Festival
Setsuko smiled as Kakashi walked beside her. They had entered Konoha only moments before. The young Uzumaki woman had used the henge before they had left the house. Both had walked in silence towards the village. Setsuko smiled quietly as they walked and stole glances at Kakashi. Kakashi spotted the lights of the festival.
"Ah, it appears that it hasn't gone on every long." He muttered to himself. Setsuko felt her eyes widen in joy and a joyous smile overtook her features. She grabbed Kakashi by his arm and started to lead him there.
"Come on!" She gleefully yelled as the noise of the festival filled the air. Kakashi smiled as he watch Setsuko. She was like alittle kid on Christmas morning. She stared at the displays around the festival and played a few games. Setsuko accidentally bumped into someone. She looked up surprised. "Hokage-sama?!" She smiled at Setsuko.
"Setsuko-chan, how is life?" Setsuko smiled at Tsunade.
"Not too bad." Tsunade laughed.
"That's good to hear. Not many people would be able to go around being this emotional when they're the head of the family." Setsuko blinked a few times as she stared at Tsunade.
". . . head . . . of the family?" Tsunade nodded.
"Yes, you are the oldest and strongest Uzumaki alive. You are the head of your clan." Tsunade looked off to the side as something caught her eye. "Oh, I'd better go inspect that booth." She hurried over to the gambling booth as Setsuko stood in front of Kakashi alittle stunned.
"You didn't realize that you were the head of the Uzumaki clan." Setsuko shook her head.
"No. I never thought about it." She mumbled. Kakashi watched her carefully before looking around.
"Ah! There is a few booths that serve some good food. I think I see one over there." Setsuko looked at the direction he was pointing in and smiled.
"Well, what are you waiting for?! Let's go!" Setsuko grabbed Kakashi's arm and dragged him off. She stopped at a food booth and looked at the food. Most of the things were on a stick. She stared at each of them with joy and excitement flooding her systems.
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Setsuko glanced at Kakashi and Naruto. Her cousin had joined them alittle after they ate.
"Naruto-kun, Kakashi and I will only bore you. Why don't you go find your friend, Hinata-chan. I think the two of you would have a good time." Naruto slightly blushed before hurrying away. Kakashi smiled after his student before looking back at Setsuko. Her eyes had turned cold and distant as she stared off towards another section of town.
"Setsuko?" Setsuko blinked and looked back at Kakashi. She smiled at him.
"Kakashi, I think I need to take care of some business. You know, with my team pulling something stupid. Go on and spend some time with your friends. I'm sure you don't want to waste all your time on me." Before Kakashi could reply, Setsuko had walked off.
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"Kabuto." Setsuko hissed once she had arrived in a dark ally.
"Greetings Setsuko." The ninja smirked as he appeared from the shadows.
"What are you doing here?!" She demanded. Kabuto laughed.
"Setsuko-chan, don't you understand, I came back for you." Setsuko narrowed her eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Little Setsuko, you shouldn't have run like that when we came back." Setsuko adverted her eyes in shame.
"I wanted to be with Naruto and Kakashi again. I have little time left. Why waste it with the likes of you when the ones I love were wanting me back?" Kabuto glared at her.
"Orochimaru will be collecting on your debt soon." Setsuko narrowed her eyes as she stared at the wall.
"He is already collecting." Kabuto smiled as he pushed his glasses back up.
"So, you feel it already? I am surprised. Orochimaru made that cursed seal just for you. So you wouldn't have to feel your time slipping away." Setsuko looked back up at Kabuto in anger and surprise. "What, like you didn't know. Setsuko, why don't you drop that henge. You will have to come back with me. Orochimaru wants Setsuko the Bloodless Ninja. He wants Setsuko the Uindo Bensha. Not this . . . woman I see before me." Setsuko felt the henge faded away.
"It's true, I feel it. Everyday I feel it eating away at me. I feel the little time I have left draining away. But I don't care. I want to live these last few days with my cousin and Kakashi." Setsuko pressed her hand against her heart as she stared down at the ground with a faint crimson spreading across her face. "I don't want to be the Bloodless Ninja Orochimaru wants. I want to be Uzumaki Setsuko, the woman. Kakashi will never love the Bloodless Ninja. But he might just want the woman Uzumaki Setsuko. That is why I will stay with him as Uzumaki Setsuko as long as I can." She looked up at Kabuto. "That is why I will do what I can to make him happy. I will hide that curse from Kakashi." Kabuto laughed for a moment as Setsuko glared at him.
"You know as well as I do that you can't hid it from him much longer." Setsuko felt hate rise in her.
"I know Kakashi will notice soon." Setsuko snapped. "After all, the stench of death become stronger each moment."
"Yes, those coughing fits are coming more regularly."
"Shut up vermin! I may be dying, but my deal with Orochimaru doesn't not concern you! Just leave me be!" Kabuto smirked.
"But it does. Orochimaru has many plans for you. Come back with me. You know that he will not be pleased with you running off again."
"Shut up! I don't care if I am in debt to him or not! That doesn't mean I will let you take me moments with Kakashi away. I only have so long before I lose him forever. I don't care if I live a lie. I can be some weakling who needs recusing, some silly woman with a school girl crush, someone gentle and loving. Someone without the blood of others rubbing off on everything they touch. I will live that lie to be with him. For however long as I have left, I will be whoever he wants me to be. As long as I can feel human! Even if it is only for a moment." Kabuto smirked at her. He shook his head in amusement.
"That impossible dream of yours, correct? To be human?" Setsuko held herself back from flying at him and slapping him across the face.
"What would you know of it! You foolish man. You think something as foolish and simple as that?! No, I want something that only Kakashi can give me. I want Kakashi to love me. I want someone to love me not because I'm family! Kakashi can give that to me. That's what makes someone human! To give someone your heart. An pure and innocent love. That is my impossible dream. I don't care if I can't have it without lying. If I have to have a pathetic and fake version of it, that would be better than nothing at all!" Setsuko yelled. Kabuto grinned as he stared over her shoulder.
"Well, I think Kakashi-kun doesn't like this." Setsuko looked at him in confusion before her felt her eyes widen in horror. She slowly turned around to see Kakashi standing there.
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Kakashi glanced around in search of Setsuko. He had followed her the best he could but some how she had lost him with skills he had never seen from her before. Kakashi quickened his steps as he heard murmurs. It could only be here. After all, everyone else was at the festival or asleep.
". . . my deal with Orochimaru doesn't not concern you! Just leave me be!" Kakashi froze in shock and horror. Orochimaru?! What did she have to do with him?! And what deal?!
"But it does. Orochimaru has many plans for you. Come back with me. You know that he will not be pleased with you running off again." Kakashi felt his eyes narrow. So she must have been with him that month she disappeared.
"Shut up! I don't care if I am in debt to him or not!" Kakashi felt confusing flick across his face. In debt? What did he do for her? It didn't make sense. "That doesn't mean I will let you take me moments with Kakashi away. I only have so long before I lose him forever. I don't care if I live a lie. I can be some weakling who needs recusing, some silly woman with a school girl crush, someone gentle and loving. Someone without the blood of others rubbing off on everything they touch. I will live that lie to be with him. For however long as I have left, I will be whoever he wants me to be. As long as I can feel human! Even if it is only for a moment." Kakashi's eyes softened as her words.
"That impossible dream of yours, correct? To be human?" This made Kakashi curious. Her impossible dream? Not even he knew what it was.
"What would you know of it! You foolish man. You think something as foolish and simple as that?! No, I want something that only Kakashi can give me. I want Kakashi to love me. I want someone to love me not because I'm family! Kakashi can give that to me. That's what makes someone human! To give someone your heart. An pure and innocent love. That is my impossible dream. I don't have if I can't have it without lying. If I have to have a pathetic and fake version of it, that would be better than nothing at all!" Setsuko yelled. Kabuto grinned as he stared over her shoulder.
"Well, I think Kakashi-kun doesn't like this." She slowly turned around to see Kakashi standing there. Kabuto smirked before disappearing in with a small explosion. Setsuko glared at the smoke left behind before turning her eyes back to Kakashi.
"Setsuko, what the hell was he talking about?!" Kakashi demanded harshly as he stepped towards her. Setsuko felt the hate rising in the air.
"N. . . nothing." She stepped back in fear before running into a wall. Kakashi placed a hand above her head.
"Tell me what the hell the two of you were talking about?!" He demanded once more. Setsuko glared at him.
"Why the hell do you want to know?!"
"Orochimaru is a threat to Konoha! What makes you think it was alright to make a deal with him?!"
"Stay out of it! He's my problem, Kakashi."
"He's an enemy of Konoha!" Kakashi yelled.
"I don't care!" Setsuko yelled back. "I made the deal on my own! He didn't force me!"
"Uzumaki, you will tell me! He is a threat! He has endangered Konoha more than once!" Setsuko raised her arm and tried to slap Kakashi, but the skilled ninja caught her wrist. "This deal of yours, what is it?! Nothing good can come from it!" Setsuko fought the tears.
"Iie." She hissed.
"What the hell kind of good can come from it?!" Kakashi demanded.
"You!" Kakashi was taken back. "Kakashi, those damn cloud-nin killed you!" She was close to tears. "I tried to save you, but I was too late! The most I could do was slaughter them! Orochimaru came after the slaughter and offered to bring you back! I made the deal so you would be brought back!" Tears ran down her cheeks freely. "Don't you see, I love you Kakashi!" Kakashi let go of Setsuko's wrist as he stood there shocked. "I love you so much I made the deal to bring you back! I don't care if you hate me. I don't care if I am considered a traitor and executed for it. I was able to bring you back. That's all that I could do. Kakashi, I love you. So I couldn't let you be dead. I know you are willing to die for Konoha, but I'm not willing to let you die! I gave myself up for you Kakashi. So you could live. That's all I care about!" Setsuko yelled. Kakashi stared at her in disbelief. "I know that you might not feel the same . . . but I don't care. As long as you are alive, that is all I care for." She whispered quietly.
". . . . Setsuko . . . . I didn't die." Setsuko snapped her head up at him in shock. "Some . . . some kind of red liquid shielded me from the blast and the fire." Setsuko felt a look of horror cross her face. "It was you blood. Setsuko, I never died." Setsuko dropped to her knees as reality washed over her.
"But . . . then I am a traitor. I never really needed to make the deal. I betrayed Konoha . . . I betrayed Naruto . . . I betrayed you . . ." Setsuko whispered in terror. She looked up at Kakashi with grief overflowing her. "Kakashi . . . you are a proud and honorable ninja of the leaf. I deserve death for my crimes. I betrayed the leaf after I swore to protect it. Please, give me what I deserve." Set closed her eyes and spread her arms out to the side. "I will not resist. You may deliver what I deserve upon me without any resistance."
"Very well, Setsuko. I will deliver what you deserve." She waited for the pain of death. Instead, she felt a hand press against her cheek and warmth press against her lips. Her eyes snapped open in shock. Kakashi had knelt down and pulled his mask down before kissing her. His visible eye was closed. Setsuko felt her eyes close slowly as a faint blush rested upon her cheeks while she pressed her own hand against Kakashi's.