Author's Note: So a little tidbit about me, I am very music-based when I'm writing and so far, several scenes have had music associated with them. I can't guarantee a theme or specific genre but so far, you can listen to "Last Night" by Morgan Wallen as the theme for the last chapter. For the gap between last chapter and this chapter, the song is "Without You Here" by Life on Repeat. I'm working off of a playlist on Spotify that I made specifically for this fic so I'll be leaving song recommendations for certain chapters from this point forward for those interested.
Chapter Note: Awkward reunions are awkward. Also, Avurin curses a lot. Sorry, not sorry. This chapter is much longer for literally no reason other than I couldn't stop writing it.
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'This was supposed to be a routine C-Rank mission…' Kakashi groaned in his head. He was trapped in a Water Prison created by Zabuza of the Hidden Mist, watching his cute little Genin fight an easily S-Rank missing nin. Their teamwork had improved, that much was apparent, but it wouldn't be enough for an enemy this far above them in skill. He watched carefully as Naruto got lucky, throwing a kunai at Zabuza that he couldn't dodge, forcing him to drop the Water Prison. Kakashi sprung into action and started to engage Zabuza, copying every ninjutsu the missing nin threw at him. After several passes at each other, Kakashi landed one of the copied attacks on Zabuza, pushing him back. As Zabuza started preparing to jump back at Kakashi, they were interrupted.
"YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! YOU BURNED MY FUCKING HOUSE DOWN!" There wasn't time for Zabuza to even look in the direction of the voice before a foot connected with his cheek, kicking him onto the ground. Kakashi took in the familiar features of someone he had resigned himself to never seeing again. Long auburn hair was tied into a high ponytail, bangs framing a familiar face with freckles dusting her cheeks, white arm bands covering scars he had seen with his own eyes, and infuriated green eyes focused entirely on Zabuza.
"You bitch!" Zabuza spat as he put his fingers to a cut on his forehead. Everything stopped as a quiet whistle cut through the air, senbon lodging into Zabuza's neck. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell backwards. A short individual with a white mask and Hidden Mist Hunter Nin robes appeared through the mist, leaning down to press their fingers to Zabuza's neck.
"I am a Hunter Nin from the Hidden Mist that was sent to kill Zabuza. Thank you for providing the opportunity. I will take it from here. This body holds many secrets and can't fall into the wrong hands." The Hunter Nin took the body and disappeared, leaving three shocked Genin, a heaving Avurin glaring at the spot they were just in, and Kakashi staring at the spot in confusion. Was it really over? Just like that? Kakashi was overtaken by a sudden wave of lightheadedness and felt himself falling. Arms caught him as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"What the hell?" Avurin yelped as she caught Kakashi's weight. Dragging him over to the team of kids and a civilian old man, she gently laid him on the ground and looked over the team.
"Fill me in. What the hell is going on? There is no reason a bunch of kids like you should have been facing off against Zabuza." The kids looked at her with varying degrees of distrust before she found a kunai wedged against her throat and another pressed against her back. The black-haired kid was glaring at her from the front as the kunai at her back shook slightly, betraying the yellow-haired kid's unease with the situation.
"Who the hell are you?" the kid in front of her demanded. She smirked at him and flashed out of his grip, appearing behind him and putting him in a headlock.
"Oh, you know, just an old friend of dear old Kakashi… and I'm angry. Don't test me, boy. I asked for an update on your mission." she growled in his ear. The yellow-haired one looked at her with a determined look but didn't move. She decided to elaborate. "I saved Kakashi's life about two years ago. He owes me one. Preferably an explanation for why he brought kids into this area while a missing nin is on the loose out here. If he's out of commission, you need a superior to direct your mission until he's back up to speed." She pulled her headband out her kunai pouch and held it in front of the kid's face. "Now, update me on the mission before I drag your asses back to Konoha for disobeying an order."
She watched them stare at the headband in deliberation. They were smart not to trust her upfront, very smart. She admired the determination to protect Kakashi so quickly. She felt horrible about commanding them despite not really being their superior on paper, but she did technically outrank them. With nowhere to go home to at this point, she was resigned to the fact that she would be tangled into Kakashi's life from this mission since they just so happened to run into each other again as if directed by fate. Which meant she would be brought back to Konoha and would face the consequences of her abandonment. At this point, her peace was already ruined. All good things must come to an end.
"Fine. Let him go. If Sensei wakes up and finds out we really did give her a bunch of trouble and is upset with us, he's going to really kill us this time. She caught him when he fell so at least we know she cares even a little." She felt like there was something familiar about the yellow-haired kid in front of her. He looked like Lord Fourth, but she didn't recall him ever talking about having children and when she'd left she hadn't really been close to him so she had no idea if he even had a girlfriend at the time. She'd ask Kakashi later. She dropped the black-haired kid and turned to the civilian.
"Are you alright, sir? I apologize for all of the confusion and violence in this situation. I was in the area looking for Zabuza when I heard the skirmish." The old man huffed and looked at the unconscious and soaked Kakashi on the ground.
"I'm fine. You should look after that one first though. He took on Zabuza all on his own for quite a while before you showed up. I don't know who you are but if you are able to carry him, we can get to my home before nightfall and I can provide a bed." Avurin nodded and looked at the Genin expectantly.
"We are tasked with escorting Tazuna the Bridge Builder to the construction site for a bridge to unite the Land of Fire and the Hidden Mist. We are to protect him from bandits until he completes the bridge. Sensei was not expecting any missing nin and the mission is classified as a C-Rank mission, our first C-Rank. My name is Sakura Haruno, this is Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki. Kakashi is our Jonin Sensei." The pink-haired girl spoke shakily, giving Avurin the mission scroll. Avurin nodded and read the scroll. Everything Sakura told her matched the scroll. She closed it and put it in her pouch.
"Very well. I'll lead you to Tazuna's home and we'll get Kakashi back on his feet." She walked back to Kakashi and checked his pulse, weak but not in any danger of stopping. She sighed and pulled one of his arms over her shoulder, hauling him up until she was standing. "He'll be fine, he's just exhausted. Probably from using his eye copying all of those jutsu. Lead the way, Tazuna." She nodded to the bridge builder who started walking down the path they must have originally been following. The kids eyed their Sensei but followed diligently as they started walking. She would never mention that she had done a little bit of research on the gray-haired Jonin after their meeting and had learned about his various titles like the "Copy Nin" due to his Sharingan. She had an idea of where he'd gotten it after their conversation in the cabin years ago, but the details were up to Kakashi to discuss when he felt like it. Avurin grumbled and looked at Kakashi's face.
"You're still fucking heavy, what the fuck have you been eating?" she muttered. She knew that the Uchiha had picked up her comment by the tilt of his head but didn't say anything. It took them several hours to arrive at Tazuna's home where a child coldly greeted them. Tazuna brushed it off and Avurin didn't even want to focus on something so trivial with Kakashi's weight becoming enough for her legs to start shaking. She gently laid Kakashi in a futon that Tazuna directed them to and unzipped his still damp Jonin jacket, pulling it off of him as well as his shoes. His clothes were damp but she wasn't going to get caught changing him completely. As she pulled off the jacket, she noticed that the mask he was wearing wasn't a part of his shirt like the last one had been. Looking at the side of his neck, she confirmed her suspicions with a sigh. The stitching was slightly stretched but this idiot was wearing the mask she'd made for him.
Setting the jacket down next to his bag that Naruto had offered to carry for the walk along with her own bag, bow, and katana that she'd brought, she felt his forehead with her hand and was happy to know he wasn't too hot or too cold. He was just tired. Turning off the lamp in the room and covering him with the comforter, she stepped out of the room and walked into the living room where the Genin and Tazuna were gathered. She bowed to Tazuna.
"Thank you for taking us into your home. I know the strain it can put on a family to house others as guests and I am willing to compensate wherever you deem necessary with chores. Kakashi will need to rest for a few days so anything I can do to help, please just let me know." she told him. Tazuna scoffed and folded his arms.
"Miss, you don't need to do anything. You're doing your job and that's more than enough. We were prepared to house the team during the time it would take for the bridge to be completed. Focus on your friend for now." His tone was harsh but his words were kind. Her eyes softened.
"Thank you for your hospitality. The offer still stands while I am not otherwise occupied. I understand what it means to take people into your home. Zabuza burned my own home down after I offered the same kindness." She knew the Genin were interested to learn more about her, but that would have to wait. Tazuna just waved his hand at her and gestured to an empty seat at the table.
"Dinner will be ready soon. Talk with those three. They've been following that gray haired fellow like lost ducklings this entire time." With that, he walked into where she assumed the kitchen was, leaving her with the Genin. She sat down at the table and assessed each of the Genin. Naruto was staring at Sakura as Sakura was taking things out of her kunai pouch, counting everything and organizing her supplies. Sasuke was staring directly at Avurin who stared right back.
"He's right. We need to talk." Avurin stated, gaining the attention of all three children. She sighed and placed her elbow on the table, holding her head up with her hand. "I'm a friend of Kakashi's. My name is Avurin Okita. You may recognize my name if you visit the cemetery often and happen to read the gravestones for fun. I am dead on paper. Kakashi kept my secret for me after I fixed him up and sent him home a few years ago. I found him after a mission that went bad and he found out my secret. I won't go into details, you're not owed any explanation for my past, but I trust Kakashi and he trusts me. I already know he's going to drag me back to Konoha with him and this time, I'll go with him without a fight since I now don't have my own home to return to. I'm here for this mission whether you three like it or not. I'm not nice, I'm not easy to work with, and I won't baby you. I will assist Kakashi through this mission and then I will face whatever consequences there will be for my actions when we get back to Konoha. Until then, acknowledge me as your superior and trust me. This is no longer a C-Rank mission, this is A-Rank. Zabuza and Haku are dangerous and you need an extra person."
"Wait, Zabuza is dead! Who is Haku?" Naruto exclaimed, putting both hands on the table and leaning towards her. She rubbed her temple.
"Zabuza isn't dead. The 'Hunter Nin' that took him was Haku. Haku is his partner. Haku is the reason I took them in when he was injured and ended up getting my house burned down while I was asleep in it to 'get rid of the evidence.' They will be back and you will need to get stronger before then. Zabuza does not take defeat lightly and Haku's little trick was used to bail him out of a fight he wasn't going to be able to finish." she answered.
"Do you think Sensei will be well enough to fight soon? This isn't good." Sakura asked, sounding worried. She seemed to worry a lot.
"It won't matter! Avurin kicked Zabuza in his face hard enough for that Haku person to bail him out! She can take him!" Naruto laughed. Avurin shook her head and sighed.
"Naruto, Kakashi is much stronger than I am. I'm a Chunin and a rusty one at that. I only landed that hit because Zabuza was distracted. Like I told Tazuna earlier, it'll take Kakashi a few days to recover. He's exhausted his chakra and I'm no medic nin, I can't fix it for him. He'll have to recover his chakra with rest, food, and water. The best thing you can do during those few days is train so we can help Kakashi when Zabuza attacks again. That Haku kid is no laughing matter either. I don't know the details but I know he has some strong jutsu that are hard to counter. You three will likely end up fighting him." Silence filled the room as the kids realized they were going to be fighting, whether they wanted to or not.
"You'll take care of him, right? You'll have Sensei's back?" Sakura asked. Avurin smiled.
"Yes, I will. We need to live through this so I can get my fucking book back from him that he stole from me." she joked. The three Genin groaned.
"Please don't tell me…"
"It has to be…"
"It's that pervy book with the orange cover isn't it?" Sasuke asked, obviously mortified to even ask. Avurin laughed.
"That's the one! Don't tell me he's been reading it around you kids?"
"All the time! He never puts it down! He has to have read it a million times already!" Naruto yelled, holding his head and putting his face to the table. Her face grew warm at the idea that he had been reading her book over and over. Had he really loved it that much? It was pure porn!
"Well, at least it's been well-loved while he's had it. I'm still taking it back, though. He stole it."
"Good! He shouldn't be reading that in public either!" Sakura huffed, crossing her arms.
"He reads it in public?" Avurin asked, her cheeks growing hotter. He was a pervert, wasn't he?
"All the time! He reads it when he's training us too! He won't even pay attention to us!" Naruto pouted in frustration.
"I'll see what I can do." She put her face in her hands in mortification as she heard footsteps coming from the kitchen. A bowl of fishy-smelling soup was placed in front of her as well as the Genin before Tazuna and a young woman sat down at the table.
"Thank you for the food," they all said as they started eating. Everyone was obviously tired from the excitement of the day and needed to get to bed. After dinner, as Tazuna was showing everyone to their rooms getting the kids settled in, Avurin helped the woman collect the dishes from dinner and wash them. Tazuna returned to the kitchen after dinner was finished and made a small bowl of broth as well as a glass with water, handing them to Avurin.
"I was expecting only a team of four. The kids are in one room and they all brought sleeping bags. I don't have another spare room but you seem close enough with the kids' teacher that I thought it wouldn't be too inappropriate to ask if you wanted to share a room with him. I can provide another sleeping bag. If you don't want to, you can share the room with the kids." Tazuna offered. Avurin blushed but nodded, taking the broth and water for Kakashi. She wanted to keep an eye on him while he got better anyway.
"I'll take this to him and check his bag for a sleeping bag. Don't worry about finding one unless I can't find his. I'll keep an eye on him tonight to make sure he doesn't need anything. This wouldn't be the first time, he's a troublemaker." She laughed, nervous. Tazuna seemed to agree and nodded towards the hallway. She walked into Kakashi's room, turning on the lamp and noting that Kakashi hadn't moved since she'd laid him down on the futon. She sat by his side and pressed a hand to his forehead again. He was fine. Gently shaking his shoulder, she saw his eye open slightly, slowly focusing on her face.
It was cold and he was alone in his apartment, laying on his back in his bed. It had been a few months since he'd returned to Konoha after his accidental run-in with the ghost that was Avurin Okita. Yet, she continued to occupy his mind. He knew he shouldn't have left without saying goodbye but he couldn't bring himself to wake her up that morning just to leave. He hadn't wanted to leave and the thought had scared him. He was comfortable with the fiery, broken woman in her cute little cottage hidden in the woods and really, it didn't just scare him, it terrified him. He'd spent so long alone and a woman who was supposed to be dead had wormed her way into his heart too quickly for comfort.
He heard a loud boom outside of his window and glanced lazily to his left, seeing the falling sparks of a firework that had gone off. He sighed. It was the New Year and here he was, lounging in bed reminiscing about a woman he had no idea if he would see again in his lifetime. He had been acting more reclusive since coming back and his friends had noticed, yet he couldn't bring himself to care. They knew that if they asked what was bothering him, he wouldn't answer. He knew what was happening, he just refused to accept it.
He hadn't marked her, he hadn't even touched her, yet he yearned for her to be by his side. The books on the Hatake clan that had been brought to him from his family home at his request had mentioned the symptoms of encountering a potential mate and he was adamant about squashing down the feelings as they came. He had no guarantee of seeing her again and he wasn't an animal, he wasn't going to go take her from her home and bring her to his just to claim her as his own. He was more than his instincts that he'd battled throughout his entire life.
The cold sheets on the empty side of his bed taunted him as he sat up, bringing his hand to his face and pulling down the handmade mask from his face. Her scent had completely faded from the mask, yet he couldn't bring himself to take it off. He justified himself by believing it was just as good as any other mask, it even fit to his face perfectly with hardly noticeable differences from his usual masks. The stitching down the side had been slightly stretched but it still fit perfectly and he refused to part from it. It was a gift from a potential mate… no… a merchant he had met on his travels and he preferred the comfort of the fabric used to make it.
Growling low to himself, he took a deep breath and tried to imagine the scents he'd encountered in her home. He couldn't forget the smell of the wood she had made her cabin from, the smell was accentuated by the summer months bringing out the earthy smells in the wood, along with the slight smell of dirt from the well-maintained garden next to the cabin. His thoughts turned to the smell he'd picked up of dried blood which had led him to her room, possessing him to pull up the loose floorboard and invade her privacy the way he had. He'd recognized the smell and matched it with her own blood from when she'd pricked her finger making his mask. The kunai bag he'd retrieved had been covered in her own blood, not even washed before it was stored, and he had felt the need for answers immediately.
Looking back, he didn't know if he was ashamed or happy with the results of the conversation that had occurred when he'd confronted her with his findings. While he wanted to say he was surprised, there were certain things about a trained shinobi that couldn't be easily hidden. Light footsteps, the strength to carry a fully grown man all the way from the creek to the cabin, the guarded answers, the eyes that saw everything that occurred in that cabin as it happened, and the dismissal of odd situations when they happened. His rut had occurred at the worst possible time, yet she hadn't questioned him or become irate with him like a normal civilian. He'd had his suspicions about her, but the secrets he uncovered were beyond what he expected. The ache in his chest didn't feel like his own when he'd discovered her secrets, yet he felt just as betrayed as his friends that had mourned her.
Yet, here he was, longing for her like a lovesick puppy. He missed her and had no right to. He sighed and decided to get up to make himself some tea. Maybe he'd actually get some peaceful sleep tonight without her plaguing his thoughts. He scoffed at himself. Yeah, right…
"Hey, we'll talk more tomorrow but I'm here. Tazuna sent some broth from the soup we had for dinner and some water. Can you drink liquids right now?" she asked, almost nervous to have his eye on her again after so long of not seeing him. His gaze was intense and she almost had doubts about being the one to be there to take care of him for the next few days.
"Yeah… I'm just tired. It will probably be a week before I recover. This isn't the first time. I used the Sharingan too much today." She looked at him with so much concern that almost had him looking away just to avoid having her full attention on him. He was enjoying the feeling too much and he knew he couldn't allow himself to get too used to it.
"You should be careful with that. Your cute little students are worried about you." she mumbled as she helped him sit up, handing him the bowl of broth. His hands were shaking so badly that she took it back immediately before he dropped it. "You're in no shape to even hold a bowl. I'll look away but I'm holding the bowl and the spoon. You need to eat and drink."
"You can look. Nothing you haven't seen before." he mumbled back. His head was still foggy from his dream, no, his memory. She nodded and pulled his mask down just below his lips, trying not to focus on the intimacy of the moment before preparing a spoon of broth for him. Holding the spoon to his mouth, she started the process of helping him eat what was in the bowl before helping him with the glass of water. After he was finished, he flashed her a small, almost shy smile. She stopped and stared.
"Is that… Do you have fangs?" she asked, curious. His smile had been intentional, he wouldn't have shown his teeth if he didn't want her to see them while his mask was down. He closed his mouth but nodded, still relaxed, but his tone was more serious.
"I'm a Hatake and we're a clan closely related to wolves. It's a little different but we do have fangs and an amazing sense of smell. My father had the traits as well. It's not too different from the Inuzuka clan." he told her. She put a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, nothing to be ashamed of. They're pretty cool. The sense of smell probably isn't great on any missions where shit stinks but hey, tracking just got a lot easier." she told him with a smile. He smiled back more confidently, fangs on full display for her. He hadn't even shared this secret with his teammates before they'd died, yet here he was revealing himself to a woman he'd been obsessed with in silence for years.
"You're the first to see my teeth besides my father and he's been gone for a while. I have to keep my mask up around the cute little Genin though. They keep trying to figure out what's underneath and it's just too fun to mess with them. If they ever ask, you either saw and won't tell or you didn't see anything." He laughed softly as he said this before closing his eyes and pressing a hand to his head. There was a dull ache behind his Sharingan eye and he felt a pressure in his temples. She helped him lay back down and pulled his mask back up over his nose.
"Get some sleep. Do you have a sleeping bag in your pack? I'm staying in here tonight." He nodded and she started digging through his pack. While she was turned away from him, he internally agonized over having her so close to him during the night. He also had to resign himself to his sleeping bag smelling like her for the foreseeable future which was torture in its own right. Pulling out Kakashi's sleeping bag, she laid it down beside the futon and got comfortable. Leaning up to turn the lamp off, Kakashi's eyes tracked her movements until the light was gone from the room, enveloping them in the dark. As she settled down, she heard him adjust himself slightly.
"Did he really burn your cute little cottage down?" Kakashi asked, tone carefully even. She turned in his direction.
"Yeah. I helped him out when his partner was injured and he decided he needed to erase the evidence. I woke up to the smell of smoke and grabbed what I could. I brought the hidden bag and my weapons and I took off to find the fucker that ruined my peace. You can take me back to Konoha if we make it through this since everything I did to stay away in my own little corner of peace has now been destroyed. I was going to tell you tomorrow but the asshole is still alive. The kid that took him is his partner. They had a plan to bail Zabuza out if he got in over his head. He's working for a guy named Gato that wants to monopolize all of the imports and exports to and from the Hidden Mist. I've been tracking him for a little bit. Your bridge builder has himself in deep with it. If the bridge is built, it'll ruin everything for Gato. He'll do anything to stop the bridge. Your Genin are in a bad position, Kakashi."
Kakashi was silent for a moment and she almost worried he was asleep. She could hear the hitch in his breath as he realized the depth of the situation.
"This is too much for a C-Rank. I should send a message to the Hokage to send a more experienced team to handle this. I can't lose them." he said calmly. She couldn't see him in the dark, but she still stared at him as hard as possible.
"Don't back down on the mission. Train your Genin and prepare them. This will be an important lesson. I have your back. I think between me and you, we should be able to pull this off. You know, those kids of yours held me up with kunai to my neck and back the second I asked for details on the mission. They were fiercely protective of you. Give them a chance." She didn't know why she was advocating for the brats, but something about the determination in their eyes told her that they could get through this.
"You're here to stay?" Kakashi asked, fighting to keep a hopeful tone from his voice. The doubt and disbelief in his own thoughts had him holding his breath as she thought for a moment.
"For this mission, yeah. And if I'm not locked up when we get back, I'll stay in Konoha. Maybe I'll test to be a Jonin so I can get my own cute little Genins to train." she said with a resigned smile. She heard a rustle from Kakashi's futon and a hand covered hers in the dark.
"That sounds like a plan. We'll figure something out." he told her. She closed her eyes and fell asleep with a smile on her face.