Too Far to Reach (Kakashi Love Story)

[23] Permanent Scar

"What do you mean you saw your dad? Why did you push me out of the way from getting cut when my body could've taken it but yours couldn't? And what was going on with that stone while you were unconcious!?"

All of Kakashi's questions knocked around in my brain and it took me a minute to realize that he even spoke. "I saw my dad...he was in the stone!" My shock faded to glee. "I saw my dad! My dad!"

"Whoa, Tomiko, slow down," Kakashi slurred. "I thought you said your dad...was dead?"

"He is," I responded, jumping up out of bed, much to Kakashi's surprise. "I was pulled into the stone so I could talk to him. I can't believe that actually happened!"

My sensei looked too baffled to utter a word. Then he spoke, "That stone...what is it? Is it even a rock? While you were injured, it was glowing a solid purple color all around your body and sealing up that wound. Now, you're perfectly fine. How is that even possible?"

I wasn't perfectly fine; my body felt stiff and there were still signs that I got cut there. But I didn't mention it. "Look, Kakashi...this stone isn't just some kind of necklace. I lied. It's much more than that. It has some kind of power, like a jutsu of some kind, sealed away inside of it. It's now connected to me and I can't lose it or get rid of it...ever."

"Wait, so are you saying that this purple rock is a weapon?" Kakashi inquired. "Where is it from?"

I hesitated, then shrugged. "I don't know, it was my dad's. He might've hand crafted it or something...he never told me." What was I thinking, blurting out to Kakashi like that about the stone? I can't have people knowing about my clan or their artifacts! Not only is it risking the lives of my friends with the knowledge of Yosuke, but they'll also probably take the stone away from me and experiment on it. My village was subtle, and didn't want to get too rash with the stone's examinations, but other villages might have different stories. No matter what, they just want power. The Aqua Village didn't care for power; if they did, we would've overrun the Mist Village years ago.

"Your dad...was he a skilled fighter?" he wearily asked.

"Sure," I replied quickly, in a rush to...I don't even know, I felt like I needed to do something. "Hey, Kakashi, what happened while I was out? How long was I out for, anyway?"

"About 24 hours," he muttered. "I was so worried...why would you ever try to take Zabuza on your own like that? I was about to block his sword, but then you..."

"I know, I pushed you out of the way," I interrupted. "But why would I let anyone get hurt because I wasn't careful enough? It wasn't your responsibility to guard Tazuna, so stop acting like it was."

"You're my student." He stood up.

"You're my sensei. Just as important as a student. You don't get the benefit of saving the people close to you and not letting someone else help for a change. You can't do everything alone." I stepped up to Kakashi, trying to go face-to-face with him, which just looked awkward considering how tall he was compared to 12-year-old me. I looked intensely up at him, and he looked down at me, but we both turned away at the same time. Did I really just have a stare-off with Kakashi?

"You should go downstairs..." he muttered, not looking me straight in the eye. "Everyone's been waiting for you to get better. Oh yeah, Zabuza and Haku are dead."

"About time," I smirked, halfway out the door. When I got downstairs, I was greeted by my three teammates, Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari. There were all just sitting around anxiously. When they first saw me, big grins crossed their faces (Sasuke just smirked; he looked a bit banged up too, like he died or something) and they stood up to come over.

Naruto embraced me in a big hug. "Tomiko! I thought you were...you were..."

I heard him sniffling and pushed him away from my body. "Naruto, I'm fine. See? I can move easily. The wound's completely healed." I got this weird surge through my body while hugging him. It was like the stone was acting like a dog's nose for me; it was sniffing out where great power was recently lingering. Naruto, what did that thing do to you?

"You're a real pain, but you're probably braver than any of us," Tazuna commented, grinning. "I thought you sacrificed your life for someone like me. I'm glad you're okay."

Sakura looked squirmish. "Tomiko, what I saw out there...your stone...it sealed up that wound Zabuza gave you. It was glowing and everything."

"I know it's confusing, but I'll explain everything later."

"You said that last time," Sasuke pointed out.

"And all the times before that!" Naruto waved his arms around in the air frantically.

I held my hands up in defense. "Geez geez, what is this, 'Gang Up on Tomiko' day? I promise I'll tell you later. I won't keep squirming my way out of this."

"You are right now..."

Sasuke...I'm mentally choking you right now. I hope you know that.

Kakashi came down the stairs. "Alright, we should pack up and get going. Sasuke, Tomiko, are you okay to go on?"

"Obviously," I stated, gesturing to my walking figure. I attempted to turn back around, but I guess I turned a little too fast. I felt a sharp pain race up my torso. I seethed.

"Obviously?" Kakashi snorted. "You should stop moving so much. You may think that stone healed you completely, but that scar won't ever go away. It's still fresh, so it'll be sore for a while. You don't want to risk it opening back up again."

I waved his words off, and sat down on Tazuna's couch. "So, this ugly mark will live across my body forever, huh? That...sucks."

"It's part of being a ninja," Kakashi replied seriously, leaving the room to gather his things. I stood up and went upstairs, placing all my belongings back into my bag and running outside to the gates of the now-finished bridge to meet with my teammates.

After Naruto and Inari finished crying, I knelt down to the kid and grinned. "Hey, Inari, are you gonna be alright?"

"Yeah," he sniffled, wiping away his tears. "What about you? What are you going to do with the stone, are you gonna throw it out any time soon like you wanted?"

I ruffled his hair. "Nah, I'm keeping it. It holds too many...memories." Yeah, memories, including my father and all the other Stone Keepers.

I stood up straight and started the walk down the bridge, following close behind my teammates, but paused to turn back and yell, "Hey, Tazuna, I really think the name Tomiko fits this bridge perfectly. You should sleep on it!"

He chuckled and waved. "I'll consider it. Now get a move on before you get left behind!"

I waved back. "See ya, drunken old--I mean Tazuna!"

Before waiting for his most-likely nasty reply, I sped off in the direction of my team and caught up to them. It was a good day today...

~~~~~

This was a short chapter, I know! But I have the majority of the next chapter already done! You see, I got bored in the middle of writing the Zabuza arc, so I wrote an excerpt. Next chapter is coming very soon, most likely this weekend (Monday at the latest)

WOO! Zabuza arc is finished! And I avoided unnecessary fighting and emotions, GO ME! Wouldn't it just be the coolest thing if the bridge was called "The Great Tomiko Bridge" rather than "The Great Naruto Bridge"? Yeah...it would. :P

PLEASE TELL ME IF I HAVEN'T DEDICATED TO YOU YET! IT WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED! I'm really losing track. :/