I do not own Naruto.
Field 19 was once again home to a large white wolf, this time curled around a relatively tiny boy.
Kakashi stepped closer slowly, cautious of the protective female.
Until she nudged Naruto to look up.
Kakashi's waist was captured. The wolf dismissed itself.
"What's wrong, my little prince?" He slung his arms loosely around the boy.
Naruto's words were muffled.
"Hm?"
The boy pulled away, skittish enough to have left entirely if Kakashi had let him.
He didn't meet Kakashi's eyes.
Kakashi sat and easily drew the boy down into his lap.
"Naruto?"
The boy ducked his head into Kakashi's shoulder. "Don't hate me."
Kakashi's heart cracked, but his body betrayed nothing. He ran a hand lightly up and down Naruto's back.
"I don't hate you."
Naruto curled closer, shaking.
"You will, though."
"I won't."
"Everyone does."
"Your Jiji?"
Naruto didn't reply.
"Jiji doesn't hate you. I don't hate you. Lynx and Rabbit don't hate you. Iruka doesn't hate you."
"Nobody knows," the boy whispered.
Fear twisted in Kakashi's chest. "Knows what, Naruto?"
"You'll hate me."
"I won't."
"You won't trust me."
"I will."
"You'll tell."
"I won't."
Naruto's hands clutches tighter at Kakashi's jacket.
"My little prince, tell me," Kakashi said, breathing his words into Naruto's hair.
"It's me. I'm the Fox."
"Mizuki was lying, Naruto. You're not the Kyuubi."
"I am, though. I've always been. We're so wrapped together in my head we'll never come apart."
Naruto was so tense against him, Kakashi was afraid to move.
"I don't hate you, Naruto."
"But I- I killed them. So many people. I have nightmares about it. I can see them. I st- stepped on- "
"That wasn't you."
"It was." The boy pulled back and looked into Kakashi's eye. "Me and the Fox are separate, but we're the same, too. I'm the Fox. I am, Kakashi. I-" There were tears in his eyes.
Kakashi reached up and wiped them away. "Okay. I don't hate you. I do trust you. I won't tell anyone. It's okay, my little prince."
It wasn't. It really, really wasn't. But no matter what Naruto said, all Kakashi could see was the brilliant boy who had captured every ANBU's heart. Who liked Jiji and his wolf summons and Konoha and ramen. Who was going to become Hokage and attempt to bring peace to the Five Nations.
Naruto was watching Kakashi closely, blue eyes still wide and wet.
"I don't hate you, Naruto. Neither will the Third or Iruka or Lynx or Rabbit, if you tell them. We know you."
The boy's breath was quick and his eyes were darting, searching for something.
Then his face was smooshed against Kakashi's own, brow to cheek, nose to jaw, warm even through the mask.
It broke Kakashi's heart, a bit, that the only sign of affection Naruto could think to give was based on wolf behavior.
Kakashi took Naruto's face in one hand and tilted their heads so that he could press a kiss to Naruto's forehead.
Then he pulled the boy up and over to the tree line. Kakashi rested his back against a tree and easily arranged his little prince's head to rest on Kakashi's leg.
Naruto fisted one hand in Kakashi's shirt and slowly slipped off to sleep.
Kakashi petted Naruto's hair with one hand while he held his book in the other.
-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-
"What scared you?"
Naruto turned his head deeper into Kakashi's leg.
"Naruto."
"Met Sand's jinchuuriki. He's… not like me. It was fine. Nothing happened. But."
Kakashi scraped his fingers along Naruto's scalp lightly. The boy arched into his hand.
"I had a nightmare, is all. Worse than usual."
Nightmares shouldn't be usual. Kakashi desperately wanted to find Jiraiya and demand that he fix this but he had sworn not to tell and so he wouldn't, even though it was already eating him up inside.
Naruto propped up and braced himself with one hand behind Kakashi's neck.
"I'm okay, Kakashi."
"You're not."
"No, I'm not," Naruto agreed. "But I'm no worse than I've ever been and much better than I could be."
Kakashi nodded. He wanted to let that be the end of it and move on, but. "What- what about you is the Fox?"
The boy shrugged. "Everything. Nothing. I've no not-Fox self to compare to. I think I matured faster than I might've, have some more chakra, maybe a bit extra clever. Definitely heal faster. More inclined to pranks." He grinned a quirky little grin. Then Naruto ducked his head and leaned closer. "If everything that would make me a good Hokage is from the Fox…"
"It's not. Even if it was, it's still you."
"But-"
"You're not going to be Hokage because you clever. Plenty of shinobi are clever. I'm clever, myself." Kakashi kissed Naruto's hair. "You are going to be Hokage because you love Konoha, and you believe in people, and I've never met anyone with a stronger Will of Fire. You are going to be Hokage because you see potential allies in enemies. You are loyal and inspire loyalty in others. You lead as easily as breathing." He paused. "And you're clever."
The boy giggled, as intended, and held Kakashi tighter. "And you're going to train me."
"Yes."
"And follow me?"
"Anywhere."
-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-
His little prince was with the Inuzaka for a month. It hurt. Kakashi had been the one to suggest it, but Naruto had been so excited. Hadn't shown the slightest desire to get his training with Kakashi's Pack.
Instead, Kakashi got Sasuke.
The boy wasn't so bad. Much less of a brat than he had been. Still worryingly obsessive.
But Kakashi knew that Naruto would capture the loner's loyalty eventually, and Kakashi would not have his prince's team be weak.
They trained right up to the last minute, then trained some more.
Kakashi dismissed his Kage Bunshin and smiled in satisfaction when he received the memories of Naruto crushing Neji and teaching him a lesson. And inspiring the young man's devotion at the same time.
Kakashi left Sasuke to his fight with the Sand Jinchuriki, Gaara, and flickered to stand just behind Naruto's right shoulder.
At Asuma's raised eyebrow, Kakashi quickly - but casually - corrected his position to be beside the boy instead.
"Hello," Naruto said softly.
"Yo."
Something about the boy's posture…
"You did well with Neji. You've the support of the two strongest Hyuugas of the next generation, now."
The sad tilt disappeared and Naruto chuckled lightly. "That wasn't intentional, you know?"
"That's why I'm so impressed."
Kakashi was glowing. His little prince had been sad when he thought Kakashi hadn't seen the match. He cared about impressing Kakashi.
Kakashi resolved not to take advantage. He wouldn't make his little prince jump through hoops to earn praise.
-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-
The Third was dead. Konoha was safe, Gaara was reformed, and the Third was dead.
The Forest of Death was empty.
Field 19 was empty.
Kakashi's apartment was empty.
The memorial stone was too full.
Naruto's apartment was quiet.
Kakashi found the boy standing at his counter, staring at a full cup of cold ramen.
The boy was too numb to startle when Kakashi pulled him away, pulled him toward the couch and into Kakashi's lap.
Kakashi tucked Naruto's head against his neck and buried his face in the boy's hair.
It took a few minutes for the boy to begin sobbing.
Kakashi was long out of tears, but it felt like his little prince was crying for them both.