Chapter 36: The Promise
"We will reach the Leaf Village tomorrow," Jiraiya announced as we made our way to our hotel room for the night.
"Great," I muttered. I should have looked forward to seeing all my friends again, but I dreaded the explanations that would require. And the attention. Then something occurred to me as I glanced at Naruto. "I'm sorry."
Naruto looked over his shoulder while he entered the room. "What do you mean?"
"You deserve a magnificent homecoming, but everyone will probably be worried about my situation. I'm sorry for ruining everything."
Naruto merely grinned at me. "It's alright. Everyone should be worried about. I know I am. And I don't need the attention. I'll just be happy to be home. I can catch up with everyone later."
I followed him into the room, Tadeo at me heels. "Still, if you could keep their attention off of me, I would appreciate it."
Naruto laughed. "I'll see what I can do."
Tadeo hopped onto the closest bed. "Try to summon Kiku again. If she's still trapped, I'll lead a search party."
For Tadeo's sake, I hopped Kiku had been freed. Who knew what the Akatsuki would do to him otherwise? I took a deep breath and performed the summoning jutsu. I released my breath in a wave of relief when the calico cat appeared on the bed beside Tadeo. "Good, you're back," I said.
"Hey, good timing," Kiku said. "The Akatsuki are all moved out." She brightened when she noticed the other cat. "Tadeo! Long time no see."
"Kiku!" Tadeo exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how worried I - I mean, all of us - have been worried about you?"
Kiku swished her tail. "I'm sorry. I was on an important mission: helping Katsumi survive the Akatsuki." She smiled at me. "I think I did a pretty good job."
"But she's been miserable since we found her," Naruto said.
"That is to be expected after such a sudden separation." Kiku offered him a friendly smile. "It's great to see you, Naruto. How have you been?"
Naruto grinned at her. "Really good!"
"Excuse me," said Tadeo, "but you did not handle the situation well. You let Katsumi get close to Akatsuki members - the bad guys!"
Kiku gave him a critical look. "If she was cold and hostile, she would have ended up just like those 'bad guys.' It is the good guys who show compassion and kindness, regardless of the target. She retained her identity by treating them the same as everyone else. If anything, she had an influence on them because they responded in kind, acting like 'good guys."
"That makes sense to me," Naruto said.
Kiku beamed at him. "Thank you, Naruto. I always knew you were quite sensible."
"Thanks!" Naruto paused. "Hey, what's that around your neck?" He pointed to the small sack tied lightly with rope around the cat's neck.
"Oh, that's for Katsumi." Kiku looked at me, her ears flat. "It's from Deidara."
I froze at the mention of his name. When the cat moved closer, I took the sack from her with shaking hands. I let the contents fall on my palm. I took in a sharp breath at the sight of the beautifully sculpted phoenix in flight. "It's perfect." I retrieved the clay cat from my bag and set it next to the phoenix on the bed.
Kiku gave me a weak smile. "Hey, at least they're together."
"H-How is he?" I leaned against the wall and focused on my breathing, my hands clenching the blankets.
"This is another thing," Tadeo said. "I don't think-"
"Enough!" Kiku snapped, her hackles raised. Tadeo widened his eyes and moved back. "I know you don't approve, but there are things you don't understand that I don't have time to tell you about now. Please just sit there and be quiet while I talk to Katsumi." She glanced at Naruto and Jiraiya. "That goes for you too."
"We'll be as silent as mice," Jiraiya said, to which Naruto nodded.
"Thanks." Kiku sighed and looked at me with flattened ears. "Deidara is not doing well. At first, he was angry at Itachi. I was too."
"That makes three of us," I muttered.
"Maybe that's what Itachi wanted. Anger can help you deal with your negative emotions. It doesn't seem to have lasted long for either of you though."
"We don't have enough hate." I made a face. "He's wrong."
"Of course he is, but we'll deal with him later."
"Deidara was pretty upset then?"
"That's putting it lightly. He was crying, Katsumi. I never thought I'd see someone in the Akatsuki cry, even someone as emotional as Deidara. That means he knows what he's lost is important. That's something, right?"
My heart hurt just hearing about it. "How much good will it do? He's back to being alone, and I don't trust any of the other members to get close to him."
"Well, knowing that you're still out there and care for him should help him cope for awhile."
"And then what?"
Kiku shook her head. "I don't know. You've got to find a way to get him out of there. You know he's not happy there and would leave if he got a better offer. Give him somewhere else to go."
"I never got a chance to have a conversation like that with him because Itachi let me go without warning." Not that I had planned that far ahead. Planning seemed to go out the window when I was with him.
"Then you'll just have to find another opportunity to reach him," Naruto said, "and I'm going to help you!"
I looked at him in surprise. "Naruto?" I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.
Naruto grinned at me. "Don't worry about a thing, Katsumi. If you care about this guy so much, I'll help you save him. And I'll do whatever I have to do to make sure he has a place in the Leaf Village. I promise you, and I never break a promise. That's my ninja way."
"Great, you're making another promise you can't keep," Tadeo mumbled. Kiku swatted him on the head.
Gratitude swept over me, and I jumped off the bed to engulf my friend in a hug. "I love you, Naruto! You haven't changed a bit." I was right about him. I could count on him and probably my other friends as well.
"Love you too," Naruto said as he hugged me back. "You haven't changed either. You still like dangerous people."
I pulled back and chuckled. "They're more interesting than safe people."
"Naruto," Jiraiya said with an edge to his voice, "you should think carefully about this. He is part of the Akatsuki, and you know they are after you."
"I don't care," Naruto said. "If Katsumi sees good in him, it must be there."
"Deidara won't touch Naruto if Katsumi is with him," Kiku said. "Besides, Naruto is Itachi's target, not Deidara's."
Naruto gave her a curious look. "Target?"
"The Akatsuki are after all nine of the tailed beasts, not just the Nine Tails," I said. "They each have a specific target." Jiraiya stared at me. "That's all I know, but it's more than the Leaf Village ever told me."
"There are others like Gaara and me?" Naruto said in wonder.
"Who is Deidara's target?" Jiraiya asked.
I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know. We didn't really talk about this stuff much. I was there for a reason that went beyond the village and the Akatsuki, and I thought I had a better chance at surviving if I didn't learn too much."
Jiraiya dipped his head. "I can understand that."
"We'll just have to get Deidara out before he goes after his target," Kiku said.
"Even if you succeed in convincing him, as a rogue ninja, he may not be welcome in the Leaf Village or any village. "
"Well, he's not from the Leaf Village, so he technically didn't break our laws."
"But he is still a known criminal."
Kiku swished her tail. "The Hokage can issue pardons, can't she? We'll convince her."
"And then you'll have to convince the rest of the village. Do you really think they'll easily accept him?"
"I'll make sure they accept him!" Naruto said. "I got them to accept me, didn't I? I'll teach Deidara how to earn their respect." He looked at me. "Everything will work out if we do it together, right?"
I smiled at him. "Right, Naruto. We will definitely succeed." For the first time since I left the Akatsuki I felt hope.
Jiraiya shook his head. "It looks like there's no convincing you."
"Fine, pursue your hopeless dreams," Tadeo said. "You'll have to face reality eventually." He turned to Kiku. "Do you want to go home now?"
"Actually, I'm going to stick with Katsumi until we speak with the Hokage," Kiku said. "She might need the information I have."
"Fine. Then I'll stay too." He curled up beside her on the far side of the bed.
I reached my hand out to Naruto. "Will you stay with me?"
Naruto smiled. "Of course." He climbed into bed with me, and the four of us drifted off to sleep. This time, nightmares did not haunt me.
***
I started to recognize my surroundings around midday. Naruto and Kiku had kept the silence at bay, but they stopped talking when someone came into view. Kakashi. He stood midst the trees, waiting for us. I froze when our eyes met. What was I supposed to say to him? I had left him and did not try to get back to him. I was not ready for this.
"Hey, it's Kakashi sensei!" Naruto said energetically. His smile faded when he looked at me. "Katsumi, are you alright?"
I swallowed, but my throat was still too dry to speak. Kiku rubbed against my leg. "You'll be fine," she said softly. "Come on." With her beside me, I slowly moved forward.
"Hello, Katsumi," Kakashi said. "I'm glad to see you are well."
Tears filled my eyes as everything came to the surface. "I'm sorry, Kakashi."
Surprise flashed in his eyes. "Whatever for?"
"I went to Itachi out of my own free will. He gave me this." I held up my wrist to show him the bracelet. "I did not know he would take me away, but I still consented to know him."
Kakashi lightly touched the bracelet. "Katsumi-"
"And I'm sorry I didn't try to escape. I'm sorry I went along with their plan. I'm sorry I became close to people you wouldn't approve of. I'm sorry I wanted to stay there with them. I'm sorry I was upset when Itachi brought me back. And I'm sorry for the things I've learned that I can't tell you. I didn't- I never knew the truth could be a burden."
Kakashi sighed. "Oh, Katsumi." He closed the distance between us and gently wrapped his arms around me. "It's alright. I don't blame you for any of that. I'm just glad you're home now." I clung to him as I finally let the tears fall. I did not know how I expected him to react, but his acceptance was soothing.
"Kakashi sensei?" Naruto said hesitantly. "What's wrong with her?"
"She's been through a lot, Naruto. She needs time to heal."
"We should keep going," Jiraiya said.
Kakashi pulled back from me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Are you good to go on?"
"Yeah," I said. I had to face everyone eventually. I wiped my eyes with the backs of my hands and then started forward once more.
"Don't worry," Naruto said as he fell in step beside me. "We'll get through this together."
I smiled slightly. "Thanks."
"Naruto," said Kakashi, "it is good to see you too. We'll catch up later."
Naruto grinned at him. "You bet, sensei!"
I braced myself as we walked through the gates. I was back. The people we passed stopped and looked at us. Some of them whispered to each other. I was not sure if they were looking at Naruto or me. Probably both. No one bothered to approach us except for two people I actually recognized: Temari and Shikamaru.
"Katsumi!" Temari exclaimed, abandoning her companion to run to me. "You're alright!"
"Of course I am," I said. "Oh yeah, you and your brothers were here when I went missing. I almost forgot about that."
Temari placed her hands on her hops. "We didn't forget. What happened?"
I rubbed the back of my neck and gave her an awkward smile. "Well... Itachi Uchiha wants to help me close the portal."
Temari blinked. "Are you serious?"
"Apparently," said Tadeo.
"Katsumi," Shikamaru said, finally catching up to Temari, "you escaped from the Akatsuki."
"Not exactly," I said. "I was let go."
"That doesn't sound like them."
I crossed my arms. "And what do you know about them?"
Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. "Enough."
"And that is enough of that," said Jiraiya.
I decided he was right and turned back to Temari. "How is Gaara doing?"
"He's doing well, all things considered," said Temari. "He didn't take your disappearance too well. It took effort to convince him to leave the searching to the Leaf. He'll be glad to know you're safe. I'm sure he'll want to stop by to check on you soon."
I gave her a small smile. "That would be nice."
"Hey, Temari," said Naruto, "what are you doing here?"
"Shikamaru and I are helping with the Chunin exams," Temari said.
"It's such a drag," said Shikamaru, "but what can I do?"
"Alright, you two," said Kakashi, "we need to see the Hokage as soon as possible."
Temari nodded and looked at me. "I'll be here for awhile, so come find me later, alright?"
"Sure thing," I said. Then I walked off with the others towards the Hokage's office. I stopped before entering, for my family stood in front of the building.
"Katsumi!" Habiki and Makoto cried, running to me. I held out my arms and hugged them both.
"We're glad you're alright," said Habiki.
"Yeah," said Makoto, "we were worried."
"We were all worried," said Nariko. She gave me a small smile.
"You didn't have to worry," I said as I pat my cousins' heads to make them let go. "I was fine. I was never really in any danger."
"Not physically, obviously," said Kotaro. He frowned when I looked at him. "Clearly, there's been a mental effect."
"Don't worry," said Naruto. "She'll get over it and be as good as new in no time."
Kotaro turned away. "That remains to be seen."
"We are happy to have you back, Katsumi," Seija said. "We'll make sure to have a magnificent meal ready for you after your meeting."
I smiled slightly. "Thanks." Even though food was the last thing on my mind right now.
"Then we will head in now," said Jiraiya. "Tsunade is expecting us."
I swallowed hard. "Right." I knew I would have to report to her, but I was not looking forward to the upcoming conversation.
"I will join you, if you don't mind," said Kotaro. I did mind, but I did not think he was asking me.
Jiraiya glanced at Kakashi, who dipped his head and said, "Very well." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "It is time." And so, we entered the building and wandered through the halls.
Kakashi knocked on the Hokage's door. "Come in," said Tsunade. I followed him into the room, focusing on my breathing to keep myself calm. Shizune and Sakura stood over Tsdunade's desk, and all three looked at us as we entered.
"Katsumi!" Sakura exclaimed. She ran to me and engulfed me in a hug. "I'm so glad you're alright!"
"Thanks," I said, hugging her back. "I'm sorry I worried you."
Sakura pulled back and shook her head. "It wasn't your fault. I know you didn't mean for all of this to happen."
"Hi, Sakura!" Naruto said cheerfully.
Sakura gave him a small smile. "Hello, Naruto. Welcome back."
Naruto grinned. "Thanks!"
"Katsumi," said Tsunade, "welcome home. I'm sorry to bother you so soon after your return."
"No, I understand," I said. I might as well get everything out there if I would have to explain to explain it all eventually anyway. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was time to begin.