To Tell a Tale
Written by DocBevCulver/"Aife"
Word Count: 2055
Summary: Kakashi Hatake wasn't sure what had prompted him to start a story with his former student, Sakura Haruno's, female Genin, but the quiet had felt… off for some reason as they sat in the small waiting area of the hospital.
Disclaimer: Nope I don't own Naruto or company, just borrowing them to have some fun. J
Author's Notes: This was posted for the Underneath the Underneath Anonymous Challenge at the KakaSaku Livejournal Community under the alias "Aife".
It has not been beta read. Please excuse the errors.
"It started with a bang." Kakashi Hatake deadpanned.
"What did?" asked Kiyo. Her dark brown eyes sparkled with interest as she gazed at the tall man that sat across from her. "And, don't stories usually start with 'Once upon a time'?" She asked, as she tossed her long brown hair over her shoulder.
He rubbed a hand through his silver hair, when he reached the back of his neck, he began to rub and gave a small laugh. "Yes, but this one is different." His sole eye creased with his cotton-masked covered smile.
He wasn't sure what had prompted him to start a story with his former student, Sakura Haruno's, female Genin, but the quiet had felt… off for some reason as they sat in the small waiting area of the hospital. Where Kiyo's teammates and Sensei currently occupied one of the treatment rooms after a C-Ranked mission had turned into a bloody B-Ranked.
He had just returned from his own solo mission and was signing-in at the gate when he felt Sakura and her Genin team's chakra. He turned to watch their approach, as they neared on the dirt path. At first, all he saw was the paleness of Sakura's face and the sadness in her green eyes. Then he spotted the small boy on her back, his face ashen and dull, blue eyes, appeared lifeless. His light brown hair plastered to his forehead from the gash that still oozed blood. His arms, which dangled from their perch on her shoulders, had long puffy lines running the length of them and dried blood caked to his skin.
His heart clinched in his chest as he thought the boy looked to be near deaths door. He knew how hard it was to lose a teammate and how much harder it would be to lose one that was your student.
When her gaze landed on him, her eyes changed to relief and a smiled graced her pink lips. "Kakashi" she said as she neared him.
"How is he?" He asked, when he could barely detect the boy, Rinji's, chakra.
"He should be fine." she gave a sigh. "Taking him to the hospital, along with Tadao." She indicated behind her at the young boy who had an arm draped over Kiyo's shoulders, as she helped him hobble slowly towards them.
Sakura gave a short humorous laugh as she began to walk in the direction of the hospital, "I understand hero worship, but this boy…" she indicated with a small shrug of her shoulder, "has taken it to a whole new level. I swear!"
"How so?" Kakashi asked, as he knelt in front of Tadao, to allow the shy, quiet boy onto his back. Once secure he quickly caught up to walk beside her.
"He's always talking about how Naruto is the best!" Sakura laughed slightly but then she frowned. "But today, he wanted to show me that he was just a strong and able as Naruto and charged into the fight with two S-Class nins before I could stop him. Saying "I'll protect you, Sensei!"." Sakura sighed and turned to look at him. "Do I give off a vibe that I need protecting?"
Before Kakashi could answer, Rinji spoke softly at Sakura's shoulder. "No, Sensei. I only wanted to do what the Hokage would've done for you, for anyone in this village."
Sakura sighed, tiredly. "I know. But from now on, can you at least think before you jump into a fight?"
Kakashi laughed, as he re-adjusted Tadao on his back. "Now, Sakura, if he did that he wouldn't be like our Hokage now would he?"
Kiyo laughed from behind them. "No, not from the stories I've heard."
Sakura smiled. "I suppose not." She lifted Rinji a bit higher on her back, causing the boy to grimace. "Let's hurry and get you two to the hospital. I'm nearly at my limit after fighting and healing the worse of your injuries. I might just drop right here."
Kiyo waited for Kakashi to continue. When he didn't, she cleared her throat.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and smiled. "Right, the story. Sorry."
Just as he was about to begin again, the door to the treatment room opened as Shizune ushered Sakura out of the room. "We'll take good care of them, Sakura, go get a shower and some rest would you." Shizune smiled. "You look like hell."
Sakura gave a tired sigh and pouted. "Fine." When she spotted Kakashi and Kiyo, she made her way toward them and took the seat next to Kakashi. She leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder, with a wide yawn. "Why are you two still here?" she asked with half lidded gaze directed at Kiyo.
"Kakashi-san was about to tell me a story. I think?"
Sakura smiled. "A story, eh?"
"Yes, I was going to tell her about the last mission you and I had right before you became her Sensei."
Sakura's eyes widen and she gasped. "No!"
This piqued Kiyo's interest even more. "Now I really want to know the story."
Sakura narrowed her green eyes at her former Sensei. "Don't you dare tell her that story!"
"Sakura. It's not that bad of a story."
Sakura huffed. "Says you."
Sakura sighed happily as she eased her travel worn body into the warm waters of the onsen. She was so thankful that Kakashi had remembered the little hide-away Inn with it heavenly facilities. Their travel had been long and boring, as they searched for any signs of the rogue Ninja that their merchant employer swore was after his goods. Sakura was beginning to think they had been sent on a wild goose chase when no clues had been found so far on this two-week long journey.
Just as she started to relax, something made her senses go to full alert. She searched the area around the onsen for any signs as to what made her feel like she was being watched. Suddenly one of the wooden boards of the wall which surrounded the water directly to her left shook then fell with a bang. As she prepared to fight, a rather large monkey suddenly sprang out and right into the water, beside her, with a large splash.
Sakura gave a surprised scream and stood quickly from the water, at the same time Kakashi crashed through the door that lead into the Inn, kunai drawn to take down whoever might be threatening his teammate.
The steaming water did little to hide anything and Sakura realized this too late when she saw her partners eyes. Yes both! His normal eye and the one that possessed the Sharingan, open wide and staring at her fully.
She shrieked again and attempted to cover herself. "Dammit, Kakashi, you pervert!"
He couldn't help it. He was a male after all and what man couldn't help but look upon such creamy skin and all that was normally hidden under her clothing. His mouth forgot to consult with his brain when he muttered, "Wow, you have nothing to be ashamed of!"
Sakura's eyes widen at the heated look in his eyes. She blushed and tried to ignore the heat that filled her belly at the look, by becoming defensive. "Oh my God! Stop looking already!"
Just as he was about to say more a male figure appeared in the opening of the wooden wall. Which caused Kakashi to move into action. First blocking Sakura from view and letting the intruder know he wasn't welcome. "Who are you?"
The intruder laughed, all the while trying to look around Kakashi at the female behind him. "Not that you will be able to tell anyone later. Once I've killed you and had my way with her, that is." He stated as he licked his lips. Sakura snuck a peek around Kakashi's shoulder and rolled her eyes at his audacity as he gave his name. "My name is Yukio."
Kakashi smirked. "Is that so?" Then he began to scratch thoughtfully his masked covered jaw. "What a coincidence that our merchant employer hired us to look for someone with the same name." Looked at the man more closely as he came into the light that filtered out of the broken Inn door. "Ah, you also look like the description we have been given of our rogue Nin we are to capture as well."
As Kakashi and the male, Yukio, continued to talk. Sakura quickly moved back to her clothing and donned her red shirt and black shorts quickly where she had left them next to the wall of the Inn. If she was going to fight, she really didn't want to do it nude, if possible.
Just as she smoothed the bottom of her shirt into place, she felt the shift in the air. Her head snapped up as Kakashi released his Chidori. Confused, as to why he would use it so quickly, but realizing she couldn't ask him now why. She poured her own chakra into her arms and prepared to help him take on the Ninja, if needed. 'I'll find out later.' she thought as the two men moved through the broken fence into the wooded area behind it.
The fight didn't end as quickly as Sakura hoped. Apparently, Yukio, had a few special jutsu's of his own that kept Kakashi hard at work. Finally, after several hours, Yukio laid before Kakashi in a pool of his own blood while her partner braced his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.
Sakura made her way to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
Sakura pushed chakra into his shoulder to check for any injuries she could not see and asked. "What made you use Chidori at the very beginning? Normally, you use that as a last resort."
As Kakashi turned in her direction, she noticed she could just see most of the lower portion of his face through his partially torn mask. From what she could see, she would have to say the same thing he had said earlier to her. 'Nothing to be ashamed.'
"He said something I didn't agree with."
"Oh, what was that?" she asked as she withdrew her hand, after finding no major injuries and straightened as he stood to his full height.
"That he could make you scream." At her confused look, he placed his hand on her cheek and gave it a soft stroke. "Not in fright or in anger as you did earlier. But… in carnal bliss."
Sakura's cheeks redden. She stomped her foot and narrowed her gaze down at the man at their feet. "Oh, if he wasn't already dead. I'd kill him myself."
Kakashi smirked. "I know. Luckily, I got that pleasure." Then he leaned in and softly whispered in her ear. "Although, I would rather hear the scream he mentioned for myself."
Sakura gasped and pulled back from him. Then punched him squarely on the shoulder and tried to ignore the way that statement made her stomach flutter. "Damn pervert. Don't think that will happen anytime soon."
Kakashi shrugged and gave her a cocky smile. "I can hope." Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he pitched forward.
Arms infused with chakra, Sakura caught him before he hit the ground and sighed. "Damn man overdid it."
Kakashi laughed. "In the end. The rogue Nin was taken care of and your Sensei," he spoke, as he brushed the pink hair from Sakura's forhead, as she laid pillowed on his thigh fast asleep. He gave a small laugh. "she nearly had to carry me back, much like she did for Rinji."
He smiled down at the sleeping face. 'So very beautiful…'
"Um… is that all?" Kiyo asked with a huff. "That can't be the end. The way Sensei acted, I thought it was going to be something really, really embarrassing."
Kakashi smirked at the young girl and then sighed happily at the memory of what actually happened later. After the hospital visit and then the dinner they shared the next night in his apartment. In fact, what happened for several days after that, but he wasn't about to give those details to the young twelve year old girl. Instead he just said, "No, actually. It ended with a cigarette."
The end. (Maybe)
