You Were My Light

8. Mysterious Stranger (Part 1)

PREVIOUSLY: (3rd Person P.O.V) "You've been sleeping for a bit over 3 hours. Do you feel better now love?" The endearment slipped from his lips as easily as if they'd known each other longer than only a week. As Kakashi looked into his eyes, he blushed almost as much as the blond had, Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I feel much better now, Kashi. Where's Kura..." before Naruto finished the sentence, his eyes glazed over a little and he tilted his head a fraction, as if listening to someone talking. Before Kakashi could ask what was happening he saw Naruto's eyes widen as he looked down at his fresh clothes, then Kakashi noticed the blush from a few minutes ago was back, except this time Naruto was red all the way down his neck as well. "KYUUBI, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!" He yelled.

 - - - - - - -

3rd Person P.O.V

"Naruto? Naruto? Are you okay?" Kakashi worriedly asked, waving his hand in front of Naruto's face. The blond snapped back to himself with a small shake. Looking up over at Kakashi he nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay, I was just talking to Kyuu." Seeing that Kakashi was looking very confused he explained further, "When Kura goes back into the seal, he is going back into his spirit form which is imprisoned inside me, in here," He said patting the spiral seal on his stomach, "and we talk telepathically, so I can hear what he says and I can speak back to him by thinking what I want to tell him. He can hear everything I hear and although he can see what I see, often he can't do anything about it because when the scum that call themselves villagers of Konoha decide to hunt me, or it's because he is trying to heal me so I don't die. So, yeah..." Naruto snickered humorlessly. "That foxy has taught me plenty about protecting myself and getting away silently, but I've been ambushed too many times when I've had the henge active. Once they see me and start chasing me I can't use most of what I've learned because I have to pretend to be weak so the villagers hopefully won't do worse to me when they catch me. You remember how you found me when you did?" He paused to shoot a pointed look, "That's about an average beating I get from them - well, those who claim to adore and honour my father.. I know my father was the Fourth Hokage and that he didn't want this for me, he didn't want violence inflicted on his family or his village, but his sacrifice was all for nothing!" Kakashi looked stunned at the disenchantment he heard and saw from his blond. He felt as if his heart was about to dissolve and melt away because of the pain that the people he had promised to protect, with his life if required; were treating Naruto with such harshness, hatred, and inhumane disregard. 

If he hadn't seen the proof for himself of the beating the young man (who he'd thought was a small child at the time) had received, and then the fox-spirit's healing powers, he would have denied that it could be happening as well. Naruto watched Kakashi's reaction and became worried when he saw the tears well in the grey eyes and overflowed, streaming down his cheeks to drip off his chin. "Do they not know the difference between a kunai and a scroll?! You are not the Kyuubi no Kitsune or the Nine-Tailed Fox, you are Naruto - my Naru!" Kakashi didn't realise he was crying until the blond reached up and tenderly wiped away the tears with his thumbs, kissing each of his cheeks. "Please don't cry. 'Kashi, I'm okay now, please 'Kashi, I'm okay, look at me, I'm right here and I am okay now," he softly crooned to the seasoned ANBU operative who was breaking apart inside. Pulling the older man to sit down on the bed, he simply embraced him, running his hand in a soothing motion through the soft platinum silver hair. They stayed like that for a while. Simply being, together indulging the basic need to hold and be held. Once the tears had eased and the hiccups that followed them were gone, the blond got up and poured a worn out Kakashi a glass of water, handing the glass to him after caressing his cheek.

-- time skip because Suga is locked in the studio with a GO AWAY mat at the door --

Naruto awoke with a start. Frowning and lying perfectly still, keeping his eyes closed he stretched his chakra to sense what was around him. He felt Kakashi's arms wrapped around his waist and momentarily basked in the warmth of being safe, of being held by someone who didn't want to hurt him - who also wasn't a particular annoying crimson-eyed know-it-all fox tenant... He stretched his chakra further and paid attention to the seals and concealment already on Kakashi's apartment, he admired how well created and placed they were. Remembering what Kakashi had said about his apartment being secure, Naruto recognised the sounds of someone trying to pick the lock of the front door and he nudged Kakashi awake. While they were both emotionally drained from the past few days events he was immediately alert once he saw the trace of fear in Naruto's eyes. "Naru, wha..mmph!" Kakashi was cut off by Naruto's hand over his mouth. "Someone is trying to pick the lock of a door on the east side of this building, four or five voices at the front of the house. There's a scratching on your basement trapdoor indicating that they are attempting to force the lock to break. You said I would be safe Kashi, you promised." The blond's voice cracked and trembled with fear, even though he was trying to control it. Kakashi placed one hand on Naruto's cheek and a kiss on the other to try and comfort him. "Hey. It's okay. You wait here, I'll be back in a minute okay?" he replied in a whisper before stealthily climbing out of the bed after masking his presence, looking at the blond in his bed a corner of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile, "Naru love, I need you to create a warm chakra spot to make it look like I haven't gotten out of bed. Can you do that for me blondie?"