The whispers of their deaths came quickly to the ears of Alice by way of little mouths. Naruto and Gaara clung to her and told her of the tragedy, while Kakashi quietly affirmed it when he came that night. At first he did not look into Alice's pleading eyes as he entered, knowing what she desired to know. But she initiated a small show of familiarity and softly placed her hands on his arm. His eyes scanned her anxious face and he quickly told her the Uchiha's death. Even as she heard, her hands slipped to her sides and her eyes fell to the floor. Her boys rushed to her side and hugged her between them, and she lay her hands on their hands, as Kakashi pulled back his own hand.
♥ ♥ ♥
Yuu-san provided details, the when and where. Not a soul knew why. Yet the Hokage did not send for her or send information to her on the situation. Alice quickly became impatient, for now was not the time for embarassment. She certainly couldn't blame the Hokage for denying her story of the Uchiha's end all these years, it was not only fantastical, but utterly undesirable in such a promising ninja.
But a child was alone and in pain, and so she once more headed to the office of the Hokage, after giving notice of her visit. She walked quietly through the halls, noticing that the death of the Uchiha clan seemed to permeate even into the Hokage's building. People talked softly, and not once did she see a smile or hear a laugh. She knocked softly on the Hokage's door, and a murmer was heard within. Alice opened the door with care, slipping in like a ghost. The Hokage had his head bent over some paperwork, but he bade her forward with his free hand. When he looked up, Alice bowed, and addressed him. "Hokage-sama. I wish to take on the surviving Uchiha orphan. May I have permission to do this?" The Hokage knit his fingers together, a sigh escaping. "Uchiha Sasuke is, like his brother before him, a boy of much potential. And now he has quietly sunk into himself. He responds, but all signs of happiness are gone from him. I fear he contemplating revenge even now. Please my dear, help this boy recover." And he began his writing again. Alice, knew she had permission, but before she left, she put a hand on the Hokage's shoulder. She wanted him to know...she didn't blame him. He looked up at her briefly and gave her a small smile. Then she left.
♥ ♥ ♥
Uchiha Sasuke sat alone in his quiet house, it's freshly cleaned floors gleaming unnaturally in the fractered sunlight. The house was dark, even in the bright of daytime. He made no movement or sound to greet her, and his little body sat eerily still in a contemplative position. Alice tiptoed to him, and sat with her legs folded underneath her. "Excuse me..." she began. "I wish to speak with you Uchiha Sasuke." He turned his face halfways towards her, so that his cheek and eye were exposed. "I am Alice of the Konohana Orphanage, and I have requested that I take you in." He said nothing, but shut that single eye. "Please, I wish to help you and take care of you during your youth, and while I cannot replace your family, at least you will be loved and safe." He turned away from her now, resuming his previous position, and Alice knew what it meant. She had to resist every urge to grab him and hold him tightly, to pick him up and steal him away with her, but she instead got up without another word and turned to go.
Nothing was left but to report to the Hokage, and he too said nothing to this. He simply nodded his head, and again Alice left in agony and sorrow.
♥ ♥ ♥
Time passed again, and while the Uchiha boy showed no signs of mental recovery, he continued to do well in his studies. Alice could do nothing for him, only hear the occasional reports that came her way by the way of her boys. So instead, she focused on them, more determined than ever to give them a stable home and happiness. She sometimes lay awake in worry about the future, even as her boys lay next to her in peaceful slumber. The tiredness began to show in her face and cheeks, so much that Kakashi commented on it. She smiled at him, but made no reply. Nevertheless, the next day he brought her food of a reputed healthy nature. She gave him a true smile then, feeling the warmth in her cheeks and the stare of a very curious Naruto. She turned so the both of them could not see her face, and thanking Kakashi profusely. And because she was now busying herself with preparing dinner, she couldn't see Naruto staring even more intently at the expression on Kakashi's face. Gaara was staring too.
♥ ♥ ♥
Fall was here, and her boys were becoming more active with both school and socialization. Both often praticed the various skills they had learned outside of class with the other boys. This made Alice both proud and lonely. She found herself sitting idly one afternoon, thinking of her life in the past. Her bare feet swung freely, and she contemplated nature in silence. She heard a rustle, and rose rapidly from her seat, and as she turned the thought of 'It must be Ga-'
But it wasn't.
Kakashi stood there, a pleasant surprise in place of the usual disaster of Gai. She found herself bowing quickly, murmering about the unexpected joy of his visit, and apologized for the state of the house. She began the bustle of tidying, arranging furniture quietly when he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Now, now," he started. "We have know each other long enough so that I have seen your house in truly much more chaotic times...this is not one of those times." Alice could almost see the smile that she knew he must have worn. She started to reach out to verify the imagined smile, only to realize what she was doing and then look down in shame. Before she could retract he caught the hand. "Now that's only the second time I've known you to show curiousity. Shirokun of course told me about the first." Now Alice was held by the hand and shoulder and she could not fail to realize the position she was in. A slight push moved her feet back one step at a time. Now the wall was at her back, and she raised her head upwards at the feel of the cool wood on her spine.
He was pulling off the mask.
"Curiousity satisfied?" he asked, a smile illuminating his face. Alice just stared in shock. His breathe was warm on her face, and each one of those slow and calculated. Then both swiftly and softly he kissed her. Alice's eyes remained open, staring, unbelieving. A string of questions ran through her mind, the implications making her shake slightly. Kakashi could not have failed to notice her tenseness, and stopped. He saw her stare, mistaking it for horror. He bent his head into her neck, murmering an apology.
♥ ♥ ♥
Now Alice had not been the type of girl to daydream away the hours thinking about this man. But she had found herself blushing at times, when his head was turned a certain way, or he sometimes when he had smiled underneath that mask. She had ignored these, thinking herself to not be busy enough, to be distracted by such odd things. Now she realized she had...something else. Her. Yet no time to ponder these musings further, for she could feel him moving away.
She tightened her grip on him unconciously, but it had the desired effect. He stopped. She sort of petted his head as if he was a child, and he laughed, taking her hands and holding both now tightly. She smiled nervously, but his face was different now.
He kissed her again, and this time she closed her eyes.
♥ ♥ ♥
Now for the reader, perhaps the rest of the story is known. It came to be all as was before, only now Naruto and Gaara had a home to come to.
Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto
Notes for the Reader
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