This story features an OC that I've concocted from the vast ocean of data from the world of Naruto. It's a short, hopefully on-going story line based off events from the third Naruto Shippuden movie. It semi-mirror's another plot I am in the middle of with her and Kakashi, so I am unsure where I will go with this, haha. But hopefully somewhere :)
I'm still working on how to bring explanation and detail in at appropriate times, and apologize if that aspect of the story is slow-moving.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and please enjoy!
He felt a surge of power; something grab onto his wrist and pull him backwards...
Naruto landed with a thud on his back, his eyes swimming to focus on what was happening to him. His arm tingled from whatever had grabbed him and yanked him backwards.
"Naruto!" he heard a familiar voice in the distance. His head turned up to see the fuzzy outline of someone hovering above him. A jolt of pain shivered up his back, causing him to yelp and sit up.
"Are you alright? Naruto?" Ikumi grabbed him by the shoulders, gently shaking him for a response.
Naruto met eyes with one his sensei's, Ikumi, and his confusion climbed even higher. He reached out to touch her, unsure if she was really there. His head swam with colors and blurriness.
"Ikumi-sensei?" he asked distantly.
She sighed, relieved that in his delirium he was comprehending his surroundings. "Yes, it's me. Are you alright?"
He blinked his eyes closed hard, trying to force himself to focus on her there before him. He pushed the palm of his hand to his temple as a headache began to form. "Yeah, just... what happened?" he asked her.
Ikumi looked away from him for a moment, then back, "You saved him."
Kakashi zipped to the forefront of his thoughts again. His eyes flashed over her shoulder to see Kakashi leaned up against a pillar of stone, catching his breath.
"Thank god," Naruto sighed. He leaned forward with exhaustion into Ikumi, who caught and held him as he relaxed in her arms. He rested his cheek against her shoulder, smiling with happiness that he'd made it in time.
Kakashi looked over to see Ikumi and Naruto. He didn't think it would have ended with himself alive. He was supposed to have died, to have atoned for his mistakes by giving his life for Konoha. But his words, Obito's words, rang out in his head as he looked over at the two people who saved his life.
Ikumi hugged Naruto tight against her, her heart still quaking in her chest at what she almost lost that day. "Thank you, Naruto. Thank you for saving him..."
The emotion in her voice triggered Naruto's curiosity. He pulled away from her and looked to see the grief-stricken relief on her face. "Ah? Ikumi-sensei...?" he asked, confused.
She cleared her throat and looked away from his eyes, trying to bottle up the emotions that were pushing to overflow from her.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his concern ever apparent.
Ikumi blinked her tears as she stood. She turned and faced Kakashi as he also stood and faced her. She was filled with anger, sadness, relief, betrayal... she loved Kakashi. She had loved him since she was only a girl. She was hurt to see how willing he was to just throw his life away, forgetting about all the people that cared about him. Forgetting about her.
Before Naruto or Kakashi had realized it, Ikumi had grabbed Kakashi by his vest and slammed him up against the stone pillar he had been resting against. He coughed and gasped as the wind was knocked out of him by the sheer force of her push.
"What were you thinking!" she shouted. "What made you think you could just go and die like that?" she seethed up at him, berating him for the sacrifice Naruto interrupted.
Naruto had managed to get to his feet, swaying slightly at the tender pain in his temple. His eyes widened in astonishment at Ikumi's sudden anger at Kakashi.
Kakashi looked down into Ikumi's fire-y glare, watching in surprise as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I tried to do what had to be done," he replied weakly.
Ikumi let him go, watching as he slumped up against the stone pillar and sucked in air to catch his breath. "Kakashi... how can you be so naive?" her voice quivered as she spoke and stood before him.
He looked up, unsure of what she meant. His chest hurt where she had grabbed and shoved him. She never over-reacted like that. Not that he had ever seen, he thought to himself as he rubbed his chest where it hurt most.
"Can't you see that wasn't the only way?" her voice was small as she tried to calm herself.
Naruto inched closer, apprehensive to do so, but wanting to hear and understand what was being said.
Ikumi lifted her glistening eyes to Kakashi again. He watched as her anger at him was visibly replaced with melancholy. "I don't know what I would have done if you had died. It... it feels as if I wouldn't have survived it. I can't imagine what would have happened if Naruto had arrived too late..." her lip trembled as she spoke her true feelings to him.
Kakashi's heart was shaken at the immense emotion in Ikumi's voice. He hadn't heard her speak like that in years, not since they were young. Not since Obito died, when she had first admitted her feelings for him. He had no idea she still felt such things.
That wasn't completely true, he frowned to himself. He had seen it in her eyes from time to time, her love for him. When they'd been happen-stance-ly alone, or when he'd caught her glances at him now and again. He definitely had recognized her adoring look on missions he'd shared with her. It was always there, especially any time he had been in danger and she had come to his aid.
He felt like a total fool at realizing how long he'd known her, and to know that that entire time she had felt for him. Every day since they were kids. It over-whelmed him to think on how long that really was.
Naruto was empathetic as the fear and desperation in Ikumi's voice sank in. It all came flooding in as he realized that Ikumi loved Kakashi. In all the time he'd known them he'd had no idea. But as he watched them stand before one another, saw how upset Ikumi was; it made complete sense to him. His heart ached to witness the turmoil Ikumi suffered at Kakashi's actions.
Her heart was broken to know Kakashi could have been lost to her forever, and he would have never known how she felt.
But Naruto could see in Kakashi's face that he indeed knew Ikumi loved him. Why then, would he leave her without a word? Naruto frowned to think he didn't feel the same for her. His empathy for Ikumi grew ten times at the possibility.
Kakashi was devastated to see her in such a state of emotional upheaval. He reached out to her, "Ikumi, I-"
"Why would you do something like this Kakashi-sensei? When you knew that Ikumi-sensei loved you?" Naruto interrupted the silver-haired man, seemingly out of nowhere. The two both turned their heads to Naruto as he continued.
"We're supposed to protect our village, the future, from things like this. We're supposed to leave behind peace and understanding, the ability to work together to find a means to an end. Not, how we are willing to sacrifice even one life for the sake of another's. That is not the Will of Fire I inherited, and I know it's not yours either, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi stood tall at Naruto's words. He glanced over at Ikumi to see she, too, was intently listening on to Naruto.
"I may not know what it's like exactly, but I can imagine that having someone love you that much must be pretty amazing," he looked at Ikumi. "I can't understand how you could leave without even saying goodbye to her."
"Naruto-" Ikumi went to interject but was cut off by Kakashi.
"If I had told her, or you, would you have let me go?" the silver-haired man pushed his reasoning.
"Of course not!" Naruto shouted. "I would have made you realize that you had friends who cared about you, and that would do anything to protect you, and the village!"
Ikumi looked at Kakashi, then back at Naruto. She walked to the blond-haired boy, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it gently. "Naruto, you don't-" she tried but was cut off by Naruto.
"You're the one who taught me that people who don't follow orders are scum. But those who let their comrades go to their deaths are worse than scum. Did you forget, Kakashi-sensei?" he ignored Ikumi's kind dismissal and looked intensely to his teacher.
Kakashi was stung by Naruto using Obito's words against him. It was painful, but hearing the words again made him realize Naruto was right. He was being selfish, wanting to atone for the guilt in his heart at living at the cost of Obito's life. He was of course willing to sacrifice himself to save the village, but forgot his Will of Fire and how important it was to him.
"If I was Kakashi-sensei, I would feel like the luckiest guy in the world to have someone as beautiful and understanding as you care about me," Naruto turned his attention away form Kakashi and smiled at Ikumi.
Naruto had looked up to her for a long time; she was one of the most important people in his life. She was one of the first bonds he had made, one of the first to show him kindness and true compassion in his life. If he thought it even possible that they could be, he knew he would fall for her instantly.
Ikumi felt tears welling in her eyes once again. She lifted her hand from his shoulder and gently tried to flatten a tuft of his hair. "Naruto..."
Kakashi felt like an idiot as he realized what he had done. He felt like an idiot at forgetting how much Ikumi cared for him. At how much Naruto and the others cared about him.
"I'm going to check on Sakura-chan and Sai," Naruto kept his smile before turning and leaving her and Kakashi behind. It faded as he felt Kakashi's eye on him, but he made no effort to meet his sensei's stare. He was to disappointed.
Ikumi watched as Naruto sulked away. She glanced to Kakashi to see he was also following Naruto with his eys. She wondered what would happen now. There was no turning back from that moment, she realized. All the years of suppressing her true feeling's were gone. He knew, now and forever, that she loved him.
But what could be done about her love for him? They were shinobi, head ninja of the Hidden Leaf. Their lives were shrouded in death. Any love that they might share together would most likely end in tragedy, like many had in the past.
She paused her thoughts, suddenly finding herself unsettled at their selfish nature. There were bigger things to attend to at the moment, like getting back to the village and making sure everything between the Sand and the Leaf were back to their normal state of alliance.
Kakashi had turned to her, seemingly lost in thought. She used all of her will power to push away her want, her need, to know if he felt anything for her; to know and hear the words in his voice that he had anything to say about his feelings for her, about anything between them...
"We should go, too," she said. She followed Naruto's path, setting her mind to the task of getting back home.
Kakashi watched her leave him behind, just as Naruto had done without a second glance. His heart sank as he followed, contemplating where things would go from there.
Naruto squinted in the light of the sun as he exited the dark cavern. He looked up to see clouds spattered here and there in the sky. Looking around, compared to the events of moments before, the quiet and serene landscape seemed so surreal.
The cavern lay at the base of a giant crater, left behind from a battle long ago. Ikumi and Kakashi emerged moments after Naruto, the light causing them to shield their eyes until they had adjusted to the sudden brightness.
Naruto had turned to see if they indeed did follow him out. He caught Ikumi's eye and gave her an empathetic smile. He felt heaviness in his heart at the sadness in the smile she gave him back.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shouted as she grinned, "You're alright!"
The three looked to see Sakura and Sai running over to them. Sakura's cloak billowed behind her as she ran straight up to Kakashi, her relief and excitement at his survival written all over her face.
Kakashi couldn't hide his smile at joy she displayed at his well-being. "Yeah, thanks," he nodded to her, his smile hidden, as always, behind his mask.
Sai came up to Naruto's side with his usual crescent-eyed smile. "Everything worked out then, yeah?"
Naruto couldn't give Sai the smile and nod he wanted. He met his teammate's eyes and nodded, quickly looking away as he began to walk past him. "We should get back to the village and make sure everything is okay," he said, his tone far from his usual over-enthusiastic self.
Sai watched Naruto's back as the blond walked off from the rest of them. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at Naruto's demeanor. He'd been so reved up about getting to Kakashi in time, but now that Kakashi was safe he didn't even pay the jonin any mind. He lifted a hand to his short black hair as he looked to Ikumi and the others. He scratched the back of his head as his confusion at what had happened in the cavern grew. He saw the same sad look in Ikumi's eyes as she looked on at Naruto's departure.
Ikumi could feel the disappointment in Naruto as he left them behind. She could see it in the sag in his shoulders. She felt it too, but understood why Kakashi had tried to sacrifice himself, as much as it hurt her to think about.
She began to deeply regret her outburst at Kakashi. She had never spoken of how she felt about him to him, not since they were younger. But... she had always hoped she didn't have too. A quiet and exacerbated sigh escaped her as she once again pushed away her thoughts on what had transpired between the three of them. She continued to look out at Naruto's form growing smaller and smaller in the distance, worried at the sad smile he had given her. She hoped he was alright, after everything he had said...
"Are you hurt?" Sakura asked her sensei as she looked him over.
"No, I'm fine," Kakashi shook his head. "We should get back," he insisted as he caught sight of Naruto already leaving. He looked over to see Ikumi also looking off at Naruto and felt his guilt climb higher in his chest.
He didn't know how to fix what seemed so broken between the three of them.
"Let's go," Ikumi called over to Kakashi and Sakura. She looked to Sai with a nod before dashing away in a blur. Sai followed in a flash of movement behind her.
Sakura turned to see Naruto in the distance, Ikumi and Sai already at his side to let him know they were leaving. "Cha, he already started to leave without us?" she grumbled as she looked to Kakashi. "Why didn't he say anything?"
He shrugged. "Let's catch up before they get too far ahead," he offered as he nodded to Sakura and bounded away.
"Naruto," Sakura huffed as she followed suite behind Kakashi.
They jumped up into the trees, leaping swiftly from branch to branch. Sakura caught up to Naruto and, about to reprimand him for his impatience, saw the solemn expression on his face and second-guessed her jibe. He looked lost in thought to her, like he was far off in another world.
"Naruto?" she asked, "Are you alright? You didn't tell us you were leaving?"
Naruto turned his head to look at her. He thought on her question a moment before answering, "I'm just tired. Sorry, Sakura-chan."
Sakura watched on as Naruto went a little ways ahead of her. She frowned as she got the hint that whatever was bothering him was something he didn't want to talk about, and left it at that. It worried her, though. Kakashi had been rescued. What could have happened to have made him so sad?
Ikumi trailed behind Sai, Sakura and Naruto. Her mind reeled in anguish at her thoughts on Kakashi and Naruto. Why did everything have to feel so over-whelming when it really didn't have to be? At least, she hoped the awkwardness between them could be made sense of, made simple and uncomplicated like it had been.
Her neck twitched with her intense want to look back over her shoulder at Kakashi, but her nerves stopped her from doing so. She wanted so much to stop and ask him if she was silly to feel how she did about him. He'd never indicated that he felt the same, or felt anything, for her, but something inside of her made her feel like he did. Deep down, she felt a very strong connection to him. They'd been through so much together... but maybe it was just hope. Maybe it was just her feeling's for him creating something between them in her head and heart.
Her thoughts began to upset her. She bit her lip in frustration and pushed ahead, completely focused on getting back to the village as fast as she could.
Sai had noticed Sakura try and talk to Naruto, and watched him shoot the conversation down. He was intensely curious as to what had transpired between him, Kakashi and Ikumi. There was tension in the air, but he wasn't good at figuring those kinds of thing's out. He was still trying to learn how to appeal to people and make friends. Trying to figure out something complicated like why the three of them were upset without any idea why they would be upset in the first place... that was far out of the scope of human experience that he'd had in his entire life.
He shrugged to himself as he followed along, silently leaping from branch to branch.
Kakashi watched on at Naruto and Ikumi up ahead of him. He saw Sakura begin to fall back, and met her at her side as she began to speak, "Kakashi-sensei, is something wrong with Naruto? He seems upset?" she asked.
He didn't want to talk about what had happened, but he could see the concern in Sakura's teal-colored eyes and sighed. He wanted her to be at ease, and thought of something to say to sate her curiosity.
"We got into an argument. But everything is fine, Sakura. He's probably still a little upset over it," Kakashi assured the best he could.
"Oh. Well, okay," she accepted the answer, but now wanted to know what they had argued about. She'd find out from Naruto later, she thought to herself as she looked forward and continued on her way with the others.
The each of them dwelled on the tension in the air as they hurried back home.