A Chance to be Happy

Hey, this chapter is specially for teenwitch18 who sent me a lovely review. Sorry that it’s a couple of days late, I went down with a nasty stomach bug.

Warning: mentions of child abuse. Male/male relations.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter. This is a piece of fiction written purely for my enjoyment, I am not making any money from it.

xXxXxXx

Harry bolted upright. Something was wrong.

Upon getting back to Itachi’s house earlier that afternoon Harry had collapsed, exhausted. He had promptly been hurried into bed by a concerned looking Mikoto, despite him trying to tell her that he was fine and just needed to sit down for a while.

To his surprise he felt his eyelids grow heavy the minute that his head hit the pillow. Well he supposed to himself as he drifted off, he had done a lot of magic so far today.

That brought him to his current situation. From a glance out the window Harry guessed that it was probably early evening now. There was an uncomfortable buzzing in his head that told him that something was very wrong. He concentrated, trying to place the feeling.

Then, with dawning horror, he realised what it was. One of his warning spells had been triggered. He flung his empathy shields wide open. Who was it? Which of his important people was being hurt?

Naruto.

Rage bubbled up inside Harry. Someone was hurting Naruto, he could feel the boy’s pain and terror as if it were his own. His magic flared responding to his fury. He wrapped it around himself, mind locking on to Naruto’s location, and with a resounding crack, he apparated.

xXxXxXx

Itachi was sitting at the kitchen table with the rest of his family, blatantly ignoring his father’s lecture on the qualities of a good wife. If it hadn’t been so annoying, the situation probably would have been funny. Here he was being told by his father what he should look for in a woman, when his male lover (or soon to be lover if Itachi had anything to say about it), was lying in the room above them. How his father hadn’t sensed Harri’s presence Itachi didn’t know, but the man was in complete ignorance of what was going on in his own household.

Itachi glanced sideways at his mother. From the gleam in Mikoto’s eyes and the slight hitch in her breath every time his father said girl or wife, she was obviously finding this (very one sided) conversation extremely entertaining. Sasuke was also looking distinctly smug and amused.

Reigning in the desire to sigh in exasperation, Itachi looked stoically at his father. He unfortunately took this as a sign that Itachi was interested in what he had to say. He seemed to swell slightly with self importance and took in another breath gearing up to continue his lecture.

Itachi gritted his teeth. He was reaching the point that he was willing to pray for something, anything to happen, if only he could get away from this meaningless sermon.

No sooner had this thought crossed his minded when a noise like a small explosion resounded from his room. His eyes went wide. Harii!

Before any of his family had a chance to react Itachi was out of the room and heading for the stairs. If something had happened to his Harii because he had left him alone Itachi would never forgive himself.

He slammed into his room at top speed. Harii was gone. For a moment blind panic surged through his veins, before his training took over and he pushed all emotion down.

Activating his Sharingan he scanned the room. All of his chakra markers were still in place and there was no sign of foreign chakra anywhere. No one had been in this room bar Harii.

In that case, Itachi rationalize, what would possess Harii to leave in such an abrupt manner?

Realization hit him. The Kyuubi child. Harry had mentioned putting some kind of protection on him. Itachi thought hard. If the Kyuubi was in trouble it could be anyone from drunken villagers to ANBU, and if it was the latter Harii could very well be walking into a trap.

Itachi swore under his breath. He flung the window open and leapt out running at full speed across the rooftops in the direction of the Kyuubi’s apartment. He had to get to Harii.

xXxXxXx

The ANBU sneered with disgust as the demon child fainted in his grasp. He dropped it to the floor kicking it’s side. How easy it would be to snap the brat’s neck here and now, ridding the village of the foul beast. However his partner was outside and if he killed it now everyone would know who had done it. He would be assassinated quicker than the Hokage could say bingo book.

Well, he though as he took another vicious kick at the monster’s ribs, he could at least take it anger out on the brat. No one would care if he was beaten.

He drew back hid foot this time ready to aim at it’s head, when a loud cracking noise caused him to spin on the spot. There in the middle of the room stood an avenging angel. Darkness shrouded the petite form and an invisible wind seemed to whip at the boy’s hair and clothes.

For the first time in a long while the ANBU was genuinely afraid. The power and killing aura that radiated of the figure made the strength leave his limbs. He tried to grab a kunai from his pouch, but it felt like he was moving through molasses.

Terror engulfed him as the boy smiled darkly. He made a slashing motion with is arm, and the ANBU found himself flung across the room like a ragdoll. His head struck the wall, and he knew no more.

xXxXxXx

Harry felt his limbs shake with fury as he restrained himself from going over to finish off the crumpled form. He wasn’t a murderer. He would not kill another in cold blood, but damn if he wasn’t close to it.

With great effort he swung round and knelt next to the unconscious Naruto. He swiftly examined the damage done, breathing a deep sigh of relief when he realised that most of the injuries were superficial.

Quickly levitating Naruto’s body over to when small mattress in the corner of the room he poured magic into the worst of the injuries, the bruises round Naruto’s throat and the one rib that he thought maybe fractured.

He ignored the drain on his magic, and increased the oxygen concentration round the chibi’s nose and mouth, helping him come back to consciousness. Azure eyes drifted open just as the last of Harry’s magic gave out. He pushed his dizziness back and smiled at the confused looking boy.

“Hey there. How you doing?”

Naruto gave him a sleepy smile. Eyes drifting. Next second his eyes went wide as he focused on something over Harry’s shoulder. He gasped.

Harry started to spin round, but it was too late. Something struck him in the throat. Harry’s eyes rolled up into his head, as he collapsed the last this he heard was Naruto’s scream.

xXxXxXx

Itachi arrived at the flat breathless. Leaping inside the window he glanced around, eyes taking in every detail at he had been trained. The place was ransacked. He was too late. There was an a small patch of blood on one of the far walls and the Kyuubi child lay unconscious sprawled carelessly half on and half off the mattress.

With clinical coldness he approached the blood. It was fresh, not more than ten minutes old. It was also not Harii’s. He recognised the chakra residue in it as being one of the councils ANBU’s.

Next he approached the child. The boy had quite a nasty swelling on his forehead, where he had obviously been struck with force. Itachi took out a packet of smelling salts from his pouch – they came in useful from time to time – and brought them under the Kyuubi’s nose. With a groan the boy came round.

Itachi cursed as he looked at the boy’s pupils, they were unevenly dilated, a sure sign of concussion. He desperately wanted to go after Harii, but he knew that he would never get in to the interrogation rooms if he went off half cocked. Not to mention that Harry would probably never forgive him if he left the brat here injured and alone.

With a dark glower on his face he hoisted Naruto onto his back and took of for the Hokage’s tower. The hospital would probably ignore the demon brat, and he needed to inform the Hokage of what was going on, so he might as well kill two birds with one stone so to speak.

xXxXxXx

The Sandaime was in his office going over the endless piles of paperwork in his office when Itachi Uchiha arrived through his window with and unconscious Naruto. His heart beat a tattoo in his breast as he hurried over to them. Seeing the source of Naruto’s injury immediately, he called for one of the chunnin guards, and sent him go get a healer.

Once Naruto was settle on the couch in his office and a trusted med nin was treating him, Sarutobi turned his aging face to Itachi and fixed him with a stern look.

“Now, tell me what has occurred.”

Itachi opened his mouth mind thinking fast, but before he could start the Hokage’s look turned calculating.

“I expect you to tell me everything Uchiha. Starting at the beginning, which I suspect has something to do with the mysterious boy you were seen with this afternoon.”

If Itachi had been anyone else he would have reeled back with shock before cursing his own stupidity at letting Harii be seen. As it was he gave a sharp nod and started his tale. He left out only the fact that he and Harii were romantically involved, instead making it sound like he was interested in Harii’s strange power.

When he had finished Sarutobi sat looking thoughtful, hands steepled together. He knew that the Uchiha was omitting some details, and he had a fair idea why. It was the boy’s own business who he got involved with.

Right now the important point was that there was a boy somewhere in his village who was most likely being interrogated at this moment without his permission.

“Well it seems that the most pressing matter would be to find this boy then.” He stated.

He called the chunnin guards back, and sent them to fetch his two most reliable ANBU squads. With in minutes they were standing in front of his desk.

“This is a retrieval mission. You are looking for a boy dark hair, pale skin, a foreigner I believe him to be held in one of the interrogation rooms, probably by root ANBU. There is to be no killing unless they use deadly force first. Itachi you will be leading squad 1. Dismissed”

As the ANBU scattered, Sarutobi brought his focus back to the med nin and Naruto.

“A status update please.” He barked out, feeling his own head begin to throb. He was getting to old for this.

“I have brought the swelling in his brain down; he is no longer at risk of slipping into a coma. It is strange though, he has partially healed damage to his ribs and throat. It must be recent damage or the demon would have healed it already. But the healing that has already been done to it is like nothing I have seen before. When a med nin heals they hurry up the bodies natural process, it inevitably leaves scars, if not on the surface then on the tissue or bone. Half of the fracture on his rib has been healed, but it’s as if the injured had never occurred.”

The med nin blushed as he realised he had been rambling. But the Hokage only looked thoughtful.

“Hmmm, I think it would be best if we did not mention this again, at least until I have had time to investigate.

xXxXxXx

Harry faded in and out of consciousness. He had enough wits about him to continue playing dead. There were voices speaking near him, he tried to focus his groggy mind and decipher what they were saying.

“How much of that damn drug did you give him, he should be awake by now.”

“It was just a normal dart.”

“Well it’s not having the normal effect now is it?”

“It’s not my fault.”

There were at least two of them then Harry surmised.

“Shut up you two, I don’t give a rat’s arse when he wakes up, as long as I get a piece of this bastard.

Harry suppressed a wince. Make that at least three of them with one obviously gunning for him.

“The argument didn’t get any further. As the sound of the door way swinging open and someone entering interrupted whatever retort may have been said.

“Quiet.” A hoarse voice rasped, as the new person – evidently someone in charge – shuffled into the room.

“Such an argument is completely inappropriate for high ranking Shinobi.”

“Our apologize Danzou-sama. It seems that the prisoner has yet to wake.”

The shuffling footsteps approached Harry and he felt a cold rough hand seize his chin. Unable to repress the reaction he flinched.

“You fools. The boy is already awake.”

The hand let go, Harry, not knowing what else to do continued to play dead.

He was sharply backhanded across the face. The force of the blow snapped his head to the side. Trying to ignore his smarting cheek, Harry opened his eyes to glare at the man who had struck him. He was older than Harry had expected with one arm in a sling and one eye covered.

“That’s better, I’m glad your paying attention now. You can start by telling us who you are and what village you’re from.”

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It’s getting late so I will leave it here for the night. Reviews feed my muse, so please tell me what you thought ^^!

Lintila x.