Chapter 1

The young shinobi waiting outside the wooden door was filled with a sense of anxiety he couldn't quite place, the inky black shadows dancing along the walls of the surrounding hallway doing little to put him at ease. The sun had long since set, and the streets outside were becoming quieter and more deserted by the moment.

Just why was I summoned here?

He had barely gotten out one knock before he heard a warm and familiar voice calling out from inside. "Come on in!" The boy's knuckles turned white as he gripped the handle tightly, the rising feeling of dread threatening to swallow him whole.

What the hell is wrong with me?

The Hokage sat with his back to the door while he gazed out on the village below, tufts of yellow hair poking over the top of his chair. One of large windows lining the rear of the room was open, allowing in a soft breeze of warm night air. "You asked to see me Lord Hokage?" the boy asked coolly, doing his best to hide his discomfort. "Kakashi, please, we've talked about this. Drop all that 'Lord' stuff! It makes me feel so old.." the man chuckled while turning his chair to face the shinobi in front of him. "It's still Minato sensei to you!"

He seems to be in a good mood…maybe I'm overthinking this.

"I heard your latest mission was a great success. It seems like every ninja in the village is talking about that hostage rescue, you should be very proud!" Minato beamed. "But I didn't call you here just to sing your praises…" he said shifting slightly in his seat. Kakashi kept his head lowered slightly as the Hokage continued to speak. "I know it's late and you've just gotten back to the village so I promise I won't keep you long. I wanted to talk to you because I…I've been a bit..concerned about you lately. This was the sixteenth ANBU mission you've taken on in the last month alone. I'm worried that you've been pushing yourself too hard. I know that you've been hurting ever since-" Minato paused, deciding not to finish that sentence as he noticed his former student was failing to steady his breathing. "Listen Kakashi, I've respected your decision to immediately get back out in the field even though I felt it was too rash, but I can't keep watching you work yourself half to death. For this reason, I'm temporarily unassigning you from the position of team captain."

God damnit. I knew this was gonna be bad.

Kakashi couldn't suppress the look of shock behind his visible eye, his jaw tense from clenching his teeth so hard it felt like they would snap. "If I may interject Lord….sensei. This is absurd. I'm perfectly fine. There's no reason I shouldn't be able to continue with my missions. My team needs me!". Sweat was starting to form on the boy's forehead as his chest tightened sharply.

I need to keep my cool. Just breathe. Breathe.

"I know this must be upsetting, but as your Hokage it's my duty to ensure your well-being. I've already reassigned your squad for now. Please rest assured that your position within the ANBU will be reinstated when the time comes.". Minato placed his chin in his palms, looking fondly at the boy in front of him. It was hard for him to believe how much his student had grown in recent years. Kakashi was nearly 14 now, but he'd always be that determined and quiet genin in his sensei's mind. "Don't worry though, I won't be leaving you with nothing to do! I have a new assignment for you, starting tomorrow. It's a bit different than what you're used to but I think you're going to enjoy yourself." Kakashi's posture relaxed slightly, but his nerves were still aflutter. "You're familiar with Genma Shiranui, correct? Meet him at the gates in the morning and he'll fill you in on all the details. You'll both be gone for quite some time so be sure to pack accordingly. Oh and…try not to hate me to much for this, will ya? You're dismissed." Minato smiled nervously. In a blink, Kakashi was gone.

Is this some kind of sick prank? Removing me from my post and sticking me with that joker? This has to be a nightmare…right?

Morning came quickly, the rays of the dawning sun filling Kakashi's small apartment with pastel hues of pink and orange. He had hardly slept last night. He couldn't keep himself from wracking his brain all night trying to think of some sort of plan to convince Minato sensei to change his mind. He eventually resigned to defeat, rising at the first glimpse of light to pack his bags for the mysterious mission ahead. While getting dressed, he habitually reached for his ANBU uniform. He felt a pang of anger as he put the outfit away, instead deciding to wear a sturdy short sleeve black tee and lightweight black pants. As he glanced out his window, he watched the trees along the street sway gently in the breeze, as if they too were caught up in the days awakening. Taking one last glance around the room to ensure nothing had been forgotten, he hoisted his gear onto his back and slowly made his way out the door to meet his unwelcome fate. As the towering gates of the village came into view, that lurking dread started to bubble up inside Kakashi's gut yet again.

I should have pushed back harder. Would I have been better off just asking for some time off instead? I don't even know what this mission is but I already don't like the sound of it.

Genma was waiting beside the guard station, leaning casually against the wall while doing his best not to fall asleep. Kakashi took a bit of relief in realizing that he wasn't the only one who didn't get enough rest. "Aw man, there you are! I was getting worried you were gonna leave me here all alone Hatake." Genma smiled widely, shaking off his tiredness and moved to greet his new teammate. He wasn't wearing his usual oversized jacket today, instead donning a simple white shirt and green shorts, probably in anticipation of rising heat of the day. "Ah, Shiranui. Sorry I'm late, I got a bit carried away with packing." Kakashi shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his bags.

"I hate to cut right to the chase, but would you mind filling me in on where exactly we're heading? Lord Hokage's description was…vague to say the least." The pair walked ahead as they spoke, making their way through the gates and out into the lush forest surrounding the village. "Well, I'm not sure you're gonna like this," Genma chuckled, "but we're on body guard duty for the next two months."

Two months?! What the hell were you thinking sensei…

"Hmm. Body guard duty, huh?" Kakashi was trying to hide the annoyance in his voice but based on the laugh his teammate was trying to hold in, he wasn't doing it well. "Who's our client?"

"You know the capital Ōujisama city right? We'll be heading there. It's only about half a days journey if we're quick about it. The princess there is in need of a private guard detail. The royal castle's own guards have had there hands full lately, somethin' about the Empress being missing I guess." Genma raised his arms above his head to stretch. "I've been going back and forth between there and Konoha the past couple months helping out, but this is gonna be my longest stint yet. I'm glad I'll have a familiar face with me this time." Kakashi looked at him like he had just grown two heads.

Just great. Royal babysitting duty, how fun.

The sun had made it's way fully into the sky, the summer air becoming thick and heavy with humidity and the forest coming alive with the sounds of it's animal inhabitants. A family of deer made their way hurriedly across the dirt path the two young shinobi walked, the small fawn in the rear of the group pausing for a moment to regard the pair with curious eyes before shooting off into the brush to it's mothers side. Genma continued to fill Kakashi in on the details of their assignment as they made their way, but he admittedly was only half listening, still cursing the Hokage in his head for making him do this. "So yeah, I guess it's a pretty sweet gig. We get to stay in this super swanky cabin and all the maids are like, super nice, they'll get you whatever you want! And the princess, she's the prettiest girl I've ever seen and-" The rest of the journey continued on much like this, Genma giving every piece of commentary he could think of, and Kakashi only answering in short grunts and 'mhms'.

This might end up being the longest two months of my life if he keeps talking like this..

They made quick work of the trek, and before they knew it, the trees surrounding them opened up to reveal the capital city a short distance ahead. It was much grander than Kakashi had remembered it being, but to be fair he had only visited once before as a small child. It seemed to be around twice the size of the Hidden Leaf, the surrounding walls adorned with shining gold inlays of the Kamon crest associated with the royal family, a large half moon with its open side facing the sky and a morning glory flower in its center. As they approached the open gates, he was struck hard by the sheer enormity of it all. They were quickly met inside by someone Kakashi assumed to be a royal guard based on the gaudy uniform he wore.

I really hope we don't have to wear those too. Talk about tacky.

"Osamu, it's good to see you again sir! I'd like to introduce you to Kakashi Hatake." Genma said as he reached out to shake the man's hand. "Kakashi, this is Osamu Abe, head of palace security. He'll be escorting us to our lodgings and showing us around town for a bit today so you can get your bearings."

Osamu was a tall man with wide shoulders, and a sturdy frame. Even with the uniform, it was obvious that underneath was a thick and muscular physique. His large, round brown eyes stood out in contrast to the sharp features of his face, and he wore his red hair in a intricate braid that reached just below his neck.

"Nice to meet you, sir." He desperately wanted to say something about not needing a tour, he was exhausted and just wanted to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet before meeting the princess this evening, but knew that trying to argue with Shiranui was a fool's errand.

The bustling marketplace hummed with activity, merchants were loudly hawking their wares, with customers haggling for the best prices. Children laughed and played in the streets, chasing each other around in games of tag and hide and seek. The scent of food filled the air, wafting from the open windows of homes and restaurants alike. They had made it to the inner city where the palace stood just a bit earlier, and quickly dropped off their packs in the cottage they'd be living in. Osamu had suggested a sushi restaurant within the main shopping district for lunch, showing them different stores along the way he thought they may find useful during their stay.

After the meal was over, Genma and Kakashi parted ways with the kind, albeit imposing, guard and started to make their way back to the palace. "So what do you think so far? Pretty cool place, huh?" Genma was walking a bit ahead, chewing absentmindedly on his senbon. "I know this isn't the kind of mission you prefer, too laid-back for your taste I guess, but all of the people here are great. And it's nice to have an assignment where you get to sleep in a real bed! I think you'll have a good time it if you give it a chance." Genma abruptly turned to face his partner. "But enough of that, you ready to meet the lady of the hour?"

Author's note:

schmoopy here! thank you for reading my first ever fanfic, i hope you enjoyed! this is my first time writing anything outside of a paper for school lol, so i know i definitely have room for improvement, and i'll probably tweak this a bit eventually. idk exactly how long i want this whole story to be yet, but i'm hoping to be able to get out at least one chapter a week

p.s. this story is not going to follow canon!