Sunlight shone onto Kakashi's face, waking him up from his slumber and forcing him to curl further into the soft covers. His hand automatically reached for the woman that was supposed to be right next to him but instead only found cold empty space. His eyes sprung open taking a minute to get used to the light blinking rapidly, before looking around him. Sapphire was nowhere to be seen, and the house was deathly silent. No one else was here except him. He was about to rush out of the bed to find her when his eyes rested on the small wooden bedside table. It was currently occupied by two items that definitely weren't there the night before. He may have been slightly preoccupied last night but even then he still noticed things like that. It was second nature to him now. The first item was a small white rose, the pure colour now obscured with deep crimson, and a foreboding feeling. The rose was part of a set he had given her a couple of days before, and it only convinced him further that someone had been in his house. Someone he would no doubt dislike greatly. Kakashi could smell right away that it was blood smothering the delicate flower, though he found himself praying that it wasn't Sapphire's blood. His attention now went to the second item, which was a carefully folded letter addressed to himself. He found himself foolishly hoping that Sapphire just went to the shop or visit someone despite the threatening flower, though that hope was soon shattered into millions of pieces all digging into his already scarred heart.

Kakashi

I'm so sorry for running, but it was my only option. He found me again. I can't stay here anymore, not with the threat over me also hovering over you and the others. I wouldn't be able to bear it if any of you were hurt or even killed because of my actions. I may not have got my memories back, but what we shared gave me new ones. Ones that I will never forget. I love you so much, enough to give you everything I ever valued, but you have to move on. I don't deserve you and there are many more beautiful and intelligent women out there that would be better for you. Women that don't constantly fear their past mistakes. I hope that you'll lead a happy life without me. I'll never forget you.

Love

Sapphire

Kakashi held the letter in his shaking hand, allowing his hot tears to stain it with sorrow. Even after everything he did for her and everything that happened between them, she still left. After both of the gave each other everything they had to offer. Was this man so dangerous that she had to run? Did she really have to leave him when he only just really got her back? He yelled in rage and slammed his fist into the closest wall, leaving a mark that only further reminded him of what he just lost. The stinging pain was quickly replaced by red hot anger. He wasn't angry at Sapphire, she did nothing wrong. She was just scared. It was that man he blamed. The nameless man that drove such fear into the one woman that Kakashi has ever loved. Most of all though, he blamed himself. He didn't see the signs that were clearly there. If he had just read them then he might be still holding her today instead of just staring at a goodbye letter. He should have listened to his instincts better, and instead he let his need take over. If he could turn back time, he would even refuse if it meant that he had her by his side. That was all he needed. Determination flared up within him as he reached a conclusion. He would get her back and he wouldn't let him win again.

With that new found determination he dressed up in his ninja gear and prepared his bag for long travel. He would be going after her whether the Hokage allowed him to do so or not. When he finished he left his bag in his apartment and rushed towards the Hokage's tower, somehow managing to avoid all civilians in his way. His mind was painfully aware that with each moment that he wasted, Sapphire only managed to get further away. That is if she was still alive. The thought was quickly pushed out of his mind. Sapphire was too skilled to die so soon, she knew how to cover her tracks. Unfortunately that would make his job harder as well. He burst through the doors into the Hokage's room ignoring the fact that there was currently a meeting going on inside. Guy and Asuma looked at him shocked while the Hokage just seemed to expect his presence here.

"Kakashi you're just in time. The guards have found a body of a young man outside the village gates yesterday morning. There have been also traces of unknown chakra. We're looking into the case but we have had no clues as to the nature of the killer."

"You do now."

Kakashi placed the two items he found at home, on the desk in front of the Hokage. All three of the other men in the room gazed first at the bloody flower, their eyes widening in the realisation of what it was before slowly turning their gaze towards the letter. The Hokage picked it up and started to read it out loud, the atmosphere getting heavier with each word. When he was finished silence fell on the room stifling everyone within it. The older man sighed in exhaustion before leaning back in his chair, deep in thoughts.

"What is this Kakashi?"

"Sapphire's gone"

"What?!"

"Kakashi this is a serious matter. Do you know who he is? It's the only reason she mentions to explain her sudden departure."
"Not exactly. A few days ago I managed to learn some things from her under a strict promise that I wouldn't tell anyone unless I absolutely had to. I'm not aware of his name, however from her description and my own memories I managed to gather that she means the same man that took her 13 years ago. She told me that his aim then was to make her into the perfect weapon by training her in the use of her Kekki Gengi and other ninja skills. That aimed changed over the years into making her produce a powerful heir for him, though Sapphire managed to escape his grasp before he could implement his plan. I'm guessing that the flower was a message that only she could understand, a warning that he found her again. She fled to protect us from him."

"He seems to enjoy toying with her emotions doesn't he? I doubt that he really lost her these past 3 years. He probably just wanted to show her from experience that she could never get away, and when she got close to you Kakashi, he lost the remainder of his patience. He wants to reclaim her again."

Silence fell in the room, as the four men considered their Hokage placed his chin on his hands, mulling Asuma's word over in his head. He wanted Sapphire back as much as anyone however he was the Hokage and he still had the safety of the village to consider in the long run. If Sapphire was scared, one of the best ninjas he had ever known, then it was safe to assume that there was a tangible threat placed over their heads. A small smile appeared on his face as he thought about her sacrifice. It seemed he was right about the fact that she had the will of fire. Finally deciding on his course of action he picked his head back up and looked into Kakashi's impatient eyes.

"Very well Kakashi. Take your team and Gai's. Your mission is to locate her and capture her. If you see any of her pursuers do your best to gather information from them or send them back to Ibiki. We can't go running into situations like this blindly. She is one of us, a ninja from the leaf village and we don't abandon anyone. Keep in mind that although this mission is a long term one, you still both have to have your teams back here by the beginning of the chunin exams whether your team will be taking part or not."

"Hokage, are you sure that team 7 should go? From what we just hear the man hunting Sapphire is very dangerous and they just became ninjas. I understand Gai's team but…"

"It will be fine Asuma. They showed how skilled they are when they helped Kakashi take out Zabuza of the mist. Besides all three of them hold a deep connection with her, one that will only push them further until they finally find her."

"As you wish Hokage. Gai gather your team and meet me by the main gates in half an hour. There's no more time to waste."

The two men nodded to each other in understanding before splitting off in search of their teams and to gather necessary supplies. Kakashi found his easily enough in the clearing they usually used to train. He planned on being at least four hours late but that would only give her more of a head start. If they had any hope of catching her, they would need to move as soon as they could. It seemed that him being on time shocked his students, as they just stared at him with their mouths hanging open. Only Sasuke raised a brow, immediately seeing from his sensei's posture and expression that something was very wrong.

"Sensei...you're actually on time?"

"There's not time to talk. We have a B class mission that might easily turn into even an S class, so we can't waste time."

"But isn't that level too high for us? We're just genin."

"Might Guy's team is joining us. That's two jounin and 6 genin. It's about right for this mission."

"All right! What is it? Is it another bodyguard mission like with old man Tazuna, huh?"

"No Naruto. It's a search and capture mission. We're under strict orders not to seriously injure or kill our target, understood?"

"Who's the target?"

"Sapphire."

His students stiffened hearing the name of their beloved sensei and allowed silence to fall in the clearing. Kakashi knew that they didn't have time to waste but at this moment he knew that nothing would get them to react. He wasn't very surprised since in her time here, she seemed to grow on a lot of people within the village, her friendly attitude managing to snag even the more hostile and stiff members of the village. Even Sasuke looked heartbroken at the news, though he tried to obscure it. He seemed the closest to her and the thought that she betrayed him like Itachi must have stung.

"What? Why are we hunting Sapphire sensei?"

"I will explain everything once we'll reach the main gate. We have to prepare for a long term mission. Meet me there in 15 minutes, Guy's team will be there too and...it's not what you think."

The genin gave me a weird look but hurried towards their houses to pack. Kakashi rushed to his own house, even though he knew well that he was already packed for the long journey. The house seemed so empty without Sapphire. There was no one to cook dinner for him when he came home or to embrace him as a welcome. He hoped that he could marry her one day, and that maybe they could turn the spare room into a nursery if she ever wanted to have any kids. The image of his possible future child floated in his mind for a while before he pushed it aside. He had to concentrate on Sapphire now. If he couldn't find her then that child would never become a possibility. He was about to leave when he was stopped by a single picture in a simple wooden frame. It showed him and Sapphire laughing and holding each other. He was behind her holding her waist with his head on hers. The picture was taken a few days before she disappeared, when everything was still perfect. With a short pause for thought, he picked up the picture and placed it in the bag with his supplies. With everything ready he rushed towards the gate. By the time he got to the gate everyone was already there including both his team and Guy's.

"Kakashi my eternal rival. It seems that I have beaten you this time."

"This is no time to challenge each other Guy, you know that. Anyway team 7 consists of Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto while team Guy consists of Lee, Neji and Tenten. You're going to need to get to know each other on the way if we're going to make an effective team."

"But why are we chasing Sapphire sensei? You told us that you would explain everything when we all gathered together."

"Very well. I assume that you remember that Sapphire reached this village with the aim to steal the secret scroll but failed, correct?"

"Yeah, but what has that got to do with anything?"

"Well she did that in an attempt to get stronger. She's being chased by a very dangerous man, the same man that kidnapped her 13 years ago and made sure that she lost all of her memories of us and the event. It seems that he recently found her again, which caused her to flee the village in an attempt to protect everyone."

"What? She can't take care of someone that powerful alone! We have to help her!"

"That's the mission Lee. Find her and bring her back before that man gets to her. It's a race for her life!"

"Yes Guy sensei!"

"But why would she leave? Surely she knows that it's safer within the village then out there alone. Why didn't she ask for our help?"

"My guess is that she's scared that she'll lose us amidst the battle. She already lost her family to this man remember? She probably doesn't want to lose anyone else and is risking herself to do so."

This made Neji stay silent for a few moments thinking the possibility through. He was the smart one of the genin and his Byakugan would be useful in tracking any chakra traces that she may have left. He may not have known her well but the Hokage cared for her and he would trust his judgment. The remaining genin just looked sad and puzzled especially in the case of Naruto who was still trying to figure everything out. Sasuke on the other hand, just looked furious and determined though Kakashi doubted that the anger was directed at the woman in question. It was always hard to tell what that boy was thinking. Only Sapphire seemed to be able to do it recently and now that she was gone, he was back to his cold stony self. He was scared of the implications of her absence on Sasuke. There was barely anyone left in the village to hold him back before Sapphire arrived, and now he felt more alone than he ever had.

"Now Guy will guard the back while I'll use my dogs to try and find her scent. Neji you're coming to the front with me, your Byakugan will be a great help in tracking chakra. The rest of you stay in the middle and look out for any signs of suspicious activity. We're not expecting an attack but we don't know what the enemy is planning so it's better to be safe. Everyone understands everything? Good, let's go. We've already lost a good amount of time and with every minute she's getting further away from us."

Everyone nodded and they go into the correct positions, not bothering to argue or complain. Kakashi pulled out my scroll and biting his finger he summoned all of his hounds to stand in front of us them. They ranged from small and fast, to big and slow, which would come in useful in finding the direction that she took. The genin gasped in surprise at the sight since they have never seen all of his summons together like this, but Kakashi ignored them. This wasn't the time to be amazed by a summons, they had to get going.

"Pakkun I need you and the others to track Sapphire's scent. She left the village a couple of hour ago and we need to find her as soon as possible."

"Understood."

The hounds split up and sniffed the road and the surrounding forest, before catching a scent and running after it alerting the others. The group of ninja followed closely making sure that they didn't lose the trail. The sky gradually grew darker as they plunged into the deep forest surrounding the village hoping with all their might that Sapphire wasn't too far away and that they could still get her back. It wasn't long before they learned how wrong they really were.