Chapter 7.- Changes for the Best.

Izuki was finally walking out of the hospital. Sasuke wasn't accompanying her because Sakura had insisted that they had to arrive first to get everything ready for the woman. They had already taken Izuki's things to Sasuke's house. It was a simple house, two-stories high, with two rooms, a bathroom, kitchen, living-room, dining-room and a small yard to practice basic taijutsu and shuriken throwing. It had once belonged to a distant cousin of Sasuke and Izuki who didn't live in the same zone as the rest of the Uchiha Clan, and now it was theirs.

Naruto even helped a bit moving the things but then he had to go meet with Konohamaru and his friends.

Izuki smiled as she left the hospital.

"You happy?" a male voice asked.

"Hai." Izuki nodded. "I'm so happy they finally let me go. One month of being in the hospital was more than enough for me. Even if I have been awake only for the last three days, I just don't like it."

"You were in all these weeks, and you know Tsunade-sama would have wanted to keep you there for at least one week more."

"Not fair. Sakura-san was the one who almost ended in a comma twice, and I am the one who must stay inside."

"We know Sasuke will make sure Sakura doesn't do anything risky in at least the following weeks, but you…who will make sure you don't get hurt?"

"Come on Kakashi-kun, I'm twenty-three, not a little girl of five, I have no need for a nanny."

"Well, you are so mischievous I'm beginning to think you might just need one."

"And let me guess: You offered yourself for the job?"

"How did you know?"

It was a joke obviously, they both knew it.

Suddenly Kakashi sighed deeply, this called Izuki's attention.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I was remembering the past." Kakashi explained. "The day I found out you had left."

Izuki had known for some time already they would be having that conversation but she wasn't ready, and as things were, she didn't believe she would ever be. But if they didn't set things straight now and for all, there might never be another opportunity.

"I had been given an important mission away in the Hidden Cloud Village." Kakashi remembered. "Three weeks on foot away from Konoha; we had just began the return when a traveler gave us the message, there was a rumor that there had been a bad battle near the Hidden Grass Village and some ninjas had died. I remembered you commented me you would be going to a mission there and I worried. Even when I knew Itachi-san was a wonderful shinobi, as well as you. I had a very bad feeling. I pushed my teammates and we arrived to Konoha in fifteen days instead of twenty. But it was too late, you were already gone."

"It was too hard for me." Izuki tried to explain. "Kenji-kun sacrificed himself for me. And when we were back I didn't know how to explain to his family what had happened, I didn't know even how to explain it to myself. Itachi-nii-san was, as always, too occupied with his job and incessant training, and I didn't want Sasuke-nii-chan to worry so I couldn't cry at home. I didn't know what to do anymore. I even believed I would go crazy any moment." Izuki was almost crying again now, but she managed to control herself. "And then Tsunade-sensei came to me, like an angel of light breaking through the darkness that had been trying to devour me. She offered me what seemed like my only salvation. She would be leaving Konoha the following day to travel through the different countries, to gather information of various jutsus; she offered me to accompany her, and I accepted."

"You left, without even a Good Bye."

"I know and I'm deeply sorry. I now know leaving Konoha that day was maybe the worst mistake I've ever committed in my life; although, hadn't I left with her that day, maybe Itachi would have killed me that night, along with the rest of my family."

"And you would have left Sasuke alone."

"You must know I wouldn't have gone down without a fight. But I do believe things were for the best, I now have a family, friends and a home again. Things are changing for the best."

"Maybe you are right, things happen for a reason, and maybe they were for the best after all. But I still would have liked to get some notice of you; seven years without knowing, I got to believe you had died."

"Again, I'm sorry Kakashi-kun. I really didn't give myself time to even think about what I was doing. I felt completely alone in that time." She sighed. "But if you want me to be completely honest in all this time I missed no one more than you."

This words caught Kakashi off-guard.

The silence that followed for the next minutes was almost deafening, but neither of them tried to break it for at least a while.

"Being serious Izuki-san, you must be careful." Kakashi insisted after a while. "You've risked yourself enough for at least the following two or three decades."

"Maybe," Izuki said with the same seriousness. "But I do believe it was worth it."

"Demo…" Kakashi began.

"Iie, let me finish." Izuki interrupted him sweetly. "I've always remembered a conversation I had with Kushina-sensei a very long time ago, right after she got married. She mentioned she believed the only reason good enough to give her life for was if it meant to save her loved one's life. At first I thought she was crazy, how would anyone want to sacrifice their life for someone else? No matter how big their love was, giving up one's life was nonsense. And a few years later she followed her own words, she gave her life in a desperate attempt to save her beloved's life, and it seemed like it had been useless, because Minato-sama died too. And then Kenji-kun gave his life for mine and I wanted so much to hate him, hate him because he made me feel guilty, because I was the reason he died. But all that time in the mountains and woods in the company of Tsunade-sensei gave me time to understand it is wonderful to be in love, and that when you are you want more than anything to see that person happy, even if it is with someone else, to see that person going on with their life, even if you're no longer there. I had finally understood I was truly in love, and that like Kushina-sensei and Kenji-kun, there was one person for whom I would willingly give my life."

"Who?" for the tone of his voice anyone would be able to guess Kakashi was afraid of knowing the answer.

"Etto…" and for one moment Izuki seemed to doubt if it was a good idea answering that question, but as she had pushed him into asking, it wouldn't be fair if now she now left him hanging. "You…"

Silence was the answer to her confession.

"Kakashi…" she began as she turned to face him.

And for the second time since they had met again, her words were cut short by a pair of lips over her own. The only difference was that this time she answered to that kiss wholeheartedly.

"Aishiteru…"

.---.

When Kakashi and Izuki arrived to the Uchiha residence hand in hand it wasn't too big a surprise for the three gennins waiting for them. After all Sakura had gone as far as to deduce what was between those two and commented her thoughts to her teammates. Even if Sasuke at first thought it was something strange, and Naruto said it was totally stupid; once they saw the two jounin standing right there, at the door, hand in hand, with smiling faces (noticeable even behind Kakashi's mask) they had to admit Sakura had been totally right.

The dinner went by quite smoothly, and around ten o'clock Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi retired to their own homes, deciding they would meet the following day at eight o'clock, in the bridge, to do some training; they hadn't trained together for at least four months.

"I don't think we'll see each other in the morning Sasuke-kun." Izuki told her brother as they went to sleep. "Tsunade-sensei wants to see me first-hour tomorrow in her office, I must still decide what am I gonna do now that I'm here."

"Izuki-nee-san you aren't going to leave again, are you?" Sasuke asked, doubtful, and maybe even a bit afraid.

"Iie." Izuki shook her head with a small smile. "I will never again leave you Sasuke-nii-chan, never, I swear."

Sasuke nodded and went into his room.

"I will never abandon those I love again." Izuki added to herself before going to sleep.

.---.

The following morning Izuki and Kakashi met when they arrived to the Memory Rock, with the names of those fallen ninjas. Izuki had brought a bouquet of gannet with her.

"I supposed I would find you here." Kakashi commented as he arrived.

"I'll be coming here regularly." Izuki said. "I owe at least that to them. For too long I have left them forgotten."

"That's why you brought those flowers." Kakashi deduced.

"One flower for each of them, for each of those who gave their lives to help us in one way or another: Hokage-sama, Obito-san, Kenji-kun, Kushina-sensei, Minato-sama, and many more." At last she separated one of the flowers from the others, and set it aside.

"For whom is that flower?"

"It is for Itachi-nii-san, with my deepest wish for him to find the peace he could never find when alive."

Kakashi nodded and subtly embraced her from behind. Izuki let go in that embrace, and sighed in content.

"Arigato Kakashi-kun." She murmured.

"What for?" he asked, with his head on her shoulder.

"For being here, with me." She answered as she smiled.

"I want to be always with you Izuki-chan. And I will, for as long as you let me."

"Forever."

.---.

When Izuki and Kakashi split to go to their own things the sensei already knew he would be arriving late with the team of gennins, well, it wasn't something new anyway. Izuki didn't mind arriving a bit late with Tsunade-sama either; after all she had always been very punctual, one mistake wouldn't affect her too much.

.---.

"Ohayo Tsunade-sama." Izuki greeted as she entered the office.

"Ohayo Izuki-san, seems you finally decided to grace us with your presence." Tsunade said sarcastically.

"I went to the memorial to leave some flowers." Izuki said answering the unasked question.

Tsunade just nodded, she knew well enough for who those flowers should have been.

"Have you finally made a decision?" Tsunade asked.

"In fact, yes I have." Izuki nodded. "I am much honored to be wanted as a part of the Council, but I don't believe that to be my place, at least not yet. I have still many things to do and learn before I am ready to face such a responsibility."

"Then what will you be doing?"

"I would like to get back my position as a medi-nin and maybe even in the Interrogation and Spying squad of the ANBU, that is if there's vacancy."

"Even if there's no vacancy girl, your ability will do a lot of good to the ANBU and Konoha."

"I just hope. I ran away for too long. It is time I pay back to this village that is now accepting me back."

"I believe you paid back enough with that battle."

"Sakura-san, Sasuke-kun and Naruto-san did the most part."

"But from what I was told Sakura-san was of vital help, and everything she did was what she learned from you Izuki-san."

"Maybe, but that's not what counts. Those three are wonderful ninjas on their own."

"Hai, I know. Great things can be expected from them."

Izuki just nodded.

"Well." Tsunade continued. "I'll do the paperwork, you'll be expected in the hospital and in the ANBU headquarters in two weeks, not even one day before, understood? You still have to finish your recovery."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Izuki said mockingly.

"Don't mock me young girl." Tsunade said faking to be angry.

In the end they both laughed.

.---.

That night Sasuke returned home the same as always. He took off his shoes at the entrance and let his bag fall next to a chair, as he wondered what could he fix up for dinner that wouldn't take him too long, he was too tired.

And just then Izuki emerged from the kitchen, carrying two plates with food. He seemed shocked for a moment.

"What?" she asked. "Don't stare at me like that Sasuke-kun, it's impolite. Now go, wash your hands and come sit down before the food gets cold."

Sasuke immediately did as he was told, still a bit surprised, even if just for a moment he had totally forgotten his sister was home and would be waiting for him.

"Are you alright nii-chan?" Izuki asked worriedly with a hand on his forehead. "You have barely eaten."

"I'm perfectly fine anehue, really." Sasuke assured her, eating. "This is delicious, you prepared it?"

"Well of course. After all I'm your sister, I must make sure you eat well."

"It is good to have you back Izuki-nee-san."

"It is good to be back home Sasuke-nii-chan."

They both smiled as they continued with their dinner. Yes, things were definitely changing for the best.

End…Or maybe not.


Actually, this is not really the end, there's a sequel for this mostly written already, it just needs some touching up, it's less action and more love, but not exactly romance, more like family relations. It's quite short, and I hope some of you will like it.

See ya there in a few weeks!