Chapter 10: Hurt

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters of Naruto.

The dull aching in his head was like a reminder that he was alive and awake, but it was in every sense a tormentor by reminding him of this. The weeks drifted into an unknown obscurity making them appear no more than dreams, but they were as real as ever and he was only left to reminisce of the fact that he was sitting in his bed alone. Kakashi stretched his neck as he felt it pop back into place, having been fucked up yesterday from the fight he got into while on a mission in some village that he couldn't remember. Most of his friends found him in odd temperance since he seemed to be less patient with everyone and had grown more hostile to those whom he would usually just blow off completely. The exception to this was Shenlong, who had long since been called back to Suna for some unknown reason pertaining to his keeper, Yuki. He did leave his student behind, but Kakashi treated her like nameless face, adding her to the list of those whose names failed to reach his memory or his attention.

"I hope I have a mission today," said Kakashi as he showered and looked at the small stubble that was forming under his chin and the light mustache that ran over his upper lip. "Why shave at all anymore, no one is going to see it? There is no one I would want to show it to and even if there was I wouldn't."

Breakfast consisted of slightly burnt toast that was covered by a light spread of cold butter, the perfect thing for Kakashi at the moment was a meal of conflicting ideas. Cold butt on hot bread, two opposing forces, yin and yang. Just like us, thought Kakashi as he put on his mask and vest. Hope today is a dangerous mission, I feel like killing someone today oddly.

He went to the door to leave his lonely abode and brace the bustling world that he would have to adapt himself to in order to make his way, but he stopped as he heard something else. It was a door opening, the door next door, Anko's door. Was it fate trying to play a cruel joke on him or was it her own intention to further torment him? Kakashi then waited for her to pass, but to his surprise the footsteps stopped directly in front of his door and his heart skipped a beat as he knew that the woman he loved was on the other side, close enough for him to smell that perfume he gave her for Christmas. What the hell is she playing at, thought Kakashi as he went back to sit down on the recliner that he kept in his living room. I'll just call in sick today or just tell Tsunade that she can declare me a missing nin and send the hunters to come cut my fucking head off already. His mind was snapped out of his ponderings on what to do to avoid the kuinochi next door when he heard a loud knock that he knew just from sheer shape of force, that it was her. Kakashi then made the mistake of ignoring her, choosing to sit back in his recliner while he started reading one of his favorite Icha Icha novels. Anko's response was to kick the door down.

"Hey Kakashi-san what are you doing sitting you have to work," asked Anko as she beamed at him.

"I'm so glad you cared about me after telling me to just die," replied Kakashi as he leaned back in his chair with his back towards. "When I don't answer that means I'm not in the mood to except any visitors today, least of all you."

"Look, Kakashi we need to talk," said Anko softly as she walked over to the chair slowly, not sure of how he would respond to her footsteps.

"Go away," was the reply he gave as he slipped his hand slowly to hi pouch. "There is no talking after what you did to me a few months ago. You made it clear that you never wanted to see me again and I made sure of that, but now you want to come back in and remind me of the pain I felt."

"I'm sorry for what I said and if you want, we can go back to being friends," offered Anko as she held out a hand towards him. With a flash of light, Kakashi was gone from his house and he walked over to receive his mission for the day.

Tsunade had known about the troubles between Kakashi Hatake and Anko Mitarashi, two of the finest jonins of their time, and she wanted to find some way to mend the broken bond between them. She understood that Anko needed time to think it over, but at the same time Tsunade knew that Anko could have been a bit less hostile when saying that. All of what had transpired between the two had helped to ruin the spotless relationship that they shared and in turn had made their work suffer. Anko seemed to be very distant when talking to comrades and on missions her mind had been off somewhere else, while Kakashi was worse than before. Not only had he grown more distant from everyone, including old friends, but he also developed a violent nature that would make him prone to bouts of sadism.

"Everything is just a mess," said Tsunade to herself as she eyed the next report that detailed of the possible whereabouts of Orochimaru, a mission that she had planned for Anko, but she thought that she could give it to Kakashi. Anko would follow anyway, but Kakashi was probably in need of a mission that could help him blow of the infinite steam that seemed to build up in him, hopefully before he blew it off on someone else.

"Tsunade-sama, Kakashi-san has just arrived for his next mission," announced Shizune as she bowed to her Hokage and sensei.

"Good, he's on time," remarked Tsunade as she looked at the clock. "Send him in please."

"You wished to see me Tsunade-sama," asked Kakashi as he poked his head through the door before Tsunade waved him in with a slight movement of her fingers.

"Yes, I was just looking at an interesting bit of information on the possible whereabouts of an old colleague of mine," replied Tsunade as she pushed a file across her table over to his awaiting hands, which had started begging for missions. "I was thinking about giving this to someone else, but it occurred to me that you would be perfect for this mission seeing as how you handled Kabuto with great ease. I'm quite certain that Orochimaru, in his present condition, isn't that much more powerful than Kabuto was so you are perfect for the job."

"Anko Mitarashi should be jumping at this opportunity," muttered Kakakashi as he looked over the document right before setting it down on the desk. He'd felt like throwing it, but an unfortunate jonin had made that mistake and wound up in the infirmary with multiple bone fractures. "So when should I set out."

"You have a grace period of two days and then you'll be out no matter what," declared Tsunade, but she knew that Kakashi would leave immediately. "Good luck and come back safe."

The forest bushes were filled with briar, twigs, and things of all sorts that were on the top ten lists of Kakashi's things to hate the shit out of. He had let the other jonin accompanying him in the assassination of attempt of Orochimaru or as he was figuring it, "the wild goose chase to keep my mind on." Green gave rise to brown and all sorts of colors that were doing nothing to help camouflage the jonin as they made their way through all the bushes and shrubs, finally comings to what Kakashi guessed was the main complex. It was a building in the middle of nowhere that surrounded by guards, had important looking people coming in and out, and looked important.

"All the characteristics of a main complex," mumbled Kakashi as he took a look with his kunai over the head of bush. The other jonin that were with him were probably lost or causing trouble, that is if they weren't already captured or killed. "With my luck I'll have to save their sorry asses or one has probably ratted me out."

"I believe that is the case, Kakashi-kun," said a sinister voice from behind Kakashi. His target was right behind him and he was now alone in enemy territory.

Anko had been sitting on Kakashi's bed looking at all the photo albums that he had of him and his friends, and her eyes poured over the dates and other things written next to certain pictures. In his photo album, Kakashi had listed cliff notes on the date of their deaths and only a few of the people in his photo album were lacking death dates, but he had still set up the spaces for them. Among the spaces, Anko found that her spot was listed under the section labeled, "God Forbid," right next to another woman. The woman right next to Anko in the photo book was none other than Kakashi's former team mate Rin, whose body Anko remembered seeing being carried back to the village by Kakashi. And I thought I knew pain, thought Anko as she realized that none of her pain could come close to what Kakashi had felt when all of his friends died one after the other. The worst pain must have been her, because she and him were a bit of a couple if I remember correctly. Turning the page, Anko found a journal entry dating back to a few days ago.

October 15,

Once again I am unable to control the jealousy I feel about other couples when I see how happy they are that their significant other is right there by their side and I feel the longing to be able to join them building up in my insides, but that path is uncertain. I try being either early or late to work so that I can escape the pain of seeing her, but I still have the urge to go out at the same time as her and say good morning to her. The thing you want is so close, but it's behind a glass that is as hard as a diamond and clear as water. All you can feel is pain for being denied that, even though others would think you weak, but we are only left delusional as we try to escape from the reality that is our tormentor. Nothing has hurt me more than not being able to have her by my side.

Tears streamed down Anko's face and fell down on the hard wood floor with a soft plop. Her feet turned towards the door and led her to some unknown destination that she knew but didn't know at the same time. Before she even realized where she was going, she looked at the door to the Hokage's office and softly knocked.

Kunai struck against metal as the two ninja battled each other to the death in a struggle of two titans. One was a loyal jonin of the Leaf who was the genius of his day, while the other was a former leaf ninja and a genius of his day as well. Kakashi attacked with twin kunai as he spun to keep Orochimaru guessing which attack he was going to use next, but Orochimaru thrust the sword that was in his throat at the twin kunai, catching them together. He then used his arms, a new thing that he had developed thanks to his new experiments, to perform a kanton no jutsu that caused Kakashi to roll out of the way. The sword moved forward to cut Kakashi's back as he was recovering his feet, but Kakashi struck back by slashing Orochimaru across the stomach with the kunai in his right hand. They had both used a lot of chakra and strength during the fight, causing them to pant heavily, but neither was done just yet as they went at each other again. Kakashi used a mist jutsu to hide in while he used his sense of smell to track Orochimaru's movement. As soon as he moved into attack with a chidori Orochimaru was ready with a kusanagi in hand and he ran it threw Kakashi as soon as Kakashi charged, but it didn't stop Kakashi and it didn't stop the chidori that was plunged into his chest.

"Ha ha ha, so this is how I am to die," laughed Orochimaru as he stared at Kakashi. "I've done so much, but it has all come to this one point, gaining me absolutely shit. What folly?"

Orochimaru pulled the sword out of the wound and fell back on the ground, death finally catching up with him. Kakashi, however, feel back into the arms of a woman, the woman whom his heart had been set on, and as he looked into her eyes, he thought how content he would be to die, if only it was in her arms. The last thing he could hear was her words to him, how much panic and care there was in them and the feeling of her tears against his face.

"Please don't die on me Kakashi," cried Anko as she held onto while waiting for the medic to come. "I'm sorry I told you I hoped you died. I was lying when I said I hated you, when I said I never wanted to talk to you again, and for all the other things I said to you that hurt you. Please stay with me, Kakashi-kun. I love you and will do anything for you as long as you stay with me."

"Here let me check on him," said Sakura as she put her hands into healing the wounds on his body, each touch pouring chakra into the wounds to make them clot. "Damn, it's pretty deep in there, we have to get him to an emergency room immediately!"

The first thing he felt when he woke up was the mind dulling effect of the drugs and over time he became familiar with the different shapes around him as the black in his vision gave way to other colors. Shapes started to form in his vision and he could see the person sitting right beside his bed. He felt the shape's hand on his and the familiar texture brought a smile to his lips as he knew that he was in the company of a friend and hopefully, if he was thinking straight, a lover. The other colors formed themselves as her face became clearer and he could how much happiness there was in her smile and the warmth that she gave off. She bent down to kiss his bear forehead and then held him in her warm embrace.

"Anko, hold on a sec there is something I want to show you," said a weak Kakashi as he gently pushed her body a bit to get her to back up. "This is what I've wanted to show you for so long."

"Thank you for showing it to me," said Anko as she watched his hands go to his mask and then observed them as they slowly pulled the mask down, revealing the handsome face that was under it.

"I love you Anko," said Kakashi as he moved forward with the face of a god and touched her lips with his own.

The next chapter to come out would probably be the birthday chapter because number one, it will be Anko's birthday and number tow it will be my birthday. Check it out on October 24