Note*
yo
So I'm taking Ikada back to Konoha for treatment for here I couldn't find a good hospital. So I hope you guys can manage guarding the bridge cause I believe most of the hurdles have been cleared though I've asked the Hokage for a jounin in my absence, it might take a day for him/her to reach here. Take a break today till the substitute for me arrives. Now, go have your breakfast.
Sakura finished reading from the piece of paper.
"How did he know we haven't had any breakfast?" - Nartuo asked as he made his eyes squinted with a slightly tilted mouth.
"Oh Naruto, he just guessed that the first thing we would do would be checking up on Ikada." -Sakura said as a matter of fact.
As Kakashi was jumping from trees to trees carrying Ikada in her arms he was split between worrying for Ikada and others he left early morning. Obviously the vexatious situation didn't allow the jounin to stay any better. He sighed as he continued worrying in his thoughts but suddenly was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard Ikada whispering "It's cold." And she snuggled more into his chest to gain some warmth that her body lacked.
"Dammit" was all he could say as he realised Ikada's fever just deteriorated because of the deep laceration.
He applied more chakra to his feet and increased his pace thus hopping from trees to trees swiftly.
Finally around noon he reached Konoha. The guards didn't ask a question for the worry was evident on Kakashi's face clearly as the day. After getting through the gates he simply teleported him and Ikada to the hospital.
He glanced one last time ah her pale face before she was taken to immediate care. He almost collapsed on the waiting seat sighing in worry. He was also to report Hokage about everything though he had informed him with the help of pakkun already, but in person he needed to do it too.
What a day...
The next day he visited the hospital and when he asked about Ikada he was glad to hear that she was doing fine. He was also informed that if the stitching had not been performed she would've lost too much blood which could've worsened her already fragile state. Kakashi could only thank his Anbu training that moment.
As kakashi entered inside the room where Ikada was admitted the first thing he noticed was Ikada zoning out at the window that displayed sunlight and greenery with some peculiar colours of roofs and the faces of Hokages carved on the hills. He walked towards her bed after shutting the door behind him and to his surprise Ikada never ceased zoning out. She was still gazing at the window and god knows for how long she had been staring away. Kakashi bought his fist infront of his mouth and faked a coughing before saying
"Glad to see you're fine already."
By this time Ikada's eyes were completely centralised on the jounin who looked rather bored.
She was brought back to reality by the jounin.
"Yes and thanks to you.... Sensei" she said with a slight bow of her head as a gesture of respect
After a few more talks it was time for kakashi to get to the serious point
"So Ikada about that dragon thing you've there" he pointed at her torso. "Is it some kind of tattoo or you were part of some Organization or something else?" By now his already bored look was replaced by a serious look.
"Ah so you've seen it. I thought the Hokage might've informed you already about it." She said as her vision descended down to her lap.
"So... what is it that even the Hokage is hiding from me?" Kakashi crossed his hands.
"It was present since the day I was born as much as I remember my mom informing me. She told me that she was shocked to find something like a dragon on my body though soon enough it became a matter of no attention. After a few years I came to know what it is. It's the mark that represents that I belong to the Dragon's clan, the legendary..." she was cut off by kakashi immediately sayin
" you mean the legendary Draggoton?"
"Yes and glad you've knowledge about it. People believe no more people who were capable of handling it were born anymore for it has been more than a century that someone like me was born but funny how I never was wanted even once."
"So you mean you can summon the black dragon I mean the legendary Draggoton?"
"Yes I'm capable of that and only I can do that in today's time and not only that I can share it's power whenever I want though currently you see the problem is...." She trailed off to look him in his single eye.
He motioned her to continue
"The problem is currently it's spirit is inside of me."
"What the- what do you mean inside of you?? It's meant to be summoned how much I know and even you said it yourself. Does it work like the tailed beasts and are you a jinchuriki then?"
He actually asked so many questions in a single breathe.
"Calm down Sensei and listen to me. It happened around when I was 7 or so that I happened to meet Draggoton. I won't drag the story by sayin how I got scared and how he assured me that he could never kill me even if he wished to though in reality he never even wished once. They are basically meant to work for their masters which currently is me. We have the power to control them and summon them. But due to some dimensional problem it got stuck into our dimension though it was never summoned cause I never knew anything of it. And it's body is still in the other dimension. So until he finds a way back to its dimension it needed a body and the most compatible one was mine since he recognised me as its master and it was actually glad that it found me. Most of my energy goes down because I need to keep in check that it's chakra doesn't control me though he himself won't let it happen but nature has it's own rules and going against it always costs you something. So he himself Keeps in check but I too at times need to do it. The fact that I got fever was because I ran out of chakra and used Draggoton's chakra that day which takes a toll on my body depending on how much I use. Though that day it was very little and my fever was very little but due to weather and your hard training it just got deteriorated and then I never wanted to become a burden but rather someone who could come in use so I never told you thinking it would go away like always. But the rest you know.."
"Ikada, firstly you should have informed me about your condition. Secondly this Draggoton well how long is it going to stay then?"
"Idk how much I know it said that it had got some news from its other two partners who said the dimensional problem that happened would soon occur again and they'll manage to detect it the moment it happens. So I guess it's about time. Soon enough within a few months for sure."
"Quite a story and I knew nothing about it and that mark on you I guess that's how the dragon looks?"
"Well you could say that cause I haven't been able to summon him yet since his body is trapped away there and his soul is inside of me."
"Interesting. Now that I know all of it would you tell me about your real parents?"
"No" It came out instantly out of her mouth as if it was part of her breathing. Kakashi was even more curious but he didn't push her any further since he respected one's privacy like he himself never tried to talk about his nightmares and past. He wanted to keep them away from anyone and particularly from his students.
"Alright. I won't press you anymore. You can rest now. And before you ask. The rest of them will be coming back in two days. The doctor has asked you to stay in hospital for a week and after that you can go to your home but even after you get discharged you need to rest your body since the wound was really deep."
"Alright I get it." she nodded in approval
"One more thing from here on you no longer are allowed to keep pertinent things away from me in the form of little secrets. Cause you see this little secret of yours almost got you killed."
He pointed an index finger at her while his other hand was resting inside his pocket.
"It's not that I care even if I'd died. I just wanted to die while protecting someone but to my dismay I couldn't even protect Haku."
"What? What did you just say? Are you trying to say it was a type of suicide?"
For more than anything he hated suicide the most. He considered it so immoral according to him that if he heard anyone talk about it he would go insane in that moment. And this time it was coming from non other than his own student. His father did it. His teammate Rin did the same. He was traumatised because of it. How could he keep up his calm on seeing his student being driven on the same destructive path?
"You can name it that way, but isn't it what Shinobis are supposed to do? Die while protecting others?"
"You're right but doing it while thinking that you can die because of this, is more than just wrong. You shouldn't be thinking this. What's exactly wrong with you I wonder."
"Nothing forget it."
"And wait a second how come I couldn't detect that you had fever that day? The day I trained you hard?"
"Well I told you about my Kekkei Genkai right? It helped me cast the hallucination that I was just fine but exhausted and the specialty is that the jutsu stays for a couple of hours even after the user dies or passes out."
"So it was all well executed....I see." He pinched his chin in understanding and nodded a little. "Now that you've told me everything I expect the same reciprocation from you in the future." With that he gave his iconic smile and teleported him to his house.
After 2 days
"Ika-chan Ika-chan are you alright now?"
Naruto almost burst open from the door making his way up to Ikada followed by Sasuke and Sakura
"Oh Naruto this is a hospital. Calm down Baka."
And yet again he was smacked on his head by Sakura
"Yes Naruto I'm much better now and I'll be discharged in 5 days."
"Thanks for that day." Sasuke spoke all of a sudden grabbing attention of everyone present there.
"What are you talking about?" Ikada Asked puzzled.
"Don't act as if you don't know." He rolled his eyes.
And then it came to Ikada.
"It's alright that was my duty to protect my people."
"Your people?" - Sasuke squinted his eyes as if trying to decipher the meaning behind it
"Yes, we are a team so you're all my people. Isn't it how friends are supposed to be?"
Ikada was trying hard to socialise actually. She felt rather nice to have a team and moreover someone to protect. The urge to protect yet again bought life back to her.
He just hmmed. Well Sasuke is Sasuke. Stubborn.
Ikada gave one of her most genuine smiles
"You're smiling?!!" Almost everyone in that room yelled
"Yeah, is it wrong or do I scare you?" Ikada asked almost like an oblivious person who didn't know why they reacted that way. Though her smile wasn't like how Naruto would smile always making anyone's heart warm. It still was much better than her faint smile.
"No I mean I - we have never seen you smile and you look pret..." Sasuke almost trailed off not realising he was blushing after realising what he was about to say.
After that everyone just stood there and laughed enjoying everything. It felt good. Ikada felt good. She felt warm. Her cold body lacked this warmth. The warmth of bonds. The warmth that everyone should get. The warmth that gave her a reason to be alive. Thank you, Haku. Was all she whispered in her thoughts.