Title: To Those of Wolves' Eyes

Summary: Kakashi should have known better than to take on strings of A to S –rank missions on his own. But he's tired, and perhaps he'll find that one mission that'll kill him today. Except, that's not what happens. Instead, an annoying wolf demon gets stuck in him, which somehow leads to him taking care of one hyperactive blond, adopt a certain pinkette and walks to the Uchiha district nearly everyday for their playdates with Mikoto's son. AU. A Kakashi adopts Team 7 fic.

Genre: Adventure, Humour, Drama

Disclaimer: I'm not even male! Nor do I own Shonen Jump and Kishimoto's work.

This is obviously AU and may or may not follow the Stations of Canon.

Chapter Summary: Arashi may act like an idiot, but he's no fool. Kakashi discovers some unpleasant truths about Konoha's jinchuriki condition and Naruto…maybe this time he won't be alone.

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-(X)-

Chapter 3: Beasts of Konoha

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The walls of the hospital were a sterile white, the colour boring to Arashi's eyes. The two of them, wolf and pup, had just given the kit (Naruto, Kakashi told him) to a nurse. The wolf didn't trust the nurse, he could smell her fear and distaste of the kit, but she knew how to heal him and the pup had subtly threatened her to do her job properly. After that, the now nervous nurse nodded and hurried away from the frightening wolf and intimidating ninja.

So now they were forced to wait for news of Naruto's recovery. Well, actually Arashi was the one who forced Kakashi to wait with him. The pup had wanted to get away immediately, which made Arashi frown. Did the pup also hate the kit? But that didn't make sense. If Kakashi did hate Naruto, then he wouldn't have saved him.

There was a hint of apprehension and fear on the pup's scent, which was odd. Arashi doubted many things could ruffle the otherwise stoic ninja. So how did the wounded kit managed to do it? Interested, the wolf made a note to ask him later.

Right now, Arashi was back to his large size, sitting on his haunches, bored. Next to him, Kakashi sighed as he was forced to stay in the hospital and leaned against the wall. Minutes and seconds ticked by, making Arashi restless as he was forced to wait to hear about the kit.

Luckily, the pup managed to do something interesting to take a bit of the tedium out of their situation. When the hallway they were in was cleared and empty, Kakashi spoke to empty air. "Cat."

Suddenly, a ninja dressed in the same attire as the pup had last night dropped in front of them from what seemed to be thin air, kneeling before Kakashi. Arashi would have jumped in surprise if he hadn't sense these hidden protectors when they were walking through the village. Instead, the wolf perked his ears up, interested.

Must be one of the pup's ANBU comrades.

"Who was assigned to protect Naruto today?" The pup questioned, voice hard. Arashi tilted his head as he glanced at the teen beside him. No, Kakashi couldn't have hated Naruto. He wouldn't have asked in that tone otherwise. "And why did they let the abuse go that far?"

"Mouse and Ox." The ANBU answered, still kneeling. "Rookies. Still haven't let go of that hate yet. They're suspended in HQ and awaiting punishment."

"Still haven't been properly hazed, hmm?" Kakashi said, thoughtful. "Let Tiger warn them and then let them go. They're not off the hook yet though. Tell them to come to Training Ground 12 tomorrow out of uniform. I'll give them their punishment then."

"Tiger? Very well." Cat nodded. Somehow, Arashi got a sense of feral satisfaction from the two ANBU members in the room. This Tiger must be something. There was a pause, and Cat asked, voice sounding…amused and satisfied? "You're going to unleash Gai on them tomorrow, Captain?"

There was a hint of a smirk in the glint of the pup's dark eye. "I'm thinking of weaponizing his 'Springtime of Youth', and what better test subjects than errant ANBU members?"

"What better test subjects indeed." Cat echoed. Now Arashi was certain he heard amusement. Then the ANBU disappeared, leaving them as swiftly as he had appeared before.

The wolf blinked at the display, then shrugged and turned to look at the teen beside him. "What was that?"

Instead of answering him aloud, the pup explained through their bond. "First, Naruto being the Kyuubi's jinchuriki is an S-rank secret." He said, gazing at him. "This means that telling the secret would be punishable by death. Understand?"

Arashi nodded. "Alright. I won't tell. So, what's going on?"

Kakashi sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Three years ago, the Kyuubi attacked Konoha." He started. "As you know, the Yondaime, my teacher, sacrificed his life to defeat it. Except he didn't defeat it completely. Instead, he sealed it inside Naruto."

"Minato-sensei hoped that the village would regard Naruto as a hero, which was why the information on him being a jinchuriki was known to even civilians." Well, that explained the civilians' attack on the kit. "Obviously, that didn't happen. When the third attempt on Naruto's life was foiled, Sandaime-sama made the rule and forced the entire village to secrecy. That didn't stop the villagers and some ninjas from hating and abusing Naruto however."

"So the Hokage set up the ANBU, his elites, to guard the kit." Arashi concluded. Still, there were some things that seemed missing… "Why did the Kyuubi attacked Konoha? I don't know him, but as a demon I know I would prefer to stay away from humans. You guys can be rude and nasty."

"Yet here you are." Kakashi said sardonically.

"I have my own reasons to be here." The wolf said, dismissing it with a wave of his tail. "Still doesn't answer why the Kyuubi would bother to go here of all places. What's up with that?"

"I don't know." The pup answered, shrugging helplessly.

Arashi eyed him doubtfully. The pup was the student of the Yondaime Hokage, who coincidentally knew some kind of seal powerful enough to seal the Kyuubi into a child. The pup knew something, he was certain. Maybe not everything that happened that day, but something regardless. Was the Kyuubi's attack truly random?

Arashi doubted so, but it wasn't his business to peer into the issue (yet).

(Arashi was always too curious for his own good.)

"Hmm…" The wolf hummed noncommittally. He would either figure out the secret in time or he wouldn't at all. It didn't matter anyway, he was here for the pup and nothing else. Knowing what happened in the past wouldn't help much in paving the way to the future.

(But it does matter. The truth however, would be too much to bear right now...for either of them.)

(Their pasts are, in a way, more connected than Arashi thought. But if they know what truly happened on those fateful days that changed them forever….No. Not yet. None of them are ready.)

The two settled back into silence. Arashi sighed as he took to staring at the dull white walls again, bored out of his mind already. Luckily, the nurse arrived by then and told them that Uzumaki Naruto was making a complete recovery in Room 202. Happy at the news, Arashi was about to go visit the kit when he realized that the pup was heading the other way, towards the exit.

"Oh, no way!" He muttered under his breath, wrapping his tail around the pup's hand again. He grinned at Kakashi's glare. "Come on! It's just a quick visit to check on the kit! What's wrong with that?"

What ensued next was an argument between the summon and summoner, with Arashi pointedly ignoring most of Kakashi's protests and dragging him to Naruto's room anyway.

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-(X)-

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Kakashi didn't want to see Naruto.

No, it wasn't because he was the Kyuubi's jinchuriki. Kakashi knew better than to assume the boy was a demon, or that the Kyuubi could take over Naruto. Such idea was preposterous to him.

First, the teen was in ANBU, the division of elite ninjas that regularly takes on the bogeymen of other ninjas (which said a lot, as not much could frighten a shinobi). He knew monsters in human flesh, had killed a fair share of them, and he was partially sure he was one of them too. Naruto, the innocent three years-old son of his beloved teacher and mother-figure, could not possibly be a demon.

Second, Minato-sensei and Kushina-san sacrificed their lives to seal the Kyuubi inside their only son. Such sacrifice couldn't be dismissed offhand. Kakashi wouldn't tarnish the memories of their great abilities by believing in the senseless lies of the villagers.

(Though sometimes, he felt that it would be so much easier if he did.)

So no, it wasn't because he was the Kyuubi's jinchuriki that Kakashi took great pains to avoid him like a plague (except when he became Wolf-but that's another thing entirely). There was another, more personal reason…

Currently they were inside Room 202. The nurse had quickly excused herself after escorting them there, no doubt wanting to put some distance away from the jinchuriki, ninja and wolf. Kakashi nodded his thanks and leaned back against the door as he watched Arashi walked closer to the bed where Naruto laid sleeping.

The wolf looked relieved at seeing the boy in seemingly good health. Kakashi was secretly relieved too, glad that his teacher's son hadn't have any complications in recovery. The dirt and grime had been washed away and bandages covered a good portion of the boy's body. Good, at least no worries of infections there. Still, Kakashi frowned under his mask. The boy shouldn't be in such a state to begin with.

The look of relief on the wolf's face suddenly turned to one of shock, then morphed into a kind of sad understanding. He narrowed his eye at that. Did Arashi figured something out? For someone who acted so damn obnoxious most of the time, the wolf could be remarkably astute. He figured out an S-rank secret by scent alone after all. Then again, acting like a fool could be so easy at times.

"Pup…" The white beast murmured, voice still somewhat shocked and confused. He looked between Naruto and him with bright eyes that reflected his somber epiphany. "…He looks like your teacher."

Ah, so that was what Arashi figured out this time. Kakashi supposed that it was quite obvious as well. The wolf saw a picture of his teacher the night before, connected the dots between him and the Yondaime Hokage, and noticed the many similarities between the boy on the bed and the smiling blond on his photograph. Unlike most of the villagers, Arashi didn't seem to hate Naruto for being a jinchuriki, and so could see past being the Kyuubi's vessel and to the many similarities the boy shared with his father.

Yet it was still another S-rank secret that the wolf figured out. Kakashi sighed, resigning himself to explaining things.

"Naruto's parents are another S-rank secret." He said through their bond. He watched as the wolf snapped his tail in an exclamation mark, shocked, but the tail slowly returned back to swaying slowly as Arashi's expression morphed into curiosity and sadness. "Minato-sensei was a great ninja feared by many, while Kushina-san was originally a foreigner who came to Konoha under…special circumstances. Sandaime-sama feared that if anyone knew Naruto was their child, he may be kidnapped or worse."

"Seems to me that 'worse' have already happened." Arashi said, shaking his head. "Didn't you said that people been trying to kill the kit since he was young-younger than now? It's…Geez, you humans can be so stupid."

Kakashi tilted his head. "I guess you're right…what happened before…they could create their own demon."

"Poor kit." Arashi sighed, looking sadly at Naruto. "That's a lot of secrets for someone so young. And the kit knows nothing about this?"

"No." The ANBU Captain answered.

The wolf's ears twitched, and Arashi frowned. "Not even why he's hated? The kit knows absolutely nothing? That's…"

Kakashi remained silent as the wolf trailed off. He watched as Arashi's blue eyes dimmed, looking down sadly at the Kyuubi's jinchuriki. The teen's heart also went out for the blond boy (except he couldn't-no, no he couldn't. There are too many tears and holes in his heart that he couldn't spare a shred of space for the injured child trapped in a curse he couldn't control. It's just too much). The white-haired teen looked away from the two, wishing that Arashi would speed up and end this so they could leave.

Kakashi didn't want to see Naruto.

"…He's your teacher's son, right?" The inquiry made Kakashi look back to the wolf, brow raised. The wolf continued. "He's your teacher's son. Your teacher's part of your pack. So the kit's pack too."

"He's pack."Arashi said aloud, firmly, resolutely, and Kakashi has a sinking feeling that he wouldn't like where this was going. "Naruto's part of your pack too. The kit needs someone. Youneed someone. Pack members take care of each other."

Oh no, he didn't like where this was going at all. "No. I'm not taking care of Naruto."

Arashi pinned him down with a stare. "He's part of your pack. You're older than him. Take responsibility, pup! He's your pack!"

"No, no, no." Kakashi refused firmly, glaring at the demon. "I don't care about your pack mentality, but I won't take care of him!"

I can't.

Kakashi expected the wolf to glare at him, retort back angrily at him. Instead, Arashi's eyes softened into understanding, and Kakashi wondered what gave him away this time. Damn, the demon was too sharp for his own good.

"Won't or can't, pup?" Arashi asked softly, making his way towards him. Kakashi returned his stare evenly, looking as relaxed as he was before, except the teen didn't really feel like it. Inside, Kakashi was waiting for the blows (emotional or otherwise) to come. Arashi was much too good at this sort of thing.

(The road to recovery was filled with thorns, and those who traversed reluctantly felt its barbs.)

"There's a difference between the two, pup." The wolf continued, now sitting down on his haunches in front of Kakashi. Inhuman blue eyes pierced straight through his soul and Kakashi resisted the urge to fidget under such stare. He was a ninja, after all.

Arashi tilted his head when he didn't answer. "You try to avoid the kit, but you don't hate him. You avoid him for another reason." The wolf stated his observations calmly. "He's your teacher's son. Your teacher's part of your pack. He's part of your pack." His tail swished and landed in front of his paws. "No, you don't hate him at all. You're afraid of him. Afraid because he was your teacher's child."

Put it like that, it seemed so simple (except it wasn't. Emotions are fickle things, and Kakashi was never the best at dealing with them). Kakashi closed his eyes, and sighed.

"I can't take care of him." He murmured through their bond. "It's too much. He's too young and important and sensei and Kushina-san…I can't. I can't." The teen stuffed his fists inside his pockets to hide the miniscule trembles in his hands. "I'll mess things up. I always do. I can't, Arashi."

"Maybe you can't." Arashi softly conceded aloud, but Kakashi doubted it was over that easily. "Maybe you can. But that doesn't matter, because you will."

"And why's that?"He huffed, looking straight into the wolf's eyes. The wolf looked back evenly.

"Because the kit needs you."Arashi replied simply. "He needs someone to be there for him. A jinchuriki can't live with hatred and fear alone. He's still human after all. Unless you want your teacher's son to turn into a monster, you will have to step up."

That caused Kakashi to become silent. He's been doing that a lot lately, ever since he met Arashi. The wolf words were surprisingly wise and somber when he bothered to show an ounce of seriousness. Kakashi couldn't help but mull over his words silently, confused. Should he follow Arashi's words? Why did Arashi bothered to say anything anyway?

He didn't want to step up and take care of Naruto. He was barely taking care of himself. Kakashi didn't trust himself to be able care for his teacher's son, actually frightened by the possibility. He could kill and steal and fight easily, he was good at it. But to trust him with important things like this. No. He couldn't. He was a killer, a murderer, a ninja. He was not born to raise or care for another.

Living under the shadows of deaths and ghosts of the past, Kakashi could say that death was easy. It was living that's hard, and taking care of another life? That must be the hardest of all. (But maybe-if only-perhaps he could…)

Damn it, Minato-sensei, Kushina-san, why did you have to die? I told you I'll be a bad babysitter!

No, he couldn't handle such responsibility. He was barely handling his guilt over their deaths. Naruto needed someone who wasn't trapped in regrets and sadness. Someone who could see past the ghosts haunting him and hiding in the blond's features (Naruto looks so much like Minato-sensei, acts too much like Kushina-san, his determination reminds him of Obito, his smiles of Rin). No, Kakashi was not the firstperson who should take care of Naruto.

So why was Arashi staring at him like he was?

(What did he do to deserve that? How could a stranger trust him with the life of a child?)

"Stop looking only at your own grief for a moment, pup."Arashi murmured, heedless of Kakashi's inner turmoil. He turned away from him and headed back to sit beside Naruto's bedside. He glanced at the boy, then back at the teen. "Just because you're caught up in darkness for too long doesn't mean you should forget about light."He prodded Naruto's unconscious form softly for a moment, eyes soft, and said simply. "The kit needs you."

"This is your chance at something better. Are you so willing to turn it down just because you're afraid?"

The question was a soft murmur in his conscious, a simple inquiry and challenge from Arashi through their bond. Kakashi watched the wolf as he turned to a smaller size, not quite a puppy though, and jumped on Naruto's bed to lay down beside the boy. The wolf curled around the blond almost protectively, head tilted in silent question as he stared at him. Kakashi thought back on their conversations, to his doubts and fears and reservations, and wondered, how did Arashi managed to manipulate him so well?

And why didn't he mind being manipulated?

He couldn't. He shouldn't. And yet, Arashi's words lit a small spark in him that Kakashi was surprised that it existed. He wanted, the teen realized. A part of him wanted that something better (it was selfish of him however. They had given their lives for the village. The least he could do was do the same). It surprised him, because for most of his life he dedicated himself to Konoha. He would be whatever she needs; a shield, a sword, a shadow. (But wasn't this dedication born from want as well?)

(Didn't he want Minato-sensei, Kushina-san, Rin, Obito and even his father to be proud of him?)

(…Wouldn't they be happy if Naruto was taken care of properly?)

Sighing, Kakashi pushed himself off the door and headed to Naruto's side. He pulled a chair and sat on it, crossing his arms over his chest and pointedly ignored the large grin that erupted on Arashi's muzzle.

Damn, for someone who acted like a fool, Arashi was smart.

(And Kakashi was too damn selfish for his own good.)

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-(X)-

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When Naruto woke up, it was to blue eyes too bright to come from a human.

Naturally, he shrieked and yelped, pulling away until he hit his head against the wall with a thud. "Ouch!" He cried out, grasping his head.

"My ears…!" The other creature with the bright eyes moaned in pain. Naruto opened one eye, shyly and nervously, and saw a ball of white fluff clutching its ears with its paws.

There was a short snort of laughter, which alerted Naruto to the other person in is room. Bad! Bad! He remembered the beatings the villagers gave him before, and if there were more here…well, it wasn't the first time the hospital staff turned a blind eye.

So the blond shot up in alarm, sitting up and shifting away to the furthest edge of the bed, away from the other person. He still hadn't looked at the person, eyes looking down at his clenched knuckles. No eye contact. They hate it when he looked at them. It made things much worse.

He glimpsed a hand reaching out to him and tensed. Nothing good ever came when someone's reaching out to him. Except when it comes to Sandaime-jiji and the Zoo people. They're nice, though the masked people were always so silent (he tried pretty much every trick in the book to get them to speak, and usually, his attempts were met with failure. Except Wolf. He's nicer than the others). But he was in the hospital with a stranger, not Sandaime-jiji or the Zoo people. So it's bad. Really, really, really bad!

Where are they?!

The hand stopped, as if hesitant, and then retreated. Naruto blinked, confused. Huh? He or she wasn't going to hit him or anything?

"How are you feeling?" The other guy (Naruto was sure it was a guy. No girl he knew has a deep voice) asked softly, almost hesitantly. As if he was afraid Naruto wouldn't answer (since when does a stranger cared what he felt?).

Taking a chance, Naruto peeked up and took in the other guy's appearance shyly. The guy was surprisingly younger than he thought, probably a little bit older than those ninjas that just graduated from the Academy. His hair was weird, being white when he looked young and defied gravity (kinda cool, a part of Naruto admired). Most of his face was covered, a mask hiding the lower half of his face and a hitai-ate (cool! He's a ninja!) was slanted over his left eye. The ninja looked calm, and he didn't seem to want to hurt him.

He's weird, Naruto decided.

"I-um…" Naruto looked down, feeling slightly embarrassed. Nobody ever cared what he felt except for Sandaime-jiji (and Wolf, he thought, remembering when he asked if he hated him and the Zoo person said 'no'. The masked ninja probably didn't know how much that single word meant to him).

The blond stared back at his small hands, gripping the bed sheets tightly. If he didn't look at him, he could probably answer his question. "I-I'm fine!"

"Kind of doubt that, kit." Another voice piped up, deeper than the teen that asked before. Naruto sneaked a glance through his bangs at what he thought was a white fluff ball, surprised. It could speak!?

Suddenly, a pair of bright blue eyes appeared in his vision, a huge grin forming on a muzzle (those teeth looked sharp!). Naruto shrieked again, causing the creature to flatten his ears again, and nearly fell off the bed.

Luckily, a hand shot out and stopped Naruto from falling. Confused and surprised, Naruto looked at the one who stopped him, eyes wide as he stared at the ninja. The teen looked back calmly, pulling Naruto back onto the bed gently, much to the blond further shock.

What's with this guy!?

"Arashi, stop scaring him." The ninja scolded the white fluff ball, glaring at it slightly.

"Saa…I'm just greeting him, pup." The fluff ball sighed, shaking his head and patting his ears with his paws. Once the creature got rid of the ringing in his ears, he grinned up at the confused blond. "I'm Arashi! The greatest wolf summon you'll ever meet!"

Beside him, the ninja sighed, exasperated, but Naruto could only focus on the wolf's words. He was a summon? Like those animals super awesome ninjas called on? Awesome! Though the wolf still looked like a ball of fluff to his eyes, the blond's respect for the ninja beside him rose.

"Cool!" He exclaimed, before he realized he said that aloud. Oh no. Naruto tensed and looked back down on the sheets. They didn't like it when he spoke too loudly.

Unseen by him, the wolf frowned and shot a pointed look at the teen's way. Said teen shrugged, giving him a helpless look. The wolf rolled his eyes and pointed at the blond with his tail. The ninja gave him a look equivalent to 'What the hell do you want me to do?'

The white fluff ball resisted the urge to slap himself (and the pup too).

Here was the following conversation that Naruto wasn't privy to:

"Oi, pup, do something! I can't be the only source of comic relief in here!"

"Do what? And you, comic relief? You're making me laugh."

"Sarcasm noted, pup. At least I'm doing something. Do something!"

"Like what!? I don't know! What do you expect me to do to a three years-old?"

Deadpanned. "Well I don't know, comfort him?"

"And how do you do that?"

"What do you do when you're upset?"

"Train."

"…For a three years-old."

"That's what I do at his age."

"…Well, clearly you have some kind of messed up childhood."

"And what do you do when you're upset at that age?"

"…Train."

Sardonically. "Well, clearly you have some kind of messed up childhood."

"I do other things besides that!"

"Like?"

"Eating apricots, doing crosswords books, annoy the hell out of people-"

"Like you're doing to me."

"-and other stuff! Anyway, do something to cheer him up!"

"What? Give him some apricots and crosswords books?"

"…I don't think that Naruto would like that."

"I was being sarcastic."

"I know, pup. And you're being an idiot."

"Hey!"

"Well, if you want me to take it back, then talk to him. Just do that, pup."

"Clearly we're inept at handling the problems of a child."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, pup. Now do it!"

With a quiet, disgruntled sigh, the ninja looked down at the nervous blond and said softly. "Forgive Arashi. He can be an idiot, but he means well."

Startled, Naruto looked up. Eek! Shouldn't have done that! But the ninja didn't seem like he wanted to hurt him. Instead, the white-haired teen looked sincere. Nervously, Naruto said. "I-it's ok! He's kinda cool!"

"Hear that, pup!" The summon, Arashi-san grinned, looking at his summoner smugly. "He called me cool!"

"Only because he doesn't know any other summons." The ninja said back coolly, but Naruto felt a hint of a jab there. Not at him (which was strange), but at the wolf. They must be friends, Naruto thought with a bit of longing (it'll be nice to have some…). The ninja turned back to face him. "I'm Hatake Kakashi. What's your name?"

"Oh? Um…" Naruto peered up at the ninja. He didn't seem mean, and he didn't look like he would hurt him. Weird, yeah, but he seemed kinda nice. With a small nod to himself, Naruto regained his courage and grinned widely. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Konoha's greatest prankster ever and future Hokage!"

The teen blinked, and Naruto watched a hint of amusement flashed through his expression. There was no hate however, or mocking that usually came whenever he spoke of his dreams. Naruto liked Hatake-san more and more already.

"Future Hokage, eh?" The one who spoke next however, wasn't the teen. Instead, the wolf that he had mistaken as a fluff ball looked at Naruto with a grin of his own. "How interesting. Why do you want to be Hokage, kit?"

Why? So that he could finally walk down a street without being glared at, without hearing mocking sneers and threats and being punched and kicked down in an alley. So that no one would ever ignore him, because no one ignored the Hokage, no one dismissed the Hokage offhand and no one would ever hate the Hokage. Naruto grinned (though it was a lie) and answered. "If I become Hokage, everyone will have to acknowledge me!"

I'll finally be alive in their eyes.

"Acknowledgement?" The wolf mused, glancing at Hatake-san with an indecipherable look in his eyes. In return, the nin's expression was perfectly blank, cool and calm as he stared at Naruto (and the blond couldn't help but wonder. What's up with that?).

"I've heard many people wanting the title Hokage." The ninja said neutrally, without a hint of emotion giving away his true opinion. Naruto found it weird, maybe a bit creepy, but he was a ninja and the Zoo people were even stranger, so the blond could forgive this fault. The white-haired teen tilted his head curiously (finally! Something to go on!). "I never heard of acknowledgement as their reason though."

"Yeah, well!" The blond exclaimed, feeling a bit defensive. "When I become Hokage, no one's gonna ignore me anymore and they're gonna have to like me!"

"Hmm…" The ninja shrugged nonchalantly. Unseen by Naruto however, was the slight tenseness in his frame, the swiftest glance to the wolf and the unheard telepathy. "…Those aren't good signs, right?"

"A boy being so ignored that he felt the only way to be acknowledge was to be the Hokage? Yeah, I don't think so." Arashi thought back to Kakashi. The wolf shook his head slightly, glancing at the blond. "Add that to his abuse and I say, pup, you're clearly missing out on some stuff."

"…I thought he would be taken care of by Sandaime-sama." Kakashi defended. "And if not, by the orphanage at least. Where are they anyway?"

"Like hell do I know, pup, I just came here yesterday." The wolf replied. "And considering the fact that the civilians half of the population and a few ninjas have a grudge to settle with the kit, I'll say the orphanage just turned a blind eye."

"Pup, you're here, living in the same village as him." Arashi pointed out. "Shouldn't you know something?"

"I…" Kakashi started, before sighing in their bond and murmured softly. "I don't know much on Naruto's life. I only stick to the shadows, revealing myself as Wolf when necessary. Besides that, I took plenty of missions that got me out of Konoha for days or weeks."

"So you know the kit was abused, but never this bad?"

"…No."

"Well…" Arashi said gently, eyeing the teen. "There's no time like the present. Now you see how much the kit needs you?"

"I don't know whether he needs me specifically." Kakashi murmured, looking at Naruto. "Why did those people beat you up?"

The blond flinched as he remembered it. He knew who the ninja was referring to, and looked down at his clenched hands again. He was just heading back to his apartment, because he knew it was nearing his birthday and they hated it when he was out and about near that day. Those people caught him as he headed back, cornering him in the alley and then proceeded to beat him into a pulp, shouting how he should die because he was a demon and such.

He didn't do anything bad, but they hated him just the same.

When he didn't answer, he could hear Hatake-san sigh. Startled, the blond looked up, hoping he didn't somehow disappoint or anger the ninja (because Hatake-san and Arashi-san were the first people outside of the Sandaime and the Zoo people that were friendly to him. He didn't want to lose them. He didn't want them to hate him too).

"Well, the nurse said that you're allowed to go home now." Hatake-san said, looking down at him. "Do you want us to accompany you back?"

Arashi-san nodded. "Yeah, it doesn't seem safe for you to go home alone. We'll take you back home safely."

Naruto blinked, surprised at the offer "Y-you want to help me!?"

"Of course we want to help you." Hatake-san said reasonably. "Why wouldn't we want to do so?"

"Because…" Naruto looked at the two of them, the strange wolf and ninja. They were weird, he knew, but they were also nice. It felt strange, to find someone caring about you, and Naruto hoped that this meant good things to come. At least…maybe, they could be friends?

(That would be really, really nice. He never really had any friends.)

"Well, kit?" The wolf asked, poking his side with his muzzle. Naruto giggled a bit. Arashi's fur was soft!

"I-ok!" The blond grinned up at the two of them. "Thanks, Hatake-san, Arashi-san!"

Arashi chuckled from beside him. "Just call me Arashi, kit." He then pointed at the white-haired teen with his snout. "And this one, Kakashi-nii. Though he's not as awesome or cool as me and have several issues we need to take care of. Don't worry though; I'm sure he won't bite!"

"Arashi…" Kakashi-nii grounded out, glaring at the wolf. Arashi merely laughed and Naruto couldn't help but laugh too. They were a really strange pair, but funny once he got to know them a bit. He liked them.

The day sucked at the beginning, but the blond thought with hope, maybe it would be better later. After all, Naruto met two people more people that didn't hate him. That got to count for something, right?

.

-(X)-

.

Naruto's home wasn't what Kakashi expected it to be.

For one, the blond boy lived all alone in an apartment. It wasn't even a nice apartment to begin with, though it got a good view of the Hokage Monument. Still, view or not, a kid shouldn't have to live here. In fact, why weren't they heading to the orphanage? Shouldn't a boy of Naruto's age and orphan status live there instead?

Granted, Kakashi didn't live in the Hatake Compound or the orphanage after his father died (killed himself). Instead, Minato-sensei had pretty much adopted him, becoming his guardian and made him his ward. He lived with the blond up until Kushina-san became his teacher's girlfriend. By then, Kakashi had moved out to a new apartment, the place he called 'home' now (except it wasn't, because home was where the heart was and his heart was gone along with them). The masked ninja couldn't take accidentally dropping in on them while they were making out with each other again.

(Then there was that one time they weren't making out. He was a bit traumatized by it, to be honest.)

Still, as far as he knew, Naruto didn't have any legal guardian. He was living alone as far as Kakashi could tell when he entered the blond's messy apartment (kami help him, the boy desperately needed to clean up his house). Which begs the question, why was the boy living alone?

"Naruto, where are your guardians?" He asked as he looked around. There wasn't much to the place, wooden walls, a bed, scattered ramen cups strewn all over the floor and other assorted objects.

The blond stopped from where he was walking towards the fridge. He looked at the teen in confusion. "Guardians? What's that?"

"The people who look out for you and care for you, Naruto." He explained.

"Oh, well…" The jinchuriki replied. "There's Sandaime-jiji, but he's really busy most of the time, and there's the Zoo people, but they're really quiet and shy."

"Zoo people?" Kakashi questioned, bemused.

The blond nodded as he took out several cups of instant ramen from the fridge. "Yup! They're these masked guys that usually saves me from beatings! They're really cool super powerful ninjas, at least that's what Sandaime-jiji said. I think they're mute though." He said as he boiled water, Kakashi looking at him amusedly as the ninja realized who the blond was talking about. "'Cause the Zoo people never speak at all! 'Cept for Wolf, but that's rare too. Do you want ramen?"

"Ah, no thanks." The ANBU Captain declined, amused at how Naruto called the elite shinobis of Konoha Zoo people. He wondered how the rest of the ANBU would react to that if they knew.

The relatively sane ones would laugh. The hardened, broken ones would shrug and remain detached. Kakashi didn't know where he stood on that scale.

"So you live alone?" He asked, putting off the question on his sanity for later. If ever. He tried not to peer to deeply there.

Arashi had jumped down from his shoulders upon entering; inspecting the place with the same curiosity he had when he checked his apartment. The wolf frowned at what he saw and Kakashi could guess what he thought. A three years-old kid shouldn't live here alone. A three years-old kid shouldn't live alone to begin with.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded, sitting down on a chair. The teen followed suit, with the wolf hopping up onto the table. "Well, there's this ugly lady next door that likes to scream at me when she thinks I'm too loud. And there's the landlord that likes to come before I get money from Sandaime-jiji and beats me up when I can't pay him. And sometimes there are people that try to burn down or mess the place, especially on my birthday…"

As Kakashi continued to hear the numerous people living around Naruto's apartment, he frowned deeply. Yes, he knew that as a jinchuriki, Naruto would have a hard life. He would most likely struggle to gain some respect and liking, but he didn't expect this. He didn't knew that the abuse stretched this far, reached this deep. This was too much.

Kakashi was normally calm, cool and composed. Listening to the people's cruelty towards his teacher's son however, made the teen question his loyalty to Konoha for a second. If he killed one or two people, it wouldn't hurt, right? As long as nobody figured out he did it, it should be fine, right?

But he couldn't, because as much as he hated the villagers of Konoha right now, they were also the people his friends and family sacrificed their lives for. At the end, he would only diminish their sacrifices if he followed his current line of thoughts. Damn. And he really wanted to make them bleed right now.

Well, he supposed he could turn a blind eye towards some of Naruto's future pranks.

"People can get in here and hurt you?" Arashi gasped, drawing Kakashi out of his reverie. He almost forgot the wolf was there.

Naruto looked down nervously. "Umm, yeah."

"Pup…" Arashi frowned, and he could guess what the wolf wanted to ask this time. As much as Kakashi wanted to refuse him, the teen couldn't help but agree with the demon.

"Yeah, I know…" He sighed, absently wondering when did his life turned into this. Kakashi looked at the confused boy. "Naruto, why don't you stay with us for now?"

"E-eh? What?" The boy asked, shocked. "Why?"

"You said it yourself, kit." Arashi answered. "People can hurt you here. Didn't you say that people try to burn this place on your birthday? Well, if you stay with us, they wouldn't be able to reach you. You wouldn't be hurt."

"You can return here anytime you want." Kakashi assured the blond. "If you feel that you don't like staying with us, you can return back here. We wouldn't mind either way."

"Except we would." Arashi murmured through their bond. "Because it'll be much harder to protect the kit if he's away."

Kakashi didn't reply, though a part of him wondered how it got from simply taking care of Naruto to something that felt a bit more.

(He wasn't good with kids. That was more of Minato-sensei's and Kushina-san's and Rin's and Obito's forte. But they're not here. He was, alongside an annoying wolf demon that insisted on making some changes in his life. Between the two of them, he wondered whether Naruto would survive to puberty.)

"Well, Naruto?" He asked, looking down at the blond. "What do you think?"

"Umm…" Naruto said hesitantly, glancing between him and Arashi with something that looked like a mixture of surprise, confusion and…wonder? The blond took several long minutes to decide. When he finally made up his mind, the kettle had whistled and Naruto scrambled off his chair to get the water and placed it on the table. He didn't pour it to the opened cups of ramen though.

"Is it really ok?" The blond questioned, eyes wide. "I mean, I might cause trouble and people don't like me and they might don't like you guys because of me and-"

Kakashi rolled his visible eye and raised a hand to stop the kid. As the blond fell silent, the teen crinkled his eye up to express what he hoped was a reassuring smile (Kakashi wasn't exactly good at those). "It's alright, Naruto. We wouldn't mind at all."

Naruto smiled widely at that, a grin so wide it split his face and narrowed his eyes. It was as blinding as the sun and felt like Minato-sensei and Kushina-san and Rin and Obito. Kakashi couldn't help but return it with a genuine one of his own. Maybe…maybe this wouldn't turn out so bad after all.

.

-(X)-

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Naruto needed to pinch himself on the cheek to realize that, yes, this wasn't a dream.

Sunlight poured to the guest room he was staying in, a clean and tidy space unlike his own apartment. The blond was sitting up on the bed, rubbing away the remnants of sleep from his eyes. With a yawn, he stretched and swung his legs out of the bed.

He still couldn't believe that yesterday actually happened. Sure, he could believe the beatings the villagers gave out yesterday happened, though all the wounds had disappeared by now. What he couldn't believe was someone like Kakashi-nii and Arashi would willingly let him (demon, they say, monster) stay with them. And not just for a night either! For as long as Naruto wanted!

The blond grinned brightly. They were the best!

Happily, Naruto opened the door and peered outside. Kakashi-nii's apartment wasn't that big, but it had enough space for them at least. As he exited his room, the blond heard the tell-tale sounds of an argument, raised voices and angry sounds. Eyes wide, the blond hoped they weren't arguing because of him.

But as the blond entered the dining room/kitchen, he found the source of his hosts' argument was him, but a can that Kakashi-nii was holding.

"No way, pup." The wolf, much larger than he was yesterday, said. Naruto marvelled at his size (he was so large! Maybe he could ride him!) as Arashi shook his head and sat on his haunches in front of the teen. "I'm not having that for breakfast!"

Kakashi-nii leaned against the fridge, arms crossed and holding up the can. Even though only his eye was visible, Naruto felt that Kakashi-nii must be frowning. "They're the only things inside the fridge."

"Ugh…we forgot to shop for real food didn't we?" Arashi lamented, sighing. "Well, I still don't want that for breakfast. Besides, I don't think that's what Naruto-chan needs." Suddenly, the focus shifted to him as the wolf glanced at him. "Right, Naruto-chan?"

On his part, Naruto wondered when did Arashi decided to use 'chan' on him and what exactly the can Kakashi-nii held contained. So the blond looked confused. "Umm…yes?"

The masked ninja sighed. "Arashi, no forcing Naruto to side with you." Kakashi-nii then looked at him. "And you don't have to say 'yes' to everything he says. What would you like for breakfast?"

"Ramen!" Naruto answered immediately, grinning.

Arashi smiled widely too. "So ramen it is!" He looked at Kakashi-nii. "It's better than that canned junk anyway. Do you know a good place to eat?"

The ninja put the can away and thought for a second. "Yeah, I know a place. Naruto, do you know Ichiraku?"

"No." He shook his head. A thought wormed its way into his head and Naruto worried his lip. "…Ah, is it really ok, Kakashi-nii? I mean, people don't like me…so is it ok for us to…"

"Ichiraku is a nice place." Kakashi-nii assured him. "I know the owner as well. He wouldn't hate you, Naruto."

"Ok then." If Kakashi-nii said so, then it should be fine, he thought.

"It's decided then!" Arashi cheered. "Ichiraku we go!"

.

-(X)-

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Training Ground 12 was a place most Konoha-nins feared to tread. Oh, it wasn't because it contained giant snakes or man-eating plants like the Forest of Death. No, in fact the reason most feared to go there was because of one certain person.

"Yosh! How kind of my Eternal Rival to lend me some training companions!" Konoha's Green Beast exclaimed, grinning so widely that his teeth sparkled in the morning sun. If Ox and Mouse weren't in ANBU, both men would have hugged each other in fear.

But they were in ANBU, though they were out of uniforms, and they managed to piss off their superior on the first day (Ox blamed Mouse for that), and last night they just went through some terrifying experiments courtesy of Tiger (Morino Ibiki was so proud that someone has been following his lessons), and was that a pair of green spandex in his hands!?

"Kakashi has told me that you wanted your youths fully expressed!" Cried Gai tearfully, in a manly way of course. Both rookies reluctantly accepted the offending clothes, looking as if they wanted to run away anytime soon. If only Wolf-taichou wouldn't track them down and force them into more torture…Another reason why it was a bad idea to anger an ANBU Captain.

"I'm so happy that there are some who understand the youthfulness of these clothes!" Their oblivious torturer exclaimed, still grinning blindingly as they put on the clothes. "To celebrate, let us run 100 laps around Konoha!"

One hundred! Both rookies shivered. This man was crazy!

"Now let us go, my youthful comrades!" Gai cheered, oblivious to their despair. "To the gates! We must not waste our Springtime of Youth!"

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-(X)-

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The streets were covered with festival décor. Ranging from some new game booths to open stalls and unlit lanterns hanging on lines, Kakashi could predict that this would be another festival Konoha went out of her way to enjoy. Of course, who wouldn't celebrate the anniversary of the fox's defeat? It was both a momentous occasion and sobering festivity, as not only do the villagers and ninjas of this great hidden village celebrate the defeat of what was thought an insurmountable foe, it was also the day of many loved ones deaths.

Minato-sensei…Kushina-san…

With a quiet sigh, Kakashi glanced at the small boy walking close to him. He could feel the many glares and stares that followed the boy, and no doubt Naruto felt it too, for he looked down and tried not to draw anyone's attention. It didn't work though. Today was a day away from the Fire Festival (named so because nobody wanted to name it after the demon that ravaged the village, and wasn't Minato-sensei the fire shadow?) and of course tension would be high surrounding the jinchuriki and the villagers (maybe even a few ninjas as well).

Arashi walked next to Naruto, still in his large size. He cut an imposing figure as a wolf, unlike how he acted yesterday. Kakashi was sure this was for Naruto's benefit though, to draw away some of the attention from the blond. It worked a bit, he supposed, watching as the blond boy shyly, unsurely reached out and clenched a fistful of white fur in the same manner of a frightened child would find reassurance from holding on to their guardians hands.

Kakashi felt a burst of surprise from their shared bond, along with a small surge of warmth. Naruto was growing on Arashi.

Then, to his surprise, Naruto reached out and grabbed his hand. Surprised, the ninja let him be, watching him with a hint of bemusement. Naruto still looked down, he still clung close to them and he was still trying to hide in plain sight from the villagers glares, but…the way the blond gripped his hand…it was similar to how he clenched the wolf's fur.

But…that would mean that he found Kakashi reassuring. Someone safe, a giver of comfort if he stretched it that far. It…was strange. Kakashi was a ninja first and foremost. He was danger, he was a weapon, he wasn't what someone would call safe or comforting. So it felt strange for him to have Naruto gripped his hand so trustingly, and yet it felt nice.

Kakashi felt his cold heart warm a tiny bit.

So the teen clenched the tiny (so fragile…a child…) hand back, and when Naruto looked up in surprise, Kakashi curved his visible eye up to what he hope seemed to be a reassuring look. Sometimes, covering two third of your face made it difficult to convey facial expressions successfully. It seemed to work this time though, as Naruto returned it with a small smilethat still somehow seemed as bright as his huge grin (Minato-sensei and Kushina-san were like that too. Even the smallest smiles can feel like stars).

Arashi looked at him with a hint of a smirk on his muzzle, a knowing glint in his eyes. Kakashi pointedly ignore him. The wolf messed with his life enough in the two short (long, eventful) days he knew him.

Since they had already dropped off at Ichiraku for breakfast (Naruto promptly called it the best food ever! He practically begged Kakashi to let them eat there again for lunch…and dinner…and tomorrow's breakfast…and pretty much every day of every week) it left the ninja, wolf and boy with pretty much nothing to do for the rest of the day. Kakashi itched for some missions, because as much as he liked Naruto, he would still prefer to be away on October 10th. Arashi, however, firmly told him that he shouldn't, and then pointed out Naruto and how much the boy needed him (Kakashi still doesn't fully believed him on that) and the ninja was forced to relent on the subject.

It was nearing Naruto's birthday, and many people would be out for his blood soon.

As the trio meandered around the village, Kakashi spotted some stalls up ahead that sold fruits and vegetables. There was a quick thought from Arashi "Don't forget to buy food! Real ones this time."

Kakashi rolled his eyes, already heading to the stalls. "I know, I know."

The sellers were kind enough to him, though they frowned and asked some small, unsubtle questions on why the blond jinchuriki was with him. Kakashi shrugged and kindly told them that it wasn't their business and he would like some of those apples and oranges if you please?

They frowned, unsatisfied, but knew that the customer came first. So soon enough (because the sellers, though kind with him and shrugged at Arashi –there were Inuzuka dogs bigger than his current form after all-, pointedly scowled at Naruto's presence) Kakashi had a plastic bag filled with fruits on one hand, the other holding onto Naruto's hand, and was about to walk away and think on the next things he needed to buy when suddenly green burst into his vision.

Green. And one very sparkly, very shiny smile.

Kakashi inwardly groaned. Gai…

"My Eternal Rival, it is so rare to see you during this occasion!" The Green Beast of Konoha exclaimed. Naruto clenched his hand tighter, sticking closer to Kakashi to the point the blond was hiding behind his pants. Gai, oblivious to the ruckus he caused, gave a thumbs up. "I must thank you for the training companions! They were most youthful, though they could not keep up we some of our exercises! Perhaps I shall take them again to ignite their fire of youths?"

Though Gai was annoying at best, Kakashi had to stifle a grin at the mention of Gai's 'training companions'. Those rookies must have learned their lessons by now, or else the ANBU Captain was going to inflict the Springtime of Youth on them once more.

And really, no one sane would willingly go through such torture.

"No, I think they've had enough." Kakashi replied, because he wasn't cruel, not really, despite the rumours among ANBU that said the opposite (his training wasn't that hard, the ANBU Captain thought. Really, jumping from one stone to the next on your hands in a deep river with fierce waves wasn't that bad. And the river was only a few kilometres long…). "But I'll tell you again if they want more training."

"Yosh, thank you, my eternal rival!" Gai exclaimed again, smiling that shiny smile and doing that 'good guy' pose again. "Now that you're here, I challenge you-!"

"Not interested." Kakashi quickly cut off before the other could give out another inane challenge. Really, they had done pretty much every challenge imaginable under the sun. From finding a mummy, climbing a tower, giving a monkey a shower, surfing tidal waves, locating a brain, discovering a lost bird…

"Ah, but this challenge-" This time, Gai cut himself off as he caught a glance at the boy hiding behind Kakashi. "Oh? Who is this, Kakashi?"

In return, Naruto gave a small 'eek!' of surprise, clutching Kakashi's hand tightly as he clenched the fabric of his pants behind him. Kakashi sighed and tugged the shy boy to view. He knew Gai. As eccentric and crazy the jounin was, he wouldn't react negatively to Naruto.

"Naruto, this is Maito Gai." He introduced the blond to his…colleague (he didn't know what Gai was in his life, actually. A friend? But didn't he lose everyone three years ago? There was no way he has anybody left…though Gai seemed to know exactly when he needed a challenge to draw himself out of his depression. He wasn't always there, of course, as he couldn't since he was a ninja with missions to do too, but still…)

(Sometimes he wondered, maybe Gai was a friend he didn't know he had.)

"Gai, this is Naruto." Kakashi finished the introductions. "Naruto will be staying with me for a while."

For a moment, Gai looked sharp, not that it really surprised the other teen. Kakashi knew that Gai, though definitely weird and crazy, was every bit a ninja as he was. One didn't become Hatake Kakashi's rival by being weak after all.

"I see." Then, Gai flashed a smile and the shinobi mind that knew and noticed secrets was swiftly and easily hidden behind a particularly shiny sparkle. Kakashi nodded inwardly in approval. The white-haired teen wouldn't say it, but it was nice to see that even though it had been a while since they last met, Gai was still as capable a shinobi as ever.

(He didn't know whether Gai was truly important enough to label him as a 'friend', but he would certainly be missing him if he died in a mission. Gai was his rival however, and that meant they were somewhat equals. Kakashi certainly wouldn't need to worry about him.)

"It is a very youthful thing to do, my Eternal Rival!" Gai exclaimed. Naruto had returned to hiding behind his pants. "To guard and raise the flowers of tomorrow, the future's Springtime of Youth-!"

"Er, Gai?" Kakashi interrupted once again. "Naruto, Arashi and I need to go now. We still have several things we need to buy."

"Very well, Kakashi!" The jounin nodded, much to the white-haired teen's relief. "But tomorrow, do you wish to train with me? There is a place that is good for training, though it is rather far from Konoha."

Kakashi quickly saw through his rather unsubtle words. Gai knew that he didn't enjoy being in Konoha around that day, so he invited him for training in somewhere far away from the village. It was rather nice of Gai to offer, though Kakashi couldn't accept it-

"Sure, he'll come." Arashi agreed before Kakashi could decline. "And Naruto-chan would come along too, if you don't mind?"

"Excellent!" Gai cheered before Kakashi could stop him. Konoha's Green Beast grinned and gave another thumb up, before speeding away to another intense, insane training session. "I shall wait for you tomorrow morning by the gates!"

"…No thanks." He said belatedly, staring at the trail of dust left behind by Gai's haste. He turned to the wolf, who looked so annoyingly innocent and glared at him, hissing out. "What was that?"

"That?" Arashi blinked, as if bemused by his question. His tail swayed playfully as the wolf grinned. "Oh, I just thought that Gai was kind enough to provide you and Naruto-chan an out for tomorrow. Considering circumstances and others, don't you think it's a good idea to accept?"

Kakashi frowned under his mask. "You don't know Gai. He's…" The ninja tried to wrap up what Gai was in a few words. Green spandex, flashy smile, insane never-ending challenges, that green spandex... "Insane." The teen decided succinctly.

Arashi looked at him as if he was a hypocrite. "And you aren't, pup?"

Kakashi was forced to concede that was true.

"Umm…is the weird monster gone?" Naruto asked shyly, peeking out from behind Kakashi.

"That was Gai. He's a ninja, like me." Kakashi said, nodding. "And yes, he's gone."

"Oh." The blond said, walking out from the teen's shadow, though Naruto still has a firm grip on Kakashi's hand. "He's weird."

"Yes." The white-haired teen said dryly. He sighed as the three began to walk again. Tomorrow was going to be a hectic day.

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-(X)-

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Poor Kakashi! He's gonna have to spend a day with Gai! ^ _ ^

Speaking of Gai, writing him so difficult. I don't know whether I got his speech on youth and all right…

Thank you for reading! Please review!

The Storyteller of Dreams

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Guest Review:

Veloren: Hahaha, yup there's a Legend of Aang and Spirited Away reference. Manic pixie girl/wolf, Arashi? Lol. You know TV Tropes? Thanks for reading and reviewing!