By: Selim
Summary: When the newlywed Iruka wants to adopt a child, he meets a discriminated boy named Naruto with a dark past. Can Iruka and Kakashi obtain a small family with the boy, or lose him back to the boys original parents..
Pairings: Kakashi x Iruka, Sasuke + Naruto
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Information of this fiction: This is a slight AU. Though it has to do with Ninjas, has Kyuubi, and both Kakashi and Iruka are at designated jobs in the manga, some things are different. Instead of 25, Iruka is only 22, and Naruto is 9 along with all the other kids he grew up with in the manga. Beware of OOCness, because there are so many characters, and the amount of manga I’ve read only introduced a few.
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A porcelain piggy started squealing as the blunt side of a hammer was raised in the air just above its china head. Screaming, it begged for forgiveness as it saw its untimely death coming at a full speed down. Had it not held your money well enough? Had it served its purpose long enough? Were you unsatisfied with its quality of work? Thousands of questions came from his snout until a resounding crunch of it’s porcelain skin was crushed open and the internal organs made of currency flowed out on the floor in a wave of silver. No more did that pig cry.
Not that Naruto heard any of this as he sorted out the change so he was certain he had enough for the items he wanted to buy. Carefully sliding the coins into the pockets of his pants, the child ran out of his bedroom. From the living room, Iruka winced when Naruto nearly slammed into the front door before he decided to pull on his sandals before leaving the apartment.
“You didn’t have to break your piggybank,” He muttered. “If you asked, I would have given you some money.”
“No!” Naruto squealed, reaching up on a hook for his puffy orange jacket. “I’m going shopping with my own money. I’ll be home later!” He reached for the door.
“Please stay on this side of Konoha. You know those marketers don’t like you after you knocked down their stands.” Iruka approached Naruto to fix the blonde’s puffed up collar, ignoring the boy’s defense on what happened. “Don’t stay out too late though.” With a push, Iruka excused Naruto from the house.
“I’m not a baby…” Naruto huffed, slamming the door behind him. Sighing, Iruka tilted his forms, reading over the student information of one of his younger students – this year’s rookie of the year. How strange, some one with so much potential was having problems with his test taking; perhaps he should have a parent-teacher conference to discuss alternatives. “Uh… Iruka-dad?” Naruto’s sickening sweet voice echoed across the living room, making the teacher glance up from his work.
“Yes, Naruto?” Iruka smiled politely.
Shuffling in the entryway, Naruto rubbed the toe of his shoe against the ground. “I wanna make dinner tonight,” He said, voice low.
“Okay.” Getting up, Iruka walked into his kitchen to see what he had that Naruto could make for dinner that wasn’t ramen, or anything associated with it. Besides, he didn’t feel like making dinner tonight in the first place, not since Kakashi wasn’t going to be home with them. On their anniversary nonetheless, damn missions. Though Iruka didn’t bring it up, he was the one that handed the mission to his husband. He wasn’t expecting it to take more than a week, but they were going on two weeks, and their one-year wedding anniversary. “What do you want to make?”
“Curry?” Naruto suggested, jumping from foot to foot. “Mom taught me how to make it.”
That sounded fair enough. Iruka smiled as he reached above the refrigerator for where he put his wallet. He didn’t have any rice; hopefully it wouldn’t come to much. “Just get a bag of rice, I’ll go shopping tomorrow.” Naruto squealed again, dancing from toe-to-toe. Hyperactive little bugger, Iruka walked towards his work so he could drone on it again.
“I’ll make sure Iruka-dad has a good anniversary dinner!” Naruto ran out the door, again. Startled, Iruka stared up, about to tell Naruto not to worry about it. Like a grown man, he didn’t show it as he internally began to cry for real food.
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Kakashi stepped past the gates of Konoha, never acknowledging the on duty guard that greeted him and his comrades. “Nahara, take the mission report to the hokage for me, I have some things to do.” He turned away before the man could respond. Tapping his vest, Kakashi searched for on hand cash he’d taken with him on the mission but found air. Sighing, he kicked the dirt under his sandal. That would mean he’d need to stop by the bank so he could have money before he bothered the Yamanaka’s for a bouquet of flowers, then a stop for “don’t hit me for almost missing our anniversary” chocolates.
“-Kakashi-san!” A flowery feminine voice caught his attention, making him turn politely.
“Good afternoon, Yuki-san.” He almost wanted to kick himself for using a generic voice as that to the lady. Besides her choices, she’d done nothing wrong to upset him. “Is there something you need? I was about to head shopping…”
A hand-sewn shopping bag rested against her long skirt, contrasting greatly in color. “For your anniversary, I know all about it. Naruto-chan told me all about Iruka-san’s ‘dilemma’ with you working. I was rather shocked to see you back in town, but I’m glad you can make it back for Iruka.”
Is this all? Kakashi raised a fine eyebrow beneath his hitai-ate, but dismissed questioning what was bothering her. Besides, he had other things he wanted to talk about. “Actually, Yuki-san, I wanted to talk to you about Naruto…or rather, Arashi-sensei.” The woman froze, her steps faulting into a slower stride than what she had been taking to keep up with Kakashi. “We, Iruka and I, were declined at first for the adoption of Naruto, but the Hokage decided differently, but he briefed us about Naruto’s blood relations. Yourself and Arashi-sensei.”
Yuki seemed frozen, her lips quivered as she bit onto her lower lip. “Not here.” She admitted. “It’s too touchy of a subject. The death shouldn’t have to suffer to rumors.” She followed in stride towards her home, her eyes creased happily. “Besides, a little birdie tells me that Naruto is going to want to give you and Iruka-san an anniversary gift – his cooking. A homemade meal for both of you before the night’s over will make it all better.” A front, Kakashi noted.
From the corner of his eyes, he could see Naruto looking at him from behind a building, but didn’t question when the boy took off in another direction with three bags.
At arrival of her home, Yuki put some tea on while Kakashi sat at the table and eyed her wearily, waiting for her to give in about her relations with his former sensei. When she failed to bring it up, he rested his hands on the table, ignoring the awkward silence as he found the words to break it. “You and Arashi-sensei. I would like to know a little more about this.”
“Just Naruto’s conception?” She blushed, taking the teapot off the grill.
“No, all of it. I knew Arashi…ah, Yondaime better than most – besides his own sensei and my two other… t-teammates.” Kakashi breathed deeply. Thinking about Obito and Rin made his chest constrict, so he dropped their names all together.
Brushing her faded hair behind her ear, Yuki smiled. “Your sensei was such a sweet man. Naruto’s face, personality, and behaviors are almost an exact replica of Arashi – you’d think the two had met and spent hours talking. When Naruto is attracted to women, when he’s older, I can see him being as foolish as Arashi was when he asked me out.”
Kakashi nodded. He noticed the similarities in Naruto and Arashi. But he could also see bits of Yuki in Naruto’s face the more he spoke with the strong woman. Bone structure and forgiveness maybe? Kakashi thanked his host as a cup of tea was placed before him. “I…never knew Arashi-sensei was seeing anyone since he took us – Rin, Obito, and I,” his chest constricted again, “as genins. For the longest time we thought he was asexual without meaning to. You know, overwhelmed with so much innocence.”
The woman laughed as she sat across from Kakashi. “I was seventeen when I first met him. I was never really a kunoichi, but I did some minor work at the academy for the longest time when I first saw him. He’d just been appointed hokage, and I recall thinking he was a blundering fool – and really, he was. We spoke, once or twice, when I would tell him who was the top student of the graduating class, and who was the troublemaker. It was always on the professional level.
“One day, he became all bashful and stuttered while asking me if I wanted to go out to eat with him. Call it a date, if you will, but he was so scared to call it that.” She rubbed her finger around the rim of her teacup, falling into memory. “He took me out for ramen – calling it the ‘essence of life’, I thought again he was a blundering fool but I didn’t object – he had miso, I shrimp,” she whispered offhandedly. “He was so embarrassed. I hoped that stutter would go away, since he was usually very charismatic, but that day, he was so off. Didn’t know what to do, tried to be suggestive. I believe he received tips from that sensei of his – Jiraiya-sama.”
The tea before him sat unmoved. Kakashi didn’t feel like drinking it. “Weren’t you married to Shizuki-san then?”
“Our marriage was arranged.” Yuki explained. “I couldn’t find it in my heart to tell Arashi that we couldn’t be together when he walked me home and tried kissing me on the cheek. He seemed so happy; I didn’t want to spoil it for him. I think, because I didn’t stop the kiss, that he thought there was something going on between us. He asked me out again, but I had to decline. I didn’t want him to believe something was there when it wasn’t, even though I was falling in love with him.
“When my marriage was set in stone, so to speak, I decided it was finally time to break it off before I dug myself a deeper hole. In all honesty, I hoped to let him down easy, but we found ourselves in a very awkward… position. Even though there wasn’t going to be ‘us’, I wished that night had never ended. He was so gentle and loving when he held me, he never asked why, but I had to tell him. I had to explain why we couldn’t be something more, and it broke his heart more.”
“Why didn’t you decline the arranged marriage?” Kakashi asked.
Yuki sighed. “My family name has always been associated with debt. Toshi’s family promised to pay off these if I were to marry their son for the production of heirs. My family agreed without asking for my opinion, and debts were paid off, and I was pretty much gift wrapped for a marriage I didn’t look forward to.” All this was understandable, though rare, arranged marriages happened throughout Konoha all the time – often for people trying to solve money problems.
“Sandaime said that Arashi admitted to having committed adultery.”
“Only in his pigheaded mind.” Yuki whispered. “But, it’s kind of the truth. He didn’t do it on purpose. I should have told him, so he’s not accountable for it. I wasn’t expecting any repercussions for having sex with him either. Naruto was…an accident. A week later, I was married, had a honeymoon, and a month later I found out I was pregnant. For the longest time, I was in denial about whose child it was – Toshi’s or Arashi’s – but I knew that it was Arashi’s. I cried. I didn’t know how to tell him.” She sipped down the last of her tea before refilling her glass. “So…I told him. I didn’t want him to feel…obligated to take care of Naruto, but I wanted him to know all about the pregnancy too.
“He…seemed enthused when I said I was pregnant, but I had to stop any future plans that had gone through his mind. I told him I was married. I didn’t tell him when this happened; I thought it was enough to know that I wasn’t going to go with him. No matter how much I wanted to, I wasn’t going to become his wife because of this. I just left him there, gaping. So heartless…”
Sitting there quietly, Kakashi waited for her to continue. There was much more that he wanted to know. “When Naruto…” He started, but she held up her hand to stop him.
“I told my husband later that day. He was ecstatic about having his first child. He was the one that picked out the name Naruto, because he knew it was going to be his son. We planned everything – Arashi taking no part of my life. Any notices sent to me that the Hokage wished the see me, I ignored. He was…a fling that I had fallen for, but it was best for Naruto that Toshi believed they were biological. I would be lucky if the child were Toshi’s, it would make everything so much easier.
“I actually was happy, for a short period of time. I had avoided Arashi since I had told him I was pregnant. I thought I actually had my life under control. Weeks then months went by, and I finally started to look pregnant. Then, Kyuubi attacked and… of all times, Naruto decided to be born. It was painful, especially since Toshi was called to hold the front while the Kyuubi neared Konoha. Time seemed to freeze where I was, and I kept begging the baby not to bring harm to either of us. It was so painful, the labor and everything after that. I saw the blonde hair, and I froze inside because I knew my relationship with him was now caught and I didn’t want anything to happen to my family for my own…infidelity.” She took a deep breath. “And then, Arashi ran in the room, going on to an ANBU guard to get Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama. It was as if he hadn’t seen me on the floor, birthing my placenta until the guard was gone and our eyes met. Somehow, I knew what was going to happen, because his eyes widened.
“It was probably more painful for him than it was for me as he reached towards the baby and asked for his name. Finally, he picked up our baby and asked for me to take care of our son. I didn’t know what he was doing as he walked away with Naruto. For almost three hours, I cried until Naruto was brought back with the old hokage, Sandaime. That swirl around Naruto’s belly made me cry again. I couldn’t touch him, knowing that Toshi was going to be angry that it wasn’t his child, but I also couldn’t handle the truth that Kyuubi was now in my baby’s belly. That was too much responsibility than I was ready for. Suddenly I heard the door open, and Toshi demand to see his baby, and when he did, he froze. It didn’t take long for him to notice that this baby wasn’t his, and he grew mad and walked off. I had to follow, for the sake of my family’s honor I had to explain myself. I left Naruto there, crying as that fox lay restless inside of him, so worried about my own love life.”
“Why did you just abandon Naruto there for two days?” Kakashi asked, intrigued by all this.
“I was young. And stupid. Toshi swore to divorce me and stop helping my family if I dared take in that child as his own. I agreed, without even thinking of Naruto. I left him there, to starve to death. I never promised Arashi anything.” She rubbed her eyes with her palm, trying to stop herself from crying.
Breathing, the jounin reached over to brush some hair from her face. “Why… Why did you suddenly want Naruto back? Was it because Iruka and I were going to adopt him?”
Hissing, the woman clutched her teacup tightly. “He’s my son. If I can’t have him because my husband refuses him, than no one can. He’s the one who wanted Naruto to die, not me. I didn’t want him to move into a family of-of gays! It was going to corrupt him, and it did!” Taking a deep breath, she apologized. “It’s not you, it’s just…I’m scared to lose him to anybody again. My husband is letting me have him, and I won’t lose him. Not again. I’m sorry, Kakashi-san. I’m going to continue fighting for custody because in the end, he’s all that I’ll ever have.”
Kakashi stood up. “I see. We’re not going to give up. Just, tell your husband if I see bruises on Naruto anymore, I’ll be bringing this up to the Hokage and you’ll lose your chance in the custodial hearing. I promised Iruka that I’d try to be more helpful during this adoption, as well as sworn myself to my sensei to take care of the people whom he loved.” He was about to leave the house when Yuki stopped him, choking on sobs.
“Wait…I promised to make you and Iruka something to eat after Naruto goes to bed.” She turned back towards the kitchen, dragging Kakashi along.
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Naruto’s scream made Iruka cringe as the rice boiled over onto his porcelain stove. “Don’t help, don’t help!” Naruto screeched at his parent when Iruka made a move to join him in the kitchen. “I want to make yours and Kakashi’s dinner!” He pulled the hot pot from the stove.
“He’s not going to be home today,” Iruka said, “Kakashi’s on a mission.”
“Nuh-uh!” Naruto stirred a dish of burnt meat, charring the bottom of the pan some more. Inner Iruka broke into tears. “I saw him today, he was going through town and talking with mom.”
Iruka sat firm for a second, his eyes narrowed. “Your mother? When did you see him?” He quickly asked.
Nodding, Naruto continued cooking his sauce, putting his finger in it to taste. Iruka reached over to slap the boy’s hand disapprovingly. “This afternoon. He just arrived home, I was going to give him a hug but mom got to him first. They went for a walk.” Iruka sighed, that was probably all he was going to get out of the boy as he watched burnt rice be tasted by the eager child. “Nagh…” He stuck out his tongue, but tried to hide the action from Iruka. Tears fell from the chuunin’s face as two plates were placed on the table.
“Aren’t you going to join us for dinner?” He asked, but Naruto quickly shook his head negatively.
“I’m going to mom’s for the night, so you and Kakashi can do what people your age do – like fight for sheets! See, Toshi-san is working all night, so mom and I are going to stay up really late and watch movies!” Putting his food on the table, Naruto took off leaving Iruka to stare at the food awkwardly. Naruto really didn’t expect him to eat this, did he? Frowning, Iruka sat back on his chair, fearing for his stomach.
Poof! “Yo!” Kakashi smiled as he appeared in the living room, clutching a pink, woven bag in his left arm. With a quick glance towards Naruto’s bedroom, the jounin rushed to put the bag in the refrigerator before turning to give Iruka a kiss on the cheek. Next, he touched his jounin vest before pulling out a single white rose, carefully handing it to Iruka. “It also has budding seeds in the ribbon,” he explained, unraveling a long red ribbon wrapped around the stem of the rose, “for your garden.” Iruka smiled, holding the rose to his chest.
“Yours is above the ‘fridge.” Iruka chuckled.
Reaching up, Kakashi grasped the only thing that was up there in plain view, his orange Icha Icha Paradise. No, not his. Kakashi tilted the book to the side, reading which number in the series this was. It was new. The newest one! “This hasn’t been released yet!” He whispered, cracking the book open where a bookmark was holding a page in plain view. Iruka’s messy handwriting met his eye, pointing out a certain line where to start reading. If you want, let’s do this tonight. Kakashi licked his lips as he glanced over the paragraph. Bondage.
“I asked Jiraiya-sama to send out an early installment of his book. He sent you the author’s edition.” Iruka smiled brightly. Kakashi hugged his book; he felt like a giddy schoolgirl. “When did you get home though? Naruto said he saw you earlier today.”
“Probably. Finished the mission as quickly as possible.” Kakashi turned to the cooking pot, easing the lid off. “Mm. That actually looks good.” He took the stirring spoon and lifted some food out to his covered lips, smelling the aroma through his mask. “Smells good.”
“Are you insane!” Iruka hissed. “He added too many spices. Scorched some of the pan, chipped that into the sauce.”
Lowering his mask enough to take a piece of meat into his mouth, Kakashi smiled. “I’ve been eating field rations for a week. This is a meal fit for a king. Mm. Needs salt.” He did as he said before continuing to eat out of the pan. Absently, he took some chopsticks and grabbed a couple of globs of rice wolfishly. Iruka laughed and got the jounin a glass of water. “If you don’t want to eat, Yuki sent over some dinner for us incase Naruto messed up terribly on dinner.” Iruka shook his head negatively and reached in for some food. “Eat it Iruka. It’s not as bad as it looks. I dealt with the spicy taste.” Nodding, the chuunin brought an unevenly cooked piece of meat out and brought it to his mouth, nibbling on it.
“Yay!” Naruto’s scream broke through the living room. “Iruka and Kakashi are eating my dinner! Do you like it? Do you like it?” He ran up to the table and hugged Iruka.
Kakashi nodded genuinely while Iruka nodded so Naruto wouldn’t cry. The jounin was right, the food wasn’t bad, but unlike the silver haired man, Iruka rarely needed to live off food rations where Kakashi did, so Iruka didn’t know how to value food in front of him. With a grin, Naruto excused himself to leave for his mother’s house. When the boy was gone, Iruka put his chopsticks down with a sigh while Kakashi drained the liquids in his mouth happily. “Okay, I’m full now. Let’s wear off this extra weight in bed.” He took Iruka’s hand.
“Why were you with Yuki-san?”
Dragging Iruka into the bedroom, Kakashi pushed Iruka on the bed. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
I might be… Iruka shook his head negatively. “No, I just want to know why you didn’t come straight home.”
“She and I had some things we needed to talk about. Just loose ends I wanted to know about Naruto, I’ll explain it to you tomorrow, just relax and let me make you mine.” Kakashi untied Iruka’s hair band and breathed deeply the spicy smell that Iruka carried. “Happy anniversary, my dolphin.”
“I love you, Kaka-chan.”
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