Chapter 8: Heartbeat

A/N: Another chapter yay! Sorry to leave you all hanging on that last chapter!

Kakashi's POV

The proposal for an international ninja training exchange program was almost complete when a knock at the door interrupted my work. "Come in." I reply and quickly reorganize the files on my desk. The door opens and I am not expecting to find Sasuke strolling into my office. "Sasuke." He gives a curt nod. "Sensei. I encountered a battlefield on the way here, right near the border. Some leaf ANBU and ex-grass nin. There was only one survivor, a Leaf ANBU with a Wolf mask. She was in critical condition, so I rushed her to Sakura." Sasuke says, his expression turning serious. Wolf. My friend. She helped me when I needed it most. And I abandoned her. What kind of man and ninja does that make me? "I see. The information I am going to tell you is classified. Her name is Emiko Taketori, she's the Captain of the ANBU. Shikamaru, can you and Shizune handle things here for a while? I am going to go visit Taketori-san at the hospital." I have to make sure she survives, it will be my fault if she doesn't.

I arrived at the hospital and immediately rushed to Sakura's office, with Sasuke in tow. "Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura's voice says from down the hall and I turn to find her walking towards us. "How is the woman Sasuke brought in? Can I see her?" I ask, my heart pounding in anticipation of the answer. "She's alive if that's what you mean. She was lucky her chakra network wasn't damaged. I extracted all of the poison and healed the wounds caused by senbon. Her chakra was severely depleted and there was some organ damage, but I fixed that as well. She just needs rest and fluids now. I expect she'll be awake soon, and I'll keep for a few days after to make sure everything is well. She'll need a few weeks off from the ANBU but then she should be fine. You can see her, Kakashi-sensei. Who is she anyway?" Sakura replies, giving me a small smile. Thank kami she isn't dead. I can feel my heart beat slow a bit. "This information is classified so don't go around telling everyone, but her name is Emiko Taketori, she's ANBU captain." I reply hoping my face isn't heating up too much. "Ah I see. Taketori-san is in room 205, Sensei. Sasuke-kun you come with me, the intell corp will want to know about what happened." She gives me a small smile. Her and Sasuke disappear down the hall and leave me to my thoughts.

I entered the room to find her sleeping in the bed. I feel my heart clench at the memories of being here. Of letting down the people I love most. I make my way to the chair beside the bed. The familiarity of the situation playing out in my mind. The faces of my students after the war come to mind. I let out inthe breath I'd been holding, trying to convince myself that Emiko will be okay. At the same time I find myself wondering why I care so much. Emiko is my ANBU Captain and friend. I care about her, but I shouldn't care this much right? Maybe it's because she has shown me such kindness, and risked her life for the village and me. My thoughts are interrupted by a shuffling sound coming from the bed next to me. I turn to find Emiko sitting up in the bed, eyes open. "Where am...Oh I guess I made it back to the village then." She says looking up at the stark white ceiling of the hospital. "Yes, Sasuke Uchiha brought you here on his way to the village." I reply, turning in the chair to face her. "Hokage-sama?! I am glad that you made it back." Interesting. It's me she thinks of first.

Emiko's POV

Waking up in the village hospital to find Kakashi-Sama at my bedside is something I wasn't expecting. I thought that I wasn't coming back to the world of the living. So much loss for one mission. His reply to my last statement comes in a serious tone "Emiko-San, I am sorry for leaving you and the others to battle on your own. Had I known the strength of the enemy, I would have never left. Perhaps things might be different if I had." His face falls and he turns his head away from me. I know how he thinks by now, but it isn't his fault. "Don't think of it that way. It is my duty as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf to fight for my Hokage. Secondly, Cat and Lizard died deaths fitting for shinobi. It's alright to mourn of course, but they will be honored as heroes of our village. Plus, if it's any consolation, it wasn't you they were after." I reply sitting up further in the bed and ignoring the pain in my head. Kakashi looks at me and says "Still. This will haunt me, you were almost lost to the enemy. I can't lose another friend. What were they after, if not me?" He asks, finally meeting my eyes. Oh so he wants to know that. "They were after me. My older brother is planning a coup d'etat in the Hidden Grass, but he needs me in order to take the village, because technically speaking he doesn't have any claim to the village, but I do." I grab the glass of water from the bedside table and take a few sips. "Kikuro is alive then. How did his men know it was you? Someone must have leaked that information." Kakashi replies, sighing. "They didn't. Their orders were to attack and capture a Leaf ANBU to obtain information. It was a coincidence that they encountered my team." But I still feel like I am missing something about the whole story. "I see. They will be back for you, that is for sure. And I know we will be ready when they do. I won't lose another comrade, not after the war took so many. " Kakashi replies and leans back in the chair. His features harden slightly and I can tell he is lost in thought. Perhaps lost in memories of the past he can't control. I know the feelings and the pain of missions bringing up past trauma. Anyone who has lived a shinobi life does. My fingers find his hand and squeeze gently before retracting as fast as possible. "You won't lose me Kakashi-sama. The Leaf is my home, and while yes my past with Kikuro haunts me, I have moved on with my life. Trust me I have no intention of leaving the Village or enacting revenge for that matter. Just like everyone else, with the war over I want a peaceful life."

Kakashi's POV

The warmth of her hand in mine still lingers while I attempt to listen to what she has to say. I know she has read my mood and is trying to comfort me, which I appreciate but it isn't enough. "Emiko I-.." A knock on the door interrupts me. "Come in." Emiko says and mouths "We will talk later" in my direction. Sasuke, Sakura, and a Jounin called Yani from the Intel division enter the room. "Sorry to interrupt sensei, but we are here to discuss what happened and the best course of action." Sakura says, flashing a smile and turning towards Yani. "Yes, if you are feeling up to it, please tell us what occurred Taketori-san." Yani replies by pulling out a scroll and pen. I listen as Emiko recounts the story to Yani and my students. "Interesting." Sasuke says, and I know he is thinking of Itachi. "It seems to me the best course of action is to set a trap for the enemy. Perhaps lore them out with a team of ANBU, or Taketori-san herself and then attack." Yani's plan would work in theory, I suppose. "Pardon me Yani-san, but that doesn't seem foolproof. Even if we manage to trap the enemy, we still don't know how many shinobi are under Kikuro's command. And we do not know what abilities these ninja have. Not to mention that Kikuro himself likely has similar abilities to Taketori-san, meaning he won't be an easy man to take down. Wouldn't it be best to send a squad to gather intel first, and then build a strategy from there?" Sakura replies. "I think Sakura has a point. We should gather intel and then make a move. However, we risk the enemy making a move first. Even if that should occur, we are prepared and are expecting them. An elite team will need to be sent. Sasuke, if you are staying, I will assign this mission to the old Team 7. Otherwise, as usual, Sai will accompany Sakura and Naruto." I know that if the mission is to be successful, a team with unusually high skills will have to be sent.