My Dobe

It was astonishing just how the neat and tidy sensei he had grown up learning from lived in such a complete pigsty. This was something Sasuke would have expected from Naruto's apartment, and he was quite positive that Naruto lived on his own on the west side (1) of town.

Walking into the apartment, Sasuke side-stepped the upturned vase in the hallway, nearly tripping on the pile of scrolls while he narrowly missed cutting his hand numerous sharp weapons (2) as he reached out to the bookshelf they were scattered on.

'How on earth was it safe for a small child to live here? Let alone pass by in such a hurry,' Sasuke thought to himself as he made an effort to hurry up to check on his dobe. He looked over to the blond haired child relieved that he could not find any harm done, before taking in the sight.

Naruto was happily giggling away as he bounced on his bottom on top of a wriggling and groaning blanket-wrapped bundle on the couch. Raising an eyebrow, he watched with an amused Iruka as a bare arm escaped the blankets followed by a dishevelled mop of silver/grey hair and a blue eye – the other still closed showing off the full scar – the was unmistakeably their sensei. The other arm joined the first in freedom before the grabbed the child and lifted him to his head as Kakashi sat up and blew a raspberry on the exposed tummy of the child.

Naruto was squealing in delight, as Sasuke had enough mind to snap a shot of the adorable sight from the camera he now carried on his person at all times. Gasping in shock, he quickly took another shot as Kakashi put Naruto down to his chest and turned – rising an enquiring eyebrow – to his shocked student.

Without his mask.

They stared at each other in silence – only punctuated by Naruto's soft giggling – until Iruka burst out laughing. Sasuke quickly hid the camera on his person and stepping out of the way of a lunging Kakashi who grasped a laughing Naruto to his chest with one arm – the other out-stretched towards Sasuke.

Iruka took that moment to step between the two as Kakashi growled at his student and an oblivious Naruto clapped his hands in joy thinking this was great fun.

Sasuke taking the chance presented to him – he had nothing to lose – took out his camera to get one last shot in. Grinning, he safely tucked in back into its hidey-hole as Iruka grabbed the lunging Kakashi before he could reach the Uchiha heir.

"Kakashi, you will leave him alone," Iruka commanded in his 'Do-This-Or-Suffer-The-Consequences' voice.

'It really should be TM'd,' (3) thought an amused Sasuke as he watched a deflated Kakashi sit back down on the couch he vacated beforehand – grumbling about spoilt brats and ruined reputations. Smirking, Sasuke made whip-cracking noises under his breath, that both sensei heard – Iruka ignoring it mostly with a smirk whilst Kakashi sulked more. Really, the man had nothing to worry about, his face was completely normally – and dare he say it, rather sexy in the rugged (4) way.

Kakashi's face was completely normal – no disfigurements, no buck teeth, no scars besides the one over his eye. Completely normal. He had a delicate nose that was slightly upturned at the end, normal – slightly plump lips, strong jaw and chin and a slight rubble of a silver/grey goatee on his chin. He was quite the looker and Sasuke could – not that he would willingly admit it – see what Iruka saw in the guy, look-wise.

"So," Iruka began – pulling Sasuke's attention to him as Kakashi played with Naruto on the couch,

"I have to thank you for taking Naruto in despite your differences."

Iruka ignored the snort from his lover as Sasuke blushed slightly.

"It wasn't a problem Iruka-sensei," Sasuke said to the man.

Iruka waved Sasuke to sit in one of two single armchairs that matched the couch. Moving aside a mission pack to the only part of the coffee table that wasn't swapped by dirty dishes and bandages and God knows what else – Sasuke sat in the chair.

"Would you like some tea or breakfast Sasuke-kun," Iruka asked as he moved towards the kitchen.

Keeping an eye on the pile of what looked like dirty clothes and rags – 'Did that just move?' Sasuke thought to himself slightly panicked – he replied to his teacher,

"We've already eaten breakfast, but a cup of tea would be great."

"Mah Iruka honey, breakie would be lovely," Kakashi added as he played with the blond on his lap.

A flying plastic cup came from the kitchen and hit Kakashi in the back of the head. Kakashi pouted as he rubbed the back of his head, but continued to play with Naruto regardless. He winked at Sasuke as they heard Iruka's mutterings on lazy lovers and rat-sac. (5)

After returning from the kitchen, giving Sasuke his mug of 'white – two sugars' and setting a plate of vegemite toast (6) in front of Kakashi, Iruka sat down on the remaining armchair sipping his own tea and smiled as Kakashi feed Naruto a small square of his toast. Returning his attention to Sasuke he was startled to see the usually stoic expression on the young ninja's face replaced with soft warm look of adoration as he watched the blond child.

Sasuke feeling eyes on him, he looked over to Iruka puzzled before smirking and winking. Quickly pulling out the camera, he snapped another shot of the two. After an enquiring look from Kakashi, Sasuke coughed out 'Blackmail material' before answering that he was compiling a photo album for the dobe. Kakashi merely rolled his eyes as Iruka exclaimed what a good idea it was. Settling down Iruka went back on towards the earlier conversation,

"I hope he wasn't too much of a hassle for you."

"I'm sure it was quite the learning experience to get the rascal into the bath," Kakashi mumbled around his toast as Naruto giggled.

Sasuke just nodded tiredly thinking back to that morning's attempt at bathing the dobe. He shuddered. Iruka laughed,

"I found it easier just to take my bath with him. You would be wearing the water by the end anyway."

He looked over to the small child as he mushed toast and vegemite all over his face – Kakashi just chuckling at the sight.

"You don't have to take him, we coul-"

"No it's fine," Sasuke cut in – looking at the startling moving pile of rags with caution.

Chuckling as he noticed Sasuke eyeing the rags, Kakashi said,

"Well the place has fallen into disrepair after Naruto moved out."

Sasuke looked at his sensei as Iruka pouted – it was obviously a sore point for him.

"It's fine. I'm sure you two are busy most the time," Sasuke said going back to the topic at hand,

"Bedsides, it gets a little lonely at the complex."

Iruka and Kakashi gave the boy an understanding look and smiled at the offer of personal information the boy didn't normally feel willing to give out. Iruka went on, to ramble about different ways Naruto liked his food and how to look after an excitable young child – or more specifically a Naruto child.


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Most of the morning passed with Sasuke getting an amusing glimpse at his sensei's home life. From what he could tell, Iruka and Kakashi had been together for a while. He would bet pretty much anything they started courting shortly after the battle with Kyuubi – if not before. Though it seemed it was only after Kakashi became an instructor that things began improving in their relationship.

Now sitting in the messy but comfortable – after you ignore the mess and possible dangers – with Naruto napping peacefully in his lap, Sasuke decided to voice the question that had been puzzling him for a while.

"I've noticed that Naruto doesn't speak. Why is that?"

It was surprisingly Kakashi that looked the most distraught – not that Iruka wasn't looking saddened. Kakashi sighed as Iruka came to sit next to him and wrap his arms around the silver haired man, pulling him into a comforting hug. Sasuke looked startled between his two teachers.

"It wasn't your fault Kakashi, you did what you had to," Iruka whispered soothingly into his lovers ear.

Kakashi simply nodded, and with a final look at the sleeping blond and Sasuke's questioning gaze, he explained,

"Well you would have no doubt seen the villagers' reaction to Naruto coming here this morning?"

At Sasuke's nod he continued,

"Well they've always been like that. They-"

Kakashi cut off looking desperately at his clasped hands. Sighing, Iruka took over.

"Sasuke, what do you know about the battle with Kyuubi?" Iruka asked.

"The usual stuff they tell us. It was a great battle where every available Konoha ninja was called in to help. We lost many to the conflict, including the Forth Hokage. My brother mentioned that the Yondaime sacrificed not only his life in the Final Battle but also something he held most precious," Sasuke replied – reciting the majority like a text book that showed just how the younger generation of Konoha was raised on that specific topic.

Sighing, Iruka began to fill in the details that was forbidden to be told by the most part. Sasuke sat in shocked stillness as Iruka described how the Yondaime sacrificed himself to seal the Kyuubi inside the blond child in his lap. At Iruka finished, silence filled the room as Sasuke stared down at the sleeping child.

Kakashi made to remove the child from his lap, but Sasuke just pulled Naruto closer to his chest.

"That's why all the villagers treat him that way. Why they call him a monster," Sasuke whispered with tears in his eyes.

Kakashi hearing those whispered words fell to his knees in front of the two and let out a strangled cry.

"It's all my fault. I wasn't here – I wasn't here to help Iruka or when Naruto needed me. I just selfishly kept going on dangerous mission after dangerous mission and took no notice how I was hurting the ones most dear to me," Kakashi said as silent tears streamed down his cheeks. (7)

Iruka kneeled behind the man and wrapped his arms around him as Kakashi continued.

"Iruka was having such a hard time in supporting us, and even as an Anbu I wasn't making nearly enough. I came home one day after another intense mission – Iruka was working at the accademy by then, and I found the house broken in to and Naruto in the corner. H-He-" Kakashi broke with a sob,

"They had come in and had tortured him. Naruto was badly broken and wouldn't speak. I found out that they had tried to kill him and it wasn't the first attempt. T-They told him he was a monster, and that monster's weren't allowed to speak – to live. It took so long for us to get him to speak," Kakashi explained sobbing silently.

"In fact it was y-" Iruka began but cut himself off, and shook his head.

"When?" Sasuke asked, speaking up for the first time since his whisper – Naruto still clutched to his chest as if he would protect him for the truth.

"Naruto's what? Three? Four?" Iruka asked and at Sasuke's nod and whispered 'Three' continued,

"It's been just over a year since then. He's has only been comfortable with close friends of ours and the Sandaime since then, and has slowly started to open up. He started speaking again by the end of this year or so."

"How could they do this to a child?" Sasuke said as he thought back on how Naruto was treated not only by the villagers but also by his own class-mates – people who didn't know the full truth. It was then as Naruto slowly woke in Sasuke's arms, that Sasuke promised to protect his dobe.

Naruto, upon waking, saw Kakashi kneeling before them. Squealing in delight he launched himself onto the silver haired man. Kakashi held the boy to him and rocked them, smiling slightly.

At a flash, Sasuke looked up to see Iruka with his camera. At the raised eyebrow Iruka simply replied that he was a ninja.


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Sasuke looked in on Naruto and Kakashi playing on the couch again from the kitchen. His sensei had not let the child go since he woke. Smiling he took another photo.


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TBC

(1) Not sure what side on town he actually lives, but I think this will do for now. Think of it this way, Naruto's apartment is on the west side, the Uchiha complex on the outskirts of the South-Western, while Iruka's apartment is on the North side of town, closer to the center where you will find the market place. The enterence is at the north and the training grounds and school in the south – Hokage mountain is also located at the outskirts of town in the south. Hokage Tower is at the North-Eastern side of the village. Make sense?

(2) At the time of writing this I couldn't for the life of me remember the actual names. I know most of them now, but I decided to leave it the way it was.

(3) Don't know the specific word and too lazy to find the symbol. I hope you all know what I mean by it.

(4) It this the right spelling?

(5) Rat-sac is a poisoning agent used to kill off rats. When ingested by a person it can in the best scenario make them really sick – or in the worst, kill them. (Depending on who you are) My neighbour tried giving her husband rat-sac, but he didn't get much and only spent a few days in the hospital after getting his stomach pumped. Ugly stuff that... I am in NO way suggesting Iruka will go through it – it's a joke.

(6) I'm Australian – I love vegemite toast. Couldn't go a week without having it at least once. My niece also like stealing your breakfast even if she has already eaten – and is just as messy.

(7) I know, a little OCC but I'm not so good at the emotional crap – in fact this is my second attempt at it, so please don't be too harsh. This is why it took so long for me to update.

As I warned in the first Chapter, this starts off very soft. I will most likely add a KakaIru in here soon. Let me know what you think. Also, I've gone into a bit of a writing rut so any suggestions are welcomed. I will try and update again soon.

Also, this fic has been going through a rewrite and things have been fixed up and added on. There is one more chapter to fix up before I will start on with any new material. Thanks for you patience!!