Ever since he almost gave Naruto's lineage away, his heart had been beating faster. Kakashi listened to it race. He never felt like this, unless Anko was close to him, was talking to him, was kissing him.

Inside, he was chuckling. Naruto had reacted just like he expected him to. Should he tell the boy, he wondered. Not about his father of course he wasn't ready to hear that but about Tsunade's request that he follow in her footsteps as Hokage.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Jiraiya coming down the hill. He started to turn to look at the man, but then he felt a pressure around his neck and against his chest. "Kakashi…" The voice was quiet ad sad. More importantly, the voice was Anko's. He looked down at his chest, but saw nothing. "I," He saw a faint outline, then her tear streaked face. "Love you." She smiled slightly at him.

He went to wrap his arms around her hardly visible self, but just as soon as she appeared, she was gone once again. "Anko… I love you too," he whispered to the empty air.

His fist tightened. Screw the Hokage, with or without her permission he was going after her. He blazed past Jiraiya and headed for the Hokage's office. He had a word or two to say to her.

Naruto had disappeared after yelling at Kakashi. He walked right past the ANBU outside her door and into her office without so much as knocking. She was looking out the window. He slammed a fist down on her desk, careful not to break it. If he did that, he would be dead before he could ask.

She turned around. "I know you want to go… Oh, hello Naruto. I'm expecting Kakashi any minute now. Would you mind coming back?"

"I'm not leaving till you tell me who the 6th Hokage is!" He sat down in a chair and crossed his arms stubbornly.

Tsunade sighed and frowned at the boy. "That is none of your business Naruto."

"I want to know who is crushing my dream!"

"Excuse me? Last time I checked it was my decision who became the next Hokage. Anyways, it's time for the next generation to take charge, the generation before you."

"But Tsunade baa-chan."

"What did I say about calling me that!?"

"Heh heh…"

His life was saved by Kakashi walking in the door. Before Tsunade could speak, he cut her off. "No."

Her eyes hardened. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"Exactly what I said. N-o, no. I refuse and you cannot force this upon me." His face, well eye, was completely serious.

"What about the 4th Hokage's wishes?" Truth was, she didn't want him out of the village because the Akatsuki was moving.

"He was my sensei, and a good one at that, but this time I cannot obey his orders. Nor will I obey yours. I will go with or without your permission. Konoha ninja or missing-nin, rain or shine I am going after her."

"I cannot allow you to leave without a valid reason, nor can I allow you to refuse."

"Refuse what?" Naruto was looking at them like the idiot we all know he is.

"Ok, here's a perfectly good reason. Anko."

"Kakashi." Her gaze hardened even more. "That is not a valid reason."

"On the contrary, Hokage-sama." He seemed to throw that last word at her. "We don't know where she is."

"A reason for you to stay."

"A reason for me to refuse. Hokage-sama," again, the word was thrown back at her like an insult. "Whoever kidnapped her would hold a large amount of power over me, even more so than you. I wouldn't be able to sit back and let her die. Konoha would fall to ruins." He looked at Naruto. Grabbing him by the scruff of his collar her dragged him to a window, opened it, and threw him out. "This is a conversation between a Hokage and the one refusing to follow in her footsteps. Not for a boy dreaming of it." With that he closed the window and turned his back to it.

Out side they could hear Naruto screaming. "WHAT!? YOU'RE TURNING HER DOWN! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU KAKA-SENSEI!?"

Tsunade frowned again. "That boy really doesn't understand ideals. Her eyes widened in shock. Kakashi had just yanked his mask down and pulled his forehead protector up.

"I told you Hokage-sama," It was extremely weird. Kakashi was talking… and she could see his mouth moving. "I'm completely serious. Whether you agree or not, I'm leaving." He turned to go.

"Kakashi," He turned back and felt his heart stop. Tsunade was holding something out for him. "Jiraiya found this... I'm sorry."

"She's not dead." He pulled his mask up. "And I'm going to find her." Taking the necklace in his hand, he held it close to his heart and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Why?"

His eyes were full of raw emotion. "She's my best friend. Her life has been hell. It was never suppose to be this way and because... I was born."

"What does you being born have to do with this?" Tsunade wished he would just say it.

"I was born to tell her I love her."(A/N: ok, that was kinda cheesy... but i was listening to the song Your Call by Secondhand Senerade and yeah XD) He closed the door behind him and proceeded past the started ANBU who had never seen his sharingan before and jumped across rooftops to his apartment where he began packing.


Anko was pulled from her dream by her cell door opening. She squinted from the bright light that fell through the open doorway. This time, however, her captor was not among them. Two men entered. Both tall, but one was thin and the other burly.

"What do you two want?" she asked. She just wanted to be alone with her misery. They didn't answer. One produced a key while the other held a syringe. "Oh joy, needles." Apparently the men weren't fans of sarcasm. At least she could go back to her dreams now, as her world went dark.

When she awoke, she was slung over someone's shoulder. Well, she wasn't really awake, she was only vaguely aware of her surroundings. They were careful, no leaves, no branches, no blades of grass touched her. Their cloths would most likely be burned after this. She would leave no scent trail for someone to follow.

Struggling, she opened her mouth slightly and let a drop of blood fall somewhere on the forest floor below. Drip, drip, drip. By the time they reached… well their destination, her tongue was swollen with bites and the taste of blood lingered in her mouth. At least, she thought. I left some trail… Now I can only hope someone finds it.


Placing one last item within his back, Kakashi closed the top. He didn't care what happened to him. He would get Anko back, and thanks to the 4th Hokage, he now had his power back, the power to save her from whoever had stolen her away.

Konoha was his home, and would always remain in his heart, but his true home was wherever Anko was. Determined to find her, no matter the cost, no matter how long it took, he hefted his backpack and walked out of his house, for what could very well be the last time for many, many days. Who knew, perhaps it would even be years.


A/N: Well, that's Anko fro you. As resourceful as ever XD. So yeah.. you people still don't know who her captor is! Bwahameah! -- yeah. thats my evil laugh. its suppose to sound weird. Anyways.. this is where the guesses now stand:

Orochimaru - 4
Kabuto - 2
Itachi - 1
Akatsuki- 1

[if i forgot yours im sorry!... though i dont think i missed any.] Sorry about not keeping up to date! I jump arond to different stories when i'm writing and school keeps me busy. I hope, i repeat, i hope! to have the next chapter up by next Wednesday, but no promises. :D -DHUnleashed