DISCLAIMER: I have no brain. Thank you and please proceed to the following story. Arigato.
Here's the next chapter….me think I was getting a little OC….what do you think? Please provide me with feedback. It makes life a lot more interesting that way. ^ ^ Thax!
BTW, got my first ever flame today. Wow…I didn't even know these things are for real! I always thought they were like an urban legend or sumthing! **eyes wide in amazement** wow, they're actually people who experience the necessity to delve into the hollows of their irreverent souls to harshly and cruelly tear down the flimsy walls of ego holding up young fanfic writer's hearts and minds. I don't mind flames from people who have stories posted, because then I can see wut is *good* and inspire, so people. If you flame, please use a username that has a story posted so I can learn from the true self-appointed masters of the fanfiction world. BTW…if it sucked that much, why bother even reviewing? **keeps watching Rourouni Kenshin: reflections**
CHAPTER 4
::small one::
::come to me, small one. leave the stupid masked one::
Naruto stirred awake. He could have sworn that he'd heard a voice in his mind, a voice that tugged at him and made him think of the spring. It was a spring built on the bitter memories of the past and being reminded of the story that Kakashi had told them made his heart ache and his grin dimmed a little.
"Ohayo Naruto. Here's some food bars." Kakashi squatted down by the kid and proffered him some nutrition bars that came with their travel packs. How he missed the food that Tsunami had made. Naruto wondered if he should mention the mysterious voice in his head.
::No. Don't tell. Don't trust::
"But he's Kakashi-sensei…"Naruto argued with his mind out-loud. Kakashi's looked perplexingly at him.
"Hmm?"
Naruto waved his hands and forcing a huge smile, grabbed a food bar. He'd die before admitting to temporary insanity.
"Nothing sensei!" Kakashi's one visible sleepy eye lingered on the blond boy but he was already tearing at his food so the masked shinobi mentally shrugged and said nothing.
Sasuke and Sakura were outside the cave organizing what Sakura would and would not bring with her. The pink haired girl looked at the black haired boy and blushed.
"Sasuke-kun?" she ventured. The boy didn't even look up and his response was barely short of a retort.
"What?"
Sakura's heart ached a little more and she bit her lip.
"Nothing."
Sasuke shot her a look as she bent over again folding the small packages into her sack. He had been thinking of Kakashi's words and wasn't even really paying attention. He knew Sakura was obsessed with him; it was kind of hard not to have noticed. He really thought that she was annoying sometimes, always tailing him and following him around. She would never understand how it was, living for revenge of the dead. But…
"Don't force yourself to be alone Sasuke. After a while, you will find you have hidden yourself so well, worn the mask of duplicity so perfectly that not even you yourself can find what is truly you." Kakashi's voice was soft in the dead of night. The snow outside bled in the light of the moon.
"The Konoha spirit is one of protection, sacrifice and most importantly, love." Kakashi's eye, which seemed so sad, so tired, so aged in the light crinkled up in a smiling arc that did not have its usual cheerfulness, but a more genuine sorrow.
"Don't leave those precious peoples alone Sasuke. I will never leave you guys behind. I will die to protect you."
Sasuke looked at the quiet girl, the genin's pink head bobbing slightly.
"Sakura." His voice was low and Sakura thought she was dreaming at first.
"We will be here. Waiting for you to get back." His eye met hers and a thousand possibilities whispered past the two of them, a chilling winter wind that was both warm and cool.
"Don't take too long," he whispered.
She smiled happily, eyes blinking repeatedly and Sasuke felt a feeling of reassurance and comfort in his chest looking at the happiness that his few and meager words had brought to her.
::Is this what you mean, Kakashi-sensei? Is this what it feels like to not be alone?:: Sasuke thought.
"Thank you Sasuke-kun." Sakura whispered back.
Kakashi and Naruto came out and Kakashi was still wearing the gloved hand-guard for his right hand on his belt. The bandaged hand looked awkward and out of place.
"Ready to go, Sakura?" Kakashi said. Sakura nodded, shooting Sasuke a bright-eyed glance.
"Hmm." Sasuke could feel Kakashi's gaze on him but when he glanced up, the older ninja was fumbling with his bandaged hand. He took out a kunai and sliced open his finger, tapped out a scroll from his vest and smeared his blood on it, sealing the contract. After a quick series of jutsus, he finally ended by slapping his hands and the scroll down on the ground.
"Summoning no Jutsu!"
With a puff of melodramatic smoke, a wolf-looking dog with slanted eyes and huge over-sized teeth appeared. The three students starred at the animal which eyed them was a non-chalance, as if trying to decide whether to eat them or pee on them.
"This is Kuroune." The named scratched his head with his hind leg and gave Kakashi a You-better-have-a-better-reason-than-last-time-for-summouning-me.
Kakashi sweat-dropped.
"Kuroune, take my student Sakura to the Third. We need to get this message to Konoha as soon as possible." A message slip appeared in his hands and he handed it to Sakura. The girl slipped it into her pouch. Kakashi placed his hand on Kurourne's head as he turned to the girl, ruffling the dog's fur.
"The Hokage will understand. Tell him to come quickly. We will try to deal with it as well as we can." Kuroune whined at his master's voice. Naruto wondered if he understood what Kakashi was saying then rolled his eyes. Of course he did, or else how did Kakashi give him directions?
Kakashi's reminiscent eye looked into Sakura's. He seemed almost regretful and his voice betrayed a tinge of sorrow.
"I'm afraid Yondaime never got the chance to teach me how to perform this particular Jutsu." The dog licked his hand, feeling the sadness in the shinobi.
"Okay! Safe trip, Sakura." Kakashi smiled and waved at the girl as she walked off, the big dog at her side. Naruto jumped up and down excitably.
"Sayonara Sakura-chan!" Sasuke didn't wave, but he did meet the girl's eyes and give her a small nod.
::stupid girl. You'll be too late.::
Naruto started but as he glanced around, he could tell that neither his sensei nor Sasuke had head the voice.
::the masked one will pay. You will all pay:: The voice's words were sinister but the voice was soothing and Naruto felt lulled by its calming tone.
::why are you talking to me? Who are you?:: Naruto hissed back in his head. Kakashi had turned, fixing his bandage while telling Sasuke to go place their packs back into the cave.
::come to the spring small one. Come and I will tell you:: Naruto heard the pretty voice and almost closed his eyes. How nice the voice sounded. The voice made perfect sense.
"Naruto!" Kakashi called to the small blond genin, waking him out of the daze and for a second he was left standing unsure of where he was or what he was doing.
"Huh?" Kakashi gave a little sigh. With his wounds not healing correctly in the snowy mountain area, having to worry about Sakura getting to the village safely as well as his own doubts about his ability to contain the Black Mark should anything happen, the last thing this shinobi needed was a Naruto even more half-minded than usual.
"Come on. We might as well have you and Sasuke run through some exercises and train until the Hokage and Anbu get here." Meanwhile, I can keep an eye on you two and the spring, the jounin added in his head. Naruto nodded, smiling sheepishly at his own lapse.
But as he followed his sensei and Sasuke through the snow covered forest towards the clearing the had left with such apprehension only the day before, he felt a twinge of some memory that called to him and he wondered why he felt glad that he was going to the spring.
*******
AN: MUHAHAHA!! Finally! Another chapter! For all those reading, thank you!!! Thank you's go out especially to those who review as well. ^ ^ Arigato! Heehee, Kakashi is such a fascinating character, neh? However I think this story will help us see the levels of gradual maturity we see team 7 go through in both the anime & manga. After all, this is the only team Kakashi ever passed, there has to be a reason, neh? Hai Hai, sayonara until the next chapter! ^ ^ keep reading & reviewing!