Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Who knew... ❯ 24. A SHOULDER TO CRY ON ( Chapter 24 )

24. A SHOULDER TO CRY ON

 

…Come look for me, Asuka-kun…I will be there for you, when you'll feel that the whole world betrayed you. I will be by your side. Come to look for me…

 

These words kept echoing in a crying teenage girl's mind.

 

I will be there for you, when you'll feel that the whole world betrayed you. I will be by your side.

 

`The whole world…Orochimaru was right. Orochimaru was right, and he was telling the truth.' She said, wandering down the street, desert in the middle of the night.

Just walking around, with no destination.

She looked at anything the moonlight touched with hatred. She no longer felt as if she belonged, there.

 

… if you stay, you will suffer. A lot. You will be alone. All alone…in a town full of known faces that will look stranger and hostile to you…

 

She thought at Orochimaru's words. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps she would really have come to him, looking for the power to make suffer those who made her suffer.

Or maybe, just to get stronger.

Just to get away from that place.

To go away from the clan, and never seeing their faces again. She couldn't think of anything better.

 

… the whole world betrayed you…

 

She froze in the middle of the street, a relieving thought making its way in her mind.

 

She hadn't been betrayed by the whole world.

 

Drying her eyes with a sleeve of the short yukata she was still wearing, she sniffed, and began running towards what looked like the only source for her salvation.

 

* * *

Hatake Kakashi was definitely not a light sleeper. That was the conclusion Asuka came to, after 10 minutes of knocking on his door.

She had began politely, with light knocks. But now, she feared that if she hit the door any harder, she would have torn it into pieces. Not to mention, woken up all of the man's neighbors.

 

She was feeling hot, maybe as a side effect of the tension, the running, the anger. She took off the yukata, remaining with a white sleeveless t-shirt and a pair of black short shorts. Actually, not really the perfect choice of what to wear, while knocking on the door of a 20-years-old jounin.

 

Finally, after the ninety-ninth knock, she heard steps approaching the door. Oh, arigato, kami-sama.

 

She heard the click of the door getting unlocked, and was then faced by a sleepy (if not sleeping) Kakashi.

 

He was quite a sight.

 

The black mask on, but no hitai-ate, hair if possible even messier than usual, he was wearing just a pair of boxers.

 

Mh. Awesome.

 

The white haired jounin rubbed his eyes, the Sharingan one closed even if not hidden.

 

Then he realized, he had his door open, in the middle of the night, in front of a very poorly dressed Asuka-chan, eyes red as if she had the Sharingan, sobbing uncontrollably.

 

“Asuka…chan?” he asked, more a question to himself and his mental sanity than to the girl in front of him.

 

Her hair was let go, and she looked very frail. Surely more than she had ever been.

 

“Ka…Kakashi!” she sighed loudly, throwing herself on the young man's chest and beginning to sob even more.

 

“Asuka-chan, come in…” Kakashi was surprised. He didn't really know how to behave, but he supposed that staying there on the door wasn't a good choice.

 

Keeping her against his chest, he took her to the sofa, and began stroking gently her hair.

 

“Shh, hush now, don't you cry, Asuka-chan…” he whispered in her ear, trying to calm her down.

 

The sobs still shook her, but at least now she looked calmer.

 

“Good. Now, would you care to tell me what's wrong?” he asked, trying to sound as soft and gentle as he could. He didn't mean to interrogate her.

 

Oh. He had Asuka, his Asuka-chan, sobbing in the middle of the night in his arms. Whoever made her suffer, was going to pay with their lives, Kakashi thought. And he was going to kill them slowly, enjoying their agony, and trying to make it last as long as he could.

 

Oh. Snap out of these thoughts, Kakashi.

 

“Kakashi…” the girl began, sniffing. He handed her an handkerchief. “Sumimasen, Kakashi. I'm so sorry, that I came here sobbing like this…I know that you are a busy man, that probably you have to wake up early and all…but…but it's just that…I didn't know where to go!” she exclaimed, sighing.

 

“My, Asuka-chan.” he cuddled her against his chest, still stroking her hair. “You are far more important than what I have to do tomorrow.” The young man said. And, after all, at the Hokage tower they were used to him being late and coming up with lame excuses.

 

“He…he had told me the truth…” Asuka sighed.

 

“Who, Asuka?”

 

“Orochimaru…Orochimaru had told the truth, and I didn't believe him…when…when you fainted, and I was alone with Itachi and Orochimaru” the girl explained “the Sannin told me that in konoha they were already…they were already celebrating my…my engagement. And I didn't believe him!” she sighed.

 

Now, Kakashi wasn't expecting anything like that. Orochimaru? Engagement?

 

“Engagement, Asuka-chan?” he asked, rather confused. Ok, he was a genius, but he knew nothing about what Asuka was saying.

 

Asuka fell silent. After a couple of moments, she looked at him straight into the eye.

 

“My family engaged me…to Uchiha Itachi.” She announced.

Kakashi was shocked.

 

Asuka.

 

Engaged.

 

To Itachi.

 

…what?

 

“And…” he began, but was interrupted by her.

 

“And I refused, of course. At first. I told them that I would have rather killed them all…but then I thought. If it's not me, it's my brother. And…” she paused, as if regretting the decision she had made “…and become head of the clan. Marry the bastard. Change the rules. And leave.” She said.

 

Kakashi was now rather disappointed, too. She had sort of agreed. Not willingly, not happily, but she had.

 

“And…and Orochimaru told me…to look for him. He told me to look for him to get my revenge on them. He told me that when I would have been all alone, he would be on my side.” The girl went on.

 

“But then I thought. I am not all alone. Am I, Kakashi-sempai?” she asked, and allowed a small, sad smile adorn her lips.

 

The man shook his head. “You are not all alone, Asuka-chan. As long as I live, and hopefully even after, you are not going to be alone.” He stated, making the girl smile heartedly, and hold him closer.

 

“You know, Kakashi-sempai…” she began, looking away, almost distractedly. “I thought I had begun having feelings for…for Itachi.”.

 

Again, Kakashi was disappointed. `I knew it, Asuka-chan. I think everyone knew. And probably that's one of the reasons that made your clan pick him, instead of someone else. But you'd kill me, if I told you that.' The white haired man thought, scratching the back of his head.

 

“Listen.” He said. “Now take a quick shower. In the meanwhile, I'll prepare something. How about a…post midnight snack?” he suggested, smiling.

 

“Oh, I would love it, Kakashi-sempai.” She said, almost happily. Then her face darkened, and she assumed an expression that Kakashi couldn't help but find adorable, cute, innocent. “Does that mean that tonight I can sleep here?” she asked, suspiciously.

 

“Of course, Asuka. And if necessary, you can sleep here as long as you need. Tomorrow we'll ask Ren to bring some of your belongings there, and will ask Hokage-sama to find a temporary place for you to stay.” Kakashi smiled. “I don't think it's a good idea to go back to the Yoshizumi compound, after you threatened to slaughter them all, except for Ren and Shin-chan.” he added, walking towards the bathroom and showing her where the towels were.

 

Asuka nodded. “I don't think so, either.” She announced. The young white haired man ruffled her hair, and headed to the kitchen.