Chapter 7
AN: There is one m/m relationship in the story, but considering the guy is dead, I don't plan on setting the other guy up with anyone else. I kind of forgot how homophobic is. Like i said the only same sex relationship is Iruka and Kakashi, Iruka is dead and I don't plan on setting Kakashi up with anyone else. It's going to be a normal story. Thanks for taking the time to read and review (If no reviews, I'm not updating again). Liz
Once Fugaku and Tsunade and Shizune had left, Mikoto sat down next to Naruto's bed. She couldn't help but wonder what Kushina would think about what her baby had gone through for the first eight years of his life. Mikoto was pretty sure both Kushina and Minato would be turning over in their graves right now, and Mikoto couldn't blame them. There was no reason for a child to have gone through so much.
"I promise Kushina, I'm going to make sure that he's taken care of." Mikoto promised. "I won't let anyone else lay a hand on your son." She couldn't help but wonder what Naruto would think if she told him she was pregnant. It was unexpected that he arrived into their lives so suddenly, but he wasn't a bad surprise. If Mikoto had known that Kushina's son had been out there suffering she would have done something earlier to find him and bring him home.
Sighing, Mikoto looked over at Naruto, he looked so little lying in the bed, looking like he was half asleep, but worried about going to sleep after all.
"I'm here with you kiddo, you don't have to worry about going to sleep." Mikoto said gently.
"I don't want to dream anymore." Naruto mumbled. "I don't want to see Orochimaru."
"Fugaku is going to make sure that he gets taken care of." Mikoto promised. "You don't have to worry about him anymore."
"I can't help it." Naruto murmured. "I've had to live with so much fear, I don't know how to let it go."
"I know it's not going to be easy." Mikoto said gently. "But we can help you, your not going to have face any more of this alone."
"I don't think I can do it alone anymore." Naruto mumbled as tears welled in his eyes, he was terrified that he was going to be left alone again. He didn't think he could handle it, he'd been left alone so much in his life, he was tired.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Mikoto said quietly, she stood up and gently picked Naruto up, and sat back down in the chair with him. She shouldn't be lifting him, but Naruto needed some comfort and Mikoto was going to make sure that he got it. Naruto pressed his face against his shoulder and allowed his tears to fall, he'd tried to be strong for so long, he was really tired of trying.
"I promise things are going to improve for you." Mikoto said as she pressed her lips to his hair, and gently tightened her arms around him. She hoped that he could feel just how much she cared about him, she was hurting because he was hurting so much.
"I knew your mom back before you were born." Mikoto said softly. "She was my best friend for a long time."
"What happened to her? Why did my parents give me up?" Naruto asked quietly.
"They didn't want too." Mikoto said gently. "They had no choice, they died the night you were born. There was an accident, that unfortunately took their lives. But they loved you more than they loved anyone or anything, and they wanted to be with you, but things happened and it became impossible for that to happen."
"What were they like?" Naruto asked.
"Your mother was the warmest, kindest person I've ever met." Mikoto said quietly. "If there was anyone that was hurting, she would search them out and do anything to help them. You're father was a bit of an idiot, but he had a heart of pure gold, he would do anything for anyone regardless of what it cost him. They both wanted you so much, I could almost physically feel the love they had for you. They would be destroyed to know how your life has turned out so far, they would hate that you've had to go through so much pain."
"I wish I could have met them." Naruto murmured. "I've always wondered what they were like and why they abandoned me."
"They didn't abandon you because they wanted too. The choice was taken away from them. They were amazing people and they would be proud of you for surviving what you've been through."
"I don't know what there is to be proud of." Naruto mumbled.
"You've been through so much." Mikoto said gently. "And you still have a kind heart, you haven't let your pain define who you are. You're still a sweet, gentle boy." Mikoto felt a tear fall down her face, when she heard Naruto's soft sob and felt his tears wet her shirt. She hated that Orochimaru had tried so hard to destroy such a gentle soul. She would be glad to make Orochimaru feel every ounce of pain that Naruto had experienced at his hands, he deserved to know the same kind of hell that Naruto had.
"Poor kid." Mikoto said softly as she bent down and pressed her lips to Naruto's head again. She hated that he'd been hurt so bad, she was sure as hell going to make things better for him.
"I never thought I was worthy of love." Naruto mumbled against her shoulder. "I was told that I was useless, and pathetic and that I would never amount to anything but spare parts for those clones."
"That's just not true, he was the one that wasn't worthy of love, and wasn't worth anything. You, dear boy, are worth more than gold." Mikoto said gently. "And I know someone at home who seems to already think the same. He's been worried about you all night."
"You're going to take me home with you again after causing you so much drama?" Naruto asked weakly.
"Of course, I am." Mikoto declared. "It wasn't your fault that you fell. You didn't mean for any of this to happen."
"Orochimaru would have said that I done it on purpose to get attention." Naruto mumbled, barely able to keep his eyes open.
"That's because that man was despicable." Mikoto replied. "He wasn't to be believed or trusted."
"I find that hard to believe." Naruto mumbled, as his eyes shut.
"I know you do, but I promise one of these days your going to believe it." Mikoto said, "You're going to believe that Orochimaru was the one in the wrong and not you. You didn't do anything to deserve the pain you received at his hands." She just hoped that it wouldn't take Naruto long to realize that he was safe and that it was okay to be a normal child for once.
"You can sleep tight." She murmured. "I'm going to be here when you wake up. I'll always be here to take care of you." No one else would be able to lay a hand on him, she protected those she loved furiously and knowing that Naruto was the child of her best friend, made her want to protect him even more. There was nothing she wouldn't do, even if it meant that she had to go to prison herself.
"How's he feeling?" Tsunade asked appearing in the room, startled to see Mikoto holding the eight year old in a warm embrace.
"He's scared and he's worried." Mikoto replied. "But as far as the concussion goes, he's fine."
"It's probably not a good idea for you to be holding him." Tsunade said frowning. "Not in your condition anyways."
"He was scared and needed some comfort." Mikoto replied. "I wasn't about to make him feel even worse."
"Yeah, in that way you are a lot like Kushina." Tsunade replied. "She would be happy that your taking such good care of her son. Minato would be happy too, they wouldn't have wanted to see him go through all of this."
"I don't know how anyone could do this to a child." Mikoto said gently. "He didn't deserve anything, I get the feeling that he hasn't even begun to tell us about everything that he went through."
"Give him time to learn to trust you guys." Tsunade said thoughtfully. "He'll open up to you eventually."
"I know." Mikoto said. "I'm just kind of impatient, I want him to be free of everything that hurt him to begin with."
"You can't rush things just because you want him too, it's going to take him some time to work things through in his head." Tsunade said. "Kami, knows what else that he was put through."
"Your telling me." Mikoto murmured. "I never imagined he would be found in a place like there, where he was getting hurt. I had thought he'd died during child birth and that's why he didn't end up with us."
"Fate still had a way to make it happen." Tsunade pointed out. "I think he's going to be happy with you guys, especially if Sasuke is as attached as you say he is."
"I've never seen him so attached to anyone since Kiba." Mikoto replied. "I"m hoping that Naruto can help him get through that."
"Even if he doesn't, Sasuke will work through it on his own." Tsunade replied. "He'll have to learn that in life he's going to lose people that he's close with. It's not easy to deal with, but he has family." Mikoto nodded, she hated that her baby was hurting and there wasn't much that she could do to help him. It was a parents job to ensure that their kids were healthy and happy. Mikoto felt like she had failed, by not knowing what to do to help Sasuke get through that situation, but perhaps Naruto could make more headway than she could.
The next morning, Naruto woke up to find himself back in the hospital bed, with Mikoto resting beside him with her head on the mattress. His head still hurt but not as bad as it had when he'd fallen down the stairs, he found that he could actually think a little more clearly. Which made him curious as what he'd ended up telling Mikoto yesterday, there were somethings that he'd wanted to keep to himself, he just wasn't sure that that's what had happened.
"How are you feeling this morning?" A voice from the doorway asked, and Naruto turned his head to see the blonde haired woman from last night standing there. He shrugged.
"My head doesn't hurt as bad so I guess that's a good thing." Naruto replied. "I'm not quite as foggy as I was last night."
"Good, you did hit your head pretty hard but your scans look good." Tsunade said. "I don't see why you can't go home today."
"Good, no offense to you, but I don't like the hospital." Naruto replied.
"No-one likes being here, but we do end up doing a lot of good for those that do need us." Tsunade said. "If the hospital was a comfortable place, no one would want to leave and then we wouldn't have the room for those that are hurt or sick." Naruto nodded, he didn't like being one of those people but something had happened last night that he couldn't explain. Something he didn't quite understand, his eyes had dimmed on him, and he'd ended up tripping. He didn't know why that had happened, but he'd been having trouble seeing things a lot lately, things were more blurry than usual. Maybe he just needed glasses or something.
"Something worrying you?" Tsunade asked, noticing the frown on Naruto's face.
"My eyes have been going blurry here lately." Naruto said. "And I've never really had trouble with my eyes before."
"I'm no eye doctor, but you probably need a pair of glasses." Tsunade replied. "At any case, I don't think it's anything that needs to be worried about at this time."
"I hope not." Naruto replied. "I've already got too much to deal with."
"You do have a stressful situation." Tsunade replied. "But I can assure you that Mikoto and Fugaku are great people, they'll take good care of you."
"That's not what I'm worried about." Naruto mumbled. "I'm worried about Orochimaru finding me. If he does, I fear that he'll slaughter me and the Uchiha's and they don't deserve to have to deal with that."
"I don't think you have to worry, Fugaku is going to find him before he finds you. He's already got his brother working on it." Tsunade reassured.
"Whose his brother?" Naruto wondered.
"Madara." Tsunade replied "He's a real bad ass, he works in special ops, so searching that cretin out won't be very hard for him. He specializes in the hard to find."
"What's he' like?" Naruto wondered.
"He's a good man, he won't hurt you." Tsunade replied. "He protects those he cares about furiously. He really hates those who abuse children. Orochimaru will be lucky to come out of that meeting alive."
"Good, after everything he's done, it's nothing less then he deserves." Naruto murmured. "I hate feeling like that, but I can't help it."
"Considering what he's done to you, it's perfectly okay for you to feel that way." Mikoto replied. "No one will blame you for that. He's caused you a lot of pain in your young life."
"I still shouldn't wish bad on them just because they hurt me." Naruto replied.
"You're a gentle kid, you have a good heart." Mikoto replied, sitting up. "Which is amazing considering."
"Is he good to take home now?" Mikoto asked and Tsunade nodded.
"He's less confused this morning, and can think clearly." Tsunade said. "I don't think there's going to be any issues with releasing him. I just need to go get the paperwork for you." Mikoto nodded and returned her attention to Naruto.
"What do you say we get you back into your old clothes?" Mikoto asked as she stood up and walked over to the cabinet that stood against the wall. Opening the door, she pulled out the bag that had Naruto's clothes in it.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Naruto replied. "I want to get out of this place."
"Yeah, most people don't like being in the hospital." Mikoto replied. "What do you think about meeting the soccer coach?" Naruto paused thinking for a moment before shrugging.
"I think I would be okay with it." Naruto replied.
"He's a good guy." Mikoto promised. "He's a little lost, but he's a good guy. He'll make sure that you are safe and sound." Naruto nodded. He liked the idea of being able to meet new people, but at the same time he was kind of afraid. He didn't know what to expect out of them. But surely, if Mikoto trusted him than maybe he was a good guy after all.
"If you think he's okay, then I guess it'll be alright." Naruto said, as he threw his legs over the bed and pushed himself up to his feet, walking over to where, Mikoto stood, and took the bag of clothes from her, and turned and plodded into the restroom.
Mikoto sighed, she didn't blame Naruto for being weary, but she really hoped that it wouldn't take long for him to learn how to trust them. She figured that Orochimaru being caught and tossed into prison would help him not be so afraid. No one should ever have to live in fear of their life, especially that of a child. Mikoto really hoped that Madara would make the man suffer. Naruto dissevered some justice for everything that he'd had to suffer. Ensuring that Orochimaru paid the ultimate price would be one way to guarantee Naruto's safety and happiness, and Mikoto would make sure the man paid for what happened to Kushina and Minato as well.
A few minutes later Naruto came out of the bathroom, dressed in his orange t-shirt and black shorts. He was staring down at the ground with his hand shoved into his pockets. Mikoto could tell that he was feeling a little nervous, she couldn't blame him. He'd been put through so much in his young life that he was needed to find some joy.
"Ready to blow this joint?" Mikoto asked, and Naruto looked up at her, squinting his eyes before nodding at her, and slowly walking over to her.
"You feel okay?" She asked.
"My eyes are a little blurry," Naruto admitted. "Sometimes my vision is sharp as day and other times it fades out."
"I'll have to get you into see the eye doctor as soon as possible, it sounds like you need some glasses." Mikoto told him.
"If it helps me be able to see the stairs, I'd rather not take another tumble down." Naruto mumbled. "That was kind of embarrassing."
"You have nothing to be embarrassed about." Mikoto replied. "It was an accident that you couldn't help. It could have happened to anyone." Naruto shrugged. If it had been Orochimaru's house, he would have found a way to blame it on Naruto. It was kind of a relief for it to not be blamed on him."
"I know it may not seem like it right now, but things are finally working out in your favor." Mikoto said. "Orochimaru is going to be caught and sent to prison if not hell."
"I wouldn't have thought a woman could be so vicious." Naruto stated, looking up at her. Mikoto offered him a warm smile, before reaching out and placing an arm around his shoulders and pulling him to her side.
"You have no idea how vicious I can be. I will always protect those I care about, and you are one of those precious people." Mikoto said. "I knew your mom and I promised her that if anything happened to her or Minato I would take care of you."
"Why didn't I go to you guys then when they died?" Naruto asked.
"I think this Orochimaru probably had plans for you, and he didn't want you to end up with us so he set a plan into motion to kidnap you from the hospital." Mikoto replied. "We won't know for sure what exactly happened until we find him."
"I hope it's soon, he needs to pay for what he's doing. Even though those children are clones, they don't deserve to be put through what they've been put through." Naruto said. "No one deserves that."
"And no one deserves to be used as spare parts either." Mikoto pointed out. "You deserve to have just as much as a good life as they do."
"I think I'm getting my chance." Naruto murmured. "But so many of them won't get that same chance, they'll be left to suffer in silence, unless some cares enough to track them down and find a home for them. Chances of that happening though are slim to none."
"I can assure you though that we'll do what we can. Madara will probably be able to track a few of them down. I'm sure Orochimaru will still have a few of them that he hasn't been able to sell just yet." Mikoto said. Naruto nodded and didn't say anything as they exited the room, and made their way over to the nurses desk.
"I need his release papers." Mikoto told the nurse who was typing at the computer. She nodded, and reached over for a small pile of papers, glancing to make sure it had the right name on it, before handing it to Mikoto.
"I just need you to sign a few papers." The nurse told her. "And then he'll be free to go." She smiled at the small boy, whose hand was tightly clutching the back of Mikoto's shirt.
"He's a cutie, glad he's feeling better." The nurse told Mikoto quietly. Mikoto smiled.
"He's just being a little shy right now, he's kind of in a difficult situation right now." Mikoto replied. "But things are getting better for him."
"That's good, everyone deserves to have a good life." The nurse said, and Mikoto nodded as she finished signing the papers.
"Let's go find Kakashi and introduce you." Mikoto said. "You'll soon learn that he's not one to be afraid of." Naruto nodded, and removed his hand from the back of her shirt and placed it in her own, he was nervous, but he had the feeling that since he was with Mikoto things were going to turn out okay for him.
After leaving the hospital, Mikoto and Naruto headed for the sidewalk. Kakashi's apartment was a five minute walk from the hospital, if that. So Mikoto decided there would be no point in calling Fugaku to give them a ride. Maybe after they left Kakashi's she would give him a call, but for now a little exercise would do both her and Naruto some good.
"You think just showing up unannounced like this is a good idea?" Naruto asked.
"I've been wanting to check in on him anyways." Mikoto replied. "I've been worried about him lately." Naruto nodded, he could understand her worry.
"He's not dangerous if he's been drinking?" Naruto asked, and Mikoto shook her head.
"He's always been a bit of a longer when he's been drinking. You don't have anything to worry about." Mikoto said gently, she understood Naruto's fear. She hated that he even had to be so afraid. "I can assure you that Kakashi will be able to make sure that you feel safe."
"I wish I wasn't so afraid." Naruto murmured as he looked down at the sidewalk as they walked. "I hate that everything makes me feel uncomfortable."
"That's normal though" Mikoto replied. "You've been through a lot, it makes sense that you're going to be uncomfortable for a little while." Naruto nodded, he was glad that Mikoto seemed to be understanding of his situation and wasn't trying to push him into something that he wasn't ready for. Orochimaru would have taken joy in putting Naruto in uncomfortable situations. He would probably think Naruto's current situation was hilarious.
A few short minutes later, they arrived at an apartment with a green door, Naruto stood behind Mikoto, tightly clutching her shirt while the dark haired woman knocked on the door. After a few knocks, the door opened and a shirtless man with silver hair opened the door.
"Mrs. Uchiha, what are you doing here?" A surprisingly sober Kakashi asked her.
"You're going to have someone new on your team this year." Mikoto said quietly. "His name is Naruto Uzumaki."
"As in Minato and Kushina?" Kakashi asked. "I thought that the child died during childbirth." Mikoto nodded.
"I thought so too, but it turns out he was likely kidnapped from the hospital the night he was born." Mikoto replied, as she placed a hand behind her, and gently removed Naruto's hand from her shirt, but kept the appendage in her hand as she brought Naruto to stand beside her.
"Damn." Kakashi swore as he stared down at the child in front of him. "He looks like exactly like Minato." Kakashi had grown up with Minato and Kushina after his father had committed suicide.
Naruto stared wide eyed at the man in front of him, unsure of what he should do in response to Kakashi's words. It was clear that he knew something of Naruto's parents, but he wasn't sure if the man was going to be okay with him.
"Yes, he does." Mikoto agreed. "But he's got his mother's temperament, I think."
"Her temper too?" Kakashi asked and Mikoto shrugged.
"I haven't seen that as of yet." Mikoto replied. "But it might be nice if one of these days you could fill him in on his parents, he doesn't know much about them right now." Kakashi nodded. It was strange to see the child of his caretaker after so long. He was glad to know that a part of his former caretaker was still alive. He didn't think he would mind filling the small child in on what his family had been like at all.
"He's been pretty seriously abused, so he's still kind of scared of being around strangers." Mikoto said quietly. "Not to mention that the man that kidnapped him is still out there."
"Is anything being done to find him?" Kakashi asked, he couldn't stand the thought of Minato's and Kushina's son being hurt in such a way.
"Fugaku has Madara working on the situation if that makes you feel better." Mikoto replied.
"Good, I hope he slaughters the bastard." Kakashi said.
"You're not supposed to say that word." Naruto piped in. "It's a bad word."
Mikoto chuckled and used her other hand to ruffle Naruto's hair.
"He's an adult, he can use whatever language he likes." Mikoto said and Kakashi chuckled and kneeled down so that he was eye level with Naruto.
"You're right, I shouldn't use that kind of language, next time I do you can kick me." Kakashi told him, and Naruto frowned before hiding his face in Mikoto's side.