I have a confession to make.
...Or, at least, I did, but the dilemma I was in has already been resolved.
You see, there was a part of this fic that, at the time it was planned, was going to work fine. But after seeing your passionate reviews, I just couldn't bring myself to continue the storyline as it was, because it would have been highly unsatisfactory.
Because of this, I've worked with a close friend of mine to change a good portion of the plans I'd created, to bring forth a story I feel you'd much prefer. Now, you readers won't see a difference, I just want to make that clear. But I thought it would be best to let you know that the plot as it once was has gone through a change, and it's thanks to your input.
And between you and I, this new plot line is a whole lot better anyway!
I'm always reading your reviews, always taking on board little tips and ideas. If there's something about this fic that you don't like, tell me. Plot holes? Let me know. I can guarantee that I'll read and consider any and all comments you leave for me, so please don't feel as though you can't give me your opinion.
I like opinions, regardless of whether they're positive or negative :)
On that note, I noticed some of you aren't fans of the explicit scenes. Would you like me to upload a clean version of this fic for those of you who'd prefer not to read the lemon?
Chapter 9
"Morning, sensei!"
Giggles erupted from the dining table as Haru noticed his father, promptly flinging the food Kakashi had placed before him onto the floor. Naruto immediately began cleaning up the mess as the disgruntled Hatake set out yet another bowl.
"Are you sure I can't calm him down, Naruto?" he asked tiredly. "It would make my mornings so much easier."
The teen cast a mock glare at him, and the action dissolved Haru into yet another fit of laughter.
"No, Kakashi, you cannot genjutsu the baby."
Naruto sat down, idly offering a hand to Haru. He took it happily, twisting and turning it in his tiny hands with a curiosity only a toddler could muster.
"He's hardly a baby now though." Kakashi mused, handing Naruto some breakfast before sitting down with his own. "Even if he looks like it, Tsunade told me that his mental capacity is growing far faster than any baby should."
He should have been more shocked about such a revelation, but with the advancements that Haru had made lately, somehow it didn't phase him.
"So what does this mean for him, growing up?" Naruto asked. "You're better at all this thinking stuff than I am."
"He's going to struggle to make friends with people his age, at least when he enters the academy. His level of thinking will be rather more mature than those around him, so he may end up feeling quite isolated."
"Can we do anything to help that?"
"Apart from getting him acquainted with the Naras, I don't think so."
They both fell silent for a few moments, turning their attention to the food before them. Even Haru seemed to settle down.
"I read it." Kakashi remarked eventually. "I... I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
A sudden, unwarranted thrill of annoyance rushed through Naruto, but he lowered his head before it could show on his face
"No, it's okay. I mean, there was a law against telling me, right? You had no choice."
He was pretty frustrated about the whole thing, but none of it was Kakashi's fault. He had no right resenting his sensei for a law that the sandaime had created, regardless of whether or not he chose to follow it.
No, if there was anyone he should be angry at, it was the Kyuubi. If it wasn't for that bastard attacking the village, his mother and father would never have died. Naruto would never have had to find out about who his parents were through a damn letter.
He schooled his features before Kakashi could notice, and went back to his food with renewed vigour. Once he'd cleared his plate, the teen sat back and studied his son's face.
Haru was eating quietly, a frown marring his tiny face. It was a far cry from the bubbly boy he'd been moments ago.
'My mood is affecting him.'
The revelation brought forth a wave of guilt, which Naruto quickly forced down. If his emotions were going to take an effect on Haru's, then he would rather pretend to be happy.
He turned his mind back to the moment when he'd woken up in that hospital bed beside Kakashi. The warmth, the positivity that had surrounded him in that moment had been so powerful that even now he could feel it deep within him. Naruto took a deep breath, doing his best his best to project all those happy thoughts back towards Haru, until he could see a growing smile on his face.
That innocent grin was rather contagious, Naruto found, and soon enough he found a beaming smile of his own forming to match it.
"So, any plans today sensei?"
The jounin in question shook his head, peering at the teen curiously.
The little frog toy was perched on the counter-top, the scroll tucked safely inside. Even despite his earlier interaction with Naruto, Kakashi still caught himself glancing towards it every now and then, as if reassuring himself that the events of the day before had actually happened. The letter, Haru's sharingan, It all felt surreal. Like those dreams that were always just a little too vivid for his liking.
Naruto's change in attitude hadn't helped, either. Kakashi had witnessed his fair share of trauma, both to himself and to others, and not one of the people he knew had been able to bounce back so readily as Naruto had. It was as though he was naturally resilient to the mental strain he'd faced.
Or, he was just so used to pretending to be okay that it was second nature to him now. Kakashi really hoped that wasn't the case.
"So, sensei... I'm thinking I might go for a walk," Naruto remarked brightly. "Maybe see if I can catch Iruka-sensei on his lunch break, if I'm still walking then."
Something lurched within Kakashi, an emotion he couldn't quite place.
"Are you sure?" He asked, in a voice far more calm than he felt. "After what happened yesterday-"
"I'll be fine. It's a public place. Lots of people around," The teen cut over him. The edge to his voice, so contrary to the bright greeting he'd offered earlier, had been response enough. Naruto didn't want to talk about it.
Haru had lapsed into sombre silence, hardly making a sound as he ate. The difference in attitudes since yesterday left a heavy feeling within Kakashi's gut.
'Is all of that due to yesterday's stress, though? Is Naruto still feeling this low, deep down?'
It was definitely possible. Kakashi highly doubted that Naruto could just shrug it off like he pretended he could, even if it wasn't quite as serious as it had been before.
Naruto remained quiet, even after he finished his food. He began to head into his room to get changed, and Kakashi was left with a too-quiet toddler to keep an eye on.
"Well, Haru," He mumbled, more to himself than to the boy. "What do you want to do today?"
Haru only looked up at him, the hint of a smile curling his lips. There was no playful glint in his visible eye, though. Not today.
Ka?" The toddler gurgled, the word sounding strangely well-formed despite his age. Kakashi only gave him a returning "Ka", turning to catch sight of Naruto heading towards the door. He dashed forward, wrapping a hand around the teen's arm before he could open the door. Naruto tensed, arm twitching as though he was about to wrench it away, but stopped himself. He forced himself to relax, but Kakashi could still see the knots of pressure in his shoulders.
"What's up?" The teen asked, looking up at him. But their eyes didn't quite meet, with Naruto instead fixing his gaze on the line of his sensei's mask.
"Just... be careful out there, alright?" He asked gently. "I'm going to order out tonight, so be back by sunset, please."
The blond nodded, still not quite meeting his eye, though he caught sight of a small smile. "Ramen?"
"Ramen." Kakashi replied.
Naruto's smile widened just a little more, and then he was leaving, walking down the street with a confidence he clearly hadn't been feeling a moment before. The jounin allowed his composure to drop as soon as the door clicked shut, resting his forehead against the firm wood. Kakashi's hitai-ate clinked with the contact, but he paid it no mind.
'I hate feeling so helpless...' He frowned. 'I don't know what to say to him, how to make him feel better. I guess now I know how Minato felt.'
No, that wasn't right. Minato would have known what to do in this situation. He always did.
'Think, think... What would Minato do?'
/\/\/
"Good work today, Obito!" Rin beamed, patting the Uchiha on the back. Kakashi only scowled at the boy, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. A bright blush had appeared on Obito's face, no doubt because of the close contact.
Kakashi would have muttered something about how childish he was, but a hand on his own shoulder stopped him in his tracks. Behind him, Minato Namikaze offered him a gentle smile.
"Rin, Obito, we'll catch up." He told them, gesturing for Kakashi to stop. Obito looked as though he was going to respond but Rin pushed him onward, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Let's go get some food on the way"
When they were finally alone, the world seemed to flicker, and Kakashi found himself standing in front of the memorial stone. He stumbled, the hand that still gripped his shoulder preventing him from overbalancing.
"Damnit, sensei!" Kakashi exclaimed, "Can't you warn me when you're going to teleport?"
The blond only gave him a sheepish grin, turning back to the memorial stone.
"How are you doing?" He asked, smile dropping into a serious frown. "I know it's the anniversary today, so..."
"I'm fine."
"How fine?"
"Fine."
Minato cast him a sidelong glance, clearly expecting him to continue. He didn't.
The blond sighed; the sound barely audible over the light breeze that surrounded them. Kakashi knew that his sensei was disappointed with his lack of a response, but he wasn't willing to elaborate on just how fucked up his mental state was right now.
He didn't want to lose his job, temporarily or not. Right here, with his team, this was the only place he didn't feel alone. Even with Obito and his childish tendencies, even with the arguments and the disagreements, Team Minato was family.
"Sleepover."
The blond's voice cut through his musing. Almost startling in its seriousness.
"Wha-?"
"You're coming to my place tonight." Minato told him. "We're going to have a sleepover. You can talk about as much or as little as you want. I won't push you to do anything, and if you just want to talk about something inane, like the best way to polish a kunai, then we can do that too."
/\/\/
Kakashi straightened, banishing the memory as best he could. He was't sure he wanted to remember how emotional he'd been on that night, spewing all his secrets to his sensei.
Having said that, Minato had brought out a bottle of sake at some point, back then. He'd woken up with one hell of a hangover, and the exact details of that night had always been rather fuzzy.
The idea struck Kakashi at the same time that Haru cried out for some attention, having probably finished eating. He walked idly into the kitchen, head filled with plans and ideas.
He would give Naruto the chance to talk on his own, just as Minato had done for him.
/\/\/
The wonderful smell of ramen reached Naruto's nose before he'd even opened the door. There was nothing like it, nothing that even came close to the delicious scent of his favourite food, and it drew him forward almost despite himself.
The low mood that had been hanging over Naruto melted away in the presence of ramen. He hadn't been able to find Iruka that afternoon, so he'd decided to head to a local training ground to run off some of his excess energy. It had helped, somewhat. But the breathlessness had only served to remind Naruto of the previous day, and he'd been forced to stop before his emotions got the better of him.
The ramen, though, that helped him to forget. Nothing could fill his mind so heartily like a steaming hot bowl of ramen.
"You're late," Kakashi mumbled from the kitchen, where he was opening takeout packages and distributing the food within.
Naruto scoffed, flopping down onto the sofa. "You're one to talk, considering how long you make us wait for missions."
"Hmm."
As the teen reclined in his seat, he couldn't help but notice how quiet the house was. It was a rarity when one had a five month old in residence.
"No Haru?" Naruto asked. His voice was quiet, lest he unknowingly wake his sleeping son, but he knew that Kakashi would hear it nonetheless.
"Tsunade offered to take care of him for the night." The jounin replied, entering the room with two bowls. "We decided it would be best for the two of us to talk, without any distractions."
Aah, now the ramen made sense. Naruto would have been annoyed, were he not so busy stuffing his face.
"Have you ever had alcohol?"
The question caught Naruto off guard, and he almost choked on his mouthful of food. He somehow managed to keep it all down, taking a moment to chew and swallow before answering.
"I stole a glass of Old man Sandaime's sake once, when he wasn't paying attention. I don't really remember what happened after that though, I was really young." He replied. "Anyway, why'd you ask?"
Kakashi had a hand over the arm of the sofa, rooting around in what must have been a bag, hidden from view in his current position. Eventually he brought up a bottle.
"I thought we could share some tonight, if you wanted. My sensei... your father did the same for me once."
The teen cocked his head, nodding for him to continue.
"Well, it was the anniversary of my father's death at the time, and he wanted me to stop bottling up my emotions." The casual note with which Kakashi spoke didn't surprise him, somehow. "So we sat down, much like you and I are, now. We drank, we shared our secrets, and we woke up the next morning none the wiser as to what we said. Or at least, I was none the wiser."
Their conversation petered out after that, neither of them really sure what to say. Perhaps on any other day, they'd have started a conversation about something pointless and trivial. But in a situation like this, where Naruto was expected to start talking about feelings? It left a tension in the air that was somehow thicker and more awkward than the two of them had felt when he'd seen Kakashi without his mask.
Before he knew it, they'd both cleared their bowls. Naruto took it upon himself to bring them into the kitchen, wanting to do something other than sit and wait for the inevitable. It didn't help much, but at least he could focus on something.
"So, did you manage to talk to Iruka today?"
Kakashi's question was accompanied by a small 'pop', marking the opening of his sake bottle. A part of him felt a little thankful for the inclusion of alcohol, but it was a very, very small part nonetheless.
"No, I think he was helping some other kids with their work over lunchtime." he replied. "I spotted him through the window though, and he waved at me. So I guess there's that."
"Hmm."
"I decided to run instead. Burn off some energy, ya know? I hadn't been expecting a busy night."
Naruto tried and failed to hide the blush that crept onto his face as he realised what he'd just implied.
"I- I mean..." He tried to correct himself, only to feel even more awkward. "I just meant, because talking takes a lot of energy, right? Well, not just normal talking, of course. Heavy talking. Emotional talking. I... I'm just going to shut up now."
Kakashi didn't reply, but the teen thought he saw the man's shoulders shaking a little as he suppressed a laugh.
'Damn him'
Acting on a whim, Naruto strode up to his sensei, plucking the bottle from his fingers and taking a long swig. The alcohol burned a little as it went down, but the burn was soon replaced by a comfortable warmth.
Kakashi, for his part, was staring wide-eyed at him. If his mask had been off, Naruto could just imagine his lips, parted slightly in bewilderment.
It wasn't until Naruto decided to read the bottle that he realised why the jounin was so shocked. He'd bought a particularly strong brew, one that was designed more for sipping than gulping down as he had.
Funnily enough, Naruto felt no different as he passed the bottle back to Kakashi, who lowered his mask just enough to take a rather smaller drink of the sake. He'd somehow managed to keep his face covered during the action, and Naruto couldn't explain why a shred of disappointment coursed through him as a result.
The teen took a deep breath, holding it for as long as he was comfortable. His muscles began to relax as he exhaled; a long, drawn out breath that was as much to relax him as to discern whether the alcohol was taking effect. He had no idea what alcohol was supposed to be like, but he was pretty sure that there should have been more of a reaction than just the warmth that pooled within him.
He took another swig, this time a little less than before, and Kakashi followed suit. Even with less alcohol in his system, his cheeks were growing slightly pink as time went by. It was rather intriguing, seeing how his sensei's expression - or what little of it was visible - changed.
"Are you copying me?" Naruto asked, after a third sip was matched yet again by Kakashi.
"Mmm... perhaps. Or maybe... maybe you're copying me from the future."
"I... have no idea what that's supposed to mean." Naruto mumbled, trying and failing to keep the incredulity from his voice.
"Yeah. Me neither, Nar- Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."
If there was one thing Naruto hadn't expected, it was that Kakashi had a low alcohol tolerance. But here he was, barely untouched by the very same sake that his sensei was drinking, while he watched the jounin dissolve into a slurring mess.
It was rather amusing, in all honesty.
Time seemed to pass quickly as they drank, and soon enough Naruto upended the bottle only to find that there was no sake left. The warmth within him still persisted, though, and he was beginning to suspect that maybe it had nothing to do with the alcohol in the first place.
No, this feeling, coiled up in the pit of his stomach...
It was affection.
/\/\/
This chapter was meant to take place a month after the events of the last one, but due to a few miscalculations, it's down to being the next day. There will, however, be a few timeskips in the near future, because let's face it, the growth of a child is tedious at best. Events are spaced out at different stages of Haru's childhood, so it would make for a very boring fic if I included the time in between these skips. I'm talking around 3k of no plot development, and that's not very fun.