Kakashi almost went after Shizune the moment the door shut behind her. He knew that she'll not be gone for long; their mission may not even take 48-hours to finish but that didn't stop the anxiety rising within him. He's fully tempted to leave a clone in his stead and accompany her but he knows that it will only upset her if he does that and it will be considered as desertion.

He strengthened his resolve, took a deep breath, sighed and sat back down behind his desk. He will not be twiddling his thumbs until she comes back.

Kakashi opened his eyes and looked around him, seeing nothing but barren landscape. He called out to somebody, anybody, to come to him or answer him but nobody answered. He began to walk aimlessly, hoping to see somebody else. He began to feel helpless, it felt like he was walking for miles and miles but he saw nobody else.

Out of nowhere, he heard his name called out behind him. He turned and saw Shizune standing before him and his blood ran cold. She was held by a masked fiend wearing a white cloak. He had an arm wrapped around her neck and a kunai pointed at the exposed side of her neck.

She called out for him again and he wants to run to her, to save her but his feet were like made with heavy metal that he can't lift them no matter how hard he tried. He yelled her name and then the kunai sunk into her neck, and he watched in shocked helplessness as her blood began to drip down her yukata and stain the ground below.

Kakashi's eyes snapped open, sitting up, his chest heaving as he wildly scanned his bare quarters. He was panting heavily, his hands gripping the sheets tightly and his clothes clung to him with sweat. He kicked the sheets away in an agitated manner and pulled his shirt off, letting the air-condition cool his overheated skin. A quick glance at the window let him know that it was already morning.

He ran his hands through his hair and ran them down his face harshly. Last night, his anxiety over Shizune's safety had not let him sleep easy; he was tossing and turning on his bed for hours. When he managed to finally sleep, he was then infested by that nightmare.

He groaned. They didn't receive an update from her team yesterday and he almost pulled his hair in worry, if not for Shikamaru's reassurances that they're probably en route and couldn't send any messages yet.

He shivered and clenched his teeth when the image of her blood spilling on the ground flashed in his mind. If anyone ever dares to hurt her, he will kill them.

He put his pen down and sighed. It's almost 8 in the evening and he just finished the last paper to sign for the day. Really, he can't wait to pass the Hokage title to Naruto so he can be done with the paper works. On top of that, they didn't get any update from Shizune and her team.

Kakashi knew that he shouldn't worry about her mission too much. Technically, it would be around 18 to 20 hours to get to their border with Kusagaruke and another 18 to 20 to get back to the village. But with the looming threat of those supposed rouge shinobi that attacked the Genin team, he couldn't help but feel agitated that he doesn't know her status or whereabouts.

And with my nightmares running rampant… he thought, disgruntled, and slammed his fist on the table.

The pen that he set down on the desk started to roll, falling down the edge of the table and landing near his foot. He sighed, pushing his chair back and bending down to pick it up. As he bent, his eye caught the attention of the bottommost drawer of his desk. He blinked. He doesn't remember what's in that drawer and, in the three months that he started working, he never bothered to ask Shizune nor Shikamaru about the contents of this drawer.

He knelt before it and pulled, only to find that it was locked. He was about to leave it at that but his interest was already piqued. He thought about using his chakra to simply force the drawer out when he remembered the set of spare keys that Shikamaru had handed him the day that he returned to work, which he usually puts in the top drawer when he gets in for work and, maybe, one of them is the key. He opened the top drawer and there, on top of his Icha Icha book, is the set of keys.

Now, I just have to figure out which one of these is the right one.

He tried several times and he's seriously thinking of doing his original idea of simply forcing the drawer out when a particular key finally fit the lock. He turned the latch successfully and he opened the drawer. Inside were few important papers with regards to village alliances and trade, which is probably why the drawer was kept under lock. He reached his hand inside and his fingers brushed against something smooth on the innermost corner of the drawer. The texture felt like velvet against his fingers but it was hard, as if it was a box.

He was about to yank the drawer out when frantic knocks sounded from the door. He shut the drawer and quickly locked it. Picking up the fallen pen, he sat down on his chair and called out for the person outside.

"Come in!"

Kiba, TenTen and Lee came in, all looking tired and breathless. Kakashi's heart almost stopped when he didn't see their fourth member.

Kakashi studied their faces, "Where's Shizune?" he asked as he felt his worry go through the roof at her absence.

"She went ahead to the hospital to make the antidote, Hokage-sama," Kiba explained and Kakashi heaved a big sigh of relief.

"She told us we could go ahead and report the mission to you, Kakashi-sama," TenTen added.

He nodded, "How come you're back so early? I thought you had to go to our border with Kusa?" he asked.

Kiba stepped forward, "We were supposed to go there but, luckily, Shizune-san noticed the plant halfway there and it was abundant in that part of the Land of Fire. She had us take seedlings so we can cultivate it here."

"But, Hokage-sama, we were attacked by rogue shinobi from Yukigakure," Lee informed and Kakashi's heart almost stopped.

"Are any of you hurt?" he asked, praying that nothing happened to Shizune.

"No but Shizune-san was wounded on her arm. She healed herself and said that it was nothing serious," TenTen explained.

Kakashi leaned back on his chair, "Explain what exactly happened."

"We were on our way back when we were attacked by five rogue shinobi wearing blank masks and white cloaks. It was about 20 to 30 kilometers from our village. We only knew they were from Yuki when they lowered their hoods and exposed the forehead protector around their necks. They said they were going to take Shizune-san and use her to draw you out of the village," Lee explained. Kakashi swallowed the ball of anger rising from his chest.

"They didn't reveal why they want you out of the village, Hokage-sama but they seem to know a bit about our village, like how Shizune-san was our Poison Specialist and how they knew that you would rescue her yourself if needs be," Kiba continued, "We managed to kill four of them, but the apparent leader tried to take Shizune-san away, if not for her quick thinking. However, he managed to escape by Substitution Jutsu."

"Shizune-san assumed that he may be calling for back-up but we weren't being chased nor attacked again on our way back," TenTen finished.

Kakashi's mind was racing. It confirmed his suspicion that Nadare had more comrades out and about and they're quickly closing in on the village. What they didn't know is the remaining numbers of their enemy. Shizune's team was attacked by five aggressors. Who's to say that they didn't have more than five remaining? Koyuki herself was not sure of the exact number of this rogue group. If they were being driven purely by revenge, then their main target would be Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. It appears that they have a bigger case at hand than they thought.

This shouldn't be a hard problem, Kakashi thought to himself. But he knows firsthand that they are a threat to their safety and the safety of the shinobi that he sends out on mission; especially if they just start to randomly attack Konoha shinobi just like the way they did the other day. And, based on the report of his ANBU, they're good with creating diversion and stealth that one of them sneaked in and attacked him.

And Shizune…

Kakashi looked up at his shinobi, "All right. Then we'll have to tighten the security of the village by ten-fold. We can't have another accident here. And I'll try to contact Koyuki-sama in the morning. We'll try if we can have some of her shinobi to coordinate with ours to hunt this rogue group down. We will not allow any more ninja of ours to get injured because of them," he explained and the three nodded.

"I would guess you haven't had rest since you left the other day. You can go home now and do the mission review tomorrow," he said and smiled reassuringly behind his mask. They thanked him and left the room, closing the door behind them. Kakashi sighed and closed his eyes, tilting his head back and leaning heavily on his chair. He never expected that an A-rank mission that he took almost a decade ago would come back at him and haunt his village, all for the sake of mindless revenge.

And Shizune…

Her safety was already compromised because he sent her on a dangerous mission. They were really planning to use her just to lure him out. If not for her thinking, she'd be taken by those nameless, faceless people already. What more if they found out that she was going out with him? They had just rebuilt their relationship a week ago and yet, Kakashi's already faced with a hard decision to make.

Kakashi made his way to the hospital, eyes downcast and dragging his feet. He was slightly slouched and his hands were buried deep inside his pockets. There are no other villagers around so he doesn't need to worry about them seeing him so miserable.

He stayed in his office for hours, going back and forth in his mind between how to handle the situation at hand and thinking about the safety of Shizune. He couldn't just leave her. Shizune had easily became the most important person in his life right now. She understands him, cares for him and, for some reason, loves him for who he is. He doesn't want to sound clingy but he craves for the attention and care that she gives him and he wants to reciprocate all of the love that she showed him because, of course, he loves her.

But, if those men were really out for his blood, they'd target the closest person to him first and, once they found out about his relationship with her, they would surely use her to hurt him. He doesn't know what he will do if they ever touch a strand of her hair. He wouldn't be able to live with the guilt that he had caused her to be hurt.

After debating with himself for hours, he decided that it would be better if he pushed her away. He had to face the reality that he cannot be with her and keep the dangers out of her life.

"Kakashi?" a voice in front of him said. He looked up and stared at the dark eyes of the woman that he loves. She was still in her mission gear, the sleeves of her shirt too long that he can't see her hands. She's obviously on the way to the Tower to meet him. Shizune was smiling gently at him, albeit tiredly, but she was looking at him with those gentle eyes full of concern and affection and he knows he lost his internal battle. Gazing into her eyes, he felt his resolve crumble.

Kakashi had always been a selfless person but for once, just this once, he wants to be selfish.

With renewed determination, he stepped closer to her and gathered her in his arms, feeling the warmth of her body seep through his clothes and onto his skin. He couldn't do it to the both of them; he wouldn't punish them heedlessly. He wants her near him always and he cannot push her away. He couldn't bear the thought of not having her warmth near him. He cannot do that. If he had to be at her side every second of the day to ensure her safety, then so be it.

He tightened his hold on her when he felt her own arms wrap around his torso. He buried his face on her neck and pushed down the sob that had made its way up to his throat. She didn't say anything yet; she understands him so well and knows that he will speak once he regained some of his composure. She simply ran her hands up and down his back in a soothing manner.

Kakashi breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of hospital still clinging on her skin. He wanted to stay just like this. With her in his arms, where he can keep her safe. It felt like coming home.

"Shizune…" he breathed.

She hummed questioningly.

Kakashi swallowed, "I'm so glad you're back."

"Hm? Did somebody miss me?" she teased and he didn't need to look at her to know that she's smiling. He didn't reply and simply nuzzled her neck. They were silent for a long time before he spoke again.

"I'm sorry, Shizune," he whispered against her skin. He was sorry for even thinking about pushing her away and not give her any reason. He wouldn't hurt her that way again. Kakashi vowed to himself that he will take care of her heart and not break it again.

She started and tried to get out of his embrace but he held on to her tight, not wanting her warmth away from him.

"What for? Kakashi, are you alright?" she asked.

Unbidden, a smile came on his lips, "I am now. Welcome home, Shizune."

A/N: a little later than usual, im so sorry! there are some adjustments on these chapter reason why chapter was uploaded late. thank you guys!