Chapter Text
years ago.
Young Iruka flopped onto his bed, shifting around until he found a comfortable spot. He held his book or diary, as his mom called it-and smiled softly. It had been a birthday surprise for his fifth birthday. Though he couldn’t write yet, he was sure that once he could, he’d fill its pages with his most treasured moments. But for now, it was time to sleep. He placed the book on his nightstand and snuggled under the pillows.
Tomorrow was going to be a great day.
At 7 a.m., Iruka woke up and ran to his parents’ room. He stood in the doorway, frowning at the sight before him.
Why was his mom packing clothes?
“Mom? Dad? Is something wrong?”
His mom’s head snapped toward him, her eyes red and swollen like she’d been crying. Without a word, she grabbed her things and started to leave. Instinctively, Iruka followed. He grabbed her wrist tightly, leaning back in a weak attempt to stop her.
“Mom, where are you going?”
She froze. A choked sob escaped her as she turned around and hugged Iruka tightly. She was making promises, but Iruka couldn’t hear most of them through her crying. She pulled away and rummaged through her pocket before bringing out a blue pendant necklace, a wave symbol carved into it. She placed it in Iruka’s hand, ignoring his questions.
“I wanted to give this to you yesterday.”
Then she looked past Iruka’s shoulder and glared, before standing up. One last glance and she was gone.
Iruka stood there, silent, before the tears came. He didn’t know why, but something in his heart told him this was the last time he’d see her.
And it was.
Ever since then, Iruka’s life had changed drastically.
His father, Ikkaku a seals and barrier specialist began treating him differently. He would yell at Iruka over the smallest things. Sometimes he forgot to feed him, and if Iruka was caught sneaking into the kitchen at night, the screaming would start all over again.
The change was too much. Most of the time, Iruka stayed in his room, clutching the necklace in his hands, too scared to let his father see it afraid it would be destroyed.
When Iruka turned six, he entered the academy and made friends. For a little while, he could almost pretend that home wasn’t real. That his mother was still in the kitchen, cooking his favorite meal—ramen.
But every time he came home, that illusion shattered. He’d run straight upstairs and hide in his room, only sneaking out at night to eat.
Like now.
Iruka tried his best not to make too much noise as he walked down the stairs, the soft creaks beneath his feet sounding painfully loud. In the kitchen, he dragged a stool over and climbed onto the counter. Steadying himself, he reached up to open the cabinets and grab whatever food his dad had left out.
But then he lost his balance.
He fell hard, a sharp pain shooting through his head as it struck the edge of the stool. He screamed, crying out in pain, and heard heavy footsteps pounding down the stairs.
"Iruka, you... you disobeyed me again!" his father shouted, storming into the room. He slammed the cabinet doors shut, then roughly picked Iruka up and dropped him onto the couch.
“I have a mission in the morning! I won’t be able to sleep now, all because of you!”
Iruka cried harder, his head still throbbing. His father hadn’t even asked if he was okay. He didn’t care.
Why won’t he just feed me like any father would?
Why did Mom leave?
The thoughts swirled in Iruka’s head, anger rising with the tears. Before he could stop himself, he shouted back, voice cracking:
“You’re the reason Mom left! You’re a meanie!”
The silence that followed was deafening.
Iruka slowly opened his eyes through the tears. His father stood frozen in place, shocked. Without a word, he turned and walked back upstairs. Only after Iruka heard the slam of the door did he finally breathe again.
He’d have to ask his teacher for help with his head and come up with an excuse.
Iruka sighed. Suddenly, he wasn’t hungry anymore. Curling up on the couch, he decided to sleep there for the night.
When he woke up, Iruka didn’t expect to hear voices coming from the kitchen. For a brief, fragile moment, he almost hoped it was his mother.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he shuffled groggily toward the sound. The voices grew clearer as he got closer.
“-just taking care of him, right?”
He pushed the door open and stood in the doorway. Inside was a woman he didn’t recognize. She had long black hair, wore reading glasses, and was dressed in a white kimono with blue swirling patterns.
When they heard the creak of the door, both his father and the unfamiliar woman turned to look at him.
Iruka studied her quietly. She doesn’t look that old, he thought.
She smiled warmly and crouched down to his level.
“Hello, dear... my name is Yuri Kusano, and I’ll be taking care of you,” she said gently, glancing toward Ikkaku before turning her smile back to Iruka.
“For quite a long while.”
Iruka frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that. He didn’t even know this woman but before he could say anything, his father cut in.
“I’m leaving now. Take care of him, and call me if anything goes wrong.”
Iruka’s eyes widened. He turned toward his father, his brows furrowed in confusion and panic.
Was his father leaving him too?
“W-where are you going?” he asked, barely able to get the words out.
Ikkaku didn’t respond right away. Then, without looking at him, he muttered,
“Konoha.”
And just like that, he was gone leaving Iruka alone with a stranger.
Iruka wanted to scream. He wanted to cry.
Why is everyone leaving me? What did I do wrong?
Yuri smiled softly. “Don’t worry. He won’t be gone long. Remember it’s just a mission.”
Maybe it wasn’t so bad. His dad hadn’t been kind anyway.
But Iruka still cried, wiping his tears away with his sleeve. Yuri pulled him into a gentle hug, brushing a strand of hair behind his ear.
“You’re very beautiful when you cry”.
she whispered, holding him tightly.
The days with Yuri weren’t so bad. She was kind and took good care of him, always smiling warmly. On his seventh birthday, she gave him an unexpected gift.
“Whoa, a pen?” Iruka asked, slightly confused. It was beautiful, but he wasn’t sure why she’d give him this.
Yuri smiled sweetly, taking the box from his hands. She explained,
“This is a Namiki pen. It’s very expensive and luxurious.” She smiled again, placing the box back into his hands.
“You’re going to start writing soon. You could use this pen, maybe even impress some of the other students.”
Iruka’s eyes went wide with surprise. He hugged her tightly.
“This is so cool! I’m definitely going to be cool with this pen!”
Yuri smiled, cupping Iruka’s face gently between her hands.
“You’re so beautiful.”
Iruka grinned. He’d heard her say that a lot, and he honestly enjoyed the attention.
Months passed, and slowly Iruka began missing his dad. Even though his father had never treated him fairly, he still missed the only person who was truly family. Yuri wasn’t family not really. She had found a place in Iruka’s heart, but to him, she was still a stranger.
“You look troubled, child. You know you can talk to me,” Yuri said gently.
Iruka smiled. She always noticed when he was feeling down. Yuri sat next to him on the couch and loosened the rubber band in his hair, letting his hair fall freely as she braided it.
He began to explain what he was feeling how he missed his parents more than ever and sometimes even cried. Yuri would gently wipe away his tears, and that made Iruka feel a little better. But deep down, he felt like she wasn’t really listening. So he asked something he’d always wanted to know.
“When is he coming back?”
The braiding stopped, and Iruka winced slightly as she tightened the strands.
“You’re hurting me.”
Yuri froze and gently turned Iruka to face her, worry etched on her face. She cupped his cheek in her hands.
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry. Did that hurt? Are you okay?”
He smiled.
“I’m fine.”
Yuri smiled back and went on braiding his hair, all worry instantly melting away.
Maybe he shouldn’t have asked. Yuri had been so kind to him. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and let her braid his hair.
When Iruka woke up, he found himself in bed wearing a white kimono the same one Yuri wore. He frowned. He didn’t remember putting it on.
He went downstairs and saw Yuri preparing the table, setting out plates and cups too many for just the two of them. Iruka scratched his head, noticing his hair was still braided. He didn’t mind and walked over to Yuri, who was humming a soft song. When she spotted him, she smiled sweetly, walked over, and hugged him tightly.
“You’re awake! How was your sleep?”
Iruka grinned.
“Never slept better!”
She laughed, and Iruka glanced again at the table.
“What’s all this for?” he asked, pointing toward the table.
Yuri just smiled and stood up.
“We’re having visitors. I made sure you looked presentable. Do you like the kimono?”
Iruka hummed, looking down at himself. He shrugged.
“It’s pretty, Yuri-san, but I look like a girl.”
Yuri smiled and turned toward the kitchen, ignoring his comment.
“Are you hungry, dear? You must be! I made eggs with bacon.”
Iruka grinned and ran toward her.
“Bacon!”
In the evening, around 9 p.m., Iruka was sitting in the living room watching a kids’ show when he suddenly heard banging on the door. Yuri smiled and walked over to open it.
Three men stepped inside two wearing suits and another in civilian clothes who looked particularly intimidating. For a moment, they ignored Iruka and sat at the table, eating and laughing. Then Yuri sat beside the man in civilian clothes and glanced over at Iruka.
“Ren, that’s Iruka over there,” she said softly. “He’s the son of Ikkaku and Kohari. They left him not long ago. Poor child.” Yuri’s face showed pity.
Ren grunted and motioned for Iruka to come over, but Iruka didn’t move. Who were these men? His dad probably hadn’t given Yuri permission to invite strangers.
Yuri smiled gently and approached Iruka. “They’re not dangerous, Iruka. They’re here to help find your parents.” She tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “Wouldn’t it be rude not to introduce yourself?”
He hesitated but finally gave in. He stood up and walked beside Yuri toward the strange men.
Ren slammed his cup down and grinned. “You look like a little bean!” The men all laughed. Yuri sighed, shaking her head as she glanced at Iruka.
“They have strange humor. Don’t mind them. He probably means you look very small for your age,” she said with a smile.
Iruka snickered and sat opposite them.
Ren glanced at him and his kimono, then raised an eyebrow at Yuri, but she ignored him, smiling at Iruka.
He grunted again.
“So, Iruka, huh? how old are you?”
He huffed and crossed his arms.
“I’m seven!” he said proudly.
Yuri smiled warmly, gently ruffling his hair.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Ren let out a heavy sigh, took a quick shot from his drink, and slammed his cup down hard on the table. He stretched his back and then slammed his hand down with a sharp bang. Iruka flinched, frowning as he glanced around nervously.
“Seven?” Ren asked Yuri, his voice suddenly tense.
Yuri said nothing, keeping her gaze fixed ahead.
Ren slammed his hand down again, louder this time.
“Yuri! You always do this bullshit! what am I supposed to do with-”
He sighed deeply, stood up along with his men, and shot a cold glare at Yuri. Without another word, he tossed an envelope onto the table.
“We’ll meet again.”
Then the door slammed shut.
At the corner of his eye, Iruka saw Yuri cast a sharp glare at the door. Without even reading the envelope, she grabbed it and tore it up. Frustration showed on her face as she stared, not directly at Iruka, but at his hair, his face, his clothes. She groaned, then stood up and began pacing in the kitchen, muttering to herself.
“Perfect… everything’s just perfect,” she sighed bitterly. “What could he possibly not like?”
She took a deep breath and smiled sweetly as she walked toward Iruka.
“Everything’s fine,” she said softly, cupping his face with a gentle smile.
“Ignore them. Let’s get some rest, hm?”
Iruka nodded, yawning slightly.
“Yes… I’m really tired.”