naruto characters belong to masashi kishimoto while the rest are mine
Chapter IX: Kakashi's Kidnapper
Chapter IX: Kakashi's Kidnapper
(One year later)
"Take this!" Kakashi yelled as he punched the bandit in the face.
"Fire Style, Fire Cell Jutsu!" I made the hand signs quickly and the fire columns wrapped around the crook.
"Well done," Kakashi praised me and I knew he was smiling beneath his ANBU mask.
"Let's get him back to the Bird Country's main village. What did he steal again?" I asked; the mission had been assigned hastily and I hadn't thought that it was even worth sending ANBU members on.
"A bird that's song has destructive powers. Pakkun's gone to get it from wherever he stashed it," Kakashi shrugged.
We were both of the same opinion; this mission wasn't worth our time. Kakashi and I were the highest ranked ANBU and therefore cost a lot of money to hire. This mission could've been assigned to Genin but I guessed that the Bird Country had enough money to spare to make sure that this job was done right.
"Pakkun will catch up with us later so we can start heading back to Bird Village," Kakashi informed me as he listened to a howl from far away.
"Alright then," I sighed and attached chakra strings to the flaming cell.
The next day we arrived at the village and took our prisoner to the Feudal Lord's castle. Our captive looked a little green and I smirked.
"Did you have to roll that cage here?" Kakashi asked as he eyed the man that was about to be sick.
"Well it uses less chakra than making it float. Besides, he deserved it," I giggled quietly.
Kakashi sighed as the Feudal Lord emerged from his castle, flanked by guards.
"Have you captured the thief?" the Lord asked eyeing the giant ball of flame.
"Yes sir!" Kakashi and I bowed slightly.
"And the bird?" the Lord eyed our empty hands.
Pakkun ran out from behind Kakashi with a tiny bird cage in his mouth. The lime green canary didn't make a sound as Pakkun hopped up the steps and placed the cage at the Lord's feet. Then Pakkun disappeared in a cloud of smoke as he returned home. The Lord grinned and picked up the cage.
"Well done ANBU. Just drop the criminal and my guards will escort him to the prison," the Feudal Lord instructed.
I released my Jutsu and let the man fall to the ground. He landed on his face and ended up with a mouthful of dirt. I tried really hard not to laugh as he struggled to stand but was so nauseated that he fell back down. The armour clad guards grabbed his arms and dragged him out of sight.
"That was cruel," Kakashi whispered in my ear and I shrugged.
"Here's the payment for your task. Thank you very much," The Feudal Lord handed a wad of cash to one of his guards who then walked down the steps and handed it to Kakashi.
Kakashi put it in his equipment holster and then we bowed and thanked the Lord before dashing out of the city limits.
To get back to Konoha we would have to travel through Grass and Rain Country. Rain Country was no problem but I wasn't looking forward to entering Grass Country's territory.
I glanced over at Kakashi as we bounded through the trees. I couldn't tell what he was thinking since his ANBU mask covered his face but he seemed content with the job we'd just accomplished and the sum earned.
We'd been together for just about a year now and he seemed to be way happier than before. He still went weekly to visit the Memorial Stone and I let him go without any fuss. I knew that he still blamed himself for Rin and Obito's deaths and he didn't like to talk about it. I still felt guilty about my team mates' deaths as well but I tried not to show it. I just made sure that I hugged and kissed Kakashi a lot so that he knew that I loved him no matter what. However, it ticked me off that he never let me see his face without his mask when he kissed me. Oh well, he grew equally frustrated with me from time to time since I still refused to tell him anything about my past. Part of me wanted to tell him but I was afraid that if I did he would get scared of me and leave.
I sighed and Kakashi looked over at me.
"You okay?" he asked kindly.
"Yeah, just a little tired. It's almost dark, can we set up camp?" even beneath Kakashi's mask I could tell that he was frowning.
He nodded but I knew that he didn't want to stop. Kakashi wanted to continue traveling until we reached Konoha and then we could take a few days off and rest.
Kakashi was barely exhausted but I on the other hand had used more chakra than him. Using newer techniques was a little more draining than older Jutsus since I hadn't gotten used to how much they demanded of me yet.
I dropped into the nearest clearing and waited for Kakashi to land beside me. He didn't and I scanned the trees for him.
He was perched on a low branch watching me. He removed his mask and I did the same. I realized that Kakashi hadn't brought his headband on the mission since he had thought he would be using his Sharingan. He closed his left eye so that only his grey one stared at me protectively.
"So I guess you're taking the first watch," I noted as he sat himself down on the branch.
"Obviously, since you're so tired," Kakashi teased me.
"Just wake me when you get tired so that I can take a turn on watch," I said as I pulled a blanket out of the backpack I'd been carrying.
Kakashi didn't respond as I walked over to the nearest tree, sat down and rested my back against it. I pulled the blanket over me and closed my eyes.
"Goodnight," I whispered, hoping it was loud enough for him to hear.
"Goodnight," he chuckled quietly as I started to drift off to sleep.
I woke after a few minutes, I was not comfortable and something was making a racket in the trees.
"Summoning Jutsu, Pakkun," I heard Kakashi whisper a few minutes later.
"What is it," I heard Pakkun's gruff voice ask.
"Nothing… I was just hoping that you could help me keep watch," Kakashi admitted.
"Why? There's no immediate danger," Pakkun complained.
"The Hokage said to protect her no matter what and I just want to make sure that I do," Kakashi said quietly.
"Fair enough," Pakkun said after a few minutes and then I fell into a dreamless sleep.
We arrived at the Entrance Gates to Konoha two days later.
We hadn't run into any problems in the Grass Country as I knew we wouldn't but I'd been paranoid and Kakashi had sensed my tension. He hadn't said anything but I knew he'd been frustrated because he had a hunch that Grass Country had something to do with my past.
We walked to the Hokage's office to make an official report. We knocked and walked to the centre of the room and bowed.
"How did the mission go?" the Hokage assessed our unharmed bodies.
"Fine," Kakashi said as he pulled the money out of his pocket and laid it on the Hokage's desk.
"Well done. We'll notify you if another difficult mission comes up," the Hokage smiled as he puffed his pipe.
He flipped through the wad of money and split it into three piles. The Third handed one pile to each of us and kept the third for himself and the village. The two of us bowed again and walked out of the room, out of the building and out onto the streets.
I watched Kakashi from under my mask as we walked in silence to the clearing with the giant rock. I noticed that he'd begun to twitch but he kept his composure until we stood on top of the stone.
3… 2… 1…
"What was that?! That was the dumbest mission to have to send ANBU on! Genin could've taken down that dope but no they have to send ANBU, and us of all people! I thought we were only supposed to go on A and S-ranked missions!" I watched, amused as Kakashi began his rant.
"Well, Bird Country did classify it as an S-ranked mission," I shrugged. "Maybe we underestimated the power that bird holds."
"No, I took a look at it with my Sharingan. It's nothing special until someone with the proper chakra and technique makes it sing a certain song that unleashes destructive powers. They might as well of just sent one of us on the mission even though that defeats the whole purpose of us being on the same team," Kakashi removed his mask and his eyes danced angrily before he closed his left one to hide his Sharingan from view.
I didn't relish the idea of going on an S-ranked mission without Kakashi. Even though I could take care of myself, I felt better having him around.
I laughed and removed my red marked ANBU mask as well.
"I always love it when you start ranting about our missions; it's so amusing," Kakashi scowled at me and I giggled.
"Well, if they didn't give us such dumb missions then I wouldn't have to complain," Kakashi crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air like a little kid.
"We haven't been on any missions for a couple of months now and even then they've all been easy. The war's over, it's not like there are any evil genius attacking at the moment," I said as I reflected on our past missions.
"I guess you're right," Kakashi sighed and took a step towards me.
He slid his arms around my waist and kissed the top of my head like he usually did. I smiled and buried my face in his chest. We stood there for what seemed like a lifetime and I was aware of the sun beginning to set.
"I should be getting home," I pulled away from his embrace unwillingly.
Kakashi frowned and then nodded knowingly.
"Yeah, you're wolf will be getting worried," Kakashi said quietly.
He leaned down and kissed me on the lips but kept his mask on. I frowned but his eye just smiled at me, happy to return the frustration he felt more often towards me because of my secrets.
I waved goodbye and leapt into the trees, bounding from branch to branch until I arrived at my house. I opened the front door to find White Fang sitting there, patiently awaiting my return. I unpacked my backpack and gave the attentive wolf a recount of my mission. I went to bed early and fell asleep gazing out my window.
CRASH
I sat bolt upright as I heard something shatter. Something sharp cut my cheeks and I flung my arms over my head instinctively but they too were sliced. The tinkling of glass stopped and I opened my eyes.
"What happened?!" White Fang demanded as he ran into my bedroom. "I was in the kitchen and then I heard something break," the wolf hopped onto my bed.
"I don't know…" I muttered as I looked at my arms that now had a whole bunch of fresh cuts on them.
I watched my blood trickle out of the gashes and glanced up at the window. It was just beginning to get light outside and a slight breeze blew into my room through its shattered glass.
I healed my cuts quickly and proceeded to carefully fold up my quilt that was covered with sharp glass fragments. I left it at the foot of my bed and slung my feet over the right side of my mattress.
"Careful, there's some glass on the floor," White Fang cautioned.
"Is that a rock?" I pointed to a round object the size of my fist that lay on the carpet.
"I'll get it," White Fang said as he hopped onto the carpet that concealed pieces of glass.
"Careful!" I warned.
"My pads are so tough that glass can't cut them," he assured me.
White Fang delicately picked the rock in his jaws and then leapt back onto my bed. I held my hands open and he deposited the stone into them.
"I think there's a note inside it," White Fang said as he nosed the rock over.
A small kanji symbol reading 'Seal' was visible.
"Kai!" I said and the kanji disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
A small compartment opened and I saw that there was a piece of paper inside. My fingers trembled as I pulled out the note; it couldn't be good. I unfolded it carefully as White Fang stared at it intently. I read the couple of scribbled sentences as quickly as possible.
"'I know your secret Tatsue. Meet me in the clearing by the river one hundred miles from the village entrance. Make sure you're alone or your precious Kakashi will die,'" I gaped in horror at the letter and then at White Fang.
"This enemy must be strong if he's captured Kakashi," White Fang stated.
I reread the note a few times, not even bothering to acknowledge the wolf.
Not Kakashi! How was it even possible that someone had caught him? Maybe it was a bluff, I'd check in at his house before heading out to the clearing.
I leapt over the glass and onto the floor by my dresser. Within a minute I'd pulled on my black ANBU pants, form fitting shirt and black gloves. I wasn't thinking and put neither my grey shirt nor my armour on. I grabbed my Ninjaken and dashed out of the room, forgetting my mask. White Fang was at my heels as we ran from the house and into the streets.
Kakashi's apartment was a read and yellow building in a residential area near the centre of town. We reached it in a matter of minutes.
I walked up to the door with weighted legs, afraid of what I might see. I knocked and let a few minutes pass… No one answered. I knocked again, louder this time and called out his name… Still no one came.
I stepped back and kicked the door down. The wood splintered and made loud cracking sounds. I pushed past the debris and found myself in his foyer.
It was extremely dark and I felt along the wall for the light switch. I found it and was blinded by the bright light once I'd flicked it on. There were stairs a few feet in front of me that led to Kakashi's bedroom, but I didn't bother going up there. The state of his living room and kitchen was enough information for me.
I meandered through the house which lay in shambles. The furniture was knocked over and various objects lay in pieces on the floor. I stepped on something and heard the crunch of glass. I looked down to see the smashed frame of a picture of Kakashi and his squad. Kakashi was the only one who wasn't smiling in the picture. Rin and Obito didn't seem to have a care in the world while the young Kakashi's face was the emotionless glare that it used to be and still sometimes was.
"There was definitely a scramble in here. There's two scents, Kakashi's and one that I don't recognize," White Fang informed me as he sniffed around the room.
"Let's go," I clenched my fists in anger. "Kakashi's in danger," I turned towards the exit.
"How do we know that it's not a trap?" White Fang trotted next to me as we made our way through the village.
"We don't, but if it is, I want you to stay behind me and if I get caught, run for help," I instructed him.
"What will you do if you're captured? We don't know what this guy wants… He could kill you!" White Fang's eyes radiated anxiety.
"I'll be fine," I assured him but inside I wasn't so sure.
We picked up speed as we passed through the village's entrance. It was a little awkward to run so fast with a sword in my hand and I regretted not wearing my grey shirt so that I could simply attach the blade to my back.
"His scent's getting stronger," White Fang said as he sniffed the air.
"Wolf Senses Jutsu," I made the hand signs and familiarized myself with Kakashi's captor.
We ran a few more miles in the dark forest but after awhile my eyes saw that the trees were beginning to thin.
"Stop," I held out my hand and White Fang halted just before he hit it. "I'll go on alone from here. If you see something that makes you believe I can't win, run for help. If I can save Kakashi then maybe the two of us can kill this creep," I kept my voice low as I searched for any sign of movement in the clearing.
White Fang growled his discontentment and I patted his head and smiled reassuringly. I took a deep breath and pushed my way through the forest.
I peeked out from behind a bush at the edge of the clearing. No one was there but I sensed a presence hiding in the trees on the opposite side. I held my sword in front of me as I stepped around the bush and into the clearing. The river gurgled happily beside me and I scanned the trees for the pair of eyes that I felt were watching me.
"Hello Tatsue," an eerie voice called from the trees.
I tensed as the figure landed in a heap in front of me. He stood and his black cloak fluttered around him. A triangular straw hat kept his face hidden in shadows.
"What have you done with Kakashi?" I hissed angrily.
I couldn't sense any other presence in the vicinity except for our own. It would be a one on one battle if I couldn't find Kakashi.
"You mean the silver haired boy? He's around somewhere," the man laughed coldly at some joke that he didn't feel like sharing.
One of my Shadow Clones appeared out of nowhere and took a swing at the figure. Its fist missed but was successful in knocking off the man's hat instead. He cart wheeled away from the clone and flung a kunai at it which destroyed it instantly.
His purple hair was long and held together in four loose ponytails at the back of his head. His eyes were a dark purple that glared at me menacingly. He straightened his posture and I recognized his headband as the one that they distributed in the Grass Country. I glared suspiciously at him as he smirked.
"Who are you?" I asked quietly, still keeping my sword in front of me defensively.
"They call me Midori, the Tatsu Satsugaisha," the man chuckled and I glared.
His title meant Dragon Slayer. My mother had warned me about a certain clan in the Land of Grass that had devoted themselves to killing off the Tatsuha clan. Their clan had been the ones that had discovered the Tatsushi flower and used it in the destruction of my family. However, their clan had been destroyed with mine, or at least that was what I'd been led to believe.
"Yeah, and what's that got to do with me?" I straightened and smirked.
Maybe I could fool Midori into believing that I wasn't a dragon.
"Don't play dumb with me! I know exactly who you are!" Midori clenched his fists in frustration.
He was easily angered and my smirk grew. If I could get him so angry that he acted rashly, then I could beat him.
"Prove it!" I challenged him, smiling.
"Ugh, I wouldn't go through all the trouble of capturing your partner just to bring you here and find out that you aren't a dragon. I know what you are. Our clans have fought for years," Midori smiled, showing ghostly white teeth.
"Well, I'm sorry that you went through all that trouble but you have the wrong person. Besides, I just figured out that you haven't captured Kakashi," I shrugged and chuckled as Midori's face turned red.
"How'd you know?" Midori trembled as he clenched his fists together.
"Well, Kakashi's apartment was just ransacked. If he'd actually fought in it there would definitely be blood splattered about. Plus, Kakashi would've totally kicked your ass!" I laughed as I thought about how hasty I'd been before that had caused me to miss all of those clues.
"So what? I still have you here," Midori laughed maniacally as he reached a hand inside his cloak.
I brought my sword back in front of my face. He pulled out a small staff, the length of his arm and pushed a small button. A sharp blade popped out of either end of the weapon.
"I know that fighting you will definitely tell me if you're a dragon or not," his smile was frightening as he rushed at me, spinning his staff.
I leapt out of the way just in time to avoid the blades and slashed Midori across the back with my sword. The cut was shallow but Midori's scream sounded as if I'd just stabbed him through the heart.
He wasn't very good if he was supposedly strong enough to kill a dragon.
Midori whirled around and whipped some needles at me. They narrowly missed as I back flipped away from him. I flung a couple of my own kunai at him as I did so but he dodged them easily.
"Grass Snake Jutsu!" I watched as Midori made a volley of hand signs that I'd never seen before.
I wished that I'd been able to let my Sharingan copy the Jutsu but I had to move quickly as the grass came alive. Certain blades enlarged and grew snake heads. Their tongues whipped out at me as they began to strike. I dodged all of their fangs but was caught off guard as Midori came at me from above.
I swung my sword around and was able to successfully decapitate a couple of snakes and send Midori flying away from me at the same time. I leapt into a tree and took a moment to catch my breath. The snakes were unable to follow me as I had predicted. The Jutsu was used for close range battle and they couldn't grow big enough to reach me.
"Fire Style, Grand Fireball Technique!" I made my hand signs and blew the giant flame so that it covered most of the clearing.
Midori was caught inside it and I waited a few minutes before stopping the Jutsu. A giant sphere of water stood in the middle of the charred grass that no longer slithered. Midori let his water defence fall and he smiled up at me.
"The Tatsuha clan is famed for their skills with Fire Jutsu. So far, you are proving me right," Midori informed me and I hissed.
"Fire and Wind Hybrid Style, Flame Tornado Jutsu!" I made the hand signs and made the tornado appear in front of me instead of around me.
I directed the flame cyclone towards the Grass ninja and my attack hit him straight on and caught him up in the swirling mass. The smell of burning flesh and hair was overpowering and I stopped the Jutsu as soon as Midori's screams became unbearable. I regarded the burned man with distaste as he looked up at me with his fearsome purple eyes.
"You let your guard down," he chuckled and I stared back at him, horrified.
I tried to turn around but it was too late. A clone had hidden inside the tree I was on. I leaned to the side as quickly as possible but his staff made a long gash on the side of my rib cage.
I clutched my side and leapt from the tree. I brought my sword down on the real Mirdori's head but he blocked it just it time with his staff. My sword had hit a weak point though and the wood snapped. My sword continued on its down swing, slightly off course and embedded itself in Midori's shoulder. He yelped in pain as the metal contacted with bone.
I pulled my sword from his flesh and spun away from him. The clone Midori flew at me and I whirled around and ran him through the stomach. He disappeared in a puff of smoke and I brought my Ninjaken in front of my face and waited for the real Midori's attack. He didn't move and I quickly brushed my bangs behind my ear. My Sharingan immediately let me see his chakra flow and analyze his movements.
"I see I'm going to have to take this up a notch," Midori murmured as he put his good arm in his cloak.
I watched cautiously as he removed a vial of purple liquid. I stared at it curiously and watched as he dabbed a little on the two separate blades of his destroyed weapon. He attached the vial to his belt and stuck a few needles in it. My eyes widened as I realized what it was. I took a couple of involuntary steps backwards.
"So you do recognize it… And you said you weren't a dragon," Midori smirked but grimaced as he moved his injured shoulder.
I realized now that I'd given away what little of my bluff I'd had. Now I had to be extremely careful; one touch from his poison covered weapons and I was done for.
Midori gripped a part of his staff in each hand and then rushed towards me.
"Rasengan!" I whirled the chakra in my hands and flung it towards his weapons.
They exploded as soon as they contacted with each other and I danced away from it.
Midori charged at me again, somehow unscathed from my attack and we began a round of Taijutsu. We blocked each other's punches with a little difficulty. It was slightly harder to fight when I had to hold my sword with one hand and punch with the other. Even with my Sharingan I was only ahead of him by a fraction of a second. I had no idea how he was keeping up. His injured arm didn't even seem to be causing him pain anymore.
I decided to hurt the same wound again and I dug my sword into his shoulder. He faltered as blood spurted out and I punched him in the stomach at the same time.
He was flown backwards and I took advantage of the situation and threw a kunai at him. Midori had better reflexes than I'd thought and he caught the knife by the hilt, just before it pierced his heart. I couldn't quite figure out how he'd managed it, but he redirected the weapon towards me. I was just about to jump out of the way when something grabbed hold of my ankles, rooting me to the spot. I looked around to see grass snakes holding me in place; I'd stepped into a part of the clearing that I hadn't burned.
The kunai stabbed me in the belly and I cried out and fell backwards, landing hard on my butt. I wrapped my hand around the hilt of the knife and tugged it out gently. I watched as my blood drenched my shirt around the wound area. The pain was almost unbearable and I decided that I had enough chakra to use on a small Healing Jutsu that wouldn't make the wound so deep.
The gash continued to bleed weakly as I finished the Jutsu; I'd left the skin unhealed. I was aware of Midori watching me and I looked up.
"Interesting, but too bad you're finished," he chuckled and withdrew a needle from his vial.
More grass snakes twisted their way around my wrists so that there was no chance of me escaping. I watched in horror as Midori sauntered closer and I wrestled desperately with the bonds that held me in place.
"It's useless, you can't escape. It's sad, I thought you'd be a little more of a challenge," Midori's smile was mockingly disappointed.
Hadn't I injured him enough already to be considered a great opponent? His skin, clothes and hair were all burnt from my fire and he had cuts and scrapes from my sword. Not to mention a few bruises from my punches.
Midori stopped a few meters away from me and drew his hand back, preparing to throw the Tatsushi drenched needle at me. I squeezed my eyes shut, awaiting the pain. At least Kakashi was safe. However, I did wish that I'd been able to tell him that I loved him one last time before I died.
"NO!" someone screamed as I heard Midori grunt as he chucked the needle.
The sound of the needle embedding in flesh was audible but it was not my own that it had pierced. I opened my eyes to see Kakashi lunging past me, the needle protruding from his right arm. I panicked for a second, thinking that the poison would kill him but then I remembered that the Tatsushi poison only affected people with the dragon Kekkei Genkai.
As Kakashi landed on the ground he unsheathed his own Ninjaken. He stood and took a protective stance in front of me. I was so relieved to see him.
"Who are you?" Kakashi demanded, pointing his sword at Midori's heart.
"He's called the Tatsu Satsugaisha," I responded to Kakashi's question when Midori did not.
Kakashi glanced at me over his shoulder with wide eyes; he wasn't wearing his headband or his ANBU mask.
"What do you want with her?" Kakashi growled his question and crouched lower in his stance.
"Humph, this is why I avoided actually capturing your boyfriend," Midori spoke to me only. "I'd heard that he was troublesome," I smiled as Kakashi took a jab at him.
"Answer my question!" Kakashi ordered and Midori took a couple steps backwards.
"I just want to kill her, that's all," Midori shrugged as if it was nothing and Kakashi glared at him.
"Why?" Kakashi forced him to take another step back as he advanced.
"You don't know? Well, I guess I'm not surprised. Tatsue and I are the last of our clans so the story dies with us I guess. Even so, I would've thought that you would tell your significant other your family history," Midori smirked as he directed his last comment to me.
I avoided Kakashi's gaze as I sensed him half turn to look at me. Great, if Kakashi and I every survived this mess then I would have no choice but to explain everything.
Midori took advantage of Kakashi's slight distraction to reach inside his cloak once more and he pulled something out that resembled a mace. Kakashi swung his sword around a second later and their battle began.
"Anyway, our clans have been enemies forever and I thought yours had been completely wiped out. However, when I heard rumours about a dragon in Konoha, I realized that one of them must've survived the massacre. So I decided to exact my revenge by killing the last Tatsuha and I began to train. I read all the books my parents and clan had written about your kind and I learned from their mistakes so that when I finally did meet you, I would be stronger and it seems like it's paid off too. Now I can redeem my family's honour and prevent Konoha from becoming even more powerful," Midori directed his explanation to me as he tried to keep Kakashi in the dark.
The only time he really acknowledged Kakashi's presence was when he swung his sword at him.
Kakashi's face was confused as I saw him trying to piece all of the information together. His eyes flickered from me back to Midori searching for more pieces to the puzzle.
"Why does it matter if she's learned a Transformation Jutsu? Couldn't your clan just have learnt it as well?" Kakashi asked as he blocked a blow from the mace.
"Transformation Jutsu! Don't you know that it's a Kekkei Genkai?" Midori lunged at Kakashi.
Kakashi faltered at the news and Midori's mace caught him in the stomach. The crunch of ribs was the only sound that filled the clearing as Kakashi was flown into a nearby tree.
"Kakashi!" I screamed but he was barely conscious.
"This is almost too easy," Midori chuckled.
That's it, he'd crossed the line. I felt myself beginning to transform, but it wasn't the dragon that I controlled; the angry, instinct driven creature burst from me.
The snakes around my arms and legs snapped as they became too thin to hold my muscled limbs. I roared menacingly and Midori jumped away as I startled him. The sound made Kakashi focus on me but he couldn't move.
"Finally," Midori said as he swung his mace around.
"I'm going to kill you," I hissed and my narrowed eyes conveyed all the hate I held for him and people like him.
"Try," Midori challenged.
I roared angrily and lunged at the stupid Grass ninja. My jaws closed around air and his spiky mace whacked me in the neck. Luckily my scales prevented any damage that the mace could've inflicted.
I forced the blade out of my tail and swung it around at Midori's face. He dodged it but I was able to put a deep gash in his right bicep. I reared up and brought my front paws down on Midori's head. My claws dug into his skull and I dragged them down the sides of his head. I pulled away as the smell of blood became overpowering.
Midori's eyes became hazy but he managed to throw all of his poison drenched needles at me. I unfolded my wings and pushed off of the ground. I missed all of the needles by a couple of inches and then crashed back to the ground and caused it to buckle a bit under my weight. I took a giant gulp of air, preparing to blow a ball of fire.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Midori warned me and I snapped my head around to look at him.
He held a small dagger to Kakashi's neck. I froze; if I blew the fireball at Midori I would burn Kakashi as well. I racked my brain for an idea and one came to me.
I hid my tail behind my back as I folded the blade back inside my skin. At the speed of light, I wrapped my tail around Kakashi and pulled him out of harm's way. He cried out as I put pressure on his broken ribs. At the same time I released my giant ball of flame in Midori's direction and used a little extra chakra to form teeth.
The smoke cleared and I was able to see Midori pinned to a charred tree with teeth protruding from his body. To my astonishment he was still able to move and I growled angrily. I rested Kakashi against another tree and forced the blade back out of my tail.
"Die!" I hissed as I shot my tail straight at Midori's heart.
I felt the blade pierce his heart and continue straight through his body until it thudded to a halt in the tree's bark. I watched as the life drained out of Midori's eyes at a painfully slow speed but eventually he slumped over.
I exhaled and withdrew my tail from the body. My eyes returned to normal and I looked for Kakashi. I took a few steps towards him but his eyes became wide with fear but shocks of pain crossed his features every few seconds. I returned to my human form and trotted towards him.
"I'll heal your ribs," I told him soothingly as I knelt beside him.
"Y-you-" Kakashi started having a coughing fit before I could understand what he was trying to say.
My hand hovered above his chest as I started the Jutsu. The green chakra made a comforting noise as I concentrated on healing the bones and slightly torn flesh. As soon as I'd finished with his bones, I yanked out the needle in his right arm and healed the small hole it had left.
My breathing was quick and shallow after I'd finished healing Kakashi. I'd used up a lot of chakra during my fight and the Healing Jutsu had drained me that much more.
"You're bleeding!" Kakashi cried, panicked as he pointed at the hole in my stomach and the gash across my side.
I put my left hand over the gash in my stomach and sure enough I could still feel the blood oozing out. I put my right hand against the wound on my side and began to heal it. Kakashi watched; amazed and concerned at the same time.
"I'll be fine," I reassured him and he reached towards me.
He picked up the bangs from behind my ear and placed them in front of my Sharingan eye. I smiled and moved my hand to the cut in my stomach. It healed within a few minutes but I realized that there were thin, white scar lines where my injuries had been. I sighed and rested my hands on my lap and analyzed Kakashi's face.
"I think I owe you an explanation," Kakashi nodded in agreement.
"Yes you do, so you might as well start," he crossed his arms, awaiting my answer.
"I'd rather tell you somewhere private," I informed him.
Kakashi cocked his head to the side and I sighed.
"It'll take a long time to explain and I don't want to stay here," I nodded in the direction of Midori's corpse.
"Understood," Kakashi said as he rose to his feet.
I pushed myself off the ground with a lot of effort. I lost my balance and staggered backwards in order to keep it but started to fall. In a second Kakashi had raced behind me and caught me before I hit the earth.
"You've used too much chakra. I'll carry you home," Kakashi said as he swung me up into his arms.
The position felt somewhat familiar and I remembered the night Kakashi had carried me to the hospital after the Kyuubi attack. I cuddled into his chest and Kakashi held me tighter.
"Where's White Fang?" I asked and then froze, realizing that I hadn't told Kakashi his name yet.
"He's waiting for us back at your place," Kakashi's face was emotionless.
I wondered if he was mad but it was too hard to tell.
"I named him after your father, before the… He was a great ninja that deserves recognition," I explained quietly.
Kakashi smiled under his mask but it did not reach his eyes. Kakashi still hated his father for committing suicide and leaving him all alone.
"How did White Fang find you?" I asked changing the topic, slightly.
"He saw us wandering around the village and he told me that he'd left the clearing right after you'd figured out that I hadn't been taken hostage," Kakashi smirked at me as he leapt from tree to tree.
"Where were you by the way?" I asked drowsily.
"The Third Hokage called me to his office and said that he'd received a mission for me and only me. I brought Pakkun and my Nindogs with me but when we arrived, no one was there. So we decided to come back to the village after a bit and that's when…White Fang found us and told us that you were in trouble. Seems like we came just in time too," Kakashi explained and the smile disappeared from his face.
"Where's Pakkun?"
"He didn't want to get in the way of the fight so he stayed with your wolf."
The next few minutes passed in comfortable silence. I hid my eyes by tucking them into Kakashi's chest. I was very comfortable and slowly, I started to drift off to sleep.
"Is she alright?" White Fang's worried voice woke me up.
"Yeah, just a little exhausted," Kakashi explained as I turned over in his arms.
My vision was blurred slightly, but when it cleared I realized that we were walking up the path to my house. White Fang and Pakkun were sitting on the little porch, awaiting our arrival anxiously.
White Fang opened the door awkwardly for us with his teeth as Kakashi continued to carry me. The two canines trotted ahead of us and led the way to my bedroom which lay down the hall from the living room.
"What a mess!" Kakashi exclaimed and I realized that I'd forgotten to clean up the glass before I'd left the house.
Kakashi set me on my feet but kept one arm around my waist for support. I clutched at his shirt as he used his chakra to pick up the glass fragments. I heard the tinkle of glass as he dropped the mess into the trashcan in my bathroom.
He placed me gently on the bed when he had finished and I curled up under the covers. He bent down to pick something up off the floor and straightened with a rock and then a piece of paper in his hands. I realized that he was reading the letter Midori had sent through my window.
"Why'd you come after me so unprepared? That's totally unlike you," Kakashi looked at me sadly and then out the shattered window where the sun had almost finished rising.
"Because you were in danger," I thought the reason was painfully obvious.
Kakashi chuckled and lay down beside me. I snuggled into his chest and he wrapped one arm around my waist while the other played with a strand of my hair. I sighed and started to slip into unconsciousness.
"Apparently, I'm not that great at saving people; you always end up saving me," I whispered quietly and Kakashi laughed and kissed my forehead.