I've had this chapter 'done' for a little while now, but I just wasn't sure I wanted to post it. Now I don't remember why. I THINK it had some thing to do with a plot continuity error?

Oh well, its been so long that I only remember the BIG future events any way, So I did a quick beta read, fixed it up, gave it an ending proper, and. . . well. . .

Enjoy.

P.S. If you see any italicized words all scrunched together it's some sort of formatting error. Let me know about where the error is and I''l fix it.

Tears for Coffee

Regret and frustration gathered in the air over the next day and a half, like storm clouds darkening on the horizon. Naruto's normally neat and orderly apartment had become so messy, and so dirty, that he was loath to be in it. In his tired eyes the walls crawled and the floor oozed. Bedding was in heaps all over the bedroom, and the sofa looked as if it had exploded. Empty food containers were strewn about like dead leaves after a snow melt – trampled and filthy- and were interwoven with the cushions and blankets and pillows. Adding even more filth to the destruction were grimly little hand prints on every surface where Kakashi could reach. On top of it all, lingering like a thick fog, was the rancid sent of sour milk.

Naruto had tried to be patient and he had tried to think first, but the walls were closing in and Kakashi would. Not. Stop.Crying.

His foot hurt, Naruto knew, and he missed his father. Every other word was a pleading whimper for the dead man's return. Naruto couldn't bring him self to keep promising Kakashi that he'd see his father again. He couldn't make a promise he couldn't keep - it went against every moral he'd ever built up - but he couldn't bring him self to telling the distraught child that his father was gone either.

It left Kakashi distrustful, and clever as he was, his mistrust had lead to a number of escape attempts despite the disaster with the window. With every escape attempt Naruto found him self feeling more and more trapped him self. By the end of the second night he was reacting in an ever harsher manner to keep his charge from escaping.

At the moment, as Naruto sat with his head in his hands at the kitchen table, he could hear Kakashi sobbing from where he'd been locked in the bed room. Locked like a criminal who'd tried to dig his way out of prison.

Locked in solitary confinement.

It's for his own good. Naruto closed his eyes and tried to ignore the terrible cries. I can't let him go out where he'll get hurt. I have orders.

Orders or no, he could feel his sanity slipping with every distraught sob. Naruto hurt for his teacher, and understood the crushing pain of loneliness, but Kakashi was LOUD. What was more he was tireless in his infantile expressions of fear and anger. Every time his escape attempt had been thwarted he made a point to scream even louder than he'd done the time before. Naruto was worried at some point Kakashi would go horse, but now, after a second sleepless night, he could honestly say that would be a good thing.

And that only made him feel worse.

Having been locked in the bedroom Kakashi was brining his vocal prowess to a whole new level. From where he was sitting Naruto could almost feel the floorboards shaking with each scream. He dug his nails in to his scalp as he pressed his palms to his ears.

He'd read the books Shizune had brought, but after being awake for nearly three days his mind couldn't latch on to any one lesson they were supposed to teach. Along with that information he had several days worth of clone information trying to find a place to settle some where in his mind. He'd faithfully stuck to only releasing one clone at a time every twenty four hours, but they were clumsy and accident prone. Out of the twenty he'd made, nearly half had found a way to harm them selves enough to release on their own, sending wave after wave of utterly useless information flooding in. Every time it happened Naruto's mind was drowned with knowledge he hadn't been expecting. Now he was floundering, sinking so far down he knew he'd perish under the waves if he didn't find a way back to the surface.

It HURT! His head was throbbing constantly. The screams were only adding to the agony.

I can't do this. He gripped his pounding head tighter. I have to do this,it's my fault. Guilt washed in, but ebbed just as quickly when some thing hit the bedroom door. Kakashi howled. Some thing hit the door again.

Naruto let go of his head and turned. The door was once more pounded from a low place. Kakashi was now literally kicking and screaming.

While gripping the table till his knuckles turned white Naruto shouted, "Knock it off!"

There was a moment of silence, then the sobbing started up again. A flicker of anger laced it's way through Naruto's mind, accompanied by flicker of fox fire red. Breathing heavy slow snorts, Naruto closed his eyes and tried to calm him self. The red only brightened, however, and for a moment he leaned in to it's warmth, exhausted.

Hands on a small young spine. Gripping. Pressure points. Easy, soft, quick. Painless. Silent. Silence.

His eyes snapped open as his heart thundered in sudden fear. "I'm loosing it." He stood, shaken by the violent whispers that had formed in his mind, and made his way towards the door numbly. "I can't do this. I'll kill him." Trembling hands gripped the knob and he stopped.

Kakashi was still sobbing. Still a child. Still helpless.

Naruto closed his eyes again and rested his head on the door. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

For several minutes he stood, letting the cold wood chill the heat from his head. Kakashi's voice slowed and quieted to little keening whimpers.

"I'm sorry. I'm so. . ."

A clone slammed the front door open and bounced in, grinning like a fool. It looked around the apartment for a moment after that, then frowned. "Wow, it's gotten way worse in hear since this morning!"

Naruto shoved off of the bedroom door. "What do you want?" He asked bluntly, not in any mood to accommodate himself.

"Ah, well, see. . ." It rubbed the back of it's head and grinned again. "Sakura told me to go bother some one else, and the other clones already found some one to talk to. . . Guy, Shikamaru and Choji, Ino, even Hinata has a clone near her. . . boy she's weird. . . any way I couldn't find any body so. . ." It grinned even wider. "Maybe I could hang out here?"

Naruto blinked again feeling just a little odd inside to have a clone asking for his company. "Uh. . ."

"I'll mop!" It announced suddenly, and trotted off to the kitchen.

Naruto stared after it, some what bewildered, as it started to rummage through the cleaning supplies. Kakashi meanwhile, having heard the exuberant clone's voice, started to cry loudly again.

"Boy he sure does holler a lot. Does he cry constantly? I mean, since this morning?" The clone pulled the mop free and swung it around. "I know he's been crying constantly for the last few days, you know, when another clone goes poof. . ." It pulled the bucket out. "Oh hey, look, you are out of raman!" The clone pouted violently and folded it's arms. "It's noisy in here."

Naruto slumped against the bedroom door. It's brainless. My clone is brainless. Sakura is going to kill me after having that thing...

The clone's voice pierced his thoughts, "He sure does cry a lot!"

"Yes. He does." Naruto managed, while rubbing his aching temples.

"Kind of makes you hate kids." The clone started to fill the bucket.

"I wish I knew how Iruka sensei does it. He LIKES kids." Naruto mumbled. I'm talking to myself, clone, self... whatever. I have lost it.

With a bucket full of water in one hand, and the mop in the other, the clone strode in to the living room. "Hmmm... How am I going to mop with all of this stuff on the floor?" Kakashi's screams were reaching a fevered pitch once more. "Maybe I should start with dusting."

Once more the door behind Naruto was kicked. Kakashi shrieked.

"Or do I start with the dishes?"

"I need help." Naruto slid down to the floor and pressed his hands in to his eyes.

"I am helping!" The clone protested, frowning. "Just. . . tell me what to do!"

"Be smarter. Tell me how Iruka handles these. . ." The door was kicked hard just behind his pounding head, causing his hands to bounce away from his face, ". . . monsters!"

The clone frowned an even more ugly frown. "I'm smart!" It thrust the mop out towards Naruto's head. "I'm as smart as you!"

A bubbling, half hysterical, laugh erupted up through the cracks in his emotional shields. "You. . ." Naruto rolled his head to the side and looked up at the clone grumpily standing over him. ". . . no."

"What?" it demanded, and swung the mop once more, this time towards it's self. "I'm you, just. . . you from two days ago!"

"Three." Naruto corrected, his shaky laugh dieing down a little. "You can't even count!"

The clone took a breath as if to argue and took a menacing step forward. Before it could complete the move, however, the mop caught on the table and the clone was yanked backwards. It dropped the bucket, sending water every where, and slammed down head first in to a chair. Smoke and mist erupted as water rained down.

Blinding, explosive, pain erupted behind Naruto's eyes and he cried out. The flood of random moments in the clone's three day existance was an avalanche of disconnected conversations, text from medical books, and a whole volley of madding confusion over the most simple and mundane things in life. Naruto curled up on him self as Kakashi's startled yelp echoed through his skull. He cradled his head between his elbows, shivering, spent.

For several minutes he laid there, unable to move, feeling nausea and despair surge and settle like the tides. A knock from the front door sounded out just as the world was starting to go black on him. The pounding was to heavy to be Shizune's light rapping, but to soft to be Sakura's usual angry arrival. It was more like how Kakashi would knock, but much more demanding sounding.

The clones just came in as they pleased. Not one had knocked.

Naruto lifted his head and blinked blearily, feeling weak and shaky. "Who. . ."

"Naruto!" A man's voice, Naruto noted, called out. It was familiar. "Naruto, I'm coming in!"

He licked dry lips and uncurled him self. Before he could move much further the door swung open. Standing tall in a green vest, a man with a scar over his nose and impossibly soft worried brown eyes hurried in.

"Naruto!" the man knelt and scooped him up.

"Iruka?" Naruto blinked. "How. . ." Movement from the still open door caught his eyes and he looked to see two clones waving and grinning.

"We got Iruka for you!" One announced so loudly it drove a spike of pain in to Naruto's skull.

The other bounced on it's toes. "You can't call US dumb!"

Iruka turned and smiled at them. "Why don't you guys go find some other people to help now. Smart as you guys are you can see the apartment is to small for a lot of. . . bodies. . ."

"OI!" They cried and saluted, then turned and marched off.

Naruto slumped. Keening squeaks were drifting out from the bedroom, hollow and breathy. "You shouldn't be here." He looked up in to the brown eyes. "Your not supposed to be. . ."

"I read the Hokage's reports, Naruto, I know what happened," he said gently, cutting him off. "Are you OK?"

Naruto hung his head a little. The feverish laugh from before threatened to come back, though all he felt was the suffocating walls pressing in, and the cries clawing at his mind like kunai. He took a shaking giddy breath, to drained to properly loose it any more. "I need to get out of here." He gripped his temples and closed his eyes. "I can't stand this any more."

…...

Information never sat still long with in the paper filing room, and even if the subject was forbidden or top secret, with in an hour every paper worker in Konoha had some new gossip about some one's mission, or a border threat or the latest newly discovered forbidden jutsu. That is how Iruka came to hear of three rumors all centering around The Copy cat ninja, Kakashi. He dismissed quickly and easily the first rumor that the silver haired ninja had been killed. Nonsense, that one, and an oft repeated rumor. Iruka was sure Naruto would have come home and torn the place asunder in grief were that true. The blond did not cope well with death.

The second rumor was almost as absurd. Every one in the file room knew full well that the Son of the White Fang had been granted permission to try and talk his father's teacher in to backing off of his aggressive, and increasingly more assertive, threats towards the village and the Hokage, and Iruka knew personally that the Copy Cat would not abandon the mission unless the village it's self was in grave danger. So when he heard that Kakashi had been sent to track down a mysterious stranger to the west who had robbed a wealthy merchant his mind had instantly cried out 'coverup'.

It was a communal pet peeve of nearly every paper worker that a cover up story made on the fly should take in to account the real missions an individual had been going on, else the stories spun were horrifically obvious to even the most dim witted office worker. Iruka especially hated such fabrications, not only because they were so glaringly obvious in the fact that they were lies, but not one of them ever seemed to fit the person assigned the mission. To Iruka the Hokage could well have just painted a sign on the wall's main doors announcing that 'bad juju was happening to ninja X' and hand out maps with targets painted on them for visual aid and assassination accuracy.

He had to wait almost 24 hours before the real story finally filtered through to be filed, and when it did he had to fight off one of the larger paper workers to get the chance to read it first. The taller man had been difficult to grapple with, but a quick grab of the salt shaker and a robust threat to dump it's contents in to the Coffee pot gave Iruka the leverage he'd needed. His taller co-worker handed over the report instantly and darted over to protect the morning brew.

Field ninja ran on duty and adrenalin. Office ninja ran on caffeine. Iruka had not gotten this far up in the indoor ranks with out knowing where his team's weak points were. Triumphant he settled in to his chair to relax and find out what had really happened. Iruka had only a little of the cup he had pored for him self, before his eyes took in the short report.

He had to read it a number of times, slowly, to let the information sink in.

"What is it?" His taller companion had asked, looking up with worry. "Don't tell me some one was hurt. Or worse."

Iruka could only shake his head then and stare at the papers in shock. It took a while, but when the information finally settled he found his stomach churning, making the coffee no longer an item of interest, let alone vital sustenance. He folded the report and tucked it under his arm, then excused him self. He needed to talk to the Hokage this time, to make sure every thing was true.

He had needed to know for him self if the man who was in charge of his Naruto was now a helpless child him self. The very thought of it had made his mind numb and his fingers itch. When the Hokage confirmed the report, and elaborated on what was to happen next, Iruka could not think of any thing but the Copy Cat ninja from that point on. The Hokage forbade him to draw any attention to the situation for the time being, as Kakashi was very vulnerable now, and this situation needed to remain secret.

That order twisted Iruka's soul as his mind leaped even further towards all that could go wrong with Naruto trying to baby sit a child that had been renowned for his brilliance, and chillingly ruthless in his actions, even as an infant.

Iruka had hoped the classroom would be a good distraction, but even their his eyes caught glimpses of silver hair and mismatched eyes in the corners and shadows, and in the faces of his more troubled students he saw glimmers of war pain. Kakashi was now even younger than his charges; helpless and alone with a short tempered teenager who was the container for the world's most evil force.

Every paper worker knew the histories of every ninja in the Village. Every orphan grown up knew the pain of a child who'd lost his parents. Iruka could not pull his scattered thoughts together long enough to think of any thing else but Kakashi and Naruto and how he was not to aid them. Deep inside Iruka was slowly burning up as he thought about how Naruto would need help from some one, any one, who knew children. And knew what sort of pain they would be in, but the Hokage had been clear.

It wasn't justbecause she didn't want attention drawn to Kakashi after all, it was because Iruka knew things. She had speculated that Kakashi's mind still held all of it's information, according to her research, and that if a memory was triggered to soon it could have dire consequences. Kakashi could go insane, or possibly die.

Paper workers knew histories, yes, but they also knew how to keep secrets too. What good would they be if the couldn't? It was like asking the sun not to set for the night so people wouldn't be shrouded in darkness.

The whole scenario was slowly digging in to his mind, twisting the knife as it were, and he found him self planning to visit Naruto as soon as class was out, orders or no. His parental instinct was crying out for action, muffling his sworn loyalty to the leaders of his world. Having made his mind up he took on the task of teaching his students with new vigor. The class, he was sure, would pass quickly. When two clones came bursting in to the class room, however, Iruka simply gave up fighting his parental instincts and dismissed class for the rest of the day.

They were frantic, babbling at once, and giving him all sorts of information he wasn't sure was relevant. Books they had read, and medical procedures that were new, as well as a whole library's worth of forbidden jutsu knowledge. Underlying all of that talk, however, was the needy, desperate plea for help.

"Naruto's going to loose control!" One nearly shouted.

"He's really scary, Iruka-sensei!" The other cried. And so it went all the way to the apartment. Iruka's parental instinct shouted out for him to hurry, but he kept him self at a deliberate pace, making sure to look as casual as any teacher with twin demon clone containers rambling at his sides could look.

Maybe, he had mused, he ought to be the one handing out maps at the gate.

The clones were becoming even more clingy and frantic the closer they got to the rag tag apartment and Iruka had to use all of his formal training not to let their negatively buzzing energy unbalance him. He hushed his nagging instincts and forced him self to envision the most likely sinario which was. . .

He had no idea, actually, and that left the door open for all sorts of mental images all involving blood and two fighting members of Team seven. Toddler or not Kakashi was a true shinobi, born and raised in every sense. The Copy Cat had killed a man at the age of four, and that required a very special set of inborn determination, skill and an unflinching constitution.

Or, possibly, desperation. He had been born during a war, born to the White Fang, after all. Tsunade's words of warning were still ringing in his ears, even as he ascended the steps, knocked, and called out.

"This isn't good!" One clone blurted.

"He should be answering, try again!" The other kneaded the air helplessly.

Worry doubled and Iruka silently agreed with his blond captors. "Naruto!" There was no answer, and that left the two clones close to pure panic.

"We'd know if he was dead, right?" One cried.

"We'd be dead too!" The other wailed.

"I don't WANT to die!" The first one looked up at Iruka, cheeks stained with real tears. "I've got so much to LIVE for!"

"You aren't alive." Iruka blinked. The clone stared back at him, mutely, before turning back to the door with a blank expression.

"Oh, right, I forgot."

Iruak glanced at them both, wondering just how long they had been running about. More pressing was the question of why Naruto wasn't answering. "Naruto, I'm coming in!" And that was it. There was no turning back, no orders to bar him from his own child.

He opened the door, dreading what he would find on the other side, and saw to his every conceivable horror that Naruto was crumpled on the floor looking up dazed and pale. Iruka abandoned all his militant training and rushed in, no longer a paper worker, a Teacher, or even a shinobi, but a father. "Naruto!" He scooped the blond up and held him close, checking for any obvious signs of injury.

"Iruka?" Naruto blinked slowly, blue eyes focusing only after some obvious effort. "How. . ."

"We got Iruka for you!" The first clone shouted, beaming.

The other bounced on it's toes. "You can't call US dumb!" Iruka had to bite down on a worry fueled sarcastic reply to that. Instead he forced him self to smile.

"Why don't you guys go find some other people to help now. Smart as you guys are you can see the apartment is to small for a lot of. . . bodies. . ."

"OI!" They cried and saluted, then turned and marched off.

Naruto sagged against him, his breathing unsteady and pained. "You shouldn't be here." He looked up with worry saturating his liquid blue eyes. "Your not supposed to be. . ."

"I read the Hokage's report, Naruto, I know what happened." Iruka said, cutting him off quickly. Now was not the time for orders, just reactions. "Are you OK?" Tsunade could jump out a window, fr all he cared at the moment.

Naruto hung his head a little and shuddered. "I need to get out of here." He gripped his temples and closed his eyes in pain. "I can't stand this any more."

"What's wrong?"

"The clones. I've had them out there for so long they over load me when I release them. I haven't slept. . . I. . ." He shivered again.

In the silence that stretched out Iruka heard a squeak. He turned and looked towards the closed up bedroom and felt a whole new roll of worry. "How long were you unconscious here?"

Naruto eyes rolled a little, still not focusing completely, as he thought. "I don't know." He admitted. "But it couldn't have been that long. . ." He suddenly winced, full body, and gasped. "Danm Clones!" His eyes filled with pained tears. "My head is going to split in two." He writhed weakly for a moment, holding his air in tightly, before going lax with a rough sigh.

From the Bedroom the little squeaks were getting louder. "Is that Kakashi?"

Narito nodded against the inside of his elbow. "Had to put him in there. He's a monster, Iruka. Nothing I do or say seems to have any effect on him." Weary blue eyes looked up, milky with exhaustion. "He keeps trying to get away. He CAN'T. I can't let him. But he's a monster!"

Monster. Coming from the Jinchuriki it was a verbal slap. A jab that struck with anger and repulsion. Weary as Naruto was Iruka knew the blond teen would not use the word casually, no matter how irritated he was. True anger was boiling just behind the lack luster eyes.

The anger of a real monster.

A prickle if fear traced Iruka's spine and he had to hold him self still so he wouldn't back away. Fox rage. He'd never forget the way it felt, even if only in traces thinner than a hair. Deliberately he took a calming breath and and pulled Naruto in to a sitting position. The Teen offered no aid, but also no resistance.

"You haven't hurt him, have you?" He managed past numb lips.

Naruto stiffened in the half embrace and cast pained, cloudy eyes his way. "How could you even ask me that?" His voice was low, husky.

"Because. . ." Iruka glanced away from those eyes. "I've read the report of what happened to Jiraya. . ."

Naruto hissed and pulled away violently. Milky blue darkened to a rough stormy sea color and he stalked off to the sofa where he leaned against the arm. Iruak stood and kneaded his knuckles. He could hear the soft cry from the bedroom. The soft, sourced out weeping of a child who's world was dissolving. Making sure of his voice he asked again. "Have you hurt him?"

Naruto looked back with a mix of guilt and anger. "I don't want to hurt him. This is my fault, all my fault." Tears sprung up again and instantly Iruka's fear melted in to compassion. He strode forward and loped an arm over Naruto's slightly trembling shoulders.

"This is NOT your fault. It's that old man's fault, and you KNOW it." He gave Naruto a small squeeze. "You just don't feel it."

Naruto gazed up with heavy lidded eyes. "But. . ."

"You are out of your mind tired, stressed beyond your capacity to reasonably function, and you have no experience with children. I know you would never hurt Kakashi, not willingly, but you also know how you are when you get worked up."

Pain filtered in to Naruto's eyes. "It's not my fault! I didn't ask for the Fox"

"I know." Iruka pulled him close and felt Naruto cling. The teen was still only a child, really, and this was far to much for him. Especially if you factored in the clones and the guilt all on top of watching over the legend. Iruka cursed the Hokage silently.

"I can't do this."

"I know." Iruka guided him down to a tilted sofa cushion and knelt before him. "I'm here to help, no matter what the Hokage has ordered, she doesn't know you like I do."

Naruto scrubbed at the corner of his eye. "You can't. Her orders. . ."

Iruka bit down a wave of his own anger. "Do you think you need my help or not?"

It took a moment, but Naruto nodded 'yes'. "I can't do this. I can't!"

"Then I will deal with Tsunade when the time comes. Until then I'm here for you. I promise."

Naruto gazed at him for a long moment, before burying his head in his hands. Shakily his voice filters out. "Th-thank you."

Iruka pulled him close for a moment, then glanced back at the door. He was here for Naruto, but it dawned on him it wasn't only Naruto who need help. Resigned to his self appointed mission Iruka let Naruto go and stepped up to the door.

The truth was waiting for him, angry and screaming. With a calming breath he pushed the door open, then gasped.