Author's Note: Ok, so I still haven't even started writing the next chapter. I just have so much to do right now since it's midterms and everything. :(
So, if my next chapter is a little late, then I am so, so, so sorry.
But, in other news, I'm pretty sure you guys will like this chapter. Hehehe. :)
So, if you like it, then review! :D
Thank you to Angel42497, Echo Uchiha, Evalyd Yamazaki, and MikaUchiha666 for the lovely reviews on the last chapter! You're all awesome!
So yeah, enjoy this chapter, and review? Yes, that would be lovely. ;)

Seventeen: Kakashi's Plea

I was angry. No, I was pissed. If Lady Tsunade had really stationed ninja at all the entrances to the Isami clan's residence like she said she would, then there was no way that this could have happened. We had some of the most skilled shinobi in the entire world, and for them to be outsmarted by just anyone was unbelievable. Did the Hokage misjudge the severity of the situation despite my sincere concern? Or was this no-named criminal, whom I'd never even heard of until this morning, really that special? Was he really that strong? If he was, then I couldn't waste any time. I didn't know what he planned to do with Toshiro, but I knew that, whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.

I sprinted down the stairs of the Hokage mansion until my feet were reunited with the rocky paths of Konoha. Dust clouds filled the air around my shoes as I hurriedly raced to my apartment to gather more weapons and supplies. My eyes narrowed against the cool air whipping across my face, and my jaw clenched so tightly that it quickly began to ache.

As I ran, I soon began to realize exactly what I was getting myself into. Going on missions without a four-man squad was dangerous, and if I were to get injured, I would have no one there to help. There was a large possibility that I could die on this mission, and that reality sent a shiver down my spine. I quickly shook the fear away, however, for I was willing to risk everything for my team. After all, Kakashi always said, "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."

I would not abandon Toshiro. Not when he needed me the most.

"Kaeda Sensei!"

I heard a familiar pair of voices shout from behind me, so I brought myself to a quick stop and whirled around to face it. I was somewhat surprised to see two pairs of green and golden brown eyes gleaming back at me in the dark night. "Hana… Nikko," I panted, furrowing my eyebrows, "What are you doing out so late?"

"We heard about Toshiro," Hana replied in a soft voice, her eyes full of grief for her comrade and good friend.

I wasn't sure what to say. How could they have found out? Lady Tsunade would know better than to tell them, or at least I hoped she would. There was so much that was wrong with the overall situation that my head was spinning. All I managed to ask them was, "How?"

"We were going to go ask Toshiro if he wanted to train with us, and we overheard some guys talking about it." Nikko swiftly replied. I noticed that his hands were clenched at his sides, and his eyes held determination, a drastic change from his usual bored expression.

The last thing I wanted was for them to worry or feel responsible in any way for their friend's abduction. I relaxed the tense muscles in my face and softened the look in my eyes while forcing a smile onto my lips, hoping to ease some of the tension in the air. "Don't worry," I told them, "I'm going to find him. And even if I don't, Lady Hokage has already sent out a few teams to search for him. He'll be back in no time. You just go on home, get some rest, and train on your own tomorrow. I'll be back before you know it."

I began to turn on my heel to continue down the road leading to my apartment, but before I could start sprinting away, I heard both of them shout in unison, "We want to go with you!"

Turning back around, the first thing I noticed was the intensity in their eyes. There was no fear or uncertainty in their faces, only a fierce determination and tenacity that told me that they wouldn't be taking no for an answer. Half of me wanted to slap some sense into the children and tell them that they were too inexperienced to handle a mission of this level, but the other half of me was proud that my students were beginning to act like full-fledged shinobi, willing to put their lives on the line to protect their village and, in this case, the life of a fellow comrade. This was the first group of Genin that I had ever trained, so I wasn't sure how I was really supposed to feel in this sort of situation. "This is a big step you're taking," I explained, "This mission is going to be dangerous; there's a good chance you'll get injured, and there's the possibility that you could even die. Are you sure—"

"We don't care about the risks!" Nikko interrupted, narrowing his eyes, "Toshiro is our friend, and we'll do whatever it takes to rescue him!" Hana gave a quick nod to signify her agreement.

Something about Nikko had changed. He wasn't the same arrogant slacker that I had come to know. No. He was different. I had never seen this side of him before, but seeing him like this was incredible. I wondered what could have happened in the past two days that I had been gone to make him act this way, but, either way, it didn't really matter. This drastic change in attitude was refreshing to me, and, for the first time since meeting him, I had a genuine feeling of confidence in him.

I felt like I had no choice but to say yes, to reward them for their maturity and bravery. Sighing softly, I said, "Meet me at the front gate in twenty minutes. Make sure you're stocked with weapons, ninja pills, and any other ninja tools that you think will come in handy. You never know how long a mission can take, so be prepared for anything."

Turning on my heel, I left my students behind to continue on my journey back to my apartment. I immediately began to wonder if I had done the right thing by allowing them to tag along, but I quickly shook away the worry. They would have to grow up and face real missions eventually, so starting now would just give them a leg up on their fellow classmates. Besides, if they ever wanted to go on to become Chunin, some real experience would be extremely helpful to them.

It only took me a few minutes to reach my apartment. I remembered that I had locked the front door before I left two days ago, so I unzipped a side pocket of the holster on my leg to pull out my house key. The tumblers clicked, signaling that the door was unlocked, so I pushed it open and slipped quietly through the threshold. I didn't have much time, so I immediately raced up the stairs to my bedroom to begin packing.

I quickly detached my two pouches from my legs and tossed them onto my bed. I then tore open the top drawer of my dresser to grab a handful of special chakra-absorbing kunai, poisoned kunai, and super-explosive paper bombs. Tossing the items on my bed, I proceeded to empty some of the old, used kunai and shuriken from my pouches to make room for the new tools. When my pouches were fully stocked, I walked toward my closet and pulled the doors open. I kneeled down and pushed aside a few boxes to reveal a sheathed katana resting against the back wall.

I haven't used this in years, I thought to myself as I grasped it in my hands. I ran the pad of my thumb over the dents and scratches embedded in the sheath, and before I could stop and reminisce, I stood up and attached it around my waist, letting the weapon sit against my hip. The weight of the weapon at my side gave me a strange feeling of power that put a small smile on my face.

I gripped the handle with my right hand, enjoying the rough texture of the tsukaito, and as I became reacquainted with my katana, my mind began replaying scenes from past battles. I remembered the look of utter terror on the faces of my opponents when they first saw the gleaming of my blade. I remembered the look of awe on my comrades' faces when I swung the blade so fast that it was barely visible. But most of all, I remembered how strong I felt. With this weapon at my side, I was essentially unstoppable. The only reason I stopped using it was when I began training to become an instructor, and, to be honest, I really missed it. I was glad to have it at my side once again.

I just hoped that I wasn't too rusty.

Pushing my thoughts aside, I walked toward my bed reattach my weapons holsters to my leg and back pocket. When they were secure, I took a few deep breaths. I'll find you, Toshiro, I thought to myself, No matter what it takes.

"Kae," a familiar voice interrupted my thoughts.

My eyes widened in shock, but I didn't have to look to see who it was. "Kakashi," I replied. There was a thick tension in the air, and I could tell that he knew exactly what was going on.

My best friend stepped further into my room and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Don't do it," was all he whispered. There was a hint of desperation in his voice.

I shrugged away from his touch and turned to walk toward my bedroom door. I couldn't bring myself to look at him, so I lowered my eyes to the floor instead. "I have to," I said softly.

In a flash, Kakashi positioned himself between myself and the door, holding his arms out to his sides to block the exit. Startled, my eyes darted upward to meet his. His visible black eye stared back at me, begging, pleading for me to listen to him. "I know that Toshiro is your student, and you feel obligated to find him," he began, "but Toshiro's kidnapping wasn't your fault. You don't have to do this."

"I don't feel obligated," I retorted, narrowing my eyes at him, "And I'm not doing this because I feel guilty. My student needs me; I'm not just going to abandon him and try to pretend like none of this ever happened."

"But Lady Tsunade has ordered you to stay in the village," he reminded me, "If you disobey her, you're going to get yourself into a lot of trouble. Kae, you could lose your privileges as a shinobi. Everything you've worked toward… you could lose it all!"

"I don't care!" I yelled in exasperation, throwing my hands in the air and spinning on my heel so I didn't have to look at him any longer.

"Kae—"

"I don't understand why everyone's trying to stop me," I interrupted him, speaking softly. My hands clenched at my sides, trembling in anger. "Kakashi, you of all people should understand me!"

"I do," He whispered.

"Well you sure aren't acting like it," I scoffed.

Since Kakashi was still blocking the door, I stepped toward my bedroom window and began unlatching the lock. I pushed it open, a cool breeze immediately whirling into my room. "I'm going, whether you like it or not," I told Kakashi.

"Then let me come with you," He answered.

My eyes widened upon hearing his response. I bit my lip and subconsciously gripped the windowsill with my hands. "No," I whispered.

"Why not?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes and clenching his jaw.

"You've already had to deal with a situation like this with Sasuke," I explained, "I can't make you go through something like that again, especially since Toshiro's not even your student. It's my responsibility to get him back, not yours. I'll deal with it."

"My experience with Sasuke is all the more reason to bring me with you!" He argued.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, shaking my head, "I won't allow it."

"But Kae—"

I whirled myself around to look at him. When Kakashi saw the agony in my eyes, he immediately stopped whatever it was that he was about to say and simply gazed back at me. "Kakashi," I began, "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you went on this mission with me and you ended up getting hurt. I can't risk the life of my best friend. I…" I hesitated for a moment, "I need you, Kakashi."

"Then I won't leave you," he responded, "I'll go with you, stay with you the entire way, no matter what happens. Just take me with you."

I let my eyes close as a small chuckle escaped my lips. Even without being able to see him, I could tell that Kakashi's expression was that of confusion. "You've always been stubborn," I told him, "Luckily, though, I've always been just a bit more stubborn than you."

I began to turn back around to climb out the window and make my way to the village gates, but something stopped me before I could. There were too many different emotions raging within me at one time. My heart pounded inside my chest. My fingers trembled. My knees wobbled. My mind was screaming for my feet to move, but my body just wouldn't listen. I knew very well that this could be the last time that I ever saw my best friend, and leaving him while knowing this was proving to be extremely difficult.

I couldn't keep my eyes from seeking Kakashi's, and when our gazes locked, something came over me. Like a magnet, my body was pulled toward his, and when our faces were mere inches apart, I lifted my hands upward to grip the fabric of his mask. I gently pulled it downward, and, much to my surprise, Kakashi didn't object. His face exposed, I ran my fingertips across his cheeks down to trace his jawline. His skin was so soft, warm, and inviting that my mind had completely surrendered, allowing my body to take full control.

Placing my hands behind his neck, I pulled Kakashi closer until I could feel his hot breath against my skin. My breath caught in my throat as the sensation sent a shiver down my spine, and I let my eyelids flutter close. I felt Kakashi's hands on my lower back, each of his fingertips sending tiny shock waves throughout my entire body. Electrified by his touch, I hesitated no longer in closing the gap between us. My fingers tangled in his hair as I pressed my lips tenderly against his. Kakashi's muscles tensed, but after only a few moments, his hands pressed harder against the small of my back, pulling me even closer to him.

A few soft kisses later, we parted our lips simultaneously so our tongues could meet in between. His tongue gently massaged against mine, which caused every nerve in my body to pulse in a sort of intense euphoria that I had never experienced before. I could not think, and I could not breathe. All I knew was that his smell, his touch, his taste, hell, everything about him was so perfect that I never wanted this moment to end.

I knew, however, that I was constantly running out of time, so while I still had a tiny bit of control over myself, I separated my lips from his. The second the kiss ended, I wished that I hadn't pulled away. I wanted so badly to stay with him here, but I knew that I couldn't. I knew that Toshiro was still out there, and he still needed me. "Goodbye, Kakashi," I said in a soft voice. Before he could argue, I climbed out of my bedroom window and leapt across the rooftops in the direction of Konoha's front gates.

A single tear slid down my cheek; I missed him already.