CHAPTER 2:
The first thing Sakura had remembered when she had woken up what felt like hours later, was that her wrists and ankles were in shackles and her prison was cold and damp, like a cell in the basement of someone's house. It was extremely dark and it took a good couple of minutes for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light. She shifted slightly only to gasp in pain; everywhere hurt like mad, especially her head. Her chakra signals were weak and, she concluded, that there was no way she would be able to break free from her chains of bondage. She tried to stand, but to no avail; her knees buckled immediately causing her to fall back onto the ground with a bump.
Ok then, she thought, maybe the bolts to the wall aren't strong enough and started to pull against the wall, but that accomplished nothing except that her cuffs grew tighter around her wrists, almost cutting into them. The sounds made by the heavy chains when the dragged on the cold, concrete floor gained the attention on a shinobi standing guard outside of the cell hidden in he darkness.
His ungainly footfalls reached Sakura's ears causing her to stop fidgeting with the restraints. Why couldn't I sense his chakra? She asked herself. Oh crap it is worse than I thought! She could only make out is outline when he neared her.
"Well, well. Look who woke up," he sneered at her.
"You son of a bitch! Where the hell am I and what the fuck did you do to me?" she growled at the man, who only laughed at her as though he was patronizing like if she was a child.
"You're a spunky little kunoichi aren't you pinky?" he chuckled placing his index finger under her chin and tilting her face upwards until it was mere inches from his. His putrid breath wafted across her face making her stomach turn instantly, and she was sure that her face had turned green.
She tossed her head causing him to lose his grip on her chin making him laugh some more. "You can't remember anything, can't you pinky?"
"You know," she spoke through her gritted teeth, "I really hate to repeat myself, but just for this one time I will from someone as stupid and ignorant as yourself. Where on kami's green earth am I?"
"You're in the Grass Village's holding cell of course. Surely you were not expecting us to retreat quietly after you killed our feudal lord's son?"
"So is that why I'm here. You're going to execute me," her voice was steeled with anger.
"Sure we are," he replied cheerily, as though someone had given him gift. "You know the old saying – an eye for an eye…"
"I understand that. I just think it's kind of unfair seeing that it was your ninja that attacked ours in the first place. The Leaf shinobi were just defending themselves," she argued.
"Defending themselves against a ninja whose skill was obviously beneath them," the unknown man countered.
"Oh yeah? So explain to me why the feudal lord's son was sporting an ANBU tattoo on his left shoulder huh?" she retorted, her voice indicating that she was starting to lose her cool.
The man didn't reply but stuttered at her observation. He obviously wasn't expecting us to examine the body, she thought smirking, and then said aloud, "You're all deceitful! You are endangering innocent lives because of politics and you assume killing me on the square would justify it. Think again! I am Sakura Haruno, apprentice to the Godaime and the second-best medical ninja in the damn Fire Country. And by the way, the Rokudaime and I go way back, so even if you successfully kill me, he'll come after you. And then we'll see whose leader is more powerful – my Hokage, or your pathetic daimyo."
That was the last straw. The minute her rant had ended, the callused hand of her guard ripped across her face with lightning speed. Her cheek burned and she was sure her skin became bruised by the slap. She coughed and she tasted the metallic flavor of her blood, dripping out from the cut caused when her inner cheek banged against her sharp molars.
"You bitch," he scowled at her finally sounding as though Sakura's words had hit home, "I'll make sure that you never get out of this alive." He stomped across the room and flung some food on the ground next to her, expecting her to eat it as though she was some sort of animal. "You better enjoy that while it last," he said referring to the food, "'cause that's gonna be your last meal."
He then stomped of into the black abyss leaving Sakura in her cell to reflect on their conversation. Suddenly realization hit her. So they are going to kill me, she thought while a thin stream of tears crept down her face. I'm never going to see Kakashi again!
٭
The only thing that prevented Kakashi from killing his Hokage was the fact that he would be tried for treason. Everyone just stood there, whispering and muttering words of concern under their breaths and time was passing. Every minute that passed meant that his lover was suffering. Every second that passed counted down to her execution.
Kakashi growled and shouted at Naruto, "Naruto what the hell are you waiting for? You need to send a rescue team immediately! If they leave now they can reach before daybreak."
Naruto was looking more harassed than usual, which is understandable seeing that Sakura was like the sister he never had. So when Kakashi made his outburst, it aloud Naruto to shift from friend mode into Hokage mode and started sharing instructions like crazy. "I'm going to send a six-man squad to the Hidden Grass Village. Yamato, Izumo, Kotetsu, I'm sending you to go to the Grass village but first take a detour to the barracks and join up forces with Shikamaru and Neji."
Hinata, who was standing next to her husband for the entire mission, asked him, "But Naruto that's five ninja. Who's the sixth?"
Naruto's blue eyes immediately became fixed onto Kakashi's lone onyx one. "Well that's obvious! Kakashi's team leader of course," he replied tossing the scroll at his silver-haired sensei once upon a time.
"Alright everybody!" he called to the shinobi. "You all have your tasks, so move out!"
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"Kakashi slow down man!"
They were moving at breakneck speed and even though Kakashi, and probably Yamato, would be able to keep up with the pace, the two chunin couldn't. Both Izumo and Kotetsu were soon out of breath and needed to take a break to catch their breaths.
Yamato who was running along side with Kakashi said, "Taichou, I think we should stop for a minute. We're only forty miles away from the border. Couldn't we just…"
"No," Kakashi snapped at him. "We're wasting time. Sakura's life's at stake and it's not something I want to gamble with. Naruto shouldn't have even sent her to the border," he added angrily.
Yamato looked sideways at him and asked, "You really love her don't you?" But Kakashi refused to answer and Yamato took that for a yes. Even though they kept their relationship under wraps, it was kind of obvious to the ANBU operative that they both had been in a relationship for long time now.
Kakashi closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine," he called to his subordinates, "we'll take a ten minute break. Only ten minutes!" he repeated as Izumo and Kotetsu immediately dropped to the forest floor.
There was a stream nearby so Kakashi volunteered to fetch water. But after ten minutes and the team leader didn't return, Yamato went looking for him.
When Yamato returned to the resting site, Kotetsu asked, "Senpai, where's Hatake?"
"He already left for the Grass Village."
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The sun was just rising over the mountain peaks when Kakashi reached the village gates. He wore a hooded cloak over his jonin outfit and disarmed the guards with his mangekyo sharingan. The swirling tomoe in his eye caused the shinobi to be trapped in a dimension of torture which enabled the silver-haired man to put them in a comatose state.
His left eye hurt like hell afterwards and he felt relatively weaker since the Tsukuyomi drained a large amount of his chakra and left his optical nerves inflamed. But he didn't care, because all he was concerned about was making sure Sakura was safe and sound.
He stalked into the village, masking his chakra and pulling his hood over his head covering his face slightly. He moved like a ghost through the village, blending into the mist using the Hidden Mist technique he had copied from Zabuza Momochi years previously during Team 7's first A-class mission. He entered the village and hid in the shadows close to the feudal lord's palace. A man exited the back door and walked to the moat where he sat and pulled out a cigarette to take a smoke. Kakashi crept up behind the unsuspecting servant who was obviously not a ninja and placed a hand over his mouth, while the man dropped his cigarette in shock.
"I am going to ansk you a couple of questions. You will not make a sound to you understand?" asked Kakashi dangerously. The man nodded feverishly and Kakashi uncovered his mouth but placed a kunai to his carotid artery, causing the man to gulp.
When Kakashi spoke, his voice was quiet yet it had a very dangerous undertone. "Your leader apprehended a Leaf Shinobi yesterday. Do you know where she is?"
"The p-pink haired g-girl?" the servant stuttered.
"Yes."
"I don't k-now ex-ac-t-tly where," Kakashi pressed the blade edge against his skin causing him to continue talking at a rapid place, "b-ut she would probably be kept captive in the prisons."
"Where?" Kakashi asked pressing the weapon against his skin harder so that it imprinted into his neck.
"In the basement!" he shrieked.
"Than you for your services," replied Kakashi before he knocked the man unconscious. He dragged the unconscious man into some nearby bushes and went into the palace blindly.
He maneuvered his way through the labyrinth of corridors and was able to find the prison. It was dark and damn and he only had to go a little way until he heard the sound of chains dragging on the ground. The person dropped to the ground and the woman started to sob. Kakashi searched through his pockets in a frenzy looking for a lighter and soon he used the instrument to cast some light into the room revealing a pink-haired, defeated-looking woman.
She looked up to see where light source was coming from and her eyes widened when she saw who it was.
"Kakashi! What are you doing here?" she gasped.
He rolled his eyes and smirked, "That is the most stupid question I had ever heard."
It was now Sakura's turn to smile, "Are you going to get me out of here boyfriend?"
Her lover shrugged and immediately performed the series of hand signals and soon the chirping of birds was heard indicating that his chidori was activated. He used the lightning blade to break open the prison gate causing a deafening bang that echoed throughout the feudal lord's mansion.
He walked briskly towards Sakura and snapped the chains with his bear hands aided with chakra and pulled her up, crushing her petite frame to his taller one in bear hug that knocked the wind out of her.
"Kakashi! Can't breathe!" she gasped and took a couple of deep breaths after he released her, but keeping his arms firmly wrapped around her waist.
She looked up at him and his face lowered to kiss her, but the effect was ruined when he touched her cheek causing her wince. His eyes widened in alarm and raised the light to her face and snarled when he saw the purple marks on her face.
He cupped her chin gingerly and tilted her face to examine the bruises further. "Who did this to you?" he asked angrily, but before she could give her reply someone else entered the conversation.
"I did," said the same prison guard, "and you must be the infamous Copy Ninja." His beady little eyes moved from Kakashi's face to the position where his arms were wrapped protectively around Sakura. "Oh I get it! Pinky here's your girl! No wonder you came here all alone."
"What? Kakashi you did not come here with out any back up," asked Sakura incredulously. It could only be Kakashi to come barging in here with no support, her inner self thought rolling her eyes. But the outer Sakura wasn't so sarcastic; how on earth were the going to escape.
"Oh trust me I didn't come here all by myself," Kakashi quipped. He held out his wrist and looked at it as though he was reading the time on a watch while saying, "My team will be in here in 3…2…1…"
An explosion was heard and pieces of concrete and plaster went flying to reveal a large hole in the adjacent wall with five lethal looking leaf shinobi standing in the opening.
When the entered, Izumo whined, "Geez Kakashi, ten minutes wouldn't have killed ya!" This caused Kakashi to grin.
Shikamaru came closer and said, "Nice to see that you're still in the land of the living Sakura." He then turned to Kakashi, "Get her out of here. We'll clean up around here and rendezvous at the barracks.
Kakashi nodded his head and led Sakura back to the sanctuary of their country.
٭
"Could you be a bit gentler?"
"Sorry honey."
Sakura groaned at the new nickname. "Stop please."
"What?" inquired Kakashi pausing to look at her with a swab damp with rubbing alcohol inches from her face.
"Stop calling me honey. It's sounds weird coming from you."
"Do you mind if I call you sweetheart then?" That comment made her growl. He chuckled and continued cleaning her wounds.
He threw away the contaminated swab and placed his hands on Sakura's hips, while resting is forehead on hers. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you," he said softly, looking deep into her viridian eyes.
Sakura put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "I missed you too," she whispered back.
He lowered his mask and brushed his soft lips over hers, his tongue massaging hers and her teeth nipping at his lips; both of them hoping that the team would hurry up so that they could continue this at either of their places.
They pulled away from each other when they sensed their comrades' arrival. Shikamaru walked over to the couple oblivious of what happened and asked, "You ok Sakura?"
"Yeah I'll be fine," she replied, "I just want to go home."
"And we will soon. The Grass Village has just surrendered."
"Seriously?" asked Kakashi and Sakura in unison.
"Yeah, apparently they were scared of how easily the leaf shinobi were able to infiltrate their village. So the feudal lord surrendered. He's writing a long apology for the fire daimyo and the Hokage as we speak." The chunin removed a cigarette from its pack and light it before placing it into his mouth.
"So it's all over then," sighed Sakura, leaning her head on Kakashi's chest.
"Yes, it's finally over," replied Shikamaru.
He removed his cigarette and pressed his half-smoked butt onto the table, putting out the ash as if to signal the end of the civil unrest between the two shinobi villages.
It ended with a cigarette.