Sakura stood up as soon as Kakashi came in, exhausted. Sasuke took Tsune from him while Naruto gave him the tea her made. Kakashi told him what he overheard and the truth, about everything. The Chunin listened intently, hoping to find a way to help the girl.
"I don't know what's going to happen to her, or what's happening to her at all. I'll ask Tsunade in the morning when Tsune wakes up. For now, I need you all to watch over her. I need to go…" Kakashi stood and walked out the door. His former students knew that he was going to see Obito.
"Hn, Kashi…" Tsune mumbled.
"Alright, Sasuke, I'm going to need you to go to my house and get several medicinal herbs. I need to create a balm for these cuts and bruises, fix up her arm, and something to wake her up." Sakura went into doctor mode.
"What?" Sasuke asked.
"I'll go. Idiot…" Naruto murmured over to Sasuke. He dashed out the house. He came back in less than ten minutes. Sakura made the balm and the drink for her ails. After putting Tsune's arm in a sling, Sakura sighed and relaxed.
"It's over. She'll be awake by tomorrow morning." Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto leaned against the couch and fell asleep. They all were holding Tsune in a sort of group hug, protecting her in case she transformed. It had been a long day and no one wanted to have to deal with Tsune if she transformed, but they would. Who knew the extent of her injuries? They had to wait till morning to know for sure.
Kakashi came in and looked around for Tsune and his former pupils. He found Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto all passed out against the couch. In their arms was a small baby girl. She was sucking her thumb and was whimpering for her father. Kakashi pulled her up from his former pupils arms and looked her over. If he didn't know better she looked just like…
"Tsune?" Kakashi whispered.
The baby girl opened her eyes and her lip started trembling. Kakashi shushed her and looked around for something he could substitute for a bottle. He found nothing and instead had the baby girl lick at milk dripping from his fingers. He almost giggled out loud when the soft tongue touched his finger for the first time. He made sure no one heard and continued the feeding. When the baby girl turned her head when she was full, Kakashi got a good look at her.
She was a genuine baby. Her chubby cheeks had that rosy kind of baby glow that made you smile. Her hair was dark and soft. When she smiled up at him, it made him want to grin. Her moss green eyes was bursting with excitement and curiosity. Maybe this was how Tsune was before her parents shoved her into what she is now…He went over what he just thought. This couldn't be Tsune, could it?
"Tsune?" Kakashi called out. The baby clapped her hands and grinned. "Great, it is Tsune…"
The baby smiled up at him and Kakashi couldn't help but smile. He tickled her stomach and she giggled the most adorable giggle ever. He sighed and hugged her. This girl was going to be troublesome, as Shikamaru would say, and something had to be done. He stood and left the babe in Sakura's arms. Kakashi went out the door yet again to buy supplies for a baby. He had no idea what to get, so he stopped by Anko's house. She helped him out, though strangely not asking questions. He was so in for it when he got home though…
Sakura awoke to a baby crying. Sasuke had awoken long before her and was trying to soothe the baby. Naruto was knocked out on the couch, drooling all over it.
"Sasuke, what's with the baby?" Sakura asked, yawning and stretching. Sasuke glared at her.
"Did you not think she would have an allergic reaction? How do you grow the most common of your herbs?" Sasuke was still trying to shush the baby.
"Erm, by using my chakra. Was that a bad thing? Oh my gosh, it is! She's allergic to my chakra! EEK!" Sakura ran around the room shouting "EEK!" enough to annoy Sasuke.
"Enough! Just, I dunno, try and ask Tsunade-sama about this." Sasuke had finally gotten the baby to be quiet.
Naruto awoke and clumsily crashed into Sasuke on his way to the bathroom. Ignorant as Naruto is, he just kept on going. Sasuke crashed to the ground and told Sakura to catch the baby. Sakura ran over and waited for the baby to drop from the ceiling, but she never did. She crawled around up there, smiled, giggled, and let drool fall onto Sasuke's head.
"Yuck." He moaned as he wiped off the slime. "How is she doing that? Tsune never showed signs of being able to do that…"
"You forget that Tsune is a mighty ninja. She showed signs of having chakra before we even knew her." A voice ominously said.
Sakura knew that voice from anywhere. "Kakashi-sensei! What happened to Tsune?" Sasuke sighed.
"I thought we went over this Sakura!" Sasuke yelled. Tsune looked down at him and studied his face. He looked too angry and hurt, so she herself felt angry and hurt. She began to wail her head off, in turn falling from the ceiling.
"Tsune!" Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi yelled all at once. Sakura and Sasuke bumped into each other and crashed to the floor. At the last minute, Kakashi caught Tsune and crashed as well. Tsune was wailing in his ear and it was annoying him.
"Seems like you got a problem. I'm surprised Sakura's motherly instincts hasn't taken effect yet." Anko stepped into the apartment and looked at everyone. Sakura sheepishly grabbed the bags from her hands. She quickly went through and pulled out a pacifier and handed it to Kakashi. She grabbed the bottle and formula and went into the kitchen, giving the bag to Sasuke and dragging him along.
"Alrighty then…Kakashi, seems like you got everything under control. If you need me, ask Gai for help." She stepped out of doorway and quietly shut the door. Everyone could hear her laughing her head off and growing distant.
Sakura came back with the bottle and picked up Tsune. "So, Kakaii-sensei, what are we going to do now? We can't take Tsune back anytime soon and we have no idea when the transformation will wear off, let alone how it happened…"
Sasuke slapped his forehead and decided to leave it alone. If Sakura was going to have short-term memory loss for a bit, she could if she wanted to. "Before I go mad, we need to decide what to do with the brat. I'm not trying to baby-sit for the rest of my ninja career…"
Kakashi sat on the couch and thought for a moment. For once in his life, he didn't have a single clue as to what to do. He just smirked and acted as if he did. "Let's just wing it! The worst that happens is that she never changes back, right?"
"Don't even play like that!" Sasuke yelled. The three of them turned to see Naruto crawling out of the bathroom, a sickly look on his face.
"That's the last time I eat so much ramen before a tour around the building. I think all that Miso messed up my stomach. Who's the brat? Who cares? Where's Tsune?" Sasuke gave Naruto a Look. Sakura just stared at him and kept feeding the baby. Surprisingly, Naruto didn't put two and two together to make four.
Sasuke almost went mad. He sighed, took a deep breath, and sighed again. "Naruto?"
"Yes, Teme?"
Sasuke ignored that. "If I was to say that Tsune is allergic to Sakura's chakra, what would you reply back?"
Naruto lazily scratched his forehead. "Well, I dunno teme, what should I say?"
Kakashi gently took the baby Tsune from Sakura's arms and held her up in Naruto's face. "Who does this look like to you?" Naruto studied the baby for a long moment. Sasuke thought about beating the idiot into a pulp, but finally the idiot's eyes widened in realization.
"Kakashi-sensei! This cannot be Tsune! That is impossible! Completely and utterly impossible!" Naruto continued to yell about the impossibilities of a full grown female to change into a baby girl. Sakura had a vein popping out of her forehead in frustration and knocked Naruto senseless until he stopped. Kakashi gratefully nodded to Sakura, who smiled.
"Alright, we need to first figure out how to get Tsune back to her original form. We know how she got into this one. We also know that as long as she is under the age of 18, the demon won't bother her, is lying dormant, or whatever it did while she was under age." The three chunin nodded in agreement. "Now, we just need to gather a few…more…" Kakashi trailed off and looked at Tsune's eyes.
After a few minutes, Sakura started to get worried. Kakashi-sensei never trailed off like that in the middle of deciding on a plan, unless it was to execute the plan ahead of schedule. But this wasn't a battle, this was a babysitting service. Sasuke tried to take Tsune from Kakashi's arms, but he wouldn't let the girl go. It was like he was transfixed in a spell. Naruto sighed and sat down on his sensei's couch.
"He's not going anywhere anytime soon. The demon has got him now." He relaxed and put his feet up on the table.
"What? What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura shouted.
"It means that until the demon lets Kakashi go, or unless Tsune lets him go, the two of them aren't going anywhere anytime soon. We might as well clean up the messes from yesterday." Sasuke began to pick up the debris. Naruto, dozing off, lazed towards the bedroom mumbling something about making sure the bed was nicely slept in. Sakura headed towards the kitchen, worried about her sensei.
Meanwhile, Kakashi was waking up in a dark room. He tried to activate his sharingan, but it wasn't working. A soft breeze blew into his face. Kakashi sighed and followed the direction the breeze was coming from. Everywhere he walked, he saw glowing signs saying things like "Trapped" or "Redemption". Every once in awhile, he saw "Loveless" and "Beloved" etched in blood and scratches. It didn't faze him much, just worried him. This was the mind of Takatsu Tsune?
"Kashi-kun!"
Kakashi turned his head to be tackled by a grown woman. She had dark hair, the ends a crimson color. Her eyes were a forest green color, with a twinge of red. She wore a red tube top under a black jacket, black leggings, black shorts, and black boots. On the right leg was her ninja bag and on her left, her hitai-ate. It was just blank, without a reference to any village. This woman looked familiar, but Kakashi couldn't put a name to her appearance. The woman was hugging him tightly and yelling the name Tsune started calling him over and over again, as if she had been waiting to see him for centuries.
"Who are you?" Kakashi asked. The woman pulled back, looking hurt. Suddenly, the sound of a horn rang clearly in the dimly lit room. The woman shuddered and pulled Kakashi up on his feet.
"Worry about that in the next 15 minutes. You need to get out of here before He realizes that I've found you. That was the first gate. There are 5 gates to open before he can roam freely and kill you. Let's go." The woman grabbed Kakashi's hand and he couldn't help noticing the warmth of it. He smiled and followed her quick pace. "The only way out is for you to realize who I am without me telling you right out. I can hide you for the next 15 minutes, but after that…" Kakashi guessed that by then, the 5th gate would be open and he would already be on his way to death.
Kakashi followed the woman all across the maze of Tsune's mind. As they walked along, little creatures followed alongside them. One was a cross between a cat and an eagle. The woman called it a griffin. A dragon lazily flew next to his head. A horse with a horn on its head—"That's a unicorn."—pranced behind him, ignoring the second gong that reverberated throughout the small corridor. The woman let go of his hand for a moment and opened a door. A light blinded Kakashi before he realized he was looking at the room of when he had first realized that Tsune had a demon, the waiting room of the TV show building.
"Why have you brought me here?"
"Kashi, there are things that are going to happen very soon if you do not remember who I am. He has stolen your common sense for a brief moment, but until you remember who I am, you are doomed to die here and leave your shell behind." The woman pushed the creatures and Kakashi into the room and locked the door behind them. The creatures sat around Kakashi and dissipated into an orangey gas.
"Remember!" The woman shouted. Kakashi saw a memory of him and Tsune playing in the shower.
"Remember!" She shouted again as the third gong rang out. Kakashi saw a memory of watching Tsune fight Gai.
"Remember!" She shouted again. Kakashi saw a memory of Tsune calling him Kashi.
"Hatake Kakashi, You Must REMEMBER!" She shouted as the fourth gong rang out. Kakashi felt a fierce pain in his head and he crashed to the floor. He remembered who she was, but could not get the words out. It had been fifteen minutes and the 5th gong had rung. The door swung open and he saw the demon. It was a large dragon-shaped creature, with orange and crimson scales, yellow eyes, and bloodied teeth. It snarled and appeared to smirk. As it opened its mouth to kill Kakashi in a firey blaze, the woman stood before the dragon.
"You shall not kill Hatake Kakashi, Ryu-teme!" The dragon shoved her aside and moved to kill Kaksashi again. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen. The dragon glanced everywhere into the room and growled. Kakashi was above the doorway, waiting to see if the dragon would come into the room. Instead, the woman came into the room and looked out the window of the waiting room.
"My name, Kashi?" The woman asked.
Just as the dragon blew fire into the room directly at the woman, Kakashi jumped out to rescue her and screamed out "Tsune!"
The room smelled of smoke and burnt wood. Kakashi was holding onto a small form and was coughing hard. He heard the voices of his squad and smiled to himself. He had made it out. He felt the form in his arms rise up and shake him violently, screaming for him to wake up. Kakashi would recognize that voice anywhere now. He did something totally out of character.
"Tsune! I am so glad you are safe!" Kakashi snatched the girl up into a hug and nuzzled her with his cheek. The smell of her hair was filled of smoke and citrus, but he was happy she wasn't burnt to a crisp. As the smoke cleared, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura was staring at him. Tsune was squirming in his arms and he hadn't moved after a few minutes.
"Kakashi-sensei….are you alright?" Naruto finally asked. Kakashi let Tsune go and smiled. He actually smiled and started laughing. Tsune scrambled away and rushed out into the bathroom. Kakashi fell onto his back, laughing about the whole situation.
"He's lost it." Sasuke stated.
"Yup." Naruto and Sakura agreed.
Kakashi wiped tears from his eyes and shook his head. Time to get back to business. "Sakura, go get Tsunade-Sama. Sasuke, I need you to go get Anko, Iruka, and Gai. Naruto, go get us some ramen." The three chunin nodded and rushed off to finish their tasks. Kakashi sighed and went to the bathroom. He knocked on the door once.
"Tsune-san, are you alright? I'm sure your parents are worried sick by now. Don't you want to go see them?" Kakashi baited her.
"No. I don't want to go see those wretched people. They are horrid and need to be locked in a room with a dragon." Tsune realized what she said and started giggling. Kakashi shook his head and opened the door. He could be a little uncharacteristic around her, for her sake. He saw her sitting on top of the sink, laughing her butt off and about to fall off. He scooped her up and, laughing along with her, tossed her onto his...no their bed. He tickled her relentlessly and hugged her tight.
"Tsune-chan?" He said, holding her close.
"Yes, Kashi-kun?"
"I saw you. The older you…"He trailed off, remembering the woman in her head.
"And?" Tsune was afraid that Kakashi might say she'll get ugly, or worse: fat.
"She was beautiful. Someone I could totally spend my…" Kakashi blushed and didn't finish.
"Spend your what?" Tsune asked. Kakashi shook his head. Tsune, annoyed, pushed him away. "Spend your what, Kashi-kun?"
"It was nothing. Come on, let's go before someone thinks 'inappropriate thoughts'." Kakashi had a shadowed look on his face and helped Tsune to her feet. He had almost let it slip. Tsune tried not to pry, but she wanted to know what Kakashi meant. She sighed and walked into a room of teachers.
"Kakaii-sensei, we got them all." Sakura proclaimed proudly. Kakashi nodded and asked for them all to sit down.
"Let me cut right to the chase. Tsune needs to return home. We can't leave her here to learn because her parents would have a fit searching for her. We also can't have her in her dimension and causing trouble and mischief now that the demon can freely come out every 15 to 30 minutes." Kakashi looked serious, so no one questioned how he knew the time range. "My solution suggestion is to have you all become private tutors to Tsune in her Dimension. I can handle her parents, but we need you to agree first. Right, Tsune-san?"
Whatever happened to Tsune-Chan? " Yes, I agree. I need you guys to teach me so I can kill or at least get rid of this stupid thing!" Tsune shouted. She was determined to beat this demon before she turned 30. That was her goal and she was sticking to it. Naruto smiled as he recognized that look on Tsune's face. It was the same look he always had when he was talking about becoming Hokage: the look of determination and strength.
Anko and Gai nodded thoughtfully. "Sure, why not?" Anko shrugged. Gai agreed quickly, babbling on about youth this, youth that. Everyone tuned him out. Iruka, on the other hand, took longer to decide. He didn't know anything about this girl save for the fact she housed a demon worse than Naruto's and she needed his help. He didn't want Naruto to feel as if he was replacing him. Naruto, glancing at Iruka, grinned and winked.
"Yea, I'm in." Iruka sighed. Naruto would never change.
As quickly as the decisions of time, place, and excuses for her lessons were agreed upon, Kakashi, his squad, and Tsune left in a puff of smoke to rush back to the TV Studio.
"You don't think that we're getting to attached to her?" Iruka asked quietly of his Hokage.
Tsunade sighed. "I fear we just may be." Everyone left Kakashi's house; Tsunade locked the door, leaving a note.
Meanwhile, Tsune was gripping Kakashi's hand in a death grip as they walked down the corridor to her dimension. Kakashi tried not to wince, but in the dark he let himself have the liberty to do so. Tsune still couldn't see, but she knew Kakashi would take care of her. As they emerged out of the doorway, Tsune took a deep breath and started kissing the carpet. Sakura laughed and helped Tsune to the back lounge, where they kept the better food. Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi stayed in front, waiting for the sun to rise. It had only been a minute since they left her dimension. Nothing had really changed save for the constant ringing in Kakashi's ears.
It was starting to bother him. Remember! He was a bit startled to hear the voice of Tsune's older self. It had to be him remembering, that's all. She couldn't talk to him for she was trapped in Tsune's mind until she came of that age. Tsune walked into the waiting room, smiling. She was in her orange hoodie and black shorts. Kakashi and Naruto had to hold tissues to their noses, but she had already seen their nosebleeds.
"I'm going to go to sleep. It's been a long…minute? Day? Whatever. I'm just going to sleep." With that, Tsune curled up on the floor and went to sleep. The Konoha Shinobi didn't know what to do. They followed her lead and went to sleep.
And so, the days and years past. Gai taught her Taijutsu, Anko taught her Genjutsu, and Iruka taught her basic ninjutsu. Kakashi reveled in the honor of teaching her more advanced jutsu while Tsunade reluctantly taught her chakra control. It took her several years to master some of it, but she did pretty well for an otherworlder. She even developed a new technique: the light technique. It was a cousin to the Nara Clan's shadow technique, but a little more complicated. Tsune grew up to be able to control the demon's chakra, to a point. Kyuubi had a reddish chakra while Ryu-teme had a sparkly orange chakra. The years went by fast and Kakashi noticed how Tsune filled out more and developed into the woman from her mind.
As for love, Tsune was the talk of the village. Every male, besides a few of the Konoha 9, was transfixed on her beauty. Sasuke even had to admit she was pretty hot. Kakashi took no notice of the talk that he was bedding her, as she was staying at his house when she was in the village. He always gave her the bed while he took the couch. All of this changed one night when there was a really bad thunderstorm.
Lightning rang out and Tsune yelped. She hated storms, especially the thunder. That just let her know how close the lightning was. She didn't want to bother Kakashi about her little fear. He was probably sound asleep on the couch, ignoring the loud claps or blinding light coming through the windows. A loud bit of thunder sounded and Tsune screamed. She hoped Kakashi hadn't heard that, but he did. He was on the couch, debating if he should go make sure she was ok. She was what…20 now? She had blossomed into the beautiful woman of her mind, but he didn't want to take advantage of someone so much younger than he was.
When she screamed again without the prompting of any thunder, he rushed into the bedroom. Her eyes had gone a crimson color, the color of when the demon was trying to take over. Kakashi rushed over to her and held her with her back against his chest. She wildly flailed about, screaming about power and revenge while whimpering for him to help her. He didn't know what to do. It seemed as if the demon was trying to come out of her before her 21st birthday. Kakashi was yelling for her to calm down, but it was useless. He did the impulsive, and looking back he would probably regret it, but he spun her around and kissed her.
All was silent, save for the thunderclaps. The demon receded and Tsune was left there, clinging onto his arms. Kakashi opened his eyes and saw Tsune looking into them with awe and confusion, but he swore he saw something else there. He couldn't place it. Finally, he pulled away. Tsune put her head on his chest and tried to make sense of what just happened. She ignored Kakashi when he tried to apologize. Why did he kiss her? Was she just looking too much into it?
"Tsune-chan, I'm sorry I did that. I didn't know what else to do. You were freaking out and the demon took that chance to try to kill you. It will never happen again. I—"
Tsune had cut him off by lightly kissing him. Kakashi, a bit confused, pulled away. Tsune was searching his eyes, hoping for him to be smiling inside about their kisses. When he made no move for more, she sighed in defeat and pushed him away. She had grown attached to Hatake Kakashi and she didn't want any heartbreak. Just as she was about to walk away, Kakashi pulled her back and kissed her more passionately. Tsune yelped in surprise, but relaxed into the kiss. She curled her arms around his neck while he pulled her closer by wrapping his arms around her waist. They kissed for what seemed like hours, stopping only to breathe and to giggle.
By the time the two were satisfied with their amount of kisses, the storm had stopped. The night returned to its normal quietness and Tsune was glad to have Kakashi holding her. "Kashi-kun?" She asked quietly.
"Yes, my Tsune-chan?" He answered with his nose in her neck. She giggled and squirmed away, but he pulled her back for more nuzzling.
"Nothing. It's nothing. Ryu-teme was telling me something that I could tell you, but I'm being forbidden to." She trailed off, giggling at his antics. Kakashi stopped to ponder what she said. It made no sense, but he felt it was important.
"Wait, what?" He asked, leaving her neck alone for but a moment.
"Natural laws forbid me from telling you. I can know because Ryu-teme knows. But you? You have to figure it out yourself." Tsune kissed him on the nose and curled up against him. He was dumbfounded, but let her sleep. He pulled her a tad bit closer and kissed her neck a bit more. She squirmed in her sleep and he tried not to chuckle too loudly. It was then that he saw the weird markings on the back of her neck. Her hoodie was always hiding it or her neck was always out of view. It was a 5 sign seal with the kanji for dragon in the middle. This was the seal that the dragon had made, but it looked off, as if only half finished. He felt a twinge of pain in the gut of his stomach.
In the morning, Kakashi left Tsune to go talk to the Hokage. He reported on the finding of the seal and left to go tell Jiraiya. It would be a bad idea if they left the seal untouched by her 21st birthday. Tsune awoke to a missing scarecrow and a bad headache. She rubbed her neck and went into the shower. As she washed her hair, now dyed crimson at the ends, she tried to remember what it was like kissing Kakashi. She hadn't planned on kissing him at all in her stays at his place, but now it seemed like she had to decide if she wanted more.
Just as she had gotten some shampoo in her eyes, she heard the crash of glass breaking. She wiped the stinging foam out of her eyes and waited to hear more noise. The intruders had to know that someone was in here, because the shower was on, but she doubted that they were experienced thieves. She left the shower running and started to step out of the bathroom when a huge burly man came rushing at her and bound her before she could realize what was going on.
"This is her right?" The man asked, tossing Tsune into the destroyed living room.
A woman stood in the middle of the disaster. She wore black boots, black shorts, a green jacket and green shirt, and a green hitai-ate around her neck. "Yes, this is her alright. Takatsu Tsune, wanted for the theft of Hatake Kakashi's heart." The woman stated matter of factly. This had to be some prank Kakashi was pulling. "Takatsu Tsune, you are wanted for the determent of Hatake Kakashi's heart away from mine. You have already met my brother, Shiki. I am—"
Just as she was about to say her name, Kakashi crashed through the front door and kicked her across the room. He did several handsigns and his famed chidori appeared, and he killed the large man. The woman stood and she, in turn, did a few handsigns of her own. "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu!" She blew a large dragon of fire out of her mouth, which was coming straight for Kakashi. He dodged out of the way and charged at the woman. He tackled her to the ground and the dragon dissipated. Tsune was dumbfounded at how quick the battle was. That woman is a weakling, she thought to herself.
"Haruhi, it is nice to see you. May I ask why you are terrorizing Tsune-chan?" Kakashi asked calmly, letting his sharingan spin slowly.
Haruhi sighed and closed her eyes. "She was taking your heart away from mine, my love. I only wish for you to return home to me and the children." She dreamily said. Tsune gagged and wrestled with her bonds. Kakashi sighed and untied her. Tsune started yelling at him about betrayal and marriages and children and kept on going for about 5 minutes before he gently put his hand over her mouth.
"Tsune, this woman is delusional. I have no children. I have married no one. I might have dated this woman over three years ago, but that was over when her brother tried to force me to marry her." He removed his hand and kissed her gently. He realized that Tsune was the one he had grown to love. Tsune was the one meant for him, despite her origins. He tried to convey that love through his kiss, but Tsune did not receive it. She was battling with her own mixed feelings. Did she love Kakashi, or was it a love of convenience? She didn't know and that bothered her. When she didn't kiss him back, Kakashi pulled back hurt and confused, but he let that go. She sighed and held his hand. Kakashi felt better, somewhat, and led them to their bedroom, after making sure Haruhi and her cronies were long gone with bruises.
In the bed, Kakashi was wondering just how in the world he had come to start this harboring this feeling of "love" with a girl 10 years his junior. He didn't care. He loved her and that was enough for him. Tsune was curled up against him, napping. That whole ordeal had really shaken her up. She stirred every few seconds, whimpering in anguish. He imagined the demon within was bothering her in her dreams. He smiled when she smiled and felt pain when she frowned. He felt so helpless not being able to comfort her in her dreamland. He quickly pulled away from her, letting a pillow replace him, and rushed out the door. He was going to get a gift. A "I love you" gift.
Kakashi prowled the gift shop for the perfect gift for his orange butterfly. This wasn't like getting a gift for his old flame, Iruka. This definitely wasn't like getting a gift for one of his old students. This was like getting a gift for the girl of his dreams. He didn't quite know what to get her. He tried to remember what she liked most and when he came up with weapons and fighting gear, he sighed in defeat and browsed the store. Just as he was about to give up completely, someone held something up in front of his face. He turned to see Sasuke scowling, trying to give him something. In his hand was a orange stuffed butterfly, but it was customized to be holding a little stuffed scarecrow. This was the perfect gift. Puzzled, he glanced at Sasuke.
"She's like a little sister to me. Don't break her heart, Kakashi-Sensei. Otherwise, I'll rip yours out and feed it to your dogs." Sasuke warned, coldly. Kakashi almost shuddered, knowing he was serious. Instead he smiled.
"I'll treat her like the princess and queen she is." Kakashi gratefully grabbed the stuffed animal and rushed home. What he saw when he got home made his heart break.
The chairs in the living room were overturned, blood on some of them. The television was broken cleanly in half. The kitchen was a disaster, broken dishes and cabinets everywhere. The table was overturned, scorch marks everywhere the eye could see. There was the smell of blood everywhere.
The little butterfly fell to the ground with a soft plop.
Kakashi rushed towards the bathroom, Tsune's safe haven from her demon. That was destroyed, the tiles broken and the sink gushing water. He heard a crash in the bedroom and he rushed inside. Just like before, Kakashi saw a Bunshin fighting the real Tsune. The real Tsune was battered and bloodied, while the clone was in perfect condition. It was wearing a smirk, its eyes a demonic scarlet. Its hands wore the gloves of Tsune's blood. The Tsune he knew and loved was breathing heavily, trying to stay standing. He didn't know what to say. He tried to go into the room, but a barrier was blocking him. He looked around to see paper seals all around the mantle.
"That's to keep you outside, you meddlesome idiot. This time, I am going to kill her." The voice that came out of the clone's mouth dripped with malice and murder. It had to have killed before. Tsune must have in her dreams, which would explain her stirrings and her frowns. Kakashi banged at the barrier as the clone slowly performed several seals.
"Tsune, wake up! Move! Defend yourself! Do something!" Kakashi shouted to no avail. It didn't even get through to her. Tsune was broken and battered and couldn't even respond. Her eyes had a dark glaze over them, her mouth dribbling blood. Kakashi started to cry, trying to get her to do something. He started ripping at the paper seals, but they were covered with something to prevent him from doing just that.
The clone was done with its seals. It smirked and laughed maniacally. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu." The clone opened its mouth and the famed jutsu flowed freely out of its mouth. All Kakashi could do was scream and bang on the barrier. He slid down it, a broken man. The love of his life was gone. The woman meant for him was dead. He started to cry, but then he heard the clone screeching.
"You meddlesome shinobi just don't know when to quit!"
The smoke cleared and Kakashi saw Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura protecting Tsune. Sasuke had negated the jutsu with his own and Naruto and Sakura were looking over Tsune. Naruto glanced over at Kakashi and grinned. Kakashi wiped his eyes and yelled for them to not be distracted. The fight was nowhere near over yet. Just as he said this, the clone tackled Sasuke and was punching his face. Naruto left Sakura to take care of Tsune and rushed to kick the clone in the face. It flew back against the wall of the bedroom. It growled and it cracked its knuckles.
"That was somewhat painful, Kyuubi. You are worthy. Let us do battle." It yelled and rushed at Naruto, ignoring Sasuke. It performed hand seals and attacked Naruto with fire balls, the Phoenix Flower Jutsu. Naruto dodged them and threw shuriken and kunai. The clone deflected them with its own kunai. It threw that one and several others. Sasuke joined the fight and started attacking the clone from behind. The clone flicked blood at Sasuke, who started yelling about the burns it left and being blind. Tsune's blood had become corrosive as it was on the demonic clone. The clone performed several handsigns, unfamiliar to anyone but Kakashi. His yells were too late to their ears.
"Light Style: Light Possession Jutsu." It calmly stated.
Sasuke and Naruto paused in their tracks. Sasuke was in the middle of starting chidori and Naruto was in the middle of rasengan. Sakura was bandaging Tsune's arms. The blood flowed freely down the appendages, dripping on the ground. The clone smiled and walked leisurely between the shinobi. It kicked Sakura away and hovered over Tsune. Kakashi stared at the scene, hoping the barrier had a time limit or something so that he could break through it.
"Wonderful jutsu you have here, my dear." The clone started to change form. Its skin broke apart and glossed to become scales, its pupils turned to trenches in a yellow sea, and it grew a long tail. The demon was starting to come out of the seal. Kakashi started hitting the barrier with everything he had. He saved his chidori for later, but everything else in his arsenal he threw at it. To no avail, nothing worked. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto could only watch the horrible things unfold. The demon kicked Tsune in the stomach and in the head. The girl yelped and fell to the ground, groaning. Kakashi was screaming for her to wake up, but all she heard were mumbles…and that wretched voice of the demon.
"You thought you could control me, huh? You thought that if you could just become more powerful, you'd be able to bend me to your will? Not even the Great Nine Tailed Fox could defeat me. My dear cousin has gone soft, which is why I am letting him see me drink your glorious blood. I am going to let you become a hollow shell. You are going to be mine, Takatsu Tsune." The demon murmured, licking its lips.
Tsune laid there as the demon had a monologue. She had tried her hardest, right? Kakashi had tried his hardest, but it wasn't good enough. Everyone had tried their hardest, but it wasn't good enough. The demon was just too strong. Despite what the Hokage said, that thing had no weakness. Tsune was crying now, tears just rolling down the side of her face. Kakashi noticed and something in him snapped. He hit the barrier harder, harder than he's hit anything before. The barrier cracked, one of the paper seals burned into ashes. He hit it again and another one burned to nothing. There was a hole in the barrier.
Kakashi had to give it a shot before the demon noticed. "Tsune, I love you! You have to fight! You have to…" As he was about to finish, the demon had flung a kunai in Kakashi's direction and it hit. Kakashi took his last breath and fell. Sasuke couldn't believe it. His famed sensei was, dare he even think it, dead. Sakura was crying. Naruto was seething, his kyuubi chakra seeping through. The demon paid it no mind.
"Meddlesome shinobi should be dealt with promptly. Now where was I? Oh right, going to kill you and drink your blood." The demon turned, but Tsune wasn't on the ground. He turned around and his face connected with a strong punch. He went flying towards the wall and crashed through it. Tsune stood in the hole and stared down at the creature.
"You killed Kakashi. You will pay for that with your life, a life for a life." Tsune's hair had lengthened, as did her canines and nails. She looked feral. Her eyes had gone from a dark brown to a crimson color. She roared and she jumped down at the demon. The demon smirked and jumped to meet her. The two hovered in mid air for a moment before starting their battle. It was a flurry of punches and kicks. The demon was blown away, but returned by jumping off a nearby building. Tsune dodged and ran off towards the forest. The demon followed, throwing fireballs. Tsune, sensing each one, dodged them perfectly. She ran backwards and threw several kunai and disappeared. The demon kicked those away and stopped running.
"Where are you, my dear? We have business to discuss…" The demon taunted, "…like the funeral of your lover." He waited but Tsune didn't appear.
Just as he was about to move, an arm shot out from under him and dragged him into the building. He crashed down the roof and was flipped in midair. Tsune kicked him towards the floor and he crashed through to the bottom floor. The people inside screamed and ran. The demon stood, popping back in a dislocated arm, just as Tsune fell from the hole. If it wasn't for the scales and the tail, the two would look exactly alike. Tsune disappeared and reappeared and kicked the demon in the back. She did this again, but kicked the demon's side. She repeated this for just about everywhere she could land a hit. She was too fast for him. The demon tried to block her attacks, but he couldn't pinpoint where they were coming from. Finally, Tsune kicked him in the head and the demon went flying through several tables, broke through the bar, and hit the shelves holding drinks. It shook its head. This was not a battle it was winning. The time was now to break the seal.
Tsune was breathing hard, but was ready for more. A sudden pain flared up on her neck, as if someone was trying to scrape her skin away. Her hair returned to normal, as did her fangs and nails. The burning sensation only increased as she screamed. She couldn't even look to see what the demon was doing, but she felt an immense about of air pressure around her. It felt as if the world was crashing down on her.
A hand wrapped itself around her neck and the burning subsided for a moment, before returning as a milder form. She looked up to see Kakashi, smiling.
"Now you know, a little attack like that couldn't kill me." Kakashi teased. He pulled her up and hugged her, but for a moment. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto showed up not too much later. They all were staring at the demon. While Tsune had been struggling, the demon had been breaking the seal it had formed. It was growing in size and forming more of a 60 story tall dragon than the small thing Kakashi saw in Tsune's head.
"What are we going to do, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asked. He had never faced something so large before.
"We are going to let Tsune handle this one."
It was silent for a few seconds.
"The seal is already partially broken, but that thing and Tsune is still connected. If we can get her to kill that thing—which probably means stabbing it in the head—it should be dead within as well as out here. It is not as all powerful as it wants us to believe." Kakashi explained.
"I am not doing that. I can barely stand as is." Tsune complained, but she knew he was right. She shook her head and almost took off, but Kakashi grabbed her arm.
"Come back to me, Tsune. I mean it. I can't marry you if you are dead." Kakashi whispered.
"You can't marry me if I say no either." She briefly kissed him and rushed off to run up the Dragon's tail.
Kakashi felt his lips and sighed. "Sakura, you and I will distract the demon from the front. Sasuke, you and Naruto will support Tsune but be careful. Only she can harm that thing fully. Naruto can injure it and Sasuke can hurt it, but only Tsune can really do some damage. Let's go!" He rushed off to start running towards the dragon's front, with Sakura hot on his heels. The two attacked the front legs while Sasuke and Naruto jumped up the hind legs to meet Tsune at the base of the tail. The three of them ran up its back, ignoring the feral cries it gave.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and Sakura were giving the dragon a run for its money. Kakashi was breaking through its scales and Sakura was hitting the soft tissue beneath. It was a good process, until they realized that the scales regenerated quicker than they could smash them. The dragon swatted away Sakura, who broke through several trees before coming to a stop in a far away clearing. Kakashi rushed to her aid, trying to dodge the fireballs the dragon threw at him. He shot several kunai into the mouth of the dragon, but it spit them out like watermelon seeds. Sakura was alright, but she had broken an arm. Kakashi picked her up and rushed her into hiding. He returned to stand in the clearing just as the dragon entered it.
Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruto learned that dragon demons have minions on their backs and under their scales that fight off "viruses" that might kill the body. They were ganging up on Sasuke and Naruto was trying to reach him, but the river of minions was too thick. Tsune yelled and threw together a favorite pattern of hand seals. "Light Style: Sword of Light Jutsu!" She screamed to the heavens. A sword materialized in her hands and she sliced through some of the minions. Sasuke saw what she was doing and drew his own sword. He hadn't even thought of that. He sliced through the minions around him and around Naruto. Naruto said his thanks and the three of them made their way to the top of the dragon's head.
Kakashi looked up to see Tsune watching him from above the dragon's head. He was so proud of her. He dodged a fire ball and motioned for Sakura to follow him. The two of them dodged fireballs and moved up the forelegs of the beasts. Its minions attacked them, but they fought back. Sakura blew them away and Kakashi destroyed them with his arsenal of jutsu. Just as they were about to reach the top, they heard a scream. Kakashi looked up to see Tsune being stabbed in the chest. Sasuke was trying to kick away a bunch of minions and Naruto was tied up with a form of several minions put together. They screamed for Tsune, but she was gone now…gone for good. The large gigantic minion kicked her aside and laughed.
"This is the end of days for you all." It yelled. The dragon rose on its hind legs and the shinobi slid towards the base of the tail. As the minions melted in between the scales of the creature, they stuck their weapons into its hide, hoping they did not become loosened. The dragon roared and the whole land shook. Tsune's body slid down, trailing blood. Kakashi tried to reach her, but she was out of range.
"Tsune!" He yelled loudly, jumping for her body. The two of them slid down and as they rolled around in the dirt, the dragon took off into the air. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto screamed for them, but it was too late for them to jump off now without impending doom. Kakashi was crying over Tsune again. This had taken entirely too long and he had lost her. The whole thing wasn't even worth it. He'd give up a thousand of his worlds just for her to come back. A lone tear, sparkling in the evening sun, slid into her chest wound.
A bright light shone, engulfing Kakashi and Tsune's corpse. From up above, Sasuke and Naruto were watching the dragon destroy their homes. Sakura, on the other hand, was watching the bright light that they had left behind. Just as she was about to turn around, something flew out of the light, holding something. She squinted and screamed for Sasuke and Naruto. They came rushing over and Sakura was screaming at the thing. They squinted and saw something they had never expected.
Tsune had chakra wings and was flying. She was flying, holding Kakashi in her arms. This was something out of the ordinary and something she had never expected. One moment, she was in the dark walking towards a bright light and the next moment, she was in the air and holding Kakashi. The poor man was knocked out by the thrust and lift, but she couldn't leave him. So she had swooped down and grabbed him up. She settled down next to Sakura, who was cheering for her. Naruto and Sasuke couldn't believe their eyes. Their little sister, whom they had thought was dead, was standing right here before them.
"What happened?" Kakashi had asked after Sakura woke him up.
"I was dead and then your love brought me back. Love is stronger is death, but this time Kakashi, I may not be coming back. I love you…" She kissed him briefly and flew away. Kakashi screamed for her to come back but she ignored him. Tears fell from her eyes, twinkling in the twilight moon.
"She'll be back in your arms in no time." Sakura consoled the grieving man, lying through her teeth. Kakashi wiped his eyes and turned to face the resurfaced minions that were coming fast towards them.
"Alright team, let's move out. We don't have any time to waste." He charged at them, his squad behind him.
Tsune was in front of the demon, halting its rush to kill everything in sight. The demon laughed, causing the ground to shake and the air to ripple. He swatted at her, but she gracefully dodged him. The demon growled and swatted at her again, thinking she was a fly to be dealt with. He had another thing coming. Tsune drew her Light Sword and charged at the demon, who laughed and slammed his teeth behind her. Tsune shuddered as her sword shrunk down to dagger size. The light in his mouth was far and few between, but she could still see a bit. The dragon thought he had her beat, but he had proved time and time again to be foolish. She freed herself from her flesh and went up to the mind of the dragon, the same place that Kakashi had visited before.
As she ascended, she sighed. They had had the story wrong from the beginning. It was not the dragon who had sealed himself within Tsune. He had sealed Tsune within himself. He was the evidence of the seal. He lived and breathed as Tsune did. His mind was her trap, her body his puppet to control. If it had not been for Kakashi and the others, she thought, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be who I am. Tsune finally appeared in the demon's version of the waiting room she had first met the Hokage in. The place had changed completely. There were holes in the walls, with blood dripping out of them. A giant scorch mark was seen on the large windows. The couches and other furniture were overturned, as if used for shielding.
"Hello, my dear." She heard from behind her. Tsune twirled to see a twisted Kakashi behind her. His hair had a reddish sheen to it, with golden flecks that fought for the little light there was to sparkle in. His eyes were an atrocious yellow color with pupils that mimicked the slits of cats. He had a dark aura about him, pressuring Tsune to either bow down or die. She chose neither. She jumped away from him, never taking her eyes away for a second.
"Ryu…it is not so pleasant to see you." Tsune said, willing her chakra wings to brighten up the place. The dagger in her hand quickly changed into a lightweight long sword. The demonic Kakashi shrugged.
"I assumed you would say as much, seeing as how I have to kill you to be reborn." He sighed. He drew a sword of his own, which split into twin short swords. "I really do love you Tsune, as a daughter mind you. Unfortunately, you have to die!" He yelled, charging at her. Tsune barely blocked his attack, but she did. He was bearing down on her with all of his might, his two swords perpendicular to her long sword. She ducked and rolled, letting him hit the carpet under her. When he turned, she was swinging in a crescent, hoping to catch him. He parried and lunged with one sword while swinging the other. Tsune sidestepped the first and blocked the other. This was like a dance and she had no idea who was leading.
The dance of battles took a long time. She knew that as long as she kept this side of the demon occupied, the larger real version wouldn't attack the village but send its minions to do the dirty work. Kakashi and the others could handle that. She had let her mind wander and the demon drew a gash along her cheek. The sweat mixed with the blood and she winced for a brief moment while the demon chuckled at her. The two started the dance up again: a dance of parries and lunges. Tsune quickly wiped away sweat that threatened to swim in her eyes, but not fast enough. The demon almost successfully killed her several times, but she got her act together. She had people to save: Sasuke, the caring but quiet older brother; Naruto, the loud mouth who saved her the best cup ramen during missions; Sakura, her best friend and confidant. She thought of Kakashi. Who was he to her? She admitted she loved him silently. This version of him was all wrong and she didn't like it.
She fought with a new ferocity that worried the demon. This was not the Tsune he had observed as she slept. This must have been locked away in her own mind, in the parts he could not access or had not chosen to force open. He had made his mistake. Tsune knocked away one of his short swords. He turned his head and she ran him through. Her hair was damp against her forehead and there was blood along her arms, but it was over. The demon smiled and pulled her closer.
"When you were just a baby, I always wondered who would kill whom? Now I have my answer. I love you, my dear. The minions are yours, by the way. Sweet dreams…." The demon wasted away, pooling as ashes in front of Tsune. The battle was finally over, but the war was not. She fell to the ground as a memory that was not her own assaulted her.
Rushing towards the nursery where they kept the newborns, I willed myself to not pass out. They had just killed my darling and our kits and I had barely had enough time to escape. Humans are incredibly stupid and I have no idea why Celeste tried to reason with them. They killed her in cold blood and drowned our babies. They couldn't even fly yet, the murderers. Cruelty at its finest. I had a plan and this plan involved a babe, a ninja, and a thousand years of willpower built up into magic and chance.
I slipped through the crack in the doorway of the nursery. There were so many babies to choose from. Any of them would have done the trick, but only one called out to me. She was wearing a pink cap and a pink onesie. No parents were looking at her and acting foolish. She looked like she was all alone. Her dark hair curled a bit and her eyes curiously looked at me. She stared at me and I stared at her. In this dimension, only the highly acute and babies could see me. If I could have been seen by others, I would look to be about the size of a grown man in this realm and could pass as one, save for the scaly skin, the yellow eyes, and the tail.
We seemed to have come to the understanding of a challenge. Around this babe's 21st birthday (I had a couple months give or take), I was to unseal myself and try to permanently kill this child. I could try before hand by taking over her body, but it had to be by her hand. We agreed to those terms and I sealed her within me, but using her body as a vessel for our minds. As I adjusted myself to the small space, I grew sleepy. I hadn't realized when I agreed to the plan that I would lie dormant for 18 years, but I could wait. Revenge is always sweet when carefully planned out…
Kakashi couldn't bear this pain again. This was the second time he had lost Tsune. She wasn't responding to anything. Her chakra was depleted and her heart beat had stopped several seconds ago. There was no coming back. He believed he could only have one miracle per day and that had already been used up. The dragon had instantly turned to ashes 5 minutes ago and they had all fallen slowly to the ground. It had felt like angels had grabbed their body and were gently letting them rest back on earth. Kakashi had looked up after the fog from the ashes had settled to see a limp Tsune float down the same way they had. He squinted to see small versions of the minions they had just fought were clutching on to her. They turned to a gas, the very same he had seen before, and flowed into her ears.
Sasuke couldn't bear to watch Kakashi break down like this. The childish jealousy he had harbored before towards Tsune had long since gone, but he couldn't help but wonder what would he have done if it had been him instead of Tsune who had died? Naruto just didn't want to deal with it and had turned away from them, tears silently falling down his cheeks. Sakura could deal with it, a bit, and was trying to figure out what had happened. Nothing she had ever learned had prepared her for a person who died while in a trance. She had seen it before, but no one has been able to find out why it happened.
Kakashi was clutching Tsune's limp body against his, his tears soaking her face. When he heard a soft sputter and a complaint about impulsive shinobi, he screamed his joy and kissed Tsune with wild abandon. The girl complained loudly in between the many kisses from him and the hugs from her family, but she didn't push them away. She knew that her baby self had known this was going to happen, that she would find that family she always wanted. She also knew that the demon knew she would win out in the end. It didn't want revenge, completely; it just wanted a daughter to love like the ones he had lost. She silently said goodbye to him…but a deep laugh resonating from within her mind reassured her that his spirit wasn't too far off. I'll always be a part of you, my dear…
A loud bit of thunder resonated within the room. Twins, a boy and a girl, yelped and ran towards their parents' room. They cracked open the door, but another flash of flight and a rather loud clash of thunder had them racing into the bed with their Otou-san and Okaa-san. Their father chuckled and nuzzled the girl in his arms. His silvery aloof hair was standing up in all directions and his eyes held smiles as he looked at his beautiful wife. Her dark hair, the ends red, was tied back but his little boy still managed to undo it in his dash to get in her arms. She groaned and pulled him close. He was still as impatient as his mother. He had her eyes, full of life and emotion.
"Kashi-kun, why did I let you talk me into marrying you?" She quietly whispered as the twins quietly snored in their arms. The man reached over and tweaked the nose of his wife.
"Because, Tsune-chan, you love me." He said sleepily, drifting off within the next few seconds.
That I do…Tsune pulled her son closer, who shifted a tad bit, and joined her family in a peaceful sleep. The storm quieted into the soft pitter patter of rain.
9