Thank you to: Hiei's Gothic Angel, Komikitty, RukaIayLomperGay, ruka-kun, dk-joy, Zezura, Turin, anni-may, Xeora, kakashidiot, Krows Scared, Karaji, kit, souna no hime, MetAciDe, Sunshine Pie, Kadiya, PinkScales, CuriousDreamWeaver for taking the time to reveiw chapters 7 and 8.

and thank you to everyone for patiently waiting for this chapter to be out. It's long overdue in appearing and I'm really really sorry for having taken my own sweet time with it.

Disclaimer: never owned anything of Naruto

Chapter 9

Dawn was breaking. In the dark shady forests of Konoha, Kakashi was training. Kakashi took himself through a set of exercises, gently stretching his taut muscles. Then, his actions changed.His movements became more aggressive, faster, until he was a blur of green and black attacking at the rapidly fading shadows. And then they slowed, gentled, becoming more like flexible water, executing the moves with ease and fluidity, until at last, Kakashi stood still, his taijutsu practice completed.

In the distance a cock crowed and a particular someone awoke with a heavy heart.

Iruka sat up abruptly. His forehead drenched in sweat. It's alright, it's only a nightmare.

He had dreamed of finding his lover drenched in blood, screaming away while he watched helplessly. Kakashi... The space beside him was cold and empty, devoid of all the warmth and passion they had previously shared. Iruka wrapped his face in his hands, a foreboding feeling welling up inside him. Kakashi's leaving today...

"Iruka."

"Kakashi! Have you had breakfast yet?" Iruka was preparing breakfast in the kitchen when Kakashi appeared at the doorway. "I'm making your favourite..." Iruka stopped short at the cold hard glare in Kakashi's eyes.

In three strides Kakashi had the teacher in his arms, his mouth, his hands. He kissed Iruka fiercely, driven by desire and desperation. A desire to mark this chuunin his and keep him forever and a desperation to leave before he could hurt Iruka more. "Forget about me." Kakashi whispered in Iruka's ear.

"What?" Dazed by the kiss, Iruka looked up, bewildered.

"I said forget about me!" Kakashi thundered. The jounin turned away, averting his gaze from Iruka.

"Forget about me, forget about us. This mission... who knows what will happen. Best that you forget about me before anything happens. You're a good person Iruka, you deserve better."

"No" Iruka shook his head in disbelief. "No! How can you just walk away from all this? I thought you cared for me, I though we had something together? I thought you loved me."

"Love? Do you think this is love then?" Kakashi turned around and forced his lips down on Iruka. His tongue sought entry into Iruka's sweet mouth. It was a kiss meant to punish, to conquer. But Iruka melted into his arms, unperturbed by the bruising conquest. Iruka sighed.

"If this is love to you, then it must be so, Kakashi.. I can't forget you, just like you can never forget me."

Kakashi stiffened; he stood, ramrod straight, his expression cold and closed. "You think too highly of yourself. I can forget you as easily as all the other whores I've taken." With that, he walked right out of the apartment, right out of Iruka's life.

Iruka reeled back, stunned. He looked at the retreating back in disbelief. "Get out! Get the hell out you bastard!" But Kakashi was already gone. Iruka crumpled onto the floor. How did things turn out this way? Just a while ago he was snug and warm in Kakashi's arms... Kakashi you big fat idiot... Why did you push me away like this... Tears fell uncontrollably as the pancakes sizzled and blackened in the pan.

Kakashi felt his heart splintering inside him. He almost doubled over with the pain. Pausing in his stride, he let coldness overtake his body. The frost gradually seeped into his bones, the cold numbing the pain insidehim.

He'd done it. Walking away from Iruka was the hardest thing he had ever had to do, and he'd done it. It was all that he could do. He had to walk away before he destroyed Iruka even more. Nails dug into his palm, but the numbness took that pain away too.

Iruka was a mistake from the start. Yet, Kakashi had led himself believe in the lie. That he could escape his demons and live a happily ever after like any normal person. He was wrong. He, Hatake Kakashi, not for the first time was wrong.

He could never provide Iruka security and comfort. He could never provide Iruka with a future. And Iruka deserved more, Iruka deserved more then him,a worthless soldier. Kakashi was a fighter constantly on the battlefield. For him, there is no future, only the haunting deeds from the past and the cold cruel present.

Kakashi knew what it was like to grieve. He'd done that too many a times and damn if he'll let Iruka live through that. Better to severe all ties and shorten the grief then let Iruka mourn about the 'could have beens' if they had stayed together...

Kakashi's head hurt. It hurt like hell. Kakashi pushed away images of Iruka and surrendered himself to the cold. His chances of survival on this mission were slim. But killing Orochimaru would be a worthy sacrifice. Perhaps his name would be carved there, together with Sandaime, his sensei, Obito...

"You ready to go?" Tsunade inquired. Her astute eyes taking in the haunted piercing gaze.

"Anytime," Kakashi replied.

"Right. Last we heard, Orochimaru's lair is found around here. Remember that the first strategy is bait. You have the equipment?"

"Yes," came the curt reply.

Inwardly, Tsunade sighed. Kakashi had switched to the cold heartless fighter mode. And while it did increase his strength and prowess, it turned him into an unfeeling machine. The chilling look he gave held no signs of warmth that were so evident in his eyes the past few weeks. "Then I wish you good luck. We will come as soon as you call for us."

Kakashi nodded and turned to leave.

"And Kakashi... a shinobi may not have the choice in deciding what path to walk. But what sets aside heros from villains is the way they choose to walk it."

Kakashi stood in midstride, a flicker of light shone in his eyes.

"I know you blame yourself for the deaths of those you love. But it's not your fault. They choose how they wish to walk the path and you must find yours too. Believe me, your father would have been very proud of who you've become." With that, Tsunade placed a kiss on Kakashi's hitai-ate.

"Watch your back."

For a moment, Kakashi's gaze soften and he was about to say something, but evidently thought against it. Kakashi nodded and then sped out through the window, darting across the rooftops.

Tsunade's eyes glittered with tears as she stared out at the afternoon sun hanging overhead.

Kakashi landed on the tree with a soft thud.

Another victim.

Said victim lay sprawled on the ground. Kakashi knew withoutinspecting the body, what he would find. The victim would have his throat slit and his left eye gouged out, just like the five other similar bodies that had similarly littered his path since he had ventured into the vicinity.

It was, Kakashi thought, probably Orochimaru's sadistic way of saying "hello".

But this time there was something different. A note had been left on the ground beside the dead man. Having checked that there was no one else around, Kakashi lept lightly onto the ground.

It read: More will be sacrificed.

The note combusted as the cold anger in Kakashi flared.

Damn. Damn Orochimaru to hell.

Kakashi knelt down beside the corpse. The poor guy wasn't even half a day dead. That meant that Orochimaru and his lackeys had to be close by. Kakashi gave the victims a cursory prayer, like the ones he'd given the rest before heleapt off once again.

This time he was sure he would find him. That note had given him all the clues he needed: the unmistakenable scent of Sakura flowers... there was just one place around that would fit the description and Kakashi knew just the place.

"He's coming."

"He's late and long overdue."

"He'll be here just in time."

"You'd better make sure it is so."

"He wouldn't have ignored such a blatant clue."

"He's been dumb enough so far."

"Which is good for us isn't it? You should rest more, Orochimaru-sama, rest your body well, and prepare for the next task."

"He'd better hurry."

An abandoned hut stood in the midst of the forest of sakura trees. Thousands of petals blanketed the ground, the air was shrouded in a mist of sweetness.

This is it.

Kakashi carefully surveyed the surroundings, wary for any traps. There were, seemingly, none. The hut seemed quiet and devoid of life. Kakashi carefully pushed open the wooden door, tensing as it creaked loudly in the night.

Moonlight filtered in through the broken windows. The room was empty, save for a dusty table, two broken chairs and layers of cobwebs.

Kakashi moved stealthily around the house, poking around, silently observing, until he found what he was looking for. There, at the far corner of the room, was a small area on the floor that looked cleaner and less dusty then the rest. Gingerly, he felt around the wooden floor boards before finding a small latch. He pulled.

The floor gave way to a hole big enough for two grownmen to fall through. Kakashi slowly felt his way around and found that there were stone steps leading downwards. Kakashi made his way down cautiously, pausing now and then to inspect the area. Suddenly, he stopped and vaulted up, tapering himself to the stone cold ceiling above.

Minutes passed, then two men carrying torches descended and entered the stairways. Kakashi didn't recognize them but he damn well recognized the faint waft of smell on them.

So did Pakkun for that matter.

"Ugh." he complained bitterly once the two men had gone behind the heavy wooden door that was at the bottom of the stairs. "I hate the smell of snakes. It's so potent and it takes so long to fade."

"So what are your plans now?" Pakkun asked, hopping onto Kakashi's head much to the jounin's annoyance.

"Eat, think, sleep." was Kakashi's curt reply as he quickly climbed out of the stone tunnel into the cold crisp air.

"That's no way to talk to your elder, young man!" Pakkun thumped hard on Kakashi's head, at which Kakashi gave a fierce snarl at that irritating creature sitting happily on his beautiful mop of silver hair. "But I forgive you since you're obviously in a bad mood because you miss him."

Kakashi made a non-committal reply as he jumped up on a sakura tree bough. Large tree, lot's of Sakura to hide me,tall too, so I'll have a great view of the surrounding, I'll just wake up smelling like a girl..."

Hell, who was he kidding? Kakashi was trying his hardest to put Iruka out of his mind, but it was not working. Iruka's tormented face haunted him. Hopping down from his head, Pakkun gave a mournful sigh. "Never though I'll see the day when Kakashi gets hit by cupid's arrow..." he mumbled to himself.

Kakashi chewed thoughfully at his dried rations, regretfully letting the image of a happy Iruka fade from his mind. Now wasn't the time to be distracted. He had a misson to accomplish. Orochimaru was toying with him... He was deliberately leading Kakashi on a wild goose chase. But Kakashi had no choice but to play right into his hands because the 'location' that Jiraiya had given was vague at best. No matter, it was high time someone put a stop to Orochimaru's activities.

Not forgetting Kakashi had several personal debts to settle with Orochimaru. Sasuke...

But was Orochimaru really there... or was it a well placed trap?

"He's there alright. I just don't know what he's up to right now." Pakkun interjected, as if reading his thoughts.

Kakashi nodded in the dark. Right. Time to alert some people. He quickly called out one of his nin-dogs and wrote a short note to Tsunade before sending it running off to Konoha.

That done, Kakashi promptly fell into a light sleep, with Pakkun cuddled on his abdomen, a poor substitute for the brown-haired chuunin that had until recently occupied that place.

Kakashi slept fitfully.

"He knows we're here."

"Good."

"He'll have warned them."

"As expected."

"He'll venture here tomorrow."

"Perfect, everything ready?"

"Of course, we're now only awaiting his arrival."

"Wait... it would not do for us to be impolite, why don't you extend to him our warmest welcome?"

"I see, if that is your wish, Orochimaru-sama."

"See that it is done."

Thanks for reading until here, review if you wish.