Takemaru, Kamiko, and Tamori all hid beneath the brush. Looking over his team Takemaru asked, "So who's got a plan?" Both girls looked at him with wide eyes full of confusion and shock; it was unlike him not to have a plan. "I'm kidding guys, calm down," he laughed nervously. "Kamiko, tell me what you know about them?"
"Haruno Sakura," Kamiko started, "Age 20, skilled genjutsu and chakra user, lacking in ninjutsu, undisciplined in taijutsu even though she has Tsunade's strength. Normal weapons include kunai and hand to hand combat; on the rare occasion, chakra knives." Kamiko's brows frowned in confusion as she kept digging through her memories for things more useful, "Average speed, above average intelligence, below average hearing," Kamiko was shushed by Takemaru's nod; knowing he had little time to create a plan.
"And Kakashi-sensei?"
Kamiko sighed, "His sharingan is out of commission, so most of the things that make him extremely formidable are locked within that eye… Very quick, his speed is almost as quick as yours Takemaru," her eyes closed, focusing on the information spinning in her hair, "Age 32, skilled genjutsu and ninjutsu user, will avoid taijutsu if possible, but is overall very well rounded. Above average intelligence and speed, very good sense of smell, and has a group of ninja dogs that he has the ability to summon."
Takemaru closed his eyes, rubbing them softly, "Tamori, can you take his sharingan?"
Tamori closed her eyes and shook her head, "I won't use a bloodline unless they can to, it's unfair." Her voice was firm as her crystal blue eyes bore into his golden ones.
A tired smile crossed his lips, "Of course, always polite about that stuff." He muttered softly as he adjusted the plan he had created in his mind. "Alright, I got it!" His smile was devious as he looked at Tamori, "I want you to fight Sakura, with your taijutsu against hers."
Tamori's eyes widened, "If you're sure…"
Takemaru grinned, "And this is how we're going to do it…"
Kakashi and Sakura jumped from branch to branch, "Don't use your sharingan, Kakashi," Sakura whimpered quietly as her eyes scanned over the man in front of her.
He stopped, standing on the edge of the branch and looked at her, "You don't need to baby me, Sakura," He looked away for a moment and muttered, "I have enough people doing that already."
Sakura's eyes sharpened and became dark as she jumped up to his side, with a finger against his chest, "Listen here, Hatake," she growled as she stepped forward, making him step back; his back against the tree. The visible anger in her eyes was enough to frightened him, "Don't you dare act like I'm babysitting you," she growled darkly, "I'm here to help you, to be by your side while you get better!" she spat as she looked away, her eyes glistening with unshed emotions, "I don't want you to be doing this against your will… I want you to be happy, and I want to help you become happy."
"Sakura…" His eyes focused on hers, and suddenly the woman was voneralbe in front of him again; just like years ago. He smiled through his mask, resting his hand on her shoulder, "I don't know how I could ever thank you," he muttered softly. Her eyes jolted up to his, tears glistening at the brim of her eyes. Kakashi's eyes widened as the woman wrapped her arms around his torso, her forehead pressed against his jacket as her eyes focused on their feet.
His body didn't know how to respond, but after a sigh he wrapped his arms around her as well, pulling her close, "You need to stop doing things alone," she muttered softly as she stayed iin the embrace for a moment. Heat rushed through Kakashi; it was surprising how warm the woman was. Turning her back and letting go of the embrace Sakura jumped to another branch, "Lets get going," she smiled over her shoulder as she began running.
Golden eyes narrowed as he spoke into his headset, "Change of plans," he muttered quietly.
"What do you mean change of plans?" A feminine voice screamed into the headset.
Takemaru gave a low growl into the headset, letting the woman know he was serious. "Kamiko, you're with me, instead of Sakura I need you to target Kakashi." And within a second, he was gone.
Kakashi's eyes rose to the treetops, I thought I heard something… shaking his head he followed after the kunoichi, "They smell close," he muttered as he gained speed, running beside her. They both looked at each other, pulling out their own kunai; they jumped into the opening of the training grounds.
Eyes darted around, Kakashi catching a sight of Kamiko's kimono in the light, "that way," he muttered softly. Sakura darted towards the direction, Naruto told us not to underestimate them, what is she thinking just running in like that? Kakashi questioned, quickly following after her. These scents, they're all together, what is going on…
With the speed of both the shinobi, they caught up with the three genin, "Break!" Takemaru called as he suddenly disappeared, Kamiko and Tamori darting off in different directions. Sakura's eyes flew to Kamiko, whom was quickly making hand signs for a clone.
Sakura's eyes sharpened, "Follow Kamiko," She directed as she ran after Tamori, So, they're splitting into pairs of two, her eyes refocused back on Tamori as they disappeared in the brush. Kakashi didn't even have a chance to respond before she had disappeared from sight.
This doesn't feel right… Kakashi hated running into combat, he preferred a ninja to come to him or silently stalk from a distance; anything but this.
Takemaru ran around the four of them, golden eyes watching every single movement, "Kamiko, he's on his way," A curt nod from the woman disappeared from the trees, "Tamori, keep her running."
Kamiko's voice rang out through the headset, "Takemaru, here's your chance."
Kakashi jumped from branch to branch, keeping close to the trunks of the trees in case of an attacker; his kunai clenched tightly in his hand. His ears perked at the faintest noise, his nose taking in the odor of the forest yet following the smell of lilacs; Kamiko. The smell of the forest suddenly changed, metal lingering in the air.
Landing on his heels, Kakashi kicked off the branch he had just landed on. Instead of moving forward he instead flew backward; avoiding the gold and black scythe that was now deep within the bark of the tree.
"Very quick," Kakashi's eyes followed the chain of the scythe, only to see the young genin, "Very very quick," Takemaru grinned as he spun around, pulling the scythe from where it had embedded itself, throwing its twin in Kakashi's direction. "Don't think you can get away with just speed," his cocky grin only widened, tugging on the chain. In the split moment that the handles returned to him, Takemaru was suddenly gone; his speed taking him far away.
Kamiko growled into the headset, "You can't keep checking on her! She'll be fine!" She snapped darkly, trying to keep her voice under control, "Stay focused, damn it."
Takemaru reluctantly turned back, running back to Kakashi. Golden eyes looked over the forest carefully, stopping momentarily to find the silver haired ninja. "Welcome back." Spinning around quickly, Takemaru threw his scythe at the man; as the metal cut through Kakashi's chest he could only erupt in a cloud of smoke.
Damn it, clones. Takemaru's eyes darted around, trying to find the real Kakashi, Maybe Kamiko was right, I shouldn't have checked on Tamori… regret weighed on him as he began to weave in and out of the trees, a flash of white hair the only thing he could go off of.
Tamori's breathe hitched as she continued to run. Sakura hadn't made any moves besides keeping on her tail. She's actually pretty quick, Tamori thought with a smile as she kept running from the pinkette, Without those glasses, I can see a lot better… I really hope this is what Takemaru-kun wants. Tamori ran through the clearing, stopping just short of the edge as Sakura entered, "Are you ready Haruno-chan?" She giggled as she gave a smile
Sakura's eyes narrowed, I'm not sure how to feel with a girl like her smiling during training, her body became on edge as she watched Tamori's arm pull back. Oh, fuck. Sakura's eyes widened as she watched Tamori's fist collide with the ground. The earth shook, quaking from the force of the woman's fist, as it began crumbling. Spikes of earth dislodged from their place, almost as if targeting her. With a deep breathe Sakura dodged every single judding pillar, almost as if dancing around them, She is strong, and controlled, even her chakra is fully under her control. With the landscape completely changed, Sakura could no longer see Tamori, This will be interesting…
Both Kakashi and Takemaru both stopped completely. Kakashi stabbed his kunai into the bark of the nearest tree, listening to the vibrations of the shock wave, Sakura?
Takemaru clicked his headset, "Kamiko?" His voice was laced with concern, "what's going on?"
A low growl came from the headset, "God damn it, Takemaru, you need to learn to trust her!" Another shock wave echoed through the earth, alarming him even more, "They're just punching the ground; both of them."
Kakashi's eyes widened hearing another quake, Sakura please be careful.
"You seem a bit worried," Takemaru mused as he looked at the silver haired jounin, his mahogany brows rising slightly as Kakashi's reaction became strained, "She seems very close to you."
Kakashi's composure was stoic, staring at the boy, "As does Tamori to you," he muttered back, "I wonder who's winning that fight," Kakashi smirked under his mask as he challenged the boy to disappear to check on his comrade.
"Takemaru, don't do it," Kamiko warned through the headset sensing her teammate's distress. Takemaru's brows frowned in concern as his eyes darted in the direction that the quakes had originated, "Shit," Kamiko groaned as she watched Kakashi disappear, Takemaru soon following after.
Hitting her palm against her forehead, Kamiko groaned quietly, "He cant stay focused at all when it comes to her!" Purple eyes sharpened as she dashed after Kakashi, To make this genjutsu work, I need to catch him off guard. With a quiet whimper her turned her headset on, "Takemaru you need to come back, just to get his attention."
"I'm so sorry," Takemaru whimpered as he quickly, darting back to Kakashi.
He keeps disappearing so that he can be with her. Naruto was right, he is always very close to her. But I don't know if Sakura can handle both of them – The sound of a moving chain quickly shot Kakashi out of his thoughts. His grey eyes darted towards the direction of the sound, only to widen in confusion. Instead of gold eyes, he met dark purple; Kamiko. A pulse of chakra ran through Kakashi as he was quickly caught in her genjutsu.
"You can go take care of Tamori now," Kamiko growled begrudgingly as she held Kakashi in the genjutsu. Takemaru could easily see her frustration but left instead of picking a fight with the upset woman. Kamiko focused her chakra and began her puppeteering of the illusion inside Kakashi's mind.
Kakashi was surprised to see the darkness surrounding him, "Genjutsu or ninjutsu?" he questioned himself with a grin, suddenly stopping, realizing he couldn't use his sharingan. "Guess I have to work this out myself."
A soft dripping sound quickly alerted him. His eyes darted in every direction looking for where the sound had originated. "Kakashi-kun?" A bell like voice asked quietly. Kakashi's eyes widened as he turned, looking into a pair of chocolate eyes. She looked down, his hand suddenly through her chest, "I love you, Kakashi-kun," she whispered as she touched his wrist. Her soft touch startled him, nothing like what had happened in reality, his eyes widening as his jaw threatened to drop. The young woman's knees began to buckle as her body gave way to the pain.
Kakashi caught the woman, kneeling down with her cradled in is arms, eyes filling with a bunch of emotions. "Rin…" he whimpered as he held the woman close to his chest, a gaping hole in hers. His mind raced, well aware that he was stuck in a genjutsu but the woman was dying in front of him all over again.
Her warm brown eyes looked up into his, cupping his cheek softly with her bloody hand, "Kakashi-kun, you cant save everyone."
The sound of rain slowly began ringing in his ears, he was unable to speak as his frantic eyes memorized her face and his shaking fingers touched her cheek. As the sound of rain grew louder, cold swept over him, his chakra dwindling with every drop of rain. A sudden rush of heat burned at his shoulder, Kakashi could only feel someone's hand grip his jacket; a reassuring pressure that he wasn't alone. Rin smiled up at him and attempted to laugh, "Sometimes you need to let people save you," she nudged her head against his chest, looking up at the person behind him, "She can help you, ya know, like you thought I could…"
Kakashi turned to see who was behind him, the weight of the woman in his arms disappearing as she vanished in the genjutsu. Warmth spread over him as he looked into the comforting emerald green eyes of the pinkette. He knelt before her, taking in everything about the woman. He could feel the rain against his skin, yet she was in a white summer dress, a beautiful smile across her plump lips, "Sakura," he whispered as he stumbled to his feet.
She smiled at him again; a warmth spreading through him and a light radiating through the darkness. Sakura held out her hand, her pinkie reaching for his. Just like that night… Kakashi's eyes focused on her red fingernail. His eyes followed up her arm to her glowing eyes, "W-what are you doing here?"
Sakura's warmth radiated through his arm as she pulled him closer, leaning her forehead against his jacket, "Am I not allowed to be here?" She cooed softly as she slowly looked up, "You need saving too, Kakashi," her voice was quiet as her glistening orbs looking up into his. "I-I saw the way you were looking at me, when I was in the shower," she whispered as she leaned up, now pressing most of her body against him.
The heat rushed over Kakashi fully engulfing him in the warmth of her loving personality, unable to fight the scene unfolding in his mind. Her free hand slowly reached up, tentative fingers slowly pulling at the fabric over his mouth as her eyes roamed over his unmasked face. She bit her gloss lip softly, "I'm here to help you Kakashi, you don't have to do anything alone anymore," she whispered softly, brushing her lips against his. Kakashi's eyes widened as he felt his lips twitch with a urge to return the action, tingling with a need he hadn't felt in years.
"Sakura…" he breathed out quietly as her fingertips ran over his skin, leaving a trail of lingering heat. Caving into the genjutsu, Kakashi wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her as close as possible, burying his nose into her hair. The sound of the rain slowly fell away, the heat consuming Kakashi completely. Her hands encircled him, resting between his shoulder blades holding him as close to her as possible.
They stood there for what seemed like hours, Kakashi enjoying the embrace. She was silent, only nuzzling against his neck to let him know she was still there. "I can save you, Kakashi," She whispered suddenly as her hands slowly moved to his chest; pushing him away. Her expression strained as she watched his discomfort at the lack of heat, "I can help, you just have to let me," she whimpered quietly.
He looked at her in pure confusion, and she only smiled, "Lets get you out of this genjutsu, huh," she giggled softly as her fingers traced his jawline, "Use your sharingan, I'll heal you as soon as we're together, I promise."
Kakashi heard her words and nodded. She took his hands, filling him with indescribable warmth once again. He closed his eyes, focusing on the genjutsu, slowly opening them; a crimson sharingan spinning.
Falling to his knees Kakashi took a deep breath, as if he hadn't been able to breathe for mintues. Breathing heavily he looked over to the genin in front of him, her eyes wide. "You saw it all, didn't you," he growled quietly, remembering his actions.
Kamiko's eyes grew dark, her lids heavy as she looked at the ground, "Takemaru wont be back, and I'm not going to fight you Kakashi-sensei," she whimpered quietly. She walked over to him slowly, "Stay still," she whispered. Her eyes gained a silver ring as she rose her palms, returning chakra to his body.
His brow rose in confusion seeing the emotions in her eyes, "Does it bother you?" he asked quietly.
She smiled, "My parents… it was an arranged marriage." The collected girl seemed almost hesitant to reveal her lost history, "They didn't love each other, actually they hated each other," she chuckled bitterly at the memories that came flooding back to her with each word, "but one day… she saved him. Hate turned to respect, respect turned into admiration, admiration turned to affection, and they said that affection could have turned to love." Kamiko held her hands to her chest as she recalled the memory. A forlorn smile crept onto her face, "I can see how having you as a sensei would give anyone the feelings of admiration."
His eyes bore into hers, asking a silent question, "I wont tell Naruto-sensei," she answered quickly, "Actually, I have no intentions of telling anyone," her smile brightened as she held out her hand to help him up, "It's just another thing to add to the list of infinite knowledge stuck in my head."
Kakashi gave the girl a grin, "How'd you get her to say those things anyway?" he asked as he tousled her ebony hair.
She looked up at him with the most innocent eyes he'd seen from her, "I didn't," she whimpered in confusion. She bit her lip and scratched her cheek nervously, "That jutsu lets out your inner most thoughts. You must think about those two very often." Kakashi gave a nod; it was true, they were all he'd thought about since he'd returned to the village.
A forceful shake of the earth made them both stumble, "Shit," Kamiko whispered as she regained her balance, "we should go check on the rest of them," her voice darkened as she looked towards the direction, "They'll destroy everything if we don't get them," a sarcastic chuckle escaped her lips as she ran towards her teammates.
Kamiko's eyes widened, quickly pushing Kakashi to the side, "What?" Kakashi growled darkly, only to become thankful as a boulder crushed where had just been. Looking over at Kamiko he only bowed his head apologietically, "How much farther?"
Kamiko's eyes glaced down at the rubble with a calculating gleam, "Not too far from the looks of it, only a few more kilometers." Pressing the putton on her headset she spoke, "Takemaru, where are you?"
Takemaru was suddenly running between them, a goofy grin on his face, "Oh, you guys are going to like this!" he beamed happily as he darted forward, jumping inot he clearing. Eyes widened, both Kamiko and Kakashi were shocked by what they saw: trees were splintered and fallen, the ground was shaky and uneven, smoke came from the large cravases that were cut into the ground.
"They're going all out," Takemaru grinned, "But they're both almost out of stamina," he chuckled as he pointed to his right. Tamori stood panting heavily; sweat dripping down her face, hair falling in front of her eyes, dirt caked over her pale skin. "Her jacket's weighted, for training," Takemaru threw in as Kakshi looked over the woman. She was only wearing her shorts, and a short sleeved fishnet shirt her black bra covering the busty girl from showing off even more of her body.
"Where's Sakura?" KAkashi asked quickly, noticing the pinkette was no were to be seen.
Takemaru's brows frowned together, "She was gone before I went to get you," he whimpered quietly waiting for the woman to appear.
Another crash alerted them, Tamori's eyes darting around trying to find the origin. "Shit, shit, shit!" She called as she began running. Kakashi couldn't help but be surprised, for a woman running in four inch heels, Tamori was very fast.
A scream echoed throughout the field, making Kakashi grin. "Always so loud," he muttered to himself as the earth began to shake. "Finish it up, ladies!" He called out, knowing that Sakura could hear him. Tamori's cheeks flushed as she gave a quick nod, running towards Sakura.
Kakashi watched with gleaming pride as Sakura dodged all of Tamori's punches: ducking, blocking with her shins, kicking back, everything and anything to avoid the hit. Tamori spun around, round house kicking the kunoichi she was sparing against. Sakura grinned, leaning backwards into a bridge, lifting her feet and kicking Tamori away. The woman's blue eyes lit up in surprise, a smile creeping on her face. With the distance now, they gave each other a moment to recuperate. Running at each other once again, fist raised high, Kakashi could see that this was the end of it. One last hit.
"Get ready…" Kamiko whispered quietly, Takemaru taking the statement as a reason to disappear. Kamiko looked over at Kakashi with a soft smile, "To catch her, she's going to need it."
Turning his eyes back to the women he watched their fists make contact. Both Tamori and Sakura had landed their hit directly on each other's jaw. A loud crack was heard as both woman screamed in pain; the force of each punch sending them back. With such great force from the opposing woman, they both went flying. Kakashi kicked off the unsteady ground, catching the pinkette in his arms. With one arm under her knees, the other wrapped around her torso as she rested her head against his shoulder.
Takemaru jumped from his hidden spot, catching Tamori the same way, brushing her long hair from her eyes, "Hey there," he whispered softly as her blue eyes fluttered open; soft blush painting across her cheeks as she nuzzled happily against his chest.
Kakashi knelt down in the grass, waiting for Sakura to slap him for the way he was holding her. Her lips parted as she gave a quiet gasp, "Kakashi," she whimpered as her fingers clung to his jacket.
"I'm right here Sakura," he muttered back with a smile, "You did very well, I'm proud."
He reached up to move her bangs from her face, his fingertips barely brushing her skin. Fire erupted under his skin at the simple touch; reminding him of the genjutsu. Her glowing eyes slowly opened, scanning his face. "I don't care if you're proud," she growled darkly. The slight pain that was evident in his eyes was enough to alert her, "You used your sharingan…"
"Good job guys!" Naruto beamed, appearing out of thin air. Kakashi stood up, picking Sakura up with him, and walked over to the rest of the group; listening to what the blonde had to say. "Kamiko, you did a great job staying on task. Creating a genjutsu that even Kakashi couldn't get out of without his sharingan," He beamed as the girl got a competitive grin. Naruto turned to Takemaru with sharp eyes, "You left Kamiko alone to check on Tamori, that could have left her in serious danger. Tamori can handle herself just fine."
Takemaru's eyes lowered as he focused on the brunette in his arms, "You're right sensei."
Kneeling down, Naruto spoke to Tamori with a softer voice, "And you," he muttered quietly as he watched her flinch, "You did a very good job. I'm proud of all of you."
A small smile broke her timid façade, a quiet giggle escaping her lips; happy to make her sensei proud. Her clear blue eyes looked over at Kakashi, "You should send him home, he used his Sharingan."
Sakura's eyelids were heavy, "Let's go back to my house," she whimpered, "I can get solider pills and heal up your eye." Naruto looked at them and nodded, giving them the okay to leave, and in a puff of smoke, they were gone.
The smell of the apartment didn't seem to shock Kakashi. The smell of books, tea, disinfectant, and strawberries lingered in the air. Sakura stirred in his arms, "The bedroom's upstairs," she whimpered as she held her head, "Go there so I can heal you."
Kakashi was silent but took her where she asked. Slowly lowering her onto the bed, he felt her body finally relax. Sakura's body instinctively fell into the pillow, grasping at the sheets, nuzzling into the smell that comforted her every night. Kakashi sat on the edge of the bed and watched as the woman relaxed, only to have her reach for him, "Let me heal you," she whimpered with tired eyes.
He shook his head, softly touching her wrist lowering her hand back down to the bed, "Not today, Sakura," he muttered with a smile creeping on his lips. He unzipped his jacket and shrugged it off, pulling off his headband he smiled at her, "Let's just rest it off, tonight," he muttered.
Forest green eyes looked up at him, confused and concerned. A soft nod let him know that she understood of the words that he had spoken. She grabbed her pillow, moving to the other side of her bed. Kakashi rose a silver brow at the action, she only gave a sleepy smile, "I have to watch you, so you stay with me."
Kakashi was surprised by the woman, even more so as she patted the bed beside her, "Only a few hours," he muttered trying to convince himself that it was alright to be where he was. He laid down, looking into the clear eyes of the woman. To break the tension he grinned, "Is this the first time you've been in bed with a man?"
Her eyes fluttered shut softly, "Of course not, Kakashi," she pouted as her hair fell over her face. Emerald eyes peered through her pastel hair, "I'm twenty, of course I have." She giggled as her breathing became slow.
Kakashi's eyes widened at the woman's comment, Does that mean what I think it does? His brows frowned together as he watched her fall asleep so suddenly. This woman in front of him was surprising him more and more. Hesitantly, he reached up and moved her bangs from her face only to receive a soft instinctual nuzzle against his hand, enjoying the sound of her tired breathing, What else did I miss?