down and whispered into my hair. "No one's going to take you again!" His grip tightened, but relaxed again when we were both thrown off balance by our (our!) red head dive bombing us.

"My boys!" She cried, one of her hands running through my blonde hair and another through my father's identical hair. Using her grip on our heads, she pulled all of us closer together until all our foreheads were touching and grinned brilliantly at us. "Just-just let me have this!" She looked to my dad. "No arguing, baka!"

I grinned at them both, content to let them hold me close. Iruka had done his best for me, and I will always love him for that . . . but this was family.

We were jolted out of our huddle when Kakashi spoke up behind us. "Minato-sensei, I am truly happy for you." He stepped past me and grasped my father's shoulder companionably. "Congratulations." He nodded to my mother as well, his masked smile turning his visible eye into a 'U'.

"Thank you, Kakashi." My father sounded slightly less composed this time as he looked at his wife and me.

"However" Kakashi continued, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "My pack mate was grievously wounded the other day, and is still recuperating. Though I'm sure Naruto appreciates his presence, Iruka-kun needs to rest."

I turned to see a blush spread across Iruka's cheeks. "Kakashi, no! I'm fin-" he called out indignantly, only for me to interrupt him.

"Gomen Iruka-sensei!" I jumped to his side and took his hand again. "Kakashi-teme is right, you should be sleeping!"

His brow set stubbornly as he replied. "Naruto, this is far more important! I can rest later!"

A strong presence was suddenly at my shoulder, and my father's calming scent washed over me. "Iruka-san." I turned to see the blonde sweep down in a low, graceful bow. "Thank you!" When he raised his head, the seriousness of his eyes brought a shiver to his spine.

"Thank you, for saving my son's life. Repeatedly, I've heard." He grinned at me as my mother came to my side by the bed.

"I could never truly repay you, Iruka-san. Not if I owned the entire Earth." She took Iruka's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Thank you, thank you!"

"Kakashi was right, Iruka-san. You need to rest. We can talk more when you wake." My father gently pulled mother away, and went to leave the room. "Naruto" he turned back to me. "You can stay with Iruka-san as he rests, but feel free to return to your own hospital bed before Tsunade-san makes her rounds." He smiled mirthfully at me.

"That's right! BAKA!" The fist being waved around almost hit me twice before the woman calmed down. "What were you thinking, running off like that! You're in hospital for a reason! Did you not consider how I'd feel to wake up and find you gone-!"

The fight suddenly left her, and the red hair that had been flying around like a sentient creature fell calmly down her back again. "Find you gone again."

"Ah, gomen. Okásan." I called her mother again, unable to stop myself, and her sad expression was just as suddenly replaced with happiness again.

"Kushina-chan. " Her husband called from the doorway.

"Eh? Oh yeah! Sorry Kakashi-kun! I'll leave your pack mate in peace." She stopped again before she left the room. "Naruto, we'll be popping by your room later, so you'd better be there! And if you want to find us before then we'll be talking to Tsunade and Jiraiya." With one last lingering look at me, my parents left the room.

I tried to ignore the pang in my chest. They'd only gone down a hallway! I could find them as soon as I made sure that Iruka was okay.

Turning back to Iruka, I saw him glaring at Kakashi. "That was rude, Kakashi! They were together after all these years – you didn't have to interrupt them!"

"Your health at the moment is a bit more important than a catch-up chat, Iruka-kun."

For once, I agreed with the hentai.

"He's right, Iruka-sensei! You spend so much time worrying about me you forget about your own problems. You were shot, Iruka!"

"But- your parents-"

"Aren't going anywhere." What I just said struck me. "My parents. Iruka!" I grinned at him. "You were right! My parents my parents my parents! Hahahaha!" I jumped down onto the bed with him, hugging him as closely and carefully as I could.

He gave me a one armed hug back. "I'm so glad, Naruto!"

When my hand came in contact with his bandages, I sobered up a bit. "You need to rest, Iruka-sensei. Don't worry about me for once, okay? I'll be down the hallway surrounded by all these people so I can't get into too much trouble."

Kakashi came over to my side and rested a hand over my shoulder. "No one here is gonna let anything happen to him whilst you're asleep, Iruka-kun."

Iruka smiled tiredly up at us both. "Thank you, Kakashi. Naruto." Another smile. "I don't know why I feel so . . . tired . . ." A large yawn cut him off, before his eyes closed and his body went limp.

"Huh. That was quick." I wondered, standing from the bed.

"I put some more anaesthetic into his drip." I turned around in surprise. "What?" Kakashi defended without remorse. "He needs to rest."

"You're creepy." I glared at him suspiciously. "Don't do anything perverted to Iruka whilst he sleeps!" I yelled, pointing a finger at him accusingly.

"Would I ever?" He gasped in fake innocence. "Come on now, Naruto. Back to your room before Tsunade gets there, or else no one in this hospital will be able to rest!"

With that he ushered me out of the door, and I grinned happily, feeling as if I were feather-light as I all but skipped down the hallway. Not that I skipped. You don't have any evidence!

Parents. Finally, I had parents! Ones that weren't just a dream or a catastrophic nightmare, but an actual, real mum and dad who didn't hate me one bit!

If only I had paid more attention instead of skipping, I might have noticed the cold, familiar presence watching me from a crack in a doorway.

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Iruka POV!

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The aspirin feeling was back.

You know, the whole 'comfortably, amazingly warm' feeling I had upon waking up. I was lying on my stomach hugging the pillow closer to be and I couldn't think of one damn thing wrong with the world.

I wiggled a bit on the soft bed and sighed happily. There was no beating the feeling of no pain, no illness, and nowhere to be in the morning. Or afternoon. Who cared? Not me. It was just too damn comfortable.

My limbs felt weightless but heavy as lead at the same time, and I relaxed in the moment, determined to thoroughly enjoy it until Naruto came to wake me up. Probably to feed him, or some inconsequential thing like that . . . He'd better not ask for ramen . . .

A thought struck me, and I wrinkled my nose in distaste. 'I'd better not wake up and find a nipple', I mused carelessly . . . Wait. What?!

Of course! Last time I felt like this I had been lying on Kakashi and- Oh! Kakashi! Wolves!

The events of the last week all came flooding back to me in one go, and I shot up in concern. "Naruto!"

The second I moved, though, pain screamed through me, writhing across my muscles and originating from my back.

"FUCK!" There wasn't even a moment to appreciate that Naruto wasn't around to hear me speak like that before the door burst open and Tsunade casually strolled in.

She ignored my pained whimpering into the pillow and immediately started to reprimand me. "Damn it brat, don't go opening those stitches or you can stitch your own back up! You're not my only patient, you ungrateful mutt! Now lie down and stay down!" She commanded the last part as a hand shoved my shoulders further onto the bed and my bandages were pulled.

After replacing my old bandages with new ones, Tsunade finally softened after seeing my fists clenched and teeth gritted in pain. Where had that aspiring feeling gone?!

"I'll give you some pain killers, but not enough to knock you out this time. With your healing, you should be free of this bed later today, and free of stitches three days from now. Lucky you're not just a squishy human anymore, huh Iruka-kun?"

"Truth be told, I don't feel particularly lucky right now, Tsunade-san." Without giving her a chance to reply, I quickly changed the topic. "Thank you for healing me, Tsunade-san. It's very kind of you."

"I'm not a healer because I'm nice, kid. You owe me one now." She turned back as she was about to leave the room. "Naruto's sleeping – it's the middle of the night. I'll send Kakashi over, though." The witch left before I could thank her again.

It wasn't long before Kakashi was creeping quietly into my room.

"Hey" I called to him. "How's Naruto?"

"You've only just woken up! Take a minute to-" upon seeing my face, Kakashi quickly changed tactic.

"Ahem. Yes, Naruto. He's fine. Spoke to his parents for a couple of hours before he came to sit by you. He's been asleep since 8pm, and it's now" he brought out his phone to check the time. "2am."

"8pm?" I wondered. "He must have been exhausted. Putting him to bed before half nine is usually quite the challenge." I squinted at him. "What are you doing up at 2am?"

He shrugged nonchalantly and sauntered over to the chair, dropping in it gracelessly. "I had to tell the pack where we are, and trying to talk over Gai took a while." I winced in sympathy.

"Did you tell them everything?"

"Only Gai. The others don't need to know, especially the younger ones. This is all a bit too dark to be PG, don't you think?" He grinned sadly behind his mask.

"Yeah", I replied, staring at my fist as it repeatedly clenched and then relaxed on the pillow.

A moment passed uncomfortably before Kakashi sighed and leaned forwards, resting his arms on his knees. "Naruto is . . . he'll be a lot safer with them, Iruka. And Kami knows Minato and Kushina will both do everything in their power to make him happy. They can teach him all about being a Junketsu, and I'll show you what it means to be a Shita."

He looked at me sadly and gently grasped my bare shoulder with his hand, offering comfort. "I know it won't feel like it for a long time, but . . . you'll both be better off, in the long run. You've done really well by that kid for the past few years, and now it's finally time for you both to grow. You were still a young man when you found him, and now you know there's gonna be someone there to take care of him maybe it's time to just try and be Iruka; idiot mountain-hiker with a soft spot for killer wolves."

The grin he sent me slipped from his face when he finally chanced a glance up at me. Tears were rolling down my cheeks and stinging my eyes but there was nothing I could do to stop them.

All I could do was feel my heart shattering. Naruto was everything. Getting up in the mornings, going to work, cooking that kami-awful ramen time and time again . . . it was all for him. I loved him so damn much. He'd barely been in my life five years but he had truly captivated and held to ransom every miniscule aspect of my life until it belonged completely to him.

I would do anything for him. Hell, I'd taken a bullet for him. Now I might never see him again.

"It hurts, Kakashi." I managed to breathe out, clenching my fist and bringing it close to my chest as if that could somehow close up the gaping hole there. "I want him to be happy, but kami it hurts."

I shuffled onto my side, the pain in my back a welcome distraction from the ache in my chest. I reached out the hand not huddled against my heart to Kakashi, whom grasped it without hesitation. With another painful twinge in my back, I used his grip to drag him onto the bed, surprising him to the point where he fell without resistance.

"Iruka-"

"Please" I whispered into his shoulder, clutching him tightly as I continued to cry. "Without Naruto, I-" another sob cut me off. "What am I supposed to do?!"

Kakashi relaxed into my hold, wrapping his own arms carefully around my back. "You don't give up. For every day for the rest of your life, you will do what's best for him, even if it means being a thousand miles away. Even if it means living for yourself for once, so you can learn to protect him better.

"And hey", he continued, pulling back slightly to look me in the eye. "Whether you want it or not, you have a pack now. You won't have to go through this alone – that's kinda what packs are for, after all."

I rubbed my eyes in a bid to dry them before I lost all my pride. "I-"

BOOM!

Kakashi was off the bed and heading to the door the instant the sound began. The shaking of the hospital as what seemed to be explosions rocked the establishment didn't slow the white haired wolf at all.

"What was- Kakashi?" The rocking of my bed shifted me onto stomach, and I'd never felt more vulnerable.

"Iruka, stay here." Without sparing me a single glance he exited the room. I had just a second to see the previously white corridor glow orange from fire before he shut the door quickly behind him.

What was going on?! Had that been an explosion? I could hear yelling and the sounds of a fight. My eyes widened in horror – was the hospital under attack?!

"Naruto!" I had to get to Naruto! There's no way Naruto's attempted kidnapping a few days ago, his being here and the hospital being attacked was all one big coincidence.

With a long, distressed groan, I levered myself up onto my hands and knees, panting and sweating with exertion from the amount of effort it took to keep my back straight. Reluctantly, but with a haste Tsunade would scold me for, I lowered a foot down to the floor and used it to pivot until I was sitting straight with my legs hanging off the bed.

I didn't even take a second to recuperate as I pitched forward with a mighty heave and herculean effort. The sounds of fighting were growing louder, and another explosion shook the room as I stumbled past the chair. I leaned on it heavily for support until the room stopped trembling.

At long last I fell into the door, scrambling at it for a moment as sweat dripped into my eyes and blurred my vision. "Come on, come on . . ." My hand clasped the handle and I threw the door open, destabilising myself and tripping into the war zone the hallway had become.

I squinted against the glare of flickering fire reflected against the white tiles of the floor and searched for a recognisable figure in the blaze. "Naruto!"

I was still on the floor when I saw a flash of yellow light, and suddenly Minato-san was before and pulling me quickly to my feet. "Hold on Iruka-kun." Another yellow flash, and then Minato and I were in another hospital room, this one also containing Naruto and Kasai.

"Stay here. Kasai, watch him!" In the time it took for me to gaze around in a stupor and the red headed girl to reply a strong "Hai!" Minato had already disappeared.

"Wha. . . ?"

"'Ruka!" Naruto barrelled into me and wrapped his arms tightly against my waist, the momentum sending us both hurtling towards the floor before Kasai pushed me from behind and herded me towards the bed.

"You shouldn't be moving, Iruka-san!" She used my confusion against me and had both me and Naruto sitting on the bed before I regained my wits.

"Kasai, what-"

"Something's wrong with Anko-chan!" Naruto's distressed cry captured my attention. "I woke up and she had these horrible yellow eyes and I screamed and then otósan was there and now there are all of these explosions and-"

"Breathe Naruto!" I took him by the shoulders and waited for him to breathe.

Kasai interrupted him as he opened his mouth to speak again. "It seems one of Tsunade's patients has been possessed by Orochimaru."

"Possessed?!" I turned to her in shock.

"Yes. My pack mates and the Sannin are fighting her off, and we've been cordoned off to the far side of the facility by Minato-san's Hiraishin."

"There are a few words there I don't understand, but I get the gist of it. Anyway, how could she have gotten so close to Naruto without anyone noticing?!"

"That's not what matters now. We just have to concentrate on keeping you two safe in case she's only a distraction."

I felt the blood rush from my face as I pulled Naruto closer. "You mean there's more?"

"We don't know how many there are. Orochimaru may be a low-life psychopath, but he's also a genius."

Naruto chose then to but in. "But surely my okásan and otósan will fight them off without any trouble? I mean, did you see my otósan?! He was like a flying thunder god or something!"

Kasai didn't keep the worry off of her face. "It depends on how much planning Orochimaru but into this. If it was a spur of the moment attempt, then he hasn't got a chance. But if he's taken everything into consideration-"

She cut herself off and whirled to face the door, and I could only watch in awe as claws grew from her finger nails and a low growl rumbled menacingly from her lithe form.

"Kasai-chan, what's- Ah!" A loud BANG! Resonated throughout the small room, cutting Naruto off as the door caved in and simultaneously flew forward, knocking into Kasai with break-neck speed and pinning her to the far wall.

I tucked Naruto instinctively under my arm, holding him as he struggled towards his mother's cousin. "Kasai-chan!"

But my eyes were only for the imposing figure in the doorway. As the rubble from the damaged doorway cleared, a white haired man stepped into the room. His grey eyes appeared lifeless behind his spectacles, and his smile when he looked at us was as cold as the dead.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. You'll be coming with me."

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Oh my god, writing reunions with characters you haven't written anything about in a year is so damn hard! I was like "where do I go with this? Who should say what? WHERE IS MY GOD DAMN HOT CHOCOLATE?!" I've lost like half the hairs on my head writing this one chapter!

I felt like Kushina and I are kindred spirits because we're both rambunctious red heads, but even then this was difficult. So. Damn. Difficult! And angsty. All the angst and the tissues.

Also: Mwahahahaha! Who do you think the glasses-wearing sociopath is? Hehehehehehe

Iruka: Naruto isn't here, is he?

Kakashi: Nope. I sent him to go buy some elbow grease.

AwesomeNumber-Fan: That'll keep him busy for a while :P

Iruka: Thank kami! I don't want him to see me being so clingy to Kakashi!

Kakashi: Utterly despondent face You're . . . ashamed of me?

Iruka: It's more I don't want him thinking that you're a smooth talker and decide to follow in your footsteps.

Kakashi: . . . Understandable.

AwesomeNumber-Fan: I have celebratory 'Welcome back to the Chapter House' cake!

Everyone (including Naruto): Yay!

. . .

Everyone BUT Naruto: Damn it!