Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

Summary: They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series as well. Warnings: violence, cross-dressing, swearing, silliness, torture, implied drug use.

A/N: I ended up re-writing the last part and I feel satisfied with it now, but please forgive errors, I was a little rushed. I want to get to Itachi because he is supposed to be the other main character… Oh and the fic does get lighter, I promise! In fact, it's a little fluffy at the end of this chapter, and Harry's kidnapping did have a purpose—I'm not just being mean for no reason! Finally, a lot of you are worried and I tried to imply last chapter that there will be no non-con! None whatsoever! The adults get their suggestive moments—as seen by Jiraiya—and the kids are going to have at the most hand holding and chaste kissing. I do have pairings decided, though it's a very minor part of the story and they won't come into play for many, many chapters; but feel free to guess. Anyways, thank you to all who reviewed, put this on alert or favorite. Enjoy! ~ much love, depressedchildren

Key:

text is text

levi corpus a known spell, usually a perversion of a Latin phrase

"Dialogue" the opposite language of the world they are in

Chapitre Onze:

James shot up from his seat. Ibiki regarded the older man in confusion as he left his room…with a prisoner still in there. Groaning, Ibiki moved out of the observation room and entered the interrogation room, composed. All the while he wondered what the hell had gotten into the deer masked ANBU.

James had to hurry. He didn't care it was late, he didn't care that most normal human beings were fast asleep due to their heavy drinking earlier in the day. He just did not care, thus he made a bee line for the Hokage's home and ignored the now alert ANBU around him.

"Hokage-sama, he didn't defect!" the old man and his wife sprang up from their beds, both nearly having heart attacks. "He's sending out a distress signal, I can feel it!"

"What in the name of Konoha—"

James hastily cut the Hokage off, "He must be in chakra absorbing chains, or suppressing chains, maybe both!" the twenty-eight-year old's mind was racing, "But he's figured out how to flare his ma-other energy," Sarutobi's eyes widened in sudden understanding.

"Do you know the coordinates? Can you talk to him?" the Hokage waved his guards down.

"I can talk back but so far I only know the direction the signals are coming from," James heart was pounding in his throat, he was filled with an inexplicable joy.

"And you're certain he's not defecting," the old Hokage was just as anxious as the younger man was.

"If you could feel his fear…" that was the one thing keeping James from losing himself in this sudden high. "He's terrified, and weak,"

"Then we have no time to spare," Sarutobi regarded his guards, one by one, "Get the best assassins in ANBU, we have an operative to save,"

…

Heart pounding in his head, Harry wanted to scream. What were they going to do to him? Why had nobody come? Harry looked around him, the rag he was wearing were whipping about him in some unexplainable wind, his hair wrapped around his arms and neck from the force. He wanted help, he needed help. Anybody, if anybody would just help him!

He kept screaming this thought in his mind, calling, begging for help. He was so afraid. He had been composed up to this point but as the hours crept by his fear had grown—what were they going to do to him that made them so confident. A torrent grew around him as his fear increased and now a cyclone was forming around him. With his eyes screwed shut, Harry realized this was his other energy—the one his father refused to explain.

He was so scared of what they were going to do, he wanted to die rather than betray his country. The eye of the storm grew, causing the vortex to spread outwards toward the walls, cracking the walls.

'I'm coming,' Harry opened his eyes in shock. That felt like his father's wild energy, but it was flaring in Morse code.

'Dad' his energy screamed back, the rapid winds around him refused to falter despite the sudden hope rising in his chest.

'How many?' his father's energy asked back, how many what? Then it clicked. Clenching his eyes closed and forcing his way past the fear, and pain, and delirium, Harry counted the number of ninja in the building.

'Thirty, might be in basement,' Harry coded back, he felt weak now, his head was heavy. No, he had to focus! Brining in the natural energy around him, Harry felt stronger.

"W-What the hell is going on?" that was Ru's voice, the cyclone knocked him back when he tried to enter. No! It couldn't be morning already, it couldn't be!

'Hurry' how long would that violent wind last? Could Harry even sustain it?

…

"I have the coordinates," James's attention kept getting pulled away from the briefing at every slight fluctuation in his son's magic. The fact that he had feel his son's magic in Konoha from the boarders of the country… It only proved how powerful a wizard the boy would be. James was a decent wizard himself, but he had to get much closer to the base before he could even hope for his son to feel his magic flare back.

James redirected his attention back to the assembled ANBU. They were five minutes away from the target building. It was a drug trafficking outpost, which made the father's stomach drop. "Operative Karasu believes there are thirty shinobi in there and that he is being held in the lowest level of the building. We," James was pulled away by the sudden plea which screamed from Harry's magic, 'Hurry,' "We don't have much time. We need to kill them all, they've likely seen Karasu's face and they may have extracted information from him," or they were about to.

The air caught in James's lungs, the magic suddenly lulled, fear still hummed in it but the power behind it was faint. "On second thought, leave a few alive, I want to talk to them," All present ANBU knew exactly what that meant, sever their spines and smash their fingers so they couldn't run. Then…then James would fuck with their minds and take every answer from them he desired.

"Head out,"

…

Harry's head felt fuzzy, everything…it was hard to explain. The boy's head lulled backwards, his green eyes were glazed over and lost, "We'll let him enjoy the first hit, after that…"

What were they saying? The boy was panting, his chest felt funny.

Cold fingers grazed his neck, "Shini, not until we have our answers," what was that?

The eight-year-old's head rolled forward. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the tourniquet being untied from his left arm. He had not felt it since the injection.

"We don't want his arm falling off," Shini defended himself, their footsteps moved away from the clueless boy, the distant sound of a heavy metal door closing drifted to his ears. It sounded so far away.

Shini knew wind techniques and easily made a hole in the cyclone's wall. From there, they huddled in the eye of the storm. Ru quickly prepped the drug while Shini prepared the boy's arm. In no time the child was in a drug induced haze.

…

James was losing him, Harry's signature was growing fainter and fainter, he couldn't sense energies like Minato but he could feel magic, strong magic. Bu now…now the boy's magic was dimming. James mercilessly swept through one mind after another, speeding into the mindscape and alerting his victim to the mental intrusion. But it was too late for them, he slit their throats, stabbed their hearts. In short, he killed their minds, rendering each and every one of his victims a useless vegetable.

The ANBU operatives moved silently, like death. None of them alerted the guards and soon the upper level was cleared. There was only one way down and the guards on the other side were quickly killed, but their presence was now known, by a little girl.

James locked eyes on the girl, and her name floated up. James snarled as anger boiled in his veins. "That's Rai, keep her for interrogation," the other ANBU paled behind their masks, but quickly tackled the running child. They cut her back open, and broke her spinal cord before they crushed her hands. They made sure she could still breathe, but she wouldn't' be running away or making jutsu.

Her screams brought her father out. He injured two men but he was quickly subdued and paralyzed. From there they each took a room, James burst open two before he found the interrogation room, and his blood boiled.

A pale lanky man paused in his actions; he was stooped over a child, caressing the poor thing's face. But now his hand retracted and he backed away. The child weakly rolled its head to the side to face the door, unmistakable green eyes shot straight to James's heart. Those were Lily's eyes; those were his son's eyes. James saw red.

The rest of the ANBU team had dispatched the remaining ninja in the building, and thankfully only a few operatives were injured. Thankfully, those injuries were minor. However the team was currently gathered around the interrogation room, their eyes were wide with morbid fascination. They had never seen James's summons before, but now they were getting quiet the eyeful.

There were three birds swooping and diving around the deer ANBU. Each one's sharp beaks tore at the skin of the unlucky man James was fighting. They had already devoured the man's eyes while James continued to hack at the ninja's body. The large Hawk summons was currently pecking at exposed brain. The man was dead, and his corpse was being mutilated in the blind rage of their captain.

None wanted to know what the corpse had done to invoke such wrath from the ANBU captain, though each one could hazard a guess. Looking at the state of the boy, clearly drugged, broken, and hanging onto life by string; it made sense he would take his rage out on the nearest enemy. But they were only partly right.

"Shika-san," a fellow ANBU captain called, "He's dead, tend to Operative Karasu," James was frozen, panting over the monstrous, but now dead, man.

"I'll take him home, scout the area and bring the captives back," the other operatives nodded, delegating tasks and leaving the father and son alone. Well…not completely alone, there were two ANBU standing outside the room and keeping watch.

James sent his summons away, and practically crawled toward his son. He took off his blood splattered mask, despite protocol. He wanted to see his son better, and he wanted Harry to see him. He raised the child's head up, and watched those hazy, dilated, green eyes try to focus on him.

"D-daddy?" his voice was broken, hoarse from screaming and his words were slurred. James just nodded and gently cupped is son's bruised and bloody face. Harry hadn't called him that since he started teaching him legilimency and occlumency.

"I feel weird," Harry mumbled. His breathing was shallow and his mind uncomprehending.

"I know," James whispered, before snapping himself out of his current trance. He grabbed the old emergency potion's kit from his "bottomless bag." He was never happier that Lily spent two days putting a preserving charm on the kit.

With shaking hands, James pulled out a bottle of Skele-Gro. Though Harry did not need to regrow bones—and nails were made of the same thing as hair—the potion did help to repair broken bones when diluted correctly. James quickly set his son's limbs in the correct order. He looked around him before he began mumbling spell after spell to keep the limbs from moving and thus defeating the whole point behind this. Harry was too high to notice the stick in James's hand, which only made the father want to hack up the body in corner more. Once done setting the bones, he stowed his wand up his sleeve.

Trembling, he brought a beaker of the diluted smoking liquid to his son's chapped and bleeding lips, "You need to drink this, it will help you heal." Harry just nodded, and sipped at the potion. He didn't even gag or cough it up; perhaps he was too numb to feel the burning which accompanied the administration of the potion?

James quickly screwed the cap back on the Skele-gro before he pulled out a nutrient potion. They had given the boy the bare minimum when it came to IV drips, and with the stress on the boy's body… Harry obediently swallowed potion after potion. When he was through, Harry had taken more potions than James would have ever wanted him to take in one sitting. Harry had several doses of a blood replenishing potion, a fever breaking draught, a burn cure, and two neutralizing potions when James realized Harry as having a bad reaction to one of the blood replenishing potions he used. He was pumped full of unnatural mixtures, the majority being of magical origin.

"My mouth feels funny," Harry mumbled as his head slumped forward. When he was released from the accursed chains, thank you Alohamora, he fell against his father's chest. His arms were set in a position and no matter how hard Harry tried he could not shift the angle they were spelled at. Too tired and out of it to care, Harry lost consciousness.

"Thank Merlin," James whispered toward the ceiling in of the interrogation room, the guards poked their heads in at the strange word, who did he thank? "Let's get you home," he whispered softly to the sleeping boy. With an absentminded wave of his concealed wand, every bottle, kit, and bag were in their rightful state. The two ANBU standing watch had their mouths wide open, how did James do that?

With mask set in place and child in his arms, James left the gory room. The two ANBU were dismissed to report in while James made it outside and summoned the boss of his summons. All deities have mercy on the next fool who tries to take Harry away from James.

…

"mmm?" James smiled down at his waking son. The air felt blissful, almost like riding a broom again. "My body feels like splinters," Harry murmured against his father's chest

"That's the medicine working," after a pause, James added, "Does it hurt?" if Harry's face wasn't so swollen, the boy might have furrowed his brow in thought.

"I feel funny,"

"I know," James curled his arms tighter around his son. This was all the more reason why his son needed to be strong, why they both did. Harry was his only thing left in the world, and he wouldn't let anything take that from him, especially not drugs.

"How are we in the sky?" the boy was deadweight against James's chest.

"We're on the bird boss summons," Harry blearily looked below him, all he saw was red and orange, "It's a phoenix, a fire bird," James explained as soon as the question popped into his son's muddled mind.

"Is the hatchling being jostled too much?" James nearly forgot that this summons could talk.

"He's too drugged to feel anything if he was," the bird could feel the underlying hate in her human's voice.

"Drugged?" Harry mumbled before succumbing to sleep yet again. His body was no longer running on adrenaline, thus it was crashing fast.

"It's alright, just sleep," James whispered into his son's ear, "I'll keep your safe,"

…

Ibiki shook his head from his place behind the one way mirror. A little girl, a nine-year-old girl, would be tortured soon. The scared man was just relieved that Yamanaka would extract information first before James went in there.

James was twitching in mixed parts anticipation and agitation beside Ibiki. They refused to let him interrogate the girl. The Council claimed that he might fabricate evidence, using what he read in her mind, in an attempt to save his son from further defector claims. It was infuriating but that was how the Council wanted to play.

James's eyes flashed in a sadistic enjoyment for the mind tricks he would soon play on little Rai. Why should he make her a vegetable when he could trap her in her own mind? Like the Longbottoms, poor sweet and simple Longbottoms! Rai would end up just like them.

A dark rumbling began at the back of his throat, which sent shivers down Ibiki's spine. He did not want to know what the ANBU had thought of or what expression lurked behind his porcelain mask.

A man in his late twenties with pale blonde hair entered the room where a pale and fearful girl sat strapped to a chair. Why she was strapped the man was not sure, it was not as if she could run away. He pitied the girl, and he would pity her more if what the evidence they retrieved from that building was true.

Clearing his mind, the head of the Yamanaka clan prepared himself for his following technique.

…

Harry blinked his eyes open, the sneaking light from under the window curtains made the room feel too bright. His head was reeling from the brightness and there was a strange pounding at the back of his mind. He was very confused at the moment, for he did not recall there being real light in the interrogation room, just a harsh electrical synthesis.

Now that he thought about it, he did not recall ever laying in a bed while he was in that drug trafficking center. In fact, he never felt this warm or safe while he had been there. Forcing himself to open his eyes fully, he found himself in a bleached white room with a bowl of fruit resting on the bedside table.

Hospital.

He was in a hospital.

How had he gotten here? He really did not remember much after they stuck him with that needle. Everything was gray and vague. But he could have sworn he saw his father in blood splattered clothes. … Then again, he also remembered flying through the air on a giant red bird, which was impossible, right? If shinobi could fly it would be horribly taken advantage of.

His head felt like it was split open and every little sound was like a yell, even the muffled voices on the other side of the door. He also felt really weird. His chest was itching, along with his neck, and it felt too warm in the hospital! The shouting whispers outside his door were getting louder, and Harry just knew it was Rai or Shini coming back to torture him. He couldn't breathe as he watched the door handle turn slowly. His chest was constricted painfully and he felt horribly sick.

A blind panic consumed him and he began to thrash about, but he soon realized that his limbs would not change from the position he awoke with them in.

There was some ninja, whom Harry did not recognize, walking into the room. He had a syringe in his hand. The panic mounted, Shini and Ru must have sent someone else! A pitiful and fearful scream bubbled up from Harry's throat and hung in the air. The ninja paused in his advance.

"It's just a sedative. Operative Karasu, you're having a panic attack, which is perfectly normal considering the situation from which you just came,"

The medic's words did not placate the raven haired child, if his wide green eyes, which watched the syringe with fear and distrust, were anything to go off.

"So be it, but try to calm down your breathing, Operative," the medic turned and left the still panicked child.

…

James laughed as he watched the poor little girl wander lost in her own mind. She found one exit and began to pound against the surface of her mind. When no entrance appeared, she sobbed for mercy, for forgiveness. Within the next hour she would be forever stuck in her mind.

James leaned against one of the walls in Rai's mind while he began to leisurely peruse her memories. She was already found guilty; she already confirmed what the tapes, which they found in the observation room next to the interrogation room, screamed. Harry's name had been cleared, and there were very few—even on the Council—that still believed him to be a defector.

"I see you got the brat, Rai-chan" James knew that voice! Glaring at the memory before him, he noticed a familiar bear mask.

"Yes Kuma-san. Soon Konoha will fall!" B-but Kuma had memories supporting his story! As James continued to watch the memory he witnessed the man turn his back to her and let her sneak up on him to incapacitate him.

James's whole body burned with a fierce anger, yet he was deadly calm. His whole being was perfectly still, one would have thought him made of stone.

Retracting his mind from the girl's, he left the observation room slowly, not even bothering to answer Ibiki's electronic voice as he yelled at him over the intercom.

He just strolled out of the T & I department and headed for the ANBU headquarters. His mind had shut off, there was nothing, nothing going through his mind but the memory he had just witnessed.

His peers regarded him warily, and soon found themselves moving several meters out of their individual paths to avoid him. There was something very wrong with him, something that unnerved all who beheld him.

Once he made the long walk to the headquarters, James went straight to the rotations schedule and smiled behind his mask when he saw that Kuma was on patrol duty that night.

Focusing on the image of the Hokage's office, James apparated into the room and bowed slowly.

There was a Councilmember in the room but James ignored the elderly person's presence in favor of the Hokage.

"Operative Kuma was in on the kidnapping, I have the memory from Rai, right here," he tapped his temple, his voice was more dead than usual. "My son needn't have gone through all of that if I had interrogated Operative Kuma properly," a choking sound broke from the wizard's mouth. Soon more choked sounds came forth until it became clear that the noise was mirthless and crazed laughter bubbling out of the ANBU operative.

The Hokage nodded grimly, his hand touching a file on his desk. He wondered how long until James discovered this, at least the man came to him first before seeking out Kuma…

The man was too far gone in his laughter to have noticed the Hokage's lack of surprise. One might liken James to Bellatrix Lestrange, the way he was cackling. James threw his head back as his laughter increased. His whole body shook and if not for his mask, one would have seen a maddened glint in his lifeless brown eyes.

If he had just gone with his instincts and interrogated that damn bear ANBU, Harry would not have…would not have been subjected to torture, drugs and Merlin knew what else! Oh Merlin, what if that man had done something to Harry, something all kunoichi were at risk of having done to them.

James felt as if he would be sick, but he could not stop laughing, even as bile crawled up his throat.

"I'm going to" James gasped out between bouts of hysterical laughter, "Kill Kuma!"

The old Hokage saw this coming, and he could see the conflict clearly through the way the young wizard's body tensed and shook. Before James could apparate off, Sarutobi quickly sent him into a deep sleep thanks to a powerful genjutsu. The dignified ANBU operative keeled backwards with one last laugh on his lips before lying motionless and silent on the carpeted floor.

Waving in an ANBU operative on standby, the Hokage gave his orders, "Send Operative Kuma to Ibiki for an interrogation assessment. However, make sure Mitarashi Anko is present, she is to show Operative Kuma exactly what traitors get."

The ANBU operative bowed before leaving to complete his orders, James lay forgotten on the floor next to a shocked Councilmember.

"What is Konoha coming to?" the elderly Councilman asked in a shaky voice as he regarded the Hokage with large eyes.

"I'm not sure but all will be well soon," the eldest Sarutobi sighed tiredly and rubbed his face. Perhaps he should call another ANBU operative to take James to the hospital, or the psych evaluation center. Recalling the maddened laughter which had erupted from the stoic wizard, Sarutobi opted for the latter option. He'd make sure James got to see Kuma get his just deserts, and perhaps then the man wouldn't go on a murderous rampage.

…

He felt so weird, so warm, so… he couldn't think. What was wrong with him?! Screaming and crying in frustration, Harry howled at his restraints. His bones had healed days ago, but since then he had been feeling weird. The strange, indescribable feeling continued to mount. He didn't know what it was, but there was this sort of itch, this burning, this strange wanting.

Whimpering in defeat the young boy slumped into the bed. He didn't understand what he wanted, or what was going on. He couldn't stop shaking either!

While his bones were still fixing themselves, he had a few visits from Naruto and Kakashi. Naruto had been so happy to see Harry and he had gone on and on about what they had done in his absence. The little two-year-old also exclaimed countless times that he loved and missed his big brother. Kakashi just hugged Harry tightly, careful of his mending ribs.

But since the weird feeling began…only James and doctors came to him.

Harry knew now that this was a Konoha hospital; it took a visit from Naruto and Kakashi to see that. However, the doctors still made him wary, and syringes threw him into a panic. He hated doctors, especially now.

"Son…?" Harry turned his head to toward the window; his father was crouched on the ledge.

James's chest constricted at the pitiful and confused green eyes which regarded him blearily. Sweat matted Harry's long hair, and made it stick to his neck and cheeks uncomfortably. James was never so happy for Anko's ruthlessness, for Kuma was responsible for his son's state…

The boy sobbed into his pillow once he broke eye contact, the strange feeling refused to leave him!

James entered the room fully and moved to sit by his son. Harry flinched and curled in on himself as best as he could in his restraints. Frowning behind his mask, James brushed away the sweat soaked locks sticking to his son's face.

"I don't like this!" Harry whined, shaking fearfully with tears slipping down his face.

Swallowing thickly, James removed his mask and placed it on the bedside table. He gave a grim, slight smile. "Just a few more days and it will be like it never happened," there was a strange quiver to James's voice as he gently stroked his son's face, and wiped at his tears.

"Daddy," the fear of this "nameless" affliction was deteriorating Harry's mind to nonsense. "Please!" James clenched his eyes shut and brought his son to his chest. He kissed the top of Harry's head several times, while he began to sway the boy back and forth. Harry continued to plea, uncertain what he was pleading for but pleading none the less.

For hours they were like that, James holding tightly to a sobbing and thrashing eight-year-old while James kissed the top of his head. It was only after Harry passed out from exhaustion, that James let go.

Standing up, James quickly brushed at a strange wetness on his face. He looked away from his son in shame, shame from crying and not being strong for Harry. Breathing deeply to compose his person, James placed his mask back on and left the room via the door.

As soon as the door was closed behind him, Kakashi was before James with a scared Naruto on his hip.

"Not today," James whispered, shaking his head gravely, "He wouldn't want you to see him in such a state and you wouldn't want to see him this way either," Kakashi nodded stiffly, shifting a now crying Naruto.

"I want Nii," the little boy sobbed into his eldest brother's chest.

"In a few more days you will have your "Nii" back," Naruto shrunk back at the tone with which James spoke. The ANBU operative had not meant to sound so harsh or … or rude, but he was annoyed and frustrated. James was frustrated that they would get to see his son every day, while he would only see him for meetings or training. James was jealous that he no longer had his son, that he could no longer witness the boy sleeping peacefully, or see him waking up.

James apparated back to his empty home after saying his piece, from there he was taken by memories; memories of the short time he had in Godric's Hallow. He and Lily would just stand in the nursery doorway and watch Harry sleep; whole nights they would stay like that, reveling in the wonder before them. They created Harry, they made this being together, and it was living. Nothing was more magical or more magnificent.

Then Harry would wake up, sometimes crying but other times he would rub his little eyes with his pudgy fists. James choked on a sob as he thought of all the ways Harry woke up. He had kept up with his and Lily's tradition when he could. He often felt like he was keeping tabs on Harry for her when he did this, but he could no longer watch his son sleep and wake, what with Harry's barriers around his new flat.

James flopped down onto his bed and set his mask on the other side of the bed. Snuggling his face into his pillow he let tears fall and collect on the surface below him.

With a shaking hand, James took out his most precious possession, "Lily, what do I do?" he asked brokenly as he tilted his head away from the pillow to regard his smiling wife. Lily just looked back down at her book, caught in a short film that was on constant repeat.

"He's so afraid and confused, and it's my entire fault," he whispered thickly. Perhaps if he was less distraught he would have spoken English, but in his distress he continued to speak his first language. "If I had just gone with my gut feeling, Harry wouldn't have been tortured or drugged. Some Gryffindor I am," James cried silently into his pillow, Lily's picture was pressed tightly to his bone armor. "I couldn't protect him and he couldn't protect himself," James whispered pitifully.

Would he ever be able to protect his son?

…

Withdrawal. That was what Harry had gone through, at least, according to the medics. They said his captors gave him a very strong and addictive narcotic, one which his young body had readily accepted and wanted more of.

Harry felt so betrayed, betrayed by his own body. How could he trust it to continue to work the way it was supposed to?

The doctors tried to give him different shots, but Harry became panicked every time they came near him with those syringes. How could his body want something from one of those things when his mind screamed that they were danger?

Harry sighed in his bed. The medics had just left with full syringes, for if they had succeeded in administering the concoction, Harry would have been in too much of a panic to be aided by the drugs. James now entered through the doorway. A file was in his hands and a slight frown was in place. For once he did not wear his ANBU garb; perhaps it was his day off?

"Father," Harry addressed with a slight nod.

"Son," James acknowledged while continuing to peruse the file. "You've developed trypanophobia?" it was a statement, to which Harry shrugged.

"That's what the medics were saying," James nodded absentmindedly to his son's deadpan response.

"Karasu," the father sat beside his son, his doe brown eyes taking on a serious edge, rather than their usual dead appearance.

When James did not continue, Harry raised an eyebrow, "Yes, Father?"

"Would you want to forget about what happened?"

Why was his father ask this? The eight-year-old boy's brow furrowed in wonder, while his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Was this a test, a test of his mental strength?

At the lack of response, save for a tightening of the jaw, James continued, "If you could forget anything from that time, would you want to?" still no response, "Any of the torture methods, anything they said, anything that…man might have done to you," James had forced himself to call Harry's torturer a man, and he felt sick. That disgusting thing…he wished Harry would let him in to assess what exactly that man did.

"Why are you asking this?" James could see a wary hope flashing in his son's eyes, but it was as if Harry was afraid to feel that way.

"Because I can take away those memories, and someday you will be able to too, but you cannot tell a soul," James had grasped Harry by the shoulders at this point, and looked him sternly in the eye.

Harry was frozen, but slowly he began to laugh. The laughter was short and raspy, and it screamed of disbelief. But his laughter died as his father continued to look at him with his dead serious expression. "Y-you can take away any memory?" James nodded slowly, keeping his eyes locked on his son's wide green eyes, yet Harry was keeping him out of the boy's mind and he too was keeping Harry out of his mind.

"But you have to let me walk through your memories, or else you could forget much, much more."

Harry's heart skipped a beat at the possibility. He could forget about his body's betrayal! He could forget about how weak he was, "If I wanted to forget about the last week and…and the drug they gave me, could I? Would my body still remember? Would I still be afraid of needles and just not know why?" Harry took a deep breath after he rushed through all of his questions.

"I should be able to, but there is a possibility you will still fear injections. Perhaps the panic would lessen, or you could reason your way out of it without those memories present," James was shocked that his son only wanted to forget about the drug, but nothing else. If James was to hazard a guess, he would assume it had something to do with the lack of control when Harry went through withdrawal and when he was under the drug's effects.

"Oh..." the boy trailed off, looking at his father cautiously, "Okay, please do it," Harry was shaking, caught between the fear of trusting his father with his memories and the inexplicable hope of forgetting what had happened.

"Remember to let me in," James whispered as he pulled out a slender stick from his Jōnin vest. Harry looked at it curiously but worked to let down his mental defenses. "It will feel weird and you may be disoriented when it's over," Harry nodded as he noticed his father begin to wave and twist the stick. "Oblivisci"

James discovered that the charm could become much more selective through the use of legilimency, thus he was able to fish around his son's mind for the memories he was most concerned about. James saw through a foggy veil the skinny man, whom the father had mutilated, gently caressing his son and whispering promises of pain and exclamations of his beauty and strength. At least that bastard did not do anything more than touch his son's face and speak ill, disgusting words.

James took the memories of the moment just following when the two men broke through Harry's magical wind storm to the moment he rescued his son. James made it appear as if, he rescued Harry just at the moment they were about to inject him with the drug. From there James supplemented Harry's memories with his own memories to take away the drug induced fog around the memory, though he was purposefully vague whenever his wand appeared. After doing so, he jumped to the last few weeks in which Harry had gone through withdrawal. James the old memories to suggest he was going through a fever induced delirium which Naruto could have caught.

Feeling that he had covered most of the tracks, he retracted his mind and dispersed the haunting memories his son wished to be gone. He also included his conversation with Harry a few moments ago, thus the child would not remember his father's wand or the incantation James spoke.

The father tucked away his wand and moved to sit in the chair beside the bed. It only took a few minutes for Harry to come back.

Green eyes looked around blearily, as confusion sparked in them. "Good to see you're awake," Harry nodded slowly, his head was still foggy from the spell, though, to the boy it would feel like the lingering traces of fever induced sleep.

"Is my fever gone? Can I see Naruto?" Harry's voice was soft and thick with fatigue.

James stood up and placed the tips of his fingers against his son's scared forehead, "Yes, your fever's down, I suppose he could come in," James's mouth twitched upward at the corners at his son's partial smile.

"Can I get out of bed?"

James laughed curtly as he retracted his hand, "That's up to the medics, but I'll get the little brat," James turned around with his chest feeling lighter than it had in quite some time.

"Thank you, Father," James's smile grew slightly, though his son could not see it.

"You're welcome," with that, James left the room and was greeted by an anxious fifteen-year-old and a hyper two-year-old.

"You can go in, his fever is gone and so will not pass onto Naruto," James's voice had a pointed edge to it, thus implying that Kakashi was not to speak of the drug incident.

As Kakashi entered the room, he mulled over what James had said. Did he do something to make Harry forget? How could he do that?! However, Kakashi's outrage melted when he saw how happy and carefree Harry looked. When they had visited him the few days before he went into withdrawal, he had not seemed this…this good. Perhaps James wasn't as much of a villain as Kakashi had thought.

…

"Happy Belated Birthday," Harry whispered into Naruto's ear. The two-year-old was sleeping on Kakashi's chest when Harry came back from work—Harry was put back on the patrol schedule until they found him a partner.

He had been released from the hospital two days ago, but only after completing a psych evaluation. Considering what he went through, he was better off than most, psychologically speaking and considering other ANBU operatives. Harry still had mini panic attacks around needles, but without a solid reason as to why he should be afraid, he was sometimes able to calm down, other times he was given a sedative before given the other shot. A voice at the back of his mind told him he was forgetting something, and that there was a very legitimate reason why should be afraid of injections, but he could not bring up any memory to support that feeling.

The first day out of the hospital he was put through an all-day refresher course, one which made sure he would still be able to fulfill his duties as a Konoha ANBU operative. After being cleared for that, Harry was put back on rotation. His second day was occupied by completing an obstacle course his father had started in the woods behind his house. It was great training, but very short with little variance to it.

When Harry asked why there was even an obstacle course behind the house, his father explained that he needed something to occupy himself with when Harry had been kidnapped, thus he created the obstacle course in a week.

But now Harry had a day with Naruto, and he would start it by making up for missing the toddler's birthday.

"Hmmm?" Naruto turned his head to the side, but refused to raise it from his eldest brother's chest. Cerulean eyes were misty from sleep and a tan brow was furrowed in confusion. "It not birthday," the little toddler murmured before nestling his head into Kakashi's chest.

Kakashi began to laugh, which jostled Naruto around, and thus roused the blonde fully from sleep. Naruto sat up on Kakashi's chest, and glared—more like squinted—down at the silver haired teen.

"Why doed Kaka-nii laugh?" Naruto whined indignantly, his arms were folded over his chest and his cheeks were puffed out.

"Belated means late," Kakashi explained for Harry while the eight-year-old began to withdraw a package from his bone armor, "So he's wishing you a happy late birthday," Naruto's eyes grew wide in brief understanding before his whole face lit up and he launched himself into his big brother's arms.

"Thank you Nii," Naruto exclaimed inarticulately against Harry's neck.

"Of course Naruto, I'm sorry I took so long in coming back," Harry whispered while he moved himself backwards from his crouch to be in a sitting position. The little blonde pulled away with a smile on his face, and happily perched himself on his brother's crossed legs.

"There ared shooting stars and I wish for Nii-san!" Naruto's inarticulate speech made it difficult to catch everything he said, but from what Harry gathered, Naruto's wish came true. It was also strange that the boy conjugated were as he had…was that normal for children? It was the second time he did that… He pushed those thoughts aside.

"Then thank you for wishing for my return," Naruto beamed up at Harry; somehow the toddler knew he did right by wishing on that star.

"So that was what you wished for…?" Kakashi was sitting on his bedroll as he pulled on a shirt and once it was fully on, Kakashi gave a large eye-smile, "I guess that means there is magic in the stars,"

"Just like the four guardians!" Naruto rushed out in his excitement, which only made his sentence barely understandable.

"Speaking of them…" Harry held out the package for the boy to open.

Naruto's face split into an even wider smile and his whole person seemed to glow. Pudgy hands began to work with the paper and tape, but with assistance from his guardians, the boy was able to successfully remove the wrappings.

Practically ripping off the top of the box, Naruto peered down, almost reverently, at the objects contained within. There was a small foldable fan, a wooden kunai, a wooden miniature katana, and a miniature staff. On the hilt of the sword was the character for West, while the staff bore the sign of East. South etched on the handle of the fan, leaving the character North for the fake kunai. The toys were not so small that Naruto could choke on them.

"Thank you Nii!" Naruto exclaimed loudly as he launched himself upwards to hug his brother again, however he cradled the box to his chest like it was a child. "Thank you Nii, thank you," Harry gave a partial smile into the mop of blonde hair tucked under his chin.

"You are welcome, Naruto," Kakashi smiled beneath his mask at the scene, but unfortunately he had been requested for a mission and he had to stick to his training schedule if he wanted to become part of ANBU soon.

Leaving silently through the window, Kakashi made his way toward the Memorial Stone to pay his respects before making his way over to the missions' office. Perhaps he could snag breakfast with Naruto and Harry, but he wanted to give them their moment.

…

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked down at scattered papers on his desk in despair. Shit, was all he could think, and he cursed under his breath.

Rubbing his tired face the old man pulled a blank document forward. As much as he hated to admit it, on paper they were the perfect match. It just pained him to do this to the little crow, but after the kidnapping incident, it would be best if the boy had a partner until he gained more experience.

…

Harry jolted awake. He had been taking a nap with Naruto when he felt a presence entering his barriers. Giving the monkey masked ANBU a hard stare, Harry shifted Naruto into a protective position on his lap.

As always, Naruto was quiet and withdrawn. ANBU scared him, all he could remember were the nights of traveling in his Nii's arms with that mean cat mask staring at them every waking second. Naruto, though young, could perceive the danger of the situation, and he could feel the hostility radiating off of the ANBU operative. He was afraid of them and no amount of exposure to ANBU operatives would fix that at this moment in the young blonde's life. Of course, his Nii was not scary because he knew it was Harry.

"You are requested at Headquarters," the eight-year-old simply nodded to Saru, but that did not lessen that fact that Harry had inwardly paled.

What was he to do with Naruto? Kakashi was on a mission for a high profile client, and would be away for at least one more day. What was Harry to do with Naruto? If he had a mission, the boy could not have even one ounce of chakra being used for anything other than the mission, so he could not leave the toddler with a clone.

Maybe…maybe the Hokage could watch Naruto for a little while?

Nervously, the eight-year-old rounded up Naruto's myth book and his Kyuubi toy. Naruto was oblivious of his big brother's inner turmoil and so prattled on about what "the Headquarters" must be like.

"…an' there's super cool kunai an' a-a-a" the blonde made a rather wild gesture with his arms to symbolize either an eruption or a fountain, Harry inferred the latter. "a thing with ramen! Oh, an' there's toads ever-where, an' little Kyu's an' Bunbuns…"

Harry just nodded his head as the blonde continued to talk himself blue. However, with his ANBU clothes on and Naruto's things in hand, Harry picked the blonde back up and began to Hiraishin to the Hokage's office.

Naruto stopped talking during the strange technique which took his breath away at each use. He became dizzy from the new environments he would find himself in for less than the blink of an eye. Naruto just held on tightly to his big brother, for he had been with him during this technique on several previous occasions, it was just hard to get used to.

"Ah, Karasu-kun, Naruto-kun" the Sandaime did not seem the least bit surprised at the blonde and raven's appearance. "I can watch Naruto while you and Kakashi are away on missions," if only the old man knew what those words would cause.

With a thankful smile, Harry set the two-year-old down with his toys, "Naruto, Hokage-sama will be watching you. You must behave and let him get his work done. Kakashi-san should be back soon, okay?" Naruto nodded slowly, his blue eyes darkened in understanding.

"Nii-san leaving?!" the toddler's bottom lip began to tremble and Harry knelt down beside him and set his hands gently against Naruto's shoulders.

"Naruto, it shouldn't be for very long, but I have to go be a ninja right now, okay? I have to go protect Konoha, which in turn will protect you," the words sunk in and the blonde's expression fell into a sad frown of understanding.

"Okay, Nii-san, go be super cool ninja," the little blonde looked up through his bangs at Harry and he gave a supportive expression.

"Thank you Naruto, I will," ruffling Naruto's hair affectionately, Harry turned to bow to the Hokage before using the Hiraishin to get to the ANBU headquarters.

Upon his arrival, he was greeted by the head of the ANBU department. In the senior most ANBU operative's hand was a case file, which he handed to the boy. Not all ANBU missions were given out by the Hokage, though he did decide which missions would go to which operatives, especially if they were high profile. The head of ANBU gave out other missions and assigned patrol rotations—in a way, he supplemented and aided the Hokage in assigning missions.

"Operative Karasu, you will be accompanying Operative Shika on a reconnaissance mission on the boarders of Konoha. There are reports speculating that there are drug trafficking centers out there. You are to verify whether that is the case and report back with information on their next shipments, if there are indeed drug trafficking outposts," Harry bowed as he was dismissed to meet his "team-mate".

It took the child a matter of seconds to extract all of the important information from the case file, meaning he needed to hurry home and grab a few things for the trip. Since they would be close to potentially hostile borders, it was understandable why ANBU were assigned this mission; he just wished he had a different partner.

…

Harry had just finished packing when he felt his father's presence at the living room window. Reinforcing his mental shields, the boy left his room to greet his new partner.

"Father,"

"Son," James's brown eyes took in the small storage scroll his son was pocketing with a critical edge. "Did you pack a blanket, extra weapons, and provisions?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," the two continued to stare at each other, neither yet daring to really move.

"Have you read the—?" Harry cut his father off, and matched his sire's lifeless tone.

"The mission brief, yes," James's jaw muscles tightened slightly, the only sign of his agitation at being interrupted. Harry then rattled off the information in the briefing, "Sato, possible ring leader who travels between ten Konoha outposts regularly. He is notorious in the narcotics ring. The commodity is odorless, has the appearance of crushed jasmine, and it is sold at a premium."

James gave a curt nod of satisfaction. "Very well then," with no more to say, James took off out of the window, and was followed closely by his son.

Harry could only wonder why anyone would place him on a team with his father? It was bound to end in disaster!

…

As might be expected, reaching the potential drug outposts was made into a training exercise. Harry was to keep up with his father, which was becoming much simpler as time went on, but he had to answer any and all questions his father asked while having his mind invaded. How his father could run, focus on the environment around them, and invade Harry's mind at the same time, was beyond the eight-year-old. Harry consistently stumbled on roots or ran into trees while trying to keep his father out of his mind.

"You have to be able to bear your mind without thinking, even communicate mentally without leaving your surroundings. It will be crucial to our teamwork if we can communicate without losing sight of our surroundings,"

Harry nodded curtly as he brushed off foliage and dirt from his pants after falling yet again. He understood what his father was asking for, and the man had obviously gone through what he was now doing with Harry, so he knew how difficult a task he was asking…but Harry was still left wondering if his father understood just how difficult it was. If he completely dropped his mental walls his mind went everywhere, and then there was the difficult part of being in the present while letting his mind stretch outwards.

"Again," James stated curtly, "we're nearly to the first outpost," giving an inaudible sigh, Harry prepared his mind while trying to keep half of his mind in the present. The boy doubted he'd ever be able to accomplish this.

…

Mentally exhausted, Harry came up beside his father at the first outpost. Practically melting into the shadows, the two split off to opposite sides of the small town. Unseen, unheard, and not sensed, they slinked around the poor village. They slipped into people's minds like smoke seeping through cracks in a building, and they quickly searched for memories of Sato, their target. One after another, Harry turned up unsuccessful. James was having little luck too.

By nightfall they found no evidence that their target had set foot into this village. Thus they began searching store rooms to see if shipments might have been docked in the village before being sent onto the next stop.

Like wraiths they weaved through stacks of crates, silently opening them to reveal what their labels claimed there to be. When morning broke they left for the next outpost, but James ordered a summon to watch the little village for Sato, just in case he appeared after they had left.

No one in that village had been aware of their presence, and so it went for a full week. James would wear his son's mind down as they traveled from impoverished village to impoverished village. This was all in the hope that they might be able to communicate mentally future battle strategies without being pulled from the present.

As they were nearing the north-eastern boarder of Konoha, they had their first lead. Sato had been in the outpost three days before, and had taken a shipment with him. That night, the two ANBU sneaked inside the well-guarded warehouse to take inventory of the merchandise, even copying shipment logs. As they slipped away from the building through the use of a cloaking jutsu and the shadows, James summoned another summon to take their report back to the village. At least that way another ANBU group could stop the shipments from getting out.

From there, the two raced to overtake their target, for once James did not try to invade his son's mind. Moving along the border, they came to yet another outpost which had never heard of Sato. James sent Harry on as he continued to survey the current village. Perhaps they missed something?

Harry gave a sigh of relief as he raced through the trees toward the next outpost. He was amazed how relieved he felt at the moment. From the very beginning of the mission, Harry was on edge, he felt like he needed to watch his back. Harry wouldn't put it past his father to let an enemy slip through his guard and head for Harry if only to teach the boy some "practical" lesson. Though that was an absurd notion for his father was almost overly protective of him. Harry shook his head, the fact of the matter was that he simply did not trust his father, not really. He knew his father would protect him until his last breath but…but he didn't trust him with his mind, his feelings, his fears, and that spilled over into not trusting him to protect him in a fight—as irrational as it was.

Harry sighed as he closed his eyes briefly while jumping confidently from one tree limb to the next. In the momentary darkness he could see a flash of chakra a few kilometers ahead, one which had the underlying sense of Konoha. Furrowing his brow, Harry began to run without chakra. The tacking of his sandals against the tree bark blended in with the night noises of the forest.

After four or so minutes of running, he was practically on top of the chakra source.

Peering down through the foliage, Harry was surprised by what he found. Sato! Sato was walking unhurriedly below Harry. What was he supposed to do? It was just a recon mission, he wasn't supposed to act just observe.

Without much thought, Harry kept a few paces back from his target and in the shadow of the trees. The boy timed his footfalls with his targets, just in case the slight tap of his shoes could be heard by the drug dealer below him.

The young ANBU took everything in about Sato: the man's raggedy appearance, his strong jaw, narrow lips, thin nose, and the man's cold and glittering black eyes. He noted the man's slight favor for his right leg, perhaps it was a habit from a past injury to his left leg?

Harry did not invade the man's mind, lest he make his presence known. Though the boy sorely wished he could keeping moving while letting his mind enter another's. What a valuable skill his father was trying to teach him!

The eight-year-old shocked his young self by wishing for his father's presence. James would surely know what to do, but how was Harry to communicate without alerting Sato? If he made a clone, there was a chance the smoke and chakra expulsion would be seen or felt…

Harry suddenly remembered when he had been panicked just before his father rescued him, he had flared that second energy. What if Harry did that now? It took him a moment to bring forth the second energy, which caused the air to pick up around him; but other than a cursory look, Sato paid it no mind.

Quickly the boy flared the second energy in Morse, which thankfully did not show in the wind around him. "Found target," he coded in his energy.

James paused in his jump from one shadowed roof to another at the flare of magic. Summoning another summon, James wrote down the coordinates his son's magic was coming from and gave it to the bird. "Bring that to the ANBU headquarters," the bird inclined its head slightly before speeding off for Konoha.

James shifted in his crouched position toward the direction his son's magic was coming from. "I'm coming" he flared back, as he began to follow the steady flow of magic fifteen kilometers away.

Harry exhaled slowly in slight relief. He had no idea what to do in this situation, for he had only joined ANBU a few months ago, he had no experience with these types of missions. Harry he kept his second energy flowing slightly to help his father track him down.

The wind whistled past him, thus wrapping his hair around his neck and arms. The target paused mid-step from the gust of air. His arms circled around him and Sato pulled his jacket tighter about him. After all, it was fall, and the wind during these months could be bitterly cold, even in Fire Country. The man had no reason to believe someone was causing the wind, and Harry himself was also unsure whether that gust had been him, nature, or a combination of the two.

Harry closed his eyes briefly to gauge how far back his father was. He was at least ten kilometers. Opening his eyes, Harry could see their target still thrum with chakra, and as he continued to follow Sato the brightness dulled but the boy could still see his chakra. He was getting better and better at seeing energies. Every day and in every way, getting better and better, or so he hoped that was the case.

His sensing had improved over the years, and he was beginning to find ways of training this ability effectively and efficiently. His seals were becoming stronger and easier to use when he combined his raw energy to them, and he was only able to do that by sensing the energies. In fact, he was finding new ways to mix his energies to create new techniques. His cousin must have been able to do the same, hence why he was so creative with seals.

The eight-year-old was pulled from his reveries by his father's now chakra-less approach. They briefly met gazes and James spoke with his son "we follow him and wait for other operatives to come and take care of him."

Harry was shocked, though he did not outwardly express this fact. His father had communicated with Harry in his mind scape, and the boy had continued to follow their target without falling or revealing his position. Perhaps it was possible to do this, but Harry feared to attempt this again, lest he be unsuccessful. James seemed to be thinking the same thing for he moved to the other side of the target and did not invade his son's mind again for the remainder of the mission.

By the time they reached their next outpost their mission was complete, ANBU were waiting for Sato and quickly dispatched him while rounding up the narcotic shipments. Said shipments were discovered from the logs James sent back to Konoha. It took a quick glance from the head ANBU operative to figure out which outposts were part of the drug dealer's operation.

Relieved, the two ANBU raced back to Konoha…well, they tried to but Harry stumbled often from his father's attempts at holding mental conferences with his son as they traveled back to the village. By the time they stepped through the gates, Harry looked as if he had been attacked by shrubberies.

Harry nodded to his father before closing his eyes and sensing the world around him. James went on to apparate to the Hokage and report in—seeing as it was now early morning and the old man should be in his office.

Harry smiled his partial smile when he recognized Kakashi and Naruto's signatures near the memorial stone. Harry raced off toward them without caring that he was still in his ANBU garb, he wanted to see his family, he need that comfort after a week with his father.

Kakashi was staring at the stone, lost in thought until the blonde in his arms began to squirm, "Nii!" the two-year-old mumbled excitedly, appearing to have just woken from sleep. Kakashi furrowed his brow and looked about until he saw Harry at the edge of the clearing, making his way silently toward them.

"Naruto, how did you know Karasu was there?"

Blue eyes looked up at one cobalt eye in confusion and blinked several times. "I felt Nii," Naruto murmured with his tan brow scrunched up.

"Hmm….?" Harry looked at his two confused family members, and pulled his mask back to look at them better. "What's wrong?"

"Naruto says he felt your approach," green eyes were quick to zero in on the bewildered blue eyes.

"Well, Nii is all 'round home, but we not in home, and I saw Nii," Naruto stated as if this was the most natural thing, though Harry did his best to decipher the boy's quick childish speech.

"He can sense energies too…" Kakashi stated slowly in realization as he turned to look at Harry who was looking back at him. "What is with you Namikaze being able to do that?!" Kakashi asked incredulously.

Naruto giggled at his eldest brother's tone, and clasped his hands together at the comically narrowed right eye. Harry took the toddler from his friend and held the still giggling boy on his hip. "I don't know…" Harry trailed off, his eyes were filled with concern and his brow was furrowed slightly with his thought.

Why was it that they could sense energies yet his father could not for the life of him? Naruto remained oblivious to his guardians' concern and began to prattle on about what he wanted to do that day.

What should they do with this new development? Should they begin teaching Naruto how to harness this ability? Should they let the skill develop on its own? What were the repercussions of Naruto acquiring this gift? How had this even happened?

The makeshift family left for their apartment and breakfast. They decided to put such distressing thoughts off for the time being.

…

Harry coughed up blood. One of his arms was securely wrapped around his cracked ribs. He staggered to his feet to face his opponent but he was gone. Harry closed his eyes for a second, which was long enough to discover his opponent was below him! Swallowing his startled cry, Harry used the hiraishin to perch himself upon a tree. James erupted up from the ground; his lips were quirked upwards in appraisal for his son's thinking. But alas! It was in that brief moment in which they locked eyes that James placed Harry under a genjutsu.

Harry felt blood gurgle past his lips. His father had stabbed him! He hadn't seen him move, but then it dawned on Harry, he was made to believe his father was still smiling at him, when he was actually coming at him with a knife.

"Karasu, you must not be deceived by genjutsu, your mind is naturally susceptible to them but our training should be making you aware of their presence," Shika chided his son, as set to work forcing a healing potion down his son's throat. Harry gagged slightly but forced his throat muscles to work the way they ought to. He knew his father wouldn't poison him when he was already bleeding out.

Harry had a fist in his stomach to staunch his hemorrhaging, but James grabbed his wrist and pulled slightly to signify that Harry must let go. Grimacing, Harry pulled his hand out of the wound, and was quickly shocked by the rapidly mending tissues. He looked toward his father who remained stoic.

"What did you give me?" there was no accusation in his words despite the harsh edge.

"It is something which accelerates the body's healing process," James replied vaguely, as he helped his son stand up.

"But that's impossible, how can a liquid act as a jutsu?" James said nothing, but only gestured for his son to move back to the practice felid.

Harry did not like this one bit. How can he trust his father when he would not trust Harry with even the most simple of things? This was supposedly part of their teamwork building, but it felt more like an opportunity for his father to train him relentlessly. Harry had already been admitted into the hospital three times because of sparring; today would have been a fourth had his father not shoved that sickly concoction down his throat. They were between missions at the moment, which for some reason was all the reason James needed to torment his son with training.

When would be their next mission, he needed a reprieve from this!

…

Throughout the winter Harry and James were given work at the T & I department, which was a wonderful change of pace for Harry. During the fall when they would take recon missions, James would train Harry brutally between missions, but now that they were on call almost constantly during the winter, they had lighter trainings on their breaks. By lighter, of course, Harry meant that they did less sparring and more physical and speed training. But with winter passing onto spring more missions came up which suited their skills.

It seemed they would work in T & I for a week before being sent on a reconnaissance mission, after which they would have a week of training before the cycle continued. It was that week of training that Harry received most of his injuries and hospitalizations. Occasionally he would be admitted after completing a mission where on the way back home his father trained his mind too cruelly and the eight-year-old needed time to heal.

But it was thanks to such training that Harry began to understand how to communicate with his father without completely leaving the world around him. He could not do it fully for he did not trust his father with his mind. He just did not feel comfortable with letting his father in. Harry realized quickly, that to have a mental conversation was to open one's mind fully to the other, so that ideas could be expressed smoothly between one another, but Harry could never trust James to not exploit his bared mind.

Thankfully their routine was broken when Harry was sent on a solo mission. The boy was to retrieve a package of great importance from Kiri. Since his father was required at the interrogation building, thus Harry was sent without his partner.

It was a simple journey to Kiri, scenic, and quiet but a great way to test his chakra control while sneaking discreetly across the ocean. This was a hush-hush operation between the two villages, for there were enemies of Kiri who wanted the package and Kiri was entrusting Konoha with its safety. However, Konoha was on more or less neutral terms with Kiri's enemy, hence ANBU took on the mission.

Harry met with a Kiri ANBU operative on a small island outside of the hidden village at the designated meeting point. Harry dropped down beside the other ANBU who was standing in the shadow of rowdy bar. The noise of the patrons would overpower any of their whisperings.

"A clear night," the Kiri-nin stated quietly while one hand flashed through a series of signs Harry had memorized before leaving.

"Yes," Harry replied as he signed back the correct hand signs, "Though Springtime is a fickle season."

"Indeed," the other ANBU operative replied, as he went through a few more hand signs, "A storm may rage or snow may fall…"

"Or a heat wave may spread when the winds die down." Harry finished his necessary signs and felt a scroll be pressed into his hand by the other Kiri operative.

"Yes," the man agreed, "But we are fortunate for a mild spring."

"Indeed," Harry replied easily, "A clear night it is."

Harry could practically feel the other man relax beside him and Harry felt relief flood him. The pass off as successful then—they were both who they were supposed to be. Harry smiled behind his mask before he moved down into a crouch to leave. However, it was at that moment a kunai whizzed at them…and it was sizzling.

Harry and the other ANBU both leapt to the side as the kunai exploded. The patrons inside the bar screamed in terror, perhaps some were even dead. Damn it! He couldn't be seen! Though no one should know Harry was from Konoha, there was always the slim chance that his opponent might know what the Konoha ANBU tattoo looked like, and Harry could not take that chance.

He hurried into a nearby forest and withdrew one of his two long knives that acted as swords due to his height and reach. He flitted through the trees like a shadow and briefly closed his eyes to get a read on where his opponents might be.

He felt six chakra signatures that had the underlying chakra of Iwa, and one chakra that felt like Kiri. So seven against two? No…the Kiri ANBU was already fleeing for Kirigakure. Either that condemned Harry as the sole carrier of the package or it could be assumed that the exchange had been interrupted. Based on the fact that only one of the seven went after the Kiri operative, it could be assumed they were pretty confident Harry had the scroll.

Off of this island, Harry would be exposed and he didn't think he could swim all the way back to the mainland, and he was also horrible with genjustu. Harry stilled in the boughs of some trees. What was he going to do? He still had the scroll in one hand, he had to do something with it…

The boy closed his eyes again and felt around him for the signatures. They were searching the forest now and it might not be long until they found him…

Harry quickly pulled out two storage scrolls. One of the scrolls he sealed the package in, but he used fuinjutsu and his other chakra to ensure that only by his blood and will would open the seal. He stored this scroll in his vest. The other storage scroll he rigged with exploding tags, and put a seal on it to recognize his chakra and thus not trigger the tags should he open. Harry also tucked that scroll into his vest.

He moved up higher into the trees and peered around him. He knew they were close… He closed his eyes again sought out the other energies, and he found one just above him. He could feel the shift in the air as the ninja above him began to throw something. Shooting his eyes open, Harry dived to the side and with his free hand threw a senbon back at his opponent.

Using chakra he stuck to another tree and saw a shadowy figure move out of the way of the senbon. He also heard a peculiar bird call and winced, that was likely their signal. He threw another senbon before having to leap out of the way a stone spike. It was so dark beneath the trees and he little bit of moonlight that filtered through the leaves did little to illuminate the area, but then again, Harry was shinobi of Konoha the village hidden in the leaves.

He smiled slightly behind his mask as he used the hirashin to disappear from his opponent and land in the boughs above him or her. He hid his chakra and watched as the Iwa-nin look around in alarm. Harry saw two more shadowy figures enter the area. He briefly closed his eyes and felt the other three were behind him but still a little ways off. He could take these three out, he hoped.

Harry quickly threw three senbon at one of the shadowy Iwa-nin. The senbon were coated in a poison that weakened his opponents, if they got enough of the poison in their system they would fall unconscious. As long he hit his opponents they'd be out. Immediately after he threw those three he threw three more at other nin before he dropped down behind the Iwa-nin that had initially attacked him. All of these actions took place within the span of a few seconds but these were experienced shinobi.

The boy may not have hit the two shinobi he threw senbon at but he was able to quickly jab the first Iwa-nin in the neck, thus rendering him unconscious. The other shinobi had deduced his trajectory and were now running through hand sighs. It would take them a moment to complete their seals so Harry sheathed his knife and threw four senbon at each of them before throwing two more to either side of the shinobi—should they decide to doge to the side.

Though Harry was proficient with his swords, he did not want to get in close range for there was the chance that they might see his ANBU tattoo and possibly know which country he was from. He really needed to invest in the long sleeved ANBU shirts.

Harry moved to the left as the shinobi dodged to the side to avoid the majority of his senbon, but a few managed to stick. Good! However, the eight-year-old had to quickly flicker out of existence for dodge the incoming earth attacks.

Unfortunately, the boy had not been keeping track of the other three ninja and was quickly blindsided when he had finished his hirashin. Harry flew into a tree after the kick he had been dealt, but he was given no time to recover for when he reached the ground he sank down to his neck before it hardened. He was immobile.

"Don't kill him yet," one voice stated. Harry swallowed thickly. What were they planning? Would they unmask him? Do something else?

"Where's the scroll?" the same voice asked as the shadowed ninja crouched in front of him. Harry remained silent and the voice gave a derisive snort, "Let him up a little but keep his arms in the ground."

Now that the person was so close he could see clearly a blank mask obscuring his opponent's face. Iwa didn't want to be known in this as much as Konoha didn't, it seemed. But that made sense, they were at "peace" after all, and such an incident might entice war. Harry felt the earth shifting as he was raised slightly higher but he still could not move his hands to make seals. He wondered if he could even use the hirashin technique like this?

The opposing ANBU searched his vest and pulled out Harry's different storage scrolls. Thankfully the one that had his supplies had nothing incriminating in it—meaning there was nothing to tie him to Konoha, his gear was standard and could be found anywhere.

He tossed the scrolls to his colleagues while he grabbed Harry's tattooed shoulder. "Hmm…? Is that Konoha's? It looks like a flame." As the man was turning around to look at his colleagues one of the men ANBU operatives opened the rigged seal. Based on the shinobi next to his slow reaction to proceeding blast, Harry deduced both shinobi were the ones he had hit with his senbon.

The other two ANBU had substituted their bodies in time but bits and pieces over the shinobi still hit all of them. The one shinobi caught in the blast radius was thrown back hard into a tree before his body crumpled to the ground unconscious from the collision.

Harry looked wide-eyed in horror as he stared up at the leader of the company. He didn't mean to connect minds but he did and the man was raging in his head. Images flitted past Harry's eyes of the two ninja joking and having fun. The ninja Harry blew up was waving goodbye to some kunoichi and the leader ANBU was joking with him about him settling down… Oh gods, what had Harry done!? But over these images were the man's thoughts screaming how he was going to kill Harry.

Harry forced his walls back up and reeled his mind back into his own. They knew he was Konoha, and they were going to be out for blood now… Harry swallowed back bile as he came to the horrific conclusion that he would have to…he would have to kill them all to keep Konoha from entering another war, and even if he did get away, they would not stop chasing him.

Harry watched, trembling as ANBU in front of him withdrew a kunai. He had to get out…Harry cast his gaze to the side and let his chakra circulate correctly as he willed himself to move to that side via the hirashin. He would have to kill them all… he would have to…

Harry's body flickered out of existence just as the man moved to slit his throat. Harry then unsheathed his swords and struck out while the leader was still in shock. He managed to slash his side before having to dodge another earthen attack courtesy of the two standing Iwa-nin.

Harry quickly twisted around the captain's body and cut into him before he block the attack or substitute himself. The spray of blood hit the eight-year-old in a hot, coppery splatter. Harry used the hirashin again before the two remaining ninja could finish their hand signs. Swallowing his bile, Harry had his arms crossed over his body and he quickly slashed outward, his right-hand knife raked across the shinobi's stomach while his left cut at the ninja's throat. Harry barely dodged the kunai thrown at him, but he didn't dodge the blast of exploding tag attached to it. He was thrown back into a tree from the concussion and almost didn't roll out of the way of the follow earth spike attack.

One of the spikes snagged his leg and left a deep gash but Harry pushed the pain aside and rushed his opponent. He saw the ninja preparing to throw a kunai at him but Harry used the hirashin to move behind the man, at which point he stabbed the shinobi in the back. When the ninja fell off of his knives Harry stayed frozen where he was, panting heavily. He killed… He killed.

There were two more he had to take care of, or could he possibly just take care of the one that lost consciousness from the exploding tag? The other one didn't hear he was Konoha…

Trembling, Harry found his two storage scrolls and picked them up as he came to the unconscious man laying at the base of a scorched tree. He had burns on him. Swallowing, Harry pulled raised his bloody knives and quickly ended the man's life. With shaking limbs, Harry proceeded to pick up his senbon until he came upon the last member of the party.

He should kill him, shouldn't he? That was what his father would do…wasn't it? Harry's hands were trembling too much and his side was beginning to ache from when he was kicked. He could hardly stand any more either, due to the gash on his leg. He just wanted to go home…he wanted to go home. He wanted out of here, he just wanted to see Kakashi, hell he wouldn't mind seeing his father at this point!

With a pop, the boy disappeared from the bloody and blasted forest, and ended up in the backyard of his old home. He was bleeding, crying, and felt horribly sick. His knives fell from his hands as he collapsed to his knees. He threw his mask to the side and began retching. He felt a presence behind him, which caused the boy to throw the kunai in said direction blindly while he continued to sob and be sick. He was just eight, and he had killed so many people…

He began to dry heave, as mucus and tears mixed together and ran down his face. A large warm hand began to rub his back as his heaving lessened. The boy turned around to see his father without his mask. "You disrupted my wards,"

"I…" the boy trailed off sobbing louder, "It smelled so bad, and there were pieces…." The boy fell against his father's chest, and clutched at the vest before him tightly.

James forced his son to look at him before he brought his son into a hug. The first kill… He rocked his son back and forth as he tried to soothe him. "It's okay; it's a rite of passage," the man whispered, "You either kill or be killed," the boy just sobbed louder.

"I feel sick, and…and bad! I'm bad!" Harry began screaming. He knew shinobi had to kill, he knew it was part of their duty, but that didn't make it right, did it?!

"That's remorse, you should feel remorse, I do," the boy looked up at his father, his green eyes were wide, and his bottom lip was trembling. How could his father say that?! Harry never saw him crying or throwing up after missions where he was covered in blood. But what did that matter now, if his father's words were truly hollow, then he would not be able to answer his next question.

"Why?"

"Because it means you're human. You're human if you feel remorse, it makes you good, even if it hurts—it makes it all better," the man whispered, as he placed a hand behind his son's head before resting his cheek atop the boy's raven tresses.

It may have been hours, or it may have been minutes, but eventually the boy's tears subsided, and his shaking ceased. "I still feel… feel bad," the boy whispered against his father's chest. His hands had since loosened from their vice-like grip on the vest.

"Then do something to honor that life," James whispered softly.

"Is that why you plant flowers?" there was a slight twitch at the corner of James's mouth, a sign that he was smiling. Harry always wondered why his father gardened, it seemed so uncharacteristic, but this seemed a likely explanation.

"Perhaps, but what do you want to do to honor that life?" the boy bit his lip in response, at the moment he could think of nothing else but the man he blew to bits from the booby-trapped scroll, and all the people he had cut and stabbed. It was so ugly and destructive; he wanted to create something, something beautiful…

"Can I plant a flower?" James nodded and rose with his son before moving toward the house.

"I'll show you where I keep the seeds."

…

Within a year Harry would have a small beautiful garden growing on the opposite side of the yard from his father's garden. But on the night of his first kill, he planted six seeds to commemorate the Iwa-nin he had killed.

James brought out a trowel and a few bags of seeds; Harry picked lily seeds. James knelt next to his son on the other side of the yard from his flower bed and gently instructed Harry how to plant the seeds. As his son did as he was told the fact that he killed people sank in even more. His shaking lessened, and the tears stopped, but he began to speak numbly as the full reality settle in, "One had someone waiting for him, a precious person. They were people with lives…with friends…"

The boy was honoring the lives he took yet he knew he did something terrible, something he never wanted to tell Naruto about. It was fully hitting home. He was horrible…

James knew how traumatizing it could be killing someone, having done so during his auror training. Not to mention that killing another being tore the soul apart unless one reflected on the death and honored the person's life, Voldemort was a testament to what happened to one when they did not do so... When Harry had planted the seeds and covered them up with dirt, he was helped to his feet.

James guided his still jaded son back to the house. Harry seemed too lost in thought to wash his own hands, thus James stood behind Harry, who was on a stool, and helped clean away the dirt, and blood. His son must have stabbed one of the people he killed, and based on the blood splatters he also sliced into one or two of their arteries. James dropped his head into his son's unruly hair and placed a few kisses. He would go back outside later and retrieve his knives, but for the moment, Harry needed someone.

The acrid scent of burned flesh lingered in the raven tresses, and James could see bits of carnage here and there. Perhaps they were the pieces of the man who died from the explosive decoy. It did not disturb James, he had seen worse; he had come home from missions looking worse. Thanks to Harry's mask, the blood splatter did not mar the eight-year-old's fair skinned face.

James pressed his face once more against his son's scalp, and closed his eyes as he thought of what to do with his catatonic son. His son also had a package to turn into the Hokage before his mission could be deemed complete. Pressing one last kiss, James pulled away to retrieve a towel and dry his son's hands.

"I need you to open that scroll," James stated softly while setting the dry towel down in favor of a wet rag. He then began to gently wipe at the bile and other remnants of sick on his son's face. Harry nodded slowly. His usually vibrant green eyes were a dull sage and unseeing. Harry took the scroll out of his bone armor, and bit his thumb when his father went to rinse the rag of sick.

The scroll appeared in a puff of smoke a milliseconds after he pressed his thumb to the opening of the scroll. James set the rag down to summon one of his birds and ordered it to take to the object to the Hokage with a note that James began to write hurriedly. The crow nodded to its orders and quickly flew with the package and missive to the Hokage's office, it flew high in the clouds to be unnoticed even though it was well into the evening.

James retrieved his medical kit and looked at the openly bleeding gash, he would guess—based on the rock debris in the cut—that it was caused by an earth jutsu. He rinsed and cleaned the gash—Harry barely wincing—before beginning to suture the cut. The fact that Harry was not freaking out at the sight of the needle, which he was marginally less afraid of than shots, was a testament too just how out of it he was. Once he finished with his sutures he began to carefully wrap the wound.

Under any other circumstance, he would have immediately taken his son to the hospital, but Harry did not need doctors at the moment, he needed his father—he needed someone who would understand the emotional pain and trauma he was going through. In the morning he would take Harry to the hospital, but tonight he needed to be emotional support. Killing was an inhuman act, but part of their duty, and an eight-year-old child had killed for his first time. James could only imagine what exactly might be whirling through the boy's mind, and when he did skim over the surface of Harry's mind, it was chaotic and distraught.

James looked up at the boy. Harry was paler than usual, likely from blood loss. James would have to get fluids and sugar in him soon. Judging by the amount of blood accumulated on his clothes, he had not lost too much but it was still a fair amount.

"How about a bath?" Harry nodded dumbly, and was carried to the bathroom.

James turned the bath's tap on before he began to disrobe his jaded son. He was faintly reminded of when he and Lily would give Harry baths as an infant. In an absentminded manner he closed the tap and gently set his son into the warm water. As Harry settled himself in the water as James knelt beside the tub.

"I was eighteen when…when I had to kill someone. My best mate and I drank ourselves into mini comas," James was gingerly pouring water onto his son's head as he spoke, the pieces of human fell into the water below the boy, while said water muddied from the child's days outdoors and reddened from blood. James winced slightly and hoped the wound he had just patched up would be fine until morning, he was no medic…perhaps later he could pull out his potions, but he was beginning to run low and who knew when they would be needed for something more serious. James, like any other ANBU was trained in battlefield, and advanced first aid. He knew the wound was killed and stitched correctly, but he still had his doubts.

"We were in the middle of a war," he continued after a pause, his eyes once more drifting down to Harry's bandaged leg. Perhaps he should have taken the bandages off first?

"Everyone one was," Harry interjected numbly, thinking of the second ninja war. James paused in his motions before he poured more water onto Harry's head.

"I…I didn't grow up here," Harry turned to face his father, his head titled slightly to the side, "Neither did your mother. I would visit Minato during the summers with my parents,"

"Where were you from? Suna?" Inwardly, Harry desperately wished to know, for the Great Toad Sage's words continued to play in his mind behind his barriers. James's mouth twitched upward, while squirted some shampoo into his hands.

"No, there are islands farther out from the mainland. My parents fled there with the first Iwa confrontations, but Aunt Mai fell in love with your uncle," Harry could hear the slight tightness to his father's words, an indication that he was lying. But then again, Harry was supposedly not from this world, and how could James explain that without divulging too much of his well-guarded and feared past?

"We had our own problems, the Bad Man wanted everyone like your mother to…to be wiped off the map," James had just started lathering his son's hair. Harry's still dull emerald eyes looked at James in confusion. "You could think of it like what has been happening in Mizugakure,"

"Mother had a bloodline?" Harry was even more confused now. He only knew of his father's bloodline, and surely he would tell Harry about his mother's abilities.

"No…but it had to do with her blood," James dropped his hands into the muddy water before pulling the plug to drain out the soiled water. "What I'm trying to say," James began while he refilled the tub, "is that I had to kill one of the Bad Man's lackeys. Even though the man did appalling things to people, I felt terrible about what I did, just as you felt. Drinking may not have been the best way to get over it, especially since your mother yelled at me until I thought my head was going to explode," James gave a rather dry laugh before he began to rinse his son's hair out.

"I thought you said you weren't a ninja before we moved to Konoha?" James's mouth twitched at the corners as he raked his hands through Harry's soapy locks. He was half tempted to cut the boy's hair to a suitable length but he refrained.

"You know our second energy?" the boy nodded and perked up slightly, "that island only knew how to use it and they used it to fight," the shampoo was finally out of his son's hair.

"Will you teach me how to use it?" there was a slight shine coming back to Harry's eyes, perhaps talking about these things was helping the boy.

"When you are eleven, your core should be strong enough by then," Harry furrowed his brow while his father pulled him out of the bath and wrapped him in a towel. The eight, almost nine, year-old was going to press the matter but something in the way his father held himself implied that James would speak no further about the second energy.

While James was carrying Harry out of the bathroom, he pulled his wand from his sleeve and waved his it to drain the tub before carry the boy to his bedroom. The boy never noticed the slender piece of wood even as it was stowed back up the man's sleeve.

Harry put his undergarments back on while his father fished out a shirt for the boy to wear; however, everything that Harry left was far too small for him now. With a sigh, James brought one of his own sleeping shirts and pulled it over the boys head. Harry was positively swimming in the shirt, but it would have to do for now. James dared not shrink it lest Harry figure out what exactly that other energy was.

From there, James re-bandaged Harry's leg after cleaning it once more. After words he instructed Harry to sit on the couch in the living room while he busied himself in the kitchen. With the few minutes provided for himself, Harry sorted through his whirling thoughts.

His father had gone through what Harry had, he had felt the same things, but now looking at James…would Harry become as cold as his father? Would he be able to kill someone without batting an eye? And what was all of this with his second energy; what exactly was it? No one on the "mainland" could harness it (unless they were related to Harry and his father), which must mean that is was uniquely a trait from the world Harry originated in. He didn't want to think about this all, it made his head swim, and what about his mother's blood made the Bad Man have to kill her?!

"Son, here," Harry looked up at the steaming mug held out in front of him. Harry accepted the hot drink but sniffed it suspiciously. It smelled sweet; sort of like that dark sweet Hokage-sama gave Naruto once. Chocolate, Harry believed that was its name, usually imported from the southern more tropical areas of the Hidden Countries.

James sat down at the end of the couch, and leaned his back into the juncture where the backrest met the armrest. From there he picked up a now tense Harry, and rested the boy against his chest. "It's called hot chocolate. Another of my good friends from the island made sure we either ate chocolate or drank hot chocolate after a traumatizing experience. He believed it could remedy almost any emotional problem," there was a strange duality to his father's tone. There was an aspect to his father's words that was soft, wistful, even nostalgic, yet at the same time there was a mocking bitterness to his tone. It was like his father could not make up his mind on how to feel about that person's belief in chocolate. Harry only knew that the sweet made Naruto beyond hyper, and thus Kakashi and Harry forbade the eldest Sarutobi from ever giving Naruto another gram of that treat.

"Take sip, it tastes quite good," his father's voice was neutral once more, which strangely relaxed the boy. His father acting emotional was beyond strange, and uncomfortable. Harry still hesitated but took another whiff before trying to discern if this would be another test like when he was a child.

James flinched slightly when he noticed his son checking for poison, he could just imagine what Lily would say to him. Planting a kiss into Harry's hair, James wrapped his free arm tighter around his son. "I did not poison it, I see no point to test your abilities tonight," Harry relaxed slightly at hearing the truth to his father's words.

Tentatively, Harry took a small sip before letting the fluid fall back into the mug. He took a breath to let cool air move over his scalded tongue. There was a slight rumbling against Harry's back, which the boy deduced was his father chuckling.

James leaned over Harry and blew on the surface of his son's hot chocolate. "My parents would always do that for me," James explained slightly, having cast a minor cooling charm through the act of blowing on the drink. He never understood how his hot chocolate or tea became the perfect temperature when his parents blew on it once, until they went over the temperature charms in school. So long as a wand was on hand, one could perform a cooling charm in such a way. "It should be cool enough to drink now," one corner of James's mouth twitched up as he saw his son take another hesitant sip before taking a larger sip.

It was still hot, but not so much that it would hurt Harry, and the drink did taste quite good. But that defied logic, how could one lungful of air blown on the drink cool the steaming liquid to a drinkable temperature. Logically, it would take several puffs of air with stirring to get the drink to cool down even half a degree, and even then, the liquid that was farther down would still be hot. Perhaps it was best not to think on that now; it was making Harry's head spin.

"When I was your age, I would visit your cousin and uncle during the summer. Your uncle taught me some ninja skills, such as wall walking and sneaking. Cousin Minato and I would cause a lot of trouble during the summer," James stated in an apathetic tone before taking a sip from his own hot chocolate.

"Why?" Weren't they afraid of the consequences? Harry could not imagine doing something against what his elders told him, well, unless said elders were the councilmembers or Danzo—but even then, it would be nothing that could cause the village trouble.

"We were bored and had too much energy for simple training to expend. Besides, the pranks we pulled honed our developing skills and gave us real life practice," Harry supposed that made sense, often when he was playing tag with the Gamabunta's boys he felt like it was safe form of training. His endurance and speed increased, along with his hiding and sneaking abilities.

"On the island," Harry heard the lie and mentally changed island to 'the other world', "the two good friends I've mentioned worked with me to prank almost the entire school body,"

"That doesn't seem like you," Harry whispered softly into the mug, all these revelations and thoughts were pushing away the memories of what he had done earlier that evening.

"I was a kid once, I was naïve. I didn't have any duties to protect the island, nor did I have a child to raise," Harry could tell there was something else his father wanted to add, but chose not to. James just pulled Harry closer and dropped his face into his son's hair yet again.

In the silence Harry finished his mug of hot chocolate, but he began to feel the strain of the day's events fully catch up to him. His eyes felt heavy but his mind was still buzzing. His body yearned for sleep but he did not…did not trust his father enough to fall asleep in his presence. Perhaps it was years of surprise training sessions, even during ANBU missions, but Harry did not feel that he could sleep around James.

James pulled his face out of his son's hair, for his eyes were no longer threatening to spill with tears. James felt his mouth twitch slightly when he saw the empty mug, "Would you like more?" he asked while he shifted his son so that his side was leaning against James's chest.

"No thank you," Harry was stiff in his father's loose, one armed hold, which did not escape James's attention. Another thing Lily would have cursed James out for, had she been alive.

"Did you know Minato and I painted the Hokage Mountain?" Harry nodded slightly, shocking James—not that he showed it. "We started at midnight, and by dawn it was finished. It was a great application for wall walking. We also drew on the councilmembers faces one night," Harry's body jerked at the thought, he knew laughter wanted to sprout forth from his mouth, but in his father's presence emotions tended to lead to training, and Harry doubted his body could withstand such treatment.

"There was another time that we snuck into the ANBU headquarters and…"

So the night was passed with James telling Harry stories of the pranks he and Minato had pulled on the citizens and other ninja. He knew from the Hokage that they had done so, but hearing if come from James himself had been something else. It was hard to believe that his father could be carefree and playful, but apparently that was so in his youth before he was tied down by responsibilities. Despite Harry's unease around James, it had been such a nice evening, but as everything good with his father, it did not last.

The next day, after Harry had a medic mend his leg, Harry was put through a slightly improved obstacle course. It seemed his father was bored while he was away on the mission since the outdoor course had expanded slightly. Following the course, Harry was ordered to execute his father's clones, for he mustn't be afraid of killing. Homicide was part of his duty as ANBU.

And Harry learned quickly that to be very true, over the course of the year, for he was assigned mission after mission wherein he needed to kill. These were all solo missions, seeing as he completed his first solo mission better than most would have. But now without a partner, James was resigned to interrogating and the occasional recon mission, which left the twenty-eight-year-old with time on his hands. Thus James began to put more and more effort toward his obstacle course; he even turned his house into training grounds. It was while Harry was gone on a very long mission in Suna that James put expansion charms on the hallways and the various rooms; thus making the rooms larger than the dimensions of the house and all the more dangerous.

What had once been a hastily created obstacle course was quickly becoming a deadly challenge for Harry; one which was slowly filling with genjutsus, and trapdoors. In the absences of his son, James had to find something to occupy him and keep his mind away from his ever-present worries and fears for Harry.

A Suivre

A/N: After this chapter there is only one more plot necessary mission, which is long, and then Itachi should be introduced….should be. I haven't looked at this part of the fic in at least a year, maybe two years. Don't expect a chapter for some time. Also, I hope the action scene wasn't too dull, they really aren't my forte. I hope you enjoyed ~ with love, depressedchildren