A/N: This chapter is dedicated to BubblesBubbles94. Also known as xXHanCockXx in Deviantart! You guys should definitely check out that profile! :D
And before I get into the chapter I'd like to apologize for the long wait. But, please note this, do not send me reviews that say grim things just because I don't update frequently.
I am not the most punctual author in this website. I absolutely suck at updating. Besides, there are thousands of better fictions than mine, so don't think you'll have to go to such lengths to get me to update. I don't care if it's a joke or not, don't even subject yourself to do that... it's not a matter to be taken lightly.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 3: Fade to Black
"Nii-san!" Sasuke wailed frantically, finding his balance back to stumble against his brother's legs. "You promised me that you'll train me today!"
Itachi smiled warmly down at his little brother. "I'm sorry, Sasuke, but we have a guest today." He gestured to his side, another ninja clad in an ANBU uniform.
"Who's he?" He asked softly, grabbing a fistful of his brother's pants. Although his voice was still unrefined, Kakashi picked up on jealously in his tone. Seldom does he show pity to children, but he couldn't help but catch the boy's gaze filled with emotion.
"Uhh," Itachi turned around. "Taichou, can I introduce you?"
"My full name is off limits; I'm currently on a mission." Was all he said, earning a grumble from the younger brother Uchiha.
"This is Wolf, he's my Captain in the ANBU." The Uchiha prodigy finally said.
Hatake Kakashi was the first man Itachi had ever respected. To the eyes of a fellow subordinate, Kakashi had seemed to be the epitome of an ANBU shinobi. Merciless. Cold. Flawless. Too clever; too fast; too strong.
Sasuke pouted away. "I bet you're stronger, Nii-san."
"Now, now, don't be like that, Sasuke." His hand dipped down to ruffle his hair. "After this, I promise I'll train with you."
Another glimmer of hope engulfed the blackness of the child's eyes as he widely smiled in awe up at his brother. "Really? You promise?"
"I promise."
Kakashi only stared in the background, though he seemed unattached on the outside, his heart warmed. He saw a younger brother who admired his brother like he was some sort of God. Then there was Itachi who showed unfathomable amount of love for his foolish little brother.
Their relationship was a direct mirror of his with Sakumo's when he was younger. He yearned for his father's time, recognition, even just a tiny bit of it. And then there was his father, showing all the right amount of love he could possibly give.
It's good to have a family...
"Actually, Itachi," Kakashi turned his back away then looked over his shoulder. "This mission can be handled without your participation."
"Senpai-"
"Spend time with your brother." Kakashi firmly ordered, readjusting the lapels of his black robe and the angle of his sharp-edged sword. "That's an order."
Sasuke's pale cheeks changed into a light pink hue as his smile widened. "Thank y-"
Before he could thank the stranger, he vanished with the wind.
~O~O~
The air was polluted with thick, heavy smells of the vicious aftermath of death. Pungent odors spewed throughout the desolated forest potent with thick consistency of blood and... death, all perforating through Kakashi's senses. Mismatched eyes coiled with blood-red, a typical red, reflected on the pool of blood which hugged the blackness of his sandals. Disarrayed limbs spewed around him, yet he was unfazed, calm, content. His red eye - the Sharingan - swirled erratically in its own blood-pool orb before it curved into its matured form. His gaze roved over his slain targets, disarrayed in a melange of limbs and lacerations before his feet - and yet his eye pulsed coldly, swirled in languor, untouched by the carnage it wrought.
He flung his saber to his side then retracted it back to its case. Mission accomplished.
A darkened gleam through his mask shone at the lifeless corpses which laid on the ground like organic waste - no longer breathing nor moving. He saw nothing more but an accomplished mission which stained the edges of his blade.
Kakashi disappeared along with the thunderclap in the night, without a trace that could lead back to the Leaf.
~O~O~
Night still overlay Konoha when Kakashi returned, an adumbral vastness stretching over the cavity wherein the village resided, but it was dissipating quickly, morning light struggling to break through. He wasn't overly weary, but he needed a shower, maybe solid food, and sleep. His report would have to wait until morning. He meandered through the quiet streets of the Hidden Leaf, opened his apartment door, then kicked off his shoes without a single care of aligning them back together.
Kakashi slung off his darkened cloak with haste. It landed in a careless heap on the floor, the tangy odor of blood and other bodily fluids clinging to the fabric. He was more careful with divesting his equipment, despite metal being far less delicate. A grimace of distaste touched his features, made his lips curl downcast. If fear possessed a scent then his skin was reeking of it. Sounds and smells and sensations slithered within his mind, dulled as all memories – the hum of metal, the last pulsation of life, flesh stripped down to the bones, copper and salt and iron, enforced awareness. Kakashi despised many things in what he did, but this was the one aspect he loathed. Death was never silent for the giver of it, not before, not during, not after. It should be – but it never was.
He continued to pace down further into his apartment, but a pulse of chakra interrupted his flow of movement. Casting his glace surreptitiously at the shadowed figure was futile. The presence the chakra reeked in was well distinguishable, he didn't need to exert more energy by using his Sharingan.
"Tenzo." Kakashi plainly spoke, discarding his porcelain mask on the coffee table. "Why did you break in my home?"
The wood-style user chuckled back in response, hardly noticing the narrowed eyes glaring right at him. "Your door was open, if anything that was an invitation."
Kakashi knew he was lying. Since, after all, he was anything but a disorientated man. All of his windows are rigged with traps, the same goes with his front door. Tenzo seemed to have already set off his trap - or traps, he was always a cautious man.
"Let me rephrase my question: what are you doing here at an ungodly hour after our mission?"
Tenzo sighed then ruffled through his brown locks, disheveling it further from its original state. "You left before the disposal unit arrived, Senpai." His hand settled down on his hip, and he smiled. "We both know we should wait for them."
Kakashi held the bridge of his nose, expressing a sigh potent with a mixture of exasperation and irritation. "All the targets are dead, Tenzo. Mission accomplished. Waiting for the disposal unit won't change a thing. Besides, I thought I left you in charge."
Bingo.
"You finished your task early. We couldn't catch up sooner. What was the body count on your side anyway?"
"Twenty-eight." He replied casually, feigning interest on the topic, though Tenzo could hear a pang of bitterness welling up at the tip of his tongue. "Some were diced more than others. I apologize if identifying them will be difficult - they didn't leave me much of a choice."
There wasn't a smidgen of blood on Kakashi's clothes, nothing to indicate he'd come out of a bloodbath, but Tenzo's eyes trailed over him as if he could see its phantom traces. Tenzo sauntered over his Captain, gave a look of empathy, smiled then gripped his shoulder. "Get some rest, you look like you need it."
Kakashi begrudgingly swiped his arm off his shoulder and silently nodded. His ANBU vest came off in a second, a pool of clothes laid on the floor in a mangled mess, with his sheathed sword placed on the coffee table next to his mask.
"If you're done now Tenzo, take your leave."
"As you wish, Kakashi-senpai." Tenzo gave his last obeisance before he left the dark seclusion with a small howl.
Kakashi threw himself against the wall, glowering at his dominant hand shaking tremendously with guilt. Rin... His hand clasped shut tightly at the thought of his fallen comrade.
He was an ANBU. He should have anesthetized his emotions to ensure he wouldn't compromise the mission. Yet... he saw her twenty-eight times per strike with the newly-dubbed Raikiri. Guilt and shame tasted bitter, filled his mouth but could neither be swallowed nor expelled, couldn't go up or down.
Kakashi remained stood against the wall, as if it was the only source of strength he had left, and submerged himself of silence, absent thought or memory. Minutes passed by, muscles clenched and unclenched, tension unraveled, until only the drum of his heartbeat remained, evened and slowed.
He needed to take a goddamn shower. And maybe a good nap if he's lucky.
~O~O~
Tsunade stood in the center of her bathroom, the water was warm against her skin, untangled the knots of fatigue as it dripped down the dips and swells of her body. Tsunade took her time scrubbing herself clean of sweat, washing her hair, leisure strokes of fingers and foam. Steam and the scent of gardenias filled the shower, loosened her muscles, and she lost perception of time. Subconsciously retaining an iota of alertness, like a battle-hardened ninja should.
She dried her body with a towel in languor, before she slipped into a new set of clothes for the night. Tsunade casually meandered past her furniture and propped herself on the edge of her bed. Lightly she sighed, massaging her temples as she did so. Tsunade picked up the last brown file she had in her possession, one she secretly hid from the ever-so-trusting ANBU officer who foolishly broke in her home.
Tsunade swiped through Kakashi's portfolio, eyebrows creasing slightly. "Hatake Kakashi, former member of the assassination squad - Phantom Four. S class assassinations completed, during time in Phantom Four: 173. Fellow squadrons: Uchiha Itachi, Hakuro, and-"
Twin hazel eyes flashed momentarily before it froze at the three letters of the final member of the group. Her heart dropped a beat.
"Dan was a part of this organization?!"
~O~O~
Kakashi grimaced heavily as he sauntered towards the Hokage Tower to report to the Sandaime Hokage. The thought of seeing the old man repulsed him, made his own blood boil to see his naïveté radiate throughout the room, forever oblivious of the darkness which cloaked around the ninja world. Such ignorance... what a stupid man.
Although he had grown accustomed to this procedure after the mission in the ANBU, it was no longer his place to report such petty things. Their mission could be summed up in one grotesque word: slaughter. That was all it was, animalistic carnage without an ounce of virtue. Not that he even cared for such thing in the ANBU.
The ANBU embodied everything that is not man. They were not gentle nor were they sentimental. They didn't care for emotions, all they cared for was completing their missions. For the sake for the village, the future - they would not question their superior's orders. They would follow the objective to each letter and execute it like so. It was an unspoken rule of Shinobi, especially the ANBU: it is imprinted in their very soul, and it sunk in their flesh and blood.
As usual, Kakashi slipped in through the window of the Hokage Tower. His footwork was still impeccably reliable despite deep fatigue weighing him down; he shuffled in front of the desk then showed his obeisance to the Hokage.
"Mission success, Sandaime-sama," he spoke curtly, a raspy tone edging his voice.
Soft charcoal eyes met hardened mistmatched orbs piercing through the holes of the porcelain mask stained with scarlet blood. A darker shade coiled his eyes when he stared at the silver-haired ANBU with trepidation. He stood, posture rich with obedience, eyes screwed with twisted pleasure.
He expressed a rueful smile, one he had etched on his face long enough for the masked man to take notice. Their gazes met, and immediately the Third felt uneasy against his scrutinizing glare and oozing presence with animosity.
Hirzuen regretted allowing him to transfer to ROOT. He truly did, but Danzo needed him, his expertise. They needed the perfect ninja. What distinguished an elite from the mask-wearing, nameless mass was the juxtaposition of being part of the whole yet separate. To possess the rare quality of having all the answers, performing the task assigned in perfection while being cognizant of motives, catalysts, and consequences. Ignorance, blind devotion, was for foot soldiers or, as the Third reckoned, the fortunate amongst them.
Kakashi personified all those qualities with such deadly precision. He was an elite in the shadows. However... he was never like this. He was never so cold. Hiruzen pushed the thought away to prevent him from musing in mid-conversation with a person like Kakashi.
"Excellent as always, Wolf." Hiruzen meekly smiled, sadly Kakashi didn't reciprocate his gesture. Only steely eyes stared straight through him, unwavering, awaiting for another order - dismissal or a mission, anything. He stood, like an obedient dog.
The Hokage blew out strands of smoke, settled down on his chair, swiveled it around and sighed. "I trust there were no casualties."
"No, there weren't." Kakashi firmly spoke. "However, that being said, those ANBU recruits you have put under my wing are incompetent. They do not have the qualities of an ANBU - they resonate with naïveté and zest. They are ignorant soldiers on the field who cannot suppress their emotions for the mission. If it weren't for Tenzo being in their platoon, they would have surely died by now."
Sarutobi's eyes narrowed, charcoal hue hardening. "Are you questioning my judgement as Hokage, Kakashi?"
Tension coiled and twisted, inundated the space between them with the scent of ozone, then unraveled with a long-suffering sigh. Hiruzen threw some clipped words at him, weighted with disrelish, and Kakashi tilted his neck in tacit acknowledgment but merely that. He was his superior, the decision-maker, the great pillar hefting Konoha on his shoulders, and Kakashi was nothing but a small column, alleviating his burden, offering support. Even small columns were entitled to their own opinions though.
The silver-haired man unmasked himself to reveal his agitated expression. "If no one will go against your judgement then this system will stay the same. Thus resulting to the same meaningless deaths, like in the past."
Hiruzen leveled his gaze at him, remaining passive. "What has happened to you, Kakashi?"
A nimbus of smoke slithered out of Hiruzen's cracked lips, dissolving into breath. Another sigh, another disapproval of his uncandid response. "I think it's best if you go on leave for a while." He spoke calmly, turning back round to place his pipe down on the ashtray. "Look at you... you don't look alive anymore."
The silver-haired man stood unfazed, emotions still intact.
"I'm going to relieve you for a week, Kakashi." The Hokage signed a slip of approval of his time off. "You need it." His hand extended with the signed form of permit.
Reluctantly one black gloved hand took the slip of paper from him. Kakashi's face screwed together another look of disapproval, but he didn't voice it. "Hai." Voice strong as steel, cold as ice.
The Third was simply too sentimental, placed too much value on one's life, treated the assassination squad the same way he did all other squads – but ANBU shinobi were not the same as regular shinobi. They served a certain purpose within the village, one that Hiruzen failed grasp, or if he did, he sought to change. However, one cannot simply bring light into the shadows if they haven't stepped into the living hell themselves.
Kakashi never outright flaunted his ideology, always followed orders to the letter, but he didn't have to be vocal for him to know his inner thoughts. They were carved in the black of his eye, the solidity of his posture. It was all there in black and blood.
Putting his mask back on, his glare met the Hokage's softened glance. "I appreciate your concern, Hokage-sama." He spoke, languidly, smooth, formal. "However, don't you think it's too late for that now?"
Hiruzen stared whilst the ninja glared. "You mean..."
Kakashi, although his face was covered, conveyed a repulsed expression, lines etching on his face to show his outrage. "The past, Hokage-sama, will not be overlooked because of you doing me favors all of a sudden. Don't patronize me."
"That is-"
"If there isn't anything else you want to say - that's regarding my leave - then excuse me." abandoning the door completely, his presence dissolved in thin air.
Hiruzen gave a sigh of exasperation and placed his pipe down on the ashtray before he acknowledged his rival's presence behind the window beside him. "Did you come here to gloat, Danzo?"
The fellow elder entered through the open window and leaned on the wall near the Third, the smugness still apparent on his face. "What were you hoping for, summoning him here?" he sneered. "A reunion with him will not sort your differences - he will never forgive you."
"It was for peace." the Third softly said under his breath, pushing himself up from his seat to walk to the window behind him. "It couldn't be helped."
"That doesn't excuse the fact that you took the only thing he had left in his life." Danzo pointed out, folding his arms to show dominance in their conversation. "Kakashi, if anything, has been too forgiving towards you. You were the reason why his father was shunned, why his teammates died during the Third Shinobi War, and you're the reason why Minato died." his eyes creased into a crescent moon shape. "And now... you're responsible for stealing his lover's life, not forgetting their-"
"Enough!" the Third growled, glowering at him over his shoulder. "I am aware I have much to atone for. However, it was you who changed him into this."
"Don't go pointing fingers now, Hiruzen!" Danzo barked back. "You're responsible for this, not me. And now, you have to fix it."
"I wonder if I can ever fix this..."
"And word of advice, don't get your pretty student tangled in Kakashi's business. If you know better, you'll keep her away from his affairs."
"What makes you think I'm behind that?"
"Just a gut feeling." Danzo's voice lowered, a deadly tone which held warning within each syllable that rolled off his tongue: "But you know, Hiruzen, pretty girls shouldn't be playing with fire. Because they'll just get burnt in the end."
~O~O~
Out of trance, Kakashi sauntered through the endless streets of the Hidden Leaf, head hung low, feet dragging along, hands deep in his pockets. Whether it was out of familiarity or the need to bring out nostalgia, Kakashi found himself at the Dango cafeteria where he and his team would always lounge around in for endless hours. Minato would pay for everything; Obito would eat practically anything placed onto the table; Rin was... Rin; Kushina would often scowl at him and Obito for fighting all the time.
For a moment Kakashi allowed his inner self to indulge in such petty memories he could no longer experience. For a moment he deceived himself into thinking that he had another purpose in life aside from serving as a weapon of the Leaf. But, inevitably, he snapped back from his memories, recalling that he was stood stagnant in front of a cafeteria he hasn't set foot in since his team cracked into miserable pieces during the Third Shinobi War.
"Daydreaming out here with that mask on, Senpai, will certainly raise peoples' awareness, don't you think?"
Kakashi rolled his eyes back. "Tenzo, are you stalking me?"
"No, no, Senpai." The wood-style user chuckled back in denial, shaking his hands up as defense. It didn't persuade him, that Tenzo knew. Those hardened mismatched eyes gleaming from within has turned more ominous over the years. With more blood spilled, more violence roared in his eyes. It's as if all the deaths has accumulated from within, gradually eating him inside.
Tenzo knew right now his Captain was currently unreachable. As long as those eyes glazed with raging fire was present, he knew that he won't be able to get through to him unless he was willing to get burnt.
"What is it?" Another sharp question. Another hard stare.
"I was wondering if you'd care to accompany me to escort the disposal unit again to our location last night."
Kakashi looked up the sky tainted with grey clouds. "It's going to rain soon." He noted, tightening the black robe around him. "Let's head out now."
"Lead the way, Taichou."
~O~O~
He turned on his heel once the disposal team arrived, exchanged typical greetings. Two of them he was unfamiliar with, probably new recruits, judging by the disgust crossing their features and the quiet, heaving sounds that followed his departure. Rookies. It had been a long time since he had been the one to perform such duties; he had almost forgotten the novelty of the experience for a newly integrated member. Still, even then, Kakashi had never displayed such reactions, at least never on the scene. ANBU's standards were dropping low, and lower, with each passing year, it seemed. Kakashi almost sighed, a twist of lips, more contortion than expression, deliberating. ANBU consisted of veterans and rookies these days, shinobi too jaded or too bright, those who survived and those who replaced all who didn't, no middle ground, no in-between.
Lately, more and more didn't make the cut, weren't suited for the line of work Kakashi had indulged in for the past few years. Unsurprisingly. It required a certain kind of shinobi, after all.
ANBU estimated the value of shinobi not by efficiency but self-awareness. Notable skill were merely the requirement for standard initiation. What made a true ANBU shinobi was mentality – to discard all sense of self, to smother the merest scintilla of individuality. For the success of the mission, for the sake of the village. It was an unspoken rule, soaked through soul and flesh, steeped into blood and viscera, slick and tangy and unpalatable.
Retching groans touched his ears right before he was out of hearing range. Another fledgling who couldn't handle the heat, soon to be reassigned. Kakashi turned to glare at the new recruits with an apathetic gaze.
Amateurs...
His eyes hovered around the corpses spewed across the ground: some were wealthy, others were pawns of their wealth, and the rest were ninja escort novices - a petty sight. It amused the silver-haired ninja that ranks no longer mattered now that they were just lifeless limbs sprawled throughout the area, tainted with the same red.
Life as he saw it to be consisted of wildly divergent paths - the way of the hungry and the impoverished travelling in the same timeline with the grotesquely indulgent, the very best travelling side-by-side with the most evil; all heading to the same inevitable consequence of living - death.
Shaking his head lightly, Kakashi swayed his cloak back forth, facing his back against them. "Tenzo, I entrust you with the rest."
"Yes, Senpai."
"Also, don't notify the Hokage that I was at the scene. I was told to recuperate."
"Hai, hai, you can trust me with your secret."
~O~O~
Upon arriving at his apartment floor he saw Yuukimi leaning by his door, fully clad and masked. He pushed his hands into his pockets and dragged his feet towards her. "What are you doing here in an ungodly hour?" he bluntly asked, placing his hand on his hip.
"Mission success, Kakashi-senpai. I have kept all the necessary tabs on Aoi and his group from their mission yesterday." she confidently began, passing the brown sealed envelop to her superior.
"Excellent." he unsealed the envelop and looked into its content, roughly analyzing her work. He rummaged through the sheaf of papers until he came upon one particular piece. "Only one survivor?" he darted the question sharply with enraged eyes. "What's the meaning of this?"
Yuukimi pushed herself from the door and sighed from her mask. "It's how you see it, Senpai. Only one survivor from the mission, her name is Kato Shizune. Dan-sama's brother's orphan."
Silver eyebrows furrowed together and the paper began to become creased under the pressure of his grip digging in. Yuukimi realized the darkness which shadowed Kakashi's face with an overwhelming sense of fury beginning to come afire once more.
"Kakashi-senpai-"
He placed his hand on her shoulder, eyes becoming tamer when their eyes locked. "You've done an excellent job here; get some rest." his gripped tightened when she remained silent. "Alright?"
"Let me handle it from here, Kakashi-senpai!" she desperately urged, startling her superior. "Please, allow me to alleviate your burden!"
The silver-haired Captain smirked at her enthusiasm then nodded. "Alright, you handle things on the other side. I'm late for my meeting with Danzo."
Yuukimi's eyes widened when his grip slipped past her body and into thin air; without warning his body materialized into nothingness.
"I'll do my best, Kakashi-senpai."
~O~O~
Tsunade wasn't a morning person. Not then, not now. Having her curtains being tugged open to allow the sunlight access to her room made it all the more agitating, the sun was far too bright for her sensitive retinas, damn it! "Nawaki," she groaned. Though it was heavily muffled by the pillow her face was engulfed by, irritation remained potent with a bite. Not even his sister has enough patience in the morning.
"Nee-chan~!" the Senju heir pounced on his sister, gaining a groggy groan from her. His hands clawed through the sheets his sibling had yanked up to block the sunlight that interrupted her sleep. "You promised to train me today!"
One feminine hand reached up to Nawaki's face to push him as gently as she can away from her body. "Let me sleep, okay?" she heard him groan, whine and complain childishly with a pout and reddened cheeks. No matter how tired she was she could never deny her little brother's request. Tsunade yawned whilst her hand rubbed against her left eye. "Alright, alright, I'm up."
"Yay~!" Nawaki wailed, grinning wildly. He had won, a feeling he has grown accustomed of. "So you're going to teach me the basics of medical ninjutsu, right?" As usual his tone was overly drenched with such high zest and determination. A natural - and common - trait that ran within every single exuberant youngsters.
Tsunade propped herself up with her elbows digging into her mattress to fully face her brother's glowing face. She merely smiled at his expression. "Of course, come with me to the hospital. I'll teach you there."
"Really?"
She threw her head back, expressing a sigh of exasperation. "Yes. Now get out of my room; I need to change."
~O~O~
Aoi meticulously examined his exposed upper torso in the beveled mirror, his fingers deftly traced around the scar ingrained into his left chest, the feeling of crinkled flesh underneath the pads of his fingers made him grimace. In the midst of his light complexion was a patch of of brown, burned flesh dug into his left chest. He grimly stared at it, it reeked with humiliation.
His hand clamped tighter together and he brought himself to crash his knuckles into the mirror, shattering it into pieces. "Damn it!" he cursed, half satisfied with his efforts, his mind still demanded for his thirst to be quenched. "Kato Dan." he growled against the pain swelling up in his knuckles.
At that very moment he withdrew his hand his attention drew to the commotion just outside the changing rooms. He glared over his shoulder with trepidation when he heard the shuffling of footsteps draw closer to his premise.
The chakra lingered around the premise slowly. Aoi grimaced at the intoxicating presence he was overly familiar with: feminine, young and strong. Aoi licked the blood from his knuckles and smirked, ready for Yuukimi's entrance.
"We need to talk," the raven-haired woman snarled once she had burst past the doors. "How dare you defy Kakashi-senpai's orders - your superior's orders!"
Although the tone of her voice was threatening Aoi remained poised - stoic. "My, such foul mood today Yuukimi-chan." lips twisted into a senile smile. "Tell me, why does this matter concern you anyway?"
Yuukimi threw her reports down onto the floor, papers spewing all around on the pavement. "They were innocent people, Aoi! Why did you kill them?!"
Aoi slipped in his shirt before he leaned against the wall with nonchalance. "Being innocent doesn't grant you the right to live."
"What was that, you fiend?!"
"This world we live in is a masculine world. They were simply too weak to live in this world. Naïve people like you wouldn't possibly understand." he calmly replied. "They don't have a purpose in this world, therefore they should be exonerated from this corrupt system of living!"
Yuukimi wielded her saber and glaringly darted its tip at Aoi. "That excuse alone doesn't permit you to kill those people!"
Aoi's face darkened as he took steps forward. "You sound just as annoying as that bastard Kakashi."
"Wh-What?!"
In a blink of an eye, before her body could even register, Aoi's hand clasped her face and forcefully slammed her body into the pavement.
"Since you're just as weak, I might as well erase you from this world."
~O~O~
"Captain, what are you doing here?" Genma inquired with a crooked smile. "I heard you were on leave."
Kakashi merely glanced up for a second from the sheaf of paperwork that had since compiled on his desk, lightly acknowledging his presence. "Aren't you on medical leave, Genma?"
He gave a slanted grin then pulled out a crumpled wad of paper from his back pouch that had been signed by a medic. "I've been discharged as of thirty minutes ago," a grimace resurfaced passed his jolly façade. "But, damn, my arms still kill from what Aoi did to me."
"I've been told," he picked up the piece of report that was given to him by Yuukimi earlier that morning. "I've also been informed that you failed to rescue majority of the hostages."
Genma ceased his furious chewing on his senbon, the end drooped downcast all of a sudden. His lips pursed whilst his eyebrows knitted together with dismay. "That bastard forced our hand to kill them - or rather, he forced Itachi to kill them."
"How?"
"Does it matter? The dead won't come back."
"It matters to me, Genma." mismatched eyes darkened and narrowed ominously. "Tell me."
The brown-haired ninja was taken aback at the sight of his tightened eyes piercing through him, as if he was just an insignificant being cowering away in the corner. "It was like a game," he confessed bitterly, teeth gritting together. "He played them like they were toys! Men were executed clean and quickly.. but the women... and the children-"
"Go on."
Warm water glazed his brown eyes and his hands began to tremble with overwhelming rage. "They tortured all of them - slowly, watching them scream and moan for help!" his fist then punched through Kakashi's desk, splinting the wood slightly. "Tell me, Kakashi, what kind of job is this?!"
He lowered his head slightly, "I..."
"Aren't we supposed to help people?!" Genma roared overthrowing his own Captain. "If that's the case, why... why are we taking the lives of many innocent in the most grotesque way possible!?"
"We didn't kill them; Aoi and his despicable team did!" Kakashi firmly corrected.
"Even so, I couldn't do anythi-"
Sharp clashes infiltrated their dark seclusion, followed with a distinct explosion. Metal was heard collapsing, then the clashing of weapons ensued. Kakashi immediately rose on his feet, hand balled into a tight fist.
"Yuukimi!"
~O~O~
The locker room where Aoi had originally occupied to recuperate in turned into a fierce battlefield: quick shuffling of feet followed by clashes of saber echoed throughout the expanse of the room. Aoi ferociously charged forward with inhumane speed circling around Yuukimi, waiting for an opening - lethal or not, one inflicted wound would certainly lower her moral and make her think irrationally.
Yuukimi's eyes tightened, feet shifted slightly, hands clutched around the saber tightly. Her eyes tentatively followed every single movement he made. Left, right.. right, left-
"Analyzing my movements is futile!" Aoi claimed as he lunged forward, blade at the ready.
The raven-haired read his movements but it was too late for her to completely deflect it. She staggered backwards to gain enough momentum to counter even the slightest against his attack. Their blades crashed after the edge of his sword had lightly torn past her bicep.
They both stood, dominant foot forward whilst the other foot worked as a support. Yuukimi pushed her katana further against Aoi's before she pulled herself back, sword still at the ready.
She wiped the sweat off her perspiring forehead and swallowed harshly. "So you do have something to brag about," she started, eyes wavering from his blade to his feet. "But... I have already monitored your speed. I can now easily-"
Aoi resigned as sigh, hands ruffling through his hair, tutting in annoyance. "Don't get ahead of yourself, you little bitch."
Yuukimi had faltered too much out of exertion which showed a weakness in her defense. Aoi utilized her lack of attention to his benefit and lashed out an assault as fast as lightning.
"How-?" words failed her once the tip of his saber pierced her side.
The male ANBU snarled, barely satisfied at the pool dripping from his weapon. He withdrew and slashed upwards, tearing through her white armor and scarring into her flesh. Yuukimi managed to bend backwards, enough to evade the deadly strike from her face.
She jumped backwards and pierced down her sword into the ground to regain balance. "Shit..."
Aoi cocked his head to the side and grinned before he licked the bloodshed laced off of his fingers. "What's the matter?" he asked cockily. "Can't you stand back up?"
He wielded four shurikens in his spare hand and projected it relentlessly towards his own comrade then wielded another four. Her body moved upon impulse, first by grabbing a hold of her sword and slashing all of them away.
Another four came. To this she leaped upwards and threw a set of kunais.
Aoi dashed toward Yuukimi, precisely waiting for the moment her feet would land flat onto the ground. At the right moment he whipped his sword downwards and slashed the flesh of her thighs clean.
Yuukimi fell onto her knees, teeth digging into her lips. She barely registered at the slashes her upper torso experienced before she picked up by her neck. She growled under his restraint, hands trying to tear his own open as her body wiggled helplessly.
"Pathetic," he spat lowly, discarding her body away.
She felt her body thud onto the ground before it helplessly rolled on the pavement, spraying her own blood on the cement. Her head lolled to the side helplessly before she felt Aoi's foot burrow deep into her abdomen. She shrieked pathetically in pain as blood gurgled out of her mouth.
He licked his lips, eyes creasing in delight. "That's it.. that's the expression I want to see." his fingers laced into her jet black locks. He yanked hard, emitting another high pitch scream from her. "Scream again... scream!" he growled against the rim of her ear.
Yuukimi hung her head down low before she wielded another kunai from her side pouch. "You... you-!" her hand palmed the kunai into his hip, gaining a low groan. She stood back up from her feet and mustered every single strength inside of her to tackle him into the ground.
Once on top she straddled him into place. "Fucking bastard! You think you can play with people just like that?!" her fist dug into his nose, breaking it in the process.
Aoi caught her hand and unclasped it from its curled form, he smirked. "Lives are meant to be played with!" he cracked her fingers back then twisted her wrist. She cried hoarsely at the astounding pain welling up in her broken dominant hand. "How does that feel?"
Yuukimi screamed again, higher this time, when his fingers plunged into her open wound. "Fucker!" she hissed.
He brushed off the strands which clung onto her face mixed with sweat and blood, and glared straight into her pupils. "That expression you do is beautiful, you know." he whispered. "Almost breath taking. Yes, let me hear it again. Scream like that for me only."
She cringed at his touch of a deranged form of affection. "Don't touch me." she whimpered as a warning. It was futile, her chakra was on a tight leash and exerting it further more would be extremely reckless and foolish.
Aoi sighed, "I guess it really can't be helped," his fist burrowed deep into her stomach, the impact was great enough to project her body out of the open door of the changing room. "I really do need to kill you."
Yuukimi found her feet and somehow managed to gain her balance. Her only functioning hand covered the wound of her side as she heavily breathed. "You're not going to kill me, Aoi."
Their fight had attracted the attention of many new recruits whom trained just outside of the changing room. They all crowded behind Yuukimi, curious as to what will happen next. Without any superiors around the fight will certainly end with a friendly kill. They clustered around, interest piqued, and after the sudden crash of Yuukimi they became awfully quiet and stunned.
Then, after many long seconds, raw pandemonium ensued. A mixture cheered for Aoi whereas others supported for Yuukimi's survival.
Aoi wielded his weapon first. "Doubt me all you want, Yuukimi." Slowly he got into his stance and raced towards her, the tip of his blade already glared at her chest. He had already planned to go for a fatal blow - the strike to the heart.
At first she staggered back, but even that was a fruitless attempt to evade his attack. The vexed muscles in her thighs twisted and due to the amount of blood she had lost her consciousness began to fade. Her eyes rolled backwards - and she was met by oblivion.
The blade plunged into flesh and weaves of blood splattered all over the pavement. Aoi's smile widened at the sight of his blade claiming the vestige of life that tried to cling on in vain. However, his malicious grin faded away at the sight of mismatched eyes glowering at his own pair.
"Did you really think that I would allow you to deliver the final blow, Aoi?" Kakashi sharply asked, sharingan erratically spinning until it revealed its third staged form.
The tip of the sword had been embedded into his gloved palm whilst his other hand held Yuukimi close against his body, out of harm's way. Swiftly Kakashi channeled electric currents into the blade and into Aoi whom snapped back away from range.
"Fellow teammate or not; if you lay your filthy hands on my subordinate again.. I will kill you." the silver-haired Captain's eyes gleamed with blood-thirst.
Without haste Kakashi pulled the sword out of his hand and discarded it into the ground. Softly he lifted Yuukimi from the ground and hooked her legs into his arm and allowed her face to nestle against his chest. His abrupt presence alone in the battlefield was enough to silence the new recruits' outrageous chants and roars. They remained reticent, not moving, not wanting to move.
"You pitiful fool." he lowly remarked with disgust as he peered over the slope of his shoulder.
"Do no try and underestimate me, you fucking bastard!" Aoi vociferated as he ran towards the Captain, picking up the abandoned sword in the process.
Before he could deliver a strike his sword was flicked away from his grasp by Shisui's kunai. The Uchiha stood in between Aoi and Kakashi coolly with tightened eyes darting its glare at the enraged ninja. The tip of his kunai lightly pressed against the skin of his neck, threatening to plunge straight through if he dared to even resist.
"Stop this pitiful act already, Aoi." Shisui's eyes flickered and a new set of sharingan came to life. "If you do not.. then I shall dispose of you myself."
Kakashi looked over his shoulder once more before he walked through the clustered crowd, unfazed. As he walked to the infirmary room he shared a couple of glances with his teammate who stared at him throughout their walk through the corridors.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi-senpai." Yuukimi murmured finally. "I didn't mean for you to come in and get yourself hurt as well. I-"
"Yuukimi," he coldly interrupted as he halted in the middle of an empty corridor. "Stop talking."
"Senpai.."
Kakashi huffed lightly and continued to walk again. "Save your energy to rest. I want you back by my side as soon as possible."
~O~O~
"That fucking bastard!" Aoi roared as he hurled several steel chairs at the wall in rage. "I'll definitely end up killing him one day. So I can seize his position and become the right-hand man!"
Danzo languidly strode in the room, hand clutching his wooden crook. "I don't think that's possible,"
"What was that?!"
"You're nothing against Kakashi, Aoi. It's a futile, fruitless attempt to even go against him."
"You underestimate me?!" he snarled through his teeth. "Me?! I am the best soldier you have, you fool!"
"Was." Danzo coolly corrected. "You were the best. But that's in the past now."
"What did you just say?!"
"You're nothing against Kakashi," his exposed eye creased upwards. "At least, against the Kakashi that was reborn."
Aoi glared fiercely. "Reborn?"
"Technically, Kakashi died two years ago along with his paramour in a suicide mission."
~O~O~
"Nee-chan!" Nawaki whined, swinging his feet irritably on a high stool. "You promised you'd train me!"
Tsunade placed an ink stamp on several discharge papers before she glanced up at her brother who had been pouting for an hour or so. She gave an apologetic smile as she slowly walked towards him. Softly she ruffled his hair and crouched down to meet him eye-level. "I'm sorry, just give me more time - I need these approved before we can move on."
He folded his arms and grumbled inaudible words which left Tsunade befuddled. "...whatever."
"Nawa-"
"Tsunade-sama," another feminine voice infiltrated the room. "I've finished with the patients. We should be done for the time being."
Tsunade smiled and stood back up, "Thank you Shizune."
The raven-haired woman returned the same gleeful expression before she averted her attention to the brooding little boy on the stool. "Nawaki-kun, what's with the long face?"
"Nee-chan is being a liar."
Shizune giggled whereas Tsunade glared in shock. "Come on, chin up, your sister is doing the best she can. Today has been a busy day, Nawaki - over fifty wounded patients, some can only be healed by your sister. So, c'mon, cut her some slack."
Nawaki's pout disappeared and he lowered his head. "I know that," he whispered. "But I want to spend some time with Nee-chan. Ever since Dan onii-san has been dispatched off to some S class mission, she's been... all alone."
Quickly evaluating the scene, Shizune quickly scanned Tsunade's downcast expression upon hearing her uncle's name. Although the expression only remained for a couple of seconds, her doleful mood quickly cracked through her meek façade. Shizune frowned worriedly, but she kept up a straight face when she faced the Senju heir. "You know what, I've got some spare time. Want me to show you some cool medical ninjutsu tricks?"
The Senju heir cocked his head to the side and quirked a brow. "Are you even as good as Nee-chan?"
Tsunade bit back her laugh. Shizune's face unexpectedly darkened, scaring the young heir off his stool. "Are you doubting me?" she growled.
Nawaki quickly shook his head repeatedly. "No-no-no... of course not, Shizune-chan!"
She grabbed him by his collar and hurled him out of the room. "Well then, you wouldn't mind being my apprentice for the hour, right?!" Nawaki flipped up on his feet and smirked, posture straightened with oozing confidence.
"That throw is really weak, Shizune-chan. Nee-chan can throw me to the other side of the village with ease."
"Oh, we haven't started yet, Nawaki-kun." Shizune darkly grinned, reassuring him that she was much stronger than that.
Tsunade gently clasped onto Shizune's wrist, lips faintly edging a thankful smile. Shizune patted Tsunade soothingly on her back then drew her in for a warm embrace. "They'll find him," she whispered. "My uncle is not a weak man."
"I know... I know."
"Besides," Shizune started with a chirpier tone. "I heard the best ROOT squadron was dispatched this morning by Kakashi. A unit with over twelve A to S class ninjas with sensory prowess."
Tsunade abruptly pulled away, shocked beyond belief. "Kakashi did that?!"
~O~O~
Itachi remained perched on a tree, silent and still like a statue. His scarlet orbs burst forth to life followed by three tomoes swirling to place. His tugged at his cloak's hood to shadow his cat-like mask. A total of sixty guards - no, ANBU veterans - defended around his objectives. The way they circled into a defensive position, how they remained on alert despite him leashing his chakra was not an act of a mere rookie.
Going against them would be futile - it would only put his mission to jeopardy. The possible outcome of his reckless action wouldn't be trivial but catastrophic. Clicking his tongue irritably, Itachi wiped his sweating palm against the fabric of his pants. He knew his sources showed discrepancy, but he never thought the black market could hire such elite ninjas. His eyes quickly scanned through the myriad of lifeless face of the captured women, all subdued by drugs.
His lips twisted then he fixed his mask more prominently on his face. With obvious signs of hesitation, Itachi disappeared from the scene with the sound of crows cowing from the far distance. With the amount of hours he had spent accumulating information, there could still be a chance to rescue those kidnapped women before they get sold off to any potential owners.
Without any further notice Itachi's black silhouette began to form in front of the Hokage. He set on one knee and took off his mask to show respect. "Hokage-sama, please forgive me, I have failed to retrieve the objectives."
"Oh?"
"The sources were unreliable, fed wrong information. Had I known there were sixty men, I would have asked for Shisui and Kakashi-senpai's assistance."
Hiruzen placed his pen down, "But the women - were they still.. alive?"
"Yes. And all is not lost, I've heard that their rendezvous is at the Land of the Moon." his raised his head up high, stoicism contorting into a face filled with determination. "I can still salvage this mission."
The Third laughed, "Who would have thought that this kind of coincidence would happen?"
"Is there something you have in mind, Sandaime-Hokage?"
"I have just received an escort mission request from a wealthy family to the Land of the Moon. We could simply use that mission to also infiltrate them and intercept those bastards before a deal is sealed." the motion of his hand ceased and his pen was placed onto the table. "I've already assigned Tsunade to this assignment, but I guess we need one more member to ensure the success of this mission.
Itachi rose from the ground, "Then, Hokage-sama, please send me along with Tsunade."
The Third sucked on his pipe and exhaled groggily. If I send Itachi along that wouldn't be a problem. But this kind of mission will take approximately two weeks to complete, if I take in consideration the distance from the Leaf to the Land of the Moon. If I send in Kakashi, then surely, Tsunade can also gain his-
"Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "No, Itachi, I want to assign you to a different mission."
"But this mission is-!"
"I'll be sending Kakashi along. You needn't worry, it'll still be a success."
"I thought Captain was on leave."
"I doubt he'll have any qualms being sent back to the field so soon." the Hokage replied. "He's not the type to sit idle for long anyway."
Itachi passively agreed and was dismissed from the Hokage Tower after he was given the order to summon both Tsunade and Kakashi to the Tower.
Hiruzen swiveled his chair around, taking the pipe from between his lips. "Hatake Kakashi..."
~O~O~
Tsunade paced through the long corridors of the hospital simultaneously flicking through her clipboard for any patients pending for attention. She halt at the door of room 208 and quickly scanned the details of injury - several slashes, one deep wound, all inflicted by a sharp edged katana, and a broken hand. "Yuukimi," she read in a murmur before she finally pushed the door open.
There, to her ultimate surprise, stood Kakashi. He was leaning on the wall adjacent to Yuukimi's hospital bed, silently watching her with concern. "Kakashi," Tsunade noted, baffled by his presence. "Is-Is she your subordinate?"
"Ah. She's currently recuperating. She has been healed prior to Shizune attending to her, but our medical ninjas in ROOT has limited experience. So I sent her here." Kakashi reasoned, leaning off from the wall, folding his arms. "Did you come to discharge her?"
"No, I can't, not as of yet." Tsunade walked closer to Yuukimi to further analyze her treatment. "She isn't in grave danger, but her wounds - deep as it is - can reopen if she's exposed to heavy training and the battlefield. As I understand you ROOT members, you're constantly active in assassination missions. She cannot partake in such missions, at least, not until a couple of days from now."
Kakashi nodded, coming closer to Tsunade. "I trust that you'll take care of her."
"It's my job."
"I want only you and Shizune tending to her needs," he insisted. "I don't want her to be treated by flimsy rookies."
Tsunade huffed out in exasperation before she caved in. "Alright. I guess I do owe you one."
His eyes traced back at her. "What do you mean?"
"I heard you dispatched your own ROOT members to look for Dan - thank you."
"Like I said before, I have my own reasons of why I want him back. Don't misunderstand, I'm not doing you any favors."
Tsunade smiled. "Nonetheless, thank you." her eyes softened at the sight of Yuukimi sleeping peacefully. "You care for her, don't you?"
"She's a comrade, a dutiful and faithful soldier. I simply need her." Kakashi coldly responded, slipping his hands in his pockets. "...That's all there is to it."
"Need?" she parroted, hazel darkening into copper. "Or want?"
Kakashi stared at her, but she didn't turn to face him. His eyes took its time to drink in her appearance, analyzing more than he'd planned to, from head to toe. The smoothness of her skin, the softness of her golden tresses, and the temptation lying on her beautifully adorned face, were all too tempting for any man. The heavy seduction she possessed without even trying baffled him. "There is a fine line between need and want, Tsunade." he spoke, huskier than he'd meant to.
"I don't think that relates to your situation with your fellow subordinate, though." she said with a gentle voice. "She was admitted here three hours ago. Surely you had better things to do rather than watch her sleep."
Kakashi snorted in derision. "Quit trying to prod into my patience, Tsunade. It's a dangerous game to play."
Finally, she turned on her heels, to fully face him. A challenging smirk was triumphant on her face. Slowly, she sauntered towards him then tip-toed to whisper in his ear. "I'd like to test you on that one day." she whispered with a soft bite.
Underneath his mask his lips shifted into a half-smile. He stared at her, quiet and unblinking, irises abysmal and umbrous, merged with his pupils, until the gold of her eyes gone dark, like heated metal. His eyes specifically stared her nude lips that were half open, tempting, taunting. He then felt her body brush pass him, her scent lingering and polluting his senses - an incredibly addicting aroma, indeed. He watched her with an attentive gaze until she slipped pass the door that led out to the empty corridor. Irritably, he ruffled his hair until some strands became matted against one another, further disheveling the state of his hair.
"That woman..." he whispered with piqued interest. "...I want to know more about her."
~O~O~
"Hokage-sama, I heard you asked for my presence," Tsunade bowed. "Is there anything you need?"
Kakashi followed a little while on, giving a quiet but respectful nod at the elder. Sarutobi offered them a sealed scroll to which Tsunade took and examined with the masked ninja looming behind her. He was the first to speak: "I thought Itachi was assigned to this retrieval mission. He was dispatched earlier this morning by Danzo-sama."
"The mission failed. However, he did manage to pinpoint their rendezvous in the Land of the Moon."
"Why won't you dispatch him along with Tsunade?"
"I've reassigned him to an espionage mission in the Land of Grass. There has been growing rumors that their military force is growing at an exponential rate - enough to commit a coup d'etat."
"Surely Itachi cannot handle that mission alone. He needs reinforcements!"
"Shisui is on stand-by, working on mission closely situated with Itachi's location. You don't have anything to worry about."
Kakashi sighed with content, placing his hand on his hip to show relief. There was a slouch in his posture and a glimmer of satisfaction with the Hokage's replies, but any evidence of it for the Hokage to see disappeared within a matter of seconds. He stood tall again, gathered himself, and firmly asked: "So, when does this mission take place?"
"The sooner the better." Tsunade interjected. "We're already put at a disadvantage. As we speak, they could be furthering their lead from us."
"Yes, that is true. But the latest I can send you off in your escort mission will be tomorrow morning." the Hokage simply said. "So, I'd advise the both of you to catch an early night tonight. This mission is going to be a long ride - anything, absolutely anything, can happen - so make sure you're focused."
"Hai!"
~O~O~
Cold wind whistled through the dying day, dark blue hue tainting the auburn sky as the sun began to set. Kakashi, dressed in his standard Jonin uniform - minus the vest - knelt down on the fourth gravestone that day. His bandaged hand stroked leisurely the dust away from the surface before one tip of his finger traced around the engravings of the kanji etched into stone. "Kiryu Yuuri," he spoke, another rueful expression plastered on his face.
Like what he did with his former team's gravestone he cleaned the surface of the stone with a wet cloth and placed a new set of flowers beside it. He sighed shakily, covering his face with his bandaged hand, regurgitating sudden sobs. His lip trembled but he managed to control it by sinking his teeth into his delicate flesh, drawing out a slither of blood that tasted like iron on his tongue.
"Five hundred, and counting, Yuuri." he shivered, an apologetic smile shifted through his mask, "How much more, I wonder?"
Cool zephyr swept through the melancholy atmosphere that littered throughout the great expanse of land used to bury the bodies of soldiers they had managed to retrieve from missions. Kakashi remained still in his position, eyeing the block of stone like a hawk. His eyes steeled, no longer shedding a tear; heart made out of fullmetal, not feeling, not wanting to feel.
His hand trembled against the weathered state of the gravestone caused by acid rain and wind. He has killed over five hundred people with the same hand he held her with. His hand has plunged into countless amount of hearts of the enemy without any remorse or thought. A mission was a mission - innocent or not, if the objective deems you guilty, then you must pay with your life.
Carefully, he took a breather and the movement of his hand ceased. "I'll be back in two weeks time, Yuuri." he said lowly for the fourth time that day. His unfolded his limbs and stood back up. Quickly he surveyed the overlay of darkened clouds with trepidation - it was going to rain in a few hours time. The thought of crystal droplets raining down that night repulsed him, reminded him far too much of the past.
"Yuuri, where are the reinforcements?!"
"This is the rendezvous point! They're bound to be here any minute!"
"Dan-senpai should be here by now. What's keeping him and his unit?!"
"Just believe in the Hokage, Kakashi! They'll be here... I'm sure of it. We'll survive this, I swear!"
"Hey, Yuuri, I've been wondering - how did they know where we would infiltrate?"
"...I'm not sure."
"Do you think... the Hokage sent us off to die here?"
He grimaced at the myriad of echoes ringing in his head, despite him trying to hush it down by digging his blunt nails into his scalp in frustration. He drew one last breath and decided that the taste of Sake wasn't going to sedate him tonight.
Raising his pierced, bandaged hand Kakashi flickered from the graveyard without a whiff of chakra to be monitored or sensed.
~O~O~
With a mixture of Sake and enough notes to buy company for the night, Kakashi found himself resided in the outskirt of the Leaf with a nameless woman whom he'd had several sexual encounters before. No words were formed; she knew why he showed up at her door, and he knew she would never refuse him.
It was an obsession he darkly harbored with him.
To be dominant. To leash one's being under his reign. To be supreme for the night. To be in charge of the outcome.
They ambled towards each other slowly, meeting in the middle of the room. She could practically feel the heat radiating forth from his body as she tentatively lifted her hands to his torso. She traced her fingertips over his sculptured chest, feeling the litheness of his chest muscles. A gasp escaped her lips as she caressed over a rough, jagged scar that ran diagonally across his stomach. She instinctively flinched, but he grasped her wrists in his grip and held them firm.
"What?" he asked lowly against the rim of her ear. "Haven't you seen this before?"
"No... I never noticed." she whispered.
"It was from a mission two years ago. I had a gaping hole in my stomach and supposedly went under operation."
She grimaced. He smirked.
"But I didn't come here to tell you my story. I came here to fuck you, remember?"
Kakashi pushed her onto her back and knelt down between her legs. With a single thrust, he sank his full length into her hot, aching depths. Despite her wetness, taking in his length was still a pleasure on the knife's-edge of pain. He pulled back almost to the tip before thrusting into her once more. A rhythm started to build as perspiration specked their flushed skin. Kakashi's eyes burned with an intangible fire which tightened her stomach, and did little to ease her rapidly fluttering pulse.
It wasn't long until she finally adjusted to his length and girth, and as if he knew she was ready, he began to pummel her with vicious strokes. Every single muscle in her body contracted and relaxed in time with his punishment. Every single nerve ending sizzling with electric pleasure.
Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the sheets so tight her fingers went numb. The heat of his hands as they gripped her hips was scalding. As she bit into the fresh linen to keep from bruising her bottom lip, her spare hand laced into his silver locks, tugging at it per thrust he gave. All she could to hold him close was to wrap her legs around his waist as he began to fuck her into submission.
He gripped her wrists firmly and pinned her arms above her head, then bruised his lips against her with fervor. The kiss was unbridled, a passionate mess of gorgeous chaos. He then nipped at her lips and bit into her throat as he held her in place.
Her ears were filled with the roaring of the blood, coursing at breakneck speed through her veins. With each second that passed she lost a little more of herself. Edging closer and closer to that moment when the inevitable, would become the unstoppable. Her body tensed as euphoria saturated her senses. Her body was now shaking with madness and ecstasy, tiptoeing along the ragged edge of consciousness.
"More," she whimpered, pleading, desperate. "Please."
"What was that?"
"Give me more," she all but gasped out.
"More can imply a lot of things."
"Harder, faster, fuck me more, Kakashi..." her nails raked downwards into his back as he penetrated her at a new angle. "Make me feel more of you."
"You want it harder?"
A twisting of angle. A strangled moan.
"Yeesss.."
"Deeper?"
A rushing of motion. A sharp cry.
"Oh, god."
"Faster?"
A surging of hips. A choked gasp.
"Don't stop."
With a final flurry of powerful thrusts signalling the end of the line, she grabbed the back of Kakashi's head and roughly mashed their mouths together. As she began to come, she bit into his lip, drawing a slither of blood as her fingers dug in and raked across his muscled back. There was no line now between pleasure and pain, just the feeling.
Kakashi pulled out of her with a ragged sigh of exertion, licking the tinge of blood dribbling past his lip. He smirked, captivating her gaze. That gorgeous smile of his, she thought, she could definitely get used to seeing that every single day. He fell beside her, arm folded behind his head and he closed his eyes shut. Once out of trance he forgot about his own companion as oblivion stole his consciousness away to bring him to his temporary utopia.
Yuuri...
~O~O~
A cluster of sandals hitting slippery soil thrummed throughout the dark expanse of the forest. Due to the weather becoming awfully humid, after numerous days of it being arid, whiffs of chakra that could potentially be Dan's were destroyed. Nevertheless, the group of ROOT members hurdled through the forest, with Tenzo and Genma following behind, surveying the area.
Tenzo then abruptly halted, signalling Genma behind him with a twitch of a finger. "Did you hear that?" he asked, looking around. "I heard a moan of some sort."
Genma shook his head. "No. Where?"
The wood-style user and his comrade remained idle for a couple of minutes, trying to pick up on the smallest moans or groans. Then they heard it, soft and weak... a woman? They glanced at each other with astonishment before they rushed deeper in the woods.
"Hey! Hey!" Genma called out, rushing faster than Tenzo through the woven limbs of trees. "Hey, where are you?!"
"Genma, over here!"
"Shit!" he retraced his steps back and found Tenzo knelt down cradling a woman whose frail cry for help ensued. Although unrecognizable at first, the tendrils of dark purple, matted with blood and mud, was distinguishable enough. "Anko!" he gasped, skidding down on the ground next to them. "Hey! It's okay, we're here now. We'll get you help. Don't worry."
Tenzo pressed her face against his chest after he encased her shivering, badly bloodied body. Her head lolled to the side and she licked her wounded lips before she weakly spoke, "Ambush," she croaked. "...they knew."
"What? Do you know who ambushed you?!"
She shook her head.
"What about Dan, where is he?!"
"...went West. He served as a... diversion."
Genma shared an owlish stare with Tenzo. "Was he badly injured like you, Anko? Was he bleeding? How many chased after him?!"
"He... was their target. He had a bounty of one-hundred... thousand... ryou."
"Motherfucker!" Genma cried, slamming the palm of his hand through the sludge of mud he settled on.
Anko blinked once then twice, blood gurgling forth from her mouth. Tenzo panicked along with Genma. "Get the unit back here now!"
"Al-"
"No!" she cried hoarsely, coughing out lowly. "..Don't. I'll be... fine."
"Look at you - you'll bleed to death, you idiot!"
"Every...one.. dead. Dan-sama.. he.. he managed to break... break through the-the... Four Violet Flames.. Formation."
"You're kidding!" Tenzo gasped in disbelief. "Didn't he get burnt in the process?"
"Dan isn't Salamander of the Leaf for nothing, Tenzo." Genma dully noted, barely fazed. "He, himself, is a flame."
Anko shakily took a breather then her eyes tempted to roll inwards, she winced and buried her head further against Tenzo's chest. The wood-user clutched her body tighter, sighing softly. "Dan-sama.." he muttered softly, "Do you think he's still alive, Anko?"
"He's alive... I can feel it."
A/N: And after nearly a year of not updating, I'm here with a brand new chapter! :D Surprise, surprise people! But seriously, this chapter was extremely difficult to write. I have scrapped over ten drafts of this chapter. This seriously gave me a hard time to construct. Hopefully the upcoming chapters won't be such a pain.
This chapter was executed in so many ways in my drafts. The first being that it retold everything that happened pre-BEL. But I thought that ruined the mystery too much, too soon. The other being that it fixated solely on Tsunade, but I felt that it was stale. Another one was just Kakashi in the ANBU again, but everything felt too grim and boring. So I finally settled with a lot of scenarios throughout this chapter. But it inevitably was about Kakashi and his character.
And since I didn't want to drag the issue about Dan too much, I decided to shed some light on what happened during their mission. Next chapter will, hopefully, be worth the wait! You'll finally see Tsunade fighting alongside Kakashi, with more chemistry building between them during the mission. More information will also be revealed about Kakashi's past along the way.
Also, the next update may not be soon, because I'm rewriting - not changing the plot - the chapters previous to this. I read it a couple of days ago, and I was grimacing at its state. So I will be spending my time re-writing the three previous chapters. Also I think I need to improve my mediocre writing first before I get deeper into this story. So all of this will impede progress.
Reviews are both adored and appreciated! ;)
Exciled3