Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden
Chapter Three
She was ready to give up. She was horrified with herself, but she couldn't push aside her pride nor her fury to admit that she had been wrong. Because in some way, she hadn't been wrong.
This was all unfair. Why did it have to be her? Why did she have to be the one to be responsible? Why is that she was paying the price for all the things that had happened to her? Didn't she deserve to be happy? Didn't she deserve a break after all the suffering she had been forced to endure?
Leaning against a door, Karibi cradled her face in her hands. Tears were streaming down her face as she began to knock her head back against the door out of frustration. She cried softly to herself as she banged her head harder and harder until she finally used so much force that the door had accidentally swung open.
With a yelp, the young 17 year old fell back, hitting the floor with a loud "thud". She winced, her crying coming to a halt for just a moment. And as she stared up at the ceiling of the next room, her heart nearly stopped.
That was Minato and Kushina's bedroom ceiling.
*Thirteen Hours Earlier*
She couldn't breathe. Something was wrapped around her neck and cutting her air supply. Her trembling hands reached up to the object choking her, and her eyes snapped open when she felt a furry tail wrung around her neck.
Karibi gasped as she looked up, finding herself gazing up into a pair of bright blue eyes. She choked and tugged on the tail that was squeezing her neck tightly, and as her gaze followed the appendage, she found it reaching around a young boy, his chakra and energy pulsing from his body. She coughed several times as she tried to pull herself free. A heavy pressure was pressing against her body, the young child in front of her nearly glowing orange as he glared menacingly at her.
"N—Naruto!" the 17 year old managed to bark out as said boy snarled at her before the tail extending from his body clenched even tighter. Had Karibi had enough oxygen, she would have screamed out from the pain. "Pl—Please!" Her plead went ignored as Naruto threw his head back, screeching into the darkness.
And that was when Karibi sprang up from her nightmare.
Panting, the young woman squeezed tightly to her blanket. She quivered, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. She blinked several times as she tried to catch her breath before she raised a brow; she wasn't in her bedroom.
Slowly standing up, the redhead rubbed the back of her head, running her fingers through the back; even after all this time, it caught her by surprise when she found her hair shorter in the back than in the front. Stretching, Karibi let out a yawn as she glanced out the window and found that the sun had yet to rise.
She had found herself sleeping at Kakashi's. He was currently gone on a mission, but she had taken the liberty of letting herself into his home and sleeping there. These days, she found it harder to stay at her own place. Especially now that she had agreed to officially take care of Naruto; the nightmares had only gotten stronger and worse since then.
Although she had finally decided to become Naruto's guardian, there was still doubt that plagued her mind. There were many emotions that were running rampant inside of her mind, and it was all beginning to slip from her grasp. She thought that by now she would have been able to have more control over herself. By now, she thought that her fears and guilt and anger would have subsided and she would have been able to come to terms with everything that was happening. Because she had finally decided that she was going to do the right thing. She had finally decided that she was going to take care of Naruto because he wasn't a bad kid, and he deserved to have someone waiting for him at home; she had finally decided to keep that promise she had made to Minato and Kushina all those years ago.
But it was harder than she had imagined. She was confused about all of the different emotions that were clashing against each other, and she was feeling suffocated. The more she tried to pretend that everything was alright, the worse things seemed to get for her; and she was beginning to slowly take it out on Naruto.
Running her hand through her hair once more, Karibi strolled over to the fridge and rummaged through. She pulled out a pitcher of cold water and poured herself a glass, putting it back and leaning back against the counter as she drank it. She let out a deep breath before she decided to explore through Kakashi's place and let her curiosity run wild.
Making her way up to the picture frame hanging on the wall, the redhead's amethyst eyes softened as she gazed up at a beautiful woman. Her face was narrow and her skin was pale with pink cheeks. Her hair was midnight black and she had dark eyes just like Kakashi's, and there was a tiny mole that sat on the left side of her chin. She had a sweet smile and an innocent gleam in her eyes.
She had never asked, but Karibi had always assumed that the woman on the wall was Kakashi's mother. He never spoke much about her or his father. Now that Karibi thought about it, he didn't speak much about anything pertaining to his life. She knew everything she needed to know—Obito, Rin, the White Fang—but that was that. Kakashi didn't bother telling her anything else beyond that, and she respected his privacy. She figured that if he really felt the need to tell her, he would. Because she knew that him even telling her about Obito and Rin was more than anyone else would ever get.
She couldn't help but feel smug about that.
"Nightmare?" Karibi looked over her shoulder as Kakashi stood against the wall with his arms crossed. His Anbu mask was pulled up on to the top of his head as he watched her silently.
"...How was your mission?" Purposely not answering, the 17 year old took a seat back on the futon where she had been sleeping. The silver haired ninja stood from the wall and pulled the porcelain mask off, setting it on his tea table before he began to peel off his flak jacket.
"I'm still standing, so I suppose you can say that's a job well done." Karibi watched as the squad leader let his jacket fall to the floor before he sighed and rolled his shoulders a few times.
"You should take a bath."
"Since when do you tell me what to do in my own home?"
"When have I not?" Karibi laid back down as she rolled over, keeping her back to the masked man. He stared at her for a moment before he began to make his way to the bathroom.
"...I heard through the grapevine you're going to see Naruto tomorrow and start planning living arrangements." Karibi rolled her eyes; Hana was always such a chatty one.
"So what?"
"Is that what's been bothering you?" He had been on-and-off missions for the last few weeks, but he had been present enough to see that Karibi had been falling backwards again. She had been sleeping at his place once more and the nights he was home, she would startle him awake from jerking around so much from her dreams.
"...Go take a bath." Kakashi didn't say anything else before he walked into the restroom and shut the door. Karibi laid quietly after that as she listened to the water run for a bit before it was shut off. She then sighed while she rolled on to her back, staring up at the ceiling through the darkness of the early morning. She smiled slightly at her dream-catcher, having brought it back over when she had decided to sleep back at her friend's place again.
After fifteen minutes, Kakashi emerged from the bathroom, a sleeveless navy shirt and a matching set of pants on. His mask was up, and he was drying his hair off with a white towel. He stared through the night with his left eye closed as he tossed his towel in his pile of dirty clothes. He looked over to Karibi and relaxed, finding her fast asleep. He smiled slightly at that before he began to lay beside the young woman. Instinctively, she rolled over, giving him more room on the futon. He chuckled softly while pulling the blanket over himself and laying on his left side, opposite of his companion.
He had been surprised when he had heard that the Hokage had decided to appoint Karibi as Naruto's guardian. He had assumed that some day the Third would arrange that, but he hadn't been expecting it to happen now. And he also hadn't been expecting Karibi to actually agree to it in the end. But he had been proud of her for taking that step. It showed that she was trying, even if it felt impossible to her; the effort was what truly mattered, at the end of the day. And it also showed just how far she had come from seven years ago. So much had happened, and although now Karibi was different, she was better.
Shutting his eye, Kakashi let out a deep breath and relaxed, sinking into his futon. He didn't react when he felt Karibi intertwine her legs with his. It was how she always slept when they shared his bed. They didn't coddle one another nor did they spoon. They slept back-to-back with the only thing touching being their feet; even when they slept, they were watching the other's back.
With his eyes shut, Kakashi found himself floating towards a dream-less sleep before he muttered, "goodnight, Karibi."
§
She was exhausted. And had Kakashi not left an alarm for her before he had woken up to go for his next mission, she probably wouldn't have gotten up on time—although, not getting up sounded much more enjoyable to her at the moment.
Waiting at her usual spot on the swing, Karibi did her best to keep her eyes open. She yawned as she stretched, holding her arms over her head before she let out a deep breath, letting her body relax. She gazed up at the sky before she shut her eyes for a moment, her exhaustion nearly getting the best of her.
Naruto, please!
"Hey! Ribi-chan!" Karibi's eyes flew open as she gasped, losing her balance. She began falling backwards, hitting the ground hard and having the wind knocked out of her lungs. She coughed several times as her irritation spiked, an irked look appearing on her face as she growled, sitting up. She turned her head up and narrowed her eyes as Naruto stood over her, slightly surprised that she had let her guard down so far. After a moment, he burst into laughter, the young woman muttering curses under her breath as she dusted the back of her white shirt off.
"You keep laughing and I'm going to bash you upside the head."
"Hah! I thought you were supposed to be a super-awesome-powerful ninja!"
"Yeah, yeah, short-stuff. Just shut it," Karibi snapped before she began walking ahead, though she stopped when she noticed Naruto's homeroom teacher rushing out with her blonde hair dripping with green ooze. She blinked as the young boy beside her stiffened.
"Uh..." The 7 year old smiled widely before grabbing Karibi's hand and dragging her down the road. "Let's go! Nothing to see here!"
"Naruto! What the hell did you do?!"
§
This had been the first time Naruto had been invited anywhere. He had never had any friends so the amount of invitations to other houses and places had been limited. But Karibi had asked him. And she had been so natural about it—like she wanted to know what he really wanted to do. It was the first time that anyone had actually cared about his opinion and about what he thought.
And he could barely contain his happiness.
Karibi led the way as the two walked down the street. She received a few glares here and there, but what others thought was the last thing that she truly worried about; what she worried about, was what her subconscious was trying to tell her. Still, she found herself slightly distracted by the way the blond was glowing behind her, and in a way, she almost found his genuine excitement endearing.
"Alright, short-stuff." Stopping at her door, the 17 year old hesitated. She stared at it before she cleared her throat, turning and giving the kid a stern stare. "The number-one rule is do not touch anything that isn't yours. Which really means don't touch anything at all." Naruto nodded with a wide grin as Karibi relaxed before smiling and opening her door.
"Welcome to my home." Naruto blinked as he slowly stepped inside, his eyes growing wide as he gazed upon the spacious apartment; it was much bigger than a place just for one person.
Karibi watched him as she softly shut the door, her heart racing as she gripped tightly to the door knob. She stared intently at him as he slipped his shoes off, cautiously venturing into the living space. "...This is the first time I've ever been inside someone else's place before," he muttered as Karibi frowned; she didn't doubt his words. "...This is pretty cool."
"...Thanks."
Walking into her kitchen, the redhead pulled out a glass. "Thirsty?" Naruto, distracted by looking, grunted in reply; Karibi took that as a yes. The young boy continued looking around when he stopped, his brows furrowing. A confused expression came over him before he finally took note of what it was that he noticed.
All the pictures frames sitting out had been placed face-down.
"Weird..." And then, his blue eyes landed on a shut door.
"Alright, Naruto. Here—" Karibi blinked when she found the living room empty, but it wasn't until she found the door in the right corner from where she was standing wide open. Her breath hitched as her fingers slipped, the two glasses she had been holding falling to the floor and shattering into little shards.
Naruto had just been curious. He had told himself that he was going to take a peek and then quickly turn away before Karibi found him, but once he had found the room, there was a strange warmth that enveloped him. He slowly stepped in, letting the door creak wide open as he went. He stared in awe at the large room, a bed just several steps in front of him and a bookshelf to the wall adjacent from where he was standing. There was a dresser across from the bed and a closet across from where Naruto was. And as he looked around further, he raised a brow; judging by the dust on everything, the young boy was smart enough to conclude that this room hadn't been touched in a very long time.
Quietly, the little boy walked up to the shelf as he read through all the titles on the spines of the books. He stopped as he raised a brow. The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.
"Naruto!" Said boy jumped as Karibi yelled his name angrily. He turned to the door as the young woman stared at him, her cheeks red and her shoulders trembling. He gave the woman a confused stare as he looked around.
"Who's room is this?" Ignoring his question, the woman held her breath as she stomped up to the 7 year old, dragging him out. He protested against her as he tried to tug himself free; she was stronger than he gave her credit for. The blond released a shocked yelp as he stumbled a few steps forward, Karibi slamming the door to the room shut before she let out her held breath. She shut her eyes and pressed her hands against the door, her entire body quivering.
After a second, the kunoichi growled as she span around and glared at the child. "What the hell did I tell you?!" she exclaimed as Naruto frowned.
"It's just a room."
"That isn't just a room!" she yelled as the 7 year old watched her carefully. "You have no idea what that is!"
"It was a bedroom! I'm not an idiot!" Naruto snapped back as Karibi shook her head with a growl. "What's the big deal? I don't know what you're so mad about. It's just a stupid old room that's been sitting around, collecting dust," he said.
And that was the moment Karibi lost it.
"What the hell would you know, you little brat!" Karibi yelled as her vision blurred red. "All you've ever done is caused trouble for others and this village! So what the hell do you even know?! Huh?!" Naruto's eyes widened as he shrunk into himself, seeing the truly enraged expression on the woman's face. "How do you expect to ever become a ninja when you can't even listen to simple directions?! You're hopeless! And I don't know why I ever thought I could do this with some thing like you!" She wasn't thinking anymore. She was just letting everything out. She was blinded by her rage that she didn't notice the hurt and betrayed look on the blond's face as he stared up at her.
"Honestly, it's no wonder everyone else gave up on you!" Coming down from her high, Karibi panted as silence fell over them. Her entire body was trembling as her boiling blood pumped through her veins. Her vision began to clear as the haziness in her mind finally dissipated. And that was when she had realized what she had done.
Eyes wide, Karibi quickly looked to the silent boy, who gazed up at her with a wounded stare. His bottom lip began to quiver as his blue eyes shined, hot tears threatening to spill; he hadn't realized how much he had liked Karibi until she had shredded every part of his heart into pieces.
"...Get out," Karibi whispered as Naruto stared up at her with a look she could only describe as completely defeated.
Without a word, the blond turned and sprinted out of the room. He didn't bother putting his shoes back on, merely grabbing them before he shoved the door open and ran away, not looking back.
§
The Hokage smiled at Riku as she bowed to her leader. He took the scroll that she was holding out as he nodded, pleased with her work. "You've done well, Riku."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"I—" Hiruzen stopped when he heard loud voices in the distance. The brown haired woman blinked as she turned to look over her shoulder, a familiar voice catching her attention.
"Out of my way!"
"Lord Third is seeing someone. We can't let you in!"
"I don't give a damn about whatever he's doing!"
The door to the office burst open as a furious Karibi stormed in, two Anbu members quickly running in after her. "Hokage-sama, we tried to stop her but—" Turning, Karibi shot heated glares to the two of them before she pointed to the door.
"Get the fuck out!" Riku stared at her former student with a horrified look on her face as Hiruzen frowned deeply; he had been hoping things would not come to this.
"It's fine. You may excuse yourselves," the Third stated calmly as the two Anbu officers hesitated before walking out and shutting the door.
"Karibi, what—" The 17 chucked a manila folder at the Hokage's desk, the folder spewing open and its contents scattering everywhere. Riku took a step between Hiruzen and her student while giving the redhead a disgusted look.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she barked as Karibi's amethyst eyes burned through Riku's.
"This doesn't concern you," she hissed, catching the brunette off guard; the younger jonin had never spoken to her like that. She then turned to the Hokage as he remained calmly in his seat, watching the woman carefully.
"Why me?!" Karibi yelled as she stomped up to Hiruzen's desk and slammed her hands on to the surface. "Why did you have to pick me for this stupid task?!" Immediately, Riku stepped back, realizing that Karibi had been right; this did not concern her.
"Who do you think you are?! How much have I already given up for this village?! And then you ask me to do this impossible job? Taking care of the same monster that killed my family?!" Tears were threatening to fall, but Karibi wouldn't let them; not while she was trying to have this conversation with the Hokage. "Did you even think about how terribly this could have gone, or actually, how terribly it already has gone for us? How do you expect me to take care of the same baby I tried to kill?" Riku stiffened as Karibi glared at the Hokage, Hiruzen meeting her burning gaze with all of his composure.
"What happened?"
"It's no longer your business!" Karibi exclaimed furiously as she gripped to the edge of the desk tightly.
"Do you know how many nights I spent plotting his death? Do you know how much power it took for me not to go after him and cut out that fox demon myself?" Karibi asked as Hiruzen shut his eyes, clasping his hands together in front of his face. "And do you have any idea how many nights I've suffered—dreaming about him killing me? Dreaming about him tearing me to pieces, suffocating me, cutting my throat and watching as the life in my eyes disappears?" Karibi shook her head as she began to slowly back away from the desk.
"Find someone else for this mission because I can't do this." Turning, the redhead began to make her way out of the room. She stopped at the door, her sensei's stare penetrating through her—as well as the Hokage's. She swiftly turned back around to face them, several teardrops falling from her eyes.
"How could you ask something like this from me?" And without another word, the young woman walked out, slamming the door as she went.
Riku's first reaction was to run after her student, but as she lurched forward, the Sandaime's voice caught her attention. "Leave her."
"But Lord Hokage—"
"Whatever darkness lurks in her heart, she must face it on her own," he said gently as he sighed. "We cannot help her through this." Even still, the brown haired jonin didn't feel settled.
But the Hokage had been right.
"...I'm sorry, Karibi."
§
Lying on the floor, the young woman stared up at her ceiling. Apprehensively, the kunoichi slowly stood to her feet before she carefully turned around, facing the bedroom entirely. She shivered as she stared at the untouched room of the people she had once called family. Her heart clenched as she winced, feeling a sharp pain shoot through her chest.
She hadn't stepped foot in their room since they had passed; she hadn't had the courage to. And she still hadn't. Perhaps it was because she had been too afraid to face the fact that they truly were dead. Or maybe it was because she didn't want to disturb anything. Maybe it was because she had wanted to keep what was left of them preserved safely.
But what good did their bedroom do for them when they were no longer around to use it?
Slowly, Karibi ventured into the room. She carefully took a seat on the bed, smiling softly as she remembered the days where she would sit on the sheet and help Kushina with the laundry and the times where Minato had let her sleep in his spot while he had late nights with missions and works. She took a deep breath and stood to her feet before she cleared her throat, looking around. Nothing had changed. It was just as they had left it the morning of the attack; the morning of Naruto's birth.
"Karibi?" The woman let out a sigh at the voice, turning to look as Hana slowly approached her. She blinked as she peered into the room, surprised to see her former teammate inside. "...What are you doing?" The redhead said nothing as she turned away from her friend; she assumed Riku-sensei had informed Hana of what had happened.
"...I told Naruto that he was hopeless," she said quietly as Hana frowned, leaning against the doorframe and crossing her arms. "I called him...a thing. I actually said that to a 7 year old." Hana flinched at Karibi's cold laugh as the younger woman shook her head.
"...But the worst part is, I meant every word," she said quietly as she shook her head. "In that moment, I really meant what I said to him." And she was so ashamed of herself.
Hana didn't really know the entire story and neither did Riku-sensei. The only thing the jonin had known was what she had seen; she had pieced together the story through her own assumptions and observations. And although Hana knew there wasn't much she could do for her friend, she could still be there for her.
"It's hard to ignore the fact that the Nine-tailed fox is sealed inside of him," the medic began as Karibi listened. "...But you have to remember that Naruto's just as much of a victim as we all are—if not, more." The 19 year old stepped up beside her friend, the redhead avoiding her gaze.
"His birth killed his parents, he has a demon-fox locked inside of him that he has no clue about, nearly everyone in the village despises him for a life he didn't choose..." Karibi shut her eyes as her guilt began to eat away at her. "...He may act like an annoying kid, but I think he's just looking for someone to understand how he feels." Karibi's eyes widened as Hana smiled at her, placing her hand on the young kunoichi's shoulder.
"And honestly? Who better than you to do that?" Giving her shoulder a squeeze, Hana nodded towards the kitchen.
"Come on. How about some tea, and then maybe you can at least consider apologizing to Naruto." Karibi hesitated as she glanced around the room. Her gaze softened before she relaxed and nodded, following Hana out.
§
He shouldn't have gotten his hopes up, but things had been so different with Karibi. For the first time in his entire life, he had felt like an actual kid. She scolded him, took him out to eat, picked him up from the academy—it was as if he truly did have someone to take care of him. But he should have known better; they all left him behind in the end.
Sitting on top of the Hokage monument, the little blond stared out at the village with his knees pulled close to his chest. He hugged himself as a cool breeze caressed him, sending chills all over his body. He didn't notice the shadow behind him, light footsteps sounding through the evening air.
"...Short-stuff?" Naruto stiffened as he sprung to his feet, turning to meet Karibi. She stared at him with a solemn look on her face as his blue eyes gleamed with shock.
"Wh—What are you doing here?" he asked hesitantly, afraid that she was only there to tear him down more; he wasn't sure if his weary heart could take anymore abuse.
Slowly, the 17 year old began to approach Naruto. She frowned at the way he took a step back from her, but she couldn't find it in her heart to blame him; what she had done truly was wrong. "...I'm sorry." Naruto froze as he blinked, having been caught off guard.
"Huh?" He hadn't been expecting that one bit.
With a heavy sigh, Karibi approached the young boy's side before she sat down. She glanced at Naruto as he gawked at her for a few more seconds. Quickly, the young boy took a seat, though he kept his distance. "...When I was younger, my mother and father sold me to ninja so their lives would be spared." The child's eyes widened as he blinked, staring at Karibi with an awestruck gleam in his eyes. "And for a long time, I felt really worthless. I was only 7 years old and I had learned that my parents cared more about their own lives than their own daughter." Scoffing, Karibi shook her head.
"But then, one day...a man came and he saved my life," she said quietly, Naruto unconsciously scooting slightly closer as Karibi continued with her tale. "He saved me and then took me in as his own family...he and his wife." The redhead smiled widely at the thought; the blond had never seen such a sincere smile on her face before.
"They raised me like I was their daughter...like I was truly their family...and then three years later...they died." Naruto frowned at the visible sadness that came over Karibi's face. "They died, and when they died I think a part of me died with them," she said as she chuckled bitterly. "And now that I look back on it, I wish I could have found a way to deal with their death better. I had been so consumed by my own sadness and my own anger, I didn't take the time to notice the people around me that still cared." She finally turned her head and met Naruto's gaze, the blond blinking before a light blush crossed his cheeks. With an irritated pout, he turned his head away from Karibi, the young woman chuckling.
"I was so mad and so resentful, I had missed the big picture," she stated. She looked out to the evening sky before smiling, Naruto eyeing her intently.
"...What was the bigger picture?" he asked as Karibi looked to him.
"...That I had been given a second chance. That I was given a chance to have a family and friends and a place to call home." Twisting her body, the 17 year old faced Naruto, frowning at him.
"I'm sorry for what I said. It were wrong—I was wrong. You're not hopeless. You're not a thing or some idiot. You're just a kid, trying to find somewhere to belong," she said quietly as Naruto stared up at her with a trembling bottom lip. "Instead of taking my own guilt and anger and sorrow out on you, I should have been giving you the lesson that they gave me," she said as she shook her head.
"So I'm sorry, Naruto." He had no idea what to say. Never had anyone ever apologized to him before. And never had someone been so truly honest to him. Karibi had been so genuine and so true—there was no chance that he could ignore her kind words. Even after all of those thing she had said to him, he found himself forgiving her.
"...It's not going to be easy for me," Karibi stated quietly, catching Naruto out of his stupor. "We're going to have good days, but more than likely, we're going to have a lot of bad days," she said as Naruto stared into her purple-hued eyes. "There are going to be days where I'm going to need time...but I promise you, I won't ever stop trying," she proclaimed. She smiled as Naruto's eyes began to burn, his vision blurring.
"...Are you crying?" Naruto immediately began to wipe his eyes with the ends of his orange sleeves as he quickly shook his head, Karibi smiling gently at him.
"No! I've just got something in my eyes! That's all! Believe it!" Karibi chuckled as she nodded, reaching out and placing her hand on the top of his head.
"What'd you say, short-stuff? Want to give this a try?" Naruto pulled his arms away from his red eyes as he sniffled, looking up at Karibi. She smiled at him before he grinned back, hopping to his feet.
"Only if you buy me a week's worth of ramen at Ichiraku!" She should have seen that coming.
With a genuine laugh, the jonin nodded as she stood up, dusting off her black shorts. "That's a fair deal."
"Alright!" Tussling his hair, Karibi began to walk away, motioning for Naruto follow her. He smiled at her before he quickly caught up to her side, staying close.
"First thing tomorrow, we go talk to Lord Third." She had some apologizing to do.
"Yeah! And then lunch!" Karibi smiled and nodded.
"And then lunch."
*Four Weeks Later*
"Is this the last of your stuff?" Karibi smiled as she nodded to Riku, the older woman nodding and smiling back to her. "Then that's everything!"
All had been well. Karibi had made her round of apologies. And just as the Hokage would, he accepted her apology with a warm smile; no matter what, he would keep his promise to Kushina. Just as she had said, the redheaded jonin and Naruto approached the Third, and after finishing up the last of the paperwork, it had been made official; Karibi was Naruto's guardian. And since it had been done, now they had to worry about where exactly they were to live. Although Hiruzen had suggested Karibi's apartment, the young woman had surprised him.
"Perhaps we can get an apartment of our own?" And so, just as she asked, the pair had been given an apartment of their own with two bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms and a sitting room.
"Looks strange. Even though the rest of everything is here, knowing that you're moving makes this place look a bit emptier." Hana stood beside Karibi as they stared at the apartment from the front door.
Finally, Karibi's things had been boxed up and taken out of the apartment she had spent almost ten years living in. It all seemed bittersweet, but the redhead had felt it was an appropriate time to start over with Naruto in a whole new place.
Meow. With a smile, Karibi knelt down and picked up her cat; thankfully, it seemed Naruto and Kushito got along quite well.
"...What about Minato and Kushina's stuff?" the Inuzuka inquired quietly as Karibi took a deep breath before holding her smile.
"Hokage-sama said that he would have their things taken care of. He said by this time tomorrow, this apartment should be empty." Hana nodded before Riku's voice rang out, catching their attention.
"Can someone give me a hand?" Turning, the medic began to make her way out the front door.
"I'll get it." And then Karibi was left to her own thoughts.
Staring, the young woman's smile fell. Her face was relaxed, as well as her body, and for the first time in a long time, it was as if Karibi could breathe again. And yes, she knew this moment would be fleeting, for there was still a lot she had to come to terms with and there was still so much that she had to face with Naruto. But at least she was prepared; at least she was willing to do this all the right way.
With a deep breath, the jonin made her way back to Minato and Kushina's old room. She popped her head inside before she stepped all the way through, looking around with a fond smile. She sighed as she pet Kushito, who purred in her arms as his owner looked about. Approaching the bookshelf, the lone woman peered at the books before one sticking slightly further out than the others caught her attention. She raised a brow and slowly reached up, pulling the hardcover out.
"The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi..." Karibi stared at the cover for a moment before she looked up, a sudden presence catching her attention.
"Finally moving out of the nest, I see." The 17 year old chuckled as she let Kushito hop out of her arms, the cat's immediate reaction to the guest being to rush up to his toes and nibble on them.
"You're back earlier than you originally said, Scarecrow." She watched as her companion shrugged, ignoring the annoying moniker she had given him.
"...I'm glad." Karibi raised a brow at the masked Anbu.
"Glad about what?"
"I'm glad you didn't give up on yourself." Kakashi smiled from beneath his mask, shutting his eye as it curved with his smile. Karibi stared at him before she slowly approached him. He watched her before she stepped up to his body and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. The 21 year old gazed down at her with his one eye before he hesitantly wrapped his arms around the young woman's back and held her close.
"Karibi? You ready?" Hana's voice called out in the distance, causing the two that were embracing to step apart.
"Coming!"
"I'll see you," Kakashi stated as Karibi nodded. She watched as the young man made his way to the window from where he had came. She watched as he gave her one last glance before hopping out. She relaxed as he departed before she slowly gave the apartment one last look. With a wide smile she nodded to herself, grabbing her cat and walking to the door. She stopped in the doorway before looking over her shoulder.
"...Goodbye." And with the book in her free hand, Karibi shut the door.
First thing's first, while writing this chapter, I realized there may have been a point in which whoever reads this would get confused. The beginning of the chapter leads to a part of the chapter in the middle. It's sort of like a time jump, if that makes any sense? Sorry if there was any confusion, and if not, then don't mind me!
Here we are! Karibi and Naruto are officially giving this guardianship a chance! Yes, there were a lot of...angsty moments in this chapter, but to be honest, when it comes to Karibi and Naruto, there is always going to be a bit of angst :P And although they're finally going to make things work, I warn whoever is reading, it is not going to be sunshine and daisies from here. Like it was written in this chapter, their relationship is going to get harder before it gets better. But I guess it's really about the journey! So we'll have to see how and where these two go!
If there is anything I can do better or if there's anything I need to fix grammar wise, please feel free to let me know! I think what readers have to say is very important, and I happen to think I'm a very good listener, so please! Don't be shy :D
Reviews:
ajwehri: I'm truly so happy to hear that you enjoyed the last chapter! I'm glad that you were satisfied even with the wait, but I hope to not make you wait that long again XD And I also hope that you will read and like this chapter! Thank you for reading!
korohoshi: I definitely did not ditch this story! I'm sorry if it seemed that way! I'm relieved that you have high hopes for this story :) I only hope that my updates will meet your (and anyone else's) expectations! I'll work hard and have my fingers crossed ;) Thank you very, very much for taking the time to read and review!
dagset8: Hello! I'm so glad to hear that you like and think this story is cute :) I will say that there will be not so cute moments and more...dark moments in this story to come, but I'd like to think that in the end, it will all work out! I'm happy that you decided to read this story and give it a chance! I appreciate you taking the time to read through, and I hope that whatever you read, you enjoy! Thank you!
Cindy: You have every right to be worried. With the way that Karibi's character has developed, things like nightmares and memories will definitely weigh her down and put a strain on her, but as you see in this chapter, she's willing to at least try, and that's what matters! I hope you liked how this chapter ended up and I hope that you will continue to read and enjoy :)