Chapter 17: Where?

Finally, they were home. As soon as they were within the village's walls, Kakashi sent everyone to the Anbu facility, stating he would give a short verbal report to the Hokage, while they started working on the written one. It would give them the time to make one complete report instead of having the Hokage read all of them. He told them he would meet them in about half an hour to help write the report.

The moment he entered the tower, he knew something was wrong. The atmosphere was tense, way more tense than usual. He quickly made his way to the Hokage's office, to see if he could assist in any way. The door opened as he arrived, nodding at the Jonin Commander, Nara Shikaku before getting called in by his leader.

"Excellent timing, Hound, please close the door behind you."

"Yes sir."

He made his way towards the Hokage and knelt down on one knee, bowing his head.

"We'll get to your mission in a second. First, I have to ask. Did you go home before coming here?"

The question threw Kakashi off. Home? Of course he wouldn't go home, not while still wearing his Anbu attire, especially with Hermione there. Surely he knew that. He voiced this to the Hokage, confusion evident in his voice.

"I am aware. However, I'm afraid your house guest isn't there."

"Then where is she?"

Kakashi looked at the Hokage, more importantly at the look on his face. He wasn't used to seeing the Hokage with his expression so grim.

"Hokage-sama. Where is she?"

"All the evidence we have found shows she ran away. I've had a couple of men scout the village, to check if it's true, but she's nowhere to be found."

"Wh-"

A knock on the door interrupted Kakashi from asking any more. As the Hokage called them in, Kakashi stood up, standing at attention. He suppressed a flinch at the voice behind him. He never did like the man, especially not after the stunt he pulled when he tried to have the Hokage assassinated. He still felt guilty for switching sides after the Yondaime died. No matter what his current leader said, he still blamed himself for that moment of weakness and distrust in his leader. He should've known better.

"Ah, Danzo. What can I do for you?"

"Hiruzen," the man said in greeting. "I heard that there was a captive that had escaped? I'm here to offer my assistance, if needed."

As the leader of the Root organisation came closer, Kakashi froze. There's no way. He clenched his teeth, making sure the older men in the room didn't notice a thing as he carefully sniffed the room. There's no mistaking it, he knew this smell. Hell, his house smelled like it, ever since Hermione lived there.

He had watched her, as she used the small vile. He wasn't used to people using perfume, shinobi knew better than to use it unless undercover. And other than that, hers was a specific smell he hadn't smelled before meeting her. But why would he smell like her? Only a handful of people knew of her existence and he definitely wasn't one of them. This wasn't good. If Danzo was aware of her, she was in danger. Was that why she had run?

"Thank you, my friend, but I'm afraid you heard wrong. There's no captive that has escaped."

Kakashi watched as the Hokage kept his eyes on Danzo as if daring him to say anything different. While the Hokage pretended the assassination attempt hadn't happened, that didn't mean it was forgotten. Kakashi knew the Hokage was very cautious when it came to Danzo.

"My mistake, Hiruzen. In that case, I'll be on my way. Have a good day." He turned and looked at Kakashi, giving him a nod.

Kakashi remained still as he waited for Danzo to leave the room, not taking any chances. He was already on thin ice when it came to him, after he betrayed Danzo and left Root in favour of protecting the Sandaime Hokage. Not to mention the fact that he had tried to take Kakashi's Sharingan and that Kakashi had successfully removed Tenzou from his organisation as well. Yeah, he was definitely on Danzo's black list.

"Remove your mask, Kakashi." The Hokage ordered as Danzo left the room.

His hand automatically went to his mask at the order, not thinking about what he was doing. His mind was miles away, thinking of what all of this meant.

"What worries you, Kakashi?"

Oh, he had totally zoned out, hadn't he. His arm hung at his side, mask in his hand. It was a fair question. What worried him? Well, honestly, he supposed it would be Hermione's safety. If Danzo got his hands on her, it could pose a serious threat to the village. Her abilities were mostly unknown still, even to him, but knowing what he did he had no doubt Danzo would want her abilities.

"I need to go home. You say everything points to her running. But nothing pointed to that prior to me leaving."

"Yes, we haven't been able to check the house yet, for some reason the wards were acting up."

The wards? Why would they act up? While Hermione and the child had no issues staying in his house, he still keyed them into the wards for protection. If she had left on her own account, the wards wouldn't act up. If someone were to break in however, that's another story.

"I'll go check the house right away. I'll let you know what I find." He raised his hand, putting his mask back on. "Wait. Ah, Hokage-sama. The mission?"

"Your team is working on the report, yes?" Kakashi nodded in response. "Let them deal with that. Focus on this for now. And Kakashi? Find her."

"Yes sir." He gave his leader a bow and flickered away.

Hermione panted as she ran, completely out of breath. After appearing in a field, she saw trees in the distance and made a run for it. Right now, her number one priority was cover. Since she had no idea where she was or where she was going, she was om desperate need of a plan. There was no doubt in her mind that they would be coming for her, and she wanted to be ready when they did.

As soon as she found a good cover in a hollow tree, she lowered herself to her knees, setting Teddy down. She felt bad, but she didn't want to risk getting caught by stopping sooner to check on him. As always, he seemed fine physically but she was getting worried about him dealing with all this. He was still little, sure, but all of this had to have an impact on him.

She bit back a curse at not having anything with her, save for her wand, which wasn't even actually hers meaning she wouldn't be able to fight on full strength. It would mean she would have to improvise. She could do that, of course. Her time at Hogwarts prepared her enough for that.

Leaving Teddy in their small hideout, she stepped outside, wand at the ready. Looking around, she started casting defensive charms to hide them. Hermione cast everything she could think of, not taking any chances. She even contemplated casting a Patronus but didn't think she'd be able to. You needed a happy memory, one strong enough to be able to give her hope as well. After everything that has happened, however, she doubted she'd be able to.

After she cast every known protective spell, she walked back towards the tree, crawling inside. Settling herself with her back against the bark, she held Teddy close to her as she felt the tears gather in her eyes. It may be childish but right now she really didn't care. She just wanted to go home. Be with her friends. She wanted to be with her family as well. More than anything really, but she knew that wouldn't be possible either way. What she wouldn't give to see them again.

Hermione started sobbing, softly at first, but as the reality of everything set in, she couldn't keep them at bay anymore. Holding Teddy even closer she started shaking as the pain took over. She cried for herself, but also for Teddy. Just like Harry, he's so young, already having lost everything. Not to mention his special abilities.

"Mai," Teddy said softly. "Mai?"

She let out a soft strangled sob as she raised her head to look at the young boy. He raised his hand and touched her cheek, patting it softly.

"Mai," he said again. "Mai hurt?"

"No! No, sweet Teddy. I'm not hurt. It's alright."

She softly grabbed his hand, holding it to her cheek. Giving him a soft smile, she placed a small kiss on his palm. He looked at her in wonder, his hair turning bright blue. It reminded her of Tonks. She was always easily read when emotionally distressed.

"I really am okay, baby. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it. We'll be home soon enough." She just didn't know whether she meant England or her home shared with the silver-haired shinobi.

When Teddy's attention had shifted to the opening of their hideout, the small smile on Hermione's lips fell. The ache in her chest got almost unbearable. She didn't know what to think or do. She was incredibly out of her league. She may be the brightest witch of her time but that meant nothing if what she was dealing with didn't have anything to do with magic.

Hermione froze when she heard a voice, pulling Teddy back from the opening of the tree. They found her already? Shit. Gripping her wand, she placed Teddy as far back as she could and cast a quick " Silencio." She gave him an apologetic look and turned around with her wand ready, slowly moving towards the exit.

The barrier she had created wasn't that big, only ten feet wide with the tree at its centre. In this case, however, she was glad it wasn't that big. It wouldn't stand out and would be easily missed. That was the idea at least. Apparently it was noticed by the men chasing her, seeing as they had surrounded it.

Hermione carefully manoeuvred around the tree, counting the men that had surrounded her. She was certain she couldn't see all of them. If there's anything she had learned these past few weeks, it was that she could be watched without ever seeing anyone.

Seeing as they couldn't see her, however, they weren't fully hidden from her sight. She counted three in the trees above her. No doubt there were quite a few more. But, fuck, there's no way she was going down without a fight. And she wasn't planning on losing this fight either.

Hermione looked over her shoulder, towards the tree, one more time. "I'm sorry, Teddy," she whispered. Turning to look back at the men in the trees, she pointed her wand at the first one, "Incarcerous." Tying the man to the tree. The next one was in her line of sight, she used the same spell for him. The third one suddenly jumped away from the branch he was perched on.

She watched the man signal with his hand, which must've been some type of language they were taught because it didn't make sense to her at all. It didn't matter. She knew for a fact she was still hidden from their sights. A quick "Stupefy" took care of him.

A lump had formed in her throat. She knew what she had to do now. It was the only way. She would be able to keep her mouth shut, there was no way she'd tell them anything. But Teddy… No. She would not let them have him again. Not on her watch.

Looking to her right she pointed at a couple of trees a few yards away "Confringo!" An explosion was heard the next moment, prompting the shinobi to turn towards it which in turn gave her time to run the other way. Quickly casting "Muffliato" as she went to cover up the sounds she would make as she ran.

Hermione was surprised she made it as far as she did, dodging trees as she went. She didn't know how far she was from Teddy, but was certain she would be able find him. If she got the chance to do so. She prayed that she would. It felt irresponsible to do this. But she had to protect Teddy no matter what. She repeated that in her mind like a mantra.

"Ah!" Her thoughts were cut short as she was smacked against the forest floor, weighed down by one of the men that had been tracking her.

She watched as her wand slipped out of her hand. No! No, damn it. She elbowed behind her and was satisfied as she heard a grunt and felt the weight shift. It gave her the chance to reach out for her wand. She felt the tip of it with her fingers, clenching her teeth as she tried even harder to reach it.

Come on, come on. Almost got it. Damn it Granger, grab that bloody wand, she told herself. In the meantime she kept struggling as the man holding her down started pulling her away from the wand.

The grip on her left arm tightened but it didn't stop her. Trying once again to reach for it, she finally got it. Hermione immediately turned towards her attacker "Depulso!" sending the man flying back.

She scrambled to her feet, making a run for it once more, firing spells behind her. They were ready for it though, waiting for her to start running. She skidded to a stop, out of breath as she noticed the figures surrounding her.

One appeared behind her but before she could turn, a searing pain erupted in her leg as the side of her knee was kicked inwards. Hermione dropped down with a scream, her eyes squeezed shut in pain. The wand was ripped from her hands and another jammed his elbow against her cheekbone, causing her to be thrown down on the ground.

She groaned in pain, feeling disoriented. With a trembling hand she reached for her cheek, her fingers softly touching her skin. Even the soft touch caused her to flinch, her fingertips feeling moist with what without a doubt was her blood. Bloody hell, this hurt. She let out a humourless laugh at the horrible pun she made. Surprised she could even think clearly enough to realise she made one.

The man that had struck her down, hovered over her, seemingly assessing the damage he had done. He then grabbed her clothes and threw her over his shoulder like a rag-doll. Another tied her hands and legs together with a wire, making sure she wouldn't be able to do anything. Not that she would be able to, being as disoriented as she is, not to mention the pain in her leg and face were so bad, she wouldn't have been able to focus on anything other than that.

Someone was speaking but she couldn't understand what was being said. She figured they were talking amongst themselves, so she paid no attention to what they were saying. She turned out to be greatly mistaken as her chin was grabbed roughly and a mask was in her face.

"The child. Where is he?"

Did they really think she was going to tell them? She'd rather have another round with Bellatrix than to tell them his location.

"Screw you," might not have been the best answer to give him, if the sting followed by the slap she received was anything to go by. A sharp snap was heard, causing Hermione to look at what caused the sound, almost crying out as she watched Remus' wand get snapped in two. No. Not his wand!

Whatever was said to her after that fell on deaf ears, as she lost focus. She feared that she'd lose consciousness once again with the way they handled her. A small part of her worried if this would cause permanent damage to her. Her focus was brought back to the man that had slapped her as he grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. Her mind was too far gone though. She couldn't hear anything anymore as she finally did lose consciousness.

Kakashi rushed home after the meeting. The wards around his house felt distraught. He couldn't remember the last time they felt this way, but it was a clear sign something was wrong. The moment he appeared in the house, he knew she hadn't left voluntarily. The kitchen table was set for a meal. Pots and pans were on the stove, ready to be used. Hermione was quite tidy, he had found, so this was not like her.

As he made his way through his house, everything he saw pointed at his initial thought. She didn't run. She had no reason to. He moved past their bedroom and paused. Kakashi frowned to himself, he stepped back and walked into the room. He took off both of his masks and took a sniff, stiffening as the scent in the room was familiar to him.

Root. This scent was of someone in Root. Shit. Fuck. He knew it. He knew Danzo was involved in this. He was too late. If he had her, there was no way she'd get out of there alive.

"Damn it!" he said, hitting the wall in frustration.

He turned around to follow the scent, leading him to the back room, where the light was still on. What were they doing here? Were they actually looking for him, finding her and the boy instead? Kakashi glanced around and answered his own question. No. If they had, they wouldn't have left any traces in his home. She was the one to come into this room first, no doubt looking for him.

He bit back a curse and put his facial mask back on, taking his Anbu mask off. He knew he wouldn't be able to go as Anbu. This was personal, breaking into his home. So he might as well go in his normal Jonin gear. Not that it'd matter to him. He would take them down no matter what.

Changing into his Jonin uniform he then wrote a note to the Hokage and summoned his pack.

"Yo," the pug started, his attention turned to the house they were standing in, sniffing the air. "No one I know, hm? You know you can't fool my nose, Kakashi."

"Not now, Pakkun," Kakashi bit out. "Memorise the scent." He told the pack. "I want them found."

The dogs set to the task, walking around the house, making sure they got the scent memorised.

"Pakkun, I need you to bring this to the Hokage. I then need you to go to the Anbu facility and gather the team for me. No Anbu uniforms. This isn't an official mission."

Pakkun looked at Kakashi for a moment, taking in what he saw, before nodding and accepting the note.

"You got it. I'll be quick."

With a nod Pakkun went off, leaving Kakashi to address the rest of his pack.

"Let's go. Time is of the essence."

Kakashi sprinted out the door, making his way to the outskirts of the village. The pack had dispersed, finding out where the attackers had gone. A short howl was heard in the distance and Kakashi slightly changed his direction to follow the sound.

They flew through the landscape, moving at top speed. He wasn't fully rested, so he knew he should probably slow down a little, he wouldn't be able to go this fast for very long. But this distressed feeling kept him going. He had to find her and the boy. He was done losing anyone else.

Within half an hour of running at top speed, he reached a small forest several miles from Konoha. As his pack slowed down, so did he. He took the chance to sniff around, his head whipping around as the familiar smell of Hermione's perfume filled his nostrils. He followed the scent through the trees, before suddenly stopping.

Kakashi wasn't sure what made him stop, but the pack was surrounding one tree, whining as they scratched the ground. He moved closer, fighting against the feeling of wanting to turn around and ignore this area. It was a weird feeling, one he had felt once before. When Hermione had hidden the boy from view as she fought one of her attackers that had brought her here.

That's it! She must've hidden herself and the boy, and it wouldn't surprise him it if she put the same kind of barrier around herself. Signalling the pack to stay put, he kept walking towards the tree, that looked completely normal. But as he inched closer, he felt an almost physical barrier trying to hold him back. He pushed forward and almost fell over as the barrier fully disappeared.

Where there was a perfectly normal tree, now was a hollow-looking tree. Lowering himself to his knees, he crawled into the small hole, fully alert for any attack that may occur. Instead he found a small boy, looking like the one that had lived in his house for the past several weeks… But not quite.

His hair was blue. Bright blue. What in the world? He was seriously doubting his senses as he looked at the boy, who had his eyes closed. He shifted his leg, causing the boy to wake up, with bright blue eyes staring at him. Kakashi wasn't looking at his eyes though. The kid's hair went from blue to red to… Silver?

"Shi!"

Kakashi blinked at that. What the fuck was happening here? While his eyes told him one thing, his nose confirmed this was the same boy that had been living with him.

"Shi! Mai!"

Mai? Wait, he had heard this before. The boy had called Hermione 'Mai' hadn't he? But how in the world was he supposed to ask a boy this young about details?

" Mai hurt !"

That brought him out of his musings. 'Mai hurt?' Damn it. Where was she?!

"Come on, Teddy." He said, reaching for the boy. "Let's get you out of here, hm? We'll go find her, okay?"

He successfully coaxed the boy towards him, holding onto him as he crawled back outside. Holding the boy with one hand, his other grabbed a kunai, marking the tree.

His ninken gathered around him, Bull spoke up this time, "Her scent goes that way, followed by several others. There's also blood. But her trail ends there. It seems they used Body Flicker to leave."

"Fuck. Her blood?"

"It would seem so, yes."

"Spread out in the area. Track the other scents. They must've come from somewhere. I want to know where. Go!"

He watched as his ninken disappeared, each in another direction, tracking the scents of the men that hunted Hermione down. The scent in the tree was fresh, fresh enough for him to track. The one leading to the forest was quite old. The only reason they had been able to track it was because the smell of her perfume was quite strong.

Kakashi knew for a fact that there was no way she would've been able to survive on her own in the forest. Not without food or water. So what the hell had happened? If she hadn't been in this forest the entire time, where had she been? He hated not knowing.

"Shi," a soft pat on his cheek made him look down at the boy. The boy was now donning silver hair and dark eyes, just like him. He almost dropped the boy in shock. What the hell was he, to be able to do this without him noticing? He hadn't felt a thing! It was eerie as fuck. Once he found Hermione, she had some serious explaining to do. It was time she spilled the beans.

He walked towards where Bull had said they had found blood. It turned out she made it quite far before being captured again, if the trail of destruction was anything to go by. He froze as the smell of her blood hit him, easily spotting the spot where she'd been thrown down.

There wasn't a lot of blood, which made him feel quite relieved. Just a small injury then. He had to give it to her. She may not be a shinobi like him, but she was a fighter, no doubt. And with that wand of hers, she'd be able to defend herself quite well.

"Shi!" He turned to look at the boy, who pointed at the blood trail on the floor. Small fingers kept pointing at the spot, his small head turning to meet his gaze insistently.

He looked at the boy and back to the ground, now spotting something else besides the blood. Shit. This just got a whole lot worse. Kakashi walked towards the spot on the floor, carefully bending down and picked up two small branches. Not just any kind of branches, though. No. This was the only thing helping Hermione defend herself. The wand she'd been using. And if she didn't have this anymore he feared that if they didn't hurry, she wouldn't survive what was coming next.