Kakashi gazed at the boys' receding backs and slumped his shoulders.

His mission was Sasuke. He was going to be a difficult nut to crack, that one. His transformations should start soon; he could smell the boy was close. He had to acquire his trust to ensure he would not attack or flee from him when his time came.

The boy was also cautious and clever. He wasn't going to let a giant wolf into his home just because he bothered to wag his tail.

The other boy… Kakashi sighed and tore a bite from the sandwich that Sasuke left behind, and Naruto clearly wanted to steal. He'll be fine once I set him on the path to college, he decided. Once I remove the rest of the factors that block his potential, he will no longer need me.

And yet, whenever the boy was late to class, his body buzzed with worry. He had to remind himself that Naruto must have been capable since he had made it this far and that he wasn't as young as his small frame suggested.

Kakashi rubbed his face, leaning into his palm. The boy blushed so easily. His eyes mirrored his soul without blemish or artfulness. His crush on Sasuke, Kakashi thought with a soft smile, was terribly cute.

He devoured the rest of the sandwich with three clean bites, packed his bag, and left through the window. He stalked the boys as they walked together, still bantering, to the library.

Surprisingly, Naruto left Sasuke with an uneasy smile. He waved his hand, signaling for him to carry on alone.

Sasuke scoffed, clearly displeased, and left.

Kakashi frowned. He followed.

Naruto walked casually, then jumped and hid behind a large tree. He glanced around, opened his backpack, retrieved the two sandwiches he had hidden earlier, and almost swallowed them whole.

Kakashi averted his gaze. Hunger was a personal matter.

He had to find a better way to feed him. He had to get the kid to trust him, as well. He wondered how the kid would react if he started appearing at his door in wolf form, carrying a bag of McDonald's in his mouth.

He followed the two inside. Sasuke sat alone, studying some college-level math.

Naruto battled with his history homework, almost pulling out his hair in frustration.

Step one, Kakashi thought tiredly, teach him everything he should have learned in the past eleven years.

He was certain Naruto had trouble learning in the past due to his circumstances, which others must have misinterpreted as stupidity and laziness. Kids, after all, mimic adults, and the kids in Naruto's class felt so free to mock and belittle him because their teachers probably did the same. He heard the teachers gossip, and what Naruto said the other night still rang in his head, echoing like a silver bell. He gave me a chance, the kid whispered. He gave me a chance.

And still, the kid reacted to him with such suspicion. He was not used to being cared for by another. He must have been desperate for someone, anyone, to see him, because no one had done so before.

He cried whenever Kakashi cared for him, protected him, stayed by his side.

Sasuke kept studying in the library until it closed. He was a kid of habits and had no reason to deviate from them.

Naruto packed up and prepared to leave an hour early… fuck. Kakashi winced and left the library seconds before the boy did. Naruto did not get the message his boss promised to send as part of their agreement last night.

Naruto did not know; he would not be welcomed at the premises.

Not after Kakashi cut the man's ear off for refusing to listen.

Damn it.

Kakashi ran as fast as he could, stripped, and hid his clothes in his car.

He transformed and galloped, smelling the air for the boy – and raced to him.

Damn the kid for being so fast on his bike.

Kakashi panted and ran faster – and faster – and found the boy. The road curved around a part of the forest, so Kakashi ran through the woods as fast as he could and landed just in front of him.

"Shit!" Naruto stopped his bike, almost crashing into the wolf, and flipped in the air.

Kakashi ran, pounced, and caught the kid with his teeth, stopping his fall. He licked his face urgently.

"Ow. Fuck," The kid gasped. The crash knocked the air out of him and left him panting. It took a while before he could breathe normally again, and all that while, Kakashi licked and sniffed him.

He should have been more careful. A soft whine escaped his jaws.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Naruto winced, clutching his stomach. "You gotta be careful! I could've hit you! A car could've hit you! You – "

Kakashi had no time for that. He nudged the boy to help him up.

"Ow. Fine. I'm fine. Gimme a moment, geez."

The kid stumbled up but stood hunched, still holding his stomach. He picked up his bike. "I gotta get to work. I'll see you – "

Kakashi barked and bared his teeth. He nudged the boy in the direction of his home.

"Stop it." The boy resisted. "Stop. Stop!" He shoved his head away. "You're a dog! You can just hunt stuff and sleep in the woods! I gotta-I gotta work because I don't have money and I owe them lots and they'll take my home and-and-"

Kakashi growled. He flattened his ears against his skull and bared his teeth again.

Naruto stared back, defiant and just slightly afraid. "Move," he demanded.

Kakashi stood his ground.

Naruto still stared – then jumped on his bike –

Idiot, Kakashi thought. He pounced on him and planted him against the asphalt. He sank his teeth into his shirt, yanked the kid up on his back, and kicked the bike into the curve.

The kid, instinctively, wrapped his hands around his neck – and Kakashi galloped through the woods, leaping over fallen trees and bushes and navigating easily through the thick growth.

He told the man to return the kid's money and apologize. He must not have been clear enough.

Naruto held on for dear life. He would not understand until Kakashi brought him home. It was a risk; he could be seen and, therefore, exposed, but getting Naruto to safety – well, as much safety as his apartment could offer – was more important.

He landed next to the kid's door and sat down, allowing him to get off his back.

He hoped the kid would not get mad.

Naruto slid off his back and landed on his feet, unsteady just for a moment. He turned to look at him, troubled and uncertain. "You don't understand," he mumbled. "He's a really bad man. He'll kill me for sure."

Kakashi rose on his hind legs and placed his paws on the kid's shoulders. He gazed at him from above and rumbled, then licked his hair and face. I'm strong, he tried to communicate. You needn't fear guys like him.

Naruto sighed. "I'm gonna end up on the streets, you oaf. And I still don't have money to buy you food." He hugged him, leaning into his chest. "But you're a dog, so you don't understand these things. And you missed me." Naruto's hold tightened. "No one missed me before."

Kakashi licked his forehead again. He lowered himself back to the ground and gazed at the kid, then the door.

Naruto still looked lost and pale. He hooked up the wires and unlocked the door, stumbling in. Well, it seemed Kakashi was wrong about one thing – the kid knew precisely how terrible his situation was.

Kakashi balanced on his hind legs, grabbed a cup of noodles from the cabinet, and offered it to the dazed kid with a soft rumble.

Naruto locked the door and sank down to the floor. "Can't. I only have enough for one per day. And I… if I can't find a new job – " His heart beat faster, trembling against his ribcage. He breathed too quickly. "I – "

Kakashi sat next to him and licked him slowly and gently. He wrapped his large body around the boy and guided him to curl in his lap. I'll protect you, he tried to say. Don't be afraid.

But Naruto was afraid. It took a long while for his tense muscles to relax and cease their shaking. It took him longer still to release his painful pull of Kakashi's fur. Still, he did not cry, which Kakashi assumed to be an improvement. He picked up the cup of instant ramen again and tried to give it to the kid.

Naruto huffed. "I told you, I don't have enough." He shoved his head but burrowed deeper into the wolf's neck. "Besides, I had lunch today." He smiled shakily. "Hatake made me a sandwich." His smile broadened. "And I talked to Sasuke. He's a kid in my class. He's really rude and annoying. He thinks he's the coolest guy in school," the kid complained, still smiling. "But Hatake said I solved one question better than he did. Bet it pissed him off."

Kakashi rumbled and bumped his forehead against the kid's cheek.

Naruto's grin broadened. "He said my solution was brilliant," he whispered, his voice raw from disbelief. "Everyone always says I'm stupid and a cheater, but he said it was impossible to cheat and that my solution was exquisite – and I didn't even know what I was doing! I was just, I don't know, following hunches n' stuff."

Kakashi licked the kid's face again. His chest tightened painfully. The kid was so desperate for anyone to see him, recognize him – show him kindness. He never thought words mumbled as an afterthought would have such an effect on him.

Naruto continued, still dismayed. "He defended me, too, when everyone laughed at me. He almost kicked Kiba out of the class – and he totally ignored Sasuke when he was super rude to him! I mean, he's rude to everyone, but the rest of the teachers are kinda scared of him. He's still weird," Naruto decided, "but he's cool. I bet he has some shady past, though." The kid paused to think, then declared excitedly, "Maybe he was a drug dealer! I bet he made his own stuff and lost his eye in a lab explosion. Maybe he's teaching us instead of doing jail time," he muttered, scrunching his nose.

Kakashi grumbled and yanked on his ear, then lay his head in the kid's lap. It was a bit farfetched but not as unrealistic as the truth. The things that impressed Naruto were not what he had expected, but as long as the kid was willing to trust…

The kid winced when he bit him but grinned nonetheless. "Aww, you're jealous, aren't you? Don't worry, I'll – "

And froze just as Kakashi's ears snapped up.

Footsteps. Again.

Naruto dug into him, his grip instinctive and desperate.

Kakashi raised his head and licked the boy's hair. Then, he growled softly, mainly for the boy's sake, since he did not smell violence from the other side of the door.

The footsteps stopped. A loud knock echoed through the small apartment and Naruto's fingers. "Oi, kid! Got a package for you!"

Naruto, perhaps encouraged by Kakashi's presence, hesitated, then yelled back. "What do you want, Zatsu?"

The man pounded on the door again. "Open the door, brat. Got a message from the boss."

The kid swallowed with difficulty, pale and wide-eyed, so Kakashi growled in response.

The other side was silent for a while. "What's that? You got a tiger in there?"

"A dog," Naruto countered. His voice was somehow steady, despite his white face and twitching fingers. "Say what you want and fuck off."

"I'm not taking orders from you, you fuck."

"I'll set the dog on you, then. How about that?" the kid challenged.

Kakashi growled in agreement.

The other side, again, fell silent. "Fine. Listen. The boss said he doesn't need your services anymore. I got a pile of unmarked cash – like you asked – of the amount you specified. Your debts are gone. So, with that, we are done. We don't mess with you; you tell your man to back off. Is that clear?"

Kakashi's heart sank. Fuck. Fucking hell. He hoped the kid would manage to pull it off. Don't let him know you don't know what's going on, Kakashi prayed. Take the money, agree to the deal, and shut up.

Naruto's confusion leaked through his fingers and his eyes. "Ah. Yeah. I will." He gulped. "So I can get a job anywhere I want?"

"I don't give a fuck what you do," the man scoffed. "Just don't get involved with our businesses. Boss doesn't want to see you in his territory ever again, got it?"

Naruto nodded before realizing that the man could not see him. "Don't wanna see you either," he managed, adding a hint of spite to his voice.

"I'm leaving the package here," Zatsu announced. "You tell that to your bodyguard, yeah? Boss keeps his word."

"Y-yeah," Naruto agreed. He listened intently for the man's receding footsteps. "What the hell was that?" he whispered. "Is that a new killing technique, or something?"

Kakashi got up and sniffed the door. He could not smell explosives, paint, or any other human presence. He scratched the door.

The kid got up and, after a short moment of hesitation, unlocked the door. He took a deep breath before placing his hand on the door handle, which he opened the door just as slowly.

Behind it was a trash bag, ordinary and plain. Naruto kicked it once, twice, and then dragged it inside and tore it open.

The kid stared at the piles of cash. He could not seem to breathe.

Kakashi sniffed it as well. It seemed like the right amount. He looked up at the kid.

Naruto just stared, dumbfounded. "I… I don't get what's going on." He gazed up at the wolf. "Maybe you're lucky."

The wolf kept his expression blank. The kid wasn't, he thought with a wince, wrong.

"I can buy you food, now," the kid babbled. "I can buy more instant ramen."

Kakashi chuckled – the sound came out like a short bark. He nudged the kid's shoulder.

The kid stared at the bag. He did not touch it. It must have seemed too good to be true. He got up – slowly – and boiled water for ramen. "Do you think they're gonna lynch me?"

Kakashi froze. He gazed up at the kid and nudged him again.

"I'm just saying, I don't have a man to protect me. Maybe that's a trick. I don't think I should touch that," the kid babbled on. "If you weren't here, I…." He ruffled Kakashi's fur. "I'll buy you the good stuff. I promise."

He walked to the center of the room, tapped one of the tiles, and moved it. He shoved the bag into the hole and retrieved a beaten metal box instead.

Kakashi tilted his head and perked up one ear.

Naruto grinned. "This is my box of important stuff." He sat in Kakashi's lap. "I'll show you." He opened it, unveiling – not trinkets and pictures, as Kakashi expected – but a single, worn notebook he handled with extreme care.

He opened it with reverent fingers. "I keep all the good stuff people wrote me." He traced his fingers over the words.

The notebook was filled with torn pieces of paper, glued clumsily to the pages. Most of them were filled with standard words of encouragement, such as 'good job!' and 'nice!' that kids often get at kindergarten and elementary school.

Naruto flipped the pages gently, and, unsurprisingly, the number of notes glued decreased with time. He did not seem to have a single note wishing him a happy birthday or celebrating anything aside from academic achievements, and those were few.

Kakashi knew the feeling. He leaned closer, half expecting Naruto to burst into tears, but the kid, oddly enough, kept smiling. "I'm gonna get a lot of those this year. I can feel it! I'll work really hard and get good grades and Hatake said he can get me to college and then – and then I'll have friends and I'll be really successful and I'll never set foot here again. Ever." He petted Kakashi absentmindedly. "Iruka used to write me a lot of stuff," he said quietly, "but yesterday, he thought I was smoking. He didn't believe me when I said I didn't." He laughed bitterly. "Don't have the money. If he really was looking out for me, he would've known that," he added quietly.

Kakashi, if he was a human, would have frowned. Iruka gave him the impression of a kind and warm man, if a tad slow. He never imagined him to be this blind. Had he known Naruto from youth and still missed all the warning signs? The kid almost fainted from hunger during his first lesson with him. His eyes hid nothing. Kakashi could read the history of fear and violence the boy had endured as if it was carved into his irises. He licked the boy's cheek.

Naruto grinned at him. "I'll add my quiz with what Sensei said."

He took the crumpled paper out of his bag and straightened it carefully. "See? That – those questions don't matter." He flipped a page. "See this one?" He scribbled on the words 'more specific than Sasuke's answer'. His grin brightened as he pointed to the next question. "This one was the difficult one. I wanted to quit, but sensei told me to try." He added the words, 'exquisite solution, quite brilliant' at the top. "And this one was just to mess with us, I think." He grinned and wrote, 'accurate frog, overly creative.' "I think he tried to mess with the class on purpose. He made Sasuke blush." He ran his fingers over the quiz – and frowned when he noticed another paper attached. He flipped the page.

Kakashi gazed up and observed the boy's reaction.

The kid traced the words Kakashi scribbled for him. 'You've got a brilliant mind. Believe in yourself – don't hesitate to try, push boundaries, and explore. I believe in you. Tell me how I can help you.

P.S. Next time, show your work.'

He read it once, twice, three times. His eyes scanned the paper frantically, wide with disbelief and brimming with tears.

His fingers trembled. He read the words over and over again. The kid bit his lip and kept reading, even as tears silently down his cheeks. His fingers traced the words, brushing over the phrase 'I believe in you' with a gentle, trembling touch. He smiled and leaned into Kakashi's neck. "He believes in me," he whispered, his voice choked. "He believes in me," he repeated, full of wonder and broken.

Kakashi licked his eyes and his cheeks and rumbled. He rested his heavy head on the kid's skinny shoulder and nuzzled at his neck. Step two, he thought, get the kid to believe in himself.

Naruto hugged the quiz against his chest and wept into Kakashi's fur.

And Kakashi licked the boy and comforted him as much as a giant wolf could. He waited patiently, even though he did not have time to spare.


Notes:


Hey y'all!

So got a few answers in this chapter, I think? More will be revealed later on, but it's a start!

Also! Kakashi is a stalker. Also Also! He has no idea, but he just set... a bunch of things in notion. Good for him!

Anyways, that's all for today. I'd love to know what you think! See you next Friday! 3