A Family of their Own

Chapter 2--Troubles

Iruka took his new charge every where he went. Out on the streets, people frowned at
the two but kept their comments to themselves. They had found out quickly that the
young teacher had a temper, and that to provoke it only brought shame and humiliation.
At school, after being yelled at in front of a group of students, Ebisu learned to
keep his mouth shut. That didn't stop him from giving the chuunin disapproving
glares, though. Things were better at the mission room. After that first day, the
shinobi of Konoha pretty much ignored the tiny blond, and went about their business.

Iruka couldn't be happier. He was no longer alone, and was actually enjoying taking
care of the little boy. Using the money the Hokage had given him, he had bought the
child not only new clothes, but a small cot to sleep in and some plushies. Iruka was
a little unnerved at first, when Naruto's favorite plushie turned out to be a fox.
The boy carried it everywhere with him. They had set up a routine: Iruka got up in
the morning, made breakfast, woke Naruto. While the little blond ate, Iruka would fix
up a bento box. Then they were off to school. At lunch, the two could be found
sitting in the shade of a tree sharing the contents of the bento box. After the last
class ended, they would either go to the mission room, or if Iruka was off duty, take
a walk in the forest. Come nightfall, the two would eat, then Iruka helped the boy
bathe, and tucked him into bed. He frequently woke the next morning with a warm
little blond snuggled against him, but he didn't mind. It was kind of nice to be
needed.

~~~~~~

When Kakashi wasn't out on a mission, he had taken to lingering in the mission room in
the afternoons. He covertly watched the chuunin sensei, listening to his
conversations. In general, he was trying to learn as much about the young man as
possible. He had already learned the teen was disgusted, and embarrassed, by porn;
that didn't stop him from pulling out his orange book. It helped to hide the fact
that he had his eye on the brunette.

Another thing the book was good for: It lured a certain tiny blond to him. This not
only seemed to endear him to said blond, but also to his guardian. When Naruto asked
for a story, Kakashi sat the boy in his lap and pretended to read from the book. He
told the boy the story of the founding of Konohagakure, as he had learned it. He told
the tale of the Three Legendary Sannin. He even told the child how he got a red eye,
that it was the final wish and sacrifice of his best friend. Kakashi told the child
stories about his beloved sensei, the Yondaime. He thought Naruto should know about
his father, even if he couldn't tell the boy of the relationship between the two
blonds.

While 'reading' to the child, Kakashi would talk with him, helping to correct his
pronunciations. However, the boy still couldn't get certain sounds to come out right.
Naruto still called himself "Wuh-Wuto", the chuunin was "Awuta", but the jounin was
now called Tatashi. He had finally learned to make the 'sh' sound.

Kakashi was ANBU, a fact only the Sandaime knew. He did occasionally take on A- and
B-ranked missions as a jounin, though. He liked to think of his time with Naruto as a
B-rank mission, guarding the child from hostile intent, i.e. the villagers and other
shinobi. He covertly had taken to following Iruka and Naruto on their treks through
the village, and had stopped several attempts at ambushing the chuunin to get at the
little boy. Of course, Iruka was unaware of any of this.

The young silver-haired nin decided one day to see if he could tempt the chuunin into
a date. He was 'reading' to Naruto when he suddenly closed the book, stating he was
hungry. Looking at the child in his lap, Kakashi asked if he was, too.

"Wamen, peez? Naruto asked hopefully.

Smiling, Kakashi stood with the little boy in his arms. "Of course, if that's what
you want. Maybe Umino-san is hungry. Why don't you ask him?" He set Naruto on his
feet.

"Awuta! Wanna go eat wamen wit us? We's hungy!" Excited, Naruto ran over to the
desk where the chuunin was seated.

Iruka looked at the time; he got off work in 15 minutes. He told the little boy this,
and that, yes, he'd love to go with Naruto. He spared a glance at the copy-nin, and
received a nod of understanding.

Kakashi sat on the floor and called the blond over. They would finish the story while
they waited.

~~~~~~

Little Naruto had eaten two whole bowls of ramen by himself, surprising Kakashi and
Iruka, who had never seen the boy eat more than one. He now sat drowsing on his stool
between the two teens. As his eyes closed for the final time, he began to tilt
precariously.

Kakashi scooped him into his arms. "Ne, Umino-san. I think we should take Naruto-kun
home and get him to bed."

Iruka paid for their meals and followed the jounin away from the building. A
comfortable silence engulfed them as Kakashi shifted his burden to his shoulder.
They had covered about half the distance to Iruka's apartment when Kakashi broke the
silence with a question. "Umino-san, what's it like? Taking care of Naruto-kun? I
mean, you teach kids every day, but they're older. Also, you don't have to feed and
take care of them all the time. You're younger than me; I don't think I could do it."

Iruka smiled in recollection of the first night he had spent as the tiny blond's
guardian.


---FLASHBACK---

"No! Don't want baff! I baffed yesday. Noooo!" Iruka finally managed to get
Naruto out of his clothes, and plopped him into the warm water. Grabbing the bar of
soap and a washcloth, he scrubbed the dirt off the child's face. Dunking him
underwater to wet his hair, Iruka then applied shampoo and worked it into a thick
lather. Naruto slapped at the teen's hands, splattering them both with bubbles.
Giggles ensued, first from he bubble-dotted blond, then from the chuunin. They were
a sight. Things soon digressed into a bubble fight, each trying to see who could get
more of the glistening stuff on the other. Naruto was declared the winner because
Iruka dunked him again, thereby removing the bubbles from the blond, leaving the
brunette still coated in white. Both laughing, Iruka helped the child from the tub
and wrapped him in a thick towel, rubbing briskly. Naruto was then sent to sit in the
kitchen while Iruka cleaned the water off the floor and walls. He changed into clean,
dry clothes and set out pajamas for Naruto. He set water on the stove to heat for
tea, then sent the boy to get dressed. When the blond did not return, Iruka went
looking for him. Naruto was sound asleep on the foot of the bed, pants on backwards
and shirt buttoned wrong. Smiling, Iruka straightened the boy's clothing and tucked
him into bed on his cot. Kissing the blond good-night, Iruka went to make some tea
and grade papers.

---END FLASHBACK---


Looking over at the silver-haired teen, his smile widened. "Well, it's definitely
interesting! But we're working things out. We have a schedule of sorts. Before I
wake him, I make breakfast and set out his clothes. While he eats, I make lunch.
Then we go to school. If I work that afternoon, I take him with me. Then we go home,
eat, get him into bed, and I grade papers. It works."

Kakashi chewed that over thoughtfully. It didn't seem as if the chuunin had any free
time. When did he have fun? When did he have time for just himself? The older teen
wondered how he could get the brunette alone, so he could try to seduce him. Not that
he had ever tried before, but it happened all the time in "Icha Icha Paradise." He
figured if the characters in a book could do it, so could he. His thoughts were
interrupted by Iruka announcing that they had arrived.

Iruka pulled out his keys and opened the door. Turning to the jounin, he grabbed the
masked face and pressed a clumsy kiss where he thought the lips were. Then, snatching
Naruto from suddenly limp arms, the blushing teen slipped through the door, closing it
with a soft click.

Kakashi stood in shock, lightly touching still tingling lips. Shaking his head, he
turned on his heel and made his way home, smiling all the way.

~~~~~~

Naruto wandered around the mission room dejectedly. 'Where Tatashi go? Don't he like
me no more?' he wondered. Since Iruka never was sent away on missions, he was unaware
that others were. It had been a week since he had seen his masked friend. Iruka was
no good at telling stories, unlike Kakashi, and the blond missed the way the 'old man'
brought the stories to life.

The small boy had tried to make friends with some of the other shinobi. Many gave him
disgusted glares before ignoring him. Some claimed they didn't have the time, but
hung around the room all afternoon, doing nothing. He wished, not for the first time,
for someone his own age to play with, but he couldn't leave the room without Iruka.

Iruka watched the little boy, sadness creeping across his face. If only the villagers
would see that Naruto was simply a child, not the fox. He wished Naruto had a
playmate. However, any time he took the child to the park, all the parents gathered
up their children and left, throwing nasty looks at both Naruto and himself. Sighing,
he straightened the stacks of reports and mission scrolls.

Namiashi Raidou was one of the ninja who 'hung around.' He was bodyguard to the
Hokage, and couldn't leave his post. He had been watching the tiny child since Iruka
first brought him to work. His feelings for the blond had changed, seeing the
interactions of the child with the chuunin and Hatake Kakashi. Also, the boy's
appearance and personality were familiar. Naruto reminded him of the late Yondaime,
with his blond hair, blue eyes, and sunny disposition. If he didn't know better, he'd
say that the boy was the Fourth's son. That couldn't be, of course; Yondaime hadn't
been married.

The Sandaime decided to retire shortly before the end of the afternoon shift, and went
back to his office. Raidou nodded to Iruka as he passed, and gave a wave and a smile
to the little boy as they exited. He was sure to see both again tomorrow.

~~~~~~

Iruka carried Naruto as they made their way back to their apartment. Taking a
short-cut through an alley, he suddenly found they were surrounded by masked men.

"Give us the demon, and you won't be hurt," the one in front of the chuunin stated.

"Why don't we deal with him as well? He's a demon-lover, isn't he?" someone else
said.

Iruka clung tightly to the little boy. He couldn't put him down for fear of someone
grabbing him. Also, Naruto might get in the way and trip the chuunin. However, Iruka
wasn't able to fight or perform jutsu with the child in his arms. They were
outnumbered 10 to 1. Iruka was determined to not show his fear, and to protect his
charge from harm. He whispered to the tiny boy, and flipping him onto his back, began
to form seals. He was unable to finish the jutsu because a kunai came flying out of
the crowd towards the two, and he had to dodge.

The men closed in on the frightened teen. Soon, he was fighting for their lives. A
kick to the side of the head knocked him down, and Naruto was ripped from his back
with a cry. Everything went dark.

~~~~~~

Iruka woke up in the hospital; his head throbbed and he wondered what had happened.
Gazing around the room, he noticed a card with a childish drawing, and a flower in a
vase on the table by the window. The card reminded him of..."NARUTO!" He tried to
sit up but the motion caused the room to spin, and he sank back onto his pillow with a
groan. He hadn't been able to save the boy; he'd tried, and failed. Tears leaked
into his hair.

The door burst open and in ran a little blond blur, followed closely by the Hokage's
bodyguard. "How are you feeling, Iruka-sensei? That was quite a blow you took." The
tokubetsu jounin sat in the chair at bedside while the little blond climbed onto the
bed.

"Awuta! Awe you otay? You don't be sad. Why you cwyin'? I's fine. I's beats all
dem bad guys up!" Naruto stated proudly, crossing his arms over his chest.

The chuunin shot a look at the scarred man then looked the boy in the eyes. He had
seen the amused look in the man's eyes and knew Naruto was telling a fib. He figured
for now he'd let it slide; let the child think he had been of help. Another person
entered. It was Maito Gai; what was he doing here?

"Iruka-kun, it's good to see your springtime of youth wasn't vanquished. You..." He
was interrupted by Raidou.

Digging into his pocket and pulling out some money, Raidou said, "Gai, why don't you
take Naruto-kun out for some ramen? He hasn't eaten this evening."

"WAMEN?! Yatta! I's hungy!" Naruto did a happy dance. Then his face fell. "Awuta,
you be otay? I's gonna eat wamen now. I wishes you come, too."

The chuunin gave the boy a tired smile, waving him away. "It's alright, Naruto-kun.
I'm not hungry right now; go eat. And mind Gai-sensei!" he called as the child ran
out of the room.

Once they were alone, Iruka turned to the special jounin questioningly. He wanted to
know what happened after he lost consciousness. He needed to make sure Naruto was
truly alright. "What happened? The last thing I remember is Naruto being taken from
me. How did I get here, and why are you here, with Naruto no less."

Raidou looked a bit uncertain, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "The Hokage
sent me to find you. He said you were in trouble. I arrived just as you fell; Naruto
was putting up quite a struggle." The special jounin smiled in remembrance. "I
managed to rescue the boy, and got the both of you out of there. I brought you here,
and now you know the whole story." Inside, the man was fuming; to think the villagers
would do that to a respected teacher. Who knew what they'd had planned for the tiny
child! In his eyes, they were both children, but knew better than to say that aloud
to Iruka. "The doctor tells me that you have a concussion and should rest. Don't
worry about Naruto-kun; he'll be taken good care of tonight. I'll stay with you until
Gai returns, then take the boy home with me. I'll bring him by in the morning."

They waited in silence. Finally, the door opened and Gai walked in, a sleepy blond in
his arms. He sat the child on the bed.

Naruto lay down next to the chuunin. "Awuta? You better? I's tired; wanna go home."
He yawned, eyes closing involuntarily.

Iruka pressed a kiss to his blond spikes, and nodded to Raidou. The special jounin
picked the sleeping boy up and carried him from the room. Gai stared after them, then
turned to the younger nin.

"We have rounded up the men who attacked you. The Hokage has already sentenced them.
Word of advice: Don't take any more short-cuts. As long as you stay in public, they
can't do anything to either of you. Not everyone hates the boy, remember that." So
saying he bid the young man farewell.

Iruka stared at the ceiling until sleep stole over him, and he knew no more.

~~~~~~

Iruka awoke in the early morning hours with a warm body laying against him. His first
thought was that it was Naruto, then he remembered. Naruto was with the Hokage's
bodyguard, and this person was bigger. Much bigger. He turned his head and could
just make out light-colored hair above a masked face in the dim light. Kakashi. When did he get back from his mission? And why was he here!? Iruka had no answers, but chose to forget it for now. It felt nice to be held; he felt safe in the jounin's arms. He let sleep claim him once more.

~~~~~~

Iruka woke to a sunny morning. He was alone in his bed, a thought that depressed him.
A noise behind him caused him to turn. There in a chair near the bed sat Hatake
Kakashi, Naruto curled in his arms, asleep.

"Ohayo," the masked nin said quietly. "How do you feel today? I heard what
happened."

The young chuunin was surprised the man was still here, and that Naruto was here at
all. The tiny blond didn't usually sleep this late; the fact that he was, spoke of
too much stress from yesterday. The child hadn't woken Iruka when he came in, either.
Maybe that had been the jounins' doing. He guessed Raidou was now with the Hokage,
having left Naruto with Kakashi to care for him. Iruka smiled shyly at the masked
ninja. Inside, he was grinning madly; those two looked so sweet together. He was
about to answer, when the doctor entered.

"Ah, Umino-san! How are you feeling? Headache? Blurred vision? No? Let me take a
look at you." The doctor checked him thoroughly and pronounced him fit to be
discharged. "But I want you to take it easy for a few days. You may need to find
another place for the boy to stay; it will be too difficult to care for him and get
the rest you need." He gave the tiny blond bundle in Kakashi's arms a disapproving
glare.

The look wasn't lost on either of the two shinobi; Kakashi tightened his grip on the
boy, while Iruka's face darkened in anger. "Naruto is no trouble. He's quiet and
well-behaved, when not provoked. We'll manage." He got out of bed and, stepping over
to Kakashi, took the child into his own arms. "Thank you, Doctor, for your concern."
Back straight, he marched from the room. After a narrow-eyed look at the doctor, the
jounin followed.

~~~~~~

"I can't believe the nerve of that guy!" Iruka ranted. "As if Naruto was something
foul that I should get rid of. Ohhhh! I'm so angry right now!"

Kakashi plucked the boy from the chuunin's tightening grasp. "Umino-san, calm down.
He's not worthy of your anger. Besides, do you want to wake Naruto-kun?"

Iruka quieted immediately with a contrite look at the blond. "He should wake up so he
can eat something, ne? It should be about lunchtime. Would you like to join us,
Hatake-san?" He glanced at the jounin with a hopeful look in his eyes. He was
curious as to why the older teen had been in his room; more so, why he had been in bed
with him earlier. "And you can call me 'Iruka'," he said shyly.

Kakashi grinned at the chuunin. "Thank you, Iruka. I'd like that." Maybe now he could learn even more about the fascinating sensei. They took to the roofs and soon arrived at the chuunin's apartment.

******
A/N: Sorry no lemon yet. Working towards it, though.
I'd like to thank the following for their kind reviews. I hope this chapter lives up to their expectations.

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