Holy wow. 100 stories. ...Wow.

This has been in progress since last August. Seriously. Also, Reversal will happen. Someday. I promise :)

Mayhaps there will be a sequel to this someday. If there is, it will be KakaRin. I've never written for the pairing before, never really read it, and certainly didn't plan on it- but I liked writing the scenes with Kakashi and Rin in them even more than I liked writing the ones with Minato and Kakashi in them. And I LOVE writing Minato and Kakashi parental fluff.

Enjoy!

"No. N-O, Obito. That means no!"

"But it's to save money!"

"Then you sleep with him, and I'll! Sleep! Alone!"

"But we should respect Sensei and give him a bed to himself!"

Minato almost didn't stop the hand on its way down to give Obito a powerful, skull-crushing blow to the back of the head. He really did give it a second thought as the fist came down, but, in the end, he had to protect the children.

Even from themselves.

Even if the blows were really for their own good.

"Rin, no hitting your teammates. Obito, stop deserving it."

Obito gave a disgruntled pout while Rin huffed and pulled her hand free. The young healer sent a glare at her teammate over her shoulder before grabbing her pack off the ground and heading out the door, and, with a stern glare on Minato's part, the Uchiha followed suit.

Honestly, Minato would be a bit more understanding if this didn't happen every. single. time. they stayed at an inn.

Including last night, Minato thought ruefully, rubbing his temples at the memory of that headache inducing argument. Obito was probably going to suggest they switch rooms every day they stayed here, actually- he would either have to give the Uchiha some incentive to leave Rin alone for the next few days or else buy a set of earplugs.

And in this place, he thought, glancing doubtfully around at the rundown hallway and the shaky doorway waiting for them, he was probably going to have to go for the former. He doubted these people had ever heard of earplugs.

Which just made it all the more troubling that they had been able to afford a ninja team.

Minato frowned uneasily. Requests from out of the way, ramshackle towns like these were unusual enough as it was; they usually only resorted to expensive ninja as a last resort. It was common practice for them to lie, requesting genin that they could afford over jounin that they could not- figuring that an inexperienced ninja was better than one that would bankrupt them.

Which was probably the reason they'd been put on it.

The Hokage must've figured I'd be able to kill this 'demon'- if there even is one- and that I would know enough to keep Rin and Obito out of the fighting on this one.

Shaking his head, Minato found himself fingering a kunai even as he led his team outside the mayor's house, the closest thing this mountain village had to a ill, and turned to lead them down the street. The cold air was crisp and smelled faintly of ash, and he looked to the sky to see a thin trail of smoke coming from their destination. Frowning, he picked up the pace a little, even as he took another, closer look around their surroundings.

The small farming village of Hazumi was larger than most he was used to passing through up in the mountains of Iron Country; large enough to have a need for some sort of infrastructure. It was unusually well kept, especially given its harsh environment, although Minato wouldn't want to see winter here. It was already headed towards freezing, and the fact that the sky was cerulean, devoid of almost any hint of cloud, he would've suspected snow.

He swallowed uneasily as they continued their pace along the deserted street. He could sense the Chakra signatures of the village's residents easily enough- and they were all hiding inside. Minato knew that, in the hard lives that these people led, they rose with the sun; well, the sun was already high in the sky, and they looked to be the only living people in the whole village. It was like they were all- afraid to be associated with the ninja, somehow.

Which is especially odd, given that it is the entire village that requested this mission.

"Minato-sensei? Doesn't Iron Country have ninja of its own?"

Shaken slightly out of his unease, Minato glanced down at Rin for a half second before he returned his roaming gaze to the curiously silent town. "Samurai," he corrected mildly. "Iron Country has samurai, not ninja."

"Right- samurai. So why didn't they ask their samurai to do this? Why get foreign ninja involved?"

"Probably because samurai don't believe in demons," Obito grumbled. "They wouldn't take the mission, so we became it. Right, Sensei?"

Minato hmmed in the affirmative. He fingered his weapon again before taking a breath and focusing back on the path. Whatever was going on here, the sooner they got to their destination and figured out what this demon actually was, the clearer everything would become.

Not to say that demons weren't real- they were quite real. Much more so than Obito believed. But the chances of this being one of those monsters were less than zero. If this were a real demon, those terrible creatures born under a red moon, so much Chakra in their tiny bodies the mother became a sacrifice, emerging from the womb as a small child rather than an infant- something just, not quite right in their heads, not a shred of empathy or morality in them...

If this was a real demon, Minato didn't think these people would've lived long enough to send for a ninja team.

"Ugh," the Uchiha muttered behind him, going back to conversing with his teammate, their two voices breaking the otherwise heavy silence in a way that made it seem almost more sinister. "Demons aren't even real. We shouldn't be here, either. Why'd the Hokage have to even take this mission, anyway?"

"If there's no demon, we can just go back home and get paid," Rin argued sensibly. "I don't see what you're complaining about. No work and we get to see Iron Country- like a paid vacation."

"Oh, yeah, like there's lots to see here!" Obito gestured grandly about the grey landscape with a loud scoff. "Mountains here, mountains there- we got mountains in Fire Country! And there's no life, either- everything's just dirt and rocks. Oh, hey, a patch of grass- that's the most color we'll see all day! Honestly. Why would anyone want to live up here, anyway? It's so ugly-"

"Obito, shut up! People can hear you!"

"What people?!" Obito exclaimed over her hushed whisper. "Look around! There's no one here!"

Minato winced as the Uchiha's voice echoed loudly around the deep valley and looked uneasily back at the other Chakra signatures that were practically glowing behind closed doors. He was liking this less and less. "Come on," he murmured, speeding up even more and now gripping the kunai quite firmly. "Hurry. I'd like to wrap this up quickly."

The footsteps behind him quickened, though he felt both their Chakras begin to roil with the same unease he felt. "Sensei?" Rin ventured carefully, and he heard her move a step closer to Obito. "Is- is something wrong?"

Minato paused, then gave an absentminded shake of his head and forced a tense smile. "No. I'm just not a fan of Iron Country and want to get out of here as soon as possible. Like Rin said... there's probably no demon at all."

"There's no probably about it," Obito muttered, but then they had arrived at their destination, and Minato's attention was refocused on the matter at hand.

They had arrived at one of the largest buildings in the village, though it's state of disrepair was one of the greatest. It was just at the state of 'barely passable', and given how harsh the winters were here, probably not even that. As opposed to everywhere else in the village, this one was almost devoid of Chakra signatures- the orphans it had taken in likely elsewhere, doing their share of the work in the fields or in the town. He could only sense three people inside, and, with a grim sigh, he started to lead the way towards the orphanage. Time to find out what this demon business really was all about.

Rin hesitated. It was barely a step, but he heard it, and he glanced back at her in concern. The situation was delicate for her, he knew. An orphan herself, Rin would always handle these situations with more care than someone like Obito would. No matter how terrible his parents were, no matter how undeserving of their son Minato thought they were- he still had parents.

He opened his mouth to ask her if she wanted to wait outside, then stopped himself. Rin did not need, nor would she appreciate, his coddling.

She can handle it.

Smiling to himself, Minato knocked boldly. After the faint sound of frantic scurrying inside, almost immediately, the door opened to reveal an older woman, her hair greying at the tendrils and her mouth set among what looked like permanent frown lines. She was shorter than him, barely taller, in fact, than Obito, and looked a few missed meals away from starvation. From the way she was dressed, her clothes little more than rags, Minato knew the adults here were hardly better off than the children. Her tired eyes lit up at the sight of them, her lips upturning in a small, and, he was sure, rare smile, and she beckoned them forward, taking a quick steps back and whispering eagerly, "Come inside, quickly!"

Minato blinked, allowing himself to be ushered inside along with his two young genins, even as surprised as he was. "We're the ninja team from Konoha," he stammered, reaching up to tighten his hitai-ate uncertainly. "I'm Namikaze Minato, team leader-"

"I know who you are- I just didn't want him to see you here! Thank you, thank you for coming, so much... when the samurai wouldn't help us we thought that ninja never would..."

Minato exchanged an uneasy glance with Rin. They'd been right about why foreign ninja were being called in. And, for some reason, this entire situation was throwing him off balance- he didn't like it at all. Of course the samurai hadn't taken this mission; they knew it wasn't a demon just as surely as he knew it. They were less eager for money than ninja and wouldn't take a fruitless mission. In all likelihood, this little village in the mountains was being haunted by the wind or a boar and they'd go home feeling like the D-rank they'd just pulled off was something a civilian could've done.

So why was this knot of unease tightening further and further in his stomach in what any ninja would take as a sign to turn back and go home?

"Thank you, again, so much. I... we were so frightened... we didn't know where else to turn..." Pale, the woman shuddered, her eyes downcast. She looked even more insecure and uncertain now that they were inside, jumpy and panicky, and Minato sent a stern look at his team- mostly Obito- to make sure they remained silent.

"We were told to go to the orphanage- the mission regards a demon, I understand?"

Shakily, the woman nodded again. She opened her mouth uncertainly, shut it again, then sighed deeply. "Y-yes... I'm sorry, Minato-san, that no one will talk to you- he- he's the reason why. Everyone's afraid to be seen with you, in case Maru sees and goes after them, next."

Minato narrowed his eyes.

The woman took a deep breath and smoothed out her dress- but she was shaking badly. "I- I think I must start from the beginning. I'm Naegino Mikasa. My sister and I run the orphanage here- the kids have chores today and she's out supervising. I'm normally with her but, with you coming, I stayed behind. I..." Mikasa looked away, slowly starting to chew on her lower lip in anxiety. "I just hope that she's okay... maybe- maybe Maru will do something when he sees I'm not there-"

"Slow down," Minato intoned quietly, the picture of the frightened civilian falling apart faster and faster in front of him and him, eager to calm her down so he could make sense of this situation. "We're here to help you but can't do that unless you explain the situation to us. Who's Maru?"

The very name was enough to make Mikasa flinch. She looked around the small room in near terror, as if someone could be eavesdropping, and slowly folded shaking hands in her lap. "I- uh..." She bit her lip and shifted nervously again.

"Mikasa-san," he prodded, "we're here to help. Now, this will go much faster if you answer our questions, instead of leaving us to investigate on our own. You have to be cooperative, also; that was one of the conditions of our agreement."

Chewing on her fingernails, Mikasa fidgeted for another moment before, still without making eye contact, she began awkwardly- talking in a rush. "Maru is the reason we asked for your help. He's the demon."

So much for starting from the beginning... "Maru?" he asked, frowning. Maru- or, just, boy. "I'm guessing you don't know his real name, then?"

Mikasa shook her head. Then, she hurriedly qualified, "Well, he didn't know it- it's not like I didn't ask! But he said he didn't know it! And the man who dropped him off didn't say anything either!"

"Wait, slow down. You've actually spoken to him?" That was odd. Most rumors of demons that floated up out of the woodwork in the rural countryside- they stemmed from unusual storms, unusual sounds, unusual shadows- so often nothing but bored people combined with paranoia. That there was an actual person suspected in this case suddenly made the story much more credible.

"Yes, of course. We didn't know he was... like this, at first." Mikasa shrugged uncomfortably. "In the beginning he was just on of our kids. He was... weird, but- but not dangerous!"

Minato stared at her. This supposed demon was one of the orphans?

A demon would be an orphan, technically... he kills the mother, and if the father was there at birth, he would've been dead, too...

He was feeling less and less at ease here. And more and more confused.

"I... think you'd better start from the beginning," he said carefully, leaning back in his seat and folding his arms. This was going to be a long discussion; he could already feel it.

And Mikasa jumped in without hesitation.

"Maru first came to us two years ago. It was storming badly outside, snowing- a blizzard. And some old man and his child came stumbling through that door. He passed out, or we thought he did, and his kid was sick, too, and we couldn't exactly put them out- they would die! So we took them in for the night. The old man didn't seem to be ill so we let him sleep and stayed with his kid that night... the next morning, the old man was gone without so much of a note."

"And he left his kid behind?"

"Yes." Mikasa nodded. "We didn't even hear him leaving, no one else in town saw him- it was like he didn't exist."

Minato stayed silent. The story seemed more like an old wives' tale than a real event, no matter how earnest Mikasa seemed. The idea that a man no one had ever seen or heard of before just wandering through Iron Country in the middle of the night- in the middle of a blizzard- with a child? The idea that he just happened to stumble straight into the orphanage, the one place that would be best equipped to take care of him and his child? That he would pass out before anyone had had the chance to ask him anything- but miraculously recover and disappear like a ghost before morning?

Any shinobi could tell that there was more to this story.

"And... you saw this man yourself?" he asked, keeping the suspicion from his voice- but wanting to make sure this wasn't just a rumor gone wild. "You were there when he arrived?"

She nodded. "Yes, of course. I was there! So was my sister! We thought it was strange, but couldn't do anything about it, really. He was gone, and his kid was still there, we think he was only eight or nine, and, we were an orphanage..." Mikasa trailed off shrugged easily. "We took care of his hypothermia, and the cut on his jaw. It only took him a few days to get stronger, which we found odd, too... most people would take longer... but things started to get really strange when he finally woke up."

"How'd he take to his father disappearing and abandoning him?"

"That's just it- he didn't remember a thing! Not even his own name!"

Minato blinked in surprise. From what this woman was describing, the child had had nothing more than hypothermia- and now this strange cut. But total amnesia like this- there had to be head trauma, or poison, or perhaps a jutsu. And Minato was leaning more towards anything but a head wound; he'd never heard of a shinobi forgetting his entire life based off just a blow to the head. But he also doubted a young child in the middle of nowhere had run into a malicious missing nin- and where else would poison or jutsu had come from?

"So... you just named him Maru?" Rin asked from beside him- sounding more than a little disgusted and morally offended. He glanced down at her to see her glaring at older woman across from them. "Oh, very original. Just name the kid 'boy'. He was only abandoned by his parents, no need to-"

"Rin," Minato murmured, shaking his head minutely, and the medic glanced up at him before just sitting back with a huff. Her eyes were still watching Mikasa angrily and she had made no attempt to change her expression, but insulting this woman was going to get them nowhere.

Obito spoke up then, clearing his throat and leaning forward to catch his eye. "Uh, Sensei?" he asked, his gaze dancing from Rin back to him. "Maybe we should go outside... start looking for clues?"

Minato softened. For all his joking around, he really did care about Rin, and knew listening to this interview was hard for her, given her own situation with her own parents. He could appreciate what Obito was trying to do- but it wouldn't help, in the long run. Rin wouldn't always have the option of leaving the room if things got personal for her.

So, he shook his head, but smiled, making sure Obito knew the gesture was noticed and appreciated, at least by him. "No. I want you two here," he said quietly, holding his gaze for a moment before turning back to Mikasa. "Mikasa-san, please, continue."

Mikasa's gaze lingered on Rin for a moment, confused but eyes narrow in dislike, before she shook it off and turned back to face him. "Uh, right," she said awkwardly. "Well, we... did to decide to call him Maru. We- we thought he would remember soon, that it would just be temporary- and do you know how many kids we got that winter, with the plague?! He wasn't the only one!"

And that was another thing they didn't need- her being defensive. "Mikasa-san, it's okay, you don't need to explain yourself. Can you please explain what happened next?"

Still looking a little affronted, the harried woman took a deep breath, then looked back at him once again. "I'm sorry. Of course, shinobi-san. Well- at first, Maru was normal. He followed the rules, did his share of the work... everything was okay." She shrugged. "He was in better shape than most orphans we see here, though- much stronger, well fed, more endurance... he was also a lot smarter than the others. That's what really made things start to go badly."

"How do you mean?"

Mikasa sighed deeply. "The kids go to school when they can. Whenever there's work to do, though- they just don't. Most can barely read; their arithmetic is rudimentary at best. But Maru- he could read faster than anyone in the village, and his arithmetic was so far advanced he could've taught the teacher. He- he invented a tool to help us harvest just a few months after being here. It was... amazing."

Minato frowned, watching as her expression slowly shifted from fearful and anxious to calm and relaxed. "I'm guessing that changed?" Because, the way she looked right now- in the beginning, everything had been great.

She shuddered. "Yes. The adults just thought he was weird- it was the other kids that had a problem with him. He could do his work in just an hour when it took them four... he outclassed them intelligently so far I don't even think he was showing off, or even trying- but he made them feel like idiots. Some of the older ones, they would gamble, and they were trying to put him in his place or something foolish, so they invited Maru to one of their games- kid won in two minutes. Walked away with all their money." Mikasa shook her head wonderingly. "He was... brilliant."

"And then?"

Mikasa's expression darkened. She looked down to the table and started chewing her fingers again. "...The older boys got mad. Of course. Chased him down, swore he'd cheated, and demanded everything he'd won back. Maru said no, that he'd won, far and square. And they jumped him."

"...And?" Minato prompted again, when she didn't go on.

Mikasa paused. She uneasily met his eyes, biting her lip again- and when she spoke, her voice was unsteady.

"...Maru almost killed all five of them."

His eyes widened.

Mikasa shivered. "Maru was much smaller than they were. But when I got there just a few minutes later- they were all unconscious and bleeding- and he didn't have a mark on him! He kept s-saying he didn't even know what he'd done... that they'd come at him and he'd just- reacted. L-later, a few days later, those boys' friends came at Maru- the same thing happened, except there were more of them this time; eight!" She shook her head in frightened astonishment. "It was... s-so horrible..."

This wasn't at all how the typical demon stories went. A boy beating up some bullies? That wasn't how these rumors started; these rumors were grounded in the fantastical and unexplainable. They almost never began in something basic or true like this.

And as to how a civilian with no training had thrashed multiple older children twice his size... he couldn't answer that, either.

Regaining her composure, shakily, Mikasa continued, wringing her hands out anxiously before her and twitching nervously. "Maru s-stayed away from the orphanage, mostly, after that, just coming back for a p-place to sleep. But all the other children were terrified of him. When, uh... when his first victims recovered, they all decided to go after him again- teach him a lesson. This time, they had weapons- knives, hammers, whatever they could find... they even got lots of the younger ones to go with them, this time. ...In the end... it was a mob of thirty three kids- almost all of them bigger than Maru."

Minato shifted uneasily. He could tell where this was going.

"...Maru walked away with a scratch on his cheek. When the adults got there... two of the people he'd attacked had bled to death."

And this was where whispers of a demon would come in.

People had died- and with permanent consequences, there would be a reaction.

Mikasa wiped at suddenly wet eyes, staring resolutely down at the table now. "When we realized they were dead, and Maru, he was just- just standing there- some of the adults lost it and ran at him. Maru ran, and they chased him all the way to the river- and he... h-he... he ran... over it. He ran on top of the water. I was there. I saw it with my own two eyes, I swear it."

Minato frowned. To be perfectly honest, this sounded like more paranoia- it seemed far more likely he'd swam across the river, or just ran across the riverbed- but the fact that multiple people had seen this...

"He stopped on the other side and just- just looked back at us. S-smiling, I'm sure. We... were too scared to go after him. After what had just happened, I- I mean..." She shivered, shaking her head again. "...People wanted him out of the village. Adults, now, not just other orphans. He's unnatural. He beat all those people in a fight, no one knew how, he'd walked across water- and he'd killed people! He was violent... he was a danger to us. We all got together one night, we, we decided to... to take care of it ourselves."

I can already tell this ends badly.

"We thought, well, he could beat kids- but we were three times his size! And there were forty of us! He couldn't possibly win against all of us!" Mikasa shuddered again, as if now reacting to the folly of that statement, of how foolish they had been, and wiped her eyes another time. "We waited until a full moon. Because everyone says that creatures like him are at their weakest at full moons. We set up everything for the ritual."

"Ritual?"

Mikasa nodded, sniffling. "To kill demons. I mean, we weren't sure, but we wanted to be safe..."

Minato sighed. Rituals, full moons- finally, something he really could dismiss as small village nonsense.

"We w-waited, we kept waiting, but, finally, it was time. It was raining badly, I remember that, but- we weren't about to wait another month. We went ahead with the plan. Forced him out of the orphanage, started dragging him to where we were gonna do the ritual. We held him arms, made sure he couldn't fight, and we all had weapons- and it was working, at first! He couldn't get away!"

Minato nodded stiffly, feeling slightly sick. He knew the woman didn't see it this way- but he didn't much like sitting here, listening to what would most likely end up being the pointless murder of a child. He still hadn't heard anything to convince him this child was actually unnatural.

"We finally got him there. We all thought we had won; a few of the men started taunting him; Maru was still kicking and screaming, trying to get away... then Hozu came at him with the knife and- and- it happened."

Minato waited silently for her to clarify- all the while wondering just how far paranoia could carry a person. It had carried this mob to hunt out and try to kill a defenseless child...

"He- he screamed- and... a-and... lightening struck- him."

...Okay. That, he had not been expecting.

Minato stared at her, eyes wide. This, like everything else, was not in keeping with what he had been expecting. Normally, people would talk about weird gusts of wind or strange shadows moving- things easily explained by natural events mixed in scared civilians. This was not that. "Lightening struck him?" he asked cautiously. "Are you sure? Maybe it was dark, and you couldn't see-"

"No!" Mikasa cried, frustrated. "No, it really happened! He called lightening down from the sky! He got angry and he used the lightening against us; the ground was wet, from all the rain, and he called the lightening down and when it hit him, he was standing in the water so it hit all of us! We had the burns to prove it! But he was fine, he just ran and left us all there- it really happened! I swear!"

"Okay, okay, I believe you," Minato soothed, waving his hands in a placating gesture. "Just wanted to be sure." Because there were many more plausible, believable things that could've happened- the fact that this was so impossible almost gave it credence. "What happened next?"

Clearly still shaken, Mikasa rubbed her eyes and shook her head, as if the memory was not something she wanted to recall. "...We were all scared to death of him. We hired people- warriors, soldiers, anybody we could find out here, to kill him. The samurai wouldn't listen to us, said demons weren't real, but... we knew, now. That's what he was. A... a demon."

She whispered the word as if even uttering it were a mortal sin, and the moment the last syllable let her lips, she shivered violently, and her eyes flicked to the door, as if she expected Maru to be standing there, watching and listening. A cold wind creaked through the rundown building, and they all jumped.

"I'm... guessing all these people you hired were unsuccessful," Minato said into the silence, and the woman shivered again with a nod.

"Y-yes," she sniffed. "Sometimes Maru fought them off himself. He... even killed a few of them. O-other times, he ran into the woods and hid there; the people we hired would look but never found him. Maru would sometimes even stay out there but, whenever the weather got too dangerous, he always would come back. Please... please, shinobi-san... you're the only thing we haven't tried. Please... please, stop him. He'll kill us all eventually, I know it. Please, help us!"

Minato knew two things.

The first? Mikasa and the others were panicking. This was no demon, and he wasn't going to kill them all.

The second?

This child was not natural.

"I see you've stopped complaining about the pointless nature of this mission, Obito."

"I- I still think it's stupid!"

Minato sighed tiredly as he listened to Obito try (and fail) to defend himself against Rin's taunting. This had been going on for almost five minutes, honestly.

"Really? So, demons aren't real, then? Her story didn't scare you?"

"No!"

Rin giggled, and Minato, sighing again, rubbed his forehead. He could already feel a headache coming on.

"Uh- Sensei?" she asked a moment later, and he glanced down at her for a moment before returning his gaze to the- still deserted- road. "Actually, about Mikasa-san's story. ...Walking on water? Controlling lightening? ...That sounds like a ninja."

He nodded darkly. "Yeah. I noticed." It actually made her story more believable- she clearly didn't know that any shinobi worth his money could do the things that had this village so terrified. These people could've imagined much more frightening things in relation to this kid- just walking on water and the lightening, though...

"Do samurai use chakra like us? Could it be a samurai?"

Minato shook his head. "No. They use chakra, but not to manipulate or create elements."

"So... could a kid have figured it out of his own, then?" Rin tried uncertainly. "I mean, she said he was really smart-"

"No way!" Obito cried. "It took us weeks to be able to walk on water- with Minato-sensei being an awesome teacher!"

"The nature release is what makes it more unlikely," Minato said quickly. "It wouldn't be too hard for a smart civilian to figure out how to walk on water, if he was more attuned to his Chakra than most. It's logical, and basic. Developing a nature release takes a teacher, and, even then, months of work."

Obito nodded himself. "Yeah... you know that prodigy kid, Itachi? My dad talked about him all the time. He's in ANBU now, but he's our age? Anyway, it took him four weeks to get his katon really good, with Fugaku-sama working with him. And Itachi is supposed to a genius. No way anyone could just figure it out on their own."

Rin sighed, frustrated. "So what are we supposed to think, then? That this is really a demon?"

"Both of you, stay calm. We're not going demon hunting- we're this going to talk to this Maru. Okay? And if he really is dangerous as Mikasa-san says, which I doubt, I'll take care of it- I won't make you get involved if it's too risky."

"What if he tries to kill us?!" Obito demanded, and Minato reached back to push him forward, certain he had just skidded to a stop. "He's killed before- Sensei, we could be walking into a trap-"

"Pay more attention, Obito. He's only killed people when he's provoked. If we just talk to him, he won't get violent."

"Sensei..."

"Stop whining, Obito!"

"But, Rin!"

"Both of you, be quiet!" Minato hissed, and he reached out to stop them with one hand- the other, gripping a kunai under his jacket. "Look- there's the river she told us about- and there's someone on the other side!"

That was enough to freeze Obito and Rin in their tracks and keep them both silent.

The river was wider than Minato had expected, and, by the sound of it, deeper- there went the theory that the walking on water hadn't actually been walking on water. Minato would have no trouble crossing it but for a small child, he'd either have to be a good swimmer- or a shinobi.

And on the river's other side was who he could only guess to be the infamous Maru.

Minato gestured for his two genins to stay silent and moved further along the path from the village, walking silently, examining the target. The child sat on the dusty ground, his back to them, still and hunched over. He was small for his age, and thin, and what skin he could see was unusually pale. His hair was long, falling down past his shoulders, a dirty, tangled grey.

The moment Minato saw him, a sense of dread started to form in his gut.

"Maru?" he called steadily- steadfastly ignoring how Rin and Obito both flinched the moment he spoke. He took another few steps forward. "Hey, Maru? Can I talk to you?"

Silence.

Then, so calmly, it was eerie-

"Are you here to kill me, too?"

Do I... know that voice, from somewhere?

"...No," Minato called back- even as he tightened his grip on his weapon. He moved even closer so he was standing on the riverbank, watching the boy's every move carefully- prepared to block or dodge, if need be. "No. I just want to talk to you."

"I don't believe you."

Once again- frighteningly calm, given the fact the boy was discussing the possibility that they were assassins sent to kill him.

A moment passed in silence, and then the boy, still without even looking over his shoulder, slowly started to reach a hand back to dip it in the water. "Do you know how many people told me that same thing? Then I ended up fighting them." He laughed bitterly. "Can we skip the formalities?"

"Maru, I'm really only here to talk to you."

"I don't want to hurt you," he said smoothly, continuing on as if Minato had never spoken. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Hurt him? Ha!"

"Obito!"

But the Uchiha kept on going without heed for the consequences, hurrying up to Minato boldly, still shouting loudly. "Minato-sensei's gonna be the next Hokage- unless I beat him to it! You couldn't hurt him! I bet you're all talk- I bet I could take you, even!"

"Obito, shut up-"

And then the boy's hand reached the river, and the water lit up in a white crackle of electricity.

The current sparked through the water through just a half second before the boy let it fade away, just a half second, but it was glowing bright and hot, powerful as any shinobi's nature release, and Minato couldn't help but flinch a step back. The lightening attack, not at that, it wasn't horribly frightening- but at the feel of the boy's Chakra.

He had never felt anything like it.

He wasn't a demon, that much was certain- demons had huge amounts of Chakra, and Maru didn't. He had what would be expected for a ten year old boy. The disturbing part was the release of the technique. It felt... both trained, and not trained. The technique was somewhat efficient in use of Chakra, lacking most of the technical skill that most shinobi had developed along with their nature release but still, he hadn't wasted an inordinate amount of energy in pulling off a flashy attack. A completely untrained novice would have.

The boy also was making no attempt to hide his Chakra, though. Anyone who had been trained to use their nature release knew to at least try and hide their Chakra signature when in danger. But Minato could feel every untrained tendril of that boy's power.

Rin's theory that this was a boy who'd figured out the nature of Chakra on his own was seeming more and more likely.

"I'm a demon, you see. There's your proof. If you think you're worthy of trying to kill a demon, if you believe you are better than all the ones sent before you- please, be my guest, and try. But do no waste my time."

Minato clapped a hand over Obito's mouth before the genin could launch off into another tirade.

From the stories we've heard, and what we've seen, this boy... he's- chuunin level in at least some areas. If we don't do anything, they'll just keep sending civilians after him.

But what was he supposed to do? Konoha did not take in any ninja but their own. They would have no way to prove this mysterious boy who just taught himself better than all the children in the Academy wasn't a spy sent from another village. But just leaving him here would be irresponsible, and it would be almost impossible to teach him to control his abilities here, in this ninja-less country. Who here would teach him?

I suppose we could take him to the samurai... they do use Chakra too, just in different ways. They could teach him how to control himself...

Minato sighed to himself, shaking his head. That wasn't really ideal either; this boy needed a ninja sensei, and he needed to get out of this country, because here, his only future was to be hunted down and killed like a demon.

Still undecided, Minato took a step forward- making sure to keep out of the water. "Maru, you're no demon. I know how you just did that. I can do it, too. Want to watch?"

The boy flinched. He sat perfectly upright in shock, hands clenching in the dirt- Minato's request, surely, one of a kind, in all the hunters that had come after him. Minato carefully took another step forward, watching Maru's hands to make sure they didn't stray near the river- and stood on top of the water.

Slowly, the enemy turned around to look at him.

Minato almost fell through the water.

That's...

That is...

Oh my god.

Oh. My. God.

Those angled, pale features. Aware with a coolness and lack of innocence that was utterly foreign in a child his size. That crooked nose that had clearly been broken more than once. The faint scar on his jaw, just a white line, now, that he remembered more as a enflamed cut, red and angry. That crooked nose that had clearly been broken more than once. Those two dark, grey eyes.

The face was older, no doubt. It was not a perfect match. Everything was different.

But, also, so much the same, his heart almost stopped.

It's... you.

I found you again.

It's you.

I... finally...

"Kakashi..."

His once student jumped back at the very sight of him, and Minato stayed rooted to the spot, too shellshocked to make a single move. He just stood there staring.

"You-!" Kakashi gasped, and he scrambled back a few feet as if in terror. He looked from Minato's feet on the water to his face wildly, but with no sense of recognition in his eyes, not one bit, and he shook his head as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "How are you- you're doing it, too!"

And Minato still couldn't say anything. He just couldn't stop staring.

When he couldn't reply, the boy slowly shook his head- suspicion coming back to his horribly familiar features yet again. "You said- I thought- do something with lightning! You said you could... I won't believe you unless you can do that, too!"

And Minato was still too shocked to do a damn thing.

When he didn't move, didn't even make an attempt to comply with his request, the boy started backing up further. "No... the water, it's a trick... you're just like the rest of them... you- you-"

"Come on, Sensei!" Rin said urgently from behind, but her voice seemed distant, far away, unimportant, almost faded away. "Use your wind release! It's not lightning- but maybe it will convince him?"

"I'll show you a nature release if Sensei won't! Katon: Gokakyu-"

"No!"

The words, the flare of hot, fiery Chakra behind him; Minato's stunned senses jerked into action like he'd just been given an electric shock and he was spinning and turning to rip Obito's hands apart before he could complete the technique. The Uchiha had already inhaled, he could feel the fire forming in his student's chest, but without his hands forming the tiger seal, he wasn't able to complete the technique, and he sagged in relief.

"Don't," he whispered, begging, and shook his head furiously down at his student. "Don't attack him. You can't. Don't."

"But, Sensei-"

"No!"

Then, there was the faint sound of crackling leaves underfoot, a step- and Minato's panic rose again.

"No! Stop, don't leave! KAKASHI!"

Everything froze.

The boy stopped in his frantic retreat, tiny feet no longer stumbling over the mud, body shaking with the force of each panicked breath. Obito stopped trying to pull away from his grasp. And Minato stayed frozen in place- his final call echoing across the deep valley.

And Kakashi slowly turned around to face them again- features just as devoid of recognition and understanding as they had been before. If anything, he looked more confused than ever. His face, even without his telltale mask, even changed by years of growth, was still recognizable.

Kakashi stared back at him blankly. "...What?" he asked after a moment, then glanced around uneasily, as if Minato had been calling towards someone else. "Kakashi?" He phrased the word uncertainly, strangely- as if he wasn't even sure it was a name.

Minato nodded back and raised his hands, showing him he was unarmed- desperately trying not to scare him off. "Yes. Kakashi," he gasped, and when he said the name again, he felt a thrill of joy. "That's you. That's your name."

The clearly frightened child slowly shook his head. "...They call me Maru," he managed after a moment. "Not- what you said. I've never seen you before."

"I know. I know, Kakashi. Mikasa- Mikasa said that you didn't remember. But your name is Kakashi. God... don't you know me? It's me- Minato!"

God, Kakashi...

How-

How did you-

I don't understand... I... I don't understand...

Kakashi...

Kakashi slowly shook his head again, and he took a few more steps back. "No," he whispered, then, louder, "no! No, no, this- this is just- you're lying to me! Trying to get me to let my guard down! No!"

"Kakashi, stop-"

But Kakashi was already running.

"Kakashi?" Minato tore through the Hatake estate, feet pounding, heart in his throat- searching, searching, searching. "Kakashi?! Can you hear me?!"

Utter silence.

He sprinted down hallways, checking each and every rome, searching for any hint of Chakra, any tiny sign of his student. But the estate was completely empty.

Minato ran back down the stairs to the ground floor to check the other side when he exhausted every nook and cranny on the side he had started looking in, this time, headed up to Kakashi's room. He knew the sight that was waiting for him downstairs, he knew, full well, just what it would look like, and just how terrible it would be.

He still couldn't stop himself from coming to a halt, just for one short, breathless moment, at the sight of Sakumo's bloodless body.

Then, he ripped himself away to search again- with renewed vigor.

"KAKASHI!"

He ran through the other side, searching every room, every possible hiding place Kakashi could be. Sakumo's body was still warm, but- Kakashi had to have seen it. Kakashi was supposed to be home. Kakashi had to be here!

"KAKASHI!"

The last room Minato reached was Kakashi's. He sensed no Chakra from behind the door, and when he threw it aside and burst into his room to find no sign of his student... he wasn't very surprised.

"Kakashi..."

But he spoke to no one. Kakashi was gone.

Minato stared blankly into the trees.

That night had been the beginning of a two month long search.

No sign of forced entry, Sakumo's body still warm but no one having seen Kakashi in over a day- no one had any idea what had happened. Minato had managed to pull what influence he'd had to get a team of trackers sent out after his student. A Hyuuga, an Inuzuka, and an Aburame- all jounin. Their target, just a chuunin (granted, one with advanced evasion techniques)? It should've been no contest.

Except they hadn't found him.

They had found no trail leading from the Hatake estate anywhere. No sign of Kakashi on the borders of Konoha. No trail whatsoever. The jounin had returned a week later, empty handed.

And not only was it strange- but it just didn't make any sense. Minato knew Kakashi's style. He lay down false trails with his summons, often taking the hardest route himself, and ran for days at a time, only stopping, exhausted, when he was far enough ahead of his pursuers to be safe for at least a few hours. He didn't disappear without a trace.

And he also just wasn't good enough to hide from the best trackers Konoha had to offer.

Minato sighed deeply. It was because of him they hadn't just given up then, he knew it was- in the middle of war, Konoha could not afford to send out powerful jounin on fishing expeditions. But he'd managed to get trackers sent out again and again after his missing student. ANBU teams were on alert for any rumors or signs of Kakashi, and every single genin team at the time went hunting through Fire Country at one time or another.

Still- nothing.

Finally, the Hokage had ordered him to stop looking.

Kakashi was long gone, and he wasn't accepting it. Everybody else knew it.

Minato, one shard of hope away from hopeless, the knowledge that he gave up, he was betraying his student, only too clear... had been forced to stand down. A tiny piece of his heart died, when he shook his head in response to the question what now? and, with that... he'd crossed the border into hopelessness.

Kakashi's disappearance went down as a mystery, and as months turned into years, and still, no rumors came, he was nothing but a forgotten boy. Parents told the story of Kakashi's vanishing act to their children to warn them against the Academy, saying that was what happened to ninjas, they got snatched up into thin air, and children told the story to each other in attempts to scare their friends.

And, slowly, everyone forgot about the Hatake prodigy, until he became nothing more than a old wives' tale.

Minato closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

Forgotten until now, it seems.

"...Sensei?"

Trying to ignore the terrible feeling of regret in his stomach, the guilt, Minato raised his head to look uneasily at his two students. Obito and Rin sat across from him, back at the mayor's house, both looking nervous and uncertain- not that he could blame them. They, too, had no idea who Kakashi was. They had no idea what was going on.

Of course, neither did he.

How did Kakashi get up here?

...And why doesn't he know me?

Sighing deeply, Minato sat up straighter and looked at them both seriously. He opened and shut his mouth several times, trying to think of something he could say to explain this and failing every time. How could he explain this when he didn't understand it himself? Answer their questions when he couldn't answer any of his own?

You don't have any choice. ...Explain to them what you know.

Because they're going to help you get him back.

"Obito, Rin... why do you think that you are the only two from your class to not be put on a three man team?"

The two genins stiffened. They looked at each in confusion, then back to him. They clearly didn't get the significance, and, after a few moments passed in silence, Obito spoke up. "You told us, Minato-sensei. You said our class didn't have enough people for every team to have three people, and the teachers just thought we would work well together. ...Why?"

Minato smiled weakly. "Right. I told you that." Or, more, I was ordered to tell you that. "I am- sorry, to tell you this now, but... that wasn't what happened."

Rin's eyes narrowed. "I thought so! I looked in the records- people always graduate early or late; whenever something like this happens, they pull people from other classes to make teams of three. Sometimes a single genin will become a jounin's apprentice, but... I couldn't find any history of a two man cell before, not since the Academy's creation."

Obito looked at his friend in surprise while Minato just nodded. Rin was right, after all. Their team was an anomaly from the beginning, but they weren't one of a kind.

At least, that wasn't what they were supposed to be.

"...Rin is right, Obito. However, one thing her research didn't discover is, occasionally, two new graduates will be placed on a team with a jounin sensei, and anther ninja their age- sometimes a genin, whose first team passed the chuunin exam. Other times, a chuunin. The latter was our plan, for you. The chuunin's name was Hatake Kakashi."

God, Kakashi...

Obito and Rin both gasped. "Hatake?!" the Uchiha exclaimed, and the medic sat up straighter, brown eyes going wide.

"As in the Hatake Sakumo?" She shook his head disbelievingly. "He- he was the White Fang, right?"

Minato nodded darkly. "Yes, at one time. He's more recently known for failing a mission that led us into the Third War, though."

Rin frowned herself. She looked away, seeming confused, and scratched her ear. "I- I didn't know he had a son... and- he was supposed to be on our genin team with us? What happened?"

"No one knows what happened." Minato looked away from them, back out the dark ring of trees circling the mountainside village- unable to help but wonder if Kakashi was still hiding in their depths. "The night you all graduated, Sakumo killed himself, and Kakashi went missing. I- we all thought we'd be able to track him down... but he was just- gone."

I never thought he was so far away... I never pictured him in Iron Country. I always thought another hidden village, or- no... I never even really believed he was still...

Alive.

Minato swallowed dryly and licked his lips. "He, uh," he coughed, "was never found. In the end, he was listed as MIA, and Konoha," I, "moved on."

Obito and Rin sat quietly, still and silent. The two genin didn't seem to know how react, quite clearly; both were plainly confused, Obito was frowning while Rin started flatly at the table. He couldn't give them any of the answers they wanted, because he honestly needed them himself- he couldn't tell them anything more, in fact, than he already had. All he knew was that, somehow, two years ago, Kakashi had ended up here without his memory.

"So- what now, Minato-sensei?"

Oh. Right. He did know one more thing.

Minato smiled grimly. "Now, Rin- we bring him home."

I'm not going back to Konoha without you, Kakashi. That's a promise.

"Remember what I said. Track, but do no engage. Kakashi is stronger than you both; he made chuunin before you two had even entered the Academy. Try and get him with this."

"Is this one of your special kunais, Sensei?"

"Yes, it is. Don't lose it."

"Why not? You can always just warp to its-"

"Obito, enough. Scatter!"

And the three man team vanished into the woods as Maru watched.

They came back.

...Who still hunts a demon, when they know they're going to lose?

He stayed silent from his tree branch, examining his new predators closely. The strange, golden haired sensei from before, that spoke like they were supposed to know each other, was clearly in charge, and the most dangerous one. The others were just kids; probably his age. He could dispatch them easily. The sensei had even said so.

Of course, he'd have to be careful. Overestimating himself, underestimating his opponent... it was all the same level of stupidity.

Maru ran a slow hand over the shard of glass in his lap, fastened into a blade with nothing more than a few rags rapped around the hilt to protect his hand. He wondered if it would be enough, then, shaking his head, tucked it into his waistband before lightly standing and beginning to maneuver his way through the dark, shadowed canopies. It probably could be enough, but he wasn't going to take any chances. He would save that for the blond one, and hope he would get near his weapon's stash in the forest so he could take out the other two.

He ran silently through the leaves, jumping from branch to branch, swinging from vine to vine. The dark green light, faint from the layers of leaves between him and the sky, filtered down around the trees, barely giving enough to see the moss that covered the ground, the cold mist that clung in the air. A storm was coming. He could smell it. Soon clouds would roll in, and then, visibility would drop to nothing. But the ground was slippery here; those hunting him were sure to make noise as they tried to stay steady.

The situation was still in his favor. He just had to be careful.

Maru caught himself on the next branch, swaying with the momentum of his rapid journey, and squinted to see through the grey mist. There, at the base of that tree- that was where he'd hidden weapons, more shards of glass, the occasional knife, sharpened rocks- everything he could use to defend himself against whomever the village sent after him. Breathing deeply, he sniffed the air- no sign that anyone human was around.

He grinned.

This, this, this... he shifted through the pile hidden by leaves as quickly as he could, grabbing his best tools, but distractedly; his attention was on his surroundings. The enemy could come up at any second-

"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!"

Maru had thrown himself to the side before the words had fully left his attacker's mouth.

There was the terrible roar of flames, a blast of hot smoke, and he even felt a tendril of flame catch on to his foot before he rolled, and contact with the cold, damp moss, put it out. "What the hell?!" he gasped, scrambling onto his back, then his feet, staring in disbelief at the ball of crackling fire that had collided with the tree he'd just been kneeling in front of.

Did they just-

Just like me and lightening!

He whirled around in a panic to see the two children from earlier crouched across from him, weapons that looked far more professional than his kitchen knives glistening in the low light. The boy had his hands in some kind of weird formation, just like he had last time, when he'd screamed those same words before the sensei had yanked his hands apart. The girl was watching him warily- surely, just as dangerous as the other one, even if she had yet to showcase any fancy blasts of fire yet. He swallowed.

"How- how did you do that?!" he demanded, pointing at the charred spot in the ground that, just a few seconds previously, would've been him. "And how'd you sneak up on me?! I didn't smell anything!"

Obito, if he remembered correctly, beamed. "Sensei was right. You've got a nose like a bloodhound."

What?! How- how do they know that?!

"He used fire because he has a nature release- just like you!" the girl (Rin?) called to him. She seemed more pleading, more desperate than the boy, who just seemed bold and dangerous. "We can do the same things you can, Kakashi! Please, come with us?"

"Ha! You speak to me as if I'm an idiot." He shook his head firmly. "I told you- I'm a demon. I know you're lying. You have no use for me except dead"

There's no other explanation than that what's she saying is the truth, but... no- it's too dangerous! Everyone else the village hired tried to kill me. They'll be the same. They'll be the same, I know they will!

"Kakashi, we don't want to hurt you-"

"Really? The big fireball begs to differ."

Rin glared at her companion, who just sighed loudly and pulled his hands apart from the strange symbol they formed, pulling his own weapon out. "Rin, come on. He's not going to listen to us. Sensei didn't tell us to talk to him- he told us to fight him!"

Maru stayed still, watching attentively as the two looked uneasily at each other. The girl was the one holding the weapon the sensei had given them earlier- he had to avoid her. First, take out the one who blew fire.

Come on, Maru. Just focus. You've fought people bigger than them and won. You've already avoided their first attack. Just need to go on the offensive now.

He paused briefly. Going on the offensive was... not something he'd done. He'd killed before- but never on purpose. Only when he was defending himself. And as long as he was just offending himself, it was okay. But if he just outright attacked...

They've always called you a monster, Maru. If you're going to be called a monster- why not take the title and everything that comes with it?

You are a demon, after all.

Since when do demons have qualms about fighting?

Maru threw himself into the fight.

And this... now, he was truly in his element.

He'd never understood how he could fight without knowing how, but every single time, he could. It was as natural as breathing. Leaning, twisting, ducking to dodge, almost as if it were some form of elaborate dance; jabbing blows in return, so fast, he heard the air whistling, short, fast punches and spinning kicks- so fast it made his head spin. Every time he connected, he'd be just a little stunned, shocked that something like this powerful, deadly dance, intertwined between predator and prey, was as simple as instinct to him.

He'd just always taken it as more proof that he was a demon. If hurting people was more natural than just talking to them... as easy as life itself...

But this was the first time he'd truly felt matched.

These kids weren't like the other orphans, where all it took was one well placed hit to put them on the ground. He swung for Obito's face and the enemy ducked and hit back- and Maru was so shocked, he almost froze.

The other boy could move just as fast as him.

They dove together into the delicate waltz, and Maru fought on with increasing dread. Rin was just as strong as Obito, and while Maru could tell he outclassed them- he barely did so.

For the first time since Mikasa and the others had dragged him out of the orphanage late at night, Maru truly feared for his life.

I can't keep this up. I can't fight fast enough. Why can't I do this fast enough?!

Are they-

They're going to kill me!

Before he knew what was happening, Maru grabbed the shard of glass he'd hidden away, yanked it out, and spun in one violent arc. "Get back!" he gasped, breathing hard- and couldn't help but be shocked when Rin dodged, and Obito tried to. Anyone else wouldn't have seen it coming; anyone else would've been stabbed!

How are they doing this?!

But Obito had been too close when he'd attacked- and Obito was hit.

Maru was stunned, again, when the long, bloody cut he'd just carved out of his enemy's chest was not enough to put him down.

"God damn it, Kakashi!" Obito shouted, flinching but holding his ground. "Come on! We're trying to help you, here!"

He's... he's still standing... how is he still standing?!

Is this it?

Are these two going to be the ones who kill me?!

"M-my name," he panted, and the fact that his voice was steady made him at least a little bit proud, "is not Kakashi!" And he lunged for Obito again.

Maru didn't understand how it happened. Everything was too fast; everything was just a blur. But he felt the pain in his hand that indicated he'd landed a hit, he saw it stop above Obito's head, and he saw the other boy drop like a stone.

It was the hardest enemy he'd ever fought- and there was still another one right behind him.

Gasping for breath, a leaden weight forming in his chest, Maru slowly raised his head from the prone form on the ground-

And then, he froze.

There wasn't just one Rin.

He was surrounded by them.

Maru's jaw dropped.

From every side... from every angle... identical images of the same girl. All staring at him, all grinning, all holding that same special weapon the sensei had given her that there was only supposed to be one of. He slowly turned in a circle, but every escape path was cut off. A cold feeling of horror rose in his chest.

Are they- are they demons, too?!

This is impossible...

"I may not be able to blow fire, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve."

The voice came from every direction, perfectly unanimous, and he shuddered. This made no sense. What kind of a trick was this?!

I can't- I can't- I can't fight them all off- I can't-

"What about it, Kakashi? Do you give up now?"

He kept on turning- still searching fruitlessly for something to make this all make sense. But there was no hint, no clue to help him decipher- no anything at all. Just an impenetrable ring. No way out.

I- I can't give up, he thought determinedly. There was no way out of this, not that he could see- but if he gave up, he was definitely dead. There was nothing to lose by fighting. And, even if he was dammed sick of fighting- even if he was just tired, and wanted this to stop, all of it- he wasn't going to stop fighting when it would just lead to his death.

I didn't fight for two years to die now. And if I'm dead either way- I won't let these people say they took down the demon of Hazumi without a fight.

You want me to be a demon so badly, you bastards?! Then I'll be your demon. I won't let it end like this. I'll make the end as hellish as I can for you.

"Go to hell," he hissed.

The girls didn't look overly surprised. In fact, they didn't even hesitate. As one, they all pulled back their arms with that special weapon- all aiming right at him.

He took a deep breath.

Come on... not yet, not yet... almost... and- go!

The moment the girls started to throw, Maru started to jump.

He fueled all of his strength to his feet, pushing himself as fast and high into the air as he could, jumping higher than he'd ever jumped before. He pulled his knees up to his chest and reached up blindly above him, praying for a vine, a branch, anything-

As it turned out, Maru ended up jumping out of the frying pan, and into the fire.

Because the girl was above him, too.

The girl was diving at him from above, that dangerous knife in her hand.

Maru stared in disbelief.

There's ANOTHER ONE?!

And then there was a sharp puncture in his back, and the girl above him disappeared.

Too much was happening that didn't make any sense. There was just- too much.

I. Don't. Understand.

I don't understand!

And Maru felt himself bleeding, hurting, and falling- straight into the long, strong arms of another. They cushioned his fall and kept him from cracking his skull open on the ground, and in the moment before he was moved again, he caught sight of his captor's face.

It was the blond sensei from earlier- and he didn't seem dangerous.

The hold he had on him was strong and firm but not dangerous; not inclined to cause harm. His expression was alive with vibrant relief, blue eyes warm and wide, staring in shock.

He was smiling.

Minato felt when Rin threw his kunai. He felt the tug on his Chakra, felt the very beginnings of Hiraishin- even could've sworn he heard someone scream. He let the transportation jutsu activate, whisking him away from his dark corner of the forest and putting him in another- right underneath Kakashi.

He caught the silver-haired boy barely in time, purely by reflex, arms extending to cushion the fall before Kakashi his his head. Kakashi's eyes were wide, his unmasked face deathly pale, mouth open in a silent gasp- he looked, at once, both completely confused and horribly terrified.

Minato didn't believe it.

He- couldn't believe it.

He'd seen Kakashi face down whole battalions of chuunin who would've liked nothing more than to see him dead. Seen him march through hell and back in the bloodiest war of Konoha's history. They'd stood together, looked death in the eye, and made it through by the skin of their teeth, but alive- and never once had he seen Kakashi show fear.

Then Minato came back to himself.

That isn't Kakashi in there. That's a scared kid who's just been caught by demon hunters who thinks he's going to be slaughtered. Kakashi isn't scared- Maru is.

The idea, though, that he wasn't really holding Kakashi in his arms was a hard one to swallow.

Kakashi, Maru- whoever he was- didn't fight back, didn't panic- just lay there, frozen.

Until he recovered himself from the shock of getting knifed for what was probably the first time he could remember.

"Get back!" And Kakashi spun, moving faster than Rin or Obito ever had, bringing one foot up and over his head while the other slammed down on Minato's hand, freeing himself and kicking him in the head in one smooth move.

God damn, he's fast! Minato saw stars but hung on tight, grabbing Kakashi's ankle with the hand he'd kicked and using the other to hold his hands together. Kakashi's eyes widened in shock, and Minato couldn't help but feel a sharp stab of guilt- even as he twisted and pinned Kakashi down to the ground. He was clearly accustomed to using pain to his advantage; hit the enemy to surprise them with just how much power he packed in a punch, and in the next moment, break free and run.

That was a tactic that would work brilliantly on civilians- and never once on a shinobi.

"Come on. Calm down, Kakashi. We've beat you."

Kakashi lay still. He still gasped for breath, trembling with either exertion or emotion, Minato wasn't sure which. With his face smushed into the moss, Minato couldn't see his expression, couldn't tell what he was thinking; he let up on the hand pinning his once student to the ground at the neck, and the hold he had on his hands gently loosened, just a little. He leaned forward, trying to see what Kakashi was thinking.

Kakashi gasped again- took in one deep breath- and, too late, Minato saw that he had no intentions of giving up.

"I WON'T LET YOU KILL ME! RAITON: HIRAISHIN!"

One arm broke free of Minato's grip with supernatural strength, a move he could've only made enhanced with Chakra, and reached skyward. With an earsplitting crack, a beam of white light shot down from the sky, through the canopy, straight to Kakashi- and from Kakashi, to him.

"Fuuton: Ippai-bodi tate!"

Kakashi's lightening was fast, though, faster than any shield he could put up, and a crackle of electricity had already hit him before he blocked the rest with a shield of wind. Minato gasped, back arcing, muscles tensing; for a split second, every nerve felt as if it'd been lit on fire.

He still never let go of Kakashi.

"Minato-sensei!"

Panting- and, still twitching from the shock- Minato glanced up at Rin, who was staring at him in alarm. "It's okay," he called before returning his attention to the stunned boy beneath him. "He didn't get me. Remember when I said we understood your lightning moves, Kakashi? Well, that also mean we can counteract them."

Though that doesn't explain how the hell he did it in the first place... whether he's been teaching himself or going by instinct alone, he shouldn't know a technique's name!

What the hell is going on?!

"Kakashi..."

The ninja lay perfectly still now- Minato could barely even feel him breathing. Minato shifted, leaning forward to get a better look at him, then blinked to find that his expression had transformed into one of complete and utter shock. His grey eyes were wide, unblinking, and empty- then, he realized that Kakashi had no idea how he'd used the technique himself.

"Kakashi." Minato shook him by the shoulder lightly to get his attention- still keeping a firm hand around his wrists and a wary eye on him in case he decided to do something like that again. "Kakashi, look at me."

The ninja jumped a little, then, almost fearfully, and definitely reluctantly, his gaze moved from a rock to Minato. His student flinched when their eyes met, and that almost made Minato's resolve break right then and there.

Kakashi still looked terrified.

"Okay, Kakashi," he said shakily, making sure to keep his voice as gentle and calm as he could. "We're not going to kill you. We could've many times by now, if that's what we were going to do. We're here to take you back home with us; that's all. What else can we do to prove it to you?"

Kakashi remained silent. Maybe stubbornly silent, maybe he was just too stunned to know what to say. His breaths were still hard and fast, and he still looked scared, but- not as much before, Minato thought.

Or maybe just hoped.

"Hey- uh, Kakashi! Look over here!"

Minato blinked. Making sure to keep Kakashi down, he looked over his shoulder to see Rin standing on the side of a tree, really just making a show of defying gravity, grinning and waving down at them both. He smiled. Of course- she was trying to do what he had done earlier; show Kakashi that he really wasn't alone in his abilities, and maybe even gain a little of his trust.

He looked back at his student's expression eagerly to see that it was surprised now rather than just frightened or blatantly mistrustful. In fact, he was staring at her- almost transfixed. "See?" he prodded, smiling. "You can do that, right? Did you ever try doing that?"

Silent and shocked, it took a few seconds for Kakashi to nod. "I... yes," he admitted shakily. He didn't even seem to notice Minato was still on top of him. "After I figured out how to walk on water. I wondered if I could stick to other surfaces. I... you..."

"Rin! Do some ninjutsu- show him your water release!"

"Yes, Sensei!" Once again, Rin made the technique flashier than it had to be; after dropping back to the ground to stand in a small stream, she moved through the seals slower than usual, keeping eye contact with Kakashi the entire time, always smiling, then cried, "Suiton: Hahonryuu!"

Rather than watch his current student show off what he'd taught her, Minato looked back at his former student- watching as his expression transformed. Kakashi stared, first in shock, but then in awe. He looked on, enraptured, as Rin pulled up water from the riverbed into her hand, curling it into a swirling ball that looked almost like a Rasengan. Kakashi's eyes widened and the fear fled from his features, being replaced (even if for only a moment) by a smile.

When he saw Kakashi smile, Minato's heart jumped.

"Is that- is that like my lightning?!"

Minato heard the splash indicating Rin had released her technique, and he let go of Kakashi's wrists, taking the question to mean he was, for the moment, going to trust them. Any gesture of trust, actually, had to be a good thing, and he knew he was going to have to prove to Kakashi they were on his his side if they were going to get anywhere with this. He pulled at Kakashi's shoulder, sitting him upright, then moved back- unable to stop his smile from swallowing his whole face. "Yes, it is," he said when Kakashi's wild gaze jumped from Rin back to him, and Kakashi continued to look simply utterly stunned.

"Earlier- you... Fuuton... you used- wind?" Kakashi looked back up at Minato for confirmation, and he nodded again, pure joy beating through his veins and making him tremble.

"The loudmouthed one over there- he was using fire!"

Minato laughed, and he even heard Rin giggle behind him as she moved back over to continue treating Obito. "Yes," he said again. "I can use earth, too, if you need to see that. Though I'm not very good at it, I'm afraid..."

But Kakashi shook his head. The boy's gaze jumped between him and Rin wonderingly, still disbelieving but amazed, before he raised his own hands to stare at them in shock. "So- I'm the only one who can use lightning?"

"No. You just happen to be the only one here. There are plenty others down south, where you come from."

Kakashi frowned again. He lowered his hands a bit to look back at Minato again, some of the wonderment gone to be replaced by an adult awareness and suspicion. "...I don't know how I did what I did, earlier. That lightning move. I've never used- I don't know what I said, even. I can use lightning but I've never used it like... that."

Minato paused, troubled. "Yes, you have, Kakashi," he reassured. "I've seen you do it. I don't know how you did it just now, but- I've seen it myself. Muscle memory, or something- I don't know. But- if anything, this proves our point, right? You're like us. A shinobi. I don't know how you ended up here, or why you can't remember- but I can figure it out if you come with us, Kakashi."

Please... come home with us.

Kakashi hardly looked convinced, though. His wild eyes jumped from Rin, still kneeling over Obito, her hands glowing green above his head, back to Minato, then down to his own hands again. Whatever his answer was was technically irrelevant, Minato knew- if Kakashi wasn't willing, he would force him back to Konoha. No way was he going to leave this village without him.

But a sign that this boy, who had no reason to trust anyone at all in the world, could trust him... Kakashi willing to walk back home with him as a comrade, instead of being dragged there as a prisoner...

Please, Kakashi, remember who I am.

Remember everything we've been through together. I'm sorry I couldn't help you with Sakumo, I'm sorry for every single time I failed you on a mission, I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you needed me most- but can you remember what I could be there for you for? I- I remember- taking you to Ichiraku. You and Kushina ganging up on me. Lunch on the training field turning into two hour long breaks.

I remember you were so proud when you won the chuunin exam. You wouldn't smile in front of the others but I was so damn proud of you, and you smiled when I told you that, you did. I remember how modest you were but still how happy you were when I praised you. I remember teaching you how to write- how embarrassed you were that you couldn't do it, and how funny Kushina thought it was that the one thing everyone could do was the one thing you weren't perfect at. I remember how good you were at making fun of Jiraiya-sensei and his terrible habits, that you were always so deferential and respectful but when you'd walk away Jiraiya-sensei would be screaming at you to stop being so dammed clever. I- I- I...

I remember loving you, Kakashi.

Please, Kakashi- REMEMBER.

Please...

"I'll do it. I- ...I'll go with you."

Minato's heart almost burst with joy.

"Fiiiiiiiire Countryyyyyyy!"

Maru flinched at the explosion of words from the loudmouthed one. It was so loud, so unexpected- he couldn't help but being startled. He glared at Obito as the ninja ran forward on the path, arms flung wide, face split by a smile. "We're hooooome! I've missed you, Fire Country! I almost want to kiss the ground-"

"Obito, that's disgusting."

"Oh, come on!" Obito spun back around to look back at Rin and Minato accusingly. "You can't tell me you don't feel the same way! Iron Country is so ugly! Everything's grey up there! But now, we're back home- where there are colors, and it's actually nice- and warm!"

Maru frowned, unsure if he should be affronted or not.

Obito was too busy reveling in the feel of a warm climate to care if he was being offensive to an entire country, and, sighing, Maru stayed back and let himself just watch.

Though he had to admit- he didn't think Hazumi had ever felt this warm. It was actually nice.

And Obito was right about the colors, too. Though Iron Country wasn't all grey, it certainly felt like it at times, and he'd have to be color blind to not notice just how bright this place was. Hazumi was snowed in half the year, and frost still made it impossible for anything to grow anything but for three months of out the year. Their growing season was short and not exactly bountiful. The forest would always sprout a flower or two, the plants trying hard, but, in the end, everything would die again with the first snow.

Here, though...

This forest wasn't dark, like the one ringing Hazumi that he so often hid in. The air even felt less heavy. It was bright here, sunlight streaming through gaps in the branches above, not like the green, filtered kind of light that lit up the mist he was so used to. Some stubborn leaves still clung to life, bright green despite the changing season, but they were surrounded by other colors, crimson, orange, yellow, and brown, the path they walked was littered with them, making a crunching sound underneath their feet. White and violet blossoms and were scattered here and there, pink and blue flowers hiding under still green bushes but little dots of color still peeked through.

And- it was so noisy here, too! Maru listened in wonderment to just how many noises of life there were. Tiny animals that he had never seen before, and a few that he had, always scampering away at that sight of them but still there, chewing on stalks of grass or a flower's petals, the soft sound of their running feet up tree trunks and down the path only too jarring when he wasn't expecting it. Birds flew overhead in flocks, wings flapping audibly, and when Maru sniffed, he was hit by such a plethora of strong scents he almost stopped walking.

It was very- alive here, he decided. That was the best word for it. Alive.

A demon in the midst of something so very alive surely was not a good thing.

And, yet, the peace stayed intact.

I wonder...

He glanced up at Obito again, the younger ninja still running up ahead of his team and enjoying the feel of a homeland that wasn't freezing, devoid of life, or colorless, and hid a smile.

The night was just as loud as the day.

Just as colorful, too, even if the colors were different.

Maru wouldn't have been able to sleep if he'd wanted to. As it was, he was just grateful for the distractions that kept him awake. No matter how nice these people were, no matter how many reasons they gave him to trust them, Maru just couldn't let his guard down completely. He'd had too many people try to trick him when their end game was just a knife in the back. Just because that didn't appear to be what Minato, Rin, and Obito were planning didn't mean they weren't planning it. And, while it was sleeping was the perfect time to sneak up on a demon, he was sure.

So at night, he stayed awake.

Maru often stayed up during all of the first watch and at least part of the second before exhaustion overcame him. As was the case tonight.

He watched through half lidded eyes as Obito shook Rin awake. The two had a whispered exchange, and then, she sat up while the boy lay down. He frowned curiously. Normally, Obito had first watch, then Minato had second, and Rin had third. He didn't remember them saying anything about a change...

Instantly, an inkling of suspicion wormed its way into his heart.

Maru lay perfectly still, watching as Rin walked over to the tree Obito had been leaning against and took his place, crossing her legs and stretching. She reached over into her back and retrieved a small waterskin from her pack, and then, with just a few hand seals, a thin stream of water had emerged from the opening to hover in the air before. It twisted like a snake without her ever touching it, forming intricate patterns and moving fluidly through Rin's hands- looking as natural as breathing. Maru stared at her in amazement.

She looked like she was concentrating, hard; this wasn't as easy as the water made it look.

But, still...

"I wish I could do that."

Rin jumped, the water splashing down over her legs, the concentration vanishing from her features, open surprise taking its place. And Maru stared in surprise, too.

I didn't mean to say that out loud...

A moment passed in silence, and then, Rin smiled slightly, and she lowered her hands and placed them in her lap. "I didn't know you were awake."

Deciding to stop feigning sleep, Maru, shrugging, slowly pushed himself upright. He combed his hair out of his eyes and looked down at the waterskin. "I- ...could you teach me to do that? Or can I only control lightning?"

Rin slowly shook her head. "I don't know... most shinobi have more than one nature. But it's supposed to be really hard to master more than one. Minato-sensei says most don't start learning a second nature until they're jounin. You're a chuunin, right?"

Maru stared blankly.

After an uncomfortable moment, Rin looked away, biting her lip. "...Sorry." She shifted uneasily, fiddling with her waterskin again.

Maru shook his head back. "It's okay." He couldn't remember what a chuunin even was- still had his doubts that this whole 'amnesia' story was even real. They called him Kakashi, but he still thought of himself as Maru. They called him a ninja, but he still thought of himself as a demon.

He watched on sadly as Rin started playing with her water again. It wasn't as complex as before, just a few little drops coalesced into a ball that she tossed up and down. Water was nice and safe. Water couldn't hurt people- it was necessary for life, even. It was easy to watch Rin bounce water up and down and not be afraid.

Maru glanced uncertainly at the two sleeping forms of the rest of this team. Obito's fire- while it could be dangerous, he could also see it being... helpful. Creating light in a dark place- shaping metal- warmth on a cold night... And Minato's wind? Maru couldn't see how that could really be used as that dangerous of a weapon.

But lightning?

What else can lighting do, but be molded to kil?

He looked uneasily at Obito's head, still wrapped in bandages from when he'd hit it so hard the boy had passed out. At Minato's hand, the flesh still burned from when he'd struck them both with lightning, and Minato hadn't been able to shield himself quite fast enough.

All I know how to do is hurt people. These people- they say I'm a ninja, but... I haven't seen them hurt anyone.

How can they be so sure...

"How do you know I'm not a demon?"

It happened again- words abruptly slipping from his mouth without permission. Maru blinked and gasped, immediately falling silent- but it was too late. He'd already asked the question.

Rin stared at him. Her brown eyes were wide and shocked at the question; she looked like she had no idea what to say. Biting his lip, Maru turned away- dangerous hands held out in front of him.

"How can you be sure?"

"...When you told us earlier that you were a demon," she said hesitantly, but Maru refused to meet her eyes, "...you weren't just doing it to scare us off, were you? You- actually believe it."

Her voice sounded very sad, and Maru shifted uneasily. "It's just..." he hastened to explain, "you and the others are different than me. You healed them, and Minato, he was able to restrain me without hurting me. I've been traveling with you for almost a week now and... you still haven't done anything to me. But- I tried to kill all of you. I- I've even..." he swallowed dryly, "I've killed people before, without meaning to. It just happened. Sometimes I'd stab them. I'd be fighting them and somehow I'd just... get them in the heart. I never wanted to do that, it just-... Other t-times, I'd use lightning and they'd just fall over, and I'd check, and they were- dead. I never wanted to kill anyone." He closed his eyes tightly.

How many times...

How many times did I open my eyes and see that I'd killed them?

"Kakashi."

Maru kept his eyes shut.

"Kakashi, you were defending yourself. You weren't just blindly killing people. There's a difference."

"But I never meant to," he whispered. "Not once. How can I kill someone without even- without even meaning to?"

Isn't that what a demon is?

"...I think the fact that you feel this way about should prove that you're not a demon."

Maru froze.

It wasn't just her words that shocked him, even- just the simple fact that there was someone who was trying to convince him he wasn't a demon.

That was all it took to stop his thoughts in his tracks.

"Now, get over here."

He tentatively opened his eyes to see Rin patting the spot next to her, gentle smile firmly in place. "I'm going to teach you how to do what I was doing earlier- but with lightning. I bet the reason you're only able to use something as dangerous as lightning to hurt people is because you've never had anyone teach you how not to. How many times do you think Obito burned people when he was first learning?"

He stared in disbelief.

And Rin just looked back- smiling the whole time.

Slowly, Maru started to crawl over to sit by her side.

That night, he stayed awake until Rin went to sleep, and when she went to sleep, so did he- and, for the first time, he didn't feel scared.

Blood covered his hands.

The body behind him had a cut in his heart- Maru didn't remember putting it there.

Shaking, he pulled himself to the riverside, dipping his freezing hands in. He wanted it off him. He wanted it off.

When he pulled his hands out, the blood was still all over them.

"No... no, no, no..." He stuck them back in the water furiously, rubbing them as hard as he could. "Get off me. Get off!"

Silly fool

Don't you know? Demons can't wash the blood off their hands

Maru jumped at the voice. He looked around him but there was nothing, nowhere; he was alone. He leaned over the water to see his own reflection, his own, dark, dirty, bloodstained reflection.

The moon rose higher, silver light streaming down through the trees now, and hitting the river.

The water was blood red.

He'd turned the river into blood.

You can't clean yourself

Your hands are blood

You are blood

You are death

You are a demon-

Maru woke gasping.

His hands were warm and dry, and the moon was nowhere to be seen- the sky streaked with pink.

A cool palm moved to rest over his forehead, and he jumped again. He twitched away from it to find himself staring up at Rin- the girl watching him with a sad kind of understanding that almost made him feel worse then being called a demon.

"I can help you sleep again," she whispered- not asking what had woken him. For that, he was grateful.

"It will be without dreams. Is that what you want?"

Slowly, Maru nodded mutely. His eyes felt wet.

Rin nodded back, and her hands glowed an emerald green. He didn't have time to wonder again, for, moments later, he felt himself becoming drowsy again.

You are a demon...

"Who's Kakashi?"

Maru watched quietly as Minato stopped what he was doing, the match in his hands hovering over what would be their fire for the night. He looked over his shoulder in concern, blue eyes watching him uncertainly. "...What do you mean?" Minato asked slowly.

Maru shrugged. "Obito and Rin don't know, do they?"

"Know what?"

He glanced around their campsite, making sure the other two were not within in earshot. "When you first saw me. In Hazumi. You recognized me. But they just looked confused. I don't think they knew who I really am- right?" When Minato nodded in confirmation, Maru pressed on. "But you do. I mean... if you're right about this whole memory thing." He paused, then turned to look down the path, in the direction of what was supposed to be 'home'. "You said we'll reach the village tomorrow. So... could you tell me some things? About who I'm supposed to be? So I know how to act, what I'm supposed to?"

Minato paused again. The older man looked down at him and Maru held his ground, staring right back up at him, meeting his blue eyes without wavering. For some reason, he felt like this was almost a test, of some sorts, like he had to prove himself- like, tonight, and later, tomorrow, he would have to prove himself as this mysterious figure KAKASHI, and if he didn't, he would be sent back to Hazumi.

And they'll kill me this time- I'm sure of it.

Minato just looked at him for a second, though, and he never seemed to be judging him or searching him for qualities of Kakashi. And then he grinned, returning to his task with the fire, and started to talk.

"Sure. But, just so you know, Kakashi, we are right about this whole 'memory thing'. I'm positive. And there are people in Konoha who can get inside your head- literally. We'll be able to figure out what's wrong, and... maybe even reverse it."

"What do you think happened two years ago? And how did you know me then?"

Minato's hands stilled, for just a moment. "I... I think your father did something to your memories and took you to Hazumi."

"My-?"

"Yes." Minato sat back against another tree and rested his chin on his knee, gaze distant. "Sakumo would know how to place a seal on your memories. It fits with what Mikasa said happened, too."

Maru frowned. "But, why would my father- I don't understand."

"...I don't know why he would do this, Kakashi. We never figured out what happened when you disappeared, and your father didn't leave a note indicating he even knew you were gone. But Sakumo was- ...well, whatever he did, he had his reasons."

Maru looked away. What kind of father would send their son up to the hell that Hazumi was? And why was Minato being evasive now? "...Can I see him when we get back to Konoha?" he asked hopefully. He couldn't explain it, but, somehow, Maru wanted to meet Kakashi's parents.

Maybe, because I'm starting to believe more and more that I really am... Kakashi.

Even the name sounded weird- but not wholly terrible.

In fact, he even liked it a little.

Minato, though, did not respond to his question right away. He stayed quiet for a few moments, quiet and still, and his gaze darkened. Eventually, without meeting his eye, the older man said softly, "I'm sorry, Kakashi. ...Your parents are both dead."

He blinked.

They're both... dead?

Honestly, the realization didn't leave him as shaken as he thought it should. In the beginning, he wondered who his parents were- sometimes imagined that they were great and wonderful people, wealthy daimyos or powerful samurai, and he'd even dreamed of the day they would come get him from Hazumi.

But days had turned into months, and then, years, and he'd only been steadily convinced of one thing- he was a demon. And... demons didn't have parents- right?

So the glorified images in his head of smiling, loving, amazing people were shattered. He'd never really believed in them, anyway. This changed nothing.

Nodding slowly, he looked back at Minato- not smiling, but not frowning, either. "...I see."

There was nothing more for him to say.

Then, suddenly, Minato was grinning, and he snapped his fingers, excited out of nowhere. "Oh! Right!" he exclaimed, and Maru got the feeling this was just supposed to distract him. "You wanted me to tell you some things about yourself- well, I thought of something! You used to wear a mask!"

...Okay, distraction succeeded.

"I did?"

Minato nodded quickly. "Yes, you did. Almost no one in the village even knew what your face looked like. Hah, even enemy ninja started to recognize you as that masked kid- and you never took it off in public. Even when you were eating. You ate so fast I thought you would choke but no one ever got a glimpse of your face without you letting them. My wife scolded me for letting you wear it everywhere; she said it wasn't good for boys your age to be so antisocial, and my own teacher actually based a character off you in one of his books- because of your mask. ...Although, heh, my wife almost killed Jiraiya-sensei for that... His books weren't really, uh- age appropriate, I should say."

Maru reached up to feel his face uncertainly. I used to wear a mask? He smiled slightly. It was weird, it was unexplained, and it really gave him more questions than it answered, but...

Now I know more about who I'm supposed to be.

"Tell me more," he whispered eagerly. "Please."

Grinning, Minato did.

Maru sat back and listened as Minato told him about a ninja who was more adult than child. Kakashi would answer the question 'what do you like?' with an answer such as 'training', or, 'missions'. He didn't like sweet things, though, Minato was sure of that, and he liked getting hugged by Kushina- even if her hugs were so tight he couldn't breathe, and it made what was visible of his cheeks turned redder than a tomato. He had an eternal rival (not that he was sure what that was), Gai, and Gai wouldn't care if he actually was a demon, Gai would still chase him to hell and back.

Gai, it seemed, had been devastated by Kakashi's disappearance- one of the few who had actually known him to miss him.

Jiraiya, his uncle, and Minato's teacher, had apparently left the village more than once, roaming for months through the sands and oceans of far away countries, searching for mention of Kakashi. He had never strayed into Hazumi.

"You never really had that many friends, I'm afraid," Minato confessed, and he sounded regretful. "You were graduated years before anyone else in your age group did. It was just you and me for a long time; you weren't interested in anyone your age and they really weren't interested in you. Gai was the only one, and that's because he was so stubborn it was easier for you to be nice to him then continue ignoring him." Minato laughed quietly. "I was actually hoping Obito and Rin would help change that- get you some friends that weren't Gai. I mean, nothing's wrong with him, but... wow." He shook his head.

And Maru, fully amazed, just sat back and stared at him.

The idea that he had friends... relatives... that this man here was his teacher...

It was stunning.

And no matter how lost he felt, how confusing this all was, how little he knew to be true anymore- he decided he really, really hoped he was Kakashi. And not just so he wouldn't be forced back to Hazumi and killed, or because it would mean he really wasn't a demon.

For the first time, he hoped he was Kakashi because Kakashi sounded like he had a nice life.

Maru stared down at the hot, steaming bowl that had just been set before him.

Obito shoved a pair of chopsticks into his hand, Rin pushed it closer to him, and Minato just leaned forward to watch him eagerly.

He looked down at the bowl again.

It looked... okay, he had to admit it, it looked good. Much better than the scraps the orphans scavenged in Hazumi. A good bunch of noodles with pieces of chicken, beef, steamed vegetables, and spices mixed in, all swimming in a hot pool of broth. He couldn't help but lick his lips.

But being stared at like this was all some kind of show was more than a little unsettling.

He glanced up at the three strange ones watching him again, then back down at the bowl.

"What are you all doing? Is this his first time eating here?" the nice waitress, Ayame, called before turning her back to wash some dishes.

"No, Ayame-chan- it's his first time eating ramen! Ever!"

The woman whirled around, suddenly just as eager as the rest. "Ooh, really?" she cried, beaming. "Tou-san! Tou-san! Come watch! This customer has never tried ramen before!"

Maru shrunk down his seat, his cheeks flushing, when the old man from earlier poked his head out from the back, then joined his daughter by the counter. Now five people were staring at him like he was the suspenseful climax to an action movie. He swallowed nervously.

Uneasily, he broke the chopsticks, whispered a dry, "Ita...daki...masu..." then, carefully, dipped them into the bowl, grabbed a bite, and put it in his mouth.

Everything was quiet.

And then...

Oh my god!

"Yes! He loves it!"

"Haha! I told you, Sensei, this was the place to take him!"

"Aww, look at his face!"

"Ka- Kakashi, slow down, you're gonna choke-"

"It's okay, Rin, I've seen him eat faster-"

Maru set the empty bowl down with a clatter and sat back, wiping his mouth with a gasp. He didn't really care about the people surrounding him right now. All he knew was that this was the most he'd eaten at one time in- well... ever, and it was hot, not half spoiled or rotten, and flavorful, and- well... good.

"Th- Thank you!" he exclaimed, looking up at Minato. "That was... uh... very good. Thank you so much for treating me."

"Us," Obito corrected with a wink. Minato hung his head, placing another stack of bills on the table as if in defeat, and Obito and Rin both cheered. Ayame and Teuchi looked somewhat happy, too, though Maru was sure that had more to do with the money they were now counting than the enthusiastic customers.

Shifting slightly, Maru turned from the ramen stall to look out at the street. Everything was so bright here, and cheerful- it was overwhelming. Take Hazumi, and multiply it by a million- that was this place.

There was so many people- everywhere! Doing every thing! Talking together, laughing, shopping, eating, running, playing- it was amazing. So much activity all at once... and it was still so- peaceful...

This place is amazing.

Maru didn't care if he wasn't Kakashi.

He was staying here anyway.

"It's going to be scary," Minato said softly, one tanned hand on Kakashi's shoulder, leading him along down the street. "The guy we're going to see tomorrow, Inoichi- he works in Torture and Interrogation. And, as the name implies, it's not a very nice looking place.

Kakashi stiffened uneasily. He glanced warily around the street, lit by the orange rays of the setting sun, and before returning his attention to Minato. "Why are we going there?"

"Well, Inoichi is the guy I told you about. He's the one who can get into people's heads. We'll have to go see him to get your memories back. And the procedure isn't very nice, either. They tie you down to a chair beforehand, because, sometimes, people don't react very well when Inoichi goes probing around in their heads." Minato paused, looking down at him, and tried to smile. "I'll be there, though. And if he lets me, I'll be the one to go in your head."

Minato watched as Kakashi nodded, considering this. To be perfectly honest, he shouldn't be telling Kakashi this now- they should be walking down to T and I right now. Actually, they should've gone straight there, not stopping at Ichiraku first.

But Kakashi was already jumpy enough. Minato had gone through his first mind reading at age eight, and it was unsettling to say the least- it would be terrifying for someone in Kakashi's position. He'd decided to give him the night to get used to Konoha first, experience the good before he endured the bad. Never mind that 'Maru's' technical classification was a dangerous shinobi without attachment to any village- never mind that he had outright attacked them in Hazumi. He trusted Kakashi.

That, and I'm still stronger than him. I'll be able to control him if... something... happens.

Minato paused, looking up the street to his house, and cleared his throat. "Kaka- ...Maru."

Kakashi stopped for the briefest of moments, freezing. He turned to look up at him with wide eyes- the use of the name he still thought of himself as, Minato knew, more powerful than anything else he had said thus far.

"I won't promise that we'll be able to reverse the seal on your memories. There's a good chance, but- I can't promise that. What- what I can promise, though... Maru... no matter what happens if Inoichi tomorrow- you'll be able to stay here. If that's what you want, that is."

Kakashi's grey eyes widened again. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, then quickly looked away, nervous, his gaze going to the ground again. "..."

"I can teach you how to be a ninja again, if you want me too. Or you can quit that life; do something else. It doesn't matter, really, what you want to do, or what happens tomorrow- I can just promise that you'll always have a place with me."

Kakashi stayed quiet for a few moments. Then he cleared his throat and spoke, but so softly, Minato couldn't hear what he said.

"Say again, Kakashi?" he asked quietly, rubbing his shoulder gently.

"...I thought you said you were my teacher. I don't understand why you- care- so much."

Minato smiled. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked back to his apartment, resisting the urge to draw Kakashi closer to his side. "You were my sole apprentice for two years, Kakashi. We traveled together- we fought together- we- we even bled together. You saved my life, more than once. We trained together almost every day for two years. Apprentice and master is more than teacher and student."

And you were more than just my apprentice.

Kakashi didn't say anything at first.

Then, slowly, his hand found Minato's.

Minato beamed.

The peace lasted for less than a minute.

"Now, Kakashi," he warned, eying his apartment door like it might grow fangs and bite him even as he started to unlock it, "I have to warn you. My wife, Kushina, is home, and I think your uncle, Jiraiya, is too. They're liable to go a bit... get a little... enthusiastic... when they see you. Please, let them?"

Because Kushina got excited over a bowl of ramen. Kushina got excited when Minato came home from a mission early. Kushina got excited when she got the chance to throw a birthday party for Rin.

Excited was not going to cover her reaction when the boy she'd treasured like her own son, long thought to be dead, walked through the door.

Kakashi looked at him oddly- obviously anxious. "Wait!" he exclaimed, pulling away from the door- staring at it like it was poisonous. "I- ...you're taking me to your wife? Are you sure that's safe?!"

Minato raised an eyebrow. What is he talking about? He waited patiently for Kakashi to explain, making it clear he didn't understand, and his former student paused, uneasy, before answering his unasked question.

"For her. If I'm really not Kakashi, then... I'm a demon. I still don't really know what I'm capable of. Are you sure it's okay for me to be in the same room as her? I- ...don't want to hurt her."

Minato didn't know what to say.

Kakashi, you...

Swallowing, Minato met Kakashi's eye, made sure he was listening, and, very carefully, he nodded.

"I'm sure it's okay, Kakashi. You won't hurt her."

And then, without further room for debate, he opened the door.

There she was. Kushina was sitting at the table across from Jiraiya, working on writing up a mission report. The Sannin was writing as well- Minato was sure, however, this was a manuscript again, and had nothing to do with any mission. The two looked up when he stuck his head in the door, the rest of him still outside. Kushina grinned.

"Welcome home! How was your mission?"

"Ah... surprising."

Her grin faltered a little, and she craned her neck, trying to see past him to the hallway. "Surprising is better than terrible, I suppose. What are you hiding out there, Minato?"

"Uh..."

It was Jiraiya's turn to get suspicious. "In my experience, when he's hiding something, it is never anything good," he said, still without looking up from the table.

"That's not quite it, JIraiya-sensei..."

"So, what is it, then?"

Come on, Minato, quit stalling.

Taking a deep breath, Minato gripped Kakashi's hand tighter, smiled back at them both, and announced, "I have a surprise for you." And then he pulled his former student inside.

Kushina's jaw dropped open.

Her shock lasted for five seconds- Minato knew. He counted each one.

And then she was on her feet, and Kakashi had been squished into a hug like some kind of over sized doll- he honestly doubted the boy could even breathe.

"Kakashi! Oh my god, Kakashi! You're alive! You- you- you're- Kakashi!"

She started smothering his forehead with kisses and squeezing him even tighter (Minato feared for the state of Kakashi's ribs, now...). Jiraiya, meanwhile, stayed frozen in his seat, his reaction less obvious but no less shocked than Kushina's. In the midst of Kushina smothering Kakashi with mothering, the Sannin pushed himself up out of his chair and stumbled over to Minato- his eyes on Kakashi the entire time.

"W-where... the... hell... did you find my nephew?" he stammered.

Meanwhile, Kushina had started sobbing. Minato had his sympathies, and would've rescued him, he really would've- but Kakashi was only getting pried out of Kushina's arms right now by a braver man than he.

"Iron Country," he told Jiraiya, still watching his wife and former student. "I suppose you hadn't heard the rumors of a lightning demon haunting the mountains up there?"

"...You're kidding."

"Gods, I wish."

"A-and... and I," Kushina cried, hugging Kakashi tighter, if that were even possible, "I... I love you... dattebayo... Kakashi no baka!"

When Kakashi finally gave in and stopped fighting it, Minato nodded slightly- unable to help a smile.

No matter what happened tomorrow, and no matter who he came home with, Maru or Kakashi- everything would turn out all right.

Kakashi kept his eyes on Minato the whole time Inoichi secured the restraints.

Trust us, he mouthed at the boy.

Slowly, stiffly, Kakashi nodded.

Inoichi finally stepped back, and Kakashi was shaking by now, trembling in terror, eyes dancing all over the dark room but always coming back to rest on Minato. Minato nodded at him, promising safety, even when the Yamanaka joined him at his side, reaching down to clasp hands with him so he could be taken into Kakashi's mind.

"I'll see you in a few minutes, Kakashi," he promised. And he meant it.

It's Kakashi I'll be seeing- not Maru.

The last thing he saw of the outside world was Kakashi smiling.

His eyes curved up into twin arcs, even without his mask.

...

Minato opened his eyes to find himself in a simple white hallway. He looked down at himself, feeling his arms and his legs, unable to stop himself from testing if he felt the same in here as he did out there. Inoichi had landed next to him, but was wasting no such time with any such examination. When Minato looked up at him, he saw the other man was looking over their surroundings carefully- and the Yamanaka did not look happy.

"This is not what it's supposed to look like." He rested a hand on the wall, running a finger over the cool, smooth surface. "I think you were right about this being a seal, Minato. And whoever made it must be a Konoha nin, because they know how my technique works- they designed specifically as a defense against my technique."

"...What does that mean?" Minato asked uneasily. He looked behind them uneasily to see that the hallway just- ended. No door, no way out. They couldn't go anywhere but forward.

"It means that we can reverse Kakashi's memory loss. And, you were probably right about this being Sakumo's doing." Inoichi crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, gesturing for him to go forward with his chin. "Minato, I think you should go forward alone. This won't take my skills, and if it does, you can always come back and get me. This needs someone who knew Sakumo more than someone who knows my clan's art, I think..."

Minato paused. What if they were wrong about this? He'd rather have a Yamanaka with him if he was going to go poking through Kakashi's head. What if he did something wrong- made this even worse? What if he didn't realize what he was doing was dangerous and ended up erasing what was left of Kakashi's memories?

...Inoichi had to be aware of the risks, though- Inoichi knew what he was doing. And Inoichi was saying to go ahead without him.

So, breathing deeply, Minato turned and began to walk down the hallway.

The hallways continued on as plainly as before, stark white and empty. His footsteps felt too loud, echoing on the floor, and he couldn't help but make an attempt to walk quieter. Was this what everyone's head was like? No, Inoichi had said it was different from the start. This was just the result of the seal. Which definitely was, in fact, a seal. Which was, in fact, good news, because seals could be removed.

Minato licked his lips. It felt cold in here, and like he'd been walking for an inordinately long time. The hallway seemed to stretch on forever; was this really what he was supposed to be doing? Surely this was wrong- or at least, there was a jutsu he could use to expedite the process- "Hey, Inoichi-"

When Minato turned around, there was no Inoichi. The hallway just stretched back endlessly in the same direction- no Inoichi in sight.

"Inoichi?!" he shouted again, but it was pointless. He wasn't there.

...Maybe I need to start finding a way out of here...

And Minato turned back around again, and all thoughts that this was a mission failed vanished.

Before him had appeared a door with the Hatake crest. Next to the door was the mirror image of Hatake Sakumo.

He had found the seal- and, the seal caster.

Minato turned to face his student's father for the first time in two years. It certainly looked like him, at least, the image of him the day before he'd died. His hair was still as long as Kakashi's was now, tied back, the tanto that had ended up buried inside him sheathed neatly on his back. He still wore the jounin uniform- and he still wasn't smiling.

Something he had become frighteningly used to from Kakashi, too.

"So, Minato. You found him."

Sakumo didn't look very pleased about that, either.

Minato slowly nodded. There was nothing this ghost could do to him, he knew- and all he had to do was convince him to release the seal. He wasn't leaving until he'd done that much. "Yeah, I did."

"How long has it been?"

Minato frowned. "You don't know?"

Sakumo shook his head slowly. He turned to look at the door Minato was sure was the key to everything, his grey eyes distant. "No. I don't know anything after I sealed Kakashi's memories. When you came into his mind with Inoichi, you awoke me."

Minato wished Kushina was here. Maybe she would be able to find some way around Sakumo to unlock the seal. His patience for the elder Hatake had already ran out; finding out he was the reason for all of this hell- it wasn't doing anything for Minato's attempt to just have a civil conversation with him. Come on, Minato. For Kakashi's sake.

"Kakashi vanished two years ago. You killed yourself the next day."

Sakumo sighed again. He didn't seem surprised, not in the least. "I see..." he murmured- his gaze still not meeting Minato's. "Two years, huh? So you didn't manage to follow my trail?"

"No one did. Not just me; you threw off ANBU, Sakumo. When I said Kakashi vanished, I meant it. Jiraiya and I were looking this whole time, but you didn't leave us a damn trail to follow."

Sakumo glanced at him then. His expression betrayed no surprise, and neither did his deep voice; just a powerful sadness, a long sorrow that maybe, just maybe, would've made Minato feel guilty, if it weren't for what Sakumo had done.

"You're angry at me."

"Yeah. I am," he said shortly. "You're lucky you're dead, Sakumo. I told you when Kakashi became my apprentice I'd kill anyone who tried to hurt him- you're not exempt from that."

"I never tried to hurt him."

"He was almost killed because of you!"

Minato would've perhaps tried to strangle him next, or at least hit him, his rage too much to be overtaken by this meddling ghost that had ruined lives- but Sakumo finally reacted at his yell. The Hatake flinched, gasping, head jerking up and flat eyes widening to be touched by, finally, some emotion; he looked shocked, no, horrified- and in that moment, Minato knew Sakumo's intention had never been to hurt Kakashi.

"W-... what?"

His voice was just as horrified as his expression- and Minato softened.

Sakumo really was trying to help Kakashi... no matter what ended up happening, no matter how badly Kakashi ended up being hurt- Sakumo was only trying to help him.

"What do you mean he was- Hazumi was safe! Normal! Away from ninja! No shinobi wars, no shinobi at all! He shouldn't have been in danger there! Minato, what happened?!"

Minato looked away regretfully. Sakumo really hadn't seen this coming, had he? He really hadn't seen any way this could end badly for Kakashi.

Then again... no one could have foreseen this.

"Your plan backfired," he said gently. "The fact that there were no shinobi near only highlighted the differences between Kakashi and everyone else. He was too smart, too strong- he was able to walk on water and use lightning still, at first just by instinct, but then he started teaching himself. Since there were never any ninja around to say it was perfectly normal, the people in Hazumi became scared of him. They- ...they thought he was a demon."

Sakumo's horror disappeared momentarily, confusion taking its place. "What?" he asked blankly, eyes wide. "A demon? You can't be serious."

Minato glared at him. "These people don't know what a bijuu is. They had never seen a real monster, a real demon. All they saw was this boy who could fight them all off, no matter how much the odds were against him, who ran across water like it was nothing, and could summon lightning."

"...Oh, god." Sakumo rubbed a hand over his face, averting his eyes once again. He leaned back against the wall and slowly shook his head. "I- Minato... god. I designed the seal so it would weaken in moments of extreme danger so Kakashi would hopefully be able to use some of his abilities if he needed to. But I never thought this would happen."

"Clearly," Minato said dryly. It was quite obvious Sakumo had never thought of this eventuality. But, then, sticking a ninja in the middle of a bunch of paranoid civilians and taking away his memories, but not his abilities, was a disaster waiting to happen. It explained why Sakumo hadn't sealed his Chakra, too; though he could understand the logic behind it all, he couldn't help but wish Sakumo hadn't done this. Then he never would've been hunted as a demon.

Though... if he hadn't been... I never would've been called to help deal with it. I never would've found him again.

He shivered.

"Tell me he's okay, at least," Sakumo begged. "Tell me he's okay."

Minato's eyes narrowed. "Barely. The reason I found him? Hazumi gave my team a mission- to assassinate him. Be grateful it was me who got the mission. No one else would've recognized him, and he would've been dead."

Sakumo didn't look very grateful at all, in fact, he appeared distraught. Minato would've have more than an one iota of sympathy if this wasn't entirely his fault.

"Why, Sakumo? Why design a seal at all? Why- why do any of this?"

Sakumo laughed bitterly. He continued to look away, eyes staring blankly at the opposite wall again- but one hand, now gently holding on the hilt of his blade. It was clear the news that he had almost gotten his son killed had shaken him- but not enough.

"Why, indeed, Minato? Isn't it obvious?"

Minato just looked at him.

When he didn't reply, Sakumo closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. "I didn't want Kakashi keep following the path he was on. Because he was going to end up like- us. Maybe not me, but... one of us."

"...What are you talking about?"

"What do you think I mean?!" Sakumo spat, whirling on Minato with fire in his eyes. "How many prodigies do you know that lead happy lives? Jiraiya is the only one of the Sannin who isn't fucked up ten different ways, but don't tell me a man who writes porn for a living is well adjusted or normal or- or happy. Ibiki's so screwed up half the ANBU are afraid to talk to him. Anko's been on and off suicide watch for three years. Ever spoken with Ino-Shika-Cho lately? Hiashi? Hizashi? Do you know how many ninja from my generation are still alive, Minato?!" he screamed. "Over half are dead. Dead! Most of them, before they hit twenty! The ones that are alive- some are practically suicidal; you can only kill so many people before you're begging for death yourself. Some quit but drink themselves into oblivion just to avoid the nightmares. One beats his wife. One's in the psych ward. My- my wife is dead. And Konoha cast me out like trash- after decades of me handing over my soul for them, because I decided to be a human being and not a fucking ninja. Do you hear a happy ending anywhere in these stories, Minato?!"

And Minato found that he was not able to answer.

"You know that saying- be careful when you fight monsters, that you don't become one? Well, we've been monsters from the start. And I could not die, knowing that Kakashi was just going to live, and die- as a monster."

Sakumo was... right.

There weren't many other words, really, for a child who'd murdered by age five.

Minato closed his eyes..

Sakumo had done it to protect Kakashi. Sakumo had known where he was headed- known ninja as strong as the one he was becoming did not have the option to just retire. Kakashi had been sent to war before he was eight, and killed more people than his Academy instructor before he was seven.

Suddenly, Sakumo's reaction when Kakashi had not only been promoted, but been proclaimed victor of the Chuunin Exams, made sense.

Sakumo had watched on as Kakashi had killed his final opponent, and then, shaking his head, he had simply turned and walked away. He'd looked.. disappointed. Not at Kakashi, he now realized- but in himself.

Now, it all made perfect sense.

"Sakumo..."

The elder Hatake looked back at him bitterly- almost furiously. "Do you understand now why I took him away from Konoha, Minato? I will not let you remove the seal. It won't last forever, but I will not let it break when he's still young- when Konoha can still use him."

Minato looked up at the way he said the village's name. Disgusted, enraged; like it was a poisonous oath... "Sakumo, you..."

Sakumo didn't need him to finish the sentence. "Do I hate the village? Aah, maybe. Not for the way they treated me; no. But to scorn Kakashi, too? When he had done nothing but protect them? To fear us, treat us like monsters, pretend not to know just how close to broken we are until there's no hope left?" Sakumo shook his head. "No. I wasn't going to let that happen to Kakashi. And as for what Kakashi could've done for Konoha? If you're asking me which I love more, Konoha, or my son, my answer is, fuck Konoha."

What was he supposed to say to that?

Even if he couldn't agree with Sakumo- he did understand him.

The shinobi system was broken. Kakashi had been headed for more pain and suffering. So were Obito and Rin. To Sakumo, to save Kakashi, the only solution would have been to take him away. Even if the powers that be would've been content with Kakashi hanging up his headband, Kakashi never would have, no matter who asked him or for what reason. Being a ninja was all he knew. They couldn't ask a five year old to start over again.

And now, Minato knew- to ask Sakumo to release the seal, would be asking him to let Kakashi back into this system of brokenness, and to let his son suffer.

No father would answer yes.

But I can't walk away and leave this behind. Right now, Kakashi is behind that door. And Sakumo may be his father- but I wasn't his teacher for three years for nothing. Sakumo wasn't there for him then- I was.

I was, damn it.

And Sakumo's say isn't the only one that counts.

"Sakumo, Kakashi isn't just your son. He's- he's my... student, too."

Minato wondered briefly at the fact that he had almost said son.

"He has friends. He has people who care about him. And what you know about being a ninja is different now. There are less child ninjas than when you were born- Sarutobi-sama saw what it did to his students, he put in regulations to stop it from happening again, Kakashi just barely got past them. And he's putting in more stringent mental health requirements, too; Ibiki's people don't just torture people now, they try and get into our heads to help us, too."

Never mind he was one of the probably fifty percent of shinobi that skipped those 'required' mental health check ups. Never mind that they were at war, and probably the only way to fail so magnificently to be removed from active duty was probably screaming threats against the Hokage.

Never mind that Danzou was still active, and any shinobi in his command was ten times more screwed up than any other and no regulation Sarutobi put in place would effect them.

Although... about, Danzou...

"And, Sakumo- if you think Kakashi can get away again, you're insane. Danzou knows, by now, Kakashi's back. And Danzou will take him into the Foundation if we help him. He doesn't care what memories Kakashi has or doesn't have; he'll just train him again. You think our life will screw him up? Kakashi won't even know his name if Danzou takes him."

Sakumo's eyes narrowed. "Really?" he deadpanned coldly. "And, as Kakashi's teacher, and friend- you will just... let this happen, Minato? Somehow, I doubt that."

Minato swallowed. Right. Intimidating Sakumo into trusting him with his son... probably not the best idea.

God... I have to try anything, though.

I will get Kakashi back. It doesn't matter what I have to do.

"Sakumo... please."

Sakumo looked back at him flatly.

"Sakumo- I know you love Kakashi. But we care about him, too. And right now, Kakashi is a kid who thinks his name is Maru- and that he's a demon. You say you don't want him to be a monster? Right now, he's convinced that he is- and unless you give him his memories back, nothing will convince him otherwise. If you don't release this seal... you'll be forcing Kakashi into just what you were trying to prevent."

Please, Sakumo. Give him back to us.

"He has no friends, no family, and is this close to running and not coming back," he said urgently. "If you let me- I'll help him. I swear I'll always watch him- and I swear I'll protect him. He has Kushina and me as... as family. Jiraiya. I promise, Sakumo- if you let us, we'll stop... what you're afraid of... from happening to Kakashi. I promise we will."

Sakumo looked... not convinced.

But not stubborn, either.

Minato stared at him pleadingly. "Sakumo... I love him, too."

Let me have Kakashi back.

Sakumo stayed quiet. His eyes were closed, the man deep in thought, and Minato waited- nerves racing, heart beating so hard it hurt. He knew Sakumo had not made the decision to seal Kakashi's memories lightly. It had probably been the hardest decision he'd made of his life.

And he was trying to talk him into reversing it.

But Sakumo made this decision for Kakashi... and, now, that it's truly in Kakashi's best interests to lift the seal..

"You will watch him? You will protect him?"

Minato's eyes widened.

Is he...

Is Sakumo...

He's going to do it!

He's going to release the seal!

I did it, Kakashi- I did it.

Minato bowed his head, accepting the responsibility he knew Sakumo was giving to him with these words now- controlling the little thrill of joy inside him. "To the best of my ability."

"You will always give him- what I could not? You'll make sure he's... as happy as we can be?"

I always tried to. I just never succeeded. "Yes."

"You will make sure he doesn't end up- like me?"

He nodded vehemently- and ignored the stab of guilt that said if he, Jiraiya, or- anyone else had reached out to him, what Sakumo would've ended up as would've been very, very different. "Never. I will never let that happen to him, Sakumo."

Sakumo looked him in the eye steadily. The heavy silence carried on, Minato standing his ground, and the elder Hatake just watched him- evaluating whether or not he could trust him with his child.

Minato waited, his heart in his throat.

At last, Sakumo turned away, his hands in his pockets, to stare at the door. He paused for a long second, shoulders slumped, head down- then reached out, and opened the door.

"Love him, Minato."

Sakumo vanished.

Minato knelt in front of Kakashi- waiting.

The restraints around his wrists and ankles were gone, per his insistence.

Inoichi waited silently in the background, Sandaime by his side. And Minato stayed where he was- waiting for Kakashi to open his eyes.

"Mmm... agh..."

Minato's mouth opened in surprise, excited and hopeful beyond belief.

Kakashi shifted weakly, his head lolling on his shoulders. His eyelids fluttered, then, his muscles tensed.

"Come on, Kakashi," he whispered. "I'm here."

"I... ah..." Kakashi slowly flexed his long fingers, shaking, and took in a breath. His eyelids flickered again- and then, slowly, they opened, just barely. Two twin grey, hazy crescents looked him right in the eye.

Kakashi tried to speak once, and failed.

"Come on, Kakashi," he encouraged gently. "I'm right here."

The crescents grew to become half moons, Kakashi barely awake but still focused on him. He licked his lips tiredly, tense muscles now slack in exhaustion, that hazy realm between sleep and awareness. He opened his mouth again, and this time, he managed to speak.

"Mi... Minato... sensei..."

In that moment, it felt almost as if the world had stopped.

And then, Minato's heart soared.

"Kakashi!"

He wrapped his arms around him tight and yanked him up off the chair, and Kakashi, after a moment passed in shocked, still silence, hugged him back.