(a Kakashi x Naruto request)
“But I just don’t understand why you won’t let us see your face,” the blond ninja whined.
“When you can either take my mask off yourself, or prove that it’s your business, then you can see my face. Otherwise, Naruto, my mask stays on,” the ninja replied sternly.
Naruto had become more insistent on getting Kakashi’s mask off, even going so far as to ambush him with shadow clones when Kakashi was at the bookstore. After that incident Kakashi took Naruto to get ramen at the young ninja’s favorite restaurant, where they sat now. Naruto had spent a good portion of their fifteen minute lunch trying to get Kakashi to take off his mask, even using please and thank you. Kakashi had called the obnoxious ninja out on this in mock surprise that Naruto even had manners. His point was assisted by Naruto’s next sentence, spoken around a mouthful of food.
“But you get to see our faces, why can't we see yours?”
“Because I am the sensei and I have been wearing this mask for longer than you've been a ninja.”
“But that’s not fair!” Naruto whined.
“Naruto!” Kakashi’s voice was unusually harsh with the young ninja, “That’s enough. I told you what needed to happen to get my mask off, try listening to me for once,” Kakashi dropped the money for the meal on the counter and left.
Naruto sat looking down into his empty ramen bowl. Take it off myself or prove it’s my business… hmmm… The blond stood and left the ramen shop, heading towards his home. Reaching his apartment he discovered that a whole wall was missing.
“What?” the blond’s voice was even louder than usual, making the bystanders wince.
“Hey, Naruto,” Kiba grinned was facing Naruto and looked over his shoulder at what the blond ninja was staring at, “Oh yeah, sorry about that. Me and Akamaru were wrestling and we got a little carried away and well… that happened…” Akamaru gave a short bark, agreeing with Kiba.
Naruto slowly turned his head to look at the two that had caused this destruction.
- - - - - -
Leaving Kiba and Akamaru with black eyes and bloodied noses, Naruto threw what was salvageable from his room into a bag and set off towards Kakashi’s house. Minute later he was knocking on the door.
“Yes who- Naruto, I really don’t want to deal with… why do you have a bag packed?” Kakashi looked over his new book at Naruto.
“Well you see I got home from the ramen shop and half of my apartment had disappeared. It turned out that Kiba and Akamaru blew it up. Anyways, Sasuke wouldn’t let me stay at his house, and Sakura’s a girl, so I figured you might let me stay at your house,” Naruto smiled broadly at the older Ninja.
Kakashi sighed and moved out of Naruto’s way to let him in the house. Of all the days to have this happen… He shook his head and set his book down on a nearby bookshelf.
“You know where the kitchen is, the living room, the bedroom. You sleep on the living room floor. Ok?” he gave a fake smile over his shoulder at Naruto. The blond ninja scowled in response.
“How long will you be staying?”
“They said the repairs could take a month or more…” Naruto frowned. He appeared to be thinking. A shocker that one. Truly thinking. A rare instance for Naruto. Sure enough the younger ninja shook his head and threw his bag onto one of the two chairs in the living room.
“Hmmm….” Kakashi frowned.
“Hey, sensei?”
“Yes, Naruto?” the older ninja asked, curiosity in his voice at Naruto’s unexpectedly sheepish tone. He turned to face his student and saw Naruto looking at the floor, kicking a shoe against it lightly.
“About your mask… I’m sorry I was so rude and all,” the boy looked up at Kakashi, “Forgive me?”
Kakashi was surprised at the sudden apology. Getting apologies from the ninja was usually like pulling teeth and now, suddenly, Naruto decides that apologizing is actually important? The older ninja smiled.
“Of course I forgive you, Naruto. But you’re still sleeping on the floor.”
“That’s ok, the floor’s comfortable here,” the boy smiled at Kakashi.
He’s almost as tall as me now… Kakashi thought, when did that happen? He smiled back at his student. And he’s gotten rather like his father… and cute too… No. Bad Kakashi. Go read your book.
He turned and picked his book back up, then went to the empty chair and sat to read.
- - - - - -
In the middle of the night Kakashi woke up to hear Naruto whimpering in the living room. He sighed, rubbed his eyes and sat up. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, the ninja stood and walked to his bedroom door. Walking into the living room he spotted Naruto, his student was curled on the floor, a blanket draped over him and using his bag as a pillow.
“Naruto?” Kakashi knelt next to the boy.
The fox must be giving him nightmares, Kakashi thought. He rubbed his hand on the boys back and jumped slightly when the boy rolled to face him, growling.
“Naruto, it’s me. You were having a bad dream.”
“Kakashi?” the boys face slowly began to clear as recognition dawned on it. It was then that both of the ninjas noticed that Naruto had grabbed Kakashi’s hand and dug his nails in. Kakashi was bleeding.
“Wha- sensei you’re bleeding!” Naruto let go of his mentor’s hand and crawled backwards, eyes fixed on the blood.
“Small price to pay,” Kakashi shrugged. He was watching Naruto carefully. “Naruto, come here,” Kakashi pat the floor next to himself and sat down, crossing his legs.
Naruto obeyed, crawling to Kakashi. Without warning the younger ninja grabbed Kakashi’s shirt with one fist and pressed his head to Kakashi’s side, a small sobbing noise escaping his throat. Kakashi was taken by surprise and nearly fell over. Looking at the small blond head pressed against his side, Kakashi gave a small, soft smile and wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulders. He bent his head and pressed his face into the blond boy’s hair. Naruto’s head shifted and Kakashi pulled back to look at his student. Naruto’s hand reached up and gently tugged down Kakashi’s mask. The older ninja felt his breath catch.
“Is this all just part of your plan?” Kakashi glared, his voice hard and accusing.
Naruto just shook his head and reached a hand up. Kakashi had a scar that ran from just under the start of his mask on the left, went down diagonally so it just barely touched the corner of Kakashi’s mouth and then ended at the bottom of the older ninja’s neck on the right. It was jagged and puckered, but looked like it had healed badly long ago. Naruto’s hand traced it. The young ninja pressed his lips to the end of it.
“I’m sorry, sensei,” his breath tickled Kakashi. Kakashi felt something warm and wet touch his skin. He pulled back from Naruto and saw the boy’s lip quiver. He had started crying. Kakashi blinked, startled. He pressed his lips to Naruto’s and felt the boy kiss him back. Anything to keep the boy from crying, he would have done anything to stop those tears, to make the boy smile. He slid his hand up Naruto’s neck and buried it in his hair before pulling back.
“Now you have a reason to have my mask down.”
Naruto blinked and set his hands gently behind Kakashi’s neck and pushed gently back towards the young boy. Kakashi complied and kissed the boy, pulling him close, the way he had gotten the scar forgotten. The fact that it had been the fault of the last boy he had gotten to know forgotten. The fact that it had been on this day fifteen years ago was forgotten. All that Kakashi cared about now, was the boy that he would do anything to keep him from crying.
