Chapter 26

A clap of thunder shook the area around them. The erratic flashes of light from the storm served as their only source of light as they maneuvered through the trees. Anko spared a glance behind her from her position at the front. She was the leader of this mission and it had gone south faster than any of them would have wanted. A flash of lightning illuminated the area, allowing her to make out the scene through the heavy rain.

Behind her was Keiko Takahashi. This was the first mission she had lead with Keiko on her team and she proved to be a valuable asset on the battlefield. Following up behind Keiko was Hayate Gekko who was in truth setting the pace for the party thanks to the load he was carrying. Bringing up their rear was Tokara Orinishi. Keiko and Hayate did well at keeping calm during the whole ordeal. It had been a simple reconnaissance mission that had turned into a search and rescue.

Her eyes flickered back to Hayate and the nearly lifeless body he carried on his back. Hayate's own clothes were becoming sullied in blood and the downpour of rain only served to spread that blood further. The silver hair she was used to seeing on the young man was mostly gone, replaced by mutilated flesh and blood.

She looked ahead once again, cursing. Anko never thought she would see Ibiki like that.

With Ibiki in tow they had to hightail it out of the Land of Rain. Anko knew they had to be being followed. The rain dulled their senses to the world around them but she could feel it. Sense it. That they were not alone. Now more than ever she wished she had a Hyuga on the team, but she couldn't dwell on that. She had to focus on getting out and back to the Land of Fire, back to Konohagakure.

A sudden scream halted everything.

Anko turned back, seeing Hayate knelt on the ground doing his best to catch his breath and Keiko with her hand on her weapon.

Tokara.

Where was he?

Her eyes went wide as they heard another chilling scream reverberated around them. Through the dark and the rain they couldn't be sure what was happening. When Anko saw Keiko tighten her grip on her weapon and lean forward to move she shot her hand out in front of her. "What are you doing?!" Anko said harshly.

Through the rain and the low light she could see Keiko's eyes widen. "We can't leave him behind!"

"He's as good as dead! Even if he were alive he would be useless to us! We have to keep moving, now!" The two kunoichi clashed, both determined to do what they believed to be right.

Once again a scream filled the air and Anko could hear Keiko curse under her breath. "Useless or not, I refuse to abandon him!" And just like that, she was gone.

For a moment Anko was stunned by the simple phrase. "Takahashi!" Anko screamed through the rain after her. Shit! This situation was becoming worse and worse as time went on. They had to keep moving!

Even though the need to move was something she knew she needed to do, Anko found herself anchored in place. Fists clenched at her sides as she looked into the darkness of the forest. Keiko's words echoed in the back of her mind. She refused to abandon him. Someone who was useless to them if he was still alive. He had served his purpose so leaving him behind so they could finish the mission was the most logical choice.

In her minds eye she could see yellow eyes peering down at her. Abandonment was natural when you outlived your purpose. Why should Tokara be any different?

"Anko!"

She stiffened, coming out of her stupor. Anko turned to Hayate who was standing again, Ibiki's head resting limply on his shoulder. "We can't leave them."

Anko bit her lip as she growled, looking back toward the darkness where her two teammates were undoubtedly fighting. She could just hear the feint clashing over the sound of the rain. How could Keiko be so willing to risk her own life to save someone else? She was a Gaijin, an outsider, someone who was looked down on and ridiculed by most of the ninja in the village. She had witnessed first hand the way they treated her. Yet, here she was running into a battle to try and save one of those who would easily have left her behind. Anko had seen the way Tokara had glanced toward Keiko throughout the mission. He didn't trust her. She was confident he would rather have had anyone but Keiko on the team.

The sharp pain of her nails digging into her palms went unnoticed by Anko. Keiko didn't even know Tokara. This was the first mission she had been on with him and here she was willing to throw her life away for him! How could Keiko be willing to do that? It didn't make sense! Not when the one person Anko had trusted more than anyone threw her away like trash?!

A loud explosion accompanied by the loud clap of thunder shook the area around them.

"Anko!"

Her eyes snapped open and she forced herself to move.

They were all running low on energy and chakra, even Keiko. The fact Keiko did not have her usual aura enveloping her sword hammered that home. Anko swung through the trees, building momentum as she neared the battle. There wasn't time to assess the situation. There wasn't time to take in the bodies. There wasn't time to think.

For a moment there was a flash of light. Time seemed to slow and all she could see was an enemy ninja about to stab Keiko in the back. She had her back turned, striking down a different opponent. Even if Keiko was aware of this adversary there was no way she could turn to defend herself in time!

In one fluid motion Anko launched herself off of a tree, flipping forward and driving the kunai she drew deep into the mans neck. Blood splattered across her face, the warm liquid a stark contrast to the cold rain. Though, the heat was short lived. Her foot placed firmly on the man's back as she pulled the kunai from his neck and stood. Anko looked to the side, seeing Tokara leaning up against a tree unconscious. It would seem Keiko had made it in time.

Keiko stood before her, chest heaving as their eyes met. She was covered in blood, some of which was her own but it seemed most of her wounds were shallow or superficial. The worst wound she could make out was a large burn on her shoulder where her clothes had burned away.

Sensing that all the remaining enemy ninja were taken care of for the time being, she fixed Keiko with a hard glare. "How hard is it for you to follow orders, Takahashi? This could have ended far worse for everyone involved!" She walked passed Keiko and tossed Tokara over her shoulder, knowing they didn't have time to wait around and that Keiko was in no condition to carry him with her new shoulder injury. "We need to move, now."

She took a step forward but halted.

"Thank you, Anko."

Said woman faltered and turned her head to meet Keiko's gaze. Another flash of light illuminated the surroundings as she did so. The way the light caught Keiko's eyes was heart stopping, but what surprised her just as much as her thanks was her smile. There was a genuine smile that tugged at Keiko's lips, and while it was pained it might have been one of the most beautiful things she had seen. The way her hair clung to her face, the blood dripping from her brow, none of that mattered.

It was that smile again. That smile that seemed to always find a way onto her face no matter the situation. This woman had just risked her life for someone Anko was going to abandon. She had flung herself into the fray to save a life Anko had deemed useless.

That damn smile. The more Anko saw it, the more she grew to loath it. After everything Anko had been through there were days she could hardly pull herself together. There were days the only thing there to get her out of bed was the promise of a sweet dumpling at the local shop. She struggled everyday since returning to the village. Keiko, on the other hand, seemed unfazed. She held herself with a confidence many shinobi lacked. And, now, she was reminded of all the things Keiko had that Anko lacked.

That damn smile, was a reminder of every last one.

~0~

Anko peered off to her side as she sat at one end of a soft sofa. The Hokage stood behind her, working on her seal as a medic worked on Keiko just on the other side of the same sofa. She was smiling her thanks to the medic as she touched the bandages tenderly. Her smile perfectly mirrored the one she wore that day. Grateful, yet pained.

Their trek through the forest of death had not been an easy one. While Keiko's wound had not been severe, Anko had worried that she had lost far too much blood and was frankly surprised she had managed to stay conscious. It was the first time they had to work together in years and neither of them were in good shape. It wasn't until daybreak that the Anbu finally found them and took them back to the tower.

The medic left as soon as Keiko's wounds were dressed, leaving just the two kunoichi, the Hokage, Izumo and Kotetsu in the room. Keiko leaned back into the sofa, the exhaustion written clearly on her face. So exhausted, that within a few seconds, Anko was sure she was asleep.

Several minutes passed and the Hokage pulled away, "How is it? Does the curse mark still cause you pain?"

Anko reached to the nape of her neck and rubbed the skin soothingly, feeling the intense pain start to ebb away slowly. "Not as much thanks to you, Lord Hokage."

Kotetsu sighed, "Great. Now, we have bigger fish to fry. Orochimaru, he's one of the Legendary Sannin, an S-Rank criminal in the Bingo book. He's so powerful not even the Anbu could bring him down. I heard a rumor that he died, but I guess that's not true."

Sure enough, there had been a group of Anbu found dead in the forest just that morning and Orochimaru was the prime suspect. Anko's eyes flickered over to Keiko who's eyes were actually open, but just barley. How Keiko thought she could stand a chance against him she didn't know. She had been a fool and Anko hoped that Keiko was aware of that.

"What's he doing in the village now?" Izumo asked suspiciously. He echoed Anko's concerns perfectly from the other day. But now, she had a good idea of why he was here.

"It's that kid..."

When she went silent Hiruzen finished for her, "He's after Sasuke, right?"

At this piece of information, Keiko shot up in her seat. "What?" Her voice was barely audible as she looked at Anko in shock. "Wh- Why didn't you say something before, Anko?" Her voice grew louder and she pushed herself off of the couch to stand. She quickly realized this was a mistake and sat back down abruptly, holding her head in her hand as she battled a wave of dizziness.

Anko leaned forward in her seat, resting her elbows on her knees, "He said he gave the kid a mark just like mine." Her eyes narrowed, "By now, the kid is lucky if he's still alive."

There were several long moments where no one spoke, as if the information was sinking in for all of them. For one person in particular, it was a fact that wasn't sinking in easily. Keiko's hands ran through her hair that hung like a curtain around her. The ribbon that usually held her hair together had gotten lost at some point during the night but she couldn't bring herself to care at the moment. "So, you're saying that Sasuke is out there right now, writhing in pain and agony just as you were, and we're all just sitting here?" No one answered her question and Keiko had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop from screaming at them. She had to stay calm. "What's the mark? I've known about Anko's for sometime but perhaps you could enlighten me now that Sasuke has the same mark."

Hiruzun sighed, taking his pipe from his mouth, "The Cursed Seal of Heaven. A seal developed by Orochimaru himself."

Anko's hand traveled to the mark on her neck without her realizing it, her eyes glazed in memory. "He said it would make us powerful." She paused, scoffing lightly, "What a load of crap. This thing is more like a branding than a weapon. When you use it, you loose a part of yourself. No momentary gain of power is worth that..." She shifted her gaze toward Keiko who was looking at her with an ashen expression. "I was the only one to survive."

Keiko felt as though she had been physically struck. Her mouth opened and closed several times, unable to find any words to articulate what she was thinking.

"Lord Hokage," Anko began, "Orochimaru said to not cancel the Chunin Exams, but I can't advise that. Not when he's just received the curse mark. We need to send someone out to find him and bring him back. Place him under Anbu protection. We don't know what catastrophe could occur if he's left unchecked."

For once, Keiko agreed with Anko completely. "Sasuke's being targeted, we can't be certain he won't be targeted again while in the forest."

The two kunoichi looked up at the Hokage expectantly, even Izumo and Kotetsu were leaned forward waiting in anticipation. Hiruzen took the pipe out from between his lips, "No." The simple answer was enough to make Keiko inhale sharply in shock. "There is nothing we can do for Sasuke now that he has Orochimaru's seal. All we can do is wait and see if he survives the ordeal. Past that, we will keep an eye on their progress, as well as Orochimaru's. For now, we will allow the Exams to progress as planned."

Keiko closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. "Nothing," everyone turned toward her as she continued, "you're asking us to sit around and do nothing." The hand on her face slid back into her hair causing her bangs to fly everywhere. "What about Sakura and Naruto? They're both on Sasuke's team. If Sasuke was a target then what about them?" She cast Hiruzen a pointed look, less than pleased with what she was hearing.

The Hokage sighed, "For now, yes. The best thing we can do for now is to be vigilant and prepare for what is coming. We must have faith in them."

~0~

Keiko sat in the window of a small room overlooking the forest. It was nothing fancy, only a bed and a table. She had been told to get rest while she could but she found that sleep was not coming easy. While it had been well over a day since she had gotten adequate sleep she couldn't find the peace required for it. Keiko's heart pounded against her chest erratically.

Orochimaru was after Sasuke. Sasuke might be the most talented Genin in his class but he was far from being able to put up a fight against Orochimaru. Even for her, the gap was so vast. She had expected him to be strong, but the overwhelming presence that had bared down upon her was sickening. Her eyes scanned the treetops of the forest. They were somewhere out there. Dead or alive? She didn't know.

"Well, there you are."

Keiko gasped loudly and nearly fell out of the window before catching herself. She turned quickly, a familiar face standing just inside the doorway waving toward her.

"Kakashi!"

In a move that sent the man whirling, she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his chest tightly. The embrace was short lived as a moment later Keiko stepped back and held him at arms length. She was so muddled from exhaustion that she failed to notice the way he stiffened or the deep shade of red that had enveloped his face. She began rambling incoherently, jumping from point to point at the speed of light.

Kakashi watched Keiko as she rambled, her grip on his arms like a vice. He could hardly understand a word she was saying but that didn't matter. He had found it odd that she had not been home last night, or that she had not come to see him. Almost as soon as he heard about Anko and Keiko being found he had rushed to get there. When he arrived, the Hokage had filled him in on everything and he had hung on every word he had said. Keiko being attacked by Orochimaru, Sasuke having the curse mark, Orochimaru lurking in the shadows, it was enough to make anyone go a little crazy.

And, it would seem, that's exactly what was happening with Keiko.

He certainly was not expecting this kind of reunion. For her to fling herself toward him as she did. All he could do was look down at her dumbly and hoped that she was too out of it to hear his racing heart. While she rambled he took a moment to look her over. Her usual pale skin looked sickly, bags forming under her eyes from her long hours awake. Raven hair was everywhere and he could feel a deeper part of him approving of her flowing mane. Her clothes were tattered from spending all night in the forest and there were jagged holes in the fabric of her shoulder where she had been bitten. All in all, she looked like crap.

Kakashi rested a hand on her uninjured shoulder, "Keiko, calm down. It's going to be alright. They'll be fine." He offered a closed eye smile in hopes that she would accept it. Although, he wasn't sure how much of it he believed either. The odds were against his team and he was dreading the thought of them in a dire situation. He desperately wanted them to do well, and it was beyond cruel to know they were now involved with one of Orochimaru's plots.

Keiko stopped speaking and looked forward, lips in a firm line. He had no idea what was running through her mind but he couldn't help but notice the shaking in her hands as they still gripped his clothes tightly. His eyes zeroed in on her injured shoulder and he reached out and brushed the black hair away from the injury. The hem of her top exposed most of the bandages and his fingers traced the area, causing more of her shoulder to be exposed. When there was no evidence of a curse mark, he sighed heavily, feeling a sense of relief flood over him. Even though the Hokage had told him she had not been marked with a seal, he had to check with his own eyes.

"Uh... Kakashi?"

He blinked, pulling his gaze away from her injury and back to her eyes that were staring up at him. The dusting of pink on her cheeks was not lost on him though, it did take him a moment to realize why it was there in the first place. His hand jerked away and he laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, "Sorry, sorry. I just needed to be sure you were alright."

She looked off to the side as her hands grip weakened on his clothing. "The Hokage told you everything, right?"

He nodded and guided her over to the bed. Kakashi had a feeling she was going to be hitting the floor any minute now. She didn't protest when he motioned her get onto the bed but she refused to lay her head on the pillow and instead sat up straight. It would seem, she had more to say.

"Are they going to be alright?"

Silence.

"What if Orochimaru goes after them again?"

More silence.

"I- I can't help but think-!"

She was driven to silence as Kakashi's much larger hand covered her own. For a moment, she remembered her father and what he mentioned Sakura say. "Holding hands... that's a big step for Kakashi..." She could once again feel her cheeks redden but she was far too exhausted to bother hiding it. Instead, Keiko looked up into the singular dark eye that conveyed so much emotion.

"They'll be fine. You just get some rest."

If she had not been as tired as she was, maybe she would have noticed the way his voice wavered. Or how his hand tightened around hers. He was doing his best to convince himself as well as her.

With a heavy sigh, Keiko flopped onto her back and rolled onto her side, pulling her knees in slightly. Kakashi heard her mumble one last thing before her eyes closed and she was out like a light.

He sighed and looked out the window from where he stood by her bedside. He had to have faith in them. If he didn't, he would certainly crumble just as Keiko was, probably worse. Kakashi's eyes flickered back down toward Keiko and he moved to grab the thin blanket that was folded at the foot of the bed. With a flick of his wrist, it unraveled and he had it fall gracefully over her. He knew she didn't need it, the room was warm enough as it was. What he did know was that Keiko always slept with a blanket, even on the hottest night she needed something covering her.

Once he was satisfied with the placement he gazed down at her for a moment. His hand reaching out to brush the hair from her face. Kakashi had thought that the gesture would feel strange, but on the contrary he rather liked the way her hair felt against his fingers. In fact, he wouldn't mind feeling more of it-

Kakashi's hand jerked back as if he were burned. His gaze settled upon his fingers before tightening them into a fist.

Out of all the things he should be thinking about at a time like this. That was not one of them. How pathetic.

Kakashi wasn't sure how long he had stayed in that room exchanging glances between Keiko and the window. He only knew he had to find a way to try and fix the curse mark on Sasuke. There was also the other factor that was gnawing away at him... memories of test tubes and beakers, scalpels and scrolls flooded his minds eye...

What did Orochimaru need Keiko's blood for?

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Posted - 8/9/2021