Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters. Just Caruh, for now, because she was given to me by SamuraiKai.
The next time I awoke, it was in a different room. At first glance I though I was back in my own room, the entire hospital affair having been a dream. It wasn't until I looked around a second time that I realized it was just a different room in the hospital. The room wasn't personalized enough to be my room, or anyone's personal bedroom.
I was almost sad that I wasn't home, but then I realized that this meant I was still in the world of Naruto: the good's and bad's of it. True, Kakashi still did not trust me, and the Hokage thought I was psychotic, but at least I had yet to give anyone else a reason to dislike me.
Maybe that was unfair, it wasn't that Kakashi disliked me, he'd believed my story after all and was willing to go along with it. It was that he did not like a person that lied to him right off the bat, and as I feel the same way it came as no surprise.
As a matter of fact, it was his voice that woke me out of my thoughts. "I see you're awake," he said quietly, walking towards the bed from the shadows.
"Yes, awake, but not all here," I answered, only telling the truth. I was more interested in thinking about my lack of a home and a family for the joys of being in an anime, than I was about the proper etiquette used with a jounin and the respect they deserved.
He didn't really seem to mind my lack of respect however, and only nodded. "Understandable."
"It is?"
"Perfectly," was his response. He stopped at the bedside. "You're to be released as soon as you wake up, which is now, so we need to go check you out."
Slowly, I slipped my feet over the edge of the bed and then noticed that I wasn't wearing the hospital gown anymore. "When did my clothes get changed?" I asked, looking up at him, then turned skeptical. "And by whom?"
A laugh escaped his lips, "It wasn't by me, I left the room when the nurse told me to so she could put you in clothes you could actually leave in."
"And where did these clothes come from?"
"How should I know? She just appeared with them, now come on." His voice had hardened slightly, he was losing his patience. I followed, not wanting to get him angry with me. He went through the check-out process for me easily, and then we left.
Following a step behind anyone wasn't really natural to me, so I sped up a little about a block away from the hospital and made my way beside him instead. Without even a sideways glance, he began speaking.
"Caruh, does Sunagakure train its students well?" he asked, and I wondered what he meant. Now he glanced at me, and motioned around him. I looked around, following the sweep of his hand, and laughed at my own stupidity. There were a lot of people, he wasn't about to ask about a different world or dimension with all these people around us. It would cause quite a stir, for sure.
"Indeed, they do, I could show you," I answered, and I don't think that was quite what he'd expected my answer to be.
"I see, and what do you know?" He was playing a game now, because I'd given him the perfect opening. I couldn't blame him, I had answered just enough to make him curious what I really did know.
"Enough." Again, not the answer he had been looking for, but I hadn't been trying to give him what he'd been looking for. All I'd been trying to do was make up a story so that the people in the street wouldn't think I was totally nuts. They all probably knew about mine and Kakashi's supposed relations. If we didn't at least act like we were trying to get to know each other people would become suspicious. One thing I didn't need right now was suspicion from the villagers of Konoha.
I did know some things anyway, so it wasn't entirely a lie. Maybe not enough to satisfy him, but enough for a girl with very little by means of learning ninjutsu in a world where it barely existed. We walked in silence from there, Kakashi evidently choosing to think instead of talk now.
Eventually he stopped in front of an apartment door, and reached into his pocket to get keys.
"Your place?" I asked, breaking the silence. He merely nodded, and unlocked the door, stepping aside to let me walk in first. Quite a gentleman. "Thank you, Kakashi-san."
"You're welcome," he said. Once we were inside, he sat on a couch, throwing his keys on a coffee table and put his feet up on the same table. "Now, we need to discuss some things," he told me, without even giving me a chance to look around and take in the rest of his apartment.
"We do?" I asked, not sure where to sit or what to do so just standing there, staring at him.
"Yes. Now first of all, we are technically related, as far as everyone else is concerned. Therefore, you cannot act like we aren't."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, confused by his wording.
"Treat me like you would your uncle at home, wherever that is."
"Only one problem," I told him, "I'm pretty introverted, especially around a lot of people, and when my uncle's there so are usually other people too, so I usually say hi and then don't say anything else. I let them start the conversations, and usually don't talk much even when they do. I just feel uncomfortable."
He raised an eyebrow, and then blinked. "How rude of me, sit down Caruh, or should I call you Jackie when we're alone?"
"Caruh is fine," I answered, sitting on a chair across from him. "I don't want to be Jackie anymore, not while I'm here. She had problems that I don't want to take with me if I don't have to. Caruh is a new person, let's keep it that way."
Nodding, he went on. "So, you've never been alone with an uncle?"
"I have with aunts, but not with uncles unless my aunt is there."
"Then think of me as an aunt instead."
I couldn't help but start laughing at that. "Oh I can see it now!" I giggled, forcing myself to calm down. "Auntie Kakashi, please help me with this dress! It just refuses to zip!" Such a show was made of it that one could almost see the smile gracing his lips even beneath the mask. It would not be needed of course, I could see the twinkle in his eye that showed me what he was thinking.
"So, now that that's been settled," he went on, a laugh in his voice. "What all do you know about me and this world then?"
"I know about your sharingan, and about... wait..."
"Hmm?"
"What have you done with your cell so far?"
"We got back from the fight with Zabuza a few days ago, why?"
That was depressing to hear, I wouldn't ever get to meet Haku. With a sigh, I nodded. "I know about that, and all about kyuubi and Naruto. I know about your love for Icha Icha Paradise." He stopped me there with a wave of his hand, apparently uncomfortable with the fact that I knew that many details.
"You said as we were walking over here that you knew some abilities," he noted, changing the subject ever so subtly. Or attempting to anyways.
"I mostly lied for the sake of the people in the streets," I told him, and he cocked his head at me before sighing.
"Are you a chronic liar, Caruh?"
"Not usually," I promised, "I just don't know what to say around here."
"The truth is usually the best choice. I may believe your insane story about another world, but I have my own reasons for doing so. I do not like that you have lied to me about nearly everything else. How do I know that everything else you've said today was true?"
"You have to trust me, at least I've confessed to my lies. I'm sorry Kakashi-san, it's just that I didn't want the people to get suspicious of my knowing nearly nothing. I am, however, decent at taijutsu, as my friend's and I trained together all the time, so it wasn't entirely a lie."
Another nod. "Very well, perhaps tomorrow-"
He was interrupted as the door flung open and Naruto ran in. "Kakashi-sensei! We've been called out for a mission!" he yelled, only then noticing me. "Huh?"
"Naruto, allow me to introduce my relative, Hatake Caruh." I blushed lightly and bowed to him. He returned it hurriedly and then ran to whisper into Kakashi's ear, glancing at me occasionally.
When he was finished, Kakashi's eyes were wide. He turned me, "Forgive me for cutting this short Caruh, I promise to make it up to you, but we are needed right now." I nodded and the two of them ran out, leaving me stranded in Kakashi's living room.
Sorry this was late guys, but I lost internet connection for a little while. Its back now though, so I promise to get you the next chapter out by Sunday, like I promised last week. I'll stick to it this time though. Thanks guys, I hope you like the edited versions. I'm really not trying to change her story at all, just update it a bit. Let me know what you guys think.