Yes! I finally updated. You're in for a treat too because there will be multiple chapters, partly because I'm hoping to end this story soon. I only continued writing because I had a huge writing streak with a new story I'm working on and I guess it rubbed off on this story. I still remember where everything is going so as long as I have that I'll hopefully finish this story before the month ends.
Please just keep in mind I AM trying and I AM putting in effort into this story in updating and finishing it but I AM in college and I AM working full time so not a lot of time on my hands...
Forget Me Then, Remember Me Now
Chapter 9
"Tell me; is there news of her?" the gentle tone rang through out the room, making the man sitting beside the bed cringe. Though he tried to be strong upon his savior's appearance now in days it was never an easy task for him. Seeing the pale, sickly complexion upon his slender form and the weary, tired eyes made Kakashi want to rip his own eyes out and make sure he'd never have to witness it again. Yet he would come in every few days and see the same torture as today and the same stinging pain for not being able to give the man the right answer, just empty words of comfort.
"Not yet Minato, but soon, I swear it." said Kakashi; not being able to bear calling him 'father' until he deserved to be his son; until he brought Sakura home.
"Don't blame yourself Kakashi, Sakura is more like the dragon in fairy tails than the damsel in distress, she can look after herself just fine. Much of that is thanks to you, you never smothered her but you never left her side either. You were like her guardian angel; the unseen force that kept her safe." said Minato as he smiled at his son. It had proved to be easier to talk the last couple of weeks, the harsh coughs upon his voice had stopped.
"I have failed you both, I should have stayed close to home, I should have looked after her..." said Kakashi as he looked down and swallowed hard at his guilt.
"You speak as if Sakura is dead Kakashi." reprimanded Minato, giving him a pointed look of disapproval.
"Who is to knows what state she's in?!" said Kakashi, only raising his voice because of the harsher shame he felt enter his soul at the sound of her name.
"Kakashi" Minato warned, his words stern but his tone gentle.
"I feel she is well, I feel she is brave. She could never abandon us. Did you find Hidan and Genma?" asked Minato, he made move to sit up in his bed and Kakashi helped him.
"It's proven harder to find Hidan, he's probably up in the mountains praying with nomads." joked Kakashi as he reveled in his father's-surprisingly- healthy sounding laugh.
"Asuma has found Genma and has already sent Tsunade to fetch him. I'm sure it won't be long now." said Kakashi.
"Go back to your duties Kakashi. If there was ever a person who did not disappoint me, it is you. I am proud of you son, Anbu is a great accomplishment, you should never feel shame for leaving and attending to the hard duties of the village." acknowledged Minato as he smiled at his favorite son. He remembered a time when he had been in charge of keeping Konoha safe; it cost him everything, nevertheless...
"I will be going then, I'll accomplish the mission as fast as I can but I won't be staying the night here, it seems crowded as it is." said Kakashi grudgingly.
"You're going to be an uncle soon, this baby is a gift yet you don't seem happy with it." said Minato, looking at his son without judgment.
"I suppose I just don't do too well with children, Sakura had always been the exception and even then she wasn't like most children her age." said Kakashi as he stood, talking of Asuma and Kurenai's child made him sick to his stomach.
"Be safe, my son." said Minato as he dropped the subject, reading Kakashi's tone and body language.
Kakashi gave his father one last small smile from beneath his navy mask, the material of it defining his gentle mouth as he did so. He bowed slowly in respect and left the room, closing his eyes as he closed the door behind him and sighed. Another day of torture had ended.
"Have you gotten any word on Hidan?" Asuma asked, making Kakashi's head snap up in surprise.
Asuma was more stubbly than usual and his attire wasn't the kind of neat he always wore. There were wrinkles and stains, none too obvious but to Kakashi's trained Anbu eye he could see it all. His brother was, after all, the neat freak within the family. He looked tired and worry had given him a few premature wrinkles that would disappear by tomorrow Kakashi was sure. He supposed Asuma had taken Sakura's disappearance just as hard as him, if not harder, Kakashi at the very least had been on good terms with Sakura when she left, Asuma, however... Well Sakura and him were never on good terms, always yelling and bickering back and forth, it had given him many headaches when he still lived in the house. Kakashi was sure that this stress didn't help Asuma with his coming fatherhood either, the stress he must have been under at this very time made Kakashi feel relieved that someone else was helping carry the tiring weight of the collapsing family on their shoulder.
"No, not yet, don't worry about him; I'll take care of it, you should rest." said Kakashi as he made his way passed his older brother and down the hall, he only stopped because he heard the door in front of him open and looked up to see the one thing he had hoped to avoid today... and every other day with all the things that had gone on as of late.
"Oh, Kakashi, are you staying for dinner?" asked Kurenai as she smiled at him gently, patting her bulging stomach. Her sweet voice combined with the glowing skin that came with her pregnancy was enough to make him want to hurl his heart out over the railing. He tried to keep his composure as he shook his head.
"No, I have a briefing to get to and Hidan hasn't even been found yet." said Kakashi- his tone neutral- bowing his head lightly as a dismissal, he walked passed her and furrowed his brows when out of view, trying to control the anger at his betrayal bubbling just beneath the surface.
It might not have been her fault that Asuma had captured her heart before he could, but it never stopped the anger upon seeing her smile. The kind of smile that spoke of happiness and no inner turmoil at all, while he was busying himself with life threatening mission just to get his mind off the heartbreak, not to mention Sakura had the worst timing to decide and play a lead heroine to god knows what kind of story plot.
...
"Take off the Wolf, Kakashi Hatake Haruno." said Danzo's aged yet firm voice.
He expertly untied the red silk that held his wolf persona in place and let it drop into his waiting hand. He held his mask- carved of porcelain and into a wolfish grin- within his right hand stoically. It irked him how delicate the porcelain was. He could understand the smiles upon the masks when there was really nothing to smile for-upon shedding blood; it was to mock their enemies, put them on edge. He could even understand the animal faces, it was actually quite witty- he had to admit, you wore the animal you resembled; other Anbu members could tell your temperaments, likes, dislikes, simply by an animal within a mask. Still, porcelain didn't strike fear, wasn't in any way an intellectual idea and above all it was simply impractical. Sakura had broken his earlier Anbu mask, his very first, while fooling around in his room. The 2nd broke upon news of his father falling ill, and the 3rd upon finding out Asuma had impregnated Kurenai; because their engagement hadn't already been enough. The mask he held in his hand suddenly felt heavier, the 4th.
"I have heard that you live next to the Uchiha compound, is that correct Anbu?" asked Danzo as he stared Kakashi down with the only intimidating eye he had left. Kakashi nodded, his eyes void of any and all emotions and his body still as stone, an Anbu's normal body posture when receiving a mission or speaking with Danzo; the Hokage.
"Good, I've seen your mission records, you do well, even in intense situations, you always put your mission first, before your very own life as well. You are exactly who I'm looking for, your next mission will be of top priority and will end up shaping and forming Konoha into a new land of peace." said Danzo seriously as he stared Kakashi down.
"Your mission will come in two stages: the first being espionage, the second you will come to know in due time... Now if you accept you can not back out- as with every mission within Anbu, however this one is delicate and can not be leaked in any way, it seems I already have one rat, I don't need another. I'm sure you can understand what I'm saying to you." said Danzo, Kakashi continued to listen, however whatever this mission was Kakashi had the feeling he wasn't going to like it. He could see it in Danzo's eyes as he finished his last sentence; death. It was a threat every Anbu received upon being given confidential missions.
"I accept" Kakashi replied, annoyed as to why Anbu had to verbally accept their mission, after all, there was no declining a mission, you had no place in Anbu if you declined. Anbu were taught to be obedient little soldiers, they were more like robots than humans, but Anbu were vital weapons and barriers for Konoha. They were probably what secured the land so well, unbeknownst to Konoha citizens.
"As you know, Konoha has faced many threats in the past but the biggest threat we have yet to deal with is the one within our own gates. The Uchiha clan is in the process of organizing a rebellion, they want to overthrow the elders and your Hokage; myself. They wish to become the new leaders of Konoha and if they fail to ; they will drive a war that will extinguish Konoha."
Kakashi nodded his head, absorbing the new knowledge he received. The news did not surprise Kakashi, he could expect nothing peaceful coming of the Uchihas, they were a power-hungry clan. Many clans were, their pride always got the better of them and they always ended up thinking themselves superior to others. He couldn't deny that clans were very important to Konoha as well, they kept what little there was left of the Shinobi lifestyle alive through their traditions and teachings. Kakashi almost chuckled as he realized he was weighing out the pros and cons of Danzo's every word, it was more like a shinobi to do such and less like an Anbu. Anbu were to hear nothing else but final orders from the Hokage, nothing else mattered to them other than the mission given. Anbu would probably slice through their family if given such a command; without hesitation.
"For now I need you to record every little thing and person coming in and out of their compound, every little sound- odd or not, write it all in this journal..." Danzo instructed as he placed the worn old snake-skin book of nothings at the edge of his desk; the half empty record awaited Kakashi's cold hold. Kakashi took the small thing into his hands, noting the scaly feel of it and its putrid smell, that of decaying snakes; clear to its origin. Kakashi didn't especially know the difference between decaying snakes and decaying people, to him the smell of decay was one; and dead was dead. He held the journal loosely in his hand which came back to his side. He was not ordered to look inside and so he did not.
"Inside are names and faces you will see and hear, you have every member of the Uchiha clan and its affiliations within this journal, make good use of it." recited Danzo, Kakashi still did not move to open the booklet given to him and this pleased Danzo, he had chosen the most loyal and perceptive dog to do his bidding.
"That is phase one of your mission, I trust you won't disappoint me." said Danzo folding his hands on his desk as a gleam of success twinkled in his lone eye of utter blackness- no doubt akin to his very soul.
"As you wish Hokage-sama." said Kakashi robotically. He bowed before leaving the Hokage tower. He made his way toward the Haruno Villa and Uchiha compound in silence, invisible within the darkness that clouded over Konoha at night. He stopped short a roof as the moon found its way from behind the dark clouds, shining directly at his figure, he couldn't help but stare at it. Sakura was alright; he could feel it, she was out there somewhere and he'd find her. He'd stop the Uchihas from causing another war and taking over Konoha and he'd find and bring Sakura back to the peaceful existence she had known. He'd make it happen for her, that was the least he could do for her, after everything she'd done for him... The reason he wanted to make Konoha a better place was only for her, she deserved that much. This village- this world- had forsaken him already, he was at a loss to its cause, but he wouldn't let it ruin her, he wouldn't let her see the carnage it was capable of- the carnage people were capable of. He'd shield her from it all.
Kakashi's hand reached for the porcelain shield upon his face, serving its purpose; making sure not an ounce of emotion was shown. His 4th one...
...
"I suppose I'm sharing a cabin with you again?" asked Sakura as she was waved over by the older Uchiha once on board.
"I could have entrusted you with your own cabin on this trip but we have a guest on board so the empty cabin was filled." Itachi said bluntly.
"Oh? Who is it?" asked Sakura. Slightly annoyed he had thought of separating.
"No one you know." said Itachi, clipped yet again was his tone. Sakura furrowed her brows in annoyance but ignored his odd behavior with a deep inhale and exhale.
"Where are we going Itachi?" asked Sakura, genuinely curious as to where he was dragging her to this time- and secretly wondering where her next adventure awaited her. To think she had just spent 2 nights within one of the world's most dangerous villages after the war! And she had left untouched!
Itachi looked over to her for a long while and Sakura concluded he was probably still unsure of whether he should trust her with their destinations; that would have explained the hesitant and... odd look on his face.
"I'm sending you home." said Itachi.
Sakura was so shocked and horrified by his answer that she hadn't even noticed he had shoved her- lightly- into his cabin and shut the door in her face, not bothering to lock it. She felt tears brim at her eyes, she felt like he had just slapped her in the face with her own hand. It might as well have been, she had been stupid to equip herself with dumb notions of love and 'happily ever afters' with an Uchiha. She rubbed at the moisture near her eyes, they were sloppy harsh rubs that did more reddening damage than real drying. She could feel the sobs at the back of her throat and growled, hating herself for caring so much. She was sucked into an emotionless hole of an Uchiha's universe- blinded by darkness; she was now. And what was worse was it was so sudden, like she had run a marathon of giddy happiness and he had suddenly planted a tree smack down in the middle of her route. She couldn't even comprehend it all, maybe she had misunderstood? Good god was she in denial now? Sakura tried back tracking through her memories from just a few minutes ago, trying to make sense of it all. She had been involved in a playful banter with Ino on the way back to the ship, both laughing giddily and being care free. Once they had boarded the ship they took their cases from Naruto and thanked him, Ino then left to talk more in-depth with him, enjoying his conversations; which left Sakura looking for the Uchiha. Once she found him he waved her over... like a dog... yes, like a dog, because that's all people ever are to Itachi: loyal dogs catering to his every will...
"Bastard!" yelled Sakura, fuming. She did not leave the room however, knowing full well her anger would leave her upon seeing his face. She also knew she would most likely make a fool of herself in her current state, she needed to calm herself. One thing she knew was that the Uchiha always had a reason for his actions.
...
Itachi fought the urge to silence those dirty lips with his very own, he didn't need her foul mouth going off on him, he had enough of that going on in his own head. As cruel as he was being he knew he had to do it. She was safe at home, even during the 3rd war Konoha was never directly attacked, not with so many powerful clans residing in it. Konoha was the safest place she could be.
Or was it? This wasn't going to be like every other war, this wasn't an enemy infiltration, this was Konoha's very own Uchiha clan. Konoha would be the most dangerous of places, it would be the epicenter of the war, or- as Itachi hoped- a small battleground. Itachi growled hitting the wooden bucket -he was currently captain of- with his fist. Nothing was ever simple for an Uchiha was it?
"There, there, I'm sure you'll work it out with the girl." teased Jiraiya making his way next to Itachi with a mock look of comfort. Like an infectious coming over him when his wounds were still fresh.
"Old man..." Itachi warned.
"Well, that is quite mean of you brat, honestly do I look a day over 20?" asked Jiraiya, and there was the teasing smile again.
"40" Itachi replied simply and truthfully as he looked back to the calm waters, he was relieved of his earlier stress through Jiraiya's badgering, as odd as it was.
"30" Jiraiya said boldy. Itachi decided to wait a few minutes before replying, giving the old man a hard time was quite satisfactory to him; a stress reliever you could say it was.
"30" Itachi finally agreed, trying hard not to smile at the old man's lucidly giddy face.
"I'm starting to doubt whether sending her back to Konoha is a good idea." said Itachi, voicing what was on his mind after a slow pause.
"I can't argue with you on that one, this isn't like anything we've faced before, this time it might be even bloodier than any other war." said Jiraiya somberly.
"I'm starting to question if there's a safe haven anywhere in this world for soft women like her." said Itachi. He thought back to how slender and puny her body was or how easily her skin marked and bruised. It annoyed him how vulnerable she was, angered him so much and yet he couldn't find any fault in her, not when it came to his personal preference. Her slim body fit perfectly underneath his and that delicate skin would showcase his love bites so vividly. That woman drove him mad and she didn't even know it. She probably had no idea how alluring she was, and not just physically either, she had this oddly serene air around her, despite all the yelling and odd faces she made at him. The way she scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brows, an angered look she'd make at him, and he couldn't help but compare her to a disgruntled cat when she did; it made his skin tingle. He had tried not to think of it, tried not to read too into her. He tried not to look into her eyes for too long or grace her with conversations that made him grow fonder. All his efforts fell mute in the way of her and that melodic voice of hers. Gods, was she annoying...
"I'd say the safest place for her is beside you." said Jiraiya to the wind, unheard because of the splashing water and rocking ship. He would've kept her close to him as well, had he the chance to go back.
"I'll have to figure out something else, find somewhere else to secure her for now." said Itachi, ignorant to Jiraiya's words, he turned to find someone, leaving Jiraiya with one last message to the wind.
"Hide that key to your heart some place safe son, when the time comes, maybe you'll come to let yourself use it"
Hopefully this chapter was to your liking and if not then I'm sorry for being so rusty, hopefully it'll progressive after a few chapters to the route I was anticipating it to be on. Please review!
