Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto, or any of it's merchandising rights...if I did, don't you think that Irukashi would have become canon?

He's Mine

The absolute carnage wrecked in one measly night astonished the young jounin standing on the roof of one of the few undamaged apartment buildings. Granted, he'd only been made jounin just a little while ago, but still...this was beyond his realm of experience. His eyes, both the normal gray and red sharingan, darted around the torn up street, searching for any signs of life, just as his commander had told him to. Somewhere out there was the Third and the Fourth, and his heart went out to his sensei, hoping that wherever the Yondaime and his wife were, they and their baby were safe. He knew all too well what it was like to lose a family...His head snapped around, and he felt his stomach drop as he saw a boy close to his age sobbing over the charred body of a woman. His body seemed to move on its own, coming to land in a crouch before the boy, absently taking note that his ponytail was frayed and burned at the edges, rendering his hair color impossible to see. A long gash crossed his face, bleeding a little, but it seemed to have clotted well enough. Kakashi reached forward, touching the other's shoulder hesitantly.

Brown eyes the shade of mahogany glared up at him, overflowing with crystalline tears as he slapped the jounin's hand away. They sat there for what felt like an eternity, eyes locked on one another, before the boy moved, this time with purpose. He proceeded to pull a piece of cloth away from his mother's clothing, part of a skirt it looked like, and draped it carefully over her face. He then took her hands and crossed them over her chest, smoothing out her hair carefully. He then sat back on his knees, his hands fisting in the torn shorts that barely covered his skinny legs. Kakashi seated himself too, thankful that the fires at least were going out, and that the night sky was starting to lighten, just a little. He may have been a trained killer, but he didn't like the dark...besides. He didn't mind paying his respects; he'd been doing so for Obito for a year now.

"So what do you want?" The boy's voice was hoarse and cracking, but not entirely unfriendly. Kakashi rubbed at the black fabric covering his lower face and sighed a little bit. Dust and ash had percolated through the mask, causing his skin to itch mercilessly, and he forced himself not to pull the mask down. Only that severe habit kept his fingers from wandering too far, and so he focused his attention back towards the quiet, sad brown eyes, wondering if he should have pulled his ANBU mask back on after all.

"Well, I'm supposed to tell you that we gotta meet at the hospital and get you checked out, but I figured...considering that this is your mother...bending the rules a little wouldn't hurt. Is...that okay?" He replied softly, keeping his gaze down respectfully. Actually, his orders were to rescue, revive, or recover anyone who might have been injured or killed, and so technically, he should have been heading back to the hospital right now, carrying the mother's body to the morgue, all without more than than three words said. But, that didn't feel right, and despite how much he loathed his father, that was one thing that had resonated deep within him, however he might deny it. Several minutes passed without an answer, and he dared to glance up, about to say something rather pointed about staying in a place where the buildings were likely to come down left and right, when the other held up a hand, clearly listening at something in the distance.

"Do you hear a baby?" Kakashi stared, dumbfounded at him, before cocking his head and listening, wondering if the smoke had made the kid a little screwy...He knew that there were still people trapped in the buildings, and likely it was someone who had no way of escaping-that was definitely a baby. And a scared one at that, judging from the screaming.

"I...think it is. And it's coming from the direction of the forest...where are you going?" The boy turned to look at him, planting his hands on his hips in a very motherly fashion and glaring. Kakashi was distinctly reminded of a distant memory of his mother, and wondered if the woman at their feet had taught her son to stand like that.

"Well, clearly something's wrong, and clearly that baby needs to be taken care of. Now hop to, Scarface, we've gotta get over there." Kakashi's mouth worked for the second time in five minutes, absolutely stunned by the kid's reaction, when his brain finally engaged and he made a tactical decision, jogging after the other and wrapping one arm around his waist to teleport into the forest proper. Silencing the boy's indignant yelp with one gloved hand, the jounin was a little relieved to see the chakra patterns all around them, shinobi he knew and trusted, and...he'd better keep track of the little brown-eyed twit before he got them into trouble. It wasn't a long walk to where the baby lay; the kid had made a bee-line for the little one and had scooped it up, cooing softly as he rocked back and forth on what looked to be the remains of an altar. Kakashi drew his father's chakra blade just to be safe, taking up a watch as the screams and hiccuping slowly died down.

A battle had taken place here, judging from the blood and burned undergrowth, possibly killing several shinobi, if he was any judge. But the shadows were too dark; the only light that filled the small clearing was from the moon, bathing even the charred trees in a cool, ethereal light. He shivered; there was going to be hell to pay for breaking orders, but he hoped that the Yondaime would understand...surely the man wouldn't punish him too harshly for going to the aid of a newborn...His thoughts scattered as he took up a defensive position, for several dozen figures were emerging from the forest's shadows, led by one man in old armor...Kakashi felt a faint smile touch his face beneath the mask as he straightened up, bowing respectfully.

"Sandaime-sama..." The man nodded to the greeting, but did not smile, and strode forward, kneeling before the other boy and taking the baby gently from him. Sarutobi felt sickened at the twisted wrecks that lay in the shadows behind the two young boys; clearly, neither had thought to look through the remains, and for a moment, the old man was glad. He did not wish for them to have that pain added to their psyches tonight as well. To distract himself, he pondered the infant in his hands; a tuft of bright blond hair made him smile, just a little.

"Kakashi, Iruka..." The jounin filed that name away for reference later; he hadn't even thought to introduce himself before. "I'm so glad to see you both alright. You followed little Naruto's cries too, didn't you?" The boy named Iruka looked slightly confused, wrapping his fingers around the baby's.

"You know his name, Sandaime-sama?"

"I do indeed...I followed his father's jutsu in hopes that I might be able to save Minato and Kushina, but...the Kyuubi stole their lives as well. Thankfully, it is sealed away, and this time, I intend to make sure that it does not return. But...I must ask how you two came to be here." Iruka glanced at Kakashi, suddenly startled to see the older boy in tears, his whole body rigid. The young jounin was silent for a time, then a voice devoid of emotion, his eyes distant and dead inside, spoke.

"I...I found Iruka-kun in the ruins over by the apartments, an' sat with him while he mourned his mom, an' then we followed the baby's cryin'..." The Sandaime pulled Kakashi close, letting him shake uncontrollably into the old man's shoulder, and he turned to Iruka, who numbly nodded, taking Naruto back to cradle close to his chest. He pulled both boys close, giving them the comfort neither had really afforded the other.

"This is a terrible night for all of us, my young shinobi...truly, unbelievably terrible. It will take a long time for the grief to fade...it always does. But I need to ask you both a tremendous favor; can I trust in the two of you to complete this task?" Kakashi pulled away slightly, rubbing his face and mask with his hands to blot away the tears, while Iruka carefully wiped them away to avoid breaking open the gash across his nose. Both boys nodded, and the Hokage smiled gently, allowing a little of his own pain to show. "I'm glad. I need the two of you to take Naruto up to the Hokage's tower; Kakashi, I'll make sure it's known that you're both to be allowed in. Follow their instructions for security, then camp out and get yourselves taken care of. Eat, drink, use the restroom, what have you...I then need you two to babysit while we get the village set to rights again. This is an important mission; babies need a lot of care in the first few hours of life, and I'm afraid that leaving him with a nurse at this point will end up with him being neglected. Can you do this?" The nods came again, a little tentative on Kakashi's part, a little firmer on Iruka's. "Good. Now, get going; it's a long walk back."

"Thank you." Iruka's voice was soft, muffled by the top of the baby's head, but Kakashi only smiled with his one gray eye, having pulled his ANBU mask entirely off. The walk back was filled with an eerie silence, one born in shock and mourning for the many lives lost. All around them shuffled shinobi, craftsmen, the owners of Ichiraku's...all with eyes downcast and tears staining their faces. Some hugged one another, while others sobbed into their neighbor's shoulders, sorrow robbing them of coherant speech. One woman had fainted in their path, and Kakashi had paused to help her husband pick her up, waiting until the man had her up on his shoulders before gently tugging at Iruka's hand. He glanced up at the lightening sky, and sighed a little.

"For what?"

"For agreeing to help. It's not easy to care for a baby..."

"Maa...feed him, clean him, give him a nap, right?"

"Mm...if you're lucky. If you're not, he'll wail for hours until you figure it out."

"You sound pretty sure of yourself."

"Well, my mom was a medic-nin in the Wave, and she became a midwife here. I've seen lots of babies delivered and taken care of." The jounin looked impressed, and he motioned to Naruto.

"So, you could tell me exactly what you needed right now to take care of the kid?"

"Diapers, formula, a bottle with a nipple, a better blanket. You can find all of those at the drugstore, if it isn't totally demolished." Iruka replied promptly, motioning behind them vaguely. "But right now, he's going to be okay. He's a little dirty, and a bit cold, but I don't doubt he'll be fine once we get to the Hokage-sama's office." Kakashi nodded, and moved a little behind Iruka, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I think I have enough chakra left to transport us directly there, and still be able to function. Besides, I have a set of helpers that can run errands for us. Can you stand still for a moment?" Iruka paused, and with a hissed jutsu and a sign, they appeared right in front of the Hokage's tower. Normally, Kakashi would have simply just gone up to the office, but given the stronger security, he did not care to see the younger boy and baby made into pincushions. Besides...he stumbled a little, and had to lean heavily on Iruka's shoulder as they walked inside. Thankfully, Ibiki-san and Ino-san were the ones standing guard, and they had already gotten word, so after being helped upstairs, Kakashi had enough strength to bite his thumb. Eight dogs, all raising voice at being hauled out of sleep, sprung up around his feet, and he pointed to Iruka, collapsing into the Hokage's chair.

"Alright, you jerks, listen to Iruka. You've got a baby to help take care of..." And with that, Kakashi passed out completely, a light snore rising from the black mask covering the lower half of his face. Pakkun looked at him, then looked at Iruka, and sighed a little, padding over to rub against the younger boy's legs.

"Well then, young pup...what do you need us to do?"

A long night and day later, the Sandaime found the two youngsters fast asleep in a pool of sunshine, Naruto lying on Iruka's chest as he snuggled against Kakashi, whose mask had been pushed down to reveal a handsome, if a little sad, face. Bandages criss-crossed Iruka's nose and cheeks, and both boys were draped in one of the Hokage's older robes, curled like a pair of puppies. Pakkun was asleep between them, but one eye opened as the Hokage drew near. Sarutobi's aides immediately started to raise hell when he shushed them with a gesture, moving over to the boys and settling himself down next to them. The elders and his aides might bitch about the robe's use as a blanket, or the trashcan overflowing with pop cans, take-out ramen cartons, and a few diapers, but from what he could see, they made fine babysitters. And judging from the look on Iruka's face, even in slumber, he doubted that anyone trying to take Naruto away would have to do so over Iruka...which made what he had to do so much harder.

"Iruka, Kakashi, it's time to wake up." He said gently, smiling as first the young jounin, then the genin, woke up, stretching and scratching. "How was the baby?" Kakashi yawned widely, but managed to answer before Iruka.

"Maaaa...he was good. A little fussy earlier, but a nap seemed to calm him down just fine. 'Course, he doesn't like me at all.."

"That would be because even a newborn knows when you put a diaper on upside down and inside out."

"Hnn...He should have been grateful that I even did that."

"He's a baby, baka, he's just starting to realize when he's hungry and when he's wet. Gratitude is kinda far down the line on things he has to learn."

"I'm just sayin', 'Ruka-kun..." The Hokage grinned wickedly as Iruka blushed at the petname, something the little genin had already become somewhat famous for, and chuckled, earning himself a pair of confused glances.

"My, my...well, I'm glad everything went okay. Iruka, we found your aunt and uncle; for now, I think it's best that you go with them. Kakashi, your commander pardoned you, but he suggested that as soon as you're done here, that you head straight to him for a full debriefing and join in the rebuilding." Both teens lost the animation their faces had gained during their little tiff, and the depression and pain both felt was startlingly clear. In that moment, the Sandaime realized that the past day had soothed a lot of their pain, because rather than focusing on the grief, they had to focus on the brand new life dropped in their laps. And judging from the way Iruka was cradling Naruto, and the way Kakashi was looking at him, taking the baby away and sending them to their respective places would have a catestrophic effect on their psyches. His smile softened, and he caught both their chins, raising their eyes to meet his. Sometimes...the obvious solution is not the best.

"That's what I should be saying...but I have a feeling that if I do, you both will be worse off. Would you two be willing to look after Naruto for now, until he is old enough to join the Academy?" He knew he'd asked the right question when Iruka nodded, a bright smile gracing his young face, and Kakashi relaxed, a warm quirk of his lips only barely betraying his happiness. He was quite sure that the elders would raise a fuss, and a whole older generation of shinobi would be scandalized...but that was fine. He could deal with the scandal. His attention was diverted when Iruka promptly stood up, cooing a bit at Naruto.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. Kakashi, would you go out and see if there's any place we can rent out for now so that I can start salvaging some of my things? That way, we have a roof over our heads that isn't falling down."

"Actually, we can just go hang at my family compound for a while..."

"I can't believe you're even considering letting these two children raise that...that demon!" Came the sharp outburst from a young woman at the back of the Hokage's aides, and both teens froze, Kakashi coming to stand just behind Iruka, the flash of a kunai held tight in his fist. She pushed forward, pointing an accusatory finger at the baby, her loud, shrill voice causing Naruto to fuss and fidget in Iruka's arms. "They can barely take care of themselves, let alone a-"

"Maaa...just because we're young doesn't mean we're not capable." The jounin growled, his left eye uncovered enough to let the sharingan glare out. "I've been an orphan for years, and because his parents were on so many missions, Iruka learned how to care for himself better than I did. I don't know about you, lady, but I've never seen a thirteen-year-old change a diaper with the finesse of a nursemaid. I had to learn from him. We're hardly stupid, and while it's going to be rough for a while, we at least know that we're not going to toss a baby into a corner and ignore him just because of what had to be sealed inside him." At her startled look, he smiled viciously and tore into her. "Oh, don't think we weren't listening. All night long, that's all you idiots could say. Does this kid look that dangerous to you? In case you hadn't noticed, that's a baby, not a demon..."

"And even if he is a demon, he's mine." Iruka finished, his eyes blazing. Kakashi glanced down at him, and smirked a little, drawing his mask up with his free hand.

"Well, now that we've made our point, I think we'll be leaving now!" He chirped, scooping up the brunette bridal-style and hopping out the window, leaving everyone but the Hokage to stare in shock at being talked down to so abruptly. Sarutobi just grinned, and motioning one of them over, hauled himself to his feet. For all the bad that had happened...it was refreshing to see the good. Of course, nightmares would occur, and days might pass where one or both adoptive parents might need a little therapy, but he would prepare for those days, and meet them head on, just as those two had met him.

So, this has been my baby fic for quite some time, and one that I've been a little reluctant to share, mostly because I'm not sure of the overall plot yet, and it's mostly been falling into place as it goes. But, anyway...Yes, they are a little young to be caring for a baby, but you've got to remember that Kakashi was thirteen when he became a jounin; technically, that makes him not only a full adult, but one with power. And yes, I know they're a year older than they should be; trust me, it'll make sense as the story progresses, and it seemed like a wise idea, since I was already altering the entire course of the main plot of Naruto. So, cheesy, cute, and AU. Always a fun combo, ne?

~Ashe