Something Precious

Chapter Fifty One

Minato and his team had been given the next two weeks off. Drawing near the end of the first one, Minato grew worried when he hadn't seen Naruto Uzumaki even once. Not so much as a glimpse. This was strange because even without meaning to, Minato always seemed to be running into the blonde whether it be in the market or on the training grounds, or on his way to the Hokage tower. Naruto just seemed to be every where. He had never really noticed it until now. It was strange now that he thought about it.

This was why Minato decided to pay Naruto a visit and hope he was home and hadn't simply been away on a mission that he had 'forgotten' to mention. After all, Naruto didn't like being still.

When he got to the right apartment, beside Kakashi's, he found all the windows were closed and the curtains were drawn shut. His resolve crumbled a little and he hesitated once his fist was drawn up to knock on the heavy wooden door. Was he even home? Would he want to talk to Minato even if he was? Maybe he needed to be alone? But Minato had learned one thing about Naruto over his time of having him on his team, and that is - Naruto is not good on his own. He may say he wants to be alone, he may even mean it, but when Naruto was alone he got more closed off, he was more prone to having anxiety attacks. When he was around people however, the longer he was with them the more open he became. He would even smile and laugh sometimes and show a side of himself that was more natural. Maybe that was how he should've - would've been if the war hadn't taken so much. Maybe that was who he once was - happy, open, honest, and kind.

"He hasn't come out all week." Minato was drawn from his thoughts by the opening of a door, the one next to Naruto's.

"Good morning Kakashi." he greeted his student as the boy was exiting his own apartment.

"Good morning Sensei." Kakashi said back in a dreary way. Minato noticed the bags under Kakashi's visible eye - he always wore his headband down over his sharingan now - and the slight redness in them that told of his nights spent in tears. Minato grew saddened by the sight but didn't mention it, knowing Kakashi would be less than appreciative had he done so.

Instead he asked, "How do you know?"

Kakashi gestured to his neighbors door. The walls are thin enough that I can hear when his doors open," this was also because of Kakashi's canine-like sense of hearing. "That door hasn't opened all week."

"Maybe he isn't home." Minato suggested.

Kakashi shook his head. "He's home."

Minato raised an eyebrow, silently asking for Kakashi to elaborate.

Kakashi hesitated. "He uh. . . he has. . . nightmeres, I think." he said awkwardly, leaving the rest to implication. It wasn't exactly a secret or anything - Minato already knew this - but Kakashi was sure Naruto wouldn't want it mentioned.

"I see." Minato said quietly. He turned back to the door with built determination to get Naruto out of his hiding, and knocked loudly. When there was no answer he knocked again and waited patiently for the door to open. Even Kakashi waited with concerned interest.

After a good minute or so of nothing, Minato was beginning to consider more. . . active methods when they heard shuffling from the other side of the door. The two awaiting shinobi held their breaths as they listened to the sound of the lock slowly sliding open and the knob being turned, then finally the door dragged open to reveal Naruto, in all his glory.

Minato held in a surprised sound as he took in the absolute wreck before him. The first thing he noticed was the smell, the man definitely needed a shower. Naruto was only wearing comfortable looking sweats that were almost falling off his hips which were thinner than they should be, he appeared to have skipped a few meals - and by a few, I mean all of them. His hair was. . . well to say it was a mess would be kind, it was usually a mess, right now it looked like a rat's nest. His eyes were droopy and fogged over and it seemed to take him a lot of effort to stay standing.

"What?" he asked, and his voice was quiet and choked, like he was holding in tears.

Minato felt his heart ache for the man. "I was just coming check on you. I haven't seen you in a while." he said. Kakashi looked sadly at Naruto then at Minato, wanting him to do something, to fix it, because Kakashi didn't know how.

"I was thinking, it's about lunch time, why don't we go out to eat?" Minato offered. Naruto looked up at he man through his lashes, like his eye lids were being weighed down and he couldn't lift them properly.

"No thank-you. I'm not hungry." Naruto said. Minato gave him a stern I-know-you're-lying-and-you're-coming-whether-you-like-it-or-not look.

"Yes you are." Minato said, and as if to prove his point Naruto's stomach growled loud enough for Minato and Kakashi to hear. "Kakashi's coming too." he added.

"I am?"

"You are."

Naruto just sighed and nodded in defeat, lacking the energy to argue. He stepped aside, letting them in. "I need to take a shower, you can just. . . do whatever." he flopped his hand, gesturing to the rest of the apartment.

First thing Minato did was open the curtains, it made seeing actually possible. It was startling how untouched the place looked. Naruto didn't seem like he had been able to get much cleaning done in the depressed state he was in, but the place was immaculate - save for the thinnest layer of dust coating the wooden furnishings - meaning he probably spent most - if not the entire - week in his bedroom.

As he scanned the place, he once again found his gaze drawn to the two ragged books in Naruto's book shelf. He knew one of them was a strange bingo book filled mostly with unfamiliar people; but the other one? He glanced to the bathroom door where Naruto was and then to the book. It's cover wasn't brown like the bingo book, it was a strange greenish-blue with kanji along the spine that were too faded to read.

Kakashi was distracted, inspecting Naruto's sword that was carelessly resting in the corner of the sitting room closest to the door way.

Minato's steps were as quiet as ever as his curiosity drew him forth. His fingers ran gently along the book's rough and worn spine before he hooked them over the top of the cover and pulled it out. The cover wasn't as worn as the spine, and while the words were still faded you could just make out the word 'Paradise', it said something else but the kanji were blocked out by a large spot of red that looked suspiciously like blood.

Flipping it open to a random page he found the words easily legible. The red whatever it was, only bled to the corners and edges, not affecting the writing. Minato scanned the page. His eyes widened as he went, a blush settling on his cheeks. He didn't imagine Naruto to be the type to read something like this. Minato closed the book after scanning a few other pages at random. It appeared to be a romance novel - a very perverse one at that. Why would Naruto have this? He wondered. Re-examining the cover, Minato squinted against the red to try and make out something at the bottom. Who had written it? Maybe it had been a friend and that was why he kept it. It was no use. There was no way to make it out. He got his answer though, when he flipped it open to the page of introduction. It read:

This book belongs to:
  Kakashi Hatake