I hope that last chapter gave some satisfactory answers to the mystery. I know these chapters are leaving on cliffhangers but I promise I will work hard to not leave anyone hanging for too long. I'm totally throwing my kids under the bus this time for buying me a new Harvest Moon game, it has nothing to do with any writer's block. Thank you so much for your reviews, follows, and favorites. They are writing fuel for sure. A big thanks to Leomae2.0 for the private message. It made me finish this chapter and get it on up. On with the story…

Chapter 13

It was random sounds that first penetrated the inky blackness for Kakashi. Sounds of random low voices, metal doors slamming shut, and the echoing drips of water hitting stone. He tried to focus on the noises and come back to awareness, but they were too random and short-lived to be much help. So, Kakashi surrendered to the darkness for the time being and was relieved for it. He was so tired.

"Kakashi…" a voice came through, interrupting his rest. It sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place it. "Kakashi, you must listen to me." Who was this? Where was it coming from?

"I am here with you. I have always been with you. You know me just as I know you, Kakashi."

Yes, he did know this voice. He had heard it whispering in his mind for as long as he could remember. He just always chalked it up to instinct and intuition, but now Kakashi just KNEW who this was, "Haiiro."

A soft chuckle echoed around in Kakashi's mind. "You always were a smart one. Now, open your mind's eye and let's have a talk." Kakashi opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. Frankly, it was boring. Just grey mist as far as the eye could see, except for the figure of a wolf with electric blue eyes, sitting patiently as it watched him and waited.

"So, this is what you look like when you aren't burning a hole in my chest?" Kakashi joked to the beast. What else does one say to the chakra creature that has been tagging along inside your body?

Haiiro did the equivalent of a wolf's shrug, "I look like you want me too. If you don't like it, you can change it. However, right now we have more important things to do. I wish we had more time to talk, but things are getting crazy while you are sleeping away."

Kakashi's heart leaped into his throat, "Sakura? Is she okay?" The wolf nodded in the affirmative. "Well, tell me what's happening then."

"First, I would like to give you my memories, if you are willing. It might help to understand the history of your family and myself." Kakashi grunted his agreement and the wolf padded closer to him. Haiiro's blue eyes met the mismatched ones of Kakashi and a connection was made.

The images came in a tidal wave of flashes, sounds, and thoughts, both Hatake men's and Haiiro's together. The first scene was of a young shinobi with dark black hair, deep in the forest, coming across a wounded Haiiro. The deal was struck and suddenly, Kakashi was viewing the young man's reflection in a mirror, except this time the man's hair was pale silver, the exact same shade as the Copy Nin's own locks. Then, Kakashi could see and feel the unknown ancestor looking down at a newborn. He watched as that child grew up and had children of his own, only one sporting the Hatake silver hair. Generation after generation, Kakashi watched all the lives of those that came before him. All the battles, laughs, heartbreaks, loves, and moments that made up life after life until, finally, a familiar face. His father, Hatake Sakumo, was born and grew up in flashes in Kakashi's mind. All of his dreams, his faults, and his fears laid bare to his son. The love Sakumo had felt for Kakashi's mother warmed the Copy Nin briefly before the ghost memory of Haiiro, begging him not to take the lengthy mission during his wife's pregnancy. Dire warnings were ignored for the 'sake of the village' and feelings of love turned to agony of loss and anger. The next flash felt like it ripped Kakashi apart. His father, overcome with rage and guilt at his wife's death, swearing to a despondent Haiiro that he would end them both to save his son. Then, there was pain, Kakashi's and Haiiro's. Intense and merciless. Kakashi fought to slow his breathing and relax. He needed to know everything.

After several moments, the memories gained color and substance again. Kakashi could still feel the damage that Sakumo's death had caused to Haiiro, limiting the beast's ability to communicate with its host, but the scenes were now familiar. Kakashi's own life flashed by, colored with the thoughts and feelings of Haiiro. The chakra beast's fear grew as Kakashi went through his younger days, showing no signs of settling down and creating an heir. Then, images of Sakura filled the darkness of Kakashi's duty-filled life, right up until that magical night in the forest. Haiiro's relief and determination were strong as he flared up his power and overrode Sakura's birth control jutsu to create the heir that would save both itself and Kakashi. Wait…

Kakashi broke the connection, sputtering in disbelief, "What? I mean, what did you do? Sakura, is she, I mean…is she pregnant?" The wolf looked at the outraged shinobi with a sheepish expression.

"It was necessary, Kakashi. I am sorry that I had to influence your life in this way, but without an heir to transfer power to the buildup of my chakra would have killed you and me both."

"What about how your 'interference' will affect Sakura? Did you even consider her feelings before you forced this on her? My mother died to give birth to me. Can that happen to Sakura?" Kakashi, in a state of anger at the danger that he had unknowingly visited on the woman he loved, could understand his father's rage and anguish that drove the older shinobi to make that fatal choice.

"Your mother died because Sakumo kept taking extended missions while she was carrying you. I warned him that the transfer would be interrupted with so much distance between them. It takes a lot of chakra to grow an heir and without being close enough for me to supply that chakra, the baby takes what it needs from the mother's life force. She gave everything she had to bring you into this world."

Kakashi took a moment to absorb all the things he had just learned. The truth about his parents and the knowledge that he was going to be a father were a lot to process. Haiiro said nothing, but began to pace back and forth, body tense and ears pitched forward as if listening for something.

"Kakashi, as much as I would like to give you time to reflect, I really must make you aware of what's going on. I'm afraid our little display during Sakura's rescue has attracted some bad attention. Some ass named Danzo has convinced the Council that we are dangerous to the village. You are currently in a cell with chakra blockers on. It can only limit your personal levels and not mine, but I do need you to wake up to address the situation."

Kakashi couldn't resist rolling his eyes at his current dilemma. Nothing could ever come easy could it? He was going to acknowledge the need for consciousness but a sudden mystery that had still not been explained made him question the chakra beast again, "What about my eyes? What is that about?"

Haiiro turned to face his master, "A gift, to a friend. One that will endure through the generations." At Kakashi's slow nod of acceptance, the wolf returned his attention to what had made him restless before. "Be ready, there are people approaching your cell."

.

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.

Leaving the warm, grey mists of his inner mind, Kakashi was instantly aware of the ache all over his body. He held on to the moan that was trying to escape his throat. The soft swish of clothing announced that he was about to get company. He opened his eyes and took in the barren cell, recognizing it to be one of many in the basement of ANBU headquarters. Forcing his sore body to move, Kakashi sat up on the dingy cot he had been placed on. Chakra binding cuffs secured his hands and feet to the wall with only enough length to allow for him to stand in the middle of the small room. Kakashi chose to stay sitting on the edge of the bed with his feet securely on the floor and wait for his company to enter. The scraping sound of a key drew his gaze to the door. First in the door was a silent, masked ROOT shinobi who moved into place just to the right of the portal. Kakashi ignored the stoic guard and gave all of his focus to the second, much more appealing shinobi to enter the room.

"Sakura." Her face raised up at the sound of her name. Her features schooled into a friendly, but distance expression.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'm here to treat you. Please lay back down." Her green eyes flickered over towards the ROOT agent quickly, giving Kakashi a silent explanation for her cold behavior. He closed his mouth on all the things that he wanted to say to her and did as she asked. Somehow, he managed to keep his eyes focused on the ceiling and not soaking in the sight of her. A rustle and thump made him aware that Sakura had crossed the room to kneel next to the cot and placed her medical bag on the floor at her knees.

"You will need to remove his chakra bindings for me to do a full checkup." Sakura shot her curt demand to the guard at the door. He said nothing but crossed his arms across his chest in a silent no. Pulling on a pair of latex gloves with a snap, she nailed him to the wall with her glare, "Fine, suit yourself." Using the protection the gloves provided, Sakura reached for the cuffs on Kakashi's wrists and flaring her chakra to just two fingers on each hand, she crushed the metal, ruining the symbols that restricted chakra. She reached next for the cuffs on his ankles, ignoring that Kakashi had shot to his feet. The guard leapt in their direction, but he was too late. As soon as Kakashi was freed, he sent chakra to his eyes, activating the altered Sharingan. The ROOT agent hit the floor with a whimper and didn't move. Kakashi stuffed him into the corner of the room and with a quick glance out into the hallway, shut the door quietly.

"Kakashi…" Sakura's voice, that had been so firm moments before, had a slight tremble to it now. Kakashi said nothing, but crossed the small space and lifted her from her position on the floor into his tight embrace. He wrapped his arms around her torso and buried his face into her soft, sweet-scented hair. She returned his embrace with enthusiasm. The long weeks of separation and the dire circumstances they found themselves in caused both of the shinobi to cling to each other as if they could not get close enough. Long minutes pasted with no words, only soft, loving touches and caresses. As if suddenly becoming aware of where they were, Sakura pulled slightly away but still not leaving the comforting warmth of his arms. Wiping the wetness that had appeared on her cheeks, she looked in Kakashi's eyes. "I have so much to tell you and very little time. Tsuande-sama was only able to convince the Council to let me give you medical care because they removed you from the hospital. She had to exaggerate your condition a little and still had to bring up some old laws about the treatment of prisoners. Oh, Kakashi, they think you are a danger to the village due to what has been happening to you. They think you have been illegally trying to obtain power to take over."

Kakashi cupped her cheeks in his hand, using his thumbs to wipe away the remaining moisture there. The relief at having her right there in front of him and in good health superseded any worry about his imprisonment. "I'm just glad you are okay." With that statement, he yanked down his mask, leaned down and used his gentle grasp on her face to pull her into a long kiss, putting all his love into the simple gesture. Sakura returned his affection with equal vigor. The kiss deepened and lasted until they finally separated to catch their breaths.

"Tsuande told me what is happening to you. Are you okay? I mean, other than your eyes, are there any more changes? Are you in any pain?" As she questioned him, she was running her hands over his chest, healing chakra flaring in her fingertips.

"I'm fine. Better than fine. Don't worry about me." He caught her wandering hands in his one of his own and held them to his chest. "Why don't you tell me everything that is going on?"

Sakura sighed and stepped away from his embrace. She wrapped her arms around her chest as if to protect herself from the things she had to tell him. After a moment to collect her thoughts, she turned back to Kakashi. "Danzo and the elders have called for a trial to determine if you should be executed or expelled from Konoha. They are also using Tsuande's support of you and Naruto as a reason to try and depose her from office. Most of our forces and a great many of the civilians are protesting this development, but the Council, encouraged by Danzo, seem set on this course of action. They are saying they want to rid the village of the unstable 'demon-ridden' shinobi and replace them with more controllable, well-trained forces. It's like our whole way of life is under attack and that's not all…" Sakura paused in her rant, casting a shy glance at Kakashi, obviously concerned at how he would take her next bit of news, before looking away from him to stare up at the stone ceiling of the cell, "Kakashi…we are going to have a baby. I'm sorry…I don't know how I could be so careless. Only you and Tsunade know about this for now, mainly because of the strong possibility that Danzo could try to use our baby against us, or worse, take it from us."

Kakashi quickly pulled her back to his warmth and placed a finger on her lips to silence her. "That's never going to happen," he stated gruffly. Then he smiled at her to convey his joy and she relaxed in his arms, her lips curving up into a tentative smile of her own. He replaced his finger on her mouth with his lips and grasped her by the waist with both hands. When he finally pulled away from the kiss, Kakashi slowly fell to his knees in front of her, placing his cheek on the slight swell of her abdomen. Through his connection with Haiiro, he could feel the pulsing life-force that was his son. His Son! He murmured in a soft whisper, "So small, and you have already saved your old man's ass. What a miracle you are." Moisture swelled in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Sakura's torso tightly, rubbing his face into the place his child rested. Sakura brought up her hands to run through his hair, holding him firm against her body.

"Kakashi, there are people approaching and one of them is that Danzo character," Haiiro warning was loud in his mind. Kakashi released Sakura and stood facing the door, pushing her to stand behind him. The sound of metal scraping the stone floor announced the arrival of Danzo and several ROOT shinobi. The guards entered the room, two of them grabbed up their unconscious compatriot out of the corner and hurried him out while four more masked shinobi flanked both sides of the doorway. Once they were in place, Danzo strolled in, swollen with his own sense of importance. He took in Kakashi's freed state and his face curled in a smirk.

"I see your need for medical attention was not near as dire as implied. Medic, you can leave now." Sakura couldn't help but stiffen behind Kakashi at Danzo's curt command, but she made no move to follow the man's instruction. At this refusal by the kunoichi, the villainous war-monger gave a quick nod at the ROOT ninja to his left. Immediately, the shinobi flashed behind Sakura, holding a sharp blade to her throat. Kakashi's eyes flared blue as the Sharingan activated. A deep growl escaped the Copy Nin's throat.

"Now, now, Hatake. You wouldn't want my man's hand to slip and something to happen to such a talented medic." Danzo walked to stand next to Sakura and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. His threat was crystal clear in his tight grip on Sakura and the glare he sent the enraged prisoner. "I suggest you be on your best behavior while my man replaces your restraints." Kakashi's gaze flick over to the ROOT agent approaching him with a new set of chakra bindings. His body tightened as the need to fight flowed through him, but the sudden hiss of Sakura's breathe and the trail of blood from where the blade dug into her neck forced his compliance. He stayed completely still while the man replaced his shackles, his threatening gaze never leaving Danzo's smug face. The blue glow of his eyes faded as the cuffs were fastened into place. "Your trial starts tomorrow, I suggest you get some rest." With those parting words, the older ninja moved to sweep out of the room without even a backwards glance. Suddenly, Danzo's feet got pulled out behind him, causing him to face plant right into the metal door. In an embarrassed huff, he regained his footing and whipped around to confront the Copy Nin, only to find the silver-haired shinobi standing still, face blank of emotion. A fine mist swirled along the floor of the cell. Not finding a cause for his mishap, Danzo straightened his robes and hurried out of the door, followed by his guards. The ROOT shinobi holding Sakura backed out of the room, holding her in front of him and between his person and Kakashi. Sakura never took her eyes off of her lover's face as she was dragged out. She mouthed, 'I love you' before the door slammed, hiding her from view. Finally alone, Kakashi sat down heavily on the cot and put his face in his hands with a shuddering breath. The weight of the world felt heavy on his shoulders.

.

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Sakura was being lead down the stone hallway, still held by the ROOT agent. Rage bubbled up inside her, "Danzo!" The older man stopped and turned towards the angered medic. Sakura grabbed her captor's wrist and twisted his arm behind his back in a quick motion, breaking the bone. She grabbed the guard's neck and slammed his face into the stone wall of the corridor, her glare never leaving Danzo's face. "If you ever threaten me again, I WILL kill you!" she growled out at him and to emphasize her point, she slammed the ROOT agent in her grasp into the wall twice more, smashing what was left of his face completely flat. With the now dead shinobi's blood splattered across her face, she released the body to fall limp onto the floor. Sakura stomped past the shocked Danzo, roughly bumping into his shoulder as she passed. Stunned, no one said anything or made a move towards the pink-haired kunochi as she disappeared out of their view.