Kakashi followed the kid. The wrong kid, he knew. The kid who was supposed to be dead.
The kid who was not his assignment.
Still, he followed. Naruto spent hours at the library, trying his best and gritting his teeth with every humanity-based homework he had to solve.
He left the library at six – not because he finished, but because he hurried to work. His eyes were cold and defeated, and his jaw was clenched. His expression darkened with every passing moment and turned stale and furious when he reached the construction site. Kakashi could spot the tense shoulders and nerve-fraying vigilance from his hiding place in his car. He growled silently and followed the kid.
The men greeted him with mocking tones and predatory smiles. The boy kept his distance, not meeting their eyes, and reached for a hard hat and a vest. He walked from shadow to shadow, avoiding the men's straying hands and crude jokes. He worked hard and in earnest. He clearly had no idea how bad his situation was.
Kakashi had to resist baring his teeth. The boy fell for a scheme as old as time. The gang pressed him for money using threats and fake bills, then prevented him from getting a job in any place not owned or controlled by them. The boy worked and paid – and then was pressed again. As the demands of the gang grew, so did his need for cash.
They enslaved him.
Kakashi scanned the surroundings and memorized the number of men, their hiding spots, their cameras, and their tools.
He had to get the kid out of their clutches.
He had to get him to trust him.
He had to get this done without compromising his other mission.
Kakashi lingered in the shadows, plotting and observing. His right eye throbbed, yearning for blood.
Naruto paddled home. His body burned, and his legs almost gave up, but he could not stop. Would not stop. He had to get away and get home. He had to.
He hated the scent of work clinging to his skin. It reminded him of the men he had to work with. It reminded him that he had to work because he was a failure and had no money. It reminded him he was alone.
Naruto gritted his teeth and roared, pushing and pushing until he – finally – reached his apartment.
He climbed up with difficulty, dragging his bike with him, unlocked the electricity box to hook the wires, locked it, and stumbled to his door. He opened the door, sniffing cautiously before entering, and turning on the lights –
The giant white dog lay on his bed, curled in on himself as he slept. His ears perked up, and he lifted his head, then jumped down and trotted silently to his side.
"He-hey, you're still here," Naruto breathed. Relief flooded his form.
He locked the door, balanced his bike against the wall, and hugged the dog tightly. "M'sorry I don't have any dog food. The boss refused to give me some upfront. I'm sorry." His shoulders shook. Naruto tried to smile. "I got this, though." He reached into his bag and offered the dog the other half of his sandwich. "S'got peanut butter n'… I dunno. I think strawberry."
He tried to entice the dog to eat, but the large beast turned his head away and growled softly. He nosed at his stomach and glared at him meaningfully.
Naruto's hand dropped. He leaned on the dog and buried his face in his fur and cried. "I'll get you something else. Don't leave. I'll save up. I promise."
The dog growled silently but rubbed his giant head against Naruto's cheek, so he hoped that meant he was forgiven. He held on to the dog for a long while, crying until his eyes and his lungs and his legs gave up. The dog waited patiently, rumbling and licking and sniffing him. Perhaps it was his way of showing affection.
"I'm sorry, I just had a really shitty day," Naruto confessed. He sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Shit. I s'pose it's not fair if I eat when you don't – "
The dog barked and pushed Naruto's hand toward the blond's mouth with his nose. He leaned close and licked his cheek and rumbled softly.
It sounded like encouragement and the scent of the bread and peanuts was overpowering. Naruto gave up and devoured the sandwich, swallowing hastily.
The sandwich was done before he could fully appreciate the taste. Naruto licked his fingers and curled when his stomach contracted painfully.
The dog grabbed his sleeve with his teeth and pulled him – more gently than Naruto imagined he could – toward the cabinet. He balanced on his hind legs – and Naruto had to take a step back because the dog was taller than him by about three and a half feet – and grabbed a cup of instant noodles in his mouth. He leaned back down and offered him the cup with a rumble.
The rumbled turned into a growl the longer Naruto stared.
"Fine," he took the cup and boiled water. "But it's not good for you – "
The dog nudged him, shoving his nose into Naruto's stomach.
"Ow, stop that, you weirdo." Naruto doubled over and pushed the dog's head away.
The dog rumbled again.
Naruto frowned. The dog's eyes… there was something odd about those eyes, besides the fact that one of them was red. They looked almost intelligent. They looked… understanding.
The water boiled. Naruto poured them into the cup and sat beside the dog, leaning against his side. He sighed. "I guess you're right. There's no point if both of us are starving." He poked the dog's stomach, ignoring the silent warning growl. "You don't seem too skinny, though. That's good. I think I'm mostly ribs."
The dog sniffed and licked his cheek, rumbling. His eyes gazed at him meaningfully, though Naruto had no idea what the meaning was, and rested his head in Naruto's lap.
Naruto started to eat, slurping the noodles into his mouth. "Boss made me work an extra shift today." He started talking, not sure why. Eating in silence was depressing, and talking to a dog… that was just as dumb, wasn't it? But the dog perked his ears and turned them his way, and Naruto wanted to talk. He had no one to share his life with, and the dog would not judge. "Missed my first two periods," he confessed. "Bet the teachers will yell at me again when they see me." He sighed and leaned his head against the dog. "He knows I have school. He's such a piece of shit. Said he'll cut my pay in half if I don't stay and – " His chest tightened, his throat closed up, and –
The dog whined. He sat up and licked his face clean from tears and sweat and dust.
Naruto huffed, then pushed his nose away. "Stop it. You're covering me in dog drool."
The dog grumbled. He licked his hand.
Naruto chuckled. He was too tired to laugh and too empty to cry, so he hid his face in the thick folds of the dog's fur. "Hope they don't kick me out for absentees. That's what Iruka said he'd do if I don't stop skipping. I don't want to skip, though." He hugged the dog's neck and tried to still his voice. "They don't believe me."
The dog nuzzled at his neck, breathing down his spine. He nudged him gently and gazed at the noodles meaningfully.
The boy fished the rest of the noodles of slurped. "Got a new teacher for math, though. Weird guy." He drank the soup.
The dog waited, then nudged him again.
"What is it?" Naruto frowned. "I don't speak dog."
The dog tilted his head. His eyes appeared to be… curious?
"You want me to keep taking?" Naruto hazarded a guess.
The dog barked.
Naruto leaned against him, curling into the dog's warm lap. "I think he's suspicious. He doesn't… well. He doesn't look like a teacher. At all. He wears baggy clothes and sits on tables n' stuff. And he has an eye patch, like a pirate." Naruto huffed. He buried his fingers in the dog's fur. "Don't like the way he looks at me."
The dog turned to gaze at him.
Naruto pouted and looked away. "I think he wants something. Or knows something. Or both." He shrugged. "Didn't send me to the principal's office when I was late, though." Naruto swallowed with difficulty. "He gave me a chance," he whispered.
The dog licked his forehead.
This time Naruto leaned into the caress. He smirked. "At least he's handsome." The dog froze midlick. "I bet half the class will chase him for extra math lessons," he added, chuckling mischievously. "Even though he has a fucking eye patch."
The dog stopped licking him. He turned his head away.
Naruto frowned. "What, you don't believe me? I'll show you." He took out the only notebook he owned and the pencil the man gave him and started sketching. He was always good at drawing, and he was always alone. Drawing people he saw from his window made him feel… well, less lonely. He could pretend he knew them, and that was a good way to pass the time. And drawing was easy. It was something he understood.
He sketched the man's long, straight nose and then his hooded, almond-shaped eye that was almost always half-closed. The details were flimsy – he did not have enough time to get a good look, but he was pretty sure the man's eyelashes curled downward and that his eyebrows were just a shade darker than his hair. His tired, stoic expression was easy to portray. His lips were thin and locked tight, and his cheekbones and jaw were carved and sharp.
Naruto added a scribble for his spiky hair and darkened the eye patch. He grinned in satisfaction when his teacher gazed back, sarcastic and bored. "See? Handsome."
The dog grumbled and looked away.
Naruto put the notebook down and hugged the dog's neck. "Don't worry, I like you more." He smiled, rubbing his face in the dog's fur.
The dog's ears jumped up again.
Naruto, almost automatically, froze. His breath quickened, and his heart stumbled, then beat frantically. His hold of the dog was crushing.
Because those were footsteps – several footsteps – at one in the morning. Uneven, drunken footsteps that belonged to too many people –
"Oi, kid!" Something crashed against his door.
The loud bang made his body jump. He burrowed deeper into the dog's lap, who tensed.
"Come and suck my dick, you gay bitch!"
Another voice laughed. "Tell him we'll pay him extra if he can do us both."
A hand grabbed the door handle and rattled it. "You hear? Open up, bitch!"
Naruto could not breathe. He tried, but his throat tightened, and his lungs collapsed. His entire body trembled. He –
The dog growled. He stood up – despite Naruto's earnest attempts to get him to stay with him – bared his teeth at the door and growled.
Naruto thought the dog growled at him before, but not like that – never like that. The sound vibrated from deep within his chest and echoed around the room. It promised death and violence. The ferocious snarl echoed in his stomach and shuddered through his spine.
Naruto suddenly realized how big the dog was. The beast growled, and the walls shook.
He could almost smell the fear on the other side of the door. Silence – and then a bottle being dropped and feet running away.
The dog still growled, ears following the sound of their escape. He turned around, perked up his ears, and trotted back to Naruto to lick his face.
Naruto still shook. Fear and relief and that growl made him a mess. He hugged the dog's neck and sobbed uncontrollably, instinctively burrowing into his fur and warmth and strength. Panic and fear drummed in his ears and blinded his eyes. No one had ever defended him before.
He used to hide in the bath and lock the door and pray they would not find him.
The dog sat down and lifted a paw, almost awkwardly, in an attempt to hug him back.
"I hate it. I hate this place. I hate them. I hate everything," he sobbed. "Why don't they just leave me alone. I don't have anything to give." His body ached with each sob, lonely and bitter and pained. He gasped every time he tried to breathe.
The dog growled, but this time, Naruto knew it was not meant for him.
"Fuck. Just, fuck it." He pulled away and wiped his eyes and forced himself to breathe. "I still got homework. I don't have time – " He grabbed the notebook and blinked at the stoic, bored face that stared back. His one eye flashed with mockery. With a maddened shout, Naruto tore the picture he drew – first from the notebook and then again and again and again, ripping each piece into a smaller piece until the mess no longer resembled a human face. Until the sardonic lips no longer smiled and the knowing eye could no longer gaze back.
Naruto heaved, glowering at the mess, and wiped his eyes again. And again. The furious tears refused to give up, but Naruto refused to give in. "Fuck you," he hissed at the torn paper.
He swallowed his rage and his desperation and forced himself to focus. He did not have time to cry.
He stood up and walked to the bed, then reached below it and retrieved a metal box, inside of which was an old laptop and a charging cable. Naruto set the computer on the table – carefully – and plugged in the charger. "Come on, old man. I know you're still working," he mumbled.
And, indeed, the computer slowly but surely powered up. It needed about a minute to come to life and another five to get to the right website, but Naruto used the time to recollect himself.
The dog sat by his side, licking him and rumbling and sniffing. He made Naruto feel better.
"Thanks. You really saved me today," he mumbled. "I'd call you angel, but I think that's a girl's name. And guardian's too long. You won't remember it," he babbled. "Snow's lame too. Everyone calls their white dog snow. You're special."
The dog rubbed his cheek against Naruto's face. He did not seem to mind the lack of a name. His eyes were gentle and kind.
Naruto struggled with the homework. He did not know anything about history, since he missed the lesson, and he did not read the assigned book for English. He tried researching, but the computer was slow, so he tried to bullshit as much as possible.
Sometimes, the dog stopped him with a raised paw or a grumble, and Naruto, instinctively, tried to solve the problem again.
He left the math part for last. That was easy. He just wrote the answers – without steps or calculations – doing his best to stay awake.
He lay his head on the table and fell asleep.
Kakashi waited. He sniffed the boy and nuzzled at his neck, but the boy was out. He slept like a log.
Kakashi shook his mane, locked his jaw, and transformed back. He gazed at the boy and resisted the urge to ruffle his hair. And to think he could not admit, even in writing, that he needed help.
The man got up, moved the blanket, and then picked the boy up in his arms. He cradled his head against his neck, threading his fingers in his hair, and, slowly and gently, lowered him to the bed. He tucked him in and set his alarm clock for six-thirty instead of four-thirty.
"No more early morning shifts for you, kid. Let me take care of it," he whispered. "Just rest."
He opened the window, transformed back, and jumped down.
He knew which gang threatened Naruto. And he knew how to threaten gangs.
Violence, after all, was just a means to an end.
When he finished, he undressed and burned his clothes, then buried the ashes that remained. He drove the car to its hiding place in the woods just behind Naruto's house and stashed away the gun and the blackmail he collected. He hid his mask.
He transformed back – so used to it, he no longer felt the pain – and galloped back to Naruto. He had a feeling the sensitive kid would be upset if he had woken up alone.
A part of him knew he should not do this. He was risking his mission, his secret, his life. The boy's life too, and the boy who was his mission. He wasn't even certain the kid was his sensei's son. Perhaps it was just a fantasy – a delusion spurred by years of regret, grief, and longing, that not all of them died that night. That he did not lose everyone he had loved –
Fantasies were not enough. He was getting attached for no good reason at all.
And yet, any wisp of hesitation was brutally silenced by the wolf, roaring in his chest. The feral beast was loyal to the bone, and Naruto won its loyalty with a broken sob and an empty fridge.
Kakashi curled beside him and lay his heavy head on the boy's chest.
Naruto, almost immediately, leaned into his warmth. He lifted a heavy hand and clumsily grabbed his ear.
The wolf winced but did not move. He closed his eyes, listened to the steady rhythm of Naruto's heart, and fell asleep.
Noes:
Since this Naruto can't use clones to alleviate his loneliness, so he draws instead.
Also, Kakashi is terrible at first impressions, but he'll have another chance next chapter!
So that's it for today! What did you guys think? Reviews are super appreciated! 3
