Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto, they belong to J.K. Rowling and Masashi Kishimoto respectively.

A/N- Hehe… yeah, this chapter's late. But hey, it's long!

Chapter Nine: In Which Cracks Appear

September 4, Forbidden Forest, thirteen days previous.

Sirius Black was a dog; that's why he didn't notice such an obvious trap. At least, dangling above the forest floor in a rope net, that's what he told himself. He'd been in his canine form for what seemed like months. After a while the animal mind had started to take over, making it harder to recognize such "human" traps. Right now Sirius was in that same human shape, desperately trying to pick apart a pebble-hard knot with dirty fingers. What a way for the Black heir to go! The only ones he could think of who set traps like this were centaurs, and they'd certainly turn him in. Maybe even straight to the Dementors.

Sirius shook the thought away. No. He was going to escape, somehow get into Hogwarts, and kill that damn bastard Pettigrew.

"Well, what do have we here?"

Instantly Sirius transformed. Maybe he could convince the centaurs they'd just caught a stray dog, somehow escape-

But the man standing below him, expression bemused, was most certainly not a centaur. Despite the chilly weather he wore only a grey vest over a black shirt, paired with dark pants and boots. Several pouches hung from his belt or were strapped to his leg. Even in the dim light of the forest Sirius noticed the pale lavender eyes, out of place on his dark complexion.

"Don't bother. I know who you are, Mr. Black," he said calmly. "I'm sorry about the means, but this was the most efficient way of having a word with you."

The Grim-like dog only growled.

"I'd like to have a civil conversation, please. There's a barrier around this immediate area. I know you are a bit… skittish at the moment, and for good reason. But don't bother trying to escape. I think you will find that we have very similar interests."

Sirius waited a long moment, then transformed back into a human. It wasn't like he had a choice anyway- for now at least, he would cooperate. Something flashed in the man's hand and there was a whistling sound. The escaped convict plummeted to the ground, untangling himself from the net a bit frantically.

Up close, Sirius realized the man was young- late teens, early twenties at most. His unnerving purple eyes were calm, confident.

"Who are you?" demanded Sirius in a voice rusty from disuse.

"I am a shinobi. I'm sure you've heard of us."

Sirius searched back through his memory to before Azkaban, and his brow furrowed. "Shinobi? You mean the ninja-guys who sided with the Death Eaters? I never believed the stories."

"Shinobi are real, Mr. Black. And this one wants to make a deal with you."

"Sorry, not interested. If the rumors really are true, then I'll most likely end up with my throat slit. Besides, I'm only here for one reason, and I doubt it's the same as yours," Sirius said flatly.

"You mean your revenge on Peter Petigrew, the man who sent you to prison? I think our goals are closer than you think."

"How did you-"

"It's in my interest to know these kinds of things," the man dismissed. "That is why you're here, isn't it?"

Sirius nodded, carefully. Did he work for the ministry? A bounty hunter, maybe? Then why would he care about his revenge?

"A while ago, something very important was taken from some… friends of mine, and we want it back. That something happens to be in Hogwarts right now. Unfortunately, there's a new barrier makes it impossible for any shinobi to enter the grounds. The Dementors are a problem too. Shinobi can't use protective spells like wizards, so we are as vulnerable to them as any muggle- even more so, actually."

"So what do you want from me?"

"Simple- a way inside the grounds. You're a wizard, you even attended this school. You have to know a way," said the man genially.

"If it was that easy, Petigrew would be dead by now! It's hard enough just trying to survive, let alone trying to get past those Dementors again! Besides, why would I do that for you? What do I gain?" Sirius snapped.

The man twirled a knife on his finger, carelessly. "I think you'll be interested to know, Mr. Black, that I'm not the only shinobi here. Hogwarts, or specifically, Dumbledore hired a shinobi a few weeks ago to guard the thing that I'm after. You understand? Even if you did find a way through the barrier, you'd be dead before you reached the castle. You don't stand a chance against a shinobi."

At the last word, the lavender-eyed man moved, and Sirius barely had time to flinch before the knife was pressed to his throat.

"Without my help, you have no chance of living long enough inside that castle to complete your revenge. But without you, I can't get in there to take back what was stolen from us. Do you see how we can help each other now?"

"What is it that you're after? Who wants it?"

"Something of tremendous value to a certain friend of mine. Something that should've been his, if not for a certain person's interference. It belongs to us, Mr. Black."

"How do I even know there's a shinobi there?" Sirius demanded.

The man smiled good-naturedly. "I suppose you're just going to have to trust me."

"Trust you? I don't even know your name!"

The man's pale eyes gleamed. "How rude of me. I've forgotten my manners. My name is Yoshida." He removed the knife and stepped back into a bow.

"Botan Yoshida."

CagedWolfCagedWolfCagedWolfC agedWolf

The crack wasn't fixed yet.

Harry thought that was odd; usually things didn't stay broken long at Hogwarts, but whether it was Filch who did repairs or the castle healing itself he wasn't sure.

The wizard exhaled. The staff room door had cracked three days ago, and the person who broke it hadn't been seen since then. How Kakashi had nearly split a door in half just by slamming it was still a mystery, but one not as hotly debated as where the white-haired student even was. All kinds of rumors drifted around the student body- Kakashi was a werewolf, transformed and running amuck in the forest. Kakashi was a spy for the Japanese magical government, and reporting his findings back home. Kakashi was a samurai undergoing secret training in the mountains. The last rumor was spread by Dean Thomas, who swore he'd seem a sword sticking out from under Kakashi's bed.

Whatever the reason, Harry was a bit worried for his roommate. Other students didn't know about the Dementor, or his mysterious injuries, or how he fought off an attacking Hippogriff with his bare hands. Even back in the pet store when Kakashi caught Crookshakes and Scabbers in mid-air- those kinds of reflexes just weren't normal. While for everyone else the rumors were mostly joking, Harry and his friends knew that Kakashi might actually be mixed up in trouble. Why else would he be so strong?

Then again, Kakashi's strength also means that he can take care of himself, and I shouldn't worry.

Although when the girl appeared, Kakashi's toughness had fallen away. Harry had been closer than anyone else; he had seen the terrified expression on his classmate's usually impassive face.

Whoever the girl was, Kakashi had been scared of her even before she had… died. Harry suppressed a shiver at the memory. He'd watched one of Dudley's horror movies before from behind the couch. It was gruesome, bloody, and a bit thrilling. But movies and real life were two very different things. The way that girl had died… it was so real. Like someone had punched through her chest. The sound of ribs snapping and blood dripping had nearly been enough to make Harry lose his breakfast.

"Rin." Barely a whisper, but Harry was sure that's what Kakashi had said. It sounded like a Japanese word. At this point it was their only clue but Hogwarts didn't have a Japanese-to-English dictionary, Hermione had already checked. What did it mean?

"Hey, Harry, Harry! Earth to Harry!" Ron's voice shook through his thoughts.

"Sorry. Just thinking."

Ron looked at the broken door in front of them. "I don't blame you. That was pretty freaky, huh?"

"You can say that again," Harry mused. Not just him, either. He knew that many of the other Gryffindors in that fateful Defense class had had nightmares the last few nights. Hermione said that one girl had actually woken up screaming, waking the whole girl's dorm.

"I just wish I knew what that was all about. What "rin" means. Not to sound like Hermione, but I wish we had a dictionary to translate with."

"Wait. I think we do." Ron said suddenly.

"What do you mean? There's nothing in the library, we already checked. So unless you have one laying around…"

"I don't. But Kakashi does, remember? And I'd bet it's in our room right now."

Minutes later found Harry and Ron huffing and puffing in their dorm room, scrutinizing their dormmate's neatly- made bed. The curtains were pulled back with only Kakashi's wand resting on the pillow, carefully placed there by Harry, who had picked it up after what he was now dubbing the "Boggart Incident". A trunk at the foot of the bed was the only indication that anyone lived there.

"The trunk's locked," stated Ron. "I think it's this piece of-ow!"

Ron snatched his hand back. "It shocked me! Bloody hell!"

Harry crouched down and looked at the trunk. A brownish piece of paper with strange black markings was stuck over the lock.

"It looks like some of Kakashi's magic jutsu stuff. It's probably just a charm to keep people from going through his things."

"You make it sound like we're thieves or something! This was your idea, you know."

"I know. We're just trying to figure out what happened with that girl. It's for his own good, right?" Harry said a little uncertainly, glancing at his red-headed friend, who shrugged.

"I guess. Just- I want to know what this guy's all about. Locking up his stuff is kind of paranoid, don't you think? It's like he'd hiding something."

"'Course he's hiding something," said Harry, standing up. "He still hasn't even told us what happened to his eye yet, let alone the dementor. It couldn't be that- hey!"

Pulling open the nightstand drawer, Harry found what they were looking for. A rather small, paperback book with worn edges, with characters and "Japanese to English Dictionary- Third Edition" printed on the front.

Notes, edits and doodles covered the inside of the dictionary in two different handwriting; one large and scrawled, the other tiny and neat. Lines of characters were crossed out with new ones meticulously penned in underneath. English words, too, were crossed out and replaced with shaky letters that looked like children's writing. A few pages were glued in in the back, with rows of brand new entries listed, mostly in the messy handwriting.

After some searching, they found their quarry, the definition one of the many edited ones.

"Rin means 'bell'? What a waste." Harry flopped backwards on Kakashi's bed. What do bells have to do with anything? All this way for nothing.

Suddenly there was a small sound like a click. The wizard sat up again, listening. There it was again, when the bed shifted. Harry looked around, feeling along the sheets and the headboard.

"What're you doing?" asked Ron.

"I thought I heard something." As he spoke, Harry picked up the pillow.

A picture frame faced downwards on the white sheet.

"Hey, Ron, look at this," breathed Harry, picking it up. For just a moment he hesitated, not flipping it over. Was it really okay for them to be looking through his stuff like this? But curiosity won over, and the two boys stared in wonder for a moment.

Green grass and tree trunks were the only background. From what Harry knew of samurai movies, all the people in the picture were wearing the traditional wrap-around style Japanese clothes. In the middle of the photo stood a smiling couple. A blonde man in blue and black had his arm around a woman with long bright red hair wearing a long white kimono. On the woman's left, looking a bit off balance like he'd been yanked into the portrait by force, was Kakashi- two eyes showing. Interesting, but nothing compared to the other surprise the photo held. To the right of the blonde man were two kids about their age. A boy with dark brown hair was wearing an outfit similar to the man's, but with an orange sash-like belt. Next to the boy was a girl in a lavender kimono, with short brown hair and purple tattoos on her cheeks.

It was her. The girl from the boggart!

"Bloody hell…" Breathed Ron as they both took it in.

They were silent for a moment.

"So I guess… he did know her," said Harry a bit uneasily.

"Well of course he did, right? I mean, why else would he... you know," Ron concluded lamely.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know, just, I saw the look on his face when she appeared, before she…" He put a hand to his chest in a crude gesture of what had happened to the girl. "Kakashi looked scared. Almost like he knew what was going to happen before it did."

Ron shivered. "This is getting creepier by the second. I know we get into trouble every year, but this is something else."

"I know. The basilisk was scary, but that girl…" Harry shook the image of her bleeding body away. "Hermione should still be in the Common room- let's put everything back then ask her about it."

"Why do you always think I know everything?" Hermione snapped, but Harry could tell that she was just as concerned as they were.

"C'mon, we just want to know what you think!" said Ron, and the witch relented.

"I'd guess that 'Rin' is the name of the girl," she began. Harry nearly slapped himself. How had he not guessed that sooner?

"Kakashi obviously knows her," Hermione continued, resting her chin on her hand and looked into the fireplace. "You said the woman with the red hair was wearing a white dress? They might have been her wedding. If only we could get in contact with the couple… or anyone from his home. Without that, we-"

"-we still don't know anything," finished Ron exasperatedly. "And we can't ask Kakashi, because he's bloody AWOL. Not that he'd tell us anyway, but still. Where is he, anyway?"

"Maybe something happened at his home and he had to go back on short notice," suggested Hermione.

"Somehow I doubt it," said Harry flatly. "I just wish he would stop keeping so many secrets! What's the harm in telling us? We're his friends, aren't we?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "I just hope he realizes that."

CagedWolfCagedWolfCagedWolfC agedWolf

Kakashi was angry with himself for a few different reasons. The first was his cowardice, how he'd lost control when that… illusion appeared. The second was the recklessness that led to his limping.

No ANBU captain had any excuse to be that stupid. He was supposed to be a strategist, for Kami's sake. "Smart" was not the best way to describe his actions since he fled the castle. All he wanted to do was run, or train, or fight- anything, no matter the risk. So when Pakkun had caught a trail Friday evening, two and a half days ago, of a missing-nin just outside the school's barrier, he hadn't hesitated to go after her. The kunoichi was running, clearly in retreat. But the mission was to kill anyone and everyone, and Kakashi wasn't about to let his prey escape.

In his stupid haste to catch her, Kakashi had walked straight into a trap. He'd noticed the kunoichi's gas mask too late. Rin would've known the name of the drug in the smoke bomb, but all Kakashi knew was that it numbed his chakra so he couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu anymore.

The kunoichi had him dancing in the palm of her hand the whole time. Taijutsu was obviously her specialty, while Kakashi knew he didn't have the stamina for that kind of battle. Before long she disarmed his sword, before he even had a chance to uncover Obito's Sharingan. That was the only thing that saved him in the straight Taijutsu match that followed- the kind of fight he always avoided. Near the end she'd managed to grab him by the ankle and throw him into a tree, nearly shattering both. He was desperate. Before long Kakashi could barely keep himself alive; let alone try and capture her. The moment he saw an opening, he took it- killing was so much easier.

Another source of information gone, all due to his recklessness. Oddly, the savage fight had fitted his temper perfectly at the time. The risk, the danger, the exhilaration- it took his mind off things, if only for a while.

After the fight the ANBU had promptly collapsed from effects of the drug and the fight. How long he slept he wasn't exactly sure. When he woke, Dai, his largest summons, was curled up next to him in a big snoring pile.

"How long have you been here?" asked Kakashi, a bit irked.

"Since after you fell asleep. Pakkun got me," the summons answered in the growly, dog-language he used. He never had gotten the hang of Japanese, or Konohan, or whatever the hell his language technically was.

Kakashi 'tsk'ed and sat up. His head rushed and there were some black spots in his vision. Everywhere, it seemed, was either bruised or cut up from his earlier collision with the tree. Standing, or at least trying to, he remembered his ankle. Damn. It was swollen and a bit bloody, but didn't quite feel broken.

Quickly, mindlessly, he set to work on the body, searching it for anything useful. Outside of the standard kunai, explosive tags, and other assorted ninja tools there was nothing special. Flipping through his Bingo Book Kakashi found her, or at least who he thought she was. The pale-bluish tint of her face made it hard to tell. Inori Tanara, Sand Village. Missing for two years, Chunnin, B-class missing-nin.

Only a B-class Chunnin? In ANBU he handled B-class two at a time. Back when he had a team to back him up… he was feeling their absence. Shinobi fought in teams, and without one Kakashi was vulnerable. Was he really so dependent on teamwork that he couldn't even handle Chunnin without getting hurt? Stupid- what kind of Jonin was he, if he couldn't even handle that? What if he had lost the battle?

All at once the realization struck him- no help was coming. If he died it was doubtful his corpse would ever be found in the dense forest. Would the wizards even look for it? The body of a stranger who failed to keep anyone alive, even himself? Who would waste their time on a pathetic ninja like him? All it took to make him snap was an illusion- one little illusion that all the other wizard children had been able to overcome. Except for him.

Why did he have to be so weak? All his life he'd been told he was brilliant. A genius. Best of his generation. What kind of prodigy was he, really? He could barely take down one B-class Chunnin, ran away from one simple illusion, couldn't even keep his most important person alive!

What was the point of being Jonin? ANBU? His village didn't need someone like him. The wizards didn't want him. Team Seven would've been better off without him. Nobody needed him!

Kakashi contemplated the fallen kunoichi's kunai, twirling it in his fingers with practiced ease. He remembered, clear as yesterday. He could still feel them; the crooked pale lines that had appeared below his elbows after his father died, back when he was young. A small idea formed in his mind. Was Kakashi any stronger than he was then? Was he really…?

The kunai stilled, cool flat of the blade pressing on the inside of his wrist. His elbows tingled, his heart raced, air came in gasps. Memories of the pain and relief it had brought him swirled in his mind, tantalizing. Should he… could he…?

A firm tug on the sleeve of his white ANBU cloak.

"Pakkun, let go."

The pug didn't move. Pakkun just stared at him with a fierce determination. That look… the same one Minato-sensei had given him.

Suddenly the haze slipped away; the kunai tumbled to the ground with a clang. Kakashi looked at his fisted, quivering hands for a moment and felt the adrenaline fade. Then he took a deep breath.

"Pakkun, let go," he said again. This time his summons complied, regarding him with a quiet suspicion.

In moments the kunoichi's head was removed from her body with a single-minded precision; proof of his success. With no bag to put it in, Kakashi emptied out her large weapon pouch and stuffed it in there. Blood quickly stained the tough material, but it would work. With a bit of amusement he imagined the look on Dumbledore's face when one of his dogs delivered this package to his office.

"Pakkun, could you-"

"No, no! Let me, Kakashi-san!" Yipped an excited Risu, joining them. A bit on the small side, Risu wasn't really a battle-type, but she was fast. As the black-and-white bounced off through the trees, Kakashi thought how she really was like her namesake, 'squirrel'.

Rin had named her. The thought came unbidden, and brought a stab in the chest like a knife.

Pakkun nudged his injured leg, making it twinge in pain. Kakashi winced.

"You asked Risu to do that, didn't you?"

The pug yawned and didn't answer. They had been together so long he didn't even need to say it- but Pakkun didn't plan on leaving Kakashi alone right now. Opening his mouth then closing it again, the boy almost said thank you. But that too went unsaid.

Leaning on Dai didn't make the trip back to the castle much easier. Injuries were fairly normal for Kakashi, but that didn't mean they weren't still annoying, especially ones that made it nearly impossible to walk.

After what seemed like hours Kakashi, Dai, and Pakkun made it to the Hogwarts barrier, making them all shiver a bit as they passed through. Dumbledore had put up that barrier at Kakashi's request. It's one and only purpose was to keep shinobi out. Somehow the old wizard made the barrier able to recognize shinobi's chakra and repel it. At first it had rejected Kakashi too. Even after explosion tags and a chidori the barrier held firm, so the shinobi had a pretty good amount of faith in its durability. After that Dumbledore taught the barrier to recognize and accept Kakashi and his dog's chakra. This let the white-haired boy relax a bit. If a shinobi managed to break through the barrier at the very least it would make enough commotion to alert him.

Hitting the barrier meant that they were only about one hundred meters from the school, and Kakashi hesitated. Days and nights were hard to judge in the lightless forest where time seemed to stand still, but the Jonin was pretty sure it was Sunday. Sunday meant that tomorrow was Monday and he had to attend class. Honestly he wished he didn't have to go, not because of the academics but for everything else. The students, the looks, the questions, the whispers that would undoubtedly become worse with the boggart- he was in no hurry to face them.

But the quick painkillers he'd taken earlier were wearing off. There were more medical supplies back in his trunk, but those too were going to run out quick at the rate he was going. Besides, Kakashi was pretty sure his ankle was fractured and something was wrong with the tendons. Now he was leaning completely on Dai's tall furry back; his foot couldn't stand any weight at all. He knew he had to go to the medical bay, and so did Pakkun, who would probably drag him there if need be.

Limping to the edge of the forest, Kakashi blinked in the setting sunlight. Dammit. Better get it over with.

"You two need to get some rest," the Jonin said, letting go of Dai and balancing on one foot. "I'm going to the medical bay. Really," he added at Pakkun's look. Some kind of contract-holder he was, if his first summon didn't even trust him. After a few more assurances they obeyed, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Kakashi pulled out his sheathed katana to use as a makeshift crutch. Skirting the edge of the forest just out of sight, he found himself lingering, procrastinating his return. Hogwarts- he'd been there barely a fortnight, yet somehow he already hated it with an intensity that almost surprised him. But the pounding in his leg, and his promise to more people than just Pakkun, forced him to take hobbling steps towards the castle.

The window to the medical bay wasn't locked and, after checking that no students were around, the shinobi dropped into the room, landing on one foot.

Pomfrey-san nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Ka-kakashi! Where have you…"

He dropped his sword, limped to a bed and flopped down on it. "Would you heal me, Madame Pomfrey?" he asked, transitioning languages and rolling up his pant-leg to the knee showing a swollen, slightly bloody leg.

The witch went pale and stood still for a moment, obviously trying to compose herself. After a moment she snatched her wand out of her apron pocket and waved it. The sandal stretched and eased itself off, making Kakashi wince under his mask. He laid back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling, fighting an irrational urge to snap at the nurse and wanting this to be over as soon as possible. Being in a hospital, getting healed reminded him of… what had happened.

To any onlooker, Kakashi appeared merely bored.

"How did this happen?" asked the medi-witch quietly.

"I wasn't careful."

Silence for a moment. "Are there really people in the forest? People like you? Is that what happened- did you get in a fight?"

She made it sound like a school-yard scuffle. "Of course not. I slipped while walking. That's all."

"Do you think I'm that ignorant, Kakashi?" The old witch accused. "An injury like this doesn't happen accidentally! You're covered in scrapes and bruises. Some of them are knife wounds."

"It's nothing you need to worry about. I took care of it." Of course he didn't think she would believe him. It just would've been easier for her to not ask questions at all.

"You're ankle was nearly twisted off!"

"I said I handled it!" Kakashi snapped.

Pomfrey flinched, fear-scent leaking off her, but didn't say anything.

"Is my ankle broken, then?" Kakashi asked blandly.

"No, it's fractured- just a crack. It's the tendons that are the problem. They're all torn up."

"But you can fix it?"

Madame Pomfrey turned back to his leg. "Of course I can. I'm a medi-witch," she said like that meant anything to Kakashi. "I'll fix that, and your other cuts and bruises."

Kakashi blinked. Sure, he'd gotten a bit scraped up when the tree shattered, but it wasn't anything for a medic to worry about. The medics at home- frankly, they didn't have the time or the chakra to worry about trivial stuff like that.

Rin had always found time for his bruises, though.

Kakashi tried very hard to think about something else while Madame Pomfrey healed him. Long minutes crept by like hours. His leg alternately ached, burned, and went numb.

After he was equipped with some sort of magical splint-bandage and a few medical potions, Kakashi slipped on his slightly dirty Hogwarts cloak, adjusted his headband, and took the shortest route back to the Gryffindor bathrooms for the change of clothes he'd stashed nearby, and a shower. The medic had given him a potion that made his leg feel like it was wrapped in warm cotton, and his head blissfully fuzzy. Drugs were always the best part of getting injured.

It was late and common room was empty, thanks to his purposely prolonged bath. Kakashi pulled his fingers through his still-damp hair, stifled a yawn, and pulled his Hogwarts cloak tighter around his shoulders. He hadn't gotten much sleep the last few days. Still, even with the wonderfully soothing drug, he had a feeling that a sleeping pill would still be needed to get him through the night.

A lamp was still on in the dorm room. The other two boys were asleep, but Harry and Ron were sitting cross-legged on the ground playing chess. Both looked up when he entered, and their eyes practically bulged out of their heads.

"Kakashi! Where have you-"

The shinobi put a finger to his lips and pointed to the closed bed curtains of their other dorm mates.

"Where have you been?" Harry finished in a whisper.

Kakashi shrugged. "Out."

"Where? You were gone all weekend!" asked Harry again.

"It doesn't matter."

Suddenly Ron stood with a huff. "The hell is wrong with you? We were worried! You don't have to be such a bloody secretive bastard all the time, you know!"

"I don't need to tell you anything," said Kakashi coldly, moving towards his bed.

"The hell you don't! We saw the picture, Kakashi!"

"Ron!" said Harry in surprise.

Kakashi was very still. When he spoke, his voice was dangerously even.

"You went through my stuff?"

"I was just trying to return your wand," said Harry, a bit of fear-scent on him. "It was an accident. But we saw the girl- the one from the boggart. You know her, don't you?"

Kakashi glared daggers at them. The nerve of these damn brats! How dare they? What right did they have to snoop? Why couldn't they just stay out of his fucking life?

"Rin is none of your business." He spat every word.

"So that is her name. Who is she?" asked Harry, "Your friend from back home?"

Ron spoke up, "Why was she your boggart? Is she-"

"Shut up! Just shut up, both of you!" Kakashi snarled.

"You don't know fucking anything! This has nothing to do with you! She has nothing to do with you!"

The boys flinched back, wide-eyed.

He looked at his hands; they were trembling again, clenched in fists. Deliberately, he took a deep breath and pulled his cloak off his shoulders. It crumpled to the ground.

Damn. Damn it all.

Harry's eyes flicked to his left arm, to the ANBU tattoo and still- pink scar that his sleeveless shirt showed. Kakashi slapped his hand over them.

"Just stay away from me," he growled. Then he tore the curtains on his bed closed, and didn't hear another word for the rest of the night.

CagedWolfCagedWolfCagedWolfC agedWolf

When Harry woke the next day, Kakashi was gone again. Only the absence of the wand on his perfectly-made bed showed that last night's encounter hadn't been just a dream.

Last night. Harry shuddered at the thought. For just a moment Kakashi's bland, bored demeanor had slipped. And underneath was… scary.

"You don't know fucking anything!"

And he was right. Harry didn't know anything. The Dementor attack, the boggart, the girl Rin- Kakashi was one mystery after the next. Where had he been? How had he gotten the scar on his arm, why was he suddenly limping? But if Kakashi didn't say anything, Harry would never know! The only one with the answers was also the last person to ever reveal them

An idea came to him then. On the way to breakfast he told Ron and Hermione about it.

"At this point, I think it's our only option," said Hermione somberly. "If Kakashi won't talk, then Dumbledore's the only one who would know anything. I asked Madame Pince if there was a book on Japanese wizards, and she says someone already checked it out. Apparently we're not the only ones who're curious."

They caught Dumbledore in the hall after breakfast.

"Professor, there's something we'd like to ask you about."

"What is it?"

"Kakashi." Said Harry simply. The old wizard's face darkened.

"Yes. I expected you to come to me, sooner or later. But this school has a privacy policy I must uphold. Especially in the case of Mr. Hatake… I'm afraid I can't tell you much."

Harry blanched. "But Professor! That girl… the Dementors… and now he's hurt! He disappeared for days, and came back limping! We just want to help!"

"He's lucky to have such dedicated friends," smiled the wizard, a bit sadly.

"Yeah, if only he thought so too," grumbled Ron. "He won't tell us a thing."

"Yes, well… Please don't blame him for the way he is. Kakashi grew up in a very different place, and from what I know his life there wasn't easy."

He paused.

"And, a word of advice that I hope you won't ignore. Whatever business Kakashi has outside of these castle walls, you must stay out of it. I'm serious- this is as much for your sake as his."

There was silence for a moment, then Dumbledore's usual demeanor returned.

"Now, off to class with you. Don't be late."

Reluctantly the trio turned and trudged to Magical Creatures.

Even though he knew Kakashi had come back, Harry was still a bit surprised to see Kakashi lingering near the edge of the crowd of students in front of Hagrid's hut. More than a few whispers were directed at him; Kakashi had been the talk of the school since his disappearance. The boy in question was pointedly ignoring them, looking almost bored. But Harry remembered last night all too clearly. Was Kakashi just faking his indifference? The transfer student was quickly becoming the most complicated person Harry had ever met.

Their lesson was on gnomes, much to Ron's delight, whose house was apparently overrun with the creatures. But they were learning to care for them, not exterminate them, which dimmed the red-head's enthusiasm greatly. Since the Hippogriff lesson the Magical Creature lessons had been alright, if a bit on the dangerous side. As with the first lesson Harry had seen Kakashi intervene plenty of times to stop someone from getting bitten or scratched, which might be the reason the lessons weren't a total failure; though he hadn't done anything as amazing as stopping a hippogriff again. Today Kakashi said hardly a word the whole lesson and made no move to help when a gnome latched itself onto Ron's sleeve.

In History of Magic, Kakashi made his way promptly to his regular seat in the corner and looked out the window, continuing to ignore everything around him. Harry dozed through the lesson, until he noticed what Kakashi was doing in the seat next to him- he'd flipped a piece of parchment sideways and was writing on it in his language, top to bottom and right to left. Harry stared at the foreign characters with a curious fascination. When Professor Binns ended class, Harry worked up a bit of courage.

"What are you writing? Are they notes, or…" the wizard boy trailed off. Kakashi rolled up the parchment and stood up.

"It's a letter," he said flatly, and moved to leave. Harry noticed his pronounced limp was getting worse as the day wore on.

"To who?" asked Ron, he and Hermione running a bit to catch up to them."Your parents?"

Kakashi stopped. There was no one around; they'd taken a shortcut to Herbology and were the first ones to make it to the greenhouse at the edge of the forest.

Their classmate faced away from them. "That would be difficult, seeing as their dead."

A cold feeling welded in Harry's stomach. So Kakashi… he was…

"I, uh," Harry hesitated. "I am too. I mean- my parents are gone too."

There was an exhale like a small laugh.

"I know. They were killed by that Voldemort person, right? They died when you were a baby." Kakashi turned. His voice was cutting but his eye looked dead.

"Get over yourself, Potter. You never even knew your parents. Stop acting like you understand. They are just strangers to you."

For a moment Harry stood very still. Then all he could feel was a white-hot rage.

"You…" his voice shook. "What's wrong with you? You have no right-"

"Don't I? It's true, isn't it?" Kakashi countered, voice hard. "You never had parents in the first place! You don't know what it's like to lose people!"

"Bastard!" Ron threw a punch at Kakashi. He caught it, twisted his arm behind his back and shoved him down.

"You little-" growled Ron from the ground. "Why we ever tried to help you I'll never know! Deal with it alone for all I care!"

"And when, exactly, did I ask for your help?" the eye-patched boy countered acidly.

"Both of you, just stop!" Hermione wavered, close to tears.

"Why should I? Hermione, did you hear what he just said?"

Just strangers. A cold feeling dropped into the pit of Harry's stomach. True, he didn't remember his parents… but strangers? They weren't… were they?

"Shut up!" Abruptly Kakashi's demeanor changed. Whipped around towards the forest, he held his hand behind him like he was keeping them back.

"Why-"

"I said shut the fuck up!"

They were still for a moment. Then-

"Run." Kakashi's voice was calm.

"What? Why should we-"

"I said run! Get back to the castle! NOW!"

But it was too late.

Chink! Chink! Chink! Chink! Chink! Chink!

It happened so fast. Kakashi's hand darted back and forth- blocking something?

Kakashi swore loudly in his language.

Hermione screamed.

Word Count- 7,150

Author's Notes- (bear with me for a moment, there's a lot)

Sorry about how long this took. This chapter was actually really hard; it took me a few tries to get Kakashi's reaction exactly how I wanted. (Talk about mood swings).

Oh, Botan. Yes, an OC villain! As this story has its own plot, it also has its own villains. I kind of really like him, so if you don't like OCs… well, sorry. I'm not planning on writing terrible characters, just give him a chance! And if you knew where Botan's name came from without looking it up, then congratulations; you are officially a Kakashi nerd. Join the club.

On a more serious note- this chapter deals with some pretty heavy and very real stuff. Remember that this is Kakashi speaking, not me, and he's a very messed up kid who says pretty a-hole stuff sometimes. Please know I really don't mean to offend anyone.

Previous chapters have been edited again as of February 8, 2013. I'm trying not to do this very often. There were some minor edits, and one important thing I took out. In chapter 7, when Kakashi saved Malfoy from the hippogriff, I gave a tiny hint that Kakashi meant for Malfoy to see him. That's been changed- Kakashi didn't mean for Malfoy to see him.

OC dogs- I have two OC dogs in this story.

Dai- a big, gray, wolf-like dog. He's kind of this story's Bull (you know Kakashi's huge bulldog?) His name means 'big'.

Risu- a smallish dog, but bigger than Pakkun. I imagine her as a border collie mix. She's young and a bit of a spaz, but loyal. Her name means, as stated, 'squirrel'.

Note on pairings- I've been asked this a lot, so I'll try to answer as best I can. Now, these characters are pretty young, so heavy romance is just not realistic. But thirteen year olds can still have crushes and all that, so there's going to be some light romance in that way. However, at the same time, Kakashi is hardly fourteen mentally. No one's going to tell me that these shinobi kids don't mature fast, so it also makes sense that they are able to have more serious relationships at a younger age. Basically, I'm trying to write romance for someone that's fourteen, but at the same time, not fourteen. See the dilemma?

So there's going to be different levels of seriousness going on. There will be some cute little-kid crushes, especially later. Think the first series of Naruto, where romance is there mostly for comedy. But, there definitely is one main pairing. It is NOT Kakashi/Hermione, so please stop asking me to make that the main pairing. Not to say that there won't be any of that, just I figured I might as well warn you.

Review, please! I'm at 196 right now, let's make it 200!