I've got a fire for a heart
I'm not scared of the dark
You've never seen it look so easy
Maiko thought herself to be a simple person. Her appearance was average, not a single aspect would stand out in a crowd. She had no extraordinary skills to make her well known as a Shinobi. She wielded her jutsu efficiently, but that was to be expected from a Konoha ninja. Even her position in the Anbu Black Ops was given to her out of pity. Maiko did not think much of herself at all.
What she believed were only flaws, people around her thought to be greatness. Maiko was not simple, but in fact held a sense of awe and complexity to her being. She was distant from those around her, completing missions with such speed that most other Shinobi envied her. She was raised not by a loving set of parents, but instead grew up by herself with nothing more than strong determination to push her forwards in life. Maiko was feared in the village for her harsh and brutal kills, but she was respected.
These reasons merely scraped the edge of how truly distinct Maiko was.
It was a cool summer morning and the sun had just begun to peak over the horizon. Maiko perched upon the railing of her balcony, overlooking the quiet village below. Although most her age would cringe to be awake at such an early time, Maiko enjoyed the tranquillity of the morning. She never really slept much anyways.
Golden locks blew lightly in the breeze, and piercing blue eyes stared forwards. Maiko knew it would only be a short time before her partner would come to retrieve her for their next mission. The Hokage had summoned both of them only a few minutes ago, and Maiko guessed that her egotistical, rule abiding comrade would come to drag her away soon enough.
How she hated being Anbu.
Closing her eyes, Maiko leaned her back against the building. She had only a few hours of sleep, and exhaustion was beginning to creep up on her. She often tried to sleep for longer than two hours at a time, but the nightmares that plagued her were too troubling. Maiko always figured it was easier to stay awake, knowing that soon enough she'd be called away once more.
The soft glow from the sun basked Maiko in subtle warmth, and she found herself sighing in peace. Not every morning was she able to relax like this, even if it was only for a few short moments.
As the breeze blew once more, and Maiko heard a light thud on the balcony next to her, she knew that her short time of relaxation had come to a screeching halt.
"The Hokage has summoned us."
When Kakashi spoke, irritation was evident in his tone. This caused the corner of Maiko's lips to turn upwards in a smirk.
"Good morning to you too, Scarecrow." Maiko replied, opening her eyes.
"Shut up." Kakashi shot back instantly, his expression turning even more sour.
"You even styled your hair this early in the morning. You really must be dedicated to making it look so fluffy." Maiko teased, hopping down off the railing and onto the rooftop below.
"Maiko. . ." Kakashi growled, dropping onto the roof beside her. "I've already told you how many times-"
"Yes, yes." Maiko answered, rolling her eyes. "It's natural, I know. Now, we're going to be late so hurry up."
Without waiting for a response, Maiko sprinted ahead, towards the Hokage tower. She had only her Anbu uniform, mask, and a small kunai pouch, but that was all Maiko ever needed. Most relied on their ninja weapons too much, but she favoured her jutsu. After all, Maiko's Taijutsu was horrid at best.
The two spoke no words on their short journey, seeing as it would turn into an argument anyways. Kakashi and Maiko could never seem to find common ground, always bickering over something. Most often Maiko found Kakashi to be arrogant and overconfident, where as he believed her to be sarcastic and stubborn. It was a rare occurrence for the two to hold a civil conversation.
Despite their constant disagreements, Kakashi and Maiko were known to be one of the most powerful two man teams within the village. They had taken down more targets than any other Shinobi, and never once had they failed. The two were both part of Team Ro, but often got sent on missions together due to their high success rate.
It appeared killing was their only way to agree.
Once the two had grown close enough to the Hokage tower, they body flickered simultaneously into the Third Hokage's office. He sat in his chair, fingers intertwined in front of his face.
"Kakashi, Maiko." Hiruzen Sarutobi greeted blandly, dipping his head.
"Lord Third!" The two replied in union, bowing onto one knee before him.
Maiko may feel distaste towards being in the Anbu, but she could never bring herself to dislike the old man before her. When her parents had been murdered during the Second Great Ninja War, he had ensured she could continue living free, not confined to one of the village's many orphanages. For that, Maiko felt she owed him her life.
"I thank you for arriving here so quickly despite the early time, but unfortunately this mission is of upmost importance." The Third explained, rising from his chair.
Maiko's interest peaked at his words, but she continued to keep her head bowed in respect.
"An S-Rank missing nin from Konoha has recently been spotted in the Land of Fire. Your mission is to track him down, and dispose of the criminal."
"Who is the target?" Maiko asked almost instantly, the exhaustion she once felt had completely disappeared. Adrenaline now burned through her veins.
"You may know him from your bingo books. His name is Hisashi Hisoka. He had abandoned the village months ago, stealing valuable intel and selling it to the Hidden Mist Village. This is treason at its worst. But be warned, he was once one of our most elite Shinobi, and he will not be easy to take down."
"Consider him finished." Maiko replied, her voice unwavering. After all, she always did enjoy a good challenge.
Kakashi stayed silent, and Maiko could sense the tense posture of her partner. She had accepted the blood on her hands, but Kakashi had never been able to come to terms with the death he caused.
"You leave immediately. Dismissed." The Third spoke, turning has back as the two body flickered out of his office once more.
Branches whipped past Maiko's face at an unreal speed as she sprinted deeper into the forest. The sky had begun to darken around her, and if not for her exceptional sight, she wouldn't have been able to see Kakashi twenty meters ahead.
The pair had left the Hidden Leaf Village fourteen hours previous, but had yet to catch sight of their target. Maiko was beginning to feel anxious, her nerves itching for a fight. Although she was only sixteen years old, Maiko had an excessive amount of stamina. Despite the fact that she and Kakashi had not taken more than two, ten minute breaks since departing from the village, she was far from tired.
Maiko found herself stifling a yawn of boredom when suddenly Kakashi came to a grinding halt, dropping to the forest floor below. He took cover behind an oversized pine tree at the edge of a small clearing. Even from this distance, Maiko could see his activated Sharingan. Raising a curious eyebrow, Maiko landing soundlessly next to him.
"Why'd you stop Scarecrow?" She questioned, her voice barely above a whisper.
Kakashi's face was concealed behind his Anbu mask, making it impossible for Maiko to gage his thoughts. He stayed quiet, ignoring Maiko's question. She bristled with annoyance, glaring at him through narrowed eyelids.
"Kakashi!" Maiko snapped this time after he continued to ignore her presence.
Kakashi snapped his head in her direction, slicing his hand across his throat in a silencing gesture. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Maiko chose to see what had caused him to stop, rather than wait for him to tell her. As Maiko peered around the edge of the pine, the sight she was greeted with nearly caused her to gasp in shock.
Three severely mutilated corpses lay strewn in the middle of the clearing. There wasn't much left of the bodies to identify, but Maiko was able to recognize a Konoha Hitai-ate next to one of the victims. Suddenly feeling anger boil in her stomach, Maiko sank back into cover next to her teammate.
"Now do you understand?" Kakashi hissed.
Maiko stayed silent, attempting to process what she had just witnessed. Death usually had little affect on Maiko, but everything about those bodies screamed danger.
"What do we do?" Maiko asked, her voice low.
"Those are Konoha Shinobi. We have to investigate." Kakashi replied, but Maiko could sense he wasn't so sure of himself.
That scared Maiko more than anything because Kakashi was always more than sure of himself.
"It could be an ambush.." Maiko stated, shifting to look at her partner.
"Doesn't matter. Could give us clues as to where Hisashi is."
"Or it could compromise the entire mission." Maiko suggested, a strong anxiety settling at the pit of her stomach.
Most often she would jump at an opportunity to trap a target in their own ambush. Maiko had no evidence to believe that something would go astray and tarnish her and Kakashi's perfect record, but in her gut, she could feel that something bad was going to happen.
"Maiko just do as I say." Kakashi sighed, exasperated. "I'll go check the corpses, you cover me."
"Fine." Maiko ground out, watching as Kakashi slowly made his way out of their shared cover without another word.
He may have held more seniority in the Anbu than she did, but damn did it annoy Maiko when he wouldn't even acknowledge her suggestions. She knew that her partner was likely walking into an ambush, but Kakashi was beyond stubborn.
Maiko peeked out from behind the pine, watching Kakashi as he cautiously approached the bodies. His Sharingan was spinning, and Maiko could only assume that he was keeping a close survey on the area around them.
The anxiety in Maiko's gut refused to leave her system, but she forced herself to focus on the forest around Kakashi instead.
The closer that the silver haired shinobi grew to the bodies, the greater the fear Maiko felt. As Kakashi bent down next to the closest corpse, Maiko felt a sudden chakra flare from the opposite end of the clearing. Kakashi's head snapped upwards, staring directly towards the unknown chakra, obviously sensing it too.
"Oh fuck." Maiko breathed, jumping out from her cover.
The moment she stepped foot into the clearing, and explosion shook the earth, sending Maiko flailing backwards into a tree.
"Fuck!" This time, Maiko swore out of pure anger. It wasn't often someone was able to send her flying first.
Maiko forced her eyelids open, ignoring the sharp pain that radiated through her skull. Across the clearing, she was able to spot Kakashi's unconscious form, blood seeping through his clothes in too many places. Growling, Maiko pulled herself on to her hands and knees, only to be forced into the earth once again.
"What the hell!" Maiko yelped, pain shooting throughout her entire body. She could feel her chakra being disturbed, and assumed it had to do with why she was sent flying backwards.
Struggling this time to move even her head, Maiko grunted as she glanced upwards towards Kakashi. Rather than seeing her dying teammate sprawled helplessly on the forest floor, Maiko instead saw a cloaked figure walking towards her, Kakashi flung carelessly over his shoulder.
"Who the hell are you?" Maiko growled, her voice sounding a lot less intimidating than she'd hoped for.
"You don't recognize me?" The ominous figure questioned as he approached. "I was under the impression you Anbu were trained to identify your targets immediately."
"So, you're Hisashi." Maiko answered, straining to keep herself from collapsing. "We've spent a long time looking for you, you're a hard man to find."
"And for good reasons." Hisashi replied, dropping Kakashi's body in the dirt.
Maiko's eyes flickered in Kakashi's direction, fighting to find any forms of life in her partner's body. Momentary relief washed over Maiko as she picked up on the shallow rise and fall of Kakashi's chest. This relief was quickly wiped away as reality came crashing back down in the form of Hisashi's boot to her face.
"I suppose that I didn't have to waste this much effort on an ambush. You two are pathetic excuses for Konoha Anbu." Hisashi spat, the venom clear in his voice.
Maiko's gaze flickered towards Hisashi, eyes burning with hatred. It was one thing to kick her quite literally when she was down, but there was no way Maiko was going to accept him degrading Kakashi. Maiko knew she was worthless trash, but Kakashi was the best of their generation. He was an absolute legend, a prodigy.
Sucking a sharp breath in through clenched teeth, Maiko pushed her torso up off the ground. Every single limb burned, and her chakra network felt entirely empty, but Maiko had no choice. She had to complete the mission or die trying.
"Don't bother, the jutsu I have placed on you is draining your life force as we speak. Moving will only make it worse for you." Hisashi stated, a sly grin on his lips.
"Well Hisashi, it appears that I may have underestimated you." Maiko replied, her words strained. "But you have also underestimated me."
With her remaining energy, Maiko summoned what chakra she had left to her legs, and she was finally able to rise to her feet. For the first time in Maiko's short life, she was grateful for the suffocating porcelain mask that hid her emotions from the world. Her face was contorted in pain, her breathing coming out in short gasps.
"Impossible!" Hisashi hissed, the confident smirk diminished.
"I fear you're going to learn just how sorely you managed to underestimate me."
Even as she spoke, Maiko knew her body would fail her soon. Her chakra was nearly gone, and she feared that even if Hisashi released the jutsu, she would have no chance to defeat him.
"You foolish girl." Hisashi growled.
Before Maiko could move, Hisashi flung a hidden kunai blade towards Kakashi, striking the already gravely injured jonin in the torso. Kakashi groaned in pain as fresh blood began to seep through his undershirt. Maiko's eyes widen with worry, and she wondered just how much blood Kakashi could afford to lose.
"You may be strong, no one has ever been able to break this jutsu. Your partner though, is weak. He will die without immediate medical attention." Hisashi states. "I will kill him here and now, unless you allow me to leave freely."
Maiko glanced down at her teammate once more, fear strangling her. Hisashi's was honest when he said Kakashi would die, but could she honestly let him? Was completing the mission worth more than her arrogant, stuck up, teammates life?
Was Kakashi nothing more than a pawn to the village? Was Maiko anything more than a killer? Could she ever face the village again, once she made her decision?
"Fine, but on one condition." Maiko growled, looking away from Kakashi.
"And what would that be?"
"You help me escape the Hidden Leaf Village." Maiko answered simply, her heart clenching as she spoke.
"What an interesting turn of events." Hisashi chuckles, the smirk plastered across his features once more. "You have yourself a deal."
Hisashi released the jutsu, and Maiko's legs gave out beneath her. She landed on her hands and knees before Kakashi's body, nearly gasping as she saw his eyes barely open, staring at her.
"Maiko, no.." Kakashi whispered, his voice weak.
Maiko could see the obvious pain etched into his eyes, and she knew it wasn't from his injuries. To Kakashi, the village and mission were first. Teammates were expendable, even if it was himself.
Maiko tore her eyes away from her partner, somehow finding the strength to pull herself out of the dirt once more. Konoha had always been her home, and she had served it loyally. Now, she would be treated as a deserter, nothing more than a coward.
"I will set off a beacon, only to save his life." Maiko spoke, a new coldness had seeped its way into her tone. "If we move fast they will not be able to track us."
Hisashi nodded before launching himself into the tree line, and out of sight. Maiko watched his retreating figure before once again kneeling next to Kakashi. She reached into his back pouch, pulling out a flare and striking it. Red smoke immediately shot into the sky, and Maiko watched as it burned.
"Please Maiko." Kakashi said, now barely conscious.
Maiko tore her Anbu mask from her face, and she knew if Kakashi was studying her features, he would see how deeply she was breaking inside.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi." Maiko whsipered her voice cracking.
Maiko set the porcelain mask on Kakashi's chest carefully before rising to her feet. She turned and sprinted after Hisashi, resisting ever urge she had to look back.
Authors Note:
You made it all the way to the bottom! Yay! First of all, thank you for giving my story a chance. I find that there is so many amazing Naruto fanfictions on this website, but not enough with a Kakashi and the OC's! They're honestly my favourite ;)
Anyhow, I know how annoying authors notes can be so I'll get to the point... This story will be rated M for language, and good ol' smut. This is my first Naruto fanfiction so I do hope to not butcher it. Please feel free to leave reviews, if you hate it or hopefully enjoy it. Any review is welcome!
Now, enough from me, go ahead and enjoy!