A/N: Always wanted to write something with Minato in it. Inspired by Flower Art doujinshi.
Fear. Loathing. Hatred. Condeming eyes followed him everywhere, isolating him. In their view, he was nothing but the demon child. Undeserving of any love, of any care, of any humanity. It's ironic really. How the villagers in their anger, had become worse than the creature they despised. The demon had acted more humane than the humans did, or ever will.
Sighing, the Sandaime leaned back in his chair. It was going to be that time of the year again. Little Naruto would be celebrating his fifth birthday. And like the young one proudly proclaimed, "That's a whole hand!" Unfortunately, there would be no such celebration. Everyone would be grieving on that day. Which is why it pained the old man as he stared into innocent eyes, eyes that were so much like his father's, to tell little Naruto that once again he would have to spend his special day locked up in his apartment. For...Safety reasons.
"Is it because it's my birthday?"
The Sandaime could only smile sadly, ruffle the child's hair, and give him a loving embrace. Noticing with painful clarity how the boy stiffened at the touch. Unaccustomed to it.
The sky had turned dark as storm clouds steadily formed above them. The rumble of thunder was heard indicating a storm was coming. Appropriate really. It would seem the heaven's themselve were weeping for losses of the village. For loss of the loved ones. Nobody thought that heavens were probably weeping for one tiny, insignificant boy. A child who had lost everything in that battle. Everything precious to him before even knowing just how precious. Who knows. The heavens might just be weeping for the boy who would not weep for himself.
Currently, said boy, little Naruto was escorted home by one of Konoha's best Anbu. The Sandaime didn't dare send Naruto home alone. The anniversary of Kyuubi's attack would be tommorow and tensions were running high. The hatred for the demon child filled the air, so much that the Anbu was choking on it. Naruto on the otherhand, being used to it all, merely held on his gaurd's hand tighter. Staring at nothing but the road before him.
Thankfully, the duo arrived safely, albeit with some interuptions such as drunken nin and civilian alike throwing hurtful projectiles at little Naruto. The Anbu caught them all, of course, making sure none would hit the child. Unfortunately before he could turn around and arrest the perpetrators, they were gone. At the very least, as the Anbu opened Naruto's ratty door, the child was home. There was nothing more for him to do but stand guard. Still, as he looked at the miserable expression that the child tried to hide, he felt the need to do something more. Perhaps it was this feeling that compelled his hand to move into his weapon's pouch. He didn't miss how Naruto flinched, thinking maybe that he was going to hit him. Poor kid.
"Happy birthday." the Anbu mumbled, as he offered the boy a tri-pointed kunai.
Little Naruto stared at the knife. "For me?"
"Just take it. It's from sensei."
"Why?"
Why indeed. The Anbu didn't answer and merely pushed the kid inside his home. Gently closing the door, the Anbu felt no sense of danger giving the child the blade. It was dull from so many years of use. It would make a good butter knife and he doubted the kid would be able to use enough force to cut his skin with it. And besides, it belonged to his father. Technically, the kunai was his.
For several minutes, Naruto could only stare at the door. The Anbu had just given him a gift. A gift. A gift! A bubbling sensation welled inside him. No one has ever really given him a gift before. Other than the Sandaime but often his gifts were just outings to Ichiraku. Not that he didn't appreciate but those outings tend to be very short. The Hokage had his duties to fulfill. Naruto uderstood that so he didn't complain. Now, it was different though. A complete and total stranger had given him a gift! That may seem odd to some people but not to Naruto. The little boy's head was filled with possible outcomes of the Anbu wanting to befriend him. They might even get close as to being brothers! Oh, the thought filled Naruto with such gladness that it hurt.
Carefully cradling his present, Naruto journeyed over to his kitchen. He grabbed a clean, newly washed towel and began to slowly polish off the kunai. As he cleared away the dirt and grime, he noticed an odd stain. It lined the edge of the blade and was dark brown, with tiny hints of red. What could it possibly be? In any case, it was a persistent little stain and wouldn't come off. Naruto grunted in frustration.
"Why won't the stain come off?"
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, painting the kitchen a brilliant white. Naruto shielded his eyes, incidentally dropping the kunai. Then realizing, with much shock, that light had not only come from the lightning but from the strange knife as well. Lowering his arms from his face, Naruto inspected from afar his new birthday present. It was still on his grungy kitchen floor where he dropped it, but was emitting a soft glow.
"You can see it?"
A tiny voice echoed in his head. Naruto gave a shriek.
"You can see the stain?"
In his fear and shock, the boy could only nod in response. A sound that could only be a sigh of relief sound in Naruto's mind.
"Thank you Kami-sama. Thank you for letting me watch over my little boy."
Thunder crashed above as a dull thud was heard. Little Naruto had fainted.
For as long as Naruto's memory served him, he was dreadfully afraid of the storms. With storms was darkness, whenever it came, darkness ruled over his tuny abode. And in the absense of light, his worst memories resurfaced. In a way, storms were like the villagers. Like how Mother Nature is an unstoppable force so were the villagers. He was always helpless against their loathing and fear. Like how storms were deadly and terrifying, proving to be fatal in some occasions, so were the villagers in their blind rage and blood lust. They lusted for his life, to be killed just as their precious ones were killed.
Startled from his dreamless nap, Naruto had found himself carefully tucked into bed. Funny, last thing he remembered was collapsing on the kitchen floor. It was probably the kind Anbu again. Maybe he really did want to be friends! The roar of thunder shaking the earth, as well as his apartment, startled Naruto from his hope-filled daydreams. Diving deep under his covers, he cocooned himself with his numerous blankets.
Someone was chuckling. It registered in Naruto's mind shortly after the thunder died away that someone was chuckling. Someone close. Very close.
"Naruto? Are you afraid of storms?"
The voice spoke gently, clearly, lovingly. The same way a parent would to his or her child. It sounded soothing but it only served to startle Naruto, causing him to hide deeper. His cot he called a bed creaked, threatening to break, as someone sat on it's end. Someone was sitting on his bed, and judging from his voice, it wasn't the Anbu. The Anbu's voice was low, almost gruff in a way, this one was light, playful, and smooth.
"It's just a storm. It'll pass."
His covers were lifted. His sanctuary invaded by a pair of stunning, blue eyes and a shock of golden-blonde hair that feel in disarray around his face. A face that was handsome and young, a little pinched as a disarming smile formed on his lips. Naruto eeped. He tried to crawl away but quick, though careful hands, took him from his hiding spot. Naruto began to shout and scream, pleading to let him go, yelling apologies in a desperate attempt to avoid a possible beating. He abruptly stopped, realizing with a start, he was being cradled.
"Now that wasn't so bad was it?"
Naruto looked up at the man who was staring at him with such love that he felt a little unnerved. "Who are you?"
"I'm not important but you can call me your...Guardian angel, that's right, your guardian angel."
"What's a gu-guard-eean ay-ngel?"
"A gaurdian angel is someone who protects you and loves you no matter what."
"Oh...I think I already hvae one of those. He's standing right outside."
The strange man looked outside his scratched up window. "Yeah, I see him. I 'spose he could be your guardian angel."
A streak lightning, a clap of thunder, and the eerie howl of the wind caused Naruto to press up against the man's chest. He didn't exactly trust the man but he wasn;t yelling at him, or throwing stuff at him, or tying to hit him. That was a good sign. Right?
The slight movement in his arms brought the man's attention back on the boy. His eyes softened. "How about a sing you a lullaby?"
A lullaby. He had heard mother's singing those sweet melodies to their children to coax them into slumber. From whar he had heard, they were sweet and slow. Very beautiful too. Secretly one of his dreams was to be sung a lullaby too. And now that he was given a chance...
"Would you really?"
"Yes. So can sleep better and won't be afraud anymore."
"I don't think you can do that Mr. Angel, sir. I'm always going to be afraid of storms."
"Wanna bet?"
A mischeivous glint flickered behind the man's blue orbs before his eyes glazed over, a smile stretched across his face. Bringing the child closer to him, he slowly began to sing.
"Little child, be not afraid. The rain pounds hashly against the glass..."
A shadow fell upon Naruto's window. Through the rain and traces of fog, the boy could not identify it, but it looked scary. He snuggled closer to the man.
"Like an unwanted stranger..."
As the shadow came nearer, Naruto found it was only his Anbu guard. He sighed.
"There is no danger. I am here tonight...
Little child, be not afraid..."
Lighting zipped across the sky in terrifying speeds, thunder quickly in it's heels. Naruto yepled.
"Though thunder explodes and lightning flash
Illuminates..."
The sudden bright light revealed Naruto's tear-stained face. The man tenderly wiped the tears away.
"Your tear-stained face
I am here tonight."
Naruto looked up at the man. This stranger, much like the Anbu, was being so kind. The only difference is, he got the distinct impression he had seen this man before. But where? Yawning, Naruto squirmed, making himself comfortable.
"For someday you'll know, that nature is so
The same rain that draws you near me
Fall on rivers and land, on forests and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you'll see
In the morning..."
The man looked down at the child. His child. His precious, precious little boy. He could still remember just how overjoyed he was at holding his son. His son, in his arms.
"Little child, be not afraid..."
The early evening moon, with it's soft beams of light, was constantly being hidden away by the swirling storm clouds. Plunging Konoha into a solemn darkness.
"Though the storm clouds mask our beloved moon..."
One beam however, managed to break through, shining gently on the pair, sitting in an old rickety cot in a small, messy apartment.
"And it's candle-light beams still kept pleasant dreams
And I am here tonight..."
The nearby tree gave a little shake, one of it's branches tapping harshly against the window, looking very much like a claw or hand.
"Though the wind makes creatures of a our trees, turns the braches to hands, their not real understand..."
Naruto was too sleepy to care.
"And I am here tonight..."
The boy's eyes were slowly sliding to a close, his breaths evening out."
"For someday you'll know, that nature is so
The same rain that draws you near me
Fall on rivers and land, on forests and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you'll see
In the morning..."
The boy was now completely asleep, but the man didn't care. He simply just kept singing.
"For you know, once even I was a
Little child, and I was afraid
But a gentle someone always came, to dry all my tears
Trade sweet sleep for fears, and to give a kiss goodnight
Well, now I am grown, and these years have shown
That rain's a part of how life goes
But it's dark and it's late so I'll hold you and wait
Till you're frightened eyes do close and I'll hope that you know..."
The man paused for a minute, hearing another voice mingle with his. Glancing down, he saw the child, a playful smile on his face, singing along.
"That nature is so
The same rain that draws you near me
Fall on rivers and land, on forests and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you'll see
In the morning, everything's fine in the morning
The rain'll be gone in the morning but..."
"I'll still be her in the morning." "You'll still be here in the morning."
Surprised, the man stared carefully at his son, now truly asleep. The boy had known, or at least hoped, that he would still be here in the morning. Well, who was he to crush a little child's dreams? He'll be here in the morning, and the morning after that, and every morning after. That was a promise.
"I'm sorry Naruto. For leaving you alone for so long. But I'll make it up to you."
"Sensei...?"
Without even turning to look, the man chuckled as he set Naruto down on his bed. "Yes, Kakashi...It's me."
"How?"
This time the man really did turn around. Fully attired in his usual white cloak with flames lining the bottom and standard jounin uniform, Namikaze Minato, former Yondaime of Konohagakure, didn't look a day older than the day he died.
"Kakashi, if you can. Please look after my son."
Kakashi, dressed in a sleek Anbu uniform, was now maskless. He stared at his teacher in shock.
"Well can you?"
"Ah, yes. Yes I will. But Sensei-!"
"I don't know if I told you this enough, Kakashi, but I was very proud of you. Seeing you grow and become the man that you are now. I am very proud of you."
Kakashi was speechless. He was so happy, in a way that felt to satisfying and yet at the same time so sad.
"Aww, don't look at me like that Kakashi. This is not good-bye."
A glimmer of hope bloomed in Kakashi's heart, as foolish as it may seem, but the chance that his sensei, someone he looked up to like a father, would be able to come back was too tempting.
"I will always be watching over my son. I'll always be by his side, that's why I shall never leave."
For one dismal moment, Kakashi felt jealousy rearing it's ugly head, but then it passed as his sensei's ethereal form bathed in a heavenly glow, began to disappear. "Sensei-!"
"It's not goodbye Kakashi. And no worries. I'll look after you too. After all, your like a son to me."
"S-Sensei..."
"By the way, Obito says hi."
And with that, the ghostly form of the Fourth Hokage vanished without a trace.
The next morning, Naruto woke up alone in his bed. Remembering the man, looked wildly around. He wasn't there. Had it all just been a dream? No, no, no! It can't be! He promised! Bursting into tears, the child wept and wept and wept.
"Oi! What are you crying about?"
Looking up, Naruto saw his Anbu guard oerched atop his window sill. His guard was taking off his mask, someting had never seen an Anbu do before.
"I had this really nice dream about a man. He was so nice and caring. Like he actually l-loved me or something." Naruto mumbled.
"Chances are kid. He's probably still here. You probably just haven't looked hard enough."
As if to confirm that statement, Naruto felt a comforting hand upon his shoulder. It was the same caring aura, enveloping him just like when he was being cradled. The Anbu was right, the man had kept his promise.
"Anyways kiddo. You dropped this." The unmasked Anbu, who turned out to be a silver-haired nin who wore another black mask covering half his face and whose headband covered one eye, stated. He held up the tri-pointed kunai.
"My kunai!"
"Be careful with that kid. It's a precious artifact."
Naruto smiled, brightly and cheerfully. "I will!"
"I'm Hatake Kakashi by the way. But...You can call me nii-san or something, even Kakashi is fine."
"'Kay nii-san! My name is Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. Pleasure to meet you!"
Ruffling his hair fondly, Kakashi smiled at his new little brother. "Happy Birthday otouto."
A soft breeze, carrying with it a faint flowery scent as well as the familiar scent of his 'guardian angel', whispered softly in his ear.
"Happy Birthday, son."
The sun was shining once again, the birds were singing, and the sky was the bluest Naruto had ever seen it. The storm had passed, and although there were still many storms to come, he wasn't afraid anymore. He wasn't alone anymore.
"This is my best birthday ever!"
A/N: Check out the video link in my profile. It shows you this really sweet video where I got my inspiration.