Chapter Four
The next few days passed by rather quickly. A few tips on Sasuke stopped Naruto from remembering anything about the light threat he had left on Kakashi, but nothing could distract the jounin from his hanyou crush. Asamoya had truly blossomed in the few days she had spent with Kakashi. She had begun to make friends with a few of the shinobi in the village, much to Kakashi's excitement. The first few days, plus the short day of recovery she had been forced to endure, had been spent with her learning how to read and write. She was nearly as good as he was now. He had asked if accelerated learning was another part of being part youkai, but she hadn't known.
His comment had seemed to spark some unending determination to learn anything and everything she could about her youkai blood. Kakashi tried to get her to do other things, like make new friends with other people her age, or do training with Naruto and Sakura, but she was different when she stopped her newfound obsession with research. She was distracted. There was something that was bothering her. He tried to approach the subject numerous times, but even then, she seemed distracted, her eyes sometimes focusing on where his headband covered his left eye.
"Asamoya." He approached again, the fourteenth day of her stay with him. The hanyou girl looked up from the thick volume she was reading. "I can tell that there's something specific that's bothering you. Will you not tell me what it is?" She put a bookmark into the book and sighed. He watched as she got to her feet and walked over to him, sitting beside him and looking right into his visible eye.
"Why do you have a sharingan in one eye and not the other one, Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi gave a start of surprise at her question and then stood, walking over to the shelf and picking up the picture of the original team seven. Kakashi sat back down next to her and handed the picture to her.
"Do you remember what I said about why I wore my mask?" Asamoya nodded, leaning against him slightly. "Well, we were on a mission. It was my first day as a jounin, and I got to command. I was cocky, I'll admit. Minato-sensei went off to distract the enemy while we carried out the mission on our own. Rin," he reached around her shoulder to point at the female on the team, "got captured by the enemy. I was still bound and determined to carry out the mission as Minato-sensei had ordered us to, but Obito had other plans. He beat some sense into me that day and we went to help Rin.
"I ended up being injured when I pushed Obito out of the way of an attack. An enemy shinboi cut my eye, rendering it useless." Kakashi pushed his headband up, keeping his eye closed, but showing her the scar. "He felt bad about it, but we were on a mission and there wasn't much we could do about it then. His sharingan awakened and he could fight better then, but...then we were tricked.
"We rescued Rin, but there was still one more enemy. He made a rock shelter collapse on us and because I was then blinded because of my left eye, I got hit and Obito sacrificed himself to get me out safely. He was caught under a large rock, the likes of which we couldn't move. Obito knew that he was dying and he asked Rin to implant his newly-acquired sharingan in my useless left eye socket. It was his dying wish and she honored it." Asamoya frowned, leaning up and gently tracing the scar with her light fingers. Kakshi involuntarily shivered at her light touch, but she didn't seem to notice.
"Why do you have to keep it covered all the time?" Her fingers gingerly grazed his closed eyelid. "Or keep your eye closed?" She asked softly. Kakashi sighed quietly.
"Well, I'm not an Uchiha. I don't have the right blood to control it, so it stays active all the time. It uses up my chakra too fast." Asamoya nodded slowly. She was closer than she was normally and Kakashi couldn't tell if he was nervous or if he was feeling anticipation.
"I read somewhere about something that the youkai can do. If I can form the sharingan to your blood, you'll be able to activate it whenever you want to, just like a normal Uchiha would." Kakashi's normal eye widened. "Will you let me try?" Kakashi paused and thought it over for a moment.
"Sure. Tell me what you need me to do. Or not do for that matter." Asamoya moved away from the close proximity, much to Kakashi's disappointment.
"Lay back." She commanded in a soft voice. Kakashi did as he was told, laying back with his head against the arm of the couch. Asamoya took a deep breath. "Try not to move too much okay? The book I read didn't say how exactly it felt for the person this was happening to. I-I'm afraid th-that it might h-hurt you." Kakashi reached up and grabbed her hand.
"And this is what's been distracting you for the past few days? The fact that you wanted to do this for me and that it might be painful for me?" Asamoya nodded, looking down. Kakashi smiled and let go of her hand. "Whatever it does, Asamoya, it won't hurt as bad as the surgery that got it there in the first place." Asamoya nodded, taking another deep breath and kneeling next to his head. His calm, coal black eye met her frightened green ones and she seemed to steel herself. Her fingers traced his scar again, then the shape of his closed eye.
Asamoya began murmuring in a language that Kakashi didn't know. Suddenly, searing pain ripped through his eye and it was all he could do to clench his eyes shut and try and pretend that the pain didn't exist. Asamoya's fingers tensed slightly as she sensed his pain, but she kept on. Fire seared through his veins, but he kept himself from writhing in pain. Suddenly, Asamoya's murmuring turned into screams. Kakashi sat up automatically, reaching out and wrapping his arms around her. He was surprised to find that, even with both eyes open, he couldn't see the flow of chakra around either of them. She had succeeded.
"Asamoya, what happened? What's going on?" Her eyes were open and staring sightlessly into the distance, looking at something Kakashi couldn't see. "Asamoya? Asamoya, it's all right. I'm all right. Asamoya look at me." Asamoya let out a small, strangled whimper. Kakashi's eyes narrowed and he lifted her chin so that she was looking directly at him. There was fear in her eyes; she was absolutely petrified.
"Listen to me now, Asamoya. Look at me and only me. Tell me what is wrong." Asamoya's lips parted slightly, but she didn't utter a sound. He shook her gently. "Asamoya!"
"The…the body walks. It watches you even now, Kakashi-sensei! The body that they eye rightfully belongs to walks, but the spirit isn't the same! Uchiha Obito is dead, he should have died a long time ago, but his body still walks…" Her green eyes held Kakashi's confused black ones. "He knows about everything. He's coming. He's coming, Kakashi-sensei!"
"What are you talking about, Asamoya? Why are you so afraid? Who's coming?" Asamoya shook her head, hiding her face in his chest. Kakashi's arms pulled gently, allowing her to press herself against him in comfort.
"Tobi. A man they call Tobi. He wears a black cloak with red clouds." Kakashi's eyes widened. "His real name is Uchiha Madara. He stole Obito's broken body from under the rocks, he possessed it! Kakashi, he's coming! He knows whatever you do because he spies through that eye." Kakashi wrapped his arms around her tightly.
"Don't worry about anything, Asamoya. Don't worry. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to keep you safe." She shook her head, letting out a soft sob. Kakashi's heart clenched in agony at the sound.
"No, Kakashi, you can't. You won't be able to. I've seen what he was capable of! He controlled Kyuubi-sama on the night that your sensei, Minato, died. He'll kill you without a thought against it. The only reason that he's coming here is because of me. They want me to fight on their side because I'm a half-demon." Her voice was cracking. Her bright green eyes met his and he saw the solid fear and self-sacrifice reflected there. "Just let them take me. I'll just go and meet him before he can get here. I won't be the cause of trouble for you anymore, Kakashi. I won't allow myself to be any more trouble." Kakashi tightened his grip and he pulled her closer.
"No." He growled, his voice a little harsher than he had meant it to be. She tried to pull away, but he held fast and wouldn't be budged.
"Kakashi-sensei, I know that Tsunade-sama charged you with protecting me, but you don't have to do that anymore. I won't put you out anymore. You can go back to just being Sakura and Naruto's sensei." A smile graced her trembling lips as she fought back the panic that was rising in her throat. She tried to fight back the feeling of security that came with being enveloped into his arms. "I'll just move on, keep on the run, just as I always have." Kakashi's eyes narrowed as she opened her mouth to say more and her words abruptly cut off.
"Do you think that I'm refusing to let you sacrifice yourself to the Akatsuki because I've been charged with protecting you? Asamoya, as the hokage or Naruto or Sakura or anyone else will tell you, I don't follow orders very well after Obito died. I don't do what I'm told just because I'm ordered to." His eyes met and held hers, willing her to stay, to understand.
"Asamoya, I'll protect you because I want to. I…well, I'm not sure if you'll understand this because of your past, but, I love you, Asamoya. I protect you because I love you. And I'm not going to give that up because you've got some deranged sense of self-sacrifice." Asamoya's eyes widened slightly and the fight seemed to leave her in a rush. Kakashi was suddenly holding her up, their eyes still locked in the same embrace they were currently in.
"You…love me? Me, Kakashi-sensei? Why?" She was staring at him in shock, and he wasn't sure whether or not she was happily shocked or shockingly shocked. Kakashi gave her a smile and nodded.
"I do, Asamoya. I love you because you're you. It's hard to explain the exact reasonings behind why a person falls in love, but you're just going to have to go with me on this, all right?" He gripped her shoulders and stared straight into her eyes, leaning closer to her. "I love you and only you, Asamoya." She grabbed small fistfuls of his shirt and leaned closer to him.
"I…love you too, Kakashi-sensei. I don't understand the real meaning of the word love, but…" He leaned down and touched his forehead to hers. She closed her eyes and leaned closer to him. "I've never felt this way with anyone before…what other feeling could it be? I've known them all…except for this one." Kakashi smiled and held her even closer. He moved his forehead off of hers and laid his chin on the top of her head, pulling her head in so that she was laying against his shoulder.
"Now you can see why I won't allow you to go, Asamoya. Please. Allow me to try and protect you. We'll go to Tsunade. The Akatsuki are a threat to the village's security. Wouldn't it be a twist if the ANBU were ordered to protect you?" Asamoya laughed quietly, nodding her head. "Do you want to walk on your own or do you want me to carry you." Asamoya snorted and looked up and him.
"I can walk on my own, Kakashi-sensei. I'm not so weak that I have to be carried places. That snake was a fluke, you know." Kakashi chuckled and reluctantly pulled away from her, holding out his hand for her to take.
"That's what I wanted to hear, my hanyou." Asamoya smiled and took his hand gently. He squeezed comfortingly and pulled his headband down so that it covered his scar. She frowned and he smiled again. "I'm very appreciative of your actions today, Asa-chan, but I think that the scar is reason enough to hide that eye." Asamoya pouted, but nodded her head. Kakashi smiled and lead her gently, but quickly through the Konoha streets. Asamoya noticed a few guards sitting beside the door and halted, a grin lighting up her face.
"My turn." Kakashi's visible eye widened as she tensed her muscles. Suddenly, with a short burst of wind, they were standing in front of Tsunade's office. Kakashi's head spun slightly and she let out a soft, dramatic sigh. "It seems like I know the way to Tsunade's office much better than I know the way to anywhere else." Kakashi let out a winded chuckle and Asamoya shook her head, grinning. She knocked gently on the door.
"Come on in, then. Lord, how am I going to survive this job if I can't have five minutes of peace?" Tsunade muttered, low enough that Kakashi couldn't pick out exact words, but Asamoya's sensitive hearing could. She let out a quiet giggle and opened the door. Tsunade's eyes widened slightly when she saw them and she shoved her paperwork aside. "Hello, you two. What's wrong this time?" Asamoya suddenly turned downcast, reminded of what had transpired in her attempts to help. Kakashi's hand let go of hers and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"It's all right, Asamoya. No one is going to be mad at you for what you've done. Just tell Tsunade what you know and she'll take care of the rest." Asamoya nodded and leaned into his embrace, seeking comfort as she told Tsunade what happened when she had tried to form the sharingan to Kakashi's blood. Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly and her lips pursed, thinking of what that could mean.
"So, the Akatsuki is now after both you and Naruto because of demons. Oh, wonderful." Her tone was sour with disapproval and Asamoya whimpered softly, thinking that she was in trouble. "No, no, I'm not mad, Asamoya. It's just one more thing I have to do as hokage. I don't understand why people want this job." She continued muttering to herself about being the hokage. Kakashi stepped behind his hanyou and wrapped his arms around her in a backwards hug.
"You're all right now, Asa-chan. Tsunade's not going to let them take you or Naruto. And now that you've sealed off the sharingan and formed it to my blood, Madara can't spy on us anymore. It's not his sharingan anymore, now is it?" Asamoya shook her head, taking a deep, shuddering breath.
"But now he's coming here and he's going to be able to see everything with the eye that's still connected. Kakashi-sensei, I've doomed Konoha. I'm going to be the death of people here." She looked into his eyes. "Kakashi-sensei, please. Let me move on. I love you, Kakashi-sensei, and that's why I don't want to see you get hurt because of me." Tears fell out of her eyes and Kakashi leaned forward and caught a few of them, hugging her close. She laid her head on his chest and let out a soft, broken sob.
"I know how you feel, Asamoya, but I'm not going to let you leave me." Kakashi looked up at Tsunade, who was looking at them with a sly grin on her face. "Tsunade. Please, give her some piece of mind. She feels so guilty…" Tsunade's grin disappeared and she nodded, taking a piece of paper and writing frantically.
"Because the enemy knows so much about us thanks to Kakashi's eye, this will be a little more difficult than I would have originally hoped it would be. Kakashi, I hope you don't mind that I'm assigning an ANBU squad of your choice to your house and then the rest of them can perimeter the village, because you're not having any say in it. The jounins should be on full alert. It's a good thing that Naruto went out with Yamato, Sai, and Sakura on that mission to try and find Sasuke again. We can at least take one demon out of their way." Asamoya flinched at the term and Kakashi held her tighter, glaring at Tsunade, who sighed apologetically.
"That's fine. Assign the team with my old captain to the house. I can trust him not to try and pick on Asamoya." The hanyou girl looked up at Kakashi, a slight trace of fear in her teary green eyes.
"The ANBU are going to be living with us too?" She asked in a whisper. Kakashi shook his head, giving her a comforting smile, trying to calm her down before she broke into tears again.
"No, no, Asamoya, that's not what we mean. The ANBU will be patrolling around the house and maybe one or two will be stationed inside, but you won't be having any contact with them at all. The easier we can make this, the better. You're going to be fine, all right? Don't worry. I'll be here." Asamoya visibly calmed and put her head on Kakashi's chest again. Tsunade looked at Kakashi in amazement.
"Kakashi, I'm sorry to break up your little 'session' there, but I do need to speak with you. Alone." Asamoya's eyes widened in panic and Kakashi murmured comforts into her ear. "She can be with Shizune for a little while. You don't mind, do you, Asamoya?" Asamoya looked up and bit her lip in visible hesitation.
"It won't be for very long, will it, Tsunade-sama? I can come back to Kakashi-sensei soon?" Tsunade's eyes softened at her trembling voice and she nodded slowly.
"Of course, Asamoya. We'll come and get you as soon as we're done. Shizune!" The black-haired assistant quickly sprinted into the room. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw how close Kakashi and Asamoya were, but didn't say anything about it if she had any questions. "Take Asamoya and go do something. I need to talk with Kakashi." Shizune nodded and turned to Asamoya with a smile.
"Come on, Asamoya." She held her hand out for the hanyou to take. She looked up at Kakashi, who nodded slightly and gave her a final hug before releasing her. Asamoya reluctantly backed out of his grasp and took Shizune's hand, allowing herself to be led out of the room by the raven-haired assistant. Kakashi turned and glared at Tsunade.
"You sure as hell had better have an explanation for why you just took her away from me, Tsunade-sama." Tsunade's eyes narrowed at Kakashi's clipped, icy tone, but she brushed it off.
"What exactly is the extent of your relationship with Kongyou Asamoya, Hatake Kakashi?" Kakashi's visible eye widened at the change of conversation and Tsunade's very business-like tone when she said it.
"W-what are you talking about? What does that have to do with anything that's going on? She tried to help me out and it backfired. Our 'relationship' has nothing to do with it." Tsunade sighed and sat down again, interlacing her fingers.
"You should know, Kakashi, that relationships between a sensei and their students are forbidden. It's against the rules for you to love Asamoya. I'm doing all I can to hide your relationship from anyone untrustworthy, but, it's getting difficult." Kakashi's visible eye narrowed.
"Asamoya and I don't have a serious relationship like that, Tsunade. Do not assume things that you should not assume." His voice had become dangerously low and Tsunade gave him an incredulous look.
"Hatake Kakashi, she said she loved you. You can't hide this from me." Kakashi mentally cursed himself and sighed, leaning heavily against the wall.
"But what can I do, Tsunade-sama? I love her and she's returned my feelings. How can we not be together through all that? She needs me, Tsunade and I need her to stay here." Tsunade sighed softly and nodded slightly.
"I know, Kakashi, and that's what makes the situation so difficult. I don't think she'd do as well with another team. Here's the only alternative that I can think of." Tsunade's harsh amber eyes met Kakashi's visible black one. "Put her through the chuunin exam. Then, after she's not a genin anymore, she technically can't be your student." Kakashi sighed and nodded.
"That makes sense, but you have to be in a three-man cell in order to apply for the chuunin exam. And Naruto and Asamoya are the only two that aren't chuunin that are in their age group." Tsunade shrugged.
"Help with Naruto's efforts and find Sasuke. He's not a chuunin either, you know." Kakashi's visible eye widened and he nodded slowly.
"That makes sense. Thank you, Tsunade-sama. But what about the situation at hand? What are we going to do about the Akatsuki trying to take Asamoya? And what do they want with her? It's not like they can remove her demon; it's a part of who she is, not something that's been bonded to her. And there's no way that she'll willingly fight for them." Tsunade looked at him seriously.
"Kakashi, she's very easily deterred from what she wants if someone else's interests are on the line. Think about what she would do if the Akatsuki really threatened the village." Kakashi shook his head.
"I'll make her believe that the only way to stop them is to fight them off. I'll help her, Tsunade. She's not going to go with them." Tsunade gave him another serious look, shaking her head slowly.
"Tell me, Kakashi. What would your hanyou student do if the man they call 'Tobi' actually came here and fought with her? What would she do if, in the middle of the fight, someone got hurt and the only way she could save them was to surrender?" Kakashi stepped forward to argue and Tsunade stood, slamming her hands on her desk. "What would she do if your life was on the line?" Kakashi's argument died in his throat and he leaned back against the wall, his eyes wide.
"You're right. You're absolutely right, but…" He shook his head hopelessly. "What am I supposed to do? I can't sit on the sidelines and do nothing when her safety is on the line. You saw me when she got poisoned, Tsunade. I'm not capable of it." Tsunade shook her head.
"Hatake Kakashi, I'm proposing this to you. Take it seriously. Do not make your decision lightly." Kakashi nodded, waiting for some sliver of hope. "I suggest that you take her out on a mission. Get her away from Konoha." Kakashi shook his head.
"No. She'd know. She'd never leave here when she believes that it's her fault the Akatsuki are coming." Tsunade sighed and sat down again.
"Take her home, Kakashi, and think on it further. The ANBU will be there sometime tonight." Kakashi nodded, walking out the door. His head was spinning with the new possibilities. Was the only way to keep Asamoya safe kidnapping her? He had a lot to think on tonight, none of it pleasant thoughts.