Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Chronicles of Kakashi & the Kunoichi from Thunder Country ❯ Secrets of the Past ( Chapter 13 )

Secrets of the Past

 

The sun had just begun to rise. Its soft golden rays snuck in through the gaps in the drawn shades, forcing the room to gradually reveal its mysteries.

 

He was still lying by her side, watching her uneven breathing. He knew that she had been in and out of sleep throughout the night. He had neglected sleep as well, to observe her chakra. It was the normal blue during the day, but at night, when she tried so desperately to sleep, with his sharingan he saw the green chakra leaking through. There was a consistent cycle - she would fall asleep for a while, then shudder, and the green chakra would engulf her for a few seconds until she woke. Sometimes she would get up to use the bathroom, but usually she tried to fall back asleep, tossing and turning until the cycle repeated itself. Seeing her restless sleep tore at his heart. So it was like this her entire life, never to sleep peacefully through the night.

 

-…-…-…-…-

 

They had been together for a couple of weeks now, mostly training and developing jutsu. Kakashi had planned to tell her the truth about her past. But each time he found another excuse. Perhaps her father was right. Let sleeping dogs lie. What good is the truth now? What did the past matter? But tonight he decided he had to tell her. Their relationship might not survive, but he couldn't continue hiding the truth, letting her live a lie.

 

It was after dinner. She was relaxing on his couch reading a book while he finished the dishes.

 

`This is it,' he thought as he sat down next to her. “Rikako,” he started to say. She looked up from her book and saw his somber expression. She could read his expression just from the single uncovered eye. Concerned, she closed the book and listened attentively.

 

“I need to tell you something…This is difficult for me...I hope you'll understand.” He took a deep breath. She held her breath along with him. “I...I...I love you...”

 

`Ugh! I didn't mean to say that...the wrong words came out!' Kakashi thought desperately. But it was too late to take them back. It was just that she was reading one of his adult books. She had such an amused expression, and looked so seductive with her lips parted as she concentrated on reading.

 

She smiled broadly because it was the first time he had used those words, and laughed, “Silly, I knew that already. I thought you were going to tell me something bad, you seemed so serious.” She leaned into him, reached up with her hands to pull down his head, then entwined her fingers in his hair, and kissed him. This time her kisses were more fervent than usual and he couldn't resist them.

 

The intensity of feeling he should have had was mitigated by the cloud he knew was on the horizon. Still, it was different, better in some ways, more poignant, knowing that the feelings were mutual. Yet sadder, knowing that again it wouldn't last and this time it would not be his choice. But then again, knowing that it would not last was perhaps the reason he allowed himself to be involved in the first place.

 

-…-…-…-…-

 

The sun was up now and the red rays of dawn pushed stubbornly through the shades. He got up, showered, put on his usual shinobi uniform, but left the mask off, and placed his forehead protector over his sharingan. As he came out of the bathroom, she woke.

 

“Ugh, good morning,” she smiled up at him.

 

“Did you have a good sleep?” he asked, knowing the answer.

 

“The usual,” she frowned and fell silent.

 

“Well, go ahead and wash up while I prepare breakfast.”

 

She nodded and moved her nude form obediently, slipping from underneath the thin sheets.

 

`I have to tell her,' he thought. `The sooner the better or I will never do it. But sleeping with her makes things even more complicated.'

 

She came out as he prepared to set the small dining table in the alcove by the kitchen. Her long dark hair, still wet, reflected a hint of violet in the morning sun.

 

“I didn't realize you could get up so early when there's no mission scheduled,” she teased.

 

He shrugged, “I didn't get much sleep last night either.”

 

“Well, I guess that was too much for you considering your age,” she laughed heartily at her own joke.

 

He chuckled half-heartedly. He didn't like the age jokes. He was a bit sensitive about the difference in their ages, but for some reason it amused her greatly. He sat down across from her, trying to decide whether to tell her before, during, or after breakfast. `Well, it's no good being upset on an empty stomach. What's another ten minutes,' he decided.

 

They ate in silence, each absorbed in thoughts they were unwilling to share. They ate mechanically, neither enjoying the scrambled eggs and toast (which was just as well, Kakashi forgot to add any seasoning).

 

Kakashi, the consummate procrastinator, continued to argue with himself. `Last night, I told her I loved her. She didn't say it back, but I'm sure she does…she's just worse about expressing her feelings than I am (if that were possible). But if I tell her now, chances are she'll hate me. If I tell her after she admits she loves me then…which is worse? Would she hate me more or less? Then she can't say she never loved me so maybe there's a better chance she'll forgive me. But maybe she'll feel more betrayed and…sigh…there really is no way around it. She's going to hate me. Well…maybe not…after all, she's a shinobi, she should understand…sigh…I'm going to miss her…'

 

`Just tell her! You idiot!' Obito's voice popped into his head again. `She'll forgive you. I forgave you didn't I?'

 

`She'll forgive me. Yeah, right, like the way Sasuke forgave Itachi.'

 

After he took his very last bite of egg (probably the longest time he ever took to eat) he asked her again, “So you had a bad night?”

 

She nodded and pushed away her plate. She was done eating just before him. “Sorry if I woke you. I tried not to move as much as usual. I've had insomnia ever since I can remember. When I do fall asleep, I have these strange recurring dreams.”

 

“Oh? What are they?” he asked curiously, wondering if they were related to the green chakra.

 

“Well, there's one where it's like I'm sleeping, and I open my eyes and everything is a bloody red. Suddenly there's this menacing presence, and my head starts to pound, and I feel something pushing and pulling at me, and I try to get away but I can't. Then there's a bright flash and I wake up. In another, a black shadow is after me, trying to kill me. I can't move the way I usually can. I'm slow, sluggish and it easily overcomes me. Its eyes stare into mine and it has red eyes like a demon. Then it grabs at me, repeatedly stabbing me with its claws, and I wake up. Crazy isn't it?” She laughed and shrugged uneasily, and changed the subject. “So what's the plan for today?” she asked playfully.

 

`This is it.' Kakashi sighed. “I have to tell you something first.”

 

“Hmm? What is it?”

 

He hesitated again, now trying to decide which one of the approaches he had rehearsed he should use. “Your parents, they're not your real parents,” he stated bluntly, dispassionately.

 

“Hmm? What do you mean? You mean they're not my biological parents?”

 

He nodded. `She's quiet, thoughtful, not upset, that's good.'

 

She looked up from the table, “Well, who are my real parents? Did you know them?”

 

Kakashi took a deep breath. “Your parents were shinobi from Thunder Country's Hidden Cloud Village. They're dead.”

 

“Thunder Country? Why was I raised here then? I didn't know father, I mean Dr. Otori, was from Thunder Country.”

 

“He's not.” `She's still calm and reasonable, so far so good.'

 

“Did he know my...real parents?” There was a slight quiver in her voice and her face started to flush. She stared at him intensely.

 

“No...he...I gave you to him.” He looked down at the remnants of his breakfast, unable to meet her gaze.

 

“How...but why?”

 

“I...I killed your real parents. I didn't know what else to do with you.” There, it was finally out. He almost sighed in relief, but the tension in the room was still palpable.

 

“You... killed them... why?” Her voice was shaking now. Her usual composure was completely gone.

 

“It was my mission.” He raised his head to look at her guiltily.

 

“Your mission?” Her voice became deathly cold.

 

“I...I didn't know. I was just following orders, completing the mission objective…”

 

“Tell me about them,” she demanded.

 

“I only know they were high level shinobi chosen to guard state secrets.” A slight lie, there was more.

 

“Why didn't you tell me sooner? You knew…all this time…” She didn't raise her voice, but she rose from her seat and started collecting her belongings.

 

“I tried, many times, but I didn't want to hurt you.”

 

“Then why now?”

 

“You needed to know. And if we're to have any chance of a future, there should be no secrets between us.”

 

She said nothing more, and was ready to go, but she dropped a scroll - her hands were shaking furiously. Kakashi reached for it, but she pushed him away roughly.

 

“Stay away from me if you value your life!” Her voice was different, deeper. The green chakra enveloped her and pulsated around her. The air became heavy and ionized as if a storm cloud rolled in through the windows. She quickly made for the door and slammed it shut.

 

`Well, that went better than expected - at least she didn't try to kill me.'

 

The previous night, Kakashi had imagined her possible reactions:

 

“You're adopted. Dr. Otori and his wife are not your real parents.” She took out her staff, converted it to its full length with double spearheads, twirled it at top speed and attacked him furiously with the intent to kill.

 

“I'm sorry I killed your parents.” All at once she threw a hundred senbon, shuriken and kunai and topped it off with a round of fireballs until he's burnt to a crisp, along everything else in his apartment.

 

What he didn't realize was that she was capable of much worse things.

 

-…-…-…-…-…-

 

The next day after training with his genin, Kakashi decided to drop by Dr. Otori's house to check on his probably former paramour. Rika answered the door as usual, but then slammed the door in Kakashi's face. But Kakashi was unfazed and rang the doorbell again. This time the good doctor answered, but he started cursing the way only ten year plus Anbu veterans could.

 

"You lousy m***** f****** son of a b**** arrogant bastard! I told, told, told you to keep your stupid idiotic m***** f****** mouth shut, but you always know better than anyone else don't you, you m***** f****** son of a w****...You were just like this back in the ANBU..."

 

The old ANBU vet brought up every mistake, every sordid rumor, every questionable action he could think of from the younger man's past. Kakashi stood there patiently until he was done. "Is she here?" he finally asked when Otori paused to take a breath.

 

"No, thanks to you, she ran off yesterday, who knows where, and even if I knew, I wouldn't tell an a***h*** m***** f****** son of a b**** like you anyway!"

 

"I just wanted to see if she's ok,” Kakashi said calmly.

 

"What did you expect? I warned you, over and over again. Why did you have to tell her?"

 

"She needed to know the truth. Something inside was tearing her apart."

 

"You're the one who tore her world apart," accused the old man.

 

"She'll get over this. It's for the best," Kakashi insisted with a confidence he did not feel.

 

"Do you think you know her so much better than we do? We who have loved her and taken care of her, suffered for her, for all these years? Get away from my house or I'll rip out that sharingan!” He slammed the door.

 

Otori's news was troubling. Kakashi hadn't thought of the possibility that she would leave the village. He had only thought of how she would hate him. `But to leave Konoha... If she becomes a rogue ninja, if she went to Hidden Cloud Village, what would happen? Not again, I swore I would never let something like that happen again.'

 

He still had a duty to Konoha despite his feelings. He would have to inform the Hokage of her disappearance. This time he would pursue his former student and bring her back - in chains if need be.

 

-…-…-…-…-

 

Minutes later, Kakashi found the Hokage sitting peacefully at his desk, smoking his pipe, blowing smoke rings, trying to hover them over a kunai stabbed into his desk. Sandaime turned his head toward the uncharacteristically anxious jounin, but continued to blow his smoke rings.

 

“I told her,” Kakashi said as coolly as he could.

 

“Well, I see you're still alive, she must have took it well,” Sandaime observed.

 

“Not really, she's missing.”

 

“Hmm...” the Hokage took out his omniscient orb and tried to locate her, but the orb remained cloudy. “She's more advanced than I thought. She can veil her presence. But I can still detect a faint resonance of her chakra somewhere in the village. Don't worry, Kakashi, she hasn't left.”

 

But Kakashi could not shake the feeling that there was something else going on. He thought back to a conversation he had in this same office over eighteen years ago:

 

“Are you sure this is wise Kakashi? Perhaps you should have left the child where you found her, or with someone in Thunder Country.” Sandaime looked sympathetically at the young man before him.

 

“I was afraid she wouldn't survive. I couldn't think what else to do. I wasn't thinking clearly,” said the young jounin with a tremor in his voice.

 

“We don't know anything about this child, what her powers might be if any. And what if she's a plant.”

 

“A plant?” The thought of the baby growing into a tree almost made him laugh.

 

“Maybe they want us to have her. Well, maybe I'm just becoming paranoid in my old age. In any case, she's in good hands with the doctor for now. We'll have to keep an eye on her, just in case.”

 

The Hokage was right back then. He should have left her there. He should never have brought her back to Konoha. But then he wouldn't have had that one night with her.

 

-…-…-…-…-

 

`Well, what did you expect?' Kakakshi asked himself. `You should have left well enough alone. You knew it wasn't going to work. You never should have pursued her. You never should have opened your heart. Now look at the pain you're in.'

 

`Well, it's a good pain isn't it? At least I feel something now. I haven't felt anything for so long I might as well be dead.'

 

`So what are you going to do now? You know it's impossible, so what do you want with her?'

 

`Silently and without a trace, that's how ninja leave the world. Maybe all I want is someone to grieve for me when I'm gone.'

 

Two weeks passed and still no word. She was missing at her positions as Historical Assistant at the library and Advanced Field First Aid teacher at the Academy. Something was wrong. Even if she were furious with him, she was very responsible and should have shown up at work. If she were still in the village, then what was she doing? Why was she still hiding? It didn't make sense. Kakashi decided to ask the Hokage to check for her presence again and to organize a search for her.

 

But old Sandaime did not take the situation seriously at all. “Aren't you over reacting Kakashi? She just needs some time alone to sort things out. It's quite a blow to find out not only that the parents she's known all her life aren't her real parents, but that her real parents were killed by a man she cares about.”

 

“But it's been two weeks,” he protested.

 

“People handle things differently. She's still young, you know, despite her apparent maturity. And she's a woman. Who knows how or why they react the way they do.”

 

Kakashi was not convinced. “Then I'll look for her myself.”

 

“If she doesn't want to be found, she won't be found, least of all by you. Besides, how are you going to search all of Konoha for her? Just be glad she's still here.”

 

“Is she? What proof is there besides the orb? It just vaguely senses her chakra. She hasn't been seen at any of the places she frequents.”

 

“I see you've already started looking for her. If we admit she's gone missing, you know what we'll have to do next. Perhaps it's best to leave it alone. I told her supervisors that she's taking some time off for personal reasons. That should be good for a while, but I have to tell you...umm...”

 

“Tell me what?” Kakashi asked anxiously.

 

“Well, the staff seems to think it's your fault - a lover's quarrel or something. They think you wronged her somehow. You know how gossip flies around here even though shinobi are supposed to be discreet.”

 

-…-…-…-…- 

 

A month passed and still no sign of her. He could not go back to the Hokage, the old man would do nothing but laugh at him. Sandaime had a rather lenient policy on rogue ninja. After all, he even allowed Orochimaru to go scot-free despite his inhumane experiments. Kakashi wished she were listed as a missing-nin, then he could angle for a mission to pursue her and bring her back.

 

But Sandaime insisted she was still somewhere in Konoha. But where? And how could she hide herself so completely? There was a general alert out so anyone spotting her would report it to the Hokage, though orders were not to arrest her.

 

`Maybe she's using henge and no one's recognized her. But she can't change all her habits. I'll have to place the bookstore under surveillance. Maybe I can arrange it as a D mission for my genin. I'm sure I'll be able to recognize her from the book selection. Few people around here like reading obscure foreign texts.'

 

Kakashi had just had his breakfast and was preparing to meet his team for a mission, after his morning shinobi memorial visit. The doorbell rang just as he was about to equip himself. He didn't get many visitors, so he was doubly surprised to find Rikako standing there. She seemed relatively calm, but uncomfortable, her eyes were lowered.

 

“I didn't think I'd ever see you here again.” He managed to say despite his surprise. What he wanted to do right now was to grab her and hold her, but he just stood there, in the doorway, transfixed.

 

“May I come in?” she asked politely.

 

“Yes, of course.” He moved away from the entrance so she could enter.

 

She looked around and saw the pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen. She laughed easily. “You're soooo lazy,” she commented. She walked over to the sink and started to do the dishes, but then accidentally knocked over a bottle of salt into a pot full of dishwater. She seemed nervous now and her hands were shaking. “Oh, crap, I`m sorry,” she muttered as she picked up the pot and reached in to get the salt shaker.

 

Kakashi reached over to help. “It's all right, just leave the dishes...” His words were cut short by a sudden downpour of dishwater.

 

She had thrown the pot of water at him. He stepped back too late and now he was completely drenched. Her hands flashed in quick precise movements, signaling a jutsu. He instinctively leaped out of the way just a fraction of a second before a lightning bolt ripped through his kitchen.

 

`Damn, she's really trying to kill me. The salt water is conductive. She doesn't need to hit me directly. It can travel through the water on the floor.' He jumped onto the sofa to avoid the crackling sparks all around him. Kunai and shuriken ripped through the air, all intent on cutting him apart. He blocked them expertly with his glove plates, but she had diverted his attention and performed another seal. Not just one, but two separate seals, one with each hand. Two lightning bolts attacked him from different directions.

 

`She's never been able to do a lightning technique before. That's from Hidden Cloud Village. Has she been there? But how? The Hokage would have known.' He leaped from the sofa, planning to tuck and roll to reach the temporary safety of his bathroom, but a spur from a lightning bolt caught his leg. He felt the shock throughout his body and tumbled to the floor. She stood over him with her senbon at the ready.

 

Kakashi didn't want to fight her. He didn't want to hurt her. But it appeared she wanted a fight to the death, and in her state, with her powers, in this enclosed environment, his chances were slim. `I'm getting too old for this.'

 

He raised his hands in defeat, got up on his knees, then placed his hands behind his head and said, “My life is yours. Kill me to avenge your parents if that's what you want. Just know that what I feel for you is the truth.”

 

She hesitated for a second, then to his surprise (he was sure that speech would work!), she threw her senbon at him. He could have gotten out of the way, but he had offered his life and he was a man of his word. He had to abide by it. He closed his eyes as he felt the needles pierce his shoulders, chest, and neck. His last vision before the darkness overtook him, was the green chakra enveloping her, and her eyes turning black as death as she leaned over him for the kill.

 

-…-…-…-…-…-

 

His life flashed by - images of his parents, their deaths, his training, his friends, his teachers, his missions, Obito's death, Yondaime's death, Rin's death, and then the mission to Thunder Country.

 

The scenario was relatively simple: create a distraction, the Cloud shinobi would attend to it in force, leaving behind just a handful of shinobi guards. Kakashi entered the building while the other ANBU engaged the remaining men.

 

A lightning bolt split the air in front of him, but his sharingan gave him the fraction of a second's advantage. His hands flashed the seals for kawarimi - for an instant it looked as if he were fried to the unsuspecting enemy. Kakashi appeared behind his opponent, using the Fourth's body flicker technique. The man did not even have a chance to register his surprise before the kunai cut his throat.

 

The Cloud shinobi was down, but then there was another presence in the room. He felt the air around him grow heavy. His vision became obscured. He had his sharingan for a few years now and it decidedly gave him an advantage, enhancing his original prowess even more. His sharingan allowed him to partially see through the heavy fog to fix on his enemy's chakra. A shadow, movement, his target was near the stairs.

 

Kakashi quickly started his chidori - chakra gathered in his right hand. It didn't need to be a powerful one; he didn't have to go through any walls or armor, just the wood banisters, and the enemy's movements were surprisingly slow.

 

He stabbed her near the heart. The young woman was dying, but trying desperately to cling to life. She clutched her abdomen, rather than her chest. “My baby, save my baby, she's innocent...” she managed to implore before her life force ebbed away.

 

The young Anbu was stunned. A pregnant shinobi in action? How pregnant was she? He didn't have a clue about stuff like that. At the Academy, they only taught first aid, how to remove cursed seals, set a broken leg, but nothing about being a midwife! But he knew he had to get it out before it died, too. He took out his kunai and cut into her abdominal area praying he wasn't cutting too deeply. Blood flowed out of her and all over him. He saw what he thought was the uterus and made another cut, carefully, until the amniotic sac burst and he knew he was through. He made a larger incision and groped around until he felt the head. He pulled the head out first, and cleared away its nasal passages until he heard a strangled cry. Finally, he pulled the entire baby out, tied and cut the umbilical cord. Now one of the other ANBU entered the room.

 

“Where...?” he called quietly.

 

“Check downstairs. I'm busy right now,” Kakashi replied anxiously.

 

“But the mission...”

 

“You go!” Kakashi yelled desperately as he wiped the blood, and whatever gunk was on the infant, with the mother's robes. The baby started to cry. He tore some clean material from the body to swaddle the baby.

 

“You have to silence it ...or we'll never leave here alive,” his comrade advised coldly.

 

“No...I've got to...”

 

More ANBU entered the room as Kakashi ran off. He abandoned his mission. The baby seemed to be close to term. It breathed on its own, and was now luckily and strangely quiet, as if it knew its life depended on its silence.

 

Kakashi ran for two days without sleep, stopping only for water at brief intervals, until he reached Hidden Leaf Village. His chakra was completely depleted by then and he was running purely on adrenaline by the time he reached Dr. Otori's house.

 

-...-...-...-...-...-

 

Author's Notes: I'm a big fan of "Rashomon" and the technique where the same events are told from different characters' perspectives. The next couple of chapters go back in time to revisit some of the previous events from my OC's POV. I tried not to be redundant so the reader might need to go back to previous chapters to see how things correlate.

I rewrote this story to include Sasuke leaving but I kept Sandaime (Sarutobi) around mostly because it would be too difficult to rewrite his parts for Tsunade. I envision she would handle things differently and there would be different interactions between the characters. So somehow the Third Hokage survived Orochimaru's attack.