CHAPTER FOURTY

DON'T SAY GOODBYE

The morning after, everyone had noticed a shift in Kakashi and Kim's relationship. After the two had returned from the beach they had been inseparable, even making Hana switch rooms with Kakashi so that she ended up with Itachi. It was a strange thing to see a more playful side of the white haired man. They could all see the way Kim glowed when he was around, and they could see her falling even further for the man.

After New Year's they stayed for a couple more days, revisiting the spa, water park, and the beach before leaving bright and early, Saturday morning at eight. They arrived back at the loft about ten minutes to midnight the next day. Everyone went straight to bed once they had managed to drag themselves from the van and up to their respective rooms. In the early morning, Ren had unloaded the forgotten bags from the back of the van and hauled them into the closed lobby before heading off to drop of the van at the rental place. Once the others were awake and fed, they resumed their daily schedules of work or school.

Kakashi stayed true to his word, and when he woke up the first morning back at the loft, he got straight to work on creating the jutsu that would take them all back to where they belonged. He never had any free time anymore, since he spent all of his time working on creating the jutsu. While he was working with the others, they figured that his Kamui was going to play a big part in their travel back to the Elemental Nations. Since it was a space-time Ninjutsu and could teleport things and people to a sub-dimension, all they really had to do was figure out a way to alter it to the point where it would be able to take them back home. Kakashi had also spent time with Itachi trying to strengthen his Kamui to the point where he could transport them all safely.

"You're not going to make this easy for me, are you," Kim asked in reference to the promise she made him just a few seconds before the start of the new year. She rolled over on her bed and laid on her stomach, watching Kakashi work at her desk. Every time she was around him, her heart would beat faster, her body began to feel warm, and she just couldn't stop smiling.

"Make what easy," he questioned confused, biting his pen as he read over his jutsu formulas. He had not been paying any attention to her at all. The ebony haired female sighed in frustration, and the white haired man crumbled up the piece of paper then continued to work out a formula on a new sheet. He had been doing that ever since they had returned to the loft.

"Kakashi," Kim tried, yet again, to get the man's attention. One thing she had noticed since they'd gotten back, was that Kakashi seemed to be distancing himself from her. When she asked him to train with her he always declined claiming that he needed to work on the jutsu or train with Itachi. She had asked him again if they could ever be together, and he gave her the same answer he had given her that night on the beach, only that time he said he had his reasons. She vowed that she would figure out his reasons and prove him wrong, although it was kind of hard to do that because whenever she tried to talk to him he was always busy and would ignore her until she went away. She briefly entertained the idea of striping naked, but thought otherwise.

Two months went by in the same fashion; Kakashi ignoring her to work on his jutsu and training. The man would spend all of his time working on the jutsu, and he even cleared up his schedule by sending a shadow clone into work for him. The others were beginning to become worried about him. He would skip out on meals and stay up all hours of the night. Everyone had forced him to take breaks every now and then, and on Ren and Konan's birthdays in January and February.

It was the beginning of March, when he had finally completed the jutsu. He had worked out all the hand seals that they would need to perform. It would be a collaboration jutsu with his Kamui. With the jutsu complete, he couldn't help but feel a little downhearted that they would be leaving the place that they had learned to call home along with the three people that had become a part of their lives, but... they needed to get back to their home dimension. As shinobi they had a duty to serve and protect their villages, and they couldn't do that while stuck in a different dimension; even if it meant leaving the people they had met behind no matter how attached they had become. There was also the matter of the three remaining Akatsuki members that were still running amok.

"Kaka-sensei why are you dressed in your uniform," Naruto asked as he, along with the others, walked in through the front door to long after receiving an urgent text message from the white haired Jonin asking for them to all go back to the loft during lunchtime. When they all walked in the first thing that they all noticed was that he was dressed in his Konoha ninja uniform.

"Yeah, what was so urgent that you couldn't say over a text," Nagato asked. The redhead was having a blast unpacking the newest merchandise at work, and had been worried about the sudden message.

"It's done," was Kakashi's exhausted reply. Everyone immediately knew what he was talking about. They all knew what was going to come next. Even though it was what they had wanted from the very beginning, they were a bit reluctant to leave, some more than others, each with their own reasons.

Soon the ninja were all dressed in the clothes they had arrived in and were standing around the living room. Jade had her arms wrapped tightly around Deidara. The blond was at a loss. He didn't want to leave his girlfriend behind, nor did he want to leave Ren and Kim. Ren was like the father he never had, and he was just starting to get along with Kim, though she still scared him at times. The Uchiha brothers were standing on either side of Kim. Everyone was saying their goodbyes. There were a few tears here and there as hugs were being passed around. Naruto was the most dramatic with his farewells, but no one could really blamed him, because they were all feeling the same way and they couldn't express it as openly as the blond boy.

"Come with me," Deidara blurted out to the girl in his arms, stunning everyone in the room. He didn't want to lose his most precious person, and if he stayed he would never be able to be his true self, explosions and all. He knew very well what he was asking her to do and if she said no, he would understand.

"I don't… Deidara, I…" Jade sputtered in confusion. She knew with all her heart that she wanted to be with him forever, but she couldn't leave her best friend behind. She looked over to her best friend, who silently motioned for her to follow after her. Jade gave her boyfriend a look before walking to her best friend's room.

"You have to go with him," Kim stated as soon as she heard the door shut behind them, turning around to faced the redhead. Jade was about to say something but was interrupted before she could even start. "You will be miserable if you don't."

"But what about you? I can't leave you, my best friend, behind to suffer all alone," Jade argued. She pulled at the ends of her hair in frustration.

"What kind of best friend... what kind of sister would I be if I kept you from being with Deidara? I know you love him, and I know he loves you just as much, if not more. Everyone can see it." She bit her lip, tilting her head to the side in thought. "It'll be hard without you here with me, but... I'll be fine just as long as I know that you're happy," Kim reasoned, making Jade frown.

"Why don't you come with us? That way we can all be together," Jade offered, hope shining in her eyes.

"I can't," Kim said softly, sad dark brown eyes staring into teary hazel green eyes. "My dad… I just can't leave him behind. He needs me and I need him. I know that since you don't care for your father, it's easier to say goodbye, but my dad is all I have and… I just can't let him go." Her shoulders were starting to tremble along with her lower lip as she fought back tears.

"The both of you can come with us," Jade declared, instantly perking up. "I know that they would all be happy if we went with them."

"I can't ask my dad to give up everything for me just because I can't let go of my friends. I've already asked too much if him."

"So I guess this is goodbye," Jade spoke sadly. She threw her arms around her best friend and cried. "I'm really going to miss you."

"Thank you for being my friend," the ebony haired girl sobbed into the redheaded girl's shoulder. After taking the time to compose themselves, the two girls returned to the living room where the others were.

"If you don't want to come you don't have to, un," Deidara said timidly, afraid to hear her answers. One word could make or break him.

"I'm going with you," Jade squealed as she ran to throw her arms around the blond. His heart soared but he couldn't help but feel sadness at the fact that he was taking her away from her best friend. He looked over to Kim to see her eyes shining with a mixture of happiness and sadness; happiness because her best friend would be with the man she loved, and sadness because her best friend was leaving forever.

There was a second round of goodbyes to the father and daughter duo. There was more hugging and crying. Ren hugged the redheaded girl he had considered to be his daughter while threatening Deidara to take care of her. The blond conceded.

Kakashi felt a twinge of hurt when Kim wouldn't meet his eyes and quietly refused his embrace. He regretted not spending any time with her during the last two months. She only ignored him because she knew that if she were to hug him she would never want to let go. If she were to hear his voice it would break her hold on her emotions. If she looked in his eyes, her resolve to let him go would shatter. It was hard enough as it was for her to say goodbye to her best friend, much less the man she had fallen in love with... the man she stupidly dreamed of a future with.

They traveled into the clearing in the woods, the two best friends holding hands the entire way. Ren had to stay behind because of a customer at the shop. He was never really one for getting emotional, though he would miss the lively energy they brought with them. Once they were all in the clearing the ninja and Jade gathered in a circle in the center of the field and after a final round of goodbyes, Kim moved to stand off to the side.

Jade's breathing was labored like she had run a marathon without stopping to take a break. Tears were dripping from her chin. Her eyes were starting to swell and she was hiccupping. She didn't want to lose her best friend. She wrapped her arms around Deidara's waist and buried her head in his chest, feeling him wrap his arms tightly around her smaller form. She couldn't stand to look at Kim's sad face. She wanted to remember all the smiles and tears of joy, not the frowns and tears of sadness.

Kim was mute. She was about to lose everyone she had ever opened up to. Jade was the first friend she ever made, Itachi and Sasuke had become her brothers, but the one that stood out the most was Kakashi. Her feelings for the Hatake were still jumbled in a tangled mess. How was she going to make sense of them if he was in a different dimension? How was she supposed to keep her promise of proving him wrong if he was gone?

The ninja and Jade were gathered in Kakashi's line of sight. Kakashi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, and took one last and final look at the lone girl he performed a series of hand seals. When he formed the last hand seal there was a blinding white light that had slowly started to surround them as their forms started to swirl out of focus.

Kim's heart began beating erratically and her head began to throb as tears fell from her eyes. She stumbled forward, falling to her knees, clutching her head in agonizing pain as a burning sensation surged through her eyes.

He heard Kim cry out, and it took everything he had not to run over to her and tell her that he was going to stay and that everything would be alright. When he realized she was screaming in physical pain and not emotional pain he snapped his gaze towards her and was shocked when he saw her eyes. Her irises were glowing red with three tomoes where her pupil was supposed to be. When their gazes locked the three tomoes began to spin rapidly.

There was a sudden buildup of energy around them, and the others forms came back into focus as the white light took on a bluish glow before there was an explosion. Just before the explosion Kakashi ran over to Kim and wrapped his arms around her. The blue light was the last thing anyone saw before everything went black.

High above the earth, a satellite that happened to be passing by picked up on a sudden buildup of energy, and sent its findings to an undisclosed location somewhere in the United States. The findings of suspicious high energy levels were displayed on a large screen where they could be analyzed, which is exactly what was done. The analyst reported the findings to her superior, who then when to his superior and then on and on until it reached the man in charge of it all. After reading through the findings, he gave the order to a select few to head out and perform a thorough investigation.