Kakashi awoke and opened his eyes. He felt light-headed and slightly disoriented. The cave was dark. He had no concept of how long he had been sleeping but he figured that it must be some time in the middle of the night. All was completely black around him. He closed his grey eye and opened the sharingan to see if his chakra had returned and would allow it to activate. Not a chance. Everything was still pitch black. He hated not being able to see in the dark.

He'd been dreaming that there was a classical orchestra playing somewhere close by. The rumble of the taiko drums, the clash of the dobatsu, the rattle of the naruko, with stringed instruments screeching out a whirling tune of frenzied glissandos, rising and falling in pitch. The music was exciting and wild, verging on the hysterical - like nothing he had ever heard before.

He peered towards the entrance of the cave. It seemed to be dark outside but Kakashi had no way of telling the time. He closed his eyes again but his head felt dizzy, whirling round and round, blood pounding in his ears, like the worst hangover he'd ever had.

He laid back down for a few moments to let himself wake up more fully. When he opened his eyes again he could see a greenish blue light at the entrance of the cave. It was tiny but shone brightly. And it seemed to be moving towards him.

Kakashi squinted with his grey eye as he tried to make out what the bright object that was approaching him actually was. Then he saw it.

Not it. Her. It was Rin.

She was walking towards him with her hands cupped. The light was that of her chakra, swirling and tumbling through her fingers, as though she was ready to use her mystical palm technique to heal him. The glow of the chakra illuminated her face and body as she walked towards him, her movements were so languid that she appeared to be floating. He watched her as she approached him with a happy expression on her face, hair swaying slightly as she walked, her lovely gentle smile just beaming at him. With a great deal of effort, he held out his arms to greet her.

As she reached the place where he lay, she let the chakra slip through her fingers and tumble to the ground, like droplets of water from a fountain. Her chakra then settled at the foot of the rocks where he lay, in a swirling pool of green and blue, lighting the area surrounding them with a soft, dim glow. Then she laid herself down on the ledge beside him and he wrapped his arms around her. He was so happy to see her. He felt calm and peaceful and content. They held each other for the longest time.

He wanted to question her, ask her how she had managed to find him, how could the rumours of her death been so untrue. He wanted to tell her how sad he had been, how much he had been missing her, how angry he felt when he had heard what had happened to her. How pleased and relieved he was that she was with him now. But he didn't. He just held her tightly.

Eventually she sat up slightly. She smiled at him, slightly coquettishly, and patted his hair. She had always marvelled at how surprisingly soft those silvery spikes felt to the touch.

"Love your crazy silver hair."

He reached his hand around to the back of her head and affectionately ruffled the chocolate strands of hair.

"Love your sensible brown hair."

Silly terms of endearments were part of their friendship. They both grinned at each other, Kakashi's eyes arching into a smile. He felt so calm now she was with him.

"Why are you here? How did you find me?"

Rin's expression changed. The features of her face looked serious, verging on anxious, as she addressed him.

"Kakashi," her voice had an air of urgency to it. "Kakashi, you can help me."

He didn't know why but deep down, somewhere in his subconscious, he understood what she meant. The ANBU nodded, his grey eye indicating to her how determined he was to help her in any way he could.

She leaned in towards him and cupped his unmasked face in her hands. She was cool, almost cold, and Kakashi shivered at her touch. Then she kissed his forehead, a gentle, chaste kiss from soft lips.

She sat back on her knees and gazed at him again. He smiled at her. But her expression started changing to that of sadness. She looked weary. And then troubled. And then pained. Her head started to slump slightly, her eyelids drooping as she did so.

Suddenly she threw her head back and opened her eyes. They looked directly at Kakashi, a piercing gaze that seemed to penetrate right through him. He thought he caught a glint of light reflected in her retina but it became clear that it was her eyes themselves that were generating the glow. They started sparkling, like diamonds glittering in the light of a thousand stars, crackling with energy and shining with a luminosity so bright that it hurt Kakashi's eyes.

Kakashi sat up immediately and grasped her arms. He wanted to pull her towards him, hold her, hug her, protect her and never let her go. And then she started shaking, twitching and jerking uncontrollably, as though in a seizure.

And finally her body started warping. Twisting and writhing in Kakashi's arms, he could feel her slipping away from him. Blood began to run in crimson teardrops from her sparkling eyes. Her face began to warp and melt, as though it was made from wax, dripping and melting in the heat of a burning flame. She cried out, in pain. The pain turned to distress. The distress to agony. And then she started wilting, slowly disappearing, vanishing before him. He tried to hold her. Keep her with him. Close. Closer. But the tighter he held her, the faster she slipped away. Faded to nothing before his very eyes.

Until there was merely a phantom memory of her presence in that cave.

Kakashi suddenly felt incredibly hot, then unbelievably cold. He started sweating and shivering, convulsing slightly.

The orchestra started playing again, the accelerando of the relentless throbbing taiko and the arpeggios of the shrieking strings building up to an almighty crescendo.

Mezzo forte.

Appassionate.

Forte.

Brio. Presto. Agitato.

Tacet.

Kakashi awoke with a start, opened his eyes and looked up. The cave was dark but it looked as though dawn was approaching. The light at the entrance to the cavern looked strange, a yellowy-grey colour, providing the dimmest of illumination. Iruka was sitting beside him, gently brushing his forehead with the cool damp sponge.

Kakashi sat up and stared balefully at the rogue, hoping desperately that he hadn't been crying out in his sleep.

"You've been asleep for two nights and a day. There's a storm outside. You can hear the wind howling and the waves crashing on the shore. You have a fever. I think you were having a nightmare." The chuunin's voice was calm and reassuring.

Kakashi needed a little time to compose himself. He took a deep breath and let himself wake up fully, observing Iruka with a steely grey eye.

"Who's Rin?"

Kakashi didn't want to answer. He didn't trust this guy enough to give him any personal information about himself.

"Why do you want to know?"

"You were calling the name while you were sleeping," replied the chuunin.

Kakashi sighed. "Just a friend." He paused. "A friend who died," he said in a solemn tone with an air of finality that made it very clear that he didn't want this stranger to ask any more questions.

Iruka nodded. He was a kind person. He didn't really know what to say but felt he should say something. People should always say something, shouldn't they?

"I'm sorry."

Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement but with a solemn expression on his face that wasn't going to give any emotion away.

Iruka hesitated for a moment. Then his curiosity got the better of him. "You also muttered something about my sensible brown hair, which I didn't understand."

Kakashi smiled wistfully and slowly shook his head. "It was nothing to do with you. I was just dreaming."

Kakashi sighed, then rolled over onto his back, wincing as the poisoned wound made contact with the rocky surface he was lying on. He shifted back onto his side immediately. Iruka dipped the sponge in the water again, squeezed it and placed it on Kakashi's forehead, wiping the sweat away from his brow. The coolness of the water on his clammy skin felt really good to the ANBU.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I had my chakra drained and took a poison knife in the back," he said in a monotone without a trace of irony. "How about you?"

"Same," replied Iruka, grinning weakly. "Without the poison," he added.

"Do you know how long it takes for the chakra to return?"

"It can take a few days to get up to full strength. I suspect it's going to take you a lot longer."

It made sense. Kakashi nodded, his expression grim. "And you know this because?"

"I've been through it before. It's a horrible sensation, it's like your entire existence is being drained away. They don't take all your chakra – that would kill you – but they leave just enough for you to feel utterly helpless. You will have some physical energy, as you already know from our escape yesterday but, although your chakra will return, it will be a few days before you can perform any jutsu."

They observed each other in silence for a few moments.

Kakashi suddenly realised that he didn't have his mask on. He felt vulnerable without it. No one had seen him without his mask in many years, not even his sensei or his closest friends, let alone a complete stranger. He might have to kill the chuunin after all.

"Where's my mask?" he demanded.

"I took it with some of your other clothes and washed them. They were in a bit of a state, covered with blood, sweat and vomit. They're drying at the front of the cave. I'll fetch them, if you want me to."

Kakashi shook his head. He hated being without his mask but frankly felt too ill to worry about it. He knew he had a temperature and that he wasn't over the worst of the poisoning yet. He tentatively laid himself back down on the rocky ledge and closed his eyes. He felt terrible. If he opened his eyes, the cavern was spinning round and around. The poison was making him feel dizzy and nauseous. Horrible.

It wasn't long before the fever overtook him again and he drifted off to sleep.

By mid-morning, the storm had subsided and it was beginning to look like the weather would be fine for the rest of the day. Breezy and bracing perhaps, but the worst of the storm was over.

Iruka was beginning to feel slightly better after the chakra drain. He had experienced it before and knew that he'd get over it. He'd had to spend the previous day sleeping and resting after their ordeal but that meant he was able to keep an eye on the ANBU's health. It would be a while yet before Iruka would be able to do anything useful like perform jutsu but for the time being his physical energy was returning to him slowly.

He had thought long and hard about whether he should stay at the beach and look after the ANBU or go back to the Iwa village and try to reconcile with the shinobi gang. He had unfinished business there.

He looked at the Leaf shinobi sleeping beside him. The ANBU was clearly very ill. His exhausted body was desperately trying to fight off the poison and he had no chakra to assist with the healing process.

They hadn't even introduced themselves to each other but in the cold light of the day Iruka had guessed from his distinctive silver hair and scarred eyelid that this had to be Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's genius shinobi with a fearsome reputation and a sole sharingan. Everyone in the village knew about him. So he was Black Ops? That didn't surprise the chuunin in the slightest.

What puzzled Iruka was that while his assassin was clearly very suspicious of the chuunin's actions he had somehow decided to give him a chance. He couldn't for the life of him fathom out why. Kakashi was known for being a stickler for the rules. If he had been ordered to kill Iruka he would have done. Wouldn't he?

He watched the ANBU as he slept, his body feverish as the poison continued to invade his body, making him sick. Kakashi's pale, thin frame was shivering but he had an extremely high temperature and he was sweating profusely, although he seemed to be fighting it.

Iruka decided to stay. It would be a while before the ANBU's chakra would be up to minimal level, let alone anything near full strength and he was extremely weakened from the poison. He doubted that even a genius would survive for long on his own in that condition. He sat beside the stranger and continued to sponge his forehead. His touch was tentative - gentle and considerate. It felt odd, helping someone who had been assigned to kill him but he felt that the assassin had saved his life –whether he had meant to or not - so the least he could do was to try to return the favour. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him.

Iruka suddenly realised that he was hungry. Scratch that, he was famished. The ANBU probably needed some form of sustenance too. The best thing for him to do would be to find some food from somewhere. But what resources did he have? Foraging seemed to be the best option. He decided to explore the vicinity to see if he could find enough to sustain them for the next few days while Kakashi recovered.

Firstly he climbed up to the cliff top to see whether he could find any edible plants. He'd been lucky with the medicinal plants, maybe, just maybe he'd find some good food to eat. Like all Konoha shinobi he was an expert in survival techniques and knew very well how to forage for food.

As he wandered along the cliff top and then travelled a short distance inland his thoughts turned to his situation. The worst had happened. He'd been designated a rogue and a traitor and the only consequence from that eventuality was that his days were numbered. Even if this ANBU failed to kill him, others would come after him. He had to try to resolve matters just as soon as he could. He had a responsibility to the shinobi he thought to be Kakashi but otherwise he had to go back to the Iwa shinobi. He'd worked so hard at gaining their trust. He was naturally good with people, he was certain that he could reconcile with them.

As he wandered through the local area he noticed that there were a reasonable number of edible plants in the vicinity. Sure, they weren't going to rival anything that Ichiraku's cooked up but there would be enough to sustain him and the ANBU. Dandelions. Not the most exciting of plants but nutritious enough and plentiful. He excavated their roots and extracted the whole plant from the ground – roots, leaves, flowers – all were entirely edible. And then he came upon a clump of sorrel, a delicate herb, and utterly delicious. Burdock was the next plant he encountered. The leaf stalks were fine to eat, but the root was delicious, especially marinated in a sesame dressing. Okay. Sesame gobo dressing was completely out of the question, but the burdock was nutritious enough. He checked carefully to ensure that he hadn't confused it with belladonna. If he screwed up there, he'd finish off his assassin without any difficulty at all. Finally he chanced up on some wild garlic. Best of all. The flavour was subtly aromatic and would make all the bland roots and leaves so much more tasty. They'd have a feast tonight. Or something approximating that. He also picked more dock and golden currants, just in case he needed to produce another poultice for Kakashi.

Iruka returned to the beach bearing the vegetables and herbs. He located an area of the cave that was cool and dry – which would act perfectly as a larder. As he brushed away some remnants of grit and dust that had fallen onto the smooth rocky surface, he couldn't help but notice some characters scratched into the back wall of his makeshift food store, probably with a kunai. It said: 'Obito's stash – DO NOT TOUCH!' and had a Leaf motif scratched out underneath it. Iruka smiled. He had no idea who Obito was but this place had clearly served as a refuge for Konoha shinobi in the past. Iruka continued clearing the area then placed the food he had collected in that place for the time being.

He checked in briefly on the sleeping Kakashi and noted that there wasn't much change in his condition - he was still unconscious and feverish. The chuunin then walked slowly along the length of the beach to forage, taking his time, observing what foods might be available.

He headed directly to the rock pools first. There he found a number of different types of seaweed. They were so nutritious. He picked some of the more tender species – the stuff that was edible without having to boil it for hours. He also gathered some carrageen, which he intended to lay out in the sun to dry. They'd be able to boil it up and make jelly from it in a few days' time.

The rock pools also yielded more food, this time protein in the form of molluscs: mussels and common periwinkles just ripe for the picking. Iruka just pulled them from the rocks. He also noticed that the brine had evaporated from some of the shallower pools, the ones that had only had a few millilitres of water in from when the tide had retreated.

Located in each dried out mini rock pool, was a ring of salt.

Iruka gathered up the salt, scraping the glittering white crystals into the palm of his hand. He had an idea and he might, just might, be lucky.

The chuunin then walked to a sandy part of the beach, close to the sea. It was low tide so he walked towards the water's edge and he examined the area before him. Yes, there were little holes in the sand. He knew what they were. He also knew that if he could get hold of any of them, they were absolutely guaranteed to be both nutritious and, more importantly, delicious.

Razor clams.

He carefully approached one of the indentations in the sand and sprinkled some of the salt he had collected.

And waited.

The clam had to be fooled into thinking that the tide was coming in. Razor clams were incredibly elusive.

Actually, catching them was easy for a shinobi. The salt would entice them into popping up to check out the incoming tide and then all the forager had to do would be to grab them before they realised they'd been hoodwinked.

Easy for a shinobi with their lightning reflexes, honed over many years of training. Unless, or course, they had had their chakra drained a couple of days ago. But… Iruka was quick enough to catch six of them. With the plants and other shellfish he would be able to prepare a feast.

Shame he didn't have any noodles.

Iruka located the two tin cans he'd previously found on the shoreline and washed them out in the waterfall. They weren't rusted at all and would serve as excellent cooking vessels that he and Kakashi could also eat from. The next thing to do was to create a fire. Iruka's chakra nature was earth and he had no ability to create fire, with or without a chakra drain, so the old fashioned method was going to have to do.

Iruka collected some large stones and placed them in a circle outside the entrance to the cave. He piled up the driftwood he'd collected then found some dried moss and lichen on the cliff face which would act as tinder and some small sticks for kindling. He located some more sticks and a large block of driftwood which would act as a fireboard. The rope he'd found was perfect to wrap around a stick to form the bow. Then it was just a process of creating enough friction to get an ember glowing in the wood and drop the tinder in.

Once the fire was lit, Iruka began the process of preparing the meal. The water from the waterfall by the cave was good to drink, sweet and fresh. Iruka set about chopping up the root vegetables with his kunai and then boiled them in the tin cans. He then added the sorrel and garlic which provided lovely aromatic flavours and then finally added the clams and shellfish, letting them cook for just a couple of minutes so that they wouldn't overcook and turn rubbery. Finally he garnished the meal with a dandelion flower.

"Wake up, ANBU san," Iruka gently nudged the sleeping shinobi's shoulder. He stirred and opened his grey eye, observing the smiling chuunin looking down upon him. He still felt groggy.

"My name's Kakashi," he replied slowly.

"I know."

So he had guessed correctly. The chuunin responded, "My name is Iruka."

"I know."

"I have food for you. Shellfish and burdock in a sorrel and garlic soup."

Kakashi grinned. "I didn't realise I was about to assassinate a gourmet."

They ate in silence, sipping at the soup from the hot cans. Their bodies needed all the nutrition they could get to give them strength.

Iruka then insisted that Kakashi eat the remaining golden currants as he believed that they would continue to help counteract the effects of the poison.

When they had finished their meal, the ANBU looked much better. His pallor had changed from deathly sallow to an almost healthy pale. He sat back and nodded his appreciation to the rogue.

"That was good," he said quietly, but in a noncommittal tone.

The chuunin nodded, a small smile upon his face.

"I need to check your wound again," he stated matter-of-factly. Kakashi nodded his consent and lifted his shirt over his head, turning his back as he did so, so that Iruka could get a closer look.

Iruka examined the wound. It was looking slightly better, but was still red and clearly very sore. He gently prodded the flesh around it. Kakashi winced slightly but was determined that he wouldn't show any sign of quite how agonisingly painful it was.

"Does it hurt?"

"Yeah, but it feels better than it did."

"I'm going to change the poultice, I think that will help."

"Thanks."

They made no further attempts at conversation while Iruka tended to Kakashi. The ANBU was impressed at how gentle and caring the chuunin was and how carefully he treated the wound.

When Iruka had finished, Kakashi replaced his shirt, put on his mask and turned around to face the chuunin. He looked at Iruka, a serious expression on his face, as he nodded to acknowledge his gratitude. Iruka smiled at him – he had been genuinely glad to help the ANBU.

They observed each other for a few moments longer. It was an awkward silence, made more uncomfortable by the fact that Kakashi had been supposed to kill the young man who sat before him. Each shinobi was entirely unsure what to say. Eventually Iruka decided to break the silence and spoke up. He had a number of questions that desperately needed answering.

"Are you okay to talk with me?"

Kakashi nodded.

"I need to ask why you came after me. Why the authorities in Konoha ordered you to kill me."

"I read the mission report from your team mates. They indicated that you had defected and joined the Iwa shinobi. The statement was quite unequivocal. And you know as well as I do what the penalty is for defection."

Iruka frowned. A dark shadow seemed to pass across his face and he looked as though he was struggling to contain his emotions. Kakashi noted that his expression looked, well, disappointed, upset, even hurt.

"So, why didn't you kill me?"

Kakashi exhaled slowly. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"