Disclaimer: Hatake Kakashi and Kabuto are created by Masashi Kishimoto. The character, "Hanako," is someone from my imagination and does not exist in the manga or anime to the extent of my knowledge. (I'm sorry to the Kabuto fans out there, I don't have anything against him, but I needed a bad-ish person for this story. Sorry!)

"Kakashi! Kakashi!" called a voice from within the crush of the crowded marketplace.

Kakashi paused and turned toward the sound of the voice. His eyes widened as he saw who had called his name. She was dressed in a light red dress that flowed in the wind as she ran toward him.

"Hanako..." he breathed and held his arms out to her. "HANAKO!"

"Kakashi!" she cried again, and leapt into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her to him. Her hair still smelled the same, and it was still that reddish-brown color that he loved. When she held her head up to look at him, he saw that her eyes were still a lovely hazel.

"Kakashi," she said and smiled brightly. "We'll always be together, won't we?"

"Yes, always..." Kakashi tightened his grip on her and closed his eyes. His hand began stroking the small of her back. "Oh Hanako..."

He paused when he felt something sticky and wet. Opening his eyes, he glanced at his fingers. They were covered in blood.

Kakashi's eyes widened and he looked around. No longer was he in the marketplace, but deep within the Konoha woods. Hanako was still in his arms, this time dressed for a mission, and bleeding profusely from a wound that sliced across her back.

He pulled her away from him and her head swayed back drunkenly, her hazel eyes rolled back into her head.

"No..." Kakashi shook her slightly. "Hanako, stay with me. Stay with me!"

Desperately, he looked around for something to stop the bleeding. He could hear the sounds of a battle raging just a few feet away. Screams of agony could be heard.

"Kakashi..." whispered Hanako. She tried to speak and raise a hand to his face, but winced in a sudden flash of pain.

"No, don't try to speak! Stay still! You need to save your energy," Kakashi brushed her hair back.

"I can't see them... What's happening, Kakashi? Where's the team?" As she tried to turn her head, Hanako shuddered as pain sliced through her again.

"It's alright, Hanako. Don't worry," Spotting a pack of bandages nearby, he gingerly laid her against a slightly mossy tree. "Stay here, don't move."

"Kakashi?" came the tentative voice.

"I'm just going to get some bandages," Kakashi assured her and reached out for the pack.

As he did so, a foot stomped down on the pack. Kakashi's eyes trailed upward, and looked into a face shrouded in shadow. He could feel it grin evilly as it raised a meaty fist.

"KAKASHI!" screamed Hanako, and in a split-second, Kakashi lay several feet away from where he once was. As he stood up, he saw Hanako standing before the unknown beast, kunai in hand, with a steady flow of blood dripping from her back. Her breathing was labored and her hands shook from the pain she felt. But even with her back to him, Kakashi knew she had that determined look on her face. Suddenly, he realized what she intended to do.

"Hanako! No!" cried Kakashi. "You barely have any chakra left!"

"Kakashi," she began. "I love you, but you don't control me." She raised her kunai as the beast growled and raised its fist once again.

"I will do anything to protect you!" she cried, and brought the kunai down.

Kakashi stood and charged toward her.

"STOP! HANAKO!"

Her kunai plunged into the beast's chest and it howled in pain as it swatted her away. Hanako's broken body soared through the air and into Kakashi's arms. He cradled her to him and dropped to his knees. He knew she had died the instant her kunai had plunged into the beast. Meanwhile, the beast howled louder, then stopped as its organs burst one by one.

Kakashi placed a hand on Hanako's still warm cheek and kissed her forehead. As he leaned back, he gently closed her eyes.

"Rest now," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly and tears blurring his vision. "You don't have to protect anyone anymore."

Kakashi bolted upright in bed. His body was drenched with sweat, each droplet shimmered in the moonlight.

He swung his legs over the side of his bed and picked up a seldom-used alarm clock. It told him that it was 2:30 in the morning. Doubting he'd be able to get back to sleep, he made his way towards the kitchen.

After retrieving a carton of milk from the refrigerator, he shut the door with a bit more force than required. A photograph slipped out from under its magnet, and floated to the floor. Kakashi stooped to pick it up, and in the moonlit kitchen gazed at the woman he once loved...and still did.

"Hanako," he said once, testing the way it sounded. It had been years since he had said that name out loud. It still rolled smoothly off his tongue. Slowly, he made his way back to bed, milk and photograph in hand, to wait for morning.

A few weeks later, Kakashi found himself in deep trouble. His team had spotted the traitorous Kabuto, and against Kakashi's better judgement, had attempted to capture him. Now, Kakashi was all that was left. All around him, the bodies of his fallen teammates littered the ground.

Kakashi himself was in no better shape. Bleeding heavily from several near-fatal wounds and, feeling the effects of some potent drug of Kabuto's, stumbled around. His muscles seemed to refuse to cooperate.

"Ha...is this all you can do, Kakashi? I was expecting more of a challenge," Kabuto sneered and pushed his glasses back into place. "Right about now, you're starting to feel a little sleepy, aren't you?"

Kakashi's vision blurred slightly, then came back into focus as he braced himself against a tree. Kabuto laughed at him, fading in and out of focus.

Kabuto raised his hand, and charged it with chakra.

"I used this on the Fifth Hokage once. She survived, of course, but then, she was in better shape than you are right now."

Kakashi squinted, as he could barely see now. Things were fading in and out of focus much faster than before.

"DIE!" cried Kabuto as he charged towards Kakashi.

Kakashi, drugged as he was, prepared himself for the attack.

But it never came. Kakashi tried desperately to see. He thought he saw Kabuto frozen in place and trembling. As he forced himself to focus, Kakashi saw that Kabuto was indeed frozen in place, his expression twisted into one of pain and suffering.

"Wh-what ju-jutsu is this?!?!" managed Kabuto.

"It's no jutsu of mine..." spoke Kakashi. Straining to use his sharingan, he could detect nothing. Kabuto's hands reached up and clawed at his throat in an attempt to free it from the tightly clenched fingers he felt. Finally, Kabuto's limbs went limp and his head drooped to one side.

Kakashi stood there, astounded as Kabuto's limp body fell to the ground. Cautiously, he approached and found that Kabuto was only unconscious, not dead. He wondered who had done this.

"Kakashi," came a soft voice from behind. A chill ran through Kakashi's veins. He stood up, and slowly turned around.

There, in the sunlight that drifted through the trees, stood Hanako. She was transparent, still dressed in the Hidden Leaf Shinobi uniform, but no longer broken or bleeding. Her hair even floated softly in a breeze that wafted through the woods. She was the most beautiful ghost he had ever seen.

"You..." began Kakashi. "You did this?"

Hanako smiled sweetly and nodded, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Why?" he asked.

"Hatake Kakashi," said the ethereal girl as she placed both of her hands on Kakashi's cheeks. To his surprise, they were warm and seemed full of life.

"I love you," continued the apparition. "But you don't control me. I will do anything to protect you."

With that, the spirit of his former lover pulled his mask down and kissed his lips one last time. For a moment, Kakashi felt the familiar warmth and sweet taste of her lips. He closed his eyes, and fought to hold back the tears. He wasn't sure if what he was experiencing was real, but he hoped desperately that it would never end. He felt the warmth and taste slip away, and was left with only a cool breeze to touch his lips.

He kept his eyes shut as he wrapped his arms around himself, and tried to keep the tears in.

"Hanako," he whispered. "You defied death for me."

He raised his face to the sky, and felt the warm rays of the sun hit his face.

"We'll always be together forever, right?"

"Yes, always..."