La Speranza Ultima
folder
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
14
Views:
1,321
Reviews:
33
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
14
Views:
1,321
Reviews:
33
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Child
IV. Child
How far he had run, he didn’t know, but his time was coming to an end. His blood fed the earth, just as his mate’s did. How brave Kyuubi had been, staying behind to allow his court and his mate to escape. Still, the hunters had found him, running with his arms burdened by his and Kyuubi’s newborn kit. They had ruined his body, stealing precious moments off his life. He would die, and soon, before he got his son to safety. He was growing cold, his limbs growing heavy. He stumbled and tucked his son against his chest before he tumbled forward, fetching up hard against a half-burned tree. Though the baby began to wail at the rough treatment, he couldn’t hush his son, too weak to do more than breathe.
A branch cracked and he looked up, waiting for his death to appear.
Instead, a brunette boy appeared from the ruined underbrush, sopping wet and covered in ashes. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the bloody man, but the man only smiled, recognizing the protective aura surrounding the child.
“Your name?” he whispered, not even sure if the boy heard him. He smiled to himself when the boy came closer, staring at the man and the state he was in.
“Umino Iruka,” the boy whispered back, crouching down before him.
“Umino Iruka,” the man repeated, taking a moment to breathe before he moved forward, just a bit, transferring the whimpering bundle to Iruka’s arms. He fell back against the tree, blood flowing freely now that he had given his child over to one who would raise him properly. He could hear little Iruka’s voice calling him, trying to bring him back to the world of the living. He only smiled, peacefully, accepting his fate of death, even as he felt the pull of life, the gift Iruka so selflessly offered him. He refused.
Iruka whimpered, balancing the infant in his arms as he shook the dead man, trying to wake him, even though he knew it was futile. Old memories were replacing these scenes, and Iruka began to cry, his sobs echoed by the baby in his arms. It was dark when Iruka finished burying the dead man, taking only the man’s necklace to slip around the baby’s wrist, picking up the child to carry him away from this horrible place. The brunette kept the infant close to his chest, soothing the little blonde baby to sleep as he walked, somehow finding his way back to Konoha.
“Iruka!”
Iruka looked up, staring dazedly at Sarutobi, watching the man’s eyes go wide at the sight of the baby in Iruka’s arms. Iruka said nothing, only moved closer to the elderly man, pressing his head to Sarutobi’s shoulder. Sarutobi hugged Iruka, taking care not to hurt the sleeping infant, and once Iruka pulled away, Sarutobi walked Iruka to his home, offering to watch the sleeping babe while Iruka cleaned himself up.
Reluctantly, and with much promising by Sarutobi, Iruka gave the baby to the old man and disappeared into the back rooms of his home, leaving Sarutobi time to study the child. Patchwork blonde tufts covered the baby’s head, whisker-like scars on his cherubic face, and between his legs – besides what defined the child as being male – was a rusty red, fluffy tail.
Sarutobi sucked in a breath when he saw that tail and had half a mind to slit the child’s throat and tell Iruka the baby had time in his sleep. Iruka would believe him, too, and that alone stayed Sarutobi’s hand. He loved Iruka as she had loved another he had raised and watched leave, no doubt the mother of this special child. He looked up when Iruka came back into the room and lifted the baby into his arms, covering him in a clean warm blanket.
“You mean to keep him,” Sarutobi didn’t ask, more a statement.
“Why shouldn’t I?” Iruka replied, watching the sleeping infant in his arms.
“You know if they discover he is alive, they’ll come back.” Sarutobi said. “They’ll kill you and him.”
“Would you protect us?”
Sarutobi sighed. “I would. The Lord protected us, it’s the least I can do for his child,”
“Yet you were going to kill him,” Iruka whispered, staring at Sarutobi, almost accusatory though Sarutobi knew Iruka would never accuse him of anything.
“To protect Konoha.”
“To protect yourself.”
“You’re too young to be so cynical.”
Iruka just looked at Sarutobi and allowed the old man to see the years of scars on his soul through those doe brown eyes. Swallowing, the old man just nodded and rose to leave Iruka’s sanctuary.
“If you need anything, Iruka, just let me know.”
Some of the warmth returned to the young boy’s eyes. “I will.”
Sarutobi fled before Iruka could see the tears forming in the old man’s eyes. Sarutobi didn’t know the extent of the abuse Iruka had survived through, but he knew it had been enough to make the boy withdraw from the world around him. The scar across his nose had certainly something to do with Iruka’s perspective on the world, but Sarutobi had never pressed, figuring the boy would tell him when he was ready.
But now Sarutobi wondered if Iruka would ever tell him. Certainly, he wondered if Iruka would be different now that he had a babe to look after. Perhaps it would be a good influence on Iruka to let him keep the baby. The old man shook his head and looked back to the tails of smoke curling up from the forest and said a soft prayer before returning to his home for the night, intending to get right to sleep.
Iruka, on the other hand, was having a sleepless night.
He knew nothing of taking care of a baby, but he did his best. He allowed the infant to drink some of the goat’s milk Iruka had bought two mornings ago and burped the child, working hard to learn each of the baby’s sounds. He learned very fast how to make a diaper and ended up using towels to cover the infant’s rump.
“You would think this amusing,” Iruka murmured as the infant giggled and kicked at him, small fist curling around Iruka’s index finger. Eventually, the baby yawned and whined to be picked up, tiny tail flicking here and there until his demand was met. Iruka cradled the baby in his arms, feeling his heart warm just watching the cherubic little face scrunch up in dreams. He stroked the baby’s scarred cheeks and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
“Now what should I name you?”
How far he had run, he didn’t know, but his time was coming to an end. His blood fed the earth, just as his mate’s did. How brave Kyuubi had been, staying behind to allow his court and his mate to escape. Still, the hunters had found him, running with his arms burdened by his and Kyuubi’s newborn kit. They had ruined his body, stealing precious moments off his life. He would die, and soon, before he got his son to safety. He was growing cold, his limbs growing heavy. He stumbled and tucked his son against his chest before he tumbled forward, fetching up hard against a half-burned tree. Though the baby began to wail at the rough treatment, he couldn’t hush his son, too weak to do more than breathe.
A branch cracked and he looked up, waiting for his death to appear.
Instead, a brunette boy appeared from the ruined underbrush, sopping wet and covered in ashes. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the bloody man, but the man only smiled, recognizing the protective aura surrounding the child.
“Your name?” he whispered, not even sure if the boy heard him. He smiled to himself when the boy came closer, staring at the man and the state he was in.
“Umino Iruka,” the boy whispered back, crouching down before him.
“Umino Iruka,” the man repeated, taking a moment to breathe before he moved forward, just a bit, transferring the whimpering bundle to Iruka’s arms. He fell back against the tree, blood flowing freely now that he had given his child over to one who would raise him properly. He could hear little Iruka’s voice calling him, trying to bring him back to the world of the living. He only smiled, peacefully, accepting his fate of death, even as he felt the pull of life, the gift Iruka so selflessly offered him. He refused.
Iruka whimpered, balancing the infant in his arms as he shook the dead man, trying to wake him, even though he knew it was futile. Old memories were replacing these scenes, and Iruka began to cry, his sobs echoed by the baby in his arms. It was dark when Iruka finished burying the dead man, taking only the man’s necklace to slip around the baby’s wrist, picking up the child to carry him away from this horrible place. The brunette kept the infant close to his chest, soothing the little blonde baby to sleep as he walked, somehow finding his way back to Konoha.
“Iruka!”
Iruka looked up, staring dazedly at Sarutobi, watching the man’s eyes go wide at the sight of the baby in Iruka’s arms. Iruka said nothing, only moved closer to the elderly man, pressing his head to Sarutobi’s shoulder. Sarutobi hugged Iruka, taking care not to hurt the sleeping infant, and once Iruka pulled away, Sarutobi walked Iruka to his home, offering to watch the sleeping babe while Iruka cleaned himself up.
Reluctantly, and with much promising by Sarutobi, Iruka gave the baby to the old man and disappeared into the back rooms of his home, leaving Sarutobi time to study the child. Patchwork blonde tufts covered the baby’s head, whisker-like scars on his cherubic face, and between his legs – besides what defined the child as being male – was a rusty red, fluffy tail.
Sarutobi sucked in a breath when he saw that tail and had half a mind to slit the child’s throat and tell Iruka the baby had time in his sleep. Iruka would believe him, too, and that alone stayed Sarutobi’s hand. He loved Iruka as she had loved another he had raised and watched leave, no doubt the mother of this special child. He looked up when Iruka came back into the room and lifted the baby into his arms, covering him in a clean warm blanket.
“You mean to keep him,” Sarutobi didn’t ask, more a statement.
“Why shouldn’t I?” Iruka replied, watching the sleeping infant in his arms.
“You know if they discover he is alive, they’ll come back.” Sarutobi said. “They’ll kill you and him.”
“Would you protect us?”
Sarutobi sighed. “I would. The Lord protected us, it’s the least I can do for his child,”
“Yet you were going to kill him,” Iruka whispered, staring at Sarutobi, almost accusatory though Sarutobi knew Iruka would never accuse him of anything.
“To protect Konoha.”
“To protect yourself.”
“You’re too young to be so cynical.”
Iruka just looked at Sarutobi and allowed the old man to see the years of scars on his soul through those doe brown eyes. Swallowing, the old man just nodded and rose to leave Iruka’s sanctuary.
“If you need anything, Iruka, just let me know.”
Some of the warmth returned to the young boy’s eyes. “I will.”
Sarutobi fled before Iruka could see the tears forming in the old man’s eyes. Sarutobi didn’t know the extent of the abuse Iruka had survived through, but he knew it had been enough to make the boy withdraw from the world around him. The scar across his nose had certainly something to do with Iruka’s perspective on the world, but Sarutobi had never pressed, figuring the boy would tell him when he was ready.
But now Sarutobi wondered if Iruka would ever tell him. Certainly, he wondered if Iruka would be different now that he had a babe to look after. Perhaps it would be a good influence on Iruka to let him keep the baby. The old man shook his head and looked back to the tails of smoke curling up from the forest and said a soft prayer before returning to his home for the night, intending to get right to sleep.
Iruka, on the other hand, was having a sleepless night.
He knew nothing of taking care of a baby, but he did his best. He allowed the infant to drink some of the goat’s milk Iruka had bought two mornings ago and burped the child, working hard to learn each of the baby’s sounds. He learned very fast how to make a diaper and ended up using towels to cover the infant’s rump.
“You would think this amusing,” Iruka murmured as the infant giggled and kicked at him, small fist curling around Iruka’s index finger. Eventually, the baby yawned and whined to be picked up, tiny tail flicking here and there until his demand was met. Iruka cradled the baby in his arms, feeling his heart warm just watching the cherubic little face scrunch up in dreams. He stroked the baby’s scarred cheeks and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
“Now what should I name you?”