Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto/Naruto Shippuden
Chapter Six
It was dark and it was cold. There was a mustiness in the air so strong that it almost felt like she was breathing in dust. And there was a familiar stench that continued to waft through her nose, making her stomach flip and her insides twist; it was the smell of blood.
Amethyst eyes glanced around the darkness as they searched for something to cling on to. She was beginning to fall, but there was nothing around her to catch her nor was there anything to stop her from continuing down. All she could do was scream as she tried to reach out for help.
"Karibi," a low growl bellowed through the abyss. Said woman shivered as time seemed to suddenly slow down. She squinted her eyes and stared through the blackness, something in the distance catching her eyes. "Karibi," the voice called out once more, sending shivers down her back.
Her scream echoed when she met a pair of red eyes.
Eyes snapping open, a frantic Karibi gasped as she sat up. There was someone with her, and in her cloudy-minded state her first reaction was to protect herself. So she reached for the kunai that was under her pillow and grabbed whoever it was that was disturbing her sleep. She pressed the blade to the intruder's neck, but a horrified gleam appeared in her eyes when the haziness cleared and her thoughts began to straighten out.
Naruto stared up at Karibi with raw fear in his eyes as he clung to her fist that was holding him tightly by the collar of his shirt. He was trembling as he felt her press the kunai further against his neck. He didn't dare move, afraid that if he did the blade would draw blood.
"N—Naruto!" The 21 year old quickly dropped the knife as she sloppily jumped out of bed, letting her firm hold on him go. He let out a held breath as he tried to remain cool, though the trembling of his body told Karibi otherwise. "Wh—What are you doing in here?" she asked with wide eyes as the blond stared at her, still not having the voice to speak.
She had been doing so well lately. She hadn't had a nightmare in weeks, and she had been getting along with Naruto wonderfully. But she should have known better; good things didn't always last very long.
"I—I was just waking you up," the 11 year old explained, smiling weakly. "We're going to be late," he said as Karibi relaxed, nodding her head. She didn't dare reach out and try and comfort the boy with her touch; she could tell that any sudden movement she made would only scare him.
"Sorry. I'll be out in a second." Naruto didn't meet Karibi's gaze as he quickly nodded, rushing out the room and shutting the door hard. The jonin stood motionlessly in the stillness of the morning. She shut her eyes as she gritted her teeth.
"Damn it."
§
He was keeping his distance from her, and the redhead couldn't blame him. Though he chattered away and acted as if nothing was wrong, she could tell by the way he seemed to walk with three steps between them rather then right by her side like he normally would, and by he way would flinch any time she made a motion in his direction that not all was well.
Naruto had thought he had seen it all when it came to Karibi. She had screamed at him, she had left him for missions that lasted weeks, but she had also brought him back trinkets from jobs when she could, bought him ramen whenever she returned from long missions, tucked him into bed every night. There was the good and the bad when it came to Karibi, just as there was with Naruto. He still caused a ruckus and sought out attention. He always nagging at Karibi, and sometimes he would snap and bark back at her and tug on heartstrings he knew would make her feel bad. But he also tried to help around the apartment when he could and he also did his best to keep from disrupting class. So, no, their relationship wasn't perfect, but it had been something constant and something consistent, which was more than the 11 year old was used to
But that morning? The second that Karibi had put the blade to his throat? The young boy couldn't shake that.
"See you later, Karibi!" With a weak smile, Karibi nodded as she watched Naruto run into the academy. With a regret-filled sigh, the young woman turned and began to walk away when she stopped, noticing a book that had been dropped on the ground. Frowning, the redhead quickly picked it up, making her way to the academy.
"What room did he say he was in..." Class had already started by the time the young kunoichi had made her way inside the building. She recalled the many conversations with Naruto she had had where he jabbered on about what he had done in class and how he had pulled this prank or another. Most of the time she merely nodded her head because the blond always spoke so quickly and had so much to say, but now that she was looking back, she truly regretted not having listened more closely to what he had to say.
"Karibi?" Stopping, said young lady looked back before a wide smile spread across her face.
§
"So you're here because Naruto forgot a book?" Iruka handed Karibi a cup of tea as she nodded her head, chuckling weakly as the sat on the couch in the teacher's lounge.
"Was just dropping him off. He must have dropped it on his way in," she explained as Iruka nodded, watching her closely.
News about Karibi becoming Naruto's guardian and spread like wildfire. Not many were sure how this was going to end—the orphaned child that Minato and Kushina had taken in taking care of the baby that had the creature which had killed Minato and Kushina sealed inside of him; most thought it was a recipe for disaster. But, when weeks and then months went by, and Karibi remained at Naruto's side, nearly everyone had been shocked. Rumors spread about the pair, and many of the villagers' negative feelings about Naruto were projected onto Karibi as well. And although it seemed the jonin knew this, she paid no attention to it at all. She merely went about her day, minding her own business.
Iruka had been surprised when he had first heard the news about Karibi and Naruto. Sure, he didn't know much about Karibi or Naruto personally, but from what he did know, he didn't understand how the young woman had the strength to stand by the blond's side; he was still having trouble with the idea of soon becoming the 11 year old's teacher.
"...How has everything been going between you and Naruto, by the way?" The chunin didn't want to pry, but he was curious, and Karibi didn't seem to mind the question too much—talking about the young boy.
"It...It has its ups and downs," she stated calmly as she stared down at her cup. "And to be honest, it's mostly because of me. Naruto...turns out, he's not a monster or some vessel waiting to break open." The jonin smiled as she chuckled. "He's just a regular kid who wants to become Hokage someday." She had heard his spiel numerous amounts of times.
Iruka gazed at his companion with a touched stare; she was strong—being able to push aside her past like that and take care of Naruto.
Iruka wasn't so sure if he could be like her.
"So then! How are you?" Karibi asked with a smile, any trace of regret on her face now wiped clean. Iruka chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Good, good! I'm actually going to start my days as an official academy teacher here in the next day or so."
"Wow! Last time we spoke you were just becoming an assistant! Congratulations," Karibi said as the young man chuckled and nodded; he left being Naruto's teacher out of the conversation.
"Are you excited?"
"Ah...well, that and nervous." Extremely nervous. "The workload will get heavier and the students will become my full responsibility." Naruto would become his full responsibility.
With a reassuring smile, Karibi waved his concern off, leaning her head back and taking a sip from her glass. "Well, I'm sure you'll be fine! If anyone is meant to teach, it's you!"
Iruka tried not to frown at that.
§
Karibi had only sat and chatted with Iruka for a few minutes. He had a busy day ahead of himself in order to prepare his lesson plan for his first and upcoming class, and Karibi had business with the Hokage she wanted to get to. So, after catching up for a bit, the two said their goodbyes, this time the jonin stating that she and Iruka would have to go out for food or drinks sometime; he liked the sound of that.
Knocking on the Hokage's office door, the redhead waited before she heard the old man speak up. "Come in." Opening the door, Karibi bowed before she ventured further in.
"Ah, Karibi. What brings you here today?" the Third inquired as the young woman smiled weakly.
"There was actually a favor I wanted to ask of you, sir."
"Oh? What kind of favor, dear?" Hiruzen asked curiously as the jonin tried not to seem as nervous as she felt.
"I was hoping to be assigned to a mission today."
"A mission?" The Hokage raised a brow before he began to look through the scrolls he had. "Well, I have several missions that you could take-on."
"Any missions that may take a week would be good, Hokage-sama." That had caught the man's attention.
"What is the meaning of this, Karibi?" Sandaime asked with a frown as said woman wore a guilty expression.
"...I would just like some time out on the field, sir...in all honesty, I just need a bit of time to clear my head." Hiruzen relaxed; something must have happened between herself and Naruto.
"Is that so?"
"I'm sorry to bother you. But I truly would appreciate if you could do this for me," she said pleadingly as the Hokage hesitated before he smiled.
"A prisoner we were transferring to another village escaped just yesterday afternoon. He was headed east. Perhaps that mission would suffice for you?" Karibi relaxed as she nodded her head gratefully. She bowed as she held her hands out, the Hokage handing her the scroll with her mission statement.
"Thank you, Lord Third."
"Of course, dear. Just be careful and be sure to return safely." The redhead nodded before she turned and made her way out of the room, shutting the door softly as she left. With a sigh, Hiruzen let his shoulders sag slightly before he shook his head.
Whatever issues those two were having, he thought it wise to leave it between them.
§
Stepping out from the tub, a toned man let out a sigh, steam rising and fogging the mirror up in the bathroom. He grabbed a towel from the counter and began to dry himself off, ignoring the mirror that was covered in steam. He wrapped the towel around his waist before he pulled on a shirt as well as his mask. And once his face was covered properly, he opened the door, letting the air circulate out and a cool draft flow in. He raised a brow before he made his way to his room, peering inside to see Karibi sitting at his desk with her legs propped up on the desktop.
"To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?" Kakashi inquired as he kept his left eye shut, approaching his friend as she looked back at him. She stood to her feet, pushing the chair back in before she forced a smile across her lips.
"I need a favor from you, please." That caught the jonin-teacher off guard.
"What sort of favor?"
"I'm going to be gone for about a week or so. I just need you to keep an eye on Naruto for me while I'm gone." Immediately, Kakashi knew something was bothering Karibi.
"What happened?" The woman frowned as she let out an exasperated sigh.
"For once, I wish you couldn't see right through me."
"No you don't," he shot back before he walked over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of pants. Karibi turned around, keeping her back to the man as he eyed her before he let his towel unravel.
"There was a small...incident this morning," Karibi began as she ran her fingers through her red locks. "...I was having a nightmare." As Kakashi pulled his pants on, he paused. He glanced to Karibi as he heard her sigh weakly. Not saying a word, he continued putting his pants on.
"I was having a nightmare and he must have tried waking me up during it because the next thing I knew I was reacting. And then it all just got out of hand after that." The silver haired man decided against asking for more details; whatever Karibi was telling him was what she wanted him to know.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to leave now?" Kakashi inquired as Karibi shrugged, the man now fully clothed.
"I've never really had any clue about what is and what isn't a good idea. But I'm going, so it doesn't matter at this point," she stated as the 25 year old stared before nodding.
"Fair enough."
"So just..." Turning around Karibi gave Kakashi a pleading stare. "Do me this favor, yeah?" The young man smiled before he nodded his head, placing his hand on top of Karibi's head.
"He'll be fine," he assured as Karibi relaxed and then nodded her head.
"Thanks." Making her way to the window in which she had entered from, the redhead sighed, looking back to Kakashi. She smiled at him as he nodded with a reassuring gleam in his eye.
And then, she was gone.
§
Naruto yawned as he made his way back home. He had gotten into only a tiny bit of trouble that afternoon. What, with the red paint on the Third's nose at the monument and the graffiti. But that didn't matter. He was just ready to go home and relax; he wondered what Karibi was going to make for dinner.
Reaching to open the door, the 11 year old winced when he bumped into the locked door. He cringed as he shook his wrist out before he frowned; that was unusual. Pulling out the key, the academy student unlocked the door, slowly stepping inside. He frowned at the darkness that was draped over his home before he flicked the light switch on.
"Karibi?" he called out hesitantly. He tried not to panic at the silence as he rushed into the apartment. He trembled with fear before slowly relaxing, a plate of food covered with a note.
Got sent on a last minute mission, short-stuff. Some food for you, and I've already fed Kushito, so don't worry about that. Eat up and don't get into trouble.
-Karibi
Naruto smiled slightly before he set the note down and sighed; at least she hadn't abandoned him like all the rest.
Taking a seat at the table, the blond placed his hands together and nodded. "Itadakimasu!" Digging into the rice and beef, the child smiled happily before it began to fade. He stopped eating as he frowned to himself, setting his chopsticks down.
Karibi was different from everyone else. And after all this time he had spent getting to know her, he had realized just how much he liked having her around. She treated him nicely, and she looked at him like he was really a part of her family. But that wasn't what really bothered him. What bothered him was when she ran away and tried to avoid him, because he didn't understand why. Some days she seemed angry at the world—him included—and other days she was just completely depressed. And then there were moments, just like that moment in the morning, where she looked terrified of him.
But he couldn't figure out why.
*Four Days Later*
Things had gone quicker than Karibi had wanted them to. The ninja that she had been pursuing had been so obvious and so hopeless—it was a wonder he had escaped in the first place. She had found him after only a day of being on his trail, and there were several times that he had given her an opening. She waited though until she finally grew too impatient. She had hoped that he would be a better fighter than a runner, but it turned out that he was just as lousy fighting as he was trying to get away. She had even given him the upper hand on purpose three times! And yet, by the afternoon of the third day, he had been in her custody.
"You're pretty worthless, do you know that?" Karibi snapped bitterly as she walked with the shinobi in cuffs; she had sealed away his chakra the moment she had caught him.
"Not my fault they sent Karibi the Reaper after me." The woman paused at the moniker as her captive looked back at her. He raised a brow curiously before watching the woman smirk.
"It's been awhile since I've been called that," she said as the captured ninja scoffed.
After walking for a few minutes, the jonin looked up at the sky; if they continued, they could make it to the village in no time. "Let's stop here for the night." The prisoner didn't question his captor's motives and sighed as he sat down, unable to run away and unable to fight; even if he could, he would have just landed right where he started.
"Going to get firewood."
"You're just going to leave me here alone?" the man asked as the redhead began to walk away.
"Go ahead. See if you can out-run Karibi the Reaper." The woman laughed snidely before the man grumbled, remaining on the ground; he had had enough for the last few days.
§
Collecting sticks and dry leaves, the 21 year old paused as she stared down at the ground.
Perhaps it was time she stopped trying to always run from her feelings. Maybe it was about time that she started explaining a few things to Naruto. After all, he was getting older, and he wasn't completely dumb. If she was going to keep being his guardian, there were things about her that he needed to know—things about himself that he needed to know.
But she didn't have the courage to show him of all of the dirty skeletons in her closet.
With a sigh, the woman shook her head.
§
He had been minding his own business, really, he had! But the moment the chunin took a seat below the tree he had been sitting in, Kakashi had no other choice but to intervene.
And anyways, how was he supposed to walk away from someone who looked so helpless?
"I happen to be...well, I'm Naruto Uzumaki's homeroom teacher." And after hearing Naruto's name, there was no possible way Kakashi could turn back now; he had promised to look after the blond.
"Is that right?"
"I went to ask the Third Hokage to release me from my assignment, but he wouldn't see me," the brown haired man explained. "...Truth is, I don't have any clue how to deal with that boy," Iruka said honestly as Kakashi listened carefully.
"I don't know why the Hokage thought I was the right person for this." And for a moment, Kakashi could hear Karibi's voice repeating those same words in his head.
"...Perhaps you've forgotten the basic rule of teaching," Kakashi began, remembering the face of his former sensei. "In order to open the mind of another, you must have an open mind, yourself." But there was an apprehensive gleam in Iruka's eyes, a gleam he had seen many times before.
"Or maybe there's something else you're trying to forget." Iruka frowned deeper as he leaned forward, propping himself up by his knees.
"The Nine-tails sealed inside Naruto is responsible for my parents' deaths," Iruka said honestly. "And I'm fully aware Naruto isn't responsible for what happened back then, but whenever I look at him, I can't stop from thinking about what's hiding deep down inside of him." Kakashi stared at Iruka for a moment, his gaze softening after a moment.
In those words, the jonin wondered if that was how Karibi felt.
"I don't think I can make Naruto open up."
Standing to his feet, the masked shinobi looked to his companion. "...Actually, you're one of the only people that can touch Naruto's heart. And that is your personal ordeal."
§
"Alright, we're here. Now, honestly? Don't bother trying to escape again, because I'm just going to find you and then waste another four days on your sorry as—"
"Karibi!" Said jonin raised a brow as she tore herself away from her lecture, watching as a chunin specifically under the Hokage sprinted up to her from the gates of the village.
"Shiroda? What's wrong?"
"I—It's Naruto!" That nearly made Karibi's heart stop. "Lord Hokage told me to immediately reach you as soon as you returned."
§
"Naruto went to go look for a corpse in the back-hills. Iruka had to leave class to go find him." Shikamaru Nara had explained it all to Kakashi, and as the silver haired shinobi leaped from tree to tree, he couldn't help but curse.
Iruka was strong, sure. After all, becoming a chunin was no easy feat. But the ninja lurking in that area were no joke. And seeing as Iruka was a fellow ninja of the Leaf—as well as Naruto's teacher—of course, Kakashi had felt compelled to inform the Hokage and go after the two of them himself. Not to mention that if Karibi were to hear that Naruto had been caught in trouble and he hadn't been there to help, she would probably eat him alive.
He had no other choice.
Narrowing his unmasked eye, the jonin caught sight of something in the distance. He acted quickly, seeing three kunoichi perform a Multi-phantom Shuriken Jutsu. With composure, he pulled out a kunai with a paper bomb attached to it and threw it with precision, watching as it flew past Iruka's head. The academy teacher quickly sought out shelter behind a tree with Naruto unconscious on his back. He looked back, the shuriken shattering and breaking to pieces.
"Hey." Iruka's eyes widened with relief and shock as a familiar silver haired ninja landed on the branch before him. "You two alright?"
"K—Kakashi? What are you doing here?" the academy teacher asked as Kakashi glanced from one of the kunoichi to the last.
"Your students told me what happened and I got a little concerned," the shinobi stated as he turned his attention to the enemy at hand. He watched carefully before he acted, the three adversaries taking in deep breaths.
"Go, Iruka!" Without further demand, Kakashi hopped down from his branch, the brunet doing as told. He glanced over his shoulder as flames enveloped everything behind him. And for a moment, Iruka was worried.
"Kakashi!"
Said jonin found refuge behind his Mud Wall, breaking through it after a moment with his Chidori. He held his arm back as he felt his chakra coursing through him, his Sharingan out. The three kunoichi stared with fear gleaming in their eyes as the sparks from his jutsu reflected in their eyes.
"Lightning Blade!"
§
"I'm so sorry, Karibi!"
"It's not your fault, it's that idiot's fault!"
Naruto moaned as he winced, his eyes fluttering open but quickly shutting again as the world span around him. A sharp pain shot through his temple as he reached up and held his head carefully with his hands. Trying to recall the memories of how he had come to this point, the blond slowly began to sit up before he pried his eyes open.
"I—Naruto!" Looking up, the young boy was shocked when he saw a rush of black and white heading straight for him. He blinked when he felt arms wrap tightly around him, squeezing the air out of his lungs. He gasped and winced, feeling an unfamiliar warmth spread throughout his body while he was embraced. "You're awake!"
"K—Karibi?"
"What the hell were you doing out there alone?!" Karibi squeezed Naruto tighter as she shook her head. "What if something had happened and Iruka-sensei hadn't been there to find you?" the woman lectured as she pulled Naruto back and glared at him.
"Didn't I tell you to stay out of trouble?!"
"Sorry..." Naruto pouted but he felt a warmth inside of his gut, for this had been the first time that his guardian had ever held him before; whatever fear he had before had been forgotten for the time being.
Karibi relaxed before she shook her head. She stared hard at the young boy before she smiled. "I'm just happy to see you're still moving, short-stuff." The 11 year old grinned before his guardian stood up, placing a hand on his head and ruffling his hair.
Iruka watched silently as his gaze had softened. After everything that had happened—after everything Kakashi-sensei had told him and all the things Naruto had said, Iruka had finally realized that it was time. It was time to face his own demons and it was time—not to put the blame on this innocent child, but to finally own up to his own issues. Because, in that moment, he realized that he wasn't staring at the Kyuubi. No longer did the image of the demon-fox haunt him. No, instead, he found himself staring at a young boy with his guardian, who seemed to care for him very much.
"Naruto, will you give me and Iruka-sensei a second?"
"Uh, sure." Heading to the door, Karibi narrowed her eyes before she yanked the boy back by his collar.
"What do you say?" she snipped as Naruto blinked before he looked up bashfully at his sensei. He sighed before bowing.
"Thank you, sensei. And sorry for the trouble." This hadn't been the first time Karibi had scolded him into doing that.
Iruka chuckled weakly as he nodded. "Just be careful." Naruto said nothing else before he walked out of the room, Karibi looking after him.
"...I know that this must be hard for you," the 21 year old began as Iruka blinked, turning his attention back to the woman in front of him. "Being the teacher to the child that has the Nine-tailed fox in him can't be done just by anyone because it is a hard task," Karibi stated as Iruka hesitantly nodded.
"...I know that it may be difficult with the fox having...killed your parents." Iruka tried not to flinch. "But as I've come to realize, it's really not the kid's fault. And I think you're smart enough and strong enough to do this," the redhead stated calmly as the teacher's eyes gleamed.
"...I was wrong—the way I first started to treat Naruto," Iruka began quietly as Karibi looked in his direction. "I...I tried to just ignore his presence and act as if he didn't matter...but I was really wrong, and for that I'm sorry." The Umino bowed as Karibi raised a brow, crossing her arms. "If I had just tried to understand him, like you have, maybe this would have never happened." Karibi frowned at that. "But after thinking, and after speaking with Kakashi-sensei, I've realized my mistake. I'm going to make things right and treat Naruto the way he should be treated." Karibi tried not to react as she heard Kakashi's name.
"...I'm not a saint, Iruka," the young lady said. "This might be hard for you to believe...or maybe it's not—but I was far worse than you could ever be to Naruto," she said quietly as the homeroom teacher blinked. "...I'm still far worse to Naruto," she whispered before she sighed and shrugged. "So don't beat yourself up over what happened. He's a smart kid...sometimes. I'm sure he'll realize you didn't mean harm to him." Iruka slowly nodded before he smiled.
"Thank you, Karibi." Said woman chuckled, waving his thanks off.
"No. Thank you."
§
"Alright, short-stuff." Stepping out of the room with Naruto's teacher, Karibi sighed, feeling a bit more relaxed than she had been earlier. "I have to report back to Hokage-sama, so you stay here with Iruka-sensei. I think there's something he wanted to talk to you about anyways," she stated as she gave the man a side-glance. He smiled sheepishly and nodded, Naruto frowning before he looked back to Karibi.
"You're not going on another mission, are you?" She could hear the loneliness and the despair in his voice, and it only made her feel guiltier.
With a forced smile, the 21 year old shook her head. "Not tonight. I'll meet you back at home, what do you say?" With a wide grin, Naruto nodded. And as he watched Karibi walk away, she threw a wave over her shoulder.
"Oh! And for the stunt you pulled, no Ichiraku for a week!"
"Wha! Bu—But Ribi-chan!"
§
His day had been unexpectedly long, but now it was finally coming to an end. And since he had been cut short a few days before, the jonin had decided to return to his usual reading spot, taking a seat on the bench and pulling out his orange-covered book. He read in peace for an hour, the sun beginning to set behind the horizon. And after another half-an-hour, the jonin had been ready to head home, standing to his feet as he shut his book after marking where he had left off. He only stopped when he noticed footsteps approaching his way.
"Karibi?" The redhead gazed at him silently as she stood a few steps away from him. The masked ninja watched with a lazy gaze, unsure of what to expect from the unusually quiet woman. "You're back earlier than expected," he said as she said nothing. He continued to look at her, confusion now coming over him as she took a slow step towards him.
"...Karibi?" Without warning, the woman launched herself forward, causing the unsuspecting man to stumble back into his seat. He winced, the stony bench causing a sharp pain to shoot up through his spine. He had no time to linger on the thought with Karibi's hands suddenly reaching up to his mask and tugging it down. His eye widened from shock before he felt lips suddenly upon his, the woman's knee resting between his opened legs while she pressed her body against his. He sat motionlessly for a second, though his lips instinctively moved with the redhead's, his arms held out in the air. He would have been more panicked had Karibi's hair not draped over both sides of their faces, covering his from sight.
Cautiously, the older jonin wrapped his arms around Karibi's back and waist, gently pulling her body even closer to his. She kept her own hands wrapped at the base of his neck as her lips devoured his, her opened-mouthed kiss making the 25 year old tremble. His eye finally fluttered shut as he gained back his composure, suddenly taking the lead as he tilted his head upward and began delving his tongue into Karibi's awaiting mouth. He felt her shake in his arms as her hands traveled to his shoulders and squeezed. She let out a heavy breath through her nose, not daring to pull away from the tantalizing kiss, Kakashi tracing circles on her back, making her legs weak.
She tasted salty, yet her lips were sweet. The flavors of her mouth threw the now-exposed shinobi through a whirlwind before he slowed down the pace, pulling away just enough to press his lips back to hers one more time in a more innocent and chaste manner. He reveled in the way the heat of Karibi's body suddenly burned through him, her quivering figure showing just how excited and anxious she was feeling.
Keeping her eyes closed, Karibi tried to catch her breath, the lingering feeling of Kakashi's lips against hers causing another rack of shivers to roll down her back. She kept her hands resting at the base of the man's neck before she slowly pulled his mask up, covering his face back. And that was when she let her eyes flutter open, his one eye now piercing through hers. He continued holding her body close to his, the tips of their noses lightly touching.
"...Iruka told me that you helped him—that you saved Naruto." Kakashi relaxed as he nodded. "And he mentioned that you helped him realize his own fears and gave him the advice to try and move on." The masked jonin merely nodded again as Karibi smiled widely. She leaned her forehead against his, the metal plates of their hitai-ae clanking quietly.
"Thank you," she whispered, keeping her hands cupped around her friend's face. He smiled slightly under his mask as he nodded his head, leaning forward just a bit to press a soft kiss to the corner of Karibi's lips.
All she had to do was ask him. Whatever she wanted, he would do or give her. Because that's how it had been from the start. He hadn't known it before, but now that he was older—now that he had the chance to look back to the past, he had realized that it had always been her; it had always been Karibi. There wasn't anyone he could be his true self with, and there was no one who truly understood him like she did. And had he understood what exactly that all had meant in the past, perhaps he could have saved her the trouble and pain of thinking she was alone. But alas, that was not how their lives had played out. So, instead, he kept his thoughts to himself and merely held her close in that moment, giving her the warmth she was seeking from him.
"...I should save Naruto more often." Karibi let out a hearty laugh as she threw her head back, the 25 year old chuckling with her. He watched as the redhead pulled him up to his feet before she began walking.
"How about a quick dinner? My treat. Anything except ramen. I think I've reached my maximum limit of how much ramen I can eat." Kakashi chuckled as he followed Karibi along, thinking about what free food he wanted to enjoy.
And all the while, their hands remained intertwined.
I have to say, I had waaaay too much fun writing this chapter XD A lot has gone on. We're delving more into the intimate side of Kakashi and Karibi now, and I liked being able to put a bit more fluff between Naruto and Karibi. Although the fluff came hand-in-hand with the angsty moments, I think the happy moment out weighed the upsetting moment. I also had fun writing Iruka in this chapter! I always want to challenge myself with writing different characters, and although I've written him a few times, I'm not regularly writing him in this story, so having him in this chapter was nice! Especially now that he's at a point in the series/story where he's able to come to terms with how he feels for Naruto.
Slowly but surely, we're reaching the point in the story where Naruto the series comes into play. I'm excited to get to that and introducing Sakura and Sasuke to Karibi and having that happen—as well as all the other new characters we're going to meet from Naruto. Having Karibi interact with them is going to be interesting for sure, and I'm going to be sure to work extremely hard to make whoever is reading this happy and satisified with this story!
Yes. Kakashi and Karibi kissed :D Hopefully that moment wasn't over written nor was it plain and too simple. I worked on that section on the story for quite some time, just because in the series we don't actually see much of Kakashi acting intimately with another person, especially a love interest, so I wanted to make this moment as realistic to the character and show as possible. Hopefully that showed and it came through that way! If not, I will be sure to work harder! I'm not going to say what's next for those two, but you will all see what's to come soon enough!
Thank you so much for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing! I appreciate all the support! I can only hope that my effort is seen and I am so thankful to have whoever is reading this here today. So thank you :)
Reviews:
korohoshi: I'm so, extremely glad that you liked that little scene with Kakashi and Karibi! As you can see, I'm adding more and more romance between them as the story goes on. You'll have to wait and see just how things develop between them, but I truly do hope that you liked what I posted here today! I hope that it wasn't too much and that you liked it! I'll continue to work hard, and I hope you will continue to read and like this story! Thank you so much for your support and your review and your time!
LilyVampire: Hooray! I feel so accomplished in knowing that I'm able to write Kakashi's character correctly! I hope that this will continue, and if not, please feel free to tell me so I can fix how I'm writing him—or any character for that matter! I feel like Gai and Kakashi's friendship is so underplayed, because they really are best friends and because they really do depend on each other a lot, so I just wanted to highlight that between them! I'm happy that you saw that and like that! Thank you, so very much for reading this story! I truly appreciate you taking the time to do so :)
Gemini-Spark: Hello! To answer your question (SPOILER for anyone who somehow skipped the first part of this story) Yes, Karibi is an Uzumaki. I do believe I explained that somewhere in the beginning of the story but I'm not positive. If I didn't I'm sorry for the confusion! But I'm sure I did! But yes, she is :)
icilefangAJ: Hi there! First, thanks for reading! Really glad you decided to read and leave a review! And second, Kushito is, well...he's a special kind of cat! Not in the fact that he's a nin-cat or anything like that, but I just think Kushito is the kind of cat that is very intuitive to people...sometimes he's even smarter than people XD I based him off of my best friend's cat, I will say. I love that cat so much, and he happens to be so very sharp in an almost human way—it's very eerie haha But yeah, I mean, we'll be seeing more Tobi and more Kushito, not together, but both of them together :) Thanks for reading, and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!
bored411: Hi there! Thank you for deciding to read my story and leave a review! I really do appreciate you taking the time out of your day to do so! :D I'm flattered by what you said, you're really kind! I'm happy to know you like the development between Kakashi and Karibi. I wasn't sure if it was going to come off as slow, because I can admit that there are some parts of the story that are a bit slow, but I wanted to make their friendship/relationship as relatable as possible, and I think the only way that can happen is if it's realistic! I'm a romantic kind of person, so love at first sight and all of that gets me every time, but I wanted to take a different path for this story, so I'm relieved to hear it's working for you and that you're enjoying it! And the same thing with Naruto. Those two are such a special case just because of their history and what's gone on between them, so of course, I don't think they're going to be a big, happy family at first. They're going to need time, and I know that a lot of this story didn't have many moments between them, but I'm adding more and more as we go along, so please be patient with me! Thank you again, for reading :)
Guest: Thank you for reading my story! I hope you will continue to read this and like it! I will make sure to work hard on each chapter so that it will be something entertaining and interesting to read! Thank you for your time!