'testing testing one two three' thought
"testing testing… you get the idea" speech
..
..
…Saikai Story- Reunion story…
Chapter nine
Thawing winter
…………………………………………………………………………………………
..
..
Kakashi watched the slightly stooped back of the tired elderly man before him with a face devoid of expression. The third Hokage sighed.
"They are after you." Sarutobi said after a long moment of silence. Kakashi inclined his head slightly.
"I am aware of that." He said in a voice as apathetic as his face. The third turned and regarded Kakashi with a contemplative air. The silver-haired boy's latest anbu mission had taken its toll on him. Weariness was etched in every corner of his visible face, and he had grown gaunter. The past six months had been busy for Kakashi.
He lived alone now, in the large house that had hitherto been filled with his father's warm presence. These days, Kakashi rarely ever returned long enough to Konohagakure to sleep in the empty house.
Kakashi spoke, his expression guarded, his eyes watching the Hokage with shuttered eyes.
"You're planning to send me away, aren't you?" It seemed less of a question than a statement. Sarutobi clasped his hands behind his back in his customary pose.
"At this point, it would be in your best interests." The third Hokage said placidly. Kakashi stared levelly at the old man. "The danger has grown. You know that he has formed a new village."
"Night… The village of night…" Kakashi murmured. Sarutobi nodded.
"But what you do not know is that he recently forced a sound and earth village into his submission." Sarutobi watched as Kakashi absorbed this information with narrowed eyes. "His forces are growing."
Kakashi stood in stoic silence for long moments. The third Hokage was about to speak again but he was cut off by the soft voice that sounded from behind the black fabric mask.
"He still believes that my family has what he seeks for." Touches of slight derision and underlying weary acceptance were discernible in his voice.
Sarutobi sighed again.
"Yes. And that is exactly why it is so dangerous for you to be here. Both for Konohagakure… and you." The gray haired man said. Kakashi regarded him with his mismatched eyes, unreadable in its calmness.
"Do I have any choice in the matter?" He asked quietly. Kakashi knew the answer even as the words left his mouth. His eyes closed briefly, blocking out the Hokage's silent apology.
"Kakashi… this is for your own good."
'So this is how it's to be…' Almost sadly, the silver-haired anbu captain opened his eyes, glanced at the old man, and was soon enveloped in an instantaneous cloud of dense smoke.
The third Hokage stared broodingly at the spot where his anbu-captain had stood moments before. A troubled expression crossed his face.
'Kakashi. Forgive me.' Sarutobi thought, with his head bowed. Sighing, the old man sank slowly down on his chair and wearily dropped his head onto his hands.
……………………………………………………………………………………
..
..
(4 weeks after Sakura's test-fight with Kakashi)
..
..
"What?"
Three pairs of eyes looked at him with varying degrees of shock. The silver-haired jounin looked away momentarily, with an air of uninterested carelessness.
He had received the news yesterday, after the customary training time with the chuunin. It hadn't surprised him, to say the least. Kakashi was far too used to the battle field to be anything more than resigned to the decisions made by powers higher than he.
A small, bitter smile touched his lips briefly, unseen behind the black mask.
He should have guessed that Iruka would be detained near the battle lines. The ex-anbu's attention was jerked back to the present situation when an angered roar sounded in the air.
"Don't joke with us!"
Naruto moved forward swiftly, his blue eyes suddenly wide and blazing. Sasuke and Sakura jumped to intercept him, fully aware of what the blond intended to do.
"Don't be stupid, Naruto." Sasuke said in a tone sharper than usual. The trio had trained long enough with Kakashi to know that he was a dangerous man, no matter how laid-back and apathetic he appeared externally. Their respect for the ex-anbu had risen markedly over the course of a month, as they saw more and more of his skills, even winning over the grudging approval of the stoic Uchiha.
Sakura held desperately onto the blond's (1) arm, her own face pale and worried. Kakashi stared levelly at the struggling boy in front of him.
"What do you mean he's not coming back for a while?" Naruto growled, still struggling to get to the jounin. Kakashi sat, unperturbed. "He's been gone over a month… He should be back by now!" Sasuke grunted as the blond boy inadvertently elbowed him in the stomach. "How much longer is it going to be before he comes back from the battle field?" Naruto said, his voice steadily growing louder.
"As long as it takes." Kakashi said steadily, unmoving before Naruto's escalating fury.
Sakura and Sasuke dug their feet into the ground, attempting to drag the blond back some distance. The Uchiha's eyebrows lowered in annoyance when Naruto didn't budge.
"AND HOW MUCH LONGER IS THAT, HUH?" Naruto yelled, blue eyes blazing, tanned face paling. "IRUKA-SENSEI COULD BE DYING OUT THERE, AND YOU- YOU," Naruto struggled for words. "YOU'RE JUST SITTING THERE, LIKE YOU DON'T EVEN GIVE A DAMN— "
"This is how it is when you live in a time of war, Naruto." Kakashi interrupted in an emotionless voice. His visible eye gleamed strangely. Looking at him, Sakura repressed a shudder. "Get used to it."
The silver-haired jounin abruptly rose to his feet, and disappeared after a swift hand movement. The three chuunin stared at the dissipating cloud of smoke in silence.
"Damn." Naruto uttered a soft curse under his breath, and quickly slipping his arms out of his teammates' grasps, he walked off, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. The raven-haired Uchiha and the girl were left staring after the orange-clad teen.
He was the closest to their former teacher, who had been a father figure to the orphan blond. Naruto was not one to easily forget any kindness, and over the years, he and Iruka had formed an unbreakable bond.
Sakura wanted to run after the blond boy, tell him that Iruka-sensei would be alright… but something held her back.
The two stood in uneasy silence.
Sasuke spoke first, his own hands slipping into his pockets out of habit.
"I'll take it there's no training today then." He said, thin eyebrow raised. Sakura's gaze turned to him.
"… Yeah…" She said, in a dazed tone.
"Stupid bastard elbowed me…" The Uchiha muttered. He stared at the direction Naruto had left with an irritated expression on his face. "I'm going, then." Sasuke nodded to her, and was soon lost in the numerous bodies that were walking down the streets of Konoha.
The petal-haired kunoichi stared distantly after the Uchiha.
..
..
Somehow, unconsciously, she had felt that this would happen.
She had seen other men of fighting age leave Konoha, their wives, children, or mothers calling after them desperately, bidding them farewell, clinging to them as if they were afraid they would never seem them again.
She had watched them as she passed by, feeling sympathetic, and walked on without another thought.
…
How cold she had been…
…
She had never experienced firsthand the devastating effects of the exhaustingly long war the shinobi countries were embroiled in. As innocent as the fragile flower blossom she was named for, the shielding leaves that had hitherto covered and protected her from the horrid truth were slowly falling away.
Now, the reality of Iruka's situation struck home terribly.
For the first time, the possibility that she might never see her teacher ever again occurred to her.
The man who had taught her to walk as she took her first tentative steps from the ninja academy… Her mentor and friend for over four years, Iruka-sensei had been a warm, gentle person- quick to laugh and anger, and just as swift to forgive.
He's not going to be coming back anytime soon… he's been detained for a while longer in order to fight…
Sakura stifled a rising sob with her hands pressed hard against her mouth.
And then, she ran.
Without direction, and not knowing why she ran, the petal-haired girl broke into a furious run.
With the sudden realization that Iruka-sensei might die on the battlefield, the crimson-stained world outside her safe walls were visible through the glass of her windows.
And she was terrified… terrified by the thought that death eventually came to all…
..
..
There could be no escape…
..
..
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
(later that day)
..
..
"She's not at the hospital?" Sakura repeated blankly.
The nurse nodded, a little hurriedly.
"Tsunade-Sama said that she will be up at her office all day." The dark-haired woman replied rapidly. "I'm sorry Sakura-san, but I need to tend to a couple patients right now…"Sakura nodded, seeing that the nurse was needed elsewhere.
"Thank you, then."
The pink-haired girl turned to leave, allowing the nurse to return to her patients. The kunoichi left the hospital wing, entering the crowded hallway full of patients and hospital staff members.
"Sana-san! The jounin in room 215, bed 2 needs to have his bandages changed!"
"I'll do that as soon as I'm done with this patient!"
The hospital was more crowded with patients than usual. Being situated directly in the center of a shinobi village, the Konoha hospital was kept fairly busy, but the amount of ninjas in the hallways troubled the petal-haired girl.
Seeing the amount of people still waiting to be treated as she passed the waiting room, Sakura was glad that she wasn't required to work shifts at the hospital right now.
"Transporter! Run down to the lab! We need the results on the tests for Mr. Hayasaki immediately!"
"Yes sir!"
The kunoichi made her way past a wan looking shinobi male who was waiting outside a recovery room with tightly clasped hands and smudges of dirt on his clothes and face. She wondered who it was that he was waiting so anxiously for.
"Excuse me! Coming through, coming through!"
Sakura jumped aside as a gurney (2) came hurtling towards her with alarming speed. As she watched the gurney pass by, she caught a glimpse of a pale face surrounded by hair wet with blood.
"……!"
For a second, it was Iruka's face that was covered in blood, his body that was writhing in the moving cart in agony. Sakura's eyes widened in horror, before she realized that the man who had passed by had jet black hair instead of the brown hair she was accustomed to seeing.
The petal-haired kunoichi wrenched her gaze away from the shrinking figure pushing the gurney, and left the hospital quickly with downcast eyes.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
..
..
"Tsunade-sama…?"
The Hokage looked up sharply to see a girl with cropped pink locks peeking at her around the door. The blonde woman's face visibly relaxed into a more welcoming expression.
"Ah… Sakura-chan…"
Sakura slipped inside the spacious office and came to stand in front of the Fifth's large wooden desk. Keen brown eyes studied the girl, narrowing at the traces of redness at the corner of the emerald eyes. Tsunade sat back in her chair, still watching her former apprentice.
"So… what brings you here?" The fifth Hokage questioned after a moment. Sakura flushed.
"Oh… well… I just…" She mumbled to the ground. Tsunade smiled affectionately. Really… the girl was so transparent, that it was almost ridiculous.
"Sakura."
At the sound of her name, the kunoichi looked up hesitantly at the Hokage. Tsunade raised an eyebrow, prompting the girl to talk.
"Well, it's about Iruka-Sensei…!" Sakura blurted out. A knowing expression touched the older woman's face. "I heard from Kakashi-sensei…" Here, she stopped uncertainly, then continued on haltingly. "I heard that Iruka-sensei is going to be detained at the battle site…" She finished. Tsunade simply looked at her. "I…Is it true?"
"Yes." The Hokage answered with a briefly penetrating expression. Sakura swallowed. "It might not seem like it, but Umino Iruka's squad has a very important mission…" The Hokage sighed aloud, her brown eyes troubled. "The line they are holding must not fall." Tsunade said quietly, her gaze moving from Sakura to the open window letting in the sunshine illuminating her desk.
Sakura looked down at the wooden floor.
"I understand that you don't want anything to happen to him, Sakura," Tsunade said suddenly, still facing the window calmly. "But Konoha is at a tricky stage right now, with the war and strained alliance with the sand… We need all the available shinobi out there on the field sooner or later."
Silence descended the room as the pink-haired girl absorbed her Hokage's words.
Then, she leaned forward hesitantly, the hitherto dulled expression on her face dispelled by the new thought that struck her.
"Then why don't you--"
A sudden rapping on the closed door interrupted the kunoichi's words. Tsunade regarded the pink-haired girl with her piercing eyes before turning to the door with a sigh.
"Come in." She called, with bits of irritation laced into her voice.
Sakura straightened again, biting back the spontaneous words she had wanted to say.
A tall silver-haired jounin entered the room, halting when he saw the pink-haired figure standing in front of the Hokage's desk. Sakura's eyes widened.
"Kakashi-sensei…"
He nodded at her without the slightest change of expression, his eyes moving to the Hokage after a moment.
"You had a mission, Hokage-Sama…?"
At his apparent dismissal of her presence, Sakura lowered her eyes again, feeling a little hurt. After over a month of acquaintance, she would have thought that he might have acted a little friendlier. Then, she remembered the events of this morning, and Naruto's angry outburst at the jounin.
Sakura inwardly winced.
Perhaps Kakashi-sensei was angry at their team for acting so childishly…? If he was angry, he didn't show it. If anything, that was made him such an uncomfortable man to be around, if this morning's incident was anything to go by. Reminded of her initial reason for being in the Hokage's office in the first place, Sakura's expression clouded distinctly.
The kunoichi cleared her throat slightly.
"Well, I'll just be leaving then…" She said, with a respectful bow towards the older woman. Kakashi's gaze finally shifted to the petal-haired girl who was just turning to leave. Tsunade scratched the back of her neck in an unlady-like manner.
"No," Sakura froze in the act of reaching for the doorknob. "Actually, you don't have to…" The Hokage said breezily, her eyes shifting to the jounin standing quietly beside his student. "The mission will involve you, Sakura. So stay."
A little put back, the pink-haired kunoichi did as she was told with only a questioning glance at the silver-haired jounin standing patiently near her. Kakashi was observing the Hokage with a markedly lethargic air around him, with his hands entered casually in his pockets again and visible eye half-lidded. Sakura silently looked away, unable to explain to herself why she felt so disconcerted by the fact that the man hadn't once met her eyes properly since this morning.
…
She could never be sure of herself around him.
Over a month ago, she had thought, rather irrationally, that perhaps she was connected to the unfamiliar jounin by some inexorable, impalpable link. As Ino had pointed out, her thoughts were more likely caused by a befuddled state of mind that had conjured up nonexistent ties with the enigmatic ex-anbu. The images, the sudden emotions they had produced; that strange ethereal moment had felt so vivid, so realistic …
But despite everything… Except for the ever present feeling of tenuous inexplicable familiarity with the silver-haired man, her strange and perhaps one-sided connection with the jounin had progressed no further than the one established on that cold rainy day.
Or perhaps… it had never existed.
…
Sakura bit her lip, looked sideways at the jounin who stood passively, shoulders slumped.
…
She couldn't decipher the man- it was simply too hard a task. There had been times during their training that she had thought he reacted strangely to her presence, but these moments were short and few, passing by quickly for her to discern what had happened.
It could all have been her overactive imagination… There had been times when even she doubted her own sanity. But nothing could dispel the feeling that subconsciously, she knew the silver-haired jounin. It was the one solid, identifiable thought regarding Hatake Kakashi, and it was what kept her from completely dismissing the strange connection the petal-haired girl sought.
Sakura came back to herself with a start when she realized the Hokage was speaking.
"Hatake, until Umino Iruka returns, you have assumed full responsibility for Cell Seven, correct?" Tsunade asked the silver-haired man. He nodded.
The blonde woman regarded Kakashi with a contemplative expression, her finger gently tapping her chin.
"Most of the available jounin I have at the moment are off doing other missions, or being gathered as back-up for the squads holding the lines." Tsunade said abruptly. Kakashi said nothing, though Sakura shifted a little uneasily.
The Hokage stared steadily at the ex-anbu captain.
"What class mission is it?" He asked in a calm voice.
"B… at the moment." Tsunade said grimly. "It might turn into an A class one, depending on circumstances."
Sakura chanced a glance at the silver-haired jounin, and encountered his dark eye already on her. Kakashi studied the petal-haired girl for a second longer before turning back to the older woman.
"And what sort of mission is it?" He questioned. For answer, the blonde woman reached down to her right and the sounds of a drawer being opened, papers rustling, reached the two shinobi's ears. A moment later, Tsunade was holding a large scroll in her hands. Sakura studied it curiously, whereas Kakashi spared it the most minimal of glances.
"There's been a change of positions in the snow and earth countries," Tsunade said quietly. "It is of utmost importance that this scroll reaches the intelligence squads stationed near the earth countries." Kakashi's eyes moved back to the scroll. "There are already two other jounin teams that have been sent out to the other stations two weeks ago when we first received word that the snow shinobi had changed position." The blonde Hokage angrily narrowed her eyes. "I should have known that the Earth would move too…"
"They're allied?" Kakashi asked, showing little surprise.
"It would appear so." Tsunade said shortly, a displeased expression on her face. Kakashi briefly closed his eyes. Thefifth Hokage sighed. "I won't lie. It will be dangerous, especially for chuunin." Here, Sakura made a protesting sound in her throat before subsiding at Tsunade's raised eyebrow. "You'll be going very close to enemy territory, and the journey must be made in the shortest amount of time possible."
Silence descended the room.
After a long moment, the ex-anbu turned almost reluctantly to the petal-haired young woman standing tensely near him. She met his dark gaze without shrinking, though she was surprised that he was looking directly at her; she quickly hid her surprise and stared up at him evenly. The jounin studied the strong yet subtle, delicate lines of the kunoichi's face.
'So fragile...'
"You might die." He said it without preamble, blunt and to the point. Staring into his visible eye, Sakura wondered at the resignation that she saw in the darkly tinted eye. "It might seem like a simple mission, but…" Kakashi's voice trailed off. "I don't know if you three-"
"Kakashi-sensei." Sakura interrupted firmly. The man closed his mouth, stared down at her with almost no trace of characteristic vagueness in his gaze at all. "We can do it." She said simply.
"……"
Tsunade watched the exchange between student and teacher silently. Knowing the determination of the young petal-haired woman, she knew that Sakura would want to help Konoha in whatever way she could. Her restlessness could be sensed, her desire to do more. Tsunade closed her eyes wearily. She just wished that Sakura's introduction to the dangerous world of Shinobi wars could have been later, and assigned to a less dangerous mission.
But if anything, Cell seven was among the most powerful chuunin groups in Konoha, if not the most.
As much as she hated to admit it, she needed them.
She opened her eyes again, saw Kakashi staring contemplatively at the scroll she had placed on the surface of her desk.
"… I won't force you to do this." The sixth told him. He raised his eyes, stared at her levelly.
"When should we leave?"
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ..
..
..
(Author's Notes:)
(1) blond's - this is actually incorrect grammar or something, according to my computer... but blonde's is correct... blond is used for males, blonde for females, so I don't get why this is wrong.. T.T
(2) gurney- you know on medical shows, where people are always being rushed to ER in those moving carts? Those things are called gurneys. There are different types of gurneys, but I won't go into detail.
Thanks to active-heart who pointed out Tsunade is the fifth, not the sixth. That's been fixed...
Whew! That was about 10 pages! Sorry it took so long coming out… I was busy, lazy, and also had writer's block throughout this chapter. But I'm actually pleased with the way this chapter turned out… for the most part. I stepped up Kakashi's and Sakura's relationship a tiny bit, without rushing things.
I set up the stones enough in this chapter that Kakashi and Sakura can start getting attracted to each other. I think that those who want the romance will start getting it. Still a couple transition stuff to get out of the way though… sorry.
I was gonna write more this chapter, but the result would have been 12 to 13 pages. Too long! XD
Mithua: Thanks! You've been reviewing every chapter! (Along with others!) Chapter eight, no, seven? (Stupid prologue… messing up the numbers. I'm just going to refer chapters by title, ok?) Lost Memories was pretty important. Don't know how many people are catching the clues I've been giving out though…
December Jewel: I originally aimed for Kakashi and Sakura to remember their pasts, but I've altered it a bit. They won't remember all of it, just enough of it- oops. Said too much.. ;P
PRoyalAngel: Yay! New Reviewer! (Or have you reviewed before? . Sorry. I have bad memory.) Thanks for liking my writing!
MP: are you MP1 or me…? Sorry… I have really bad memory. You guys might have picked up on that by now…
As to why Kakashi left Konoha for x years (What did I say in the story? Aah! Curse you, memory! XP) and why Sakura doesn't remember him, that'll come up in the upcoming chapters. You'll have to be patient though! It might take a while for them to know why they can't remember! This might turn into a 30 chapter story!
The prologue.. yes, I might delete that. I checked the hit list, and people just go into the prologue, and then don't bother to read the rest of the chapters:( I know my writing is boring at first, (from what I can gather), but still… ah well, it's my own fault… T.T …. And not a style I can change quickly… TT.TT
Kakashidiot: Hmm… it's not in line with the canon, eh? I guess that's good! I thought a lot of the Kakashi Sakura stories had a kinda repetitious theme, so I tried to be really different. I don't know though… we'll have to see at the end! You said it was well-written for the most part… I appreciate that you like the story, but to help me, can you tell me what aspects I can improve on? (People tell me they love the story… which makes me ecstatically happy, but I have no idea what to improve, all I can trust is my own intuition. T.T)
Optionxx1: Yes, I'm getting impatient too… T.T
Jemiul: Thanks for being so exact on what you liked! It helps a lot!
Tears Of Hell 1428: what are teorical moments? T.T Sorry…
The hospital room… which chapter is that… oh! You mean after the whole fight thingie with kakashi in Lost Memories … Yeah! The focus has changed a lot from her teammates to Kakashi, which shows exactly how troubled she is by the jounin!
Yes, Ino and Sakura are friends. I didn't go too in depth in it. Characters outside team 7 won't really have a humongous impact on this story.
Oh… so that's what Segoi Desu means… eheheh… thanks! CooL! Japanese lesson today! XD
Konoha Ninja Sasuke's Lover: XD I read your review and I was so tickled that you skipped your tutoring thing to continue reading my story! Thanks! That was a huge compliment! (I've procrastinated because of fanfic reading too.. you're not alone there…) On the other hand, my story can wait for you, because it's engraved into the oh so trusty world of the internet, whereas physical time waits for no one… Use your time wisely! (I know from personal experience… T.T)
You just experienced the righteous bleumoon… kekeke… now, the real me: Muahahahaha! They can't escape! My story is irresistible! PUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
Nocterayne: Nocterayne, oh Nocterayne, where art thou Nocterayne? T.T Surely you haven't abandoned me… TToTT
Although you haven't reviewed the past chapters, your encouraging reviews still drive me! (along with everybody else's of course…)
I look forward to your return! And more reviews! Adieu for now!