A Family of their Own

Chapter 1--How It Began

Rocks and garbage pelted the child as he stumbled down the street. Why did everyone hate him so? He was a good boy! He brushed his teeth, said his prayers, even ate all his yucky vegetables without complaint. Of course, who would he complain to, since he lived all by himself? Nevertheless, there was no reason people should treat him this way. He came to the end of a wall and ducked behind it. The crowd following him never even looked his way. He breathed a sigh of relief. Now all he had to do was find a quiet place to sleep for the night.

~~~~~~

Iruka had risen early. It was the first day of class. He couldn't believe he was now a teacher! He had to hurry and get to school. He needed to make up a lesson plan before the students arrived. With that thought in mind, he rushed out the door.

As he neared the doors of the Academy, Iruka heard a whimper. He stopped to listen. Where was the sound coming from? Silence met his straining ears. Finally, he shrugged and headed to his classroom.

Dawn had broken, and Iruka now had a lesson plan that he thought would be easy to follow. Clear and concise, he had written down each subject the class would cover, the order they went in and how long they would study each one. He had a little over an hour before classes started, so he headed out to grab some breakfast. As Iruka left the building, he thought he heard that whimper again. With the morning sun lighting up the schoolyard, it was easy to spot the source of the noise. Under a bush set against the school building was a child, fast asleep. Wondering why the youngster chose to sleep there rather than go home, Iruka walked over and woke him. Sleepy blue eyes met his.

"Ohayo. What's your name?" he asked quietly, so not to scare the tiny boy.

"Wuh-Wuto," was the response.

Iruka stared in shock and a little fear. This...this was the nine-tailed fox! Was he going to die now, too? Like his parents had? Iruka backed up slowly until there was at least ten feet between them.

Then the ridiculousness of the situation struck him. This was just a child! The boy was no more responsible for the death of Iruka's parents than he was himself! He walked cautiously back to the child and knelt in front of him. Iruka assessed the state of the boy. His hair was so dirty the color was impossible to determine; his clothes were filthy and stunk. There were tear tracks streaking through the grime caked on his cheeks. All in all, the boy was a real mess. Iruka looked at his watch. There was time. Lifting the child in his arms, he formed a seal, and they disappeared.

~~~~~~

A clean, blond-haired, blue-eyed little boy was sitting in Iruka's kitchen wolfing down everything set before him. Iruka had given him a tee-shirt to wear, that came down to the boy's ankles, and had thrown away the boy's clothes. Now the teacher just had to figure out what to do with him. "Naruto-kun, I want you to stay here today, okay? Stay inside. If you get tired, you can sleep in my bed. I'll be back later to fix you lunch. Until then, don't get into anything. Understand?" He gave the boy a hard look, hoping to give the impression of how serious he was.

Naruto solemnly nodded his head and went and sat on the couch. This was going to be a boring day, but for free food, he'd do it.

Iruka gave him paper and some crayons, then went back to the Academy. Classes were going to start any minute.

~~~~~~

"Iruka. You were almost late this morning. Don't you have any respect for your position? You must set a good example for your students." Ebisu was being his usual pompous, obnoxious self, telling the young chuunin what he already knew.

They were sitting in the teachers' lounge, Ebisu eating from a bento box and Iruka sipping a cup of tea. Suddenly, the chuunin remembered WHY he was almost late. Quickly excusing himself, he rushed home.

After opening the door, Iruka scanned the apartment. No sign of sunshine yellow hair. Had the boy left? No, he had had to use his key to enter. So where was he? Childish drawings were scattered all over the floor. Did Naruto think he had forgotten? Well, he had, at first, but he was here now. Iruka found the little boy sound asleep in the space between the couch and the wall. Partially dried tears still marred his cheeks.

Gazing at the child, Iruka felt his chest tighten, and guilt washed over him. He hurried into the kitchen and began to put together a meal. Afternoon classes be damned; he had given his word and he would keep it. When the food was on the table, he gently woke Naruto and told him to wash his hands then come eat.

'He's here! He really came back!' the little blond thought with some amazement. He sped to the bathroom and was seated at the table before Iruka had finished dishing up the plates. As the food was set in front of him, Naruto smiled, said, "Itadaikimasu!" and dug in. By the time Iruka was seated, the boy was licking his bowl clean.

"Would you like some more?" Iruka asked with a smile.

"Hai! Hai, onegai!" the tiny blond responded, holding his bowl out to the ninja.

Iruka refilled the bowl, and ate his own meal. The child was quite polite; he wondered who was raising the boy and why weren't they looking for him now. He would see the Sandaime later; maybe the old man could give him some answers. For now, he needed to get back to his class, but hated the thought of leaving Naruto alone again. Especially since he had afternoon shift on the mission desk today. Iruka made a quick decision; he grabbed the pack of crayons, picked up Naruto, and headed back to the Academy.

"Umino-san! What is the meaning of this!?" The ever pretentious Ebisu stared at the chuunin with a mixture of horror and disgust. "How dare you bring that monster into the school?"

Iruka's eyebrow twitched with annoyance. "I see no monster here. Why don't you go back to doing whatever it was you were doing? Leave the teaching of children to those who are qualified." The chuunin turned on his heel and sped to class, leaving a sputtering Ebisu in his wake.

"Now, Naruto-kun, play quietly by my desk. Okay?" Iruka requested as he set the child on the floor. "I have to teach class now. If you need anything, raise your hand."

"Hai, sensei." Big blue eyes gazed adoringly into chocolate brown.

Clearing his head, Iruka handed over the box of crayons and a stack of paper.

Standing straight, the chuunin began his afternoon lecture.

******

Iruka was quite aware of the disturbance he made. When he carried Naruto into the mission room, all normal conversation ceased. He ignored the stares, but it was difficult to ignore the whispers that raced through the room like wildfire.

"He brought that demon here?!"

"Filthy little monster."

"Why did the Sandaime allow him to live?"

"Murdering little beast!"

Many more such comments followed but Iruka tuned them out. He had his eyes on his seat, next to the Hokage. Not for the first time, he wondered why the Third allowed the shinobi to speak about the child this way. He took his seat and placed Naruto firmly on his lap. Then he looked around the room, daring anyone to say something vile to or about the blond. When no one would meet his eye, he relaxed marginally and got down to business.

The Hokage, Sarutobi, hid his smile. Who would have guessed? Two orphans from the fox attack had met. And apparently become attached, if Iruka's attitude was anything to go by. Nobody would mistreat the boy here, not in front of both the Hokage and Iruka. Turning to the chuunin, he told the young shinobi to let the child down to play. After a brief hesitation, Iruka complied.

After giving the child a glare, most of the ninja remaining in the room ignored him. A few of the jounin, who had fought the demon-fox a few years ago, surreptitiously watched the blond, blue-eyed boy race around the room. A beautiful smile on the child's face caused more than one heart to clench painfully in memory. Their former leader had such a smile.

Kakashi winced each time the smile was turned his direction. So this was Yondaime's legacy. The kyuubi-vessel. He frowned. Where were the boy's clothes? All he had on was an over-sized t-shirt. Surely, Sandaime had arranged for a clothing allowance for the boy. And that chuunin; what was his connection with the child? He acted very protective, almost like a mother-hen. Kakashi watched the younger ninja over the top of his book. He liked the competence the young man showed in dealing with handing out missions and taking completed reports. It was kind of scary when someone tried to hand in a report that was improperly filled out; the chuunin turned into a raging demon then. Kakashi shivered, and went back to keeping his eye on the little blond.

Naruto had stopped running around the room, and was now sitting at the chuunin's feet drawing a picture. When he finished he proudly presented it to Iruka.

Tears welled up in chocolate eyes. The picture was a stick-figure drawing of a brown-haired, pony-tailed man and a little blond-haired boy, holding hands. He pulled Naruto into his lap and gave him an enormous hug. "Thank you, Naruto. I'll treasure this always."

Done with hugs, Naruto wiggled out of the man's grasp onto the floor. He put away his crayons and paper, and began to explore the room, peeking into closets and behind potted plants. Then something caught his eye: an orange book. He walked over to the man holding it. Tugging on the man's pantleg, Naruto waited for the man to notice him.

Kakashi sighed and lowered his book. Large cerulean blue eyes gazed up at him.

"What?" he asked, in a bored voice.

"Mithter, wead me a thtory?"

"Naruto, don't bother the nice man," Iruka warned, giving the jounin a nervous look.

Kakashi gave the chuunin a smile. "Maa, it's alright. He's not bothering me. My name is Kakashi," he told the little blond. "What should I call you?"

With a heartrending smile, the child chirped, "I's Wuh-Wuto. Peez to meet you, Tatasi."

Kakashi sweatdropped at the mispronunciations, but ignored it for now. He'd have to help the kid to speak properly. Later. The child had asked for a story; he guessed he could make one up. It would keep the boy busy and out of trouble, anyway. He sat down against the wall, and Naruto climbed into his lap.

Iruka's eyes became wide as saucers when the jounin settled the little blond into his lap and opened up his book. 'He couldn't possibly be thinking of reading that to a child!' he thought. As he pushed away from the desk, preparing to go get Naruto, the Hokage placed a restraining hand on his arm. Iruka gazed at the old man quizzically.

The Sandaime shook his head and said, "Just watch, Iruka. It might amaze you."

Settling back in his chair, the chuunin leaned forward to do just that.

Kakashi had chosen a chapter without any pictures, and began to tell the boy a story. It was about a great ninja and a demon, how the two fought for days. Neither sleeping nor eating, the two battled ferociously. The countryside around the ninja's home village was demolished, but finally the monster was defeated. The townspeople all came out to cheer for their hero. The man was gravely injured, but hid his pain so not to dampen the villagers' happiness. He only agreed to be treated once the celebration was over. By that time, it was too late; the great ninja succombed to his wounds and died. To this day, people of that village celebrated that ninja's triumph over the demon and mourned for his loss.

Naruto was spell-bound by the story. He stared up at the jounin when the story ended, then threw himself into the stunned man's arms. Little arms wrapped tightly around the jounin's neck with a whispered, "Sant chu." He was sleepy, and this man felt so warm...

Kakashi didn't know what to do. One minute, he was telling a story, the next, he was being choked and told "thank you". Now, he had a little blond-haired boy snuggled in his arms, fast asleep. Two of the others in the room, Maito Gai and Shiranui Genma, outright laughed at his predicament. He narrowed his uncovered eye, promising to pay them back.

Iruka saved him further discomfort by lifting the tiny blond into his arms. Carrying the boy back to the desk, Iruka paused in sitting when the Hokage waved his hand.

"Iruka, why don't you take the rest of the day off? Take Naruto home and put him to bed. By the way, what happened to his clothes? I know he has some at home."

"Hokage-sama, that's something I wanted to talk to you about." Iruka rubbed the back of his neck after shifting the child onto his shoulder. "Where does he live? No one seems to have been looking for him today. Surely, his guardians must be worried."

Sarutobi gave the young chuunin a calculating look. Dropping his gaze, he stated, "Naruto has no guardians. No one wanted the job. I rented him a small apartment near the Academy, and have ANBU keep an eye on him, but sometimes he slips past them." He sighed wearily. "I have a feeling they don't watch very closely due to what he carries."

As Iruka listened, his temper began to build. How could anyone NOT want to take care of Naruto? The child was sweet-natured, adorable, polite, loving, and very trusting. Look how he had taken to that jounin, Hatake Kakashi. The Copy-Nin was said to be one of the best, yet coldest, shinobi in all of Fire Country. Angered that people could hold Naruto responsible for the demon's actions, he blurted, "If no one else wants him, I'll be his guardian. He can stay with me."

The old man took a puff from his pipe to hide his smile this time. Blowing out the cloud of smoke, he gave the chuunin a sharp look. "You aren't much more than a child yourself. Are you sure you can handle the task? It's not easy caring for a child, especially by yourself."

Iruka straightened his back, as much as he could due to the bundle resting on his shoulder. With a glare of defiance, he declared, "We'll manage. He'll be like a son to me." Shoulders drooping slightly, he almost whispered, just loud enough for the Hokage's ear alone, "I already care for him."

This time the old man smiled for the whole room to see. "Well, then. I suggest first thing tomorrow, you take this youngster and buy him some decent clothes." He then handed Iruka some money, which the chuunin stuck in his pocket with a blush.

As Iruka left the room, Kakashi followed him with his eye. 'Hm...Interesting. I think I'll have to keep my eye on those two. Besides, that chuunin is kind of cute... Especially when he blushes like that. I wonder if he's interested in guys,' he mused.
He went back to reading his book, only now he pictured himself and a brown-haired chuunin as the lead characters.

**********
A/N: What do ya'll think? Good? Bad? Delete it? Read and review, plz.