Here is an extra long chapter just for YOU, my favorite reader :)

Enjoy!


The sun came up as the ragged party rose from below the ryokan. None of them felt like being alone and as it was already morning they made their way to the kitchen to make hot tea and something to eat for breakfast. The newcomer introduced himself as Wasabi, father to the cook Mochi, or Sabaku how he introduced himself before. He was the brother of Ayako's father so that made him her uncle and the son of Kashikoi Ryoori.

Kakashi asked Ino to stay behind for a minute to help him with the interrogation of the captured criminal and to make sure there were no lasting damage to the puppets he controlled.

Ino refused to enter the puppeteer's body again but told Kakashi all she found out while she was in the body. She left Kakashi and went to save the gardener Shokubutsu that was still captured in the genjutsu that Kakashi cast on him. Sakura on the other hand was helping injured Kaori up the steps and to the nearest room to take care of her injuries. Kaori had a few broken ribs a nasty swelling on the left side of her face and few bruises here and there. It seems she didn't give up without a fight.

She was quietly lying on the stretched out futon and only gave a small hiss and cringed her face when Sakura pressed her hands to a sensitive spot on her body. Sakura was in her medic mode. Quietly checking all her injuries and assessing their severity, concentrating and making sure she didn't miss anything.

The quiet was broken when Kaori spoke up. "I'm not like that, you know."

Sakura looked at her in surprise, not sure if she understood what she was saying. "Pardon?"

"I'm not that type of woman who would steal someone else's man. Although with Kakashi-san I would have to remind myself that he is not free to take." Kaori smiled an almost shy smile, so unlike the ones she saw on her face before.

"How long…" Sakura wasn't able to finish the question not sure she even wanted to ask.

"Almost five months. But it wasn't so bad, once I stopped fighting it."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I should be the one apologizing actually." Kaori sat up as Sakura finished healing her and removed her hands putting them in her lap and looking at Kaori quizzically.

"Let's just say I went up and beyond of what I was ordered to do." A small blush appeared on Kaori's beautiful face as she looked into the distance and seemed to be remembering something, or someone. Sakura wondered how is it even possible for her to look so good after being kept bound on the floor in a hidden cave for several days and still look like she just freshly put her make-up on. The thing that bugged Sakura the most is that upon closer inspection Kaori wasn't wearing any make-up. Her white skin, red lips and beautifully full eyelashes were all...her.

Sakura knew there was something between this woman and Kakashi in the past, but it made her feel somehow incompetent in his eyes. This woman was beautiful, everything a man could want. She felt a little mousy and insignificant in comparison. I can't imagine a man that would pick me instead of this porcelain doll.

She knew Kakashi didn't like the way she was clinging to him before, but the real Kaori seemed different now, more calm and collected and attractive. Sakura had to mentally slap herself. What do I care who he sleeps with? He is a grown man and we never said we are exclusive. He can sleep with whomever he wants to for all I care. Even as she said it a small pinch of jealousy surfaced.

"Should we join the others?" Kaori asked and without waiting for an answer stood up and opened the door waiting for Sakura to follow her.

They found everyone already seated next to the kitchen, amazing smells already coming from the pots and some already finished dishes were seated on the table. For an outsider it must have looked like one big family reunion from the way everyone interacted with each other. Everyone was smiling and hugging and touching, a hand here a shoulder there, as if they haven't seen each other for some time.

When she looked at it from their perspective it was probably true. They were not really free to interact with each other under his rule. Sakura sat down next to Ino who had a frown on her face.

The middle aged man, Wasabi, walked into the room with a plate full of more breakfast dishes and an apron on top of his traveling clothes.

"Uncle, please sit down. This is enough food for everyone." Ayako spoke motioning for her uncle to sit down next to her.

He looked critically at the, with food overflowing, table and reluctantly sat down.

"Now, would you care to explain what is that vault below the ryokan about?"

He looked at her and answered reluctantly."You know, your father was against telling you anything after your mother died. He wanted you to live a normal life without all the stress and competitiveness of our profession. The location of the vault and how to open it was knowledge of the leaders of our clan. Your grandmother and I after your mother died."

"I'm not sure I understand. What profession?" Ayako seemed genuinely surprised at the explanation her uncle was giving her.

"We are a clan of sorts, a ninja clan if that can be said. One that has no use in fighting but in gastronomy, agriculture and other, more civilian professions. We are peaceful people that give refuge and protection to those with gifts and no intention of using them for fighting. You have a gift yourself Ayako dear. The way you are drawn to fabrics and kimonos and how when you look at a person, the first thing that comes to your mind is what color and what fabric would suit him most."

"But.. but that's just a hobby." Protested weakly Ayako, not sure if to believe what she was hearing.

"All of us have hobbies but there are much more. It's in our blood to be drawn to them and to use them to help others."

"But isn't that what other people do? I mean sell service?" Ino asked also a bit confused by the man's explanations.

Shokubutsu, the gardener spoke up. "We are a little bit different. Some of us can manipulate certain things around us." He left the room for a second and came back with a small potted bonsai plant and set it on the table. With just his fingertips he touched the base of the little tree and in few seconds it started to actually move and grow. Within few seconds the green plant sprouted several flowers in full bloom. Without any hand signs or jutsu he made the plant grow.

"We keep our clan secret as in the past and even now, we were hunted down by shinobi who had their sights on perfecting one or the other trait some of us possessed and to include it in their family blood line." Continued Ayako's uncle. "The Konoha Senju family line for example and Shokubutsu's family line are distant relatives."

"Your gift was subtle enough to be safe and your father didn't want you to be part of this world. He was angry at the clan and your grandmother when your mother died because we were not able to protect her." Wasabi said with sadness in his voice. "She had a very special gift. Gift of healing. When you were little she was kidnapped by a daimyo from a neighboring country. After she healed him he didn't want to let her go, but she somehow managed to escape. When she came back she was so weak… she never recovered and died within few days. It was terrible what happened and I want to agree with my brother on this, but I think you deserve a choice. If you want to take care of the ryokan as your father wanted you to or take your rightful place as the head of the clan as is your birth right."

Ayako was overwhelmed by all of this; it was clearly visible on her face that she didn't know what to do.

"You don't have to decide now. I know it's a lot to take in so don't rush into this. I'm sure Oba-chan will support either decision."

"Ehm.." interrupted Ino. "I don't think she will be doing anything. Her body is here but she is gone. It was only the puppeteer's mind inside that body." She snuffed the last spark of hope all of them harbored that she might be alive somewhere in there.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Ino spoke quietly, looking rather at the table then at anyone in particular.

"Thank you. But deep down I knew she wasn't with us anymore." Spoke up Ayako's uncle about his mother's death. " Let's not waste this food. She perfected most of the recipes for the food you see on the table. There is no better way to say goodbye to her then with the one thing she loved the most. Itadakimasu."

He was the first one to dig into the food and as soon as he took a bite a single tear made its way down his face, so in contrast with the smile he had on his face when all the memories of his childhood and of his mother came to life with the taste on his tongue. He remembered the time when he was about five years old when they were eating breakfast not so different from this one where he stood up and solemnly swore that he will either marry his mother or someone just like her. He had to laugh out loud as those words actually came true when he married his wife. They were so similar with his mother that it made him doubt sometimes if they really weren't related.

They spent the next few hours eating and sharing memories of their friend and family member. The table never seemed to get empty as Mochi, or Sabaku as he wants' to be called, and his father Wasabi kept constantly cooking more and more food and bringing it as soon as there was place for it on the table without consideration if there was room left in the occupants of said table.

When Kakashi joined them around noon, he confirmed what Ino already told them and filled in few more details. During his time in ANBU he was thanks to his Sharingan in charge of extracting information from the more 'silent' enemies. He usually didn't enjoy torturing people but there was always an exception, especially if said person hurt someone close to him.

It was strange to torture an old woman but Kakashi had no illusions as to what hid behind the skin. Kugutsu Henshin was a ruthless criminal that rarely left someone alive after he was done with them, thus the reason so little was known about him. It was hard to break him as his strong will was the only thing that remained and made him who he is but Tsukuyomi broke even the strongest. Kakashi despised using it for plain torture but he had to make sure everyone will be alright and to find out he had to make sure that this creature was saying the truth.

They were both breathing hard, one from chakra exhaustion and the second from pain he endured, not physical but psychological.

"I'll tell you, just don't… don't.." Kugutsu whispered hoarsely looking at the ground unable and unwilling to meet Kakashi's gaze.

"Are there any lasting effects?" Asked Kakashi, waiting for a hint of falsehood in his answer to serve him another dose of the Tsukuyomi hell he created for this man.

"Once the chakra insects are removed I lose all the control over them." whispered Kugutsu after hesitating a little. He wasn't used to speaking the truth but just the memory of that place scared him too much to dare to speak a lie.

"Did you kill the real Kashikoi Ryoori?"

"Yes, and no. She died, her mind, soul… whatever you want to call it, left the body just minutes after I took her over. She was propably senile, her mind was one big jumble and the shock of me entering her made her lose her connection to her own body." He shrugged his shoulders, "happens sometimes when they are older or weak of mind."

"Stupid old senile bat!" Whispered angrily Kugutsu. "She kept mumbling about this treasure and secret vault in this ryokan. If she just kept her mouth shut…" whimpered Kugutsu. "Stupid, stupid recipe!" he kept banging his head on a nearby rock.

Kakashi had to stop him as he wanted him conscious for a little longer.

"Do you have any associates?" Asked Kakashi but didn't get any answer. He took the man's chin in his hand and made him look up at him letting him see his swirling Sharingan.

The man visibly paled and he could almost see the dryness of his mouth as he tried to gather enough saliva to answer Kakashi's question.

"Never. I could never trust them. I have my obedient puppets. They are all I need. They do what they are told. They would never betray me or abandon me". A sick smile spread on his face. Kakashi let the man's chin go in disgust.

"How do the chakra insects work?" Kakashi inquired further wanting to make sure he was really telling the truth and there was no chance he could control the others without them.

"Oh, they are special. Very special indeed. Before, I was alone. I could only take one body, but with those bugs I could have more. That Aburame person was really something. It was all possible thank's to him. The technique was so unique and so elaborate and yet so easy. Easy enough that anybody could produce some number of them. It was just this shitty old body that could make only nine. The tenth was too weak; it got destroyed before he could get to you. But I punished the clumsy gardener; he should have taken care of it better." He was starting to ramble.

"How do they work?" Kakashi asked again with an emphasis on work.

"Fuck you." Answered Kugutsu tiredly. There was still some fighting spirit in him left.

"Wrong answer." Kakashi made him look at him but didn't use the tsukuyomi as he didn't have enough chakra left, but used a less chakra intensive genjutsu.

All the fighting spirit he had left in him flew away after that. He sobbed for a few minutes before Kakshi slapped his cheeks to get him to focus.

"How do the chakra insects work?" he asked once again.

"They stream my chakra into the puppets, making them do what I want."

That would explain why Sakura had such a reaction. The body must have been fighting it like and infection or virus. Thought Kakashi.

"Were you constantly controlling their minds?"

"No one could do that permanently. I just imprinted on them most of the time, a rule for example they had to follow, or a story they had to say, or a personality trait they didn't have before. The chakra insects made the order stay in place until it was replaced by a different one or piled another one on top."

Kakashi had few follow up questions to find a deception in the previous statements but found just truth When he was done he sealed him in a special scroll he carried with him since his time in ANBU. Once again it proved to be useful and once in Konoha he will submit the scroll with the puppeteer to the Interrogation Squad. He certainly had a lot of secrets to tell about before he would be executed. Or maybe a more suited punishment would be to let him live out his days in the slowly rotting corps of the old woman he killed for bunch of recipes. Either way the copy ninja would be happy with the punishment for this twisted creature of a man.

He was thinking about the past the whole time he was interrogating Kugutsu. It fueled some of his anger towards the puppeteer and one of the reasons he didn't feel too much disgust with torturing him.

The images of past were persistent as he kept remembering the cold steel pressed to Sakura's white neck. The feeling of dread was so similar as that time.

The mission itself was easy enough but none of them expected the trouble they encountered on their way back. It just started raining and his squad leader ordered them to stop. Their white ANBU masks seemed to shine in the darkened forest. The sound of rain falling on the leaves was drowning all other sounds but Kakashi and the remaining three people waiting next to him knew better. They felt a group of five ninja approaching their position. Their squad leader signaled them to take out the assailants as the killing intent of the approaching party was almost palpable.

Kakashi jumped to the left to intercept the assigned attacker. The lightning that split the sky dulled the light coming from his chidori that brought down his opponent instantly. He saw that each of his team mates had brought down their opponents, leaving just one to deal with. As he looked around he wasn't able to locate him. The time went by but no movement could be heard or sensed in their vicinity. They were all standing ready to fight the attacker. The sound of cracking porcelain made him look back at his team mate.

When he turned he saw as the whiskered porcelain mask shattering to many pieces, revealing Rin's surprised face. Kakashi hurried to where she was standing, seeing the blood coming from her forehead. His two other teammates were already fighting with the opponent and before he reached her the attacker was dead.

She fell to her knees and before she could fully hit the ground Kakashi caught her.

"Rin!" Kakashi called to her as he laid her on her back in his arms not comprehending why she wasn't moving.

"Rin!" He kept calling her name and trying to see the life in her opened eyes that wasn't there. The enemy ninja had shot some projectile straight into her head.

"Rin!"His vision blurred as the water kept persistently falling down on them. He hazily realized that it wasn't rain but tears that were falling down his face. He angrily pulled his ANBU mask off and looked around at his teammates as if asking them to tell him it wasn't true. That Rin wasn't lying dead in his arms. That he broke his promise to protect her. His young kohai stepped closer putting an arm on his shoulder and shaking his head.

He looked back at Rin's face and could not believe this has happened. It was her eighteenth birthday today. He was planning on taking her out when they got back to Konoha. They would eat and laugh and remember the better times when Obito and Minato were with them and then they would as for the past few months end up naked in the bed and maybe this time he would be able to tell her how he really felt. He would have told her how much she meant to him. That he loved her.

It was when the rain stopped that he realized he has been holding her and sobbing into her dead ear over and over those words she should have heard when she was alive. When he looked up he saw his kohai and squad leader squatted nearby with their heads lowered also in mourning of their friend and teammate.

Kakashi managed to compose himself enough to stand up with Rin's body in his arms and started walking back home, back to Konoha that would be that much emptier without another friend. That day he left ANBU and swore to himself that if he is lucky enough to find someone that makes him feel like Rin did, so alive and happy, that he will not hesitate to tell them how he felt, he wouldn't lose another precious person without them knowing how he felt.

Sometime after lunch, even though it was hard to tell when one meal stopped and the other started, alcohol started to be served. The wormed sake bottles were now in front of everyone and Kotone started playing another beautiful song and Kaori sang the words with her voice, sweet as honey.

Kakashi was mostly quiet but kept drinking and eating as everyone else. Ino was moping about Mochi's name and Sakura was just happy that all worked out and with each gulp of warm sake kept celebrating her freedom. The experience of being so helpless was something she didn't want to remember. Something she though she left behind with that twelve year old her. She could protect herself now, she wasn't a burden to anyone, or so she has thought before that creep got that ugly red insect on her using poor little Midori-chan. Sakura excused herself to use the restroom and freshen up as she felt the alcohol going to her head a bit and unknown to her was promptly followed by Kakashi.

Sakura washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror checking the small pink line on her neck. She changed her bloodied clothes earlier in the day and made herself more presentable. The events of the early morning seemed so far away now that the only reminder was the little pink line on her neck. She gave a last look into the mirror when she was leaving the bathroom, as many girls did, and was startled to find herself pressed to the manly chest of the one and only copy ninja who was looking at her with a hungry eye. She could see the mischievous glint in his eye as he brought his lips to her ear. She could smell the sake on his breath but she didn't mind at all as he whispered. "Mind if we go somewhere more private for a while?"

Those simple words made Sakura shiver all around her body. That low husky voice of his and the promise of the upcoming pleasure was a bit too much for her and she found that her knees started to turn into jelly. She was very glad at that moment that he was keeping her in place with his hands on her waist. She gave a little yelp when she felt his hand wander more south and quickly squeeze her butt, moving her body even more into him, if that was even possible. As her knees turned to jelly, so has her mind that was already supplying her with a lot of Kakashi-and-sex-related images. She merely tugged his mask down and hungrily kissed his welcoming lips.

The trip to their room took much longer than one would think as they paused at every turn to exchange kisses and caresses, hungry for each other's bodies.

When they finally made it to their room they barely stopped to close the doors behind them and fell on the bed. Kakashi pressed Sakura into the bed and almost growled as she arched her back into him. Her body fitting so nicely into his and her skin hot and soft under his fingers. His mind was clouded with lust and also happiness that she was alright that he had hard time forming any coherent thoughts. He knew he was mumbling some reassuring words that did not really register with him until Sakura pushed him off her and asked him to repeat what he said.

"What?" asked slightly confused Kakashi at her actions and her frown. There shouldn't be a frown on her face at this time.

"You said you are falling for me." said Sakura with shock in her voice.

Did I really say that? I thought I only thought that. Crap. It's probably too soon to say something like this to her. I wanted to take her out on a proper date once we come back to Konoha and wait a few weeks to make sure that what I started to feel for her was really true or just an old man's wish. Even as he thought it he remembered his own promise and this plan to take her out on date had a bittersweet taste as he almost lost her tonight. In that moment he knew that the clenching of his heart was more than just a fear for a friend. It was the small regret creeping in the back of his head that he might not be able to tell her how much these past few days meant to him, how much she meant to him. The situation brought up so much of the past that it scared him. The thought of losing someone important to him again without telling what he felt. He started to feel insecure the more time passed and as Sakura's frown deepened waiting for him to say something. Even the great copy ninja in the face of possible rejection was insecure as most human beings.

"Is that bad?" Kakashi asked with uncertainty in his voice as Sakura moved from under him and sat on the bed.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore." Replied Sakura with a voice void of any emotion and unreadable expression on her face.


I know! Another cliffhanger! Please bear with me as the next chapter will have more answers.

I can't believe we are nearing the end, there are just about 4 chapters left! So enjoy this story until the end and hope you will also like and enjoy the new one I have already planned in my head. This time though it will be Neji and Tenten as the main protagonists.