If I owned Naruto I wouldn't be living off of cafeteria food at my college, now would I? >. All other characters are original, and mine. But you can borrow them if you e-mail me and ask politely. .
This story is the sequel to my other Naruto fanfiction Changing Times. I suggest reading that one first, to save your mind from overwhelming confusion. .
This fic takes place twelve years after Changing Times, when Setsuko is seventeen and Akira is twenty.
Return of the Lost
Chapter Two: Reunions
"Akira?" Setsuko asked, her eyes fluttering open to stare at the ceiling above her. The cracks spidering across the off white paint and the soft bed beneath her signaled immediately that there was something wrong.
"He's sleeping right now," a voice whispered, pulling a few strands of her blonde hair away from her face.
She growled, snatching the offending limb in mid air as she lurched up, only to whimper and collapse, clutching at her chest. It was then she remember the sickening feel as the cold steel pierced through her chest, ripping through muscle and grinding through bone.
"Calm down, you're going to rip open your stitches," the voice sighed, lowering her back onto the bed, fluffing the pillows beneath her and straightening the hospital sheets, "You may heal fast, but no one heals that fast."
"How," Setsuko rasped, her voice suddenly going dry as she looked up at her caretaker, "how is he?"
"He's going to be just fine. And so are you. Don't worry about it," he whispered, patting her hair, "Now, if you'll excuse me, Hokage-sama wanted to speak with you when you woke up. But I made sure that a more familiar person was contacted first."
"Thank you, Zatoichi." Setsuko smiled, remembering the blind eyes of Akira's older brother.
"Don't worry about it. Family takes care of its own."
Kakashi glared at the wall, trying to force himself to care enough to open the front door, but sighed. He honestly didn't care if it was Naruto himself pounding Morse through the solid wood, he still wasn't going to risk standing up.
Not when his hangover was busy trying to kill him.
"Damn it, Kakashi-san, don't you ever answer your door!?" Kenichi growled, kicking aside empty sake bottles.
"Do you realize this is the first time in seven years that I've actually woken up sober?" Kakashi rasped, bringing the half empty bottle of whiskey to his lips, "And this is the first time in ten years I've run out of sake too, damnit."
Kenichi growled, kicking the bottle out of Kakashi's hands, and dragging the ragged jounin to his feet. He had, upon orders from his mother, visited Kakashi often over the years. And the results were always the same. Kakashi was drunk, passed out, or at some point in between the two.
On rare occasions the ANBU actually got to see the man sober.
Setsuko's disappearance had torn him apart, both inside and out. He had stopped accepting missions, stopped talking to people, and eventually he had stopped going out in public at all. It was Hinata who had kept him alive, barely, by sending one of her sons over at least once a week with groceries.
It was Sasuke who had advised them to supply the alcohol.
"Get yourself cleaned up, old man," Kenichi snapped, slapping Kakashi across the face and dragging him towards the shower, "Setsuko is back, and she'll kick your ass if she sees this place a mess."
Kakashi blinked, and looked up at the man, "Setsuko's back? She finally came back. After all these years, my baby girl came back home," Kakashi sobbed, knocking Kenichi aside as he dashed for bathroom.
"Hey, don't kill yourself!" Kenichi screamed as Kakashi slipped on a sake bottle.
"Don't just stand their, you newt, start cleaning!" Kakashi shouted back, shutting the door and running the shower.
"How do I always get roped into these things?" Kenichi growled to himself as he searched for a broom, "Zatoichi said to be at the hospital as soon as you could!"
Kakashi fidgeted nervously in the uncomfortable hospital chair, waiting for Zatoichi to come out of the room and give him the signal that he could enter. He had waited for this day for nearly twelve years, praying all the while to every god he could think of to bring his daughter back alive, in one piece.
And, it seemed to him, one of them had answered his prayers, mostly.
"Kakashi-san? She's ready to see you now," Zatoichi smiled, bowing politely toward the now clean shaven jounin, "Just be careful, she has a deep chest would, and I don't want her ripping the stitches open just yet."
"Of course," Kakashi piped, "Thank you so much, Zatoichi. I know that Naruto had other orders."
"Think nothing of it. Hokage-sama forgets that these are peoples children, not only ninjas. Just try to keep the noise down, Akira is sleeping in the bed next to hers." Zatoichi smiled, holding the door open for Kakashi.
"Papa, is that you?" Setsuko asked, her eyes going wide as she looked her father over.
His clothes were wrinkled, and she could smell the faint scent of sake and whiskey on his breath, his forehead protector askew, as if he had forgotten how to tie it. He had forgotten to wear his face mask correctly, and it was turned inside out.
"Oh gods Setsuko, I was so worried," Kakashi sobbed, grabbing the girl in a giant bear hug, "I thought I was never going to see you again, that you were dying beside the road, in a ditch, calling my name."
"Papa," Setsuko gasped, Kakashi releasing her, embarrassed, remembering her injuries, "You're being ridiculous. I was fine."
"If you were fine, why did an ANBU put a sword through you?" Kakashi pointed out, his eyes twinkling, rekindling the fire for life they had once contained.
"Because I was busy shouting at Akira," Setsuko whispered sheepishly.
Kakashi sighed, rubbing her head, running his hand through her long locks. The nurse on the shift before had undone her waist length braid, and pulled out an amazing supply of needles, feather weight kunai, and clip locked shuriken. It was enough to make even Zatoichi blanch in shock.
"Just promise me you'll never leave home again," Kakashi whispered, tears trailing down his face, "I don't think I could bear the pain of losing you again."
"I can't promise that, Papa, but I'll try to say good-bye next time. I can promise that," Setsuko smiled, patting her Papa on the head, ignoring Naruto as he burst through the doors.
"My orders were very specific, Tetsuo!" Naruto snapped at one of the ANBU guards, "No one was to see these two until after I had talked with them!"
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but Zatoichi said it was best if they saw someone familiar before they talked with you," Tetsuo explained, knowing that the angered Hokage would be furious, but accept the excuse.
Even Tsunade had agreed, before she passed away, that the blind man was the most skilled healer in the entire village. And what he said was law when concerning medical status.
"Next time, you are to listen to me first and your brother second," Naruto hissed, turning his glare onto his former sensei, "And I want you out of here, now!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi whispered, bowing mutely, and winking at his daughter before closing the door soundly behind him.
"You and Akira left this village twelve years ago. I want to know why."
"It's a private matter," Setsuko replied, glaring at the man before her, "We came back to deal with the matter. That is all that needs concern you."
"Your family matter concerns me now, after you saw fit to attack two villagers!" Naruto snapped back.
"They got in the way. They were ninja, they should have been able to understand the risk they took by threatening us in the first place," Setsuko huffed, turning to glare outside, the autumn leaves hanging on the trees.
"You had better have a better explanation than that," Naruto growled, glaring over at the now awake Akira, "because I am less than satisfied by it. Until further notice you are both placed under house arrest in the Uchiha manor. You are not to leave the grounds without my permission."
"Hey, that's not fair!" Akira snapped, jerking upward in anger, ignoring the blood pooling down his back from the ripped stitches, "They attacked us first!"
"I don't care if they were the Akatsuki. Until you can provide me with an explanation of the events twelve years ago, my order stands," Naruto glared at them both, and stormed out of the room.
"Asshole," Akira shouted after him, Setsuko still glaring out the window.
This was not what she wanted to come back home to.
Tsuzuku (To be continued.)
Author's Note: Wow, that was fun, wasn't it? .
Kakashi is a drunkard, and Akira and Setsuko have both been confined to the Uchiha manor. Not that that last fact is a bad thing. It is a BIG manor, so I wouldn't complain if I were them. .
And yes, I know Naruto acted like a complete and total asshat this chapter, but you have to remember that his only child just returned to Konoha, alive. And he's supposed to act like she's a missing nin. And people were disobeying his orders like they were nothing, which is kinda annoying (I speak from experience on that one, though under completely different circumstances.). So deal with it. I promise he's more sorta in character in future chapters. .
Oh, for those of you who asked why this story is in the Angst section instead of Drama, there is a good reason. I just haven't revealed it yet. And when I do, you people are going to hate me with every fiber of your being. .;
But I like it, so I don't care. :p
And no, there will be no hints as to the angst in question, you'll just have to keep reading my updates and figure it out on your own. .
So please Review, and make me a happy little authoress! .