Kiba had learned sign language pretty well despite my initial doubt. His affection towards Naruto was clear enough for anyone to see, and if it weren't for the difference in eye and hair color, anyone who didn't know them would even think that they were brothers. Twins even.

Ever since Naruto was released from the hospital a few weeks ago we had had a few of his classmates visit us, leaving behind their mark on the cast that he was wearing. Kiba was the one that visited us first, and the one that seemed to have made himself at home here since there was rarely a day that he wouldn't visit, and it was beginning to annoy me. Still, Naruto seemed happy to be with him all the time, so I didn't object. It seemed to speed his healing up, as he was due to have the cast removed in just a few days. Itachi says it's due to his young age, and that in very little time and without any physical therapy, Naruto will have his arm back to normal as if nothing had ever happened to it, but I still think it's because of all the love and attention he has been getting, as everyone has been waiting on him hand and foot…Even I had found myself on more than one occasion during the past few weeks bringing him take-out from Ichiraku's. The smile on his face was enough to keep any feeling of remorse at bay.

"Once your cast is off, I'll bring over the game station my mom bought me for my birthday. We can play Ninja Clash."

"The show?" Naruto signs and Kiba nods enthusiastically. "They made a game from it, you get to fight with whatever character you like, and I play the best with Menma"

"But I want to play as Menma," Naruto pouts, becoming rapidly upset over not playing with the main character from his ninja show. Kiba frowns slightly but gives Naruto another smile. "You can play as Menma since it's your house." The fight I had been hoping would ensue ends bitterly as Naruto beams and agrees. I was getting really tired of seeing Kiba here all the time. Naruto always ignores me when that brunette is around. The doorbell rings and I see Tanaka make his way towards the front door as Naruto leads Kiba out of the living room and out to the greenhouse, where they would most probably tend to the plants. Kiba had at least been useful in helping Naruto with watering and weeding them now that it had become too difficult a task for my small blondie. "Young Master, there's another package for Naruto." I stand up quicker than I had intended and take the box from Tanaka before Naruto has a chance to come back in and see it. "Did you see who left it?" He shakes his head almost sadly. "Master Itachi said the cameras would be installed later this afternoon." Right. I thank him and dismiss him before turning back to sit at the couch. I open the parcel almost hesitantly, knowing full well what was within. The sight of the dead fox and a piece of paper with newspaper cutouts glued randomly without meaning wasn't new, and I had gotten used to the rotten smell of the decaying creature after having seen them many times before. The packages had arrived soon after Naruto came back from the hospital. Tanaka and I had thought it was get-well gift from one of his classmates, and my blondie had been more than eager to open it, only to be set back when he saw the corpse and the paper. He had shed tears over the poor animal than for the overall terrifying situation we found ourselves in. He didn't tell Itachi though he didn't really understand what was happening, and I had refused to acknowledge it as a real threat until the arrival of a second package a week later, one that Naruto didn't open as I had intercepted it first to check its contents. After the third package, I had found myself forced to confess my fears to Itachi, who had tried with no results to have the paper examined for prints or DNA. Whoever had made the packages had been very careful about not leaving any clues behind. By the fourth week, the packages began to come in shorter intervals, to the point that there was a package addressed to Naruto every day. Itachi had concluded to up the security around us and to install surveillance cameras that were only just going to be installed today. I was becoming rapidly agitated, and my possible suspects drew down to one. My phone beeps from the side table. A message from Suigetsu, who had just arrived and was waiting for me outside with Jugo. He hated to ring the doorbell, always saying that making Tanaka walk all the way over just to open a door was cruel. I make my way through the entrance hall with the box in hand and nod at Itachi who stares at me questioningly as I pass him by. "Another?"

"Just garbage." I open the main door and step outside before he has a chance to check and see if I was telling the truth. I really didn't want to alarm him more than necessary after his long shift at the hospital. He looked exhausted. "Hey Sasuke." Suigetsu greets me, his body leaning against the hood of Jugo's car while Jugo remained standing next to the driver's door, a toothpick wedged between his teeth. He knew I hated the smell of smoke, and avoided giving in to his addiction around me, opting instead to chew on those small pieces of wood to keep his mind at ease. I push the box into Suigetsu's arms and turn to Jugo as the water addict gives out a loud yelp of disgust as he opens it. "Seriously Sasuke, wasn't there anything a little less romantic at the store?"

"They've been coming addressed to Naruto for the past month." Jugo eyes the putrid corpse with a burrowed brow. Suigetsu purses his lips and places the box down unto the asphalt of the driveway. "Is it Uonuma?" he asks quietly, pinpointing my thoughts exactly. "There's no evidence that it's actually him."

"I don't see how anyone else would send something like this to my tiny cherub." I can see Jugo almost roll his eyes at Suigetsu, much like I had intended to do at his rather inappropriate nickname for Naruto. He was no longer tiny or a cherub. He was way past that size now. "Certainly this is not something Suna is involved in. They don't do calling cards." Jugo states morbidly. So probably Uonuma was working alone in this, so my initial fear of it being a threat directly from Suna was discarded. Still, it didn't make my situation any less frustrating. And this was just assuming that it wasn't someone else entirely different than Uonuma that was sending these perverse threats. I had really come to hope that, despite the obvious loathing he has always had towards me, Uonuma wouldn't be the one involved with the packages. It wasn't something the Uonuma I knew since grade school would have ever done. He was never this aggressive before, as he had often found excuses to avoid the fights he always picked on me, so it was bewildering to believe that he would go so far as to do this. "It's unlike him." They glance at each other and lower their gaze to the floor. They didn't know Uonuma like I had known him. They only just saw the angsty, "I despise Sasuke" part of him ever since they began to hang around me. "Have you gone to the police?" Suigetsu asks as his gaze turns to the dark patch of clouds that was rapidly approaching from the west. Is he serious? "I am the police." I growl at him. The police are far below the Uchiha Security Department, and if my own company shows such mediocrity with how they are handling this matter, how can I expect the police to do any better? "Summer is coming to a close and school is going to start soon. What's going to happen to Naruto once he's outside in the open again?" Jugo stares at me steadily, his jaw tensing as the toothpick that breaks in half betrays his expression. Like I hadn't thought about that. Still, I couldn't find an answer for it yet despite the countless sleepless night I had spent staring at the blond kit that slept soundly despite the ominous threat that was awaiting for him outside.

The phone ring echoes through the hall as I lead Suigetsu and Jugo inside to await the rain that was starting fall to stop. The phone fall silent after a second ring and I find Tanaka speaking into it as I walk into the living room. He hangs up and smiles at me half-heartedly. "Young master, the set-up crew just called. They apologize for the inconvenience, but they can't come to install the cameras due to the rain. It interferes with the cabling." My jaws tense and I feel the clashing of my teeth before the sound of them gritting startles Suigetsu who was beside me. "Incompetent." I bite my tongue before more words escape my lips. Useless, inept, wretched people. The department my father had tried so hard to keep alive and strong had fallen so low in the hands of the board table. Naruto runs inside, his head soaked from the sudden downpour that followed the slight drizzle in an instant. Jugo, who had never seen Naruto before now except from the pictures Suigetsu shows off all the time, tenses in place, his amber eyes widening at the dripping blond before him. Naruto freezes too at the sight of Jugo, his eyes widening to meet the ones that were staring at him, his head tilting back to see from his rather small height compared to Jugo's overtowering stature. Naruto's hand rises slowly, almost shaking as he waves at the giant before him. Jugo imitates him, waving back sluggishly as Kiba enters and stops at the entrance. "Woah!" his shock is enough to bring Naruto back to his senses, his blond locks ruffling as he shakes his head awake. "You're a giant!" Kiba gushes, making his way rapidly to Naruto's side in front of Jugo. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Naruto, what's your name?" Naruto signs at the still petrified Goliath, a polite smile on his tan face. "Jugo…nice to meet you." He signs back shortly after, surprising me and Naruto alike. I never knew Jugo knew sign language, as Suigetsu, despite having spent a lot of time with Naruto, didn't know the first thing about it. Naruto beams cheerfully nonetheless, excited over having someone new who he could communicate with. He grabs Jugo's hand instantly and begins to lead him out into the once empty study room that had become his play room since Kiba had begun to practically live here with us. "Why doesn't he do that with me?" Suigetsu wails as Jugo's back disappears into the hallway. "Because no one likes you." He feigns a broken heart and rubs the imaginary tears from his eyes. "B.S, I'm adorable." As adorable as a cockroach wearing a pink bow can ever hope to be.

I sit on the couch, turning the TV on and beginning to flip through the channels aimlessly, Suigetsu sprawling down beside me and taking a swig of water from the bottle he had brought with him. "Yo, Sasuke," he looks up at me boredly, his head laying on the cushion beside me, his legs hanging off the couch's arm, "Do you really think it's not Uonuma?"

"Didn't we drop the subject already?"

"I'm serious, what are the odds of it being someone else?" He pauses as the sound of heavy steps rush towards us. We look over the back of the couch to see Jugo gallop by the hallway with one of those serious looks on his face when he's focused on something, Naruto on his shoulders with a cowboy hat on, pointing towards something infront of them with a wide grin on his face while Kiba followed behind them with a bow and arrow. I turn my head back around slowly and sit back down into the couch, looking over to see Suigetsu's mouth still open in awe. "I-I-I really don't know what to say."

"It's a miracle." He glares at me exasperatedly, laying back down into the cushions as I continue to flip through the channels, trying as best as I could to hold back the uncontrollable laughter the scene had provoked. The rain begins to patter down harder against the windows, the sliding doors that lead to the patio quivering against the wailing wind that increasingly picks up speed. A lightning bolt falls and suddenly the lights go out, leaving us in the darkness of the storm and the shuddering sound of the howling wind outside. I notice the bobbing light of Tanaka's flashlight approach us from the kitchen where he was most probably supervising the cooking. "Young master, I brought you flashlights." Weird. "What happened to the power?"

"The storm must have broken an electric pole somewhere out in the road."

"I thought we had a generator." He pales visibly despite the lack of light. "I already checked it, it's not working." My mind races and my heart clenches, my thoughts jumbling together instantly as I look around me. "Where's Naruto?" Suigetsu's eyes widen and he grabs one of the lights Tanaka is offering us, tailing after me as I make my way towards where Naruto had been headed with Jugo. My pace quickens when the loud sound of glass shattering turns my attention to the study room. "Naruto!" I yell out as I find the door closed. I jiggle the doorknob, finding it locked as the sound of struggle thuds from within. "Naruto!" I repeat, my fists thumping against the door when Kurama's loud bark echoes from the other side, followed by his snarl and growl. Desperate, I begin to kick at the door forcefully, Suigetsu standing to one side as I step back and propel myself with my left leg, giving one last, powerful kick at the handle, breaking it open and rushing past the unhinged door to find Naruto standing before a huddling Kiba protectively against a corner far from the door. Jugo's on the floor, wiping the blood from his mouth as Kurama continues to snarl at a broken window that was letting the rain in to soak the white carpeted floor. "Bastard gave me a low blow." Jugo spits bitterly.

"Did you see who it was?" He shakes his head. "It was a ninja." Naruto signs from his spot beside a much shaken Kiba. He's strangely calm for someone who was just attacked. I ignore the odd calmness Naruto has as Jugo stands slowly. "He was wearing a ski mask," Jugo clarifies, "But I did see the Suna emblem on his bandana." My stomach drops just as Itachi rushes in, having probably been woken by all the noise. "What happened?"

"I want those cameras installed right now. Fire those incompetent guards and bring in some ex-marine or ex-fed that can actually do his job properly." I almost yell at him, my hands rolling into painfully tight fists. His eyes scan the room, resting on Jugo's swelling cheek before turning to Naruto. His expression relaxes slightly when he notes the same calmness on the blond's face that I had seen. "I'll get to it right now," He states calmly, only fueling my growing anger more, "but first, let me tend to your friend, he looks hurt." Jugo is about to object saying that he's fine when Tanaka walks in, a first aid kit in his hands. I turn angrily and make my way over to where Naruto begins to coax Kiba out of hiding. The brunette shakes uncontrollably and looks up to me with tears in his eyes. "He tried to take Naruto." He whispers to me, his hand grabbing unto Naruto's reflexively. "It's okay," the calmness in those blue eyes begins to terrify me, "they can't hurt me anymore." Itachi turns his prying eyes back to Jugo when I notice how absorbed he had been with our small conversation. "What do you mean anymore?" His bright eyes turn to me with a fake smile, his hand squeezing Kiba's unconsciously. "Tanaka, please go check on the generator, take Sasuke, he might be able to help." I glare at Itachi's attempt to keep me from Naruto, but given that Kiba was still shaking and refused to let go of Naruto's hand, I had no choice but to follow behind our old butler that made his way back down into the basement.

Kiba was still holding unto Naruto's hand tightly when I made my way back into the living room. The generator had been close to destroyed by a blunt object that we couldn't find. Itachi dialed a repairman just as the lights came back on, the storm now subdued but still falling hard. Suigetsu's eyes followed me silently, begging me silently to approach him. He and Jugo were anxious to discuss what just happened, yet I could only just focus on Naruto's face. The involvement or not of Uonuma was far from my mind. "Can we call Ichiraku, they have delivery too." Naruto gives another wide grin, and I can only assume that he's trying his best to calm Kiba down. "I'll pick it up." He beams at me and pulls Kiba over to where Itachi was still sitting with his phone in his hands, his dark eyes following me cautiously. The questions he's silently asking me irk me just as much as Suigetsu's accusing glare. Still, he and Jugo follow me as I make my way towards the front door, silent, but knowing full well my intentions. "It was Uonuma." Suigetsu finally states as he climbs into the backseat of Jugo's car. "Admit it Sasuke, he's not at all innocent." Jugo purses his lips but says nothing, his large hands covering almost all of the top half of the steering wheel, his knuckles white. "Where does Uonuma live?" Suigetsu presses on, his hands gripping the back of my seat angrily. It wasn't him, the small voice from the back of my head mutters almost inaudibly, and there's a small pang in my chest that keeps me from giving in to Suigetsu's accusations. "Eyes." Jugo whispered suddenly, his hand reaching for the ignition and turning the car on swiftly. He sends me a side glance before turning back to the road before him, pulling out of the driveway just was I spot Naruto's silhouette against the living room window wave out at us.

I can remember Uonuma's eyes clearly, as they have always been aimed at me. Hazel, they were always bright and shinning. Despite all the hatred he had towards me, they never truly held any kind of darkness. Suigetsu continues to swear under his breath, his arms crossed and his brows furrowed towards the still pouring sky. Jugo parks the car in front of the ramen stand, his hand reaching down and pulling the emergency brake up and turning the car off before his eyes scan the gray, empty streets before us. "Naruto's fine, that's all that matters." Suigetsu turns to glare at me through the rear view mirror, a scowl on his pale face. "Because Jugo was there, what happens next time he decides to do something and nobody is there to protect Naruto? Which reminds me, how come Naruto accepted you so easily when it took me months to get him to even smile at me?" Jugo smiles sheepishly, a slight blush spreading across his cheeks as he tries to look away from my stare. "They can communicate with each other. Something you neglect to do." Suigetsu sends me another glare. "I'm not speaking to you right now, you're not worthy. When did you learn sign language Jugo?" The small blush disappears as his eyes look off into something only he can see. Jugo never speaks about his life, or his past, so we really don't know much about him. He just showed up one day in school, his silent and menacing presence isolating him, the fact that he lived in the outskirts of the South district didn't help either, that is until Suigetsu decided that he would benefit from having such a big ally, but Jugo ended up becoming more of a bodyguard for me rather than for him. Suigetsu understands though, despite how hardheaded he always tends to be, that Jugo will keep to himself even if he's pestered. Too much pestering, and he'll more than likely earn a new bruise to add to his collection. "Son of a-" Suigetsu's door opens abruptly and storms out into the still pouring rain as Jugo tsks loudly, his hand reaching for the handle and opening to follow after him reluctantly. I lean into the window, my eyes trying to see through the dark when I spot Uonuma sneer at me from afar, the Suna bandana standing out against his dark, leather jacket. My heart speeds as I climb out, Suigetsu's voice easily overpowering the rain as he starts to provoke Uonuma. "I don't know what you're talking about." He scoffs and gives a mocking laugh, his eyes following me as I grow closer to them. Jugo stands behind Suigetsu silently, his eyes scanning my enemy closely. I notice the dark cloth that stuck out of his pocket and felt my fists shake. It couldn't be him. "I think you know very well what I'm talking about mini Scarface, whatcha have in your pocket you little goon?"

I really didn't want it to be him.

"None of your business," he turns his sneer back at me, his eyes glinting menacingly, "How's your little porcelain doll doing Sasuke? Seeing as you're so close to him, I wouldn't be surprised if he has learned to like to suck dick just as much as you do. Let me know when he's available for service." My fist clashes against his cheek before Suigetsu can even raise his. Despite the years that have passed and the obvious difference in our heights, Uonuma stumbles back and doesn't have time to respond as I send another fist towards him. He´s on the floor by the time I come to my senses, his face already bleeding and I notice the crookness a nose that has yet again been broken by my hand. "Sasuke…shit. Sasuke, let's go." Suigetsu pulls at my arm nervously and I note how Jugo's back has become straight and alert, ready for a confrontation. "Sasuke, his gang friends are coming, get up dammit!" The loud splash of about 3 or 4 guys running our way echo from behind me, my feet barely responding as Suigetsu manages to pull me up and away, dragging me back to the car and pushing me into the back seat, climbing in after me as Jugo turned the car on. I didn't even notice when he got in.

"Turn. Turn dammit they're trying to follow us!" Suigetsu glances at me nervously and turns his head back to see out the window. The car swerves to the right, making Suigetsu almost fall into me, but he doesn't have time for a witty remark as his eyes turn back to the window. "Shit, that was close. I didn't notice those pieces of dirt waiting in their car. Did you see that thing sticking out from his pocket? I bet it was that mask he wore to break in." Jugo stares at me from his rear view, his face calmer than it had been a few minutes ago. "Sasuke, please, listen to me, it is obvious Uonuma is the culprit, can we go to the police now?"

"The eyes." Jugo whispers again. He pulls to a stop at a red light and turns to face me with a grim face. "They're not the same."

"For fuck's sake Jugo, this is not the time to start an argument about the eyes being the window to the soul."

"They were green. And the white parts, they were red."

"You're bat-shit. He hit your balls a little too hard."

"It's called a sclera tattoo," Jugo bites back an insult, he's not the type to curse at anyone so blantantly as Suigetsu does. "Regardless, the iris color is not the same." The car lurches forward as the light changes, the now evening sky giving way to the streetlights that flashed by as Jugo drove us back to the Uchiha mansion.

"You telling me someone from Suna just went AWOL and decided that attacking two 9 year olds in a house in the middle of nowhere was a perfectly marvelous way to spend a Wednesday afternoon?"

"It wasn't Uonuma."

There's a dull, growing sting in the back of my hands, the flesh raw and tender around my knuckles, and I have a hard time differentiating my blood from Uonuma's. The silence in the car as Suigetsu's eyes study me silently drone out into a deafening, increasing buzz. The same buzz that sometimes filled my ears when I was left alone in the mansion a few years back. The buzz that tried to fill the emptiness with some sort of sound so as to not go insane. "Sasuke," Suigetsu's hand nudges my shoulder lightly, apprehensively, "what's wrong?" I note the emptiness in my eyes through the rear view, my head dropping into my outstretched hands somberly. I can feel Jugo stare at me worriedly as the silence drones out. "We didn't pick up Naruto's food." Their eyes avoid me when the shaking of my shoulders became evident, my face blanching beyond the normally acceptable Uchiha-paleness.

Naruto's frown was comically well played when we arrived without his food, his eyes still strangely calm as he continues to try and coax Kiba out of his still shriveled shell by pretending that everything was okay. I give him a rather cold stare, my lips thin and void of any signs of the nervous breakdown I had just let my two companions witness. "It's a good thing I ordered delivery." Itachi holds a mug of steaming coffee, a brown folder in his other hand. Naruto's cerulean eyes gaze at me, not truly registering my face and seeming to only just rest upon me while silent thoughts raced through his head. "You okay?" he nods at me absentmindedly, offering a small smile before turning back to Kiba and giving him another forced, foxy grin. Kurama, who still had his fur bristled in alert, walked around the living with his ears perked, every now and then exiting and coming back after a quick check of the house. His blue eyes were somber, dark. There was too much humanity in that dog than I would have considered normal.

Jugo, who had found a loose string in the arm of his demin jacket was picking at it with outmost interest, announces that it was late and had to go home. Suigetsu opened his mouth to object but was pushed quickly out the door by the overpowering giant as Itachi smiled brightly at them and bid them good-night.

"I must say that your choice of friends is very, miscellaneous." I roll my eyes and scowl at him.

Eventually, Dr. Inuzuka rings our door bell and I am astounded by the sudden change in Kiba's expression. He grins widely and avoids her attempt at hugging him like always. Still, as he turned to wave us goodbye, his eyes lingered on Naruto with an almost saddened expression. Was there something I missed?

Naruto smiles at me still however, trying to convince me that he was fine despite my obvious doubt. "Kiba thinks that being a kid isn't fun anymore." He signs at me before climbing into the bathtub, his body already rubbed clean by the sponge I was trying to wry off any residual water. "Hn." Naruto beams at me again, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. "He says he'll ask his mom to enroll him in a mixed martial arts class so that he can learn to fight like grown-ups." His eyes bare into mine, and it was more than obvious what he was trying to say to me. "I'll inform Kakashi. He's the only one qualified enough to teach such slow witted kids." I'm sure Kakashi will be more than happy to have fresh blood to spill. "I can train with you?" his eyes brighten with excitement. Maybe not right away, but if he proves to be any good, one day we might spar. I give him a bored glare, watching him scoot to a corner of the tub as I climb in after him. Our feet touch under the warm water and his toes wiggle against the softest part of my feet, almost making me pull them away as I hold back a loud guffaw that almost breaks past my lips when it starts to tickle. "Naruto," I turn my gaze away from the quizzical look he gives me, his smile once again calm and honest. "Have you ever been attacked before?" The water remains still between us, small ripples splashing against my knees as he sinks lower into the water, covering himself up to his chin. He avoids eye contact and merely stares down into the water, watching the steam rise from it. He almost jumps when my phone starts vibrating from the sink where I had left it, and I am forced to pick it up when it doesn't stop, etching its way closer and closer to the edge as the vibration causes it to move. Jugo's name flashed across the screen and curiosity made me slide the answer button. He almost never called, and would usually hang up after three rings if I didn't answer. "What happened?"

"Kakuzu. He's a hitman. He doesn't have any particular group, he just works for money and demands high prices for his work, which doesn't explain why he wore the Suna bandana."

"Where did you find this?"

"He's well known here…those eyes of his are more than his face." His tone indicates that he's done so I hang up and settle the phone back down into the countertop. Cerulean eyes follow me as I reach for my towel, wrapping it around my waist and exiting rather quickly, his face scrunching up in confusion. Money isn't something Uonuma casually has in his pocket to give around. Regardless of what Suigetsu says, he isn't the prime suspect in what is happening. Nonetheless, it feels like the more we are involved in this, the more mysterious the actual culprit really is. More over, his attack would have been flawless if he hadn't underestimated Jugo's strength. A shiver runs down my spine, the hairs on the back of my arms rising slowly, but I'm sure it isn't because of the cold. The whole situation was beginning to really terrify me. But, why Naruto?

Itachi's lips tug into an amused smile when I enter his room, towel still loosely held in place by me right hand. "Is it dangerous enough for you? Are you going to tell me what you know?" His eyes squint at me, his jaw tensing visibly but his mouth smooth and neutral as he lowers the papers he had been reading and turning to face me as his glasses slid down his nose, gazing at me over their rims. "I don't know anything more than you do. In fact, I'm sure you have hefty information that you are not willing to share with me."

"It was a hitman. Wearing Suna insigna. Why Naruto?"

"Probably because he's the smallest, most defenseless one." He shrugs and turns back to the papers before him, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose as he does. The sudden urge to stomp over and rip those annoying papers from his hands and ripping them to smithereens makes my fingers twitch reflexively. "Is that all you're going to say about it?"

"There's not much we can do but tighten security and wait for the Department to finish its investigation."

"You do realize that your idea is completely impractical? You want us to just cross our arms and wait for another attack?"

"I'm sure there won't be another. Now if you're done, I suggest you get dressed before you catch a cold."

I feel my fists actually roll tightly and I'm infront of Itachi before I realize I was walking. "Do you really care that little? I thought Naruto was important to you." There's a dark glint in his eyes, his face scrunching up in genuine anger that almost makes me back up. "Naruto is just as important to me as he is to you. You don't have the right to assume priority over his wellbeing. He is safe as long as he stays here with us. Good night."

Naruto is standing by the doorway when I storm out, his small body curled under the bathrobe that was much too big on him. His eyes are glistening, reflecting the lights of the hallway beautifully despite the overall miserable look he held. "Did you eavesdrop?" he nods slowly, his shoulders hunching over deeper into the robe. I hold my hand out for him, his expression relaxing a little as he takes it and lets me lead him back to the bedroom. Closing the door behind us, I take a towel from the closet and begin to dry his still soaking hair softly, despite the anger that still ran through my body. His hands grab my fingers and press them hard, halting my process and making me bend down to look at him. His eyes were still watery but he was trying hard to keep the tears from falling. "Am I really okay here? What if someone else comes and tries to hurt you just because of me? I'm scared, I don't want Sasuke or Itachi or Tanaka to be hurt because of me. It's all my fault." A gentle scratch at the door pulls me away from the pleading eyes that looked at me. Kurama whines when we still refuse to open the door, scratching it once more with more force. Naruto takes a deep breath and walks to the door, opening it with a smile and petting the annoyed dog on the head. That dog really is a proud creature. "You belong here with us. I swear to you that I will do anything and everything to protect you." His smile, that simple, wide, and delightful smile. As long as he can smile at me like that, there's nothing I wouldn't do for him.