Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters in this story. I don't intend to profit from this story, either, so cool your jets.

A/N: This is my first stab at a multi-chapter story, so I'm going to apologize in advance for any problems there might be in the future (you know, long waits to updates, etc.) I will try my hardest to update in a timely manner. As for this chapter, being the first, there isn't much going on. Just a little plot background and some peeks inside some character's heads. You can't build something spectacular without a good foundation first. Not that I'm assuming this will be spectacular or anything. You'd be surprised how low I think of my own writing =/ Without any more rambling, here it is!

Yes, it's KakaSaku, because I love them so much =3

*cough* I also love reviews *cough*

Chapter One

Taken

Kakashi's sandal-covered foot left an indentation as the chakra-laden limb pushed off the branch. A short distance behind him he could hear the identical sound of shinobi leaping from tree to tree as Genma and Raido flanked him. They were getting closer to the compound, but his mind wasn't focused on the possible threats that may lurk in the shadows. He knew he should be focused on the task ahead, knew he owed it to his hastily assembled team to be on guard, but his mind was going in a million different directions and his heart was pounding against his chest as if he were already in the heat of battle.

He cursed his tardiness for once. When the messenger-nin had arrived at his front door hours ago, sweating and proclaiming the Hokage needed him urgently for an impromptu mission, annoyance had been the primary emotion behind the mask. He remembered wondering why he always got called in for duty when he got a few days off. To spite the Godaime herself, he'd taken his time in getting dressed and making his way to her office. Expecting to find a livid honey-eyed woman before him, he'd been surprised to find upon opening the doors a woman near the brink of breaking emotionally. Something was very wrong.

Trying to reason with himself, his mind told him it wasn't really his fault. How could he know the motives behind the hasty summoning? Still, the guilt wouldn't pass. If she died, it would be his fault. They should have set out earlier. They should be going faster. Adding an extra boost of chakra to his feet, Kakashi pushed off the next branch twice as fast. Genma and Raido panted, staggering to keep up with the Copy Nin's speed. His mind wasn't in the present, but rather stuck in the past. Memories of the last three years as partners clouded his vision and distracted him. He knew he should have fought harder to go with her, even though his presence in the undercover operation would have heightened the chance of their detection. Tsunade had promised it was an easy one. Sakura could handle it by herself, being 22 years old and a lot stronger than he gave her credit. Nothing would go wrong . . .

He approached her silently as her fists clenched, rosette hair plastered to her face by the same rain soaking her clothes. Forgoing announcing his presence, he stood a few paces away to give her some room. She could detect his familiar chakra signature, anyway. The sky rumbled angrily above and lightning split the dark clouds in two.

"How could they do this to me, Kakashi-sensei?" She asked suddenly, nothing but livid anger in her voice.

Kakashi paused, taking a step forward and then another until he was beside the 16-year-old girl, staring down at the memorial stone like he'd done for years now. His dark eye flickered to the freshly carved names on the rain-washed rock. Haruno Kano. Haruno Tayuka. He would be lying if he said he felt nothing at the sight of those names, but if there was anything he was good at it was keeping the façade up and making sure the stoic mask didn't slip.

"Fools!" Sakura said angrily, but her voice cracked and Kakashi had trouble recognizing tears from rain on the young medic's face. "How could they leave me? Did they even care?"

"Everything your parents did was to protect you, even in death." Kakashi replied quietly, knowing the girl's fury was out of grief. "They died with honor for their village. You should be proud." Sakura, however, could not accept this.

"I told them not to protect me!" Sakura released a shaky breath. "I can take care of myself . . ."

"You know," Kakashi mused, "They wouldn't want you outside like this. You're going to catch a cold."

Sakura cracked a small smile at this before it faded into a grimace, her eyes flashing with an irrevocable pain. Bowing her head, Kakashi saw the small shake of her shoulders, her silent sobs being withheld under an illusion of strength. She wanted people to think she could take a loss and continue on. She'd spent her entire life proving she wasn't weak, that she could keep up, being the girl playing a boy's game. Kakashi wasn't sure how to handle this situation, never one for social grace. His hand rested lightly on her shoulder, the smallest amount of comfort. He would not lie to her, telling her it would be fine. That everything was going to be okay.

Those lies hadn't worked for him and he knew the kunoichi beside him was too smart to believe a word of it, either.

****

"Why am I even here?" Sakura bowed her head in an attempt to disguise the fear marring her face. It was a miracle, in her opinion, that she'd ever passed the Chuunin exam. To believe she possessed the ability to become more than that, at this stage in her training . . . it was a lost cause in her eyes. Was she trying to kill herself?

"You're here to win." Kakashi said simply, closing his book as he stood with the nervous pink-haired shinobi in a quiet, concrete room beneath the stands of Konoha's combat stadium. The very one that dredged up painful memories of a Chuunin exam so few years ago. The scars from Sound's attack on Konoha still remained, but the village was hopeful for the future. Kakashi's dark eye swept over the shinobi before him. She was ready, but she needed to believe it herself. He had every ounce of faith in her abilities, after countless training sessions with the Hokage and himself.

"Kakashi-sensei . . ." Sakura looked down once more, afraid of failing him, Tsunade-shishou, herself. She liked to believe her parents were looking down on her with hope that she could pull out a win, but it didn't ease her frazzled nerves. "What if I don't?"

"You won't with that attitude," Kakashi raised a silvery eyebrow and she gave him a pout that said she wasn't playing around. Reaching out, he ruffled her hair affectionately and the pout grew. He knew she hated it when he did that, which was all the more reason to push her buttons.

"You'll do fine, Sakura." Kakashi gave her the famous eye-crease. "I'll be watching."

"Jeez, thanks." Sakura grumbled as her name was called over an intercom. "No pressure or anything."

****

"Holy shit, Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice pierced the quiet medical room beneath the stadium. "You should have seen that guy's face! You made his pompous ass eat dirt!"

"Stop shouting, baka!" Sakura groaned, sitting on a cot with her back against the wall, an ice pack to her face. With chakra reserves too low to heal herself, she was forced to sit and endure the pain until an available medic came by. Pretty sure she'd broken her left arm and few ribs, she released a painful sigh, but nonetheless a small smile graced her lips. She had made him eat dirt, hadn't she?

"Did I do well?" Sakura asked as voluminous as her scratchy throat would allow. Naruto blinked and whipped his head toward Kakashi in order to hear his verdict as well. The thoughtful silence was agonizing and Sakura was prepared to smack him if he didn't answer soon. Well, if she could find the strength to get up.

Kakashi grinned, leaning against the wall beside her, "You kicked his ass, Sakura."

Sakura smiled and closed her eyes, sighing heavily in relief.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei." She murmured quietly as Naruto pumped his fist in the air.

"You're going to have to stop that," Kakashi pointed out, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Stop what?" Her voice took on a hint of confusion as she peeked open one eye.

"Well, considering we're both Jounin now . . ." Kakashi let his voice trail off before a small smile appeared beneath his mask. Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion before her eyes flew open in shock. Was he saying what she thought he was?! His satisfied smirk told her he was.

"Are you serious?!" Sakura exploded, making Naruto's earlier outburst seem tame.

"You didn't hear it from me," Kakashi held up his hands in an effort to calm her down. "I'm not supposed to know and neither are you."

"YOU DID IT, SAKURA! YOU'RE A JOUNIN!" Naruto burst out before Sakura could even nod.

"Naruto-baka!" Sakura shouted at the stupidity of his exclamation.

"Oh, calm down! Nobody heard me!" Naruto defended himself, happy the 18-year-old woman couldn't stand up, let alone beat his ass into the tiled ground. Sakura scowled before her eyes widened and focused over his shoulder. "What is it, Sakura-chan?"

"I'll talk to you later, Hatake!" Tsunade's voice cut through the thick silence like a kunai. Kakashi bowed his head in mock defeat, meeting Sakura's excited veridian eyes in the process. Winking at her, she smiled her appreciation before he could disappear in a poof of smoke.

****

Kakashi came to a quick halt behind a large, dead tree as Genma and Raido caught their breath to his respective left and right. The vast compound in the distance was made of foreboding concrete and marble shingling, surrounded be tall, guarded walls and a large clearing that would make taking the defense by surprise incredibly difficult.

"Should we send 'em some exploding notes?" Genma whispered in the thicket, shifting his weight and eyeing their stoic leader and personal friend. He'd never seen the silver-haired man wound so tightly, let alone so mentally out of it. He seemed deep in thought, probably planning their offensive himself.

"Nah, the noise would alert the guards inside, not to mention Hyoto. They'll kill her before we can get ten feet through the door." Raido responded, spitting out a blade of grass and eyeing the building. A thick silence was cast around them and Raido felt the senbon-sucker's gaze, turning to find the brunette's light eyes narrowed in disgusted annoyance. Raido wondered what he'd done when he realized Kakashi's hand had practically crushed the tree limb he was holding onto, thick cracks spider-webbing all the way to the trunk. Oh . . . Raido realized the stupidity of his words and bowed his head apologetically.

"It's a bit old-fashioned, but it'll have to do," Kakashi spoke suddenly, his voice sounding unaffected and cold. Genma was reminded once again how scary good his friend was at keeping the emotionless mask in place.

"So what's the plan, ninja man?" Genma asked, flicking his senbon in his lips.

"We'll each make a shadow clone to distract the guards. From what Tsunade-sama says, Hyoto only keeps his shinobi inside and close in case of an attack on himself." Kakashi said, straightening and performing the necessary seals. Each shinobi was joined by a copy of themselves within seconds. "The clones will meet the defense head-on. While they won't last long, a clone is enough to keep a civilian guard at bay long enough for us to slip in through the east side."

A break in the dark clouds illuminated the clearing and Genma nodded, Raido's eyes fixed on their target. The night was thick and dark, perfect for a few ninja to slip in undetected. A light gust of wind lifted the dead leaves around them and an almost ominous feeling surrounded them. Shrouded in the darkness and the chilly air growing colder with the wind, the three shinobi exchanged a look and nodded. Time was wasting and time waited for no one.

"Raido, when we get inside we should encounter a few shinobi posted near the entrance. No matter where we enter, there are sure to be some guards. Take them out as quickly and quietly as you can. We don't want to alert Hyoto of our presence sooner than we have to." Raido nodded, a determined look casting across his face. "Genma, you'll be with me. We'll work on any other shinobi we encounter on our way to Hyoto and Sakura."

"And Hyoto himself?" Genma asked, pushing his wind-ruffled hair aside.

"He's mine." Kakashi said simply. No emotion was leaked, but Genma knew.

"Understood." He nodded and three prepared to set off.

In unison, their clones set off silently across the clearing in the direction of the guarded walls. Behind them lay countless shinobi threats. An untold number of traps to walk into. Hyoto, the devil of a man behind the hired muscle.

And Sakura.