Raven's Dusk Chapter 10: Hotblack, a naruto fanfic

Disclaimer/ I do not own Naruto, or this song Hotblack by Oceanship. One of the coolest bands in the history of Canada. Go check them out cause this song is hot.

This chapter is deadicated to all those who reviewed the last chapter~ Please read, enjoy, and review.

Chapter Nine

Took a big trip
With your old band
To your homeland
For the wrong man

Making big plans
For your own sake
Hope they don't bend
Hope they don't break

Took a tip from a rodeo show
Get a grip or you're gonna get thrown
Take your aim when you take a shot
For the man under you will take everything you got

Exhaustion caught up with her, dragging her body down like a lead weight into the easy chair next to the bookcase. She sighed heavily and let her eyes close, expecting sleep to be right there, waiting for her eagerly.

"You were amazing," Kakashi commented lightly, leaning against the wall with his stupid book in hand.

"I'm sleepy," she groaned.

"Talking to sleepy people is fun. It never fails to amuse me what can come out of their mouths when they are only partly aware of their surroundings."

"Leave me alone, surgery is a bugger and I want to be done for the day," Sakura whined, rolling over a bit to bunch up into a ball on the chair. Her back shook a bit with shivers since her white long sleeve was so thin but she didn't bother to get up and find something else that could warm her. Her knees were pulled up high and her face was deeply buried between them, blocking all else out of sight.

Kakashi didn't say anything more for a while, but when he did he spoke in a tone much softer and less teasing, letting Sakura know that he was serious about what he was saying. "That little girl is going to sleep well for the first time in a long time because of you and I'm not talking about only the surgery."

Sakura shifted a bit in her seat but didn't hurry to reply. After coming back from the raid with the forbidden scroll in hand she had wasted little to no time studying it and preparing for the actual surgery. Kakashi had of course asked for details as to why she was late coming back, but everytime he came to her she would brush it off, push it to the side, or give him a thin, basic story that would hold him over for only a little longer. She hadn't told him about Madara or Kisame. He worried too much as it was, she didn't want to see Kakashi freak out any more than he already had.

Silence stretched and then Sakura surprised the both of them with a question. "How is she doing?"

"Hitomi is sleeping sound last I checked. The others are taking care of her well enough now that there is nothing serious wrong with her anymore."

"Aside from the fact that there are probably people out there who want to kill her and steal her eyes?"

"I'm sure there are plenty more people who would like to kill you, regardless of how beautifle your eyes are."

Sakura seemed to hum a low, long chuckle at his seemingly ridicules statement. "Which ones?" Her eyes darted back and forth going into REM as the color of the iris started to change. Her hand clenched within the clasps as they too underwent an unseen change.

"All four of them?"

"Stupid..."

Sakura pulled the pillow that was behind her back out and tossed it at where she thought Kakashi was, missing him by a hair. He laughed in return and watched from a safe distance, his book limp and floppy in his hand.

Seeing Sakura quiet down he pocketed the novel and picked up the pillow. He tried putting it back behind Sakura, but upon touching her shoulder he realized that the young woman was actually asleep. He dropped the pillow at his side and instead slipped his arms under Sakura's body, lifting her into a bridal carry. Her bones were sharp against her skin and he silently marveled at the new weight. She ate enough to satisfy a woman her age but her metabolism was too fast to keep anything on her bones for very long. That's how many ninja were.

Carrying her out of the room, Kakashi shifted her in his arms so that her face rolled into his neck. She breathed little breaths like a bird against his neck, fanning it with warmth. Beneath his mask he couldn't help but smile at the comfortable feeling. He loved it.

He stopped outside his room and kicked the door open with the toe of his shoe, not minding that it creaked a bit. There was already a light on by the bed to see by as he set Sakura down on his mattress with the sheets pulled back. She sighed at the detachment and balled up like a cold child so he tucked her in as best he could before going for a few more blankets that were sure to keep her warm.

Bringing those blankets over he wrapped her up and tucked her in so that she was surrounded by an inescapable heat. Looking down at her it made his heart flutter. She was so cute with only the top half of her face sticking out of the mess of blankets with her nose and cheeks red from what might turn out to be a half hour fever brought on by chakra overuse. She was adorable in his eyes.

Leaning down he brushed aside a stray hair and rested his knuckles against her cheek. "You know something? Sometimes when I'm with you I'm convinced living a little longer in this world wouldn't be such a bad thing."

He bent down and kissed her forehead before climbing in next to her, recognizing that, yes, in the morning he might get pummeled for this stunt, but it was probably worth it. Sakura yawned in her sleep and buried deeper into her blankets like a little pink haired mouse and Kakashi laughed.

"Yeah, definitely worth it."

"Mmm, I couldn't agree more."

Kakashi startled, jumping up into a crouch position with a kuni out, poised and ready. In front of him the bedroom door creaked a bit, swinging back further against the wall as if it had just been pushed open, but there was no one there and Kakashi remembered leaving it ajar. Before he had time enough to look around the voice spoke again, this time closer.

"I can't think of a single worthy sole who wouldn't give up everything for such a precious bird."

Kakashi whirled and there, crouched over Sakura with his face so closer to her own, hunched the form of their intruder. Red eyes swiveled up meet Kakashi's only exposed orb just in time to catch the air cutting hiss of his Kuni.

"Get away from her," Kakashi snarled, lunging so he stood crouched over Sakura's body, one foot on either side of her. Somehow he had managed to whip his eye-cover off and activate his own sharingan.

The intruder stood just out of arm's reach, body drawn up to full height. Kakashi could see that this man had an impressive build and was obviously a very skilled shinobi. How he had managed to enter without giving himself away was amazing as well as frightening. The tall man wore odd clothing of ages past, a flapping robe and military issued leggings that left most of his chest exposed caught Kakashi's attention. This man didn't have any visible scars nor did he carry any weapons.

"How rude of you, to attack like a rabid dog in heat when the master has come back for his prize," the man sighed almost teasingly with a devil may care look to his eyes.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want with Sakura?"

"Feisty little puppy..."

"Answer the damn questions before I kill you."

The male huffed and shook his head to let a few stands of black fall away from his face. "I'm here to check in on her of course. She hasn't come to visit me and I'm terribly lonely all by myself. I though something might be keeping her."

Kakashi flinched a bit at the though of this man taking away his Sakura but kept his cool. "You still haven't told me who you are."

"I though you would have recognized me with my hair all grown out once more. You're one of the older students of the Leaf are you not?"

"Your. Name." The comas in his eyes began to spin with anger.

The man held Kakashi's stare unblinking, his own ruby orbs almost a perfect mirror of the man in front of him. He seemed to be debating whether or not it was worth the trouble to waste his breath on something so trivial. The power distance was all the more apparent but Kakashi still held the man's gaze. He had something to protect and he would die before it was taken from him again. Something sparked a smile in the dark haired male and he chuckled.

"Very well. You've entertained me enough to merit that. I'll leave you with a name so that you may inform my little bird who it was that requests her presence in Amegakure. She should know where to find me once you tell her Madara Uchiha was here."

"What-"

The breath was gone from Kakashi's lungs as an iron fist buried its self into his chest, sending him backwards off the bed. He landed and flipped just time to swipe at his attacker but was off my only a hair. Madara took the shot and grabbed Kakashi by his neck. Kakashi kicked and landed a good one, but it wasn't enough since his eyes met Madara's in the split second after. Seeing the endless back orbs with only small dots of red paralyzed. Kakashi had never seen a sharingan like that nor felt its effects.

"Bastard," he whispered, feeling his voicebox tighten till he could no longer speak.

"Maybe so, but that is beside the point, Hatake. The point here is you. I'd like to consider myself a fair man but the relationship you've taken towards my little bird is all but absurd. I find it quite displeasing and would appreciate if you would stop yourself and save yourself some heartache. I'm not in the habit of letting what is mine be snatched away right under my nose."

To this point Madara's tone had been light and somewhat airy, but all of a sudden it turned sharp and cruel. "I've given you your health and sanity and I can take it away any time I chose to. Keep the fuck away from what's mine."

And with that Madara slammed the younger male deep into the ground, sending Kakashi's mind to a scattering of different places while he fought to stay awake. He was still paralyzed but his distorted vision was coming back to him in bits and pieces. Madara's sandals stopped in front of his face and kicked his nose.

"My bird will be rested enough to come after me in a week's time, so by then I expect her to come to me. I'll have the Hokage there as well in case she wants her revenge but I know that's not motivation enough so I will be taking one of the little ones with me. I guarantee their safety for seven days. After that..."

The edges began to darken and kakashi felt himself slipping away.

"Seven days Hatake."

He heard laughter.

Then the world went black.

When he woken he was in a white bed surrounded by noise. Something rested atop his face and when he reached up he noticed that his mask was no longer in place. He tried to sit up but felt her hands on his chest pushing him back into the sheets.

"Sakrua?" he called out, still too dizzy to see properly.

"I'm here, don't worry. You've been out for quite a while."

"Mmm, have I now?" he tried to joke.

Sakura's face came into his line of vision and he smiled wider, unable to help himself. She probably gave him morphine since he was feeling boneless and light like a giddy school girl with her first crush. Although...she had that sort of effect on him most of the time so it was unfair to blame it on a drug.

"You mind telling me what happened? I woke up this morning and found you bleeding on the floor with a crater half the size of your torso! And by the way, that's the only reason you are still alive. You think I wouldn't notice when I woke up in your bed? I'd hang you up if you weren't already dying."

"It's not that bad is it?" he asked, tone still light.

Sakura stopped what she was doing and stared him in the face, expression leaving no room for joking. Hatake I can't find Ryuu kun and none of the other kids have seen him. It's strange that he would be missing and yet I find you obviously bested from a fight."

"Ryuu huh, the silver haired midget?"

"Kakashi..."

"Probably just wanted some air or something. That brat was annoying anyway." The older male smiled and shrugged, looking away.

Sakura leaned back, pulling the cloth off his forehead with slow cautious movements. The next thing Kakashi knew Sakura was above him with her hand wrapped around his mouth, eyes leveled with his own. She was past the point of joking and teasing. She wanted the truth and she wouldn't put up with anything less. "Tell me now, what the hell happened to you, now."

He sighed and deflated a bit under her. "It's nothing to concern you. I'll get him back myself and fix this all on my own. Just wait here. You're still weak from the operation aren't you."

"Does that mean you're not going to tell me anything?"

"I'll deal with it, so let me sleep."

Sakura released Kakashi and sat back, slouching a bit. Yet, she looked no less determined. "Do you want to know what happened to me on my trip? I couldn't get the scroll on my own but there was someone there to help me in the compound. Madara Uchiha was actually the one who got it for me. I didn't actually believe he would leave me alone so easily."

"You're a hard person to leave alone."

"I know where he's waiting so I plan on leaving with or without your help as soon as I am well."

He tried to sit up once more but Sakura pushed him back into the sheets none too lightly. "It's obvious whatever it is he has for you is a trap and yet you're still going to go?"

"Did you not hear me when I told you Ryuu kun was missing."

"...Still."

Sakura stood and retreated to the other side of the room and stopped at the door. Looking back she tried to smile but it only came out as a pathetic grimace. "Try to get some rest while you can. I'm going to get something to eat with the other kids. I promise not to do anything without you."

Tsunade adjusted her robes while seated, increasingly uncomfortable with her seating arrangements. The longer she sat the longer she wanted to fidget and get up and move. On either side of her stood masked ANBU guards who appeared as calm and serene as possible, though she knew they had to be experiencing some level of discomfort. They were, after all, in one of the most violent and mysterious countries in the ninja world with little to no explanation as to why they needed to be in such a place.

Tsunade looked up upon hearing the sound of a door creaking open. She caught sight of the swirling black cloak dotted with red clouds and couldn't help but scowl a little. It always made her feel a bit disgusted to be in the same room as anyone from the organization.

"Thank you for your patience, esteemed princess," a new voice called as the figure entered the room.

"Pein," Tsunade grumbled, unhappy with the sight before her. He should have been dead and to the rest of her village that's what he was. Little did they know he was newly resurrected by the power of Kabuto who was allied with the world's strongest Uchiha.

"My master will be with you shortly. He asked me to entertain you in the meantime."

"How long is a little while?" she asked.

"A few days at the most, princess."

"You might have forgotten this, but I do have a village to run and it's not the easiest thing to do via carrier birds. I was told this was important so I rushed over here only to be told I will have to wait not only hours but days? What kind of bull is this?"

"You are free to leave whenever you wish to, however, you should know there will be consequences."

"Hokage sama?" one of the masked men asked her.

The old blond woman grimaced but fell back into her seat, deflating in defeat. She knew she had her hands tied tight behind the devil's back with this person. Madara had information that could kill her politically in an instance. Not only on Sakura, but others like Kakashi, Yamato and Sai. The last two being her most recent exchanges. Perfect ones too, no one missed them. One day they were there and the next the next they were gone, spirited away to a far and distant country where similar fates awaited them.

"We will remain here till we have what is needed. Tell you master this, Pein."

"Of course, princess. May I show you and your guards to your rooms?"

"Yes you may. Come along you two."

The Two ANBU nodded and followed, Sasuke on her right and a younger ninja named Jin on her left. Only one of them was smiling behind his mask and only one of them was really a double agent with allegiances owed to the organization she hated so much.

From a higher room Madara watched the exchange between the blond and Pein with mild interest. He didn't really enjoy having that woman in his home but it was all for his precious bird. He knew she would want to have a swipe at the overflowing fat that had betrayed her. Her anger was a living presence in her and he loved it. He wanted to see it released and manifest in that precious body of hers before his own eyes.

He played with a stay black feather that was ruffled and dirty from the ground and elements. Still, he held it tenderly between his fingers, playing with it every so often before bringing it up to his widened, ruby red eyes. He grinned wide at the sight.

"Not much longer now, my love, my bird. I can hardly wait."

Take the pills that they give you mornings
Spit them out when they aren't looking
Keep a smile but you burn it hot
It's a mad, mad, world

Take the pills that they give you mornings
Spit them out when they aren't looking
Fix a smile but you burn it hot
It's a mad, mad, world!

AN:/Happy Halloween my peeps! I hope you are all enjoying yourself and having fun reading and studying and taking tests from school. Yeah, me neither.

Okay, this chapter only exists because of The Patchwork Cat who bugged me and bugged me and annoyed me until I got off my rear and did something about this. She is amazing and deserves credit for motivating me to actually do something for you guys.

I hope I made this chapter worth your time with Kakashi and Madara moments now. Yeah, when I first started this I did not have Madara in mind for being a love rival but that's how it turned out and I think I like it. What about you guys? Do you like Madara playing a larger role and being interested in Sakura? What about Kakashi? Sasuke even? And then there is Pein who might run into her when she storms the castle to save her little boy. PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you think.