Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ A Mother's Son ❯ Bozo ( Chapter 11 )

Thoughts came slowly at first, tentatively forming. The first conscious thought he had was the image of Sakura racing away from him, Daisuke's mop of hair visible by her shoulder. Naruto would carry that to the grave. He knew he had told her to go, that her leaving was the safest thing, but he still couldn't help but feel a little betrayed by her willingness to go.

He was nowhere close to waking; his subconscious still claimed the majority of him. The blow that was meant to kill him had left him unconscious in the wilderness, pulled into the recesses of Itatchi's cave. The Uchiha brothers were long gone; they thought Naruto dead and dealt with.

It was a long while before Naruto felt the wet stone against his cheek. It was another long moment before he realized it was slick with his own blood. If he'd had the strength to gag, that would have been his first reaction. Instead, he merely shut his eyes again. It barely made a difference, the darkness was smothering.

He could smell the sharp scent of his blood, his sweat. He could hear a faint rustling in the distance but ignored what it could mean. He did not care if a bear came in and ripped him apart right then, it would at least end the pain in his head.

A warm breath in his ear did catch his attention however. He doubted a bear would take the time to breathe on him. Naruto opened his eyes, and found himself staring at a ragged brown dog. The dog sniffed him again and licked the side of his face, before barking sharply.

Naruto groaned in response, he really wasn't keen on the noise. He made his first attempt at moving by pushing himself up, and leaning against the cave wall. The small dog barked again and Naruto waved his hand in his direction. “Shh...” he rasped out. The dog seemed to understand, he lay down started licking at his crotch. Naruto chuckled. If that was the dog's reply, well, that was fine.

Surprisingly, Naruto was exhausted. His eyelids were heavy, and he drifted back to sleep, his head a jumble of dreams.

“Shh…shh…I'm here, I'm here…”

Her voice was soft and musical, and Naruto could feel her arms wrapped tightly against his torso. His body shook with sobs as he cried unabashedly. His control was lost; he did not try to regain it. “Gone…all of it…gone…” he mumbled and Sakura said nothing, she knew he was right.

It was after his old apartment building had been target of an enemy bombing. The place where he had grown up was reduced to ashes, and Naruto found himself surprisingly affected. After seeing the body count of the attack, he had broken down in their tiny kitchen, to the dismay of Sakura. She hated when he was hurting.

“I can see them…all of them…their faces…”

“I know…I know…” she soothed, letting her lover cry. She could hear her son call for her in the next room, but she made no move for him. Naruto needed her more.

Kakashi woke slowly, warm and comfortable. He felt a light weight at his side, hot and soothing. He looked over to see Aniline's dark hair spilling out over his chest, her breath fanning over his skin. She slept soundly, her face soft and untroubled.

He untangled himself easily, looking over at Daisuke and Sarah, who were snoring softly in the large bed. He put his mask over his face and tied the headband down in its proper place. Still in his sweatpants, he moved into the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards for some breakfast.

He found a bowl of apples in the fridge and threw a couple into his backpack, which sat on the kitchen table. “Are you going alone?”

Her voice was so soft that Kakashi could've easily convinced himself that he had imagined it. He turned to see Sakura leaning against the wall, looking weary.

“Yes,” he replied.

“I want to help.” Sakura insisted.

“Don't be ridiculous.” Kakashi snapped. “You're dead on your feet.”

“I can't just stay here!” Sakura protested, standing taller.

“I'm not putting you back into danger!” Kakashi blurted out, then turned away, breathing deeply to regain his control. “You need to stay here, so that when I bring Naruto back, his family is ready to welcome him. Or do you want this to all be a waste of time?”

“You know I don't.” Sakura responded, sighing in defeat. “I just wish I could see him. So I could…know, you know? The worst is not knowing.”

Kakashi nodded. “I get it.” He said quietly. He lowered his eyes, turning back to face his pupil. “Sakura, I'm sor-”

“Don't you dare apologize to me.” Sakura interrupted. “You've got nothing to be sorry for.”

“Well, I am.” Kakashi snapped. He hated interruptions. Especially when he was trying to be nice. “I'm sorry…that I wasn't more…better. Understanding.”

Sakura sighed. “Oh Sensei…if you were understanding, I'd have to send you to the hospital for an emergency surgery. It's just not your way.”

“She's right.” Aniline put in, coming out from Daisuke's room. “But, that's not my point. I'm taking Sarah home.” To Sakura, she said: “You'll be okay here for the day?”

“Yea, of course.” Sakura assured her. “Me and Dai will just bum around.”

Aniline moved to stand next to Kakashi. Sakura left the room silently. Aniline trailed her fingers down Kakashi's mask. “I was hoping you would stop wearing that,” she said softly. “but I realize that was foolish.”

Kakashi didn't respond.

“You're leaving now, I know.” Aniline said, after a long silence. “Come back alive, please?”

Kakashi nodded and Aniline's hand dropped to her side and she turned away, moving for Daisuke's room. “I would choose you, you know.” She whispered. “I'd choose you a thousand times, if I could.”

“Why can't you?” Kakashi demanded, speaking for the first time.

“You know why. I need a son. For my family.”

“I could give you one.”

“Don't be ridiculous.”

“Maybe I'm not!” Kakashi grabbed her arm and pulled her close. “Aniline, I could give your family the stability it needs! I'm not a high flying business man but I am one of this village's most powerful ninjas. If anything, I outrank that son of a bitch!”

“I…I can't do this now.” Aniline stuttered, pulling herself away. Nearly running, she feld into the hallway. She shut the door to Daisuke's room tightly, leaving no room for negotiation.

Kakashi sighed, pulling a black tee out of his backpack and slipping it over his head. He said goodbye to Sakura quietly when she appeared again, before leaving. He didn't linger in the village, instead heading for the place Sakura had described.

“And she was the prettiest girl, you know? And boy, she sure was smart! Could cut you to pieces with a few words, but that's why I liked her so much.” Naruto's voice was quiet and hoarse, but he told his story anyway. The dog, which he had named Bozo, didn't seem to mind as he curled up against him.

“She liked this dumb guy; you know the type, the ones who're all tortured and `intense'. Whatever. Anyway, after a while, he got to liking her too, for all the reasons listed above, I assume. And soon, it was all I could do not to kill the both of them, just to put myself out of some misery. I swear, I have never met two mushier teenagers. It was disgusting, in the worst way.”

The dog made a small sound in the back of his throat, and Naruto took this as agreement. “I know! You shoulda been there, Bozo, you would've wanted to kill `em too.” The dog whined again and Naruto looked to mouth of the cave. The sun was rising; dawn light was filtering in slowly. He could see nothing, so had no idea what was bothering the dog. Naruto was feeling slightly drunk, but figured that had to do with the blood loss. He wasn't bleeding anymore, though his head throbbed terribly. He watched the light become brighter, too tired to continue talking to the dog, who snoozed quietly.

Kakashi cursed whichever Uchiha brother had thought of the idea of starting a landslide down the easy side of the cliff. Rocks were everywhere, small enough to make walking through them hard, and dodging the still falling ones impossible. His arms were scratched from the time when he had tripped and gone ass over head backwards for a couple metres. His hair was filthy from the gravel he had picked up during the fall.

He was nearly at the top when he heard the low growling of an animal. Alert and on guard, he pulled out a kunai, though he didn't think he'd need it.

He crouched behind a large boulder when the growling became louder. Peeking around the edge, he laughed in relief. A small brown dog was challenging a brave squirrel for the right to the space around the mouth of a small cave. Kakashi stood and shooed the squirrel away. The dog seemed unafraid of him, so he squatted and pet the mutt.

Then, he noticed a small discoloring on the dog's muzzle. It was wet, and dark. Kakashi pulled his finger across it and stared in confusion as he looked at the blood. It could just be animal blood, he reasoned. But it could also be the Naruto's. He looked at the dog.

“Is there anyone else here?” he asked, not expecting an answer. The dog whined, but didn't move.

“Sensei, that better be you,” a voice said from far away. Kakashi looked around, but couldn't find the source. “I don't think I could handle seeing Sasuke's ugly mug again.”