Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. I'm merely using my imagination for the use of fun!
Chapter Fifteen
She felt heavy. Every part of her body felt completely numb and hard to move. So she didn't bother. She had been lying in her bed for a few days now with Kushito at her side. He'd wander off for food every so often, but he'd always return to her in the end.
At least she still had him.
Meow. The white cat stared into the young girl's lifeless eyes as she laid on her side, one arm hanging off the edge of the bed. She glanced at her pet as he blinked up at her before standing and walking out of the room. She slowly looked after him, and although in normal cases she would have followed after him out of curiosity, she felt nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
"How long as it been since you've eaten?" Lazily, Karibi twisted her neck to look at the window, the Third Hokage suddenly standing in her presence. She knew she should have stood and paid her respects—bowed to him and shown that she was at least trying, but it would have all been a lie. Because she didn't want to try. She didn't want anything.
All she wanted to do was lie there.
"Karibi?" The Hokage frowned as the girl merely looked up at him before she silently averted her eyes to the floor. He stared at her after a moment before he casually strolled out of the room. As he left, the 10 year old had thought that would be the end of it. But then she heard clattering and banging from the kitchen. A spark lit in her eyes as she slowly began to sit up, and as she moved, she winced, her muscles having not been utilized properly in ages.
Carefully, the redhead made her way out of her bedroom. She stopped in the doorway and stared across the living room at the shut door. She gazed at it before she turned her attention to the noise, making her way over to the unused kitchen. She blinked and watched as the Third cooked at the stove; she was surprised he could even find food to make.
"Biwako was a lovely cook," he began, and for a moment, Karibi looked guilty; she hadn't been the only person to lose someone special.
Looking over his shoulder, Hiruzen smiled as Karibi stood shyly at the entryway. He motioned for her to sit at the kitchen table, and after thinking it over, the young girl did as asked, pulling the chair out and taking a seat.
"I'm sure Riku-san and Hayase will get to fixing that window of yours," the Hokage added as he poured fried rice on to a plate. Karibi glanced back at the open window, shrugging; that was the least of her problems.
"Now here. Eat," the Third instructed gently as he took a seat across from the young girl, pulling his hat off and setting it carefully on the table.
Karibi had been stubborn. For a few minutes, she did nothing but stare at the food. Her appetite had abandoned her long ago and her senses were a bit dull from doing nothing but lying around. But as the seconds passed, a delicious scent began to waft through her nose and her mouth began to water. Her stomach suddenly bubbled and gurgled, and without even noticing, she already had a mouthful of food.
As she ate, the Third smiled with relief; he was glad she was finally getting something in her system.
"...I know this is difficult for you," the man began, Karibi pausing while she ate before she continued on. "I'm sorry for your loss," the Hokage said as the young girl stared down at her food. She gulped, hoping tears would not burn her eyes again.
"...I'm sorry I could not protect Minato and Kushina." Karibi's eyes widened as she looked up at the man before she shook her head.
"Hokage-sama, please don't apologize," she said, her voice cracking. "It's not your fault..." No, it was the Nine Tailed Fox.
Hiruzen looked upon Karibi with a fond stare before he nodded his head. "The pain of losing loved ones takes time to overcome," the man said as Karibi locked back up, shrinking in her seat. "I believe you can do this," he said with a smile. "And when you are ready, your friends shall be waiting." The 10 year old took a small bite of her food as she listened to the Hokage's seat scratch against the floor as he stood.
"...Do not give up, Karibi. The world may seem like a dark and cold place now, but there is a reason why Minato and Kushina sacrificed their lives so you could live on." And without another word, he was gone.
Karibi didn't look up from her plate. Even when she knew that he had left, she continued to stare. It wasn't until her stomach groaned that she moved again, finishing her food. She let out a satisfied hum after taking her last bite, and as she stood up to clean her plate off, she noticed Kushito's empty bowl of food. She frowned to herself before she opened a cupboard and scooped out cat food. She poured some into his bowl and watched as the cat came rushing at the sound. She smiled softly, but found it too tiresome to hold. So she let the expression fall before she closed the cupboard and made her way to the window.
Why couldn't she remember what happened? Everything in her home was in perfect shape, and yet that one window had been completely shattered.
Nodding to herself, Karibi turned and made her way back into her room. She lied back down and stared up at her ceiling. She shut her eyes and let out a deep breath, instantly falling asleep for the first time in too many days.
It was going to take time, but she'd try and get better.
*Two Days Later*
Hayase was nervous.
It had been several weeks since he had last seen Karibi; since the Hokage's funeral. She hadn't said a word to him or Hana, but neither had pressed the matter. They wanted her to speak and express herself when she was ready. He just hadn't been expecting it to take so long. The more days passed by, the more worried he became. The last time he had spoken with Hana and Guy, both had said that they hadn't seen Karibi. And the 12 year old had been so close to panicking, but then when he and Riku-sensei had gone to report to the Third, the man had explained that Karibi was fine; not in the best condition, but fine was better than dead.
"Are you worried?" Hayase looked up to meet his sensei's gaze as the woman smiled softly at her student.
"...I'm a little." Riku nodded.
"It's understandable."
"Aren't you worried, sensei?" Riku thought for a moment, searching for the right words to say.
"...When Karibi first joined our team, Yondaime had come to see me personally. He had told me that she was much stronger than most genin her age and that she would be able to handle her own if necessary," the woman explained softly as they turned around a corner. "And he had been right. Karibi is one of the most skilled students I've ever had." And although Hana and Hayase were strong as well, there was an almost frightening amount of chakra in the 10 year old's body.
"...Karibi is strong. She needs time, but as long as we're here to support her, I think she'll be ok," Riku stated evenly as Hayase relaxed, comforted by his sensei's words.
The two approached the young girl's home, and as they walked up the steps, they immediately took notice to the gaping space where the glass should have been. Riku sighed before she hopped through the opening, glancing around.
"Karibi?" Hayase followed after his instructor, looking around the seemingly empty home. "...Karibi?" A sense of desperation began to dig at the young man as he glanced around, Riku frowning as she walked further into the living room.
"Kari—"
"Sensei?" Said teacher and Hayase looked to their left and watched as Karibi stepped out from her room with sleepy eyes. They relaxed at the sight of the girl, the color having returned to her cheeks and her voice sounding a bit more like it had been before the chaos had broken out. "What are you doing here?"
"We're here to fix the window!" Riku said as Karibi looked to the glass-less opening. She nodded and watched as her sensei began to work. Hayase approached his teammate as he smiled.
"How're you doing?" he asked as Karibi gave him a gentle stare; there was still no smile.
"Better," she said with a nod as Hayase nodded back; progress had been made.
Spending an hour on the window, Riku and Hayase worked hard, Karibi watching from her spot on the couch. She sat with Kushito in her lap, and when all was finished and ready, the window had looked brand new.
"What do you think?" Riku turned to Karibi, the young girl standing as she approached the window. She placed her hand against the glass as she nodded her head with approval.
"Thank you," she said gently as Hayase approached his teammate's side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a friendly manner as he smiled.
"You owe me lunch," he said playfully as Karibi merely nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder. The young boy's gaze softened before he sighed and leaned his head against hers.
"Hana's worried," he pointed out as Karibi nodded.
"Sorry."
"Don't be. We just want you to get better soon." They spoke as if she was dying.
And perhaps, in some strange way, she was.
"I'll be better in no time," Karibi assured. And though there wasn't a smile across her lips, Riku and Hayase could hear it in her voice.
"When you're feeling up to it, rice balls on me, yeah?" Riku offered as Karibi nodded, walking the pair to the door. She waved as the two began to walk away, making their way down the steps. She stood with the door wide open for a moment before a sigh escaped her lips and she shut the door.
With five, long steps, Karibi stopped and collapsed on the couch.
§
His nightmares had returned, full force. There was nothing he could do to stop them. Sleeping was becoming a tedious task as it used to be, and whatever progress he had made had all been for nothing.
With a gasp, the ANBU sprang up from his futon. He panted as he glanced around, the day so early the sun had yet to even rise. After calming down from the fearful high, Kakashi stood to his feet and made his way to the sink. He gazed down at at his right hand before he shivered, sticking his hand under the water and rubbing it until it was raw. Once that had been done, the 14 year old turned back to his bed. He stared at it for a long moment before he shook his head, pulling on his flack jacket and slipping his sandals on.
There was no way he was getting any more sleep.
Walking down the deserted street, Kakashi let his thoughts run wild. Tomorrow was going to be the day that he would get to meet him again; the boy who performed wood style jutsu. Now that he had more knowledge as to what was going on with Danzo and the experimenting, Kakashi felt that his head was screwed back on a bit more properly. He had been clouded by his rage and his despair, that he had nearly made a mistake. No, he had made a mistake, and he had nearly missed his chance to right his wrong.
But it was all going to get better tomorrow morning.
Stopping on his walk, Kakashi looked up at the familiar building before he hopped up and landed with ease on a railing. He blinked as he stared into a window, the glass now fully repaired and back where it needed to be. He stood from his crouching position and then walked down the railing as if it were a balancing beam. Stopping after a few steps, Kakashi looked into a different window, and as he stared with his one eye, he watched Karibi toss and turn in her bed. He frowned at that, but he relaxed when Karibi stopped moving and—presumably—fell into a deeper sleep.
He hadn't been able to see her for the last week. He had been busy with missions and with Danzo and with the Third that his usual trips to watch Karibi had been cut down. But now he was up and he was there, and he was nearly feeling a bit better. Still, he was concerned for her well being. And in the back of his mind, there was a question he wanted an answer to.
What was she dreaming of?
§
Karibi had her ups and downs. Because she couldn't get a full night's rest, she napped throughout the day and night. But that led to more dreaming and nightmares. And the more nightmares she had, the less rested she felt. Some dreams, she couldn't remember. She would open her eyes and instantly forget what it was that she had been cringing about. Other times, she'd wake up in a cold sweat, gasping and reaching out for someone to hold her hand. But then she would realize there was nobody there for her.
And the dreams would haunt her.
That night, her nightmare had been vivid. She had closed her eyes just for a second with Kushito on her stomach, and before she knew it, she was standing in a dark abyss. There was nothing but the sound of her own breathing keeping her company. Then, a light flickered in the distance, catching her attention. She wanted to run to it, but the more she tried, the further it seemed to be from her reach.
Karibi. She froze at the sound of her name from the familiar voice. It made her entire core shake and her heart clench. Karibi! Without a second though, the young girl sprinted in the direction of the voice, crying out for the person calling her name.
"Kushina-neechan!" She ran as fast and as hard as her feet could carry her, but she couldn't seem to reach her.
And then, in the distance, she saw it.
The Nine Tailed Fox's shadow lingered in the light, making Karibi freeze. She trembled with fear and with rage as she gazed at the shadow, the demon's head thrown back as it roared through the darkness. The 10 year old cringed as she covered her ears, and as she looked back at the shadow, her eyes widened. Kushina's shadow stood before the demon's, and beside her was Minato. Karibi could feel her palms clamming up as her breathing became forced and labored.
"Minato-niichan! Kushina-neechan!" she screamed as she started running again. A hopeful smile spread across her lips, but then it disappeared. She came to a screeching stop as the shadow of the Nine Tails raised its paw. Karibi's whole world shattered as she watched it swing its arm and crush Kushina and Minato with one, fell swoop. A scream erupted from deep in her throat before the Kyuubi roared. She covered her ears once more, the roaring morphing into a baby's cry.
And then her eyes were open.
With a sharp gasp, Karibi shot up from her bed, squeezing on to Kushito. The cat purred in her arms, rubbing the top of his head against her cheek. He sat patiently as his master tried to control her breathing before she squeezed her eyes shut and cringed.
The baby's cry seemed to taunt her.
§
Now that he had righted his wrong, it was time for him to call it a day. He was no longer fit to be apart of the ANBU black ops—not after what he had almost done. But even as he said that, there was this strange light in the Hokage's eyes as they stood on top of the Hokage monument. He was not angry with Kakashi, nor did he fear him or resent him. There was merely understanding gleaming from the older man's eyes.
"It's thanks to you that I'm still alive," Hiruzen pointed out as he smoked from his pipe, the 14 year old shaking his head.
"Even still. I almost betrayed you, Sandaime." The Hokage stared at the young boy, and as he did so, his eyes filled up with respect and gratitude; Kakashi was as loyal as they came.
"...I was unable to protect the Fourth Hokage," the man began, Kakashi remaining on one knee with his head hanging low. "I wouldn't blame you if you hated me for that," Hiruzen stated evenly, Kakashi slowly looking up to meet his commander's eyes.
"...He cared very much for you, Kakashi," he stated as said ANBU tried not to react to the words that hit him hard. "And although he is gone, never forget that." Kakashi's onyx eye widened at the Hokage's words.
Looking to his left, the Hokage turned and gazed at the hospital. His eyes softened before he turned back to Kakashi, motioning for him to stand up. The silver haired boy did as told, giving the man a confused look.
"Follow me," Hiruzen stated as he blew another puff of smoke. "There is something I want you to see."
§
The night had been silent. Not a single peep could be heard—not even the chirp of a cricket.
A pair of dim, amethyst eyes gazed up at the Konoha hospital entrance, watching as random people walked throughout the lobby. Slowly, a set of hands created a single hand sign, and within seconds, people were beginning to fell asleep. Their vision blurred as a heavy drowsiness kicked in, and with the drowsiness came small white feathers that fell from nowhere; it was beautiful.
Once everyone was fast asleep, the shadow from outside emerged and walked through the door. The hospital was silent, as expected, with nothing but the pattering of Karibi's feet.
There was no talking her out of it. She had firmly made up her mind the moment she had awoken from her nightmare; it all ended now. She turned the corner and roamed the halls until she stopped a few doors down from one room, two ANBU fast asleep on the floor. Karibi stared blankly at them for a second before she walked over their slumbering forms. Without waiting, the 10 year old opened the door, and inside the room were four more masked ninja who were sleeping soundly, one even snoring. She gazed down heartlessly at them before she turned her attention to the standard newborn crib that was supplied to all babies in the hospital.
According to the Third, Kushina and Minato had successfully welcomed their new son, Naruto, into the world. But once the Nine Tailed Fox attacked, they had sealed the beast into the baby, sacrificing their lives while doing so.
And now, while Minato and Kushina were dead, the demon who killed them lived within this baby.
Staring with an icy glimmer in her eyes, Karibi stood at the sleeping baby's side. His blond hair was identical to Minato's and he had three, thin lines on both sides of his cheeks. He was small and chubby, just like any baby should be, but even though that was true, the redhead found no joy in looking at him.
Swiftly, the chunin pulled out a kunai from her pouch. She held it tightly in her hand as she glared down at the unknowing baby. As she stood at Naruto's side, she never noticed the two people watching silently from the shadows of the room.
Why had the Hokage taken him to see this? Why wasn't he trying to stop Karibi from making a huge mistake? Why was Karibi even here in the first place?
Kakashi stared at the young girl with a wide eye as his heart thumped heavily against his chest. He nearly quaked as he stood beside Hiruzen, the man watching with his hands locked behind his back.
They had arrived only several minutes before Karibi had. Kakashi hadn't understood, at first, what the Third was trying to accomplish. Upon entering the room, the Hokage had insisted for the ANBU keeping watch to remain where they were and to not fight off whatever was about to happen. The masked ninja hadn't understood either until they felt the power of the Temple of Nirvana Technique clawing at their minds. But, just as the Hokage instructed, they let the genjutsu consume them, leaving only Kakashi and the Third.
After all the shinobi fell, save for the two, there hadn't been much time for questions. Kakashi merely stood beside Hiruzen, the two silently standing in the darkness of the room and out of sight. And when the door to the room opened, Kakashi had nearly fallen apart, Karibi standing over Minato and Kushina's child with a disgusted glimmer in her eyes.
That was not the Karibi he knew.
Holding her hands above her head, Karibi glared down a the baby. He was wrapped up in a light blue blanket, his tiny hands poking out as he slept. She swallowed hard as she held the kunai, ready to strike, but as she did so, her heart skipped a beat, the child lying before her slowly fluttering his eyes open. He blinked several times, his blue eyes gleaming in the light, and in that moment, Karibi was lost.
He was the spitting image of both Minato and Kushina. But inside of that wonderful baby was a creature so evil and so wrong. She had to do this. She had to kill the baby. She had to kill the Nine Tails. That was the only way she would find true peace. That was the only way she could move on. She had found the reason for her pain, and now all she had to do was destroy it. But as she stared down at Naruto, her eyes began to water. She shook her head as she trembled; her resolve began to crumble.
How could she kill someone so innocent? Someone who had yet to even live for more than a month? How could she stain her hands with Minato and Kushina's child's blood? She couldn't. There was no possible way she could. Because now she was just fishing for something to ease her pain. She was searching for someone to blame, and she was picking all the wrong people.
"No..." Dropping the kunai, the weapon clattered loudly against the floor. Karibi shook her head as she began to sob, the baby staring up at her before he began to gurgle. He reached a hand out to her, and hesitantly, the 10 year old reached over and held his hand in hers carefully. She continued to cry softly, her hot tears rolling down her face before she forced a smile across her lips.
I promise I'll be the best big sister there ever was, you know!
Suddenly, Karibi began to cry harder as she shook her head, remembering the promise she had made and failed to keep. She began to fall to her knees, her hands clasping tightly to the edge of the crib Naruto was lying in. She let her head hang low as her tears splattered on to the floor, and as she gasped for more air, the baby began to cry as well, his voice piercing through the night.
"No, no!" Karibi sprung to her feet as she carefully scooped the baby into her arms. She held him carefully as she smiled down at him, tears still running down her face. "It's ok! See! I'm here now!" she assured as Naruto's cries softened before he closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.
Kakashi and Hiruzen watched silently, the 14 year old's gaze soft. He relaxed, happy that Karibi had made the right choice on her own and had not made a poor decision with poor consequences. He slowly looked up to meet the Hokage's eyes, the man smiling softly at him before he turned to look back at Karibi.
The young girl rocked the baby in her arms as she continued to quietly cry, though she did her best to ignore the tears. She smiled painfully at the baby as she leaned her forehead against his. She closed her eyes as she let out a weak chuckle.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," she repeated over-and-over again.
She was sorry for trying to kill Naruto. She was sorry for almost failing to keep her promise to Minato and Kushina. She was sorry she wasn't stronger. But most of all, she was terribly and awfully sorry for the fact that even as she held Naruto, there was still a part of her that wanted to crush him. She was sorry because even though she knew better, all she wanted to do was slit that innocent child's throat and watch the life disappear from his eyes.
She could never have hated herself more than then.
Karibi took a seat against the wall on the floor and held Naruto carefully until she fell asleep. And all the while, Kakashi and Hiruzen watched silently.
*Five Days Later*
Kakashi stood from afar as Karibi opened her window. She stuck her head outside and gazed up at the sun. She didn't seem to notice the ANBU watching her in the tree as she closed her eyes and sighed. The young man was glad she hadn't seen him, for although he felt reassured by the other night, there were still many kinks that Kakashi had to work out.
The reason why I brought you here is because I wanted you to see that second chances truly do exist.
The former jonin smiled softly as Karibi opened her eyes, the purple hued irises shining in the sunlight.
People are born to make mistakes and learn from them. You mustn't judge yourself harshly for your past.
The 14 year old leaned back against the trunk of the tree he was perched on as he watched Karibi stand up tall. She looked down at the street and there it was—for the first time in weeks—a smile. It was small and almost hard to notice, but it was there; Kakashi was sure of it.
With the darkness comes the light. Without one or the other, the world would not be as it should.
Turning to leave, Karibi began to shut the window, but then she froze. She looked back outside as she blinked, Kakashi raising a brow at her behavior. His eye widened as Karibi's gaze slowly met his; for the first time in a long time, she had finally taken notice to him.
Do not forget about the light that lives inside of you, Kakashi.
The ANBU blinked before he relaxed, smiling as Karibi smiled widely. The life in her eyes returned, and although it may have only been for that single moment, she had returned to her normal self; she had remembered the Karibi that she once had been.
Grinning widely, Karibi waved in Kakashi's direction. The young man nodded, the smile still etched on his face under his mask. And even when Karibi had disappeared, the window shut, he was still smiling.
Because even in this cruel and unfair world, there was still hope.
Greetings to whoever is reading! First off, I would like to apologize. I've recently become extremely busy, so updating any of my stories has become a rather tedious task. I'm still working on all I've posted, it's just going to take longer to update on this website. But, no, I haven't forgotten or grown tired of writing. I just need to find time to actually sit down and write/post chapters.
Thank you to everyone who has given this story a shot and to all who have read/followed/favorited this :) All of your support is truly and deeply appreciated, and I can only hope that my gratitude is shown through my writing! I'll work hard, and I can only hope that I'll have more days where I can post new chapters. I can't say for sure when the next time I'll be able to update will be, but I hope it will be soon! Thank you to all who have stuck through until now!
Reviews:
Kit: Sorry for such a late response! I hope you've enjoyed what you've been reading so far. I will try and not lag on updates, but like I said above, I cannot make any promises. Thank you for reviewing.
helenGet: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I appreciate you taking the time to do so. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and this story in general so far. I'll work hard to keep your interest! Hope you continue to read and enjoy. Thank you!