Kakashi propped himself up in bed as he lazily traced patterns on Kotori's bare shoulder. The moonlight illuminated her body. He knew she was awake but pretending to still be asleep. His patterns edged ever closer to the ticklish spot along her spine. Her body stiffened in anticipation and he could hear her suck in a quick breath. He traced a spiral growing larger and larger in size before winding it back down as it got too close. Then as the spiral got too small he would reverse and start winding it back out. After several minutes, he kissed the base of her neck instead. He enjoyed the shiver he elicited.
"So sensitive," he teased.
She released whatever breath she had been holding. "Why do you insist on torturing me like that?"
"Like what?" He innocently asked.
He couldn't help himself, he deliberately traced his finger down her spine this time. She gave a startled gasp.
"Kakashi!" Her attempt to sound firm fell apart as she giggled. "That's it, I'm going to find out where you're ticklish."
"I'm not, but you're welcome to try," he smugly informed her as he rolled onto his back, his head resting over his hands. His voice dripping with suggestion he said, "I'll even get undressed for you."
Even after two and a half years together he was still in awe that this was his life. Kotori had nurtured the relationship while he tried his best to protect it. The fear that something would happen to her was always present in the back of his mind. However as the years went on he begun to relax just a little. Kotori had proven herself time and time again that she was a capable kunoichi and always returned to him. They were a team, both as people and as shinobi. He had been captain of Team Ro for nearly five years now. In that time he had never lost a comrade. It gave Kakashi hope that he was not destined to repeat the failures of his past. That he could move forward and protect the new bonds he had forged.
He grinned as he lightly restrained Kotori's two hands above her head. His eyes roamed her body and were met with her heated gaze.
Her eyebrow arched upwards. "What are you doing?"
"Just thinking."
"About -?"
"About how I'm the luckiest man in Konoha right now."
He enjoyed the pretty blush that stained her cheeks. He enjoyed being the one able to put it there. He didn't know if this still counted as the honeymoon period, but he never wanted it to end. He captured her lips as he released her hands, enjoying the feeling of her fingers tangled in his hair.
They were interrupted by tapping at their window. Kakashi sighed as he recognized the messenger bird from the Hokage.
"Duty calls," he complained, forcing himself to get up. He felt about as disappointed as she looked. He opened the scroll to receive the predictable summons. The details were vague, but the entirety of Team Ro was needed on a tracking mission.
Kotori recognized the look in his eyes. "I'll get ready then."
Team Ro was dispatched to the northeastern outpost, halfway between Konoha and Hacho. The complete disappearance of a genin team had the village elders nervous and they were being sent to find them. This outpost had been their last known location. Team Ro arrived by late morning and interviewed the shinobi posted there.
Kakashi passed out a copy of the genin team photo so that his teammates could take a look. The jonin sensei rested his hands on the shoulders of two young boys. A girl in the middle had her arms thrown casually around their necks. Inoue Touma had been a few years ahead of him at the academy. Kakashi knew of him in the way that most jonin vaguely knew each other from around the village. The trio of genin were bright eyed and innocent as they smiled up at the camera. Nara Ryoku, Yamanaka Kouta and Inuzuka Mimi were only a few months out of the academy.
This was their first C-Rank out of the village. It was a simple delivery mission, bringing medical supplies to Hacho, a village on the border of the Land of Fire. They had reached the halfway mark after completing the delivery, however they were now seven days late returning to Konoha. Scouts from the outpost had not seen them on the main trails. Those were the routes that jonin sensei usually stuck to while their students were inexperienced. It was a slower, less direct route however they had higher traffic between merchants, travellers and other shinobi escorts so were less likely to run into rogues or bandits. More seasoned shinobi would travel by treetop through the thick coverage of the forest.
"Usual partners," Kakashi informed his team. "Each of you will be taking two of my ninken with you."
Shiba shifted towards Kotori, already making his preference in partner known. Kakashi smiled beneath the mask.
"The team left Hacho fourteen days ago and checked in here ten days ago. Ryuji has confirmed they were in good health and set out on the main trail when they departed the next morning. Touma had mentioned wanting to set up camp for a survival training session by mid-afternoon. Your mission is to find them and bring them home. If anyone runs into trouble, send the signal."
Ayumu's eyes were melancholy as she looked over the genin team photo. Kakashi wondered if there was a close relation between her and the boy.
As if knowing the unasked question, she answered, "Kouta-kun is my nephew. I'll do anything to bring him home safely."
There was determination in Ayumu's pale blue eyes as she pulled the raccoon mask over her face. She and Haruki set off into the forest with Bisuke and Guruko at their heels. Yugao and Satoshi were the next to leave with Akino and Uhei.
Tenzo and Genma engaged in a conversation off to the side, deliberately giving the couple as much privacy as they could while in the middle of a mission.
Kakashi squeezed Kotori's shoulder. "Be careful."
"I always am," she promised. Her green eyes were fond as she pulled the hawk mask over her face. "Same goes for you."
With that, the Kotori and Genma disappeared into the forest with Shiba and Urushi. Kakashi left with Tenzo, Pakkun and Bull. Kakashi had broken into Touma's apartment earlier that morning and summoned the pack for them to get familiar with his scent. Meanwhile Kotori had rounded up some hair ties that belonged to the three kids. There hadn't been any rain in the last week so there was a good chance his ninken could pick up the scent.
Bull let out a low growl as he sniffed the earth. They were a few kilometres off of the main path. The genin could have easily reached this area in half a day's journey and there was a nearby stream and enough coverage in the area to make it an attractive survival training campsite.
"Do you have something?" Kakashi asked.
"Hold on," Pakkun wandered over to give it a sniff. He walked around in circles. "Their scents go in different directions and there's others - "
Sounds like the team was ambushed then. Kakashi had feared as much. There wasn't much that would prevent a jonin sensei from getting their team back in a timely matter and failing that, to at least send word to Konoha.
"This way!" Pakkun barked as he took off in one direction. Kakashi and Tenzo followed hot on his heels. Despite having little legs, Pakkun could be fast.
Kakashi darkened as they found a decomposing body with a Konoha forehead protector wrapped around the head. He had seen a lot of grisly sights over the years, but there was something particularly disturbing about seeing a comrade in such a state. Most shinobi at least burned or buried the bodies after they were done.
"Pakkun is that - ?"
By the looks of it, Touma had been dead for several days. It was impossible to tell if it were him or not from the state of the body.
"Afraid that's our guy." Pakkun lowered his head. Bull let out a soft whine.
"What about the genin?" Tenzo quietly asked.
Kakashi privately thought they would be finding three more bodies. It was unlikely inexperienced genin had survived whoever had killed their leader. At the very least they should have made a break for the main path and gone for help. The outpost wasn't far from here. He was tempted to call the rest of his team off and just search for the bodies himself. He would spare the rest of the team, especially Ayumu, the heartbreak of finding the genin. Only the possibility that the kids might still be alive and lost or injured somewhere in the wilderness stopped him.
The pug sniffed the air. "I'm working on it."
Tenzo grimly sealed the body of Touma in a body seal. They would take it back to Konoha for the morgue to properly identify the body and then notify the next of kin.
"What kind of shinobi doesn't give their foe the curtesy of burying their body?"
There were plenty of people in the shinobi world with no honour. At the very least, disposing of the body was done to cover up signs of the fight. Kakashi crossed his arms, not liking the reasons his mind had come up with. Whoever had killed Touma wanted him to be found. "Someone who wants to send a message."
One of his ninken let out a howl in the distance, signalling an issue. Kakashi and Tenzo immediately raced towards the source. They arrived in a clearing to find Haruki fighting off a trio of shinobi with his gentle fist technique. Kakashi clenched his jaw at the sight of one of them, hatred burning through his veins.
Igarashi Gyoku had been the head of Kiri's Torture and Interrogation unit during the Third Shinobi War. Although he was now listed as an S-Rank rogue in the Bingo Books. Gyoku was a sadistic man, apparently too sadistic, even for the Bloody Mist. He also happened to be one of the shinobi responsible for sealing the three tails inside of Rin. As clever as he was dangerous, Gyoku liked to play with his opponents. He used a variety of lightning style jutsu to torture his victims, electrocuting them and overwhelming their chakra network.
They had fought once before, however Kakashi had prioritized getting Rin out of the camp over killing this pathetic excuse of a shinobi. Now he vowed to make sure Gyoku paid for every Konoha shinobi he had ever hurt.
Haruki stood protectively over Ayumu's limp body. Kakashi feared the worst for a moment before noticing that two more enemy shinobi were engaged in combat with each other off to the side. She must have used her mind transfer jutsu to take control over one of them. It was a bold, yet risky, maneuver on her part. Bisuke and Guruko had both snuck their teeth into the leg of a sixth shinobi. He violently shook them off, throwing a pair of shuriken at the ninken for good measure. Kakashi dismissed all four of his summons, knowing they would be outmatched against these shinobi. The shuriken hit the base of a tree instead. Tree roots shot up, circling around the shinobi and holding him captive.
Kakashi rushed forward to help Haruki, trusting that Tenzo and Ayumu would deal with the other three shinobi. He formed the chidori in hand, however Kakashi was thrown backwards as his hand plunged into the chest of a lightning clone.
"Kakashi of the Sharingan," Gyoku taunted him, leaning against a tree as he observed from a distance. There was an ugly smile on the man's face. "I was hoping they would send you. It's been a while, hasn't it? Last time I saw you, you were about a head shorter sneaking into my camp."
Kakashi shock off the feeling of electricity coursing through his chakra network. With his lightning style affinity, it didn't have as much affect on him. Anyone else - that could have been lethal.
"You and I both know in a one on one match, you'll win," Gyoku casually said as the two circled each other. "However we're six against four so I have the advantage. I don't know how your friends will fair against mine. So let's make a deal. If you and the Hyuga come quietly, I'll leave the other two alive. I'll even release those genin brats your team was sent to retrieve."
Gyoku was after the sharingan and byakugan then. Kakashi made eye contact with Haruki. The byakugan blazed with determination behind the owl mask. Neither of them would go willingly. Haruki would never betray his clan in such a manner. Kakashi owed it to Obito to not let his sharingan fall into the hands of the person responsibility for Rin's capture and torture. They had the upper hand between the two of them. It might be sixth against four, but their team was strong. Gyoku seemed unaware of Tenzo's abilities for the time being. Not to mention the others would be arriving as backup soon. Kakashi would not fall to this man's head games.
"You want the sharingan?" Kakashi coldly responded. "You'll have to pry it from my dead body."
"Very well then," Gyoku dramatically sighed. "We'll do this the hard way."
Within seconds, Gyoku used a substitution jutsu to switch with one of his team. He began a fast and brutal assault as he fought hand-to-hand against Haruki. When Gyoku's fist finally connected with Haruki's palm, the Hyuga was knocked backwards with a horrible, guttural cry. He trembled as he struggled to push himself up, his muscles spasming. Kakashi's sharingan could see the lightning chakra buzzing through Haruki's system, disrupting his own.
Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion as the sharingan picked up another shinobi about to deliver a fatal blow to Ayumu's vulnerable body. Kakashi rushed forward to try and block it, however a third shinobi used a wind cutting jutsu that sliced the back of his hamstrings, bringing him crashing to his knees.
Ayumu returned to her body to try and block the attack but it was too late. The blade pierced her in the stomach. The shinobi cruelly twisted the blade, slicing her open.
"No - !" Haruki shouted.
Kakashi felt like the katana had plunged through his own gut in that moment. Ayumu. He could feel the sharingan spin as it cried the tears that Kakashi never could. He swallowed thickly as his hands curled into fists. Ayumu was a good person. A comrade. A friend.
"I know your weakness, Kakashi," Gyoku sneered. "You Konoha shinobi have such soft, bleeding hearts. I wonder how many of your little friends I'll have to capture and kill before you give in. And I won't be as easy on the next one. They'll die screaming. I promise you that."
Kakashi used a substitution jutsu to get out of the way, taking cover in a bush as he tried to stop the bleeding from his leg. He felt like a coward, leaving Haruki and Tenzo alone. However he knew he would just be a burden if he left the wound unattended. He stitched it up as best he could and wrapped cloth around it. He could use chakra to power through the pain. Satoshi would be annoyed, but he trusted the medic would be able to deal with it later.
The threat to his team tore at Kakashi. He couldn't let that happen. He had already failed Ayumu. He couldn't fail the rest.
He heard a grunt as the other three shinobi overpowered Tenzo, bringing him to his knees with a terrible blow to the head. Tenzo's innate healing ability was the only thing that kept him from being knocked unconscious from it. Kakashi stubbornly stood up and he prepared to come to Tenzo's defence. He rushed over, fearing he would be too late to save his friend. However, seconds before the shinobi was about to land the killing blow, a lightning arrow pierced the enemy's chest, instantly killing him.
Kotori.
Yugao and Genma joined Tenzo, the pair of them keeping him in the middle as they duelled the enemy. The clash of blade on blade rang out. Haruki was once again on his feet, his movements sloppy as he fought, visibly distressed over the loss of his own mission partner and friend. Kotori rushed over to Kakashi's side, standing protectively between him and Gyoku with her tanto drawn. Kakashi felt fear like he had never before. His insides turned to ice. She shouldn't be here.
"Come on, Captain." Satoshi was kneeling next to him, his hands aglow with green medical ninjutsu. "You've lost a lot of blood and shouldn't put weight on that leg if you want it to heal properly. I can patch you up, but you need to get to the hospital. Raiden will take you back."
He couldn't abandon the rest of his team. Kakashi shook his head. "I don't care what happens to me, fix it so I can fight now."
Satoshi growled, but did his best to comply with the order. Kakashi nervously watched as Kotori held off Gyoku, buying Satoshi time to heal the damage. Like any ANBU, she had been trained with a tanto, but Kakashi knew she was at her best with long-range attacks. She just couldn't put enough distance between her and Gyoku.
The predictive ability of the sharingan caught Gyoku piercing Kotori through the heart. He slammed his hands on the ground, using mud wall to block the attack just in time. Walls raised around Kakashi, Kotori and Satoshi, creating a dome. His heart hammered in his chest. The vision of Kotori being stabbed in the chest, falling to the ground -
It had been too close.
"You need to leave me," Kakashi quietly informed them. Kakashi had no intention of giving up the sharingan so he knew his only option was to go down fighting. The sharingan would be destroyed along with his body when the ANBU seal activated. He would protect both Konoha and his comrades that way. "Take the others and go."
"Absolutely not," Kotori rebuffed him. "Are you insane? You're in no condition to take him on by yourself."
"Hawk, that's a direct order. Leave. Now." He needed her to listen and save herself. Gyoku was too strong for her to stand a chance.
Her body stiffened for a second. He knew she hated it when he pulled rank. He avoided it most times, however this was a matter of life or death. He could see her green eyes water behind the mask as she started shaking her head. She knew what he was intending to do.
"You can reprimand me when we get out of here. I'm not leaving you," she announced.
"Tori-chan, please." There was so much he wanted to tell her in that moment. How much he loved her and he would gladly sacrifice himself if it meant she could escape. How happy she had made him over the years. How he wished they could have had more time. However he knew he didn't have time. He needed to buy every last second because he wouldn't last long against Gyoku in his current state. "I love you. I can't lose you."
An explosion brought down his mud wall and before any of them could react, Gyoku had grabbed Kotori, holding a blade to her throat. Her feet kicked in vain as she was lifted off of them. "Well, isn't this touching. Who's the girl?"
"She's no one of any importance." Kakashi said with a casual shrug. The lie felt heavy on his tongue however he would say anything - do anything - if it meant Gyoku let her go. The thought of this man hurting her made his insides run cold. "Your business is with me."
The sharingan picked up the sudden charge of lightning style chakra in the man's hand and almost instantly Kotori let out a bloodcurdling scream. Kakashi felt his heart freeze as she convulsed in unimaginable pain. He took a step towards her but his injured leg gave out. Satoshi caught him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder in support.
"Stop," Kakashi growled. He knew what he needed to do to end this.
Gyoku let her drop to her knees, keeping his katana pressed to the back of her neck as she gasped for breath. Kakashi could see the same lightning chakra buzzing through her chakra system that had injured Haruki.
"You see, I think she's of great personal importance to you. What is the life of your little girlfriend worth, I wonder?"
Kakashi's heart hammered in his chest. "Let her go, and I'll come quietly."
He could feel Satoshi stiffen next to him. "Captain - "
"Kakashi, I'm so sorry. You know I can't let you do that," Kotori was crying now. Her eyes lifted up to meet his. There were so many emotions in her eyes, but above all, a grim determination. Something painful coiled around his heart. "I love you too."
And with that, she slapped an explosive seal on the ground underneath her and Gyoku.
When Kakashi opened his eyes he groggily found himself in the hospital. The sunlight and white walls were blinding. He abruptly sat up, the images from his sharingan burning bright in his mind's eye. Ayumu's death. Tenzo's injury. Kotori.
"Easy there," Satoshi said, forcing him back into the bed.
"What happened - " he demanded. "Kotori? Where is she?"
"Oh Kakashi-senpai," Yugao's eyes had welled up with tears.
Kakashi's heart shattered in that moment. His insides felt as cold as ice, like there was no warmth left in the world. He felt like he couldn't breath. Like he had been dragged under the deepest, darkest ocean. Not Kotori. This couldn't be happening.
"We're so sorry."
AN: Well... it wasn't going to be fluffy forever. I have been plotting this arc since the beginning and am both excited and nervous it's finally here! I think I wrote and re-wrote this chapter several different ways. Thank you everyone for your support :)