"I got something!"
Ruika skidded to a halt just short of a clearing, a river in its midst. Ruika instantly recognized the river: the Veil of Tears! And Kakashi was so strong here-
"He's here!" Ruika cried as the squads caught up with her. Tsunade stepped forward, stopping at Ruika's right side.
"Kurenai, Ruika…Asuma, Gai, Shizune, and I will go. The rest of you just stay here. No, strike that entirely. Form a perimeter around the clearing; there are enough of you here to do so. We'll get Kakashi and come back. Stay around the clearing until I say otherwise."
"Right!"
The rest of the ninja disappeared in one huge cloud of smoke. Tsunade quickly glanced back and forth; so they are worth their trouble, she thought. They hid themselves very well and very quickly.
"Okay then," she said slowly. "Heads calls positions. Ruika, call it."
OOOOOOOOO
Kakashi could hear them coming.
He could smell them coming too. The only problem was that his chakra was just about gone and he was having trouble moving.
Enemies.
Konoha had no idea where he was or the situation he was in. The only people who might know where he was were the Akatsuki; therefore they could be the only people around.
As the first of them rounded, the corner, he spoke.
"Kakashi!"
Kakashi scrambled to his feet, just as swiftly losing his footing. The ground rushed up to meet him, and Kakashi braced himself for the impact of the wet stone and the blows he was certain would follow. Kakashi knew they would punish him for escaping; the only question was how…and how severely. What would they-?
The ground never hit Kakashi; instead, he fell into someone's body. Strong arms encircled Kakashi, and he began to fight against the grip the person had on him. But whoever it was held him firmly, whispering calming, soothing words in his ear. Kakashi looked up; that voice was so familiar, and the smell of smoke almost made it seem like-
"Asuma…"
The cigarette sticking out of the corner of the jounin's mouth confirmed his identity to Kakashi, and he let his head fall again into Asuma's chest.
"Come on," he murmured, sliding his arms around Kakashi's shoulders and legs and carefully lifting his body. "Let's bring you home."
OOOOOOOOO
Kurenai and the ANBU dashed ahead, Asuma, Gai, Shizune, and Tsunade behind them, and the rest of the ANBU behind them. Asuma was still carrying Kakashi, taking extra care to avoid tight spaces where branches might hit Kakashi and where the branches might not be strong enough to support them both at once. Shizune and Gai jumped from limb to limb slightly ahead of Asuma, bending branches out of the way and checking them for strength. They all moved rapidly; they knew that the sooner Kakashi was back in Konoha, the better. He needed medical attention and he seemed traumatized.
"Kurenai!" Tsunade called. "How far until Konoha?"
"We should be coming up on the gates right about…now!"
Kurenai drew up right in front of the magnificent gates of Konohagure village. Everyone else pulled up short behind her to avoid a collision, then formed an opening for Tsunade to walk through. Tsunade smiled as she approached the gates.
"I knew it," she said. "Chuunin Exams." The gates had been thrown wide open to admit anyone who might be passing by. The only restriction of any sort were the two jounin stationed on either side of the gates.
"Lady Tsunade!" the first one called, rushing forward to greet them. He stopped short upon seeing Kakashi, a horrified expression on his face. "The best of us all…"
"He's
not dead, stupid," Tsuande snapped. "He's just asleep. And
don't wake him, because if you do, I can assure you that he will
not be the only one mad. Have the Chuunins started yet?"
"No,"
the other jounin said, jumped down. "We just opened the gates
about an hour ago. Only one genin team had arrived so far; the first
of two from the new village that formed in place of Otoga; the
Village Hidden in the Shadows, I believe it's called."
Tsunade nodded. "Good. You sent them to register?"
"We did," the first jounin replied, his eye still on Kakashi.
"Good," Tsunade said. "Keep that up; I'll be there in a little while I just have to take care of some…unfinished business to take care of, how about that? Shizune, get Kakashi situated in the hospital, please. I'll keep him there for about a week."
Shizune nodded and beckoned to Asuma. They both took off for the Konoha Hospital, Asuma carrying Kakashi. Tsunade turned back to the jounin.
"Watch the shadows closely."
OOOOOOOOO
"There," Shizune said with a sigh, pulling the covers up Kakashi's lifeless form. "When he wakes up, it might be a good idea to have someone with him. Volunteers?"
"Us!!!"
Shizune looked up to see Naruto and Sakura catapulting through the door, panting and out of breath. It was Sakura who had spoken.
"Fine. But if I hear a peep out of this room, the two of you are out and I am finding someone else. Got it?"
Sakura nodded and sat down next to Kakashi's head. Naruto found a chair to sit in and scraped it along the floor to Kakashi's other side.
"Once we're all out, you can wake him up," Shizune said. "But be very gentle, especially around his head. Being around Itachi and being traumatized this badly could be…not good, let's go with that, and he could be a little skittish for a while, especially if the trauma Itachi dealt him in previous encounters comes back with this one. No sudden movements."
"Jeez, you spend too much time at this place," Naruto muttered.
"She's right Naruto," Sakura scolded. "If it's as bad as we think, and there's no way to tell, we have to be careful until we know exactly how bad it is."
"You too!" Naruto cried. "Agh!"
"Shush!"
"Sakura, I'm awake and can hear every word you are saying."
"Kakashi-sensei!!!"
Naruto threw his arms around Kakashi and pulled him up into his arms. "I knew you'd be okay!!!"
"Go away, Naruto," Kakashi muttered, pushing away the hyper blonde and turning onto his stomach. Naruto recoiled as if slapped.
"But…sensei…"
"I thought I told you two to go away!"
Sakura looked sad as she ran her hand through Kakashi's blood stained, silver hair once, and then stood. "All right. Just promise me you'll get some rest."
"Get…out!!"
Sakura shoved Naruto out the door as Kakashi pressed his face to the pillow in shame. What had he done?
OOOOOOOOO
"Back so soon?"
Sakura hung her head and Naruto looked down at the floor at Tsunade's biting words. "We came to talk to you…about Kakashi-sensei…"
"What?"
"He's really in bad shape," Sakura said slowly. "He looked bad. We were afraid he might do something harmful to himself."
"You're saying he's suicidal."
It wasn't an accusation; but it wasn't a mere statement either. Naruto began chewing nervously on a hangnail as Tsunade exhaled. Naruto was beginning to wonder exactly how big Tsunade's lungs were when she finally said, "Fine. I'll go see what's wrong."
OOOOOOOOO
Tsunade slid open the door to Kakashi's room and slipped in as quietly as possible.
"I know you're here, so don't bother trying to mask your presence."
"Wasn't trying," Tsunade said without skipping a beat. On the outside, she might have looked as if Kakashi hadn't startled her at all; but on the inside her mind was reeling. Kakashi hadn't even lifted his face from the pillow, and yet he claimed he had heard her. Was he even human? She had made no sound-she had made sure of it! And Kakashi had no chakra with which to enhance his senses…lucky guess?
Tsunade sat down and pulled Kakashi's head into her lap. "Well, then, since you already know I'm here I may as well just start comforting you."
"I don't need sympathy. I don't need anyone feeling sorry for me."
Tsunade gave a small smile. "But you must be hurting a little…maybe a little on the inside…deep down…?"
Kakashi closed his eyes. "Damn you for being so perceptive. But I expect nothing less from a Hokage."
Tsunade carefully lifted the rest of Kakashi's body and braced him against her shoulder. Kakashi, with his eyes closed, didn't notice Tsunade lowering her face to his until-
Their lips touched.
A/N: Okay, I failed to mention a couple things before I started this fanfic, which I will mention now. We are pretending Tsunade is as young as she looks, simply so she and Kakashi can be together. I really like this couple, and no one has ever done them before. This is set after the time skip; way after. Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Kabuto have been defeated and taken themselves and their snakes someplace else, leaving Otoga a wasteland. So some rogue ninja overtook it and made it the Village Hidden in the Shadows. Soooo…now that you know that no flames about, "Tsunade's too old for Kakashi" or "The Village Hidden in the Shadows doesn't exist" or crap about "But Orochimaru should still be here!" or "But Kabuto and Sasuke shouldn't have been kicked out!" Hang with me. If you want them, no flames, PM please. I might put them in later, like a couple other people who might seem like useless crap right now. But if you want something, feel free to PM me.