"Believe me, it would be better if we didn't meet again. Go back to school. Go back to your life. And next time they ask you, say no. Killing is for grown-ups and you're still a child." -Anthony Horowitz

Polluerunt

"I've reached location two," Sasuke's voice crackled over their standard issue shinobi communication device. Kakashi had never really cared for it, the strap around his throat always just on the side of too tight to be comfortable as it pressed the microphone directly against his vocals cords.

"Sakura here, I'm at the third location," her voice was quiet, barely whispering over his comms as she affirmed her position.

There was a long pause before Naruto's voice filled the silence. "I'm at one," he said quickly, sounding a little out of breath.

"You are slow, Naruto," Kakashi chided him softly. He was confused as to how both Sasuke and Sakura were able to check in before the blonde as the first location had been the closest from where they all had started. "Alright, get ready." Movement from the bushes pulled a curious sound from him, easily carried over the radio. "Target has moved, follow it!"

Three blurs raced past him and he was momentarily impressed by their speed. His students converged by one of the taller maple trees, Sakura and Sasuke at the base while Naruto climbed to the highest branch that could support his weight as he searched for their target.

"I see it," the blonde whispered, voice low and almost breathless as if to hide the words themselves in the wind. "It's just ahead."

Kakashi observed them from a nearby tree, flaring his chakra ever few seconds to confirm his team's location. The first time he had done so nearly a week ago, Naruto had turned wide eyes onto his and then suddenly his face pinched and he started rambling loudly about ramen of all things as if to hide his reaction. Kakashi let him go on for a rather long moment as both of his other students stared at the blonde with growing confusion, before he sent them off on anther boring mission.

It was certainly interesting intelligence to add to his personal and slowly growing file he had made on his student. One was not born with chakra sensitivity, they had to learn it. Kakashi wondered if someone taught the blonde, or if he had taught himself. He hoped he had had a teacher, learning to sense chakra on your own was an action born out of desperation and fear.

For the past three days Kakashi had fluctuated his chakra at random intervals, sending it out to pinpoint his students and had watched with growing curiosity as Naruto visibly tried not react. At one point it became less about locating them and more about getting any sort of response from the blonde.

There had been one occasion while they were helping an older lady with her groceries where he had flexed and pushed his chakra at his genin, Naruto in particular, nonstop for several minutes. It was nearing the third minute when Naruto actually turned back and glared at him, cerulean eyes nearly feral as his own chakra flexed, barely brushing his before retreating. Kakashi had smiled wickedly at him, but had pulled his chakra back to himself.

Getting Naruto to actually react in a way that he had not planned was quickly becoming one of Kakashi's favorite pastimes. He could not help but feel some form of amusement when Naruto forgot himself and acted in a way that was unbecoming for a student. Sometimes, not often, but sometimes Naruto would say something that was overly familiar in a way that could be construed as inappropriate. It was nothing lewd or fallacious but it displayed a kind of familiarity that was bordering on comradeship.

It left Kakashi baffled and unsure on how to react. Part of him wanted to reply with something equally as witty, but by the time he had thought of something to say, Naruto was pulling himself back into his shell and treating his teacher like he was something to be avoided or feared. It was in complete contradiction to his earlier reaction.

There was a moment, less than a second really, between the jinchuuriki's comment and his mask sliding back into place where Kakashi felt like he was seeing the real Naruto. He wanted to draw those moments out until Naruto no longer felt like he had to hide behind the lie he had built of himself. Kakashi could not help but feel frustration as he thought upon how little of improvement had been made on his own personal mission to gain his student's trust. But those moments were getting longer, if only infinitesimally, and that left him with something that sort of felt like hope.

"What's your distance from the target?" Kakashi questioned, tone just hovering between bored and tired.

"Five meters, I can go at any time," Naruto replied and the jounin was a little surprised that it had been him and not one of his teammates. The jinchuuriki was getting quite skilled at talking to Kakashi through Sakura or Sasuke.

Hatake knew that it was Naruto's last ditch effort in order to not slip in front of him. He would have found it amusing if it was not so damned annoying. Sasuke would occasionally humor the blonde but it was Sakura who was enabling him. Kakashi suspected that she knew something he did not as she would give Naruto this soft look before interacting with their teacher for him.

He tried not to let it show just how much that actually pissed him off. Kakashi was surprised by his own vehement dislike to the situation and each day it became harder not to glare at Sakura for facilitating or frown at Naruto for forcing her to do it.

Sasuke and Sakura voices floated into his ear, confirming that they were in position, and Kakashi gave them the order to engage. He could hear Naruto's battle scream echo through the forest without the need of the radio as they charged into the clearing, flushing the cat out and grabbing it before the hellish creature could find cover.

"Yatta! I have it!" Naruto screamed and Kakashi had to pull the receiver from his ear or risk going deaf. He waited a long moment before putting it back in, the sound of hissing, screeching, and Sakura's laughter brought a soft smile to his face.

"Does it have the ribbon in its right ear? Are you sure it's our target Tora?"

"It's the target," Sasuke's bored tone answered him as the sounds of struggle and cursing continued in the background. "No mistake." Kakashi could hear the sigh he wanted to add to the end of the sentence, but his upbringing and Uchiha standing made it beneath him to do so in public.

"Alright, the mission to capture the lost pet 'Tora' is complete," Kakashi sighed, trying to put some pride into his voice but it just came out sounding even more bored. He had hated doing D-ranked missions growing up and he was realizing that as an adult he had lost none of his hate for them. "Regroup at my location." He did not have to wait long before his students came to a halt beneath his tree. Kakashi dropped down from above hoping to startle them and was only mildly disappointed when they just shifted to look at him instead.

Sasuke grunted in disinterest before he wondered away from the group, leaning against a tree with his back turned to them. He did not appear particularly upset but his arms were crossed and his gaze was fixed upon a point in the distance. Bored and irritated then, Kakashi concluded. Sakura was smiling brightly up at him, but the tick in her left eye gave away her frustration with the D-ranked missions as well.

Naruto's face was covered in scratch marks and Tora the evil cat from hell was being held at arm's length by the scruff of its neck. A deep chuckle escaped him before he could stop himself and Naruto turned to him so quickly he thought the boy would get whiplash. He chuckled louder when the pipsqueak gave him a dirty glare that promised pain.

"Good job Sakura-chan, Naruto," his voice was light with laughter as he leaned forward, hands on his hips and a gentle smile that was visible through the mask.

Sakura looked up at him, eyes squinting in the way that they do when she was thinking about things that puzzled her. He could tell it was from her confusion over the way he dropped the endearment at the end of Naruto's name but not on the rest of his students.

Kakashi smiled at her but did not explain and she was wise enough not to ask.

Naruto's glare just deepened and he shook the cat gently towards him, either trying to get Kakashi to take it or threatening to throw it at him he was not quite sure. Raising his hands in a surrender, he straightened and tilted his head towards the animal carrier that Sasuke was standing next to.

Naruto huffed in annoyance but pulled the demon pet back towards him and turned to leave. Kakashi's hand on his hair had him freezing in place, nearly dropping the cat with suddenly bloodless fingers. He moved slowly as the child froze like a deer when faced with a predator. Naruto was only partially turned from him so he could clearly see that his slack face, now nearly healed, had gone quite pale.

Gently, he let his fingers card through the incredibly soft hair, forcing himself to keep smiling even as Sakura got all tense next to him. She looked like she wanted to rush in between them and it was then that he knew his suspicions were correct. Sakura knew something and her halfhearted attempts to hit Naruto that never got close to landing and her willingness to be the buffer between the child and himself suddenly made sense.

He left his hand there for a long moment that seemed to drag into an eternity, watching as Naruto continued to carefully not react and Sakura practically vibrating in place as she forced herself not to interfere. He appreciated that she did not involve herself and he made a mental note to do something nice for her in the next several days.

"Seriously," his voice was as soft as he could make it without disappearing altogether. "I'm proud of you guys." And he was, their teamwork was slowly improving and even though they were all exasperated to the point of anger at the monotonous of the D-rank missions, not one of them complained.

Eventually he pulled away, letting his fingers trail across Naruto's scalp and giving a gentle tug on a lock of short blonde hair before he let go and stepped back. Once he was released, Naruto practically fled across the other side of the clearing, shoving the cat into the crate and engaging Sasuke in an argument that consisted of a lot of name calling. His mask was firmly back in place and he pretended with such ease that Kakashi's gentle touch had not just terrified him to the point of paralysis.

"Sensei," Sakura's tiny hand was on the exposed skin of his wrist, fingers incredibly warm and soft. They were not yet the hands of a kunoichi, the callouses nearly nonexistent. He raised his eyebrow and smiled gently as he turned to face her fully, being careful not to dislodge her hold.

Aside from training, this was the first time they had had physical contact. As both an older male and her teacher he did not think it appropriate to ruffle her hair like he did the boys, but if she was comfortable enough to touch him than he was not going to discourage her…at least one of his students seemed to trust him.

"Yes, Sakura-chan?" His voice remained soft, though not as it had been when he was touching Naruto. Her green eyes peered up at him, some internal conflict clouding them and making the skin around her brow wrinkle.

"Don't," she started, eyes downcast as she cut herself off. Her posture was starting to hunch forward in a clear sign of defensiveness. Kakashi watched her with pride as she visibly seemed to shake herself from the feelings of insecurity before straightening. Her eyes met his, steely and determined. "Please," she began again, voice stronger but still quiet. "Please don't touch him."

Kakashi tilted his head curiously, smile falling slowly from his face. Sakura turned to look at Naruto who was yelling curses at the apathetic Uchiha. He followed her gaze, gray eye taking in the way Naruto's body was too telegraphed, his laughter too forced.

"I think something terrible might have happened to him," she whispered the words as if saying them louder would give them shape and morph into a physical being that would bring pain. Her small hand tightened on his wrist, nails biting into his skin before she relaxed, seemingly unaware of the action. "No," she turned back to him quickly, eyes fixed on the ground as he pulled her gaze from her wrist to her face. It was twisted in a way that reminded him of that rainy day by the creek. "Something…" Sakura took a deep breath, bringing her eyes back up to his. They had a wet sheen to them. "Something terrible did happen, didn't it?"

He felt his gaze drawn back to the two boys, unable to look at her anguished expression, and his mouth moved before his brain could catch up. "Yes," because that was the truth, the truth that he knew for certain about the child he found himself caring more for than he thought possible.

Something terrible had happened to him…Kakashi just wished he knew what it was.

Sakura nodded her head slowly, sniffling a little as she wiped unfallen tears from her eyes. She did not ask what the terrible thing was, nor did she ask if Kakashi even knew what had happened to the boy that she was starting to become friends with. Kakashi admired her for that.

"That's why I touch him," he found himself confessing before he thought better of it. She brought her attention back up to him, confusion painted in every line of face. "He needs to be reminded that not everything causes pain. He shouldn't…" Kakashi grunted in annoyance, pulling his free hand through his hair in an uncharacteristic sign of frustration. "He needs to know that not everybody who touches him will hurt him."

Sakura's eyes became impossibly wide and bless her heart she understood. Something tight twisted in his chest as he realized that she was starting to mature and grow up. Part of him was proud, but mostly he was sad that some of her innocence left her with each word spoken. He forced himself not to sigh, hand fisting behind his back so she would not see his irritation as he commanded his body and mind to be calm.

Her gaze flickered back to the boys, green eyes settling upon Naruto who was now poking at the crate, aggravating the beast inside unnecessarily as Sasuke berated him from his position by the tree. Her face scrunched in thought and Kakashi tried to fight the temptation that suddenly came over him, though he did not try very hard. In the end he could not resist raising a single finger and poking the center of her forehead where her brows wrinkled and were creating tension on face far too young for such worries. "You shouldn't frown like that, it'll give you wrinkles."

She looked at him surprised, eyes wide as she startled. Raising the hand from his wrist, leaving a sense of cold in its wake, she touched where he had pressed his index finger and after a moment she giggled. Kakashi smiled at her laughter, the sound more innocent and true than anything else that had happened that day. When she turned and waved at the boys to get their attention, Kakashi gave into one more temptation and ruffled her hair.

She smiled brightly back up at him, not even bothering to fix the state Kakashi had made of her hair, before darting over to Naruto who was still crouched before the demon creature. Sakura pulled in close behind him, hand on his shoulder as she tried to see the cat that was swiping through the holes at Naruto's questing finger. The boy tensed, flinching beneath her as his blue eyes darted to her face before falling to the ground. Sakura just smiled gently at him, hand still on his shoulder as she crouched down as well, fingers poking at the box like Naruto's had done.

Pride swelled within Kakashi and that ache in his chest became a little less as he watched her. They would need to head back to the Hokage's office to turn the cat in and get their next mission, but Kakashi decided it could wait for a few more minutes. Sakura glanced up at him, green eyes bright as she flashed him a conspiratorial grin before she turned back to antagonizing the cat. She leaned closer to Naruto and after a moment, the blonde joined her in swiping at the tiny clawed paw, a small smile on his face as he relaxed into her touch.

The Hokage could definitely wait.

0~Page_Break~0

The mission assignment office was just as he remembered it. Cerulean blue eyes took in the old worn table that stretched from one end of the room to the other, the smell of smoke and parchment prominent in the air. Scrolls covered every available surface, opened and piled into categories based upon difficulty, time of completion, and location. A series of door-less cupboards lined the far right wall filled to near bursting with even more scrolls of missions that had been assigned and were currently in progress.

A rather nondescript man that Naruto could vaguely recognize from his memories as a child pulled one of the blue scrolls loose and he watched fascinated as the rest seemed to wobble and teeter, but they did not fall. The man handed it to the Hokage and there he was -Jiji- smoking his pipe and wearing his ridiculous hat. The old man was gazing at the genin team in what he supposed was amusement, but Naruto could not tell as he kept his gaze riveted to the wall behind him because he knew…he knew that he would break if he looked.

His hands were fisted in his pockets, blood seeping around his nails as they dug into his flesh. A smile was spread across his face, tight and so forced it hurt, eyes squinting slightly as tears threatened to build. Muscles trembled beneath his suddenly cold skin as he looked upon his Jiji and Iruka-sensei in the room together. For a long moment, Naruto simply forgot to breathe.

Blood was rushing past his ears, desperate and broken whine building in the back of his throat, heartbeat so loud that it drowned out the happy cries of Madame Shijimi as she dragged her cat out of the room. A quiet chuffing echoed through his head as Kurama attempted to distract him. Jiji's lips were moving but Naruto could not hear him as he was just moments away from a full mental breakdown -later, not here, don't you dare- and simply remaining standing was becoming a serious problem.

When had his knees become so weak?

Naruto could see Kakashi twitch next to him, head tilting slightly and Naruto knew that his old sensei could smell the blood that was trickling through his fingers. He waited several long seconds, terrified that Kakashi would draw attention to him, but the man simply shifted, his fingertips brushing against the back of the blonde's neck in such a deliberately absent manner that Naruto knew was meant to comfort.

Kakashi left his hand there for a moment, a soft pressure that was barely more than a whisper of sensation, and the jinchuuriki felt his stomach clench in an unusually pleasant way as he suddenly found that he could breathe again. The jounin then shifted his weight to his other leg, appearing bored, but it also had the purpose of pulling him out of Naruto's space. Kakashi's fingers barely skimmed across his skin as he dragged them away, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

He suppressed a shiver at the sensation.

Several long minutes passed as those around him conversed and Naruto just concentrated on breathing, lost in his mind as he forced himself still. "No!" Sakura's near scream drew him back into the room and away from his thoughts.

"What did you just say?" Iruka looked scandalized. He stood from his chair slowly, both hands splayed on the table scattering the scrolls as he leaned forward and glared at the impertinent child.

"I. Said. No!" she drew each word out slowly like the man was mentally incompetent. Her shoulders drew back and she glared at him. Naruto bit back the deprecating laugh, a few more years and that look would have men trembling before her wrath, but at the moment it made her look adorable and pouty. "I will not do another useless D-rank mission! For the love of everything that is holy, we are ready for something better." Her hand clenched into a fist as if to punch someone with it. "I will not waste my time weeding another's garden or babysitting some brat. Enough is enough! Give us something worthwhile, damnit!"

The tension in the room was palpable at the young girl's conviction. The silence seemed to stretch abnormally long and Naruto could visibly see Sakura losing her confidence as seconds passed into minutes and she folded into herself. The laughter startled him and Naruto looked up before he could stop himself and the Hokage was laughing and it took everything in his power to tear his eyes away.

-Funeral in sunlight. Rain falling from eyes, not clouds. "What do we do now?"

White coffin, closed. Flowers on lid, decoration for the dead. Hand on shoulder, sad eye on his, masked face twisted in sorrow. "I suppose the elders will elect a new Hokage."

Scowl, eyes on ground, flower petals in wind. "I miss him…"

Soft sigh, pressure on shoulder, gone. "I know."-

He could feel the moisture building and he blinked quickly to get his eyes to stop.

"Very well," Jiji started, straightening the scrolls before him. Iruka turned to the Hokage in confusion, protest on his lips that died quickly when the older man gave him a quick glance. Kakashi was standing very still next to Naruto, as if afraid that movement would draw attention to himself. "You want something worthwhile; I got just the mission for you. It's a C-rank, an escort to the Wave Country." Age old eyes glanced into the corner where Naruto knew the Anbu agent Risu had been standing guard. "Bring in the client."

The jinchuuriki looked around in dazed confusion as the door opened and a drunken old man stumbled in. His heart nearly leapt into his throat as he took in the familiar sight. Tazuna, the alcoholic bridge builder…how could he have forgotten about Zabuza and Haku?

Naruto remembered the mission to Wave vaguely, the days spent walking and the nights spent sleeping…together. Oh sweet kami, how was he going to survive without being found out? Kurama chuffed again, purring deep in his chest to calm his host, but Naruto heard none of it as he imagined the thousands of ways that it could all go so very horribly wrong.

Suddenly the need to tie his henge to an object was no longer a problem for another day.