Hey all! Sorry this is a week later than expected. Tropical Storm Isaias (hurricane elsewhere) hit my town hard. A huge tree actually fell in our yard and just missed my room! Yikes! I hope none of you were too deeply affected. Don't know if I've ever seen wind like that. The trees looked like they were hula-hooping.

Thank you all for your patience, especially Vivi. Your comment was so sweet, and I'm sorry for the delay! But hopefully it's worth it! This is a big boy. Two parts, actually. I really had to dig deep. I've written a lot academically, but very little creatively. So this was a huge challenge. But that also means I'm super proud! I apologize for any glaring errors, big or small. I did my best to give it a tired once-over, but I wanted to get this out sooner than later.

Also, in the future, I think I'll try to put up an update for any delays on my bio (which is currently blank, so it won't be hard to find).

Phew! Alright. Let the games begin.

Chapter 9: The Tiger and the Lion (Part 1)

As Lee and Guy tramped all over the vast cavern, opening doors and shoving their heads into barrels, Kakashi spent his own time gnashing his teeth, cringing, and wincing. When Lee actually called, "Grandma-Hatsu? Are you there?" into some dark hallway, Kakashi almost swore. Guy quickly advised her to continue searching quietly, while remaining very loud himself.

Mizuchi Lee's personal mission was to save her beloved grandmother figure from a horrible fate, but Kakashi's was to protect his village and its secrets. So while she and Guy were busy, Kakashi summoned the ninja hound Pakkun. He gave a quick report on the situation—to be relayed to the Hokage—and made sure to include the warning on the door and a request for more detailed information as soon as possible. His small companion's smushed face remained stoic and disinterested throughout, but Kakashi had complete faith the pug would relay every word and intonation precisely. When Kakashi had finished, Pakkun nodded and took off with a single quip:

"You might want to get a handle on those two before they blow something up. There's flash powder in that barrel by the way," he said, jutting his chin toward a barrel Lee was trying to pry open with a pickaxe. Kakashi quickly intervened.

I thought she had some sense, but I think she lost it the second she hopped on the Guy-train. And why the hell would she think her grandmother would be in a barrel?

"Leave no stone unturned, Mizu-chan!" Guy called, from where he was sorting through piles of coal. "You never know what those diabolical fiends are thinking!"

"Yes, Guy-sama! I will search high and low!"

"Do not forget the middle, Mizu-chan! It is often overlooked!"

"I will pay special attention to the middle, Guy-sama!"

What are these two on? Kakashi looked from Guy, whose face, green suit, and hands were streaked with coal dust, to Lee, who was making her way back up the ramp toward the tunnel to "search high". Literally. Kakashi cringed.

"Lee-san," Kakashi called warningly.

"Yes, Hatake-san?"

"Please don't set a foot back into that tunnel. We still don't know what kind of 'entering' that door was referring to. And don't touch those scrolls, either. They might be dangerous."

"Yes, Hatake-san."

Kakashi sighed and walked toward the far end of the cavern. Well if you can't beat them…He bit his thumb and summoned his ninja hound unit in a poof of smoke, with the exception of Pakkun, of course.

"Alright, gang. We're looking for an exit to this room. Other than the one up that ramp. If you see anything, or smell or hear anyone other than me, Guy, and that girl up there, let me know right away. Fan out!" With a wave of Kakashi's arm, the ninja hounds were off, bounding, slinking, sniffing, searching.

Lee peered down at the pack curiously, looking equal parts intrigued and intimidated. Kakashi squinted up at her, wondering how many dogs she had met before today. He watched her return to...not ransacking bookshelves, but a slow, systematic scan of the room. He was quite certain, from the way her chin would click into place occasionally, that she had divided the room into quadrants. In the manner of Sasuke…and right after flying all over the room in a frenzy like Guy. Rather impressionable, isn't she? He doubted she realized what she was doing, but he thought he could see the shadow of Sasuke behind her face, which looked much stonier than usual. Kakashi smirked. Copy ninja, huh? No Sharingan, but there's a girl who would soak up any lesson like a sponge. I wonder if that's why Guy took on her brother…

"Kakashi," called a gray dog with a tuft of black hair atop his head, not unlike a mohawk. He loped over, head low to the ground and back hunched. Kakashi crouched down to greet him.

"What's up?"

"There's a path over there, behind those rocks. I think your pup noticed too. A hidden door. It's faint, but I smell something behind it. Actually—Do you guys hear that?"

One of the other dogs let out a low, whistling whine, pawing at the stone. He looked back at Kakashi, nibbled at his haunch suddenly, then trotted about in a circle looking anxious.

"Alright, good job, Shiba. You too, Bisuke. I'll take it from here. Wait, what pup?" Kakashi frowned down at the gray dog.

"The one that smells like you." Kakashi frowned deeper and looked up at Lee, who was already making her way down at a jog.

"Ah. My vest," Kakashi nodded. "She's not my pup." The dog shook a little, as if to shrug.

"She's got two legs, doesn't she? Well, you know where to find us." He disappeared with a poof. The others followed suit, forms lost in little puffs of smoke all over the cavern.

"Hatake-san, there's something funny about the wall over there," Lee called.

"I know. Guy and I will check it out. Stay up there, alright? And stay low so you can't be seen from below."

"I want to help."

"You don't show the enemy all your cards," Guy grinned up at her, as he strode over to Kakashi confidently, slapping the other jonin on the shoulder. "You're our ace," Guy smiled handsomely and shot Lee a thumbs up, to which she beamed, seemingly unaffected by how ridiculous he looked covered in soot.

Kakashi and Guy took their places, the first behind a pile of crates to the left of the "door" and the second behind a mound of coal on the right. And then they waited, kunai poised.

Tip tap tip. Water dripped from a stalactite above onto the surface of the lake. Ripples spread outward until they grew so fine that the water seemed undisturbed.

Tip tap tip. It was not a genjutsu this time, but the sound was unnerving all the same.

Tip tap tip. It made sense, being that Grandma Hatsu lived in the mountains, and this cavern was so far below the earth, that it would take her much longer to get here. It made sense then, too, that she had not been fast enough to bring any help from the village when Lee was facing the bandits.

She would be alright, surely. That kind old woman. Maybe there were traps in her tunnel as well, ones only Grandma Hatsu knew to avoid. Maybe she had lost the enemy and even now was making her way through some winding stone corridor. To the cavern. To the Village. To the Hokage. They would find her, or she would find them, and together they would squash this plot for good. The mountains would be safe again. And if Lee's parents disowned her for her part in this adventure, then the girl would move in with Grandma Hatsu.

Together, they would work the land.

Lee would get stronger and older. Maybe she would fight bandits again, and she would repel them with longer limbs and fiercer eyes. And then, when Grandma Hatsu was too old for the labor, they would move into the heart of the Village. Maybe above a bakery or a flower shop. And Lee would meet all manners of people, and they would look at her muscles and tanned skin and think she was a capable sort. She would be not a delicate flower, but a vined fruit that climbed its way toward the light and provided for others. And she would never embroider or fold a tea cloth or dance for anything other than fun. She would be useful. She would answer to no one.

Tap tap. Tap tap.

And again.

Tap tap. Tap.

A rustle.

Those were footsteps. And just a little quieter. Voices.

"...open?"

A thump.

"...open!?"

A little louder.

"...old woman! I'm...games!"

Another thump.

Then, closer and louder and colder. A female voice:

"Open the door, woman. We will know the answer soon. Save yourself the pain."

"Never!"

Lee bolted upright. "Grandma Hatsu!" she whispered loudly.

Kakashi waved at her frantically to get down. She pointed at the door and mouthed the same name. He gave her a nod and a firm look that said, "I know," and then he gestured again for her to get down. She complied reluctantly.

A strangled scream, muffled through stone, pierced the air ominously. A few small rocks crumbled above, landing in the lake and on rock jutting out on the walls.

Lee's heartbeat and breath were loud in her ears.

After a minute of silence, the stone door, several feet thick, slowly slid down into the earth below it. A cat walked into the room. It sniffed the air distastefully. Kakashi narrowed his eyes. It was the cat. The cat. The one that had been in his possession so many times. And he was sure she could smell, if not where they were, traces of him, Guy, Lee, and all the ninja hounds.

Behind her, from the shadows came a man. He was broad and tall, each arm as wide around as Lee's entire body. One fist the size of a small melon. His hair was orange and thick, sideburns and beard bridging the gaps to form a wild mane. Stray hairs grew close to his nose. They looked like whiskers. Despite his bulk, as he padded into the cavern—half dragging, half-carrying a pallid Grandma Hatsu from one melon—he was almost silent.

He wore no shoes, but had a metal staff across his back. On the tip of the staff were two gold hoops, one set within the other and each with smaller hoops of gold looped around them, jingling faintly like a cat with a bell around its neck.

From above, as he turned to look around suspiciously, Lee saw the muscles of his vast back ripple under his skin like those of a mountain lion. She shuddered and fought the urge to edge back. Beside the man, Grandma Hatsu's hair, normally in a rough bun at the back of her neck, was hanging limply around her face, blocking it from view. Lee wanted to see that face desperately. She wanted the old woman to look up, for their eyes to meet by chance, to give her hope and reassurance in a single, meaningful look.

The man let out a low rumble of amusement, gazing around the room.

"So this is the prize your master seeks?" boomed his deep voice. "It is impressive. But I do not see any scrolls."

"We are not alone here, Shishi. Watch your tongue."

The man lowered down at the cat.

"I'm well aware, Tora."

The cat hissed and arched her back, tail flicking angrily.

"Do not call me that, boy. I have suffered for this cause."

Shishi laughed from his belly, "You have grown fat, little friend."

He nudged her with one large toe. She hissed again and swiped, leaving a shallow red gash across his foot.

"You have grown fatter too!"

Then all tension dissolved, and they laughed like old friends.

As this transpired, all Lee could think was, The scrolls! They're looking for the scrolls! Below, Kakashi and Guy were listening closely, studying their enemy and learning as much as they could.

"Come out, dogs of the Leaf," Shishi called, "So I may crush you with my fists!"

"Yes, come out to play, little mice," said the cat, pawing at the ground. "Before the others arrive and I have to share my prey."

Still Kakashi and Guy remained in hiding.

Shishi held up Grandma Hatsu by her thin hair. Her face was bruised, her lip busted, nose bleeding. Her kimono hung half open over her bound chest. She looked ragged and broken, and all hope had left her eyes.

Lee clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her scream. She sobbed silently into the earth. Oh Grandma Hatsu!

"Do you not value your elders in this village? Where I am from, the strength of our youth is second only to the wisdom of our elders. They are the finest of hunters. Come, or she will die!"

Kakashi stepped out from behind the crates.

"We value our elders as much as our young. This woman," Kakashi motioned toward Grandma Hatsu, "is a civilian. You have gotten the information you needed from her, now please let her go."

Grandma Hatsu looked up at Kakashi pleadingly.

"Run, boy," she rasped. "Get the Hokage. It is an evil day in Konoha."

"Release her!" Kakashi demanded.

"Do as he asks," drawled the cat, with a feline smirk. Shishi complied, dropping the woman. There was a quiet crack! as her knee hit the floor. She stumbled to her feet, only to cry out and fall again. Lee shoved her fist in her mouth, tasting dirt. Grandma Hatsu hobbled forward slowly, watery eyes determinedly set on the tunnel door above. She advanced past Kakashi, not sparing him a glance. She had to get to the village. She had to tell the Hokage.

The cat kept her gaze trained on Kakashi, watching for any sudden movements. But Shishi followed Grandma Hatsu's trajectory as she plodded away. His eyes found the door to the tunnel, then panned to the right. Kakashi's heart skipped a beat, but he kept his breath steady and his muscles relaxed. Bringing that girl here was a mistake. But she's too high to be seen. As long as she stays low.

"I see scrolls," Shishi pointed upward. Kakashi fought the urge to wince, keeping his practiced eye dull.

The cat looked away from Kakashi for a second, to confirm Shishi's discovery.

"Why are you here?" Kakashi asked suddenly. The cat's head, and Shishi's mane, snapped back toward him. "Why do you need scrolls?" He prayed Lee would have the good sense to ignore his previous advice and help Grandma Hatsu into the tunnel and out of sight. And he lamented the old woman's injury, for which he was partially to blame. She had made such little headway she may as well have crawled.

"We are here to bring glory to our village and restore peace to our mountain," the cat said evenly, in a distinguished voice.

"By breaking into our village?" Kakashi raised a brow.

The cat sniffed in distaste.

"No, ninja. We seek the power hidden here. We need it to protect our village from the petty nobles who seek to destroy our ancient lands for material gain."

"What village is that?"

"The Village of Cats," said the cat and Shishi together.

"I've never heard of such a place," admitted Kakashi.

"That is as it should be," rumbled Shishi. "We keep to Neko Mountain. We are an old village. And a peaceful village. A village where cats and humans hunt and live as one. Most of your ninja cats can trace their roots to our village, for our cats are the quickest and the brightest. But we are no ninja village. We are a village of hunters, who may use jutsu. We are powerful, but unlike you ninja, we do not concern ourselves in the bickering of nobles and lords.

"But our paw has been forced," hissed the cat. "Our trees are being cut. Our animals are being hunted for game by people with no claim to the land. Our land is being razed and plowed, when it is already abundant with food. Lights still burn in the darkest hours of night, disrupting the mountain's slumber. I sought the Village Elder. But he would not raise one paw to help. And so, one by one, I spoke with cat and man. None would sharpen their claws and take a stand. None but the priest, Shishi." The cat turned to her comrade, sharp eyes softening marginally.

"I am the largest man in my village," he said proudly, puffing out his broad chest, "and the great grandson of the elder. I am a priest. And where Yamaneko Shun saw unrest in the mountains, I saw unrest among the gods and spirits of that mountain. They grew weaker and ill. Their lights were fading. And so when Shun sought my help, I followed without question."

The cat continued where Shishi had left off, and Kakashi knew the pair had wanted to share their story and anger for so long, that he was no longer an enemy but an audience. He wished Grandma Hatsu would walk faster.

"Together, Shishi and I left our village in search of the power needed to take our mountain back. We set out, in the earliest hour of morning, when even cats may sleep. We did not seek out the nobles who 'owned' our land. There is no reasoning with these humans. They have lost the way of the mountain. Their roads are too straight. Their buildings—too tall." She shook her head. "They would not understand."

"They would never understand," growled Shishi.

"We journeyed far," said Shun, eyes distant, "through mountain and forest. Until we found an ally. Someone who understood. He truly understood. Our pain. Our anger. Our crying spirits. He said he could give us the power we sought. He could provide the jutsu we need. And he knew of this place, this tunnel and cavern, but not where the entrance lay."

"Shun infiltrated your village, this loud place you call Konoha. With ease. Disguised as a common house pet, she gathered information for months. She suffered much humiliation and injustice"—Shun batted at the bow on her ear testily—"until one day, she heard a rumor of a secret tunnel through the mountains, leading all the way to the Hokage's back door. It was what we were searching for. So Shun and I sought out our ally. He provided us with the assistance of more men than my entire village. Bandits, assassins, rogue ninja. They all scoured the mountain, until they found that old woman."

Shun smirked at the old woman's back, like she was a tasty mouse. "She was suspicious. Too protective. The men called for me and I came. And I realized at once, from the shadows, that she knew the secret. She knew where the entrance lay. But her young chosen-kin protected her, and I hid and watched. She was fierce like the Yamaneko of the mountain. She had the mountain in her." Shun's eyes gleamed.

"She came again, that child, and saw me," continued Shun. "This time, she ran. She was fast. Fast for two legs. I have no doubt she is the reason you are here. If she were younger, I would lead her away in the night and raise her in the mountains." Shun looked wistful, almost longing.

Kakashi's fingers tightened around his kunai.

I hope Pakkun reaches the Hokage quickly. I knew Lee-san wouldn't be safe here, but I didn't think they would want her specifically.

"But that is enough reminiscing. Her chosen-kin has suffered at our hands, so it cannot be. We have need of those scrolls. If you let us take them freely, we will let you and the old mountain-human live. Even though you smell of dogs. If you do not retreat…"

The cat gave the wild man a look. He cracked his knuckles and widened his stance.

"I will crush you," he grinned.

"I can't let you take those scrolls. It will put our entire village in danger. I don't know what your ally told you, but diplomacy is the only way to save your mountain. If you fight the nobles, they will think you are wild and unreasonable, and they will hire the Leaf to take you out. I can speak to the Hokage on your behalf. If your village is truly peaceful, let us be your ally." Kakashi tried to smile as encouragingly as possible.

"It is too late for peace, ninja," glared Shishi. "The damage is done, we must take our land back in whole. We do not wish to share. Or engage in trade. We do not want our location known. All of those things will be asked of us. The Village of the Cats does not have taxes or money. We will not be understood. So we will fight until we are left alone."

Kakashi opened his mouth to retort.

"Beast Hunter jutsu!" said Shishi and Shun as one.

The stripes on the cat's head stretched down her spine and then spread around her body. Shishi's mane of hair flared out and lengthened. Shun's limbs lengthened and her muscles grew, until she stood a foot taller. Not quite a tiger, but a fierce, striped cat with dangerous yellow eyes. Shishi's muscles bulged, and the hair on his arms, chest and legs grew thicker. His pupils narrowed to slits, and his nails and teeth grew sharper and longer. More deadly.

Kakashi thought quickly. He would see how strong they were, before giving away Guy's position. If Shun knew Kakashi was not alone, she seemed to have grown accustomed to the scent and forgotten he was there. If he could distract both the tiger-cat and lion-man sufficiently, Guy might be able to sneak Grandma Hatsu and Lee out of the cavern and into the relative safety of the tunnel. But then, before he could act, with a fierce yowl, Shun bounded straight over Kakashi's head to pounce on Grandma Hatsu, who was almost at the slope that led to the tunnel exit. The woman fell to the ground with a cry of surprise. Lee shrieked above and started to run toward her. Kakashi swore.

Guy launched himself out of hiding and with a flying kick, sent the cat flying into the cliffside, where some of the rock crumbled around her from the sheer force of impact. Shun let out a yelping meow, and Shishi roared with rage, mane bristling. He charged toward Guy, who was turning over Grandma Hatsu while shouting at Lee to stay back. Kakashi swept one of the lion-man's legs out from under him, sending him spiraling to the ground, which shook from his weight as he fell. Shishi grabbed at Kakashi's leg, trying to pull him down with him, but Kakashi jumped backwards out of reach at the last second. The man leapt to his feet in a single motion, then stalked Kakashi, giving him a wide berth as he pulled the staff from his back.

Behind them, Shun wormed herself free of the debris, sliding out where the rocks were lightest, as easily as if through water. She gave a little indignant shake and licked a cut on her paw, before lowering her front half to the ground, and then her back half as well. Her muscles tensed up as she crept forward, stripes furrowing as she compressed.

She sprung onto Guy, teeth bared and eyes like lamps in the dim room. The force of her flight knocked Guy back, but he kept those unforgiving fangs from his neck with a driving punch to her cheek. He flipped backwards as he fell, never hitting the ground till his feet connected. He shook out his hand, bloodied from where it connected with the cat's jaw. Shun was already back on her own feet, circling him. Her eyes glinted dangerously. She was twitchy, and anything similar to humanity had vanished from her eyes. She was commanded by instinct now.

Lee started down the slope, her feet clumsy with panic and shock. She was at Grandma Hatsu's side, far too close to the feral Shun, rolling the old woman over gently, cradling her head. Her quivering left hand grew wet with blood. The woman's skull was cracked.

"Grandma Hatsu!" Lee whimpered, tears flowing like twin rivers down her cheeks and onto the ashen face, so that it seemed like she too was crying. "Oh Grandma Hatsu!"

The old woman raised a hand weakly to the girl's cheek, caressing it so lightly it might have been a breeze.

"What are you doing here, my brave little treasure?" The light in her eyes flickered weakly, like a candle buffeted by the wind.

Lee grasped the hand with both of hers, keeping it from falling back to the cold earth.

"Please don't leave me, Grandma," Lee begged. "I still have so much to learn from you. I can't go back to my parents now. I need you. I belong with you!" She held the hand to her cheek, staring beseechingly into the woman's eyes.

"This world…," she said, "...has so much to offer you, my child. If anyone in this world," blood gurgled suddenly in her throat. Lee gasped and turned her over slightly. The woman choked through the blood, then gasped in a sweet but painful rush of air. "If anyone...in this world was born to live, it is you. You are so vibrant and strong. Do not waste away as I have. You—!" She coughed fitfully, her hand latching onto Lee's forearm like a viper. "You...and your brother...are forces to be reckoned with. Do not lose to him."

Grandma Hatsu choked and spasmed, Lee sobbing onto her chest, begging her to stay. Shishi and Kakashi grew still. Kakashi's eyes dulled. Guy stood, staring down at the pair tearfully. Conscience returned to Shun, and she looked away in discomfort.

Grandma Hatsu grew still and all was silent.

Then, sharp and grating:

"The sna-ake!"

Grandma Hatsu choked through her blood, eyes wild and fearful. Her body shot upward for a second.

"It is...the snake!"

And she fell back to Lee's lap and the earth, the fear still contorting her face as it stiffened in death.

"May your soul rest in the mountain of your fathers," Shishi prayed solemnly, striking the ground with the foot of his staff. The vibration rang through the metal rod and the gold rings chimed, a ghostly knell that rang in their ears long after the sound had faded. He bowed his head.

As the chime faded, reality rushed back. Grandma Hatsu's warning hit Kakashi like a hoof to the chest. The snake. Cold sweat slid down his spine. The snake. Their ally…is...He looked to Guy, who was already staring at him. For a second, they shared in fear. And then, just as Shishi picked up his staff, and they prepared to fight again, there was a flood of footsteps, echoing in the lower tunnel beside them.

It was not a march. It was like a chorus of cicadas, utter chaos with no rhyme or reason. It was impossible to tell how many people were making their way into this belly of the earth. It could have been five. It could have been a hundred.

"Guy!" Guy nodded in agreement, raising his fists. They had to take these two out before more arrived, or they would be overwhelmed.

Kakashi struck, Shishi dodged. Shishi swept the floor with his staff, but Kakashi jumped. Shun pounced, Guy spun. Guy punched, but Shun rolled. They all danced around Lee and her fallen grandmother, as she cried quietly and mourned, trading blows and dealing slights. The lion-man and cat did not use her life to bargain, but respected her grief. As if it was not of their own doing, but some unfortunate consequence of the ways of the world.

Kakashi felt his body growing tired. Guy seemed to be gaining the upper hand in his own fight; while the striped feline seemed ragged and moved jerkily, he was still full of energy and flowed from one move to the next. True to their word, Shishi was no ninja, and Shun was no ninja cat. They had used a jutsu to supplement their strength and heighten their instincts, but they did not fight with ninjutsu.

After Shishi landed a blow square in Kakashi's gut, knocking the air from him,—How can someone so large be so fast?!—Kakashi knew his taijutsu would not be enough. When Shishi charged him again, Kakashi twisted and, with the help of his chakra, sent the giant flying back into the crates with a perfect kick. Shishi groaned, struggling to extricate himself.

"Ox!"

.

.

.

"Hare!"

.

.

.

"Monkey!"

.

.

.

Kakashi gripped his wrist.

"Lightning Blade!"

Lee looked up blearily.

A blue light blazed in the palm of his hand. A ball of electricity striking outward in every direction. The shrill chirp, trill, and chitter of a thousand birds crackled through the air. The room around him was darker than dark against the dazzling glare of the lightning chakra.

He was the only one in the room, hair blazing blue in the cool light.

He was the only one in the cavern, flying across the stone so fast he ceased to be human.

He was the only one in the world, as the blade planted in the stomach of the dumbfounded Shishi, who froze for a second, then soared backward like a feather in a gust, impacting the wall fifty feet away.

It was like a judgement of a god. That was the weapon of a god. Lightning in the hand of man.

And Lee was in awe.

She looked from Kakashi, who still clutched the wrist of his blistered hand, sparks sputtering about it, to the unconscious Shishi, and back. All her grief was forgotten. Something surged in her chest. Something awoke. Some strange light filled her heart and eyes, and all the rest of her. This world was full. She needed to see it.