Minato was in a strangely good mood. If you considered the fact that his son was injured, he'd been forced back to the village he'd abandoned fourteen years ago, and the fact that he'd come face to face with one of his old students and come through that without his kid telling the secret he knew the boy wanted more than anything to tell, you'd think he'd have been a little more concerned that his luck might run out soon. Not Minato Namikaze though. The blonde turned orange was nothing if not extremely confident in his lucky streak.
The Yondaime was stretched out on the couch in his son's apartment. Having left the hospital two hours ago after repeatedly assuring Tsunade that he was capable of tending to Naruto until the boy was well enough to do it on his own, he'd nicked the key Naruto'd returned to the owner of the apartment complex and strode inside eyes wide in curiosity. Of all the things Yondaime'd imagined his son living in, this had to be one of his worst nightmares. The place was filthy (though he could see where Naruto'd made the effort to clean the place up a bit before he left) and this, to a clean freak like the Yondaime was, was the definition of hell. He'd shuddered upon entering, and once he'd gotten Naruto settled in his bed, the older blonde had immediately began cleaning the place.
'I must say, I've outdone myself this time. You wouldn't think anyone lived here, much less someone as filthy as my dear child seems to be.' The Fourth snorted, pleased at a job well done, and left to go smooth things over with the owner of the complex.
Minato returned five minutes later looking more pleased with himself than when he'd left. Sighing he flopped down on the couch again and closed his eyes willing himself to sleep. He'd need his energy if he was going to keep up his Henge. 'Gotta remember I'm no longer a natural blonde…' The thought made a small bitter smile flit across his handsome features before they settled back into a kind of sleepy concentration.
What seemed like only ten minutes later but was actually three hours later, Minato was rudely awaken by his son who, having somehow hobbled into the living room and maneuvered his wounded body onto the couch next to his sleeping father, was throwing what looked like popcorn kernels at his face. Frowning sleepily, the Fourth shook his head.
"What are you doing?" Naruto grinned in a slightly manic fashion. "Well, I've been trying to see if these kernels will get stuck in your beard if I throw them hard enough, and one looked like it was going to stay but then you moved and it fell on your lap." Before Minato could do more that gape at his son, Naruto spoke again.
"How'd we get in here, and why'd you clean the place up?" Minato grimaced at Naruto.
"Well I kind of stole the key from the owner, but I made up with her later so calm down." Naruto's eyes had widened in horror. "As to why I cleaned this place up, didn't you see how nasty it was in here?! There was no way in hell I was staying in here longer than I had to until it's been cleaned."
Naruto shook his head sadly. "Who knew you were such a clean freak?" Minato grinned and shrugged. "Only about some things."
The two sat in a relatively companionable silence for about an hour.
'This isn't so bad. I never would have imagined that I'd ever have one of my parents with me in my apartment…ever. It's surreal.' Naruto's thoughts mirrored his father's sentiments exactly. Neither had thought in their wildest dreams that they'd ever see the other again.
For Minato it was like heaven and hell had intermeshed, and he was getting what he deserved both good and bad. The emotions and memories the arrival of his son had brought – and the sheer force of them – was enough to drive a person mad, but Minato welcomed them as they were a definite change from what his life had become: cheerless, monotonous, lonely and hellish. His own personal hell that he willingly dwelled in.
For Naruto it was the chance he'd always dreamed of; to speak with his father – whom he'd always suspected was a great hero – and know the man personally. To be held by someone of the same blood and know he was loved unconditionally for no other reason than he was this man's son was a delicious tingle down his spine. Even when he found that the great hero everyone in Konoha revered wasn't as faultless as the village would like you to think, under his layers of anger and hurt, it made him love the man even more.
"Loki?" Minato snapped open his eyes, startled to find that they'd closed of their own violation, and stared at Naruto in confusion.
"What about it?" Naruto snorted.
"That's such a stupid name. Why couldn't you pick something cooler?" Yondaime raised his eyebrow.
"Oh? Like what?"
"I don't know…something better than Loki though. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised…you did name me Naruto after all." Minato scowled.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto shrugged.
"Oh don't tell me you don't know what my name means!!" Minato snorted then sighed.
"Actually your mother's the one who named you. It was right before she died; it's what she wanted your name to be, so I couldn't refuse her." Naruto looked stricken.
I…I didn't know. I'm sorry." Minato laughed lowly.
"For what? You lost her too, and it's not your fault you didn't know in the first place." They both heard the part of the sentence he didn't say.
'It's mine…'
Kakashi slowly released the breath he'd been holding under his mask for the last twenty minutes. Perched on a tree branch that hung just below Naruto's living room window, he'd heard that entire conversation and had finally figured out who the 'hermit' was. Too bad the knowledge didn't make him feel any better.
'There's only one man it could be, and I can't even argue that he's dead. I remember what the Sandaime said. Put that together with the outcome of Naruto's trip and it's the only logical answer there is! My sensei, the Fourth Hokage, is alive and is currently talking to his only son.' The silver-haired Jounin's fists clenched and a low growl escaped his throat. 'I should have realized when I saw the hair. No one has hair quite that color blonde except my sensei and Naruto.' Another thought struck Kakashi. 'Why did he leave?' He'd thought about it before but that had been when they had no idea where he was and no idea if he was even able to come back. 'Apparently he's quite capable of dragging his sorry ass here; he seems to have just lacked the motivation.'
Watching the two continue to talk, Kakashi wondered why Naruto hadn't killed Minato as he'd promised to do when he'd left a little more than a week ago. When he thought about it he supposed it was the same reason Kakashi didn't barge in there and tear the wayward Hokage a new one: he was so damned happy to see him; to know that he was alive and able to once more support him as he'd once done was enough to keep Kakashi crouched on the tree branch. The fact that the man had been a Hokage and was not to be taken lightly because of that factored into his reasoning as well, though Kakashi would never had said that if he'd been asked.
But first things first: he'd have to confront his sensei, but not in front of Naruto. The things he would say to his sensei would not help the relationship he could see developing between father and son. Kakashi settled down to wait, knowing that his former friend would have to come out sooner or later.
It was late afternoon of the following day before Kakashi's theory proved correct. The Fourth came striding out the apartment complex, his golden hair shimmering in the evening summer sun. Kakashi gave a stretch and followed him as he went down one of the lesser-traveled streets.
It became increasingly difficult to keep his presence hidden from his sensei as time wore on, and he showed no signs of where he was going or if he was going to stop. Finally he broke away from the last of the houses and ventured into the wooded area around the training grounds. Kakashi followed at a safe distance.
Minato shoved his hands in his pocked and sighed to himself. He had sensed Kakashi following him since he'd left Naruto's apartment half an hour ago and was becoming tired of his stalker's company. He moved deeper in the small woods and suddenly stopped.
In a bored tone that managed to hide how nervous he really was, he called out lowly, "Kakashi." Just that one word let Kakashi know that the blonde man in front and below him had known he was there from the beginning. Hell, he'd probably known his old pupil was sulking around Naruto's apartment. Silently Kakashi dropped from his leafy shelter and stood, waiting for the man in front of him to speak.
An eternity later it seemed, Minato finally spoke.
"Hello Kakashi. It's been a while hasn't it?" Kakashi was struck anew at how deep his sensei's voice had gotten in the fourteen years he'd been gone. Refusing to be deterred, the Jounin replied in a light voice.
"Yes, sensei, it has. Fourteen years in my reckoning. Where have you been?" The Fourth shrugged nonchalantly.
"Oh you know…here and there." Minato knew better than to turn around. He knew that, if he looked into that familiar face, the reality of what had happened would finally strike him. With Naruto it had been different; Naruto'd been an infant when he'd left, and so was only recognizable to Minato through his looks and the fact that Minato just knew Naruto was his. With Kakashi though – who's face hadn't changed much in the fourteen year interim - it would all come flooding back, and that pain was more than he could safely deal with right now. So he didn't turn.
Kakashi's sigh was audible in the wooded silence.
"Why…where have you been, sensei?" Minato flinched and sighed. He heard the question Kakashi hadn't had the nerve to say.
'Why did you leave?' Oh if only he had the heart to tell his beloved student! To crush him; to tell him that his sensei, his hero, was nothing more than a coward, a fool. Instead he settled for that comfortable non-answer.
"I had my reasons, Kakashi. Deal with it." Minato heard Kakashi walk up to him, the younger man's angry strides loud, but didn't move.
Kakashi grabbed Yondaime by the arm and yanked him around to face him. Eye to eye they stood, Kakashi's glaring, Minato's impassive.
They stood like that for long moments, neither saying a word. Kakashi sighed fianlly and shook his head.
"You fucked up big time, sensei." Minato pulled himself out of Kakashi's now loose grasp and rolled his eyes.
"Who're you telling?" Though covered by his ever-present mask, Kakashi smiled faintly, and Minato responded with a smile just as faint. Though still ragged and raw, the wounds were healing just as surely as Naruto's wounds were healing.
It'd never be the same, but perhaps it could be better.
-End-
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-- Yes. That's the end of the story. For real. Probably not what you were expecting, but I don't care. I do want to say thank you to all of you who supported me in what's been the longest fic I've ever written. I love all you guys so much.
