So yeah! This is the oneshot I've been working on, for AGES! I know, I know, it's huge. But I couldn't bring myself to make more chapters out of it. I hope you really like this story! :) Please read and review if you like!
-Flyingswallow
The daimyo was sitting calmly on his bedroom when he heard noise coming from the main hall of his palace. Then, a rush of hurried steps was heard, probably his guards and soldiers rushing to seek the intruder and kill him or her. It was the time of the Great War between human and magical beings. Humans fought against them, though inside the Demon's side there were two bands; the good demon's one, and the evil band. A serie of growls and howls could be heard in the distance, the long and haunting yowls of the various demons and other magical creatures fighting against the humans who had finally rebelled against them, leadered by Takuro who held an insanely hate for every magic creature, either good or bad.
Takuro Yokohima, the village's daimyo was feeling suddenly very afraid, ever the demon hater, he had done very bad things to those non-human beings. A chill ran through his spine but he suppressed it swiftly, he would not be harmed, his guards were the finest and most precise warriors he had found. He lit up some tobacco and started smoking casually, his eyes set in the high and bloody red fullmoon that glared him back, menacingly. Then the shouts and cries from the battle that was being held on the hall, stopped suddenly. He smirked, his men were unstoppable, to think that he had feared for his life…
The door slid softly and he heard footsteps, he waited for the captain to bring him the report of the battle, but when he heard anything but the halting of the footsteps a few meters from him, he started to turn his head slowly.
He was met with a young woman, long flowing pink hair that reached her ankles and toxic green eyes that bore through him with a coldness that left him frozen on the spot. A bead of sweat ran down his cheek.
"W-Who are you?" he demanded, even though his normally collected expression was failing him, the unwavering gaze never leaving his eyes.
"You know all too well…Yokohima-sama…" her voice was way too sweet for containing that much hate and anger - look at my face, and tell me what you see.
Her figure flickered, and within seconds he found her really close, he was about to step back but he met the wall and couldn't escape from her. Takuro's dark eyes took in the appearance of her, she wore sorceress' clothes; consisting in a red hakama and white kimono shirt, but over all this she also wore a bloody red samurai armour with a design of a cherry-blossomed tree. She was armed with an arrow bow and a black katana, its blade shining with droplets of ruby coloured blood. Half her face had been covered with a metallic protector against fumes, but when she had asked him to look at her, she had lowered it, showing him her face. Takuro tried to place her face into someone he might know; an enemy? No…A villager? No, no! Then he looked at her ears, normally sized, but it's peak was pointed, she was a half-elf, she was a demon! A magical creature, that's why she wanted to kill him! She was the leader of the pure creatures band! He had heard of her, that she was unstoppable, unforgivable and unforgettable.
She saw a flicker of knowing through his beady black eyes and with a movement all too quick for him to get, she sliced his throat. Yokohima made a gurgle in surprise and fell on his knees, both his hands grabbing his neck tightly. A splotch of blood had stained the stranger's pink haired bangs when she had cut him and suddenly Takuro's heartbeat skyrocketed. She was her! Now he knew who she was, and why she was really here. Her now reddish bangs framed her perfectly carved pale face, exactly like Akane's face, though her eyes were her father's…
"S-S-Sa-sa-ku-sakura…" his brain swirled, feeling his world starting to blur in a black haze.
"This it's the end…"she whispered before leaving the disgusting daimyo to die in his realisation of who she was.
Her mother's name was Akane, she was the prettiest maid in the court that formed Takuro's staff. Her short, slightly curled and stark red hair was one of her best features. She had a pert little nose, a cute freckle under her right eye and the warmest brown eyes. Takuro took an instant liking to the maid and was also flirting with her, but Akane didn't answer his flirtings back and went on with her work. The daimyo was obsessed with her, insanely obsessed, he hid it well to others but you could see by the way his dark eyes raked over the woman's form.
One day, Akane had been down by the riverside washing some futons when she heard a soft rustle. Suddenly halting her movements she turned to see a handsome elf looking at her. On that age, it was common to see magical creatures mixing with humans; sure some just messed around and killed people, but that's why evil demon's exterminators were for. The elf was tall with long and pointy ears, his long silvery hair flowed on his back and his emerald eyes shone with the river's reflections.
"Hi, I'm Mizuro, nice to meet you." then he sat near her and continued to watch her as she worked. Akane found it weird at first, but soon enough they started to chatter happily and after a few years, they both fell in love. Akane got pregnant with Mizuro's child but continued staying at the daimyo's palace working, for she knew that Takuro was really obsessed with her and would be really angry with her, should she leave. Also she feared that he found out of the baby and Mizuro, because she knew the Yokohima man was really averse to demons. The 28th of March, Akane gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She had her father's sparkling green eyes, a smaller (and more normal sized) version of Mizuro's ears and a mix of both their parents' hair. Looking at the reddish-pink tuft of hair, they both named her Sakura. Sakura grew at the daimyo's palace as Akane's adopted girl. Akane told Takuro that she had found the baby at the garden and asked if she could keep her. The daimyo granted her request for he saw no menace in the little kid, who wore a red ribbon that ended in a little bow covering both her ears. Her mother had presented her to Heiwa, a middle aged woman who was the village's sorceress and fought against evil demons, to Sakura, Heiwa was like her grandmother. Mizuro went often to meet Akane at the riverside to see Sakura away from Takuro's eyes, the elf man wanted to be recognised by her daughter.
Sakura had been 6 years when, in one of those meetings with her beloved parents, the daimyo appeared suddenly; fuming and very angry. Both his eyes looked glazed over with fury, and he started shouting and calling for his guards. They captured her parents and killed them right there, decapitated. The daimyo had laughed crazily when he threw a kick at his father's beheaded corpse and then, little Sakura took her opportunity to run towards Heiwa's cot.
She told everything to the woman and she took her under her wing. Heiwa taught Sakura everything he knew about being a sorceress, she taught her to channel her chakra to heal injuries or put it in the tip of an arrow to purify bad spirits. She taught her also to use a sword and to fight. Years passed by and Heiwa died peacefully on her bed one night, telling her that there was nothing more left for Sakura to learn, and that she had loved the little pink-haired girl like a grandmother would.
When Sakura was 22 years old, the Great War between demons, exploded. Takuro lead the human division against demons, but they didn't mind if they killed good magical creatures or bad ones, they were uncaring of that, hordes of angry humans shouting for more blood. The evil demons took that as an opportunity to kill more humans, now that the good demons were distracted with war to stop them. When Sakura fulfilled her revenge, she retired to another village, helping villagers for free and living peacefully, carrying her sins of anger and revenge with her.
"So…you know what to do now, demon-hunter." A dark haired man said to a silver haired one.
"I'll go there and I'll see for myself if I agree or not. I'll tell you when I make a decision."
"Okay, do as you please…" the creepy smirk on Yokohima Sanzo's face was unsettling to the 32 year-old Hatake Kakashi.
The spiky haired tall man took his leave and went to his house to pack for a little trip.
She looked young, about 20 years old or close by. Her long long hair was pulled in a classic sorceress kind of way, her bangs tied loosely to the low pig tail. But she wore an addition, a small part of her hair had been braided and pulled over her head as a diadem, hiding the tips of her ears. He highly doubted she was an elf, even though she kept them covered, her ears were not as large as normal elves' were…He observed her more from his hiding spot on a high maple-tree branch which was in full bloom, that way covering his figure. The pink haired woman was collecting plants from the high grassed field, probably for medical purposes, a little dark haired girl fluttering to and fro around her, like a little butterfly flapping the sleeves of her kimono.
"Sakura-san! Sakura-san! I found the plant you asked me for!" The excited girl shouted from a spot a few yards in front of the tree he was currently crouched at.
The sorceress calmly walked to where the girl was and picked a few leaves and put them on her basket.
"Thanks a lot, Yume-chan." She smiled a beautiful and gentle smile at the toothy grin the little girl shot her when she placed her hand on the girl's curly black hair.
"Yumee-chaaan! C'mon let's go play!" a boy said from the other side of the field while he blushed at the little wave the pink haired sorceress gave him.
"Bye Sakura-san! See you tomorrow!" the girl ran towards the boy and they both left the field, leaving the young woman alone.
A soft breeze passed, making her wavy hair flutter around her face and Kakashi caught her sweet scent in the air, almost mouth-watering. She had her eyes closed, enjoying the warm sensation of the sun softly heating her face.
Kakashi sighed and got up to leave, he wouldn't kill a good person, even if it was a demon or a magical creature, if she wasn't doing anything bad he wouldn't kill her. That Sanzo prick would have to find another one to do it, even if he was the best of his profession. His sandaled feet made a teeny tiny soft sound against the bark of the tree and he suddenly found an arrow impaled barely a few inches beside his ear, the object still vibrating slightly with the force it had been given to it. Kakashi stood still, his eyes widened, and his back against the tree trunk. He lowered his eyes to where he had lastly seen the woman and found her there, haunting green eyes flashing angrily, and bow tensed, another arrow resting there and prepared to be thrown.
"Who are you? Show yourself or else…" her voice took an angry edge, so different from the soft tones she had used while talking to the little girl.
"Uh…"he dropped from the tree to the ground, landing there as silently as a cat would "Hahahaha!" The spiky haired man scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "Well…yo!" he rose two fingers in a greeting manner; the woman in front of him rising a perfect pink brow in puzzlement. She reluctantly untensed and lowered her bow and arrow, maybe assuming he would not harm her.
"Well… 'yo!' yourself." she answered. Sakura eyed the man before her; he was a full head taller than her with broad shoulders and spiky, gravity-defying, silver hair. She could tell that he was well muscled also, for he wore a turtle-neck grey knit jumper that stretched across his chest. But he wasn't bulky, he seemed agile, so he was more on the lanky, lean side. The turtleneck covered half his face and he wore a black scarf around his neck, a sword was strapped to his back and he wore black trousers and black sandals. One of his eyes was the darkest grey she had ever seen, while the other was bloody red and bisected by an angry looking scar that crossed his silver brow and ended underneath the mask.
"You new here?" she asked, kneeling to pick again all the plants that had fallen from the basket in her rush for grabbing her bow and arrows.
"You could say that…" Kakashi also kneeled next to her to help her collect all the fallen leaves and roots. "My name's Kakashi Hatake, what is yours?" the man asked the sorceress when he rose from his kneeling position, all the plants picked and in the basket.
He had extended his hand to her to help her stand, and she looked at it for a while after complying and putting her hand into his. Kakashi pulled softly, marvelling at the softness of her skin and how little her hand was compared to his.
"Sakura, my name's Sakura Haruno." she answered, her voice like clear and cool refreshing water on a hot summer's day. "Have you moved into the village or…?"
"Naw! I was just passing by, you know…Just travelling, afterall, being a demon-hunter is like that."
"You are a demon hunter?" Now she seemed more wary, softly making a tiny step back from him. He saw a slight fear in her eyes and was quick to correct her assumption.
"Well yes, but only evil one's, more like the stuff I think you do."
"Oh yes! That's right!" relief washed over her features, the tension from her shoulders disappearing visibly.
"Well, Sakura-san, see you around!" he waved over his shoulder, already making his way back into the forest.
"Oh, okay, bye…" Sakura waved back, but he had already disappeared. "What a strange man..."
"Weeell, well…isn't it great? So, what do you think about the job I gave you? You're willing to accept?" Sanzo's smirk grew bigger as he eyed Kakashi take a seat in front of him.
"I won't do it." The demon-hunter answered
"You won't do it?" Yokohima took a sip of his sake cup, smiling softly, in a way that was starting to set a strange feeling in the pit of Kakashi's stomach.
"That's what I said. The girl, elf or not, is not a bad kind of person; so I won't do it." The silver haired man was about to leave when he heard Sanzo clear his throat, in a way to have his attention. Kakashi sighed and turned to face him exasperatedly, but his full body stood in shock at the sight before him.
"You see…I didn't know you had such a beautiful sister…Hatake-san." Sanzo patted softly the head of a little silver haired girl with onyx eyes and freckles across her face. She was crying softly, while being held by one of Yokohima's soldiers.
"RIN! Don't you dare touch her!" Kakashi snarled and was about to lunge forward when the tip of a tanto touched the girl's neck.
"Ah-ah-ah…if you move, my hand may slip…do you understand, Hatake-san?" Sanzo was still smiling that creepy and sadistic smile. "Now, if you please, sit down. Or your little sister may be hurt." The spiky haired man complied, both his mismatched eyes searching his sister's trying to tell her that everything would be ok, the 7 year-old looked really scared.
"So…about that job I offered you…you may want to reconsider, now? Huh?"
"I-I…I'll do it…" the demon-hunter hung his heat in defeat "but you have to promise me she won't be hurt."
"Good…do not fear, my friend, she will have everything a girl her age might want! Afterall she'll live here, at the palace, just like a princess!" Sanzo winked at Rin, and the girl gave a startled jump in fear. "So…deal?" the damiyo extended his hand to shake Kakashi's, who shook it back.
"'ello there!" Sakura turned around at the smooth baritone voice that could only own that mysterious man she met a few days back.
"Oh, hi. How are you? Did you get tired of travelling?" The pink haired woman teased him.
"No, actually I was hopping to settle down for a while in this village" His eyes crinkled, indicating that he was smiling down at her, his gloved hands in his pockets.
"I see…well, see you around!" Sakura started walking away, grabbing a bucket and heading for the little fountain situated on a clearing near the forest. She had almost thought he had left when he appeared again at the top of the stone that formed the fountain.
"So…" he sat with his legs crossed and his elbows lazily resting on his knees, both his eyes looking at her while she filled the bucket with water.
"So…? What?" The woman was feeling confused, she was never one to relate herself with people, almost always preferring to be alone. And then he comes that man that seems to want to talk to her…If he only knew what she really was…would he still talk to her? Her left hand unconsciously rising to her head to adjust the braid that kept her pointy ears covered.
Kakashi saw that gesture and suddenly felt really bad for the young woman, he knew she hid something, and he was starting to really believe she was an elf (maybe a new breed of them, with smaller ears) but it was quite obvious…her looks were far too exotic to be just a plain human. He decided right there that he wanted to get to know the pretty sorceress better before having to do what he had to do.
"So…you an elf, right?" straight to the point, maybe he was pushing his luck, but he wanted to get past that subject quickly, he didn't understand why she was so afraid of people knowing. Great War had ended almost 200 years ago and though there weren't that much demons left, the good one's still mixed with people without too much problems. But it was obvious he had startled her, for she dropped the bucket without realising it, water spilling on her red hakama and on the floor.
"I!Wha-!" her emerald eyes widened considerably, flashing with so many emotions and so quickly that it was hard to follow her through. Kakashi could tell now, that by her stance, she was about to flee away; so when she tried to he was prepared and grabbed her wrist softly, not letting her go away.
"There there! Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you in anyway!" he smiled at her when she started to look unsure, he felt bad…really, REALLY bad…he was such a liar…but the life of Rin…No! He wouldn't compromise this mission! He would not get attached to her! He will kill her in the end, so he could go back home with Rin and forget all this. "Relax, I just happen to be a demon-hunter but I'm not here for you, I've already told you that I was just travelling. Actually, can you keep a secret?" he whispered to her conspirationaly, as he winked her an eye. His body slightly crouched next to her so his voice could reach her ear.
"I…uh…y-yes?" Poor thing, she was so confused…But still she was blushing a pretty shade of pink at the top of her cheeks, feeling flustered by being talked just for the sake of just talking to her.
"I like demons better than humans." he grinned down at her as he stood tall again. "They're more interesting, and I found there more likeable." He shrugged.
"Now, you're just saying that to flatter me…" Sakura pouted adorably at him, she didn't know why but she felt quite at ease with him.
"No, I'm not lying! I promise!" Kakashi rose his hands in front of him in a 'don't shoot' way. "Look at this." He whistled softly twice, and a huge grey demon-wolf appeared from the forest depths, trotting happily over the weird demon-hunter. "See? His name's Aranjeratsu, it's my best friend, he helps me do my job sometimes."
"Oh." Sakura observed the demon-wolf closely; it had grey fur with bluish markings under his golden eyes and on his paws. Aranjeratsu nosed the sorceress' hair softly with curiosity as she stood very still, surprised that such a big demon was so tame with a human like Kakashi. He suddenly licked her cheek affectionaly, Sakura jumped slightly, startled.
"I think he likes you!" the hunter exclaimed while patting the wolf softly.
"Y-yeah sure…"
"So…" he said, observing her closely with his mismatched eyes.
"So..?" her pink eyebrow lifted inquiringly.
"You still haven't told me for sure whether you're an elf or not." his eyes crinkled, an obvious smile outlining behind his mask. She blushed prettily and started stuttering once again "I-I-I n-no! I m-mean well..uh…so what if I were an elf?" the green-eyed woman spat back, taking a defensive position against the silver haired man.
"If you were an elf..it wouldn't happen anything at all! Afterall my ancestors were magical beings too." he smiled down at her again, she took a step back completely surprised that he was able to make such a confession that easily. Back when she was a child, magical beings were hunted and tracked down until they were killed, that he was telling her something so personal (in her opinion) was surprising and…well…quite flattering.
"Your ancestors?" Sakura realised that she wanted to know more about him. Then, he made a hand wave, telling her to follow him and the pink haired half-elf took her bucket and ran after him. They both sat down near the river that ran close by the fountain, Aranjeratsu laid a few meters away from them, calmly lounging in the grass.
"Yes, my ancestors. From the branch of my father, my great-grandfather was an elf too, that's why my silver hair and my red eye heehee" he pointed to that wild mass of gravity-defying hair. "The scar though, it's from a battle. It's not like my eye was implanted or something like that; I was born with an eye of each colour, like huskies, you know?" he chuckled.
"I see…"
"Now, really, you don't have to be afraid of me, I won't hurt you at all." he couldn't help but feel the bile rise to his throat; he was such an excuse of human being, but still, he had to save her sister, she was everything he had left.
She sighed softly, her lips trembling, she had been almost all her life hiding what she really was…and for some odd reason, she felt comfortable with this man she barely knew. It was insane! She was about to expose herself in front of him!
Sakura closed her eyes and undid the little knot that kept her braid as a diadem, the braided lock now hanging loosely among her other pink tresses.
Kakashi sat there, looking at her with slightly widened eyes, she was truly a sight to behold. Her ears were quite normal size and petite for being an elf, but obviously their peaks were distinctingly pointy as they should be.
Sakura bit her lip, suddenly regretting her decision; all the insults that were thrown at her when she was a child, coming back to her mind.
"Hey, they're really cute!" said Kakashi, smirking playfully.
"A-ah t-thank y-you…"
They sat like that for hours talking and getting to know each other, not caring about how much time they spend sitting there.
A few months later
The pink haired woman was strolling under the midnight moonlight, her hakama and her untied pink hair flowed behind her as the wind fluttered between the tree's leaves. When she got near the riverside, she sat down on the soft grass, her legs propped up against her chest as she hugged her knees. Sakura closed her eyes, her ears twitching slightly when she heard a soft sound behind her, but his presence was now something very familiar to her and she didn't turn around alarmed.
"How long have you been here?" his smooth masculine voice arrived to her like carried by the night's breeze as he sat down next to her.
"I've just arrived, don't worry." she mumbled back, her eyes closed still, listening the water run down the river. Something soft is suddenly draped over her shoulders, warming and protecting her from the slightly chilly night. His dark cloak. "It's not necessary, really." Sakura protests softly, but she snuggles further into the warm cloth.
"I've carried it here, for you, so shush. Besides, you don't seem too averse to it." he chuckles back, seeing how she gets comfortable snuggling against his side. Kakashi looks at her peaceful face and a smile ghosts over his masked lips. Her fair skin complimented her striking reddish-pink hair just so, and her dark eyelashes framed the greenest of green eyes he'd the pleasure of glancing at. Her lips were rosy, full and soft looking and her body (which was currently pressed against his) was curvaceous and delicious looking in an alluring sort of way. He hadn't forgotten of what he was supposed to do, but he had had the hope of finding some alternative to this kind of situation, without any result. He sighed sadly while glancing at the moon, his hand caressing her soft tresses lovingly. They were great friends, they talked, they joked, they shared common interests; he could even see a potential lover in her! Actually, he was in love with her…
"So, how's been your day, young lady?" he asked conversationally, trying to forget all the things that were racing through his mind at an alarming speed. Sakura barked out a laugh at the term 'young'.
"Really, you should know better, I'm a half elf, remember? I'm not anything close by young. Actually I'm older than you might think. Wanna take a guess?" she grinned.
"Uh…200 years old?" he sweat dropped, how was that he hadn't thought about it? He was a demon-hunter, he should know better than to judge a book for it's cover.
"Nope, close though, I'm 222 years old." She smiled happily.
"Woah….then you have lived the Great War, haven't you?" he asked, it was obvious that since she was an magical creature, she should have been among the lines of the pure demon's side, she was too good for being in the bad guys sides, besides she too was a kind of demon hunter.
"Yeah…" Sakura's green eyes took a faraway look. "I fought against evil demon's in the past, but, I must admit that I commited many sins too. I was the result of an elf and a female human falling in love with eachother. But my mom worked for the main daimyo Takuro Yokohima and he was really obsessed with her." Kakashi gasped softly at the name of the daimyo, that was the same family that had hired him to kill her! "So when I was 6 years old, I was with both my parents. Takuro came and killed them both in front of me, I ran away and stayed with a sorceress that took care of me." the pink haired woman closed her eyes tightly, a small tear escaping from between her thick eyelashes "But when I was old enough and the Great War exploded I took my revenge and killed Yokohima. After that I ran away, for I sure knew that any descendents that daimyo may have, would in the end know that it was me who killed him, and they would surely try to kill me." Kakashi gulped, he now knew why it was that she was so hated. But she wasn't a bad person; she had revenged her parents like he would have done had he been in her situation. "So, now you see I'm not so young after all! Haha" she said, trying to lighten the mood. "We, elves, don't age a bit except if we choose to love someone."
"Hm…how? I don't quite understand."
"You see, when I was little I loved my mom and dad, and after they where killed I loved my grandmother 'till she died. So since I loved them in that period of time I aged accordingly, and so my body grew until the age of 22. But I've been all alone all this time and so, my body aging stopped…that is until I find someone to love and then I may start aging again until one dies, or he leaves me, or something like that…"
Sakura opened her eyes, and ran her fingers through her long hair; she took a small portion of it and she started braiding it to put it as a diadem. A large, calloused hand stopped her actions. The pink haired woman looked up to see her silver haired companion looking at her softly.
"Hey…don't hide them. I like your ears very much…" he saw that pink dusted her cheeks once again and smiled, she was still so shy around him.
"And you..?" her voice was soft, her eyes curious, as she looked at his mismatched eyes, one red the other the darkest of greys, he thought that maybe she could see into his very dark and ugly-looking soul.
"M-me?"
"Can I…" she sighed, taking a deep breath "Can I see your face?"
Kakashi thought it would have been really rude on his part if he didn't show her his face, after all that she had shared with him. So he lowered down his turtle-neck and looked at her, searching her face for any signs of discomfort or disgust. His face was scarred; apart from the scar that bisected his eye, he had one across his right cheek and nose that ended a few centimetres before he touched the one in his eye. Lastly, another scar crossed his chin and touched his lower lip slightly; that, without counting the many scars that criss-crossed his chest, neck, legs and arms.
"So…not really a sight to behold, ne?" he chuckled emptily, ready for rejection. But then Kakashi felt her soft hands touching his face softly as if it was made of porcelain and any sudden movement would break it. She had sat up, straddling him as he leaned back, propped onto his hands that grabbed the grass at the sudden change of the atmosphere. Her beautiful green eyes looked at his face almost reverently, drinking in every detail of his face; the spiky-haired man blushed at how near she was, her sweet breaths falling onto his parted lips.
"You're beautiful…" the pink-haired creature whispered, as if it where a secret.
"No, you are beautiful…" he sighed back, the both of them deeply captured in each other's beauty. Sakura was the first one to recover, though.
"Wha-what did you said?" she was beet red, not sure if she had heard right his whispered confession.
"A-ah, n-no! Nothing! Just…I…uhn..nothing." he quickly scrambled onto his feet, almost throwing her off of him. "Man…I'm fucked up" he thought. The silver-haired hunter mumbled a pair of apologies and a quick goodbye and fled off, away from her. Sakura sat there, dumbfounded, asking herself what the hell had happened.
It was a normal day, Kakashi was wandering around the fountain waiting for Sakura to arrive since she was helping some of the villagers. Aranjeratsu was close by him when he sniffed the air and barked once. The silver haired hunter looked in the direction of his loyal wolf and suddenly one of the daimyo's soldiers appeared out of nowhere.
"'ello there demon-hunter!" he grinned cheekily.
"What do you want from me?" a weird gut feeling was settling in the pit of the spiky haired man.
"So, I was send here to tell ya that if you don't bring the corpse of that demon woman to the daimyo by this same afternoon your lil' sister will be dead. Got it?" he glanced at Kakashi testily, seeing the doubt in the man's mismatched eyes.
"Kakashiiiii! You there?" the pink haired sorceress ran around the field, towards the familiar stop where he would be usually waiting for her. Sakura's beautiful hair was once again tied in the sorceress' kind of pig-tail and she smiled widely, she had something to show Kakashi today. She wanted to bring him to her home, which was hidden in the forest, near a beautiful river fall. It was one of the most wonderful places of that area. "Where is he?" she started walking towards the fountain, maybe he'd gone there because he was thirsty.
"Okay, I'll do it. I just need a few minutes." Kakashi's heart was breaking inside, he couldn't believe that, for once that he had found love, he had to (not only lose it) but also kill her himself. But he had to save her little sister, who had all her life ahead of her. And so, he entered in a special mood in where he had no feelings, no emotions, just professionalism and killing intent. "Tell him I'll bring her corpse late this afternoon."
"Psh! Whatever, just be sure that the elfish chick is completely dead." the soldier chuckled just about to run to tell the news to his master. "I'll come back when you kill her, don't worry, I'm pretty quick you know." he winked.
When the soldier disappeared, Kakashi's head hung low, but his head snapped up and around at the sound of a soft sob.
And then, his heart (that was already broken at least twice during the short conversation with that nameless soldier) broke once more at the sight of her, standing a few feet from him; her ears slightly lowered down and tears streamed down her pretty flushed cheeks like waterfalls.
"Sak-!" he tried to talk, but found that he choked on his own breath, what he was about to do was wrong in many, many, many ways…he didn't want this to end up like this.
"There is it…isn't it?" the pink haired elf whispered brokenly "The reason why you were being so kind with me…No one ever liked to talk to me…I was so happy that I had finally found a friend, and a comrade, I even thought that maybe you lov-…" she stopped mid-sentence, sobs wreaking her body. She closed her eyes, frowning, and sighed deeply. Then, when the elf-beauty opened her eyes again, her whole stance held determination, anger, betrayal, all thrown back to him; who stood in front of her unable to say anything "Whatever…I'm sorry to tell you this, but I'm gonna fight for my life, and you know I'm no easy opponent!"
She was yelling now, waves of hate rolling off of her. Kakashi knew that if he wanted to make this quick (since he had already sparred with her and he knew that she was scarily strong and agile) he would have to pull a dirty trick on her.
"I know that…But I also know that you won't attack if you know that Aranjeratsu could get hurt." his eyes lowered, despair clouding them. The pinkette elf and his demon-wolf had gotten really close during the period of time they had been together as comrades. And so, with a quick and sharp snap Aranjeratsu bit Sakura on her right shoulder from behind. The wolf's enormous paws with claws were clutching her arms; effectively immobilizing her. He whimpered, trying to transmit to the beautiful sorceress' that he liked her, but orders where orders and Kakashi had been his master and great friend for many many years.
"Hey…don't worry, I know you don't want to…I don't blame you." Sakura smiled tearily as she whispered to the big animal.
Hands in his pockets, slouching heavily, the silver-haired hunter watched the scene before him, his heart beating erratically at the thought of killing the wonderful woman that was in front of him.
"What are you waiting for, hunter?" Sakura yelled. No 'Kakashi', no 'Scarecrow' as she jokingly named him, just plain and cold 'hunter', that was what he was…a hunter, a tool. "Kill me, damn it!" her anger made her cheeks flush harder, and her ears retaliate in a backwards position, snarling at him ferociously. How had things become like this? They where the greatest of friends, he had lost the point of his mission and had fallen in love with her…Now he felt as his heart would stop along hers when he gave his killing strike.
"Sakura I wanted to explain you that I"
"I said kill me!" the sorceress interrupted him.
"Bu-" he tried again.
".NOW! And go make your bitch of a master happy, you shit eating piece of scum! Traitor! Hypocrite! Liar! BACKSTABBER!" she was downright shouting in anger, her voice hoarse from how much she was yelling at him, angry tears gathering in her clear eyes.
In a fast flicker, Kakashi drew his sword across her stomach, his masked face inches of hers. Her beautiful eyes widened a tad at the feel of the cold blade meeting her warm insides, rivers of blood soaking her white kimono shirt and his sword. A tendril of red falling from the corner of her lips.
"Hu…I didn't know you were so fast.." The spiky haired man watched as her eyes lost focus and she struggled to form a small ironic smile, then, he drew his sword back and her dead body fell to the soft ground.
The sound of someone approaching was heard before the same guy from a few minutes ago appeared.
"Ooooh! Very well done, demon-hunter! You're really good at it, no doubt of it now…Poor thing, she thought you were her friend! Hahaha" he laughed heartily, Kakashi still in a slight state of shock, his eyes never leaving the body that laid on the ground; her long pink hair splayed everywhere on the soft grass. "Now, c'mon, le'ts get her dead body to the daimyo and you can save your lil' sister! Hahaha"- he started leading the way.
The silver haired hunter approached Sakura's corpse slowly, and took her bridal-style as if she were a very delicate and breakable doll, clutching her head against his chest.
As they walked he felt his heart squeezing strongly until he hurt, the thought that maybe it had shrunk until disappearance fleetingly passed his mind.
When he arrived to the daimyo's castle he laid her corpse in the middle of Sanzo's throne room.
"I see you reconsidered your decisions, Hatake-san." he smiled cockily as he stared at the corpse, Rin whimpered slightly at the sight of his older brother.
"I killed her, now give me my sister back Yokohima." Kakashi wasn't yelling, but the dead calm tone he had spoke in volumes. His mismatched eyes bore through the daimyo's uninterested ones.
"Okay, okay… calm down demon-hunter." Rin ran towards Kakashi and clutched his legs, the much taller silver haired man kneeled to hug her. "Very well then."
Sanzo stood from his throne and approached the dead pinkette slowly. When he was next to her, he threw a kick to her side and laughed evilly. "Hahaha you thought we wouldn't get you, hm, elf-bitch?" he smirked and kicked her corpse a few times until he got bored enough. Then, Yokohima approached Kakashi who stood very still, murderous gaze fixed in the daimyo that was completely oblivious to it. "Here's your payment for your services, now, if you please, leave my castle and take this scum's corpse out of it. Throw her wherever you want, you can even give her to you dog to eat." Sanzo chuckled again. Said wolf snarled violently at the way the snob man was dishonouring the dead body of the elf woman.
"Yes, Yokohima-san." and with that, he left.
Kakashi laid her body in a small room, tearing off her bloodied kimono shirt and covering her with a blanket. Her delicate face held tears stains and blood, her skin was now a tell-tale blueish colour. He hadn't been trying to kill her, in fact he had aimed for a special point in which she would have bleed and fallen into an apparent dead state. But he had only read of that technique once in an ancient book and was something very difficult to achieve, anyway he had took his chance and failed miserably. The silver haired male stood by her side, his fists tight against his sides, knuckles white. For some odd reason he had brought her here, into his house, as if waiting for her to take a shuddering breath at any given moment and open those clear and breath-taking beautiful eyes of her. But she wasn't breathing, she wasn't moving, her skin was deathly cold and looked unusually pale and purpleish.
A few minutes after, Rin padded to where the dead pinkette was laid. The little Hatake sat next to his brother and observed her closely.
"Who is she, onii-chan?" her dark-grey innocent eyes looked up at him.
"A good person." Kakashi's eyes never left the pinkette's still body.
"She is really beautiful…and her ears are really cute" Rins says in awe, still observing her. "Don't you think she is beautiful onii-chan?"
"…Yeah…" the spiky-haired hunter was suddenly feeling sick to the stomach and stood up. "Rin, I'm going to find a good place to bury her, stay here." he rasped and then left swiftly.
"Onni-chan is sad, Aranjeratsu…" the dark-eyed girl patted the demon-wolf softly who purred softly in affirmation. Rin was still observing the strange dead woman when she saw that her eye twitched softly and her eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Then, green eyes opened slowly and Sakura sat up with much difficulty. She touched her belly softly, apparently her chakra had healed most of the injury but it was still tender.
"Ugh…where am I?" she raises a delicate hand to her head, she had a horrible headache. When her vision focuses enough to see her surroundings she glances at a tuft of spiky silver hair and grey eyes. Rin jumps startled at being observed, her eyes wide in curiosity as a smile starts to form in her lips. "Who are you?" the green eyed woman asked, a pink eyebrow raising in confusion.
"You're awake!" Sakura grimaced at the loud voice of the girl, then she looked at the animal next to her and the smile that she had formed at the cuteness of the girl, swiped off her lips. "I'm off to tell onii-chan! That way he won't be sad anymore!" and so, the girl left the room, her rapid steps getting lost as she ran off to find his 'onii-chan'.
"Aranjeratsu, you here, good to see you…But, that girl, those hair, those eyes…onii-chan…?" Sakura's eyes widened in realisation "I must leave."
"Rin, please, stop insisting! It's utterly impossible that that girl has awoken. She was dead, you hear me? DEAD!" Kakashi didn't want to yell at her younger sister, but she was starting to get on his nerves, the subject being much too tender for him to talk about. The little Hatake frowned up at the spiky haired male, tears starting to gather in her eyes as she saw him really angered with her; but still she took his hand and led him back to their compound, Kakashi sighing in defeat, feeling more dead than alive.
At the sight of the rumpled sheets, the absence of her bow and arrows and her kimono shirt; his heart stuttered strongly. She had been alive. And she had left from him. It was obvious that she knew where she was, Aranjeratsu had been with her in the same room and she was smart enough to make the conclusions. She hated him. The demon-hunter stood there, unable to decide what to do. Should he let her flee away from his life and never see her again? Should he go chase her and explain her everything in hopes of having the woman he loved by his side?
"C'mon onii-chan! Don't be so dumb! You've got to go to her! Run, onii-chan, run! I'll stay at Senshii-san's home." He looked down at his sister and saw her smiling up at him, like the little angel she was. As quickly as he could, he grabbed his sword and Rin on his arms and brought her to his neigbour's house, Aranjeratsu tailing them. Shenshii Kimiko was an older woman that lived a good 1000 meters away from his house compound in the middle of the forest, she had always been nice to them and Kakashi had known her since Kimiko had known his parents. And so, he trusted her well enough to leave Rin under her care. After that, he mounted on Aranjeratsu's back and run in the direction Sakura had left.
The pink haired elf was exausted, when she left that hunter's house compound she had gone directly to that daimyo's palace. With the coldness only few warriors possessed, she had killed him and all the servants who didn't want to leave to never turn back to her. It had taken a great amount of chakra from her, and her wounds had re-opened during the fight, but now, with the last son of the Yoshimiko's family dead; she was free to live her life without fearing for her life again. That is, if she survived the fatal wounds that she was currently sporting. Sakura walked slowly, using her bow as a support and clutching her kimono shirt to her bloodied stomach.
She had almost arrived to her little cot, where she could get away from everyone and start healing; or maybe just end up dead. She didn't know how but right now all the effort for saving her own life (the dead warriors, the daimyo, all the escaping) seemed pointless…Sakura started to see no point in continuing to live.
Kakashi made Aranjeratsu stop when he caught a glimpse of her pink hair through the forest foliage. The spiky haired hunter got off from his wolf-friend's back and told him to go back home and take care of Rin.
With his sensitive nose he followed Sakura's scent and hid behind some bushes to observe her as she sat in front of a cot, trying to apply some bandages on her upper arm. She obviously was having difficulties since she was gripping one end of the aid band with her right hand, while the other end was held between her teeth, trying to make a knot. Kakashi could see she was starting to get impatient with her inability to do it all alone, apparently she had no curative chakra left. He chuckled softly and came out of his hiding spot.
"I could help you with that, you know?" he said, trying to smooth the tension to come when she discovered that he had followed her.
True to his thinking, she gasped sharply and stood abruptly, leaving her task at bandaging herself alone for a moment.
"What the fuck are you doing here? Go away! I don't want to see you ever again!" she hissed with her teeth bared and her elfic ears retaliated backwards in anger.
"Sakura...I'm so sorry. I mean it. I-"The silver haired male started to approach her slowly, as not to startle her.
"I SAID YOU TO GO AWAY!" He continued to get near to her, she was almost swaying on the spot, due to exhaustion; her wounds were bleeding pretty bad.
"AND I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME TO DO! YOU HEARD ME?" Kakashi yelled. He reggreted it immediately, she had taken a little jump and her face had changed dramatically, she now looked quite scared; he had never shouted at her like that. "Look, I want you to listen to me, please.." The hunter begged, Sakura was still quiet from his sudden outburst. Kakashi took his opportunity and started explaining her the whole story, from the very beginning. How he wasn't about to accept the job, how the daimyo had taken Rin, how her sister was the only family he had left, how he had tried to save her when he drew the sword through her, his desperation when he thought she was dead and the way his heart started beating wildly when he realised she had survived...everything.
The pink haired woman listened to him; and when Kakashi finished, looking at her with a hopeful look she arched a perfect pink eyebrow and took a defensive stance.
"Okay, I forgive you. Now, you can go. I've understood your reasons and I don't held any illness to you. But go." The elf-beauty turned to go inside her cot and wait for him to leave, but Kakashi hadn't finished with her. Sakura felt a big, warm and callused hand take hers and tug until she was face to chest with him; she blushed softly.
"What the hell do you want now? I said that I forgive you, leave me alone!" She was trying to protect herself with pride and anger at him, but he wasn't going to leave anyway.
"Sit." Kakashi wasn't asking, he was commanding; and before Sakura had realised she had sat on the soft grass beneath them. He kneeled next to her, grabbed a soaked sponge and started to clean her wound softly, with so much care, that the icy sorceress felt her heart starting to break.
"Look, I know you may have some pangs of remorse for what you did to me but you don't have to do this!" Sakura protested softly, too tired and out of chakra that she didn't have the energy to continue arguing him.
"You still haven't understood, don't you?" His beautiful mismatched eyes looked at her viridian one's tenderly. "Wha-?" "Your life has been so full of sadness, regrets, and revenge that you aren't able to see love anymore. Not even when you have it in front of you." The pinkette's eyes widened a bit, her lips parting softly and for a moment he could see all her tenderness, her soul, how she was in reality, all the fear of being mistreated, hated, abandoned. The spiky haired man finished knotting all her bandages and gazed in her eyes again. "I love you, Sakura, I've been in love with you for quite a long time." Kakashi whispered finally, feeling a weight lift from inside of him. "Ah?" Was the eloquent response from the pink haired woman, who had been rendered mute at his confession, even if she was positively blushing a pretty bright shade of red.
Kakashi brushed her cheek with his fingers, threading them through her ankle-length locks. And then, he leaned in and kissed her so softly and sweetly that it was almost a brush of lips. Seeing that she wasn't about to flee he pressed another kiss to her lips, this time a little bit firmer. And god! His lips were deliciously hot against her cold ones, she gave in to his sensual kiss and started leaning on him a bit; his muscular arms hugged her and she sighed in pure bliss.
When they parted, he had a knowing look on his eyes and a shit-eating grin that would have made the most happy person cry in shame. "I-I..." her lips trembled softly and tears had started gather in her aquamarine eyes, Sakura was about to make most heart baring confession of her life, and she had to admit she was really scared. "I...gosh, this is so difficult!" the pink haired woman mumbled to herself, and Kakashi chuckled but was listening patiently to her with a tender look while twirling the braid she used to cover her ears. When had he untied it? It doesn't matter now. "I love you, Kakashi..." Sakura finally admited, and the silver haired hunter's smile widened until she could see his slightly elongated canines in a smile full of mirth.
The pink haired elf didn't know how they had ended like this,but she loved it. He had stayed inside her cot when she had almost fainted due to chakra exhaustion. He had made a nice fire inside the fireplace and he had offered her his own chakra to heal herself. Somehow, clothes had started to be softly taken away, both of them gazing lovingly at eachother. His strong hands had caressed her skin like she was the most precious work of art in the whole world, and she had showered his whole body and face- which were full of scars- with the most tender kisses she could muster, trying to make him understand that he had her all for himself; heart, body and soul. Kakashi's hard angles had been pressed against her smooth curves and he joked telling her that everybody would be really jealous of him for dating such a wonderful specimen of half-elf; she had slapped his bicep teasingly, only slightly irritated at the comment.
He had made love to her tenderly, treating her like the goddess she was in his eyes, and always concentrating in her pleasure more than in his. After that, the cuddled under the sheets, kissing lazily but no less passionately. They fell asleep when the fire had started to die down. Tomorrow they would have to go back to Kakashi's home, Sakura would live with him from now own, helping other villagers with her curative chakra, she would also help him in the dark-demon hunting, for she was such a powerful opponent. Kakashi couldn't be happier as he looked at her while she slept, he loved her so much, and would be a great mother figure for Rin, she would love the pink haired elf as much as Kakashi did. And as soon as he could, they would marry, and start their own family. And when time would come, they would die together since she was now loved and in love.
Life couldn't be sweeter, who would have thought that a half elf sorceress and a demon-hunter would end up together?
The End.
A/N: About the end, if you wonder why I put this part: "And when time would come, they would die together since she was now loved and in love." It's because when elves love someone they age as humans do. So, Sakura was 22 when she stopped loving people (her grandma figure dies) and so her body stops aging until she meets Kakashi. I don't know if you have understood it, but I just thought to put this little note to make it more understandable :)