"Rosetta Stone"

By Nes Mikel

Acknowledgment;

I herby acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. Most of the story, characters, place names and other etc stuff in this fiction are copyright Naruto, Kishimoto Masashi, Weekly Shounen Jump, and any others I might have forgot.

"Rosetta Stone"

My story is like a fairytale.

Born as a tool, bound to die as a tool.

I was doomed to a life of darkness.

But from out of that pit of insanity, I found you.

And you saved me from the pit of sanity.

Your chest, like the warm earth.

Your eyes, like the night forest.

Your voice, like a winter storm.

Your hands, like a black bed.

Your heart, like a silver lion.

Please listen.

To my story.

My dear.

Dear.

Prince.

- Part Two -

'Sakura'

He had felt his presence almost instantly. The black-haired youth stopped walking and slowly turned around. He sent a wave of killer intent at a stone pillar that otherwise looked totally in the ordinary. But he knew better.

Indeed, the man who hid himself behind the pillar slowly emerged from behind and gave him the best of smiles.

"Just coming back from work?" The man with silver hair happily asked.

"Don't try playing innocent with me."

Just for good measure, the black-haired youth, Iruka, sent another wave of killer intent at Kakashi that would've sent an ordinary man cowering away in fear. Too bad the man in front of him was no ordinary man; Kakashi instead brushed aside the malice and joyfully approached him instead. Iruka's brows furrowed in annoyance, but he did not bother trying anything else. He thought it was probably useless anyway.

"You're no fun, as usual."

"Do you think I find it fun when I'm attempted to be sexually assaulted by another man?"

"Well, I found it quite entertaining…"

"Oh, is that so? Then perhaps I could recommend a few people who might be keen in returning your feelings? Do not bother me with your attempts when you know I don't like it."

"So cold. I'm told you that I wouldn't be with anyone else but you, no?"

Iruka ignored him. He simply turned away and attempted to walk away from this stupid excuse of a human being.

However, Kakashi wasn't about to let go so easily. He called after him.

"You know, I was assigned an interesting mission today."

It worked. It froze Iruka in his tracks and made him turn back around.

"What did you say?"

Kakashi smiled. "Never thought you would take interest. Perhaps you are involved in this mission somehow?"

"Not really… I only know of the mission. It's just I have doubts in why you had even accepted this mission in the first place."

Iruka's glare had intensified, and for a moment it had actually paralyzed Kakashi on the spot. Nevertheless, he was an experienced ANBU member himself, he eventually shook it off and his bright smile returned.

"Well, I thought it might be something appropriate to do to kill my time."

"Just so you can alleviate your boredom, you kill children?"

"Kill children? That's harsh."

"I know you would."

Kakashi laughed uneasily. He knew all this might eventually get him killed, but he couldn't stop his teasing. Iruka was the only one who could ruffle his heart like so.

"Who are they?"

The question caught Kakashi slightly off guard. "Pardon?"

"The children you were assigned to."

This brought another smile to Kakashi's face. "You're curious?"

"Somewhat. To be assigned to you, they must be quite talented. The upper brass knows of your personality well enough."

Kakashi shrugged off the subtle insult and instead intensified his bright smile. "Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura."

"…………"

It was only for an instant, but Kakashi could've sworn that a hint of worry crossed over Iruka's face.

"What's the matter?"

"No, it's nothing." Iruka answered as if truly nothing had happened.

Kakashi knew better. He decided to probe in a bit further.

"I never thought I would be the one to teach the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi."

"Oh really?"

No change.

"And I thought it was so ironic I would be the one who be instructing the last of the Uchihas"

"If you let him die, it would be messy later."

Thanks for the warning.

"But then again, what surprised me the most was that some girl who doesn't hail from any noble family was included in this project."

"Probably…"

It did not escape from Kakashi at how Iruka's tone of voice wavered the slightest bit.

Ah ha, bingo. So it's Haruno Sakura.

"What are you getting at, Kakashi…?"

With a look of distrust clearly in his eye, Iruka was staring directly at Kakashi demanding an answer. Kakashi was no longer smiling like he were teasing someone; instead, somewhere in his smile there was hint of ice, and it was discomforting for Iruka. And, at that same time, a wave of bad feeling washed over him.

"No, no, it's nothing. Just saying."

"…………"

It was obvious to Kakashi that Iruka didn't trust him one bit.

Perhaps he didn't know what to say.

Indeed, Iruka didn't know what to say to this enigma of a man. Rather, if he had said something inappropriate, it was probably dangerous. He didn't know what was dangerous, but it was his gut feeling that was telling him so.

"Well then, I suppose I will take my leave now."

The masked young man turned around, ready to leave, but it was unexpectedly Iruka that stopped him.

"I will kill you."

"Wha?"

Just as Kakashi turned around to ask what Iruka meant by that, a kunai sailed right past his face and drew blood from his right cheek. The man who had thrown the kunai looked straight ahead and calmly muttered the next few words.

"I said… that if you try anything funny on those children, I will not forgive you."

"Why? It doesn't concern you, does it?"

"It does concern me, they are an important asset to this village. I don't want to see them lost just because of one man's hobby."

"Hobby? That's not a nice way to put it…"

"It's the truth, isn't it?" Iruka turned to his back. "Don't forget what I said."

The black-haired man disappeared from view.

Left alone, Kakashi was grinning from ear to ear.

Haruno Sakura, huh…?

I thought she was just some ordinary girl, but guess not…

Nonetheless, it she's related to him, then perhaps…

No, it's too early.

First I need to find out who she is…

I don't want him hating me just because I let her die straight away…

Then again it might be amusing to be hated by him.

He chuckled happily to himself. He was happy imagining at the way things would prove interesting from now on. At first he was uttery annoyed for having forced into this 'babysitting' mission, but thanks to Iruka, he was now actually interested. Still, it was true that rather than teaching them (letting them live), it was preferable to just kill them (letting them die)…

He decided right there and then, that he would wait until he saw those three children kill for the first time.

After departing from the scene, it didn't take Iruka long until he arrived at the place where he promised her they'd meet.

She was already there.

"Sorry, did you wait long, Sakura?"

She shook her head. "No, not really…" Her head then bowed down, and in quick steps she ran up to Iruka and embraced his waist. She was still too young and small.

Too innocent.

"Sakura, you-"

"…Yes, I've agreed to become part of the project."

"Why did you…?"

"Because I want to be besides you, Iruka-sensei."

"But…"

She glanced up. "Why can't I? I want to be next to you, Iruka-sensei. I don't want anyone, anything, take that away from me."

Iruka looked into her eyes. They were eyes of determination. There wasn't even a shadow of doubt within them.

Seeing this, Iruka sighed deeply.

"Isn't your instructor Kakashi…?"

"Yes, but… how do you know?"

"I met him just now."

Hearing his words, Sakura frowned.

Sakura did not like Kakashi. Her reasons were simple; it was because Kakashi was interested in Iruka. Her Iruka. It was not love, but only interest, a twisted form at that. He did not wish to claim, for what Kakashi wanted of Iruka was to possess. And Sakura hated Kakashi for that.

On the contrary, Sakura thought that Iruka was, in a way, similar to Kakashi. Sakura knew for a fact that she could never understand Iruka fully, for the darkness he holds within his heart was deep and would take an eternity to explore. And the darkness Iruka held was awfully similar to the darkness Kakashi held as well.

She knew only one thing for certain. Iruka's heart, it was frozen. The never-ending blizzard inside of him raged strong and stayed cold for as long as she could remember.

But Sakura was determined to change that. She would definitely find a way to warm that frozen heart again, to put an end to his inner-blizzard.

"Sakura?"

"Mm?"

"Is something wrong?"

"…No, nothing."

"Are you sure…?"

"Yes, of course!"

She hid her own expressions well. In front of Iruka, she would always be the "Haruno Sakura" he always knew. Never could she afford to show him her dark side, her true reasons why she had volunteered for the project.

Him, that man.

Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi could stay in that darkness for all she cared. She would bring Iruka to the light with her, together.

She would not lose.

She would not let him get in her way.

She would never be weak in front of him.

Never again.

"Part Two"

-END-