A Shift Between Dimensions

Kakashi could not remember a time when the gates of the village were such a blessed sight in his life.  The last ten months had been hell.  There was no other way to look at the whole thing.  He had regretted leaving as soon as they had left the village with Sasuke through the portal that had taken them very far away from there... galaxies away... dimensions away.  They had been to so many places in their hunt for those that had attacked the Leaf.  There was so many realities that it was shocking, even to him who had seen many things in his life.  They had gone on the offensive and ended up on the defensive again and again.  Sasuke's power was terrifying when unleashed as was his deadliness.  Finally after such a long time, they had hit them in the center of their operations, eliminating them and the threat they posed.  The village was safe now.

However it was not the battles or the losses that had been hell.  It was his heart and conscience that had plagued him.  He had really fucked up and had known he had the minute they were teleported to the first world.  He had wondered with a deep down sickness in his gut if Yamato had done what he said he was going to do and claimed Sarah as his own.  They could be married by now... he'd been gone almost a year.  It made him sick but it also made him angry, that uncontrollable jealousy burning in the edges of his mind - a jealousy he no longer had a right to because he had thrown her away like trash as he ran in fear.  He had treated her so wretchedly and it was that knowledge, that he had stomped on the love she had for him, that had plagued him all ten of those months.

As he walked through the gates with what was left of his group - minus Sasuke who was off on another adventure now, Genma and Kotetsu called out to the group but he was then surprised when both men gave him a dark frown.  Everyone else had gotten a warm greeting for returning home.  That was... interesting.

He narrowed his eyes slightly as he continued down the street.  He wanted to go home but it wasn't his home anymore.  He had given it to Sarah... but he still found himself going in that direction.  As he walked, he was startled to see a number of people giving him looks of disdain as he passed by them.  He had not had that many looks of disgust since he had killed Rin.  It was a bit startling actually because as the Hokage, he had finally been forgiven for all the years of darkness by the villagers.  The title Cold Blooded Kakashi had died.... but now, it was like he had been teleported back to those years so long ago.  What in the hell?

Kakashi saw a flash of movement from the corner of his eye and was surprised as he saw Klaudia darting off the street and down an alley.  His eyes narrowed.  He knew she was probably on her way to warn Sarah that he had returned.  He was a bit surprised at how awkward she was moving then realized she was very pregnant.

Klaudia almost died when she saw Kakashi strolling down the street.  She had just been on her way back home from work when she caught sight of that silver hair and the stride that was so familiar.  She gasped and quickly turned into the alley so he wouldn't see her.  She had to warn Sarah that he was back.  The last thing she wanted was for her to be blindsided and then do something foolish in her panic.  Sarah had spoken often with her about her fears for when Kakashi returned.  Her biggest that he would take Strider from her.  Klaudia didn't think Kakashi would do that.  She had told her as much but Sarah was so broken from the way he had left she had cast him into a full villain role.  What love she had for him was now almost an equal hatred.  She cursed that she was not very fast because she wanted nothing more than to start running in that moment.

She gave a startled gasp when Kakashi abruptly dropped in front of her.  She then cursed, he must have saw her.  He raised his hands up in what she knew was meant to be a symbol of peace but she saw red.

"What the hell do you want?" she snapped at him.  "You could have caused me to go into labor scaring me that way!"

His brows shot up, not at all expecting sweet and caring Klaudia to have so much venom in her voice.  "Whoa... I'm sorry I startled you that wasn't my intention."

She glared at him, "Then get out of my way.  I don't want to look at you let alone talk to you after what you did!  How could you, Kakashi?  You have no idea how broken you made her.  She's not the same person she used to be and it's all your fault."

Kakashi flinched at the words, "I fucked up, I know I did but-"

"Just stay the fuck away from her.  If you have any decency left in you, stay the fuck away from her and leave her alone."  Klaudia moved around him.  "And stay the fuck away from me too.  If I wasn't pregnant, I'd punch you in the nose."

Kakashi's brows shot up at the words coming from her of all people.  "Wait, is Sarah the reason why everyone is giving me death looks?"

Klaudia looked over her shoulder at him and smirked a little.  "Yes and no.  You'll understand soon enough... and just for clarity, she hasn't badmouthed you to anyone.  They put it together all on their own."

Kakashi was even more confused than ever now.  What in the hell happened while he was gone? He wanted to grab her and make her tell him everything but he was not about to have a very angry Konahamaru coming after him for manhandling his wife.  He shoved his hands further into his pockets before wordlessly turning away from her and starting back to his place.  That settled it in his mind, he had to see Sarah now.  Klaudia's request to stay away from her be damned.

He leaped up to the rooftops, not wanting to encounter any more hateful glares or worse, confrontations before he found her.  He went straight to the apartment he had given her and dropped onto the balcony.  He paused, noting how withered everything looked outside as if no one had gone out on the balcony in a very long time.  After a flick of the wrist, the doors opened and as he walked inside he was hit with a wave of stench.  He wrinkled his nose as he stepped further into the room.

A layer of dust was everywhere.  In the center of the room, he saw the key he had given Sarah.  So she had left.  He went to the kitchen and saw the note he had left her, crumpled up on the counter.  He opened the fridge, locating quickly the source of the stench.  Everything was just as he had left it that morning.  She must have left that same morning.  He cursed beneath his breath as he started looking around.  The bed was still unmade and he vaguely touched it, remembering the last time he was with her.  He continued his walk through and felt a pain in his heart as he saw that she had left everything he had ever given her behind and a few other items that would have held memories.

He dumped his bag on the floor and sat down heavy on the edge of the bed.  He put his head in the palm of his hand for a long time, almost feeling the anguish that had been left behind.  He had truly lived up to the name he had been given in his act.  He had not even had the courage to tell her face to face because he knew he would have weakened and not followed through with it.

Abruptly he stood and left the apartment, heading next to the bookstore.  It was getting close to closing time and if he hurried, he would catch her before she left.  By the time he got there, the doors were closed and locked.  She must have left a little early and he cursed.  He was going to have to talk to someone about where to find her.

Iruka.  He would tell him.  If he didn't, Naruto would; however, he really didn't want to see him right now.  He hoped that Iruka would open up before he had to go to the Hokage for answers.  He was certain he would tell him, he was his friend after all.