DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from the Naruto universe but I do have an imagination of my own. I will end up using it, I promise!
Thinking
Emphasis
Biju, etc. speaking
Kakashi had been the one unwilling to bury Naruto's body, trying to come up with anything to revive him. Did he manage something that worked, Iruka wondered? Even worse, did an enemy learn about such a thing and do it themselves, and now the village is in danger because this lovestruck fool is the damn Hokage?! If that had happened they could easily kill Kakashi and bring down the entire village!
Kakashi walked beside Naru, his arm still wrapped around her in the chill of the evening. He really needed to watch out even more for this silly woman - out chasing him around in her nightgown of all things. Still, he was enjoying the excuse of keeping her trapped against him and warm, as well as the softness of her body pressed against his own. He realized how much he had been smiling lately, as he was now. It's nice to walk with her, talk with her… I love the way she smells... He was interrupted in his thoughts.
"Was the old me, ano, close to Iruka-sensei?" Naru asked, frowning, and putting her head closer against him.
"Yes, quite," Kakashi responded immediately. Iruka and Naruto had been like a cross between brothers and maybe a parent and child, and were often together - especially after the war. He also knew that Naruto had seen Iruka as one of the very first people to see him as a person, rather than as the beast he held. Looking down at Naru's face, he saw the worried look in her eyes, and wondered how she was handling what he felt was rejection coming from her Academy sensei. Even if she didn't quite remember their relationship, did that rejection hurt her now?
"I don't know exactly what your thinking about him, Naru, but it's part of the man's nature to be very careful and to doubt things. I've known Iruka for a long time." Naru said something back, but he missed it completely, and she only shook her head when he asked her to repeat it, looking up at him with a strained smile on her face. "Try not to let Iruka-kun's reaction bother you too much."
Naru sighed. "He's a mother hen." She shook her head resignedly.
Joy swept through Kakashi. Naru might not realize it, but she had remembered more than just Iruka's name tonight. Her memory was coming back! Sure it was slower than slow and in bits and pieces for now, but what she said was right! A "mother hen" was a description that practically defined Iruka Umino with nearly any of his students, but especially with his blonde knucklehead. You could practically see the feathers on the man as he clucked around the village, chasing after his errant charges, or lecturing the ones who he had been in charge of previously. Kakashi let out a snort.
Naru stopped in their trek and turned to him, looking up at him with an awfully serious expression. "Kakashi, do you think that…" She shook her head and looked down and tried to step away. The Hokage brought her back against him, raising her chin, and nodded at her to go on. "It's just - do you think that he might…" She looked so pained! "Hurt me?" The final words were barely whispered, and done so in fear. Kakashi probably wouldn't have even heard them, had he not been channeling chakra to his ears in concern.
"No, of course not," he replied, embracing her and stroking her hair. His sharp mind, however, was already reeling. Naruto had been an outstanding sensor, and not an ordinary one, either. He could sense emotions - negative ones, especially - and whether it was because of the fox or just something he activated, (Naruto's father had been a great sensor, too, after all,) this gave Kakashi all the more reason to be concerned about Naru's words and demeanor. Surely Iruka would never do anything to hurt his girl, though, even if the man had his doubts, right?
They had begun walking again when Naru moved out of his hold, but shuffled to his arm and clung to it. She shivered. Kakashi was reminded of the times that Naruto had done something so similar to this when he was barely able to stand, suffering from chakra-exhaustion, or the closest Naruto ever got to such a thing. He stopped in his tracks and leaned down, placing an arm underneath the blonde's knees.
"Kakashi-san?"
"No worries, Naru; I'll have you home in a second. Just close your eyes," and with that, Kakashi picked her up bridal style and sunshinned them to the Tower and into her bedroom.
(-)
Across town Keiko Yuki, a lab tech, was sitting at her computer, trying to stay awake. She normally didn't work the late shift and after tonight, she was especially glad for it. There was little to do at this time of night other than filing unless a patient came in, and with peace came fewer patients, thankfully. Although things can get boring at times.
A printer across the room began to whirl and she glared at it. Great, now I have to move. She really was exhausted. She thought to herself how ridiculous it was for her to be this tired. During the war, she had been on the move for days at a time with the medical corp and now she was like this? Pathetic.
She reached the printer and tore out the sheet. Sighing, she leaned back and popped her joints, then picked up her tea - immediately dropping it upon reading what was printed upon it:
Match found for:
Naruto Uzumaki
Eyes popping out of her head, Keiko continued to read the report. It's really him! There were matches with various percentages listed for Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, Karin Uzumaki, and even Tsunade Senju. Huh: I didn't know he was related to the Godaime at all! What the hell is this even about?
The report was missing the proper coding or even the assigned medic's ID number. Wait! This isn't his! "Female? What the hell? Did he have a sister?" she said to herself. Looking closer, she realized the report was done only months ago… "Kami-sama! This was after his death! Gods, where was this bloodwork even drawn?"
She hurriedly went to her computer, printout in hand, and began searching. Nothing! It was like the report appeared out of the sky. It wasn't even a matter of a simple redaction because of security clearances - those she would be able to see: information would simply be blacked out. No, this was completely different.
Uzumaki has a sister, though those percentages are weird. She sat and shook her head, disbelievingly. Finally, she smiled a bit, thinking back on the blonde ninja. She didn't really know him but had seen him around often enough. He was really cute and powerful as hell. She didn't know when exactly she'd developed a tiny crush on him - and she was probably too old for him, anyway - but she knew that she wasn't the only gal who felt that way. It was only when they were in a room together at the hospital that she realized that he was a little bit… shorter than what she preferred in a man. What a thing to remember. Well, the guy seemed larger than life, even around his taller friends. Lots of women thought that his height made him even more adorable, though - and it kinda did. He certainly wasn't short on admirers. Such a tragedy. She sighed.
What to do? Does anyone know? Looking at the report it was hard to say. Plus, who would she tell? The guy had a lot of friends… The Jonin Commander. Yes, that would be best. After all, Uzumaki was really good friends with his son, the Nara clan head, plus the commander would want to know this information. Either one of them really, since the younger Nara was being groomed to take over his father's spot at HQ. 10 more minutes until the end of my shift, then I can head over there. I'm sure they won't be mad that I've woken them up this late for something like this. I hope. Keiko grimaced, not feeling comfortable about waking someone so powerful in the chain of command this late at night no matter what the reason was.
Putting her fears aside, the tech promptly printed out all of the information - and proof of the lack of so much information that should be available - that she had. She placed it in an envelope with the matching bloodwork results and gathered her items to leave. Before she greeted the colleague taking her place for the evening, she ran back to her computer and deleted the files she had been working on carefully. She just had a weird feeling about it coming back to haunt her.
(-)
Kakashi sat in a chair next to Naru's bed as she tried not to yawn. He pulled the covers up closer to her face and she snuggled into them. "Are you going to be up all night? You should rest, you know?"
"I will be, and I probably won't sleep until tomorrow," Kakashi replied, thinking of the mountain of paperwork he still had to work on before he could even think of sleeping. "It's ridiculous," he yawned. "Gomen. I'm the Hokage. I should ban all paperwork and set fire to any that comes before me."
Naru chuckled, "Such a fire-breathing dragon you are. Don't you sound terrifying?"
"I am quite terrifying, Naru-chaaaaaan," the man teased, beginning to tickle her sides. The woman burst into a fit of giggles and tried to get away, but he was making it impossible. She finally had to beg him to stop and it still took a while for him to relent. He sat staring into her eyes after that, an adoring smile on his face that made her falter.
"Ano, Kakashi?" she began to question, blushing terribly.
The silver-haired man bent down and kissed her on her lips. It wasn't the deep passionate kiss that they'd shared earlier, but something about it was just… special? "Goodnight Naru. Sleep well," he said in his deep silky baritone.
As he closed the door and left towards his office, Naru laid in the dark with her fingers on her lips, feeling overwhelmed. "Oh Kashi," she said wistfully, "why didn't you ever tell me before?"
