9 Years after the Nine Tails Attack, 20 years old.

"Missing?"

"Yes!" blubbered a woman as she clutched a blue scarf in her hands. "My son has been missing for nearly two days! No one has been able to find him and we don't know where he could have gone!"

Kakashi watched from a distance as the woman continued to sob. The officer taking her report looked uncomfortable, but sympathetic. This had been the fifth child to go missing in less than two weeks.

"What do you make of it, Hatake?" Miro asked, watching the woman as well.

Kakashi shook his head. "Sounds like kidnapping to me. Children don't just disappear like that." The pair had been assigned to lead a group to find the missing children. It wasn't something they were normally assigned to do, but it was part of the job. "Let's get that woman's final report and add it to the pile."

They got her report and pulled out the other reports they had, comparing the children to each other. They hadn't found much of a connection between them other than their age. All of the children were seven years old.

"There has to be something else that connects them," Kakashi said, rubbing his tired eyes.

"All of the parents claim their children never came home after school," said Miro. "Are they from the same neighborhood?"

"Not sure," he replied, "but let's see." He pulled out a map and marked where their houses were. "They all come from the same four block radius near the edge of the village. Easy to nab them and take them outside of village limits."

"I'll go scout that area for clues," Miro said, writing down the addresses. "Holler at me if you find something."

"I will," Kakashi replied, pouring over the files again. Besides living near each other, he did not find much else to connect the children. Kakashi pushed away the papers in front of him. "I'm going out for a walk," he said aloud to himself, standing up to walk outside, leaving the paperwork to the other investigators. This particular case seriously bothered him. Who would be horrible enough to steal school children? The information he knew rolled in his mind, over and over, but none of it made sense. Hardly any leads, no witnesses, and no known evidence to where they could have been taken.

Before he knew it, Kakashi found himself outside of the village, completely engulfed in his own thoughts. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. "Ow!" he yelled, putting his hand where a rock had hit him. He looked around, searching for who had thrown the rock. He caught a glimpse of long, raven black hair running in the opposite direction. He recognized the color, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen it. Immediately he gave chase to the figure.

"Hey!" he called out, suddenly remembering her name. "Nayamae!" She didn't look back at him. He was faster than her, but she was swifter. Her small frame allowed her to dodge between the trees quicker than Kakashi could maneuver around them. "Nayamae!"

He wasn't quite sure where she was leading him, but he kept an eye on her hair, which flew freely behind her and glimmered when the sun hit it. It suddenly struck him that he really admired the color of her hair. It reminded him of a raven's feathers with the faint tints of blue and pink when it reflected light. He was growing tired the further he chased her into the forest and away from the village.

She stopped at the edge of a cliff overlooking a river. She looked down at the water below before turning around to face him. They both stood staring at each other, taking a moment to catch their breath.

Nayamae spoke first. "I know where those kids are."

Kakashi blinked. "You do? Where are they?" She hesitated. "How do you know about the missing kids?" he continued before she could answer. "Were you the one who kidnapped them?" He felt himself getting angry at the thought of her being behind this crime. "What's happened to them?"

She put her hands up in front of her and took a small step back. "Whoa, hey! I'm not the one who took them! I only know where they are!"

He took a step forward, prompting her to step back again. "Where are they? I won't ask again." He felt his hand tingle as electricity gathered in his fingertips. Kakashi was done playing her games every time they met. He wanted a straight answer and he was going to get it without any distractions.

Her eyes glanced to his right hand as she sensed the chakra gathering there. She still had her hands up, "Listen-" she started, taking another step back, but found the cliff only extended so far. With a high-pitched yelp, she slipped from the edge, falling into the water not far below.

Immediately, Kakashi was at the edge of the cliff, quickly diving in after her. He swam towards her as she splashed about, unsuccessfully keeping her head above the water. He put his arm around her, pulling her towards the riverbank, his legs kicking hard against the current, his free arm grasping at the water in front of him. He pulled her onto the sand as she coughed and spat water.

They lay in the sand, both catching their breath. "Shit," Nayamae muttered, coughing up more water. "You seem to have a knack for things like this." She moved her soaked hair out of her face, turning to look up at him.

"Well, if you would stop needing help so much, we wouldn't have to deal with this," Kakashi retorted, sitting up. "Swimming isn't a strength of your is it?"

She shot him a glare. "When it catches you by surprise, it's a little more difficult." She gripped the edge of her shirt and twisted it, letting the water drip to the ground.

He shrugged his now soaked vest off his shoulders, setting it aside on some nearby rocks. He took off his headband, keeping his eye shut tight. He took off his shoes as well, pouring out whatever water remained. He turned back to Nayamae who remained sitting, now squeezing her wet hair with her hands. "Now, tell me what you know about those missing children. I have quite a few families who are waiting to hear anything about them."

She paused and looked up at him, her eyes full of sadness. "What I tell you won't be good news," she admitted. She glanced at his right hand. "There's no reason for you to use your electricity on me," she told him, looking back up at his face. "I'm going to cooperate this time."

Kakashi looked at her skeptically. "How do I know that?"

She let go of her hair and held out her hands to him. "Arrest me if you don't trust me. I help you get those kids, I'll get my kitsunebi back."

"Still haven't gotten that back, have you?" He crossed his arms as she shook her head. "What makes you think helping me with these kids will help you get that back?"

She hesitated again. "Because," she started, taking a deep breath before continuing, "Orochimaru is using those kids for something. I'm not quite sure what."

"Tell me everything you know," Kakashi pressed. He watched her face contort as though it physically hurt to talk. He knelt beside her. "Please," he said softly.

Nayamae shut her eyes tightly, feeling a sharp pain stab inside her head. She knew exactly what it was, but was unable to say it. She shook her head and tightly took hold of Kakashi's arm. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a small groan came out as the pain in her head grew. "I-I can't…!" she finally managed to shout. The pain in her head lessened. "I can't!" she repeated. "I… I can't…" The pain dissipated like the air out of a balloon.

Kakashi couldn't help but feel a slight bit of disappointment. He loosened her grip on his arm, putting her hand at her side. She felt his touch linger for a moment, but ignored it as she suddenly got an idea. "I may not be able to tell you," she said, slowly standing up, "but I think I'll be able to show you."

"Show me," he echoed, standing up as well. He wasn't sure what it was that made him think she was telling him the truth. There was something about her that seemed to be different. It may have been that she wasn't actually looking at him with hatred in her eyes. She seemed to legitimately want to help him. Or maybe because her wet clothes were clinging to her body, which, he had to admit, was distracting him much more than he wanted.

She patted herself down, brushing the sand off of her wet clothes. "It's a little further from here," she admitted.

"How much further?" he asked.

"About a day's walk," she replied sheepishly.

Kakashi huffed then shook his head. "We'll need some provisions then."

"You don't have any with you already? I mean, I can fend for myself just fine, but what were you doing walking around in the woods?"

"Certainly not for anything that required supplies. And even if I did bring some they would have been washed away in the river," Kakashi replied, feeling his vest to see how dry it was. It was still damp. "You'll have to come back with me to get some," he told her, shrugging on the damp vest.

"Go back with you to the village?" Nayamae said as she watched him tie his headband around his head. He sat down to put his shoes on. "I can't go there!"

"Why not?" he asked. "I'm not going to let you go anywhere by yourself anyway. You're a key part of an investigation. You're not going to be arrested."

She frowned. "Yet," she muttered.

"Besides," he continued, standing back up, "you want your kitsunebi back, don't you? You help me, I help you. That's the way this works." She continued to frown as he went to the water's edge to wash the sand from his hands. "It shouldn't take long. I just have to grab a few things and fill in Miro on what's happening."

Nayamae groaned. "Oh, great. He's your partner?"

He nodded. "Yes, and you'll work with him if you don't want to be arrested so suck it up." She glared at him, but he ignored her. "Let's get going. We can't waste any more time." She began to follow him back towards the village when he suddenly stopped, quickly turning back to her. "One more thing," he started, pointing a finger under her chin, "if you try any games with me or Miro, there will be hell to pay. If you lie to either of us at any point, I won't hesitate to electrocute you. You tell the truth, be honest with us, and lead us to the missing children, we will work out a deal for you."

"...And get my kitsunebi back," Nayamae added.

Kakashi sighed irritably. "No games, fox. I mean it."

She put her hand up. "No games," she promised.

He nodded. "Good."

After reaching the village gates, it took Kakashi some coaxing to get Nayamae to enter the village. At first, she refused, promising she would stay just outside, waiting for Kakashi to return. He didn't trust her enough to stay as she promised, so instead, he reasoned to her that it would take less time if they went in together than if they separated. Finally, after several minutes of arguing back and forth, she agreed to go with him into the village.

As they walked, Nayamae kept staring at her feet, keeping Kakashi close ahead of her. She ran into his back when he suddenly stopped to the sound of someone calling his name.

"Kakashi!" The voice belonged to a man in a green suit, with black bowl-cut hair, and large eyebrows. "It's been too long!" the man said, joyfully greeting his long-time rival. Kakashi looked as though he wished he were anyone else. "Where have you been?"

"Busy," he replied shortly, trying to push past him. Nayamae grabbed onto the back of Kakashi's shirt so she wouldn't lose him in the growing crowd of the market. "I don't have time to talk, Guy."

"Oh," Guy said disappointedly. He spotted Nayamae standing close behind Kakashi, looking uncomfortable, quickly shifting his mood again. "But who do we have here?" he asked, smiling widely at his friend. He nudged him with his elbow, giving him a wink. "Never seen you on a date before!"

"No, Guy," he denied irritably. "We're not here for that." He lowered his voice. "I've been trying to find some missing children. She's my guide to finding them. We're just here to pick up supplies."

"Missing children, you say?" Guy's face grew serious. "Let me help. How many are missing?" he asked, bringing his voice down to an almost whisper.

"Five," he replied.

"Make that seven," Miro said, walking up to them. "Two more were reported missing while you were gone," he told Kakashi. He spotted Nayamae. "What's she doing here?"

"She's-" Kakashi started.

"I'm here to help," she said, letting go of Kakashi's shirt. "I know where they are and who has them. You won't find them without me." She stared at him, daring him to deny her.

Miro glanced between the two of them. "Fine." He turned to his partner. "You better explain what's going on here on the way." He turned to Guy. "You're welcome to join us. We could use you."

Guy smiled. "You can count on me!"

The group gathered supplies for a few days trip, getting extra for the children they would soon be rescuing. As they left the village, Miro barraged Nayamae with questions on what she knew about the children.

"I promise to tell you what I can when we stop for the night!" she snapped after feeling the stabbing pain in her head for the fourth time that day. "There's only so much I'm able to tell you."

Miro looked back at Kakashi, giving him an irritated look. Kakashi just shook his head and gave him a signal that meant "wait."

Well looks like things will be picking up for this group soon! Adding Guy into the mix will definitely add some much needed humor to this.

Thanks for reading!