Ahh, sorry this update took forever and a half...I was really stressed out with all the other stories I hadn't updated for a couple centuries, and so...yeah...
Umm, I'm really, really unsure about this chapter...I'm afraid it's a little OOC...And I hate OOC...but lately it seems like all my stories are OOC...damn it...
Ahh! Yes! Iruka is coming in/\/\ He shall be in this chapter!...I'm pretty sure...
Disclaimer: No, Six does not own Naruto. Each time we say this, whether aloud or to oneself, she sinks deeper into an inevitable depression. A moment of silence, please. ... Thank you; let's move on.
And this is a filler. -.- I'm sorry.
"The name's Ichigo and I'm the one about to beat your ass, nice to meet you." -Bleach
Will of Fire (Part 3) -
Father
Kit...wake up. Kit.
The demon's voice was very loud and commanding; out of habit, Naruto's worn blue eyes fluttered open. He was gasping, covered in a cold sweat; the blankets on the bed he lay in were wrapped tightly around him like a straight jacket. After a moment of panic at not being able to move, he began to thrash around, trying to untangle himself and succeeding only in thumping loudly to the floor.
Muttering darkly, he stood and threw the sheets to the floor, kicking them under the bed. Damn blanket, Naruto growled to himself, pushing the window open and perching in the sill. Damn dream.
You never cease to amuse me, gaki.
Damn Fox. He sighed wearily, and tipped his face up, letting his eyes slide shut; the wind carressed his damp face softly, drawing a smile from him. This is nice, isn't it?
I can feel your pleasure. Such a naïve kit; disgustingly innocent.
Naruto refused to be baited; he willed all his tensed muscles to ease, all his tight nerves to slide gradually into a loose relaxation. It's nice. The moon was full, shining high in the sky, throwing shafts of dim, evanescent light over the estate. It made kind of a trance-like mood, successfully calming the blonde whisker-scarred boy down almost completely. It's...really cool, he told Kyuubi as he watched the glowing orb. It's both darkness, and light. It's...
He was suddenly aware of someone else in the room; Kyuubi directed his hearing towards the doorway and he spun around, nearly falling from his perch. A hand flew out and caught his wrist; Naruto recognized the scent immediately and relaxed. "H-Hey, Fourth," he said with an abashed chuckle as the older blonde pulled him inside.
"Hi," Arashi said dryly, folding his arms as Naruto sat cross-legged on the floor under the window sill. His eyes strayed to the bed, mussed and tangled, and the blankets thrown in angry haste under the bed. "Nightmare?"
"Er...yeah..." Naruto narrowed his eyes to slits and averted his gaze, waiting for the inevitable; "Ninja are tools to be used on the battlefield! They see things far worse than you can so far imagine! If you're soft enough to have nightmares than you aren't cut out to be a ninja!" He clenched his teeth, glare tightening.
"Mm, the feeling's mutual," were the words that came back. Naruto widened his eyes at the man who sank down next to him with a vague smile on his face. "I've had my fair share; any shinobi who says they haven't are either lying or heartless."
Or both.
Ignoring the demon, Naruto muttered, "You've had bad dreams?"
"Of course; do you think that all that suppressed emotion just dissipates?" The man chuckled without any real humor. Naruto, abashed, said nothing; only lowered his gaze again. The nightmare had been so real; Kyuubi had taken over him, and he'd destroyed his team--and then the rest of Konoha. And he'd laughed. In the dream, he'd simply laughed as his friends bled and begged and died. And that was what had made it scary. A hand fell onto his head, ruffling his hair; he looked up to a rueful smile. "It's unfair that kids should have to worry about stuff like that."
"Well, it wasn't one of those dreams; I'm used to them," Naruto said conversationally, glancing up towards the ceiling thoughtfully. "In this one that bastard fox took over me and killed everyone." He sighed, stretching to hide the sudden trembling terror that washed over him. "He woke me up before it got too bad, though."
Arashi frowned, looking away as well. "You say I sealed that monster inside you," he said quietly.
"Yes, but I don't blame you," Naruto said, sort of stretching; he turned to smile at the Yondaime. "You did what you had to do for Konoha--it's cool."
You harbor no hatred for this man? Kyuubi was surprised, but hid the shock in his growling voice. The one who sealed me in you? Why is this?
"Well...it's not like either of you selected meWhat happened, happened." 'Sides, you healed me up after the villagers beat me around. And you usually help me out when I'm over my head in a fight. Naruto smiled again; if he weren't half-asleep, the words would not have left his lips even under torture. "And...everything that happened to me after that...with all the villagers...It kind of made me stronger!" Naruto grinned toothily, brow going down in kind of an angrily happy expression.( )
Arashi watched the boy for a moment, before smiling at him, and dropping the hand on his head to his shoulder so he could pull the vessel closer to him in a one-armed hug. "I'm glad...I don't what I'd do if you were angry with me...Naruto."
Kyuubi watched his container's eyelids droop; normally when the nightmare was so bad Kyuubi woke him up, the Genin wouldn't be able to fall back asleep again. But now...as Naruto leaned against his idol--his father--he was drifting off to sleep almost as easily as if he'd never woken up. Arashi himself showed no disgust, for he felt none, at holding close the Kyuubi no gaki. In fact...the man looked blissfully happy. And when Naruto did finally fall asleep, and when Arashi gathered him in his arms to carry him back to the bed, he did so very gently, so as not to reawaken the slumbering child.
Kyuubi watched, disgusted, as the Fourth brushed the bangs from Naruto's face and smiled, before exiting soundlessly from the room.
Digusting emotions. I will never understand. And yet, after a few moments of silence, the demon fox stood and crossed the length of his cage to curl up around Naruto--to keep him warm only because he did not cuddle with anyone and it would be bad for him if the youth were to catch cold. Hn. Sleep, kit.
---
"Give us the money!" one of the boys snarled at a much smaller one. The littler kid whimpered, but held the notes closer to his chest. The bigger boy growled and punched him hard in the stomach. He gasped, and his hold on the money loosened. When he still didn't drop it, the gang of miniature-thugs frowned. "What's your problem!" The bully was somewhat amazed that the twerp hadn't surrendered the bills to him. "Just give us the money and you won't get hurt anymore!"
The little brunette shook his head emphatically, fingers curling back into fists around the money. "I-I won't!" he whispered softly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "This is father's money."
"Then why the hell do you have it, punk?!" This time they hit him across the face hard enough for his head to snap to the side. "You steal it?!"
"No!" The little boy brought his bruised face back around to level the boy with a solid glare. "I would never! Father earned this money, and he trusted me to pick it up for him! I'll never let you have it!" He lunged forward and buried his teeth in the bigger boy's shoulder.
---
Naruto stopped walking as he and his companion passed an alley, and frowned. Arashi blinked back at him. "Eh? What's wrong, Naruto?"
"Oh, nothin'..." He shoved his hands back in his pockets and started walking again. Arashi watched him, walking at his side, stopping when the boy did. "Oy, Fourth? Uhh, you go ahead." When Arashi frowned, a little concerned, Naruto offered him a huge grin. "See, there was a puppy back there...I wanna go see if it needs help."
Arashi didn't say anything for a moment, but then he nodded. "Okay. I'll go on ahead, and wait for you at the street."
Naruto beamed at him. "Yeah, alright! Be right back," he called over his shoulder, rushing back to the alley they'd passed. He'd skidded to a stop at its mouth in time to see the older boy twist the younger's arm back until he was forced to drop the money. Naruto's eyes narrowed and he growled, bringing his fisted hands out of his pockets. "If any of you know what's good fer ya," he snarled in a very low tone, "you'll drop the money and go."
Recovering quickly from their shock, one of the kids shouted back, "Eh? Who says?"
"Me." Naruto's eyes flashed red suddenly. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was the stronger picking on the weak. From the look of scorn on the other boy's faces--they were actually bigger than Naruto was, too--the whisker-scarred boy realized they wouldn't back down. So, smirking, he brought his hands up in a familiar hand seal and yelled, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
And when the bullies were being born down upon by about ten pissed-off Naruto's, they turned tail and ran--but not before dropping the wad of money. The little brunette boy was quick to pick it up, staring mistrustfully at Naruto, who approached after his bunshin vanished. "Hey, kid," Naruto drawled in a quiet voice. "Watcha doin' here?"
"I..I was on my way home, and they started chasing me..." The little boy raised his face, and Naruto was startled to see the very familiar face of man he adored; kind of youthenized, and without a scar across the bridge of his nose.
"Ir...Iruka-sen...er...Iruka?!" Naruto jumped, twitching. "You're..."
Iruka blinked. "How'd you know my name?"
"Ah...I heard the kids shouting it at you!" Naruto lied quickly, hurrying on before Iruka could argue; he had to get over how strange this was. "Hey, do you need an escort?"
"Ehh? Really?!" The kid's face lit up with pleasure. "Sure!"
As they walked, leaving behind the alley and headed for the street corner, Naruto folded his arms behind his head and glanced up, acting uninterested as he said, "So...That was pretty cool what you did back there. Y'know, standing up to them jerks." He looked down again, at what lay before them. "It was really great; don't loose that fighting spirit, 'kay?" He turned to grin at the boy, but was put off by the huge smile of admiration on Iruka's face.
"Really! You think so!" Iruka beamed widely up at him, and then giggled to himself, holding the money tightly in one fist. "Yeah! Wait 'til I tell mom and dad!" Naruto chuckled as Iruka broke into an enthusiastic conversation, the latter leading the first in the backwards escort to Iruka's home.
---
"'Bye, Naruto!" Iruka said happily, smiling up at him with almost palpable adoration. "Seeya again sometime!" And he ran off towards the house as Naruto waited, watching, from the street. A woman appeared in the doorway, smiling and knelt to hug the little boy when he reached the porch. A man was behind her, and Iruka thrust the money he'd kept safe at him, chattering excitedly. The man listened intently, then nodded with a smile, ruffling the boy's ponytail.
Naruto felt his smile fade somewhat; he turned to leave, and was gone by the time Iruka turned to point him out to his parents. "Huh...I wonder where he went..." Iruka said, looking a little dissapointed.
"That cute blonde boy that was with you?" his mother asked with some surprise. "That's the boy that helped you in the alley?" Iruka wrinkled his nose at the description but nodded. His mother gasped lightly. "Why, that's the boy that's staying with the Hokage!"
Iruka blinked a few times. "With...the Hokage...?"
---
Naruto trudged back to the Yondaime's estate with his hands in his pockets, staring at the ground as he walked. As happy as he was for Iruka, he still felt a little jealous; the same jealousy he'd feel when watching Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji going home with their parents every day, leaving him alone in the empty playground.
He ran into someone and flinched back at once. "Er, sorry..." He blinked when that someone didn't move, and glanced up at them, one eye kind of clenched almost shut as though he was expecting a blow.
"Hey, Naruto," a familiar voice said lightly, and a hand fell on the vessel's head to ruffle his unruly blonde hair. "Quit looking like I'm gonna hit you, it's bad for my image."
Naruto grinned at him. "Hey, Fourth. Sorry, I had to take the puppy home."
Arashi blinked. "How'd you know where it lived?"
"Ah, it's mother and father were waiting for it," Naruto said, folding his arms behind his head again. "They looked happy to see 'im home again."
From the slight darkness in his voice and eyes, the Yondaime could tell it wasn't a canine he was taking about. The man frowned at the boy's forced jovialness, and crossed his arms as they walked, thinking. Suddenly Naruto gasped, and the Fourth's head shot up, expecting some form of danger; he relaxed when he saw Naruto gaping at an old apartment.
"That's where I live! Er, lived...Going to live...?" He looked more than a little confused, and Arashi chuckled for a moment.
"You aren't serious, are you? Who would make a kid live there, it's falling apart." Arashi stopped smiling when the boy turned a serious expression to him, without a hint of laughter in his expressive blue eyes.
"I'm the Demon Child. No one cared if I lived in a rundown old apartment on the bad side of town." He let his hands fall to his sides. "In fact, I think they actually looked for an apartment this bad. And the rent was crazy--they hardly gave me enough money to cover it," he said bitterly, eyes hugging the ground as he recalled past scenarios. "It's a good thing ramen was so cheap; I lived off the stuff." He laughed suddenly. "Hehe, not that I'm complaining! No one could tell me not to eat it if it was all that I could afford!"
Naruto kept walking, but missed the sound of his companion's footfalls next to his own. He blinked, stopping walking, and turned to glance back. The Fourth was openly staring at him, brow low over wide eyes. "You're serious...they did that to you?"
"Uh-huh," Naruto said, a little confused. It hadn't occurred to him that anyone would find fault in his living arrangements; he was the Kyuubi no gaki."But I got by okay. I don't think I would've managed if it weren't for Iruka-sensei. He was the only one who didn't treat me like..." Naruto trailed off for a moment, then continued, "Him and that Old Man, the Third." Seeing that he wasn't alleviating the atmosphere, he went on hurriedly. "But things got better after I graduated! I got friends, and pay from missions. It made things a lot easier." He turned around and continued walking, waiting anxiously to hear if the Fourth would start after him; when he did, the younger blonde sighed, relievedly. "...But...it's not like I have parents..." Naruto muttered softly, shoving his hands back in his pockets. "It's hard going home to an empty house every day."
He gasped when the ground suddenly dropped out from beneath him; he was being held firmly in the Yondaime's grip, the man holding him very close. "I'm sorry, Naruto," he said softly; Naruto's eyes widened, face hidden in the man's shoulder.
Kit; you've managed to unwittingly make Konoha's Yellow Flash completely emotionally unbalanced.
Sh...shut up! I didn't mean to!
You never do.
"F...Fourth?"
"It really ruined you're life, didn't it?" he mumbled, still not surrendering the boy. "Sealing that thing inside you."
"...Ah...It...I told you last night! It made me stronger!" Naruto pulled away, dropping back to the ground, so he could glare at the man, face-to-face. "No one can accuse me of being a high-class, fancy never-get-dirty shin-obi!" The way he broke it down into two seperate words made Arashi bite back a chuckle. "And no one can say 'you don't know how it feels'! An empty apartment is worth all of that any day!"
...I guess...
Naruto continued to stare at him, waiting for either approval at his words, or disdainful scorn. Arashi looked over his head at the Hokage Monument towering over the village. After another long moment of silence, he smiled softly, and shut his eyes. "The makings of a great Hokage."
---
As they neared the estate, walking in companionable silence, Nasake appeared in the doorway and gasped in delight. "Ah! You're back!" she called delightfuly, waving at them with her whole arm. Naruto stopped walking, staring at the waiting woman from the street. Arashi kept walking, passing him a smile when he walked past him, and joined the woman in the entranceway. Naruto began to smile at the woman's next words, and hastened to the door; "I've been waiting."
---
The rain dripped lazily off the green leaves, dropping soundlessly onto the matted forest floor. The stormy haze misted through the trees, making a visible fog cloud up the air. Through its midst, two bright red eyes shot open.
It is almost time.
---
Okaaaaaay...THIS WAS SOMEWHAT A MUSINGS COLUMN FOR MOI! Please don't be upset with me, I did my best. -.- Everything's REALLY insane around here; it's so hard to concentrate when my damn relations are watching a movie with screaming and gunning and running and helicopters and all that shimatta. Kuso...gomenasai, again...Please try not to flame!