Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto/Naruto Shippuden

Chapter Thirteen

She just needed one thing. After witnessing all the destruction around her, Karibi knew now was not the time to be a hero. She was going to put her trust into Minato and Kushina and hope for the best. But before she returned and evacuated the village, she needed just one thing.

Shoving the door to her home open, the girl was a bit flustered. It was eerie to see her home still in perfect shape although everywhere else around her was falling apart. Quickly gaining back her attention, the young girl began to venture further into her home.

"Kushito! Come out, Kushito!" she called out gently, though her voice was shaking. She tried to keep smiling, though her eyes were beginning to well up with tears, blurring her vision. "Kushito! Please! Now's not the time for hide-and-seek!" she called out desperately as she quickly ventured into her room. She swung her bedroom door open, but as the door creaked, Karibi stopped, her eyes wide.

There, in her room, was a man in black.

"Ah. So you've come back for him?" In his arms, was Kushito, meowing and purring as the stranger pet him. Karibi watched the intruder with her jaw slightly ajar and her body tense. She said nothing as he stared at the window through his one-eyed mask. Slowly, he turned his head in her direction as she remained frozen.

"...Who are you?"she asked, her voice as stony as she could possibly make it. She glared at him, any sign of fear or apprehension gone; when someone threatened her loved ones—that was when she truly found her strength.

"I've come to see if the rumors are true. And they are! Another living member of the Uzumaki clan," the stranger with a deep voice stated evenly. "Your people have long since been gone, but there are a few who remain. You and the jinchuriki included." At the mention of Kushina, Karibi growled.

"Are you the one who did this? Are you the one that let the nine-tailed fox free?"

"Sharp for your age. How old are you?" Karibi remained silent. "From what he says, you're young." The redhead blinked at that.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Why, who else?" the stranger asked as he bent over and let Karibi's cat go. She watched stiffly as Kushito made his way towards her, rubbing against her leg in a loving manner. "He rarely speaks, but when he does, he only ever has good things to say about you." And it made him sick.

For he followed Kakashi closely, and when he visited the graves of Rin and Obito he would always mention Karibi at least once each visit.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this? What have you done with Minato-niichan and Kushina-neechan?" Karibi glared as she quickly scooped her cat up into her arms, the man's laughter bellowing out. He shook his head as he sighed and stood up tall.

"In time, child." A chill coursed down Karibi's back; he wasn't just stating a fact, he was threatening her.

Without a thought, Karibi turned and began to run. She sprinted for the door, but her eyes widened when the intruder suddenly appeared before her. She gasped but acted quickly, pulling her arms up in front of her face and crossing them to form an "X", Kushito landing gracefully on the ground. She gritted her teeth as a foot pressed hard against her arms, originally aimed for her face. And with a cry, the 10 year old flew back and out the window. She winced as shards of glass poked into her side and her leg, her head spinning and her breath gone. She vaguely remembered hearing footsteps before she forced her eyes open and looked up.

And then, all she saw was red.

§

He was concentrating hard. With everything going on and the overwhelming power of the Nine Tails, it was hard for Kakashi to precisely pinpoint where exactly Karibi's chakra was coming from. Still, he wouldn't even entertain the thought of giving up and turning back. So he continued on his search. He was quick and graceful, not stopping once for anything. He was heading straight for Karibi's home; he'd start there.

Upon arriving, Kakashi landed on the roof, and he took a moment to gaze out at the village. His heart sank at the destruction and the chaos. Homes were burning, crushed—people were screaming for help, and ninjas were falling. His eye trailed up to the Nine-tailed fox, and he watched as the creature let out a feral roar; he felt true fear in that moment.

Meow. The ANBU blinked as he heard the soft coo of a cat. Recognizing the pitch and the exact way the cat mewled, Kakashi quickly ran over and hopped down from the roof. He landed on the metal platform and his eye widened as he found Karibi lying on the floor with her cat standing by her side.

"Karibi!" He knelt down at her side, calmly examining her body. Her clothes were slightly torn and there was glass everywhere; how did she end up going through the window? Not lingering too long on the question, Kakashi quickly began tending to her wounds, Kushito watching him all the while. Although the pieces of glass were small and thin, they dug deep into Karibi's body; he needed to get help for her quickly.

"Hold on," the 14 year old whispered as he quickly pulled out a roll of bandages from his pouch, wrapping her leg.

"K—Kakashi?" He had come back for her. She hadn't been expecting him to nor had she asked him to, but he had. He had broken whatever rules she knew had probably been given to him, and he came out to see her and help her; that had meant the world to Karibi.

The 10 year old winced as she began to open her eyes, her hearing returning and her tunnel vision widening. She hissed from pain, her senses hyper-aware of every move and every itch and every sharp jab she had in her body. She glanced up and watched as her friend stopped, looking down at her with a wide eye.

"Karibi, it's going to be ok," he assured as he moved quickly, the young girl wheezing as she let her head fall back to the floor. She gazed at the village from where she was lying, the Nine-tail's shadow haunting her.

"Hey! Don't fall asleep on me." The young girl blinked several times, having not noticed that she had closed her eyes in the first place.

"Kakashi, don't forget," she muttered as her friend scooped her carefully into his arms. He held her carefully as he raised a brow.

"Forget what?"

"K—Kushito." The masked ninja chuckled as he looked down at the cat, who was nibbling at his toes.

"Right."

§

She was numb. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but her body was beginning to lose all feeling completely.

Kushina tried to open her eyes but had no strength to do so. Her body was heavy and her breathing was quiet and shallow; she could feel the life drifting from her soul. As she lied on the ground, she could begin to hear voices, but then, there was just one voice that stuck out to her the most.

Kushina-neechan! The dying woman pried her eyes open, watching through a haze as Hiruzen jumped out from the demolished trees, landing at her side. She smiled as best as she could, wincing as a ninja appeared on her other side, covering her with a blanket and helping her sit up. Her eyes roamed over to her left before what was left of her heart shattered; lying cold and pale was Minato.

But there was a small smile upon his face.

"Take her to the Konoha hospital! And summon medical nin." There was no saving her, Kushina already knew that. But there was still unfinished business she had before she closed her eyes.

"Lord Third," Kushina whispered as she watched the Third Hokage carefully pick up her newborn son, cradling him in his arms.

"Kushina."

"P—Please," Kushina weakly said. "Take care...of my child." Hiruzen nodded his head with a determined gleam in his eyes.

"Of course. There's no need to ask."

"H—His name, it's N—Naruto." The dying mother smiled at that. "Minato and I—we picked it out from Jiraiya-sensei's book," she explained as she recalled the time her husband's former teacher had come to visit them. She smiled as she closed her eyes.

"Please...Please take care of Naruto and Karibi." Hiruzen nodded his head as he looked down at the blond baby in his arms.

"I will take full responsibility for the both of them. So for their sake, please just rest." But it was too late.

Kushina let her eyes fall shut, and as she felt herself drift into darkness, she heard that voice once more.

Kushina-neechan! There, in the distance was a bright light, and two shadows waiting for her. She blinked, glancing around to find that she was standing in an abyss of nothingness. She looked back to the light and watched as a shorter figure waved to her, and her lips curved upward.

There, standing ahead of her, were Karibi and Minato.

§

My head...ugh...and my throat. She was so thirsty.

Forcing her eyes open, Karibi winced as she glanced around with a deep frown. She was staring up at a white ceiling, a florescent light hanging above her head. She coughed several times, her throat burning, and as she aimlessly reached her hand out for something, it was met with a cold glass.

"Awake?" The 10 year old looked to her right before she smiled, Hana at her side with a sweet smile.

"H—Hana—"

"Drink first," the older girl said as Karibi nodded before sitting up and wincing. She pressed the rim of the glass to her lips and relished in the way the water seemed to cool her throat down, like a cold shower on a hot day.

"Where am I? What happened?"

"Konoha hospital. Some parts of the village were left untouched by the Kyuubi." And then, it hit Karibi.

"What happened to Minato and Kushina? And how was the Nine-tails defeated?" the redhead asked urgently, and immediately, Hana's expression darkened. The youngest of Team 2 blinked, quickly taking note of her teammate's solemn stare before the older girl turned her back to her. "H—Hana?"

"Ah, I see you're finally awake." Karibi and Hana turned to the door, the Third Hokage walking in with a smile across his face. The 12 year old quickly bowed as Karibi frowned, trying to stand to her feet.

"Hokage-sama—"

"Sit. You need rest," Hiruzen said gently as the little girl hesitated before doing as told. The old man looked over to Hana, who nodded before looking back at Karibi with a smile. She then headed out the door, hesitating in the doorway before she walked out and quietly shut the door.

"Do you remember what happened that put you in your current condition?" the Third asked as he stood at Karibi's bedside. The young girl shook her head as she tried to think.

"I went to search for Kushito and then..." She vaguely remembered a voice, and she vaguely recalled the color red, but for whatever reasons she did not know. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I can't remember."

"It's alright. You're safe now, and that's what matters," he said as he nodded his head before walking around her bed and standing in front of the window.

"...The village has suffered greatly from the Kyuubi attack. Many lives have been lost protecting the people," he began slowly, a knot forming in Karibi's throat and gut. "...Karibi, there is something I must tell you."

§

Hana approached Hayase in the lobby as he quickly sat up from his seat. He gazed at his teammate as she smiled weakly. "Karibi's finally awake." A wide smile crossed the young man's lips.

"That's great!"

"...Hokage-sama has gone in to talk to her..." That made Hayase's bright expression drop.

"We should be there for her."

"She needs to finish talking with him first."

"But—"

Meow. The pair stopped their conversation as they looked down, a white cat approaching them. They blinked as it sat between them, licking its paw before it turned its attention up to them.

"Kushito?"

"How is she?" The two looked to the entrance of the hospital and their gazes softened as the masked 14 year old walked in after the cat; he had been taking care of him since Karibi had been in the hospital.

"She's finally awake," Hana said quietly, Hayase avoiding the ANBU's single gaze. Kakashi nodded in return as he looked down at the white cat, who was now nibbling at his toes again. He tried to smile, but his muscles seemed to be permanently stuck in a frowning position.

"Could you make sure he gets back to her?" The silver haired ninja asked as Hana nodded, Hayase slowly looking up to meet Kakashi's eye. The ANBU said nothing before he turned and began to walk away. And as Hana began to make her way back to Karibi's room, Hayase took a step towards Kakashi.

"Hey." The 14 year old stopped, but didn't look back. "...I'm sorry." Hayase watched as Kakashi stood with his hands in his pant pockets for a moment. The boy slowly turned to look back at him, the cold stare he remembered seeing now replaced with a forlorn sort of gleam. Kakashi said nothing, but he didn't have to; Hayase seemed to understand without him having to say a thing.

And then, Kakashi was out the door.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! I know that it's a fun and festive time a year, so I apologize for the rather depressing chapter update LOL unfortunately from here, the struggling begins. Now that Kushina and Minato are gone, things are going to change drastically for Karibi. But we'll have to see just how exactly everything eventually works out for her and Naruto!

Hope everyone's having a safe holiday and I hope you are all having a wonderful time doing whatever you're doing :) Thank you for reading and thank you for following and favoriting! Think of this little update as a gift from me to whoever is reading! It's not much, but I've put lots of effort into this chapter and the story as a whole, so I hope that helps and I hope you enjoy reading this! I hope this chapter is enjoyable and I will continue to focus and work hard!

Thanks again!

Reviews:

earendil18: Karibi will not be taking care of Naruto initially. She's too young to be taking care of another person without a guardian of her own, so there is going to be some time in between before she becomes Naruto's official guardian. I can confidently say that those two will be uniting after a couple of chapters! Sorry that it's been taking so long to get to those two. There's a lot of building up that I wanted to get through. Hopefully you'll be able to push through and stick around to make it the time they actually are together! Thank you for reading, and if you have any other questions at all, please feel free to ask me! I'm happy to help :) Thank you again!

Juliedoo: Thank you again for the review! I'm so happy to see you're reading and (hopefully) enjoying the posts! I'm doing my best to convey certain emotions through the way I write the story and the way it's set up, so I'm happy to see you caught on to that small detail. It's not perfect, but I'm working hard on it so hopefully reading will be more interesting and more depth to emotions will be felt! I thought it would be a cool way to tie in other characters that aren't necessarily related to Kushina or Minato or Kakashi. I also happen to really like Iruka's character in the manga/anime and I think it's a shame he isn't more involved so sticking him in that chapter was something I thought would be nice :) Once again, thank you for the review and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!

KF: Hi there! Glad to see that you like the story and the outline of it. I'm also relieved to hear that you like how Karibi's been developing as a character thus far. I will say that from here on out, her development will be taking a sharp turn in a different direction. There are going to be a lot of things that lie in her path that she's going to have to overcome, and it's all going to play a large part of how she becomes the person she is and how she interacts with Naruto when the time comes! I'm also relieved that you like how Kakashi and Karibi are working out together. I know they're not really romantic just yet, but I didn't want them to be straight off the bat. It just wouldn't make sense to either character or the story. I'll admit, it's a slow cooker, but things are cooking and things are moving forward! Promise! Thank you so much for the review and thank you for the support. I promise, I'll work hard for the future chapters to come and I hope that you will stick around and read and enjoy. Thanks again!

Kit: I stated this in the very first chapter of the story I believe, but this is eventually going to be a Kakashi/OC (Karibi) story. If you don't like that then I suggest you stop reading from here, just because you may not enjoy what's to come. But I suppose that's just up to you. I didn't go into much detail as to what exactly happened with Kushina and the sealing of the Nine-tails inside Naruto. Whatever happened in the manga/anime is the way I'm going to keep things going because I'm not really focusing a lot on what happened or how it happened, but the aftermath and how the event changed lives and people. Anyways, thanks for reading.

Guest: Hello there! I'm sincerely flattered that you like the original-ness of this story! I'm actually not sure if anyone has or has not tried this idea, but it was just something I thought about and decided to try my hand at. I've put lots of effort and lots of time into this story, so I hope that it all shows through the plot and the writing! And no, I don't think any story with Kakashi can really be sappy. That just doesn't seem to fit his character well LOL But hey, who knows. Kakashi's full of surprises and there are great writers who could pull it off. For Kakashi and Karibi, I wanted to focus not on the growing relationship but the growing bond and trust of two people who just understand what it's like to hurt and feel pain and lose things that are important to them. Hopefully that also shows! Yes! Naruto is definitely coming...have a few more chapters until he comes, but I know exactly how and when it's going to happen, so just you wait! It's going to be great, hopefully XD Thank you for reading and thank you for the review! I hope you have a happy holiday as well and I hope you will read and enjoy future chapters :) Thanks again!