Chapter 4 – The Abyss and Back
Tsunade glared at the report in front of her. It was the details of the interrogation of the missing nin from Suna who, had attacked Konoha and made an attempt at kidnapping Kokone, the strange woman from a far away land.
She wondered for a moment, her elbows on her desk and her chin resting on the back of her clasped hands, if she'd been right in letting the woman stay in Konoha.
She had saved Hanibi's life… but the child wouldn't have gotten hurt if it hadn't have been for Kokone's presence.
But it all came down to her decision, and she'd already allowed the woman to stay, and she could be useful to them, as much as she hated to admit it.
There was a short knock on her office door, and Ibiki, Anko and Inoichi entered the room in single file. They each bowed to their leader and then Ibiki spoke, his voice low and dangerous.
"Hokage-sama, you need to come see this. The prisoner has something very interesting to say."
The Hokage was instantly on her feet and rushing out the door. She rushed past Shizune who was just outside the door and yelled for her to hold the fort until she'd got back from some 'business'.
The Hokage made her way into the ANBU interrogation chambers. There were many different kinds of rooms, some were for sensory depravation, others looked like a dominatrix's wildest dream, some were just bare walls, a single bulb on a wire dangling above a hard metal chair bolted to the cold floor.
In a room near the end of the long dark corridor, a door stood ajar, two ANBU standing guard at the entrance. They stepped aside when the Hokage approached, pushing the door open just enough to let her pass. They closed it behind her, a dull 'thunk' that signalled her arrival to the prisoner. He looked up from his place by the wall, chained there with chakra restricting bonds, and smiled maliciously.
He spoke; his voice low and filled with the intent to hurt, the words foreign to Tsunade.
The Hokage knew what she would have to do to learn what the man was saying, and though she didn't want to do it, she knew that she must.
Nearly ripping the door from the frame in her hurry to get out of the room, the Hokage stormed off down the hallway, signalling the ANBU to stay, and for Ibiki to keep out of it. Kakashi sensed the familiar chakra signature closing in on him, and got up from his watch place on the roof of Iruka's house.
Kokone was in the garden below, nearly finished hanging out the washing, oblivious to the Hokage's arrival on the loose tiles overhead.
Tsunade said nothing to him, just nodded and leapt down to collect the girl. The three of them travelled ninja style over the buildings, something Kokone hated, but tolerated as she knew other things were more important right now.
The ANUB corridor scared her, the dim lighting seemingly a reminder of a distant memory, she clung to Kakashi's elbow, fingers twined in the tough fabric.
Nearing the chamber, Anko greeted them with a smile and a small wave, then held the door open for them to pass.
Ibiki was standing in front of the man, watching him like a hawk, and frowned at the man's reaction when the strange girl came into view.
The man spoke, voice taunting her almost, trying to get a reaction.
When nothing happened, he changed tactics and talked absentmindedly about something.
Kokone's fingers twitched in anger for a moment, but she was otherwise unmoved, and only Kakashi noticed her struggle with her emotions.
The next thing the man said though, that got a reaction.
Kokone lunged forward, screeching something at him, fingers reaching out to him, like she wanted to rip his throat out. Kakashi held her back, both arms about her waist, feeling bruises forming on his shins where she was kicking him in an effort to get him to let go.
She soon stilled, but she kept on yelling at the prisoner, spite and hatred quite apparent to all gathered there.
The missing nin, half-whispered next, almost like he wanted everyone to strain to hear him, the words only clear to one person though.
Kokone went limp, her knees giving way out of shock, her eyes wide with fear.
She pushed away from them all, towards the door this time, and Kakashi let her go. She ran down the corridor, not stopping til she reached the open air outside, and crashed into a hard, warm person.
Iruka looked at the girl in his arms, the tears streaming down her cheeks, her breath an effort.
Realising just who she'd run into, Kokone wrapped her arms around Iruka's neck, sobbing away.
"What's wrong? What's happened?" Iruka pleadingly asked her, hoping he would get an answer.
"B-b-brother… gone…" she managed to choke out.
"You're brother? Where is he? Kokone? Answer me!"
"Gone… dark… nothing… don't know word…"
"Okay, it's okay, try and say it."
"Box in ground, dark and nothing, never see brother ever now…"
Iruka finally realised what the girl was saying.
She'd just found out her brother was dead…
Kakashi arrived at that moment, he looked concerned and confused, like he had no idea what was going on.
"What the hell is going on?" Iruka hissed through bared teeth, his arms instinctively wrapping themselves around the delicate frame clinging to him.
"The Hokage needed to get her to talk to the prisoner… he was talking Kokone's language and we couldn't understand him. The guy pissed her off a bit and then made her run out of the room… what's wrong with her…?"
"Her brother… your prisoner just let her know about her brother's death."
"Shit." Kakashi looked down, ashamed and angry with himself for not figuring this out when it had happened.
The Hokage heard all of this and stayed where she was, standing behind the door of the ANBU base, her throat tight with memory and her own pain.
Her brother, she'd lost him too, and so she knew the pain the young woman was going through. Pushing the door open, she walked to the trio gathered just outside.
"Take her home boys. Keep her close… she'd going to need you tonight." The Hokage half-whispered to them with watery eyes.
They stood there in shock for a moment, but then Iruka scooped up Kokone and they walked calmly home.
Upon reaching the door, the tears still hadn't stopped, but she was crying quietly now. Kakashi wasn't sure which was worse.
They took her to her room and put her in bed, they both went to leave, but she had hold of both their hands, and she refused to let go.
The following morning found them curled up together in the bed, all four arms of the men wrapped around the girl who had interrupted their lives so much in such a short amount of time.
Iruka managed to prise himself away to make some breakfast, and nodded to a still sleepy Kakashi who pulled the woman closer to him.
She slept on; seemingly unaware of how much the men had grown to care for her. Kakashi looked down at her sleeping face, the cheeks still stained with tears, with eyes a little red and puffy. She was still beautiful…
Kakashi stopped his train of thought right there. He couldn't think that way, the Hokage would most likely kill him.
Kokone stirred a little in her sleep, a frown forming and her lips thinning in what the Copy-Nin realised was a nightmare.
The girl tossed and turned a little next to him, and began to make scared mewling noises until she woke with a terrified scream a few moments later. She sat up suddenly and found arms holding her close, and calming whispers from the person holding her.
She sobbed a little and Iruka came back into the room to see what the commotion was about.
Kakashi was sat with Kokone in his lap, rocking her back and forth gently. Iruka smiled at the sweet little scene, but for some reason felt a little jealous. Shaking his feelings aside, the teacher went back to the kitchen to continue with the breakfast. He wondered for a moment again where those feelings had come from, but put it down to the fact that he liked to be the one to look after people. He reminded himself that he was looking after people by making them food, and got on with turning over the bacon.
Kokone whimpered once more into Kakashi's shoulder before her breathing returned to normal. Her shoulders shuddered and calmed. Kakashi was still holding her in his lap, one hand absentmindedly stroking her hair, and wondered what to do. He remembered loosing his father, Obito and Rin, his sensei too, and wasn't sure how to help the woman get through her pain. It wasn't like he was any good at dealing with his own loss, let alone other peoples!
He sighed and was a little startled when Kokone wrapped her arms round his neck, comforting him.
She drew back a little, to look him in the eye, and smiled at him. She'd bottled up her emotions, to keep herself from bursting there and then, something Kakashi knew a lot about.
Many ninja did that, bottled everything up so that they could finish their mission, they called it 'stonewalling'. It mostly happened after a kill or traumatic event. They would always need some help to come back from their inner abyss though, and more often than naught, it would be through some intimate physical contact.
She pulled away completely and grabbed some clothes from the drawers next to the bed before making her way to the bathroom to get dressed. She returned a few minutes later, looking like nothing had ever happened, smiling and clean, ready for a brand new day. Iruka arrived then to announce breakfast, distracting Kakashi from his worried thoughts about Kokone. The trio went through to the kitchen and sat quietly eating before Iruka went off to work. Kakashi flicked through the TV channels in the hope of finding something good, and Kokone moped the floor.
There was a knock at the door, which Kakashi answered to Genma and Raido, some other Jounin. They walked into the kitchen and Genma was checking out Kokone's ass when Kakashi walked in. He was about to reprimand the womaniser, but before he could, a soggy cloth slapped him in the face. Kokone stood there, furious, her hands on her hips.
Genma cringed as the dirty soap water reached his mouth, and he ended up spiting it out on Kokone's freshly clean floor, to which she didn't take kindly to either. She started shouting at him and trying to make him clean up whilst Raido explained why they were there to Kakashi. The Hokage had wanted some extra protection for the woman, after recent events, it was the best thing to do. Kakashi looked round the larger man's highly muscled body to gaze in shock at the scene before him.
Genma, a Jounin level ninja, was pinned to the kitchen floor, unable to break free, by a woman who knew nothing about ninja skills. "I give in, I give in! I'll clean up I promise!" the grown man screamed.
Kokone got up and threw the ninja the mop before storming into the garden.
Raido looked from Kakashi to the open door and raised an eyebrow. "She… erm… has a bit of a temper?" Kakashi guessed as he sidled out the door after his charge.
(AN: As a warning, the next chapter has some scenes of a sexual nature... just saying...)