Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Any and all medical/torture information (methods&treatment) was gained by research through Wikipedia.

A/N: This prologue is a bit darker than anything that happens for quite a while. It's only meant to get you interested in the story. Chapter one will be much lighter. This fic is pretty much all planned out and covers just about every genre there is, so you're sure to find something you like here eventually. I'll try to update regularly, but we all know how that plan usually goes....I'll keep going if there is interest, but if there isn't, well, I know how it ends...-shrug- so--and I really hate to ask this, because I think it is annoying to read, but it's the only time I'll do it--review. Easy as that. It's how I know you all like it and aren't just sticking it on your alert/fave list to read whenever I get it finished.

Beta-Reader: Nope. Not yet. I'd really like one though. If you like this, then feel free to e-mail me. It's on my profile in a couple of places.

Summary: Kakashi has a dream in which the girl of his dreams is finally found. He recruits Sakura to help him find this girl, but eventually gets sent on a mission to retrieve Sasuke with Genma. During the mission, however, Kakashi is taken hostage by Oto-nin and tortured. He sends Genma and Sasuke (who is injured badly) back to Konoha for backup. During a torture session, he gets a shot that accidentally makes him forget everything he's ever known.

With a case of severe amnesia, Kakashi accepts Otogakure as his home. Team Kakashi, however, is diligent in trying to find him. Any more information will completely give away the plot, so...I hope you've become interested. Enjoy.

Through the Darkness, Light

暗さを通して、光がついてください

Chapter 000: Prologue

"Come here, Kaka-kun. Don't pass out now. I want to see how well this works." The woman patted his head almost comfortingly. It would've been convincing, he thought, if she didn't have that syringe in her hand and if he weren't bound to the examination table.

His vision blurred as she got nearer. She'd long since deprived him of his farsightedness. How, he didn't know. Maybe one of the other drugs she'd given him, or maybe the darkness had just seeped too far into his eyes for the harsh overhead lights to be of any use. Tsunade could probably give him an explanation if he were so inclined to ask, but at the moment Kakashi found himself busy glaring sidelong at the woman who'd just jerked his head to the left.

"You see, Kaka-kun," she cooed, "if I administer the drug closer to the brain, the effects will be much more pronounced and I will be able to see the results much quicker. This is the first time I've used this on anyone, you know. You should feel honored, really." She continued to speak softly as she brushed his hair away from his neck. "I was anxious to try this out. Of course, I couldn't use one of my own men; I can't risk killing them, now can I?"

The woman seemed to ponder this as she pushed the hypodermic needle into the thick vein that ran down the side of his neck and injected the serum. "It would be a pity, I suppose, if this accidentally killed you as well, don't you agree? I do enjoy these little chats of ours, you know?"

He didn't know how many more of her personalities he could withstand. She'd been a seemingly different person each time she came to him. In the beginning she'd been screechy and loud, not caring if she injured him. Thinking back, he realized he didn't mind that version; that was what torture was, injuring and driving your enemy mad to obtain desired information. This newest version, though, he hated. She was so nice to him, she fed him everyday and talked to him in such a soothing voice, almost like a lover. His guard unconsciously dropped around this version of the vivid woman. Other times she'd been rude, cruel, seductive, obsene, even murderous, but he realized that if he was going to die by this woman's hands, it would be by her sweet personality. The comforting one that itched at the back of his mind, reminding him of the women back home; of Kurenai, Ino, Hinata, Sakura, even Anko and Tsunade. It was that personality that made him want to close his eyes and give in to her embrace.

Although this rose, in particular, had its thorns. She may pretend to be kind to lower his guard, but every once in a while he was able to force her to show her hand. This woman was entirely self-conscious; she seemed to have no self-esteem whatsoever, and he played that to his advantage every time it presented itself. It was the sure-fire trigger that made the sweet, caring Jekyll switch into her true conniving, distasteful Hyde, and allowed himself a chance to slip comfortably back into being wary of his tormentor.

His mental barriers back up, Kakashi glared her as she pulled the empty needle out of his neck. "What the hell is that?"

She looked from Kakashi to the needle as if she just noticed it in her hand, then turned back to him. "You know, I can't pronounce the name," she answered flippantly. "It's certainly potent, though. By the way, are you able to see clearly yet?"

"Why would I want to see when you're all that's there to look at?" Kakashi shot off, pulling at his restraints.

Her voice got harsher as she raked her nails under Kakashi's chin, forcing his head up. "Well, dear, if you're going to be like that, then I suppose I will tell you what this is. It's a sedative, and a powerful one at that. It will make you much more agreeable; you won't be able to make any more of your lovely escape attempts. I thought you knew, Kaka-kun, I don't like for my playthings to leave me," she sneered, watching as Kakashi's eyes drooped and his body went limp of its own volition.

The woman seemed satisfied with the effectiveness of her new drug. She dropped her hand and walked out of the room, turning off the light as she did so, casting the room into an empty darkness. "Sleep well, Kaka-kun. I'll be back when you awaken."

Kakashi heard her heels clicking against the floor as he blacked out again.

Sakura swore as the leapt through the trees. "Damn it, hurry up! I can't believe we're so close this time!" Her team was nearly left in the dust as she rushed ahead. Despite the lack of lighting and the rain, the retrieval team—Sai, Naruto, Yamato, and herself—was making very good time as they headed toward Oto, although it was clear by the way even Naruto was beginning to lag that they would need a break soon.

Just as a flash of lighting cracked through the sky, Sai leapt forward to keep pace and make his agreement with her thoughts known. "It's getting late. The terrain won't be very forgiving much longer. We need to stop and make camp now before the rain really starts."

Sakura barely glanced in his direction, just kept going. "I know that, but we can't stop just yet. We're so close to the border. Just a little longer and--"

"And we'll be too exhausted to do anything but watch helplessly as they do whatever they're planning to do to him," Yamato finished for her, projecting his voice for her to hear from his position as left-rear guard right behind Sakura.

She let out a heavy sigh as she let her pace ebb ever so slightly and ran her leather-clad fingers through her drenched hair. "I know that, and I can respect it; it's just that..." her fingers tightened around the strands, threatening to pull them out, "that, he's so close and we can help him. We can get to him tonight, except we can't because of this, this fucking weather, and I know that, but I still want to, you know? And he's infucking Orochimaru's hands and I have to trust that he's not going to get killed? That he's in good hands, is safe, as long as he still has his sharingan to lord over their heads?! No, I want him home. Now!"

"Don't you think we all do? But, really Sakura, you're acting like Naruto," Yamato reasoned.

"Hey!"

Yamato tried to persuade her, "We can't be rash in our approach or we'll get killed. If we get caught in this storm and then are unable to help him because we can't travel, well, then what have we accomplished? Who have we saved?"

She knew they were right. She was just overly concerned about his well-being. It had taken Genma six days to get back to Konoha with Sasuke, which meant that Kakashi had most likely needed back-up for six days, and that was almost five months ago. She even knew that it was probably Kakashi himself that had sent Genma back to Konoha, told him to take Sasuke home. She could rationalize and compartmentalize and be as emotionless as Sai when it came to rescue missions like these. She'd been a part of dozens of them, including several for Sasuke, and although she'd been emotional at times, she always knew in the back of her mind what the chances really were, what their odds were, she had the numbers to comfort her and to keep her hopes from getting too high.

Now she was on at least the fifth recovery mission looking for Kakashi. Every time they got a solid lead, it would turn up cold right when they reached the base. It was like an annoying game of cat and mouse. Konoha had been chasing Kakashi and his captors all over the continent for the last six months; there really was no way of telling if he was even still alive or not. Each base they came across looked like it had been abandoned months before; there wasn't even a trace of who might be holding him, although Genma had said it wasn't Orochimaru himself, which was surprising considering that the man's goal was to acquire sharingan—and if he happened to get a nice, strong body like Sasuke's or Kakashi's through the possession, well, he wouldn't complain; it was just a means to an end, eternal life.

She had to stop thinking like that. Kakashi was fine and there was no doubt at all that he was in Oto right at this very moment. They would be bringing him back home very soon. There was no way that those sound nin could escape this time, they were too close, only hours away. She comforted herself with knowing that even though they had to stop, so did Kakashi. Sakura sighed as she followed the team down and out of the trees. She set her pack down on the ground and began the tedious work of setting up camp. She made sure the area was secure before quickly ordering everyone to bed. The sooner they rest and recover, the sooner they could move out in the morning.

And sooner is always better. Especially in these situations.