A/N: I apologise now if I forget in later chapters for ooc'ness of some characters, or I expect they'll be out of character anyway ^^; I'm always apologising, aren't I? .;

"What's this about, Kakashi?" Naruto slipped into the front seat of the car, slamming the door behind him as he did so.

Kakashi growled softly. "Don't slam the door, this is my car, you know?" He looked down as Naruto sat with his arms folded; taking on a habit Gaara seemed to do a lot. "Seatbelt, Naruto." He flicked his eyes back to the road, driving off again.

"Oh yeah, sorry, I forget." Naruto grabbed the belt, clipping it around him before turning to look out of the window.

"So, how's school going?" Kakashi felt weird in the awkward silence, an unusual aspect to this drive as opposed to the normally hyperactive boy beside him. He checked around them, noticing that Sasuke was watching them leave and nodded in reassurance, hoping that Iruka would tell Naruto's friends that everything was OK.

"Same as always, I guess."

Kakashi tuned out of his thoughts and back into the car, he sighed softly. "That's not what Iruka's been saying."

"Oh...did I do something bad, is this what this is about?" Naruto looked over, frowning slightly as he tried to think of what he could have done.

"No, Naruto. That's not what I meant." Kakashi shook his head, wondering what he was meant to say in this situation. "He's just worried about you, that's all and form what he's been saying so are your classmates."

"Oh." Naruto went silent for a while. "Why are they worried about me?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and looked over at Naruto in disbelief. "Isn't that obvious?"

"No."

"They worry about you because they care and because you aren't acting like your usual self."

Naruto blinked at him for a bit before staring back out the window. "I don't like it."

"Don't like what?" Kakashi turned back to the road, not understanding where the conversation was going.

"That feeling...worry, it's horrid." Naruto shivered, playing with his sleeves. "It's the feeling I get at the moment whenever I think of Gaara, isn't it?"

"Yeah, probably." Kakashi frowned as he drove round a corner. "And you now know that you're making other people worry."

"Why do they care?"

"What?" Kakashi glanced at Naruto before slamming on the brakes, just stopping in front of a red light. "Shit..." He glared at Naruto for a second. "What the hell is that supposed to mean exactly?"

Naruto looked back up at the sharpness in Kakashi's voice, pulling at the seatbelt as it hurt his neck after the sudden stop. "What? I'm just asking?"

Kakashi's glare disappeared at the hurt in Naruto's eyes. "Sorry, I thought you were wishing they didn't care at all. Like you thought you weren't worth it or something."

"No...I just don't understand." Naruto frowned as he sat up straighter, having slipped down in his seat. "I wouldn't wish them all away ever." He thought about all the friends he'd made recently, feeling glad and guilty at the same time that they would worry about him.

Kakashi looked up and pulled away as the light changed before answering, trying to think of a good answer. "I don't know why for each person, we all grow attached and care for people in different ways. It's hard to explain." He thought for another second. "Can I ask you a question instead?"

"Sure."

"Why do you care about Gaara?"

Naruto looked at him shocked for a second. "What?"

"You're asking me why people care about you so answer me, why you care about Gaara? You're obviously worried about him." Kakashi tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, wondering whether this line of questioning was going to help the issue.

"He's family." Naruto answered after not much thought.

"Family? But he isn't really is he?" Kakashi tried not to wince at the glare he got as he took a peek at Naruto, not used to it from him.

"I thought you understood that?" Naruto let out an annoyed sigh, looking out of the window again. "We are family, we decided."

"Why? Why did you decide that?"

"Just because we did." Naruto snapped. "Why can't we be family? We think of each other that way and we care about each other so why is it so hard to understand?"

"I do understand, Naruto." Kakashi smiled at him, making him confused. "You've answered your own question. There's not really one definable reason for why you care about Gaara is there? You just do and that's probably the way most of your classmates feel."

Naruto blinked a few times as he let the revelation sink in. "Oh, I think I get it." He smiled slightly as he thought it over.

"Good." Kakashi relaxed more now, relieved to finally see a smile on Naruto's face. "It's good to see you smiling as well." He debated putting on the radio as the silence came over the two of them again but it wasn't as awkward a silence this time, more of a comfortable one. "I heard you've gained more family members." He smiled at Naruto's confused look. "I took a statement from Sasuke about what happened because you didn't seem up to it. He tried to skim over some details but I made him tell me everything that happened in full, like how one of 'Akatsuki' was already dead before we got there." He felt Naruto tense beside him. "Sorry but I had to find out how to..." He paused wondering how to be sensitive about it.

"How to stop me or Gaara if anything happens again?" Naruto finished the sentence off for him feeling slightly disgusted with himself for what had happened and what he could have done.

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"That's OK; I'd rather you knew how to get me out of that situation instead of me hurting someone." Naruto tried to smile but it didn't really reach his eyes. "So what does that have to do with family?"

"Sasuke said he helped you get out of the...state, by trying to make you remember things. He said you asked him to be your brother or something?" Kakashi smiled softly at the memory, even though Sasuke had been through that experience and now had to do a witness statement he had smiled at the thought. "I'm glad he's found someone he can open up to and try and help in a bad situation."

Naruto chuckled. "He keeps following me around at the moment; I think he's worried I'll get myself into another 'situation'."

Kakashi laughed. "Maybe that's his way of showing he cares or he doesn't know what to say that could help so he thinks that's all he can do."

"Maybe." Naruto's smile grew without him being able to help it before he frowned again. "Wait, this can't be what you wanted to talk to me about; otherwise it could have waited, right?"

Kakashi froze for a second before ignoring the question and continuing to drive. "I'll tell you at the station, we're almost there."

"Kakashi." Naruto, now suspicious, whined at him.

"Alright, alright." Kakashi sighed, parking up the car on the side of the road. "I guess we can talk here." He opened the window looking out before closing it again and sitting back down, turning off the engine.

"What's going on?" Naruto bit his lip at Kakashi's actions.

"I lied about no one being able to see Gaara at the moment." Kakashi held up a hand as Naruto started to protest. "Hear me out, please, Naruto." He waited until Naruto nodded before continuing. "We've got a policeman sitting in with Gaara...as protection."

"Protection? Protection against what?" Naruto's face darkened at the thought of someone trying to hurt Gaara. "And why can't I protect him?"

"Because we don't know exactly what we're protecting you from." Kakashi sighed, ruffling his hand through his hair, showing Naruto how tired he looked.

"Wait, 'you'? I thought we were talking about Gaara?"

"We are, we're talking about both of you which is why you can't be allowed to be the one protecting him. Believe me; I've had a hard time keeping Jiraiya from putting you into police custody. I didn't think you'd appreciate it." Kakashi looked over guiltily at Naruto. "Though I keep wondering if that was a good idea."

"Kakashi, just tell me what's going on from the beginning." Naruto undid his seatbelt so that he could move more freely and turned to face Kakashi. "You aren't making any sense."

"Someone got into the solitary confinement cells that the members of that group were in." Kakashi hoped saying it quickly would lessen it somehow. "They're all dead."

"The 'Akatsuki' members?"

"Yeah."

"They're all dead?"

"That's right. We found them in the morning." Kakashi sighed. "Unlike the kids we were looking after yet again, when we found them all again, we didn't think about protecting them and look what happens."

"There were no security cameras?"

"Apparently not, it's made us realise we need to up security. Though it does mean someone got in and out of the police station without anyone noticing so I'd say the person is professional."

Naruto nodded. "But why?" He saw Kakashi hesitate and realised they didn't actually know. "Why do you think they were killed? And I don't mean what do the police think, I mean what do you think? You seem to have good intuition."

Kakashi smirked. "Well, thanks but I don't think you'll like my input." He rested his head on his arms, leaning on the steering wheel. "I think someone wanted them kept quiet."

"Kept quiet?"

"Destroy the evidence of what happened at the U&U labs and there's no way anyone would believe that it wasn't just an animal testing centre."

"Oh." Naruto let it sink in. "So you think whoever it is might come after us as well?"

"Maybe, but..." Kakashi frowned. "There aren't many people who know about what really happened at the centre." He looked over at Naruto, hoping he'd understand. "Sasuke's family but all of them are dead, you guys but I can't imagine you going to kill them, the police..."

"And my father, right?" Naruto had been pondering before he looked over at Kakashi. "You already knew that, didn't you?"

Kakashi nodded. "As I said, I got all the details from Sasuke, I can be persuasive when I need info." He smirked before his face fell again. "I can't find any information on him but he seems the most likely suspect. But I don't know what his view is on your generation of experiments." He frowned. "He might not hurt you but he might hurt the others if they're in the way."

"That's your theory though, right?" Naruto relaxed slightly as Kakashi nodded. "Sorry, but I want to believe in my real family...at least until I get the information from him."

Kakashi nodded. "That's understandable." He looked at the time. "Well, that was what I wanted to talk about; do you want me to drive you home? School will have ended by now."

"If that's OK." Naruto went back to looking out of the window as Kakashi started up the car; he waited awhile before saying something that had been nagging at him. "Hey, Kakashi?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it weird that I feel bad for those criminals?" Naruto frowned, puzzled. "I'm angry at them for hurting Gaara and I keep thinking they deserved it but then I remember that they're just like us. They were experimented on and made into what they were and they were killed for being created. So is it OK to feel like that?"

"Well...you have to remember that they were already criminals and murderers beforehand." Kakashi paused in thought. "But I don't think it's a bad thing to feel the way, it shows you can empathise."

"Empathise?"

"You can see it from both sides of the argument, it's a good quality." Kakashi smiled at him before going silent again.

"Thanks." Naruto smiled, glad that it was OK before going silent.

Most of the car journey back was in silence, though Kakashi thought of something as they came closer to Naruto and Gaara's apartment. "I'm not trying to be insensitive, Naruto, but how are you doing? Are you sure you're OK in there on your own?"

Naruto grinned his signature grin. "Of course I'm OK."

"Naruto, don't lie to me, I can see the bags under your eyes from here." Kakashi pulled up outside the flat. "I just want to make sure you're looking after yourself, Gaara will kill me if you don't." He smiled as Naruto chuckled. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Keep on looking after Gaara, that's all I want." Naruto opened the door. "Thanks for the lift."

"One last thing."

Naruto turned back to Kakashi, leaning on the door as he waited.

"Do you think I should tell Gaara what's going on straight away or leave it for a bit?" Kakashi bit his lip. "See, I know he should know because it concerns him but I also think that if I tell him while he's still recovering he'll try and get up before he's ready."

"That's true." Naruto frowned for a second before grinning. "Let's think positive. Either we'll have sorted everything out first or I'll be there when he wakes up." He looked at Kakashi hopefully.

"Ouch, emotional blackmail. Fine, I'll see if I can get you in the hospital but I'm not promising." Kakashi grinned back. "At least now I have an excuse to give Jiraiya, that you'll be there to help keep Gaara informed."

"Just tell me as soon as he wakes up and everything will be OK." Naruto slammed the door before walking away.

"Yeah, yeah." Kakashi opened his window. "See you soon, try not to make everyone worry so much." He drove off when all he received was a wave.

Naruto walked up the stairwell to their apartment, smiling all the way now that he was more likely to get information on Gaara as soon as anything happened. He opened the door, kicking off his shoes as he did so, before shutting the door behind him. His smile vanished to a more suspicious look as he caught a sight of movement in the next room. "Who's there?"

"That's not any way to talk to your father is it?"