Kakashi's POV
I stared at the kid before me. He seemed so serious. I barely noticed the sounds of Katsumi and Teiko fighting Raiden behind us. This kid...
"Did you here me? I said move, unless you want to be killed." I raised my eyebrows at the boy's frustrated tone, and shuffled out of the line of fire, but not too far. If this kid was going to do some kind of jutsu, I wanted to see it.
It was then that things started to go wrong on the other side of the clearing. Teiko was thrown off Raiden, and the Shizuka turned on the boy. I readied my stance as Raiden came at us, but he didn't make it this far.
The woman, Katsumi, appeared in front of the kid.
"You will not hurt him."
The boy' hooded face was still, pointed towards the woman in front of him. "Aunt Kat..." Aunt?
Katsumi didn't look back. "I will protect you Aki. This was my promise to your mother." How does this kid fit into this team dynamic? If the kid is related to this Shizuka, he must be one as well. How is he different?
The boy, Aki, breathed deeply, then turned away from Katsumi. "Keep him busy, I need a few minutes. She usually does this part..." He nodded at the immobile woman beside him.
Hikari's eyes fluttered, and she whispered a few words. "Kashi... help... protect..."
I nodded at her, and Katsumi and I locked eyes. We moved together to fight.
Raiden was no easy opponent. He created three (literal) shadow clones, and fought Katsumi and I each two on one. The real Raiden was slashing at Katsumi with twin shortblades, trying to get past her to Aki and Kari. The shadow clones attacking me gave no opportunity to help her. I wove under the fist of one clone, and sank my chidori into the chest of the other. He poofed out of existence, leaving only one to fight.
I was distracted by a scream to my right. I looked over in time to see Raiden slice one of his blades across Katsumi's shoulder. He then delivered a powerful punch to her gut, and sank the other blade into her stomach. Her scream petered out, and she gave a light cough, blood spilling from her lips.
The clone took advantage of my distracted state, and tried to bury his kunai into my back. I moved just in time, but didn't manage to get out unscathed. The kunai cut a large gash along the length of my arm. Hissing in pain, I punched the clone in the face, then changed targets, running at the real Raiden.
"No! Get out of the way!" Aki yelled at me. I stopped dead and looked over at them. Hikari was up, supported by the small boy. Their hands where clasped in a handsign. Shadows swirled around the pair life a black tornado.
I bent low, scooping up Katsumi, and hurried out of the way. Getting caught in the crossfire was not on my to-do list. I deposited the woman on the ground, and leaned her up against a wall. We both then turned to watch events unfold.
Hikari's POV (Several minutes ago)
I could see Aki mending my fingers as though he were far away, at the other end of a long tunnel. Darkness was closing around me, when I heard a voice. It cut through my mental fog like a sharpened katana.
"Hey there stranger."
I stared at the back of a very familiar woman. "Saki?"
She turned, sending me a big smile. "You know it. How have you been sister?"
My eyes watered, and I ran to her, engulfing my deceased friend in a hug. "I miss you so much Saki. Why did you have to do it?"
She chuckled, and the sound was more relaxed and free than I'd ever heard it in life. "It was my time. I'm at peace now, I'm happy. And of course I've been looking out for you." She tapped my cheek, under her sharingan. "By the way, great job with Aki. He's going to grow into a fine man, and dangerous shinobi."
I smiled. I couldn't stop looking at her, as if this were the last time I'd see her. It probably was. I looked at her and wondered if I'd have the strength to leave her again. Unless...
"Am I dead?"
Asaki laughed. "No, girl, you're not dead. And you better not die. I don't expect to see you again for quite a while. You still have to live your life, with your son, reunite with Kakashi and team seven. So much to do. And anyways, I enjoy living vivaciously through you. The afterlife would be boring if I couldn't see whats going on with you." She looked around at the fading darkness. "You need to go back now. Help your son defeat Raiden, and go home."
The figure in my arms was dissipating, leaving me cold and empty. I felt my heart break a little more.
Aki was coming into better focus. he was whispering words to me, and had finished fixing my fingers. I slowly lifted my hand, clasping my son's, forming the proper handsign. "Lets do this, Aki."
Kakashi's POV
Aki and Kari changed handsigns, and I felt instantly nauseous. Shadows from trees, the building, and anything else nearby where whisked away, pulled inexplicably towards Aki. They swirled around the boy, faster and faster, growing darker all the time as more shadows joined.
I could hardly see Aki and Hikari now, the shadows had grown so dark. The kid screamed something from within the mass of darkness, and all the shadows snapped into position. They jumped into the form of a large wolf, much like the one Yuro often appears as.
The wolf was solid, dark, and huge. Eyes shone like white beacons under the thick shadow fur. It seemed to obey the boy, as it crept froward, stalking Raiden, who didn't look so cocky now.
I watched with fascination as the wolf leaped at Raidan, who threw his arms in front of his face. However, instead of colliding with Raiden, the wolf simply passed through him. His shocked look turned to pain, as I finally realized what the wolf had done. Instead of going for Raiden himself, Aki had sent the wolf after Raidens shadow.
The full moon illuminated the clearing well, and yet Raiden had no shadow. It had been ripped away by the wolf, which had proceeded to tear it to shreds. Looking at the man with my sharingan, I could see no chakra. It seemed to have been ripped from him along with his shadow.
Raiden stood, stock-still. Then he crumpled, like a marionette who's strings had been cut. Silence rang through the clearing, as everyone wondered how someone so powerful could have been taken out in about 45 seconds. After years of planning, this seemed almost anti-climactic.
The silence was broken when Hikari let out a whimper, slumping against Aki. "Good job kiddo, I knew you could do it just as well as me." She chuckled softly.
I hurried forward, pulling Hikari into my arms. Aki didn't seem to like this. As he was about to snap at me, Hikari spoke to the boy. "It's okay Aki. Kakashi is here to help. We're going back to Konoha."
Aki stood, speechless. He was shaken from his reverie by a groan from Katsumi. The boy hurried over to the woman, a hand already glowing green to heal her.
"Kashi..." Hikari's voice was soft and tender. She had changed very little in nearly six years. I brushed my fingers over her cheek, gazing tenderly at her half-closed eyes. Her hand slipped from my face, instead fluttering over my arm. The familiar green glow fell on the long sut on my arm, healing it in seconds.
I heard Aki yell something to Teiko, as the boy helped Katsumi up the hill. Teiko was already at the top. The older man assisted Aki in setting Katsumi on the grass, they pulled down the boy's hood to ruffle his hair.
His silver hair.
"Hikari, who is that boy?" I ask the woman in my arms.
She smiled slightly at me, twining her fingers with mine, her eyes closing. She used her last bit of energy to call out to the boy.
"Kookie... come here and meet your dad."
I stood in shock.
Aki seemed just as surprised as me.
Well, My brain said, now you know who Kookie is.
Shut up, I replied.
Teiko smiled at me, making his way down the hill to stand next to me. He gently took Hikari from my arms, and nudged me up the hill. "Go, meet your son." He said quietly to me.
I walked mechanically up the hill, until I was face to face with the boy.
We stared at each other for a long moment. Aki, who had barely spared me a glance before, was studying me, taking in my appearance. I looked into the dark eyes, so much like mine, and saw a flurry of emotion, ranging from distrust to wonder.
His silver hair stuck up in the same manner as mine. No one would be surprised that he was my son. However I could see Hikari in his high cheekbones, and the way he bit the inside corner of his lip, a habit the boy had no doubt picked up from his mother.
"Otousan?" The boy whispered.
My eyes were glassy, and I blinked rapidly to show no signs of tears. We stood, staring at each other.
Suddenly, we both moved. I dropped to my knees, and Aki surged forward. The boy wrapped his arms around me, and I did the same to him. We stayed there, hugging, the rest of the world forgotten.
I have a son.
*AN
Ahhhhh it happened! The book is nearly done :'( I think there'll be one more chapter and an epilogue, but I might decide to make it a few more chapters, if I have anything else to write about. Here's to the longest chappie yet *cheers* over 1700 words
see ya next time
-Hanna