*Trigger warning: Abuse and trauma in fourth scene.
Hindsight was 20/20. That's how the saying went, right?
When someone was able to reflect on things in the past with a renewed sense of vision. To see facts clearly which were not clear at the time, and say, "I should have done this differently" or "Had I known, I would have taken that instead". Akane was currently going through that same thought process. Again.
Three months had passed since the initial attack from the Root agents in Bird Country, and frankly, it had been a shit show. If she thought life was tougher after her identity was revealed to the shinobi world, she was mistaken. What she and Kakashi were going through now was significantly worse.
Disgruntled, Akane flipped her hood over her head as she left the meager protection of a shop awning. Winter had dissolved into a cold, wet spring. It started raining two days prior and hadn't stopped since. A fitting reflection of her miserable mood, the irony wasn't lost on her. Bleak weather. Bleak outcome.
She'd come to a small village-far out of the way, discreet, a real low-life place—with the intention of finding a new contact willing to share a S-rank mission. Or A-rank. Hard to be picky when you were getting desperate. But as it happened, word had reached even the distant corner of this country; warning that if a contact distributed a mission to Hatake Kakashi or Nori Akane, they would be finished. Courtesy threat of Root Agents that had spread throughout the main countires to hinder their source of survival.
For the first time in history, two rogue shinobi had been blacklisted from even missing-nin jobs.
It was a clever strategy, one that proved effective in battles to starve out armies and villages. Cut off their source of supply until they were forced to go out in the open. A vicious game of chess had started. A challenge that Akane was working diligently to stay a step ahead on. Kakashi wanted to help, but there was only so much to do when he didn't have resources of his own, therefore he was in the unfortunate situation of depending on her. The responsibility wasn't lost on Akane. In fact, it spurred her to find any source of mission she could for them, so they weren't forced into the open. Show the Root Agents and whoever puppetered their moves that they needed to try harder if they wished to stop them.
The stakes were high. Not only did they need the high-ranking missions to earn funds for food and supplies, but also to maintain their activity and attract Akatsuki. Root's little games were interfering with the bigger picture. Even if Tsunade signed off on the elite force crossing borders, she highly doubt that the Hokage allowed this. It was unheard of. And how—how did the Root agents scare contacts enough to deny high ranking missions to them?
Hindsight was 20/20. Had she'd have known their strategy was to that extent, Akane would have kept one of the agents alive to interrogate who was behind it. Who gave their orders? Sadly, the reality was that at that point in time, she was more concerned about not guiding the enemy to the hotel instead of what their presence meant. She never considered the possibility in the first place of Root disrupting the supply and demand of jobs. Particularly when contacts dealt with missing-nin all the time.
Rough and tough crowds. Bloodthirsty sociopaths. Crazies and delinquents. Proper criminals. Sure, there was a mutual respect between contacts and rogues (they each fed the other at the end of the day), but even so, contacts weren't strangers to threats or attacks. The Root Agents had to do something awful to get their point across.
After the first month of being denied anything more than B-rank, one of the contacts revealed that those handful of people that refused to listen to Root, or even fought back, were brutally killed. Their bodies were publicly displayed in whatever village they were in with a simple note attached to deny the pair any missions. Village officials had searched for the culprits, suspecting foul play between missing-nin and their handlers, but couldn't find the one responsible. Only those that were there to witness it knew it was masked figures in cloaks, yet they couldn't go to the police to tell them. It wasn't like their word meant much, and avoiding officials was their primary goal.
On the other hand, that didn't mean they were going to sit back and take it, either. In fact, a few of the missing-nin were sincerely impacted by the death of some contacts. Whether it stemmed from a line of friendship being clipped or the disruption of their missions-therefore their income—she wasn't sure. What she did know was they blamed her and Kakashi, going so far as to turn hunters and try to cash in on their capture. The number of enemies was steadily growing faster as the days passed.
Sighing, Akane made it out of town, then turned to the west toward a stand of trees. After travelling a few hundred yards, she found a tall, broad tree with a marked 'x' in the bark, the size of her palm. Standing at the base, she debated on staying where she was, sitting on the wet ground, or up on a wet branch. Everything was wet and cold. Feeling her energy levels low, whether from the temperatures or disgruntled with the universe, she decided on the branch above that was thick enough for her to lay down on. Before she made herself comfortable, she stabbed her two short swords into the tree, so it didn't dig into her lower back, and stared at the vastness above.
On the bright side (bright being the pinprick of light), there weren't many enemy missing-nin to deal with and they were only a nuisance about the second month. To make that pinprick a little larger, Kakashi and Akane's reputation promised jobs getting done and a profit for those contacts angry enough with the disruption to their business to defy the threats. Since they left Bird, they'd been able to scrounge lower missions, primarily because they were harder to track, with a sprinkled in S-rank if fate decided to smile on them.
But they couldn't keep going back to the same contact for the same S-rank. That put them in danger and risked their close missing-nin clients turning on the pair. At one point, Kakashi and Akane had managed to tag along with a team who were taking on an A-rank prior. With the promise of higher skill level to boost their strength, they agreed to take some S-rank for the pair as long as they helped complete it. Even with Akane and Kakashi included in their numbers, making the split even more with the pay, the amount was enough to counter the hinderance. Eventually, they went their separate ways, though, leaving with some allies in their back pocket.
Akane continued lying on her back, arms to the side, looking at the overcast sky and rain showering through the naked branches. Without leaves to block the rain, each droplet hit her bare face, causing her eyes to wince. How annoying. She had returned to the rendezvous location before Kakashi with no luck in getting a job. She thought she could convince the local contacts to let her take a high assignment and complete it anonymously for both their sake. That debate lasted for about an hour until she realized it was pointless. Frustration after frustration, along with the constant worry she'd run into Root, had stripped her of the tiny vestige of can-do spirit she'd had.
"I'm guessing you didn't have much luck either."
Akane didn't even bother to look or move. "Morning, Sparky."
"Yes. It's morning."
"That's why I didn't say good morning."
"Hm, you've got a sunny disposition today." His sarcasm had a bite to it that she didn't care for.
"In case you forgot, you're in the same situation with me. And we still have no word on the big 'A'. We need some serious jobs if we want their attention, so they'll reach out, remember?"
She let the spiteful reminder hang in the air. Misery loves company after all.
Instead of an answer, she heard the quiet footfalls of his sandals through the damp earth approach until he was under her. When he still didn't answer after drawn out seconds, she glanced down. He was leaning his back against the tree, arms crossed and one leg bent to rest against the trunk. "What?"
"Lost all hope, have you?" He met her gaze. "Throwing in the white flag?"
"I've tried everyone."
"Alright. Have you tried—"
"Yes."
"You don't know what I was going to say."
"I said everyone. That means everyone."
"Well, excuse me. I didn't know you're that confident in yourself."
Actually, Akane wasn't confident in herself at all. So, she let out a sigh and waved a hand through the air. "Fiiine. What were you going to say?"
There was a breath of hope that Kakashi was going to offer a solution to their dilemma. Something she hadn't thought of.
"Have you tried reaching out to contacts that do the work as a second income? People that work normal professions but dabble in criminal dealings on the side?"
Akane's hope died. "Yes. For every contact I knew of, I asked around for others I haven't worked with to find that they'd gotten the same word as the rest." That they'll be destroyed, decommissioned, erased, if they are found helping Kakashi and Akane. "What about you? Any chance you're dragging me through the mud for your own enjoyment before you reveal you scored a mission?"
Kakashi sighed, head dropping as his shoulders slouched a little in defeat. "No, nothing. The contact I found was willing to give us a C-rank. Supposedly had nothing higher."
"The one I came across at least offered a B. But frankly, that isn't going to do us much good." She tilted her head side-to-side as if loosening a kink in her neck. "I stopped at the local post. Remember that message I sent before we headed here?"
Kakashi gave a single nod. "The one to the contact in Tea?"
"Yeah. She got back to me. Said she had an S-rank for us, but that's a long travel from here. We'd have to hunt for our food or steal along the way."
"Hm and taking a job on the way would only increase the odds that she'd have someone else take the S-rank while she waited."
"Unfortunately, that's still the case if we left now without extra jobs. She'll definitely have someone ready to take it before we make it to her."
It was beginning to seem like they were trapped in a checkmate. Sure, there was a chance that if they went to Tea and that S-rank was given to another team, there may be another available right after. However, it wasn't like they could keep going back to the same woman for missions until Akatsuki reached out. That would limit their exposure and it was only a temporary fix.
"If we need to stick to lower missions," Kakashi started as the tension between them grew stale, "then we can make that work. The big 'A' is smart and has extensive resources. It's likely they're already aware we've been blacklisted."
"One would hope that would be in our favor."
"I would like to believe that. I'm afraid it could be taken the wrong way, though."
"How?"
"Well, if they haven't reached out yet, it's likely they've been gauging if we're both genuinely missing-nin and it's not some elaborate trap. If suddenly, rogues don't want to work with us, that could deter them from contacting us. What if, after hearing about contacts denying work, they consider us spies, therefore putting up a bigger distance from us?"
Akane thought her can-do spirit was completely stripped, but after hearing Kakashi's reasoning, she discovered she still had a semblance remaining at the very bottom. Not anymore.
She was beginning to grow nervous. Stress was gnawing at her ribs as she became numb to the raindrops, sliding down her cheek to her hair. If Akatsuki refused to bite, then what would they do now? It wasn't like Kakashi could just walk to their door and ask if they were hiring. He couldn't openly seek them in a fight either. That defeated the entire purpose. And what was worse, Kakashi couldn't just throw in the towel—chalk the mission up as a failure—and go home. There was no home for him. And finally, even if they said fuck it, they couldn't get good jobs as just regular missing-nins.
Hope was lost.
The phrase pulled at some invisible string in Akane's mind. Whoa. It's been a long time since I thought that.
Again, a tug on the string. Some flutter of emotion and image came to the front of her thoughts, followed by a hypothesis, a play of scenarios assessing possibilities of what-ifs. A spark of potential with a clawing sense of dread on its heels. Akane wanted to shove the idea away, stuff it into a coffin and bury it deep down. Reason, however, halted her knee jerk reaction, calmly confirming what she didn't want to hear.
"…can take on more smaller ones to make up for it," Kakashi finished, just as Akane tuned back to the world around her.
She didn't ask him to repeat what he said or offer an apology for not listening. Instead, Akane was debating on whether or not she wanted to stay lying across the uncomfortable branch and continue to get pelted by rain or to sit up. On how to bring up a subject that was tied, inevitably, to the darkest part of her life. About the chances of Kakashi asking some pointed questions that she didn't know how to answer without showing her hand too much.
"We're going about this wrong." Akane opted to sit up, bending her knees as she did so. She glanced down to see Kakashi waiting for her to continue, then realized she should have stayed lying down. At least then he couldn't see her face as clearly. "We've been going the usual route to get missions. What we need to do is go to the small pockets of bands that are established."
"I'm not sure I'm following."
"Some groups of missing-nin and criminals have settled somewhere and created a foothold in a village instead of choosing the nomadic lifestyle for missions. Like a gang or mob. We know Root Agents haven't gone to every contact to threaten them into compliance. Only the more popular ones. Between that and the three deaths, rumors and fear did the rest. Ultimately, we have a few options we can choose from now.
One, we can wait it out—Root won't be out monitoring contacts forever. They likely aren't even doing it now. If they are outside of Konoha, it's to find us while we're traveling blindly looking for a job. They can only do that for so long because they have work to do at home.
Option two, we just go to the dirty, underground groups and see what we can scrounge from them. There's no way they'd be contacted or worried about Root interfering with their operations, and it's likely that Root never considered them as an avenue for jobs."
Kakashi mulled over her explanation, picking it apart as he usually did to find his own questions. To better understand and determine if there was a hole in the plan that she wasn't aware of. After a few seconds, he responded, "What are the risks to approaching another organization?"
Akane didn't answer right away. The question was heavy. Leave it to Kakashi to hit the nail on the head.
"There's plenty of risks with it. Don't get me wrong, I don't offer the suggestion lightly. These types of people don't care about mutual gain. They're only willing to give out missions to people outside their group if they get the bigger benefit in the end. It's what we can offer them, and frankly what we have of value is my weird control of chakra and your Sharingan and reputation. I don't need to elaborate for you to see where I'm going with that."
"Have you dealt with these people before?" Kakashi pressed, no extra time needed to find the next question.
"I have."
Kakashi sighed; a long, muscle slouching escape of air. There wasn't any sense of eagerness to her suggestion. She didn't blame him, though. She too didn't have any, but she wasn't going to tell him that. Instead, she decided to not comment further until he spoke again.
"It sounds like it's an unnecessary risk. I'm not sure it's worth it…," Kakashi's gaze drifted to her, grim particularly with the overcast sky above. Rain had gotten to some of his exposed hair, dampening it down over his slashed forehead protector. "At least, that's what I'd usually say if we weren't in this situation. However, seeing as we are, and we've been out here for months with no contact, I'd say the reward for the risk is validated."
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning that if we go to one of these groups to get a mission and make a deal with them, it's sure to pique 'A's' interest. At least, in the event that we lost it. A part of me doubts that they aren't aware of Root's involvement, but in the off chance that I'm wrong, we need to get their attention again."
His explanation, entirely justified and correct, still didn't ease the knot in her stomach.
"So, do you have a place we can go?"
"… I do." Akane managed ghost of a smile, "He's an old acquaintance."
In front of the desk were two armchairs, not that he had many people coming to use them. Usually, when he called on his members to report, they remained standing at the backs, using the chairs as a designated line not to cross. Understandable. It wasn't Pein's intention to make their meetings long or comfortable for the members. Just enough time and interaction to complete the simple business report, exchange of funds or objects, then go about their tasks. Konan, on the other hand, leaned against the arm of a chair in front of him, the only person who was comfortable enough to take advantage of the chairs when she wanted to.
Today's meeting fell under the category of casual instead of work related. She'd come by to check in on him, then started to tell Pein about an amusing brawl that had broken out in the hallway just a few days ago. Konan let out a laugh as she recalled Hidan and Deidara's outbursts at each other, then added more seriously that they were tirelessly at each other's throats when not drinking.
Before Pein could comment or offer one of the teams to be sent out for a mission to avoid further conflict, the door from the balcony behind opened unannounced. Pein slowly spun his chair around to see who the intruder was, though it was already obvious seeing as there was only one who dared to enter without knocking.
"Madara," Pein addressed with his hands folded in front of his face.
"Pein, Konan," he nodded. "Seems that I interrupted something."
The Rinnegan user ignored the inquiry and started with his own.
"What brings you here to the base? Must be something important," Pein mused though it was clear he wasn't too pleased with the idea of Madara just showing up whenever he wanted to.
"I wanted a report on Hatake." The deep voice from behind the mask was crisp and unhindered by the obstruction. He came around the desk to stand off to the side, his presence sending an uneasy, invisible pressure to Konan who straightened on her feet. "Has it been determined that his exile is authentic?"
Pein, who had turned his seat to follow the masked figure, steepled his fingers as he chose his words. "I was hesitant to put faith in the evidence presented, but recent events have pushed me to believe that it's true."
"Which events would that be?"
"Previously, Itachi and Kisame confirmed firsthand account that the two were seen together prior to Hatake's status change. I sent them to keep tabs on the pair and throughout the months, contacts have concurred with the story. The most recent events that I refer to, however, are the efforts made by Konoha to deter them getting missions. They're getting desperate to end Hatake if they're sending shinobi out to threaten contacts."
"I'd not heard that. How fascinating."
Pein kept himself from explaining it was likely due to Madara being too high on his horse to work jobs like his members did. Instead, he waited for the masked man to fill the silence, leaving where the conversation went from there with him. It wasn't long before Madara took the lead.
"So far, we've captured the seven and five-tailed beasts. A success, but it's brought concerns over the recovery needed between captures."
"Extracting the beasts is an extensive process," Pein mentioned, if only to show engagement.
"Yes, and it takes days for the members to fully recover from. Then there's the smaller missions between that take place before they are sent out to collect another beast."
Pein didn't reply. Surely, the man wasn't hinting to Pein's leadership and direction being to blame. Madara knew how the Akatsuki were to work and grow in strength. It wasn't only about the tailed beasts.
Konan took the chance to interject as a pause settled between the men. "And this has something to do with Hatake? How?"
"I'm suggesting that we need more recruitment to balance the workload. If a team is unable to perform the extraction ritual, we can manage with the remaining members, but as the seven-tailed proved, it took a strenuous toll on them. An extra team may lessen the burden—whether on smaller missions or the tailed beasts—therefore bringing the overall strength of the organization up."
"Are you sure you're not wanting Hatake as part of your collection?" Pein catechized, a little brazenly for his position.
Madara didn't find offense, but his tone took on a thickness as his response aimed at the man behind the desk. "My intention with Hatake is not so innocent as collecting his talents."
"And what happened to your obsession with the youngest Uchiha? Have you given up on him?" Konan inquired tensely.
"Not at all," Madara answered vaguely. "I still want to bring Sasuke here, but that will take a little longer than planned. Until then I want Hatake Kakashi."
"You're taking an unnecessary interest in the teams all of a sudden," Pein only replied thoughtfully as Konan sent him a sidelong glance. "What's so special about him that you'd put aside Sasuke for this?"
"Do you really need to ask? Come now. You know the skillset the man has, along with his Sharingan. Plus, it'd satisfy my thirst for the time until I decided to bring Sasuke here."
A wry challenging smirk curled Pein's lips. "And you're aware that the teams work in pairs. We recruit Hatake and later Sasuke but what about the time between the two? I won't be sending Hatake out on his own."
Konan quickly tackled on, "Not to mention that we're aware that Hatake was the Jonin to both Uchiha Sasuke and Uzimaki Naruto. There's a conflict of interest on both sides of that coin and I don't see how any of this would work in our favor."
"That's because you're not looking at the picture as a whole. Hatake Kakashi won't be needed to extract the Nine-tailed seeing as we have the other members for that. And I believe Itachi and Kisame are on the mission to retrieve the fox already so it wouldn't interfere. As for Sasuke, Kakashi isn't going to hold a grudge over his own student. They would be a strong combination once they get past the… past."
"But until we recruit Sasuke," Konan repeated, reminding Madara of the skipped topic. "We need another partner for Kakashi if we brought him here."
"Has that kunoichi travelling with him raised any concerns to you?" Madara pointedly asked Pein, now actively ignoring Konan.
"Aside from her sudden appearance, no. Itachi mentioned she'd been a missing-nin for nearly the same time he's been one."
"Fine. Have her fill in as Hatake's teammate. If they're partners already, might as well not break up the team until necessary. But, when you talk to her, if there's a hair out of place, if she says the wrong thing, or you get any hint of deception, kill her. I'm still skeptical over her lack of presence in the bingo books for so long."
Konan refrained from mentioning that they'd be back to square one of Hatake not having a teammate if they killed the woman. There was only so much weight she could throw with the two men, particularly when Madara didn't show her the same respect as he did Pein. Though, somedays she felt that there was no love loss between them. Every meeting was tense but left without anything worse than a debate. Even so, Konan wondered why Madara was so interested in Hatake and determined to have him under the organization. Especially, if collecting the tailed beasts (Madara's utmost unyielding goal) was not a task he intended to put Kakashi on.
The pair had traveled in a few days to their new destination of barren land with giant rocky formations breaking up the horizon. Geological towers and plateaus scattered in the distance and the breeze kicked up dirt throughout the day to create little dust devils.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought there was a reason why you couldn't go to Iwa."
"You're hardly ever wrong, Kakashi."
The sentence came out as an offhanded comment rather than sarcastic. He wondered if she meant it as such or if she just wasn't feeling herself. She seemed tense since they crossed the border and any chance of lightening the mood was cast aside with a simple remark.
"Do you mind explaining why that is then?"
"I do, actually."
The man's patience was waning in the face of her rejection. Her lack of answers only exasperated him. In the beginning of their adventure, he at least understood that she didn't know or trust him, so it seemed validated. But after 10 months of travelling together, it was getting old.
"So, it's this contact of yours," Kakashi addressed as they continued in the heat with his black shirt sticking to his back like a second skin, still adjusting from the waning winter temperatures and early spring days.
"What of it?"
"He's the reason why you avoid Iwagakure."
"It's not so much the Hidden Village as the smaller one outside of it."
"But that's where this guy is." It wasn't a question to confirm. He was putting the pieces together without her help. A skill he was starting to get scarily good at lately.
Akane didn't reply.
"How long ago did you work with him?"
"Years ago."
"Was he your partner or something?"
"No."
"A contact for jobs?"
"Will you drop it?"
"I'm just trying to understand the situation. You can't blame me for being curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat—"
"And satisfaction brought it back," he shot in return, the response already on his tongue.
The quick wit and unyielding interrogation were starting to get under her skin. The muscles in her jaw bunched, her hands balled into fists at her side and her eyes narrowed. Even her pace quickened slightly, as if she could subtly get away from him. But Kakashi stayed in step, his own impatience failing to deter him from insisting on an answer. The silence from the lack of response stretched as they started to come closer to tall rocky cliffs that he had never seen before.
"Can you tell me what's got you so riled?"
"You—obviously."
"No, you've been acting weird since we crossed the border. It's written all over your face."
"I'm fine—Kakashi. Just drop it."
"You're being unreasonable. Refusing to tell me who we're meeting, or your history isn't doing anything but putting the advantage in their hands. If they're so ruthless, at least give me an idea what we're up against."
"You won't need to worry about it. I have a plan."
The quiet between them stretched on for a few more paces until Kakashi's face fell into a withering stare.
"…"
"…"
"This is the part where you share the plan, Akane."
The woman halted in her tracks and spun with a fiery glare aimed at him. He stared back, his dark eye narrowed, but otherwise unmoved by her blatant frustrations.
"What's your deal today? Why can't you just leave it?"
"I just told you why. Were you not listening?"
"You never had a problem before with me taking the lead! Why the change?"
"That's not true. There's been plenty of times I wasn't comfortable with being left in the dark. But do you know why I didn't say anything? Because I trust you. I trusted that you had a plan to get us through the next problem we faced when I lacked the resources, but that doesn't mean I'm going to blindly follow you at every turn. Especially now. So, what? You don't trust me, or do you not respect me? Which is it?"
Akane was fuming, her mouth opening then closing as she battled for a response to unleash a biting retort. Something that dug beneath his skin as his words did to her. When she failed to throw a callous comeback in his face, she opted to throw her hands up in the air with a humorless bark of a laugh.
"You're impossible!" she growled out something under her breath, then spun on her heels to continue their trek.
"That's not an answer, Akane." Kakashi's hand landed on her shoulder to stop her, but she shrugged him off. "Hey! We're not going any further until you start talking—"
His hand reached out to grab her elbow in hopes to keep her from leaving, but he found out that was a mistake. The kunoichi whirled on him, fist swinging through the air that he leaned away from just as the broken air hit his face. He took a half step back to gain his balance, releasing her elbow in the process.
"Do you think I want to be here?!" Akane shouted, venom drenching her tone as her grey eyes flared wildly at him. "I'm not doing this or keeping you in the dark for some personal enjoyment! I haven't steered you wrong yet, so fucking drop it, and let me do what I need to!"
"Why do you feel you need to do anything? It's not just on you—I'm part of your team, remember? I'm your equal—we agreed you'd treat me as such!"
"How have I not done that?! I've stayed by your side, let you make half the decisions, treated you as I want to be treated, and showed you all my cards to being a missing-nin! Is that meaningless to you?"
"Of course not! I wouldn't be where I'm at without your help and I appreciate that. But that's not what I'm referring to! I've extended my trust in you ever since you showed me one of your hideouts and proved that you were willing to see this through to the end. I've blindly gone where you told me to go and never pressured you to tell me more than you felt comfortable with. But I'm not going to keep doing it. I thought all you needed was more time to open up, but it just seems to be the new norm with you! That you'll take any advantage to keep things to yourself if I try to let you talk on your own!"
"Maybe there's a reason for that!"
"What reason is there for you not telling me about who we're going to see?"
"Because it's none of your business, Kakashi!"
"Oh, that's real mature," he mocked instinctively, then realizing the comment contorted her glare into something bordering unhinged. He quickly followed up with an explanation, hoping to smooth the damage from his loose infuriation. "I have a right to know when something's affecting you so much. Being distracted or not telling me important information puts us at risk."
His efforts were futile. The ominous glare remained, and she opened her mouth to retaliate, finally snapping.
"All you people are the same! If you don't like my way of doing things, you're free to go it alone! I've had enough!"
Furious, she stormed in the opposite direction toward the cliffs, leaving Kakashi baffled in her wake of frigid declaration. Was she saying she quit? The thought doused Kakashi in a sense of dread, soaking his temper with twisted sagacity of trepidation. An impossible mix of gasoline and water, urging to ignite his anger and yet, trying to drown it out. He didn't want to find out if her affirmation was said out of resentment or if she thoroughly meant it. He couldn't afford their partnership to end.
Closing the distance between them, Kakashi reached out to her retreating form, this time avoiding her shoulder and arm. His gloved hand wrapped around hers with a gentle firmness, fingers curling into her palm and startling her with intimate contact. Akane whipped her glare onto him, tugged her arm forward, but Kakashi didn't offer resistance. Instead, he moved with her, hand still enveloped in his. Anything to get her to stop while not physically restricting her. They were walking a fine line, between a fight breaking out or reaching a space with enough calm to settle things with words. He was trying to keep everything civil before a terrible outcome became concrete.
When Akane paused in pulling away, Kakashi took his opportunity.
"Please."
He wasn't sure what he meant by the single word. Please stop fighting. Please just tell me what I want to know. Please don't leave. Everything and nothing were gathered in the phrase, leaving it up to her to decide its interpretation in the end.
The heat in her glare faded, intensity shifting from fury to uncertainty as her attention drifted to their joined hands. Seeing her hesitate unknowingly caused his hand to squeeze lightly.
Tentatively, Kakashi tried to fill the awkward silence, hoping to encourage her to listen and calm down. "I know neither of us have lived a charmed life; I don't consider myself to be bad off, though. At least, I can say I've been lucky enough to find you to fill the void of the comrades I no longer have." Pause. No reply, but she was listening. That was progress. "When I'm asking my questions, it's because I need to know to understand the full situation."
"And when your questions deal with my past?" she bit out, still spite left in her as she hoped she cornered him.
"Because I want to know more about you," he said simply. "I'm not asking because I want to use your past against you. We're on the same side, through it all. You don't have to worry about me betraying you because I'll never do that."
Something shifted in Akane's demeanor. Disbelief washing over any lingering tension, like a tide pulling out the anger and leaving behind raw openness as she replayed his explanation. The wind shifted around them, lifting her hair from her face.
Finally, she swallowed and broke eye contact, looking at their joined shadows across the dirt and then out into the horizon.
"You're a strange man," she muttered.
Relieved that she seemed a little more composed, Kakashi felt his shoulders slacken. "You're not exactly normal yourself."
She didn't laugh but there was twitch in the corner of her lips.
Kakashi continued. "I'm sorry I'm demanding answers from you, but can you at least see where I'm coming from? It's not right for me to keep trusting you if you can't return it."
"It's not that I don't trust you," Akane started with her first real attempt to defend her actions, "I'm just… ashamed over things I've done in the past."
"Things you've done for this man," Kakashi filled in the blanks.
An exasperated sigh left her. "It was a dark time. I had just lost Kyo and came here. I was alone, being hunted, and had no way to fight back against whoever was pulling strings in Konoha. It felt like all I was doing was making the wrong choices and other people were getting hurt because of it." With great effort, she pulled her eyes to his. "I did some awful things here. The man we're seeing took advantage of my skills and used it to establish his group's foothold on the village. After I left, I heard it started to slip, but I never returned to confirm how true it was."
Kakashi had so many questions swirling in his mind. What exactly did she do? How long did it go on for? What actually happened? Despite all of that, he tried not to overwhelm her and asked what he thought was important for the time. "How big is his group?"
"No idea. When I left, he had maybe twenty or so missing-nin. From the rumors, it sounds like he's at half. Maybe less? Hard to say."
Hands still linked together, Kakashi didn't dare move, hoping to not bring her attention to it. His middle and index finger brushed along the moon-shape indentations of her palm where her nails had dug into her skin.
"After I lost my comrades from my team," he started before he could realize what he was saying, "I went through a similar dark path. That was when I joined ANBU and later became a captain. Did you ever hear what they called me back then?"
Akane shook her head, her full attention on his story, hanging on the words as he forced a fragile smile.
"Friend-killer Kakashi. I went around, not disputing it, because I felt responsible for their deaths. It took years for Minato and Hiruzen to get me to see something more in life than killing enemy shinobi and completing missions," his free hand rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I'm trying to tell you that I have an idea what it's like to not be proud of your past and hold onto that regret. Maybe talking about it with someone who understands is better than keeping it buried. Then again, I'm not one to talk, seeing as I haven't really followed my advice in the past."
"Well, you're doing a lot of it."
"What?"
"Talking." A tiny smile pulled, reassuring. He then became aware of her fingers curling around his hand, returning the pressure. "I'm know I'm difficult, but you really pissed me off."
"… Is that supposed to be a form of apology?"
Akane released her hand, both falling by their sides. "What am I supposed to say? I'm doing my best here."
"There's certainly room for improvement."
Her brow twitched, but she exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry."
"…."
"…."
"That's it?"
"Seriously? I apologized."
"It was a weak apology."
"Your face is weak," she muttered.
"How would you know? You've never seen it." For good measure, Kakashi poked her cheek with his finger that she immediately backhanded away.
"I'm getting whiplash from these different emotions I'm feeling toward you," Akane quipped as she turned to start walking toward the rocks. She meant it as an irritating insult, but Kakashi took advantage of the opening as he fell in step beside her.
"Attraction, desire, and appreciation?"
"Anger, revulsion, and loathing."
Kakashi chuckled, noting how she turned her face away in a pout as her ears started to turn red. The sense of normality falling back into place eased any toxic annoyances he felt prior; hard feelings soothed for the time being.
It was after 1pm when Kakashi and Akane crossed into the ravine that reached toward the sky. The tight pass was ideal for an ambush and as they walked through the narrow crease in the rocks, Kakashi couldn't help but look to the overhang above them for enemies lurking. Akane could sense his hesitation and partly shared the apprehension.
Above them, three missing-Iwa shinobi appeared onto a ledge and stared down at them. Noticing them first, Kakashi's hand instinctively moved towards his pouch but stopped when Akane's fingers wrapped around his wrist, stopping him from setting off the three that watched carefully. Instead, she unclipped her mask and held it up for them to catch the view of the maroon wolf before they nodded at the recognition and melted back to the stone walls.
"It's fine," she reassured, placing the mask over her face. When she spoke again, her voice was slightly modified from the obstruction. "They should recognize the mask and allow us passage." Then as an afterthought, she added, "…Although, be ready just in case. There's a slim chance it could trigger them to attack us."
"Who's 'them'? Other missing-nin or members of the group?"
"The group. Well, technically, they're missing-nin too, so both?"
She wasn't being helpful when even she didn't know.
"Is there a way to distinguish who is part of the group and who isn't? Would you recognize them?"
"If the same people are around from 8 years ago, then probably, but that's about it."
"Fantastic," Kakashi mumbled. "So, what was this plan of yours?"
"I'll meet with the boss while you hang back and try not to be noticed. Then, I'll try to strike a deal and we'll go from there."
"That's not a plan, Akane."
"It's the best I've got."
Kakashi wanted to curse at her except he knew it wouldn't do any good. They were already in the group's territory. All they could do was stay on their guard and prepare for the worst. While it was true that she'd never led them astray before, he had the sinking feeling that this time would be different.
Shortly after, as the view of village peaked through the rocks ahead of them, Akane inquired, "I'm guessing you won't listen if I say it'd be better if you stayed outside the village?"
"That'd be correct. I'm going in with you."
"You know, it may stir up more trouble once they recognize who you are."
"That's a shame. I already told you; I'm not leaving you." He met her eyes glancing though the holes in the mask. "We're partners, and if there's a threat to you here, you won't face it alone."
He really wished her mask wasn't in place so he could read her reaction as she faced the village in front. Her silence was not reassuring, nor was her change of masks from the usual azure to maroon.
"You can come," she finally decided, "but when I talk to him, you need to stay back. That's not up for debate."
Kakashi conceded, so long as he was close by to help if things went south.
As they walked out of the ravine and into the bustling village Kakashi's attention turned on the many rogues that watched the pair with predatory interest. A few met Akane's mask and looked away while others grinned in anticipation; clearly knowing something that Kakashi was unaware of. As they wandered through the streets and around a few rustic buildings, there was an increase of murmurs among the other missing ninja at the sight of the pair; then more focus shifted on Kakashi.
"I knew you should've stayed outside the village," she grounded out, just loud enough for him to hear.
"Based on the unfriendly attention you're receiving; I'd say it's a good thing I didn't."
Akane didn't retort as she came to a halt outside the building that was the perfect resemblance to any other run-down bar. Above the doorway was a worn sign hanging crookedly on its hinges with faded blue letters "Unagi Den". The kunoichi stepped in front of him, arms crossed over her chest.
"Let me talk to him alone while you wait near the entrance."
"I'd prefer to be inside," he countered, not liking the feeling of being a dog, forced to wait on the sidewalk. "I can keep my distance in the building."
"Fine. But don't be too close."
She didn't want to give in so easily, but standing around discussing it in the open was only going to draw unwanted attention. Instead, she faced the curtains to pull them back but halted when a man walked out. His broad shoulders pushed the curtains to either side of the doorframe and her face was only a foot away from his bare, shaven chest. The burly man stood taller than Kakashi and he blinked down at the small woman who stared coldly at the recognition.
"Meh, what's this?" he drawled slowly and leaned down to scrutinize her through beady eyes. "You're still alive? Must be eager for death if you decided to show up here after all this time. You should've stayed away."
"I'm not afraid to die. Especially from those shown incapable of following through," she challenged boldly while he straightened up with a sick grin.
Instead of mocking her, he pulled the curtain back behind him and hollered into the bar.
"Haki, Murino," he called gruffly as two men's attentions turned to the entrance. "Look who decided to defy the devil himself."
Before Akane knew it, two familiar faces joined her and Kakashi outside of the bar with twisted smiles on each face. Haki wore a green long sleeve Suna shirt with his unruly sandy hair whereas Murino was closely shaved at his scalp and very apparent eyebrows.
"Damn— look who decided to pay the ol' family a visit," Murino cackled.
"Don't insult me," she snapped. "I'm thankful there's no way I'm related to you three."
Kakashi watched the interaction with cold eyes, feeling the bad blood between the group. Akane's entire demeanor lacked humor or teasing. It was nothing but hostile. As if a lone dog was surrounded by a pack of strays that poked and nipped at her. Searching for a weak spot, an opening to tear in and start shredding.
"You wanna say that to the boss?" Haki asked slyly, baiting a reaction from her.
Akane stepped forward daringly, pushing onto her tiptoes so her face was just at his. "You think I'm afraid to? Did you forget why I was his favorite for his missions?"
The three watched her for any sign of fear but like all the times before, she showed nothing.
"I remember, but I'd still like to see you tell the boss that." Haki stepped aside. "Come on it."
Murino chuckled, "Good thing Souta got himself killed last year or he'd be answering for why she's still breathing."
The two smaller built men stepped back inside to lead the way while the first taller man met Kakashi's gaze. "And who are you?"
"He's with me," Akane instantly stated, not leaving room for dispute, as she pulled her mask from her face. Without the porcelain in place, the grave contempt scribbled across her expression made her point. "You'll leave him alone if you don't want to end up as a stain on the sidewalk."
The man cracked an unbothered grin but allowed Kakashi passage through. The inside of the bar was significantly darker, and it took a few blinks for their eyes to adjust from the change of the bright sun.
"Stay out of trouble," were her parting words as she headed directly to the bar, not even taking the chance to look back at him. Kakashi didn't linger long as he found an empty table near the wall that he helped himself to, hoping his discreet location would keep unwanted attention from drifting in his direction.
The kunoichi scanned the patrons as she pushed through some early drinkers until she found her source at the end of the bar. Multiple empty seats surrounded him, and at a quick glance, the mistake would be made that he was a lonely man who swallowed his past in the alcohol that filled his drink. A harmless man. However, Akane understood that what could appear as a harmless flower didn't mean that an enraged snake didn't hide beneath it.
It was strange. Being back in his presence after all that time, particularly with how they left things—the undeniable order for her to be killed; she didn't feel afraid. But she knew not to trust fear and certainly not to trust the absence of it.
"Hello Harno," Akane greeted coldly as she took the seat next to her father.
The man didn't look away from a spot right in front of him. One hand was folded on the counter and the other holding the glass of alcohol in the air inches from his lips. It unnerved her that he showed zero reaction to her. Not shocked that she still drew breath, not angry for being told otherwise. Not even looking at her once since she entered. As if he knew all this time the day would come.
"I told you what would happen if you returned," he said flatly with his grizzly five o'clock shadow and messy brunette hair. "And you ignored me."
"You expected me to actually listen?" she replied dispassionately.
"So, what do you want? Money? Food? Revenge?"
"Since when have I ever wanted any of those things? I'm interested in a mission… S-class," she watched him carefully as he downed the rest of his drink before slamming it roughly onto the counter, surprising her that the glass didn't crack. But she didn't flinch. She'd learned long ago to never flinch in front of that man.
"A mission?" he grinned, though it held no mirth. "Aren't you tired of playing ninja? You don't have the stomach for it, remember? Or did you already forget what happened when you failed the last mission I gave you?"
Akane only rolled her eyes at his blunt words. All too much did he attempt to get under her skin, though she refused to allow him any such reaction. He never respected her and with low shots and comments about her profession, it never proved to be effective. Hard to take it personal when he used her skills to dismantle the group that was established in the village prior and take their place.
The bartender heard the smack of glass and rushed over to the irritated man before pouring him a full cup. Instead of a praise from Harno, the bartender got a wave of hand that said to go away which he did hastily. After a few seconds, Harno tipped the glass to his lips and took a healthy swig before setting it down, staring straight ahead.
"Gonna kill that white haired man like the rest of your teams?" he asked, not looking away from the wall.
Akane furrowed her brows and turned in her stool to face the man she hated to call her father. "If I don't want the team dead then they won't end up six feet underground. This man is a different case anyway."
"You fucking him?"
"Screw you!" she snarled loudly, drawing the bartender's attention.
For the first time her father looked at her but wasn't holding anything short of pure rage in his bloodshot eyes. He was quick to draw a kunai and point it at a dangerous lack of distance from her lips. Again, she didn't flinch.
"Maybe I should cut that tongue of yours out like you did to that Sound-nin, eh?" he hissed with spit peppering the stale air.
It took a fraction of a second to recognize that, had he been in the position he was in the past, then shinobi would have swarmed her already in retaliation for her display of disrespect. The hierarchy had obviously shifted since the last meeting. With that observation, she swatted his hand away from her face before spinning in her stool to face the counter.
"You don't have what it takes, old man."
"Don't," he echoed with a twitch of fury at her dismissal. "Did you forget what happened to you the last time you brought your stupid self here and let that sharp tongue of yours loose?"
"Of course, I didn't," she snapped back. "But as you can see, I take after you in failing to kill their target. So, why don't you give me the damn S-class mission I want and maybe some ninja out there will succeed in killing me!"
No sooner did those spiteful words leave her lips did she find herself thrown against the countertop with hands coiled around her throat, squeezing all the air from her. She tried to kick him but only managed to knock a few chairs over. Shouts and cheers were heard in the hum of the background just as a wild frenzy of blows rained down upon her. Everything had happened so fast, but it came as no surprise to her. She could feel his knuckles collide with her left cheek. Then throbbing started at her temples with the ache setting in behind her eyes as another blow cut her lip. The blood smeared across her chin as his fist made another connection, the inside of her cheek cutting against her teeth. But through the slowness of her thoughts, she couldn't help the wry muse of how ironic it was that she was silent while he seemed to gasp out a dry sob between hits above her.
It was just after Harno lost his control that he found himself spun around and thrown up against the wall of shelves with the different whiskey bottles. His back shattered the containers, shards of glass stabbed through his flesh and amber liquid permeated the area with a malty scent. Akane managed to sit up with a gasp of air entering her lungs to see who had pulled her attacker off. Instantly, she recognized Kakashi who stepped around the bar and hauled Harno to his feet by his throat. The Sharingan was on full display, taking on an eerie glow in the dim bar. He stood only a breath away from Harno who sneered back at the man despite the crimson Kekei Genkai boring a hole through him.
There were no words exchanged between Kakashi and Harno as everyone seemed to hold their breath in anticipation. Haki and Murino stood a short distance away with blades drawn but didn't make a move as they waited to see what would happen next. Even Akane wasn't sure what to think, too busy trying to make sense of everything as she felt her face begin to swell from the abuse.
"Go to hell, you fucking cock sucker," Harno manage to spit out angrily. "You don't know who I am, do you? With one word, you'll find yourself face down in your own blood with your guts hangin' between your fingers- along with that bitch there with you. I'll make sure that she stays dead this time."
Kakashi snarled as he pulled the man away from the wall before slamming him back against it again, the remaining bottles breaking on impact, falling to the ground and shattering.
"And you don't know what the hell you're up against. I'm not someone who you want coming after you because unlike those empty threats you shot against her, I would go through with it. Do I make myself clear?"
Harno grounded his teeth together and started to form signs with his hand by his side. Akane opened her mouth to warn Kakashi, but he was already aware as he grabbed Harno's hand and twisted. The wrist snapped from the pressure, a loud crack, the splintering of bones reverberated in the quiet bar. Harno let out a scream followed by curses and orders to kill them. Before the full demand could leave his lips to his followers, Kakashi's Sharingan spun, Harno fell deadly silent-a wail cut off in mid shouting- then he went limp. The unnatural fluctuation of wrathful cursing, vengeful orders, then stillness left the bar in a subsided state, a chill going through the patrons.
Haki made a move to charge at Kakashi, but Akane was quick to hold up a hand as her attention zeroed in on him. The shinobi froze as soon as he recognized her movement and put his hands in the air—instantly backing down. Despite his sense of duty to protect his boss, the fear of ending as one of her victims overruled his reasoning. Funny how the need for survival could outweigh good intentions on a whim.
Kakashi stepped away from Harno, not bothering to stop the body from crumpling to the ground, eyes opened but unseeing as his face hit the wooden floor covered in alcohol. He was unmistakably trapped in a genjutsu. What horrors he witnessed in his mind would keep him occupied for a short time. Kakashi shifted, turning to face Akane as he met her gaze. It was clear that this would be the last she would see of her father, which she couldn't say she minded. It only made her wonder just what Hatake Kakashi was capable of when pushed to his breaking point.
With a deep breath to gather all the control he could muster, he turned on his heels, and walked around the counter to Akane's side where he helped her off the bar top. She paused at their close proximately with her hands on his shoulders, aware of everyone's attention on them. They needed to leave before things turned bad.
Swallowing, she turned and started toward the door, sensing Kakashi following along with the gaze of all the patrons on their backs. They said nothing as they strode through the streets, eyes darting to other people nearby, fully expecting someone to realize what had transpired followed by a bold attack. The pace was quick, but neither made the point to run, knowing that in a village full of predators, running was a sure way to initiate someone following.
The tension between them was thick. Neither braved the opportunity to break it, not until they were a safe distance away from the village. Apprehension was at the edge of her nerves the entire time. The echo of adrenaline slowly seeping from her body, the heightened awareness of threats nearby, the anxiety of what was going through Kakashi's head.
She'd never feared the man before, but something about the way he violently cornered Harno, threatened and snapping his wrist, left a bitter taste in her mouth. It was unnatural for him to act so… feral. The thought of that becoming a normal behavior for him to fall back on unnerved her to such an extent that she wanted to keep Kakashi from feeling like that again. If she could take the brunt of callous actions, she'd gladly do it so he wouldn't have to.
Eventually, they made it out of the cliffs, miles away from the village, and out into the welcoming open landscape. Evening was creeping across the horizon and even with the lingering daylight preventing the sky from becoming dark, stars still speckled overhead.
Their pace had slowed but the silence between them remained deafening. Kakashi would put his hands in his pockets, relax his shoulders, then fidget and pull his hands out. He repeated the process once more until finally giving in and leaving his hands at his side.
In the end, they found an area that would suit them for camp and decided to settle there for the night. A small fire situated in front of them as Kakashi sat at the north end while Akane took the west. There was a gap between them that was more than usual. As Akane watched the fire pop embers into the air, she was focused inward at the events that transpired, still wondering what Kakashi was thinking. Was he angry with her? Was he waiting for her to thank him?
She pressed her tongue to the inside of her cheek, tasting the metallic from the tender flesh.
"I can feel you staring at me," she said, breaking the silence as she swallowed the taste. "What?"
Kakashi didn't answer right away, staring at her for a moment longer before dragging his attention to the fire. "I'd like an explanation."
Me too, Akane mused. She pondered on where to start and what he wanted to know. She wished he'd ask a more pointed question rather than leaving it up to her to fill in. There was so much to say and yet so little she wanted to share. Sighing, she winced slightly and brought her hand to her cheek.
"Come here," Kakashi murmured, hand out as if beckoning her.
The woman furrowed her brows, skeptical of what he wanted, "Why?"
He looked exasperated, "Stop fighting me and come here. Or I'll just come to you."
Reluctantly, she scooted closer stopping a few feet away until his hand latched onto her arm and guided her beside him. He pulled out a rag and his canteen from his pouch, dampening the fabric and bringing it to her face. The touch was tender as he dabbed with the highest concentration to not hurt her.
"You don't have to do that," Akane protested as she tried to pull away from him, doing all she could to avoid making eye contact as her face went aflame. He was so close that she could feel the tingling of his chakra beneath his skin, the breath that pushed through the fabric as he huffed impatiently at her.
"It's not like you can see where the dried blood is at," he countered, bringing a hand to her chin to coax her to hold still. "Let me clean it up so I can see how your healing is coming along."
Giving in, she winced, but he continued until the crusted blood was off and he examined the gash remaining at her temple. He sat back, letting his hand fall with the rag.
"Looks like it's almost healed, but your cheek and neck are still bruised." He resisted rubbing his thumb over the purple splotched skin, forcing his hands to stay in his lap. "At the risk of another argument, can I have an explanation?"
Akane shifted, pulling her knees to her chest. "Well… you met my father." In the off chance of hurting her face, she cracked a smile.
Kakashi didn't return it.
Geez, tough crowd. She realized humor was going to get her nowhere. "Alright. What do you want to know?"
"What you were thinking, would be a start. And why you didn't bother to fight back."
Loaded questions right off the bat. "I… Er. I was trying to get us a mission. What else did you think I was doing?"
"Are we really going to do this?" His eye narrowed; impatience laced his tone.
Akane held up her hands in surrender. "Wait—I'm not being difficult. That was a genuine answer." To prove she was being honest, she reached into her pouch and pulled out a scroll as evidence.
He blinked before taking it with his free hand and held it up to examine the unbroken seal.
"Is this-"
"The S-class mission. You didn't think I would go through all of that for nothing did you?"
"You mean that you purposely let him hit you so you could get this? That's probably the stupidest idea you've had yet. I didn't take you for an idiot," he reprimanded, frustration bleeding through.
Akane narrowed her eyes at him with her lip pulled in a thin line, offended by his lack of approval. "I survived this long without your help, Sparky. If you don't like my way of doing things, then don't interfere."
"You've survived this long because your chakra heals you. I'm certain your poor choices would've gotten you killed years ago."
"Ok, so, you're obviously in a mood still. I thought you'd be happy that we got a job."
"The fact that you don't see the obvious problem with what just happened is a concern."
Akane remained silent, curling in on herself as she fell back to her troubled thoughts.
"Has he always been like that?" Kakashi pressed.
"Sure. He's known to have a short fuse and me being me is bound to get on his nerves. I get on yours often enough."
"Don't do that."
"Do what?" Akane was starting to get impatient. No matter what she said, he was implying she was wrong in some way. She didn't understand what he was getting at.
"Take the blame for his actions. No father should lay hands on his child. No matter what happens between them. You're not to blame for his lack of control or disregard for basic human decency."
She cracked half a smile. "You remind me of my old Team Captain. He got into a fight with my father shortly after I graduated from the academy."
"I don't blame him. Had I known he was your father, I would've acted differently."
"Like not breaking his wrist?"
"No." Kakashi didn't meet her gaze, but his tone dropped slightly. "I would've done something worse."
The admission was enough to drain any defensive mirth in her, leaving her feeling cold. Maybe Kakashi was right, that she wasn't taking her situation into full consideration. But having dealt with Harno throughout her life, she'd been gradually indoctrinated into more extreme conditions until she was nothing more than his attack dog. It was done subtly enough that she wasn't even aware of the change until it was too late. The beating she got today was not unprovoked. She'd insulted him on multiple fronts, knowing that it would lead to his reaction. She walked into that bar knowing the odds of him handing her a mission without conflict was slim, and stealing was likely the next best option.
"I didn't have anywhere else to go after Kyo," she started, pulling his attention to her. "Like I said before, I lost hope and just needed someone or something. I didn't have anything to live for. When I found him, he saw an opportunity to use me against the previous organization in charge of the village. I was sent to kill the leader and most loyal followers, and after Harno's group took over, I was sent after the people that tried to retaliate. After one mission, I had a revelation of sorts and let the targets get away. Harno was furious when he found out and decided I lost my worth, so they left me for dead. I had enough strength in me to make it to River Country where Kenji found me and took me in. Today was the first time I'd seen him since then."
She finished her explanation with a shrug, shocking him that she could recall the past so flatly as if she was talking about someone else. At least when he explained his past, he felt remorse and shame. It was as if she was detached from the events entirely, even though she left much unsaid. But that little trick of filling in the blanks came back and recalled Honoka explaining Akane not having chakra to heal. The thought of her father draining her life source to the point that they could leave her for dead infuriated him. The scars along her body were undoubtably from the man and the revelation had Kakashi wishing he'd killed him instead of simply breaking his wrist and (with a little luck) his mind.
Shoulders slouching, he lifted an arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her to him. She sucked in a gasp, startled by the unexpected contact as she was tugged into his side. The air was locked in her throat and eyes wide as her head was pressed against his shoulder, just as Kakashi released a sigh.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he offered, knowing it was a weak solvent to her past. "So long as I'm around, you'll never have to cross paths with him again."
Akane relaxed a little, realizing that the half embrace soothed her more than she could have guessed. The warmth emanating from him was welcoming and offered her a foreign comfort she'd only get when laying on Aki. "It's because you're around that we went there."
"Are you trying to make me feel worse? I'm already aware it's my fault we showed up here."
Akane tilted her head so she could look at him. "Well, now you need to stop. I only meant it as a joke. It's not your fault. If anything, I'm to blame for it-especially when it was my idea. I could have told you about him prior—you even demanded I did, but I thought I could handle it. I mean… technically I did," she motioned to the scroll. "I just didn't expect you to be so upset."
"We need to work on your cynical view of the world. It shouldn't be so bleak that stuff like this is normal. You need to take care of yourself better."
"That requires me being responsible and who's got time for that?"
"You're going to make time, if I have a say."
A tiny smile pulled at her lips as she closed her eyes, feeling tired as the last of the adrenaline and anxiety left her. "Says the guy that has an equal view on life but pretends otherwise."
"At least I'm not a skeptical maniac with trust issues."
"No, you're just polar opposites of closet cynic and aloof optimism."
"Touche."
Akane forced herself to lean up, fearing she'd start to fall asleep if she stayed leaning against him. Kakashi didn't protest as he unraveled his arm from her shoulder and a natural space filled the air between them.
"So, what's it say?" she asked as she nodded to scroll by his knee.
Kakashi reached down and started to unroll it. Using the firelight, he read the contents, brows furrowing.
"It's an assassination in Sunagakure... It says the target is the Kazekage."
Hi everyone! Hope all is well!
Like I said earlier, I know it's Akane and Kakashi more than Akatsuki, but as you can probably tell, its leading to the moment we'd been waiting for.
I'm really not sure how the story is coming across for the readers when compared to other fics. I know I'm going into heavier details and trying to hit these character milestones/development rather than progressing the plot faster. Hopefully, I'm not losing readers by taking that route, but I feel that for those who enjoy extensive adventures, it will pay off. Optimistically speaking, of course.
Thank you to all that have liked, followed, and reviewed. I appreciate you and it makes my day.
Stay safe and I'll send the new chapter out next week!
