Note From Author: Okay, I'm back again. I hope you R & R! I know my story is a little pathetic, but please be kind to me.

Previously: Kakashi has been assigned the job of looking for dead bodies at the Uchiha clan's three-acre compound but his only clue to the only possible living person is written in blood on the wall, left by Uchiha Itachi, who is the reason for the slaughter. Now, Kakashi is working desperately with the rescue team to fetch the little boy trapped under the ruins.

This chapter: Fache's interference, a little unpleasant hitting, and the womanpower of Kurenai and Shizune!

Dark Times

Kakashi tapped his foot impatiently. Three hours. Three hours and they still haven't gotten him out.

"How much longer can that boy hold out?" Izumo muttered, pacing back and forth. "A five-year-old trapped inside there…"

"We've got something!" Asuma, who had went to assist his team, shouted.

At once, Kakashi, Izumo, Kotetsu and Shizune bolted over.

"What?" Kakashi asked. "The boy?"

"It seems so," Asuma said. "We've located him. He's right behind the chasm. An entire hunk of ceiling fell down and it's blocking us from the boy."

"Then remove that chunk of whatever," Shizune said.

"Easier said than done," Kurenai said gravely. "Unfortunately, I must remind you that that cavern is fragile beyond words. Shockwaves of any kind will disrupt the stability of the walls."

"Then how?"

"That, is the question," Asuma said curtly. "Plus, that boy is vicious, unbelievably. One of my workers put his hand in through a small hole to help him and the hand came out, bleeding."

"He's terrified," Kakashi said. "Normal reaction. Shizune, do you think you could handle him?"

"Well, if he's getting violent, I might not know how to handle him," Shizune admitted. "How about a man-to-man approach?"

"Kakashi can try," Izumo suggested.

"Hey, people," Kotetsu reminded them. "Let's talk about this after we got the boy safely out."

"Sure, I'm cool," Kakashi said.

"Can't we do anything to remove the chasm?" Shizune asked.

"We could use pickaxes to move away the rocks," Kurenai said. "But too much clanking will cause shockwaves."

"I'll go down and have a look," Kakashi offered. "I'm an expert on physics."

Kurenai looked unsure. "Only those with proper training should go in."

"You got it," Kakashi said, taking off his black trench coat and handing it to Izumo. "I've had it before, sometime before I took up the police job. Don't worry, Kurenai. I'm fully trained in medics and physics and rescues and police." He gave her a thumb-up. "A man like me can handle anything."

And he walked towards the hole in the ground, preparing himself to face the most life-threatening situation of his life.

That boy's life is in my hands. It's either I do this, or he dies.

"Ashitaka," Chairman Kinomiya said flippantly.

"Yes, sir?" Ashitaka, his attendant as his superior.

"How is the Uchiha case going?"

"We have not received a report yet, sir," Ashitaka admitted. "Agent Hatake has gone far, though. From the most recent report from Captain Fache, who has contacted them, says that there's a message on the wall above the dead Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto, the head of the clan. It says, "I have left my brother behind to suffer. Find him if you can, regret it if you don't." It's obviously a threat. And obviously, it says that there's at least one person left alive."

"That's not acceptable," Kinomiya said at once. "The Uchiha clan is made of five hundred people. Please do not tell me that out of five hundred, only one has survived."

"The brother of Itachi's hasn't even been confirmed alive yet," Ashitaka said. "But those on land and in the houses have been confirmed dead by the police, paramedics and rescue workers. Right now, the boy is trapped in an underground cavern and the rescue team is trying to pull him out. Unfortunately, the situation looks dire and unfortunate. Another hour or so of this and that boy will surely break."

Kinomiya frowned. The Uchiha clan must be salvaged at all costs.

"Send another squadron," Kinomiya said. "I want them on the Uchiha massacre case before the press wake up and flood the place in the morning. And I want the boy out in this hour!"

"Yes, sir – I shall pass your order."

Kakashi grimaced at the foul smell of oil, alcohol, grime and smudge in the cavern. It was the most unpleasant thing he had ever found himself in.

He walked forward slowly, his hands ahead of him to look out for the chasm, wherever it was.

Then, he heard a suppressed cry.

Is it the boy?

"Can you hear me?" he whispered softly. "I'm going to save you. Stay still, don't talk and try to whisper to me where you are. I'm a policeman. I will help you."

The boy didn't respond.

Kakashi felt his hands meet cold rock. He felt all over the jagged, slippery surface of the chasm. This must be it…

Kakashi frowned, thinking of a solution to remove these rocks safely. For a while, he came up with nothing.

But in five minutes time, he'd poked his head right out of the cavern and to the shocked faces of his co-workers.

"I need my trench coat and a giant pickaxe as well as an assistant, please."

"What are you thinking of?" Asuma hissed under his breath. "This'll never work! And it's going to take ages!"

"Better ages than never, right?" Kakashi said cheerfully. "C'mon. Help me with this."

They covered the tip of the pickaxe with Kakashi's trench coat. Well, it's a nice trench coat but headquarters have plenty of these. Hell if I rip out some cloth…

Slowly, they began to roll away rocks.

Fache frowned. How can I let Hatake get credit for this case? He's under me, my subordinate, for goodness's sake! What is the stupid Chairman thinking?

In great dislike, Leonardo Fache frowned even more. He did not like the way Japanese men worked. It was just not right, not fair and completely unrealistic. Why would Kinomiya send Hatake for this assignment instead of him, Leonardo Fache, a much, much more experienced officer – no, captain – of the French Judicial Police? Moreover, this was a massacre. Subordinates didn't handles cases like these – the captains did.

"Collet," Fache frowned.

Collet (you all know him, yeah?) emerged. "Yes, sir? How may I help you?"

"Any news from the Chairman? Cancellation of the Uchiha case?" Fache asked, a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

"No, sir," Collet replied. "But he has asked for another squadron to see to the mission. We've just dispatched the Shiranui team."

"Shiranui!" Fache was up like a shot. "What has that grass-chewing moron know about massacres?"

"Nothing, sir," Collet replied in his fluent French. "But it seems that the Chairman's personal attendant has requested for the Shiranui team. Therefore, we've just assigned them this mission."

"Why didn't you inform me earlier?" Fache was mad at Collet, really.

"Sir, I thought you didn't want to hear any more of the Uchiha case," Collet pointed out.

"Yes, but this is different!" Fache snapped. "This is sending out a team without the French Judicial Police saying something! Don't you think we're being treated like rags in the Japanese local police?"

"Sir, we signed for this campaign ourselves."

"Had I know earlier that this was such a ridiculous campaign, I would not have done so," Fache scowled. "I cannot believe the Chairman would think those drunk Japanese fools are better than a French Judicial Police captain. Honestly! Assigning the Shiranui team? And sending out Hatake was bad enough! This is worse!"

"Sir, would you like to abort the Shiranui team?" Collet asked.

"Yes, stop them!" Fache said at once. "And this time, I'm going out to see to this personally! The French will have a say in this!"

"Bad news, Izumo," Kotetsu said. "Change of plans."

"What plans?" Izumo asked. Shizune perked up as well. Kurenai looked in interest.

"Genma isn't coming," Kotetsu said. "They've been replaced."

"What!" Izumo yelped.

"Yes – and by our worst nightmare," Kotetsu said. "Three guesses who."

Izumo groaned. "Fache."

"Captain Fache," Kotetsu corrected. "That moron. I bet he junked up the Chairman's orders."

"Then again, it was the attendant's," Izumo corrected.

"Is Fache that bad of a person?" Shizune asked.

"You'll never meet one like him," Izumo said. "He sucks as captain. And he acts like he's the super boss, even higher than the Chairman just because he's from the French Judicial Police. That word comes out from his mouth at least fifty times a day. Did you know, Shizune? It's, "I'm from the French Judicial Police so obey me!" and also, "Listen up, you cowboys, I'm from the French Judicial Police so you listen to me!" And egoistical bastard who tries to keep hugging the spotlight."

"Oh?" Shizune raised an eyebrow. "The French Judicial Police?"

"Oh, yeah," Kurenai said. "I remembered it was a campaign to assist Asian police."

"More like completely destroying our system," Kotetsu said. "Fache is a fish – a fluke."

"Leonardo Fache," Kurenai said. "I've heard of him. He's a renowned captain of the French police."

"Oh, please," Izumo groaned. "He's a renowned nothing but a bastard. I hate snobbish morons like him."

"Kakashi won't be happy to hear this," Kotetsu said darkly.

"So Fache is coming down personally with his team?" Shizune asked.

"Not just any team," Izumo corrected. "His French team. Made up of that Silas Collet, Andre Vernet and Remy Teabing (alright, I purposely mixed it up here and there so it isn't exactly copying)."

"I hate all of them," Kotetsu said. "A snobbish bunch of French assholes (No offense. ;;)."

"Indeed," Izumo said. "Collet and Remy are worst of the lot. They suck up to Fache like anything."

"Since when was our police infiltrated by the French?" Shizune wondered.

"Since France posted that stupid campaign," Izumo answered dryly. "And because of their bloody idea, we face the consequences."

"Well," Kotetsu pointed at a police car driving up the three-acre complex. "Here's our guest-of-honor, Leonardo Fache."

Kakashi groaned as he and Asuma heaved an exceptionally large rock out of the way. They struggled with its weight for a moment, before settling it down softly on the ground to avoid shockwaves.

Suddenly, he saw a beam of torchlight shine into the cavern. It was the signal they had agreed on for Asuma and Kakashi to get back up.

Cursing unpleasantly, Kakashi climbed up the rope, only to meet the sour faces of the French team.

"Captain Fache," Kakashi greeted in a sourly polite manner. He could see Izumo and Kotetsu making faces at the back of the French. "Collet. Vernet. Remy. Pleasure."

"Oh, yes," Vernet said. "And on such a fine evening, too."

"We're not here for the pleasantries, Hatake," Fache said gruffly. "Where's the boy?"

"He's still stuck, sir," Kakashi admitted, hate and loathing oozing out of every pore of his body. "We're trying our best, sir."

"Your best is obviously not good enough, Hatake!" Fache snapped. The French team chortled. Izumo and Kotetsu glared at Fache's back. Shizune was frowning and Kurenai was looking unpleasantly angry. Asuma just shrugged.

"It's not his fault," Kurenai said calmly. "If you could do the job better, Captain Leonardo Fache, I suggest you take the honor of doing so."

Fache glared at Kurenai, obviously angered. "Who the hell are you?"

"Yuuhi Kurenai," she replied. "Sarutobi Asuma's helper. Sir, it is not Kakashi's fault. He has been doing a fine job all evening until…you disrupted us."

Fache raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Are you saying that I disrupted you?"

"Absolutely," Shizune said.

"And who are you?"

"Shizune of the paramedic team," she answered. "I'm here to see if the boy has any injuries."

"Oh? And does standing around here doing nothing help anyone besides yourself?" Fache said in a dangerously soft voice.

Shizune was equally poisonous. "There's nobody to rescue, sir."

"There are plenty of dead bodies around you."

"None of them are alive, sir."

"Then find the live ones."

"I'm on standby, sir. I'm supposed to stay here. I'm under orders of my superior, which happens to not be you, Leonardo Fache."

Fache snorted. They all knew Shizune had a point.

Grunting, Fache glared at the two women. "Be glad you're not on probation."

"Oh, please, Leonardo," Kurenai rolled her eyes. "It'll be doomsday before I join the police."

"Agreed," Shizune said dryly.

Fache was clearly disgruntled that Kurenai and Shizune could speak so openly to him, insult him and completely undermine his superiority. Kakashi could not resist a grin. Fache had absolutely no power over Kurenai and Shizune.

"And the two of you," Fache looked at Izumo and Kotetsu. "Lolling around here like a pair of drunken teenagers."

"Sir, we're on standby for our captain," Izumo said sharply. "We're staying here."

"Find something useful to do," Fache snapped. "Kakashi has all the help he needs."

"He does not, sir," Kotetsu said venomously. "Kakashi is our captain. And therefore, we will stay by his side until he gives orders for us to go."

"I am your captain!"

"The Chairman says otherwise," Izumo grinned in triumph. For once, they beat Leonardo Fache. Of course, they were going to suffer for this later but it was just fine, savoring the moment, humiliating Fache in front of plenty of rescue workers and two police teams, who were sniggering away. Fache certainly was not popular.

"With your consent, sir – I would like to return to my original task," Kakashi said calmly. "If you please?"

"Fine," Fache muttered, utterly defeated. "Dig away."

Kakashi smirked.

Half an hour later, Asuma arrived on the surface, choking and gasping. "We've got the boy out! He's killing Kakashi!"

Kakashi fought desperately to cover the boy's mouth to stop him from screaming. He could feel blood pouring down his arms as the five-year-old's nails met with his soft skin.

"Stay calm," Kakashi growled under his breath into the boy's hair. "Calm down. I'm trying to help you."

The boy just kicked and squirmed, mad for release. Kakashi glared at the hole in the ceiling. What's taking Asuma so long?

Kakashi could feel splashes on his hands. The boy was crying.

"Shush," Kakashi lifted the small boy off the ground and held him tightly in his arms, restraining him. "I won't hurt you. It's over now. Stay still and let's get you up…"

Kakashi saw Asuma's helping hand fall from the ceiling. At once, Kakashi began to climb the rope with one hand and one foot, struggling to stop the boy from pouncing out. The boy's teeth had also met with his wrist, making him wince. Kakashi did nothing but let Asuma pull him out.

Once they were out, Kakashi released the struggling boy. But Shizune was already there with Izumo and Kotetsu.

"Stop!" Kakashi yelled.

He knew that Izumo was going to knock the boy out, from the position of his hands. However, Fache was there first.

He smacked the boy on his cheek, making the terrified young creature whimper in more fright and try to scramble away.

At once, Kurenai leapt on the French officer with hate and dislike and pure loathing. "You do not hit children like that! Much less a child who has been trapped underground for six hours, you old fool!"

"I'm going to fire you!" Fache screamed back, advancing on the boy, who was on his knees, hugging his small, dirty body, crying and whimpering to himself. Shizune was there with him, stroking his dirty and blood-caked ebony hair. When Izumo approached, hand raised, the boy cried out with fright and jumped away, almost falling on Kakashi. At once, Kakashi pulled the boy to him and held the struggling child in his arms while Kurenai told the French captain promptly off, with Shizune's aid as well as Izumo's and Kotetsu's.

"You never hit a traumatized child like that!" Shizune screeched. "It's inhumane, you French jackass!"

"What was that, my good woman?" Fache blared. "I will not accept that kind of discredit!"

"Oh, yeah, you old fool?" Izumo snapped. "That boy was crying…he's just been out of that cavern and you hit him. A damn coward like you won't be able to go through what he's just been through! He's only a child! A boy! A mere five-year-old!"

Kakashi was breathing harshly as the evident five-year-old struggled in his arms, whimpering and crying but not uttering a single word.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that, Izumo!" Fache roared.

"Respect the captaine!" Vernet stepped in.

"Or what, fish-face?" Izumo demanded, his anger beyond words.

"You face punishment for your insolence!" Remy snapped.

"You mutt," Kotetsu glowered. "You cowardly mutt, Remy."

"Who are you to call cowardly?" Collet demanded.

"Official of the Japanese Judicial Police, that's what, you French stuck-ups!" Izumo snapped. "Sound familiar to you crackpot old fools?"

"Snotty ones, too," Shizune added.

"Don't get wild on our turf, captain," Kurenai said to Fache with utmost distaste. "We have enough evidence to send you back to France with a lousy reputation. That boy didn't need to be hit. He needed to be comforted and his wounds seen to. And you had no right to come here! Genma was assigned to do so!"

"I will oversee this messy operation!" Fache said self-righteously.

"Go get a life, Fache," Izumo snapped. "Everything was fine until you came."

Kakashi, dizzy from the lack of air, fainted there and then.

When he regained consciousness again, Kakashi found himself leaning against the white wall of an ambulance, with Izumo and Kotetsu beside him and Shizune beside them. In front of him was a bed built into the opposite wall of the ambulance. On it, there was a boy.

He was five years old, at most. He was wearing cream shorts and his thin white shirt was folded and placed next to him. The boy was facing the wall and his tiny body shook and trembled visibly.

Kakashi bit his lip.

A gash, two inches wide and one-inch deep cut from his right shoulder to the upper hip and it was bleeding profusely. A soft bandage wound around the boy's head gently and Kakashi saw a bit of blood at the corner of it. The boy was facing the wall and it was hard to see him.

But Kakashi could see that the young boy was exceptionally fair – a trait of the Uchiha clan – and he had soft ebony hair that had been cleaned of the earlier blood.

"Awake, captain?" Shizune said sheepishly.

"Yeah…" Kakashi murmured. He sat out a little bit and touched the bed in front of him. "How…is he?"

"Nothing overly serious," Shizune accessed. She pointed to the gash on the boy's back. "This is the most major wound. I've yet to staunch the bleeding. There's a cut on his temple – it's rather deep but nothing I can't handle and nothing really serious. There are lots of cuts on his legs and arms but they're not very serious. Just minor wounds. But he hasn't said anything yet."

Kakashi frowned. "What's his name?"

"He won't say either," Shizune said. "The police are trying to find the records of the Uchiha clan. He hasn't said anything. I think it's trauma."

"Of course," Izumo muttered. "Who wouldn't act that way of being trapped with dead bodies for six hours? Plus knowing that his own brother killed his whole family…"

The boy on the bed visibly flinched and let out a whimper he was unable to suppress.

Kotetsu tetchily silenced him with a hand gesture.

Kakashi frowned as Shizune staunched the bleeding and pulled some white sheets over the young boy.

Kakashi sighed. "Where is Fache?"

"He's being ticked off by the Chairman," Izumo said. "Over the phone. The French team is going to be suspended, I should think. I hope so, at least."

"I can't believe he had the bloody nerve to hit the boy," Kotetsu sighed.

"Oh, yes," Kakashi breathed heavily. "I can't believe he did it either."

"A fool," Shizune nodded. "But it's over now."

The ambulance began to jerk. Shizune turned to her three companions. "We're heading for the hospital. Would you like us to drop you at the police station?"

"No," Kakashi said. "Chairman Kinomiya wants us to see to the very end of this boy's case. I don't know why, though."

"You should give him a call later," Izumo suggested. "That old man is full of mystery. I can't believe he isn't out of office yet."

Kakashi forced a smile. He was tired and completely horrified by the night's events.

The boy on the bed was still wincing and flinching every now and then and his small body still trembled and shivered, despite Shizune giving him another blanket.

"He's frightened," Shizune said halfway through the journey. "We're going to have to get a professional psychologist."

"I have a feeling psychologists won't help his case," Izumo commented. "The boy should be with people he recognizes, knows. You can't expect him to welcome complete strangers and tell them every thing he's just witnessed and whatever that Itachi has done."

The boy whimpered again.

"I think we better not talk about those things in front of him," Kakashi implored. "He may not be registering what we say, but certain words might be of something to him."

"Agreed," Kotetsu said dryly.

"So, Kakashi," Shizune said. "What is going to be done with the boy? Has the Chairman said anything yet?"

"I don't know," Kakashi said. "But he said he assigned this task to me because he wanted me for something. He said he would further explain the situation later."

"Fine by me," Izumo said. "But unfortunately, the problem stands. This boy is going to have to be put up for adoption or something."

"He isn't just a dog, Izumo," Kotetsu contradicted. "He has feelings and he isn't like an animal. Plus, he's so schizophrenic like."

"Schizophrenic?" Izumo questioned. He never had a good use of vocabulary.

"It means he is delusional and breaks away from social niceties," Shizune said. She turned to Kotetsu. "His schizophrenia has not been diagnosed, I'll have you know. I'm not a trained psychologist so I won't know if he's got that kind of illness or not."

"It's not necessarily schizophrenia," Kakashi said. "Can we talk about this at the hospital?"

"Alright, captain," Izumo said with obvious disdain. Kakashi sighed. Some people just love the talk of delusions and anti-social kids..

This boy has got to make it through this…if he doesn't, the Uchiha clan will disappear forever…

Kakashi frowned. Why didn't he pay more attention to Obito whenever he talked of Itachi's younger brother? Now, he didn't even know the poor boy's name. And it didn't look like the younger was going to talk.

Kakashi sighed. These were indeed the dark times.

End of Chapter Two: Dark Times

I know the last part is a little cheesy – but give me a break, okay? I know my story is slow and wordy but we'll reach action soon…I hope.

Preview of the Next Chapter:

"Kakashi!" Kinomiya blared.

"Yes, sir?" Kakashi stepped forward in attention.

"You are Obito's best friend, are you not?"

"Yes, sir. He was my friend, sir."

"Obito was the boy's godfather, was he not?"

"Yes, sir."

"You saved the boy, did you not?"

"Yes, sir."

"Obito was to look after the boy if his parents died, is that not?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then take the job yourself!" Kinomiya boomed finally.